*Hong… *
There was a terrible explosion, and the world was filled with a bright light; nothing could be seen in the blinding brilliance.
“Eh?” Duan Hong Chen, who was charging towards Wu Kuang, preparing to drag him to Hell, suddenly frowned, and an extremely uneasy feeling poured out from the depths of his heart.
Because Wu Kuang had blown up the Primordial Astral Wind right in front of him.
What was he planning?
Before he could think about it, the aftermath of the Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering force hit him from all directions.
It was the impact from the destruction of the Primordial Astral Wind. Anything the devastating gust swept by was turned into nothingness, and no longer existed.
Cracking sounds came from every corner of this peculiar world that was on the verge of collapsing; it seemed that it would not last any longer.
“This is bad!” Duan Hong Chen seemed to have perceived something and quickly reached out to tap on the main points of his body. The process of self-destruction was immediately stopped.
*Huhuhu… *
He was tossed about by the wind like a lone boat on the verge of capsizing in a violent sea. Fortunately, the Divine Tree Bai Yi that had been guarding him provided a little protection; even so, his robes were ripped and his skin was torn into a bloody mess.
He managed to release his Divine Sense and clearly noticed that Wu Kuang’s skeleton was slowly falling apart under the devastating force of the Primordial Astral Wind explosion, gradually turning into dust.
On this day, the skeleton which belonged to the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor had been completely destroyed after hibernating for tens of thousands of years. In other words, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor Wu Kuang could no longer regain his original body.
But Duan Hong Chen did not rejoice, instead feeling that the situation was more serious than before.
*Hong long long… *
The sound of the sky and the earth splitting echoed loudly as this strange sealed world finally could no longer maintain itself in face of all the destructive power, and collapsed completely.
A huge black hole took shape, and it swallowed everything contained in this world in no more than ten breaths of time. Then with a slight tremor, it immediately disappeared. In the Void connected to the black hole, Yang Kai drifted along with the current, feeling lightheaded, his face filled with lingering fear.
Yang Kai, who had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, was rejoicing in his own strength and the transformation of Emperor Qi in his body, and did not expect that the aftermath of the battle between the two Great Emperors would completely demolish the sealed world.
He did not have time to escape from the catastrophe, so he was swallowed by the black hole into The Void.
Although he was far away from the battlefield, he still suffered serious injuries. After being swallowed into this place, it took a long time before he gradually recovered his senses, fear still etched on his face.
He did not know what exactly happened between the two Great Emperors as he was too focused on his own breakthrough, so the battle was concluded by the time he noticed something went wrong.
[What happened to the Bustling World Great Emperor? Is he dead or alive?]
Duan Hong Chen was closely connected to Azure Sun Temple; after all, Temple Master Wen Zi Shan was raised by Duan Hong Chen. Yang Kai was a disciple of the Azure Sun Temple, so it was only natural for Yang Kai to pay more attention to his situation.
Even if they had no involvement, the Bustling World Great Emperor had put his life on the line, cutting his own cultivation repeatedly over tens of thousands of years to search for Wu Kuang in the Shattered Star Sea. The selfless spirit he carried that cared for the common people was awe-inspiring.
The horrible power just now was most likely produced by the self-destruction of something or someone. Yang Kai immediately assumed that the Bustling World Great Emperor had chosen to self-destruct to die with Wu Kuang.
Yang Kai’s face darkened at this thought, believing that the Bustling World Great Emperor’s Soul was really gone.
He coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, took out some healing pills from his Space Ring, and chomped on them like they were beans before sitting down cross-legged and releasing his Divine Sense to examine his own condition.
Yang Kai was startled at what he saw.
He noticed a pair of eyes gazing at him eerily, and the gaze did not come from the surroundings, but from within his own body.
His face changed drastically as he formed a hand seal and shouted, “Suppress!”
His Soul Avatar then appeared over his Knowledge Sea.
For some reason, a figure appeared alongside him in his Knowledge Sea, standing quietly above the tumbling fires, looking around in amusement, occasionally looking surprised.
Yang Kai looked at the figure, gritted his teeth, and shouted, “Wu Kuang!”
The figure turned slowly at the sound of his name, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He looked neither angry nor excited, but his eyes glowed brightly with an air of natural majesty.
Although Yang Kai had never seen his face, he still recognised his identity at a glance.
Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang!
Yang Kai’s heart sank. He did not even notice how the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor broke through the defences of his Knowledge Sea. If this intruder had not bothered to conceal himself, Yang Kai would most likely have never even noticed him.
Chills filled Yang Kai as his very Soul trembled.
Wu Kuang was also a Soul Avatar at the moment, but the strength of his Soul Avatar vastly exceeded Yang Kai’s, being so condensed that it almost seemed corporeal.
“Junior, how dare you address this King by his true name!” Wu Kuang snorted coldly, and an invisible assault was suddenly blasted towards Yang Kai.
The assault was obviously powered by his Soul, and its might was terrifying, causing Yang Kai’s complexion to change drastically. With a hurried wave of his hand, Yang Kai summoned up the flaming seawater below to form a protective barrier around him.
With a bang, the attack slammed into the wall of flames, creating a terrifying explosion that stirred Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea into chaos that did not calm for a long time.
Yang Kai took a few steps back, his face steeled in vigilance as he stared ahead and quickly demanded, “Wu Kuang, get out of here, otherwise don’t blame this Young Master for being impolite to you!”
He felt extremely uneasy that Wu Kuang had appeared in his Knowledge Sea. It was not so much because of the secrets Yang Kai wanted to keep hidden; instead, he feared that Wu Kuang had ulterior motives.
“Impolite to me, is it?” Wu Kuang squinted at Yang Kai and sneered, “Interesting. I have not heard someone speak to me in such a manner for a long time, but since this King is here now, naturally I won’t leave easily.”
“What do you want?” Yang Kai looked at him coldly.
Wu Kuang chuckled, “Why are you asking when you already know? You are also an intelligent fellow, don’t you know the purpose of this King appearing here?”
Yang Kai’s face became extremely ugly at his words as his worst fears came true.
Wu Kuang continued, “This King’s body has been destroyed by that old fart, and without a body, no matter how strong I am, this King is just a wandering Soul. Junior, you have a good body, this King likes it very much. Give it to this King and you will witness the peak of the Martial Dao!”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and glowered, “You want to seize my body?”
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “Why not? Is it really such a bad thing? This King just needs a body. If you cooperate, this King would allow you to stay here without devouring your Soul, but if you don’t cooperate… this King doesn’t mind letting you experience the difference in our strength.”
Yang Kai sneered, “This is my Knowledge Sea, do you think it’s really okay for you to boast so shamelessly here!?”
Wu Kuang glanced at him in amazement, then slowly shook his head, “Stubborn as a mule!”
After speaking, he stopped paying attention to Yang Kai. Instead, he turned his head and looked around for a while, soon nodding in approval, “Junior, your Soul’s strength is indeed quite good, extraordinary compared to an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator. It is even a mutated Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, so it could be said to meet the requirements of this King. Surprisingly, you could reach this stage with only such a cultivation…”
They seemed to have exchanged positions as Wu Kuang commented loudly on Yang Kai without caring for his feelings. Yang Kai wanted to attack him, but he did not dare to act rashly.
The usual tactics could not be used on a Monster who had lived for countless years. If the sneak attack failed, he would be at an even greater disadvantage.
As he continued to inspect the surroundings, Wu Kuang’s gaze hardened suddenly as he fixed his eyes in a certain direction, whispering, “That island…”
He was staring at the seven-coloured island floating in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea incredulously, carefully studying it before calling out in alarm, “Soul Warming Lotus! It’s the Soul Warming Lotus!”
Wu Kuang had vast experience and knowledge, his title as the top Master of the Star Boundary not being undeserved, but even so, at this moment, he could not help feeling an upsurge of emotions looking at the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus as he muttered, “Junior, you actually have the Soul Warming Lotus!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “All this fuss over nothing!”
Wu Kuang grinned, “This King did not expect to see the Soul Warming Lotus here. This King explored countless Star Fields to find it but found nothing. I never thought I would see it today. What a waste of effort, searching far and wide to just find it here.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Why are you so happy? It’s not even yours!” He threw Wu Kuang a contemptuous look.
“It will be in a bit!” Wu Kuang brushed off Yang Kai’s mockery, now in a good mood. He looked at the Soul Warming Lotus greedily for a while before nodding, “Not bad. With this Soul Warming Lotus, this King will be able to integrate with your body perfectly. There is no need to worry about backlash at all and it won’t be a problem to restore to my peak in the future.” He seemed to have foreseen a bright future for himself, which put him into excellent spirits. While talking, he turned his head and looked around in search of more, his brow rising slightly as he looked up at the star-filled sky, “Junior, I didn’t expect you to have so many good things.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he questioned him, “Do you know what this is?”
He was referring to the Star Chart that was skittered all over the sky of his Knowledge Sea. The Star Chart was obtained by Yang Kai long ago, and mapped out the position of each star in Heng Luo Star Field.
Yang Kai used the Star Chart above his Knowledge Sea to identify directions and chart courses while he was wandering in Heng Luo Star Field. Without this, he would have gotten lost in the vast Star Field multiple times.
Yang Kai could not help feeling inquisitive at Wu Kuang’s words at this moment.
Wu Kuang glanced at him with a smile and said meaningfully “You came to the Star Boundary from a lower Star Field, right?”
Yang Kai frowned, “That’s right.”
There was no need to deny it, so he readily admitted it.
“Right.” Wu Kuang nodded, “You must have gotten this Star Chart from that Star Field.”
“You can tell?” Yang Kai looked at him in astonishment.
Wu Kuang smiled, “It’s not that this King has good eyesight, but it’s because only those Star Fields can produce such a Star Chart.”
“Why is that so?” Yang Kai questioned.
Although he could not wait to kick Wu Kuang out of his Knowledge Sea, he did not always have the chance to meet someone who could clarify his doubts, so he wanted to seize this opportunity to get answers, and he believed it would not be too late to kick him out later after he got his answers.
After pondering for a moment, Wu Kuang answered, “In this world, everything has a Source. Trees have Wood Sources, Divine Spirits have Divine Spirit Sources, even the dazzling stars have Star Sources. Source Strength, which is the origin of strength, is mysterious and boundless. The World Force is the World’s Source Strength. It is the power that has existed ever since the birth of the world. If any cultivator can spy and learn even a sliver of knowledge from a true Source, they will benefit immensely.”
Yang Kai listened attentively. Even though the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was a bane to the world, his immense strength and knowledge were undeniable facts. Therefore, it was a precious opportunity for him to give a lesson.
Wu Kuang pointed his finger at the sky above his Knowledge Sea, and proclaimed in a soft voice, “This Star Chart is also a Source.”
Yang Kai muttered, “This is also a Source?”
Wu Kuang smiled faintly, “Of course, and it’s not just a normal Source, it is a Star Field’s Source!”
“A Star Field’s Source?” Yang Kai immediately went wide-eyed.
Wu Kuang ignored Yang Kai’s reactions and continued, “You can think of it as the Source Strength of an entire Star Field. With your current ability, this King is afraid that you are incapable of refining it properly. If you could refine it, though, you would find that it is extremely useful. However… you won’t have that chance.”
“A Star Field’s Source!” Yang Kai murmured repeatedly, then he asked humbly, “What is the use of refining it? Can it also bring benefits to our cultivation just like a Star Source?”
Wu Kuang snorted, “That is just a small part of its role. The cultivation speed of a cultivator with a complete Star Source is faster than other cultivators, because that Source can help that cultivator in comprehending many things, such as Principle Strength. A cultivator with a complete Star Source has a much better head start than the other cultivators. As for the role of this Star Field Source, it is several dozen times greater than a complete Star Source, even up to a few hundred times.”
Yang Kai could not help taking a deep breath.
Although he had many complete Star Sources now, he was stunned by the fact that the Star Field Source was several dozen to a few hundred times greater than a Star Source.
“In addition, if you can refine this Star Field Source, it means that the entire Star Field has recognized your existence. Then, you can become the owner of that Star Field and control the destinies of everything in it with just a thought!”
Yang Kai asked with a thoughtful look, “Isn’t that the same as being a Star Master?”
Back when he was the Star Master of Shadowed Star, he could control everything on Shadowed Star with a single thought. He could also ignore the barriers of space and travel to any places on the Shadowed Star at will.
According to Wu Kuang, one could gain similar authority by becoming the owner of a Star Field.
Yang Kai could not help feeling exhilarated. The Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea was the Star Chart of Heng Luo Star Field, so if he could fully refine it, he would become the true owner of Heng Luo Star Field and have the entire Heng Luo Star Field under his control.
“You could say so, but the owner of a Star Field has an even higher authority.” Wu Kuang suddenly lifted his head and changed the topic, “However, it is not simple to refine a Star Field Source. This King had destroyed countless Star Fields in the past and only found several Star Field Sources, but this King has never succeeded in refining them.”
“Why?” Yang Kai was bewildered.
Wu Kuang grinned, “Because those Star Field Sources rejected this King, so this King devoured them in anger.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched.
Wu Kuang continued, “No matter how badly the entire Star Field is damaged, as long as the Star Field Source still exists, the Star Field will eventually be restored, but if the Star Field Source is destroyed, the Star Field is done for. Just like a human’s Soul, once it is extinguished, you will never be able to be reborn again!”
“And you destroyed those Star Fields, knowing that!?” Yang Kai spurned.
Wu Kuang snorted coldly, “Anything that dares to resist this King will never have a good ending, it doesn’t matter if it is a human or a Star Field!” He looked at Yang Kai coldly as he spoke, heavily pressuring him, as if he was warning Yang Kai indirectly.
Yang Kai pretended not to notice this threat, but when he was about to ask for more secrets, his expression changed suddenly.
“Alright, that’s all for the gossip. This King only exchanged a few words with you because this King is in a good mood. If you give up your body as an offering to this King, this King will spare your life.”
Yang Kai snorted, “If you want my body, take it yourself.”
Wu Kuang slowly shook his head, “This King wanted to keep you alive as you are a man of great potential. But since you are so stubborn, your life is no longer needed.”
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and waved. In an instant, an arrow-like attack was formed and shot towards Yang Kai like lightning.
Yang Kai’s face changed and his entire Knowledge Sea responded to his alarm, roiling as the flaming seawater condensed into many layers of strong and tough protection in front of him.
Wu Kuang snorted, “This King is the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, even if this King has been weakened after tens of thousands of years, my strength is not something you can resist! If you don’t want to suffer, don’t struggle!”
As if to prove his remark, the incoming attack shattered all the protective layers with ease as it shot forward.
Yang Kai felt a tearing pain in his Soul and had to use all his focus to resist the attack while hurriedly retreating.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
After a long while, the arrow-like attack was finally resolved after chasing Yang Kai for a few laps around his Knowledge Sea. He looked like he was in dire straits, and his Soul Avatar turned gloomy from suffering serious injuries.
Whoever won or lost in this battle, Yang Kai would still suffer a loss, because this was his Knowledge Sea and anything destroyed here was related to him.
“You can block the first blow of this King, but can you block the second or third?” Wu Kuang looked at Yang Kai disdainfully. He raised his hand and was about to unleash another terrifying attack.
However, Yang Kai did not show much panic on his face and simply looked at Wu Kuang with a playful smile and replied, “It is definitely still too early for this Young Master to fight an old monster who lived for tens of thousands of years like you, but fortunately this Young Master is not your opponent today. Your opponent is someone else!”
“Someone else?” Wu Kuang frowned, wondering who the other person Yang Kai mentioned was. All of a sudden, a figure emerged behind him and slammed a palm strike at his back.
Wu Kuang never expected that someone would ambush him in such a place and he was caught completely off guard.
With a bang, Wu Kuang grunted in pain as his Soul Avatar flashed wildly and was forced back.
After regaining his balance, Wu Kuang glanced up painfully and saw the appearance of the person who ambushed him, rebuking with his teeth gritted, “Old thing, didn’t you self-destruct? Why are you not dead yet?”
The ambusher who emerged behind him was the Bustling World Great Emperor!
Wu Kuang had no idea how Yang Kai communicated with Duan Hong Chen and allowed the latter’s Soul Avatar to secretly enter his Knowledge Sea.
Right now, two Great Emperors’ Soul Avatars had gathered together in the Knowledge Sea of a newly promoted Emperor Realm Junior; it was a spectacular scene that had never before happened in history.
Duan Hong Chen snorted coldly, “This Old Master knew what you were up to when you put on that show! Before this Old Master self-destructed, you blew up the Primordial Astral Wind to cover this Old Master’s sight and senses in order to perform your Empty Cicada Shell Technique. Since your skeleton had been destroyed, you could only find a new host, and there was only one person to choose in this place. This Old Master would be an idiot if he wasn’t able to guess that you were here.”
“Bastard!” Wu Kuang barked with a grim face, no longer containing the calmness he had before.
With his ability, it would be easy to seize Yang Kai’s body; however, the interference of Duan Hong Chen’s Soul Avatar disrupted his plan. If he wanted to seize Yang Kai now, he would have to pass Duan Hong Chen first.
Wu Kuang was truly frustrated with this old man who would rather die with him than live his own life.
Duan Hong Chen looked ahead with a cold and determined face, declaring, “Wu Kuang, you must die today. You don’t have a second choice!”
Wu Kuang could not help acknowledging these words filled with conviction. Afterall, Duan Hong Chen was determined enough to self-destruct earlier just to take him down.
“We have tens of thousands of years of friendship, so why must you cause trouble for this King!?” Wu Kuang roared with a darkened face.
Duan Hong Chen’s eyes were emotionless as he replied indifferently, “It’s not that this Old Master wishes to cause troubles for you, but it is you who brought this upon yourself. Your sins can only be cleared with your death. If you had chosen to be righteous, you would never have ended up in such a situation today.”
“Stop preaching to this King!” Wu Kuang was maddened, “This King has seen the ways of the world better than you. Legitimacy belongs to the victors; losers are always in the wrong. Duan Hong Chen, if you don’t embarrass this King today, this King will promise not to trouble you in the future and this King will never interfere in anything related to you.”
Duan Hong Chen responded lightly, “Are you begging for mercy?”
“Don’t underestimate this King. This King is just giving you a chance,” Wu Kuang gritted his teeth with a vicious look.
Duan Hong Chen sighed, “Then it seems like we really have nothing left to discuss. This is truly a tragedy.”
The two Great Emperors fell silent at once, staring at each other, sparks flying as their sights collided.
The seawater below seemed to be disturbed by their silent confrontation and was constantly tumbling.
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he pleaded, “Can you both talk outside?”
Seeing these two people were about to fight in his Knowledge Sea gave Yang Kai goosebumps. He was afraid that his Knowledge Sea would be unable to bear the battle of two Great Emperors and it would not end well for him. However, he was just an ant in front of the two Great Emperors, not worth noticing, so how could he possibly chase them out?
Both Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang turned a deaf ear to Yang Kai.
“Hey, I’m talking to the both of you,” Yang Kai looked at the two angrily, “Can you give some reaction?”
Wu Kuang only replied coldly, “This King will leave here immediately if you get rid of him!”
Duan Hong Chen bellowed, “How embarrassing it is for you to say such things to deceive children. Wu Kuang, you’re even more shameless than before!” He spurned Wu Kuang fiercely, and then looked straight at Yang Kait, “Boy, bear with it. The two of us are going to fight to the death right here, right now. You can only consider yourself unlucky if your Soul gets stamped out because of this, but if you can survive by some chance, you will benefit infinitely!”
Yang Kai sighed in surrender, “Fine. Go ahead and do your best, Senior Hong Chen. This Junior will take care of himself.”
Duan Hong Chen laughed with great excitement, “Boy, with your affirmation, this Old Master will go all out!”
As the words fell, he performed a hand seal and palmed towards Wu Kuang.
Wu Kuang’s face changed drastically as he snarled, “Are you being serious?”
“Do you think I am playing with you?” Duan Hong Chen responded coldly.
“This King is furious now! Duan Hong Chen, don’t think you will be able to leave this place alive, because this King will extinguish your Soul even if he has to risk inflicting serious injuries on himself!”
Even the most docile person would lose their temper after being hounded so persistently, let alone the famous Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. He was forced into a corner by Duan Hong Chen time and time again, and it did not stop even when his Soul escaped to this place. Wu Kuang had to give his all in such a dire situation.
The two had already begun battling each other as they spoke, and in an instant, Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea started tumbling, setting off huge waves as the two figures combated back and forth across the ocean of flames.
This was a battle of Souls, far more perilous than an ordinary life or death battle.
The tactics used by the two Great Emperors were all Soul Techniques, and visible rings of halos surfaced into sight whenever their Divine Senses collided.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea was completely vulnerable.
As soon as Duan Hong Chen made his first move, Yang Kai had already zoomed to the centre of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus island, spurring its power with all his strength to protect him.
No matter how well he protected himself, though, it was impossible for him to feel at ease when the Soul Avatars of two Great Emperors were fighting in his Knowledge Sea. He was literally their battlefield, and all he could rely on now was the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus.
This was a Supreme Treasure that nourished his Soul, and it was so valuable that even the great Heaven Devouring Great Emperor had searched for it across countless Star Fields in the past.
Yang Kai was guarded by a layer of impregnable seven coloured light, with the fallout from the attacks of the two Great Emperors only managing to cause ripples on its barrier, leaving Yang Kai unscathed.
Noticing this, Yang Kai finally calmed down. He was truly afraid that the Soul Warming Lotus would not be effective, leaving him in deep trouble.
But even with the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai still had a head-splitting headache. His Soul Avatar trembled restlessly, as if every inch of his body was being torn apart.
Every attack by Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang was like slashes from a sharp blade on his Soul, inevitably inflicting some trauma to him.
This was where the marvellous effects of the Soul Warming Lotus came in. Whenever the tearing pain hit Yang Kai, a gentle force would follow and spread throughout his body, like invisible soft hands, gently healing Yang Kai’s pain, allowing him to settle down within a short period of time.
Gradually, Yang Kai got used to this feeling.
He no longer felt much pain and instead began to focus his attention on the two Great Emperors.
Every movement of these two was imprinted in his mind clearly.
Yang Kai absolutely would not be able to do this if it happened somewhere else; but inside his Knowledge Sea, everything was within his perception, and no matter how fast Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen exchanged attacks, or how fierce their techniques were, he could sense everything clearly.
Yang Kai was constantly amazed as he gazed fixedly at this battle.
Because the two Great Emperors were constantly displaying mysterious Soul Techniques and wondrous uses of their Spiritual Energy.
It was no wonder Duan Hong Chen had said earlier that if he could survive by chance, he would benefit infinitely. This was what he meant.
In this situation, when none of the Secret Techniques used by the two Great Emperors could escape Yang Kai’s observation, he could freely comprehend the mysteries behind these techniques. This was far more efficient than being carefully taught by a Master, allowing Yang Kai to obtain great enlightenment.
It was as if the two Great Emperors were trying their best to pass down to Yang Kai their various Divine Abilities, allowing him to soak up all their comprehensions and knowledge without the slightest concealment.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai was deeply shocked as he realized just how great the disparity in the understanding of the use of Spiritual Energy was between him and these two Great Emperors.
For example, with the amount of power Yang Kai would need to smash a giant rock, the two Great Emperors would be able to split a mountain. This was the difference.
Yang Kai was exhilarated as he found that this rare opportunity gave him a very high starting point. Even if he had not broken through to the Emperor Realm and was still just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, after witnessing this battle, his strength would be at least several times greater than before.
If Spiritual Energy could have such a magical effect, so could Qi.
He suddenly opened his mouth to yell, “Senior Hong Chen, there’s no need to hold back, Junior is fine!”
After watching for a while, he found that Duan Hong Chen had fallen into an unfavourable position, being completely suppressed by Wu Kuang, and was forced back constantly.
Duan Hong Chen’s Spiritual Energy was not inferior to Wu Kuang’s, but Duan Hong Chen was still somewhat cautious about causing damage to Yang Kai, so he dared not use too much power.
Regardless of the boldness in his statement earlier, he was still a person who cared for the common people, so, naturally, he would take Yang Kai’s well being into consideration.
Hearing this, Duan Hong Chen stole a glance at Yang Kai in the midst of battle. His eyes lit up when he saw the island transformed from the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and laughed in relief, “Good, there will be no possible consequences that could hold back this Old Master now!”
Seeing the body of Soul Warming Lotus at a glance, he knew that it was protecting Yang Kai firmly, making it so that he suffered no permanent effects from the battle between the two Great Emperors, regardless of how fierce it was.
When his words fell, his momentum surged and he immediately met Wu Kuang’s attack equally without restraint.
Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea was further disturbed by the increasingly violent impact and techniques, but his Soul Avatar was guarded by the Soul Warming Lotus and would not suffer serious injuries no matter what happened to his Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai gradually immersed his consciousness in studying the mysterious Soul Techniques and the utilizations of Spiritual Energy, unable to extricate himself. He felt like there was a new door slowly being pushed open before his eyes, allowing him to see a glimmer of dazzling light inside.
The battle between the two Great Emperors was getting more intense, with both sides suffering from multiple injuries, yet the luminosity of their Soul Avatars still flashed wildly, both holding a fair chance of winning in the end.
This was a battle of life and death, and neither side planned to stop without seeing the other dead.
As time passed, the power displayed by the two gradually weakened due to overconsumption and severe injuries.
The tumbling Knowledge Sea began to calm down, no longer rioting about madly.
After what seemed like a long time, Yang Kai, who was still lost in his comprehension, suddenly heard a low voice reach his ear, “Boy!”
Yang Kai was shocked and broke out from his trance.
He looked up fixedly in a daze.
He was unaware of when the battle between the two Great Emperors had stopped, but now the two Soul Avatars were interlocked by a kind of technique that pinned one another in place.
The radiance of the two Soul Avatars was dim and their auras were so faint that they looked as if they could be snuffed out at any time.
Duan Hong Chen looked solemn, while Wu Kuang had a gloomy expression, but neither was willing to let go.
“How can I help you, Senior?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
“Attack us with your strongest Soul Technique, one that could extinguish our Souls,” Duan Hong Chen bellowed through gritted teeth.
Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
Wu Kuang looked cold and stole a glance at Yang Kai before disdainfully snorting, “Duan Hong Chen, have you gone senile? What secret technique could a trivial newly promoted Emperor possess that could hurt us?”
Duan Hong Chen grinned in reply, “This boy is no ordinary person, you will know what the consequences from underestimating him will be soon enough.”
Wu Kuang responded superciliously, “Then this King will wait and see.”
Duan Hong Chen growled, “What are you still waiting for? This old thing is waiting for you to show your skills, broaden his horizons!”
“Senior…” Yang Kai hesitated.
Duan Hong Chen burst out shouting before he could finish, “If Wu Kuang is reborn, the tragedy of tens of thousands of years ago will repeat. This Old Master has waited tens of thousands of years for today’s opportunity and was always prepared to risk his life to see it through! It is impossible to have such an opportunity again, do not disappoint this Old Master!”
He used a Secret Technique when he was shouting, causing his determined voice to ring like a bell in the morning and a drum in the evening, oscillating in Yang Kai’s ears, agitating him.
Their eyes met, and Yang Kai clearly saw the plea in Duan Hong Chen’s eyes and felt the determination in his heart.
Yang Kai stood in awe and slowly got up from the Soul Warming Lotus before walking over step by step towards the two of them.
Yang Kai inquired solemnly as he stopped above them, “Does Senior want Junior to pass on any message to Temple Master Wen?”
Duan Hong Chen grinned and replied carefreely, “No, he knows what this Old Master has been doing all these years!”
Yang Kai nodded before bowing, saying with a deep, grieving voice, “Then may Senior… go in peace!”
Duan Hong Chen closed his eyes with a faint smile.
Wu Kuang looked at Yang Kai coldly but remained silent, simply staring at him disdainfully, obviously doubtful that Yang Kai could really kill him.
“Sabre!” Yang Kai roared, his eyes shining brightly. He stretched out his hand, and a sabre immediately materialised, one that emitted a strange buzz, seemingly sensing the restlessness in its master’s heart.
“Soul Emperor Artifact!” Wu Kuang exclaimed, his eyes narrowing as he stared numbly at the sabre held by Yang Kai.
Emperor Artifacts were all rare treasures, let alone a Soul Emperor Artifact. It was unlikely to find a treasure that attacked or defended the Soul even amongst a thousand Emperor Artifacts, so one could imagine how precious one was.
Wu Kuang did not expect that Yang Kai actually possessed a Soul Emperor Artifact; after all, he had hidden it somewhere in his Knowledge Sea where Wu Kuang had not found it earlier.
Wu Kuang felt slightly troubled now. Soul Emperor Artifacts were specialized in harming the Soul, and with the supplement of Yang Kai’s rich and pure Spiritual Energy, it may actually be able to harm him.
Despite fear gripping his heart, Wu Kuang sneered with a contemptuous look, “A good treasure, but it’s still not enough to kill this King.”
Yang Kai looked solemn and swept his finger across the body of the sabre and its buzzing instantly stopped. Pointing the sabre at Wu Kuang, he shouted coldly, “This is the Soul Splitting Sabre. Wu Kuang, you are lucky to be able to die under this sword.”
“Hahahaha!” Wu Kuang could not help bursting into loud laughter, amused by Yang Kai’s blatant words, replying with a taunt, “Tsk tsk, this King won’t deny that this Emperor Artifact might be able to threaten this King a bit, but boy, you still need to cultivate tens of thousands of years before you can dream of killing this King.”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “Shall we test your theory then, Sir Heaven Devourer?”
As he spoke, he pushed his Spiritual Energy madly, causing the calm seawater below to stir up again and pour into the sabre. In an instant, the Soul Splitting Sabre released a dazzling light.
This was not the end though as Yang Kai performed a hand seal and slapped the Soul Splitting Sabre.
A magnificent aura and rich murderous intent permeated the air, one so thick it was almost tangible.
Wu Kuang’s face slowly turned solemn as he silently surged his own strength, as if he was about to cast some sort of protection.
*Zheng… *
A clear and strange noise diffused the air as the blade aura of the Soul Splitting Sabre seemed to have been pushed to its maximum limit, constantly quivering in front of Yang Kai, attempting to break free from his control to slash towards its enemy.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with brilliance, and he whispered, “Heaven Severing Slash!”
Power surged violently, enveloping the Soul Splitting Sabre, and in the blink of an eye, the dazzling Soul Splitting Sabre was coated with a layer of faint golden radiance, causing the intensity of its aura to rise several fold.
“What kind of Secret Technique is that!?” Wu Kuang was frightened now and could not help letting out a shriek.
As a Great Emperor, he could naturally feel the transformation in the Soul Splitting Sabre, but he had no clue what Yang Kai did that caused this rapid and manifold intensification.
If the aura of the Soul Splitting Sabre before had already surprised him, he was truly terrified now.
Because he clearly felt that the power of this Soul Emperor Artifact was sufficient to threaten his Soul Avatar.
“Heaven Devourer, the name of the one who killed you is Yang Kai!” Yang Kai bellowed with an indifferent expression on his face.
When the words fell, he swung his arm and the Soul Splitting Sabre turned into a stream of light that slashed towards the two Great Emperors, like an arrow released from the bowstring. The blow contained a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering power, as if a full moon was crashing towards the world.
Yang Kai learned the Heaven Severing Slash from Tian Yan in the Divine Ascension Mirror, the hidden treasure of Azure Sun Temple.
Although Tian Yan only had a Soul body and no physical form, his cultivation had reached the Great Emperor Realm, and exactly because he did not have a physical body, he focused exclusively on studying the power of the Soul throughout his life. Therefore, his Soul Secret Technique was more profound than any Wu Kuang or Duan Hong Chen possessed.
The Heaven Severing Slash was utterly terrifying.
Yang Kai nourished the Soul Splitting Sabre slowly each day, accumulating power within it in preparation to unleash it all whenever he needed to. The lethality that could be exerted by this first strike was simply unimaginable. Even though it needed to be recharged after every use, this kind of Secret Technique often was the best solution to some critical situations.
The Soul Splitting Sabre, which was a Soul Emperor Artifact, was the best medium for the Heaven Severing Slash to display its might, the two existences complementing each other and multiplying each other’s effect.
“A trivial ant thinks that it can kill this King!?” Wu Kuang roared hysterically. He no longer looked disdainful and arrogant as Yang Kai’s attack had garnered his full attention. He was taking it very seriously.
While shouting, he desperately pushed his power to free himself from Duan Hong Chen’s restraint, but how would Duan Hong Chen allow his wish?
“Wu Kuang, don’t struggle anymore. Isn’t it great that both of us can go to Hell together? You will have a companion on your journey!” Duan Hong Chen made fun of him and laughed in madness.
“Go by yourself!” Wu Kuang yelled, his power becoming dreadfully unstable.
Duan Hong Chen’s complexion changed slightly. Although he did not understand what Wu Kuang was trying to do, he knew that this was the best chance to kill him. What he could do now was to restrain Wu Kuang and prepare to receive the terrifying blow that was about to land on them.
The full moon-like radiance fell and directly engulfed the Soul Avatars of the two Great Emperors.
Wu Kuang let out a terrible roar, mixed with the muffled grunts from Duan Hong Chen.
It seemed that both of them had a hard time taking the blow.
After Yang Kai performed the skill, he immediately turned around and retreated back to the Soul Warming Lotus, stimulating the seven-coloured radiance to cover him.
*Hong long long… *
The aftermath of the tremendous impact exploded and Yang Kai’s entire Knowledge Sea boiled chaotically. Huge waves of flaming seawater spread out continuously to the surroundings as the attack landed on the exact centre of his Knowledge Sea, directly forming a massive pit.
Yang Kai suffered a splitting headache because he used this Secret Technique and artifact in his own Knowledge Sea. In the past, Yang Kai had never thought about doing such a reckless thing, but he had no choice today.
The damage was more severe than the battle these two Great Emperors caused before, and Yang Kai was suddenly overwhelmed by pain, feeling lightheaded, and almost fainting at that moment.
*Hong hong hong… *
The fallout continued to rampage, seemingly like it would last until the end of the world.
After some unknown amount of time though, the disastrous activity slowly calmed, and the dazzling radiance gradually dissipated.
Although Yang Kai grimaced in pain, his first reaction was to check the situation of Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen. After scanning with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai’s face could not help changing.
In his Knowledge Sea, only the Soul Avatar of Duan Hong Chen was left hovering in a certain corner. A huge gash from his shoulder blade to the lower abdomen of his Soul Avatar almost seemed to slice him into two pieces and traces of pure Spiritual Energy were diffusing out of his wound, constantly weakening his aura.
Duan Hong Chen turned his head to look around, panting, “Where is Wu Kuang? Has his Soul been extinguished?”
Yang Kai answered with a depressed face, “He escaped!”
When he was examining himself just now, Yang Kai clearly felt that someone had torn a hole in his Knowledge Sea’s defences and escaped.
Since Duan Hong Chen was still here, the one who ran away must have been Wu Kuang.
Hearing this, Duan Hong Chen’s complexion darkened as he forced himself to stand up and bellowed, “Boy, send me out!”
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai sent Duan Hong Chen’s Soul Avatar out of his Knowledge Sea without a single word.
After doing so, Yang Kai shook and almost collapsed.
He was eager to find out if Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen would continue to fight again outside, but his current condition made him give up on this idea.
Yang Kai was in no position to care about others for now because if he did not focus on maintaining his consciousness, he would black out.
Although he benefited a lot from the battle between the two Great Emperors in his Knowledge Sea, he was also covered in wounds.
Under his urging, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus blossomed with a gentle light that filled his Knowledge Sea, repairing the damage done to his Soul.
After half a day, Yang Kai finally started to feel that his condition was stabilising.
And it was not until this time that he regained the ability to move.
He immediately sent his consciousness back to his physical body.
After opening his eyes, Yang Kai realized that he was still lost in The Void, drifting along aimlessly.
He saw Duan Hong Chen sitting cross-legged not far in front of him.
Yang Kai gulped hard and carefully inspected the Great Emperor’s condition, soon finding that Duan Hong Chen was still breathing, but his aura was extremely weak, and the fluctuations of his Emperor Qi were almost imperceptible.
[At least he is not dead!] Yang Kai could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
He did not hold back even the slightest when he used the Soul Splitting Sabre earlier and was worried that he would kill Duan Hong Chen together with Wu Kuang. Even though it was a request from the Bustling World Great Emperor, how could Yang Kai bear to kill such a noble Great Emperor with his own hands?
Both Yang Kai and Duan Hong Chen were here, so where did Wu Kuang go?
Wu Kuang’s physical body was certainly ruined, and his Soul Avatar was definitely injured, so where could he have fled to in the endless Void? If he simply ran around in such a place, he would be swallowed by the Void Turbulence sooner or later. Even if he was the strongest Master in the Star Boundary’s history, he would not survive being tossed around in his current state.
[Looks like the odds are against Wu Kuang rather than in his favour.]
Thinking so, Yang Kai was overjoyed.
But after examining Duan Hong Chen’s condition more closely, Yang Kai could not help worrying, because Duan Hong Chen’s aura was so weak at this moment that it was surprising he hadn’t died already. If Yang Kai did not come up with a solution quickly, the Great Emperor may really fall here.
Yang Kai hurriedly took out various healing pills from his Space Ring, and after offering a silent apology, he forced Duan Hong Chen’s mouth open and stuffed all the pills into his mouth before using his own strength to help him refine the medicinal efficacies.
When pushing his strength though, Yang Kai immediately found something unusual about himself.
Because all the strength in his own body had turned into an exceedingly pure Emperor Qi!
[What happened?] Yang Kai was shocked yet delighted.
After breaking through to the Emperor Realm, a cultivator would need to spend a great deal of time transforming their Source Qi into Emperor Qi. No one could avoid this process, and the shortest time one would take to do this was normally a few years while most would need far longer than that, possibly even a few hundred years. This was similar to when an Origin King wanted to break through to the Dao Source Realm and needed to first transform their Saint Qi into Source Qi.
However, Yang Kai had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, so why had all his Source Qi already become pure Emperor Qi?
He carefully recalled what had just transpired. At the beginning of his breakthrough, his Source Qi was indeed rapidly transforming into Emperor Qi, but he was hurled into The Void before he could examine himself, then Wu Kuang invaded his Knowledge Sea. After the battle between the two Great Emperors concluded, Yang Kai finally came out from his Knowledge Sea to find his Source Qi had completed the transformation process.
Yang Kai did not know which part of the process caused this to happen, but it was nothing less than an unexpected blessing.
Perhaps, it had something to do with the hardship during his promotion, or maybe it had to do with the insights he gained from the battle between the two Great Emperors in his Knowledge Sea, but regardless of the cause, this had saved Yang Kai at least a few years of hard cultivation.
After regaining his senses, Yang Kai calmed himself down and turned his attention to Duan Hong Chen again.
Duan Hong Chen’s situation did not look optimistic, his aura and vitality did not stop weakening even after taking in so many healing Spirit Pills.
Yang Kai understood that it was not the problem of those Spirit Pills that he had refined personally, but rather the injury suffered by Duan Hong Chen was too serious to be healed. On top of the injuries from Yang Kai’s Heaven Severing Slash, Duan Hong Chen was already injured during the previous fight with Wu Kuang.
These wounds could not be healed by mere Spirit Pills anymore.
[This is bad!] Yang Kai’s heart sank.
Seeing that the Bustling World Great Emperor’s aura was getting weaker and weaker, to the point that even the light of his life was almost extinguished, Yang Kai decided to go all out. Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai seemed to pluck something from the void, and in the next moment, a green leaf miraculously appeared in his grasp.
The leaf had distinctive veins and was pure, verdant green like priceless jade. This lift contained unimaginable amounts of vitality. Yang Kai held it like he was holding a living creature with real flesh and blood, as its vitality was shockingly strong.
It was a leaf of the Immortal Tree!
Yang Kai had no other choice. He could only try using a leaf from the Immortal Tree as the last resort to save Duan Hong Chen from his hopeless condition.
Like the Soul Warming Lotus, the Immortal Tree was one of the world’s Supreme Treasures. It had existed since the beginning, and there was only one in existence. So long as it existed, there would never be a second one.
Immortal Source Liquid, one of the three Great Divine Waters, was born from the Immortal Tree. It had the miraculous effect of being able to revive someone from the gates of Hell and was a sacred healing treasure that no pill could compare to.
Unfortunately, even though Yang Kai had the Immortal Tree, he did not have the Immortal Source Liquid. Although he had collected some Immortal Source Liquid during the time when he obtained the Immortal Tree, he had used up the last of it a long time ago.
But if Immortal Source Liquid had such a miraculous effect, wouldn’t a leaf from the Immortal Tree have similar potency?
Yang Kai did not know if this leaf could save Duan Hong Chen’s life, but he had to try rather than just watch the Bustling World Great Emperor die.
After plucking the green leaf, Yang Kai immediately threw it into Duan Hong Chen’s mouth, spurring his own Emperor Qi to refine it at the same time.
A gleam of green light bloomed from Duan Hong Chen’s dantian before it quickly enveloped him entirely.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded; however, he clearly felt that this green light contained astonishing vitality. Under the shroud of this green light, Duan Hong Chen’s wounds were recovering rapidly and his dreadfully weak aura had also started to slowly rise.
This discovery made Yang Kai feel relieved, knowing that he had found the right solution.
The Immortal Tree’s leaf did have the ability to save someone from the brink of death, and it seemed to be even more powerful in this regard than the Immortal Source Liquid.
At this point, Yang Kai did not need to help Duan Hong Chen anymore, he just needed to stand guard for him.
The green light bloomed in this dark Void with a mysterious kind of brilliance. Duan Hong Chen’s aura gradually stabilized, his blood started to flow in his body, and his heartbeat became clear and discernible.
After a stick of incense, the green light gradually dissipated, and Duan Hong Chen was no longer in a dying state. Nevertheless, he still did not awake for some reason.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling a sense of fatigue coming from the inside out.
From the time he began to break through to the Emperor Realm, he had barely had a moment to breathe. He had undergone a fierce World Energy Baptism, then been bombarded by a bolt of World Force, then been swallowed into a black hole that formed from an inexplicable burst of energy, after which he faced the invasion of Wu Kuang into his Knowledge Sea to seize him, only to then witness a battle between Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang inside his body.
Yang Kai was tense and stressed throughout the whole process. It was not until this moment that everything was settled that he could finally relax his mind.
Staring at Duan Hong Chen in front of him, an unreal feeling abruptly struck Yang Kai.
The name of the Great Emperors shook the Star Boundary whenever they were mentioned as each one was a legendary existence. They always appeared at one moment but disappeared the next; extremely secretive in their movements and traces. A commoner couldn’t see them even once in his or her lifetime.
Ever since Yang Kai came to the Star Boundary, he had never stopped hearing people mentioning the Ten Great Emperors. Everyone who mentioned them would show a face of admiration and worship, as if the Great Emperors were deities…
Yang Kai could not believe that he actually ran into not just one but two Great Emperors at once in the Shattered Star Sea!
What was even more unorthodox was that these two Great Emperors, who were like ancient legends, actually fought to the death in front of him. One of them was known as the greatest evil, as well as the strongest Master in the Star Boundary’s history.
Yang Kai didn’t know if he was lucky or not…
Suddenly, Duan Hong Chen’s eyelids twitched. He, who was sitting in front of Yang Kai, slowly started to open his eyes.
Yang Kai was overjoyed and shouted in a low voice, “Senior Duan!”
Duan Hong Chen looked at him with a puzzled gaze and asked solemnly, “What did you feed this Old Master that could pull him back from the gates of Hell?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, it was just a Spirit Pill that I found earlier. I’m not sure what kind of Spirit Pill it was but I think it was pretty good, so I served it to Senior,” Yang Kai grinned and tried to cover up what he had done.
It was not that he did not trust Duan Hong Chen, but rather that the Immortal Tree was too astounding a treasure, so it was better for him to not disclose its existence. He also believed that Duan Hong Chen would not be able to figure out what he had eaten given that he was in an unconscious state previously.
“Stupid boy!” Duan Hong Chen abruptly stretched out his hand and slapped Yang Kai vigorously.
Yang Kai did not dare to hide and took a hard slap in his face, grimacing in pain as he questioned innocently, “Senior, why did you slap me?”
If the person who slapped him was not the Bustling World Great Emperor, who was willing to sacrifice his life to kill Wu Kuang, Yang Kai would have resisted violently. Even so, he was aggrieved in his heart for being slapped so unreasonably.
In order to rescue Duan Hong Chen, Yang Kai plucked a leaf from the Immortal Tree, even though there were not many leaves in total. Furthermore, he still had no idea if there would be any consequences to the Immortal Tree by plucking a leaf from it.
If the Immortal Tree was damaged because of this, Yang Kai would not have enough tears to cry.
“You… you…” Duan Hong Chen looked distressed, raising his hand to deliver another slap, but unexpectedly, he slapped himself in the end and sighed heavily.
Yang Kai stared at him, dumbstruck. He suddenly had a bad feeling deep down in his heart, and asked tentatively, “Senior, do you have something wrong… with here?”
He pointed to his own head while speaking.
“Go ahead if you want to say that this Old Master has gone insane. This Old Master won’t hit you!” Duan Hong Chen snorted coldly.
[Look who’s talking now.] Yang Kai secretly blamed Duan Hong Chen in his heart for hitting him right after he woke up, but he dared not to speak this complaint out loud.
“You shouldn’t have saved me. You’ve made a terrible mistake!” Duan Hong Chen sighed heavily again, looking deeply depressed and upset.
Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “Senior, I don’t like the way you are putting it. If Senior can give up his life to save the common people of this world, why can’t this Junior try to save your life?”
Duan Hong Chen was maddened, and just when he was about to snap back, his face suddenly showed an excruciated expression, then it turned distorted and hideous.
Yang Kai’s face paled in shock, he exclaimed, “Senior, what’s happening to you?”
Duan Hong Chen did not answer, his body simply shaking with cold sweat beading on his forehead, and this condition lasted for a while before it gradually subsided.
Yang Kai secretly examined him with his Divine Sense, but he found that there was nothing wrong with Duan Hong Chen. He was bewildered as he did not understand what happened to Bustling World Great Emperor.
“Hahahaha!” Duan Hong Chen suddenly burst into laughter, and his laughter contained a sense of pride that was completely inconsistent with his previous attitude. He looked at Yang Kai with his beaming eyes and praised, “Not bad, not bad! Boy, you did a great job! This King has to thank you for almost wiping me out of this world. Fortunately, the Heavens have decided to spare my life!”
Hearing his words, Yang Kai quickly jumped backwards, keeping his distance from Duan Hong Chen and checking him up and down with his eyes. A horrible thought immediately floated in his mind…
“Wu Kuang!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and bellowed.
“Oh?” ‘Duan Hong Chen’ squinted at Yang Kai with a sneer, “You found out the identity of this King with just a few sentences? Boy, you’re quite sharp!”
“It really is you?” Yang Kai’s clothes were soaked in cold sweat as he stared forward incredulously, querying in a trembling voice, “You seized Senior Duan?”
“No!” Wu Kuang shook his head.
“Then how can you be here?” Yang Kai asked grimly. He was confident that the one who was currently talking to him was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, but how was that possible if he had not seized Duan Hong Chen’s body? Nevertheless, what made Yang Kai even more surprised was that he actually succeeded in seizing Duan Hong Chen’s body.
How did he do that? Duan Hong Chen was also a Great Emperor after all, and his strength was obviously not inferior to Wu Kuang based on their performances earlier. In theory, it should be impossible for Wu Kuang to seize him.
Before Wu Kuang could answer, Duan Hong Chen’s face suddenly turned distorted and hideous again, his body shaking violently only to calm down once again a moment later.
His previous aggressive gaze disappeared, replaced by a peaceful look.
Yang Kai’s fear spiked, he probed, “Senior Duan?”
While sighing, Duan Hong Chen gently nodded, “It’s me!”
“What, what’s happening?” Yang Kai was confused, his jaw dropped.
Duan Hong Chen sighed, “After that old thing escaped out of your Knowledge Sea, he invaded this Old Master’s body and attempted to seize it. Of course, this Old Master would never let him get what he wanted, so we fought again; however, both of us were exhausted and wounded, so we couldn’t do anything to each other. Actually, if things had simply been allowed to take their course, this Old Master would still be able to drag Wu Kuang with him to die together, but…”
“But what?”
Duan Hong Chen glared at him, “But this Old Master didn’t anticipate you feeding me some strange treasure that allowed both of us to regain our strength! Not only that, that old dog Wu Kuang also performed a Secret Technique to tie his Soul to this Old Master’s, forcibly occupying half of this Old Master’s body.
“How… how…” Yang Kai gulped while wiping the cold sweat beaded on his forehead, “How is that possible?”
Duan Hong Chen snorted, “Do you think the name Heaven Devouring Great Emperor is for nothing? If we miss this opportunity, this Old Master is afraid there will be no chance to kill him in the future.”
When the words fell, he laughed again, “No one in this world can kill this King!”
Two sentences were spoken with two different tones, like Duan Hong Chen had split personalities.
Yang Kai rebuked, “You shut up!”
Duan Hong Chen turned to look at Yang Kai coldly and challenged in a grim voice, “Little brat, say that again if you dare. Do you believe that I would…”
Yang Kai immediately interrupted him by waving his hand, “Enough, enough. You already had a hard time with this Young Master just after he broke through to the Emperor Realm. Wait until this Young Master becomes a Great Emperor, then destroying you will be as easy as waving his hand. Hurry up and let Senior Duan come out to talk.”
“You…” After Wu Kuang uttered a word, Duan Hong Chen rapidly took over his body again, “Brat, now you can see that this Old Master’s body doesn’t only have his own Soul, but also that old fart, Wu Kuang’s Soul. Due to his interference, this Old Master cannot self-destruct with him, and also has no way to drive him out, making me neither human nor ghost. What’s the point of me living like this?”
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat hearing him and hurriedly comforted, “Senior, don’t give up. It’s just a bout of bad luck. Since the Heavens arranged it this way, there definitely has to be a good reason.”
“Tell this Old Master then, what good reason is there? If you can convince this Old Master, he won’t blame you for saving his life.”
Yang Kai was on the verge of crying. How could he have known that saving a life would cause so much trouble? And he was just trying to comfort Duan Hong Chen by saying what he did, he didn’t actually know if there was any bright spot in this incident. After pondering for a while though, he explained, “Senior Duan, think about it, now that Wu Kuang’s Soul is in your body, even though it causes you a lot of inconveniences, in this case, you can also constantly monitor him. Under your watch, Wu Kuang can’t cause any troubles, and he can’t harm the Star Boundary in the future.”
Duan Hong Chen’s eyes lit up, nodding with a smile in agreement, “Good, what you say is correct.”
Yang Kai beamed, “Since the two Seniors will have to share the same body in the future, you two must live in harmony. Come and hold hands together. Be good friends from now on!”
Duan Hong Chen growled, “I’m afraid we can’t be friends. If this Old Master ever gets a chance, I will self-destruct. Wu Kuang, you better sleep with one eye open and never let your guard down.”
Yang Kai broke into a cold sweat again. He did not know how Wu Kuang, who was hiding in Duan Hong Chen’s body, felt about this.
It took him so much effort to finally seize half of Duan Hong Chen’s body in order to keep his own Soul alive, but now, he had to constantly be alert against the original owner of the body as each passing moment, Duan Hong Chen would be trying to self-destruct. It would surely be an exhausting existence.
“Good, since that’s settled for now, let’s return to the Shattered Star Sea,” Yang Kai straightened up his body.
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “I’m afraid we can’t go back to the Shattered Star Sea now.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked at him with a puzzled face.
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Wu Kuang’s previous shelter was the core of the Shattered Star Sea, but that place has been ruined by our battle and the Shattered Star Sea will collapse as a result.
Yang Kai was paralyzed with fear, whispering, “The Shattered Star Sea is going to collapse? Then what about the people inside?”
Although he had out Liu Yan, Zhang Ruo Xi, and Mo Xiao Qi in the Sealed World Bead, Hua Qing Si was still out in the Shattered Star Sea, as well as Xia Sheng, Murong Xiao Xiao, Xiao Bai Yi, and the other elite disciples from the Four Territories of the Star Boundary. If these elites all died as a result of the collapse of the Shattered Star Sea, it would be a severe loss to the Star Boundary and would shake its foundations for hundreds of years.
Duan Hong Chen calmly answered, “Don’t worry. Before the Shattered Star Sea collapses, all of them would be ejected out of it and there won’t be any danger to their lives.
“That’s good to hear,” Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
“But from now on, there will be no more Shattered Star Sea and the young cultivators will have one less training ground in this world,” Duan Hong Chen continued with a feeling of sympathy. Although this entire Shattered Star Sea had been hiding Wu Kuang, this dreadfully dangerous villain, it was undeniable that the existence of the Shattered Star Sea contributed a lot of Emperor Realm Masters to the Star Boundary.
By the looks of the results of the Shattered Star Sea this time, the cultivators who had sufficient luck and aptitude had already broken through to the Emperor Realm, whereas those who had not been promoted might still have a chance to after entering retreat in their respective Sects.
It was conceivable that in the next ten, fifty, or even a hundred years, Emperor Realm Masters would continuously sprout up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
In fact, there had always been such a phenomenon after every opening of the Shattered Star Sea. New Emperor Realm Masters would be born unceasingly in the subsequent hundred or so years.
“It was inevitable,” Yang Kai smiled faintly. “Gains and losses go hand in hand. It is worth it to resolve the latent danger of Wu Kuang, even if the cost is the Shattered Star Sea.”
Duan Hong Chen looked at him and agreed, “You are right.”
While speaking, he slowly stood up, “Good, let’s leave this place first. Let this Old Master have a look… this is the Void, so in order to leave this place, we must find the weak part in the world barrier…”
He suddenly stopped and turned to look at Yang Kai in amazement, because Yang Kai was unleashing a wave of strange power from his whole body. He then stretched out his hands and swung fiercely, opening a crack in space.
“You’re also proficient in the Dao of Space?” Duan Hong Chen’s jaw dropped and his eyes gleamed in astonishment. Yang Kai’s previous performance was already impressive enough, but Duan Hong Chen never expected that he also cultivated the extremely esoteric Dao of Space. If Yang Kai was not proficient in manipulating Space Principles, how could he easily break through the Void Barrier? Even if it was Duan Hong Chen himself, he would need to search for a weak spot then use incredible force to stand a chance to escape from this place. Moreover, he had to be careful while attempting to leave, lest he cause a Void Collapse, trapping him in the Void forever.
Yang Kai grinned, “Just some paltry tricks. I’m sorry for my lack of skill in front of Senior.”
The corner of Duan Hong Chen’s mouth slightly twitched, “Amazing, amazing. Youngsters nowadays are truly amazing.”
Just when he finished his sentence, he suddenly fumed, “Duan Hong Chen, if it weren’t for you, this King would have already seized this brat’s body! This King is afraid that he will never be able to find such a terrific host again in the future!”
Yang Kai was speechless. Although he knew that the speaker was Wu Kuang, he was still not used to someone who could change his face faster than flipping through the pages of a book. He stretched his hand and gestured, “Senior Duan, after you.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded his head before taking the lead to walk out of the crack and disappearing. After his departure, Yang Kai followed leisurely.
A desolate view appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes after stepping out of the Void Crack.
The place was like a desert, with boundless yellow sands rolling on the ground. The wind billowed amongst the rising clouds, but nothing else could be seen within a radius of ten thousand kilometres.
Duan Hong Chen, who came out earlier than Yang Kai, was inspecting the surroundings. Yang Kai stood behind him and shaded his eyes with his hand, asking, “Senior Duan, what is this place?”
The only thing he could be sure of was that this place was somewhere in the Star Boundary. In other words, he had returned to the Star Boundary after coming out of the Void.
However, this place was definitely not the Northern Territory that he entered the Shattered Star Sea from, because the Northern Territory was a freezing cold place, and this landscape did not match with that at all.
After pondering for a moment, Duan Hong Chen revealed, “This should be the Purple Mountain Range in the Eastern Territory.”
“Eastern Territory?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Earlier, he planned to travel to the Eastern Territory after settling everything in the Shattered Star Sea to look for Xiao Xiao after he had inquired about him from Yin Le Sheng.
The journey to the Eastern Territory was long and perilous, and Yang Kai had initially planned to travel by using the Space Arrays in large cities or big Sects to cross the distance, but he did not expect to travel directly to the Eastern Territory through this odd coincidence.
This was a pleasant surprise.
“Do you have something to do in the Eastern Territory?” Duan Hong Chen glanced at Yang Kai curiously and seemed to have read his mind.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Just a small personal matter.”
Duan Hong Chen did not press the matter and just nodded in understanding, “In that case, you and this Old Master will part ways here. Remember to always walk the righteous path in the Star Boundary, and act in a way that does not violate your conscience!”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “Junior will not forget Senior’s advice.”
After speaking, he further asked, “Senior, don’t you want to return to Azure Sun Temple?”
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “It’s not appropriate for this Old Master to appear in a crowded place in his current state. If you see Wen Zi Shan again in the future, don’t tell him about this Old Master. He worries too much.”
Yang Kai, “Junior understands.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, and with a flicker, he instantly disappeared from the sand-filled land.
Yang Kai sighed lightly at the spot Duan Hong Chen was standing before he vanished.
Duan Hong Chen was obviously worried about Wu Kuang’s Soul in his body; therefore, he could not wait to part ways with him, and also dared not to go to places with lots of people. Yang Kai had no idea what Duan Hong Chen’s plans for the future were, but given that he had to share his body with Wu Kuang, there must be an enormous amount of trouble waiting for him. However, luckily, he could not self-destruct for now, so he still had the opportunity to find a way to cast Wu Kuang’s Soul out of his body in the future.
Nevertheless, he would definitely require tremendous strength to be able to do so.
After a while, Yang Kai summoned his wooden boat and flew off like a bolt of lightning.
About half a day later, Yang Kai finally reached the border of the sandy landscape when a green light captured his eyes.
When he flew closer, Yang Kai realized that the place turned out to be a small oasis.
Oases were extremely rare in the desert, and a small place like this could often save many lives and bring hope to people who lost their way. There were some traces of human activity in this oasis, but no one was here at the moment, and it seemed that it had not been visited for quite some time.
Yang Kai disembarked and found a clean place to sit before entering his Sealed World Bead.
Previously, during his promotion to the Emperor Realm, he had no choice but to extract a trace of World Force from the Sealed World Bead to counter the real world’s World Force which had descended upon him. He had no idea if this action had caused any harm to his Small Sealed World.
He did not have time to examine its situation after his breakthrough, and only now found some free time to do so.
As soon as Yang Kai entered the Sealed World Bead, his complexion changed drastically. He looked around in befuddlement and called out in alarm, “How, h-how did it become like this?”
Although he was mentally prepared for the fact that the release of World Force would cause a certain degree of damage to the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai had not anticipated the impact would be this huge.
Currently, the Small Sealed World was in a state of devastation and chaos. Countless ravines crisscrossed in all directions on the ground, as if the battle between Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang had taken place here.
The flowers, plants, and lush trees that once flourished everywhere were destroyed in large swaths, and even the rich World Energy had diminished noticeably.
The entire Small Sealed World looked lifeless, just like a doomsday scene.
Yang Kai’s heart ached. Ever since he obtained the Sealed World Bead on Shadowed Star, this artifact had provided him with a lot of convenience and saved him from many crises, but he never expected it to become like this.
The Embodiment stood beside Yang Kai with a sad expression, lamenting, “Wu Kuang said World Force is a World’s Source Strength. What good results could you expect when you drew out that Source Strength from this world?”
“What happened to Liu Yan and the others? Are they okay?” Yang Kai asked worriedly, releasing his Divine Sense to investigate the situation.
The Embodiment answered, “They are fine, it’s just that Ruo Xi and Xiao Qi are still asleep, and we don’t know when they will wake up.”
Yang Kai nodded before teleporting to where Liu Yan and the others were. Just as the Embodiment said, Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo Xiao Qi were still asleep.
Mo Xiao Qi’s emotional riot caused the release of her Divine Soul Seal, which was resealed by Duan Hong Cheng with a drop of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Blood Essence. The result was that both of them fell unconscious. The two little girls had probably been thoroughly exhausted, but although they were unconscious, there should not be a problem as their breathing was smooth and peaceful.
After investigating for a while, Yang Kai felt relieved, and then transferred his Divine Sense to the medicine garden. Seeing that the Immortal Tree and Firmament Tree, as well as the exotic flowers and plants he planted in the medicine garden were not affected, only then did he truly relax.
If the Immortal Tree and Firmament Tree were affected, Yang Kai would not have enough tears to cry.
Fortunately, although the Small Sealed World was badly damaged, the important areas were not affected. It was a small blessing in all of the misfortune.
[The question is, how do I repair this damage?] Yang Kai was extremely troubled. Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, it was not the same as mastery over World Force; he did not know where to start even if he wanted to repair this place.
The Sealed World Bead had absorbed a large amount of Source Strength in the Source Sea, which condensed thickly in the space inside the Sealed World Bead; however, the World Energy and Source Strength were escaping the Small Sealed World steadily due to the damage.
It was understood that if Yang Kai did not come up with a solution, the World Energy and Source Strength here would completely leak out sooner or later, and the Sealed World Bead would not be able to provide a decent environment for Liu Yan and the others for cultivation.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly lit up as he thought about the problem though.
The reason the Small Sealed World became like this was that he had extracted the World Force of this world.
Since that was the case, if he could replenish the missing World Source Strength, the Small Sealed World should be able to restore to its original form!
World Source Strength could be found in any part of the world; however, only a capable Great Emperor could perceive it, so Yang Kai was naturally not capable of this. However, he did own the Mountains and Rivers Bell, which had suppressed and contained a decent amount of World Force earlier.
What miraculous effects would there be if the Small Sealed World was flooded by the suppressed World Force?
Especially since the suppressed World Force was much richer than the amount Yang Kai had drawn out of the Sealed World Bead. If it was used well, not only could it repair the Small Sealed World, but also might restore it to a better state than before, with more complete World Principles.
Yang Kai could not help getting excited at that thought, eager to give it a try.
In any case, if he did not try, the Sealed World Bead would become a broken world sooner or later; but if he succeeded, the benefits would be self-evident.
After making up his mind, Yang Kai flickered and reappeared in the oasis. Then, he waved his hand to release the Embodiment, Liu Yan, Zhang Ruo Xi, and Mo Xiao Qi.
“What is Master’s order?” Liu Yan asked Yang Kai curiously.
Yang Kai normally would not release all of them out of the Sealed World Bead, so there must be something important for them to do.
Yang Kai solemnly disclosed, “I want to repair the Sealed World Bead, you may not be safe staying inside.”
“Repair the Small Sealed World?” A trace of confusion flashed across the Embodiment’s eyes, but he quickly reacted and asked in a small voice, “Are you going to use the suppressed World Force?”
Yang Kai nodded and quickly explained, “This is the only way. I have to try.”
The Embodiment pondered for a while before pointing out, “It’s also an opportunity.”
“But before that, I want to give Liu Yan something!” Yang Kai looked at Liu Yan with scorching eyes.
“The Phoenix True Fire?” Liu Yan’s breathing stopped slightly.
“So, you felt it,” Yang Kai grinned.
Yang Kai threw the Phoenix True Fire into the Small Sealed World after obtaining it from the Shattered Star Sea earlier, and its presence was naturally sensed by Liu Yan.
The Phoenix True Fire was the legacy of the Martial Flame Great Emperor, a Fire Phoenix’s Source. Liu Yan was originally a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit, so there was a subtle connection between the two, not to mention that Liu Yan had also refined a Luan Feng’s feather.
The Fire Phoenix and Luan Feng were both branches of the Phoenix Clan; they shared the same origins.
Liu Yan possessed a trace of the Luan Feng’s strength after refining its feather, so it was only reasonable that she could also refine the Phoenix True Fire.
However, it was accompanied by great danger that may extinguish her Soul the moment she tried.
Yang Kai expressed solemnly, “Liu Yan, the Phoenix True Fire is a Fire Phoenix’s Source, if you succeed in refining it, you will inherit the legacy memory of a Fire Phoenix and be truly reborn. Becoming a True Fire Phoenix would also be just a matter of time, but you must be aware of the risk you would be taking. If there is even the slightest error, you will surely be burned to death. You…”
“Master, I am prepared,” Liu Yan interjected before Yang Kai could finish.
Yang Kai was slightly stunned and looked at her intently for a while before he nodded and continued, “This is your own path, it is your choice. Since you are prepared, I won’t try to dissuade you. Just… be careful!”
Liu Yan pursed her red lips, and told him softly, “If Liu Yan fails in refining, please don’t be sad for me. Liu Yan was once just an Artifact Spirit. I obtained sentience by chance, and am already very satisfied to be able to follow Master for so many years. It’s enough that this servant was able to live freely like this even for a short time.”
Emotions welled up in her, and her eyes became slightly red, but because she was a puppet, she could not shed any tears.
Yang Kai responded softly, “It has also been my honour and privilege to be able to meet and know you, and to be with you all this way. Don’t think too much, you will succeed.”
Liu Yan nodded firmly, “I will definitely not disappoint Master!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he violently pushed the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength in his body. Suddenly a huge golden dragon phantom appeared behind him, flashing its fangs and claws.
Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai sent a dragon claw into the Sealed World Bead, and with a firm grip, he pulled out the Phoenix True Fire.
Under the dragon’s claw, the Phoenix True Fire was like a living little phoenix, flapping its wings desperately but bound tightly by the Golden Divine Dragon Source.
“Take it!” Yang Kai shouted loudly as he slowly pushed the Phoenix True Fire towards Liu Yan.
Liu Yan took a deep breath, her face instantly turning as tranquil as an ancient well, and she inhaled the Phoenix True Fire into her abdomen in one gulp.
Immediately afterwards, she flickered and flew towards the depths of the desert at lightning speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Soon, an extremely hot wave of power transmitted from that direction, and a ball of fire was blazing in the yellow, sand-filled landscape, accompanied by a clear and loud phoenix cry that echoed across the sky.
Yang Kai looked solemn and released his Divine Sense, paying close attention to the situation there.
If he had a choice, he would not let Liu Yan refine the Phoenix True Fire at this time.
He had originally planned to wait until Liu Yan was stronger before giving her the Phoenix True Fire, but the Sealed World Bead was seriously damaged right now, and could collapse at any moment, so it was no longer suitable to store the Phoenix True Fire inside it.
Only the Sealed World Bead could store the Phoenix True Fire as no Space Ring could accommodate it.
Once the Small Sealed World collapsed, the precious Phoenix True Fire would very likely be swallowed into the Void, never to be found again.
As a last resort, Yang Kai could only ask Liu Yan to refine it at this time.
However, Yang Kai was also fully prepared. It would be best if Liu Yan succeeded in the refinement, but if the process did not go as planned, he would directly intervene and suppress the Phoenix True Fire using his Golden Divine Dragon Source and the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Presumably, Liu Yan would not need to worry about her life.
He decided not to tell Liu Yan because he did not want Liu Yan to have the thought of escaping if all went wrong, and it would be fine even if the refining failed.
Being cornered at the gates of death was the best way to force out Liu Yan’s potential.
Yang Kai looked solemn at the detection of his Divine Sense.
Liu Yan, who was refining the Phoenix True Fire, was currently on fire, and the phantom of a Fire Phoenix had emerged above her petite body. The majestic phoenix eyes stared at her coldly, obviously unwilling to be captured and refined easily.
Fortunately, Liu Yan had the body of a Spirit Puppet and was also a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit. She had even devoured a large amount of Sun’s True Fire, so she had strong resistance and compatibility with this scorching fire.
She constantly urged her own power to resist the terrifying power of the Phoenix True Fire. Instead of hurrying to devour it though, she released her Divine Sense to communicate and comfort the Phoenix True Fire continuously.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, realizing that his worries were needless.
Liu Yan was not a child, she had her own ideas and inspirations. If she was successful in her approach to communicate with the Phoenix True Fire, it was very likely that Phoenix True Fire would recognize her as its Master and would be refined willingly without any dangers.
The key now was how to get Phoenix True Fire to recognize her.
Yang Kai stared intently, not daring to miss a single moment.
In the raging flames, the earth was scorched into burnt ground, and the flowing yellow sands melted away.
A radius of a thousand metres around Liu Yan was turned into a magma-like zone, searing terrifyingly.
The gigantic Fire Phoenix phantom hovered behind Liu Yan, its majestic phoenix eyes akin to those of Divine Spirits from ancient times looking down at her with disdain and mockery. Enveloped by the phantom, Liu Yan actually gave up using her strength to resist and simply allowed the flames that could burn everything in existence to consume her, her dainty face scrunching up in pain.
Two streams of Divine Sense were communicating with each other in the void.
One was as weak as an ant, while another was as powerful as a divine being from the Heavens; the contrast was exceedingly obvious.
No one knew what they were communicating, but the mighty Divine Sense of Fire Phoenix Source Strength suddenly went berserk, accompanied by a cry while its flames burned more fiercely.
Yang Kai’s eyes twitched aggressively and he almost intervened.
Liu Yan had the body of a Spirit Puppet, unlike an ordinary cultivator; however, Yang Kai could not tell how long she could endure under the burning of the Phoenix True Fire. If she could not withstand it anymore, she was bound to be burned to death.
Just as Yang Kai was about to make a move, he stole a glance at Liu Yan and stopped abruptly due to sensing something odd.
He found that even though Liu Yan’s expression was twisted in extreme pain, there was a sense of peace and calm on her brow. She looked dreadfully strange as her face contorted with two completely contradictory emotions.
Suddenly, another cry was heard. Although it was not as loud and clear as the phoenix’s cry, it was crisp and melodious. In the next instant, a three feathered fiery-red bird transformed from Liu Yan’s body.
It was Liu Yan’s original form!
Yang Kai looked at her solemnly. Despite all the molten sand whipping about, blocking his sight, he could still see everything clearly with his Divine Sense.
It had been a long time since Liu Yan showed her original body. The image of Liu Yan in her original body during their first meeting flashed across his mind vividly. At the time, Yang Kai thought that she was a Fire Spirit, but only after some probing did he realize she was an Artifact Spirit of an Artifact Refining Furnace.
Liu Yan must have been forced to reveal her original form.
As soon as the strange Firebird appeared, it shot towards the sky, riding the clouds and winds, and instantly reached the head of the Fire Phoenix, flying around it.
The Fire Phoenix cried endlessly and spread its fiery feathers, releasing monstrous heat waves to the surroundings. Liu Yan’s original body was struck by the heat waves again and again, like a small ship in the stormy sea, ready to drown her at any time.
The fluctuations of Divine Sense never stopped, as Liu Yan kept trying to converse with the Phoenix True Fire.
Yang Kai could not tell exactly what Liu Yan was doing as he only saw her flying and dancing around the Fire Phoenix unceasingly, sending out her Divine Sense to communicate.
The irascible phantom of Fire Phoenix slowly calmed down, retrieving its spreading fire feathers. However, its eyes were still filled with disdain, as if the whole world was beneath it.
Seeing this situation, Liu Yang moved a little closer to Fire Phoenix, seemingly trying to make it accept her.
The process was incredibly slow.
After working hard for a long time, Liu Yan finally drifted on top of Fire Phoenix’s head, gently combing the feathers on its crest.
The Fire Phoenix leisurely closed its majestic eyes.
[Did she succeed?] Yang Kai frowned slightly, as he did not understand the situation now.
Logically speaking, Liu Yan definitely had a significantly higher chance of successfully refining the Fire Phoenix Source Strength than anyone else, because Liu Yan herself was a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit whose origins were quite close to the Phoenix True Fire.
The monstrous coercion gradually decreased and the gigantic Fire Phoenix phantom slowly retracted into Liu Yan’s body. The scorching heat lost its source and dissipated at once, leaving only the boiling magma and semi-solidified yellow sands covering a large area of the ground.
Following the Fire Phoenix, Liu Yan’s original figure returned to her human form.
Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to examine Liu Yan’s condition and he could not help but be taken aback.
Because right now, Liu Yan’s whole body was burning like she had been on fire for countless years. Her appearance did not seem to have a human profile and her previous beautiful hair was all gone.
All Yang Kai could see was a charcoal humanoid-like object.
If even the body of a Spirit Puppet could be burned like this, other cultivators might have already been turned into ashes a long time ago.
Yang Kai’s heart bled for Liu Yan, but he resisted the urge to help somehow while preparing himself to pluck another leaf from the Immortal Tree.
Liu Yan’s feeble Soul fluctuations suddenly pulsed from the burnt humanoid object.
Traces of crimson energy suddenly diffused out of her body, as if the flames were dancing, dazzling everyone’s eyes. The crimson energy had a terrifying aura that could burn everything, but also released an incredible vitality at the same time.
Phoenix True Fire!
It was rumoured that all Phoenixes were immortal and indestructible. Every one of their deaths were nothing but a nirvana of reincarnation, and it was this mystical Phoenix True Fire that created such a legend. Therefore, Phoenix True Fire possessed both the power of destruction and also an abundance of vitality.
Destruction was for the enemy, while vitality was for itself.
Soon, Liu Yan was engulfed by the crimson energy which was impermeable to the wind, and the crimson energy gradually solidified, forming a rock-like existence.
Liu Yan seemed to have turned into an egg that was about half the height of a grown man. Countless mysterious patterns could be seen on the eggshell, as if it contained profound secrets. Out of pure curiosity, Yang Kai glanced at her more than a few times, but suddenly felt that there was a pair of majestic eyes staring coldly at him in his Knowledge Sea, causing his Soul to tumble.
He was so frightened that he quickly averted his gaze.
It was the eyes of the Fire Phoenix. Yang Kai had no idea why it appeared in his Knowledge Sea, but he knew that if he continued to stare at the runic patterns on the egg, he might be attacked by a Soul Technique.
This should be the inheritance of the Phoenix Clan, and the patterns should be the secrets of the Phoenix Clan. Anyone who tried to spy on them without first winning approval from the Phoenix Clan would not meet a good end.
However, Yang Kai was relieved to see this situation.
Since the Phoenix Clan inheritance had emerged on the eggshell that wrapped Liu Yan, it meant that she had successfully convinced the Phoenix True Fire to accept her. With the Phoenix True Fire’s shelter, Liu Yan couldn’t die even if she suffered severe injuries.
All he needed to do now was to wait.
Wait for the moment of Liu Yan’s rebirth from the egg and witness the legendary scene.
Yang Kai did not expect that Liu Yan could refine the Phoenix True Fire in such a short time. Although the process caused much anxiety to him, it ended without any life-threatening danger.
He then sent a message to the Embodiment, asking him to pay attention to Liu Yan’s situation and inform him as soon as possible if something went wrong.
The Embodiment nodded.
After that, Yang Kai re-entered the Sealed World Bead.
Since the problem of the Phoenix True Fire was settled, then the next issue that he had to solve was the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense everywhere and immediately received all the information about the Small Sealed World’s current state. After the extraction of the Sealed World’s World Force last time, tremendous damage was done. One-third of the entire Small Sealed World had turned into a chaotic mess that had no distinction between the ground and the sky. Many parts had been smashed together like a primordial soup.
These places were constantly collapsing, and the devastation continued to spread.
Judging from this situation, if he ignored it for another month, the Small Sealed World would completely collapse, and the Immortal Tree, Firmament Tree and all the precious herbs that were planted in his medicine garden would be destroyed.
Although Yang Kai could move all of these things away in advance, he was not comfortable with putting these treasures in another place, especially the Immortal Tree. Once people found out its existence, Yang Kai was afraid that the entire Star Boundary would usher in a reign of chaos trying to seize it.
Therefore, no matter what, Yang Kai wanted to stabilize the Small Sealed World as soon as possible, not for anything else, but to keep the Immortal Tree and the Firmament Tree safe and hidden.
With a serious expression on his face, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and a huge bell suddenly emerged in front of him.
The Ancient Exotic Artifact, Mountains and Rivers Bell!
Perhaps due to suppressing a large amount of World Force beneath it, the Mountains and Rivers Bell had not shrunk like normal and the mysterious patterns on its surface were continuously glowing. The ancient wild aura constantly permeated its surroundings.
When Yang Kai summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he clearly felt that the suppressed World Force was colliding endlessly inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, as if it was attempting to break free from its shackles.
After watching the Mountains and Rivers Bells for a time, Yang Kai performed a few hand seals with a solemn face.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell abruptly buzzed, and a gap was revealed in its world-suppressing force.
The suppressed World Force instantly turned into a stream of light, breaking free from the bell through the gap at lightning speed, like a cat perceiving a fish.
*Weng… *
Unimaginable coercion descended from the sky as an extremely strong will appeared from the darkness, hovering above Yang Kai’s head, conveying an aura of destruction.
Yang Kai’s body was being forced down by it.
During his breakthrough before, Yang Kai could not resist the bombardment of this World Force; however, he was different now, as he had become an Emperor Realm Master. The Emperor Qi in his body was pure and vigorous, and his strength had become ten times greater.
Moreover, this was the Small Sealed World, and even if it was damaged, the fact that he ruled everything in this world did not change.
Yang Kai looked up coldly, staring at the World Force that turned into a cloud of light, and with a single thought, the power of the Small Sealed World began to move.
Numerous formless hands reached out from all directions, firmly grasping the cloud of World Force.
The cloud of light buzzed, struggling constantly, but could not move an inch.
The World Force was no doubt a power imposed by the world outside, but it was just a cut-off remnant now, so how could it compete with the power of the entire Small Sealed World?
After capturing the World Force, Yang Kai quickly sat down cross-legged, and spread out his mind to the surroundings, enveloping the whole Small Sealed World in an instant.
Soon, Yang Kai had a strange feeling. He felt as if he had turned into the Small Sealed World, that there was no boundary between them anymore as they merged to become one.
After merging with the entire Small Sealed World, Yang Kai’s presumptions were confirmed.
The Small Sealed World was extremely eager to use the imprisoned World Force to repair its broken parts; this was the will of the Small Sealed World.
It was like the instinctive reaction of an injured person at the sight of a healing pill.
Yang Kai was delighted but kept his composure, his expression as tranquil as an ancient well as he closed his eyes tightly while his hands were constantly performing mysterious seals.
He did not even know what these seals were at first as his body was acting on instinct at the moment, merely allowing the Small Sealed World’s will to guide his actions.
He blasted a series of imprints towards the imprisoned World Force hovering above, and soon, the cloud of light was thoroughly surrounded by a strange set of runic patterns.
At the same time, the struggling World Force seemed to have resigned itself to its fate and stopped struggling.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and yelled in a low voice, “Release!”
With this shout, the imprisoned World Force abruptly exploded, turning into smaller streams of light, like a firework explosion, extremely dazzling. It broke down into countless points of light, flying to every corner of the Small Sealed World.
The streams of light scattered, seeping into the Small Sealed World and disappearing one after another.
The broken Small Sealed World buzzed in enthusiasm, as if it had been greatly nourished.
The damaged parts of the world stopped collapsing, the ground and sky separated again, and the chaos calmed.
As time passed, the ravines on the ground closed up, and the devastation began to reverse. An inexplicable trace of inspiring vitality danced around the lifeless Small Sealed World.
The large amount of Shattered Source Strength that had been devoured from the Source Sea before seemed to have undergone some wonderful transformation and was now quickly merging into the Small Sealed World, turning into strands of clear World Principles, strengthening the foundation of the Small Sealed World.
The wind rose, the clouds gathered and rubbed together to create the sound of thunder as lightning flashed and rain began to fall, urging buds to grow.
The Small Sealed World seemed to have resurrected and was now filled with overflowing vitality. Even the exotic flowers and plants growing in the medicine garden were beginning to sway in vigour.
It was unknown how much time this entire process took.
When the dust settled, Yang Kai suddenly felt that his mind was cut off from the Small Sealed World, and he woke up from that wondrous feeling.
Looking around, the Small Sealed World seemed to still be the same, but the bleakness was gone; instead, it seemed to have evolved for the better.
Yang Kai could clearly sense that the World Principles in the Small Sealed World were more complete. Although it could not be compared to a true world, it was much better than before.
[Could the World Force have allowed the Small Sealed World to evolve?] Yang Kai raised his brow in delight.
Yang Kai had always known that his Small Sealed World was not perfect, but he did not know how to enhance it to bring it closer to perfection. However, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered some useful information after this experience.
If just a stream of World Force could cause such big changes to the Small Sealed World, to the point where even the World Principles had improved so much, would it be possible to continue to improve the Small Sealed World if more World Force was taken in?
By that time, this place would turn into a cultivation paradise, where World Energy Baptisms would be possible even if one reached the peak of the Dao Source Realm and needed to break through to the Emperor Realm.
However, World Force was incredibly hard to come by and could not even be sensed before reaching the Great Emperor Realm, so Yang Kai could only lament at his own limitations with his current First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
However, Yang Kai was still very excited about this newly discovered solution.
He thoroughly inspected the Small Sealed World again and found that it was indeed free from hidden dangers, and was even better than before. Yang Kai was really relieved.
Liu Yan’s condition was still unknown, however.
With a thought, he escaped from the Small Sealed World and returned to the outside world.
“Big Brother Yang.”
Mo Xiao Qi’s voice reached his ear as soon as he reappeared.
Yang Kai turned to the source of the voice and found that both Mo Xiao Qi and Zhang Ruo Xi had awoken and looked to be in good condition, free of any lingering negative effects.
With a slight smile, Yang Kai acknowledged, “You’re up.”
“Big Brother Yang, are we in the Purple Mountain Range? Did the Shattered Star Sea close? What happened after that? Who reapplied the Divine Soul Seal? I didn’t hurt you, right?” She launched a torrent of questions, looking quite anxious and uneasy.
It seemed that she knew the release of the Divine Soul Seal was related to her losing her consciousness, but she had no impression of what happened after that.
Yang Kai glanced at the Embodiment standing not far away in bewilderment, “Why didn’t you explain to her?”
The Embodiment shrugged, “They just woke up, I haven’t had the time to.”
Yang Kai nodded, and briefly recited the happenings after her rampage. Of course, he did not dare to mention the battle between Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang as that was too terrifying an incident to be mentioned casually. In the end, he could only say he was not sure why the Shattered Star Sea suddenly closed.
Mo Xiao Qi patted her chest in fear as she listened and sighed, “I’m glad that I didn’t hurt any of you, otherwise Xiao Qi wouldn’t know how to face you again.”
Yang Kai cautioned solemnly, “Don’t release the seal casually in the future, the power of that Divine Spirit is just too terrifying, and you wouldn’t be able to control it with your current strength.”
Mo Xiao Qi nodded in remorse, “En.”
Zhang Ruo Xi interjected at the brief moment of silence, “Sir, what’s happening to Big Sister Liu Yan? Why is her aura so weak?” She glanced anxiously in the direction of Liu Yan.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to investigate the situation, and found that there had not been many changes to the Phoenix Egg since he left, so he consoled quickly, “This is her opportunity, don’t worry.”
He glanced at Zhang Ruo Xi solemnly as he spoke.
Yang Kai went through too many shocking and extraordinary experiences in the Shattered Star Sea, whether it was the Mountains and Rivers Bell or the Phoenix True Fire, or the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, who had come back from the dead, or the Bustling World Great Emperor who cut his own cultivation dozens of times over the past few tens of thousands of years. All these experiences were extraordinary.
However, what puzzled him the most was Zhang Ruo Xi.
All Duan Hong Chen needed was a drop of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Blood Essence to reapply Mo Xiao Qi’s Divine Soul Seal, and his particular caution towards Zhang Ruo Xi had made Yang Kai extremely concerned.
The Bustling World Great Emperor had instructed Yang Kai to nurture Zhang Ruo Xi well, because at her peak, she would be even more dangerous and terrifying than Wu Kuang, and may cause a calamity to the Star Boundary if she ever fell to the wicked path.
Yang Kai would just assume that Duan Hong Chen was an alarmist and his claims about Zhang Ruo Xi were exaggerated since he did not know Duan Hong Chen’s true identity.
But there was no reason for a person who disregarded his own life for the Star Boundary’s future to cause Yang Kai needless fear.
What Bloodline Power did this little girl from the Zhang Family possess that Duan Hong Chen was so concerned about? On top of that, the Divine Spirit Qiong Qi even gifted her the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe when they visited the Flowing Time Temple.
No ordinary person could have this kind of honour. Anyone who encountered a beast-like Qiong Qi would be swallowed by it. Who would have expected that one could receive a defensive Emperor Artifact from it?
It also seemed that only descendants from the Zhang Family could activate the strange Space Spirit Jade.
Speaking of the Space Spirit Jade, Yang Kai suddenly felt that it was time to give it to Zhang Ruo Xi; after all, it was a treasure passed down by the ancestors of the Zhang Family. She was not strong enough to unlock the secrets in the Space Spirit Jade back then, but she was now a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so unravelling the secrets of the Space Spirit Jade should not be a problem.
Yang Kai did not really care about the secrets hidden in the Space Spirit Jade, but… perhaps, it may solve the mystery of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power. Yang Kai could not help feeling a little eager at that thought.
The more Duan Hong Chen hid, the more it piqued Yang Kai’s interest to understand Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
“Sir… Why are you staring at me?” Zhang Ruo Xi lowered her head, blushing slightly at Yang Kai’s scorching stare, as if he was about to devour her.
Yang Kai grinned and commented, “Ruo Xi has grown up to be a lady.”
Compared to the first time he met Zhang Ruo Xi, she had indeed grown a lot, and she was with Yang Kai during the best of her young years, so it was safe to say that Yang Kai had watched her mature.
This reminded him of Lin Yun’er, the little girl who travelled to the Star Boundary with Yang Yan. She was still young when she left, but by now, she should be almost as old as Zhang Ruo Xi.
He remembered that Yang Yan mentioned that Lin Yun’er was the perfect candidate to inherit the mantle of her friend. He wondered about the whereabouts of this little girl after so many years.
As well as Yang Yan. It was strange that Yang Kai had not heard any news regarding Yang Yan ever since he arrived at Star Boundary. Yang Yan’s whereabouts should not be unknown since she should also be one of the strongest Masters in this world.
Zhang Ruo Xi blushed deeply, a distinctive brilliance flashing across her shy eyes.
Mo Xiao Qi joined in excitedly, “What about me? I’m not a little girl anymore either.”
“En, en,” Yang Kai nodded quickly, withdrawing himself from his memories.
“Big Brother Yang, where are you going next? Can you take me with you?” Mo Xiao Qi beamed at Yang Kai, looking extremely eager.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “It’s okay for me to bring you along, but… Aren’t you worried that your Aunty Feng might come for you? Aunty Feng doesn’t seem to like you running around.”
Mo Xiao Qi wrinkled her nose and snorted, “I was confined to the island to cultivate when she took me back the last time. It was so boring. Now that I’m finally out again, I won’t go back so easily! Besides, we just came out of Shattered Star Sea, Aunty Feng definitely can’t find me here. I will go back when I have enough fun.”
“Does Sir Martial Beast know how wilful you are?” Yang Kai smiled at her.
Mo Xiao Qi stuck out her tongue mischievously, “Big Brother Yang, you found out?”
Yang Kai snickered, “You must have had a good background to have such strong cultivation at a young age. You are proficient in taming Monster Beasts, you claim to be born in the Eastern Territory, and you also mention the word ‘island’ from time to time. I would be a fool if I still didn’t figure it out.”
Mo Xiao Qi shrugged in shyness and embarrassment, “Big Brother Yang, Xiao Qi didn’t intend to hide it from you on purpose. It’s just that my Father…”
Yang Kai held up his hand to stop her, “You don’t need to explain, I understand.”
Mo Xiao Qi was obviously afraid that her Father’s name would scare off people, so she had never mentioned her identity to Yang Kai; however, she felt a little uneasy now that her identity was exposed.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Despite the reputation of Sir Martial Beast, you are still the playful Mo Xiao Qi I know, not the daughter of the Martial Beast Great Emperor.”
Mo Xiao Qi thought about his words for a while, then her eyes curved into a beautiful crescent shape as she smiled in relief.
Suddenly, Yang Kai turned solemn and looked up into the air.
“Sir!” Zhang Ruo Xi whispered at the same time.
While speaking, she pushed her Source Qi anxiously, looking at the sky warily.
[Ruo Xi could sense it too?] Yang Kai glanced at her in surprise and found that her enchanting eyes revealed a dreadfully cold aura, which was completely different from her usual gentleness.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked and felt increasingly dubious about Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
A layer of ripples disrupted the peaceful sky, like a stone dropping into the surface of a tranquil lake. The ripple spread out rapidly and became more and more evident.
Soon, the space of a certain part of the sky became distorted, and a clear and mysterious wave of power was transmitted from there.
“Space Principles!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, feeling amazed in his heart.
He did not expect to encounter such a powerful Space Principle fluctuation in such a place. It was obvious that someone was tearing space to appear here from a very remote place. Judging from the Space Principle fluctuations, whoever was coming likely had even higher attainments in the Dao of Space than he did.
Yang Kai’s expression was extremely solemn. Although he did not know who this visitor was, he believed that the strength of a person who could travel by tearing the space like this was absolutely not normal.
Who was it? What was their purpose in appearing here?
Yang Kai did not dare to take this lightly and quickly put his Embodiment away while silently circulating his Emperor Qi to be on guard.
If he was alone, he could immediately hide and observe from the dark; however, he could not do that because Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo Xiao Qi were beside him, as well as Liu Yan who was still in her Phoenix Egg form.
“Ah!” Mo Xiao Qi suddenly screamed and her face turned pale at the peculiarity in the sky, quickly hiding behind Yang Kai as her tender body trembled like a mouse at the sight of a cat. “Big Brother Yang, let’s run now. It will be too late if we don’t.” She whispered.
“It’s already too late to run,” Yang Kai replied with a helpless face.
*Hua…*
The sky was torn apart, as if a formless beast opened its mouth preparing to swallow its prey.
Yang Kai paid close attention to this disturbance and saw a foot suddenly stepping out of the dark crack.
*Dong… *
Yang Kai’s face paled. Although that foot was stepping on the void, he felt like it was stepping on his own heart, extinguishing his aura and presence.
[So strong!] Yang Kai’s eyes were overflowing with terror. He already knew that this visitor was not weak, but at this moment, Yang Kai realized that he had still underestimated the strength of the one who appeared.
Whoever it was, they were definitely a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and certainly not an ordinary one at that!
Following the foot, a figure emerged from the crack leisurely with a calm and relaxed face, as if he was simply going for a stroll outside his house.
Then, Yang Kai saw the face of the newcomer.
It was a middle-aged man who dressed like a scholar. He had an extraordinary bearing with a completely harmless smile on his face.
His eyes slightly swept across them and landed on Yang Kai before he gave a strange smile.
*Gudong… *
Yang Kai could not help gulping, even though he knew that he should not show any signs of fear. Nevertheless, he felt like a lamb being targeted by a hungry wolf, and his whole body shivered involuntarily.
After the emergence of the middle-aged scholar, another figure stepped out of the Void.
Unlike the leisurely movements of the scholar, the second person appeared in an aggressive manner like a burning flame, raising the surrounding temperature in an instant.
The second visitor was a stunning woman with a graceful body; she had voluptuous peaks, a slender waist, red lips as bright as jewels with a strange brilliance, delicate skin as white as porcelain, and glistening beautiful eyes… Men would not be able to resist fantasizing while looking at her, especially with her long flaming-red hair which flew out behind her, giving a strong visual impact that was impossible to peel one’s eyes away from.
“Damn it! How could it be her!?” Yang Kai almost bit his own tongue, secretly cursing in his heart.
Because he actually knew this beautiful woman.
She was the Aunty Feng Mo Xiao Qi often mentioned!
Spirit Beast Island’s Jiu Feng! Even though she was not one of the Ten Great Emperors, the name of Jiu Feng still resounded loudly throughout the entire Star Boundary, and no cultivator who had even the slightest bit of strength did not know of her.
If this beautiful woman was Jiu Feng, the identity of the middle-aged scholar was just as clear as day.
Li Wu Yi!
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately flashed as he stared straight back into Li Wu Yi’s eyes without avoidance. Although this was the first time he met Li Wu Yi, Yang Kai had heard his name many times, because Li Wu Yi was the Master with the highest proficiency in the Dao of Space in the entire Star Boundary, a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm powerhouse.
Mo Xiao Qi mentioned before that she would introduce Yang Kai to Li Wu Yi, so he could become his Disciple and learn the mysteries of the Dao of Space.
After realizing that these two people were Masters from Spirit Beast Island, Yang Kai instantly understood why they were here.
They had obviously come for Mo Xiao Qi.
[But how did the two of them know that Mo Xiao Qi was here? What’s more, they just directly tore space and came here.]
Yang Kai pondered for a while, but soon figured that they must have done something to Mo Xiao Qi, so they could always track her location. This also explained how Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi could appear shortly after they left the Shattered Star Sea.
No wonder Mo Xiao Qi hid behind him and urged him to escape when she saw the vision in the sky. She already knew that someone was coming for her.
“Li Wu Yi, you bastard! How dare you leave me behind in the Void! Do you know I was almost devoured by the Void Turbulence?” Jiu Feng grabbed Li Wu Yi’s collar as soon as she showed up, lifting him and shaking him violently as she reprimanded.
Li Wu Yi, the strongest Master below the Great Emperors, was lifted by Jiu Feng like a weak chicken and dared not resist.
He broke out in cold sweat with an embarrassed look, “What are you doing? Juniors are watching down there. What about my face!”
“Face?” Jiu Feng glared at him with her upturned eyes, screeching, “Face should be earned, not given by others. If you want face, be good to me then, understand?”
“Understood, understood, understood!” Li Wu Yi nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, pleading, “Can you be gentle and put me down now?”
“Gentle?” Jiu Feng sneered and shouted angrily, “What is that? Can you eat it?”
Li Wu Yi put on a long face and looked in Yang Kai’s direction pitifully, “Xiao Qi, save me!”
“You can’t see me, you can’t see me, you can’t see me…” Mo Xiao Qi hid closely behind Yang Kai, mumbling constantly to herself.
“If you dare to leave me in the Void again, you better watch out! I’ll make sure your ‘third leg’ is broken beyond repair!” Jiu Feng gritted her teeth, looking vicious.
Li Wu Yi could not help tightening up his thighs together and begged hurriedly, “I won’t, I won’t! Please forgive me, Great-Aunt!”
“Hmph!” Jiu Feng hurled Li Wu Yi aside like a sack of garbage. After that, her face and tone of voice changed drastically, twisting her body in shyness, she said, “Seriously. Don’t you know that others are afraid when surrounded by pure darkness?”
After speaking, she swept her eyes across the place below elegantly and stopped at the sight of Yang Kai, greeting with bright enthusiasm, “Hey, Little Brother, we meet again. It must be fate.”
Yang Kai gulped in difficulty, his expression stiff. Ever since he first heard of them, Yang Kai had always had a high opinion and good impression of the two peak Emperor Realm Masters, Aunt Feng and Li Wu Yi, but now that lofty ideal was crumbling quickly before his eyes.
Pushing down his discomfort, Yang Kai cupped his fists solemnly, “Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Li and Senior Jiu Feng!”
Li Wu Wi smiled faintly, a subtle cold light flashing across his eyes, “What did you see just now?”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “The surge of Space Principles just now distorted the sky. Junior tried his best to see through the chaos, but unfortunately, my strength was insufficient and I could not see anything. What a shame!”
After hearing this, Li Wu Yi raised his brows and the cold light in his eyes dissipated. He nodded, “A young man worthy of praise! This King often hears about you from Xiao Qi on the island. I heard that you are also proficient in the Dao of Space?”
Yang Kai responded immediately, “Senior is flattering me. This Junior only knows a bit about the Dao of Space and definitely doesn’t dare to show off meagre skills before an expert like Senior Li. If there is any opportunity, this Junior would like to ask Senior for his guidance.”
Li Wu Yi beamed delightfully, “Good, very good. If you ever come to Spirit Beast Island in the future, this King will teach you a unique Divine Ability.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, he immediately pressed on, “There is no need to choose another day, why not today?”
The smile was still hanging on Li Wu Yi’s face as he answered lightly, “Boy, aren’t you being too shameless? Do you think you can just simply learn the secrets of this King so easily?”
Yang Kai was exasperated, “Senior is so stingy, you don’t have the intention of teaching this Junior at all. Are you here to just make me unhappy?”
“Whether you are happy or not is none of my business,” Li Wu Yi burst into laughter, “As long as this King is happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Really? Junior likes to speak nonsense when he is unhappy, and might even compose a fantastical story about the events that happened today. I might pass on the story to the storytellers in major restaurants and tea shops in the Eastern Territory to let them publicize Senior Li’s majesty and prestige. I have even come up with a title. What does Senior Li think of ‘The Daily lives of Jiu Feng and her loyal servant on Spirit Beast Island’?”
Li Wu Yi was furious, “Didn’t you just say that you didn’t see anything? Junior, are you not a man of his word!”
“I suddenly remembered I saw something,” Yang Kai replied leisurely.
“Despicable!” Li Wu Yi was appalled.
“I was forced to be like this!” Yang Kai drawled lazily.
Jiu Feng was shaking with laughter, extremely entertained by them.
“Good, very good!” Li Wu Yi spoke madly and gritted his teeth at Yang Kai, “You leave this King no choice but to teach you a lesson. Little brat, take this!”
When the words fell, he raised his hand, and a stream of light shot towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised his brows in alert, but he did not evade. Instead, he stretched out his hand to grab this stream of light. He jolted slightly as soon as the stream of light touched his hand, but his eyes narrowed swiftly as he quickly put away the item he had just caught.
“Now, you know how powerful this King is. Don’t you dare to speak nonsense and corrupt the reputation of this King,” Li Wu Yi snorted coldly.
Yang Kai cupped his fists with a grin, acknowledging him, “Junior’s cultivation is nowhere near to Senior Li’s. Please forgive me for all of the earlier offences, Senior Li.”
Li Wu Yi waved his hand widely, “This King is very generous, and will not bother to argue with the likes of you.”
Jiu Feng looked at the two scornfully, grimacing, “You two sure are having a good time.”
Li Wu Yi snorted, “I just taught a Junior, who has an exaggerated opinion of his own abilities, to be a little more humble. If Great Aunt has any opinion, this Li would be glad to hear it.”
Jiu Feng snorted coldly, her sharp dazzling eyes staring at Yang Kai for a long time before revealing a trace of admiration, “You were only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm the last time we met, I did not expect you would break through to the Emperor Realm in just a few years. This Queen underestimated you.”
Undoubtedly, only a genius would be able to be promoted from First-Order Dao Source Realm to the First-Order Emperor Realm in such a short time, and to have such a solid foundation, radiating a pure and strong aura without any sign of instability.
“Senior is flattering me, it was merely a series of opportunities and coincidences that allowed Junior to progress at this speed,” Yang Kai said modestly.
Jiu Feng cautioned him, “But the First-Order Emperor Realm is just the first step to the peak of the Martial Dao. You still have a long way to go. Stay humble and focused.”
Yang Kai looked at her with a solemn expression, and quickly responded, “I will keep Senior’s advice deep in my heart.”
Although it was just a small comment, with her level of strength, if Jiu Feng was not optimistic about Yang Kai’s future, she would not even bother to say anything. Any encouragement or warning from her was already a great honour.
Jiu Feng nodded gently, obviously satisfied with his attitude, she then narrowed her sharp eyes at Yang Kai with a dangerous aura, penetrating through his body right at Mo Xiao Qi, who was hiding behind him as she snarled coldly, “Come out from there!”
Mo Xiao Qi stepped out from behind Yang Kai unwillingly, pouting. Her eyes darted around erratically, as if looking for a way to escape.
Jiu Feng wanted to laugh but was angry at the same time, “Did you think that Uncle Li and Aunty Feng could not see you hiding behind him? Do you think we’re blind, or are you blind?”
Mo Xiao Qi retorted angrily, “Wouldn’t it be the same wherever I hide when you’re so strong?”
“You dare talk back?” Jiu Feng raised her brow and yelled, “You’re so wilful, I think you’re itching for good disciplining.”
Mo Xiao Qi pouted and looked at Li Wu Yi pitifully, whining, “Uncle Li, Aunty Feng wants to beat me, you have to help me.”
“She dares?” Li Wu Yi was enraged and his aura suddenly surged. His lickspittle attitude was swept away, replaced by a ferocious demeanour dazzling like the sun.
Yang Kai was secretly awe-inspired, slightly aware of the huge gap between him and these top veteran Emperor Realm Masters.
“Hm?” Jiu Feng let out a light tone from her lips as she glanced sideways at Li Wu Yi.
Li Wu Yi snorted, “Don’t be afraid Xiao Qi, if she really hits you, I will, I will…”
“You will?” Jiu Feng looked at him scornfully.
Li Wu Yi immediately broke into a smile, “I’ll help you to grab Xiao Qi and let you beat her as much as you like!”
*Gezhi gezhi…*
Mo Xiao Qi stood beside Yang Kai, her teeth grinding violently.
At this moment, Li Wu Yi suddenly shot a pensive look at Mo Xiao Qi before his face changed drastically and he asked, “Xiao Qi, did you release the seal?”
“What?” Jiu Feng jumped, and flickered to Mo Xiao Qi’s side in an instant, grabbing her and examining her carefully.
Soon, Jiu Feng realized that Mo Xiao Qi had indeed released the Divine Soul Seal and blood drained from her beautiful face as she reprimanded, “Why did you release the seal? Were you in any life-threatening danger? Which bastard dared to lay his hands on you!?”
A burst of overwhelming Emperor Pressure suddenly exploded from Jiu Feng, one laced with extreme hostility and murderous intent, as if she was preparing to slaughter a hated enemy.
Yang Kai retreated several tens of metres shakily, his heart pounding hard in his chest, almost unable to breathe.
Zhang Ruo Xi exclaimed loudly, retreating even farther away than Yang Kai did.
“Who was it? Tell Aunty Feng! I will kill him and his entire family now!” The air burned around Jiu Feng as she released tangible murderous intent.
Li Wu Yi treaded down toward them from the air, his face so gloomy that one could shave a layer of frost off of it. Although he did not speak, his murderous intent was even thicker and more prominent than Jiu Feng’s.
Mo Xiao Qi’s Divine Soul Seal was her ultimate trump card, one that would be impossible to release if she did not face life-threatening danger. In other words, she must have been at risk of dying in the Shattered Star Sea at some point.
The two Masters had watched Mo Xiao Qi grow since she was born, so how could they tolerate someone bullying her? It was only natural for them to react so strongly when they noticed the Divine Soul Seal had been unlocked, releasing their murderous intent so violently as if no one else mattered.
Mo Xiao Qi did not dare to be up-front with them at the sight of their terrifying expressions, so she bit her lip and mumbled, “No one was trying to kill me, I just accidentally released it.”
“Impossible!” Jiu Feng snorted coldly, “Sir personally sealed the Heavenly Illusion Butterfly’s Soul with the Burning Moon Rainbow Flower Seal. There is only one condition to release it, and that is if your life is threatened.”
Li Wu Yi coaxed her, “Be a good girl Xiao Qi and tell Uncle Li and Aunty Feng clearly what happened.”
“It’s really nothing, it really was just an accident,” Mo Xiao Qi flailed her arms about repeatedly as she tried to explain.
Jiu Feng snorted again, knowing that there must be a reason behind Mo Xiao Qi persisting with this ridiculous story. She thus turned away from Mo Xiao Qi to question Yang Kai, “Boy, since you are here with Xiao Qi, that means that you were travelling together in the Shattered Star Sea. Tell this Queen what happened!”
Yang Kai sighed as he began, “Two Seniors, please don’t misunderstand, I was the reason that Little Sister Xiao Qi released her seal.”
“Because of you?” Li Wu Yi frowned in suspicion, “Did you try to kill Xiao Qi?”
[That’s impossible. Although Xiao Qi is naive, she is not a fool. If this boy had really tried to assassinate her, how could she still be together with him? She would have run away as far as she could.]
Jiu Feng coldly demanded, “Be specific!”
Yang Kai nodded, sorted out his thoughts a little before reiterating the situation from when Mo Xiao Qi lost control of her emotions when she had mistakenly believed he had died, relaying every detail of how the Divine Soul Seal was released and what happened subsequently.
When he finished, Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi could not help exchanging astonished looks with each other.
They never knew that Mo Xiao Qi could release the Divine Soul Seal because someone else was in danger. However, they recalled that their Sir had once explained to them that Xiao Qi could only unlock the seal upon perceiving life-threatening danger, but did not specifically say that it had to be Xiao Qi’s own life.
If that was the case, Xiao Qi seemed to value this boy very much, placing his safety in equal importance to her own, which led her to release her seal when he was in peril.
When their eyes met, the two felt a strange feeling fill their hearts as they comprehended each other’s thoughts.
They turned their heads to throw a vicious look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai suppressed a shiver, not daring to say anything.
“How did the Divine Soul Seal get re-sealed? This sealing technique is not the same one as Sir’s, but it is an extremely profound technique. Was… it you?” Jiu Feng asked incredulously.
Yang Kai chuckled in reply, “Junior is not capable of doing something like that. It was someone else who re-did the seal.”
“Oh?” Li Wu Yi suddenly became interested, “Is there someone among the younger generation who could seal a Divine Spirit’s Soul? Let’s hear it, I would like to know who could be so capable.”
“That person was not a Junior, that person was…” Yang Kai twitched the corner of his mouth, hesitating. He then pursed his lips and mouthed the three words gently.
Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng were flabbergasted, looking at Yang Kai blankly.
Yang Kai continued faintly, “There is no doubt, he is that Sir who you’re both thinking of.”
“Impossible!” Jiu Feng shouted, “Emperor Realm Masters cannot enter the Shattered Star Sea. Even if that Sir has profound strength, he can’t bypass that restriction.”
Li Wu Yi also looked pensive, “That’s correct, that Sir has always been secretive in his whereabouts. Why would he show up in a place like the Shattered Star Sea? The Source Strength there is indeed a good thing, but it should be nothing in that Sir’s eyes.”
Yang Kai contemplated for a moment before his expression turned serious and he continued, “If it was anyone else that asked, I would not go into any further detail; after all, this matter cannot be spoken of lightly, but since two Seniors are from Spirit Beast Island, then I will disclose all that I know. Hopefully, two Seniors will relay the information from the Shattered Star Sea to Sir Martial Beast once you return to Spirit Beast Island. Perhaps Sir Martial Beast can help find a solution.”
“Find a solution? A solution to what?” Jiu Feng stared at Yang Kai suspiciously, looking puzzled.
“Boy, just what are you trying to say?” Li Wu Yi also looked at him in bewilderment.
While Yang Kai was communicating with Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng via Divine Sense transmission, Mo Xiao Qi and Zhang Ruo Xi could only see Yang Kai’s lips moving. The two top Emperor Realm Masters reacted to Yang Kai’s messages with a broad mixture of different expressions flipping across their faces; shock, surprise, curiosity, horror, solemnity, respect and pity…
From time to time, Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng would interject with a question, to which Yang Kai answered patiently.
“What are they talking about?” Mo Xiao Qi asked Zhang Ruo Xi secretly.
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, indicating that she had no clue either.
Mo Xiao Qi continued, “I’m actually very curious about what happened in the Shattered Star Sea after I fainted. Do you know anything?”
Zhang Ruo Xi still shook her head, whispering, “I also fainted at almost the same time as you. When I woke up, I was already here.”
The two little girls looked at each other as a subtle feeling of sympathy for each other grew inside them.
“How could there be such a thing?” After a long while, Li Wu Yi finally voiced out with a solemn face.
Jiu Feng looked awe-inspired too, “We really have to tell our Sir about this matter because that Sir’s condition doesn’t look optimistic. His life will be difficult in the future, having to share his body with the Soul of that devil.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Senior Duan has just left, but he didn’t say where he was going. It would be good if Sir Martial Beast could find him. This Junior really respects Senior Duan for his willingness to sacrifice his life for the common people of the world and cannot bear to watch him be tortured for the rest of his life.”
Jiu Feng replied solemnly, “Don’t worry. Our Sir won’t sit back and do nothing. When we return to Spirit Beast Island, I will report this matter to him in detail.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Many thanks, Senior.”
They should be able to find Duan Hong Chen with the help of Martial Beast Great Emperor, and perhaps, the latter could find a solution for Duan Hong Chen’s current awkward condition.
“I didn’t expect that such a bizarre thing could have happened in the Shattered Star Sea. No wonder the elite disciples of the four territories were all suddenly ejected out of the Shattered Star Sea. Our Sir had already said that there must have been some unforeseen incident in the Shattered Star Sea before we left, but I didn’t expect that it would be this serious,” Li Wu Yi sighed.
“It is fortunate that they are all safe. If all of them died because of this…” Goosebumps filled Jiu Feng’s skin as she was unable to finish her sentence.
In the next moment though, her scorching eyes fixed on Yang Kai as she abruptly changed the topic, “Boy, just now, when we arrived here, there was one thing that made this Queen very concerned…” She pointed her finger in the direction of the Phoenix egg, and continued with a deep voice, “Why does this Queen sense the aura of the Phoenix True Fire from there!?”
Li Wu Yi was taken aback, in amazement, “Phoenix True Fire?”
After speaking, he instantly turned to the Phoenix egg and failed to suppress a gasp when he saw the mysterious patterns on the Phoenix egg, exclaiming, “The Phoenix Clan Inheritance!”
“Senior knows of it?” Yang Kai looked at Li Wu Yi in surprise.
He was only able to confirm this was the Phoenix Clan Inheritance when he tried to spy on the patterns on the egg and suffered an attack by a Soul Technique on his Knowledge Sea. He could not believe that Li Wu Yi could recognize it with just a glance.
Li Wu Yi stared at the Phoenix egg dumbfounded for a while, but when he regained his senses, he explained, “Spirit Beast Island has records about the Phoenix Clan, and…” Having said that, he stole a glance at Jiu Feng and stopped talking.
Jiu Feng questioned, “Is it really the Phoenix True Fire?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It is.”
“I heard that there was a remnant of Phoenix True Fire in the Shattered Star Sea, which was possessed by the Martial Flame Great Emperor back then… and you just happened to come out of the Shattered Star Sea. Could it be…” Jiu Feng thought carefully and quickly came up with a conclusion.
“Senior is correct. The Phoenix True Fire is indeed from the Shattered Star Sea, a relic left behind by the Martial Flame Great Emperor,” Yang Kai did not try to conceal it.
Although it was as expected, Jiu Feng still could not help gasping at Yang Kai’s confirmation. She looked at the Phoenix egg in admiration and envy as she remarked, “This Queen has also visited the Shattered Star Sea to search for the Phoenix True Fire, but it was all in vain. I can’t believe that I would have a chance to see it now.”
After a pause, she frowned, “Since it has become a Phoenix egg, it means that someone refined the Phoenix True Fire. Who is this person that could convince the Phoenix True Fire to acknowledge his existence?”
Before Yang Kai could speak, Mo Xiao Qi interjected, “It’s Big Sister Liu Yan.”
“Oh?” Jiu Feng’s beautiful eyes lit up, murmuring, “That Artifact Spirit?”
Judging from her expression and tone, it seemed that Mo Xiao Qi had told her about Liu Yan, and she also knew that Liu Yan was an Artifact Spirit.
She could not help praising, “It must be fate for a trivial Artifact Spirit to actually be acknowledged by the Phoenix True Fire. Once she is reborn in nirvana, she will inherit the Phoenix Clan Inheritance in its totality and have the opportunity to become a member of the Phoenix Clan.”
“Senior Jiu Feng seems to be very knowledgeable about the Phoenix Clan,” Yang Kai was enlightened.
“Very knowledgeable?” Jiu Feng glanced at Yang Kai with a contemptuous look.
Flustered by her reaction, he asked “Did I say something wrong?”
Mo Xiao Qi smiled faintly, “Big Brother Yang, Aunty Feng possesses an extremely pure Phoenix Clan Bloodline. Other than those from the original Phoenix Clan, no one else would know the Phoenix Clan better than her.”
“What?” Yang Kai was appalled, “Senior Jiu Feng has the Phoenix Clan’s bloodline!?”
This was the first time he learnt about this, but when he thought about it carefully, the ‘Feng’ in Jiu Feng’s name actually meant ‘Phoenix’, and her scorching power was notably compatible with the Fire Phoenix’s, moreover, she came from a place like Spirit Beast Island…
Yang Kai was ecstatic and he hurriedly queried, “Senior, since you have the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan, may I know when my friend will be hatched from her egg and reborn again?
Jiu Feng frowned, “This is hard to say, but may I ask… If this Queen didn’t come here, what did you plan to do?”
“What did I plan to do?” Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before answering frankly, “I was just going to wait.”
“Wait?” Jiu Feng looked at Yang Kai with a weird face, “Wait for one or two years here?”
“One or two years? That long?” Yang Kai nearly jumped.
“Whether it is long or not, the whole process may take just a year, or even up to eight to ten years,” Jiu Feng sneered, “Do you think it is that easy to refine the Phoenix True Fire? Your friend’s success in being acknowledged by the Phoenix True Fire and turning into a Phoenix egg is just the beginning of her journey. To truly refine and master the Phoenix True Fire, one would need to pass through some dire challenges. If your friend can’t endure them, she will be burned to death; even if she perseveres, she will not succeed in a short time.”
“Even if she succeeds, it is still questionable if she will comprehend how to control the Phoenix True Fire. At the same time, would she know of the Phoenix Clan’s Secret Techniques from just the inheritance alone?”
Yang Kai listened with a heavy face.
He realized that he was too naïve. He was hoping that it would not take long for Liu Yan to reappear in front of him, but after listening to Jiu Feng, only then did he realize how much he had underestimated the risks.
Since Jiu Feng had the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan, she was certainly extremely knowledgeable of the Phoenix Clan, and what she said could not be wrong.
“Senior, this Junior asks for your advice,” Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat.
Jiu Feng answered, “Even if you have my advice, you still can’t help her. You know nothing about the Phoenix Clan, or about the mysteries of the Phoenix True Fire. You can’t help her.”
Yang Kai pressed on, “Senior, please explain it clearly. This Junior should be able to understand.”
Jiu Feng rolled her eyes at him, and snorted coldly, “Can you cook a table of delicious food even if I give you the ingredients?”
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweats on his head, and replied unconfidently, “I think I still can make sure that they are cooked.”
Mo Xiao Qi approached Jiu Feng and shook her arm, “Aunty Feng, Big Sister Liu Yan is a very good person. If you can help, please help.”
Jiu Feng glared at her fiercely and smouldered, “Quiet, I’m still not done with you. All you want to do is run around and play and have fun, never paying attention to your cultivation at all. If it weren’t for me and your Uncle Li who came to look for you this time, weren’t you planning to run away again?”
Mo Xiao Qi pursed her lips, “How about this… If you help Big Sister Liu Yan this time, I will follow you back to the island to cultivate and will not leave until I break through to the Emperor Realm.”
“Oh?” Jiu Feng’s beautiful eyes brightened, checking Mo Xiao Qi with her scorching eyes, “You said it yourself.”
Mo Xiao Qi revealed a look of frustration, but she closed her eyes and declared, “Yes, I said it.”
“Deal!” Li Wu Yi chuckled slightly.
Jiu Feng chortled as well, and shared, “Since you’ve said so much, Aunty Feng would definitely not sit back and watch.”
Mo Xiao Qi growled, “Aunty Feng, you are so mean! You won’t do anything without benefits!”
Jiu Feng chuckled and looked at her with a cheerful face, “It’s okay even if you regret it now. Your Uncle Li and I can still take you back by force. The end result would be the same.”
Mo Xiao Qi stomped in fury, “I hate the both of you!”
Jiu Feng put her smile away and turned to Yang Kai, “If you are alright with it, I will take the Phoenix egg back to Spirit Beast Island and cast a Secret Technique from the Phoenix Clan to protect her.”
“Take her back to Spirit Beast Island?” Yang Kai felt slightly lost, and could not help glancing at the place where the Phoenix egg was.
Jiu Feng continued, “You can also follow us to Spirit Beast Island. Although Spirit Beast Island does not have many visitors, since you are Xiao Qi’s friend, it should be fine for you to live on the island for a while and I believe Sir will not refuse you.”
Mo Xiao Qi’s eyes instantly lit up and she squealed, “That’s right, Big Brother Yang! Come with me to Spirit Beast Island. Our Spirit Beast Island is really beautiful.”
Her face overflowed with expectation and her beautiful eyes glowed with hope.
Yang Kai did not look at her though as he could not bear to let her down. He instead turned to Jiu Feng and asked, “Based on Senior’s estimation, how long will it take for Liu Yan to refine the Phoenix True Fire?”
Jiu Feng disclosed, “At least a year. According to the legend, the Martial Flame Great Emperor spent five months refining the Phoenix True Fire, so one year is just the most conservative estimate, and this is still on the premise that everything goes well.”
“One year…” Yang Kai sighed, “Then Senior, please take her with you. About Spirit Beast Island… This Junior will visit another time because I still have something to deal with right now.”
After hearing this, disappointment was written on Mo Xiao Qi’s face.
Jiu Feng nodded in agreement, “You can rest assured that since this Queen has promised you to protect her, I will not snatch her away from you. This Queen just wishes to witness if the refining of the Phoenix True Fire by an Artifact Spirit would have any strange transformations!”
When she finished her sentence, she revealed an expectant and exhilarated face, together with an extremely dangerous brilliance in her beautiful eyes.
She performed a skill with her arm stretched and drew the Phoenix egg that was far away directly to her, wrapping it with her Emperor Qi. The Phoenix egg seemed to sense something, as the runic patterns on its surface started to move vividly, and a vague cry came out from it.
Purple Mountain City, located near the Purple Mountain Range, was an unremarkable city among the thousands of cities in the Eastern Territory. Due to the harsh surrounding environment and barren land, it was not a bustling place.
It only served as a transit station for cultivators to enter the Purple Mountain Range. Many cultivators chose the Purple Mountain Range as their training spot, and therefore, Purple Mountain City became the ideal resting place for them.
The overall strength of the cultivators in the city was mediocre, though slightly stronger than in Maplewood City. The city was mostly populated by Saint Kings, but even though there were no Emperor Realm Masters here, there were still many Dao Source Realms.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had travelled here all the way from the depths of the Purple Mountain Range, and worn out from the journey and covered in dust, they casually found an inn to lodge at for the night.
The Phoenix egg had been taken away by Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi. Yang Kai did not worry about Liu Yan’s safety, as both Jiu Feng and Li Wu Yi were famous Masters of the Star Boundary, who also happened to be the Martial Beast Great Emperor’s subordinates. In addition to his relationship with Mo Xiao Qi, Yang Kai believed that Jiu Feng would definitely take good care of Liu Yan and would not harm her in any way.
His only worry was about the refinement of the Phoenix True Fire, which might not go well.
However, he was now anxious to find Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts and had no time to accompany Liu Yan, otherwise, he would certainly travel to the Spirit Beast Island together with them and stay there for a year or two.
This was the first time Zhang Ruo Xi travelled together with Yang Kai in the open. Before now, Yang Kai always kept her in the Small Sealed World wherever he went and allowed her to cultivate in solitude.
But now, Zhang Ruo Xi was a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator and was capable of protecting herself.
Cultivation was not just a process of remaining behind closed doors. Yang Kai, who had to sail through stormy seas and adversities his whole life, had a deep understanding of this concept. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided to take Zhang Ruo Xi with him. In this way, the little girl of the Zhang Family could gain more insights into the local customs of the Star Boundary, which would definitely benefit her future growth.
Needless to say, Zhang Ruo Xi was exhilarated, her face flushed with excitement along the entire journey, like a bird released from its cage, fascinated by every new finding.
Yang Kai had been sharing all of his cultivation experiences with Zhang Ruo Xi in the past few days, and despite the usual naïve look of this little girl, her talent in cultivation always took his breath away.
Zhang Ruo Xi often brought up numerous important questions that if not for his solid foundation, Yang Kai might not have been able to answer. Still, he had to rack his brains repeatedly in order to not make a fool of himself in front of her.
While teaching Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai did not neglect his own cultivation.
He had just broken through to the Emperor Realm and barely earned the title of ‘Master’. Although the Emperor Qi in his body has been fully transformed due to various previous accidents, he was ultimately just a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master, and there was still a world of difference between him and the veteran Emperors of the world when it came to the application of his power and comprehension of the Emperor Realm.
The more he cultivated, the more Yang Kai felt the boundlessness of the Martial Dao, and the greater his admiration and enthusiasm became.
This was especially true whenever he recalled the battle between the two Great Emperors. The monstrous power and astonishing control each of their moves displayed was such that even if Yang Kai wanted to, he would be unable to stop a single one.
He was looking forward to the day when he achieved the same level as them, and even surpassed them.
When Yang Kai reached Purple Mountain City, he randomly picked an inn and asked for two rooms to stay in. He then casually placed some restrictions in his own room.
There were not many experts in Purple Mountain City, and Yang Kai was the only Emperor Realm Master here, so he was not worried about anyone causing him trouble, but it was still unpleasant to be disturbed during cultivation, so arranging a barrier was still a standard procedure.
After arranging the barrier, Yang Kai took something out of his Space Ring.
It was a blue stone, approximately the same size as a longan with an extremely irregular shape. At first glance, there was nothing special about it, other than its slightly unusual colour. This stone even lacked any substantial energy fluctuations, looking like a small chunk of cheap Artifact Refining material.
But this blue stone came from Li Wu Yi.
The blue stone was the object Yang Kai grabbed previously from the stream of light Li Wu Yi had thrown at him.
During the journey from the Purple Mountain Range, Yang Kai did not have the time to examine what kind of mysteries were hidden in this stone. Only now did he have the chance to put down his burdens and try to figure this out.
With the stone sitting on the palm of his hand, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense with a solemn face. Soon, he was startled and his Divine Sense surged out like strands of formless filaments, enveloping the stone. His face changed drastically from shock to amazement, to excitement, to admiration.
Under the investigation of his Divine Sense, the surface of this blue stone seemed intact, but its interior was fragmented.
The reason for this was that its inside contained countless tiny hair-like Void Cracks.
It was almost impossible to detect these Void Cracks with just the naked eye. Fortunately, Yang Kai had an outstanding Divine Sense, otherwise, he would have missed them.
The Void Cracks in the stone were certainly not crafted by Li Wu Yi in advance. He probably only did this when Yang Kai asked him to teach him.
Even so, it was enough to astound Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was also proficient in the Dao of Space, so he naturally knew how difficult it was to form countless tiny Void Cracks in a stone without damaging it. This required exceedingly precise control of the Space Principles and a deep understanding of the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai possessed various Space Techniques, including Moon Blade, Exile, and Nihility. He could even use the local Space Principle to instantly freeze a certain region of space. He learned all these applications of Space Principles by himself without any guidance.
He thought he had profound attainments in the Dao of Space.
But after observing the blue stone, only then did Yang Kai realize that he was just someone with very limited insight; a frog at the bottom of the well.
At the very least, he could not emulate what Li Wu Yi had done to this stone.
He was not able to control Space Principles so delicately as to create so many Void Cracks in the stone yet not destroy its surface, keeping it intact.
[How amazing!] Yang Kai was thrilled. Even though he had long heard that Li Wu Yi from Spirit Beast Island of the Eastern Territory was the most proficient Master in the Dao of Space in the entire Star Boundary, Yang Kai always assumed that he was not far behind him.
However, he finally gained a true understanding today.
If their comprehensions of the Dao of Space were compared to painting, Li Wu Yi would be a famous artist whose paintbrush danced across the canvas with finesse and grace, presenting a masterpiece in front of Yang Kai. Each stroke was natural and smooth, yet powerful and profound. Yang Kai could not help beholding this work of art in awe. Of course, Yang Kai could paint too… but he was nowhere as good as Li Wu Yi.
He still had a long way to go!
Every tiny Void Crack in this stone contained Li Wu Yi’s comprehension of the Dao of Space, and the mysteries and profundities that lay within gradually intensified from the outside in. The Void Cracks on the outside were relatively rough and seemed dreadfully unstable, as if they might collapse at any time, but became more subtle and stable the deeper Yang Kai ventured into the stone.
Yang Kai inspected the stone layer by layer, prying into the mysteries of the Void Cracks. He soon realized that Li Wu Yi was presenting his own growth process in the Dao of Space perfectly in front of him without any concealment.
These Void Cracks were simply the fruits of Li Wu Yi’s lifetime efforts!
He unreservedly turned them into Void Cracks, branded the stone with them, and handed it to Yang Kai.
This stone was more precious than any lesson from Li Wu Yi as it was equivalent to Li Wu Yi passing down his own mantle to him, but how much Yang Kai could understand from it depended on his own talent and effort.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he used his Divine Sense to explore the most central part of the stone.
His breathing stopped at once and his heart beat wildly.
He discovered that there was a tiny black hole in the centre of the stone.
It was similar to the black hole that he formed with his Exile Secret Technique, but its size was shrunk countless times.
Although this black hole was so small that it was invisible to the naked eye, it still managed to create an image of a beast, devouring everything in sight. Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was also being devoured completely as it approached.
Such incredible skill!
If the previous Void Cracks were enough to stun Yang Kai, the appearance of this black hole truly horrified him. He truly acknowledged the huge gap between himself and Li Wu Yi at this moment.
In the Dao of Space, Li Wu Yi was indeed far ahead of him now, and Yang Kai had no hope of matching him with his current achievements.
Yang Kai was awestruck.
An inconspicuous stone could actually contain so many mysteries that were beyond his wildest imagination.
After his astonishment, Yang Kai focused his full attention on studying the stone like a madman.
He wanted to peel off each and every layer of mystery that was held in the stone to absorb all of Li Wu Yi’s accomplishments in the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai immediately put all distractions aside and immersed himself in the mystery of the stone, unable to extricate himself.
He examined the Void Cracks one by one, feeling their stability and hidden mysteries, experiencing their formation process.
It was as if he was dissecting Li Wu Yi’s Soul, studying whatever he wanted.
One day, two days, five days, ten days…
While studying the stone, Li Wu Yi’s own comprehensions of the Dao of Space seemed to appear vividly in front of Yang Kai. It was as if he was inside Li Wu Yi’s head, witnessing him display his prowess first hand. During the process, Yang Kai felt that he was growing stronger, gradually reaching the same level of mastery as Li Wu Yi.
At the very beginning, Yang Kai was still comprehending Li Wu Yi’s attainments in the Dao of Space and learning his subtle techniques, but as time passed, Yang Kai was no longer content with learning from others.
He would first comprehend Li Wu Yi’s attainments and understanding embedded in each Void Crack, then throw himself into emulating and improving in order to turn this new knowledge into his own capital.
Yang Kai skipped meals and sleep, completely neglecting everything else around him to study the stone.
Although his cultivation did not grow stronger, and there was now a deranged look on his face with dark circles under his tiring red eyes, his vision was exceptionally bright and sharp, unable to conceal the excitement he felt.
During this period of time, the growth in his comprehension of the Dao of Space had surpassed his growth in this Dao for the previous ten to twenty years.
He clearly felt that he had taken a huge step forward.
The thought of never accepting defeat lingered in Yang Kai’s mind. He researched the blue stone day and night, neglecting everything else.
At the very beginning, Zhang Ruo Xi, who lived next door, would come over to see Yang Kai from time to time, wanting to ask when they were leaving Purple Mountain City. However, as time passed, she assumed that Yang Kai’s seclusion meant that he was cultivating something of importance, so she dared not bother him.
Bored, and with nothing to do, she decided to leave the inn to take a walk around the city.
With her Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, she was not afraid of wandering around, even if there were other cultivators in the same realm as her. During her walk, she found something novel so she decided to pluck up the courage to give it a try and instantly fell in love with it. During this period when Yang Kai was still researching the stone in retreat, she would go to this location everyday, and stayed there for a long time before returning to the inn.
Time flew and one month soon passed.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai took a deep breath, lifted his head with a face as tranquil as an ancient well, and withdrew his Divine Sense from the stone.
Blood vessels were prominently covering both of Yang Kai’s eyes, as if he was dreadfully exhausted, but his gaze was still bright like the stars.
After a month of sleepless research, Yang Kai finally absorbed all the mysteries contained in the stone. He witnessed Li Wu Yi’s growth with his own eyes and gained a lot from it.
He had made a huge step forward in the attainments of the Dao of Space.
Only now did he realize that the various Space Secret Techniques that he had comprehended previously were imperfect and there was still room for improvement. Yang Kai was ecstatic; being able to improve meant that he could still enhance the power of his own Space Secret Techniques, which was exactly what he needed now.
As an Emperor Realm Master, he would definitely encounter stronger enemies in the future. Space Techniques had always been one of his most important weapons, so any enhancement to them was of pivotal importance.
*Kacha!*
The blue stone in his hand suddenly broke apart and turned into dust, slipping through Yang Kai’s finger like a pile of sand.
The stone was packed with countless Void Cracks and a tiny black hole. During the process of researching, Yang Kai unceasingly released his Divine Sense to investigate the stone and it had finally reached its limit.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had absorbed all the essence that Li Wu Yi left in the stone, and felt no regrets at it being broken.
Suddenly, Yang Kai slapped his forehead and muttered, “Oh no!”
He has just realized that he was too engrossed in the mysteries of the Dao of Space and had completely forgotten about the time and the initial purpose of coming here.
After calculating the days, Yang Kai was surprised that one month had passed during this retreat.
He hurriedly released his Divine Sense to inform Zhang Ruo Xi to get ready to leave Purple Mountain City with him.
However, the room next door was empty.
There was still a cup of hot tea on the table, producing steam.
With a flicker, Yang Kai leapt across space and appeared directly in the next room. He felt the temperature of the cup of tea with his hand and muttered to himself, “She should have left not too long ago. Where did that little girl go?”
He had spent one month in retreat, so it was natural for Zhang Ruo Xi to go out for a walk.
But since he confirmed that she was not in danger, Yang Kai was not too worried.
He released his Divine Sense, and enveloped the entire Purple Mountain City in the blink of an eye.
Shortly after, Yang Kai found the figure of Zhang Ruo Xi on a high platform in the city, but her figure was moving around vigorously.
“Huh…” Yang Kai was bewildered. After a thought, he dropped some Source Crystals on the table for the inn fees and teleported out of the room.
Subsequently, Yang Kai’s figure reappeared beside a fighting arena in Purple Mountain City, named Rising Dragon Arena.
Except for a few cultivators nearby, no one noticed his sudden appearance.
They glanced at him with a puzzled look but immediately turned away afterwards.
This arena was well built; it was surrounded by light curtain barriers, allowing the cultivators to fully enjoy the fights within.
Such arenas existed in many cities. Every cultivator strived to improve themselves, and where there was camaraderie, there was often also hatred, and it was natural that conflicts would arise.
If it was in the wild, cultivators would just fight to the death and the winners would trample on the losers.
But in a place like a city, one could not simply take others’ lives unless it was unlawfully.
Each city had its own set of rules. Without rules, there would be chaos. Although Purple Mountain City was located on the edge of a desert, it was still inevitable that there would be conflicts between the cultivators in the city. In order to settle their conflicts, they could go to the arena, sign a consent form and fight with each other to the death.
Furthermore, one could compete with others in the arena even if there were no grudges between them.
As time passed, the arena gradually became a recreational place for various cultivators. Cultivators would compete with each other to improve their fighting ability in the arena.
For those who did not fight on the stage, they could still watch the battle from the seats around and learn from the experience.
When Yang Kai arrived, the seats in Rising Dragon Arena were all occupied, and many were without a seat. The cultivators who had no place to sit simply watched the battles in the arena while standing around the edges.
At least tens of thousands of people gathered here, all of them completely absorbed in the competition between two cultivators who were currently fighting with each other in the arena. Cheers and hurrahs rose from the audience from time to time, other times expletives and jeers were hurled.
A battle between normal cultivators would never attract such a large audience. Only the battles of those cultivators with high prestige and great reputation would attract the interest of tens of thousands of people.
At this moment, one of the two competitors in the arena was Zhang Ruo Xi.
However, unlike the soft and weak image that she usually presented in front of Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed more independent and resilient now, revealing the delicate curves of her well-developed body with her hair tied up behind her head, giving her a vigorous look.
Her aura was extremely ferocious, like a beast released from a cage, permeating a malevolent spirit all over her body.
Her opponent was a middle-aged man, who also had Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. The middle-aged man had cultivated some unknown Secret Technique that shrouded himself in a blood-red radiance, giving him a strong and domineering appearance.
The both of them were fighting fiercely in the arena. Loud clangs erupted with each collision of their Source Qi, and the barriers surrounding the arena flashed crazily from the fallout of their attacks.
This little girl from the Zhang Family actually came to a fighting arena.
If Yang Kai did not see it with his own eyes, he would not have believed it.
Where did her courage come from? She was the kind of girl who blushed even when talking to a stranger, so since when did she have the guts to come to this kind of place and be in the spotlight of such a large crowd?
Furthermore, her aura was completely different from usual, which seriously concerned Yang Kai. Yang Kai understood that Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power was profound, and all her changes were related to that bloodline.
Her opponent seemed to be a powerful and famous character in Purple Mountain City. Otherwise, how could he attract such a large audience?
As expected, when Yang Kai was secretly speculating, he overheard some comments from the crowd.
“Today is pitting a dragon against a tiger, I wonder who will win in the end!”
“There’s no doubt about it, the winner will definitely be Bloody Hand Gu Shan. Although Gu Shan doesn’t hail from a Sect, he has been dominating Purple Mountain City for fifty years with a notably high reputation and strength, especially in the arena. He defeated all his enemies who challenged him and has never lost a single match until now. He is like a golden signboard of Purple Mountain City.”
“How could a Sect-less cultivator reach the Third-Order Dao Source Realm? This Gu Shan is really amazing. If he ever joins a big Sect, wouldn’t it be just around the corner for him to break through to the Emperor Realm?”
“Heh heh, I’m sure you don’t know about this. I heard that Gu Shan found an ancient cave mansion in the Purple Mountain Range and obtained an extremely mysterious inheritance, that’s why he didn’t need to join any Sect. A few years ago, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator from Ahan Temple passed by here and had a conflict with Gu Shan. The two of them fought in the arena, and guess what?”
“What?”
“What else could it be? Gu Shan won! He completely beat the senses out of the cultivator from Ahan Temple and knocked him out of the arena in less than ten moves.”
“Tsk… Is Gu Shan that strong? Even a disciple of Ahan Temple was no match for him?”
Ahan Temple was one of the top Sects of the Eastern Territory, its status second only to the Serene Soul Palace. The cultivators who came from such a Sect were undoubtedly strong, let alone an elite disciple with a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation.
“Of course! Since he defeated that elite disciple from Ahan Temple a few years ago, his strength seems to have improved greatly in the following years. How hard would it be for him to take down this weak little girl? Why do you think there are so many spectators here? Everyone came here for Gu Shan’s reputation.”
“Weak little girl?” Another person snorted, “Friend is really funny. Do you dare call her a ‘weak little girl’ directly in front of the Asura Girl? If you dare, I will call you my ancestor.”
“Ahem ahem…” The Gu Shan fan coughed so hard that he almost cried.
“Asura Girl?” Someone turned to the speaker after hearing this unfamiliar name and questioned in a confused manner, “Is this young lady famous?”
The third person glanced at him and asked, “Friend, are you new to Purple Mountain City?”
That man grinned, “I arrived three days ago. I heard that there are a lot of opportunities in Purple Mountain Range, so I came here to try my luck and was just in time for this event, so I just joined the crowd.”
“Three days, no wonder you have no idea about her,” the third person nodded lightly, “The lady in the arena is not simple. I don’t know her real name but everyone calls her the Asura Girl.”
“Is she strong?”
“‘Strong’ is an understatement!” The third person snorted coldly, “She is invincible! She suddenly appeared in the arena twenty days ago and beat the life out of a cultivator in the same realm as her. He was knocked out in just three moves, coughing up a pool of blood. Her moves were simple but brutal.”
“Wasn’t that… a crushing victory?”
“Yeah. It was crushing alright!”
No doubt, it could be described as ‘crushing’ if someone could win within just three moves in a match between two cultivators in the same realm.
“Since then, this little girl has come to the Rising Dragon Arena to fight everyday. No one could stand against her for more than a cup of tea’s worth of time. With her ferocious aura and brutality, everyone began calling her Asura Girl.”
“I’m surprised that this little girl is so powerful.” The first man’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed again and again, watching the arena with great interest.
“Asura Girl is really good, but Gu Shan is not bad either. I still think Gu Shan will win.” The previous Gu Shan’s fan insisted with an unwavering gleam in his eyes.
The third person sneered, “Gu Shan is indeed strong. He has a solid foundation, his Source Qi is vigorous, but he is definitely no match for Asura Girl.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Yeah, I think this friend is too subjective. Looking at the situation now, it is obvious that Gu Shan has an upper hand against her, he is no less brutal than that little girl.”
The third person glanced at the arena leisurely, and replied faintly, “I definitely have my own reason for saying that.”
“What’s your reason? Let’s hear about it.”
“Gu Shan’s strength has reached its limit. Unless he breaks through to the Emperor Realm, he won’t be able to improve any more in his life. But Asura Girl is different. She has an astounding cultivation, but it seems like she rarely fought before. However, she is constantly improving through each battle, and she is a lot more powerful than she was twenty days ago. Didn’t you guys notice that in the beginning of their battle, Asura Girl was put at a disadvantage, but now, she’s already capable of finding opportunities while defending, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack? If I’m not mistaken, she will continue to grow rapidly in this battle and I’m afraid it won’t be too long before she surpasses Gu Shan and takes him down.”
After listening to his analysis, the other two people thought about it carefully and found that he was right. They could not help praising him, “You have a point. It looks like Gu Shan really might not be able to defeat her.”
“Where did this little girl come from? She seems to be only in her early twenties. Could she have cultivated some Secret Technique that froze her age?”
“Humph, although the aura of this girl is ferocious, she still has the air of a child. It is obvious she is still young.”
“This friend seems to know this Asura Girl very well. Do you observe her a lot?”
The corner of the person’s mouth twitched, “Yes, because… the opponent of her first battle was me!”
“Ah?” The other two people gaped at him in shock. They did not expect that he was the cultivator who spat blood and fainted after being beaten by Asura Girl in three moves. The atmosphere of their conversation instantly turned awkward.
Around the stage, numerous audience members were commenting about this Asura Girl, wondering which Sect she hailed from. Nevertheless, they couldn’t find out as the way she fought was strange and unpredictable.
Furthermore, she did not use any artifacts at all, so people could not guess her identity from them.
This subtle sense of mystery intensified their interest in her.
Yang Kai looked at the arena indifferently, a weird feeling nagging at him.
He could not believe that Zhang Ruo Xi was actually participating in arena fights, and even had a renowned name that scared the cultivators in Purple Mountain City.
His impression of Zhang Ruo Xi was completely different from the little girl that he saw in the arena now.
He suddenly felt like he had raised a dormant beast in the past few years. It usually behaved very well in its cage, but once it was released, it could set off a reign of terror.
Meanwhile, the arena fight was heating up.
Although the previous cultivator lost miserably to Zhang Ruo Xi in the first battle due to his weak foundation, he had a keen eye for observation.
Perhaps, he had closely observed Zhang Ruo Xi for the past twenty days in endurance of his humiliation and clearly witnessed her terrifying growth.
The battle between Gu Shan and Asura Girl progressed from Gu Shan being at an absolute advantage in the beginning to an equally matched battle, then Gu Fang fell into a disadvantage. Gu Shan’s shift from an offensive stance to a defensive stance was obvious.
Neither of the pair used artifacts. Zhang Ruo Xi in fact did not have her own offensive artifact, only the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe that she always wore. However, she did not activate the defensive power of the Emperor Artifact, so from Gu Shan’s perspective, since he was already a famous figure in Purple Mountain City, it would be embarrassing for him to summon his artifact to fight a little girl who had not summoned hers.
Various Secret Techniques collided with each other, and the light barrier rippled endlessly from each collision.
Compared to Gu Shan’s firm and steady tactics, Zhang Ruo Xi’s movements were flexible and agile. Her fighting style was unique and peculiar. It also seemed that she possessed an exceedingly keen fighting instinct. Yang Kai had never seen or even heard of those various Secret Techniques that performed so outstandingly in her hands and he had no idea when or where she learned them.
The bloody red radiance on Gu Shan’s body was quivering constantly and gradually dimmed, even his aura was fluctuating unstably.
[How strong!] Gu Shan shivered in his heart. Although he had long heard about this little girl who brought torment to the cultivators in Purple Mountain City, he realized now that he had still underestimated her.
Her growth in the battle had also deeply horrified him.
It only took a short time for her to turn the tide of battle; from a total disadvantage to taking control of the flow. Perhaps with a little more time, she would eventually win the match.
Seeing that the bloody red luminance of his body was about to shatter completely, Gu Shan gritted his teeth, took a step back, and opened his hand. A tiger head war hammer abruptly appeared in his grip as he bellowed, “Little girl, summon your artifact. If you don’t, you won’t stand a chance.”
He looked determined, obviously preparing to fight to the death.
Although he had no grudges against Zhang Ruo Xi, he had been fighting in Purple Mountain City all year round and gained a renowned reputation, being spoken of as the top cultivator below the Emperor Realm. If he was defeated by a weak little girl, how could he still have the dignity to stay here?
He had no choice but to pull out his ace, his victory-securing move.
However, he still kindly persuaded Zhang Ruo Xi to summon her artifact so that they could have a fair fight.
Surprisingly, Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly, replying, “I don’t have an artifact!”
“What?” Gu Shan glared at her and burst into rage, “There should be a bottom line for you to look down on others!”
He thought that he was being despised by Zhang Ruo Xi as how could a cultivator not have his or her own artifact? Given that Zhang Ruo Xi was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator with this level of strength, it was impossible that she did not possess any artifact.
He did not know that Zhang Ruo Xi was actually telling the truth.
This little girl from the Zhang Family had her strength improve too quickly, so as much as Yang Kai wanted to give her an artifact, they had yet to find one that was suitable for her and could keep up with the growth of her strength. The problem with a low-level artifact was that it could not catch up with her cultivation speed, while for the high-level artifact, she would be unable to refine it.
Furthermore, Zhang Ruo Xi had always been cultivating safely in the Small Sealed World, so there was no need for her to use any artifacts.
As a result, she had only the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe.
However, it was humiliating for Gu Shan, seeing that his opponent was going to fight him with her bare hands despite him already summoning his artifact.
Gu Shan fumed in rage, “Don’t complain that I didn’t give you a chance. Since you are so arrogant, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Zhang Ruo Xi pursed her red lips. She did not intend to explain anything and decided to say nothing, her face turning solemn as she looked like she was ready to go all out at any time.
After a loud roar, Gu Shan’s body suddenly expanded, turning into a giant of a man as he madly surged his Source Qi, and poured it into the tiger head war hammer.
The roar of a tiger caused the whole arena to tremble, as if the king of the jungle leaped out of a deep forest, swearing to defend his territory until its death.
“Are you still not summoning your artifact!?” Gu Shan yelled again while surging more power into his artifact.
Again, Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly.
“You asked for this!” Gu Shan was maddened. He let out a breath and his bulging body shrunk down again as all his power was poured into the war hammer. The wind and clouds collided in the sky forming a storm, and following a blinding light which exploded in the arena, a gigantic tiger as vivid as a real beast, carrying a Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering aura, pounced straight at Zhang Ruo Xi.
Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to be aware of the ferocity of this skill as her face turned solemn. She joined her palms together in a strange fashion and charged towards Gu Shan’s monstrous attack.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
The continuous sounds of explosion and dazzling light filled the arena. No one could see what was happening in the arena, but they all knew that this competition had escalated to a battle of life and death.
The tremendous impact of energy completely deformed the light curtain restrictions of the arena and the audience all cried out. They were astounded by Gu Shan’s astonishing attack, but at the same time, they were secretly looking forward to how Asura Girl fared. Did she manage to counter this skill? Or was she decimated by it?
The audiences’ eyes widened, staring at the arena.
After a long time, the terrifying energy gradually dissipated, the light vanished, and the scene in the arena captured everyone’s eyes.
“Huh… Why is Gu Shan alone?”
“Where is the Asura Girl? Where did she go?”
“Is she hiding somewhere and preparing to ambush Gu Shan!?”
“The arena is so small, how could she have escaped?”
“Look, there are fragments of clothes on the floor. It’s the clothes that Asura Girl wore before.”
“Is Asura Girl dead? Blown to pieces?”
“Gu Shan won!”
Noises from the audience came up one after another like sea waves hitting the shores. There were exclamations, excitement, regret, pity, and curses…
Asura Girl was like a brilliant comet that suddenly appeared and just as quickly vanished. It was a real pity that a rising star in Purple Mountain City could only shine for just twenty days before being blown to pieces by Gu Shan. Many cultivators who supported Asura Girl secretly cursed Gu Shan for his undeserved win and blamed him for being cruel towards a young girl by using such an artifact on her.
Gu Shan, however, just stood on the stage, his body feeling dreadfully feeble. After unleashing that skill, he was no longer able to fight.
He stood in place with a weird expression, staring blankly at the fragments of clothes over the ground, without the slightest joy in his victory.
The victory of this battle was too odd.
Gu Shan clearly felt that his attack was mostly resolved by Asura Girl, and the remaining power was not sufficient to kill her. Moreover, even though there were fragments of clothes in the arena, there was no trace of blood.
If she were really blown to pieces by him, there should be at least some residual bits of blood and flesh.
But in reality, nothing else was left.
[That girl is not dead!] Gu Shan concluded in his heart.
[But if she is not dead, where could she be? Is it really like what the audience said and she is hiding somewhere, preparing to ambush me?] Considering all this, Gu Shan’s face changed drastically and he hurriedly searched around, but he could not find even the shadow of Asura Girl.
After a long time, Asura Girl did not appear, only then did Gu Shan accept the victory cheer for him with a puzzled face.
……
Ten thousand kilometres outside of Purple Mountain City, Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi sat on his wooden boat, flying away as fast as lightning.
After Gu Shan unleashed his final skill in the last fight, Yang Kai stepped into the arena and brought Zhang Ruo Xi out.
The outcome was already decided, there was no need to carry on the fight. Gu Shan was already spent, while Zhang Ruo Xi was not in jeopardy. Zhang Ruo Xi would have easily destroyed Gu Shan in the next move.
Yang Kai was already in the Emperor Realm, and with his proficiency in the Dao of Space, the cultivators in Purple Mountain City were not sharp or strong enough to notice anything when he came and went, which led to the illusion of Zhang Ruo Xi being blown to pieces.
After being taken out of the arena, Zhang Ruo Xi’s ferocious aura immediately dissipated and she became extremely well-behaved, sitting quietly on the boat, constantly looking at Yang’s back with a timid look, afraid that he would be mad at her due to her previous reckless behaviour.
She did not know what was wrong with her. She had never fought with people before, but after she stepped into the arena, she was filled with passion. Every bit of pain on her body and every drop of her blood she shed brought her an incomparable satisfaction. It seemed that fighting with people had become her favourite hobby.
She regretted it every time she returned from the arena, knowing that she needed to follow her Master obediently and not fight with others. She even secretly warned herself that she must not go to the Rising Dragon Arena again.
But the next day, she could not resist the temptation and went out again, heading to the arena with the identity of ‘Asura Girl’, accepting more and more challenges from the cultivators, and beating all of them. She took great joy in fighting with others. Victory or defeat was not what she cared about, what she relished was the heat of battle itself.
She was a little afraid of herself and felt that there was a devil sealed within her heart.
“Do you like to use swords?” Yang Kai broke the silence with a question, without looking back.
“Hm?” Zhang Ruo Xi jumped, but she quickly reacted, “I don’t know.”
“I noticed that you favoured a sword hand style during your battle with Gu Shan, and your body released a strong Sword Intent unconsciously,” Yang Kai paused for a while, and continued, “Have you ever used a sword artifact before?”
“No,” Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head slowly, and murmured, “I have never used any offensive artifacts before.”
“That’s strange,” Yang Kai revealed a dubious look. Although Zhang Ruo Xi was not proficient in using her sword hand, it was still exceptionally powerful, and the Sword Intent unleashed from her body was genuine. A cultivator couldn’t have such power unless one immersed themselves in swordsmanship for many years.
Among the Masters Yang Kai knew, Chen Wen Hao of Heavenly Martial Holy Land had the strongest Sword Intent. He possessed the Emperor Artifact Flowing Water Sword, and his Three Thousand Sword Dao still appeared vividly in Yang Kai’s mind.
Yang Kai occasionally used a sword too, like the broadsword, Myriads Sword, but this was not his strength. All the tricks that he performed were the Secret Techniques which paired with the Myriads Sword itself, and they were incomparable to Chen Wen Hao’s techniques.
Nevertheless, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Sword Intent seemed natural and powerful. She was like a piece of unpolished jade, but once her full potential had been developed, the greatness that she could bloom into would absolutely be terrifying.
Suddenly, Yang Kai recalled a specific memory.
During Zhang Ruo Xi’s Great Realm breakthroughs, a giant figure of a woman would always emerge behind her. Yang Kai had no idea who this woman was, but every time she opened her mouth, she absorbed the Heavenly Manifestation from Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough and surprisingly, it made Zhang Ruo Xi’s breakthrough effortless.
When that phantom woman appeared, she was holding an exceedingly astounding and broad sword in her hands.
[Perhaps, the reason why she has Sword Intent and instinctively used a sword hand has something to do with that phantom?]
Although it was just a guess, Yang Kai believed it must be the case.
Since Zhang Ruo Xi liked to use swords, Yang Kai thought that he should hand over the Myriads Sword to her.
The broadsword that was held in the hands of the giant woman phantom was similar to the Myriads Sword, so Zhang Ruo Xi would like it.
It was just that… the Myriads Sword did not belong to Yang Kai. It was an ancestral treasure of the Qin Family in Maplewood City. Old Patriarch Qin made it very clear when he handed over the Myriad Sword to Yang Kai, that he hoped Yang Kai could take care of it for him and return it to Qin Yu when she became an Emperor Realm Master.
Therefore, after a few thoughts, Yang Kai decided not to give Zhang Ruo Xi the sword as he believed that giving away an item that belonged to others was something that went against his principles.
It looked like it was time for Yang Kai to find a broadsword type Emperor Artifact. Among his companions, Liu Yan obtained the Annihilation Thunder Bead, Hua Qing Si wielded the Five-Coloured Spear, and even his Embodiment obtained the Demonic War Hammer. All of them were Emperor Artifacts.
Yang Kai naturally could not be biased.
“Sorry, Sir. Ruo Xi shouldn’t have caused such a big mess without your permission!” Zhang Ruo Xi lowered her head and finally plucked up her courage to admit her mistake.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Why are you sorry? I am not blaming you.”
Zhang Ruo Xi lifted her head in befuddlement, “Sir, are you not angry?”
Yang Kai smiled gently, “Choose your own path and don’t be bothered by what others think, as long as you feel no shame in your heart. Let me ask you, do you feel happy fighting in the arena?”
“I was very happy!” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded her head like chicken pecking rice, without even needing to think about it.
“Then, did you kill anyone?”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, “I just knocked them down every time, but I didn’t kill them.”
“Do you feel guilty?”
Zhang Ruo Xi pondered seriously and shook her head again. “No, they were not as skilled as their opponent yet decided to challenge them in the arena. It was only natural that they were prepared to be defeated. Ruo Xi also went in knowing the risks.”
“That’s right,” Yang Kai nodded, “If you think it was correct, it is correct. There will no doubt be people who point fingers at you and make irresponsible accusations against you in the future. If the advice is reasonable, listen to it humbly and accept it with an open mind; but if they are simply trying to find trouble, just let them bark as much as they want. The key is here…” Yang Kai pointed at his heart.
“Ruo Xi understands!” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded gently, smiling like a flower and cheered, “It is wonderful to travel together with Sir.”
……
After travelling around for half a month, Yang Kai reached the central region of the Eastern Territory.
During the journey, he and Zhang Ruo Xi had travelled across countless mountains and rivers together. While appreciating the local customs, Yang Kai also guided Zhang Ruo Xi in cultivation, making the journey a lot less dull and lonely.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s growth rate was insanely quick. Even though she did not improve much in terms of her cultivation, she made great progress in controlling her strength, which certainly had something to do with her twenty days of battles in the Rising Dragon Arena.
Intense battles could often make one realize one’s own flaws and potential, and further promote their growth.
Zhang Ruo Xi had not only grown stronger, she had also gained more experiences and learned lessons through her previous fights.
During the trip with Yang Kai, she kept recalling the battles in the arena, turning all those accumulated experiences and lessons into nutrients, constantly growing herself.
Yang Kai witnessed this, but he did not comment on it.
One day, Yang Kai suddenly stopped, bringing the boat to a halt in mid-air.
“Sir? What happened?” Zhang Ruo Xi hurriedly asked, and covered the surroundings with her Divine Sense.
She thought there was some danger.
But there was nothing unusual nearby.
When she turned to Yang Kai, she saw that he took out a golden token with a bewildered look, and sent his Divine Sense into it.
The next moment, his face darkened.
Zhang Ruo Xi was so frightened that she dared not to speak. It was her first time seeing Yang Kai this angry since the day she began following him. It was obvious that something serious had happened that maddened Yang Kai.
[What exactly… is that golden token? Why did Sir get so angry after examining it?]
Zhang Ruo Xi was puzzled, but she dared not to question.
Subsequently, Yang Kai immediately spread his terrifying Divine Sense around like a tide, covering a large area in an instant.
After a while, Yang Kai seemed to have discovered something, and with a flicker, he shattered space, bringing Zhang Ruo Xi together with him, the both of them disappearing directly from the spot they stood.
When they reappeared, Zhang Ruo Xi found that she and Yang Kai had arrived at a place an unknown distance away, standing in the void as a group of cultivators were besieging a Monster Beast that resembled both a turtle and a tiger underneath them.
This Monster Beast seemed to be at the peak of the Eleventh-Order, and was rich in Monster Qi. If it was converted to the cultivation of a human cultivator, it would be at the peak of the Dao Source Realm.
There were only three Dao Source Realm cultivators among the crowd, while the rest were just Saint Kings. The three Dao Source Realm cultivators did not really have high cultivations, with only one of them at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. They seemed to be Elders of some small Sect leading their disciples to come out for training. From a cursory glance, it could not be deduced how they encountered this Monster Beast.
It was common for disciples to train together as a Sect and most of them would have some Elders with higher cultivation travelling with them to provide guidance and protection. If it was not necessary, these Elders would not usually show up.
There was already a torn corpse on the ground, while the remaining cultivators were wounded and had panicked looks on their faces.
Judging from their situation, they seemed to be no match for the Monster Beast.
The Monster Beast was in a berserk state when Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi appeared. With its mouth wide open, it charged towards a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Either the First-Order Source Realm cultivator was running out of steam or he was not watching, but he did not manage to dodge the Monster Beast in time. With a scream, a chunk of his abdomen was chomped off, and blood spurted out of his wound uncontrollably.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s face hardened and he swung a out fist.
With a punch, the once majestic Monster Beast suddenly wailed, a hole appearing on its robust body, blood and intestines pouring out of it. The Monster Beast died instantly.
The cultivator who was still held in the mouth of the Monster Beast had not regained his senses from the shock, and continued to struggle and scream miserably.
However, the other two Dao Source Realm Masters noticed. They lifted their heads and looked towards Yang Kai before turning back to the dead Monster Beast. They shuddered in their hearts, realizing that they had met a powerful Master.
Although Yang Kai looked young, he was undoubtedly an Emperor Realm Master if he was able to kill a Monster Beast at the peak of the Eleventh-Order with just a punch.
The two of them did not dare hesitate. They cupped their fists with solemn faces and just when they were about to thank Yang Kai, he interrupted them, “Which direction is Earth City?”
They were stunned. One of them, a man who was wearing a purple robe, hurriedly pointed to a direction, “Sir, fly five thousand kilometres towards that direction, and you will reach Earth City.”
Although he could not figure Yang Kai’s real age, since he was an Emperor Realm Master, it was only right to address him as Sir.
Yang Kai took a look in the direction he pointed to, then teleported. He and Zhang Ruo Xi disappeared out of sight of the group in the blink of an eye.
After a long time, someone asked in a low voice, “Was… was I hallucinating? Were there two people here just now?”
“Senior Brother, you did not hallucinate, I saw them too. He killed the Green Tiger Turtle and saved Martial Uncle Xiao.”
“Ah, Martial Uncle Xiao is injured. Quickly take out some Spirit Pills!”
“Hold on, Martial Uncle Xiao. Please don’t die.”
A group of inexperienced youths gathered around their ‘Martial Uncle Xiao’ who was bitten by the Green Tiger Turtle and dealt with his injury hurriedly, while the two Dao Source Realm Masters remained standing on the spot, feeling befuddled, staring at the place where Yang Kai disappeared for a long time.
They had no idea how Yang Kai arrived, or how he left. Their eyes were fixed on Yang Kai the whole time he was here, but he still strangely vanished from their sights.
If it were not for the fresh corpse of the Green Tiger Turtle here, they would think that it was just a dream.
After all, that was an Emperor! A peak Master revered by all in the Star Boundary.
Once upon a time, they were fired up in enthusiasm and believed that they could one day catch a glimpse of the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. Unfortunately, due to the restraints of poor aptitude and resources, they could only roam around the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. As they grew older, the passion in their heart had extinguished, leaving a mindset of simply muddling along for the rest of their lives.
They turned around and glanced at those young people in their Sect, thinking that they were just as high-spirited as they once were in their youth, but after several dozen or a hundred years, how many of them would still be alive? Even if they were still alive, would the young stop striving just like they did?
……
Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi, injecting it into his wooden boat to fly at a far greater speed than before.
“This token is a disciple token of Azure Sun Temple. In addition to representing the identity of a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, it can also be used as a communication artifact. I just received a request for help from a disciple of Azure Sun Temple,” Yang Kai explained to Zhang Ruo Xi while standing on the boat.
Ever since meeting Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao in the Source Sea, Yang Kai had kept the Azure Sun Golden Token on his person so he could sense messages from the pair at any time, but he did not receive any back then.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not throw it back to his Space Ring. He just continued to keep it with him since it did not affect his movement.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai actually received a request for help from a disciple of Azure Sun Temple in this remote Eastern Territory.
It was a short message, with just a single sentence.
‘Earth City, Azure Sun Pavilion, requesting help!’
It was obvious that only a disciple of Azure Sun Temple could send this message to Yang Kai’s Golden Token, but there were two questions that troubled him. One, how did this disciple come to the Eastern Territory? And two, what danger had he gotten into?
Azure Sun Temple was a Sect from the Southern Territory, more than a billion kilometres from here.
Yang Kai naturally could not just sit back and ignore a request for aid though; therefore, he quickly found someone to inquire about the location of Earth City.
It was also his first time coming to the Eastern Territory, so it was natural that he did not know where this Earth City was. Fortunately, there was a group of people nearby and Yang Kai immediately teleported there to ask for directions.
“I don’t know what’s going on there, but if there’s a fight, take care of yourself,” Yang Kai gave a warning.
Earth City no doubt had Masters guarding it, so even though Yang Kai was already an Emperor, he was not arrogant enough to look down on everyone in the world. If he really needed to fight with someone, he may not be able to take care of Zhang Ruo Xi.
As such, he was taking the time now to instruct her clearly, so that she would act according to the circumstances later.
“Understood,” Zhang Ruo Xi nodded heavily, “Sir, just do what you need to, Ruo Xi won’t be a burden to you.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and further accelerated his speed anxiously.
Earth City was located in the central region of the Eastern Territory and was one of the most important cities in the whole Eastern Territory, far more flourishing than Purple Mountain City. The surrounding vast territory and abundant resources of Earth City attracted many cultivators to settle down here.
The visits of numerous cultivators brought increasing prosperity to this city.
The City Lord of Earth City, Zu Hong, was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master and had many capable subordinates under him. Ever since he took charge of Earth City fifty years ago, he had been keeping the entire city in good order until now.
The city was bound with strict laws; as such, not many people dared to commit crimes there.
Zu Hong had even set nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-one rules in Earth City. Anyone who dared to violate them would be punished equally, ranging from public flogging to a death sentence. His ruthless spirit and just attitude gained him the love of the people.
At this moment, in front of a shop called Azure Sun Pavilion in Earth City, was a group of cultivators dressed in city guard uniforms, blocking off access. There was also a Dao Source Realm cultivator sitting in a nearby teahouse, enjoying his drink leisurely. He was constantly inspecting everyone who passed by the shop, his eyes sharp like a falcon.
Whispers spread around the citizens, discussing what bad deed the Azure Sun Pavilion could have done to cause the people from the City Lord’s Mansion to surround it.
Azure Sun Pavilion was just a small shop that did not sell anything special. They mostly resold Spirit Pills and artifacts collected from others, so they did not really gain a lot of profits and just barely maintained their business.
Everyone who had visited the Azure Sun Pavilion knew that other than a shopkeeper, there were only two other attendants in the shop. These two shop-hands were notoriously unmotivated, and even when there were customers in the shop, they would just continue to sleep on the desk and took no initiative in serving them.
Over time, cultivators who became familiar with their service stopped going to Azure Sun Pavilion.
If it were not surrounded by the cultivators of the City Lord’s Mansion, perhaps most of the people would not have even remembered its existence.
No one knew what Azure Sun Pavilion had done, but it would definitely suffer from being surrounded by the guards. Every cultivator who walked past the shop would stay a good distance away from it like they were avoiding snakes and scorpions, worried about being stung by bad luck if they got too near.
Just then, a man and a woman from the crowd suddenly walked out, straight towards Azure Sun Pavilion.
Both the man and the woman looked young. The man had a tall and strong body, dressed like an ordinary youth. His steps were steady, and even though he was not very handsome, he had a rugged, resolute look to him. The woman on the other hand looked beautiful and gentle, following closely behind the young man. Her age was even younger and she seemed to be in her early twenties.
Because Azure Sun Pavilion was surrounded by guards, no one was seen walking in the area of several tens of meters from the entrance, so when the man and the woman walked straight towards the shop, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.
The Dao Source Realm cultivator, who was sipping his tea in a nearby teahouse, squinted, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light as he carefully examined the pair.
He silently released his Divine Sense, but it was bizarre that he could not inspect their cultivation.
The Dao Source Realm cultivator’s face instantly turned solemn.
He was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so the reasons for him to be unable to sense this pair’s cultivation were either they were Emperor Realm Masters, or they possessed some kind of artifact that could keep their cultivation hidden.
Such a pair would certainly not be Emperor Realm Masters. In that case, they must have some unique artifact.
[They must not have simple backgrounds to possess such artifacts, just who are they? Why are they interested in Azure Sun Pavilion?]
While he was still pondering, the young pair arrived in front of the guards. The young man simply glanced around at these people, however, and shouted, “What are you doing? A good dog doesn’t block the path. Quickly, make way!”
When the words fell, the surrounding cultivators were taken aback.
[How dare this young man humiliate the guards? Does he not fear death?]
Everyone seemed to be able to foresee that this man would be thrown into the city prison to suffer. Horrified, they simultaneously moved a little further away from the shop.
The few guards who were blocking off Azure Sun Pavilion were infuriated and threw a burning gaze at the young man in unison. The head of the guards snorted coldly, “Pay attention to your words. It’s a crime to insult the guards.”
The young man seemed amused by this response and grinned, “Is it a crime to scold someone? Don’t tell me you have never scolded anyone.”
The head of the guards reprimanded, “According to the law established by the City Lord, I can take you away at any time, put you in prison, and give you eighty whips.”
“Is it that serious?” The young man was startled, his face pale.
The head guard looked at him in disdain, snorted coldly, “Are you scared now?”
“Don’t take it so seriously, Sir,” the young man grinned, “I didn’t mean to scold you. Alright, alright, I really need to buy something from this shop. Can you please let me in?”
It was uncertain if the casual words of the young man had some kind of magic in them, but after a short pause, the head guard actually made way for the couple.
The other City Lord’s Mansion guards were looking at their Commander in bewilderment, secretly questioning his decision but they dared not speak out.
“What the hell!?” The Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, who was monitoring Azure Sun Pavilion from the nearby teahouse, jumped up in anger. He immediately released his Divine Sense towards the Commander, and condemned, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Sir Jia!” The Commander’s face turned solemn after receiving the voice transmission.
“Didn’t I tell you not to let anyone in? How dare you disobey this King’s order!”
“I allowed someone in?” The Commander was shocked and soon, he remembered what he had just done. Wiping the cold sweat on his forehead as his face turned pale, he mumbled, “How could I have let someone in…”
He had no idea what happened just now. Although he was clear-headed, he could not resist the young man’s request and obediently made way for the young man to enter Azure Sun Pavilion.
If it were not for Sir Jia’s voice transmission, he probably would not be able to recall his actions.
“A Soul Technique!” Seeing the Commander’s complexion, Sir Jia immediately deduced that he was affected by some kind of Soul Technique, which led him to act involuntarily.
“Sir Jia, what should we do now? Should this subordinate bring the team in and capture that man?” The Commander asked.
“Calm down. That man seems to be very strong. We don’t know his purpose for coming here yet. Perhaps, he really just wanted to buy something. Let’s continue to observe.” Sir Jia replied.
“Yes!”
While Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi were inside the shop, they looked around and found that it was truly small, with few goods on sale. The goods did not seem to be valuable and were messily placed around the shelves.
Two shop-hands, who had low cultivation, were sitting near the counter. They looked aggrieved, as if they had just lost their parents, and occasionally glanced at the guards outside, “It’s over, it’s over,” one shop-hands mumbled, “What trouble did Shopkeeper cause? It’s really over now!”
The two shop-hands were extremely nervous and did not even notice that Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had entered the shop.
After taking a brief glance at them, Yang Kai turned to the rear of the shop and headed straight towards the backyard, completely ignoring them.
After passing a corridor, Yang Kai arrived at a small garden. He proceeded further until he reached a certain room. He stood in front of the room and knocked at the door gently.
“Who!?” A woman’s voice called out, one that sounded dreadfully exhausted, as if she had not slept for many days.
Yang Kai answered in a deep tone, “I’m here to buy something.”
After a moment of silence, the woman inside responded, “This shop has faced some problems recently and it will be closed for some time. Please leave.”
Yang Kai could not help rolling his eyes, he continued “This Young Master came from Southern Territory and travelled a great distance to buy something, and you’re asking me to go back?”
“Southern Territory…” After a cry of realization and a gust of wind, the door flew open with a bang and a haggard-looking young woman abruptly appeared in front of Yang Kai.
This young woman seemed to be in her late twenties, was dressed decently, and even though her looks were not outstanding, she could still be considered quite pretty.
Perhaps troubled by something recently, dark circles rimmed her bloodshot eyes; however, she directed an exceedingly bright gaze towards Yang Kai at this moment, as if she were hoping for a miracle from him.
“Did you… really come from the Southern Territory?” The young woman asked nervously.
“Indeed.” Yang Kai nodded.
He noticed the young woman was in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm and the aura she exuded seemed to be a bit lacking, meaning she definitely could not unleash the full potential of her cultivation at this time.
Yang Kai was not sure whether it was due to laxness in her cultivation or because there was something wrong with her foundation.
“Do you have any proof?” The young woman questioned suspiciously.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and took out his Azure Sun Golden Token, waving it in front of her.
The young woman’s eyes lit up and her previous doubts and anxiousness disappeared, as if she had just reunited with a long-lost family member.
“Let’s talk inside,” the young woman made way for him.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement and walked into the room together with Zhang Ruo Xi.
The young woman looked around in worry, making sure there was no one hiding nearby, before finally closing the door and activating a few restrictions with a wave of her hand.
After she finished these preparations, Yang Kai turned to her with a gloomy face, “What trouble have you gotten into? Why are there so many people surrounding this shop, treating you like a criminal?”
Instead of answering Yang Kai’s question immediately, the young woman solemnly took out a token from her Space Ring and handed it over to Yang Kai with her hands.
The token looked similar to Yang Kai’s Azure Sun Golden Token, but Yang Kai’s token was gold in colour while hers was bronze in colour, which symbolized the difference of their status.
Although Yang Kai was not familiar with the different rankings of the Azure Sun Temple’s disciple tokens, he could still guess that gold should be the highest grade, followed by silver, then bronze. In other words, there was a two rank difference between him and this woman.
“Senior Brother, the name of this disciple is Lu Wen, I follow Elder Chen Qian.”
Yang Kai raised his brow, because he was quite familiar with Chen Qian who was one of Azure Sun Temple’s Elders and a First-Order Emperor. She was mainly responsible for the logistics and materials in Azure Sun Temple. Yang Kai had met Elder Chen several times, but this Elder Chen had often been more reserved and not spoken much.
“Is Senior Brother Xia Sheng?” Lu Wen asked Yang Kai quizzically.
Yang Kai curled his lip and snorted, “Can Xia Sheng be as handsome as me?”
Lu Wen could not help feeling slightly embarrassed at his narcissistic attitude. Her cheeks flushed when she asked again, “Are you Senior Xiao Bai Yi?”
“I’m not Xia Sheng, and I’m not Xiao Bai Yi either. My name is Yang Kai,” Yang Kai said in exasperation.
“Senior Brother Yang…” Lu Wen frowned, she seemed to be unfamiliar with this name.
Yang Kai questioned, “If you are an Azure Sun Temple disciple, how could you not recognize the faces of Xia Sheng and Xiao Bai Yi? They are the top elite disciples of the Temple.”
Lu Wen replied in embarrassment, “This Junior Sister left Azure Sun Temple many years ago and has not returned since, so I’ve never had the chance to meet those two Senior Brothers.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “I see… Then why did you come to the Eastern Territory and start a shop here?”
Lu Wen answered, “I’m here on a mission for the Temple. This shop was opened as a front for my convenience. My duty here is to report everything that occurs here to my Honoured Master to support her operations.”
“Explain in detail,” Yang Kai pressed on with a deep voice.
“Although our Temple is based in the Southern Territory, it still needs to gather information about the other three territories. Therefore, a number of disciples are sent out to gather intelligence in each territory, and they will report to the Temple at specific intervals. This Junior Sister is the person in charge of this matter in Earth City. We usually will keep our names anonymous and our identities hidden so as not to expose our origins unless we are in life-threatening danger.”
“There is such a thing?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Lu Wen smiled lightly, “Senior Brother Yang must be an elite disciple of the Sect, so you don’t need to know about such trivial matters as your only task is to strengthen your own cultivation. This type of mission is usually handled by disciples who are not very talented or have no hope of raising their cultivation further in their lives.”
“Such tasks take up a great deal of effort and time, so it would delay the disciples’ cultivation. It is unrealistic to allow elite disciples to take part in them.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
Lu Wen smiled slightly, “It’s nothing. When our Senior Brothers and Sisters get stronger, the Sect will be more prosperous, and people like us will have a place to live and carry out our duties in safety. Not only our Azure Sun Temple, but this practice is also followed by all other great forces. Many disciples will travel to all parts of Star Boundary to collect information.”
“Then what trouble have you gotten into now?” Yang Kai asked.
Lu Wen’s face darkened, “It’s not me who’s in trouble, but Elder Gao.”
Yang Kai was puzzled, “Elder Gao? Which Elder Gao?”
Suddenly he was startled, whispering, “Elder Gao, as in Gao Xue Ting?”
“En.”
Yang Kai’s face changed as he continued, “Has Elder Gao come to the Eastern Territory?”
“That’s right, and she might be in life-threatening danger right now.”
“What happened?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked.
“Relax, Senior Brother. I will explain everything to you.”
Only after Lu Wen’s explanation did Yang Kai understand the issue.
Lu Wen had been in Earth City for more than twenty years since she left Azure Sun Temple and had been collecting all kinds of information and passing it back to the Sect. For her own convenience, she opened a shop here; but instead of making money, the shop was actually a camouflage to cover up her real identity. As such, she did not put much effort into operating her business, which resulted in its current messy state.
Half a year ago, Lu Wen bought half of an animal skin from a downtrodden cultivator. The seller told her that it was handed down by his ancestors and there was an ancient secret hidden in it.
Lu Wen naturally would not believe this kind of nonsense and had only bought the animal skin out of compassion for the poor man.
After studying the animal skin for a notably long time, she still could not discover any clues about it. Still, she realized that there was something mysterious about it so she sent the animal skin together with the information that she collected back to Azure Sun Temple through a special channel.
Three months ago, Gao Xue Ting suddenly came to Earth City and asked her various questions about the animal skin.
It was only then that Lu Wen truly believed that the animal skin had some kind of profound background and seemed to truly contain some precious secret. Otherwise, how would it attract a Master like Gao Xue Ting to come here?
Lu Wen certainly did not hide anything and shared everything she knew when the Sect Elder questioned her.
Unfortunately, Gao Xue Ting did not get any useful clues from her.
In the days following her arrival, Gao Xue Ting had been studying the secrets hidden in the animal skin, and from time to time, she would leave Earth City for a while. However, Lu Wen had no idea of what she was doing.
A month and a half ago, Gao Xue Ting told her that she had found something, but she would need to work with others to finish whatever she was working on. On the same day, she left some cultivation resources before departing Earth City, and had been missing ever since.
Seven days ago, Azure Sun Pavilion was suddenly surrounded by the City Lord’s Mansion guards. Without giving a reason, they just surrounded the shop and forbade anyone from coming or going.
Having explained until that point, Lu Wen realized something and asked, “How did you get inside, Senior Brother Yang? Those City Lord’s Mansion people should still be outside.”
Yang Kai grinned as he replied, “Those trash couldn’t stop me even if they wanted to.” After a pause, he frowned, “Elder Gao left here a month and a half ago, saying that she wanted to work with others to crack open the secrets of the animal skin. But seven days ago, this place was surrounded by the people of City Lord’s Mansion for no reason…”
Lu Wen explained anxiously, “Junior Sister suspects that Elder Gao might be in danger. The reason Azure Sun Pavilion was surrounded was because they didn’t want me to pass on any news out of here; after all, Elder Gao did not hide her whereabouts when she was in Azure Sun Pavilion. It’s easy to find out that she was related to this place.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “You’re right, if that’s the case… this must have something to do with Earth City itself.”
Lu Wen expressed sadly, “Junior Sister really had no choice but to use her own token to send out a message in the faint hope that it would reach someone. I really didn’t expect Senior Brother Yang to come.”
“I just happened to pass by while I was out on my own business.”
If Yang Kai did not pass by here by chance, Lu Wen probably would not be able to reach any of her fellow disciples; after all, this was the Eastern Territory, far away from Azure Sun Temple’s headquarters, and the disciples and Elders would not travel so far away from the temple for no reason.
Although Gao Xue Ting was always cold and aloof, she had taken very good care of Yang Kai and had personally given Yang Kai the Azure Sun Golden Token. She also took in Yang Kai as a disciple and gave him some pointers in cultivation.
Yang Kai certainly would not stand idly by when there was a possibility that Gao Xue Ting was in trouble.
Of course, everything was only speculation at this point, and it may just be a big misunderstanding, but it seemed a little evident since the City Lord’s Mansion had surrounded Azure Sun Pavilion. If it was not related to Gao Xue Ting, why would they need to surround this unimportant shop for no reason?
“From what Junior Sister Lu says, the City Lord’s Mansion must be greatly related to this matter,” Yang Kai pondered for a moment, sorting out his thoughts.
Lu Wen agreed, “Junior Sister thinks so too. Elder Gao had said that she would need to work together with others to crack the secret of the animal skin, and City Lord Zu Hong is the only First-Order Emperor Realm Master in Earth City, so he would be the best choice for Elder Gao to work together with.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and grinned, “Since there is a suspect, it makes everything much easier.”
“Senior Brother Yang, what are you going to do?” Lu Wen looked at his impish smile, feeling uneasy.
“What else can I do? I will have to go to him and get answers.” Yang Kai snorted softly.
Lu Wen was shocked, “Senior Brother must not be impulsive! Zu Hong is a First-Order Emperor Realm Master who broke through more than forty years ago and is extremely powerful. He also has an Emperor Artifact. Junior Sister knows that Senior Brother is an elite disciple of the Temple, but against an Emperor Realm Master…”
She stopped speaking, but it was obvious what she was implying.
She thought Zu Hong was out of Yang Kai’s league.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Junior Sister Lu, don’t worry, a trivial Zu Hong is nothing to your Senior Brother.” Here, he paused and turned to Zhang Ruo Xi, “Take Junior Sister Lu out of Earth City from the back door and wait for me outside the city. Since this has happened, Junior Sister Lu doesn’t have to stay here any longer and should return to the Temple.”
“Yes, Sir!” Zhang Ruo Xi received the order solemnly.
Yang Kai then disappeared with a flicker.
“This…” Lu Wen was startled and anxious. She had clearly told this Senior Brother Yang that Zu Hong was an Emperor Realm Master, but why was he still so passionate and impulsive?
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled slightly in assurance, “Don’t worry about my Sir, Elder Sister. Zu Hong is really nothing to him.”
“Sir?” Lu Wen looked at Zhang Ruo Xi in amazement, “Sister is not a Temple disciple?”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, “I’m only a member of a small family. I could only have such achievements today thanks to Sir’s compassion to keep me by his side and teach me how to cultivate.”
“Ah!” Lu Wen was flabbergasted.
As a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, Lu Wen could perceive that Zhang Ruo Xi’s cultivation was higher than hers and was stronger than her by a fair margin, which meant that Zhang Ruo Xi was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. [Such a Master was trained by Senior Brother Yang? She is just as strong as the elite disciples of top Sects.]
“What… What cultivation does Senior Brother Yang possess?” Lu Wen inquired curiously.
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled as pride welled up in her and answered lightly, “Sir is already an Emperor Realm Master.”
Lu Wen was completely stunned for a moment before brightness gradually lit up her eyes, and her helplessness and anxiety were swept away.
…..
In a teahouse outside of Azure Sun Pavilion, Sir Jia watched the entrance of Azure Sun Pavilion like a falcon observing its prey, unconsciously taking sips from the teacup in his hand.
He did not recognize the man and woman who entered Azure Sun Pavilion earlier; his subordinates went down to investigate, but returned empty-handed. It seemed that they had only entered the city today. Sir Jia could not help increasing his vigilance, for fear that the pair was really related to what the City Lord ordered.
Sir Jia did not dare to let slip any details, and was completely focused on Azure Sun Pavilion.
Suddenly, his heart rate spiked as an extremely uneasy feeling rose in his chest, like danger was approaching.
Before Sir Jia could react though, he noticed a stranger appearing from the corner of his eye.
He quickly turned his head reactively, and his eyes widened as he saw the young man from before sitting on the chair opposite him, a smile fixed on his face.
*Pu…*
Senior Jia spat the mouthful of tea right towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, and the splash of tea turned around and doused Sir Jia’s face.
He stood up and wiped his horrified face clumsily, and stared at Yang Kai vigilantly.
He did not understand how this young man appeared in front of him, even with his level of cultivation. It was obvious from this display that this young man in front of him could have killed him just now without him even noticing.
At this moment, Sir Jia broke out in a cold sweat.
“Sit!” Yang Kai smiled at him coldly. Sir Jia shuddered at this cold glare and stared at the young man as though he was a poisonous snake.
Sir Jia hesitated for a while, before he grit his teeth and sat again with a painful expression, as if he was sitting on countless needles.
“How should I address you?” Yang Kai asked.
“Jia Si!”
“En, a fortunate meeting!” Yang Kai greeted him insincerely, his eyes flashing a dangerous light, “Sir Jia should know the reason why this Young Master is here, yes?”
Wiping off the cold sweat from his forehead, Jia Si smiled forcefully, “Young Master must be joking, this Jia is just here to enjoy tea and relax, and I don’t know why Young Master…”
He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fixed on a palm-sized shield-type artifact in Yang Kai’s hand, whispering, “This shield…”
Jia Si’s had exceptional eyesight, and could immediately identify that the shield in Yang Kai’s hand was not some common treasure. It seemed to be a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact, and a defensive artifact at that, making it extremely valuable.
Even though he had a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, Jia Si could not help his breathing from becoming a big ragged.
*Kacha…*
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and clenched his fist, and like a rock that had been corroded and worn by wind and rain for thousands of years, the shield artifact was pulverized into dust which then slipped from his fingertips and scattered all over the ground.
“What shield?” Yang Kai looked at him coldly, “We were talking about something else, why did you suddenly talk about a shield?”
Jia Si’s sweat poured down his forehead like droplets of rain. Trembling all over, he replied nervously, “Nothing, nothing.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Sir Jia seems to be a smart person, so you shouldn’t be difficult to ‘reason’ with. This Young Master would like to ask for Sir Jia’s help to answer some questions.”
Jia Si responded hurriedly, “Ask away, Young Master, although this Jia is not talented, he has lived here for a long time and has many connections in Earth City.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction before his eyes sharpened and his voice turned cold, “Who gave you the order to blockade Azure Sun Pavilion?”
Jia Si divulged reluctantly, “It… was Sir City Lord!”
“Why did Zu Hong ask you to do this?”
Jia Si replied, “Sir City Lord just ordered us to arrest anyone suspicious who tried to enter or exit Azure Sun Pavilion. That they must not be allowed to leave Earth City.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and snorted, “How domineering your City Lord is.”
Jia Si was horrified as he hurriedly tried to explain, “This Jia is only acting on orders, Young Master. Please be calm.”
Yang Kai demanded, “Then do you know which great force this Azure Sun Pavilion belongs to?”
“I didn’t know before. This Jia only just recently found out that this is a shop opened and operated by a disciple from Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory. This discovery was only made after the City Lord asked me to investigate the details of Azure Sun Pavilion a few days ago.” Jia Si explained.
“The information is quite complete, how impressive of Sir Jia,” Yang Kai sneered sarcastically.
Jia Si shivered and scrunched up his face as he pleaded, “I was just acting on orders…”
Yang Kai interrupted him, “Have you seen this woman in the City Lord’s Mansion?”
While speaking, Yang Kai raised his hand and pushed his Emperor Qi to create an image of Gao Xue Ting in front of Jia Si.
Jia Si glanced at this picture before shaking his head blankly, “I have never seen this woman, but I heard from my subordinates that an unfamiliar woman who matches this image often came and went from Azure Sun Pavilion. This Jia had only found out about Azure Sun Pavilion by investigating clues about her.”
Yang Kai frowned, “You’ve never seen her personally?”
According to his and Lu Wen’s deduction, Gao Xue Ting should have gone to Zu Hong to work together to crack the secret on the animal skin. Logically speaking, she should have been in and out of the City Lord’s Mansion a few times. Since Jia Si was Zu Hong’s confidant, it did not make sense that the two of them had never met.
But Jia Si did not look like he was lying.
[Could it be that Gao Xue Ting did not go to Zu Hong? Then, who did she want to join forces with?]
[Is the City Lord’s Mansion involved with this matter or not? If it weren’t for Gao Xue Ting, why would they be surrounding Azure Sun Pavilion?]
Yang Kai was now thoroughly confused.
Jia Si carefully observed Yang Kai’s reaction and suddenly thought of something, gulping as he proposed, “Young Master, there is one thing that this Jia might know. I wonder if I could speak about it?”
“Don’t waste my time if it’s nonsense!” Yang Kai stared at him coldly.
Jia Si nodded and continued, “One and a half months ago, Elder Ju Tian Qing visited Sir City Lord, then Sir City Lord left Earth City the next day.”
“Ju Tian Qing?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Who is he?”
Jia Si replied, “He is one of the Emperor Realm Elders of Brahma Holy Land. He has a close relationship with the City Lord.”
“Brahma Holy Land?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Yang Kai was well aware of Brahma Holy Land as it was one of the top Sects in the Eastern Territory. In terms of status, it was similar in position to Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory.
The two Holy Sons, Zhang Xian and Zhang Hao, who Yang Kai met in the Shattered Star Sea, were from Brahma Holy Land, and their aptitude in cultivation was indeed extraordinary. If it were not for their bad luck of encountering Yang Kai, perhaps they would have already broken through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea.
Ju Tian Qing was one of the ten Emperor Realm Elders of Brahma Holy Land. This Sect lived up to the prestige of being one of the top Sects in this territory as its overall strength was above Azure Sun Temple.
“What specific cultivation does Ju Tian Qing have?” Yang Kai vaguely had a hunch that this Ju Tian Qing had something to do with the matter of Gao Xue Ting.
“He is a First-Order Emperor,” Since Jia Si had already disclosed so much, there was no point trying to hide any information anymore. He just revealed everything he knew and was hoping to leave here as soon as possible. Judging from Yang Kai’s previous ability to crush a Dao Source Grade High-Rank shield with his bare hands, Jia Si knew that Yang Kai could kill him with a flick of his finger.
Jia Si did not think that his physique was tougher than that shield.
Yang Kai nodded, and raised his index finger, “One last question, do you know where Ju Tian Qing or Zu Hong are now?”
Jia Si wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and answered anxiously, “I don’t know anything about that!”
The chill in Yang Kai’s eyes turned horrifying.
Jia Si’s face paled in fright as he cried out dismally, “I really don’t know about it, Sir City Lord didn’t tell me anything before he left.” After a pause, he continued, “If Young Master really wants to know, this humble one can try to find out for you…”
“Find out for me?” Yang Kai snorted heavily, “How are you going to find out for me? Didn’t you just say that Zu Hong told you nothing when he left?”
“This humble one could try to probe the City Lord’s son or Madam City Lord, perhaps they might know something. If not, this humble one could still send a messenger to the disciples of Elder Ju. In all honesty, this humble one has a decent relationship with some of those disciples, and they might know where Elder Ju is.”
“How long do you need?” Yang Kai asked, his expression icy.
“Four hours… No, no, two hours is enough.”
Yang Kai instantly beamed, “Then I shall trouble you, Sir Jia. Go and come back quickly, I’ll wait for you here.”
Jia Si got up immediately and rushed outside without turning back, as if he was being chased.
However, after his first step, Yang Kai casually tapped his shoulder.
Jia Si’s face changed drastically and was petrified. He looked at Yang Kai, and only felt that that part of his body was burning with unbearable pain.
“Don’t be anxious. This is just a small Secret Technique of this Young Master. It won’t cause you any harm in the short term…” Yang Kai put on a harmless smile.
“And in the long term…” Jia Si’s voice trembled.
“If the mark left behind by the Secret Technique is not removed by this Young Master’s unique method within twenty-four hours, your bones will be separated, your meridians will be broken, and you will beg for death!” Yang Kai’s words sent chills down Jia Si’s spine, as if a cold wind blew from the depths of purgatory to surround him.
Jia Si’s face was as pale as a ghost’s, but he dared not to resist as Yang Kai showed him just how powerful an opponent he was. After being stunned for a moment, Jia Si flickered and flew off as swiftly as the wind.
Yang Kai summoned the waiter of the teahouse and asked him to serve a new pot of tea, so he could spend some time in leisure.
Jia Si returned in just about a stick of incense worth of time.
“So fast?” Yang Kai stared at him in amazement, praising him, “Sir Jia is quite exceptional. Given your performance in intelligence work, you must be the right-hand man of the City Lord.”
Jia Si smiled obsequiously, “It was just a coincidence. Sir City Lord left a message to Madam City Lord before his departure, so it was easy for me to obtain some information.”
“I can’t believe you can obtain the information from Madam City Lord personally. Tsk tsk, perhaps Sir City Lord wears a green hat?” Yang Kai looked at him with a knowing grin.
Jia Si hurriedly explained in terror, “Young Master, please don’t joke like this. It’s not what you think. This Jia just inquired about the information from a maidservant of Madam City Lord.”
“Alright,” Yang Kai replied lazily, and pressed on with a solemn face, “Tell me what I want to know.”
Jia Si reported, “Sir City Lord mentioned he would be going to the Dragon Bone Wilderness, but I’m not sure about his exact location.”
“Dragon Bone Wilderness!” A cold brilliance flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes.
Jia Si continued, “This Jia could only find out this much, it is impossible to obtain any more information. Young Master, can you…”
Yang Kai nodded and stood up, patting his shoulder casually as he said, “Understood. Goodbye.”
When the words fell, Yang Kai’s figure blurred and instantly disappeared.
Jia Si’s face changed drastically as he hurriedly asked, “What about the mark?”
However, there was not a trace of Yang Kai anymore. Jia Si began panicking like a cat jumping on hot bricks, secretly cursing Yang Kai for not keeping his promise.
But soon, he realized something was different. The burning sensation was gone. He examined himself with his Divine Sense and found that there was nothing abnormal about him anymore.
Only then did he realize that Yang Kai had probably removed the mark when he patted his shoulder.
Jia Si could not help shuddering in joy before he secretly rushed to the city gate, preparing to leave Earth City.
He revealed so much information to Yang Kai today, so no matter what the outcome was, he could no longer stay in Earth City. If the City Lord returned safe and sound, he would surely find out he had sold him out, and the punishment for the crime of leaking information would be unbearable.
Even if the City Lord never returned, he was afraid that Yang Kai would come back for him. For the sake of his own safety, it was better for him to run as far as he could. It would be best if he could escape the Eastern Territory and hide in one of the other three.
……
It did not take Yang Kai too much effort to find Zhang Ruo Xi and Lu Wen outside the city. After embarking on his boat, Yang Kai queried Lu Wen, “Where is the Dragon Bone Wilderness?”
Lu Wen pointed in a certain direction, “That way. It will take about two days to travel there.” After a pause, she asked in shock, “Is Elder Gao in the Dragon Bone Wilderness?”
“Most likely,” Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “But her exact location is not clear. Is it a big region?”
“Big, very big!” Lu Wen nodded, “It is rumoured to have been an ancient battlefield. Many fell there and it is a place filled with Yin Qi. Many cultivators like to explore it and sometimes they find some ancient treasures if their luck is good, especially in the central region where it is possible to make a great fortune. The central region also has Yin Qi as dense as fog though, so not even ordinary Emperor Realm Masters easily approach it. Rumours say that the corpse of a True Dragon lies somewhere in the central region, hence it is called the Dragon Bone Wilderness.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and grinned, “Then let’s go to the central region to take a look.”
The speed of the boat was superb. It was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank flight artifact. With the complement of Yang Kai Space Techniques, the boat flew across hundreds of kilometres in the blink of an eye, seemingly skipping along space.
In the beginning, Lu Wen did not notice this anomaly, but after she settled down, she quickly realized that the speed of the boat was unusually fast. She was amazed when she saw this and felt more confident about Yang Kai.
After half a day, Yang Kai had arrived at the Dragon Bone Wilderness. Below was a piece of lifeless, desolate land. There was a strange scene where Yin Qi was spinning like a whirlwind about a few kilometres away, and as if sensing the aura of the living nearby, it gathered together in a cluster.
This was just the periphery of the Dragon Bone Wilderness, where the Yin Qi was so weak that it diminished before even getting close to Yang Kai and his group.
Ignoring the mass of Yin Qi, Yang Kai spread out his Divine Sense like a vast ocean before he ventured deeper, examining every inch of this place.
He did not know if Gao Xue Ting was in the Dragon Bone wilderness, but he could only try his luck as it was the only clue he had now.
Half a day later, Yang Kai reached the central region of the Dragon Bone Wilderness.
Along the way, Yang Kai found that the Dragon Bone Wilderness was an exceptional place for cultivators to train and temper themselves. This would no doubt be an excellent training ground for him if he were still a Dao Source Realm cultivator; however, he had already broken through to the Emperor Realm, so there was no point for him to cultivate here.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai looked intently in a certain direction as if he had discovered something.
He sensed several powerful cultivators guarding a certain region, seemingly warning travellers not to enter this place. On top of that, Yang Kai noticed some odd energy fluctuations coming from that place.
Yang Kai could not help feeling suspicious about this and changed the direction in which he was flying.
“Who goes there?” Someone yelled before Yang Kai approached.
“Stop! Do not come any closer, otherwise don’t blame me for being impolite to you!” Another person threatened him.
Yang Kai ignored them and charged straight forward.
“Impudence!”
“Courting death!”
After a few roars, flashes of lights from Secret Techniques and various violent forces launched towards the boat.
Lu Wen’s face turned pale in fright and she almost fell over after losing her balance.
Zhang Ruo Xi, on the other hand, stood behind Yang Kai steadily, turning a blind eye to the attacks.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
Several explosions were heard, but the impacts were not as the attackers had expected. On the contrary, they, who stood at the opposite side, screamed as if they had been attacked. They started to groan in pain, and a few of them even collapsed on the ground directly.
Lu Wen’s eyes widened with shock as she had not even seen exactly what Yang Kai had done.
The blood drained from the faces of the cultivators who attacked Yang Kai. All of them were not weak; otherwise, they would never be able to go this deep into the Dragon Bone Wilderness, but they were one-sidedly defeated even after they attacked first.
[Where did this Master come from?!]
All of them stared at the wooden boat with wide eyes and horror.
“You are… Yang Kai!?”
After having a good look, it was a short and chubby man who recognized Yang Kai and immediately yelled in surprise.
As if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, the others stared at Yang Kai in astonishment.
“Hm?” Yang Kai was stunned. Retracting his gaze from the anomaly in that strange space, he glanced down frowning, “Do I know you?”
The cultivators below look extremely unfamiliar to him. He was sure that he had never met them, so how did they know him? Although he was now an Emperor Realm Master, he was not so arrogant as to think his name and face had spread all throughout the Eastern Territory.
The pudgy cultivator knew that he had made a mistake and hurriedly shut his mouth, refusing to say another word, but when he met Yang Kai’s eyes, it was burning with hatred and anger, as if he had a great grudge against him.
“Senior Brother Yang, these people are the Legacy Disciples of Ju Tian Qing from Brahma Holy Land!” Lu Wen suddenly whispered behind Yang Kai.
Her main purpose in the Eastern Territory was to gather all kinds of information, so she was familiar with the origins of these people, and was quickly able to identify them with just a glance.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, and nodded, “Ju Tian Qing’s Legacy Disciples, good, very good!”
If his Legacy Disciples were here, it meant that Ju Tian Qing should also be nearby. According to the information disclosed by Jia Si, Ju Tian Qing was very likely to be with Zu Hong.
Excitement rose in Yang Kai’s heart as he would probably be able to find Gao Xue Ting after finding those two people.
A sudden realization struck him in the next moment, causing Yang Kai to grin and ask, “Did Yin Le Sheng tell you about me?”
Although Yin Le Sheng suffered a huge loss in the Shattered Star Sea at Yang Kai’s hands, he did not die. He made a deal and signed the Soul Contract with Yang Kai at the cost of revealing information about Xiao Xiao in exchange for Yang Kai bringing him out of the Void Crack.
With the Soul Contract, Yang Kai could not kill Yin Le Sheng even if he had the intention to, and could only watch him leave.
Yang Kai had only met a few Eastern Territory Masters in the Shattered Star Sea.
Yao Si, Chi Gui, and the others were not bored enough to spread his identity around, so only Yin Le Sheng would do such a thing.
He probably guessed that Yang Kai would come to Eastern Territory to look for Xiao Xiao, and informed the people of Brahma Holy Land in advance, which explained why he was recognized by these cultivators.
[That bastard is truly despicable, trying to murder me with a borrowed knife!]
Yin Le Sheng would have no idea that Yang Kai had already broken through to the Emperor Realm.
The pudgy cultivator did not deny Yang Kai’s statement, simply gritting his teeth and snorting, “Good, it was Senior Brother Yin from Netherworld Sect who told me about you.”
“What else did he say?” Yang Kai asked with a snicker.
The pudgy cultivator bellowed in a low voice, “He said that Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian, the two Holy Sons, died tragically at your hand!”
Yang Kai nodded, “En, it seems that you people from Brahma Holy Land have been searching for my whereabouts.”
The pudgy cultivator snorted, “The two Holy Sons were my Brahma Holy Land’s hope for the future, and they were killed by you! Do you think the Holy Land would let this slide? If you are smart, follow us back to the Holy Land to meet with our Elders and Holy Master, and maybe your punishment will be lighter, refuse, and Brahma Holy Land will chase you to the ends of the world, no matter where you hide, you will not be able to escape death.”
Yang Kai was indifferent, “You don’t have the skills to talk about my death, but it is up to this Master if you are going to die here.”
The faces of the pudgy cultivator and his companions changed drastically, immediately staring at Yang Kai vigilantly.
Yang Kai’s gaze swept across them before turning back to a certain point in the sky behind them and asking bluntly, “Is Ju Tian Qing in there?”
The pudgy cultivator was shocked and stuttered, “What are you talking about…”
There was a look of panic on his face, obviously trying hard to hide something.
With a cold snort, Yang Kai took a step forward and reappeared directly above their heads, both of his hands rapidly forming a set of hand seals while he manipulated the Space Principles around him.
The pudgy cultivator and the others turned pale all of a sudden, as if a mountain was pressing on top of their heads, each of them finding themselves out of breath and their blood flowing backwards, completely unable to resist Yang Kai.
“Emperor Realm!”
Only now did these people realize Yang Kai was already an Emperor Realm Master. The pudgy cultivator shuddered when he thought about how he had shamelessly boasted in front of an Emperor, and a chill spread from his head to his toes.
[No wonder this Yang Kai could so easily resolve our joint attack just now. It turns out that this bastard has already broken through to the Emperor Realm! The gap in strength is huge, we’re not his opponent!]
[But why… Why is a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master this powerful?] The pudgy cultivator did not even feel such a powerful aura from his Honoured Master, Ju Tian Qing.
Was this boy stronger than his Honoured Master? But how was that possible? His Honoured Master had been an Emperor Realm Master for centuries and had a completely consolidated foundation! How could a cultivator who just broke through be comparable to him?
Just what was happening?
Just as the pudgy cultivator was lost in confusion, a wave of ripples suddenly appeared somewhere in the sky, caused by Yang Kai’s manipulation of the local Space Principles.
As the ripples spread, a dark corridor suddenly appeared. The pitch-black corridor was seemingly endless, and in front of the entrance of the corridor was a very primitive animal skin, exuding a peculiar power. It seemed that the existence of this animal skin was the key to opening this Void Corridor.
“That’s…” Lu Wen’s beautiful eyes lit up as she pointed at the animal skin, “That’s the animal skin I found!”
Yang Kai raised his brow as he confirmed that he was at the right place.
It was just that he did not expect a Small Sealed World to be hidden here, and the way to open it was with this animal skin.
“No, this animal skin is bigger than the one I found, about twice the size…” Lu Wen suddenly frowned.
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Because the one you found was only one half, and the other half is here. It’s now obvious why Elder Gao needed someone to solve this problem, because she realized that the animal skin was incomplete. She probably wanted to find the owner of the other half.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he turned to stare at the pudgy cultivator below, “Answer me, did the other half of this animal skin belong to your Master?”
It was a simple question, but it was laced with Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai had benefited a lot from the Soul battle between the two Great Emperors in his Knowledge Sea, and was now far more proficient in the usage of his Soul. Supplemented with his already powerful Spiritual Energy, forcing information out from a Dao Source Realm cultivator was as simple as breathing.
Sure enough, even though a hint of resistance flitted across his face, the pudgy cultivator was unable to resist the coercion from Yang Kai’s Soul and soon replied mechanically, “Yes.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Was there a woman who came to your Master for help more than a month ago?”
“Yes!”
“What is your Master planning?”
“Honoured Master went to Earth City’s City Lord, Zu Hong, whom he had a good relationship with, to join forces and defeat that woman to take all the secrets stored in here.”
Yang Kai was furious upon hearing this and a murderous aura so cold that it seemed a winter blizzard had descended surged out of him. Snorting heavily, he shouted, “What is the difference between working with that woman and working with Zu Hong? Why not just split the secrets of this place equally? Why did Ju Tian Qing need to make such a fuss, at the cost of offending another Master of the same level?”
The pudgy cultivator answered honestly, “Honoured Master said… that woman still retained her Primordial Yin, and she was very strong, so if he could capture her and refine her Primordial Yin, he could break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm. It is not easy to find a woman with a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, especially one with her Primordial Yin intact. Compared with the secrets here, Honoured Master was more interested in her.”
“How dare he!” Yang Kai roared loudly, his face looking extremely terrifying.
The pudgy cultivator spewed out a mouthful of blood when he was released from the Soul pressure and fell into a state of total shock upon realizing that he seemed to have revealed some incredible information.
The other cultivators looked aggrieved as well, but due to their inferior strength, they did not even dare to say a word.
“Sir, it should not be too late, you should go in now,” Zhang Ruo Xi urged worriedly. Malevolent aura churned inside her as she glared at Ju Tian Qing’s disciples with her beautiful eyes, and her tone became cold as she assured him, “Leave them to me.”
Yang Kai nodded and seethed, “Kill them all.”
Zhang Ruo Xi shouted in a low voice, “Yes!”
Including the pudgy cultivator, there were five cultivators here, but only two of them were Third-Order Dao Source Realms. The pudgy cultivator, whose Soul had been heavily injured by Yang Kai just now, was one of those two and, as a result, he would probably not be able to use even half of his strength. Among the other three, two of them were Second-Order Dao Source Realms while the last was just First-Order.
Based on Zhang Ruo Xi’s previous performance in Purple Mountain City’s arena, it would take some effort for her to defeat them, but it should not be a problem.
What’s more, Zhang Ruo Xi was wearing a defensive Emperor Artifact, the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe, so Yang Kai had no worries about her safety.
This little girl still had a lot of potential for growth, and a life and death battle was the best whetstone for the current her.
Therefore, there was no need for Yang Kai to bother with others weaker than him as he could leave them to Zhang Ruo Xi to deal with, saving him time and allowing her to grow.
After giving orders, Yang Kai stepped out and came directly to the front of the surging Void Corridor. He stretched out his hand to press the animal skin lightly, and with the surge of Space Principles, his hand vanished, followed by the rest of his body into the darkness.
This Void Corridor was currently concealed and sealed, so others may not have been able to enter it, but thanks to Yang Kai’s proficiency in the Dao of Space, entering was as simple as pushing a door for him.
The misty Small World was filled with a rich and dense World Energy that seemed to be milky in colour. At a glance, the whole space seemed to be filled with fluffy cotton.
The entire Small World was only about a dozen kilometres wide and seemed more man-made than natural.
It was most likely crafted by an ancient and powerful Master.
Various rich medicinal fragrances permeated the air.
The ground with a radius of more than a dozen kilometres was split into dozens of square plots of land. Most of these plots were empty, but had fertile soil. It seemed that someone had just recently collected all the herbs here as there were still traces of it being dug up.
This was an unbelievable discovery. Never would anyone have guessed that there would be an ancient medicine garden in this Small Sealed World!
Yang Kai could only imagine the numerous exotic plants planted on these fertile plots, and how many miraculous and precious spirit medicines were accumulated over the years.
Only two squares of the medicine garden were still well preserved, covering an area of two to three square kilometres. In these two squares, there were many kinds of exotic plants well over the age of ten thousand years, growing vigorously. The rich medicine fragrances that filled the air actually came from these two plots.
These two plots were covered with a faint golden light curtain, acting as a kind of protective barrier.
At this moment, Gao Xue Ting was sitting cross-legged at a certain spot in the medicine garden, recovering from her wounds with her eyes closed. Her aura was weak, her face as pale as snow, and her hairpins were dislodged in multiple places, causing her hair to be dishevelled. The Emperor Artifact Radiant Sun Mirror was hovering above her, shrouding her with a soft, gentle light.
There were blood patches on her white snowy dress, a particularly large one still oozing out from a wound on her abdomen.
She seemed to have undergone a huge fight as her Emperor Qi was almost exhausted and her tender body could not help shivering even while she was healing herself.
Although there were countless precious spirit grasses and elixirs here, they could not restore her combat strength in a short time.
Outside the golden light curtain, a man was repeatedly striking the barrier with his glowing blade, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade. Every blow resulted in an Earth-shaking explosion, causing the light curtain to vibrate unstably, as if it could be broken at any time.
Yang Kai did not know who had created this light curtain that, while seemingly fragile and weak, was in fact exceptionally strong. It still remained intact after being attacked for such a long time by the man with the glowing blade.
The man was shouting like a madman, furious at the light barrier that separated him from Gao Xue Ting.
Suddenly, Gao Xue Ting opened her eyes and she glared coldly at the man who was attacking the barrier, remarking lightly, “Ju Tian Qing, this Queen has known you for hundreds of years, but I didn’t know your true colours until now. You really surprised me.”
Ju Tian Qi fumed, “Slut! This King is going to make plenty of love to you after breaking this barrier!”
Disgust and anger flashed across Gao Xue Ting’s eyes as she bellowed, “Give it up! This Queen will never let you touch a strand of her hair even if she needs to self-destruct.”
Ju Tian Qing snorted coldly, “That will depend on whether you have the opportunity. You are seriously injured now, and it’s dreadfully difficult for you to even move a muscle. Once this barrier is broken, the rest is not up to you to decide.”
Gao Xue Ting retorted, “This Queen is an Azure Sun Temple Elder. If I die here today, you will be chased to death by Azure Sun Temple in the future!”
Ju Tian Qing growled as he sneered, “Azure Sun Temple is truly strong, and this King has great respect for the strength of your Temple Master Wen Zi Shan, but so what? Your Azure Sun Temple can act domineering in the Southern Territory, but this is the Eastern Territory! Even if Temple Master Wen is strong, he can’t make a scene in the Eastern Territory. Haven’t you heard the phrase, ‘even the mighty dragon is no match for the native serpent’? Since this King has plotted this out, he is naturally not afraid of retaliation from your Temple!”
After hearing this, Gao Xue Ting could not help revealing a look of despair. Fortunately, she managed to activate the barrier left behind in the medicine garden by some Ancient Master. Given her current dire condition, she could only hide in the medicine garden; however, she had no idea how long this barrier could last. Once Ju Tian Qing succeeded in breaking through, she would not be able to fight back.
Her plan was that once the barrier was destroyed, she would immediately self-destruct and end her life without letting this vile man contaminate her purity.
A man who had a playful smile on his face and a lazy tone of voice, whose attitude always seemed to anger others, unrestrainedly surfaced in of her beautiful eyes and the fierce gaze of Gao Xue Ting was slowly replaced by a sense of gentleness.
[What does it matter that I was raised by you? I’m not a child! I’ve not been one since I turned eighteen years old!]
[It upsets me that even after I reached the Emperor Realm, I’m still a little girl in your eyes. You have never treated me as a woman.]
[If there is an afterlife, I don’t want to be raised by you again! I want to grow up healthy and stand in front of you again as a woman!]
“Brother Zu, are you done resting? If you are, how about you give me a hand?” Ju Tian Qing was a little anxious seeing that his attacks were in vain after such a long time, so he turned around and stared at another man who was sitting cross-legged not far away, adjusting his breathing, recovering from his injuries.
This man was the City Lord of Earth City, Zu Hong.
The cultivations of these three people were the same, First-Order Emperor Realm. If they really wanted to fight, their strengths would be on par with each other.
The reason Gao Xue Ting suffered such a serious injury was not that she was inferior to Ju Tian Qing, but because she was outnumbered.
Battles between cultivators in the same Realm were always extremely dangerous, yet Gao Xue Ting displayed her great strength by still being able to seriously wound one of them in a one-against-two situation.
Zu Hong’s face was pale, and his aura was fluctuating unstably. An enormous seal stamp engraved with countless beasts was placed beside him. As he breathed, the flesh on his body squirmed, and his wounds were gradually recovering. It seemed he cultivated a very mysterious healing art.
Hearing Ju Tian Qing’s calling, Zu Hong opened his eyes with a frown, “Brother Ju, you didn’t tell me that I would have to deal with an Azure Sun Temple Elder before coming here.”
Ju Tian Qing smiled, “What’s wrong? Are you scared, Brother Zu? It’s true that Azure Sun Temple does have some fame, comparable to my Brahma Holy Land, but… since it is a Sect of the Southern Territory, what is Brother Zu afraid of?”
Zu Hong replied, “Of course Brother Ju is not afraid. Brahma Holy Land has a great number of powerful Masters, but Azure Sun Temple is strong as well. After this, Brother Ju just needs to hide in Brahma Holy Land and Azure Sun Temple can do nothing about you even if they learn of your involvement; however, this Zu is unlike you. I’m just a mere City Lord. If Temple Master Wen Zi Shan really comes to the Eastern Territory, how is this Zu supposed to fight against him? I would just be slaughtered.”
The corner of Ju Tian Qing’s mouth twitched, “Brother Zu, don’t be bothered by unnecessary worries. No one will know about what we did here today. Even if Azure Sun Temple received some news about this, they don’t have enough evidence to prove us guilty. Brother Zu, there is nothing to be afraid of.”
Zu Hong shook his head, “It’s always good to be careful. Brother Ju has a huge backing, allowing you to enjoy a cool shade under a big tree. You don’t understand the difficulties of us Sectless people.”
Ju Tian Qing sneered, “We have already come this far, don’t tell me Brother Zu wants to back out now?”
After a pause, Zu Hong responded, “Of course not; after all, I have already joined hands with you to hurt Elder Gao. I’m afraid I won’t be able to get out of this deal even if I wish to quit.”
“Since you already understand, what are you still hesitating for?” Ju Tian Qing pressed on.
Zu Hong replied, “Previously, Brother Ju told me there were huge opportunities here, and offered to split those benefits evenly with me. This Zu accepted without any hesitations, but right now, it doesn’t seem that you are really going to split the benefits evenly with me!”
Ju Tian Qing was stunned and asked, “Why do you think so? This place is an ancient medicine garden full of countless rare and exotic spirit medicines. After we settle matters with her, we will evenly split these spirit medicines. Don’t you trust the credibility of this Ju?”
Zu Hong answered as he grinned, “Spirit medicines can be split evenly, but how about her Primordial Yin? Brother Ju, how are you going to share it with me?”
After hearing this, Ju Tian Qing could not help putting on a puzzled look, questioning, “How can it possibly be shared?”
Primordial Yin was not an object and definitely could not be shared.
Zu Hong suddenly revealed, “Brother Ju has been stuck at the peak of the First-Order Emperor Realm for many years, and this Zu heard that you have cultivated a Dual Cultivation Technique in recent years. In order to promote your cultivation, you have collected Primordial Yin from many women and even two of your Legacy Disciples. If you really manage to capture Elder Gao today, isn’t Brother Ju going to break through his shackles, and break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm?”
Ju Tian Qing was somewhat embarrassed after being exposed by Zu Hong, especially when Zu Hong mentioned the things that he had done to his two Legacy Disciples…
This matter should have been a well-guarded secret, so he had no idea how Zu Hong knew about it.
“I think I understand what Brother Zu means,” Ju Tian Qin nodded his head in acknowledgement, snorting lightly with some displeasure. “Brother Zu, just state your terms. We have been friends for a long time, you don’t have to beat around the bush.”
Zu Hong raised his eyebrows and grinned, “Calm down, Brother Ju. This Zu is just speaking the truth. This Zu would do his best to help Brother Ju break through his shackles. It is extremely hard to break through when in the Emperor Realm, and if Brother Ju gets an opportunity to reach the Second-Order Emperor Realm, it would really be a blessing from the Heavens, incomparable to the benefits that these herbs can bring.”
“Get to the point!” Ju Tian Qing was starting to be impatient.
Zu Hong continued with an embarrassed look, “About the spirit medicines here, this Zu wants to split the share in thirty-seventy; you take thirty percent, and I get seventy percent!”
Ju Tian Qing’s face darkened, “Brother Zu, aren’t you being too greedy? Every spirit medicine here has an age of over ten thousand years and many of them are Emperor Grade! I don’t know which Ancient Master owned this place, but there are many spirit medicines here that have long gone extinct. They are unobtainable treasures in the outside world, yet now you are telling me to give a seventy-percent share of them to you? How about you take the thirty-percent including this Elder Gao, while I get seventy-percent?”
Zu Hong smiled, “Why would I want Elder Gao? Although it’s good to have a beautiful lady, she has thorns all over her body; this Zu can’t afford to enjoy her. Besides, everyone wants to gain the most in every deal. Am I not trying to negotiate with Brother Ju now?”
“Forty-sixty, no more than that.” Ju Tian Qing offered with a cold face, “Although this Ju can most likely break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm after this, there are so many spirit grasses and elixirs here and it’s just a matter of time before Brother Zu breaks through too. You’ll not lose out in this arrangement!”
After pondering for a while, Zu Hong nodded as a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, “Good, we will do as Brother Ju proposed.”
Zu Hong knew that Ju Tian Qing definitely had the advantage in the forty-sixty terms, but Ju Tian Qing was an Elder of Brahma Holy Land after all. Once Ju Tian Qing had broken through, he would grow a lot more powerful. Doing him a favour now meant Zu Hong would be on better terms with him in the future.
Gao Xue Ting could not help trembling in anger as she heard these two bargaining over her like some marketplace commodity; however, she could do nothing even if she was enraged as she did not even have the power to protect herself.
“Forty-sixty? I’m afraid that’s not acceptable.”
A sudden voice interrupted both Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing, causing them to jump as they turned to look at the source of the sound in horror. Zu Hong, who was in the process of recovering, stood up abruptly and the radiance of the Emperor Artifact Ten Thousand Beast Seal shone lightly beside him, releasing a vicious aura.
This was a Small Sealed World hidden in The Void. If the restriction was not opened by the two halves of the animal skin, no one could enter. They could come in only because the two pieces of animal skin had opened a Void Corridor for them to pass through.
Nevertheless, another visitor had suddenly appeared.
Even Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing, who were Emperor Realm Masters, could not help feeling a chill running down their spines.
[Is it a ghost?] The two of them murmured in their hearts.
After hearing this voice though, Gao Xue Ting, who had been in despair, shook as her dull eyes beamed with hope again, focusing in the direction of the voice.
A young man appeared about a few dozen meters away from the trio, smiling lightly. No one realized his presence before he spoke, as if he really was a ghost.
“Who are you!?” Zu Hong shouted.
Ju Tian Qing furrowed his brow as he released his Divine Sense to scan Yang Kai, soon figuring out that he was just a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like them, allowing him to slightly relax.
No matter how this person came in, or what his purpose was, as long as his cultivation was the same or below him, Ju Tian Qing was not afraid.
“City Lord Zu, Elder Ju,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and smiled at them, like he knew them for a long time, “Long time no see.”
Zu Hong was flabbergasted, examining Yang Kai seriously once again to confirm he did not know him, soon asking again, “Who are you?”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “My trivial name is not worth mentioning.”
Zu Hong was steaming in rage, but he knew that there was no use asking again since this person did not want to reveal his name. Calming down, his expression turned serious as he asked, “How did you get in?”
Previously, when Ju Tian Qing and Gao Xue Ting worked together to enter, Ju Tian Qing had quietly left a secret way in for Zu Hong, and that was the reason why he could enter this place; however, he did not understand how Yang Kai could get in here.
[Did he use the secret entrance too?]
[It can’t be. Only Ju Tian Qing and I know how to enter using that method. Others can’t know of it. There are supposed to be a few Legacy Disciples of Ju Tian Qing guarding outside.]
[If this guy can appear here in silence, perhaps the people outside are already dead.]
Considering all this, Zu Hong panicked and he secretly glanced at Ju Tian Qing, only to find that his expression was indifferent, as if he did not care about the safety of his disciples at all.
“Looks like this friend has outstanding ability to be able to find us here. This King is impressed!” Ju Tian Qing stared at Yang Kai coldly. Even though his words said so, his face did not show the slightest bit of admiration. “Friend remarked that there is something wrong with the forty-sixty arrangement, may I know if you have any other brilliant ideas?” He came straight to the point.
Yang Kai replied lazily, “I wouldn’t call it a brilliant idea, it’s just a small proposal from me.”
“I would like to hear about it,” Ju Tian Qing’s face darkened.
“I’ll take everything here, and you two scram back to wherever you come from. What do you think?” Yang Kai beamed at them.
“Impudence!” Zu Hong was maddened. He initially thought that this young man probably just wanted a share of the harvest. If it was just that, Zu Hong would grant his wish for now as it was always not too late to get revenge later. However, he did not expect that this young man would be so greedy, intending to take everything for himself.
Then what was the purpose of him following Ju Tian Qing all the way here, and even offending an Azure Sun Temple Elder? He could never accept this proposal. Everyone was a First-Order Emperor, so he was not afraid of fighting against Yang Kai. Moreover, he had Ju Tian Qing with him, while Yang Kai was alone.
Ju Tian Qing was infuriated too and snorted coldly, “Friend, you sure have a big appetite. You should mind your table manners.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened and a cold brilliance shone in his eyes as he spoke, “Old dog, mind your words. If you offend this Young Master, don’t blame me for disrespecting you elders.”
“Very good!” Ju Tian Qing laughed in anger, “This King really wants to see how capable you are for having the guts to boast so shamelessly.”
“Stop putting up a front,” Yang Kai burst into laughter, and looked at him contemptuously, “Elder Ju, don’t tell me you don’t know this Young Master. Even your disciples were able to recognize this Young Master at a glance, while you, as an Elder of Brahma Holy Land, are still trying to pretend this is the first time you’ve seen my face? Tsk tsk, what are you plotting?”
“Huh? Brother Ju, do you know this little brat?” Zu Hong looked at Ju Tian Qing in surprise.
Ju Tian Qing’s face turned ugly after being exposed by Yang Kai, and he replied in a deep voice, “I do. This little brat is named Yang Kai, and he is the murderer of Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian in the Shattered Star Sea. He is an enemy of my Brahma Holy Land. It is impossible for us to coexist beneath the same sky!”
“What? Both Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian Holy Sons died at his hand?” Zu Hong was appalled.
Besides the news about the closing of the Shattered Star Sea for no reason, Zu Hong was also informed that Brahma Holy Land had suffered a huge loss this time. The death of two Holy Sons alone was enough to damage the foundation of Brahma Holy Land as they were both talented rising stars who could only be found once in a hundred years. Both of these Holy Songs were highly valued by the Elders of Brahman Holy Land and were considered its future pillars.
No one could have guessed their trip to the Shattered Star Sea would be their last.
Only at this moment did Zhu Hong learn that the two Holy Sons died at Yang Kai’s hands.
But soon, realization dawned on Zu Hong, and he questioned with a puzzled look, “Since this little brat just came out of the Shattered Star Sea, doesn’t that mean that he has just broken through to the Emperor Realm?”
“Yes, that should be the case,” Ju Tian Qing nodded lightly.
Zu Hong snorted as he turned a disdainful look towards Yang Kai, “Little brat, your courage is admirable. How dare you bark in front of this City Lord and Elder Ju when you only just reached the Emperor Realm? I pity… your limited intelligence.”
One should be focused on consolidating their foundation after breaking through to a new Great Realm, as, if it was unstable, there was a risk of one’s cultivation regressing. Zu Hong wondered why Yang Kai was still running around at this time instead of solidifying his new Emperor Realm cultivation in retreat and questioned how his Sect Elders had been teaching him.
In an instant, Yang Kai turned into an arrogant and ignorant kid in Zu Hong’s eyes, and he replaced his bewildered face with one of contempt.
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to his words and looked at Elder Ju as he continued, “Elder Ju, I want to clarify something with you.”
“What?” Ju Tian Qing’s face was cold.
Yang Kai continued with a smile, “I don’t mind if you say that Zhang Hao died in my hands, because I really killed him, but Zhang Xian’s death is none of my business. Besides… before Zhang Xian died, he was the one who begged me to kill Zhang Hao to avenge him. Ahhh seriously, I don’t know what kind of conflict there was between your Sect’s two Holy Sons that they would wish earnestly for each other’s deaths even as they died. You know, I’m a soft-hearted person, so I felt obliged to fulfil the last wishes of those whom I meet, so I killed Zhang Hao for Zhang Xian in order to allow him to die in peace.”
“Utter nonsense!” Ju Tian Qing was furious, “Zhang Hao and Zhang Xian were very close to each other. Although they are not direct brothers, their bonds were even stronger than that. Zhang Xian would never let you kill Zhang Hao!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “It’s up to you to believe it or not.”
Ju Tian Qing took a deep breath to calm down his anger before pressing on in a cold voice, “Since you have entered here, this King’s useless disciples outside…”
“I don’t know. Probably dead.” Yang Kai grinned.
He was confident in Zhang Ruo Xi’s strength. Even if she could not win against them, she would still not be hurt with the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe that she possessed, and if the terrifying power hidden in her bloodline was forced out, the few disciples of Ju Tian Qing would be in trouble.
In short, the disciples of Ju Tian Qing were heading for a disaster.
“Good! The two Holy Sons died at your hands, and this King’s disciples died at your hands too. Now that you have brought yourself here, then don’t you think about leaving alive!”
Ju Tian Qing was infuriated and his whole body exuded a rich murderous intent. As soon as he pushed his Emperor Qi, a dense Emperor Intent burst out like an explosion, causing the World Principles in this Small Sealed World to shake. He slightly shook the blade in his hand and slashed towards Yang Kai.
Witnessing such a hot exchange of words between Yang Kai and Ju Tian Qing, Zu Hong knew that it was inevitable to have a battle, but with both him and Ju Tian Qing cooperating, he did not put Yang Kai in his eyes at all.
Furthermore, why should he be afraid of a young man who has just broken through to the Emperor Realm?
During this recent period, many rising stars had gained opportunities in the Shattered Star Sea and broken through their shackles to become Emperor Realm Masters.
But how could these newly promoted Emperors compare with veteran Masters like him? Maybe they would stand a chance if they cultivated for another thirty to fifty years.
Pushing his Emperor Qi madly, roars came out of Zu Hong’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, causing the Small Sealed World to shake. Then, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal released several beams of light, which turned into different Monster Beasts in mid-air.
All those Monster Beasts had a dense aura, and they were at least in the early stage of the Eleventh-Order.
With Zu Hong’s overflowing Emperor Qi, these Monster Beasts charged out endlessly from the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and stampeded towards Yang Kai.
The Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was a special artifact that could seal the Souls of fallen Monster Beasts and release them to fight against the enemy. The sealed Monster Beast Souls retained most of their abilities from their past lives, and the more Souls sealed into the Ten Thousand Beast Seal, the more powerful it became.
Ever since Zu Hong broke through to the Emperor Realm, he had been hunting Monster Beasts all over the Eastern Territory. There were eight hundred to a thousand Monster Beast Souls sealed inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal now, most of which were Eleventh-Order, while some were even Twelfth-Order.
But even this was far from the limits of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as, like its name implied, it could seal ten thousand Monster Beast Souls.
If he really put forth all his might, ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Masters were no match for him.
And it was exactly with the help of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal that Zu Hong could control Earth City and become its City Lord.
However, he was currently injured, and although he had been recuperating and recovering for some time now, he had not been restored to his peak, so he could not unleash the full power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and was only able to summon some Eleventh-Order Monster Beast Souls.
But this was enough. As long as Yang Kai’s actions could be restrained for a moment, that would be enough to create an opportunity for Ju Tian Qing to show him the consequences of offending the veteran Masters.
Previously he also used the same tactic when he joined hands with Ju Tian Qing to deal with Gao Xue Ting, so doing the same thing again would be a breeze.
*Hong hong hong…*
The endless army of Monster Beasts bared their fangs and roared at Yang Kai. There were all kinds of Monster Beasts; some were flying in the sky, while some were running on the ground, and all of them were gathered into a formidable army.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit seeing how remarkable an artifact the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was.
Although this Monster Beast army was fierce, Yang Kai did not feel the slightest bit of fear, and with a wave of his hand, the Myriads Sword appeared. Swinging the sword, a beam of light slashed towards the army of Monster Beasts.
“Those are the Souls of Monster Beasts, normal attacks are ineffective as they don’t have physical bodies… Watch out for an ambush!” Gao Xue Ting’s voice reached Yang Kai’s ears.
Even though it was inconvenient for her to move as she was hiding behind the barrier to heal, it did not prevent her from watching from the perspective of a spectator.
She was surprised yet anxious when Yang Kai appeared.
She was surprised because she did not expect to meet Yang Kai here, but on the other hand, she was anxious for Yang Kai’s safety in this damned place.
No matter how gifted he was, he was still young after all. He couldn’t win against Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong. Even she had suffered a great loss at their hands so she naturally knew how powerful they were. If she was no match to them, how could the newly promoted Yang Kai be?
Perhaps, Yang Kai’s achievements would surpass them in the future, but definitely not now.
Her first thought was to ask Yang Kai to run.
She knew that Yang Kai probably came here for her. She had no idea how he located her, but this was the only logical explanation as there was no such convenient coincidence in this world.
However, since he was already here, he could not leave even if he wanted to.
Gao Xue Ting was extremely shocked when she realized that Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master.
She still remembered her first encounter with Yang Kai. He was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, accompanying Qin Zhao Yang to Azure Sun Temple to request for a quota to enter the Four Seasons Realm with the Bustling World Token. But in just a few years, he had already reached the Emperor Realm, his cultivation comparable to her own.
This kind of cultivation speed was unprecedented.
Her aptitude was considered phenomenal too, otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to spy on the mysteries of the Emperor Realm. But how long did it take for her cultivation to reach the Emperor Realm from the First-Order Dao Source Realm back then? Fifty years? A hundred years?
She did not remember anymore.
Even their Temple Master, Wen Zi Shan, could not be compared to Yang Kai in terms of cultivation speed. As for those geniuses in the Sect, comparing them to him was like comparing a firefly with the bright moon.
What opportunities did he get in Shattered Star Sea that made him grow up to such an extent!?
While Gao Xue Ting was shouting, Ju Tian Qing had taken advantage of Yang Kai’s attention being attracted to the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. He flew over Yang Kai and slashed down with his blade. The power of his Burning Ocean of Stars Blade spread out in all directions, creating an image of stars all over the sky crashing downwards, in an instant enveloping Yang Kai.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to be trapped in an illusion, being placed in the vast Star Sea, greatly aware of how small and insignificant he was.
Yang Kai’s actions were slightly delayed at this moment, and when he finally regained his senses, the ferocious blade of light was already about to reach his chest.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of panic and horror flashing across his bright eyes as he was hit directly by the sword wave.
Next, the Monster Beast army rushed forward and stampeded over the place where Yang Kai was located. It could be seen that Yang Kai was torn to pieces by the raging momentum.
“No!” Gao Xue Ting exclaimed, her pretty face draining of all colour.
Although she knew that Yang Kai couldn’t be victorious against Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong with his current strength, she did not expect that he would just die like this. Her tender body trembled, unable to accept this cruel reality. A strong sense of guilt and anger built up in her heart, and her enchanting eyes turned scarlet red instantly.
The purpose of Yang Kai coming here was absolutely for her, so how could Gao Xue Ting not feel guilty after watching him die here?
Judging from Yang Kai’s previous cultivation speed and Heaven-defying aptitude, if he was given more time, he would become the brightest star of the Star Boundary eventually. He would be able to rise and shine brightly, making his name echo throughout every corner of the world.
However, that bright future had just been destroyed.
A young man with an endless future had his journey ended before he even had the chance to truly feel the power of the Emperor Realm.
“Hmph, overconfident brat!” Ju Tian Qing sneered and sheathed his blade while standing in the void.
“Hmm? That little brat actually had more bark than bite. This City Lord was wondering how strong he could be, but it turned out that he was just an embroidered pillow.” Zu Hong cackled mockingly. If he had known that Yang Kai was this weak, he would not have bothered helping Ju Tian Qing as the latter could have easily won on his own. He now felt like he had wasted the strength that he had barely restored.
“Young people nowadays really do not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. They’re easily blinded by arrogance after having just some small achievements and most forget that there is always someone better. There is always a higher Heaven and a deeper Earth.”
“You’re right, Brother Ju, such an arrogant Junior needed to be taught a harsh lesson.” Zu Hong nodded in agreement.
“Both of you are indeed right! How about the two of you tell this Young Master exactly how high are the Heavens and how deep is the Earth then?” Yang Kai’s voice emerged once again, and this time, it came from behind Zu Hong.
“Brother Zu, watch out!” Ju Tian Qing hurriedly exclaimed, his eyes bulging so large that they almost popped out of their sockets.
There was Yang Kai, who was supposed to have been torn to pieces by their attacks, standing behind Zu Hong unscathed with a broadsword in his hand that was radiating waves of Emperor Intent, and releasing a dreadfully vicious aura. He was going to stab Zu Hong from behind, who was completely caught off guard.
Zu Hong jumped out of his skin. Despite his powerful Emperor Realm cultivation, he had not even noticed how Yang Kai appeared behind him. As if he could not believe this was happening, he turned to look at the place where Yang Kai formerly stood. There, he saw the ‘corpse’ of Yang Kai fading away, nothing but an afterimage.
[Damn it!] Zu Hong’s heart sank as he did not have the time to escape or turn around. Pushing his Emperor Qi madly, he roared as a bright layer of light filled his surroundings.
The light was particularly blinding, especially at his back, and it could be seen that he had pushed his protective Emperor Qi to his limit.
A violent impact hammered him in the next moment, and Zu Hong only felt that his internal organs were shaken hard, making him extremely uncomfortable. An unstoppable aura sliced through his protective Emperor Qi and struck directly at the back of his body.
With a cry, Zu Hong spat a mouthful of blood. Using the force of the impact, he immediately rushed forward and distanced himself away from Yang Kai.
“An Artifact Armour?” Yang Kai raised his brow and stared intently at the spot where he landed the blow on Zu Hong’s back, seeing a light cyan scale armour underneath his damaged robes.
It was a high-grade Artifact Armour, and with Zu Hong’s mighty cultivation, Yang Kai’s ambush failed to achieve its desired effect.
“How dare you backstab this City Lord!” Zu Hong turned around and bellowed at Yang Kai with an angry glare, his face pale.
If he was not wearing his Artifact Armour, he would have been seriously injured even if he did not die.
[What the hell is this brat!?] Fear grew in his heart after the incident as he did not understand how Yang Kai could have such strength when he had just recently broken through to the Emperor Realm. The Secret Technique Yang Kai had used to escape had caught both Ju Tian Qing and him off guard.
“Brother Zu, fall back. This King will teach this boy a lesson,” seeing that Zu Hong was injured again and his aura was unsteady, Ju Tian Qing advised him to stand aside instead of joining the fight with him. After a shout, his sword once again produced multiple blades of light that splashed towards Yang Kai like sea waves.
Zu Hong nodded heavily, but the anger in his heart was still erupting like a volcano, so while withdrawing he quietly surged the power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and controlled the Monster Beast Souls to charge towards Yang Kai again.
It was shameful for him to be ambushed by a newly promoted Emperor, and if he did not get revenge now, he would not have the face to call himself a man.
The combined force of the two Emperor Realm Masters was monstrous and powerful, as if they had maddened deities.
Gao Xue Ting, who just had a moment of relief, grew worried again.
Previously, Yang Kai’s reversal surprised her and she realized that she had underestimated Yang Kai just like Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong did, but still, now he was going to face two enemies in the same Realm alone; how could he possibly fight against them?
Gao Xue Ting gritted her teeth, flipped her hand, and took out a jade bottle. She uncapped the bottle and poured out a scarlet Spirit Pill filled with a bloody aura.
She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand in an attempt to put the Spirit Pill into her mouth.
“Elder Gao, stop!”
Yang Kai hurriedly shouted to stop Gao Xue Ting.
Gao Xue Ting was stunned and she lifted her head and looked at Yang Kai in confusion.
“You’re already heavily injured. If you take that Mad Blood Pill now and forcefully stimulate your potential, I’m afraid it will damage your foundation beyond repair. Please don’t take it. What’s more, the quality of this Mad Blood Pill is extremely poor and there will definitely be harsh side-effects from taking it. I don’t know which Alchemist refined this for you but he is one hell of an irresponsible bastard.”
As she looked around, Gao Xue Ting saw Yang Kai flickering about as he engaged in a melee against the combined force of two Emperor Realm Masters, but even so, he still had enough leeway to pay attention to Gao Xue Ting and advise her in clear terms. Gao Xue Ting was utterly shocked by his capability when seeing this.
It was not difficult to refine a Mad Blood Pill as it was just a Dao Source Grade High-Rank Spirit Pill, but the ingredients for it were quite rare.
All the materials needed to refine this Spirit Pill were priceless Emperor Grade spirit medicines. Gao Xue Ting just happened to be very fortunate to have collected the appropriate materials, and then hired someone to refine one for safekeeping.
Once this Spirit Pill had been consumed, her innate potential would be fully stimulated and she would be able to exert the power of a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master even with just the cultivation of the First-Order Emperor Realm.
This was her trump card.
Even when she was cornered by Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing, she resisted taking this pill, but now, she could not sit back and watch Yang Kai in danger.
She did not expect Yang Kai to stop her when she took out the Spirit Pill.
She smiled wryly. She knew that taking this Mad Blood Pill would cause great damage to herself that may lead to instability in her foundation, and even the decline of her current realm or the destruction of her meridians. There was even a possibility it would rupture her dantian, crippling her cultivation permanently.
But in this situation, she had no other hope except for the Mad Blood Pill.
“A brat like you should take care of yourself before taking time to take care of others’ affairs!” Ju Tian Qing growled, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade in his hand yearning to cleave a sea of stars into Yang Kai, who was dodging and evading every attack without fighting back.
Although he was holding the advantage, for some reason, Ju Tian Qing had a very strange feeling that sent chills down his spine, as if something bad was about to happen.
“Elder Gao, this disciple is fine. You must not take that Mad Blood Pill!” Yang Kai’s erratic voice echoed in all directions.
Gao Xue Ting’s eyes brightened at Yang Kai’s confident words. She nodded lightly, “Good, I won’t take it, just be careful. Don’t overexert yourself and retreat to me immediately if all else fails.”
Yang Kai snorted loudly, “This disciple is not what he used to be. Two trivial First-Order Emperors are nothing to me.”
“Junior is simply too rampant with his words! This King will teach you how to show proper respect today!” Ju Tian Qing was furious, and his power rose to another level.
Zu Hong’s face was also green from rage, and without saying a word, he worked harder to activate the power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. The Souls of Monster Beasts continuously shot out of the large seal, turned into phantom forms, and rushed towards Yang Kai.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s figure froze at a certain place and he stared towards Ju Tian Qing with a pair of icy eyes.
Ju Tian Qing could not help but shudder at his stare as for some reason, the thought of escaping growing in his heart. He forced himself to resist the increasing fear and spurred a frenzy of sword waves towards Yang Kai. Suddenly, thousands of light explosions occurred, filling the sky above them.
Yang Kai commented coldly, “This Young Master is afraid that you don’t have the qualification to teach him how to show proper respect.”
He flicked his fingers as soon as he finished speaking, long and narrow Moon Blades emerged leisurely. There were as many as several dozen of these Moon Blades, crisscrossing in mid-air, forming a net large enough to envelope the entire land as they shrank towards a certain point.
Li Wu Yi gave him a stone in which his understanding of the Dao of Space was ingrained. In that one month, Yang Kai absorbed all the mysteries of the Dao of Space contained inside that stone like a leech. Now, his attainment in the Dao of Space had improved by leaps and bounds.
*Chi chi chi…*
The dark Moon Blades charged forward, like a dark web that devoured everything in its path, annihilating the thousands of sword lights and even the Monster Beast Souls Zu Hong summoned were cut to pieces, reducing several dozen of them to points of light in an instant.
“What kind of ability is this!?” Ju Tian Qing was shocked, retreating continuously as he bellowed. He could clearly feel the deadly threat of the Moon Blade net, and knew that he would be severely injured if not dead if he was hit by them head-on. Instead of meeting the attack directly, he would rather run as far as he could.
In a rush, he raised his blade again to resist the attack.
But he was horrified to realize that no matter how many blades he produced, the black net could not be cut apart.
In the blink of an eye, the big black net was right in front of him.
Ju Tian Qing’s face turned pale, and the urge to panic and escape swelled up inside him.
At this moment, the space around him suddenly seemed to freeze, locking him firmly in place.
“Space Principles!” Ju Tian Qing exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
He recalled some information disclosed by Yin Le Sheng from the Netherworld Sect only now. Yin Le Sheng had said that this little brat named Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space.
It was just that Ju Tian Qing did not take this warning seriously; after all, the Dao of Space was one of the most difficult Daos to cultivate. How could someone he had never heard of before be proficient in it? Countless people in the Star Boundary dreamt of cultivating the Dao of Space, but how many actually succeeded?
There was only one; Li Wu Yi from Spirit Beast Island.
As a trivial Junior, even if Yang Kai grasped the basics of the Dao of Space, it should not have been enough to be used against enemies in battle.
But at this moment, Ju Tian Qing realized that Yang Kai’s accomplishments in the Dao of Space were beyond his imagination. Even if it was not on par with Li Wu Yi, it was not far off.
[There’s no point in fighting!]
Everyone knew that cultivators who were proficient in the Dao of Space were the hardest to kill, because even if they were placed in a life-threatening situation, they could easily escape.
[No wonder he was able to enter this Small Sealed World. As an Emperor Realm Master who is proficient in the Dao of Space, entering a Small Sealed World like this that had just been opened would be as simple as breathing!]
As those distracting thoughts flashed across Ju Tian Qing’s mind, blood seemed to stop circulating around his body and his hands and feet grew as cold as ice. In this critical moment, he bit his tongue and spouted a mouthful of Blood Essence, causing his aura to surge.
At the crucial moment of life and death, he activated an extremely powerful Secret Technique.
This finally allowed him to move his body.
*Chi chi chi…*
A strange noise was heard, and together with Ju Tian Qing’s screams, blood suddenly shot out like a fountain.
Zu Hong looked around frantically and was stunned.
He saw that one of Ju Tian Qing’s arms was cut off right above his shoulder. The cut was neat and clean; and from the cross-section of the wound, Ju Tian Qing’s violently beating heart could be seen.
*Si…*
Zu Hong gasped, unable to believe his eyes.
What was going on? He clearly saw Yang Kai being forced into a corner by Ju Tian Qing, so how did Ju Tian Qing suddenly receive such damage?
He could not help feeling a little dizzy, which also caused the Monster Beast Souls that flew out of the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal to fall into disarray, scurrying about like headless flies in agitation.
“Yang Kai, we will meet again and this King will remember you! One day, this King will rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces in vengeance for this lost arm!” Ju Tian Qing bellowed with a ferocious face and immediately turned around to fly towards the entrance.
He wanted to escape.
It was undeniably the wisest choice.
With one of his arms cut off, he suffered heavy losses from Yang Kai. It would be detrimental to him if he continued to fight with his strength reduced.
What’s more, Yang Kai was a cultivator who was proficient in the Dao of Space, so there was no way to kill him in the first place. It was only natural for Ju Tian Qing to escape first.
He would go back to the Holy Land and gather reinforcements first. As long as Yang Kai was still in the Eastern Territory, they would find him even if they had to turn the entire territory upside down, trap him, then shred his corpse!
Ju Tian Qing was cursing both out loud and in his heart and his whole body was burning in rage like an erupting volcano.
Yang Kai did not even chase after Ju Tian Qing, however, instead choosing to stand aside and watch him escape with a strange mocking grin on his face.
Zu Hong was frozen for a moment, but seeing that the situation was deteriorating, he quickly put away the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and followed Ju Tian Qing.
He was already badly injured, and now that Ju Tian Qing had run off, he would just be courting death if he remained.
Cursing endlessly in his heart, he resented his hundreds of years of friendship with Ju Tian Qing. It was too unkind of him to have escaped without any concern for Zu Hong. During such times, the only person he could trust would be himself.
The two left hastily, one after the other, and arrived at the entrance of this Small Sealed World in the blink of an eye.
With one arm chopped off, Ju Tian Qing could only endure the pain in his heart and perform the necessary hand seals with one hand to open the entrance.
He had created a secret entrance before he came in, which could only be revealed with a secret method, for Zu Hong to follow after him. So, it was also convenient for him to leave this small world.
However, even after sending out the seals, the entrance did not open.
Ju Tian Qing’s face changed and the colour suddenly drained from his face as he gulped, as if he realized a terrifying truth.
Zu Hong, who still had not realised the situation, urged vigorously, “Brother Ju, quickly open the entrance, what are you doing?”
Ju Tian Qing answered darkly, “It can’t be opened.”
“Why not?” Zu Hong was shocked, fighting the strong urge to slap Ju Tian Qing to death. It was impossible to tolerate a screw up at this crucial moment.
“Hahaha,” Yang Kai appeared abruptly behind the two of them, looking at them with a smile on his face, “After this Young Master came in, he sealed up the entrance. Without this Young Master’s approval, no one else can access this place again.”
“What?” Zu Hong was horror-struck, “How, how can you have such ability?”
Ordinary people couldn’t seal off the entrance to a Small Sealed World as they wished.
Ju Tian Qing looked devastated as his heart dropped into the depths of the abyss and continued to sink. He only spoke in a bitter voice a moment later, “Brother Zu, this little brat is proficient in the Dao of Space…”
As if struck by lightning, Zu Hong was dumbfounded and froze in place.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “We will meet again? Elder Ju, this Young Master doesn’t like to procrastinate. Didn’t you want to teach me how to show proper respect? Come here, hurry up and teach me a lesson. This Young Master is waiting.”
Ju Tian Qing’s spirits fell to the bottom of the valley and his mouth tasted bitter after being mocked so ruthlessly by Yang Kai; unfortunately, he could not refute a word.
The light in his eyes was dim as he slumped, “Little brother, what happened today is our fault, but no permanent damage has been done. How about we just let this matter go?”
Yang Kai’s face hardened, “This Young Master is not very good at showing proper respect, are you going to teach him a lesson or not?”
Ju Tian Qing grew agitated, “Why insist on being so overbearing?”
“If you’re not teaching, I will!”