“Don’t go too far and burn your bridges!” Ju Tian Qing’s teeth chattered violently while glaring at Yang Kai ferociously.
Seeing this, Zu Hong barked too, “That’s right. Even if you are proficient in the Dao of Space, you are still on your own, while Brother Ju and I can fight together. Even if we can’t beat you… do you think we can’t self-destruct?”
Yang Kai curled his lips disdainfully, “Like you have the chance to self-destruct.”
Saying so, he turned solemn and swiftly performed a set of hand seals. A mysterious and profound aura began to radiate from Yang Kai’s form.
“W-what are you doing!?” Ju Tian Qing roared in alarm. He instinctively felt that danger was coming.
Yang Kai replied in a deep voice, “What am I doing? I’m of course going to release my ultimate skill and kill the both of you. Let me tell you a simple truth, the two of you can do nothing against this Young Master’s ultimate skill. You are all doomed to be slaughtered by me, so if you really want to self-destruct, quickly do it now before it’s too late!”
“Ahh…” Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong gasped and staggered back.
They were dreadfully afraid of Yang Kai after he made such a declaration with such seriousness, where his face was filled with murderous intent. No one would want to self-destruct unless it was a last resort. Most of the time, those who said they would were just bluffing.
They did not expect him to be totally unaffected by their threat, and was ready to release his ultimate skill…
The hand seals that he was performing were so mysterious and unique that Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing could not see through their purpose at all, but one thing was for certain, the skill he was preparing was incredibly powerful.
“Brother Zu, we need to go all out!” Ju Tian Qing gritted his teeth with a decisive face.
“Good!” Zu Hong also knew that there was no way out at this moment. Given Yang Kai’s aggression and determination to kill, Ju Tian Qing and he would not be his opponents if they continued to have reservations in fear. They could only give it their all in a last-ditch effort to survive.
Having steeled themselves, the two pushed their Emperor Qi fiercely and roared.
Blood gushed from the wound on Ju Tian Qing’s shoulder from the pressure of his surging power. It was uncertain how many litres of blood he lost, but his face was as pale as paper.
In an instant, their auras reached their peak.
Countless beast roars emerged from the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal while the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade vibrated fiercely and numerous Sword Waves shot out from it.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s hands stopped. He slowly pushed his palms forward with a solemn face, whispering, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
*Honglonglong…*
The Time Flies Seal appeared in a brilliant flash, completely enveloping Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong. Both of them widened their eyes as they felt like their lives rapidly passed before their very eyes. In just a blink, it seemed like dozens of years had suddenly gone by.
As time continued racing by, the pair’s momentum, which had been at its peak, rapidly deflated. At the same time, their figures rapidly aged, and their vitalities waned; even their hair began turning grey.
Within a breath, the two Masters, who had at most looked middle-aged, turned into decrepit old men who already had one foot into the grave.
The Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which involved Time Principles, was not something that Ju Tian Qing and Zu Hong could resist, on top of their severe wounds. When Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, he had used this skill to defeat a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s Soul, though it was just a wisp that manifested through a Soul Descent. Now, Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, and his strength was vastly superior to that time.
Suffering from this ability, the two old men had totally lost their combat strength.
“Get in here!” Yang Kai snorted coldly and his eyes shone in a strange brilliance. With a push of his Spiritual Energy, he threw the pair which had lost the ability to resist into the Sealed World Bead.
The Embodiment had long waited for this moment in the Small Sealed World. Once Yang Kai threw them in, the Embodiment immediately surged his power and covered them with one hand, yelling viciously, “Heaven Devouring Battle Law!”
The fate of Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing was nothing more than to be devoured.
The stationary time began to flow again, and the Small Sealed World was restored to peace.
Inside the barrier of the medicine garden, Gao Xue Ting was flabbergasted, and could not regain her senses for a long time.
The Time Flies Seal had also affected her to a certain extent, causing a temporary confusion in her mind, and by the time she recovered from the chaotic state, Zu Hong and Ju Tian Qing had vanished.
She only saw Yang Kai turning around and flying towards her.
Gao Xue Ting gaped at him with her jaw dropped, subconsciously opening the medicine garden barrier for him.
It was easy to operate the barrier, otherwise, she would not be able to hide inside here in the first place.
“Elder Gao, how are your injuries?” Yang Kai hurriedly asked as he reached her side.
Gao Xue Ting looked up at him with a slightly complicated expression on her pretty face. Her eyes examined him up and down, as if she wanted to know if this was really the young man she knew.
Just a few years ago, there was a huge gap in strength between him and her, but now, it seemed that she now needed to look up to him…
“Elder Gao…” Seeing that Gao Xue Ting did not say a word, Yang Kai could not help shouting again.
Only then did Gao Xue Ting’s lost eyes focus and after a soft cough, she answered, “They’re not light, but neither are they fatal. I’ll be fine after some rest. What about the two of them? Did you chop them up into tiny pieces?”
But even if they were chopped into pieces, there should be some traces left.
However, it was like they simply vanished from sight for no reason.
“Of course they are dead,” Yang Kai grinned, “Elder Gao, you don’t need to be bothered about them. The death of those two scum is not worth pitying.”
Gao Xue Ting nodded in relief and sighed, “You’ve grown a lot, much more than any of us had expected.”
Yang Kai scratched his head, “This little brat could only achieve success today thanks to the support and care of all my Seniors.”
Gao Xue Ting replied lightly, “It doesn’t have much to do with others, you worked hard yourself to achieve this strength.”
After saying so, she coughed again.
“Elder Gao, what’s important now is for you to heal yourself. I will stand guard for you here,” Yang Kai said with concern.
“Good,” Gao Xue Ting did not say anything more and simply closed her eyes, focusing on adjusting her breathing.
During the battle between Yang Kai and the other two, she would not have sat back and watched if she had any strength left to use. It could be seen that her injuries were quite serious.
Now that the disaster had been eliminated, she naturally could not afford to delay any longer.
Gao Xue Ting’s breathing soon calmed down.
Only then did Yang Kai have the time to look around.
This Small Sealed World had been completely closed by him, so no one could enter without his permission and there was no need to worry about Gao Xue Ting.
He gained tremendous interest in this strange plot of land, which composed a giant ancient medicine garden.
Looking around the medicine gardens, there were two square plots with at least three hundred spirit medicines planted in each. Every herb here was Emperor Grade and had a medicinal age above ten thousand years. Yang Kai was exhilarated by the scene that was captured in his eyes, unable to restrain his uplifted emotion.
“A Seven Coloured Ginseng! It’s even produced multiple rings of colour! It must be at least fifty thousand years old!”
“Profound Heavenly Thunder Flower! Siii… its stamen is golden, this, th-this…”
“Swaying Light Enlightenment Fruit. How can it be as big as my fist? How did it grow like this?”
“Extreme Essence Dragon Saliva Grass, isn’t this already extinct…”
“Nine Petal Blue Jade Flower…”
Those spirit medicines were like naked beauties in Yang Kai eyes, swaying and displaying the best view of their bodies, arousing him so much that his eyes were glowing.
As an Alchemist, nothing could make him happier than this scene. Plots of mature spirit medicine were laid out in front of him, and he could just collect them for free. Only an Alchemist could understand this kind of feeling.
He continuously teleported here and there in the medicine garden, dancing excitedly. If he were not afraid of disturbing Gao Xue Ting’s rest, he would have laughed out loud like a madman.
And these Emperor Grade herbs were just from these two square plots. There were actually more than ten square plots here, but the other spirit medicines must have been collected by Gao Xue Ting and the others.
In other words, most spirit medicines were in the Space Rings of Gao Xue Ting, Ju Tian Qing, and Zu Hong.
What Yang Kai was seeing here was just a small part.
Many of the spirit medicines he saw were legendary herbs that were thought to already be extinct, but they were actually blooming healthily here.
“Hm?” Yang Kai’s face changed suddenly as he stared intently at a certain fruit tree that was about half a person’s height. The fruit tree was filled with radiance, as if it was carved from the most exquisite jade, shimmering magnificently.
On top of the fruit tree, there was a white fist-sized fruit.
The shape of this fruit was extremely odd, almost like a tiny shrunken person, with complete limbs, body and head. Not only that, there were even clear facial features.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly filled with enthusiasm as he exclaimed in pure shock, “Flesh Incarnation Fruit!”
There was a Flesh Incarnation Fruit here!
Yang Kai furiously rubbed his eyes to make sure he did not see wrongly, but even upon re-examination, there was no doubt a Flesh Incarnation Fruit was presented in front of him, exactly the same as the information recorded in the jade slip left by Gong Sun Mu, the Third-Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
The Flesh Incarnation Fruit was the primary material for refining the Flesh Incarnation Pill.
Flesh Incarnation Pill was a Heaven-defying Spirit Pill that could reshape one’s physical body.
If a cultivator was killed, but his or her Soul had not been extinguished, that cultivator could rebuild his or her body by using a Flesh Incarnation Pill, essentially granting them a new life.
Not even the Immortal Tree possessed such a miraculous effect. Although the Immortal Tree could bring someone back from the brink of death, and even allow one to obtain an immortal and indestructible form, it could not reshape one’s physique from only a Soul.
This was the Heaven-defying effect of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit.
Like the Soul Warming Lotus and Immortal Tree, this fruit only existed in ancient records, with no one in the current era having seen it before.
Yang Kai did not expect that he would be lucky enough to encounter a Flesh Incarnation Fruit in this ancient medicine garden.
With this Flesh Incarnation Fruit, it meant that he could refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill, and with Flesh Incarnation Pill, it meant that he could fulfill the promise that he made to Tian Yan.
Senior Tian Yan was the Great Emperor of the Divine Ascension Mirror who had been a Soul Avatar since birth and never possessed his own physique. When Yang Kai was training in the Divine Ascension Mirror, he told Tian Yan that, he would refine a Flesh Incarnation Pill from a Flesh Incarnation Fruit for him one day, so that he could experience the feeling of having a physical body, release himself from the shackles of Divine Ascension Mirror, and see the outside world.
Tian Yan seemed to be immensely excited about this matter too, but how could it be so easy to find a Flesh Incarnation Fruit?
However, there was now one right in front of Yang Kai!
Yang Kai’s face turned solemn, and condensing his Emperor Qi into both hands, he cautiously grasped at the Flesh Incarnation Fruit.
He plucked the fruit lightly, and the Flesh Incarnation Fruit plopped into his palm immediately. Yang Kai quickly placed it into the jade box he had prepared beforehand, and after placing several barriers around it, he put it into his Space Ring.
“Phew…” Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief. With this Flesh Incarnation Fruit, he would have a good chance to refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill, but he would need to improve his Alchemy skills first.
Although he was now an Emperor Grade Alchemist, he did not have much experience in refining Emperor Grade spirit medicines, so if he hastily tried to refine the Flesh Incarnation Fruit, his chances of success would be quite low. This might be the one and only Flesh Incarnation Fruit left in the world, so if the refinement failed and the raw materials were destroyed, Yang Kai’s would definitely develop a kind of heart demon, and it may even affect his Alchemy abilities in the future.
Fortunately, there were bounteous Emperor Grade herbs here, so he could use some of the relatively low-value spirit medicines for practice to improve his Alchemy skills before confidently refining the Flesh Incarnation Pill.
After a moment of inspection though, Yang Kai found that all the spirit medicines in this medicine garden were invaluable. Nevertheless, the Flesh Incarnation Fruit still stood out from the rest in terms of rarity and value.
He immediately started collecting the rest.
There were only two medicine gardens with a few hundred herbs planted in them, but it still took Yang Kai more than two hours to collect them all.
There were still about twenty trees left in place, including the Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree.
There were numerous buds and flowers remaining on these fruit trees, so it was not impossible for them to bear new fruits after a few hundred, or thousand years, so Yang Kai did not dare to touch any of these trees.
After doing this, Yang Kai took a look at Gao Xue Ting and found that she was still focused on healing her injuries, and it seemed that she would take a long time to wake up.
Yang Kai was not in a hurry, so he simply sent his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead and retrieved Zu Hong’s and Ju Tian Qing’s Space Rings.
As expected, there was a large number of Emperor Grade spirit medicines inside their Space Rings, most likely collected from this ancient medicine garden.
In addition, there were many valuable treasures in these rings, enough for Yang Kai to make a fortune.
The Emperor Artifacts, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade and the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, that belonged to the two also fell into Yang Kai’s hands.
The Burning Ocean of Stars Blade did not interest Yang Kai much as, although it appeared to be very powerful, he did not primarily use such weapons and had no plans to refine it. Besides, refining an Emperor Artifact would not greatly improve his strength.
Likewise, the Burning Ocean of Stars Blade could not be considered a broadsword, so it was unsuitable for Zhang Ruo Xi.
On the contrary, Yang Kai was more interested in the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal. This Artifact was not an ordinary Emperor Artifact. It seemed to be able to seal the Souls of fallen Monster Beasts and then could release them during a battle to fight one’s enemies without great consumption of the owner’s strength.
This could be given to Zhang Ruo Xi.
Although Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to prefer swords, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal was powerful, and it was definitely a good treasure for her. As long as Zhang Ruo Xi could refine it, her strength would definitely increase by leaps and bounds.
Considering all this, Yang Kai pushed his Spiritual Energy to erase Zu Hong’s Soul Imprint from the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
After a while, there was a flash of light, and the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal became grey and dull. Yang Kai then tossed it into his Space Ring, reminding himself to give it to Zhang Ruo Xi when he left the place.
After waiting for a while, Gao Xue Ting still showed no signs of waking up, so Yang Kai took out his Alchemy Furnace and some Emperor Grade herbs, and began refining on the spot.
A day later, Yang Kai, who was concentrating on Alchemy, suddenly noticed that someone was watching him. His expression became alert and glanced to his side without stopping his hands, only to meet with Gao Xue Ting’s elegant and delicate eyes.
Feeling guilty that she had interrupted Yang Kai’s Alchemy, Gao Xue Ting did not speak and simply motioned him to continue.
The worst thing that one could do to an Alchemist during Alchemy was to disturb them. Gao Xue Ting had known Yang Kai was an Alchemist for a long time, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill when he was in the Four Seasons Realm.
She felt a little uneasy knowing that her gaze interfered with Yang Kai’s focus when he stole a glance at her.
On the contrary, Yang Kai did not seem to be affected and just smiled broadly at her, “Elder Gao, wait a moment, this disciple will finish the Pill Condensing step soon and will be able to speak to you freely as soon as the pill is done.”
Having said so, Yang Kai immediately turned solemn and immersed his focus into Alchemy again. Gao Xue Ting continued watching in amazement.
A mysterious Pill Condensing Technique was performed by Yang Kai, one that had extremely perplexing hand seals and seemed to harmonize extremely well with the Heavenly Way.
Gao Xue Ting was astonished as her beautiful eyes suddenly glowed with a strange light, observing Yang Kai’s movements firmly, unwilling to let slip a single motion.
She discovered that Yang Kai’s Alchemy’s technique could actually stimulate deep thoughts on her Martial Dao and show her an unseen side of the Heavenly Way. It was as though all her understanding of Martial Dao was being consolidated as she watched, an unbelievable experience.
As one of the top Sects in the Southern Territory, Azure Sun Temple naturally had its own Emperor Grade Alchemist. Although there was only one, he was nonetheless still at Emperor Grade Alchemist.
Gao Xue Ting once had the honour of observing this Emperor Grade Alchemist perform Alchemy from a distance, but compared to Yang Kai’s Alchemy technique, the Temple’s Alchemist seemed rather unsightly and incomparably clumsy.
That Alchemist could be described as a child flailing a hoe wildly in the field, while Yang Kai’s Alchemy could be described as a warrior wielding a sword, dancing in the moonlight.
The two were not comparable at all.
[Who did he learn Alchemy from? How can he be this accomplished at such a young age? Not only that, but he has also entered the Emperor Realm.]
Gao Xue Ting was shaken as she suddenly realised that all those so-called genius disciples were completely eclipsed by Yang Kai’s current achievements. Even the children of the Great Emperors could not compare with him.
Time seemed to pass by quickly, but it also seemed to have slowed down. Just when Gao Xue Ting was immersed in a peculiar sentiment, her resonance with the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao suddenly disappeared.
She was slightly startled, and when she fixed her eyes on Yang Kai, he was already performing another technique, bellowing, “Condense!”
*Dinglingling… *
Suddenly, a clear and sweet sound emerged from within the dainty Alchemy Furnace. Yang Kai turned his head to listen to it and his brow furrowed slightly, as if he was a little dissatisfied with the results of his Alchemy.
Gao Xue Ting couldn’t hide her surprise seeing this.
Although she was not an Alchemist, she knew that this Spirit Pill should have been successfully refined. From the scent wafting out of the furnace, it was easy to infer that this Spirit Pill was Emperor Grade, and the quality should not be low.
[Is he still not satisfied? What extent does he need to reach to be satisfied?]
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and patted the Alchemy Furnace, causing the lid to fly off and three round and fragrant Spirit Pills to zoom out, where Yang Kai promptly caught them and sealed them into a jade bottle.
After taking a look, Yang Kai curled his lips and threw the bottle into the Space Ring. Turning his head, he looked at Gao Xue Ting with a smile and said, “Sorry for making Elder Gao wait for so long, how are you feeling?”
“I’ve almost completely recovered.” Gao Xue Ting replied, “It was not a fatal injury anyway.”
After a pause, she wondered, “How did you know that I was here? And you even came here directly.”
Yang Kai answered, “Junior Sister Lu Wen sent me a message…”
He briefly explained the entire journey from how he was passing by Earth City to receiving Lu Wen’s request for help.
After listening, Gao Xue Ting smiled, “It seems that I wasn’t meant to die here today. Who would have known that you would pass by Earth City at just the right time.”
Her smile seemed to cause thousands of flowers to suddenly bloom, and the whole world became a shade dimmer. She was a cold woman, and she rarely smiled, so this was Yang Kai’s first time seeing her smile since he had known her.
Yang Kai could not help but stare blankly.
Gao Xue Ting quickly retrieved her smile at his abnormal expression, looking a little uncomfortable.
Yang Kai urged her, “Elder Gao, you should smile more, it’s beautiful.”
“Have some respect, stop your flattery!” Gao Xue Ting snorted coldly.
Yang Kai grinned, “I can guarantee that if you smiled at Temple Master Wen that way, he would definitely be mesmerized by your beauty!”
Gao Xue Ting snorted, “Mesmerized? More like he would immediately ask me if I had fallen into cultivation dissonance and then force a purifying spirit pill into my mouth; then I would spit that Spirit Pill right back at his face!”
Yang Kai’s jaw dropped, “How could Temple Master Wen be so unchivalrous?”
He imagined the scene she just described and was speechless for a while; but from the tone of Gao Xue Ting’s words, it seemed that this had happened before.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and he wisely changed the subject, “By the way, Elder Gao, this disciple has prepared something for you.”
“Something for me?” Gao Xue Ting was surprised, and asked suspiciously, “What is it?”
Yang Kai took out a jade bottle and handed it over, “Here.”
Gao Xue Ting took it and opened the cap to look inside. It was a round and red Spirit Pill, exuding a rich blood aura.
“Mad Blood Pill!” Gao Xue Ting’s beautiful eyes lit up.
She already possessed a Mad Blood Pill and had wanted to take it to stimulate her potential to help Yang Kai who was under siege yesterday, but Yang Kai stopped her in time.
So, she recognized it at a glance.
“This is a High-Grade Mad Blood Pill. Its effects will be better than your original one by thirty percent, and after taking it, as long as you only exert your strength within a stick of incense, the backlash will not be too harsh. You would be able to fully restore after a long rest, and it will not damage your foundation. Disciple can only refine this level of Mad Blood Pill at the moment, so keep this one for now and only use it if absolutely necessary. I will refine a better one in the future to replace this one.”
“A better one…” Gao Xue Ting was speechless. This was already a High-Rank Mad Blood Pill, so what could be better? This was already the highest quality for normal Mad Blood Pills, any higher meant that it would either have to have formed Pill Veins or Pill Clouds, but that was not a feat one could easily achieve.
Yang Kai had mentioned that her Mad Blood Pill was of low quality, and made by a lousy Alchemist. He was obviously worried that Gao Xue Ting’s foundation might be damaged from taking that Mad Blood Pill, so he made another one for her.
Considering all these, a warm feeling filled her heart.
The Mad Blood Pill was not difficult to refine, but finding the materials was difficult because they were all Emperor Grade Spirit Medicines, many of them rare and extremely hard to source.
Back then, Gao Xue Ting was lucky to gather all the materials for the Mad Blood Pill and requested the Emperor Grade Alchemist in the Temple to refine a furnace of it. Unfortunately, only one Mad Blood Pill was successfully produced from the furnace, and it was a Low-Grade one.
But now, Yang Kai actually made a High-Grade Mad Blood Pill; its value was far greater than the previous one.
Looking at the dregs on the ground, Gao Xue Ting immediately realized that Yang Kai had refined many furnaces, and picked the best product for her.
“Elder Gao, just throw away your old Mad Blood Pill, that thing should never be taken,” Yang Kai advised solemnly.
Gao Xue Ting nodded in agreement and took out the jade bottle that contained the Mad Blood Pill from her Space Ring. She put the Spirit Pill on her palm, and crushed it into dust. Then, she placed the new one made by Yang Kai into her jade bottle.
“Are you relieved now?” Gao Xue Ting looked at him.
Yang Kai grinned, “If Elder Gao wants any Emperor Grade Spirit Pill in the future, just look for me. Disciple is skilful and outstanding in Alchemy, and can give a twenty percent discount to Elder Gao.”
Gao Xue Ting chuckled, “You’re already an Emperor Realm Master, don’t be shameless and make a fool of yourself like the one surnamed Wen.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “So, Elder Gao has always regarded Temple Master Wen as a fool…”
Gao Xue Ting snorted lightly, turned and looked around, “I see that there are still some spirit medicines left in the medicine garden. Why didn’t you collect them? What’s the purpose of leaving them there?” She changed the subject.
After asking, she seemed to recall something and continued with a realization, “I see, Alchemists usually avoid cutting roots when collecting spirit medicines and deliberately leave stems behind to promote future growth?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It’s true that this is the standard practice, but that only applies to some immature herbs. This medicine garden has existed for a long time, and all the spirit medicines are already mature, so we can pluck all of them.”
“Then why did you still leave some of them here?” Gao Xue Ting was puzzled.
Yang Kai smiled wryly, “These spirit medicines cannot be touched. In this world, once some spirit medicines are harvested, no matter how well preserved they are, they will lose their efficacies and wither in a very short time. So, most of the time, you can only collect these spirit medicines when you are prepared to use them. Elder Gao, some of the herbs that you collected before are actually like this.”
Gao Xue Ting was shocked at the information and she hurriedly checked her Space Ring, only to discover that two herbs had seriously deteriorated already.
“Ah… I see.” She sighed with regret.
It was just more than one day ago that she collected these two spirit medicines, but they already lost so much of their medicinal efficacies. If they were given another two to three days, perhaps they would just turn into dead dregs.
“Isn’t it a waste for these spirit medicines then?” Gao Xue Ting looked at the twenty or more exceptionally rare spirit medicines in the medicine garden.
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, but he was not sincere with his words.
It was fine for him to leave other spirit medicines here. At most, he could just come back to collect them if he needed them in the future.
However, it was dreadfully hard for him to let go of the Flesh Incarnation Fruit Tree.
There were already three flowers blooming on this particular tree, and although it was unknown how many years it would take to produce a new fruit, the thought of giving up on such a rare extinct prize pained Yang Kai’s heart.
Fortunately, he had the Sealed World Bead, and if he handled things properly, he still had a great chance to move the entire medicine garden into it. However, Gao Xue Ting was still here; he had to first send her out of this place if he wanted to collect this place.
“If Elder Gao feels well enough, let’s set out. Junior Sister Lu Wen is still waiting outside.” Yang Kai suggested.
“Good.”
When they got to the entrance, Yang Kai waved, sending out several threads of Emperor Qi to remove the restriction he placed before opening the Void Corridor and leaving the small world with Gao Xue Ting.
A pungent smell of blood irritated their noses as they arrived outside, and looking around, several corpses were lyingfulfil in the wilderness, their body parts scattered about. All of these people had apparently died horrifyingly.
Gao Xue Ting was startled as she thought there was an ambush outside.
However, she soon saw only two young women standing there quietly. One of them looked unfamiliar to her. She was young, about twenty years old, but she had a powerful Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation. Meanwhile, the other woman was the Temple disciple Lu Wen, but she seemed to be a little frightened as her face was slightly pale.
Seeing Gao Xue Ting and Yang Kai appear, the two women’s eyes lit up and came up to greet them.
“Elder Gao!” Joy overflowed from Lu Wen’s eyes, her face flushed red, as if she saw a long-lost family member.
Zhang Ruo Xi beamed, “Elder Sister Lu can now be relieved. No one can beat Sir.”
Lu Wen smiled in embarrassment, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang for your help.”
Yang Kai responded, “You’re welcome, Junior Sister Lu. I’m also a Temple disciple. I’m duty-bound if an Elder is in trouble.”
Gao Xue Ting remarked, “Anyway, I really owe it to you this time, otherwise I would have been…”
She could not help shivering as recalling the crisis before still left her a bit unnerved.
Shaking her head, she pressed on with a soft voice, “Since everything is over, I’m planning to return back to the Temple. Lu Wen, follow me.”
“Understood!” Lu Wen was delighted.
Although she was ordered by the Temple to collect all kinds of information in the Eastern Territory, she had been wandering alone for a while and often missed her Brothers and Sisters back in the Sect, as well as the scenery of her hometown.
Now that Gao Xue Ting wanted to take her back to the Temple, it was natural that she was overjoyed.
“How about you, Yang Kai?” Gao Xue Ting turned to him and asked.
Since Yang Kai appeared in the Eastern Territory, he must have something to deal with. Therefore, she did not rashly ask him if he wanted to return to the Southern Territory with her.
As she had guessed, Yang Kai shook his head, “I have a place to go, to find a friend.”
Gao Xue Ting nodded, “Then you should be careful. Even though you are an Emperor Realm Master now and your strength is not weak, there are many talented and powerful people in this world. A lot of them are not as simple as they seem.”
“Disciple knows,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
“If you have time… Come back to the Temple and have a look. You are still an in-name disciple in the Temple after all.”
“I will.”
He definitely would want to return to Azure Sun Temple one day, because he still had to go to the Divine Ascension Mirror to fulfill his promise with Tian Yan.
Then, Gao Xue Ting and Lu Wen departed.
About a hundred kilometres away, Lu Wen asked Gao Xue Ting quizzically, “Elder, that Senior Brother Yang is so strong, but why is he just an in-name disciple in the temple?”
With Yang Kai’s strength, he was more than qualified to be a Sect Elder. At first, she thought that Yang Kai was one of the top disciples like Xia Sheng and Xiao Bai Yi, but it turned out that he was just an in-name disciple.
After pondering for a moment, Gao Xue Ting replied, “Because he didn’t join the Temple of his own free will. Even the Azure Sun Golden Token was given to him forcefully by this Queen.”
“Ah…” Lu Wen immediately lost her ability to think.
…..
On the wasteland, in front of the entrance of the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai watched Gao Xue Ting and Lu Wen leave. Only when they were out of sight did he take out the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal and toss it to Zhang Ruo Xi, “Refine this and use it for now.”
Zhang Ruo Xi caught it and took a close look at it before immediately squealing in joy, “Many thanks, Sir, for this great treasure!”
Yang Kai had never given her any treasures before, but Liu Yan, Hua Qing Si and the Embodiment each had their own Emperor Artifact, all of which were given to them by Yang Kai. Although Zhang Ruo Xi kept quiet about it, she was looking forward to such a gift finding its way to her eventually.
She knew that Yang Kai did not have a habit of favouring one over another; it was just that he had not found anything suitable for her yet.
Nevertheless, she did not expect Yang Kai to give her one so soon.
As long as it was given by Yang Kai, it was a treasure to her even if it was a lump of iron, let alone a strange Emperor Artifact stamp seal.
Zhang Ruo Xi flipped the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in her hands over and over with a bright smile. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
Yang Kai glanced at her and commented, “You seem to display a lot of bloodthirst when you battle. The next time you fight with others, you should try to control it a little.”
After hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi stuck out her tongue, “I also don’t know what happened. As soon as I start fighting with someone, I feel like I turn into a different person, and I seem to have scared Sister Lu Wen…”
Previously, Lu Wen’s face was bloodless because she could not stand the bloody fight that had just taken place. She had fought and killed before too, so this kind of scene naturally should not be frightening to her. Therefore, her fear must have mainly stemmed from Zhang Ruo Xi herself.
Yang Kai had no idea why Zhang Ruo Xi would act so violently at such a small age. It would not be strange if this kind of aura appeared on a bloodthirsty murderer, but it concerned Yang Kai that Zhang Ruo Xi possessed such cruelty within her.
The only explanation he could think of was Zhang Ruo Xi’s bloodline.
If he ever had another chance to see Duan Hong Chen, he must ask about it. Otherwise, the cruelty of Zhang Ruo Xi may affect her character in the future, which would be a disaster if she turned into an emotionless murderer.
“Sir, where are we going now?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked.
“We’re not going anywhere until I’m done here.”
Saying so, Yang Kai opened the entrance of the Small Sealed World again, stretched out his hand, and grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi to enter with him.
Apart from the twenty remaining trees and the few spirit medicines that could not be harvested, there was nothing more left in the ancient medicine garden except exceedingly rich World Energy.
Yang Kai asked Zhang Ruo Xi to find herself a place to rest, then he went straight to the two medicine gardens.
After observing for a while, Yang Kai made a decision.
Pushing his Emperor Qi, Yang Kai formed a seal with his hands and began releasing streams of his power into the ground.
Although Yang Kai’s actions were swift, he was extremely careful to avoid damaging anything.
Even if Yang Kai was already an Emperor Realm Master, he still sweated profusely after working for an hour non-stop. He seemed to have exhausted a tremendous amount of energy.
However, Yang Kai had managed the preliminary step properly, so the rest would be much easier.
After a moment of meditation while sitting cross-legged, he regained some of his strength and got up again.
He madly surged his Divine Sense next, and like a tide, it enveloped the two medicine gardens in front of him at once. Then, Yang Kai stomped his foot fiercely and bellowed, “Rise!”
The entire Small Sealed World shook and rumbled as the two squares of the medicine garden rose up slowly under the support of a tremendous force.
Since it was impossible to harvest the remaining trees and spirit medicines without damaging them, Yang Kai figured he could just collect the entire medicine gardens instead!
Such an insane plan could only be accomplished by Yang Kai, since he possessed the Sealed World Bead that could easily accommodate the two gardens.
Anyone else would have no choice but to sigh and lament their loss.
*Hong long long…*
Yang Kai enveloped the medicine gardens with his Divine Sense and lifted them into the sky. They resembled two miniature floating islands as he sent them into the Sealed World Bead and placed them right beside his own medicine garden.
Afterwards, he used his Divine Sense to carefully scan the herbs for signs of damage or wilting before nodding in satisfaction.
However, he didn’t intend to stop here. Completely ignoring his own excessive consumption, he proceeded to spend a great deal of time moving the rest of the ten medicine gardens into the Sealed World Bead.
Seeing that the ancient medical garden was able to cultivate so many ten-thousand-year-old spirit medicines, there must be something miraculous hidden within the soil. If nothing else, there was no doubt they had extremely fertile soil.
By taking these gardens into the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai could not only expand his own garden, but could also increase the survival rate of the plants he would grow in the future by transplanting them into the enhanced soil.
When he was finally done, he checked the place one last time before leaving with Zhang Ruo Xi.
Half a month later.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi shot through the sky on his wooden boat. The lands below them were desolate, with no one in sight as far as the eye could see.
During this period of time, the further they travelled, the fewer people they saw. At first, there may be a city here and there, but eventually, it became difficult to spot even a single person.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t know where Yang Kai was taking them, and she didn’t ask. She silently followed him and refined the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal whenever she was free. Like this, time passed quickly.
One day, a dilapidated city suddenly appeared below them. It looked like it had been haphazardly put together with no regard for aesthetics whatsoever, as the buildings were all in complete disarray.
However, despite its appearance, the city was very lively, with countless tough-looking cultivators running amok.
Yang Kai observed it for a few moments before landing the boat.
Soon, he and Zhang Ruo Xi entered the city.
The city didn’t seem to have a name, but there was no shortage of people coming and going, all of them seemingly in a hurry.
The narrow alleyways were crowded on both sides with stalls and their respective vendors shouted loudly to attract the attention of customers. Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi were bombarded by their voices as soon as they stepped inside.
“This is an Emperor Grade Purple Lunar Jade, which is the best material for nourishing Emperor Artifacts! Don’t miss it, come take a look!”
“High-Rank Emperor Grade spirit medicine, Profound Soul Solidifying Grass! Even direct consumption will bring you endless benefits! Trade only, not selling!”
“This is the Secret Art of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Sect Leader Duan San Tai of Mountain Sect, which existed over a thousand years ago! If you successfully cultivate it, you will obtain an indestructible metal body! I’m selling this cheap for ten thousand Mid-Rank Source Crystals. I risked my life to bring it back from the Ancient Lands! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
“What? Who said that it’s fake? Come here and say it louder, I promise I won’t beat you!”
“Selling the location of a Twelfth-Order Six-Tailed Spirit Fox cub! It’s a rare beast that has the bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox! Those who want to tame it can come speak to me personally, and I will provide paid guidance service.”
“……”
Zhang Ruo Xi stared wide-eyed at her surroundings, her head whipping from side to side as she tried to take in everything around her. It was all so novel to her.
After a while, she pulled on Yang Kai’s clothes and asked in a low whisper, “Sir, what is this place? Why are there so many Emperor Grade materials, ancient Secret Arts, and even the locations of Monster Beast pups being sold? And what are these Ancient Lands they speak of?”
She could understand if it were just Emperor Grade materials, but it was truly strange for Secret Arts and locations of Monster Beast cubs to also be sold.
However, after listening for a while, she was able to gather that all of the items being sold here were brought from a place called the Ancient Lands, and the locations of the Monster Beast cubs were also in that place.
The city was chaotic but undeniably lively. Moreover, she realized that almost all of the cultivators here were Dao Source Realms or above. There were even quite a few passing Masters who exuded Emperor Aura!
How was a place like this able to attract so many Masters? Why was it so attractive to them?
Yang Kai responded with a smile, “This place sits at the border of the Ancient Wild Lands. The Ancient Lands they speak of are precisely the Ancient Wild Lands.”
“Ancient Wild Lands?” She repeated in astonishment, evidently never having heard of such a place.
“I know little about the Ancient Wild Lands. It is a place that is extremely dangerous to explore as it is home to countless Monster Beasts and even Divine Spirits, as well as many other lethal threats. Even an Emperor would not be able to guarantee his safety inside.”
“Yet despite the dangers, so many people are venturing inside… That must mean it is a place filled with treasures!” Zhang Ruo Xi realized immediately.
“This world is driven by people, while people are driven by profits. That is the sole reason for which these Masters have gathered here. Although perilous, the Ancient Wild Lands brim with treasures, and most of the items sold by people here contain a sliver of the Ancient Wild Lands’ aura, which means they were all brought out from there. Even the Yuan Ding Great Emperor’s Mountains and Rivers Bell originated from the Ancient Wild Lands.”
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes lit up with excitement. She had also undergone training in the Shattered Star Sea and naturally knew of the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but she wasn’t aware that it was now in Yang Kai’s possession.
Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Sir, are you here to enter the Ancient Lands?”
He nodded, “En, I came for the Ancient Wild Lands.”
According to the information provided by Yin Le Sheng, Xiao Xiao was indeed teleported to the Eastern Territory with him back then. However, Yin Le Sheng was injured at the time and was unable to capture Xiao Xiao, so he simply chose to fall back and lie in wait for an opportunity to subdue the strange creature.
He never thought Xiao Xiao would enter the Ancient Wild Lands to escape his pursuit, however. At the time, although he didn’t know what the Ancient Wild Lands were, Yin Le Sheng had instinctively sensed the danger from this place and was forced to give up his pursuit.
After that, he never saw Xiao Xiao again.
If the information was correct, then Xiao Xiao should still be inside the Ancient Wild Lands.
Under the constraints of the Soul Contract, and unless he knew a Secret Technique that could counter the backlash, it was unlikely for Yin Le Sheng’s words to be false.
In any case, Yang Kai had to enter the Ancient Wild Lands regardless.
He didn’t know much about this place though, and if he hadn’t come to the Eastern Territory, it was likely that Yang Kai would not have even heard this place’s name. Thus, he needed someone to provide him with information about the Ancient Wild Lands.
Originally, he had a suitable candidate: Qi Hai from Qi Family Fort!
Back when they were in the Shattered Star Sea, this person had urged Yang Kai to visit his Qi Family Fort as a guest which was situated close to the Ancient Wild Lands. Since Qi Hai was a member of the Qi Family, Yang Kai was certain that he knew many top secrets about the Ancient Wild Lands.
With his help, Yang Kai reckoned that his chance of survival in the Ancient Wild Lands would increase significantly.
Alas… the main reason Qi Hai wanted him to visit was for the Phoenix True Fire.
When she was exploring the Ancient Wild Lands, Qi Hai’s wife was inflicted with one of the Ten Extreme Poisons, the Heavenly Frost Earth Rain, instantly sealing her fate. The only possible cure was to undergo nirvana with the help of the Phoenix True Flame.
It was for this reason that Qi Hai entered the Shattered Star Sea, to find the Phoenix True Flame, conquer it, and then use it to save his wife.
However, he didn’t have such good fortune, and now the Phoenix True Flame was being refined by Liu Yan. Liu Yan had been taken to Spirit Beast Island by Jiu Feng, so naturally it would be too shameless for Yang Kai to go to Qi Hai and ask for help now.
Qi Hai had been naive to think that he could save his wife as long as he obtained the Phoenix True Flame, not knowing that refining it was dangerous and time-consuming.
As Yang Kai was speaking with Zhang Ruo Xi, a man with the head of a buck and the glinting eyes of a rat suddenly approached them and whispered furtively, “Friend, I have an Emperor Grade spirit fruit here, the Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit, that I can sell to you at a cheap price. What do you think?”
While speaking, he flipped over his palm, revealing a glowing red fruit that exuded rich Qi. It was only for a second, but the strong Spirit Qi fluctuations caused the surrounding cultivators to simultaneously look over in surprise. Contrary, the handful of stall owners who turned their heads away, all revealing strange expressions.
“Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit?” The corners of Yang Kai’s lips arched, revealing a meaningful smile.
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned and took a step back. This man was not only dressed sloppily but also smelled horrible, as though he hadn’t washed his body in several days. Moreover, as he spoke, she could see a mouthful of rotten, yellow teeth.
“Do you want it?” The man lowered his voice, as if he was afraid of being heard, “I risked my life to bring this back from the Ancient Lands. There was even a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast guarding it!”
“A Twelfth-Order Monster Beast guarding it…” Yang Kai looked speechless.
As an Emperor Grade Alchemist, he could tell with a single glance that this Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit was fake. The real Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit was indeed an Emperor Grade spirit medicine, and it was extremely rare; however, its aura was always restrained and would never exude such strong energy fluctuations.
The Nine Heavens Vibrant Cloud Fruit would only be guarded by one Monster Beast, and that was the Nine Heavens Thunder Python. It was indeed a Twelfth-Order Monster Beast, but this man’s cultivation was only First-Order Dao Source Realm. If he were to actually encounter the Nine Heavens Thunder Python, there was absolutely no possibility of him returning alive, for he would be swallowed whole in a matter of seconds.
In this nameless city, snakes and vipers crept around among dragons. Yang Kai was unfamiliar with this place, but he was familiar with that principle, so he didn’t pay it much heed.
It was most likely that this person chose to target Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi because they looked young and new to the city, easy to swindle and make a fortune off of.
Yang Kai didn’t want to pay attention to this kind of person, but a similar figure suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Thinking back when he first encountered the Bustling World Great Emperor in Maplewood City, he had also looked this sloppy…
When he thought about Duan Hong Chen, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a little worried and wondered how he was doing after his Soul fused with Wu Kuang’s.
“Can you give me an answer, friend? If you don’t want it, I’ll go find someone else!” The man couldn’t help but urge when he saw Yang Kai become absentminded.
Yang Kai glanced at him and then released his Emperor Pressure for a fleeting moment.
The man’s face immediately paled. He stumbled back and then said with a look of amazement, “So it turns out that Sir is a mighty Emperor Realm Master!”
As a cultivator in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, this man wasn’t exactly a weakling, but compared to an Emperor, he was like an ant. Yang Kai’s act of releasing his Emperor Pressure made him realize that this unremarkable-looking youth was not to be provoked.
Amidst his horror, he gave an ugly smile and said, “Since you don’t need it, Sir, this lowly one will take his leave.”
Who was he kidding? He only dared to swindle cultivators in the Dao Source Realm and was in no way courageous enough to provoke an Emperor Realm Master. If he didn’t leave now, the young man might make him suffer the consequences of disturbing him!
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly called out.
The man’s forehead was dripping with cold sweat.
“Y-Y-Yes, Sir?” he answered, trembling.
“It appears that you have been here for a long time?”
“Yes, Sir. This lowly one has resided in this city for over thirty years now.”
“Thirty years!” Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, “In other words, you must be quite familiar with the Ancient Wild Lands?”
His amiable attitude seemed to be infectious, for the sloppy man gradually calmed down and hurriedly responded, “Naturally.”
“I have some questions for you then,” Yang Kai said lightly.
“About the Ancient Land?” The man was quick-witted, immediately grasping the implications behind Yang Kai’s words.
Yang Kai nodded, “Is there a place here that we can talk?”
“If you don’t mind, Sir, this lowly one can guide you to a place. However, it is a little… expensive.”
“Very well. Lead the way!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
The man was overjoyed and quickly led the way.
Before long, the three of them entered a building that resembled a restaurant. Just like the rest of the city, the outside of the restaurant was haphazardly put together; however, the inside was quite a contrast.
Its interior was luxuriously decorated with thick, unknown animal fur on the ground and softly glowing light stones of all sizes on the walls. Even the air was filled with a faint but refreshing fragrance.
A single glance at this restaurant was enough to tell Yang Kai that its owner was a capable individual, as it would be impossible to furnish the restaurant so luxuriously otherwise.
As soon as the three walked in, a man dressed as a shop-hand came out to greet them, but when he saw the filthy swindler, he waved his hand rudely, “Shoo, shoo, shoo. Is this a place you can enter, Pi San? Hurry up and get out before you dirty our floor.”
Despite only being responsible for greeting customers, the shop-hand was actually a Third-Order Saint King, and he also looked to be quite young.
This caused Yang Kai’s eyes to flash subtly. It seemed that there were some hidden dragons and crouching tigers in this restaurant. Although a Third-Order Saint King was nothing in his eyes, the shop-hand was clearly overqualified for his job.
The swindler, Pi San, was enraged by the shop-hand’s words though and blue veins bulged on his forehead as he shouted, “Don’t you look down on us! I am here today with this Sir to eat. Hurry up and serve us whatever delicious foods and drinks you have, we do not lack Source Crystals!”
Watching him bluff and flaunt with Yang Kai’s prestige and power was quite hilarious.
“Sir?” The shop hand glanced at Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, his brow slightly furrowed.
Zhang Ruo Xi looked to be around twenty years of age, so even if her aptitude was good, it should be impossible for her to be an Emperor Realm Master. Yang Kai, on the other hand, appeared somewhat reserved and mysterious, and didn’t seem to be weak.
This shop-hand worked all year round and had developed a very keen eye, so with just a glance, he was able to determine that Yang Kai was most likely the strongest of this group, as well as its leader. If that wasn’t the case, Pi San wouldn’t go as far as to call him ‘Sir’.
Since they were here to eat, the shop hand naturally had no reason to block them. He bowed and said respectfully, “Please come in, honoured guests.”
Likewise, Pi San fawningly bowed and stepped forward to lead the way, saying, “Come with me, Sir, I’ll guide you to a private room.”
Yang Kai nodded and followed him inside.
When they passed by the shop-hand, the shop-hand suddenly said, “Sir, Pi San is a well-known swindler in these parts, especially towards those who are new to the city. Many people have been deceived by him. Be sure to keep your eyes open, don’t let yourself fall for his tricks.”
Yang Kai glanced at him and responded with a slight smile, “Many thanks for the warning, Little Brother, but don’t worry. If he dares to swindle me, I will ensure that he won’t be able to see tomorrow’s dawn.”
The shop hand smiled, “You are wise, Sir!”
When Pi San heard this, he immediately blanched and said hurriedly, “Rest assured, Sir! I, Pi San, am not a blind swindler. Sir, you are clearly so wise and powerful, how could I dare to play tricks in front of you? Wouldn’t I be courting my own death?”
However, Yang Kai’s face simply remained unchanged, the faint smile causing Pi San to feel more and more nervous.
Soon, with Pi San guiding them, the three entered a private room.
He seemed to be aware of his own unpleasant odour, so after Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi took their seats, he deliberately took a seat far away from them.
“Sir, since this is your first time here, you must try the restaurant’s Wild Wine!” He said with great enthusiasm.
Yang Kai snorted lightly, “You may order whatever you wish. Consider it a reward for answering my questions.”
Pi San was overjoyed and hurriedly said, “Many thanks, Sir!”
He was almost drooling as he spoke and immediately slapped the table to call for a waitress in an imposing manner, then he proceeded to rattle off more than a dozen dishes with ease and familiarity.
Yang Kai was slightly surprised by the names he heard as he could tell that these dishes were all made using Monster Beast parts and spirit herbs. Not only that, but they were Eleventh-Order Monster Beasts and Dao Source Grade spirit herbs!
Dishes such as these, even if they tasted horrible, were greatly beneficial for any cultivator, and with long-term consumption, they would definitely experience an increase in strength.
The waitress was quite young, and after Pi San finished ordering, she turned toward Yang Kai and said awkwardly, “Honoured guest, your order comes to a total of 530,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals. Please pardon this humble one for asking you to settle the account first.”
She seemed to know that Yang Kai was the one with the Source Crystals, not Pi San.
Upon hearing this, Pi San angrily slammed the table, “What!? Are you afraid we’ll run after eating? Both you and that shop-hand outside, so young yet already so disrespectful! Is this how you were taught to treat customers?”
The waitress’s beautiful face turned pale with fright and quickly waved her hands while denying, “No, no…”
Just as Pi San opened his mouth again to teach her a lesson, Yang Kai gave a sudden cold snort, which immediately made him shrink back and shut up.
Yang Kai took out a cloth bag from his Space Ring and handed it to the waitress, “Here.”
The waitress took it and confirmed the amount inside with her Divine Sense before smiling and nodding, “Please give us a few moments, Honoured Guests. Your food and drinks will arrive shortly.”
Saying so, she turned around and left.
This restaurant proved to be quite efficient because, before long, their order was ready. The table was filled to the brim with delicious food and wine that saturated the air with their mouth-watering aromas.
There was no lack of variety, and each and every dish looked absolutely delectable.
Pi San picked up the wine jar, respectfully walked to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi’s side, and graciously filled their cups while introducing, “The Wild Wine here is a treasure that must be tasted, Sir.”
However, Zhang Ruo Xi frowned as she snapped, “Hurry up and finish eating, so you can answer Sir’s questions!”
She treated him with undisguised displeasure.
“Young Lady, please do not regard this with offence, but it is best to drink this wine if you plan to enter the Ancient Land.”
“Why?” She looked at him suspiciously.
He responded with a slight smile, “Because every ingredient used to make this wine is from the Ancient Land, which imbues it with the aura of the Ancient Land itself. Drinking this wine will allow you to adapt slightly to the Wild Force, which will help you greatly in your venture.”
“Wild Force?” Zhang Ruo Xi still didn’t quite understand.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai revealed a thoughtful look and nodded, “Ruo Xi, drink some and feel the mysteries of the Wild Force.”
Since Yang Kai had spoken, she naturally didn’t continue to refuse, “Yes!”
She took a slight sip and savoured it, then her brow furrowed in surprise. Quickly, as though resisting something, she began to circulate her Source Qi.
Pi San watched on with a knowing look, “The energy contained within the Wild Wine is strong and vigorous. Even an Emperor Realm Master will struggle with drinking more than one jar. Please drink slowly and carefully, Young Lady.”
While he was speaking, Yang Kai also took a sip. Indeed, there was a strange power hidden in the wine that after entering his abdomen, melted into his physique, meridians, and dantian, affecting the circulation of his Emperor Qi.
However, this power was not unfamiliar to Yang Kai. He raised an eyebrow at this realization and thought to himself, [Isn’t this so-called Wild Force the same as the aura released by my Mountains and Rivers Bell?]
When Yang Kai activated the Mountains and Rivers Bell, its power surged forth and suppressed the Wild Force contained within the Wild Wine, which was indeed very similar but countless times weaker.
After figuring out the secret behind the Wild Wine, Yang Kai urged his Emperor Qi to dissolve its effects.
Pi San, who had returned to his end of the table, was already wolfing down the food like a starved ghost. He seemed to be aware that neither Yang Kai nor Zhang Ruo Xi were interested in the food, so he didn’t say anything and simply focused on stuffing his face.
Normally, he would never be able to afford to eat at a restaurant like this, but since Yang Kai said that this table of food and wine was a reward, he would not be polite.
After some time, he finally sat back, rubbed his protruding stomach in satisfaction, and let out a sound burp.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had only consumed half of the jar of Wild Wine. Yang Kai only drank one glass, while Zhang Ruo Xi drank the rest. At this point, her cheeks were already flushed, and her expression slightly dazed.
She was in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so the fact that a little under half a jar of Wild Wine could intoxicate her showed that the wine was indeed potent; however, part of the reason was probably also because she’d never drank wine before.
“Since you’ve had your fill, I will ask you my questions,” Yang Kai said indifferently, turning his gaze to the man lying relaxed in the chair.
Pi San shuddered and immediately sat up with a solemn expression on his face, “Please do, Sir! This lowly one will tell you everything he knows!”
“En,” Yang Kai was quite satisfied with his attitude and continued, “I am here for the first time and know nothing about the Ancient Lands, so tell me everything you know.”
Pi San fell silent as he organized his thoughts. After a while, he opened his mouth and said passionately, “Sir, since you’ve come to this city by word of mouth, this lowly one believes you are not absolutely ignorant about the Ancient Lands. It is a region that has never been occupied by man, for a legion of powerful Monster Beasts reside within it. There are countless natural dangers as well, so much that not even an Emperor Realm Master would be able to guarantee his own safety inside. In other words, cultivators who enter the Ancient Lands must be prepared to leave their lives there, for they may fall at any time. But of course, the greater the danger, the greater the benefits. All sorts of rare herbs grow inside, and there is no lack of other precious treasures. Thus, despite the dangers, countless Masters from across the entire Star Boundary are eager to explore this region. Countless people have met with fortune in the Ancient Land, including the famous Yuan Ding Great Emperor. It is said that his signature Mountain and Rivers Bell was found within the Ancient Lands, and it was that very bell that allowed him to rise to seize the title of Great Emperor!”
Although everything Pi San had said so far was common knowledge that Yang Kai was already aware of, he didn’t interrupt him and continued to listen attentively.
“The Ancient Lands is not a place that can be entered at will. The minimum cultivation level for those who wish to enter is the Dao Source Realm. Any lower, and they would lack the qualifications to even set foot inside.”
“There is only one path leading to the Ancient Lands, a colossal canyon that is shrouded in a thick and strange fog year-round. The fog is so thick that one would not be able to see their own five fingers stretched out before them, and it also interferes with one’s Divine Sense. This alone doesn’t pose much of a threat, but there’s more… a deadly, invisible Astral Wind that blows from time to time. Any cultivator in the Dao Source Realm who encounters this wind… heh, heh… would be left on the verge of death. Yet, there is something even more dangerous than the gale, and that is… the Falling Thunder. It is as strong as an attack from an Emperor Realm Master and thus very difficult to resist. Several years ago, there was an Emperor Realm Master who ventured into the Ancient Lands for the first time. He was confident in his strength and didn’t bother to gather information about the Ancient Lands, and as a result… he never returned. It was only three years ago that someone found his body just fifty kilometres from the entrance.”
“Masters from countless influential Sects have investigated the Ancient Lands and determined that the canyon entrance is filled with Natural Spirit Arrays. The mysterious fog, the Astral Wind, and the Falling Thunder are all produced by those very Natural Spirit Arrays. They appear sporadically, ungoverned by any discernible law. Therefore, in order to enter the Ancient Lands, luck is more important than strength. If you are lucky, you will be able to pass safely, but if you’re not… only death awaits you.”
“But that’s not all! ‘What other dangers could there be?’, you may ask. Of course, it’s the danger of our own kind! There are people who lurk in the canyon and target lone cultivators, killing and then looting them. Such people are very familiar with the environment because it is essentially their home. Encountering them would prove more troublesome than any of the canyon’s natural dangers. Therefore, you must never let your guard down while you’re there, Sir.”
“Needless to say, beyond the canyon, the Ancient Lands themself are also filled with danger at every turn. The entire region is covered in its natural aura, the Wild Force. No one knows exactly what this power is, but according to the people who returned alive, it can suppress your power by as little as less than a quarter percent to an entire half. Several Masters have fallen because of this.”
“That is also the reason I insisted that you and the Young Lady drink the Wild Wine, Sir. Although the Wild Force contained within it is much weaker than in the Ancient Lands, it will greatly familiarize you with the strange power.
“The most prevalent dangers are the ones you will face in the canyon, as well as the Wild Force. As for what dangers you may encounter once you enter the Ancient Land… Need I say more? Monster Beasts reign there amidst countless other Natural Restrictions and Spirit Arrays. It is even said that a number of Divine Spirits reside within the Ancient Land. I believe that there is truly no place in the Star Boundary more dangerous than the Ancient Lands.”
As he listened to Pi San’s explanation, Yang Kai’s expression became slightly tense.
According to what he said, the entrance alone was already extremely dangerous, let alone the land inside.
He wasn’t worried about whether he would encounter any danger after entering, but rather about Xiao Xiao whose cultivation didn’t even reach the peak of the Origin King Realm when they separated. Could he have survived in such a perilous place?
As for the Wild Force, he didn’t pay it much heed as he was already very familiar with it.
After all, the Primitive Aura from his Mountains and Rivers Bell was far stronger than the so-called Wild Force. Moreover, as the owner of the bell, Yang Kai believed that the Wild Force would not affect him much.
Pi San, on the other hand, interpreted Yang Kai’s solemn expression as wariness.
This was the normal reaction. People would hear rumours and travel to this desolate city without knowing what dangers lay within the Ancient Lands and leave in dismay once they learned. Pi San had lived in this city for over thirty years and was no stranger to the occurrence.
He pondered for a while and then said, “Sir, although the Ancient Lands are filled with opportunities, if you wish to enter merely for the sake of treasures, you should leave. It would be better to take the Young Lady elsewhere.”
The table of food had cost Yang Kai 530,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals, yet he didn’t even bat an eye, thus Pi San was very grateful and couldn’t help warning him earnestly.
“I have other reasons for entering the Ancient Lands, ones that cannot be ignored,” Yang Kai responded.
He had to find Xiao Xiao.
“I see…” Seeing Yang Kai’s determination, it would be inappropriate for Pi San to continue dissuading him. Realizing this, he pondered some more, grit his teeth, and retrieved a jade slip from his own Space Ring. “In that case, Sir, I will give you this.”
“What is this?”
Pi San grinned meaningfully, “A map of the Ancient Lands.”
“There is such a thing? Yang Kai suddenly became interested and quickly accepted the jade slip. He poured his Divine Sense into it and saw that it was indeed something like a map, and it was very easy to read.
“This is just a map of the outskirts. No one knows how vast the Ancient Lands truly are, but after so many years of exploration, some information of the outskirts has naturally been revealed. Some have combined all of the information to produce this map which marks the known dangerous regions. You should try to avoid as many of these places as possible, Sir.”
“What do the black dots on this map represent?” Yang Kai asked after studying the map for a while.
“Natural Arrays. The darker the colour, the more formidable the restriction or array.”
“What about the red dots? Are they for Monster Beasts?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Indeed, the red dots signify Monster Beasts. Similarly, the brighter the colour, the stronger the Monster Beast.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly. He looked at the map again and saw areas with densely packed red dots, clearly symbolizing areas where Monster Beasts gathered. Those were the areas that even he would have to avoid.
Pi San laughed, “If it were anyone else, this lowly one would’ve sold them a simplified jade slip, but this one is the newest and most detailed, so you can use it with confidence, Sir!”
He’d finished an entire table of food and knew how to return a favour with a favour, making Yang Kai feel that he had not spent 530,000 Low-Rank Source Crystals in vain!
“Many thanks, then!” Yang Kai nodded.
“You are too polite, Sir,” Pi San can’t help being flattered, for he had never been treated so courteously by an Emperor Realm Master before. Despite his strength, normally, people would show a look of disgust at the sight of his face and try to stay far, far away.
Yet, Yang Kai brought him to the best restaurant in this desolate city and fed him an entire table of good food and wine.
“Sir, there is one more thing I would like to tell you.”
“Go ahead. “
“If you must enter the Ancient Lands, it would be best for Sir to find Old Ban!”
“Old Ban?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
Pi San nodded, “No one knows his true name, so everyone just calls him Old Ban. He’s lived in this place for far longer than me and is very familiar with the canyon. Sir, if you can get him to be your guide, your safe entry into the Ancient Lands will be guaranteed.”
“A guide?” Yang Kai asked in surprise. To think that there was someone who could act as a guide for the Ancient Lands! It was quite relieving, actually, considering how dangerous this place was.
“You mustn’t look down on Old Ban, Sir. Although he is only a First-Order Dao Source Realm and is quite elderly, there is no better guide in this desolate city! This lowly one has lived here for thirty years and heard others speak of him countless times. The most impressive thing is that he’s actually entered and returned from the Ancient Lands over a hundred times already! Not even mentioning a hundred times, just being able to travel back and forth safely three to five times is already a big accomplishment. He is truly the most brilliant and experienced guide in the city!”
Yang Kai was visibly moved, “Over a hundred times? How is that possible?”
Pi San responded with a bitter smile, “I would also like to know, but it is a secret that Old Ban keeps to himself. However, this lowly one reckons that he must’ve established a safe route in and out.”
“He is absolutely worth paying a visit to, then. Is he currently in this city?”
It was better to be safe than sorry. Although Yang Kai was a Master who didn’t fear anything, the best option was undoubtedly to have a veteran guide him into the Ancient Lands.
“En, I saw him just yesterday; however, one must pay at least 300,000 Source Crystals for his service.”
“That’s not a problem,” Yang Kai said with a slight smile.
300,000 Source Crystals was a drop in the bucket for him. The table of food Pi San had just eaten was worth over 500,000 Source Crystals already.
“Shall I take you to him, Sir?” Pi San offered politely.
Yang Kai nodded and thought for a moment before calling the waitress over once again. He asked her to prepare ten more bottles of Wild Wine for them to take away.
He didn’t need to drink it, but it wouldn’t hurt Zhang Ruo Xi to drink more.
Before long, the waitress returned with ten jars of Wild Wine. However, to Yang Kai’s surprise, before he could take out his Space Ring to pay, the waitress smiled and told him, “Sir, the manager instructed me to give you these ten bottles of wine free of charge. Please kindly accept them.”
“The manager?” He frowned.
Pi San, however, looked amazed.
“Why did your manager decide to gift me this wine?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the waitress.
“This servant does not know,” she replied, shaking her head.
Yang Kai frowned again and waved his hand, withdrawing some Source Crystals from his Space Ring and leaving them on the table. Next, he threw the bottles of wine into his Space Ring and called out to Zhang Ruo Xi and Pi San, “Let’s go!”
The waitress was somewhat stunned. It seemed that she had never seen someone refuse a free luxury, and before she could react, they were gone.
Outside of the restaurant, Pi San opened and closed his mouth several times before losing to his curiosity, “Sir, are you acquainted with the manager?”
“No, that was my first visit!” Yang Kai responded faintly.
“That’s strange. Why did they want to give you so much Wild Wine then?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “The shopkeeper gave them to me of their own accord. I neither stole nor swindled them, so there is no need to pay it any heed.” He paused and then asked, “What is the background of this restaurant?”
“This lowly one is unsure. It was established a long time ago, and the manager has always been mysterious and never appeared in public, so no one in this city knows the background of the restaurant. However, we believe that the shopkeeper has a great force supporting him from behind. They couldn’t have gained a foothold in this place and set up such a luxurious restaurant otherwise.”
For even a local scoundrel like Pi San to not know the restaurant’s background… it seemed that the restaurant really was supported from the shadows by a great force.
Yang Kai had refused the free Wild Wine precisely because he didn’t want to have any ties with the restaurant and regret it later on.
On the second floor of the restaurant, a pair of bright eyes followed Yang Kai’s departing figure. After a moment, this figure sighed and spoke, “Send a message to Young Master and inform him that the person he mentioned has arrived. It seems that he is about to enter the Ancient Lands, so tell everyone to be prepared.”
“Yes,” a reply came from the darkness.
…..
The city was quite vast, so Yang Kai and Zhou Ruo Xi had to follow Pi San for some time before reaching their destination in the western district.
Pi San pointed to a certain stone house in the distance and said, “That is Old Ban’s residence. It would be best for Sir to go alone, as Old Ban does not have a good impression of this lowly one. This lowly one is afraid he will be prejudiced against Sir if he sees me, so I will not be accompanying you further.”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’ve worked hard.”
“You flatter me, Sir. I wish you a smooth journey and a safe return. Farewell!” As soon as his words fell, he was gone.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said before walking directly towards the house Pi San had pointed to.
The houses here were all haphazard in appearance, but they were very sturdy and conformed with the overall look of the city.
Before long, they arrived in front of the house. It resembled a farmyard, fenced in by a wall made of layered thick stones, with a gate at the centre.
Presently, the door was open, and two black-clad cultivators were standing on either side of it.
They looked at Yang Kai and Zhou Rou Xi, their expressions cold.
“Hm?” Yang Kai made a sound of surprise. Did he come to the wrong place? Not only were there cultivators guarding the entrance, but they were also both in the Dao Source Realm. Judging from their auras, they were quite powerful.
However, according to Pi San, Old Ban was just an ordinary man without a noble status. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting as a guide for a living.
“What is your purpose here?” One of the black-clad cultivators questioned.
“Excuse me, is this Old Ban’s residence?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked.
“Don’t know!” He replied coldly.
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned. She was annoyed by the man’s flippant ‘don’t know,’ as her question was just a simple yes-or-no question.
“What do you mean, you don’t know? What are you doing here, then?”
The black-clad cultivator glanced at her, then he gave a slight sneer and didn’t respond, greatly angering her.
Yang Kai glanced inside the house and then smiled, saying, “This should be the right place, but it seems that there is someone inside.” He turned his gaze to the black-clad cultivator, “Is it your Master?”
“You talk too much. You should hurry and scram out of here,” the cultivator on the right suddenly spoke up.
Yang Kai grinned, “Why?”
The cultivator on the left snorted coldly, “Are you looking for trouble? Didn’t you hear me tell you to scram? “
“Isn’t this the residence of Old Ban? What right do you have to tell us to leave?” Yang Kai wondered.
“Our Young Lady is inside. Scram if you don’t want to die!”
Yang Kai was taken aback slightly by this situation. He didn’t know which great force these two cultivators and their Young Lady belonged to, but it should be common knowledge that this desolate city was crawling with hidden experts. There was no telling when you might offend the wrong person.
However, seeing that these guards were completely fearless, the force behind them must be quite formidable.
Unfortunately for them, Yang Kai had killed a cultivator at the Third-Order Emperor Realm and even fought against a Great Emperor before. There were very few people in the world who could intimidate him.
He wasn’t angered by these fierce-looking guards and instead said in a harmonious voice, “I’ve come to see Old Ban. Please make way.”
His eyes flashed as he spoke.
The two black-clad cultivators, who had looked so domineering and arrogant, suddenly groaned. As if they had been struck by lightning, they staggered back several steps, their faces pale.
A feeling of extreme pressure descended upon them, and they felt as if they had been pressed down by a mountain, making it difficult to breathe or even lift a finger. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads, and they could only watch as Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi walked past them.
Zhang Ruo Xi was still angered by their previous actions and even raised her fist to hit them.
Before they could step foot inside the house, however, there was a sudden yell, and then the sound of something breaking.
After a soft thump, a low groan sounded. At the same time, the shrill cry of a little girl entered Yang Kai’s ears.
His expression sank and he immediately rushed into the house. He looked around and found an old man with grey hair kneeling down on the floor. His aura was First-Order Dao Source Realm; however, due to his old age, his vitality was weak, rendering his cultivation somewhat weaker than it should have been.
This person was most likely Old Ban.
His back was facing away from the entrance as he clutched a little girl in his arms. On his shoulder was a horrifying bloodstain, which seemed to have been caused by a whip, and there were even signs of flesh being cleaved from his form.
The little girl in his arms was crying loudly, seemingly extremely frightened.
Aside from the old man and the little girl, there were two other people inside the house.
One was a man who looked to be in his fifties, wearing a cold and indifferent expression on his face.
The other one was a young woman in a flaming red dress. She didn’t look much older than Zhang Ruo Xi. She bore exquisite features and a voluptuous figure, which was further accentuated by her tight-fitting dress. Her appearance was like the embodiment of a blooming red rose.
However, at the moment, she was holding a whip in her hand and raising it high, ready to lash out. With a fierce expression on her face, she snarled, “Don’t refuse a face-saving offer, you old thing. You should feel honoured that this Young Lady is asking you to guide her! If you dare to refuse, I’ll kill you!”
The bloody wound on the old man’s shoulder was caused by the red-clothed girl’s whip, and it was also because of her that the little girl was crying.
“I’ll ask you once more! Will you guide me or not?” The young woman asked as she looked down viciously at the old man.
The old man lowered his head and grit his teeth, “Young Lady, could you spare me a few days? Xiao Ling’er is ill and must be taken care of. If I leave now, she’ll…!”
“What does this dirty brat being sick have to do with this Young Lady? This Young Lady’s time is very precious. Not even a moment of delay is acceptable, let alone a few days! I’ll ask you one last time, will you guide me or not?!” The red-robed girl coldly snorted, not the slightest bit moved.
Old Ban pleaded bitterly, “Two days, this old man only needs two days of time. After two days, this old man will guide you safely into the Ancient Land, Young Lady!”
“Since you’ve chosen to refuse a toast, you must drink a loss. You’re courting death, you old thing!” The red-clothed girl snarled. She was evidently incensed as she lashed out with her whip.
The young woman’s cultivation was not low. Like Zhang Ruo Xi, she was in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Yang Kai couldn’t tell what type of Secret Technique she was using, but as her rage increased, her attack also seemed to become more vicious, calling forth the peals of wind and lightning.
If this whip were to land, Old Ban, with his First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, would have no way of resisting and be left half dead. However, her whip was suddenly caught mid-air. The other party didn’t seem to be exerting much force, yet the red-clothed young woman found herself unable to budge one bit.
She was furious, and turning her head, she immediately caught sight of another young woman like herself who had appeared behind her without her realizing.
Zhang Ruo Xi was the one who grabbed the whip. Although she was ruthless and savage when fighting, her personality was still innocent and kind. She was naturally enraged by the atrocity occurring before them and intervened without needing Yang Kai to give the command.
“What’s wrong with you?!” she exclaimed.
The red-clothed girl frowned and snapped, “Who are you, little girl? How dare you meddle in this Young Lady’s affairs!”
Zhang Ruo Xi snorted coldly, “Who are you calling a little girl? Aren’t you one too? No matter what, it’s wrong to beat people. This elder said to give him two days. Can’t you see that the little girl is sick?!”
“You dare talk back to me?” The red-clothed girl was like an active volcano, always erupting in anger, “I’ll kill you!”
As she spoke, she tried to pull back her weapon, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to free it from Zhang Ruo Xi’s grasp.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s small, fair hand looked like it barely contained any strength, but her grip was like a vice.
The red-clothed girl’s face changed slightly as she realized Zhang Ruo Xi wasn’t as easy to deal with as she thought. Although they were both Third-Order Dao Source Realms, the red-clothed girl was clearly a spoiled, sheltered girl with no real combat experience.
She tried several times to get her whip back but always failed, causing her little face to turn red with embarrassment.
“Why haven’t you moved yet, Old Fu?” She stomped her feet angrily and grit her teeth, “This Young Lady has been bullied! If you don’t make a move now, I’ll go back and tell Lord Father to break your legs! And what are the two wastes outside doing? Their job was to stop people from intruding! When we get back, this Young Lady is going to take their Souls and turn them into slaves!”
However, even after she finished yelling, Old Fu didn’t move.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t.
He’d noticed when Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi broke in but he still didn’t pay them much heed; after all, they both looked young, so even if they had some skill, they wouldn’t be too much to handle.
When Zhang Ruo Xi moved to grab his Young Lady’s whip, Old Fu had wanted to stop her, but when his eyes suddenly met Yang Kai’s, his heart suddenly jumped, and then his mind fell into a momentary trance. As a result, he was unable to stop Zhang Ruo Xi.
Afterwards, he and Yang Kai just stared at each other silently.
In that moment, Old Fu was given a great shock, because he discovered that the young man in front of him was actually a genuine Emperor Realm Master!
[To think he is already an Emperor at such a young age. Does he belong to one of the great forces, or did he encounter a great opportunity in the Shattered Star Sea?]
Recently, many rising stars appeared in the Star Boundary, and it was no secret that there were many new Emperors. Old Fu believed that Yang Kai was one of those rising stars.
However, even though he was shocked, he still didn’t pay much attention to Yang Kai. Few people would dare to provoke his Young Lady, and compared to those few people, Yang Kai was nothing special.
Thus, under the repeated urging of his Young Lady, he finally took action.
A divine light suddenly shot out from his two eyes, and like a sharp sword, it pierced into Yang Kai’s mind.
“A Soul Technique!” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Since they were both First-Order Emperors, Old Fu couldn’t unleash a Soul Attack as his first strike if he didn’t have absolute confidence in the power of his own Soul. Doing so was risky because if his opponent’s Soul was stronger than his, he would be dealt a strong backlash.
Judging from the strength of Old Fu’s attack, his Soul was indeed very strong, superior to most cultivators in the First-Order Emperor Realm, and almost on par with a Second-Order Emperor.
This was most likely the source of his confidence.
As soon as he unleashed the attack, Old Fu turned his attention from Yang Kai to Zhang Ruo Xi. He seemed to believe that even if the attack failed to hurt Yang Kai, it would at least force him back for a while.
When the red-clothed girl saw Old Fu moving to take action, she began to shout excitedly, “Good, good, good! Old Fu, grab this cheap slut for me. This Young Lady is going to ruin her face to show her the consequences of messing with me!”
Zhang Ruo Xi felt a strong pressure bearing down on her as Old Fu drew near, and it even became slightly difficult to breathe. When she heard the red-clothed girl’s vicious words, her face turned pale.
She was only in her early twenties and hadn’t seen much of the world. If her face really were to get ruined, she would have a hard time going out in public.
Although she was indifferent about her looks, who would want to experience such torture?
The visible panic on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face gave the red-clothed girl a great sense of pride and satisfaction.
“Oh, now you’re afraid? It’s too late! This Young Lady will not only ruin your face, but will also strip you naked and throw you out so those dirty men outside can enjoy you!” She said, laughing happily.
Zhang Ruo Xi grew dizzy with fear, and her pale face became even more bloodless.
In her mind, she couldn’t help but imagine herself naked and surrounded by countless men, and she almost started to cry.
If that kind of thing really were to happen, she was afraid she would be too ashamed to keep on living.
Suddenly, a cold snort sounded from the side, “Hmph! Which family’s little girl is this? To be so vicious at such a young age!”
It was Yang Kai. Even as a man, he couldn’t tolerate the red-clothed girl’s words. Ruining Zhang Rou Xi’s face and tearing off her clothes? It was too cruel.
Old Fu, who had just grabbed towards Zhang Rou Xi, suddenly began to shake from head to toe, as though he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. The powerful aura around his body suddenly weakened, and he staggered back several steps in shock.
Yang Kai had countered his Soul Technique. Fortunately, Old Fu was simply focused on protecting his Mistress and didn’t use his full strength. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
[This young man’s Spiritual Energy… is actually stronger than mine?]
[How could this be?]
He knew very well how strong his Spiritual Energy was because in his early years, he came across the Waterfall Divine Grass, which allowed his Spiritual Energy to soar after it was refined. An ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm cultivator couldn’t be stronger than him in this regard, yet this young man was not only able to protect himself, but also to deal a small injury to him in return. Was this young man actually a Second-Order Emperor?
He’d heard that there were many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in this desolate city, and apparently, that saying was true!
Old Fu turned towards Yang Kai with a gloomy expression.
He had thought that he would be able to run rampant in this city and protect himself with his status and strength, but now, it seemed that he was a little naive.
How many Monsters like this young man were hidden in this city?
Without Old Fu’s aura oppressing her, Zhang Ruo Xi’s spirit was immediately restored. Meanwhile, the red-clothed girl was still chattering away about how she was going to torture her.
Zhang Ruo Xi angrily let go of the whip and leapt forward, striking the red-clothed girl in the chest with a palm.
“Ah!” The red-clothed girl was still waiting for Old Fu to finish off her opponent and was caught off guard by Zhang Ruo Xi’s palm. She screamed and flew backwards in the air.
Old Fu was startled and immediately stretched out a hand, his Emperor Qi sweeping forth to catch his Young Lady as he didn’t even dare to touch her with his hands.
However, what bewildered Yang Kai was the fact that the red-clothed girl did nothing to counter Zhang Ruo Xi’s palm. After she fell down, she simply stood back up, shook her head a few times and then stared at Zhang Ruo Xi blankly.
It wasn’t until several moments later that she reacted, “You… hit me?”
She seemed to be in disbelief.
Then, all of a sudden, she became hysterical, as if Zhang Ruo Xi had done something absolutely unforgivable. Her beautiful eyes turned red, and her face twisted into a ferocious expression.
“How dare you hit me, you cheap slut!”
As soon as her words fell, the peals of wind and thunder sounded again and her whip sliced through the air, flying viciously toward Zhang Ruo Xi.
Zhang Ruo Xi was also stunned. She’d attacked the young woman in anger but didn’t expect her to just stand there and get hit! Moreover, when her palm came into contact with this red-clothed girl, it felt as though she had struck not a human body made of flesh, but a mass of cotton.
It was her first time encountering something like this, so she couldn’t help but become slightly distracted.
She returned to her senses just before the whip landed. Gritting her teeth, Zhang Ruuo Xi flickered and reappeared again before the red-clothed girl. Her fair hands moved quickly, turning into countless afterimages as she pushed her Source Qi and sent a rush of fists towards the red-clothed girl.
The red-clothed girl was clearly a pampered Young Lady from a great force. Although she was strong, she lacked actual combat experience. The state of rage she was in made her lose any semblance of control and she could now only lash her whip around haphazardly, completely unable to draw out her full strength.
Zhang Ruo Xi had not participated in many battles, but in the twenty-odd days she spent in Purple Mountain City, she’d fought countless life or death battles in the arena. As such, she had far more experience than the red-clothed girl.
Thus, their fight quickly became one-sided, with the red-clothed girl being completely suppressed.
*Peng peng peng…*
Zhang Ruo Xi landed blow after blow on the red-clothed girl, each one causing her to stagger and fall back, while none of her blows landed on Zhang Ruo Xi.
However, even after receiving several dozen blows in rapid succession, the red-clothed girl remained unhurt, and her fierce aura was not diminished at all. However, the fight did make her extremely angry and she was constantly yelling curses, her pretty face twisted into an expression that made her look like a man-eating monster.
“A defensive Emperor Artifact!” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly, finally understanding why the red-clothed young woman was not injured.
With every blow that Zhang Ruoxi landed, the red-clothed girl’s body would flash with a faint gleam of light, which absorbed the impact of the blows.
Such a powerful defensive ability could only be due to a defensive Emperor Artifact. In other words, she was definitely wearing a powerful Artifact Armour!
Emperor Treasures were rare, and defensive ones were even rarer. The fact that this girl possessed one proved that her status was by no means low.
Although the red-clothed girl was not injured, she was battered and exhausted by Zhang Ruo Xi. She was forced back repeatedly as she continued to scream fiercely, “I’ll kill you, kill you, kill you…!”
After a while, she realized that she was not Zhang Ruo Xi’s opponent at all though and shouted at Old Fu, “Why haven’t you killed her yet, Old Fu?!”
However, Old Fu was also suffering. Yang Kai had just countered his Soul Technique, and although he wasn’t seriously injured by the backlash, he could tell that Yang Kai was keeping an eye on him. Thus, he didn’t dare to act rashly.
When he heard his Young Lady’s call, he could only gnash his teeth and rush towards Zhang Ruo Xi. However, as soon as he moved, Yang Kai appeared in front of him like a ghost and unleashed a palm in his direction calmly as he stated, “You shouldn’t interfere in the fight between the two young girls, Old Fu. An Elder shouldn’t bully his Juniors.”
*Sii…*
Old Fu drew a sharp breath of cold air and forced himself to draw back. Yang Kai’s palm seemed absolutely ordinary and undistinguished, yet it brought him a sense of deadly danger.
He didn’t doubt that if it had landed, he would’ve been left half-dead.
[Who is this little brat?! How is he so powerful?]
Even though he wanted to save his Mistress, his eyes were filled with anxiety and hesitation. There was nothing he could do now.
Meanwhile, Old Ban had long retreated to a corner of the house. He was still holding Xiao Ling’er tightly in his arms, protecting her as he watched the ongoing fight with a look of horror on his face.
Although he had lived in this desolated city all his life, he was only a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator in the end. Now that he had Xiao Ling’er to take care of, he was naturally afraid of provoking other people’s anger.
But now, two young women and two Emperors Realm Masters were facing off inside his house, causing him to feel dazed.
Both groups of people seemed to come from great backgrounds, neither of which he could afford to provoke. Although he was grateful to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi for their help, he dared not say a single word and could only pray secretly for there to be no deaths.
*Peng peng peng…*
The red-clothed girl was forced to a corner by Zhang Ruo Xi’s attacks. She was completely helpless, and all of the attacks she unleashed were easily avoided by Zhang Ruo Xi. It was as though she had become a sandbag, unable to do anything except passively accept the blows.
Fortunately, her defensive Emperor Artifact was extremely strong, and Zhang Ruo Xi was attacking without murderous intent. Therefore, although the red-clothed girl looked battered and exhausted, her life was not at any risk.
However, being beaten like this really made her lose all face, and her aggrieved eyes were red, either from anger or the urge to cry.
Old Fu was frightened by Yang Kai and couldn’t help his Young Lady directly, so he gritted his teeth and shouted, “Junior, tell your little companion to stop and apologize to my Young Lady, otherwise the two of you will die!”
“You dare to threaten me?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, his chilly gaze sweeping over to Old Fu, causing the latter’s heart to tremble and his throat to bob nervously.
Old Fu calmed himself down and continued, “I’m warning you now, my Young Lady’s identity is…”
Without waiting for him to finish, Yang Kai turned his head and shouted to Zhang Ruo Xi, “She’s wearing a defensive Emperor Artifact, Ruo Xi. It’s pointless for you to keep attacking her like this.”
Due to some unknown power, Old Fu felt a buzz in his head and became unable to finish his words.
“A defensive Emperor Artifact?” Zhang Ruo Xi was enlightened by his words. No wonder it felt like she had been hitting cotton the whole time. It turned out that, like her, this red-clothed girl was being protected by an Emperor Artifact!
“What should I do, then?” Zhang Ruo Xi stepped back and stopped attacking.
Although she was still angry, after being attacked so furiously for so long, the red-clothed girl also looked pale. Anyone who had been beaten so furiously without being able to hit back would be frightened, even if she was being protected by an Emperor Artifact.
Her eyes, as she looked at Zhang Ruo Xi, were now full of fear. No one had dared to defy her from when she was a child until now, and even if she had asked for the stars in the sky, many people would clamour to pick them for her!
She had never been hit by someone before, yet… today, in this dilapidated stone house, in this desolate city, she was hit by Zhang Ruo Xi over a hundred times.
Upon hearing Zhang Ruo Xi’s question, Yang Kai touched his chin and said leisurely, “That Emperor Artifact may be powerful, but it cannot protect every part of her body. Didn’t she say that she wanted to ruin your face?”
Zhang Ruo Xi immediately nodded and said, “Ruo Xi understands!”
As she spoke, she coldly looked at the red-clothed girl, her beautiful eyes sweeping up and down her face.
“You… What are you planning?!” As soon as she saw the malicious intention in Zhang Ruo Xi’s gaze, the red-clothed girl’s eyes filled with panic. She cried out and tried to step back, but how could she retreat when there was only a wall behind her? The whip in her hands had long fallen to the ground.
Old Fu’s face also turned pale with fright. According to Yang Kai’s words, the other young woman was going to hit his Young Lady’s face. With his Young Lady’s temper, he was afraid the whole Eastern Territory would be shaken by her rage, so he shouted loudly, “Listen carefully, little brat, my Young Lady is from…”
“I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you!!” Yang Kai shook his head back and forth like a rattle, and once again, Old Fu’s words came to an abrupt end as he was unable to finish. Old Fu immediately realized that Yang Kai knew that their background was extraordinary and thus didn’t want to know it, lest he regret his actions after knowing.
[How despicable and shameless!] Usually, even the strongest of opponents would retreat in fear after learning the identity and background of his Young Lady; however, because this brat was using some strange power to seal his mouth, he was unable to reveal their status!
Yang Kai then coldly snorted, “Ruo Xi, if anyone here other than me dares to say another word, slap that girl’s face!”
“Okay!” Naturally, Zhang Ruo Xi obeyed. Since it was Yang Kai’s order, even if the person standing before her was the Heavens’ Jade Emperor, she would still comply.
“You dare!” The red-clothed girl shouted.
*Pa…*
With a crisp sound, the girl’s head whipped to the side, and a red palm imprint appeared on her left cheek.
Dumbfounded, she covered her cheek with her hand and stared dazedly at Zhang Ruo Xi. The burning pain on her cheek both terrified and amazed her. It wasn’t until several moments later that she reacted, “You actually dared to…”
*Pa…*
This time, a red palm imprint appeared on her right cheek.
“Wa…” The red-clothed girl cried out as her tears streamed down like a trail of glistening pearls, looking completely heartbroken.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruo Xi frowned and threatened, “Shut up! If you keep crying, I’ll slap you again!”
These words seemed to carry infinite intimidation, because the red-clothed girl abruptly stopped crying. However, her shoulders were still shaking with sobs.
She was really scared of being beaten.
Zhang Ruo Xi coldly snorted, “I only slapped you twice, yet you’re already crying like it’s the end of the world! Did you stop to think about your own actions when you were hitting the old man? He only asked you to wait two days! It’s not like he refused to guide you! Do you even know how painful your whip is?!”
“Impudent little girl!” Old Fu couldn’t help but shout. How could he possibly tolerate seeing his Young Lady be slapped and severely berated by this little girl?
In response, Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand and slapped the red-clothed girl again.
“Sir said to hit you if anyone dares to speak. If you want to blame someone, blame the person who just spoke.”
The red-clothed girl turned her head, her beautiful eyes erupting in rage as she glared murderously at Old Fu.
“Urk…” Old Fu shrunk back under her glare, knowing that his Young Lady would remember this and resent him for it.
Yang Kai laughed and looked at him, “Do you have something else to say, old man? If so, this Young Master is all ears!”
Old Fu’s expression was frigid as he glared at Yang Kai, but he dared not say a word.
Who was he kidding? His Young Lady would be slapped if he said a single word. She already bore resentment against him for the first incident, so if it happened again, he was afraid she would make it so he wouldn’t be able to see the next dawn.
However, he had already failed his duty as the Young Lady’s guard, because he was completely helpless as she was being bullied. Who knew what kind of punishment would be awaiting him after they returned.
The predicament weighed down on his heart. He felt dizzy and sick, his stomach tossing and turning like wine in a shaking jar. He wanted nothing more than to faint right this instant. After all, what the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve.
“Do you really have nothing more to say, old man?” Yang Kai asked, smiling.
Old Fu’s expression was calm as he stayed silent. He was old and experienced, so how could he fall for Yang Kai’s trick? His Young Lady would be slapped if he spoke again.
Yang Kai turned back around and looked at the red-clothed girl, “What about you? Do you have anything to say?”
Tears were still streaming down her face, stinging her burning red cheeks. She didn’t dare to say anything, so she quickly shook her head back and forth like a rattle.
“In that case…” Yang Kai’s expression suddenly sank, and he coldly snorted, “Get out!”
To Old Fu, those words were like an amnesty. He didn’t dare to say anything as he rushed to his Young Lady and enveloped her in his Emperor Qi, grabbed her fallen whip, and bolted for the door.
However, just as he reached it, he turned his head and shot Yang Kai a cold, hatred-filled glare.
He didn’t dare to voice a blatant threat because he knew he wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, but he refused to leave in such a shameful manner. Thus, he chose to leave him with a meaningful glare.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t stop them and only watched as they retreated.
After they disappeared, she made her way to the other side of the house, squatted down, and looked at the girl named Xiao Ling’er, “Don’t be afraid, Little Sister, we’ve chased the bad people away!”
Xiao Ling’er’s cheeks were stained with tears. Perhaps it was because Zhang Ruo Xi had saved her and her Grandpa, but at this moment, she wasn’t frightened at all. She stared wide-eyed at Zhang Ruo Xi, seemingly curious about how this Elder Sister could be even more amazing than her Grandpa.
Old Ban stood up shakingly and cupped his fists, saying, “Many thanks to this Little Brother and Young Lady for your assistance. This old man will be forever indebted!”
If Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi hadn’t come here today, he would undoubtedly have no choice but to leave with the red-clothed girl. He didn’t care about entering the Ancient Land as he was confident he would be able to return safely, but how could he rest assured knowing that Xiao Ling’er would be alone while sick?
“You are too polite, Elder. It was only natural for us to intervene,” Zhang Ruo Xi smiled slightly, not taking credit.
Old Ban sighed and said, “This old man has implicated the two of you. May I know the names of my great benefactors?”
Having lived in this desolated city for so long, he’d naturally developed a keen eye for people. The red-clothed girl was undoubtedly of extraordinary status, and his benefactors had offended her for his sake. He was afraid the red-clothed girl would target them for revenge and felt extremely apologetic.
Yang Kai slightly smiled and didn’t answer. Instead, he just said, “Elder, Xiao Ling’er’s illness seems to be quite severe. It would be best to focus on her recovery and then leave this place as soon as possible. We won’t bother you any longer.”
As he spoke, he sent Zhang Ruo Xi a glance, signalling that it was time to leave.
Although his main purpose for coming here was to ask Old Ban to guide him into the Ancient Lands, he would have to abandon his original plan. He couldn’t make the old man leave his sick granddaughter alone like this.
Furthermore, Yang Kai was confident that he would be able to enter the Ancient Lands even without Old Ban’s guidance. There may just be some more twists and turns on the road.
He would only be making things hard for Old Ban if he asked him to guide them.
“Grandpa…” Xiao Ling’er suddenly called out in a weak voice.
Immediately afterwards, Old Ban shouted, “Please, wait!”
Yang Kai looked back at him.
“Little Brother, I presume you came to ask this old man to take you into the Ancient Lands?”
Old Ban had no other friends or family, so this was the only reason people visited him. It was what the red-clothed girl came for, and he had no doubt Yang Kai was the same.
There was nothing to hide, so Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
“In that case, this old man shall ask the two of you to wait outside the entrance of the Ancient Lands tomorrow. This old man will meet you there and take you inside!”
Yang Kai raised his brows and said with a slight smile, “Many thanks for your kind offer, but… You should take care of Xiao Ling’er first.”
Old Ban touched Ling’er’s head and replied, “This is what Xiao Ling’er wants. I cannot disappoint her.”
Yang Kai frowned, “But if you lead me into the Ancient Lands, where will Xiao Ling’er go?”
“I have lived here for many years and am not without connections. Naturally, I know a safe place that Xiao Ling’er can go to.” He paused and then continued, “This old man possesses nothing of value, and this is all I can do to thank my two benefactors. I hope you will accept this, Little Brother.”
At this point, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Yang Kai to keep refusing, so he nodded, “Very well. I will thank you in advance, Old Ban. Ruo Xi and I will be waiting for you tomorrow at the entrance.”
“Then it’s settled! Take care!” Old Ban cupped his fists and bowed slightly.
Just then, Xiao Ling’er suddenly called out to them, “Big Brother, Elder Sister, be careful! I’ve heard Grandpa say that it’s very dangerous there. You must come back alive!”
Zhang Ruo Xi smiled upon hearing her, “Okay! Xiao Ling’er also needs to take good care of herself and grow up quickly!”
Xiao Ling’er nodded enthusiastically. Her face, which was pale from her illness, blushing a little red.
After leaving Old Ban’s residence, Yang Kai took Zhang Ruo Xi and left the city, heading straight in the direction of the Ancient Lands. They found its entrance an hour later.
They searched for a quiet spot and sat down cross-legged, after which Yang Kai took out the jade slip given to him by Pi San and studied the map of the Ancient Lands carefully.
The Ancient Lands were filled with danger at every turn. There was no lack of Monster Beasts and natural arrays, and even an Emperor Realm Master could not guarantee their safety inside. Although Yang Kai was strong, he was not arrogant enough to enter without making the proper preparations.
Furthermore, he intended to use this map to see if he could find Xiao Xiao’s location.
Naturally, it would be best if he could find Xiao Xiao on the perimeter of the Ancient Lands, but if not, he would have to venture into deeper, more dangerous regions.
…..
“Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill them all!” A hundred kilometres away from the desolate city, on a deserted hillside, the red-clothed girl was seething. Her face was twisted with anger and hatred as she cursed incessantly.
She had never suffered a single loss from when she was a child till now, let alone get slapped in public.
Although she was terribly frightened at the time, so much that she lost the courage to even speak, when she got to a safe place, the humiliation and rage immediately surged forth. It was so suffocating that it almost made her vomit blood.
She had to get revenge, no matter what!
She grit her teeth and continued to curse as she held her whip and lashed at the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm guards over and over again.
These two cultivators were talented and had come from a powerful Sect. In the outside world, they could be considered top experts. However, facing the red-clothed girl’s whip, they didn’t dare to dodge or use their Source Qi to resist. They could only clench their teeth and stay rooted in place.
The whip fell once more. Fresh blood flowed, and flesh tore open. Their tattered clothes were already covered in blood.
There was also a burst of anger in their eyes. However, the anger was not directed at their own Young Lady, but Yang Kai.
In their minds, they believed that if it weren’t for Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, their Young Lady wouldn’t be beating them.
It was all Yang Kai’s fault.
Old Fu stood beside them, terrified that his Young Lady would also beat him with a whip in her fury, and he didn’t dare to speak up.
If he, an Emperor Realm Master, was whipped by his weak Young Lady, he would really lose all face.
Fortunately, his Young Lady seemed to be giving him some consideration. Although she was angry to the point of losing her mind, she didn’t punish him openly. Instead, her whip only fell on the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators again and again, faster and harder with each lash. They were in so much pain that they couldn’t help but look at Old Fu for help.
However, Old Fu turned a blind eye, leaving them to howl miserably in their hearts.
After venting for a long time, the girl finally seemed to be tired. Gasping for breath, she fell to the ground. Her clothes were damp with sweat, making her graceful body faintly visible.
However, no one dared to appreciate this beautiful scenery. Old Fu kept his gaze downward, while the two guards were practically on the verge of death. They stood there trembling and looked as though they could fall at any moment.
“Old Fu, send a message back to the palace and tell them to quickly send some people here!” The red-haired girl ordered suddenly.
Old Fu was startled, “What do you plan to do, Young Lady?”
The red-clothed girl sneered and responded, “What do I plan to do? What do you think? Of course, I’m going to capture those two dogs. I’m going to skin them, eat their meat, and drink their blood. I’m going to kill them!”
“You mustn’t, Young Lady!”
“What? Am I supposed to expect you to avenge me? I know you’re too scared!”
Her words were humiliating but true. He didn’t dare to go up against Yang Kai.
Even so, he advised, “Young Lady, Sir said that he permitted you to leave this time so you can train your temperament. You cannot bully others again using your status. If Sir were to hear the whole story, Young Lady, you would never be let out of the palace again! Have you forgotten what happened three years ago?”
As soon as Old Fu mentioned ‘what had happened three years ago’, the red-clothed girl suddenly seemed to recall something and her face immediately turned pale and filled with fear.
Three years ago, she ventured out just like this and made a small mistake. She bullied several cultivators using her identity to get her way, and the next day, she was caught by her father and was put under house arrest for three years.
Three years, three whole years. It was truly torturous to be imprisoned for three years, so close yet so far to the noise and prosperity of the outside world.
Finally regaining her freedom wasn’t easy. If her father caught her again, she was afraid three years of confinement would become thirty this time.
After being reminded by Old Fu, the red-clothed girl dared not mention sending a message back to the palace again. She would be locked up while that dog couple would remain unscathed.
The red-clothed girl’s eyes reddened with grievance, “Lord Father is biased! He lets Big Brother leave the palace whenever he wants, and he doesn’t even have to take guards with him! Lord Father doesn’t care if he slaughters people or sets fires to cities, but when it comes to me, I have to not only bring trash along but also abide by so many rules! Lord Father is so unfair!”
She was filled with resentment and kept on yelling incessantly, but Old Fu dared not agree to anything she said. His Sir possessed extraordinary strength and ability. It was acceptable for the Young Lady to say such things because she was his biological daughter, but if he were to agree and his Sir found out… he would lose his life!
“What should I do then?!” The red-clothed girl stomped her foot. Not being able to vent her anger made her feel uncomfortable all over.
It was impractical to ask the palace to send people over while relying on these three good-for-nothings was impossible, but she couldn’t just let this go. If she did, she was afraid she would no longer be able to sleep at night! The humiliation would induce a lifelong nightmare, enough to leave a severe psychological shadow in her heart!
Old Fu didn’t seem to have any ideas either as his expression twisted into one of bitterness.
“Waste, you’re all a bunch of wastes!” The more she looked at Old Fu and the two guards, the angrier she became, until she burst out, “This Young Lady was bullied, yet you can’t do anything! What use do I even have for you?!”
At this moment, Old Fu suddenly lit up as though he’d thought of something, “Please calm your anger, Young Lady! This Old Master may have thought of a good idea!”
“What? Hurry, let’s hear it! If it succeeds in crushing that dog couple and helping this Young Lady get revenge, this Young Lady will reward you handsomely and even put in a few good words for you in front of Lord Father!”
Old Fu chuckled, “Being able to accompany the Young Lady is already the greatest honour this Old Master can have. There is no need for…”
“Stop dawdling and spit it out already!” The red-clothed girl interrupted him impatiently.
Old Fu lightly coughed and said, “The power of the palace cannot be mobilized, and this Old Master is not that little brat’s opponent. If the Young Lady wants revenge, then we can only borrow the hands of outsiders.”
“Outsiders?” The red-clothed girl’s eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, “Who?”
“This Old Master will have to inquire about that first and see who in the vicinity can be of use to you, Young Lady.”
Upon hearing this, the red-clothed girl’s beautiful eyes suddenly brightened and she urged anxiously, “Then what are you still waiting for? When this Young Lady was still in the palace, those people were practically tripping over each other while trying to please me! Now that this Young Lady has a use for them, they definitely won’t refuse.”
“Yes, yes, it is an honour to be of use to the Young Lady! Who would refuse?” Old Fu smiled, spewing flattery as he withdrew a communication artifact from his Space Ring.
“Please allow this Old Master a few moments, Young Lady.”
He poured his Divine Sense into the communication artifact, which emitted faint rays of light as it began to send out messages.
The red-clothed girl watched on eagerly with an expectant gaze. It seemed as though she could already see Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi being surrounded by a group of people, kneeling down, and begging her for mercy… the thought of it made her incredibly happy.
Her heart was utterly ruthless. When the time came, she intended to make Yang Kai kneel down and lick the dirt off her shoes. Then, she would ruin the woman’s face, strip her naked, and throw her onto the busiest street here.
[Anyone who dares to provoke this Young Lady will suffer the consequences!]
“I have found someone!” Old Fu exclaimed after some time.
“Who is it?” she asked excitedly.
“Some time ago, many people from the Netherworld Sect entered the Ancient Lands, including Elder Hua Fei Chen,” Old Fu replied.
“Hua Fei Chen?” The red-clothed girl raised her eyebrows, “The Second-Order Emperor Realm Master who has a good relationship with you?”
“Yes, him!”
The red-clothed girl clapped her hands together, “Good! With Hua Fei Chen on our side, that dog couple won’t be able to escape from my palm! Old Fu, quickly, send a message to those Netherworld Sect people and tell them to get out of the Ancient Lands. Just say that this Young Lady has an order for him!”
“There is no need for that, Young Miss. We will be able to find him once we enter the Ancient Lands,” Old Fu said.
Upon hearing that, she frowned, “Find him? Why?”
Old Fu couldn’t help but think that this little girl’s intelligence was limited. How could she not even understand something so simple? If she were someone else, he would’ve slapped her already for her foolishness. However, since she was his Young Lady, he could only patiently explain, “Young Lady, what do you think that dog couple’s purpose for going to that old man is?”
The red-clothed girl looked at him blankly, “What?”
The corner of Old Fu’s mouth twitched. Still, he had to push down his frustration and explained, “What was our purpose for going to see that old man”?
“So he can guide us into the Ancient Lands!” The red-clothed girl exclaimed, “Didn’t the people here say that he’s the best guide in the entire city? Why else would this noble Young Lady go to that rundown shack of his.”
After she said this, she seemed to have been hit with a great realization, “That dog couple was also there to get the old man to take them into the Ancient Lands!”
Old Fu was relieved. [Oh, thank Heavens, you finally figured it out.]
It wasn’t easy on his conscience, but he had to praise her, “As expected, the Young Lady is bright and talented.”
The red-clothed girl coldly snorted, “Why did you have to make such a simple matter sound so complicated? You could’ve just said that they’re also going to enter the Ancient Lands!”
“Haha…” Old Fu forced a smile and then continued, “Since they are going to enter the Ancient Land, we should dispose of them there to avoid being found out.”
“Good!” The red-clothed girl nodded and waved a hand, “In that case, let’s also enter the Ancient Lands. Old Fu, send that Hua Fei Chen a message and tell him to cooperate with this Young Lady. After this is over, they will be rewarded.”
“This subordinate will obey!” Old Fu hurriedly cupped his fists in response.
Thus, the group of four rushed towards the Ancient Lands.
An hour later, they reached the entrance of the canyon. Not far away, Yang Kai, who was inspecting the jade slip, suddenly raised his head and glanced in that direction.
“What is it, Sir?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at him questioningly.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai responded, “Just that the domineering Young Lady and her guards have entered the Ancient Lands.”
“Hmph!” An unhappy expression appeared on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face, “For people like her who don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, entering the Ancient Lands is no different from courting death!”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Although she is spoiled and tyrannical, I believe she will survive the Ancient Lands.”
“Why are you defending her, Sir?” Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t help but pout.
“It’s not that I’m defending her, but her background is certainly extraordinary. She must possess numerous treasures, so unless a great incident happens, her life should not be in any danger,” Yang Kai explained.
“An extraordinary background…” Zhang Ruoxi murmured, and she asked suddenly, “Is that why you let them go so easily, Sir?”
Yang Kai nodded, “She and that Old Fu are nothing to worry about, but if I really killed them, I’m afraid it would incur the wrath of some truly powerful figures. Moreover, she didn’t kill anyone, so hopefully, she’ll learn from this setback.”
“I doubt that’s possible, Sir,” Zhang Ruo Xi snorted.
Yang Kai glanced at her, then looked at the wine bottle in her hand, and said, “Wild Wine is good, but don’t drink too quickly. Focus on feeling the Wild Force, it’ll benefit you greatly once we enter the Ancient Lands.”
“Yes!” Zhang Ruo Xi replied softly. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol, but her face was flushed, her eyes slightly wet, and her breathing a little heavy.
Suddenly, Yang Kai thought of something and reached into his Space Ring, “By the way, this belongs to you.” He handed the item to her.
“The Space Spirit Jade! “Zhang Ruo Xi exclaimed softly.
“This is your family’s ancestral artifact, and it only reacts to you. Previously, since your cultivation level was too low, I didn’t dare to give it to you. Now, you have the ability to protect yourself. When you have the time, sit down and probe its secrets. You may be able to discover the secret behind your Bloodline Power.”
Zhang Ruo Xi accepted it solemnly. At that moment, the Space Spirit Jade began to give off peculiar fluctuations and images of a magnificent scenery appeared on its smooth surface.
Most of these images were of great rivers and spiritual mountains as beautiful as brocade, and among them, there were numerous glorious pavilions and towers. Countless rare Monster Beasts roamed the skies and land, emitting extremely powerful auras that startled the birds and insects.
Years ago, when Zhang Ruo Xi first touched the Space Spirit Jade, these images had also appeared.
Now, seeing them appear again, they were both at a loss. Neither of them knew what these images meant.
Yang Kai used to believe that this Space Spirit Jade was hiding a Space Divine Ability. After all, someone had once used it to cultivate the Dao of Space; however, he had probed into it many times and found nothing special about it.
It seemed that due to some mysterious mechanism, it would only react in Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands.
Suddenly, she raised her head and stared intensely into the Ancient Lands.
Yang Kai looked at her sceptically and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
It wasn’t until several moments later that Zhang Ruo Xi snapped out of her daze and said, “Sir, something is calling out to me from there.”
“Calling out to you?” Yang Kai was slightly surprised. The place Zhang Ruo Xi was looking at was the depths of the Ancient Lands, but what could possibly be calling her from there?
Moreover, it happened just after she received the Space Spirit Jade. Could the two be related?
“Are you sure?”
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned, then after a long silence, she shook her head, “No. It was there for a moment, and now it’s gone.”
“There may be a connection between the Space Spirit Jade and the Ancient Wild Lands. Maybe the jade originated from there. Inspect it carefully again once we enter, and you may discover something.”
The next day, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and said in a low voice, “He’s here!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi quickly put the Space Spirit Jade away, then she stood up and focused her gaze forward.
A figure was running in their direction, constantly looking around, as though looking for something.
Yang Kai sent out a sliver of Divine Sense to guide him, and the man immediately felt it and ran over, soon arriving in front of them.
“I apologize for the wait, Little Brother,” Old Ban said.
“You are too polite, Old Ban,” Yang Kai replied, “We’ll be troubling you.”
Old Ban smiled, “Rest assured. With me as your guide, entering the Ancient Lands safely is guaranteed!” When he said this, his face was filled with confidence. It was a stark contrast from the submissiveness he showed when he was beaten by the red-clothed girl the day before.
Yang Kai nodded to himself. Pi San was right to introduce Old Ban to him.
His cultivation level may be low, but Old Ban had undoubtedly mastered a safe passage to and from the Ancient Lands, or at least understood some of the patterns there. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would not be so confident.
“The two of you should refine this before we enter the Ancient Lands,” Old Ban said, handing something to Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi.
Yang Kai took it and found that it was something similar to a Sound Bead, but not exactly. Moreover, the workmanship was extremely rough. It didn’t look like it was made by a professional Artifact Refiner, but rather a random person with whatever materials they had.
“What is this?” Yang Kai looked at Old Ban questioningly.
“The Ancient Lands Passageway is shrouded in a strange fog that interferes with one’s Divine Sense. It is easy to get lost if you enter without guidance. This old man gathered some stones from the passageway and created these Communication Beads. They can be used to sense each other’s locations and will be unaffected by the strange fog; however, the detection range is only one hundred metres, so the two of you must follow me closely,” Old Ban explained.
Yang Kai nodded to express his understanding, “Good!”
Afterward, he and Zhang Ruo Xi began to refine the jade beads.
They weren’t difficult to refine, and after only a stick of incense’s worth of time, they both finished. As they held them in the palms of their hands, they could clearly sense the location of the other two jade beads. It was extremely convenient.
Old Ban was right. With the help of these jade beads, it would be very unlikely for him to lose Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban.
“Now that we’re ready, let’s go. Before we enter though, this old man must remind you again that you must stay close to me! Otherwise, if you get lost, it will be difficult to find your way out again.”
Old Ban solemnly warned Yang Kai to not be dependent on his cultivation, even giving a special example, “Over thirty years ago, an Emperor Realm Master got lost and remained in the strange fog for an entire decade.”
“Ten years!” Yang Kai exclaimed in shock.
Old Ban nodded solemnly, “Indeed.”
“How come you know such specific details about it, Old Ban?” Zhang Ruo Xi asked. She wasn’t doubting him, but just curious.
Even if an Emperor Realm Master was lost in the strange fog for ten years, how would an outsider like Old Ban know? Even if he knew the Ancient Lands Passageway like the palm of his hand, his cultivation level wasn’t high enough for him to be able to observe a person for ten years under the interference of the strange fog.
“Because in those ten years, I encountered that person many times in the passageway. Every time, I would see her wandering aimlessly like a ghost. I was almost injured by her multiple times, but thankfully, I was able to run away,” he replied.
“What happened to that person in the end?” She asked nervously.
Old Ban shook his head, “I don’t know. Maybe she died somewhere inside the passageway, or maybe she found an opportunity to escape twenty years ago. Nonetheless, I never saw her again. She seemed to have been trapped there for a long time, so her consciousness became a little muddled.”
“How pitiful!” Zhang Ruo Xi sighed.
A woman, no matter how strong, was still a woman. How did she spend those ten years, trapped and alone in the strange fog? Did she escape or die in the end?
[What would become of me if I were to be trapped for ten years in this strange fog?] Zhang Ruo Xi shuddered while thinking about it.
However, this was just an anecdote from the past that Old Ban mentioned with the intent of warning Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi to be careful, nothing more.
“Rest assured, Old Ban. We’ll stay beside you at all times,” Yang Kai reassured.
“Alright, then. Let’s go,” Old Ban nodded, waved his hand, and headed towards the Ancient Lands Passageway.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed closely.
While they were waiting for Old Ban, Yang Kai had taken some time to inspect the Ancient Lands Passageway. It appeared to be a large canyon spanning over a dozen kilometres in width and an untold distance in depth. Countless cultivators had entered, each one looking more confident and energetic than the last, eager to go inside and hunt for treasures. This included the red-clothed girl’s entourage.
For the first twenty kilometres or so, it was still relatively easy to see. Even if there was some fog, it didn’t affect their vision. However, the deeper they traveled, the thicker the fog became, and at around fifty kilometres, they would no longer be able to see their fingers.
When Yang Kai tried to use his Divine Sense to probe around him, he felt that he was trying to stretch an elastic piece of cotton. His Divine Sense bounced back, so he couldn’t see any deeper into the fog.
Of course, he wasn’t surprised as he’d long known about this strange fog that could turn many of the cultivators in the desolate city pale just at its mention.
Old Ban moved like he was flying, without rest, and before long, they reached the fifty-kilometre mark.
At this point, the strange fog took full effect.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly felt like they had plunged into the bottomless deep sea. Their vision became dark, and even their Divine Senses could only extend about ten metres from their bodies.
Yang Kai was shocked. [Nature really is uncanny. A normal person would never be able to set up such a powerful restriction. If this strange fog was placed around a Sect, it would undoubtedly be comparable to one of the greatest Sect Defending Arrays. Anyone who dared to invade would get completely lost in it.]
Although he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, his Divine Sense was no worse than a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master’s. Yet, even he couldn’t penetrate this strange fog.
How many people in the Star Boundary would be capable of prying into the dangers and secrets of this strange fog?
Perhaps only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be able to do this.
After stepping into the area of strange fog, Old Ban suddenly slowed down his steps and quickly said, “Now, you must focus on the jade beads and follow my location closely, so we don’t get separated.”
“Yes!” Behind him, Zhang Ruo Xi nodded repeatedly.
In fact, there was no need for another reminder. Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi had already grasped jade beads in their hands and poured their Divine Sense inside as soon as they entered the strange fog.
This way, even though they couldn’t see in front of them and the range of their Divine Sense was limited, they could still follow Old Ban.
*Kacha…*
An odd, creepy crunch sounded beneath their feet, as though they had stepped on something and crushed it.
Curious, Yang Kai let out some Divine Sense to investigate. When he saw what was beneath his feet, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath.
Because the ground here was covered with white bones from an untold number of skeletons. Having been weathered for so long, they were extremely brittle and immediately turned into dust when trodden upon.
Yang Kai quietly looked at Zhang Ruo Xi and saw that she didn’t seem to be too scared. Although she looked a little nervous, it wasn’t fear, so he was relieved.
She was quick to adapt.
Old Ban’s voice came from the front, “Through the ages, countless heroes have died in the Ancient Lands Passageway. This place is almost entirely paved with white bones. Their flesh and blood withered away, but their skeletons remained here. Sometimes, their Souls find the opportunity to continue on, possibly as a result of the bizarre characteristics of this fog, making it easy for them to become Yin Souls.”
“Yin Souls!” Zhang Ruo Xi shuddered, goosebumps raising all over her body.
She wasn’t afraid of the bones on the ground, but the mention of the Yin Souls frightened her greatly.
Old Ban continued, “They hide in this strange fog and come out to attack people from time to time. As a matter of fact, they are one of the three fatal dangers of the Ancient Lands Passageway. Regular Yin Souls aside, it would be extremely troublesome if we encounter a Ghost General or Ghost Lord. Not only that, but at the heart of the passageway, there is a powerful Ghost King! It is said to be transformed from the Soul of a dead Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Anyone who has even the slightest understanding of the passageway knows this and would avoid the central region.”
As he was speaking, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly cried out as though frightened by something.
Immediate after, she unleashed her Source Qi and sent a fierce blow in a certain direction.
The energy surged forth with terrifying momentum, and in that direction, there was suddenly a shrill cry as sharp as a baby’s wail at night.
The instant she made a move, Yang Kai had sent out his Divine Sense to investigate. He found at an unknown point in time, half a metre to her right, a strange energy hidden within the fog which gathered into a distorted face had approached her and was staring at her curiously.
But with Zhang Ruo Xi’s blow, the distorted face immediately became ferocious.
Old Ban’s face changed, and he whispered, “A Yin Soul?”
He was the weakest in their group, so even if he sent out his Divine Sense, he wouldn’t be able to tell what had happened to Zhang Ruo Xi, so he could only ask Yang Kai.
Upon hearing Old Ban’s question, Zhang Ruo Xi said in a trembling voice, “I don’t know if it’s a Yin Soul, but it has no physical body… and it seems to be very angry!”
“Ordinary attacks have no effect on them, so when it draws near, use a Soul Attack. Don’t be afraid, Young Lady, with your cultivation, an ordinary Yin Soul cannot harm you. Only the Ghosts with higher cultivation, like a Ghost General or Ghost Lord, could pose a threat, so you must remain calm and act accordingly!” Old Ban quickly told her. He seemed to be quite familiar with encounters like this and knew how to handle them.
Zhang Ruo Xi took a deep breath and spread out her Divine Sense, paying attention to the movement of the Yin Soul.
It appeared that the Yin Soul was indeed enraged after being attacked. Its distorted facial features became even more ferocious and twisted and its semi-transparent body retreated slightly into the strange fog, then rolled up into a chilling gust of wind and lunged at Zhang Ruo Xi.
Before it reached her, a sharp scream could be heard. It was not only harsh but also contained a kind of strange Spiritual Energy that threatened to tear through Zhang Ruo Xi’s Knowledge Sea defences.
However, after being warned by Old Ban, Zhang Ruo Xi was prepared. Although her face was still a little pale, she didn’t make a sound, waiting until the moment the Yin Soul was just a metre away from her before suddenly releasing a burst of pure Spiritual Energy.
The Yin Soul’s semi-transparent body was like a water droplet that bumped into a hard surface, suddenly splitting and disappearing with a shrill scream.
“Ha…” Zhang Ruo Xi took a breath and slowly calmed down.
After killing a Yin Soul herself, she realized they weren’t that scary after all.
At the front, Old Ban reminded, “The Yin Souls here can be dealt with by even this old man, so long as you can remain calm, Young Lady, they are no threat at all. However, you may have noticed that in this bizarre environment, the Yin Souls have cultivated a special ability which is quite overwhelming. If you have a Soul type defensive artifact, you should activate it for good measure.”
He didn’t tell Yang Kai such things because he knew that an Emperor Realm Master didn’t need such precautions or warnings.
Zhang Ruo Xi stuck out her tongue, “I don’t have a Soul type artifact.”
She only had two artifacts on her body. One was the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe given to her by Divine Spirit Qiong Qi, and the other was the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal from Yang Kai.
Hearing this, Old Ban didn’t say any more and focused on leading the way.
As they went, Yin Souls would appear from time to time to disturb them; however, because Old Ban was familiar with the passageway, the paths he chose were all quite safe, and they didn’t encounter any strong Yin Souls. Naturally, none of the ones that did get in their way met with good ends.
Rather than Yang Kai, it was Zhang Ruo Xi who handled all of them. After half an hour, she became so familiar with killing them that she didn’t even blink when she did so anymore.
Due to the interference of the strange fog, Yang Kai couldn’t tell where they were; however, judging from Old Ban’s actions, they had taken a path with many torturous twists and turns.
From time to time, Old Ban would stop to observe the nearby terrain and then turn in a different direction entirely. Sometimes he would even stand in one spot for a long time, doing nothing, and then move again several moments later.
Yang Kai felt that his guess was right. The best guide in the entire city had figured out a way to safely enter the Ancient Lands every time.
However, since it was Old Ban’s secret and also his only way to make a living, Yang Kai didn’t probe into it.
Half a day later, Yang Kai had completely lost sense of where they were. After Zhang Ruo Xi dealt with a Yin Soul, the leading Old Ban suddenly halted. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air. Only the sound of light breathing could be heard.
Yang Kai raised his brow, realizing that Old Ban had discovered something, and released his Divine Sense so he could react quickly.
After sniffing the air for a while, Old Ban’s expression suddenly changed and he shouted, “Follow me closely, and don’t fall behind a single step!”
As soon as the words left his lips, he sprinted forward.
Old Ban had been extremely cautious the entire time, never daring to make any rash movements, but now, he was acting so frantically, so he must have noticed some approaching danger.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t as experienced as Old Ban in this place, he also felt an approaching sense of crisis. It seemed that something dangerous was coming.
As an Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai was extremely sensitive to danger. Furthermore, it was obvious from Old Ban’s reaction that the situation had gone awry.
Yang Kai quickly released his Emperor Qi to cover Zhang Ruo Xi, stepped forward, and followed Old Ban closely.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t say a word, but the look on her face revealed her nervousness.
The three quickly shuttled through the strange fog, and within ten breaths of time, Old Ban stopped again and took in a breath. His body, which was rushing forward, suddenly stopped. Then, with a slight shift of his feet, he leapt back and shouted simultaneously, “Retreat!”
Yang Kai’s reaction was not slow. Although he had been right behind Old Ban, he’d stepped back as soon as Old Ban moved.
Simultaneously, he locked his Divine Sense on an area in front of him to scan for any changes.
*Kacha…*
Before Yang Kai could find out what was happening, explosive thunder entered his ears and a purple bolt of light came crashing to the ground, leaving a black pit about four metres wide. Everything in that region turned into ashes.
Yang Kai let out a choked cry as wariness flashed through his eyes and cold sweat poured down his forehead as he grit his teeth and muttered, “Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder!”
He was only curious about what would happen but never expected this one bolt of falling thunder to completely cut off his thread of Divine Sense.
In the face of this falling thunder, his Divine Sense that was on par with a Second-Order Emperor Realm was as akin to a baby’s fist. If it were an ordinary person, they would be holding their heads and howling miserably right now.
Although Yang Kai felt extremely uncomfortable, he had the Soul Warming Lotus protecting him. A sense of coolness emerged from the Soul Warming Lotus and infused into his mind, which greatly alleviated his pain; therefore, although he still looked pale, it was not a big problem.
The location of the bolt of thunder was where Old Ban had been standing. There was no doubt that if he hadn’t moved away at the last moment, his Soul would’ve been extinguished.
It was truly curious how he was able to avoid dangerous situations at the most crucial moments.
“Follow me!” Old Ban continued shouting.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to neglect his instructions and quickly followed.
After five breaths worth of time, there was another crackling sound behind him, and the earth under his feet began to shake, as if thousands of troops were trampling towards them.
Although Yang Kai couldn’t see what had happened behind him, he could infer from the shocking movement that several bolts of purple lightning had just fallen.
In his heart, he was becoming more and more impressed with Old Ban.
When Pi San told him to seek out Old Ban, Yang Kai had agreed but regarded his advice casually. He’d believed that with his current strength, entering the Ancient Lands without a guide would be no problem.
However, after this incident, Yang Kai realized that he had been treating this place too lightly.
The strength of the thunderbolt just now was unimaginable, and if Old Ban hadn’t helped him and Zhang Ruo Xi avoid it, Yang Kai was certain it would be difficult to get past even with his current cultivation.
The thunder was so terrifying and erratic, while the strange fog could entrap an Emperor Realm Master for over ten years.
*Kacha…*
The booms of purple lightning falling sounded from all directions, and although the strange fog was obstructing his sight, Yang Kai could still vaguely see the faint purple flashes in the mist, making for a truly shocking sight.
They suddenly seemed to have entered a sea of thunder, surrounded by crises. Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t dare to move at will and simply allowed Yang Kai to envelop her with his Emperor Qi and carry her along.
In front of them, Old Ban’s movements seemed entirely irregular, but he was able to somehow lead them to avoid all of the falling thunder.
He was like the most experienced sailor who could conquer the majestic sea and witness the mesmerizing scenery of its deepest depths while only operating a wooden boat.
All of a sudden, a scream came from nearby. It seemed that some cultivator had been hit by falling thunder and was crying out for help tragically.
However, the voice stopped after just a moment, as if it was strangled by the neck. One could imagine how that cultivator met their end.
The Yin Souls that used to be everywhere were all gone now.
Fortunately, with Old Ban guiding them, they were able to avoid every bolt of thunder and safely travel through the fog.
After an unknown amount of time, the falling thunder became weaker and weaker, until finally, it fell silent completely.
However, it wasn’t until several paces later that Old Ban finally stopped and bent over, his face pale and bloodless as he gasped for air.
Yang Kai stood close behind him and used his Divine Sense to check their surroundings for potential threats.
“Sir, are you okay?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at him nervously.
Yang Kai had obviously been injured by the first bolt of thunder. At the time, she didn’t dare to disturb him and only decided to ask after determining that his condition had stabilized.
He motioned that he was alright, then he turned to Old Ban and asked, “Old Ban, are we safe now?”
The fear of the Soul Extinguishing Divine Thunder still lingered in his mind.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Old Ban chuckled bitterly, “Safe? This is just the beginning!”
Yang Kai’s face changed, “Could it be that the Soul Extinguishing Thunder…”
Old Ban shook his head, “We do not need to worry about it anymore. Now that the thunder tide has passed, it will not happen again within this one month. There will only be stray bolts here and there. What we need to guard against now is… the Astral Wind!”
Previously, Pi San had warned Yang Kai about the three deadly dangers of the Ancient Land Passageway, the strange fog, the thunder tide, and the Astral Wind.
The strange fog existed everywhere in the passageway, and anyone who wasn’t familiar with the path would easily get lost in it. As for the thunder, Yang Kai had personally experienced its terrifying power when his Divine Sense was easily cut off by a single bolt.
Since the Astral Wind was mentioned alongside the Falling Thunder, it was undoubtedly something that couldn’t be looked down upon.
Moreover, Old Ban’s face was very grim at the moment, which only made Yang Kai feel more apprehensive.
“How powerful is the Astral Wind?” Yang Kai asked in a low voice.
Old Ban responded, “In terms of direct lethality, the falling thunder is much stronger; however, anyone who is familiar with this passageway will tell you that they would rather face the thunder tide than the Astral Wind.”
“Why is that?” Zhang Ruo Xi’s expression was blank with confusion.
“Because the Astral Wind does not stop. Although it is not instantaneously lethal like the falling thunder, it is continuous. Passing through it feels like your flesh is being shaved off by the sharpest of artifacts and it can not only tear away at a cultivator’s physique but also grind down their Soul. If one stays in the Astral Wind for a long time, they will die a miserable death.”
Upon hearing this, she immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
It sounded like being attacked by the Astral Wind was like being cut by a blunt knife over and over again, and the scariest thing was that it could even grind down the Soul!
Old Ban continued solemnly, “Now that the thunder tide has passed, a howling wind will sweep through the area. If we fail to find shelter within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, we will die.”
“Astral Wind!” Yang Kai’s face sank. Although he had never heard of it before, he could imagine what it was like, “Is there a shelter around here?
Old Ban looked around at their surroundings before quickly stating, “In order to avoid the thunder tide earlier, this old man had to take some unplanned turns; thus, I am not very familiar with this area, but if my guess is right, this should be the heart of the passageway.”
“The heart…” Zhang Ruo Xi frowned, then suddenly, her expression shifted, “Old Ban, didn’t you say that the core region is where…”
Before she could finish speaking, two dots of glowing red light shone out from the distance. It was unobstructed by the strange fog, so they could see it very clearly.
An extreme chill filled the air as a frigid domain enveloped Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban, causing them to shiver.
“Ah…!” She cried out, as she had discovered that the glowing red dots were actually a pair of eyes.
They seemed to be filled with unimaginable anger and seemed to be pouring out blood. Just one glance at them was enough to petrify a person.
“The Ghost King!” Yang Kai murmured. Instead of looking away, he unleashed his vast Spiritual Energy, which turned into a pure Soul Attack and flew directly toward the Ghost King.
After the silent collision, his face slightly paled.
The red lights flashed with smugness as its power didn’t falter but increased instead, and it suddenly charged forth, seemingly intent on taking advantage of its victory to crush Yang Kai to dust.
Immediately, Yang Kai’s mind sank into chaos. He felt as though he had plunged into Hell’s purgatory, surrounded by horrifying, hostile Ghosts. Their strange calls filled their ears as they tried to bite and claw at him, to seize him and drink his blood and eat his flesh.
They were truly disgusting, hideous, and terrible.
“Demon Eye of Annihilation!” Yang Kai no longer dared to hold back. His right eye instantly turned golden in colour, shining with majestic brilliance. From his golden pupil, a strange force flowed out, dispelling the illusion and stabilizing his mind.
Not only that, but there was a strange attraction from his right eye, like a bottomless abyss, that sought to pull the Ghost King inside and trap it forever.
“Hmph!”
From the depths of the strange fog, a cold snort rang out. It seemed that the Ghost King was a little angry because of Yang Kai’s counterattack and a dark wind began to blow, causing the chill in the air to suddenly intensify, physically freezing the earth around them.
Amidst the wailing, translucent ghost claws erupted from the earth and grabbed at the three people’s ankles.
The changes happened almost instantaneously, and old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi weren’t strong enough to resist them, so as soon as the Ghost King snorted, they fell into a state of confusion and seemed to lose consciousness, simply staring forward without any other reaction.
Yang Kai reached out and lifted them up while shouting to the Ghost King, “Ghost King, we are just escaping the thunder tide and passed here by accident. We don’t mean to disturb you. Please allow us to pass.”
“Keke…” The Ghost King’s grating laughter resounded from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it originated from. At the same time, the two red lights in the fog disappeared.
The Ghost King had erased its presence.
The Yin Souls that had disappeared, due to the falling thunder, emerged again and hid in the strange fog. They swarmed around Yang Kai’s group, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The ghost claws that had come out of the ground gradually solidified and continued to target Yang Kai, but they all retreated with a hiss after coming into contact with his Emperor Qi.
Yang Kai turned his head and stared in a certain direction and coldly snorted, “I suggest that you don’t get complacent, Ghost King!”
With this, the Ghost King was completely enraged, and a huge ghost claw suddenly emerged from the depths of the strange fog. It slashed down on Yang Kai like a tall mountain, the claw itself seemingly sharp enough to tear through space.
“You’re overestimating yourself!”
Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy surged forth, and a column of light shot out from his forehead. Instead of going upwards to meet the ghost claw, it went in another direction, transforming into a long sabre that cut through the air.
Soul Splitting Sabre, Heaven Severing Slash!
As the attack landed, a shrill wail sounded from within the strange fog.
At the same time, the huge ghost claw above Yang Kai’s head flickered and disappeared, along with countless ghost hands rising up from under the ground.
The Yin Souls gathered around them were stunned for a moment, and then they screamed and scattered.
In the blink of an eye, their surroundings returned to peace, as though no fight had happened at all.
Yang Kai knew that if it weren’t for this display of strength, the Ghost King wouldn’t have retreated.
Moreover, the fact that his Secret Technique, Heaven Severing Slash, executed with an attack from his Soul Emperor Artifact, had only injured the Ghost King somewhat, was astounding.
As expected, this Ghost King hidden within the strange fog would be difficult to deal with.
If it weren’t for their circumstances, Yang Kai wouldn’t have bothered to waste so many words trying to negotiate; however, since they were amid the strange fog, he really didn’t want to fight unless absolutely necessary.
As soon as the Ghost King retreated, Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban woke up. Evidently, they understood what just happened to them and their hearts pounded as cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.
“Time is running out. We must hurry!” Old Ban didn’t ask why the Ghost King retreated and simply continued to lead the way.
The sound of the Astral Wind was approaching, and if they failed to find a shelter by the time it arrived, they would certainly die.
Old Ban observed the landscape from time to time, occasionally changing direction.
In the beginning, he seemed to be hesitant, unsure whether he was going in the right direction, but after a while, he suddenly began to go faster and no longer hesitated as much.
Seeing this, Yang Kai knew that he had found the right path again. After all, Old Ban was so familiar with this place that even if they went off-track for a while, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to return to the right path.
As time went by, a gentle breeze began to blow. It wasn’t strong, but it made one’s skin sting, as though cut by a small knife.
But if this light breeze was already like this, one could only imagine how painful the Astral Wind would be once he truly began to blow.
Both Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi could tell that Old Ban was right; the Astral Wind was definitely a more terrible disaster than the thunder tide.
Although the falling thunder was deadly, it fell sporadically and was easy to find a safe place to hide from. However, with the Astral Wind, the entire passageway was a danger zone.
The wind gradually picked up. For Yang Kai, who had tough skin and strong cultivation, it was still manageable; however, Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban had to push their Source Qi to protect themselves from the Astral Wind’s effects.
“Over there!” Old Ban suddenly exclaimed with joy, pointing in a certain direction and immediately picking up his pace, “Hopefully, there is still room there!”
Before Yang Kai understood what he meant by ‘room,’ he saw Old Ban’s body flash and reappear where he had pointed.
Yang Kai quickly followed suit with Zhang Ruo Xi and found that the place Old Ban had pointed at was actually a cave.
Strangely enough, everything seemed to be restored to normal upon entering the cave. Their vision was perfectly restored, and even the strange fog was gone. Only a faint whistling sound of the wind could be heard.
Looking around, the cave was quite narrow and spanned about fifteen metres in depth and would become crowded with ten people inside.
Before the arrival of Yang Kai and his group, six cultivators had already taken shelter here. These people obviously knew about the Astral Wind, so they found a safe haven early and hid in it, waiting for the storm to pass.
Well, of course Yang Kai would meet him. Of course!
The cultivations of the people in the cave ranged from First-Order Dao Source Realm to the Third-Order. After determining that none of them were Emperor Realm Masters, Yang Kai stopped paying them much heed.
They also looked at Yang Kai when he entered and didn’t show much reaction other than some bright eyes when Zhang Ruo Xi followed him in.
“Little Brother, Young Lady, come over here! There’s space here!” Old Ban beckoned them over.
There was space in a corner where three people could sit down cross-legged and quietly wait for the howling wind to pass.
The other people in the cave seemed to be acting alone, each of them silent as a stone. The entire cave was quiet for some time as only the sound of the wind outside could be heard, making it feel as though they had plunged into the cold winter.
After a while, the wind grew louder and several more people rushed in from the outside, taking up the rest of the place.
The cave was truly small, barely able to accommodate over ten people, so the cultivators who came in later had no choice but to stand near the cave entrance. They were all extremely nervous, praying that the Astral Wind wouldn’t blow in, because they would be the first ones to suffer if it did.
“Old Ban, how long will the wind last?” Yang Kai observed for a while and asked upon noticing that the wind was only growing stronger.
“It’s difficult to say. It could be over in just half a day, or it could take up to six days to cease. The Astral Wind usually comes and goes without pattern, although it always rages right after a thunder tide. You must remember this for when you return from the Ancient Lands, Little Brother,” Old Ban replied.
Yang Kai nodded, “Many thanks for your reminder, Old Ban!”
“However, you don’t have to worry too much. Although the Astral Wind is fearsome, you can rest easy as long as you find a cave like this before it arrives,” Old Ban continued with a smile.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “You mean… there are other caves like this in the passageway?”
“Naturally,” Old Ban nodded and continued, “The Ancient Lands Passageway is enclosed on both sides, and numerous caves exist along those cliff-faces. Don’t take this old man’s word for it, but I believe there are always around ten spots to take in each shelter. Moreover, the caves seem to have been formed naturally in this special environment, so they’re extremely sturdy and can’t be destroyed by ordinary attacks. You must find one before it’s too late, or there’ll be no more space left. We were lucky this time. Every year, countless cultivators die in this passageway because they can’t find shelter. Even if they do find one, getting here before the Astral Wind starts is a whole other matter.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t help but stick out her tongue, “No wonder when we got here, we saw so many bones at the entrance of the cave.”
Old Ban shook his head and sighed, “No, not all of those corpses are due to the Astral Wind. Most of them were caused by humans.”
She frowned, but before she could ask what he meant, he continued, “You will see what this old man means soon, Young Lady.”
Although sceptical, she didn’t ask anymore.
Just then, a figure suddenly approached from the outside and rushed fiercely towards the cave.
However, without waiting for the figure to draw near, a thin cultivator standing by the entrance suddenly raised his hand and unleashed an attack.
The figure didn’t show any weakness and returned the attack with his own.
A loud bang rang out in the next moment, and both cultivators remained unmoved. They seemed to be equally matched.
In the next moment, a sorry figure landed at the entrance of the cave, his eyes filled with hatred and impatience towards the man who was blocking him from entering the cave.
“There is no space left here. Please go elsewhere, friend,” the skinny cultivator coldly snorted and said with a displeased look.
“Where else can I go?” The newcomer gnashed his teeth. He had run all the way here and looked like he had suffered a lot from the Astral Wind. Evidently, his energy was rapidly depleting, as the protective halo around his body was flickering. Now, he was being denied entry after finally finding shelter, so naturally he was infuriated.
However, the thin cultivator wasn’t an easy opponent. If they really were to start fighting, it would be impossible to tell who would win. The newcomer was in no mood to do that when his most pressing concern was finding shelter before the Astral Wind arrived with full force.
His gaze swept past the thin cultivator into the cave.
Since there were no spots, he just had to snatch one.
As a First-Order Dao Source Realm Master, Old Ban was one of the weakest cultivators inside and was undoubtedly the easiest target.
However, before the newcomer could open his mouth to drive Old Ban out, he suddenly noticed Yang Kai and frowned.
Although Yang Kai was just sitting cross-legged and didn’t release his aura, he was still an Emperor Realm Master. The newcomer couldn’t see through his cultivation, and Yang Kai and Old Ban were clearly companions. Regardless of what Yang Kai’s cultivation really was, the newcomer didn’t want to risk getting into more trouble.
With barely any hesitation, the newcomer’s eyes moved away from Old Ban’s body to a different corner of the cave. He stretched out a finger and shouted, “Boy, get out of here. I want your spot.”
He was pointing at a young man who looked to be in his early thirties. The young man had been hiding in the dark and shrinking into himself the entire time, as if he didn’t want anyone to notice his existence.
His cultivation, like Old Ban, was only First-Order Dao Source Realm.
Upon hearing the newcomer’s demand, the young man shuddered and pretended that he didn’t hear anything.
The newcomer sneered seeing this, “I’ll give you three breaths of time to get out. If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but drag you out myself. Whether you live or die will be entirely up to you.”
Seeing that he had no choice, the young man raised his head and wailed, “Why me? Why is it me?!”
He was the first to enter the cave after the thunder tide and had even hidden deep inside to avoid encountering a situation like this, yet he was still called out.
The Astral Wind was approaching, and there was no other place to take shelter. If he went out now, he would surely die. The newcomer was about two times stronger than him, so he wouldn’t be able to resist if it turned into a fight. Therefore, despite his rage, the young man was also helpless.
The newcomer sneered, “A weakling like you shouldn’t have tried to enter the Ancient Lands. However, since you did anyway, you should’ve been prepared to die here! Now, scram!”
“I won’t! If I go out now, I’ll die! Don’t push me. If you do, I… I’ll self-detonate and drag everyone here down with me!”
As soon as this threat came out, several people’s faces darkened. They were evidently displeased with his threat; however, the stronger ones didn’t mind at all. After all, even if this young man wanted to self-destruct, he would need to find an opportunity first.
Out of the many people present in the cave, at least half of them could subdue him if he actually tried to blow himself up.
“Hahaha!” The man burst out laughing and stared at the young man mockingly, “If you want to self-destruct, go ahead! Let’s see if you can!”
He appeared confident and fearless, which made the young man panic. The young man could only look around and plead, “Sirs, please help me! I don’t want to go out and die. Please, Sirs, stand and uphold justice here!”
As he spoke, he cupped his fists and held them against his chest, just one step away from kneeling down to beg.
However, everyone here was a stranger, so who would bother to help him in this type of situation? Thus, no one answered him.
Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t bear it and glanced at Yang Kai, but seeing that he wasn’t going to respond either, she could only grit her teeth.
A look of impatience appeared on the newcomer’s face and he snapped, “I’ll give you one last chance to get out yourself, otherwise… Don’t blame me for using force!”
As the words fell, he reached out and grabbed the young man.
Although the cave was small and crowded, the newcomer was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so he was able to grab the young man without accidentally touching anyone else. Judging from his action, he planned to just grab the young man and throw him out to make room for himself.
The young man suddenly became dazed. Facing the attack of a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, he had no way to defend at all, nor did he really have the courage to detonate himself, so all he could do was stand there and wait for his demise… Until, just then, there was a gleam, and Source Qi burst forth.
With a slight grunt, the newcomer staggered back a few steps.
When he regained his balance, he was furious, “Who did that?! Who dares to interfere in my business?!”
It was obvious that someone had stopped his attack just now, and their cultivation was not low, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been pushed back.
His gaze swept over everyone in the cave before locking onto Zhang Ruo Xi, then his expression changed, “It was you!”
“Yes, it was me!” She readily admitted.
The newcomer’s expression was a little ugly as he glared at her.
It wouldn’t be an issue if she had been alone, but this young woman was together with Yang Kai. Once they began to fight, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t stand by. The newcomer was bound to eat a loss if he went against the two of them with just himself.
Therefore, he pondered for a bit and then cupped his fists together, “The Astral Wind is approaching, Young Lady. This one just wants to find shelter from it and has no other choice. This one would be very grateful if you could make an exception in this one’s favour, but if you insist on meddling in this one’s business, then… this one will have to take necessary countermeasures. Even a rabbit will bite if forced into a corner.”
Although he said this to Zhang Ruo Xi, he was looking at Yang Kai’s face.
However, to his disappointment, Yang Kai continued to sit silently without showing any reaction, as if it had nothing to do with him. It made him really uncertain whether Zhang Ruo Xi and Yang Kai were together.
“There’s no problem with wanting to find shelter, but it’s first come first serve! There is no room left here. How could you try to drive someone away? Your life may be precious, but are not other people’s lives as well?” Zhang Ruo Xi looked at the man angrily.
In the past, the Zhang family was bullied because it was small and weak, so she couldn’t stand this kind of wanton oppression. She had tried to hold it in, but she just couldn’t.
The newcomer erupted with rage, “Must you insist on being a defender of justice little girl? Have you stopped to consider whether it’s worth it? You don’t know this person, do you? Do you intend to offend others for the sake of a stranger?”
Zhang Ruo Xi snorted, “I don’t know whether it’s worth it or not, but I can’t just sit still and watch it happen!”
“How unreasonable!” The anger of the newcomer was like an active volcano, and it almost swallowed him up. [How unlucky! I just had to encounter a meddlesome little girl like her when my life is at stake!]
On a regular day, he wouldn’t mind wasting a few words with her, but right now, he didn’t have the luxury!
Just then, Yang Kai raised his head and looked at the newcomer and said faintly, “The wind is getting stronger outside. I’m afraid you won’t be able to find another place if you don’t go now, friend.”
The newcomer stared back with deep, hatred-filled eyes before turning around and dashing out.
He didn’t even bother to spit out a threat, because he knew that if he stayed to argue with Zhang Ruo Xi, he would miss the opportunity to find another cave. Being exposed to the Astral Wind was lethal, but if he left now, he would still have a chance to survive.
It was a gamble.
“Many thanks! This humble one will never forget what you did for me today and will definitely return my gratitude in the future!” The young man hiding in the deepest part of the cave cupped his fists and bowed over and over again to Zhang Ruo Xi.
If Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t stand up for him just now, there was no doubt that he would’ve been thrown out of the cave and left to die. Therefore, he was very grateful to her.
She dismissed it with a smile and a wave of her hand, “Don’t mention it.”
Her smile seemed to light up the whole cave, and the young man couldn’t help staring at her, stunned, while her face turned a little red when she noticed. At the same time, she felt slightly annoyed.
Old Ban lightly coughed, “This old man admires your kind heart, Young Lady, but… I’m afraid what you’ve done just now is pointless.”
“What?” Zhang Ruo Xi turned her head and looked at Old Ban with a puzzled expression on her face.
The old man sighed, “As the time of the Astral Wind draws closer, more and more cultivators will come and fight for a spot. You’ve managed to drive one of them away, but will you be able to drive away all of them?”
As soon as his words fell, the sound of heavy breathing came from outside the cave.
Following it, several cultivators who were escaping from the strange fog rushed directly towards the cave. They were undoubtedly looking for shelter.
When they reached the entrance, they looked inside, and when they saw that there was no space left, their faces turned dark. However, they seemed to have expected this situation, because instead of stopping to talk nonsense, they summoned their respective artifacts and unleashed their strongest attacks.
Amidst the chaotic flashes of Source Qi, two distressed cries rang out.
Blood splashed, and the two cultivators standing closest to the entrance fell before they could even react. The pungent smell immediately filled the air.
Afterwards, the newcomers laughed and kicked the bodies aside.
“Give us some room if you don’t want to die!” They sneered.
As they spoke, their attacks rained down harder, causing the cultivators near the entrance to cry out miserably and incessantly.
Zhang Ruo Xi was stunned upon realizing the truth behind the skeletons outside.
It turned out that those people weren’t killed by the Astral Wind, but by other cultivators. Every time the Astral Wind blew, they would fight to the death for shelter, causing countless cultivators to fall over the years. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to call this place a graveyard.
It was the case for this cave, and most likely for every other cave in the passageway too.
Rather than simple competitions, the cultivators treated the battles as deadly life-and-death duels, because they all knew that if they failed to obtain shelter, they would die in the Astral Wind. Therefore, their attacks were completely without mercy.
The scene at the entrance of the cave was one of a murky sky over dark earth, with flying sand and rolling pebbles.
Streams of people came and went, attacking fiercely without saying a word.
The situation was extremely chaotic. From time to time, the screams of the fallen would resonate through the cave. The ground was dyed red by blood and dead bodies with severed limbs piled up at the entrance, leaving a strong, nauseating smell of blood.
Only the extremely powerful Masters were able to survive the madness. Those who lacked strength also lacked the qualifications to survive.
The Masters broke into the cave and forced their way inside. They wanted to squeeze into the depths of the cave, because only then would they truly be able to relax. If they stayed near the entrance, they would have to face more latecomers.
Before long, the entire cave fell into complete chaos.
Soon, it spread to the inside of the cave, with different artifacts and Secret Techniques flying loose, everyone seeming to be an enemy.
Yang Kai and his group were deep within the cave, but even so, they couldn’t avoid the fighting. However, after Yang Kai killed two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters who tried to attack Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban with a wave of his hand, people instinctively began to avoid their spot. Only then were they able to relax.
From time to time, the cultivators from the cave would be thrown out by the more powerful newcomers. Soon, out of the ten people who were inside originally, less than half remained.
The wind roared and grew stronger.
All of a sudden, the cultivators who failed to get inside the cave cried out. Extremely frightened expressions appeared on their faces, and they immediately rushed towards the cave without a care for their lives. However, once again, they were blocked.
Then, in front of everyone’s eyes, countless slashes appeared on their physiques that were exposed to the outside, as though made by invisible knives. Their skin was peeled away, revealing their muscles and bones.
The screams were truly terrifying, and the scene gave the onlookers goosebumps and caused cold sweat to begin dripping down their backs.
All of the cultivators hiding in the cave stepped back involuntarily
In less than ten breaths of time, the cultivators outside were turned into skeletons, with no flesh or even clothing left on their bodies, their ghastly bones scattered all over the ground, clattering and clanking.
It wasn’t until several moments later that Old Ban let out a sigh of relief and said, “Now, we’re safe.”
The power of the Astral Wind had been fully revealed, so at this point, the cultivators who failed to find shelter had also lost their chance at survival. The Astral Wind would kill anyone caught outside, so no one would intrude within the cave. In other words, the many cultivators inside the cave no longer had to worry about having their spot taken.
It was strange to think that just a few moments ago, they were almost all enemies fighting each other to the death, as though their opponent had killed their family and stolen their wife.
But now, they were all relieved and immediately restrained their hostility. After exchanging a glance, everyone just sat down cross-legged and began to adjust their breathing.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Just now, the battle was to seize shelter, so naturally they had to fight each other to the death, but now that the crisis was over, there was no longer a need to fight. Everyone understood this.
Zhang Ruo Xi looked around, and when she failed to find the young man she had saved before, she couldn’t help but sigh. There was no doubt that he had been killed or thrown out at some point during the scuffle just now.
When Old Ban told her that what she had done was pointless, he was telling the truth.
She could save the young man once, but not keep him safe forever. One’s own strength was the only real capital one had to survive.
At present, there were more than a dozen people in this cave, and with the exception of Old Ban, the rest were all either Second or Third-Order Dao Realm. They were all latecomers with powerful auras.
The battle had exhausted a lot of them and they were all trying to recover now, so the cave turned silent, save for the nerve-wracking sound of the howling wind outside.
There was no sign of the Astral Wind dying down; rather, it only grew louder and stronger.
Two hours later, Yang Kai, who was meditating, suddenly frowned and looked toward the entrance of the cave.
He felt a faint and inexplicable sense of uneasiness.
At this moment, the cave was surrounded by strange fog and the howling of the Astral Wind though, so even with his powerful Divine Sense, he couldn’t tell what was going on outside.
As Yang Kai paid close attention to any movement outside the cave though, a cry and a howl travelled inside from the depths of the strange fog. Although it was distorted by the wind, everyone was able to hear it clearly.
Several pairs of eyes opened at once, turning in scepticism towards the entrance.
“Am I the only one who heard that…?” A cultivator near the entrance asked, frowning.
“A Yin Soul!” Another other replied in a deep voice.
“Hmph, the Ancient Lands Passageway is filled with those, what’s so strange about that? Who knows how many people have died here? It’s the perfect breeding ground for Yin Souls.”
“Naturally, I understand that, but… Don’t you feel that the Yin Souls are heading in our direction?” Asked the cultivator who had spoken first.
“Haha, how funny. When the Astral Wind comes, we’re not the only ones who need to find shelter, the Yin Souls must also lie dormant in a secret place. Why would they come here?”
“That’s right. This King has been here for several years, and never once have I met a Yin Soul during the Astral Wind storm. You must be thinking too much, my friend.”
“Indeed!” The first man thought about it and agreed that what they said made sense, so he dismissed his concerns.
The cultivators’ conversation naturally entered Yang Kai’s ears; however, instead of feeling reassured, he became more vigilant and asked quietly, “Is it true that Yin Souls don’t come out when the wind blows, Old Ban?”
“Generally, yes. It’s because the Astral Wind is so powerful that not even the Yin Souls here can resist it and are likely to be blown away,” Old Ban paused and continued, “However…”
“However?”
“It’s not absolutely true all the time. The Yin Souls do not come out not because they can’t, but because they choose not to. This old man has only seen them come out once during such a time, so it’s very rare. Little Brother, you can rest…”
All of a sudden, Old Ban stopped talking and stared at the entrance of the cave with a look of utter horror. There, he saw ten semi-transparent figures bursting out from the strange fog.
The figures were humanoid but somewhat distorted, making it hard for one to discern their true form.
However, no matter what they were, the cold and violent auras around their bodies were unmistakable.
As soon as they left the strange fog, one by one, their blurry facial features became ferocious and terrifying, as though they were looking for someone to bite.
“Damn it, they’re here! Whose big mouth was it that jinxed us?!”
“Be careful, everyone!”
At the entrance of the cave, several cultivators shouted and sprung to their feet, preparing to fight. As soon as these Yin Souls rushed in, they would be the ones to bear the brunt of the attack with no way to advance or retreat. Thus, they could only choose to fight.
In an instant, flashes of light from summoned artifacts appeared one after another and rushed toward the Yin Souls.
Naturally, none of the cultivators who attacked were weak. If they were, they wouldn’t have gotten a spot in the cave; however, when their attacks fell, the Yin Souls were hardly affected, their bodies faltered for a moment, but none of them died.
“Damn it… they’re all at the Ghost General level!” Someone exclaimed, their face paling.
Yin Souls also had a hierarchy, from Ordinary Ghost to Ghost Generals, Lords, and finally, Kings. Naturally, each one was stronger than the last.
Ordinary Ghosts were so weak that even Old Ban could deal with them easily, but if a Ghost General or Ghost Lord appeared, Old Ban would be completely helpless. As for the Ghost King they had encountered previously, it was essentially the overlord of the Ancient Lands Passageway and not even an Emperor Realm Master would dare to look down on it.
Previously, Old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t resist it at all. If it weren’t for Yang Kai’s protection, they would’ve died right there and then.
Therefore, when the cultivators inside the cave heard that the Yin Souls were at the Ghost General level, their faces changed greatly and every single one of them could feel the danger they were in.
None of the attacks that landed on the Ghost Generals caused fatal damage. They merely paused before charging forward even more ferociously.
However, the cultivators at the entrance were clearly veterans who knew how to deal with these Yin Souls. They all stood there calmly, prepared and with heavy expressions on their faces, before suddenly releasing Soul Attacks one by one.
The invisible attacks landed fiercely on the Ghost Generals’ bodies.
The majority of the Ghost Generals wailed and were wiped out in an instant, while the surviving ones flickered dimly. They were obviously injured, but since they couldn’t feel the pain, they still lunged forth while baring their teeth and brandishing their claws.
There was another outbreak of Spiritual Energy, and the rest of the Ghost Generals suffered the same fate as their former companions.
Seeing this, several cultivators at the entrance of the cave breathed out a sigh of relief. Although they were not afraid of these Ghost Generals because of their cultivation, they were now avoiding the Astral Wind and naturally didn’t wish for any more unexpected developments. Fortunately, there were not many of these Ghost Generals, so they could still be easily eliminated.
“There are more!” Yang Kai suddenly turned solemn and warned.
“What?” The faces of those people at the entrance of the cave changed, but before they could ask anything more, they saw first-hand what Yang Kai meant.
From the strange fog, another group of Ghost Generals rushed out, each one having the same ferocious aura as the last group.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
More and more Yin Souls poured in, but this time, their auras were mixed. Some were Ordinary Ghosts while others were Ghost Generals, and there were even a few Ghost Lords in their midst!
In the blink of an eye, the entire cave was surrounded by Yin Souls. There were so many of them that the cultivators felt as though they had fallen into the Netherworld.
*Gudong!*
Someone gulped as everyone was looking at the entrance of the cave with a dark and uneasy expression.
“How… How can this be?”
“Why are so many Yin Souls coming out when there is still the Astral Wind?”
“What the hell is going on here?!”
“Just shut up and start killing if you don’t want to die!”
The cultivators who had just settled down cried out in alarm again. They couldn’t believe what they saw and in that moment of hesitation, the Yin Souls launched a new wave of attacks.
The few people at the entrance of the cave had no choice but to push their Spiritual Energy and Source Qi madly to help them kill off the invading Yin Souls.
Shrill screams rang out one after another, and one by one, the Yin Souls disappeared; however, their numbers seemed to be endless. The cultivators at the entrance fought for quite some time, but although their attacks were effective, the number of Yin Souls wasn’t decreasing at all. Rather, it was increasing.
Such a situation made them desperate!
The most effective way to kill a Yin Soul was to wait until they drew close and then use a burst of potent Spiritual Energy to scatter them. However, Spiritual Energy was not inexhaustible. Every time an attack was used, a lot would be consumed, and once one’s Spiritual Energy was exhausted, they would only be able to wait for death.
Moreover, excessive use of Spiritual Energy was likely to damage the foundations of one’s Soul, which was something no cultivator desired.
Within the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the group at the entrance of the cave was already pale and soaked in cold sweat. It was evident that they had exhausted their Spiritual Energy reserves.
“Hey, brothers in the back, could you lend a hand? I can’t hold on for much longer.”
“That’s right, hurry and come help us! If we die, the next wave will be up to you. You can’t hide back there forever!”
“Can someone replace me for a while? I want to take a rest. My Spiritual Energy is almost exhausted. This one would be endlessly grateful.”
…..
Inside the cave.
The remaining nine people in the back watched on with heavy expressions. Although they knew that the cultivators at the entrance were right, who would dare to go up and take their place in this time of crisis? What if they went up and no one dared to take their place once their Knowledge Sea was exhausted? How miserable would their death be then?
It was every man for himself; therefore, although their expressions were grim, none of the people inside the cave said anything, let alone step forward to replace the cultivators at the entrance.
“Old Ban, you don’t think it’s…” Yang Kai suddenly looked at Old Ban and asked quietly.
It only took a moment for Old Ban to understand what Yang Kai meant and he nodded slightly, “It’s possible.”
Generally, Yin Souls would not appear during the Astral Wind period, so the situation now was quite strange. Moreover, judging from the way the Yin Souls were moving and staring into the cave, it seemed that they bore a grudge against a single person.
This reminded Yang Kai of the Ghost King!
The Ghost King had suffered a loss at Yang Kai’s hands, so perhaps this incident was related to that. Since the Ghost King wasn’t Yang Kai’s opponent, it decided to take advantage of this opportunity to mobilize the Yin Souls in the passageway in order to wear down Yang Kai.
However, despite knowing the truth, he had no way to escape. If the Yin Souls continued attacking, they would reach him sooner or later.
If so, then Yang Kai was the culprit, and everyone else was simply implicated because of him.
Just as Yang Kai and Old Ban were communicating secretly, a man inside the cave suddenly stood up and shouted, “Everyone, at this time of life or death, we have to work together if we want to survive!”
“Exactly! We need to work together! This wonderful Brother has such a profound sense of justice! Hurry and help me fight for a while! This one will thank you with twenty million Source Crystals after this!” A Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master hurriedly responded. He was pale and barely hanging on. He almost couldn’t resist pulling the one who spoke over so he could finally rest.
The one who spoke looked at him and said, “Please wait a moment, friend. This one will discuss with the others. It won’t be long.”
“What? We’ll die if you do that!”
“Hmph, we’re over here fighting with our lives on the line, while you are in the back relaxing. Do you think we’ll just let that happen? If you people don’t come and help, then don’t blame us for ‘accidentally’ letting some Yin Souls inside!”
“That’s right! If we’re going to die, then we’ll drag you all down with us!”
“Please be patient and allow this one thirty breaths of time to come up with a satisfactory plan!” The man inside the cave said.
As soon as his words fell, the cultivators at the entrance stopped clamouring. The man’s words sounded sincere, and they also wanted to see how he would deal with this.
Moreover, holding on for thirty more breaths of time was not hard to do.
Seeing that they had no objections, the man cupped his fists and said, “He Feng from the Qi Family Fort greets fellow cultivators!”
“Qi Family Fort!” Yang Kai was startled and he turned to look at He Feng, coincidentally meeting his gaze.
Qi He Feng smiled at him, while Yang Kai couldn’t help but snort.
[Does he recognize me?]
[If he does, he wouldn’t be smiling like that.]
“So, it turns out that you’re from Qi Family Fort! I have long admired your family!”
As soon as Qi He Feng reported his background, several people revealed looks of approval; after all, Qi Family Fort was a great force that existed near the Ancient Lands, so it held some prestige here.
Qi He Feng didn’t waste any words and went straight to the point, “I believe our current situation is clear to all. If the friends at the entrance were to exhaust their Spiritual Energy and fall, the attacks would fall on us next. It seems that there is no end to this wave of Yin Souls, and if they continue to pour in here, this Qi reckons only a handful of us will be able to survive.”
“Thus, this Qi would like to ask you all to set aside your personal opinions, cooperate sincerely, and fight together. Only then will we have a chance of surviving!”
“Moreover, there just happens to be twelve of us here. The opening is only wide enough to accommodate about four people standing side by side. This Qi suggests that we divide into three groups, and each one will take turns defending the cave for a stick of incense’s worth of time, and then switch out again.”
“This will allow each group to rest for about half an hour, which is enough time to recover almost completely.”
“Try to kill the Yin Souls if possible, and block them if not. As soon as the Astral Wind ends, we won’t have to entangle with them any longer. We can escape the cave and thus survive.”
“However, in order for this to happen, we must join hands and trust each other without harboring any other intentions.”
“That is this Qi’s proposal. What does everyone think?” Qi He Feng finished, glancing around at the other cultivators.
The four cultivators defending the cave naturally didn’t have any objections; after all, they had been fighting for so long and wanted nothing more than to rest. As they shouted their agreement and nodded repeatedly, they almost couldn’t resist retreating immediately.
Although it was hard for them to see each other’s expressions, every sensible cultivator inside the cave knew that Qi He Feng was right. The only way to survive and escape this crisis was to join hands and fight together.
Thus, after a moment of silence, someone said, “Brother Qi is right. I agree!”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed!”
One by one, the cultivators nodded and agreed. Before long, a general consensus was reached.
Qi He Feng turned to look at Yang Kai, as though he was seeking his agreement. Yang Kai smiled, “Let’s do as you proposed.”
Qi He Feng turned back with a solemn expression, “Since no one has any objections, let’s begin; however, this Qi will be blunt and say right now that no mistakes can be made during this. If anyone dares to hold back or do anything else that could sabotage us, this Qi, as well as everyone else here, will not show any mercy.”
“As it should be!”
Soon, under Qi He Feng’s guidance, the remaining eight people were divided into two groups.
He seemed to have noticed that Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi, and Old Ban were together, so instead of separating the three, he asked a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master to join them and take the third shift.
After making the groups, Qi He Feng moved toward the entrance with his group.
The original four cultivators at the entrance quickly retreated and moved out of the way.
Qi He Feng and his group were soon engaged with the Yin Souls, and the fight was in full swing. The original four cultivators pulled out pills and sat down to restore their energy.
They only had half an hour, so they had to make the most of their time.
Qi He Feng’s group cooperated well overall. Under the brilliance of their respective Secret Techniques and artifacts, the Yin Souls were constantly beaten back and killed.
As they watched on, the other cultivators were even more convinced that they had made the right decision to follow Qi He Feng’s proposal.
If they managed to survive this trip, Qi He Feng would undoubtedly be known as a great hero. If he hadn’t stood forth and proposed this plan, the twelve people in the cave would’ve likely turned into scattered skeletons.
Qi He Fen’s group fought nonstop for some time, and although the energy consumption was great, they were able to pull through without falling into danger.
Seeing that their turn was approaching, Yang Kai got up slowly and said in a soft voice, “Old Ban, just hide behind me and deal with the ones that slip through.”
Upon hearing this, Old Ban didn’t say much and only nodded.
As a First-Order Dao Source Realm, he was the weakest in the cave. Moreover, he was old, so he wouldn’t even be able to survive if he had to face ten or twenty Ordinary Ghosts, let alone these Ghost Generals.
He knew how strong Yang Kai was as he could deal with even the Ghost King, let alone its subordinates. There was no need to refuse Yang Kai’s protection.
Yang Kai’s movements seemed leisurely, but it took only an instant for his group to replace Qi He Feng’s.
A brilliant light burst from Zhang Ruo Xi’s hand as extremely rich and pure Spiritual Energy turned into an invisible blade that swept through the entire scene like a divine weapon, cutting down every Yin Soul before her as though they were nothing but straw.
The Second-Order Source Realm Master who was with them turned to look at her in amazement. Only then did he realize how powerful this beautiful girl was, and for a second, he felt both fear and respect. Then, he felt a stab to his self-esteem and clenched his teeth, releasing his Spiritual Energy and fighting to the best of his abilities so as not to be underestimated.
Yang Kai’s performance was not as exaggerated as Zhang Ruo Xi’s, but every time he used his Spiritual Energy, he would inconspicuously eliminate a large area of Yin Souls, most of whom were hidden in the strange fog, so no matter how much noise they made, no one noticed.
Occasionally, he would deliberately let one or two Yin Souls pass for Old Ban to deal with.
It wasn’t for the sake of Old Ban’s self-esteem, but because the other cultivators were working so hard and sincerely that it would seem unreasonable for Old Ban to be doing nothing.
One or two Yin Souls were easy to deal with and didn’t pose any threat.
As soon as Yang Kai took over the defence, the situation changed greatly.
Previously, no matter which group was at the entrance, their vision would be filled with endless Yin Souls. More would appear as they were killed, which made them feel desperate.
But this time, with Zhang Ruo Xi killing at the front and Yang Kai cutting off the Yin Souls’ reinforcements in the rear, the situation at the entrance became much better in just ten breaths of time.
The number of Yin Souls had obviously reduced, giving one the illusion that the disaster would pass soon.
Seeing this, the eight resting cultivators couldn’t help but perk up. It was as though they had seen a glimmer of hope in the fog.
After another stick of incense’s worth of time, without Yang Kai’s having to call out, the first group stood up and stepped forth to replace them.
By now, no one was thinking about their own benefits. Everyone knew that if they wanted to survive, they would have to cooperate with each other.
However, after the first group took over, they discovered that the overwhelming number of Yin Souls had been restored and were quite depressed.
Like this, the twelve people in the cave worked together in an orderly manner, constantly resisting the invasion of the Yin Souls.
A day passed and everyone’s expressions gradually turned sombre. This was because they had discovered that even after an entire day, the Yin Souls showed no intention of retreating, and continued to invade.
Most of the cultivators were injured now, and although no one had suffered fatal injuries, it would become a problem if they weren’t treated soon.
Only Yang Kai’s group of four, because of his secret protection, was still intact.
The reason for the injuries was due to the excessive and long-term consumption of Spiritual Energy. Although they were given time to rest and consumed numerous pills, the fatigue couldn’t be entirely dispelled.
Moreover, there was something even worse; they were running out of the Spirit Pills that could restore Spiritual Energy!
If they ran out of pills, they would no longer be able to replenish their Spiritual Energy, and if the Astral Wind didn’t calm down by then, only death awaited them.
Qi He Feng even took the initiative to distribute his spare Spirit Pills, but it was still just a drop in the bucket and didn’t play a big role.
Half a day later, the situation grew worse.
The atmosphere inside the cave was dark and gloomy, with people constantly shouting and swearing to vent their anger.
Qi He Feng’s brows are furrowed, but he couldn’t think of a way to save the situation.
He could only look at Yang Kai, his eyes full of helplessness.
Yang Kai glanced at him and snorted. Although he felt some displeasure, the situation had reached a point where he could no longer remain uninvolved.
After telling Old Ban and Zhang Ruo Xi to stay where they were, he slowly got up and walked towards the entrance of the cave step by step.
The others looked at him curiously, not knowing what he was going to do.
At the entrance of the cave, Yang Kai took a breath, and with a flick of his wrist, his Myriad Sword appeared and his aura suddenly erupted.
*Weng…*
The entire cave seemed to tremble.
“That’s…”
“An Emperor Realm Master!”
“There was an Emperor here all along?!”
All eyes turned to Yang Kai, who was standing at the entrance. The stalwart back now suddenly had a brave and heroic air about it, and even the group at the entrance stopped and turned around to stare at him.
Although Yang Kai performed well before, he didn’t unleash his full might, and the other cultivators were too worried about their own lives to pay him much heed.
It was only at this moment that they realized Yang Kai was actually an Emperor Realm Master!
No wonder! No wonder the three cultivators in his group were completely unharmed! No wonder every time it was their turn, the number of Yin Souls would become scarce. They’d thought it was strange before but didn’t dwell on it. Now, they understood!
“Haha, we’re saved! We’re saved!”
“Damn, I thought I would die here this time. It seems the Heavens still don’t want me to visit yet.”
“Sir, please hurry and give those Yin Souls a good bashing!”
At this time, everyone was shouting and cheering. They seemed to believe that the Yin Souls would all disappear as long as Yang Kai acted.
Qi He Feng said solemnly, “Many thanks, Sir.”
Although Yang Kai’s hand had been forced, it didn’t change the fact that he would become everyone’s life-saving benefactor if he managed to beat back all of these Yin Souls; therefore, it was natural for Qi He Feng to thank him.
“You guys should move to the rear,” Yang Kai said as his body flickered and appeared before the group defending the entrance.
Without saying a word, the four cultivators immediately stepped back and retreated behind him.
As soon as they retreated, countless Yin Souls roared and rushed forward madly. Each one looked so ferocious that it made the other cultivators sweat for Yang Kai, worried if he would be able to stop them alone.
An Emperor Realm Master was indeed strong, but he had been fighting and consuming energy for a day and a half already just like the rest of them.
Now that he had become their only hope, it was only natural that no one wanted to see him have an accident.
However, in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai was as steady as a mountain and didn’t move until the Yin Souls were almost upon him. At the last moment, his Spiritual Energy suddenly burst out like a tsunami.
*Hong…*
It seemed like an invisible wall in front of Yang Kai suddenly formed, deflecting all of the Yin Souls and preventing them from getting closer. Moreover, under some invisible pressure, the Yin Souls disintegrated at an astonishing speed, and several shrill cries rang out.
It was like watching snowflakes under the scorching sun. Wherever the sun passed, the snowflakes melted away.
This was not the end. The Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand swept out, the fierce attack rising and spreading all around like the light of the moon and stars.
A large number of Yin Souls was wiped out yet again.
Although this kind of attack was not as effective as one using Divine Sense, Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, and his Myriads Sword was also an Emperor Artifact, so it was impossible for the results to be ordinary.
The lowest level of Yin Souls and even the Ghost Generals were reduced to dust as soon as they came into contact with his sword wave. Some of the more powerful Ghost Lords were barely able to hang on to their lives, but they were still pushed to the edge.
Seeing this scene, the morale of the cultivators inside the cave rose greatly and the despair in their eyes vanished, replaced by incomparable excitement.
“You don’t look very well, my friend,” Qi He Feng suddenly turned his head and asked a wrinkly-faced man beside him, his face full of concern, “Are your injuries severe?”
When he heard this, a look of panic flashed in the wrinkly-faced man’s eyes. However, he soon covered it up and said, “Many thanks for your concern, Brother Qi. My injuries are not severe. Simply getting some rest will do.”
“That’s good. With this Sir’s help, we will be able to escape this crisis safely. He is no doubt our saviour.”
The man didn’t know what Qi He Feng was getting at and felt uneasy, but even so, he could only smile and nod, “Indeed.”
“Which Sect are you from, friend?” Qi He Feng continued to ask.
“I don’t belong to a Sect. I’m a lone wanderer,” the wrinkly-faced man replied.
Qi He Feng raised his brow, “You must be quite talented, to be able to cultivate to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm with only your own effort. Are you interested in joining the Qi Family Fort?”
“I am honoured by Brother Qi’s offer, but I’m used to being free. I don’t wish to join any great forces yet.”
“Very well.” After that, Qi He Feng stopped talking and turned his head to watch Yang Kai.
The wrinkly-faced man frowned slightly and shot Qi He Feng a furtive glance. His expression had been normal, and it seemed that he had just been making casual conversation, so the wrinkly-faced man sighed in relief.
At the entrance, Yang Kai was like an impassable mountain, and with each swing of his sword, the Yin Souls were pushed back.
Occasionally, a few would slip through and be killed by the cultivators in the back. The Yin Souls had no way to break into the cave.
At this moment, everyone relaxed and was no longer anxious.
The crisis would pass as long as Yang Kai held on. The strength of an Emperor Realm Master was formidable as expected and truly awe-inspiring; however, they were afraid Yang Kai would run out of energy before everything ended. After all, one’s strength was always limited.
Alas, half a day later, their worries came true.
By then, it became obvious that Yang Kai’s attacks were no longer as powerful as before. The force behind both his sword waves and Soul attacks were greatly reduced, and most noticeably, the number of Yin Souls slipping through his defence had increased.
However, this wasn’t surprising. The fact that Yang Kai was able to hold on for half a day on his own was a testament to his great strength; after all, the four-person groups before could only hold on for a stick of incense’s worth of time.
After another half-day, Yang Kai’s hand trembled slightly, and his face turned pale. It was apparent he was nearing his limit.
Qi He Feng stood up, “Sir, please go back and rest for a while. You can leave the rest to us.”
“Yes, Sir. If you collapse, we will all suffer too. You should take a rest,” the other cultivators quickly agreed and urged.
Their concern wasn’t truly genuine, but Yang Kai was now their main pillar of strength. Without him, their chances of surviving would be too low.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, “Alright.”
He had been defending for an entire day, while the rest of the cultivators were almost completely covered. They should have no problem taking the vanguard position for a period of time.
At that moment, all of a sudden, the wind howling outside the cave weakened drastically.
Everyone was stunned and carefully stared out in the direction of the entrance.
After a moment, someone said in a trembling voice, “The Astral Wind is ending.”
“Hahaha, it’s ending! It’s ending!”
“It’s really over! We’re saved! We’re saved!”
Upon realizing that the Astral Wind was about to end, everyone began to shout and yell excitedly, as though they had picked up an amazing treasure and wanted to share the news with the entire world.
What made them even happier was that when the sounds of howling wind began to abate, the Yin Souls seemed to have received some kind of signal and retreated back into the strange fog. In just the blink of an eye, the crisis that plagued them for two days was over.
Everyone was overjoyed and one by one, they crowded at the entrance of the cave and peered out.
They saw that only a weak wind remained, and there was not a single Yin Soul in sight.
The disaster was really over.
“Watch out, Sir!” Qi He Feng suddenly cried out loudly.
Just then, a turbid light burst out from a certain part of the cave and rushed straight towards Yang Kai’s head. Yang Kai’s body suddenly flickered, as if he might fall at any time.
The next moment, a figure rushed behind Yang Kai and aimed at his forehead with a fierce palm.
“You dare!” Qi He Feng roared and prepared to give chase, but the attack had happened too suddenly and he could only watch as the blow landed on the unprepared Yang Kai.
The others, too, began to panic and hastily spread out and put up their guards despite not knowing what had happened.
*Hong…*
A muffled sound rang out, and as soon as his palm landed on Yang Kai’s forehead, the perpetrator revealed a vicious smile.
After the successful blow, he immediately ran out of the cave at the fastest speed, because he knew that if he stayed, he would be besieged by the other cultivators; after all, Yang Kai had saved the lives of all the people here and was regarded as their benefactor.
When their benefactor was attacked, they would have to pursue the perpetrator whether they were willing to or not.
Before the man left, he turned his head and looked at Zhang Ruo Xi, his face filled with pride and triumph.
However, he saw that Zhang Ruo Xi wasn’t panicking at all. Instead, she was looking at him coldly and made no move to stop him.
This situation made the man’s heart jump, and a wave of unease washed over him.
“Do you want to run after hitting me?” A voice sounded from behind him, making his hair stand on end.
The man’s gaze snapped in Yang Kai’s direction, only to see the young man looking back at him mockingly. His pale face was now rosy as could be, and gone was the weak aura around his body.
There was no sign of exhaustion or weakness.
[How is this possible?]
Even though Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master, he had been defending the cave entrance for an entire day. How could he not be exhausted?
The only possible explanation was that… he had been hiding his true strength from the start!
Upon realizing this, the man broke out in cold sweat.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and easily grasped the man’s ankle, exerting just a small amount of force, causing bones to crack loudly.
“Ahh!” The man screamed miserably. He wanted to use his strength to resist, but was shocked to find that under Yang Kai’s grasp, his cultivation was suppressed, rendering him completely helpless.
Yang Kai threw the man back into the cave, slamming it against a wall and causing blood to spurt from his lips.
“What’s going on?”
“What’s the situation?”
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
It was only then that other cultivators reacted; however, they were confused by the scene before them and couldn’t tell why Yang Kai had attacked the other cultivator.
Qi He Feng answered their questions with a cold expression on his face, “This man had ulterior motives. He took advantage of Sir’s exhaustion to launch a sneak attack. Unforgivable!”
Everyone was shocked and looked at the cultivator who had fallen to the ground.
It was the wrinkly-faced man Qi He Feng had been talking to before.
The unbearable pain in his ankle caused his wrinkled face to appear even more wrinkled, and his forehead was dripping with beads of sweat.
“How despicable! If it wasn’t for Sir, we would be dead right now! You not only didn’t repay gratitude but also tried to sneak attack Sir?! Do you have any conscience?”
“Such a despicable person deserves to be punished with the pain of Soul extraction and refinement! This one only knows a little about Soul refinement, if you wish for it, Sir, just say the word and this one will make him regret being born into this world!”
“Heh, heh, I also know a bit about Soul refinement. If Sir wishes for it, I can also help and guarantee that he lives a life worse than death for ten days to half a month.”
As soon as the wrinkled-face man heard this, his face turned pale as snow, and his whole body trembled.
“Speak! Why did you try to attack Sir?” One of the cultivators shouted, glaring at the wrinkly-faced man.
The wrinkly-faced man clenched his teeth and said nothing despite the pain.
“Heh, heh, it looks like you’re pretty tough. I guess we’ll have to give you a taste of having your Soul pulled out and refined for you to speak!” Another one approached with a sinister smile.
“Hahaha!” The wrinkly-faced man suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter contained so much madness that it immediately stunned everyone.
A moment later, he sneered and said coldly, “You want to refine my Soul? You’ll need to have the courage first! Do you know where I come from? If you dare to hurt a single hair on my head, my Sect will not let you off!”
Everyone’s faces changed as soon as they heard these words. The intimidation from the possibility that the wrinkly-faced man came from a great background was quite effective.
When they stopped to think about it, it did make sense. The wrinkly-faced man wouldn’t dare to attack an Emperor Realm Master if he didn’t have something like a top Sect backing him.
Perhaps Yang Kai had offended the Sect somehow, so the wrinkly-faced man was sent to assassinate him.
Just minutes ago, the other cultivators were only focused on repaying Yang Kai for saving their lives and didn’t think much about the situation; however, now that they had stopped and looked back on it, they found the matter to be quite strange.
“Hahaha, scared now?” Seeing the looks on the cultivators’ faces, the wrinkly-faced man sneered, “I advise you all to mind your own business. Don’t get in my way…”
*Pa…*
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly flashed in front of him, and a sound slap landed on his face.
The wrinkly-faced man was slapped silly. It wasn’t until several moments later that he recovered from the shock. Over ten teeth had been knocked out of his mouth, and blood was now dripping from its corners.
Although Yang Kai was unharmed by the wrinkly-faced man’s sneak attack, Zhang Ruo Xi was enraged nonetheless. She never imagined there could be someone so ungrateful in this world. Right after Yang Kai saved his life, he tried to kill him!
The death of a person like him wasn’t worth pitying!
If she hadn’t tried her best to suppress her anger, the wrinkly-faced man would’ve likely died from her slap.
The other cultivators were afraid of him, but she wasn’t.
It seemed that she was truly enraged this time, because an overwhelmingly violent aura surrounded her body, making her appear like a wild beast.
Everyone was stunned and looked at her, dumbfounded. They never thought a beautiful girl like her could have such a terrifying side.
“The wind has stopped howling, and the Yin Souls have dispersed. I won’t be seeing everyone out,” Yang Kai said indifferently, his expression unchanged.
The other cultivators quickly understood his meaning. No matter what grudge he shared with the wrinkly-faced man, and no matter what the wrinkly-faced man’s background was, he didn’t want nor need anyone else to interfere.
It was pointless to insist on staying when they were too afraid to do anything. What the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve, why draw unnecessary fire to themselves?
After thinking about it, someone immediately cupped his fists and said, “Sir, this one will engrave today’s gratitude in his heart. I wish Sir great fortune and a safe return. Farewell!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the man ran out of the cave and quickly disappeared into the strange fog.
After one person left, the rest quickly understood the situation and followed.
A moment later, Yang Kai turned to look at Qi He Feng with great interest and asked, “You’re not going?”
Everyone else had left except him, which made Yang Kai speculate. And indeed, Qi He Feng shook his head, “This Qi has something to say to Sir.”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “So, you recognize me!”
It was not a question, but a statement. When Qi He Feng first introduced himself, he’d subconsciously glanced at Yang Kai, which made the latter somewhat suspicious. Now, he was certain.
When Qi He Feng heard his words, he couldn’t help but smile, “You noticed, Sir.”
“Was it Qi Hai?”
“Indeed, it was the Young Fort Lord,” Qi He Feng responded, “After his return from the Shattered Star Sea a few days ago, the Young Fort Lord gathered some confidants and described your likeness to us. He instructed us to keep our eyes open since you told him you would be coming to the Eastern Territory, Sir.”
Yang Kai snorted, “I only said that I was going to the Eastern Territory, but not that I would go to the Ancient Lands. Seeing you here… What a coincidence.”
“I believe you have heard of the restaurant in the city outside. That is actually owned by my Qi Family,” Qi He Feng explained awkwardly.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai finally realized why the owner of the restaurant had wanted to give him ten bottles of Wild Wine for no reason. At that time, he’d already been recognized by the people of Qi Family Fort.
“We heard that Sir would be entering the Ancient Lands, so we came in early and waited inside the passageway!” Qi He Feng carefully picked out his words while constantly observing Yang Kai’s expression in fear that he would be displeased.
Yang Kai, of course, was not very happy, and said coldly, “I see your Qi Family Fort’s influence spreads quite far.”
“Please calm your anger, Sir!” Qi He Feng said hastily, “We only dared to inquire into Sir’s whereabouts because the Young Fort Lord…”
“I know!” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “The Heavenly Frost Earth Rain. You can go back and tell Qi Hai that I can’t cure the poison! I no longer have ‘it’.”
“Ah?” Qi He Feng exclaimed in shock, “Then… Where is it?”
“What? Do I need to tell you that?” A cold light flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes. The existence of the Phoenix True Fire was not something that should be easily disclosed to others. Although Yang Kai believed that Qi Hai wouldn’t expose the news broadly, with enough clues one would only need to make a few assumptions to conclude that the Phoenix True Fire was with Yang Kai.
At that time, trouble would find him on its own.
Therefore, Yang Kai was dissatisfied with Qi Hai’s conduct this time. He hadn’t promised Qi Hai anything and only told him that he would go to the Eastern Territory in the future. He’d never agreed to get involved.
“Of course not, Sir!” Qi He Feng was shocked and quickly cupped his fists.
“Good, then leave and tell Qi Hai that if he dares to do this again, I will go to Qi Family Fort personally to give him my ‘regards’.” Yang Kai waved his hand impatiently.
Qi He Feng’s face changed. Qi Family Fort was formidable in its own right, but nothing good would come out of offending an Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai; however, he couldn’t just go back without doing what his Young Fort Lord had instructed him to do either!
After thinking about it, he cupped his fists and said, “Sir, this Qi has one more thing to say.”
Yang Kai looked at him coldly, “If you say one more word about the detoxifying, I will throw you out.”
“No, no. It’s not about the detoxifying. It’s about… this person!”
As he spoke, he pointed to the wrinkly-faced man.
“You know where he’s from?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
He was also curious. He was not familiar with the Eastern Territory and had barely entered the Ancient Lands Passageway when he encountered an assassin. It was truly quite strange.
Qi He Feng replied, “Sir, this Qi believes that this man is from Netherworld Sect!”
“Netherworld Sect!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and turned to stare at the wrinkly-faced man, whose expression was still twisted in pain, and then turned back, “Do you have proof?”
“Yes. In the past month, several disciples of Netherworld Sect were seen entering the Ancient Lands Passageway. According to the information I received from one of the Qi Family Fort’s disciples, these Netherworld Sect disciples stayed inside the passageway as though waiting for someone. The leader of the group is an Elder from Netherworld Sect, Hua Fei Chen. He is a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master.”
“Hua Fei Chen…” Yang Kai murmured to himself. The name was unfamiliar.
“You may not know Hua Fei Chen, Sir; however, there is someone in his group that Sir should be familiar with!” Qi He Feng said.
“Who?”
“Yin Le Sheng!”
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and grinned, “Is he here too? Great! Enemies really do meet on a narrow road.”
Qi He Feng was stunned by Yang Kai’s evident anticipation. There were many disciples from the Netherworld Sect waiting for him, not to mention that this group was headed by a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, yet Yang Kai wasn’t afraid; as a matter of fact, he appeared to be very pleased!
According to his Young Fort Lord, Yang Kai was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master when they met in the Shattered Star Sea. Therefore, he should only be a First-Order Emperor Realm Master now. No matter what kind of fortuitous encounter he had in the Shattered Star Sea, it should still be impossible for him to rival an old and experienced Master like Hua Fei Chen.
“We were confused as to what the people from the Netherworld Sect were up to in the passageway, but since Qi Family Fort is the great force controlling this area, we kept an eye on them. It wasn’t until Sir arrived at the desolate city that the Young Fort Lord realized it must be related to you, Sir. We’d heard that Sir and Yin Le Sheng had a very unpleasant argument in the Shattered Star Sea and deduced that the other side was holding a grudge. However, we do not know how they knew Sir would be coming to the Ancient Lands,” Qi He Feng said with a confused look on his face.
“Of course they’d know,” Yang Kai snorted.
The news that Xiao Xiao was in the Ancient Lands was revealed by Yin Le Sheng himself.
After seeing Yang Kai’s reaction back then, Yin Le Sheng must’ve guessed that he would come to the Ancient Lands to search for Xiao Xiao. Thus, he gathered people and laid in ambush, knowing that Yang Kai would appear sooner or later.
It seemed that the loss Yin Le Sheng suffered in the Shattered Star Sea was too much to swallow, and he held a great grudge because of it. It hadn’t been long since the Shattered Star Sea closed, and he was already prepared to set up a trap to kill him.
As for the wrinkly-faced man, he was likely sent out as a scout to track Yang Kai’s whereabouts. Little did they know the wrinkly-faced man would try to act on his own and launch a sneak attack on Yang Kai, which ultimately resulted in their plan falling one step short of success.
“Yin Le Sheng… you’re dead this time!” Yang Kai sneered as he muttered to himself.
Last time, he let Yin Le Sheng go because he wanted to find out Xiao Xiao’s whereabouts. They had signed a Soul Contract, and were bound by its terms, so Yang Kai couldn’t kill him even though he wanted to.
Now that Yin Le Sheng had sent himself to his doorstep, Yang Kai naturally would not show any mercy.
“Sir, Hua Fei Chen is an Elder of the Netherworld Sect. He became a Second-Order Emperor close to a hundred years ago and is now a renowned Master. Not only that, but Yin Le Sheng is now an Emperor Realm Master too. It would be best to stay away from them, Sir.” Yang Kai’s reaction stunned Qi He Feng; he had never met someone so ignorant to the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Yang Kai was clearly just a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master, yet he dared to take Hua Fei Chen lightly.
“Sir, it would be best to leave here first and think of a plan later,” Qi He Feng urged.
“Yin Le Sheng also broke through to the Emperor Realm?” Yang Kai frowned, “When did that happen?”
“We are uncertain of the exact time, but we do know that he was an Emperor Realm Master when he left the Shattered Star Sea,” Qi He Feng responded.
“It seems that he had quite a few fortuitous encounters there,” Yang Kai mused to himself.
When they were in the Shattered Star Sea, Yin Le Sheng was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. Yang Kai himself was only able to break through after witnessing the battle between two Great Emperors and studying the auras released by the clash. He wondered what kind of fortuitous encounter Yin Le Sheng had.
However, he wasn’t very surprised, as the Shattered Star Sea was filled with opportunities, and Yin Le Sheng had a good aptitude.
After sorting out his thoughts, Yang Kai bent down and lifted the wrinkly-faced man’s chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. Next, Yang Kai’s right eye flashed with golden light as he released some Spiritual Energy and pressured the other’s consciousness.
“Are you from the Netherworld Sect?” Yang Kai asked.
As a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, how could the wrinkly-faced man resist? He succumbed and responded within a breath.
“Yes.”
“Am I the reason you guys came to the Ancient Lands Passageway?”
“Yes.”
“How many people are there, and are there any Emperor Realm Masters other than Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng?”
“Twenty-five people came. Other than Elder Hua and Senior Brother Yin, there are no Emperor Realm Masters.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Is Yin Le Sheng stupid? He thinks this Young Master can be defeated with just that? What paltry tricks do you have in store for me?”
“My fellow Brothers will set up the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. Once you are trapped inside, Elder Hua and Senior Brother Yin will enter and personally kill you,” the wrinkly-faced man responded.
“The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array!” Qi He Feng suddenly exclaimed.
Yang Kai looked at him, “What kind of Spirit Array is that?”
“It is one of the Netherworld Sect’s most powerful Trapping Arrays. Once it is set up, the person inside would be suppressed inside like a ghost and have their vitality constantly sucked out of them. Moreover, the area covered by the array will be completely isolated from the outside world, making it impossible to break out,” Qi He Feng explained with a strange expression on his face.
Afterward, he frowned and added, “Why would they use the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array… isn’t that going too far?”
Evidently, in Qi He Feng’s eyes, Hua Fei Chen was already giving Yang Kai enough face by dealing with him personally; after all, no matter how powerful Yang Kai was, it should be impossible for him to escape a First and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters’ siege. Sooner or later, he would be brought down.
The collaboration of the two was more than enough to capture Yang Kai, so why did they decide to set up the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array too? One must know that the setting up the array required the use of Netherworld Purgatory Banners that the disciples of the Netherworld Sect needed to refine using their own Blood Essence.
If the array was broken, the artifacts would be destroyed completely, and each disciple would suffer the Ten Thousand Ghost Biting Backlash that made life feel worse than death.
The Sect Defending Array covering the Netherworld Sect itself was a gigantic Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array with three Emperor Artifact rank Netherworld Purgatory Banners as its Cores. If an outsider was to invade, the array would activate and trap them inside with no way to escape.
Thus, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array set up using over twenty Netherworld Sect disciples was undoubtedly formidable.
Was Yang Kai so powerful that the Netherworld Sect had to take such extreme measures to deal with him? Qi He Feng simply couldn’t figure it out.
However, what he didn’t know was that Yin Le Sheng had insisted on using this array because he knew Yang Kai was proficient at using Space Principles. Hua Fei Chen might be stronger than Yang Kai, but wanting to kill him without cutting off his path of escape was all but impossible.
Since ancient times, cultivators who were proficient in the Dao of Space were the hardest to deal with. In order to kill them, one must first think of a way to seal them in a certain region in order to prevent them from simply escaping.
“Isolated from the outside world… Hmph,” Yang Kai coldly snorted. He immediately understood what the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was for.
“Sir, you should retreat. If your purpose for entering the Ancient Lands is to look for something, our Qi Family Fort can help. You would only need to wait for our message,” Qi He Feng said, looking at Yang Kai eagerly.
He believed that with Yang Kai’s current strength, throwing himself into the array would be the same as throwing himself into a grave.
“Your Qi Family Fort cannot help with what I’m seeking.” Yang Kai shook his head.
He was not looking for treasure, but Xiao Xiao. How could he let the Qi Family Fort help with that?
As he spoke, Yang Kai’s outstretched hand jerked, and the wrinkly-faced man immediately fell over. On the outside, there was not the slightest sign of injury, but his insides had already turned to dust. He couldn’t be more dead.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai said to Zhang Ruo Xi and Old Ban. There was nothing more he needed to know. As he spoke, he wrapped his Emperor Qi around the two and disappeared like a ghost.
“Sir! Sir!” Qi He Feng yelled twice, but Yang Kai had already left. Qi He Feng ran out after him, but the strange fog quickly obstructed his sight and Divine Sense.
Qi He Feng stood in one spot for a moment, then he stamped his foot and quickly went on his way.
It would be impossible to find Yang Kai again. He had waited inside the cave for him, but now that he was gone, so Qi He Feng had to send word back to Qi Family Fort as soon as possible so that the Young Fort Lord could decide what to do next.
…..
Fifty kilometres away from the original location of Yang Kai’s group, in another cave.
This cave was much larger than the one Yang Kai’s group hid and could accommodate over twenty without feeling crowded.
The people inside the cave were all wearing the same clothes and were from the same Sect.
Their leader was a Second-Order Emperor who was wearing a traditional-style robe. He appeared to be around fifty years old, but his face looked rosy and young.
This person was Elder Hua Fei Chen of the Netherworld Sect.
Sitting beside him was Yin Le Sheng, whose venomous gaze had been staring into the surging strange fog as though wanting to pierce through its depths. There was a cold and unsettling smile on his face.
Whenever he recalled his encounter with Yang Kai in the Shattered Star Sea, he would have trouble eating and sleeping.
He had never suffered such a great loss since he became a cultivator. He had always been the one to crush others with absolute strength and never expected that one day, someone of the same level would oppress him.
He couldn’t stand it.
Worse, in order to survive last time, he even had to lower himself and flatter Yang Kai. Yin Le Sheng reckoned that if he didn’t have information Yang Kai was interested in, he would’ve died at that time. In the end, he had to rely on a Soul Contract to stay alive.
Back when they were in the Starlight Corridor, Yang Kai wasn’t his match at all. He never expected that in just less than ten years, Yang Kai would advance to such heights.
Who knew how monstrous Yang Kai would become if he was given a few more years? Thus, Yin Le Sheng had to get rid of Yang Kai once and for all, like cutting weeds and pulling out their roots. Yin Le Sheng was certain that if he allowed Yang Kai to grow further, his life would become exceedingly difficult.
Therefore, as soon as he returned to his Sect, he asked his Honoured Master to send Elder Hua Fei Chen to the Ancient Lands Passageway with over twenty disciples to help him kill Yang Kai.
With the assistance of Hua Fei Chen, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array, and his own trump cards, there was no way Yang Kai would be able to survive!
Yin Le Sheng could already imagine the wonderful scene of Yang Kai falling to his knees and begging for mercy.
Suddenly, a loud voice shouted, “Elder, we have bad news!”
His reverie interrupted, Yin Le Sheng was somewhat displeased and turned to see a Netherworld Sect disciple standing beside Hua Fei Chen, an ugly expression on his face.
“What’s the matter?” Yin Le Sheng asked with a frown.
Hua Fei Chen also opened his eyes and looked at him calmly.
“Senior Brother Yao… is dead,” the disciple said in a trembling voice
“Who killed him?” Yin Le Sheng asked.
Although there were many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the Ancient Lands Passageway, the Netherworld Sect was a name that caused those in the Eastern Territory to tremble and obey. Who would dare to kill one of their disciples so casually?
“It seems to be… this man,” said the disciple, revealing a bead in his palm. An illusory phantom appeared from it, reflecting the scene of Yang Kai’s hand crushing the wrinkly-faced man’s five viscera and six organs.
This was a mysterious technique that could replay the scene of the wrinkly-faced man’s death clearly to Hua Fei Chen and his group.
“Yang Kai…” Yin Le Sheng clenched his teeth, glaring at the image of Yang Kai in the illusory image. His eyes turned red as soon as he saw this enemy of his.
“That’s him! That’s the bastard who bullied this Young Lady! So he really did enter the Ancient Lands Passageway! Hua Fei Chen, you need to catch him so this Young Lady can torture him.” On the other side of the cave, a young red-clothed woman suddenly jumped up and cried out, glaring at Yang Kai’s figure with gnashed teeth.
This young woman was the one who had troubled Old Ban; she had met up with the Netherworld Sect at an unknown time. Old Fu, who was protecting her, was also present; however, the two Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master guards were nowhere in sight, their life or death unknown.
She was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, yet she showed no respect for Hua Fei Chen, an Emperor Realm Master.
Despite that, Hua Fei Chen wasn’t angry at all. There was only some helplessness in his expression.
Yin Le Sheng turned to the red-clothed girl, the corners of his lips turning upwards as he asked, “Young Lady Lin’er, you mean… The person you want to punish is him?”
“That’s right!” The girl named Lin’er, gritting her teeth, fire almost shooting from her eyes, “I would recognize him even if he turned to ashes! You, hurry up and catch him for me! I want to see him kneel down in front of me and beg for mercy!”
Two days prior, this Young Lady had suddenly stumbled into the cave where the Netherworld Sect’s members were hiding and ordered Hua Fei Chen and others to teach someone a lesson for her.
She said that the man had brazenly bullied her.
Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng felt their heads hurt when they heard this demand; after all, they were here to ambush Yang Kai and had no time to waste on other people.
If it was someone else, Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng wouldn’t even need to pay attention to them; however, this Young Lady wasn’t just anybody. This woman’s background was so great that even the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master would need to treat her politely, let alone Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng.
In their hearts, they were cursing the blind fool who offended this Young Lady. If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t be caught in this mess. Lending a hand wasn’t an issue, but there was the chance their movements would alert Yang Kai.
However, no matter how reluctant they were, they couldn’t disobey this Young Lady’s orders.
Just as they decided to grit their teeth and bear with it, the wind began to howl. Their group was forced to stay inside a cave for two days and couldn’t go outside until now.
Now, however, Yin Le Sheng was quite happy, “Young Lady Lin’er, it seems… we are dealing with the same person,” he said with a smile.
“The same person?” A shocked expression appeared on the girl named Lin’er’s face, and even Old Fu’s eyes widened, “Such a coincidence?”
Yin Le Sheng slowly rose, “I will not hide anything from you, Young Lady. That man’s name is Yang Kai, and I have some grievances with him. The reason I came to the Ancient Lands is to deal with him!”
Upon hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Old Fu’s face, “It’s only one person, yet you’ve brought so many people and even prepared the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. Don’t you think your Netherworld Sect is giving him too much face?”
“You mustn’t underestimate him, Old Fu,” Yin Le Sheng responded solemnly, “I’m not sure if you’ve confronted him before, but he’s not as simple as he seems.”
Old Fu’s face turned red, then he nodded, “Indeed.”
After thinking back to his confrontation with Yang Kai in the desolate city, Old Fu knew that Yin Le Sheng was right. This young man was clearly a First-Order Emperor Realm Master like him, yet when they fought, he was completely suppressed to the point of not being able to fight back at all.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had to turn to the Netherworld Sect for assistance; after all, as an Emperor Realm Master himself, there were only a few things he couldn’t deal with personally.
“Sheer strength aside, that man is also skilled in a truly esoteric power. That’s what I’m worried about the most. If not for that, I wouldn’t have requested for the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array to be used,” Yin Le Sheng coldly snorted, with a little jealousy on his face.
“What power?” Old Fu asked.
“The Dao of Space!”
“Sii…” Old Fu drew in a sharp breath, his shock could not be concealed, “Did you say… The Dao of Space?” he asked.
“Indeed,” Yin Le Sheng’s expression was gloomy as he nodded, “Moreover, he is so skilled at using Space Force that he seems to be able to tear space at will.”
“For there to be such a thing…” Old Fu’s eyes flickered, then he asked, “Could it be… Is he the disciple of ‘that’ man from Spirit Beast Island?”
Although he didn’t name who he was referring to, both Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng knew who he was talking about.
If Yang Kai really was that person’s disciple, then things would become troublesome. That person was ranked first below the Ten Great Emperors and was known as the most powerful Emperor in the Star Boundary. Even without his title as strongest Emperor Realm Master though, that man still lived on Spirit Beast Island and was a highly valued direct subordinate of Martial Beast Great Emperor.
Who would dare to touch his disciple? Making an enemy of him meant making an enemy of Spirit Beast Island. Not even Old Fu and the girl named Lin’er could afford those consequences.
Therefore, Old Fu couldn’t help but feel worried. What if they had provoked someone they shouldn’t have?
However, to his relief, Yin Le Sheng shook his head, “As far as I know, there is no relationship between the little brat and that Sir, so you can rest assured.”
“How do you know?” Old Fu asked cautiously. As the Young Lady’s bodyguard, he needed to be a careful and thorough person.
Yin Le Sheng smiled and responded, “Because he is from the Southern Territory!”
“The Southern Territory…” Upon hearing this, Old Fu finally put down his worries, “In that case, he should have no ties with that person.” He paused and continued, “So, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array is for sealing space!”
“Indeed,” Yin Le Sheng said with a hideous grin, “I’d like to see how he’ll be able to escape without his Space Abilities.”
Hua Fei Chen suddenly interjected, “Is that little brat already an Emperor Realm Master?”
The disciple surnamed Yao that Yang Kai killed was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and Old Fu and the Young Lady had also suffered at his hand. This showed that Yang Kai was likely already an Emperor Realm Master.
“Yes, what did you think he was?” Old Fu looked at him strangely.
Hua Fei Chen frowned, “Martial Nephew Yin said that when they were in the Shattered Star Sea, the little brat was only a Dao Source Realm Master. To think…”
“His aptitude is also astonishing, and the opportunities that exist within the Shattered Star Sea are truly Heaven-defying; thus, it is not surprising that he was able to break through to the Emperor Realm there. Wasn’t I the same? If he wasn’t an Emperor Realm Master, I wouldn’t have asked Martial Uncle Hua and my fellow brothers to lend a hand,” Yin Le Sheng explained with a slight smile.
He looked as though he had expected it.
“The Shattered Star Sea… He was in the Shattered Star Sea?” Old Fu was surprised, “You mean he broke through to the Emperor Realm not long ago?”
A young man who had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, possibly without having stabilized his new cultivation and was still unfamiliar with Emperor Qi, was able to completely suppress him. Old Fu couldn’t believe it.
[Am I just too old?]
“Rest assured, Old Fu. No matter what kind of opportunities he had, he will surely die here today,” Yin Le Sheng said, his expression grim.
“What are you muttering about?” The Young Lady, Lin’er, was silently listening for a long time and finally grew impatient, “I’m telling you to catch that man and bring him to this Young Lady, so why are you all still standing here for?”
Yin Le Sheng turned his head and said with a smile, “We will need to use some means to deal with that man, but please rest assured, Young Lady Lin’er. Within five days, this Yin will surely deliver him to you. At that time, Young Lady Lin’er will be able to do whatever she wishes with him.”
The girl named Lin’er snorted, “It’d better be that way. When the time comes, this Young Lady will strip him of his clothes and throw him to a place filled with people so they can laugh at him!”
She looked so vicious and gleeful, as though this was the heaviest punishment she could think of for Yang Kai.
Previously, she had also threatened Zhang Ruo Xi with these same words.
Yin Le Sheng and others watched on awkwardly, then Hua Fei Chen spoke up.
“Since Martial Nephew Yao has died, we cannot stay here any longer. It is possible that brat surnamed Yang now knows about our trap and will try to escape it. We must change our plans.”
Yin Le Sheng nodded, “We will do as Martial Uncle suggests.”
As soon as they finished their discussion, the group moved out. Old Fu and the Young Lady named Lin’er naturally followed.
…
Deep in the strange fog, Old Ban was leading the way, with Zhang Ruo Xi behind him and Yang Kai at the rear. The few ignorant Yin Souls that appeared were easily and swiftly dealt with.
After they’d walked for a long time, Yang Kai suddenly asked, “How much further, Old Ban?”
Old Ban’s voice sounded from the front, “We are still barely halfway. It will take at least two more days for us to reach the exit of this passageway.”
“Two days…” Yang Kai pondered for a while and said, “You should have seen what happened before, Old Ban. Some of my enemies seem to be waiting for me ahead. They’re not easy to deal with, so you should head back now. We’ll go the rest of the way alone.”
However, Old Ban grinned meaningfully, “This old man has heard a few things about the Netherworld Sect, and indeed, I cannot afford to provoke them; however, in this Ancient Lands Passage, I am confident in my ability to come and go at will, so Little Brother doesn’t have to worry about me. Since I’ve promised to guide you out of the passageway safely, I will not leave halfway. This old man’s title may not be valuable, but it’s not to be underestimated either.”
Of course, he understood that Yang Kai didn’t want to implicate him, but inside this Ancient Lands Passageway, Old Ban was fearless. If he met an enemy, he could simply dart into the strange fog, then not even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be able to find him.
His familiarity with this place is his greatest assurance.
After a pause, he continued, “You can also rest assured, Little Brother. Even if they wanted to ambush you, they wouldn’t choose to do it in this damned place. This old man reckons they’re waiting at the exit, so I will be fine as long as I leave before then.”
What he said was quite reasonable. Even if the Netherworld Sect was planning to ambush Yang Kai, they wouldn’t do it in the obscurity of this strange fog; therefore, the road ahead should be safe.
Thus, Yang Kai was no longer reluctant and nodded, “Many thanks then, Old Ban.”
There was nothing more to say along the way, and the three continued to move forward.
Since the most dangerous Falling Thunder and Astral Wind had passed, they no longer had to make any major detours. According to Old Ban, the Ancient Lands Passageway would be relatively safe for another month, and they would only need to pay attention to the occasional Yin Souls that attacked.
Yang Kai was worried that the Ghost King hadn’t given up; after all, he had killed so many Yin Souls when he was in the cave. However, after walking for half a day, Yang Kai realized that he was overthinking things.
Perhaps the Ghost King knew that there was nothing it could do to Yang Kai, even if it attacked personally. What the eyes do not see, the heart does not grieve, so it decided to ignore Yang Kai.
As for the hundreds of Yin Souls that were killed… there was no lack of them in the Ancient Lands Passageway. It didn’t matter how many were killed, since they could always be replaced.
The route Old Ban took was winding and irregular as usual, but with the guidance of the jade beads, the group of three stuck together and always kept a distance of three steps between them.
Two days later, Yang Kai felt that the surrounding strange fog had thinned out a little. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination though.
Old Ban, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped and said, “We’ve almost reached the exit, Little Brother. The strange fog will no longer affect Divine Sense much. With your strength, you should be able to find the way out safely.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai quickly released his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings and sure enough, he was able to scan a far wider range than before.
As long as he could use his Divine Sense, he should be able to navigate through the strange fog without trouble; moreover, his Divine Sense would only become clearer as he moved closer to the exit.
“Many thanks for guiding us until now, Old Ban. Please be careful going back,” Yang Kai said, cupping his fists.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Little Brother,” Old Ban replied with a slight smile, “If you need this old man’s guidance on the day of your return, you can go to the cave over there and wait.”
He pointed in one direction and then continued, “This old man will go there once every month to guide people back through the Ancient Lands Passageway; however, the time isn’t fixed.”
Yang Kai understood his meaning, “Old Ban is doing two-way business.”
He could take people who wanted to enter the Ancient Lands, and then take people out when he exited. It was quite a good business.
“This old man’s cultivation is low. Although I am knowledgeable about the terrain, I will not be able to resist if I encounter a powerful Yin Soul. As a guide, I also receive the protection of those I’m guiding.”
“You’ve thought of things out quite meticulously,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Alright, this old man will leave now. I wish you safe travels, Little Brother, Young Lady,” Old Ban bid farewell before leaving in the direction he had pointed out earlier, presumably to wait for people to guide back.
As soon as the old man disappeared, Yang Kai turned his eyes to the front, and after looking for a moment, he said, “Ruo Xi. I’ll go the rest of the way alone.”
Zhang Ruo Xi’s face was filled with distress. Although she wanted to help Yang Kai, she was still too weak and would only be a burden if she stayed, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and leave.
With the flash of light, Yang Kai hid Zhang Ruo Xi inside the Sealed World Bead, then he began to move forward.
The more he moved forward, the less influence the strange fog would have, and the wider the range that Yang Kai’s Divine Sense could detect.
Just as he was about to leave the passageway and set foot into the real wilderness, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and looked around.
Here, the strange fog was almost transparent and barely affected him, so he could sense his surroundings clearly.
It was quiet, without any sign of living creatures or even the slightest fluctuation of Qi.
However, Yang Kai grinned and shouted, “I’m sure you’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment, Brother Yin. Now that it’s come, why bother hiding like this?”
As soon as his words came out, somewhere in the sky, it was as though a piece of perfect brocade and silk had been torn off, and suddenly, a line of more than twenty people appeared.
A pair of eyes, carrying great murderous intent, focused on Yang Kai.
At the same time, a streak of light flashed by, turning into a cloak-like artifact that fell into the hand of a red-clothed woman.
Yang Kai’s eyes lingered on the cloak for a moment before raising his brow and muttering, “A concealment artifact?”
He wasn’t certain that this was the place, but his intuition had told him the people from the Netherworld Sect were hiding here, so he spoke up to check and sure enough, his intuition was right.
It seemed that they were able to conceal themselves not because of a Secret Art, but because of the cloak.
To be able to hide so many people at once and escape even his detection… It was quite an amazing artifact.
Yang Kai looked at the red-clothed girl with some slight surprise.
Although he knew that she and Old Fu had entered the Ancient Lands Passageway one day prior, he hadn’t expected them to be together with the people of the Netherworld Sect. Furthermore, he didn’t know whether they were Netherworld Sect’s people or not.
At the moment, the red-clothed girl was glaring fiercely at him, seemingly very angry. She grit her teeth and demanded, “How did you find us?”
Old Fu could not help but sigh, “That shouldn’t be the case, Young Lady. This artifact is a treasure gifted to you by Sir himself. How could a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master be able to see through it?”
“How could that be? I clearly heard him speak just now,” the red-clothed girl said in dismay.
Old Fu was speechless, as were Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen.
[He was just probing, yet you revealed us immediately. Now you’re asking how he found us? Why are you running around outside without a brain?]
Originally, they thought they could take advantage of the red-clothed girl’s Emperor Artifact to catch Yang Kai off-guard; however, she had exposed them when Yang Kai was only three metres away from where they needed him to be!
At that moment, Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen’s faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.
If they had known this would happen, they wouldn’t have tried to borrow the power of the red-clothed girl’s artifact to conceal themselves.
“Are you two also from the Netherworld Sect?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the red-clothed girl and Old Fu.
Before Old Fu could answer, the red-clothed girl coldly snorted, “What thing is the Netherworld Sect? How could this Young Lady be from such a lowly place?”
With these words, Old Fu’s face cramped, and the expressions of Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng became even worse.
The red-clothed girl spoke thoughtlessly, but saying it so easily in front of the Netherworld Sect’s people was no different from slapping them in the face; after all, the Netherworld Sect was one of the top Sects in the Eastern Territory, its name inspiring awe and fear in the masses, but it was described by the red-clothed girl so disdainfully.
It was no wonder Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng’s expressions were so ugly.
If it were anyone else who said that, Hua Fei Chen would have slapped them in the face. However, he didn’t dare to touch a single hair on this red-clothed girl’s head.
Old Fu cut in hastily, “Please don’t take it to heart, Elder Hua. My Young Lady is always like this, it couldn’t be helped.”
Although Hua Fei Chen was annoyed, he could only respond with a cold face, “Very well. Young Lady Lin’er is quite frank. This King will not quibble with her.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, and he nodded, “I understand now.”
The girl named Lin’er snapped, “You understand what?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Nothing, just that this Young Lady seems to want to make things difficult for this Young Master by colluding with the Netherworld Sect.”
“So what if I am?” The girl named Lin’er said, gritting her teeth. When she saw Yang Kai standing there motionless, she assumed that he was afraid and immediately puffed out her chest.
“If you want to live, you’d better get on your knees and kowtow to this Young Lady, then give me your Soul Imprint and serve this Young Lady for ten years! Who knows, I might let you live!”
“No!” When Yin Le Sheng heard that, his face changed greatly and he immediately tried to stop her.
He brought so many people with him together, all to kill Yang Kai, so how could he let this red-clothed girl say that she could let him live?
Yang Kai must die today, no matter what!
However, without giving him a chance to continue, the girl named Lin’er turned her head and said angrily, “Shut up! How dare you interrupt this Young Lady?!”
Yin Le Sheng was so infuriated that his face twisted up, but he didn’t dare to say a word.
He could barely stand it. This little girl was clearly here to ask for their help, but at this moment, it was as though he and his Sect members had become her subordinates and needed to heed her every command.
The girl named Lin’er turned her attention to Yang Kai again, then she glanced around and frowned, “Where did that wench who was with you go?”
When she saw Yang Kai earlier, she was caught up in her anger and forgot about the existence of Zhang Ruo Xi. Now, she suddenly realized that Yang Kai was alone.
When he smiled without responding, she was angered, “Are you deaf? This Young Lady is asking you a question! Where did that wench who slapped my face go? I’m going to make her life worse than death!”
“Slapped…” Hua Fei Chen’s ears perked up as he directed a look of shock at the young girl.
The other disciples of the Netherworld Sect also looked horrified.
Someone who dared to slap this Young Lady’s face… existed? Who was this so-called ‘wench’ that truly didn’t fear the Heavens?
Meanwhile, Old Fu was standing off to the side, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, his legs almost shaking.
His Young Lady was slapped in the face while he was escorting her. It would’ve been fine if no one learned about it, but she just had to expose it to the public. If this were to spread to Sir’s ears, how could he possibly survive now?
The fearful Old Fu immediately looked over at Hua Fei Chen pleadingly, silently begging him to not let this out.
Hua Fei Chen returned his gaze and observed him, quickly figuring out what Old Fu was thinking and simply nodding.
Although Old Fu’s cultivation was lower than his, he was nonetheless born and raised from ‘that’ place and served as this Young Lady’s guard, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a good relationship with him. There may come a time when they need to use Old Fu, so this could benefit them in the future.
After getting a response, Old Fu quickly cupped his fists to express his gratitude.
The girl named Lin’er continued shouting, her bosom heaving in anger. Finally, she put her hands on her hips and scolded angrily, “Call that wench out for me. This Young Lady won’t spare her!”
She was confident that Yang Kai had hidden Zhang Ruo Xi somewhere.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and looked at her indifferently, “Little girl, this Young Master would advise you to learn your place. Otherwise, you will die somewhere sooner or later.”
“How dare you!” Old Fu roared. How could he just stand by and watch as his Young Lady was being threatened like this?
The girl named Lin’er was utterly stunned and didn’t react until several moments later, “You want to kill me?” she frowned.
“My patience is not limitless, girl. So what if I kill you?” Yang Kai sneered.
Upon hearing that, the girl flew into a hysterical rage.
“You want to kill me? You sure have guts! You people, hurry and come capture him for me!” She shrieked, urging Yin Le Sheng and the others around her to take action. It was as though the Netherworld Sect’s people were her subordinates.
Although the Netherworld Sect members were upset that they were being bossed around by the girl named Lin’er, since the matter had gotten this far, they couldn’t retreat either.
Not to mention, they were here to kill Yang Kai in the first place.
“Form up!” Yin Le Sheng suddenly shouted, waving his hand.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Over twenty Netherworld Sect disciples flew up at once, floating in the air, surrounding Yang Kai all of a sudden. They appeared to be very particular about their positions, and whether it was the top or below, left or right, front or back, they didn’t leave a single route of escape.
Yin Le Sheng was nervously keeping an eye on Yang Kai, afraid that he would use his teleportation ability to escape.
If Yang Kai felt that things weren’t looking good for him and escaped, all their efforts would be for nought. They had not laid out the Spirit Array yet, and neither had they sealed the space around him. Basically, they were currently unable to kill or capture Yang Kai.
But what made him happy was that Yang Kai didn’t seem to attach any importance to them; he didn’t care the slightest bit about these twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples and just stood still in his position.
[Enjoy being arrogant while you can! Do you think that you are invincible with your Space Tearing ability and your breakthrough to the Emperor Realm!? Today, I will let you know what it means that there are mountains beyond mountains and Heavens beyond Heavens.]
Yin Le Sheng was feeling extremely happy in his heart, but there wasn’t the slightest bit of change in his expression as his Divine Sense was locked right onto Yang Kai.
In the blink of an eye, the twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples had already taken their respective positions.
*Hualala…*
After a series of clattering, those twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples had summoned their respective artifacts. Their artifacts were exactly the same, as if they were made by the same person. All of them were carrying a huge pitch-black banner that was fluttering and flapping in the wind, exuding an extremely cold aura.
These banners were exactly the same as the Netherworld Purgatory Banner that Yang Kai got from Zhong Zhen Yong in the Shattered Star Sea. Obviously, they were the same kind of artifacts and seemed to be a favorite for Netherworld Sect disciples.
However, the energy fluctuations emitted by the Netherworld Purgatory Banners in these disciples’ hands were weaker than Zhong Zhen Yong’s. It should be because their refinement of these artifacts wasn’t up to par.
Everyone had already taken their respective positions and summoned their banners as well; now, everything was ready except for the crucial thing.
The corner of Yin Le Sheng’s lips rose as he revealed a hideous grin before shouting, “Start the Array!”
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples shouted together before their hands started wildly dancing, forming hand seals. In an instant, a very subtle connection seemed to have formed between these twenty or so men, and an invisible barrier which was formed with them as its anchors, sealing Heaven and Earth appeared. A faint black Qi gushed out of the Netherworld Purgatory Banners next and diffused towards the centre.
“An Array!?” Yang Kai appeared startled as a flustered look appeared on his face, asking in shock, “What Array is this?”
Yin Le Sheng broke into laughter and arrogantly replied, “Of course, it’s the Array that will take your life!”
At this point, he didn’t need to worry about anything anymore. Since the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was already activated, Yang Kai could not escape from this place even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space, unless he could break this Array, of course.
But could the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array arranged by more than twenty Dao Source Realm disciples using their Netherworld Purgatory Banners be destroyed by a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master?
Even a Third-Order Emperor would be trapped for a while by this setup.
Yang Kai looked horrified and his face had gone totally pale as he looked at Yin Le Sheng. He nervously gulped as he stated, “Brother Yin, what enmity or grievance is there between you and me that you are so dead set upon going against me? I even spared you in the Shattered Star Sea, didn’t I? Shouldn’t we discard our old enmities?”
Yin Le Sheng was dancing in joy in his heart, but outwardly he just let out a cold snort and stated, “Spared me? Don’t make it sound so pleasant. I just happened to have the information you needed. Otherwise, would you have spared me? Discard old enmities my foot! Yang Kai, spare me the rubbish. Today is the day you die.”
Yang Kai bitterly asked, “Brother Yin, do you really have to kill me?”
Yin Le Sheng raised his head as he sneered, “What’s wrong? Could it be that you still want to live at this point?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile, replying, “If one can live, who wants to die? Brother Yin, why don’t you let me go today, I will pay you a visit in the future, for sure, to repay your kindness.”
“Do you think that I am a three-year-old child? Aren’t you even embarrassed to say this?”
Yang Kai helplessly said, “I guess Brother Yin has already decided to kill me, whatever I say will be useless…”
Yin Le Sheng yelled, “No matter how pleasantly you spew bullshit, no one is going to listen to you.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh before reaching out to his forehead and tucking his hair back as he requested with a forlorn look, “Brother Yin, I have another request!”
“Hmph, what else do you want to say?” A cold smile was hanging on Yin Le Sheng’s lips, feeling extremely pleasant in his heart. He did not know why, but seeing Yang Kai at his wit’s end and helpless, felt as if he had just ravaged several dozen beauties. He felt as if his entire body was filled with a pleasure he couldn’t vent.
“Please let me die in the most beautiful way!” Yang Kai turned his cheek toward him and stood carrying his hands behind his back, looking at the sky with a sidelong glance, striking a cool pose.
Lin’er’s lips involuntarily twitched as she whispered to Old Fu, “This man is really a showoff.”
Old Fu had no idea how to respond.
Suddenly, a frown appeared on Yin Le Sheng’s forehead as he shouted in anger, “You dare play a joke on me!?”
At this moment, he had finally realized that the reason Yang Kai was bullshitting so much was not because of fear, and neither was it because he wanted to leave a pretty speech on his deathbed, rather he was clearly amusing himself.
Yang Kai broke into laughter as he stated, “I was just playing around! Brother Yin, don’t be so serious. Do you really think that this Young Master is afraid of you?”
The mischievous look on Yang Kai’s face angered Yin Le Sheng so much that he almost spurted blood in anger.
Just as he said this, Space Principles surged as Yang Kai’s figure suddenly blurred.
But very soon, his body phased out and became tangible again, reappearing on the same spot. He hadn’t moved from his position even a step.
“The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array is well-deserving of its reputation!” Yang Kai raised his brow. Although Qi He Feng had mentioned the might of this Array and he knew that it could isolate space, Yang Kai still wanted to see whether he could get out of it.
After giving it a try, Yang Kai found that the surrounding space was utterly sealed, and with his current achievements in the Dao of Space, he was unable to teleport out of here.
“What are you all waiting for!?” Yin Le Sheng shouted at the sight of this, lest Yang Kai escape if they delay any longer.
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples pushed their Source Qi after receiving the order, pouring it into their Netherworld Purgatory Banners, fully activating the might of the Array.
*Hu Hu Hu…*
Suddenly, ghastly cries and wails appeared out of nowhere, making everyone feel as if they had fallen into the netherworld. A cold and sinister aura spread into the surrounding, freezing the ground and withering the grass and trees instantly before they were reduced into dust that blew away with the wind.
Dense and thick streams of black Qi kept gushing out from those twenty or so Netherworld Purgatory Banner while countless faint Yin Souls could be seen in the darkness, dancing around, bearing their claws and fangs, a terrifying sight to behold.
In just three breaths, the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array had sealed this region, turning it pitch-black. From the distance, it looked as if a giant pitch-black ball had suddenly appeared.
This black ball was a few hundred meters in diameter, covering a fairly wide area, and Yang Kai’s figure had completely disappeared inside.
This Spirit Array was already terrifying with this kind of partial initialization, so it was easy to imagine how frightful it would be if fully completed.
Yin Le Sheng pursed his lips into a hideous grin, his eyes completely glued onto the huge black ball, as if he couldn’t wait to witness Yang Kai’s death with his own eyes.
If Yang Kai had a slim hope of escaping a moment ago, with the Array activated now, Yang Kai had no chance of surviving. Inside the Array, his vitality would keep on withering away. Furthermore, the might of twenty or so Netherworld Purgatory Banners would be greatly increased under the effect of the Array, making the joint attack of more than twenty Netherworld Sect disciples quite capable of taking Yang Kai’s life.
“Yin Le Sheng, it seems you went to great lengths just to take my life, but do you really think that this Young Master can’t break this Array?”
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s fierce shout came from inside the black ball, one that sounded completely energetic, as if he wasn’t affected by his situation at all.
Yin Le Sheng’s pupils shrank as he suddenly felt a foreboding feeling grip his heart.
Before he could reply, a wave of terrifying energy fluctuations suddenly spread from the black ball, followed by a deafening explosion.
The huge black ball suddenly doubled in size under the explosion of energy, and looked as if it would burst at any moment.
The twenty or so Dao Source Realm disciples responsible for arranging the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array also turned pale and their figures trembled as if they had suffered some kind of backlash.
Yin Le Shen was completely taken aback and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Hua Fei Chen also spoke in amazement, “How is this possible? Hasn’t he just broken through to the Emperor Realm?”
Although he couldn’t see what move Yang Kai had just unleashed because of the isolation of the Array, judging by how the Array was affected, he could easily tell how powerful the attack was.
But how could a newly promoted Emperor display such prowess?
Hua Fei Chen imagined himself in Yang Kai’s shoes, wondering what it would be like if he was trapped inside the Array. In that case, he might not be left with any choice but to wait for his death. He would not be able to shake the Array at all.
What he saw just now felt so surreal!
*Hong…*
Another deafening explosion rang out as that black ball that had just recovered swelled again, this time ballooning even more than before.
*Pu…*
The twenty or so Dao Source Realm disciples coughed up mouthfuls of blood as their figures trembled.
Yang Kai’s previous attack had caused them to bear some shockwaves, and before they could steady themselves, they were struck again. They were injured this time, and while the damage wasn’t serious yet and it would not affect their operation of the Array, who knows how many such attacks Yang Kai could unleash?
If this went on, this Array might really be broken.
“Martial Uncle Hua, Senior Brother Yin, we can’t withstand it anymore!” Someone loudly shouted.
Yin Le Sheng was dumbstruck. He wanted to kill Yang Kai, and for this, he had brought so many people from the Sect, even inviting a Second-Order Emperor, Hua Fei Chen, to participate. What’s more, he had also laid out the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. If he was still unable to kill Yang Kai after all this, what face would he have left to return to the Netherworld Sect? How would he face his Honoured Master who had placed such high hopes on him?
If he failed, it would be far worse than killing himself.
*Hong…*
The third explosion rang out.
*Pu Pu Pu…*
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples spurted blood directly and went completely pale. More importantly, a tear had appeared on the huge black ball. Dense black Qi had suddenly started permeating into the surroundings.
Yin Le Sheng was flabbergasted.
[The Array… Will really collapse!]
At this moment, only five breaths had passed since Yang Kai had started making his move!
“Young Lady Lin’er, please assist us!” Hua Fei Chen, seeing that the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was on the verge of collapsing, unable to contain Yang Kai anymore, quickly shouted to the red-robed girl.
The girl named Lin’er rebuked, pouting, “What trash Spirit Array is this? More than twenty people can’t trap one guy, and you still aren’t embarrassed to call this waste powerful!? When this Young Lady asked you whether you needed help, you guys refused, and now you are begging me?”
Hua Fei Chen nearly spurted blood after hearing this. In his heart, he thought, [It’s not the Spirit Array’s fault, rather the enemy is too strong! Those who laid down the Array aren’t strong enough to maintain it!]
The stronger the people arranging the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array were, the more power the Netherworld Purgatory Banners could exert, and the stronger the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array would be. Otherwise, how could it become the Sect Defending Array of Netherworld Sect?
Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen had thought that this plan was foolproof. After all, Yang Kai had at best just broken through to the Emperor Realm, so how strong could he be? As long as they sealed the space around him, he would be at their mercy.
But the facts were completely different from their estimation. Yang Kai’s strength couldn’t be inferred by common sense at all.
“Young Lady Lin’er, there is no need for sly criticism.” Anxious, Hua Fei Chen’s forehead became drenched in cold sweat as he stated, “If Yang Kai escapes, I’m afraid Young Lady Lin’er’s goal would also fail.”
The girl named Lin’er suddenly came to her senses as she responded, “I guess you’re right! Then, I will help you this time.”
Saying so, a crystal clear jade bowl appeared in her hand. The jade bowl wasn’t that big, easily held in her slender white hand. Also, it was glowing and there was a picture of a cinnamon flower on it. It was unknown who had carved this flower, but it was vivid and lifelike, even shaking slightly as if it was blowing in the breeze.
The girl named Lin’er shouted, raising her hand as the jade bowl shot out of her hand, “Go!”
The jade bowl suddenly flew above the black ball, leaving a white trail of light. The next moment, it started growing bigger, turning into a semi-circular white screen in the blink of an eye. Next, it fell down upside down, completely covering that black ball.
Not only that, the illusory image of the cinnamon flower in the jade bowl became tangible, taking root in the ground, becoming a towering old tree. Immediately, a wonderful fragrance slowly began to permeate into the surroundings.
*Hong…*
Right then, Yang Kai struck again.
The black ball suddenly swelled again, but the jade-bowl-transformed white light screen blocked its expansion. This time, the black ball was suppressed, unable to swell noticeably.
The twenty or so Netherworld Sect disciples, whose faces were pale, thinking that the Array would definitely break this time and they would have to bear the backlash, were all pleasantly surprised after seeing the Array completely safe and sound under the protection of the light screen. Immediately after, they pushed their Source Qi even harder, increasing the might of the Array.
A covetous look appeared in Hua Fei Chen’s eyes as he blurted, gulping, “Is that the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl?”
This Emperor Artifact was famous. Only a few masters of Eastern Territory hadn’t heard of it, but even fewer than a few people had ever laid their eyes on it. Hua Fei Chen was also seeing for the first time. With his experience and knowledge, he naturally knew the terrifying might of this Emperor Artifact.
“So what if it is? You want it?” The girl named Lin’er turned her head, staring at him coldly.
Hua Fei Chen was terrified and hurriedly replied, “I dare not! I dare not! It’s just that Young Lady Lin’er has opened this Old Master’s eyes today. This trip has become really worthwhile.”
“Enough with all this nonsense, quickly get on with it, I can’t keep this up for too long,” the girl named Lin’er’s face had gone red as her Source Qi kept pouring out like a flood. She could easily tell that the consumption of summoning the Emperor Artifact was pretty big and she wouldn’t be able to maintain it for a long time.
Hua Fei Chen immediately regained his wits and solemnly responded, “I request Young Lady Lin’er to cooperate for a bit.”
While speaking, he motioned to Yin Le Sheng as the two tacitly came to an understanding. Their figures flickered as they jumped straight towards the black ball.
The girl named Lin’er formed a few hand seals and opened a slight gap on the white light screen when the two approached it, letting them pass through.
The twenty-some Netherworld Sect disciples naturally did the same, allowing Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng to rush into the Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array.
Inside the Array, Yang Kai let out a soft exclamation with an extremely weird look on his face.
He was almost about to destroy this Array, but somehow some strong and sturdy force had stabilized it all of a sudden.
Not only that, but even the surrounding space had been more tightly sealed. Even he felt like he was being suppressed now.
Inside this ghastly Array, Yang Kai felt that he was surrounded by dark fog and he was unable to spread his Divine Sense very far. So naturally, he was oblivious to the fact that the girl named Lin’er was using a mighty Emperor Artifact to create difficulties for him.
He simply thought that he had underestimated the might of the Spirit Array.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Swishing sounds kept coming from all around as the abominable Yin Souls swam around Yang Kai, attacking him whenever they found an opportunity.
The Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array was arranged with Netherworld Purgatory Banners as its foundation. The black fog that was capable of sealing space was also coming from the Netherworld Purgatory Banners, and thanks to the Array, the might of the Netherworld Purgatory Banners was enhanced.
Inside the Array, it was like fighting more than twenty Netherworld Sect disciples; it wasn’t as simple as one plus one at all.
The Yin Souls seemed to have been greatly strengthened in this strange environment, and although Yang Kai tried his best to shake them off, he wasn’t able to kill more than a few as he was focused on breaking the Array before, which led to his current predicament.
At this moment, he finally noticed the strangeness of this Spirit Array.
Entrapped in this place, Yang Kai discovered that his vitality was withering away bit by bit, and the black Qi around him was extremely corrosive; it was eroding his physique and Emperor Qi.
*Wu Wu Wu…*
Hair-raising ghost cries rang out to no end, and one after another, Yin Souls hidden in the black fog attacked him from every direction.
Yang Kai flicked his fingers, firing off Moon Blades in every direction.
Although this space was isolated, stopping him from teleporting out of the range of the Array, nothing was stopping him from using the Space Principles inside the black ball.
Yang Kai’s Moon Blades were terrifying, and the Yin Souls were torn to ashes by them on contact.
Right then, Yang Kai suddenly had a bad premonition. Prompted by instinct, he swung his hand to palm the space behind him.
But this backhand struck nothing but the air. Instead, he was ruthlessly struck on the shoulder, which caused him to stagger back, sending his blood and Qi circulation into turmoil.
Fortunately, his body was strong, otherwise, this strike would have been enough to break his arm.
“Yang Kai, I am the Master in this Heavenly Net Absolute Sealing Array. If I want you to survive, you will survive, and if I want you to die, you will die. You will have no chance of living past today!” Yin Le Sheng’s voice suddenly came from every direction, drifting from place to place, making it impossible to tell where he was hiding.
Yang Kai tightly furrowed his brow, faintly feeling that things were a little troublesome.
Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen were both members of the Netherworld Sect and were like fish in the water within this array, whereas Yang Kai’s hands and feet were tied, making him unable to display his full strength.
And with the array devouring his vitality and countless Yin Souls attacking him, if Yang Kai didn’t find a way out soon, he wouldn’t be able to escape and would definitely die here.
Yang Kai’s thoughts turned rapidly, but before he could regain his footing, he felt a chill strike his neck.
Shocked, he promptly summoned the Myriads Sword and struck toward that oncoming chill.
A crisp clang rang as sparks flew about.
A cry of surprise immediately followed, which seemed to be Hua Fei Chen’s voice.
Obviously, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to detect his sneak attack in such a desperate situation, rendering his strike useless.
The Myriads Sword in Yang Kai’s hand formed a curtain of Sword Qi as he looked around, and although he couldn’t see anything clearly, Yang Kai still pursed his lips into a smile and stated, “Yin Le Sheng, I thought that you would conduct yourself well after I let you go once in the Shattered Star Sea, I never thought that you would run to the Ancient Lands just to kill me. Since you wish so much to die, then it wouldn’t be right if this Young Master wouldn’t fulfill your wish.”
Yin Le Sheng blew his top and immediately lashed out, “You are still being so stubborn moments before death. I want to see what you will do now.”
Yang Kai laughed and stated, “Just wait and watch. But don’t cry later!”
Yin Le Sheng was completely furious and still wanted to retort, but Hua Fei Chen interrupted him, “Martial Nephew Yin, don’t listen to him, he is trying to find your location!”
Yin Le Sheng felt that Hua Fei Chen was right. Yang Kai was clearly at the end of his rope, so he was constantly provoking him to make him talk so that he could find his position.
[I should keep my mouth shut for now.]
Yang Kai, on the other hand, lightly sneered before speaking, “Do you think that this Young Master can’t do anything to you because of this weak Spirit Array? You will be kneeling and begging for mercy in just fifteen minutes.”
“Shameless boasting!” Yin Le Sheng was really furious and couldn’t help but shout back.
Hua Fei Chen was also shivering with anger. He had never seen such an ignorant Junior who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Clearly, death was knocking on his door but he was still boasting. Where was he getting all this confidence from? Hua Fei Chen secretly decided that he would torture Yang Kai well after capturing him.
After a few more rounds of bickering, no more words could be heard inside the black ball, just constant swishing sounds.
The red-robed girl and Old Fu, who were standing outside, also understood that Yang Kai must be having a hard time even though they had no idea what was going on inside.
Because every once in a while, they could hear Yang Kai’s groans. Obviously, he was attacked by Hua Fei Chen and Yin Le Sheng.
The girl named Lin’er tried her best to rouse the might of the Taiyi Cinnamon Bowl, and although this was taking a toll on her, her face was filled with excitement. Just like Hua Fei Chen, she was looking forward to torturing Yang Kai.
As long as she could take down Yang Kai, she would be able to vent all her frustrations; no matter what price she had to pay, it would be well worth it.
*Peng Peng Peng…*
Sounds of clashing swords could be heard coming from inside the black ball every now and then; however, it was quite obvious that Yang Kai was at a complete disadvantage. He was passively taking a beating, and if not for his proficiency in the Dao of Space, allowing him to notice subtle fluctuations around him and dodge incoming attacks, he would have died many times over by now.
Even so, he was in a tight corner at this moment. His body was riddled with multiple wounds, and although there weren’t any serious injuries, the number of injuries was slowly increasing.
“You are still not dead!” Yin Le Sheng was shocked and furious. Just like him, Yang Kai had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, but he was showing far greater strength than Yin Le Sheng, which was very hard to accept.
But all that should be over soon as Yang Kai’s vitality was constantly being drained by the Array and the surrounding Yin Qi invading his body as well as the accumulated injuries. Soon, Yang Kai would no longer have any strength left to resist, and when that happened, he would be a fish on the chopping block.