Xie Wu Wei wasn’t just saying this, as the Stone Spirit Clan was born innately understanding how to control Earth Principles. It was quite normal that they would be able to instantly move or level a mountain.
Yang Kai turned to look at the stone giant, “If he releases you, let bygones be bygones, how about it?”
The stone giant coldly snorted, “Anyone who dares to have designs on our Stone Spirit Clan is an enemy!” Yang Kai was rendered somewhat speechless at how unwilling to compromise the stone giant was.
“Young Master Yang, just look!” Xie Wu Wei pointed at the stone giant, meaning that it wasn’t him who was unwilling to let the stone giant go, but rather, that he couldn’t do anything because the stone giant wasn’t willing to compromise.
Yang Kai rubbed his head and looked at the stone giant rather helplessly as he said, “The Monster King is quite strong, so if you two really start fighting here, both sides will end up losing in the end. As the saying goes, grievances should be resolved rather than settled. Could you simply let this incident go? It’s not like you’ve lost anything. When it is possible to forgive others, one should be forgiving, you know?”
The stone giant snorted, seemingly quite unwilling to reconcile.
Xie Wu Wei also swung his sleeve in evident displeasure.
Yang Kai glanced at the stone giant and sincerely implored, “Didn’t you say that I’m your clan’s honoured guest? Would you please give me some face?”
The stone giant snorted for a bit before saying with an unhappy expression, “Forget it, let’s just leave things at this.”
This meant it was willing to make big things small and make small things nothing.
Yang Kai immediately gestured at Xie Wu Wei, “Okay then, release him!”
Although Xie Wu Wei was still rather unwilling, he couldn’t go against Yang Kai’s orders so he could only circulate his Monster Qi. The Monster Qi instantly filled the air and rumbled as it poured towards the pitch-black chain binding the stone giant, causing it to suddenly fall to the ground with a clatter.
Upon seeing the stone giant be freed from its restraints, Xie Wu Wei instantly flashed behind Yang Kai with a vigilant expression.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of the stone giant, but rather that it really was quite difficult to deal with. Even he was made to cough up blood when he took a blow from it, so Xie Wu Wei really didn’t want to have to fight against it unless he had to.
The stone giant simply gave Xie Wu Wei a sidelong glance with a vicious look in its eyes, but he did keep his word and didn’t do anything right after he was freed.
Yang Kai asked from the side, “Can you take me to see Xiao Xiao now?”
The stone giant nodded gently, making loud popping noises as it instantly shrunk from its fifteen-metre height to a size comparable to a Human’s, making it suddenly look rather flexible. The stone giant waved at Yang Kai and started walking outside with large steps, completely ignoring Xie Wu Wei, as if the latter didn’t even exist.
Yang Kai hurriedly followed after the stone giant.
Xie Wu Wei had a displeased expression, hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed after them as well. The Monsters all came over with confused expressions, as they didn’t understand why their great Monster King was listening to a Human’s commands to release the stone giant that they had all worked so hard on capturing.
Of course, Xie Wu Wei couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to them, so he simply followed Yang Kai and the stone giant with a dark expression.
A stick of incense’s worth of time later, everyone had left the palace and returned to the surface.
The stone giant turned his head and looked around to determine his location before silently stomping the ground and leaping several thousand metres away, rushing into the dense primordial forest in the blink of an eye.
When Yang Kai saw this, he could only hurriedly say to Xie Wu Wei, “Monster King, please pay extra attention to the matter I previously requested of you. After you find that woman, it would be best if you could capture her safely, but if you can’t, have someone monitor her from afar instead until I return. You absolutely cannot harm her.”
Xie Wu Wei had a bitter expression, but he could only cup his fists and answer, “Young Master Yang, rest assured, this King shall definitely live up to your expectations; however, you must be careful on your trip.”
Although he really wanted Yang Kai to never return, if anything happened to Yang Kai right now, it would be difficult for him as well since he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so he naturally didn’t want Yang Kai to meet with any danger.
Yang Kai didn’t have the time to say anything else to Xie Wu Wei, simply nodding and wrapping Zhang Ruo Xi in his Emperor Qi before moving the local Space Principles. Immediately after, the pair vanished from where they stood and chased after the stone giant.
The Monsters only walked over in unison after they watched Yang Kai leave, staring at Xie Wu Wei with confusion as they didn’t know what their great Monster King was doing.
Xie Wu Wei had a grim expression as he announced, “What happened today must not be exposed; otherwise, you will all be executed without mercy!”
The Monsters all felt afraid as they cupped their fists and answered that they understood.
It seemed that the stone giant was incapable of flight; however, its jumping ability was beyond imagination since every one of its jumps would cover several thousand metres, making it not slow at all.
The stone giant waited ahead for Yang Kai for a little while, and when he saw that Yang Kai was following quickly, he continued jumping forward without even looking back.
It was obvious that the stone giant was incredibly familiar with the Ancient Wild Lands as it kept making many turns that avoided the territories of powerful existences, so as not to cause trouble along the way.
However, it seemed that the stone giant was rather displeased with how Yang Kai had previously told it to not make any trouble for Xie Wu Wei, so the stone giant didn’t even try to talk with Yang Kai during the whole trip. This meant that Yang Kai didn’t even have a chance to ask about the Stone Spirit Clan or Xiao Xiao, only able to follow along in silence.
Ruo Xi could tell that Yang Kai had a lot on his mind, so she too remained silent and didn’t dare to disturb him.
This made the trip seem rather grim and silent.
The stone giant kept jumping through the Ancient Lands for an entire day and night before it suddenly stopped and its Human-sized stone body stepped on the top of a gigantic tree as it gazed into the distance and greeted the dawn.
*Shua…*
Yang Kai landed by the stone giant’s side and followed its gaze. He saw that deep within the forest was a dense patch of primaeval land where ancient trees reached up to the sky with many layers that were covered in mist. It all seemed like something out of an ancient story.
The stone giant made a fist and slammed it upon its own chest with a loud series of thumps. Zhang Ruo Xi felt afraid as she watched, fearing it would use too much strength and smash itself to death.
“Hou!” The stone giant roared to the sky, its voice containing a great deal of emotion that only rose in intensity with time. It seemed the stone giant was using a mysterious technique to send a message.
*Hualala…*
All the birds in the area were frightened and scattered.
Right after, another rhythmic roar sounded deep within the forest in response to the stone giant’s call.
Yang Kai felt his emotions rising because he suddenly sensed a mysterious Soul connection somewhere within the forest when he arrived here, one that was established via bloodlines. Even if tens of thousands of years passed, it would be impossible to eradicate this connection.
[Xiao Xiao!]
Yang Kai had used his own Blood Essence as a catalyst for Xiao Xiao’s birth. In other words, Xiao Xiao’s body contained Yang Kai’s blood. This was a connection that reached all the way down to the bones, and not a single person would possibly be able to break this connection.
“Elder has agreed to allow you entry into the clan’s territory. Come with me,” The nearby stone giant suddenly turned to speak before he jumped off the tree and sped through the forest with the agility of a monkey.
Yang Kai suppressed the excitement in his heart as he followed after the stone giant.
A grey figure half the height of a Human flew through the forest and rapidly approached Yang Kai.
The distance between the grey figure and Yang Kai shortened rapidly. Even though tens of thousands of trees were between them, both were able to clearly sense each other’s existence.
*Xiu…*
Yang Kai paused in his movements as he instantly stopped where he was.
Right after that, a grey bolt of light came pouncing with the speed of lightning towards him from the front. Ruo Xi was astonished as she thought Yang Kai had met with an ambush, so she instantly summoned the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal; however, she soon found out that she had misunderstood.
That was because Yang Kai was actually smiling while reaching out towards the grey light with his hands.
The beam of light didn’t decrease in speed at all as it crashed right onto Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged as he was hit by an enormous force that caused him to uncontrollably fly backwards. Many trees in his way were crushed like dry weeds and rotten wood before he finally came to a halt.
“Cough cough…” Yang Kai almost received internal injuries as he couldn’t catch his breath.
Xiao Xiao’s tackle embrace had been rather violent.
Yang Kai reached out with his hand as he leaned his back against a tree that had been half knocked over, patting Xiao Xiao who was on top of his body while constantly rubbing his head against Yang Kai.
“Wuwu…” Xiao Xiao made some mysterious cries, and although Yang Kai couldn’t understand literally, he could still clearly sense the latter’s happiness and excitement.
Xiao Xiao couldn’t control himself because of the excitement from their reunion after such a long parting. That was why Xiao Xiao had charged so wildly at Yang Kai right when he sensed him.
Xiao Xiao soon seemed to realize that he had done something wrong as he hurriedly got up and half kneeled in front of Yang Kai, his eyes sweeping up and down as he nervously looked Yang Kai over, fearing that Yang Kai had been hurt, he even reached out to pat away the dust on Yang Kai’s clothes.
However, Xiao Xiao’s strength was still rather strong.
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Yang Kai was all smiles as he patted Xiao Xiao’s head and seriously looked him over. It didn’t seem like Xiao Xiao had changed very much after parting for many years, but Yang Kai could clearly sense his aura had become much stronger.
Meanwhile, the stone giant who led Yang Kai here was rather stunned at the sight. Xiao Xiao’s tackle from earlier was just a light hug to the Stone Spirit Clan, but such a hug wasn’t something that most Humans, who naturally had much weaker and smaller bodies, could handle.
Yet, this Human was completely unharmed and was even smiling happily. This Human’s body… was rather sturdy…
“Wuwu…” Xiao Xiao kept whimpering. If the Stone Spirit was capable of crying, its face would likely be covered in tears already. Xiao Xiao was unable to vent all the excitement in his chest, so he could only jump up and down and scratch at his head, as if he was a comical and naughty monkey.
Suddenly, Xiao Xiao darted to the side, opened his arms, and hugged a large tree. That tree had been alive for an unknown number of years, but it would require at least three people to encircle it. The tree’s crown reached high up into the clouds, so Xiao Xiao, who was only half a Human’s height, seemed to be as insignificant as an ant in comparison to it.
Yet, Xiao Xiao’s embrace caused the entire tree to suddenly begin shaking violently.
“Hou!” Xiao Xiao roared furiously, causing the land to vibrate as spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground as the tree roots became exposed.
*Hong hong hong…*
Xiao Xiao kept raising and lowering his arms, and every time that he moved, the tree kept shaking, after a few times actually being uprooted, causing dust and dirt to fly everywhere.
Ruo Xi was stunned at the sight.
She now finally witnessed what it truly meant to have unlimited strength.
Xiao Xiao pulled up the large tree by the roots. The tree seemed like it was as light as air as he tossed it into the sky. The tree instantly became a small black dot in the distance and it was unknown where it eventually landed.
“Hou…” Xiao Xiao kept roaring endlessly at the sky while pounding his chest with his fists, making a sound like a war drum.
“Silly child, hurry and pull our honoured guest up. Just what is all this?”
An elderly voice suddenly spoke up from the front. Although the voice was deep, it also seemed gentle and friendly, so that one couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Xiao Xiao suddenly shook. It seemed like he was really respectful of the owner of this voice. He hopped up and skipped back over to Yang Kai’s side, pulled the latter up, and looked at him with a silly expression.
Xiao Xiao had calmed down now that he had vented.
Yang Kai looked forward and paused in surprise at what he saw.
Numerous Stone Spirits as tall as humans walked out of the forest. At a rough count, there were eight of them. It was evident that they had gathered here after noticing the commotion since their round eyes were all looking at him with curiosity.
One of the Stone Spirits was particularly attention-grabbing. It wasn’t because he was very stronger or taller than the rest; in fact, he was even shorter in comparison to the other Stone Spirits. He wasn’t short due to his height, but rather because his back was somewhat hunched.
This Stone Spirit would give others the first impression of being ancient.
His bent back was supported by a stone staff, and the stone skin on his body was also cracked. These were all natural traces of the weathering of time upon his body. His pointy chin actually had some small pointy stone pillars that seemed like a beard; however, his eyes were particularly bright as they shone with the light of wisdom.
Those of the Stone Spirit Clan were naturally born lacking intelligence, but for some unknown reason, Yang Kai could see the image of a wise Elder when he met this elderly Stone Spirit’s eyes.
Yang Kai instantly assumed a respectful demeanour as he knew that this old Stone Spirit had likely lived for many tens of thousands of years already. He also realized who this elderly Stone Spirit was, so he cupped his fists, bowed, and greeted, “Junior Yang Kai greets Elder. Please don’t mind how I came over to bother you without asking first.”
Zhang Ruo Xi heard this and realized that this Sir was someone of exceptionally noble status, so she hurriedly bowed and greeted the Elder as well.
The Elder chuckled with a hearty sound, “It’s no bother at all. We of the Stone Spirit Clan have been waiting for you for a long time, and today, you have finally come.”
“Waiting for me?” Yang Kai was surprised, but he soon thought of something as he turned to glance at Xiao Xiao who was standing next to him. Yang Kai smiled slightly and patted Xiao Xiao on the shoulder.
Yang Kai thought that it was because of Xiao Xiao that this Stone Spirit Elder had said he had been waiting for Yang Kai.
“Honoured guest, you have come from afar, and it must have been a tiring journey. Please come with this old one to rest. Our Stone Spirit Clan hasn’t had a guest for countless years now.” After the Elder said this, he turned to walk deeper into the forest without waiting for Yang Kai to agree.
Although he appeared rather elderly and used a staff, he still seemed quite agile, not being one bit slower than the other Stone Spirits.
After he left, the other Stone Spirits followed closely after him, although they all glanced at Yang Kai with curious expressions before they left.
Xiao Xiao pulled on Yang Kai’s hand and whined as he dragged Yang Kai away.
Yang Kai could only helplessly call Zhang Ruo Xi to follow him.
Not long after they started walking, everyone arrived at a place encircled by ancient trees. Each of these ancient trees was so wide that it would take ten people to hug them, and among the tree roots, there were numerous tree caves that had become natural homes with clear traces of someone inhabiting them.
Yang Kai felt that this was a fresh experience. He also realized that these tree homes were likely where the Stone Spirit Clan lived.
This seemed to be only natural since they were capable of transforming into several tens of metres tall, so no ordinary house would be able to handle them. These natural tree homes would actually be the best place for them to rest.
The Stone Spirit Clan had been here for an unknown number of years already, so all of the tree caves had traces of experiencing numerous tens of thousands of years of time.
After arriving, the Stone Spirit Elder went directly into a tree cave and disappeared.
Another Stone Spirit walked over and greeted Yang Kai with one hand across its chest, “Elder says that the honoured guest should go rest first, and come talk to him when it’s nighttime.”
Yang Kai glanced at the Stone Spirit, but he couldn’t tell if this Stone Spirit was the one that Xie Wu Wei had previously captured, since they all looked the same. No ordinary person would be able to differentiate them unless that person lived for a long time together with the Stone Spirits.
Yang Kai copied the Stone Spirit’s behaviour and placed one hand on his chest as he politely responded, “Many thanks.”
Although he didn’t know why he was supposed to wait until nighttime to talk, he had come here to find Xiao Xiao, and his wish had been achieved, so Yang Kai didn’t mind anything else. In fact, Yang Kai didn’t even need to consider if Xiao Xiao was going to leave with him or not.
Naturally, Yang Kai would be happy if Xiao Xiao was willing to leave with him, but if Xiao Xiao was unable to abandon his own kind and chose to stay behind, Yang Kai wouldn’t force Xiao Xiao to leave.
Every living being had their own clan, and Yang Kai was truly happy for Xiao Xiao since the latter was able to find his kind and was no longer alone.
“Treat the guest well,” the Stone Spirit told Xiao Xiao, who scratched his head before nodding.
The Stone Spirit glanced at Xiao Xiao and slightly sighed before he left. It seemed to feel rather helpless about Xiao Xiao, who was still just a child. Still, Xiao Xiao was the only one in the entire Stone Spirit Clan who was still just a mere child, so it couldn’t be helped if he was somewhat naughty and willful.
After the Stone Spirit left, Xiao Xiao dragged Yang Kai beneath a huge tree.
This tree also had a tree cave underneath and evidently, it was where Xiao Xiao lived.
Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed him in, but Xiao Xiao suddenly looked all around and then darted outside. It was unknown what he had gone to do.
A moment later, an angry roar could be heard from within a nearby tree cave, “Little One, you’re being naughty again! Do you think I’ll not report this to Elder so that he will punish you!?”
*Honglonglong…*
After the earth shook for some time, Xiao Xiao returned a moment later with two stone chairs on his shoulder. He tossed the stone chairs on the ground and kept shouting something as he looked at Yang Kai.
Ruo Xi couldn’t help but cover her mouth and smile, since she understood that Xiao Xiao had likely run out to steal these two stone chairs from another Stone Spirit.
Even Yang Kai couldn’t keep a straight expression as he exchanged glances with Ruo Xi, flicking his sleeves and sitting down with a smile.
He glanced around and found that this tree cave was completely empty inside. While it wasn’t small at all, and was in fact even larger than an ordinary home, it didn’t have any decorations inside. There weren’t even any tables or chairs.
However, a few stone sculptures did attract Yang Kai’s attention.
These stone sculptures seemed rather rough, and it was evident that the sculptor wasn’t skilled; however, it was still possible to vaguely tell that these sculptures were all of a single man.
From left to right, the sculptures became better and better in quality. The last sculpture even had clear facial features.
Ruo Xi looked at them for a while until she had a sudden realization as she exclaimed, “Sir, these are sculptures of you!”
Although even the last sculpture didn’t resemble Yang Kai in the slightest, Zhang Ruo Xi still acutely sensed that this sculpture was based on him.
Xiao Xiao kept jumping up and down as he ran over to the best-looking sculpture and picked it up. He then ran over and placed it in front of Yang Kai, as if he was offering a treasure. Xiao Xiao pointed at himself and then pointed at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s heart was rather moved as he looked at the sculpture with a stunned face. He didn’t hold back on the praise as he exclaimed, “What a wonderful sculpture, it really looks like me!”
Xiao Xiao instantly jumped a metre high and backflipped in midair when he received praise. He ran over to the other stone sculptures and viciously smashed them to pieces in a rampage for seemingly no reason. It seemed as if he was fine with only having the sculpture that Yang Kai praised, with the other sculptures not mattering at all.
Xiao Xiao made some ‘wu wu!’ sounds as he kept waving his arms and gestured frantically.
Yang Kai arched his eyebrows, “You learned all this by yourself?”
Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously again and continued to gesture.
Zhang Ruo Xi quietly watched from the side with a faint smile on her face. She suddenly discovered that this was quite a warm scene. She couldn’t understand what Xiao Xiao was gesturing or saying, but Yang Kai was clearly able to understand Xiao Xiao without any mistakes.
The Human and Stone Spirit kept communicating with each other in the cave with their special means. Although they were simply chatting about trivial matters, they seemed to have a lot of fun.
The battles of the outside world seemed to be matters of the distant past here in this primaeval forest far away from all hustle and bustle. It was as if nothing from outside could possibly invade this place.
Ruo Xi could tell that Yang Kai had an excellent relationship with the Stone Spirit in front of him, named Xiao Xiao. Ruo Xi had never seen him being so patient before, as he was treating Xiao Xiao like his own child while being filled with generosity and magnanimity.
It would be quite nice if things could always remain like this. If Sir was willing to stay here, she would happily stay here as well, even if she had to live secluded from the rest of the world.
The sound of laughter kept coming from the tree cave as time swiftly passed.
Soon, it became nighttime as the sky gradually darkened.
A Stone Spirit walked in from outside as it placed its hand on its chest, “Honoured guest, Elder is inviting you to a banquet.”
[A banquet?]
Yang Kai paused in surprise. Although Elder had told him during the day to come at nighttime to talk, Yang Kai hadn’t expected that they would actually prepare a celebration to welcome him.
He felt like he was being somewhat spoiled as he hurriedly got up and said, “Elder is truly thoughtful. I shall come immediately.”
The Stone Spirit nodded and turned to leave.
Xiao Xiao no longer gestured at Yang Kai and instead pulled on his hand to drag him outside.
“Xiao Xiao, do you guys have any rules here I should be aware of?” Yang Kai asked as he walked.
The Stone Spirit Clan counted as an ancient species that had always been living in the deepest portion of the Ancient Wild Lands. This was Yang Kai’s first time here, so he was afraid that he would accidentally break some taboo and make them angry, so he naturally wanted to ask so that he could be aware of and follow the customs here.
However, Xiao Xiao only shook his head without saying anything else, as if he was trying to be mysterious. Yang Kai felt rather helpless about this.
They exited the tree cave’s entrance then and Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi raised their heads to see a sight that caused a light to flash across their eyes.
“How beautiful!” Ruo Xi couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment. The night sky at this Ancient Wild Lands was so beautiful that one could get addicted, and the ancient trees in the area had fireflies flying between them, spreading a colourful glow everywhere they went. It seemed as if mystic beams of light were flying around and illuminating this place like the so-called ‘fairy realm’.
Ruo Xi’s eyes were shooting stars as she now really wanted to just live here and never leave again.
Little girls typically had very little resistance against such beauty.
Yang Kai had also stayed many nights in the Ancient Wild Lands already, but no place had been as wondrously beautiful as this place where the Stone Spirits lived. He couldn’t help but exclaim over the miracles that nature could create.
Yang Kai followed Xiao Xiao towards the front and soon arrived at an empty area.
Eight Stone Spirits were already gathered here, all standing behind a table with stone plates on them that seemed to have been locally crafted.
Behind the stone tables were some stone chairs.
The ancient Stone Spirit Elder was already sitting at the head of the stone table, smiling widely as he looked in Yang Kai’s direction.
When Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi followed Xiao Xiao here, the Stone Spirits standing at both sides all paid their respects to them, which made Yang Kai feel really awkward. He and Zhang Ruo Xi could only constantly pay their respects in return. All of these Stone Spirits had been alive for countless years already, so it could be said that they were older than almost everyone in the Star Boundary, and Yang Kai couldn’t be rude in front of them.
Two empty stone seats were next to Elder, obviously prepared for Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi.
When they got closer, Elder raised his hand and announced, “Our two Honoured Guests, please have a seat!”
Yang Kai excused himself as he walked over to the stone table next to Elder and sat down. Ruo Xi saw this and could only sit down quietly on the other side.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao ran to the back and sat at the other end of the table together with the other Stone Spirits. He kept acting naughty, which caused the Stone Spirit next to him to knock him with its hand and make a clamorous sound. This instantly made Xiao Xiao start behaving.
“It is our Stone Spirit Clan’s honour to receive guests from afar and dedicate this banquet to them. Please don’t mind that our fare isn’t very fancy,” Elder laughed with an uproarious voice that was as loud as thunder which rattled the eardrums.
Yang Kai got up and replied, “Elder, you’re being too kind. It is my honour to receive such treatment from your clan. I wouldn’t dare to mind anything.”
Elder smiled and nodded, indicating for Yang Kai to sit before he continued, “My Stone Spirit Clan has few clansmen. Those you see here are all that remains of my clansmen. Everyone, introduce yourselves to our honoured guest so that he can tell you apart.”
“Yes!” The Stone Spirits all responded and got up in unison as they greeted Yang Kai. The first one introduced himself by saying, “Shi Yi!”
“Shi Er!”
“Shi San!”
…
“Shi Ba!”
Yang Kai was so stunned that his face couldn’t stop twitching.
These Stone Spirits had really simple names, as all of them were named with numbers. When counting Elder and Xiao Xiao, there were still only ten Stone Spirit clansmen in total. They really were ridiculously few in number.
More importantly, the Stone Spirits’ self-introductions weren’t very useful. Yang Kai kept glancing between them and felt like they all looked identical. He couldn’t tell who was who at all.
Although he couldn’t differentiate between them, he still had to be polite, so Yang Kai greeted them all and acted as if he remembered them, but to be honest, he couldn’t identify a single one.
After the eight Stone Spirits finished introducing themselves, Elder chuckled and said, “My Stone Spirit Clan has never had more than ten members before. One will definitely die if we exceed ten. That is the Will of the Heavens.”
Yang Kai exclaimed in astonishment, “Your clan has never had more than ten clansmen before?”
Elder nodded, “Indeed!”
Yang Kai had a sudden realization, [No wonder why only Xiao Xiao had hatched successfully back when I obtained two Stone Spirit Embryos. I was forced to refine the other one with my Soul Clone in order to help it survive.]
At the time, he thought that he had been unlucky, but now it seemed that it was actually related to Heavens Will, rather than any problem with how he raised them.
He wondered how the Stone Spirits would react if he let Embodiment come out right now.
Elder then continued, “Even though we have few clansmen, we have no conflict with the world, which is how we survived until now. It must seem silly to our honoured guest.”
Yang Kai hurriedly waved his hand.
“Haha, I think that is enough idle chat. Let’s begin the evening party,” Elder chuckled and continued in a hearty voice, “This place is simple and has nothing to treat you with apart from some spirit fruits and spirit wine. I hope you will not mind it, Honoured Guest.”
“I wouldn’t dare disapprove!” Yang Kai had a confused look as he replied.
Elder was talking about giving him some spirit fruits and spirit wine, but Yang Kai didn’t see anything on the table at all. Besides, all ten clansmen of the Stone Spirit Clan were here, so who would bring the plates of food and wine? Yang Kai glanced around but saw that the other nine Stone Spirits, Xiao Xiao included, were just sitting there without moving. In fact, all their eyes were filled with expectation as they looked at the deep part of the forest.
[What is going on?] Yang Kai’s mind was filled with doubts, but he could only quietly watch to see what would happen.
*Pa pa!* Elder suddenly clapped twice, as if he was summoning something.
The trees in the area suddenly glowed with many different brilliant colours, as if ribbons of light had come alive between the tree crowns and the forest.
It seemed as if numerous dainty figures started flying in the hazy light, all of them moving along the coloured ribbons like they were descending from the Heavens above, a scene of indescribable beauty.
Yang Kai instantly widened his eyes when he saw the numerous tiny people about the size of his palm mysteriously appear. These small people didn’t seem to have physical bodies as they glowed brilliantly and had dainty and exquisite figures, like they were carved from the purest jade.
The forest instantly became lively as several hundred of these tiny people poured out from all directions. There were both males and females, with the men having clean faces and handsome appearances, and the women having beautiful features. The women also wore tiny dresses that exposed their exquisite arms and legs to show their snow-white skin.
These tiny beings were all carrying various things as they flew to the stone table and placed their objects down.
Soon, the stone table was covered in stone cups, wine barrels, and baskets of fragrant spirit fruits. These baskets had likely been woven from vines, as they seemed quite exquisitely crafted, with each small basket being filled with various different spirit fruits that had already been cleaned and were ready to eat.
Yang Kai and Ruo Xi had never seen such beings before, so neither of them even blinked in their astonishment.
A small female fairy flew over to Yang Kai and put down the basket that was in her arms, raising her head to see that Yang Kai was staring right at her with eyes wide open, so her cheeks immediately became bright red as she covered her face and retreated. It seemed like she was incredibly embarrassed, which made Yang Kai feel rather apologetic since he felt like he had scared her.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ruo Xi reached out with a finger and poked a small female on the face, but the latter unexpectedly slapped away her finger, pursed her lips, and angrily left.
Ruo Xi couldn’t help but stick out her tongue. Still, her beautiful eyes kept staring unceasingly at these tiny people.
These beautiful small beings naturally attracted a great deal of her interest and she secretly felt like it would be nice if she could take a few back with her to raise.
“Elder, they are…” Yang Kai finally managed to regain his senses as he turned to look at the Stone Spirit Elder.
Elder chuckled, “They are the Wood Spirit Clan, who coexist symbiotically with our Stone Spirit Clan. They are our Stone Spirit Clan’s most reliable ally!” He paused for a moment before adding, “Our Stone Spirit Clan needs their assistance for many things, while the Wood Spirit Clan isn’t skilled at fighting, so it is difficult for them to survive in the Ancient Lands. They need our clan’s protection, so we mutually assist each other.”
Yang Kai understood as he nodded, “So, that’s how it is.”
These small people definitely didn’t seem like they were skilled at combat, and it was likely that any random Monster Beast would be able to kill a large number of them. The Ancient Lands were a dangerous place, so if this clan wanted to survive, they would have to rely on someone strong.
Obviously, they had chosen to rely on the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai had truly learned much on his trip to the Ancient Lands. Not only did he meet all of Xiao Xiao’s clansmen, he even met this wondrous Wood Spirit Clan. Any ordinary person likely wouldn’t even know of the existence of these two races.
As they were talking, a small Wood Spirit who seemed different from the others somehow flew over. She was wearing clearly more extravagant clothing than the others, and her aura was nobler and purer as well. Her exquisite face actually possessed a pearly white glow that made her seem divine and untouchable. She also had a strange crown on her head.
Elder introduced her, “This is the Wood Spirit Clan’s Clan Head, Mu Na.”
Yang Kai hurriedly got up, “Yang Kai greets Senior Mu!”
Although this Wood Spirit Clan Head was only as large as his palm, which made her seem rather cute and unimposing, since she was the Clan Head of her entire clan, she was obviously someone who had been alive for an unknown number of years already. It was only natural to address her as Senior.
Mu Na smiled gently and raised her hand, “Since you are the Stone Spirit Clan’s guest, you are my Wood Spirit Clan’s guest as well. Now that you’re here, treat this as your own home; there’s no need to be reserved.”
Elder smiled, “Normally, it’s quite difficult to be able to eat the Wood Spirit Clan’s spirit fruit and spirit wine. It’s thanks to our Honoured Guest today that we get to fill our stomachs.”
Mu Na covered her mouth and smiled, “Elder, you shouldn’t blatantly say such a ridiculous thing. Our Wood Spirit Clan has never been stingy with our spirit fruits and spirit wine to you.”
When the Stone Spirits heard this, they all chuckled, making it obvious that they often obtained food and drink from the Wood Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai could tell that these two species didn’t have a simple relationship of protection and reliance. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan Head to have such a casual conversation.
Elder raised his hand, “Since our Honoured Guest has come all the way here, during such a fortuitous time, we shall drink until we are drunk!”
The other Stone Spirits all instantly began to cry and howl as they made loud banging noises on the stone table. It was as if they were about to head out for war and slaughter, which made Yang Kai’s heart tremble. He couldn’t figure out how such a violent species like the Stone Spirit Clan could coexist peacefully with the Wood Spirit Clan.
Even Xiao Xiao was going crazy with excitement.
More than ten female Wood Spirits instantly flew out from the side and went up to each guest as they struggled with the wine barrels and prepared to fill everyone’s stone cups.
The female Wood Spirit who came over to serve Yang Kai seemed to be the same one who flew away in embarrassment because he had been staring at her earlier. Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel sorry for her when he saw how difficult it was for her to pick up the wine barrel, so he hurriedly said, “I can do it by myself. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
After he said that, the female Wood Spirit couldn’t help but look at him as her eyes instantly reddened with tears flowing in her eyes. She really seemed quite pitiful.
Yang Kai broke out into a cold sweat as he didn’t know what he had said wrong and hurriedly pleaded for help with his expression as he looked at Elder.
Elder chuckled, “Although the Wood Spirit Clan generally dislikes strangers, anyone who can become their guest will see their determination to be gracious hosts. Their most basic etiquette is about serving wine to their guests, so if a guest refuses, that means they haven’t done well enough, and the server will end up being excluded by all their clansmen.”
Poor little spirit girl…
“Ah!” Yang Kai was really shocked when he heard this, as this was a rather severe consequence. He originally only wanted to spare the small Wood Spirit from overexerting herself, so he never expected that this would cause her to be excluded by all her clansmen. He hurriedly took back his offered hand rather awkwardly and smiled apologetically at the small Wood Spirit, “Then I shall be troubling you!”
Only then did the small Wood Spirit continue to pick up the wine barrel and fill the stone cup in front of him before she quietly flew to the side.
Elder raised his stone cup and heartily announced, “The bright moon is in the sky and the Honoured Guests are like jade. This Elder represents the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans in toasting our guests! Honoured Guests, please drink to your fill!”
The Stone Spirits all raised their stone cups up high and gestured at Yang Kai as they followed Elder’s actions.
Yang Kai hurriedly rose up and toasted everyone around him. He then poured the delicious wine down his throat in one gulp. Only then did he turn over the stone cup to indicate that he no longer had any wine.
The Stone Spirits all drank the wine in their cups and shook their heads with expressions of delight. It seemed that this wine was incredibly delicious to them.
“Honoured Guest, please sit down!” Elder made a gesture, indicating Yang Kai to sit after he drank his wine. Only then did Yang Kai sit down again.
The wine in his stomach really did taste exceptional. Its flavour kept swirling around endlessly in his mouth as he enjoyed the memory of drinking it. Even someone like Yang Kai, who wasn’t that fond of alcohol, was feeling refreshed all over after drinking this wine. He wondered just what type of winemaking techniques the Wood Spirit Clan possessed.
After enjoying the wine, Clan Head Mu Na, who had been standing by Elder’s side all this time, suddenly clapped her hands lightly.
Twenty or so Wood Spirits instantly flew to the centre of the clearing. Half of the Wood Spirits were holding small and exquisite musical instruments. Nobody was conducting for them, but the sound of flutes and violin filled the air alongside the percussion of a strange wooden drum. It was as if the mountains and rivers themselves were playing music, and it was extremely pleasant to the ear. The Wood Spirits kept playing their instruments as the wonderful music echoed in the beautiful forest.
The other half of the Wood Spirits began to flit about and dance lightly with the musical melody. It was truly a sight that was completely foreign to Yang Kai; a completely different kind of culture.
What Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi saw and heard seemed to contain a mystical effect that could cleanse the heart and soul, so the two guests instantly calmed down as they kept watching everything.
This was especially so for Ruo Xi. Her eyes seemed to glimmer as the more she watched the Wood Spirits, the more she liked them.
The Stone Spirit Elder was also smiling as he watched them. He would caress his stone beard and gently nod whenever he saw something good.
The small Wood Spirit refilled Yang Kai’s wine once again, but he didn’t even notice. He only felt as if his entire body and Soul had been sucked towards the music and dance, giving him a calm experience like never before. All idle thoughts in his heart had vanished completely.
Yang Kai didn’t return to his senses for a long while even after the dance ended.
However, a nearby commotion shocked him out of his reverie, and when he turned to look at what it was, his face instantly twitched.
The nine other Stone Spirits, Xiao Xiao included, were actually all eating ravenously as if they had been starving since they were born. All of them were gulping wine voraciously from their wine barrels. The delicious wine that ordinary people would never be able to see in their lifetime was spilling down from their mouths onto their chests, wasting countless litres. The Stone Spirits were drinking the delicious wine while grabbing the spirit fruits in the wooden baskets in front of them, stuffing the fruits into their mouths, and chewing wildly…
The nine Wood Spirits nearby serving them wine all had looks of awkwardness as they watched the Stone Spirits.
These two species put together seemed like a team of graceful beauties and utter barbarians. It was quite a powerful visual contrast.
Elder and Clan Head Mu Na seemed to be accustomed to all this as they both watched everything with slight smiles without saying a word.
Yang Kai decided to also quietly taste the spirit fruits.
The spirit fruits raised by the Wood Spirit Clan and the spirit wine they made were not only delicious, but they also seemed to have the miraculous effect of cleansing the mind and Soul. Yang Kai was really astonished by this as he secretly felt that if a person with dissonance in their cultivation could obtain such a thing, perhaps the dissonance could be significantly eased.
After several rounds of food and drink, the atmosphere became much livelier.
Two Stone Spirits that had become shaky from drinking suddenly stood up from their seats and walked to the central area with large steps. Yang Kai didn’t know which ‘Shi numbers’ they were, since they looked pretty much identical.
The instrument-playing and dancing Wood Spirits seemed to know what was about to happen, so they all hurriedly avoided the two Stone Spirits and flew out of the central area as they smiled and watched the show.
Yang Kai and Ruo Xi didn’t know what the two Stone Spirits wanted to do, so they watched with great interest.
The two Stone Spirits in the central area exchanged glances for a while before they suddenly roared angrily in unison and charged at each other. There was a huge boom as the two Stone Spirits crashed into one another like two mountains smashing together. One Stone Spirit grabbed the other’s neck with both hands, while the other had both hands grabbing onto his opponent’s waist. Both of them stood right where they were with legs wide open as their legs kept kicking at each other. It seemed as if they had absolutely irreconcilable enmity with the other, and truly wanted to kill each other.
Yang Kai was truly shocked and afraid that these two behemoths would forget themselves in the battle and accidentally injure the nearby tiny Wood Spirits; however, the small Wood Spirits actually seemed to really enjoy the battle as they even shouted loudly to cheer on the two Stone Spirits.
After quite a while, Yang Kai finally understood that the two Stone Spirits were apparently play wrestling with each other.
However, the Stone Spirit Clan possessed incredible physical strength, so there were no other species that would be able to play such barbaric wrestling. Every clash made his eyes widen, yet the two species’ clansmen felt that this was completely normal.
After quite a while passed, one Stone Spirit found an opportunity to trip the other’s foot as he exerted force with both hands and knocked his opponent onto the ground, which caused dust to fly everywhere.
“Hou!” The victorious Stone Spirit roared at the sky and energetically slammed his fists on his chest in an incredibly arrogant manner.
Another nearby Stone Spirit wasn’t able to take this as he immediately jumped to the central area and began to fight with the winning Stone Spirit…
Stone Spirits were constantly eliminated in battle, and as more and more were eliminated, the atmosphere kept getting more heated to the point where even the Wood Spirits seemed to forget themselves as they flew to the central area and kept shouting as they circled the two fighting Stone Spirits.
Yang Kai also enjoyed himself as he watched the commotion. His emotions were stoked as well as he also shouted to support the Stone Spirits.
However, trouble came for him as he watched.
Eight adult Stone Spirits had been eliminated by now, and when the final victorious Stone Spirit saw that he had no opponents left, he actually turned to Yang Kai and made a hand gesture for him to come up and fight him.
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed at his own nose and hurriedly waved his hand, “No, no, I’m fine with just watching.”
[Me wrestle them? What a joke! It would take a masochist to want to wrestle against a Stone Spirit!] Yang Kai had already tested Xiao Xiao’s immense strength long ago, and he could say for certain that in a pure contest of physical power, even ten of him wouldn’t be an opponent for a single Stone Spirit.
However, the Stone Spirit didn’t give him any face at all and insisted on waving at him to come and compete. When he saw that Yang Kai didn’t want to come forward, he actually waved his large stone hand widely.
A dozen or so small Wood Spirits immediately flew over and surrounded Yang Kai. Without giving him a chance to say anything, they directly lifted him up and brought him to the central area.
“You …” Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. For the first time, he felt that these small Wood Spirits weren’t actually cute at all.
After setting Yang Kai down in the central area, the small Wood Spirits all scattered outside with expectant expressions.
Yang Kai turned to look at Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan Head with a pleading expression.
Elder just laughed heartily though, obviously having no intent of helping Yang Kai. However, Mu Na said in a gentle tone, “Honoured Guest, you may use all of your might without any worries.”
Yang Kai felt rather helpless since even she was saying things to such an extent.
He estimated that if he used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, perhaps he would be able to compete with the Stone Spirit…
Before he even finished planning though, the Stone Spirit actually roared angrily while pouncing at him as he grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and tripped his foot.
Yang Kai was stunned as he felt the world around him spinning as he heavily crashed into the ground.
After the Stone Spirit succeeded in throwing Yang Kai, he raised his arms up high while crying and howling, acting like he was undefeatable and that nobody would dare to challenge him.
Yang Kai crawled up from the ground, covered his face, and backed away as he slunk back to his seat.
This was so embarrassing. He wasn’t an opponent at all! When competing only in strength, it seemed unlikely that anyone would possibly be stronger than a Stone Spirit.
The little Wood Spirit, who was serving Yang Kai wine, glanced at him sympathetically and poured him another cup in silence.
Seeing that Yang Kai suffered a loss, Xiao Xiao, who had not taken to the field yet, was furious. He suddenly rushed to the centre of the field and rolled up his imaginary sleeves, as if he wanted to avenge Yang Kai, but he was the youngest and smallest Stone Spirit, so when facing the adult Stone Spirit, he could only insist on three breaths of time before being thrown out, hitting the outside with a bang.
The banquet was lively, with the two races getting along joyously and enjoying each other’s company.
After the first round of play wrestling, the Stone Spirits began another round, using all their might.
After eating such a loss, Yang Kai reaffirmed that he would not try to compete against any of the Stone Spirits anymore, and just sat aside and watched quietly.
During the second half of the night, the Stone Spirits were still making noise. It seemed that they hadn’t celebrated like this in a long time, and looking at how they were acting, it was likely that this was going to continue until dawn. Meanwhile, most of the Wood Spirits were already exhausted, their heads bobbing up and down, almost dozing off.
The small Wood Spirit, who had been standing next to Yang Kai, suddenly flew to his side and leaned on his ear and said something softly.
Yang Kai looked ahead and saw that Stone Spirit Elder and Wood Spirit Clan Head over there had gotten up and walked towards a large tree cave not far away. While they moved, Mu Na gave him a meaningful glance.
Yang Kai understood and hurriedly stood up, quietly sending a message to Zhang Ruo Xi, telling her to stay put for now.
When he stood at the entrance of the tree cave, Elder had already gone in, leaving just Mu Na waiting outside. When she saw Yang Kai, she extended her hand and gestured, “Please enter!”
Yang Kai didn’t know what these two clan heads wanted from him, but he did not ask any questions and followed along, entering the tree cave.
This tree cave seemed to be bigger and older than the others.
Yang Kai looked around before asking, “What can I do for you, Elder?”
Elder turned back and gestured with his hand for Yang Kai to sit down so they could talk.
After Yang Kai took his seat, Elder asked, “Are you here to take Shi Jiu away?”
Shi Jiu was Xiao Xiao’s given name in the Stone Spirit Clan, since he was the youngest.
[So, it was about this…] Yang Kai understood and smiled, “If he is willing to leave with me, and if Elder is willing to allow him to leave, I will surely take him away. I will not lie to you, Elder, I came to the Ancient Wild Lands this time specifically to look for him, and to check up on his well being.”
Elder gave a gentle nod, indicating that he understood Yang Kai’s intentions.
Yang Kai continued, “However, if he wishes to remain here with you, I will not force him to leave with me. It has always been a wish of mine to have him meet with his own kind, so now that he has found his clansmen, and they are willing to accept him, I see no reason to take him away. I would actually like for him to stay here.”
“Honoured Guest, you are truly kind. Forgive this Elder for being overly suspicious and pessimistic,” Elder smiled lightly, stroking his beard.
Yang Kai added, “Actually, I hoped that Xiao Xiao could stay and live with you from the start. I am already satisfied by the fact that I found him.”
Exactly as he said, since Xiao Xiao had found his clan, it was far better for him to live with his clansmen than to remain alone with Yang Kai. All the living beings in the world, no matter what kind, were social creatures. If they remained alone, they would lose their minds sooner or later.
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before lightly nodding, seemingly agreeing with Yang Kai.
Mu Na then asked with a smile, “Honoured Guest, I wonder if you have heard of the Blood Gate?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, having no idea why they suddenly switched the topic to this, but he still replied with a nod, “I knew nothing about it before coming to the Ancient Lands, but I happened to have heard of the legends regarding the Blood Gate a few days ago.”
Mu Na’s beautiful eyes lit up as she continued, “Honoured Guest, since you know about it, then this saves this Queen the trouble of explaining it to you.”
Yang Kai asked in amazement, “What does the Blood Gate have to do with you?”
Mu Na didn’t speak this time, but turned to look at the Stone Spirit Elder, who replied in a grim voice, “The Blood Gate is connected to every creature of the Ancient Lands. In the Ancient Lands, there is a saying: If one can enter the Blood Gate, he or she can be reborn, stimulating his or her ancestral bloodline and transforming into a Divine Spirit!”
Xie Wu Wei had said the same thing a few days ago too, so Yang Kai still remembered it.
Elder continued, “Although most have heard of this rumour, they have no way to verify it. Only a few people know that it is indeed true.”
Yang Kai’s expression slightly changed as he asked, “Can one’s ancestral bloodline really be stimulated and he or she truly become a Divine Spirit after entering the Blood Gate?”
Elder chuckled before replying, “Not necessarily. It’s just a chance, that’s all.”
Yang Kai’s interest was piqued and he immediately asked, “I would like to hear the details.”
Elder pondered for a moment as he was sorting out his words before finally speaking, “Most of the Ancient Lands’ creatures are descended from Ancient Divine Spirits, thus inheriting some proportion of their ancient bloodline, and only those who fulfil this condition may become a Divine Spirit after entering the Blood Gate! Furthermore, the process is extremely dangerous. It could be said that nine out ten would certainly die.”
Mu Na added, “Guest, since you dare to enter the Ancient Wild Lands, your cultivation cannot be weak, so I assume you have already come into contact with Source Strength, yes?”
Yang Kai nodded in confirmation. Cultivators would have already come into contact with the Source Strength in the Dao Source Realm, and he was already an Emperor Realm Master, so how could he be unfamiliar with it?
Mu Na continued, “If one wants to become a Divine Spirit and regain the glory of their ancestors, entering the Blood Gate is just the first step, nothing more. After entering the Blood Gate, that’s when the real test begins. Most of the Ancient Lands’ creatures think that entering the Blood Gate is enough to become a Divine Spirit. Although this isn’t technically wrong, it is a somewhat naïve interpretation of the truth. They just know the possible end result, but do not know anything about the process involved.”
“What kind of test is it then?” Yang Kai tightly frowned, grasping some idea of the matter quickly.
Elder replied in a heavy voice, “Every Divine Spirit has its own Divine Spirit Source. Bloodline atavism is one aspect of regaining the status of a Divine Spirit, but the more important factor is obtaining the recognition of the Divine Spirit Source. Only after obtaining the acknowledgement and acceptance of a Divine Spirit Source can one have the opportunity to become the true Divine Spirit.”
Even though this was a somewhat convoluted explanation, Yang Kai understood it at once.
A Divine Spirit Source was a very peculiar existence. For instance, the Phoenix True Fire was a Fire Phoenix Source. If someone could get the Phoenix True Fire, he or she might have a great chance to become a Fire Phoenix, like in Liu Yan’s case, but whether she could succeed or not depended on her luck. If she couldn’t get the Phoenix True Fire’s recognition, it would be disastrous for Liu Yan. This was a kind of test for her.
In other words, if one wanted to become a Divine Spirit, Bloodline Power and the Divine Spirit Source were indispensable.
Yang Kai was stunned and hesitatingly asked, “Do you mean that there are Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate?”
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other, feeling a little surprised. They felt that Yang Kai was too sharp, as he had arrived at this conclusion with only these few clues.
Elder agreed with a nod, “That’s right. There are Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate. If someone has the opportunity to enter it, he or she could attempt to merge with one, and if he or she succeeds, they can then really become a Divine Spirit. But if he or she can’t, then they would meet their end.”
“How can there be Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Elder replied with a bitter smile, “Because the Blood Gate is just an entrance. There is a Divine Spirit Palace inside the Blood Gate, where many Divine Spirit Sources are stored. It could be said that almost all Sources from the Divine Spirits in ancient times are kept there.”
Yang Kai was greatly shocked again, “How is that possible?”
He suddenly made an educated guess and asked, shocked, “Could it be that it’s something like the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, where those Divine Spirits would enter on their own when their predestined time of death arrives, leaving their Source Strength after their deaths?”
If not, how could there be countless Divine Spirit Sources inside this so-called Divine Spirit Palace.
“That’s not the case,” Mu Nu said, shaking her head, “The Heavens are impartial in all things. Divine Spirits are too strong, and in ancient times, Humans could not resist them. There were far too many Divine Spirits in the early eras of the universe, and each of them was incredibly powerful. Such immense strength led to many of the Ancient Divine Spirits becoming extremely cruel and violent. They would fight at every turn, disturbing the world around them and all other creatures in existence. However, all things in the universe have their nemesis, just like Yin and Yang counter and balance one another. One day, a peerless Master was born among the Humans, one who possessed a natural ability to restrain Divine Spirits. It could be said that the individual was the natural enemy of all Divine Spirits. That Master spent countless years executing rampant Divine Spirits and taking away their Sources to seal in the Divine Spirit Palace. Then, that peerless Master sealed the Divine Spirit Palace and hid it inside the Blood Gate, cutting off the inheritance of those Divine Spirits, preventing them from continuing to spread their destruction.”
“The Divine Spirit’s natural enemy!” Yang Kai gasped in shock. He had never expected that such a person could have existed in this world. How strong would someone like that have to be?
Nu Ma solemnly added, “Although that Master was strong according to the legends, that Master’s strength didn’t exceed that of the Masters of that generation by much. Rather, it was due to that Master’s innate ability to suppress Divine Spirits that they were able to achieve what they had. No Divine Spirit could pose any resistance when facing that Master, and their lives were all up to that Master to preside over! Therefore, there are lots of Divine Spirit Sources inside the Divine Spirit Palace. That person was called Heaven’s Order, enforcing justice on behalf of the Heavens. Heaven’s Order wielded the Heaven’s Order Sword, and wherever that Master went, Divine Spirits retreated. Everyone trembled at the mere mention of ‘Heaven’s Order.’”
[Heaven’s Order!]
Yang Kai memorized it and lightly nodded, but soon, he suspiciously asked again, “How do you know about such ancient matters?”
Mu Na glanced at Elder, who chuckled and explained, “If you want to talk about lifespan, I’m afraid there is no race in this world that can live longer than my Stone Spirit Clan. These things have been passed down word for word from one generation to another in my Stone Spirit Clan, which is just a matter of the last two generations, that’s all.”
[Last two generations!?] the corners of Yang Kai’s lips twitched when he realized that this Stone Spirit Elder was an even older monster than he originally thought, probably hundreds of thousands of years old already. It was no wonder he looked so aged!
Yang Kai took a deep breath, calming his throbbing heart, before curiously asking, “Elder and Matriarch, for what reason did you call me here and specifically tell me about this?”
Elder suddenly looked at him with a serious expression on his face before speaking in an earnest voice, “This Elder would like to request Honorable Guest’s help to retrieve a certain Divine Spirit Source left by my Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestor.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “Elder, your Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestor was a Divine Spirit!?”
Elder nodded, “Yes. The Stone Spirit Clan’s ancestor was known as Tai Yue. In the past, because he offended Heaven’s Order, he was killed. Heaven’s Order then collected his Source Strength and sealed it in the Divine Spirit Palace.”
Yang Kai’s facial features twitched, “But why do you think that I can help you? I don’t understand this point at all. Furthermore, something unusual is happening at the Blood Gate now and the Monster Race’s Four Great Venerables are keeping a close eye on it. It won’t be easy to enter the Blood Gate under these circumstances.”
Mu Na agreed, “We naturally know this. The change of the Blood Gate is a sign from the Heavens. If it weren’t for this, we too wouldn’t have come up with this plan.”
Elder added with a sigh, “Although the Stone Spirit Clan is strong, it has not been easy for us to continue surviving. Because of the extraordinary strength and abilities we wield, the Ancient Land’s Four Great Divine Venerables have always wanted to subdue us for their own use. Some time ago, the Four Great Divine Venerables gave us an ultimatum, that if our clans did not surrender to them, we would be completely destroyed. If our clans want to resist, we can only do so if we have power equal to theirs, and the Blood Gate is our last chance.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He knew that the Stone Spirit Clan had no other option, so they considered the Blood Gate, wanting to regain Tai Yue’s Source to fight against the Four Great Divine Venerables.
Xiao Xiao was now a member of the Stone Spirit Clan, so the Stone Spirit Clan’s survival was in line with his interests. Yang Kai couldn’t ignore their predicament.
After thinking for a while, Yang Kai suggested, “If Elder wants to, I can take you out of the Ancient Wild Lands. Although the Four Divine Venerables are powerful, as long as you leave this place, I’m afraid you will be beyond their reach.”
Elder gave a wry smile before stating, “We can’t leave our homeland, please forgive me.”
He was rejected.
Mu Na stated, “Elder wants Shi Jiu to inherit the power of Tai Yue. If he succeeds, then Shi Jiu will be the new Tai Yue. By then, he will have the strength to protect the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans. Shi Jiu was raised by you, so you must also want what’s best for him, am I right?”
[Why does it feel that I’m being led into a trap?] Yang Kai couldn’t help but grumble in his heart; however, hearing that Elder wanted Xiao Xiao to inherit Tai Yue’s power, Yang Kai was inevitably a little tempted.
If Xiao Xiao could really inherit Tai Yue’s power, he would be a new Divine Spirit.
Although moved, Yang Kai still solemnly asked, “Why are you letting Xiao Xiao inherit Tai Yue’s power? Are there no other candidates?”
Elder replied with a smile, “Shi Jiu is still young and malleable. If he inherits it, the chances of success will be higher.”
“In other words, there is still a possibility of failure?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Elder and Mu Na sunk into silence. This question was obviously difficult to answer.
Yang Kai asked, maintaining a stoic look, “Does Xiao Xiao know about this?”
Elder confirmed with a nod, “I have already consulted Shi Jiu about this, and he too has agreed.”
Yang Kai unhappily stated, “So to say, even if I don’t help you, you will still rush into the Blood Gate!?”
“That’s right!” Elder affirmatively replied.
Yang Kai’s expression immediately turned gloomy. Since they had already decided, then why the hell were they only telling him about this now? Although he had quite a good impression of the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans, Yang Kai didn’t have any deep friendship with them. If they wanted to court death, Yang Kai could care less about it, but the point was that Xiao Xiao was involved.
Yang Kai secretly thought. [How about I find a chance to take Xiao Xiao and run away, saving myself from the trouble of getting mixed up in this muddy water…]
Seeing the distressed look on Yang Kai’s face, Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before they bowed together, pleading, “Honoured Guest, we request you to help our two clans!”
Yang Kai promptly stepped back and indifferently declared, “You two… The both of you are asking for the impossible from me.”
Elder shook his head and stated, “It’s not like that. We are just following the Heavens’ will.”
“The Heaven’s will?” Yang Kai sneered, “Where did this Heavens’ will come from?”
Elder smiled as he turned sideways and said, pointing at a certain cave wall, “Honoured Guest, please look.”
Mu Na also waved her hand as a streak of radiant light suddenly flew out, brightening the imprints on the wall of the cave. The stream of light remained close to a certain part of the wall, slowly lingering around it, and as the light shone on the wall, Yang Kai suddenly discovered a set of extremely old pictures.
In the first picture, a person was sitting cross-legged with a round stone before him. His finger was stretched out and blood was dripping from his fingertip down onto the stone. Strangely, the blood dripping from this man’s fingertip wasn’t red but gold.
Yang Kai stared at it this a daze, but before he could make the heads and tails of it, his gaze involuntarily shifted to the second picture, following the movement of the streak of light.
In the second painting, the man was still sitting cross-legged, but there was a small figure near him this time. The figure was crouching on all fours, like a monkey, chasing butterflies.
The two pictures were drawn using the simplest of lines and looked extremely rough, but they vividly expressed the meaning intended.
[Isn’t this Xiao Xiao and me!?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded and couldn’t believe his eyes. The small figure was clearly Xiao Xiao, and the figure dripping the golden blood could be none other than him!
[But this… painting has already mottled with time. It’s extremely old, at least thousands of years… so how can it be of me?]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but find it extremely surreal.
He then looked at the third picture. Yang Kai couldn’t help but have his pupils shrink at what he saw, because in the third picture, it was the scene of Xiao Xiao and him fighting side by side, with Xiao Xiao holding the Heaven Shaking Pillar. The painting was drawn with forceful strokes, it was vivid and filled with majesty.
The fourth picture seemed to be inside a tunnel with points of light lingering around it. The space was shattered and Xiao Xiao was falling into blackness, leaving only his one hand remaining outside, trying to reach out to grab hold of something.
[This is the scene from the Starlight Corridor, when we entered the Star Boundary!]
In the fifth picture, there were nine more stone men like Xiao Xiao around him, recuperating in an old and dense forest. There were many smaller Wood Spirits flying around.
In the sixth picture, the man who was in the first painting seemed to have found the small figure, reuniting after a long time. They couldn’t hold their happiness and a bonfire blazed while many Stone Spirits and Wood Spirits were singing and dancing around them. It completely overlapped with what happened tonight.
In the seventh picture, there was a huge oval-shaped gate that was as red as blood. Thousands of creatures of all shapes and sizes were fighting in the vicinity of the blood-coloured gate, with many injured and dead.
In the eighth picture, the small figure flew over from the horizon and rushed straight into the blood-coloured gate with the help of the human, disappearing into it.
In the ninth picture, there was nothing but the blood-coloured door, leaving everyone in great suspense.
There were a total of nine paintings etched on the walls of this tree, and although they were a simple outline, they were quite vivid and lifelike.
After having finished observing these pictures, Yang Kai’s mood was a mess. It took him a long time to recover and lift his head, asking, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Elder explained, “The Wood Spirit Clan might not be good at fighting, but the previous Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan was proficient in divination. Before her death, she had a premonition that our two clans would be annihilated at some point in the future, so she divined a way out for us at the cost of her remaining life, and what she left was these nine paintings.”
Mu Na added with a sigh, “For over a thousand years, Elder and I have been trying to comprehend the meaning of these nine paintings, but we couldn’t until Shi Jiu came to us from the outside world. His appearance helped us validate the content of the fifth painting. We then finally knew that the hope of the two clans wasn’t in the two clans, but rather Shi Jiu and you, our Honoured Guest.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he asked, “Are you two going to risk all the lives of your clans on these nine paintings?”
Elder sternly shook his head and stated, “This is Heavens’ will, it’s a revelation, not a risk! Honoured Guest, we have truly been waiting for you for a long time!”
Yang Kai was taken aback. When he first saw Elder today, he heard the same words. At that time, he thought that it was because of Xiao Xiao, but he hadn’t expected the Elder to have other intentions.
Inside the tree cave, Elder and Mu Na stared at Yang Kai with scorching gazes.
Yang Kai spoke with a sigh, “Even if this revelation was left by the last Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan at the cost of her life, it doesn’t say that we will succeed.” Pointing at the ninth painting, he added, “There is nothing here.”
Mu Na solemnly stated, “I believe that the previous generation’s Matriarch would not fire an arrow without purpose. If it was a dead-end, she would not have left the revelation here. Since she left it, it is meant to be a guide to show us the right path.”
“Honoured Guest…” Elder exhorted again.
But before he could finish speaking, Yang Kai interrupted him, waving his hand, “This is no simple matter, I will have to consider it carefully. You don’t need to say anything more.”
After saying so, Yang Kai turned around and left the tree cave, regardless of what the other two inside wanted. The outside was still hustling and bustling with noises and the Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits were singing and laughing together. Ruo Xi had been dragged on to the stage by the Wood Spirits and was lithely and gracefully dancing, drawing applause from the Wood Spirits. Even the eyes of a few Stone Spirits brightened at the sight of this.
Xiao Xiao was also twisting and turning like crazy, but it really wasn’t that elegant.
Yang Kai didn’t bother them. His figure flickered as he returned to Xiao Xiao’s tree cave, sitting down cross-legged.
Seeing him disappear, Elder heaved a slight sigh, seemingly feeling sorry about not being able to convince Yang Kai right away.
Mu Na turned her head and stared at the nine paintings for a moment before suddenly stretching out her hand and waving. When the streak of light illuminated again, the ninth painting completely changed. The blood-coloured gate still existed, only a huge stone giant was standing outside, looking at the world with contempt, like nobody in the world could defeat him. On his shoulder was a pitch-black giant stick, signifying Xiao Xiao’s identity.
Mu Na asked, “If this was the case, would he have agreed just now?”
Elder replied, “Since it’s a divination, it should only guide the way, and not show the results. If it was the other way around, he might instead have become suspicious. He isn’t a fool. Showing the first one was the best possible choice.”
Mu Na, hearing this, nodded approvingly before she waved her hand once again, restoring the ninth painting to its original state.
Elder heavily sighed and continued, “We should not have collaborated to deceive him, but we really have nowhere else to turn. If we want to get things done, we need help. Naturally, we have to give him a chance to think about it.”
Mu Na agreed, “Elder is right.”
The two were racking their brains quite hard. How could Yang Kai have guessed that these two honourable heads of their respective clans would actually conspire to deceive him? The nine paintings on the tree wall were the handiwork of Mu Na. It wasn’t some revelation left behind by the previous generation’s Wood Spirit Clan’s Matriarch.
If Yang Kai came to know of this, he would surely beat them black and blue.
Yang Kai, sitting cross-legged inside the tree cave, was at his wit’s end. According to his assessment of the situation, his best choice would be to directly take the two clans away from this place, and if that didn’t work, he would simply take Xiao Xiao away.
But after hearing Elder talk about the difficulty of leaving their homeland, he quashed the very notion right then and there. It wasn’t impossible to take Xiao Xiao away by force, but this way, Xiao Xiao would lose the opportunity to become the Divine Spirit, Tai Yue.
On the one hand, there was a chance that Xiao Xiao would become a Divine Spirit, but on the other hand, he would be facing a huge risk. Yang Kai was in a dilemma.
It all depended on what Xiao Xiao’s wish was.
At dawn, the celebration of the two clans finally ended. The Wood Spirits then disappeared into the jungle, whereas the Stone Spirits went back to their respective tree caves.
Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao walked back together, but when they saw Yang Kai sitting cross-legged there, Ruo Xi couldn’t help but ponder. She was so engrossed in the celebratory mood last night that she had no idea when Yang Kai left.
“Xiao Xiao, come here!” Yang Kai beckoned to Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao immediately tottered to his side, curiously looking at him. He had no idea what Yang Kai wanted to do.
Yang Kai reached out and grasped Xiao Xiao’s hand before he surged his Divine Sense to communicate with him.
After a while, Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “Are you sure?”
As he had expected, Xiao Xiao truly wanted to enter the Blood Gate. Elder had already analyzed the pros and cons of it clearly with him, and he had no intention of forcing things on him.
Xiao Xiao stood up and hammered his fists on his chest, indicating that he was very strong and wasn’t afraid of anything.
Yang Kai wryly smiled, shaking his head. He pondered for a long while before finally stating, “Go tell your Elder that I agree to his request.”
Xiao Xiao was confused, obviously having no idea what Yang Kai meant. Nevertheless, he obediently ran out.
“Sir, did something happen?” Ruo Xi couldn’t help but anxiously ask, noticing the unsettled look on Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and replied, without hiding anything, “The Stone Spirit and Wood Spirit Clans want to send Xiao Xiao into the Blood Gate to inherit a Divine Spirit Source. So, I am a little worried.”
“Ah!” Ruo Xi immediately exclaimed, covering her mouth, “Enter the Blood Gate, but over there… right now…”
“Yes, it will be extremely difficult. If I don’t help them, they will not be able to break through the defences around the Blood Gate for sure, and even with my help, they might not be able to succeed.”
“Then, Sir, why did you still agree?”
Yang Kai stated, “I will try my best and leave the rest up to the Heavens to decide as I’m not sure that I can take them away from here.”
Ruo Xi’s eyes flickered before she grit her teeth and suggested, “Then, I’ll also help.”
Yang Kai glared at her and reprimanded, “No, if we really rush to the Blood Gate, things will be very dangerous. You’re not… strong enough. You have to be obedient.”
An aggrieved look appeared on Zhang Ruo Xi’s face, but she didn’t dare to violate Yang Kai’s command. All she could do was softly agree, “I know…”
Yang Kai glanced at her and gently said, “Since I brought you out from the Zhang Family, I have the responsibility to guarantee your safety. When you have advanced to the Emperor Realm, it won’t be too late to participate in such things.”
“Yes!” Ruo Xi replied, clearly frustrated.
In the Elder’s tree cave, the Stone Spirit Elder and the Wood Spirit Clan’s Matriarch were overjoyed after having been notified by Xiao Xiao. They secretly thought that they hadn’t racked their brains in vain; they had somehow managed to make Yang Kai agree to their two clans’ request.
The two even proactively came to Xiao Xiao’s tree cave together.
Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao went outside, leaving Yang Kai and two Clan Heads sitting cross-legged alone.
Elder was chuckling, obviously in a pretty good mood. Mu Na was also overjoyed and couldn’t conceal this truth.
Only Yang Kai had a dark look on his face, looking quite gloomy.
“Elder, let me say this first, I have agreed to help you, but that is all. If things take a turn for the worse, I will take Xiao Xiao away right then and there. As for the rest, you will have to depend on yourselves.”
“But of course!” Elder repeatedly nodded, stroking his stony beard, “If something really can’t be done, I won’t force it either.”
Yang Kai nodded and then asked, “Since that’s the case, I have nothing else to add. So, how are we going to proceed?”
Elder and Mu Na glanced at each other before the former replied, “We will charge straight ahead, sending Shi Jiu into the Blood Gate. That counts as a plan, doesn’t it?”
Yang Kai’s face twitched hard as he angrily scolded, “Plan!? Plan your head! The Blood Gate is now being watched by Four Divine Venerables personally! Eight Great Kings and thirty-two Monster Kings would come rushing at the first sign of trouble. How are you going to charge through?”
Elder looked a little embarrassed as he stated, “Honoured Guest, aren’t you proficient in the Dao of Space? Can’t you just take us there?”
Yang Kai’s pupil shrank and he stared dead straight at him and asked, “Xiao Xiao told you?”
He had never shown any manipulation of Space Principles in front of the Stone Spirit Clan, but since Elder knew about this, obviously he had heard it from Xiao Xiao.
Mu Na explained, “Honoured Guest, please don’t be angry. Our clans don’t have any malicious intentions towards you and we will not divulge your secret. Also, Shi Jiu didn’t disclose this, it was when Shi Jiu found us that Elder learned of it from his memories.”
Yang Kai’s voice became colder as he stated, softly sneering, “What other secrets do the two of you know?”
Elder forced a cough before replying, “We also know that the Honoured Guest has a magical storage artifact that can take us together without anyone noticing our presence.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes as thoughts of silencing these two suddenly flashed across his mind. He finally understood why these two clans were asking for his help. Even before that, they never inquired about his cultivation.
[I have the Sealed World Bead and I am also proficient in the Dao of Space, so I can indeed bring them to the Blood Gate without anyone noticing. That’s an advantage no one else has.]
It’s easier to ask for help from your friends and relatives than to ask a stranger.
Elder continued, “Our plan is like this, our clansmen will first hide in that Storage Artifact, then Honoured Guest will use your Space Divine Ability to lead us to the Blood Gate. After that, it’s our time to work; Honoured Guest, you don’t need to worry about what follows. As long as we can get close to the Blood Gate, we have our own way to send Shi Jiu inside.”
Yang Kai squinted his eyes and asked, “As far as I know, the Blood Gate is one of the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Lands. Normally, no inhabitant of the Ancient Lands can even get close to it, let alone enter it. Do you have any solution for that?”
Mu Na replied with a smile, “That’s true, generally, but right now, the Blood Gate has changed. The restriction has loosened a lot, so it is not a problem to get close to it. The biggest problem is how to break through the Blood Gate’s seal.”
Elder proudly added, “We have ten Masters of immense strength. If my entire Stone Spirit Clan makes a move together, we can smash through any seal!”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he asked, “Do you want to use brute force?”
Elder asked, raising his brows, “Is there something wrong with that?”
Yang Kai face-palmed before turning to Mu Na and asking, “Matriarch, the Stone Spirit Clan’s intelligence has always been so, so that’s fine, but why are you agreeing with this too?”
Mu Na asked, wryly smiling, “Is there a better way?”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless as he realized that the two tribes had no decent plans at all. They were simply going to use brute force to bend the situation to their will. Forced by the Four Great Divine Venerables, they had no choice but to take such a risk. If Xiao Xiao could really inherit Tai Yue’s power and become an Ancient Divine Spirit, he could naturally shelter the two clans under the noses of the Four Great Divine Venerables.
To put it bluntly, the two clans were at an impasse; it was a do or die situation for them.
After staring blankly for a while, Yang Kai stated, “Perhaps I can attempt to tear open the Blood Gate’s seal. Since the Divine Spirit Palace is sealed inside the Blood Gate, there must be a small world inside. My comprehension of Space Principles might give me the ability to tear open the boundary of that small world.”
When Elder heard this, he immediately spoke, rubbing his hands, “Honoured Guest, if you succeed, that will naturally be best, but if it doesn’t work, we will have to use brute force.”
Elder had always given Yang Kai a sense of wisdom, but now it seemed that a Stone Spirit was still a Stone Spirit. Even if they lived long enough, they would not get any wiser and would always advocate violence to solve their problems. The Wood Spirit Clan must have been having a hard time interacting with them over all the years they lived together.
“When are we leaving?” Yang Kai asked, looking at the two.
“This matter should not be delayed. We have to go sooner rather than later. This Elder is thinking of leaving tomorrow morning,” Elder solemnly said.
Mu Na lightly nodded; obviously, she agreed with this.
Yang Kai sighed helplessly and agreed, “Fine. You two should return and prepare your clansmen, we will depart… Tomorrow morning!”
Elder and Mu Na immediately left, apparently returning to inform their clansmen.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, sat cross-legged inside the tree cave. It could be said that what these two clans were planning to do was extremely risky. To be honest, Yang Kai wasn’t optimistic about their chances as failure seemed to be the far likelier outcome. What he needed to consider now was how to increase the safety margin and chances of success; after all, they were trying to make a move right under the Ancient Lands Four Great Divine Venerables’ noses. Once they alerted the four Divine Venerables, they might move to block their surroundings, and then Yang Kai might not be able to escape safely even with his Space Tearing abilities.
[Maybe… Xie Wu Wei can help.]
All night, Yang Kai was thinking hard.
At dawn, sounds of footsteps came from outside and Yang Kai opened his eyes and scanned with his Divine Sense. Immediately, he sensed that everyone in the Stone Spirit clan had been gathered. And not only the Stone Spirit Clan, but even over a hundred members of the Wood Spirit Clan were joining under Mu Na’s leadership, flying around the Stone Spirit Clan’s heads.
[Now that the arrow was already drawn, I can’t do anything but shoot it.] Yang Kai sighed before he stood up and went forward.
Seeing Yang Kai appear, the two Clan Heads’ faces turned solemn before Elder spoke, “Honoured Guest, we are ready.”
Yang Kai looked at Mu Na and asked, frowning, “Is the Wood Spirit Clan also coming?”
Yesterday, although Mu Na and Elder were discussing matters with him together, he really hadn’t expected the Wood Spirit Clan to come along with full force. This would be an extremely dangerous mission, so what could the Wood Spirit Clan do when they weren’t good at fighting? Once they were swept into the battle, any Monster King could massacre all of them.
Elder said with a smile, “The Wood Spirits coexist with my Stone Spirit Clan; although they will not directly participate in the battle, they will still be of great help. Honoured Guest, you don’t need to worry.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow but didn’t object either. Instead, he nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, I will trust your decision.”
Yang Kai looked around before doubtfully asking, “Where is Ruo Xi?”
He didn’t see Zhang Ruo Xi anywhere. He had been sitting in the tree cave all day, thinking hard, so he thought she had simply been outside, but only now did he find out that Ruo Xi was missing.
Elder and Mu Na looked at each other, the two clansmen also exchanging looks and asking one another, “Have any of you seen that little girl?”
No one answered. Not to mention the few Stone Spirits, even the hundred Wood Spirits didn’t know where Ruo Xi was.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he released his Divine Sense like a tide, sweeping the surroundings, scanning over a thousand-kilometre radius, but even then he didn’t find Ruo Xi’s aura.
This shocked and angered him. How could someone alive disappear for no reason?
“Shi Jiu, do you know something?” Elder suddenly asked in a deep voice.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, and saw Xiao Xiao standing there with an uneasy look on his face, constantly scratching his ears and cheek; his eyes erratically moving around.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he asked, looking at him, “Xiao Xiao, where did Ruo Xi go!?”
Seeing that he couldn’t hide anymore, Xiao Xiao immediately became dejected and whimpered a few times.
Yang Kai’s countenance drastically changed, raising his head and turning to gaze in the Blood Gate’s direction, grinding his teeth as he scolded, “That girl!”
Mu Na too couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, covering her mouth, “She actually set off to go to the Blood Gate first?”
Yang Kai angrily said, “She must have gone because I prevented her from participating yesterday. When I get my hands on her, I will spank her butt red!”
[This is outrageous! Ruo Xi has always been docile and obedient, so I never dreamed she would dare to sneak away without telling me. She has really gone too far this time!]
Yang Kai raised his hand again and knocked down on Xiao Xiao’s head, angrily scolding, “Since you know, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
Xiao Xiao clutched his head, whimpering with an aggrieved expression on his face.
“It’s useless to argue about this now. Honoured Guest, it’s best to find her as soon as possible. The Blood Gate is surrounded by many members of the Monster Race. If she falls into their hands, things will be troublesome,” Elder persuaded.
It wasn’t like Yang Kai didn’t know this, so he quickly suppressed the anxiety in his heart and said, “Relax yourselves and don’t resist. Don’t make a fuss about what you see when you go in.”
After saying so, Yang Kai stretched his hand towards the two clans. Immediately, Space Principles surged, and the boundary of the Seal World Bead opened, allowing the two clans to enter the Small Sealed World one after another.
Embodiment, who had already been notified by Yang Kai, sat there with a smile, welcoming the arrival of the clansmen of the two clans.
Elder had said that the Stone Spirit Clan never had more than ten members; any more would die at birth.
[I wonder what expression they will have when they see him?] Yang Kai didn’t bother to pay attention to this, let alone explain to them the circumstances of his Embodiment. After he had collected the two clans into the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai immediately turned around and rapidly flew towards the Blood Gate.
Along the road, Yang Kai constantly spread his Divine Sense to search, hoping to find Zhang Ruo Xi.
But she had set off a day earlier, so even if she wasn’t moving at full speed, she might have already reached the Blood Gate. Naturally, it was impossible to find tracks on the road.
And this turned out to be the case. At this moment, Zhang Ruo Xi was already within three hundred kilometres of the Blood Gate. She had been cautious along the way, and although luck had played some part in it, she hadn’t encountered too many twists and turns.
But when she arrived here, she didn’t dare to move forward. There were too many Monster Race members in front of her, and they weren’t hiding their presence either. If she dared to move closer, she would definitely be discovered.
At this moment, Ruo Xi was hiding in the canopy of a huge tree, trying her best to conceal her aura.
She might be fairly strong now, but she didn’t want to get in trouble in this kind of place. Naturally, she was mainly hiding and waiting for Yang Kai’s arrival. [When Sir arrives and clashes against the Monster Race, I will immediately rush out to help Sir. I think Sir will not blame me at that time.]
Deep in her heart, she just wanted to help out a little, that’s all. She didn’t want to be taken into the Sealed Word Bead by Yang Kai and be forced to wait, feeling useless once again.
A team of patrolling Monster Race members passed by, but they didn’t notice Zhang Ruo Xi, boosting her confidence somewhat.
It was the first time she had done something this dangerous, so she was quite nervous. Fortunately, following Yang Kai here and there wasn’t without any merits. After having gone through storms and fire, she could reluctantly maintain her composure even if she was nervous deep inside.
Time went by little by little.
Another Monster Race patrol crossed in front of her, and this time they were incomparably vigilant and checking everything, seemingly looking for even the smallest of suspicious trails. When this patrol team passed under a certain tree, one of them suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.
“What happened?” Another Monster Race member looked at him and doubtfully asked.
The Monster Race member didn’t answer as he continued sniffing, taking some time before raising his brows and commenting, “There is the scent of a Human.”
As soon as he said this, Ruo Xi’s face drastically changed as she knew things had gone wrong. She might have revealed something, and once the Monster Race found her whereabouts, it would be difficult for her to escape even if she had wings.
All she could hope for was that this Monster Race member was just sceptical. In that case, she might still escape this calamity.
But her hope was smothered very soon. After sniffing for a while, the Monster Race member abruptly raised his head and stared at the canopy of the tree.
Although their gazes didn’t meet due to the thick foliage, Zhang Ruo Xi’s heartbeat raced and she knew that she could no longer remain hidden here.
Just when she made up her mind to escape, a dirty and dishevelled head suddenly appeared by her side, hanging upside down in front of her, grinning from ear to ear at her.
Ruo Xi was scared out of her wits and almost jumped back and shouted; however, after seeing who exactly this unkempt person was, she quickly covered her mouth, not daring to make any noises. Her bulging pretty eyes were just staring at the unkempt and dirty face.
Suddenly, a hand reached out towards Zhang Ruo Xi, grabbing her. Immediately after, the two figures flickered before disappearing from her spot.
*Shua…*
Right afterwards, a Monster Race member rushed to the canopy of the tree. He looked around for a while, but after finding nothing, scratched his head with a suspicious look on his face.
“Did you find something?” The Monster Race members waiting below asked.
“Nothing…” The searching Monster Race member replied before jumping down and continuing with an embarrassed smile, “I might have made a mistake.”
The Monster Race members of the patrol team glared at him, displeased. They blamed him for being so anxious that every bush and tree appeared as an enemy to him. Without another word, they continued on with their patrol.
Above the canopy of another towering tree, watching the Monster Race patrol team move away, Zhang Ruo Xi finally sighed in relief, her chest fiercely heaving up and down. At that moment, her heart had almost jumped out of her chest. She thought that she was going to die. Fortunately, someone had given her a hand at the critical moment.
She quickly turned her head and looked to one side.
Right next to her, Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder was looking at her with a silly smile. On closer inspection, Ruo Xi realized that this woman was quite the beauty, it was just that she had lost her mind and was completely careless about maintaining her appearance. She had been living in the Ancient Lands all year round, which resulted in her face being completely covered in dirt and grime. Ruo Xi couldn’t help but sigh at her condition.
“What is Senior doing here?” Ruo Xi didn’t know what her name was, so she could only address her as Senior.
The Third Disciple giggled; who knows whether she understood Ruo Xi’s question or not. In any case, she didn’t look like she was going to be answering anything anytime soon. Instead, she kept sniffing like that Monster Race member, her nose almost stuck onto Ruo Xi. It appeared as if she took a particular liking to Ruo Xi’s fragrance as there was an intoxicated look on her face while she sniffed.
Ruo Xi was feeling very uncomfortable, almost like she was itchy all over. She quickly stretched her hand out before her, blocking the Third Disciple, stopping her from continuing. She then said, “Senior, please don’t cause trouble, or we will be found by the Monster Race.”
Being pushed away by her, the Third Disciples suddenly pouted, seemingly saddened.
Ruo Xi couldn’t bear the sight of her despondent look. She was a beautiful Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. If she was outside, countless men would admire and pursue her like she was an immortal fairy, but she looked nothing like a Human or ghost now. If her Master, Senior Bing Yun, came to know about this, her heart would surely break.
“Good, Senior, I have something important to do now, so please behave!” Zhang Ruo Xi reached out and grabbed the Third Disciple’s dirty paws without showing any aversion at all. She gently cupped her hands as she softly said, “I’m waiting for Sir here. Sir is the one who gave you that fruit last time. Sir has been looking everywhere for you, so don’t run around and wait for him here with me, okay?”
The Third Disciple looked at Zhang Ruo Xi for a while before suddenly nodding.
Ruo Xi asked with a smile, “Can you understand me?”
The Third Disciple hugged Ruo Xi and buried her head in Ruo Xi’s plump peaks, scrabbling her head, doing whatever she wanted…
“Senior… I can’t breathe…” Ruo Xi’s face flushed red. A strange feeling rose from her chest, which made her feel slightly tingly. That tight groping made it even harder for her to breathe. In any case, she wasn’t as strong as the Third Disciple, so even if she wanted to free herself, she was unable to no matter how much she struggled.
…..
Ten kilometres away from the Blood Gate, as Mu Na had said earlier, after the changes at the Blood Gate, its inexplicable repulsion power seemed to have disappeared. Normally, the Blood Gate couldn’t be approached at all, and even the strongest Monster Kings would be reduced to nothing but a gory puddle of flesh and blood by its mysterious power once they tried, leaving not even a corpse behind. But now, even weak Monster Race members were swarming from every direction, their eyes red as if they had lost their minds. They were making a beeline towards the Blood Gate, trying to rush inside it.
This was due to the bloodline attraction!
As Xie Wu Wei had supposed earlier, after the changes in the Blood Gate, the aura of Divine Spirit Sources inside the Divine Spirit Palace were being revealed. This aura carried a great temptation to every resident of the Ancient Lands. These weak Monster Race members would rush over, hypnotized by the alluring aura, gradually losing their minds and flying straight towards the Blood Gate, throwing all caution to the wind.
But these Monster Race members were doomed to fail to approach even ten kilometres of the Blood Gate.
Because right now, eight figures were constantly patrolling around the Blood Gate, and once they found a Monster trying to get close, they would kill without mercy.
These eight Monster Race Masters were the Great Kings of each of the Four Great Divine Venerables.
Currently, corpses were lying everywhere outside the ten-kilometre radius of the Blood Gate. There was a nauseating smell of blood in the air. In just a few days, who knew how many Ancient Lands’ creatures had died at the hands of these eight Great Kings? Nevertheless, they still couldn’t prevent the countless Monster Race members from rushing to the Blood Gate.
On a peak about fifty kilometres away, four figures filled a stone pavilion, either sitting or standing. Some of the Monster Race members were respectfully guarding this pavilion, looking at the four figures in awe from time to time.
These four figures were none other than the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands.
The changes of the Blood Gate were of great importance, so the four of them had personally come to oversee and investigate the situation to prevent any mishaps.
The figure on the left side was a middle-aged man in purple brocade robes and a crown on his head. He looked no different than a normal Human, but there was an awe-inspiring aura about him. There was a lightning-like shine in his eyes, which gave anyone who met his gaze a chilling feeling. This man was the Easter Divine Venerable, Fan Wu.
The figure on the right resembled the Stone Spirits. He had a rock-like body and skin with a jagged texture. Only, he was lacking the temperateness of the Stone Spirits. His figure gave an extremely fierce feeling and, from top to bottom, he was covered in sharp barbs of stone. Even his face had a fierce and sinister look. There was an air of hostility around him and the shine in his eyes was like a mad flame, giving the impression that he was constantly looking for prey to eat.
He was the Northern Divine Venerable, Shi Huo!
In the Star Boundary, the other three domains might not have heard of Shi Huo’s name, but for Eastern Territory cultivators, Shi Hou was quite famous.
And there was a reason behind this. Roughly twenty thousand years ago, one of the top Sects of the Eastern Territory, the Black Tortoise Sect, was wiped from the face of the world by Shi Huo. Tens of thousands of its disciples had been massacred by him. The Serene Soul Great Emperor became furious when he got word of the brutal massacre and personally moved out to capture Shi Huo, but Shi Huo escaped to the Ancient Wild Lands.
Being able to escape from the pursuit of a Great Emperor was proof in itself of Shi Huo’s terrifying strength.
Maplewood City’s Qin Zhao Yang’s ancestor had once been a disciple of the Black Tortoise Sect. The Emperor Artifact, the Myriads Sword, was his ancestor’s sword. In the past, the Black-Tortoise Seven Points Formation taught by Qin Zhao Yang to Yang Kai was the closely guarded core technique of the Black Tortoise Sect, which wasn’t easily taught to ordinary disciples.
After the Black Tortoise Sect was destroyed, the Qin Family’s ancestor came to the Southern Territory and settled in Maplewood City. Not long afterwards, he succumbed to his injuries, and as the generations continued, his family declined.
At the centre of the stone pavilion was a stone table, on top of which was a pot of steaming hot fragrant tea.
A beautiful woman was sitting by the table, her skin as white as snow. She had an enchanting figure and charming eyes. Her silky hair was like a black waterfall falling behind her head, straight down to her hips. The beautiful woman stretched her soft and slender hand out and poured herself a cup of tea before calmly taking a sip of it.
She was the Southern Divine Venerable, Luan Feng!
If one didn’t know about her, they would not dare to believe that such a beautiful and charming woman was actually a Divine Spirit with an ancient inheritance. Anyone who dared to provoke her had been burned to ashes by her World Extinguishing Black Flames.
The last figure had a sinister and ruthless gaze. With one glance, it was apparent that he shouldn’t be provoked. He was sitting on the stone bench in front of Luan Feng, motionless, like he was petrified. Intentionally or unintentionally, his gaze was lingering on Luan Feng’s charming figure, but he didn’t dare to be too presumptuous. He was just sneaking a few peaks.
Luan Feng lightly took a sip of tea before her cherry red lips parted as she indifferently warned, “Cang Gou, if you stare at me again like that, this Queen will dig out your eyes!”
Hearing this, a look of fear flashed across the man called Cang Guo’s eyes, but he could only give an embarrassed smile as he asked, “Lady Feng, why are you keeping me at arm’s length? Don’t you know that this King has feelings for you?”
Luan Feng didn’t return his glance, her voice remaining indifferent as she snorted, “This Queen only knows that you are… Extremely disgusting.”
If others dared to say that Cang Guo was disgusting, he would have already rushed at the opposite party and torn him or her apart.
But the person in front of him had the right to speak this way. Without even mentioning that Cang Guo was very fond of her, he also wasn’t as strong as Luan Feng.
There were naturally differences in strength between each Divine Spirit. In ancient times, there was even a ranking for the Divine Spirits, with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans reigning atop that list. Compared to these two Divine Spirit Clans, the Divine Spirits at the bottom of the rankings weren’t even in the same class.
Luan Feng was from a branch of the Phoenix Clan, so although her strength couldn’t be compared with her ancestors’, it was still immense, especially her World Extinguishing Black Flames, which had extraordinary power.
Among the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, Luan Feng was the strongest. This was something the other Divine Venerables couldn’t deny. It was just that these four had been living in the Ancient Wild Lands for millennia now and would not fight with each other unless it was absolutely necessary. Even though Luan Feng was a bit more powerful, in a life or death battle, the other three wouldn’t be easy for her to deal with. Even if they couldn’t kill her, they would be able to severely injure her.
The four Divine Venerables barely maintained a state of mutual checks and balances in the Ancient Lands.
After being severely despised by Luan Feng, Cang Guo inevitably became angry out of shame and lashed out, “These eyes belong to this King, this King will look wherever he wants to look!”
Luan Feng’s movements abruptly stopped as she slightly raised her eyes, a cold gleam flashing across their depths as she stared at Cang Guo. Right then, she suddenly opened her mouth and lightly exhaled towards him.
A wisp of pitch-black flame shot out of her mouth, straight towards Chag Guo like a snake.
“World Extinguishing Black Flame!” Cang Guo’s expression drastically changed as he realized that his joke had gone a little too far. Luan Feng had actually attacked him, forcing him to hurriedly back away while fiercely palming forward.
This palm shattered space and reduced the entire stone pavilion to rubble.
Several figures suddenly jumped up, hovering in the air.
“What the heck are you two doing?” Fan Wu coldly glared at Cang Guo and Luan Feng, shouting at them, “Why do you do this every time you meet!?”
Luan Feng flicked her silky hair over her shoulder and indifferently replied, “He is the one that provokes this Queen every single time.”
Cang Guo immediately blew his top and angrily rebuked, “This King just took a few glances at you, that’s all. It’s not like you lost anything! But you actually tried to attack this King! Do you really think that this King is that easy to bully?”
Luan Feng coldly glared at him and snorted, “I may not have lost anything, but your gaze feels extremely disgusting. This Queen was uncomfortable, so she had to remedy the situation.”
Cang Guo lashed back, “Good, good, this King has been bearing you for not just a day or two! Since you look down on this King so much, let’s decide today who is the better!”
“Good!” Luan Feng turned around, looking like she had been waiting for this. She coldly smiled and stated, “This Queen has been wanting to kill you for not just a day or two either. Since you are asking for death, this Queen might as well fulfill your wish!”
“You two…” Fan Wu’s face turned colder and immediately shouted, grinding his teeth, “That’s enough!”
He seemed to have some prestige among the four, so when he spoke, whether it was Cang Guo or Luan Feng, they stopped in place, both of them turning their heads and coldly scoffing.
“So many problems have cropped up this time, yet instead of working together, you have started internal strife!” Fan Wu looked exasperated from their failure to meet his expectations, “Is it fun to make a joke of yourselves before your subordinates?”
Both Cang Guo and Luan Feng, who were reprimanded, looked embarrassed and pouted.
The group of Monster Race members were currently staring at the former site of the Stone Pavilion with widened eyes. It seemed as if they couldn’t fathom why the high and mighty Divine Venerables were unable to cooperate and even attacked each other.
“And you!” Fan Wu looked at Shi Huo.
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Shi Huo shook his head with an innocent look on his face.
“Every time, you are just enjoying the show! Why don’t you try to stop them?” Fan Wu rebuffed, coldly snorting.
Shi Huo muttered with an unhappy look on his face, “They are fighting while I’m watching, the two are irrelevant to each other.”
Fan Wu’s brow twitched a few times before a resigned look appeared on his face. Only after a long time did he finally calm down, “Due to the changes of the Blood Gate and the sudden propagation of bloodline attraction, the Ancient Lands creatures are all moving strangely. If the four of us weren’t personally overseeing things here, the Monster Kings under us might have already tried to enter the Blood Gate. Everyone might have already inherited their ancestors’ Source Strength and memories. You should know what secrets lie inside the Blood Gate. In the past, ‘that’ Master wielding the Heaven’s Order Sword had almost exterminated all Divine Spirits from this world. Our ancestors somehow escaped that disaster. You don’t want that person’s power to reappear and make us flee about with nowhere to hide, right?”
Hearing him talk about ‘that’ Master, the other three Divine Venerables’ expressions couldn’t help but sink.
In the Ancient Lands, even the thirty-two Monster Kings were oblivious to most of the secrets of the Blood Gate, but that wasn’t the case for these four. The four had inherited the Source Strength and bloodline memories of their ancestors, so they clearly knew about what exactly was sealed inside the Blood Gate.
There weren’t just countless Divine Spirit Sources inside, but also the Heaven’s Order Sword that could make all Divine Spirits in the world tremble in fear at the mere mention of its name!
If someone broke the Blood Gate seal and allowed that sword to reappear in this world, there would be nowhere in the Star Boundary what would be safe for them anymore, and the four of them would undoubtedly be the first to bear the brunt of this catastrophe.
The four of them had personally moved because of the seriousness of this matter. They were here to supervise and had ordered all thirty-two Monster Kings under them to guard the surrounding area to prevent anyone from approaching the Blood Gate. They wanted to prevent the breaking of Blood Gate’s seal and the reappearance of the Heaven’s Order Sword no matter what.
Seeing the three go silent, Fan Wu lightly added with a nod, “As long as the four of us remain of one heart and one mind, even the Monster Kings under us would not dare to trespass into the Blood Gate Restricted Area no matter how much they want to. We can sit back and relax after we weather through this, but if you really start fighting seriously, the Monster Kings under us will definitely take advantage of the chaos caused. Once an accident occurs at the Blood Gate, who will be able to bear the responsibility?”
His words were well justified and well-founded, so the other three Divine Venerables had to nod in agreement. Cang Guo and Luan Feng also reigned in their hostility, understanding that now wasn’t the right time for infighting.
…
Thirty kilometres outside the Blood Gate, Xie Wu Wei was overseeing his group of subordinates, blocking any Ancient Lands inhabitants who were trying to enter the Blood Gate from approaching. However, from time to time, he would look in a certain direction.
That was the place where the Divine Venerables were gathered.
He was sitting on an armchair, sneering from time to time.
The Four Divine Venerables were gathered near the Blood Gate, and he knew why. These four were obviously worried that the Monster Kings under them could not resist the temptation of the bloodline attraction.
In fact, they weren’t overreacting. If the four of them weren’t nearby, perhaps Xie Wu Wei would have already tried to break the Blood Gate seal.
He had already reached the limit of his cultivation and there was no room for growth left. This was undoubtedly painful torture for members of the Monster Race, who always yearned for strength.
The strange changes of the Blood Gate had given him hope. He could clearly perceive a mysterious and powerful force from the Blood Gate, resonating with his bloodline. It was definitely the power that could make him be reborn, stimulate his ancestral bloodline, and transform him into a Divine Spirit.
Once he got his hands on this power, he could become an existence that could stand on equal footing with the four Divine Venerables and he would no longer need to follow someone else’s orders.
Unfortunately… He didn’t have this opportunity! He couldn’t even get close to the Blood Gate. Under the surveillance of those four, he believed that he would be reduced to nothing before he could even approach.
With a heavy sigh, Xie Wu Wei slapped the armrest of the chair, shattering it into pieces. He was extremely unwilling to accept the current state of things. If he really missed such a good opportunity, it would be utterly depressing!
At that moment, he suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head to stare in another direction, his heart clenching tightly.
He furrowed his brow for a while before slowly standing up.
The Monster Race Master called Shu Yu, who was by his side, couldn’t help but ask, seeing this, “Sir, where are you going?”
“I’m feeling bored, I’m going for a walk. You continue to monitor the things here. If anyone tries to break through, kill without mercy!” Xie Wu Wei, carrying his hands behind his back, stoically ordered.
“Yes Sir!” Shu Yu respectfully cupped his fists and responded, sending off Xie Wu Wei with his eyes.
After Xie Wu Wei’s figure left his subordinate’s sight, his figure flickered before he disappeared into the jungle.
After a moment, his figure reappeared on top of a huge tree. He looked left and right for a while with a suspicious expression on his face.
Just when he was feeling at a loss, a figure suddenly appeared beside him; seemingly out of thin air.
Xie Wu Wei was taken aback and his Monster Qi surged; he immediately wanted to attack.
“It’s me!” A familiar voice reached his ear before he could move though, forcing Xie Wu Wei to suppress his strength.
“Young Master Yang!” Xie Wu Wei looked over with surprise, “Where did you come from?”
To his great shock, he was unable to sense Yang Kai’s arrival with his peak Twelfth-Order strength. It was really incredible.
Yang Kai smiled lightly but didn’t answer his question; rather, he asked him for his help, “Monster King, can you do me a favour?”
Xie Wu Wei immediately looked at him with vigilance and anxiously asked, “What’s the matter?”
Yang Kai beckoned to him. Xie Wu Wei looked annoyed, but had no choice but to get closer.
Yang Kai whispered a few words into his ear.
Xie Wu Wei’s face immediately changed as he asked in amazement, “You are asking me to inform the Divine Venerables of this? Why not ask me to court death directly!?”
Although he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, how could Xie Wu Wei be willing to play cat and mouse with death, so of course he was infuriated.
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “Why would you be courting your death?”
Xie Wu Wei replied with a cold snort, “They will immediately realize that it’s a lie as soon as they hear it. The Divine Venerables aren’t idiots, how will they not investigate? And once they have investigated, they won’t let this King live!”
While speaking, he kept shaking his head, “No, this King won’t go. Even if you beat me to death, I won’t go! It’s better to die at your hands than to die in the hands of four furious Divine Venerables. Just kill me right now!”
Yang Kai couldn’t stop himself from laughing before saying, “Who told you that it’s false?”
Xie Wu Wei took a sidelong glance at him before deriding, pursing his lips, “Don’t lie to this King. Every single creature of the Ancient Lands knows that the ancient bell has already been taken by a Human Master tens of thousands of years ago. How could it appear in the Ancient Lands for no reason?”
Yang Kai earnestly guaranteed, “It’s true! I’m not lying!”
Xie Wu Wei looked shocked and stated in surprise, “This King is a member of Monster Race, this King isn’t as scheming as you Humans. Don’t lie to me.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile and ensured, patting the Monster King’s shoulder, “Why would I lie to you? I only want you to disclose this news to the Divine Venerables. I guarantee nothing will happen to you.”
“But… How is that bell back here for no reason?” Xie Wu Wei still couldn’t believe it. Suddenly, something clicked and he asked, staring at Yang Kai, “Could it be that you…”
Yang Kai nodded, smiling, “That’s right! That bell belongs to me now. I was the one who put it there.”
Xie Wu Wei suddenly gawked, his eyes filled with shock. He simply couldn’t believe his ears.
“Monster King, can you help me with this little favour?” Yang Kai’s face turned serious, “Don’t forget, your Soul Brand is still in this Young Master’s hands.”
Xie Wu Wei inquired, furrowing his brow, “What exactly are you planning by asking this King to disclose this news to the Four Divine Venerables?”
“That’s this Young Master’s business, naturally, you don’t need to ask anything about it,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Xie Wu Wei ignored his evasion and continued, “You are trying to draw the Four Divine Venerables away… Are you planning to enter the Blood Gate? Aren’t you Human?”
The Blood Gate was a Restricted Area to the Ancient Lands’ residents. Only the Ancient Lands’ residents could feel bloodline attraction. Yang Kai was a Human, so it was strange that he had any desire to enter the Blood Gate. Xie Wu Wei couldn’t figure this out.
“What does it have to do with you?” Yang Kai impatiently pushed him, turned him around, and said, patting his back, “It’s important to quickly get it done.”
Xie Wu Wei didn’t leave but turned around and asked with shining eyes, “Young Master Yang, if you are planning to enter the Blood Gate, count me in too.”
“You also want to enter the Blood Gate?” Yang Kai glanced at him in amazement, but the next moment, he understood that Xie Wu Wei also wanted to get his hands on the power of a Divine Spirit.
Xie Wu Wei snorted and stated with disdain, “If those Four hadn’t been watching nearby, this King would have already rushed in. Why would I wait till now?”
Yang Kai chuckled and agreed, nodding, “Alright, then it will depend on whether you will have the opportunity or not.”
Xie Wu Wei immediately grew excited and his figure flickered, disappearing from Yang Kai’s sight.
..…
At the damaged stone pavilion, the Four Divine Venerables were standing shoulder to shoulder, looking in the Blood Gate’s direction with solemn eyes.
Right then, a Monster General suddenly rushed over below and said, cupping his fist before raising his head, “Greetings, Sirs and Madam!”
Fan Wu coldly asked, staring below, “What is it?”
The Monster General replied, “Reporting to Sir, Monster King Xie Wu Wei is requesting an audience.”
“Xie Wu Wei?” Fan Wu raised his brow.
Naturally, he knew that Xie Wu Wei was one of the eight Monster Kings under him, someone with both strength and intelligence. He could be regarded as one of the top Monster Kings, but what was he doing here at this time?
Fan Wu allowed the request, waving his hand, “Send him over.”
“Yes, Sir!” The Monster General replied before hastily retreating.
Not long after, Xie Wu Wei followed the previous Monster General back. Even as a Monster King, Xie Wu Wei felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him from the Four Divine Venerables, especially since he was conspiring with Yang Kai. This was no trifling matter. Once the Divine Venerable became aware of this, he would immediately die without a burial, so he couldn’t help but be a little nervous. Xie Wu Wei took a deep breath and greeted, cupping his fists, “Greetings Sirs and Madame.”
Apart from Fan Wu glancing at him, the other three remaining Divine Venerables simply ignored him; after all, Xie Wu Wei was a Monster King under Fan Wu. He had nothing to do with them.
“What is it?” Fan Wu indifferently asked.
Xie Wu Wei raised his head to meet Fan Wu’s eyes, putting on the appearance of someone who had something important to say. This look aroused the curiosity of the other three Divine Venerables and they all turned their heads to look at him, one after another.
Fan Wu urged, “If you have something to say, speak up. None of us Divine Venerables are outsiders.”
[I have been waiting for this.] Xie Wu Wei was secretly happy in his heart, but remained completely calm on the surface. He cupped his fists again and reported, “Reporting to Sir, a Monster General under me accidentally found a bell in a mountain three thousand kilometres away from here!”
“A bell? Why are you making so much fuss over a bell?” Fan Wu asked, furrowing his brow.
Xie Wu Wei replied, “According to that Monster General’s description, and coupled with your subordinate’s own speculation, the bell is likely to be the legendary… Mountains and Rivers Bell!”
“What!?” Fan Wu was greatly shocked, and the other three Divine Venerables’ eyes instantly lit up, their surprise no less than the former’s.
In an instant, Xie Wu Wei’s figure sank down to the ground as he felt mountain-like pressure descend on him; he was finding it extremely hard to even breathe.
“Are you sure that it is the Mountains and Rivers Bell?” Luan Feng couldn’t help but ask in a stern tone.
Xie Wu Wei said with difficulty, “I am eighty percent certain it is the Mountains and Rivers Bell because my subordinate said that the bell was exuding an intense Wild Force. It seemed to have an aura capable of suppressing the world. He just glanced at it from a distance before hurriedly reporting back, not daring to approach too close.”
“An aura capable of suppressing the world and intense Wild Force…” Cang Guo’s lips trembled in excitement, “It must be the Mountains and Rivers Bell! Where is it?”
Fan Wu glanced at the excitement in his eyes and indifferently stated, “This is strange, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was stolen from the Ancient Lands by Yuan Ding. We haven’t seen or heard of it for tens of thousands of years. Rumour has it that this Ancient Exotic Artifact was lost in the Shattered Star Sea when Yuan Ding died, so why would it appear in the Ancient Lands for no reason right at this moment?”
He was already getting suspicious. Even though the Mountains and Rivers Bell was of great use to him, he couldn’t help but point this out.
Hearing this, Luan Feng’s pretty eyes flashed and she lightly nodded, “It is indeed a bit strange.”
Shi Huo rolled his eyes and suddenly asked, “How many of you suspect that someone is trying to lure us away from here?”
Fan Wu coldly snorted and glared at Xie Wu Wei, “Wu Wei, this King has always treated you well. Do you know what end you will have if you try to deceive this King?”
Xie Wu Wei’s body turned stiff and he was unable to lift his head under the pressure. He could only continue in a struggling voice, “This subordinate appreciates how Sir has treated him over the years and naturally has not forgotten Sir’s many graces; this subordinate, however, has not spoken any falsehoods. This subordinate dares not hide anything. As for the bell… This subordinate heard that the Shattered Star Sea on the Human side had opened a few years ago. Perhaps someone has brought the Mountains and Rivers Bell out from the Shattered Star Sea?”
A pondering look immediately appeared on Fan Wu’s face after hearing this. Naturally, he knew about the Shattered Star Sea opening, so there was some truth to Xie Wu Wei’s words.
“Whether it’s real or not, we will know after checking it out. It’s only a few thousand kilometres away anyway!” Cang Guo looked as if he couldn’t wait any longer and urged everyone.
“Check, we can naturally go and check, but who will stay here to keep watch?” Fan Wu looked at the other Divine Venerables.
Luan Feng stated with a smile, “This Queen has never seen it. This Queen wants to broaden her vision.”
Cang Guo added with a serious face, “I also want to go and check.”
Fan Wu focused his gaze on Shi Huo, who quickly became unhappy and snapped, “What are you looking at me for? I also want to go. In any case, all of you are going, so I won’t be staying here alone.”
Fan Wu heaved a sigh. He knew that he could not count on these three. Since the Mountains and Rivers Bell had appeared suddenly, and it was just a few thousand kilometres away, he couldn’t help but suspect that someone was using it to lure the tigers out of the mountains; however, the Four Divine Venerables wanted it and were afraid that someone else would get their hands on it, so no one was willing to stay here.
Fan Wu sighed and agreed, “Alright, let’s all go and check it out. But not just anyone can collect Ancient Exotic Artifacts like the Mountains and Rivers Bell. It will depend on one’s luck.”
Even though he was suspecting that something was wrong, the temptation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was too strong. Not to mention that thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings were overseeing things here. There should be no problem if they were only gone a short time.
Xie Wu Wei, who was all fidgety below, immediately became ecstatic, realizing that things were proceeding as they had expected. Once these four left, it would be much more convenient for Yang Kai to act. It was just that he didn’t know what was making Yang Kai confident that he could crack the Blood Gate seal right in front of so many Monster Race Masters.
There were forty peak Twelfth-Order Masters in the vicinity. If they teamed up, even a Great Emperor would be forced to retreat.
Before he could taste the fruit of his scheme though, Fan Wu suddenly beckoned him and ordered, “Wu Wei, lead the way!”
Xie Wu Wei’s heart turned bitter, but he didn’t dare to object. All he could do was obediently lead the way.
Streaks of light shot into the sky as the Four Divine Venerables disappeared from their spot, led by Xie Wu Wei.
In the distant forest, Yang Kai, who was hiding his own aura, finally heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the Divine Venerables leave. With the Four Divine Spirits overseeing things here, he really didn’t dare to make a rash move.
Fortunately, the biggest threat had now been eliminated. Even though the remaining Monster Kings and Great Kings were strong, they were not strong enough to make him give up.
After silently waiting for a while, making sure that the Four Divine Venerables had really left, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to communicate with his Embodiment.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the Embodiment, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes and informed in a deep voice, “Prepare yourselves.”
The group of Stone Spirits and Wood Spirits, who had been waiting all this while, exchanged knowing glances. Even Xiao Xiao took out the Heaven Shaking Pillar and put it on his shoulders. He was oozing a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.
Everyone knew that a life and death battle was waiting for them. It was a do or die situation!
A solemn atmosphere suddenly spread into the surroundings, making the air inside the Small Sealed World heavier.
On a towering peak was a completely barren and clear field with only an oval-shaped blood-coloured gate of light standing erect.
The Blood Gate!
One of the two Restricted Areas of the Ancient Wild Lands, and the place where residents of the Ancient Lands could be reborn.
A few figures were constantly patrolling around the Blood Gate, each one exuding a thick and strong aura, radiating potent Monster Qi, giving any onlooker an extremely uncomfortable feeling. These were the Great Kings who directly served the Four Divine Venerables, a grand total of eight.
They were the most trusted subordinates of the Four Divine Venerables, so, naturally, they were dispatched to patrol the innermost region, guarding against those Monster Kings who feigned compliance in public but defied in private.
However, the Blood Gate was also a pretty big temptation for these eight Great Kings. This was due to bloodline attraction, which couldn’t be overpowered by loyalty. These eight Great Kings were also looking towards the Blood Gate from time to time as they patrolled the Blood Gate back and forth. After a few glances, their eyes were filled with emotions.
However, with others present, keeping watch on them, they dared not rush towards the Blood Gate despite their pounding hearts.
This kind of thing was extremely painful and tormenting. It was like a delicious meal was placed before a starving man, but he could only see it and not eat it.
Fortunately, the eight Great Kings had incredible mental fortitude, so they could barely suppress their itching hearts.
“Hmm!?” Suddenly, a Great King, who was patrolling nearby, stopped and turned in the Blood Gate’s direction with a frown.
He felt some faint unusual energy fluctuations near the Blood Gate, something that had never happened before.
Before the Great King could investigate and understand what was happening, the space around the Blood Gate started distorting as a tall and stalwart figure appeared out of thin air.
The Great King was greatly taken aback. He and his seven compatriots had clearly blocked the area within ten kilometres of the Blood Gate, so not to mention a Human, not even a mosquito could enter this place without their knowledge. What’s more, the surrounding fifty-kilometre radius of the Blood Gate was being guarded by the thirty-two Monster Kings, so how did this person arrive here?
Furthermore, this aura clearly belonged to a Human!
This was outrageous!
The Great King was shocked and angry, hurriedly shouting aloud, “Bastard, how dare you trespass into the Restricted Area! Surrender your life!”
Just as he said this, Monster Qi exploded from his form and he pounced at Yang Kai, leaving a long afterimage behind him. While in the air, he palmed forward. This was the anger-fueled attack of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so its might was extraordinary.
Yang Kai, however, just stood in place, despite feeling like his bones were creaking. For the first time, he truly got to experience the terrifying power of a Master on par with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master first-hand.
But he didn’t panic and just coldly watched as the Monster Race Master closed in, waiting until the critical moment to wave his hand before himself.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Immediately after, the Stone Spirit Clan, led by the Elder, made an entrance like divine soldiers descending from the Heavens.
However, the Wood Spirit Clan was nowhere to be seen, confusing Yang Kai.
*Hou…*
Instantly, a furious roar resounded, shaking the Heavens and Earth. Xiao Xiao jumped out in one step as his child-like figure grew bigger with crackling sounds. All of sudden, he transformed into a dozen-metre-tall stone giant with his entire body covered in rock-solid armour that looked extremely hard and impenetrable, giving the impression that it would be able to defend against any attack.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar resting on his shoulder also became longer and thicker at the same time as it swept towards the oncoming Monster Race Great King.
Wind howled and the air crackled as the Heaven Shaking Pillar cut through the air with the momentum that shook the world around it.
The attacking Monster Race Great King was in a state of total confusion. Before, when he saw Yang Kai alone, he didn’t hesitate to attack. He wanted to kill Yang Kai to eliminate any future troubles, so how could he have known that so many stone giants would suddenly appear in the blink of an eye?
In a moment of surprise, he was completely unguarded and couldn’t react. Meanwhile, Xiao Xiao’s stick was already upon him.
The moment before the Monster Race Great King was about to get hit, he hurriedly stopped and promptly pushed his Monster Qi to form a defensive shield around his body. At the same time, he crossed his arms before his chest.
*Hong…*
As the Heaven Shaking Pillar struck him, the Monster Race Great King felt a force beyond his imagination impact him. His Monster Qi defence shattered and his arms fractured as his figure was sent flying.
He spurted a mouthful of blood as his figure flew back several thousand metres before he finally stabilized himself.
The might of Stone Spirit Clan was so terrifying and domineering that even a Monster Race Great King with the strength comparable to a peak Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was unable to take it head-on.
“Stone… Spirit!” The Monster Race Great King’s eyes instantly turned red. He might have suffered a loss, but it was only a minor injury, so it didn’t pose a major problem to his combat efficiency. On the contrary, it stimulated his murderous intent.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
One after another, figures flew over from all directions after hearing the commotion here, landing on either side of the Monster Race Great King. Including the previous Monster Race Great King, there were a total of eight figures.
They were the eight Great Kings of the four Divine Venerables.
These eight Monster Race Masters undoubtedly recognized the Stone Spirit Clan; after all, when the four Divine Venerables wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan, they were the ones passing messages between them, so they had met each other more than once.
One of the Great Kings with a stocky and imposing build stared ahead as his pupils shrank, letting out a cold snort as he asked, “Elder, what’s the meaning of this?”
The Stone Spirit Clan was standing by the Blood Gate with the Elder in the lead, who pointed his cane and replied in a reverberating voice, “My clan’s future is here, and you are asking what this Elder is doing?”
The Great King’s gaze turned colder as he stated in a heavy voice, “Elder, don’t do this. You should know the consequences of angering the four Divine Venerables. The Stone Spirit Clan members are few in number. You don’t want your clan to be exterminated, do you?”
Elder chuckled and replied, stroking his stony beard, “My clansmen live thanks to the luck bestowed by the Heavens, so unless the Heavens themselves will it, others can forget about exterminating my clansmen. I’m afraid you don’t have such ability!”
Another Great King immediately rebuked, gritting his teeth, “We were ordered to guard this place and cannot permit anyone near it. Elder, are you trying to make things difficult for us?”
Elder indifferently stated, “It’s not like we can’t work things out. If you turn a blind eye to this, my Spirit Clan will definitely be grateful to you.”
“In your dreams!” The Great King who was injured first angrily yelled, “Since you have intruded upon the Blood Gate Restricted Area, today you will definitely die!”
Elder sighed before proposing, “The changes of the Blood Gate are a great opportunity for the Ancient Lands creatures to revive their ancestral glory. As long as we can break the Blood Gate seal and enter the Blood Gate, we will have the opportunity to obtain Divine Spirit Sources. Since you have been by the four Divine Venerables’ sides, you must also know about the secrets of the Blood Gate. Rather than opposing my clan, wouldn’t it be better if we teamed up and shared the Sources inside the Blood Gate? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“I really didn’t know that Elder was so good with words. Today, you have opened this King’s eyes,” the injured Great King coldly snorted, a mocking look on his face.
Elder stated, “Today, my Stone Spirit Clan will display its full strength. We are going to have our hands on the Blood Gate for sure, no matter what. Anyone who dares to hinder our path will be killed without mercy! Friend, you’d best think things through.”
Just as he said this, the expression of the eight Great Kings immediately darkened.
In the past, when they had come in contact with the Elder, they felt that this old guy was withering away and it took great effort for him to even speak. This had made them look down on him, but today, his staunch stance and the murderous intent overflowing from him had taken them by surprise.
The burly Great King sighed and stated, “If Elder insists on doing this, I’m afraid I can only offend you.”
No one dared to underestimate the Stone Spirit Clan’s strength. If they really had to fight with these stone giants, they weren’t sure of their victory.
While the talk was going on, the Great King who was hit by Xiao Xiao’s stick and had suffered some injuries, suddenly had his expression change as he fiercely shouted, “Despicable Human, what the hell are you doing!?”
Everyone was startled and turned their gazes towards the Human boy who had suddenly appeared at the very beginning. They saw his hands dancing wildly, constantly making mysterious seals. Moreover, the space around him was extremely distorted, giving the impression that it would collapse at any moment.
The eight Great Kings were extremely shocked by this sight and couldn’t fathom what mysterious ability this Human had mastered that was actually causing space to distort like this.
Yang Kai, without stopping, turned his head with a smile on his lips and stated, “I’m breaking the seal! It’s strange that Sir Great King is asking such an obvious question.”
“Outrageous!” The Great King’s face distorted in anger as he angrily shouted, “Stop right now or this King will tear you into a thousand pieces!”
Yang Kai let out a cold snort before retorting, “This Young Master’s act of breaking the seal is something beneficial for the future of the entire Ancient Lands, but instead of appreciating it, you actually want to kill me? Where is the logic in this?”
“Human, you are quite good at spurting nonsense! What gives you the right to intervene in the affairs of the Ancient Lands!?”
Elder intervened right then, “This Little Friend is the Honoured Guest of my Stone Spirit Clan. This Elder has asked him to break the seal.”
“You think a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm can crack the seal on the Blood Gate? What a joke!?”
Elder justified, “This Little Friend is proficient in the Dao of Space, while there is an independent small world beyond the Blood Gate. As long as Little Friend can tear the barrier between worlds, he can naturally open the seal.”
“The Dao of Space!?” The eight Great Kings were thoroughly shocked.
Elder continued, “Friends, there are many Divine Spirit Sources inside the Blood Gate, and all of you should be able to sense them resonating within your bloodlines. If Little Friend can really break the seal, it will be greatly beneficial for you too.”
The burly Great King stated, “It’s not like something cannot be arranged, but the Divine Venerables’ orders…”
Elder chuckled before adding, “The Divine Venerables aren’t here, are they? They are a few thousand kilometres away. They won’t notice.”
“The Divine Venerables aren’t here?!” The eight Great Kings were stunned and quickly turned their heads, looking in the direction the four Divine Venerables’ were previously located. Immediately after, they noticed that that place was completely empty.
In a flash, everyone couldn’t help but become a little eager.
No one wanted to be a subordinate forever. Although the eight Great Kings were loyal to the Divine Venerables, if they could make their own strength grow a step further, none of them would want to miss this opportunity.
[If we really allow this Human to tear the space barrier and open the Blood Gate, we might really be able to enter it and inherit the Divine Spirit Sources of our distant ancestors and attain the glorious strength they once possessed.]
[But… Who can say for certain that this Human will be capable of breaking the seal!? If he fails and the Divine Venerables learn we didn’t do everything in our power to stop him while they were away, we will certainly be blamed and punished.]
The eight Great Kings glanced at each other, seemingly able to guess each other’s thoughts.
The burly Great King stepped forward and indifferently stated, “Sorry, although Elder’s offer is tempting, the Divine Venerables’ order cannot be violated. Forgive me for offending you!”
Just as he said this, the eight Great Kings moved together, their figures flashing as they charged straight at the Stone Spirit Clan all of a sudden.
“Block them!” The Elder waved his cane and pointed forward.
Under his order, eight Stone Spirits apart from Xiao Xiao, from Shi Yi to Shi Ba (one to eight), jumped out one after another, each meeting a Great King head-on.
In an instant, Monster Qi surged in the vicinity of the Blood Gate. Bursts of Monster Qi swept outward as the Stone Spirits fought with the eight Great Kings, creating a Heaven shaking riot.
But very soon, the eight Stone Spirits fighting noticed something odd. The eight Great Kings weren’t displaying their complete strength, making it easy to block all of their attacks.
Although the Stone Spirits were lacking in intelligence, they weren’t that stupid; after all, after living so many thousands of years, how could they not know what the eight Great Kings were planning?
Everyone was secretly elated, but that did not stop their battle from causing the world to tremble. Very soon, the barren peak had rocks and dust flying everywhere, looking just like the scene of a heated battle.
Yang Kai had already guessed what was going on after seeing this and knew that the eight Great Kings had been tempted by Elder’s proposal. They were just pretending at this moment, that’s all, so that they wouldn’t be blamed by the four Divine Venerables if something went wrong.
But then again, even if they tried their best, they could do nothing to the Stone Spirit Clan.
Since the eight Great Kings were willing to play along, Yang Kai now had nothing to worry about and immediately focused on cracking the seal of the Blood Gate, weaving and manipulating the local Space Principles to the best of his ability.
At the same time, Xiao Xiao and Elder stood on guard by his side, nervously watching.
The vicinity of the Blood Gate was like a raging fire, filled with loud explosions and flashes of light. Naturally, all this commotion had drawn the attention of the Monster Kings in the outer region, and curious, all of them ran over to check the situation.
In a short while, more than a dozen Monster Kings had gathered about five kilometres away from the Blood Gate, and all of them were quite shocked after seeing the enemies of the Eight Great Kings.
“The Stone Spirit Clan? Why are they here?”
“How is that possible? We have been defending the perimeter the whole time, it’s impossible for them to appear here out of thin air!”
“Did they come from underground?”
“What do they want to do? Do they want to break into the Blood Gate!?”
…..
The Monster Kings broke into a lively discussion, but soon, their faces changed. Although they had always been thinking of breaking into the Blood Gate, they really didn’t dare to act upon this impulse, yet at this moment, seeing the Stone Spirit Clan appear out of thin air and stand against the eight Great Kings, admiration and fury rose in their hearts.
They admired their courage, their lack of fear about angering the Divine Venerables afterwards, and were angry at these guys for being so foolish. These Monster Kings would also be inevitably punished because of the Stone Clan’s actions.
At this point, many Monster Kings looked at each other, wanting to rush and help out.
The entire Ancient Lands residents recognized the fact that the Stone Spirit Clan were extremely difficult to deal with. Although the eight Great Kings were strong, they may not be able to take on the entire Stone Spirit Clan alone.
Only if they worked together could they reign in the insolent Stone Spirit Clan.
“Great Kings, we have come to aid you,” a Monster King loudly shouted as he shot straight towards the battlefield with surging Monster Qi.
The pupils of the burly Great King, who was fighting Shi Yi, immediately contracted before he refused in a heavy voice, “No!”
The rushing Monster Kings abruptly halted with a confused look on his face. In the Ancient Lands, although the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings were almost on par with each other, when it came to status, the Great Kings were obviously higher. Being the confidants of the four Divine Venerables, following them left and right, they could be regarded as the heralds of the Divine Venerables.
Under normal circumstances, their words were equivalent to the Divine Venerables’ words.
So as soon as the burly Great King spoke, no Monster King dared to disobey his order. However, they were all filled with doubt, wondering what the Great King meant.
“Continue to guard the periphery. Prevent anyone from coming to their aid. If anyone dares to rush over, kill them without mercy!” While guarding against Shi Yi’s earth-shattering-like attack, the burly Great King shouted.
“Yes!” The Monster Kings acknowledged the order, one after another, but the expressions on their faces were extremely strange.
Under normal circumstances, everyone should work together to deal with the Stone Spirit Clan as soon as possible; after all, the Blood Gate was very important and there was no room for any negligence. But now, the Great King was asking them to continue to guard the periphery, preventing them from intervening in the fight.
The eight Great Kings certainly couldn’t handle the Stone Spirit Clan alone.
The Monster Kings glanced at each other as doubts arose in their hearts, unable to understand whether this was the Great Kings’ own intention or the Divine Venerables’ orders.
If it was the Divine Venerables’ orders, it was quite possible as well; after all, the Divine Venerables had been wanting to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan for themselves. Unfortunately, each of these Stone Spirits was as dull and inflexible as a rock. The Divine Venerables had tried many times to convince them, but to no avail. This time might be an opportunity. It was just that, no matter how much the Great Kings wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan, they would never take the matter of Blood Gate lightly.
“Huh!? There is also a Human over there. What’s he doing?” Suddenly, a Monster King noticed something and stared in Yang Kai’s direction.
Hearing this, the other Monster Kings focused their gaze in that direction as well, and what they saw next caused their faces to drastically change.
“That Human is cracking the Blood Gate seal!”
“What!? That’s absurd! What are the eight Sirs thinking? Why are they calmly watching that Human break the seal? Why aren’t they stopping him? If the Divine Venerables came to know about this, it’s going to be really horrible!”
“Oh, no! While the eight Sirs are stopped by the eight Stone Spirits, that Human is really acting outrageously!”
“What should we do?”
“What are you all fretting about? Maybe…the eight Sirs are deliberately allowing it?” A seemingly shrewd Monster King’s eyes suddenly flashed with an intelligent gleam.
Another Monster King turned his head and indifferently criticized, glancing at him, “Hu Li, you can eat anything you want, but you can’t say anything you think!”
The Monster King called Hu Li chuckled and stated, “This King just made a casual remark, that’s all, you brothers are free to ignore it.”
But some words can’t be ignored after they have been heard. The burly Great King stopped them from approaching the battlefield, and even asked them to continue to guard the perimeter. This made these Monster Kings suspicious, and after listening to Hu Li, their hearts were crazily shaken; they faintly felt that this was probably the truth of the matter.
All of a sudden, everyone Monster King felt their scalp tingle as a chill ran down their spine.
[The Eight Great Kings…are they planning to go against the Divine Venerables? If that’s the case, the entire Ancient Lands will probably descend into chaos!]
Thinking so, when they looked at the fiery battle again, many Monster Kings discovered that something wasn’t right. The battle might seem fierce at first glance, with the eight Great Kings and the Stone Spirit Clansmen trying their best to tear each other into pieces, attacking without holding anything back…
But when their attacks actually landed on their targets, no one received any injuries, not even a minor one.
This situation was obviously strange.
Hu Li narrowed his eyes again and asked in surprise, gazing in a certain direction, “Where did the four Divine Venerables go? Why is there no sign of them?”
He couldn’t sense the four mighty presences where they should have been.
Immediately a Monster King added, “I heard that the four Divine Venerables had left in a hurry after receiving a certain piece of news. I don’t know where they went.”
“Received a certain piece of news?” A surprised look flashed across Hu Li’s eyes, “What piece of news is more important than the Blood Gate that the four Divine Venerables left in a hurry?”
“I’m not clear about it either,” that Monster King shook his head.
“Interesting! Lure the tiger from the mountain and enter the tiger’s den taking advantage of its absence, burning one’s boat… I never knew the Stone Spirit Clan had such intelligence!” Hu Li softly smiled.
Although his voice wasn’t loud, the other Monster Kings heard him loud and clear. At this moment, how could the Monster Kings fail to notice that something underhanded was going on around the Blood Gate?
Suddenly, everyone’s mood became complicated. They were both anxious and worried.
Anxious because the Human had been cracking the seal for a long time, but there had been no result at all; it was simply a waste.
Worried because… if the four Divine Venerables returned, the battle at the Blood Gate would immediately end. Of course, the Stone Spirit Clan was pretty strong, but before the four Divine Venerables, they still weren’t strong enough. And once the battle was over, the Blood Gate’s seal couldn’t be cracked.
“What should we do now?” The Monster King, who had spoken before, approached Hu Li and asked in a low voice.
Other Monster Kings focused their gazes on Hu Li, one after another; they seemed to be ready to follow his lead.
Why wouldn’t they? Hu Li was the one gifted with the sharpest mind among all the Monster Kings. No matter how complicated the situation was, or what convoluted conspiracy was taking place, he could easily see through it.
This was also why he could be one of the thirty-two Monster Kings despite only being a Mid-Twelfth-Order Monster Race.
In the entire Ancient Wild Lands, only Hu Li wasn’t a peak Twelfth-Order Monster Race. In a one-on-one fight, other Monster Kings would not put him in their eyes, but when it came to schemes and trickery, the other thirty-one Monster Kings were not even in the same class as him.
At this delicate moment, all the Monster Kings naturally hoped that he could come up with something.
Hu Li smiled upon hearing this before he replied in a calm and composed manner, “Everyone is asking me what we should do, but who should I ask?”
A certain Monster King let out a cold snort and rebuked, “A straightforward person does not resort to insinuations. Hu Li, we are brothers who have shared life and death in the Ancient Lands for so many years. If you have something in mind, just lay it out in the open, no need to hide it.”
“Yes, Hu Li, now is not the time to play tricks.”
The group of Monster Kings stared fixedly at him, indicating that they wouldn’t let him go until he spoke.
Hu Li spread his hands and replied with a wry smile, “You really shouldn’t be asking me about this, it’s meaningless!”
As soon as he said this, the other Monster Kings looked unhappy and secretly felt that this sly guy wasn’t playing by the rules, making them somewhat angry.
Hu Li smiled again and added, “Didn’t Sir just order us to guard the perimeter and prevent anyone from approaching? We should just follow that order!”
His words seemed to imply something as the Monster Kings’ eyes lit up after hearing this.
One of the Monster Kings clenched his fist and palmed it hard, creating a loud thump as he declared, “Indeed, we only need to do what we are ordered. If the sky falls, there will naturally be someone above to hold it.”
“Yes, yes!”
After everything was clarified, all the Monster Kings finally relaxed. They stood in their spots, watching the fierce and extraordinary battle. From time to time, they would point and comment about the fight; all while feeling completely at ease and leisurely.
As Hu Li had just said, all of them were just following orders and guarding the periphery. Even if the Divine Venerables blamed them afterwards, they had their excuses ready. Only the eight Great Kings would be punished, it had nothing to do with them.
But if the Human broke the seal before the Divine Venerables returned…
At that time, all the Monster Kings and the Great Kings would definitely rush into the Blood Gate the first chance they got. No one would care about the Divine Venerables objections.
“The Stone Spirit Clan has made such big plans, so they must be quite confident in succeeding, yes?” Hu Li, standing among the Monster Kings, furrowed his brow as he stared towards Yang Kai. As far as he knew, ever since the Blood Gate Restricted Area had appeared, no one seemed to have been able to crack it. Generally, it was impossible to even get close to it. If it weren’t for the abnormal changes in the Blood Gate this time, perhaps the area within ten kilometres of it would have been an impassable barrier.
In the dense canopy of a towering big tree some distance away, a small head poked out. It was Zhang Ruo Xi, who was hiding there.
Her eyes widened as she looked ahead, noticing the battle in the vicinity of the Blood Gate and also seeing Yang Kai who was pushing his Emperor Qi madly while constantly moving the local Space Principles.
The situation seemed very dangerous, and from time to time, a fearsome Monster Race’s Secret Technique would brush past Yang Kai.
[Sir is in trouble!]
Ruo Xi felt anxious and her tender body flickered, ready to fly out to help Yang Kai.
If it was before, she would never dare to rush over like this no matter how much she wanted to, but now it was different. She had the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in her hands that had millions of Monster Beast Souls sealed inside, including many at the Twelfth-Order. As such, Zhang Ruo Xi believed that with the help of this artifact, she would certainly be helpful.
Even the slightest force could have some effect as long as it could appear and contribute at the right moment.
But just as her figure rose up, she felt her ankle being tightly grabbed by someone before she was pulled back down.
After falling down on the trunk again, Ruo Xi angrily shouted, “Third Senior, what are you doing?”
The one to pull her down was none other than the Ice Heart Valley Third Elder, who was still with her. Had it not been for the Third Disciple helping her out with her strength and camouflaging ability, it would have been impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to get this close.
After all, she was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm while right now, Mid Twelfth-Order Monster Race Masters could be found everywhere. Only the Third Disciple could bring Zhang Ruo Xi here without anyone noticing them with her mystical camouflaging technique.
The Third Disciple looked terrified seeing Zhang Ruo Xi angry, but she kept waving her hands as she pointed in the direction of the battlefield before bringing it back closer to her neck and sliding across it, at the same time, she also stretched her tongue out…
Ruo Xi grimly stated, “I know that it’s dangerous over there, and my life might even be in danger…but Sir is on that side. I need to help him.”
The Third Disciple grabbed Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands and shook her head like a rattle; it didn’t look like she was going to let her go.
Ruo Xi heaved a sigh and gently added, patting the back of Third Disciple’s hand, “Sir has taught and raised me. Ruo Xi has never gotten any chance to repay him for so many years of kindness. Now, Ruo Xi finally has some power to help Sir. I can’t keep watching from here. Senior, please let me go. Even if I die, Ruo Xi will never regret it!”
Who knows whether the Third Disciple understood her or not, but regardless, she tightly held Ruo Xi’s hand and wasn’t planning on letting it go.
“Third Senior, I will hate you if you keep this up!” Ruo Xi grew anxious.
The Third Disciples pursed her lips, grinning at her. Her teeth were white as jade, forming a sharp contrast with her dirty face.
…..
At the Blood Gate, Elder was waiting with a solemn look on his face. His hand on his cane nervously clenched.
Although the eight Great Kings had decided to cooperate after his persuasion, there were still thirty-two Monster Kings apart from the eight Great Kings. The thirty-two Monster Kings weren’t much weaker than the eight Great Kings.
If the thirty-two Monster Kings also rushed over, the Stone Spirit Clan might not be able to block them with their strength alone. At that time, all the Stone Spirits could only form a circle around Yang Kai, protecting him in the middle. They would then have to try to defend him as long as possible before withdrawing once there was no more hope.
But something happened that surprised him.
The thirty-two Monster Kings, who were rushing over, all stood at a distance after being ordered by the burly Great King, seemingly planning to enjoy the show with no intention of intervening in the fight.
[I guess…the temptation of the Blood Gate is pretty big.]
Elder knew the reason why the thirty-two Monster Kings were standing by. It wasn’t because the prestige of the burly Great King was extraordinarily high, nor was it because the Stone Spirit Clan was extremely strong, rather it was because they were also interested in the Blood Gate being opened. They hoped that the Stone Spirit Clan could break the seal on the Blood Gate, allowing them to reap the reward without doing anything.
Elder suddenly felt a burden lift off his shoulder. But soon, Elder secretly began worrying again.
In this situation, if Yang Kai could tear the space barrier and crack the Blood Gate seal, it was all fine and well. At that time, all the Monster Race Masters would move together and they would all charge straight into the Blood Gate.
But if Yang Kai failed…
Not to mention the Eight Great Kings would no longer hold themselves back, even the thirty-two Monster Kings would not let the Stone Spirit Clan go after being disappointed. At that time, nearly forty peak Twelfth-Order Masters would attack them together, and the Stone Spirit Clan would have no power to fight back!
Thinking of this, Elder’s expression turned serious and even his mood grew heavier.
“Elder!”
At this moment, Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
“Yes!” Elder hurriedly responded. As he turned his head to look, he noticed that the space around the Blood Gate was distorted but there were no signs of the seal breaking.
“Are you sure the painting you showed me was really a prophecy left by the Wood Spirit’s previous Matriarch at the cost of her remaining life?” Yang Kai kept moving his hands, but his face was darker than the bottom of a pot.
“Indeed, why? What’s wrong?” Elder felt a pang of guilt. Nevertheless, he answered very confidently, as if he didn’t know the meaning of lying.
“Is this Young Master really the one in the revelation?” Yang Kai continued asking.
Elder had a faint premonition in his heart as he forced himself to answer, “It must be so!”
“Prophecy my foot!” Yang Kai angrily shouted, “This damn seal, this Young Master can’t crack it!”
“Ah? How come!?” The Elder’s heart jumped, but how could he let Yang Kai back down, immediately persuading, “The Blood Gate seal is extraordinary and not that easy to crack. Honoured Guest, why don’t you try a bit more. There is no hurry.”
“It’s not a question of time,” Yang Kai heaved a sigh before withdrawing his hands, allowing the distorted space to stabilize once again. He then turned to the Elder and stated, “Everything I’ve tried is completely ineffective, I can’t even sense the spatial barrier, so how am I supposed to crack the seal? It’s futile to continue. Elder, I think we should withdraw, taking advantage of their cooperation. If we delay any longer, the four Divine Venerables might return.”
The Elder asked in surprise, “Weren’t those four lured away by Honoured Guest’s brilliant plan?”
Yang Kai stared at him with a sidelong glance as he replied, “They aren’t fools. They will definitely notice something is amiss, and once they do, they will immediately return. Three thousand kilometres is nothing to those four, and if we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to when they return.”
Elder sunk into silence. Although he knew that Yang Kai was right, he felt that it would be a shame to give up now since things had reached this point.
His face turned serious as he requested, “Guest, please step aside, let this Elder and Shi Jiu give it a try.”
Yang Kai knew that he was unwilling to give up, but he didn’t stop him either, instead just angrily stating, “The previous Wood Spirit Clan Matriarch has landed me in big trouble.”
Had it not been for the nine ancient paintings in the tree cave, Yang Kai would have never agreed to the Stone Spirit Clan’s request this easily. Because he really believed he might be the saviour of the two clans, he came to give it a try, but from the start, he was unable to do anything.
He couldn’t figure out why the last Wood Spirit Clan Matriarch left those nine paintings before she died. [The Human in those paintings is clearly me, but why can’t I open the Blood Gate?]
While he was filled with unwillingness, the Elder and Xiao Xiao were already giving out a war cry together.
Xiao Xiao, who was originally ten metres tall, swelled again as he became a fifteen metres tall stone giant.
And the Elder, who had always given the impression of being extremely old and feeble, looked like he had suddenly been given a second life. His rickety waist became completely straight as he turned into a stone giant that was taller than Xiao Xiao with cracking sounds. Not only that, but the layer of rocks on him was like an extra layer of muscles, filled with explosive power.
They looked at each other before Xiao Xiao raised the Heaven Shaking Pillar and smashed it down hard.
*Hong…*
A deafening clap immediately followed. The strike that was strong enough to destroy Heaven and shatter the Earth actually caused the Blood Gate to flicker a little, but very soon, it regained its calm.
As Xiao Xiao withdrew his Heaven Shaking Pillar, Elder punched straight at the Blood Gate.
Struck by the giant fist, a deafening clap rang as the Blood Gate shook, but it remained as strong as a sheet of iron.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of deafening claps rang as Xiao Xiao and the Elder kept bombarding the Blood Gate one after another. The Stone Spirit Clan’s explosive power was being completely unleashed at this moment. Even if it was a thousand-metre tall mountain, these two could flatten it with just one blow, but the Blood Gate wasn’t showing any signs of breaking.
“That Human was unable to break the seal. Do they want to break it with brute force?” Hu Li, seeing what was happening now, had naturally guessed what the Stone Spirit Clan wanted to do.
“But it seems useless!” Another Monster King stated, furrowing his brow.
“The Stone Spirit Clan’s brute strength can be considered the strongest in the world. Even the Divine Spirits fall behind in that particular aspect. If they can’t break it, then the Blood Gate…”
The mood of the group of Monster Race Masters suddenly sank to the bottom, realizing that there was little hope of breaking the seal.
Before, they were filled with anticipation, looking forward to the moment the Blood Gate seal was broken, but at this moment, this anticipation had slowly turned into a deep disappointment.
The Monster Kings were only disappointed, but the eight Great Kings were also angry.
They had been putting on a show with the Stone Spirit Clan, turning a blind eye to their actions and allowing them to do whatever they wanted at the Blood Gate.
How could they have known that the Stone Spirit Clan would be unable to do anything at all? All their anticipation had gone to waste.
If the Divine Venerables found out about this later, they would definitely not be pardoned.
Furthermore, after such a big commotion, the Divine Venerables would definitely notice something soon and come to investigate.
*Hong…*
Another deafening clap rank as the Heaven Shaking Pillar in Xiao Xiao’s hands was reduced into fragments as its pieces flew in all directions.
The Heaven Shaking Pillar was something Yang Kai had obtained when he had ventured into the Emperor Garden on Shadowed Star. It had been Xiao Xiao’s weapon since then, but it finally broke today.
Xiao Xiao was shocked by the shattering of the Heaven Shaking Pillar.
Immediately afterwards, Elder’s punch was also unsuccessful, and a sliver of despair slowly appeared in his eyes.
“Elder, it’s time to leave,” Yang Kai, observing the eight Great Kings’ expressions and bearing, noticed that they were both becoming increasingly ugly. He secretly felt that their patience was reaching the limit, so he couldn’t help but urge.
The Elder didn’t answer, and kept punching at the Blood Gate with Xiao Xiao, giving rise to deafening claps.
“Elder!” Yang Kai shouted, “Where there is life, there is hope. If we don’t leave now, the Stone Spirit Clan will surely be annihilated today!”
This sentence finally woke the Elder from his daze, and he loosened his fist with a heavy look on his face, unwillingly shouting, “Let’s go!”
“You think you can come and go as you please? How can there be such an easy thing in the world!” The burly Great King’s voice turned colder as he attacked, showing no restraint this time. Terrifying Monster Qi surged from him as he punched straight at the Stone Spirit’s chest right before him.
The Stone Spirit had failed to react in time and was knocked back several dozen metres, flipping through the air.
The muscular Great King was extremely angry too. He felt that he had been tricked, so, naturally, he didn’t want the Stone Spirit Clan to leave so easily.
The same was true for the other seven Great Kings. Realizing that there was no hope of breaking the Blood Gate seal and the Stone Spirit Clan was now planning on escaping, the Great Kings no longer held themselves back and instantly brought out their full power. The Stone Spirit Clan immediately fell into a disadvantage and suffered a huge loss, retreating again and again.
However, the Stone Spirit Clan was not only inherently powerful, but they also had extremely strong and sturdy physiques. Unless their bodies were crushed into pieces, not only would they not die, but they would not suffer any injuries either.
After the burly Monster King knocked his opponent back, he shouted, “All Monster Kings, hear my order, the Stone Spirit Clan has trespassed the Blood Gate Restricted Area with sinister intentions. Under the Divine Venerables’ authority, they must all be taken down!”
As he pointed at the Stone Spirit Clan, the thirty-one Monster Kings who were enjoying the show nearby immediately lunged over like a pack of wolves, surrounding the Stone Spirit Clan in an instant.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he realized that they were in big trouble. Eight Great Kings and thirty-one Monster Kings, that was thirty-nine peak Twelfth-Order Masters surrounding them. Even a Great Emperor might surrender before this powerful lineup.
*Weng weng weng…*
One after another, the Monster Kings unleashed fearsome auras that made the entire world feel like it was shaking. Bits and pieces of rocks on the ground slowly floated up from the ground, as if an invisible force was lifting them up.
“Why play with fire if you don’t have any protection!” Hu Li heaved a sigh and shook his head, his gaze sweeping through the ten stone giants before finally resting on Yang Kai, “Leave the Human to this King, you deal with the others.”
He only had a Mid Twelfth-Order cultivation, so he had no confidence to face a Stone Spirit head-on. On the other hand, he felt no pressure facing a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Human.
The burly Great King obviously knew what Hu Li’s plan was and just gave Yang Kai a cold glance before warning Hu Li, “Hu Li, you have to be careful with this Human, he is proficient in the Dao of Space.”
Hu Li was surprised as he murmured, “Dao of Space? Interesting!”
That being said, he still didn’t attach any importance to Yang Kai; after all, the gap between their cultivations was pretty wide.
The burly Great King’s face turned sullen as he coldly glared at Elder and proposed, “Elder, this King isn’t shedding all pretences of cordiality because of the respect I have for your old age. As long as you are willing to surrender without a fight, the Divine Venerables might leave a way out for you when they return, but if you remain stubborn, then this King will have no choice but to offend you.”
The Elder sighed and stated, “This Elder has taken Great King’s kindness to his heart, but my Stone Spirit Clan… will surrender to no one!”
“Not even to the Divine Venerables?” The stalwart Great King’s gaze turned colder.
The Elder shook his head in refusal.
The stalwart Great King lightly nodded before indifferently adding, “Since that’s the case…” He raised his hand high and swung it down hard, shouting a single word, “Attack!”
*Shua shua shua…*
Over thirty Monster King figures flickered as they charged straight at the Stone Spirit Clan wrapped in copious Monster Qi. In an instant, with the Elder in the lead, the Stone Spirit Clan let out war cries as they swung their enormous fists wrapped in unimaginably violent energy, greeting the oncoming the Monster Kings. Their punches seemed as if they could shatter this world.
How could the Monster Kings dare to take this strike head-on? All of them promptly cast their own unique techniques one after another, their figures fluttering as they dealt with the Stone Spirits using their numbers advantage and flexible movement skills.
*Hong hong hong…*
Deafening crashes rang one after another, accompanied by dazzling flashes of colourful lights. A shocking battle kicked off in an instant.
“Take Shi Jiu away! Preserve my Stone Spirit Clan’s bloodline!” Elder suddenly shouted as he swung the cane in his hand in a circle before smacking it down hard on the oncoming Monster King. Unfortunately, his blow was swiftly avoided.
Yang Kai knew that Elder was talking to him, but at this moment, how could he have any room to leave even if that was what he most wanted to do? If he was alone, he could indeed come and go freely, but if he wanted to take Xiao Xiao away, he would first need to put him into the Sealed World Bead.
However, Xiao Xiao seemed to have become completely engrossed in the heat of battle as he fought shoulder to shoulder with the other Stone Spirits. If he didn’t cooperate, Yang Kai couldn’t force him into the Sealed World Bead.
“Human, this King will be your opponent!” Suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes. Yang Kai found that the Monster King named Hu Li had appeared before him, lightly sending a palm at him with a smile hanging on his lips.
“Scram!” Yang Kai too raised his palm and greeted him head-on.
“You are quite courageous!” Hu Li chuckled, feeling that this Human was really interesting. Much to his surprise, the Human actually dared to meet force with force despite the gap in their cultivation. Did this human boy simply lack real combat experience?
But very soon, the smile on Hu Li’s face turned stiff, because the moment their palms came in contact, he felt that the strength of his opponent’s palm was no weaker than his own. In fact, the force he felt seemed like it could crush his strike like it was smashing rotting wood. Not only that, but there were also mysterious spatial fluctuations around Yang Kai’s attack, which appeared to be tearing apart his palm.
Hu Li was shocked and quickly pulled back his arm, looking at Yang Kai in amazement. The contempt and indifference in his eyes had disappeared right away and was replaced with an extremely solemn look.
“Solidify!” As Yang Kai shouted, causing the local Space Principles to surge. Immediately after, the space around Hu Li became thick and viscous, making Hu Li feel like he had fallen into a swamp. Not only did it become hard for him to move his body freely, even circulating his strength became difficult.
Yang Kai waved his hand in a slashing motion, sending out an enormous jet-black Moon Blade that flew straight at Hu Li.
Hu Li’s face drastically changed as beads of cold sweat could be seen emerging on his forehead. He felt his limbs go cold and numb as goosebumps appeared all over his body. He desperately urged his own energy to escape like his life depended on it, but in the end, he could not summon sufficient strength due to the odd pressure he was under. Under the invisible shackles of the local Space Principles, he couldn’t avoid this blow at all.
In a hurry and left with no choice, he opened his mouth wide and spat out a white ball about the size of a quail egg. An extremely strange fragrance was wafting from this white ball.
Monster Core!
At the critical moment of life and death, Hu Li acted in an extremely decisive manner, spitting out his Monster Core that should not be easily revealed.
Suddenly, a thick defensive shield manifested in front of the spinning Monster Core.
*Hong…*
The enormous Moon Blade struck straight on the defensive shield and slowly began cutting through it, like it was trying to slice up an extremely resilient cloth, barely fraying the outer layer of protection!
At the same time, the Space Principle shackles around Hu Li also disappeared, and without any hesitation, he quickly collected his Monster Core and withdrew several dozen metres, putting distance between them. Finally, he had a breath of respite, a look of fear still lingering on his face.
He almost parted with his life just now for underestimating this Human. Had he not promptly and decisively used his Monster Core, he might have been split in half.
[Where did this Human…come from?]
“Hmm!?” On the other side, one of the eight Great Kings, who wasn’t participating in the fight, had a look of surprise flash past his eyes upon seeing this, amazed by Yang Kai’s astonishing strength.
But he also knew that the Monster King Hu Li’s combat power wasn’t that great and he mainly relied on schemes and trickery to secure his position, so he wasn’t too surprised and simply let out a cold snort as he took a step forward.
An afterimage remained where he originally stood, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before Yang Kai.
Condescendingly looking down at Yang Kai, the Great King grabbed towards him. By the looks of his stance, it seemed as if he was trying to catch a chicken by its neck; he had a relaxed and free look on his face, indifferently mocking, “A trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master actually dares to be so presumptuous in the Ancient Lands? It seems that your Elders never told you about the dangers of the Ancient Lands. This is not a place where you Humans can move and do as you wish.”
A solemn look appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he rapidly formed hand seals, exuding a mysterious aura into the surroundings. Immediately, time itself seemed to have stopped passing.
The Great King felt that his own thoughts had suddenly stopped and a bright light flashed before his eyes before he saw Yang Kai’s palms being pressed towards him.
“Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A murmur rang in the Great King’s ears. To everyone else, it looked like the Great King had been struck by a petrification technique and simply allowed a strange seal to hit him without defending himself.
Only once everything was over did the Great King snap back to his senses.
In a flash, his face drastically changed as he felt a terrifying energy creeping up his arm. He roared in shock and hurriedly retreated, promptly pushing all the Monster Qi in his body towards his arm to resist this terrifying encroachment.
When he looked down at his arm, the Great King’s eyes involuntarily bulged.
It looked as if his arm had aged by thousands of years and his vitality was rapidly being eaten away. His originally robust muscles had become weak and withered while even his bones felt creaky.
“What kind of energy is this!?” The Great King was shocked and confused, hurriedly pushing his Monster Qi to try to expel the foreign energy from his body.
But how could Yang Kai give him such a chance? Now that he had already dropped all pretences of cordiality with the Ancient Lands Monster Race, Yang Kai would fight to kill. In any case, anyone Monster Race Master he took down would relieve some pressure on the Stone Spirit Clan.
Yang Kai promptly summoned the Myriads Sword and flooded it with his Emperor Qi, condensing a hundred-metre-long dazzling sword light as he swung it down on the Great King.
If this blow found its mark, the Great King would be severely injured, if not dead. At least, he would temporarily lose his combat power.
In truth, the strength of this Great King had completely surpassed Yang Kai’s expectations. The Time Flies Seal had never once failed to defeat his enemies since Yang Kai began cultivating it, but to his surprise, this Great King actually freed himself from the Dao of Time’s interference at the most critical moment, rendering the Time Flies Seal ineffective; the most it did was injure his arm.
He proved his strength as a peak Twelfth-Order Masters in name and in fact. Yang Kai even suspected that if this Great King had been on guard beforehand, the Time Flies Seal would not even have landed.
A dazzling sword aura and a powerful Sword Intent was radiating from the Myriads Sword as a thick, nearly tangible Murderous Intent was emanating from Yang Kai.
“Human, you dare!” That burly Great King shouted. Yang Kai didn’t notice when this Master moved, but he had unexpectedly appeared between Yang Kai and the Great King who was struck by the Time Flies Seal. Without dodging or avoiding the oncoming attack, the burly Great King fiercely punched towards Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword.
First, the Monster King, Hu Li, was forced to retreat by Yang Kai, and now a Great King had been injured in a single move by him. If this Great King really lost his life under Yang Kai’s sword, a human’s sword, the Ancient Lands Monster Race would lose all face.
Even if they could kill Yang Kai later, they would inevitably be punished by the Divine Venerables.
How could the burly Great King watch Yang Kai continue showing off his strength unimpeded?
Before the burly Great King’s punch, the sword aura radiating from Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword shattered into pieces. Even Yang Kai himself lost his footing and was swept up by the wind pressure generated by his punch.
“Overconfident!” The burly Great King coldly snorted, his murderous intent flaring as he punched again. This looked like a simple, straight punch, without the slightest bit of fanciness, an attack that pursued only simplicity and power.
Regarding the Stone Spirit Clan, the burly Great King still wanted to subdue them and was unwilling to fight to the death with them unless it was a last resort, but as far Yang Kai was concerned, a Human…a trivial Human was nothing. He could kill him without any scruples!
Before the punch even reached Yang Kai, he could feel a piercing sensation all over his body due to the resulting pressure.
[Can’t block it!] Yang Kai instantly judged; there was too big of a gap between their cultivations.
He had just been able to injure a Great King-level Master because he had the element of surprise on his side and because his opponent had underestimated him. Great credit also belonged to the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Time Flies Seal. However, at this moment, the punch from the burly Great King was already upon him and he didn’t have the time to form another seal.
“Come out!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted, while at the same time, hurriedly retreating.
The next moment, an enormous stone giant appeared. This stone giant bore startling resemblance with the Stone Spirit Clan, but rather than raw aggression in its eyes, there was a sliver of shrewdness instead.
The Embodiment!
As soon as he appeared, the Embodiment swung his first, punching forward.
Before the blow of the burly Great King could even land on Yang Kai, a Stone Spirit had mysteriously appeared between them, causing the former’s brow to twitch and even causing him to question if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
But when he saw the oncoming punch, he knew this was no illusion.
It was too late to withdraw, so he could only grit his teeth and meet the Embodiment’s punch with his own.
*Hong…*
A deafening explosion reverberated, and in the aftermath, the Embodiment staggered back two steps while the burly Great King let out a groan as faint sounds of bones cracking came from his wrist before he was sent flying like a rag sack.
The six other Great Kings, who were watching from afar, were also dumbfounded at the sight of this.
They stood rooted on the spot, as if petrified. Their response was a little sluggish as if they had lost their wits. They were unable to accept the reality of this situation at all.
On the surface, the Human, who seemed the weakest, actually forced a Monster King to back away, then injured two Great Kings. Although the burly Great King wasn’t personally injured by him, the result of the battle was still shocking.
What the Monster Race Masters were unable to fathom though was where this Stone Spirit came from.
[Can’t the Stone Spirit Clan have no more than ten members? Wouldn’t a Stone Spirit born after there are already ten of them die prematurely? Counting this last Stone Spirit, the Stone Spirit Clan already has eleven clansmen! This has broken the myth that no more than ten Stone Spirits may walk the world at once.]
[This is horrible! If the Stone Spirit Clan can have more than ten members, which clan will be able to fight against them? These guys are crazy about fighting and each one of them is extremely terrifying once they fully mature!]
“Go and help them!” Yang Kai flew up and landed on the Embodiment’s shoulder, saying in a low voice as he turned his head and looked in Stone Spirit Clan’s direction. At the same time, he stretched his hand in a certain direction and opened his palm, as if he was summoning something to him.
Things weren’t looking good for the Stone Spirit Clan. Even if they were naturally born fighters, even if they didn’t know the meaning of exhaustion, even if they had endless strength, even if their bodies were extremely robust and sturdy, against Monster Kings three times their numbers, they would still be stretched and hard-pressed to hold their ground.
One by one, the Stone Spirits seemed to have gone mad. They wantonly punched left and right, but they were completely powerless against the strong and vigorous Monster Kings. On the contrary, the Monster Kings spread out and attacked them from multiple directions, leaving them with no choice but to chase their opponents while defending themselves.
Basically, every Stone Spirit was fighting three Monster Kings, but these Monster Kings were extremely cunning. They had divided their tasks and were cooperating with each other. Two of them would cooperate on the ground to contain the Stone Spirit’s attacks and movements, while the last one would hover up above and look for opportunities to send out devastating attacks.
The Stone Spirits might not have to worry about their lives for the time being, but if things went on like this, it was only a matter of time before they were suppressed.
Elder was obviously aware of this and a look of determination flashed across his eyes as he shouted, “Mu Na, assist me!”
Just as he said this, colourful rays of light suddenly emerged from his back. These rays of light gathered and stretched behind him, forming a pair of radiant wings.
Yang Kai stared in a daze for a moment, finally realizing how the Wood Spirits would provide help in this situation. These radiant wings should be the auxiliary support the Wood Spirits could give to the Stone Spirit Clan.
[No wonder I didn’t see any of the Wood Spirits when I summoned the Stone Spirits. No wonder the Wood Spirits joined us before we set off. It turns out that the two clans really share a symbiotic relationship that goes beyond simply sheltering and supporting one another.]
The biggest drawback the Stone Spirit Clan faced was that they couldn’t fly; it was related to their body structure, but the Wood Spirit Clan could give the Stone Spirits this ability.
*Shua shua shua…*
A pair of radiant wings suddenly emerged behind each Stone Spirit. As those wings fluttered, the Stone Spirits’ movements became nimbler and more flexible. It seemed as if these wings were natural extensions of their bodies, without the slightest bit of discord between them.
The Monster Kings’ faces sank as they rose into the air one after another, flanking back and forth, surrounding the Stone Spirits. By the looks of their stance, it seemed that they wouldn’t let them break through their line of defence.
The Great Kings watching the battle couldn’t sit still anymore when they saw this scene, their figures also rising up to help.
For a moment, the world lost its colour while the sun and moon lost their radiance. A terrifying and dazzling battle broke out mid-air as the collisions between various Principles and raw strength seemed like it would shatter and tear this stretch of the world asunder.
“What are you going to do?” Yang Kai’s face turned black as he asked, looking at his Embodiment. The battlefield had suddenly shifted to the sky, so the Embodiment couldn’t provide any assistance at all.
The Embodiment pursed his lips and stated, “I also have the assistance of the Wood Spirits.”
*Shua Shua…*
Suddenly, rays of light emerged behind him as a pair of wings stretched from his back. After rising from the ground, he shot straight into the air.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, realizing that his Embodiment had formed an agreement with the Wood Spirit before. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he then swung the Myriads Sword forward and sternly shouted, “Kill!”
…..
A few thousand kilometres away from the Blood Gate, four figures were rushing back towards it as swiftly as the wind. At their current pace, it would not take them long to reach the battlefield.
Each of these four figures was radiating a fearsome aura, one that seemed as vast and deep as the sea. They were none other than the four Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands.
After having received Xie Wu Wei’s report, they had gone to investigate the appearance of the Mountains and Rivers Bell. When they arrived, they indeed found the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but unfortunately, no matter what they did, they were unable to collect it, let alone bring it away with them. The bell sat in a mountain valley, completely still, and none had any idea why it appeared there seemingly out of thin air.
The four Divine Venerables dared not underestimate the bell’s power to suppress Heaven and Earth.
Just when the four Divine Venerables were feeling helpless and frustrated, they suddenly noticed abnormal movements at the Blood Gate.
The distance of three thousand kilometres was not close, but it wasn’t far either. The perception of the four Divine Venerabeles was extremely keen while the battle at the Blood Gate was extraordinarily fierce, so it couldn’t remain hidden from their senses.
In a flash, the four knew that they had been lured into a trap.
Without a moment of hesitation, they immediately hurried back to the Blood Gate; after all, the Mountains and Rivers Bell couldn’t run away from here while there was room for mistakes at the Blood Gate.
Before they could rush back to the Blood Gate though, they felt a fearsome and shocking aura emerge from behind them. This aura was spreading over and actually made them have a feeling of suppression.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Cang Guo abruptly turned his head before his figure came to an immediate stop. As expected, he saw a streak of light rushing over, reaching them in the blink of an eye.
Luan Feng, Fan Wu, and Shi Huo all had their faces drastically change as they dared not confront it head-on and hurriedly scattered to the sides.
*Xiu…*
The Mountains and Rivers Bell directly flew between the four Divine Venerables and shot straight ahead before disappearing from their sight in the blink of an eye.
“What’s going on?” Fear could be seen lingering on Shi Huo’s face. He thought that someone was going to use the Mountains and Rivers Bell to suppress them and was so frightened he almost used his Source Strength to attack.
But the Mountains and Rivers Bell actually flew straight ahead, ignoring them entirely. It was really confusing.
The other three Divine Venerables also looked confused.
Suddenly, something seemed to have clicked for Fan Wu and his face turned ashen and cold as he grit his teeth and stated, “The Mountains and Rivers Bell actually has a Master!”
Luan Feng’s pretty eyes were also filled with shock as she confirmed again, “You mean to say… its Master just summoned it?”
Fan Wu replied with a cold snort, “What other explanation could there be?”
Cang Guo’s face turned unsightly as he looked towards the Blood Gate and bitterly said, “Whoever it is that subdued the Mountains and Rivers Bell actually used it as bait to interfere with our business!”
Fan Wu added, “No matter who it is, his goal is definitely the Blood Gate. Let’s go!”
After having finished, he hurriedly shot off.
Luan Feng, Cang Guo, and Shi Huo glanced at each other before they hurriedly followed after him.
Several dozen kilometres behind them, Xie Wu Wei had a bitter look on his face as he saw the four Divine Venerables pick up their pace. His speed wasn’t as good as theirs, so he could only chase after them while eating their dust. Just now, when the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew over, he had seen it and naturally knew this was Yang Kai’s handiwork.
Deep down in his heart, he was already raining down curses on Yang Kai, but he also had no choice but to pray for his safety.
Now, he was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so once Yang Kai died, he would definitely die along with him.
“Little brat, you better not have an accident and leave as soon as possible. The Divine Venerables are already returning,” Xie Wu Wei muttered under his breath.
At the Blood Gate, the crowd of Monster Race Masters were locked in a heated battle, with the Stone Spirits rushing left and right in a chaotic fashion. Nonetheless, they were unable to break through the line of defence and were trapped in this place.
In the end, the difference in numbers was too great, and with all the Monster Kings not holding back, the Stone Spirits were basically unable to escape.
At this moment, a streak of light suddenly came from nearby. Judging by its direction, it came from the centre of the battlefield.
The streak of light seemed to contain a terrifying aura. Wherever it passed through, the world started shaking.
“Human, go to hell!” The burly Great King, who was injured by the Embodiment, shouted as an enormous illusory phantom of a giant tiger appeared behind him, biting down at Yang Kai the next moment.
Having suffered a huge blow at Embodiment’s hands, he didn’t dare to get close and instead focused on killing this brat first.
At this moment, the Embodiment was blocked by another Monster King and was unable to support Yang Kai at all. Seeing the illusory enormous tiger pouncing at him, glaring, roaring and baring fangs at Yang Kai, the Embodiment instantly released the Heaven Devouring Domain, violently draining his opponent Monster King’s vitality.
“What the hell!” The Monster King was extremely shocked. He had never seen such a bizarre Secret Technique and he promptly tried to pull back. The Embodiment, on the other hand, grimly smiled before stretching his hand out and smacking it down on him.
But there was still a wide gap between their strengths, so the Embodiment could only helplessly watch the Monster King break free from the Heaven Devouring Domain and flee.
Meanwhile, the attack of the burly Great King was already about to reach Yang Kai.
“Don’t worry about me!” But then, Yang Kai shouted. Hearing this, the Embodiment, who was about to pull back its hand and help Yang Kai, instead pressed forward.
*Xiu…*
Suddenly, a streak of light flew over as a small bell appeared in Yang Kai’s hand. The bell was covered in rust and cracks, but the flowers, birds, beasts, mountains, and rivers carved on it were still distinctly visible.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and lightly pushed the bell forward. His Emperor Qi surged as the small bell suddenly grew, reaching the height of an adult and blocking his front.
*Hou…*
The giant radiant illusory phantom happened to pounce at Yang Kai right at this moment, biting down hard on the big bell.
*Dang…*
A deafening knell that reverberated throughout the sky rang as a wave of ripples suddenly propagated outward with Yang Kai as the centre. The ripples seemed to contain extremely mysterious energy and all the creatures who heard the tolling, no matter whether it was Monster Kings or the Stone Spirit, all momentarily stagnated as they felt a sense of suppression bearing down on them.
The radiant giant tiger phantom was directly dispersed, reducing into a million specks of light before disappearing.
*Pu…*
The burly Great King spurted a mouthful of blood as he suddenly became listless and dispirited.
The giant tiger phantom was the full power blow activated using his Monster Core, so after having it scattered by the Mountains and Rivers Bell, the burly Great King had suffered a certain degree of backlash.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!” The burly Great King held his chest with one hand as he staggered back, the corners of his eyes madly twitching and he stared in a daze, unable to believe his eyes.
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell!?”
“That’s impossible!”
“Wasn’t it taken away by a Human a few tens of thousands of years ago? How can it appear here again?”
The crowd of Monster Race Masters were shocked as well while the Great Kings kept exclaiming; their eyes filled with surprise.
This couldn’t be helped though as the prestige of the Mountains and Rivers Bell was simply too big. In the beginning, it belonged to the Ancient Wild Lands, so as residents of the Ancient Lands, no one knew the horrors of the Mountains and Rivers Bell better than them.
In a flash, a look of fear appeared in the eyes of the Monster Kings.
They might not place any importance on a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Human, but if that Human had the Mountains and Rivers Bell and could control it as he wished, that was another matter.
No one wanted or had the guts to test the terrifying might of the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
With the bell in Yang Kai’s hand, the faces of the Monster Kings and Great Kings turned colder, but they also became more cautious with their movements.
Yang Kai raised the Mountains and Rivers Bell up high and shouted, “Follow me!”
The Stone Spirits finally reacted. Taking advantage of the chaos the Monster Kings had been thrown into, they rushed towards Yang Kai, gathering by his side.
“I will kill anyone who tries to stop us!” Yang Kai, holding the Myriads Sword with one hand and raising the Mountains and Rivers Bell with the other, aggressively shouted, turning to look towards a certain direction before flying to that side.
The Monster Kings hovering in that direction gawked at Yang Kai and the Mountains and Rivers Bell, dumbfounded, but seeing Yang Kai leading the Stone Spirits towards them, they were completely startled.
Before they could make way, Yang Kai had already lifted the Myriads Sword before hitting it hard on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
*Dang…*
The resonating knell from the bell almost formed a visible shock wave, sweeping towards the Monster Kings blocking the road ahead, suppressing space itself everywhere it passed through.
The faces of the Monster Kings drastically changed as they hurled all kinds of curses at Yang Kai, but how could they dare to hesitate? They immediately dispersed, narrowly avoiding the oncoming shockwave.
Just as they retreated, Yang Kai, leading the group of Stone Spirits, rushed through the gap between them with an unbearable insolence, encountering no resistance.
Every Monster King’s face was extremely ugly, while the Great Kings’ expressions were so cold and gloomy that one could shave off a layer of frost from them.
Almost the entire high-end strength of the Ancient Lands’ Monster Race was gathered here, yet a puny Human was able to come and go as he liked. Once word about this got out, none of them would be able to lift their heads.
But Yang Kai was radiating an intense murderous intent that no one wanted to be the first to test. Who knows what the consequences of attacking the Mountains and Rivers Bell would be? The condition of the burly Great King wasn’t hidden from them; he was dispirited and constantly coughing blood, and this was obviously not just the effects of backlash from his technique being broken. If they really fought head-on with this bell, perhaps not even a dreg of them would remain.
The disarray in the Monster Race Masters allowed Yang Kai to take the Stone Spirit Clan safely out of their encirclement and he was just about to escape into the wild.
But right then, Yang Kai, who was leading the charge, suddenly had his pupils shrink as he blankly stared in a certain direction.
The Stone Spirits, who were closely following him, instinctively felt a dreadful feeling slowly rising in their hearts.
*Weng…*
The world suddenly shook as tiny little black spots appeared on the horizon.
In the blink of an eye, those tiny little black spots were already within visible distance. Meanwhile, four fearsome pressures came bearing down from the sky. With these four approaching Yang Kai and his group, they all felt as if ten thousand mountains were weighing down on him. Letting out a muffled groan, Yang Kai was having difficulty even breathing smoothly.
“Divine Spirits!” Yang Kai looked on at the four figures that had appeared over the horizon with bulging eyes, his face as gloomy as could be.
He only needed a little time to put the Stone Spirit Clan back into the Small Sealed World, then he could use his teleportation ability to easily escape from here.
However, before the four Divine Spirits, even a little time was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
Yang Kai’s figure suddenly came to a halt, along with the Stone Spirit Clan, their eyes filling with despair.
They knew that since the four Divine Venerables had returned, they would not be able to escape today.
Elder forced a bitter smile, “Little Brother, my Stone Spirit Clan has brought you a lot of trouble!”
Had he and Mu Na not tricked Yang Kai into bringing them to the Blood Gate, how could he be facing a catastrophe like this today? It was indeed true that they had brought a lot of trouble to Yang Kai, causing Elder to feel bogged down with guilt.
“Elder, it’s too early to say anything before we have reached a conclusion,” Yang Kai pursed his lips and shook his head, sweeping a gaze over the four Divine Venerables.
His stay in the Ancient Lands might not have been too long, but it wasn’t a short one either. During this stay, Yang Kai had often heard about the four Divine Venerables, the true overlords of the entire Ancient Wild Lands!
[Fan Wu, Luan Feng, Cang Guo, and Shi Huo…]
Four names flashed in Yang Kai’s heart as he swept his gaze over these four faces.
“Hm?” Luan Feng suddenly narrowed her eyes as she asked, sizing Yang Kai with a little surprise, “Kid, where has this Queen… seen you?”
[Kid…]
Yang Kai’s brow twitched; however, thinking about it for a moment, he realized that someone as strong as her, who had lived for who knows how many years, was quite qualified to address him as such.
Yang Kai wryly smiled and replied, “About ten years ago, Junior had the honour to catch a glimpse of Madam’s elegance on Clear Jade Mountain outside Maplewood City. I’m afraid Madam would not recall such an insignificant encounter.”
Naturally, everything he said had really happened. When he was escaping from Blue Feather Sect with Liu Xian Yun, heading towards Maplewood City, an infant Luan Feng had appeared in Clear Jade Mountain. Many cultivators came searching and hunted it, but in the end, the Luan Feng who stood before him now appeared and annihilated everyone with her World Extinguishing Black Flames.
At that time, it was Yang Kai’s first encounter with a Divine Spirit that was really alive. Back then, what he had seen was Luan Feng’s true form, but now she was in human form. However, in this world, there was only one Divine Spirit Luan Feng. Naturally, Yang Kai knew that this beautiful woman was that massive black bird that he had seen back then.
Hearing this, Luan Feng’s beautiful eyes flashed with a gleam before she lightly nodded, seemingly having some impression of him.
“Lady Feng, do you know him?” Fan Wu indifferently asked.
Luan Feng replied, smiling, “We just met once, that’s all. I didn’t expect that he could grow to this extent in just ten years. I guess his talent is pretty good. He might become a powerful figure in time.
“Hmph!” Cang Guo sneered and glared at Yang Kai with ill-intentions, “Only those who manage to grow up can be considered true Masters.”
“The Mountains and Rivers Bell is actually his. It seems that his opportunities weren’t small,” Fan Wu’s face turned cold, staring at the Mountains and Rivers Bell in Yang Kai’s hands.
The four of them were lured away by someone using the Mountains and Rivers Bell and were still somewhat annoyed by this. At this moment, they knew that the Mountains and Rivers Bell belonged to Yang Kai, so of course their faces wouldn’t look good as it was like Yang Kai had managed to trick all of them.
“Little brat, how do you want to die?” Shi Hou suddenly took a step forward as a near tangible pressure came rushing from the front. Even with the Mountains and Rivers Bell protecting him, Yang Kai still felt extremely uncomfortable.
[I’m afraid things won’t end well today,] Yang Kai felt bitter and astringent.
The Stone Spirit Elder interjected in a reverberating voice, “Sir Shi Hou, this Little Friend was kidnapped by this Elder and forced to act as he did. Today’s matter has nothing to do with him. If you can let him go, my Stone Spirit Clan’s fate will be entirely up to your discretion.”
Shi Huo sneered, “It’s too late for that. Over the years, this King has tried multiple times to make you submit to me, but you didn’t even consider my generous offer. Now, when you are at the end of your rope, you actually want to bargain with this King? You think that this King will agree?”
Elder’s face turned bitter, not knowing what to say. Stone Spirits were basically not good with words.
Shi Hou coldly shouted, “Today, your Stone Spirit Clan will either submit to me or be exterminated. As for this brat… since he dares to trick this King, even the Heavens won’t be able to save him!”
“Trick… when did that happen?” Elder looked confused. Apparently, he was unaware that Yang Kai had used the Mountains and Rivers Bell to concoct the plan of luring the tiger from the mountain.
The Divine Venerables had ruled the Ancient Lands for so many years, but today, they had been humiliatingly tricked by a Human using the Mountains and Rivers Bell. When this matter was brought up, their faces turned extremely ugly. If this Human was strong enough, there would be some room for discussion, but he turned out to be just a First-Order Emperor.
Shi Hou had no intention of explaining either. With his identity and status, he naturally disdained to explain too much and just arrogantly stated, “Submit or be destroyed, Elder, it’s your choice. You have ten breaths to decide!”
Elder stated in a heavy voice, “This Elder just said that as long as Sir can let this Little Friend go, my Stone Spirit Clan is willing to surrender!”
“You don’t have any say in this. You are not qualified to bargain with this King!” Shi Huo waved his hand, impatience covering his face.
The Elder looked at the other three Divine Venerables and bitterly asked, “Sirs and Madam, do you also have such intentions?”
Elder looked at Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s faces with hope, one after another, but he was ultimately disappointed. The three had stoic looks on their faces, expressing nothing.
“He’s just one Human, why would Sirs and Madam make things difficult for him?” Elder angrily asked.
The other three Divine Venerables remained silent, but Shi Hou replied with a cold snort, “Elder, don’t be stubborn. If not for your Stone Spirit Clan and this King having some common origins, this King would have no choice but to exterminate your clan for today’s matters. This King is already showing kindness by sparing you. You shouldn’t try to reach out for a yard after taking an inch!”
Elder wanted to say something but Yang Kai suddenly intervened, “Elder, agree with him, don’t worry about me.”
Elder shouted in a low voice, “This incident was caused by my clan and we have put Little Friend in a lot of trouble. If word got out, my clan would never be able to lift their heads in public.”
Xiao Xiao, who was standing beside him, also vigorously shook his head. Obviously, he didn’t want Elder to discard Yang Kai.
Yang Kai helplessly heaved a sigh before whispering, “I would have already left if I was alone; however, it’s not too late to leave now. Take care of yourselves, I’ll be leaving first!”
Saying so, he manipulated the local Space Principles and his figure disappeared into thin air.
Since it had been confirmed that the Divine Venerables just wanted to subdue the Stone Spirit Clan and didn’t want to ruthlessly kill them, Yang Kai was able to rest assured. In the current situation, the Stone Spirit Clan would definitely not be able to leave, so all he could do was protect himself first. In a hurry, he didn’t have the time to even collect the Embodiment into the Small Sealed World.
However, the Embodiment also had the body of a Stone Spirit, so it wasn’t in any danger with the Stone Spirit Clan. After escaping from here, Yang Kai would find a way to get the Embodiment back. He would even find a way to take the Stone Spirit Clan away from this place where they were bound to always be in trouble.
This bizarre scene left Shi Huo, who had been keeping an eye on Yang Kai, in a daze. Apparently, he still couldn’t figure out what just happened.
Fan Wu’s eyes flickered with a bright gleam as he exclaimed, “A Spatial Divine Ability!”
Just as he spoke, his figure suddenly made a sharp turn and he thrust his finger towards a certain point in the void.
Immediately, a groan was heard as a figure mysteriously appeared out of thin air. At this moment, Yang Kai looked in Fan Wu’s direction in shock.
He didn’t expect that this Divine Spirit would actually be able to force him out of the void.
Their eyes met only for a moment, with Fan Wu’s face being as tranquil as an ancient well. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind from his expression. Yang Kai ground his teeth and tore space again, his figure phasing out and disappearing in the next moment.
Luan Feng’s pretty eyes darted left and right before she opened her mouth wide and breathed out a jet of black flames. The black flames slithered through the air like a nimble black snake, shooting into the void before disappearing.
A moment later, a strange cry rang out as Yang Kai appeared, cutting a sorry figure. He was being chased by the World Extinguishing Black Flames and was unable to shake them off.
Cang Guo sneered and said, “This boy’s teleportation ability is pretty good, but unfortunately, his strength is still lacking a little.”
Fan Wu indifferently stated, “If he were allowed to grow even a bit more, I’m afraid he would be able to come and go freely even in front of me. No one would be able to stop him then. The Dao of Space is truly remarkable.”
*Dang…*
Suddenly, a deafening knell resounded. At the critical moment, Yang Kai had summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell in front of him, blocking the World Extinguishing Black Flames. After the knell, the World Extinguishing Black Flames, that could burn anything in the world, suddenly went out.
Standing in the air, a pale Yang Kai stated, grinding his teeth, “Sirs and Madam teaming up to deal with this Junior is truly an honour.”
Anyone could hear the sarcasm in his words, but whether it was Fan Wu or Luan Feng, they didn’t look ashamed. Fan Wu rather replied, “It’s natural to use extraordinary means to deal with extraordinary people. There is no need for any sarcasm.”
Yang Kai sneered outwardly, but his heart had already hit rock bottom.
He hadn’t expected for his Teleportation Secret Technique to be useless before the Divine Spirits. This had cut off all his routes of retreat. Today, things were really not looking good for him.
“Human brat, this King also doesn’t want to bully you with numbers, but it’s not impossible to let you live. If you waste your cultivation and leave the Mountains and Rivers Bell, you may leave the Ancient Lands,” Shi Huo stared at Yang Kai, but his eyes kept wandering to the Mountains and Rivers Bell, filled with greed.
Elder snapped after hearing this, “Sir, how is having him cripple himself any different from killing him?”
Shi Huo turned his head and stated in a freezing cold voice, “Elder, don’t challenge this King’s patience anymore. This King has been tolerating you long enough, if you keep acting stubborn, don’t blame this King for teaching you a lesson.”
Elders quickly added, “He is the guest of my clan. My clan has dragged him into today’s affairs. Sir, if you want to do anything, direct it to my clan!”
Shi Huo agreed, grimly smiling and nodding, “Alright, since Elder refuses to realize the errors of his ways, then this King will educate you on showing proper respect.”
As he said this, he let out a roar before transforming into a twenty-metre tall stone giant, similar to the Stone Spirit Clan. However, Shi Huo’s stone giant form appeared much more vicious than the Stone Spirit Clan. His entire body was covered in black flames, which looked quite similar to Luan Feng’s World Extinguishing Black Flames. What’s more, there were sharp thorn-like protrusions on the surface of Shi Huo’s body, giving him an extremely violent and fearsome look. The aura around him made others extremely uncomfortable and seemed to have an effect of suppressing the mind.
Having revealed his true form, Shi Huo sneered and contemptuously stated, beckoning towards the Elder, “All of you can come at me together, this King will let you taste what the gap in our strength is first hand.”
These words were too insulting. Every member of the Stone Spirit Clan was a top Master and a natural-born fighter. They couldn’t bear Shi Huo’s provocation and immediately roared in anger as they charged him without waiting for the command.
Even if Elder wanted to stop them, there was nothing he could do at this moment. He could only grit his teeth and join the attack as well.
In an instant, twelve enormous stone giants were entangled together. It looked like twelve mountains were colliding with each other. Their fists danced against each other, knocking each other back and forth. Their fight caused the sky to shatter and the world to turn upside down.
All the Monster Kings’ eyes trembled. A contest of pure strength like this was extremely rare. They have fought with the Stone Spirit Clan just now, so they knew how difficult these stone giants were to deal with. But Shi Huo was fighting the entire Stone Spirit Clan alone; this scene was extremely shocking.
“Hahaha!” Shi Huo arrogantly laughed as the dark flames on the surface of his body burned more and more fiercely.
While the punches were exchanged back and forth, the attacking Stone Spirit Clan endlessly complained to themselves. They couldn’t even get close to their enemy and when their attacks occasionally did land on Shi Huo, the sharp protrusions on his skin made them injure themselves more than they injured him.
*Hong…*
During the melee, a Stone Spirit was knocked flying by Shi Hou and crashed straight to the ground, leaving a huge pit.
Before the Stone Spirit could crawl back out of the pit, Fan Wu raised his hand and shot a seal straight towards the Stone Spirit that found its target right away.
The struggling Stone Spirit knelt down on the ground, not even having the strength to stand up.
“Secure him!” Fan Wu coldly snorted.
A few Monster Kings immediately flew over, surrounding the Stone Spirit who had been struck by the seal. Each of them returned to their true form and clawed and bit at him, restraining him right then and there.
“Hou!” The Stone Spirit was unwilling, but having been hit by Fan Wu’s seal, eighty percent of his strength was locked up. Also, he was restricted by a few Monster Kings in their true forms, so how could he have the strength to move?
All he could do was kneel down on one leg on the spot, looking at the sky with a look of unwillingness hanging on his face.
*Hong…*
Another Stone Spirit was knocked away by a tremendous force, smashing into the ground and leaving behind an enormous pit. Fan Wu did the same again; he shot out a seal, and before he even gave the order, a few other Monster Kings rushed forward to suppress the Stone Spirit.
*Hong hong hong…*
Stone Spirits were sent flying, one after another. The battle of an entire clan against the Divine Spirit, Shi Huo, actually was completely one-sided. The Monster Kings were bedazzled and gratified at the sight of this.
Among the four Divine Spirits, only Shi Huo could defeat the Stone Spirit Clan with such brutal and direct methods. Except for him, neither Fan Wu, nor Luan Feng or Cang Guo could accomplish this. Not to mention others, even the three Divine Spirits weren’t as good as him when it came to pure strength. But if they were really compared, Luan Feng was the strongest, with Fan Wu as second, and Cang Guo and Shi Huo almost on par.
However… Shi Huo’s Stone Monster form was like the Stone Spirit Clan’s Stone Giant Form. He was born with rock-hard skin but had an extra support of Monster Fire as compared to the Stone Spirit Clan. Also, his entire body was covered in sharp spikes, giving him an added advantage in close combat.
When it came to endurance, Divine Spirit Shi Huo was almost the same as the Stone Spirit Clan.
When it came to strength, Shi Huo was above the Stone Spirit Clan.
Who had the advantage was quite obvious even without fighting. At this moment, the Stone Spirit Clan wasn’t Shi Huo’s opponent even with their entire clan taking action together.
Ten Stone Spirits plus Yang Kai’s Embodiment were all wiped out in less time than it would take to drink a half cup of tea by Shi Huo. After each Stone Spirit fell, they were sealed by Fan Wu and then restrained on the spot by the Monster Kings.
Each Stone Spirit kept roaring. Their faces filled with humiliation.
Shi Huo, on the other hand, stood arrogantly under the sky with eyes filled with disdain and contempt. Finally, he coldly gazed at Yang Kai.
In the previous battle, Yang Kai didn’t intervene not because he didn’t want to, but because Fan Wu’s Divine Sense had locked onto him, making him unable to move.
“Little brat, this King gave you a chance. Since you don’t want to cripple your cultivation, this King will send you to hell!” Just as he said this, Shi Huo punched in Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed and he promptly slapped the Mountains and Rivers Bell, causing the Ancient Exotic Artifact to instantly grow to the height of a human, protecting him. A deafening knell rang as a shockwave spread towards Shi Huo’s oncoming punch.
Shi Huo sneered, “If you were a Third-Order Emperor Realm and had that bell in your hand, this King might have some scruples, but unfortunately… you are only a First-Order Emperor. How much of its power can you even bring out!?”
Shi Huo didn’t even try to evade the oncoming shock wave and met it head-on.
*Kachaca…*
The shockwave visible to the naked eye was suddenly smashed apart. Although Shi Huo’s fist stagnated a little, it continued forward in the next moment and struck right on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Another knell rang as Shi Huo’s massive body quaked before he retreated a few steps.
Whereas Yang Kai’s chest violently heaved up and down as his blood and vitality were sent into turmoil by that tremendous force. He opened his mouth and spurted a mouthful of blood as his figure flew back.
“Worthy of an Ancient Exotic Artifact!” Shi Huo was overjoyed instead of getting angry, gulping hard as he stared at the Mountains and Rivers Bell that flew off together with Yang Kai; greed clearly filling his eyes.
A mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master could block his blow with the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so if he could conquer this treasure, he might even dare to fight with the Dragon Clan.
A dishevelled Yang Kai slowly lifted his head up at that moment, his eyes flashing with an almost imperceptible gleam as he rapidly formed a set of hand seals. The Mountains and Rivers Bell suddenly started spinning before it grew bigger than the size of a house, a powerful suppressive force suddenly bursting from it as it fell towards Shi Huo, who was approaching Yang Kai step by step.
“Be careful!” Cang Guo’s face changed drastically as he warned Shi Huo.
Shi Huo was also taken aback. Apparently, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai’s physique to be so strong that he hadn’t suffered any major injuries from his indirect blow just now. If it was any other First-Order Emperor Realm Master, he might have already lost his life.
The power to suppress the World itself caused Shi Huo to stagnate. Seeing the Mountains and Rivers Bell falling down on him, he hurriedly tried to escape, but it was already a little late.
*Hong…*
In front of everyone’s eyes, the enormous Mountains and Rivers Bell directly suppressed Shi Huo, perfectly encasing him.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai broke into wild laughter, wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth and cheerfully shouting, “You might be stronger, but this Young Master is smarter!”
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s faces turned ashen.
The Ancient Lands’ four Divine Venerables might not like each other, and even had some grudges between them, but generally speaking, their rise and fall were linked to one another; if one suffered, all suffered; if one prospered, all prospered.
After Shi Huo was suppressed by Yang Kai under the Mountains and Rivers Bell, the faces of the other three turned extremely unsightly. Shi Huo had also smeared mud on the faces of Divine Venerables. Although Yang Kai had relied on the Ancient Exotic Artifact to do this, he was still just a Human First-Order Emperor. In the eyes of the Divine Venerables, he was no different than an ant.
But now, Shi Huo has been suppressed by an ant. It was tantamount to a slap on their faces.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Suddenly, deafening knells and furious roars came from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Obviously, the enraged Shi Huo was bombarding the Mountains and Rivers Bell, trying to escape out of it.
But the World Suppression of the Ancient Exotic Artifact was beyond comparison. Even the Phoenix True Fire had been suppressed under this bell for tens of thousands of years, so despite being a Divine Spirit, Shi Huo was unable to do anything no matter how much he wanted. On the contrary, under his crazy attacks, the Monster Kings in the vicinity had their vitality sent into turmoil by the reverberating shockwaves. All of them had an uncomfortable look on their faces while Hu Li, the weakest of all, and the injured burly Great King even spurted mouthfuls of blood; their faces going completely pale.
Shi Huo, who was suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell, was probably not feeling any better. The bell rings contained terrifying power and he was inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so he no doubt suffered the most.
“Shi Huo, stop!” Fan Wu coldly shouted.
Shi Huo probably also noticed that something was wrong and really stopped his crazy bombardment after hearing this, leaving only loud gasps coming from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell. He was like a trapped beast, his breathing mixed with the sound of unmatched anger and murderous intent.
After having been suppressed by Yang Kai, his lungs were burning with flames of fury. He was like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
“Little brat, your courage is quite big!” Fan Wu indifferently added, coldly glaring at Yang Kai, “Let Shi Huo out, or else you will definitely die!”
Yang Kai meaningfully grinned. His figure slightly staggering as he got to his feet and replied with a completely indifferent look on his face, “Sir, if you want to do it, you are more than welcome. This Young Master knows that he can’t escape before you. Since he can’t escape, he won’t even try.”
“Aren’t you afraid of dying?” Fan Wu coldly snorted.
Yang Kai coldly looked at him and indifferently stated, “It’s very easy for Sirs and Madam to kill me, but if you kill me… I’m afraid Shi Huo will be suppressed for many years to come. Maybe someday, someone will be able to subdue the Mountains and Rivers Bell, setting Shi Huo free, but definitely not any time soon.”
Just as he said this, the faces of the Divine Venerables completely sank.
Everyone knew that Yang Kai was right. When the Mountains and Rivers Bell was still in the Ancient Wild Lands tens of thousands of years ago, many had tried many times to subdue it, but none of them had succeeded. Finally, it was taken away by someone called Yuan Ding.
That was simply a disgrace!
Today, if they really killed Yang Kai, perhaps everything would happen just like he said; Shi Huo would remain suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell until someone conquered this Ancient Exotic Artifact someday and released him.
Luan Feng narrowed her beautiful eyes and asked, “Kid, you are young, why do you put the word death so easily on your lips. Let Shi Huo go and we can discuss terms.”
Yang Kai sneered, “When I was leaving before, it was Sirs and Madam who insisted on keeping me here. Now, you want to talk everything out? This Young Master feels quite insecure.”
When Fan Wu and Luan Feng heard this, their expressions turned a bit unsightly. They felt as if they had lifted a rock only to drop it on their feet.
Taking a deep breath, Luan Feng asked, “Then how will you feel secure?”
Yang Kai raised his brow and looked left and right before replying, “Let me take the Stone Spirit Clan away from here first. When I’ve reached a few thousand kilometres from here, I will take back the Mountains and Rivers Bell and let Shi Huo out. In that case, maybe I will feel a little safe.”
As long as he could put a few thousand kilometres between him and the Divine Spirits, Yang Kai was confident he could escape together with the Stone Spirit Clan. At that time, no one would be able to stop him.
Fan Wu rebuked, “Don’t you think you are going overboard with your request? If it’s just you leaving, this King can turn a blind eye, why would you want to drag the Stone Spirit Clan too?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sir, there are thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings under you. Adding the Stone Spirit Clan is like adding flowers to a bouquet, and a forcefully picked melon isn’t sweet. Why do Sirs and Madam insist on this? Rather than forcing the Stone Spirit Clan to be loyal to you, isn’t it better to let them be free? I think the Elder will be grateful for this. If Sirs and Madam encounter any trouble in the future, they might even help you out.”
Fan Wu contemptuously smiled and stated, “What trouble would this King even run into?”
Yang Kai earnestly replied, “Life is full of ups and downs, who can guarantee anything?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fan Wu indifferently asked as the smile receded from his lips.
Yang Kai didn’t reply, but a firm look appeared on his face.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo looked at each other as their Divine Senses surged; they seemed to be communicating with each other.
Yang Kai remained calm, at least on the surface, but his heart was crazily pounding like a drum inside.
He was now using the Mountains and Rivers Bell to suppress Shi Huo. Although he had found himself a slim chance of survival, who knows whether these three Divine Venerables would care for Shi Huo’s life or not. Perhaps if they wanted Shi Huo to be suppressed here forever, they would even take the initiative to kill him. At that time, all Yang Kai would be able to do is make a last stand.
The hope was slim, but it was better than surrendering without a fight.
Just when Yang Kai was internally panicking, Fan Wu gazed at him again, as if he had reached some consensus with Luan Feng and Cang Guo.
Yang Kai’s nerves immediately became taut as he gazed back.
“This King…” Fan Wu indifferently agreed, “Agrees to your conditions.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn’t help but rejoice after having escaped this disaster. In any case, Fan Wu was a Divine Venerable, so since he had said it, he would definitely not regret it.
“However…” Fan Wu switched the topic, making the relieved Yang Kai nervous again, “This King also has a condition.”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he hesitatingly asked, “What’s the condition?”
“This bell…” Fan Wu pointed at the Mountains and Rivers Bell and stated in a firm voice, “Needs to stay here.”
The Mountains and Rivers Bell was too dangerous. The Divine Venerables were unable to conquer it, and once it fell into the hands of the outsiders, it was also a threat to them. Yang Kai with just a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation was able to suppress Shi Huo.
If it was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, it wouldn’t be impossible for all four of them to be suppressed under the Mountains and Rivers Bell. So, no matter what, the Mountains and Rivers Bell must remain here. If they couldn’t subdue it, they didn’t want others to have it either.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he stated, gritting his teeth, “Sir, isn’t this request too domineering?”
Fan Wu coldly snorted and stated, “You lot have committed a capital offence by trespassing the Blood Gate Restricted Area. This King has left you way out where you keep your lives and your freedom. You should be grateful for that and not try to bargain again.”
Luan Feng also added, “At the end of the day, an artifact is an external thing that’s not connected to your body. Kid, don’t you think leaving it in exchange for a dozen lives is worthwhile?”
Cang Guo also slightly smiled and stepped in too, “Not to mention, this bell belongs to the Ancient Lands. Now, it’s simply returning to its original owner.”
“That is the truth!” Fan Wu agreed with a slight nod.
Yang Kai almost crushed his teeth while grinding them in anger. No one knew the power of Mountains and Rivers Bell better than him; after all, he had spent more than a year in the Shattered Star Sea to subdue this Ancient Exotic Artifact. If he were to hand it over just like that, it would be equivalent to wasting that year’s worth of time and also losing an important trump card. It was a very big loss.
But Luan Feng was also right. Ultimately, artifacts were external aides and not part of his body. Compared with his own life and the Stone Spirit Clan’s future, it was really nothing.
The most important thing was… he couldn’t twist his arms and thighs now. If he didn’t agree, Shi Huo would be unable to get out of his trap, but it would be disastrous for him too, and the Stone Spirit Clan’s future would also be fraught with worries.
“Alright,” Yang Kai muttered, his voice filled with reluctance, “I can leave the Mountains and Rivers Bell here, and allow you to manage it. But sooner or later, this Young Master will personally come and retrieve it.”
Cang Guo sneered and disdainfully rebuked, “Shamelessly boasting!”
He didn’t deny that Yang Kai’s aptitude was pretty good and he had a great chance of becoming a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in the future, but if they could get the Mountains and Rivers Bell in their hands, then in order to face them all, Yang Kai would first have to become a Great Emperor.
Fan Wu also shook his head with a smile, obviously not taking Yang Kai’s words to his heart, “Since you have agreed, remove your Soul Imprint from this bell. Don’t try to play any tricks, this King will personally monitor you and if he finds something wrong, don’t blame this King for being merciless.
“Sir, you must be joking!” Yang Kai immediately shouted, “If I release my Soul Brand now, wouldn’t Shi Huo try to take my life after he comes out?”
Luan Feng couldn’t help but smile as she assured, “You are quite careful, but don’t worry, with us here, Shi Huo won’t treat you like that.”
Yang Kai shook his head and stated, “I won’t believe it unless you make him swear.”
Fang Wu and the others’ faces immediately blackened, secretly feeling like Yang Kai wasn’t playing by the rules. With their identity and status, they would keep their words, but to their surprise, this brat was declining with all sorts of excuses, which was infuriating them.
Immediately, Shi Huo’s furious shout came from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, “Bold! Little brat, what right do you have to make this King swear!”
Yang Kai stated with a straight face, “If you don’t have any ill intention, what’s the harm in swearing? Is it that Sir Shi Huo will really try to take my life once you come out? If that’s the case, then Sir, be prepared to be suppressed inside forever. Suppressing you for a lifetime in exchange for this Junior’s life is a small price to pay.”
“You are angering this King!” Shi Huo roared menacingly from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, pounding and shaking it as he shouted, “Little Brat, you’d best not let this King out, otherwise, the first thing I will do is kill you!”
As soon as he said this, Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Just now, Yang Kai said that he was afraid that Shi Huo would trouble him after coming out, and now, Shi Huo actually said just that. Furthermore, judging by his tone, he wouldn’t rest until he had taken care of Yang Kai. Only someone totally ignorant would say such things in this situation.
“Shi Huo, enough with the nonsense!” Luan Feng couldn’t help but shout, lest Shi Huo say something beyond irredeemable.
Yang Kai pointed at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with a look of horror and added, “Sirs and Madam, did you hear him? How could I dare to lift my Soul Imprint from the Mountains and Rivers Bell!? Although this Junior’s life may not be worth much, I don’t want to die in vain either!”
Fan Wu gazed at Yang Kai and replied, maintaining a stoic face, “Shi Huo has a very stubborn temperament. It’s impossible to make him swear. You can forget about this; however, I can promise you that he won’t trouble you after coming out.”
Yang Kai snorted and stated, “You are you, and he is he, how can you tell what’s on his mind?”
Fan Wu looked at the Mountains and Rivers Bell and shouted, “Shi Huo, tell him.”
The Mountains and Rivers Bell sunk into silence before Shi Huo’s reluctant voice resounded, “Alright, this King isn’t going to argue with a little brat.”
“Good enough?” Fan Wu looked at Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai forced a smile and stated, “It’s just a word, a play with words, nothing more, nothing less. I still don’t feel safe. Why not let me take the Stone Spirit Clan a few thousand kilometres away first…”
“That’s absolutely impossible!” Fan Wu looked impatiently, “If you feel that you can’t accept this King’s condition, then we can only let Shi Huo be suppressed, and you… will stay here forever as well.”
Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so if he was really allowed to withdraw a few thousand kilometres, Fan Wu wasn’t sure he could stop him from fleeing, so how could he agree to this condition?
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly as he asked, “Is there no room for discussion?”
Fan Wu slightly raised his hand and stated, “I will give you three breaths to consider. After three breaths, this King will kill you. Think quickly!”
Yang Kai grit his teeth as a look of humiliation appeared on his face. He was rarely forced to this degree, but today, he was really pushed into despair.
Fan Wu continued to raise his hand, his aura growing more and more dangerous.
Seeing that he was about to make a move, Yang Kai heaved a sigh and finally relented, “I agree.”
Fan Wu lightly nodded, not the least bit surprised; after all, no one wanted to play with their life. He then stoically said, “Let Shi Huo out first.”
Yang Kai made a hand seal and stretched his hand out. Immediately, the enormous Mountains and Rivers Bell rose with a thrum, revealing Shi Huo’s figure. Shi Huo’s entire body was covered in blazing black flames, and his eyes were filled with incomparable anger.
Yang Kai was as vigilant as he could be. Once he noticed Shi Huo having any ill intentions, he would immediately suppress him again. Suppressing him before was just a fluke. Now that Shi Hou was prepared, he had little chance of success.
Fortunately, Shi Huo just glared at him and let out a cold snort, not making any moves.
“Remove your Soul Imprint,” Fan Wu urged.
Yang Kai took the Mountains and Rivers Bell back, looked at it for a while, before his Divine Sense surged as he erased his Soul Imprint on the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The small Mountains and Rivers Bell burst with a flash of light before it became incomparably quaint.
Yang Kai casually threw it towards Fan Wu.
Fan Wu flicked his wrist to receive the Mountains and Rivers Bell, but the instant he tried to take it into his sleeve, a tremendous force emanated from the bell, making him unable to catch it.
With a bang, the Mountains and Rivers Bell fell to the ground, quaking the ground for a moment. It then remained completely still, as if it had taken a root there.
“The Ancient Exotic Artifact has a well-deserved reputation!” Fan Wu’s eyes flickered with shock. Even if the Mountains and Rivers Bell was ownerless, he couldn’t pick it up. In this world, perhaps only the one who was acknowledged as its Master could control it at will.
Suddenly, violent energy fluctuations originated from somewhere.
“Shi Huo, what are you doing!” Luan Feng exclaimed at the same time.
Fan Wu’s face slightly changed as he looked up. To his surprise, Shi Huo was charging at Yang Kai with a ferocious grin on his lips. His fist covered in blazing pitch-black flames smashed down at Yang Kai as he shouted, “Little Brat, surrender your life!”
Yang Kai’s face drastically changed. Although he had been paying attention to Shi Huo, he hadn’t expected a Divine Spirit to go back on his word so shamelessly. After seeing Yang Kai’s Soul Imprint on the Mountains and Rivers Bell removed, he actually didn’t hesitate to attack him.
Caught by surprise, Yang Kai didn’t even have the time to dodge.
The scorching energy radiating from the fist seemed to be able to melt anything within several meters of it and the power behind it seemed capable of cracking the world.
*Hong…*
As the punch came down, Yang Kai grunted before he was smashed straight into the ground, his figure completely disappearing from sight.
“Hou!”
The Stone Spirits angrily roared, their eyes turning red with rage, especially the Embodiment. Watching Yang Kai smashed into the ground, the energy in their enormous bodies immediately surged, but they were restrained by many Monster Kings at the moment so they were unable to break free.
“Shi Huo! Do you know what you are doing!?” Luan Feng shouted, grinding her teeth, her pretty face colder than the ice.
Fan Wu and Cang Guo’s faces were also extremely ugly.
They had just sworn that they would let Yang Kai leave alive, but they hadn’t expected Shi Huo to renege on their promise. He was blinded by anger and ignored their credibility.
Once the word of this spread, how would the Monster Kings under them view them? How would they stand tall in the Ancient Lands in the future? The people with the highest combat power were gathered in the Ancient Lands here, and several dozen pairs of eyes were currently fixed on them.
“It’s over, it’s over…”
The nearby Xie Wu Wei’s face turned pale. He almost went limp and slumped down on the ground.
Even if he was a Monster King comparable to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, he couldn’t help falling into despair at the sight of this scene. Although he had been far behind the four Divine Venerables, he had arrived here quite a while ago and had constantly been on edge about Yang Kai’s safety. He was secretly rejoicing for having escaped the catastrophe, seeing Yang Kai reach an agreement with the Divine Venerables, but who would have thought that Shi Huo would go back on his word and sneak attack a First-Order Emperor Realm boy!
Xie Wu Wei was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave, so his life and death was tied to Yang Kai’s. Once Yang Kai died, he would have to part with his life too.
[It’s really over! I’ve been killed by that brat Yang Kai!] Xie Wu Wei looked sad and angry. [If I knew this would happen, I would have rather chosen to die in the Ten Thousands Spirits Tomb. At least I would get to die in the final resting place of all the Ancient Lands residents. I wouldn’t be lonely after death!]
[It couldn’t be any worse! I’m going to die here for no reason and won’t even get a proper burial.]
But very soon, Xie Wu Wei noticed that something wasn’t right.
Because he wasn’t dead. He touched his body in disbelief and could clearly feel his heart beating. Suddenly, his pupils contracted as if he had realized something and he hurriedly looked towards the enormous pit.
[If I’m alive, then Yang Kai is alive too.]
[But how is that possible? How is he still alive after being sneak-attacked by a Divine Venerable?]
“Shi Huo!” Fan Wu shouted, word by word, grinding his teeth, “He had already agreed to remove the Soul Imprint from the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Why did you kill him!? Can’t you be a little tolerant?”
“Tolerant?” Shi Hou coldly snorted. The scorching flames over his body receded as he stated, “This King only knows an eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth. That brat dared to suppress this King with the Mountains and Rivers Bell. His death isn’t worth pitying!”
He turned his head and asked, suddenly turning his gaze at the three Divine Venerables, “Why, are you going to fight with this King for that brat? Give me a break, that brat is dead, and the dead are worthless.”
Although his words were offensive, they were undeniably true. What value did a dead person hold? What was the point of falling out with Shi Huo for a dead human boy?
“You shouldn’t have done this!” Fan Wu stated in a calm and composed manner. He wasn’t sorry about Yang Kai’s death, but was angry about Shi Huo discrediting them. When one’s status and strength had reached to their level, their word became more important than their lives.
“Alright, alright!” Cang Guo immediately intervened to mediate, “Since things have already happened, it’s pointless to blame him. We were wrong in this matter. Let’s bury… this human with honour.”
It seemed that giving Yang Kai a burial was the highest honour they could offer …
Luan Feng lightly nodded before sighing and proposing, “This kid should be a peerless genius. This Queen will take care of this. He will definitely not be treated poorly.”
Fan Wu nodded, fiercely glaring at Shi Huo. Whereas Shi Huo just stood there with an indifferent expression on his face. Rather he smiled and stated, “I got my revenge, it feels good!”
At this moment, the several Divine Venerables seemed to have sensed something as they looked towards a certain direction together.
Immediately, they saw a figure rushing over. Judging by the figure, it belonged to a woman, only, her cultivation wasn’t that strong, only Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
And closely following behind her was another figure with the cultivation of Second-Order Emperor Realm.
Two figures, one ahead and one behind, were quickly approaching, with the woman in the lead looking extremely anxious.
The group of Monster Race Masters in the outer ring tried to stop them, but they were knocked down by the Second-Order Emperor.
In a flash, the two figures had rushed over.
*Shua shua…*
Both of them abruptly came to stand still in the air. The woman in the lead looked at the enormous pit below with a look of disbelief. All of sudden, she started crying as tears rolled down her cheeks and fell down to the ground like pearls.
The woman in the rear was unkempt, messy, and wearing tattered and dirty clothes.
These two had rushed into the place where the Monster Race was gathered, rushed to the front of the four Divine Venerables. Their suicidal act had left many Monster Race members in surprise.
“Ruo Xi…” Embodiment, looking at the figure in the air, sighed with an astringent look on its face.
No doubt, Ruo Xi had suddenly rushed over after seeing Yang Kai sneak-attacked by Shi Huo, throwing all caution to the wind.
And the one, who came with her, was undoubtedly the Ice Heart Valley’s Third Elder.
The Third Disciple stood behind Ruo Xi with a ferocious look hanging on her face, making weird noises. She looked as if she was a beast defending its territory, warning others not to approach.
However, when Fan Wu glanced at her just once, the Third Disciple trembled as she shrank into a ball.
Before everyone’s eyes, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly rushed to the bottom of the enormous pit, knelt down and desperately started digging through the mud with her hands, tears kept rolling down her cheeks as she kept whimpering, “Sir, Sir…”
She was so aggrieved that she kept choking on her words. She seemed to have lost her mind, not even using her Source Qi. She was just using her hands to dig as mud kept flying around her.
In the blink of an eye, her soft and tender fingers had turned bloody, but it seemed as if she could not feel any pain as she kept desperately digging.
Her sadness and desperation had reached a new extreme. They seemed to have turned tangible and slowly spread into the surroundings, affecting many Monster Race Masters and the restrained Stone Spirit Clan. Her tears had a faint redness in them, as if she wasn’t shedding pure tears but a mixture of blood and tears.
“Don’t leave Ruo Xi, Sir, don’t leave…”
Her blood and tears had blurred her vision. Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t see at all, but her hands never stopped moving, trying to rescue Yang Kai from the ground.
“This little girl…” Fan Wu narrowed his eyes and frowned, staring at the back of kneeling Zhang Ruo Xi. Feeling quite complicated.
“I guess she has a very deep relationship with that kid, but her strength is pretty low,” Luan Feng also heaved a sigh. What could a Third-Order Dao Source Realm do here? The weakest Monster King here had the cultivation of Mid Twelfth-Order, and Peak Eleventh-Order Monster Commanders were just about everywhere.
“Hmph!” Shi Huo, glancing at Zhang Ruo Xi, suddenly coldly snorted as he stretched his hand out to grab her.
He had gone back on his word and killed Yang Kai by sneak attack, but now, a Human woman had suddenly appeared where Yang Kai was buried and was doing as she wished. Wasn’t this tantamount to insulting him?
Ruo Xi was completely unprepared and was directly pinched by that enormous palm.
Shi Huo, who was twenty meters tall, was pinching Zhang Ruo Xi as if he was pinching a doll.
As she was pulled further and further from Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly came to her senses. She looked up, staring at Shi Huo with her pretty red eyes, who was sizing her up. She struggled hard, kicking and punching the arm as she shouted, “Let me go, I beg you, let me go. I want to save Sir, Sir is still alive, I want to save him!”
But her strength couldn’t be compared with Shi Huo’s. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t even shake him.
Shi Huo rebuked with a sneer, “You so-called Sir has died without a burial, your efforts are meaningless.”
Ruo Xi shook his head, shedding tears like rain, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! Sir is still alive, Sir surely has not died!”
Shi Huo angrily shouted, “Little girl, you keep this up and this King will pinch you to death!”
Ruo Xi grit her teeth and suddenly raised her hand. Immediately, a square seal appeared out of thin air.
Ten Thousand Beasts Seal!
Suddenly, wisps of jet-black energy shot out of the seal as dense Yin Qi permeated into the surroundings. Ghastly cries and wails soon followed as those jet-black wisps transformed into Monster Beasts of different shapes and sizes.
“Beast Souls!” Shi Huo raised his brow, looking at the seemingly illusory Monster Beasts in surprise.
With his insight, he could naturally tell that these things were Beast Souls.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo’s brows slowly rose as well. They were Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, so everyone from the Monster Race was their subordinate. As such, so many Beast Souls popping out from Zhang Ruo Xi’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seals made them a little angry; after all, every Monster Race Master served them, and even if they died, their Beast Souls should not be blasphemed by being sealed inside a Human artifact.
This was an artifact that the Ancient Lands Monster Race could definitely not tolerate.
In the brief moment the Four Divine Venerables were distracted though, tens of thousands of Beast Souls had poured out of the Ten Thousands Beasts Souls. Furthermore, their number was still increasing and the energy fluctuations from each and every Beast Soul were quite astonishing, so even comparable to Monster Kings present here.
“Where did so many Beast Souls come from!?” Shi Huo’s face finally changed.
If the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal only had a few hundred Beast Souls, it was nothing to fret over. It could be interpreted as a result of her sealing Beast Souls after killing Monster Beasts for many years. But among these tens of thousands of Beast Souls, there were many Twelfth-Order Monster Beast Souls…
This was a bit shocking. Furthermore, by the looks of it, there were still many Beast Souls sealed inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal.
“Little girl, you didn’t venture into the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, did you?” Shi Huo had a whimsical thought.
While speaking, he slapped the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as the power of a Divine Spirit burst forth. Struck so, the Ten Thousands Beasts Seal crazily flashed as its spirituality was greatly damaged.
At the same time, the tens of thousands of Beast Souls that had flown out of the seal also returned, unable to unleash any of their might.
The gap in their strength was too wide. Even if Ruo Xi had resorted to the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, she didn’t pose any threat to Shi Huo.
Shi Huo flicked his arm, throwing Zhang Ruo Xi away as he stated, “This little girl’s artifact is strange, I’m going to check it.”
Luan Feng lightly nodded before stretching her hand out, drawing Zhang Ruo Xi over to her and restraining her so she couldn’t move.
Meanwhile, Shi Huo fiddled with the Ten Thousands Beasts Soul, pouring his Divine Sense into it to investigate. Suddenly, his face changed as he cried in shock, “Millions of Beast Souls!”
“What!?” Fan Wu and the others’ looked shocked as well.
Much to their surprise, millions of Beast Souls were inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Soul, but where did these millions of Beast Souls come from? Everyone was instantly aware of the problem here. In the entire Star Boundary, apart from the Ancient Wild Lands, there was no other place that could provide millions of Beast Souls, and even in the Ancient Wild Lands, there was only one place where there were millions of Beast Souls.
Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb!
Did this little girl really enter the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb? Was Shi Huo’s random guess actually correct?
“Little girl, what’s your name?” Luan Feng, looking at the struggling Zhang Ruo Xi, asked in surprise.
Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t answer her, rather she was still trying to escape back to the pit. But before Luan Feng, how could she leave? Even moving her limbs was an extravagant hope.
*Huala…*
Suddenly, a strange noise drew everyone’s attention. The next moment, they saw a bloody hand emerge from the pit. That hand looked as if it had stretched straight out from Hell and it was radiating a dark and cold aura.
Shi Huo’s eyes instantly bulged.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo also looked in that direction in surprise.
Many Monster Kings and the group of Stone Spirits were also dumbfounded.
“I knew you were alive, I knew it,” Xie Wu Wei murmured. At this moment, his emotions were rising up and down like a roller coaster, alternating between nervousness and excitement.
But very soon, Xie Wu Wei slapped his thigh in annoyance. He couldn’t help but curse in his heart, “Stupid, since you were alive while everyone thought you were dead, why didn’t you stay hidden? Why do you have to reveal yourself? Such foolishness is killing me! Why is this King’s life so bitter!?”
“He’s still alive!?” Shi Huo stood gawking at the hand that emerged from the mud, dumbfounded. He couldn’t wait to pluck his eyes out and stretch them forward to get a clearer picture.
“What is this kid?” Luan Feng was also dumbfounded. She was shocked by Yang Kai’s tenacious vitality.
A First-Order Emperor Realm Human was sneak-attacked and punched straight into the ground by Shi Huo, yet he was still alive and kicking.
In front of everyone’s eyes, the emerged hand suddenly retracted before a deafening explosion occurred. The mud covering the pit blew up as a figure staggered out from the pit. The figure broke into a violent fit of coughing as blood dripped from all over it.
The figure was none other than Yang Kai.
The weeping beauty, Zhang Ruo Xi, stared ahead in a daze with her reddened eyes. She went limp and collapsed on the ground, tightly covering her mouth as she uncontrollably choked, her soft and tender shoulders violently shaking.
She didn’t dare to cry, fearing that her cries would affect Yang Kai.
“Shi Huo!” Yang Kai clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles went white. He grit his teeth, staring at the barbed stone giant, his eyes burning with flames of fury.
If he hadn’t used his Nihility Secret Technique and exiled himself into the Void at the critical moment, not even a shred of his skin might have been left after taking that punch.
Even using Nihility hadn’t completely negated the effects of Shi Huo’s attack. That fearsome blow had even affected the local space, and before the remainder of this wild energy could be dispersed, Yang Kai’s Nihility Secret Technique was disrupted, resulting in the remaining energy from Shi Huo’s attack injuring him.
A dignified Divine Spirit going back on his word was still barely acceptable, but actually using a sneak attack on a foe many times weaker than himself had greatly angered Yang Kai.
“Little brat, you’re pretty tenacious! You are the first one to survive after taking a blow from this King!” Shi Huo stood there, not looking the least bit guilty or ashamed of sneak-attacking Yang Kai. Instead, he just played with the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as he contemptuously stared at Yang Kai.
Seeing the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be startled. He looked around and very soon found Zhang Ruo Xi.
He had no idea what Ruo Xi was doing here, but he was hit by vertigo when he faintly heard Ruo Xi’s cries.
At this moment, Ruo Xi was on her knees, her delicate hands covering her mouth, her tender body constantly trembling, shedding a stream of joyful and anxious tears.
She must have been deeply shocked by what just happened.
Yang Kai took a deep breath as the hostility and the anger in his eyes gradually dissipated. His clenched fists also loosened up as he then turned his gaze in Fan Wu’s direction before speaking, “Shi Huo has gone back on his words and sneak-attacked me, but I’m not arguing with him over this. According to our agreement, I have removed my Soul Imprint from the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Now, I need to take my friends away. Divine Venerables, you don’t have any objections, right?”
Fan Wu’s eyes flashed as he agreed with a nod, “No objections!”
Although his tone was plain, some appreciation could be found in his eyes. Just now, he too had noticed the thick murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes. Anyone who was sneak-attacked and almost lost his life would probably be blinded by rage.
Not everyone could suppress such wild anger and adapt to circumstances so quickly.
The fact that Yang Kai could stifle his emotions and choose the optimal solution in this situation showed his incredible mental fortitude.
This was the wisest and only choice available to him here. If Yang Kai let his anger rule him at this moment, it would be tantamount to trying to break a stone with an egg. Only he would suffer in the end.
Upon getting Fan Wu’s reply, Yang Kai nodded slightly. Just when he was about to beckon to Zhang Ruo Xi though, Shi Huo said coldly, “You can leave with the others, but this little girl must stay.” He pointed at Zhang Ruo Xi and spoke in an unquestionable tone.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he glowered at him and snarled, “Why should we listen to you?”
Shi Huo tossed the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal in his hand up and uttered in an aloof manner, “It’s because of this. She was brazen enough to seal millions of Beast Souls from our Ancient Lands inside, so she must explain herself to the Monster Race and be held accountable for this crime.”
Upon hearing what he said, most Monster Kings at the scene agreed with him. Nobody wanted their Soul to be refined into an artifact by a Human and to be used as a mindless weapon. Apparently, Zhang Ruo Xi’s Ten Thousand Beasts Seal had caused public outrage.
Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo frowned. Although they knew that Shi Huo was basically finding fault with Yang Kai, what he had just said was also sensible. As members of the Monster Race themselves, they were not in any position to refute him.
It seemed that this issue couldn’t be resolved easily on this day. Apparently, Shi Huo was set on killing Yang Kai. They knew that Shi Huo was someone who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance, but they didn’t expect that he would be so petty. The reason he was harping on this issue was simply that Yang Kai had suppressed him using Mountains and Rivers Bell previously.
He couldn’t kill Yang Kai in the previous sneak attack, and no matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn’t possibly lose all face by launching another sneak attack. However, the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal’s appearance had given him one more chance to achieve his goal.
“How do you want to punish her?” Yang Kai’s gaze turned cold. It was an extremely difficult decision for him to give in to Shi Huo. He would have to ignore the fact that Shi Huo had oppressed him as someone much stronger and older by shamelessly launching a sneak-attack on him. If it wasn’t obvious he could not triumph in this situation, given Yang Kai’s temperament, he would have battled it out with Shi Huo even if it meant losing his life.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi, the Stone Spirit Clan members, and the Third Disciple were all here. If he really confronted Shi Huo, all of them would die, which was why he could swallow down his grievances. However, he didn’t expect that Shi Huo would still not be willing to let them off.
Just then, Shi Huo snorted, “Whoever dares to commit such blasphemy against the Monster Race in our Ancient Lands must die!”
“She must die!”
“Don’t let her off!”
“Kill her!”
All the Monster Kings started roaring as they appeared utterly incensed. It was as though Zhang Ruo Xi had done something that deserved the harshest condemnation.
The blood on Yang Kai’s face hadn’t dried up yet as he swept a cold glance over all the Monster Kings and eventually stared fixedly at Fan Wu.
In a dispassionate manner, Fan Wu added, “This little girl isn’t part of the promise. Since she has violated our taboo, she has to stay in the Ancient Lands.”
Although he despised Shi Huo for his contemptible behaviour, he was a Divine Venerable of the Ancient Lands in the end, so he wasn’t willing to disappoint the other Monster Kings.
“Haha…” Yang Kai suddenly laughed hysterically as he sneered at all the Monster Kings and spoke in a cold voice, “Truly wonderful! Several dozen peak Twelfth-Order Masters and Four Great Divine Spirits are all ganging up to kill a young girl barely twenty years of age! Many thanks for showing me the true colours of the Monster Race living in the Ancient Lands!”
Upon hearing his mockery, some members of the Monster Race flared up and snarled, “What did you say?”
The expressions of Fan Wu and the others were dark; however, just like what Yang Kai had said, if the news that so many Masters were using their authority and strength to punish a young girl was to spread out, it would be a great embarrassment to them.
“Sir, please ignore me! Please just leave me here!” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly shouted, her gaze filled with anxiety, “Leave this place immediately!”
Upon realizing the problem, she felt extremely regretful and thought that she had dragged Yang Kai into this mess. If she didn’t summon the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, such an incident wouldn’t have happened.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and shook his head slowly.
Zhang Ruo Xi started bawling and spoke in a choking voice, “Sir, it has been Ruo Xi’s greatest honour to have been raised by you! Ruo Xi could not have been happier being able to serve you for so many years. The only regret Ruo Xi has is that she has always held you back instead of helping you. Ruo Xi cannot accompany you by your side anymore, so you must take good care of yourself!”
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed, “Ruo Xi, what are you trying to do!?”
Without replying to him, Zhang Ruo Xi swept a glance over Shi Huo and the other Monster Kings before eventually staring fixedly at Fan Wu, her gaze, which was drenched in tears, suddenly turning cold as she spoke in a grim and resolute voice, “Since I’ve violated the Ancient Lands’s taboo, I’ll atone for my crime with my life. I hope that will settle the wrath in all of your hearts; however, if you still make things difficult for Sir after my death, I’ll transform into the most horrible ghost and retaliate against all of you! I swear I shall haunt you all for the rest of your lives and take every chance to curse you to death!”
The expressions of all the Monster Kings changed when they heard this and even Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables were shocked. It was apparent to them that Zhang Ruo Xi was trying to ensure Yang Kai’s safety by sacrificing herself, which went to show how steadfast her determination was.
She was willing to make such a pledge before her death, and if her wish wasn’t granted, she would really turn into a horrible ghost and harass all of them. At that instant, all the Monster Kings felt a sense of coldness down their backs.
Zhang Ruo Xi turned her head and looked dazedly at Yang Kai, her tears slipping down her face as the light of longing and reluctance shone within them. In a choking voice, she uttered, “Sir, if there is an afterlife, Ruo Xi would still be willing to serve you!”
As soon as she finished her words, she raised her hand and circulated her Source Qi on her palm before palming towards the top of her skull. If she managed to hit herself with her palm, she would definitely lose her life.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai widened his eyes in shock as he made a move and disappeared from the spot.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Shi Huo sneered and stepped forward before he struck the Void with his dark flaming fist.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai’s figure appeared again, his bones cracking as his vitality churned chaotically. After spitting a mouthful of blood, he roared uncontrollably as he was gripped by a sense of excruciating pain. Before he even landed on the ground, he disappeared in mid-air again.
Shi Huo snorted, “Your Space Divine Ability is indeed elusive, but I can still see some leftover traces with my eyes!”
Upon finishing his words, he threw a kick in the air, upon which Yang Kai appeared again as he fell to the ground, rolling in the dirt.
“Shi Huo!” Yang Kai bellowed as he stopped himself from tumbling and leaped to his feet. With bloodshot eyes, he glowered at Shi Huo as his fury permeated the air. He just wanted to save Zhang Ruo Xi, but such a simple wish couldn’t be granted as Shi Huo blocked his teleportation twice.
After Yang Kai finished speaking, Shi Huo suddenly appeared above Yang Kai’s head and knocked him down with a punch. Following that, he pressed his foot against Yang Kai as though he was stepping on an ant.
*Pu…*
Upon being stepped on, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of golden blood. With difficulty, he turned his head to look at Zhang Ruo Xi in despair. After he was stopped by Shi Huo several times, he had already missed the best chance to save her and was extremely worried that she had already lost her life.
The excruciating pain he felt in his body was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart. It was as though countless knives were jabbed into his chest at the same time, causing him to suffocate.
Zhang Ruo Xi was a soft-spoken, shy, and obedient young girl who was extremely loyal to him. She left the Zhang Family in Maplewood City with him and ventured into this beautiful yet dangerous world, but before she could truly experience its magnificence, she lost her life here in this place.
At that moment, Yang Kai hated himself for being weak. At the same time, he regretted the fact that he allowed the young girl to tag along and let her experience all the dangers of this world. She should have stayed in the Zhang Family and looked for a husband. After that, she would raise her own children and spend the rest of her life with her family in peace.
Warm liquid slid down from the corner of his eyes as his vision blurred. Yang Kai could still see that Zhang Ruo Xi was facing him on her knees, and her hand was now right above the top of her head; however, her wrist had been grabbed by another hand.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he started laughing hysterically. It was as though he was over the moon, his joyful laugh in stark contrast with the perilous situation he was in.
Shi Huo’s expression darkened as he exerted more force with his leg, upon which Yang Kai stopped laughing and sprayed out more golden blood. Still, through clenched teeth he shouted, “Senior Luan Feng, I owe you a favour!”
The person who had stopped Zhang Ruo Xi from killing herself was Luan Feng, who was standing right behind her. Given Luan Feng’s power, Zhang Ruo Xi would never be able to kill herself without Luan Feng’s permission.
With a conflicted expression, Luan Feng scolded, “Mind your own business.”
Yang Kai was about to be killed soon, but he still told Luan Feng that he owed her a favour, which was basically useless. Even if he managed to survive, such a favour was probably worthless.
Luan Feng was simply moved by Zhang Ruo Xi’s determination and didn’t have the heart to watch such a tragedy happen. After all, she was a woman too, despite being a Divine Spirit, she still had a sentimental side.
“Let me go!” Zhang Ruo Xi obstinately raised her head and glowered at Luan Feng, who was so powerful that even cultivators in the Third-Order Emperor Realm had to back down when confronted by her. However, at that moment, Zhang Ruo Xi appeared utterly incensed, her lips bleeding as she tried to struggle out of her grip as she snarled, “You evil woman! Let go!”
Luan Feng dispassionately uttered, “Even if you kill yourself, your Sir won’t be able to leave alive, so what point is there in sacrificing yourself?”
She had figured out that Shi Huo had never intended to let Yang Kai off, as he was someone who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance.
Zhang Ruo Xi was startled for a moment before she seemed to comprehend her situation and pleaded in a choking voice, “Senior, please have mercy and save Sir. I will do anything for you in exchange, just please save him…”
Of all the people at the scene, only the remaining three Divine Venerables had the capability to stop Shi Huo. Zhang Ruo Xi had figured this out, which was why she decided to plead with Luan Feng now.
Luan Feng looked down at her and uttered impassively, “Didn’t you just say I’m an evil woman?”
Upon hearing that, Zhang Ruo Xi immediately raised her other hand and slapped herself forcefully as she replied, “I should have minded my language. Senior, please have mercy and forgive me ignorance. Please save Sir…”
The sound of Zhang Ruo Xi slapping herself was loud as she didn’t go easy on herself. After a few slaps, her cheek had swollen, and the corner of her mouth was drenched in blood; however, she exerted more force every time she slapped herself, as though she couldn’t feel pain. While the faces of the Monster Kings watching twitched while the Stone Spirit Clan growled but were powerless to help her.
Zhang Ruo Xi could even sacrifice her life for Yang Kai, so it was nothing for her to slap herself.
“What are you doing?” Luan Feng frowned and reached out her free hand to bind Zhang Ruo Xi on the spot. Her cultivation far exceeded Third-Order Emperor Realm Human, so it was easy for her to restrict Zhang Ruo Xi’s movements.
Having been completely suppressed, Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t even move a muscle, let alone utter a word. Her hand was still up in the air, and her tears had stopped streaming down her face.
“Hey you, can you be considered a man at all? A young girl has to beg and slap herself for your sake! You’re indeed just an ant, how laughable!” Shi Huo snorted as he stepped harder on Yang Kai, as though he was enjoying a marvellous show.
*Kacha…*
The sound of bones breaking could be heard again as Yang Kai grit his teeth and suppressed the excruciating pain. Upon choking down the blood in his mouth, he glared at the stone giant before his eyes and bellowed, “Shi Huo, if you want my life, you take it, but you must let Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirit Clan members leave first. After that, you can do whatever you want to me!”
“Does an ant have the right to negotiate with me?” Shi Huo snorted and landed a kick on Yang Kai’s ribs, sending him flying.
*Pa…*
With his figure battered all over, Yang Kai fell to the ground with a thud.
Having been bound to the spot, Zhang Ruo Xi tried her hardest to look in Yang Kai’s direction with a gaze that was filled with despair and sorrow. With her tears all drained, her eyes were slowly turning bloodshot. The redness in her eyes seemed to contain a special power that was silently permeating this place.
However, at this moment, everyone’s attention was on Yang Kai and Shi Huo, so no one noticed the odd transformation in Zhang Ruo Xi. Even Zhang Ruo Xi herself had failed to notice it as her heart was slowly filled with resentment and the blood in her veins started boiling.
“What?” Shi Huo frowned and extended his hand, upon which Yang Kai, who was rolling on the ground, was sucked towards him. With his head tilted, Shi Huo took a look at Yang Kai and uttered in amazement, “There’s something strange about your body…”
A mere First-Order Emperor Human should have lost his life by now after being tortured by Shi Huo in such a way; however, Yang Kai was still alive and kicking. Although his aura had diminished a little, his vitality was still ample.
“Shi Huo, don’t force me!” Yang Kai growled like an enraged beast.
Shi Huo arched his brow and laughed, “So, what if I want to force you? Do you think you can kill me?”
As Shi Huo spoke, he brandished his huge fist and punched Yang Kai’s body repeatedly.
*Peng, Peng, Peng…*
Each of Shi Huo’s punches carried the weight of a mountain, and the sound of Yang Kai’s bones cracking could be heard clearly as it swung violently in mid-air. Nevertheless, having been restricted by Shi Huo, Yang Kai couldn’t even struggle out of his grip, so he had no choice but to receive this beating passively.
The corners of Yang Kai’s eyes had split open and blood started streaming down his head. His handsome face had completely swollen, so it was hard to recognize that he was even human. His hair was in a mess, and his entire body was soaked in blood because of Shi Huo’s assault. At that moment, he was battered and in an utterly sorry state, which he had never experienced before since he embarked on his cultivation journey.
*Hong…*
Shi Huo landed another fist on Yang Kai, causing the bones in his legs to break. Yang Kai fell on his knees, but his back remained as straight as a spear.
The other Monster Kings looked at Yang Kai with conflicted expressions. Although there were many present, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even though they were from different races, and that Yang Kai had caused them a lot of trouble, these Monster Kings were still moved by Yang Kai’s resoluteness in the face of such torture. They thought that he was indeed a real man.
In comparison, Shi Huo appeared petty and arrogant due to his shameless behaviour. He could have killed Yang Kai without much effort, so what was the point of him torturing this young man in such a way?
Nevertheless, Shi Huo was one of the Four Great Divine Venerables. Although the Monster Kings were not pleased with him, they didn’t have the guts to express dissent here. Hence, they could only glance at Yang Kai with respect and sympathy. Even though Xie Wu Wei wanted to plead for leniency on Yang Kai’s behalf, he knew that he would be dragged into this as well if he dared to step forward.
“Shi Huo, enough!” Fan Wu yelled with a dark expression.
“There is no glory or honour in torturing an opponent who is so much weaker than you are,” Fan Wu snorted as he couldn’t tolerate Shi Huo’s behaviour anymore, “If you want to kill him, just end it quickly, stop doing such pointless things.”
Hearing this, Shi Huo scoffed. Although he appeared reluctant, he still grasped Yang Kai’s hair and lifted his head.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s entire face was swollen and drenched in blood, so it was hard to identify his eyes and nose. There were two slits on the places where his eyes were supposed to be, out of which a faint light could be seen.
Glancing over at Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai somehow managed to put on a grin. At that instant, Zhang Ruo Xi felt her entire body trembling as her blood transformed into tears and streamed down from her eyes. The tears on her cheeks looked like two traces of blood, which was utterly hideous.
She had served Yang Kai for many years, so she knew full well what powers and trump cards he possessed. In fact, he wasn’t powerless to resist. He had the sealed power of an Ancient Demon, the power of the Sealed World Bead, as well as his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
She believed that if he utilized all these powers, even if he couldn’t defeat Shi Huo, he could still flee from this place; however, while he was being tortured by Shi Huo, he didn’t even try to use those powers at all. Even when his life was hanging by a thread, he still didn’t bring out his trump cards.
In fact, she knew that it was all because of her. Once Yang Kai fled from this place, the other members of the Monster Race would not let her off. [So, I’ve dragged Sir into a mess once again. Over the years, I’ve always been a burden to him. Why can’t I help him in any meaningful way?]
The resentment she felt was enough to make the sea boil, and the fury that was rising within her seemed capable of destroying the Heavens and shattering the Earth. A sense of ferocity flushed out of her tender body as she transformed from an obedient girl into someone completely different in that instant.
“Hm?” Sensing this odd transformation in Zhang Ruo Xi’s aura, Luan Feng scowled and took a glance at her. Upon seeing her bloodied tears, she couldn’t help but heave a sigh. If possible, she wanted to save Yang Kai; however, by doing so, she was bound to offend Shi Huo. After some deliberation, she knew which option was the wiser.
“Release Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirits. I won’t resist!” Despite the fact that Yang Kai’s hair was grabbed by Shi Huo, he raised his head as his swollen eyes beamed with a cold glare. He was making the last attempt. As long as Zhang Ruo Xi and the other Stone Spirit people could leave first, he would have nothing to worry about, thus enabling him to fight with Shi Huo with his full strength.
Exasperated, Shi Huo sneered, “Do you still think you can fight back? Don’t worry, after I kill you, I’ll also send that girl to Hell to keep you company!”
Upon finishing his words, Shi Huo sent his fist to Yang Kai’s face. He didn’t hold back his power with this strike, as he had intended to end Yang Kai’s life. Having tortured Yang Kai for so long, he had managed to see the despair and resentment behind Yang Kai’s gaze, so his fury had subsided significantly. Paired with Fan Wu’s warning, he realized that it was time to send Yang Kai off, so he wasted no more time.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he was faced with the attack. Just when he was about to use his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he heard someone shrieking on the other side.
“No!” The voice was filled with unbearable despair and panic, paired with a sense of unparalleled fury and murderous intent.
“What?” Luan Feng was shocked as she looked down at Zhang Ruo Xi. The young girl was supposed to be under her complete control, not able to speak or even move a finger; however, just now, she somehow managed to shout.
[How is that possible?]
*Kacha…*
An invisible seal suddenly broke apart at that instant. The restriction Luan Feng had placed on Zhang Ruo Xi was destroyed, causing the former’s entire body to tremble.
At the same time, Zhang Ruo Xi, who was kneeling on the ground, could feel an indescribable force awakening from her bloodline as her hair flew up into the air despite the fact that it was a windless day. Like the waking of a Dragon that had slumbered for aeons, she opened her eyes slowly and an aura gushed out of her body that sent shockwaves across all Four Great Divine Venerables, causing them to stare at her in astonishment.
“What’s going on with her?” Fan Wu exclaimed.
Shi Huo’s hand stopped in mid-air as he stared fixedly at Zhang Ruo Xi with his flaming eyes. For some reason, an instinctive fear seemed to be rising within him. It was as though he had come across a natural predator, just like how a mouse would react when it saw a cat.
In the end, he failed in his attempt to strike Yang Kai with his fist.
Yang Kai was also dumbfounded as he tried very hard to widen his swollen eyes to take a glance at Zhang Ruo Xi. He wondered just what was going on with her.
“AAHH!” Zhang Ruo Xi looked up at the sky and shouted. It was as though she couldn’t control the turbulent force in her body anymore as her clothes flailed madly.
The expression on Luan Feng’s alluring face changed as she hurriedly flew away from the young girl, gripped by a sense of anxiety as she stared fixedly at her.
*Weng…*
The entire world seemed to tremble as a humming sound echoed through the air. Suddenly, two drops of blood streamed out of Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes, but they didn’t drop to the ground. Instead, they flew in a particular direction as though they had been guided by some mysterious force.
Everyone was attracted to the two drops of blood as they looked dazedly at them. Right before their eyes, the two drops of blood flew at lightning speed towards a certain spot.
When looking in the direction the two drops flew, Fan Wu narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, “The Blood Gate!”
Unexpectedly, the two drops of blood were flying towards the Blood Gate. No one knew when it began, but the Blood Gate, which had remained still for aeons, was now boiling as bubbles of different sizes were formed on its surface.
“Does this girl have something to do with the Blood Gate?” Cang Guo asked in shock.
Fan Wu shook his head slowly. Despite his experience and knowledge, he couldn’t figure out what was going on.
*Xiu…*
The two drops of blood accelerated and shot into the Blood Gate, thus disappearing from everyone’s sight.
*Hong…*
All of a sudden, a beam of scarlet light shot out of the Blood Gate and penetrated Zhang Ruo Xi’s body, causing her to shudder uncontrollably. At the same time, she stopped growling as her long hair fell back down. Still on her knees, she hung her head low and remained unmoving, as though she was a dead person.
Shocked, Yang Kai hurriedly scanned her body with Divine Sense, only to find that her vitality was raging. However, at this moment, Yang Kai almost couldn’t recognize her, as her aura was completely different now, as though she had transformed into an entirely different person.
“What’s going on? This is…”
“Oh, no! The Blood Gate’s restrictive power has been reactivated!”
“Sirs, we’d best leave now! There might be unforeseen dangers!”
All the Monster Kings started exclaiming. In the past, they could never have gotten so close to the Blood Gate, always staying more than ten kilometres away from it. Only recently had the Blood Gate’s mysterious suppressive field disappeared, allowing them to approach it.
However, the mysterious power seemed to have returned, causing all the Monster Kings to feel suppressed in an instant, and as time passed, the suppressive power was growing increasingly stronger.
Obviously the Divine Venerables had noticed this as well. Their cultivations were much more powerful than the peak Twelfth-Order Monster Kings present, but in just a short period of time, they felt their strength suppressed to just that of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
In other words, at this moment, any Third-Order Emperor Realm Human Master would be just as powerful as they were.
Over the years, they had come near the Blood Gate several times to study it, so they knew how horrible this suppressive power could be, so they were well aware that this was just the beginning. When the suppressive force reached peak intensity, it could suppress their strength to a point where it was lower than the Emperor Realm.
“All of you, leave first!” Fan Wu waved his hand and ordered.
Although the Monster Kings were fairly powerful, they were still no match for the Four Great Divine Venerables. If they stayed there any longer, their lives would be at risk. Upon receiving the order, the Monster Kings and the Great Kings hurriedly fled this place as though they had been pardoned for their sins. Before they left, they also made sure to bring the subdued Stone Spirit Clan members with them.
In just a short moment, only the Four Great Divine Venerables, Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi, and the Third Disciple were left. The cultivations of the Four Great Divine Venerables were exceptional, so although they had been suppressed by the Blood Gate’s power, they weren’t in danger at the moment. On the other hand, Yang Kai, Zhang Ruo Xi, and the Third Disciple were not from the Ancient Lands, nor were they members of the Monster Race, which was why they were unaffected by the restrictive power.
At this moment, everyone’s attention was on Zhang Ruo Xi. The young girl still remained on her knees with her head hung low, though her violent aura had subsided. However, a force that was awakening in her petite figure caused the Four Great Divine Venerables to be frightened.
“Bloodline Power!” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he had figured out what was going on. Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power had always been a mystery, one Yang Kai had wanted to help her unravel eventually, but had not been able to find any clues about.
Previously, when he came across the Bustling World Great Emperor, Duan Hong Chen, the latter seemed to have figured out something, but the old man insisted on acting mysterious and didn’t share any information with Yang Kai. This caused the latter to be on tenterhooks. Although Yang Kai was frustrated at the time, there was nothing he could do about it.
However, Yang Kai had never expected that Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power would awaken one day because of him when she experienced extreme anger and despair, causing her to crave for absolute power.
“What are you muttering about?” Shi Huo lowered his head and glared at Yang Kai. He could faintly hear Yang Kai speaking, but he didn’t hear it clearly because all his focus was on Zhang Ruo Xi.
“None of your damn business,” Yang Kai shot him a disdainful glance and sneered.
“Little Brat, you must be sick of living!” Shi Huo bellowed.
“Don’t make things even more complicated now!” Fan Wu suddenly yelled with a furious expression. The extraordinary transformation Zhang Ruo Xi was going through caused him to feel uneasy as he knew that it was caused by what happened to Yang Kai. If Yang Kai were to die now, they couldn’t predict what kind of transformation this young girl would undergo.
Whatever secrets were held in her body, Fan Wu couldn’t take it lightly since the Blood Gate was involved.
Shi Huo shook his head with displeasure, but he didn’t dare to find fault with Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai also didn’t want to keep provoking Shi Huo. To him, if Shi Huo still wouldn’t let him off, he would just have to fight him. The reason he continued to bear with it just now was that he wanted Zhang Ruo Xi and the Stone Spirit Clan to evacuate first.
Turning his head, Yang Kai focused on the current situation and called out gently, “Ruo Xi… Ruo Xi…”
Despite Yang Kai calling out to her more than a dozen times, she remained unmoving, which caused him to frown.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Cang Guo gulped as he appeared extremely wary. With his strength, he wouldn’t show any fear even if a Great Emperor had personally arrived. Even if he couldn’t defeat a Great Emperor, he was confident he could still flee; however, gazing at the seemingly delicate young girl who was on her knees in front of him now, he found himself to be instinctually terrified.
Luan Feng and Fan Wu traded glances as they could see the shock and anxiety in their eyes. In an impatient manner, Shi Huo uttered, “I have to kill her. I don’t like this feeling…”
As he spoke, he stepped towards Zhang Ruo Xi. However, after he took only two steps forward, Zhang Ruo Xi, who had remained silent this entire time, suddenly said in a low voice, “I understand now.”
“Hm?” The Four Great Divine Venerables stared at her in confusion.
Zhang Ruo Xi slowly raised her head with an icy cold expression on her pretty face, her bloodshot eyes sending a chill down the Four Great Divine Venerables’ spines.
“Ruo Xi…” Yang Kai was dumbstruck. He had spent many years with Zhang Ruo Xi, but he had never seen her looking like this before. Was she still the Zhang Ruo Xi he knew, even in this state?
The young girl let out a gentle breath as she got to her feet in an elegant manner and flicked the dust on her clothes away. Then, she turned around to stare at Shi Huo coldly and parted her red lips to confirm, “You lump of stone, did you just say you want to kill me?”
Shi Huo stiffened upon meeting her dispassionate gaze as his entire body was gripped by a sense of coldness. However, ten kilometres away, those Monster Kings were still looking in their direction, so he grit his teeth and snapped back, “So what if I did?”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded and stopped talking before shifting her attention to Yang Kai. As their gazes met, Yang Kai frowned because he was worried about her; however, before he could ask any questions, Zhang Ruo Xi looked away, as though she didn’t even recognize him.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he saw this as he didn’t understand what transformation she had gone through. At that instant, he found her to be unfamiliar, but at the same time, he felt utterly sorry for her.
Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand suddenly, summoning something into her palm. It was a translucent and beautiful jade sphere that was radiating some faint traces of Space Principles.
“The Space Spirit Jade!” Yang Kai frowned as he didn’t understand why Zhang Ruo Xi would suddenly take out the Space Spirit Jade at this point. It was a Zhang Family heirloom that Yang Kai had kept for a long time. He only passed it back to Zhang Ruo Xi just before entering the Ancient Lands because he felt she was powerful enough to explore the mysteries hidden within the Space Spirit Jade now. By doing so, perhaps she could unravel the secret behind her bloodline.
However, she hadn’t been able to discover anything, so he didn’t expect that she would take it out at this moment. While Yang Kai was gazing at her curiously, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly flicked her wrist, upon which, the Space Spirit Jade transformed into a beam of light and shot towards the Blood Gate. In an instant, the beam of light integrated with the Blood Gate and added a layer of white to its red surface.
The next moment, images that depicted a paradise kept flashing in the air above the Space Spirit Jade. The flashing of these images was accompanied by a deafening creaking.
It was like a door that had been shut for a very long time was slowly being opened, and a wave of horrifying aura began wafting out from behind it.
“The Blood Gate’s key! It’s the Blood Gate’s key!” After Fan Wu observed the sight for some time with a frown, his expression changed drastically as he exclaimed in shock and stared at Zhang Ruo Xi with widened eyes as he yelled, “Why do you have the Blood Gate’s key?”
Luan Feng couldn’t help but cover her mouth as she looked dazedly at the Blood Gate and muttered, “The Blood Gate is opening…”
*Hong Long Long…*
Finally, the sound of the door opening was heard. Behind the Blood Gate, a translucent and beautiful sight could faintly be seen. It was as though a palace had been erected there, but the sight was so surreal that it left all bewildered.
“The Blood Gate’s key?” Yang Kai was amazed as a myriad of expressions came over him. He had studied the Space Spirit Jade for quite some time, but he had never expected that it was actually a key that could unlock the Blood Gate.
Taking this new information into consideration though, the beautiful images that kept flashing in the air above the Space Spirit Jade they saw just now were likely the landscape beyond the Blood Gate, and that palace was the legendary Divine Spirit Palace.
“Why do you think I have the Blood Gate’s key?” Zhang Ruo Xi uttered in a dispassionate and flat tone. However, Fan Wu couldn’t help but take a few steps back and turn pale, as though he had just heard the devil’s voice.
Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand towards the Blood Gate, as though she was summoning something from it.
*Xiu…*
A beam of light shot out of the Blood Gate, one which Zhang Ruo Xi grabbed as it arrived at her hand.
*Zheng…*
The sound of a sword humming was heard. It was then that everyone came to the realization that it was a beautifully crafted sword that had shot out of the Blood Gate. The blade was polished and reflective, with a hilt that was carved with Dragons and Phoenixes. At the end of the hilt was a red tassel that waved about as if it was alive.
With the sword in her hand, Zhang Ruo Xi’s aura suddenly surged, her aura now as imposing as a peak Third-Order Emperor.
*Huala…*
All of a sudden, a lifelike illusory phantom emerged behind Zhang Ruo Xi.
Yang Kai widened his eyes as he stared dazedly at this illusory phantom. Although he had seen this image many times before, he was still astounded every time he laid eyes upon it.
It was an illusory phantom of a gigantic woman whose long hair cascaded down her. With her head raised slightly, she appeared impassive. This woman looked somewhat similar to Zhang Ruo Xi. With a huge sheathed sword in her hands, she was standing quietly behind Zhang Ruo Xi, as though she was her elongated shadow.
“Heaven’s Order Sword!” Unable to hold it in anymore, Fan Wu exclaimed as the colour drained from his face.
“You’re a descendent of Heaven’s Order?” Luan Feng’s alluring face turned ashen as she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
On the other hand, Cang Guo was trembling uncontrollably and almost couldn’t support his own weight. Shi Huo’s mind turned blank as he almost collapsed to the ground.
As Divine Spirits, they had inherited their ancestors’ Source Strength as well as their memories, so they knew better than anyone how terrifying Heaven’s Order was.
In the era when Heaven’s Order existed, it was the most trying time for all Divine Spirits. Ninety percent of them were killed by her, and countless Divine Spirit Sources had been sealed inside the Divine Spirit Palace that was behind the Blood Gate, never to see the light of day again. This was why all Divine Spirits feared Heaven’s Order, always worried about their own safety.
In fact, against Divine Spirits, Heaven’s Order was more powerful than even Great Emperors. Though, this was limited to Divine Spirits, which made her their natural enemy.
Both Phoenixes and Dragons were no exception, as she had killed many Dragons in her lifetime.
Although the Four Great Divine Venerables in the Ancient Lands were Divine Spirits as well, they were still much weaker than True Dragons. Even the Dragons were no match for Heaven’s Order, let alone these Divine Venerables. That was why, when they realized that Zhang Ruo Xi was Heaven’s Order’s descendant, they turned completely pale in fright, as though the end of the world had arrived.
“Fan Wu… don’t go spouting nonsense…” Cang Guo gulped as he looked dazedly at Zhang Ruo Xi, who had transformed into a completely different person. In a trembling voice, he uttered, “Are you sure she is a descendant of Heaven’s Order?”
Fan Wu forced a smile and replied in a bitter voice, “You’ve also inherited your ancestors’ memories, so don’t you recognize that sword?”
Cang Guo was rendered speechless, as Heaven’s Order Sword was exactly what Heaven’s Order used as her primary weapon. From the memories they had inherited, they knew that the sword had been sealed behind the Blood Gate. The reason they cordoned off this area and never allowed anyone to come close to this place wasn’t that they were worried about Monster Race members obtaining Source Strength and being reborn as Divine Spirits.
No, their worry was that the Heaven’s Order Sword would re-emerge in this world. Now, their biggest worry had become reality.
It wasn’t that someone had barged into the Blood Gate and brought the Heaven’s Order Sword out, but it was summoned by a Human girl in her early twenties. Only Heaven’s Order and her descendants were capable of wielding the Heaven’s Order Sword. With that sword in her hand, Zhang Ruo Xi’s identity could not be clearer.
“It’s all over…” Cang Guo muttered. Their biggest worry had come true. Heaven’s Order Sword had reappeared, and the bloodline of Heaven’s Order’s descendant had awakened. From now on, there wouldn’t be a single peaceful day for any Divine Spirits anymore. The people who would face her wrath first were undoubtedly the Four Great Divine Venerables at the scene.
“Heaven’s Order’s descendant…” Yang Kai was dumbstruck, as he had never expected that Zhang Ruo Xi was the descendant of the legendary Heaven’s Order, who was the natural enemy of all the Divine Spirits.
The revelation was so shocking that he still couldn’t come to his senses after some time. Soon though, he thought of something. After they entered the Flowing Time Temple in the Four Season Land, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly disappeared for some time. When she appeared again, she was clad in the Pink Clouds Phoenix Robe, a priceless defensive Emperor Artifact.
Zhang Ruo Xi told him that it was a guy called Qiong Qi who gifted it to her. Qiong Qi was one of the most ferocious among the Ancient Divine Spirits, so Yang Kai had never understood why such a powerful creature would give Zhang Ruo Xi such a precious artifact. Now, he realized that Qiong Qi must have sensed her Bloodline Power, which was why the beast hadn’t dared to make things difficult for her. He must have also realized that her bloodline would awaken if she was pushed into a crisis, and when that happened, Qiong Qi would find himself in a perilous situation.
On the other hand, Duan Hong Chen must have figured it out as well, but he wouldn’t dare to reveal such an important secret. All the signs suggested that Zhang Ruo Xi was undoubtedly a descendant of Heaven’s Order.
“I see…” Yang Kai put on a bitter smile. Things had developed to a point that had exceeded his imagination, as he had never expected that he would be so flabbergasted after Zhang Ruo Xi’s Bloodline Power awakened.
“You!” Zhang Ruo Xi shot Shi Huo a glare and spoke in a cold voice, “Tell me, how do you want to die?”
Shi Huo shuddered as his face warped in fear. The flickering flames in his eyes suggested that he was extremely anxious. Just some time ago, he had no regard for Zhang Ruo Xi whatsoever, as he could easily kill a Human girl in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm with a snort; however, the girl before his eyes now was able to make him feel uneasy and fill his heart with despair.
He had revealed his intention of killing Zhang Ruo Xi just now, and he had tortured Yang Kai for a very long time, so he was certain that she must completely resent him now. The Monster Race members and the other Divine Venerables might be able to survive this calamity, but he was certain he had no future.
Upon realizing this, Shi Huo threw all caution to the wind and decided to double down, pushing his dark flames madly as he shouted, “So what if you’re a descendant of Heaven’s Order!? I am the descendant of an Ancient Divine Spirit, how are you able to kill me before you even grow up?”
After he barked at Zhang Ruo Xi, he turned to look at Fan Wu and the others as he uttered, “My fellow Divine Venerables, Heaven’s Order is the common enemy of all the Divine Spirits, and her power is capable of suppressing all of us. If all of you still want to rest easy at night, why don’t you join me and nip her descendant in the bud before she becomes stronger?”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened when he heard that as he sized up the other three Divine Venerables anxiously.
Just like what Shi Huo had said, the Bloodline Power within Zhang Ruo Xi had just awakened, so it wasn’t certain how powerful she was. However, the powers of these Divine Venerables were unquestionable. Once they joined forces, Zhang Ruo Xi might not be able to counter them.
Cang Guo appeared tempted, apparently swayed by what Shi Huo had said. On the other hand, Fan Wu and Luan Feng didn’t give any reaction, so it wasn’t certain what was on their minds. Their reactions were not missed by Cang Guo as well, and after giving it a thought with a frown, he shook his head slightly and suppressed the impulse in his heart.
Shi Huo’s heart sank when he saw that and snarled, “Are you really willing to give her time to grow? Don’t you understand that when she becomes stronger, all Divine Spirits in the world will live a life that is worse than Hell?”
Naturally, Fan Wu and the others understood that as well. When Heaven’s Order walked the world in the past, all Divine Spirits hid in fear from her, worried she would find them and take their Sources before killing them.
It wasn’t until Heaven’s Order suddenly went missing hundreds of thousands of years ago that these Divine Spirits slowly emerged again. Shi Huo’s words were indeed sensible, but Fan Wu and the others didn’t have the guts to confront Zhang Ruo Xi.
Faced with someone with Heaven’s Order’s bloodline, they were instinctively wary and terrified. Even if they wanted to deal with Zhang Ruo Xi, they didn’t have the courage to do so.
Fan Wu directly closed his eyes and stayed clear from this. Apparently, he wasn’t willing to offend Zhang Ruo Xi.
On the other hand, his intention was to let Shi Huo test the waters first. If Zhang Ruo Xi, as Heaven’s Order’s descendant, turned out to be less powerful than she appeared to be, it wouldn’t be too late for them to make a move. However, if she had inherited all of Heaven’s Order’s abilities, then Shi Huo would be the best guinea pig.
“Fine then!” Shi Huo snorted and swept a mocking glance over Fan Wu and the others before he uttered loudly, “Since that’s the case, I’ll end her life on my own. You don’t have to thank me afterwards!”
Upon finishing his words, he growled as his already gigantic figure seemed to expand once more, growing twice as large as before. His entire body was engulfed in dark flames, and his eyes were burning with rage. The ground seemed to have melted because of the heat, and the atmosphere around that place turned scorching hot.
*Deng, Deng, Deng…*
Shi Huo charged forward and reached Zhang Ruo Xi in just three steps. He raised his right arm as he was aiming to strike her with his humongous fist.
“From today onward, there won’t be any more descendants of Heaven’s Order!” Shi Huo grinned as his aura turned violent. He had never been kind-hearted; otherwise, he wouldn’t have slaughtered all of those from the Black Tortoise Sect twenty thousand years ago. It all happened because when one of their disciples was travelling around the world, he came across Shi Huo and offended him because he didn’t know who the latter was. Nevertheless, in retaliation, Shi Huo went to the Black Tortoise Sect and killed all ten thousand members of that Sect.
Judging from how he tortured Yang Kai on this day, it was apparent that he was a ruthless individual that was worse than the infamous ominous beast, Qiong Qi. As his gargantuan fist flew towards Zhang Ruo Xi, the wind pressure that came with his attack caused her hair and clothes to fly out behind her.
Fan Wu widened his eyes in that instant and stared fixedly at them, wanting to determine whether this Heaven’s Order descendant was as powerful as she appeared to be. Luan Feng and Cang Guo held their breaths as well.
The Third Disciple exclaimed and covered her eyes, as though she didn’t dare toover time watch what would happen next. At the same time, Yang Kai shouted, “Ruo Xi, watch out!”
Under everyone’s gazes though, Zhang Ruo Xi just stood there without showing any intention of making a move. She didn’t try to evade the attack, nor did she attempt to defend herself. Faced with the strike that was powerful enough to shatter worlds, she appeared unfazed as her expression was completely calm. Standing in front of the gigantic Shi Huo, she looked as small as an ant, which was a stark contrast to the attacker.
Shi Huo was elated that she remained unmoving, exerting more force with his fist as he sneered, “Weak!”
He could already envision the sight of Zhang Ruo Xi being crushed to death by him. If he could kill her, all the Divine Spirits in this world would owe him a favour, a huge favour. By then, everyone in the Ancient Lands, including Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables, wouldn’t dare to disobey him.
“Kneel down!” Just as the huge fist was about to hit her, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly tucked her hair behind her ear and parted her lips to utter these two words lightly.
“What?” Fan Wu was startled. Luan Feng and Cang Guo were also rooted to the spot as they glanced at each other, thinking to themselves, [Did we hear that right? Did this little girl just demand that Shi Huo kneel down? Even if she’s really Heaven’s Order’s descendant, and her bloodline has awakened, she’s still just a little girl. Was she originally this haughty? Her enemy is Divine Spirit, Shi Huo.]
*Weng…*
Just then, the Blood Gate started humming as a mysterious force flooded out from it. Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Guo grunted as their expressions changed drastically. Under this strange force’s suppression, the Divine Spirit Sources in their bodies shook violently and their minds filled with soul-wrenching fear. They almost fell to their knees right then and there, as though they couldn’t even support their own weight.
Fortunately, they managed to stabilize their figures and not embarrass themselves at the last moment; however, the actual target of the mysterious force, Shi Huo, wasn’t so lucky. His colossal fist stopped just a palm length from Zhang Ruo Xi, his flames almost burning her hair. Nevertheless, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t advance his fist even the slightest bit further.
His expression changed from stunned to shocked, and his legs turned to jelly as he fell on his knees in front of Zhang Ruo Xi.
“Ahh…” Fan Wu and the others gasped in utter astonishment.
They could feel that this force that had suppressed Shi Huo didn’t come from Zhang Ruo Xi, but rather from the Blood Gate. Still, it was obvious that this force was being controlled by this young girl before their eyes.
She was able to force a Divine Spirit, Shi Huo, to kneel down on the ground with ease. In other words, it wouldn’t take her much effort to suppress the other three Divine Venerables.
At that instant, Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables were drenched in cold sweat. Cang Gou was especially glad that he didn’t agree to Shi Huo’s request and join forces with him, for if he had, he would also have been humiliated and forced to his knees right now.
“He really knelt down…” The Monster Kings ten kilometres away widened their eyes as their jaws dropped. On the other hand, the Stone Spirits, who had been subdued by them, appeared excited and gleeful.
The Embodiment suddenly grinned and demanded, “Release us immediately if you don’t want to die; otherwise, all of you will suffer a horrible death!”
The Monster Kings and the Eight Great Kings were shocked upon hearing this threat, and after trading glances, they hurriedly backed away from the Stone Spirits as they didn’t dare to go hard on them anymore.
Even someone as powerful as Shi Huo was forced to kneel down in front of Zhang Ruo Xi, which was why these Monster Kings didn’t dare to be haughty anymore. They were extremely worried because they didn’t know what punishments awaited them.
After that, the Stone Spirit Clan and Embodiment cracked their limbs and got to their feet before they turned attentively to the sight that was ten kilometres away from them.
On the other side, Shi Huo, who was still on his knees, couldn’t believe what had just happened. The dark flames in his eyes flickered as he was on the brink of a breakdown.
He was a Divine Spirit as well as one of the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands, but now, he was forced to kneel down with a single command from a young girl. This kind of humiliation was intolerable for him.
He roared hysterically as he tried to get to his feet; however, a glowing red layer suddenly engulfed his entire body and suppressed all his strength, causing him to be unable to move a muscle.
*Zheng…*
Zhang Ruo Xi pointed her Heaven’s Order Sword at Shi Huo’s chest. Following her movement, the clouds in the sky seemed to have turned turbulent as the huge female illusory phantom behind her made a move.
The illusory phantom suddenly unsheathed her huge sword and pointed it in Shi Huo’s direction, her alluring face completely dispassionate.
“World Force!” Fan Wu paled as he looked up at the sky and felt a bitter taste in his mouth. If he still doubted how much of Heaven’s Order’s power Zhang Ruo Xi had inherited and to what extent he could resist just now, such ideas were completely snuffed out by this sight. The only thing he needed to consider now was how to survive under Zhang Ruo Xi’s wrath.
World Force fluctuated after the sword was unsheathed, which went to show that Heaven’s Order’s bloodline in Zhang Ruo Xi had completely awakened. Given enough time, she would become the new Heaven’s Order, the worst nightmare for all the Divine Spirits.
“W-What are you doing?” Shi Huo’s expression changed drastically as he exclaimed. Realizing just how massive the difference between their powers was, he couldn’t stay calm anymore. His flaming eyes appeared uneasy and fearful as he yelled, “I’m Divine Spirit Shi Huo, don’t you even think about killing me!”
“Divine Spirit Shi Huo, you are indeed a powerful being, but you are also cruel and revel in slaughter and death. As Heaven’s Order’s descendant, I’ll now take your Divine Spirit Source and seize your Divine Spirit Power. I hope all the Divine Spirits in this World will learn from this lesson,” Zhang Ruo Xi uttered impassively with an emotionless expression.
“What?” Shi Huo widened his eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice, “You want to seize my Divine Spirit Source?”
Without replying to him, Zhang Ruo Xi slowly pushed out her Heaven’s Order Sword. At the same time, the huge illusory phantom mirrored her actions and stabbed her gigantic sword into Shi Huo’s body.
Shi Huo’s figure was extremely sturdy, so even other Divine Spirits like Fan Wu and Luan Feng couldn’t harm him easily if they made a move against him. His body was even tougher than those of the Stone Spirit Clan.
Despite that, his figure now looked as frail as a piece of tofu when faced with the Heaven’s Order Sword. Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t seem to have exerted any real force with her thrust, but her sword easily pierced right into Shi Huo’s chest.
“No!” Shi Huo wailed as he stared at his own chest with widened eyes. Flustered, he yelled, “No! You can’t take away my Source! I’m Divine Spirit Shi Huo, I refuse to accept this!”
*Chi, Chi, Chi…*
The sound of Heaven’s Order Sword piercing Shi Huo echoed clearly, causing Fan Wu and the others to turn pale. By just listening to the sound, it was as though they could feel the same excruciating pain of that sword piercing their bodies.
Luan Feng trembled uncontrollably as her back was soaked in cold sweat.
“No, no! Madam, I know I was wrong. Please give me a chance to correct my ways! I’ll never do evil things again!” Seeing that he couldn’t stop his Source Strength from leaking out of his body, Shi Huo hurriedly begged for mercy.
He was a Divine Spirit with extreme pride in himself. If it weren’t because he was left with no choice, he wouldn’t have yielded. The sight made Fan Wu and the others feel distressed.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi was unfazed as she continued pushing her Heaven’s Order Sword into Shi Huo’s body until only the hilt was shown.
“It’s no use regretting now. You crossed a line you never should have,” a ferocious glint flashed across Zhang Ruo Xi’s gaze as she clenched the hilt.
*Hong…*
A booming sound was heard as Shi Huo’s chest and back exploded, forming a long hole through his body. Shi Huo shook violently as he lost all that was left of his imposing manner.
When Zhang Ruo Xi pulled back her Heaven’s Order Sword, something that looked like a heart was also drawn out. The heart was still beating vigorously, making thudding sounds, seemingly containing immense power.
“It’s Shi Huo’s Source.” Fan Wu turned completely pale as he staggered. A single glance was all it took to recognize that the thing in Zhang Ruo Xi’s hand was Shi Huo’s Source. Without it, Shi Huo would regress from a Divine Spirit to just an ordinary Monster Beast.
Luan Feng and Cang Gou were so shocked that they could hardly breathe as their chests felt incredibly heavy.
Through the memories they had inherited from their ancestors, they had already learned that Heaven’s Order was capable of seizing a Divine Spirit’s Source; however, those were just memories in the end, incomparable to witnessing such a feat with their own eyes.
Besides Heaven’s Order and her descendants, no one else in this world could easily take away a Divine Spirit’s Source.
Shi Huo’s life was basically over. Even if he managed to survive without his Source, he would become a cripple. At that moment, he could be seen kneeling on the ground in a dazed state, the hole in his chest looked hideous as the dark flames around his body had been completely extinguished. His aura appeared weak, as his cultivation had now probably dropped below the Twelfth-Order.
Then, Zhang Ruo Xi wielded her sword, which flashed in the sunlight, whereupon Shi Huo’s tremendous figure collapsed to the ground and broke into countless pieces of rock. With his vitality all gone, he no longer existed in this world.
After that, Zhang Ruo Xi shot a glance at Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou, causing their hearts to leap to their throats. With horrified expressions, they couldn’t help stepping backwards. Now, they were most afraid that Zhang Ruo Xi would make a move against them.
Judging from what happened to Shi Huo, if Zhang Ruo Xi wanted to kill them, they wouldn’t even stand a chance of escaping. The restrictive power coming from the Blood Gate was horrifying, and they were powerless to resist it. Perhaps the suppressive power only targeted Divine Spirits though as Yang Kai and the Third Disciple didn’t seem affected at all.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi only shot them a cold glance before she put the sword back into the sheath. All of a sudden, Heaven’s Order Sword and the huge illusory phantom behind her disappeared at the same time.
Fan Wu and the others heaved a sigh of relief. Although they didn’t know what Zhang Ruo Xi’s intention was, her actions suggested that they were safe for now.
Following that, Zhang Ruo Xi turned to look at Yang Kai. At this moment, Yang Kai appeared utterly battered. This was probably the biggest loss he had suffered in his life. His clothes were caked with dried blood, and his face was so swollen that he could barely open his eyes. Golden blood was still streaming down from his head, and the bones in both of his legs had been shattered. Unable to get to his feet, he could only sit on the ground, completely paralyzed.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai flashed a bitter smile at her. He wasn’t certain whether Zhang Ruo Xi’s transformation was a good or bad thing. In comparison, he preferred the soft-spoken and obedient Zhang Ruo Xi of the past. The Heaven’s Order’s descendant before his eyes now appeared unfeeling; moreover, her gaze and temperament were utterly foreign to Yang Kai.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand again, upon which a beam of light shot out of the Blood Gate. Fan Wu and the others turned pale again and stared in that direction.
The last time Zhang Ruo Xi raised her hand, the Heaven’s Order Sword flew out of the Blood Gate. What would it be this time?
To their surprise, what Zhang Ruo Xi obtained wasn’t any weapon, but rather a delicious-looking scarlet spirit fruit that a rich aroma wafted from, involuntarily inducing hunger in all who smelt its scent.
Then, Zhang Ruo Xi flickered towards Yang Kai before she crouched down and passed the spirit fruit to him.
Without taking it, Yang Kai looked dazedly at her for a moment before asking, “Are you Ruo Xi?”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded slightly as she replied gently, “Sir, it’s me. Eat this first. It can help you recover faster.”
“You…” Yang Kai appeared shocked.
“Sir, I’m still Ruo Xi, and this fact will never change,” as she spoke, the coldness and indifference in her eyes melted and was replaced by the kind of warm light Yang Kai was familiar with.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai started laughing as he could finally set his mind at ease. Only then did he take the spirit fruit from Zhang Ruo Xi and examine it, a moment later exclaiming in shock, “A ten-thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Fruit!”
He didn’t expect that the spirit fruit Zhang Ruo Xi had summoned out of the Blood Gate was a ten-thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Fruit. This was one of the rarest spirit fruits in the world because the blood of a Divine Spirit Phoenix was required to cultivate the tree it grew from. The Phoenix Clan was at the top of the hierarchy among all Divine Spirits, so hardly anyone in the world could challenge them, let alone kill them and take their blood.
It took all the Blood Essence of a Divine Spirit Phoenix to cultivate a Phoenix Blood Fruit Tree, after which it would then take ten thousand years for the tree to flower, then another ten thousand years for fruits to ripen from those flowers. In terms of the level of rarity, it was even more precious than the Extraordinary Treasure Lotus Yang Kai had come across in the Four Season Land.
Unexpectedly, now, a Phoenix Blood Fruit was right before his eyes, and it was Zhang Ruo Xi who nonchalantly summoned it out of the Blood Gate. Apparently, there must be a Phoenix Blood Fruit Tree behind the Blood Gate that was cultivated by Heaven’s Order after she killed a Phoenix Clan member and harvested their blood.