A Phoenix Blood Fruit had no other uses besides being an exceptional healing tonic. As long as the injured person was still breathing, this fruit could certainly save their life. In this sense, its use was quite similar to the Immortal Source Liquid.
Fan Wu and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. Although they were aloof Divine Spirits, they had never seen anything as precious as the Phoenix Blood Fruit before, leaving them flabbergasted.
But soon, the faces of these three Divine Venerables fell. Luan Feng’s pretty face was especially filled with regret and anxiety.
Judging from the situation they were in, although the bloodline of this Heavens Order’s descendant had awakened completely, she still regarded Yang Kai as someone precious to her. If this wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t have drawn out a Phoenix Blood Fruit from the Blood Gate to help him heal his injuries as this act was quite an extravagant waste.
Earlier, when Yang Kai was tortured and humiliated by Shi Huo, all three of them just watched from the side and did nothing, which led to Yang Kai becoming so battered. They wondered if this Heavens Order’s descendant would next settle the score with them.
Luan Feng was especially worried because Zhang Ruo Xi had slapped herself and begged her to help Yang Kai, but she remained unfazed, and she didn’t have any intention of stopping Zhang Ruo Xi, which led to the young girl slapping herself continuously until her cheeks were completely swollen. The blood at the corner of Zhang Ruo Xi’s mouth hadn’t even dried up yet.
If Luan Feng had known this would be the outcome, she would’ve done her a favour and saved Yang Kai, thereby making the young girl owe her one. However, she wasn’t willing to do that earlier because she didn’t want to offend Shi Huo. Looking back now, it was obvious whose favour was more important.
Now that Shi Huo was dead and his Source Strength had been taken away, Luan Feng’s previous worries looked laughable and had put her into a tight spot. It was the first time she felt so regretful in her life, and her mouth was filled with bitterness. Given a second chance, she would definitely choose to go against Shi Huo.
“Sir, heal your wounds first,” Seeing that Yang Kai remained unmoving with the Phoenix Blood Fruit in his hand, Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t help but urge him to eat it. She had travelled together with Yang Kai for many years, but this was the first time she saw him looking so battered. While she was feeling sorry for him, her heart was also filled with resentment. Although she had killed the main culprit, Shi Huo, the other three present who did nothing but stood by were equally to blame in her mind.
After a nod, Yang Kai put the Phoenix Blood Fruit into his mouth and gulped it down. Although the fruit was rare and precious, he wouldn’t turn down Zhang Ruo Xi’s good intention. In an instant, the fresh and sweet juice permeated in his mouth. Following that, a warm stream in his stomach began flowing towards all his organs, filling his entire body and bones as it rapidly healed his wounds.
Yang Kai was shocked. Although he had known that Phoenix Blood Fruit was the best fruit for healing, he only realized how incredible the spirit fruit was after tasting it. It was said that as long as the injured person was still breathing, one piece of Phoenix Blood Fruit was enough to fully restore that person. Now, it seemed that these rumours weren’t exaggerated.
“Sir, how should we deal with them?” Zhang Ruo Xi spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense while turning her eyes to look at Fan Wu and the others, who dared not move a muscle.
The chests of Fan Wu and the others tightened when they saw her turning to gaze at them and they subconsciously gulped. Her cold gaze sent chills down their spines as they wondered what this Heavens Order’s descendant was thinking.
“How do you want to deal with them?” Yang Kai asked her the same question instead of answering it.
“I want to kill them all!” Zhang Ruo Xi’s gaze turned cold.
Yang Kai put on a bitter smile as he knew that she must be resentful of them. There was no way she would let them off.
“But, I’ll listen to you,” Zhang Ruo Xi added. “I’ll kill them if you want them dead.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “You don’t own the power that you used to kill Shi Huo, right?”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded slightly and uttered, “I borrowed the power my ancestors left behind inside the Blood Gate. My own power isn’t enough to go up against them yet.”
“What are the downsides of using that power?” Yang Kai asked. He knew that borrowing such strength was no easy task; after all, Zhang Ruo Xi was still just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so it was impossible that there were no consequences for her using a power great enough to kill a Divine Spirit.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Ruo Xi replied honestly, “There’ll be some slight burden on my body.”
“Forget it then,” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“But, Sir…” Zhang Ruo Xi didn’t seem happy to let them off.
Yang Kai uttered, “Although they didn’t offer to help us, it doesn’t mean they should be killed. What they did was what most people would do in that situation. At the end of the day, they didn’t harm me one bit. It’s good enough that Shi Huo is dead. Moreover, Luan Feng stopped you from killing yourself, so I owe her a favour.”
Zhang Ruo Xi bit her lip and nodded almost imperceptibly, which suggested that she agreed with Yang Kai, “Since you’ve said so, I won’t kill them, then. But, we still have to teach them a lesson, otherwise, they’ll think that we’re pushovers!” After a snort, she stood up in front of Yang Kai and shot a cold glare at Fan Wu and the others.
Yang Kai shook his head with a helpless smile. Zhang Ruo Xi’s temperament had changed drastically after her Bloodline Power awakened. She was now so domineering that Yang Kai couldn’t get used to it. With that said, he still felt her transformation was a good thing overall because timid and obedient people would only be bullied in this world.
It was the first time Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou felt so apprehensive in their lives. As they watched Zhang Ruo Xi and Yang Kai communicating with each other secretly, they felt like they were sitting on pins and needles. Seeing that Zhang Ruo Xi stood up and turned to face them, they felt a crawling sensation on their scalps, and they instinctively wanted to flee. However, Shi Huo’s death served as a lesson for them, so they didn’t dare to make any rash move lest they be killed on the spot.
“Madam, is there anything we can do for you?” Fan Wu grit his teeth and cupped his fists before asking. Luan Feng and Cang Gou looked apprehensively at them with their faces stiffened.
Zhang Ruo Xi snorted and uttered coldly, “Listen well. All of you helped Shi Huo oppress the weak and made things difficult for Sir. Even if I slaughtered you all, it wouldn’t begin to calm the fury in my heart!”
The expressions of Fan Wu and the others changed drastically when they heard this, and they almost wanted to run for their lives. However, they forced themselves to remain on the spot because they were too frightened of Zhang Ruo Xi.
“But…” Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly changed her tone, “Sir is a kind-hearted man, so he doesn’t want to kill others unless it’s necessary. Since the culprit is dead, he won’t pursue the matter.”
In an instant, Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou felt ecstatic as they shifted their attention to Yang Kai at the same time, directing grateful expressions at him as if he was their saviour.
“Although I won’t kill you, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any punishments. Take this lesson and learn from your foolish mistakes. If you dare to use your strength as Divine Spirit to oppress the weak again, your end will be the same as Shi Huo’s!” As soon as Zhang Ruo Xi finished speaking, she pushed out her palm at them.
The Blood Gate buzzed again, upon which two beams of red light shot out of it and struck Fan Wu and Cang Gou. Unable to resist these strikes, the two Divine Verenables were sent flying as they coughed up blood mid-air.
Luan Feng was rooted to the spot as her eyelashes fluttered. A moment later, she finally realized that she wasn’t attacked. She was an intelligent woman, so she knew why Fan Wu and Cang Gou were harmed, but not her. It was all because she had saved this Heavens Order’s descendant earlier. At that instant, she was glad she had at least done that much.
On the other hand, Fan Wu and Cang Gou fell to the ground. Although they appeared quite miserable, they dared not utter any complaint. Instead, they heaved a sigh of relief and got to their feet before cupping their fists and bowing, “Many thanks for sparing our lives.”
They understood that since Zhang Ruo Xi had made such a move, it meant that this matter was settled and they were safe, for now.
Zhang Ruo Xi snorted as her pretty face turned slightly red. It seemed that her body was now feeling the burden of borrowing the power from the Blood Gate. Remaining on the spot, she looked into the distance and beckoned, “Uncle Stone, Xiao Xiao, come here!”
The Uncle Stone she was referring to was undoubtedly the Embodiment. They had lived together in the Sealed World Bead for many years, so they were on good terms.
Upon hearing this call, the Embodiment and Xiao Xiao, who were just ten kilometres away, hurriedly ran over and reached Zhang Ruo Xi a moment later.
Zhang Ruo Xi turned to look at Fan Wu without uttering a word. Understanding her hint, Fan Wu immediately removed the seals on the Embodiment and Xiao Xiao, restoring their freedom.
“Uncle Stone, this is for you.” As Zhang Ruo Xi spoke, she flicked Shi Huo’s Source, which she had been holding in her hand all this while, towards the Embodiment. The heart-like thing spun and hovered around the Embodiment’s chest.
“For me?” Embodiment’s gaze brightened. He had seen how Zhang Ruo Xi killed Shi Huo, so he knew what this thing was. This was Shi Huo’s Source. If any suitable person could obtain it, refine it, and inherit its Source Strength, they would become the next Shi Huo.
After a nod, Zhang Ruo Xi drew out her Heavens Order Sword again and pointed it gently at Embodiment as she uttered, “The Stone Spirit Clan and Shi Huo are somewhat related, so your body structure and nature are quite similar to his. Therefore, I believe that a Stone Spirit Clan member like you can inherit Shi Huo’s power.”
The tip of Heavens Order Sword, which was pointed at Embodiment, suddenly shone brightly and carved a strange pattern on his chest. The pattern seemed to have a power of attraction, and with a blow, it pulled Shi Huo’s Source into it, causing it to disappear from everyone’s sight.
The Embodiment grunted as his body started burning with dark flames, and his face instantly contorted in pain.
Zhang Ruo Xi lowered the sword and quickly performed a hand seal with both her hands, upon which, a series of abstruse seals shot into the Embodiment. With every seal penetrating his body, the dark flames would be suppressed significantly. After a quarter of an hour, all the flames finally disappeared.
At the same time, the Embodiment fell silent and sat down cross-legged on the spot, as though he had fallen into the state of enlightenment.
“This Stone Spirit has now become one of the most powerful individuals in the world,” Fan Wu suddenly uttered as he looked at them from nearby.
With a bitter smile, Luan Feng said, “I heard that not only could Heavens Order take away a Divine Spirit’s Source, she could also bequeath them to others to create new Divine Spirits. Now we know this is true.”
Cang Gou appeared envious as he said, “If this Stone Spirit were to try to inherit Shi Huo’s Source on his own, the success rate would only be about ten percent; however, with the help of Heavens Order’s descendant, there are basically no drawbacks. After he refines Shi Huo’s Source, this world will have a new Divine Spirit.”
3 chapters a week for now and will increase depending on the Patreon goal. This is how Martial Peak was done in the past as well.
After Zhang Ruo Xi sealed the Source inside the Embodiment, her face suddenly turned pale.
Although she appeared nonchalant, it obviously took her a lot of strength to do all this. After looking around, she raised her hand again, upon which the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal, which was taken away by Shi Huo, whooshed towards her and fell into her hand.
“Sir, I’ll keep this gift that you’ve given me,” she clenched the Ten Thousand Beasts Seal as her eyes were filled with sorrow.
“Where are you going?” Yang Kai was shocked as he could hear the hidden meaning in her words.
Zhang Ruo Xi pressed her lips together and replied, “My Bloodline Power has awakened, so I have to inherit my ancestor’s power.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai turned to look at the Blood Gate.
Zhang Ruo Xi put on a smile as the coldness on her face melted in an instant. In a soft voice, she said, “Sir, once I can come out of the Blood Gate, I’ll be able to help you, and I won’t hold you back anymore. We’ll never go through incidents like what happened today again.”
Yang Kai parted his lips to say something, but in the end sighed, “It’s not your fault. It was me who couldn’t protect you.”
Zhang Ruo Xi shook her head, “It’s not Sir’s fault. It’s me who was too wilful.”
Without dwelling on the subject, Yang Kai stared at her and asked, “Must you go?”
With a determined expression, Zhang Ruo Xi nodded.
After that nod, Yang Kai went on to say, “Go then. It’s your ancestor’s power, so you can’t ignore it; however, you must be careful.”
“I will,” Zhang Ruo Xi said with slightly teary eyes. Then, she took a look at Xiao Xiao, “Sir, I’ll take Xiao Xiao with me. I’ll make sure that he inherits the power of Tai Yue. Please tell the Stone Spirit Clan members about it later.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded.
All the Stone Spirit Clan members came out this time because they wanted to send Xiao Xiao into the Blood Gate to inherit the power of Divine Spirit Tai Yue; however, things turned out to be the opposite of their expectations. Since Zhang Ruo Xi would bring Xiao Xiao with her now, there wouldn’t be any problem.
“Xiao Xiao, after you enter the Blood Gate, you must listen to Ruo Xi and must not cause her any trouble,” Yang Kai reminded Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao kept nodding and grunting, as though he was telling Yang Kai that he would be obedient.
“Don’t worry, Sir. Since Uncle Stone can inherit Shi Huo’s Source, I’m sure Xiao Xiao will be able to inherit Tai Yue’s Source as well,” Zhang Ruo Xi reassured him.
Then, she turned to look at Fan Wu and the others. In an instant, her expression turned cold as she said sternly, “If anything happens to Sir in the Ancient Lands, I’ll kill you all after I return from the Blood Gate!”
She made no attempt to be polite with her speech. If anyone spoke to Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables in such a manner, they would’ve pounced on that person; however, since it was Zhang Ruo Xi who was speaking, they all appeared meek now.
In an anxious manner, Fan Wu cupped his fists and uttered, “Don’t worry, Madam. As long as I’m alive, I’ll make sure nothing will happen to your Sir.”
Luan Feng and Cang Gou nodded sternly. Judging from the current situation, they thought that if they wanted to live their lives peacefully, they had to strike up a good relationship with Yang Kai. If they were on favourable terms with Yang Kai, then this Heavens Order’s descendant would probably stop finding fault with them.
At that instant, Yang Kai looked like a golden treasure in their eyes.
“Sir…” Zhang Ruo Xi turned to look at Yang Kai with a gaze that was filled with grief. Pressing her lips together, she said, “I’ll take my leave now.”
Yang Kai remained seated on the ground with a dejected expression, but he still forced a smile and replied, “It’s not like one of us is heading to the next life. We’ll meet again one day. I’ll wait for you to come out of the Blood Gate.”
Zhang Ruo Xi hung her head low as her face started blushing. In a nervous manner, she uttered, “Sir, before I go, can you grant a wish of mine?”
She appeared diffident when she said that as she stole a glance at Yang Kai. Apparently, she was feeling guilty.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “Good, even if you have a hundred wishes, I’ll grant all of them. As long as I can do it, I’ll do it for you.”
“Then… close your eyes…” Zhang Ruo Xi clenched her teeth and mustered all her courage. Upon finishing her words, she felt her face burning.
Fan Wu and the others looked dazedly at them with meaningful expressions on their faces. It was then they came to the realization that they had underestimated the relationship between Yang Kai and this Heavens Order’s descendant. They thought that they were just good friends, possibly even Master and Disciple, but it turned out that Zhang Ruo Xi harboured stronger feelings than that.
If that was the case, they had to do more than just maintain a good rapport with Yang Kai. In fact, they had to obey all his orders. Just like what Yang Kai had said, life was full of uncertainties, and they might need to ask for his help one day.
Although Yang Kai was referring to the Stone Spirit Clan when he said that, and Fan Wu had refused to accept it at that time, Yang Kai was now proven right.
Yang Kai was shocked upon hearing this request. He was no longer an inexperienced young man, so he could figure out her intentions through her demeanour and tone. Then, he sighed secretly and thought about how he had never dared to flirt with any woman since he came to Star Boundary; after all, he was far away from his homeland. More importantly, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue were waiting for him.
Although he had ventured into Star Boundary for many years, he had always remained disciplined in his everyday life, as he had never been intimate with any woman; however, he was still a man with physical needs. After giving it a brief thought, he still closed his eyes.
Zhang Ruo Xi bit her lip as her heart pounded against her chest. Her heartbeat was as intense as that of someone thumping against a war drum, and her face became scorching hot.
She approached Yang Kai slowly and crouched down before cupping his face with trembling hands. Then, as her eyelashes fluttered, she closed her eyes anxiously and pressed her lips forward.
Soon, Yang Kai felt a warm sensation on his forehead, and he got a whiff of an intoxicating scent that was wafting from her. At the same time, he felt ticklish as her hair whisked across his face.
That moment seemed very short, but it also seemed to have lasted for a thousand years. Like a terrified rabbit, Zhang Ruo Xi jumped away as her vision became blurred. With her ears turning completely red, she said anxiously, “S-Sir, I really have to go now. Please take good care of yourself.”
Upon finishing her words, she charged towards the Blood Gate, as though she didn’t dare to stay there any longer. All of a sudden, her legs turned to jelly, and she almost tripped over a stone on the ground.
*Ha…*
Cang Gou almost couldn’t suppress his urge to laugh out loud.
Feeling ashamed, Zhang Ruo Xi immediately glowered at Cang Gou, whose smile froze and his forehead beaded with cold sweat.
“Take care of my Sir. Otherwise, all of you will pay the price!” After Zhang Ruo Xi finished speaking, she dashed into the Blood Gate and disappeared from everyone’s sight. Standing in front of Yang Kai, Xiao Xiao kept whimpering as though he was bidding him farewell. Then, he waved his hand at the Stone Spirit Clan members, who were still waiting in the distance, before he sprinted towards the Blood Gate as well.
Soon after, a crashing sound could be heard, upon which the Blood Gate Restricted Area, which had resided in the Ancient Wild Lands for countless years, disappeared all of a sudden, as though it had never existed before.
After the Blood Gate disappeared, the suppressive power that had been filling the air vanished as well.
Fan Wu and the others heaved a sigh of relief as they were glad that they had managed to survive in the end. At the same time, they felt fortunate that Zhang Ruo Xi was finally gone. If she stayed there any longer, they would have had a hard time breathing.
After trading glances, they sprinted forward and reached Yang Kai before cupping their fists, “Sir Yang, congratulations!”
At that moment, they didn’t dare to be haughty in front of Yang Kai anymore and all appeared humble. It was as though they were worried that Yang Kai might be displeased at their behaviour, which would lead him to making a complaint to the Heavens Order’s descendant in the future.
Yang Kai was still reminiscing about the kiss as he touched his own forehead. Upon hearing what they had said, he looked up at them and asked in an exasperated manner, “What’s there to congratulate me for?”
Certainly, he knew why they congratulated him. Anyone who managed to gain the favour of the Heavens Order’s descendant could literally walk sideways in Star Boundary, and even the Great Emperors had to show that person some respect.
“Did you congratulate me because I can now eat soft rice for the rest of my life?” Yang Kai grunted in an unhappy tone and shot a glance at them, “Do I look like a little white face to you?”
At that instant, Fan Wu and the others were lost for words as they didn’t know what was on Yang Kai’s mind. Rooted to the spot, they all remained silent and appeared embarrassed.
“You can leave. I still have something to do.” Yang Kai waved his hands, then he thought of something, “Let the Stone Spirit Clan members stay.”
“Yes!” Fan Wu and the others hurriedly cupped their fists and respectfully left the place.
After they were gone, Yang Kai looked up at the sky and saw Bing Yun’s Third Disciple was frowning, standing on the clouds, appearing displeased, pouting as she stared fixedly in the direction where the Blood Gate used to exist.
She had come to this place with Zhang Ruo Xi, but now that her friend was gone, she was left alone here. Having lost her mind, she couldn’t understand what was going on at the moment.
“Third Disciple!” Yang Kai called out to her.
Hearing his voice, Third Disciple immediately looked in his direction. Upon making out his face, she became cheerful and uttered, “Come catch me! Come catch me!”
Upon finishing her words, she seemed ready to flee from this place to continue the game of hide-and-seek with Yang Kai.
“Third Disciple, stop playing around! Don’t you want to meet Senior Bing Yun, An Ruo Yun, Sun Yun Xiu and Zhang Sun Ying?” After what happened to Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai wasn’t in the mood to play with the Third Disciple anymore, so he directly dropped the names of those she cared about.
As expected, the Third Disciple seemed to have been impacted as she stopped running away. Then, she slowly turned around, and her eyes could be seen trembling, which suggested that her thoughts were in chaos.
Yang Kai was worried that something would happen to her, but to his surprise, in just a short moment, her eyes seemed to have cleared up, and she asked through clenched teeth, “You know my Honoured Master?”
She looked just like a healthy person when she spoke, almost like she had regained her sanity.
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded.
“She…” The Third Disciple became agitated all of a sudden as she stared nervously at Yang Kai, “Is she still alive?”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “Senior Bing Yun has returned to Ice Heart Valley. Your Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters are worried about you, and they have not stopped looking for you all this time.”
“Honoured Master is still alive…” The Third Disciple stumbled as she showed a relieved smile and then began to laugh out loud, “Honoured Master… Honoured Master, Honoured Master, where are you?”
As she spoke, the Third Disciple actually began to cry in a pitiful manner as if she was lost and couldn’t find her way back home.
Yang Kai’s expression instantly darkened, realizing that the Third Disciple’s condition was rather unstable and her emotions were prone to wild swings.
*Shua…*
The Third Disciple suddenly flashed and arrived behind Yang Kai. Tears were still on her face, but she suddenly laughed, “Honoured Master! So, this is where you were! Disciple shall brush your hair!”
As she spoke, she grabbed Yang Kai’s messy hair with her hand and began to carefully comb it.
[What’s going on!?] Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to inspect the Third Disciple, quickly discovering that even though her consciousness was in utter chaos, her expression had calmed down as she helped him comb his hair. She was serious and meticulous about combing each and every strand.
Has she mistaken him for Senior Bing Yun?
However, his figure wasn’t anywhere similar to Bing Yun’s. He wasn’t even the same gender! Wouldn’t it be impossible for any slightly normal person to mistake him for Bing Yun? It seemed the chaos in the Third Disciple’s consciousness was quite severe.
Yang Kai suddenly had a flash of inspiration as he frowned and quickly said, “Unfilial Disciple, do you know your wrongs!?”
After he said this, the Third Disciple standing behind him actually trembled with fear covering her face. She hurriedly came out from behind his back and faced Yang Kai while kneeling on the ground with her head lowered, saying in a shaking voice, “Honoured Master, please enlighten me!”
She really was treating him as Senior Bing Yun.
Yang Kai was secretly happy about this, but he acted with a severe expression as he scolded, “Your Master has safely returned to Ice Heart Valley, so why have you continued wandering about? Could it be that the colourful outside world has disturbed your Martial Heart and caused you to forget about returning?”
The Third Disciple answered in a shaky voice, “Disciple wouldn’t dare. This disciple was outside… This disciple was outside because…”
She was unable to explain what she was doing even after quite a while. It seemed as if she had forgotten what the whole purpose of leaving Ice Heart Valley was and a look of confusion gradually arose on her dirty face.
Yang Kai secretly felt that things had taken a turn for the worse. If he allowed her to continue thinking about it, perhaps things would become troublesome, so he immediately shouted, “Since you don’t dare, then come back with your Master to Ice Heart Valley, and serve by my side. You’re forbidden from going outside again unless you receive my command!”
The confusion on the Third Disciple’s face instantly disappeared as she respectfully answered, “Yes, Disciple understands!”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Very good. Get up!”
“Many thanks, Honoured Master!”
“Stand over there to the side. Your Master needs to cultivate to heal… her injuries. During this time, do not permit anyone to approach!” Yang Kai tried to give another command.
The Third Disciple obediently listened and immediately stood to the side with a vigilant expression in her beautiful eyes. She scanned the surroundings, as if she really was standing guard for Yang Kai.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn’t trying to intentionally take advantage of the Third Disciple, but if left to her own devices, she would always appear and disappear like a ghost. If he really let her escape again, it wasn’t certain if he could find her once more. It was a good thing that he could stabilize her with this method for now.
Yang Kai secretly observed the Third Disciple for a while and saw that she didn’t show any signs of going insane. Only then did Yang Kai silently begin cultivating to help his body absorb the medicinal efficacies of the Phoenix Blood Fruit.
He was quite seriously injured this time. Without even mentioning his torn flesh, more than ten of his bones were broken. It was even worse in his legs, as both of them had been shattered by Shi Huo’s attacks. His five viscera and six organs were also filled with blood and his insides were in terrible shape.
Luckily, Yang Kai had a strong constitution, and his Golden Blood had extremely powerful restorative properties. An otherwise-normal person with such injuries would either have died already or been on the verge of death.
Emperor Qi flowed through his body as he gradually absorbed the medicinal efficacies of the Phoenix Blood Fruit. His shattered bones gradually mended, and his injured and swollen face restored itself.
The Phoenix Blood Fruit truly was a wondrous healing medicine. Yang Kai already felt that there were no major problems anymore before he even fully absorbed the spirit fruit’s medicinal efficacies.
However, his newly mended bones would require several days to set before they would be fully restored like new.
One hour later, Yang Kai opened his eyes and glanced over towards the Third Disciple. He saw that she was still standing there in order to stand guard for his sake.
Ten kilometres away, with the three Divine Venerables as their leaders, many Monster Kings and Great Kings, and even the Stone Spirit Clan were all silently looking in this direction. Everyone had different expressions and complex feelings in their hearts.
It was even more so for Xie Wu Wei. He had previously been filled with unhappiness when Yang Kai forced him to become his Soul Slave. He felt that Yang Kai was far too shameless and underhanded. If it wasn’t for Yang Kai adding insult to injury, threatening to refine his Soul after he died, he never would have been willing to hand over his Soul Brand.
However, Xie Wu Wei no longer dared to think like this.
The three Divine Venerables were so respectful in front of Yang Kai. As Yang Kai healed himself, the three Divine Venerables didn’t even dare to disturb him, and even issued the command for all Monster Kings and Great Kings to memorise Yang Kai’s appearance and to treat him like a Divine Venerable if they saw him in the future.
Even the Divine Venerables didn’t dare to act arrogantly in front of Yang Kai. A Monster King like Xie Wu Wei was nothing in comparison!
Xie Wu Wei was impressed, truly impressed. He was also filled with incredible regret. If only he had known earlier that the little girl next to Yang Kai was the Heaven’s Order descendant, he would have tried to build a good relationship with Yang Kai.
If he had done a good job, perhaps when that Heaven’s Order descendant from earlier entered the Blood Gate, she would even be generous enough to bring him inside as well. But now, the Heaven’s Order descendant had entered the Blood Gate already and only brought a single Stone Spirit in to inherit Tai Yue’s power, while all he could do was be jealous.
Xie Wu Wei felt so much regret that his heart hurt when he thought of this.
“Third Disciple, call over the three Divine Venerables and Stone Spirit Elder.” Yang Kai suddenly issued a command.
The Third Disciple bowed and then headed towards the location ten kilometres away. Yang Kai went by himself to the Mountains and Rivers Bell on the ground and inspected it, as if he wanted to see a flower on this bell.
He was forced to dispel the Soul Imprint on the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so this Ancient Exotic Artifact had once again become a Masterless object. Nobody had touched it ever since it landed here.
Ten kilometres away, the Third Disciple had just arrived by flying over. Upon a glance, it was clear how tattered her clothing was and how dirty her pretty face was. It was almost impossible to tell what her original appearance was.
Everyone looked at her with curiosity, not knowing who she was.
Xie Wu Wei did know that Yang Kai had been searching for the Third Disciple all this time, and he had also seen the Third Disciple’s appearance before, but now wasn’t a convenient time for him to say anything.
“My Honoured Master commanded me to invite the three Divine Venerables and Stone Spirit Elder over for a discussion!” The Third Disciple glanced at Fan Wu and the others and spoke in a light tone.
“Honoured Master…” Fan Wu and the others had astonished expressions when they heard this. They had no idea what had happened.
They knew quite clearly that Yang Kai’s cultivation was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, while this dirty woman before them was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
Why would she address him as Honoured Master?
However, judging from this woman’s tone and attitude, it didn’t seem like she was joking.
Fan Wu was filled with questions, but he couldn’t exactly ask them out loud, so he just smiled and nodded, “Please lead the way.”
After he said that, he was about to head over, but then it seemed like he quickly thought of something as he turned towards Stone Spirit Elder and extended his hand, “Elder, please go ahead first!”
Elder chuckled and knew what Fan Wu was worried about, so he also made an inviting gesture and went forward with the three Divine Venerables all in unison.
Not long after, the four arrived at the earlier battlefield under the Third Disciple’s lead.
“Honoured Master!” Third Disciple shouted to indicate to Yang Kai that she had already brought who he wanted over. She then respectfully stood to the side.
Yang Kai nodded and walked forward to greet them.
“Sir Yang!” Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou all immediately cupped their fists in greeting and forced slight smiles.
However, Yang Kai didn’t even glance at them as he directly walked over to the Stone Spirit Elder and smiled in greeting, “Elder!”
Fan Wu and the others all felt rather awkward, but they couldn’t really say anything, so they could only step back embarrassedly.
“Sir Yang!” Elder didn’t dare to be rude. Even if it was just taking Yang Kai’s intimate relationship with the Heaven’s Order descendant into consideration, not a single living being in the entire Ancient Lands would dare to behave arrogantly in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai pushed down Elder’s cupped fists and sighed, “Elder also saw that while things today may have had their ups and downs, in the end, fortunately I did not fail my mission. Xiao Xiao has now entered the Blood Gate, and Ruo Xi is taking care of him, so he’ll definitely be able to inherit the power of Tai Yue soon.”
Even though Elder had already learned of what happened from Fan Wu and the others, he was still really excited to hear Yang Kai personally saying this. His body slightly trembled as he said, “Sir Yang’s great favour is something that my Stone Spirit Clan shall remember for eternity.”
“Elder is being too polite!” Yang Kai smiled, “Although Xiao Xiao is a member of the Stone Spirit Clan, I also raised him myself, so of course I hope to see him doing well. Elder, we’re all one family, so don’t act as if we’re strangers.”
Elder’s eyes lit up, “It is Shi Jiu’s greatest fortune in life that he was able to follow Sir Yang, as well as the greatest fortune of my Stone Spirit Clan.”
Yang Kai told him, “Elder, please rest assured, the Stone Spirit Clan shall never be bothered again in this Ancient Lands, nor will anyone force you to do anything that you don’t want to do…” After saying this, Yang Kai glanced sideways at Fan Wu and the other Divine Venerables and chuckled, “Sirs and Madam, what do you think?”
Fan Wu hurriedly stated, “Sir Yang is correct. The Stone Spirit Clan absolutely won’t be bothered ever again. We will warn our subordinates today that with the Stone Spirit Clan’s current territory as the centre, all the land within a radius of a hundred thousand kilometres shall eternally belong to the Stone Spirit Clan. Anyone who dares to enter without permission will be executed without mercy!”
Luan Feng and Cang Gou also nodded, making it evident that they had no objections to this decision.
Yang Kai didn’t say anything more to them. He simply glanced at Elder instead, “Elder, are you satisfied with this? If this isn’t enough, we can discuss it again. The Three Divine Venerables are all easy to talk to, so please ask them if you have any requests at all.”
Fan Wu hurriedly exclaimed, “Yes, yes. If Elder still has any requests, feel free to say them directly. We three will definitely satisfy you as long as it is within our ability to.”
Elder chuckled, “That’s enough, that’s enough. My Stone Spirit Clan has few clansmen to begin with. A radius of one hundred thousand kilometres is more than enough for us to use.”
He had a very happy expression and was evidently highly satisfied with this result. Of course, he also knew that Fan Wu was only being so generous in order to give face to Yang Kai. Otherwise, forget about a hundred thousand kilometres, even a radius of ten thousand kilometres would be difficult to ask for.
Elder really couldn’t help but exclaim in his heart. Before he came here today, he had resolved to sacrifice himself if things didn’t succeed. He never expected that there would be such a wonderful ending.
Not only did the Stone Spirit Clan have someone so powerful to rely on now, even Shi Jiu would soon become a Divine Spirit, Tai Yue.
The Stone Spirit Clan and the intimately connected Wood Spirit Clan were able to reap incredible benefits today. Being able to live without any worries was a life that Elder had wanted for so many years but never obtained before.
But now, Yang Kai had resolved everything with just a few words.
Fan Wu smiled, “This King’s palace isn’t far away from Elder’s land. In the future, Elder must come visit me more often.”
Elder politely responded, “Since Sir Divine Venerable has offered such an intention, this Elder might come bother you in the future. I hope you don’t mind, Sir Divine Venerable.”
Yang Kai didn’t need to be polite with Fan Wu, but Elder still needed to worry about such things. The Stone Spirit Clan’s level of strength as a whole was still lower than Fan Wu’s before Xiao Xiao became Tai Yue, and it was also impossible for Yang Kai to remain in the Ancient Lands forever to protect them.
It wasn’t necessary to have an extremely close relationship with Fan Wu, but they couldn’t afford to have a bad relationship with him. Having a friendly relationship would be a good thing for the Stone Spirit Clan.
Fan Wu chuckled loudly, “Elder, you’re being too serious. If Elder has free time in the future, you must spend some time at this King’s palace.”
Luan Feng also covered her mouth and smiled, “This Queen welcomes Elder as well.”
Cang Gou gave them a sidelong glance and snorted, “You act as if this King is trying to reject all visitors.” He then turned and smiled at Elder, “Elder, although my palace is a bit far from the Stone Spirit Clan’s territory, I’ve always heard that the Wood Spirit Clan’s wine is incomparably delicious. If I come visit you someday, I hope that Elder will offer his hospitality.”
“Of course, of course. If Sir Divine Venerable wants to visit, my clan would naturally welcome you with all our hearts!” Elder couldn’t help but smile wryly. Since when has he become so attractive? The three great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands were all trying to establish a relationship with him. Naturally, this was all because of Yang Kai. Elder wasn’t the type to be hypocritical, since he felt that continuing to chat with the three Divine Venerables would result in him being strong in will but weak in strength, he hurriedly said to Yang Kai, “Sir Yang, since things are resolved here, then this Elder shall return with his clansmen. As for Sir Yang…”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “I won’t be going with Elder. I came to the Ancient Lands this time to find Xiao Xiao. Since Xiao Xiao has gone into the Blood Gate already, then I’m done with what I came for and will be leaving the Ancient Lands soon.”
When Elder heard this, he had a regretful expression, but he still nodded, “I hope you will have a pleasant journey then, Sir Yang. If you ever visit the Ancient Lands again, please come to my Stone Spirit Clan’s territory. This Elder will definitely welcome you!”
“Elder, have a safe trip, forgive me for not seeing you off,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Elder cupped his fists in response and said goodbye to Fan Wu and the others before he finally turned around and left.
Soon, the Stone Spirit Clan followed Elder and vanished from everyone’s vision.
Fan Wu and the others stood behind Yang Kai and looked at each other for a while, feeling somewhat anxious inside. In the end, Fan Wu lightly coughed and tried to ask, “Sir Yang, what do you intend to do next?”
Yang Kai tilted his head and chuckled while looking at him, “What is it, Sir Fan Wu? Are you in a hurry to see me leave the Ancient Lands?”
Fan Wu’s expression changed as he exclaimed in fear, “I would never dare! It’s the Ancient Lands’ good fortune that Sir Yang has arrived. This Fan Wu would never dare to think in such a way.”
“You really wouldn’t dare? Just say whatever it is that you’re thinking. A trivial First-Order Emperor Realm like me can’t do anything to you anyways,” Yang Kai chuckled coldly in a strange manner.
[You can’t do anything to me, but that Heaven’s Order descendant can!] Fan Wu kept thinking that as he forced himself to smile, “Sir Yang is overthinking things. From today onwards, Sir Yang is our Ancient Lands’ Honoured Guest. We truly welcome you if you wish to stay here.”
Yang Kai reached out and patted Fan Wu on the shoulder while laughing out loud, “I never thought that Sir Fan Wu would be such a generous host. Since that’s the case, then this Young Master must give you some face. This Young Master shall stay in the Ancient Lands for a while.”
Fan Wu’s expression darkened as he really wanted to slap himself in the face.
Luan Feng and Cang Gou also glanced at him with complaining expressions as they thought, [Why did you have to talk this much!? Being mute would have been better!]
Yang Kai pointed and asked, “Do you three still want this or not?”
Fan Wu and the others regained their senses and saw that Yang Kai was pointing at the Mountains and Rivers Bell that was on the ground. Their hearts instantly jumped as they answered in a panic, “This belongs to Sir Yang, so it should go with its rightful owner. We would never dare to have any designs for it.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Who told me before that this originally belonged to the Ancient Lands?”
Cang Gou instantly smiled, “Treasures belong to those who obtain them. This bell has existed in the Ancient Lands for countless years, but nobody has ever been able to tame it before. Since Sir Yang is capable of making it acknowledge you as its Master, it should belong with you.”
Cang Gou, who was the one who previously said that sentence, was afraid that Yang Kai would hold a grudge against him for it, so he hurriedly denied any knowledge of his previous words.
“I couldn’t tell that even though Sir Cang Gou is the aloof type, he actually has such a way with words,” Yang Kai glanced at him teasingly.
Cang Gou’s face reddened and he couldn’t wait to find a hole to crawl into. He had lost a lot of face today, but luckily, nobody else was here apart from Fan Wu and Luan Feng. The Monster Kings and Great Kings were all ten kilometres away; otherwise, if word of what happened today spread, he would no longer have any authority to command his subordinates with.
“You really don’t want it?” Yang Kai had a serious expression, “Don’t say that this Young Master didn’t give you a chance. This is an Ancient Exotic Artifact, a bell that can suppress the mountains and rivers. You’ll be filled with courage when holding it, and you can even go and slap the Dragon Clan several times in the face if you meet them. You won’t have this opportunity again if you miss it, so you better not regret letting this go.”
Fan Wu could only keep smiling bitterly, “Sir Yang, please stop joking around with us.”
He had an expression of being unable to take much more, almost to the extent of pleading with Yang Kai to immediately take the Mountains and River Bell away with him.
Luan Feng also pleaded, “Sir Yang, we were in the wrong before, but Shi Huo has died already, so we hope that Sir Yang will calm his anger.”
Yang Kai glanced at her and stated in a light tone, “Since Lady Feng has said so much, this Young Master shall give you face.”
Although Luan Feng had also been watching from the sidelines before, at least she helped stop Ruo Xi from committing suicide. Yang Kai was somewhat grateful to her even if just for that alone.
Luan Feng was somewhat surprised when she heard this, while Fan Wu and Cang Gou both hurriedly glanced at her and seemingly realized something.
Yang Kai walked forward and patted the Mountains and River Bell, pouring his Emperor Qi and Spiritual Energy into it somewhat anxiously.
Back in the Shattered Star Sea, he had spent one year in order to tame the Mountains and Rivers Bell. The difficult process would be unimaginable to outsiders. Today, he had been forced to remove his Soul Imprint, so he didn’t know if he could make it recognize him as its Master again. Even if he could make it recognize him as its Master, he didn’t know how long it would take.
Yang Kai would be really depressed if it took another year.
Fortunately, his Spiritual Energy and Emperor Qi easily entered the Mountains and River Bell, bringing a smile to his face as he knew this Ancient Exotic Artifact wasn’t rejecting him. Immediately, Yang Kai focused on leaving his Soul Imprint on the bell again.
*Zhe…*
The ancient Mountains and River Bell flashed and shrunk as Yang Kai slightly arched his eyebrows. He reached out and picked it up as he tossed it around, playing with it in his hands.
“This…” Fan Wu had an astonished expression.
Fan Wu had also tried to take the Mountains and River Bell earlier, but even with his cultivation, it wasn’t possible for him to even pick it up, so he could only allow it to remain on the ground. Since Yang Kai was able to pick it up now, this was obvious evidence that he had already received its acknowledgement.
“So quick!” Cang Gou couldn’t help but exclaim out loud.
A strange light flashed in Luan Feng’s beautiful eyes as she reassessed Yang Kai, as if she wanted to see what was hidden in his body. Comparisons really would make a person frustrated. The three of them had tried many times before, but they were completely unable to get their strength to enter the Mountains and Rivers Bell, yet when it came to Yang Kai, he made it look as easy as breathing.
“A bout of good luck indeed!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “This treasure seems like it’s still willing to recognize me as its Master.”
As he spoke, Yang Kai immediately absorbed the Mountains and Rivers Bell into himself before he turned around, sat down cross-legged, and glanced at the Embodiment on the ground.
Ever since Ruo Xi sealed Shi Hou’s Source into the Embodiment, the Embodiment appeared to have gone into a strange deep sleep. According to Yang Kai’s senses, his Soul Clone within the Embodiment had also fallen silent.
However, there was no danger even though the Embodiment was in a deep slumber. As long as the Embodiment could successfully refine Shi Huo’s Source, then a new Divine Spirit Shi Huo would awaken afterwards.
“Sir Yang, this Stone Spirit… How should we deal with him? Do you need me to have several Monster Kings remain here to stand guard for him?” Luan Feng hurriedly asked as she saw the concern in Yang Kai’s eyes.
If there really was a biggest winner from today, then it would doubtlessly be the Stone Spirit Clan.
A Stone Spirit clansman was brought into the Blood Gate by the Heaven’s Order descendant in order to inherit the Divine Spirit Tai Yue’s Source, while another clansman had obtained Shi Huo’s Source.
This one clan was about to give rise to two Divine Spirits!
The entire Stone Spirit Clan didn’t even have many clansmen.
Just this fact alone meant the Stone Spirit Clan couldn’t be underestimated in the future.
Yang Kai shook his head when he heard Luan Feng’s question, “No need.”
[No need?] Luan Feng paused in surprise and couldn’t help but worry a little. Although her subordinate Monster Kings and Great Kings all knew about what happened today and would definitely wouldn’t try to bother this Stone Spirit, who was about to rise to become a Divine Spirit, Shi Huo, underlings were sometimes harder to deal with than powerful leaders. Maybe some weak Monster Race member with no eyes would come here and accidentally disturb this Stone Spirit. Who could possibly take responsibility then?
Luan Feng had her worries and was about to try and convince Yang Kai again when she suddenly saw him weave a few hand seals. He moved his body around in a crazy manner as if he couldn’t control himself, making others feel afraid that he would break his own bones as he kept muttering something.
His actions were incomprehensible.
The three Divine Venerables were all stunned at the sight and had no clue what Yang Kai was trying to do.
As they watched, Yang Kai suddenly reached over to pat his Embodiment.
*Shua…*
The Embodiment mysteriously vanished in the next instant.
The Three Great Divine Venerables were astonished as their expressions greatly changed.
Fan Wu called out in a low voice, “What happened? Where did he go?”
Luan Feng and Cang Gou also had confused expressions as they slowly shook their heads.
The Three Great Divine Venerables were the strongest here and had the most experience and vision, but what happened just a moment ago made them feel that something inconceivable had occurred right before their eyes, so of course they would be astonished.
“There’s nothing to be surprised about,” Yang Kai clapped his hands and flicked away some imaginary dust from his sleeve while giving the three a sidelong glance, “This Young Master just used his World Shifting Technique to transport him to a safe location.”
“World Shifting Technique!” Fan Wu had a shocked expression.
Still, he soon had an expression of understanding, since Yang Kai had shown how proficient he was with the Dao of Space before. In Fan Wu’s mind, this World Shifting Technique he had never heard of before was obviously just another way of using Space Principles.
Since Yang Kai was capable of instantly teleporting himself, then it made sense he could teleport others as well…
However, Fan Wu didn’t know that Yang Kai was just bluffing about teleporting the Embodiment while, in fact, he had secretly stashed him away in the Sealed World Bead. Otherwise, with their cultivation, they would definitely be able to detect signs of the teleportation, while this method would leave no traces at all.
“Sir Yang’s Divine Ability is truly wondrous and inscrutable. I’ve truly learned much today,” Fan Wu praised, and not just as a means of flattery, as he truly did feel this way.
It was impossible to not be impressed with how Yang Kai had made such a large Stone Spirit vanish with apparently such little effort.
Fan Wu felt that he personally had no such ability.
The three Divine Venerables were astonished by Yang Kai just from this alone.
They thought about it some more and figured that with Yang Kai already having such astonishing cultivation at his young age, and being highly skilled in the Dao of Space Force, it was possible he might even become a Great Emperor in the future. Even if he couldn’t become a Great Emperor, becoming a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would definitely not be a problem for him at all. What was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who was a Master in the Dao of Space? Even if such a person wasn’t a Great Emperor, he would still be one of the top Masters within the Emperor Realm. Yang Kai also had the Mountains and Rivers Bell, and the Heaven’s Order descendant was deeply attached to him…
The three Divine Venerables reassessed Yang Kai at this moment and discovered that this youth secretly contained enormous and unimaginable potential, which helped to open up their way of thinking.
Fan Wu cupped his fists, “Sir Yang, now that things are finished here, how about you come to my place to rest for a while?”
After Fan Wu realized the potential within Yang Kai, he no longer disliked the idea of Yang Kai staying in the Ancient Lands. Instead, he even started acting as a warm and welcoming host.
Cang Gou and Luan Feng had evidently noticed this as well, so right after Fan Wu finished speaking, Cang Gou added, “This one’s palace also welcomes Sir Yang. If Sir Yang doesn’t mind…”
Luan Feng immediately interrupted him, “This Queen would also like to invite Sir Yang to her palace. I’m just afraid that Sir Yang won’t agree.”
Cang Gou felt really aggrieved because he didn’t get to finish his sentence. He couldn’t help but glare at Luan Feng as an obviously depressed expression appeared on his face.
Yang Kai was all smiles as he looked at the three, he clearly knew what they were thinking. He secretly chuckled coldly in his mind while wondering if they would still be so passionate if they learned about his true intentions in a bit. He pondered for a bit before saying, “Since all three of you are inviting me so warmly, this Young Master would appear impolite if he refused. I wonder which of your three palaces is the closest to this location?”
He didn’t have much of a relationship with any of these three Divine Venerables. The only one that was easier on his eyes was Luan Feng, since she was a woman who had some natural advantages in this area. Yang Kai also had a slightly better opinion of her compared to the other two because of Ruo Xi’s matter.
Still, it didn’t matter where he went right now, as the important part was after he went.
Luan Feng’s pretty eyes lit up, “The closest location is this Queen’s palace.”
Cang Gou instantly became unhappy, “It’s just around a hundred thousand kilometres closer than this King’s palace. You call that close!?”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Since we’re closest to Lady Feng’s palace, then this Young Master shall go rest at her palace. Cough cough… my injuries haven’t healed yet, so it’s not convenient for me to travel long distances.” As he spoke, he actually began to cough violently as he spat Golden Blood everywhere like it was rain.
The three Divine Venerables were astonished as Luan Feng exclaimed, “Sir Yang, what’s wrong!?”
The Third Disciple’s beautiful face changed expressions as she was also standing nearby. She hurriedly went over to support Yang Kai as she concernedly muttered, “Honoured Master…”
Yang Kai held his chest as he made an expression that it was difficult for him to speak, “Shi Huo attacked me too viciously, so this Young Master was seriously injured and likely won’t recover within a short period of time.”
Fan Wu and the others were really surprised as they thought in unison, [Didn’t that Heaven’s Order descendant give you a ten-thousand-year-old Phoenix Blood Fruit? With such a supreme healing medicine, what type of injury would possibly be unrestorable? Additionally, you were clearly fine earlier, so why would you suddenly be spitting blood?] They all had strange expressions because they didn’t know what Yang Kai was trying to do.
*Cough cough…*
Yang Kai had a pale expression as he panted, “I hear that the Ancient Lands contain a lot of spirit medicines with long medicinal ages. If I can obtain some to consume, they’ll definitely help this Young Master’s injuries. Sigh, it’s such a pity that this Young Master is currently injured and doesn’t have the strength to go search.”
Fan Wu’s expression darkened as he instantly understood what Yang Kai wanted. His mouth slightly twitched as he said, “Sir Yang, rest assured, this King will have his subordinate Monster Kings search for those spirit medicines so that I can personally present them to you. I hope that Sir Yang can hold on for a while longer.”
After Fan Wu said this, he surreptitiously glared at Cang Gou and transmitted a secret message.
Cang Gou instantly realized what was going on, so he hurriedly added, “This King will naturally work his hardest for Sir Yang’s sake.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Yang Kai wiped away the fresh blood at the corner of his mouth. He leaned half his body on the Third Disciple as he said, “Apart from these spirit medicine and spirit fruits, if there are also some High-Rank Source Crystals or rare treasures… This Young Master’s injuries will probably be restored even quicker.”
[What do Source Crystals and rare treasures have to do with your injuries?] Fan Wu and the others really wanted to ask this out loud to Yang Kai. How was this not blatant extortion?
“You three can rest assured, once this Young Master’s injuries are fully healed, he shall leave the Ancient Lands. I won’t trouble you for too long,” Yang Kai forced himself to smile harmlessly as he spoke with an expression filled with weakness.
Fan Wu’s eyes twitched violently as he said insincerely, “Sir Yang is being too polite. With Sir Yang’s status, it’s alright no matter how long you stay in the Ancient Lands.”
“Ah, right,” Yang Kai acted as if he suddenly thought about something as he said, “Since Shi Huo is dead, all the treasures he plundered over the years are obviously useless to him now. I need to trouble you three to go to his palace, carefully make an inventory of everything, and then bring it over to me. By rights, all of that should belong to Ruo Xi. I will temporarily hold onto it and pass it to her after she comes out of the Blood Gate.”
After he said this, Fan Wu and the others felt as if blood was dripping from their hearts; however, they didn’t dare to say anything against this since Yang Kai brought the Heaven’s Order descendant into the matter.
Fan Wu answered, “Sir Yang is correct. Shi Huo indeed plundered many good things over the years. This King shall soon bring people over to make an inventory of those items before delivering everything to Sir.” After he said this, he glanced at Luan Feng and said, “Lady Feng, please take good care of Sir Yang.”
Luan Feng nodded, “I understand.” She then turned to look at Yang Kai, “Sir Yang, this Queen shall take you back to her palace now.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
Luan Feng immediately circulated her Qi to envelop Yang Kai and the Third Disciple before flying off.
Before they left, Yang Kai even waved towards Fan Wu and Cang Gou, “This Young Master shall be waiting for good news from you two. Please do your best regarding this matter.”
Fan Wu and Cang Gou currently had smiles that looked even worse than if they were crying as they cupped their fists in unison as a respectful goodbye.
Once Yang Kai and the others completely vanished from their vision, Fan Wu’s expression suddenly collapsed as he shook his head and smiled bitterly, “It’s easy to invite a Deity, but difficult to make one leave.”
Cang Gou glanced at him and commented, “Shi Huo’s belongings… Are we really going to give everything to him? Shi Huo collected a significant amount of wealth over the years.”
Fan Wu glanced at him dispassionately while asking, “Is treasure more important, or is your life more important?”
Cang Gou answered, “It’s not like he knows how much wealth Shi Huo has collected. He’s a First-Order Emperor Realm, so he’ll probably laugh his teeth off if we give him just a little. Can he really handle that many good things?”
Fan Wu coldly snorted, “He might not know, but you think Lady Feng wouldn’t know? All he has to do is ask her. What if Lady Feng leaks the information to him? How are you and I going to explain?”
Cang Gou frowned, “Lady Feng isn’t the type to say that much, is she?”
Fan Wu sighed, “He keeps pressuring us with that Heaven’s Order descendant. He’s asking for Shi Huo’s legacy by using the Heaven’s Order descendant’s name. It’s likely that Lady Feng won’t dare to deceive him.”
Cang Gou also heavily sighed when he heard this as pain filled his expression.
…..
Tall mountains loomed as clouds spread across a realm that seemed straight out of a fairy tale. At the peak of a certain mountain was a grand and magnificent palace around which mythical beasts and birds frolicked, making it appear like a paradise.
This was Luan Feng’s palace.
As the palace of one of the Four Great Divine Venerables, this place naturally possessed a Peak-Rank Earth Vein, making the ambient World Energy astonishingly rich.
Luan Feng softly landed together with Yang Kai and the Third Disciple, after which Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with surprise as he looked all around and secretly exclaimed to himself.
When they landed, a few beautiful women in maidservant attire immediately came up to greet them. There were two rows and eight maidservants in total, and they all possessed dense Monster Qi, making it evident that they were powerful members of the Monster Race.
Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense and found that the eight maidservants were surprisingly all Low-Rank Twelfth-Order, equivalent to First-Order Emperors.
The maidservants came forward and bowed in unison, “Greetings, Mistress!”
Luan Feng waved her hand and had them rise. She then pointed to Yang Kai, “This Sir Yang is this Queen’s Honoured Guest who will be staying at my Phoenix Nest Palace for some time. Tell the others that if you see Sir Yang, it is as if you’re seeing this Queen. No one is to show him the slightest disrespect.”
When the eight maidservants heard this, they all had looks of astonishment on their faces, but they still responded quickly and in unison, after which they secretly began to observe Yang Kai.
Their beautiful eyes glanced over and found that Yang Kai was actually a Human, which gave them quite the shock. They wondered just who he could be that their Divine Venerable would value him so greatly.
Seeing him was like seeing the Divine Venerable. This was an incredible honour.
As they spoke, a precocious little girl of about seven or eight suddenly appeared behind them. This little girl had a pink and perfect appearance and somewhat resembled Luan Feng. She had two cute braids, and she immediately rushed over to pounce into Luan Feng’s arms. She kept pushing her little head around, which caused Luan Feng’s voluptuous peaks to distort and change shape.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but gulp when he saw this.
Luan Feng’s face became bright red due to her chest being pushed around like this. She noticed Yang Kai’s strange gaze as well, so she hurriedly held the little girl in her arms and angrily scolded, “Ling’er, stop playing around. I have a guest today, so I’ll play with you later.”
She smiled apologetically to Yang Kai after she said this, “My daughter is a little spoiled. I hope Sir Yang doesn’t mind.”
“I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.” Yang Kai swept his eyes over this girl named Ling’er and exclaimed in realization, “Lady Feng, is she your daughter that I previously met on Clear Jade Mountain?”
“Indeed!” Lady Feng put Ling’er down and patted her head with obvious love.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but exclaim how wondrous things were.
Yang Kai had met this girl named Ling’er before back at Clear Jade Mountain when the little Luan Feng revealed itself. He never expected that she would actually be able to take Human form after only a few years and that her cultivation would be this high, reaching the Mid-Rank Eleventh-Order.
However, this Ling’er was the descendant of a Divine Spirit, so it wasn’t strange that she would have such an astonishing growth rate.
Yang Kai suddenly became rather curious as he looked at the little girl.
[Giving birth obviously required a man and a woman, so how had Luan Feng given birth to her daughter? There probably wasn’t a male Luan Feng in this world, right?]
[Could it be… That she got together with one of her subordinate Monster Kings?] Yang Kai’s expression instantly became strange when he thought about this.
The little girl named Ling’er tilted her head as her eyes flashed while she curiously looked at Yang Kai.
However, it was evident that she no longer remembered Yang Kai. Even though she had met him more than ten years ago on Clear Jade Mountain, Ling’er had just awakened her sentience then, so there were many things that she couldn’t remember clearly. She could only sense that this person in front of her seemed faintly familiar.
Yang Kai smiled harmlessly at her.
Luan Feng’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, afraid that Yang Kai would become enamoured with her daughter and try to steal Ling’er away, so she hurriedly gestured at a nearby maidservant, “Take her away. Let’s not bother Sir Yang.”
The maidservant hurriedly answered, “Yes!”
She then immediately took Ling’er by the hand, excused herself, and slowly left.
Luan Feng heaved a slight sigh of relief as she watched Ling’er vanish from her sight. She secretly resolved to absolutely not let Ling’er meet Yang Kai again while he was staying in her palace for this period of time.
A Divine Spirit’s descendant would be tremendously attractive to any Human. No matter if the descendant was any help or not when brought outside, just the status of being a Divine Spirit’s descendant would awe many people. If Yang Kai really stole Ling’er away, Luan Feng wouldn’t even know who to cry to. Not only that, Ling’er really loved to play and was difficult to keep an eye on.
“Sir Yang, please come this way!” Luan Feng gestured with her hand.
Yang Kai nodded as he and the Third Disciple followed Luan Feng into the Phoenix Nest Palace.
The palace had been constructed on a grand scale, and its interior was decorated with amazing beauty. It could be seen that Luan Feng really knew how to enjoy herself in this manner.
There was an inner pavilion with a flying dragon and phoenix sculpture that only emphasized the grandeur of this abode.
Luan Feng finally spoke up after she led Yang Kai all the way to a courtyard deep inside, “Sir Yang, does this place suit your tastes? If you’re not satisfied, we can change it to a different location.”
Yang Kai glanced around and found nothing to be dissatisfied with, so he nodded in affirmation, “This is fine!”
Luan Feng heaved a sigh of relief. She glanced back at the other seven maidservants following her and ordered them, “All of you shall stay here to serve Sir Yang during this time. If Sir Yang has any requests, any at all, you must satisfy them, otherwise, this Queen absolutely won’t forgive you.”
The seven Low-Rank Twelfth-Order maidservants hurriedly answered, “Yes!”
They couldn’t help but secretly worry. Their Divine Venerable said to satisfy all of Sir Yang’s requests, but what if he was lustful and wanted them to do this or that… What should they do then? Men were all the same, no matter if they were Human or Monster.
But since the Divine Venerable had already made this declaration, they didn’t dare to disobey.
“Sir Yang, if there’s nothing else, this Queen shall take her leave. Feel free to give them orders if there’s anything that you need,” Luan Feng smiled as she looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded, “Lady Feng, go ahead and do what you need to. En, as for those spirit flowers and so on, please pay attention to those as well, Lady Feng.”
Luan Feng could only bitterly smile to herself as she realized she couldn’t escape from this tribulation; however, outwardly she could only respond, “Sir may rest assured, this Queen shall deal with it right away.”
After that, she then politely took her leave.
Yang Kai stepped forward after she left and began looking around. He pointed at a building to the left and said, “Third Disciple, will it be fine if you live there for the time being?”
The Third Disciple glanced at the building and then answered, “Will Honoured Master also be living here?”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’ll be living there.”
He pointed at a nearby building.
Third Disciple instantly had an expression of ‘this was difficult for her to accept,’ “But this Disciple wants to serve next to Honoured Master…”
“It’s not far away, so it’s fine,” Yang Kai waved his hand. He didn’t wait for the Third Disciple to say anything else as he looked at one of the maids and asked, “What’s your name?”
The maidservant bowed, “Reporting to Sir, this servant is Tian Long!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Please take her over there and bathe her, then find some clean clothes for her to change into.”
The Third Disciple’s current appearance wasn’t really convenient for meeting others right now. Her Ice Heart Valley attire hadn’t been changed for an unknown number of years, her hair was messy, her face was filthy, and there was a strange smell on her body that somewhat resembled a pungent fruit.
But now that things had calmed down for the time being, Yang Kai naturally wanted to have her clean herself first, as otherwise it really would be difficult to keep looking at her.
“Yes!” Tian Long took the Third Disciple’s arm as she spoke and pulled her away.
The Third Disciple seemed to panic, so Yang Kai hurriedly consoled her by saying, “Come see me again after you’re clean!”
Yang Kai’s words were quite effective on Third Disciple now, so his command immediately calmed Third Disciple down.
After the maidservant named Tian Long took Third Disciple away, Yang Kai waved at the other six maidservants, “You can go do whatever you need to do. I don’t need you to serve me.”
The six maidservants all showed their delight when they heard this. Without saying anything, they all bowed and took their leave.
They had been really afraid that Yang Kai would make some obscene request that they wouldn’t be able to resist due to the Divine Venerable’s command from earlier. However, this Human seemed quite easy to get along with, so they now felt a lot more reassured.
After Yang Kai made everyone leave, he walked into the building by himself and went straight up to the second floor.
The second floor was spacious and had everything needed to live in. Yang Kai walked over to a table, sat down, and slightly sighed.
This trip to the Ancient Lands was truly filled with so many twists and turns.
When facing the Four Great Divine Venerables, Yang Kai truly experienced what it was to feel strong in will but weak in strength, a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time. His Space Divine Abilities which he relied on so much were basically worthless in front of the Four Great Divine Venerables. Things likely would have been bad if it wasn’t for Ruo Xi’s bloodline suddenly awakening at the last moment.
Yang Kai was also truly astonished that Ruo Xi was actually Heavens Order’s descendant.
Still, since her bloodline had awakened already and she was now in the Blood Gate, she would definitely be able to inherit her ancestor’s strength as long as she could emerge from the gate. As for Xiao Xiao, who had gone in together with her, he would also transform into the Divine Spirit Tai Yue.
Even his Embodiment had obtained Shi Huo’s Source and was likely to become the next Divine Spirit Shi Huo.
Overall, although this trip was a bit dangerous, Yang Kai had gained an incomparably large harvest. This wasn’t even counting the treasure that he was extorting or the million Monster Cores he obtained in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb. He also didn’t know how much treasure Shi Huo had left behind, nor did he know how many good things the other three Divine Venerables would give to him.
Without mentioning the current and future benefits though, what Yang Kai truly felt the strongest about right now was his own desire for greater strength!
This time, the danger had only been resolved because Ruo Xi had awakened her bloodline, but what about the next time? How should he deal with things if he met another Divine Spirit or Master on the level of a Great Emperor? It wasn’t like he could always have such good luck, right?
In terms of methods, he had countless techniques and Divine Abilities that wouldn’t be fewer than anyone’s. He had his Dao of Space techniques, the Time Flies Seal, his Golden Divine Dragon Source, and the power of that Ancient Demon. Any of these techniques and means would be astonishing all on their own.
As for artifacts, he possessed the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Just this one artifact alone would be more than enough for anyone to be in awe.
The only thing he lacked was cultivation!
With his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, he was neither weak nor strong. It was an awkward realm to be in.
Yang Kai still needed to cultivate; he needed to work even harder at cultivating!
When he thought of this, Yang Kai was no longer in the mood to keep thinking random things, so he waved his hand and brought his Black Jade Furnace before him. He sent his Divine Sense searching through his Space Ring and Small Sealed World to look for suitable resources.
He was now an Emperor Grade Alchemist, so he had plenty of herbs on hand to refine Emperor Grade Spirit Pills.
With the assistance of Emperor Grade Spirit Pills, he would be able to achieve twice the result and half the effort in his cultivation.
That was why he intended to first refine some Spirit Pills, which would also be useful for improving his Alchemy proficiency, in preparation for refining the Flesh Incarnation Fruit in the future.
Yang Kai took out numerous Emperor Grade spirit medicines and Monster Cores and placed them in front of himself. Various pill recipes flashed through his mind before he finally decided upon making several Spirit Pills that would assist in his cultivation based on the current resources he had on hand.
Yang Kai poured his Emperor Qi into the Black Jade Furnace, which caused flames to immediately start burning. This raised the temperature of the room by several degrees.
However, before Yang Kai could put the spirit medicine before him into the Alchemy Furnace, his expression suddenly changed as he raised his head and glanced outside.
The maidservant named Tian Long was running over in a panic with an anxious expression on her face, as if something major had happened.
“Sir Yang!” Tian Long immediately raised her head and shouted when she approached the building.
“What is it?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow as he replied.
“Sir Yang, you should hurry and go take a look! I don’t know what happened to your Disciple, but she suddenly went crazy and won’t cooperate with us bathing her!” Tian Long answered anxiously.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he secretly thought to himself, [This is bad!]
The Third Disciple’s mental state was extremely unstable, and judging from Tian Long’s words, it seemed her consciousness had become chaotic again.
Yang Kai flashed and immediately appeared next to Tian Long as he quickly said, “Lead the way!”
Tian Long was slightly surprised as she didn’t know how Yang Kai had come out, but she didn’t dare to ask as she hurriedly led the way.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at a secluded hall that seemed to be for bathing. There was a large pool in the centre of the hall which was covered with flowers of different colours that emanated a gentle fragrance that spread everywhere in a wondrous manner.
At this moment, the other six maidservants were also in this hall, trying to anxiously search for the Third Disciple.
When they saw Yang Kai arriving, the six maidservants hurried over and kneeled on the floor while trembling.
Yang Kai glanced at them and asked in surprise, “Where is she?”
Tian Long hurriedly answered, “We don’t know…”
Yang Kai frowned, “What happened exactly?”
Tian Long answered, “Everything was fine at first, but when we prepared to wash your Disciple, it seemed as if she suddenly became someone else. We tried to catch her, but she disappeared before any of us could even blink.”
There was something else that Tian Long didn’t dare to directly say, which was that the Third Disciple had previously acted like a completely unreasonable maniac.
Yang Kai slapped himself on the forehead and thought to himself that he had been overconfident.
He waved his hand, “It’s not your fault. All of you can rise.”
“Many thanks, Sir!” The six maidservants who were kneeling all heaved sighs of relief.
Yang Kai looked around and saw that there was only one exit in this hall, while everywhere else was completely sealed off, so he immediately asked, “Did any of you see her leaving this place?”
The six maidservants exchanged glances and all shook their heads, indicating that they hadn’t seen her leave; however, that made things even stranger. They had searched the entire hall already without finding her, so if she hadn’t left, just where could she be?
When Yang Kai heard this, he secretly had an idea as he looked all around and coldly snorted, “Third Disciple, if you still don’t come out, your Master is going to get angry! I’ll give you three breaths of time to obediently come out by yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be punished according to the Sect’s Laws!”
As Yang Kai’s shout echoed in the hall, Tian Long and the other six maidservants all looked at each other and thought that this was useless because his Disciple had likely gone insane…
But to their surprise, a small sound suddenly came from behind a pillar right after Yang Kai finished speaking. This was followed by a dirty head peeking out from behind. The eyes were the only part that shone on this woman’s face.
“Honoured Master, what are you doing here?” It seemed as if the Third Disciple had been spooked as she hurriedly ran out from behind the pillar.
Yang Kai glared at her coldly and acted authoritatively, but soon he couldn’t help but avert his eyes as he didn’t even know where to look.
From what he saw, the Third Disciple had actually been stripped completely naked. The white parts and black patch on her body were really attention-grabbing. It had been hard to tell when she was wearing her tattered clothes, but now that she was naked, the Third Disciple’s curvaceous figure was fully exposed for him to see. Some parts of her white skin almost blinded Yang Kai’s eyes!
However, the Third Disciple didn’t feel anything was wrong at all and directly came over and stood right in front of Yang Kai with an anxious expression on her face.
“Um…” Yang Kai scratched his chin and glanced up at the ceiling as he spoke with an awkward tone, “I heard that you were playing pranks again, so your Master came to take a look.”
The Third Disciple nervously replied, “Honoured Master, don’t be angry. I was just playing with them.”
“Ha…” Yang Kai hurriedly waved his hand, “Since you’ve had your fun now, hurry and go wash up.”
“Yes!” The Third Disciple answered as her tender body flashed and landed in the giant pool, sending water splashing everywhere.
Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Third Disciple’s consciousness still recognized him as her Honoured Master, which saved him a lot of trouble.
Tian Long and the other maidservants all stood to the side with strange expressions. They didn’t know what was going on between this strange Master and Disciple pairing. Since they were Master and Disciple, why was this disciple completely naked in front of her Master? Was there some type of unspeakable relationship between the two of them?
That would be against all common morality! The maidservants all felt their hearts jump as they thought about this.
“Hurry and go wash her, I’ll wait outside!” Yang Kai felt so awkward that he couldn’t even maintain his expression and immediately tried to run outside this place of controversy after he spoke.
However, Tian Long hurriedly interceded, “Sir Yang, what should we do if your Disciple becomes like that again after you leave?”
This was the same situation as before. Everything was fine when the maidservants took the Third Disciple from Yang Kai, but then the Third Disciple instantly went insane, followed by her being restored to normal when Yang Kai arrived.
Tian Long was really afraid of this happening again. The Third Disciple was a woman, after all. It wasn’t a big deal if her Master saw her body, but what if she ran outside and someone else saw her naked? That would make it hard for her to live.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly as he asked helplessly, “What should we do then?”
Tian Long smiled, “Your Disciple seems to be very respectful of you. Sir Yang, how about you wait here? I doubt that your Disciple will raise a fuss again with Sir Yang present.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a while. Although he knew this wasn’t exactly for the best, he didn’t have any better ideas. He could only nod and tell Tian Long and the other maidservants to be as quick as possible.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged with his back facing the pool, taking out two High-Rank Source Crystals as he focused on cultivating.
He soon heard the sounds of water from behind his back, along with the Third Disciple’s giggling. He couldn’t help but imagine and fantasize about various things.
It was one hour later when Yang Kai was finally woken up by the sound of ‘Honoured Master.’ He opened his eyes and saw an attractive woman standing before him. She had a brow that seemed straight out of a painting, cascading black hair, red lips, and pearl white teeth. She had incredible beauty, and perhaps because she had just bathed, her white face even contained a hint of redness that gave off an alluring light.
Her light green dress fit her perfectly and accentuated her curves exquisitely. A faint pleasant fragrance wafted in his direction.
She appeared somewhere in her late twenties, as if she was a young woman; however, this definitely wasn’t her real age. It was simply that Ice Heart Valley’s Secret Arts focused on purity and helped maintain one’s youthful appearance.
“Third Disciple?” Yang Kai arched his brow and felt truly surprised. He never expected that the Third Disciple would be so pleasing to look at after some slight clean up. Her previous dirty appearance couldn’t be seen at all.
“Honoured Master!” The Third Disciple bowed respectfully to him.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded lightly and stood up from the ground as he waved his sleeve, “Follow me.”
The Third Disciple obediently followed after him without saying a word.
Due to the previous incident, Yang Kai no longer dared to allow the Third Disciple to be alone anywhere, as he was afraid that her consciousness would become chaotic again. As long as he was in front of her to help suppress things, she would at least maintain lucidity.
Yang Kai took the Third Disciple with him back to the building he was living in. He then went to the second floor and told her to cultivate by herself before he took out the Black Jade Furnace and the various herbs he gathered previously.
He used his Emperor Qi to warm the Black Jade Furnace as his Spiritual Energy flowed in alongside it. He made use of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea to help adjust the flames’ strength.
Yang Kai then tossed numerous herbs into the flames in an orderly fashion in order to refine medicinal liquid.
The Third Disciple kept watching blankly from the side, her mind filled with questions, but she didn’t dare to ask for fear of bothering Yang Kai.
After about an hour passed, Yang Kai suddenly made a seal with his hands.
Moments later, he slapped the Black Jade Furnace, causing the lid to fly up along with several Spirit Pills. Yang Kai caught the Spirit Pills in a jade bottle that he had previously prepared.
Yang Kai frowned slightly when he saw the quality of the Spirit Pills that he refined.
This furnace of Spirit Pills had only produced five pills. Not only were there no Pill Veins, but even the overall quality wasn’t that good.
For Yang Kai, even though he had successfully refined a furnace of Spirit Pills, this was far from the results that he desired.
Still, Yang Kai quickly understood. These were Emperor Grade Spirit Pills, after all. Although he had risen to become an Emperor Grade Alchemist long ago, he had been running around back and forth for the past several years with no time at all to quietly focus on refining pills. This made his Alchemy techniques somewhat rusty.
As long as he had enough resources to practice with, Yang Kai was confident that he was capable of creating good quality Spirit Pills.
Yang Kai put away the five Spirit Pills, cleaned out the burnt residue from the Black Jade Furnace, and began refining a new batch of pills.
Half a day later, when Yang Kai received another six Emperor Grade Spirit Pills, the Third Disciple could no longer bear just watching from the side as she asked with astonishment in her voice, “Honoured Master, when did you learn Alchemy?”
Her expression was filled with confusion and surprise, since, from what she could recall, her Honoured Master had never come into contact with the Alchemic Dao before. But, judging from the current situation, not only did her Honoured Master know Alchemy, all the pills her Master created were Emperor Grade Spirit Pills!
In other words, her Honoured Master was actually an Emperor Grade Alchemist!
How many Emperor Grade Alchemists would there even be in the entire Star Boundary? Every single Emperor Alchemist would be an incredibly venerated existence. Only the top Sects and forces would be lucky enough to have one under their patronage.
Ice Heart Valley had previously invited an Emperor Alchemist to become their Sect’s Foreign Elder and spent many resources every year to keep them. Ice Heart Valley would satisfy all of that Foreign Elder’s requests.
But ever since her Honoured Master suddenly vanished, Ice Heart Valley weakened, and that Foreign Elder left for a better position elsewhere.
This meant that if Ice Heart Valley wanted Emperor Grade Spirit pills now, they would have to either spend a large amount of Source Crystals to purchase them, or find another Sect’s Emperor Grade Alchemist to refine pills for them. Not only was this extremely inconvenient, but the expenses were tremendous.
However, her Honoured Master was actually now an Emperor Alchemist! The Third Disciple was naturally astounded.
Hearing this, Yang Kai smiled slightly as he explained “Your Master had some opportunities during the years outside.”
“Oh,” the Third Disciple believed him as she nodded silently.
Yang Kai tossed more herbs into the pill furnace as he told her, “Third Disciple, properly focus on your cultivation. Your Master shall give you some pills when they’re done.”
“Many thanks, Honoured Master,” the Third Disciple hurriedly replied, but then furrowed her eyebrows as she inquired, “Honoured Master, why do you keep calling me Third Disciple?”
Yang Kai paused in his movements for a second, but soon he restored himself to normal, “You are my Third Disciple, so what else would I call you apart from Third Disciple?”
Yang Kai thought, [I don’t even know your name, so what else am I supposed to call you?]
The Third Disciple pouted, “Honoured Master, you always called me Yao’er before; after all, Disciple’s full name is Ji Yao.”
Yang Kai chuckled dryly, “Perhaps your Master hasn’t seen you for so long that I forgot how I used to address you. I’ll just call you Yao’er from now on then.”
Third Disciple giggled, “Honoured Master really knows how to joke around.”
“Alright, continue cultivating. Your Master is still busy, so don’t bother me.”
“Yes!”
After saying that, she really did obediently close her eyes, sit down, and begin to cultivate.
Yang Kai secretly glanced at her and inwardly sighed. It was unknown when this Ji Yao would be restored to normal, or if she would want to take revenge on him when she remembered what happened today.
Pretending to be Bing Yun and taking advantage of her was still fine, since there was a reason for it, but it likely wouldn’t be that easy to deal with the matter of seeing her completely naked, since this was about a woman’s honour.
Yang Kai felt a chill despite not being cold as he thought about what the future held, but he hurriedly focused again and continued with his Alchemy.
Time passed.
Yang Kai stayed in the Phoenix Nest Palace for about ten days, during which time he was almost always immersed in Alchemy.
Just as he previously expected, as he invested a large number of resources into practising, the Emperor Grade Spirit Pills he refined continued to improve in quality and quantity. During this time, he even produced about six Spirit Pills with Pill Veins, which was a pleasant surprise for him.
He had excellent amplitude for Alchemy, and had also once caused the advent of the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone back at Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Water Moon Star. He received the teachings of Alchemy from the Heavenly Way itself and was able to catch a glimpse of the Grand Alchemic Dao.
He had a Heaven-sent advantage in Alchemy talent at this current point. When it came to this profession, only Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang’s Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was comparable.
He refined a large number of Spirit Pills of various types over the past ten days, but a large majority of them were auxiliaries for cultivation.
Yang Kai gave some pills to Ji Yao, secretly hoping when her sanity was fully restored in the future she would be willing to make big things small and make small things nothing out of consideration for this gift.
Ji Yao was naturally overjoyed to be ‘rewarded’ and kept thanking Yang Kai so much that he felt quite guilty, but he didn’t dare to show his feelings on his face at all.
Another five days passed. Yang Kai’s pill success rate for Emperor Grade Spirit Pills was almost perfected by this point and almost every time that he refined a batch, he would receive nine pills with their quality near the peak possible. There was also a great increase in the number of Spirit Pills that were refined with Pill Veins.
With such technique and familiarity, creating the Flesh Incarnation Pill would no longer be a problem.
Yang Kai had obtained a Flesh Incarnation Fruit in the ancient medicine garden last time when he saved Gao Xue Ting, so as long as he could gather the necessary adjuvants, Yang Kai would be able to refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill that would allow Tian Yan, who was in the Azure Sun Temple’s Divine Ascension Mirror, to form a physical body.
Although Tian Yan was only a Soul Avatar, he was a Master at the level of a Great Emperor. If he could obtain a physical body through the Flesh Incarnation Pill, then the Star Boundary would gain an additional Great Emperor.
Yang Kai was spending such a great deal of effort on this matter because Tian Yan was a good person who had taught him a Soul Secret Technique, Heaven Severing Slash, back in the Divine Ascension Mirror. There was also his promise to Tian Yan long ago. Besides, it was rare to have the opportunity for a Great Emperor to owe him a favour.
As long as he helped Tian Yan obtain a physical body, Tian Yan would naturally help him out if he had trouble in the future.
However… The Flesh Incarnation Pill was highly difficult to refine, and it also required many rare herbs. Eighty-one adjuvants were required, and all of them were Emperor Grade spirit medicines that were rare and difficult to find.
Although Yang Kai had many rare spirit medicines in his possession, he could barely put together half of the ones he needed and had no idea where to search for the rest.
He could only hope that the three Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands could help him find the others. As long as all the herbs were gathered, he would be able to refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill and then return to Azure Sun Temple to see Tian Yan.
Yang Kai began looking forward to how things would be as he thought about this.
Another several days passed, and on this day, while Yang Kai was in the middle of performing Alchemy, he suddenly raised his head and glanced outside, as if he sensed something. He immediately called out, “Yao’er.”
Ji Yao hurriedly opened her eyes from her meditation and respectfully answered, “Yes.”
“A guest has arrived. Go tell them your Master is currently in a retreat and can’t be bothered. Mmm… accept what they’ve brought, and tell them that I’ll be leaving the Ancient Lands after my injuries are fully healed.”
“Yes!” Upon hearing this, Ji Yao hurriedly stood up and went down to the first floor.
Soon after, the sound of conversation could be heard from downstairs. Some moments later, Ji Yao returned and respectfully handed four Space Rings to Yang Kai, “Honoured Master, the three Divine Venerables wanted me to give these to you.”
Yang Kai nodded as he took the four Space Rings.
He randomly picked a ring and scanned it. Yang Kai couldn’t help but chuckle as he thought that the three Divine Venerables were paying a great deal of attention to detail.
The four Space Rings probably each contained items from a separate Divine Venerable. They were afraid that Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to tell which ring came from which person, so they even especially left their own auras on the rings so that they wouldn’t be mistaken as having come from another person.
This ring in Yang Kai’s hand was apparently Fan Wu’s contribution. It was unknown what presents were in the ring for him.
Yang Kai secretly looked forward to the results as he sent his Divine Sense into the ring to investigate.
He glanced inside and saw two mountainous piles of Source Crystals. One pile was larger than the other, with the larger pile being Mid-Rank Source Crystals, while the smaller pile consisted of High-Rank Source Crystals.
Yang Kai made some quick calculations and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. There were approximately three billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals, along with approximately fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals. Such a large amount of Source Crystals was an outstanding amount of wealth.
Even a top Sect would probably harm its very foundation if it had to bring out so many Source Crystals at once. It should be said that one High-Rank Source Crystal could be exchanged for one hundred Mid-Rank Source Crystals, and one Mid-Rank Source Crystal could be exchanged for one hundred Low-Rank Source Crystals.
Fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals didn’t sound like much, but when you exchanged them, that would be five billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals or five hundred billion Low-Rank Source Crystals.
That was a rather terrifying number.
Yang Kai had killed and robbed others for many years already, and although his accumulated wealth was significant, it was really nothing in comparison to Fan Wu’s enormous gift.
High-Rank Source Crystals were limited in number throughout the entire Star Boundary, which is why almost all exchanges, no matter the type, would use Low-Rank or Mid-Rank Source Crystals. High-Rank Source Crystals were mostly used for cultivation and breakthroughs by Masters.
Fan Wu had given Yang Kai fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals at once. This was more than enough for a major Sect to use for several years.
Next to the two piles of Source Crystals was a pile of Monster Beast Cores.
This was the Ancient Lands where Monster Beasts were incredibly common, so Monster Cores would be left behind when these Monster Beasts died.
Still, there weren’t that many Monster Cores, a mere hundred Twelfth-Order Monster Cores, while there were two thousand Eleventh-Order Monster Cores and thirty thousand Tenth-Order Monster Cores. However, there wasn’t even a single Monster Core that was less than Tenth-Order, as Fan Wu had figured that Yang Kai wouldn’t be interested in them and thus didn’t even bother giving him any.
This amount of Monster Cores would be an astonishing amount of wealth in anyone else’s hands, but to Yang Kai, who already possessed around a million Monster Cores, it wasn’t much.
Still, it likely hadn’t been easy for Fan Wu to obtain so many Monster Cores. One hundred Twelfth-Order Monster Cores was something that could only be obtained from the death of one hundred Monster Beasts’ equivalent in strength to Emperor Realm Human Masters.
The Four Great Divine Venerables had only been able to gather so many Monster Cores because they had ruled the Ancient Lands for countless millennia. If this was any Human Sect, bringing out one hundred Twelfth-Order Monster Cores would be unimaginable.
Yang Kai soon glanced over at another pile of items.
This pile was a pile of glowing spirit medicine all stacked together. There were even various spirit fruits of different colours that looked quite alluring.
Every spirit medicine and spirit fruit was Emperor Grade, not a single one being Dao Source Grade.
“I’ve made quite a profit!” Yang Kai wiped away some drool from his mouth as a green light seemed to flash from his eyes.
These spirit medicines numbered at least ten to twenty thousand, and at a glance, Yang Kai saw many of the adjuvants he needed to refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill.
This was truly a huge profit. Compared to the Source Crystals and Monster Cores, Yang Kai needed these spirit medicines more. All of these were more than enough to make any Alchemist go mad.
“But… That guy… How can he just casually pile up these precious spirit medicines so sloppily like this? It’s such a waste of the Heavens’ precious gifts,” Yang Kai cursed under his breath.
These spirit grasses and herbs hadn’t been preserved appropriately, and after some time passed, their medicinal efficacies would surely reduce.
Luckily, Yang Kai had his Sealed World Bead and the medicine garden within it. Yang Kai had previously organized his ancient medicine garden and expanded its area. The soil in the ancient medicine garden was extremely fertile and the best possible environment to raise spirit medicines in.
Considering all this, Yang Kai hurriedly tossed all the spirit medicines in the ring into the medicine garden of his Sealed World Bead. He wasn’t counting on being able to replant them and only hoped that they wouldn’t lose too much of their medicinal efficacies being stored in an appropriate environment.
There were too many things for Yang Kai to organize for the time being. He intended to properly sort through everything when he had some free time to see if he could find the herbs necessary for refining the Flesh Incarnation Fruit from among these spirit medicines.
That was everything in the Space Ring that Fan Wu gave him, but it really was a huge present.
Yang Kai was extremely satisfied.
He then immediately picked up the second ring and scanned it slightly. He confirmed that Cang Gou’s aura was on it, so this was undoubtedly his offering.
After scanning the ring carefully, Yang Kai discovered that Cang Gou’s present was similar to Fan Wu’s, probably because the two of them had discussed it beforehand. The number of Source Crystals, Monster Cores, and spirit medicines were almost identical.
Yang Kai wasn’t surprised by this.
He then picked up the third Space Ring, which came from Luan Feng’s.
As expected, Luan Feng’s present was about the same as the previous two presents.
Yang Kai started looking forward to seeing the final ring.
There wasn’t anyone’s aura upon this ring, but Yang Kai knew that this ring contained all of Shi Huo’s treasures.
Divine Spirit Shi Huo had lived in the Ancient Lands for tens of thousands of years, so Yang Kai was really interested in how much wealth had accumulated over all that time.
Despite his already high expectations, Yang Kai was stupefied when he really sent his Divine Sense into the ring.
He saw Source Crystals piled up like mountains, once again sorted into two categories; however, these two piles were more than ten times larger than the piles that Fan Wu and the others gave him.
In other words, there were at least thirty billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals, and five hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals.
Even though Yang Kai had mentally prepared himself, this was still a truly awe-inducing sight.
The Monster Cores were also more than ten times the number that Fan Wu and the others gave him, with several thousand Twelfth-Order Monster Cores and several tens of thousands of Eleventh-Order Monster Cores. There were fewer Tenth-Order Monster Cores, as there were only a few tens of thousands of them.
There was also ten times the number of spirit medicines. Just looking at the pile of spirit medicines made Yang Kai want to jump for joy.
When adding all the wealth in the four Space Rings combined, just Mid-Rank Source Crystals alone would be over forty billion, while there were also some six hundred and fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals.
Yang Kai didn’t count the Monster Cores, since he already possessed around a million of those, so the Monster Cores that the Divine Venerables gave him could only be counted as an extra few.
However, there were more than one hundred thousand spirit medicines. It was an unbelievable amount of wealth. It was likely that only the Ancient Wild Lands could possibly produce so many spirit medicines, as no other place in the Star Boundary would have such rich, fertile soil that was completely untapped by human hands.
With Yang Kai’s current wealth, it was likely that only the Sects run by the Great Emperors were capable of being equal to him, but even they might not compare. This was because even though these Sects would have large coffers and many productive industries, they would also have many disciples and would need to spend a great deal on cultivation expenses every year.
In Shi Huo’s treasures, apart from Source Crystals, Monster Cores, and spirit medicines, there were also countless rare ores as well as random items that Yang Kai couldn’t identify. He figured they were things left behind from Shi Hou’s death, and it was likely that Fan Wu and the others had gathered everything and given it all to Yang Kai.
When comparing all of the presents, Fan Wu and the others had given Yang Kai approximately ten percent of their total wealth.
It was still a huge gift. If it wasn’t for Yang Kai being so close to Zhang Ruo Xi, none of them would be willing to part with ten percent of their net worth just to appease him.
Fan Wu and the others were helpless to do anything else.
Ever since Yang Kai started checking the contents of the four rings, he had been laughing like a fool as he checked the rings. He would check for a while then start laughing in a silly manner, and this would keep repeating itself…
Ji Yao felt really scared as she watched from the side. She didn’t know what was going on with her Honoured Master, but she didn’t dare to ask. She could only stand there with an uneasy expression.
Finally, she managed to wait until Yang Kai finished laughing like a drunken idiot and weakly spoke up, “Honoured Master…”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai suddenly came back to his senses as he realized how he had just debased himself. He hurriedly forced a stiff expression onto his face as he said, “Yao’er, go tell Lady Feng that your Master’s injuries are healed now, and that I will be leaving this place tomorrow. Tell her to rest assured.”
“Yes!” Ji Yao answered as she went downstairs again.
Outside the building, Fan Wu, Cang Gou, and Luan Feng, the three Divine Venerables, were all standing there with bitter expressions. Yang Kai had received their gifts, but he hadn’t responded at all, so they were all feeling quite anxious now. In fact, they hadn’t even managed to see Yang Kai in person when they came here, only the crazy woman next to him came out to speak to them.
After some time passed, Cang Gou finally spoke up, “Could it be that he thinks our gifts are too few, so he still wants more?”
Fan Wu glared at him, “We’ve already given him a tenth of our wealth. Is that a ‘small gift’?”
“I’m just afraid he won’t know when to be satisfied,” Cang Gou had a worried expression as he exclaimed with disgust, “You all know how greedy Humans can be.”
Luan Feng sighed, “What can we even do if he’s not satisfied? We’ll probably have to spend more in order to get rid of this calamity. Right, you two didn’t secretly hide any of Shi Huo’s treasures, did you?”
Cang Gou curled his lips, “Lady Feng, you’ve checked Shi Huo’s property already, so can’t you tell if we hid anything or not?”
Luan Feng nodded, “I was just asking.”
Fan Wu smiled bitterly, “He’s using the excuse of recovering from his injuries to stay in the Ancient Lands, and it’s hard for us to ask him to leave. Otherwise, if something really does happen, we won’t be able to handle it once that Heaven’s Order descendant emerges from the Blood Gate!”
When Luan Feng and Cang Gou heard him mention the Heaven’s Order descendant, they couldn’t help but go pale, making it obvious they were really afraid of her.
The three of them exchanged glances as they all kept sighing. They all felt that this was truly a headache.
At that moment, it seemed like the three of them all suddenly noticed something as they turned to look at the path ahead of them. They saw that Ji Yao had just come from the building’s direction and it was not long before she arrived before them and spoke, “Three Divine Venerables, please approach!”
Fan Wu and the others’ hearts all jumped, as they didn’t know what else Yang Kai wanted. They wondered if he was still dissatisfied with the contents of the four Space Rings and was trying to take even more of the lion’s share? If that really was the case, then his greed would be too disgusting.
Luan Feng forced a slight smile as she politely asked, “Little Sister, does Sir Yang have any other requests?”
Ji Yao gave her a light glance and answered, “Honoured Master wishes for me to tell all of you that his injuries have healed already and that he shall leave the Ancient Lands tomorrow.”
“What?” Cang Gou was overjoyed as he lost control of himself as he asked anxiously, “Is what you are saying true?”
Cang Gou was still a Divine Venerable, yet he was unable to help himself and lost control of his emotions when he heard that Yang Kai was about to leave the Ancient Lands, causing Fan Wu to secretly kick him right after he said this.
Cang Gou’s expression instantly changed and he immediately closed his mouth and stopped talking with an awkward expression.
However, Ji Yao didn’t even glance at him, simply turning around and leaving after having delivered her ‘Honoured Master’s message.
After Ji Yao disappeared from their vision, Luan Feng and the others looked at each other for a while and saw the great relief in their eyes. Fan Wu secretly made a gesture, so the three of them held the joy in their hearts as they swiftly walked away before all heaving a sigh in unison.
Cang Gou smiled, “He’s finally going to leave. It seems this Sir Yang isn’t too greedy.”
If Yang Kai really insisted on them giving more gifts to him, then they wouldn’t be able to do anything other than sacrifice even more of their wealth.
“Spend money to avoid calamity…” Fan Wu was also delighted. Yang Kai was likely the only one in the world who could make the Divine Venerables happy after being extorted so wantonly. If any other person tried to do this to them, the three Divine Venerables would likely have fought a huge battle against them.
“Since he’s going to leave tomorrow, this Queen shall personally see him off in order to be polite,” Luan Feng spoke with a big smile.
Fan Wu nodded, “That’s only proper. I shall be troubling you then, Lady Feng.”
Luan Feng waved her hand and smiled bitterly, “Good, he had to stay at this Queen’s place, while the Ancient Lands is still our territory. If anything happens to him here, none of us will likely be able to bear the consequences.”
The three of them then chatted for a while until Fan Wu and Cang Gou said their goodbyes and left.
When the two of them arrived, they had both been filled with anxiety and worries, but now they were completely relaxed and joyful as they went back, a tremendous contrast.
…
Yang Kai used the time he had left to organize the contents of the four Space Rings, rather than continuing to create Spirit Pills.
Source Crystals, Monster Cores, and so on were easy to organize.
He simply had to sort them by type and grade, followed by tossing all of them into the Sealed World Bead and piling them up into mountains of different sizes. He would then simply take these items out whenever he needed them.
However, the hundred thousand or so Emperor Grade spirit medicines took Yang Kai a long time to organize. These spirit medicines were all precious and rare, so Yang Kai naturally needed to check them one at a time and do his best in order to preserve their medicinal efficacies.
After an entire busy night, Yang Kai had organized less than ten percent of the spirit medicines he received.
The next day’s morning, Yang Kai led Ji Yao and followed the maidservant Tian Long out of Phoenix Nest Palace. Once outside the palace, he saw Luan Feng waiting for him.
“Sir Yang!” Luan Feng hurriedly came over to greet Yang Kai when she saw him.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and had a slight smile, “I’ve been troubling Lady Feng for the past several days. En, this Young Master’s injuries are completely healed now, so it’s time for me to leave. As for the Stone Spirit Clan, I’ll have to request Lady Feng and the other two Divine Venerables to take good care of them.”
Luan Feng covered her mouth and smiled, “Sir Yang, please rest assured. As long as the three of us are still in the Ancient Lands, we definitely won’t let the Stone Spirit Clan suffer any grievances.”
Yang Kai nodded in satisfaction.
Luan Feng added, “The Ancient Lands have many Natural Arrays, and the journey to the exit is quite long, so allow me to send Sir off.”
Yang Kai didn’t reject her friendly intentions as he simply nodded and flew up into the air. Ji Yao hurriedly followed after him.
Luan Feng also flashed right next to Yang Kai and Ji Yao in an instant. Her Monster Qi enveloped the two as she took both of them and transformed into a beam of light that shot towards the exit of the Ancient Lands.
Yang Kai was already a First-Order Emperor, so his flying speed wasn’t slow at all, yet he discovered that his speed still couldn’t compare to Luan Feng’s.
Unless he used his Space Force for repeated short distance teleportations, he wouldn’t even be on the same level as her.
It took less than two days for the group of three to leave the Ancient Lands and arrive before the Ancient Lands Passageway.
Inside the passageway was a strange fog, falling thunder and Astral Wind, along with countless Yin Souls who were always looking for prey. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t dare to recklessly enter the passageway.
However, Luan Feng didn’t even spare a glance at these obstacles as she directly took Yang Kai through the strange fog that covered the entire sky. It took only an hour for them to fly out of the passageway.
Right when Yang Kai’s vision was restored, he heard an astonished shout of “Brother Yang!” before he could even tell what was before him.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai was rather confused as he turned towards the voice. He saw that there was a large group of cultivators of varying strengths waiting there, numbering at least one hundred.
Judging from their behaviour, it seemed that they wanted to enter the Ancient Lands.
The person who spoke was a young man of about thirty years, his face slightly pale, seemingly injured.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but furrow his brow when he saw this person and asked, “Qi Hai?”
This man was Qi Hai from Qi Family Fort, who had met Yang Kai before in the Shattered Star Sea. He knew that Yang Kai had obtained the Phoenix True Fire, so he previously pleaded with Yang Kai to visit the Qi Family Fort to use the Phoenix True Fire to save his wife. Qi Hai’s wife had been afflicted with the Heavenly Frost Earth Rain, one of the Ten Extreme Poisons, while she was exploring the Ancient Wild Lands before. In this world, only the nirvana flames of the Phoenix True Fire were capable of expelling that poison from her body.
If Yang Kai had still been in possession of the Phoenix True Fire, he wouldn’t have minded helping Qi Hai out as it wasn’t much effort on his part.
However, Liu Yan had absorbed the Phoenix True Fire, and Jiu Feng had taken her to Spirit Beast Island.
Yang Kai wanted to help, but currently couldn’t.
Back when he entered the Ancient Lands, Yang Kai met Qi Family Fort’s disciple Qi He Feng, who was the person that Qi Hai arranged to wait for Yang Kai at the Ancient Lands Passageway.
Qi Hai had originally wanted to have Yang Kai owe him a favour by telling him that the Netherworld Sect was secretly scheming against him. Yet, it turned out that Yang Kai was incredibly fierce, to the point where he boldly and without hesitation or looking back walked straight into the Ancient Lands.
The end result was the annihilation of Netherworld Sect’s entire group.
As they exchanged glances, Qi Hai had a complex expression as some regret and hesitation seemed to flash through his eyes. Still, it wasn’t long before his hesitant expression suddenly became resolute as he cupped his fists and shouted towards a burly old man in front, “Senior Wu, he is the person that you’re looking for.”
Although this old man appeared to be elderly, he had a strong and robust body. He wore a short-sleeved vest that revealed his muscles which seemed as solid as metal. It was as if astonishing strength could burst forth from his brawny figure at any moment.
The strong old man’s expression darkened when he heard Qi Hai’s words, “He’s the little brat surnamed Yang?”
As he spoke, his eagle-like sharp gaze pierced straight at Yang Kai’s face. It was obvious that murderous intentions were brewing on his face.
Qi Hai quickly said, “Yes!”
“Good, very good!” The man surnamed Wu smiled viciously, “I didn’t expect that he would present himself to this King before this King had to go search for him. It seems I am quite lucky.”
Qi Hai gritted his teeth and stated, “Senior Wu, please keep your promise and loan the Phoenix True Fire to this Junior after everything is finished.”
The man surnamed Wu coldly snorted, “Since when did this King give you such a promise?”
“But Senior, didn’t you previously say…” Qi Hai’s expression greatly changed as he had an expression of disbelief as he looked at the man surnamed Wu.
The old man snorted again, “The Phoenix True Fire is far too divine for someone like you to borrow!”
“Senior, you’re actually going back on your word!?” Qi Hai’s expression instantly became extremely ugly. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as strong as the other party, so he couldn’t do anything even though his heart was filled with rage.
“Impudence!” This time, the man surnamed Wu didn’t say anything. Instead, another old man angrily shouted and slapped Qi Hai, causing him to spit blood and fly backwards from the impact as he fell on the ground with evident weakness in his aura.
That old man stepped forward and stated icily, “If you dare spout rubbish again, this Old Master will kill you first!”
“Young Fort Lord!”
Upon seeing Qi Hai fall on the ground, a group of people all rushed over and carefully helped him up. They couldn’t help but heave sighs of relief when they saw that Qi Hai’s life wasn’t in danger. They then glanced with vexed expressions at the old man who attacked Qi Hai, as they only dared to be angry but didn’t dare to say anything.
“Just what is happening…” Yang Kai had a strange expression as he watched all this.
He didn’t expect that right when he emerged from the Ancient Lands, that he would run into such a good show. A show that even involved him.
Qi Hai and the man surnamed Wu didn’t exchange many words, but Yang Kai was no idiot and naturally had some inkling of what was going on.
Yang Kai glanced over at the hundred or so gathered before him and smiled, “Netherworld Sect is it… They seem to follow me no matter where I go.”
Among the hundred people, were about ten who had extremely dark and chilly auras, including the man surnamed Wu and the person who previously attacked Qi Hai. It was obvious that they had cultivated dark and evil Secret Arts.
These people’s auras gave Yang Kai a sensation that was identical to Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Cheng’s auras.
The identities of these ten or so people were thus quite obvious.
In the Eastern Territory, apart from those from the Netherworld Sect, there weren’t any other Sects that possessed such gloomy auras.
Apart from the ten or so people from the Netherworld Sect, the remaining people had varied cultivations. All of those who were looking at Qi Hai had expressions filled with concern, so they were obviously people from Qi Family Fort.
Soon, Yang Kai focused his attention on another old man as he furrowed his brow slightly, “Old Ban? Why are you here as well?”
This old man was Old Ban, the guide who previously took Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi into the Ancient Lands.
Old Ban could only smile bitterly when he heard Yang Kai’s question, “They wanted to enter the Ancient Lands… They are the knives, while I’m just the fish on a chopping block…”
His words clearly expressed the helplessness in his heart.
“Old thing, shut your mouth!” A Netherworld Sect disciple next to Old Ban immediately glared at him. Old Ban’s expression changed as he really didn’t dare to say anything more, but he still secretly sent Yang Kai a message saying, “Little Brother, hurry and leave. It seems these people are from the Netherworld Sect and came here just for you.”
However, right after he said that, the Netherworld Sect disciple who previously glared at him shouted, “This old thing even dares to secretly send him a message? You’re courting death!”
Right after he spoke, he immediately sent his palm slapping towards Old Ban.
Old Ban was only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm, so even though he did his best to act covertly, the movement of his Divine Sense was naturally not missed by the Netherworld Sect disciple who was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Seeing that Old Ban was refusing a toast, the Netherworld Sect disciple intended to make him drink a loss.
The person that the Vice Sect Master was looking for had already appeared of his own volition, so there was naturally no more need to enter the Ancient Lands. Since they weren’t going to enter the Ancient Lands anymore, they no longer needed someone to lead the way; therefore, it wouldn’t matter if he beat Old Ban to death.
The Netherworld Sect disciple’s palm showed absolutely no mercy, causing Old Ban’s face to completely pale as the wind from the attack approached.
Right as the palm was about to strike Old Ban though, another palm suddenly came out from the side and met the disciple’s palm at a strange angle.
“Who!?” The attacking Netherworld Sect disciple was astonished, but before he could even tell who had intercepted his attack, the two palms had already struck each other.
A torrential force with the power of a tidal wave crashed into the Netherworld Sect disciple. He felt as if this power smashed through his defences like they were dry weeds or rotting wood before directly invading and rampaging through his body.
*Pu…*
The Netherworld Sect disciple spat some blood as he flew out and rolled several times after falling to the ground.
When he got back up again and checked himself, his face immediately became ashen as he exclaimed in despair, “My meridians… My meridians have all been destroyed!”
He kept roaring hysterically as he raised his head. Only then did he see clearly that the person who attacked him was actually the person named Yang Kai, immediately gritting his teeth while shouting, “How can you be so vicious?!”
After Yang Kai saved Old Ban, he put the latter back down where he originally stood and glanced lightly at the Netherworld Sect disciple with a mocking grin, “It seems neither your family nor your Sect have taught you how to show proper respect to our Elders. Since you don’t even have such basic knowledge, destroying your meridians is a small form of punishment. Remember to respect your Elders in the future.”
The Netherworld Sect disciple was already in a state of despair, but after listening to Yang Kai’s preaching at him, he couldn’t help but spurt a mouthful of blood. He then turned to the man surnamed Wu and pleaded, “Sir Vice Sect Master, your disciple’s meridians have been destroyed! Sir, you have to enforce justice on behalf of this disciple!”
The man surnamed Wu coldly snorted, “You have brought disgrace to the Sect, scram now!”
The disciple was dumbfounded. He never expected Sir Vice Sect Master would actually be so unkind. Not only did he not help him, but even reprimanded him. He suddenly felt that there was no meaning in life. Infuriated and forlorn, his eyes rolled back as he fainted right away.
The man surnamed Wu coldly looked at Yang Kai and lightly snorted, “First-Order Emperor Realm, not bad.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile, unabashed, “Just so so…”
Afterwards, the smile on his face receded as he turned his head, looking coldly at Qi Hai, “Brother Qi Hai, you have let me down, this Young Master is saddened greatly by your conduct.”
Qi Hai became uneasy after hearing this, his face filled with shame and embarrassment, but he still grit his teeth and justified himself, “Brother Yang, had this Qi not been forced to, this Qi would not do something like this. It’s just that my wife’s life is at stake. Unfortunately, Brother Yan has the Phoenix True Fire but is unwilling to extend a helping hand, so this Qi can only depend on others.”
Yang Kai heaved a sigh and indifferently stated, “Brother Qi, this Young Master admires your feelings for your wife, unfortunately… even if you betray me, this Vice Sect Master doesn’t seem to appreciate your favour.”
Qi Hai’s face was immediately filled with bitterness.
Previously, the members of the Netherworld Sect came to the Qi Family Fort just because the Qi Family Fort was a local tyrant that was more familiar with the Ancient Lands than them. At that time, Qi Hai was angry that Yang Kai was being so stingy, not willing to extend a helping hand to him in his time of desperation, so he didn’t hesitate to agree to Vice Sect Master Wu’s request. He even brought several members of Qi Family Fort and prepared to enter the Ancient Lands to search for Yang Kai’s traces.
Only, Yang Kai had come out of the Ancient Lands before they could venture in and had a run-in with them, face to face.
“Where there is a will, there is a way,” Qi Hai grit his teeth and added, “This Qi believes that even rocks and metal would give in to sincerity. As long as Vice Sect Master Wu is willing to use the True Fire for this Qi once, this Qi is willing to pay any price.”
While speaking, he turned his head and looked at the man surnamed Wu, who had an indifferent look on his face, his expression basically showing no change whatsoever.
Yang Kai chuckled before agreeing, “Brother Qi is right, but… Didn’t Qi He Feng tell you that the Phoenix True Fire is no longer with me?”
Qi Hai rebuked with a forced smile, “Brother Yang, who would be willing to give something as precious as the Phoenix True Fire? This Qi had only asked for a small favour, something as simple as lifting your hand, but to me, was more important than my own life. Why are you making all sorts of excuses now?”
Yang Kai’s face turned colder, “Believe what you like, but I have already given away the Phoenix True Fire, and the one who received it is not with me any longer. Originally, I was still thinking of bringing that person to the Qi Family Fort after she returns because of the favour to me last time. In any case, it wouldn’t be much effort, but now… It seems the Young Fort Lady’s fate must be left to the Heavens to decide.”
Qi Hai’s face suddenly distorted as he asked in a trembling voice, “Brother Yang… The Phoenix True Fire is really not with you?”
Yang Kai made a cold snort, not bothering to answer his question. In truth, he didn’t have any friendship with Qi Hai, and it was already quite lucky of Qi Hai to have not been silenced by Yang Kai back in the Shattered Star Sea. This time, he actually let the word out that Yang Kai obtained the Phoenix True Fire, which made Yang Kai quite angry.
Seeing Yang Kai’s expression, Qi Hai suddenly realized that Yang Kai wasn’t lying; after all, Qi He Feng had already mentioned this to him when he had returned to the Qi Family Fort.
Now, when Yang Kai reiterated it again, he began to believe it a bit more.
In a flash, his heart was filled with remorse and fury. He felt as if a bitter gourd had been stuffed into his mouth and he dumbly stood in place, as if he had lost his soul.
“Are you Netherworld Sect’s Vice Sect Master?” Yang Kai turned his attention to the stalwart old man, frowning.
“Bold!” The old man who had attacked Qi Hai before angrily shouted, “Why are you still not on your knees after seeing Sir Vice Sect Master?”
Yang Kai sneered and retorted, “Who do you think you are to make this Young Master kneel before you?”
The old man wanted to say something but was stopped by the man surnamed Wu.
The man surnamed Wu, indifferently looking at Yang Kai and gave a nod of appreciation, “Mentality is good, cultivation is also good. Boy, this King wants to accept you into the Netherworld Sect, what do you think?”
“Ah!” The group of Netherworld Sect members looked shocked after hearing this. They had never expected their Vice Sect Master to think so highly of Yang Kai. The Netherworld Sect was a top Sect of the Eastern Territory, and its reputation was only below that of Serene Soul Palace. It wasn’t a place where just anyone could enter.
But since it was the Vice Sect Master, it was naturally not difficult for him to admit someone.
The Netherworld Sect disciple, who had fainted after Yang Kai had destroyed his meridians, happened to have woken up right then, and was completely shocked after hearing this, causing him to stare at Yang Kai with bulging eyes.
“You want me to join the Netherworld Sect?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh.
The man surnamed Wu nodded, “Yes, this King is the Netherworld Sect’s Vice Sect Master, Wu Yuan Zheng. As long as you agree, this King is willing to accept you into the Sect.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin while maintaining a calm and composed look, “This Young Master is… not interested in being a Netherworld Sect disciple.”
Wu Yuan Zheng proposed again, “What if this King offers you an Elder’s position?”
“What!?” The Netherworld Sect disciples reacted as if they were struck by lightning, paralyzing them on the spot.
As for the Netherworld Sect disciple whose meridians had been crippled, he coughed a mouthful of blood before fainting again.
He was expecting his Vice Sect Master to avenge him and kill Yang Kai, but he hadn’t expected for the things to proceed beyond his imagination. Not only did the Vice Sect Master not avenge him, he even wanted Yang Kai to join their Sect, going so far as to offer him an Elder’s position.
Once Yang Kai became a Netherworld Sect Elder, he would have no chance to avenge himself. He would have no choice but to let the matter of him being crippled remain unsettled.
“An Elder…” Yang Kai also stood there as dumb as wooden chicken, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. He looked at Ji Yao and asked, “Yao’er, your Master didn’t hear it wrong, did he?”
Jia Yao blankly replied, “Your Disciple also heard it.”
She couldn’t help but sneer. [Honoured Master is Ice Heart Valley’s Ancestral Founder, while Ice Heart Valley’s status is almost on par with the Netherworld Sect’s. What is this Wu Yuan Zheng thinking trying to ask Honoured Master to join the Netherworld Sect? Was his head kicked by a donkey? How laughable!]
Wu Yuan Zheng indifferently stated, “Of course, the premise is that you must hand over the Phoenix True Fire to this King. As long as you hand over the Phoenix True Fire, all the grievances between you and my Netherworld Sect will be written off. This King guarantees that you will be an Elder of the Sect as well. What do you think?”
Yang Kai put on an excited look, “That sounds very good.”
Wu Yuan Zheng slightly smiled and added, “This King’s Sect is among the top of the Eastern Territory’s forces, so even if you are just an Elder, such status isn’t inferior to the Sect Master of a second-class Sect. You are still young and have a bright future, so it’s not impossible to reach this King’s status in time.”
Yang Kai smacked his lips with joy as he stated, “Tsk tsk, it’s tempting but this Young Master has a lot of grievances with your Netherworld Sect, especially with your noble Sect Master’s Legacy Disciple, Yin Le Sheng…”
Wu Yuan Zheng guaranteed, “This King said, as long as you are willing to join our Sect, our past grievances will be written off. As for Martial Nephew Yin, this King will persuade him. I believe that he is not someone who will fail to see the bigger picture.”
“Will everything really be written off?” Yang Kai asked, raising his brow.
“How can this King lie to you after giving his word?”
“Even if Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen have been killed by me?”
Wu Yuan Zheng narrowed his eyes and the smile on his face instantly disappeared as he shouted out loud, “What did you say?”
Yang Kai indifferently reiterated, “Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen have been killed by me!”
Wu Yuan Zheng shouted again, “That’s impossible!”
The reason why he had come here was because he had heard that Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen had taken a team of Netherworld Sect disciples to the Ancient Lands to deal with a personal enemy. Yin Le Sheng was the Legacy Disciple of the current Netherworld Sect Sect Master. Also, he had ascended to the Star Boundary from the lower plane, so his aptitude was extremely good and his future was extremely bright. He was of great value to the Netherworld Sect and the Sect Master also valued him greatly.
Whereas Hua Fei Chen was an Elder of the Netherworld Sect, an extremely high position in the Netherworld Sect.
Wu Yuan Zheng and the Netherworld Sect Master were completely oblivious about the two of them taking so many disciples to the Ancient Lands at first as the two had acted very secretly.
Later, when the Netherworld Sect Master accidentally came to hear about it, he became furious and extremely worried as well. After all, the Ancient Lands were extremely dangerous. He was afraid that something would happen to his Legacy Disciple, so he had asked Wu Yuan Zheng to personally go and search for them.
And so, Wu Yuan Zheng, after coming here, went to the Qi Family Fort right away. At Qi Family Fort, he came to hear about Yin Le Sheng’s grudge with Yang Kai, and about Yang Kai being in possession of the Phoenix True Fire from Qi Hai.
Wu Yuan Zheng was immediately overjoyed and realized that this trip might be a good opportunity for him.
If he could obtain the Phoenix True Fire and refine it, he may be able to become the next Martial Flame Great Emperor! At that time, the Netherworld Sect would be at his beck and call.
He secretly made up his mind to search for Yin Le Sheng while also seizing Yang Kai’s Phoenix True Fire. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to offer Yang Kai an Elder’s position.
How could a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm brat have something as divine as the Phoenix True Fire? Only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like him could subdue a Divine Flame for his own use.
How would he have known that Yang Kai would suddenly deliver him such a terrible surprise?
After returning from the Shattered Star Sea, Yin Le Sheng had advanced to the First-Order Emperor Realm whereas Hua Fei Chen was an established Second-Order Emperor. And now, Yang Kai actually claimed that he had killed both of them.
Wu Yuan Zheng immediately rejected the very notion; after all, Yin Le Shen still had an Emperor Authority Bead gifted to him by the Netherworld Sect Master. That Emperor Authority Bead had the full powered attack of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master sealed inside of it.
“You killed them? You? Boy, aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning for making such outrageous claims!?” The Netherworld Sect Elder, who had attacked Qi Hai before, sneered. Obviously, he didn’t believe Yang Kai one bit. With Yang Kai’s current strength, how could he kill Hua Fei Chen, a Second-Order Emperor?
However, as he said this, his eyes suddenly widened as he stared ahead in shock.
Suddenly, a pitch-black thing appeared in Yang Kai’s hand. It was surrounded by dense Yin Qi and ghastly cries and wails could be heard when it flapped along with the wind.
“Netherworld Purgatory Banner!” The Elder couldn’t help but blurt out while Wu Yuan Zheng too couldn’t help but have his facial muscles twitch, staring straight at the Netherworld Purgatory Banner.
“It’s indeed a Netherworld Purgatory Banner…”
“And the rich aura is unlike that of a Dao Source Grade banner, it’s more like an Emperor Grade Netherworld Purgatory Banner!”
“In the Sect, only the Elders, Sect Master, and Vice Sect Master can have an Emperor Grade Netherworld Purgatory Banner… Could it be that he really killed Elder Hua?”
Shocked by this revelation, the Netherworld Sect disciples broke into a lively discussion.
The Netherworld Purgatory Banner was an artifact refined by every disciple of Netherworld Sect; however, which grade of banner they received depended on their individual cultivation.
The banner taken out by Yang Kai was an Emperor Artifact left by Hua Fei Chen after his death. Some disciples were unable to distinguish its aura, but Wu Yuan Zheng and the other Elder could tell that it belonged to Hua Fei Chen at a glance.
In a flash, Wu Yuan Zheng’s face turned ashen.
[If Hua Fei Chen is dead, then Yin Le Sheng’s fate cannot be any better. Sect Master regards Yin Le Sheng as Netherworld Sect’ successor and spared no effort nurturing him. If he is dead, who will calm Sect Master’s anger?]
“You actually killed Elder Hua!?” The Netherworld Sect Elder became furious and roared at the top of his lungs, “Boy, I’ll take your life!”
Having lost his mind to anger, he charged ahead without a moment of hesitation. Dense Black Qi surged around him in a gloomy and terrifying manner. It seemed as if he wanted to kill Yang Kai to avenge Hua Fei Chen. Who knows what his relationship with Hua Fei Chen was?
Wu Yuan Zheng was shocked and hurriedly shouted, “Elder Zhong, come back!”
Although Yang Kai was just a First-Order Emperor Realm, since he could kill Hua Fei Chen, Elder Zhong wasn’t his opponent for sure. At this moment, Elder Zhong had been blinded by rage but he could clearly see this.
But his warning came a little too late.
Yang Kai, seeing Elder Zhong charging at him, wasn’t surprised at all and simply chuckled, “Elder Zhong, don’t worry, this Young Master will send you to reunite with Hua Fei Chen!”
He slowly raised his hand, but just as he was about to make a move, a shapely and slender figure suddenly appeared before him.
Ji Yao’s figure was exuding an extremely cold aura, and standing before Yang Kai, her jade-like hand slightly grasped the void as she summoned a long sword into her grip.
Immediately, a fearsome aura erupted from Ji Yao, as if she had transformed into a giant crystal of eternal ice that would never melt and would freeze anyone who dared to approach her.
“Second-Order Emperor Realm!” Elder Zhong’s face turned pale in shock and horror.
Although he had seen Ji Yao before, because Ji Yao had been standing behind Yang Kai, he thought that this woman was Yang Kai’s entourage or maid.
How strong would a maid accompanying Yang Kai, a First-Order Emperor, be?
Not to mention him, even Wu Yuan Zheng had never paid any importance to Ji Yao from the beginning to the end.
They didn’t realize how wrong they were until Ji Yao had made a move.
To their dismay, the woman calmly standing behind Yang Kai was actually a Second-Order Emperor, significantly higher than Yang Kai in cultivation.
Just as Ji Yao drew her sword, a flash of light flickered accompanied by a metallic cry before an icy domain that could freeze space itself rapidly spread into the surroundings, enveloping Elder Zhong.
Mid-air, Elder Zhong felt his entire body turn stiff. Affected by the Ice Principles, he was unable to circulate his Emperor Qi smoothly and his hair and beard froze in an instant.
[I’m not her opponent!] Elder Zhong’s eyes went wide as he loudly shouted, “Vice Sect Master, save me!”
But how could Wu Yuan Zheng save him? Elder Zhong had attacked without any prior signs and his speed was too fast, so at this moment, he wasn’t that far from Yang Kai, meaning Wu Yuan Zheng would be too late to rescue him even if he tried to.
Before everyone’s eyes, the sword in Ji Yao’s hand flashed before it returned to its original position, as if it had never moved.
However, an ice flower had strangely appeared on Elder Zhong’s chest.
The ice flower had six petals and was crystal clear. It was extremely beautiful, but this epitome of beauty was accompanied by a fearsome murderous intent. With a burst of soft cracking sounds, more ice flowers suddenly spread across Elder Zhong’s body, encasing him from top to bottom.
Through the newly formed wall of transparent ice, a hundred pairs of eyes could clearly see the frozen expression of horror on Elder Zhong’s face.
Frozen, Elder Zhong plummeted from the air. And the moment he touched the ground, the block of ice shattered, and so did Elder Zhong, leaving not even a single drop of blood.
Instant kill!
A First-Order Emperor Realm Elder of the Netherworld Sect was instantly killed by this otherworldly woman! The strong visual impact had shaken everyone’s heart and soul, causing them to be unable to regain their senses for a long time.
“How dare you yell before the Honoured Master! You deserve death!” Ji Yao oppressively shouted as her pair of pretty eyes swept over the audience.
Anyone who met her gaze involuntarily shivered.
Only Wu Yuan Zheng, who was burning with fury and on the verge of erupting like a volcano, coldly said with his hair and clothes dancing despite there being no wind today, “Good good good! It seems that the Sect has been silent for too long that any random whore now dares to kill our Elders!” While speaking, he glared at Yang Kai and shouted, “Yang Kai, even if you hand over the Phoenix True Fire today, you will still die!”
An Elder-level Master had died right before his eyes, so if he didn’t kill the culprit, how would he explain it to the Sect?
Yang Kai sneered, “You want to kill this Young Master? Let’s see if you have the ability!”
“This King will broaden your vision today!” Wu Yuan Zheng stated in an ice-cold voice and grimly smiled, “Don’t worry, this King won’t kill you right away. I will drain every drop of blood from your body! As for the two women by your side… they will know what it means to suffer a fate worse than death!”
“Vice Sect Master, kill them to avenge Elder Zhong!”
“Kill them!”
“The two women are great beauties. Vice Sect Master, this is a blessing! You can enjoy them before killing them!”
“Yes, yes! Heh heh, these two women are blind and ignorant, they have no idea who to follow and who to not. They are actually accompanying this brat, how unfortunate for them!”
After recovering from the shock of Elder Zhong being killed, the Netherworld Sect disciples suddenly became more confident as they had Wu Yuan Zheng with them!
He was the Netherworld Sect’s Vice Sect Master, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. His strength was second only to the Sect Master in the Netherworld Sect. Once the Vice Sect Master made his move, this man and these two women would surely be doomed.
“Sir Yang, why not leave them to this Mistress?” Luan Feng, hearing the foul and obscene words of the Netherworld Sect disciples, asked in a cold voice as an icy gleam flashed past her eyes.
Yang Kai meaningfully grinned, “I was just about to ask Lady Feng for your help!”
A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was far stronger than him, and even if he pulled out all his trump cards, he would have to pay a price to kill this opponent. Yang Kai was only acting so confident and carefree in this situation because Luan Feng was by his side.
Otherwise, he would have escaped with Ji Yao at first notice.
But now, Wu Yuan Zheng’s luck had definitely run out! He thought he could turn Luan Feng’s life into a living hell! Even the Heavens themselves would not be able to save him now.
While Yang Kai was secretly communicating with Luan Feng, Wu Yuan Zheng had already soared into the air and pounced over with a fierce aura, like a falcon on attack, throwing out a palm as he shouted, “Kneel down!”
Hua Fei Chen was dead, Yin Le Sheng was dead, and now Elder Zhong was dead….
The Netherworld Sect could be said to have suffered heavy losses this time.
Wu Yuan Zheng wanted to use Yang Kai and his party to establish the Sect’s prestige. He wanted to let the world know what would be the outcome for people who killed the members of the Netherworld Sect.
As he smacked down a palm strike, a near-tangible might of the Third-Order Emperor Realm poured out like a fountain. Even the surrounding space was frozen in an instant as if it wasn’t a person descending from the sky, but a tall mountain.
The Netherworld Sect disciples excitedly gazed upon this scene in anticipation, waiting for Yang Kai and his group to kneel down and beg for mercy.
The several dozen members of Qi Family Fort looked at them with complicated eyes, especially Qi Hai. He couldn’t help but sigh to himself as he knew that Yang Kai was doomed this time, and once Yang Kai died, all his hopes of borrowing the Phoenix True Fire from him would die with him, no matter whether the Phoenix True Fire was with him or not.
[I’m afraid my wife’s Heavenly Frost Earth Rain Poison will remain untreated forever], for a moment, his heart was filled with remorse. He secretly hated himself for his low strength and for being useless.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Wu Yuan Zheng sneered widely while Yang Kai and the two women appeared as if they were scared and stupefied, simply standing on the spot, completely still.
Just when that palm strike was about to land though, Luan Feng suddenly lifted her arm and pointed a single finger upwards, her movements completely casual as if she was shooing away a fly.
But the might of this finger made Wu Yuan Zheng’s face immediately turn pale.
His tyrannical Third-Order Emperor Realm aura was instantly pierced through by this finger and all his momentum popped like a pricked balloon.
Not only that, a dreadful force shot towards him from the front, like an unstoppable sword, ripping apart the Principle Strength and the defensive Emperor Qi around him like it was smashing through dry weeds and rotten wood, thrusting straight towards his palm.
“Impossible!” Wu Yuan Zheng was completely shocked and his eyes filled with disbelief. At that moment, he desperately poured all of his energy into his palm, trying to resist the invading energy.
But the Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation that he had always been proud of was like thin paper in front of this inexplicable force, serving no role at all.
*Pu…*
With a soft squashing, blood flew into the air as a gruesome hole as wide as a chopstick appeared on Wu Yuan Zheng’s palm. The fiercely swooping Wu Yuan Zheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning and tumbled awkwardly through the air before crashing to the ground, all the time staring at Luan Feng while violently trembling.
The Netherworld Sect disciples were all stupefied.
The Qi Family Fort disciples were also dumbstruck.
What did they just see?
Wu Yuan Zheng, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, actually had his palm pierced by a woman, and it seemed that he was powerless to resist!?
Everyone was terrified as the world seemed to fall so silent that one could hear a pin falling on the ground. Only the sounds of their hearts pounding could be heard.
In this world, who could wound a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like this?
“Who… who are you?” Wu Yuan Zheng’s face had gone completely pale, but it wasn’t because he was hurt. Although the finger’s energy had pierced through his palm, that was only a minor injury. If he went back and took a pill, his palm would be completely recovered after some days of resting. Compared to his injuries, the experience itself was what shocked him scared.
He was overawed by this woman herself! A woman who could hurt him like this must have an extraordinary identity.
A very shocking notion suddenly rose from the depths of his mind and Wu Yuan Zheng immediately broke into a cold sweat as he asked in a shaking voice, “Are you Lady Flower Shadow?”
Everyone broke into an uproar after hearing this.
Flower Shadow was the name of a person and a title too!
Flower Shadow Great Emperor, one of the Ten Great Emperors.
There was only one female among the Ten Great Emperors, but although she was a woman, she wasn’t any weaker than the other Great Emperors. She supported all the female cultivators of the Star Boundary and was the object of all of their respect and worship.
Unlike Serene Soul Great Emperor, Bright Moon Great Emperor, and a few other Great Emperors, who had founded their own Sects, Flower Shadow Great Emperor lived in seclusion in a place called Myriad Flower Valley, but as to where this Myriad Flower Valley was in the Star Boundary, no ordinary individual could tell for sure.
The Ten Great Emperors each had different temperaments. Some founded Sects to spread their leaves and branches into the mundane world, some roamed alone, free and easy, others lived on some obscure mountain or in some isolated forest in seclusion.
Only the names of each Great Emperor had spread throughout the Star Boundary.
Wu Yuan Zheng speculating Luan Feng was the Flower Shadow Great Emperor was without any basis other than the fact that she was far stronger than him. He was already a Third-Order Emperor, so only a Great Emperor-level figure could so dramatically surpass him.
And Luan Feng was a female, so it was easy to relate her to the Flower Shadow Great Emperor.
“Flower Shadow Great Emperor!”
Everyone exclaimed, one after another while the faces of the Netherworld Sect disciples immediately turned pale and their legs started shaking as if they had seen their dead parents. It was all over! Their Sir Vice Sect Master just had to antagonize a Great Emperor, even commanding her to kneel…
As for themselves, they had just now used obscene language to profane Lady Flower Shadow.
How were they supposed to keep their lives now?
The members of the Qi Family Fort also wore solemn looks on their faces. Although they hadn’t made any offensive comments just now, they were clearly together with the Netherworld Sect, so who knows if Lady Flower Shadow would decide to settle accounts with them.
On the other side, Wu Yuan Zheng was sweating buckets. With a face filled with fear, he apologized in a trembling voice, “Madam, this one had eyes but failed to see. I had no idea that Madam would personally grace us with her presence. I hope that Madam will forgive me…”
Having provoked a Great Emperor, Wu Yuan Zheng’s heart was like dying embers, but what he couldn’t figure out was why a Second-Order Emperor Realm and a Great Emperor were actually standing behind a trivial First-Order Realm Master, Yang Kai.
[Who is this guy? What’s even more hateful is that I was acting so arrogant, but he didn’t reveal anything at all, just keeping his mouth shut while enjoying the show. Such a vicious and sinister bastard!]
“You’re mistaken, this Queen isn’t Flower Shadow!” Luan Feng indifferently stated.
“You’re not Lady Flower Shadow…” Wu Yuan Zheng was dumbfounded, gawking at Luan Feng in a daze. Who knows what was going through his mind, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Then, you are… you are…”
Luan Feng didn’t have any intention to answer him, she just pointed her finger towards Wu Yuan Zheng. This finger strike was different from before. Before it was a simple finger, but now, a jet of pitch-black flame condensed at her fingertip instead.
“World Extinguishing Black Flame… You’re!” Wu Yuan Zheng’s face drastically changed. Obviously, he had realized Luan Feng’s true identity after seeing this, but that wasn’t surprising; after all, they were at the periphery of the Ancient Lands, and there was only one female Divine Spirit in the Ancient Lands.
Seeing her signature World Extinguishing Black Flame, how could he not guess her true identity?
Divine Spirit Luan Feng!
Wu Yuan Zheng was horrified. Had he provoked Flower Shadow Great Emperor, he might still have a chance to survive as the rumours were that the only female Great Emperor had a modest temperament. As long as one didn’t do something that was utterly devoid of conscience, she would not make things difficult for them.
Provoking the Divine Spirit Luan Feng was another matter. Although Luan Feng wasn’t someone who killed innocents, the word ‘merciful’ was not one that could be remotely associated with her.
“Madam, mercy!” Wu Yuan Zheng shouted as hard as he could while at the same time, he pushed his Emperor Qi madly in an attempt to block the oncoming World Extinguishing Black Flame.
But Luan Feng remained indifferent.
*Huala…*
The moment the wisp of fire came in contact with Wu Yuan Zheng, it ignited all of his Emperor Qi, reducing him into a ball of scorching black flames in an instant.
Wu Yuan Zheng started miserably screaming, causing the hearts of all who heard his cries to clench.
“Mercy! Senior, mercy…” Wu Yuan Zheng pushed his Emperor Qi hard, but he was unable to stifle the black fire on his body in the slightest. On the contrary, the harder he pushed his Emperor Qi, the fiercer the flames became, as if his Emperor Qi was nothing but fuel for the fire.
The miserable wails and cries for mercy soon died out, because Wu Yuan Zheng only lasted for less than three breaths under the World Extinguishing Black Flames before he was reduced to ashes. Even his Space Ring was completely melted.
Everyone went completely silent!
Earlier, when Elder Zhong attacked Yang Kai, he was instant-killed by the woman with the cold temperament.
Now, when Wu Yuan Zheng attacked Yang Kai, he was instant-killed by the other woman.
Had they not personally witnessed it with their own eyes, perhaps no one would dare to believe that something like this could ever happen in this world.
“Lady Feng, your flames are too strong,” Yang Kai, seeing Wu Yuan Zheng’s Space Ring melt, couldn’t help but be saddened.
In any case, Wu Yuan Zheng was the Netherworld Sect’s Vice Sect Master, so he must have had many rare and precious treasures on him, but now, all of that had been completely torched by Luan Feng, so how could Yang Kai not be upset?
Luan Feng stated with a smile, “This Queen was negligent. Sir Yang, please forgive this Queen this time for the sake of the many treasures Sir Yang obtained previously!”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched. Since Luan Feng had brought this up, what could he say?
“Madam, forgive us, Madam, mercy!”
The dozen or so Netherworld Sect disciples suddenly knelt down and started begging for mercy aloud.
Now, Elder Zhong was dead, and so was Wu Yuan Zhen, so they had no backers here. If they wanted to survive, they could only abandon their self-esteem and sense of shame.
In a flash, a dozen or so kept kneeling, kowtowing and begging for mercy in succession.
“Shut up! If you make another noise, I’ll kill all of you!” Ji Yao shouted in a sweet and tender voice that felt as cold as glacial ice.
All these cries were giving her a splitting headache.
As expected, the dozen or so people dared not utter another word. They just nervously gazed at Luan Feng, for the fear that she would make them follow their Vice Sect Master’s footsteps in anger.
*Putong…*
Another person knelt down.
Yang Kai glanced over and found that it was none other than Qi Hai.
An ashamed Qi Hai started pleading in a desperate voice, “Brother Yang, this Qi has committed a terrible mistake. I hope that my death will calm your anger, please let Qi Family Fort’s disciples go!”
“Young Fort Lord!” The Qi Family Fort disciples were shocked and appalled.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai just glanced at him before disregarding him altogether. Rather he looked in another direction and coldly stated, “I guess…we will have to take a trip to the Netherworld Sect.”
Luan Feng furrowed her delicate brow and asked, “Does Sir Yang want to settle accounts with the Netherworld Sect?”
Yang Kai agreed, nodding, “Whether I’m going to square things or not, it will depend on their attitude. I need their help with another matter too.” Having finished speaking, he turned to Luan Feng and stated, “Lady Feng, I will have to trouble you to follow me a while longer.”
Luan Feng bitterly smiled after hearing this. She knew that Yang Kai wanted to use her as a bodyguard, but right now, she couldn’t refuse him either. All she could do was agree, nodding, “Sir Yang, you are too polite. That Young Lady wanted me to take good care of you, so this Queen is duty bound not to refuse. Only, this Queen wants Sir Yang to remember that her identity is somewhat delicate and it isn’t appropriate for me to act too presumptuously in a Human Sect, otherwise it will definitely draw the attention of the Great Emperors.”
Although she was a Divine Spirit, she still had to give deference to the Ten Great Emperors.
At her peak, she might have been able to stand on par with one of the ten Great Emperors for a time, but she had recently given birth to a daughter and her foundation still hadn’t completely recovered. If she really acted outrageously in the Human Sect, she would surely be pursued by the Great Emperors. At that time, she would have to say farewell to her peaceful days.
Yang Kai clarified, smiling, “Lady Feng, you are mistaken, I’m not going to the Netherworld Sect intent on killing anyone.”
“Hehe…” Luan Feng smiled, unable to say for sure whether she should believe him or not.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai beckoned before flying up with Ji Yao.
But Luan Feng didn’t move. Rather she turned around, her eyes flickering with a cold gleam as she stared at the kneeling Netherworld Sect disciples. She then raised her arm and palmed down lightly.
*Peng peng peng…*
A series of muffled explosions echoed as the dozen or so Netherworld Sect disciples exploded into a bloody mist, disappearing from the face of this world.
It wasn’t that Luan Feng enjoyed bullying the weak, but the offensive comments these few had made about her was not an insult she was willing to let slide.
After having finished the remaining Netherworld Sect disciples, Luan Feng finally turned around and flew after Yang Kai.
The several dozen Qi Family Fort disciples stood rooted on their spot, sweating buckets. Only after a long time did they finally come to their senses and realize that they were lucky this time and managed to survive.
“Young Fort Lord, they… have left!” An old man came to Qi Hai and gently reminded him.
Qi Hai was powerlessly kneeling on the ground, his eyes having lost all lustre as a bitter look filled his face.
…..
Luan Feng was extremely familiar with the Eastern Territory. According to her, she had travelled around in the Star Boundary in her human form multiple times in the past, so she was quite familiar with the geography of the Star Boundary.
Under her lead, Yang Kai’s trio arrived at a city called Peaceful Sea City in just one day.
After entering the city, the trio head straight to the City Lord’s Mansion.
The City Lord of Peaceful Sea City was a First-Order Emperor, so when he came to learn that someone had trespassed into the City Lord’s Mansion, he was furious and hurriedly rushed out of his retreat. But before he could ask any questions, Ji Yao, under Yang Kai’s order, released a bit of her cultivation pressure and immediately rooted the City Lord in place. He didn’t dare to make a rash move.
Under everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai’s trio ‘borrowed’ the Space Array at the City Lord’s Mansion and left right away.
After the three had gone, the City Lord heaved a sigh of relief, his back dripping with cold sweat.
Following the same procedure and multiple teleportations, the trio finally arrived at Netherworld City.
“Sir Yang, Netherworld City is the closest city to the Netherworld Sect and was under the direct management of it. From here, it will only take two hours to reach the Netherworld Sect,” Luan Feng explained to Yang Kai after stepping out of the Space Array.
Yang Kai, nodding and beckoned, “I will have to trouble Lady Feng to lead the way.”
Luan Feng agreed, smiling, “Please follow me.”
After having been together with Yang Kai for a few days, Luan Feng realized that Yang Kai had a gentle temperament and was quite polite to her, unlike the arrogant and unyielding attitude he had shown in the Ancient Lands. This had put Luan Feng at ease as she knew that Yang Kai would not commit all matters of evil using her.
After exiting the City Lord’s Mansion, the trio headed straight to Netherworld Sect.
After two hours, a cultivation paradise with tall mountains and great rivers appeared before the trio. On the continuous rising and falling mountain range, there were many beautiful palaces and pavilions with streams of cultivators moving about. It was a place filled with rich World Energy, indicating a High-Rank or even better Earth Vein was located here.
However, this place gave Yang Kai a different feeling from other cultivation paradises he had been to because there was dense Yin Qi in the air. It was probably related to the Secret Arts of Netherworld Sect.
Netherworld Sect disciples all cultivated wicked Secret Arts, and all the artifacts were Yin Attributed. On top of that, there was also that strange Netherworld Pond inside their Sect’s headquarters, so over time, this cultivation paradise had turned into a ghastly place.
The disciples guarding the mountain range were just in the Dao Source Realm, so when the trio flew past them, the patrols didn’t even notice them.
Probably, they might not have ever expected that some people in this world would dare to trespass into the Netherworld Sect unannounced.
After entering the Netherworld Sect, the trio flew forward, ostentatiously and leisurely as if no one could stop them. Yang Kai was looking left and right, constantly inspecting the surroundings.
Luan Feng asked, “Sir Yang, are you searching for the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master, Fu Bo?”
Yang Kai replied with a question of his own, “Mhmm, Lady Feng, do you know where he is?”
Luan Feng shook her head, “This Queen also has no idea as I have never been to the Netherworld Sect before.”
“Then we should just ask someone.”
While the two were chatting, they suddenly heard a shout nearby, “Hey you, stop right there!”
Yang Kai, hearing this shout, turned to look and in the next moment, he saw a streak of light flying over. Only when it arrived closer did the streak of light separated into two, revealing two figures, one of a man, and the other of a woman.
The man appeared to be in his thirties, but his face was a little yellowish and he had a sallow aura while the bridge of his nose had grown somewhat dark. He was only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm, but was wearing extremely luxurious clothes. By the looks of it, his status wasn’t low.
And as for the woman, she had a tender gaze and her cheeks were flushed. Her hair was a little messy and her eyes were bright and intelligent. She was quite beautiful, especially her figure, which appeared extremely ravishing. Her cultivation was also two Minor Realms higher than the man’s, putting her in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
As soon as the man and woman came near, an obscene smell wafted from them.
Yang Kai had a lot of experience in this regard, and the moment he smelled it and took a look at the woman’s enchanting appearance, how could he not tell that the man and woman had just been enjoying each other’s company? He secretly smiled in his heart at the fact that these two were in the mood in broad daylight.
Who knows just where they had been and what they were doing?
Luan Feng, on the other hand, furrowed her brow and asked, “What’s this smell?”
Although she had a daughter, she had definitely not become pregnant after consummating with a subordinate Monster King as Yang Kai had thought before. Instead, she had used her own Blood Essence and Vitality to form a fetus and then gave birth. In regards to the matters between men and women, Luan Feng was like a blank piece of paper, so how could she know about the origins of this smell?
But instinctively, she abhorred this smell.
“Well, a true icy beauty!” As soon as the young man arrived before the trio, his eyes were completely glued on the cold-faced beauty, Ji Yao.
Because they cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts, many of the disciples of Ice Heart Valley had naturally cold temperaments and expressions, giving them unapproachable auras that seemed to push others away.
After a bath and applying some makeup, Ji Yao had long lost her dirty and messy appearance. Her enchanting appearance and slim figure, coupled with her cold aura, could easily arouse a man’s desire to conquer her.
The young man before them was undoubtedly the kind of person who wallowed in women, otherwise, why would he drag his female companion to do such shameless deeds while the sun still hung high in the sky.
“Scram!” Being stared at by this young man, Ji Yao felt extremely uncomfortable and she immediately shouted in an ice-cold voice.
“Ha, a little feisty! I like it!” The young man clearly had quite thick skin. Ji Yao had bluntly rejected him, but he appeared to be enjoying this as if it was an invitation. His eyes were gleaming with greed and lust. He was despicable to the bone.
Yang Kai pulled Ji Yao behind him and looked at the young man with a smile.
The young man’s face immediately turned cold before asking with a cold snort, “Who are you? If you are Netherworld Sect disciples, why haven’t I seen you before?”
Yang Kai indifferently replied, “You don’t need to worry about who we are. We have come to the Netherworld Sect to settle some accounts. Tell me, where can I find your…”
Before Yang Kai could finish his sentence, the young man looked as if he had found a treasure and his eyes widened as an even greedier gleam appeared in them. Staring at Luan Feng, he smacked his lips and shouted, “What a beauty! Hahaha, this Young Master’s fortune is shining today! En, it’s decided, you will warm my bed for me tonight!”
Compared to glacial beauty Ji Yao, the young man seemed to prefer mature and charming women.
Previously, his gaze was attracted by Ji Yao, so only now did he finally discover Luan Feng’s existence. When he did though, he was so excited that his breathing grew ragged and his eyes gleamed with greed and perversion.
As he spoke, he actually tried to reach out and seize Luan Feng.
By the looks of it, it was apparent that he wanted to forcefully take Luan Feng in his captivity.
“Young Man, you’re so…” Yang Kai was scared and hurriedly stepped aside.
“You court death!” Luan Feng was enraged.
With her identity and status, even if the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master, Fu Bo, came here in person, he would have to treat her with the utmost respect, but now this ignorant First-Order Dao Source Realm waste actually dared to grab at her. Not only that, he had made obscene remarks at her, even demanding that she warm his bed.
Even a monk could be angered, let alone Divine Spirit, Luan Feng.
While grabbing Luan Feng, the young man shot a glance at Yang Kai, his eyes filled with both contempt and admiration. As if he was saying that Yang Kai was quite an understanding fellow.
Naturally, he saw Yang Kai moving to the side just now and thought Yang Kai was afraid of him. This immediately boosted the young man’s vanity, “Baby, you better not resist! This Young Master’s grandfather is the Netherworld Sect’s Great Elder. You will enjoy inexhaustible benefits from this Young Master in the future!”
Luan Feng made a light snort and smacked out a palm.
The young man didn’t even realize what happened before he was smashed into a blood mist by the palm, leaving not even a single bone behind.
“Ahh!!” The woman who was with the young man, instantly turned pale and she hurriedly covered her mouth as her pretty eyes violently trembled.
Looking at the blood raining down from the air, she froze in disbelief.
The grandson of the Great Elder, to whom she had given herself willingly after she was promised enormous benefits, had died just like that, before she could collect even a single Source Crystal! If he was going to die, he should have given her what he promised first!
As she stared at the gore-filled pool of flesh and blood and remembers that this puddle used to be a man who had committed all kinds of perverted acts to her just moments ago, the woman immediately turned pale and flew to the side, emptying her stomach of all its content, vomiting so hard that everything went black before her eyes for a while.
“Lady Feng, didn’t you say that you can’t act freely in a Human Sect? Then, is it okay to kill the grandson of a Great Elder?” Yang Kai glanced at Luan Feng, whose face was completely cold at the moment.
Luan Feng grit her teeth and justified herself, “He was trying to profane this Queen! Should this Queen have just let him touch me?”
After a pause, she angrily stated, “Sir Yang, you aren’t a good person either!”
“Why…” Yang Kai was speechless, “How is this related to me? He was the one being rude to you, not me.”
Luan Feng glared at him and asked, “Why did you dodge just now?”
Yang Kai could have stopped everything from happening, but he had actually stepped aside, making Luan Feng pretty angry. Had Yang Kai not stepped aside, she would not have killed the opposite party in anger.
“Ah… ahaha…” Yang Kai forced a laugh before hurriedly justifying, “It was an instinctive reaction, an instinctive reaction. He was just a piece of trash, Lady Feng doesn’t need to pay his death any mind.”
Luan Feng maintained the cold look on her face; apparently, she cared about it a little, even suspecting that Yang Kai had acted deliberately just now to drag her into this mess. But what could she do now? She had already killed the Great Elder’s grandson in anger, forming an enmity with the Netherworld Sect.
“Do… do you know who he is?” On the other side, the woman, who had been vomiting all the while, had finally regained her calm and accepted the fact that the Great Elder’s grandson had tragically died before her. Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but stare at the trio in shock.
[These three are too bold! They killed the Great Elder’s grandson as if it was nothing, and not only are they not escaping now, but are instead standing around chatting.]
“I heard him loud and clear when he introduced himself, your Great Elder’s grandson, right?” Yang Kai smilingly looked at the woman.
“You…” The woman was completely stunned. Her sweet and sexy eyes that were filled with spring a moment ago were now filled with shock at this moment. She didn’t know what to say, but one thing she knew for certain was that the Great Elder would not let them go. The Great Elder had few family members and only one grandson in his third generation. Unfortunately, this young man was ignorant and incompetent while his aptitude was trash, resulting in him becoming a wastrel that spent all his time on women and wine.
Many Senior and Junior Sisters in the Sect had fallen prey to his wicked hands. Some had sent themselves into his arms willingly while others had been forced to obey him.
Because he was the Great Elder’s grandson, he had abundant cultivation resources in his hands though, so many Senior and Junior Sisters were interested in him and proactively undressed just to get useful benefits from him. She belonged to this category. As for those who were forced, they couldn’t get their revenge as he was under the Great Elder’s asylum.
However, this grandson was not a complete fool and only targeted girls without strong backgrounds in the Sect, those who have no way to seek justice for themselves. As for those with higher status, he never used force but instead lured them in with benefits.
That was also how she was coaxed into the act.
But how could she have ever thought that after sacrificing her innocence, not only would she not get the slightest benefit, but she would have to watch him die as well?
[Even though his end was guaranteed to be bad eventually, now I have to worry about being implicated…]
Thinking of the Great Elder’s coming anger, the woman couldn’t help but shudder as her face instantly went pale.
“Don’t worry,” Yang Kai gently comforted the girl, “We won’t do anything to you.”
“What do you want then?” The woman asked in a tearful voice.
“Where is your Sect Master, Fu Bo?” Yang Kai asked with a smile, but to that woman, that amiable and harmless smile seemed more terrifying than the devil’s malicious grin itself.
She subconsciously pointed in a direction, blurting, “Sect Master cultivates on that peak.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai looked in the direction she pointed before thanking her with a light nod, “Many thanks!”
Having offered proper respect, he flew towards the peak along with Ji Yao and Luan Feng, leaving the Netherworld Sect woman hopelessly standing there. Only after a long time did this woman come to her senses before heading towards another peak in a hurry.
She had to immediately report what just happened to the Great Elder, otherwise, she would definitely die if he were to investigate things himself.
The peak of the mountain was rich in Yin Qi. Also, there appeared to be an enormous Spirit Array surrounding the peak, preventing the near-tangible Yin Qi from leaking out.
More importantly, faint ghastly cries and wails could be heard coming from inside the dense Yin Qi field, giving the listeners a jittery feeling.
The moment Yang Kai’s trio arrived here, a sudden furious shout came from inside, “Who dares intrude here!?”
“Fu Bo?” Yang Kai asked back, raising his brow.
“Bold Junior! You dare call this King by name!? You court death!” The voice called out again.
“It looks like you are indeed Fu Bo,” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile before taking a step forward, directly disappearing into the Yin Qi. Ji Yao and Luan Feng hurriedly followed after him.
The Yin Qi covering the top of the mountain seemed to be only used for cultivation and didn’t have any defensive or offensive properties. Yang Kai thus came all the way in with Ji Yao and Luan Feng before everything cleared up before their eyes.
A palace appeared before the trio.
Yang Kai promptly spread out his Divine Sense and immediately found a fearsome presence inside the palace.
Stepping inside the palace, he saw a stalwart man standing there, his eyes gazing towards them, his expression gloomy and filled with anger.
In any case, his Netherworld Sect was a top Sect in the Eastern Territory. Even considering the entire Star Boundary, it was still among the very strongest, yet today, someone actually intruded into his private cultivation sanctuary. Fu Bo was naturally quite angered.
Scanning Yang Kai with his Divine Sense and discovering that he was just a First-Order Emperor, Fu Bo grew angrier.
But regardless of his personal feelings, he was still a Sect Master and his experience and insight were far better than an ordinary person’s. Seeing Yang Kai remain so calm and composed, without a hint of nervousness, Fu Bo subconsciously felt that Yang Kai wasn’t some insignificant character. Otherwise, how would he dare to call him by his name and even break into this place?
“Who are you? Why did you intrude into my Netherworld Sect?” Fu Bo asked with a cold snort.
Yang Kai glanced around before replying with a slight smile, “This Young Master’s name is Yang Kai, I wonder if Sect Master Fu had ever heard of it?”
“Yang Kai?” Fu Bo furrowed his brow, “It seems familiar…”
After giving it some quick thought, his face changed as he shouted, “Are you that enemy of Le Sheng’s?”
Yin Le Sheng was his Legacy Disciple, one that Fu Bo had very high hopes for. Yin Le Sheng hadn’t hidden anything that had happened in the Shattered Star Sea from him after returning to the Sect, so naturally he had mentioned Yang Kai more than once.
In his opinion, this was just a grudge between two Juniors, so Fu Bo didn’t attach that much importance to it. He only asked Yin Le Sheng to focus on cultivation and avenge himself in the future.
However, Yin Le Sheng was eager to have his revenge as quickly as possible, so after spending some time in the Netherworld Sect to stabilize his new Emperor Realm cultivation, he encouraged Hua Fei Chen to travel to the Ancient Wild Lands with him to deal with Yang Kai. After he learned of this, Fu Bo immediately sent Vice Sect Master, Wu Yuan Zheng, to lead some disciples to pick up Yin Le Sheng and prevent any mishap from befalling him in the dangerous Ancient Lands.
But he didn’t expect the little brat named Yang Kai would actually run over here before his disciple and Vice Sect Master even returned.
“It seems Sect Master Fu does know about this Young Master,” Yang Kai meaningfully grinned before nodding, “That will make things much easier.”
Fu Bu turned a deaf ear to Yang Kai’s mutterings and slowly asked with a dissatisfied look on his face, “As far as this King knows, Le Sheng has gone looking for you. As you travelled here, did you see this King’s good-for-nothing disciple?”
“I indeed met him,” Yang Kai replied with a smile, “There was also a guy named Hua Fei Chen with him. He seemed to be the Elder of your noble Sect!”
Fu Bo’s heart immediately hit rock bottom after hearing this and he immediately asked sharply, “Where are they?”
Yang Kai replied, pursing his lips into a smile, “Sect Master Fu is an intelligent man. Since they went looking to trouble this Young Master, and this Young Master has now appeared here unscathed, what do you think their ends would be? Sect Master Fu also said that your disciple is a ‘good-for-nothing’. This Young Master showed great compassion and helped clean your house of such trash. No need to thank me!”
Immediately, Fu Bo’s vitality rolled as he shouted in anger, “That’s impossible!”
Yang Kai coldly stated, “Wu Yuan Zheng said the same thing before his death too!”
“What!?” Fu Bo was truly shaken this time, “Vice Sect Master Wu is dead too?”
After a while, Fu Bo calmed down and rebuffed with a light snort, “Brat, you sure know how to spout nonsense; this King was almost fooled by you. With your pitiful cultivation, even Elder Hua could easily finish you off, so how could you have killed Vice Sect Master Wu? Laughable!”
Yang Kai indifferently replied, “Indeed, this Young Master cannot kill Wu Yuan Zheng, but I never said I killed him. The one who killed him was… someone else!”
Fu Bo furrowed his brow, feeling that Yang Kai wasn’t lying. His heart skipped a beat at that moment as he promptly spread his Divine Sense again, scanning the two women by Yang Kai’s side.
[The cultivation of the girl with the cold aura isn’t bad, actually Second-Order Emperor Realm!] Fu Bo was shocked by this revelation.
Just when he wanted to use his Divine Sense to scan Luan Feng though, he suddenly felt a fearsome pressure emanate from her, frightening him so greatly that he actually retreated a few steps before asking in shock, “Who is Your Excellency?”
Only now did he suddenly discover the unfathomable nature of this beautiful woman.
The woman standing there gave him the feeling of facing a Great Emperor!
As the Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master, it wasn’t like Fu Bo had never met a Great Emperor before. The Serene Soul Great Emperor made his base in the Eastern Territory, so Fu Bo had the good fortune to meet him more than once.
Every time Fu Bo had gone to Serene Soul Palace to meet the Great Emperor though, he would feel a similar pressure to the one he was feeling right now. This was a deeply unsettling sensation, like the other party could take his life just by raising his hand.
[This young man is actually accompanied by a Great Emperor!? What is his identity?]
Fu Bo was now even more curious about the identity of the beautiful woman.
Luan Feng just let out a light snort, having no intention of introducing herself.
After all, as a Divine Spirit, she shouldn’t have come to the Human Sect and didn’t want to reveal her identity unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Sect Master Fu believes me now?” Yang Kai looked at Fu Bo, maintaining a calm and composed look.
Fu Bo nervously gulped, staring at Luan Feng in fear. He then looked at Yang Kai and realized that this boy was the one doing all the talking and replied with a nod, “If this Madam took action, Wu Yuan Zheng would not have any chance to survive.”
Wu Yuan Zheng was dead, so Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen couldn’t be alive either.
He was totally unaware that Yin Le Sheng and Hua Fei Chen were killed by Yang Kai and it had nothing to do with Luan Feng.
Sighing, Fu Bo dejectedly asked, “Since my good-for-nothing disciple had eyes but failed to see, provoking Your Excellency, then he is guilty of death! It’s just that… it was a personal feud between Your Excellency and my disciple, and he has already been punished. I wonder why Your Excellency has come to my Netherworld Sect now?”
After Yin Le Sheng took on such a powerful opponent, his death was not the biggest deal, though it was still saddening. However, in this case it was his own fault for being imperceptive, and he had also cost the Netherworld Sect two Emperor Realm Elders and a Vice Sect Master.
This time, the losses suffered by the Netherworld Sect were immense.
Fu Bo was certain that the one who killed these people was Luan Feng, so his attitude softened as he didn’t dare to think of getting revenge. What worried him the most right now was whether Luan Feng would let things go. If she was unwilling, then it would be yet another calamity for the Netherworld Sect.
Having someone whose status was no less than a Great Emperor show up in person was no joke, and the Netherworld Sect could easily be erased from the Star Boundary if anything went wrong!
Yang Kai snorted lightly, “Yin Le Sheng kept pestering me, but I was magnanimous and kindly spared him in the Shattered Star Sea. To think he still had delusions of causing problems for me, this is very troubling indeed…”
[You’ve already killed him, what the heck are you troubled about! The one who really should be troubled is me!] Fu Bo was enraged, but did not dare to retort.
“As the old sayings go, the folly of the son is the fault of the father, and a Master for a day is a Father for a lifetime. Yin Le Sheng may be dead, but you also have quite a large responsibility as his Master. If you taught him well, then he wouldn’t have been so thick-headed and narrow-minded!”
As expected, the Netherworld Sect and Fu Bo were dragged into this matter.
Though he had known this was coming, Fu Bo was still filled with resentment upon hearing Yang Kai’s words. He dearly wished he had never taken Yin Le Sheng as his Disciple, but with the current state of things, he could not possibly escape?
“What does Your Excellency want?” Sighed Fu Bo.
With Luan Feng glaring at him from behind Yang Kai, Fu Bo’s heart was full of anxiety. He was terrified that he would say something to offend Yang Kai, who would then take the opportunity to give him more substantial trouble.
Yang Kai snorted, “The spiritual wounds and psychological trauma your Disciple caused me are indelible. Even today, I am greatly disturbed when I recall what happened, and I have suffered from sleeplessness and a loss of appetite. Those memories are like evil ghosts, they haunt me and cannot be dispelled…”
Fu Bo raised a hand to interrupt him, and said dejectedly, “Please name your price, Your Excellency.”
He finally figured it out. This time, Yang Kai was not here to actually do anything to the Netherworld Sect or Fu Bo; instead, it seemed like he was here for extortion.
And though it was painful to pay up, Fu Bo did heave a sigh of relief. If he could solve this calamity with Source Crystals, that was still acceptable. The only thing was that this cost… was not going to be low.
Yang Kai side-eyed him in anger, “Aren’t you underestimating me a little too much, Sect Master Fu? You think I can be so easily bribed?”
Fu Bo was stunned, wondering if he could possibly have misunderstood and became anxious once more, completely unable to comprehend what Yang Kai had come to the Netherworld Sect to do.
But Yang Kai suddenly changed his tune, “But… if Sect Master Fu is truly sincere,” he said, stroking his chin, “Then perhaps I won’t be unwilling to put things to rest.”
At those words, Fu Bo was so mad he felt like spitting blood. When Yang Kai was speaking so severely just now, Fu Bo almost thought he was someone with principles. Little did he expect to see Yang Kai’s true colours show so easily.
After all that talk, he was still just here for extortion…
“If I may ask, Your Excellency… how large should this ‘sincerity’ be?” Fu Bo asked darkly.
“If I had tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of Source Crystals,” Yang Kai said flippantly, “Then perhaps I could forget about the matter of people from your noble Sect causing me trouble, and I would be able to sleep peacefully from now on.”
“Tens… hundreds… of millions…” Fu Bo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead in shock, and asked, “Mid-Rank Source Crystals?”
“Preposterous!” Yang Kai’s expression turned to rage and he glared at Fu Bo, “It seems like Sect Master Fu’s sincerity is not enough to quell my fury! Lady Feng!”
At his yell, Luan Feng immediately took a step forward, “What are your orders, Young Master Yang?”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Fu Bo jumped, seeing Luan Feng step forward, and hurriedly raised a hand to halt things. He was pouring cold sweat as he cowered and asked weakly, “Could Your Excellency actually mean… High-Rank Source Crystals?”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “If Sect Master Fu understands, then why play dumb?”
Fu Bo swallowed in spite of himself, finally understanding the extent of Yang Kai’s greed.
While it wasn’t impossible for the Netherworld Sect to provide that many High-Rank Source Crystals, it would be a huge blow to their resources if they did. The Netherworld Sect was a top Sect in the Eastern Territory and it had many Source Crystal lodes under its control that yielded great profits each year; however, with so many disciples in the Sect, its annual consumption rate was also quite astonishing.
If they really were to satisfy Yang Kai’s demands, then for at least the next few years, the disciples’ cultivation resources would be greatly reduced.
Fu Bo was beside himself with rage. The Vice Sect Master of his own Sect, two Elders, and even his Legacy Disciple had been killed, yet not only did the enemy come to extort him, he even demanded the lion’s share of their resources. Such a thing would infuriate anyone, but Fu Bo had no choice when he was so outclassed. It truly was vexing.
Just as Fu Bo was hesitating, a voice was suddenly heard from outside the hall, “Sect Master, Zhong Yong requests to see you!”
“Great Elder?” Fu Bo frowned, wondering why the Great Elder would come here at such a time. He naturally didn’t wish others to see his distressed state when he was floundering, but then again, perhaps having another person there could be helpful too. With the Great Elder there, they might just be able to recoup some of their losses; after all, he was no outsider.
At that thought, Fu Bo answered, “Come in!”
On the other side, Yang Kai cast a glance at Luan Feng, his mouth curling into a faint smile.
Luan Feng looked as cold as ever as she snorted quietly.
When they had just arrived at the Netherworld Sect, Luan Feng had killed a man who was entranced by her beauty and tried to assault her. That young man had declared his identity as the grandson of the Great Elder.
And now, with the Great Elder of the Netherworld Sect suddenly showing up, how could she not know the reason?
It was clear that he came for revenge.
That was indeed the truth. Earlier, the alluring woman who was with the dead young man had gone to see the Great Elder immediately after giving directions to Yang Kai’s group, and reported everything that had happened.
The Great Elder flew into a rage, and upon learning that Yang Kai and Luan Feng were here to find Fu Bo, he rushed over as well.
It was unacceptable that one of his kin was killed within the Sect’s headquarters. Not to mention, that was his only grandchild. Not only was the crime absolutely unforgivable, but the sheer brazenness of the killer was enough cause for the old man to take offence.
Zhong Yong entered the hall with an icy expression, and the murderous intent in his eyes was so strong that it was almost tangible. After bowing to greet Fu Bo, he immediately looked towards the two women standing behind Yang Kai.
He had heard from the Third-Order Dao Source Realm disciple that his grandson’s killer was a woman with mature and noble looks.
Luan Feng and Ji Yao differed greatly in the impressions they gave off, so Zhou Yong quickly identified which of them was the murderer.
At this moment, Fu Bo was frowning deeply as he pondered how to best explain the current situation to the Great Elder, so he could help come up with ideas, completely failing to notice Zhou Yong’s fury and murderous intent.
Before Fu Bo could break out of his reverie though, Zhou Yong suddenly roared, “Lowly wench, are you the one who killed my grandson!?”
“Huh?” Fu Bo nearly jumped out of his skin as he stared at Zhou Yong in alarm, “Great Elder, what are you talking about?”
[Did I just mishear him?? Did Zhou Yong just hurl that kind of insult?]
Zhou Yong reached out his hand and pointed at Luan Feng, who stood behind Yang Kai, his voice full of fury as he shouted, “Sect Master, it was this slut who cruelly murdered Zhou Ji, my only grandchild, inside the Sect!”
“Zhou Ji?” Fu Bo frowned, “That good-for-nothing waste?”
He knew Zhou Ji was Great Elder Zhou’s grandson. If it was any ordinary disciple, he could not possibly remember their name; after all, in his position and with the Sect having some ten thousand disciples, he could not care less about a mere First-Order Dao Source Realm disciple.
But Zhou Ji, being the Great Elder’s grandson, was naturally different.
Fu Bo had heard about him before and knew that he was a waste with no interest in cultivating. All he did was use his status as the grandson of the Great Elder to get away with any trouble he caused.
But still, that little brat had never damaged anything crucial to the Sect or preyed on any female disciples of notable aptitude. Thus, for the sake of the Great Elder’s face, Fu Bo had never been bothered to deal with him.
He could not have expected that the good-for-nothing had actually gotten himself killed. Not only that, but it also happened inside the Sect… and it was done by the formidable Master that even Fu Bo was intimidated by.
Zhou Yong’s face was full of anguish, “While Ji’er may not have been a good disciple, he was still young! With my personal tutelage, he could’ve one day achieved greatness, but now he is dead! This wench killed him, and now the Zhou family line… has been cut off!”
Fu Bo’s face was as black as it could be as he snuck a glance at Luan Feng’s reaction before roaring, “Great Elder, shut your mouth!”
This woman was pretty much equivalent in status to a Great Emperor! How could Zhou Yong be so blind, repeatedly insulting her by calling her a lowly wench? If he really angered her, then the consequences would be more than they could bear.
At that moment, Fu Bo’s regret was immense. If he had only known this would happen, he would never have let Zhou Yong in. Now, not only was Zhou Yong no help at all, but he was also adding to the trouble.
“Sect Master,” Zhou Yong said, enraged, “Even if they are your guests, I must have my revenge for the death of my grandson!”
He thought that Yang Kai’s group was here, invited by Fu Bo.
But even if they were Fu Bo’s guests, he was unfazed. As he was not only a Third-Order Emperor Ream Master, but also the Great Elder of the Netherworld Sect, his position was of extreme significance. Zhou Yong was sure that the Sect Master would take his side.
However, things were turning out quite contrary to his expectations. Fu Bo instead glared at him and snapped, “Great Elder, I ask you to think of the bigger picture!”
“The bigger picture?” Zhou Yong sneered, “My lineage has ended, what bigger picture is left!? Sect Master, if you allow me to have my revenge, that is all I could ask for, but if you don’t, then I must kill these people even if I have to leave the Netherworld Sect!”
Fu Bo shuddered as he asked in a dark tone of voice, realizing that he was in deep trouble now, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
With the Vice Sect Master and two Elders dead, if the Great Elder chose to leave the Sect as well, then the Netherworld Sect’s power would absolutely plummet. If that happened, then it would be impossible to keep things running even for a Third-Order Emperor Realm Sect Master like himself.
“Please accede to my wishes!” Zhou Yong said with solemn determination, cupping his fists.
He had only said those words as a bluff, and did not really wish to leave the Netherworld Sect; after all, he had committed his life to the Sect and sacrificed greatly for it. How could he cut ties with it so easily?
Zhou Yong was certain that if he just showed his resolve, then the Sect Master was sure to agree with him; after all, he had toiled for the Sect for so many years, and all that hard work had to count for something.
“Great Elder Zhou, was it?” Yang Kai spoke up with a light laugh, looking towards him with great amusement, “Why don’t you tell Sect Master Fu just why your grandson was killed?”
Fu Bo jolted and realized that he was right. Zhou Yong was quick to accuse someone who had strength equal to a Great Emperor of murdering his grandson, but why would someone with such lofty status randomly decide to attack a First-Order Dao Source Realm Junior? Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t even spare such a person a glance, much less attack him.
Zhou Yong snorted coldly, “No matter what wrong Ji’er may have committed, you still shouldn’t have killed him!”
Yang Kai was stunned speechless. After a long pause he finally gave an approving nod and declared, “The Great Elder is bold indeed!”
Zhou Yong continued angrily, “Ji’er is my grandson, and any small mistakes he makes is understandable. And yet you people cruelly used lethal force against him! I have come here today because I must take your lives as revenge for my Ji’er!”
“Small mistake!?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh as he turned to Fu Bo, “Sect Master Fu, Zhou Ji was blinded by lust for Lady Feng you see by my side. Without any care for anything at all, he tried to abduct her and force her to warm his bed. What do you think of that, Sect Master Fu?”
“Abduct!? Warm his bed?!” Fu Bo was horrified and cold sweat began pouring down like buckets from his entire figure. The whole world around him seemed to be spinning and he felt certain that there was no hope left.
Even Fu Bo had to be on his best behaviour in front of Lady Feng, but Zhou Ji had the guts to try and abduct her? Not only that, he wanted her to serve him in his bed? He was simply courting death!
Only at this moment did he finally understand why someone like her would attack a First-Order Dao Source Ream cultivator.
But according to what he knew of Zhou Ji, that good-for-nothing really was capable of doing such a thing.
Yang Kai smiled as he looked at Zhou Yong, “Today, I have witnessed the grand posture of the Great Elder. It has been quite eye-opening to see how someone from a top Sect has a completely different tone from the rest! You are quite right… if your grandson was still alive, and had your personal tutelage, then he would certainly achieve greatness some day! After all, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”
“Anything you say now is useless!” Zhong Yong stared coldly at Yang Kai, his eyes full of murderous intent, “Only by taking your lives can I quell the rage in my heart!”
He turned to look at Fu Bo, and quickly repeated, “Please accede to my wishes, Sect Master!”
Fu Bo’s face was as black as the abyss as he silently cursed the Great Elder for being so blind. He was just about to secretly convey to him just how powerful Luan Feng was, when Yang Kai suddenly spoke, “Sect Master Fu, since this Great Elder is willing to leave your noble Sect in order to kill us, why don’t you give him what he wants? If you keep trying to stop him, then it may upset all parties involved.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Bo perfectly understood what Yang Kai meant. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, making it clear that he was not getting involved.
“Many thanks, Sect Master!” Zhou Yong spun around, ecstatic. Emperor Qi surged up within his body and he launched a heavy palm strike towards Yang Kai’s group.
It seemed from his manner that he wanted to kill them all in one blow.
“A mere firefly dares to challenge the light of the moon?” Luan Feng snorted coldly. She barely seemed to move before she suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai and raised her hand, sending out a burst of pitch-black flames towards Zhou Yong.
The black flames gave off an aura capable of eliminating all of existence.
The power behind Zhou Yong’s palm strike completely collapsed as he shuddered, his stance falling apart as he panicked.
“What!?” Zhou Yong’s whole expression changed as his eyes were instantly filled with horror. He screamed as the deathly aura surged towards him, “Sect Master, save me!”
He finally realised that he had kicked an unbendable iron plate. This elegant and beautiful woman was so far above him in power that he was entirely outmatched.
Fu Bo’s tightly-shut eyes opened immediately, but before he could say anything, Yang Kai coldly spoke, “Sect Master Fu, you’d best not get involved, lest you be burnt!”
Fu Bo’s heart jumped as he swallowed back the words he had been about to say.
“Ahh!” A horrible scream was heard as the World Extinguishing Black Flames turned Zhou Yong into a black fireball and started to incinerate him.
Just like Wu Yuan Zheng before his death, the more Zhou Yong tried to channel his Emperor Qi to defend himself, the more furiously the flames on his body burned. It was as though all his Emperor Qi had turned into fuel.
“Sect Master…” Zhou Yong was still screaming piteously, begging for help in the most miserable of voices.
Even though Fu Bo pitied him, he didn’t dare to intercede. All he could do was gloomily look on.
After a whole ten breaths had passed, Zhou Yong was reduced to a pile of ash. With a careless wave of her hand, Luan Feng called back her World Extinguishing Black Flames that had still not diminished in strength.
The Great Elder of the Netherworld Sect was now dead.
Luan Feng still seemed to hold some lingering anger after giving vent to her feelings and she cast a glare at Yang Kai, “I do apologize, Young Master Yang. I once again forgot about his Space Ring.”
She had clearly not forgotten, but had done it on purpose. She knew that even if she killed Zhou Yong, it was impossible for his Space Ring to fall into her hands, so she decided to simply burn everything down instead.
After all, Yang Kai was greatly responsible for what happened today. Luan Feng was clearly still annoyed at Yang Kai for ducking aside earlier when that good-for-nothing grabbed at her, leading to her instinctually killing him.
If Yang Kai hadn’t dodged to the side, then perhaps they wouldn’t have so much trouble now.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and said awkwardly, “It’s no issue, no issue at all!”
Luan Feng’s anger was greatly reduced after seeing Yang Kai’s manner. On second thought, she really shouldn’t be giving attitude to the man who had the protection of that Heaven’s Order descendant. Now that Luan Feng saw that he wasn’t at all annoyed by her actions, she felt that he was actually not that bad after all.
Yang Kai turned to Fu Bo next, “Sect Master Fu, Lady Feng has killed your noble Sect’s Great Elder. I hope you have no problem with that?”
No problem with it? He had one hell of a problem! He was the only one left amongst the Sect’s three Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters! How could he have no problem with that? But even so, what could he do about it?
Fu Bo had seen Luan Feng’s attack with his own eyes and recognized the origin of those pitch-black flames. Coupled with Yang Kai addressing her as Lady Feng repeatedly, he had a pretty good idea of who she was.
Divine Spirit Luan Feng! One of the Four Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands. Her subordinates included eight Monster Kings, none of whom were weaker than him.
Though not a Great Emperor, she could be compared to one. Either way, he couldn’t afford to offend her. If he did enrage her, she could easily send a few Monster Kings over and exterminate the Netherworld Sect without breaking a sweat.
Fu Bo forced a smile despite the bitterness in his heart, “Zhou Yong had already left my Sect, so he doesn’t count as one of our members. Whether he lived or died after that has nothing to do with us!”
While he said all this, Fu Bo was filled with curiosity. How could Divine Spirit Luan Feng be willing to follow a human Junior? She even seemed like she was being ordered around by him.
Just what kind of background did this Yang Kai have?
Yang Kai gave Fu Bo a meaningful look and smiled, “Sect Master Fu is a flexible man of great understanding. In that case, let us resume the earlier discussion of compensation.”
“There’s no need,” Fu Bo smiled bitterly, “I will definitely ensure that Your Excellency is satisfied.”
He had wanted to bargain earlier when Yang Kai demanded the lion’s share of goods, but now, all he wanted was to quickly send these three calamity-bringers on their way. After a disciple of his own Sect had lusted after Luan Feng and even tried to abduct her, it was already a blessing that she hadn’t burnt everyone in his Sect to ashes. He did not dare to argue anymore.
Saying so, Fu Bo retrieved a communication artifact from his Space Ring and channelled his Divine Sense into it. He was evidently conversing with someone.
After he put the artifact away, Fu Bo forced a smile and said, “Please wait for a moment.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, then suddenly turned serious, “Sect Master Fu, I’ve actually come to the Netherworld Sect for two matters. The first matter has been dealt with now, but I still need to talk to you about the second.”
Fu Bo’s heart jumped. He was extremely nervous, not knowing what other nasty surprises Yang Kai had for him, “May I know what else Your Excellency would like from me?” he asked carefully.
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t be so tense, Sect Master Fu. This second matter is just a trivial favour. I’d like to borrow the Space Array of your noble Sect.”
“Borrow our Space Array?” Relief washed over Fu Bo, and he felt like he had just been brought out of Hell straight into Heaven, “No problem, no problem at all.”
He had just been on tenterhooks over what the second matter would be, but it turned out to be a simple request to borrow their Space Array.
“Where would Your Excellency like to go?” Fu Bo asked tentatively.
“To the Northern Territory!” said Yang Kai.
“The Northern Territory is quite far …” Fu Bo frowned a little, “Though our Sect’s Space Array is quite powerful, it still isn’t able to transport you to the Northern Territory directly. If you wish to go there, you’ll have to use a Cross-Territory Space Array. As far as I know, only Serene Soul Palace has such a Space Array in the Eastern Territory, a relic from the ancient past.”
“Serene Soul Palace has a Cross-Territory Space Array?” Yang Kai raised his brow, evidently surprised.
“I have only heard rumours of it, but not seen it myself.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Though Fu Bo had only heard about it, even if Serene Soul Palace really did have a Cross-Territory Space Array, it would be impossible for Yang Kai to borrow it. That place was overseen by the Serene Soul Great Emperor, and people could not simply go there and do as they pleased.
In addition, Yang Kai had clashed with the Serene Soul Great Emperor’s daughter Yao Lin. The Serene Soul Great Emperor had even been forced to appear to resolve the situation via a Soul Descend, but who knew what would happen if Yang Kai went right up to their front door.
“Since I can’t cross territories, then help me get to the place closest to the Northern Territory,” said Yang Kai.
“Of course. I will personally arrange this for Your Excellency in a moment,” Fu Bo quickly promised.
“Young Master Yang wishes to go to the Northern Territory?” Luan Feng finally asked, after listening to them for a while.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded and cast a glance at Ji Yao.
Ji Yao’s current condition was unstable, and while she was still well behaved because she thought he was Senior Bing Yun, who knew when her consciousness would become confused once more?
The reason he wanted to go to the Northern Territory was that he wished to send Ji Yao back to Ice Heart Valley. With Bing Yun personally looking after Ji Yao, perhaps she could finally recover.
As this was an urgent matter, Yang Kai had to deal with it first.
Yang Kai turned his head and said with a smile, “Why not come along, Lady Feng? The scenery of the Northern Territory is incredibly beautiful. It’s got lovely mountains and clear springs, and is the home of many outstanding people. Wouldn’t it be nice to go take a look around?”
“Absolutely not!” Luan Feng glared at him.
How outrageous of him to try and drag her along to be his free bodyguard again. She was supposed to be done after escorting him out of the Ancient Lands, and only continued to accompany him to the Netherworld Sect because she didn’t really have a choice. There was no way she would now follow him to the Northern Territory as well.
“Alright, alright, no need to get angry,” said Yang Kai, rubbing his nose.
Fu Bo was quite terrified as he observed them. He could not figure out just who Yang Kai really was or how he could be so close with Divine Spirit Luan Feng. There was only one thing he did know, which was that he must absolutely not get on this young man’s bad side.
After less than an hour had passed, a woman’s voice was heard outside the hall, “Sect Master, your subordinate requests an audience!”
“Come in!” Fu Bo hurriedly answered. After waiting there for an hour with Yang Kai and Luan Feng, Fu Bo had turned into a bundle of taut nerves, and looked extremely happy to see someone who could ‘save’ him from this situation.
Footsteps were heard as a woman in an elegant dress entered the hall.
This woman was quite refined in appearance, dressed in a noble and dignified manner. Her cultivation had reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm, and it looked like she held quite a high position within the Netherworld Sect.
As she entered, the woman cast a curious glance at Yang Kai’s group. She wondered what kind of people they must be, to be entertained in the Sect Master’s private retreat. As far as she knew, this place did not allow just anybody inside. Even the Elders usually couldn’t step in here unless they were summoned.
“Did you bring what I asked for?” Fu Bo asked the beautiful woman.
“Yes,” she quickly answered.
As she spoke, she passed the Space Ring she was holding to Fu Bo.
Fu Bo took it from her, then winced slightly as he checked it with his Divine Sense. He quickly calmed down and waved his hand at the woman, “You may go.”
“Sect Master!” The woman did not immediately leave, looking at Fu Bo with curiosity, “Why do you need a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals all of a sudden, and so urgently?”
This beautiful woman was the Netherworld Sect’s general manager, in charge of the Sect storehouse and all resources used for cultivation. Though she did retrieve these hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals from the storehouse as ordered, it was such a large sum that she had to ask what they were to be used for. Without these hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, the cultivation resources of all their disciples would be greatly reduced for the next few years.
And when the disciples complained about it, all their criticism would be directed at her.
“Cultivation!” Fu Bo answered calmly, without even batting an eye.
The woman stopped for a moment, then suddenly asked with great delight, “Sect Master, could you be…”
Fu Bo waved his hand, “Don’t ask so much.”
“Yes!” The woman hurriedly answered, cupping her fists, but even so, there was a look of joy on her face that could not be concealed.
She thought that the Sect Master wanted all these Source Crystals because he could possibly achieve a breakthrough. Fu Bo was already a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, if he had another breakthrough, then he would reach the Great Emperor Realm, and if he really became a Great Emperor, then the Netherworld Sect would greatly rise in status as well.
Compared to the Sect Master’s cultivation taking a step further, a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals was a triviality. The woman was instantly relieved.
“I will take my leave, Sir!” The woman bowed respectfully, and was about to leave.
“Oh, and go prepare the Space Array,” Fu Bo instructed, “I will be escorting these guests away shortly.”
The woman left happily with her orders.
After she left, a look of awkwardness came over Fu Bo’s face, and he tossed the Space Ring to Yang Kai.
As the current Sect Master of the Netherworld Sect, it was really quite embarrassing to have to lie to his subordinate in front of Yang Kai and the others, but what else could he do but lie? He could not possibly tell his subordinate that he was actually being extorted.
That would really be too embarrassing to say out loud.
Yang Kai took the Space Ring and checked it with his Divine Sense, then put it away without doing a precise count.
He was sure that Fu Bo would not short-change him. If he promised a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, then he would deliver a hundred million.
Yang Kai was in quite a good mood after suddenly attaining such a fortune. If he totalled up this stash with what he had gained last time in the Ancient Wild Lands, then he had somewhere between seven to eight hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals on hand.
It was a terrifying sum.
“Sect Master Fu is sincere indeed!” Yang Kai said, laughing, “Since you are so sincere, then my conflict with the Netherworld Sect is now resolved. From now on, let us each go our separate ways and not bother the other. What do you think of this, Sect Master Fu?”
“Good, I could not have asked for more!” Fu Bo would not possibly dare to say no.
Yang Kai went on, “I do still need to borrow your noble Sect’s power for the second matter.”
“En, please follow me!” Fu Bo did not hesitate further, and hurriedly led the way.
The four of them exited the hall and quickly flew towards a certain direction.
After they arrived at a small mountain, Fu Bo led Yang Kai and the others to stop at an area of flat ground on the mountaintop. A grand palace stood here, and Yang Kai could sense swirling Space Principles even without going inside.
Naturally, these were the Space Principles associated with the Space Array.
It seemed like the beautiful woman from earlier had already made preparations.
After entering the palace, the Netherworld Sect disciples guarding the Space Array immediately bowed respectfully to them. The woman who had brought the Space Ring earlier also hurried forth to greet them, cupping her fists as she spoke, “Sect Master, everything is now prepared. May I know what your destination is?”
“Black Armour City!” Said Fu Bo.
The woman nodded and gestured to the disciples standing by the Space Array, who immediately began making adjustments.
In no time at all, the preparations were complete and the Space Array was ready.
Fu Bo smiled and gestured ahead “Please go ahead!”
Yang Kai led Ji Yao forward to stand in the centre of the Space Array, then looked towards Luan Feng with a smile, “Lady Feng, are you sure you don’t want to come take a look with me?”
“Have a smooth journey, Sir Yang!” Luan Feng answered, her face expressionless.
Yang Kai chuckled, “In that case, many thanks to Lady Feng for escorting us. If I have the free time someday, I will certainly visit again to give my thanks.”
Luan Feng’s mouth twitched, but she still managed to force a slight smile without saying a word. It was folly to say too much at such a time, and thus, silence was her response.
Yang Kai turned his head to the Netherworld Sect disciples, “Begin!”
They glanced at Fu Bo and waited for him to nod his head, then fully activated the Space Array’s power.
With a flash of bright light, the High-Rank Source Crystals placed on the Space Array were instantly drained of their power and reduced to a pile of dust.
When the light faded, Yang Kai and Ji Yao had also vanished.
*Hu…*
Luan Feng heaved a light sigh, thinking to herself that this troublesome fellow was finally gone. Her mood was lifted by this, and she smiled.
Without bothering to bid Fu Bo farewell she turned around and walked straight out of the palace, then flew away.
Fu Bo led the Netherworld Sect disciples outside the palace gates to see her off, respectfully cupping his fists in salute.
“Sect Master…” The beautiful woman looked quite bewildered to see her Sect Master treat this unknown woman with such awe and respect. He even personally came outside to see her off even though she ignored him completely.
“That lady from earlier… Who is she?” The woman could not help but ask.
Before Fu Bo could answer, they heard the distant sound of a clear and melodious cry that seemed to pierce through the clouds.
They could also vaguely see the form of some gigantic being as it flew amongst the clouds, before quickly vanishing.
[As I thought…]
Fu Bo couldn’t help but squint as the fear of what had just taken place fully dawned on him. Though he had more or less guessed Luan Feng’s identity already, he was never able to fully confirm it. Now, after hearing that cry, and seeing the gigantic being flying amongst the clouds with his own two eyes, there was absolutely no doubt that his guess had been correct.
That person really was a Divine Venerable from the Ancient Wild Lands!
Most cultivators did not know much about the situation inside the Ancient Lands, but those who had reached Fu Bo’s level were always able to learn of some little-known secrets via various means. One of these secrets was the distribution of forces within the Ancient Wild Lands!
The Ancient Wild Lands was like a massive trove of treasures, and if it wasn’t for the Four Great Divine Venerables and thirty-two Monster Kings who maintained order in the Ancient Lands, that place would’ve been completely taken over by all the great forces of Star Boundary already.
“Don’t ask too much, just do your job!” Fu Bo replied calmly.
“Yes!” The beautiful woman replied respectfully, then suddenly asked, “Sect Master, I heard from a disciple earlier that Great Elder went to your place earlier. Why didn’t I see him at all?”
Fu Bo’s brow spasmed before he heaved a heavy sigh, “Zhou Yong… is dead.”
“What?” The woman was aghast, “Great Elder Zhou is dead? Who killed him?”
“He offended someone he shouldn’t have,” Fu Bo explained quietly, glancing at the woman, “Elder Zhuo, your curiosity is too strong.”
As he finished speaking, he turned into a flash of light and disappeared, going back to his place of retreat.
The woman by the surname of Zhuo remained standing in place, completely stunned and still trying to process the news that the Great Elder was dead. Her face was full of shock, and who knew what she would think if she knew that even the Vice Sect Master had also died?
……
Black Armour City stood near the border of the Eastern Territory, only about fifty thousand kilometres away from the Northern Territory.
Inside the city, Yang Kai and Ji Yao appeared on the Space Array.
Even before they could steady themselves, a palm strike and a rush of wind came towards them, along with someone’s shout of laughter, “This one is mine!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was bewildered and turned to see a big bearded man flying towards them, a heavy palm strike aimed right at his chest.
He had no idea what kind of grudge or enmity he had with the man, but Yang Kai was certain that he had never seen this person before.
“Sha Yong, if that man is yours, then the woman is mine! Whew… this is a pretty one, I’m in luck!” Another voice was heard as a second person appeared, going straight for Ji Yao. His face bore an expression of lustful evil, as though he wanted to snatch Ji Yao away right then and there to ‘dote’ on her.
The bearded man named Sha Yong hadn’t paid much attention to Ji Yao before, but now he hurriedly checked her out as well. He saw that she was indeed a great beauty, especially with that cold and distant aura that only made him want to conquer her even more.
Sha Yong turned and dashed towards Ji Yao as well, hollering as he went, “Change, change! You got a woman last time Gu Peng, this time it’s my turn!”
As they spoke, Sha Yong and Gu Peng had both dashed in front of Ji Yao, each of them reaching out a hand to grab her.
Ji Yao’s expression abruptly turned ice-cold. There was a loud clang, a flash of the blade, and then blood sprayed.
Two horrible yells rang out as the two who had dashed at her jumped back, their faces terribly pale.
*Pa pa…*
Two severed arms fell to the ground.
“My arm!” Sha Yong screamed in shock, staring at the severed limb on the ground as though he had only just realised what had happened to him. Meanwhile, Gu Peng’s expression was not much better, either.
“Bold! With such low cultivation, you still dare to come and court death?” Yang Kai looked at the two men with great astonishment, unable to comprehend their actions.
When those two fellows had come charging forth so aggressively, one for the man and the other for the woman, Yang Kai had thought that they would be quite powerful, but now, upon checking them with his Divine Sense, he realised that they were merely Third-Order Dao Source Realms.
“You…” Gu Peng stared at Yang Kai and Ji Yao, appalled, “How could you have recovered so quickly?”
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, as he didn’t quite understand what Gu Peng meant. He thought about it for a moment, then it all became clear as he smiled, “You thought that we would suffer side-effects from teleporting here?
Teleporting via a Space Array was always accompanied by a bout of dizziness, regardless of distance travelled, leaving all cultivators somewhat disoriented upon their arrival. Under such circumstances, the cultivator’s senses and reflexes would both be heavily dulled, making this the likeliest time for sneak attacks to succeed.
Thus, under normal circumstances, Space Arrays of large cities would be guarded by cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion. They were not only responsible for protecting the Space Array from being damaged, but also for protecting the incoming cultivators from being ambushed.
But the Space Array in this Black Armour City seemed to be different. It sat right in the centre of the city, and did not have anyone nearby to guard it. Instead, there were a few people nearby looking to commit theft and make a quick profit.
Sha Yong and Gu Peng were two such opportunists, and they had intended to ambush Yang Kai and Ji Yao while they were disoriented, but instead, they had the tables turned on them.
Yang Kai, having cultivated the Dao of Space, had manipulated the Space Principles to protect Ji Yao and himself back when he was starting the teleportation from the Netherworld Sect. A mere short distance teleportation like this could not possibly affect him.
“How can this be?” Sha Yong was completely befuddled, his face aghast.
“Because this Young Master is strong!” Yang Kai grinned, but his expression struck terror and anxiety into Sha Yong and Gu Peng’s hearts.
“Sir, please spare us!” The bearded man Sha Yong immediately started begging for mercy.
A look flashed across Gu Peng’s face and he turned to flee.
“Hmph!” Ji Yao coldly snorted, turning the sword in her hand. She thrust it forward as she dashed towards Gu Peng, catching up to him in an instant and piercing him straight through the heart. He fell to the ground and was dead instantly.
As a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master against a Third-Order Dao Source Ream cultivator, Ji Yao didn’t need to use any of her true power at all.
As Sha Yong saw this, his face grew paler and his legs trembled. With a look of misery he pleaded, “I beg you, please spare my wretched life.”
Yang Kai looked at him impassively, and coldly said, “You two seem to have done quite a lot of these thefts and robberies.”
“No, no, this is my first time, it really is!” Sha Yong said piteously, looking up at him.
“One that walks frequently by the river cannot keep his shoes dry,” Yang Kai explained, “Since you’ve entered this profession, then you should have the corresponding awareness. You’re too young, don’t do such acts again in your next life.”
“Next life…” Sha Yong jolted, his eyes full of terror, but before he could do anything else, Ji Yao had already struck out with her palm, turning him into meat paste.
The cultivators nearby all shuddered. They stared at the icy woman, who possessed peerless beauty but killed humans like they were nothing but flies. Every one of them was terrified, fearing that she was in the mood for murder and would wreak havoc upon the place.
Yang Kai reached out and took the two Space Rings, without looking to see what was within. The Space Rings of two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators were nothing to him; after all, he was quite wealthy now. He then turned to Ji Yao and said impassively, “Let’s go.”
Ji Yao nodded, and the two of them flew away.
As they left Black Armour City, Yang Kai pointed in a direction and said, “Yao’er, the Northern Territory should be that way. Do you know the way back to Ice Heart Valley?
Ji Yao nodded her head, “I do.”
“Then you lead the way, I need to cultivate for a while,” Yang Kai instructed. He tossed out his ship artifact and landed upon it, calling Ji Yao to join him.
However, Ji Yao eyed the ship and said rather apologetically, “Honoured Master, let’s use my flight type artifact instead. Yours is… not suitable.”
Yang Kai grimaced.
This ship was a casual gift from Jiu Feng years ago, and it was a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact. Yang Kai used to think it was pretty good to use, but now that his cultivation had reached the Emperor Realm, it was rather unfitting of his status.
Ji Yao had clearly noticed the quality of the ship, which was why she had said those words.
Since she had a better one, Yang Kai didn’t object and put away his ship with a nod, not wanting to be embarrassed.
Ji Yao smiled, as though she had perceived Yang Kai’s thoughts. She waved her hand, and a small, elegant ship appeared before Yang Kai.
This ship was not large, only about ten metres in length, but it was exquisitely built. One could tell with one glance that it was made by a Master, and the ship emanated dense waves of Spirit Qi. It was undoubtedly an impressive Emperor Artifact!
Yang Kai had not expected that, with Ji Yao being so unhinged with her wealth all these years, she could still possess such a treasure.
“Please go ahead, Honoured Master!” Ji Yao gestured towards it.
Yang Kai cleared his throat solemnly, then stepped upon the ship.
“Honoured Master, please find a room to rest, and leave the rest of the journey to Yao’er”, Ji Yao offered.
“Very well,” Yang Kai nodded, striding into the cabin with his hands behind his back. He found a room and entered, and before he could even sit down, he felt the ship shake slightly and start flying off as swift as the wind.
The speed far outclassed that of his wooden boat.
Speed was one thing, but more importantly, this ship was very comfortable inside, nothing like his own flight type artifact. When Yang Kai sat on his ship, if he didn’t activate the protective barrier, then the force of the wind in his face would practically blow it out of shape.
It seemed like he really did need to find a better flight type artifact, or he wouldn’t even have anything to travel with in the future.
Yang Kai gathered his thoughts and entered the Sealed World Bead to look around.
His Embodiment had been in a deep sleep ever since he was forcibly stuffed with Shi Huo’s Source by Ruo Xi. It sat there, cross-legged and unmoving. Who knew how long it would be before he could truly assimilate Shi Huo’s Source.
Yang Kai went over to look at the medicine garden next and found that the spirit medicines in the garden were all growing well and the medicinal efficacy of the thousands of Emperor Grade spirit medicines was no longer being lost.
The entire Small Sealed World was so quiet that it made Yang Kai rather despondent.
When he came here in the past, he would find Ruo Xi, Liu Yan, Sister Hua…
But now there was only the Embodiment, all alone and in a deep slumber, with no one to even welcome his arrival.
Yang Kai shook his head with a sigh, then exited the Sealed World Bead.
Sitting upright in the cabin, Yang Kai took out a large amount of High-Rank Source Crystals, then he took out and consumed some of the Emperor Grade Spirit Pills he had refined last time to supplement his cultivation. He silently channelled his Secret Art and began cultivating.
The experiences he had in the Ancient Land, especially the powerlessness he had felt against Divine Spirit Shi Huo, made Yang Kai’s desire for power grow far stronger.
Now that he finally had a bit of spare time, he was naturally eager to go into retreat and cultivate.
In just a moment, Spirit Qi so dense that it was almost tangible filled up the whole cabin room, and it could even be seen with the naked eye that Yang Kai was absorbing it into his body.
Even though the Spirit Qi stored within High-Rank Source Crystals was tremendous, the amount which Yang Kai used up was terrifyingly huge.
Piles and piles of Source Crystals were reduced to dust, and numerous Emperor Grade Spirit Pills were consumed as the power within Yang Kai’s body kept increasing.
Sometime later, the ship suddenly shuddered, and even came to a stop.
Yang Kai was jolted out of his cultivation by the disturbance and frowned, not knowing what was going on.
Before he could extend his Divine Sense to investigate, he heard Ji Yao’s icy voice coming from outside, “Make way!”
Just as she spoke those words, the voice of an old man sounded, “Young Lady, we’d like to ask a favour. Young Lady Xue Man seems to really like your ship, can I persuade you to part with it? Of course, the price we offer will not disappoint you.”
“Move!” Ji Yao replied coldly, ignoring the request.
The old man’s tone became a little angry, “Young lady, is there a need to be so standoffish? Young Lady Xue Man wanting your boat is also for your own good. The Northern Territory has not been peaceful these past few years, and if you ostentatiously steer such a beautiful ship through the city, I’m afraid you will easily attract unwanted attention. If you were to encounter any evildoers, your fate would be most worrying indeed.”
“That’s right, young lady. You’d be doing us a favour as well as yourself. We’ll definitely offer a price that won’t disappoint you.” A younger voice spoke this time.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai asked as he stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck, standing by Ji Yao’s side.
Looking up, he saw their path blocked by a group of three.
A man, a woman, and an old man.
The man and woman appeared to be a couple, as they seemed quite close. The man was handsome and the woman was pretty, making them quite an attractive pair. It was only the expressions in their eyes that ruined the impression they gave off.
The man was looking at Ji Yao as though he thought he’d laid eyes upon a goddess, and his gaze was absolutely glued to her as he spoke. It was clear that he was struck by her beauty.
The woman’s gaze, on the other hand, bore a trace of jealousy as her wide eyes looked Ji Yao up and down. She found that no matter how she tried to compare them, her looks were vastly inferior to the other’s, turning her mood even sourer.
Noticing the smitten expression on her partner’s face, the woman gave him a hard pinch and a twist, drawing a yelp of pain from his lips.
Yang Kai turned to Ji Yao and asked, “What happened?”
“Honoured Master, these three people have stopped us for some reason, and they’re blocking the path forward,” Ji Yao answered.
“Honoured Master?” The three people before them all looked utterly astonished to hear this; after all, Yang Kai and Ji Yao looked to be about the same age, yet this man was the icy woman’s Honoured Master?
As the ship was guarded by a protective barrier, even the old man could not check Yang Kai and Ji Yao’s cultivations.
Even so, since the young man was good enough to be someone’s Honoured Master, his cultivation must be quite high. The old man guessed that Yang Kai had to be an Emperor Realm Master at least. After all, the exquisitely built ship was an Emperor Artifact, something that would be impossible for an ordinary Dao Source Realm cultivator to obtain.
At that thought, the old man smiled slightly at Yang Kai and said, “Now then, young man, there’s no need to be nervous. We bear no ill will.”
“Oh, do I appear nervous?” Yang Kai smiled, thinking to himself that the old man had quite the level of confidence. He had gone through the Ancient Wild Lands, and caused quite a stir in front of the Four Great Divine Venerables and thirty-two Monster Kings. He had come face-to-face with more than one Great Emperor before that. In this world, it could be said that few could make Yang Kai nervous anymore.
The old man acted as though he had not heard this comment though and continued, “It’s just that this ship has caught the eye of Young Lady Xue Man, so I would like to negotiate with you regarding it. Could you perhaps be persuaded to part with your ship? I will pay a handsome sum for it.”
After a pause, the old man added, “I forgot to introduce myself. I am Yan Qing of Profound Thunder Pavilion. This is the Pavilion’s Young Master Bai Lu, and this is the daughter of Serenity City’s City Lord, Young Lady Yan Xue Man.”
After the old man made the introduction, he and the two people with him all looked very proud of themselves, as though Profound Thunder Pavilion and Serenity City were great forces to be reckoned with.
Young Pavilion Master Bai Lu smiled courteously, cupping his fists as he asked, “May I know your name, fair Lady?”
He seemed uninterested in Yang Kai and immediately started asking for Ji Yao’s name, clearly smitten with her beauty. Though the City Lord’s Daughter, Yan Xue Man, was quite attractive, her looks still fell far behind Ji Yao’s.
Bai Lu’s question caused him to receive a hard kick from Yan Xue Man beside him. She glared at him and huffed, “Why are you asking her that? Are you interested in her? You bastard! You already have me! Why are you still going after other women!? You want me to beat you up!”
As she spoke, she started pummelling Bai Lu with kicks and punches, but her fists and feet were dainty and light. Not only did she not hurt him at all, but it was more like she was just throwing a coquettish tantrum, causing Bai Lu to laugh. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, looking like he thought of himself as the ultimate winner in life.
Yan Qing did not even glance at the two as he said, “Young Master and Young Lady Xue Man are accustomed to such mischief, please do not mind.”
Ji Yao answered coldly, “Your matters have nothing to do with us. My Honoured Master and I need to be on our way, now make way!”
“Young Lady,” Yan Qing repeated, “This Old Master only wishes to purchase your ship.”
“I already said that I wasn’t selling it!” Ji Yao’s expression grew colder.
Bai Lu smiled pleasantly, “Now, Young Lady, don’t be so cold. As the saying goes, the more friends one has, the more paths open up. It’s only a ship, just name your price and I’ll pay up!”
“Sure!” Yang Kai stood forward, smiling as he spoke to Bai Lu, “I like people like Young Master Bai, who have both wealth and ability. Such people are refined, generous, and high-class! Since Young Master Bai is so ready to make his offer, then we’ll sell this ship. What do you think, Yao’er?”
A frown appeared on Ji Yao’s forehead, but she nodded, “If Honoured Master wishes to sell it, then it’s fine.”
“Many thanks to the Young Lady,” said Bai Lu, cupping his fists.
He had only spoken to Ji Yao from start to finish, as though he had not seen Yang Kai at all, but now he turned to look at Yang Kai, “May I know what your asking price is, Your Excellency?”
“One hundred million!” Yang Kai said lightly, “If Young Master Bai can pay a hundred million, then this ship will be yours.”
Bai Lu’s expression did not even change as he nodded lightly, “One hundred million… for a flight type Emperor Artifact, it isn’t costly.”
Not only that, but it was extremely cheap. He thought Yang Kai had the intent of showing goodwill in order to befriend him; after all, not just anybody could become the friend of the Young Pavilion Master of Profound Thunder Pavilion, which was a significant power in the Northern Territory. He smiled slightly, “Old Yan. Pay them!”
“Yes!” Yan Qing nodded, and after some rummaging, tossed a Space Ring to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai caught it, checked it with his Divine Sense, and smiled faintly. As he put the Space Ring away, he said, “Young Master Bai, the amount of Source Crystals doesn’t seem quite right.”
“How so?” Bai Lu frowned, and turned to look at Yan Qing, “Old Yan, did you count carefully?”
“There were exactly one hundred million Source Crystals,” Yan Qing answered, “I could not possibly have miscounted.”
“Indeed, it does have one hundred million Source Crystals…” Yang Kai said, nodding, but then his tone suddenly changed, “But, these are only Low-Rank Source Crystals…”
Yan Qing’s expression changed, “Didn’t you want Low-Rank Source Crystals? Or did you actually mean… Mid-Rank?”
“What!?” Bai Lu was similarly shocked. One hundred million Mid-Rank Source Crystals, that was the same as ten billion Low-Rank Source Crystals! It was an outrageous demand!
“No no no!” Yang Kai waved a finger at them, “Not one hundred million Mid-Rank Source Crystals… what I want is one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
“You… you’re insane!” Bai Lu’s entire body shook.
One hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals was a sum Bai Lu did not even dare think about. He had no idea how this person could bring up such a preposterous demand.
Though Profound Thunder Pavilion was a first-class Sect, they could never afford so many High-Rank Source Crystals even if they piled together everything they owned. An Emperor Grade ship may be rare, but it could not possibly be worth this much.
A murderous light flashed across Old Yan’s eyes.
Yang Kai smiled, “Young Master Bai, you just said that you would pay any price, but are you now trying to back out? A man’s word should be as firm as metal. It seems like Young Master Bai’s not very trustworthy.”
Beside him, Ji Yao smiled.
She was not very willing when Yang Kai agreed to sell the ship earlier, but she had to obey her Honoured Master. Only now did she realise that Yang Kai had no actual intention of selling her ship, and was simply teasing these people.
[When did Honoured Master gain such a sense of humour…]
In her recollections, her Honoured Master was always cold and calm, only showing warmth when alone with her and her sisters. She had never acted like she was doing right now.
As she thought further, Ji Yao began to feel that something was not quite right, and a frown appeared on her brow as she looked at Yang Kai in extreme confusion.
This sturdy figure seemed rather… different from the one in her memories.
“Little brat, you dare mock me!” Bai Lu flew into a rage.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Now, why would you say that, Young Master Bai? You three unreasonably barred the way of my disciple and I and insisted on buying Yao’er’s ship. I am merely letting you have your way out of goodwill. I’ll excuse your lack of gratitude, but why speak to us in such a way? Unless Young Master Bai really thinks he can bully us with impunity?”
Hearing those words, Bai Lu’s heart was filled with fury, and it burnt within him like a volcano.
The other man was clearly playing him for a fool, and yet he still claimed to be in the right. This put Bai Lu in quite a fit of rage and he yelled, “Old Yan, kill this bastard!”
Yan Qing was already in the mood to kill, and he did not hesitate upon hearing Bai Lu’s orders, immediately charging forward.
Bai Lu hurriedly added, “But don’t hurt the girl!”
Even at such a time, he still had Ji Yao’s beauty in mind. Evidently, there were some situations in which women held a unique advantage.
Old Yan came flying at them, Emperor Qi coursing through his body. His First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation was fully unleashed, and he struck down at the ship with his palm.
The ship’s protection broke apart with a boom under such power, not putting up any defence at all.
Yang Kai was stunned and realised that something was wrong. This ship was an Emperor Artifact after all, so its defensive power could not possibly be so weak. He then looked at Ji Yao but saw that she was staring blankly at him, her beautiful eyes full of confusion.
“Oh crap!” Yang Kai was alarmed. He did not know what had gone wrong, but Ji Yao was clearly suffering a relapse.
Ji Yao had been calm and stable all this time as she stayed by his side, so he had not expected a problem to occur at such a time.
It was clear that the ship’s defence was extremely weak because its owner was suffering from turbulent emotions.
“Boy, you dare to mock my pavilion’s Young Master? Today, you die!” Old Yan’s confidence was greatly boosted after breaking apart the ship’s protective barrier and threw another palm strike towards Yang Kai. His palm carried waves of Emperor Qi and Principles, clearly intent on turning Yang Kai into paste.
Yang Kai reached out and pulled the bewildered Ji Yao into his arms, channelling Emperor Qi to shield her as he matched the palm strike, “Scram!”
He was greatly worried that something had suddenly gone wrong with Ji Yao and no longer had any mood to mess with these people. His attack was fuelled by rage and was far beyond what Yan Qing could withstand. Though Yang Kai and Yan Qing were both First-Order Emperor Realm cultivators, killing enemies above his level was commonplace for Yang Kai.
Yan Qing was only an ordinary First-Order Emperor, while Yang Kai would not even fear fighting those in the Third-Order.
*Hong…*
A huge noise was heard along with an explosion of wind.
As their Emperor Qi collided, Yan Qing grunted and seemed as though he had been struck by lightning. His Emperor Qi and Principles were broken apart by an enormous force, as though they had been made from ordinary paper. That gigantic power surged up his arm, exploding it into shreds of flesh that scattered all around.
With a cry, blood sprayed from Yan Qing’s mouth as he was sent flying.
Yang Kai remained in place, unmoving as he protected Ji Yao. He was like a divine being as he stood there, firm as a mountain and still as an ocean.
“This…” Bai Lu watched, astounded as Old Yan was sent flying back with blood spraying into the air. His body suddenly started shaking violently.
Yan Xue Man’s pretty face also turned incredibly pale as her teeth chattered.
The two of them now realised that they had aggravated a powerful foe. They had thought that taking down the young man would be child’s play with an Emperor Realm cultivator like Old Yan protecting them, but instead, things had turned out opposite to their expectations, leaving them at a complete loss about how to react.
Yang Kai’s gaze fell coldly upon the couple.
Bai Lu was sweating profusely, and his voice trembled as he said, “What do you want? I am the Young Master of Profound Thunder Pavilion! If something happens to me, you’ll be doomed!”
He was clearly aware that he was no match for Yang Kai, so all he could do was bring up his identity in the hopes that Yang Kai would take it into account before attacking him.
“Scram!” Was all Yang Kai said.
Bai Lu jolted and looked greatly relieved. He turned and ran, even forgetting Yan Xue Man as he fled, causing her to stomp her foot angrily before chasing after him.
A short distance away, the pale-faced Yan Qing pushed himself up from the ground. He cast a fearful gaze in Yang Kai’s direction, then with a leap, he hurriedly chased after Bai Lu as well. Though he had lost an arm, he still had his Emperor Realm cultivation and his life was not in danger. But now, he was disabled for life.
“Yao’er!” Yang Kai turned to her, calling her name softly.
The sound of her name was so simple, yet like a sharp blade it pierced through and dispelled the cloud of confusion in Ji Yao’s gaze.
Ji Yao’s delicate frame trembled, and she suddenly regained her senses, “Honoured Master?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh in relief, and asked cautiously, “Just now… What happened to you?”
Ji Yao frowned a little, “Just now? What happened just now?”
She seemed to have no recollection of what had just happened and looked around, then exclaimed in surprise, “Where are those three annoying people?”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “I beat them and sent them running, they’re long gone!”
Ji Yao glanced at the fresh blood on the ground, and knew that Yang Kai had indeed done so, “You should’ve killed them. I already said I wasn’t selling the ship, yet they wouldn’t leave me alone. Who knows how many times they’ve coerced people to buy or sell things.”
“Yes, yes, I should have killed them,” Yang Kai didn’t dare say too much, so he just went along with her, then asked anxiously. “Yao’er, how are you feeling right now?”
Ji Yao looked at him curiously, “Why? I’m feeling fine. You should go inside and rest, Honoured Master, we’ll be able to return to the valley in just a few more days.”
“I think you should put away the ship for now,” said Yang Kai, “We’ll look for a place to rest first.”
Ji Yao just had a sudden relapse, and Yang Kai was unsure if this was because she had been using her power a lot recently. He didn’t dare to let her steer the ship again. If she fell into confusion again, then there would be trouble.
It would probably be good to let her rest.
Ji Yao naturally obeyed Yang Kai’s instructions and immediately retrieved the ship. She then flew forward alongside Yang Kai.
After half a day had passed, a city appeared before them. They landed, walked up to the city gates, and successfully entered the city after paying a small sum of Source Crystals.
It was a flourishing city, with streams of people busily coming and going. The street was extremely wide, with shops selling a vast array of exquisite products lining its sides.
The two found an inn and entered.
The innkeeper behind the counter looked at Yang Kai and Ji Yao, and asked with a smile, “Looking for accommodations?”
Yang Kai snorted, “Why else would we be here?”
The innkeeper’s smile became strained, “Then, would you like one room or two rooms?”
Yang Kai frowned and cast Ji Yao a glance, then said, “One premium room.”
He did not quite dare to let Ji Yao out of his sight right now, as it would also be easier to observe her if they stayed together. He did not have other intentions in mind.
Ji Yao naturally had no objections either. To her, it was only natural that she would stay in the same room as her Honoured Master.
The innkeeper, however, cast a meaningful look at Yang Kai and gave him a knowing smile. He took out a room tag and handed it over respectfully, saying, “Fifth floor, room A3. Please rest assured, dear guest, that this humble inn has had great Masters place Spirit Arrays in every room, to guarantee that your privacy would be protected. No matter what kind of noise is made, it cannot be heard from outside.”
As he said the last part, his eyebrows waggled, and he looked salacious!
“Haha…” Yang Kai gave him a fake smile as he took the room tag, “Price?”
“Ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals!” The innkeeper answered smilingly.
Yang Kai retrieved the sum with a wave of the hand and tossed them onto the counter, then led Ji Yao upstairs.
They reached the fifth floor and found room A3, opened the seal on the room with the room tag, then entered.
At a brief glance, though the room was not very spacious, it had all the necessary furnishings. The large red rug on the floor and the bedspread made from golden threads gave off a feeling of luxury.
For ten thousand Low-Rank Source Crystals, it was a good deal.
Yang Kai sat down after looking around a little, and Ji Yao retrieved a tea set from her Space Ring with the ease of long practice. She started brewing the tea, and in a short time the rich fragrance permeated the room.
After extinguishing the flame, adding in the hot water, and then pouring the tea, Ji Yao respectfully handed a cup to Yang Kai, “Honoured Master, please enjoy.”
“Mm,” Yang Kai casually took it, and sipped the tea slowly.
Only after a long pause did he suddenly realise what he was doing, and said, “You should sit too.”
“Disciple is fine standing,” Ji Yao’s gaze was fixed on Yang Kai. It was as though watching her Honoured Master drink the tea she had personally brewed was the most blissful thing ever, and her face was lit by a sweet smile.
“I’m asking you to sit, so sit.” Yang Kai’s attitude was firm.
“Yes!” Since Ji Yao could not change his mind, she obeyed and sat down.
Yang Kai was silent for a while, then suddenly spoke, “Yao’er.”
“I am here, Honoured Master,” Ji Yao quickly answered.
Yang Kai raised his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, then said rather awkwardly, “If one day… You discover that I have concealed some things from you, or even deceived you, I hope you understand my intentions.”
“Conceal and deceive?” Ji Yao frowned, and she asked curiously, “What would Honoured Master have to conceal from me or deceive me about?”
Yang Kai forced a smile, “Well, I’m just saying. But if that day really comes, please don’t be upset about it. You may rest assured that I wouldn’t let you down on anything, nor would I hurt you.”
They were only a few days away from Ice Heart Valley, and Yang Kai did not know what kind of reaction Ji Yao would have when she arrived back there and saw Bing Yun. The best-case scenario was that she would suddenly come to her senses and realise that Yang Kai was just an imposter.
If that did happen, then Ji Yao would certainly recall that they had shared a room during this time.
This was not a big issue, as he had done so to help keep her stable, and he believed that she would understand. The problem was that in Luan Feng’s palace, he had caught a glimpse of her naked form.
Though it was just a glimpse, it was still a matter related to Ji Yao’s innocence and honour.
Yang Kai was not sure if she would try to kill him…
That said, even if Ji Yao could fully recover someday, he felt that she would forgive him.
“I trust you, Honoured Master,” Ji Yao said solemnly. “My Senior Sisters and I are all orphans, and you raised and educated us out of the kindness of your heart. It is all thanks to Honoured Master that I am who I am today. So, even if you wanted to kill me, that would be fine.”
Yang Kai sweated profusely, thinking of how relieved he would be if she didn’t try to kill him in the future.
Still, her little speech made him realise just how important Bing Yun was to her Disciples.
“Honoured Master…” Ji Yao called softly, “Honoured Master, is something troubling you? Do you need my help?”
“There’s nothing. No need for you to worry!” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ji Yao rose and walked slowly towards him, emanating a fragrant scent as she said, “Since I am unable to help, then please allow me to at least massage your shoulders, Honoured Master.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was stunned, and before he could react, Ji Yao was already standing behind him and starting her light massage.
Yang Kai’s whole body froze, and he felt he was definitely in trouble.
Ever since he had arrived from the Star Field, he had kept his mind clear and without desire, entirely focusing on growing stronger, but he was still a man and naturally had desires.
Last time, he nearly had a nosebleed when he accidentally saw Ji Yao’s body. Now, they were alone together in one room, and Ji Yao was even voluntarily giving him a shoulder rub.
Not only that, but the warmth of her body leaning against his back and the light fragrance that wafted from her body were making Yang Kai extremely flustered and his throat dry.
Ji Yao laughed lightly behind him, “Honoured Master, your shoulders are so stiff. Have you been working too hard lately?”
[How can the body of a man like me compare to Bing Yun’s soft and delicate body? Of course they would feel different!] Thought Yang Kai.
Though he wanted to stop Ji Yao, he was worried that she would overthink things, which would also affect her current situation. In order to maintain the charade, he answered, “Yes, a little.”
Ji Yao laughed, “Just relax, Honoured Master. I have not served you for many years, I wonder if my skills have deteriorated.”
From those words, Yang Kai realised that Ji Yao used to do this often for Bing Yun when they were in Ice Heart Valley, which was why she was so skilled.
Since Yang Kai could not stop her nor turn her down, all he could do was to calm himself and enjoy the process, his body gradually relaxing. As Ji Yao’s jade-white hands applied varying amounts of force, it was such a heavenly comfort that he groaned.
Ji Yao blushed to her ears upon hearing that, wondering why her Honoured Master would make such strange noises, but feeling too embarrassed to ask.
After the shoulders were done, she moved on to the arms, then the head, and even the thighs.
After that service, Yang Kai was greatly relaxed. He had many words of praise for Ji Yao’s skills, which made her smile in delight.
The only problem was that the sight of Ji Yao kneeling before him, massaging his thighs, was too thrilling and alluring.
After the painful enjoyment was over, Yang Kai’s face fell again. He realised that when Ji Yao fully regained her senses, she would find yet another offence he had committed against her. The thought filled him with sadness and regret.
The night was tranquil as Yang Kai and Ji Yao meditated and slept separately, on the bed and the floor.
Ji Yao did not show any chaotic signs, which made Yang Kai feel much more at ease.
Only at noon the next day did they leave the room, and head down to the counter on the first floor to check out.
Seeing Yang Kai look fresh as a spring breeze, the innkeeper was incredibly envious. Still, he wore a knowing smile as he asked, “Dear guests, did you rest well last night?”
“Very well!” Yang Kai nodded. How could he not know what perverted thoughts were going through that fellow’s head? But he did not say any more, as he could not be bothered.
“Since you had such a good rest, do visit us again the next time you come to Serenity City,” the shopkeeper nodded and bowed to Yang Kai and Ji Yao as they left.
“Serenity City…” Yang Kai pondered as he exited the inn, and then came to a realisation, “Isn’t this the city that Yan Xue Man woman comes from?”
Earlier on, when those three people had blocked their path and demanded to buy Ji Yao’s ship, the old man had introduced the young man as the Young Master of Profound Thunder Pavilion, and the young woman as the daughter of Serenity City’s City Lord.
When they entered the city yesterday, Yang Kai had been preoccupied with Ji Yao’s condition and had not paid attention to the city’s name. Only now did he find out that they were actually in Serenity City.
This was quite the coincidence.
Still, Yang Kai was not afraid. A mere city was not sufficient cause of concern for him.
He led Ji Yao on the way out of the city, and in a short time they had reached the city gates.
There were quite a lot of people in line waiting to exit the city, as well as a number of cultivators keeping guard at the city gate. Each person leaving the city had to undergo inspection by those guards.
“Hm?” Yang Kai frowned at the sight, wondering if this was part of Serenity City’s normal regulations, or if something had happened.
“Honoured Master, it’s not because of those three people from yesterday, is it?” Ji Yao suddenly asked him in a low voice, “Could they be looking for us?”
“That would be too much of a coincidence,” Yang Kai laughed, “We didn’t alert anyone when we entered the city yesterday. Perhaps some other incident happened within the city.”
Ji Yao gave a small nod.
The two of them chose not to barge through the city gates even though they were more than capable of doing so. Since they were in someone else’s territory, it was not a big deal to follow their rules. Thus, the pair quietly joined the back of the line amidst the crowd, waiting to exit the city.
The cultivators guarding the gate were very careful with their inspections, even covertly using Divine Sense to check those who were ready to leave.
Cultivator after cultivator was checked and let through with no issue, and the queue gradually moved forward.
“Patriarch Dong!” Suddenly, a voice was heard from inside a guard station by the city gate.
“Still nothing?” Another person, who seemed to be Patriarch Dong, asked.
“We’ve found nothing just yet.” The first person replied, “But, please rest assured, Patriarch Dong, the other three city gates have been closed already. If your wife wishes to leave the city, she will definitely go through this gate. As long as she appears, we’ll be able to find her.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Commander Yu. Ah, what a misfortune that has befallen my household,” Patriarch Dong sighed deeply.
Commander Yu suddenly laughed lightly, “Patriarch Dong, as far as I know, you and your spouse have always been affectionate, often entering and leaving Serenity City together, a sight which made many onlookers deeply envious. How did the two of you have such a big argument that it could not be resolved? And why did she choose to run away suddenly, forcing your hand to request the aid of us people from the City Lord’s Mansion to find her?”
After those queries from Commander Yu, the guardhouse instantly fell into silence as it seemed like Patriarch Dong found it difficult to answer.
Commander Yu then commented, “If it is not convenient for you to answer, Patriarch Dong, then just act as though I never asked.”
“Ha…” Patriarch Dong sighed heavily, then began to speak, “You know how the saying goes, one’s dirty laundry should not be aired in public. I originally wished to keep it under covers and not make a big deal out of it, but that foolish woman truly left me no choice! It’s nothing too inconvenient to say, really. It’s just that foolish woman was suddenly consumed by greed, and stole the most valuable treasure of my Dong Family, that’s all.”
“Thievery!?” Commander Yu was astonished, “Surely that can’t be? Madame Dong holds the second-highest position in the Dong Family, and I’ve even heard that she apparently comes from some big Sect. What could the Dong Family have that she would want to take without giving notice?”
“I don’t know if she’s lost her senses or not, to have done such a shameful thing,” Patriarch Dong said in anguish, then solemnly continued, “Commander Yu, the Dong Family has treated you well in the past, and for that sake, I hope you will find that foolish woman and capture her quietly. Please do not alert others, especially not City Lord Yan!”
“I understand, Patriarch Dong,” Commander Yu replied, “Please do not worry.”
……
Though the two of them were speaking quietly inside the guardhouse, Yang Kai could hear them quite clearly.
He was not intentionally eavesdropping but had overheard them by accident. Now, however, he understood why Serenity City was on high alert.
It turned out that the wife of a Patriarch of a big family had stolen the family’s most important treasure, leading to her being hunted down with the help of the City Lord’s Mansion. This was indeed a great embarrassment to such a family. The helplessness and anguish in Patriarch Dong’s words had Yang Kai snickering internally. He figured that the man was probably floundering in desperation, wanting to both retrieve the stolen item while also keeping this shameful deed a secret.
Yang Kai wondered what the stolen item could be, to have triggered such greed in the Patriarch’s wife.
The queue continued moving forward though, and in no time, Yang Kai and Ji Yao had reached the city gate.
Just at that time, a stream of light suddenly appeared outside the city, flying towards the city gate.
“Who is it? Such impudence is not permitted at the gates of Serenity City!” One of the cultivators guarding the gate roared as he flew up to meet it.
The stream of light stopped, revealing a man and a woman.
“Are you blind, you lowlife? You dare to holler at this Young Master without even seeing who I am!?” The man snapped angrily.
The gate guard looked at them, and immediately began trembling uncontrollably, “Young Master Bai, Young Lady Yan!”
The couple was evidently the same people who crossed paths with Yang Kai just yesterday. He did not know where they had returned from, but noticed that Old Yan, who had been by their side yesterday, was now nowhere to be seen.
“Scram!” Bai Lu seemed to be in a foul mood. As he spoke, he struck the cultivator standing in their way with his palm, sending the guard flying backwards with blood spraying from his mouth. It was a pitiful sight.
As everyone around them watched, Bai Lu and Yan Xue Man charged right through the city gates and landed on the ground. Their eyes were full of arrogance, with an attitude of utter confidence of being the strongest present.
But very soon after, Bai Lu’s face twitched and his body trembled as he suddenly looked in one direction.
At the end of his gaze, Yang Kai was looking coldly at him.
Bai Lu had embarrassed himself in front of Yang Kai yesterday, and nearly lost his life as a result, so it was impossible for him to forget what Yang Kai looked like. Who knew that in just a day’s time, they would meet again at the gates of Serenity City?
The sight of Old Yan, who was an Emperor Realm Master, having his arm shattered in one strike was still fresh in Bai Lu’s mind. He was extremely terrified of Yang Kai and could not help but shrink in fear, his haughtiness from early withering in an instant.
“What happened?” Yan Xue Man asked, having noticed him acting strangely. As she spoke though, she followed his gaze, and in the next moment, her pretty face turned white as if she had seen a ghost and she immediately looked away.
She had no doubt caught sight of Yang Kai as well.
“Quickly, we need to leave!” Bai Lu muttered under his breath, casting aside his gaze and dragging Yan Xue Man along as he fled, rushing into the city immediately. This caused the cultivators from the City Lord’s Mansion great astonishment, and they all looked at each other as they wondered what was wrong with Young Master Bai and Young Lady Yan today.
A moment later, Bai Lu and Yan Xue Man peeked their heads around a street corner, quietly gazing towards the city gate.
“W-w-why are those two here?” Yan Xue Man asked in a trembling voice.
Bai Lu’s face was ashen as he answered, “If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?”
The nasty encounter from the previous day had given the couple quite a shock, and they were as afraid of Yang Kai as a pair of mice would be in front of a cat.
Suddenly, Yan Xue Man thought of something, frowned deeply and declared, “No, this is Serenity City, why must this Young Lady fear them? I have to go tell Lord Father about this and have him seek justice for me!”
After saying so, she really turned around and started walking towards the City Lord’s Mansion, apparently eager to find her father.
Bai Lu hurriedly grabbed her arm though and said in a cold tone, “How can you have such a big chest but no brains!”
“Who… who has a big chest but no brains!?” Yan Xue Man screamed angrily.
Bai Lu bluntly continued, “The cultivation of Old Yan and your father is essentially equal, but Old Yan wasn’t that man’s opponent at all! Did you even stop to think about what would happen even if your father did come? Do you want to kill your father? When that happens, don’t come crying to this Young Master for help!”
When Yan Xue Man heard this, his pretty face turned pale and she thought about it again. Even Old Yan had his arm shredded in a single punch, so how could her father do any better? If she really called her father, the only one to suffer a loss would be him.
“What should I do then!?” Yan Xue Man panted anxiously, “Why don’t you call your Father over then? Uncle Bai is a Second-Order Emperor, so it shouldn’t be a problem for him to clean up that person.”
Bai Lu shook his head and said, “I don’t know how to tell my father about Old Yan. Profound Thunder Pavilion doesn’t have many Emperor Realm Masters, and Old Yan has already suffered such a serious injury. Speaking of which, this is all your fault, isn’t it!? Why did you insist on buying that ship? Old Yan lost an arm thanks to your selfish whims!”
After being accused by him, Yan Xue Man’s eyes reddened immediately and she snapped back in a trembling voice, “Surnamed Bai, after you and this Young Lady shared such a time together under the moonlight, you’re now accusing me of such crimes? Do you still have any conscience?!”
Seeing her cry like this, Bai Lu only felt more disgruntled, but he had no choice but to comfort her, “Good, good, don’t cry. What happened yesterday was my mistake, it has nothing to do with you.”
“Bad, you’re a bad man, bad…” Yan Xue Man yelled, pounding him with her fists while weeping.
“Don’t make trouble!” Bai Lu didn’t have the presence of mind to deal with her now so he quickly grabbed her hand and said, “What’s important is to send these two disasters away first. Fortunately, it seems that they are leaving the city… sii…”
Mid-sentence, Bai Lu took Yan Xue Man and quickly hid back behind the corner.
Because when he looked up, he actually saw Yang Kai turn his head and glance in their direction with an expression that nearly stopped his heart from fright.
At the city gate, Yang Kai, who was waiting in line to leave the city, turned his head back and sneered.
He didn’t expect that Young Master Bai and Young Lady Yan would react that way when they met him today, but it did save him some trouble. If they really didn’t know what was good for them and wanted to gather up forces to seek revenge, Yang Kai wouldn’t have minded teaching them a final lesson for bothering him.
“Cough cough cough…” A violent cough suddenly sounded as an old woman at the front of the line stumbled, losing her balance and nearly falling to the ground.
Ji Yao moved swiftly at that moment and supported the old woman, asking with concern, “Grandma, are you okay?”
The old woman started coughing again, and she coughed so violently that it seemed like she was about to hack up a lung. It was a long time before she managed to catch her breath, and she turned to say weakly to Ji Yao, “It’s alright, it’s alright, I’m just getting on in years… Thank you, little girl.”
Ji Yao shook her head, but before she could even let go of the old woman, her knees buckled again.
Ji Yao hurriedly pulled her to her feet again, and said with a frown, “I’ll help you stand, Grandma.”
“Thank you, thank you,” said the old woman, “You have a kind heart, little girl, you will be rewarded for it one day…” She coughed again.
Ji Yao smiled, “My Honoured Master often taught us Disciples that we should be respectful and kind to the elderly and the young when we’re outside. It’s only a small matter.”
The old woman chuckled lightly, “You’re a good girl, and your Master has taught you well. Which Sect are you from, young lady?”
Ji Yao shook her head and smiled, but did not answer.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed at that moment though and he said with a smile, “It is indeed virtuous to be respectful and kind to the elderly and the young, but it’s also important to keep your eyes wide open when travelling outside. You mustn’t let yourself be easily tricked by others; after all, there are so many deceitful and sinister people in this world, and who knows when you’ll be taken advantage of when you’re just trying to do a good deed? Now, that would be the same as helping a tyrant to oppress the innocent, wouldn’t you say so, ‘Grandma’?”
The old woman trembled in spite of herself, and she forced a smile, “You are quite right, Little Brother.”
Ji Yao nodded her head seriously, “Disciple will take Master’s words to heart.”
“Disciple?” The old woman jolted at her words, realising that the Honoured Master that Ji Yao had mentioned earlier was actually the man standing behind her. She could not help but find this somewhat incredible.
Then came the sudden non sequitur from Yang Kai, “Your earrings are quite exquisite, Grandma.”
The old woman was startled and touched her earlobe with a hand, but found nothing there. She gave him a strained smile at that point, “Little Brother, you’re still so young and yet your eyes are fooling you. How could I wear earrings at my age?”
“You didn’t wear them today, but you probably did yesterday,” said Yang Kai, “The holes from the piercings are quite distinct. It would appear you’ve worn such ornaments for many years.”
His words were so pointed that there was no way Ji Yao would not have realised something was wrong. Her brow furrowed as she stealthy channelled Emperor Qi into the old woman’s body.
A moment later, Ji Yao’s expression turned icy and she tightly gripped the old woman’s arm, asking coldly, “Who are you, and why did you deceive me?”
It had escaped her notice previously, but upon closer inspection, she discovered that the seemingly terminally ill old woman was actually someone whose body was teeming with vitality. Her aged face was clearly not her true appearance, merely a camouflage of some kind.
This made Ji Yao quite furious. She had just been helping the woman out of the kindness of her heart, and had no idea that the woman actually had ulterior motives, which sent her into a rage.
The woman was not a true Master like them, only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so she was completely unable to move with Ji Yao grabbing her like this. All the Source Qi in her body was suppressed, and the inability to channel her Source Qi made her panic. She looked pleadingly at Ji Yao and said in a low voice, “Senior, I mean no harm, I only did this because I had no other choice! Please be magnanimous, Senior, and don’t expose me.”
Ji Yao’s expression changed as she cast a glance towards the cultivators closely guarding the city gate and asked, “They’re here because of you?”
The woman nodded silently.
“Why did you choose to take advantage of me!?” Ji Yao asked coldly.
“Earlier, Young Master Bai and Young Lady Yan seemed very fearful of the two of you when they were entering the city, so…”
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and said, “Madame Dong is sharp-eyed indeed. You even took notice of something so minor.”
At his words, the woman’s whole body trembled as she looked at him in despair, “You know me?”
“Madame Dong?” Ji Yao frowned, wondering how her Honoured Master was able to reveal the woman’s identity so easily. As far as she knew, it was their first time in Serenity City, and they did not know anyone there.
“I don’t,” said Yang Kai, “But I heard some people talking about you.”
“What… what did they say about me?” The woman asked shakily, seemingly very keen to find out.
“The wife of the Dong Family Patriarch,” Yang Kai said lightly, “She stole the family’s greatest treasure, sending the Patriarch into a fury, causing him to request assistance from the City Lord’s Mansion’s guard to seal all the gates but this one and then perform a tight inspection of everyone trying to leave the city. If anyone found the criminal, they were to quietly arrest her!”
“Stealing the family’s treasure…” The woman smiled bitterly, “I dare not bear such a crime on my name.”
Ji Yao frowned, “Are you saying my Honoured Master is wrong?”
Madame Dong shook her head, “What family treasure? I never saw anything like that. The Dong Family doesn’t even have such a thing. I married into the Dong Family so many years ago, and was the wife of the Patriarch. If there really was a family treasure, how could I not know of it?”
“Then why would they frame you?” Ji Yao asked curiously.
“Because they need to catch me,” Madame Dong answered.
Ji Yao seemed curious to find out more, but Yang Kai waved his hand and discontinued the conversation, “Madame Dong, we’re not interested in your matters. As for your attempt to use us to escape the city, I won’t hold a grudge for it either. You’ll just have to pray for good fortune!”
“Sir…” Madame Dong looked pleadingly at Yang Kai, “It was my fault earlier, and I can only beg you to help me leave Serenity City. I will definitely repay your kindness one day.”
Yang Kai smiled coldly, “What can you use for repayment? I’m not interested in getting mixed up with other people’s affairs!”
“Sir…”
“If you say another word, I’ll expose you right now!” Yang Kai looked coldly at her.
Madame Dong shuddered. She did not doubt that Yang Kai was capable of doing this as his Disciple, Ji Yao, was able to instantly subdue her, and as Ji Yao’s Honoured Master, he would not be any weaker.
She had hoped to be able to persuade him to help her, but it was all wishful thinking in the end.
Madame Dong turned around miserably and stood in line, not daring to say anymore.
“Honoured Master, this person’s Disguise Technique is extremely profound!” Ji Yao whispered to Yang Kai. If it hadn’t been for Yang Kai’s observation earlier, she probably would have never suspected that the old woman was just a disguise.
This was no Secret Technique, but purely a Disguise Technique, but not one that could be mastered by just anybody.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod and agreed, “It is indeed. If I didn’t have prior knowledge, I may not have noticed anything off either.”
It was only because he had overheard part of Commander Yu and Patriarch Dong’s conversation, and then noticed the fresh piercing holes on the old woman’s ears, that he started to suspect her.
“Honoured Master, are we really going to do nothing? She really seems like she has some secret she can’t reveal.” At the sight of the woman’s frightened expression, Ji Yao grew sympathetic.
“People are deceitful,” Yang Kai said lightly, “We don’t know who’s right and who’s wrong in this situation. If we arbitrarily interfere, we may be aiding the villain instead.”
“Yes!” Ji Yao nodded.
As they spoke, the old woman had reached the front of the queue.
One of the cultivators guarding the gate waved his hand at the old woman and she walked unsteadily up. The cultivator was holding a bag in his hand, which he opened and placed before the old woman.
She took only one look at it before her demeanour changed completely. Immediately after, a chirping sound was heard from within the bag, like the cry of some Monster Beast.
The old woman moved quickly, with none of her previous frailty or unsteadiness. She was as agile as any youth as she bolted straight for the city gate.
“Seize her!” Cried the guard.
“Since you’ve shown yourself, then you may as well stay,” came another person’s voice, followed by a flash of a blade as it swung towards the old woman’s path.
The old woman’s expression changed again, and she knew that she was bound to be critically injured if she tried to force her way forward. Having no other choice, she reluctantly retreated a few steps.
*Shua shua shua…*
Several figures came dashing out from all around, charging towards the old woman.
After that moment’s delay, the old woman found herself completely surrounded by those people just as she realised what was going on.
“Oh!” At that sight, Ji Yao could not help but sigh. She knew the woman had no hope of escape.
The woman was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, while the people surrounding her included at least six with equal cultivations. Being so greatly outnumbered, it would be a joke if they let her escape.
“It’s the Elders from the Dong Family!”
“You’re right. It really is them!”
“Strange, what are they doing here? Who is that old woman? How did she get on the Dong Family’s bad side?”
The cultivators nearby were all discussing amongst themselves, full of curiosity about the scene going on before their eyes.
Though the Elders from the Dong Family had the old woman surrounded, they were in no hurry to actually make a move. It was clear that they all knew who the old woman really was, and they looked at her with conflicted expressions.
This was the Patriarch’s wife, after all. She held a higher position than all of them.
Two more people stepped out towards the city gate then, causing those guarding the gate to cup their fists in greeting.
“Greetings Commander Yu.”
“Greetings Patriarch Dong!”
Yang Kai glanced over, and saw that one of these men was clad in full armour and looked very imposing, while the other was wearing a blue robe and looked very stern.
Both of them were also Third-Order Dao Source Realms.
The person in armour was most likely Commander Yu, and thus the other one would be the Dong Family Patriarch.
The old woman turned, and her gaze fell upon the Dong Family Patriarch. Through gritted teeth she pleaded, “Let me go!”
Patriarch Dong shook his head slowly, “You know that is impossible.”
“I beg you, please let me go. If I can’t leave today, then I’ll leave tomorrow. You can’t stop me forever!”
“How will you leave if I break your legs and cripple your cultivation?” Patriarch Dong said coldly.
At those words, the old woman’s whole body trembled and she said in disbelief, “We have been husband and wife for so many years, are you really going to be so heartless?”
“Husband and wife?”
At those words the onlooking cultivators were all greatly astonished, wondering how the Dong Family Patriarch’s wife, who was as beautiful as a flower, had turned into an old hag.
The crowd whispered amongst itself, and Patriarch Dong’s expression was as dark as it could be.
The old woman standing in the street raised a hand at that moment and rubbed across her face, removing the disguise and revealing her lovely appearance.
“Wow… It really is Madame Dong! How could this be?”
“Heh heh, what drama is going on in the Dong Family?”
“We’re up for a good show now! The Patriarch’s wife is trying to escape the Dong Family, and they’re sending all their forces to stop her here. I wonder what happened behind the scenes!”
“Perhaps Madame Dong found a new flame, so she wants to leave Patriarch Dong, but since he could not possibly agree, he brought his men to get her back?”
“Brother, your hypothesis is very compelling…”
Now, everyone was gazing sympathetically at Patriarch Dong as though he was already wearing a bright green hat. This made Patriarch Dong’s expression grow darker and he roared, “Foolish woman, look what you’ve done!”
Madame Dong stood her ground, gazing miserably at Patriarch Dong, “Dong Hai!” She said in anguish, “Are you really not going to care about the feelings we had as husband and wife?”
Dong Hai’s face twitched as a trace of struggle flitted across his eyes, “Tian He,” he sighed, “If you still care about any spousal feelings between us, then return to the Dong Family with me quietly. From now on, you will not leave Serenity City again, and we will live out our days as husband and wife.”
Tears fell from Madame Dong’s eyes, and she shook her head, “Dong Hai, you know why I have to leave, and you know what I’m going to do. Please don’t make this any more difficult.”
“You are forcing the Dong Family into desperation!” Dong Hai scolded harshly.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Tears were pouring down Madame Dong’s face, which was full of guilt and regret. It was as though she really had done something unforgivable, and the onlookers were even more confused as they had absolutely no idea what was going on.
“Come back with me and I’ll overlook what happened today, and so will the Dong Family. You will still be my wife!” Dong Hai reached a hand towards her, gesturing his intentions to Madame Dong.
Madame Dong only shook her head though as her tears continued to fall.
Any trace of tenderness in Dong Hai’s face gradually vanished and was slowly replaced by cold sternness. He finally lowered his hand and spoke calmly, “The foolish woman, Shi Tian He, since her marriage into the Dong Family, has not had any offspring in a hundred years. Her inability to produce an heir is a great enough crime on its own, but she is also vain and envious, a source of corruption to the Dong Family. Worse, she is guilty of the crime of theft, trying to take the Dong Family’s greatest treasure for herself. She has shown that she has no shame! On this day I, Dong Hai, as the Dong Family Patriarch, declare that Shi Tian He is banished from the Dong Family. From now on, all our spousal ties are severed, and we will have no further relations!”
His words stunned every single person present.
The local cultivators in Serenity City were especially shocked, and they all stared with their eyes wide in disbelief.
Though most had never even spoken a word to Madame Dong before, according to the gossip in the city, she was a good person with a kind and charitable heart. She would often help the city’s poor and downtrodden, yet in the words of the Dong Family Patriarch, she was shameless, vain, and shallow.
But gossip was only gossip, after all. If her own husband said such things about her, how could it be false?
Not only that, she had even stolen the Dong Family’s greatest treasure! This could not merely be described as having a poor character, it was a complete corruption of morality.
At that moment, everyone in the crowd was making their own judgments on the situation, wondering why the wife of the Dong Family Patriarch would throw away her good life to do such a thing. It was no wonder that the Dong Family would send all their Elders out to capture her.
Any man in that situation would not be able to endure such a woman as his wife, right?
*Pu…*
A low sound was heard as blood suddenly sprayed from Shi Tian He’s mouth. Her face was flushed red, and fresh blood vividly stained her clothes at the chest.
She staggered a little, clutching her chest, as though she was enduring unbearable pain in her heart. She gazed at Dong Hai with despair in her eyes, as she had never thought that Dong Hai would truly be so heartless.
A single day together as husband and wife was supposed to mean endless devotion for the rest of your life, while she and Dong Hai had been married for a hundred years!
Back then, she was willing to deeply offend her Honoured Master and be driven out of her Sect just so she could be together with Dong Hai. Though she had gotten what she wanted in the end, it had been a hundred years since she had last been to her Sect. As for all the Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters that she often thought of, she had never seen them again.
She had spent all her time in the Dong Family, at Dong Hai’s side. She had once thought that she had found the perfect husband for her entire life, and never thought that he would wound her heart so deeply.
This was the man she had viewed as her whole world and the only man for her entire life, and he had wounded her so cruelly.
“Honoured Master, this seems like no simple matter!” Ji Yao suddenly said to Yang Kai in a low voice, after observing what was going on.
Yang Kai remained indifferent though and simply commented, “It’s other people’s business, why pay so much attention?”
Despite his words, he was also quite unsettled. The despair in Shi Tian He’s eyes was like a layer of dark clouds, completely blocking out every last speck of light. It was evident that she was entirely heartbroken.
After a pause, Yang Kai asked, “Yao’er, do you want to help her?”
“I will do as you say, Honoured Master,” Ji Yao answered.
“En,” Yang Kai could not help but sigh. Though he was not very willing to intervene in this matter, it was evident that the people of Dong Family had gone a little too far, Dong Hai in particular. He and Shi Tian He had clearly lived together as husband and wife for a hundred years, so how could they not understand each other? Even if there were some little conflicts, it could be resolved peacefully through talking things through. Was it really necessary to cast her out of the Dong Family so publicly while completely tarnishing her name and honour?
How would anyone respect her after this?
[What an undependable man. Shi Tian He must’ve been blind to marry someone like him.]
“Ha… ahaha… hahaha…” Standing there, Shi Tian He suddenly started laughing as if she had gone insane, fresh blood still dripping from the corners of her mouth, turning her into quite the ghastly sight.
Her laughter was full of bitterness, and it was horrifying to the people who heard her.
“Dong Hai!” Shi Tian He suddenly screamed, “You are willing to go so far for the Dong Family? You really are… A fitting Patriarch!”
“There’s no need to say more!” Dong Hai said, unwilling to keep going on like this. With so many cultivators watching the scene, dragging it any longer would only cause himself and the Dong Family to lose even more dignity. He gave a light wave of his hand and ordered, “Elders, do it!”
Hearing this, the Elders’ faces grew grim as they said, “Pardon our offence!”
As they spoke, they each channelled their Source Qi and lunged at Shi Tian He.
*Zheng…*
The sound of a blade rang out as an icy longsword suddenly appeared in Shi Tian He’s hand. As the blade swung, the temperature around her plummeted, and an ice-cold domain suddenly spread outwards.
As her blade flashed, large snowflakes suddenly descended from the sky and enveloped the Dong Family Elders within. Each snowflake was like a deadly dangerous weapon, and the Dong Family Elders all grew pale as they did not dare to act rashly.
“It’s snowing?”
“No, this is her Ice Attribute Secret Technique!”
“To think Madame Dong is actually this strong!?”
The crowd exclaimed in surprise.
As Dong Hai saw Shi Tian He use her Secret Technique, his face grew grim and he hastily shouted, “Foolish woman, why are you still struggling?”
Commander Yu frowned and said, “Patriarch Dong, your wife… Ah, this woman’s attack seems to be similar to the Secret Technique used by Ice Heart Valley?”
Dong Hai forced a smile and pushed the matter aside hastily, “You must be joking, Commander Yu. This foolish woman had cultivated an Ice Attribute Secret Art since she was young, and she had learnt some fairly powerful Secret Techniques. She has nothing to do with Ice Heart Valley.”
From his words, it seemed like having anything to do with Ice Heart Valley would mean certain doom.
Commander Yu did not question him, only nodding lightly, “That would be for the best. You know how Ice Heart Valley is like right now. If she really was an Ice Heart Valley disciple, then your Dong Family would be finished.”
Cold sweat seeped from Dong Hai’s brow as he gave a strained laugh, “She’s her own person, and no longer has any connection to the Dong Family.”
“Clear Sky Snowfall!”
Ji Yao suddenly cried out, her brow knitting tightly as she stared fixedly at Shi Tian He who was struggling now with all her might.
As the Third Disciple of Bing Yun, Ji Yao was extremely familiar with all the Secret Techniques of Ice Heart Valley. Once Shi Tian He used her attack, Ji Yao recognized it as the Ice Heart Valley’s Clear Sky Snowfall, a Secret Technique that only Core Disciples of Ice Heart Valley could cultivate.
Up in the sky, Shi Tian He forced back a few of the Dong Family Elders with one attack, but just as she was about to escape, others swooped in, sticking around, cutting off her path. She had no choice but to turn her sword and attack again.
The weaving of her sword appeared like pear blossoms blooming in the sky, beautiful yet hiding an indescribable murderous intent. Shi Tian He darted between these blossoms, going in and out of visibility as she looked for a chance to escape.
“Pear Flower Ice Snow Sword!”
Ji Yao exclaimed once more.
Even if she had not been entirely certain that Shi Tian He was an Ice Heart Valley disciple when she recognized the Clear Sky Snowfall Secret Technique earlier, she was now certain.
If she was not an Ice Heart Valley disciple, how could it be possible for her to know these two Secret Techniques?
She was greatly shocked, not expecting that she would meet a fellow disciple of Ice Heart Valley in Serenity City, when she had only just returned to Northern Territory and not yet reached her Sect.
Just then, one of the Dong Family Elders fought hard and broke through Shi Tian He’s defences. He drew her attention while another Elder appeared behind her in a flash and struck towards her back with a palm.
Though Shi Tian He was quite powerful, she could not fend off multiple attacks at once. She was already at her limit after just a few rounds of attacks, and even though she sensed the attack coming from behind, she could do nothing about it other than feeling helpless frustration.
“Die!”
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed and the onlookers saw a blur of movement as an incomparably beautiful woman with an icy demeanour suddenly appeared behind Shi Tian He. With what seemed like a casual strike, she turned a Third-Order Dao Source Ream Elder of the Dong Family into a blood mist.
Naturally, it was Ji Yao. As the Third Disciple of Bing Yun, Ji Yao held an extremely high rank within the Sect. Now that someone was not only bullying another Ice Heart Valley disciple right before her eyes, but also ganging up on her and embarrassing her, Ji Yao had no mercy at all and killed the Dong Family Elder in one blow.
She reached out with her hand and pulled Shi Tian He behind her, protecting the woman as her delicate hand dealt with outgoing blows.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
With that, several clouds of bloody mist were seen in the sky as every single one of the Dong Family Elders surrounding Shi Tian He exploded into blood mist, their bodies disintegrating before they even realized what was happening.
“An Emperor Realm Master!”
Someone cried out as everyone gasped in shock.
Shi Tian He’s situation had been desperate, and all the onlookers had thought that she would not be able to escape with her life today; but to everyone’s surprise, a beautiful and icy Emperor Realm Master suddenly intruded and completely flipped the tragic situation, instantly killing all of the Dong Family’s Elders.
“Ah!” Dong Hai’s face went pale, and he almost collapsed.
He had deployed all the Third-Order Dao Source Realm Elders of the Dong Family this time in order to capture Shi Tian He as this was an important matter with no room for mistakes. He had thought it was an adequate arrangement, but little did he know that it would result in all of them getting slaughtered.
With the Dong Family losing so many Elder level figures at once, their power was sure to plummet. After that, it was entirely possible that they would be consumed by the other great families in the city.
Dong Hai could hardly accept this reality, and his mind went blank.
“Who are you!?” Commander Yu was shocked as well. As the Commander of Serenity City’s Guard, an Emperor Realm Master appearing all of a sudden in his city without his knowledge was a serious dereliction of his duties.
Not only that, but the pressure he felt from Ji Yao was even greater than that of the City Lord.
In other words, this icy woman was even stronger than the City Lord.
A Master who was stronger than the City Lord… Had to be a Second-Order Emperor! Commander Yu felt cold sweat lining his brow at such a thought.
Around the corner, Bai Lu and Yan Xue Man saw everything that happened and were both filled with terror.
They had thought that between Yang Kai and Ji Yao, only the Honoured Master Yang Kai was an Emperor Realm Master. Only now did they realise that Ji Yao was one too.
Yan Xue Man, who had tried to buy her ship just yesterday, clearly realized that Ji Yao had been merciful back then, otherwise, the two of them would have long lost their lives.
Commander Yu hurried over while wiping the sweat from his forehead, “Greetings, Senior, I am Serenity City’s Guard Commander, Yu Zhen. May I know your honoured name?” He asked Ji Yao respectfully, cupping his fists.
Standing before someone he suspected to be a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, he did not dare to show any rudeness; after all, even the City Lord was only a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. If he angered this Master into losing her temper and she decided to go on a rampage, Serenity City would disappear from the Stary Boundary today.
Ji Yao did not seem to hear Yu Zhen’s words, only turning her head and staring at Shi Tian He with a frown.
Shi Tian He was also stunned, still holding her sword in her hand. She looked around, but saw that every single one of the Dong Family Elders that had been attacking her was now dead.
“Senior…” Shi Tian He looked very emotional as she gazed at Ji Yao, saying gratefully, “Many thanks to you, Senior, for saving me!”
She had felt certain that she was about to die, only to suddenly receive someone’s assistance at the last moment and have her fate completely changed. The gratitude in her heart was more than she could express.
“You’re a disciple of Ice Heart Valley, right?” Ji Yao asked, frowning.
Those words fell like a giant boulder being thrown into the surface of a calm lake, creating humongous waves of shock.
“What? Patriarch Dong’s wife is an Ice Heart Valley disciple? Is this for real?”
“Surely not? If it is true, then the Dong Family is doomed!”
“It’s no wonder that Patriarch Dong was willing to drive his own wife out of the Dong Family in order to sever ties with her. It turns out she’s an Ice Heart Valley disciple!”
“Patriarch Dong is resolute indeed, how could anyone else bear to cast out such a pretty wife?”
The air was full of the crowd’s chatter, which made both Ji Yao and Yang Kai frown deeply as they wondered what was going on.
At Ji Yao’s query, Shi Tian He gave a bitter laugh, “I dare not call myself an Ice Heart Valley disciple anymore. I was expelled from the Sect by my Honoured Master one hundred years ago.”
“Expelled from the Sect? What crime did you commit?” Ji Yao asked after a shocked pause.
It was impossible for Ice Heart Valley disciples to be driven out of the Sect unless they had done something seriously wrong.
Shi Tian He’s expression was bitter as she cast a glance at Dong Hai below.
Ji Yao understood her meaning, and snorted coldly, “So, it was for a man! You really are blind to go with him even when it meant being driven out of the Master Sect. And look at you now, he even cast you out of the Dong Family!”
At those words, Shi Tian He’s eyes reddened again. This was her greatest source of anguish, but she was unable to say anything.
“It’s over, it’s over…” Dong Hai’s face seemed to grow old and weary as he heard Ji Yao and Shi Tian He’s words. His body swayed as he looked like he was about to fall.
He knew that this really was the end of the Dong Family. Not only did they lose their Elders and fall greatly in strength, the relationship between Shi Tian He and Ice Heart Valley had also been exposed. There was no way the Dong Family could ever recover from this!
From this day on, there would be no place in Serenity City for the Dong Family. Even if the other great families in the city didn’t deal with them, the City Lord would not possibly bypass them.
Even though Shi Tian He had been expelled from Ice Heart Valley a hundred years ago, she had still once been their disciple. Right now, in the entire Northern Territory, anyone who had anything to do with Ice Heart Valley would face a nasty end.
“So, she’s from Ice Heart Valley…” Yang Kai looked astonished as well.
When he had been eavesdropping on Commander Yu and Dong Hai’s conversation earlier, Commander Yu had said that Madame Dong was from some Major Sect. He had not paid attention to it then, but now he knew that the ‘Major Sect’ was actually Ice Heart Valley!
In the Northern Territory, Ice Heart Valley was considered one of the top forces. For their disciple to marry down and join the puny Dong Family of Serenity City was an incredible honour.
“Whose disciple are you exactly?” Ji Yao asked.
Shi Tian He said quietly, “Senior, this Junior’s Honoured Master’s surname is An, and her given name is Ruo Yun!”
“You’re Eldest Senior Sister’s disciple?” Ji Yao jolted.
An Ruo Yun was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and held the highest rank amongst Bing Yun’s direct Disciples. She was the Eldest Senior Sister amongst them all. During the years Bing Yun had gone missing, it was An Ruo Yun who took charge of Ice Heart Valley in her stead and kept it going.
It could be said that almost all the cultivators in the Northern Territory knew her name.
Upon hearing that Shi Tian He’s Honoured Master was An Ruo Yun, the crowd was shocked. None of them had thought that Dong Hai’s wife had such an astonishing origin!
The glances they cast towards Dong Hai were now filled with complicated emotions. The disciple of An Ruo Yun herself had chosen expulsion just to marry him! What had Dong Hai done to deserve such an honour? It was a pity, however, that what was once a great honour was now a death sentence for the Dong Family.
“Eldest Senior Sister?” Shi Tian He was stunned and stared blankly at Ji Yao, “Senior, you are…”
Since this person referred to her Honoured Master as Eldest Senior Sister, then she was evidently also from Ice Heart Valley. Shi Tian He recalled all the faces of her Martial Aunts in Ice Heart Valley, but none of their faces matched the person before her, which caused her great confusion.
“I am your Third Martial Aunt!” Ji Yao said coldly.
Shi Tian He’s eyes lit up and she cried out, “You are… Martial Aunt Ji Yao!”
Back when she was still in Ice Heart Valley, Ji Yao had never appeared in the Sect as she had been wandering outside. She had thus never seen Ji Yao in person, but during the days she spent in the valley, she had often heard her Honoured Master speak of this Martial Aunt who had been missing for so long. The other Martial Aunts in the valley were all concerned about her safety, but none of them knew where to begin looking for her.
She had never thought that she would run into Ji Yao in Serenity City today.
Quickly, Shi Tian He was overjoyed, and the sorrow in her heart was greatly reduced by seeing Ji Yao. She hurriedly knelt down before Ji Yao and greeted, “Greetings to Third Martial Aunt from the expelled disciple of Ice Heart Valley, Shi Tian He!”
“Get up!” Ji Yao raised Shi Tian He to her feet with one hand, and said with a cold snort, “You were the disciple of Eldest Senior Sister, and yet you went against her for the sake of such a man. If I was her, I would’ve killed you right away and not let you live to this day!”
Shi Tian He smiled bitterly and said nothing.
Ji Yao continued, “But since Eldest Senior Sister decided to spare your life, I will not go against her wishes. Since you were cast out from Dong Family today, then you are no longer one of them. Come back with me to Ice Heart Valley and apologize to Eldest Senior Sister! Whether you live or die will be up to her to decide.”
Tearfully, Shi Tian He answered, “Many thanks, Third Martial Aunt!”
Ji Yao turned her head and looked coldly at the distraught Dong Hai below, then scolded, “Though Tian He is an expelled disciple of Ice Heart Valley, that doesn’t mean any random trash can mistreat her! If you had cared for her after she abandoned her Sect to be with you, then it would’ve been fine, but now that you’ve cast her aside for your own selfish needs, your death isn’t worth pity!”
As she spoke, she was about to strike downwards with her palm.
“No!” Shi Tian He turned pale, and in a flash she had thrown herself in front of Ji Yao, falling to her knees as she pleaded, “Third Martial Aunt, don’t kill him! I beg you, please don’t kill him!”
The Emperor Qi was surging in Ji Yao’s palm, but she held it back and did not unleash it. She glared at Shi Tian He and snapped furiously, “You would protect him even now?”
Shi Tian He shook her head, crying, “He saved my life all those years ago. Please spare his life today, Third Martial Aunt, and just take it as me repaying that life debt. From now on, there is nothing between us, and there will never be any further contact!”
Ji Yao was unbearably livid, and she almost wanted to kill her foolish Martial Niece here and now. The Emperor Qi in her palm surged several times, but in the end, she could not bear to do it. After all, Shi Tian He’s life had been difficult enough already.
Given no other choice, Ji Yao could only turn her head to look at Yang Kai, “Honoured Master, what do you think?”
“His life may be spared, but he cannot escape punishment!” Yang Kai answered coldly.
As he spoke, he appeared before Dong Hai and landed a palm strike on his chest. Dong Hai could not even react before he was sent flying and was knocked out as he crashed into a nearby building.
Since Yang Kai had already acted, Ji Yao naturally had no objections and retracted her Emperor Qi.
“We’re leaving!” Yang Kai waved his hand and flew into the air first.
Ji Yao hurriedly followed, with Shi Tian He turning to look at Dong Hai unconscious on the ground for a moment before ultimately also averting her gaze and quickly disappearing from the onlookers’ view.
Only then did the many cultivators at the city gates heave a sigh of relief. With an Emperor Realm cultivator present, they didn’t even dare to breathe loudly in case they somehow caused offence.
“So, she’s from Ice Heart Valley!”
Around the corner, Bai Lu looked like he had discovered some great secret treasure, and his face was full of excitement. Thoughts spun rapidly in his head for a while before he suddenly said, “Xue Man, hurry and tell your Father that an Emperor Realm cultivator from Ice Heart Valley has just left Serenity City. Tell him to quickly gather all his forces and chase after them! Remember to tell him not to alert them! He just needs to make sure they’re followed!”
“What about you?” Yan Xue Man stared at him.
“I’m going back to Profound Thunder Pavilion to tell my Father what happened here. I believe he will be very interested in that woman.”
Having said so, he dashed towards the Space Array in Serenity City from where he could directly return to Profound Thunder Pavilion and inform his Father.
“To think someone from Ice Heart Valley dared to come out and stir up trouble. Now, I can finally get revenge!” Bai Lu thought with a cold smile, feeling gleeful as he thought about what it would look like when his father stepped in and took down those two.
Pewpew: Made another adjustment to erase all mention of how long she was gone for, so nothing needs to be adjusted from before.
A group of three people flew through the air.
Perhaps it was because of her intense disappointment in Shi Tian He, the expression in Ji Yao’s eyes when she looked at her was one of extreme frustration. As for Shi Tian He, she had just gone through a great change in her life, and though she had come out of the ordeal alive, she was distraught and depressed. If she did not have a goal to keep her going, she would’ve probably lost all desire to live.
“Honoured Master, you should have killed that man for what he did. Why did you spare his life!?”
After they had been flying for some time, Ji Yao finally could not hold herself back. Her words were filled with murderous rage and it was evident that she was still thinking about how Dong Hai had only received some small injuries instead of the death penalty.
Yang Kai shook his head and said nothing.
“Honoured Master?” Shi Tian He was shocked hearing these words though and stared at Yang Kai in amazement. She then cupped her fists and asked, “Greetings Senior, how may I address you?”
She had been in a state of dismay so far, and had only just remembered to ask about Yang Kai’s identity. She found it strange that her Third Martial Aunt would call him her Honoured Master.
Since she was her Third Martial Aunt, shouldn’t her Honoured Master be the Ancestral Founder of the Sect? Why was she calling a man her Honoured Master? Likewise, why would the Ancestral Founder be here?
“What do you mean, Senior? This is the Ancestral Founder! You really are blind!” Ji Yao said through gritted teeth, her heart full of outrage at the woman who had been driven out of the Master Sect by the Eldest Senior Sister all those years ago and could not even recognize the Ancestral Founder right before her.
[Shi Tian He’s eyes must be failing her!]
[How could Eldest Senior Sister have taken in such a Disciple?]
“Ancestral Founder…” Shi Tian He was astonished, staring wide-eyed at Yang Kai and wondering how he could possibly be the Ancestral Founder.
“Tian He,” Yang Kai stealthily communicated using his Divine Sense, “Something seems to have happened to your Third Martial Aunt during her years away from the Sect, and there’s a bit of an issue with her mind. She has mistaken me for Senior Bing Yun, and I can’t expose the truth now because I don’t know if that will cause her to lose her mind again. I’m here to escort her back to Ice Heart Valley, so she can come to her senses when she sees Senior Bing Yun. Just play along for now and don’t make her suspicious.”
Shi Tian He was aghast. She could never have imagined that her Third Martial Aunt, who looked to be in an entirely normal state, was actually suffering from such mental issues. It must be something serious for her to mistake a man for the Ancestral Founder…
Shi Tian He was quick on the uptake though, so she quickly calmed herself and gave a respectful bow, “Please forgive this disciple for her short-sightedness, Ancestral Founder.”
“Hmph!” Ji Yao snorted coldly, looking disdainful.
Shi Tian He gave a bitter smile, but her expression soon changed as she asked, “Ancestral Founder, have you only just returned to the Northern Territory with Third Martial Aunt?”
“How did you know?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“So, you don’t know what is happening to the Sect?” Asked Shi Tian He.
“What’s wrong with the Sect?” Ji Yao frowned.
Shi Tian He’s face was pale as she said, “The Sect… Has been surrounded! And within the Northern Territory, many Senior Sisters who married out of the Sect have been murdered! The Sect’s foundations outside have all been entirely destroyed, and now, Ice Heart Valley has been completely blockaded, and is on the brink of disaster.”
“What!?”
Hearing this, Yang Kai and Ji Yao bore expressions of shock.
“Who dares!?” Ji Yao demanded furiously.
“Seeking Passion Sect!” Hatred flashed across Shi Tian He’s eyes.
“Seeking Passion Sect!?” Ji Yao’s pretty face grew grim as she snapped angrily, “How dare they! Why are they doing this to Ice Heart Valley!?”
Yang Kai frowned, suddenly realising that this matter… might have something to do with him.
With that in mind, he spoke, “Tian He, tell us everything from the beginning. We really don’t know anything about what has happened to the Sect.”
“Yes!” Shi Tian He said, and summarized the events of the last few years in the Northern Territory.
A few years ago, when the Star Boundary’s Shattered Star Sea opened, Seeking Passion Sect’s Sect Master, Feng Xuan, suddenly went to Ice Heart Valley, bringing many of his strongest subordinates with him. On that day, there were many Masters from Seeking Passion Sect present to pressure Ice Heart Valley with their power. It was unknown what kind of conflict occurred, but the two forces had a great battle outside Ice Heart Valley, and each side suffered immense losses.
From then on, Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect were like fire and water.
As time passed, the grudge between the two Sects grew greater and their hatred ran deeper. Many of the disciples of Ice Heart Valley who married out of the Sect were hunted down and cruelly murdered by those from Seeking Passion Sect. Some of Ice Heart Valley’s external industries were completely destroyed, and the great forces connected to Ice Heart Valley received suppression and persecution.
And then, half a year ago, countless Masters from Seeking Passion Sect occupied Ice Moon City under the command of their Sect Master Feng Xuan, sealing off Ice Heart Valley’s connection to the outside world. It looked like they intended to destroy Ice Heart Valley in one go.
Ice Moon City was the city closest to Ice Heart Valley, and it had been the foundation of Ice Heart Valley’s external affairs ever since the founding of the Sect. It was an important hub connecting Ice Heart Valley with the world outside, but now, even that had been taken over. It was evident that Ice Heart Valley’s situation was dire.
Half a year had passed since the occupation took place.
It was only because of Ice Heart Valley’s powerful Sect Defending Array that it could survive until now.
“Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley are both top Sects of the Northern Territory, and they’re about equal in power. If it was not for some unresolvable conflict, they could not possibly start a war. Tian He, do you know what the cause of all this is?” Yang Kai asked grimly.
“At first, no one had any clues,” said Shi Tian He, “Only later did there start to be rumours, saying that Seeking Passion Sect was so determined to wage war because Feng Xuan’s son, Feng Xi, was killed by someone while in the Shattered Star Sea.”
Ji Yao laughed coldly, “His skills were lacking, leading to his death. Was Feng Xi’s killer a disciple of Ice Heart Valley?”
Shi Tian He shook her head, “No, I heard that he was killed by a man named Yang Kai! Because this Yang Kai seemed to have a close relationship with the Ancestral Founder, the only way for Feng Xuan to learn about Yang Kai’s background and seek his trail was to pressure Ancestral Founder. But Ancestral Founder refused to tell him anything, so Feng Xuan’s anger boiled over and he was even willing to start a war between the two Sects to take revenge for his son.”
“Yang Kai…” Ji Yao frowned, vaguely sensing that the name was rather familiar.
Yang Kai saw that something was off about her expression and hurriedly changed the topic as he wiped cold sweat from his brow, “Seeking Passion Sect may be strong, but Feng Xuan is only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. How can he alone drive Ice Heart Valley into such a situation?”
Shi Tian He shook her head, “I don’t know the specifics, I only know that Ice Heart Valley is on the brink of disaster.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he suddenly asked, “Were you leaving the Dong Family and Serenity City because you wanted to return to protect the Sect?”
“Yes!” Said Shi Tian He bitterly, “I may have been expelled from the Sect by my Honoured Master, but ultimately, I am still a disciple of Ice Heart Valley. Now that my Sect is in danger, how can I stand by and do nothing? But the Dong Family didn’t want to let me leave, because if my identity as an Ice Heart Valley disciple was exposed, it would undoubtedly implicate the Dong Family as well. Right now, no one in the Northern Territory dares to have anything to do with Ice Heart Valley.”
Ji Yao stared at her, stunned for a moment, before she nodded, “Your loyalty is admirable.”
She had been full of disappointment earlier, thinking that her Martial Niece Shi Tian He was hopeless. She had such horrible judgment that she got expelled for the sake of a man, only to have that same man expel her from his family a hundred years later.
But now, she thought that her Martial Niece still had some redeeming qualities. At the very least, she had the desire to go back and help when her Sect was in danger. Knowing how dire the situation was, with the Sect on the brink of annihilation, but still boldly and without any hesitation trying to return… That was not something just anyone could do.
Shi Tian He shook her head, “The Sect raised me and educated me. In life, I will belong to Ice Heart Valley, and after I die my ghost will belong to Ice Heart Valley!”
Ji Yao nodded, “Good. With such an attitude, Eldest Senior Sister will surely take you in once more!”
“Really?” Shi Tian He stared at Ji Yao in surprised delight.
Ji Yao gave her a small, rare smile, “Rest assured, if she doesn’t take you back, then she’s no Eldest Senior Sister of mine.”
Shi Tian He was horrified and said quickly, “No, no, Third Martial Aunt, please don’t jest!”
“Honoured Master,” Ji Yao turned to look at Yang Kai. “Now that the Sect is in danger, we must hurry back! Eldest Senior Sister must be having a hard time holding up the Sect on her own.”
Yang Kai gave a nod, “Yes, but first we must get rid of those on our tail. It looks like someone’s got their eye on us.”
“Hmm?” Hearing this, Ji Yao immediately turned and looked behind them. She saw a few tiny black dots on the horizon which were rapidly flying closer, evidently chasing their group.
Shi Tian He’s face turned pale, “Oh no! It must be because we revealed our identities back in Serenity City and someone took notice.”
“Tian He, do you know who these people are?” Yang Kai turned and asked calmly.
Shi Tian He’s brow furrowed as she replied, “If my guess is correct, then they must be people from Profound Thunder Pavilion.”
“Profound Thunder Pavilion…” Yang Kai’s mouth rose into a playful smile.
“Serenity City is very closely connected with Profound Thunder Pavilion,” said Shi Tian He, “They have a Space Array connecting the two for easy access, and Profound Thunder Pavilion is currently attached to Seeking Passion Sect. Since our identities have been exposed, there’s no way Profound Thunder Pavilion will do nothing about it. They must want to capture us to obtain rewards from the Seeking Passion Sect.”
“That will depend on whether they have the ability!” Yang Kai laughed coldly, “What’s the cultivation of their Pavilion Master?”
“Pavilion Master Bai Yu has reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm!” Shi Tian He’s pretty face was grim, “They also have four Elders who are in the First-Order Emperor Realm. With Serenity City’s City Lord Yan Dong, that makes five of them. Martial Aunt, we had best hurry and leave.”
“Why leave when they’ve offered themselves up on their own?” Ji Yao glared at her.
Shi Tian He was stunned, wondering how her Third Martial Aunt was so confident. Remembering that the Third Martial Aunt’s mind was not in the right state though, she quickly turned to look at Yang Kai for his opinion.
Yang Kai smiled, “Worry not! It’s just a few pitiful weaklings.”
“Pitiful weaklings…” Shi Tian He was speechless. How could a Second-Order Emperor and five First-Order Emperors be classified as pitiful weaklings?
Did this man also have something wrong in the head like her Third Martial Aunt?
Shi Tian He’s mind was full of anxious thoughts, but when she saw that both Yang Kai and Ji Yao looked as calm as a lake, she found herself gradually calming down as well.
Since the moment she had decided to leave Dong Family and return to her Sect to do what little she could, she had been fully prepared for death.
It was entirely possible that she could be killed even before she could return to the Sect; after all, with Ice Heart Valley completely surrounded, she was bound to get attacked the moment she showed her face.
She had already put life and death out of her mind, so what was there left in the world that could make her afraid?
Her only wish was that she could return to the home of her Honoured Master before her death to ask for her Honoured Master’s understanding and forgiveness.