The last time Yao Zhuo came to Ice Heart Valley was with Feng Xi to escort the bride back to their Sect, he suffered a great loss at Yang Kai’s hand. He was not only beaten up by Yang Kai taking advantage of an Emperor Authority Bead, but the Space Ring that contained the dowry and all his wealth was also robbed.
At that time, Yang Kai was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior.
That incident brought Yao Zhuo untold shame, so it was natural that his eyes were blazing with hatred when he finally met his enemy again today.
Yao Zhuo had always been strong, and now that he had broken through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm, his boundless aura was seemingly able to tear the world apart. An ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master couldn’t be his opponent, so he was confident Yang Kai would not be able to survive taking a slash of his blade.
“Yang Kai, watch out!”
“Senior Brother Yang, be careful!”
Bing Yun, Ji Yao, and the rest exclaimed anxiously for him.
However, Yang Kai just stood still instead of moving, as if he could not react to the situation and did not mean to avoid the attack at all. Bing Yun and the others were utterly nervous at the scene.
Yao Zhuo was overjoyed, further intensifying the power in his hand. The shining blade of light plummeted like a meteor, dazzling the eyes of its audience.
At that moment though, a mysterious shadow flashed across everyone’s vision, turning into a wisp of navy blue smoke as it passed by Yao Zhuo before coming to a stop behind him.
At the same time, Yao Zhuo, who was fiercely pouncing on Yang Kai, seemed to be affected by a petrifying technique and was frozen on the spot at once. The light of his Emperor Artifact blade dispersed and his Third-Order Emperor Realm aura deflated rapidly like a punctured balloon.
*Pu… *
Somehow, inexplicably, Yao Zhuo spurted a mouthful of blood, his face turning as pale as a sheet while he staggered and slumped over.
“What?” The people of Seeking Passion Sect were appalled as they stared at the navy blue light which appeared behind Yao Zhuo, their eyes filled with terror.
A figure was gradually revealed as the wisp of blue light dissipated slowly. Meanwhile, the figure who had come out of nowhere stood behind Yao Zhuo leisurely, holding something in his hand.
*Dong Dong… Dong Dong… *
The pulsating sound of this thing hammered fear into the hearts of all who gazed upon it.
When they got a clear vision of the object held in this newcomer’s hand, they recognized it as a still warm and beating heart. The organ was about the size of a fist, and its thick arteries were clear and discernible; scarlet blood flowed out of it with each beat.
*Gudong… *
Nervous gulps could be heard one after another as everyone automatically turned their gazes to Yao Zhuo’s back. At a glance, their faces were ashen as they shivered in horror.
Because a hole could be seen on Yao Zhuo’s back, one through which everyone was able to see the scenery on the other side of his figure. Where Yao Zhuo’s heart once was, now there was just an empty hole!
The situation in front of them was crystal-clear; Yao Zhuo’s heart was gouged out by the middle-aged man in navy blue. To be able to do this to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like Yao Zhuo, the middle-aged man must have astonishing strength and technique.
“Who is he?”
“Is there anyone like him in the Northern Territory?”
Flabbergasted, everyone began speculating, but none had an answer.
“A Monster King!” Feng Xuan abruptly bellowed, seemingly recognizing something.
Meanwhile, Yao Zhuo looked down at the hole in his chest with difficulty, his face turned bloodless in an instant. He turned around and pleaded in a trembling voice, “Sect Master, save me…”
Thanks to his great strength, Yao Zhuo did not die immediately even though his heart was gouged out, and if Feng Xuan could retrieve his heart, perhaps he may still be able to recover from death with the supplement of some powerful healing pills. Therefore, Yao Zhuo used his tremendous cultivation to seal his blood circulation while pleading for rescue.
“Your Sect Master can’t even save himself now, let alone you!” Yang Kai sneered, and with a flick of his fingers, he sent a Moon Blade towards Yao Zhuo.
In normal times, Yao Zhou could certainly resolve an attack like this even if he could not dodge it; but now, with most of his strength being used to suppress his mortal injuries, how could he have the spare capacity to defend himself?
With a slash, Yao Zhuo was directly sliced into two pieces by the Moon Blade, his severed body falling from the sky, crashing into a lump of mashed meat on the ground.
A Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was killed just like that!
Everyone from the Seeking Passion Sect was muted, their eyes were filled with terror.
*Pu… *
Ying Fei crushed the heart in his hand before sweeping his piercing eyes across the people of the Seeking Passion Sect, asking calmly, “Young Master Yang, is it them?”
Yang Kai nodded affirmatively, “En.”
The corners of Ying Fei’s mouth curled upwards slightly, “How should I deal with them, Young Master Yang?”
Yang Kai snorted, “What else is there to ask? Kill them all!”
Ying Fei nodded, and in the next moment, his body abruptly turned into a ray of navy blue light, diving straight into the remaining nineteen Emperor Realm Masters, darting back and forth among them dauntlessly.
Everyone from the Seeking Passion Sect was sent into a flurry, dodging and resisting to the best of their abilities in a panic.
Feng Xuan roared with rage as his Wind and Thunder Divine Spear turned into a gale and shot towards Ying Fei.
Among everyone here, only his cultivation could match Ying Fei’s, so only he could possibly stop him. However, Ying Fei’s true form was that of a giant eagle, and he had an innate advantage in terms of speed. It seemed that Ying Fei was creating panic on purpose instead of facing Feng Xuan directly, swaying here and there in the crowd, then retreating without getting caught.
*Pu pu pu… *
After a few muffled thuds, several Emperor Realm Masters raised their heads and spurted blood. When the others turned to them, they saw that the chest cavities where their allies’ hearts were originally located were all gouged out.
This situation was exactly the same as what Yao Zhuo encountered before.
Turning their heads to Ying Fei’s hands, as expected, there were several hearts in various sizes beating in them now.
With a hard squeeze, those hearts were crushed.
The faces of the several injured Emperor Realm Masters were ashen, and after a brief shudder, all of them fell from the sky. Although they could still survive with this kind of injury a while longer with their cultivation, their hearts were dug out and destroyed, so recovery was almost impossible and death would be their ultimate fate.
In the blink of an eye, five Emperor Realm Masters had fallen. Panic spread among the Seeking Passion Sect group at once. The remaining Emperor Realm Masters looked at Ying Fei like they were looking at the devil from Hell; they did not dare to fight him and secretly wished that they could leave this damned place as soon as possible.
On the other side, the morale of Ice Heart Valley soared. The anxiety and resigned look in the eyes of the beauties were all swept away, replaced with brilliant radiance.
“How dare a trivial Monster King act impudent in front of this King!” Feng Xuan was infuriated. He was aware that his forces had suffered a terrible blow to morale, so his most important task now was to bolster their spirits.
At this point, there was no turning back for Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley; one of them had to die today. Initially, Feng Xuan was full of confidence in this siege, but the sudden emergence of this Monster King turned the situation on its head, so it was natural that Feng Xuan hated him to the core and wanted to kill him first in order to stabilize the emotions of his people.
“A trivial Monster King? How about two then?” A thunder-like voice boomed, followed by a flash of lightning which then turned into a burly figure, standing side by side with Ying Fei.
Xi Lei!
“If two is not enough, what about three!”
Another figure walked out leisurely and stood beside Ying Fei and Xi Lei.
The three Monster Kings gathered together, no longer trying to conceal themselves. Their Monster Qi surged from their bodies, causing the sky to shake.
The remaining Emperor Realm Masters of Seeking Passion Sect instantly trembled in fear as they became aware of the power of these three. Even Feng Xuan’s face turned pale as he stared in disbelief.
Although Monster Kings were theoretically on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in terms of cultivation, due to their sensitive racial identities, they seldom travelled around the Human world, and most of the time, just hid in the mountains and deep forests, reigning over those lands.
Of course, there were also some powerful Monster Race who took refuge in Human Sects, holding lofty positions such as Elders or Protectors.
But such cases were extremely small in number.
Feng Xuan never thought that there could be three Monster Kings gathered together in this world, and furthermore, they were all here to target his Seeking Passion Sect.
In an instant, Feng Xuan’s mouth filled with such bitterness he nearly choked. If it was just a single Monster King, he would still have the spirit to resist, but now that there were three of them, he knew that Seeking Passion Sect would be no match even if Yao Zhuo was resurrected from the dead.
“Three Monster Kings!?”
“Where did Senior Brother Yang get them from?”
“Did he go to get help when he went out? I thought he ran away after seeing our Ice Heart Valley in dire straits. Shame on me!”
“This time we’re saved, we’re saved!”
……
The Emperor Realm Masters of Ice Heart Valley who did not know the truth were overjoyed and gazed at Yang Kai with gratitude filled eyes.
Now they finally knew why Yang Kai could kill ten Emperor Realm Masters in one fell swoop. With three Monster Kings at his side, what were the ten Emperor Realm Masters to him?
“What’s the situation?” Seeing that Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei had arrived together, Yang Kai asked with a slight relief in his heart.
Xie Wu Wei replied, “We killed about ten thousand, but there’s still a lot of trash left behind. All of those leftovers lost the will to fight though.”
“Ten thousand…”
All of a sudden, everyone on Seeking Passion Sect’s side faltered.
They did not doubt Xie Wu Wei’s words, because it would obviously not be difficult for two Monster Kings to kill ten thousand people. After all, there were no Emperor Realm Masters on their side left to impede these Monster Kings.
All the Sects who participated in this campaign had surely suffered immense losses if ten thousand of their disciples had died, and that wasn’t enough considering the deaths of their Emperor Realm Masters. After this war, the overall strength of the Northern Territory would surely decrease.
But what concerned these Emperors the most was their own fate. Previously, they came to Ice Heart Valley in an imposing manner, thinking that victory was within their grasps. However, the tables were turned in the blink of an eye, and now, they were the fishes waiting on the chopping board.
“Senior Bing Yun, leave this to us. You’d best oversee the situation in the valley,” Yang Kai turned to Bing Yun.
After pondering for a while, Bing Yun nodded in agreement, “Good!”
The outcome here was already decided; Ice Heart Valley was destined to win this war. However, the hundred thousand or so enemy forces still occupying Ice Heart Valley were not to be underestimated, even if they were now a disorderly mob. A mere seven thousand disciples of Ice Heart Valley would not be able to resist such a disadvantage in numbers. Fortunately, the Monster Kings had crushed the enemy’s spirits already which would greatly reduce the losses Ice Heart Valley suffered.
What Bing Yun and her Disciples needed to do now was return to clean up the mess and preserve as many Ice Heart Valley disciples as possible.
Seeing that Bing Yun and the others were about to leave, Valley Master Chen of Green Wind Valley opened his mouth, attempting to say something but stopped. He seemingly wanted to admit his mistakes and beg for forgiveness, but, from the look on his miserable face, when he thought of his actions in helping a tyrant abuse the innocent, he swallowed his words.
He knew that at this point, it was useless for him to say anything.
He regretted it. If he had known that Ice Heart Valley could bring in such strong allies, he would not have gotten involved with the Seeking Passion Sect from the beginning. Now, not only was Seeking Passion Sect the one who was worried about being exterminated, he was worried for his Green Wind Valley too.
He could not open his mouth because he felt ashamed, but someone else did.
“Junior Sister An, please wait! For the sake of our relationship in the past, please forgive this Elder Sister! This Elder Sister is truly sorry, I beg Junior Sister to let me live.”
Elder Yu cried out in panic.
Previously, during the mighty arrival of all the Masters from the Seeking Passion Sect, she quarrelled against An Ruo Yun to bootlick the Seeking Passion Sect by reprimanding the latter for not appreciating her kindness and stating that she was destined to end miserably today if she refused to realize her mistakes.
But Elder Yu did not expect that the tide would turn in less than a stick’s worth of incense.
Everyone looked at the thick-faced Elder Yu in disdain.
However, it was better to lose face than to lose her life. She would not mind peeling off the skin of her face for it if it could save her life.
Nevertheless, An Ruo Yun definitely did not care about a turncoat like her. Although Elder Yu often came to Ice Heart Valley as a guest and she had a considerably close friendship with An Ruo Yun in the past, she had become her eternal enemy the moment she chose to fight for the Seeking Passion Sect.
Despite hearing her pleas, An Ruo Yun ignored her. She did not even bother to reply a single word and instead rushed towards the valley under Bing Yun’s orders.
“Junior Sister An…” Elder Yu’s face was ashen, calling out even harder, but to no avail.
Knowing that it was useless to plead to An Ruo Yun, Elder Yu immediately moved her gaze to Yang Kai, begging with a forced smile, “Little Brother, this Mistress is not part of the Seeking Passion Sect, and this Mistress really knows her fault now. This Mistress shouldn’t have gone against Ice Heart Valley. This Mistress understands now and feels deeply regretful about it. Little Brother, please be kind-hearted and forgive this Mistress. This Mistress is willing to pay any price.”
While speaking, her tear-glistened eyes fluttered as she pressed her red lips lightly, putting on a pitiful look.
She noticed that the three Monster Kings who arrived seemed to obey Yang Kai’s instructions; therefore, as long as she could persuade Yang Kai, she would surely be able to save herself.
She was certainly not young, but she was good at maintaining her beauty and looks, making her appear no older than thirty while possessing a mature and graceful bearing. With the soft and gentle demeanour she presented, her charm would still be able to capture the hearts of many men.
But Yang Kai simply spat disgustingly, “An old cow still wants to chew young grass? Disgusting! Kill her so she does not defile this Young Master’s eyes further!”
Elder Yu’s pretty face changed drastically at his words. She did not expect that Yang Kai would be so hard-hearted and cruel. With a scream, she used all her strength to retreat, attempting to escape from this place.
Although she was fast, Ying Fei was faster. A beam of navy blue light flashed and Ying Fei already appeared in front of her, his fingers turning into blades that fiercely stabbed into her chest.
The protective Emperor Qi of a First-Order Emperor Realm was like paper to Ying Fei as his swordlike fingers pierced into Elder Yu’s chest. A moment later, a fresh heart was resting in his palm..
Following up, Ying Fei knocked Elder Yu to the ground, which led her to fall to her death on the spot.
“Kill!” At this time, there was no need for Yang Kai to give any more instructions. After a roar, the two Monster Kings, Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei charged towards the formation of the Seeking Passion Sect while Ying Fei turned back and attacked from the rear.
The three Monster Kings were like tigers pouncing into a flock of sheep, instantly slaughtering the people of Seeking Passion Sect and sending the latter into a total rout. Everywhere the Monster Kings passed, no one could resist them, and no one could escape. It would be a dream for these people to escape before Ying Fei’s exceptional speed.
Mutilated corpses fell from the sky one after another, blood splashing everywhere like blooming scarlet flowers. The gruesome scene was mixed with terrifying murderous intent.
After only ten breaths of time, the fourteen Emperor Realm Masters had fallen.
It was unknown if it was intentional, but the three Monster Kings did not attack Feng Xuan at all, and he was still unscathed while everyone else around him was already dead. On the other hand, Feng Xuan did not interfere when the three Monster Kings were slaughtering his people, instead just watching the tragedy coldly, hovering in mid-air.
Feng Xuan sighed after everyone’s death, his face seemingly growing much older in the blink of an eye.
The Seeking Passion Sect had fallen!
The Seeking Passion Sect, which was inherited from the hands of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor and had deep roots in the Northern Territory for tens of thousands of years, did not fall at the hands of Ice Heart Valley, but rather a young man in the First-Order Emperor Realm.
No matter how hard Feng Xuan thought about it, he still could not figure out who this young man really was, and why he was like a nemesis to his Seeking Passion Sect!
Back then, Yang Kai’s emergence sabotaged the marriage between the Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley. Afterwards, Yang Kai had killed his son, and now, the Seeking Passion Sect was about to be destroyed at his hands.
“Who wants the last one?” Xi Lei asked faintly while staring at Feng Xuan.
As Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands, Xi Lei and the others had their own pride too. Previously, they joined hands to kill the enemies because they were outnumbered, but now that there was only one enemy left, they no longer needed to fight together.
Choosing who to finish off this man was a tough decision.
These three Monster Kings knew that this was a chance for them to prove themselves in front of Yang Kai, so they naturally were unwilling to let go of this golden opportunity.
“Me!” Xie Wu Wei immediately replied. With a surge of his Monster Qi, a giant scorpion phantom appeared behind him. The scorpion was gleaming with shiny green brilliance and flailed its obviously venomous tail about.
“Why you?” Ying Fei looked at him reluctantly.
“Then do you want to go?” Xie Wu Wei snorted coldly with his lip curled.
“Why not?” Ying Fei raised his brow, taking a step forward and preparing to take action.
“How about letting this King do it?” Xi Lei grinned, joining in the fun.
“What nonsense are you spouting!?” Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei stared at him simultaneously.
At this moment, followed by a glare, Feng Xuan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly emitted an astonishing radiance. His powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation burst out at once, infusing into the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear in his hand, causing the relic of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor to tremble violently and turn into a purple thunderbolt.
“Die!” Feng Xuan roared. With a flicker, he leapt towards Yang Kai and thrust out his spear.
Xi Lei and the others did not have the time to argue anymore. The moment Feng Xuan carried out the sudden attack, the three of them immediately reacted. Ying Fei was the fastest and pounced directly towards Feng Xuan. With a screech, his hands turned into eagle’s claws and left a trail of numerous afterimages in the sky, trying to seal off Feng Xuan’s movements.
At the same time, Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei condensed their terrifying Monster Qi and struck towards Feng Xuan from the left and right respectively, unleashing their strength without any reservations.
*Hong Hong Hong… *
A loud explosion sounded as Emperor Qi and Monster Qi collided. The purple thunderbolt permeated a will that could destroy everything, tearing space itself as it collided with the three Monster Kings.
Ying Fei was knocked back with a groan, staggering to regain his footing. His hands were covered with blood, and even his fingers were slightly twisted and burnt, as if he had been struck by lightning.
Xie Wu Wei had lifted his head to spurt a mouthful of fresh blood while his face turned pale and the giant scorpion phantom behind him rapidly shattered. He seemed to have suffered a serious injury.
Xi Lei, who had the toughest physique among them, was sent flying hundreds of metres away, and it took him some effort to finally stabilize himself, leaving him flabbergasted.
Three Monster Kings acting together were actually all wounded by Feng Xuan alone.
*Chi chi chi… *
Just like the last radiance of the sunset, the purple thunderbolt extinguished after a few final flashes.
Feng Xuan stood less than ten metres in front of Yang Kai, holding the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear, glaring at him with his teeth gritted.
These last ten metres now seemed like an unsurpassable valley that Feng Xuan could not cross no matter how he tried.
Yang Kai did not move an inch, simply staring back at him with cold eyes.
“Little bastard! This King will still kill you even if he must turn into a ghost to do it!” Feng Xuan grinned hideously, blood oozing from his mouth.
While speaking, his Third-Order Emperor Realm aura rapidly weakened while even his black hair turned grey in the blink of an eye.
Although he forced back and even wounded the three Monster Kings in the last exchange of blows, Xi Lei and the others were not to be taken lightly. In exchange for suffering some injuries, they had delivered fatal wounds to Feng Xuan.
“Then we shall see if you have the chance to become a ghost!” Yang Kai sneered and with a stretch of his arm, a black banner appeared in his palm. The black banner was filled with austere gloominess while cries and howls could be heard coming out of it from time to time.
Netherworld Purgatory Banner!
It was the relic of the Netherworld Sect Elder Hua Fei Chen, an Emperor Artifact that could devour Souls and twist them for its owner’s own use.
Yang Kai lifted the Netherworld Purgatory Banner in his hand, “After you die, this Young Master will keep your Soul in this banner. Heh heh, a Third-Order Emperor’s Soul will make a fine primary Soul for this artifact.”
*Pu… *
Hearing this, Feng Xuan could not hold on anymore and spurted a mouthful of blood into the sky, including the pieces of his internal organs.
With Yang Kai possessing such an evil thing, Feng Xuan probably did not have the chance to be a ghost even if he died, as ultimately, he would be collected by Yang Kai as a puppet.
With this as the final blow, after spurting a mouthful of blood, Feng Xuan’s eyes dimmed and the vitality of his body quickly dissipated. After a tremble, he crashed down to the ground.
Yang Kai watched coldly, but he did not really collect his Soul into the Netherworld Purgatory Banner; after all, he had not refined this thing before and he did not know how to collect a Soul yet.
Before Feng Xuan’s body reached the ground though, Yang Kai sent out a burst of Emperor Qi with a palm strike, smashing the body into a mist of blood instantly.
Then, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and seized the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear.
“That guy was quite amazing!” Ying Fei and the others gradually moved closer, looking below with lingering fear on their faces.
“Not him, it’s this thing that’s amazing!” Yang Kai played with the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear for a moment before stuffing it into his Space Ring.
The Wind and Thunder Divine Spear was a relic left behind by the Seeking Passion Great Emperor, so it was undeniably powerful.
However, Yang Kai already possessed countless treasures, so he did not fancy it very much, thinking he could just keep it and give it away in the future.
“Go and help Ice Heart Valley deal with the cleanup,” Yang Kai motioned lightly to the three Monster Kings.
The three Monster Kings vanished without saying a word.
In Ice Heart Valley, shouts and battle clashes of different sizes were heard from time to time, mixed with the occasional scream. However, the screams were almost uniformly those of men. It seemed that the invading enemy was getting slaughtered.
There were more than thirty Emperor Realm Master corpses on the ground now. No one would have thought that in just a stick of incense worth of time, all of these Masters would be sent to the underworld.
Yang Kai seized their Space Rings one by one.
“Young Master Yang, Young Master Yang!”
At this moment, someone shouted from the side.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, and drawled lightly, “Why is Grandmaster Nanmen still here? Didn’t you already enjoy the good show? Or are you still planning to stay in Ice Heart Valley as a guest? Ice Heart Valley has never welcomed men, so Grandmaster Nanmen should probably leave now.”
Nanmen Da Jun had been witnessing the entire process from the side. Neither Ice Heart Valley nor Seeking Passion Sect had attacked him, so he was still safe and sound.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s warning, he grinned meaningfully and returned cheekily, “Isn’t Young Master Yang also a man?”
Yang Kai snorted, “How can you compare yourself with this Young Master?”
[Such shameless boasting!] Nanmen Da Jun scoffed, but he did not have the arrogant demeanour of a top Array Master; after all, from the standpoint of Ice Heart Valley, he really could not be compared to Yang Kai, since Yang Kai was the reason Ice Heart Valley could be preserved today. Nanmen Da Jun rubbed his hands while he trailed off, “Young Master, this one wants to ask you something…”
“No comment!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, having no interest in talking to him.
Although Nanmen Da Jun was an Array Master renowned in this generation, Yang Kai was quite capable as well. He was an Emperor Alchemist, and there was no need to lower his status before others, especially when the person in question was hugely responsible for the crisis in Ice Heart Valley. He was fortunate that Yang Kai did not straight up kill him, yet, he still dared to ask for more.
“Young Master Yang, don’t be so cold,” Nanmen Da Jun gave a dry laugh, still unwilling to yield, “I would just like to inquire about something. If Young Master Yang could inform me, this Nanmen would be very thankful.”
Without waiting for Yang Kai’s refusal, he suddenly lowered his voice, “Young Master Yang, those three Monster Kings… came from the Eastern Territory, right?”
As soon as he said this, Yang Kai’s eyes turned cold and he cast a stern gaze towards Nanmen Da Jun, warning him in a deep voice, “I didn’t expect a man of your age would speak so recklessly. Be careful of what comes out of your mouth.”
Xi Lei and the other Monster Kings were brought out from the Ancient Wild Lands. Although it was only three of them, if rumours of three Monster Kings coming out of the wilderness were to spread, it would arouse the disapproval of the Masters of the Human Race, especially if these Monster Kings were from the Ancient Wild Lands.
Some people might even wonder if the Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands had come out to harm the Human Race Sects out of boredom. If this happened, it would be troublesome for Yang Kai.
“So, they really are from that place?” Nanmen Da Jun turned a deaf ear to Yang Kai’s warning, his eyes flashing as he cupped his fists positively and promised, “Don’t worry, Young Master Yang. This will only be between you and me, this Nanmem will never publicize it.”
“Hmph!” Yang Kai looked at him disdainfully, wondering if he should silence the witness to the crime.
Nanmen Da Jun seemed reckless, but was thinking clearly. As soon as he sensed Yang Kai’s murderous intent, he was secretly surprised and hurriedly pleaded, “Don’t be angry, Young Master Yang, this Nanmen was just interested in the many ancient restrictions and natural Spirit Arrays hidden in that place. I have gone in and out of that place to study them several times before, but my strength is too low, so I didn’t dare venture too deeply. It was quite regrettable that I didn’t manage to discover anything! It seems that Young Master Yang’s relationship with those three Sirs is… extraordinary. Do you think you can speak…”
“What are you talking about? This Young Master doesn’t understand. Don’t even mention it again!” Yang Kai interrupted him unceremoniously.
Yang Kai knew what Nanmen Da Jun meant before he even finished speaking. He just wanted to take advantage of Yang Kai’s relationship with Xi Lei and the others so that he could enter the Ancient Wild Lands in the future to study the restrictions and Spirit Arrays left behind there from ancient times.
He was the Array Grandmaster after all, so while he might not be interested in other things, Nanmen Da Jun was naturally quite eager to learn about anything related to Spirit Arrays.
Nanmen Da Jun opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but finally sighed heavily, comforting himself in his heart that there would still be a lot of chances in the future.
Nanmen Dajun spoke again, changing the topic, “Since Young Master is unwilling to talk more about this, then this Nanmen will not insist. However, there’s another thing I would need Young Master Yang’s guidance on. It’s about the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai could not help being surprised, “Does Grandmaster know about the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation?”
Nanmen Da Jun had obviously seen Bing Yun and others form the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation earlier, but Yang Kai had not expected him to have such sharp vision, actually recognizing this core technique of Black Tortoise Sect from ten thousand years ago. It seemed that he was really worthy of his title as an Array Grandmaster.
This much was already apparent, however, as if he was only fishing for fame and recognition, he would not have been able to break Ice Heart Valley’s Defending Array.
“Young Master Yang must be joking. This Nanmen is an expert in these matters,” Nanmen Da Jun chuckled happily, “This Nanmen would be blind if he could not recognize such a famous Formation in front of his eyes.”
“So, what if it is the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation? Do you want the arrangement method?” Yang Kai looked at him with interest.
Nanmen Da Jun rubbed his hands, and began somewhat embarrassingly, “If I have the opportunity, of course I would like to study…”
“Hmph!” Yang Kai sneered, “Don’t even think about it.”
Nanmen Da Jun was startled and asked, “Why?”
“There’s no why, just forget about it,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Nanmen Da Jun spat angrily, “Don’t be too arrogant, Young Master Yang! Senior Bing Yun is kind, and I believe that as long as I’m sincere, she will not necessarily reject this Nanmen’s request.”
He had spoken with Yang Kai politely earlier mainly because Nanmen Da Jun felt ashamed and also wanted to form a good relationship. He only wanted to study the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, but Yang Kai was now strongly rebuffing him.
[That’s too foul! What gives him the right to say that?] The Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation was set up by the people of Ice Heart Valley. Nanmen Da Jun had only come to Yang Kai to ask him to put in a few good words, so it was also fine if he didn’t want to help, but what gave him the right to refuse, and even tell him to stop thinking about it in the future?
The unparalleled, mysterious Formation that had been lost for ten thousand years had suddenly appeared in front of him. Nanmen Da Jun would lose the heart to delve into the Dao of Spirit Arrays if he did not insist on pursuing the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation.
“Oh, someone lost his temper!” Yang Kai looked at him with a cunning smile.
“Hmph! This Nanmen won’t talk to you further. I’ll go to see Senior Bing Yun.” Nanmen Da Jun flicked his sleeve, turned around and walked away frustratedly.
Yang Kai snorted, “Go, go, don’t come crawling back to me begging.”
[Only a ghost would beg you!] Nanmen Da Jun retorted to himself, but at the thought of Ancient Wild Lands… He held his tongue. He was still obsessed with the restrictions and Spirit Arrays in the Ancient Wild Lands, and it seemed that with a few good words from Yang Kai, he would be able to explore that place without fear of the Monster Race. This might even allow him to obtain a breakthrough in his comprehension of Spirit Arrays.
However, Nanmen Da Jun was very troubled by the difficulty of communicating with this young man.
When Nanmen Da Jun left, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and checked the situation in Ice Heart Valley.
The results of the battle were no different from what he had expected. The Seeking Passion Sect had more than thirty Emperors completely wiped out; Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei joined forces and killed more than ten thousand people as easily as crushing dry wood, and although there were still a large number of enemies, they were like a herd of sheep without a shepherd, losing all spirit to continue fighting.
After the arrival of the Elders of Ice Heart Valley, the battle was now a one-sided rout.
At this moment, Ice Heart Valley was already cleaning up loose ends, and everything would soon be over.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered as he flew towards the Ice Lake, killing any enemies he met along the way and leaving a long trail of corpses in his wake.
After a while, he appeared in the area that was originally the Ice Lake, the Restricted Area of Ice Heart Valley.
He looked around and then whistled softly.
In the hidden rockery on the side, two figures, one old and one young, came out looking around curiously. When they saw Yang Kai, they immediately greeted him with joy.
The pair who followed Yang Kai to Ice Heart Valley was none other than Old Ban and his granddaughter.
*Weng weng weng…*
A strange buzz filled the air, and immediately after these two figures emerged, a group of hundreds of black insects flew towards Yang Kai.
Soul Devouring Demon Insects!
Yang Kai took out the Insect Enslavement Bracelet and retrieved the Soul Devouring Demon Insects before turning to Old Ban and Xiao Ling’er with a smile and asking, “No one came by, right?”
Old Ban shook his head and replied, “No one, thanks to Young Master Yang’s careful arrangement.”
While talking, he glanced at the Insect Enslavement Bracelet in Yang Kai’s hand with some slight fear.
Although he did not know what those black insects were, each of them gave him a sense of horror. Old Ban also knew that since Yang Kai left the insects to guard him and his granddaughter, he was obviously confident in the capabilities of the insects.
With the protection of the Soul Devouring Demon Insects, Yang Kai did not need to worry about their safety at all. A few hundred insects could put up a fight against a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, not to mention that the Emperor Realm Masters of Seeking Passion Sect were already dead. Even if someone accidentally bumped into Old Ban and his granddaughter and tried to take advantage of them, the final outcome was only to be killed by the Soul Devouring Demon Insects.
“Young Master Yang, there’s a lot of fighting outside, don’t you need to help? Ling’er and I can just hide here, you don’t need to worry about us too much,” Old Ban glanced at Ice Heart Valley worriedly. Even though he had been hiding the whole time, he could still hear the commotion outside and the clamour of shouting and killing, obviously concluding that a great battle was being waged.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, assuring them, “No, the situation has basically been settled already.”
He squatted down next and patted Xiao Ling’er’s head with a smile, “Do you like this place? From now on, this will be your Sect.”
Xiao Ling’er blinked her big eyes and replied crisply, “I like it, but it’s a little cold.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “This is Ice Heart Valley, it’s only natural that it is cold. Don’t worry, you will gradually get used to it.”
Half of the whole Northern Territory was covered with ice and snow, and with Ice Attribute Secret Arts being the core inheritance of Ice Heart Valley, Bing Yun naturally chose a cold environment like this to establish her Sect.
Although Xiao Ling’er had begun to cultivate, she was still young and weak, so it was normal for her to feel cold.
“Young Master Yang… can Ling’er really join Ice Heart Valley?” Old Ban asked uneasily from the side.
Although he noticed that Yang Kai had an unusual relationship with Ice Heart Valley, otherwise he could not just come and go through this Space Array, Old Ban was still quite concerned about the matter related to Xiao Ling’er’s future.
“Don’t worry, it’s absolutely no problem for her to join Ice Heart Valley, but how much she can achieve in the future will depend on her own efforts and opportunities,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“I’m not expecting her to have exceptional achievements. As long as she is safe and happy, that is enough.” After listening to Yang Kai’s reply, Old Ban sighed in relief, slightly delighted.
Previously, in the melting pot of people from different backgrounds of the desolate city, every time Old Ban went out to guide people through the Ancient Lands Passageway, he would constantly worry for Xiao Ling’er’s safety. But if he did not lead the way for people, they would not have been able to survive.
It would be great if his little girl could join Ice Heart Valley, as he would no longer have to live such a precarious life.
“Ice Moon City is not far away from Ice Heart Valley, and it is run by Ice Heart Valley…”
While waiting for the war to end, Yang Kai chatted with Old Ban and told him about the situation in Ice Heart Valley. Old Ban was greatly relieved after learning that Ice Moon City was not far from Ice Heart Valley.
This way, if ever Xiao Ling’er missed him or he missed Xiao Ling’er in the future, it would not be too troublesome for them to meet. He just needed to find somewhere to live in the Ice Moon City, and he did not need to worry about Xiao Ling’er anymore.
As they chatted, the noise outside gradually died down, replaced by a burst of cheers from many women spread across the fields.
It was obvious that Ice Heart Valley had achieved a great victory, and now the disciples were celebrating.
It was a miracle that seven thousand disciples could win against a force of a hundred thousand.
*Weng weng weng… *
Strange noises buzzed from all directions a moment later as clouds of black insects rushed into the Ice Lake Island from various locations in Ice Heart Valley.
When Yang Kai saw this, he took out his Insect Enslavement Bracelet and put all these Soul Devouring Demon Insects into it.
The Soul Devouring Insects had contributed greatly to the war today. Earlier, when Yang Kai arrived in Ice Heart Valley, he released all his Soul Devouring Demon Insects and ordered them to kill all the enemies.
With the current strength of his Soul Devouring Insects, even though they could not help Yang Kai out in higher level fights, they were quite handy in such large-scale battles.
Without the shelter of Emperor Realm Masters, no one in the hundred thousand scattered troops could resist the might of Yang Kai’s Soul Devouring Demon Insects, so wherever the black cloud of insects passed, Seeking Passion Sect troops fell like reaped wheat.
With the offensive power of the Soul Devouring Insects, the defensive strength of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation, and the assistance of several Ice Heart Valley Emperors and three Monster Kings, the victory of Ice Heart Valley was an inevitable outcome.
“Young Master Yang, Young Master Yang…”
Just then, a cry came from outside.
“Young Master Yang, someone seems to be looking for you,” Old Ban glanced over.
“Ignore him.” Yang Kai curled his lips and continued to talk with Old Ban.
Old Ban read his face and did not question further, although Old Ban did not know why Yang Kai looked like he was being cold to that person.
A moment later, Nanmen Da Jun finally flew over and landed in front of Yang Kai, hurriedly cupping his fists with a big smile on his face, “Young Master Yang, so this is where you were.”
Luckily, Yang Kai had killed some enemies along the way here, so many Ice Heart Valley female disciples had spotted him, otherwise, Nanmen Da Jun might not have been able to find him so quickly. Nanmen Da Jun had asked many people along the way and followed a distinct trail of bodies to quickly arrive at where Yang Kai was.
This Ice Lake was originally a Restricted Area, a hidden place where even disciples of the Sect would not easily be able to enter.
Nanmen Da Jun put his angry attitude away and replaced it with a respectful and flattering attitude. The aloofness of a Grandmaster was shattered by his behaviour. For people who did not know the whole story, they would be made to believe that this Grandmaster was nothing but a bootlicker.
“Young Master Yang, why do you harm me so by concealing the truth? If I knew that the Formation was Young Master Yang’s property, I wouldn’t have bothered Senior Bing Yun.” Nanmen Da Jun put a smile on his face, but he actually felt bitter in his heart, a complicated feeling.
After separating from Yang Kai, he went to find Bing Yun to ask about the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation; however, Bing Yun was in charge of cleaning up the remaining enemies, so he did not feel right to disturb her and had to wait until everything was settled before asking.
When he finally got the chance to ask her though, Nanmen Da Jun was dumbfounded.
It turned out that the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation was given to Ice Heart Valley by Yang Kai a month ago and did not belong to them at all. Bing Yun also clearly told Nanmen Da Jun that it was inappropriate for Ice Heart Valley to discuss anything about this Formation with him, and if he wanted to know about its details, he should ask Yang Kai himself.
Nanmen Da Jun was dumbstruck.
Realization dawned on him as he finally understood the meaning of Yang Kai’s last words to him during their previous meeting.
At that time, Nanmen Da Jun thought this boy was being arrogant and ignorant, but it turned out that Yang Kai had actually dug a big hole for him and was just waiting for him to voluntarily jump down into it.
Nanmen Da Jun was regretful and mad all at once. He was a famous Array Grandmaster, and even though he did not have any strong background or force behind him, he was respected by all people. Even Third-Order Emperor Realm Sect Masters showed him courtesy; after all, who did not have a Sect Defending Array or need help arranging Spirit Arrays now and again?
Now, it was embarrassing that he had to go back to plead with Yang Kai for a Spirit Array. He was already embarrassed once in asking about the matter regarding the Ancient Wild Lands, so he could not believe that now he had to turn the other cheek after being slapped on one side of his face.
[Why am I so cheap!?] Nanmen Da Jun despised himself in his heart.
After agonizing over it though, he still had no choice. Even if he had to humiliate himself, he could not resist the temptation of such a rare treasure. He secretly pledged that no matter how hard Yang Kai made things for him, he would still swallow all his pride as long as Yang Kai would show him the array charts of the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation.
“Do I know you?” Yang Kai looked disdainfully at him with a lukewarm expression.
Nanmen Da Jun grinned, “Once strange, twice familiar, and thrice friends.”
“No need,” Yang Kai faked a smile, “Grandmaster Nanmen is famous in the Star Boundary, a leading Array Grandmaster of this generation. This Young Master is just a small character, unworthy to be friends with you.”
Nanmen Da Jun pulled a long face, “Young Master Yang is too serious. This Nanmen is just a little knowledgeable in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and wouldn’t dare to call himself a Grandmaster. Young Master Yang, please don’t flatter me.”
He would have accepted the praise without hesitation if it was from others, but in front of Yang Kai, he dared not to admit it.
Treasures blind the eyes. Before he got his hands on the charts from Yang Kai, Nanmen Da Jun still had to act humble in front of him, even if he felt extremely aggrieved.
Yang Kai ignored him and continued to chat with Old Ban.
Although Old Ban had no idea what was going on, he could see that this man named Grandmaster Nanmen was asking Yang Kai for a favour. Since he did not have the right to intervene in this kind of matter, Old Ban simply pretended that he knew nothing and continued chatting with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s haughtiness infuriated Nanmen Da Jun; however, he could only choke down his anger and wait for the other side with a forced smile, hoping that his sincerity would change Yang Kai’s mind later.
After listening to their conversation for a while, Nanmen Da Jun gradually realized a few things and turned to look at Xiao Ling’er, “Little girl, what’s your name?” He asked kindly.
Xiao Ling’er took a look at him and gave a crisp reply.
Nanmen Da Jun smiled lightly, “Ling’er is smart and lovely, and has honest eyes. It seems that it is fate for us to meet each other. Come, come, come, this old man will give you a little gift to commemorate our first meeting.”
Saying so, an object abruptly appeared in the hand of Nanmen Da Jun. It looked like a jade pendant; however, this pendant did not really have the colour of jade, but was in an unsophisticated yellow material.
After taking this pendant out, he hung it on Xiao Ling’er’s neck without hesitation.
Yang Kai casually swept his eyes across this pendant and immediately raised his brow.
Old Ban, who was talking to Yang Kai, was also greatly shocked, “Grandmaster, we cannot accept this, it is far too precious! Ling’er cannot receive such a valuable gift!”
Although he did not recognize what the jade pendant-like object was, he knew that Nanmen Da Jun would not give out something cheap.
Nanmen Da Jun chuckled, “You’re too serious. Since you know Young Master Yang Kai, you are also this Nanmen’s friend. This is our first meeting, but I’m sorry that I didn’t prepare anything for you, so I hope you don’t mind this small gift for your descendant!”
Old Ban opened his mouth, but he did not know how to reject it. He could only turn to Yang Kai helplessly.
They did not know each other at all, so it was unreasonable for Nanmen Da Jun to suddenly give a precious gift to Xiao Ling’er. It was obvious that he wanted to curry favour with Yang Kai through them, so only Yang Kai could deal with this matter.
“Grandmaster Nanmen is quite generous to just casually give out an Array Plate,” Yang Kai responded lightly.
Nanmen Da Jun’s eyes lit up, “Young Master Yang recognizes this?”
He was actually afraid that Yang Kai did not know the value of this thing, and wanted to give a few hints about it, but it seemed like he had underestimated Yang Kai’s vision.
“What? An Array Plate!?” Old Ban was taken aback as his face filled with terror.
An Array Plate was far too much for a first meeting gift.
Array Plates were self-contained Spirit Arrays. When facing an enemy, one could summon an Array Plate to instantly activate the Spirit Array inscribed inside of it. Old Ban had lived on the edge of the Ancient Wild Lands for a long time and had a lot of contact with many people, so he was knowledgeable enough to know what an Array Plate was.
“It’s just a small thing, a small thing. This Nanmen only refined it during his spare time and it is now useless for him to keep it. Please don’t reject this small gift,” Nanmen Da Jun laughed.
Yang Kai did not speak a word, simply reaching out to touch the Array Plate for a while before nodding, “Not bad. This could confine a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master for at least an incense stick worth of time, while anyone below the Third-Order Dao Source Realm would die instantly inside!”
It was Nanmen Da Jun’s turn to be surprised as he genuinely complimented, “Young Master Yang really has sharp eyesight.”
Old Ban, who was listening on the side, gasped, his voice cracking, “Anyone below the Third-Order Dao Source Realm would die instantly inside this array?”
This Array Plate was not even worth a fart to Yang Kai, and it was not anything precious to Nanmen Da Jun either, who had only made it for fun.
But it was different for Old Ban and Xiao Ling’er.
Old Ban only had the cultivation of the First-Order Dao Source Realm. It was only normal for him to be startled to see an Array Plate that could capture Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators. In other words, such an Array Plate was enough to kill him a thousand times over.
Furthermore, this Array Plate was also produced by Nanmen Da Jun, so it was definitely of fine quality among other Array Plates, and it would be enough to protect Xiao Ling’er while she grew for a long, long time.
Old Ban could not help feeling terrified, as it was improper to accept such a precious thing, especially when Yang Kai’s and this Grandmaster Nanmen’s relationship was still unclear.
Before he could refuse though, Yang Kai put down the jade pendant and spoke, “Since it was a gift for Xiao Ling’er, she should keep it.”
Nanmen Da Jun was overjoyed when he heard these words, knowing that his strategy was a success.
Old Ban’s expression was complicated when he cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Grandmaster!”
“You’re quite welcome, old man. If you need my help in the future, don’t hesitate to contact me,” Nanmen Da Jun’s attitude took complete charge when he was in a good mood.
Old Ban looked like an honest person, so it was not likely that he would be thick-skinned enough to go to Nanmen Da Jun for favours in the future, and even if he did, helping out a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was just like lifting a finger for him, so he chose to say those words to leave Yang Kai a good impression.
And his approach was indeed proved effective.
Yang Kai’s previous coldness receded a little as he nodded lightly and commented, “Grandmaster Nanmen is thoughtful.”
Nanmen Da Jun smiled heartily, “I appreciate Young Master Yang’s compliment.”
He breathed a sigh of relief inside, but he also knew that it was not the right time to insist on his requests and did not mention the Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation or the matter regarding the Ancient Wild Lands. He only stood aside and waited quietly, figuring an opportunity would arrive one day.
As he looked around mindlessly to distract himself, Nanmen Da Jun’s gaze soon fell upon a certain Spirit Array.
This was the Ice Lake island, so the Spirit Array here was naturally the Space Array previously built by Yang Kai.
Nanmen Da Jun was too focused on Yang Kai’s attitude when he first arrived here and did not see anything else at all. At this moment, after finally relaxing, Nanmen Da Jun noticed the extraordinary Spirit Array at a glance.
He yelped lightly in surprise and walked towards the Space Array, circling it a few times in interest.
“Ah!” After a short while, Nanmen Da Jun suddenly exclaimed. He seemed to have discovered something extraordinary and his eyes shone with startling brightness. He pounced directly on the Space Array, probing it and inspecting it, only after a long time crying out in shock, “A Cross-Territory Space Array!”
He was somehow able to conclude that this was a Cross-Territory Space Array in a short time.
In an instant, Nanmen Da Jun’s face was flushed with extreme excitement, the glow in his eyes becoming more and more intense as he studied with utmost focus.
At this moment, he was in a world where there was only him and this Cross-Territory Space Array, and nothing else could distract him. From time to time, as if he had encountered difficulties he would frown, only to smile broadly and burst into insane laughter the next moment.
There were only a few Cross-Territory Space Arrays in the entire Star Boundary, and they were all treasures from ancient times, left behind in the Sects created by Great Emperors or similarly powerful forces.
It was even safe to say that there might not be a single functioning Cross-Territory Space Array in the entire Northern Territory.
It was not an exaggeration to say that Cross-Territory Space Arrays were extremely precious in the Star Boundary, so even though Nanmen Da Jun was somewhat famous, he had never had the chance to study one.
Nanmen Da Jun had never expected that he would see one in Ice Heart Valley. This was his luck and also his opportunity. If he could unravel the secrets of this Cross-Territory Space Array, he might be able to replicate it with his skills. By then, it would be a gospel for the entire Star Boundary, and the name Nanmen Da Jun would surely resound throughout the world.
Fame was not what mattered to Nanmen Da Jun of course, but he could die without any regrets if he could break through with the help of this profound array.
There would be fanatics in every profession, and for someone like Nanmen Da Jun, the attraction of a Cross-Territory Space Array was stronger than anything else.
“Wonderful, this is wonderful!” Nanmen Da Jun finally stood up slowly after a long time, exclaiming in admiration. Although no one knew what exactly he saw, the admiration on his face was obvious.
His eyes searched for Yang Kai as soon as he looked up, asking, “Young Master Yang, you are familiar with Ice Heart Valley, do you know who built this thing?”
“What is it?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Nanmen Da Jun pondered for a moment before explaining, “This Nanmen is certain that this is a Cross-Territory Space Array, and the layout is ingenious, but…”
“But what?” Yang Kai frowned.
“But the technique used to arrange it is somewhat lacking in fluency. It is quite strange; if a person could arrange such an ingenious Spirit Array, their accomplishments in Spirit Arrays should definitely not be too low, undoubtedly a lot higher than this humble one’s. However, why do I feel like even the fundamentals are somewhat unsteady?” Nanmen Da Jun did not even know whether he was explaining to Yang Kai or just talking to himself. After babbling about it for a long time, he shook his head and concluded, “I don’t understand. I really don’t understand it!”
It was no wonder he did not understand.
Although he had good eyesight and recognized the Cross-Territory Space Array, he would never have thought that this array was arranged by Yang Kai.
What he said was right about the idea of this array being ingenious and rare, because the chart and methodology were provided by Yang Yan, but the person who actually arranged it was Yang Kai, who was not proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. He only knew how to arrange this specific Spirit Array, so some of the small details were lacking.
The reason was that when Yang Kai set up the Spirit Array, he only knew the hows but not the whys, essentially just copying what Yang Yan taught him blindly without any personal insights of comprehension.
“What baffled me the most is… This Spirit Array doesn’t seem to be passed down from ancient times, but was actually only arranged recently.” Nanmen Da Jun frowned, then chuckled again, “Maybe I am mistaken.”
Even he did not quite believe this deduction as everyone knew that the array charts required to arrange Cross-Territory Space Arrays had long been lost.
“Grandmaster Nanmen really has sharp vision!”
At this moment, another voice was heard.
Everyone turned their heads to look, only to see a bevvy of young women, each beautiful in her own way, making their way over here. It was a group of Ice Heart Valley Emperor Realm Masters.
The leader was naturally Bing Yun.
Yang Kai, Nanmen Da Jun, and the others hurriedly saluted.
Although Old Ban had never met Bing Yun before, he immediately recognized this charming woman before him was Ice Heart Valley’s Valley Master from hearing Yang Kai’s greetings, so he quickly dragged Xiao Ling’er over and greeted her reverently.
Curiosity flashed across Bing Yun’s eyes, wondering why Yang Kai brought an old man along with him, but she did not ask much and simply stretched out her hand to lift Old Ban up, replying gently, “No need to be polite.”
Glancing at Xiao Ling’er, Bing Yun smiled curiously, “What a bright little girl. Yang Kai, where did you find her?”
Yang Kai chuckled slightly and explained the origins of Old Ban and Xiao Ling’er, after which he requested, “Senior, I want Xiao Ling’er to enter Ice Heart Valley to cultivate as a disciple, would that be acceptable?”
Bing Yun nodded immediately, “I don’t see any problems. The valley happens to have many disciples of similar age. She may cultivate with them in the future.”
Old Ban was overjoyed when he heard these words and urged his granddaughter excitedly, “Hurry up, Ling’er, pay respects to the Valley Master!”
Saying so, he nudged his granddaughter.
The little girl was quite worldly for her age, so she immediately knelt down and called crisply, “Ling’er pays respect to the Valley Master, and to all the Seniors.”
“En, a bright one indeed,” interest flashed across Bing Yun’s eyes as she reached out to pull Ling’er up. She then turned around and gave instructions, “Ying’er, make arrangements for her.”
Zhang Sun Ying stepped out in front of Xiao Ling’er and spoke to her in a low voice, to which Xiao Ling’er kept bobbing her head in response.
After a while, Xiao Ling’er turned around and chirped, “Grandpa, take care, Ling’er will visit you when she is free.”
Old Ban’s eyes were glistening with tears as he resisted the unwillingness to be parted from her in his heart as he waved goodbye, “Go, go. Grandpa will be living in Ice Moon City. Cultivate well and do not cause troubles for your Seniors.”
Xiao Ling’er then turned her head back to the front, walking step by step away from them, her hand held by Zhang Sun Ying.
“Old Ban should be happy that Ling’er has become a disciple of Ice Heart Valley,” Yang Kai comforted him beside him.
“Happy! This Old Man is extremely happy,” Old Ban lifted his sleeves to wipe the corners of his eyes.
With Yang Kai’s guarantee, Old Ban thought it should not be difficult for Ling’er to enter the discipleship of Ice Heart Valley, but he was more grateful than ever that his wish was granted so easily.
“Senior Bing Yun, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”
Nanmen Da Jun, who had held his tongue until now, finally found an opportunity and quickly asked, “Could it be that this Cross-Territory Space Array was really just arranged?”
“You should ask Yang Kai about this matter,” Bing Yun smiled gently, glancing to the side meaningfully.
“What?” Nanmen Da Jun was flabbergasted, gawking at Bing Yun and Yang Kai before asking doubtfully, “Senior means that this Space Array was arranged by Young Master Yang? Senior Bing Yun is not joking with me, right?”
Bing Yun replied, “En, Ice Heart Valley never had such a treasure before. Over a month ago, Yang Kai asked me for a large quantity of Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jades, and then this appeared.”
Her words were clear, and with Bing Yun’s identity and status, there was no need for her to make tasteless jokes with him, so Nanmen Da Jun’s eyes widened suddenly and he turned a scorching gaze towards Yang Kai. He was lost in his senses for a long time before he exclaimed excitedly, “Young Master Yang… No no no, Grandmaster Yang! Please accept this humble one’s respect!”
Saying so, he fell to the ground with utmost sincerity.
If Nanmen Da Jun had unwillingly bootlicked Yang Kai for some personal desires before, now he was really worshipping Yang Kai. If Yang Kai could arrange a Cross-Territory Space Array, his accomplishments in Spirit Arrays were definitely incomparable to his own!
According to the conventions of the Martial Dao, whoever was stronger would be positioned higher, regardless of age.
Nanmen Da Jun’s heart filled with admiration as he mistakenly thought that Yang Kai was a hidden Array Grandmaster.
“Grandmaster Yang, you really concealed yourself diligently. This Nanmen apologizes for his previous impoliteness. Grandmaster Yang, please forgive me!” Nanmen Da Jun smiled wryly, completely convinced of Yang Kai’s capabilities.
Yang Kai blushed slightly, but he was too lazy to explain, simply replying, “Yes, this Space Array was arranged by me, but it’s not like what you think.”
“Grandmaster Yang is far too humble! This Nanmen feels embarrassed for showing off his meagre skills before an expert.”
Yang Kai shook his head, deciding to ignore him entirely and turn to Bing Yun instead, “Senior, what are the casualties?”
Bing Yun sighed lightly, “More or less a thousand disciples died, and more than half of the remaining were injured. Even though we suffered a great loss, it was still a fortunate ending thanks to you and the three Monster Kings.”
Although Yang Kai did not really participate in the fight, the Soul Devouring Demon Insects that he released made great contributions. Without them, the casualties of Ice Heart Valley would be at least several times higher; after all, the number of enemies was too great, and they would not be able to kill all of them in time by just relying on the Emperor Realm Masters of Ice Heart Valley and the three Monster Kings.
But it was a totally different story with the aid of Soul Devouring Demon Insects. Wherever the clouds of insects passed by, the people of Seeking Passion Sect dropped in droves. They were indeed an efficient means of mass slaughter.
“What about Seeking Passion Sect?” Yang Kai asked next.
“Half of the one hundred thousand died, twenty to thirty thousand escaped, and the rest surrendered.”
Yang Kai nodded, the result was as he expected.
However, from now on, the Seeking Passion Sect would be no more. The Sect Master and almost all of its Emperor Realm Masters were killed. Even if some Masters were remaining in the Sect, they would still be unable to stabilize the situation.
“Senior, what’s your next plan?”
Bing Yun replied, “First, we need to tend to the injured disciples. Then, the Sect Defending Array has to be repaired. As for those who surrendered… It’s really hard to decide.”
There were about twenty to thirty thousand cultivators who surrendered, leaving Bing Yun with a headache. She was afraid that there would be bad consequences if she decided to simply kill all of them, but if they just let them go like this, Ice Heart Valley would be too forgiving. Therefore, Bing Yun was struggling with a decision.
After all, only a small portion of these people belonged to the Seeking Passion Sect, while the rest were just recruited by the Seeking Passion Sect’s Recruitment Order, so there was no deep grudge between them and Ice Heart Valley.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “Capital punishment may be exempted, but some suffering is inevitable. Senior can let them go, but they will have to pay for their freedom.”
Bing Yun nodded in agreement, “I was thinking so too.”
While they were talking, Nanmen Da Jun suddenly suggested, “Senior Bing Yun wants to repair the Sect Defending Array? This Nanmen could be of assistance.”
Bing Yun smiled lightly, “I was about to propose just that. The only concern is whether Grandmaster Nanmen would be willing to or not.”
“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be!?” Nanmen Da Jun was delighted.
Yang Kai definitely knew what he was up to, so he proactively offered, “As long as you can repair Ice Heart Valley’s Sect Defending Array, you can study the Cross-Territory Space Array as much as you want.”
That array was arranged by him with the help of his comprehension of the Dao of Space anyway, so no matter how thoroughly Nanmen Da Jun studied it, he would not be able to replicate it. As such, Yang Kai was not afraid of this technique being stolen by him.
Nanmen Da Jun’s eyes lit up as he heard it, cupping his fists, “Many thanks, Grandmaster Yang!”
He treated Yang Kai as though he was the Senior Spirit Array Master here.
“Senior, I want to take a trip to Seeking Passion Sect!” Yang Kai’s face abruptly turned solemn, a trace of murderous intent lingering around him.
Hearing this, Bing Yun nodded in understanding, “Then let Yao’er accompany you there.”
Yang Kai glanced at Ji Yao who was standing behind Bing Yun and nodded in agreement.
Without delay, he immediately took Ji Yao with him and flew out of the Ice Lake Island. After informing Xi Lei and the other Monster Kings, the group of five flew straight out of Ice Heart Valley.
“Young Master Yang, where are we going?” Xi Lei was a straightforward man and could not help asking as he sensed the murderous intent in Yang Kai’s eyes, knowing they were going to stir up some trouble.
“Seeking Passion Sect!” Yang Kai replied.
Xi Lei and the others came to a realization and simply followed behind Ji Yao without a word.
Ice Heart Valley’s crisis this time was greatly linked to Yang Kai. In fact, Yang Kai was essentially the cause of this whole mess. If he had not killed Feng Xi in the Shattered Star Sea, Ice Heart Valley would not have been besieged.
Although Seeking Passion Sect had already suffered a great loss as their top Masters were all dead, Yang Kai obviously did not plan to let the matter just drop.
Since the feud had already been planted, it was natural to cut weeds and pull out roots, leaving no chance for the enemy to seek revenge.
Furthermore, the Seeking Passion Sect had been firmly rooted in the Northern Territory for tens of thousands of years, so there was no doubt a lot of good things stored in their Treasury. How could Yang Kai simply let off such a prize?
After a while, the group arrived at Ice Moon City.
Before today, Ice Moon City had been occupied by the Seeking Passion Sect, but after the war, Seeking Passion Sect collapsed like a mud wall after the rain and Ice Moon City instantly reverted to its previous ownership. The city was quiet, however, with the previous bustling streets completely deserted.
Flying straight into the City Lord’s Mansion, Yang Kai’s group found the Space Array there and after activating it with some Source Crystals, they disappeared.
Seeking Tranquility Mountain Range was the headquarters of Seeking Passion Sect.
It was rumoured that the Seeking Passion Great Emperor had founded his Sect here from nothing, and it was also here that he comprehended his Dao and became a Great Emperor.
A Sect with few tens of thousands of years of history would definitely have extraordinary heritage.
It was a place propitious for giving birth to great men, with undulating hills and expansive plains, partnered with picturesque mountains and rivers.
In the Seeking Tranquility Mountain Range, there were countless Spirit Peaks with extremely rich World Energy. Compared to the world of ice and snow that Ice Heart Valley was built on, the climate in Seeking Tranquility Mountain Range was temperate, with the pleasant fragrance of flowers and the melodious chirping of birds surrounding them everywhere.
One day later, when Yang Kai brought the three Monster Kings and Ji Yao to this place, they actually found the gates of Seeking Passion Sect wide open. Not only was there no defensive Spirit Arrays active, not even a single disciple was on guard.
Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai soon discovered that the whole of Seeking Passion Sect was like a ghost town, not a living person in sight.
“They’re quite fast at escaping,” Xi Lei obviously realized this too, and could not help muttering.
For a huge Sect, even if Feng Xuan had taken many disciples and high-level Elders with him on his campaign, he would certainly have left many people behind in the Sect. However, there was no one in the entire Seeking Passion Sect right now. Without a doubt, those cultivators who escaped from Ice Heart Valley must have spread the news, which led to the remaining disciples in Seeking Passion Sect to abandon their estate and run for their lives.
In other words, since yesterday, the Seeking Passion Sect had been no more.
Atop the main gate was a white jade plaque with three gleaming words ‘Seeking Passion Sect’ carved on it. It was clean and pristine, as if it was well maintained all year round.
With a swing of his hand, Yang Kai smashed the plaque to pieces.
He then beckoned the others to follow him as he walked inside.
Along the way, there was really no one to be found. The pavilions they passed by were all in a mess, probably because Seeking Passion Sect’s remaining disciples had looted whatever valuables remained before they fled.
Not only did Yang Kai not see a single person the whole way forward, but there wasn’t even anything of value left behind.
The only property left was this huge piece of land.
“This place isn’t bad, the World Energy is so rich that there must be a few first-class Earth Veins buried here,” Xi Lei’s head turned left and right, busy checking his surroundings.
Yang Kai smiled, “This was the Sect left behind by a Great Emperor, and the founder of the Sect was that Great Emperor himself. Why would he choose this place if it was bad? I think there’s probably no other place better than here in the entire Northern Territory.
“It was just too bad they messed with the wrong people. A foundation of tens of thousands of years ended just like that,” Ying Fei sighed.
Xie Wu Wei’s eyes flashed as he suddenly smiled, “Young Master Yang, how about you take over this place and found a Sect yourself? It would be a waste if this place was simply left deserted.”
Xi Lei and Ying Fei were shocked by his suggestion, but thinking about it, Yang Kai was totally qualified to found a Sect, since he was an Emperor Realm Master, and there was a ready-made place right here. With such an excellent environment and heritage, there would be no better opportunity to found a prosperous Sect than this one.
But these two Monster Kings wondered what Xie Wu Wei’s intentions for proposing such an idea were.
However, both of them were not stupid and after some contemplation, their eyes lit up as they finally understood Xie Wu Wei’s plan.
Ying Fei grinned, “Brother Xie’s proposal is brilliant. If Young Master Yang established a Sect here, I hope that I could be rewarded with a position like a Protector or an Elder.”
“Count this Old Rhino in!” Xie Lei smiled from ear to ear too.
Listening to these three, Yang Kai glanced at them and was secretly delighted, knowing that they were not willing to go back to the Ancient Lands and instead wanted to stick around with him.
He did not personally possess anything that could attract the three Monster Kings to work for him, but Zhang Ruo Xi did.
Although he understood all this, Yang Kai did not expose their thoughts and instead responded lightly, “Aren’t you three afraid that the Divine Venerables might not be happy about it? I don’t have the guts to poach their people.”
“Nonsense,” Xie Wu Wei beamed, “The Divine Venerables are not so narrow-minded. If Young Master Yang talks to them, they will definitely agree with you.”
“Yes yes, the Divine Venerables are very reasonable people!” Ying Fei echoed from the side.
If it was someone else, it was clear that the Divine Venerables would not accept such an arrangement, but it would be no problem if it was Yang Kai.
“We will see,” Yang Kai pondered for a while, but did not promise them.
After hearing this, the three Monster Kings’ eyes brightened, feeling exhilarated at the prospect of this possibility.
Xie Wu Wei’s proposal had truly moved Yang Kai’s heart.
As they mentioned, this place was excellent and ready-made. Even if Yang Kai did not want it, it would not take long before it was occupied by another great force.
What’s more, this was the place Yang Kai secured through his own efforts. Although there was not a single living person left, and it seemed all the wealth was taken away too, just owning this piece of land would make all his effort worthwhile.
Since this was the territory that he fought hard for, there was no reason for him to give it away.
Furthermore, ever since Yang Kai’s arrival in the Star Boundary all those years ago, he felt like he had been wandering around without a stable place to settle down.
It did not matter when he was alone, but where would he place his friends and family from Shadowed Star when he brought them here in the future? Where would they stay? Moreover, he could not let Chi Yue, Gui Zu and the rest keep staying in the Thousand Leaves Sect.
He would need to prepare his own place as soon as possible, for them to live in and cultivate in peace.
The casual words of Xie Wu Wei actually piqued Yang Kai’s interest.
Nevertheless, he understood that it would not be easy to found a Sect. Back then, it was a complete coincidence that High Heaven Sect could be established on Shadowed Star. Now, he would need to plan carefully if he wanted to create a permanent foundation here in the Star Boundary.
The headquarters of Seeking Passion Sect covered a vast stretch of land, so it took Yang Kai, Ji Yao, and the three Monster Kings two days of wandering around before they finished a completely cursory inspection.
The more Yang Kai observed this place, the more satisfied he was with it.
Previously, he only mentioned that this place might possess the richest World Energy density in the Northern Territory due to the lofty status of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor; but now, it seemed that his unintentional words might actually be true.
Because, the cultivation environment here was much better than the Azure Sun Temple’s.
Azure Sun Temple was also a top Sect, and in terms of status and strength, it was almost on par with the Seeking Passion Sect, but it was slightly worse off in terms of cultivation environment.
Perhaps, only those Sects founded by Great Emperors could compete with the Seeking Passion Sect.
With such a foundation, including so many ready-made buildings and the heritage left behind by the Seeking Passion Sect for tens of thousands of years, Yang Kai was feeling more and more reluctant to give this place up and had begun silently making plans for it in the future.
He checked every nook and cranny of this place, but found nothing valuable.
In the end, under the lead of Ji Yao, the few of them came to a certain large peak.
Ji Yao had visited the Seeking Passion Sect several times with Bing Yun millennia ago, so she knew that this peak was the most highly restricted area of the Seeking Passion Sect. If Seeking Passion Sect had a storehouse to keep its wealth, it must be hidden on this peak.
When Yang Kai and the others arrived, they saw the peak was enveloped by an extremely solid light curtain.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up; he was not shocked but delighted instead.
The light curtain was still intact, which meant that no one had broken it since it was activated. If anything valuable was stored here, it would still be here as the disciples who fled the Seeking Passion Sect would not have been able to enter.
The several Monster Kings wanted to break the Spirit Array with their brute strength, but Yang Kai stopped them. Rummaging in his Space Ring, he soon took out several extraordinary looking tokens and tested them by pouring his Emperor Qi into them one by one.
In just a short time, one of the tokens lit up, and its radiance shot to the light curtain, causing a gap to appear in it.
These tokens were looted by Yang Kai from the Space Rings of the top Masters from the Seeking Passion Sect. Since this particular token could open the restriction here, it must have belonged to Sect Master Feng Xuan.
“Let’s go in and see what good things are inside.” Yang Kai was jovial and took the lead.
There was a magnificent and extraordinary temple on top of the mountain.
The group of five entered the temple and saw that the decorations were quite old and traditional, well worn with time.
Yang Kai scanned this place with his Divine Sense and found nothing special about it, but after pondering for a while, he instructed, “Let’s split up and search, just call out if any of you found anything suspicious.”
“Yes!” The three Monster Kings immediately went into action.
However, Ji Yao did not leave, instead just choosing to follow Yang Kai around.
“Do you really want to establish a Sect here?”
Ji Yao abruptly asked after they had walked for a while.
The three Monster Kings, while intelligent, weren’t all that perceptive, so they did not really pay attention to Yang Kai’s facial expressions the last few days, but Ji Yao had been observing silently and found that Yang Kai was really moved by that idea and wanted to establish a Sect here.
“Somewhat,” Yang Kai turned back to Ji Yao, “Why?” He grinned as he asked.
Ji Yao shook her head lightly, “Nothing. But if you want to establish a Sect here, it’s a good choice.”
“You think so too?”
Ji Yao pressed on, “Both Seeking Passion Sect and our Ice Heart Valley are in the Northern Territory, so if you settle down here, your Sect and Ice Heart Valley can watch out for each other. On top of that, you are qualified to engage in such an endeavour.”
Although Yang Kai only had a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, Ji Yao knew that he was on a completely different level compared to any other ordinary First-Order Emperor; even she would be no match for him if she fought against him one on one. In this world, only Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters could challenge him equally.
If Yang Kai were not qualified to establish a Sect, most Sects in this world would not be qualified to exist.
Yang Kai beamed, “I had the same thought too, but I don’t have a full plan yet, and even if I did, there would be a lot of trouble implementing it.”
Ji Yao smiled lightly, “That shouldn’t be a problem. You can discuss this with Honoured Master and I’m certain she will provide whatever assistance you need. Ice Heart Valley will also help in any way it can.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’m not in a rush, I was just thinking about it. I will definitely ask Senior Bing Yun for advice when the time comes.”
Ji Yao nodded with a glimmer of expectation in her heart.
Yang Kai had a close relationship with Ice Heart Valley and had a deep connection with her Honoured Master, Bing Yun. Once he was truly rooted to this place left by the Seeking Passion Sect, his Sect and Ice Heart Valley could support one another. With two giants forming a close alliance, who would dare to provoke them? Ice Heart Valley would never be besieged like it just was again.
The main reason why Ice Heart Valley suffered this disaster this time was that it had always been too content with its circumstances and had too little communication with the outside world, leading to it having no real allies.
“But you have to think carefully about the name of this Sect. You can’t just continue to use the name Seeking Passion Sect, right?” Ji Yao suggested.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and nodded, “I have my own ideas about that.”
He had already long thought about the name of the Sect he would found.
At that moment, an eagle’s cry suddenly came from a certain direction.
Yang Kai turned that way and commented, “Ying Fei seems to have found something, let’s go and take a look.”
Ji Yao nodded in agreement.
A short while later, the pair arrived at an escarpment. The escarpment stood unimpressively on the mountain peak, but it had caught Ying Fei’s attention. He looked at it curiously and examined it by patting and touching here and there from time to time.
Seeing the arrival of Yang Kai, Ying Fei hurriedly said, “Young Master Yang, there’s something odd about this place.”
Yang Kai scanned the escarpment with his Divine Sense and nodded, “Indeed, there is something strange.”
Although this escarpment did not look awe-inspiring, it was actually covered in a highly covert restriction.
If it were Yang Kai who came here first, he might have carelessly missed it; however, Ying Fei’s true form was that of a giant eagle, so not only was his speed astonishing, his vision was also incredibly sharp. As such, he could spot something was off with just a glance.
“I wonder if those tokens could open this restriction too?” Ying Fei postulated.
“We won’t know if we don’t try,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. He took out the tokens he plundered from the Seeking Passion Sect’s Elders again and began testing them one by one.
As Yang Kai worked on this, Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei arrived. After knowing the situation, they all looked interested and thought to themselves that this should be the storehouse of Seeking Passion Sect, or its hidden Treasury.
It was natural that the wealth stored by a top Sect, which had tens of thousands of years of heritage, would make them excited.
It turned out that the tokens Yang Kai seized were really useful. One of the tokens resonated with the restriction here and a mysterious beam of light flashed from it before the escarpment in front abruptly opened in a rumble, revealing a dark tunnel that led into the middle of the mountain.
Then, a glimpse of light suddenly came out of the tunnel. The light was like a prairie fire, shining brighter and brighter, extending all the way to illuminate the tunnel.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai vigilantly looked around while taking the lead to enter the tunnel.
The rest hurriedly kept up with him.
The escarpment closed again as they entered the tunnel, but the tunnel itself remained bright thanks to a number of light crystals embedded in the walls.
The group descended some unknown distance before arriving at a huge underground cave.
After getting a clear view of the situation in the cave, Xie Wu Wei took a deep breath and remarked excitedly, “It’s really a hidden Treasury!”
He was not the only one to gasp, as the other two Monster Kings and Yang Kai were also excited. Nevertheless, Ji Yao still looked indifferent, as if wealth was just dirt to her. She had cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts her whole life, so she almost always remained calm and cold.
Inside the cave were all kinds of Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, and High-Rank Source Crystals, all piled up in hills in front of them. Their numbers were simply countless.
Yang Kai looked over and was almost dazzled by the light reflected by those Source Crystals.
Although he ripped off hundreds of millions of Source Crystals in the Ancient Wild Lands, the number of Source Crystals here could only be more than that.
This wasn’t a surprise though as this was the accumulated wealth of the Seeking Passion Sect over the past few tens of thousands of years, not something an ordinary Sect could compare to.
Since Yang Kai had the intention to establish a Sect here, the more resources he had on hand, the better. When he was capable of bringing his friends and family over from Shadowed Star, he would need to have enough cultivation resources to share with them.
Behind the Source Crystals, there were many wooden racks on which were packed countless boxes, including wooden boxes, jade boxes, metal boxes, and so on and so forth.
Yang Kai led the others to the wooden shelves, took some samples to investigate, and soon found that the contents of these boxes were almost the same as what he had guessed. They were all rare herbs, each of which was extremely precious and with long medicinal ages.
The Monster Kings were not interested in the herbs because the Ancient Wild Lands were abundant with such things. The Ancient Wild Lands was perhaps the place with the most spirit medicines in the Star Boundary.
Therefore, they paid no more attention after a few glances.
On the other side, there were also many wooden shelves, on which were not all kinds of boxes but rather tens of thousands of jade bottles.
After investigating, Yang Kai found that these bottles were filled with refined Spirit Pills of different grades, and they were all needed by cultivators for cultivation.
Moving further into the cave, the group came across ancient books and jade slips containing Secret Arts and Techniques belonging to the Seeking Passion Sect.
Yang Kai was impressed by these things, because they were all treasures left by the Seeking Passion Sect for tens of thousands of years, and they would be useful to the disciples if he ever established a Sect.
At what seemed to be the end of the cave were a tremendous number of artifacts. The lowest quality artifacts were Dao Source Grade, and there were even a few hundred brightly shining Emperor Grade Artifacts among them.
The energy fluctuation released from all the artifacts accumulated in one place was truly astounding.
After all that he had experienced during his cultivating journey, Yang Kai could be considered to be a very knowledgeable person, and yet he was still stunned by the abundant treasures he found here in Seeking Passion Sect.
It was such a windfall to have gained such a large amount of wealth suddenly.
“There’s more over there!” Ji Yao pointed.
Everyone looked in the direction she pointed and saw that in the deepest part of the cave, were three stone platforms. On each platform was placed a box that was shrouded by a light curtain.
Seeing that they were preserved so carefully, it was obvious that the objects inside these boxes must be absolutely extraordinary.
Yang Kai walked over enthusiastically, took out the token that opened the storehouse before, and waved it over one of the stone platforms. The mysterious light flashed, and the restriction opened up in response.
Yang Kai picked up the long box placed on the stone platform.
“Let’s have a look at what precious treasure it is.” The three Monster Kings gathered next to him, all looking at it with relish.
Everyone had curiosity, and Monster Kings were no exception.
As Yang Kai weighed the long box in his hand though, confusion surfaced on his face, “It seems to be empty.”
“It can’t be.” Ying Fei looked stunned while Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei were also unwilling to believe it, but they also knew that Yang Kai had no reason to lie to them.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai opened the long box in his hand, and as expected, there was nothing in it.
“What’s the point of putting an empty box here with such grandeur?” Ying Fei scoffed angrily, rather disappointed.
Yang Kai looked at the length of the empty box for a moment before his brow twitched suddenly. He then took something out of his Space Ring and placed it into the box, something that fit quite snugly.
“Is this… The Emperor Artifact Feng Xuan used before?” Xie Wu Wei raised his brow, recognizing the Emperor Artifact that Yang Kai had taken out.
Yang Kai nodded, “The Wind and Thunder Divine Spear is said to be a relic of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor!”
“So that’s it. That Wind and Thunder Divine Spear was originally kept here and Feng Xuan only took it out when necessary.” Xie Wu Wei looked astonished.
“That should be it. After all, it’s the legacy of his ancestors. Even if Feng Xuan is the Sect Master of the Seeking Passion Sect, he can’t carry this Emperor Artifact with him at all times.” Yang Kai nodded and put away the box.
It was certain that the object originally placed in this empty box was the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear. As for the remaining two boxes, since they were also placed here with the same importance, they were definitely not less valuable than the Wind and Thunder Divine Spear.
Curious to know what treasures were contained inside the two other boxes, Yang Kai did not hesitate. He removed the restrictions for the two stone platforms directly, picked up a box, and opened the lid.
Ying Fei’s quick hands picked up the last box and began inspecting.
“Huh…” Yang Kai raised his brow as his eyes gleamed, “This is…”
As soon as the box in his hand opened, an extremely pure World Energy rippled through the air, causing the Emperor Qi in his body to resonate with it. It seemed that this pure energy would greatly benefit his cultivation.
“Source Crystals!” Xie Wu Wei interjected, but soon his face changed slightly, “Peak-Rank Source Crystals!”
“Peak Rank Source Crystals?” Xi Lei also stared at the box in Yang Kai’s hand. Even Ji Yao, who was impervious to all the previous treasures, could not help stealing a glance at it.
“To think these are Peak-Rank Source Crystals!” Yang Kai grinned and stretched out his hand to take out a piece of Source Crystal. It was about the size of a thumb, and completely pure and clear.
These Source Crystals were a size smaller than regular High-Rank Source Crystals, but the World Energy stored in them vastly exceeded that of High-Rank Source Crystals.
In the Star Boundary, once a cultivator had cultivated to the Emperor Realm, Low-Rank Source Crystals and even Mid-Rank Source Crystals were of little use to them. Generally, Emperors needed to use High-Rank Source Crystals to cultivate. Even the transaction of some valuable items was done exclusively using High-Rank Source Crystals.
However, above High-Rank Source Crystals was an even better version called Peak Rank Source Crystals.
Compared to High-Rank Source Crystals, Peak Rank Source Crystals were like phoenix feathers or kirin’s horns, one in a billion in terms of rarity.
It was rare to even find one or two pieces in an entire top-grade Source Crystal Lode. Every Peak Rank Source Crystal seemed to be exclusively formed by the hand of the Heavens themselves.
According to rumours, there were many uses for Peak Rank Source Crystals, but the biggest use was for cultivators to break through bottlenecks. If any cultivator encountered a bottleneck in their cultivation, a single Peak Rank Source Crystal used as an auxiliary would be the best external aid, and would not cause any hidden dangers like pills.
In the Star Boundary, countless Emperors Realm Masters cultivated for thousands of years but remained stuck at their bottleneck, unable to make progress. These cultivators would always try searching for the legendary Peak Rank Source Crystals as they represented hope to make further progress.
However, how difficult was it to find a Peak Rank Source Crystal? The efforts of these cultivators who were pursuing these Source Crystals painstakingly were almost always destined to be in vain.
Yet here, in the storehouse of Seeking Passion Sect, was a box of Peak Rank Source Crystals, and there were as many as seven of them neatly placed inside the box.
“Such a treasure! It’s just a pity…” Xi Lei shook his head while admiring.
The other two Monster Kings’ brows twitched upon hearing this and repeated, “A pity indeed.”
Although Peak Rank Source Crystals were useful for breakthroughs for cultivators, the three of them had already reached the peak of their potential as Monster Kings. In other words, these Peak Rank Source Crystals couldn’t provide any aid to them, despite their rarity.
The only way for them to surpass their current level was to pin their hopes on obtaining a Divine Spirit Source, enabling them to awaken the bloodlines of their distant ancestors.
If it were not for this reason, how could they be so willing to be ordered around by Yang Kai with their level of strength?
Yang Kai also understood why it was a pity for them, but he did not comment, simply putting the box away and turning to Ying Fei, “What’s inside your box?”
Ying Fei answered with a sullen face, “A Secret Art!”
After speaking, he handed the box to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took it, swept his eyes across the box, and his complexion instantly became pensive before he exclaimed in a low voice, “The Seeking Passion Supreme Art!”
This was the true foundation of the Seeking Passion Sect, and it was also the Seeking Passion Great Emperor’s greatest accomplishment. To cultivate this Secret Art, the deeper the passion was invested in it, the faster one would cultivate while the target of that passion would be met with a miserable fate.
This was because once under the influence of the Seeking Passion Supreme Art, the person who was sowed with passion would never be able to extricate themselves from it. Not only would she be unable to advance her cultivation, but she would also be under complete control of the Seeking Passion Supreme Art cultivator.
Feng Xi fell in love with Zi Yu of Ice Heart Valley, and although his love was true, his primary intent for Zi Yu was to make her fall in love with him so he could use her for the sake of his cultivation. If he succeeded in marrying her, Zi Yu would end up no better than Feng Xi’s personal servant and would never be able to touch the mysteries of the Emperor Realm for the rest of her life.
This Seeking Passion Supreme Art was both righteous and evil. Although it was an extraordinary skill, Yang Kai looked at it scornfully.
He always felt that this Secret Art relied too much on external forces and hindered one from seeking the true peak of the Martial Dao. He even wondered how the Seeking Passion Great Emperor was able to achieve such a supreme position using such a flawed Secret Art.
He put this box away casually then turned around to address everyone, “Look around and see if there is anything you want. If there is, just take it.”
The three Monster Kings exchanged excited looks before grinning, cupping their fists as they chanted in unison, “Then, we will not be shy.”
There was no reason to go back empty-handed when they were in a place filled with treasures. There were many treasures here that even roused the excitement of the three Monster Kings.
The three of them dispersed quickly, obviously each having a goal in mind.
Yang Kai gave Ji Yao the same permission, “You may also go look around.”
Ji Yao shook her head and said, “No need. It’s all your credit that Ice Heart Valley was able to overcome this crisis, so I cannot take anything more.”
“As you wish!” Yang Kai knew that with her temper, it was useless to try to persuade her once she had made up her mind. He was smart enough to not waste his efforts and instead began wandering around the storehouse, waving his hands as he sent the tens of thousands of years’ worth of accumulation of Seeking Passion Sect into his Sealed World Bead.
After a while, the Treasury’s contents were reduced by more than half.
At the same time, the three Monster Kings had also returned one after another.
Yang Kai glanced at them and saw that they did not take many things; each took some jade bottles filled with pills as well as one Emperor Artifact per person.
The Monster Race could not practice Alchemy, so although the Ancient Wild Lands was rich in Spirit Herbs, these precious resources couldn’t be put to good use. All herbs and spirit fruits were basically swallowed directly, greatly wasting their medicinal efficacies.
Now that there were so many pills here, the three Monster Kings naturally had to take some; after all, one can never be too prepared.
As for the Emperor Artifacts, it was natural for them to take one each. They were grinning ear to ear, each holding their chosen weapon in hand.
“Is that enough?” Yang Kai asked with a smile, “There are a lot of good things here.”
“Enough, enough!” Ying Fei nodded repeatedly, “Although there are a lot of good things, there are not many useful things for us. These are enough.”
Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei also nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai did not say anymore and just continued to collect things.
After a full stick of incense, the huge underground cave was empty as the massive amount of wealth and treasure had all been moved into the Sealed World Bead by Yang Kai.
With these things acting as a base asset, if Yang Kai really wanted to start a Sect in the future, resources would definitely not be a problem.
“I suddenly thought of something,” Ji Yao frowned slightly. “It was probably thanks to those Peak-Rank Sources Crystals that Yao Zhuo broke through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “That makes sense!”
Yao Zhuo used to be a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, but all of a sudden he achieved a breakthrough. If there was a reason for this other than some sudden enlightenment and opportunity, the Peak Rank Source Crystals were the most likely it.
Ji Yao chuckled lightly, “It’s pointless to ponder over this now. He’s already dead anyway.”
“En, let’s go.” Yang Kai beckoned and took the lead to return along the same path they came.
After leaving the Treasury, the cliff closed again and Yang Kai took out the token to restore the restriction.
Turning his head and looking around, Yang Kai stated, “I want to arrange a Space Array here, find something to amuse yourselves with around here.”
The three Monster Kings nodded their heads and spread out.
Ji Yao questioned, “Are you connecting Ice Heart Valley to Seeking Passion Sect?”
Yang Kai nodded and explained, “En, if there’s a direct connection, it will be convenient to come and go in the future.”
Since he had plans to set down roots here, Yang Kai would naturally be visiting Ice Heart Valley far more frequently in the future. There was already a Space Array arranged in Ice Heart Valley by him, which also connected with the Ancient Lands. Therefore, Yang Kai could directly connect to those two places if he arranged another Space Array here.
In the past, Yang Kai had never had a place of his own in the Star Boundary, and he never gave it much thought either, but now that he had such plans, this arrangement was indispensable.
Half a day later, a Space Array was formed.
Yang Kai instructed Ji Yao, “Junior Sister Yao, please go back to Ice Heart Valley and tell Nanmen Da Jun to come here after repairing Ice Heart Valley’s Sect Defending Array.”
He handed Ji Yao a peculiar token as he spoke.
Ji Yao took it in doubt, “What’s the use of this token?”
At a glance, she could see that it was a newly refined token made by Yang Kai himself, and she could still sense his residual aura in it.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Every Space Array that I arrange can only be activated by me or with this token, otherwise it will be useless.”
This was also why Luan Feng failed to activate the Space Array in Phoenix Nest Palace on that day, because she did not have Yang Kai’s Transmission Token. She mistakenly thought that the array was faulty and wanted to see Yang Kai make a fool of himself when he tried to use it, but the outcome disappointed her in the end.
After hearing this, Ji Yao’s eyes blinked a few times before she stepped up to the Space Array without saying anything.
Yang Kai continued while laying out the Source Crystals, “This matter is not urgent, and can be put on hold until he finishes his work in Ice Heart Valley first.”
“En!” Ji Yao nodded lightly. Then, her figure was wrapped with white light and disappeared.
After the departure of Ji Yao, Yang Kai took a look at his left and right, then vanished subsequently with a flicker.
Since he had the intention of settling down here, Yang Kai definitely needed to examine the Seeking Passion Sect’s headquarters thoroughly. Although he had checked almost every corner of this place, he did not really make a careful inspection as he was busy searching for the hidden Treasury.
Now that he was unoccupied, Yang Kai certainly wanted to examine this place as its new master.
Everything was notably different with the change of his mentality.
If he already thought that this base was good during the previous investigation, now there was only one word that could express his feeling, and that was ‘satisfaction’.
World Energy was rich in the Seeking Passion Sect, the scenery was beautiful, and there were many cultivation paradises on many pristine Spirit Peaks.
Such a vast base was enough to comfortably accommodate a hundred thousand disciples or more. Yang Kai did not even have that many friends and family back on Shadowed Star, so this place would certainly be enough to house them all.
After wandering around for several days, Yang Kai finally finished a thorough investigation of the whole land, without letting go of any corners, and had vaguely made some plans in his mind.
He then went back to the main gate of the Seeking Passion Sect.
Previously, there was a plaque engraved with the words ‘Seeking Passion Sect’ here, a signboard that had been handed down for tens of thousands of years, but it was smashed to pieces by Yang Kai days ago.
Yang Kai naturally had a plan for returning here; however, as he scanned the place with his Divine Sense, he found that many new auras were lingering about.
The strength of these people was uneven, some were hiding in the dark, while others were standing gloriously in the open. Everyone was staring at Seeking Passion Sect and whispering to each other from time to time. There were a lot of people, about a few thousand of them, and more were arriving all the time.
After the war between Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley, Seeking Passion Sect was completely annihilated, and those who had sided with them had also suffered a heavy toll. This news was earth-shaking and it did not take long for it to spread across the entire Northern Territory.
These people appeared outside of the gates of Seeking Passion Sect because they had heard the news and wanted to see if they could pick up a windfall from this place.
In the Seeking Passion Sect’s heyday, none of these people would dare come near this place and could only gaze at it from afar. However, times were different now. The Seeking Passion Sect was doomed to collapse, and the wealth accumulated by them over their tens of thousands of years of history was now just a big tempting feast.
Men die for wealth just as birds die for food, this was the truth since ancient times. Many could not just sit still when they thought of the massive treasure trove hidden in Seeking Passion Sect and had to come here to try their luck.
They could relish for a lifetime from just a small part of the fortunes of a giant like Seeking Passion Sect.
However, no one dared to go in or openly inspect the interior of the Seeking Passion Sect, so the situation inside remained unknown to all of them.
This group of people had gathered here one after another over the past few days from various Sects, families and other great forces.
After several days of hesitation, they finally elected a few leaders to plan the matter together, but before they could even hold discussions, they saw Yang Kai walk out of Seeking Passion Sect leisurely.
Everyone abruptly fell silent and stared at Yang Kai.
The next moment, the crowd went into an uproar.
“Someone came out from the inside, is he a Master from Seeking Passion Sect?”
Seeking Passion Sect’s name resounded like thunder in the Northern Territory, so now that someone suddenly came out from it, the crowd immediately assumed he belonged to the remnants of Seeking Passion Sect, so they could not help feeling scared, fearful they might anger him and lead to their destruction.
“Nonsense! All the top Elders, including the Sect Master of Seeking Passion Sect, died already! Even if someone escaped, why would he return to the Sect? How would that be different from courting death?”
“That’s right! Don’t you see that the ten thousand years old signboard of the Seeking Passion Sect has already been destroyed? No one in the Seeking Passion Sect would dare to remain here.”
“In my opinion, this man must have come here for their fortune, and he just got here one step ahead of us… he must have harvested something!”
“Damn it, who the hell is he? How dare he simply break into the base of Seeking Passion Sect? Damn him!”
With these remarks, many of them were provoked and began glaring at Yang Kai with envy and hatred, as if the Seeking Passion Sect was their own territory and Yang Kai disrespected them by breaking into it.
These people had been camping out here for several days, but they did not dare to enter. Nevertheless, it seemed that someone else had taken the initiative before their arrival.
In that case, what were they doing here?
At this moment, all the cultivators, whether they were in the light or hidden in the dark, showed up one after another. Some of them even showed off their strength by releasing their auras towards Yang Kai.
After all, Yang Kai was alone, and he looked young, which made people look down on him. There were so many of them united together, prepared to loot this place, so they naturally were not afraid of one lucky youth.
All of a sudden, more than a dozen people flew towards Yang Kai and stood three hundred meters in front of him. A middle-aged man who seemed to be their leader looked down at Yang Kai and asked, “Boy, did you just come out of Seeking Passion Sect?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and sneered because he knew what they were up to.
Previously, he was surprised to see so many people gathered outside, but after pondering for a bit, he quickly realized their intentions.
It was undeniable that they made the right choice to come here so quickly. Since Seeking Passion had been annihilated, there would undoubtedly be many good things left in their headquarters. Taking advantage of someone when they were down was almost second nature to people.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai was the one who took down the Seeking Passion Sect, and he definitely would not give away any profits that he earned to others.
Facing the middle-aged man’s interrogation, Yang Kai didn’t even feel like answering and instead began rummaging through his Space Ring.
The middle-aged man’s face darkened looking at this boy’s ignorant and arrogant face.
After all, he was a Sect Master himself, and although his Sect was incomparable to a giant like Seeking Passion Sect, it was still considered a great force in the Northern Territory. Therefore, it was humiliating when someone ignored his question in his face.
Aware of his Sect Master’s anger, a young man next to him immediately glared at Yang Kai and reprimanded, “Little brat, are you deaf? Our Sect Master is asking you a question!”
Yang Kai glanced at the young man, and replied unconcernedly, “This Young Master is not deaf. It’s just that this Young Master is too lazy to answer such stupid questions.”
It was obvious that he came out of the Seeking Passion Sect, so he really had no idea what the middle-aged man was thinking asking such a question.
The young man looked maddened and was about to launch a rebuke when the middle-aged man waved his hand to dismiss him. Sweeping his eyes over Yang Kai, the middle-aged man smiled lightly and said, “This King is the Pavilion Master of Soaring Yuan Pavilion, Li Qing Yuan. How should this King address this Little Brother?”
He suddenly took an opposite turn from his previous arrogant attitude, which made the young man beside him frown as he did not understand his Sect Master’s behaviour.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “We’re just two strangers who met by chance, there’s no need to learn each other’s names.”
Li Qing Yuan scowled, looking really upset. He was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and also the Soaring Yuan Pavilion’s Pavilion Master. He had already put down his status and taken the initiative to speak politely to a Junior, but all he received in return was a dismissive attitude, upsetting him greatly.
However, he still had some self-restraint. Although he was upset in his heart, Li Qing Yuan remained outwardly calm and continued, “Little Brother, it’s like this. This King and these assembled heroes of the Northern Territory came here and saw that the gates of Seeking Passion Sect had been broken. We all felt sad about this and wanted to go inside to inquire about what had happened, but we were afraid of acting rashly and causing misunderstandings. Now that Little Brother has come out from inside, he must know what the situation of the Seeking Passion Sect is. Could you please enlighten us in regards to this matter?”
Everyone’s eyes lit up as they all nodded in agreement, pressuring Yang Kai to explain clearly about the situation inside Seeking Passion Sect.
Yang Kai snickered, “How dare you group of people call yourselves heroes of the Northern Territory?”
He casually scanned the crowd at a glance before nodding lightly, “A dozen First and Second-Order Emperors, I guess they can reluctantly be considered Masters.”
His shameless boasting instantly triggered the Emperor Realm Masters around Li Qing Yuan. They were Emperors, not some stray cats and dogs. Each of them had a high reputation in the Northern Territory, but in Yang Kai’s eyes, they seemed to be nothing more than leftovers.
[This little brat is looking down on all of us!]
Yang Kai retracted his smile, and swept his eyes across the people in front of him, “Are you guys here looking to pick up a bargain? I bet you want to enter to plunder this place, but aren’t sure if there are any Masters from Seeking Passion Sect left, so you didn’t dare to step inside, right?”
Li Qing Yuan and the others could not help blushing.
Although this was the truth, it was still shameful to be exposed face to face.
Li Qing Yuan coughed and explained, “Little Brother, this is not true. We are all from Sects, families, and great forces that have some connections with the Seeking Passion Sect. We heard that the Seeking Passion Sect had suffered a great disaster, so we came here mainly to ask if they require our assistance in any way. Why would we be here trying to act like common bandits? Little Brother must not look down on us.”
“Yes, yes!”
“That’s right. We are all here to deliver charcoal in the snowy winter. Boy, you must not judge others as you would yourself, thinking everyone is so shameless and immoral!”
Yang Kai said in amazement, “Aren’t you afraid that Ice Heart Valley might not be happy that you’re sending charcoal to Seeking Passion Sect in such an imposing manner?”
The news of the feud between Seeking Passion Sect and Ice Heart Valley had spread throughout the Northern Territory as well, so now that they came here under the guise of ‘assisting’, if Ice Heart Valley heard about this, they would definitely not forgive them.
Li Qing Yuan smiled, “Ice Heart Valley won’t be so petty. Senior Bing Yun is a wise and generous leader. Since we didn’t directly oppose Ice Heart Valley, she naturally doesn’t have any reason to be angry with us.”
“Exactly, although the women of Ice Heart Valley are cold, they are all reasonable people. They wouldn’t mind something small like this.”
“I see!” Yang Kai’s face expressed comprehension and nodded lightly.
As the saying goes, ‘a gentleman can be bullied’. Although this saying was a bit inappropriate to apply to the women of Ice Heart Valley, it was apt enough.
From another point of view, if Ice Heart Valley was the one in catastrophe, and they had gone to their aid, the Seeking Passion Sect would definitely not let these people off.
It was precisely because they understood how Ice Heart Valley would have handled the situation that they felt confident being here.
“Little Brother, you haven’t told us about the situation inside the Seeking Passion Sect yet.” Li Qing Yuan noticed that the topic was heading tangent, and quickly brought it back.
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Seeking Passion Sect’s top Masters were all wiped out, and countless disciples either died or were critically wounded. What else could happen? The tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered.”
Li Qing Yuan’s eyes lit up as he listened, asking in pleasant surprise, “If that’s the case, Seeking Passion Sect should be empty right now, yes?”
Yang Kai looked at him in ridicule, “Friend looks very happy to hear this. Didn’t you come to show concern and provide assistance?”
Li Qing Yuan’s face immediately scrunched up in sadness, “There’s nothing to be happy about. This King is very heartbroken now. Seeking Passion Sect is… I mean, was a dignified top Sect, and has now been tragically exterminated, together with its tens of thousands of years worth of inherited foundation. It is a big loss for us in the Northern Territory.”
“What a pity, what a pity. A true pity.”
“Such a great force. How could it suddenly be destroyed?”
The rest of the people sighed so sorrowfully that anyone not aware of the truth would think that they really had a close relationship with the Seeking Passion Sect.
Li Qing Yuan quickly changed the focus of the conversation, his eyes scorching as he asked, “Little Brother just came out of Seeking Passion Sect, didn’t you? Did you perhaps… find anything inside?”
At this point, there was no need to hurry to gain a windfall since Yang Kai was a step ahead of them in getting into Seeking Passion Sect, and would have looted everything if there was anything.
It was safest to keep his eyes on Yang Kai.
“I found their Treasury actually!” Yang Kai just had to say things that would trigger everyone.
Countless pairs of greedy and covetous eyes turned to Yang Kai like sharp swords.
“And what was inside the Treasury?” Li Qing Yuan’s voice trembled involuntarily.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Source Crystals, hundreds of millions of Source Crystals, Low-Rank, Mid-Rank, High-Rank, everything, all kinds of rare herbs, Emperor Artifacts, ancient records, Secret Arts. Basically, what you can and cannot imagine.”
*Ssii…*
Everyone took in a breath of cold air, excitement stirred up in them as a gleam of greed flourished in their eyes.
Yang Kai looked at everyone with a smile, and commented, “You all seem to be very interested in these treasures.”
Li Qing Yuan resisted the urge to gulp as he plotted how to take down this little brat who did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, then swallow all the loot on his own. If he could attain the complete heritage of the Seeking Passion Sect, his Soaring Yuan Pavilion’s strength would definitely be improved immensely, and it might even be possible to become the second Seeking Passion Sect.
Many people had similar thoughts here, so for a while, everyone began seeing enemies everywhere, causing their vigilance to spike.
“Little brat, you are full of nonsense!” A voice suddenly spoke up, “It’s true that the Seeking Passion Sect has a Treasury, but how could you open it with just your strength? You are full of schemes, harbouring evil intentions at such a young age. Everyone, don’t be fooled by him!”
Slightly startled by this statement, the audience suddenly felt that what this person said made sense.
Seeking Passion Sect was such a big Sect, and it was obvious that it would have its own Treasury, but could this kind of place be opened casually? Only people like Feng Xuan and Yao Zhuo would know how to open the Treasury.
Li Qing Yuan came back to his senses and suddenly grumbled with dissatisfaction, “Little Brother is being a bit unkind.”
Yang Kai smiled disdainfully, “It’s up to you to believe me or not!”
Saying so, he suddenly summoned a strange stone from his Space Ring. It was about ten metres in height and as soon as it was taken out, the surrounding temperature dropped as it exuded an extremely cold aura.
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters who were enveloped by this aura instantly felt rigid as their Qi began to stagnate slightly.
“This is…”
“Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron!”
“What? That’s Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron? How could there be such a big piece of such a treasure in this world?”
“Heavens, where did this thing come from? I heard that just a fist-sized piece of Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron could refine an Emperor Artifact! How many Emperor Artifacts could be refined from a ten-metre tall slab of it?”
“If it was sold, this piece alone would cost at least a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
“This little brat didn’t lie! He definitely opened the Treasury in the Seeking Passion Sect. This must have belonged to the Seeking Passion Sect!”
…..
The air was filled with murmurs as all eyes were glued to the ten metre tall Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron. The shock of the crowd was palpable. This thing alone was priceless, and if Yang Kai really opened the Treasury of Seeking Passion Sect, how many more treasures had he plundered?
The previous suspicions disappeared all at once as everyone felt that Yang Kai had picked up a massive bargain in Seeking Passion Sect, and many Emperor Realm Masters were eager to take action. They looked at the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron with avarice, prepared to rush over to snatch it in the next moment.
However, due to them having too many opponents, no one dared to act at will, and the situation suddenly became deadlocked.
More people, however, were curious as to why Yang Kai had taken out such a rare treasure so suddenly? Was it to show off his wealth? That couldn’t be the case unless he wanted to cause trouble for himself.
While everyone was suspicious, Yang Kai waved his hand and summoned the Myriads Sword. Emperor Qi poured into the sword, and Space Principles began winding around it as he swung the Myriads Sword, carving something into the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron.
“What is this kid doing?”
“It looks like he’s writing something.”
“What a reckless waste! How could he use such a treasure like an ordinary slate? How outrageous!”
*Chi chi chi… *
No matter how angry and spurned they were though, Yang Kai continued to etch the strokes one by one with a focused and meticulous face.
After a full stick of incense, Yang Kai suddenly took a deep breath and put the Myriads Sword away, his face slightly pale. It seemed that this action had consumed quite a bit of his strength.
After all, this was a high-grade Artifact Refining material, not something easy to even carve a single stroke into.
Yang Kai took a closer look at his work and was quite satisfied with his masterpiece.
At this moment, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the dust and debris from the engraving on the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron was blown away, revealing three large lively and vigorous calligraphies. The font was not stunning, but it gave off a strange sensation like it was drawing in one’s vision and swallowing their mind, making it impossible to extricate oneself from its sight.
“High Heaven Palace?”
Someone read the three big characters that were engraved on Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron, which immediately bewildered the rest of them.
“What thing is High Heaven Palace?”
“It sounds like the name of a Sect, but does the Northern Territory have such a Sect?”
“Never heard of it.”
Li Qing Yuan thought for a moment and asked Yang Kai, “Little Brother, what do you mean by this?”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and patted the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron beside him with a laugh, “Nothing much, I just want to tell everyone that from now on, this land is the base of my Sect, High Heaven Palace. It’s good that we have many guests today, that will save the effort of notifying everyone one by one. I hope these friends will help this Young Master publicize this matter after you go back today. En, don’t blame this Young Master for being ruthless to anyone who tries to invade the territory of my High Heaven Palace casually.”
“What!? What does this little brat mean?”
“Does he want to found a Sect?”
“What a joke. What gave a trivial brat the confidence to establish a Sect here?”
“Exactly! This is the legacy of the Seeking Passion Sect! He is far from qualified to occupy it!”
“This boy is quite ambitious, but I’m afraid that his fate is thinner than paper!”
…..
Yang Kai’s ears were filled with their murmurs, but still, he remained as steady as a mountain. He waited for them to finish before sneering, “Does everyone have an opinion? You should all hold that back if you do, don’t make everyone else unhappy!”
“Boy, you’re far too rampant! Do you really think the Northern Territory is yours to do with as you please?”
Li Qing Yuan was also sullen-faced, “Little brat, don’t go too far! Since we are here today, you cannot make such decisions alone. The Seeking Passion Sect is part of our region, the Northern Territory, so ownership of its base and Treasury should be decided by the heroes of the Northern Territory, and definitely not by you!”
This sentence changed the issue regarding the legacy of the Seeking Passion Sect into a matter of the Northern Territory. Li Qing Yuan was indeed an old fox, and everyone applauded in agreement.
Yang Kai jeered, “This place is now this Young Master’s territory, so naturally everything about it is for me to decide. Those who refuse to accept can stand forward now.”
“Sect Master Li, this little brat is too disrespectful, we must teach him a lesson today!”
“Yes, we have given him enough face, but he’s just too insatiable. There’s no need to negotiate with him.”
“Let’s do it. Now that the Seeking Passion Sect is no more, there is nothing to worry about.”
They did not dare to break in before because they were afraid of any Masters who might have stayed back in Seeking Passion Sect. Now that it was confirmed that there was no one left in the Seeking Passion Sect, it was intolerable that Yang Kai had acquired the treasures and still wanted to occupy this large piece of land all to himself.
A trace of determination flashed in Li Qing Yuan’s eyes, and he nodded, “Good, since he wants to persist in his delusions, we shall break them for him.”
As his words fell, he had already charged out.
The rest were naturally unwilling to lag behind and followed behind to rush towards Yang Kai, all aiming to grab hold of Yang Kai’s Space Ring.
Given that Yang Kai could casually take out a ten-metre tall piece of Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron, they believed that there must be countless treasures still in his Space Ring.
In an instant, the scene had become increasingly animated as the dozen Emperor Realm Masters became overbearing and aggressive, rushing towards Yang Kai.
With their Emperor Qi surging, the crowd made a move and the war was joined.
Facing the combined force of more than a dozen Emperor Realm Masters though, Yang Kai did not intend to dodge at all and laughed out loud, causing everyone to stare at him and wonder what was wrong with his head.
However, the arrow had already flown from the string, so there was no turning back even if they sensed something off. Everyone charged towards the Space Ring on Yang Kai’s hand.
In an instant, the dozen people pounced at Yang Kai, unleashing their various skills to attack him ferociously.
“Solidify!” Right after a cold snort, the Space Principles within a hundred-metre radius of Yang Kai pulsed, turning space itself extremely viscous.
The dozen people were aghast at this sudden change and soon found that their Emperor Qi could not circulate smoothly, as if they were trapped in a deep mire, creating an illusion that their movements were being restricted and the power of their attacks was greatly reduced. Even the brilliance of their summoned Emperor Artifacts dimmed.
“What!?” Everyone’s face changed drastically. They were about to retreat as soon as they noticed the oddity of the situation, but it was already too late.
Yang Kai lifted his both hands and caused the entire sky to be overcast by a shadow of two gigantic palms which swiftly blasted forward.
Following an explosion, the dozen people were thrown out, all of them spurting blood in the mid-air, their faces as pale as a sheet.
*Pa pa pa… *
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters fell on the ground like dumplings, and when they regained their composure, all of them looked ashen and horrified.
On the other side, Yang Kai seemed to also have spent tremendous energy to repel so many Emperor Realm Masters in one strike. He shuddered slightly, but he did not retreat a single step, and despite his face being a little pale at first, he quickly recovered.
Nevertheless, he still stood tall in front of the gates, like an immovable mountain, guarding this piece of treasured land.
“How is that possible?!”
“Is he really just a First-Order Emperor Realm Master?”
“How did he do that?”
…..
A dizzying sensation gushed out in the hearts of the dozen Emperor Realm Masters, as if they were caught in some kind of bad dream.
Yang Kai looked young and always gave the impression that he did not have very high cultivation. Therefore, even though they did not fully understand his capabilities at first, they did not put him in their eyes. Nevertheless, they found out about Yang Kai’s cultivation as he revealed it with his earlier move.
He was indeed a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so logically, he should be weaker than them.
However, this First-Order Emperor Realm Master had resolved the combined force of a dozen Masters and even inflicted a certain degree of injury on them in a head-on confrontation.
No one would believe it if they did not experience it themselves. It was simply that absurd.
Especially Li Qing Yuan, who was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and had been in the Northern Territory for so many years. He had never encountered such a bizarre situation. He had faced many First-Order Emperor Realm Masters throughout his life, and would usually crush them with overwhelming power, but none of them was as fierce as the young man in front of him.
The greed in his eyes gradually converged, replaced by infinite solemnity.
It was rumoured that some geniuses in the Martial Dao could fight and even kill those with higher cultivations than themselves. Li Qing Yuan met this kind of talent before too, but those so-called geniuses, at most, could only fight evenly with him while being a single Minor Realm lower in cultivation. Compared with the young man in front of him, all those so-called talents were mediocre at best.
Not only could the young man in front of him fight against opponents above his realm, but he did not even fall into a disadvantage facing a dozen people with equal or higher cultivations than his own at once.
Li Qing Yuan even suspected that the young man had not used his full strength, and if he had, perhaps only half of them would still be alive now!
Thinking of this, cold sweat beaded on Li Qing Yuan’s forehead.
If this young man was already this powerful as a First-Order Emperor, wouldn’t he be invincible when he broke through to the Second-Order or Third-Order Emperor Realm? Perhaps at that time, only the Great Emperors would be a match for him.
“Little brat, who the hell are you!?”
Someone cried bitterly, as if they refused to believe the fact that they were repelled and demanded to know what deceitful tricks Yang Kai had used.
Everyone wanted to ask the same question too. Such a brilliant rising star couldn’t be some obscure individual. They should have at least heard of his name somewhere.
Yang Kai turned to that person, and grinned, “This Young Master is Yang Kai. I believe you’ve all heard my name before, yes?”
“Ahh… Is he THAT Yang Kai?”
“The Yang Kai who killed Feng Xi in the Shattered Star Sea and provoked Feng Xuan?”
“The war between Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect started because of him!”
“I heard that the annihilation of the entire Seeking Passion Sect was also the result of his interference! He found some kind of strong support out of nowhere and killed Feng Xuan, Yao Zhuo, and all the others in one breath!”
Thanks to Feng Xuan’s publicity campaign, Yang Kai was quite well-known in the Northern Territory; after all, a war between two top Sects was a serious matter. The Seeking Passion Sect would not send out its warriors without reason, and the reason they gave for attacking Ice Heart Valley was that Yang Kai had killed Feng Xi while Bing Yun shielded him.
Before that, the Northern Territory cultivators were incredibly curious about this young man named Yang Kai. They could not believe that he had the courage to kill Feng Xi and also thought that this guy would not have a good end as a result.
But beyond everyone’s expectations, the Seeking Passion Sect was the one to be exterminated, and now the initiator of the whole tragedy actually came to Seeking Passion Sect’s headquarters to establish his own Sect, like the magpie seizing a nest, attempting to create his so-called High Heaven Palace!
If the Seeking Passion Great Emperor learned of this, he would probably be so furious that he would jump out of his coffin.
For a moment, it was dead silent outside the Sect gates. Whether it was the dozen Emperor Realm Masters, or the thousand or so cultivators spectating, all just stared at Yang Kai in shock.
*Shua shua shua… *
Several noises broke the silence, followed by three figures suddenly appearing behind Yang Kai. As soon as these three figures emerged, they unleashed a fearsome pressure. The weight of this pressure seemed to darken the whole world and a dreadful look was etched onto everyone’s faces as they felt it difficult to even breathe. It was as if their chests were being crushed by giant mountains.
Everyone looked at the three figures intently, their eyes quivering in fear.
Although they could not see the three figures clearly, the dominant pressure was telling them that these three would only need a wave of their hands to slaughter everyone here.
A cold sensation instantly rushed from the soles of the crowd’s feet to the top of their heads. The blood drained from the faces of the thousand people as if their parents had just died. They wanted to escape immediately, but they dared not move, so they could only just stand still and endure the torment.
“Young Master Yang, what happened? It seemed like a fight just took place?” Xie Wu Wei frowned as he asked.
“Hmph, it seems like someone was being rude here.” While speaking, Ying Fei swept his falcon eyes across the dozen Emperor Realm Masters in a threatening manner.
“How daring. Who caused the trouble? Let this Old Rhino deal with him!” Xi Lei yelled, his Monster Qi pulsing, whipping up a monstrous wind, as if it could puncture a hole in the sky.
“Monster Race!” Someone sensed the Monster Qi and exclaimed.
“Monster King!” Li Qing Yuan cried out grievously, cold sweat pouring down his face like droplets of rain as he turned as pale as a sheet.
Although he was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, he instinctively felt terrified because he was powerless in front of a Monster King who was on par with a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Moreover, if he was not mistaken, the other two Masters who appeared should also be from the Monster Race, and were likely Monster Kings themselves.
[Damn it! It’s rarer to encounter a single Monster King than it is to see a Third-Order Emperor! But today, there are three Monster Kings together!] Li Qing Yuan did not know whether he was fortunate or he should be grieving, but when he thought of what happened before, he felt that it was more likely to be the latter.
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters and the thousand spectating cultivators took one step back simultaneously at Li Qing Yuan’s remark about Xi Lei, and gazed at the latter in horror. It was as if Xi Lei was the reaper of death, just waiting to harvest their lives.
“Who was being rude here just now? Show yourself to this King!” Xi Lei roared like thunder, staring at the crowd menacingly.
No one dared to answer him as they all feared being targeted by him and dying. Nervous gulps could be heard one after another as everyone’s feet felt nailed to the ground.
The Emperor Realm Masters turned their gazes at Li Qing Yuan, hoping that he could stand out and speak some words to this Monster King for them.
Li Qing Yuan secretly scolded this group of cowards in his heart, but at this point, considering the consequences of him keeping quiet might be worse, he called out, “Sir Monster King, it’s just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding?” Xi Lei looked at Li Qing Yuan sideways and snorted, “How is it a misunderstanding?”
Li Qing Yuan racked his brain to think of an explanation, quickly coming up with an excuse as he blurted out, “It’s like this, we are all Northern Territory cultivators and heard that Young Master Yang Kai established a Sect here, so we came to congratulate him, but we failed to recognize Young Master Yang with our unworthy eyes and inadvertently offended him a little. We ask for forgiveness from Young Master Yang and all the Sirs here.”
Li Qing Yuan expressed his excuses eloquently, even feeling quite proud of his quick wit.
“Established a Sect?” Xi Lei was stunned and glanced at Yang Kai with inquiry. Although he did mention this idea a few days ago, Yang Kai did not give any affirmation, so he did not understand why Li Qing Yuan suddenly could speak of this matter.
Ying Fei’s eyes were sharper though and quickly saw the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron standing to the side and applauded, “Young Master Yang really has established a Sect here. High Heaven Palace, en, to have the ambition to reach the peak as high as the Heavens. Good!”
Xie Wu Wei laughed merrily, “Good, good. Then from now on, this Xie will stay in High Heaven Palace and hopes that Young Master Yang will reward me with the position of Protector or Deacon or anything.”
“Count this Old Rhino in!” Xi Lei retracted his vicious aura and turned a fawning smile to Yang Kai, “Young Master Yang must definitely treat us well.”
Ying Fei nodded in agreement, “This Ying thinks so too.”
The dozen Emperor Realm Masters almost fainted listening to their words, while the thousand cultivators dropped their jaws, their eyes widened in disbelief as they started to doubt their own ears.
These three were Monster Kings, Masters on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters! But now that Yang Kai marked this place as his territory and engraved the signboard of his Sect, these three Masters all scrambled to join him even though he had not officially established his Sect yet.
Furthermore, they actually begged for some position like a Protector or even a Deacon…
What was wrong with this world? Throughout the Star Boundary, which Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was not an overlord? Which one of them was not a Master of generations of men? With such a strength, one could establish his or her own Sect with ease, but now, these three Monster Kings actually seemed desperate to join the not-even-officially-established High Heaven Palace?
Who the hell was this Yang Kai and how did he manage to tame these three Monster Kings?
Li Qing Yuan and the others were extremely distressed. Three Monster Kings wanted to join High Heaven Palace only for the position of Protector or Deacon. Their strength was naturally no better than these three Monster Kings, so wouldn’t they only be qualified to be ordinary disciples if they joined High Heaven Palace?
Of course, they couldn’t break away from their own Sects and join High Heaven Palace. Even now there seemed to be too many monsters, both metaphorically and literally, in this High Heaven Palace, not a place they could fit into comfortably.
With the addition of these three Monster Kings, High Heaven Palace would probably become the strongest Sect in the Northern Territory in the future, and once it developed, it would definitely surpass the glory of the Seeking Passion Sect.
Li Qing Yuan and the others seemed to vaguely see the figure of a formidable giant rising up before them, and this caused them to panic internally.
The good fortune Yang Kai experienced was driving these observers mad with envy and jealousy. With three Monster Kings here, it would be infinitely beneficial if any single one of them joined Yang Kai’s Sect.
What surprised everyone was that in the face of the three Monster Kings’ sincere requests, Yang Kai’s expression was quite uneasy as he grimaced, “We will discuss this matter at a later time!”
Li Qing Yuan and the others stared at him with their eyes widened, silently scolding Yang Kai for being unappreciative of something others could not have even if they begged for it, still wanting to discuss the matter again. Was there just something wrong with his head?
What was there to discuss? Agreeing right away was the only correct answer.
On the other hand, Xi Lei and the others looked at each other and knew what Yang Kai was worried about. Although it would be nothing for Yang Kai to ask for three Monster Kings from the Ancient Wild Lands with his connections with the three Divine Venerables, he obviously did not want to headhunt someone so rashly, especially subordinates of three Divine Spirits.
At the very least, Yang Kai had to discuss with Luan Feng and the others regarding this matter.
Understanding this, Xi Lei and the other three Monster Kings did not insist anymore.
After a moment of pondering, Xi Lei queried, “Young Master Yang, are you… going to kill these people?”
He asked casually, as if it wasn’t a thousand people before them but a thousand chickens. This caused everyone to stare at Yang Kai helplessly with pasty faces.
At this moment, they knew that the fate of their lives was in Yang Kai’s hands.
The dozen or so Emperor Realm Masters leading this group looked at Yang Kai with anxious smiles, afraid the order to kill would suddenly leak from his lips.
“Why should I do that? I have no grievances and no grudges against them.” Yang Kai waved his hand and effused with a gleeful smile, “Didn’t you hear that they said they came to congratulate this Young Master for establishing a Sect? Since they are here to offer congratulations, they are the guests of my High Heaven Palace.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master Yang is wise!” Li Qing Yuan sputtered, a look of joy for having survived a calamity filling his face.
He knew that since Yang Kai had said these words, he and the others would not need to worry about leaving here alive today, and he was grateful for his generosity.
Xi Lei nodded and apologized, “This Old Rhino was reckless.” In an instant, he changed the topic, barking at Li Qing Yuan and the others, “You bunch of trash! Since you are here to congratulate Young Master Yang, why don’t I see any gifts? Could all this talk of congratulations just be casual talk?”
Li Qing Yuan and the others were shocked by this accusation but quickly recovered, “We wouldn’t dare to. Gifts… We did bring some, we did.”
While speaking, the dozen Emperor Realms Masters quickly searched their Space Rings while resolute and hesitant looks interchanged on their faces.
In a short time, a dozen Space Rings were gathered in Li Qing Yuan’s hands. Walking over to Yang Kai with wobbly legs, Li Qing Yuan squeezed out an ugly smile, “Young Master Yang, this is just a small token to show our respect. I hope Young Master Yang will kindly accept.”
Yang Kai took these things casually without even checking the contents.
After plundering the Ancient Wild Lands and the Seeking Passion Sect’s Treasury, these dozen Space Rings were really nothing to him.
He nodded lightly, “Sect Master Li is thoughtful.”
Li Qing Yuan was unable to conceal the pain on his face. He had just offered a large part of his life’s savings for fear that Yang Kai would be dissatisfied.
It was estimated that the other Emperor Realm Masters felt the same way, otherwise, none of them would be displaying grievous expressions.
Who would have thought that Yang Kai would put away their gifts without even looking at them? If Lin Qing Yuan had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have shaved so much meat off his bones and instead just given a small gift.
“Good, good. Young Master Yang… If you have no other instructions, this Li will take his leave.” Li Qing Yuan was extremely aggrieved by the loss of his wealth and wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
“En, speaking of instructions, this Young Master does need your help with one thing,” Yang Kai began pleasantly.
“Ah…” Li Qing Yuan wiped the cold sweat on his forehead in panic, “I wonder what orders Young Master Yang has?”
Yang Kai smiled slightly and started, “Sect Master Li doesn’t need to be so nervous, I only need you to do something simple. You just need to spread the word that this Young Master has occupied this piece of land, and has established High Heaven Palace here!”
Li Qing Yuan calmed down instantly and let out a breath of relief, “So that’s the case!”
Yang Kai looked at him meaningfully, “What did Sect Master Li think it was?”
Li Qing Yuan replied rather embarrassingly, “This is nothing, just a trivial matter. Young Master Yang can count on this Li to complete this task. Although this Li is not so strong, he does have a good number of friends. This news will be spread out in the shortest possible time to avoid any harassment by uninformed rascals to your noble Palace.”
“That’s good,” Yang Kai smiled and nodded before glancing over at the other Emperor Realm Masters. “I also hope that everyone can do me this favour.”
The Emperor Realm Masters dared not to disagree, nodding their heads frantically while striking their chests in promise.
Yang Kai smiled lightly and cupped his fists, “Since you are all the heroes of Northern Territory, I will definitely invite all of you again when I officially open the gates of High Heaven Palace. I hope all of you will be in attendance to celebrate with me at that time.”
Bitterness filled everyone’s mouths at Yang Kai’s words, for they knew that when they attended this ceremony, they would need to prepare another large gift. However, with no other choice, they promised Yang Kai their attendance with forceful enthusiasm.
After a few more words, the group of outsiders escaped hurriedly.
“A bunch of trash, why did Young Master Yang bother giving them any face?” Xi Lei snorted coldly. Although he did not witness the conflict between Yang Kai and the Emperor Realm Masters, he could roughly guess what had happened. According to his own personality, he would have killed them all to baptise the foundation of High Heaven Palace.
Yang Kai chuckled and shook his head, “An extra friend means extra help. They are only interested in profit and had no grievances with me, so why should we kill ruthlessly? In the future, if High Heaven Palace is to gain a foothold in the Northern Territory, it’s not fitting to make enemies everywhere. You must know that everyone has their virtue, there might come a day that they will be of some use.”
Xi Lei flattered him immediately, “Young Master Yang is wise. This Old Rhino did not think it through.”
Yang Kai was indifferent to his flattery, simply raising his hand and beckoning, “Follow me.”
The three Monster Kings exchanged confused glances, but although they had no idea what Yang Kai was going to do, they all followed quickly.
After a short while, everyone came to Yang Kai’s newly-arranged Space Array.
Giving the three of them a glance, Yang Kai began, “Many thanks to three Monster Kings during this incident. Without you, Ice Heart Valley would not have been able to survive the siege so easily. This Young Master thanks you on behalf of Senior Bing Yun and the thousands of disciples of Ice Heart Valley.”
Xi Lei and others were shocked and replied hurriedly, “Young Master Yang is too serious, it was just a trivial matter.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It may be a trivial matter for you, but it is a life-saving grace for Ice Heart Valley. The two cannot be confused.” After a pause, Yang Kai added, “But now that the dust has settled, you three should return to the Ancient Wild Lands first.”
“Ah…” Ying Fei exclaimed disappointedly as he looked at Yang Kai hopefully, “Young Master Yang, you want us to go back now? It hasn’t even been a few days since we came out.”
“Yes, yes!” Xie Wu Wei nodded sharply and protested, “Young Master Yang, is there nothing else for us to do? Just say it, the three of us will do it without hesitation.”
Xi Lei suggested eagerly, “Young Master Yang can take us to wipe out the heads of the Northern Territory and unify it under his command!”
This proposal led Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei to applaud loudly, the Monster Qi in their bodies surging as they really seemed eager to start a reign of terror in the Northern Territory with Yang Kai at the helm.
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Even though you three are powerful, there are differences between Monsters and Humans. If you really made a big uproar in the Northern Territory, I am afraid it would attract a lot of trouble. I know what you are thinking, but this matter cannot be rushed. It’s unknown when that little girl will even be coming out, so just wait for news in the Ancient Lands.”
All three Monster Kings looked embarrassed when Yang Kai exposed their intentions.
After all, they had only submitted to Yang Kai because of his relationship with Zhang Ruo Xi. Without Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai could not command such respect from them.
The three also knew that Yang Kai was telling the truth. Although they insisted on following Yang Kai to be in a favourable position, the point was that the Blood Gate had been hidden since it disappeared. No one knew when Zhang Ruo Xi would return, so it was useless for them to follow Yang Kai.
But it would also be a waste to just go back like this, so they were quite unwilling to do so. No one would know when, or even if Yang Kai would think of them again.
Xie Wu Wei’s eyes lit up suddenly as he proposed, “Young Master Yang, let them go back. This Xie will follow you to protect you. The world is not benevolent, and everyone may not be the same as they appear to be. It’s important to be careful while travelling the Star Boundary.”
“Why do we have to leave and you get to stay?” Ying Fei and Xi Lei asked in unison with a look of displeasure.
[This guy wants to reap the benefits all on his own, how shameless!]
Xie Wu Wei huffed, “Why now?”
Xi Lei yelled, “Come then, let us fight for it! Whoever is the strongest gets to stay, we will prove our capabilities with action, not just words! Since it’s to protect Young Master Yang, of course the strongest should win the right!”
Among the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings, his strength was ranked in the top three, so in a solo battle, Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei were definitely not his opponents.
Xie Wu Wei sneered at him, “This is a waste of this King’s time.”
Ying Fei nodded, “Brother Xie, it’s wrong for you to do this. Even if we really want to leave one person to protect Young Master Yang, it’s not going to be you. In regards to strength, Xi Lei is better than you, and in regards to speed and mobility, if this King claims to be second, no one would dare claim to be first. This King would make a far better Protector.”
Xie Wu Wei’s face twitched before he snorted coldly, “How about the fact that this Xie is Young Master Yang’s Soul Slave?”
As he spoke, with a surge of Divine Sense, a faint golden light appeared from his mind. The golden light was obviously a type of Soul restriction. It was branded in Xie Wu Wei’s Knowledge Sea, and Yang Kai’s aura was radiating from it, making its origins obvious.
Ying Fei and Xi Lei’s jaws dropped, looking at Xie Wu Wei dumbfoundedly.
They knew what was going on.
Xie Wu Wei was indeed marked by a Soul Imprint, meaning he really was Yang Kai’s Soul Slave.
But… When did this happen? The three Monster Kings had been together all this time and they did not realize any unusual changes.
Xie Wu Wei retracted the golden light and smiled faintly, “This Xie had long surrendered to him since the last time Young Master Yang entered the Ancient Lands. He is in total control of this Xie’s life. If anything happened to Young Master Yang, this Xie would die as well, so this Xie’s loyalty and dedication to Young Master Yang is beyond question. How can the both of you compare with me?”
Xie Wu Wei, who was a Monster King, had actually become a Soul Slave; however, he was proud instead of ashamed of this fact! If an outsider who did not know the truth witnessed this, their eyes would definitely pop out from their sockets.
But being Yang Kai’s Soul Slave was a great deal in Ying Fei and Xi Lei’s eyes too, and they silently cursed Xie Wu Wei in their hearts.
If Xie Wu Wei had such a relationship with Yang Kai, there would be no doubt that Xie Wu Wei would be the one to stay back with Yang Kai.
For a moment, Xi Lei and Ying Fei looked at Yang Kai helplessly.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly. Back then in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb of the Ancient Lands, he was forced to take Xie Wu Wei as his Soul Slave in order to protect himself, and Xie Wu Wei had also been very unwilling to accept such a fate at the time. After they came out of the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb, Xie Wu Wei was neither friendly nor aloof with Yang Kai, for he was afraid that others would look down on him because of this unusual relationship.
Now though, he actually took the initiative to disclose such information just to gain a slight upper hand in this argument.
It was worth mentioning that the change in his attitude was quite funny. Yang Kai did not think that he was a person who was eager for quick success and instant benefits, but after all, the cultivation of these Monster Kings had reached a plateau, and their only hope to progress was to rely on the secrets of the Blood Gate.
Who would not try hard to grab the only opportunity in front of them?
Just when Xie Wu Wei was being jaunty and triumphant in front of the other two Monster Kings, Yang Kai suddenly waved his hand and a wisp of golden light flew out directly from Xie Wu Wei’s forehead and returned to Yang Kai.
Xie Wu Wei’s smug face instantly went stiff. The shackles on him were lifted, but what followed was not joy. He put on a long face and cried, “Young Master Yang, you…”
The Soul Imprint was retrieved, which meant that the connection of his Soul to Yang Kai’s was cut off, and he was no longer Yang Kai’s Soul Slave. He had recovered his freedom.
Xie Wu Wei did not expect that Yang Kai would be so decisive in doing so.
If it was anyone else, they would not simply let go of such a powerful Soul Slave. They would certainly keep him to serve themselves, but Yang Kai just disposed of him like nothing. The generosity Yang Kai displayed was out of the ordinary.
“Hahahaha!” Both Ying Fei and Xi Lei burst into laughter, their eyes lighting up when they realized what had happened as they secretly cheered, [Who asked Xie Wu Wei to boast so shamelessly? This is your karma! You deserve it!]
“Young Master Yang, you can’t do this…” Xie Wu Wei looked at Yang Kai with grief, as if Yang Kai had thoughtlessly abandoned him after using him.
Yang Kai swung his hand impatiently, “Leave, leave. All of you leave.”
“Do we really have to leave?” Xi Lei looked sad and was quite reluctant to go.
Yang Kai explained, “Don’t accuse me of driving you all away after using you; after all, you three are Monster Kings of the Ancient Lands, and your superiors are the Divine Venerables. If I retained you all without informing them, it would really be hard for me to explain it to them. In any case, it’s now convenient for me to come and go from the Ancient Lands, so if I ever have need of help in the future, I’ll look for the three of you.”
The three Monster Kings’ moods were elevated at Yang Kai’s words and they nodded one after another, “Young Master Yang must keep his word. When the time comes, don’t call others, just us.”
There were thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings in the Ancient Lands, and all of them were first-class Masters. They did not want the other Monster Kings and Great Kings to build a good relationship with Yang Kai and tried to prevent that by hoping to stay by Yang Kai’s side.
“I know!” Yang Kai promised as he continued swinging his hand like he was chasing flies away.
Only then did the three Monster Kings slowly step onto the Space Array.
Yang Kai casually inserted Source Crystals into the array and a moment later, he glanced at the three and asked, “Are you ready?”
The three Monster Kings nodded and cupped their fists, “Take care, Young Master Yang.”
Their unwillingness to leave could be heard in their voices, as if they were parting forever with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grunted in response and bellowed, “Go!”
He poured his Emperor Qi into the Space Array as he spoke.
Strangely though, nothing happened. Yang Kai and the three Monster Kings stared at each other for a long time, exchanging bewildered looks.
“Huh?” Yang Kai was stunned, scratching his head as he tried the Space Array again and again, but to no avail.
The three Monster Kings exchanged looks, getting excited again. Ying Fei beamed, “It seems even the Heavens don’t want us to leave.”
Xie Wu Wei immediately echoed, “Yes, yes, Young Master Yang, since the Heavens have such intentions, you don’t have to insist anymore!”
“What happened?” Yang Kai was puzzled, checking the Space Array thoroughly. Even though he just set this up, there should be no errors in it.
After a thorough investigation, he confirmed that the Space Array was in perfect condition.
Xi Lei questioned, “Young Master Yang, is it because this Space Array cannot connect to the Ancient Lands? We were directly teleported from Ancient Lands to Ice Heart Valley the last time.”
“Impossible!” Yang Kai shook his head. The Space Arrays that he set were all connected to each other. In other words, the array in High Heaven Palace should be connected not only to Ice Heart Valley, but also to the Ancient Wild Lands.
While Yang Kai was still flabbergasted, a light suddenly burst out on the Space Array, followed by the emergence of two figures.
Everyone took a closer look, and realized that it was Ji Yao and Nanmen Da Jun.
After the teleportation, both of them seemed to have a brief vertigo, but soon, Ji Yao regained her senses while Nanmen Da Jun took a little more time to recover, since his cultivation was weaker than hers.
“Senior Brother Yang, I’ve brought him to you,” Ji Yao glanced at Yang Kai as she spoke softly.
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement before turning to look at Nanmen Da Jun. The latter met his eyes and immediately became excited, “Grandmaster Yang, I heard that you are looking for me.”
Ever since he saw the Space Array that was arranged by Yang Kai, the latter’s position in his heart has risen to the level of a pinnacle Array Grandmaster, and Nanmen Da Jun believed that he was even more learned in this Dao than himself.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, then he questioned, “But didn’t I say that you should repair Ice Heart Valley’s Sect Defending Array first before coming here? Why did you come so soon?”
Nanmen Da Jun replied, “I’ve finished the repairs on that side. I heard that Grandmaster Yang was calling for me, so this Nanmen worked day and night to accomplish his task and then immediately rushed here right after.”
While speaking, he showed an obsequious face.
“Don’t tell me you only did a patchwork job?” Yang Kai looked at him incredulously.
Repairing Ice Heart Valley Sect Defending Array was a massive project, so how could it be done completely in just a few days?
Nanmen Da Jun explained in fear, “This Nanmen dares not! Grandmaster Yang is also proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so this Nanmen doesn’t have the guts to show off his meagre skills before an expert! The reason why it could be repaired so fast was because this Nanmen had studied Ice Heart Valley Sect Defending Array comprehensively for the past few months. Moreover, this Nanmen was also the one who suggested the array breaking method, so this Nanmen only had to reverse the damage done and was able to finish the repairs in just a short time.”
“I see,” Yang Kai did not doubt him, but replied solemnly, “I will go back to Ice Heart Valley to check later. If the Sect Defending Array’s repairs are shoddy in any way, you will have to watch out for your head!”
“Don’t worry, Grandmaster Yang,” Nanmen Da Jun assured him.
After a pause, he continued, “By the way, why did Grandmaster Yang summon this Nanmen here in such a rush? What can this Nanmen do for you?”
Yang Kai beckoned him, “Have a look at this place.”
Nanmen Da Jun turned around to have a look before he gasped softly and soared up into the air to get a clearer view. When he returned, he asked with surprise, “Isn’t this Seeking Passion Sect?”
He had been a guest of Seeking Passion Sect for some time recently, so he naturally recognized this land. However, when he was here last this place was crowded with outstanding people, but now, even though the scenery remained, the people were no longer here.
He could not help feeling sorry for the tens of thousands of years of heritage of the Seeking Passion Great Emperor that had been abandoned here.
“It used to be the Seeking Passion Sect, but now it is High Heaven Palace!” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ji Yao’s eyes flashed at Yang Kai’s words, revealing a thoughtful look on her face as though she seemed to have guessed something.
Yang Kai pressed on, “I want you to reopen the Sect Defending Array here, then repair and improve it. Display all of your abilities here to ensure that this Sect Defending Array is second to none in the Star Boundary.”
Nanmen Da Jun was hyped up listening to it, as if he had received an awakening challenge.
Yang Kai read his face and secretly nodded, extremely satisfied with his reaction.
“Grandmaster Yang is planning to occupy this land?” Nanmen Da Jun caught up very fast and guessed the intention of Yang Kai correctly.
“Good.” Yang Kai admitted with a nod, “How long will it take to complete such a project?”
Nanmen Da Jun did not reply immediately, but pondered seriously for a moment before he answered, “The Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect was not destroyed, just deactivated. This Nanmen needs to study the array charts and composition in detail, only then can I come up with a method of improvement. It could take as little as two months, or as long as three months, but this Nanmen will definitely give Grandmaster Yang a satisfactory result.”
“Good, I’ll give you three months then,” Yang Kai agreed without hesitation.
Nanmen Da Jun continued, “But in order to set up and improve such a huge array, some materials would be needed…”
“You can make a list of any materials you require and I will provide them for you,” Yang Kai assured him.
Now that he had plundered so much wealth, and even emptied the Treasury of Seeking Passion Sect, he certainly had the materials to improve the Sect Defending Array here.
Nanmen Da Jun beamed from ear to ear, “It’s easy if I have the materials. Right, does Grandmaster Yang want to do this together with this Nanmen…”
Yang Kai interjected with a deep voice, “This Young Master is about to be very busy and cannot share the burden with you. You will have to deal with it alone. If you need any assistance…” He turned to look at Ji Yao.
Ji Yao immediately understood and answered, “Leave that to me. I’ll summon some sisters over from the Sect.”
“Then… good, I’ll have to trouble Elder Ji Yao when the time comes,” Nanmen Da Jun was rather disappointed. He wanted to take this opportunity to exchange experience with Yang Kai in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and was saddened when the latter did not give him a chance at all.
However, it was his long-cherished wish as an Array Grandmaster to rebuild and improve a Sect Defending Array for such a great force.
Soon, he got himself together, excused himself, and went to study the array charts of the original Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect.
After he left, Yang Kai looked at the Space Array at the side while rubbing his chin, “So, it’s not a problem here.”
If there was something wrong with the Space Array in front of him, it would have been impossible for Ji Yao and Nanmen Da Jun to teleport here from Ice Heart Valley.
“What problem?” Ji Yao questioned curiously.
Xi Lei immediately grinned and explained the incident that happened before to her, making no attempt to hide the joyous look on his face.
After listening to it, Ji Yao responded with a thoughtful look, “Two Space Arrays connected to each other are required to achieve a teleportation, so since there’s nothing wrong here, and there’s nothing wrong with the one in Ice Heart Valley, then the one in the Ancient Lands must be the issue.”
Like a dreamer awakened from a deep slumber, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he nodded, “That must be it.”
After that, he suddenly recalled something and gritted his teeth, “Lady Feng, Lady Feng, this removing firewood from under the pot is really too cruel.”
The Space Array in the Ancient Lands could not have been broken for no reason. The only explanation was that it was intentionally destroyed by Luan Feng after his departure.
Luan Feng probably feared that he would keep disturbing her in the future, and her worries were completely justified. Thinking of this, Yang Kai could not help grinding his teeth feeling annoyed.
Although it did not take much effort to set up a Space Array, the problem was that the Ancient Lands was so far away that it would take him a long time to travel there to arrange another. He would need to stay connected with the Ancient Lands in the future, so it would be convenient to him to keep a Space Array there, but he did not expect that Luan Feng would destroy the Space Array the moment he had left. In the end, there was nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart. Although Luan Feng appeared to be dignified and gentle, she was actually so cruel and ruthless.
By the look of this, Yang Kai would need to set up a Space Array in the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan the next time he went to the Ancient Lands, lest Luan Feng destroy it again.
After Yang Kai came to this determination, he turned to Xi Lei and the others, “It seems that you three have been abandoned by the Ancient Lands.”
Xi Lei and the others racked their brains, but still could not understand why they could not be sent away, but instead of feeling disappointed, they were actually delighted, “Good, good, Lady Luan Feng must think that Young Master Yang’s matter is very serious and wishes for us to stay and safeguard him. Please don’t reject us anymore!” They grinned excitedly.
Yang Kai replied, “How can I drive you away given a situation like this?”
He was reluctant to keep the three Monster Kings with him before, mainly because he was being careful not to seriously offend the three Divine Venerables in the Ancient Lands; after all, these three Monster Kings were subordinates of those Divine Spirits, and it would not be kind to poach them without any notice.
However, a tooth for a tooth. Since Luan Feng started this, then it was reasonable for Yang Kai to respond in kind, and the Ancient Lands could not blame him for it.
A Space Array for three Monster Kings; it was a steal. Yang Kai did not feel guilty about it either.
Xie Wu Wei could not hold down his smile as he rubbed his hands, “Young Master Yang, if that’s the case, can we join High Heaven Palace now? This Xie doesn’t ask for much, just a position as a Protector will do.”
Ying Fei and Xi Lei looked excited too.
Yang Kai beamed, “With your abilities, you three are overqualified to be mere Protectors. High Heaven Palace has barely been established now, and it will still take some time to open its gates to accept disciples, but when the day comes, you three will hold the position of High-Rank Foreign Elders.”
Xi Lei and the others exchanged looks, and could not be happier.
With Yang Kai’s words, they would be Yang Kai’s people in the future and he would naturally not forget them whenever there were benefits to be distributed.
Compared with the other Monster Kings and Great Kings in the Ancient Lands, they were already one step ahead.
Before the Sect was officially established, it already had three High-Rank Foreign Elders that were on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. If the news spread out, it would definitely gain a lot of admiration, envy or even hatred.
“Congratulations to Senior Brother Yang. When High Heaven Palace is officially opened in the future, please inform my Ice Heart Valley so we may attend the party,” Ji Yao chuckled on the side.
She was truly happy for Yang Kai to settle down here and establish a Sect because Ice Heart Valley had a good relationship with him, so both Sects could look out for each other in the future. No one in the entire Northern Territory could threaten the status of these two giants once they allied.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Of course. When the time comes, I will have to trouble all the Junior Sisters from Ice Heart Valley.” After a pause, Yang Kai continued, “Right, how did Ice Heart Valley settle those tens of thousands of prisoners who surrendered?”
Ji Yao smiled wryly, “Honoured Master is still having a headache about this. Although they assisted the evildoers to harass our Ice Heart Valley, there aren’t really any deep grudges between us. If we killed them all, it would only damage Ice Heart Valley’s reputation, but if we released them, it would appear like Ice Heart Valley is good to bully.”
Yang Kai laughed, “If so, you might as well ask them to work for me as labourers. Nanmen Da Jun will certainly need some manpower to rebuild the Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect. Of course, we should not tolerate those who have killed Ice Heart Valley disciples.”
Ji Yao nodded in agreement, “Those people have already been executed, while those who are still alive are just some people who were cheering them on from the sidelines. However, Senior Brother Yang’s proposal is good. Let’s wait for Grandmaster Nanmen to come back and see how much manpower he needs.”
The discussion ended and they began to wait.
Fortunately, this place had an excellent Earth Vein and was rich in World Energy, so they could meditate and cultivate while waiting in a luxurious palace nearby.
Two days later, Nanmen Da Jun came back, travel-worn and weary. He made a long list for Yang Kai of all kinds of precious materials. After taking a look at it, Yang Kai filled up several Space Rings with the materials for him generously.
Not only that, but Ji Yao also returned to Ice Heart Valley to bring over the surrendered cultivators to assist the work of Nanmen Da Jun.
With that, High Heaven Palace sprang to life. There was a constant babble of voices and a bustling crowd coming and going.
With the passage of time, everyone came to know that a young man named Yang Kai had occupied the territory of the Seeking Passion Sect, and established a new Sect here, High Heaven Palace.
Many people from Ice Heart Valley came over to help too, including Liu Xian Yun, Zi Yu, and several others who were close with Yang Kai.
With their supervision, those tens of thousands of surrendered troops dared not play tricks; after all, Ice Heart Valley had made it clear that as long as they redeemed themselves through good service, helping High Heaven Palace to arrange a grand Spirit Array, Ice Heart Valley would consider their past offences settled and release them.
With this promise, everyone worked diligently.
Many rogue cultivators became quite interested in High Heaven Palace and made veiled inquiries to the Ice Heart Valley disciples regarding how to join this new Sect.
After all, this place was originally the headquarters of Seeking Passion Sect, so who would dare to occupy this place without a certain capability? Moreover, these rogue cultivators somehow learned that High Heaven Palace had three High-Ranking Foreign Elders who had strength on par with Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
High Heaven Palace would definitely have a bright future with such a foundation, and once its gates opened formally, it would immediately become one of the top Sects in the Star Boundary.
One would benefit a lot in life if he or she joined such a force early.
Unfortunately, Ice Heart Valley’s disciples did not know how to enter High Heaven Palace, so they could not give them any answers, which disappointed many.
Inside High Heaven Palace, in a palace on top of the greatest mountain peak.
This was supposed to be the cultivation place that belonged exclusively to Feng Xuan.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged, surrounded by High-Rank Source Crystals. As he circulated his Secret Art, those High-Rank Source Crystals turned into dust one by one, transforming into streams of energy that poured into his body and flowed through his limbs and bones before settling in his dantian.
Ever since the last fight with Shi Huo in the Ancient Lands, Yang Kai felt a desperate need to improve his strength.
Although he was an Emperor Realm Master, he had not yet reached the level of invincibility. Furthermore, with the improvement of his strength, the enemies he faced were also getting stronger and stronger. If he did not want to feel helpless again in the future, he would have to quickly improve his cultivation.
However, after the incident in the Ancient Lands, he was tied up with the crisis of Ice Heart Valley, so he could not spare much time to cultivate. He did have a lot of treasures to assist him, but he did not have the time to take them.
Now that he finally had free time, Yang Kai naturally entered secluded retreat.
With auxiliary Spirit Pills and piles of Source Crystals, the strength in Yang Kai’s body increased steadily.
Xi Lei and the others knew that Yang Kai was cultivating; therefore, no one dared to disturb him.
Two months later, the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Palace was fully arranged, and all the surrendered cultivators who helped were dismissed while the Ice Heart Valley disciples also returned to the valley through the Space Array.
The vast base of High Heaven Palace became still once more.
Nanmen Da Jun came to see Yang Kai in high spirits and wanted to report the results of his hard work during this period to him, but he was stopped by Ying Fei who was guarding outside the mountain. Even after some unpleasant exchange, Nanmen Da Jun still could not persuade Ying Fei to ask Yang Kai to come out. Depressed, he could only move on to study the Cross-Territory Space Array.
During this time, Ji Yao also visited Yang Kai several times, but she did not get to see his face either.
Ever since he went into retreat, Yang Kai seemed to be cut off from the outside world. Even the three Monster Kings had no idea when he would come out.
But the three Monster Kings also knew that it was common to cultivate in retreat for years at a time once one reached the Emperor Realm. As such, they were not worried about Yang Kai.
One of them would guard outside the palace every day, while the other two would have fun travelling around.
Time passed slowly, and after a full year, the palace that had been silent this whole time suddenly released a crackling sound, like the cracking of bones.
Ying Fei, who was guarding outside today, instantly opened his eyes and looked into the palace, his sharp vision seemingly piercing the many barriers and restrictions, illuminating the internal situation clearly.
Not long after, he put on a joyful face and stood up from where he was before letting out a long cry.
After a while, two figures rapidly flew over from afar. Naturally, it was Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei.
As the palace doors opened, Yang Kai stepped out from the inside. Xi Lei and the others’ eyes lit up, delighted, and went forward to greet him.
Seeing that he was in high spirits, Xie Wu Wei beamed, “It looks like Young Master Yang has made great progress in cultivation.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s just a little progression, but I don’t know when I can break through.”
After breaking through to the Emperor Realm, Yang Kai started to feel that his next breakthrough was not within the foreseeable future anymore. It was true that his strength had improved in this one year of retreat, but he still could not even feel the shackles of the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
Ying Fei smiled, “The path of cultivation is long and difficult. Take your time.”
Xi Lei nodded in agreement from the side, “Looking at those Emperor Realm Masters in the world, which one of them is not an old monster who cultivated for a thousand years? Given Young Master Yang has accomplished so many achievements at this young age, Young Master Yang truly possesses Heaven-defying talent, and will definitely be promoted soon.”
Yang Kai did not deny it, and also understood that he should never rush in cultivating. Therefore, he stopped discussing it further and asked, “How’s the arrangement of the Spirit Array here?”
Xi Lei hurriedly handed a plain and aged token to Yang Kai, and replied, “Nanmen Da Jun is really impressive. It only took him two months to ameliorate the Sect Defending Array. This is the Control Token for the Spirit Array.”
Yang Kai took it over and sent his Divine Sense into it to examine it. In an instant, he felt that his body was connected with some existence in this part of the world.
With a single thought, the Sect Defending Array that enveloped High Heaven Palace buzzed, and the ambient World Energy trembled.
Xi Lei continued from the side, “Nanmen Da Jun also mentioned that Young Master Yang may rest assured that this Spirit Array that he improved is much better than the Sect Defending Array of Seeking Passion Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded casually without a doubt, but then he looked out the mountain gate and asked, “Why are there so many people outside?”
When he was inspecting the Sect Defending Array just now, he found that many cultivators were squatting outside the main gates. The cultivations of these people varied greatly, but most were young people. They were either in groups of two to three, with a few staying alone, but all of them were putting on tidy and formal looks. Many people gazed intently at the three big engraved words, ‘High Heaven Palace’ on the Ten Thousand Year Frozen Heart Iron standing outside the mountain gate, seemingly entranced by them.
Ying Fei explained, “They are obviously here in hopes of entering High Heaven Palace. Young Master Yang, the great name of High Heaven Palace has now spread all across the Northern Territory, so for more than half a year, many young people have come here to see if they stand a chance of joining the Sect. But now they can’t enter as the gates have been closed, therefore, they are camping out outside. Some of them even waited for more than half a year to show their sincerity.”
“I see.” Yang Kai nodded lightly. He was not really surprised about it and did not pay much attention to it after scanning outside once with his Divine Sense.
The name of High Heaven Palace had finally spread out, and with three Monster Kings guarding the Sect, it had a strong impression on people. Normally, this would be the time for a new Sect to recruit new blood, so those rogue cultivators who had no background definitely would jump at this opportunity to enter the Sect.
For example, Liu Xian Yun was once an overlord in the Grand Desolation Star Field back then, but she could not even obtain adequate cultivation resources when she arrived in the Star Boundary. This was the downside of not having backing from a Sect. If she had not met Yang Kai again and been introduced into Ice Heart Valley, she would probably still be worrying about scraping together enough Source Crystals just to cultivate.
It was the same for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and the others.
There were many cultivators like this in the Star Boundary. Not everyone was as lucky as Yang Kai. For these people, they did not wish to be prosperous in the future after joining High Heaven Palace, but were simply striving to obtain backing powerful enough that they could peacefully cultivate.
High Heaven Palace had already achieved a shocking result before opening its gates. The entire Northern Territory would be in an uproar when its founding was announced and cultivators flocked over like a school of silver carps moving downstream.
Xi Lei asked, “Does Young Master Yang want to open the gates and accept disciples now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not in a hurry.”
He occupied this place mainly to provide shelter to his friends and family who were back on Shadowed Star. He did not even know how to return to Heng Luo Star Field now though, so why would he simply open the gates and accept outsiders he didn’t know?
But since Yang Yan and the Insect Emperor could travel to Heng Luo Star Field, then he also should be able to, he just didn’t know the way to do it yet.
Perhaps, he should try to search for Yang Yan to ask her about it.
Troubled, Yang Kai turned around, “I need to take a trip to the Southern Territory. Which of you three would like to accompany me?”
“Me!” Sure enough, the three Monster Kings answered in unison before glaring fiercely at each other.
When Ying Fei regained his senses, he asked, “Young Master Yang, we can all follow you. Why do you only want to bring one?”
Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei nodded too, wondering why Yang Kai made such an arrangement.
Yang Kai explained, “You three are Monster Kings, so if all of you travel together through the Star Boundary, it will draw far too much attention and might attract some unwanted trouble. In addition, I also need someone to guard this place. Even though High Heaven Palace has a powerful Sect Defending Array and its gates have been sealed shut, who knows if there will be some fools who dare to come to make trouble? If all of us leave, this place will become unguarded. Since this Young Master has established High Heaven Palace here, he will be treating this place as his home for the foreseeable future, so you need not worry about this Young Master abandoning it. We will be spending many years together here.”
They all found Yang Kai’s explanation reasonable. They were already in the same boat with Yang Kai and were already the High Ranking Foreign Elders of High Heaven Palace, but if they gave Yang Kai too much pressure and seemed to be too eager for quick benefits, Yang Kai might be displeased with them.
After exchanging looks, Xie Wu Wei smiled faintly, “Then, Young Master Yang, please pick one of us. We will agree with whoever you pick.”
Ying Fei and Xi Lei nodded in agreement.
It would be hard for them to make a decision on their own because they couldn’t give this chance to another. Therefore, it was better to let Yang Kai decide so no one could argue about it.
Yang Kai answered as he nodded his head, “Then, Ying Fei, you are the fastest so I will be depending on you for this trip to the Southern Territory.”
After hearing this, Ying Fei could not help feeling delighted as he cupped his fists and replied, “Young Master Yang is wise.”
Dispirited, Xi Lei replied too, “Then, Brother Xie and I will watch over the Sect here.”
“Many thanks, both of you,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
After some discussion, Yang Kai, together with Ying Fei travelled to Ice Heart Valley through the Space Array to say goodbye to Bing Yun.
When they returned to Ice Heart Valley, the valley had seemingly turned over a new leaf in just a year. Moreover, after the last ordeal, the whole of Ice Heart Valley had become even more united. Most of the disciples were currently cultivating in retreat and dared not slack off.
The pair did not stay too long in Ice Heart Valley, and after half a day, Yang Kai and Ying Fei left through its Space Array.
The Southern Territory was hundreds of millions of kilometres away from the Northern Territory, and the journey there was long and difficult, full of dangerous mountains and rivers, not an easy trek even for Emperor Realm Masters. Space Arrays could only span portions of the journey, while most of the time, one would have to travel under their own power.
Above the clear sky, atop the white clouds.
A giant eagle sped along as fast as lightning, leaving only a faint afterimage wherever it went.
The giant eagle was Monster King Ying Fei’s Monster Beast form. As the overlord of the sky, speed was his forte. Throughout the whole Ancient Lands, he was universally acknowledged as the fastest among the thirty-two Monster Kings and eight Great Kings.
This was why Yang Kai had Ying Fei accompany him.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged on Ying Fei’s back, which was spacious enough to accommodate a whole house, and felt not even a slight headwind despite their astonishing speed.
There were really not many existences in the level of Monster Kings who were willing to serve as a mount in this world.
Nevertheless, Monster King Ying Fei was happy to provide his service and had no complaints at all.
Though the journey was boring, Yang Kai did not waste his time and was focused on his cultivation.
It was quite safe to fly all the way as most cultivators could not even sense a trace of Ying Fei’s existence, while those who could sense his presence would not dare to provoke Ying Fei and would have escaped as fast as they could.
Two months later, Ying Fei suddenly spoke, “Young Master Yang, we have reached the Southern Territory, where to now?”
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and stopped circulating his Secret Art. He stood up and looked around before saying, “Find a city so we can ask for directions.”
Ying Fei received his order and started to search for a city down below.
After half a day, a fairly prosperous city entered Ying Fei’s eyes and with a flap of his wings, he descended.
After a short while, he assumed his human form and retracted his Monster Qi, landing in front of the city gates together with Yang Kai.
They did not mean to enter the city, so Yang Kai casually stopped a cultivator who passed by and asked, “Excuse me, which direction is Thousand Leaves Sect?”
The main purpose of him coming to the Southern Territory this time was to go to Thousand Leaves Sect, as Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and his other Seniors were being hosted there. Since he had established High Heaven Palace, he naturally wanted to send them to the Northern Territory. In comparison to Thousand Leaves Sect, the cultivation environment of High Heaven Palace now was definitely better and safer.
It was just that the Southern Territory was vast, and Yang Kai did not know which direction the Thousand Leaves Sect was from where he stood, so he could only ask someone about it.
The cultivator was in a hurry to enter the city, and he was quite angered at being stopped so abruptly. He made a fuss as he thought that he was the superior one with his Dao Source Realm cultivation; however, as soon as he saw the shining High-Rank Source Crystal in Yang Kai’s hand, his eyes lit up and he swiftly snatched it and examined it for authenticity before he asked Yang Kai curiously, “Are you a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No, why do you ask so?”
The man checked left and right, then whispered cautiously, “Don’t ask too much if you’re not a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple. The Thousand Leaves Sect has suffered a great disaster.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai’s face changed and instinctively felt something was wrong.
The Thousand Leaves Sect was just a small Sect in the Southern Territory, not one that was extremely famous and well known, so Yang Kai had not expected to obtain any information immediately when he inquired about it here. Surprisingly though, the first person he met actually knew about Thousand Leaves Sect and even mentioned it was in some kind of trouble.
Puzzled, the man asked, “Did Friend just come out of retreat? How can you not know about this news?”
Yang Kai queried in a deep voice, “What happened?”
The man whispered, “The Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed.”
“What!?” Yang Kai was so appalled that he could not believe his ears.
The man shook his head, “Thousand Leaves Sect overestimated itself like an ant and tried to shake a mighty tree. A year ago, the Sect was destroyed and all of its disciples fled. Friend, if you have anything to do with Thousand Leaves Sect, you’d best sever those ties as soon as possible lest you draw trouble to yourself.”
This person seemed to have kindly warned Yang Kai for the sake of that High-Rank Source Crystal.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, however.
A year ago, he brought the three Monster Kings to destroy the Seeking Passion Sect, but he did not expect that Thousand Leaves Sect would also be destroyed at the same time.
He happened to encounter the long-lost Chi Yue, Gui Zu, Ai Ou, and others during that time when he was invited by Ye Jing Han, the daughter of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master in Maplewood City to Thousand Leaves Sect to repair their hidden Space Array and restore their connection to a Small Sealed World which contained their lost inheritance.
Yang Kai was not well connected with the Thousand Leaves Sect, so they meant little to him personally, but Chi Yue and the others were in the Thousand Leaves Sect so that made all the difference.
Now that the Thousand Leaves Sect was wiped out, what happened to Chi Yue and the others?
Yang Kai had tight bonds with those who came to the Star Boundary from Heng Luo Star Field with him. Chi Yue was Shan Qing Luo’s adoptive mother, so she was considered to be his mother-in-law; Ai Ou was Xue Yue’s father, his father-in-law, Gui Zu was the Supreme Elder of his High Heaven Sect, and the two of them had been through many life-and-death experiences together. The only one he was less familiar with was Gu Cang Yun, the Union Master of Sword Union…
Yang Kai’s face was scrunched up at the sudden bad news, and terrifying murderous intent instantly diffused into the air as he stared at this unknown man, “Are you lying to me?”
The expression of the man who initially did not pay much attention to Yang Kai changed drastically when he felt Yang Kai’s aura, yelping in amazement, “Emperor Realm!”
He did not expect this young man who stopped to ask for directions was actually an Emperor Realm Master. Had he known this, he would not dare have spoken so carelessly just now.
The cold murderous intent as thick as substance lingered next to him, making him feel like he could die at any moment, so he could not help but sweat profusely and stutter, “S-S-Sir… this lowly one isn’t lying! The Thousand Leaves Sect is really gone, everyone in the Southern Territory knows this!”
“Bullshit!” Yang Kai grabbed his neck and lifted him up.
There were a million and one large and small Sects in the Star Boundary, so how could the news of the extermination of a second-class Sect like Thousand Leaves Sect, which had essentially no fame or influence, cause such commotion? Only the destruction of top Sects like the Seeking Passion Sect would turn an entire territory into an uproar.
To put it even more bluntly, the destruction of Thousand Leaves Sect would just be like a stone dropped into the vast ocean of the Southern Territory, causing some small local ripples at most that would immediately dissipate.
This was why Yang Kai instinctively felt that this man was lying.
Being grabbed by the neck, the person was struggling to breathe, but to no avail.
“Young Master Yang!” Ying Fei cautioned from the side, aware that Yang Kai’s mood was greatly affected while also realizing that this Thousand Leaves Sect should have an extremely important place in Yang Kai’s heart.
Yang Kai frowned and quickly realized he had lost control of his emotions. He loosened his grip and set the man down before quickly ordering, “Tell me everything you know. I won’t mistreat you if you are really telling the truth.”
The man choked and sputtered for a long time, tears running down his cheeks, but he did not dare to show any irritation. When he finally caught his breath after a while, “Sir, what… What do you want to know?”
The Emperor Realm Master in front of him seemed to be subject to shifting mood, so he did not dare to try to guess his thoughts and could only inquire carefully.
“Who destroyed the Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
“I heard that they angered the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.”
“Flowing Shadow Sword Sect!” Yang Kai frowned, trying to recall where he had heard about this Sect.
After thinking carefully, he eventually remembered that it was in the Four Seasons Realm that he had encountered some disciples from the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. In Yang Kai’s impression, this Sect was not a first-class Sect with considerable strength.
“Why did the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect annihilate Thousand Leaves Sect?” Yang Kai pressed on, “What deep grievances did the two have with each other?”
The man hurriedly replied, “There was no deep hatred, but the treasures of Thousand Leaves Sect provoked jealousy!”
A thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he quickly guessed, “The Heaven Grade Puppets?”
The so-called Heaven Grade Puppets were the core inheritance of Thousand Leaves Sect from thousands of years ago. Back then, while Thousand Leaves Sect’s inheritance was intact, its Ancestors had profound attainments in the Dao of Puppets and had refined a dozen or so Heaven Grade Puppets for the Sect. Every Heaven Grade Puppet was comparable to an Emperor Realm Master.
The Thousand Leaves Sect in its heyday was also a top Sect in the Southern Territory, renowned throughout the Star Boundary.
However, its descendants were too mediocre and were unable to carry forward the glory of their ancestors. Their reputation declined from generation to generation, and Thousand Leaves Sect was eventually reduced to a mere third-class Sect, with most of its knowledge of Puppet Arts being lost to history.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had repaired their hidden Space Array last time, reopening their exclusive Small Sealed World and allowing them to retrieve their long-lost Secret Techniques, enabling them to reactivate the Heaven Grade Puppets.
Liu Yan’s current body was also obtained from that Small Sealed World. If it were not for that opportunity, Liu Yan would still have no physical form of her own.
The man nodded his head earnestly at Yang Kai’s mention of the Heaven Grade Puppet, “Exactly. It turns out that Sir also knows about the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets. In the past few years, Thousand Leaves Sect regained control of its lost inheritance for some reason, the Heaven Grade Puppets, which had been sealed for many years. The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect seemed to be quite interested in these treasures and launched a war to destroy the Thousand Leaves Sect.”
“That’s it?” Yang Kai’s face darkened and looked ugly.
The man smiled bitterly, “The world revolves around benefits and profits. It’s hard not to attract people’s attention given that the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator while he and his Sect possessed multiple Heaven Grade Puppets that were comparable to Emperor Realm Masters.”
It was true. If there was an Emperor assuming command of the Thousand Leaves Sect, it would still be acceptable for them to control Heaven Grade Puppets comparable to Emperor Realm cultivators, but the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master Ye Hen was nothing but a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so it was inevitable for others to feel he was unworthy of the Heaven Grade Puppets.
After pondering for a while though, Yang Kai interrogated coldly, “The Thousand Leaves Sect had over ten Heaven Grade Puppets, each having strength comparable to an Emperor Realm Master. How could the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect so easily destroy them?”
He knew the capabilities of those Heaven Grade Puppets because Liu Yan owned a White Tiger Heaven Grade Puppet, which could exert a combat power comparable to a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Although the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was good, it was not a top Sect of the Southern Territory, so how could it be possible for them to overwhelm such a formidable force so easily?
The man laughed wryly, “I really don’t know, everyone found this point strange as well. The Heaven Grade Puppets from the Thousand Leaves Sect were probably not as powerful as the rumours claimed them to be.”
This was also true in a sense. Although each Heaven Grade Puppet was powerful, it required a human to control it, and since there was no Emperor Realm Master in Thousand Leaves Sect, the full potential of any Heaven Grade Puppet couldn’t be displayed. However, Yang Kai had a feeling that the matter was not as simple as it seemed.
“What happened to the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect after it was destroyed?” Yang Kai asked anxiously.
The man replied, “Some died, some escaped. I’m afraid not many survived, but I heard that some of them were captured, and among those who were captured there was actually a Star Master of a Lower Star Field!”
“Is that true?” Yang Kai’s eyes flashed brightly.
The man gave a wry laugh, “I would not dare to deceive Sir. Many people in the Star Boundary originally came from Lower Star Fields, but only a small minority of them are Star Masters. It is said that to become a Star Master, one needs to refine a Star Source, but I don’t know how that guy was fortunate enough to get a complete Star Source. Although that person’s cultivation was not high, he had a bright future. This is also information that was publicized by the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Otherwise, how would this have caused such an uproar in the Southern Territory?”
“Why are they trying to spread this news?” Yang Kai asked with a weird expression, his anxiety having calmed greatly.
The Star Master mentioned by this man was, if Yang Kai was not mistaken, Ai Ou.
Since Ai Ou was fine, Chi Yue and the others should be fine too. Of course, this was just the ideal outcome he was hoping for while it was possible that they had encountered some kind of accident.
“What else could they do? They are spreading the news to promote the auction Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is going to hold a month from now. They wanted to let it be widely known so they could sell off the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect and that Star Master at a high price.”
“Is a Star Master something that can be auctioned off?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The man laughed wryly again, “Sir must be joking. That Star Master has a complete Star Source inside of him, so if it can be extracted and transferred to a disciple with good aptitude, that disciple will have a boundless future and admirers will rush to him like flocks.”
After hearing what he said, Yang Kai suddenly recalled the time when he encountered Yin Le Sheng in the Starlight Corridor. Back then, Yin Le Sheng seemed to be extremely interested in the Star Source in his body, and even claimed that he had a Secret Technique that could extract and transfer it to another.
Now it seemed that Yin Le Sheng was not lying.
A complete Star Source played an extremely important role in the cultivation of a cultivator. In this case, Ai Ou’s life was currently not in danger, but Yang Kai was worried about Chi Yue and the others.
“In a month, Flowing Shadow City…” Yang Kai murmured to himself, already forming plans in his mind.
Now that the Thousand Leaves Sect had been wiped out, and it had already been a year since it happened, there was no need to rush to take action no matter how anxious he was. He could only wait for an opportunity.
“One last question. Where is Thousand Leaves Sect and where is Flowing Shadow City?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice, looking at him intimidatingly.
That person dared not to disobey Yang Kai, and pointed in the two directions obediently.
He did not get a response for a long time, and turned to find that the young man had already disappeared. He felt like he had just escaped death and it was only then that he realized that his clothes were drenched in sweat, as if he was just fished out of a lake.
Up in the sky, Yang Kai and Ying Fei were speeding side by side like lightning.
Ying Fei did not dare to probe Yang Kai, who seemed to be in a bad mood, but secretly felt that someone was going to be in trouble now.
If Yang Kai dared to destroy a huge Sect like Seeking Passion Sect in the Northern Territory, this Flowing Shadow Sword Sect’s end would probably not be good.
After a long silence, Ying Fei finally commented, “Young Master Yang, I don’t know if it’s just me, but something feels off.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “I can feel it too. What are your thoughts?”
It was said that bystanders would have a clearer picture of the situation than the involved party. Yang Kai was too focused on inquiring about Thousand Leaves Sect, Chi Yue, and the others, and did not have the presence of mind to carefully consider all aspects of this situation. However, the cold wind whipping past them must have calmed him down, allowing him to notice many strange points.
Now that Ying Fei mentioned it, he immediately comprehended that he was already sceptical of the described scenario, feeling something was really off.
Ying Fei answered, “Since the Thousand Leaves Sect was wiped out a year ago, why wasn’t the auction held immediately? If hosting an auction to reap profits was the ultimate goal of all this, it should have been hosted a long time ago. Not only that, but this news seems to have been deliberately spread out as if they wanted to make sure it reaches someone, and they have been fermenting the news over the past year as if they were afraid that it would not reach their intended target.”
The last time Yang Kai came to Thousand Leaves Sect, it still had towering mountains and beautiful scenery, but all that was now replaced with depressing ruins.
The mountains and plains were filled with devastated houses, and the pavilions in the forest were basically all collapsed. Traces of war could be seen everywhere, while the blood on the ground had long dried up. Birds were still flitting across the sky, but the land was a scorched mess.
As Yang Kai flew overhead slowly, his face darkened.
He scanned the place with his Divine Sense and found no living people inside the vast Thousand Leaves Sect, only some birds and beasts living in the mountains, the air still filled with a pungent smell of decomposition.
The Thousand Leaves Sect had really been wiped out.
Although the Thousand Leaves Sect was not a big Sect, it still had over ten thousand years of history and once held a top position in the Southern Territory, with countless disciples and Masters at its command. But now, the Thousand Leaves Sect no longer existed in the world anymore.
A blaze of anger churned in Yang Kai’s chest that left him feeling dreadfully uncomfortable. Although it was just intuition, Yang Kai felt that this had something to do with him.
But no matter how much he racked his brain, he still could not figure out what kind of connection he had with the Thousand Leaf Sect that had led it to its demise.
Perhaps, he could only ask the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect to understand the reason for all this.
Abruptly, Yang Kai lifted his head and looked in the direction of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s main hall, which seemed to have a few living auras inside of it.
His eyes turned solemn as he immediately headed towards it.
After a short while, he landed in front of the main hall. There was supposed to be a statue standing in this plaza, a representation of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Ancestral Founder, a symbol of worship for all of this great man’s descendants. However, the status had collapsed long ago, seemingly having been cut down by a single slash of a sword. The cut was neat, and it must have been done by someone with outstanding strength. Yang Kai touched the cut, and he felt a remnant aura of wind still lingering about it.
Inside the main hall, a smell of cooking meat wafted out, and Yang Kai could vaguely hear the murmurs of a few people.
Yang Kai pushed the door, sending a gust of cold wind into the building.
There were a few people sitting on the ground in the main hall beside a bonfire, which was cooking up some unknown broth. Each of these people were drinking from a large bowl of wine in one hand, while gnawing on big chunks of meat they held in the other, truly enjoying themselves.
They turned around simultaneously at the sound of the doors being thrown open, and a man who was slightly older straightened up and glared at Yang Kai while shouting, “Who are you!?”
Yang Kai checked them out and found that they were not Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, so he could not help feeling a bit disappointed.
But honestly, if there were some disciples that survived the Thousand Leaves Sect’s destruction, they would probably have run away and hidden somewhere rather than openly squatting in the ruins of their Sect.
Among the people here, the strongest was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, while the rest were just Saint Kings. They seemed to be just some rogue cultivators without any big background.
Now that the Thousand Leaves Sect was exterminated, a deserted and vast mountain range like this naturally became an excellent refuge for them.
Yang Kai did not mean to waste his time on them and immediately asked, “Is there no one alive from the Thousand Leaves Sect here?”
In case they did not realize who they were dealing with, Yang Kai purposely released some of his aura while he spoke.
The few people rapidly sensed this threat, especially the man who put up a domineering demeanour before, and their faces changed instantly. The leader got up and bowed deeply as he addressed Yang Kai nervously, “I didn’t see any.”
The answer was as Yang Kai expected and he nodded in acknowledgement, sweeping his gaze left and right, not saying anything more.
Cold sweat was trickling down the lead man’s forehead like droplets of rain. He was petrified on the same spot where he stood. It took quite a long while before Yang Kai turned around and exited the hall.
Only then did the few cultivators in the main hall feel relieved, their muscles relaxing from the tension. To them, a Master like Yang Kai could easily take away their lives if he wanted, and these so-called Masters usually had wild mood swings so no one would know when they would suddenly start slaughtering.
Therefore, it was better for them to avoid these Masters while they were out in the world.
The small group who just escaped death exchanged knowing looks before they fled out of the main hall, running away as fast as they could, ignoring the almost done broth.
In a nameless mountain valley, Yang Kai looked around for a while, then stood in a certain place with his eyes brightened.
This mountain valley was familiar to Yang Kai. He had come here before when he visited Thousand Leaves Sect, because this was their Restricted Area. No one could enter this place except the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect in previous generations.
From the outside, this place looked like a normal mountain valley, but it was actually covered by a huge Illusion Array, and a Space Array that led to the Small Sealed World owned by Thousand Leaves Sect was hidden here.
Emperor Heaven Valley!
Yang Kai finally remembered the name of the Small Sealed World. It was this Emperor Heaven Valley where Yang Kai encountered the powerful Corpse Puppet and Liu Yan obtained her Spirit Puppet body.
There should have been a war in the mountain valley that day, because there were traces of battle all around, dried blood and bones scattered about everywhere. It seemed that many had died on the day Thousand Leaves Sect was attacked.
Yang Kai carefully examined the damaged Space Array in the middle of the mountain valley for a moment before his eyes lit up.
He could see that the Space Array was destroyed by brute force, and the person who did this seemed to be in a rush, as if there was an emergency at that time.
Yang Kai could not help guessing that the person who destroyed this Space Array was the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen.
It would be good news if it was him, because there was a great possibility that there were still some Thousand Leaves Sect disciples alive in Emperor Heaven Valley if that was the case.
If it was Ye Hen, knowing that his Sect could not be saved anymore, he would immediately transfer his disciples and relatives to Emperor Heaven Valley and destroy the Space Array in order to save their lives.
Emperor Heaven Valley was a Small Sealed World that, while not big, would have no trouble supporting a large number of people while keeping them safe as long as the Space Array was destroyed.
The traces of the hastily destroyed Space Array also proved this point.
With a single thought, Yang Kai stood up and commanded, “Monster King, stand guard here.”
He wanted to reopen the Space Array and have a look inside the Emperor Heaven Valley. Everything would be clear then.
Ying Fei straightened up as he nodded before disappearing in an instant, hiding in some unknown place.
With a swing of Yang Kai’s sleeve, a gust of wind blew the debris away on the damaged Space Array and he reached out his hand to touch the remaining base.
This Space Array of the Thousand Leaves Sect was repaired by Yang Kai last time, so although it was damaged again, it was not difficult for Yang Kai to repair it again with his past experience.
As Space Principles fluctuated, a hum in the air around Yang Kai began, and soon, the local space began to warp and collapse.
From the void, there seemed to be a mysterious force resonating with Yang Kai, and a connection to some other space that had been severed seemed to be repairing itself.
*Hua… *
A dark portal entrance suddenly opened, one filled with chaotic nothingness, giving out an uneasy feeling as if it could devour all things.
A Void Corridor!
Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles to maintain the stability of the Void Corridor before he stood up and shouted, “Monster King!”
Ying Fei reappeared by his side, looking at the Void Corridor in awe.
Even a man as strong as him did not underestimate this seemingly quaint existence, because once he was trapped in it, he would likely be lost in the Void Crack, never able to find his way out again.
With a big wave of his hand, Yang Kai wrapped the two of them with his Emperor Qi and rushed directly into the corridor.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them vanished, together with the newly formed Void Corridor.
Yang Kai and Ying Fei appeared at the same time on the Space Array in Emperor Heaven Valley.
There was no one around this place. Yang Kai started to search the ground with his clear-sighted eyes, and soon, his vision lit up.
He saw some traces of blood on the ground and many distinct sets of footprints.
Ying Fei sniffed the air and informed quickly, “There are many people here.”
As a Monster King, his sense of smell was naturally remarkable.
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement before turning his sight in a certain direction, “Over there.”
He remembered there was a mountain valley and many caves on that side. It was also where he met the Corpse Puppet last time. If any Thousand Leaves Sect disciples survived and escaped here, they should have settled down in that mountain valley.
The two of them flew to the mountain valley.
Emperor Heaven Valley was not big, but its World Energy was quite rich despite it being a Small Sealed World. Therefore, it became the foundation for the establishment of the Thousand Leaves Sect in the past.
After a stick of incense, the pair reached the sky above the mountain valley. Yang Kai did not hide himself but deliberately released his aura for all to feel.
Rustles were heard from the surrounding mountain valley, followed by the flashing of shadows. Cultivators with different levels of strength came out from the forest one after another, all of them staring at Yang Kai with pale faces.
No one else had come here for more than a year since they had first gone into hiding. They thought that it was the safest place in the world as the array outside had been destroyed and no one could enter.
But today, two outsiders broke into this place.
This frightened the Thousand Leaves Sect survivors, for they had no idea what kind of fate was awaiting them. The scene of the annihilation of their Sect one year ago was still vivid in their memories, and the devastating pathos full of blood and tears was still fermenting in their hearts. Was the time for them, who had a second chance of living, coming to an end?
Two people came out of the biggest cave at that moment, one tall, the other graceful.
“Senior Sister Ye, Senior Brother Du!”
The Thousand Leaves Sect disciples saluted this pair respectfully.
When Ye Jing Han and Du Xian appeared, unlike the distressed disciples, they seemed quite overjoyed.
Because when Ye Hen sent them into Emperor Heaven Valley, he told them that if someone reopened Emperor Heaven Valley one day, it would certainly be Yang Kai!
As such, when they sensed that outsiders had entered Emperor Heaven Valley, their first thought was that Yang Kai had come.
Now that they saw it for themselves, they realized it was indeed Yang Kai! The appearance of his familiar figure was the best news they had in the past year.
“Young Master Yang…” Ye Jing Han’s tears ran down her face just when she was about to speak.
The last time she saw Yang Kai, the Thousand Leaves Sect was still in high spirits after having regained its ancestral legacy and taken back the Secret Techniques it had lost millennia ago. However, the Thousand Leaves Sect had changed a lot now, having completely lost its previous glory. Seeing Yang Kai reminded Ye Jing Han of her father, and she could not control her sorrow because she did not know whether he was still alive or dead.
“Brother Yang!” Du Xian cupped his fists excitedly, even though he was not as emotional as Ye Jing Han.
As long as Yang Kai had come, they would have an opportunity to leave here, and would not need to be trapped in Emperor Heaven Valley all their lives. Although the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed without reason and the enemy was strong, as the Eldest Senior Brother of the younger generation in the Thousand Leaves Sect, he had the responsibility and obligation to seek revenge.
To get revenge though, he first needed to improve his strength, and secondly, he needed to find a way to leave this place.
Improving his strength was something he could do on his own, but he could only rely on Yang Kai to leave here.
“Sister Ye, Brother Du…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, sighing, “My deepest condolences.”
He did not know what else to say. It was understandable for anyone who suffered the destruction of their own Sect to be emotional, so he tried to be considerate of Ye Jing Han’s distress.
The clueless Thousand Leaves Sect disciples watched the three of them exchange a few sentences, and seemed to have an inkling of his identity. Soon, the crowd below burst into discussion.
Ever since they took refuge in this place, Du Xian told them not to be discouraged and not to give up lightly, for they still had a chance to leave here and avenge their Sect, as long as a person named Yang Kai arrived.
Now that he was here, many Thousand Leaves Sect disciples rejoiced and looked at Yang Kai eagerly.
“Is everyone here?” Yang Kai glanced around, but was a little disappointed that the people he hoped to meet were nowhere to be seen.
There were not many here, at most only five hundred Thousand Leaves Sect survivors gathered in this mountain valley. The cultivations of this group were uneven, and less than ten of them were Dao Source Realm.
“Young Master Yang, let’s continue inside!” Ye Jing Han recovered a little, wiped the corners of her eyes, and gestured.
Yang Kai nodded and walked towards the cave. Ying Fei followed closely behind with his aura hidden from the others.
The cave appeared to have been inhabited for a while. Ye Jing Han, Du Xian, and the others had lived here for more than a year, working hard on cultivating with the motivation that one day they would be able to seek justice for their Sect.
There was no furniture in the cave, so the few of them sat on the floor. It seemed that Ye Jing Han and Du Xian held the highest cultivation and status among the few remaining Thousand Leaves Sect disciples.
“What happened exactly? I only heard that the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed by the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Is that really the case?” Yang Kai asked.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian looked at each other, and the former nodded slightly while the latter answered, “Brother Yang has heard correctly. The ones who destroyed our Thousand Leaves Sect indeed came from the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.”
“It was also rumoured that the Heaven Grade Puppets were the reason the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect attacked. Is that true?”
Du Xian raged, “The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect cultivates the Sword Dao and has always focused on swordsmanship, so they wouldn’t be tempted even if our Thousand Leaves Sect had Heaven Grade Puppets! There must be a mastermind behind this matter!”
Yang Kai raised his brow, and probed, “Why do you say this?”
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian looked at each other again, hesitant to speak.
Yang Kai persuaded them, “It’s okay. Since I am here, I naturally have to investigate this matter clearly. I have friends in the Thousand Leaves Sect too.”
Hearing this, Du Xian spoke, “Brother Yang… Do you remember Hua Qing Si?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Sister Hua?”
How could he not know Hua Qing Si? From the sound of Du Xian’s words, the destruction of the Thousand Leaves Sect seemed to have something to do with Hua Qing Si, causing his suspicions to increase. Moreover, he had not seen Hua Qing Si after their separation in the Shattered Star Sea.
Yang Kai did not know where Hua Qing Si had gone.
Sister Hua knew a lot of his secrets, especially about the Sealed World Bead, but he trusted her and had returned her freedom to her, even gifting her a lot of valuable resources such as the Extraordinary Treasure Pill.
Du Xian continued, “After the Shattered Star Sea closed, Hua Qing Si suddenly came to the Thousand Leaves Sect and said that she had an agreement with Brother Yang to wait for you here at the Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded and confirmed, “Yes. We did make such arrangements.”
When he was separated from Hua Qing Si in the Shattered Star Sea that day, Yang Kai had said that if she could not find him before it closed, she could wait for him at the Thousand Leaves Sect, because Chi Yue and the others were still in the Thousand Leaves Sect and he would return there one day.
Now, it seemed that Sister Hua had indeed kept her promise and came to the Thousand Leaves Sect after leaving the Shattered Star Sea.
Du Xian asked with a solemn expression, “Does Brother Yang know her true origins?”
Yang Kai simply replied, “She’s a Star Soul Palace disciple.”
This was not a secret as he knew it a long time ago. Hua Qing Si was ordered by her Master to go to Maplewood City to trace the death of an exiled disciple of Star Soul Palace, Han Leng. There, she encountered Yang Kai, who turned her into a Soul Slave and sent her into the Sealed World Bead after a series of twists and turns.
Du Xian was surprised, “Brother Yang actually knows?”
He thought that Yang Kai was clueless about this. He did not know that Yang Kai’s mind was clear as a bright mirror and assumed that Hua Qing Si had used Yang Kai, so he was a little bit hesitant to talk about it, but now it seemed that the situation was not what he had thought.
Now he was confused.
Yang Kai frowned, “Brother Du, you can be honest. I trust Sister Hua. The tragedy the Thousand Leaves Sect suffered should not have anything to do with her.”
If he did not trust her, it would have been impossible for Yang Kai to set her free, he would still be controlling her life through her Soul Brand.
Du Xian grunted before continuing, “Brother Yang, when the Senior Hua returned to the Thousand Leaves Sect, she was already an Emperor Realm Master, but she said that she had an appointment with you, and she would wait for you at the Thousand Leaves Sect, so Honoured Master cordially invited her to stay in the Sect. During that time, she was very close to Chi Yue and the other Honoured Guests.”
Hua Qing Si was aware of the relationship between Yang Kai and Chi Yue and the others, so there was nothing suspicious about them getting close to each other. Hua Qing Si had apparently also broken through to the Emperor Realm during her stay in the Shattered Star Sea, not putting the Extraordinary Treasure Pill that Yang Kai gave her to waste.
“It was peaceful at that time since our Thousand Leaves Sect had regained its long-lost inheritance and had an Emperor Realm Master in the Sect as a guest. Everything seemed to be going well.” Nostalgia flitted across Du Xian’s face as he reminisced the short period of his thriving Sect, “Unfortunately, those times did not last. Suddenly, one day, a very powerful Master came to the Thousand Leaves Sect to find Senior Hua. We could not see the cultivation of that person but he was obviously an Emperor as well.”
“No one knew what the person said to Senior Hua, but it was also at that time that we came to learn that Senior Hua was not just a disciple of the Star Soul Palace, but the direct Disciple of a Star Soul Palace Elder.”
“After that person left, our Sect Master went to see Senior Hua, but Senior Hua was nowhere to be seen. No one knew where she went, but since Senior Hua was from Star Soul Palace, and also an Emperor Realm Master, we believed that no one would dare to hurt her, so we did not take this matter to heart. But just one month after that incident, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect suddenly attacked our Thousand Leaves Sect for no reason, seemingly determined to exterminate us.”
Yang Kai listened for a while, and then concluded calmly, “So, you are guessing that this matter has something to do with Sister Hua? How is it related?”
Du Xian explained, “It’s not just a guess, because when our Sect was under attack, the Master who had come for Senior Hua was there too. I witnessed that man from afar before, so although I couldn’t see his face clearly, I definitely could not mistake his figure. That person is definitely a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, that’s the only explanation for why he could suppress all of our Heaven Grade Puppets!”
Ye Jing Han nodded from the side and added, “Yes, I saw that person too. That person subdued most of our Heaven Grade Puppets personally, which was why we weren’t able to resist the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect!”
Yang Kai’s face turned ugly when he heard this and finally understood the reason why the Thousand Leaves Sect was not able to resist even with the help of their Heaven Grade Puppets. It turned out a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master had intervened in this matter, but… why?
If that Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was from Star Soul Palace, he should only have been interested in finding Hua Qing Si who was also a Star Soul Palace disciple. She did not betray her Master Sect, but instead just failed to complete the task assigned by her Honoured Master. It was unreasonable to use the hands of others to wipe out the Thousand Leaves Sect just for that.
Yang Kai could not help smelling a waft of conspiracy.
Looking up at Du Xian, Yang Kai pondered, “The mastermind mentioned by Brother Du before, is it …”
Saying so, he pointed his finger at the sky.
Du Xian smiled bitterly and shook his head, “I don’t know, but the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had no reason to attack our Thousand Leaves Sect. There had to have been someone else inciting them.”
He previously suspected Hua Qing Si and Star Soul Palace, but now when he thought about it carefully, if Star Soul Palace really wanted to deal with the Thousand Leaves Sect, why would they go through so much trouble to do so? Star Soul Palace was the overlord of the Southern Territory, a Great Emperor Sect, it could crush Thousand Leaves Sect upfront and with little to no effort if it wanted to.
For a moment, there was silence.
“Young Master Yang, since you came in from the outside, did you hear any news about my father?” Ye Jing Han looked at Yang Kai a little nervously.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I only returned to the Southern Territory a short time ago and don’t really know the whole situation. Did Sect Master Ye not perish?”
Ye Jing Han’s eyes grew wet again as she whimpered, “I don’t know. My father sent us into the Emperor Heaven Valley that day and destroyed the Space Array outside. We don’t know what happened afterwards.”
Du Xian recounted, “Honoured Master wanted to send in Chi Yue and the other Honoured Guests too, but they refused, insisting on remaining behind to help defend the Sect with other disciples. Now… it’s unknown if they’re alive or dead.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, Chi Yue and others were overlords back in Heng Luo Star Field, so although they were a little restricted after coming to the Star Boundary, they were well taken care of in the Thousand Leaves Sect, so when the latter fell into danger, with their personalities, they would not stand idly by.
“You don’t need to worry about them. Since they acted of their own accord, they are responsible for their own fate,” Yang Kai sighed loudly. It could only be confirmed now that Ai Ou was still alive, but his worry for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and Gu Cang Yun’s lives could not help deepening.
Yang Kai next stood up and suggested, “In one month, Flowing Shadow Sword Sect will hold an auction in Flowing Shadow City. The auction items are the Heaven Grade Puppets from your Sect. Would you like to take a look?”
“What?” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were both shocked.
Yang Kai sneered, “This auction is the key. The truth will be revealed as long as we attend.”
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were infuriated at the news that Flowing Shadow Sword Sect wanted to publicly auction the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect. They could not complain because their Sect was destroyed due to their weak strength, but it was a disgrace that the precious treasures of their Sect would be auctioned off like common goods.
It was the same as digging up the bodies of the dead and whipping them just for the sake of embarrassing them.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian could not wait to fly to Flowing Shadow City to sabotage the auction and snatch back the Heaven Grade Puppets.
But after a moment of anger, they became dejected again. Without strength, everything was just an empty dream. Even if they could go to Flowing Shadow City, it would be like trying to beat a dog with a meat bun.
The reason they hid here was to improve their strength, until one day they become strong enough to get revenge.
Seeing their concerns, Yang Kai responded, “No matter what your decision, I’ll still be going to Flowing Shadow City.”
Du Xian was shocked, and replied anxiously, “But Brother Yang, Flowing Shadow City is the base of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Since they dare to hold an auction, they will be fully prepared. Wouldn’t that be akin to stepping into a trap?”
Yang Kai grinned, “That depends on if their trap could hold me.”
“Brother Yang, you…” Du Xian felt deep admiration for his courage, but his eyes soon lit up as he asked, “Has Brother Yang already reached the Emperor Realm!?”
Ye Jing Han was stunned when she heard his question.
They had not been paying attention to Yang Kai’s cultivation, because when they met Yang Kai back then, his realm was similar to theirs, but now, seeing the confidence on Yang Kai’s face, they could not help releasing their Divine Sense to check.
Their Divine Senses were like stones being thrown into the sea though, unable to create any waves. All they could sense was a vague Emperor Aura lingering about Yang Kai’s figure.
He was indeed already an Emperor Realm Master.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were flabbergasted by the speed of Yang Kai’s cultivation and growth. However, when they thought about it again, they recalled that there were many talents in the world who they could not catch up to, and who could climb the ranks of the Martial Dao at superb speed.
It was precisely because of these talents that the world became so interesting.
Du Xian pressed on with a solemn face, “But Brother Yang, even if you are an Emperor Realm Master, Flowing Shadow City… is still a dangerous place; like a dragon’s nest or a tiger’s den.”
He implied that Yang Kai should not go.
Not to mention that Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had an Emperor Realm Sect Master, the man behind the extermination of Thousand Leaves Sect was already not someone that an ordinary Emperor Realm Master could easily deal with, and if this matter really involved Star Soul Palace, the Thousand Leaves Sect would be forced to choke down its grievances.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “It won’t be fun if it’s not a dragon’s nest or a tiger’s den.”
Both Ye Jing Han and Du Xian looked at Yang Kai dumbfounded, wondering how he could be so confident. However, when they recalled the destruction of their Sect and the tragic death of their numerous Junior Brothers and Sisters, it made their blood boil. Soon, they nodded solemnly, “Good, we will go too. Even if we have to fight to the death, we must get back our Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets.”
Although they were fired up now, they both knew that it was impossible for them to achieve this with their current strength. Once their identities were exposed in Flowing Shadow City, they would be surrounded and annihilated.
Since the feud between Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and Thousand Leaves Sect had already been planted, it was natural that Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had to cut grass and pull out roots, leaving no chance for revival.
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s the spirit.”
He wanted to bring Ye Jing Han and Du Xian with him not because he was expecting any contributions from them, as they were just two Dao Source Realm cultivators and could do nothing in this kind of war, but because they were people of the Thousand Leaves Sect after all. One was the daughter of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master, while the other was the Eldest Disciple of the younger generation in the Thousand Leaves Sect. Taking them with him to Flowing Shadow City was like Yang Kai’s ticket to participate in this fight, otherwise, for an outsider like him to meddle in the affair of the Thousand Leaves Sect, to put it nicely, he would be a kind helper; but to put it unpleasantly, he was just a busybody.
He also did not want to expose his relationship with Ai Ou and the others for the time being.
Now that they had made a decision, Ye Jing Han and Du Xian no longer hesitated. They summoned some of their faithful disciples and ordered them to carry on their cultivation in Emperor Heaven Valley. If Ye Jing Han and Du Xian failed to make it back, the revival of the Thousand Leaves Sect would fall on their shoulders.
Naturally, those Thousand Leaves Sect disciples tried their best to persuade them to think twice, but since the two of them had made up their minds, they would not be convinced by a few words.
Half a day later, Yang Kai left Emperor Heaven Valley with the young couple and returned to the nameless mountain valley in Thousand Leaves Sect through the Space Array.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were both natives of the Southern Territory, so they were familiar with Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and Flowing Shadow City. They had even been to Flowing Shadow City several times in the past, so with their guidance, the group of four travelled as fast as lightning towards their destination.
In just three days, the group of four people arrived at Flowing Shadow City.
Looking from a distance, Flowing Shadow City could be considered quite vast, with magnificent and towering buildings everywhere the eye could see. The city wall was more than several tens of meters tall, and there was a huge greatsword hovering in the air above the city gate. The greatsword seemed to be made of refined metal, and it was clearly thick and solid, hanging over the city gate, seemingly ready to fall at any time and split the earth in two, but it was a common sight for those cultivators who were entering and leaving the city.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian followed behind Yang Kai with uncomfortable expressions, landing outside the city gate.
According to their plan, since they had to break into the enemy’s nest, they would have to at least disguise their appearances to avoid catching people’s attention and causing unnecessary problems, then take the opportunity to carry out their plan secretly.
However, Yang Kai did not ask them to disguise themselves, but let them show their true faces.
They were dreadfully nervous throughout the journey and were even more rigid and anxious than ever when they arrived outside Flowing Shadow City.
Although they were prepared to die, they at least needed their deaths to serve a purpose. If they died for no reason, they might as well just stay in Emperor Heaven Valley, endure the hardship of isolation, and spend the next few hundred years cultivating.
But Yang Kai seemed to have a card up his sleeve, which made it difficult for them to ask in detail.
At the city gate, many cultivators were waiting in line to enter the city, just like every other prosperous city. Flowing Shadow City was always an affluent place, moreover, with the auction fair that was about to be held, drawing many here from throughout the Southern Territory who were interested in the Heaven Grade Puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect or the Star Master with a complete Star Source.
At this moment, the streets in Flowing Shadow City were full of Dao Source Realm cultivators, and there were even a number of Emperors to be found. Masters were simply as common as clouds here.
Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, Li Qing was taking charge.
As a First-Order Emperor who also majored in the Sword Dao, Li Qing Yun was considered a powerful Master in the Southern Territory. Given his status, he did not have to be here, but due to the upcoming auction, there were more and more Emperor Realm Masters in the Flowing Shadow City as many first-class Sects sent delegations to attend the event. No one in the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect could handle such a situation aside from the Sect Master himself.
During this period, Li Qing Yun had greeted numerous Masters from places his Flowing Shadow Sword Sect could not afford to offend, so since they visited his territory, as the owner of this place, he had to visit them to show courtesy.
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect did not usually have this opportunity to make friends with so many Masters.
Nevertheless, Li Qing Yun was already tired of dealing with this situation as it left him no time for anything else, even cultivation. Moreover, as the day of the auction drew nearer, his nerves also grew tighter.
Although his cultivation was not very high, he was notably sensitive to crises thanks to cultivating a Dao highly related to killing.
He kept feeling that something serious was going to happen at this auction, and if he was not careful, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect might be annihilated because of it.
However, the auction had to be held, as it was the command of that Sir; Li Qing Yun could not disobey at all.
After a long sigh, the Emperor Artifact Jade Illusion Sword lying in front of him hummed slightly, as if it sensed the fluctuation of its master’s emotions.
“Sect Master!” There was a voice outside the door.
“What is it?” Li Qing Yun opened his eyes, revealing a trace of fatigue on his face. If he had a choice, he would rather practice his swordsmanship in retreat in his Sect. Mastering the Sword Dao was a long journey, perhaps one he would not be able to complete with his ability even if he spent his entire life on it. Therefore, he did not want to waste time on complicated matters. However, in the eyes of that Sir, he and the entire Flowing Shadow Sword Sect were just pawns on the chessboard that could not act of their own will.
“There is a report from the lower disciples that two survivors of Thousand Leaves Sect have appeared,” that voice replied, “It seems to be the daughter of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s Sect Master and the Head Disciple of their Sect.”
“Where?” Li Qing Yun narrowed his eyes.
“At the city gates, about to enter the city.”
Li Qing Yun squinted slightly, the unease in his heart growing stronger and stronger, as if an invisible maw was slowly closing around him. The intense alarm of a crisis froze his skin.
It had been years since he last felt this way. The Jade Illusion Sword was also trembling non-stop, only confirming that his sensation was not a false alarm.
The person outside the door waited for a long time, but there was no response from the Sect Master, so he could only continue to wait.
At the same time, the crowd in front of the city gate was alarmed and broke into chaos.
A group of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples surrounded Yang Kai and his group from both the sky and the ground while other irrelevant people retreated and watched from a distance.
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had annihilated the Thousand Leaves Sect, so although they were surprised by the sudden appearance of these people, since there was already an irresolvable grudge between them, naturally they didn’t plan on letting any enemies escape.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian had a high status in the Thousand Leaves Sect and their portraits had been spread outside. Furthermore, Yang Kai had no intention of lining up outside the city and had led his group to barge through the gates like he owned this place, not putting anyone else present in his eyes at all.
Therefore, Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples who were guarding the city gate instantly recognized Ye Jing Han and Du Xian just as they entered the city.
How embarrassing was it that the enemy had come to openly provoke them?
Without being ordered, the several dozen Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples automatically encircled this group and glared at them with hostility.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian exchanged a wry smile after seeing this.
Not to mention that Yang Kai did not let them disguise themselves, they did not expect that Yang Kai would be so bold to take the initiative to taunt the enemy. What did Yang Kai want to do? Why was he so confident that he could come and go freely from Flowing Shadow City?
But now, there was no time to regret it. They recalled what these Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples had done to the Thousand Leaves Sect a year ago, and their eyes gradually turned red while murderous intent gradually permeated the air.
Even if they had to die, they had to pull a few of their enemies down together with them, so that they did not embarrass their identities as Thousand Leaves Sect disciples.
“How dare you two break into our Flowing Shadow City! It seems that the people of the Thousand Leaves Sect really don’t know how to write the word ‘death’.”
The leader of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples, a Dao Source Realm cultivator, yelled as he stared at Ye Jing Han and Du Xian. However, when he turned his gaze to Yang Kai and Ying Fei, he suddenly looked puzzled, wondering who these two people were and why they stood together with the people of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Although Yang Kai and Ying Fei’s presence was suspicious, the lead disciple did not pay much attention to them. The Thousand Leaves Sect was just a small Sect in the Southern Territory, inferior to their Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, so it was not important if they managed to bring along some reinforcements. This was Flowing Shadow City, and no one could be impudent in the base of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.
After looking at Yang Kai for a moment, the lead disciple snorted coldly, “Your Excellency, who are you? If you are sensible enough, leave quickly. Don’t make a mistake by sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong!”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to his words and instead looked at Du Xian and Ye Jing Han, “Do you want to collect some interest first?”
Yang Kai was not interested in laying his hand on this group, but it was a great opportunity for Ye Jing Han and Du Xian to vent their hatred.
Hearing this, Du Xian looked solemn and shouted, “Good, then I shall trouble Brother Yang to stand guard!”
Yang Kai nodded and stood to the side quietly.
“Impudence!” The Flowing Shadow Sect disciple was infuriated by Du Xian’s arrogance and, as he waved his hand, ordered, “Take them down!”
*Zheng zheng… *
The sound of swords being drawn rang out as sword lights glowed. A dozen Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples acted together, covering for each other while charging forward while releasing Sword Qi and Sword Intent.
“Senior Brother!” Ye Jing Han shouted. Du Xian understood the meaning of her call and immediately turned around to stand back to back with her. The two then swung their hands simultaneously, sending out a series of ball-like objects towards the enemy.
*Kacha… *
Following a burst of cracking sounds, these flying spheres magically transformed into life-like Monster Beasts in the blink of an eye.
With the fluctuation of World Energy, four beast puppets instantly emerged before everyone.
A python, a lizard, a wolf, and a bird.
Each of them was like a living creature and if not for the absence of vitality, all would assume they were real Monster Beasts.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Back then, when he went to the Thousand Leaves Sect, many of Thousand Leaves Sect’s Secret Techniques had been lost. Thanks to his opening of Emperor Heaven Valley though, these Secret Arts and Secret Books were finally retrieved.
At that time, he did not see the true techniques of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
With the appearance of these four puppet beasts, Yang Kai realized that the Thousand Leaves Sect had developed a lot in recent years. Each of the four puppet beasts had the power comparable to a peak Dao Source Real cultivator, and given their looks, they should be the Earth Grade Puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Because of the retrieval of their lost inheritance, the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples clearly became much better at refining puppets and applying Puppet Arts than in the past.
He initially thought that Ye Jing Han and Du Xian would not be able to handle being so outnumbered, but now it seemed like he had underestimated them.
“Chi chi chi chi… *
The sword lights that slashed towards Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were sharp and swift. If they were hit, Ye Jing Han and Du Xian would not have good ends; however, they did not show any signs of condensing their Source Qi to protect themselves and instead focused on controlling the four beast puppets.
The python-like beast puppet with bright scales curled up suddenly, wrapping around Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, and blocked all the incoming Sword Qi blades with its body, resulting in a series of dazzling sparks.
*Hong long long… *
At the same time, the lizard-like beast puppet abruptly flashed and the ground around it rapidly softened. Leaping into the air, it then dove directly into the ground, disappearing from sight.
Followed by a howl, the body of the wolf puppet emitted a navy blue light as it pounced towards the two nearest Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples with its bared fangs, causing these two to be so frightened that they kept swinging their swords wildly in order to protect themselves.
But just then, the exquisite and flexible bird puppet flew in a beautiful arc, like a bolt of thunder, penetrating directly through the chest of one of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples.
The protection formed by that cultivator’s Source Qi was akin to paper before this attack.
*Pu… *
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple spurted a mouthful of blood as he felt like his chest cavity had been emptied. As he looked down, he saw that there was a bloody hole through which he could see his organs and viscera vaguely.
Being outnumbered by more than a dozen people, one of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples had actually died first in the first clash.
The faces of the onlookers in the distance went pale as they were all appalled by the strength of these beast puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
It was obvious that the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple did not die because of some mistake he made, but because he was simply overpowered. Each of the four beast puppets was comparable to a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, while the level of strength of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples was uneven, so they couldn’t resist the beast puppets even though they had the advantage in numbers.
“Retreat!” The leader was also horrified by the situation and could not believe what just happened. The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect definitely seized a lot of treasures after destroying the Thousand Leaves Sect, and there were puppets among the gains.
Although many disciples in the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect possessed the puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect now, those puppets were incomparable to the four beast puppets in front of them.
Puppet Arts required not only the strength of a puppet itself but also the corresponding Secret Arts and Secret Techniques to drive it. In other words, the power of the same puppet in their hands would be quite different from that of in the hands of a Thousand Leaves Sect disciple.
Even though the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had obtained many puppets as war trophies and studied them for some time, they still could not fully utilize their true strength, which led them to assume that these puppets were just mediocre.
But now, they knew they were wrong.
All the disciples were already frightened at the scene, so when they received the order, they naturally performed their swordsmanship together to guard themselves as they retreated quickly.
However, at this moment, the python puppet that was protecting Ye Jing Han and Du Xian suddenly whipped its tail, resulting in a resounding massacre.
The tail was as thick as a washbasin and made of some unidentifiable material, but the power of its whip could seemingly collapse a mountain. Several Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples failed to dodge the tail whip and had their abdomens cut open. Blood and bits of organs spurted from their mouths as their vitalities were wiped out.
As for those who had narrowly escaped, they couldn’t even catch their breath before a big hole suddenly opened under their feet. The lizard puppet, which had disappeared before, broke through the ground, opened its giant mouth, and bit a Flowing Shadow Sect disciple before dragging him into the earth.
The shrill scream came from underground, which frightened everyone from the tips of their hair to the marrow of their bones.
Other disciples immediately flew into the air one after another. Who would dare to stay on the ground anymore after this lesson?
However, it was not easy for them in the air, either. The wolf puppet was running at them from one direction, while the bird puppet descended upon them like lightning, each strike from the pair resulting in a spatter of blood and someone dying.
“Sword Formation!” The lead disciple of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect roared with a pale face.
He initially thought that the trivial two Thousand Leaves Sect disciples would easily be handled by them and did not really put them into his eyes. Only after the battle began did he realize who the wolf and who the sheep really were. In just a short moment, there were already seven dead on their side, and if things continued, the rest of them would meet a similar end.
At the command, the remaining Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples rapidly came together to set up a Sword Formation to resist the terrifying beast puppets.
With the protection of the python puppet, Du Xian and Ye Jing Han were still unscathed after killing seven people. They were feeling a rush of emotions at this moment as the grievances and anger they had stomached for more than a year could finally be released. As they continued controlling their beast puppets, this sense of euphoric release only grew stronger.
Du Xian laughed out loud, “Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is nothing much!”
Although his tone was arrogant, he was not distracted and continued to control the beast puppets to fight fiercely with the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples so that they could not catch a breath.
“Those whose Sect was exterminated have no right to be impudent!” A Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple bellowed. If he still did not try to gain back some face after seven of his fellow disciples died in front of their city gate and were openly mocked by Du Xian, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect would probably not be able to keep a foothold in the Southern Territory in the future anymore.
Despite being terrified by the initial slaughter, the remaining disciples gradually stood firm, their hearts filling with hatred as they could not wait to rip Du Xian and Ye Jing Han into ten thousand pieces to wash off this shame.
“Exterminated?” Du Xian looked fierce as he gritted his teeth, “How could your puny Flowing Shadow Sword Sect have dared to challenge our Thousand Leaves Sect if it weren’t for you receiving outside help? Today, I, Du Xian, came here to avenge our Thousand Leaves Sect disciples who died at your hands!”
“Try it if you can! Kill!”
“Kill!” All of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples shouted together and their Sword Intent surged. Using their Sword Formation, their auras blended together and a giant sword light slashed down from above, threatening to shatter space.
“Senior Brother!” Ye Jing Han’s face turned solemn as she performed a hand seal, causing the python puppet to shrink around them and wrap her and Du Xian up tightly.
The sword light slashed on the python puppet, sending sparks everywhere. The python shook, but Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were not hurt.
“If all you can do is cower behind your defences, why did you come to our Flowing Shadow City just to embarrass yourselves!?” A Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple sneered and shouted as he swung his hand, “Again!”
*Chi chi chi chi… *
Many earth-shaking sword lights continued to slash down, hitting the python puppet, immobilizing it. The sturdy puppet could not withstand such concentrated attacks and countless cracks soon emerged on its body.
The onlookers were commenting about the situation with each other. They all felt that these two youths from the Thousand Leaves Sect had overestimated themselves. Since they had successfully escaped a disaster once, why did they have to come and walk right into the trap? By the looks of it, they probably would not end well today.
If they had been smart, they should have found a place to hide and strengthen themselves first before trying to make a comeback and pay off old debts in the future.
“Hahahaha!” The lead Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple burst into laughter as soon as he saw that Ye Jing Han and Du Xian could not fight back as he taunted, “Let’s see how long you can hold on!”
*Hong… *
The earth suddenly split as the lizard puppet, which had vanished the whole time, abruptly emerged and rushed towards the Sword Formation, shaking its head and waving its tail. On the head of the lizard puppet, a man stood with his head held high. It was none other than Du Xian.
“Since when?” All the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples were shocked. Although they had no clue what Du Xian was doing by rushing at them while seemingly putting his life at risk, they knew that he was obviously up to no good. They instantly surged their powers and unleashed their attacks towards Du Xian.
Instead of dodging, however, Du Xian sneered.
“The Puppet Arts of the Thousand Leaves Sect… is really amazing!” Praise came out from the crowd, as if someone had figured out what was happening.
It was not just one person who saw through the situation. At that moment, many pairs of eyes hidden in the dark stared at Du Xian who was standing on the head of the lizard puppet with looks of disbelief on their faces.
Sword Qi flashed as the power of the Sword Formation burst forth. The dazzling light seemed to be able to penetrate through space itself and completely covered a large area around the city gate.
Du Xian, who bore the brunt of the attack, could not dodge as an immense and tumultuous wave of energy enveloped him.
In an instant, Du Xian was torn apart.
“Hahaha, overconfident!” The lead disciple of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect thought Du Xian had a trump card when he suddenly attacked so aggressively, but it turned out that it was just the howls of a toothless old wolf. With just a round of attacks from the Sword Formation, the enemy was ripped into pieces, drawing laughter from this man.
Just when he started cackling though, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong. His expression changed as his eyes widened when he saw the torn apart Du Xian, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable, “A Puppet!”
This bold, unhesitant, dauntless Du Xian who rushed towards them like he was ready to die, was actually not a living person but a puppet!
The puppet was so delicately crafted it was almost an exact replica of a real person, and in the midst of a fast-paced fight, it had been impossible to tell it apart from the original.
“Explode!” A low voice that sounded like a call from the underworld resounded in everyone’s ears.
The smashed Du Xian puppet suddenly radiated extremely bright scorching rays.
The extremely dangerous aura spread like a tsunami.
The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple’s complexion changed drastically as he roared, “Run!”
As he spoke, he twisted the sharp sword in his hand, condensing a layer of solid Sword Intent to protect his body. He then stomped his foot and retreated backwards.
*Hong…*
There was an explosion and a scorching white ball blew up outside the city gates, covering a full thousand-metre radius, sending out a violent gust of wind that swept across the city.
There was a muffled snort, but it abruptly stopped. All life auras inside the radius of the blast were extinguished one after another, symbolizing the fall of the cultivators, causing the nearby onlookers to look on in fright.
After some time, the dust settled.
At the gates of Flowing Shadow City, a large pit several tens of meters deep and a thousand meters wide appeared. Surrounding the pit was a chaotic mess. A large section of the city wall was collapsed, while on the ground, there were scorched dead bodies and broken pieces of limbs.
*Kacha…*
The python puppet that had been coiled tightly around Du Xian and Ye Jing Han to protect them raised its head slightly, its scarlet tongue flicking threateningly while on its curled up abdomen stood Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, unscathed.
On the messy ground, a figure struggled to get up. It was the lead disciple of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. He was the strongest among the many disciples and he was the fastest to sense the approaching danger, so although he suffered some injuries from the self-destruction of the puppet, he managed to save his life in the end.
Just as he was standing up though, the light in front of him dimmed, as if covered by something in front of him.
Looking up, it was Du Xian.
When their eyes met, the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple glared at Du Xian and angrily snarled, “You cheated!”
As he swung his sword at Du Xian, unbearable pain filled his body and his face became pale from the turbid flow of his Source Qi.
The self-destruction of Du Xian’s puppet was extremely powerful, almost equal to the self-destruction of a peak Dao Source Realm cultivator. The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples who were standing close by were annihilated by this explosion, while their leader barely managed to preserve his life while suffering severe injuries.
Du Xian’s eyes flashed red as he gritted his teeth, “Compared to what the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect did to my Thousand Leaves Sect, this is nothing! We’re just collecting a little interest before getting our revenge!”
Du Xian couldn’t reconcile with the ones who exterminated his Sect. No matter whether the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was instigated by someone else or not, they were all murderers, so Du Xian would never show mercy.
Finished with what he had to say, Du Xian lifted his palm to strike the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple’s head in an attempt to finish him off quickly.
“Impudent Junior! This is Flowing Shadow City! How dare you commit murder here!”
An angry roar sounded as the figure of an old man suddenly appeared in the sky and grabbed towards Du Xian.
A burst of Emperor Pressure permeated his surroundings, causing Du Xian to freeze in place, unable to move no matter how hard he tried.
“An Emperor!” Du Xian’s face changed, knowing that the commotion they caused just now had forced a real Master to appear, but this person did not seem to be the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, so his intentions for showing up and his connection with the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was unclear.
“How can you be so bloodthirsty at such a young age? What will happen when you grow up? This Old Master will teach you a lesson to cleanse your murderous evil!”
The old man seemed to be making a point of explaining his actions as his big hand grabbed towards Du Xian’s head.
From the surroundings, several other figures flickered and rushed towards Ye Jing Han who was standing nearby.
The Thousand Leaves Sect was just a small, insignificant Sect that no one paid attention to before. It was only because of the uproar caused by the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect that anyone even knew its name.
The Dao of Puppetry was considered an auxiliary profession, so even if it was useful, it did not attract much attention.
But today, after seeing the Puppet Arts used by Du Xian and Ye Jing Han, these hidden Emperor Realm Masters dared not underestimate them anymore. Two Thousand Leaves Sect remnants relying only on a few puppets had actually slaughtered a dozen Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples inside Flowing Shadow City. If they could obtain such a precious ability, it would definitely enhance the power of their own Sect.
So in an instant, Ye Jing Han and Du Xian became a delicious meal many people were determined to snatch in order to unearth the secrets in refining puppets.
“Who does this old thing think he is to act so brazenly?”
There was a cold snort, and a sharp burst of Emperor Qi suddenly shot towards the old man, carrying momentum like a Flood Dragon emerging from the sea.
The old man’s heart clenched as he instinctively sensed danger and had no choice but to release Du Xian. He quickly pushed seventy to eighty percent of his strength to meet this incoming attack.
*Hong…*
With a muffled sound, the old man staggered and fell back a few steps, his face going pale as his vitality tumbled, somehow managing to not cough up blood. He was secretly shocked as he stared in the direction of the source of the attack and shouted in a low voice, “Who is Your Excellency?”
Yang Kai sneered and did not answer, instead just sending out a volley of palms towards the space around Ye Jing Han.
As these strikes struck, the several sneaky figures creeping towards Ye Jing Han immediately revealed themselves, ugly looks on their faces.
Without the suppression from the old man, the Source Qi in Du Xian boiled again as he palmed the barely living Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciple into a pulp, a sense of release filling him as he roared to the sky.
Yang Kai swept his gaze across each of the Emperor Realm Masters who acted just now and asked, “Which one of you is the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect’s Sect Master?”
There was silence, and no one answered.
Ye Jing Han walked over and whispered, “That person is not here.”
When the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect invaded Thousand Leaves Sect that day, Ye Jing Han had also seen Li Qing Yun from afar, so she would recognize him if he had come.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “Is he a coward?”
He was also a little curious now. Even after so many disciples of the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect had been slaughtered, why had the Sect Master not shown up yet? The situation was a little different from what he imagined, and he could not help feeling a little irritable.
“Boy, who are you?” The old man demanded again. He suffered some injuries from Yang Kai’s attack and lost his temper when Yang Kai ignored him.
Yang Kai was already disgruntled and shot him a cold glare, “You should have stayed in your bed old man, lest you injured yourself from running around like this.”
“Impudence!” The old man was enraged. After all, he was a Sect Master and it was simply unbearable for him to be humiliated by an unknown young man. If not for Yang Kai’s strength, he would have taught him a lesson to respect his elders already, letting him know the older ginger was spicier.
“Whose disciple are you? How can you be so arrogant? Didn’t your Master teach you how to show proper respect?” A middle-aged strong man frowned, apparently disapproving of Yang Kai’s defiant attitude.
Yang Kai grinned and taunted, “Do you want to teach me how to show proper respect?”
The middle-aged strong man grunted, “Young man, it’s not a good thing to be too arrogant. You must know that there are always mountains beyond mountains!”
Yang Kai brandished the Myriads Sword at him and snorted, “Come and fight if you are unhappy, let this Young Master see how high your mountain is.”
The middle-aged strong man gritted his teeth, “Madman.”
The other Emperor Realm Masters also shook their heads, thinking that this young man was just like a mad dog that would pounce on anyone who he didn’t find pleasing to the eye. What they didn’t know was that Yang Kai’s intentions here were to raise as much trouble as possible. Yang Kai was even worried that he would not be able to stir up a big enough commotion, but now that someone had been baited, he had no plans to stop.
However, the Sect Master he wanted to see had still not appeared, which made Yang Kai feel rather dispirited. He snickered deeply as he put away the Myriads Sword and declared, “It seems like you’re all talk and no action. If that’s the case, scram out of my sight. Don’t waste this Young Master’s time.”
Yang Kai then signaled Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, and with a sweep of his Divine Sense, his eyes locked on the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion, shouting in a loud voice, “Since Sect Master Li refuses to come out to meet me, this Young Master will have to visit him instead.”
Saying so, he straightened his back and led Ye Jing Han and Du Xian towards the City Lord’s Mansion.
Many Emperor Realm Masters glanced at each other, all of them aware of Yang Kai’s intentions, but only feeling more puzzled as a result. They were wondering how these two Thousand Leaves Sect survivors found such a powerful Emperor Realm Master to back them and why they were now trying to enter the dragon’s nest alone. It seemed that the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was in big trouble this time, and they wondered if the auction could still be held on schedule.
After seeing the Puppet Arts used by Du Xian and Ye Jing Han, these Emperor Realm Masters were extremely interested in the Heaven Grade Puppets that were going to be sold and now felt that it would be worthwhile to buy one or two.
It was not easy for one to break through to the Emperor Realm, so if one could purchase a ready-made Emperor Realm puppet for some Source Crystals, it would be worth it.
For a while, the minds of these Masters were occupied by thoughts of their personal gains and losses and worries about the auction being derailed by Yang Kai.
But then again, it was none of their business, and they had no intention of intervening; the most they would do was watch from the side idly.
In front of the City Lord’s Mansion, a group of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples stood trembling. Blood had long drained from their faces as they knew that they would soon be facing a terrible enemy.
A dozen or so of their fellow brothers had died in the battle in front of the city gates, and when they thought that their Sect Master would come out to teach these two Thousand Leaves Sect survivors a lesson, all they received instead was silence.
These disciples watched the group led by Yang Kai heading towards them step by step in fear, cold sweat oozing from their palms.
The breeze that brushed past them seemed to contain a thick murderous intent that sent chills down their spines.
“Formation!” With a fierce shout, nearly three hundred Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples moved to form a Sword Formation, their auras connecting with one another and their Sword Intent condensing into a single entity.
It seemed that what stood in front of the City Lord’s Mansion was not the three hundred cultivators, but one Heaven defying sword. The chilling Sword Intent could be felt prominently by all the cultivators in the entire Flowing Shadow City.
Yang Kai looked contemptuously at the Sword Formation in front of him and sneered, “Sect Master Li, is this the way your noble Sect entertains guests?”
If Li Qing Yun answered ‘yes’, Yang Kai would not mind killing all the three hundred cultivators.
Even if the Sword Formation was impressive, it could not stop him.
“Let them pass.” A calm voice came out from inside the City Lord’s Mansion.
Given that Yang Kai already pushed his way to his front door, Li Qing Yun had no way to avoid him anymore, but it was beyond everyone’s expectation that Li Qing Yun did not intend to make things difficult for Yang Kai and instead told his disciples to make way.
“Sect Master!”
The Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator who was serving as the core of the Sword Formation looked back at the City Lord’s Mansion with a face full of disbelief.
This Sword Formation was formed with the combined forces of three hundred disciples, so even an Emperor Realm Master would have a difficult time before it. How could they simply tolerate Yang Kai and his group after they had killed so many of their people at the city gate?
“I said let them pass!”
Li Qing Yun commanded again, but with a more dignified voice this time.
The expression of the Elder who presided over the Sword Formation changed several times, but after a moment of hesitation, he still shouted through gritted teeth, “Let them through!”
*Hualala… *
The crowd immediately split into two, and the startling Sword Intent instantly weakened a lot. With the crowd scattered, the Formation naturally disintegrated.
“Wise choice,” a trace of doubt flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes, feeling that this Li Qing Yun was a bit interesting.
Under the hostile gazes of everyone, Yang Kai led Ye Jing Han and Du Xian into the mansion. Yang Kai was calm, but Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were the complete opposite. They secretly gulped as they circulated their Source Qi rapidly, ready to react in case this group of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect cultivators reneged on their promise and suddenly backstabbed them.
But when they entered the City Lord’s Mansion safely, they exchanged confused looks and could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
A man was sitting cross-legged in the main hall of the City Lord’s Mansion. His figure was tall and straight like a sword, carrying the demeanour of a true Master. In front of him was a sword about a metre in length, placed horizontally. For some reason, this sword kept making a clanking noise. Furthermore, the closer Yang Kai approached, the fiercer this sword trembled, as if it was trying to scream out in warning.
Yang Kai could not help taking a few looks at this sword.
Li Qing Yun’s eyes remained closed for a time before he suddenly reached out his hand to caress the sword, immediately calming it down. Then, he explained, “The Jade Illusion Sword is the Supreme Artifact of my Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. Only the Sect Master may wield it. It has the ability to sense danger and the stronger the enemy is, the louder its warning will be. This Li has avoided many dangers thanks to it in the past, unfortunately, I’m afraid I cannot avoid danger this time.”
“Sect Master Li!” Yang Kai greeted him with his fists cupped and nodded lightly.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian who stood behind Yang Kai glared at this man with flaming gazes, as if they could not wait to rip him to pieces.
“May I ask Your Excellency’s identity?” Li Qing Yun opened his eyes and looked at Yang Kai.
“I’m no one important, Sect Master Li wouldn’t know me even if I told you,” Yang Kai answered indifferently.
Li Qing Yun replied, “Fame is something you can earn. Your Excellency, after today, your name will certainly be widespread.”
Yang Kai snickered, “All fame in the world turns to dust eventually. Life itself is but a fleeting dream and only the Martial Dao is eternal!”
Li Qing Yun peered at Yang Kai as he felt that every word he said was like a gem, pounding on his heart like a heavy hammer. It seemed that he had reached an epiphany from Yang Kai’s words.
But after a few careful thoughts, he comprehended nothing, and could not help frowning.
With a faint sigh, he remarked, “Sure enough, the talents of the new generation will supplant those of the old generation.”
He looked dejected and seemed to be demotivated badly by something. After a pause, he continued, “Your Excellency, are you here to seek justice for the Thousand Leaves Sect? If so, let us end this now. This Li doesn’t believe he can triumph over you, but he will not just sit waiting for death either.”
Yang Kai turned to Ye Jing Han and Du Xian, and asked, “Do you want me to kill him? Just nod and I’ll take his life.”
Du Xian and Ye Jing Han gritted their teeth, their eyes bloodshot to the extreme as chilling murderous intent pulsed from their figures.
It was this man who broke into the Thousand Leaves Sect a year ago with a large number of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples and caused a massacre. Countless Thousand Leaves Sect disciples died at his hands, and over the past year, there was not a single moment they stopped thinking about killing him to avenge their dead brothers and sisters. However, now that the enemy was sitting in front of them, even though they believed that Yang Kai could honour his word about taking Li Qing Yun’s life for them, they simply could not nod their heads.
As if their minds were connected, Ye Jing Han closed her eyes and whispered, “Senior Brother!”
Du Xian also took a deep breath and stated, “The revenge of exterminating our Sect should be obtained by ourselves!”
Yang Kai smiled as he looked at them, “Then you two will have to cultivate harder, for your enemy is an established Emperor Realm Master.”
Du Xian gritted his teeth, “We are younger than him.”
Youth was the biggest asset anyone could have.
Li Qing Yun nodded lightly, looking at the two with his eyes full of complicated feelings, “This King will be waiting for you.”
Du Xian pointed at him, “Don’t worry. One day, your Flowing Shadow Sect will be destroyed by me, Du Xian. When that day comes, I will personally remove your head.”
After saying this, Du Xian seemed to finally put down the stone in his heart, though he still had some mixed feelings.
“Sect Master Ye is not dead.” Li Qing Yun disclosed slowly.
“What?” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were shocked at his words. The former shook excitedly, “Are you telling the truth?”
Li Qing Yun nodded, “Sect Master Ye is now in our Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. If you want to see him, you can pick him up at any time.”
Ye Jing Han was stunned but soon burst into tears. Du Xian took her into his arms and comforted her before turning to Li Qing Yun with a cold face and asking, “Why are you doing this?”
Li Qing Yun frowned, “Our Sect has no grievance with your Sect. It was not our will to exterminate the Thousand Leaves Sect, and now that the one who ordered this has obtained what he wants, he no longer cares whether Sect Master Ye lives or dies.”
“What do you mean?” Du Xian looked at him, puzzled.
With a single thought, Yang Kai questioned, “So, there is really someone behind you. Is it Star Soul Palace?”
Li Qing Yun’s face changed, and he shut his mouth, obviously unwilling to disclose any further information.
Yang Kai noticed his expression and knew that he was afraid. He immediately changed the topic, “You just mentioned that someone has gotten what he wanted. What did that person want?”
Li Qing Yun shook his head and did not answer.
Yang Kai snorted, “Does Sect Master Li really think that this Young Master is so benevolent? A trivial Flowing Shadow Sword Sect can be exterminated by this Young Master with a wave of his hand!”
Li Qing Yun answered solemnly, “The Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and this King are nothing but trivial pawns. Your Excellency, why must you make things difficult for me? If I don’t satisfy you, you will destroy the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, but if I do, others will destroy the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect. I will die no matter what.”
Yang Kai sneered continuously, “It seems that the mastermind behind Sect Master Li is really not simple, just look how scared you are.”
Li Qing Yun shook his head, “Your Excellency, you don’t have to probe anymore.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Alright. Since Sect Master Li is so straightforward, I will stop being hard on you and just ask something that you can answer. Where is the Star Master that you captured from the Thousand Leaves Sect?”
Li Qing Yun freely revealed, “Your Excellency, why do you still ask since you have already guessed? My Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is just a pawn being pushed to the frontline. The people and the treasures we obtained are not in our hands now.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened. He had made some assumptions before, but he still could not help feeling a bit disappointed listening to Li Qing Yun’s answer.
If Ai Ou was imprisoned in this Flowing Shadow City or in Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, Yang Kai could immediately rescue him, but the problem was that Ai Ou was not here, and Li Qing Yun probably did not know where he was locked up.
Someone else was just using the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect to carry out the so-called auction.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Other than the Star Master, who else did you abduct that day?”
Li Qing Yun thought for a while before answering, “There were a few cultivators from a Lower Star Field, but they are not as important as that Star Master.”
“Are they dead or alive now?” Yang Kai queried while trying his best to suppress his emotion.
Li Qing Yun shook his head, “I don’t know.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, and pressed on after a few thoughts, “Last question, who is the mastermind behind all of this?”
Li Qing Yun shook his head again, “I don’t know.”
…
Inside a certain attic in Flowing Shadow City, a pale old man was sitting cross-legged. The old man looked so old that he could die at any time, but his vitality was extremely vigorous and the aura that he unintentionally released actually reached the terrifying Third-Order Emperor Realm.
Beside the old man, a beautiful woman in an elegant dress knelt on the ground. Her hair was dishevelled and she looked listless with a pale face, as if she had suffered some torture.
From time to time, a dreadfully painful expression would flash across the face of the beautiful woman.
*Deng deng deng… *
Footsteps were heard, followed by a knock outside the door.
“Enter!” The old man shouted.
When the door was pushed open, a middle-aged man came in. He swept his eyes across the beautiful woman kneeling next to him then quickly looked away, greeting the old man with cupped fists, “Honoured Master!”
The old man opened his eyes and looked at him, asking, “What is the situation?”
The middle-aged man replied, “The fish took the bait.”
As soon as he said this, the tender body of the beautiful woman who had been kneeling on the ground trembled. On the other hand, the old man’s eyes lit up as he grinned, “Good, good, very good. This Old Master’s year of preparations has not gone to waste. The time has finally come.”
The middle-aged man questioned, “Honoured Master, that little brat is just a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Since he is already here, why not allow this Disciple to directly take him down? I don’t think he can make any waves.”
The old man smiled lightly as he shook his head, “Don’t underestimate that boy. He is proficient in the Dao of Space, so although he is just a First-Order Emperor, if we are not fully prepared, even this Old Master himself is not confident he could take him down.”
The middle-aged man did not seem to care about these words, because he thought that his Honoured Master had simply overestimated this boy. He was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master while the opponent was just a First-Order Emperor; it should be easy for him to take a little brat down, why did his Honoured Master have to waste so much effort to do this?
The old man knew what his disciple was thinking and simply glanced at the beautiful woman kneeling next to him, asking, “Your Junior Sister Qing Si has been with him for a long time, so she is quite familiar with that boy’s strength. If you don’t believe this Old Master, ask her instead.”
The middle-aged man turned his head when he heard this and looked at the beautiful woman kneeling at the side, inquiring, “Junior Sister Hua, tell me. If I went into battle myself, can I kill that brat?”
This beautiful woman was surprisingly Hua Qing Si, who separated from Yang Kai in the Shattered Star Sea. She was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator when they parted, but she had gained her own opportunities in the Shattered Star Sea and had broken through to the Emperor Realm.
However, at this moment, she did not have the noble appearance an Emperor Realm Master should have and instead she looked like a captured prisoner.
Hearing the middle-aged man’s question, Hua Qing Si pursed her lips and turned her head aside.
“Junior Sister Hua, you’re being difficult again.” A sneer surfaced on the middle-aged man’s lips as he suddenly formed a seal with his hand.
In the next moment, an ear-splitting scream tore from Hua Qing Si’s throat. She seemed to be suffering the most unbearable torture in the world and her pretty face was instantly distorted from the pain. Droplets of sweat rolled down her forehead, soaking her clothes in an instant.
“Honoured Master!” She forcefully bore the pain as she knelt down and cried at the feet of the old man.
The old man was motionless and did not even look at her, as if he had not heard nor seen anything.
The middle-aged man sneered again, “How dare the Disciple of our Honoured Master try to protect an outsider. If it weren’t for Honoured Master’s great compassion, you would already be dead! Your life was spared to make up for your mistakes, yet you insist on being stubborn. As your Senior Brother, I really can’t stand it and must punish you.”
“Honoured Master…” Hua Qing Si’s voice trembled, her face extremely pale as she gritted her teeth and pleaded, “I’ll tell him that you want that thing back. Please, Honoured Master… Stop and show him mercy. He is not an… unreasonable person, and this disciple is friends with him. I should be able to… Should be able to convince him, Honoured Master… Please give this Disciple a chance.”
“Impudence!” When the middle-aged man saw that she did not ask for mercy for herself but instead for others even under torture, he was furious and formed a new hand seal, causing Hua Qing Si to shriek and curl up in pain.
The old man sighed slightly, a look of helplessness appearing on his face as he spoke, “Girls really do grow up only to side with outsiders.”
With a wave of the old man’s hand, the middle-aged man ceased his actions.
The old man stretched out his hand and lifted Hua Qing Si up, stating, “This Old Master knows that it is thanks to him that you were able to break through to the Emperor Realm, but you must not forget who taught you and who supported you all this time.”
“Yes… Yes, Honoured Master. Disciple will never forget Honoured Master’s nurturing grace.” Hua Qing Si panted as she opened her eyes weakly.
The old man nodded, “It’s good that you understand. If it was something else, this Old Master would have allowed you the freedom to try; after all, you are now an Emperor Realm Master, and as Disciple of this Old Master, this Old Master is proud too, but… this matter is too important. The fewer people who know, the better. This Old Master sent you to inquire about information because he valued you, but you disappointed this Old Master.”
Hua Qing Si’s eyes flashed with guilt.
Although it was out of her control at that time when she had her Soul Brand taken by Yang Kai and was thrown into the Sealed World Bead, she really had failed the mission her Honoured Master had given her. Later, even though Yang Kai returned her freedom, she did not plan on reporting what happened due to the latter’s kindness towards her; she simply could not repay his grace with enmity, so she planned to just conceal her identity and never go back to Star Soul Palace as if the old Hua Qing Si had died.
However, she did not expect her Honoured Master to send her Senior Brother Wu Ming to trace her whereabouts to the Thousand Leaves Sect. Not only did he capture her, he even caused the extermination of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
After that, some kind of Secret Technique was used on her and she did not remember what she had revealed to her Honoured Master, but she knew that the extermination of Thousand Leaves Sect was caused by her presence there, and it was also a means for her Honoured Master to lure out Yang Kai.
Because there were a few people that Yang Kai valued greatly in the Thousand Leaves Sect, as long as they were captured, Yang Kai would definitely show up.
Facts have proved that there was no mistake in this move, and now Yang Kai had indeed appeared in Flowing Shadow City, stepping into a trap.
“How could this Old Master tolerate a little boy stealing his treasure? Qing Si, don’t think about it anymore. After this matter is over, return to Star Soul Palace with this Old Master and enter secluded retreat to reflect on your mistakes.” He waved his hand. Although his tone was flat, there was a faint trace of excitement flashing in those eyes.
A year ago, when Wu Ming brought Hua Qing Si back to Star Soul Palace, he used a Secret Technique to compel Hua Qing Si to reveal a lot of secrets. Not only did he find out who owned the treasure he had lost, but he also learned that the person actually had a storage artifact that actually held an independent world.
It was still alright if that was all it was. Although such a storage artifact was precious and rare, it was just a storage artifact in the end and it would be impossible to use it at will if one did not cultivate the Dao of Space.
The key was that within the storage artifact were many rare and precious objects. What truly attracted him were the two sacred trees, one filled with vitality, and the other that was gold and silver in colour.
As an Elder of Star Soul Palace, this old man had a powerful cultivation at the Third-Order Emperor Realm and had lived a very long time, allowing him to see and learn about many things. By carefully studying the characteristics of the two sacred trees, he was almost certain that one of them was the legendary Immortal Tree.
The Immortal Tree was rumoured to allow one to obtain an immortal and indestructible body if refined, which was a great temptation to any cultivator. He was getting old and thought that he would have no hope of breaking through again in his life, but he did not expect such an opportunity to fall into his lap so suddenly.
If he could obtain the Immortal Tree and refine it, he would very likely become a Great Emperor, and would be able to stand on equal footing with Bright Moon Great Emperor!
As for the gold and silver sacred tree, he had a rough idea but did not dare to be too sure. In any case, these two sacred trees were supreme treasures and anyone who obtained either one would be set for life. It was unimaginable that they were both in the hands of one person.
As long as that boy was killed, those treasures would be his. There would not be anywhere he could not go after he refined the Immortal Tree.
The old man did not disclose such a confidential matter to anyone, even Wu Ming, whom he relied on the most. Wu Ming only thought that his Honoured Master was planning to retrieve some treasure that he lost many years ago and had no idea about his Honoured Master’s other plans. At the same time, he had secretly made up his mind to finish off Hua Qing Si after everything was done so there would be no chance of any of these secrets leaking.
Hua Qing Si’s expression dimmed, knowing that it was useless to continue persuading now.
Wu Ming stood to the side and glanced at Hua Qing Si with a cold sneer, teasing, “Junior Sister Hua, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for that little brat?”
Hua Qing Si raised her head to glare at him, gritting her teeth, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Bitch, you dare to talk back!?” Wu Ming’s face twitched as he lifted his hand to form a seal again.
Hua Qing Si was planted with a Heart-Strangling Insect in her body, and her life was his to control, so how could he allow Hua Qing Si to be so impudent in front of him?
“Enough.” The old man raised his hand slightly to stop Wu Ming, “Go to the auction venue and prepare everything. There must be no mistakes.”
Even an old monster like him did not dare to be careless when dealing with a cultivator proficient in the Dao of Space. Even Yin Le Sheng had to set up a large array to isolate the world to fight with Yang Kai, so how could this old man be negligent? A small accident was enough to allow Yang Kai to escape, and although he had held the people Yang Kai cherished hostage, he could not guarantee that Yang Kai would give in obediently.
Wu Ming clenched his hand bitterly as he glared at Hua Qing Si coldly, thinking [I’ll let you rest for a while. When this matter is over, I will treat you well with love after requesting Honoured Master to give you to me.]
After Wu Ming left, the old man comforted Hua Qing Si, “Your Senior Brother has always been short-tempered, don’t blame him.”
Hua Qing Si did not dare to blame him aloud, but her heart was filled with bitterness. Her current situation was nothing like what a Master and Disciple should have, nor did it show any of the comradery a Senior Brother and Junior Sister should have. Her Honoured Master guarded her like she was a thief, and her Senior Brother looked at her with hatred. What was she to do? Where could she go? Even though she had reached the Emperor Realm, she had lost her direction in life.
…..
“Boy, what’s your name?”
Outside the City Lord’s Mansion, someone halted Yang Kai and his party as soon as they walked out.
It was a young woman who stopped them. Her appearance made her look about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a petite stature. She was wearing a clean light blue dress and although she was not tall, she had a pair of grand peaks that threatened to rip the fabric restraining them. The elegant line of her slim waist, and her plump, perky bottom only further emphasized her ample figure.
The young woman had a beautiful face, but she also had a vigorous and heroic air about her.
Standing in front of Yang Kai, she looked up at him with the demeanour of a Senior.
Yang Kai was taken aback, looking left and right before pointing at his nose and asking, “Are you talking to me?”
He was sure he did not know this woman, and he did not notice her when he entered the city just now, so he had no idea what her intentions were in blocking his path.
The young woman’s brow furrowed as she snarled, “Who else could I be talking to?”
“Do we know each other?” Yang Kai looked at her with a puzzled expression.
The young woman apparently didn’t have much patience as she snapped, “Just answer my question, what’s with all that nonsense?”
Yang Kai raised his brow and replied, “Wouldn’t it be shameful for me if I just answered anything you asked?”
This young woman was rather baffling for blocking others for no reason and acting all pretentiously. As such, Yang Kai was unable to produce any favourable impression of her.
Ying Fei grinned and snickered, “Young Master Yang is handsome and exceptionally talented, truly a dragon among men. I’m afraid someone has fallen in love with you at first sight… “
*Chi… *
Before Ying Fei could finish speaking, a delicate pink fist suddenly impacted his cheek. If Ying Fei did not possess exceptional speed, allowing him to barely dodge in time, he would have taken this punch right to his face.
Both Yang Kai’s and Ying Fei’s faces changed drastically after witnessing this punch.
The power behind this blow was terrifying, even distorting space in its wake. On the other hand, this woman clearly had not used much of her strength just now as she looked perfectly relaxed.
Ying Fei’s face darkened as a little horror lingered in his heart.
Although he was a Monster King and had great strength, he knew that if he had received that punch directly, he would have been seriously injured, if not dead.
It was quite hard to imagine that a young woman who looked so dainty had such monstrous strength.
“Nothing but a trivial Monster King. If you dare to mention that word again, I will immediately take your life!” The girl warned Ying Fei, slowly retracting her fist.
Ying Fei was really horrified now as his pair of eagle-like eyes flashed with terrifying light, peering at this young woman as if trying to look into the depths of her Soul.
He had been hiding his aura the whole time he stood next to Yang Kai without revealing the slightest flaw at all. Even an ordinary Third-Order Emperor Realm Master may not be able to sense his strength and identity, but this young woman only needed a glance to know he was a Monster King!
Such sharp vision was nothing short of extraordinary.
After pausing for a moment, Ying Fei asked, “Which word?”
He was puzzled at the young woman’s words and had no clue what he had said that triggered her. However, Ying Fei was not frightened, for he was also one of the thirty-two Monster Kings of the Ancient Lands. Even if the young woman before him had impressive strength, was he someone who was easy to deal with?
If they really had to fight, Ying Fei was not afraid of her.
At the same time, he scanned the young woman with his Divine Sense to see what her real cultivation was.
Yang Kai was doing the same, but to their great surprise, their Divine Senses were unable to glean anything from the young woman despite the fact that she stood right in front of them. Not to mention her cultivation, they could not even detect her presence.
There were only two possibilities for this. First, the young woman’s cultivation was much higher than Ying Fei and Yang Kai’s, or second, she had a treasure that hindered others from detecting her.
The first possibility was unlikely. Given that Ying Fei was already a Monster King, only a Divine Spirit or Great Emperor could be stronger than him. However, this young woman was too young for her cultivation to have reached such a level. As such, they concluded she had some kind of artifact which shielded her from their perception.
[The background of this young woman is not simple.] Yang Kai thought to himself, wondering where she came from.
“You will know when you speak it again.” The young woman sneered, not answering Ying Fei’s question directly, as if she did not put him in her eyes. Then, she turned to Yang Kai and asked, “What’s your name?”
She seemed to insist on inquiring about Yang Kai’s name.
But before Yang Kai could answer, she suddenly waved her hand, “Forget it, forget it, don’t need to answer.”
“Are you playing with me?” A few veins on Yang Kai’s forehead began to bulge as he thought to himself that this young woman must have some mental problem. For no reason, she blocked their way and kept blabbering like an idiot, which successfully angered Yang Kai.
The young woman snorted coldly, “What worth is there for this Queen to play with the likes of you?”
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “Then who might this illustrious Queen before me be?”
He had seen a lot of arrogant and domineering people, but he had never seen someone like her. She could no longer be described as a person who did not put others in her eyes, but rather someone so arrogant that she ignored the very existence of others.
“The one who wants your life.” The young woman replied coldly.
Yang Kai was stunned, “You want to kill me? Isn’t this just the first time we met? What kind of grievance do you have against me?”
The young woman frowned seriously and nodded, “It’s true that we only meet for the first time, but… you have something that doesn’t belong to you. Something you should not have dared to refine, but since you have, you must die!”
“What?” Yang Kai was bewildered.
“You’ll know after I break all your bones.” After announcing this, the young woman instantly punched towards Yang Kai, her fist seemingly small and delicate, as white as jade with just a hint of pink. This fist moved lightly, as if it was a playful tap that might be used between flirting lovers.
However, as the one facing this punch, Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he felt the power behind it.
Space cracked beneath the weight of this blow and a raging vortex of power spiralled towards Yang Kai, pulling him in as it tried to rip him to pieces.
Previously, when the young woman punched Ying Fei, Yang Kai did not feel too much of her power, only noticing that this young woman had incredible strength despite her small size, but when he really faced her himself, he realized that he had greatly underestimated her.
This kind of power was simply beyond what a young woman should be capable of. It would not surprise Yang Kai if Monster King Xi Lei unleashed such power while in his true form, but he could not believe that this power was released by a young woman who appeared only seventeen or eighteen years old.
Yang Kai was astonished as he secretly thought to himself that there were indeed a large number of talents in this world. This young woman who came out of nowhere was already so amazing that it made Yang Kai wonder how many more mighty people could be hiding in this big world.
“Young Master Yang, be careful!” Ying Fei’s face changed drastically. At the same time, he reached out his hand in order to grab the young woman’s fist.
“It’s useless!” Yang Kai’s face turned solemn as he channelled all his strength into his own fist to meet the enemy head-on.
The shadows of two gigantic fists collided in the sky, resulting in a shocking explosion. After a grunt, Ying Fei came to a halt after being forced back several dozen metres. His hand was slightly twisted as his arm shook. Yang Kai also felt that his blood was churning in his chest while his arm clearly had several fresh fractures.
The two of them together failed to stop the raging power of their opponent even with their combined force.
The young woman did not give up after a single punch though and instead threw another towards Yang Kai’s head with a flicker. Looking at her stance, she really wanted to take Yang Kai’s life with this next blow. Although her moves were vicious, her expression was as tranquil as an ancient well, lacking any murderous intent, an extremely unusual sight.
Nevertheless, this did not mean that the little young woman did not want to kill Yang Kai, but rather that her current performance required little effort from her.
When a butcher killed a sheep, would he release murderous intent?
A powerful vortex spun up again, causing Ye Jing Han and Du Xian to scream in terror as they were involuntarily pulled towards the young woman’s fist, as if they were asking for death.
They were not acting of their own will. Rather, this young woman’s cultivation was too high compared to their own, so when she let out her punch, she did not care about their lives and involved them even though they were innocent.
Their Source Qi would not circulate, and they found themselves trapped inside the powerful vortex just like drowning children, unable to escape no matter how hard they tried.
Seeing that their bodies were about to hit the pink fist and to be broken to pieces the next moment, another fist passed by them from behind. The fist was covered in a five coloured light, and it was filled with piercingly cold Sword Qi.
Yang Kai had pushed his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi to its limits while unleashing all of his Emperor Qi in a rage.
*Hong… *
Yang Kai was thrown back through the air after a loud explosion. His fist was badly mutilated, exposing his bones through his broken flesh. However, when the two punches met, the repulsive force of the collision successfully pushed Ye Jing Han and Du Xian back to him.
*Hua la… *
The terrifying shockwave that hit Yang Kai shredded his clothes into dust, revealing his rippling muscles. Not only that, the towering City Lord’s Mansion was razed to the ground in an instant, and the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples who remained in it were either killed or severely injured.
“Crazy bitch!” Yang Kai glared at the young woman.
The young woman frowned at this sight and did not immediately pursue Yang Kai. She just glanced at his bloody fist with a look of disdain, the corners of her mouth curling upwards slightly.
“Young Master Yang!” Ying Fei immediately returned to Yang Kai’s side, murderous intent flashing across his eyes.
His job in following Yang Kai to the Southern Territory this time was mainly to ensure his safety; after all, Yang Kai was a critical person and if something happened to him, all the Monster Kings in the entire Ancient Wild Lands would not forgive Ying Fei.
He had never imagined that someone would actually wound Yang Kai right in front of his face.
If Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei learned of this, they would not sit idle and would definitely give him absolute hell.
“Protect them!” Yang Kai tossed Ye Jing Han and Du Xian to Ying Fei before he looked around to check the surroundings.
The recent incident attracted the attention of many Emperor Realm Masters, all of whom flew over and were now watching from a distance. When they saw that it was Yang Kai who was involved in a conflict and was also injured, they all looked delighted and cheered in their hearts.
Because of the arrogant behaviour of Yang Kai at the city gate just a short time ago, many felt resentment towards him. Therefore, they rejoiced to see Yang Kai suffering, especially the old man and the middle-aged man who were humiliated by Yang Kai openly before; they were overjoyed.
However, what puzzled them the most was the identity of the young woman. Despite her youthful appearance, she could actually hurt Yang Kai, astounding everyone who was watching.
“If you want to fight, let’s fight outside.” After a short pause, Yang Kai declared and flew out of the city.
This was still inside Flowing Shadow City after all, and judging from the young woman’s strength, if he really fought with her here, they would certainly hurt the innocent people in the city. Moreover, Yang Kai did not want to expose too much of his strength in front of so many people.
“Good, I can at least let you choose where you want to die,” the young woman nodded in acceptance before following Yang Kai.
“Young Master Yang!” Ying Fei’s face darkened and he started to move to chase after him.
But Yang Kai’s voice came from afar at that moment, “Don’t follow me and don’t allow anyone to come near. It’s just one woman, this Young Master will come back as soon as he settles things with her.”
Ying Fei immediately stopped as he could sense the anger in Yang Kai’s words. This wasn’t surprising though as no one would be in a good mood after being offended for no reason.
However, Yang Kai’s order was tough for him. He was afraid that something would happen to Yang Kai if he did not follow him, but he was also afraid that Yang Kai would not be happy if he disobeyed his instructions.
While he was hesitating, a lot of Emperor Masters began moving in order to catch up with Yang Kai because they did not want to miss the exciting show.
Seeing this, Ying Fei snorted coldly and pushed his Monster Qi.
“Ssii…*
“A Monster King!”
The faces of the Emperor Realm Master all changed drastically, many of them freezing in place as if hit by some kind of petrification technique.
Most of the people here were First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so it was natural for them to be frightened by the sudden appearance of a Monster King in the city. Monster Kings were comparable to Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so if this sharp-eyed man really wanted to initiate a massacre, perhaps no one in the whole Flowing Shadow City could stop him.
“You can try to follow them if you want to die,” Ying Fei swept his eyes across the crowd coldly. Whenever Ying Fei’s gaze fell on them, the Emperor Realm Masters would panic and dared not to make any noise.
As for the Emperor Realm Masters who had a grudge with Yang Kai, they were even more terrified. Previously, at the city gates, this Monster King had been following behind Yang Kai without doing anything, like a servant, but it was only now that they understood that this man was the reason for Yang Kai’s arrogance.
Fortunately, they did not really engage in a fight with Yang Kai, otherwise, they would already be dead.
“Damn…” In a hidden corner, Wu Ming stared in Ying Fei’s direction with a frown, “Why is there a Monster King here?”
The target of the Flowing Shadow City’s auction this time was Yang Kai, and if it was just him, a lone First-Order Emperor, Wu Ming believed that his Honoured Master’s plan would work perfectly. Nevertheless, everything had changed with the sudden emergence of a powerful Monster King.
After a moment of pause, Wu Ming hurriedly turned back to report this finding to his Honoured Master to see what adjustments to the plan would be necessary.
He could not simply ignore the existence of a Monster King.
“This… Sir!” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were dumbfounded.
Although they had been with Ying Fei for a few days, they never thought that this man who had been like a bodyguard around Yang Kai was actually a Monster King.
Only now did they understand why Yang Kai was so confident to break into the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect alone. It seemed that his biggest dependence was not his own strength, but this Monster King.
With the help of a Monster King, there really was nothing to worry about.
In the sky, two figures flew forward at the speed of lightning.
Yang Kai led the way while the injuries on his fists were gradually healing thanks to his powerful restorative ability. He was secretly shocked by this young woman’s brute force. It was unknown where this young woman came from. He swept his Divine Sense over her and saw that she was actually carrying her hands behind her back, following him closely like a shadow without leaving a single step further behind him, her face calm and unpretentious.
It was like she was out for a stroll and then casually decided to fight him.
Yang Kai was instantly exasperated and took in a gentle breath. The irritation and anger in his heart gradually calmed down and his expression regained serenity. Although the other party seemed young and unreasonable, her strength was beyond question.
Although there was no grievance nor enmity between the two of them as this was truly the first time they ever met, since the other party held murderous intent towards him, Yang Kai would not back down.
[If you want to kill me, I will kill you. We will see who dies first.]
They travelled a few tens of thousands of kilometres away from Flowing Shadow City into a stretch of barren mountains.
Yang Kai suddenly stopped and turned around.
The young woman’s figure also halted three hundred metres away from him. Looking around, she pursed her pink lips and mocked, “Is this the burial location you chose for yourself? Your taste is quite bad.”
“Ha!” Yang Kai snickered, “Ignorant woman, thinking that you’re so great with just a little brute force, you still don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!”
This was something other people would tell him, and it was his first time ridiculing others the same way. He felt uneasy for having a feeling of being a wicked person, and generally speaking, the people who dared talk to him like that had all ended miserably.
The young woman continued mocking, “It doesn’t matter whether you pick a wasteland or a paradise to die on, since you dared to refine those things, I will rip them from your body then shred your corpse, letting you die without a burial!”
While she was talking, she extended her scarlet tongue and licked her red lips as though she was looking at a delicious feast, a shade of coquettish charm appearing on her pure and naïve face. Yang Kai was startled as his heart rate elevated as he wondered how that little tongue would feel on him.
[Damn it, that’s an enemy right in front of you, how could you be seduced by her beauty? Is it because of the abstinence I endured since coming to Star Boundary?] Yang Kai scolded himself and immediately circulated his Secret Art to clear his mind.
“Are you ready?” The young woman raised her eyes and asked with a feigned harmless sweet smile.
Yang Kai burst out in a laugh and answered in equal arrogance, “Come! This Young Master will teach you a good lesson on behalf of your pare…PFT…”
Before he could finish, Yang Kai felt a huge force on his abdomen. There was no trace of the young woman three hundred metres away, only a faint afterimage left in the same spot where she once stood while her petite figure had long closed the distance between them and threw out a punch.
As if an Emperor Realm Master self-destructed in his face, Yang Kai felt a spasm in his stomach and he opened his mouth to douse the young woman’s head and face with a mouthful of blood. The impact sent him flying backward like a sac, directly colliding with a mountain peak.
*Hong long long…*
Rubble flew everywhere as the thousand-metre peak caved in. A huge hole appeared on the mountainside, but Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen.
The young woman retrieved her fist and straightened her back to stare at the hole and sneered, “Overconfident.”
With her strength, even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would find it difficult to resist, so could a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm be impudent in front of her? He really did not know how to write the word ‘death’.
This time, she had come to the Southern Territory to investigate the whereabouts of her clan’s treasure on orders from her Elder. She had no clue after searching many places until she encountered Yang Kai when she passed through Flowing Shadow City.
Had he been an ordinary Emperor Realm Master, she would have ignored him like air, but Yang Kai actually refined something taboo, and as a member of her clan, she naturally had the responsibility and obligation to erase him.
It was funny that this Human was arrogant enough to challenge her alone without knowing her true identity. His courage was worth complimenting, but his intelligence was sorely lacking.
Lifting her pink little hand up and wiping the blood from her face, she stared at it for a moment as she frowned and muttered, “It’s golden…”
It was her first time encountering a Human with golden blood, and the vitality contained in this blood was quite shocking even to her.
Sticking out the tip of her tongue to lick the golden blood, the young woman’s face changed slightly as she mused, “Demon Essence… with spirituality, how strange.”
She tasted an absolutely repulsive aura in this blood, but at the same time felt a sense of intimacy with it.
Yang Kai’s Golden Blood originated from the Demon Mystic Tome he obtained at the beginning of his cultivation journey. He had used the power contained in the black book to refine his blood into pure Golden Blood, which was why it emitted a rich Demon Essence. He also refined the Golden Divine Dragon Source though, which carried a pure spirituality that provided an extraordinary restorative ability to his blood.
The two had perfectly combined and blended with each other over time.
The Demon Essence refined from the Demon Mystic Tome should not be able to withstand the spirituality of the ever-strengthening Golden Divine Dragon Source at all, but the pure Ancient Demon Qi sealed within Yang Kai had subtly affected his physique after being unsealed several times, leading to a delicate balance being achieved.
A thunderous explosion blasted from the hole made on the side of the mountain, followed by a stream of light flying out from it which turned into Yang Kai’s figure, appearing in front of the young woman again.
“You…” The young woman was taken aback and looked forward in astonishment. She thought that Yang Kai would be severely injured even if he did not die after taking her punch. How could she have anticipated that the other party still had the ability to move? On top of that, he returned with high morale, his Emperor Qi surging as his eyes shone with a terrifying light.
“It hurts!” Yang Kai exclaimed, but a lofty look instead of a pained one was shown on his face, gritting his teeth as he shouted, “Woman, I underestimated you! It would be impolite to not reciprocate your gift, so take a punch from this Old Master in return!”
As he spoke, his aura condensed, like a volcano about to erupt as he concentrated all of his power on his fist. Space Principles fluctuated and he reappeared right in front of the young woman while throwing a punch towards her chest.
If the punch was not evaded, this pair of voluptuous peaks would definitely rupture. Yang Kai did not mean to take advantage of her, but her figure was so small that the punch Yang Kai threw could only strike her chest, just as she did not deliberately choose to attack Yang Kai’s abdomen.
In the face of a life or death threat, there was no doubt that Yang Kai would throw this punch no matter how soft and tender the enemy’s skin was, or even if she was a stunning beauty dancing in front of him.
Five coloured rays bloomed around his fist as his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi swirled, strengthening the blow.
Inexplicably, Yang Kai felt invigorated and unspeakable pleasure filled his heart. This type of simple and crude battle was truly able to unleash a man’s ferocious instincts.
The vortex of strength suddenly appeared and space cracked. What was thrown out was no longer just a fist, but a lifelong perception of the Martial Dao, a condensation of Yang Kai’s will and cultivation.
The young woman narrowed her eyes slightly, obviously a little surprised. She did not expect that Yang Kai, a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Human, could unleash such violent power. Combined with the vitality of the golden blood, the young woman suspected that Yang Kai should have cultivated some incredible Body Tempering Art, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to achieve this.
Sneering secretly in her heart, she mocked how he dared to address himself as Old Master in front of her at his young age. Despite her youthful appearance, she happened to have a very long growth cycle, so in fact, she was a few hundred years old already.
“You will regret that you didn’t die easily just now.” The young woman’s crimson lips parted slightly. She stood still on the spot, simply raising her hand and thrusting out her palm to meet Yang Kai’s fist. The small, tender hand was like an exquisite piece of artwork carved from the finest jade thrown into a raging storm at sea that could shatter it to pieces in the next moment.
*Pa… *
Fist met palm, and the only thing about the young woman that moved was her dress as she successfully blocked Yang Kai’s confident, incredible blow, as though the punch was nothing more than a headless fly instead of a violent, fatal attack.
The young woman stood tall as her beautiful eyes filled with a mocking light.
“Fuck!” Yang Kai was accustomed to engaging in strong, incredible fights, but could not help but drop his jaw at that moment. The conflict between what he imagined would happen and reality at the critical moment was too abrupt and somewhat unacceptable to him.
Even though he knew that the power of this young woman was immense, Yang Kai did not expect it to be so great. It felt like her strength was completely out of his league.
“My turn!” The young woman smiled with a laugh very much resembling the sweet-sounding chime of a silver bell, but that sweet sound was like a horrifying knell to Yang Kai. The palm that blocked Yang Kai’s punch closed around his fist was soft and supple, but Yang Kai instantly felt that his fist was firmly locked, unable to move.
Immediately afterwards, the young woman pulled back her free arm as if she was pulling a bowstring, and her figure leaned slightly backwards to support the action, her light blue dress almost failed to contain her ample peaks as her movement threatened to rip apart its fabric.
*Hong… *
The bowstring was at full tension and the arrow was released, sending the flying tender fist that was wrapped in an aura of pure destructive energy forward.
Yang Kai’s eyes widened dramatically as he gathered all the strength he could in his free hand and punched out, creating a barrage of fists shadows.
Explosions blasted one after another, accompanied by Yang Kai’s muffled grunts.
*Chi… *
Yang Kai staggered back, his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi collapsing. His attacking fist was distorted and bloody, and the flesh on the knuckles of the other fist was completely scraped off, exposing his bones.
The vitality in his chest rolled, and Yang Kai could not stop himself from coughing up another mouthful of blood. Desperate to save some face, he raised his head with difficulty and spat, “Mediocre!”
“Really?” The corner of the young woman’s mouth curled up into a sneer as she thought to herself, [Humans were really pathetic, he still doesn’t repent when he is about to die, even daring to speak contrary to his own thoughts. He probably regrets it now and is scared to death. Maybe he will kneel down and beg for mercy later.]
[He might just turn around and run away now; after all, he knows that defeat is inevitable, no one would be stupid enough to continue resisting stubbornly in the face of an undefeatable enemy.]
“Again!” Yang Kai roared as he gathered his strength again. Before the young woman could answer, he shot towards her.
[He actually… Came head-on!] The young woman’s heart jumped, feeling that the matter was progressing a little differently from what she had imagined. Could she have already punched him senseless and he was now acting like a madman?