Yang Kai held his burning fury inside his heart. The battle with this young woman reminded him of his helplessness against Shi Huo in the Ancient Lands more than a year ago.
He could not kill Shi Huo back then, and now, was it possible that he could not kill this stupid little woman too?
Rage erupted in Yang Kai’s heart as his blood boiled like magma. Although he was still overwhelmed by the woman’s terrifying brute strength and mostly defended instead of attacked, as the battle went on, he became more and more furious and excited, and the flow of his strength also became smoother and smoother.
*Hong hong hong… *
The two figures constantly collided with each other and whizzed around the mountains. Countless mountains collapsed, while all living creatures nearby ran for their lives. From time to time, Yang Kai’s blood splattered the air from an attack, but he would pounce back into the battle tenaciously without the slightest hesitation.
His clothes were almost completely torn, and the more pieces of his robes fell with each exchange. His upper body was completely naked now, leaving only a few strips of cloth covering the private part of his lower body.
He never wore Artifact Armour, not that he didn’t possess any. Throughout the recent years, he had killed many Masters and obtained a lot of loot like Artifact Armours from their Space Rings; however, Yang Kai did not refine them as he did not think that he would need them. Even though Artifact Armour could provide a layer of protection, it would also isolate his perception of danger.
It was not good relying too much on external aids.
However, how could ordinary clothes withstand such a violent battle? If the battle continued, Yang Kai would probably be totally naked before long.
Surprisingly, the woman did not feel shy at all, as if she did not see anything on Yang Kai. Even if she had never seen a man’s naked body before, she ought to have heard some stories about it, and it was nothing interesting to her… Furthermore, she did not think it mattered what a dead man looked like.
Compared with Yang Kai’s messy condition, the battle seemed to be much more relaxed for the young woman. No matter how fierce Yang Kai’s attacks were, she could resolve them easily. The terrifying strength that she possessed was simply unfathomable. Even the strongest Monster Beasts would not be able to compete with her in strength.
*Pu… *
Yang Kai spurted another mouthful of blood as he shot out again, ploughing a deep ravine into the ground as the last remnants of clothing on his lower half were shredded.
The woman frowned slightly, thinking that Yang Kai was simply too stubborn and unreasonable.
If it were any other ordinary Emperor Realm Master, he would have been smashed into mince by now. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was still alive, and although he looked utterly dishevelled, his fighting spirit was only rising instead. This was all thanks to the surging vitality in his peculiar golden blood she thought, if not for it, this man would have been long dead.
Sure enough, the Golden Blood was really bizarre.
Yang Kai got up trembling, spat out the blood in his mouth, and stared at the young woman defiantly with shocking brilliance in his eyes.
Facing such adversity and the desperate struggle itself made him recall the moment when he obtained the Demon Mystic Tome many years ago. It was precisely because of his unyielding spirit that he was able to obtain the recognition of the Demon Mystic Tome and begin his journey on the Martial Dao.
The situation at this moment was very similar to that time.
However, that incident was too long ago, and he had almost forgotten that feeling.
Because of this suffering, Yang Kai finally found his fierce spirit rekindled after a long period of dormancy.
[As long as I remain unyielding, who can stop me?]
With a single thought, he vaguely comprehended something. The blood in his body circulated with increasing haste, and his wounds began to heal rapidly. Yang Kai stretched out his hand and wiped the blood clots off his body, revealing new skin.
“I see!” Yang Kai’s eyes sparkled with radiance.
Over the years, his reliance on Secret Techniques and Artifacts in battle had caused him almost to forget his unyielding spirit. The insight that he gained today was truly fruitful.
“You…” The young woman slightly furrowed her brow, instinctively sensing that something had changed with Yang Kai just now, but she could not tell what this transformation was.
Yang Kai took out a new set of clothes from his Space Ring and put them on.
He beckoned the woman by curling his index finger, “Again!”
Infuriated, the woman gritted her teeth, “Since you can’t wait to die, I will fulfil your wish!”
Without showing any unnecessary animation, she rushed towards Yang Kai’s face and threw another punch.
Yang Kai immediately punched back to counter. At the moment their knuckles touched, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, and he burst out the power of his whole body in all directions.
*Hong… *
Yang Kai was blown away again, but this time, the young woman also couldn’t help withdrawing a single step back.
“What just happened…” The young woman was shocked. Previously, no matter how hard Yang Kai tried, he would not be able to even shake her. However, she was forced to take a step back from this clash, clearly indicating that the power of his punch was many folds greater than before.
What transformation could he have possibly undergone in this short time to achieve such rapid growth?
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai flew back with a laugh as he tumbled through the sky before crashing down on a certain hill, “Give an inch and you take a mile. Look at how weak you are, you are still just a woman after all!”
The young woman was exasperated and her next punch flew out like a gust of wind that shrouded towards Yang Kai.
For a moment, the sky was full of fist shadows.
After a short while, the two figures separated. The ground under the young woman’s feet cracked, and her breathing had become a slight bit faster. Yang Kai’s new clothes were torn again, his skin was cracked, and his Golden Blood dripped down like streams from his wounds, but despite his messy look, he was even more excited, like nothing but the battle before him existed anymore.
The woman finally showed a solemn look as she swept her eyes over Yang Kai and asked, “What’s your name?”
She had asked this before in front of the City Lord’s Mansion, but at that time she was not really interested in knowing the answer because she did not put Yang Kai in her eyes. To her, Yang Kai was already a dead man, so why did she need to know his name?
But now, she asked the same question again.
The Human whom she looked down on was finally worthy of her attention, if only a little of it.
The strong had always treated each other with respect.
“Yang Kai!”
After a moment of silence, the woman replied, “Zhu Qing!”
Yang Kai was stunned at first, then he nodded when he realized that it was her name, “I’ll remember it.”
Zhu Qing looked at him in surprise, and questioned, “Don’t you have anything to say after hearing this Queen’s name?”
Yang Kai thought about it carefully, and answered, “It’s a nice name. Sweet and simple. Not bad, not bad.”
Zhu Qing could not help rolling her eyes as she could not believe that this guy really could not connect her name to anything. Zhu Qing finally realised why Yang Kai was so fearless; he was just an ignorant idiot. She wondered how he had managed to become a First-Order Emperor in the first place.
Although she admitted this young man was talented, he had violated a grave taboo, and the world could not tolerate his existence. He had to die.
“Never mind!” Zhu Qing waved her hand in disappointment, “Time to get serious.”
“Hmph, this Young Master also hasn’t given it his all yet! I was being a gentleman the whole time because you are a woman.”
Although Yang Kai boasted so, internally he was screaming, [What the hell did this crazy woman mean? Was she just fooling around up till now? How arrogant is she? I can’t come off as weak in front of her!]
“I know,” Zhu Qing smiled faintly, revealing a serene look.
Yang Kai thought that she would snap back at him for his arrogance, but unexpectedly she actually answered like this.
“What do you know?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
Zhu Qing tucked her hair behind her ear and answered slowly, “You refined those things but haven’t used them yet, so of course, you haven’t given it your all yet.”
Yang Kai frowned, “You keep talking about ‘those things’, but what do you mean?”
Zhu Qing did mention that he refined something that he should not have earlier, and this was the reason for their battle; however, he hated people trying to act mysterious with him the most. If it were not for her ample figure, he would have slapped her in the face.
Zhu Qing’s expression turned cold, and retorted, “You don’t even remember what you refined?”
Her aura changed tremendously in the next instant. If she had appeared like a harmless woman next door previously, now she was like a Flood Dragon that was going out to the sea to commit murder.
Yang Kai retorted, “This Young Master has refined so many things over his life, how could I possibly know what you’re talking about if you don’t tell me?”
“Then…” Zhu Qing touched her red lips and flashed a sweet smile, “Let me help you remember.”
When the words fell, she already reappeared in front of Yang Kai, her hand in the shape of a claw as she grabbed at his chest. Her speed was so fast that Yang Kai could not react at all.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Yang Kai seemed to hear a dragon roar at that moment as Zhu Qing’s small hand seemed to transform into a dragon claw. It appeared that she was attempting to tear down all his defences to gouge out his heart in one blow.
Sure enough, this young woman had not given it her all earlier. Yang Kai hurriedly stepped back, horrified.
But Yang Kai could not shake her off as Zhu Qing chased after him like a shadow. When she reached right under his nose, he could smell her orchid-like breath when she warned him, “If you don’t use it now, you won’t have a chance to use it again.”
At the critical moment of life and death, a realization dawned on Yang Kai and he shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
His aura that was already quite strong instantly rose to a new high, his monstrous power became comparable to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Pieces of scales suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s exposed skin, and both his hands also turned into dragon claws at the same time. A golden ray of light flashed behind him as a giant Golden Divine Dragon illusory phantom manifested.
Zhu Qing’s heart sped up inexplicably as she lifted her head and stared behind Yang Kai, but she saw nothing. She was dumbstruck, staring with her eyes widened.
However, because of this short moment of delay, her momentum decreased sharply.
Yang Kai immediately stretched out his dragon claw to grab her hand.
“Oh no!” The pretty face of Zhu Qing turned pale as she hurriedly tried to retreat, but it was too late as she was too close to Yang Kai. Yang Kai successfully caught her hand, and his dragon claw unleashed a mighty power, which made Zhu Qing feel pain, a sensation she rarely felt.
“Caught you!” There were Dragon Scales vaguely appearing on Yang Kai’s face, and his bearing changed greatly, becoming dreadfully overbearing.
“Let go of me!” Zhu Qing shouted as she punched Yang Kai’s chest with her other fist.
Yang Kai did not move, however, and simply allowed the punch to hit his chest directly, resulting in a metallic clang. Sparks flew and his chest sunk in somewhat. His body staggered a bit, but he still held Zhu Qing’s hand tightly in his grip.
Zhu Qing was dumbfounded as she did not expect that her strike to be so weak.
No, it wasn’t her punch that was weak, but Yang Kai who had grown stronger.
When she thought of punching again, Yang Kai suddenly reached out and grabbed her free arm. Both of her arms were restrained now, unable to budge. He held her so close to himself that there was only a finger’s length of distance between their faces now.
Hot breath met her face, sending tingles all over Zhu Qing’s body, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Looking up, Yang Kai’s eyes were flashing an obscene light as he stared at her with clear lust.
Blood drained from Zhu Qing’s beautiful face instantly, unaware that she was bewitched by Yang Kai’s Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
Yang Kai would not have had such a visceral reaction being in this proximity to Zhu Qing if she was an average person, but she was different, her very existence would definitely trigger him to release the most primitive carnal desire hidden in his heart.
Such was the draconic nature!
Perhaps Yang Kai did not realize it himself, but it was an instinct he could not resist.
Yang Kai did feel odd though as he was clearly determined to teach Zhu Qing a harsh lesson, but the feel of her in his arms and the scent of her bodily fragrance dissipated the hostility in his heart inexplicably. On the contrary, another feeling was boiling violently within him.
It was a feeling he had suppressed for years and had not had a chance to release, a man’s basic instinct.
Looking up and down at Zhu Qing with a scrutinizing gaze, Yang Kai secretly admired her extremely alluring figure. Her peaks were round and voluptuous, undulating like great mountains, and the dip of the front of her dress was simply dizzying, tantalizing his throbbing libido, drawing his eyes in like a whirlpool, making him unable to extricate himself.
The lingering scent made Yang Kai feel agitated as his blood began to boil.
He breathed in this scent deeply with an extremely intoxicated expression, lowering his head slightly as his scorching gaze moved down to the exposed delicate white skin.
The claws that grabbed Zhu Qing’s fist and arm were no longer satisfied with just this little contact and he began to stroke and caress his prisoner lightly. The soft and tender hands were just a wonder to his touch.
Two clearly distinguishable streaks of steam puffed from his nostrils that collided with Zhu Qing’s neck, sending her into a daze.
“Impudence!” Zhu Qing reprimanded in a frail squeal, her beautiful face losing all colour as she shouted. A trivial Human dared to gaze upon her with such presumptuous eyes? It was simply unforgivable! He needed to be cut into ten thousand pieces for this sin alone! However, what made Zhu Qing even more shocked was that she too was being affected by his aura.
If it was someone else, not to mention a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, her emotions would not have fluctuated at all even if she was held like this. However, she felt a subtle reaction from her body when she was bathed in Yang Kai’s aura.
She was horrified and furious.
Just what was happening?
As she struggled, her strong and powerful calf was quickly lifted, sending a knee flying mercilessly towards Yang Kai’s crotch.
It was a failed attempt, however, as Yang Kai’s legs immediately clamped down on the approaching thigh, leaving Zhu Qing unable to slip out from the brute force of his grip.
Zhu Qing’s legs couldn’t be considered slender, but they still had astonishing proportions. The muscles on her legs were supple but also firm, their feel invoking even more lust and desire in Yang Kai.
With both arms restrained and one leg clamped tight, Zhu Qing looked as though she was clinging on to Yang Kai, their posture as ambiguous and amorous as could be.
Especially when Yang Kai was half-naked in his torn robes, increasing the intimacy of their embrace significantly. Although there was not any skin-to-skin contact, only a thin layer of fabric separated them.
Zhu Qing’s expression changed again as panic finally flooded her beautiful face.
Yang Kai took a deep breath of her scent again, completely indulging in it while at the same time struggling to maintain his rationality, frowning deeply as he interrogated, “What did you do to me?”
He instinctively thought that his unstable mood was the result of some technique Zhu Qing used. He really did not expect that this woman not only had astonishing brute strength, but was also proficient in Charm Techniques.
He had no idea what she did to affect his latent desires.
This was truly an odd situation. Yang Kai had come into contact with a number of women who cultivated Beguiling Techniques, and each of them was coquettish and charming, but as for Zhu Qing, she did not seem to have cultivated any such technique.
Unable to express her discomfort when she heard this, Zhu Qing could only grit her teeth and threaten him, “What could I have done to you? Let go of me now, or I’ll kill you!”
Yang Kai flexed his arms, pulling her tightly towards him. At that moment, the two bodies closed the short distance between them to enter a tight embrace, and a pair of astonishingly soft mounds pressed up against Yang Kai’s chest.
Yang Kai clearly felt the two swells pressing against his chest, causing the rampant desires in his heart to rapidly expand.
Blowing gently on Zhu Qing’s delicate earlobes, Yang Kai whispered, “Do you know what playing with fire is?”
Zhu Qing was in a strange daze, and his voice sent a shudder through her body. Although she could not see her own face now, she was sure her ears were definitely scarlet.
Sure enough, Yang Kai pulled his head back slightly, staring at her earlobe with interest for a while before grinning, “So sensitive?”
Anger boiled within Zhu Qing out of embarrassment. She suppressed the discomfort in her heart and coldly glared at Yang Kai who was right in front of her and threatened again, “Let me go, otherwise there won’t be a single place for you to hide in the entire Star Boundary! I mean it!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he raised his hand, grabbed her hair, and yanked back abruptly.
Zhu Qing shrieked as her body bent back involuntarily, revealing an expression of pain.
“Do I look like I’m joking with you?” Yang Kai’s face was full of hostility, as if he had become another person, “You provoked me one-sidedly, and wanted to kill me, now you dare to threaten me after I’ve captured you? You’re not dull in the head are you?”
“You brought this on yourself…” Zhu Qing gritted her teeth and closed her beautiful eyes slowly. When she opened them again, she let out a sudden dragon roar that resounded through the sky. Yang Kai could clearly see a huge fiery red dragon phantom manifest behind Zhu Qing. Immediately afterwards, Zhu Qing’s tender body was filled with the majesty of a dragon, and her long black hair suddenly turned a flaming red. Not only that, two small, delicate dragon horns appeared on top of her head.
After this change, Zhu Qing’s aura suddenly became extremely dangerous.
Yang Kai was stunned, but he quickly curled his lips and challenged, “A Dragon Source? I have one too!”
No wonder Yang Kai felt a little strange when he first saw Zhu Qing. He did not realize it at that time, but looking back now, he did feel an inexplicable sense of intimacy with her. However, Yang Kai was distracted by Zhu Qing’s overbearing attitude causing that inexplicable intimacy to quickly be replaced by disgust.
Only now did he realize that this intimacy was not an illusion, but rather because the other party also had a Dragon Source.
This made sense. This insane woman looked young, with a petite and exquisite figure, but possessed extraordinary power. Obviously, this was because she had a Dragon Source.
As Yang Kai finished speaking, his body trembled.
A high-pitched dragon roar pierced the Heavens as a huge Golden Divine Dragon phantom suddenly soared upwards and hovered behind Yang Kai. The house-sized dragon eyes were full of endless majesty as it stared at the land before it.
“Ancestral Dragon…” Zhu Qing’s aura froze as she stared blankly at the Golden Divine Dragon behind Yang Kai, a complex mixture of shock, fright, and joy filling her beautiful eyes.
As the Golden Divine Dragon stared down at her, Zhu Qing’s tender body trembled with an inexplicable sense of humility.
The next moment, the Golden Divine Dragon phantom returned to Yang Kai’s body and disappeared.
“What did you say?” Yang Kai frowned as an absurd feeling that he could easily kill Zhu Qing in front of him filled him after he pushed his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength. This feeling was preposterous, but it was also completely doubtless, causing Yang Kai to not hear Zhu Qing’s mutterings in between his confusion.
Yang Kai was slightly stunned, because Zhu Qing’s aura, which had greatly risen upon the activation of her Dragon Source, immediately returned to normal. Her long red hair turned black again, as if her power was suppressed by an inexplicable force. Even the two dragon horns on her head disappeared.
Both of her glistening pupils stared blankly at Yang Kai, reflecting an indescribable emotion.
The blood inside his body tumbled and his breathing became heavier and heavier as Yang Kai gradually became unable to resist the evil thoughts in his heart.
With her staring at him with those watery eyes, and the combination of the warmth of their embrace, Yang Kai’s rationality finally shattered.
He bound her tightly with increasing strength as if he was trying to squeeze Zhu Qing into his body. Zhu Qing could not help choking as she clung to Yang Kai involuntarily.
He leaned down to capture her red lips, kissing her wantonly and domineeringly.
“Mmm… mmm…” Zhu Qing struggled, her eyes bulging as the shame of being violated enveloped her, a feeling she had never felt before. She fought hard to resist, but she could not even summon thirty percent of her strength under the natural suppression.
“Still playing hard to get at this time!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, clearly sensing that Zhu Qing’s strength had decreased greatly from before, concluding that she was using some profound Beguiling Technique to seduce him, otherwise, why was he unable to suppress his own carnal desires as a First-Order Emperor Realm Master?
[Since you want to play with fire, then this Young Master will grant your wish! We’ll see who has the advantage when this is all over!]
The red lips of the woman in front of him were extremely hot, like living flames, giving Yang Kai an unimaginable joyful experience. In the short moment when Zhu Qing lost focus, he took advantage of an opening and forced his tongue into her mouth, capturing her little tongue, sucking on it greedily.
Unsatisfied, Yang Kai released her hands and took her waist from behind with one hand, moving it down to her round bottom, kneading it as he pleased. His other hand reached up and grasped hold of her other softness, massaging the peak he grasped vigorously.
Having her hands released from his restraint, Zhu Qing fought back, but she was unable to exert even a third of her full strength. She hammered Yang Kai repeatedlypowerful but still failed to stop his rampant violation. On the contrary, this action only aroused his fierceness and thirst.
Gradually, her resistance became weaker, and the natural instincts that were suppressed in her bones gradually surfaced. Zhu Qing circled her arms and embraced Yang Kai, her nails dragging across his bare back, leaving trails of blood as a strange moan leaked from her lips.
A crystal clear tear formed from both joy and pain silently rolled down from the corner of her eye across her cheek as the clash between her instincts and her rational mind left her at a complete loss.
“Will anything happen to Young Master Yang? That woman doesn’t seem to be someone we should get involved with,” Ye Jing Han asked with a worried face. Her heart raced when she recalled the scene in front of the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Since Brother Yang took the initiative to lead her out, he definitely has a plan.” Although saying so, Du Xian was uncertain too and looked at Ying Fei with a querying look.
Ying Fei said nothing, but a vague trace of worry could be seen on his cold face.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were just Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, so they could not understand just how terrifying that young woman really was, but as a Monster King, he naturally understood the astonishing strength she possessed.
Her performance in front of the City Lord’s Mansion was just a fraction of her true strength. If she really went all out, Ying Fei was not sure if he could defeat her.
Yang Kai was strong, but he was still just a First-Order Emperor after all.
Therefore, even though Yang Kai told them not to follow, Ying Fei still decided to chase after him in case of an accident.
As they traced the aura left by Yang Kai, Ying Fei was sure that he was moving in the right direction. After entering the mountains, there were traces of battle everywhere, with the surrounding terrain broken, trees felled, mountains flattened, and the stench of blood filling the air, showcasing the ferocity of the fight which had taken place here.
Ying Fei could not help frowning, secretly praying that Yang Kai would be alright.
After sniffing with his nose to determine the direction, Ying Fei wrapped Ye Jing Han and Du Xian with his Monster Qi and rushed off in a certain direction.
After a short moment, Du Xian suddenly pointed his finger, “Over there.”
Despite there being several dozen kilometres between them, Du Xian could keenly see that there were two people on the ground over there. He had no clue what was happening at the moment, but he could see that the fight had seemingly come to an end. In fact, what he vaguely saw was two people closely entangled together, like they were wrestling.
Ying Fei narrowed his eyes and immediately flew over.
Although it was several dozen kilometres, it only took them a blink of an eye to arrive.
“Young Master Yang!” Ying Fei cried out, but as soon as he spoke, his jaw dropped at the scene on the ground in front of him, dumbstruck.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were stunned too, their expressions gradually turning awkward.
There were traces of battle the whole way here, so although they did not witness the fight themselves, they could tell just how fierce the conflict had been and had been deeply worried for Yang Kai. However, this scene in front of them totally confused them.
Yang Kai and the young woman were tightly embracing each other on the ground. Yang Kai’s upper body was practically naked as he pressed his body onto the young woman, his hands roaming all over her body. On the other hand, the young woman was embracing Yang Kai too, her nails leaving deep bloody trails on his back. The three observers could not tell whether the noises these two were making were sounds of joy or of suffering, confusing and embarrassing them at the same time.
“This…” Ying Fei was speechless as deep down inside his heart he was screaming, [What the hell happened!?]
“Don’t look, don’t look!” Du Xian hurriedly covered Ye Jing Han’s eyes, but he continued watching attentively without even blinking his own.
Ye Jing Han blushed and shoved Du Xian’s hand away angrily, then pulled his ear and dragged him away.
Du Xian forced a smile to conceal his embarrassment.
“Let’s leave!” Monster King Ying Fei immediately reacted to the situation and said to Du Xian and Ye Jing Han before they quickly turned around and returned along the way they came.
Although they did not know what happened, they were sure that Yang Kai’s life was not in danger. Instead, he seemed to have completely ‘subdued’ the rude young woman, so Ying Fei did not feel right to disturb Yang Kai’s business with their presence.
Unfortunately, the arrival of the three still attracted the attention of Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing, who was in an intoxicated state as her instincts ran rampant after her strength experienced a bloodline suppression, suddenly regained a trace of sense in her mind and gave a hard bite.
“Ssii…” Yang Kai took a sharp breath as he felt his tongue almost get bitten off, hurriedly lifting his head up to protect himself.
Zhu Qing put her hands on his chest to block him, opening a distance between them. She was gasping for air, her face red, “Enough!” She retorted coldly with her lingering flustered face.
Yang Kai was amused by her look, he smiled faintly, “Not enough.”
Zhu Qing was irritated, “Don’t think you can act as you please!” She swept her eyes over Yang Kai, staring at his big hand that was still massaging her peaks and snapped, “Take your dirty hands off of me!”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders and squeezed hard, causing Zhu Qing to furrow her brow in pain. Only then did he stand up with a flip.
He also wasn’t shameless enough to continue their ‘activity’ after being spotted by Ying Fei and the others. However, after this activity, he felt that he had vented a lot of the fire in his body. Even though he still felt uncomfortable as he held back, he did not want to continue forcing the reluctant Zhu Qing.
After getting out of Yang Kai’s control, Zhu Qing quickly jumped up and put a thousand meters between her and Yang Kai. Then, she stared at him coldly, mixed feelings flashing across her beautiful eyes.
She only created trouble for Yang Kai because she sensed that Yang Kai had refined some things he absolutely should not have, but she could not believe that she was the one who suffered a big loss in the end.
The feeling of being frivolously molested still remained, making her extremely uncomfortable.
“First time?” Yang Kai asked without lifting his head, ripping off his ragged clothes and putting on another new set.
He did not understand. Since Zhu Qing seemed to have cultivated a powerful Charm Technique and did not hesitate to serve herself to the tiger, how could this possibly be her first time? However, the inexperience she displayed did not seem to be fake.
Yang Kai started to think that Zhu Qing did not actually cultivate any kind of Beguiling Technique. When he recalled his past uncontrollable actions, it seemed that it happened not because he was affected by something she did, but rather by some kind of primal instinct in his own body.
[Do I crave for women to such a degree? I don’t think so…]
“What?” Zhu Qing was puzzled, but soon, she understood what Yang Kai meant and rebuked with her face flushed red again, “None of your damn business!”
“Do you want me to take responsibility then?” Yang Kai winked at her, at the same time secretly circulating his Emperor Qi to gradually calm his rampaging emotions.
“Scram!” Zhu Qing was infuriated, “This isn’t over yet, just you wait!” Then, she turned around and flew away.
“Thank you for your patronage, you’re welcome to come again next time!”
Zhu Qing staggered and nearly fell from the air while Yang Kai’s unbridled laughter that came from behind made her feel even more ashamed.
After flying for a while, she saw the Monster King standing to the side with two weak Humans. When the Monster King saw her, he nodded at her with a smile, as if they knew each other very well.
If it had been before, she would have smashed him with her fist, but now that she had been seen in such a shameful situation, Zhu Qing was too embarrassed to face Ying Fei and instantly turned her tender body into a stream of light as she disappeared across the horizon.
“Young Master Yang is blessed,” Ying Fei raised his brow as he looked at Zhu Qing’s flying figure.
Although the young woman was a little rude, she was incredibly strong and desirable. He had no clue what amazing methods Yang Kai used that could take her down in such a time. As a man, Ying Fei had a deep admiration and respect for Yang Kai.
“En!” Du Xian agreed.
Ye Jing Han glanced sideways at him and snorted, “Why do I smell a sour smell?”
Du Xian was shocked and quickly flattered her with a smile, “No, no, no, that kind of woman doesn’t even deserve to carry Junior Sister’s shoes! In Senior Brother’s eyes, there is only Junior Sister in this world.”
Ye Jing Han shivered and rubbed her arm, “Okay, okay, you’re giving me the creeps.”
The corner of Du Xian’s mouth twitched as he shook his head and sighed.
“Didn’t I tell you all not to come?” Yang Kai’s figure suddenly flew over in front of Ying Fei.
Ying Fei answered embarrassingly, “I wanted to help Young Master Yang at first, but if I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have come. Young Master Yang, please forgive me.”
If he did not lead Ye Jing Han and Du Xian into Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s business, they might not have separated so soon. With a bit more time, the peanuts would have been shelled and the rice would have been cooked.
Ying Fei felt guilty about it.
“No harm,” Yang Kai waved his hand and stared towards the horizon.
The incident today was indeed weird. Zhu Qing just came up to find trouble with him for no apparent reason, then he ended up rolling around with her, doing some intense physical activity. It was just like an absurd dream that came and went without leaving traces.
There even seemed to be a wisp of residual fragrance when he licked his lips.
“Young Master Yang, where did the young woman… come from?” Ying Fei asked carefully.
Such a powerful young woman definitely had a strong background. If Yang Kai could obtain her, she would be of great assistance to him.
“I don’t know,” Yang Kai shook his head. Although he engaged in close physical contact with Zhu Qing, he only got to know her name and had no clue about her origins.
“Young Master Yang is impressive!” Ying Fei could not help admiring him even more as he just won over the young woman without even knowing her identity. He was simply a model among men, a shining beacon for this generation.
“Haha, I can’t help it if I’m so charming.” Yang Kai burst into laughter.
Ye Jing Han immediately tossed him a disdainful look.
…..
Inside an inn in Flowing Shadow City.
Zhu Qing quickly entered her room and activated the various isolation barriers before she sat down on the bed in a daze. Today, she went out for wool and came home shorn. It was the greatest shame of her life, a stain she would never be able to wash off. But when she thought about the Ancestral Dragon Source inside Yang Kai’s body, she relaxed quite a bit.
That kind of natural suppression was not something she could resist or withstand.
Luckily, she was not completely deluded under its influence and ultimately got away.
This situation involved too many complicated matters and it was no longer something she could handle at will.
After pondering for a while, Zhu Qing took a deep breath to calm her chaotic mind then took out a jade token from her Space Ring. The jade token had a vivid and lifelike dragon carved onto it. Looking at it, it was like a giant dragon pouncing forward.
Zhu Qing put her finger into her mouth and bit her fingertip, drawing a drop of blood that strangely burned like a flame.
The drop of burning blood disappeared into the jade token and it turned a bright red.
Suddenly, the dragon eyes on the token quivered and an aura as deep as the sea fell upon the room.
“Elder!” Zhu Qing greeted the jade token with a solemn face.
“Any news?” An old man’s voice came out of the jade token, one filled with dignity so strong that it stiffened Zhu Qing’s whole body from just hearing it.
“No,” Zhu Qing quickly answered.
“If that’s the case, why did you use the Dragon Talisman?”
Zhu Qing replied, “I saw the Ancestral Dragon Source.”
As soon as she said this, the light on the Dragon Talisman suddenly blinked and the old voice asked hastily, “What did you just say?”
Zhu Qing took a deep breath and replied, “I saw the Ancestral Dragon Source.”
“Is this true?” The old voice suddenly became extremely excited.
“Yes!” Zhu Qing nodded, “I saw it with my own eyes, I can’t be wrong.”
“Where did you see it? When did you see it… Hurry up, tell me everything you know.”
Zhu Qing explained what happened after she met Yang Kai today, but she concealed the fact that Yang Kai had taken advantage of her in the middle of their fight. She was a woman, after all, so it was simply too shameless and unbearable for her to even mention it.
Zhu Qing itched with hatred whenever she recalled Yang Kai’s assault. She never thought that her first contact with a man would happen like that.
After listening, the dragon eyes on the Dragon Talisman twinkled and it took a while before the old voice said, “If he could easily suppress your Source Strength, and it was a pure golden colour, it really must be the Ancestral Dragon Source!”
The old voice was incredibly enthusiastic, as if he had encountered something that made him extremely excited, he paused and confirmed with her, “Are you sure that person is a Human?”
“Yes.” Zhu Qing replied, “But he seems to have refined a few dragon artifacts and understood some simple Dragon Transformation Secret Techniques.”
The old voice commented, “Since he has obtained the Ancestral Dragon Source, it’s not strange to have refined several dragon artifacts.”
“Elder, the Ancestral Dragon Source is a big deal, should I… bring him back to the island?” Zhu Qing asked.
The old voice quipped, “Do you think you are capable of that?”
Zhu Qing was speechless.
It was true that Yang Kai only had a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, and that she could easily crush an ordinary First-Order Emperor at will, but the Ancestral Dragon Source in his body had too great a suppressive effect on her. The previous battle with Yang Kai had proved this point. She was subdued by Yang Kai even before she could exert half of her strength. To deal with such a person, unless an Elder personally took action, no one could resist the Ancestral Dragon Source’s suppression.
“Then what should I do?” Zhu Qing frowned. The Ancestral Dragon Source was a unique treasure that her clan had been seeking for tens of thousands of years, how could she ignore it now that she finally found it?
The Dragon Talisman was silent for a long time before the old voice decided, “Follow him and try to establish a friendly relationship with him. When the opportunity is right, invite him to the island as a guest.”
“Befriend him?” Zhu Qing’s face went blank, frowning, “He’s just a trivial Human, what qualifications does he have…”
“The Ancestral Dragon Source is his qualification,” The old voice interrupted her without waiting for Zhu Qing to finish speaking. There was an absolution in his tone accompanied by a trace of anger as he asked, “Are you questioning me?”
Zhu Qing’s body trembled, and she lowered her head in submission, “Zhu Qing dares not.”
“En,” the old voice said gruffly, “You must invite him back to the island no matter the price.”
“Then… My task…” Zhu Qing asked hesitantly.
“Continue to investigate, but don’t force the issue,” the old voice replied shortly. Compared to the emergence of the Ancestral Dragon Source Strength, Zhu Qing’s original mission was nothing. It was just a token after all.
“Yes!” Zhu Qing nodded respectfully.
The light in the dragon eyes on the Dragon Talisman gradually dimmed while its deep aura also dissipated slowly. Zhu Qing put it away, frowned, and sat on the edge of the bed feeling upset.
She was violated by Yang Kai, so there was nothing Zhu Qing would like more than to rip him into ten thousand pieces to resolve the hatred in her heart, but her Elder’s order now was to try her best to befriend him…
[Why should this Queen humble herself to make acquaintances with this trivial, lowly Human? It’s too shameful!]
Warm and Inviting Inn, the largest inn in Flowing Shadow City, was the property of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.
Yang Kai arrived at this inn and after booking a few rooms upstairs, went to the hall downstairs to have a meal.
With his cultivation, there was no need for eating anymore. His body could subsist on the ambient World Energy, but the occasional consumption of food was still somewhat enjoyable.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian had been a little sad and worried, and Yang Kai did not know how to cheer them up other than comforting their sorrows with the company of wine.
Jugs of alcohol were served, all of which Ye Jing Han drank so enthusiastically that she soon became inebriated and fell asleep in Du Xian’s arms.
Du Xian cast an apologetic look at Yang Kai to which the latter just waved his hand lightly, asking the former to take Ye Jing Han to rest.
Only Yang Kai and Ying Fei were left at the table now.
After three rounds of drinks, Yang Kai suddenly recalled, “Ying Fei, that woman said her name is Zhu Qing. Does it ring any bells to you?”
He suddenly recalled that when Zhu Qing announced her name, she followed up with a strange question about her surname. Yang Kai did not think much about it at the time, but it seemed to have a significant meaning now that he pondered upon it.
Yang Kai thought a lot about it, but still had no ideas. Although Ying Fei lived in the Ancient Wild Lands, he had been cultivating for a long time and had far vaster experiences than Yang Kai, so he just might have some clues.
At the very least, he had to figure out Zhu Qing’s origin.
Yang Kai did not think that such a woman would give up easily, and she did leave some harsh threats right before she flew off.
The wine cup in Ying Fei’s hand halted abruptly as he stared at Yang Kai with wide eagle eyes, asking, “Did you just say… her name was Zhu Qing?”
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked at Ying Fei’s unusually large reaction suspiciously.
It took a while before the shock on Ying Fei’s face receded. He took a gulp of wine before replying solemnly, “On the East Sea’s Dragon Island, the Great Elder of the Dragon Clan is called Zhu Yan.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and asked sternly, “Does Monster King mean that… She’s from the Dragon Clan?”
Ying Fei answered, “It’s just a guess, I’m not sure. But back then, Zhu Qing said something about me saying a certain word and threatening to kill me if I said it again. I thought about it at the time and couldn’t figure out what word violated her bottom line, but now it seems that there is indeed one word that could enrage her.”
“Which word?” Yang Kai asked.
Ying Fei inquired, “Does Young Master Yang still remember what I said at the time?”
Yang Kai pondered for a while, then grinned, “You said I was handsome and exceptionally talented, truly a…” He stopped suddenly before saying, “So that’s it.”
Ying Fei also nodded and explained, “If she is really a member of the Dragon Clan, it all makes sense. The Dragon Clan has always been savage, and never gives any respect to other Divine Spirits, let alone Monster Race cultivators like me. The word I used to praise Young Master Yang would definitely irritate her.”
At this point, Ying Fei’s face turned pale from fear. Although he was a Monster King, the other party was a Divine Spirit.
[No wonder, no wonder she’s so strong. The Dragon Clan’s strength has always been unrivalled. No wonder I couldn’t see through her cultivation.]
It turned out that Zhu Qing was actually a Dragon Clan member!
Considering all this, his admiration for Yang Kai deepened even more.
[That was a member of the Dragon Clan! What method did Young Master Yang use to get her to yield within such a short time, even allowing him to take advantage of her? On the other hand, the other party didn’t seem to have much intention of resisting. If I hadn’t barged in uninvited, I’m afraid even little dragons could have been conceived.]
How could something like this happen?
The Dragon Clan was arrogant and always regarded themselves as the head of all living creatures. No other race could enter their eyes, let alone a humble Human.
How could Zhu Qing, a True Dragon, endure being violated by a mere Human?
“Young Master Yang, could you also be… from the Dragon Clan?” An idea suddenly came to Ying Fei. It seemed that only being a Dragon himself could explain all the incredible things Yang Kai had done.
Only a Dragon could make another Dragon yield!
Yang Kai guffawed loudly, and patted his own chest, “I’m Human!”
Ying Fei smiled bitterly, not knowing whether to believe it or not.
“Excuse me… Is Your Excellency… Yang Kai… Senior Yang?”
At this moment, a middle-aged man suddenly approached the table, trembling with his head lowered.
Ying Fei glanced at him and found that this guy was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, and did not pay much attention to him. However, even just a casual glance from Ying Fei was enough for this man to fall to his knees and exclaim, “Senior, mercy! This lowly one is just here to deliver a letter!”
Although Yang Kai acted extremely presumptuously in Flowing Shadow City, it had not garnered much real attention, but when Ying Fei later exposed his identity and cultivation, everyone was appalled at the fact that he was an authentic Monster King.
At this moment, this middle-aged man was not as very afraid of Yang Kai as he was afraid of Ying Fei.
“No one wants your life!” Yang Kai glanced at him then raised his chin slightly, “What letter is it?”
The middle-aged man scanned Ying Fei quietly and only took a deep breath when he confirmed that the latter was not looking at him anymore. He reached into his robes and took out a gilded note before handing it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took a look at the page then grinned, “An invitation?”
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, “Exactly.”
“Who told you to deliver this?” Yang Kai questioned.
“It was…” The middle-aged man was about to answer, but his eyes suddenly became blank. He tried to recall but could not remember, even feeling a splitting headache coming on.
“Young Master Yang, someone erased his memory with some kind of technique,” Ying Fei’s eyes flashed when he saw this.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and with a sweep of his sleeve, sent the middle-aged man out the door. Since someone had removed the messenger’s memories, it did not make sense to ask anymore as he probably would not be able to get any answers.
Taking a closer look at the invitation card in his hand, Yang Kai could not help raising his brow.
“Young Master Yang, what invitation is it?” Ying Fei asked.
Yang Kai handed the card over casually as he took a sip from his cup and stated, “It looks like someone is getting impatient.”
“Is this an invitation to the auction?” Ying Fei frowned after reading the contents of the card.
They came to Flowing Shadow City this time just for this auction, but Yang Kai did not expect someone to take the initiative to invite him there before he had done anything, as if afraid he wasn’t aware the auction was even taking place.
“Young Master Yang, this is a trap, a dangerous one at that.”
Ying Fei had exposed his identity and cultivation in public today, and the person hiding in the darkness still dared to send an initiation to Yang Kai. There was no doubt that they had found a way to counter him, a Monster King, otherwise, the hidden party would not be acting so confidently.
“I’m not a fool, how can I not see such an obvious thing?” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Do you want to summon Old Rhino and Wu Wei too?” Ying Fei asked via Divine Sense.
Since the unknown enemy had taken Ying Fei’s presence into account, his plan must be well-thought-out; however, no matter how many things this mastermind had taken into account, he would not be aware of the existence of Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei.
Yang Kai just needed to set up a Space Array and summon the two Monster Kings from the Northern Territory. All schemes and tricks would be in vain in the face of absolute strength.
Moreover, Yang Kai was completely capable of doing this. Now that there was still some time before the auction, Yang Kai could arrange a Space Array in a discrete location and bring the two Monsters Kings over here without anyone knowing.
After some deep thought though, Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “No need.”
First, he did not have many Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jades on hand, so he did not want to waste them. Second, if he really summoned two Monster Kings over, it might alarm the enemy; after all, they entered Flowing Shadow City in a group of four, so if their group suddenly increased by two, everyone would find it suspicious.
Yang Kai actually considered hiding Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei inside his Sealed World Bead, but it was better not to reveal its existence to too many people.
Since Yang Kai had decided, Ying Fei did not try to persuade him of anything. He just secretly made up his mind to keep Yang Kai safe no matter what happened.
“Come, follow me for a walk!” Yang Kai dropped a few Source Crystals to pay for the food and drinks, then walked out of the inn with Ying Fei.
Before coming to Flowing Shadow City, Yang Kai already vaguely felt that the auction was a conspiracy. It seemed that someone had deliberately set a trap and was waiting for their target to take the bait.
After he reached Flowing Shadow City and met the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, Yang Kai felt more certain that his guess was likely true.
And now, he abruptly received an invitation to the auction, which made him wonder whether he was the target of this conspiracy since the beginning.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why this was happening, but he didn’t plan on simply following the other party’s script.
Since the auction would be held in Flowing Shadow City, it was reasonable that the items to be auctioned would be in Flowing Shadow City. Therefore, he wanted to check if Ai Ou and the rest were here. If so, he could just snatch them back directly.
While walking around, Yang Kai released his powerful Divine Sense to cover the surroundings like a tide while keeping as low a profile as possible.
He was very familiar with the aura of Ai Ou and the others, so he would certainly notice them if they were really in Flowing Shadow City.
But after half a day, Yang Kai could only sigh. Sure enough, the enemy was not foolish enough to keep his bargaining chips out in the open.
Yang Kai brought Ying Fei back to Warm and Inviting Inn.
The attendant of the inn came up to Yang Kai and informed, “Sir, a guest is waiting for you.”
“Who?” Yang Kai was surprised.
He did not know anyone in this Flowing Shadow City, so he was completely confused.
“It’s a woman.” The attendant showed a smug face, “She is now waiting in front of your room.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and released his Divine Sense to check, immediately discovering who was waiting for him. He murmured to himself as he could not help feeling a bit shocked, “How could it be her?”
Without a doubt, Ying Fei realized too and whispered, “Young Master Yang, be careful. This woman is not easy to deal with.”
“En, I know,” Yang Kai nodded. He had no clue about her background before, but after learning her origin and identity, Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate her anymore.
After tipping the attendant with some Source Crystals, Yang Kai strode upstairs.
A petite and exquisite young woman was pacing back and forth outside a room, mumbling to herself incessantly with an impatient expression. It seemed that she was a bit distracted and did not even realize that the Divine Senses of Yang Kai and Ying Fei had scanned her just now.
It was not until the sound of footsteps came from nearby that the woman suddenly stopped and looked up.
At first glance, a face captured her eyes, one so hateful that all she wanted to do was smash it in with her fist.
“Qing’er, are you here to find me?” Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing with a grin and walked towards her step by step.
Zhu Qing’s face darkened as she asked in a frigid tone, “What did you just call me?”
[Impudence! How dare a trivial Human address me so informally!]
Ying Fei was speechless too, secretly admiring Yang Kai’s courage to provoke her even after knowing she was from the Dragon Clan. Still, he silently circulated his Monster Qi and prepared to fight at any moment. Although he did not want to make enemies with a member of the Dragon Clan, Yang Kai’s safety was his top priority now.
“Why so cold? I prefer how you looked before,” Yang Kai stood in front of her and looked at her with a smirk, his eyes sweeping across the bulge of her dress.
Being scanned by his obscene gaze, Zhu Qing could not help shivering. The feeling of being taken advantage of before struck her again. She was embarrassed and annoyed, immediately raising her fist to strike at Yang Kai’s face fiercely.
However, she instantly regretted her actions. Her Elder had ordered her to build a good relationship with Yang Kai, and then invite him to visit the island. Was not the reason for this trip here to put an end to their war and make peace? How could she forget her purpose so easily and act so recklessly?
She rapidly withdrew seventy percent of her strength.
Her fist was caught by a big hand, one that immediately began caressing her smooth fingers gently.
A strange tingle crawled across her body as Zhu Qing yelled with her face flushed red, “Let go!”
[I shouldn’t have held back my strength. I should have just smashed this hateful face with that punch just now!] While grumbling to herself, she swung another small fist towards Yang Kai, as if she wanted to fight him to the death.
“Good, good, good, I’ll let go. Don’t be so sensitive,” Yang Kai said despite continuing to rub her hand a bit longer, seemingly reluctant to let go.
Zhu Qing quickly jumped back to keep some distance from Yang Kai, her twin peaks bouncing noticeably as she landed. She furiously shook her little hand that was touched by Yang Kai, like she was trying to shake off something unclean.
Ying Fei, standing to the side, was drenched in cold sweat by now. He almost made a move when Zhu Qing attacked, but fortunately, he realized that Zhu Qing had withdrawn some of her strength at the last moment. Nevertheless, he was confused at Zhu Qing’s actions.
[What is she… doing?]
[Did she really fall in love with Young Master Yang? Otherwise, why did she withdraw her strength even when she was so angry? By the looks of it, she doesn’t seem to like Young Master Yang. In fact, from her attitude it’s like she can’t wait to kill him.]
Ying Fei was bewildered.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was snickering, his laugh sounding creepy and lewd. He took out the room token to unlock it before pushing open the door and leaning against the frame, “Let’s talk inside if you have anything to say.”
He had no clue why Zhu Qing came to him, but since she was here, it must be something important. Yang Kai was not afraid that she would get cold feet, for she was a proud Dragon after all.
A pair of beautiful eyes glared at Yang Kai with hatred, their piercing gaze seemingly wanting to slice Yang Kai a thousand times over, but she remained frozen on the spot.
Yang Kai continued to smile from ear to ear without urging her.
The scornful smile undoubtedly provoked Zhu Qing’s pride and soon she grit her teeth and swiftly entered the room.
“Bold indeed!” Yang Kai grinned, thinking that since she had thrown herself into his arms, she could not blame him if he did anything to her.
Yang Kai turned around and wanted to close the door.
Ying Fei blocked it from closing though as he seemed to want to follow inside, “Young Master Yang, I…” He stared at Yang Kai with his eyes widened.
“Get… out!” Yang Kai curled his lips then slammed the door, almost flattening Ying Fei’s nose.
“Young Master Yang, you…” Ying Fei was deeply worried and yelled, “Indulging in your lust is equivalent to hanging a knife upon your head! Young Master Yang, don’t become beguiled by beauty!”
There was no response from the room, making Ying Fei feel like a cat on a hot tin roof. Du Xian heard their movements from outside and poked his head out of his room, asking, “Sir, what happened?”
“Nothing!” Ying Fei replied angrily. He was anxious, but he did not dare to break in.
But on second thought, since Yang Kai could subdue Zhu Qing last time, logically, he would not be in big danger this time. Furthermore, Zhu Qing did not release any murderous intent from the beginning, making Ying Fei feel like he was just being paranoid.
Inside the room, Yang Kai turned around and hugged Zhu Qing’s waist. He leaned his head on her shoulder, gently sniffing her intoxicating fragrance as he nuzzled her white neck and whispered, “Qing’er, did you miss me so soon?”
Zhu Qing’s whole body stiffened in an instant. She did not expect Yang Kai to be bold enough to take advantage of her as soon as they were alone, leaving her no time to react. Infuriated, she snapped, “Take your dirty hands off of me!”
Yang Kai ignored her and instead gently bit Zhu Qing’s earlobe.
The heart inside her tender body jumped, followed by a reverse headbutt.
Yang Kai fell to the ground with a bang, stars floating in front of his eyes as two streams of Golden Blood flowed out of his nostrils.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Qing immediately leapt away and stood at the corner of the room. She glared at him with her teeth gritted, rebuking, “Please show some propriety!”
Yang Kai stretched out his arm and wiped the blood off his face. The pain that he felt actually calmed down his agitated mood a little. He looked at Zhu Qing, and sneered, “I can’t believe that someone from the noble Dragon Clan would actually cultivate a Charm Technique!”
Zhu Qing frowned, “What are you talking about? Since when did I cultivate a Charm Technique?”
Yang Kai snorted, “If you didn’t use some kind of Beguiling Technique on me, why would this Young Master be unable to control himself as soon as he sees you?”
“You were simply born obscene. Can you blame me for that?” Zhu Qing felt deeply wronged by his accusation. [Can a dog eat shit then blame that shit for tempting it because it smelt too good? Nonsense! Wait, how can I think like this? Isn’t this reference just degrading myself!?]
“Bullshit!” Yang Kai curled his lips, “Although this Young Master is not a gentleman, he is still able to remain perfectly calm even if a woman sits on his lap of her own free will. Since when am I obscene?”
Zhu Qing sneered, “Your actions are frivolous and dissolute, what could you be if not obscene?”
Yang Kai stared at her for a while, then he waved his hand, “Forget it, good men don’t argue with women.”
He took a deep breath and silently circulated his Secret Art to suppress the fires in his heart, then he looked up and questioned, “So, why did you find me? Don’t tell me you fell in love with me at first sight! Although I’m also a responsible man, I won’t force it if you don’t want to.”
Zhu Qing snickered, “Are you always this full of yourself?”
Yang Kai answered unmindfully, “I wonder who it was that embraced this Young Master so tight last time. Her strength was so strong that the nail marks she left on this Young Master’s back are still here. Oh right, that’s because she is a true dragoness… “
“Shut your mouth!” Zhu Qing could not help becoming angry out of shame. She stomped her foot fiercely, causing the whole inn to shake as if it was about to collapse from her brute strength.
The previous incident was simply the biggest humiliation of her life, and Yang Kai just could not stop touching the trigger.
After taking a deep breath, Zhu Qing chanted to herself, [Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. Focus on the bigger picture, for my clan, my sacrifice is nothing worth mentioning…]
It took her a while to finally calm down and look at Yang Kai, “So, now you know that I am from the Dragon Clan?”
Yang Kai looked at her with a calm smile, but there was actually a great storm whirling around inside his head. Previously, when he discussed this with Ying Fei, even though they guessed that Zhu Qing might be from the Dragon Clan, it was still just a guess.
Now that she took the initiative to admit it, Yang Kai was still shocked even though he was prepared for it…
The Dragon Clan held itself as the ruler of all living beings. Although the title seemed to be self-proclaimed, it was indeed not far from the truth.
In Ancient Times, Dragons and Phoenixes were the most powerful and respected among all the Divine Spirits! Whereas now when most of the Divine Spirits were extinct, the Dragon Clan was still living and thriving in the East Sea.
It could be said that this powerful race had witnessed the myriad ages of the world itself, experiencing the full passage of time from primordial to present. The Dragon Clan was not just a name, but also a symbol of inheritance and power!
Because Yang Kai possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Source in his body, he did not feel any intimidation or fear in the face of Zhu Qing, a living Dragon, but rather an inexplicable affection.
This affection quickly turned into greed and covetousness though as thoughts of subduing this Dragon Girl and making her his woman raced through this mind… What else could a man ask for with a life like this?
“How did you know?” Zhu Qing asked again.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, rubbing his fingers, and replied, “This Young Master is proficient in the art of divination, I could tell with a simple look…”
Zhu Qing glared at him furiously, thinking only a ghost would believe such a liar, but she did expose a lot of information when she was fighting with Yang Kai before, so it was not surprising that he had guessed her identity.
“It’s fine if you know, but I ask you to keep this information to yourself; after all, the identity of a Dragon Clan member is a bit too… shocking.” Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai sincerely.
Although it was rumoured that Dragon Island was situated somewhere on the East Sea in the Eastern Territory, and many Dragons were living there, this was just a rumour after all and the world at large did not know anything about them. If a living Dragon Girl suddenly appeared in public, it would inevitably bring an unimaginable shock.
“No problem,” Yang Kai responded readily. “I am not someone who likes running their mouth.”
Zhu Qing expressed gratitude, thinking that this person could be a good person when conversed with properly. Perhaps she had been too biased, making him appear annoying and displeasing no matter what he did, but it was time to change her opinion of him.
“But what can you give me in return?” Yang Kai’s tone changed, and the aggressive gaze once again scanned over the sensitive parts of Zhu Qing’s body, like a dozen big hands trying to strip her naked.
Zhu Qing took a deep breath as she slowly closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly.
[I’m so naive to think that this person could be good!]
“What… do… you… want… in… return!” Zhu Qing opened her eyes, grinding her teeth as she uttered each word with fury, becoming increasingly infuriated the more she looked at his disgusting face.
“It depends on what you can give me,” Yang Kai rested his cheek on his palm, remaining calm and composed.
Yang Kai instinctually felt that there was something wrong with him today. The long-forgotten desires that he had been suppressing began boiling incessantly ever since he met Zhu Qing. Such feelings disappeared after separating from her, but they returned again now, especially when they were both alone in this room. The thrill of playing with fire was quite irresistible despite him continuously warning himself to not provoke this Dragon Girl.
Zhu Qing stared at him deeply, and it took a long time before she lightly opened her crimson lips and uttered, “… friends…”
“Huh?” Yang Kai looked at her, flabbergasted.
Zhu Qing inhaled gently, and repeated, “I said, I can be friends with you.”
Although the tone was plain, the unconcealable arrogance between her brow was saying that this matter was a Heaven-sent opportunity for him.
Yang Kai was stunned on the spot, just staring at her blankly.
Zhu Qing did not avoid his gaze, but frowned when Yang Kai did not respond after a long time, “Did you hear what I…”
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai burst into laughter, slapping his thigh vigorously.
Zhu Qing was irritated, “What are you laughing at?”
Yang Kai stopped laughing, and looked at Zhu Qing mockingly, “The arrogance of the Dragon Clan is worthy of its reputation.”
Zhu Qing sneered slightly, “Better than the cunning Humans.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, and nodded, “En, what you said is right. Humans are indeed very cunning, and no one can deny that, but you said you want to be friends with me. Do you know… what a friend is?”
Zhu Qing replied proudly, “I don’t need to know.”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, and looked at her, guessing, “You have no friends, right?”
[What kind of friends does a Dragon need?] Zhu Qing sneered in her heart, her face showing disdain, but suddenly realized that Yang Kai’s expression had a hint of pity and sympathy, suddenly making her feel annoyed. How dare a trivial Human look at her with this expression? Her slender fingers twitched, trying hard to suppress the idea of gouging his eyeballs out.
That was because she was not his opponent, and she would just be humiliating herself if she acted rashly.
[Elder, the task you gave is really arduous. Qing’er really doesn’t know how to complete it. Is this a test from the clan for me?]
“Why do you want to be friends with me?” Yang Kai frowned as he asked.
[Of course, it’s because of the Elder’s order and the Ancestral Dragon Source.] Zhu Qing muttered in her heart, but replied out loud, “Do I need a reason?”
“Why not?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Zhu Qing looked impatient, and demanded through gritted teeth, “Just tell me if you agree.”
One’s ancestors would jump out of their graves to receive such an honour to be friends with a Dragon, so how dare this man make things difficult? He really did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
“What if I agree? And what if I don’t?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smirk, then his expression suddenly became stern, “You can’t be friends by just saying it.”
Yang Kai wondered if Zhu Qing was just too arrogant or simply had no experience socializing with people; he had never met a person who wanted to be friends and still put on an expression that said ‘you should feel lucky that I want to be your friend’.
“What should I do then?” Zhu Qing frowned and thought for a while, unexpectedly putting on an expression of confusion and questioning.
Yang Kai glanced at her and waved his hand, quickly explaining, “As friends, you should put your life on the line for each other, share each other’s worries and problems. As friends, you should be honest with each other and take care of each other. As friends… “
“Be specific,” Zhu Qing interrupted him impatiently, “What do you want me to do before you are willing to be friends with me.”
Yang Kai looked at her with a broad smile, and patted the bed next to him, “I don’t have a bed warmer. If you can undress and accompany me for the night, I would think about it.”
“Out of the question!” Zhu Qing roared. This man was nothing but a bastard, revealing his degenerate mentality in every word he uttered! Warming a bed was not something a friend needed to do! Although Zhu Qing had no friends, how could she not understand common sense?
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, looking helpless.
Zhu Qing turned her head away, filled with reluctance, “Change it.”
“Then I won’t agree.” Yang Kai said with a wave.
“What do you want?” Zhu Qing flushed with anger and glared at him fiercely.
Yang Kai slapped the table in front of him into pieces, and exploded, “This Young Master wants to ask you instead, what do you want?”
How baffling. In Yang Kai’s entire life, he had never seen anyone like her, who had come over and demanded to be friends with him. How could friendship be a coerced transaction?
Zhu Qing pursed her red lips and stated, “I just want to be friends with you.”
Yang Kai swept over her up and down to confirm that the woman was not insane, and yelled, “Good, I heard that there’s a force known as the Sword Villa in the Western Territory. The Sword Wine brewed there is the best in the world, even Great Emperors would praise it profusely. If you can get me some…”
Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up, “You will be friends with me?”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin, “I’ll think about it.”
“You…” Zhu Qing was furious, “You’re too much!”
Yang Kai sneered, “This is who I am, get out if you can’t stand it!”
“Fine. No one has ever dared to treat me like this. You will regret it!” Zhu Qing glared at him fiercely and headed out after spitting out a ferocious threat.
Yang Kai turned around and smiled, “It’s getting late. Qing’er, don’t you want to stay the night at least?”
Zhu Qing, who was by the door and was about to push it open, threw a punch in front of her upon hearing this.
In an instant, a big hole was opened in the door, spattering splinters of wood everywhere. Zhu Qing glared back at Yang Kai, turned around, and rushed into the darkness.
Outside the door, Ying Fei was thoroughly drenched in cold sweat. After Zhu Qing was long gone, he peeped into the room and found Yang Kai safe and sound, finally letting out a breath of relief, “Young Master Yang, what happened to her?”
“Only a ghost would know.” Yang Kai chuckled happily, feeling a lot easier in his heart.
After this incident, Zhu Qing would never come to pester him again, right?
Although it was a good thing that a Dragon Girl was attracted to him and insisted on being friends, Yang Kai found himself unable to suppress his carnal desires whenever they were in close proximity.
He was afraid a day would come when he really could not hold back anymore and would force himself on her. At that point, he would have offended the entire Dragon Clan.
All in all, although this Zhu Qing did not seem malicious, her existence was too dangerous to him, in multiple ways.
Yang Kai was puzzled. Zhu Qing did not cultivate any Charm Techniques, and her beauty was not to the extent that he could not suppress himself, so why was he so unable to control himself whenever he caught a sniff of her scent?
“This, this…” An elderly man wearing a golden robe like a landlord’s suddenly rushed upstairs, exclaiming again and again after seeing Yang Kai’s broken door.
Every room here was strengthened with a Spirit Array so powerful that even a general First-Order Emperor Realm Master would not be able to destroy it. What kind of terrible monster could have punched a big hole in this door?
“Who are you?” Ying Fei glanced at him and asked.
The elderly man seemed to know the identity of Ying Fei and bowed respectfully after hearing the question, “Replying to Sir, this lowly one is the keeper of this inn. What happened to this place just now…”
“Don’t ask something you shouldn’t ask,” Ying Fei glanced at him, taking out some Source Crystals from his Space Ring before tossing it to the innkeeper and saying, “This is the compensation. Give my Young Master a new room.”
“Yes, yes!” The innkeeper nodded and quickly got up. He would have never let it slide if someone else made trouble in his inn. Although he was just an innkeeper, this inn was actually an industry of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect.
But Ying Fei was a powerful Monster King, and Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was just a fart compared to him.
Very quickly, the innkeeper arranged a new room for Yang Kai and withdrew respectfully.
The next day, Yang Kai was meditating when someone knocked on his door.
After scanning with his Divine Sense, he found that it was Ye Jing Han and Du Xian.
Yang Kai opened the door and looked at the two of them, “What is it?”
Ye Jing Han answered in a trembling voice, “Young Master Yang, Flowing Shadow Sword Sect sent my father here. He is outside the inn now.”
“Sect Master Ye?” The image of Ye Hen surfaced in Yang Kai’s mind as he nodded lightly, “Looks like Li Qing Yun knows how he should act. Since he sent him to us, just accept it.”
“Master was delivered here by Li Qing Yun himself,” Du Xian remarked embarrassingly.
Li Qing Yun was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, while Ye Jing Han and he were just Dao Source Realm cultivators; they did not have the qualification to talk face to face with him. Furthermore, they had no clue what Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was up to with this gesture, so they could only ask Yang Kai to face him for them.
After listening to the situation, Yang Kai nodded in understanding, “Then I’ll go with you.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang!” Du Xian expressed his gratitude.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai smiled, but he actually sighed in his heart. If he was right, the extermination of Thousand Leaves Sect this time must have something to do to him.
The three of them strode outside, and Ying Fei also came out of nowhere, following behind Yang Kai.
When they arrived outside the inn, they saw that Li Qing Yun was indeed standing there. He was styled exactly like a swordsman, dressed in white and carrying his sword on him.
Standing in front of him was Ye Hen. Although he looked a little depressed, there was no sign of torture on him. He probably just felt deflated due to the extermination of his Sect and the death and injuries of so many of his disciples.
“Father!”
“Honoured Master!” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian shouted together and quickly glared at Li Qing Yun.
Ye Hen lifted his head and looked at them with a wry smile.
Thousand Leaves Sect had endured for over ten thousand years, but now it had been destroyed under his leadership. He felt ashamed of himself for failing the trust of his ancestors; however, seeing his daughter and his Eldest Disciple again after one year brightened his mood somewhat.
Li Qing Yun did not say anything as he lightly cupped his fists towards Yang Kai, then walked away without looking back.
It seemed that his purpose for this trip was only to send Ye Hen back.
As he said, the mastermind behind the scenes had gotten what he wanted and it did not matter to him anymore whether Ye Hen lived or died. It was also because of this that Ye Hen could keep his life after being captured by Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, otherwise he would have just been killed on the spot.
“Father!” Ye Jing Han rushed forward and carefully checked Ye Hen. After making sure his arms or legs were still intact, only then did she release a sigh of relief.
“Sect Master Ye!” Yang Kai went forward and greeted him with his fists cupped.
“Young Master Yang!” Ye Hen and Yang Kai were acquaintances, so seeing him together with his daughter and Eldest Disciple, Ye Hen’s heart filled with gratitude knowing that he could only get out of trouble this time thanks to Yang Kai’s help.
“Let’s talk inside,” Yang Kai beckoned.
Ye Hen nodded, and walked into the inn step by step with the support of Ye Jing Han and Du Xian.
After entering the room, Yang Kai asked for a meal to be prepared as the few of them sat cross-legged, drinking as they talked.
Ye Jing Han asked about Ye Hen’s recent treatment out of concern, and learnt that he was not tortured in Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, just detained. Hearing this, her hatred for the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was reduced slightly.
But after this tragedy, Ye Hen seemed to have aged a lot all of a sudden, acting like he was being weighed down by heavy burdens. He downed one cup of wine after another, looking truly dispirited.
He had remained in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm for a long time, but back then, when Yang Kai retrieved the long-lost inheritance of Thousand Leaves Sect from Emperor Heaven Valley, Ye Hen gained the confidence to break through to the Emperor Realm in his lifetime. However, before he could achieve his ambitions, his Sect was destroyed by powerful enemies.
Sure enough, the world was unpredictable.
After bearing such a heavy impact, Ye Hen was not sure if he would still stand a chance of becoming an Emperor Realm Master in his lifetime.
Yang Kai lowered his cup as he said solemnly, “Sect Master Ye, the incident of Thousand Leaves Sect this time may have something to do with me.”
Flabbergasted, Ye Hen glanced at him, thinking he had misunderstood something. After a short silence, he replied with a wry smile, “It has nothing to do with Young Master Yang. This matter is because of Senior Hua.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Sister Hua is just an added incentive. Chi Yue, Ai Ou and my other Seniors were their real targets.”
Ye Hen was surprised, “Why do you say so?”
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian also looked at Yang Kai, bewildered.
Yang Kai took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, “I don’t have a complete explanation yet, so what I say now is just my own conclusions. I believe this is all a conspiracy aimed at me, with Thousand Leaves Sect just happening to be involved. The ultimate purpose of everything was to draw me to Flowing Shadow City.”
Ye Hen was dumbstruck. If it was like what Yang Kai said, the Thousand Leaves Sect was really unlucky.
“Forgive me!” Yang Kai looked at Ye Hen and apologized sincerely.
Ye Hen laughed wryly, “Young Master Yang, you don’t have to feel guilty. This was an inevitable disaster our Thousand Leaves Sect had to face. This Ye will never dare to forget the kindness Young Master Yang showed for our Thousand Leaves Sect. Even if Young Master Yang was involved in this incident, this Ye will not utter a single word of blame or rebuke. If anyone is to blame, it is Thousand Leaves Sect for being so weak that it could not resist when confronted with its enemies.”
Yang Kai continued, “Sect Master Ye may rest assured that no matter who is the mastermind behind all of this, I will obtain justice for your Thousand Leaves Sect.”
Ye Hen smiled lightly, “With the words of Young Master Yang, this Ye is relieved. But… the enemy is hiding in the dark, while we walk in the light. Young Master Yang, are you really that confident?”
Ye Jing Han glanced at Ying Fei, then leaned towards Ye Hen and whispered in his ear.
Ye Hen was taken aback when he heard the words she spoke and immediately turned to Ying Fei, “So, this is Sir Monster King. Please forgive this Ye for his lack of respect.”
A heavy stone was lifted from Ye Hen’s heart when he heard this. Given the great strength of Yang Kai and the additional assistance of a Monster King, there was nothing more for him to worry about.
Ying Fei waved his hand with a faint smile.
Yang Kai announced, “The auction is the time when everything will come to light. When it comes, the mastermind will surely show his fangs, and the truth behind this matter will be revealed. At that time, I will kill him.”
Ye Hen straightened up, and declared with a solemn face, “Young Master Yang, please accept my bow.”
Thousand Leaves Sect did not have the ability to avenge itself anymore. If Yang Kai could take revenge for the Thousand Leaves Sect, he would be a true patron to the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Yang Kai shook his head while lifting Ye Hen up with his hands, “Sect Master Ye, don’t be like this. At this point, I can’t stay out of this matter anymore. All that’s left now is to see who is stronger.”
Then, they continued to drink for a while before Yang Kai said goodbye and returned to his room.
Everything was peaceful for the next half a month.
As expected, Zhu Qing stopped coming to disturb him, like she had totally vanished from the world, which actually pleased Yang Kai greatly.
Although that woman was a great beauty, extremely pleasing to the eyes, and a brand new experience to ‘have fun’ with, she was still a Dragon Girl after all. Yang Kai was really unwilling to take things too far with her.
During this period, plenty of Emperor Realm Masters arrived in Flowing Shadow City for the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect. After all, every Heaven Grade Puppet was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master, so it would never be a bad idea to buy one and bring it back to guard one’s Sect. The Star Source in Ai Ou’s body was extremely tempting as well.
Yang Kai had investigated Flowing Shadow City numerous times, but he still could not find any trace of Chi Yue, Ai Ou or his other Seniors. He had no choice but to give up on this approach.
Nevertheless, it was obvious that the enemy was not stupid enough to give Yang Kai chances. By the looks of it, the enemy would not expose their cards before the auction started.
On this day, the Flowing Shadow City that had been quiet for so long suddenly became lively, especially at the entrance of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, which was bustling with heavy traffic.
As one of the two top chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory, the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce had naturally opened a branch in Flowing Shadow City, and the auction was held at this branch of the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
All the Emperor Realm Masters who received invitations arrived as scheduled.
There were two rows of young girls waiting respectfully in front of the chamber of commerce, and whenever an honoured guest arrived, they would greet them with welcoming smiles before ushering them into the auction house. These girls were as beautiful as flowers and their graceful figures could be vaguely seen through their tulle dresses, attracting the eyes of the crowd.
Without a doubt, they were professionally trained, each one of them wearing a warm smile that made people feel at home while their soft voices lifted the spirits of those who heard them.
Li Qing Yun, the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect, also stood outside the chamber of commerce. He was like a statue, his hand on the grip of the Jade Illusion Sword, his eyes closed shut. He withdrew his Sword Intent, appearing just like an ordinary commoner. However, people who knew him would know that he was not someone who they could mess with. At this moment, he was just like a sword in its sheath. Once the sword was drawn, the whole world would fill with his murderous intent.
Suddenly, Li Qing Yun opened his eyes and looked forward, a trace of fear and helplessness flashing across his sharp eyes.
In front of him, a group of five advanced in a confident manner, barging in like they owned this place. All the guests around glared at them, but once they recognized the faces of these people, they immediately retreated to one side with fearful expressions and their heads lowered, as if they were avoiding meeting eyes with these tigers.
This group of five was led by a young man. Among them was a man with a sinister face and a hooked nose, a young couple, and an elderly man.
It was Yang Kai and his group.
When they reached the front of the chamber of commerce, Yang Kai looked at Li Qing Yun with a grin, “Is Sect Master Li here to welcome the guests? What an honour!”
The expression of helplessness on Li Qing Yun’s face intensified as the corner of his mouth twitched, revealing a speechless look.
“Hahaha, this must be Young Master Yang Kai. Young Master Yang’s arrival is truly a great honour for me. Please come inside quickly!”
A hearty and enthusiastic laugh came from the side.
Yang Kai turned to the source of the voice and saw an ordinary-looking middle-aged man walking out from the side to greet him with a smile. This smiling look caught Yang Kai’s eyes and caused him to frown.
“Who are you?” Yang Kai questioned.
“It’s you!” Ye Jing Han and Du Xian gave out a low cry as they stared at the middle-aged man fearfully.
Ye Hen’s body also trembled as flames burned in his eyes.
“Do you know him?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
Ye Jing Han replied with her teeth gritted, “He was the one who suppressed our Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppets! And he was also the one who came looking for Senior Hua!”
“This one is Wu Ming!” The middle-aged man smiled lightly and continued to address Yang Kai, ignoring the three people from Thousand Leaves Sect, for these three trivial ants did not really deserve his attention.
Yang Kai’s eyes turned cold and he responded faintly, “So, is it you who is behind all these good deeds?”
Wu Ming beamed, “Young Master Yang jests. How could this one… What do you think you’re doing!?”
Before he finished, Wu Ming was taken aback because Yang Kai suddenly swung his hand to slap him. Emperor Qi surged and the surrounding World Energy shook. Although he was a Minor Realm higher in cultivation than Yang Kai, Wu Ming was shocked to find that he had no chance to avoid this blow.
He did not expect Yang Kai to be so dauntless and rush at him as soon as he appeared. He had not taken any precautions at all, and it was a bit too late when he reacted to the incoming slap.
What was even more appalling was that the Monster King who was always with Yang Kai was suddenly exerting pressure on him comparable to that of a Third-Order Emperor, making Wu Ming feel like a big mountain was crashing down on him.
Wu Ming was immobilized, his Emperor Qi unable to circulate properly.
*Pa… *
With a crisp sound, Wu Ming’s head was slapped aside. His cheek was blazing, his mouth was filled with blood, and pain shot through the entire side of his face.
The many Emperor Realm Masters who had come for the auction gawked at the scene in amazement.
Wu Ming, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was slapped in front of everyone’s eyes. How arrogant and savage was this young man named Yang Kai? Did he really think that he could be lawless with the backing of a Monster King?
“How dare you…” Wu Ming clenched his fists, gritting his teeth at Yang Kai as he roared like an enraged beast.
Before he finished speaking though, another palm quickly enlarged in front of his eyes and collided with his other cheek fiercely. Several teeth flew out, accompanied by the clear, crisp smack of the slap.
Wu Ming’s head buzzed and spun, and he was in confusion for a while. It was not merely due to being slapped, but also because he could not accept that this was happening to him. How could a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, a Deacon of Star Soul Palace who had always been a class above everyone else, think that he would be humiliated like this in this meagre Flowing Shadow City?
Triggered by the anger in his heart, he pushed his Emperor Qi madly, barely getting rid of Ying Fei’s imposing suppression before leaping back a few steps and shouting, “Enough!”
“How dare you raise your voice before me! Come here!” Yang Kai’s face was ruthless as he stretched open his hand. Space Principles fluctuated, and Wu Ming was horrified to see that he had completely lost control of his own body and involuntarily flew towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai pulled back his fist and smashed Wu Ming’s face brutally as he moved into range. Blood spurted from his face instantly, but Yang Kai was not finished yet. He leapt up high in the air, bent his elbow, and plummeted, crashing onto Wu Ming’s back fiercely.
The violent force impacted Wu Ming, causing him to spew out a mouthful of blood as he was completely beaten to the ground.
He was then greeted by a storm of punches and kicks.
The surrounding cultivators were dumbstruck as they watched the scene, stupefied.
The young man named Yang Kai was like a common street thug pressing Wu Ming on the ground, beating him to a pulp while hurling curses at him the whole time. His actions were extremely arrogant. On the other hand, Wu Ming tried to resist a few times, but he was suppressed before could gather his strength. After a few tries, he seemed to have accepted that he had become a fish on the chopping block and resolved to curl up and cover his head with his arms, allowing Yang Kai to do whatever he wanted.
No one had ever seen an Emperor Realm Master fight like this. Today was truly an eye-opener as the group of bystanders was both amazed and frightened at the same time.
Within a short time, Wu Ming was beaten black and blue with a bruised nose and swollen face. He was almost unrecognizable with all the blood he was covered in. He would have died a long time ago from Yang Kai’s assault if not for his profound cultivation.
Breathing slightly heavily, Yang Kai stomped on Wu Ming a few times before turning to Ye Hen and others and offering, “Would you like to collect some interest?”
Ye Hen smiled wryly and shook his head humbly, “I will leave it up to Young Master Yang.”
He knew that Yang Kai was helping Thousand Leaves Sect vent its anger. Now that Wu Ming was beaten to a pulp, sprawling on the ground, Ye He could indeed go up and collect some interest from him, but what was the point of doing that with the power of others?
Yang Kai nodded lightly and did not insist. He bent over slightly and lifted up Wu Ming by the hair to face him directly, their faces almost touching as he openly threatened him, “This Young Master knows that there is still someone behind you. Tell that person that if even a single hair on my friends has been harmed, I will butcher him down to his bones and eat his meat while drinking his blood.”
Wu Ming roared in laughter, his face twisted in madness as he replied, “That will depend on whether you have the ability!”
Yang Kai stared at him coldly as he snorted, “Seems you have a death wish.”
Wu Ming’s body trembled and a chill suddenly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his arms and legs go cold. He thought that he had a bargaining chip in his hand that would make Yang Kai be cautious about his actions, but he did not think that this bastard would act so unscrupulously.
Yang Kai very much wanted to kill this Wu Ming, so even though he was doing his best to conceal his murderous intent, it still pierced Wu Ming’s heart like a sharp sword, choking him.
Wu Ming had no doubt that if he tried to anger Yang Kai again, he would cease to be in the next moment.
“I can fulfil your wish,” Yang Kai grinned. “I’ve always been a kind-hearted soul, I’ll end your life right away if you just say yes.”
Wu Ming was silent and did not dare to speak.
Yang Kai snorted coldly before chucking him aside, as if throwing away a piece of garbage.
Lying on the ground, Wu Ming watched Yang Kai leading his group into the auction venue.
[Little beast, just you wait for me! How dare you be so presumptuous to this King just because you have a Monster King protecting you. Today’s shame will be repaid a hundred, no, a thousand times over!]
Picturing Yang Kai kneeling down and begging for mercy filled Wu Ming with happiness. He cackled coldly, attracting the attention of the Emperor Realm Masters who came to participate in the auction, causing them to wonder if Wu Ming might have gone mad.
The auction venue was designed in the form of a stepped well that spiralled upwards with each level, and it was more than large enough to accommodate thousands of people at once. Looking up, the oval ceiling was inscribed with drawings of great beasts, giving the whole venue the appearance of a beast den, filled with creatures ready to swallow all of the incoming cultivators whole.
Ushered by a beautiful maidservant, Yang Kai and his party walked into a certain room. This room seemed to be at the top of the auction venue and, looking down, a clear bird’s eye view of the floors below could be seen.
The maidservant saw how strong and violent Yang Kai had been at the door before, and could not help trembling at this moment, not daring to even take a breath. After leading Yang Kai and the others into their private room, she stammered shakily with a pale face, “Please wait a moment, the auction will begin soon.”
Although she was just a maidservant, she also felt that the purpose of Yang Kai’s trip was to stir up trouble today, so after completing her duties, she promptly fled the room.
All of the Emperor Realm Masters were introduced into different private rooms by the maidservants, and the hall below was gradually filled with other people.
Although most people did not have enough financial resources to really participate, the more people who came, the better it was for the auction.
Yang Kai’s powerful Divine Sense swept across the auction venue dauntlessly, and the noisy hall below instantly fell silent as no one dared to make a noise when being scanned by this powerful Soul.
Ying Fei was doing the same thing.
After a while, the two took back their Divine Senses one after another.
“Young Master Yang, what have you found?” Ying Fei asked.
Yang Kai shook his head and sat on the chair and replied, “Everything has been hidden deeply, how about you?”
Ying Fei shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had not noticed anything either, and frowned, “But since we can be sure that this is a trap, Young Master Yang should be careful. The more hidden the trap, the more dangerous it is.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Ye Jing Han was preparing tea on the side in a skilful manner, but worry filled her brow, and the same expression was apparent on Du Xian and Ye Hen’s faces.
…..
“Honoured Master, everything is prepared,” Wu Ming, who was beaten by Yang Kai to a pulp just now, somehow appeared here, standing in front of an old man, reporting respectfully.
It was unknown what kind of amazing pills he took, but his bruises and injuries had obviously recovered a lot, albeit there were still some traces left. On the other hand, internal injuries were not so easy to heal and his organs ached whenever he tried to circulate his Emperor Qi.
[That little bastard was so heavy-handed…]
The old man nodded lightly and asked, “How many Emperor Realm Masters have come?”
Wu Ming reported, “More than thirty.”
The old man was satisfied, “That’s enough.” After a pause, he signalled with a wave, “Since the guests are all here, let’s start.”
Wu Ming received the order respectfully, “Yes!”
Turning his head to the side, Wu Ming stretched out his hand and gestured, “Junior Sister, please.”
Hua Qing Si got up slowly, glanced at the old man with an unreadable gaze, then stated respectfully, “Honoured Master, Disciple will leave now.”
“Go!” The old man waved his hand in dismissal.
Hua Qing Si walked towards the door, then suddenly turned towards the old man and knelt down before him, respectfully knocking her head on the ground three times.
The old man’s eyes flickered slightly, as if he understood Hua Qing Si’s intention, but did not stop it, simply closing his eyes instead.
[It’s your own life, and this is the path you chose. There won’t be any Master-Disciple relationship now that you chose to be my enemy!]
Wu Ming stood aside and sneered softly, “Not appreciative at all!”
Hua Qing Si remained unmoved and stood up after the kowtow. She took a breath as if she had lifted a huge rock off her shoulders, feeling a lot lighter physically and mentally, and walked out the door. When she passed by Wu Ming, she stopped to warn, “Wu Ming, you messed with someone you shouldn’t mess with, you will die miserably.”
“You treacherous bitch!” Wu Ming was enraged and extended his hand, sending a big slap across Hua Qing Si’s face, leaving a red imprint on her pale skin.
Hua Qing Si brushed her cheek lightly and mocked with a smile, “What? Trying to vent your frustration on me after getting beaten by someone else? I guess you’re only capable of that much.”
This immediately set Wu Ming off as the scene of the previous humiliation he suffered at Yang Kai’s hand resurfaced vividly in his mind. His Emperor Qi surged madly as he raised his hand and swung towards Hua Qing Si’s head.
Hua Qing Si not only did not even try to dodge, instead puffing out her chest as she welcomed the attack.
“Enough!” The old man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, let out a sharp snort.
Wu Ming froze, the raised hand still hovering mid-air. He glanced Hua Qing Si up and down for a moment then grinned, “If Junior Sister wants to seek death, Senior Brother will not let it happen. You are our precious chess piece after all!”
Hua Qing Si gritted her teeth and snarled, “Despicable!”
Wu Ming smirked, “Whatever you say. Our Honoured Master has promised to give you to me as a reward after this is over, so don’t worry, Senior Brother will love you well.”
He emphasized the word “love” with a meaningful expression.
Hua Qing Si’s complexion changed abruptly as she turned to look at the old man in disbelief, only to find him completely ignoring her. Her heart ached in numbing pain, knowing that Wu Ming had not lied.
She had never thought that her Honoured Master had such a ruthless side. Perhaps before she had been too weak to come in contact with the real character of her so-called Honoured Master, but everything was slowly becoming clear to her after she broke through to the Emperor Realm
“Go. Don’t keep our guests waiting,” the old man dismissed them.
“Yes!” Wu Ming replied respectfully, glared at Hua Qing Si, then left the room with her.
After the three loud gongs, the auction officially began.
A woman in a long dress walked out slowly from the back to a round stage, her beauty unmistakably lighting up the eyes of many men as she swept her charming eyes over the crowd.
Usually, the people who presided over the auction were men, mostly the elderly, while women rarely appeared on such occasions. Nevertheless, this beautiful young woman was very eye-catching, which excited the crowd greatly.
“Sister Hua?”
In a private room on the top level, Yang Kai muttered in surprise, walking out of his room to stare at the beautiful woman with his eyes widened.
“Senior Hua…” Ye Hen and the others looked complicated.
They recognized Hua Qing Si because she had stayed with them in the Thousand Leaves Sect for a period of time, and it was after Wu Ming came to find Hua Qing Si that the Thousand Leaves Sect suffered the disaster of extermination. Before, Ye Hen and the others had speculated that their misfortune might be related to Hua Qing Si.
At this moment, they could not help having complicated thoughts seeing Hua Qing Si suddenly reappearing in their vision as the host of the auction.
With a woosh, an extra figure appeared on the auction stage, drawing everyone’s attention. Of course, it was Yang Kai.
“Sister Hua!” Yang Kai stood in front of her and greeted with a smile.
“Yang Kai…” Hua Qing Si was stunned for a moment, then her eyes overflowed with pleasant surprise. Although she learned long ago that Yang Kai was here, she could not help feeling astonished to see him appear in front of her.
“Long time no see. How are you?” Yang Kai smiled from ear to ear.
Hua Qing Si smiled wryly, then her face turned solemn, “You shouldn’t have come.”
Yang Kai replied, “If I didn’t come, how could I bring you all back?”
“But you can’t leave even if you’ve come.” Hua Qing Si stated.
“Is this really aimed at me?” Yang Kai’s face darkened.
Hua Qing Si sighed, “Do you still remember the Dragon Island Token?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow as he thought back, soon remembering, “En, of course.”
In fact, he had long forgotten about it and if it were not for Hua Qing Si’s reminder, he probably wouldn’t have even recalled that such a thing was inside his Space Ring.
Hua Qing Si smiled wryly, “Back then, when I left Star Soul Palace, I was ordered by my Honoured Master to find the whereabouts of that Dragon Island Token in Maplewood City. You know that a Dragon Island Token is a very big deal. It allows one to go to Dragon Island and make a request from the Dragon Clan.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, his distant memories gradually resurfacing.
He obtained the Dragon Island Token by finding it in the Space Ring of a guy he killed by the name of Han Leng.
Apparently, Han Leng was an exiled disciple of Star Soul Palace, and could be considered a Senior Brother to Hua Qing Si. No one knew where Han Leng stole the Dragon Island Token from or how he escaped from Star Soul Palace, but after he died at Yang Kai’s hands, the Dragon Island Token naturally fell into Yang Kai’s hands too.
Later on, Hua Qing Si tracked down the Dragon Island Token and found Yang Kai, but she was herself captured in the end.
The use of the Dragon Island Token was explained to him by Hua Qing around that time.
“That Dragon Island Token belonged to my Honoured Master. One year ago, my Senior Brother Wu Ming found me and brought me back to Star Soul Palace. Although I didn’t want to reveal anything, some kind of Secret Technique was used by my Honoured Master on me and I could not stop myself from talking. You should know what happened next. I have no idea what I disclosed to my Honoured Master at that time, but he definitely knows that the Dragon Island Token is with you now. Therefore, he attacked the Thousand Leaves Sect and captured Chi Yue and the others to force you to show yourself.”
Yang Kai frowned, “So, your Honoured Master also knows my other secrets?”
Hua Qing Si’s face turned gloomy, “I’m sorry.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “It’s alright if you didn’t do it on purpose.”
Although he never doubted Hua Qing Si, if she really betrayed him, Yang Kai would not be able to forgive her. Therefore, he felt quite relieved after listening to her explanation at the moment.
“Are my friends safe?” Yang Kai whispered.
Hua Qing Si answered, “Honoured Master didn’t hurt them; after all, you are his only target. Before taking you down, those people are his only chess pieces.”
Saying so, Hua Qing Si couldn’t help thinking to herself, [Am I not the same? Our relationship of Master and Disciple for so many years wasn’t worth a second thought in front of absolute benefits.]
Yang Kai looked up and scanned the place where Hua Qing Si came out of before muttering “If it’s across a Space Array…”
“Don’t be impulsive. They have all been implanted with Heart-Strangling Insects. Even if you were to find them, you wouldn’t be able to save them.” Hua Qing Si shook her head slowly, “Honoured Master only needs a single thought to take their lives.”
“Heart-Strangling Insect!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. He definitely knew what the Heart-Strangling Insects were as he had seen them listed on the Exotic Insect Record. Although not as formidable as the Soul Devouring Insects, they still had their uses and were also quite deadly.
As they were talking, Hua Qing Si suddenly let out a grunt. A dreadfully pained look appeared on her face, as if something was surfacing and crawling under her skin.
“Sister Hua, you were also…” Yang Kai’s face changed slightly.
Hua Qing Si endured the pain and continued, “Leave now. Honoured Master is always extremely cautious. He wouldn’t confront you without perfect assurance.”
Yang Kai swept his cold eyes towards a certain direction and saw Wu Ming over there sneering at him while performing a hand seal.
It seemed that he triggered the Heart-Strangling Insect inside Hua Qing Si that caused her to be in pain.
“Sister Hua, I will save you.” Yang Kai promised firmly before turning to Wu Ming and drawing his finger across his own neck threateningly, then vanishing.
If he stayed any longer, he was afraid that Hua Qing Si would suffer more torture. As such, it was the best choice to retreat for now.
The close conversation between the two on the stage had been seen by many cultivators, so they were all wondering what kind of relationship Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si had.
After the departure of Yang Kai, Wu Ming stopped torturing Hua Qing Si; after all, she was still needed to preside over the auction. It would not look good if he tormented her too much.
The Heart-Strangling Insect inside Hua Qing Si gradually settled and the unbearable pain slowly reduced. However, Hua Qing Si was already drenched in cold sweat. Pulling herself together, she lifted her head and announced like nothing happened, “The auction will begin now. The first item, Thousand Leaves Sect’s Heaven Grade Puppet, Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf! The reserve price is one million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
As soon as the declaration was made, everyone went into an uproar.
Although they knew that many Heaven Grade Puppets would appear in this auction, they still could not believe that one was used as the opening item.
This was unusual as generally, the sequence of the auction items would proceed from the lowest value to the highest value treasure in order to rile up the audience’s competitive spirit, making them lose themselves in the atmosphere and unconsciously bid higher.
The Heaven Grade Puppets were worthy to be auctioned off as finale items, so it did not make sense to take one out at the very beginning.
However, when they remembered that there was more than one Heaven Grade Puppet from the Thousand Leaves Sect and this might just be an ice-breaking tactic, they started to calm down.
One million High-Rank Source Crystals was a big sum, equivalent to one hundred million Mid-Rank Source Crystals or ten billion Low-Rank Source Crystals. As such, ordinary cultivators would not have the capability to win this prize.
However, considering that a Heaven Grade Puppet was as strong as an Emperor Realm Master, one million High-Rank Source Crystals was a bargain price. Buying it was equivalent to buying an Emperor Realm Master, one that could be controlled at will.
A large number of Emperor Realm Masters attended this auction, so they naturally came well-prepared.
At this moment, when they heard the reserve price, they rapidly prepared themselves for battle.
“I want this for one million. I hope everyone will give me face!”
A loud shout came just after Hua Qing Si finished speaking.
Everyone grimaced when they heard the voice, feeling disdainful in their hearts.
[Who did this person think he was? Did he really think that he could take away a Heaven Grade Puppet at the reserve price with just a few words? If he had big face, why did we even need to have an auction here?]
When they looked towards the source of the voice, many of them had their faces changed though.
Because they found that the person who spoke was no one other than the arrogant and aggressive young man, Yang Kai.
Those who initially wanted to compete immediately swallowed back their words.
When Yang Kai first came to Flowing Shadow City, he led his group to kill many Flowing Shadow Sword Sect disciples; however, even until now, Li Qing Yun, the Sect Master of Flowing Shadow Sword Sect did not mean to take revenge on them, instead even taking the initiative to deliver the captured Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect back to them.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had just taught Wu Ming a lesson outside the auction house. His boldness alone was enough to terrify everyone, not to mention the fact that he was accompanied by a Monster King.
It seemed like… they really had no choice but to give him face.
The entire auction venue fell into a strange silence.
Those cultivators who knew of Yang Kai’s savageness did not dare to make enemies with him, while those who did not know Yang Kai also noticed the strangeness of the atmosphere and vaguely speculated something too. Therefore, they dared not to stand out against him.
As a result, no one offered again after Yang Kai’s shout.
Hua Qing Si looked around and declared decisively, “In that case, the first Heaven Grade Puppet will belong to the friend in Room One.”
The crowd was stunned when they heard the declaration. They thought that the auctioneer was also quite strange, for she did not act according to any kind of convention. An auctioneer’s job was to raise the price an item sold for, so they would constantly ask whether there was anyone willing to bid again. Adding some colourful and exaggerated descriptions with a tone of incitement was commonplace. Even if they did not act so, they still had to at least declare a winner after a three count, but when it came to this young woman, she did not even bother to ask anything and declared the goods sold right away.
However, when they recalled the close conversation between Yang Kai and her before, they secretly believed that she was cooperating with him behind the scenes.
[What is this?]
[Was this still an auction?]
It was not the first time for these Emperor Realm Masters to participate in an auction, but this kind of auction was definitely a first for them.
It took only five breaths of time from the moment Hua Qing Si announced the reserve price until the first item was sold. At this moment, a maidservant emerged from behind with a tray in her hand, but before she could even show the Heaven Grade Puppet to the public, it was sold.
The maidservant seemed to have been completely taken by surprise, but she still walked straight to Room One with the tray.
When she arrived in front of the room, the door opened on its own, and the maidservant stood in front of the door, stating, “Honoured Guest, this is your auction item, please provide the one million High-Rank Source Crystals.”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to grab the tray and lifted the red cloth covering the auction item, revealing a puppet in the shape of a wolf about a hand tall sitting quietly on the tray.
“Is it real?”
Yang Kai turned to ask Ye Hen.
Ye Hen confirmed excitedly, “That really is our Thousand Leaves Sect Heaven Grade Puppet, Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf!”
Ye Hen almost burst into tears at the recovery of the treasure he lost.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and tossed the Heaven Grade Puppet to Ye Hen casually, “Keep it.”
Yang Kai was a little surprised. As far as he could remember, these Heaven Grade Puppets were as large as mountains when he saw them guarding the strategic positions inside Thousand Leaves Sect, and did not expect that they could shrink to this extent.
The Puppet Dao from Thousand Leaves Sect was really extraordinary.
Ye Hen was dumbfounded, “But Young Master Yang bought this, this Ye… does not deserve it!”
This puppet was worth a great value of one million High-Rank Source Crystals, and Ye Hen was too embarrassed to take it for free.
“This thing can only display its full potential in your hands. Take it, there may be a fierce battle later,” Yang Kai smiled.
The puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect were refined with specific Secret Techniques and were also driven by specific Secret Techniques. The two were closely connected, so even if others could utilize them, they would not be able to exert the puppet’s full power, which could only be unearthed by cultivating those corresponding arts.
A realization dawned on Ye Hen after listening to Yang Kai’s words and he stored the Heaven Grade Puppet silently.
The maidservant trembled, feeling uneasy for obvious reasons. She forced a smile out and spoke to Yang Kai, “Honoured Guest, the auction item has been delivered, please pay the Source Crystals!”
Yang Kai dismissed her offhandedly, “No hurry. I still have more to bid. I will settle my bill when the auction is over to avoid trouble.”
“Ah,” the maidservant frowned, and looked at Yang Kai pleadingly, “But… but we do not have such a custom, this servant cannot make such a decision on her own.”
Yang Kai glanced at her, “Since you don’t have the authority, go ask someone who does.”
The maidservant shivered violently when she received this glance and did not dare to talk anymore, leaving immediately to make her report.
In the meantime, another maidservant appeared on the stage up with a tray; after which Hua Qing Si announced dully, “The second auction item, a Thousand Leaves Sect Heaven Grade Puppet, the reserve price is one million High-Rank Source Crystals!”
She stood there quietly when she finished.
Yang Kai shouted immediately, “I want this for one million. I hope everyone will give me face.”
After saying this, the audience went into an uproar as the gathered Emperor Realm Masters ground their teeth with hatred.
When the first auction item, the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf, came out, Yang Kai had said the exact same thing, and those Emperor Realm Masters really did give him face. No one competed with him, but it was simply insatiable of him to do the same thing for this second auction item. He really did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.
But when they thought of Yang Kai’s ruthlessness and the Monster King behind him, most of the Emperor Realm Masters still chose to remain silent, refusing to take the lead. Some other Emperor Realm Masters who did not know Yang Kai were quietly mocking him in their private rooms, but also did not continue bidding for the item.
Although their voices were small, it was still audible to the many clear-sighted and clear-hearing Emperor Realm Masters present.
They were a little worried that Yang Kai would start violently beating people, but unexpectedly, the room where Yang Kai was located remained silent.
At this time, the maidservant who sent the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf to Yang Kai reported to Wu Ming carefully about what had happened earlier.
Wu Ming was furious as he cursed through gritted teeth, “That bastard, he’s trying to openly rob us!”
One million High-Rank Source Crystals was still a lot of wealth for him, and looking at Yang Kai’s actions, it was clear that he did not ever intend to pay and was simply brushing him off.
Wu Ming believed that even when the auction ended, Yang Kai would not pay a single Source Crystal.
Such a practice was far more than petty and shameless.
“Sir, what should we do now?” The maidservant was in a panic. She had sold something from her own auction floor for nothing, and any credibility Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce had before would be gone when the news spread out. However, she was just a simple maidservant and really had no right to make such important decisions.
Wu Ming’s eyes flickered for a while before he snorted coldly, “It’s fine, just ignore him.”
In any case, Yang Kai would die today, so no matter how many good things there were in his Space Ring, they would ultimately be theirs. [Go ahead, take these for free, we’ll see who has the last laugh when the dust settles.]
The maidservant was startled and pleaded, “But he has started bidding again. What should I do if he wins another auction?”
Wu Ming waved his hand, “Just deliver the items to him.”
“Ah!” The maidservant was appalled. She did not expect Wu Ming to give such an answer. However, before today’s auction started, the maidservants had been notified that they must follow Wu Ming’s orders, so she did not dare to refute. Still, she felt quite strange as she wondered what was going on today.
Wu Ming sneered slightly as he glanced at the private room where Yang Kai sat and thought, [You can have fun all you want now, but Honoured Master has planned for every possibility. Today you will die without a burial!]
The whole auction was not only a means to draw out Yang Kai, but also a strategy to stall for time. While the auction was being held, his Honoured Master was already secretly preparing to spring his trap. By then, no one would be able to escape from here.
As expected, no one competed in the bidding for the second auction item, and soon it was delivered to Yang Kai’s private room by a different maidservant.
As if she was under orders, the maidservant did not request Yang Kai for payment again. After delivering the item, she simply retired respectfully.
Yang Kai casually tossed it to Ye Hen again.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were secretly excited watching from the sidelines, thinking that all the Heaven Grade puppets of the Thousand Leaves Sect could be recovered from the auction. If this was the case, the Thousand Leaves Sect may be able to make a comeback. Many of the Sect’s ancient books and records were brought with them into Emperor Heaven Valley, so the Sect would surely regain its glory one day if they took back these Heaven Grade puppets and recruited more disciples.
“The third auction item…” On the stage, Hua Qing Si continued to host the auction with an indifferent expression.
But before she could finish her words, Yang Kai shouted again, “I want it for one million.”
It was no doubt another Heaven Grade Puppet.
The Thousand Leaves Sect originally had ten Heaven Grade Puppets, but after Liu Yan took away a White Tiger, only nine were left. It would take some time to buy all the items one by one.
An old voice in room seven asked in a voice mixed with deep dissatisfaction and indignation, “This friend, do you want us to give you face again?”
Yang Kai grinned, “It would be great if you could.”
The old man in room seven snorted coldly, “Face must be earned, not given by others.”
“Good, everything can be done once or twice, but not thrice.” Someone immediately agreed, the voice seemingly coming from room thirteen. “This is an auction, so naturally the one who bids the most will win. What you’re doing, my friend, is just too disrespectful.”
“Boy, you already have two Heaven Grade Puppets, you should be satisfied and not participate in the following auctions.”
“Yes, that’s right! We all travelled from far and wide to come here just for these Heaven Grade Puppets. Your appetite is far too big if you want to take them all for yourself.”
As soon as someone spoke out, others would definitely follow suit. They did not know anything about Yang Kai before, so they laid low and let Yang Kai pick up two big bargains for nothing; however, while everyone was discussing him in private, they realized that this little bastard was just putting up a front and not really taking action. This greatly boosted their boldness and they began openly criticizing him.
Who did not want good things? By the looks of Yang Kai’s attitude, if the others did not speak up again, he really would sweep up everything in this auction. How could anyone tolerate such an insult? It was already a great kindness that they let him take away two Heaven Grade Puppets at the reserve price. He needed to learn to be content.
Many people secretly regretted it. If they had known that this boy was just bluffing, they would have bid against him for the first two items. Generally speaking, the prices of the first few auction items were relatively low, and the prices would slowly increase as more items were auctioned.
Only those who knew that a Monster King was accompanying Yang Kai, and saw Yang Kai beat up Wu Ming earlier, kept silent, sneering in their hearts as they thought about the terrible fate awaiting these vocal Emperors would soon face.
Yang Kai’s boldness to beat Wu Ming into a pulp in front of the entrance of the auction house proved that he was reckless and dauntless. It would be courting death to look for trouble with such a madman, because none of the Emperors present was even as strong as Wu Ming.
Since this matter would not affect them though, they decided to sit back and watch the show.
But what surprised them was that Yang Kai did not react with violence to these people, simply remaining silent before drawling, “Since you don’t want to give me a face, then go ahead and start bidding. Why run your mouths so much?”
As soon as this remark came out, many people were shocked, thinking, [What happened? Does this boy have a split personality? That’s impossible! Could it be that he felt threatened by the number of people here?]
After all, it was never a good idea to provoke public anger. It did not matter if he beat Wu Ming, if he was stubborn and continued to ask others to give him a face, he would probably offend all the Emperor Realm Masters present.
Once that happened, he would be unable to handle so many enemies at once.
Considering all this, the Emperor Realm Masters who had been silent the whole time could not help becoming eager.
Without Yang Kai acting as an impassable obstacle, they did not need to be afraid of anyone, and whoever had the stronger financial resources would obtain the Heaven Grade Puppets.
As soon as they reached this conclusion, many Emperor Realm Masters straightened their backs and rolled up their sleeves, preparing themselves for the coming competition.
The old man in room seven smiled slightly and spoke in a manner of seniority, “Child, this is the atmosphere that an auction should have. In that case, this Old Master will start spicing things up. One million and one hundred thousand!”
“One million and two hundred thousand!”
“One million and five hundred thousand!”
“Two million!”
Shouts came in from all directions one after another as the Emperor Realm Masters in the big private rooms started to take action. In less than ten breaths of time, the value of the Heaven Grade Puppets with a reserve price of one million High-Rank Source Crystals rose rapidly to three million, and the bidding was far from over.
“Ten million!” A voice sounded abruptly.
The clamorous auction house fell silent in an instant as numerous people turned to look at room one with their faces twitching.
That was because they recognized the voice that offered ten million High-Rank Source Crystals had belonged to Yang Kai. Naturally, they felt resentful.
The price was terrifyingly raised from three million to ten million, more than tripled in one go. Such a price gap shocked all the Emperor Realm Masters.
But then again, a Heaven Grade Puppet was really worth such a price. Although ten million High-Rank Source Crystals was not cheap, it was completely worth it for a Heaven Grade Puppet. It could only be said that the boy in room one was decisive enough to offer a high price straightaway to deter most of the competitors who coveted it.
Auctions were competitions of wits and guts, and if one could not afford more than the new bid, he could only give up on it.
“What the hell!” Wu Ming who hid behind the stage scolded angrily.
Although the others thought that Yang Kai was acting generously and decisively to win the Heaven Grade Puppets, he knew what Yang Kai was really up to. The bidding price was just a number to Yang Kai, because he was not planning to pay at all. Therefore, not to mention ten million, he would even dare to offer a hundred million if he needed to.
Considering all this, Wu Ming’s heart clenched as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
[Don’t tell me this little brat… really is going to offer a hundred million later?]
“Boy, how bold you are!” The old man in room seven yelled with a slight tinge of anger. He cursed Yang Kai in his heart for not understanding decorum. No one would raise the bid to such a high price like this. If the bidders cut one another’s throats, it would only benefit the organizer. If Yang Kai did not buy the two previous Heaven Grade Puppets, he would suspect that Yang Kai was a plant from the auction house.
“Ten million High-Rank Source Crystals for a Heaven Grade Puppet. Boy, your calculations aren’t bad, but unfortunately, you’ve run into this Old Master today,” the old man from room seven sneered and offered, “Eleven million.”
The price of his bid was actually almost close to his limit, but Yang Kai’s action was so unruly that he could not bear it and secretly decided to compete with him to the end. He wanted to make him understand that old ginger was spicier than young ginger.
“One hundred million!”
Yang Kai sat on his chair, resting his cheek on his palm, holding a cup of tea and sipping gently.
*Pu… *
Ye Jing Han almost laughed out loud.
At this point, how could she not understand Yang Kai’s plan? This auction was just a joke to Yang Kai, so there was no difference between ten million, hundred million, one billion or even ten billion to him. They were just numbers that he shouted, never intending to pay up in the end.
Ye Hen and Du Xian also revealed odd expressions, secretly wiping the sweat on their foreheads.
Backstage, Wu Ming’s face turned black. As he expected, the little brat really dared to bid a hundred million.
On the contrary, gasps could be heard one after another from all the private rooms as countless eyes in the hall converged towards room one.
“Did I hear him right? One hundred million? Did he mean Low-Rank Source Crystals or High-Rank Source Crystals?”
“Dream, dream. I must be dreaming.”
“This little brat is crazy! Does he really have so many Source Crystals to spend? If he can’t finish spending them, he can just spare some for me! What a waste!”
“Young Lord, this humble one is willing to serve you. This humble one’s capital is quite impressive, big, soft and white…”
…..
The hall was buzzing excitedly. Yang Kai’s bid of one hundred million left them totally flabbergasted, just like a loud boom of thunder that shocked them to the state of dizziness and confusion.
“You, you, you…” The old man in room seven became furious after recovering from his shock and crushed the arm of his chair as he shouted, “Little brat, don’t go too far!”
Yang Kai curled his lips and glanced lightly at room seven, “As you said, this is an auction, so naturally the one with the most money gets what he wants. How is this Young Master going too far?”
“You are clearly bidding maliciously! This is ridiculous!” He doubted that Yang Kai would really be willing to spend a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystal to buy a Heaven Grade Puppet. The value of a Heaven Grade Puppet was only ten to twenty million. What was the concept of a hundred million? Even those first-class Sects may not be able to take out so many Source Crystals at once.
Yang Kai snorted, “If you can’t afford to play, don’t play. It’s better to find a place to enjoy the rest of your life when you’re old. Why come out and make a fool of yourself?”
“You are infuriating this Old Master!” The old man was fuming and turned to Hua Qing Si, “Madam, is this auction simply going to allow this man to make a mockery of the rules and bid maliciously? Is there no one here who will maintain order?”
This was the branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce’s regulations, which was extremely damaging to its credibility. The old man questioned her, thinking that Hua Qing Si was a member of the Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
Hua Qing Si glanced faintly at room seven and answered, “However much he bid is his business. I didn’t see him causing any trouble, but on the contrary, you’re the one who’s interrupting the auction.”
The old man was shocked, but then he remembered that the boy in room one seemed to be quite close with this auctioneer. They were even whispering to each other on stage just before the auction started, so it was only natural for her to help him instead of an outsider.
“Snakes and rats in the same nest, colluding with each other!” The old man flicked his sleeves, feeling extremely disappointed with Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, mumbling out loud, “I don’t believe he can come up with a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals.”
If any random person could take out a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, they would not be called High-Rank Source Crystals anymore. Even this old man could only gather up to twenty million High-Rank Source Crystals by almost emptying the coffers of his Sect. Given that Yang Kai looked so young, and his cultivation was only First-Order Emperor Realm, how could he have such rich financial resources?
“Old Zhou is right. This boy is definitely here to make trouble. He should be kicked out!” Someone yelled immediately. It was the Emperor Realm Master from room thirteen.
“Expel him! This kind of person should not be allowed to participate in the auction. He already picked up two bargains, what is Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce even doing?”
All of a sudden, the crowd became riotous and began demanding Yang Kai be thrown out of the auction.
The main reason was that the offer of one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals was too terrifying. This was just the third auction item, and there were more Heaven Grade Puppets to come as well as the rumoured Star Master. If Yang Kai hiked up the price indiscriminately every time, who could defeat him?
They could not let him stay any longer for the sake of their own benefits.
Twenty or thirty Emperor Realm Masters shouted together, their Emperor Intent pulsing from each private room, as if the end of days was about to descend, frightening the wits out of the cultivators in the lower hall.
Hua Qing Si also frowned on the stage. If it was just one or two people, she did not need to pay it any mind, since this auction was really just a show. However, now that there were so many Emperor Realm Masters complaining, she had no idea what to do. If she did not handle this well, it might cause Yang Kai a dreadful disaster.
Wu Ming sneered backstage, secretly feeling satisfied about the situation. He showed no intention to step out and calm the situation because he could not wait for Yang Kai to draw the hatred of everyone present, making it easier to facilitate the next part of the plan.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai bellowed from room one while picking the wax from his ear.
The noise from all directions was causing his brain to buzz.
“Little brat, how dare you shout at us!” The old man in room seven now couldn’t wait to fight it out with Yang Kai. The situation was completely in his favour and he did not put Yang Kai in his eyes anymore, snapping righteously, “If you are smart, quickly disappear from this Old Master’s sight. If you don’t, everyone here will teach you how to show proper respect!”
Just when he finished his sentence, all of a sudden, a figure bizarrely emerged in the air above the auction hall. It was Yang Kai.
“You… What are you doing!?” The old man was taken aback. Even though he was watching everything from his private room, he did not notice how Yang Kai appeared just now.
A pair of eyes now stared back though, penetrating the walls and Spirit Arrays, seemingly stabbing straight into his heart.
Yang Kai stared coldly at room seven for a moment before he swept his gaze across the hall finally declaring, “All you trash are accusing this Young Master of maliciously bidding because you don’t believe this Young Master can take out one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals. Then let this Young Master ask you, what if I can take them out?”
“Impudence!”
“Ridiculous!”
“This is so outrageous. The blasphemy!”
Although the cultivation of the Emperor Realm Masters here was not considered high, they were all still pillars of their respective Sects and forces. Each of them had exceedingly high status, so it was only natural for them to be infuriated after Yang Kai referred to them as trash.
“If you can take them out, this King will eat three kilograms of shit!”
The voice came out from nowhere and no one knew which private room it came from. Obviously it was just some random yelling and the person did not want to expose his position.
However, Yang Kai accurately locked his gaze on room thirteen and replied in amazement, “This friend has such strong taste. This Young Master admires you greatly!”
Inside room thirteen, a certain middle-aged man’s face turned pale. He did not expect that he would fail to hide his position with his Secret Technique and was instantly spotted by Yang Kai. He was now deeply regretting his choice of words. If he knew this, he would not have shouted recklessly.
It was just that Yang Kai was so unpleasant to his eyes that he instinctively wanted to annoy him.
The others also looked at room thirteen with various expressions.
“Good, since Your Excellency is so enthusiastic, this Young Master will fulfill your wish!” Yang Kai clapped his hands then turned to room seven and asked, “Old thing, how about you?”
“You?” The old man sneered disdainfully. Obviously, he did not believe that Yang Kai could come up with so many Source Crystals.
“Yes, me. Tell me what you’re willing to wager, or are you all talk?” Yang Kai snorted.
The purpose of him coming here this time, firstly was to rescue Chi Yue and his Seniors, and secondly to recover the Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect. Since there were people who dared to interrupt him, he would not show any kindness.
The old man retorted, “If you can take them out, this Old Master will take down his head and let you use it as a ball.”
To him, Yang Kai was just a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even if he really could take out one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, he was not afraid of him either. It was not a big deal for him to fight with Yang Kai; in fact, he very much wanted to teach Yang Kai that there was always a bigger fish.
“Very good,” Yang Kai grinned, “Then, prepare your head for this Young Master.”
While speaking, he turned around and flew to the stage where Hua Qing Si was located. After landing and examining the surroundings, he announced, “Open your dog eyes and watch carefully, tell me if this Young Master is maliciously bidding or not!”
With a wave of his hand, a big hill of Source Crystals appeared on the stage. Each of the Source Crystals emitted blinding white light as they released an amazing aura. All of a sudden, the whole auction venue was completely filled with World Energy.
The cultivators in the hall instantly fell silent as they ogled at the stage with their eyes widened. Even the Emperor Realm Masters who were sitting in their private rooms could not help stretching out their necks to have a peek at the breathtaking scene before them.
“So many Source Crystals! I’ve never seen so many Source Crystals in my life!”
“They are all High-Rank Source Crystals, authentic High-Rank Source Crystals!”
“Such a big pile, there must be at least a hundred million!”
“Sir, this slave wants to have a baby with you! Please spare this slave a glance…”
All the cultivators sitting in the lower hall exploded. Their cultivations weren’t high, so the cultivation resources that they could obtain were always limited. They had never seen so many Source Crystals before, not to mention they were all High-Rank Source Crystals. Such a huge sum of wealth was enough to send them into a state of insanity.
If such a fortune fell into their hands, they would not have to worry about their cultivation for the rest of their lives. Even their future generations would not have to worry about resources for a thousand years.
*Gudong… *
The sound of gulps came from the various private rooms one after another. While floored with disbelief, these Emperors’ eyes were filled with covetousness, because it was no less eye-opening for them than it was for the cultivators in the hall to see this many Source Crystals all at once.
“He really has so many High-Rank Source Crystals…” The old man in room seven muttered in disbelief, his face twitching. Apart from feeling shocked, he also felt uneasy and frightened because he had made such an outrageous boast when he got mad earlier. For a moment, he felt a chill on his neck and subconsciously touched it.
But soon, he sneered.
[So what if this brat can take out a hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals? I’m a First-Order Emperor as well and have been one for centuries. How could it be possible for me to lose to this young man? If he is smart enough, he should now try to minimize the conflict, but if he still wants to pester me endlessly, I will teach him a lesson.]
[Moreover, this little brat has long infuriated everyone and does not understand the principle of not exposing one’s wealth, going so far as to recklessly show off his treasures. If we really have to fight here, I’m certain many others won’t just stand by and watch. At least, the friend in room thirteen will certainly help.]
Considering all this, the old man was instantly relieved.
On the stage, Yang Kai casually waved his hand again, and another pile of High-Rank Source Crystals appeared at once. The amount this time was even higher than in the previous pile.
“Ssii…”
The sound of deep inhalation was heard from all around as everyone stared at the Source Crystals on the stage stupidly, as if they were all petrified. The radiance of these High-Rank Source Crystals was dazzling, making everyone restless.
It was not over yet though as this was followed by a third pile, then a fourth …
In just a moment, the whole stage was almost buried in High-Rank Source Crystals, and the permeating World Energy had all but become liquid. Every cultivator in the auction venue felt that both their minds and bodies were reborn.
“Ah, my bottleneck… My bottleneck is loosening, I’m about to break through!”
Someone shouted loudly with a face full of pleasant surprise.
Before he finished speaking, an aura suddenly burst out; someone else had made a breakthrough before him.
*Hong hong hong… *
Auras inflated rapidly one after another. There were about one hundred cultivators who broke through their shackles with the assistance of the extremely rich World Energy, reaching the next realm.
Those cultivators who did not make a breakthrough were also full of joy though as every one of them madly circulated their Secret Art to absorb the dense World Energy.
These people did not have high cultivations or good cultivation resources. The places where they chose to cultivate in retreat were not excellent places either; however, because of the hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals that Yang Kai took out, he had created a kind of cultivation paradise that was comparable to the greatest cultivation rooms of top Sects.
Given this environment, it was a matter of course that they could break through their bottlenecks.
“My hero…” Someone cried his heart out. This person had been stuck at the peak of Second-Order Saint King Realm for thirty years and had thought that he would never be able to take another step further in his life, but today he had actually met such a good opportunity.
“Young hero, please accept my bow!” Another person stood up and bowed sincerely to Yang Kai who was standing on the stage.
More and more people stood up to offer their gratitude.
Yang Kai looked at them with a smile and did not stop those people from absorbing the World Energy emitted by his Source Crystals.
He had gained an absurd amount of wealth in the Ancient Wild Lands and again when he emptied the Treasury of Seeking Passion Sect. Just in High-Rank Source Crystals, he had more than a billion on him. A small loss of World Energy meant nothing to him.
From the wealth that he had now, a small donation was enough for these cultivators to use for their entire lives.
Backstage, Wu Ming stared at the High-Rank Source Crystals with scorching eyes, gulping hard as greed filled his mind, [Mine. It’s all mine!]
He did not expect Yang Kai’s wealth to be so great. Since hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals were just something that he could take out casually, this meant there must be even greater treasures in his Space Ring. If he could take him down, wouldn’t this wealth all fall into his hands?
[No, no, it should belong to Honoured Master. But it doesn’t matter because as long as Honoured Master obtains it, I will still be able to have a share!] Considering all this, Wu Ming was exhilarated and almost laughed out loud wildly.
“You trash, have you seen clearly yet? Now tell me, is this Young Master just maliciously bidding?” Yang Kai asked with a cold tone while glaring at the crowd.
Everyone turned speechless.
Words were not proof, but with the evidence right in front of their eyes, they had no other choice but to believe. Yang Kai really managed to take out so many Source Crystals at once. He had proven himself beyond any doubt.
Saying so, Yang Kai retrieved the High-Rank Source Crystals back into his Space Ring.
The rich World Energy in the surroundings was suddenly cut off, and everyone in the hall put on a sad face. Given that these things did not belong to them and the owner was an Emperor Realm Master though, it was already a great kindness for him to even show it to them, so they could not just expect Yang Kai to keep those Source Crystals there for them to cultivate.
Many sighs could be heard for a while.
“I’m glad that you all have no comment,” Yang Kai grinned, then turned to room seven, “Old thing, it’s time to fulfil your promise.”
“What promise, I don’t understand!” The old man in room seven yelled angrily.
“How dare you not keep your word!” Yang Kai’s face turned grim, “Who was the old bastard who said that if this Young Master could take out one hundred million Source Crystal, he would take down his own head and let me kick it like a ball? How dare you deny it. Are you that thick-skinned?”
The old man snorted coldly, “Can jokes be taken seriously?”
Yang Kai retorted in a deep voice, “Old thing, you really are shameless. I’ll count to three, if you don’t take down your head, don’t blame this Young Master for doing it for you.”
“Boy, how dare you!” The old man was maddened. After all, they were both First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, so he did not expect Yang Kai to not show him the slightest respect. Although he did make such a promise out of anger, anyone would understand that he was not being serious. Why would he follow through now?
“One!” Yang Kai ignored him and started counting.
“Little brat, don’t take things too far. This Old Master is the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect. Do you want to make enemies of my Grey Sky Sect?” Seeing the determined look on Yang Kai’s face, the old man hurriedly revealed his identity in hopes of making Yang Kai back down.
“Two!” Yang Kai was unaffected as he called again coldly.
What thing was Grey Sky Sect to Yang Kai? He had even dared to annihilate the Seeking Passion Sect, so why would he fear some unknown Grey Sky Sect?
The old man was now beginning to panic. He did not expect Yang Kai to be serious. Was this little brat crazy? The two of them had equal cultivation and there was no deep hatred between them. Was it really necessary to take things to this extent?
However, he had no idea that a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm and a trivial Grey Sky Sect were nothing in Yang Kai’s eyes.
If he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, Yang Kai might still consider bargaining a bit.
The old man gritted his teeth, and tossed his gaze in the direction of room thirteen, using his Divine Sense to communicate with the Emperor Realm Master there, “Friend, this little brat is insane. How about we join hands to take him down? Otherwise, given his attitude, he will target you after he finishes dealing with this Old Master. It’s better if we strike first, then split his hundreds of millions of Source Crystals between us evenly!”
The Emperor Realm Master’s face in room thirteen darkened too, because Yang Kai was simply too overbearing. He also knew that the old man was right. Previously, he proclaimed he would eat three kilograms of shit just to annoy Yang Kai, but he did not expect Yang Kai to be able to locate him even though he had deliberately hidden his position.
While he was still worrying that Yang Kai would also want him to fulfil his promise, the old man sent a Divine Sense Message.
After being motivated by the hundreds of millions of Source Crystals, this middle-aged man nodded as he replied without a second thought, “Good!”
The old man was ecstatic, thinking to himself, [Little brat, since you court death, don’t blame this Old Master for being ruthless.]
“Three!” After Yang Kai shouted, he stared coldly at room seven and nodded, “Very good, it seems you won’t shed tears unless you see your own coffin. In that case, let this Young Master help you!”
He shot towards room seven and sent out a punch.
A loud explosion, followed by a sudden appearance of a light barrier covered room seven. The barrier successfully blocked Yang Kai’s attack as it flashed brilliantly.
The private rooms in the auction were guarded by stronger barriers meant to protect the privacy and safety of important guests. For top-notched auction houses, these barriers were generally sufficient to defend against the spying of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and even handle a few attacks from one.
Although Flowing Shadow City was not a small city, it was not a big city either; as such, the Spirit Arrays in this branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce were only able to defend against the attacks of ordinary First-Order and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters.
They were essentially useless against Third-Order Emperors.
However, there were not many Masters of this level and they were even more rarely seen. Even if such a Master appeared, each of them was a noble existence who would not commit such rude actions.
“Hahaha!” The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect in room seven burst into laughter after seeing Yang Kai suffer a setback, “Little brat, do you think you alone can cause this Old Master trouble? You should go back and cultivate for another… Ah!”
In the middle of his boasting, he suddenly screamed as if he had seen something horrifying.
Everyone looked towards the room, their eyes bulging as they found what they saw impossible to believe.
A slight crack had actually appeared on the light barrier around room seven.
*Kacha… *
Everyone was taken aback by the soft noise. The face of the old man who sat in room seven turned pale and his eyes widened as he could not believe Yang Kai was so powerful.
Yang Kai could actually cause a crack in the barrier with a single punch, so it could be imagined what would happen if he unleashed a few more punches…
[Damn Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce, what kind of defective Spirit Array is this? Useless!] The old man cursed in his heart.
While the old man was still in a state of shock, Yang Kai summoned the Myriads Sword and pushed his Emperor Qi fiercely, causing an eruption of sword light as he slashed out.
*Hong… *
The power of the sword seemed to be able to penetrate space itself and flip the Heavens and Earth. The expressions of the Emperor Realm Masters in the other private rooms turned solemn as they realized just how formidable Yang Kai was.
The light curtain barrier which already had a crack on it completely shattered under the slash of the sword, turning into fluorescent dust as it scattered and disappeared.
Room seven was immediately exposed, utterly unprotected.
Yang Kai slashed once more and broke into the room where he met an old man with a pale and frightened face staring back at him with his eyes widened.
With a flicker, Yang Kai rushed inside and rested the broad Myriads Sword on the old man’s shoulder and demanded, “Old thing, give me your head.”
*Deng deng deng deng… *
The old man stumbled back in horror and shouted with his teeth gritted, “Friend, it’s now or never!”
Having said that, he pounced at Yang Kai while pushing his Emperor Qi wildly. The old man bent his fingers into claws as an eagle phantom flashed behind him. A shadow of two gigantic claws cast over the entire sky, charging forward fiercely, as if he was about to tear apart Yang Kai’s body.
Although the old man knew that Yang Kai was not easy to be dealt with, in the end, he was also a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Furthermore, with the assistance of his ally from room thirteen, the old man was not too afraid of Yang Kai. As such, he held nothing back with his attack, obviously wanting to end things in a single stroke.
However, just when he was about to reach Yang Kai’s face, he was welcomed by a big foot covered in rich Emperor Qi, stomping on his face directly. Despite the simplicity of this move, it managed to disperse the shadow of gigantic claws from the old man.
The old man instinctively tried to evade, but to his surprise, the surrounding space seemed to solidify at that instant, making it impossible for him to move at all.
With a loud thud, the old man was thrown out and slammed directly into the wall behind him, from which he slid down slowly. Stars spun around his head, and apart from feeling dizzy, he also felt that his nose had been flattened.
When the old man opened his eyes again, he saw a broadsword pointed at his neck, the feel of it against his skin ice cold and at its opposite end stood Yang Kai with a sneer on his face.
The old man was appalled. He did not expect that even though they were both First-Order Emperors, he could not even take a single exchange of blows with Yang Kai before being beaten down.
[Is he… is this monster really a First-Order Emperor Realm Master?]
Gasps sounded one after another from the surrounding private rooms as no one could believe the scene that just took place in front of them.
All of them had been observing the battle clearly just now. First, Yang Kai broke the protective barrier around the old man’s private room with just two blows, then he exchanged moves with the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect head-on, leading to the old Sect Master to take a kick to the face before he slid to the ground, his life now no longer in his own hands.
Everything that happened was beyond belief, and if they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not believe that such a thing could happen in this world.
The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect was an established First-Order Emperor Realm Master, so how could he be so vulnerable in front of an opponent with the same cultivation?
“You have a helper?” Yang Kai sneered, lightly glancing over at room thirteen.
The door of room thirteen was open, and a middle-aged man stood there in a posture that made it seem like he was preparing to rush out of his room, but right now, he was frozen stiff.
In front of him was Ying Fei, who was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, watching at him with a pair of sharp eagle-like eyes and a casual smirk.
There was no hostility, no aura fluctuations, and not even any pressure coming from Ying Fei’s body, but his mere presence had caused sweat to trickle down the head of the middle-aged man, locking him in place.
Inexplicably, this man felt that the one standing in front of him had the ability to kill him with ease, so even though he wanted to assist the Sect Master from Grey Sky Sect, he could not take a step forward.
“Go back. Young Master Yang will visit you soon,” Ying Fei looked at the middle-aged man and waved his hand lightly.
The middle-aged man gulped down his saliva and gently closed the door, retreating back to his seat as he shivered from head to toe.
Inside room seven, Yang Kai grinned at the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect and teased, “It looks like you’ve been abandoned.”
Of course, Yang Kai knew what had happened to the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen. With Ying Fei guarding the door, it was difficult for that man to even leave his room, much less provide help to the old man in front of him.
But when the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect heard these words from Yang Kai, his face went ashen.
Initially, he thought he did not need to be too afraid of Yang Kai because they had the same cultivation. Moreover, with the support of room thirteen, it would be a two versus one battle so the old man didn’t put Yang Kai in his eyes at all. But as soon as they clashed, he realized how wrong he was.
This First-Order Emperor Junior was completely different from any he had encountered before.
However, what angered him more was that the person in room thirteen actually did nothing.
Feeling the cold chill of the Myriads Sword, the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect begged in a trembling voice, “Forgive me, Young Master. I’m willing to apologize and make up for the mistakes. Please spare my life.”
At the critical moment of life and death, the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect did not care about face anymore; he just wanted to live. Without life, everything else was pointless.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “One’s word is more valuable than their life!”
When the words fell, the Myriads Sword flashed across the old man’s neck.
The old man’s eyes widened as he stared in horror at Yang Kai, reaching up to touch his neck with his hand as he muttered, “You…”
Before he could finish his thought though, blood spurted out of his neck with such force that it separated his head from his body, sending his head flying into the air.
“Ah…”
Screams were heard around the room.
The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect seemed to have brought several young disciples with him to experience the auction this time, so all of them were dumbstruck when Yang Kai broke into the room and could not help screaming in fear when their helpless Sect Master was beheaded without being able to even fight back. Among them were two beautiful female disciples who fell to the ground on their butts, their eyes completely glossing over.
Yang Kai ignored them as he casually grabbed the head of the Grey Sky Sect Sect Master by the hair and began examining it. The Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect truly lived up to his reputation as an Emperor Realm Master as he was still glaring at Yang Kai in anger even after he was beheaded, as if he could not accept such a fate, but after a while, the light in his eyes gradually faded.
Thousands of cultivators in the hall fell silent.
Previously, when Yang Kai took out hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystal to create an unprecedented cultivation paradise for them, they appreciated him so much and never thought that such a good man could exist in the world. However, after watching him behead the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect just because of a few casually spoken words, they realized just how frightening Yang Kai could be.
The Emperor Realm Masters in the other private rooms also stared in shock. For those who slightly knew about the background of Yang Kai, they just shook their heads and felt pity for the old man.
This young man was the one who beat up a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master at the entrance of the auction house, so all of them were doing their best to avoid him. On the other hand, this old man dared to provoke him, so what end except death could he expect?
As for the Emperors who had no clue about Yang Kai, they could not help feeling a sense of dread. Most of them were just First-Order Emperors as well, similar to the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect. Seeing that this old man couldn’t even put up any kind of resistance before Yang Kai swiftly killed him, they could not help feeling terrified when they thought about if it was them in the old man’s position. All of them secretly decided not to provoke this devil, otherwise, they would be the next victim in line.
“Since you wanted this Young Master to kick your head, then this Young Master is forced to accept it.” After speaking, Yang Kai tossed the old man’s head up, and spun his body into a flying spin kick, sending the head of the Grey Sky Sect Sect Master in a swoosh, straight arc to the auction stage, over Hua Qing Si’s head, and finally crashing directly into the backstage, completely smashing it into a mush, like a tossed watermelon.
Backstage, Wu Ming who was watching the show did not expect Yang Kai to kick the head to his side and only managed to dodge it narrowly, but he still had blood splash all over his body. Wu Ming’s face darkened instantly as he desperately held down his anger, despite how uncomfortable it was for him.
After doing so, Yang Kai lifted up the dead body of the Grey Sky Sect Sect Master and glanced at room thirteen with a grin, “Where is my friend who said that he would eat three kilograms of shit? Be prepared, there’s a hot and fresh pile here.”
He then took the body and headed towards room thirteen as he spoke.
*Shua shua shua… *
Everyone turned to room thirteen with full of sympathy.
Even though the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect was dead, it was a quick death as Yang Kai did not torture him, but for the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen, perhaps death would be a preferable option to his coming fate.
Imagining the torture that the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen would encounter soon, many shivered uncontrollably as goosebumps appeared all over their bodies.
They did not doubt Yang Kai’s strength and determination. Previously, the Sect Master of Grey Sky Sect in room seven had stated that he would let Yang Kai kick his head like a ball, and Yang Kai really did it. On the other hand, the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen had stated that he would eat three kilograms of shit, and they were afraid that… he really would have to eat it now.
None of them had ever attended an auction like this, nor had they ever seen such an unruly person before.
The whole auction house turned dead silent as Divine Senses all emerged from the private rooms one after another to monitor the situation in room thirteen. No one could suppress their curiosity. Although they knew what was going to happen, they all still felt an irresistible yet terrifying urge to watch.
*Peng… *
The door of room thirteen was kicked open, followed by the growl of the middle-aged, “What do you want to do?”
“This Young Master is here to grant your wish. You’re welcome!”
“No, no, no, I didn’t say that. It wasn’t me.”
“A real man never goes back on his word. At this point, there is nothing you can do to avoid it!”
“Young Master, please spare me from this, I was wrong! Broad-minded people will not care about the narrow-minded people, please don’t take offence!”
“No, no, no, it’s the first time this Young Master has heard such an awe-inspiring request, so he simply must grant it today! Monster King, don’t let him resist!”
“Yes!”
“You… You can kill me, but I’ll not let you humiliate me, I’ll fight you!”
“How dare you try to move without this King’s permission! Young Master Yang, three kilograms is too little! Make it thirty kilograms!”
The barrier around room thirteen was still intact, so everyone’s Divine Senses were blocked and no one could see what was going on inside. However, the dialogue inside was still crystal-clear to everyone’s ears.
They heard the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen decide to fight head-on after failing to beg for mercy. However, he seemed to have been subdued before he could even begin. Then there was a cry, followed by a few strange gulping sounds.
Although they could not see anything, everyone seemed to be able to imagine what happened to that Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen.
*Ou… *
A woman in the hall could not hold back anymore and vomited.
That sound seemed to be a fuse that set everyone else off. Those cultivators who were still struggling to hold themselves back could no longer endure it. They turned around and vomited everywhere. In an instant, the entire hall turned into a mess, while those who didn’t vomit felt more and more like it as they were surrounded by such a disgusting situation.
The Emperor Realm Masters in the other private rooms, on top of being repulsed, also felt bewildered. Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce was considered one of the two top chambers of commerce in the Southern Territory, yet no one had come out to resolve this incident. Realizing this, these Masters started to feel that this auction was not as simple as it appeared to be and that they had unwittingly become involved in a swirling quagmire.
After a long time, Yang Kai strode out of room thirteen and clapped his hands, “It’s really my first time seeing someone make such a weird request. What an eye-opener.”
Dreadful vomiting sounds could be heard from inside the room.
“Carry on!” Yang Kai looked up at Hua Qing Si who was on the stage and said.
Hua Qing Si nodded lightly. She could tell that Yang Kai felt really annoyed this time because of her Honoured Master. He was full of anger and had no place to vent, so now that the Emperor Realm Masters from rooms seven and thirteen had provoked him, how could he spare them?
Fortunately, the Emperor Realm Master in room thirteen was still able to keep his life, but perhaps he would have rather died than go through that punishment.
After looking around, Hua Qing Si asked, “Room one has offered one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals. Is there anyone who wants to bid a higher price?”
No one responded, for the offer of one hundred million was already exorbitant.
Hua Qing Si nodded, “Since there is no one, the third auction item belongs to room one.”
At her gesture, the maidservant immediately walked towards room one with a tray in her hands. Her little face was pale, and her legs were trembling as if she was walking towards hell, [not room one].
Yang Kai returned to his room and claimed the third Heaven Grade Puppet.
On the stage, Hua Qing Si proceeded, “The fourth auction item, a Thousand Leaves Sect Heaven Grade Puppet… “
“One hundred million!” Yang Kai shouted.
Hua Qing Si beamed as she looked around the hall and asked, “Is there anyone interested in bidding a higher price?”
After asking, she made eye contact with the maidservant who had just come out from backstage, not even needing to give any instructions.
The rest of the auction devolved into a two-man show between Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si. Whenever an auction item was presented, Yang Kai would offer one hundred million without hesitation, and Hua Qing Si would send the maidservant to deliver the item directly to room one.
The expressions of the Emperor Realm Masters in every private room were helpless and ugly. They did not expect to come all this way only to be patronized. Not only could they not win any auction items, but they didn’t even have a chance to bid as Yang Kai would offer one hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals for every item. Who could compete with him at that price? Furthermore, they were now clearly aware that Yang Kai had other intentions here. It seemed that he was here not for the auction at all but rather to cause trouble.
Not to mention that he had just killed the old man in room seven and horribly humiliated the man in room thirteen, his continuous offer of a hundred million alone was somewhat thought-provoking.
He was indeed wealthy, having hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals without any doubt, but even so, it was unreasonable for him to bid like this as those High-Rank Source Crystals must not have come to him easily. The only explanation was that Yang Kai did not intend to pay at all.
The Emperor Realm Masters here were not idiots, and after observing the situation for some time, they started to sense something. An uneasy feeling gushed out from the depths of their hearts, like invisible chains wrapping around them, making them feel incredibly uncomfortable.
But it was strange to them that the auctioneer on stage still continued to cooperate with Yang Kai.
After only a quarter of an hour, the nine Heaven Grade Puppets of Thousand Leaves Sect were auctioned off. As expected, all of them fell into Yang Kai’s hands and were then returned over to Ye Hen.
Ye Hen was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He could not believe that he could recover all the Heaven Grade Puppets so easily. He thought that he had lost the inheritance of his Sect forever together with Thousand Leave Sect itself. All this time, he had been feeling guilty towards his ancestors and was so heartbroken he could not pull himself together even after Li Qing Yun released him unscathed.
But now, with the nine Heaven Grade Puppets back in his hands, Ye Hen’s fighting spirit was rekindled.
Since the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed under his watch, it had to be rebuilt by his hands to reclaim the glory of his ancestors. The five hundred disciples he sent into Emperor Heaven Valley, together with the Sect’s Techniques and ancient books, were his biggest hope, but these nine Heaven Grade Puppets were the capital he needed.
In an instant, Ye Hen regained his spirits, as if turning over a new leaf in spring after a dark winter.
Ye Jing Han and Du Xian were equally exhilarated as they witnessed the retrieval of the puppets, and they felt even more grateful to Yang Kai. After all, these Heaven Grade Puppets were outstanding treasures with strength comparable to Emperor Realm Masters. If it was someone else, they would probably have kept them for themselves, but Yang Kai gave all of them to Ye Hen. There was no way for them to not feel immense gratitude towards Yang Kai’s noble act.
“Young Master Yang, they seem to be stalling for time,” Ying Fei suddenly stated.
Yang Kai nodded, “I know.”
He had presented himself in a high profile manner and snatched every auction item, but Wu Ming did not try to stop him and simply remained quiet. What else could this be but a stalling tactic?
It seemed the masterminds here would rather give up the nine Heaven Grade Puppets in order to buy more time. It could be seen that there were a lot of preparations taking place behind the scenes.
“Do you want to request Lady Hua to speed up the auction?” Ying Fei frowned.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Sister Hua is implanted with a Heart-Strangling Insect. She cannot help even if she wants to.”
“Heart-Strangling Insect!” Ying Fei’s face changed, obviously familiar with this particular Exotic Ancient Insect.
“Since we’re already here, we should sit back and see what they plan to do.” Yang Kai took a sip of tea.
On the stage, Hua Qing Si suddenly frowned and glanced backstage. After a moment of hesitation, she announced, “This is the end of the first half of the auction. Please take a moment to relax and prepare yourselves as there are even more auction items coming next. None of you will be disappointed.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai could not help narrowing his eyes.
The Emperor Realm Masters in the private rooms also curled their lips. This auction would certainly have been exciting if not for Yang Kai’s presence, but with this bastard sitting here, this auction was like a pot of delicious porridge contaminated by a piece of rat dropping.
Yang Kai was a living calamity in this auction. No one had the chance to participate because of him.
All nine of the Heaven Grade Puppets from Thousand Leaves Sect had fallen into his hands, and even if there were more and better items to be auctioned, perhaps they would not be able to obtain any of them either. Once Yang Kai opened his mouth to shout the bid, the auction item was bound to enter his pocket again.
Thinking of this, many people were discouraged, as they accepted the fact that they had no fate with the following auction items. Some even got up from their private rooms and wanted to leave the auction house.
Shortly, half of the people in the more than thirty private rooms prepared to set off, while the other half remained there just to watch the show without any expectations to get any of the following auction items.
When those who wanted to leave reached the doors of the auction house though, they found that this place had been sealed. They were hindered by what seemed to be a solid Spirit Array enveloping this branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
“What happened? Why won’t they let us go?”
“How dare Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce do this! Are they planning to capture all of us in one net?”
“I already felt something was wrong with this auction earlier, now it seems like there is indeed a conspiracy afoot.”
“Don’t panic, everyone, if we work together then this trivial Spirit Array won’t be any trouble to break.”
There were a dozen First-Order and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters at the doors, so if they joined forces, the power they could display would be quite substantial. After a simple discussion, they started to jointly attack the Spirit Array.
After a stick worth of incense though, the dozen Emperor Realm Masters were forced to give up. All of them stared at the barrier which did not even flicker under their bombardment and their hearts sank.
No one expected the Spirit Array here to be so strong that it could resist the combined forces of a dozen Emperor Realm Masters for so long.
“Brother Gong, your Heavenly River Valley Gong Family are Grandmasters in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, yes? Do you know what this Spirit Array is?” A man suddenly turned to an elderly man who was wearing black. This elderly man looked like a commoner among the crowd, but he was actually the Patriarch of the Gong Family.
The Gong Family from Heavenly River Valley had a resounding reputation throughout the Southern Territory because the people of this family were all proficient in Spirit Arrays. The Sect Defending Arrays of many Sects were arranged by this family.
Gong Wen Shan, whom Yang Kai met in the Four Seasons Realm back then, was a member of the Gong Family. Despite Gong Wen Shan being just a Dao Source Realm cultivator, his achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays had reached an astonishing height, so nothing more needed to be said about the current Patriarch of the Gong Family.
In terms of attainments in Spirit Arrays, this Gong Family Patriarch should be on par with Nanmen Da Jun from the Northern Territory.
“What? Your Excellency is actually Patriarch Gong? Please forgive my rudeness!” Someone exclaimed and quickly saluted with his fist cupped. It was obvious that he had heard a lot about the elderly man surnamed Gong, but this was his first time meeting him.
Most of the people were like this too and immediately greeted the elderly man surnamed Gong.
Now that they recalled, when they were attacking the array together previously, Patriarch Gong did not use much of his strength. It turned out that he was not idling, but instead observing.
Patriarch Gong frowned slightly and remarked after pondering for a while, “If this Old Master is not mistaken, this is the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array.”
“What’s particular about this array?” Someone asked from the side.
Patriarch Gong answered, “The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array gathers and condenses Five Element World Energy, creating a cycle of mutual reinforcement and neutralization. It’s not something that can be broken by brute force. Once it is activated, it is even capable of isolating the space within it from the outside world.”
“Sealing space!” A cry of shock came out.
“This is an extremely profound Spirit Array,” Patriarch Gong’s face turned solemn, “And…”
“And what?”
Patriarch Gong looked around, and pointed out, “It seems that this place has something other than just a Five Elements Grand Sealing Array. There is another Spirit Array linked to it.”
“An Array within an array!” The speaker’s face darkened. Although he was not proficient in Spirit Arrays, he knew the concept of nested arrays. Such Spirit Arrays were several times more difficult to arrange than just two independent Spirit Arrays.
“Even Patriarch Gong can’t recognize it?” A middle-aged man without facial hair asked. He initially thought that it would be a simple matter to break this Spirit Array with Patriarch Gong here, but he did not expect that Patriarch Gong would be having a tough time too, which really worried everyone.
Patriarch Gong shook his head, “It’s not that I can’t recognize it, but it is hidden too deep.”
“Can Patriarch Gong crack this array?”
Patriarch Gong answered, “It’s possible, but it would be a waste of time and effort.”
With his ability, if he was given three to four days, he was confident he could crack this kind of Spirit Array, but the auction would have long ended by then and this Spirit Array would naturally be opened at that point, so there didn’t seem to be a point in him cracking it.
“Relax, everyone.”
Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind. Everyone turned around in surprise and found Wu Ming standing nearby with a grin on his face.
“What exactly is Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce up to? It’s time to give us an explanation.” The middle-aged man without facial hair jumped out and glared at Wu Ming.
He thought that Wu Ming was a manager from Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce; after all, he was the one who welcomed the guests at the door earlier.
The rest glared at Wu Ming too.
Wu Ming smiled faintly, “Each of you is a precious guest, so what can I do to you? It’s just that this one’s Honoured Master had ordered that no one can leave before the auction has ended. As such, I hope everyone can please return to their room. Once the auction is over, Honoured Master will disable the array and allow you to leave.”
“Are you trying to bully us into staying here? This King demands to come and go whenever he wants! Quickly remove this array and let us leave!”
Wu Ming looked at the speaker with a light smile. He did not respond, nor did he even move, but all of a sudden, the surrounding World Energy surged and a sharp blade of five-coloured light materialised, shooting towards the speaker like an arrow released from its bow.
Everyone was taken aback and immediately dodged.
The face of Emperor Realm Master who stepped out turned pale. He immediately pushed his Emperor Qi to resist the incoming attack; however, all his efforts were in vain against the five-coloured blade. The blade penetrated his Emperor Qi protection, then opened a big hole in his chest.
Blood splashed everywhere.
Everyone gasped.
The man did not die instantly though, having just enough time to glance down at his chest, then looked up at Wu Ming as if he could not believe it and spoke in a trembling voice, “You…”
After saying just one word, this man fell to the ground.
The dozen other Emperor Realm Masters were in a state of shock. They could not believe that Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce dared to kill someone in its own branch. No one knew what the five-coloured blade was, except for Patriarch Gong, because it was not something generated by a cultivator, but rather by a Spirit Array. The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array not only had the ability to isolate space, but it also possessed the power to kill enemies inside of it.
Wu Ming stood there smiling still, but to the onlookers, his smile was scarier than anything in the world.
Previously, Yang Kai killed the old man in room seven in the auction hall with a stomp of his foot and a slash of his sword, but Wu Ming did not even move his hand and was able to kill this man. How could that be possible?
All of a sudden, everyone recalled the ‘Honoured Master’ who Wu Ming had mentioned before.
If Wu Ming himself was already a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, wouldn’t only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master be capable of becoming his Honoured Master?
With the addition of this Spirit Array to a Second-Order Emperor Realm Disciple and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, everyone realized that they could be wiped out easily without even being able to put up a fight. Knowing this, fear began to creep into their hearts.
“Who else wants to leave?” Wu Ming looked at the crowd with the same eerie smile.
No one answered.
Wu Ming nodded, “Then, this way please.”
He stepped back and gestured for them to return to the auction hall.
Everyone exchanged looks with each other, but they dared not to have any different opinions, for the still-warm corpse in front of them served as a warning for them to not make the same mistake. Although they all looked infuriated, they dared not to say anything and went back to their rooms one after another.
“Patriarch Gong.” Wu Ming suddenly called.
Patriarch Gong stopped and turned his head, “What can I do for Your Excellency?”
Wu Ming smiled faintly, “Patriarch Gong is too polite. I didn’t expect that a trivial auction could attract Patriarch Gong’s honoured self to attend personally. My Honoured Master was truly surprised and wished to invite Patriarch Gong to have a small discussion.”
“And your Honourable Master is…?” Patriarch Gong questioned with a frown.
Wu Ming smiled lightly, “Patriarch Gong will know when you see him.”
Patriarch Gong laughed wryly, “Does this Old Master have a choice?”
He knew that nothing good would happen if he complied and secretly regretted giving a long speech and commenting on this Spirit Array just now. Although he had no idea about the purpose of this Spirit Array, it was obvious that the person who set up this Spirit Array was concerned about him, for he was a Spirit Array Grandmaster.
Wu Ming narrowed his eyes, and replied, “Honoured Master is offering his earnest hospitality, Patriarch Gong should not reject it.”
The tone was plain, but anyone could hear the threat behind it.
Knowing the fact that an arm was no match for the thigh, Patriarch Gong sighed, “Lead the way.”
He was also curious about the mastermind who had arranged all of this and what purpose he had.
“This way please!” Wu Ming turned around, but before he could take a step, he was horror-struck by what he saw in front of him.
Just steps away, Yang Kai was smiling at him.
Wu Ming was genuinely frightened of this young man who had just beaten him at the entrance of the auction house. His Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation seemed so weak when confronting this anomaly.
The moment Wu Ming saw Yang Kai blocking his way, he instinctively jumped several tens of meters back and yelled, “Yang Kai, what do you want?”
Yang Kai glanced at him, then looked around and nodded in acknowledgement, “The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array isolates the world inside from the outside. It seems that you are well prepared to deal with this Young Master.”
Wu Ming’s face darkened when he heard this, as he realized that Yang Kai should have overheard the information Patriarch Gong disclosed just now.
It was true that his Honoured Master set up this Five Elements Grand Sealing Array to counter Yang Kai’s ability to use Space Principles. If they did not create a sealed space, Yang Kai could simply teleport away and flee anytime he wanted. Therefore, only by turning this place into a prison could they restrict his movements.
Wu Ming did not try to hide now that he was spotted by Yang Kai, and instead snorted coldly, “I warn you, you’d best cooperate, otherwise you’ll regret it.”
Yang Kai sneered, “You don’t need to care if I will regret or not, but if you dare act impudently to me again, I promise you won’t live to see another sunrise.”
Wu Ming’s face turned cold, but he really dared not act presumptuously anymore. He had witnessed Yang Kai’s strength and knew he was no match for him if they had to fight one-on-one. As such, he just stared at Yang Kai fiercely with a pair of resentful eyes.
“Patriarch Gong? I’ve long admired you,” Yang Kai cupped his fists towards the elderly man surnamed Gong.
“So you are Yang Kai?” Patriarch Gong swept his eyes over him in amazement.
Yang Kai frowned, “Has Patriarch Gong heard about me before?”
Patriarch Gong explained, “That brat Wen Shan mentioned you to me. Moreover, the news about Young Master Yang refining the Extraordinary Treasure Pill in the Four Seasons Realm caused quite an uproar in the Southern Territory.”
“Gong Wen Shan!” A vague figure flashed across Yang Kai’s mind. Although he did not really have a close relationship with Gong Wen Shan, he had at least had some dealings with him in the Four Seasons Realm.
On top of that, the reason Ye Jing Han came to Maple City to find Yang Kai to enlist his assistance in opening Emperor Heaven Valley was because Gong Wen Shan recommended him to her.
“Young Master Yang is truly a shining rising star, already reaching the Emperor Realm. Wen Shan, that boy, is still languishing in the Dao Source Realm. It seems the younger generation is destined to surpass the older,” Patriarch Gong sighed, secretly feeling that the Extraordinary Treasure Pill should have something to do with Yang Kai’s speedy breakthrough to the Emperor Realm.
Back then, Yang Kai refined a few Extraordinary Treasure Pills and bartered them away for certain treasures. Patriarch Gong had heard that Wu Chang of Heavenly Martial Holy Land and a young female Eight Paths Sect disciple had each gotten one. Wu Chang showed the powerful effect of the Extraordinary Treasure Pill when he broke through to the Emperor Realm, and although that Eight Paths Sect disciple had not broken through yet, she was now being courted by many top Sects looking to poach her. As long as she nodded and agreed, she could obtain the identity of Core Disciple in any top Sect straightaway.
All this was thanks to the Extraordinary Treasure Pills.
“Patriarch Gong flatters me, this Junior was just a bit lucky.” Yang Kai replied humbly and smiled, “This Junior would like to invite Patriarch Gong to have a chat in my room. I wonder if Patriarch Gong is interested?”
Patriarch Gong revealed a look full of gratitude because he understood that Yang Kai was resolving this awkward crisis for him, but he still hesitated as he glanced over at Wu Ming.
Yang Kai also looked over with a gloomy expression, “Patriarch Gong is going with me, do you dare to object?”
Wu Ming was maddened, but he did not dare to answer.
“It seems that you have no objections!” Yang Kai curled his lip, then gestured to Patriarch Gong, “This way please!”
Patriarch Gong looked relieved, and gestured with his arm stretched too, “After you, Young Master Yang!”
Both of them walked towards the auction hall one after another. Before leaving, Yang Kai turned to Wu Ming and mentioned, “Go back and tell your Honoured Master to wash his neck and wait for this Young Master to take his head.”
Patriarch Gong stumbled and almost fell to the ground hearing this. He thought to himself that Yang Kai was really too young and impulsive. How could a First-Order Emperor Realm Master dare to challenge a Third-Order Emperor?
Wu Ming glared at the backs of the two people with a resentful face, secretly cursing, [You can bark as much as you like now, because you will definitely kneel down and beg for mercy later.]
Yang Kai brought Patriarch Gong back to room one and introduced him to Ying Fei, Ye Hen, and the others.
Patriarch Gong also thanked Yang Kai for offering him a way out of his earlier predicament.
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly, “There’s no need to thank me, Patriarch Gong. Although I had no idea why Wu Ming invited you, I’m sure he planned to use you to cope with me. Me bringing you here is a matter of self-interest.”
Yang Kai did not dare to underestimate a Spirit Array Grandmaster. If Patriarch Gong really cooperated by controlling the Spirit Arrays surrounding this auction house, the power these arrays would display would undoubtedly increase by at least thirty percent. If this wasn’t the case, Yang Kai wouldn’t have acted so rashly as Chi Yue, Ai Ou, and the others were still being held hostage by Wu Ming. If he really crossed the bottom line of the Honoured Master behind Wu Ming, nothing good would happen.
Fortunately, it seemed that Wu Ming’s Honoured Master was still busy with something. Yang Kai did not notice any movement after he brought Patriarch Gong back with him.
A quarter of an hour later, Hua Qing Si stepped onto the stage again.
Everyone looked up at the stage simultaneously, knowing that the second half of the auction was about to begin.
On the stage, Hua Qing Si announced in a sweet, feminine voice, “Thank you for waiting. The next item to be auctioned… is a Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator!”
As soon as the announcement was made, everyone went into an uproar as each of them stared intently at the stage.
It had long been publicized that a Star Master from the Lower Star Fields would appear in this auction. At this moment, they undoubtedly assumed that the Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator Hua Qing Si mentioned was that Star Master.
Everyone was curious about the Star Master because they were a rarity even taking the entire Star Boundary into account.
Once there were many Star Masters, but some twenty thousand years ago, after Heaven Devouring Great Emperor destroyed many Star Fields, the channels connecting the Star Boundary and the various Star Fields were sealed, and the Masters from the Star Boundary could no longer easily travel to the Lower Star Fields to refine Star Sources.
Therefore, Star Masters were truly a rare existence in the Star Boundary nowadays.
Every Star Master possessed the essence of a complete Star Source in their body. If this Star Source could be extracted, one could inherit the position of Star Master for themselves, and their journey on the Martial Dao would become much smoother.
A skinny old man with a gloomy aura walked out from backstage like a ghost. The old man seemed to be affected by some kind of seal that caused his aura to be suppressed. Even so, he still gave out a ghastly feeling, especially the two clusters of ghost flames quivering in his pair of dreadfully horrifying sunken eyes
“Is this the Star Master?”
“Doesn’t look like anything special.”
“Having a complete Star Source but only reaching the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, it seems that his aptitude is not that good.”
“What do you know? It’s rumoured that all cultivators from the Lower Star Fields have top-notched aptitude as well as firm Martial Hearts, allowing them to dominate their respective Star Fields. If not, how could they make the arduous journey to the Star Boundary? Every cultivator who comes from the Lower Star Fields is comparable to a Core Disciple from a top Sect in terms of aptitude.”
There was a lot of discussion in the hall, with everyone whispering to each other, debating about the skinny old man on the stage.
They may not have seen a Star Master before, but they had at least heard some rumours about them.
Although it was rare for cultivators from the Lower Star Fields to reach the Star Boundary, many people knew that these cultivators were extremely rare talents, for they could still cultivate to the peak of the Martial Dao in their respective Star Fields despite the lack of good cultivation environments that exited everywhere in the Star Boundary.
It was precisely because of this that Liu Xian Yun told him that cultivators like them were very welcomed by many great forces back then when Yang Kai just arrived in the Star Boundary. They just needed to reveal that they were cultivators from a Lower Star Field, and they would definitely be accepted and trained vigorously by those big Sects.
Because cultivators like them had more hope to be promoted to the Emperor Realm than most cultivators from the Star Boundary.
“Gui Zu…” Inside room one, Yang Kai looked at the skinny old man on the stage with an unreadable expression, immediately recognizing him.
Gui Zu used to always be surrounded by Yin Qi, and ordinary people could not even see his true face. However, with his cultivation sealed, he could not release his usual aura.
His skinny and bony appearance was not because he was tortured, but rather his true form. Due to cultivating a Ghost Dao, his physique had already dried up and assumed its current form.
On the stage, Hua Qing Si continued, “He is not a Star Master, but he is a friend of that Star Master, and also a cultivator who came from the Lower Star Fields, so there is no need to worry about his aptitude.”
“Not the Star Master…”
“What the hell?”
“Why are they putting him up for auction if he’s not a Star Master? Is this a joke?”
Everyone below the stage started to yell unpleasantly, none seemingly willing to buy this old man.
“Jie jie jie jie…” Gui Zu cackled in a way that sounded like a vengeful ghost, causing chills for the cultivators in the hall.
“Sister Hua, enough games already,” Yang Kai suddenly shouted, “Your Honoured Master should be almost ready, just send him to me.”
Gui Zu stopped laughing, and turned to room one. Flabbergasted, the two wisps of ghost fire in his eyes immediately shone with a quaint beam.
Hua Qing Si smiled wryly, “Alright.”
She didn’t want to continue this charade any longer either; however, she had no choice but to obey the orders given by her Honoured Master. However, since Yang Kai had spoken so, she was happy to cooperate. The most important thing was that her Honoured Master did not make any objections, so it could be seen that Yang Kai was right about him having almost finished his preparations, not needing to delay for any more time.
Saying so, Hua Qing Si gestured with her hand, and a maidservant led Gui Zu to room one.
The door opened, and Gui Zu entered the room. When he saw Yang Kai, he got excited and cupped his fists, “Sect Master!”
“Supreme Elder has suffered,” Yang Kai lifted him up.
“It was all this Old Master’s incompetence,” Gui Zu looked ashamed.
Back then, when he roamed Heng Luo Star Field, even though he was not invincible, he was a peak level existence. There was hardly anyone in the entire Star Field who could suppress a powerful Third-Order Origin King cultivator like him; however, when he reached Star Boundary, he was being restrained everywhere and even ended up being captured as a prisoner and taken out as an auction item for public display.
It was a huge disgrace.
Gui Zu also knew that the enemy was strong, not someone that he could provoke with his current strength. If Yang Kai had not appeared, he would have been sold to someone else and worked as a slave for the rest of his life.
Gui Zu could not help shuddering just thinking about it.
Ye Hen, Ye Jing Han, and the others hurriedly went forward to meet him.
Gui Zu and the others had spent a lot of time in Thousand Leaves Sect, so all of them were quite familiar with each other. At this moment, they were naturally happy he was able to get out of trouble.
“Let me help you to remove the restriction.” Yang Kai put his hand on Gui Zu’s shoulder and started to examine him with his Divine Sense. In the meantime, he asked, “How are Chi Yue and the rest now?”
Gui Zu replied, “Their lives are not in danger, but their cultivations were all sealed. It seems that they will be brought out for auction later too.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “That’s good.”
After saying that, the Emperor Qi in his body surged into Gui Zu at once.
A trace of redness unnaturally flashed across Gui Zu’s pale face, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood. In the next moment, he felt that his body was relieved, and the sealed Source Qi in his meridians began circulating again.
The ghastly Ghost Qi gushed out and surrounded him at once. “Sect Master, your cultivation…” Gui Zu was dumbfounded.
Although he did not fully understand how powerful the person who sealed his strength was, he still had some guesses.
That man should have been a legendary Third-Order Emperor Realm Master!
He could not believe that his Sect Master could remove the seal on him after just a few breaths of time. Did this mean that Yang Kai’s cultivation was on par with that old man? It was natural that Gui Zu was so shocked because this was simply too unbelievable.
After all, they all came to Star Boundary together, but now he and his fellow Brothers and Sister were just Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, while Yang Kai had walked far ahead of them. Gui Zu had no idea how Yang Kai progressed so rapidly during these few years.
“I just broke through to the Emperor Realm,” Yang Kai patted Gui Zu’s shoulder, “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Gui Zu nodded, but he was still amazed. Although Yang Kai’s cultivation was much weaker than he had imagined, it was astonishing that one could reach the Emperor Realm in such a short time.
It was especially amazing when he could easily remove the seal of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master with just his First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation
Yang Kai had often created miracles and defeated opponents stronger than himself back in Heng Luo Star Field, and it seemed that he had not changed since he came to Star Boundary.
Realizing this, Gui Zu was secretly excited.
The few of them hardly had anyone to rely on in the Star Boundary, and even the Thousand Leaves Sect that they stayed at had been exterminated. But after witnessing the power Yang Kai possessed, Gui Zu knew that he had a strong backer to depend on now.
A man walked out of backstage at that moment. Yang Kai looked up and saw that it was the previous Union Master of Sword Union, Gu Cang Yun.
Hua Qing Si did not even try to introduce Gu Cang Yun and just signalled the maidservant to bring him to room one.
Soon, he was delivered to the room.
Gu Cang Yun was both surprised and delighted to see Yang Kai. It was Yang Kai who saved them the last time when they were in trouble in Sky Crane City, and now, a few years later, he came to the rescue again.
This made Gu Cang Yun lament in his heart that he still had to rely on others just to preserve his life.
The next who was brought out was Ai Ou.
The auction hall went horribly silent. The people there thought that the first half of the auction was strange enough, with the entire process being just an interaction between Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si, not leaving room for others to interrupt at all.
But they did not expect that the second half of the auction would be worse than the first.
The auctioneer did not even try to auction the ‘items’, nor did room one bother to bid. The whole process was just the ‘items’ being brought out and then delivered to room one.
What made them feel even more bewildered was that the Emperor Realm Masters in the private rooms were being quiet too, none of them questioning or complaining about anything.
No one had ever participated in such an auction. The whole auction looked just like a farce, which annoyed many people.
“Almost there!” Yang Kai stated with his eyes narrowed after settling Ai Ou down.
“What’s almost there?” Ai Ou looked at him with confusion, the shock on his face not having disappeared yet.
Just now when he learnt that Yang Kai had broken through to the Emperor Realm, he could not believe it until Yang Kai removed the seal on his cultivation.
As Yang Kai’s prospective father-in-law, Ai Ou was not sure whether he should be happy for him or feel frustrated. He was glad that his little girl, Xue Yue, had found a good man, but he did not know how many young women this prodigal son had flirted with in the Star Boundary over the years.
There were many good women in the Star Boundary, and given Yang Kai’s capabilities, it would only be normal for him to have a few women by his side.
If Xue Yue could come to the Star Boundary from their native Star Field one day, Ai Ou was afraid that she would not be able to compete with these Star Boundary women. As a father, Ai Ou could not help worrying. Sometimes it was not a good thing for a man to be too outstanding, especially a son-in-law.
“By the way, what about Chai Hu?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of someone.
Chai Hu was not from Heng Luo Star Field, but a native of Star Boundary.
However, he had a very close relationship with Gui Zu, Chi Yue, Ai Ou and the rest, and they had even become sworn siblings.
A total of five people came from Heng Luo Star Field with Yang Kai back then: Wu Dao, Gui Zu, Ai Ou, Chi Yue, and Gu Cang Yun.
Among them, Wu Dao was the strongest cultivator in the Star Field back then. Unfortunately, the Heavens were impartial, and Wu Dao’s life was taken in the World Energy Baptism when he attempted to break through to the Dao Source Realm, leaving the remaining four by themselves to struggle in Sky Crane City.
It was also at that time when the four of them met Chai Hu and received a lot of help from him. Later, their friendship deepened, eventually leading to an oath of brotherhood, with Gui Zu as the First Brother, Ai Ou as the Second, Gu Cang Yun the Third Brother, Chai Hu the Fourth Brother, and Chi Yue their Fifth Sister.
When Yang Kai was passing through Sky Crane City, he encountered the City Lord of the Sky Crane City, Luo Jin, who was compelling Chi Yue to marry him. At that time, Chai Hu took Luo Jin’s daughter Luo Bing, as a hostage in order to rescue Chi Yue, but his efforts fell short. If it was not for Yang Kai’s serendipitous presence, even Chai Hu would have found himself in serious trouble.
Later, Yang Kai raised a huge fuss in the City Lord’s Mansion of Sky Crane City, killing a lot of people, and ultimately rescuing his Seniors, bringing them to Thousand Leaves Sect where they had decided to remain temporarily.
At this moment, Yang Kai remembered Chai Hu.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Gui Zu cackled playfully, “Fourth Brother has gone off to pursue love!”
“With who?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Ai Ou answered with an equally cunning expression, “That little girl Luo Bing, do you remember?”
“Her?” Yang Kai was startled, unable to believe it.
Chai Hu kidnapped Luo Bing back then, and even if the two were not enemies, they should not have developed any good feelings between them, so it really did not make sense for the two of them to have developed an intimate relationship.
Ai Ou explained, “When Fourth Brother appeared to kidnap that girl, she happened to be encountering some dangerous circumstances, so even though he did so with ulterior motives, it could still be considered him saving her. It seems she is at least capable of distinguishing between gratitude and grudge. Unfortunately, her father died at your hands, while Fourth Brother is our sworn brother. That girl was unable to get past her grief and had hidden her feelings for Fourth Brother. She left two years ago, but Fourth Brother was worried and decided to follow after her, and we haven’t received any news from him since then.”
Gu Cang Yun continued, “You can call it a blessing or a misfortune, but because of this, Fourth Brother has also avoided this disaster.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Since Chai Hu had not been in the Thousand Leaves Sect, he did not need to worry about anything. He only asked out of concern for Gui Zu and the others for he had no personal friendship with Chai Hu.
“Fifth Sister is still in the hands of that old bastard,” Ai Ou said with a dark face, “Who knows if she will be sent out for auction as well.”
“I hope so,” Gu Cang Yun turned his head and looked towards the stage. All of them were sent out, so in principle, Chi Yue should be sent out too.
Yang Kai, however, shook his head lightly, “If I was that person, I would definitely keep a hostage in my hand for leverage.”
The few of them were surprised.
At this moment, Hua Qing Si on stage spoke, “Dear guests, this concludes today’s auction, but please remain in your seats. All of you have travelled far and wide to attend this auction, and my Honoured Master has prepared a generous gift as thanks. We hope you will like it.”
“She really was held back,” Ai Ou’s face sank and became extremely ugly.
The auction was over, but Chi Yue was still nowhere to be seen; obviously, she was being kept as a hostage, just as Yang Kai had predicted.
Although the few of them had been held prisoner by that old thing, and even had their cultivations sealed, they had never understood why.
“Monster King, protect them!” Yang Kai commanded, then flickered out of room one in a flash, reappearing above the auction hall, peering towards the backstage.
There was no one there now; even Wu Ming had long since disappeared.
He signalled Hua Qing Si and said, “Sister Hua, go to room one.”
Ying Fei was there and could be of assistance if anything happened later…
Hua Qing Si nodded, leaping out and flying into room one, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Down in the hall and in the private rooms, countless eyes focused on Yang Kai, all of them wondering what exactly this arrogant young man planned to do next.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense spread out like a tide as he shouted, “Old dog, you used this auction to force this Young Master to appear, and this Young Master has indeed come. You used this Young Master’s friends to stall for time to make your arrangements, so this Young Master agreed and played along with your script. Now that everything is prepared, why haven’t you shown yourself? Are you that scared?”
He shouted, but there was no response at all.
However, many cultivators looked at each other in the hall and started whispering among themselves, watching Yang Kai like he had lost his mind.
“Old dog, do you feel no shame for behaving in such a cowardly manner? No matter what, you are still an esteemed Elder of Star Soul Palace, why act so timid?” Yang Kai sneered, his tone filled with ridicule.
“What? An Elder of Star Soul Palace?”
“There’s an Elder of Star Soul Palace here?”
“What does he mean?”
Yang Kai’s words set off an explosion in the crowd.
Star Soul Palace was not just another Sect in the Southern Territory, but also a symbol of hegemony and invincibility; after all, it was the Sect of the Great Emperor that protected the Southern Territory.
It was rare to be able to meet an Elder of Star Soul Palace, as such a figure was not inferior in status to a Sect Master of other top Sects.
And based on what Yang Kai said, it seemed like he had grievances with this Star Soul Palace Elder…
Was this not… courting death?
Of all the people in the Southern Territory, this boy had to offend a Star Soul Palace Elder, even daring to cause a commotion with such shameless boasting and incessant chiding! He simply did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth!
At that moment, many people looked at Yang Kai as if they were looking at a dead man.
How could he survive from offending a Star Soul Palace Elder?
“Hahahaha!” A burst of loud erratic laughter sent the crowd into anxiety. The complexion of many Emperor Realm Masters in the private rooms changed, clearly feeling their auras destabilized slightly by the man’s laughter. Their Emperor Qi rolled uncontrollably, horrifying them as they realized how terrifying an existence the one who laughed just now was.
Was that the supposed Star Soul Palace Elder? There were not many Elders in Star Soul Palace, but with nothing but a laugh to go on, no one could identify who this person was.
“I have long heard stories about Little Friend Yang, and today I have finally seen that they are not just stories.”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “This Young Master doesn’t speak to faceless people, show yourself.”
There was a moment of silence before the voice replied, “Since Little Friend Yang insists on it, then I shall do as you wish.”
When the words fell, the world suddenly dimmed, and countless Spirit Array patterns flashed across the entire auction house. The array patterns quickly lit up, like sparks that could start a prairie fire, spreading out all at once.
In the next instant, everyone had an illusion that the world was turned upside down and that space was divided up.
An invisible pulling force seemed to be drawing them into an endless void.
“En? Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array!” In room one, Patriarch Gong’s complexion darkened as he hurriedly took out a set of array flags and poured his Emperor Qi into them. He flung both of his arms and threw the flags into the void one by one.
The array banners quickly disappeared, and the chaotically swirling space in room one immediately stabilized.
“Gong Tai, you court death!” An angry voice shouted. It was the same mysterious voice from before, but this time it was mixed with a shocking violent force, seemingly irritated by Patriarch Gong’s actions.
The shockwave that blasted towards Gong Tai’s Knowledge Sea caused him an incredible headache, resulting in him spurting a mist of blood from his mouth as he fell to the ground.
Things had not finished yet though as a five-coloured burst of light shot into room one, condensing into a sharp blade that slashed directly towards Gong Tai.
This five-coloured light blade was the same one that had previously killed an Emperor Realm Master.
Gong Tai’s heart screamed in panic, the blood draining from his face as he watched the blade pierce towards him.
Just when the five-coloured light blade was about to hit him though, an eagle claw accompanied by a powerful screech appeared from the side and firmly grasped the advancing blade, crushing it instantly.
Gong Tai was panting, his face pale, relieved that someone had saved his life at this critical moment.
He looked to the side with lingering fear and saw Ying Fei nodding at him with assurance, “Don’t worry, no one can kill you as long as this King is here.”
Gong Tai got up and respectfully cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Sir Monster King.”
An Elder of Star Soul Palace wanted to kill him, while a Monster King saved his life. The irony of the situation was hard to even comprehend.
Ying Fei waved his hand, “It’s fine. What is this Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array that you mentioned?”
Yang Kai and Gong Tai had chatted briefly when the former brought the latter back to room one, so Ying Fei knew that Gong Tai was a Spirit Array Grandmaster. If this wasn’t the case, Gong Tai would not have been able to recognize the newly activated Spirit Array at a glance while also taking action to counter it.
Gui Zu and the others turned to Gong Tai with curiosity.
Gong Tai sighed, “It’s a Spirit Array that segments a section of space into individual sections. I knew that there was a nested Spirit Array arranged here, but I did not expect one of the arrays to be Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array.”
“A nested Spirit Array? What is the other Spirit Array?” Ying Fei frowned.
“The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array!” Gong Tai replied, “These two Spirit Arrays complement each other and enhance each other’s effects. The one who set up the arrays is really quite skilled.”
After a pause, he looked at Ying Fei, “May I ask Sir Monster King, what grievances does Little Brother Yang have with this Star Soul Palace Elder that the latter would not hesitate to plant two Grand Spirit Arrays just to trap him?”
Ying Fei’s face sank and replied, “You mean, this Spirit Array has the effect of trapping people?”
Gong Tai nodded, “Yes,” He explained, “The Five Elements Grand Sealing Array has the effect of isolating those inside of it from the outside world. Right now, this auction house has become an independent sealed world of sorts. As long as the Spirit Array is not broken, I am afraid that no one in here can leave. As for the Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array, it can isolate everyone here into small independent spaces. If this Old Master had not acted fast enough just now, I’m afraid that all of us would have been separated.”
Ying Fei’s face changed drastically at his words, “This is bad!”
He turned to look outside, but there was no trace of Yang Kai. It was pitch black outside of room one, as if the entire room had sunken into The Void. Releasing his Divine Sense, Ying Fei failed to detect anyone else’s aura.
It was like the thousands of people in the auction house had simply disappeared.
Ying Fei’s face darkened at once.
He had thought that a Star Soul Palace Elder would not be a problem with him guarding Yang Kai; after all, he was a Monster King, comparable in strength to a Third-Order Emperor. Why would he need to fear a mere Star Soul Palace Elder? But, now that they were isolated by the Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array, how could Ying Fei protect Yang Kai if he had no clue where Yang Kai was? On the contrary, the person who set up this array could easily crush Yang Kai by using the power of his pre-arranged Spirit Arrays.
Deep remorse emerged in Ying Fei’s heart. Perhaps the situation would not be this bad if he insisted Yang Kai summon Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei, but at that time, he did not persuade further when Yang Kai disagreed.
But on second thought, the opponent could isolate anyone with this Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array, so it would be useless even if they brought more Monster Kings here.
He had exposed his identity as a Monster King a few days ago, so the opponent must have been fully prepared to deal with him since he dared to initiate this fight. It seemed that this plan was well arranged, and with the activation of these two Spirit Arrays, not only was Yang Kai trapped in this space, he was also isolated from everyone and he could only fight on his own.
“Patriarch Gong, can this array be broken?” Ying Fei asked in a deep voice.
Gong Tai sighed, “Yes, but it will take time.”
“How long?” Ying Fei did not have a good feeling.
“Ten days!”
Ying Fei was speechless. Ten days was far too long. In Yang Kai’s situation, how could Ying Fei just sit here for ten days?
Ai Ou remarked from the side, “Fortune always favours Yang Boy, although the opponent this time is powerful, he may not be able to do anything to Yang Boy. Patriarch Gong, the priority now is to break this array. We can only try to find another way to assist Yang Boy.”
This was the only solution in this helpless situation. Everyone knew what Ai Ou said was true, and immediately took action separately to look around, trying to find any flaws in the array.
…..
In a dark world, Yang Kai seemed to be suspended in a void, but the surrounding environment was notably different from the real Void. Releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found his perception blocked by an invisible barrier around him, making it impossible to detect the presence of anyone else nearby.
He stood quietly in place with his lips curved slightly. Instead of being frightened or anxious, he decided to wait patiently.
A pair of eyes was observing Yang Kai’s reaction silently in the dark, but seeing that Yang Kai did not show the slightest signs of panic, this observer realized how formidable Yang Kai’s mental strength was and understood that normal methods would be useless against him. Nodding, the observer decided not to hide anymore and openly revealed himself.
A light abruptly emerged in the dark world, followed by the appearance of a figure in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked up and saw an old man standing there calmly, as if he had been there all along as there were no prior signs of him walking over. Behind this old man were two figures; one was Wu Ming, who had disappeared before, and the other was Chi Yue, whom Yang Kai had not seen for a long time.
Chi Yue’s cultivation was sealed, and her pretty face was slightly pale as Wu Ming restrained her hands from behind, making it impossible for her to move in the slightest.
When she saw Yang Kai, surprise and joy flashed across her eyes. It seemed that she did not expect him to be here; but soon, her face turned solemn and she shook her head at Yang Kai slowly, signalling him to run away.
Wu Ming saw her signal, and sneered, tightening his grip and drawing a groan from Chi Yue’s lips as her face turned even paler due to the pain.
“Little Friend Yang!” The old man greeted Yang Kai with a smile. At first glance, this old man had a sage-like appearance. He wore a cyan robe and had a long beard on his face, possessing the noble image of some Senior Expert removed from the mundane world.
“Old dog, you finally decided to show yourself,” Yang Kai bared his teeth with a smile.
The old man shook his head lightly and smiled wryly, “Little Friend Yang, please show some mercy with your mouth. This Old Master’s name is Tan Jun Hao!”
“Old Dog Tan then,” Yang Kai raised his brow.
“Little bastard, be careful of your filthy mouth! Try barking again if you dare!” Wu Ming’s face flushed angrily.
Yang Kai looked up to the sky and shouted quickly, “Old Dog Tan, Old Dog Tan, Old Dog Tan, Old Dog Tan, Little Dog Wu, Little Dog Wu, Little Dog Wu, Little Dog Wu… This Young Master barked like you asked, so come and bite me.”
“Bastard!” Wu Ming’s nostrils flared; after all, he was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and had never been insulted to his face like this. The rage in his chest was like a volcano threatening to erupt at any moment.
Tan Jun Hao on the other hand just let out a light breath and waved his hand to stop Wu Ming before squinting at Yang Kai, “Little Friend Yang looks like he is quite resentful and seems to have some problem with this Old Master.”
Yang Kai retorted coldly, “What do you think?”
Tan Jun Hao smiled faintly, and nodded, “This Old Master understands your wrath, but this Old Master has no choice. I hope you will forgive me.”
“I’ll forgive you when you die.”
Tan Jun Hao was stunned, then burst into laughter, “Little friend, you’re quite funny. This Old Master is an Elder of Star Soul Palace and receives the grace of the Great Emperor. Who in this world would dare to kill me?”
“So, this is why you are so daring!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, then he suddenly lifted his eyes and returned with a solemn voice, “This Young Master wants to see what the consequences of killing an Elder of a Great Emperor’s Sect will be!”
The corner of Tan Jun Hao’s eyes twitched as he noticed that Yang Kai was not joking, and truly intended to kill him; however, he did not really care about it because he doubted Yang Kai had the ability to kill him despite his murderous intent. Beaming, he continued, “This Old Master looks forward to it then, but before that, shouldn’t Little Friend Yang return this Old Master’s property? That thing belongs to me, but it was inadvertently acquired by little friend some years ago.”
“You mean this?” Yang Kai summoned a token into his hand. A lifelike dragon image was carved on the token, and there was a big ‘dragon’ character engraved on it. The token looked plain and aged, and it was uncertain what material it was refined from, seemingly having been crafted a long time ago.
“Exactly!” Tan Jun Hao nodded, his face changing the moment he saw the token.
The Dragon Island Token was an extremely precious treasure, and although it could not be used for Artifact Refining or Alchemy, it was the only pass for ordinary people to enter Dragon Island. With this Dragon Island Token, one could go to Dragon Island and make any request to the Dragon Clan that was within their ability to fulfil.
Tan Jun Hao was already a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, and the only higher realm left for him to reach was the Great Emperor Realm. He believed that it was impossible for him to become a Great Emperor though with his innate comprehension and ability, but perhaps something on the magical Dragon Island could help him in breaking through these shackles.
This Dragon Island Token was a great opportunity for him.
Not to mention other requests, it would be no problem to ask for a few drops of True Dragon Blood from the Dragon Clan.
Therefore, he had been searching for the whereabouts of the Dragon Island Token for all these years.
Now that he saw that the Dragon Island Token was really in Yang Kai’s hands, he naturally felt delighted. However, given that he was also an old monster who had lived for countless years, he had enough composure to not reveal any change of expression on his face.
On the other hand, Wu Ming could not help showing an excited face when he saw the Dragon Island Token.
He was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, and with his aptitude and efforts, he did not know if he could reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm any time soon. But if he could get the Dragon Island Token and take a trip to Dragon Island, he probably could make a breakthrough right away.
But the token belonged to Tan Jun Hao, so Wu Ming dared not have any thoughts about it even if he wanted it, too.
Yang Kai played with the Dragon Island Token by rolling it through his fingers as he pondered for a moment before saying, “This Young Master has something you want, while you have someone this Young Master wants. How about this? Let’s trade.”
Tan Jun Hao smiled faintly, “Trade can only be established between two equal parties. Look at this situation… Does Little Friend Yang think that he is qualified to trade with this Old Master?”
Yang Kai’s face darkened slightly, “It doesn’t make much sense for you to talk like this. Don’t tell me that you want this Dragon Island Token for free?”
Tan Jun Hao chortled, “No, but please return the Dragon Island Token to me first, and we’ll discuss the rest later.”
Yang Kai pressed on, “Let her go first, and this Dragon Island Token will be returned to you. This Young Master has no use for this useless token anyway.”
“Return the Dragon Island Token first!” Tan Jun Hao insisted with a faint smile on his face, not bothering to negotiate with Yang Kai at all.
“Let her go first!” Yang Kai shouted fiercely.
Seeing that they could not agree, Tan Jun Hao no longer continued to waste time and turned to Wu Ming and ordered, “Disciple, let Little Friend Yang have a peek at our chips. Show him our sincerity.”
Wu Ming grinned, “Yes!”
Then he turned to Yang Kai, “Little bastard, I heard that this devilish woman is your mother-in-law?”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he thought to himself, [Sister Hua, Sister Hua, why did you have to tell them everything? From the looks of it, you must have disclosed the secrets of my Sealed World Bead and Immortal Tree to them too.]
But he could not blame Hua Qing Si for that because she stood no chance of resisting under the suppression of absolute strength. She did not even remember what she had revealed to Tan Jun Hao at that time.
Only a sinister Secret Technique could force Hua Qing Si to reveal his secrets.
“If you dare to hurt her even a single hair on her head, you’ll die a miserable death,” Yang Kai warned in a deep voice.
Wu Ming snickered, “Don’t worry, how could this King be willing to hurt such a beauty? This King likes her very much. If it weren’t for Honoured Master’s command, this King would have long taken her as his concubine!”
Chi Yue was a rare seductive beauty, and while she was not as beguiling as Shan Qing Luo, she had a mature air about her that added a different kind of flavour to her charm. If this wasn’t the case, Luo Jin, the City Lord of Sky Crane City, would not have been bewitched by her at first sight and forced her to marry him.
While speaking, Wu Ming stretched his hands and gently caressed Chi Yue’s face.
Chi Yue’s tender body shook violently, her eyes filled with disgust. She felt helpless because her cultivation was sealed and her body was being restrained. She could not resist at all, and could only endure with her teeth gritted and her eyes closed.
“You dare!” Yang Kai was maddened. This bastard actually profaned his mother-in-law right in front of him. There was no way for him to tolerate it and with a stomp of his feet, he jumped towards Wu Ming.
Wu Ming’s face changed drastically when he saw this. He had suffered a loss at Yang Kai’s hand before, so he knew that this little brat was not easy to deal with. Hurriedly, he pulled Chi Yue back with him.
Tan Jun Hao immediately stepped in between them and with a wave of his sleeve, many five-coloured light blades were formed and slashed at Yang Kai.
“Hong hong hong…”
A series of explosions rang out as the surrounding World Energy was whipped into a frenzy. Yang Kaw was forced to retreat while all the five-coloured light blades collapsed at the same time.
Tan Jun Hao narrowed his eyes and could not help praising, “Little Friend Yang is truly amazing. This Old Master has underestimated you.”
He thought that the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array would be enough to subdue a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master, but he did not expect that Yang Kai could compete on par with this Spirit Array. Tan Jun Hao could not help feeling a slight fear in his heart. How could a mere First-Order Emperor possess such power?
If he was allowed to reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm, who could be his opponent other than the Great Emperors?
“If you understand how great this Young Master is, let her go now, otherwise, I’ll remove your skull and use it as a toilet bowl later!” Yang Kai yelled with his teeth gritted, forcing his rampaging blood to calm down.
Tan Jun Hao shook his head lightly.
Seeing that he was protected by his Honoured Master, Wu Ming was not frightened anymore and he taunted coldly, “Little bastard, aren’t you very strong? Show me your strength once more!”
While speaking, he grabbed Chi Yue’s long locks and tugged backwards. Chi Yue let out a cry as her body was lifted slightly and her chest was pushed out.
Wu Ming grinned, his fingers gleaming as he circulated his Emperor Qi. Then, he slowly pointed his fingers at Chi Yue’s chest and stared at Yang Kai, “This is your mother-in-law, right? Let’s enjoy the scenery of your mother-in-law’s body together, shall we?”
When the words fell, he flicked his fingers downwards.
With a tearing sound, an opening on Chi Yue’s dress was slashed, revealing more than three fingers wide of snow-white skin, which was now flushed in faint crimson from anger and shame.
Yang Kai was Shan Qing Luo’s man, while she was Shan Qing Luo’s adoptive mother. Now, her bare skin was not just exposed to Wu Ming, but also to Yang Kai. Despite Chi Yue being a member of the Monster Race, she still could not stand being humiliated like this in front of her son-in-law.
Yang Kai silently narrowed his eyes.
Wu Ming started to look at Chi Yue’s body unscrupulously, but even though the clothes were torn, he still could not see the important part that remained covered.
He extended his hand excitedly, as if he wanted to strip the clothes and enjoy the most exquisite parts of her body.
“Enough!” Yang Kai shouted.
Wu Ming ignored him.
Yang Kai retorted, “If you dare to touch her again, both of you will never get anything you want today.”
Tan Jun Hao, who had been watching coldly, frowned and raised his hand.
Wu Ming immediately stopped his action with a disappointed face.
Chi Yue could not help letting out a sigh of relief. If Wu Ming really stripped off her clothes, she would be too embarrassed to face Yang Kai and Shan Qing Luo in the future. Although she was still in an awkward situation now, only some of her skin was shown at the moment, which was not too big a deal for a member of the Monster Race.
“Does Little Friend Yang understand this Old Master’s sincerity now?” Tan Jun Hao remained calm and composed while he turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sneered, “It’s an eye-opener that an honourable Star Soul Palace Elder would handle things in such a disgraceful manner.”
Tan Jun Hao remarked, “Little friend doesn’t have to be sarcastic. A man of great ambition does not bother about trifles. You should understand this.”
“I only see two shameless dogs bullying a helpless woman. It’s laughable you still dare call yourselves men!”
Tan Jun Hao chuckled, “It’s fine. As long as you hand over the Dragon Island Token to this Old Master, everything can be discussed.”
While speaking, he stretched out his hand to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai clenched his teeth and snorted, pouring his Emperor Qi into the Dragon Island Token and tossing it to Tan Jun Hao.
At this point, he had no choice. If he did not compromise now, he was afraid that Chi Yue would be stripped naked in front of him. If that happened, how would he explain himself to Shan Qing Luo when he saw her again in the future?
He did not care much about a trivial Dragon Island Token anyway. If Hua Qing Si had not reminded him earlier, he would have totally forgotten about this thing. The reason why he refused to return it was because he wanted to save Chi Yue first.
The Dragon Island Token turned into a stream of light, wrapped with a potent piercing power, but Tan Jun Hao caught it easily with a flick of his wrist, rubbing it carefully as he nodded, “Yes, this is the token.”
Yang Kai continued, “I have returned the Dragon Island Token as you asked, are you going to release her now?”
Tan Jun Hao beamed, “There’s no hurry.”
Yang Kai immediately rebuked as he snorted, “Old dog, you’re going back on your word.”
Wu Ming laughed, “Honoured Master never said that he would release her after you returned the Dragon Island Token. Honoured Master only said that if you returned the token, everything could be discussed. We haven’t even started our discussion yet, so how could this be considered Honoured Master going back on his word?”
Seeing Yang Kai being forced to submit, Wu Ming was gleeful, as if he had taken his revenge.
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s face turned dreadfully ugly. His emotions were unstable as he slapped his own thigh with regret, feeling as if he had been scammed.
“Hahahahaha!” Wu Ming finally could not help laughing out loud.
“Old dog, what else do you want? I have already returned the Dragon Island Token to you. Don’t force this Young Master anymore, otherwise I will fight with you until either the fish dies or the net gets torn,” Yang Kai gritted his teeth.
Tan Jun Hao replied, “This Old Master wants to ask a little friend for something, but don’t worry, if little friend can fulfil this Old Master’s wish, I will give her back to you immediately.”
“Out with it then,” Yang Kai spat.
Tan Jun Hao smiled lightly and started moving his lips to send a Divine Sense Message, “A bead. A small bead that is said to contain a sealed world!”
Sure enough, Sister Hua had exposed the existence of the Sealed World Bead, but from how Tan Jun Hao was acting, it seemed as if he did not want Wu Ming to know.
The Sealed World Bead was an extremely precious artifact, not to mention that a supreme treasure like the Immortal Tree was inside it. Even though they were Master and Disciple, it made sense that Tan Jun Hao did not intend to let Wu Ming know about the Immortal Tree, lest he covet it.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying!” Yang Kai kept a serious face.
Tan Jun Hao continued to transmit his voice, “My unfilial disciple reported all your secrets to this Old Master, little friend doesn’t need to hide it anymore. This Old Master has meticulously planned everything for this day. The Dragon Island Token is not my main aim; what this Old Master truly wants is that bead. This Old Master will be grateful as long as you can meet his request. If little friend has any needs in the future, this Old Master will definitely try to help you. After all, this Old Master is an Elder of Star Soul Palace, and there is nothing in the Southern Territory that this Old Master cannot settle.”
Yang Kai shook his head like a rattle, “I don’t have such a thing.”
Tan Jun Hao’s face darkened, “Since little friend refuses this Old Master’s kind gesture, then you will have to suffer the consequences.”
He had been polite since the beginning, but after Yang Kai repeatedly refused to hand over the Sealed World Bead, Tan Jun Hao showed signs of anger, which showed how attractive the Sealed World Bead was to him.
Wu Ming became suspicious when he saw Tan Jun Hao and Yang Kai constantly transmitting their voices to each other, wondering what his Honoured Master was unwilling to let him know about, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
Despite that, he dared not to show anything on his face. He could only bury his feelings in his heart while secretly plotting to find a chance to inquire about it after they were done dealing with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai replied helplessly, “I don’t have the thing that you ask from me, so how can I give it to you?”
Tan Jun Hao snorted coldly, then signaled Wu Ming with his eyes, and retorted, “Little Friend Yang is refusing this Old Master’s request. You can do whatever you want with this devilish woman.”
Wu Ming’s eyes lit up and thanked joyously, “Many thanks, Honoured Master!”
While speaking, he attempted to grab Chi Yue’s chest.
“Wait, wait!” Yang Kai hurriedly shouted.
Tan Jun Hao raised his hand and shook Wu Ming’s hand away, causing the latter to look annoyed but he still dared not resist.
“Little friend, have you reconsidered?” Tan Jun Hao looked at Yang Kai with scorching eyes.
Yang Kai scratched his cheek, and coughed slightly, “I seem to remember that there is such a thing.”
Tan Jun Hao’s eyes brightened and he continued eagerly, “Since you remember now, hand it over to this Old Master.” If he could get the Sealed World Bead and the Immortal Tree inside it, the Dragon Island Token wouldn’t even matter to him anymore.
It was rumoured that after refining the Immortal Tree, one could achieve an immortal and indestructible body, so doing so would surely allow him to break through to the Great Emperor Realm.
Yang Kai snorted, “But this Young Master doesn’t trust your credibility.”
Tan Jun Hao immediately replied, “You may rest assured that this Old Master will let you take back this devilish woman as long as you give me that thing.”
“Really?” Yang Kai questioned with a frown.
Tan Jun Hao raised his hand, “If there is any violation, may this Old Master be struck by lightning and split into two halves.”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “If oaths were useful, why would we even bother cultivating? But… since you are an Elder of Star Soul Palace, this Young Master will trust you once more!”
Tan Jun Hao twinkled, “Little Friend Yang is a straightforward person, this Old Master will not disappoint you.”
Yang Kai sighed and flipped his hand over, summoning a longan-sized bead into his palm. This bead looked ordinary at first glance, but a faint wave of Space Principles fluctuated from it.
Tan Jun Hao widened his eyes and ogled the Sealed World Bead, examining it carefully with his Divine Sense.
With his cultivation and insight, he naturally noticed the specialty of the bead at a glance, and immediately understood that it must be the so-called Sealed World Bead. By itself, it was just a special storage artifact, but what was more important were the things inside.
Not just anyone could refine this special storage artifact, but Tan Jun Hao believed that it should be no problem for him to do so and withdraw the Immortal Tree with his strength.
Wu Ming was watching too and frowned, having no idea why such a bead was worth his Honoured Master’s attention, even more so than the Dragon Island Token.
He vaguely felt that the true aim of his Honoured Master this time was not the Dragon Island Token, but this small bead.
“This Young Master obtained this many years ago. It was a gift from a friend. Now, this Young Master is handing it over to Elder Tan, hoping that Elder Tan can take good care of it.” Yang Kai seemed to have accepted his fate and looked at the Sealed World Bead on his hand longingly, reluctant to let it go. Even the way he addressed Tan Jun Hao changed.
Tan Jun Hao replied, “Don’t worry, this Old Master will conceal this treasure cautiously. From now on, little friend will be this Old Master’s friend.”
Yang Kai clenched his fist and pressed on, “Before this, I have one more request.”
Tan Jun Hao frowned, “What is it?”
Yang Kai revealed, “I want Hua Qing Si to be freed from her discipleship under Elder Tan.”
Wu Ming snorted, “In your dreams. That bitch did so many things that disrespected our Honoured Master. It’s already signalledmercy that we didn’t kill her on the spot, yet now you want to ask for her freedom?”
Yang Kai stared at him coldly, “Can you make the decision for Elder Tan?”
Wu Ming’s face immediately changed and he cupped his fists towards Tan Jun Hao, “Honoured Master, this Disciple did not have such intentions.”
Tan Jun Hao waved his hand, “This Old Master understands.”
In fact, Yan Jun Hao actually felt somewhat relieved. He was more worried that Yang Kai wouldn’t continue trying to bargain, as that would truly be suspicious. After having a brief communication with Yang Kai, Tan Jun Hao could see that Yang Kai was a person who valued relationships greatly. If this wasn’t the case, he would not have been able to force Yang Kai to surrender without a fight by just holding Chi Yue as a hostage, even getting him to obediently hand over the Dragon Island Token and Sealed World Bead.
This request seemed to be reasonable to Tan Jun Hao. According to Yang Kai’s behaviour and attitude, it made sense for him to put forward such a request.
After some brief thought, he nodded in agreement, “This Old Master approves your request. From now on, Hua Qing Si is no longer this Old Master’s Disciple and has nothing to do with this Old Master.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s useless to tell me this. Elder Tan, please tell Hua Qing Si directly. Since this Spirit Array is controlled by you, you should be able to contact her, right?”
Tan Jun Hao frowned and looked slightly impatient, “Little Friend Yang, please forgive this Old Master for not being able to accept this request.”
“Why?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Tan Jun Hao explained, “Right now, room one is isolated from this Old Master’s Spirit Array and no longer under this Old Master’s control. This Old Master’s voice cannot be transmitted there.”
He could have done it earlier before Gong Tai interfered in the array and isolated room one from his control.
The capabilities of a Spirit Array Grandmaster were no joke.
“Is that true?” Yang Kai was astonished.
He was secretly delighted. This way, he did not have to worry about the safety of Hua Qing Si and his other friends. Initially, he thought that the lives of Hua Qing Si and the rest were controlled by Tan Jun Hao after he implanted Heart-Strangling Insects into them. Therefore, he was glad to hear Tan Jun Hao’s explanation.
Since room one was not under his control and he could not send any Divine Sense Messages, it should also be impossible for him to hurt them with the Heart-Strangling Insects.
It seemed that saving Patriarch Gong turned out to be a blessing to them.
“Good, this Old Master has satisfied all of little friend’s requests. Now, it’s little friend’s turn to grant this Old Master’s wish.” Tan Jun Hao stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai sighed deeply and remarked helplessly, “I hope that it won’t be a mistake to trust Elder Tan.”
He seemed to have accepted his fate, and having said so, he tossed the Sealed World Bead towards Tan Jun Hao lightly.
Tan Jun Hao’s eyes lit up as he quickly reached out to catch the Sealed World Bead. He did not see Yang Kai tamper with the Sealed World Bead in any way; in other words, he seemed truly willing to give up his Sealed World Bead in return for his mother-in-law.
However, for some reason, a sense of crisis struck Tan Jun Hao just as he was about to catch the Sealed World Bead.
At Tan Jun Hao’s level of strength, his intuition was extremely sharp, so as soon as he realized something was wrong, he hurriedly pushed his Emperor Qi to protect himself while staring intently at the Sealed World Bead in case of accidents.
At this moment, a black vortex suddenly emerged in front of the Sealed World Bead, like a Void Corridor connecting two worlds.
Then, a gigantic fist stretched out from the black vortex. There were ferocious and terrifying bone spur-like existences on this fist, striking towards Tan Jun Hao together with the fist.
Tan Jun Hao’s face changed drastically in an instant, his eyes bulging as his grasping hand froze mid-air.
“Hahahaha!” A wild laugh resounded as Yang Kai, who followed closely behind the Sealed World Bead, charged forward, “Even if you are cunning like a ghost, you still have to drink the water this Young Master used to wash his feet! Now die, Old Dog Tan!”
At the critical moment of life and death, a realization dawned on Tan Jun Hao and he immediately identified the gigantic fist, calling out in alarm, “Stone Puppet!”
Tan Jun Hao learnt from Hua Qing Si that there was a huge Stone Puppet as tall as a mountain hiding in Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead.
But Hua Qing Si also mentioned that even though the Stone Puppet had incredible physical strength, its true power was only comparable to that of a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and as long as he made flexible use of his speed, it would not be hard to deal with the Stone Puppet.
Therefore, Tan Jun Hao did not really put the Stone Puppet in his eyes; after all, he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even if the Stone Puppet was powerful, it would still be useless if it could not hit him.
However, Tan Jun Hao did not even recall the existence of the Stone Puppet until the gigantic fist, full of spikes, appeared.
And it was too late when he finally remembered.
What flabbergasted him more was that the power of this fist was far greater than the full-powered blow of a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like him dared not to take this violent punch. Furthermore, it seemed that the fist of the Stone Puppet was layered with another kind of power, a power that gave off a terrifying sensation.
Tan Jun Hao had no idea that the Stone Puppet had been refining Shi Huo’s Source. Once the refining was complete, it could become the next Shi Huo Divine Spirit.
Now, even though the refining was not yet complete, there was already a trace of Divine Spirit power in this punch, which was enough to crush ordinary Emperor Qi.
The Stone Puppet itself was refining Shi Huo’s Source in a deep slumber, which should have been impossible to awake from in just a year or two. Nevertheless, since it was ultimately Yang Kai’s Embodiment, Yang Kai’s mind was connected to it. As such, Yang Kai had no problem controlling it to ambush Tan Jun Hao by connecting his consciousness to the Sealed World Bead.
The fist coming out of the Sealed World Bead was exactly the result of Yang Kai’s remote control.
The price paid to execute this move was not small. Spiritual Energy flooded outward from Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, giving him a splitting headache.
The power of the fist was terrifying though, and with the addition of Yang Kai’s shout, Tan Jun Hao was thrown into a panic. With a wave of his hand, countless five-coloured light blades converged in front of him and shot towards the Embodiment’s fist. At the same time, he quickly retreated.
*Hong… *
All the five-coloured light blades shattered simultaneously, while the gigantic fist continued to blast forward unhindered. The sharp spikes broke through Tan Jun Hao Emperor Qi protection in an instant and stabbed a third of the way into his body, releasing a violent power that blasted him away while spurting large amounts of blood from his mouth. It was unknown if he was dead or alive.
On the other side, Yang Kai flew straight towards Wu Ming.
Although he shouted ‘die, old dog’, Yang Kai had no intentions to confront Tan Jun Hao at this moment as his priority was to rescue Chi Yue. Everything else could be considered later.
Therefore, Wu Ming could not react when Yang Kai advanced on him.
As their eyes met, Wu Ming was frightened pale and shouted, “Don’t come near, or I’ll kill her!”
While issuing his threat, a sword appeared in Wu Ming’s hand and immediately slashed towards Chi Yue fiercely.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai roared, causing the local Space Principles to condense and solidify the space where Wu Ming and Chi Yue were located.
The sword that was supposed to pierce Chi Yue was jolted slightly, and in that moment of delay, Yang Kai swooped in and snatched Chi Yue away from Wu Ming successfully while simultaneously landing a flying kick on Wu Ming’s head.
Followed by a painful howl, Wu Ming was sent tumbling through the air, crashing heavily to the ground some distance away as numerous teeth were knocked from his mouth.
As a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, even if Wu Ming was no match for Yang Kai, it should have been impossible for him to be sent flying so miserably even taking a direct hit like this. However, fear had crept into his heart ever since he was beaten up severely by Yang Kai. In addition to seeing his Honoured Master suffering a massive loss, how could Wu Ming still have the presence of mind to fight back against Yang Kai? One would not be able to exert even half their strength if they were in a state of panic.
“Senior, are you alright?” Yang Kai scanned Chi Yue with his Divine Sense to check her condition.
Chi Yue’s face slightly flushed as she gripped her torn clothes to cover herself and shook her head, “I’m fine, but my cultivation is sealed.”
Just as Yang Kai was about to respond, his face suddenly turned solemn and he looked up in a certain direction with his teeth gritted, “It seems your status as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master is not undeserved!”
Over there, an extremely strong aura blasted into the air as Tan Jun Hao walked out of the darkness step by step. He had long lost his sage-like appearance and now wore a ferocious expression on his face, as if he wanted to drink blood and eat raw flesh. His eyes were full of hatred and rage.
There were several big holes on his body, and his chest looked slightly sunken, obviously the result of the punch he took from the Embodiment.
No ordinary person could survive the Embodiment’s punch.
It was unknown how he stopped his bleeding, but his robe was full of blood.
“How dare a mere Junior deceive me! For this, you must die!” Tan Jun Hao clenched his teeth, his voice sounding like the ominous winds of hell, sending chills down the spines of all who heard it.
While speaking, he slightly moved his hands to perform a seal.
Chi Yue who was standing next to Yang Kai suddenly grunted before quickly releasing miserable screams.
Yang Kai was taken aback and swept his eyes over her, swiftly focusing on the skin of Chi Yue’s neck, where it looked as if something was squirming around.
“Heart-Strangling Insect!” Yang Kai bellowed. Chi Yue’s condition was similar to that of Hua Qing Si before, and it was obvious that she was implanted with a Heart-Strangling Insect too.
Tan Jun Hao was furious now, and he obviously wanted to take revenge by killing Chi Yue first.
“Despicable!” Yang Kai reprimanded as he stretched out his hand and summoned the Sealed World Bead back to him. He quickly wrapped his Divine Sense around Chi Yue who was beside him and sent her into the Sealed World Bead.
Tan Jun Hao, who was stimulating the Heart-Strangling Insect, frowned as he realized his connection with it had suddenly been cut off. He scolded with his teeth gritted, “Damn!”
The Sealed Word Bead was an independent world, and Yang Kai had continually collected Source Strength to improve the World Principles of the Sealed World Bead. Even if the Heart-Strangling Insect was powerful, it could not be triggered by Tan Jun Hao given that they were in two separate worlds now. Unless Tan Jun Hao could break the barriers of the World Principles of the Sealed World Bead, he would not be able to send his Divine Sense into the Small Sealed World.
Even a Great Emperor may not be able to do this, let alone a mere Tan Jun Hao.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai laughed wildly as his Divine Sense connected to the Small Sealed World and found Chi Yue was indeed relieved from the torture. The Heart-Strangling Insect in her neck calmed down too. After knowing that he made the right decision, he had no worries anymore.
On the other hand, Tan Jun Hao’s face was extremely ugly, as if his parents had just been killed before his eyes.
He had planned everything out, and everything was in his grasp, but he was continuously frustrated when he ultimately confronted Yang Kai.
“Damn Gong Tai!” He cursed again. If he knew that Gong Tai had such capability, he would have captured him earlier. With Gong Tai securing room one with his own Spirit Array, Tan Jun Hao could not do anything to the people in there.
Room one was like the Small Sealed World now, an independent space that was beyond his control.
If this wasn’t the case, Tan Jun Hao would still have several hostages over there to coerce Yang Kai with.
This was also the reason why he did not interfere with Hua Qing Si sending the hostages back earlier in the auction, for he thought that it would not harm him as he could still control their lives remotely.
One wrong move and his whole plan had failed. Life was but a chess game in this regard!
“Old Dog Tan, what else do you have up your sleeves? Show me everything you have so you can die convinced!” Yang Kai was gleeful and started to mock Tan Jun Hao again.
This mocking, however, was mainly to buy Yang Kai some time. He had consumed too much of his Spiritual Energy controlling the Embodiment to release a punch from the Sealed World Bead, which was still causing him a sharp headache. Fortunately, the Soul Warming Lotus was displaying its effect, sending a cool sensation through his Knowledge Sea, rapidly restoring his exhausted Soul.
Tan Jun Hao had been badly injured, as it was not easy to take a punch from the Embodiment. Yang Kai had the confidence to fight with him even when he was in his best condition, not to mention now he was in a terrible condition.
This old man had plotted to harm him before they met, and Yang Kai swore that would kill him no matter what.
“Junior, you court death!” Tan Jun Hao growled as he raised his hands in a posture of grasping the whole world and gritted his teeth, “Since you dared to disobey this Old Master, this Old Master will grant your death wish!”
When the words fell, many figures emerged and gathered around him.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and quickly examined those figures. Soon, to his surprise, he found that these people were all the Emperor Realm Masters from the auction house.
Although most of them were First-Order Emperors, there were also several Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters among them. Many of them looked familiar and seemed to be Sect Masters and Elders from various big Sects in the Southern Territory who came to participate in the auction.
Their number was also quite large, about thirty in total.
These Emperor Realm Masters strangely appeared, and all of them looked quite puzzled. They were all separated in boundless darkness after Tan Jun Hao activated the Spirit Array and had been searching for an exit up till now but to no avail.
Then, inexplicably, a sudden force emerged and dragged them all here. The next thing they knew, they found themselves in the presence of Yang Kai and Tan Jun Hao.
Noticing Tan Jun Hao’s injury, these Emperor Realm Masters were immediately struck by shock and secretly felt terrified.
They saw that Tan Jun Hao was exuding his powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm aura, but he was actually wounded, and his wounds seemed to be quite serious. Other than him, Yang Kai was the only person standing here.
Could these injuries have been caused by the young man named Yang Kai? He was just a First-Order Emperor though, so how could he have the ability to hurt a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master?
“Ah? Elder Tan!” After looking at Tan Jun Hao carefully, a middle-aged man suddenly exclaimed and went forward with his fists cupped, “Greetings Elder Tan. Why are you here?”
Tan Jun Hao glanced at him and nodded, “You recognize this Old Master?”
The middle-aged man smiled, “More than ten years ago, this one was lucky enough to obtain a pass from Star Soul Palace to cultivate in a Heaven Grade Cultivation Room for a time. It was then that I saw Elder Tan from afar, so it is natural that Elder Tan doesn’t remember this humble one.”
The middle-aged man was a Sect Master himself, but he was just a First-Order Emperor and his Sect was only second-class in the Southern Territory. Therefore, he had to behave humbly in front of a Star Soul Palace Elder. Furthermore, he could only break through to the Emperor Realm Master thanks to the opportunity to cultivate in the Heaven Grade Cultivation Room of Star Soul Palace.
He was truly grateful to Star Soul Palace, so it was natural for him to show his respect to a Star Soul Palace Elder here.
Tan Jun Hao nodded lightly, saying nothing more to him.
Nevertheless, the middle-aged man’s words shocked everyone else.
“Elder Tan, Star Soul Palace… Don’t tell me…”
Although most of the Emperor Realm Masters here did not recognize Tan Jun Hao and had never even seen him before, they had made some vague guesses about this situation.
Star Soul Palace was a Great Emperor Sect, so in order to be an Elder, one must reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm. There were only a few Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in Star Soul Palace.
Even if they had not met Tan Jun Hao before, everyone had heard his name.
All of them were awestruck in their hearts and went forward and greeted with their fists cupped, “Greetings, Elder Tan!”
“Drop the formalities!” Tan Jun Hao waved his hand gently with the demeanour of a senior expert.
The middle-aged man who spoke earlier asked in a solemn face, “Elder Tan, who was bold enough to oppose you? Moreover, you were even wounded.”
Tan Jun Hao looked at Yang Kai coldly, and answered, “It’s this little friend. He ambushed this Old Master!”
Yang Kai curled his lip hearing what Tan Jun Hao said. It was true that he ambushed him, but if Tan Jun Hao did not threaten him first, why would he ambush a Third-Order Emperor Realm for no reason?
The middle-aged man was infuriated and immediately pointed at Yang Kai, “It’s you again, little bastard. Elder Tan is an Elder of Star Soul Palace, who has a respected and noble status! Star Soul Palace is the ruler of our Southern Territory, sheltering billions of cultivators under its wings. Little bastard, it is your honour to be in Elder Tan’s presence, yet instead of showing gratitude, you actually ambushed Elder Tan? Kneel down and apologize now! Elder Tan is kind-hearted, and perhaps he might spare your life, but if you continue to be stubborn, we will kill you!”
His words were sonorous and reverberating, causing Tan Jun Hao to smile gleefully while listening to them.
But all the other Emperor Realm Masters showed different expressions. Unlike the middle-aged man, they had not gained anything significant from Star Soul Palace, so although they respected Star Soul Palace, they did not need to go as far as to bootlick Tan Jun Hao.
However, it was not good for them to refute this either, so they just stood quietly and looked at Yang Kai sympathetically.
Now, they recalled that Yang Kai did mention something about a Star Soul Palace Elder in the auction earlier. Now, it seemed that the Star Soul Palace Elder he mentioned was Tan Jun Hao.
No one knew how a feud between him and Tan Jun Hao started, or how he could still have a way to live in the Southern Territory after offending Tan Jun Hao? Sure enough, youngsters were always impulsive and did not know how to restrain themselves.
“Ah… I was wondering who it was! It’s actually my friend from room thirteen who ate three kilograms of shit! No wonder your mouth is so smelly,” Yang Kai looked sideways at the middle-aged man and fanned the air in front of his nose with his hand.
“Ah…”
“It’s actually him!”
“Did he really eat it?”
“This, this, this…”
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, all the Emperor Realm Masters stared at the middle-aged man simultaneously, their eyes widened. Furthermore, some of them immediately jumped back to widen their distance from the middle-aged man with a disgusted look, as if they really smelled shit from his mouth.
All of a sudden, the middle-aged man’s surroundings were cleared, like a giant pair of invisible hands and split him apart from everyone else. Even Tan Jun Hao frowned as he looked at the middle-aged man with a strange look on his face.
“You…” The middle-aged man pointed at Yang Kai angrily, his face turning red from shame and rage.
What happened in room thirteen before was the biggest insult of his life. At that time, he really felt that it would have been better to be killed by Yang Kai than to be humiliated like that, but the hatred in his heart pushed him to live on as he secretly plotted his revenge.
When he saw Yang Kai after being summoned here by Tan Jun Hao through the Spirit Array, he had guessed that Tan Jun Hao’s injury was somehow related to this little bastard and could not wait to step out and put pressure on Yang Kai using Tan Jun Hao’s name.
But he did not expect that he would be humiliated by Yang Kai again.
Pairs of disdainful and disgusted eyes were piercing him like countless thorns. He could not wait to find a hole to hide as he shouted, “Don’t listen to this little brat’s nonsense, it wasn’t me!” The middle-aged man hurriedly denied.
No one believed him though as everyone had clearly heard him speaking in the auction venue before and could now recognize that it was indeed the same voice.
“Little bastard, you and I will be sworn enemies forever!” The middle-aged man knew that his reputation had been completely ruined when there was no response from the crowd. When someone mentioned him again in the future, perhaps the first thing they thought of would be him eating three kilograms of shit…
Yang Kai lifted his head with his lip curled, “Sorry, this Young Master doesn’t talk to people who eat shit. Please keep your mouth shut, Your Excellency!”
*Pu…*
The middle-aged man’s vitality roiled from uncontrollable anger, but he had no way to vent it, so he ended up spurting a mouthful of blood.
Seemingly losing his mind, the only thought left in his head was to kill Yang Kai to avenge himself. Through gritted teeth, he shouted in a rage, “I’ll kill you!”
With a flash of brilliance, a sharp sword appeared in his hand, and with a surge of Emperor Qi, he wrapped himself in a sword light and charged towards Yang Kai.
Such a ferocious blow could almost be said to be the full strength of the middle-aged man as a First-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even the other Emperors present could not help looking slightly shocked and dared not to underestimate this move.
On the contrary, Yang Kai showed a scornful look and sneered arrogantly. A large broadsword abruptly appeared in his hand and with a flourish, he retaliated coldly, “Since you want to die so much, this Young Master will grant your wish!”
“You’re the one who will die!” The middle-aged man yelled, seemingly unleashing all his strength in this one strike as he rushed up to Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai simply stepped forward and with a swing of his arm, lifted the Myriads Sword up, releasing a shining blade of sword light, one that seemed capable of rending the sky asunder, terrifying all who saw it.
*Ci la… *
Like a piece of silk had been torn apart, the shining sword light that was charging towards Yang Kai’s face was suddenly split into two and passed by either side of his body. The dazzling light dispersed in an instant, falling heavily to the ground and rolling a long way before it gradually stopped.
“Ssii…”
Everyone gasped as they stared at this scene in disbelief and astonishment.
Long bloodstains were drawn on either side behind Yang Kai, while crushed internal organs were scattered all over the ground along with two halves of a fresh corpse.
The power of that one sword slash actually managed to split a First-Order Emperor in two.
And it seemed that Yang Kai just swung his sword casually, not using any of his strength at all.
Although everyone knew Yang Kai’s strength was outstanding and understood that the middle-aged man could not possibly be his match, they never expected him to be so vulnerable.
No, it was not that he was vulnerable, but rather that Yang Kai was unreasonably strong!
Everyone had learnt of his terrifying combat ability when he killed the old man in room seven with a single stomp of his foot and a slash of his sword, but at this moment, they realized that they had still underestimated him.
Yang Kai flicked away the blood on the Myriads Swords and grinned, “This is a place of discord. Just leave if you can, why stay and watch?”
Tan Jun Hao definitely did not summon so many Emperor Realm Masters just for them to watch. He was probably plotting something, and perhaps planned to use these people against him.
Yang Kai did not want to make enemies with so many people, for Tan Jun Hao was his only target now.
Sensing the malevolence from Yang Kai’s words and considering the lessons from the recent past, the Emperor Realm Masters could not help shivering. Although they thought that this young man was too domineering, arrogant, and did not put anyone in the auction in his eyes, he truly had the capital to act so, and it would not be wise for them to turn against him.
Furthermore, they had no grievances with him, so why would they try to provoke him?
No one who could reach the Emperor Realm was a fool. They were smart enough to judge that it was beyond their means to intervene in the grievances between Yang Kai and Tan Jun Hao.
At that moment, someone cupped his fists, “Elder Tan, this one still has important things to do and will take his leave first.”
He then turned around to leave after speaking.
The others glanced at each other and quickly followed in this man’s footsteps, bidding their farewells before trying to escape. In the blink of an eye, more than half of the crowd dispersed, leaving the other half frowning slightly, hesitating.
They seemed to have sensed that whatever the outcome, it was out of their control. With Tan Jun Hao having summoned them here, already having set up a Spirit Array in advance, it was obvious he wasn’t just going to let them leave. To insist on leaving at this time would probably just offend Tan Jun Hao.
For a while, they felt extremely annoyed at this situation. They already felt that they should not have come to Flowing Shadow City to participate in this bogus auction, and now they were inexplicably involved in someone else’s messy dispute, unable to leave even though they wanted to.
Sure enough, Tan Jun Hao snorted and bellowed loudly at the sight of the dispersed Emperor Realm Masters, “Do you really think you can leave?”
Those Emperor Realm Masters stopped one after another, turning their heads to look at Tan Jun Hao. The person who left first spoke with a frown, “Elder Tan, what is the meaning of this?”
There was a faint demanding tone in his voice. Even if Tan Jun Hao was a Star Soul Palace Elder with a noble status and superior strength, there was no reason for him to restrict the freedom of this many Emperor Realm Masters. Yang Kai was his enemy, not these people. But… Something felt wrong with what Tan Jun Hao had said.
Tan Jun Hao remained indifferent, “It’s nothing much, it’s just that this Old Master has already set up a Grand Spirit Array here, and no one can leave without this Old Master’s permission.”
Their faces changed abruptly at his words.
The person who had spoken before frowned, “Elder Tan, we respect you as a Star Soul Palace Elder, and Star Soul Palace is the hegemon of our Southern Territory, protecting billions of cultivators in our Southern Territory. So please enlighten us, what can we do in order to leave here?”
If it was another Emperor Realm Master who did this, he would right now be receiving a harsh beating. Who would tolerate having their freedom restricted for no reason? But Tan Jun Hao was different. He was not just a powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, but also held the title of Star Soul Palace Elder. No one dared to be presumptuous in front of him, so even if this man was infuriated, he forcefully suppressed his anger and asked carefully.
“Yes, Elder Tan, please enlighten us,” someone else immediately echoed.
Tan Jun Hao smiled slightly, “You just need to do a simple thing if you want to leave this place,” He pointed his finger at Yang Kai and said, “Help this Old Master to kill him, and this Old Master will set you free.”
Everyone’s eyes widened instantly, and bitterness as if they ate a hundred kilograms of bitter melon spread in their mouths…
Everyone saw Yang Kai’s previous murders and knew that this young man’s strength was beyond their ability to handle, not someone they could provoke. None of the Emperor Realm Masters present were confident they could defeat Yang Kai.
Tan Jun Hao asking them to kill Yang Kai was equivalent to pushing them into the fire pit!
Was he really a Star Soul Palace Elder? Instantly, the image of Star Soul Palace, a tall and majestic symbol in their hearts, collapsed, not to mention the disappointment they had for Star Soul Palace.
Star Soul Palace was the overlord of the Southern Territory, but if their Elders were so unreasonable and so abusive of their power, who would respect it?
“Elder Tan… Are you making a joke? I have no grievances with this little brother…”
“Yes, Elder Tan, please don’t be hard on us and let us go.”
For a while, the crowd was stirred up, but in the face of Tan Jun Hao, everyone still suppressed their anger and did not dare to be too rude.
Tan Jun Hao was unmoved, merely shouting, “This boy was extremely disrespectful towards this Old Master. He not only insulted this Old Master but also injured this Old Master’s disciple. He even went so far as to steal this Old Master’s treasure. If you can help this Old Master subdue him, this Old Master will reward you generously.”
“Such a thing happened? Then it is really his fault.”
“Yes, Elder Tan is an Elder of Star Soul Palace after all. It’s far too much for him to insult and steal from Elder Tan.”
“Apologize. He must apologize.”
They were just a group of people blustering. It seemed like they were all on Tan Jun Hao’s side, but none of them took action as they were not fools, and it was not like they were seeking death. They would not cause trouble with Yang Kai with just a blank statement from Tan Jun Hao.
Yang Kai watched them happily and could not help shouting, “Old Dog Tan, you are a Star Soul Palace Elder, and your strength is two Minor Realms higher than this Young Master’s, yet you shamelessly ask for help to deal with this Young Master? If you have the capability, don’t involve innocent people and come fight this Young Master one on one!”
As soon as this statement came out, everyone’s impression of Yang Kai drastically improved, feeling like what he said was reasonable.
Why did they have to be involved in the grievances between these two? This Elder Tan was really unreasonable.
Tan Jun Hao’s face sank as he glared at Yang Kai bitterly before sweeping his eyes across everyone and asking, “You really don’t want to help this Old Master?”
Everyone had an embarrassed expression and avoided his eyes, but no one responded aloud.
The person who initiated the discussion spoke up again with a look of indignation, “Elder Tan, please don’t make things difficult for us. Everything should be settled with reason. It’s better for you to solve the problems you have with this little brother by yourself. With Elder Tan’s cultivation, it should be a simple matter for you to defeat him. Our help should be unnecessary.”
This man had a face full of beard and a heroic demeanor about him. He did not seem like one who used schemes and his statement had a sting because he was disapproving of Tan Jun Hao’s various deeds.
Tan Jun Hao glanced at him coldly then suddenly formed a certain hand seal.
The big bearded man screamed as if he was suffering terrible pain, his whole body trembling violently as a bump immediately appeared under the skin of his neck, squirming around rapidly.
“What happened?” Everyone was shocked and jumped away from the bearded man, for fear of getting involved.
“Brother Liu, Brother Liu!” Shouted a cultivator who was friendly with this bearded man.
However, the cultivator surnamed Liu continued to scream his head off. After a while, his face became pale and his body was soaked with sweat.
*Ci la…*
He suddenly tore the front of his clothes, and looked down at his bare chest, watching the little bump swim its way towards his heart with a pair of bloodshot eyes.
“This… what is this?”
The cultivator surnamed Liu took a deep breath with difficulty and stared at Tan Jun Hao, “You…what did you do to me!?”
“Heart-Strangling Insect!” Yang Kai’s expression changed as he growled in a low voice.
The hand seal on his hand still intact, Tan Jun Hao threatened lightly, “This is the fate of those who disobey this Old Master!” After a pause, he warned, “By the way, don’t try to circulate your Emperor Qi, otherwise you will only die faster.”
It was already too late though as the cultivator surnamed Liu had already pushed his Emperor Qi when he felt that his life was in danger. Sure enough, as Tan Jun Hao said, the more he pushed his Emperor Qi, the more fiercely the Heart-Strangling Insect moved. In the blink of an eye, the insect had gouged its way into his left chest.
A heart-piercing pain spread throughout his body!
The cultivator surnamed Liu shrieked, stabbing two fingers into his chest, causing blood to gush out. It seemed that he was trying to gouge the foreign object out of his body.
But before he could do anything, he heard a faint popping sound, and his pulse was cut off. His pupils enlarged, and his body collapsed.
“Ssii..” Everyone gasped with shock, feeling chills up their spines.
There was not a trace of movement by Tan Jun Hao at all. All he did was perform a hand seal, and the cultivator surnamed Liu had fallen to the Heart-Strangling Insect. This Heart-Strangling Insect was obviously already placed in his body long ago.
If this happened to the cultivator surnamed Liu, what about them?
The answer was quickly revealed as the hand seal in Tan Jun Hao changed again, his eyes sweeping across the audience.
The more than twenty Emperor Realm Masters present grunted in unison as a small bulge appeared under their skin and began quickly swimming toward their chests.
“Elder Tan, you…”
“When?”
The Emperor Realm Masters could not believe their eyes, they did not even know when they were implanted with the Heart-Strangling Insect. They recalled every detail after entering the auction, then someone suddenly realized, “The tea…”
Tan Jun Hao nodded lightly and confessed, “Yes, this Old Master did something to the tea.”
Yang Kai was shocked too, but at the same time felt relieved. It was good that he had been cautious and only drank some tea prepared by Ye Jing Han using her own tea leaves and tea set, otherwise, he too would have been infected with a Heart-Strangling Insect like the rest of these people, and would have no choice but to be manipulated by Tan Jun Hao.
The Heart-Strangling Insect was extremely hard to deal with as even an Emperor Realm Masters could not detect its presence until it became active. It seemed that Tan Jun Hao had cultivated these Heart-Strangling Insects for many years, otherwise they would not be so numerous and formidable.
This old dog was indeed cunning. He actually resolved to use these methods even with his Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation.
“Elder Tan, you’re crazy!” Someone looked at Tan Jun Hao furiously.
There were as many as thirty Emperor Realm Masters from all over the Southern Territory present here, so once rumours of what happened today spread, there was no doubt Tan Jun Hao would be placed at the top of the kill list of Star Soul Palace. How could Bright Moon Great Emperor tolerate such devastating damage being done to Star Soul Palace’s reputation?
But thinking about it, who would dare to spread the word about there being a Heart-Strangling Insect inside their bodies?
As of today, these people were destined to become Tan Jun Hao’s slaves, and had no choice but to obediently serve him.
Devastation flooded their hearts at this thought, together with unwillingness and fury, but they had nowhere to vent.
They did not know that Tan Jun Hao was willing to do anything in order to snatch Yang Kai’s treasures, for as long as he could get the Immortal Tree, he could completely cast off Star Soul Palace and find a place to hide and refine it. Once he gained an immortal and indestructible body, what could Bright Moon Great Emperor do to him?
When that time came, he would have nothing to fear even if his wicked deeds were exposed.
It was exactly because of this that Tan Jun Hao did not hesitate to use the Heart-Strangling Insects and even killed the bearded man directly to serve as a warning.
“Whoever helps this Old Master to kill him will be greatly rewarded!” Tan Jun Hao pointed at Yang Kai once more. He had already taken down his disguise, and there was no need for him to worry about anything anymore, so he immediately ordered the Emperor Realm Masters to take action.
Hearing this command, everyone looked at each other with deep helplessness and bitterness.
It was true that they had numbers on their side, but they were afraid that only less than half of them could survive if they really had to fight Yang Kai.
No one was willing to sacrifice their life to create an opportunity for others.
But if they disobey Tan Jun Hao’s order, they would undoubtedly end up like the cultivator surnamed Liu.
For a moment, everyone was caught in a dilemma.
Tan Jun Hao naturally understood their concerns and snorted coldly, changing his hand seal again.
The Emperor Realm Masters all groaned miserably, sweat trickling down their foreheads as the Heart-Strangling Insects under their skin hastily gouged their way towards their hearts. There were several Emperor Realm Masters who could not endure the pain and screamed shrilly.
“If the insect gets to your heart, you will die without a doubt!” Tan Jun Hao remarked lightly, “If anyone can help this Old Master to kill this boy, this Old Master will remove the Heart-Strangling Insect in him and return his freedom.”
A carrot-and-stick approach had always been the best way to manipulate people, and as an Elder of Star Soul Palace, Tan Jun Hao naturally was very familiar with it.
Their eyes lit up as soon as this remark was made. The torment of these Heart-Strangling Insects was simply unbearable, so it was worth fighting Yang Kai if they could get rid of it. The most important thing was that they would die if they refused Tan Jun Hao, but they would still have hope to live if they stood against Yang Kai.
It was a simple choice, yet a choice that left them no choice.
At this moment, someone gave in to the pain and temptation of Tan Jun Hao’s promise and shouted, “Elder Tan must keep his word!”
Tan Jun Hao smiled faintly, “Of course, you have this Old Master’s word”
“Good! Then this Xia will lend Elder Tan a helping hand today. Who else is willing to join with this Xia?”
He turned around to look while speaking, and all the Emperor Realm Masters nodded one after another. In a situation where an arm was no match for the thigh, what else could they do other than submit?
The confidence of the cultivator surnamed Xia was boosted when he won the support of the crowd. With his morale greatly heightened, his Emperor Qi began to circulate. Surprisingly, he was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master.
He roared as if to embolden himself then pounced at Yang Kai.
The rest of them followed closely after him.
In an instant, roughly thirty figures turned into streams of light and shot towards Yang Kai together. A series of Secret Techniques were unleashed as various Emperor Artifacts were summoned and used to attack, sending a series of colourful rays of light out.
Before they attacked, some of them even mumbled to themselves, “Little Brother, don’t blame us, we are being forced.”
The pressure on Yang Kai increased sharply, facing so many Emperor Realm Masters at once, as if several mountains were pressing down on his chest, making it hard for him to even catch his breath. However, he steeled himself and roared to the sky, “How can one be an Emperor Realm Master with so little courage? If one doesn’t have the will to fight for their own life, they should never bother fighting at all!”
“Little brat, you’re too full of yourself, now die!”
Not everyone felt sorry for Yang Kai as his previous actions in the auction had aroused public anger. At this moment, it was also because of him that they had been controlled by Tan Jun Hao. Unable to express their resentment towards Tan Jun Hao, these people who were implanted with Heart-Strangling Insects could only vent all of their grievances on Yang Kai, thinking that everything could end as long as he was killed.
Mercilessly, they launched their attacks.
*Hong hong hong… *
Thirty furious attacks bombarded Yang Kai at once, all of them from Emperor Realm Masters. The scene instantly turned into a chaotic explosion.
Tan Jun Hao narrowed his eyes as he believed that even he would end up with serious injuries if not death after encountering such attacks with his cultivation, but this little brat surnamed Yang was proficient in the Dao of Space, so this might not be sufficient to take him down despite the ferocity of the attacks.
Although he had sealed this space with the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array, he only made Yang Kai unable to teleport out of the Spirit Array’s bounds, but Yang Kai could still come and go freely within the Spirit Array.
This was why he did not hesitate to borrow the power of these Emperor Realm Masters. It was not that he was not confident he could beat Yang Kai alone, but that doing so would take a significant amount of time and effort.
When the dust settled after a short while, everyone found the place where all the attacks landed empty.
“Is he dead?” Someone asked.
“It’s unlikely for that brat to have survived so many attacks from us at the same time, even if his strength is far beyond normal. What a waste of a Heaven-defying genius.”
“Hahaha, he was truly overconfident for daring to make an enemy of Elder Tan. He deserved to die!” A man burst into laughter.
Now that Yang Kai was dead, it was time for him to bootlick Tan Jun Hao. Perhaps if Tan Jun Hao was in a good mood, he would remove the Heart-Strangling Insect out of his body and set him free.
Many of them secretly felt regret. If they had known that Yang Kai was so easy to deal with, they would have given their best just now in hopes of winning some small favour from Tan Jun Hao.
*Pu… *
A strange noise suddenly sounded. Although this noise was soft, it was not missed by the Emperor Realm Masters’ sharp senses. Everyone turned to the source of noise simultaneously, and the scene in front of them caused their faces to change drastically.
A broad and thick sword tip protruded out of the chest of the last man who spoke while a ghostly figure stood behind him, his profile appearing quite grim.
“Ah…” The man seemed to notice the coolness in his chest and his eyes widened as he looked down.
“Since you all decided to make this Young Master your enemy, then all of you should be prepared to die!” Yang Kai’s faint voice came up and shook the minds of the crowd like a deafening bell.
Before this man could react, Yang Kai flicked his wrist and directly split him in two. Blood splattered over the ground while the two halves of a body and internal organs rained down from the sky horrifyingly.
A First-Order Emperor Realm Master was just inexplicably stabbed and split in two, but what frightened everyone even more was that no one realized how Yang Kai escaped their attacks just now, or even how he returned to counterattack.
Was this boy a real ghost? Everyone shuddered in their hearts.
“This Old Master forgot to warn you that this boy is proficient in the Dao of Space!” Tan Jun Hao’s voice came up from the side.
“What? The Dao of Space?”
“Then he moved instantaneously just now?”
“I heard that people who are proficient in the Dao of Space can come and go mysteriously without a trace. They also possess unparalleled ability when it comes to escaping and chasing. How… how are we supposed to kill such a person!?”
…
After Tan Jun Hao explained that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, everyone’s face changed again as they cursed Tan Jun Hao in their hearts, [Why didn’t he warn us of such important information earlier, only revealing it after this brat struck back?]
Yang Kai was already a frightening opponent before they learned of his mastery of Space Principles. If it weren’t because of the Heart-Strangling Insects, no one here would have obeyed Tan Jun Hao’s order and made an enemy of him. So, now that they learnt that he was proficient in this esoteric Dao, even possessing the ability to teleport at will, all of them could not help thinking that it would be impossible to kill him.
“Don’t worry. This Old Master has prepared for every contingency. This Old Master will give you a hand,” Tan Jun Hao comforted them.
Given the situation, he spoke as if he was helping them when it was actually the other way round.
Yang Kai carried the Myriads Sword and pointed at Tan Jun Hao with a derisive expression as he swept his eyes across the Emperor Realm Masters, shouting, “Don’t take it personally, but all of you here are trash! This Young Master held back just now only because you were being compelled, but if you still continue to be stubborn, all of your corpses will cover this place.”
His arrogance maddened many of them, but they knew that he was telling the truth. It was obvious Yang Kai held back just now, otherwise, he could have killed at least five people in an instant with his unpredictable movement.
It seemed that he really did not want to start a massacre.
“Stand aside. When this Young Master gets rid of Old Dog Tan, you’ll regain your freedom.” Yang Kai shouted
Everyone was moved by his words.
Tan Jun Hao rebuked in a deep voice, “Little boy, don’t boast so shamelessly! Is this Old Master someone who you can just simply kill just because you want to… hm?”
Before he could finish his sentence, his face suddenly sank as he swung his sleeves forward, condensing a barrier of light before him.
Yang Kai abruptly teleported in front of him, and swung his sword, slashing apart the light barrier and shattering it. At the same time, a strong repulsive force pushed him backwards.
“Everyone, what are you waiting for?” Tan Jun Hao yelled angrily.
He was dreadfully afraid of Yang Kai’s unpredictable movements too. If he had not been careful just now, perhaps Yang Kai would have succeeded in wounding him. Seeing that the Emperor Realm Masters he summoned were hesitating again, Tan Jun Hao could not help urging them again.
Hearing his call, although everyone was unwilling, they could only advance with their teeth clenched.
But they learned their lesson from the previous clash and did not use their full strength, retaining about seventy percent of their strength to guard their surroundings and not be caught off guard by Yang Kai.
Numerous Secret Techniques and Emperor Artifacts were once again unleashed radiantly with a rumble, all of them bombarding towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai tried to leave his spot with a flicker.
But just then, Tan Jun Hao chuckled and an array flag appeared in his hand out of nowhere, one he waved fiercely at Yang Kai.
A trembling force suddenly came up in the void, which shook Yang Kai’s disappearing figure, forcing it to materialize again.
Before Yang Kai could regain his stance, all of the attacks collided with him together.
Yang Kai was aghast and quickly circulated his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi.
Although these Emperor Realm Masters did not unleash their full strength this time, it was still the combined force of almost thirty Emperors, and Yang Kai would definitely suffer if he took it head-on. He did not expect that Tan Jun Hao’s Spirit Array could even disrupt the local space, neutralizing his ability to teleport, putting him at a huge disadvantage. It was too late for him to evade the attacks now though, so he could only try to defend himself.
The attacks landed one after another and caused his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi protection to tremble unstably. The glowing light dimmed from all the impacts as Yang Kai felt his organs shift.
Seeing that his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art could not hold on any longer, Yang Kai could only clench his teeth and roar, “Dragon Transformation!”
A golden light flashed behind him, revealing the figure of a giant golden dragon. Dragon Scales materialized on Yang Kai’s skin piece by piece, and his hands turned into the shape of dragon claws as his physical defence was greatly increased.
*Hong hong hong…*
The attacks landed all at once, tossing Yang Kai left and right, throwing him into an unstable condition.
*Pu…*
A mouthful of golden blood spewed out. Yang Kai tried his best to defend, yet it was too much for him to endure so many attacks at once, leading to him being wounded.
“It… It hit,” someone muttered to himself, staring in disbelief.
Most of the others could not believe it either. They did not seem to expect that their attacks could really hit Yang Kai; after all, his instantaneous movement had made them lose their confidence in dealing with him, so they were surprised that this second round of attacks actually hit him, even causing some injuries.
Tan Jun Hao burst into laughter, “A trivial Spatial Ability is nothing to be afraid of. What are you all waiting for? Finish him off quickly!”
Hearing this, the Second-Order Emperor Realm Master surnamed Xia waved his hand and shouted, “Now! Don’t give him a chance to breathe!”
Everyone’s morale was greatly boosted as they continued to perform their own hand seals, surging the power of their Secret Techniques and Emperor Artifacts.
Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he glared at Tan Jun Hao and began searching for a solution. Looking at this situation, as long as Tan Jun Hao was eliminated, the rest of these people would not be a threat because they were only compelled to kill Yang Kai because of the Heart-Strangling Insects inside them. If Tan Jun Hao died, they would not be threatened by the Heart-Strangling Insects anymore and would naturally stop attacking him.
With a plan in his mind, Yang Kai looked up and shouted angrily, “Old Dog Tan!”
He had already pounced at Tan Jun Hao with a ferocious face before he finished. The Wind and Thunder Wings spread behind him, accompanied by the sound of a raging storm, transforming him into a stream of light as he rushed to the front of Tan Jun Hao in the blink of an eye.
The latter’s face changed slightly at this sight.
Tan Jun Hao was surprised to see that Yang Kai still remained aggressive despite his predicament. Not only was this boy not afraid of facing several dozens of Emperor Realm Masters at once, he even became more ferocious. His courage and spirit were simply terrifying. Tan Jun Hao immediately raised his hand and a vast area of five-coloured light gathered in front of him before condensing into blades of light that slashed towards Yang Kai.
It was the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array. Having Tan Jun Hao, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master controlling it personally, the power this five-coloured light blade could exert was equivalent to a blow from a top-level Emperor Realm Master.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Countless five-coloured light blades condensed rapidly, yet Yang Kai continued to charge forward without hesitation. With a sweep of his hand, a large Moon Blade was formed, one that fluctuated with powerful Space Principles. The full moon blade was like the dark maw of an ancient beast, pitch-black in colour, filled with bottomless chaos and nothingness.
When the Moon Blade slashed out, the five-coloured light blades were shattered one after another, as if they were thin mirrors, turning into particles of light that dissipated into thin air.
Horrified, Tan Jun Hao’s eyes widened, he shouted, “An offensive Spatial Ability!”
It was his first time seeing Yang Kai using Space Principles to attack, an eye-opening experience for him. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Tan Jun Hao would not have believed that a Spatial Ability could have such powerful lethality. His attack was instantly resolved by a single Moon Blade.
Yang Kai smiled grimly, “A trivial Spatial Ability? Die!”
He waved his hands continuously, sending out numerous Moon Blades which were much smaller than the previous one, exchanging raw power for numbers.
Tan Jun Hao narrowed his eyes, and quickly changed his hand seal while bellowing, “Five Elements Force, gather!”
The five-coloured light came together once again, radiating the aura of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, which mutually reinforced one another in an endless cycle. All of a sudden, a fortified five-coloured light shield was formed in front of him.
Things had not ended yet though as with a tap of his hand, Tan Jun Hao summoned a small shield that rapidly expanded to the size of a double door, adding a second layer of defence.
The shield exuded a rich Emperor Pressure and was obviously a formidable defensive Emperor Artifact.
It could be seen how seriously Tan Jun Hao took Yang Kai’s vicious attack by how solid a defence he erected.
*Hong hong hong…*
The Moon Blades collided with the five-coloured light shield, causing its brilliance to flash inconsistently and rapidly dim. The five-coloured light shield could not even stand for a breath of time before it shattered completely, but the remaining Moon Blades were all blocked by the Emperor Artifact shield, leaving Tan Jun Hao unscathed.
When Yang Kai was about to attack again, he sensed waves of energy approaching him from behind. It was the incoming attacks of the other Emperor Realm Masters.
He gritted his teeth and pushed the local Space Principles to teleport again.
But Tan Jun Hao waved the array flag again, destabilizing space and hindering Yang Kai from escaping.
“Quickly kill him for this Old Master!” Tan Jun Hao shouted madly and anxiously.
He thought his plan was perfect this time, and that it should be easy to catch Yang Kai, a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master with it. But contrary to his expectations, Yang Kai was far stronger and more difficult to deal with. Not only had Tan Jun Hao failed to take him down in a short time, but he was now the one being pressured, even forced to summon his defensive Emperor Artifact.
As a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, he could not accept this was happening.
But he no longer had the courage to fight head-on with Yang Kai, and could only command these Emperor Realm Masters to work for him.
Yang Kai’s teleportation was dispelled by Tan Jun Hao for a second time, but he was not as flustered this time, because he was already prepared. Facing the power of the several dozen Secret Techniques and Emperor Artifacts, Yang Kai bobbed and weaved to dodge the attacks.
Even so, he only managed to dodge less than half of these strikes while the rest ripped his skin and flesh apart, splattering blood from newly made wounds. If it were not for his Dragon Transformation, Yang Kai probably would not have survived this round of attacks.
After using his Dragon Transformation, Yang Kai’s defences had increased greatly. He was only still alive thanks to the Dragon Scales on his body that blocked most of the attacking power.
“He’s not dead yet…”
Everyone was stunned.
Although they only used thirty percent of their strength to attack Yang Kai the first time, this time they had used at least seventy percent of their strength. How was it possible that a mere First-Order Emperor could still be standing after taking so many blows?
For a moment, many of them secretly held Yang Kai in awe.
The strong would be respected wherever they went, and Yang Kai’s performance was enough to earn the respect of these Emperor Realm Masters, as well as making them feel deeply ashamed of themselves. If it were not for Tan Jun Hao and the Heart-Strangling Insects, they would definitely want to make friends with Yang Kai, but now their lives weren’t theirs to control, so they could only helplessly struggle on.
In the aftermath, Yang Kai turned and swept his crimson red eyes across the Emperor Realm Masters, releasing a murderous intent so heavy it was almost tangible.
Before, he planned to cut off the General’s head in order to warn the soldiers, thinking that everything would be settled by finishing Tan Jun Hao. Unfortunately, it seemed that this plan was not feasible. Tan Jun Hao himself was not weak, and with the assistance of the Grand Spirit Array here, it really would take a lot of effort to kill him.
Furthermore, Yang Kai could not just focus on Tan Jun Hao and ignore the attacks from these Emperor Realm Masters. If they continued to come at him, Yang Kai was afraid that it would only take two more rounds for them to incapacitate him.
“Then this Young Master will deal with you first!” Yang Kai roared and stared at the cultivator surnamed Xia, who had a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. This particular man was quite merciless with his last two assaults, and the most serious injuries Yang Kai suffered were thanks to him. Most of the others just followed along, while the only one really going all out was the one surnamed Xia. It was as if this man was trying to impress Tan Jun Hao, probably hoping that he would remove the Heart-Strangling Insect in him and set him free later.
When the eyes of the cultivator surnamed Xia and Yang Kai met, fear filled the former’s soul and he hurriedly retreated to try to hide in the crowd. At that same time, he waved his hands and yelled, “This little brat is already seriously injured! Let’s finish him off now!”
Yang Kai roared as he warned, “Whoever dares to attack, dies!”
At the same time, his hands flashed as he formed a series of hand seals as he whispered with a solemn look, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
A strange fluctuation began to propagate, while time itself seemed to slow down. This strange feeling of stagnation affected everyone’s mind.
When they regained their senses from this temporary dizziness, Yang Kai had unleashed a brutal palm strike towards the man surnamed Xia.
A withering power shot froth and the cultivator surnamed Xia was completely unable to dodge, taking a direct hit from the Time Flies Seal, causing blood to spew from his mouth.
Since the cultivator surnamed Xia had hidden in the crowd out of fear, and Yang Kai’s palm strike had a large area of effect, several cultivators near the one surnamed Xia took a hit too. Yang Kai didn’t care though as all of them had been attacking him before, so right now, they were all life or death enemies.
“This is…” Not far away, Tan Jun Hao slowly widened his eyes, as if he was recalling something. He stared at the cultivator surnamed Xia, observing carefully, refusing to miss out on any details.
The cultivator surnamed Xia stood up staggering, looking dispirited. Although there were no apparent injuries, he still seemed to have suffered a heavy blow.
He raised his hands in front of his face in a daze and watched his flesh rapidly age. The surging vitality in his body dissipated at a visible rate, as though he had aged thousands of years in the blink of an eye.
*Gudong… *
The sound of gulping was heard everywhere as everyone was terrified by what they were witnessing. Just what kind of Divine Ability could turn a hale and hearty Second-Order Emperor Realm Master into a crippled old man in such a short time?
When they turned to the other Emperor Realm Masters who were caught in Yang Kai’s attack, they found that they were withering away too. Their hair swiftly turned from black to white, their cheeks sunk in, their eyes bulged, and their original fitting clothes became loose on their shrinking frames.
“Time Flies Seal! The Divine Ability of the Flowing Time Great Emperor!” Tan Jun Hao shouted madly as his whole body trembled.
As a Star Soul Palace Elder, he had far better insight than ordinary Emperor Realm Masters. He doubted at first, but when he saw the transformation these Emperor Realm Masters experienced, he immediately recognized that what Yang Kai used was definitely the Time Flies Seal.
It was rumoured that this was a Divine Ability that involved Time Principles. Time Principles were even more abstruse than Space Principles, which was already an extremely esoteric Dao to comprehend.
Now that he recalled, this little brat had gone to the Four Seasons Realm back then, which was rumoured to be where the legacy of the Flowing Time Great Emperor was buried. It seemed that he had obtained the Time Flies Seal from the Four Seasons Realm.
But, how was it possible for a person to master The Dao of Space and the Dao of Time at the same time? The opportunities that Yang Kai obtained, as well as his innate comprehension ability, were truly terrifying, and Tan Jun Hao could not help wondering what kind of monster he had provoked.
Apart from feeling terrified, Tan Jun Hao’s determination to kill Yang Kai grew immensely. He would not feel secure allowing such a monster to fully mature.
There may be still a glimmer of hope to survive after being hit by a Spatial Ability, but if one was struck by the Time Flies Seal, even if they did not die immediately, their vitality would be greatly consumed, reducing their lifespan immensely.
In his day, the Flowing Time Great Emperor stood at the apex of the world with his Time Flies Seal. He was truly invincible, with none ignorant of his great name!
Just when everyone was dumbstruck, Yang Kai flapped his Wind and Thunder Wings and rushed into the crowd.
The faces of all the Emperor Realm Masters changed drastically as they fled one after another, none of them confident they could fight with him anymore.
Yang Kai cackled loudly as he ran like a tiger through a flock of sheep, charging without any resistance. He pounced directly at the cultivator surnamed Xia, while wrapping himself in sword light, and slashed at him.
Although the cultivator surnamed Xia was almost crippled by the Time Flies Seal and his vitality was greatly reduced, old ginger was still spicier than young ginger and he immediately raised his hand as he sensed the incoming danger. Emperor Qi surged in his body as a throwing knife-like Emperor Artifact turned into a stream of light that flew towards Yang Kai while the now old man surnamed Xia retreated in fear.
But even in his heyday, this man was no match for Yang Kai, let alone now that he had been seriously injured. The throwing knife that fired out with his full force looked ferocious, but it barely scratched Yang Kai’s skin as it passed by.
Yang Kai slid past the throwing knife and pierced the cultivator surnamed Xia with his sword.
*Peng…*
The cultivator surnamed Xia exploded into a blood mist, leaving no bones behind, only a Space Ring that flew out and landed somewhere.
The crowd took a clear look again and saw that Yang Kai was covered in blood, standing in the void. His whole body was shrouded in a crimson rain as he stood there with a cold and resolute face filled with murderous intent. He was grinning, revealing a mouth of pristine white fangs, like he was the reaper of death.
[There is no way to fight him! We’re not his opponents at all!]
Everyone had the same idea in their mind at that moment and knew that they would die if they continued to fight against Yang Kai.
It did not affect them too strongly when Yang Kai killed several people earlier because they were all just First-Order Emperor Realm Masters. But the cultivator surnamed Xia was a true Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. If a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master was as weak and vulnerable as a child in front of him, how could they be his opponents?
The fear in their hearts greatly amplified and no one dared to attack Yang Kai anymore, just standing on the spot in terror.
Yang Kai swung his sword horizontally and a storm of sword lights flew out, puncturing countless holes in the bodies of the other few Emperor Realm Masters who were hit by the Time Flies Seal, killing them instantly. With most of them having lost all their strength after being corroded by the Time Principles of the Time Flies Seal, these Emperors could not even react to Yang Kai’s attack and followed in the footsteps of the cultivator surnamed Xia.
“Do you want to live or die!?” Yang Kai pointed his Myriads Sword at the survivors and he shouted.
After hearing his question, everyone was shocked at first, but then they were all overjoyed.
They did not want to fight against Yang Kai in the first place, but they had no choice because they were infected with Heart-Strangling Insects. If they did not obey Tan Jun Hao’s command, the latter would be the first one to not let them go; but if they did, how many of them could survive under the terrifying strength that Yang Kai had shown?
However, Yang Kai’s question at this moment seemed to have an intention to spare their lives.
Many people nodded vigorously and answered, “To live, we want to live!”
It had taken them a great deal of time and effort to become Emperor Realm Masters, finally gaining the respect of hundreds of millions of cultivators. Beauties, wealth, power… they could have everything they wanted with their current status. Their good days had just begun, so who would want to die at this point?
“Stand over there if you want to live,” Yang Kai lifted his sword and pointed in a certain direction.
The people immediately looked at each other and hesitated. If they could live by just standing over there, why would they still be in this dilemma? The problem was whether Tan Jun Hao was willing to let them go or not.
Sure enough, Tan Jun Hao saw what Yang Kai was trying to do and immediately threatened with a deep voice, “If you listen to him, this Old Master is afraid that you won’t be far from death.”
Yang Kai snorted coldly and glanced at Tan Jun Hao with a trace of disdain flashing across his eyes. He then turned back to the crowd and reassured, “Stand over there if you believe me. This Young Master will protect you. If you don’t believe me, you can try to kill this Young Master again and see if this Young Master is capable of killing all of you or not!”
“What shameless boasting, boy! This Old Master would like to see how you can protect them!” Tan Jun Hao sneered. This part of the world had been sealed by his Five Elements Grand Sealing Array and everyone had been implanted with Heart-Strangling Insects by him; their lives and freedom were all under his control. Yang Kai was indeed impressive, but there was no way he could challenge his authority here.
“Then open your dog eyes and watch carefully!” Yang Kai sneered, turning to the crowd again, “Ten breaths of time. I will give you ten breaths of time. If you still don’t stand over there, there will be no mercy!”
Everyone’s face changed after hearing this, and they felt suffocated trying to make this difficult decision.
Tan Jun Hao and Yang Kai were both people who they could not easily offend, and they could not help feeling aggrieved that they were forced to be involved in this situation
It did not seem like they would have much chance to live by continuing to obey Tan Jun Hao and listening to his order, but if Yang Kai really could keep them safe, it was worth taking a risk. More importantly, compared to Tan Jun Hao, Yang Kai was not as hateful. Although he was arrogant, at least he still had some moral bottom line. He did not want to kill them from the start and only struck back when left with no choice.
Everyone’s mind was racing with a million thoughts, weighing the pros and cons. Yang Kai and Tan Jun Hao did not urge them either, simply standing there quietly.
Yang Kai did not actually care about these people. He did not know them anyway, so he would not mind killing them all, but if he could win their trust here, it would save him some energy; after all, he would need to pay a steep price to kill all these people. Furthermore, Tan Jun Hao had his eyes on him, and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was really not easy to deal with.
“Young Master Yang, this Mistress believes you.” A woman shouted all of a sudden and was the first one who stepped out and flew to the place designated by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai glanced at her and nodded slightly.
He had a slight impression of this woman. Previously, when he fought with the rest of them, this woman barely used any strength at all, obviously not wanting to offend him.
When the woman saw him looking at her somewhat curiously, she moved her lips and sent him a Divine Sense Message, “This Mistress is Xia Sheng’s friend.”
Yang Kai raised his brow and looked at her again. He realized that the reason why she chose to believe in him was not that she knew about him, but rather due to Xia Sheng. Perhaps she heard his name from Xia Sheng too, and learnt that he was a disciple of Azure Sun Temple.
Yang Kai’s brow rose as he sent a message back, “Xia Sheng’s friend is my friend too. Since I have said that I’ll protect you, I’ll definitely keep you safe.”
The woman was delighted as she sensed Yang Kai’s confidence and secretly felt that she was right about her bet this time. Although she had no idea what cards Yang Kai had to play, since he made such a bold promise, he must have a way.
Thinking so, she called out, “I’m afraid everyone doesn’t know yet, but this Young Master Yang is a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and Sir Wen Zi Shan places great importance on him. If word of today’s matter were to spread out, do you think there will still be a place for you in the Southern Territory?”
“Azure Sun Temple?”
Everyone was taken aback. It was the first time they heard about this and many began thinking to themselves, [No wonder this little brat surnamed Yang is so strong despite his young age! It turns out he’s actually a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple.]
Although Azure Sun Temple was inferior to Star Soul Palace in the Southern Territory, it was still a top Sect. They really could put their trust in Yang Kai given that he was a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple.
Even if they died, it would still be their choice, far better than being manipulated by Tan Jun Hao.
As soon as this thought came up, more than a dozen people answered the woman’s call and flew to her side.
Although the remaining people hesitated, they all followed the crowd eventually and approached the woman one after another.
It was not that they believed in Yang Kai, but that even with the numbers they had before, they were unable to defeat Yang Kai. He had even turned the tide alone and killed a few of them instead. Therefore, the remaining people did not want to face Yang Kai again.
Seeing this, Tan Jun Hao’s face darkened and he snorted coldly, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
No one answered as they all looked at Yang Kai and thought, [Hurry up if you have some method, otherwise with just a thought, Tan Jun Hao will kill us all!]
Yang Kai laughed rampantly, “Old Dog Tan, it seems this Young Master has won public support, unlike you with your despicable tricks.”
Tan Jun Hao was so vexed that he almost spat blood, fuming with his teeth gritted, “Very good. Since you’ve made your choice, you can all die.”
He glared at the woman who moved first, apparently intending to kill her to serve as a warning to the others.
Everyone’s faces changed drastically seeing this and exclaimed, “Young Master Yang!”
“Relax!” Yang Kai waved his hand, as if he was grasping towards the void. Suddenly, a small bell appeared before him, one that seemed quite ancient and was engraved with countless patterns of flowers, birds, fishes, insects, mountains and rivers. As soon as the bell emerged, an extremely strong Primordial Force filled the air, creating an illusion that they had suddenly been transported to Ancient Times.
“What… What is that!?” Tan Jun Hao’s movements froze as he stared at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with bulging eyes, feeling his heart throb strongly. He was instinctively aware of how terrifying this small bell was.
“Ignorant fool!” Yang Kai glanced contemptuously at Tan Jun Hao before he casually threw the Mountains and Rivers Bell towards the crowd.
In the next instant, the Mountains and Rivers Bell expanded until it was as big as a house then fell to the ground with a bang, covering the group of Emperors.
“Whoever betrays this Old Master must die!” The words ‘ignorant fool’ from Yang Kai had truly incensed Tan Jun Hao. Without scruples, Tan Jun Hao formed a hand seal in order to trigger the Heart-Strangling Insects to kill all those Emperor Realm Masters who opposed him.
Yang Kai just watched with a sneer, his arms crossed, looking extremely calm.
On the inside though, he was still a little nervous. He knew that the Mountains and Rivers Bell was said to be able to suppress the world itself, but he wasn’t sure if it could isolate those Heart-Strangling Insects from Tan Jun Hao’s control. He only had about seventy percent confidence this method would work.
If this really failed, the twenty or so Emperor Realm Masters inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell would die miserably.
However, he soon saw Tan Jun Hao’s face fill with a puzzled look.
Yang Kai snickered as he found that his guess was right; the Mountains and Rivers Bell was indeed capable of isolating the Heart-Strangling Insects from Tan Jun Hao.
“This… This is the Ancient Exotic Artifact, Mountains and Rivers Bell!?” Tan Jun Hao bellowed as he realized it.
Yang Kai praised while clapping his hands, “Old Dog Tan, you have good eyesight.”
At times, Yang Kai really admired the insight of these old monsters who had lived for countless years as they could often discern the origins and identity of rare treasures at a glance. Perhaps this was the advantage of living a long life.