“You obtained the Mountains and Rivers Bell!?” Tan Jun Hao’s voice cracked as he exclaimed.
Since he recognized the Mountains and Rivers Bell, he definitely knew its origins too. It was said that this bell was an Ancient Exotic Artifact passed down from the Ancient Times. It had always been in the Ancient Wild Lands before, but even the few powerful Divine Spirits of that place could not subdue it.
Tens of thousands of years ago, an Emperor Realm Master entered the Ancient Wild Lands and was recognized by the Mountains and Rivers Bell by chance, allowing him to bring it out of the Ancient Lands.
Within a hundred years, that Third-Order Emperor Realm Master peered into the Grand Dao and became a Great Emperor.
That man was the legendary Yuan Ding Great Emperor.
At that time, the Yuan Ding Great Emperor, who possessed the Mountains and Rivers Bell, was one of the top Masters of the Star Boundary. His strength among the Great Emperors could definitely be ranked among the top three. Unfortunately, he was killed by the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor during the Great Emperor War. Since then, the Ancient Exotic Artifact was lost.
It was rumoured that this artifact was left in the Shattered Star Sea, but no one had ever seen it over the past twenty thousand years.
Tan Jun Hao never thought that after so long, this artifact would actually fall into Yang Kai’s hands and re-appear here.
The opening of the Shattered Star Sea only happened a few years ago, and it seemed that this little brat surnamed Yang had entered and obtained the Mountains and Rivers Bell there.
He had the Sealed World Bead, a treasure that was a small independent world itself, and also the Immortal Tree, a supreme treasure of immeasurable value. Now, even the Mountains and Rivers Bell was in his hands…
Among these treasures, obtaining any single one would already be a Heaven-defying opportunity for an ordinary genius, but now they all belonged to a single young man!
Was he still Human?
How many Heaven-defying opportunities did he have to obtain all these treasures?
Tan Jun Hao’s face twitched as a faint trace of fear bloomed in his heart. No matter how he looked at it, Yang Kai was just an ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master, but not to mention his unreasonable combat strength, the various treasures he possessed were not things ordinary people could ever encounter. Such a person was usually one who carried a great destiny and could often break open a path through bramble and thistle that hundreds of millions of other cultivators failed to, reaching the peak of the Martial Dao.
Such an existence would not be someone who could be merely erased by some small disasters.
Tan Jun Hao could not help thinking, [Was it really a wise decision to pick a fight with him?]
He only hesitated for a short moment though before his face turned resolute and ferocious. It was now impossible for them to live under the same sky, so only one of them would leave here alive today.
As long as he could kill this boy surnamed Yang here, all these treasures would belong to him, and his dream of breaking through his shackles to reach the Great Emperor Realm would become a reality.
Perhaps, he could steal Yang Kai’s luck too.
“Fool!” Tan Jun Hao looked at Yang Kai contemptuously, “This Old Master might be afraid of you if you used the Mountains and Rivers Bell on this Old Master, but you actually used it to rescue the enemies who were just pointing their knives at you. Your womanly compassion shall be your demise.”
The reputation of the Mountains and Rivers Bell could not be more famous; after all, it was an Ancient Exotic Artifact as well as the Natal Emperor Artifact of the Yuan Ding Great Emperor. If Yang Kai really used the Mountains and Rivers Bell against Tan Jun Hao, the latter would be far more anxious and hesitant for he had no clue how powerful this ancient treasure truly was. But now that the Mountains and Rivers Bell was used to isolate those Emperor Realm bystanders, Yang Kai couldn’t use it against him.
This made Tan Jun Hao relieved.
“Of course I’m willing to. One must first give before receiving.” Yang Kai beamed from ear to ear and looked at him contemptuously, “Old thing, you know nothing.”
To Yang Kai, he would rather face a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master than the siege of so many First and Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters. The former was dangerous, but he did not worry about it, while facing the latter would only result in him having to kill them all then still have to face Tan Jun Hao after. Therefore, using the Mountains and Rivers Bell to directly cut off Tan Jun Hao’s support was the biggest advantage it could give him.
“How could you fight this Old Master without the Mountains and Rivers Bell!” Tan Jun Hao roared, his aura soaring as his mighty Emperor Pressure churned like a rampaging sea.
Yang Kai smiled mockingly, “Why would I need Mountains and Rivers Bell to deal with the likes of you?”
Tan Jun Hao was maddened, “Rampant Junior!”
It was totally unforgivable for a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master to not even put him in his eyes.
Yang Kai lifted his hand, and pointed his Myriads Sword at Tan Jun Hao with his teeth gritted, “Old Dog Tan, there was no enmity between us in the past, but you killed thousands of people in Thousand Leaves Sect and abducted this Young Master’s friends. This Young Master must kill you today!”
Tan Jun Hao sneered, and replied disdainfully, “Let’s see if you have the ability to kill me!”
When the words fell, he thrust his hands forward fiercely, and numerous huge five-coloured light blades materialized as if they tore through the void and slashed at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai slashed with his Myriads Sword, sending a gigantic sword light forward powered by his surging Emperor Qi.
There was a loud blast, and the surrounding space trembled. The massive sword light and five-coloured light blades smashed together, turning into an explosion of light that filled this sealed space.
At the same time, Tan Jun Hao pounced at Yang Kai, sending out two gigantic shadow hands that covered the sky to engulf Yang Kai.
The Sword Intent of the Myriads Sword burst out as Yang Kai welcomed this assault with a wide sweep.
The two instantly engaged in a terrifying clash as Emperor Qi collided and their figures flickered about, smashing into one another.
Loud clangs from the clash rang out as Yang Kai did not gain the upper hand with the power of his Myriads Sword against Tan Jun Hao’s bare fists, but instead, was suppressed by Tan Jun Hao’s vigorous and pure Emperor Qi.
Yang Kai immediately felt annoyed as he secretly cursed this old thing for indeed not being easy to deal with. Since he could reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm, Tan Jun Hao was clearly not to be taken lightly, and it was only normal for him to have some life-saving cards and unique skills at his disposal.
Back then, Yang Kai had killed a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master named Yao Chang Jun in the Solitary Void Sealed World. The Five-Coloured Long Spear Emperor Artifact owned by Hua Qing Si now was a trophy from that battle.
However, Yao Chang Jun’s Soul had been severely injured for many years, as such, he could not unleash the full strength of his Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation and Yang Kai took the opportunity to kill him in the Solitary Void Sealed World.
But Tan Jun Hao was a true Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. How could Yao Chang Jun of that day be compared to him?
Yang Kai was awe-inspired, but he did not know that Tan Jun Hao was even more flabbergasted.
He knew Yang Kai was not someone who could be judged by common sense after witnessing his performances, for he had the ability to fight and even kill people above his realm, but it was only after they really exchanged blows that Tan Jun Hao realized just how strong this young man really was.
He was a Star Soul Palace Elder and could kill a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master within ten moves at most, let alone a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Nevertheless, when he fought with Yang Kai, Tan Jun Hao could only suppress him a little after going all out, while killing Yang Kai seemed like an all but impossible task.
How could the Emperor Qi of a First-Order Emperor Realm Master be almost as dense and pure as his own? Just how did this little monster even cultivate?
Tan Jun Hao’s heart trembled with fear as he grew more and more aggressive, attempting to push Yang Kai to his limits and see how long he could hold on for.
But he was greatly disappointed by reality.
He found that no matter how hard he tried, the young man in front of him could still cope with his attacks, albeit barely, as if he would only become stronger when facing the strong, and his strength would increase without limit. Even though Yang Kai occasionally struggled to handle his attacks, Tan Jun Hao also knew he was not dealing any significant damage to Yang Kai.
Although Yang Kai had a broad sword in his hand and possessed some sharp Sword Intent, his swordsmanship was pitiful. Tan Jun Hao could see that Yang Kai was not a cultivator who majored in the Sword Dao, but despite that, he could still find a way to resolve his own attacks by using the sword Emperor Artifact flexibly.
In his eyes, Yang Kai was like a boat thrown into the stormy sea, swaying left and right, at risk of being overturned at any time but still charging on bravely.
“Damn you!” Tan Jun Hao cursed, knowing that it would be useless to go on like this. If he really wanted to kill Yang Kai, he had to bring out his true abilities.
With a single thought, he clenched his fists and rushed forward.
His two fists punched towards Yang Kai with power as immense as two huge mountains, like an overwhelming tidal wave.
“Old dog, you’re quite fierce!” Yang Kai also shouted, gripping the Myriads Sword with both hands as he cleaved forward violently, as if it was not a sword that he was holding but a club.
The power of his sword could cleave a huge mountain into pieces.
The impact of the fist shadows sent the vitality in Yang Kai’s chest tumbling, forcing him back two steps.
Five-coloured light blades condensed in front of him at that moment and slashed towards Yang Kai.
“This again?” Yang Kai curled his lip while swinging the Myriads Sword, breaking apart the five-coloured light blades.
At the same time, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he instinctively sensed danger approaching and hurriedly jumped aside.
Followed by a few swooshes, several golden beams shot out from the dispersed fluorescence, opening two small holes in the place where Yang Kai was originally standing.
Although the holes were small, they seemed to pierce thousands of meters deep into the ground. The penetrating power of the golden beams was quite astonishing.
Behind the fluorescence, Yang Kai saw Tan Jun Hao hovering in the air with an ancient-looking book floating on top of him, and the pages of the book flipping noisily.
The book was radiating a blinding gold colour and every page seemed to be made from casted gold, looking extremely heavy and thick at a glance.
The aura of an Emperor Artifact gradually permeated the surroundings.
This golden book was actually an Emperor Artifact!
Yang Kai heightened his vigilance as he stared at the golden book and examined it carefully with his Divine Sense.
Although the battle earlier seemed intense, both he and Tan Jun Hao were really just probing each other. Now that they had finished their initial analysis of one another, it was time for both Yang Kai and Tan Jun Hao to get serious.
It was obvious that Tan Jun Hao was using his trump card by summoning such an artifact at this time, causing Yang Kai to become extra cautious because even a bit of carelessness could lead to his death.
It was the first time he had seen such an Emperor Artifact, and he had no clue what kind of power it had. However, throughout the whole world, there was a consensus among all cultivators that the stranger the artifact, the stronger the power it could unleash.
This golden book undoubtedly belonged to this type of Emperor Artifact.
The several golden beams earlier must have been the work of this golden book. Unfortunately, Tan Jun Hao used a deceptive trick to cover up his initial strike, making it impossible for Yang Kai to see and study it clearly.
“You actually forced this Old Master to use the Golden Armour Heavenly Book on you, you may die proud.” Tan Jun Hao sneered, his words were filled with great confidence, as if this Golden Armour Heavenly Book was an incredible entity.
“This is what you’re relying on?” Although Yang Kai was wary in his heart, he appeared indifferent on the surface. He wanted to figure out what the power of this so-called Golden Armour Heavenly Book was, and he already directed his sword towards Tan Jun Hao while he asked. He rushed over and slashed the Myriads Sword in mid-air, forming countless sword lights that surrounded Tan Jun Hao like a swarm of locusts as he shouted, “Old dog, your era is over! Do you think a piece of trash book is some great treasure? It’s now the world of my generation, so just hurry up and die!”
“Trash book…” Tan Jun Hao frowned, his face filled with fury as if he was severely humiliated by Yang Kai. Gritting his teeth, he roared, “This Old Master will let you see the power of this trash book then!”
As he spoke, he waved his hand fiercely.
The Golden Armour Heavenly Book that was suspended above his head suddenly started flipping and froze on a certain page.
Yang Kai stared closely and saw on this page an oval drawing with many squiggly lines, just like a child’s graffiti.
But when the Golden Armour Heavenly Book landed on this page, a golden light burst out from it forming a light curtain around Tan Jun Hao.
*Hong…*
The Myriads Sword landed on the golden light curtain, but the latter remained unscathed.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as shock clearly appeared on his face.
Although his strike was mostly for probing, it was not something that any ordinary Master could survive. Tan Jun Hao did not push his Emperor Qi to guard his body at all and simply relied on the Golden Armour Heavenly Book to defend himself. It could be seen that the power of this Golden Armour Heavenly Book was indeed impressive.
[A defensive Emperor Artifact?] Yang Kai’s brow furrowed, but soon he felt that something was wrong. Earlier, a few golden beams had shot out from this book and penetrated the floor, something a defensive Emperor Artifact should not be capable of.
Tan Jun Hao remained on the spot, smiling. He was not abashed by the incoming sword light, his expression showing absolute confidence in his Golden Armour Heavenly Book, clearly believing that Yang Kai could not hurt him.
And this was indeed the case.
“Not even a scratch!” Tan Jun Hao sneered, “Are you only capable of this? If that’s the case, then die!”
After that, he reached out and pointed towards Yang Kai, causing the pages of the Golden Armour Heavenly Book floating above his head to start flipping again and stop on another page.
Yang Kai looked at it again and saw that there were many drawings of birds of prey engraved on it. Once again, the pictures were little better than doodles, but this only added a sense of savagery to it.
A sense of dread swelled in Yang Kai’s heart suddenly.
There was a thumping sound, and golden light shot from the Golden Armour Heavenly Book again before condensing into a number of raptors mid-air that charged towards Yang Kai.
There were as many as a hundred raptors of various sizes, ranging from fifty metres in wingspan to just a hand’s width long.
Each of these raptors actually emitted a powerful aura at least comparable to a First-Order Emperor though, while the giant ones actually had strength on par with Second-Order Emperors.
“It has both offensive and defensive abilities!” Yang Kai exclaimed in amazement.
This type of Emperor Artifact was extremely rare and very difficult to refine. Emperor Artifacts were already very valuable, but Tan Jun Hao’s Golden Armour Heavenly Book was in a whole different category.
“Junior, how do you plan to fight this Old Master now?” Tan Jun Hao stood with his hands clasped behind his back and laughed loudly, “Do you think this Old Master would be so easy to kill? With this Golden Armour Heavenly Book, you will die without a burial without this Old Master even needing to act personally.”
As he spoke, the raptor birds flew towards Yang Kai from all directions, all of them looking extremely hostile, spewing profound light from their mouths as their wings gleamed sharply. Fireballs were constantly thrown at him while some others directly charged at him with opened claws.
Yang Kai was suddenly thrown into danger of being ripped apart by these vicious birds.
Tan Jun Hao continued laughing wildly as Yang Kai grew increasingly agitated, wishing he could fly over and rip his old mouth off.
It took a long time before Yang Kai could stabilize himself, but that did not improve his situation. From all directions, the raptors summoned from the Heavenly Book glared at him fixedly.
“Break!” Yang Kai slammed a punch in a certain direction, sending a storm of Moon Blades out that cut down several raptors that could not dodge in time.
Yang Kai rushed towards the gap with the sword in hand.
There were too many enemies, and if he were really to be surrounded, Yang Kai would not be able to display his full strength, so he could only escape for now. Fortunately, although these things could display the strength of an Emperor Realm Master, they did not seem to have Emperor Grade defence, allowing him to kill several of them with just a punch. If this was the case in general, it wouldn’t take him too much effort to dispose of them all.
“Naive!” Tan Jun Hao saw that Yang Kai wanted to break through the siege, but he did not stop him, instead just standing there stoically.
“This is bad!” Yang Kai suddenly felt something was wrong.
The beasts that seemed to have been killed by him did not disappear but were immediately restored to their original state after a moment of distortion.
[These things can’t be killed!]
Yang Kai cursed in his heart as he felt their fierce auras rushing towards him from all directions. It was too late to dodge. A raptor in front of him plummeted from the air, its claws shone with golden light so sharp it seemed capable of tearing apart the toughest steel.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai could only push his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Qi again. The five-colour glow enveloped him, and at the same time, he urged his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to its utmost, waving his hands as countless Moon Blades shot towards all directions.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Moon Blades pierced through the air one after another, and the raptors were sliced into two, twisting and distorting in mid-air.
*Ci la…*
There was a sound, and the Five Elements Sword Qi collapsed. Yang Kai was hit by several attacks on the back and chest, one of which gouged out his flesh and drew a lot of Golden Blood.
This was all after Yang Kai used his Dragon Transformation. If it were not for the protection of the Dragon Scales, he probably would have been torn into two.
“It’s useless, no matter how many times you kill them, they won’t die!” Tan Jun Hao taunted him, standing to the side.
Compared to the Emperor Realm Masters he tricked into coming to this auction, this Golden Armour Heavenly Book was truly his greatest support. As long as he still had the Heavenly Book, the summoned beings would never perish and could re-condense each time after they were killed.
Of course, Yang Kai knew this now.
Although he did not understand all the mysteries of the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, he had seen some of its capabilities.
Taking advantage of the time before the slain raptors restored themselves, Yang Kai flickered away from the spot with a fluctuation of Space Principles.
“Haha, little brat, are you running out of ideas?” Tan Jun Hao laughed. The reason he had made so many preparations was mainly to counter Yang Kai’s Spatial Techniques.
And it had proven to be effective. If it were not for all Tan Jun Hao’s arrangements, he probably would not have had a chance against Yang Kai as he could flee at any time.
It was foolish of Yang Kai to try the same old trick of teleporting away again.
As Tan Jun Hao spoke, an array flag appeared in his hand.
This was the control flag for the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array, and it allowed him to perfectly counter Yang Kai’s use of Space Principles. Since Yang Kai was at his wits’ end, it was the perfect time to do it again.
It was definitely unpleasant to be thrown out of the Void, and given the right timing, Tan Jun Hao could order the raptors to pounce on Yang Kai again, ensuring he died.
Emperor Qi surged and poured into the array flag while Tan Jun Hao waved his hand towards where Yang Kai stood before.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s figure indeed reappeared from the Void.
Tan Jun Hao shouted cunningly, “Die!”
Just as he shouted though, Yang Kai suddenly disappeared from where he stood.
Tan Jun Hao’s laughter stopped abruptly as a figure appeared before him. Yang Kai had reappeared almost face to face with Tan Jun Hao, his eyes filled with mockery, “Old dog, your timing was off.”
“You…” Tan Jun Hao was shocked, but it only took a moment before he understood what was going on.
Yang Kai’s teleportation earlier was obviously just a guise, while in fact, he did not move at all. The image of him being thrown from the Void was simply because he took the initiative to reappear, not because he was really shaken out.
Just when Tan Jun Hao mistakenly thought that he had succeeded and let down his guard for a split second, Yang Kai truly teleported to approach him.
[Damn it, I fell for this brat’s trick!] Tan Jun Hao almost broke his teeth from clenching them too hard. The setup that he relied on so much had unexpectedly turned into a flaw that was used against him by the enemy. It was a great shame.
Tan Jun Hao was not slow to respond though and immediately kicked his feet to retreat.
The real battle had just begun, and the Golden Armour Heavenly Book had not even displayed a tenth of its power. Even if Yang Kai tricked him once, it was absolutely impossible for him to beat Tan Jun Hao so easily.
Tan Jun Hao had full confidence in killing Yang Kai here.
“Look into my eyes!”
At that moment though, Yang Kai suddenly let out a shout.
Tan Jun Hao looked over at him instinctively.
“Good!” Yang Kai grinned, his left eye suddenly filling with a rich golden light, his pupil transforming into a golden slit that exuded endless majesty.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
[Oh no, I was tricked again. This cunning little brat!] Tan Jun Hao was shocked and cursed Yang Kai madly to himself.
He instinctively wanted to look away, but found that he was hindered by a strange power exuded from the golden slit.
A Pupil Technique!
Tan Jun Hao bit the tip of his tongue while desperately pushing his Spiritual Energy to resist this unnatural attraction.
But a split second was sufficient to decide the victor in a competition between Masters.
Before Tan Jun Hao could regain control of himself, Yang Kai had already made a move.
“Soul Splitting Saber, Heaven Severing Slash!”
A golden ray shot out from his left eye, slashed straight towards Tan Jun Hao before it disappeared in a flash.
With a muffled grunt, the colour drained from Yang Kai’s face as sweat poured down his forehead like he had just been drenched under the rain.
On the other hand, Tan Jun Hao screamed miserably as he bled profusely from his eyes and his face contorted in pain.
The Soul Splitting Sabre was an extremely powerful Soul Type Emperor Artifact.
On top of that, the Heaven Severing Slash was a Secret Technique learnt by Yang Kai from Tian Yan in Divine Ascension Mirror World. The Divine Ascension Mirror was the Supreme Artifact of Azure Sun Temple and contained an isolated independent world where all the living beings had no physical bodies and existed solely as Soul Avatars.
Tian Yan was the strongest inhabitant of the Divine Ascension Mirror and the power of his Soul Avatar had reached the level of a Great Emperor.
He had studied the Soul for all his life, and created the Heaven Severing Slash as his own ultimate technique, so how could its power be weak?
With the complement of an Emperor Artifact like the Soul Splitting Sabre, the power of the Heaven Severing Slash was not as simple as just one plus one.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had poured all of Spiritual Energy into this one strike just in case, almost to the point where he could not bear the strain. His face turned pale and his blood ran cold as a splitting headache plagued his Soul.
Tan Jun Hao, who was hit directly, was even more miserable though.
The violent soul-splitting force tore through his Soul defences instantly and crashed into his Knowledge Sea, turning it upside down. Waves rolled wildly, causing his Soul to fall into a chaotic state.
Tan Jun Hao screamed as his whole person was drenched in sweat, like a fish out of the sea.
His Knowledge Sea was now severely injured, and with the exception of a few extinct Spirit Pills, there was no way to heal such a wound. Even a Great Emperor could do nothing about it.
“Blossoming Lotus!” Yang Kai shouted again, wanting to take advantage of the situation to kill Tan Jun Hao for good. He forced himself to remain conscious as he prepared to execute his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique.
Unexpectedly, the Golden Armour Heavenly Book on top of Tan Jun Hao suddenly flipped on its own and stopped at a certain page.
All of a sudden, two golden beams shot out of the pages of the book.
At such a close distance, Yang Kai was unprepared and was directly pierced by the two golden beams.
*Pu…*
Yang Kai spewed a mouthful of Golden Blood into the air, his whole body repelled by a massive force and immediately falling to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Severe pain came up from his lower abdomen as Yang Kai looked up with his face darkened and roared, “Old Dog Tan, we cannot coexist beneath the same sky!”
Two holes with the width of a finger appeared on his lower abdomen, directly piercing through his body. Yang Kai had no idea what kind of offensive skill the two golden beams were that even his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique could not guard against.
Circulating his Emperor Qi to his wounds, Yang Kai temporarily staunched the bleeding.
But at the same time, hundreds of raptors that had spread out across this isolated space struck towards Yang Kai, shocking him and forcing him to quickly teleport away to escape.
Without Tan Jun Hao immobilizing Yang Kai, it was difficult for these raptors to hurt the latter as he could instantaneously move away.
“Ah!” Tan Jun Hao screamed up to the sky, his clothes flapping even when there was no wind and his hair flying wildly, painting a hideous picture.
“Hahaha…” Yang Kai covered his abdomen with his hand and took some distance. Staring at Tan Jun Hao’s appearance, Yang Kai suddenly felt much better in his heart.
Although he had just acted carelessly and was wounded severely as a result, Tan Jun Hao’s injuries were even more dire. Even if he could not kill him today, he was afraid that Tan Jun Hao would not live long anyway.
Yang Kai took a handful of healing and restorative Spirit Pills from his Space Ring and stuffed them like beans into his mouth.
A cornered mouse would put up a stubborn fight against a cat, not to mention a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master like Tan Jun Hao. Yang Kai was afraid that what followed would be the real battle of life and death, so he did not hesitate to take this moment to try to recover some of his strength.
*Hualala… *
The pages of the book on top of Tan Jun Hao flipped again.
Yang Kai was stunned, wondering what this old thing was going to do now, silently gathering his strength and preparing to dodge at any time.
The book stopped at a certain page and shot out a golden light. This golden transformed into a golden longsword before descending from the sky, causing cracks in the space directly, annihilating several raptors in the process.
“Huh?” Yang Kai watched in bewilderment.
*Hualala…*
The pages of the book flipped again, but this time, a big seal flew out of the page and bombarded the ground directly, leaving a huge pit behind.
*Hualala…*
The pages of the book were flipping constantly, and each time they stopped, a different attack would come out from the page, from artifacts of various shapes and sizes to powerful Secret Techniques, to lively Monsters Beasts.
Yang Kai even saw a Monster Beast that was comparable to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, one that resembled a meatball with countless eyes all over its body. Yang Kai had absolutely no clue what this creature was supposed to be.
However, black lights shot out of its eyes, each beam seemingly able to petrify anything it struck.
As soon as the meatball Monster Beast emerged, it kept blinking its eyes, and every time its eyes blinked, they would shoot at least dozens of black lights.
The hundreds of raptors first summoned by Tan Jun Hao were all affected by it and were quickly frozen in place by this petrifying technique.
These raptors seemed to be dreadfully afraid of the meatball Monster Beast and dared not to fight back, simply allowing it to rampage wildly as they fled about. Soon, the whole army of raptors were completely annihilated.
The situation was extremely chaotic as all kinds of attacks were unleashed aimlessly, while Yang Kai just jumped here and there, dodging anything that came his way.
He paid special attention to the attacks of the meatball Monster Beast, as he had accidentally been hit by one of them once and found his reaction speed and flexibility decreased drastically. It took him a great deal of effort and Emperor Qi to resolve this negative effect.
Yang Kai was feeling quite startled now. If Tan Jun Hao had taken the opportunity to attack him just now, perhaps he would not have been able to dodge even with his teleportation ability.
“Ahhh…” Tan Jun Hao was screaming the whole time, holding his head in his hands, leaping about from time to time, while rolling around on the floor at others. He had completely lost the demeanour of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master and Star Soul Palace Elder.
“He’s gone insane…” Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, exasperated.
He was taken by surprise as he did not expect things to progress so dramatically.
On second thought, Yang Kai had used the Soul Splitting Sabre to unleash his Heaven Severing Slash on Tan Jun Hao, a strike most others would have instantly died from.
After all, when one’s Knowledge Sea was split apart, his Soul would definitely be destroyed. There was no chance to survive such a wound.
Tan Jun Hao was truly amazing for being able to survive under such an attack, but he could not avoid the fate of insanity as his Knowledge Sea was too severely injured.
At this moment, he was not in his right mind and had obviously gone crazy.
Yang Kai felt incredibly lucky.
Previously, Yang Kai was already a little overwhelmed when Tan Jun Hao only used three of his Golden Armour Heavenly Book’s abilities. It seemed that this Emperor Artifact had infinite uses, with the meatball Monster Beast alone giving Yang Kai a hard time, not to mention how disastrous it could be if Tan Jun Hao unleashed all of these abilities at him one after another.
Currently, Tan Jun Hao’s Soul was in a chaotic state, so he had lost control and was just summoning the many abilities of the Golden Armour Heavenly Book randomly, which further emphasized how terrifying this Emperor Artifact really was.
But where did he get such an Emperor Artifact? It was definitely not something that could be refined by any living Artifact Refiner.
While Yang Kai was still thinking about it, the Golden Armour Heavenly Book that was floating on top of Tan Jun Hao’s head suddenly released a dazzling golden light. Then, all the strange beings that were summoned from it turned into golden beams and rushed back to the book and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
After all the beings returned, the Golden Armour Heavenly Book suddenly closed and fell from above Tan Jun Hao’s head.
Yang Kai ogled at the Golden Armour Heavenly Book like a thief. With a flicker, he arrived in front of the Heavenly Book and stretched his hand out to pick it up.
After witnessing the power of this Golden Armour Heavenly Book, how could Yang Kai not feel moved? With such an Emperor Artifact in hand, he would have the upper hand in fighting with the others in the future.
*Ci la la…*
A strange noise came out as the Golden Armour Heavenly Book glowed brightly the moment Yang Kai grasped it. A violent vibration showed it was rejecting Yang Kai’s hand. Not only that, Yang Kai felt an unbearable pain in his Soul from the piercing golden radiance.
Another hand suddenly grasped the Golden Armour Heavenly Book firmly from the other side at that moment.
Yang Kai looked up and saw Tan Jun Hao staring at him with bloodshot eyes, making him look extremely ferocious.
“Let go, this is mine!” Tan Jun Hao yelled at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai replied, “You’re crazy, I will keep this thing for you first.”
“I’m not crazy!” Tan Jun Hao shook his head solemnly.
“Yes, you are crazy!” Yang Kai stared into his eyes deeply, “You are completely crazy.” He spoke the words with a strange hypnotizing power.
“Am I crazy?” Tan Jun Hao stared at Yang Kai, stupefied.
Yang Kai nodded firmly.
If he was not crazy, why would he want to snatch the Golden Armour Heavenly Book from him like this? This was his Emperor Artifact in the first place, so he could retrieve it with just a single thought.
“I am crazy!” Tan Jun Hao abruptly stood up, lost in thought, involuntarily releasing his hand that was grabbing the Golden Armour Heavenly Book.
He did not seem to realize that being crazy had nothing to do with competing for the Heavenly Book.
Yang Kai quickly took the opportunity to seize the Heavenly Book and forcibly stuff it into his Sealed World Bead.
Tan Jun Hao’s Soul Imprint was still left on the Heavenly Book, but he could erase that later.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai’s action immediately attracted Tan Jun Hao’s attention. He woke up from his contemplation and glared at Yang Kai viciously with his teeth gritted, “Give it back to me!”
Yang Kai replied with his hands spread, “It’s gone.”
Tan Jun Hao was so infuriated that he pushed his Emperor Qi wildly and pounced at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was caught off guard and was blasted out, wincing from the intense pain from his already injured abdomen.
“Give it back to me!” Tan Jun Hao roared, his fists raining down wildly on Yang Kai’s chest.
*Pu!*
Yang Kai spurted a mouthful of blood on Tan Jun Hao’s face while at the same time he stomped on Tan Jun Hao’s face to separate himself from him.
Yang Kai rapidly made a hand seal with both hands and muttered with a solemn face, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
The seal was formed, and he pushed it forward gently.
Tan Jun Hao did not think of dodging it at all as he fixed his bloody eyes on Yang Kai and pursued him madly while repeating the same sentence over and over again.
The Time Flies Seal hit Tan Jun Hao head-on and exploded.
Time Principles rapidly covered Tan Jun Hao’s figure and turned him from an already old man into a crippled old man, his hair turning grey and falling out while his skin and body shrivelled up and wrinkled.
When Tan Jun Hao landed on the ground, he was just a dying old man.
Tan Jun Hao’s obsession for the artifact still had not faded, and he immediately charged at Yang Kai again, yelling, “Give it back to me!”
Yang Kai looked at him coldly, took a deep breath to calm the roiling vitality in his chest, and waited for him to get close before sending out a heavy punch.
Half of Tan Jun Hao’s body was smashed to pieces as he was thrown out once again.
But this time, he did not get up.
The Heaven Severing Slash delivered with Yang Kai’s Soul Splitting Saber did tremendous damage to Tan Jun Hao, and with his chaotic Soul, he unconsciously and madly triggered the Golden Armour Heavenly Book to release its power.
Although an artifact like the Golden Armour Heavenly Book possessed formidable power, the consumption required to use each of its abilities was definitely not small. There was a proportional relationship between the two.
Tan Jun Hao activated many of the abilities of the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, and undoubtedly used much of his strength to do so. Even if he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, the Emperor Qi in his body was nearly exhausted.
With his Soul damaged beyond repair and his Emperor Qi exhausted, Tan Jun Hao had less than ten percent of his strength remaining. Moreover, he was struck by Yang Kai’s Time Flies Seal, so just before he died, Tan Jun Hao was nothing but a dying beast making its last struggle. Even an ordinary First-Order Emperor Realm Master could have easily taken him down, let alone Yang Kai.
“Give it… back… to me!” Tan Jun Hao, whose body was already half gone and whose organs had all spilt out, shouted determinedly while lying on the ground, but his voice was dreadfully weak.
“Just die already,” Yang Kai muttered, his body also on the verge of collapse.
The battle today was extremely dangerous and his injuries were quite serious, especially the huge open wound on his chest. This wound was so deep that his flesh was torn apart and his bones were exposed, a horrifying sight to behold. Furthermore, he had two bloody holes on his lower abdomen.
The wound on his chest was the result of a clash with a gigantic beast that possessed strength on par with a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Numerous strange creatures had been summoned from the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, and while they did not have strong defensive power, their offensive strength was ridiculous to the point that even Yang Kai’s body could not guard against it after using his Dragon Transformation.
The bloody holes on his lower abdomen were from when the two golden beams from the Heavenly Book had penetrated him at point-blank range, tearing holes in his organs…
Other than that, he also suffered countless smaller injuries, such as cuts, bruises, and broken bones. ‘Miserable’ would be an understatement to describe his condition.
However, Yang Kai looked exceptionally exhilarated, because this was his first time defeating a peak condition Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. With the experience gained from this battle, he would not be panicked when facing Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in the future.
The growth of any cultivator was inseparable from life and death battles. The more experience one had in combat, the farther one could progress on the path of the Martial Dao.
“Give…” A soft cry came from up ahead again, but it was not followed up by the rest of the sentence. The final wisp of vitality left in Tan Jun Hao and dissipated at that moment.
“Finally!” Yang Kai felt that his whole body was about to fall apart. His injuries and consumption of energy had thoroughly exhausted him. Seeing that his enemy was finally dead, his nerves at last relaxed. Unprecedented fatigue overwhelmed him at once, and he wanted to pass out now.
At that moment, an intimidating light suddenly appeared and rich murderous intent struck from behind.
“Die!”
Wu Ming appeared while slashing his blade down excitedly with his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation released without reservation.
He had been knocked out by Yang Kai previously, but because of that, he also avoided the most dangerous parts of the battle. Then, he was awakened from his coma by an attack when Tan Jun Hao inadvertently triggered the power of the Golden Armour Heavenly Book and wounded him by mistake.
Wu Ming was a cunning one though, so even though he woke up some time ago, he did not get up immediately and instead secretly observed the fight.
Before his eyes, he witnessed the shocking scene of his Honoured Master going crazy while Yang Kai remained alive and well. Wu Ming could not stop fear from growing in his heart, for he had no idea whether his Honoured Master who had gone crazy could still be Yang Kai’s opponent. If his Honoured Master could not win against Yang Kai, it would be disastrous for Wu Ming too.
Facts proved that his Honoured Master was really not a match for Yang Kai. After rampaging about, Tan Jun Hao exhausted his strength and ultimately got half of his body smashed to pieces by Yang Kai, winding up dead after clinging to life a while longer…
His Honoured Master, who was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, actually failed to defeat Yang Kai, and was killed by him instead!
Wu Ming’s heart sank to the bottom of a valley at once, feeling that there was no light in the world anymore.
However, at that moment, he keenly realized that Yang Kai’s body was unsteady and quickly realized that even though Yang Kai won the fight, it must have been a difficult victory for him and the price that he paid was definitely not small.
Without a doubt, this was the best time for him to ambush Yang Kai!
If he could kill Yang Kai, not only he could avenge his Honoured Master, he could also obtain all of the treasures. He had long been fascinated by his Honoured Master’s Golden Armour Heavenly Book, and if he could obtain it, he would have no reservations fighting against Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in the future, which would allow him to climb the ranks in Star Soul Palace rapidly, possibly becoming an Elder himself.
If he waited and allowed Yang Kai to catch his breath though, the next to die would certainly be him.
Therefore, Wu Ming made a quick decision to kill Yang Kai when he was at his weakest. He wanted to finish off Yang Kai with one single strike.
Yang Kai did not seem to be able to react and Wu Ming’s blade left a slash on his shoulder almost a hand length deep.
Wu Ming was overjoyed, but when he attempted to pull out the sword from Yang Kai’s shoulder, the latter suddenly turned his head around and grinned, “You finally couldn’t hold yourself back.”
Wu Ming was startled and stammered in terror, “You knew… ”
Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood, and snickered, “What do you think?”
Wu Ming was infuriated, “Impudence! Watch how this King chops you up!”
When the words fell, he surged his Emperor Qi fiercely and his sword hummed with a power that seemed capable of shattering the sun and moon, attempting to split Yang Kai in two.
“If you had stayed there quietly, this Young Master might just have left you alone, but since you decided to jump out, you can die!” Yang Kai shouted, grabbing the blade with his bare hand and stopping it from advancing any further through pure physical strength.
Wu Ming was horrified as he never thought that this young man who seemed to be on the verge of fainting could still exert so much strength.
A fist swung directly at him at that moment, and after witnessing half of his Honoured Master’s body being smashed by a similar punch, how could Wu Ming not understand the power of this blow?
As Wu Ming was still hesitating, wondering whether he should abandon the blade or apply more force to it, Yang Kai’s fist had already hit him in the face.
A strong force impacted Wu Ming’s face, and instantly went dizzy, feeling as if his nose was flattened as he screamed in his heart, [It’s over, I’m dead.]
But when he regained his senses, he found that his head did not explode like he imagined, and he was still alive. He immediately understood that Yang Kai really had reached his limits, otherwise the power of his punch would not have been so weak.
Wu Ming was delighted and angered at the same time. Just when he prepared to pounce at Yang Kai again, he heard a soft slicing sound.
The next moment, Wu Ming felt that his body became lighter, as if he lost something vital.
He looked down instinctively and saw a crescent-shaped hole covering more than half of his chest had unknowingly appeared. Through the hole, he could see his squirming organs, and half of his heart still beating…
Wu Ming slowly widened his eyes as he tried to circulate his Emperor Qi to seal this wound, but unexpectedly, Yang Kai raised his hand again, flicked his fingers, and sent several more Moon Blades at him.
*Pu pu pu…*
The few Moon Blades penetrated through Wu Ming as expected, and one of them even slashed across his neck, directly severing his head. As his vision tumbled, Wu Ming’s eyes bulged as an expression of everlasting regret etched on his lifeless face while his headless body remained standing in the same place.
“I initially planned to torture you, so consider yourself lucky to have a swift death.” Yang Kai looked at Wu Ming’s broken corpse and snorted coldly, his face dreadfully pale.
After that, he reached his hand to hold the long blade that was embedded in his shoulder and pulled it out.
*Puchi… *
Golden Blood splashed all over Yang Kai’s face.
“Tsk tsk…” Yang Kai turned his head to look at his shoulder with some amazement and muttered, “Just like a fountain…”
Before he could finish his sentence, his legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground.
He was truly exhausted.
He took a few full breaths to force himself to remain conscious as he pushed his Emperor Qi to seal his wounds before taking out some more healing Spirit Pills and stuffing them into his mouth. Only after he swallowed did he feel his condition stabilize somewhat.
Yang Kai lay on the ground and did not feel like moving at all. He turned his head to look at the side, then he stretched out and opened his hand, drawing an array flag that had fallen on the ground over there into his palm.
Tan Jun Hao used this flag to deal with him earlier, so if Yang Kai was not mistaken, it should be the Control Flag of the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array.
With this array flag, he should be able to deactivate the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array and allow Ying Fei to find him.
Tan Jun Hao was already dead, so his Soul Imprint on the array flag could easily be erased by Yang Kai. After studying it slowly for a while, Yang Kai had a basic understanding of how it functioned.
Gripping the flag, he waved it in a specific pattern, and the darkness covering the world suddenly dissipated, revealing the true world again.
The place where Yang Kai was was a square covering a vast area that was located behind the branch of Seven Glories Chamber of Commerce.
Yang Kai laid motionless and waited quietly.
A moment later, a swoosh came from the sky and landed beside him.
Yang Kai curled his lips upwards slightly as he called out, “Monster King…”
However, he quickly realized something was wrong because there was a familiar aroma that suddenly wafted to the tip of his nose.
He furrowed his brow and turned his head to look up, and about ten meters away from him, a pair of delicate feet appeared in his field of vision. Moving his gaze up slightly, he saw a young woman dressed in a long pale green dress with a delicate sash tied around her slim, graceful waist. She had voluptuous peaks and her slightly exposed neck was slender while her white face was beautiful enough to feast his eyes on. Her long black hair flowed down her back like a waterfall, finishing her alluring appearance.
“How come it’s you!?” Yang Kai’s eyes widened.
He did not expect that the first person to come to him after deactivating the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array was not Ying Fei, but the Dragon Girl named Zhu Qing.
[Didn’t she leave?] Yang Kai had not seen her for nearly a month since their last meeting in the inn.
He thought she could not stand his unreasonable attitude anymore and decided to forget about him altogether.
[Is this devilish woman here taking advantage of me!?] Yang Kai’s heart jumped in shock. He had molested her in the wilderness before, and although he was bewildered when he did so and was not acting completely of his own free will, that did not change what he had done.
This devilish woman did not seem to be a magnanimous person, so perhaps she had been looking for a chance to take revenge on him all this time.
Now that she had found him in such a weakened state, Yang Kai was afraid that his future was not looking promising.
“Monster King…” Yang Kai called out feebly, hammering his fist on the ground, desperate to create some noise.
The situation was not good. He usually would not have any problems facing this devilish woman, Zhu Qing, but he just experienced a near-fatal battle, and he was extremely weak. It was not safe to be alone with her.
He had to alert Ying Fei to come over and guard him.
“What are you shouting for? He won’t be able to find you for a while.” Zhu Qing looked at the half-dead Yang Kai gleefully, a smirk on her lips as she walked over and squatted next to the top of his head, her feet stepping on the corners of her skirt to avoid exposing her intimates, her face resting on her hand as she peered at him with interest.
Yang Kai glared at her like she was a formidable new enemy and asked vigilantly, “Then how did you find me so soon?”
“Dragon Qi. I’m a Dragon, so if I search for your Dragon Qi, I can naturally find you!” Zhu Qing reached out and poked the Dragon Scales on Yang Kai’s chest.
Yang Kai let out a hiss, his face scrunching up in pain when Zhu Qing poked at his already bone-bearing wound with a force considered neither light nor heavy.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” Zhu Qing stretched her hand to cover her crimson lips, looking at Yang Kai with feigned embarrassment, like a child who did something wrong; but she did not bother concealing the sly glow in her eyes.
“It’s just a scratch, not even worth mentioning!” Yang Kai snorted defiantly, refusing to admit he was in pain. One must not lose composure before their enemies.
“Really!” Zhu Qing sneered menacingly and thrust her slender finger onto the wound on Yang Kai’s shoulder.
“What are you doing?!” Yang Kai was furious as he roared internally, [If this Young Master wasn’t in such a weak state, he would have smacked your behind until it was blood red!]
Zhu Qing smiled without saying a word and continued to poke, poke, poke, poke…
She pretended to ask with concern, “Does it hurt? I bet such a big wound would hurt!”
The changes in Yang Kai’s face were incredibly entertaining to her. He gritted his teeth and said nothing, but anger grew inside of him, vowing that if she didn’t kill him today, he would return her ‘concern’ a hundred times over in the future.
“Does it hurt?” Zhu Qing asked again with the same feigned concern, but the force she used intensified, actually drilling her nail into an open wound, probing it back and forth.
Tears rolled down from the corner of Yang Kai’s eye as the feeling of being trampled on because of his current weakness could not help filling his heart.
He twisted his head and stared between Zhu Qing’s legs, commenting solemnly, “Little girl, your underwear is exposed.”
Zhu Qing was stunned and quickly looked down to check.
At that moment, Yang Kai activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength violently, releasing a golden radiance that covered him and Zhu Qing together.
Zhu Qing snorted involuntarily, as if she had received a terrible shock, and her small face turned slightly pale.
Yang Kai stretched out his arms in that opening and grabbed her neck with all the force he could muster, pulling Zhu Qing down fiercely, directly making her fall to her knees in front of him, unable to resist at all.
With a loud thump, the two heads banged into each other.
Yang Kai felt the world spin for a moment and almost fainted, but still accurately captured her crimson lips with his own, his tongue swimming out like a dragon leaping from the sea, prying her teeth apart and savouring her sweet taste wantonly.
“Ugh…” Zhu Qing grunted, her eyes widening in an instant.
Although it was not the first time, it was still unbearable to have such intimate contact with this hooligan. It was as though an all-conquering spear was sweeping left and right in her mouth, exuding a magical force, overwhelming her mind. A numb and tingly feeling immediately filled her head, and she could not muster any of her strength at all. At the same time, the temperature of her whole body gradually increased to an extreme high.
The two seemed to have frozen on the square full of corpses, blood, and guts, like time itself had stopped flowing around them.
The golden light gradually dissipated, and the Golden Divine Dragon Source Strength gradually faded.
Without the suppression of the Golden Divine Dragon Source, Zhu Qing pulled her head away immediately and got rid of Yang Kai’s reckless entanglement. Her beautiful eyes were boiling with anger, like a volcano about to erupt, and her rich peaks heaved up and down violently as she gritted his teeth, “You… Impudence!”
Her lungs almost exploded in fury from the fact that a trivial Human had indecently assaulted her once again.
“Hahaha…” Yang Kai lay splayed on the ground shamelessly, with his limbs spread out. It was a very embarrassing sight, but he kept laughing wickedly and continued to taunt her, “Go on, do it, I will have a glorious death nonetheless, but after you kill me, I’m afraid you’ll remain a widow for the rest of your life!”
He spoke as if Zhu Qing was already his woman.
Zhu Qing’s face turned so cold that a layer of frost could be scraped off of it. She clenched her teeth, raised a pink fist, and aimed at Yang Kai’s face fiercely.
“You… Da…!” Yang Kai yelled, but before he could finish, his eyes rolled back and he passed out completely.
…..
His head felt heavy, and a throbbing headache haunted him. His body was weak and feeble, as if he had returned to his early years when he was a cripple. It had been a long time since Yang Kai felt this way.
He flitted in and out of consciousness, but vaguely heard some familiar voices and saw some familiar faces appearing in his dim vision during his brief moments of awareness. He wanted to see clearly but was too weak to do so. He tried to extend his hand, but it was like trying to grasp the moon in the well.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and his murky consciousness became clear.
“Young Master Yang!”
“Yang Kai!”
“Sect Master!”
Shouts rang loudly in his ears. Yang Kai looked around and saw Ying Fei, Ye Hen, Ye Jing Han and the others gathered around him, their eyes full of concern, only displaying relief when they saw him really awake.
“I’m not dead…” Yang Kai muttered softly.
Ying Fei explained, “Young Master Yang, your consumption was too great from the battle, and you suffered serious injuries. You fell into a coma. Fortunately… Young Lady Zhu Qing was the first to find you and stayed by your side. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous if you were taken advantage of by others.”
Just the thought of it was terrifying. Yang Kai was in a deep coma at that time, and if he had been discovered by someone with nefarious intentions, he would probably already be dead.
Even though the Five Elements Grand Sealing Array was deactivated by Yang Kai, the Eight Sides Yuan Shielding Array was still functioning, so Ying Fei and the others had to wait for Gong Tai to crack that Spirit Array before they could rejoin the separated spaces and get out of their room.
“Zhu Qing…” Yang Kai was stunned.
Ying Fei smiled in affirmation, “It was Young Lady Zhu Qing who protected you while you were unconscious.”
As he spoke, he stole a glance to the side with a meaningful smile, probably thinking there was something going on between Yang Kai and Zhu Qing. After all, the two of them were caught embracing one another out in the wild mountains…
Yang Kai looked over and saw Zhu Qing standing there, her expression rather complex.
Yang Kai grinned grimly, thinking that if it wasn’t for this devilish woman, he would not have fainted.
But Yang Kai was surprised that she did not use the opportunity to take advantage of him, or even kill him. It seemed… she really did not hold any malice towards him. Could he have misunderstood her all along?
“Em… even my body was washed and my clothes changed!” Yang Kai realized that the blood on his body was gone and he was wearing a clean set of robes.
Was it Zhu Qing? The simple thought made him a little excited…
“It was me!” Ai Ou seemed to have seen through Yang Kai’s fanciful thoughts and snorted coldly, “Do you have an opinion?”
Yang Kai’s face darkened and he replied hurriedly, “Thank you Sir father-in-law, how can this son-in-law have any opinions?”
“Hmph, you’ve been roaming around outside all on your own and doing such a bad job on protecting yourself. What’s going to happen if Yue’er and the others had to become widows?” Ai Ou reprimanded.
“Yes, yes!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly as he truly was guilty in this case.
Gu Cang Yun quickly assisted from the side, “We can only blame ourselves for being too weak, forcing Sect Master Yang to help us like this.”
Ai Ou sighed, “Don’t be so reckless next time.” His words were full of concern. He paused and said hesitantly, “Fifth Sister…”
Yang Kai took a moment before he could react, and hurriedly assured, “She is fine, I will let her out now.”
With a wave, Chi Yue was brought out from the Sealed World Bead.
Zhu Qing stared at this unexpected scene in astonishment.
After everyone was reunited, and another round of questioning was had, Chi Yue couldn’t help feeling responsible for Yang Kai’s injuries.
“Everyone, let’s leave Young Master Yang to rest for a while,” Ying Fei quickly suggested when he noticed that the rowdy group was going to continue to pester Yang Kai.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Gui Zu nodded, “Everything else can be discussed when Sect Master recovers.”
With that said, everyone left one after another.
Zhu Qing did not say a word and silently blended into the group to exit the room.
“Wait… Qing’er, could you stay back? I have something to ask you.” Yang Kai stopped her.
Zhu Qing paused when she heard Yang Kai address her so intimately, her brow furrowing in irritation before she nodded reluctantly.
She, too, needed an opportunity to chat with Yang Kai alone.
On the contrary, Chi Yue and Ai Ou turned their heads abruptly to give Yang Kai a meaningful look before turning back and walking out.
After a while, everyone else had left the room.
Yang Kai got up from the bed, sat cross-legged, and began using his Divine Sense to examine himself.
At a glance, Yang Kai was quite surprised.
He found that his strength… seemed to have improved. He examined himself again in disbelief and found that it had indeed improved. Although he had not reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm, he had definitely reached the peak of the First-Order Emperor Realm. He was now much stronger than before this incident.
A few days ago, he had to deal with the attacks of nearly thirty Emperor Realm Masters, followed by the one hundred Emperor Realm Monster Beasts summoned from the Golden Armour Heavenly Book, and then fought against Tan Jun Hao, finally obtaining a hard-earned victory.
He was completely drained of both Spiritual Energy and Emperor Qi, pushed to his limits in a life or death battle, and apparently gained many benefits after emerging the winner.
Although he was not in peak shape yet, as long as he fully recovered, he could definitely exert much greater strength than before, and he would not suffer so much if he ever encountered another battle like that again.
It was something worth celebrating.
He checked his injuries again and found that there were no major wounds left. The powerful Golden Blood had been working well in restoring his physique during the past few days of coma. The wounds on his chest and shoulders were almost completely healed while his over-exerted Spiritual Energy was completely replenished thanks to the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus.
He probably would be back to his usual self after another one or two days of rest and meditation.
Zhu Qing watched curiously without interrupting him while Yang Kai was examining himself.
Although she was the first person who found Yang Kai a few days ago, she had no clue what had happened. She only knew that Yang Kai had encountered a fierce battle. Only later did she learn that his opponents were a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, several Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters, and a couple dozen First-Order Emperors…
Many of his enemies had higher cultivations than him, and one of them was even a Star Soul Palace Elder.
But he ended up winning and defeating all of them in the end.
Zhu Qing could not help feeling impressed.
The Dragon Clan had always boasted that they were the strongest among all Divine Spirits, so their standards were exceedingly high and they never put other clans in their eyes, even other Divine Spirits were rarely worthy of the Dragon Clan’s attention.
But even Zhu Qing felt that it would have been impossible for her to achieve such a victory when she had a similar cultivation to Yang Kai.
[Is he really just a Human?] Zhu Qing truly admired him, despite his terrible no-good character. He could explain for himself that he did not mean to molest her for the first time because of the bloodline attraction he felt, but he definitely acted intentionally the second time.
If her Elder had not told her to make friends with him, Zhu Qing would have torn him apart and rid the world of this scourge.
“Don’t you think that I’ll be shy if you keep staring at me like this?”
Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Zhu Qing with a smile.
Zhu Qing quickly averted her eyes and turned her head away.
“I’m curious. Why didn’t you kill me?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Why should I kill you?” Zhu Qing looked out the window and replied without looking back.
Yang Kai asked quizzically, “If you’re not going to kill me, why did you come back?”
He had not seen her for nearly a month, and it was only reasonable for Yang Kai to misunderstand when she only suddenly appeared when he was in his weakest condition. He thought that she had come for revenge, but things turned out different from his expectations.
Zhu Qing turned her head and glared at Yang Kai, “Why else? I want to be friends with you of course!”
“Be friends…” Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, feeling this sentence somewhat sounded familiar.
Zhu Qing tossed something towards Yang Kai with a swing of her hand and remarked, “This is what you wanted. It took a lot of effort to get it.”
Yang Kai caught what was thrown at him and stared at Zhu Qing in confusion, only realizing after a while that what he caught was a wine bottle.
[Could it be…]
With a single thought, Yang Kai opened the bottle and sniffed it, smelling a rich wine fragrance.
“Western Territory Sword Wine Villa only brews ninety-nine bottles of Sword Wine each year, and one of them is in your hand now.”
Cold sweat trickled down Yang Kai’s forehead as he looked at her suspiciously and asked, “You went to the Western Territory?”
He mentioned this request casually a month ago just to make things difficult for her, but he did not expect that she really would get him a bottle of Sword Wine. Now it seemed that her disappearance was not because she had retreated in the face of difficulties, but instead went to obtain him this bottle of Sword Wine?
A thoughtless remark actually made her run around for an entire month. Yang Kai wondered whether this girl was stupid or not…
But he also felt a little guilty about it.
On second thought, even if she was a Dragon, how could one month be enough for her to go back and forth from the Western Territory?
“Why do you need to know where I went? Anyway, I got you what you asked for,” Zhu Qing clenched her teeth secretly because she actually paid a high price for this bottle of Sword Wine.
“Are we friends now?” She stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked up at her speechlessly.
Zhu Qing fumed, “Do you want to break your promise?”
She secretly cursed in her heart that if this hateful man dared to go back on his word, she would beat him senseless even if she would be punished by the Elder, then knock him out and drag him to Dragon Island. Looking at his current condition, she believed she would be able to win, so she clenched her pink fists and began scanning his body, thinking about where she should punch at to take him down fastest, otherwise she would be suppressed again when he used the Ancestral Dragon Source.
Yang Kai stared at her for a long time, then nodded lightly, “Good, we are friends now.”
It felt strange to make friends with a member of the Dragon Clan, moreover only under threat of violence.
While speaking, he put the bottle of Sword Wine into his Space Ring.
“Really?” Zhu Qing beamed from ear to ear when she heard this.
“Really!” Yang Kai nodded solemnly.
Zhu Qing’s face changed again as she retorted angrily, “Why don’t you drink the wine then? Are you only agreeing with your mouth but don’t actually intend on treating me like a friend?”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “No one has ever worked so hard to get a gift for me, so I want to keep it as a memento. When I see this wine bottle again, I will always think of you.”
Who knew if there was anything else in the wine bottle! Although he promised to be friends with Zhu Qing, it was truly strange of her to even want to be friends with him. Zhu Qing definitely had other intentions, and Yang Kai naturally could not trust her completely.
But one thing was for sure, this girl bore no malice towards him at the moment; otherwise, he wouldn’t have woken up in the first place.
As he told Zhu Qing before, the word ‘friends’ was not as simple as just saying it.
Zhu Qing did not expect Yang Kai to say such words, so her face slightly flushed and her heart beat a little faster as she muttered, “Nonsense.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at her shy demeanour. He recalled the girl’s sweet tongue and warm red lips, and started to feel restless.
Zhu Qing was confused too. Even though she had successfully made the first step by having Yang Kai promise to be her friend, she thought that it was not a good time to invite him to Dragon Island now because her intentions would be too obvious that way. For a moment, she hesitated about what to do.
The atmosphere was a little awkward as Yang Kai could feel his blood beginning to pump faster and faster, to the point that it seemed something bad would happen if he didn’t actively suppress himself.
It was inexplicable that he could not control himself every time he was with Zhu Qing. Although this girl was gorgeous and had an enchanting body, there were many beautiful and fine women out there, so why was it that only she could provoke such a visceral reaction from him?
He wanted to chase her away, but it would seem too ungrateful to ask her to leave right after saying they were friends.
Instead, Yang Kai grabbed a few Space Rings from his bedside and began checking them one by one.
These Space Rings were formerly owned by the Emperor Realm Masters he killed, eight in total.
He was in a coma earlier, so these Space Rings were collected by Ying Fei who arrived later.
“Let’s see what’s inside,” Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the bed and rolled up his sleeves excitedly.
Zhu Qing also took a look but did not pay much attention to them. Although there were many things in these Space Rings, none of them caught her eyes.
“Tsk, tsk, so many Source Crystals,” Yang Kai opened the first Space Ring, and saw a huge amount of Source Crystals piled inside.
There were nearly ten million High-Rank Source Crystals alone, then thirty to forty million Mid-Rank Source Crystals and hundreds of millions Low-Rank Source Crystals.
Other than that, the Space Ring was also full of a variety of pills, Secret Arts, Secret Books, rare ores, and artifacts.
Usually, someone had to cultivate for hundreds of years to reach the Emperor Realm, so they accumulated a great deal of wealth over the centuries.
Although Yang Kai was extremely wealthy too, now that he had created High Heaven Palace, he naturally needed to start preparing for the future. There would be at least tens of thousands of people who needed to migrate from Shadowed Star to the Star Boundary, and when that happened, the demand for resources would increase dramatically. Therefore, it was always better to have more assets.
Source Crystals would be the primary resource needed by the disciples of High Heaven Palace for cultivation in the future, while Secret Arts and Secret Techniques could provide a broader path on the Martial Dao for the disciples. As for artifacts, pills, and other auxiliaries, they could serve as rewards for contributing merits…
Delightedly, Yang Kai straightaway transferred everything in the first Space Ring into his own.
When he opened another Space Ring, he found that the loot was even more abundant.
Yang Kai laughed stupidly as Zhu Qing watched him with a frown.
Each of the eight Space Rings had at least ten million High-Rank Source Crystals and countless Middle-Rank and Low-Rank Source Crystals.
But thinking about it, these Emperor Realm Masters had come to Flowing Shadow City for an auction, specifically to purchase Heaven Grade puppets, so how could they not bring sufficient Source Crystals with them?
These High-Rank Source Crystals probably represented a large proportion of the assets of these Emperors’ respective Sects.
But they all ended up lining Yang Kai’s pocket.
“Wah…” Yang Kai exclaimed with an exaggerated expression as he found that the number of Source Crystals in a certain Space Ring was far greater than the others. There were fifty to sixty million High-Rank Source Crystals alone, which was five times more than the others.
This Space Ring probably belonged to Tan Jun Hao, because Yang Kai found the Dragon Island Token that he handed over before inside as well.
He took out the Dragon Island Token first and threw it into his Sealed World Bead as Yang Kai generally stored his most valuable treasures there while less important things would be kept in his Space Ring.
“Wait!” Zhu Qing, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly shouted.
“What happened?” Yang Kai looked up at her.
“That thing just now…” Zhu Qing took a few steps forward, her tone was a little excited, “Can you show me that token?”
“Are you talking about this?” Yang Kai took out the Dragon Island Token with a flip on his palm in front of Zhu Qing.
“Yes, that’s it!” Zhu Qing nodded her head vigorously, her beautiful eyes shining a profound light.
“What do you want to do?” Yang Kai quickly clenched his fist around the Dragon Island Token and leaned away while remarking solemnly, “This is mine!”
Zhu Qing stomped her foot, “I know it’s yours. I just want to have a look!”
[Why the hell is this guy acting like he’s guarding against a thief? Would a noble Dragon really want to rob his things?]
“There’s no need for you to check, it’s a real Dragon Island Token!” Yang Kai waved the token in front of her eyes. The Dragon Island Token was something that obviously came from Dragon Island, so Zhu Qing, as a Dragon, definitely recognized it. As such, Yang Kai did not try to hide it.
“It’s really a Dragon Island Token!” Zhu Qing was utterly flabbergasted.
The purpose of her leaving Dragon Island this time was to search for the whereabouts of the last remaining Dragon Island Token. Her search had only been delayed because she noticed the Dragon Qi coming from Yang Kai when she passed by Flowing Shadow City.
But she could not believe that she actually found the Dragon Island Token by mistake.
With this Dragon Island Token, she could return to Dragon Island to complete her mission, and she could also enter the Restricted Area to enhance her bloodline!
This Dragon Island Token meant a lot to her, so how could Zhu Qing not be thrilled?
“Of course it’s real!” Yang Kai grinned then put away the Dragon Island Token. After a pause, he asked, “Oh right, I heard that with a Dragon Island Token, I can go to Dragon Island and make a request from your Dragon Clan as long as they can meet it. Is that true?”
Zhu Qing answered, “Of course it’s true.”
“Can I make any kind of request?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he finally realized the value of this Dragon Island Token.
“Indeed, as long as we can meet it without violating the principles of the Dragon Clan.” Zhu Qing nodded.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, wondering if he could go to Dragon Island and ask for permission from the Dragon Clan to exchange Zhu Qing with this Dragon Island Token. Of course, if he did that, it would likely be seen as a huge insult to the Dragon Clan.
Yang Kai shook his head and stopped thinking about it, then continued to check for other possessions Tan Jun Hao might have.
“Do you… want to go to Dragon Island?” Zhu Qing got excited and asked softly.
If she could persuade Yang Kai to take the Dragon Island Token to Dragon Island, her mission would be completed. The last Dragon Island Token was found, and if the person who possessed the Ancestral Dragon Source could be invited to Dragon Island too, she would earn enough merits to enter the Restricted Area to improve her Bloodline Power.
“Go there for what?” Yang Kai shook his head as he sorted through the treasures.
Zhu Qing blurted anxiously, “Don’t you have any wishes? Use this Dragon Island Token, our Dragon Clan will grant any request you might have that we are able to.”
“Actually, there is one thing I want!” Yang Kai suddenly lifted his head, as if he remembered something.
“What is it? Let’s hear it,” Zhu Qing asked.
“I came from a Lower Star Field named Heng Luo Star Field. I wanted to take a trip back there. Can your Dragon Island send me there?” Yang Kai asked as he looked at Zhu Qing. Now that he had settled in the Star Boundary and had his own territory, he could bring his friends and family over here to enjoy a better and safer cultivation environment.
However, he had no idea how to return to Heng Luo Star Field. Initially, he wanted to find Yang Yan to ask her, but since he had a Dragon Island Token, perhaps he could ask the Dragon Clan for help.
The Dragon Clan had existed for so many years and were familiar with almost every matter in this world, so they surely knew of a way for him to return to Heng Luo Star Field.
“Send you to a Lower Star Field?” Zhu Qing frowned at his words.
“Is it difficult?” Yang Kai saw her face and understood that this would not be as simple as he imagined.
Zhu Qing answered, “It’s indeed difficult. You should know that since the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor destroyed many Lower Star Fields, all the channels between the Star Boundary and those Star Fields were sealed, making it all but impossible to travel between Star Fields and the Star Boundary.”
Yang Kai had heard of this before. Tens of thousands of years ago, it was not a difficult task for a person from the Star Boundary to visit a Lower Star Field, though it was not cheap either. However, ever since the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor’s reign of terror, all the channels connected to the Lower Star Fields were sealed because there was a fear that powerful Masters would break into these Star Fields and wreak havoc again. The strength of the cultivators in those Star Fields was not high, with the strongest just being Origin Kings, some not even having Origin Kings at all.
Any Dao Source Realm cultivator from the Star Boundary could wipe out billions of people if they wanted to. The Heaven Devouring Great Emperor was the best example. Countless Star Fields had been destroyed at his hands back then. Wherever he went, he would devour all the Star Sources he found, smashing Cultivation Stars and killing trillions.
“Now all those sealed channels are guarded by the Star Court. There is also a Great Emperor assuming command there year-round. No one can break through such a heavy guard.”
“Star Court?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Zhu Qing explained, “The Star Court is an exceptionally powerful organization in the Star Boundary. It’s not a Sect per say; rather, it was jointly created by the current Ten Great Emperors. They each take turns guarding its headquarters where the entrances to the sealed channels are. As far as I know, Iron Blood Great Emperor is the current guardian of the Star Court! Among the Ten Great Emperors, he is also the strongest in battle.”
“I’ve never even heard of such an organization,” Yang Kai revealed a surprised face, feeling greatly enlightened.
Zhu Qing smiled lightly, “The Star Court is a very mysterious entity, and it is impossible for the common people to hear about it. Perhaps the Seniors in your family or Sect would know. You should ask them if you want more details.”
A realization dawned on Yang Kai at that moment.
The other Emperor Realm Masters with profound origins might hear about the Star Court from their Elders; however, Yang Kai had always been a loner and it had not been long since he came to the Star Boundary, so who could have told him about this?
“The majesty of the Star Court cannot be challenged. It is not only created by the Ten Great Emperors, but it is also said that other hidden Great Emperor level Masters belong to it, so even our Dragon Clan can’t afford to provoke them easily.”
“Other Great Emperors!” Yang Kai was startled, “Aren’t there only ten Great Emperors?”
Zhu Qing laughed, “Who told you there were only ten?”
Yang Kai was speechless.
It was true. No one told him there were only ten Great Emperors, it was just that he kept hearing others mention ‘The Ten Great Emperors’ and subconsciously thought that there were only ten of them.
“Great Emperors have very long lifespans, and although they are not immortal, with lives as long as the Heavens themselves, they wouldn’t die easily. Over the years, although it is very hard to reach the level of a Great Emperor, there are always some amazing and talented people who reach that height successfully. However, no one knows about them. Take our Dragon Clan’s Great Elder, he is comparable to a Great Emperor, but not counted among the Ten Great Emperors.”
“How about you?” Yang Kai questioned.
Zhu Qing smiled with a pursed lip, “I’m still far away from that level. A Great Emperor… is a special existence that no ordinary person can become.”
“Then I’ll have to work hard,” Yang Kai put on a serious face.
Zhu Qing glanced at him doubtfully, but found that he was not joking, instead seemingly highly motivated to challenge the mountain known as ‘Great Emperor’. Seeing this, she scoffed silently. If ‘Great Emperor’ was a title that could be achieved by merely working hard, there would be many more Great Emperors in the world now.
But on second thought, it may not be impossible… for the person in front of her.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, a First-Order Emperor actually killed so many enemies with higher cultivations.
This was an unbelievable feat. How many of those Great Emperors could achieve a similar victory when they were as young and weak as Yang Kai was?
Having a vision could make one strive with goal and motivation. For a moment, Zhu Qing was moved.
“So, if one wants to go to the Lower Star Field, they have to pass through the Star Court first?” Yang Kai asked humbly.
“Indeed, but that is no simple task. Don’t be reckless.”
Yang Kai acknowledged it casually, feeling somewhat troubled. Initially, he wanted to find a chance to see if he could return to the Heng Luo Star Field on his own; after all, he was skilled in the Dao of Space, so once he confirmed the location of Heng Luo Star Field, he might be able to break through the world barriers and reach it.
But now, knowing that a mysterious Star Court was guarding the boundaries of the world, Yang Kai would definitely need to overcome them if he wanted to return.
“Then do you want to go to Dragon Island?” Zhu Qing stared at Yang Kai eagerly.
Yang Kai looked up at her, “Does Dragon Island have any way to make the Star Court open the channel and send me back?”
Zhu Qing shook her head. There was no need to ponder at all. Although Dragon Island was outstanding, the Star Court was an existence that involved the entire Star Boundary, so it was unlikely they would do Dragon Island a favour like this. Otherwise, the sealed channels would be opened every other day and there would be no point in having the Star Court.
“Then why should I go?” Yang Kai waved his hand.
“You can ask for something else,” Zhu Qing looked worried and quickly came up with an idea, “Right, you are just a First-Order Emperor Realm Master now. If you go to Dragon Island and cultivate there, it could increase your cultivation speed greatly and you could reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm in less than a hundred years.”
“A whole hundred years!” Yang Kai could not help rolling his eyes, thinking, [I haven’t even been cultivating for a hundred years yet, and I’m already a First-Order Emperor. Moreover, I’m already at the peak of my current realm and could easily break through to the Second-Order as long as the opportunity presented itself. If I needed a hundred years to reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm, I would rather just die.]
“A hundred years is considered short. Just look around the Star Boundary, there are not many places for cultivating as good as Dragon Island. As long as you present the Dragon Island Token, I can assure you that our Elder will arrange the best cultivation paradise for you to use,” Zhu Qing tried her best to persuade him.
“Maybe next time. I’ll go to your Dragon Island to have a look when I’ve figured out what request I’d like to make,” Yang Kai responded casually.
“Then… how long will you take to figure that out?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not sure. Maybe I’ll never go if I don’t ever need your help.”
Zhu Qing’s face darkened. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Then… Can you give me the Dragon Island Token?”
“Give it to you?” Yang Kai could not hold his laughter, secretly thinking, [Our relationship cannot even be considered close, right? This girl really doesn’t have any manners and dares to say whatever she wants.]
Zhu Qing pressed on, “Of course I won’t ask for it for nothing. I’ll trade you something for it. To be honest, the reason I left the island this time was to trace the whereabouts of this Dragon Island Token. Now that I finally found it, I can complete my mission as long as I can collect it. Can you… help me please?”
It was really hard for a Dragon like her to beg someone, so her cheeks burned with dreadful shame.
Yang Kai frowned, and replied after pondering for a while, “For the sake of you saving me last time, I can give you a chance.”
Zhu Qing’s face turned happy, but before she could speak, Yang Kai raised his hand, “Remember, just one chance. If you don’t have something I want, then forget it.”
Zhu Qing nodded repeatedly, took down the Space Ring on her hand, and threw it directly to Yang Kai, “I have a lot of good things. See what you want and take anything you like. I just want the Dragon Island Token!”
“So generous!” Yang Kai was stunned. A Space Ring usually contained all the most valuable treasures and private possessions of a cultivator, but Zhu Qing actually tossed her Space Ring to him without a second thought. Obviously, the Dragon Island Token was very important to her, and she was ready to pay any price to obtain it.
[This girl definitely doesn’t know the truth that everyone wants to gain the most in every deal. Since she just exposed her capital like this… she can’t blame this Young Master for being merciless.]
Besides, Yang Kai also wondered what good things a Dragon Girl like her could have.
He scanned the Space Ring with his Divine Sense and was immediately dazzled by the piles of sparkling objects as he probed.
[Wow, it seems like there are many good things here,] Yang Kai was ecstatic and began checking things more carefully.
Yang Kai checked the Space Ring carefully with a heart of excitement and expectation.
But soon, he furrowed his brows and his expression became strange. As time passed, his face turned uglier, and pulsing veins surfaced on his forehead. Finally, he could not stand it anymore and looked up at Zhu Qing, “What are these!?”
“What? Is there nothing you like?” Zhu Qing looked back at him in shock as she thought to herself, [Impossible, all of the treasures I’ve collected over the years through hardship and struggle are in that ring! Each of them is incredibly precious to me, it simply can’t be that he isn’t interested in a single one of them!]
“Like your uncle!” Yang Kai lost his temper and took out a jade hairpin from the Space Ring. It was a beautiful, radiant jade hairpin, but it was only a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank artifact, and the energy fluctuations it gave off were on the weaker side, just like a low-quality protective artifact. “Is this what you call a good thing?”
Yang Kai felt cheated, and his heart hurt greatly.
Zhu Qing looked at him nervously, and reminded him, “Be gentle with it. Don’t break it.”
It was as if she really thought of this jade hairpin as some wonderful treasure.
Yang Kai was boiling mad.
Zhu Qing hurriedly comforted, “If you don’t like it, look at the others. There are many more good things.”
Yang Kai casually took out another dozen items from the Space Ring. Some of these were artifacts, while some were objects he could not even identify, while others were nothing more than strange stones.
All of them were sparkled brilliantly, having attractive outward appearances, glittering so brightly they could dazzle one’s eyes.
Nevertheless, these things were totally worthless to an Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai. They had no value as cultivation resources or as artifacts, but Zhu Qing actually put them into her Space Ring like true treasures.
Yang Kai could not believe that this was actually a Dragon’s Space Ring. He really wanted to pluck out his eyes, polish them, and check if he wasn’t seeing things.
“Is there anything you like or you want? I can trade any one of them with you.” Zhu Qing did not seem to be aware that her things were all trash and looked at Yang Kai with bright eyes, putting on a face that told Yang Kai she really thought ‘it’s a steal.’
“Are you really this foolish or are you just pretending to be?” Yang Kai sneered.
“What do you mean!?” Zhu Qing became a little irritated, sensing the mocking tone in Yang Kai’s voice.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment, then suddenly mentioned, “I heard that the Dragon Clan has three proclivities. Is that really true?”
“Three proclivities, what are they?” Zhu Qing asked curiously. She had lived on Dragon Island since she was born and this was her first time leaving to travel the Star Boundary. Therefore, she had never heard of this ‘three proclivities’ saying.
Yang Kai sighed, “Sleep, shiny objects, and… well, you know!”
“What?” Zhu Qing stared at him zealously, “Say it.”
Yang Kai glared at her angrily, “Don’t ask so much, child.”
“You’re the child! Your whole family are children!” Zhu Qing fumed.
Yang Kai was too lazy to argue with her and simply laughed, “Anyway, all your things are trash to me. I don’t think there’s a point in trading with you.” Then he threw the Space Ring back.
The problem was that this Dragon Girl did not even have a single Source Crystal in her Space Ring, making him wonder just what she usually used for cultivation. Perhaps the Dragon Clan did not require Source Crystals to cultivate; after all, Dragons were Divine Spirits, or more bluntly, Monster Beasts, and Yang Kai had never seen any Monster Race need Source Crystals to cultivate. The Monster Race always cultivated by absorbing World Energy directly, or through consuming different kinds of precious treasures or Monster Cores of other Monster Beasts.
“How is that possible!?” Zhu Qing was infuriated, showing a face that screamed ‘you can insult me but not my treasures.’
But when she remembered that she was currently asking a favour from Yang Kai, her anger instantly halved as she continued, “If you don’t like these, what about these things?” She stammered.
Saying so, she suddenly stretched out her hand and turned it over. A basin-sized scale immediately appeared on one of her little snow-white hands, while a small jade bottle appeared on the other.
“A Dragon Scale!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he felt the rich Dragon Qi exuding out of the scale.
He reached out and picked up the Dragon Scale and jade bottle, gently caressing the former as he examined it.
He once obtained a Dragon Scale back in Heng Luo Star Field. Later on, he refined it, and now it enhanced the power of his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
If he could refine another Dragon Scale, the power of his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique would surely increase again.
As he caressed this Dragon Scale, Yang Kai sensed a familiar lingering about it. He quickly understood that this should be Zhu Qing’s own Dragon Scale and it had probably been shed by her not long ago. Thinking so, he glanced at her thoughtfully.
He found that Zhu Qing’s face was flushed red, looking quite uncomfortable. Yang Kai was confused by this and wondered why she was acting shy all of sudden.
In fact, just as Yang Kai expected, the Dragon Scale was indeed a shed Dragon Scale from Zhu Qing. It was once a part of her body, so seeing Yang Kai gently caressing it gave her a feeling as if he was touching her body.
The scenes where she was molested by Yang Kai involuntarily resurfaced in her mind, so it was unavoidable for her to feel embarrassed.
Fortunately, Yang Kai did not continue for long. After a short moment, he put down the Dragon Scale and opened the jade bottle.
A faint dragon roar came out of the jade bottle and a dense, hot red light suddenly burst out from it.
Yang Kai looked inside the jade bottle and saw a drop of crimson blood that morphed into the shape of a dragon, trying to rush out like a burning flame.
“True Dragon Blood!” Yang Kai shouted and quickly closed the jade bottle.
“How about these two things for your Dragons Island Token?” Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai uncomfortably.
Yang Kai pondered for a while, and nodded, “They are indeed good things, but… in your opinion, is a Dragon Island Token only worth this much?”
Zhu Qing pursed her red lips and replied in a low voice, “Impossible.”
She was honest to a fault, giving Yang Kai a better impression of her, but he did not know that this was just part of the Dragon Clan’s innate nature, so proud that they absolutely disdained to lie or cheat others.
“But didn’t you refine a number of Dragon Artifacts? If you refine these two, the power of your Dragon Transformation Secret Technique will definitely increase,” Zhu Qing tried to convince him.
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “When you first saw me, you mentioned that I refined something that I shouldn’t have. Did you mean those Dragon Artifacts?”
He only figured this out after learning of Zhu Qing’s identity.
Any Dragon Artifact was originally a part of a Dragon’s body, so as a Dragon Girl, Zhu Qing naturally had to punish a mere Human who dared to refine a Dragon Artifact to protect the dignity of her Dragon Clan.
But she did not expect that she would be subdued instead.
If this wasn’t the case, why would she have caused him trouble as soon as she met him when she had neither grudge nor grievances against him?
“Since you know that I have refined several Dragon Artifacts, how much strength will I gain by adding these two things?” Yang Kai grinned before tossing the Dragon Scale and jade bottle back to Zhu Qing. He then played with the Dragon Island Token in his hand and saying, “This thing is really a rare treasure, definitely worth holding onto.”
“But…” Zhu Qing frowned, “Aren’t we friends?”
“Friends are friends, business is business; the two are separate matters!” Yang Kai replied solemnly, “Good, good, I need to rest. You can leave.”
Zhu Qing did not want to agree and stared at him with her pair of big eyes.
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “If you don’t go, I’ll activate my Dragon Clan Source. A man and a woman alone in a single room… you can’t blame me for what will happen next. After the fact, don’t say I didn’t treat you as a friend!”
Zhu Qing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stomped her foot and disappeared.
The Ancestral Dragon Source had an absolute suppressive power on her and she would still be unable to resist it even if her Bloodline improved a few levels. If Yang Kai really activated the Ancestral Dragon Source, she was the one who would surely suffer a loss.
After sending away Zhu Qing, Yang Kai grinned.
After checking the loot earlier, he realized he gained a lot. There were hundreds of millions of High-Rank Source Crystals, not to mention other treasures.
These were not the most important though, as they could not help him in becoming stronger. However, the Golden Armour Heavenly Book that he obtained from Tan Jun Hao was quite interesting. If he could refine it, it would definitely boost his combat capabilities greatly.
Yang Kai took out the Golden Armour Heavenly Book and wanted to have a good look at it, wondering just how many abilities it had. Unfortunately, without refining it, he realized that he could not even open it no matter how hard he tried, so he decided to start with that. Erasing Tan Jun Hao’s Soul Imprint, Yang Kai began slowly pouring his Emperor Qi and Spiritual Energy into it to refine this Emperor Artifact.
In the meantime, Zhu Qing returned to her room and immediately took out her Dragon Talisman. After activating it, an old voice sounded, “Is it done?”
Zhu Qing replied respectfully, “Not yet.”
“Since you’ve yet to succeed, why contact me?”
Zhu Qing answered, “Qing’er has found the last Dragon Island Token.”
The old voice responded, “You’re quite lucky. Four others have gone out to search for it, but you are the first to have any luck locating it. Did you obtain the Dragon Island Token?”
Zhu Qing replied shamefully, “Also no…”
The old voice sounded again, “Quickly acquire it. It is a treasure that cannot fall into the hands of an outsider. Get it back by any means necessary, even if you have to take it by force. With your strength, there are not many people in the world who can be your opponent.”
Zhu Qing answered, “This is the difficult part for Qing’er. The owner of the Dragon Island Token is none other than the person Qing’er mentioned to you before. Therefore… taking it back is not going to be easy.”
“The Dragon Island Token is in his hands too?” The Dragon Clan Elder was flabbergasted, wondering if this was luck or destiny.
If it was anyone else, Zhu Qing could simply snatch it with her strength. Unfortunately, this person possessed the Ancestral Dragon Source, so even if Zhu Qing was technically stronger than him, she would be rendered powerless by the suppression of the Ancestral Source.
“Qing’er invited him to Dragon Island, but he declined. Qing’er doesn’t know what to do now. Elder, please give me your guidance.”
The Dragon Talisman went silent for a long time, as if there was no simple solution to this problem, but eventually the old voice asked, “Has he done anything of note recently?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me the details!”
Zhu Qing then reported about the battle between Yang Kai and the Emperor Realm Masters to the Elder.
After she finished, the Dragon Talisman asked with some surprise, “Is he really so incredible? Able to kill Second-Order and Third-Order Emperors with just a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation? A Star Soul Palace Elder no less?”
Zhu Qing replied, “It should be true, though Qing’er didn’t witness it with her own eyes.”
“Then it’s simple,” the voice from the Dragon Talisman said, full of confidence, “Just tell him this…”
Zhu Qing listened carefully while nodding from time to time.
Three days later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the Golden Armour Heavenly Book helplessly.
It had been three days since he started his refinement, but there was no reaction from the Golden Armour Heavenly Book at all. It did not show any signs of accepting his Emperor Qi and Spiritual Energy at all.
From this, he learned that it was absolutely impossible to refine this Golden Armour Heavenly Book within a short period of time.
Given that Tan Jun Hao could freely use the power of this Heavenly Book, he must have refined it for numerous years.
But Yang Kai was not discouraged. On the contrary, he was even more pleased as the harder it was to refine, the more it showed the greatness of this Emperor Artifact. Just like the Mountains and Rivers Bell, which took him more than a year to refine in the Shattered Star Sea.
Although there was no progress in refining the Heavenly Book, he had completely recovered from his injuries after three days of rest. Not only had his Emperor Qi become purer and more vigorous, but his Spiritual Energy had also greatly increased in quality too, which would make breaking through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm easier for him in the future.
After putting the Heavenly Book away, Yang Kai scanned outside of his room with his Divine Sense then communicated with a few people before he waited quietly.
After a while, Hua Qing Si, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gui Zu, and Gu Cang Yun gathered in the room, followed by Ying Fei and Zhu Qing, who also came over after hearing the commotion.
“Seniors, although Tan Jun Hao is dead, his Heart-Strangling Insects are still in your bodies. I need to remove the insects, so please cooperate with me,” Yang Kai looked at the crowd solemnly.
Chi Yue was delighted, “Yang Boy, are you able to extract these insects out?”
“I can try!” Yang Kai nodded.
In theory, only the person who implanted the Heart-Strangling Insect could drive it out, but although Yang Kai was not proficient in manipulating Exotic Ancient Insects, and did not even know how these Heart-Strangling Insects were nurtured, he had the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
This Emperor Artifact was a relic of Insect Emperor, along with the Soul Splitting Saber. Although the Insect Enslavement Bracelet could not be used in battle, it was the bane of all Exotic Ancient Insects in this world. All the Exotic Insects that were listed in the Exotic Insect Record could be controlled by the Insect Enslavement Bracelet.
Fortunately, Heart-Strangling Insects were listed in the record around the top of the Earth List.
If Heaven List Exotic Ancient Insects such as the Soul Devouring Insects could be restrained by the Insect Enslavement Bracelet, a trivial Earth List Heart-Strangling Insect should be a breeze to manipulate.
“In that case, what are we waiting for? I’m first!” Gu Cang Yun answered immediately and moved to sit in front of Yang Kai with a flicker.
Ai Ou quickly stretched out his hand and grabbed him back to the side, snorting coldly, “Second Brother, how dare you go before me? Don’t you understand the rules?”
Gui Zu beamed from ear to ear at the side, “If we go according to seniority, I should go first. Everyone else, stand aside!”
He surged his Ghost Qi as he spoke, showing no mercy by pushing Ai Ou and Gu Cang Yun back before he sat in front of Yang Kai.
Despite it ending after just a short moment, Yang Kai’s jaw dropped watching the dispute between these three. After a single thought though, he quickly understood why they were competing to be first.
Yang Kai only mentioned that he could try, and he did not give them complete assurance. If he failed to drive out this insect, the first test subject would definitely face danger.
As such, these three were actually competing with each other for each other’s sake.
Chi Yue looked at Yang Kai anxiously, “Yang Boy, you have to be careful. First Brother is old and can’t bear a lot of suffering.”
Gui Zu rebuked unpleasantly, “Nonsense! This King is still young! Sect Master, don’t worry and just do it!”
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter and responded, “Everyone, don’t be so nervous, it’s just a trivial Heart-Strangling Insect, well within my abilities to handle. If I really wasn’t certain, I still have more than twenty confined test subjects I could experiment on.”
The Mountains and Rivers Bell still remained on the battlefield, confining the twenty or so Emperor Realm Masters. It was not that Yang Kai had no way to retrieve the Mountains and Rivers Bell before now, but he had other plans for these twenty, so he did not want to release them immediately.
Everyone felt relieved after listening to Yang Kai.
“Elder, relax!” Yang Kai looked at Gui Zu who was in front of him and ordered.
Gui Zu nodded and closed his eyes.
Yang Kai turned over his hand, and the Insect Enslavement Bracelet emerged on his palm. He poured a little Emperor Qi to activate the bracelet next, and in an instant, a subtle force emerged from it.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and wrapped his index finger with this force and then tapped his finger on Gui Zu’s body. With the simultaneous activation of his Divine Sense and Emperor Qi, Yang Kai carefully guided this force inside of Gui Zu’s body.
Gui Zu grunted lightly, but still looked fine.
Because of a huge gap between Yang Kai and his own strength, Yang Kai could control the Insect Enslavement Bracelet’s energy deftly. It would not be this easy if Gui Zu and Yang Kai had similar cultivations.
After a short while, under Yang Kai’s control, the subtle force from the bracelet reached Gui Zu’s chest and accurately found the hiding place of the Heart-Strangling Insect.
The insect suddenly became restless, aware that it was discovered and attempted to flee, but Yang Kai simply tapped his fingers hard on Gui Zu’s chest a few times, spreading out a net of force and completely enveloping the insect.
The Insect Enslavement Bracelet’s aura had a potent suppressive effect on all Exotic Insects, and once they were caught by it, they were unable to escape.
Yang Kai slowly moved his finger upwards next, guiding the aura to Gui Zu’s throat, then tapping once again gently.
Gui Zu’s eyes opened at that moment and he coughed up an arrow of blood.
Yang Kai had already been prepared for this and with a wave of his hand, he redirected the arrow of blood to the side towards Zhu Qing as he shouted, “Young Lady Qing, if you’d please!”
Although Zhu Qing did not receive prior notice, her reaction was extremely fast. She opened her mouth and blew out a small jet of flame which incinerated the blood arrow and insect in an instant.
She could not help rolling her eyes after this little incident. Yang Kai must have learnt that she was a Fire Dragon after seeing her Dragon Blood a few days ago, and decided to push the cleanup of these insects onto her.
Gui Zu made a deep sigh of relief after the insect was driven away, feeling like his body was much more relaxed, leaping up joyously.
“Fifth Sister, your turn!” Ai Ou looked at Chi Yue as he gestured.
Since it was certain that Yang Kai could drive out the insect, there was no risk anymore; therefore, they did not need to fight to be the first anymore and started to give precedence to the others.
Nevertheless, Chi Yue’s face turned slightly red, “You all go first, Senior Hua and I will be the last.”
Ai Ou was stunned, but soon he understood and did not say anything more, pushing Gu Cang Yun over to Yang Kai.
After the first trial, Yang Kai became more familiar with the procedure.
In just a short time, Gu Cang Yun and Ai Ou were freed from the insects in their bodies.
“We will wait for you outside.” After Ai Ou said so, he walked out with the others. Everyone understood very well, and left quickly, even Zhu Qing also left obediently at Ying Fei’s signal.
Hua Qing Si and Chi Yue were left alone in the room with Yang Kai.
“I’ll go first.” Hua Qing Si smiled with pursed lips before she sat down cross-legged in front of Yang Kai.
“Close your eyes!” Yang Kai ordered.
Hua Qing Si glared at him with a look that said ‘how advantageous for you’, but still slowly closed her eyes.
Everyone saw the process of Yang Kai expelling the insects just now. He had to point and tap on one’s body with his finger, moreover, he had to touch such a sensitive part like the chest. It did not matter to men, but the two women, Hua Qing Si and Chi Yue, would be quite a bit more uncomfortable with it, and naturally did not want to be seen by the others.
But there was no other way. The Heart-Strangling Insect was, as its name implied, specialized in damaging the heart, so it hid in one’s chest. Yang Kai was helpless to do otherwise.
Yang Kai proceeded with the same method, and soon Hua Qing Si spat out a blood arrow.
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and grabbed the blood arrow before pushing his Emperor Qi fiercely for a moment, using quite a bit more effort than Zhu Qing required to finally kill the insect.
Hua Qing Si straightened up and glanced at Yang Kai with a smile, then pushed the door to leave with a meaningful look.
Knowing that this process was inevitable, Chi Yue could not help sighing before she sat in front of Yang Kai and warned uncomfortably, “Yang Boy, don’t get any stray thoughts.”
Yang Kai felt awkward and quickly explained, “How can I? Senior, don’t be ridiculous. Although I can proceed without touching, it would not be safe. This is the only way.”
Chi Yue remarked, “I know! Let’s get this over with.”
She closed her beautiful eyes and put on a look of resignation, though nervousness was clearly etched on her face.
The person before Yang Kai was his mother-in-law; therefore, Yang Kai felt embarrassed for a while at first and did not know where he should start. But in the end, he decided to just brace himself to focus on expelling the insect.
When his finger brushed across Chi Yue’s body, Yang Kai obviously felt her tremble. Her cheeks were flushed red, as if they were burning, and when his finger crossed her chest, the scarlet flush on her face deepened. Her muscles became tense, and the power inside her body started to resist involuntarily.
If Yang Kai’s strength was not far above her own, the delicate thread of power he was using would have been easily suppressed by her. If that happened, it could lead to serious complications, or worse, a severe backlash.
After going through a lot of hardship though, the insect was finally expelled out of Chi Yue’s body.
Chi Yue got up and turned around to leave quickly, but when she reached the door, she suddenly turned around and warned solemnly, “Never tell Qing Luo about this.”
“En, en, en!” Yang Kai nodded endlessly, “I’ll die before I talk!”
But soon, he regained his senses and thought to himself, [I only removed the insect for her and didn’t do anything that can be considered offensive. Why does it have to be so secretive?]
Yang Kai was frozen in place for a long time before he shook his head and stood up.
Now that the necessary matters had been settled, it was time to take a look at the couple dozen Emperor Realm Masters, because he could not just keep them confined in the Mountains and Rivers Bell forever.
With a flicker, Yang Kai came to the battlefield from a few days ago.
No one was here, but the surrounding structures were all levelled, leaving only an ancient bell.
With a single thought, Yang Kai summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell back to him. From a giant house size, it rapidly shrunk until it fit in the palm of his hand.
Twenty or so Emperor Realm Masters walked out anxiously from where the Mountains and Rivers Bell had originally sat in the next moment. Some of these people looked unwell, and from their auras, it was apparent that they were somewhat injured, all of them soon sitting down cross-legged to heal their injuries with anxious looks on their faces.
Yang Kai glanced around at the injured Emperor Realm Masters and asked curiously, “What happened?”
He remembered clearly that these people were fine when they were confined in the Mountains and Rivers Bell, so why were they injured now after a few days? Could there have been a fight inside?
“Young Master Yang!”
“Senior Yang!”
All the Emperor Realm Masters were surprised and delighted at the renewed sight of daylight. They saw Yang Kai when they turned around, and saluted him with their fists cupped. Although they had no clue how much younger Yang Kai was than them, and Yang Kai didn’t have an outwardly high cultivation, no one dared to disrespect him based on his performance a few days ago.
The beautiful woman who said she was a friend of Xia Sheng flew to Yang Kai, and greeted elegantly, “Greetings, this Mistress is Hua Yu Lu.”
Yang Kai nodded, and questioned, “How did they get hurt?”
Hua Yu Lu chuckled with a charming expression as she whispered, “The few of them were a bit too anxious and wanted to get out, but their strength was insufficient, so…”
“En…” Yang Kai understood the situation.
Anyone would feel uneasy after being confined in a cramped space for many days. Moreover, they had no idea how Yang Kai would handle them once everything ended. Therefore, they naturally wanted to find a way to escape ahead of time, but the Mountains and Rivers Bell was an Ancient Exotic Artifact after all, so how could people like them break through it? Their injuries were probably the results of their own attacks being reflected back to them by the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Hua Yu Lu looked left and right and saw that there were no other people around. Instead, traces of battle could be seen everywhere. Then, she looked back at Yang Kai, and saw that his aura was steady and did not bear any of the signs of serious injuries, so she asked in amazement, “Young Master Yang, where is Elder Tan?”
Everyone turned to Yang Kai curiously, because they wanted to know the answer to this question too. Previously when they were confined in the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Yang Kai and Tan Jun Hao had shed all pretence of cordiality and were definitely prepared to fight each other to the death; but they did not know what happened outside as they were isolated in the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Seeing that Yang Kai was safe now, they could not help having an unbelievable thought. Was Elder Tan forced to flee?
How could that be? Tan Jun Hao was a Star Soul Palace Elder, and also possessed an outstanding Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. Even if Yang Kai was far stronger than his cultivation would suggest, he should still be no match for Tan Jun Hao, not to mention the latter had arranged a nested Spirit Array, giving him a distinct advantage.
“Old Dog Tan was both vicious and cruel. He hid behind the banner of Star Soul Palace while soiling its noble reputation. He was supposed to be an Elder of Star Soul Palace but was actually a festering disease. This shame of the Southern Territory was executed by this Young Master on the spot.” Yang Kai laughed out loud and applauded himself, “Congratulations, congratulations!”
Everyone was dumbstruck and stared at Yang Kai with their eyes widened speechlessly.
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “What’s wrong? You don’t believe this Young Master’s words?”
Everyone was taken aback when they saw the trace of anger etched on his face and quickly explained that they dared not. In fact, it was not that they did not believe him, but that this outcome was just too unimaginable.
If Tan Jun Hao was standing in front of them now and declared that he had killed Yang Kai, it would be believable, but now it was actually Yang Kai who stood here alive, while Tan Jun Hao had disappeared.
Furthermore… There was nothing to be congratulated on. After all, Tan Jun Hao was still an Elder of Star Soul Palace, one of only a handful of such characters. It was Heaven shaking news that he died here. Everyone present would be involved if Star Soul Palace investigated this matter.
Although they were Emperor Realm Masters, they were still afraid of facing the inquiry of a giant like Star Soul Palace.
Hua Yu Lun forced a smile, her previous charming looks turning somewhat strained as she asked carefully, “Young Master Yang, was Elder Tan really… killed by you?”
“Yes, I killed him, why would I have to lie to you all? Not just him, Wu Ming is dead too,” Yang Kai answered without the slightest hesitation.
Only then did the crowd believe him.
After all, it really wasn’t necessary to lie about this because killing a Star Soul Palace Elder was not something worth lying about. Doing this would only bring great trouble to Yang Kai. Yang Kai did not seem like a fool, so why would he make trouble for himself unnecessarily?
At that moment, all of them felt even more awe.
How strong was this young man before them that he could kill a Star Soul Palace Elder? Did this mean that, in this world, only Great Emperors could subdue him?
“Young Master Yang, killing Elder Tan will make things complicated now,” Hua Yu Lu frowned and revealed a worried look. No matter what Tan Jun Hao had done before, his status still remained. Now that he was killed by Yang Kai, Star Soul Palace would definitely not just let the matter drop.
“Senior Yang, this has nothing to do with us. We had no idea what happened after.”
“Yes, yes, Senior Yang, we don’t have any intention of fighting with Star Soul Palace.”
“We just came here for the auction. We know nothing else!”
A bunch of Emperor Realm Masters clamoured as if they had encountered a disaster and were scrambling to escape.
Yang Kai certainly knew what they were distressed about and sneered in his heart. If he did not kill Tan Jun Hao, none of these people would have lived to tell the tale. As a Star Soul Palace Elder, if he was exposed for controlling so many Emperor Realm Masters with Heart-Strangling Insects, Star Soul Palace would never tolerate him. Therefore, Tan Jun Hao would definitely silence all the witnesses to his crimes and then frame Yang Kai for the murder.
By then, he would become a great hero for avenging so many innocent Emperor Realm Masters from the Southern Territory.
But it was funny that these people could not wait to get rid of their relationship with Yang Kai, completely ignoring or even being utterly unaware of the life-saving grace they owed him.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not need their gratitude. He had long learnt the fickleness of this world, so how could he still expect them to thank him?
“Young Master Yang, you must quickly leave. The farther you go, the better. At the very least, you cannot remain in the Southern Territory anymore.” Hua Yu Lu quietly sent Yang Kai a Divine Sense transmission, “You should retreat to the Northern Territory. I’ve heard that there is a Restricted Area there called the Frozen Earth in the far north that even Great Emperors don’t dare to enter casually. If there is any place in this world where you can live, that would be it.”
Yang Kai glanced at Hua Yu Lu with some surprise, not having expected her to be somewhat different from others. At least she showed some genuine concern for his wellbeing.
“It’s not a problem!” Yang Kai beamed before turning around and shouting, “Silence!”
The clamouring Emperor Realm Masters immediately shut their mouths.
Yang Kai continued with a deep voice, “Don’t worry, this Young Master will bear all the responsibility for his actions here. I was the one who killed Tan Jun Hao, so if anyone from Star Soul Palace comes to investigate in the future, you need not hide anything. Just tell them the truth, and you won’t be involved.”
Everyone was overjoyed at his words.
“Senior Yang is virtuous! This Old Master respects you greatly!”
“Many thanks, Senior Yang. If that day comes, we will report the whole truth.”
“Of course. That old thing Tan Jun Hao’s death isn’t worth pitying. Senior Yang has done Star Soul Palace a favour by cleaning him up for them.”
Hearing that Yang Kai was willing to bear all the responsibility, everyone felt relieved and started to smile, their worries evaporating.
“Cease your needless flattery,” Yang Kai snorted coldly, “This Young Master has saved you all this time, but he won’t ask for any repayment. Instead, this Young Master has but one small request!”
“Please say it, Senior Yang. We will do our utmost to fulfil any request you have!” An old man cupped his fists.
Everyone knew that it was not an exaggeration for Yang Kai to say that he had saved all their lives, but Yang Kai’s straightforwardness put many of them in an embarrassing situation, making them feel that they were ungrateful towards him.
“Tan Jun Hao is dead, and Star Soul Palace will definitely investigate this matter. If they come to you, I hope that everyone can report everything that happened that day in detail, especially about the Heart-Strangling Insects!”
Everyone nodded, “Of course.”
Hua Yu Lu replied too, “Young Master Yang, don’t worry. Even if you didn’t make this request, we certainly wouldn’t conceal anything. As a Star Soul Palace Elder, Tan Jun Hao actually harboured such wicked intentions, plotting against all of us. If Young Master Yang hadn’t appeared to turn the tide, we would all have died. Life-saving graces should be repaid with our lives. If anyone dares to distort the truth and defames you, we will be the first to condemn him.”
“Indeed.” The crowd shouted, a sense of unity apparent amongst them.
“Very good,” Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fists, “Then I shall be troubling everyone.”
“Think nothing of it.”
At this point, everyone also understood that as long as everyone testified honestly, Star Soul Palace would not do anything to Yang Kai or to them even if they really investigated this incident.
After all, it was Tan Jun Hao who committed heinous crimes against all of them. As a Star Soul Palace Elder, rather than defending the honour and reputation of Star Soul Palace, he enslaved so many Emperor Realm Masters through malicious methods instead. He deserved his death.
Perhaps, Star Soul Palace might even thank Yang Kai for it.
But of course, Star Soul Palace would not act so obviously. How Star Soul Palace was going to handle this matter, in the end, was all up to them, so there was no point in them worrying over something they had no control of.
“Good! You may all leave then,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Everyone was elated, cupped their fists one after another, then turned around and prepared to leave. Although Yang Kai did not mean to make things difficult for them, this young man was too violent and killed people like killing flies, so none of them felt secure around him. It was better for them to stay away, otherwise, they might get caught up in another disaster.
“Senior Sister Hua, please stay!” Yang Kai suddenly stopped Hua Yu Lu.
Hua Yu Lu smiled at the interesting title he called her and asked, “Young Master Yang, what else can I help you with?”
Yang Kai replied, “Since you are a friend of Senior Brother Xia Sheng, then you are my friend too. I will help you drive out the Heart-Strangling Insect so you don’t have to worry about it in the future.”
Hua Yu Lu’s jaw dropped slightly as she covered her red lips with her slender and fair hand in pleasant surprise.
She had been worrying that although she narrowly escaped this calamity, there would still be a Heart-Strangling Insect lurking in her body. She had been planning to search for a way to expel it after she returned to her Sect; however, she had never heard of it before and had no clue about the way to get rid of it.
Nevertheless, she did not expect that Yang Kai would offer her a hand when she was in need.
[How sweet of him…]
*Shua Shua Shua…*
The other Emperor Realm Masters who were about to leave suddenly froze. Whipping their heads around, their ears perked up, and one of them flew back swiftly, landing in front of Yang Kai with a flattering smile, “Senior Yang, did you just say… you can drive out the Heart-Strangling Insects?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Yang Kai looked at him solemnly, and shook his head like a rattle.
The man turned anxious, and pressed on, “Senior Yang, I, I-I heard it clearly that you wanted to help Palace Master Hua to drive out the Heart-Strangling Insect.”
Yang Kai turned to Hua Yu Lu, and asked curiously, “Did I say that?”
Hua Yu Li had no idea what Yang Kai was planning, so it was hard for her to find the right answer. As such, she just smiled and said nothing, keeping everyone hanging.
“Everyone must have heard it too,” The man swung his hand across the crowd, and the other Emperor Realm Masters nodded one after another.
They all had sharp senses; therefore, they heard clearly despite Yang Kai’s voice not being loud.
“Senior Yang, you can’t be biased! If you really have a method to expel it, please help us too!” The man begged.
It was natural that anyone would feel insecure about having an insect inside their body. Even though Tan Jun Hao was dead, no one knew if the insects remaining in their bodies would cause them any harm in the future, or worse, would suddenly become active and kill them.
Now that they heard that Yang Kai could expel it, everyone was like a drowning man who caught a life-saving straw, refusing to let go no matter what.
Yang Kai sighed heavily, and put on a helpless face, “Good, I did say that just now. I have a way to drive out the Heart-Strangling Insects!”
“Really?” Everyone was overjoyed, turned back one after another and landed in front of Yang Kai eagerly.
Previously, they could not wait to leave, but now they probably would not leave even if Yang Kai wanted to chase them away.
“Heart-Strangling Insects are ranked first on the Earth List of the Exotic Insect Record. It is as brutal as it is vicious, even an Emperor Realm Master will not be able to easily get rid of it after being infested. If one ignores it for a long time, it will slowly devour the heart veins, consuming the Blood Essence of the heart. Tsk tsk, by that time, it would be beyond saving, beyond saving.”
Although it was uncertain if Yang Kai was exaggerating, everyone’s face still turned pale and their hearts began pounding.
During their isolation, everyone had tried to expel the Heart-Strangling Insect with their Emperor Qi. Everything was still fine if they did not disturb it, but once they touched it, the insect would begin drilling into their heart veins. As such, they now had to be extremely careful while pushing their Emperor Qi so as not to disturb the insect, much less trying to expel it.
“Fortunately… This Young Master happens to know a way to expel this thing,” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
“Young Master Yang, please save us!”
Everyone quickly bowed and begged Yang Kai for help.
Yang Kai’s face darkened and asked coldly, “Why should I help you? Give me a reason!”
Everyone was stunned speechless. After listening to Yang Kai’s long speech, it showed that he was at least well informed about the Heart-Strangling Insect and even seemed to have the intention to help them, so the sudden change of his attitude caught everyone off guard.
However, on second thought, there was nothing wrong with it. Yang Kai was neither friend nor relative to them, and he did not seem like the kind, charitable type, so why should he save them for no reason at all?
Yang Kai pressed on, “Previously, you and Tan Jun Hao fought against this Young Master. If it weren’t for this Young Master’s capabilities, I would have been killed by all of you. However, I have always been magnanimous. I knew that you all were being coerced, so I did not hold grudges against any of you, even going so far as to use my Emperor Artifact to protect all of you so you could avoid being controlled by Tan Jun Hao. It is already exceedingly generous for this Young Master to not ask you to repay his saving grace, but now you also want this Young Master to help you expel these Heart-Strangling Insects? Isn’t that too much?”
Everyone looked ashamed and had nothing to say.
Although Yang Kai’s speech was like a knife stabbing into their pride, everyone could not refute him as it was the truth.
It was true that they fought against Yang Kai before, and were also saved by Yang Kai later. Now, they still wanted Yang Kai to expel these insects for them. Wasn’t this the definition of being insatiable?
For a moment, everyone glanced around awkwardly.
Hua Yu Lu’s eyes flashed at that moment as she smiled and responded in a gentle voice, “Young Master Yang, everyone here is a Sect Master or Patriarch of a big Sect or Family in the Southern Territory. If these Heart-Strangling Insects are not expelled and were triggered in the future, everyone’s life would be at stake. By that time, a great number of forces would lose their leaders, and the Southern Territory would be thrown into chaos. Young Master Yang, please be kind-hearted and help them.”
She finally understood what Yang Kai was plotting.
If he truly did not want to expel the insects for these people, he would not have stopped her and said those words out loud just now. He clearly wanted to tell everyone about his ability, but he did not want to make it too obvious by openly saying ‘come and beg me.’
The reason Yang Kai was acting like this was that he did not want to do things without benefits.
Hua Yu Lu was incredibly sharp, so she quickly understood what Yang Kai was up to and secretly decided to add fuel to the flames and cooperate with him.
“Palace Master Hua is right. Senior Yang, please help us!” Yang Kai’s intention did not matter to the people, they only knew that right now they had to plead sincerely.
Among the twenty or so Emperor Realm Masters here, only Hua Yu Lu had a little friendship with Yang Kai, so her willingness to plead for them naturally made them feel grateful.
Yang Kai looked like he was in a dilemma, but he actually gave Hua Yu Lu a big thumbs up in his heart. He was thinking that this woman was not just beautiful but intelligent too. He wondered what kind of relationship she had with Xia Sheng, but he knew he shouldn’t let Xia Sheng know about how he would be treating her later to remove the Heart-Strangling Insect.
Seeing that Yang Kai’s attitude was not as firm as before, everyone realized that there was hope, and they pressed on with begging, like a flock of quacking ducks.
“Good, good!” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop their clamour, frowning slightly, “It’s true that I can get rid of the insects inside of you, but the effort required is not small. Moreover, given there are so many of you here who need help, this Young Master will need to sacrifice a large amount of his Blood Essence to finish the task. After today, I’m afraid I will not be able to fight at full strength for three… no, five years!”
Yang Kai was exaggerating, and no one really believed him; however, they did not dare to refute him. For now, they could only listen to whatever he said and follow his lead.
Yang Kai looked sideways at the crowd, and questioned, “Since I have to make such a great sacrifice, you can’t just let me work for nothing, right?”
He finally made his point after beating around the bush for so long, causing Hua Yu Lu to cover her mouth and turn away as she laughed secretly.
Everyone wiped the cold sweat on their foreheads as one of them asked carefully, “Then what do you want, Senior Yang?”
“What can you offer?” Yang Kai asked back.
Hua Yu Lu immediately went forward, took out a Space Ring, and presented it with both hands, “Young Master Yang, this is the twelve million High-Rank Source Crystals that this Mistress prepared for the auction. If Young Master Yang doesn’t mind, this is the compensation I can offer you for expelling the Heart-Strangling Insect.”
“This…” Yang Kai replied with an embarrassed look on his face, “Senior Sister Hua, you misunderstood me. This Young Master didn’t mean to force you to return his kindness!”
Everyone’s face darkened at his words, secretly feeling disgusted. It was clear that Yang Kai wanted to extort them here when he asked them what they could offer him, but now he was actually shameless enough to say that he did not want them to return his kindness.
Hua Yu Lu smiled gently, “This Mistress definitely knows that Young Master Yang is kindhearted and righteous, but this Mistress has nothing else to thank you for your favour, and given your strength, I’m afraid treasures are nothing to you. If Young Master Yang doesn’t want these Source Crystals, this Mistress… can only use her body as compensation.”
As she spoke, a pink hue appeared on her cheeks as she averted her eyes shyly, as if she was about to cry.
Yang Kai’s face froze stiff for a moment before he hurriedly grabbed the Space Ring from Hua Yu Lu and remarked, “Since Senior Sister Hua insists, it would be impolite if I refused. Aha…haha…”
Hua Yu Lu immediately glared at him with a resentful look.
Yang Kai continued solemnly, “I cannot be disturbed while expelling the Heart-Strangling Insect. Elder Sister Hua, follow me.”
After that, he circulated his Emperor Qi and flew towards an intact room nearby, with Hua Yu Lu following closely behind.
“Senior Yang, what about us?” Someone shouted from behind.
“Just wait!”
After entering the room, Yang Kai sealed it, then found a place to sit cross-legged, pointed in front of him, and spoke to Hua Yu Lu, “Sit!”
Hua Yu Lu nodded lightly and landed in front of Yang Kai with a flicker.
Yang Kai handed the Space Ring in his hand back to Hua Yu Lu and smiled, “Many thanks for your assistance this time, Senior Sister Hua.”
Without her cooperation, things would not have progressed so smoothly. Although the Emperor Realm Masters were forced to, they had still been enemies with him earlier; therefore, even though Yang Kai didn’t plan on killing them, he also wouldn’t let them off easily, ultimately settling for extortion. After all, they were all here for the auction, so which one of them did not have ten or twenty million High-Rank Source Crystals?
What surprised him was that Hua Yu Lu was so cooperative.
Him accepting her ring earlier was just an act. Yang Kai definitely did not covet her Source Crystals.
Hua Yu Lu glanced at the Space Ring but did not take it right away, instead saying with a faint smile, “If Young Master Yang doesn’t want Source Crystals, does that mean he really wants this Mistress to give herself to him?” Hua Yu Lu sighed, “This Mistress doesn’t mind, but I’m afraid that Young Master Yang wouldn’t fancy this Mistress’s impure body…”
She suddenly became depressed while speaking.
Yang Kai could not stand it as he secretly thought that this woman was a really great actor. If she continued to persuade, perhaps he would really fall into adultery. He hurriedly wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and forced a smile, “Senior Sister Hua, it’s a misunderstanding. You’ve helped me again and again, so how could I have bad intentions towards you? I only have gratitude in my heart.”
Hua Yu Lu’s eyes watered slightly as she muttered, “Young Master Yang really does mind this Mistress’ unclean body? Never mind, a dragon-like Young Master Yang must be surrounded by many beautiful women, so it’s impossible for him to take a liking to this Mistress…”
“Enough nonsense,” Yang Kai sighed heavily and looked helpless.
Only then did Hua Yu Lu chuckle and reply with a smile, “Okay, I’ll stop the teasing here.”
She found this all incredibly interesting. When Yang Kai showed off his strength a few days ago, he was like a fierce beast that would lash out and devour any who challenged him. It was frightening, and no one dared to even meet eyes with him, but today, she realized that apart from his mercilessness, this young man was actually an interesting fellow.
After putting away her Space Ring, Hua Yu Lu continued, “Then, many thanks, Young Master Yang.”
Twelve million High-Rank Source Crystals was a great amount of wealth for her Sect, so if Yang Kai really accepted it, her disciples would have a problem cultivating soon.
“Young Master Yang, please tell this Mistress what to do.” After she had her fun, Hua Yu Lu’s face immediately became serious.
“Just relax,” Yang Kai replied, “There may be some discomfort and awkwardness later. I only ask Senior Sister Hua to not take offence.”
Hua Yu Lu looked at him curiously, but she did not ask anything, instead just gently closing her eyes and relaxing her mind as Yang Kai instructed.
Yang Kai immediately started the procedure.
A short time later, Hua Yu Lu opened her mouth and spat out a blood arrow.
When Hua Yu Lu reopened her eyes, they were slightly misty and her cheeks were flushed red. Even her fair white neck had been dyed a faint shade of crimson.
She did not expect that Yang Kai’s so-called discomfort and awkwardness would be a result of him touching her on the sensitive parts of her chest. The strength and the heat that penetrated from his fingertip as he guided a strange kind of energy through her body made her feel unbearably shy. If she had not just tested him earlier, Hua Yu Lu would really have thought that Yang Kai was a lecher, using this situation to take advantage of her.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai showed no obscene intentions towards her despite her previous temptations, so it was impossible for him to take advantage of her in this way.
“Is it done?” Hua Yu Lu asked.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded.
Hua Yu Lu was surprised. Previously, when Yang Kai mentioned that it would require much effort on his part to expel the insect, she thought that it would be a troublesome and lengthy procedure, but it only took him a few dozen breaths of time, and Yang Kai did not seem to have consumed any strength at all.
“Young Master Yang, this business is really profitable,” Hua Yu Lu was extremely impressed. Considering that there were twenty or so Emperor Realm Masters waiting for his treatment, Yang Kai could earn two to three hundred million, or even more High-Rank Source Crystals this time.
This was an outright robbery.
“It’s just a small fuss to collect some hard-earned fees,” Yang Kai grinned, and raised his hand and gestured, “Senior Sister Hua, please call the next person in. Ask them to follow proper order. This Young Master will not give face to those who try to jump the queue.”
“Understood.” Hua Yu Lu stood up, thanked him, turned around and walked towards the door; however, after a few steps, she turned to Yang Kai and remarked, “If Young Master Yang is free in the future, please be sure to come to my Hundred Flowers Palace to be my guest. You will have Senior Sister’s warmest welcome.”
The Hundred Flowers Palace! It was Yang Kai’s first-time hearing about it, but that was normal because there were many Sects in the Southern Territory. On the contrary, he had seen many Hundred Flowers Pavilions. It seemed that every city in the Southern Territory had a Hundred Flowers Pavilion. As for what went on inside those pavilions… tsk tsk…
After sending Hua Yu Lu off, Yang Kai sat in place and pondered for a moment before he suddenly lifted his hand and hammered his chest.
*Pu…*
A mouthful of blood spewed out, and Yang Kai suddenly appeared withered, as if he just fought a great battle.
A man pushed the door and entered with a flattering smile, but just as he was about to speak, he saw Yang Kai’s appearance and asked in shock, “Senior Yang, what… what happened to you?”
Yang Kai replied weakly, “Nothing. Sit down and I’ll help you to drive out the insect.”
The man was delighted, but he was still a little worried, “Do you want to take a rest first? This one can wait.”
Young Kai was fine earlier, but now he had coughed up blood and looked dispirited. It was obvious just how much it cost him a lot to expel these insects.
“It’s fine. I asked you to sit, so just sit.” Yang Kai waved his hand, “You will not be at ease with the insect inside your body. It’s better to get rid of it as soon as possible.”
After hearing this, the man immediately thanked him with immense gratitude and obediently offered his Space Ring with over ten million High-Rank Source Crystals. Yang Kai stored it before carrying out the treatment.
…..
Half a day later, Yang Kai reappeared in his previous room with a flicker, looking high spirited, his face ruddy, nothing like his feeble earlier self.
Everyone was waiting.
Seeing his arrival, they all approached him.
Yang Kai swept his eyes across them, eventually landing on Ye Hen, “Sect Master Ye, what is your plan now?”
Ye Hen sighed, “Return to Thousand Leaves Sect and make further plans later.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded.
Although Thousand Leaves Sect had been destroyed, it was the home of Ye Hen and the others after all. They had been imprisoned for more than one year, and now that they had regained their freedom, it was natural for them to go back and have a look at what remained, not to mention that there were still hundreds of surviving disciples waiting in Emperor Heaven Valley.
“Monster King and I will give you all a ride. Moreover, I have something to discuss with Sect Master Ye.”
“Then we shall have to trouble Senior Yang and Sir Monster King.” Ye Hen revealed a grateful face, thinking that Yang Kai was purposely escorting them. With these two escorts, there was no need to worry about any danger along the way.
They immediately departed, leaving Flowing Shadow City, speeding South.
“Yang Kai, I have something to talk to you about.” Halfway through the journey, Zhu Qing suddenly sent him a Divine Sense transmission.
The Dragon Girl had been following Yang Kai, but he had no idea what her purpose was. Since she did not seem to hold malice towards him and it felt inappropriate to chase her away, Yang Kai did not stop her from doing as she pleased.
“What?” Yang Kai turned and looked at her.
Zhu Qing stopped flying and stood where she was.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow slightly but gestured for Ying Fei and the rest to continue while he stayed behind.
When everyone had left earshot, Yang Kai asked, “What is so important that you have to act so mysteriously?”
Zhu Qing replied, “Are you not worried about killing an Elder of Star Soul Palace?”
Yang Kai beamed, “Are you worried for me?”
Zhu Qing curled her lips, “We aren’t that close, so what does it matter to me whether you live or die?”
“Then why do you ask?” Yang Kai stared at her with great interest.
Zhu Qing looked a little uncomfortable, looking away while responding, “No matter what sins that Star Soul Palace Elder committed, his status remains. Now that you’ve killed him, I’m afraid that Star Soul Palace won’t let this go easily. Furthermore, this matter involves many complicated factors and many people, so you can’t hide even if you want to. Star Soul Palace will definitely find you.”
“I didn’t plan to hide.” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
The main reason why he did not kill the twenty or so remaining Emperor Realm Masters was that he wanted them to give testimony to facilitate the investigation of the Masters from Star Soul Palace. Otherwise, if those people really died, it would come down to Yang Kai’s word against Tan Jun Hao’s, and the one who held less credibility in that situation was obvious.
Now though, with testimony from over twenty Emperor Realm Masters, even if Star Soul Palace really investigated this incident, they would not blame Yang Kai.
Of course, he had no choice if they wanted to cover the whole thing up.
“Are you not worried at all?” Zhu Qing turned back to Yang Kai, as if she could not believe him, and wanted to check if there were any insincere traces on his face.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “People like us live in a constant swirl of gratitude and grudge, if I have to worry about this and worry about that, what would the purpose of living be?”
Zhu Qing stared at him in shock, not knowing what to say.
After a period of silence, she continued, “I still suggest you find a place to hide for a while.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Someone told me something similar before.”
Hua Yu Lu had advised him to hide in the Frozen Earth, the Forbidden Zone in the Northern Territory. Now, Zhu Qing gave him similar advice.
“Star Soul Palace is a Great Emperor Sect after all. If Bright Moon Great Emperor really wanted to find trouble with me, I’m afraid there would be no place in the vast Star Boundary where I would be safe. No, I won’t hide, I won’t!” Yang Kai waved his hand continuously.
“How could there be no place to take shelter?” Zhu Qing smiled slyly, “I know of a place in this world where you can hide. Even the Bright Moon Great Emperor would not be able to make trouble with you there.”
“Let me guess, Dragon Island?” Yang Kai looked sideways at her.
Zhu Qing nodded, “Yes, Dragon Island.”
“Tsk, tsk…” Yang Kai clicked his tongue, stroking his chin as he suddenly began circling around Zhu Qing.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Qing felt uncomfortable with his wandering eyes moving over her, involuntarily gripping her dress.
“I’m just curious…” Yang Kai stood in front of her and grinned, “You’ve been trying to lead me to Dragon Island again and again. What are your real intentions?”
Yang Kai did not care that much last time because she did not make it too obvious in asking him to go to Dragon Island, but this time, when she mentioned it again, Yang Kai started to sense something was off.
Could she have wanted to persuade him to go to Dragon Island so that her brothers and sisters could team up to beat him up together because she could not do it herself?
Sure enough, there was nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart!
“What intentions could I have!?” Zhu Qing blinked her eyes a few times but quickly shifted her gaze away from Yang Kai’s. Her obvious actions, however, only convinced Yang Kai even more of his doubts.
“Maybe…” Yang Kai furrowed his brow and postulated, “Maybe you fell so deeply in love with me that you want to abduct me and take me back to Dragon Island to have your way with me!”
“You… you…!” Zhu Qing’s nostrils flared, she had never seen such a shameless man before.
Yang Kai laughed out loud, turned around and flew after Ying Fei and the rest.
“Wait!” Zhu Qing was anxious and confused. How come the method taught by her Elder didn’t work at all? She thought that Yang Kai would be grateful for her invitation and follow her to Dragon Island to avoid the coming troubles, but she did not expect that this guy did not take the killing of a Star Soul Palace Elder seriously at all.
It seemed she had a long way to go before she could complete her task.
……
Thousand Leaves Sect, a blasted wasteland full of ruins everywhere.
Hovering above this land, Ye Hen and the rest looked down with deeply aggrieved faces, unable to utter a single word to express their despair.
After a short while, everyone reached the hidden valley and Yang Kai activated the Space Array to connect to Emperor Heaven Valley.
Ye Hen burst into tears upon reuniting with the hundreds of surviving disciples. He felt that he had disappointed the high hopes of his ancestors, and could not help blaming himself. Of all the foundational pillars of the Sect, only Emperor Heaven Valley was left intact. Even with the nine Heaven Grade puppets in his hands, Ye Hen was at a loss about how to rebuild his Sect.
Yang Kai wandered around Emperor Heaven Valley while Zhu Qing followed after him like a shadow, one he could not shake off. She would advise him to go to Dragon Island from time to time, which was now truly annoying Yang Kai.
If it were not because she did not mean any harm to him, Yang Kai would have long knocked her out and then done this and that to her!
“You keep wandering around, what are you actually looking for?” Zhu Qing followed Yang Kai for half a day, covering the whole of Emperor Heaven Valley several times, and finally could not help asking.
“While men are working, women should be silent!” Yang Kai ignored her as he focused his sight on the mountain valley before nodding lightly.
Zhu Qing’s face turned white with anger. She stomped her foot, turned around, and flew off, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
“Such a fiery temper,” Yang Kai glanced at her back and chuckled.
He then released his Divine Sense, and located Ye Hen. With a fluctuation of Space Principles, Yang Kai instantly emerged next to Ye Hen.
“Senior Yang!” Ye Hen hurriedly got up.
Yang Kai waved his hand lightly, gesturing for him to remain seated. Then, he spoke, “Sect Master Ye, have you finished thinking about your future plans?”
Ye Hen let out a long sigh, he replied, “It’s complicated. I don’t know where to start. But after this encounter, this Ye is clear about one thing.”
“I would like to hear about it!” Yang Kai looked at him intently.
“An ordinary man is innocent, but his treasures make him guilty!” Ye Hen remarked bitterly, “Although our Thousand Leaves Sect has nine Heaven Grade puppets, unfortunately there is no Emperor Realm Master in the Sect, so we cannot even bring out the full potential of our Heaven Grade puppets. Even though this Ye wishes for nothing more than to rebuild Thousand Leaves Sect, given our current manpower and situation, I’m afraid that it would only bring us another disaster.”
Yang Kai nodded, “So, is Sect Master Ye planning to improve his strength first?”
Ye Hen answered, “I do have this plan. Fortunately, the World Energy in Emperor Heaven Valley is rich, so given three to five years, this Ye should be able to break through to the Emperor Realm. When that time comes, I should have enough power to protect the sect.”
Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Sect Master Ye has thought things out well.” After a pause, Yang Kai pressed on, “But I have another suggestion. I wonder if Sect Master Ye is willing to consider it.”
“This Ye owes Senior Yang a life-saving grace, and Thousand Leaves Sect is in eternal gratitude towards your kindness. Just speak your mind, this Ye will listen.” Ye Hen said seriously.
Yang Kai smiled, “Emperor Heaven Valley is indeed a good place. You don’t need to worry about living here as it is perfectly safe. The World Energy here is not bad and is very suitable for cultivating; however, this place is too small and it’s difficult to come and go. Sect Master Ye has the determination to break through to the Emperor Realm, so it is fine for you to seclude yourself here for the necessary three to five years, but how would the disciples sustain themselves?”
Those five hundred disciples had different strengths, and if they were really trapped here for three to five years, it could produce some unwanted effects like heart demons.
Ye Hen sighed, “Do you think this Ye is not aware of this? But where else can we go now?”
Yang Kai replied, “What if I can provide Sect Master Ye with a better destination?”
“A better destination?” Ye Hen was bewildered.
Yang Kai stretched his arms and explained, “There is a place a thousand times bigger than this, where the World Energy is also far richer. Not to mention five hundred people, it could fit even fifty thousand people comfortably. There are many vacant Spirit Peaks that no one would compete with you for as well. If Sect Master Ye goes there, you won’t need three to five years, just one or two years will be enough to break through to the Emperor Realm.”
Ye Hen’s eyes lit up when he heard this proposal. According to Yang Kai’s description, the scenery of magnificent mountains and rivers slowly unfolded before his eyes.
But soon, he gave a wry smile and said, “If there is such a treasured land, it must be occupied by huge Sects already. Thousand Leaves Sect would never have a chance to stay there.”
Yang Kai smiled in reply, “Sect Master Ye is right. This paradise was indeed occupied by a huge Sect before, but that Sect has recently been exterminated.”
“Oh?” Ye Hen was shocked, “May I ask Senior Yang, where is this place?”
“The Northern Territory’s Seeking Passion Sect!”
Ye Hen frowned and pondered for a moment before his face abruptly changed and exclaimed, “You mean ‘that’ Seeking Passion Sect?!”
Judging from his look, Ye Hen has obviously heard of Seeking Passion Sect. This wasn’t a surprise though as Seeking Passion Sect was a top Sect in the Northern Territory. There was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master assuming command of this Sect, so its status was comparable to Azure Sun Temple in the Southern Territory. It also had many cultivation paradises comparable to similarly powerful Sects, far more than Thousand Leaves Sect at least.
“Indeed!”
“Seeking Passion Sect was destroyed. By who?” Ye Hen was horrified. It was hard to imagine such a behemoth being destroyed. In comparison, Thousand Leaves Sect was also destroyed, but five hundred of its disciples and Emperor Heaven Valley remained. By Yang Kai’s tone, Seeking Passion Sect seemed to have been completely wiped out, otherwise, how could they abandon their Sect’s headquarters?
As soon as the words were spoken, Ye Hen seemed to recall something and asked shockingly, “Could it be that Senior Yang…”
Although the Seeking Passion Sect had a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master overseeing it, Yang Kai was someone who could kill even a Star Soul Palace Elder, and there was a Monster King following him… Wiping out the Seeking Passion Sect did not seem impossible.
This thought shocked Ye Hen as he did not expect the gentle and warm-hearted young man to be so cruel as to destroy an entire Sect.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully but did not deny, “I have founded High Heaven Palace where the Seeking Passion Sect once stood, so its former lands are now mine. If Sect Master Ye wants to, he can settle there temporarily. There’s no need to worry about security issues either as I have commissioned a Spirit Array Grandmaster to rebuild and improve the Sect Defending Array.”
Ye Hen’s heart pounded in awe of Yang Kai.
How old was Yang Kai? Yet he actually occupied the former site of a top Sect in the Northern Territory and even established a Sect!
He thought of himself, who could not even protect the inheritance of his ancestors, and felt incomparable next to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai continued, “Although I founded High Heaven Palace, there are only a few people in the Sect, so this treasured land is basically empty now. In any case, it was going to remain unoccupied for some time, so if Sect Master Ye sees fit, he can bring his disciples to settle there.”
Ye Hen asked curiously, “If I may ask, Senior Yang, how many people are there now in your noble Sect?”
Yang Kai gave a dry laugh and raised three fingers.
“Three thousand? En, truly not many,” Ye Hen was stunned. With a foundation as big as Seeking Passion Sect’s, three thousand disciples were really nothing. There would surely be many vacant Spirit Peaks. Even the Thousand Leaves Sect had more than three thousand disciplines before it was destroyed.
“No… not three thousand,” Yang Kai awkwardly said.
“Three hundred?” Ye Hen was stunned again. On second thought, it made sense. Even if Yang Kai really just founded High Heaven Palace, it was impossible to recruit so many disciples in a short time. The acceptance of disciples into a new Sect would require careful screening. It was impossible to accept just anyone. Even if there were only three hundred disciples though, these three hundred people were surely talents worthy of praise.
Yang Kai fell speechless for a moment, before opening his mouth with difficulty, “Not three hundred either.”
“Uh…” Ye Hen was startled and hesitated, “Could it be…”
“There are only three people for the time being,” Yang Kai laughed awkwardly.
Ye Hen could not believe his ears. Only three disciples were occupying such a vast piece of land? How blessed were those three disciples? They could consume all that rich World Energy in those mountains and rivers, and access any cultivation paradise at will. Their cultivations would definitely rise rapidly!
“Although it’s three people, they’re actually just Honoured Guest Elders. There isn’t even one disciple for the time being.”
“Three Honoured Guest Elders? What cultivations do they have?” Ye Hen was flabbergasted.
Yang Kai looked to the side and stretched out his finger, “Monster King Ying Fei is one of them, as for the remaining two… they are also Monster Kings like him, but I asked them to stay there to keep watch over the Sect, so they didn’t follow us here!”
Ye Hen gasped as he hesitated before asking, “Two more… Monster Kings?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
Ye Hen was stunned, as if someone hit him over the head with a hammer.
He thought that it was already a great advantage that Yang Kai had a Monster King by his side, but he did not expect him to actually have three Monster Kings! A newly established Sect that did not even have a single disciple already had three Monster Kings as Honoured Guest Elders instead! What a majestic heritage this was! Many top Sects were simply incomparable!
Ye Hen could foresee that given time, this High Heaven Palace would surely become the top Sect among all top Sects in the entire Star Boundary.
No wonder Yang Kai said that there was no need to worry about security issues. There was already a powerful Sect Defending Array and two Monster Kings standing guard, who would dare offend them?
At the same time, Ye Hen was extremely excited. Compared to Emperor Heaven Valley, High Heaven Palace was undoubtedly more suitable for them. Its excellent cultivation environment alone was already incomparable to Emperor Heaven Valley.
Although Emperor Heaven Valley was good, it was quite small. If five hundred disciples cultivated here, their efficiency would definitely drop, and if he wanted to break through to the Emperor Realm…
However, as a Sect Master, Ye Hen needed to consider a lot of things, so even though his heart was moved, he did not immediately agree.
After hesitating for a long time, Ye Hen sighed and said, “Thousand Leaves Sect has over ten thousand years of inheritance, but it was suppressed so greatly under the management of this Ye. This Ye does not want to be a sinner, nor can he let the inheritance of Thousand Leaves Sect be cut off in his hands. I…”
Yang Kai smiled, “I understand what Sect Master Ye is worried about. I didn’t mean to absorb your Sect into High Heaven Palace, so please don’t worry about this issue. Thousand Leaves Sect remains Thousand Leaves Sect. Feel at ease and recover in High Heaven Palace Sect, then return to rebuild Thousand Leaves Sect whenever you feel ready. I will never try to stop you.”
The reason Ye Hen hesitated was because he was worried that Yang Kai wanted to annex Thousand Leaves Sect. Although Yang Kai had done many great favours for the Thousand Leaves Sect, if it was really annexed, the Thousand Leaves Sect would truly be destroyed. There would be no Thousand Leaves Sect in the future.
As a Sect Master, his mission was to revitalize Thousand Leaves Sect and make it prosper, so how could Ye Hen bear seeing it end?
“This…” Ye Hen was startled when he heard these words, and immediately felt ashamed, “This Ye was being overly suspicious and pessimistic.”
As he thought about it, if Yang Kai really wanted to absorb the Thousand Leaves Sect, he could just subdue it directly by force. He would have to surrender whether he wanted to or not, so why bother even negotiating in the first place?
“Sect Master Ye has his own considerations, I understand.” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Since Senior Yang is being so generous, then it would be impolite for this Ye and Thousand Leaves Sect to refuse. We will always remember your great kindness.” Ye Hen bowed to him, “It’s just that the distance to the Northern Territory is quite far, how are we going to get there?”
“I have my own arrangements.”
When things were finalized, Yang Kai immediately began arranging a Space Array in the middle of the mountain valley.
The first reason for moving the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect to High Heaven Palace was to add some population to the currently empty Sect. Secondly, Yang Kai was very interested in Thousand Leaves Sect’s Puppet Arts. One would not be so petty after receiving another’s kindness. Thousand Leaves Sect would definitely not be too stingy with its knowledge in High Heaven Palace over time, and that would be equivalent to adding much knowledge of the Puppet Dao to the Sect. In the future, when Yang Kai’s friends and family came from Shadowed Star, they would have an extra layer of protection. Puppet Arts were perfect for those from Shadowed Star, who were not personally very strong yet.
Thirdly, Yang Kai wanted to use this Emperor Heaven Valley as a transit station for his Space Arrays.
Emperor Heaven Valley was originally an independent small world, and after the connecting Space Array was destroyed, no one except Yang Kai could open it. Emperor Heaven Valley was the perfect place to set up a Cross-Territory Space Array as it was absolutely safe and there was no need to worry about it being destroyed.
Yang Kai still had some remaining Space Spirit Crystal and Space Spirit Jade, just enough to arrange one Cross-Territory Space Array.
After less than half a day of bustling about, a brand-new Space Array appeared in the mountain valley.
Zhu Qing had been observing him silently and was shocked to discover that Yang Kai was so accomplished in the Dao of Space.
Ye Hen also took advantage of this time to inform the five hundred disciples of his decision. Naturally, no one opposed anything. On the contrary, many were eager at the news that they were going to the Northern Territory. For people like them, they might not be able to go to the Northern Territory in their lifetime by just relying on their own skills. It was natural for them to be curious about going to the Northern Territory, a place billions of kilometres away.
As soon as everything was prepared, Yang Kai ordered Ying Fei to leave first, then arranged the five hundred disciples from Thousand Leaves Sect to take turns passing through the Space Array.
Each activation of the Space Array consumed a lot of Source Crystals, and could at most transmit twenty to thirty people at a time.
The migration alone cost Yang Kai nearly a hundred thousand High-Rank Source Crystals, making Ye Hen feel quite distressed.
More than five hundred people were transported quickly, with Yang Kai being the last to jump onto the Space Array. Just when he steadied himself, a fragrance reached his nose as Zhu Qing landed gently beside him.
Annoyed, Yang Kai asked, “When are you going to stop following me? How about we part ways now? Go back to our own home and find your own mother.”
Zhu Qing looked at him seriously, and questioned, “Will you go to Dragon Island?”
“Scram!” Yang Kai was triggered by the two words ‘Dragon Island’.
“Is this how you talk to your friend?” Zhu Qing snapped back.
“If you mention those two words again, we won’t be friends anymore!” Yang Kai snorted and continued menacingly, “You better be careful, or I’ll exile you to the Void Crack during the teleportation, and you will never find your way out again in this life!”
Zhu Qing’s face changed abruptly and she grabbed Yang Kai’s arm, holding onto it so tightly that she did not even notice her twin peaks pressing onto his arm.
“I won’t be able to hold on with you being so close to me!” Yang Kai turned his head and looked at her, remarking solemnly, “I don’t know why, but every time you’re close to me, I get some uncontrollable urges.”
“Stop messing around!” Zhu Qing felt a little uncomfortable and slightly backed off from Yang Kai.
“Have it your way!” Yang Kai replied angrily and activated the Space Array. Following a flash of light, both of them instantly disappeared from where they stood.
“Young Master Yang!”
“Young Master Yang!”
Just when his vision was restored, two familiar voices reached his ears. Yang Kai looked up and saw that it was Xie Wu Wei and Xi Lei, the two Monster Kings who stayed behind to guard the house. After a few months of separation, the two Monster Kings were excited to see Yang Kai again. They exchanged looks, and there was some trace of competition in their gazes.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “You two have worked hard.”
“Not at all, not at all. It’s nothing, we just had to watch over the Sect. As long as it’s Young Master Yang’s order, it doesn’t matter how mundane the task is.” Xi Lei grinned widely.
Xie Wu Wei immediately patted his shoulder, “Since you like acting as a guard so much, this important task will be handed over to you permanently. If Young Master Yang goes out again, I’ll be the one to accompany him.”
Xi Lei fumed with his face warping, “Bullshit. It’s my turn next time!”
Xie Wu Wei smirked, “You lost in our drinking contest last time. Are you not going to keep your word?”
Xi Lei laughed out loud, “How can the words of a drunk be taken seriously?”
“As a Monster King, how can you break your promise?” Xie Wu Wei snorted coldly.
“Fight me if you wish!” Xi Lei puffed up his chest, revealing his strong muscles.
Yang Kai sighed and stepped down from the Space Array, walking past the bickering couple and arriving in front of Ye Hen with a smile, “Sect Master Ye, what do you think about this place?”
At this moment, Ye Hen was lost in astonishment. He took deep breaths to feel the richness of the World Energy here and could hardly believe that he was standing on this treasured land. Furthermore, what surprised him even more was that he travelled here through a Cross-Territory Space Array. He was still in the Southern Territory a moment ago, but in the next instant, he was in the Northern Territory.
“Good, extremely good. There is no better place than here.” Ye Hen praised sincerely.
It was worthy of being the foundation of a top Sect. If the common places in the Sect already had such rich World Energy, the density in the dedicated cultivation areas and Spirit Peaks must be unimaginable. It was at a whole new level compared to Thousand Leaves Sect.
No wonder those disciples of the great Sects could improve so rapidly. With such an excellent environment, there was no doubt that they could cultivate twice as fast with half the effort.
The five hundred Thousand Leaves Sect disciples were overjoyed too. If they did not have to care about their manners, they would be jumping and cheering wildly. Nevertheless, the happiness etched on their faces was unmistakable.
Seeing this scene, Ye Hen slightly sighed in his heart. There was a saying, ‘it is easy to change frugality to luxury, but difficult to change from luxury to frugality’. If the disciples were allowed to cultivate in this place for a few years, Ye Hen really worried how many of them would be willing to follow him back to rebuild Thousand Leaves Sect one day.
But soon, his face turned serious as he shook off such thoughts. Now was not the right time to think about such things as his priority was to improve his cultivation as fast as possible to reach the Emperor Realm!
It was only possible to rebuild Thousand Leaves Sect when his strength reached the Emperor Realm. Otherwise, everything was just empty talk.
“There are many Spirit Peaks here, so Sect Master Ye can choose anywhere to stay. As for your noble Sect’s disciples, you may make arrangements freely for them. Besides a few Restricted Areas in the Sect that were covered by the Spirit Arrays, they are free to go anywhere.” Yang Kai stated.
“Many thanks, Senior Yang.” Ye Hen bowed deeply.
Yang Kai nodded. After that, he went over to Chi Yue and his other Seniors, looking at them with a smile as he opened his arms and shouted, “Everyone, from now on, this is your home in the Star Boundary!”
Chi Yue and the rest were different from those from Thousand Leaves Sect. They all came from the same Star Field and had deep relationships with Yang Kai, and since the latter founded High Heaven Palace in order to give the people from his native land a home here, Chi Yue and his Seniors naturally counted among them.
“Sect Master is capable!” Gui Zu cackled.
Gu Cang Yu quipped, “I think you should address him as ‘Palace Master’ now.”
Gui Zu nodded in agreement. Even though High Heaven Sect and High Heaven Palace were only one character different, they were completely separate entities. The scale of the latter undoubtedly could not be compared to the former.
Chi Yue turned her head to look around and muttered emotionally, “If Qing Luo could also come here to cultivate…”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “I have been looking for ways to return, but there are no clues yet. If I can return to the Star Field one day, I will definitely bring all of them here.”
Ai Ou patted Yang Kai’s shoulder and acknowledged in a deep voice, “It must not be easy for you.”
Yang Kai had been on his own for almost the entire time since he arrived in the Star Boundary, but after just a few years, he actually managed to obtain such a paradise. Despite his delight, Ai Ou knew that there must have been a lot of hardships and grievances getting to this place. Moreover, even though Yang Kai’s strength and status were much different than before, he had not forgotten his roots.
Ai Ou was extremely satisfied with this son-in-law.
“Don’t just stand here, go and find a place to live too,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“Let’s go, follow this Old Master to see how big our new home is!” Gui Zu shouted then immediately turned into a wisp of Ghost Qi and flew forward with the rest following closely behind excitedly.
Although Ye Hen had been a gracious host to them when they stayed in Thousand Leaves Sect, they were still just guests under another’s roof. But now, it was different as High Heaven Palace was their own home, giving them a great sense of belonging.
Ye Hen cupped his fists and remarked, “Senior Yang, then this Ye will take these little brats to look for a place too.”
“At your will, Sect Master Ye.” Yang Kai smiled faintly.
Hundreds of people left at once in exuberance.
The Seeking Passion Sect was a vast place, and it would take them at least several days to pick out an appropriate place to stay.
Yang Kai darted his sight to the side and questioned, “Sister Hua, don’t you want to take a look around too?”
Hua Qing Si smiled lightly, “No, I’ll just find a quiet place to live later.”
She was born in Star Soul Palace, so she was used to such an environment and naturally did not react with the same exuberance as Gui Zu, Ye Hen, and the others did.
Yang Kai blinked a few times before he asked seriously, “What are you worried about? Star Soul Palace? Or do you blame me for killing Tan Jun Hao?”
Hua Qing Si glanced at him, and shook her head, “Honoured Master… No, that man chose to die, I don’t blame you for that. Even if Star Soul Palace really investigates, I don’t believe they will blame you. It’s just …”
“Just what?”
“I’m still a Star Soul Palace disciple after all. Now that I’ve followed you to the Northern Territory, I have essentially abandoned my own Sect,” Hua Qing Si laughed at herself with a bitter face.
Yang Kai asked back curiously, “You haven’t done anything to wrong Star Soul Palace, so how could this be considered abandoning?”
Hua Qing Si reached out her finger to tap his forehead, smiling faintly, “Good good, let’s not talk about this further. In any case, I’m a member of your High Heaven Palace now. If Star Soul Palace really comes for me in the future…”
“I’ll help you to beat them back. No one can snatch my people, not even Star Soul Palace!” Yang Kai remarked heroically.
Hua Qing Si nodded with satisfaction and continued with a smile, “Since I’ve already joined your ship, I’ll find a place to live.”
Saying so, she flew away with a flicker.
Yang Kai stared at the spot where she was for a while, then slightly shook his head and turned to Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei, “Anything happen lately?”
Xi Lei scratched his cheek and looked at Xie Wu Wei.
The latter cupped his fists, “Reporting to Young Master Yang, nothing important happened recently. Many cultivators visited the Sect’s gates every day, wanting to join High Heaven Palace, but we ignored them all. Other than that, Lady Ji Yao came here twice, but left both times after seeing that you weren’t here. She also reminded us to inform you to go to Ice Heart Valley when you come back. It seems that something is going on there.”
“Understood.” Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “Then I’ll go and take a look.
Having said so, he moved back to the Space Array.
Zhu Qing followed Yang Kai silently.
Yang Kai looked sideways at her, “Do you want to follow me again? Are you some kind of boot-licking lackey?”
Zhu Qing replied calmly, “Either you promise to come with me, or I will follow you.”
Yang Kai looked at her with a stressed face, “What did I do to you that you have to torture me like this? I’m warning you not to go too far, otherwise, I will not be polite with you!”
Xi Lei’s eyes widened as soon as he heard this before he grinned and rolled up his sleeves, “Young Master Yang, you may leave this girl in my hands. I promise I will beat her until her mother doesn’t recognize her!”
“Good, good, good!” Yang Kai was delighted and gave a thumbs up to Xi Lei, “Old Rhino, if you can handle her, this Young Master will reward you with glory, wealth, and honour!”
Xi Lei burst into laughter, “How hard could it be?”
While laughing, he pushed his Monster Qi wildly and slammed his big palm towards Zhu Qing. His aggressive posture did not show the slightest compassion despite his target being a delicate-looking woman.
Zhu Qing’s face turned icy cold and glared at Xi Lei with her beautiful eyes.
Despite being from the supreme Dragon Clan, she had to tolerate Yang Kai’s nonsense because he bore the Ancestral Dragon Source in him. But now, even a mere Monster King dared to challenge her. At that moment, all the grievances she suffered from Yang Kai exploded out in an instant.
She clenched her delicate fist and met Xi Lei’s palm strike with it.
Xi Lei frowned deeply. Although he mentioned that he wanted to beat Zhu Qing until her mother could not recognize her, he could see that Yang Kai and she did not seem to be enemies. Therefore, he knew that he could not really be ruthless with her, otherwise, Yang Kai might punish him if he killed this little girl.
He was a Monster King covered in bronze skin and iron bones, possessing boundless power. Even an ordinary Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would not dare fight with him head-on, while this little girl was so petite that she did not seem to have any significant strength at all.
Seeing that she was about to meet his palm with her fist, Xi Lei dared not use his full strength and hurriedly retracted some of his strength, grinning as he tried to advise, “Little girl, your hair is not fully grown yet but you still dare to act strong here? Let this King show you…”
*Peng… *
The fist met the palm.
Before Xi Lei could finish his sentence, he was sent flying like a sac and slammed into a mountain thousands of metres away, forming a big crater where he landed.
Zhu Qing remained where she was, standing steadily on the Space Array with a calm face, as if she had just swatted away a fly rather than a Monster King.
She turned her beautiful eyes to Xie Wu Wei, challenging, “Do you want to teach me a lesson too?”
Xie Wu Wei shook his head like a rattle as sweat trickled down his forehead.
“Two Sirs, have a nice trip!” Ying Fei bowed with a smile.
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead as he glanced helplessly at Zhu Qing, only then did he activate the Space Array and teleport away.
After a while, Xie Wu Wei poked Ying Fei with lingering fear, and asked carefully, “That girl… Who is she?”
Even a Monster King could not have the strength to send Ying Fei flying with just a punch in a head-on clash, let alone a Human. Could she be a Divine Spirit?
Ying Fei moved his lips, gently spitting out two words.
Xie Wu Wei was instantly dumbstruck.
…..
It was cold and snowy.
Just when Yang Kai appeared in Ice Heart Valley, he was welcomed by someone’s buttocks who was perched on the base of the Space Array, fully concentrating on studying something and mumbling to himself continuously, completely unaware of the two people behind him.
Who else but Nanmen Da Jun could it be? Ice Heart Valley was composed entirely of women, so Yang Kai recognized the familiar back of this old man immediately.
Yang Kai frowned as he listened for a while, but he could not understand what Nanmen Da Jun was mumbling about, so he could not help but ask, “What are you doing?”
“Be quiet! Be quiet!” Nanmen Da Jun bellowed without even looking back, refusing to be distracted from his task.
But soon, he seemed to have realized something and swiftly stood up and turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai almost jumped when their eyes met. Hair completely covered Nanmen Da Jun’s face and he looked almost insane with his bloodshot eyes.
On the contrary, Nanmen Da Jun was feeling delighted and immediately jumped forward while shouting, “Grandmaster Yang, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
“Waiting for me?” Yang Kai was surprised, “What for?”
Nanmen Da Jun replied enthusiastically, “Why to discuss the Dao of Spirit Arrays with me! Let’s find a place to have a nice chat!”
“What can I chat with you about!?” Yang Kai rolled his eyes.
Nanmen Da Jun’s face turned solemn, “Grandmaster Yang, please don’t say that. The Dao of Spirit Arrays is broad and profound, and mastering it is a long journey. As the saying goes, ‘stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one.’ It’s good for both of us to learn from each other.”
“But I don’t want to.”
Nanmen Da Jun was stunned.
Yang Kai looked at the Space Array on the ground, and asked lightly, “You didn’t learn anything from studying this Space Array, right?”
Nanmen Da Jun blushed shyly and shook his head, “How is that possible? Although this array is impressive, I have learned its structure and the principles of its operation. It won’t be long before I can crack it and attempt to replicate it!”
“Good, then you keep trying!” Yang Kai patted him on the shoulder before turning around to leave.
“Wait, wait…” Nanmen Da Jun grabbed Yang Kai’s clothes.
“Let go!” Yang Kai looked back and glared at him.
Nanmen Da Jun stared bitterly at him and lowered his head, “Grandmaster Yang has sharp eyes. About this Space Array… I really couldn’t learn much from it. Please… please enlighten me, Grandmaster Yang!”
“Let go first!” Yang Kai eyed the wrinkled fabric of his robe that was grabbed by Nanmen Da Jun.
Only then did Nanmen Da Jun let go of his clothes and smiled flatteringly, but he maintained a pouncing posture so that he could grasp Yang Kai at any time, as if he was afraid that Yang Kai would run away.
Yang Kai dusted his wrinkled robes and looked sideways at him, “Do you want to learn?”
Nanmen Da Jun nodded fiercely, like a chicken pecking the rice, and his eyes twinkled with a thirst for knowledge.
“I can teach you,” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
Nanmen Da Jun’s face turned solemn immediately, adjusting his clothes and bowing deeply, “Please accept my respects, Grandmaster Yang!”
“But what can you give me in return?” Yang Kai asked back.
Nanmen Da Jun smiled wryly, “What do you want? I have a lot of Source Crystals…”
“I have a lot of Source Crystals too,” Yang Kai scorned.
“Then… I can exchange another Spirit Array with you. I have some Spirit Arrays that were inherited from Ancient Times. They are profound and powerful…”
“Not interested!”
Nanmen Da Jun put on a long face, and asked, “Then what do you want?”
Yang Kai touched his chin and mused, “My High Heaven Palace has just been founded and I happen to lack a Chief Array Master…”
After hearing this, Nanmen Da Jun’s face changed drastically and he shook his head repeatedly, “Impossible. I am used to roaming freely, and I’m afraid that I would bring trouble to Grandmaster Yang and your noble Sect if I joined…”
“Then forget it.” Before he could finish, Yang Kai turned around and left.
“Grandmaster Yang, Grandmaster Yang, let’s talk about this!” Nanmen Da Jun attempted to grab Yang Kai’s clothes again.
“Feel free to consider my offer, I won’t force you,” With a flicker, Yang Kai ran far away. Although both of them were First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, Nanmen Da Jun majored in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so it was natural that he could not catch up with Yang Kai.
Seeing Yang Kai disappear from sight, Nanmen Da Jun could not help stomping his foot, feeling annoyed.
Inside Ice Heart Valley, beautiful young women and girls lingered everywhere. Although Ice Heart Valley suffered a great disaster last time, they became more united than ever once the crisis passed. Wherever Yang Kai went, he saw female disciples cultivating and exchanging pointers with each other to improve their strength.
After seeing Yang Kai, all of them would stop and salute respectfully though, greeting him as Senior Yang.
All of them seemed to recognize Yang Kai; but that wasn’t a surprise as it was Yang Kai who strove to turn the tide and saved Ice Heart Valley from the disaster of destruction. Although many of the disciples had not seen Yang Kai’s true face before, they had seen plenty of images of him.
Sure enough, he was really a young and handsome figure. Therefore, these young ladies could not keep their eyes off of him.
Some of them were even more daring as they actually coquettishly flirted with Yang Kai with their eyes, making him sweat a little to himself.
Ice Heart Valley was indeed a good place, but it was all women here and lacked any male presence. Many disciples lived in the valley since very young and had never stepped foot out of the valley, never even seeing what a man looked like.
Yang Kai thought he could arrange for a few marriages with Ice Heart Valley when High Heaven Palace became stronger in the future. This bevvy of women from Ice Heart Valley was a bit pitiful to never know the love of a man.
[Not a bad idea, I believe Senior Bing Yun will not reject it; after all, Ice Heart Valley did not forbid their disciples to marry, only insisting that they were not Ice Heart Valley disciples anymore after marriage.]
When he walked to the nave of a certain palace corridor, a figure flashed in front of him. A cold-looking woman suddenly appeared before Yang Kai and nodded slightly at him, “When did you return?”
“Just now. I heard that you were looking for me?” Yang Kai looked at Ji Yao and asked.
“Honoured Master is the one looking for you.” After that remark, Ji Yao’s eyes went towards the shadow behind Yang Kai, wondering, “This is…”
She saw that even though Zhu Qing was petite, she had an astonishing figure and her face was even more breathtaking. At that moment, she could not help comparing herself with Zhu Qing.
Yang Kai actually brought back such a stunning woman after going out for only a few months, and they seemed to be quite close, otherwise, why would he bring her to Ice Heart Valley?
For some reason, Ji Yao felt angry about it.
“Don’t pay her any mind!” Yang Kai was too lazy to even introduce Zhu Qing to Ji Yao, not to mention the identity of this Dragon Girl was really too alarming to openly discuss.
Ji Yao glanced at Yang Kai, narrowed her eyes for a moment, then spat in a cold tone lacking all her previous warmth, “Come with me.”
He was now even too lazy to introduce this woman to her. Why did he become so distant after a few months? Was it because he no longer thought about her?
She turned around and led the way.
Yang Kai quickly caught up and asked, “How have you been recently?”
Ji Yao replied coldly, “Everything is fine.”
Yang Kai was puzzled by the cold treatment he received and scratched his head, deciding to just shut up lest he cause himself trouble.
When they arrived in front of a grand palace, Yang Kai stopped, and looked back at Zhu Qing, “Wait here, Senior Bing Yun and I have something to talk about.”
Zhu Qing looked at him doubtfully, “Will you take this opportunity to run away?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I didn’t do anything wrong, why should I run away?”
Zhu Qing nodded lightly and stood there quietly.
Ji Yao glanced at their interaction and grimaced.
After entering the main hall, Yang Kai saw Bing Yun with a few of her disciples by her side, all of them seemingly discussing something.
Yang Kai went forward to salute her.
But before he could bow, Bing Yun smiled lightly and said, “Don’t be so polite, you’re not an outsider. Have a seat!”
Yang Kai sat down on the side and asked about Liu Xian Yun. He was relieved to learn that she had been cultivating in seclusion as she prepared to break through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
Although Liu Xian Yun came to the Star Boundary from the Grand Desolation Star Field, she had gone through many ups and downs and life or death situations with Yang Kai, so they shared a rather close friendship. Furthermore, it was Yang Kai who recommended her to Ice Heart Valley, so it was natural that he would pay more attention to her.
Then again, Liu Xian Yun was a cultivator who came from the Lower Star Fields and had outstanding talent, so as long as she was provided enough cultivation resources, it was almost a certainty for her to break through to the Emperor Realm. Whether it was for their friendship with Yang Kai, or simply for Liu Xian Yun’s own excellent aptitude, Ice Heart Valley would spare no effort to train her.
“Did you manage to return to the Southern Territory?” Bing Yun asked, remembering that when Yang Kai left last time, he mentioned that he was going back to the Southern Territory.
“Yeah, I just returned.”
Ji Yao came over with a cup of tea, plopped it in front of Yang Kai, and said coldly, “And he also brought back a woman. Senior Brother, don’t you want to invite her in and introduce her to Honoured Master? Maybe we will be seeing her more frequently in the future.”
Bing Yun looked at Ji Yao with some shock while the latter’s Senior and Junior Sisters also stared at her with puzzlement, wondering why Ji Yao released such a strong sense of hostility all over her body.
Quickly, they all released their Divine Senses and indeed found a woman standing outside the palace.
Bing Yun spoke, “Any visitor is our guest. Yang Kai, how can you let her stay alone outside?”
“Senior, don’t worry about her, that woman is very annoying.” Yang Kai could not explain clearly in just a few words.
Ji Yao pressed on, “Senior Brother must have done something bad to her and is now afraid to confront her.”
“I’m afraid of her?” Yang Kai was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, its fur spiking up in irritation, “What a joke!”
Ji Yao glared at Yang Kai, “Does that mean that Senior Brother really did something bad to her?”
“No, don’t talk nonsense,” Yang Kai blushed and quickly picked up his cup and drank the tea to hide his embarrassment.
An Ruo Yun and the others observed his expression from the side, then exchanged looks with each other and nodded lightly, as if they discovered something.
Ji Yao sneered, “So, it’s true.” Then, she turned solemn again, “Senior Brother, if you abandoned a woman after toying with her, I would never talk to you again.”
Yang Kai spewed out a mouthful of tea and cried out helplessly, “I did no such thing! Yao’er, why are you acting so strange today?”
Ji Yao ignored him and turned her back on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai put down his teacup, speechless. He had no idea how to deal with the situation, so he immediately turned to Bing Yun in an attempt to change the topic, “Senior, why were you looking for me?”
Bing Yun nodded, “Do you know the two top Sects, Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace?”
“I think I have heard of them.” Yang Kai frowned and thought for a while, then he clapped his hands, “Are they Northern Territory Sects?”
He had not been active in the Northern Territory for very long, and the scope of his activities was not large, so he did not know about the Northern Territory as much as he did the Southern Territory, only being familiar with Ice Heart Valley and Seeking Passion Sect.
He could not react at first when he heard about Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace, but on second thought, he quickly recalled that the heritage and strength of these two Sects were on par with the Seeking Passion Sect. They were also top Sects of the Northern Territory, having Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters assuming command.
Yang Kai frowned, “Senior, why did you suddenly mention these two Sects? Is there some issue with them that we must deal with?”
Now that he had established a Sect in the Northern Territory, he would, of course, have dealings with Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace sooner or later as they were at the top of the Northern Territory’s hierarchy. There may even be some competition and friction between them in the future.
These two Sects were different from Ice Heart Valley, which had a deep connection with Yang Kai, so conflict was possible between them.
Bing Yun explained, “In the Star Boundary, the Eastern Territory has the Serene Soul Great Emperor’s Serene Soul Palace, the Southern Territory has the Bright Moon Great Emperor’s Star Soul Palace, and even the Western Territory has the Night Shadow Great Emperor’s Shadow Killer Palace. All the top Sects of those three territories take these Great Emperor Sects as their hegemons and for the most part fall under their command and jurisdiction. Only our Northern Territory has no Great Emperor Sect.”
“Why?” Yang Kai was curious. He did not consider this matter before, but now that he heard Bing Yun mention it, he suddenly realized that it was true.
Bing Yun shook her head, “I don’t know either. Perhaps because many places in the Northern Territory are too cold and do not have as many resources available, so it’s not suitable to establish a grand Sect.” After a pause, she continued, “But even though there is no Great Emperor Sect in our Northern Territory, we still have a Great Emperor here, the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly as he knew about this.
The Wondrous Pill Great Emperor lived in Medicine Pill Valley in the Northern Territory all year round. Now that she mentioned him, Yang Kai remembered that he had obtained the inheritance of Gong Sun Mu before, who was the Third Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. If not for this fortuitous encounter, Yang Kai would not be familiar with the herbs and pills of the Star Boundary. It was precisely because he obtained the jade slip from Gong Sun Mu with all kinds of information that Yang Kai’s advancement on the Alchemic Dao had been so smooth and rapid.
However, at that time when he got the inheritance, a seal that was set by Gong Sun Mu was implanted into his body. In order to remove the seal, he had to reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm within a hundred years or pay a visit to the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor to have it dispersed.
The reason Gong Sun Mu did so was that he wanted Yang Kai to bring a message to the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, one that contained Gong Sun Mu’s regrets and repentance, while also asking for the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s forgiveness and Gong Sun Mu’s hopes to be taken back as his disciple.
The seal had not caused any harm to Yang Kai for many years, so he had stopped caring about it at some point. In any case, there was still a long time before a hundred years would pass, and Yang Kai was also confident that he could reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm within that time.
Therefore, there was no need for him to bother the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
Bing Yun continued, “Over the years, the four top Sects in the Northern Territory have been maintaining a delicate balance. Although Ice Heart Valley had been suppressed when this Queen went missing, our Sect still managed to survive until now; however, the balance has been broken now.”
Without a doubt, the balance was broken due to the annihilation of Seeking Passion Sect.
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “And so?”
Bing Yun chuckled, “It matters not to our Ice Heart Valley. Seeking Passion Sect deserved its fate since the day it chose to take up arms against Ice Heart Valley, but Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace will likely take issue with this new reality.”
Yang Kai wore a vicious look as he asked, “Are they looking for trouble?”
Bing Yun snook her head and explained, “Since you can exterminate Seeking Passion Sect, then you can exterminate Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace too. It’s normal for them to worry.”
“What do they want to do then? Join hands against me?”
Bing Yun laughed, “Without lips, teeth turn cold. It’s normal for people to huddle together in a storm to keep warm. The two Sects have been getting close to each other lately, so perhaps they will begin taking some action soon.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Aren’t they worried that I really will exterminate them?”
Bing Yun warned solemnly, “Birds die for food, people die for wealth. You destroyed Seeking Passion Sect and plundered tens of thousands of years of foundation. It’s only natural that everyone would be jealous. But it may not necessarily be like that, perhaps they are just uniting to deter you, lest you should become ambitious and attempt to dominate the Northern Territory.”
“I don’t have such ambitions,” Yang Kai shook his head. He kept the foundation of Seeking Passion Sect for the sake of the people in his native Star Field. Since when did he think of dominating the Northern Territory? Without the prestige of a Great Emperor, it was impossible to achieve such a thing.
Bing Yun summoned Yang Kai with the intention purely to warn him about this. Seeing that he had his own plans though, she naturally did not press the issue.
Yang Kai suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “Did those two Sects work with the Seeking Passion Sect to harm Ice Heart Valley last time?”
Bing Yun looked at him and questioned in return, “What do you think?”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding. Even if those Sects did not work with Seeking Passion Sect directly, they had certainly been adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes. If not, how could Seeking Passion Sect recruit so many helpers in such a short time? Perhaps, some of the recruits were disciples of those two Sects.
[Damn it, I wouldn’t have let them all go if I knew this earlier. I should have interrogated them first.]
Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace were top Sects in the Northern Territory, and they should have a lot of wealth stashed away.
Whether it was openly or secretly, it was perfectly normal to have strife between big Sects. They obviously did not care about the balance since they chose to help the Seeking Passion Sect in destroying Ice Heart Valley, and now they were worried because Yang Kai had occupied the territory of the Seeking Passion Sect and demonstrated such strong capability.
[Just don’t disturb me. If you two dare to disturb me, I will show no mercy.] Yang Kai secretly declared.
After staying in Ice Heart Valley for a while, Yang Kai bid farewell and left.
Ji Yao did not respond to him when he said goodbye, which depressed him somewhat, for he had no idea how he had offended her.
Snow was falling outside the hall, and Zhu Qing did not use her strength to shield herself, resulting in her being covered in snow. Furthermore, there was an ugly snowman as tall as a man beside her.
“You’ve been standing here all this time?” Yang Kai looked at her curiously. Even though he told her to wait for him, he did not ask her to just stand there.
Zhu Qing did not answer, but pointed at the ugly snowman next to her, “This is you!”
“You mean you!” Yang Kai rolled his eyes and kicked the snowman to pieces before he left with his hands clasped behind his back.
Zhu Qing immediately caught up with him.
Upon returning to the Space Array on the Ice Lake Island, they saw Nanmen Da Jun still waiting there with a hesitant look.
Yang Kai retorted, “Be decisive like a man, or you will never achieve true success!”
Nanmen Da Jun rebuked, “I’m an Array Grandmaster of the generation. How could you insult me like this!?”
Yang Kai sneered, and pointed at the Space Array, “If you can arrange one, I will admit that you are an Array Grandmaster!”
Nanmen Da Jun immediately shut up, his face turning red.
Yang Kai remarked impatiently, “Forget it, our High Heaven Palace doesn’t need a superficial Array Master anyway.” Then, he turned around and stepped onto the Space Array.
Nanmen Da Jun suddenly grabbed his clothes again.
Yang Kai looked back at him and saw that Nanmen Da Jun raised a finger in front of his scarlet face, “Ten years! I will leave High Heaven Palace after ten years!”
Yang Kai snickered, “You’re still bargaining with me?”
“Just ten years! Forget about it if you want more than that.” Nanmen Da Jun looked resolute.
“Good, ten years it is! Come on up!” Yang Kai gestured to him.
Nanmen Da Jun sighed heavily and got on the Space Array, dejected as if he just betrayed himself.
After returning to High Heaven Palace, the three Monster Kings were nowhere to be found.
No one was guarding the Space Array.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could not help frowning. Although the Space Array that he arranged usually would not have any problems and it was also impossible for others to invade the Sect through it, there should still be at least one person guarding here.
[I need a manager for this place.] Several faces floated in Yang Kai’s mind before he quickly made up his mind.
“Find your own place to live.” Yang Kai gave an order to Nanmen Da Jun.
Nanmen Da Jun nodded, “Right, Palace Master, what will my status be in High Heaven Palace?”
“Chief Array Master, didn’t I tell you?” Yang Kai waved his hand, “When you’re free, walk around and check which array needs maintenance or refinement. Act with a free hand.”
“Good, good, good!” Nanmen Da Jun nodded his head vigorously.
Yang Kai then turned around and pointed at Zhu Qing, “You, don’t follow me.”
With a fluctuation of Space Principles, Yang Kai instantly disappeared.
Zhu Qing stomped her foot and scanned around with her Divine Sense, but she could not find Yang Kai.
After reaching the palace of the Main Peak, Yang Kai flashed inside and sat down cross-legged.
Although High Heaven Palace was small in population now, it had become quite famous. More importantly, he had settled the matter regarding the Puppet Dao and Dao of Spirit Arrays, so his friends and family would have no trouble studying these paths when they came in the future. In the long run, this would be of great benefit to the development of High Heaven Palace and the growth of its disciples.
As for the ten-years agreement of Nanmen Da Jun, Yang Kai wasn’t worried about it at all.
No one knew what would happen in ten years. By that time, Nanmen Da Jun may not be able to leave even if he wanted to.
Elated, Yang Kai took out a huge pile of High-Rank Source Crystals from his Space Ring and piled them up beside him. The World Energy in his room surged rapidly. Currently, using Low-Rank or Mid-Rank Source Crystal to cultivate was completely useless to Yang Kai as he was already an Emperor Realm Master, only High-Rank Source Crystals were beneficial to him now.
Yang Kai had more than one billion High-Rank Source Crystals with him though, making him filthy rich, so ordinary cultivation was not even an expense to him anymore.
His body crackled excitedly as his meridians and physique tensed and relaxed. A large amount of World Energy was absorbed into Yang Kai’s body as he circulated his Secret Art and refined it into his own strength.
At the same time, he also took out the Golden Armour Heavenly Book and put some effort into refining it.
The Golden Armour Heavenly Book possessed outstanding power, and if Yang Kai could refine it, it would definitely provide a big boost to his combat strength. With the various abilities of the Heavenly Book, Yang Kai would not be at a disadvantage facing any kind of enemy in the future.
However, this artifact was really difficult to refine, and it would certainly consume a lot of time and effort.
As time passed, a steady stream of World Energy rushed into Yang Kai through his pores and breathing. His Emperor Qi and Spiritual Energy also poured into the Golden Armour Heavenly Book at a steady rate, attempting to leave his Soul Imprint on it.
Yang Kai refined it for three months.
But when he opened his eyes, a trace of helplessness appeared on his face.
The refining progress of the Golden Armour Heavenly Book was pretty good, he had now branded his own Soul Imprint onto this Emperor Artifact and could trigger a few of its abilities, but he still could not control the Golden Armour Heavenly Book with high proficiency like Tan Jun Hao could. Regardless, it gave him some extra cards to handle his enemies.
What dejected him though was in fact his own cultivation.
He had reached the peak of the First-Order Emperor Realm, and clearly felt that he was just a half-step away from the Second-Order, but there seemed to be a giant wall that hindered him from reaching it.
His Emperor Qi was indeed purer and more vigorous after refining millions of High-Rank Source Crystals, but his cultivation remained the same.
He did not feel anxious though, because the biggest taboo in cultivating was rushing.
He was still young and had a lot of time. Compared with those Emperor Realm Masters who had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, his youth gave him a matchless superiority over them.
There was a saying, ‘youth is capital.’ Yang Kai did not lack time, so there was nothing to worry about.
Therefore, he put aside his cultivation temporarily and focused on the management of High Heaven Palace; he was the Palace Master after all. Even though the Sect did not have many disciples yet, there were a few hundred people taking shelter here. As a host, Yang Kai felt he had to do his best to arrange things well for them, so that they came to feel like this place was their home, hopefully to the point where their hearts became tied to this place…
Although he had such intentions, Yang Kai did not know where to start when he really had to take action.
Last time, when he established High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star, he did not place much attention on management as he simply left everything to Ye Xi Yun. He was used to having a competent subordinate who could handle all the administrative matters for him, making him realize just how unsuited he was for this job.
In the end, he decided to visit the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples, thinking he could ask Ye Hen for some advice, seeing as he had experience as a Sect Master.
At this moment, all the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples had taken up residence on one of the Main Peaks with rich World Energy. There were more than a dozen Main Peaks like this in High Heaven Palace, and since they had no idea what the name of this particular peak was, they just called it Thousand Leaves Peak for now. It was just merely a name, so no one really cared about it.
When Yang Kai arrived at this place, he found that everything was in order. None of the five hundred disciples was idling as they were all either cultivating, exchanging pointers, or refining puppets.
As the Eldest Senior Brother, Du Xian was giving lectures in the main square, explaining the key points and essentials of Puppet Arts. A group of Thousand Leaves Sect disciples with low cultivations were mesmerized by his teachings, shaking their heads in awe with their eyes full of worship.
Yang Kai listened for a while, but it was enigmatic to him and he had no idea what Du Xian was talking about.
It was fine that he did not understand though, because many of these people may become High Heaven Palace disciples in the future. [En, this little fat boy who is shaking his head seems to look gifted. He should have his own opinions on Puppet Arts.]
[Let’s wait for him to grow up more, then I shall bribe him with benefits. I don’t believe he won’t accept and bow to me if I spoke to him with reason and compassion. At that time, when he becomes a disciple of High Heaven Palace, I think Ye Hen won’t say anything about it either.]
The voice suddenly stopped, and Du Xian shouted, “Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai was spotted, but since he didn’t hide in the first place, Du Xian wouldn’t think he wanted to steal Puppet Dao secrets from Thousand Leaves Sect. In fact, if Yang Kai had such intentions, he could have just taken away the ancestral records and books when he first activated the Space Array that led to Emperor Heaven Valley.
Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “I’m just looking around, you may continue your work.”
All the disciples turned around, got up together, and saluted respectfully, “Greetings, Senior Yang!”
They had the chance to cultivate here thanks to Yang Kai’s blessing. Knowing that Yang Kai was the owner of this place, how could they be disrespectful to him?
“Sit, sit!” Yang Kai waved his hand and felt rather embarrassed. He felt a little guilty for disturbing their lecture because of his leisure visit.
But since he had come, he also felt he should say something. Therefore, he cleared his throat and asked, “Do you all feel comfortable living here?”
Du Xian replied with a smile, “This is an inspiring place which produces outstanding people, rich in World Energy and resources. How can we not like it here? All of us are completely satisfied.”
All the disciples nodded vigorously with bright smiles on their faces. Compared with the original Thousand Leaves Sect, it was a world of difference. Their efficiency of cultivating here was much higher.
“That’s good to hear,” Yang Kai smiled, “Just make yourselves at home.”
After all, one would not think of leaving if they treated this place as their home…
“If you need anything, find Hua Qing Si. Sister Hua is the Head Manager of our High Heaven Palace, in charge of all affairs.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang!” Du Xian said gratefully, “We will have to trouble Senior Hua in the future then.”
Yang Kai smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
The disciples were excited and marvelled at Yang Kai’s warmth. This person was an Emperor Realm Master, and also a Palace Master, but he did not act haughty at all, even treating their Eldest Senior Brother like his own brother.
The more they looked at him, the more they respected him, and thought that this should be the attitude that an Emperor Realm Master should have. Back then, they always had the impression that Emperor Realm Masters were arrogant and looked down on cultivators below the Emperor Realm like they were ants, bugs that could be crushed at will… Such people were totally unworthy compared to Senior Yang!
“Right!” Du Xian suddenly clapped his hands, and turned to the disciples, “Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, didn’t you always ask this Senior Brother to teach you about his cultivation experiences? It’s not that this Senior Brother doesn’t want to teach you, but this Senior Brother’s strength is poor, and I’m afraid of misleading you. Now that Brother Yang is here, how about we ask Brother Yang to share some of his wisdom with us? Brother Yang is an Emperor Realm Master, and his experiences must be countless times greater than that of this Senior Brother.”
Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment before they shouted yes in unison.
Yang Kai replied stiffly, “But I know nothing about Puppet Arts…”
Du Xian continued with a smile, “Cultivation has nothing to do with puppets. Moreover, stones from other hills could be used to polish a jade here. This Little Brother also wishes to learn from Brother Yang. We hope Brother Yang will not hesitate to give us advice.”
“This…” Yang Kai was a little stunned. Why did he come here in the first place? Why was he suddenly put on the spot like this? Didn’t he just finish establishing a friendly image? If he were to refuse now, wouldn’t his previous efforts be in vain?
“Senior Yang!”
“Senior Yang!”
“Senior Yang!”
The group of Thousand Leaves Sect disciples cheered like a tsunami, their eyes full of expectation and longing.
“Brother Yang, just give us a simple talk.” Du Xian pleaded.
“Alright.” Yang Kai accepted unwillingly, “Then I’ll just say a few words.”
Du Xian was delighted and hurriedly yielded the stage to Yang Kai while he took a seat among the other Thousand Leaves Sect disciples.
Looking at the group of youths with varying cultivations below, Yang Kai could not help feeling a bit nostalgic.
He was once just like them. Along the way, he became stronger step by step, and finally reached the Emperor Realm. However, he was different from them in that he never had a Master Sect, and did not have a Master to teach him. He had fought all alone, risking death many times over. He met various enemies and allies along the way, overcame calamities time after time, enduring great storms until he arrived at this point. He truly lived his own unique style of life.
However… If he had a good mentor or a helpful friend on the path of his growth, he could definitely have avoided many detours.
Who could have anticipated that he would actually stand here today, bearing the title of mentor? No matter how much or how little these younglings benefited from him sharing his experiences today, when they recalled this moment many years later, they would definitely remember that at this wide square in High Heaven Palace, on Thousand Leaves Peak full of grass and trees, he was the one who stood before them and guided their way forward, like a shining beacon in the dark night.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt like he had grown a lot taller!
Initially, he did not know what to say, but he suddenly felt unprecedented clarity in his mind and began, “The reason for cultivators to cultivate through bramble and thistle and risk their lives is for nothing more than two words – Martial Dao!”
“What is the Dao? If there are a hundred parts, the Grand Dao would be fifty, the vast Heavens would be forty-nine. There are three thousand paths of the Grand Dao, each of which winds on infinitely.”
“Some people say that struggle is the Dao, others say that arts are the Dao. Some say that nature, the trees, rivers, and lakes are the Dao, some even claim the ants on the floor are the Dao!”
“If you ask me though, I would say that I am the Dao. Wherever I am, there exists the Dao!”
…..
His voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted to everyone’s ears. It seemed that it contained a profound magic, hypnotizing the listeners involuntarily. Listening to Yang Kai’s voice, it was as if a magnificent scroll with vast paintings slowly unfurled before everyone. Sometimes they would feel palpitations, sometimes ecstasy, and sometimes helplessness.
Standing there, Yang Kai seemed to embody the essence of thousands of cultivators who pursued the Martial Dao and fought one another to build the bright era they lived in and strove to achieve.
At first, there were less than one hundred Thousand Leaves Sect disciples gathered before him.
However, as time passed, the crowd became larger and larger. More and more people quickly rushed here upon hearing his voice, sat down cross-legged, and listened attentively.
An hour later, nearly five hundred people sat before Yang Kai, almost all the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples besides the few who were in secluded retreat.
Even though Yang Kai had no teacher to guide him throughout his cultivation journey, he still managed to reach the Emperor Realm. Therefore, he definitely had his own unique perspective and experiences.
However, he did not teach these youths about those experiences as Du Xian had pleaded before. Instead, he eloquently laid out to them his personal views on the meaning of cultivation itself. Rather than teaching by giving examples, it was more like he was sharing his comprehensions, allowing them to gain their own enlightenment from his musings.
Some people who understood wore thoughtful expressions, while others frowned, feeling that Yang Kai was babbling and talking all kinds of nonsense, for his teaching was full of irrelevant answers and questions. Despite thinking so, they dared not to have the slightest doubt. They all believed that the reason they could not understand what Yang Kai was saying was that they had yet to reach a sufficient level to comprehend his words, secretly feeling annoyed. [An Emperor Realm Master is indeed different. It’s still understandable if you listen to his words one by one, but when they are strung together, they become mysterious and ethereal.]
“Walk your own path, and make your own Dao. Following another’s way will only leave you pursuing behind them forever!” Yang Kai wiped his mouth, and it seemed like he was not finished yet. He looked around, and asked, “Do you understand?”
The whole audience was silent. No one dared to say that they understood.
All of a sudden, World Energy surged, thunder roared, and lightning flashed in the sky. Black clouds shrouded the top of Thousand Leaves Peak, while a World Energy funnel began to form as the Power of Heaven and Earth gathered slowly.
“En, it seems someone understands!” Yang Kai turned to the peak and grinned.
“Sister Hua, from now on, you will be the Head Manager of our High Heaven Palace. Above you are the Great Elders, while below you are the disciples at all levels who shall be under your jurisdiction and shall listen to your orders!” Yang Kai patted Hua Qing Si on the shoulder and looked at her solemnly.
Confused, Hua Qing Si blinked her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering.
“Come, come. There are two hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals, three billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals, ten billion Low-Rank Source Crystals, and various other materials in this ring. Take this first. These cultivation resources are now under your management too.”
Then, he stuffed a Space Ring into Hua Qing Si’s hands.
“Wait!!” Hua Qing Si shouted as she frowned at Yang Kai, “Since when did I become the Head Manager of your High Heaven Palace?”
She bumped into Yang Kai on her way to check on the movement that she sensed from Thousand Leaves Peak. Then, all of a sudden, she had a Space Ring with enormous wealth stuffed into her hands together with a bunch of inexplicable words.
“I already told you, ‘from now on!’” Yang Kai looked at her seriously, with a demeanour of handing over the important task of maintaining the peace of the Sect and the leading of the Sect to glory to her.
“Why should I be a Head Manager?” Hua Qing Si retorted.
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “I’ve considered it carefully before making this decision. No one throughout the whole of High Heaven Palace is more suitable for this position than you. Sister Hua, this Palace Master is depending on you. This is a very important position, please don’t let this Palace Master down.”
“What do you mean by the whole of High Heaven Palace?” Hua Qing Si pursed her lips, “There aren’t even ten people in this Sect in total!”
Apart from the Thousand Leaves Sect disciples who were essentially refugees here, the only real inhabitants of High Heaven Palace now were the three Monster Kings as Honoured Guest Elders, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gui Zu, and Gu Cang Yun.
Yang Kai scratched his face awkwardly and continued to persuade, “Everything is difficult at the beginning. There will be many people in the future, so you can try practising your management skills to start…”
“Who can I practice on?” Hua Qing Si looked at him contemptuously.
Yang Kai pointed in the direction of Thousand Leaves Sect, “Aren’t there a few hundred people over there?”
“They don’t belong to High Heaven Palace.”
“That’s true for now, but it won’t necessarily be true in the future,” Yang Kai grinned.
Hua Qing Si swept her eyes up and down him before raising a brow and asking, “Oh, you want to snatch their disciples?”
Yang Kai denied with a straight face, “Nonsense. This Palace Master would never do something so despicable. However, it’s normal that people would strive hard to reach higher heights. If they wanted to stay and become our High Heaven Palace’s disciples, I wouldn’t reject them. Of course, if Sister Hua can manage to keep all of Thousand Leaves Sect here… it would be for the best.”
Hua Qing Si nodded, “What you said is reasonable. Thousand Leaves Sect’s Puppet Dao is truly amazing. It would be a good thing if we could acquire it.”
Yang Kai was delighted, “Isn’t that right? Then this task is in your hands.”
“Fine, I don’t have anything to do lately anyway. I will try, but where should I start?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips, “Didn’t I just give you so many Source Crystals? Just pound them with them! Their Sect was just destroyed and they definitely need many Source Crystals to cultivate. I don’t believe they won’t give in.”
Hua Qing Si glared angrily at him, “Your Source Crystals did not just appear from thin air! How can you give them out for no reason? However, if they make some kind of contribution to High Heaven Palace, perhaps I can reward some Source Crystals to them.”
“Good, good, good!” Yang Kai was overjoyed, because his Sister Hua was already beginning to consider the good of High Heaven Palace just after assuming the position of Head Manager. He indeed did not pick the wrong person! Since she was born in Star Soul Palace, she would certainly be more familiar with the management of a big Sect than the others here. She was the best choice to take charge of the early development of High Heaven Palace.
“Do whatever you feel is best. This Palace Master grants you free reign!” Yang Kai was gratified.
Hua Qing Si snorted, “If I do well in this job, you have to reward me too! If you want a horse to run, you must let it graze well.”
“Yes, yes, yes, you can have any reward you want at that time,” Yang Kai quickly promised.
“Remember what you said,” Hua Qing Si smiled then turned to Thousand Leaves Peak, “Is it Ye Hen who is breaking through to the Emperor Realm?”
“Who else could it be?” Yang Kai looked over in that direction too.
At this moment, World Energy had gathered atop Thousand Leaves Peak and was now crashing down in great streams like an astonishing dance of dragons.
Hua Qing Si asked curiously, “I remember Ye Hen just started to cultivate in retreat not long ago. How did he reach this point so quickly?”
“Maybe he stepped onto his own Dao.” Yang Kai smiled lightly.
“His own Dao…” Hua Qing Si thought deeply before a light flashed across her beautiful eyes, “I’ll go and have a look. Do you want to go too?”
Yang Kai shook his head. He just came back from there and already knew about Ye Hen’s situation, so he did not need to check again. However, it was good for Hua Qing Si to check it out. As High Heaven Palace’s Head Manager, this crucial moment when Ye Hen was breaking through to the Emperor Realm was also the greatest time to win the people’s hearts.
Five Saints Peak, a Main Peak where Chi Yue and the others had settled.
The so-called ‘Five Saints’ referred to their five sworn brothers and sister of different surnames. Although Chai Hu was missing, Gui Zu and the others had not forgotten to include him.
When Yang Kai arrived, the four of them seemed to be cultivating in retreat.
The four of them were just First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators when they were first reunited with Yang Kai in Sky Crane City. After a few years of cultivation in Thousand Leaves Sect, all of them had reached the peak of the First-Order.
After all, the cultivation environment in Thousand Leaves Sect was not bad, but also not excellent.
On the contrary, Five Saints Peak provided them with an amazing cultivation paradise, one even better than Thousand Leaves Peak. The peak was extremely tall and grand, a magnificent mountain in every sense. The four of them were like fishes returning to the sea here, living carefreely as they cultivated.
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to alert the four of them as he arrived at the palace at the top of the peak with a flicker.
Although nobody had been cleaning this place all this time, the palace was still spotless because of the maintenance Spirit Arrays.
It did not take long until several figures emerged from the outside.
“Palace Master!” The four cupped their fists.
Although Chi Yue and Ai Ou were technically Yang Kai’s Seniors, since they had joined High Heaven Palace, they naturally had to abide by the rules of High Heaven Palace.
“Have a seat!” Yang Kai gestured as he too sat cross-legged directly on the floor of the palace.
The four exchanged looks, then sat on the ground one after another without much thought about it, forming a small circle.
With a swing of Yang Kai’s hand, four space rings flew towards the four of them.
“There are twenty million High-Rank Source Crystals, one hundred million Mid-Rank Source Crystals, one billion Low-Rank Source Crystals, and some Spirit Pills that I refined in these rings. Use these resources to cultivate for now, and if it’s not enough, find Hua Qing Si. She has some Source Crystals with her.” Yang Kai explained.
Everyone’s eyes lit up and kept the rings with them without hesitation.
They were people who came from the same Star Field as Yang Kai, so there was no need to be polite. However, they were still shocked by Yang Kai’s generous gift. They had been worrying about cultivation resources ever since they arrived in the Star Boundary. Even after taking up residence in Thousand Leaves Sect, their resources were somewhat scarce, but Yang Kai just gave them a massive amount of wealth to spend.
Compared to him, they were poorer than beggars.
Such a tremendous amount of Source Crystals would be sufficient for them to cultivate for several dozen, or even several hundred years. Each of them was exhilarated and sighed that their hard days had finally come to an end.
“You all suffered a lot over the years since you came to Star Boundary with me. Your cultivations have even lagged behind, so quickly use these to improve your strength without worrying about other things. I believe you won’t want to be surpassed by the people from our Star Field who will come here in the future.”
“How is that possible for those little brats?” Ai Ou curled his lip.
He was among the most powerful Masters in their native Star Field, so even if they came here, there was no way for them to cultivate faster than him.
Chi Yue responded with a smile, “Second Brother, don’t be overconfident. Yang Boy cultivated a lot faster than us.”
Ai Ou became embarrassed, “Who can compare with him?”
They came to the Star Boundary together, but Yang Kai was already a First-Order Emperor Realm Master while they were still First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, an entire Great Realm of difference. But could such a discrepancy be only due to a difference in resources?
“Being anxious won’t help in cultivation,” Gu Cang Yun smiled wryly.
Gui Zu nodded at the side.
Yang Kai pressed on, “En, that’s why I prepared a great blessing for all of you!”
The four of them held the Space Rings between their fingers and asked in confusion, “Isn’t it this?”
Yang Kai grinned before he stretched out his hand and summoned a number of big banners full of Yin Qi into his palm. The Yin Qi of these banners trembled fiercely while emitting cries and howls, making everyone feel uneasy.
Only the ghost fire in Gui Zu’s eyes flared up as he asked in pleasant surprise, “This is…”
“Netherworld Purgatory Banners from the Netherworld Sect in the Eastern Territory!” Yang Kai stated.
The few Netherworld Purgatory Banners in his hand were loot he collected from the people of the Netherworld Sect whom he killed. One of the banners was even an Emperor Artifact, originally belonging to Netherworld Sect’s Elder Hua Fei Chen. The rest were not Emperor Artifacts, but they were at least Dao Source Grade.
Netherworld Sect disciples started to Soul Feed their Netherworld Purgatory Banners when they joined the Sect. Therefore, these things were their Natal Artifacts, their lives tied together.
These things would be useless in the hands of others, but Gui Zu was an exception.
Although Yang Kai had no clue about Gui Zu’s Secret Art, he knew that it was definitely similar to the Secret Arts of the Netherworld Sect. Gui Zu’s original artifact was the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, which was also similar to these Netherworld Purgatory Banners.
Therefore, Yang Kai had been keeping these few Netherworld Purgatory Banners with him all this time, just waiting for the right moment to pass them to Gui Zu to help him to improve his strength.
Trembling, Gui Zu accepted the few Netherworld Purgatory Banners from Yang Kai’s hands. The Ghost Qi in Gui Zu surged on contact as the ghost fire in his eyes brightened significantly. Even though he hadn’t even refined them yet, he instinctively felt that these Netherworld Purgatory Banners would be of great use to him.
“Take these too,” Yang Kai took out a few jade slips and gave them to Gui Zu.
Gui Zu received and scanned them curiously with his Divine Sense, soon shouting in a thrilled voice, “Good, good, good. With these, this Old Master can break through to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm soon!”
The records in those jade slips were nothing else but information related to some Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of the Netherworld Sect, which were notably suitable for Gui Zu. With these records complementing the few Netherworld Purgatory Banners, Gui Zu’s strength could certainly soar in a short time.
Source Crystals and pills were auxiliary aids, in the end, the true capital of a cultivator lay in their Secret Arts. After Gui Zu obtained the Secret Arts and Techniques of the Netherworld Sect, he was naturally overjoyed. Now this was a real gift!
Yang Kai turned to look at Chi Yue next.
Chi Yue pursed her lips and smiled, “There aren’t many Secret Arts for the Monster Race to cultivate, so don’t tell me you have one prepared for me too.”
“Indeed I don’t, but I do have this,” Yang Kai stretched out his palm and a small mound appeared in front of him. As soon as this pile appeared, Monster Qi filled the hall in a flash, surprising everyone.
“Monster Cores!” Chi Yue exclaimed as she picked up one of the Monster Cores and examined it, her face changing greatly as she shouted, “A Twelfth-Order Monster Core!”
Twelfth-Order Monster Cores were Monster Cores that formed in the bodies of Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts, equivalent to human Emperor Realm Masters.
Any such Monster Core was worth a lot of money and was so rare that an average cultivator may not even see one in their entire life.
“This is also a Twelfth-Order Monster Core,” Ai Ou also picked another up and commented in shock.
“This one is Tenth-Order, this one is Eleventh-Order…”
There were just over a thousand Monster Cores in this pile, all of them being Tenth-Order or above, with at least ten percent being Twelfth-Order, a terrifying amount.
“I know the Monster Race cultivates differently from Humans, but with the help of these Monster Cores, Senior should be able to obtain twice the results with half the effort in the future,” Yang Kai said to Chi Yue.
Chi Yue was dizzy at the sight of those Monster Cores and asked in disbelief, “Where did you obtain so many Monster Cores?”
“I picked them up!” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
Chi Yue couldn’t help but glare at him and snort.
How could one simply pick up treasures like these? She thought Yang Kai was talking nonsense.
But in truth, Yang Kai really did just pick them up. He found more than a million Monster Cores in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb in the Ancient Wild Lands, so what was a thousand of them worth? If Chi Yue knew the real number of Monster Cores that Yang Kai had, she would probably go crazy.
The only place where such a humongous amount of Monster Cores could be found would be in the Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb of the Ancient Land.
Without further questions though, Chi Yue put away the Monster Cores excitedly. As Yang Kai said, the Monster Race cultivated differently from Humans. Most of them consumed World Energy directly or refined the Monster Cores of other Monster Beasts and Monster Race.
With so many Monster Cores, Chi Yue would definitely be able to cultivate swiftly in the future.
“Senior Gu. These Sword Dao Secret Techniques should be appropriate for your current cultivation, cultivate these for now. I’ll help you look for better ones in the future,” Yang Kai then took out a few jade slips and handed them to Gu Cang Yun.
Gu Cang Yun was the Union Master of Sword Union back in their native Star Field and cultivated the Sword Dao, so these Sword Dao Secret Techniques were undoubtedly the most suitable for him.
Yang Kai had killed many Emperor Realm Masters and obtained too many spoils of war over the years, so it was naturally not difficult to find some good Sword Dao Secret Techniques among his loot.
Gu Cang Yun took a look and his eyes brightened, “These are much more profound than what this Gu has been cultivating so far.”
The Sword Dao Techniques he had previously come in contact with were at Dao Source Grade at best, but what Yang Kai brought out were all remnants from Emperor Realm Masters, so they were naturally much more advanced than what he himself had been cultivating.
Finally, it was Ai Ou’s turn. Yang Kai also gave him several sets of matching Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
Everyone was delighted and felt as if they had received upgrades, instantly reaching a whole new level.
But Yang Kai wasn’t finished yet. He next took out a number of Star Sources, shocking the crowd completely this time.
It had to be known that Star Sources were only formed within Cultivation Stars, and a complete Star Source was equivalent to a Cultivation Star’s core essence. They had all lived in the Star Boundary for some years now and knew that such a treasure was extremely rare here.
Chi Yue and the others always felt regret that they didn’t make the decision to refine a Star Source back in their native Star Field. Now that they had come to the Star Boundary, they felt they would never have a chance to do so.
But refining a Star Source during that time was too dangerous, so none of them could find the determination to risk it. Only Ai Ou succeeded in this endeavour.
But now, Yang Kai just took out Star Sources like candy and handed one to each of them, along with the Star Refining Art.
Ai Ou himself was already a Star Master, so he did not need a Star Source.
After making some preparations, Yang Kai stood guard for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and Gu Cang Yun while they refined these Star Sources.
Three days later, the three of them opened their eyes one after the other, delighted expressions on their faces. With these Star Sources, it would become easier for them to comprehend the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, as well as Principle Strength, which would be of great benefit to their future cultivation.
Yang Kai’s actions today were enough to help them increase the efficiency of their cultivation by ten times or even a hundred times, saving them a great deal of time and effort from now on.
“En, if there is anything you don’t understand or are confused about in cultivation, we can discuss it together.” After passing out the gifts, Yang Kai looked around the four of them.
They understood that this discussion Yang Kai spoke of was merely a modest statement. In truth, he would be the one helping them by answering their questions regarding cultivation.
So, they did not hesitate and all voiced their questions.
Inside the hall, questions and answers flowed like a stream, and time slowly went by.
“Is everyone dead in there? Get out here now!”
It was not known how long had passed when a voice suddenly echoed from outside High Heaven Palace. The speaker seemed to have gathered up his power before he shouted, so his voice would sound across hundreds of kilometres, ringing through the mountains.
Yang Kai frowned and turned his head towards the direction of the main gate, silently extending his Divine Sense over to investigate.
Outside the main gate, in front of the Sect Defending Array, an exquisitely-crafted ship floated mid-air. This ship was extremely ornate, and even though it was not an Emperor Artifact, it was still Dao Source Grade High-Rank. A large flag was hung on the mast of the ship with the character ‘medicine’ emblazoned on it.
At this moment, a young teen around the age of only fifteen or sixteen stood on the deck gazing towards High Heaven Palace’s inscribed tablet with an annoyed look on his face.
Even though he was young, he still had First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, which amazed Yang Kai.
That shout just now obviously came from him, but he had no idea what sort of Secret Technique or artifact he used to make his voice carry so far.
[Where did this little brat come from? Daring to behave in such a way in front of my High Heaven Palace as just a First-Order Dao Source Realm!] Yang Kai had a strange look on his face.
Right at that moment, Yang Kai suddenly sensed something and took out his communication artifact. After a quick check, he saw Hua Qing Si’s message, “Palace Master, someone seems to have come looking for trouble.”
She had quite obviously heard the young man’s voice as well.
Using his Divine Sense, Yang Ki responded, “He’s just a brat. You take care of it.”
Now that Hua Qing Si was the Big Manager of High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai naturally did not intend to deal with this matter personally. What’s more, the other party was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator. Yang Kai had no idea what sort of backing this brat had, so it would be best to let Hua Qing Si handle it.
Chi Yue and the others all asked after they saw him using the communication artifact for a while, “What happened?”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. Let’s continue!” Yang Kai put the communication artifact away as he said so.
Seeing his reaction, the others didn’t ask anything more and continued asking Yang Kai questions about their cultivations.
After a while, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and took out the communication artifact again. Checking it using his Divine Sense, an astonished expression was instantly revealed on his face.
“If something has happened, then Palace Master should go and take care of it. High Heaven Palace was founded not long ago, so we ought not to make enemies so easily,” Ai Ou said.
“En, I’ll go take a look.” Yang Kai nodded and stood up before leaving the hall in a flash.
After several flickers, he arrived outside the Sect’s main gate.
Hua Qing Si was currently there, looking at that young man on the other side of the array, but what surprised Yang Kai was the fact that this First-Order Dao Source Realm kid actually wasn’t the slightest bit meek in front of the Emperor Realm Hua Qing Si. Instead, he had a prideful look on his face.
When he saw Yang Kai appear, the boy swept his eyes over him and asked casually, “He’s the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace?”
“Yes,” Hua Qing Si nodded, “This is our High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master, Yang Kai. Speak as you wish.”
“Hmph, nothing much, I was wondering if he had three heads and six arms,” the young man smiled with contempt.
This strange haughty attitude made Yang Kai inexplicably angry, but he also didn’t want to lower himself to the same level as this boy so he simply laughed the other’s attitude off and asked, “You say you come from Medicine Pill Valley? What proof do you have?”
It was because Hua Qing Si sent a message saying this young man claimed to be a disciple of Medicine Pill Valley that Yang Kai rushed over.
The young man did not answer directly, instead just pointed to the flag behind him and coldly snorting, “Are you blind? Can’t you see this?”
Yang Kai’s forehead veins throbbed as he almost had the impulse to beat this brat up, but thinking that he might really come from Medicine Pill Valley, Yang Kai endured this urge and quickly said, “What can a single word prove? What a joke!”
The young man couldn’t help but widen his eyes and stared at Yang Kai with a strange look, “From under what rock did a turtle like you crawl out? Can’t you even recognize the mark of our Medicine Pill Valley? You actually had the face to found a Sect here?!”
[He… actually called me a turtle!]
Yang Kai could feel anger boiling in his chest, rising to his throat like magma in a volcano that was about to explode. Only after taking a few deep breaths was he able to calm himself down.
But the young man didn’t notice his reaction and jumped up to the mast, grabbed the flag, and unfurled it grandly while proclaiming, “Open your eyes and look closely! Everyone in the entire Northern Territory recognizes this flag!”
“Heh…” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and nodded lightly, “Now this Palace Master recognizes it.”
He transmitted his voice to Hua Qing Si, “I really want to punch this little brat.”
Hua Qing Si was shocked and quickly responded, “Please don’t be impulsive, Palace Master. If he really does come from Medicine Pill Valley, then we definitely cannot offend him. We still have to eke out a living in the Northern Territory in the future!”
“If I didn’t know that, why would I have to put up with him until now!” Yang Kai was indignant.
A young man waving a big flag with the character ‘medicine’ on it was not enough to scare Yang Kai.
But the name Medicine Pill Valley really did carry some weight.
This couldn’t be helped as this was the retreat of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. It was a Holy Land in the hearts of billions of cultivators throughout the Northern Territory!
Even though the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor did not involve himself in worldly affairs nor establish a Great Emperor Sect like the other Great Emperors, instead choosing to live in seclusion in Medicine Pill Valley along with a few disciples, this did not prevent the cultivators in the Northern Territory from revering and worshipping him.
If one offended the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor or Medicine Pill Valley in the Northern Territory, then they would definitely have a grim future. Not to mention the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor with his supreme cultivation, the cultivators of the Northern Territory themselves would not tolerate him being insulted.
The young man jumped down from the mast and stood on the deck again, standing akimbo and saying in a domineering tone, “Good! You’d best remember it well. You never know, you may have need of us in the future!”
“Dealings? What kind of dealings?” Yang Kai’s face dimmed slightly.
He did have some admiration for Medicine Pill Valley. On top of that, he had received the inheritance of Gong Sun Mu, the Third Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, which more or less connected him to Medicine Pill Valley. Even without such a connection though, the mere presence of a Great Emperor would be enough for Yang Kai to take seriously.
But naturally, before that…
If the people of Medicine Pill Valley were all as arrogant and unruly as this young man, then they weren’t worth Yang Kai’s concern.
“You will naturally know when the time comes,” the young man responded impatiently.
Yang Kai frowned, “If you are from Medicine Pill Valley, then what have you come to my High Heaven Palace for?”
High Heaven Palace had just been founded and had no relation to Medicine Pill Valley whatsoever; so, Yang Kai was naturally surprised at this sudden visit.
“You think I wanted to come here?” The young man laughed scornfully and cupped his fists, bowing sideways to the air and saying aloud, “On my Honoured Master’s orders, I have come here to purchase Spirit Herbs!”
“Purchase Spirit Herbs?”
Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si looked at each other, both confused.
“This little brat isn’t sick in the head, is he? Coming here to my High Heaven Palace to buy herbs?” Yang Kai secretly communicated.
Hua Qing Si also couldn’t be sure, “There doesn’t seem to be a problem with his request, though he personally is a little irritating.”
“Maybe he does have some sort of problem with his head. Tsk tsk, how pitiful.”
“If he really were sick, then his identity may also be fake.”
“En. That’s possible!”
“Hey, what are the two of you… secretly talking about?” When the young man saw Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si remain silent for a long time, he swept a glance over at them only to discover that there were some Divine Senses fluctuations between them, indicating a secret conversation. Their eyes when they looked over at him also became odd, causing his anger to rise.
“Oh, nothing important,” Yang Kai grinned, “Then, dare I ask this little brother what he comes to buy from my High Heaven Palace?”
The young man flicked his wrist and a jade slip flew straight over.
With a thought, Yang Kai opened a small hole in the Sect Defending Array to allow the jade slip to pass through, grabbing it with his hand.
He probed it with his Divine Sense and was instantly surprised.
This jade slip contained a list of many different types of spirit medicines and spirits grasses. Many of those listed were even Emperor Grade herbs worth a lot of money.
The young man said, “A copy of this list was given to Seeking Passion Sect ten years ago by Honoured Master, informing them to collect them on our behalf. Now, the time allotted by Honoured Master has elapsed so I was ordered to come here to complete the purchase. Do you understand now?”
Yang Kai muttered, “Is this true?”
This young man was not sick in the head and really did come here to buy herbs. However, the herbs he wanted to buy were ones that Seeking Passion Sect had been tasked to collect. The spirit medicines on the list were numerous and of great value, but with Seeking Passion Sect’s connections and power, gathering them within ten years of time was completely possible.
Only, it was a pity that Seeking Passion Sect was destroyed by Yang Kai. As such, it now fell to Yang Kai to fulfil this order.
The young man followed up, “It’s not just Seeking Passion Sect. All top Sects in the Northern Territory have an agreement with us, and the medicine list is updated every ten years. Once time is up, our people from Medicine Pill Valley will come to collect them.”
“All top Sects?” Yang Kai was surprised.
But with some thought, it did make sense. Medicine Pill Valley would save much time and energy by doing this, and as this would forge ties with Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, the top Sects of the Northern Territory would happily comply. By doing this, they helped improve their relationship with Medicine Pill Valley, which put them in a favourable position if they ever needed to request Alchemy services.
The young man nodded, “That’s right. Since you are the one who destroyed the Seeking Passion Sect, then the spirit medicines they spent the past ten years collecting should be with you as well. Give them to me so I can bring them back to my Honoured Master!”
He spoke quite seriously and didn’t seem to be lying, so Yang Kai more or less believed him.
But to be on the safe side, he still said, “Wait here!”
Right now, he was a Palace Master and the other was just a little boy still wet behind the ears who didn’t even have anything on him to prove his identity, so Yang Kai couldn’t just do whatever this brat asked. If he were deceived by him, then that would be too humiliating.
So, Yang Kai figured it would be better to verify things first.
After he said that, he disappeared.
“What are y… Bastard!” The young man was furious. He thought the other party would immediately respectfully invite him in to rest once they heard that he was a disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, serving him the best food and drink. How could he have anticipated being left out in the cold, not even allowed through the front gates. Even the Sect Defending Array was left active, guarding against him like he was some kind of thief.
He couldn’t help but shout, “Good, good! Is this the hospitality of High Heaven Palace? Are you looking down on my Medicine Pill Valley? I will surely report this matter to Honoured Master once I return! Once that happens, don’t even dream about asking for a single pill from my Medicine Pill Valley in the future!”
Hua Qing Si hurriedly tried to appease him, “Please restrain your anger, Young Master, our Palace Master has always been hasty like this, but he does not mean to neglect you.”
Coming from a Great Emperor Sect herself, she knew that standing before the King of Hell was easy, but dealing with little devils was far more difficult. One couldn’t just look at this boy as a First-Order Dao Source Realm junior, for if he really did speak badly about High Heaven Palace when he returned to Medicine Pill Valley, it would cause real trouble.
As the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, Hua Qing Si naturally wanted to make big things small, and make small things nothing.
“Does not mean to neglect me?” He pointed to the direction where Yang Kai left and complained, “Look at his attitude! How can a person like him become a Palace Master? I don’t think High Heaven Palace has any need to remain in the Northern Territory any longer!”
He was small, but his words were not. He made it sound as if he could kick High Heaven Palace completely out of the Northern Territory with just a few words.
Hua Qing Si was helpless, but she couldn’t retort either lest she add fuel to the fire. She could only watch silently as the young man threw a tantrum.
After going on for a while longer, the young man looked over, sweeping a few glances up and down Hua Qing Si before suddenly smiling, “Big Sister, what is your name?”
Hua Qing Si squeezed out a smile and told him her name.
The young man rubbed his palms together, “Qing Si, a good name! A wonderful name! In my opinion, this High Heaven Palace won’t last long. Big Sister shouldn’t remain here and suffer through its fall. Why not come back to Medicine Pill Valley with me?”
Hua Qing Si laughed, “I don’t know anything about Alchemy, what would I go to Medicine Pill Valley for?”
The young man grinned meaningfully, “Big Sister does not need to know about Alchemy, it’s fine as long as I know Alchemy. As a woman, Big Sister should know how to make the bed and other such tasks, right? If you follow me, I can guarantee that nobody will be able to kick you out of Medicine Pill Valley. After all, I’m a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank Alchemist. In time, there won’t be a problem even for me to advance to become an Emperor Alchemist. Tsk tsk, Elder Sister really is pretty.”
Make the bed…
Hua Qing Si grit her teeth and the smile on her face suddenly cooled. Regardless of anything else, she was still an Emperor Realm Master, but now a little brat at the First-Order Dao Source Realm was actually telling her to follow him and make his bed? What’s more, he was ogling her so unscrupulously with a sordid expression on his face.
If he were anyone else, Hua Qing Si would have gone up and gouged out his eyeballs by now, but since there was a possibility this brat came from Medicine Pill Valley, Hua Qing Si could only swallow her anger no matter how irritated she was.
But the fact that this person was a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank Alchemist did surprise Hua Qing Si somewhat, causing her to sigh in her heart that it was as expected for someone who came from Medicine Pill Valley to be able to achieve so much at such a young age.
“Big Sister should consider my offer well. Opportunities like this don’t come often. This Young Master has a discerning eye, and it’s not like just any woman can attract my attention,” the young man seemed to not sense her distaste in the slightest and went on feeling smug about himself.
Hua Qing Si responded indifferently, “It is this Big Sister’s blessing to receive Little Brother’s kindness, but I’m afraid I cannot accept your good intentions.”
This young brat whose hair hadn’t even sprouted down there yet actually dared to have thoughts about her! Even if she really wanted to find a man, she would find someone like Yang Kai. How could she possibly be with a little bastard like him?
The young man couldn’t help but snort coldly, “Can’t appreciate kindness!”
He had already invited her so sincerely, but this woman actually did not accept right away, it was simply unbelievable.
“Where’s that Yang whatever guy? Why isn’t he back yet?” The young man began to rush her with impatience after being refused by Hua Qing Si.
Hua Qing Si turned away, “Who knows?”
…..
“Huh? Why are you here?” Next to the Space Array, Yang Kai had just appeared when he saw a familiar figure.
Zhu Qing glared at Yang Kai with fire in her eyes, her great peaks heaving up and down as she snarled at him, “You’re avoiding me!”
“That’s not true!” Yang Kai sheepishly denied, “Why would I do that?”
“You’re definitely avoiding me!”
It had been several months and Zhu Qing failed to find a trace of Yang Kai this whole time. If she hadn’t been keeping watch next to the Space Array, she really would have thought that Yang Kai had fled somewhere. Now, her efforts paid off. She finally caught Yang Kai!
“I said I’m not! Why are you spouting so much nonsense?” Yang Kai waved her off impatiently, “Move aside, I need to go out.”
Without saying a word, Zhu Qing stood in front of him and said vigilantly, “Where are you going? I’ll come with you!”
“I’m going to Ice Heart Valley, and I’ll be returning right away,” Yang Kai glared at her, “Why do you want to follow me?”
“Didn’t you just go to Ice Heart Valley? Why are you going again?”
“Someone came, saying he wanted to buy herbs, I’m just going to Ice Heart Valley to ask whether this story is true or not… Damn it, what am I telling you this for?”
While they were talking though, a light suddenly emerged from the Space Array, followed by a blurred figure.
Someone had teleported in.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing turned to look.
The figure was soon revealed and Ji Yao’s face emerged.
“Yao’er! Just the person I’m looking for. I was just about to head to Ice Heart Valley to ask about something.”
“Hold on, there’s something I have to tell you first,” Ji Yao walked down from the Space Array and said to Yang Kai.
“What is it?” Yang Kai was surprised.
“Medicine Pill Valley’s medicine collecting deadline is up. Disciples from Medicine Pill Valley are likely to come in the near future. Honoured Master has given me orders to inform you. If someone were to come, they must be treated with courtesy. You must never offend them. Give them whatever spirit medicines they ask for. You won’t suffer a loss with them.”
“Oh… So it really is true!” Yang Kai scratched his face.
Yang Kai had heard the boy say that Medicine Pill Valley had a cooperative relationship with the top Sects of the Northern Territory, so he immediately had the mind to head to Ice Heart Valley to ask. If it was true, then Ice Heart Valley would definitely know about it. That way, he would be able to confirm that boy’s identity.
But unexpectedly, Ji Yao teleported over before he could even go.
“Naturally it’s true. Right now, one of their disciples has visited Ice Heart Valley. What… What is that look on your face?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Someone came to my side too,” Yang Kai laughed dryly.
“Where are they?” Ji Yao asked curiously.
“Still outside the main gate.”
Ji Yao glared at him, “What are you waiting for? Invite them in!”
“Right, I’ll go immediately…” Yang Kai turned around and headed back where he came from.
“Wait!” Anxious, Zhu Qing quickly chased after him.
Ji Yao frowned and also turned into a stream of light, quickly following them.
“You’re finally back! Where are my Spirit Herbs?”
Outside the mountain gate, the young man barked through gritted teeth as soon as he saw Yang Kai return.
Yang Kai laughed awkwardly, “There were too many different kinds of herbs on the list, so I couldn’t finish getting everything prepared immediately. Little Brother, please come in and have a rest first. I’ll get you the Spirit Herbs you need right away.”
As he spoke, he opened the Sect Defending Array and shot a look at Hua Qing Si.
Hua Qing Si understood and gestured inside, “Little Brother, this way please!”
“Hmph!” The young man coldly snorted and sailed his ship into High Heaven Palace as he looked down at Yang Kai, “I’m warning you, don’t try any tricks with me. Whether it’s the year or quantity, there can be no mistakes on the Spirit Herbs written on the list; otherwise, you’ll never be able to get away with it!”
“Yes, of course!” Yang Kai nodded impatiently.
Even though this matter had nothing to do with High Heaven Palace, everything from the Seeking Passion Sect was indeed in his hands right now. Since they want to buy it, then he might as well just sell it to them, counting it as forming good relations with Medicine Pill Valley.
“Good…” The young man was just about to say something when his eyes widened and he stared straight at the two beautiful figures that suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai. His eyes lit up instantly and he quickly got off the ship, flying behind Yang Kai after a few steps in the air. He looked at Ji Yao and Zhu Qing with a smile on his face as he glanced between them, eyes finally settling on Zhu Qing’s body. As respectfully as possible, he asked, “This humble one is Li Xuan, may I ask Big Sister for your name?”
Flowers of joy were blooming inside his heart. His Master wouldn’t let him visit Ice Heart Palace and instead sent him to High Heaven Palace. He didn’t expect to see so many beauties in this damned place either. One after another, the beauties flowed in. A simply dazzling sight to behold.
Especially this particular Big Sister. Her figure was… tsk tsk…
He was originally a little chagrined at his Master’s decision to send his Senior Brother to Ice Heart Valley, allowing him to enjoy the charming company of all those beauties, but now, he had no more complaints. Even though Ice Heart Valley had many women, they were not necessarily as outstanding as these three.
Yang Kai’s body jolted as he felt goosebumps all over, he really hadn’t been able to tell that he was such a perverted fellow! Already such a menace at this age, he would surely become an insatiable tyrant when he grew older.
Zhu Qing did not utter a single word and was instead staring firmly at Yang Kai with her beautiful eyes, as if worried that he would disappear again.
But that did not annoy the young man. Instead, he was still acting bashful and called out, “Big Sister, I’m talking to you.”
Only then did Zhu Qing turn her eyes to him and spat a single word, “Scram!”
As soon as this word left her mouth, the boy’s face turned beet red.
[This isn’t good…] Yang Kai thought. One could tell at a glance this boy called Li Xuan wasn’t a decent person, but he carried the identity of a Medicine Pill Valley disciple. What Zhu Qing said might possibly end up making him angry. Just as Yang Kai was thinking about how he was going to remedy the situation, he heard Li Xuan take a deep breath and an intoxicated expression emerged on his face. His heart captured by lust, he mused, “Yes, wonderful… Big Sister, more please!”
Cold sweat dripped down Yang Kai’s face as Ji Yao and Hua Qing Si also wore strange expressions on their faces.
“I told you to scram! Didn’t you hear me? You think I won’t hit you?” Zhu Qing’s eyes went cold.
The young man covered his chest, his entire person appearing to have obtained great satisfaction. Even his breathing was growing rough. He couldn’t help but stagger back a few steps, his already crimson red face turning even redder.
“Is this little brat into ‘that’?” Yang Kai looked at Hua Qing Si in astonishment while sending his voice to her.
“How would I know?” Hua Qing Si rolled her eyes at him.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue, “Sure enough, once the forest grows big, one will see all kinds of birds flying about…”
Coming back to himself, he instructed out loud Hua Qing Si, “Sister Hua, bring this Little Brother to have a rest. I’ll go and sort out the herbs.”
“Yes,” Hua Qing Si nodded and gestured her hand at Li Xuan again, “Little Brother, this way please!”
“No, no, no!” Li Xuan raised his hand at Hua Qing Si, his eyes like leeches biting firmly onto Zhu Qing’s skin, “I don’t want you! I want this Big Sister to take care of me!”
Hua Qing Si’s face turned cold and she cursed him in her heart, [This little brat was just trying to take me back with him to serve in his bedchambers, but now I’m not even good enough to attend to him anymore? What? Aren’t they just breasts… big, giant breasts!]
“You court death!” Zhu Qing glared at him coldly.
Li Xuan still wore a sunny smile on his face, “If Big Sister can bear to see me die, then Little Brother will die for you to see.”
This boy wasn’t that old, and yet he already had quite the glib tongue, but he had no idea that Zhu Qing really did have the intention to kill him right now. Don’t even mention being a mere disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, Zhu Qing had the guts to kill him even if he was the Legacy Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
“I’ll grant your wish!” Zhu Qing coldly snorted and was really going to make a move as soon as she said that.
Yang Kai jumped in fright and quickly shouted, “What are you doing?!”
Shifting over, he stood in front of Zhu Qing.
“Move,” Zhu Qing looked at him with irritation.
“Hm, you even dare lose your temper with me?” Yang Kai glared at her.
Zhu Qing turned down her imposingness instantly and frowned, “Excuse me!”
Yang Kai whispered, “You can’t kill him!”
Zhu Qing said disdainfully, “Who can’t I kill?”
“Anyway, you can’t kill him. He’s from Medicine Pill Valley. I’ll be in trouble if he’s dead. How about this? Just put up with him for now, and if you can’t stand it, just ignore him.”
“He has such indecent thoughts towards me and you want me to tolerate him?” Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai with an aggrieved expression.
“He’s just got a foul mouth is all, it’s not like you’re losing anything from it. Last time, even I… ahem…”
He thought to himself, [I’ve already done that to you and I don’t see you trying to kill me. Is my charm really that great?]
Zhu Qing’s cheeks turned red and she turned away, “Whatever the case, he doesn’t deserve my attention.”
“Fine, fine. Just think of it as a favour. All you have to do is stand here while I sort out the herbs, then we’ll drive him away once that’s over.”
“Make it quick,” Zhu Qing said unhappily.
“Qing’er is the best,” Yang Kai said to flatter her and quickly left.
Zhu Qing’s face turned red again, a sight that caused Li Xuan’s heart to race. He wouldn’t want anything more than to hold hands with her and grow old together with her.
After arriving at a deserted place, Yang Kai took out the jade slip that Li Xuan handed him and then compared them one by one with the things in his Space Ring.
After destroying Seeking Passion Sect, he took away all of their treasures. If the Seeking Passion Sect really had been collecting herbs for Medicine Pill Valley, then Yang Kai should be able to find them quickly.
And in fact, Yang Kai really did find them.
One by one, piece by piece, whether the age or species, it was all correct. There were even extras of some.
Over a thousand types of herbs, with several at the Emperor Grade, were all present. Yang Kai was a little reluctant to hand such a treasure trove over though; after all, he was an Alchemist himself, so these herbs were useful to him.
But he was a rich man now, so these Spirit Herbs didn’t matter to him all that much. At least he would be able to save some trouble by handing them over to Medicine Pill Valley.
Ji Yao said it too. Medicine Pill Valley wouldn’t let him suffer a loss, meaning they would probably buy them at a fair market price.
But that only made sense. For a place with a reputation as big as Medicine Pill Valley, and with Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s name at stake, it was naturally impossible for them to bully the weak and cheat them out of Source Crystals.
In less than half an hour, Yang Kai sorted out all the herbs.
Just as he was about to hand them over and drive Li Xuan away, his communication artifact suddenly buzzed.
Yang Kai frowned. After grumbling a little, he took out the communication artifact and poured his Divine Sense into it. In the next moment, his face changed.
Space Principles flashed and he instantly disappeared. By the time he reappeared, he was already at the main gate.
Looking over, he saw that young man called Li Xuan now sitting on the ground with a horrified look on his face, hand holding his cheek. On that clean cheek was a clear five-finger mark and his mouth was leaking blood.
Zhu Qing was standing not far from him, releasing a cold murderous intent that enveloped the brat, causing him to tremble.
Only in this sudden life or death crisis did Li Xuan realize that his status as a Medicine Pill Valley disciple wasn’t effective in the slightest here. With an aura of death close at hand, he had chills running all over his body.
Ji Yao was standing there indifferently, looking at Li Xuan without the slightest bit of sympathy on her face.
Hua Qing Si was holding her communication artifact, unsure what to do.
Yang Kai’s appearance sizzled out Zhu Qing’s anger instantly. Only then did the Dragon Girl remember what Yang Kai told her before and her expression couldn’t help but become uneasy.
“What happened?” Yang Kai glanced coldly at Li Xuan before asking Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing’s red lips quivered, but she didn’t utter a single word.
“Sister Hua, you explain,” Yang Kai turned his head towards Hua Qing Si.
Hua Qing Si sighed, “This little bastard tried to take advantage of Young Lady Qing. After Young Lady Qing avoided him, he became even bolder and tried to seize her directly. Young Lady Qing was overcome with anger and… taught him a small lesson.”
As a woman, Hua Qing Si wanted to praise Zhu Qing for her actions. She even felt that it wasn’t enough. Even if he wasn’t killed, his cultivation should be crippled, but as the Head Manager of the High Heaven Sect, Hua Qing Si knew how much trouble Zhu Qing’s slap would bring to their Sect, and she couldn’t help feeling worried.
“He tried to take advantage of her?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
“Nonsense, that’s not true!” Li Xuan yelled. Somehow, he found his spine and stood up, “This is slander! She is an Emperor Realm Master while I am only at First-Order Dao Source Realm. How would I have the ability to take advantage of her!”
“So, you do know that you’re at First-Order Dao Source Realm?” Yang Kai looked at him in surprise.
This little brat had been throwing his weight around as soon as he appeared, acting all haughty as if he was a Great Emperor rather than just a lowly Dao Source Realm.
Li Xuan wiped away the blood away from his mouth and glared furiously at Yang Kai, bellowing, “This woman laid her hand on me for no reason at all! As a disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, hitting my face is no different from hitting Medicine Pill Valley’s face! You are the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, so you better compensate me! Otherwise, I won’t let you off so easily!”
“You want me to compensate you?” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at him, “How?”
Li Xuan had a cruel look in his eyes and turned to look at Zhu Qing, “I want you to waste this bitch’s cultivation and then hand her to me for punishment!”
The disparity in their strength was too great, but if her cultivation was crippled, then there would be nothing to be afraid of. He swore in his heart that he had to show this woman the fate of daring to go against him.
Yang Kai turned to look at Zhu Qing, “You really hit him?”
Zhu Qing looked gloomy, “I could not endure it… I’m sorry!”
Yang Kai had just told Zhu Qing earlier that this boy was a Medicine Pill Valley disciple, a disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
The fact that she slapped him would definitely bring trouble to High Heaven Palace. Worse, she might make Yang Kai angry with her, then she wouldn’t be able to complete her mission…
Zhu Qing was panicking, but she really couldn’t stand being in that situation just now.
“I almost got slapped to death by this bitch, can’t you tell!?” The young man shouted hysterically, his face filled with indignance as if he had suffered a massive grievance.
“No, not really.” Yang Kai looked at him in amazement and beckoned him, “Why don’t you come closer so I can see where she hit you?”
The young man hopped to his feet and scampered over to Yang Kai, pushing his cheek out for him to see, “My face! She actually hit my face! Look at what she did! If you don’t settle this matter to my satisfaction, I’ll never let this matter rest!”
Yang Kai observed the injury seriously and nodded lightly before suddenly raising his hand and slapping him flying on the other side of his face.
*Pa…*
A crisp noise sounded as Li Xuan flipped into the air, tumbling a dozen times before landing heavily. Around half of his teeth had been lost before he even hit the ground.
After he fell, he was seeing stars and lay there dumbly. It took him quite some time before he was able to recover from the shock.
The women present were all shocked, their eyes widening in unison.
“Palace Master, you…” Hua Qing Si was horrified. If one were to call Zhu Qing’s slap to Li Xuan’s face inviting disaster, then as High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master, Yang Kai’s slap was already serious to the point of being unmanageable.
Yang Kai was the representative of High Heaven Palace at this moment, so his every move carried great consequences. Wouldn’t this slap be an open challenge to Medicine Pill Valley?
Just thinking about it was terrifying, and as High Heaven Palace’s Head Manager, Hua Qing Si suddenly felt… exhausted! But very soon, she felt relieved. When she saw that boy called Li Xuan being swatted away, she really felt incredibly good.
This little bastard was just too outrageous.
“Next time you encounter this sort of thing, hit harder!” Yang Kai glanced at Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing nodded dumbly.
As a dragon girl, her domineering power was almost insurmountable. Yang Kai had nearly eaten a great loss from her himself back then. If she had struck him with even ten percent of her strength, Li Xuan would have exploded into a blood mist a dozen times over. It was only because of Yang Kai’s words that she acted with so much restraint, only giving some light punishment. If this wasn’t the case, how could Li Xuan still be alive?
“You… You actually dare to…” Li Xuan finally came back to his senses and tremblingly pointed his finger at Yang Kai. His speech was slurred and the contents of his words unclear, “You actually dare to hit me?!”
“So what if I hit you!” Yang Kai raised his hand menacingly, causing Li Xuan to scamper to hold his head with his arms in fear.
Only when nothing happened after he waited for a long time did Li Xuan dare to sneak a peek at Yang Kai. Realizing he had been toyed with, his face instantly turned red and he howled, “I am a disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, but you dare hit me?! You’re dead!”
“So you remember getting hit, but not the pain?” Yang Kai looked at him sternly and walked over to him, lifting Li Xuan up to face him.
Li Xuan struggled hard, but how could he escape from Yang Kai’s grip with his meagre strength? He shouted in terror, “What… What are you doing!”
“Teaching you a lesson!” Yang Kai coldly snorted and reached out to slap him.
*Pa pa pa…*
The incessant sounds of slaps rang out, and although Yang Kai didn’t use his Emperor Qi, his physical strength alone was enough for Li Xuan to beg for death. In just a few slaps, his face was already tear-streaked as he wailed out with no shame.
“Such outrageous behaviour at such a young age,” Yang Kai shot him a sidelong glance and raised his palm in front of Li Xuan’s face, looking fiercely at him, “Are you going to speak properly now?”
“Y-Y-Yes…” Li Xuan nodded repeatedly, only to feel that most of his face was numb. Even from the corner of his eye, he could see that his cheek was swollen up high.
“Apologize!” Yang Kai tossed Li Xuan right over to Zhu Qing’s feet.
Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai, surprised, and feeling inexplicably moved.
Was he standing up for her? With Yang Kai’s current identity, the best thing to do in this situation would be to try to minimize the problem and ensure no trouble came to him in the future, but instead he actually beat up this little brat and demanded he apologize to her.
Wasn’t he annoyed at her and avoiding her? Why was he doing this?
For a moment, Zhu Qing’s mind was a mess.
Li Xuan struggled to stand properly in front of Zhu Qing before bowing deeply and saying in a sincere voice, “Little Brother apologizes to this Elder Sister for his brusqueness. I hope Elder Sister can be generous unlike myself. I’m just a child, I don’t know anything, so please don’t be angry, Elder Sister.”
After being given a sound beating, Li Xuan was like a whole new person. There was no need to mention how well behaved and sensible he had become.
Zhu Qing frowned, “It’s nothing.”
It really was nothing. When this little brat tried to take advantage of her earlier, he didn’t even manage to touch her clothes, so she didn’t suffer any loss. Instead, Li Xuan was beaten black and blue by Yang Kai.
“Thank you, Elder Sister, for your magnanimity!” Li Xuan had a grateful look on his face. Then, he turned around and went over to Yang Kai, a flattering smile on his face, “Elder Brother, Little Brother has already apologized, and Elder Sister has also forgiven me, you see…”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “En, good. It seems like you can be taught after all.”
Li Xuan responded with all smiles, “Elder Brother’s compliments are overgenerous. If there’s nothing else, then this Little Brother will excuse himself for now!”
“Don’t you want the Spirit Herbs?” Yang Kai glanced at him with a curious expression on his face.
Li Xuan slapped his head and laughed dryly, “Haha, I almost forgot! This was the task that Honoured Master has given me!”
Yang Kai smiled and tossed him the Space Ring he prepared earlier, “The herbs on the list are all in there. Take a look yourself.”
“No need, no need. I trust Elder Brother’s integrity.” Li Xuan put away the Space Ring as he spoke before taking out another Space Ring, handing it to Yang Kai, “These are the Source Crystals for the Spirit Herbs. Elder Brother, please have a look!”
Yang Kai nodded in response and accepted the Space Ring. After checking it with his Divine Sense though, he looked back at Li Xuan and asked, “The quantity is a bit low. Are you sure that these are the Source Crystals your Honoured Master gave you?”
The Spirit Herbs on that list weren’t just ordinary materials, and based on Yang Kai’s estimations, they would be worth at least twenty million High-Rank Source Crystals!
But there were only a thousand Source Crystals in the Space Ring, and they were all Low-Rank Source Crystals!
The immense difference was simply like Heaven and Earth.
Li Xuan was stunned, then smiled and said, “That’s the wrong one, the wrong one, this is the one that Honoured Master gave me!”
While speaking, he scrambled to take out a different Space Ring for Yang Kai.
This time, the number of Source Crystals inside the ring made more sense. Moreover, it was even higher than Yang Kai’s estimations, with a total of twenty-five million High-Rank Source Crystals in it. It seemed what Ji Yao said previously was true. Even though Medicine Pill Valley asked all the top Sects in the Northern Territory to collect Spirit Herbs for them, they definitely wouldn’t let those Sects suffer a loss. All the herbs were bought according to their worth, and they even paid out a little extra.
After all, this matter related to the reputation of Medicine Pill Valley and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. The disciples of Medicine Pill Valley also wouldn’t dare to mess around.
But Yang Kai knew that if Seeking Passion Sect still existed, this brat Li Xuan would only have needed to pay them the Source Crystals in the first ring for their herbs.
Li Xuan clearly wanted to take advantage of the situation. After all, twenty-five million High-Rank Source Crystals was no small number.
That was why he prepared two sets of Source Crystals in two separate rings.
But after the fierce lesson he received from Yang Kai, how could he dare to cheat him?
After the exchange was over, Li Xuan immediately excused himself and naturally Yang Kai didn’t try to stop him.
The young man boarded his ship. His actions did carry some elegance, and if not for his face which was as swollen as a pig’s head right now, he would have looked quite the gentleman.
“Farewell Elder Brother and Elder Sisters!” Li Xuan waved enthusiastically at them while standing on the deck.
“Have a safe trip!” Yang Kai responded with a smile.
Li Xuan’s ship quickly sailed away, but the moment he turned around, the smile on his face was quickly replaced with icy coldness.
…..
“What are you trying to do?” Ji Yao suddenly flickered and stood in front of Yang Kai, blocking his way. Her cold eyes were just like sharp knives that penetrated into Yang Kai’s heart, seeing into his soul.
This sudden action stunned both Hua Qing Si and Zhu Qing, as neither of them understood what Ji Yao meant.
“Nothing, I just felt like going out for a walk!” Yang Kai looked up at the sky, not daring to look Ji Yao in the eye.
“I’ll accompany you then,” Ji Yao said.
“I’m just going for a casual walk, why would you want to come with me?” Yang Kai eyed her.
“I want to take a walk too.”
Yang Kai grit his teeth, “I’m in the mood to visit a brothel to have some fun, are you going to accompany me for that too?”
“In the mood, are you?” Ji Yao sneered, “Fine, come back to Ice Heart Valley with me. You need only raise your hand and I guarantee hundreds of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples will willingly drown you to death!”
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, “But aren’t the disciples from Ice Heart Valley very particular about purity of heart and freedom from worldly desires?”
“It’s just satisfying a need, what’s there to shy away from? I can’t talk for the others, but I have a few Martial Nieces who I know adore you very much. If you want, I can make arrangements for you, and I ensure they will be willing participants.”
[This Martial Aunt really is thoughtful…]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but gulp, almost agreeing instinctually to her proposition when he suddenly felt two burning gazes on his back. Choking down his words, he quickly barked, “What’s the fun with a good, well-behaved girl? This Young Master likes the broken flowers and withered willows in the brothel. That’s where the fun is!”
“Enough!” Ji Yao was trembling from anger. Even though Yang Kai was just mouthing off and not actually doing anything, she still found his words hard to accept. What’s more, what Yang Kai said made it sound as if he was a regular patron of brothels…
“You’re the one who should know when to stop! What are you getting in my way for? I already have one woman constantly following me around and pestering me. If you join in too, how am I going to live!” Yang Kai glared at her.
Zhu Qing frowned, sulking, “Who are you talking about? Speak clearly!”
“You, I’m talking about you! You have a problem with that?” Yang Kai glared at her.
Zhu Qing turned away, mumbling, “You think I want to do this?”
“Don’t try to hoodwink me!” Ji Yao scoffed, “You’re not trying to visit a brothel, you just want to silence the witness to the crime, aren’t you?”
“Silence the witness to the crime!” Hua Qing Si was shocked, “Silence what witness? What crime?”
As soon as Hua Qing Si finished speaking, she suddenly came to her senses and looked at Yang Kai in horror, “Palace Master! You couldn’t be thinking of…”
Wanting to silence the witness to the crime all of a sudden. Thinking back to what happened just now, it was already obvious who the ‘witness’ was going to be.
She couldn’t help but feel shocked at Yang Kai’s recklessness.
That person was a Medicine Pill Valley disciple! How could Yang Kai just kill him? If he really did such a thing, Medicine Pill Valley would never let this matter rest.
“What nonsense are you talking about…” Yang Kai denied vehemently, “It’s nothing of that sort. You have quite a rich imagination, Yao’er.”
“Then why don’t you dare to look me in the eye while you’re talking to me!” Ji Yao coldly snorted.
“Fine, I’ll look at you! It’s not like I’m afraid of you!” Yang Kai turned around with eyes as wide as chicken eggs as he stared aggressively at Ji Yao.
The beautiful eyes in front of him were clear and without flaw, clean as a pure spring. Yang Kai could see himself clearly reflected in Ji Yao’s eyes, mottled by her long lashes that were curved like dancing spirits, making them appear even more pure and unique.
“Hmph!” Ji Yao sneered, “You think you’re going to look any less guilty just because you widen your eyes at me like that? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
[I’m thinking of the time when I saw you stripped naked at Phoenix Nest Palace!]
“That little brat obviously isn’t the type to just let matters drop. He may act submissive after you beat him up a little, but he actually hates you to death in his heart. He’s young and shallow, thinking he can get away with things just by putting on a little show, but in truth, who of us does not know that he only wanted to leave here quickly in order to contact Medicine Pill Valley to complain? You obviously think that there’ll be no evidence if he’s dead, that’s why you’re planning to kill him, aren’t you?”
Yang Kai’s face was sullen, “So, what better solution do you have when things are already like this?”
This time he didn’t deny it anymore. He was just curious whether he made it seem that obvious. Otherwise, how did Ji Yao see through him at just a glance?
“Regardless, killing him isn’t the answer!” Ji Yao frowned, “If you really killed him, then things will truly become troublesome. Or so to say, you shouldn’t have hit him like that just now. If you didn’t want to deal with the fallout, you shouldn’t have stirred up this mess in the first place. You’re a Palace Master now, yet you still act so recklessly!”
“I shouldn’t have hit him?” Yang Kai jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, “I don’t even know who that little brat thinks he is! Throwing his weight around my High Heaven Palace, even trying to molest my people, yet still daring to speak so impertinently? You tell me I shouldn’t have hit him, but I would have killed him right then if I could! Letting him leave High Heaven Palace alive is already very magnanimous of me!”
“Who’s your person?” Zhu Qing said, blushing.
“I said what I said, why do you care about all that?” Yang Kai waved her off impatiently, “If he knew his mistake, then I could let him be, but if he’s secretly thinking about how he’s going to get revenge, how could I allow that!”
“How chivalrous of you!” Ji Yao may be complimenting him on the surface, but her eyes were filled with ridicule, “Are all you men like this?”
“This has nothing to do with chivalry!” Yang Kai suddenly said in a sullen voice, “This is just proper moral conduct!”
“I don’t blame you for hitting him just now… Even I wanted nothing more than to hit him,” Ji Yao pursed her lips, easing her attitude a little bit, “Only, you shouldn’t try and silence him by killing now.”
“Didn’t you stop me from doing anything?” Yang Kai bristled.
“It would’ve been over if you’d really done it. When that happens, you would have been the unreasonable one even if your reason for acting was valid,” Ji Yao sighed, “I think you’ve just let your anger get to your head, and that’s what got you thinking about doing something so foolish.”
“Say whatever you want,” Yang Kai put on the face of a dead pig that didn’t fear boiling water, remaining obstinate while Ji Yao lectured him.
Ji Yao was both angered and amused, “You’ve been in the Star Boundary for so many years now, so how can you not know how these young people are? He doesn’t represent Medicine Pill Valley. He’s just a second-generation disciple of Medicine Pill Valley…”
“Second-generation disciple?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
“En,” Ji Yao nodded and explained, “Medicine Pill Valley is where the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor cultivates in seclusion. His few Legacy Disciples under him are the first generation, all of whom are Emperor Alchemists with profound attainments in the Alchemic Dao. The Wondrous Pill Great Emperor stopped accepting disciples long ago, so the disciples taken in by his few Legacy Disciples are the second generation. Naturally, Li Xuan is one of them.”
“In that case… it doesn’t seem to be as big of a deal anymore,” Yang Kai stroked his chin thoughtfully. The only one he was really afraid of was the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, but if what Ji Yao said was true, then the situation wasn’t unsalvageable.
Li Xuan and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor were separated by a generation, so the only one Li Xuan could rely on would be one of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Legacy Disciples.
Yang Kai was also an Emperor Alchemist, so why would he need to fear this unknown figure?
What’s more, no matter how the matter was put, Li Xuan was the one who asked to be humiliated himself, using his identity as a Medicine Pill Valley disciple to put on airs. If his Master was a reasonable man, then he wouldn’t blame Yang Kai and High Heaven Palace for this matter.
Of course, he couldn’t expect him to thank him either. This unknown Master’s disciple had been punished by an outsider, so they would definitely feel uncomfortable. If this Master was small-minded, they might even come to look for trouble.
“So, do you still want to silence the witness to the crime?” Ji Yao asked.
Yang Kai laughed and waved his hand, “What are you talking about? What silencing the witness to the crime? Such frightening words you speak Yao’er. This Palace Master is scared of hurting an ant even while sweeping the floor and covers all his lamps to protect the moths. How could I do such a thing?”
The three women rolled their eyes at him in unison.
“Though there’s not much to worry about, it doesn’t hurt to be careful. I think it would be best if I return to Ice Heart Valley and ask about the situation for you. That Li Xuan’s Senior Brother is currently at our Ice Heart Valley,” Ji Yao said after some thought.
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded.
Ji Yao turned and left.
Yang Kai then looked to the side and shouted, “What have you been hiding there for? Come out!”
A ripple suddenly appeared in the air like a stone tossed into a calm lake, quickly revealing Nanmen Da Jun’s figure.
“Palace Master’s might is matchless, this Nanmen admires you greatly!” Nanmen Da Jun walked over with a flattering smile on his face.
“Enough of that, why are you here?” Yang Kai looked in askance at him.
Who knew what this old fogey was sneaking around and hiding here this whole time for? However, Yang Kai didn’t really care about this. Naturally, with Nanmen Da Jun’s current identity as High Heaven Palace’s Chief Array Master, it was impossible for him to mean any harm to him.
Nanmen Da Jun immediately answered, “This subordinate has prepared something good for Palace Master!”
“Something good?”
Nanmen Da Jun grinned meaningfully and said mysteriously, “Please, take a look!”
…..
“I’ll kill him, I’ll kill him, I’ll kill him…”
Atop the deck of his ship, Li Xuan had a hate-filled look on his face as he constantly cursed in a quiet voice.
What happened was a great shame to him. He had a noble identity as a Medicine Pill Valley disciple and was certain to become an Emperor Alchemist in the future. How could he endure such humiliation? Just as Ji Yao said, he may act submissive on the surface, but he was actually plotting how to get his revenge the whole time.
After flying all the way to a deserted mountain valley, he landed his ship.
After putting away his flight type artifact, the look of hatred on his face had already become warped. Feeling the burning pain on his cheeks, he slammed his fist fiercely down onto a giant boulder in front of him, sending debris flying everywhere together with a cloud of dust. Li Xuan was throwing out his power wantonly, seemingly wanting to vent all his rage and grievances.
After a long time, he panted and sat down on the ground, taking out a healing pill from his Space Ring and swallowing it. His eyes turned with a dark and unkind look as he cursed, “You’ll all die!”
As he said that, he took out his communication artifact and using his Divine Sense, used it to send a message.
Millions of kilometres away, inside the headquarters of Fire Dragon Palace, a top Sect in the Northern Territory, in a certain place overflowing with abundant World Energy.
This place was only a dozen kilometres across, but even within Fire Dragon Palace, it was considered a Restricted Area that only a few Elders and Palace Master Li Jiao were qualified to step foot into.
That was because this was where the Sect’s precious spirit medicine garden was located.
The number of spirit medicines cultivated in the medicine garden was not large, only about a hundred or so, but each one was Emperor Grade, extremely precious. Any one of these Spirit Herbs would be a rare existence to find outside. The entire garden was filled with dense World Energy and overflowing medicinal fragrance. Any cultivator visiting here would be able to improve their cultivation a lot just by breathing in lightly.
At this moment, three people were sitting at a table in the pavilion next to the medicine garden.
The one on the left, dressed in a graceful and luxurious purple robe with a chiselled mouth and nostrils, appearing quite furious at this moment, was the Palace Master of Fire Dragon Palace, Li Jiao.
On the right, a man with an extraordinary aura that looked to be about forty or so, but whose real age was obviously far greater, had a solemn expression on his face; it was the Sect Master of another top Sect in the Northern Territory, Full Sky Sect’s Mi Qi!
It was not surprising for the two of them to gather together. Since Yang Kai destroyed Seeking Passion Sect, these two top Sects had grown much closer. Just as Bing Yun said, they were wary of Yang Kai’s High Heaven Palace, so they naturally wanted to huddle together for warmth.
The one sitting at the centre was a middle-aged man whose cultivation was only Second-Order Emperor Realm, a Minor Realm lower than Li Jiao and Mi Qi. However, in terms of their attitude towards him, it could be seen that both Li Jiao and Mi Qi regarded this person with much respect, and it could also be said that they had a small mind to ingratiate themselves to him.
There were not many people in this world who could attract such respect from two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, even causing them to be somewhat anxious and wary about how they spoke, but the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Legacy Disciple certainly was among these figures.
This man was the last disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, ranked fifth, Emperor Alchemist Ji Ying.
The ten-year collection of Spirit Herbs for Medicine Pill Valley could naturally not be left to a Junior like Li Xuan. This time, Ji Ying had been the one to lead the collection team to visit all the various top Sects, but Ji Ying had encountered something that delayed his trip as soon as he arrived in Fire Dragon Palace, so he had no choice but to send his two disciples to Ice Heart Valley and High Heaven Palace.
He knew as well that his disciple, Li Xuan, was usually a little lustful, that was why he sent his other disciple to Ice Heart Valley instead, lest this little brat get himself caught up in the flower field, affecting his mood to cultivate.
But lust was not a big problem; after all, Li Xuan was young and hot-blooded. After studying Alchemy at Medicine Pill Valley all year round, it was only natural that he would feel somewhat pent up for women.
In Ji Ying’s opinion, both Disciples he accepted were fine seedlings, and as long as he gave them a little guidance, then even if they did not achieve as much as he did, they would not be much worse. Moreover, they usually behaved respectfully, so he was quite at ease to send them off on this little errand.
The pavilion was filled with the fragrant scent of tea as the three men sat talking with each other while enjoying themselves.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi’s immaculate flattery put Ji Ying into a good mood, causing him to wave his hands constantly, laughing incessantly.
Who knew how long had passed, but a strange noise suddenly emerged somewhere in the medicine garden. Though the sound was soft, all three men were Emperor Realm Masters, so how could they not have noticed it?
Ji Ying rose all of a sudden and looked towards a certain direction in the medicine garden, a look of excitement on his face, “The spirit flower is about to bloom!”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao looked at each other, both of them able to see the excitement in each other’s eyes as well.
Li Jiao quickly said, “Grandmaster Ji’s vision is truly sharp. If not for Grandmaster Ji’s appearance, this Li is afraid that we may not know that this spirit flower would soon bloom.”
Mi Qi laughed, “Grandmaster Ji is an Emperor Alchemist, and even a Legacy Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he knows all the spirit flowers and herbs under the Heavens like the back of his hand, how could a rough old man like you compare? If you were really to look after the spirit flower, then you’d most likely miss the optimal time when the flower blooms, wasting precious treasures for nothing.”
“Yes, yes,” Li Jiao nodded repeatedly, “Brother Mi Qi is right. If not for Grandmaster Ji’s reminder, then such a precious spirit flower would really have been wasted. Since the spirit flower is about to blossom, why don’t we go and take a look?”
“Good, good, good!” Ji Ying nodded excitedly and took the lead in walking over.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao looked at each other, secretly exchanging glances without a word.
Soon, the three of them arrived at a certain spot in the medicine garden where only a single spirit herb was cultivated. It was about half a metre high and had coiled roots and gnarled leaves. Strangely enough, a special aura was emanating from this spirit flower. If Zhu Qing or Yang Kai were here, they would definitely be able to tell at a glance that it was Dragon Qi.
Only, the Dragon Qi was quite weak, nowhere near as pure as the Dragon Qi emitted when the two of them used their Dragon Sources.
Even so, this was still quite amazing as this was just a spirit herb.
Quite strangely, the spirit flower not only emitted faint Dragon Qi, but it also resembled a dragon shrunken down countless times in appearance, stretched across the roots and stalk. Each of its tiny Dragon Scales could be vividly seen, along with all its claws and its tail. On top of the dragon’s head, a blood-red flower bud was slightly unfolded, about to come into bloom, just like a fragile butterfly about to spread its wings and fly into the sky.
Ji Ying was standing ten metres in front of the spirit herb, holding his breath and watching the flower nervously.
From his appearance, rather than waiting for a spirit flower to bloom, it seemed more like his child was about to be born…
Li Jiao looked at the spirit flower that was about to bloom with a proud expression on his face as he silently made a glance at Mi Qi.
Mi Qi immediately said, “Grandmaster Ji, is this Dragon Blood Flower really that precious?”
“What do you know?” Ji Ying was looking ahead with rapt attention. When he heard Mi Qi speak, he subconsciously reprimanded him, but he quickly realized that the person who spoke was not one of his disciples, but rather the Sect Master of a top sect.
Slightly easing his tone, he explained, “Since you are not Alchemists, it is only natural that you don’t know the rarity of this Dragon Blood Flower; however, as Palace Master Li has been cultivating this Dragon Blood Flower with Blood Essence all this time, I’m sure he has at least some inkling.”
Li Jiao quickly said, “I am also muddled when it comes to this flower. I don’t know the details too deeply, so if I may please ask Grandmaster Ji to explain…”
After devoting himself to taking care of this flower for a hundred years, how could he not know it well? Only, he naturally wanted to pretend to be ignorant at this moment in order to satisfy the other man’s vanity.
Ji Ying nodded, “The Dragon Blood Flower is a natural resource from Dragon Island, and it is something only found on Dragon Island in this world. How precious is that, do you say?”
Mi Qi was shocked, “Truly?” He turned to Li Jiao, “Then where did Brother Li get this Dragon Blood Flower from?”
Li Jiao laughed, “Years ago, when I ventured out, I thought that this must be something extraordinary, so I brought it back. Who could have guessed that it would gradually begin to wither when I transplanted it here, so I tried to nourish it with my Blood Essence and fortunately brought it back to life. I have been cultivating it all these years using Blood Essence since then.”
“So it was simply by chance?” Mi Qi pondered.
Ji Ying nodded, “What Palace Master Li did was correct. The reason why this Dragon Blood Flower is a special product of Dragon Island is that only Dragon Blood can nurture it! Looking around the world, where else can you find Dragon Clan members if not on Dragon Island? So, the Dragon Blood Flower cannot survive even if it appeared anywhere else. Palace Master Li shares the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, so watering it with his Blood Essence was the correct course of action.”
Li Jiao was not just a pure human, but rather half Monster, said to be the descendent of a Human and a Dragon. Though not many people know this secret in the Northern Territory, Ji Ying and Mi Qi did.
Dragon Blood Flowers needed to be nourished with Dragon Blood, and even though Li Jiao’s Dragon Clan bloodline was quite thin, it was still present. As such, after many years of devoted care, the Dragon Blood Flower really did grow until the blossoming stage.
“I assume a Dragon Clan member fell at the place where Palace Master Li found this Dragon Blood Flower. If not, there is no way that a Dragon Blood Flower would grow there,” Ji Ying quickly said.
Li Jiao praised in admiration, “Grandmaster Ji is wise. When I found the Dragon Blood Flower, I did find the bones of a Dragon Clan member. Only, I have no idea how long it had been dead for, but it had already decayed and broken down a long time ago.”
“The bones of the Dragon Clan are indestructible, how could it so easily have broken down? It must be because the Dragon Blood Flower drew the nutrients from the skeleton.”
“So that’s how it is!” Li Jiao nodded his head incessantly as if he were an ignorant child.
Ji Ying said with enthusiasm, “With the Dragon Blood Flower, the Dragon Blood Pill can be refined. This pill will be very useful to Palace Master Li.”
“Why so?” Li Jiao held back the excitement in his heart and asked modestly.
Ji Ying smiled, “The reason the Dragon Clan on Dragon Island devours Dragon Blood Flowers is mainly to temper their bloodline, purifying their Bloodline Power. You should have heard that the Dragon Clan’s bloodline is separated into many different levels. Higher-order bloodlines have strong suppressive powers over lower bloodlines, so even if two Dragon Clan members are close in strength but differ too much in terms of bloodline, the one with the lower bloodline will be powerless against the one with the purer bloodline.”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao both nodded their heads.
Naturally, this was something they knew.
“The Dragon Clan is born powerful and can easily cultivate to the Emperor Realm. Without much effort, they can even achieve power on par with a Third-Order Emperor. Their main goal in cultivation though is to purify their bloodline. The higher the purity, the higher their strength becomes! The current Great Elder of the Dragon Clan is said to be an Eighth-Order Azure Dragon, whose strength is on par with even a Great Emperor. And above him, there are even legendary Ninth-Order and Tenth-Order bloodlines! The Dragon Blood Flower is said to be the most important resource to them.
Li Jiao said excitedly, “Does Grandmaster Ji mean that I can also…”
“Indeed!” Ji Ying nodded, “Though the Dragon Clan bloodline in Palace Master Li’s body is quite thin, it can indeed be enhanced by consuming the Dragon Blood Flower. Of course, the effects will be even better if it is refined into a Dragon Blood Pill.”
Li Jiao’s breathing suddenly quickened. Even though he had already secretly inquired about this news, he still felt that he had not wasted the past hundred years after receiving Ji Ying’s confirmation.
This Dragon Blood Flower had been obtained by him a hundred years ago, and he had been cultivating it with his own Blood Essence ever since, causing his strength to remain stagnant for many years. Even though both he and Mi Qi were Third-Order Emperor Realms, Li Jiao was undoubtedly a bit stronger thanks to his bloodline.
But if he could take this Dragon Blood Flower and refine it, then Li Jiao’s power would completely eclipse Mi Qi’s in one fell swoop.
“It’s just a pity…” Ji Ying suddenly changed the topic, frowning.
“What’s a pity?” Li Jiao’s heart was clenched in fear that he would hear bad news from Ji Ying.
Ji Ying smiled, “No need to be nervous, Palace Master Li. I just wanted to say that not only is the bloodline of the Dragon Clan separated into different levels, so too are the grades of Dragon Blood Flowers. Even if this Dragon Blood Flower really blooms, I’m afraid it will only be the lowest grade possible.”
For a Dragon Blood Flower of such a grade, perhaps no True Dragon would even spare it a glance if it were to be found on Dragon Island. However, it was already the most valuable thing here in Flame Dragon Sect’s medicine garden.
Only because it was rare and hard to find.
It was precisely because of this Dragon Blood Flower that Ji Ying stayed at Fire Dragon Palace. Otherwise, he would have gone to Ice Heart Valley and High Heaven Palace himself to collect all the spirit herbs for the ten-year agreement. He wanted to stay behind to watch the Dragon Blood Flower Bloom, which was a rare opportunity for an Alchemist.
Even though Ji Ying had been learning Alchemy for many years by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s side, it was the first time he had ever seen the Dragon Blood Flower. Naturally, faced with a spirit flower he was seeing for the first time, his desire as an Emperor Alchemist was thoroughly stimulated.
Mi Qi stood to the side, asking, “Grandmaster Ji, other than being useful to Brother Li, is this Dragon Blood Pill useless for Human cultivators?”
Ji Ying smiled, “How could it possibly be useless? Enhancing strength, refining cultivation, tempering the body… The Dragon Blood Pill has infinite uses.”
After a pause, he said, “Palace Master Li, if you are willing to trust this Ji, how about allowing me to refine this Dragon Blood Flower into a Spirit Pill when it blooms?”
Li Jiao was overjoyed at his words and cupped his fists, “I was just thinking of making such a request. It could not be better if Grandmaster Ji could help.”
He was completely overjoyed. Even though he was Fire Dragon Palace’s Palace Master, it was not such a simple thing for him to get Ji Ying to refine a pill for him even with his status. Several times before, he had gone to Medicine Pill Valley in order to ask for help refining pills, but for which pill did he not have to pay a hefty sum and be forced to wait a long time?
But this time, Ji Ying actually took the initiative to offer his services. What’s more, he did not ask for payment.
It seemed that this Dragon Blood Flower was quite an attractive resource to Ji Ying too.
“I’m not sure how many pills can be refined if Grandmaster Ji takes action?” Li Jiao asked cautiously.
Ji Ying had a solemn look on his face, “I dare not say for sure, but three should not be a problem.”
Every time Ji Ying refined pills, not only would he collect a generous remuneration, but he would also keep a third of the refined pills. These were his standard rules.
So, that was the reason why Li Jiao asked how many Yi Jing could refine. Now that he heard that he could refine three, Li Jiao was ecstatic. In this case, he would be able to get at least two Dragon Blood Pills, which would be an enormous help to improving his strength!
“Congratulations, Brother Li! What a joyous occasion!” Mi Qi cupped his fists at the side to congratulate him, but he was feeling slightly displeased in his heart.
Even though High Heaven Palace’s sudden rise following the destruction of Seeking Passion Sect was the reason why Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace had recently formed an alliance, who of them did not have their own selfish motives? Naturally, Mi Qi did not hope for Li Jiao to become too strong.
In his heart, he secretly prayed that Ji Ying would fail to refine the Dragon Blood Pill.
But he also knew how unlikely that was. Ji Ying was an Emperor Grade Alchemist and his skill was unquestionable. If he said he could refine three pills, then he naturally wasn’t just boasting. He was sure he could really do it.
Li Jiao laughed, looking very pleased.
Right at that moment, another strange sound occurred. The three of them were taken by surprise and all turned their attention to the Dragon Blood Flower.
The blooming Dragon Blood Flower which was about to blossom began to unfurl a little, releasing a crimson light that dazzled their eyes.
The three Emperors were all holding their breaths, not turning away for even an instant.
The red light flourished more and more as the flower bloomed like a new life was being born that wanted to break free from that flower as faint Dragon Qi began spreading out in all directions.
*Dong dong, dong dong…*
Li Jiao’s heartbeat could clearly be heard. This matter was directly related to the increase in his strength, so he was naturally even more nervous than the other two.
All of a sudden, as if the birth of the flower was being hindered by something, the light suddenly dimmed a little. Even the petals that were about to open up began to coil up again.
A withering feeling enveloped the entire plant.
Li Jiao’s face changed dramatically and he called out in alarm, “What…”
Ji Ying shouted quickly, “Palace Master Li! Quickly use your Blood Essence to feed it before it’s too late!”
The Dragon Blood Flower could only grow using the Dragon Clan’s Blood Essence as nourishment, so Li Jiao was the only one who could save this peculiar flower at the moment.
When he heard Ji Ying’s words, Li Jiao didn’t think twice and raised his finger, drawing a wound across the tip and using a Secret Technique to draw a drop of his Blood Essence out.
“Go!” He shouted, sending the drop of Blood Essence flying in an arc towards the Dragon Blood Flower, landing steadily into the centre of the bud.
After receiving this nourishment, the Dragon Blood Flower regained its vitality as expected. The petals began to unfurl even faster than before, its peculiar fragrance permeating in the air.
On the other hand, Li Jiao, who had forced out that drop of Blood Essence, was slightly pale-faced at the moment, looking as if his foundation had been severely damaged. A drop of Blood Essence would require at least ten years of dedicated cultivation to restore, but when he thought of the wonderful uses of the Dragon Blood Pill, Li Jiao felt it was all worth it.
A loud dragon roar suddenly echoed as the Dragon Blood Flower blossomed in an instant. Following that, a red light sprang out, shooting straight into the sky like a living creature.
Ji Ying had been prepared early and he reacted quickly, reaching out his hand and making a grabbing motion, causing the red light to freeze mid-air, though it still struggled visibly.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao watched intently, both revealing looks of amazement.
That was because they saw the red light take the shape of a tiny dragon…
“This is a Dragon Blood Flower?” Li Jiao and Mi Qi looked at each other. They were both in disbelief. This Dragon Blood Flower didn’t look like a flower in the slightest, but rather the spirit of a dragon. Was this truly the Dragon Blood Flower?
Ji Ying took out a wooden box that smelled of fragrant sandalwood in excitement and put the Dragon Blood Flower into it before sealing it. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, “Fortunately it is not of a high grade, otherwise I really wouldn’t have been able to suppress it!”
The Dragon Blood Flower can only be produced on Dragon Island, and also subdued by only the Dragon Clan.
“Since the spirit flower has bloomed, I will leave the Alchemy to Grandmaster Ji,” suppressing the excitement in his heart, Li Jiao said respectfully to him.
“En. Just leave everything to me. Palace Master Li, if you prepare a secluded chamber for me…” Ji Ying nodded.
“Yes, yes!” Li Jiao was overjoyed. He thought that Ji Ying would bring the Dragon Blood Flower back to Medicine Pill Valley in order to refine it, but from what he said, he seemed to have the intention to start refining the pill here. So, how could he not be happy?
Mi Qi forced out a smile, “Brother Li, you should go handle that. I’ll stay and accompany Grandmaster Ji here.”
Li Jiao nodded, “Good! Please wait for a moment!”
After that, he turned to leave.
Right then, Ji Ying suddenly took out his communication artifact, but after checking it for a moment, his originally joyful appearance suddenly became filled with rage as he shouted, “Impudence!”
Li Jiao was startled and quickly turned around and asked, “What happened?”
He thought he had accidentally offended Ji Ying somehow.
Mi Qi also asked curiously, “Grandmaster Ji, what happened?”
Ji Ying’s face turned dark, “Li Xuan was beaten!”
“Li Xuan…” Both Mi Qi and Li Jiao muttered that name before quickly recalling. Wasn’t Li Xuan one of Grandmaster Ji’s disciples? That boy wasn’t old, but both his talent in cultivation and Alchemy were quite outstanding, so he was valued and nurtured greatly by Ji Ying. He had followed Ji Ying here a few days ago to Fire Dragon Palace, but was sent out to collect spirit herbs after the Dragon Blood Flower incident.
“Was it Ice Heart Valley or High Heaven Palace?” Mi Qi’s heart was beating wildly and he couldn’t help but ask in excitement.
If it were the people from High Heaven Palace who beat Li Xuan up, then there would be a good show for them to watch. He and Li Jiao were worrying over how they could keep High Heaven Palace’s arrogance in check, or better, suppress them. They didn’t expect High Heaven Palace to put themselves on the plate before they could even come up with a solution.
“It’s that High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master!” Ji Ying had a furious expression on his face, “He beat my disciple and stole the Source Crystals I gave him to buy the spirit herbs with. This High Heaven Palace is simply lawless!”
“What?” Mi Qi was shocked, “They didn’t just beat people but even snatched their Source Crystals? This…”
He almost couldn’t help himself from throwing his head back and laughing, thinking to himself, [High Heaven Palace, you’re asking for your own destruction! You think you can touch the people from Medicine Pill Valley however you please?]
“Such impudence! How dare High Heaven Palace despise Medicine Pill Valley! I, Li Jiao, and he are absolutely irreconcilable!” Li Jiao also realized that an opportunity had come and quickly exclaimed.
“Palace Master Li, I’m afraid this Alchemy matter will have to be delayed for now. This concerns the reputation of my Medicine Pill Valley so I must make a trip there personally to see just what that High Heaven Palace is trying to do!” Ji Ying yelled. Even though he promised Li Jiao, this was an important matter that he could not delay; otherwise, if word got out, then it would damage the prestige of both Medicine Pill Valley and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
“This… It can’t be helped.” Li Jiao was slightly exasperated. He could have gotten the Dragon Blood Pill immediately, but he didn’t expect such an incident to happen out of nowhere. He already had a bad impression of High Heaven Palace to begin with, so now he hated them even more.
“But Grandmaster Ji, it’s better not to go alone,” Mi Qi frowned.
Ji Ying snorted, “What’s wrong? Would he still dare to act unruly even if I make an appearance personally?”
Mi Qi said with a straight face, “If it were a Northern Territory cultivator like us, then we naturally wouldn’t dare be impudent in front of Grandmaster Ji. However, I heard that High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master is not from the Northern Territory. It seems he is from the Southern Territory. What’s more, he is a domineering and unreasonable man who uses all kinds of cruel methods. If that wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t have wiped out the Seeking Passion Sect. It is better to be on guard against such a ruthless and bloodthirsty man. Grandmaster Ji must not risk his safety so easily!”
“What Brother Mi Qi said is right,” Li Jiao nodded, “I have also heard that not only is that brat surnamed Yang savage and domineering, he also colludes with the Monster Race. It is best to be on guard.”
Ji Ying declared, “Even if I must enter a dragon’s cave, I must go. My disciple has been beaten and my Source Crystals robbed. If I stay silent on this matter, how will I face my Honoured Master when I return to Medicine Pill Valley?”
“Naturally, the trip has to be made,” Mi Qi and Li Jiao glanced at each other, “But Grandmaster Ji mustn’t go alone.”
“Indeed,” Li Jiao nodded, “How about this, as Brother Mi Qi and I are both free, we can accompany Grandmaster Ji to keep the situation under control. Let’s see if that High Heaven Palace truly wants to go against the Heavens!”
“Brother Li makes a good suggestion. I agree. If that High Heaven Palace really dares to disrespect Grandmaster Ji, then Brother Li and I will put our lives on the line in order to protect you!”
“Then… I shall trouble you both.” Ji Ying also did not refuse them, mainly because he was feeling anxious from hearing what these two had to say. He was truly worried that High Heaven Palace would not take his status into account and lay a hand on him.
“We must not delay. Let us set off!”
…..
High Heaven Palace, atop a certain mountain peak. Yang Kai was currently lying on the ground, legs crossed, lazily soaking in the sun.
It was a bright day today with not a cloud in the sky, and he was currently being accompanied by beauties in this sunny world.
Zhu Qing, who was pouring wine for him to the side, grit her teeth and spat as she shoved the cup in front of him, “Drink!”
In order not to lose him again, Zhu Qing decided to stick by his side at all times, forcing her to endure humiliation after humiliation. She had to put up with Yang Kai’s various criticisms and commands, and now she was even serving him like a maid.
Her pride was being trampled into a mess, and Zhu Qing felt that there was simply no one more hateful than this man in front of her right now.
“Ah…” Yang Kai opened his mouth but did not move.
Zhu Qing shot him a hateful glare before lifting the cup to his mouth and pouring it drink down.
He drank it in one gulp.
“Ah…” Yang Kai opened his mouth again, eyes slightly narrowed with a pleasant expression.
Flames of fury were tumbling around in Zhu Qing’s chest and wanted nothing more than to burn this man alive with her Dragon Flames, but she still reached over to pick up a grape-like berry and pop it into Yang Kai’s mouth.
After chewing a few times, Yang Kai swallowed the fruit, then turned to his side and propped his head up with his hand, looking at Zhu Qing, “Qing’er, how’s your Dragon Island right now?”
Zhu Qing responded indifferently, “If you want to know, then just follow me over.”
“You’re talking about that again,” Yang Kai frowned, “Do you not want to be friends anymore?”
“You’re the one who asked,” a trace of panic flashed past Zhu Qing’s face. It took a lot of effort for her and Yang Kai to become ‘friends’, so if he really cut off their relationship because of this, then she would be done for.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, looking at her with interest, he asked, “Do you have any other friends?”
Zhu Qing shook her head.
[Why would a Dragon need friends? What a joke.]
Yang Kai said with a serious look, “Let me tell you, there are many types of friends. Even though we’re friends now, we’re nothing more than the most ordinary of friends.”
“There are other types?” Zhu Qing furrowed her brows and asked curiously.
“Naturally so,” Yang Kai nodded pretentiously, “There are normal friends, then you have close friends above that. And if you go further… intimate friends! En, if we were intimate friends, then that would change our relationship. If it were so, it would not be impossible for me to consider visiting Dragon Island.”
Zhu Qing’s eyes lit up, “Then let’s be intimate friends?”
“Do you really want to?” Yang Kai looked at her with a solemn expression.
“Of course! Let’s be intimate!” Zhu Qing nodded with certainty.