“I wouldn’t mind if we became intimate friends, but I’m worried you’ll…” Yang Kai took Zhu Qing’s dainty hand and gently stroked it, “Find it forced!”
[Tsk tsk, such a smooth and delicate little hand. The texture feels just like the finest silk, making it hard to let go.]
Zhu Qing frowned and stared at Yang Kai’s wanton actions, squirming a little before she pulled her hand back and looked away, “Don’t do that, it feels weird…”
Yang Kai said with a straight face, “Didn’t you say you wanted to be intimate friends?”
Zhu Qing asked curiously, “Is this what intimate friends have to do?”
“Of course!” Yang Kai’s nostrils were blowing out hot air, “And this is just the basics.”
Zhu Qing could not help but look a little hesitant, “Then what else do we have to do?”
Yang Kai stroked his chin, a wicked smile on his face, “Much, much more…”
“Tell me about it? I’ll see if I… can manage,” Zhu Qing’s tender pink neck had become a little red, seemingly becoming aware of something.
Just looking at her reaction alone was enough to make one restless. Yang Kai quickly took a deep breath to calm down his tumbling urges before he swiftly laid his head atop Zhu Qing’s firm and smooth thighs. The top of his head nudging against her belly as he said comfortably, “Try giving me a rub.”
Zhu Qing’s face was red. Even though it was not her first time having such intimate contact with Yang Kai, and even had done more excessive things before this, her heartbeat couldn’t help but quicken and she became a little flustered.
Raising her hands, she pressed her two thumbs lightly against Yang Kai’s temple and moved them gently in a circular motion.
Yang Kai felt his whole body loosen up, like he was floating on clouds. It felt so good he could almost reach his peak. [This girl is actually quite cooperative], he thought to himself. He even began to wonder if he should just forget everything that happened up until now and really get to know her properly?
Suddenly, a violent force erupted at his temples, as if he had just been hit by two hammers at the same time. Yang Kai’s face twisted up instantly and his eyes went wide.
“You really think I don’t know anything and will let you do whatever you want?!” Zhu Qing ground her teeth as a force great enough to move mountains and break seas, her two thumbs pressing like drills, spinning hard back and forth against Yang Kai’s temples.
“I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die!” Yang Kai’s head was pinned down so that he was unable to move his body, only able to flail about madly.
“It may be my first time leaving Dragon Island, but I’m no fool! Don’t think you can bully me like this!” With gritted teeth, Zhu Qing’s fingers kept digging.
Yang Kai instantly felt the desire to die. His entire person had become uncomfortable. Body arching, he shot up from the ground, feet landing towards Zhu Qing’s head.
Zhu Qing easily deflected the blow with a wave of her hand and took this moment to stand up, putting some distance between Yang Kai and herself, panting and glaring at him.
Yang Kai swayed a few times, still feeling a little dizzy. He almost couldn’t stand straight as he indignantly shouted, “You actually pretended to be innocent in front of me! How could you deceive me so wickedly!”
Feeling like he had been cheated, it left a huge scar deep in his heart.
“I’ve had enough of you!” Zhu Qing shouted at him through gritted teeth.
“It’s not like I’m the one who asked you to stay, you’re the one that’s insistent on staying here and now you’re blaming me for that?”
Zhu Qing’s chest heaved like a volcano that could blow at any moment. She stomped her feet, “Fine! I won’t pester you anymore in the future, so don’t come looking for me either!”
“What a joke!” Yang Kai stood with his arms on his waist, spittle flying everywhere as he spat, “I won’t look for you even if every other woman in this world died!”
Zhu Qing’s face instantly turned icy cold as if a bowl of frost could be scraped off of it. A layer of mist appeared in her beautiful eyes as she calmly said, “Remember what you said.”
Then, she turned around and left.
Yang Kai scoffed and raised his hand, waving, “Good riddance!”
But he could no longer see Zhu Qing’s figure anymore.
In a flash, Hua Qing Si suddenly appeared at the top of the mountain. She looked at Yang Kai, then at the direction Zhu Qing left, asking, “Did you quarrel?”
“We just couldn’t see eye-to-eye, that’s all,” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
“It’s not too late to catch up to her now. She hasn’t gone that far yet.” Hua Qing Si looked into the distance, “You know how women are, just coax her a little and she’ll be fine. If she can be angry with you, it means she cares about you.”
“She has other intentions,” Yang Kai bristled. He then turned to look at Hua Qing Si and asked, “What do you need me for?”
Hua Qing Si quickly said, “They’re here.”
Yang Kai’s face turned serious before he sneered, “Since they’re here, let’s go and have a look at the famed Great Emperor’s Disciple.”
Outside the gates of High heaven Palace, a huge ship hovered mid-air beside the Sect Defending Array, just like a dark cloud covering the sky.
Five figures stood on the deck.
Ji Ying stood at the forefront, waiting with a heavy look on his face. Fire Dragon Palace’s Palace Master Li Jiao and Full Sky Sect’s Sect Master Mi Qi stood quietly to each of his sides just like his guards. Further back were two more people, Ji Ying’s Disciples, one of whom was Li Xuan.
Li Xuan had lost most of his teeth and his cheek was swollen even now.
These weren’t serious injuries, and as he was an Alchemist and came from Medicine Pill Valley, he naturally had some good healing pills with him. This sort of injury could be treated in less than a hour, but he had deliberately not healed himself so that Ji Ying could see his wounds and know how he was bullied and humiliated at High Heaven Palace.
The result was quite good.
When Ji Ying saw how his beloved Disciple had been beaten up to resemble a pig’s head, even losing most of his teeth, his anger exploded.
Li Xuan may be a second-generation disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, not a personal student of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, but he was still part of Medicine Pill Valley.
It was unforgivable for him to be humiliated in such a way in the Northern Territory.
Now, when he arrived at High Heaven Palace and was even blocked outside their gates without receiving the respect he deserved, it gave Ji Ying an even worse impression about this place.
“This is simply outrageous!” Li Jiao said with indignation, “This High Heaven Palace is simply too arrogant! They should be honoured that Grandmaster Ji has personally come to visit, but nobody has come out to receive him. This Sect has no manners to speak of.”
Mi Qi chimed in immediately, “Too true! This High Heaven Palace has no regard for Grandmaster Ji. That means they have no regard for Medicine Pill Valley either!”
The two of them fanned the flames while they watched the show, wanting nothing more than for High Heaven Palace to offend Ji Ying as much as possible.
Ji Ying’s already displeased face became even uglier.
He was a Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and was a noble Emperor Alchemist; where in the Northern Territory would he not receive a warm welcome? No matter where he went, people waited on him with great enthusiasm, but he was actually greeted with closed doors here at High Heaven Palace!
Just now, there was some Head Manager who came out, asking a few questions before she went back inside, now nowhere to be seen.
Was this how unruly High Heaven Palace was? As the saying goes, seeing is believing. When he heard Mi Qi and Li Jiao talking about High Heaven Palace, Ji Ying knew that they were deliberately discrediting this place, but now, his own personal experience proved that this High Heaven Palace really wasn’t anything good.
“Master, you have to obtain justice for this disciple!” Li Xuan found the right time to jump out, sobbing and snotty while he spoke incoherently, “Not only did that High Heaven Palace Palace Master beat this disciple, he even snatched away this disciple’s Source Crystals meant to purchase the spirit herbs! He did not take this disciple seriously even after I told him Honoured Master and Ancestral Founder’s name. You can’t let him go easily, Honoured Master!”
“What!” Ji Ying’s face changed and he said fiercely, “He actually dares to disregard Honoured Master’s name?”
Even though he was angry with what he and his disciple encountered thus far, it was not to the degree that he lost his mind. But when he heard from Li Xuan that High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master actually disdained the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, Ji Ying completely erupted.
Observing his reaction, Li Xuan turned his eyes away and said, “He even said… even said…”
“What did he say?” Ji Ying asked with a dark face.
Li Xuan said meekly, “Disciple doesn’t dare to say.”
“Speak!” Ji Ying glared at him.
His Senior Brother at the side also said, “Junior Brother, what has that man said? Tell Honoured Master everything! Don’t be afraid!”
Only then did Li Xuan let loose as if he had found the courage, “He said Alchemists are all bloated fools, thinking we are masters just because we know Alchemy. He said that we were all worthless in his eyes…”
“Impudence!” Ji Ying shouted.
Li Xuan fell to his knees, “Honoured Master, I wasn’t the one who said it, it was him!”
“Master naturally knows that you didn’t say such disgraceful words,” Ji Ying took a deep breath and calmed himself before raising his hand, “Get up!”
Li Xuan staggered up and lifted his sleeve to wipe the corners of his eyes, covering the sinister grin that appeared on his face.
As Ji Ying’s Disciple, he naturally knew what Ji Ying’s reverse scale was.
Wondrous Pill Great Emperor was Ji Ying’s Honoured Teacher, and the Alchemic Dao was what Ji Ying spent his whole life pursuing. These two things weighed more to Ji Ying than even his own life, so he would never allow anyone off easily if they dared profane them.
And now, from what he was told, Yang Kai violated both of these taboos, so it would be strange if he had a good end after this.
[Let’s see how you die now!] Li Xuan cheered in his heart.
“Grandmaster Ji, it seems like this High Heaven Palace has no need to exist anymore. If we really allow them to stay in the Northern Territory, it would be nothing more than a great shame!” Li Jiao said coldly, “Grandmaster Ji. We should gather our allies in the Northern Territory and band together to condemn High Heaven Palace!”
Mi Qi echoed his sentiments, “My Full Sky Sect will devote all of its strength to eradicate this malignant growth from the Northern Territory!”
Ji Ying frowned deeply for quite some time before finally saying, “We shall decide how to proceed once I have met the Palace Master of this High Heaven Palace.”
He was not someone who made decisions based solely on his emotions. Even though his fury was hard to restrain, what he heard was nothing more than his Disciple’s side of the story.
Even though he thought Li Xuan couldn’t lie to him, it was better to see what High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master wanted first. If things were truly as Li Xuan said, then it wouldn’t be too late to make a move against High Heaven Palace then.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao exchanged helpless glances. Both of them knew that this matter couldn’t be rushed, so they remained silent.
On the other hand, a trace of panic flashed across Li Xuan’s face. He had exaggerated what happened to Ji Ying just now and even fabricated several big lies. He was really afraid of him confronting High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master face-to-face and hearing a different story. But on second thought, he had always put on a well-behaved appearance in front of his Honoured Master, so even if the other party spoke differently, with no proof, his Honoured Master would surely side with him rather than an outsider.
When Li Xuan thought about things this way, he instantly felt much better.
A red light suddenly emerged that suddenly shot out from High Heaven Palace, flying out of the Sect Defending Array.
When it arrived in front of the ship, the red light paused for a moment, revealing a small and delicate figure. It was Zhu Qing, who had just left in anger.
In actual fact, she was actually feeling extremely regretful that she had fallen out with Yang Kai earlier and left in a moment of rage, completely forgetting the task given to her by her Elders. She was cursing Yang Kai in her heart for putting her in this awkward situation with his lack of propriety and for not even trying to stop her or persuade her to stay.
When she suddenly saw the ship stopped outside the Sect Defending Array, she naturally looked over in curiosity.
Her eyes swept past Mi Qi and Ji Ying without pause, only pausing on Li Jiao for a moment as the corners of her mouth twitched, seemingly out of disdain.
Inexplicably, Li Jiao felt his heart clench, like he was being stared at by a vicious predator. He suddenly had the impression that this petite woman in front of him could kill him at will.
He was flabbergasted at how he could suddenly feel such a thing. He was already a Third-Order Emperor, so the only ones who could kill him at will would be Great Emperors.
Could this woman in front of him be a Great Emperor?
But that was impossible. He had never heard of a Great Emperor who looked like this before. Flower Shadow Great Emperor may be a woman, but she definitely did not look like this.
[What’s going on?] Li Jiao was confused for a moment, wondering whether he was too on edge and imagining things.
“It’s you!” Li Xuan called out as he pointed at Zhu Qing, eyes bloodshot as if he were looking at his most hated enemy.
“Who is she?” Ji Ying asked with a frown.
This woman had flown out from High Heaven Palace, so she should be one of their people. Could she be High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master? But that didn’t make sense as High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master was supposed to be a man named Yang Kai?
“Honoured Master, it’s her! She also hit this disciple along with High Heaven Palace’s Palace Master. This disciple suffered a lot because of her…” Li Xuan began to cry.
“She laid hands on you?” Ji Ying’s face turned dark.
“That’s right, she was the one who hit this disciple first! She is an Emperor Realm Master while this disciple is only in First-Order Dao Source Realm. There was no way this disciple could have fought back…” Li Xuan cried out with snot and tears flowing, appearing extremely hurt.
“Shameless!” Ji Ying cursed angrily. Originally, he had a good impression of this woman when he saw how beautiful she was and how nobly she carried herself, but after hearing what Li Xuan said, that good impression crashed. In an instant, he felt that this woman was abominable no matter her outward appearance.
“To actually bully the weak even though you’re an Emperor Realm Master. It is simply a disgrace to all Emperors!” Mi Qi shouted angrily and pushed his Emperor Qi, “Let this King teach you a lesson and exact justice for Martial Nephew Li!”
As he said that, he shot towards Zhu Qing like a great Peng spreading its wings.
Ji Ying’s expression changed, seemingly wanting to stop Mi Qi’s reckless move, but on second thought, he gave up and just stood there with a grim expression.
It would be good to teach this High Heaven Palace a lesson, so it thought twice about being so arrogant. He wasn’t worried that Mi Qi wouldn’t be this woman’s opponent since he was, after all, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even if this woman was strong, she should pose no threat to Mi Qi.
Zhu Qing furrowed deeply as her anger erupted.
She was already enraged from the grievances Yang Kai inflicted upon her, so now that Mi Qi was taking the initiative to rush at her, it gave her a chance to vent. Raising her arm, she swung her fist out, punching straight towards Mi Qi’s chest.
Mi Qi’s hands moved quickly to form a large seal and he sneered, “A measly thing like you dares to contend with this King?!”
Pushing forward both hands, Emperor Pressure spread out. Mi Qi’s move was extremely fierce, as if he wanted to suppress Zhu Qing in one hit.
The dainty fist flew forward without pause though, a vortex of power forming around it as it shredded everything in his path, smashing apart Mi Qi’s seal as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood.
“What!?” Mi Qi’s expression drastically as fear surged up from deep within himself. Only now did he realize that he had greatly underestimated his opponent. Even though this woman did not use her Emperor Qi, her raw strength was beyond extraordinary. By the time he realized what was happening and tried to execute another move to defend himself, it was too late. He could only gather up his Emperor Qi hastily in order to guard himself.
*Hong long long…*
As Zhu Qing’s delicate-looking fist made contact with Mi Qi’s chest, a large depression instantly formed. Ji Ying and the others standing behind Mi Qi could clearly see the bulge appearing on Mi Qi’s back, making it look like he was an old hunched man, while at the same time, a wave of pressure burst out behind him, exploding a big hole in the robes Mi Qi wore.
The Sect Master of one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, Full Sky Sect, the Third-Order Emperor Realm Master Mi Qi, was sent flying and crashed heavily into the protective barrier of the ship, planting him spread-eagled mid-air.
*Ssii…*
The sound of someone gasping was heard.
Everyone’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
Even though they suspected Mi Qi had underestimated his opponent, being able to devastate him in one hit proved beyond any doubt the strength of this woman.
Li Xuan, who was originally excited to watch how Mi Qi was going to get justice for him, suddenly felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his neck, almost causing his eyes to pop out of their sockets. His whole body began trembling as his heart was filled with fear.
He was slapped by Zhu Qing the other day, but he didn’t suffer anything more than a sore cheek.
But if she had hit him with this much power that day, would there even be ashes left?
Cold sweat poured down his whole body.
Only after being stunned for quite a while did Ji Ying remember to lower the protective barrier and bring Mi Qi inside.
“This King underestimated yo… wa…” Landing on the deck, Mi Qi was just about to say something to save some face when he coughed out a mouthful of blood mid-sentence, his face was as pale as paper.
Ji Ying was shocked and quickly fed him a Spirit Pill.
“Who are you people?!” After punching Mi Qi, Zhu Qing felt much better and asked while looking coldly ahead at them.
Ji Ying was furious. He thought that this person had come with the sole intention to humiliate him; after all, he had already informed the so-called Head Manager of his status while this petite woman had just come out from High Heaven Palace. How could she possibly now know who he was?
She was clearly asking despite knowing the answer.
Had High Heaven Palace already grown this conceited?
“Qing’er, don’t be rude!” A bellow came from afar, and by the time it was heard, Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si had already arrived together.
Zhu Qing glared at him, but then she turned her eyes away.
[Don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you called me Qing’er!]
“Grandmaster Ji has come from afar. This Palace Master apologizes for not welcoming you sooner and hopes Grandmaster Ji can be magnanimous!” Yang Kai cupped his fists with a smile, appearing neither overbearing nor servile, instead putting himself on equal footing with Ji Ying.
On the way here, he also learned of this man’s identity from Hua Qing Si.
The Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, Emperor Alchemist Ji Ying.
Ji Ying responded indifferently, “Palace Master Yang is polite. It was this Ji who came uninvited and disturbed your noble Palace.”
Even though he felt annoyed that this man made him wait so long before appearing, one does not greet a smile with a raised hand. He couldn’t fall out with him as soon as he came out, could he?
Yang Kai smiled broadly, “I have long heard of Grandmaster Ji’s esteemed name. It is a great honour to have you here at my High Heaven Palace so please, do tell me what brings you here.”
Li Jiao confronted him coldly, “Palace Master Yang, Grandmaster Ji made the trip here personally and you are still keeping him out with this Sect Defending Array? Is this how your High Heaven Palace treats its guests?”
“Your Excellency is…” Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao.
Ji Ying introduced, “This is Fire Dragon Palace’s Palace Master, Li Jiao!”
“So, it is Palace Master Li… And who is that man spitting blood over there?” Yang Kai turned his attention to Mi Qi.
Mi Qi had already taken a Spirit Pill to suppress the tumbling blood inside of him, but hearing these words almost made him spit out another mouthful of blood.
Ji Ying answered, “This is Full Sky Sect’s Sect Master, Mi Qi.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. “So, Sect Master Mi has come as well.”
Li Jiao coldly snorted, “En. Palace Master Yang doesn’t seem to welcome Brother Mi and me very much.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin and thought seriously for a moment, “Indeed, you are not very welcome!”
[Simply ridiculous. These two guys have banded together, obviously to pick a fight, and they’re asking me whether I welcome them or not! They must be sick in the head.]
Li Jiao’s breath almost got stuck in his throat as his face turned ugly. Even those with power and status like him and Mi Qi had to display some decorum despite how much they disliked a person. If Yang Kai had gone to his Fire Dragon Palace, he would still treat him with courtesy despite wanting to kick him out on sight. That was simple manners, but who could have anticipated that this Yang Kai would be so blunt and disrespectful?
Yang Kai chuckled seeing this reaction and continued, “But since you’re already here, please do come in.”
As he said that, he opened the Sect Defending Array.
It made him seem extremely reluctant.
Ji Ying collected the ship and flew into High Heaven Palace with the others.
“Please, follow me.” After saying that, Yang Kai turned around and led the way. After flying out some distance, he turned back and shouted, “Qing’er, why are you still out there?”
Zhu Qing was originally waiting there bitterly for Yang Kai to come and apologize, and she decided she would forgive him for his impertinence as long as he could say a few coaxing words to her. However, after waiting for so long, he never even spared her a glance in the end.
She couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.
[Am I really going to leave just like this? What about the mission Elder entrusted to me? What about the Ancestral Dragon Source?]
The moment she heard Yang Kai’s shout, she turned around and scurried back into High Heaven Palace, following right behind Yang Kai with a pout on her lips. Watching Yang Kai’s back, her lips opened and closed, but none of them could hear what she was muttering about.
From the shape of her lips though, she seemed to be cursing him.
“Palace Master Yang, this woman is…” Li Jiao asked quietly.
He had no idea why, but having Zhu Qing follow along at the back made him feel prickly all over. He felt extremely uncomfortable, as if the one following behind them was not a marvellous beauty, but rather an ancient beast that was going to devour him. It sent chills running up his spine.
“Haha, just a little servant girl. Please don’t mind her, Palace Master Li,” Yang Kai casually blabbed.
“Servant girl…” Li Jiao looked speechless.
“Is that not an insult to me, Palace Master Yang?!” Mi Qi almost choked himself to death, feeling extremely irritated. Her strength was unfathomable, so how could she possibly be a servant girl? In the outside world, this woman was more than strong enough to found a top Sect of her own.
If she was truly just a servant girl, then wouldn’t he be less than a mere servant girl?!
“Why would I humiliate you? I don’t hold a grudge against you!” Yang Kai grinned, “If I really did have a grudge, I still would not have humiliated you either. It would be much faster to just kill you!”
Mi Qi had no idea what Yang Kai was trying to insinuate, but he quickly shut his mouth. He could tell at a glance that this Yang Kai wasn’t someone to be messed with. He instinctively felt that his decision to accompany Ji Ying on this trip was a bad one. If things went poorly, then his lifetime of fame and fortune would end here.
“Qing’er, go and prepare up some tea for our guests,” Yang Kai turned around to order Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing’s face turned dark and she eyed Yang Kai angrily.
Yang Kai, however, just glared at her.
“Good!” Zhu Qing submitted helplessly and turned around, flying off in another direction.
“I’ll help you!” Hua Qing Si quickly followed her.
Inside High Heaven Palace’s reception hall, both guests and hosts were seated.
Ji Ying’s face looked a bit displeased because Yang Kai sat at the head of the table, putting him below him.
This had never happened before. He had always been treated as the Guest of Honour in any Sect in the Northern Territory, and the head seat was always reserved for him. That was the case for his visit to Fire Dragon Palace just now as well.
If this happened at any other time, Ji Ying would not have cared too much, as a guest should suit the convenience of the host after all. No matter how noble his status was, he was still an outsider in another’s home. In any case, seating order was a mere formality, not something worth bickering over.
But he already had a preconceived impression of High Heaven Palace and Yang Kai, further strengthening his idea that Yang Kai did not show him any regard.
On the other hand, Yang Kai didn’t think about this issue at all. He was the host, so it was only natural that he should sit at the front and entertain his guests.
Turning his eyes over, he chuckled, “What a coincidence that Grandmaster Ji has arrived with two other Sect Masters.”
Ji Ying quickly said, “It was no coincidence. This Ji came with Palace Master Li and Sect Master Mi acting as escorts.”
Yang Kai was curious, “Grandmaster Ji is a highly respected man, and with Medicine Pill Valley’s renowned name in the Northern Territory, there can’t possibly be someone with no eyes who would dare to stir up trouble with Grandmaster Ji, right? I also heard that the Northern Territory was a very peaceful place.”
Li Jiao coldly snorted, “Things were indeed peaceful in the past, but recently… it has not been so.”
There were insinuations laced in his words, and there was no way Yang Kai wouldn’t notice this. Li Jiao was pointedly saying that High Heaven Palace’s founding and rise in the Northern Territory had robbed it of its tranquillity.
As if he didn’t understand the hidden meaning in these words though, Yang Kai turned to Li Xuan who was standing behind Ji Ying and smiled, “Little Brother, we meet again so soon.”
Li Xuan’s face paled and he yelped, “What… What do you want! I’m warning you, don’t mess around!”
Half of it was just pretend, but half of it was actual fear. After what he suffered at Yang Kai’s hand last time, facing him still made his heart jump.
Yang Kai snickered, “Little Brother is such a joker. It seems like this Palace Master’s hospitality was lacking last time, causing Little Brother to have some complaints. If Little Brother is free, then why not stay here as a guest for a while. This Palace Master will definitely make you feel at home!”
Li Xuan answered back angrily, “Who wants to be your guest!”
With his Honoured Master here, Li Xuan was much bolder than before and did not grovel like last time.
Zhu Qing and Hua Qing Si came over with tea at that moment and proceeded to serve everyone.
Hua Qing Si’s attitude was still acceptable, but Zhu Qing ruthlessly tossed the cups onto the table, spilling tea all over the place. Yang Kai was furious and struck the table, “What are you doing! What happened to courtesy… I’m talking to you, come back here!”
But there was no sign of Zhu Qing as she left immediately after ‘serving’ the tea.
Yang Kai shouted for a while before helplessly saying, “Grandmaster Ji, please do not blame her for her behaviour. This girl has a bit of an unruly personality. This Palace Master will certainly lecture her properly after this.”
Ji Ying was indifferent, “It’s just a small matter, don’t worry about it.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Grandmaster Ji is magnanimous. Now then, I wonder what Grandmaster Ji has come to my High Heaven Palace for?”
Mi Qi slammed the table and stood up, sneering, “Palace Master Yang, why ask when you already know the answer? Don’t you know perfectly well what you did several days ago?”
Yang Kai glanced at him from the corner of his eye, “This Palace Master is not sure what he has done to rile up Sect Master Mi. This should be our first meeting, so this Palace Master should not have any grudges with your Full Sky Sect either.”
Mi Qi grunted, “This King and Palace Master Li are here today in order to seek justice for Martial Nephew Li. Palace Master Yang, you should know that your misdeeds will catch up to you someday when you commit too many, so please be more self-aware; otherwise, you may lead your High Heaven Palace to ruin.”
Li Jiao also nodded at the side, “Brother Mi is right.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “So to say, the two of you have come to my High Heaven Palace to cause trouble? But I don’t even know what my High Heaven Palace has done to offend you.”
Mi Qi said, “The one you have offended is neither Brother Li nor I, but Medicine Pill Valley! Medicine Pill Valley is the Northern Territory’s holy land, so offending them is equal to offending the entire Northern Territory! As someone from the Northern Territory, naturally we can’t just stand by and do nothing!”
Yang Kai was surprised, “When have I offended Medicine Pill Valley?”
Ji Ying’s face was dark as he spat, “My poor disciple is in such a state and Palace Master Yang still wants to quibble?”
Yang Kai turned to look at him, then he swept a glance at Li Xuan’s sullen cheek, seemingly only coming to his senses then as he exclaimed, “Oh, so that’s how it is!”
Ji Ying looked expressionlessly at him, “Palace Master Yang, you’re not going to tell me that you weren’t the one who hit my disciple, are you?”
“No, that’s right, I hit him,” Yang Kai nodded and admitted it.
Ji Ying was furious, barking through gritted teeth, “Palace Master Yang is an Emperor Realm Master, yet he deems to bully the weak? Why would you humiliate my disciple like this? Do you have no regard for my Medicine Pill Valley at all?!”
“Such impudence, Yang Kai!”
“Grandmaster Ji, we must not let this matter pass, otherwise Medicine Pill Valley will be brought to shame if word were to spread!”
Li Jiao and Mi Qi both shouted angrily, as if they were the ones who were beaten and not Li Xuan. They couldn’t wait to inflame Ji Ying’s anger in order to give Yang Kai a taste of his own medicine.
“What else do you have to say for yourself?” Ji Ying looked grimly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Should I not teach the child a lesson if he has done wrong?”
“Done wrong!” A hint of anger flashed past Ji Ying’s face, “My disciple has always been a sensible and good child. What kind of wrong has he done to deserve such a punishment from Palace Master Yang?”
Yang Kai eyed Li Xuan with a smile, saying after some thought, “I wish to know exactly what your good disciple has told you, Grandmaster Ji.”
Ji Ying coldly snorted and ordered, “Xuan’er, tell me in detail what happened to you that day! Don’t be afraid, Master will stand up for you!”
“This…” Li Xuan was a little hesitant; after all, what he told Ji Ying was a pile of lies. Now that Yang Kai was here, Li Xuan really didn’t have the guts to confront him.
But if he didn’t speak now, he would look guilty, and his attempt to slander would be exposed. Knowing his Honoured Master’s temperament, Li Xuan knew he might not be forgiven for such deception if he was exposed, but if his Honoured Master was willing to believe his words, then it wouldn’t matter what he said.
With such thoughts, a cruel light flashed past Li Xuan’s eyes as he steeled himself.
“This is what happened…”
Li Xuan may not have been very old, but he was quite articulate. In his elaboration, he came to High Heaven Palace on Ji Ying’s orders to buy Spirit Herbs, yet he was stopped outside their gates and forced to wait bitterly for several days before someone finally came to ask what he wanted. After learning his purpose, he was beaten up directly. Not only was he wounded, but he was also robbed of all the Source Crystals he was given to buy spirit herbs with.
As he spoke, it was as if he was recalling what happened that day. Li Xuan’s face went pale and his body trembled, even wiping tears from his eyes, whether true or faked, filling his listeners with grief and indignation. In the end, his speech became clearer and clearer and his voice louder and louder. His back also straightened up as if what he said really happened to him.
Ji Ying’s face was getting uglier and uglier, but Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both feeling pleased inside. They knew that the worse Li Xuan’s experience was, the bigger the trouble there would be for High Heaven Palace and Yang Kai.
“Look at what you’ve done!”
Once Li Xuan finished speaking, Mi Qi immediately jumped out and pointed at Yang Kai in a rage, “The strong bullying the weak! As an Emperor Realm Master, not only did you lay hands on a Dao Source Realm Junior, you even shamelessly robbed him! You are simply a disgrace to all cultivators in our Northern Territory!”
Yang Kai ignored him and instead looked at Li Xuan with a smile, “Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to add?”
Li Xuan’s body trembled, and he quickly hid behind Ji Ying.
“Palace Master Yang, are you threatening my disciple?” Ji Ying looked coldly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shrugged, “It’s not a threat, just a question.”
“So, that means you’re admitting it?”
Yang Kai frowned and looked firmly at Ji Ying, “Grandmaster Ji, do you truly believe what your disciple said?”
Ji Ying snorted, “My disciple has been under my tutelage for ten years. I watched him grow up and know his nature very well. He is definitely not the type of person to make something out of nothing.”
Yang Kai shrugged again, “In that case, nothing I say would have any meaning.”
Ji Ying grunted, “Do you have a different story to tell?”
“No, no… I just think that Grandmaster Ji’s eyes are not very good when it comes to picking disciples.”
Ji Ying narrowed his eyes, “If there is anything you want to say in your defence, I can give it a listen. But if not… then this High Heaven Palace has no need to exist anymore. You must also return with me to Medicine Pill Valley to receive punishment!”
To be able to decide the fate of a top Sect with just mere words, only a Legacy Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperors had such rights.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “I am not guilty of anything!”
Ji Ying said, “Showing no regard for my Honoured Master, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, and looking down on all the Alchemists in this world are your greatest sins!”
Yang Kai raised his voice, “If all disciples of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor are as rotten as you are, and as cunning as Li Xuan, then this Palace Master really does not have any regard for him. And what of Medicine Pill Valley? Your so-called holy land is clearly nothing more than a cesspool of wanton wastes and degenerates!”
Ji Ying’s face changed dramatically, “Impudence!”
Yang Kai looked at him with disdain, “I’m impudent, and so what? Come and bite me if you have the ability to do so!”
“You…” Ji Ying pointed his finger at Yang Kai. He really wanted to go up and bite him to death, but despite having Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, he was ultimately an Alchemist. He had very little experience fighting people, so he could not take that risk.
Eyes sweeping to the side, Mi Qi and Li Jiao understood and both pushed their Emperor Qi in preparation to pounce.
At that moment, three astonishing Monster Qi auras suddenly erupted. Three figures flickered in from outside the hall, standing in front of Mi Qi and Li Jiao.
“You want to make a move? Try it if you dare!” Xi Lei cracked his fists as he looked darkly at the men before him.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both shocked and instantly froze in place, both feeling on edge.
Even though they knew that there were Monster Race Masters in High Heaven Palace, and that these Masters were involved in the destruction of Seeking Passion Sect, they never thought that there would actually be three Monster Kings here!
In a two against three, they had no chance of winning. Not to mention, there was still that girl called Qing’er among their ranks.
That woman was able to send Mi Qi flying with a single punch, so her strength could only be greater than these three Monster Kings!
This place was a dragon cave and tiger den all in one!
Where did High heaven Palace find all these incredible Masters? With this level of heritage, they were almost on par with a Great Emperor Sect, only lacking a Great Emperor to assume command.
Ji Ying felt chills over his body at that moment. How many years had it been since he last encountered such danger? The Monster Qi rolling over him was almost suffocating, but he was still the disciple of a Great Emperor after all and his mental strength and cultivation were not just for show. Though his expression turned grave, he did not panic.
“What are your intentions here?” Ji Ying looked gravely at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai responded, “Nothing at all. Since Grandmaster Ji is willing to believe what his disciple says, this Palace Master thinks it is useless to argue, so I won’t bother with petty words. Instead, let me show you something interesting.”
“Something interesting?” Ji Ying frowned, having no idea what Yang Kai was up to.
Yang Kai clapped his hands and looked out the hall, “Come in!”
Everyone looked over in unison, only to see a man walk in from the outside before standing in the middle of the hall and cupping his fists, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“You…”
“Grandmaster Nanmen! What are you doing here?”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao both stared wide-eyed at Nanmen Da Jun who had just entered, unable to believe their eyes.
As Sect Masters of two of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, they naturally had dealings with Nanmen Da Jun before. They knew that this man was highly accomplished in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, his achievements only matched by his aloof and arrogant character. They had tried in the past to recruit Nanmen Da Jun into their Sects, but never had any success.
When they saw Nanmen Da Jun here, treating Yang Kai with such respect, it felt a little unreal to both Mi Qi and Li Jiao.
Was this really that Nanmen Da Jun they knew? To think he could actually bow down to another person of his own free will.
“I am now the Chief Array Master of High Heaven Palace. Why shouldn’t I be here?” Nanmen Da Jun glanced at the two men.
“Chief Array Master!”
“Grandmaster Nanmen, you… Ai!”
Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both shocked and a little disappointed to hear this. They had tried many times to recruit Nanmen Da Jun, but they were always rejected by him. How long had this High Heaven Palace been established yet they actually managed to rope him in? What sort of tricks did that damn Yang Kai use to achieve this?
Yang Kai just smiled lightly and continued, “Grandmaster Nanmen, bring that thing out.”
“Yes!” Nanmen Da Jun answered and suddenly took out several Array Flags from his Space Ring, placing them in a neat arrangement before him.
In just a few moments, a Spirit Array was laid down. However, the crowd was confused and had no idea what he was trying to show them by arranging this Spirit Array.
Nanmen Da Jun took out another item from his Space Ring next, one that looked like a mirror but strangely did not show any kind of reflection, a somewhat unsettling sight.
Holding up the mirror-like object, Nanmen Da Jun explained, “This is an item I procured in my early years. It is called the Image Recording Crystal, and just as its name suggests, it can record some images. I have no idea how it was refined despite asking several Artifact Refining Grandmasters to examine it. None of those Grandmasters were even able to tell what sort of material it is made of. I rarely use this in usual times, so please excuse me for my inadequacy.”
“Image Recording Crystal!”
“Image Recording!”
When they heard that, they vaguely understood what Nanmen Da Jun meant to do.
Li Xuan’s face paled as he stared dumbly at the Image Recording Crystal, seemingly not having expected that such an astonishing thing existed in this world.
Ji Ying frowned and sent a thoughtful glance at Li Xuan, at which point Li Xuan couldn’t help but dodge his gaze, causing Ji Ying’s face to turn even uglier.
Nanmen Da Jun tossed the Image Recording Crystal into the air and waved an Array Flag in his hand. Emperor Qi surged up and the centre of the room was suddenly shrouded. A light then shot out from that Image Recording Crystal, spreading out in all directions.
A fairly clear image emerged at the centre of the hall.
The crowd all looked over and instantly recognized the scene depicted as High Heaven Palace’s main gate. That was because a giant stone slate with the three characters, ‘High Heaven Sect’, inscribed onto it was right at the centre of the image, clear for all to see.
At that moment, four figures were present in the image.
One of them was none other than Li Xuan. Besides him, there were three women, two of which were the women who left earlier, the one called ‘Qing’er’ clearly among them.
No sound was transmitted as the Image Recording Crystal seemed to only be able to record images.
As Nanmen Da Jun fed it his Emperor Qi, the image kept on changing, as if recreating the past vividly.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Li Xuan went up to Zhu Qing with a playful smile on his face, but it was not known what was said. Zhu Qing ignored him with a cold expression on her face.
Li Xuan tried several times to take advantage of Zhu Qing following his first failed attempt, but despite her looking angrier and angrier, all she did was avoid him.
After a few moments, as Li Xuan’s actions grew more and more unruly, only then did Zhu Qing send him flying with a slap across the face.
After a while, Yang Kai suddenly appeared, and after seeming to ask a few questions, he sent a big slap across Li Xuan’s face, sending him flying with his teeth scattering into the air.
…..
The show continued on, only ending after Li Xuan left on his ship.
Nanmen Da Jun collected the Array Flags and the Image Recording Crystal before cupping his fists to Yang Kai, turning around, and leaving the hall.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi both looked at Li Xuan with strange looks in their eyes, their expressions a mix of anger and amusement.
They learned just how strong Zhu Qing was earlier, so they naturally understood that even they were no match for her, yet this Li Xuan actually dared to profane her. It was the great blessings of all his ancestors that Li Xuan was let off with just a slap on the cheek. If he were not protected by his identity as a Medicine Pill Valley disciple, he would have been turned into a blood mist back then.
But even more abominably, this boy actually dared to slander Yang Kai, not only accusing him of beating him, but also of snatching away his Source Crystals. Now that they had been led here, muddle-headed by his trickery, it was hard for them to even think of getting out of this unscathed.
Ji Ying’s eyes were set ablaze as he turned around to glare at Li Xuan, a face filled with disappointment and sadness.
“Master, I was wrong, this disciple was wrong! I ask Master to please punish this disciple!” Li Xuan fell to his knees.
With the image recorded by that Image Recording Crystal, he knew it was useless to quibble. The only thing he could do now was quickly admit to his wrongs and hope that Ji Ying would take their bond as Master and Disciple into account and not punish him too harshly.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a person.” Ji Ying was so angry and upset with Li Xuan that he instinctually raised his hand at him. He really did not expect his cherished disciple that appeared so well-behaved and sensible in front of him would actually dare to act so disgracefully and deceitfully. It was extremely disappointing.
“Master!” Li Xuan was shocked and quickly crouched down on the ground with his hands covering his head.
Yet the slap he expected never came down.
After a long time, Ji Ying let out a long sigh and put his hand down, calmly declaring, “Leave.”
Li Xuan raised his head and looked at Ji Ying in shock.
“From now on, you are no longer my, Ji Ying’s, disciple, nor are you a disciple of Medicine Pill Valley. If you dare try to use Medicine Pill Valley’s name in the future for malicious gains, then I will not forgive you!” Ji Ying said with a flick of his sleeve.
“Master…” Only then did Li Xuan begin to panic. He knew that Ji Ying was really going to expel himself from the Sect this time. As a disciple of Medicine Pill Valley, he had gained many benefits and had a bright future ahead of him, so how could he be willing to leave? If he really were to be exiled by Medicine Pill Valley, then there would probably be no place for him in the vast Northern Territory.
“Say one more word and I’ll kill you!” Ji Ying did not look at him. His expression was firm, determined to drive him out of Medicine Pill Valley.
Ji Ying was regretful. He regretted not being able to see right from wrong, for believing a cunning villain like Li Xuan who told such outrageous lies. If he allowed Li Xuan to remain in Medicine Pill Valley, there was no telling just how much damage he would bring to Medicine Pill Valley in the future. If his own Honoured Master, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, had his name tarnished as a result, there would be no redemption Ji Ying could hope for!
Li Xuan wanted to plead for mercy, but how could he dare to say anything more after hearing such a threat?
The Senior Brother next to him directed a serious look at him at that moment, and only then did Li Xuan stand up with tears in his eyes and rush out of the hall.
The hall fell silent for a while, with only the sound of Yang Kai drinking tea to be heard.
Only after a long time did Ji Ying manage to compose himself and mutter self-deprecatingly, “It seems that Palace Master Yang was right. This Ji truly does not have an eye for disciples.”
Yang Kai responded indifferently, “If it weren’t for Grandmaster Nanmen’s Image Recording Crystal, then I’m afraid this Palace Master would not have been able to defend himself today.”
If he and Li Xuan were to confront each other with only words, neither side having proof of their stories, Ji Ying would definitely choose to believe Li Xuan and not him. If the accusations of him looking down on Medicine Pill Valley, and even beating and robbing one of its disciples were to become set in stone, how could High Heaven Palace still establish itself in the Northern Territory?
Knowing that he must feel wronged, Ji Ying cupped his fists, “Today’s incident came as a surprise to this Ji. I was deceived by the words of that villain, and I hope Palace Master Yang will not blame me for this mistake. This Ji deeply apologizes to Palace Master Yang.”
After saying that, he stood up and bowed to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai remained seated and answered, “Grandmaster Ji is polite. Since the misunderstanding has been resolved, then it is no longer a problem.”
Ji Ying said, “Palace Master Yang is magnanimous. This Ji is ashamed.” But after a pause, he added, “But there is one thing that this Ji must say.”
Yang Kai looked at him, “Please speak.”
“Since this Ji has come today, then I can consider what Palace Master Yang said before as just words out of anger, nothing to complain about. But if Palace Master Yang were to meet my Senior Brothers in the future, please do not say such words again.”
“Say what?” Yang Kai frowned.
“Words of contempt for our Medicine Pill Valley!” Ji Ying said justly.
Yang Kai suddenly remembered what he said about Medicine Pill Valley…
Smiling brightly, he said, “I’ll remember it!” Indeed, he had spoken out of anger at that time.
Ji Ying said seriously, “As an Alchemist, my goal may not be to pursue the Martial Dao, but what I cultivate is still one of the Grand Daos, and the only one to ascend to the height of Great Emperor by pursuing the Alchemic Dao throughout the ages is my Honoured Master. Medicine Pill Valley is widely regarded as a cultivation paradise and hallowed ground for all cultivators in the Northern Territory. If someone with ill intentions were to spread what Palace Master Yang said today, it would undoubtedly offend all Alchemists in the Star Boundary. How would Palace Master Yang still be able to ask for someone to refine pills in the future if that happened?”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s eyes lit up at these words as they began devising plans in their hearts, thinking about whether they should spread what Yang Kai said and make him an enemy of all Alchemists.
Yang Kai, however, just laughed and replied, “I don’t need to ask for anyone’s help for that. This Palace Master can handle it himself.”
Ji Ying was stunned, looking at Yang Kai in amazement, “Could it be that Palace Master Yang is an Alchemist as well?”
Even Mi Qi and Li Jiao were wide-eyed in disbelief, as if they had just heard something astonishing.
Yang Kai nodded, “I know a thing or two about Alchemy.”
Ji Ying couldn’t help but be intrigued, “May I ask what grade Palace Master Yang had managed to achieve?”
Yang Kai stroked his chin, “If I can refine Emperor Grade pills, what grade would I be?”
“What?” Ji Ying was shocked. If he could refine Emperor Grade Spirit Pills, didn’t that make him an Emperor Alchemist? How many Emperor Alchemists were there in the entire Star Boundary? Don’t look at how he and his fellow brothers had already reached this level. Naturally, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had high standards when it came to accepting disciples, so after so many years of his personal instruction, would it not prove that Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had a bad eye for disciples if Ji Ying and his Senior Disciples weren’t even able to achieve that much?
They were them, and others were others. Besides them, all the Emperor Alchemists added up in the Star Boundary probably wouldn’t exceed twenty.
Ji Ying was shocked to suddenly hear that Yang Kai was able to refine Emperor Grade Spirit Pills.
Very soon though, his face darkened again and he said with some displeasure, “I hope Palace Master Yang isn’t making a crass joke.”
How could Emperor Grade Spirit Pills be so easy to refine? Only an Emperor Alchemist was able to refine Emperor Grade Spirit Pills! If just anyone could become an Emperor Alchemist, then their status in the Star Boundary wouldn’t be so high.
Yang Kai clearly didn’t look old, so he could already be considered a heaven-defying genius to be able to raise his cultivation to the Emperor Realm. How could he have had any time to study the profound Alchemic Dao as well? That was how Ji Ying concluded that Yang Kai was purely speaking nonsense.
This was simply an insult to all Alchemists and a scorn to the Alchemic Dao!
Sure enough, this man had no regard for Alchemists. Though his unfilial disciple Li Xuan had flipped white and black, fabricating lies, it seemed he was not wrong on this point.
Ji Ying was so annoyed that he wanted to just flick his sleeves and leave, but he had misunderstood Yang Kai once before out of anger, so it would be extremely embarrassing to just get up and leave now.
However, the gloominess on his face was apparent to all.
“Grandmaster Ji doesn’t believe me?” Yang Kai looked at Ji Ying.
Ji Ying grunted.
[Don’t believe me then!] Yang Kai chuckled. He was a genuine Emperor Alchemist, and there was no need for him to prove himself to anyone. However, after thinking of something, he suddenly raised a brow and proposed, “Since Grandmaster Ji doesn’t believe me, do you dare to make a bet with me?”
“A bet?” Ji Ying frowned, “A bet on what?”
“A bet on whether this Palace Master is an Emperor Alchemist or not!” Yang Kai smiled.
Ji Ying’s frown deepened even further. He couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious of how confident Yang Kai was acting. Could he really be an Emperor Alchemist? If it was true, that would be quite astonishing.
Anyone who could become an Emperor Alchemist deserved his attention, and this did make Ji Ying somewhat curious. He now began wanting to know whether it was true or not.
“What are we betting with?”
“Let me think…” Yang Kai stroked his chin thoughtfully, looking left and right for a moment before clapping his hands and saying, “Right! My High Heaven Palace has just been founded and obviously, there are hundreds of things waiting to be done at times like these. Right now, we have a Chief Array Master, but we just so happen to be missing a Chief Alchemist. If Grandmaster Ji loses, how about becoming the Chief Alchemist of my High Heaven Palace?”
When Mi Qi and Li Jiao heard this, they were both shocked and shouted, “Grandmaster Ji, you must not trust him!”
“You can’t take the bet against him!”
High Heaven Palace was difficult enough to deal with as it was, but if Ji Ying really became their Chief Alchemist and they manage to build a relationship with Medicine Pill Valley, then no one would be able to stop High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory in the future. Both their Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace could only bow down to High Heaven Palace in order to survive.
Neither Mi Qi nor Li Jiao wanted to see that happen.
Xi Lei glared at them, “Shut your mouths!”
Even though Mi Qi and Li Jiao both felt disgraced, they really didn’t dare to speak again.
Ji Ying was stunned, but then he laughed and said, “So, this is the plan that Palace Master Yang has in mind?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “So, does Grandmaster Ji dare to take the bet?”
Ji Ying responded, “This Ji’s bet is to become the Chief Alchemist of your High Heaven Palace. Then, may I ask what Palace Master Yang Kai’s bet is?”
Yang Kai answered readily, “If I am not an Emperor Alchemist, then Grandmaster Ji can ask for whatever he pleases! This Palace Master will have no complaints.”
Ji Ying’s face froze. Yang Kai’s words made him realize that he was not just talking nonsense, but really had something to back up his confidence, and that was undoubtedly his identity as an Emperor Alchemist.
[He’s really an Emperor Alchemist?]
Ji Ying was already convinced at this point, but was still a little shocked.
To have cultivated to the Emperor Realm at such a young age, where did he find the time to cultivate the Alchemic Dao? He himself was an Emperor Alchemist and knew all the hardships of walking on this Grand Dao. Naturally, Ji Ying could appreciate the rarity of an Emperor Alchemist.
After thinking seriously for a while, Ji Ying shook his head, “No. Palace Master Yang’s gambling method is not appropriate. This bet is far too unfavourable to this Ji.”
Whether Yang Kai was an Emperor Alchemist or not was a fact only he himself knew, so if Ji Yin really made this bet with him, then he would be too much of a fool. He would gain nothing by winning, and would be falling into a trap if he were to lose. Ji Ying wasn’t stupid to such an extent yet.
“Does Grandmaster Ji not dare to take the bet?” Yang Kai smiled.
Ji Ying shook his head, “There is no need to try and provoke this Ji. This Ji will not be fooled.”
The more Yang Kai tried to urge him on, the more he felt that Yang Kai was trying to trap him. If he lost, then he would have to become this High Heaven Palace’s Chief Alchemist. When that happened, how could he still live a free life?
Even though Alchemy was as simple to him as eating and drinking, he was still the Legacy Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, so how could he become the hired Alchemist of another Sect? Not to mention how exhausting it would be to have to refine pills for such a large Sect.
Yang Kai scratched his chin, “In that case… Why don’t we change the bet itself?”
Ji Ying frowned, “What is Palace Master Yang planning now?” He instinctively felt that it must not be good.
Yang Kai said, “The stakes remain the same, but Grandmaster Ji and I will have an Alchemy competition, refining the same type of pill. We will compete to see who can refine the most Spirit Pills with the highest quality!”
Ji Ying was shocked and stared wide-eyed at him, “You… You want to compete with me in Alchemy?”
Did he hear that right? Someone actually wanted to challenge him, a disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, to an Alchemy match?
Both Mi Qi and Li Jiao had strange expressions on their faces as they observed Yang Kai seriously, checking to see whether this guy was touched in the head.
They could have bet on anything, but he actually wanted to gamble with Ji Ying on this. Wasn’t he just asking to lose?
“That’s right, let’s compete in the Alchemic Dao!” Yang Kai nodded lightly and said in provocation, “Grandmaster Ji wouldn’t lack the guts to accept even this, right?”
Ji Ying’s face darkened, “Palace Master Yang, this Ji can discipline his unfilial Disciple for confusing rights and wrongs, and this Ji admits his wrongs and has apologized to you, but seeing how Palace Master Yang can found a Sect, he can’t be such a narrow-minded person, can he? For you to repeatedly try and make things difficult for this Ji, are you intent on humiliating this Ji on this day?”
If Yang Kai’s bet with him on whether or not he was an Emperor Alchemist, it was still acceptable, but his current proposition to hold an Alchemy competition was clearly too foolish. Ji Ying felt that Yang Kai was deliberately trying to provoke him and give him trouble.
Yang Kai shook his head and said seriously, “Nonsense. I sincerely wish to be able to compete with Grandmaster Ji in the Alchemic Dao, and I also hope that Grandmaster Ji can become the Chief Alchemist of my High Heaven Palace once everything is settled!”
Ji Ying was furious to hear that response and snapped, “You think you can win against me?”
His earlier displeasure had completely turned into anger now. Yang Kai wasn’t just trying to make trouble for him, but was clearly insulting him. What made him think he could make him into the Chief Alchemist of High Heaven Palace? And that was all based on whether he won this competition or not.
He had been studying the Alchemic Dao from his Honoured Master for so many years. In fact, his Honoured Master was the one who taught him everything he knew. To humiliate him was no different from humiliating his Honoured Master! How could Ji Ying tolerate this? He had felt some guilt towards Yang Kai over what happened with Li Xuan, but now that guilt was gone, instead replaced with fury.
Yang Kai slowly got up and took a step forward, smiling, “Does Grandmaster Ji dare to bet with me or not?”
Ji Ying’s eyes were burning with rage. He was so angry that he didn’t even know what to say anymore.
But as if he did not see this, Yang Kai continued, “If Grandmaster Ji doesn’t dare to take the bet, then forget it. Just pretend this Palace Master never said such a thing.”
“Why wouldn’t I dare!” Ji Ying slammed the table and jumped to his feet. Someone was challenging him to his face in his most prided of expertise, so how could Ji Ying endure this? If Yang Kai wanted to bet with him in a life-or-death battle, Ji Ying would endure the insult and refuse; after all, he rarely fought. However, now that the Alchemic Dao was involved, Ji Ying had to take this bet whether he wanted to or not. For the sake of his reputation, for the sake of Medicine Pill Valley’s reputation, and the reputation of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor! He needed to make sure that anyone who dared do something so outrageous would pay the price.
“Good!” Yang Kai clapped his hands joyfully.
“But the stakes must be changed!” Ji Ying coldly snorted.
“How do you want it changed?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
Ji Ying pointed a finger at Yang Kai, “If this Ji wins, then this Ji will have Palace Master Yang’s head.”
[If you dare bet with me in Alchemy, then let’s play for high stakes! We’ll see if you’re afraid now or not.]
No one would be indifferent when his or her life was involved, so Ji Ying thought that Yang Kai would panic after he asked for his head, but unexpectedly, Yang Kai nodded after only a brief thought, “Sure. Let’s go with what Grandmaster Ji says.”
“You…” Ji Ying was stunned as the flames of anger inside of him raged even hotter.
How many years had it been since he had been this angry? He did not actually want Yang Kai to die, he just wanted to scare him a bit. Who knew that this impudent man would actually accept the bet without even so much as a change to his face?
Was he really so confident that he could win? How could that be? Even as Emperor Alchemists, there would naturally be differences in their level of Alchemy techniques. The only Emperor Alchemists in this world who could defeat him in an Alchemy competition were his few Senior Brothers and Senior Sister.
“Outrageous!” Ji Ying had never met anyone as hateful as Yang Kai in his life. There should be a limit to how much one could mock him!
A face full of anger, Ji Ying shouted, “Palace Master Yang, do you want to change your wager as well? You can take this Ji’s life as well if you wish to.”
Yang Kai laughed, “The only thing I want is for Grandmaster Ji to become the Chief Alchemist of my High Heaven Palace. What would I need your life for?”
“Then that will depend on whether you have the ability!” Ji Ying flicked his sleeve in anger.
“Now that the stakes are set, let’s discuss what kind of Spirit Pill we should refine,” Yang Kai looked to Ji Ying.
“Palace Master Yang can decide. This Ji does not mind one way or the other.” There was extreme confidence backing his words, as if he did not care at all what sort of Spirit Pill Yang Kai wanted to refine.
But he did have such qualifications. After refining pills for so many years, what sort of Spirit Pill had he not refined before? Though he had not refined the Dragon Blood Pill before, it was only because he had never obtained a Dragon Blood Flower.
“Then… Let’s go with the Emperor Yuan Pill,” Yang Kai quickly gave his answer after thinking for a while.
Ji Ying looked up at Yang Kai and said solemnly, “Is Palace Master Yang sure that he wants to refine the Emperor Yuan Pill? Even though the Emperor Yuan Pill is one of the easiest Emperor Grade Spirit Pills to refine, it is also one of the Spirit Pills that is used to test one’s comprehension of the Alchemic Dao. Why not change it to a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill instead?”
[This guy really is an Emperor Alchemist!]
Ji Ying was sure of that fact as soon as Yang Kai made that suggestion. Even though the Emperor Yuan Pill was one of the most common and easiest Emperor Grade Spirit Pills to refine, only an Emperor Alchemist was able to refine it. Moreover, it was one of the pills most commonly used to assess the level of skill of an Alchemist.
Just like in cooking, the simpler the dish, the easier it would be to see the skill of the chef that cooked it. The same reasoning applied to Alchemy. Even with the same ingredients, an average Emperor Alchemist may only be able to refine three or four Emperor Yuan Pills. However, Ji Ying was certain he could refine nine pills!
Nine pills was the absolute limit one could refine from a single furnace of ingredients.
Proposing to change the Spirit Pill to one of Dao Source Grade was not because Ji Ying couldn’t win, but because he didn’t want to fight a one-sided battle! He had become an Emperor Alchemist many years ago and refined countless Emperor Yuan Pills. Even if Yang Kai was also an Emperor Alchemist, it was impossible to have the same rich experience he had. If Ji Ying chose to compete in refining the Emperor Yuan Pill, then he would have a great invisible advantage.
If they were to switch to a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill, he would still have a great advantage, but at least the difference wouldn’t be so big.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No need. Many thanks to Grandmaster Ji for his kind intentions. Let’s just refine the Emperor Yuan Pill!”
He naturally knew the reason why Ji Ying made this suggestion, and his impression of him also improved a little bit as a result.
Not just anyone could become the Chief Alchemist of High Heaven Palace, even if it was a Legacy Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor like Ji Ying. If his character was not honourable, then Yang Kai would not have his eyes set on him.
Thanks to how readily he was able to admit his mistake regarding Li Xuan’s incident, even apologizing and openly expelling Li Xuan from Medicine Pill Valley, Yang Kai surmised from this that Ji Ying must have a righteous character. This latest suggestion only furthered that impression.
To put it another way, Ji Ying was a disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and one of Medicine Pill Valley’s people, so even if he did not apologize to Yang Kai just now, there was nothing Yang Kai could do about it. That was unless he really wanted to take the risk of offending Medicine Pill Valley and making things difficult for him.
Just a single one of those deeds would have been enough. Even though Ji Ying had a noble status, he did not have the typical arrogance that most Alchemists had. And, with his identity as an Emperor Alchemist, then there would be no need for Yang Kai to worry about Spirit Pills in the future if he were to become High Heaven Palace’s Chief Alchemist.
Ji Ying could even nurture a new generation of Alchemists for High Heaven Palace!
The development of a Sect could not be achieved by Yang Kai’s efforts alone. Only when many came together and contributed would High Heaven Palace truly thrive.
“Since Palace Master Yang insists, then this Ji naturally has no problem with it,” Ji Ying said in a sullen voice, seemingly feeling vexed that his kind intentions had been ignored.
As he said that, he turned his hands over to reveal a pile of herbs that were separated into two portions, “These are two sets of herbs used to refine the Emperor Yuan Pill. Whether it be in quality or age, there is no difference. Please inspect them, Palace Master Yang.”
Yang Kai smiled, “I trust Grandmaster Ji’s integrity.”
“Then choose one!” Ji Ying said.
Yang Kai casually chose one set of herbs. Ji Ying’s reputation and status was the guarantee here. Even if he wanted to win against Yang Kai, he would defeat him in an up front competition of Alchemy skills. It was impossible for him to play any sort of trickery with him.
When he saw how relaxed and at ease Yang Kai was, Ji Ying felt angry for some reason and coldly snorted, “In that case, let us begin. Palace Master Yang, as an Emperor Alchemist, you naturally have your own Alchemy Furnace, correct? Do you need me to lend you one?”
“No need,” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head.
If they were competing as Alchemists, then they should naturally compete in public where it’s impossible to hide anything. As such, the two of them sat down directly in the hall.
With a casual flick of Ji Ying’s hand, a tripod-style Alchemy Furnace appeared and landed steadily on the ground. With the appearance of this Alchemy Furnace, a clear and peculiar aroma spread out in the hall that shook one’s spirit. The Alchemy Furnace clearly had a long history, with two dragon heads on each side that appeared vivid and lifelike. These dragon heads weren’t just decorations though and seemed to be essential instruments for controlling the flames inside the furnace. As for the interior of the furnace, there was a dense runic pattern that would make one dizzy just by staring at it.
A burst of Emperor Intent permeated the air!
“Good furnace!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up full of praise.
As he was also an Alchemist, he naturally had a special love for good Alchemy Furnaces. As soon as Ji Ying brought out this furnace, Yang Kai knew that it was no ordinary treasure, and from the fragrance it was releasing, Yang Kai could infer that Ji Ying had definitely refined countless Spirit Pills with this Alchemy Furnace. He should have reached a level of one-ness with this Alchemy Furnace.
Ji Ying said proudly, “This is the lowest quality Alchemy Furnace that this Ji has on hand.”
He took out his worst Alchemy Furnace not solely because he did not want to take advantage of Yang Kai, but also because he was confident of his own skill.
Yang Kai nodded lightly before waving his hand and summoning out his own Alchemy Furnace.
The body of the entire Alchemy Furnace had a black lustre to it and a faint Emperor Intent also spread out the moment it appeared. It was clearly an existence of the same level as the Alchemy Furnace Ji Ying took out. Seeing Yang Kai possess an Emperor Grade Alchemy Furnace, Ji Ying couldn’t help but feel stunned, as if he did not expect Yang Kai to have such heritage as well.
But on second thought, it would be normal for Yang Kai to have an Emperor Grade Alchemy Furnace if he really was an Emperor Alchemist.
With the showdown imminent, Ji Ying did not think about it anymore and quickly focused his mind. Even if his opponent was a young man who did not know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, Ji Ying would not take anything lightly. Even a lion will use its full strength to hunt down a rabbit.
Only by showing his true skills and defeating him in all aspects would Ji Ying be able to show respect to the Alchemic Dao and live up to the many years of teaching he received from his Honoured master.
“Shall we begin?” Ji Ying looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression.
Yang Kai was just about to nod when he suddenly looked to the side and smiled, “Sect Master Mi, Palace Master Li, are you going to place bets?”
“We can bet as well?” Mi Qi and Li Jiao looked at each other, both a little surprised.
“Since you’ve already come, you shouldn’t go home empty-handed, should you?” Yang Kai looked at them with a smile.
“Very well!” Mi Qi exclaimed, “Let’s bet. Only, I don’t know how big of a bet Palace Master Yang is able to afford!”
“As big as you want. We can even bet our Sect’s foundations,” Yang Kai answered casually.
“Wha…” Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s faces changed when they heard this, shocked by Yang Kai’s words. Such stakes were simply too big. Even though Mi Qi and Li Jiao had the intention to add insult to injury here, slicing a few pieces of meat off Yang Kai’s arrogant face, they did not even dare to think about gambling using their Sects’ foundations.
Even if they had absolute confidence in Ji Ying, they wouldn’t dare to gamble so much.
“You don’t dare?” Yang Kai looked at them tauntingly.
“It’s not that I don’t dare to, but rather that it is excessive. We have no enmity with each other, so why raise the stakes so high?” Mi Qi acted obstinately, but he was actually just worried.
“That’s right. Let’s just add some casual interest.”
“In that case, what sort of wager do you think is acceptable?” Yang Kai asked.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao looked at each other, their Divine Senses surging as they seemingly discussed something.
Yang Kai was in no hurry either and just sat to the side and waited, smiling at Ji Ying as he commented, “The weather is good today.”
Ji Ying frowned, thinking to himself, [Is he just spouting nonsense now? The skies are clear for tens of thousands of kilometres outside. Even a fool can see that.]
But why was he saying this to him? To mess with his mind? How wicked!
He couldn’t help but glare at Yang Kai before turning back to the front, ignoring him.
“Palace Master Yang. Brother Li and I have decided,” Mi Qi suddenly said.
Yang Kai gestured for him to continue.
Mi Qi said, “Brother Li and I will bet ten years of our respective Sect’s revenues. I wonder if Sect Master Yang dares to accept this wager or not!”
Even Ji Ying was slightly moved when he heard the stakes.
Ten years of a Sect’s revenue may be simple enough to say, but it could amount to a terrifying figure if converted into Source Crystals. For top Sects such as the Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace with countless industries under their jurisdiction and numerous Source Crystal Lodes they mined, one year’s revenue would amount to at least fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals.
Ten years, that would mean five hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals!
With two major Sects together, that would equal one billion High-Rank Source Crystals!
That was simply a terrifying number.
From the looks of it, Mi Qi and Li Jiao had ruthlessly decided to shave some benefits from High heaven Palace. Ji Ying glanced at Yang Kai, wondering what sort of expression he had right now.
He probably… wasn’t looking too good, right?
But when he turned to look, Ji Ying was stunned as Yang Kai sneered with disdain, “You two are leading figures in the Northern Territory, but that’s all you can afford? How stingy.”
“Stingy?” Mi Qi’s face darkened, “You dare call us stingy?!”
Li Jiao narrowed his eyes, “Is Palace Master Yang not just trying to play tricks? You actually don’t dare to take our bets, do you?”
He thought he was able to see through Yang Kai’s thoughts, and his voice was filled with insinuations.
“Fifty years!” Yang Kai exclaimed, holding up his hand, “I’ll bet fifty years with each of you, fifty years of each Sect’s revenue!”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao both sucked in a breath of cold air.
Ji Ying also stared at Yang Kai with wide eyes as if he were a madman.
“You, you…” Mi Qi began to stutter, revealing the violent fluctuation of his emotions, “Do you know how much Full Sky Sect can earn in 50 years? And you dare run your mouth off!”
Yang Kai replied calmly, “If you count 50 million High-Rank Source Crystals a year, ten years makes five hundred million, so fifty years will be two and a half billion! That’s only five billion in total for your two Sects, right?”
“Only… five billion!” Li Jiao almost choked to death when he heard Yang Kai’s words. He really wanted to ask Yang Kai whether he truly knew how much five billion High-Rank Source Crystals actually was.
Yang Kai snorted and looked at them disdainfully, “What, are you two too afraid to bet? Or do you have no confidence in Grandmaster Ji?”
The first sentence was fine, but the second sentence made things difficult. If they really backed out now, wouldn’t that mean they had no faith in Ji Ying as Yang Kai said? This could become a big deal as it may end up offending Ji Ying.
How sinister and cunning! Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both grinding their teeth in anger.
Naturally, they couldn’t back down now that things have already come to this, so Li Jiao coldly snorted, “Naturally, Brother Mi Qi and I do not have a problem with this. If you want to bet fifty years worth of revenue, then so be it! But I don’t know whether Palace Master Yang can take out that much to bet with!”
“Exactly!” Mi Qi nodded approvingly, “Five billion High-Rank Source Crystals is no small amount. If Palace Master Yang goes back on his word, what can Brother Li and I do to you?”
“Ridiculous!” Yang Kai pointed to his own nose, “Do I look like the type of man who doesn’t keep his word?”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao both observed him seriously for a moment before the latter said, “It’s not like we know each other well! How should we know what sort of person you are?”
“Good, good, good,” Yang Kai looked utterly exasperated, making Mi Qi and Li Jiao feel as if he was just pretending.
Mi Qi laughed, “If Palace Master Yang can come up with the bet, what’s the harm for Brother Li and me to place our bets?”
“That’s what you said, so don’t regret it!” Yang Kai jumped to his feet.
“Take it out, then!” Li Jiao urged him as if he could see through Yang Kai.
“I’ll do it now!” Yang Kai shouted.
“Do it, then!”
“Here!” Yang Kai turned his hand over and a Space Ring appeared on his palm which immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
[He really brought it out?]
Mi Qi and Li Jiao exchanged glances, both slightly shocked but at the same time, very disbelieving.
Yang Kai may have destroyed Seeking Passion Sect and occupied their foundation, gaining all the wealth accumulated by them over the years, but they still did not think that Yang Kai really had five billion High-Rank Source Crystals in that ring.
Seeking Passion Sect was similar to Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect. Even though their annual revenue was astonishing, their expenditure was equally shocking. Most of the revenue they gained would end up being spent each year while only a fraction would be saved.
Even Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace only had about a billion High-Rank Source Crystals in reserve, so Seeking Passion Sect probably had a similar amount.
In other words, even if Yang Kai had taken all of Seeking Passion Sect’s wealth for himself, it would only amount to around a billion High-Rank Source Crystals. Adding the other treasures Seeking Passion Sect possessed, it would probably only total around two or three billion Source Crystals. How could he possibly just take out five billion?
“It’s not that we don’t trust Palace Master Yang, but Brother Li and I will have to inspect Palace Master Yang’s ring,” Mi Qi quickly said.
“Naturally, it has to be confirmed,” Yang Kai nodded, “However… I will have to trouble Grandmaster Ji to perform this inspection. The two of you can trust Grandmaster Ji, can’t you?”
“Naturally,” Mi Qi quickly nodded.
Li Jiao also had no problem with that.
“Then I shall trouble you, Grandmaster Ji,” Yang Kai smiled and tossed the ring to Ji Ying.
Ji Ying took it and carelessly swept the contents with his Divine Sense, but in the next instant, his eyes bulged as he gasped in shock, “This…”
He was an Emperor Alchemist and had no shortage of wealth. The number of people clamouring to seek Alchemy services from him in the Northern Territory was simply uncountable, and each time he took action, he would gain much in terms of remuneration. Don’t even mention five billion High-Rank Source Crystals, even ten billion would not be enough to shock Ji Ying so much.
But at this moment, he was so astonished that he couldn’t utter a word. His expression clearly showed that he had seen something incredible.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao were also shocked at this reaction and wondered just what sort of good things were kept inside that ring for Grandmaster Ji to lose himself like this. They were extremely curious, but they couldn’t just snatch it to see for themselves.
They didn’t think that Yang Kai would let them see it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Ji Ying to check the ring.
“Where… Where did you get so many?” Ji Ying turned his head around and directed a shocked look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai chuckled, taking back the Space Ring from Ji Ying’s hand and shaking his head, “I can’t tell you!”
Ji Ying gulped, looking in reluctance as Yang Kai put away the ring, but he also knew that it was probably one of Yang Kai’s greatest secrets, so he didn’t pursue the question.
After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Palace Master Yang. If you were to lose this competition, then I don’t want your head. Instead, how about giving me half of what you have in that ring?”
He had no intention to take Yang Kai’s life to begin with, he just wanted to scare him, so now that a better option had appeared, Ji Ying had no qualms about changing the gambling stakes.
The contents of the ring were none other than the million Monster Cores that Yang Kai brought back from the Ancient Wild Land.
Ten billion Source Crystals was indeed not enough to move Ji Ying, but a million Monster Cores was an entirely different story. There were so many Monster Cores piled up in that ring, not to mention the amount of Twelfth-Order Monster Cores among them. Don’t even mention the fact that Ji Ying had never seen such a sight, not even the Ten Great Emperors had seen such wealth.
Moreover, there was no end to the uses for Monster Cores. Monster Cores were a key component in Alchemy and a good Monster Core was the best ingredient to refine the highest grade of Spirit Pills.
These things were a much greater attraction to Ji Ying compared to Source Crystals, so it was no wonder he became so eager.
“You want them, Grandmaster Ji?” Yang Kai looked at him with a smirk.
Ji Ying’s face reddened and with a dry cough, he said, “What Alchemist would not want such a good thing?”
“If you want it, I can give it all to you,” Yang Kai’s smile did not diminish.
“Truly!?” Ji Ying was shocked, but he quickly realized what he meant and his face darkened, “You’re not trying to get this Ji to become your High Heaven Palace’s Chief Alchemist as a condition, are you?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Grandmaster Ji is wise!”
Ji Ying grunted, “It’s a fine idea you have, Palace Master Yang, but unfortunately, this Ji will not agree to it.”
Yang Kai had expected this answer, so he naturally wasn’t disappointed and just nodded, “In that case, then Grandmaster Ji can have half if he wins.”
“Good good good. I hope Palace Master Yang is truly a man of his word!” Ji Ying was overjoyed. To him, this agreement was no different than Yang Kai gifting him with the Monster Cores already.
He did not think he would lose to Yang Kai in Alchemy at all.
“Grandmaster Ji, is what’s contained inside that ring really worth five billion?” Li Jiao and Mi Qi still did not know what the ring was worth even after listening at the side for a while, so they couldn’t help but ask.
“Five billion?” Ji Ying looked at them with disdain, “The contents of that ring is enough to outright buy both of your Sects!”
“What!?” Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both stunned.
Enough to buy their Sects? What sort of treasures were kept inside that ring for Grandmaster Ji to say something so shocking with such certainty?
They were even more curious now and wanted nothing more than to knock Yang Kai unconscious and snatch that ring to see for themselves.
“This Palace Master’s capital has been confirmed. Do you two still want to bet?” Yang Kai turned his gaze to Mi Qi and Li Jiao.
Mi Qi frowned and said firmly, “Of course! Why not? Who would deny a free gift?”
“That’s right.” Li Jiao also chimed in, “This King believes in Grandmaster Ji.”
Ji Ying frowned, “If you two are going to bet, then that’s your own business, winning or losing is none of my business.”
Alchemy was not for gambling in Ji Ying’s mind. He only agreed to gamble with Yang Kai this time because he had been provoked. Naturally, he did not want Li Jiao and Mi Qi to tie their fortunes to his victory, making it seem as if their victory or defeat were his responsibility.
“Yes, yes. Grandmaster Ji is right,” Li Jiao quickly changed his tone, “This bet is purely between us and Palace Master Yang.”
In that case, let’s begin.” Yang Kai smiled.
Ji Ying turned his head to look at him, “You start first.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “Grandmaster Ji, are you sure you should be looking down on your opponent like this?”
Even though he said this, his hands did not remain idle. Brushing his hair back out of the way, as if he was preparing to go all out. Snapping his fingers, he had the lid of his Black Jade Furnace fly off as he tossed one of the prepared sets of spirit herbs inside.
A whirring could be heard, seemingly from the burning flames, as the temperature of the air rose instantly, but strangely enough, there was no sign of Yang Kai using his Emperor Qi.
“Conflagrated Knowledge Sea!” Ji Ying’s face changed as he muttered in surprise.
He did not expect Yang Kai to have the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea. This alone was enough for him to take things seriously.
The Conflagrated Knowledge Sea was a type of Mutated Knowledge Sea, and when it came to Alchemy and Artifact Refining, those with the Conflagrated Knowledge Seas had a unique advantage. This was because one’s Divine Sense played a big role in refinement professions. Whether it be controlling the flames or timing, both of them required the use of one’s Divine Sense.
For those with the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, they were able to directly adjust the heat of the flames and grasp the timing of when to add ingredients rather than needing to use their Qi to make adjustments while monitoring with their Divine Sense.
Even when it came to portraying Spirit Arrays, no additional carrier was required as they could use their Spiritual Energy to act directly.
This was something other Alchemists were unable to match.
“So, that’s how it is. No wonder he’s so confident. He actually possesses a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.” Ji Ying finally understood what gave Yang Kai such confidence. His expression instantly turned serious and he did not delay any longer, both hands turning over as he pushed out his Emperor Qi, causing a fire to rise up immediately inside of the tripod dual dragon furnace.
An equal set of spirit herbs was tossed into the Alchemy Furnace by Ji Ying, and a sizzle could be heard. Ji Ying quickly formed seals with both hands, drawing a Spirit Array inside the Alchemy Furnace that assisted in the condensation of medicinal liquid.
For a time, the hall was silent. Only Yang Kai and Ji Ying’s power surged as both Alchemy Furnaces emitted a burning energy.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both extremely curious now, but they were stopped by the three great Monster Kings from approaching too closely.
An Alchemist was not to be disturbed while they were performing Alchemy, that was a basic rule all had to follow. The three Monster Kings were naturally extremely guarded against the two of them, fearing that they may try to disturb Yang Kai, so Mi Qi and Li Jiao could only grumble and stare, not being able to do anything.
“Can Palace Master win?” Hua Qing Si and Zhu Qing were standing a short distance away, watching them silently.
Yang Kai and Ji Ying were duelling against each other in an Alchemy competition, which made Hua Qing Si very nervous, so she quietly transmitted that question to Zhu Qing.
“I don’t know anything about Alchemy,” Zhu Qing answered bluntly.
Hua Qing Si thought the same. Though she had seen people refine pills before, she herself wasn’t too knowledgeable on the subject. She couldn’t see who had the upper hand in this situation at all.
“But looking at him, he seems very confident,” Zhu Qing added.
Hearing that answer, Hua Qing Si quickly observed Yang Kai and sure enough, his expression was filled with confidence and fighting spirit just as Zhu Qing commented. If he had no hopes of winning, then he would never have such an expression.
This discovery helped Hua Qing Si calm down as she secretly cheered Yang Kai on.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
The sounds of the flames burning inside the furnaces were incessant and the hands of the two men competing with each other constantly formed new and complex seals. Fine and delicate Spirit Arrays formed and dissolved inside the Alchemy Furnaces as spirit herbs were thrown in one by one. The medicinal liquid condensed inside soon filled the air with its fragrance.
Ji Ying had been quietly observing Yang Kai’s movements the whole time, as even though Yang Kai had a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea and should not be taken lightly, Ji Ying still felt that Yang Kai couldn’t beat him.
But Ji Ying’s observations made him sure of one thing, and that was the fact that Yang Kai was really an Emperor Alchemist. His foundation was extremely solid, and his actions when it came to condensing medicinal liquid were also meticulous without the slightest flaw. The medicinal liquid that he condensed was extremely pure.
If he were not an Emperor Alchemist, then it would be impossible for him to achieve this level of perfection.
Ji Ying suddenly felt somewhat jubilant that another Emperor Alchemist had appeared in the world. If this news were told to his Honoured Master, then his Honoured Master would certainly be happy. The Alchemic Dao had a long and profound history, and was much harder to traverse than the Martial Dao, leading to the scarcity of Alchemists in the world.
Other people could only see the endless grandeur of Alchemists, but how many understood the monumental effort each Grandmaster needed to make in order to reach such a height?
Medicine Pill Valley was committed to carrying forward the Alchemic Dao, and the disciples under Wondrous Pill Great Emperor also took that as their responsibility. Naturally, they hoped that there could be more Alchemists in the Star Boundary, as only with the introduction of more Alchemists would there be enough Spirit Pills to match the needs of the cultivators of this world, allowing the Martial Dao to grow and prosper.
As he observed, Ji Ying was slightly stunned. That was because he suddenly discovered that the medicinal liquid condensed by Yang Kai was no worse than his own in terms of purity…
Even more shockingly, the order and timing which Yang Kai used to add spirit herbs was identical to his own.
Spirit Pills did not have unique recipes.
Every Alchemist perceived the Alchemic Dao differently, and their comprehensions and skills were also different, leading to subtle differences between how different Alchemists refine each type of Spirit Pill. For example, the timing and order in which one added spirit herbs to their Alchemy Furnace.
Some Alchemists feel that it was better to put in one type of spirit herb first, while another Alchemist may choose another to start with, creating a scenario where many pill recipes existed for each type of Spirit Pill. Perhaps the differences may even go as far as the types of herbs used.
A pill recipe contained not only the ingredients needed to refine a pill, but also a complete refinement process. Rather than a pill recipe, it would be more accurate to describe it as a pill refinement manual.
This was the true preciousness of a pill recipe, as it was the crystallization of an Alchemist’s efforts.
Right now, Ji Ying was surprised to find that Yang Kai’s techniques and process when it came to refining this Emperor Yuan Pill were strikingly similar to his own, almost as if they were carved from the same mould.
In other words, the Emperor Yuan Pill recipe that Yang Kai mastered was the same as his own.
But how could that be?
The Emperor Yuan Pill was used by Emperor Realm cultivators to restore Emperor Qi, and was also the most common type of Emperor Grade Spirit Pill. As far as Yi Jing knew, there were at least eight different versions of this Spirit Pill’s recipe. Though they were similar, there were still differences between them.
And, the best Emperor Yuan Pill recipe was naturally the one that he mastered, because this recipe was personally created by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor many years ago. It was not an exaggeration to say that there was no better pill recipe for the Emperor Yuan Pill in the Star Boundary.
This pill recipe was only taught by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor to his few disciples, so no outsider could possibly know it.
Seeing traces of this pill recipe from Yang Kai naturally came as a surprise to Ji Ying.
But Ji Ying wasn’t the only one surprised. Everyone watching them also had strange expressions on their faces.
That was because they discovered that Yang Kai and Ji Ying’s Alchemy process was almost exactly the same, the only difference being Yang Kai moving slightly ahead of Ji Ying. This was not because Ji Ying’s skills were any worse than Yang Kai’s, but because he started after him.
Even though they understood that, it still looked off, as if Ji Ying was imitating Yang Kai’s Alchemy process. He would take whatever herb Yang Kai took, and also follow whatever timing Yang Kai used to add herbs into the Alchemy Furnace…
The suspicions in Ji Ying’s heart grew heavier and heavier. He originally thought that this situation was mere coincidence, but halfway through, he became certain that the two of them had mastered the exact same pill recipe.
“Where did you obtain this pill recipe from?” Ji Ying could not help but ask.
This was the pill recipe passed down to him and his brothers and sister by his Honoured Master. How could it have fallen into the hands of an outsider?
“Grandmaster Ji, you’re distracted.” Yang Kai’s expression remained unchanged, “If you remain so, you’ll lose this competition.”
Ji Ying’s body shook as he broke out into a cold sweat. He had focused on his doubts about Yang Kai’s pill recipe and actually became distracted from his own Alchemy, leading to him not being able to give his all while in the process of condensing the medicinal liquids. Now, looking back to his work, his medicinal liquid seemed to be just slightly worse than Yang Kai’s.
Condensing medicinal liquid was the first step of Alchemy, and also the most foundational. If something went wrong in this step, it would definitely affect the quality of the Spirit Pills refined.
Alchemy was just like chess, one mistake will lead to many others. Failure to do one’s best at any step could lead one down a losing battle.
He couldn’t lose! This match concerned Medicine Pill Valley’s reputation and his Honoured Master’s name. Ji Ying definitely couldn’t afford to lose.
Abruptly, it was as if Ji Ying had changed into a whole other person. An indescribable aura radiated from his body, and he instantly immersed his mind into Alchemy with nothing else being able to distract him anymore.
Yang Kai’s expression was equally serious. Even though he was an Emperor Alchemist, it was his first time competing against another Emperor Alchemist. What’s more, this person was one of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Legacy Disciples.
If he didn’t give it his all, then he definitely wouldn’t be able to win.
The Conflagrated Knowledge Sea that Ji Ying had seen was not the only thing Yang Kai had at his disposal. It was merely a small advantage for him. His real advantage came from the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone!
Back then, on Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s main star, Water Moon Star, he was able to invoke the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone one time during Alchemy, and was granted Alchemy techniques directly by the Heavenly Way. Since then, Yang Kai had been advancing through the Alchemic Dao in leaps and bounds.
Had it not been for that opportunity, how could Yang Kai’s skill in Alchemy have grown so rapidly? He hardly spent much time on Alchemy over the years, so generally speaking, it would have to be pure luck for him to even become a Dao Source Grade Alchemist by now while it should have been an impossibility for him to become an Emperor Alchemist.
But with the heritage granted to him by the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, Yang Kai was able to easily climb to the level of Emperor Alchemist.
Even so, he could not compare himself to a veteran Emperor Alchemist like Ji Ying, so he had to go all out in this competition.
His mind suddenly became ethereal, as if he had merged with the world. A wonderful feeling rose from his heart.
Yang Kai’s hand movements changed and suddenly his actions became erratic, his arms flailing about, as if he were having a seizure.
*Chi…*
Li Jiao and Mi Qi almost broke out in laughter at the sight of that; however, under the watchful eyes of the three Monster Kings, they could only endure it.
Looking back at Ji Ying, they could see that his movements were as smooth as flowing water. It was a pleasure just to watch him. Compared to Yang Kai’s almost possessed performance, it was simply Heaven and Hell.
[He’s still trying to win against Grandmaster Ji with such shoddy technique? He simply doesn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth.]
Hua Qing Si had also noticed this, and an anxious look appeared on her face. She had no idea what Yang Kai was doing at all. He seemed fine just a moment ago, so why did he suddenly change so abruptly?
“Huh?”
Out of everyone present, only a single person suddenly began staring at Yang Kai with full attention. An extremely shocked expression was revealed on his face and his eyes did not even move the slightest bit.
This person was Ji Ying’s First Disciple.
This disciple did not have a good impression of Yang Kai, not because of Li Xuan’s slanderous remarks about him, but because he was the reason that Li Xuan was expelled from the Sect by their Honoured Master. Even though he did not approve of what Li Xuan did, they had been fellow brothers for many years and more or less shared some comradery between them.
He originally thought of waiting for their Master’s anger to pass before persuading him to take Li Xuan back under his tutelage; after all, his Junior Brother was still young and mistakes were inevitable. It should be fine as long as he knew his faults and was willing to change, but Yang Kai didn’t even give him that chance.
He looked down on Yang Kai in his heart, and didn’t believe for one moment that Yang Kai would win this competition with Ji Ying, so he kept on watching him with a hateful gaze, wanting to see how he would look when he was defeated by his Honoured Master.
But unexpectedly, he ended up seeing something astonishing.
In other people’s eyes, Yang Kai was twitching about like a madman, his hands waving randomly without any sense of aesthetics, but in this young disciple’s eyes, things were very different. He was vaguely able to catch sight of something as he observed, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to grasp its essence, causing sweat to form on his forehead. He watched Yang Kai carefully with his eyes wide, refusing to miss even a single moment.
Inside the hall, the medicinal fragrance had grown even more intense. All of the spirit medicines had already been added to the Alchemy Furnaces by the two Alchemists and condensed into pure medicinal liquid. The lids were now closed, and the refinement stage had begun.
As threads of power were being released, nobody could see inside the Alchemy Furnace, to see how each of the Spirit Arrays was drawn and extinguished or how the medicinal liquids were mixed and integrated together.
All of a sudden, Ji Ying’s First Disciple fell to his knees.
This movement startled everyone except for Yang Kai and Ji Ying.
Hua Qing Si looked over at him and could see that this young man was now sweating buckets, as if he had just been through a life or death struggle. His face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot, but still, he kept on staring at Yang Kai.
“What happened?” Hua Qing Si quickly went over to him and tried to help him up.
If something were to happen to Ji Ying’s First Disciple here, then it would be hard to give Ji Ying a confession.
“Don’t touch me!” The First Disciple shouted, veins bulging on his face, giving him a terrifying look.
Hua Qing Si’s outstretched hand froze in place as she felt irritated inside, having no idea what this boy was so mad about.
“Oh?” Yang Kai spared a glance at that moment at this disciple and grinned at him, “So, you managed to see something useful? Good, look properly, it will be up to you whether you can learn anything from this.”
To the side, both Mi Qi and Li Jiao glared when they heard what Yang Kai said, their lips curling with disdain. Where did this little bastard get the guts to talk so big? The young man next to them was Ji Ying’s First Disciple. Even if he were going to learn anything, it wouldn’t be from Yang Kai, so what was he so riled up about? What’s more, with Yang Kai’s lacklustre skills, he probably couldn’t even surpass this First Disciple, yet he still dared to boast so shamelessly? Wasn’t he afraid of biting his own tongue?
But as soon as they finished that thought, they saw that disciple clench his teeth with his eyes widening even more as he loudly exclaimed, “Many thanks, Grandmaster Yang!”
“What?” Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both stunned and couldn’t help swapping glances, both of them able to see the shock in each other’s eyes.
What on earth happened to this First Disciple? Why did he thank Yang Kai? He even called him Grandmaster Yang…
This was impossible, right? His Honoured Master was right there in front of him. Wasn’t he worried about angering his Honoured Master?
What on earth is going on!
Even though Ji Ying was fully concentrated, he was still shocked at what his disciple just said. Hearing him give such deference to Yang Kai, he could not help but frown, thinking to himself that this brat was actually siding with an outsider. What had he been raising him all those years for?
Curious, he glanced over at Yang Kai’s side.
As soon as he looked over though, Ji Ying’s movements froze and his eyes bulged, even forgetting about the Spirit Pills inside his Alchemy Furnace.
His attainments in Alchemy were countless times higher than that of his own disciple, so it was naturally impossible for him not to catch what his disciple was able to see.
In Ji Ying’s eyes, what he saw was not Yang Kai’s erratic movements, but rather the pinnacle of the Alchemic Dao! Yang Kai’s movements, while outwardly random, actually contained within them a kind of resonance and harmony with the Alchemic Dao, and even seemed to contain a kind of higher truth that Ji Ying was unable to understand.
A situation like this was something he had only seen from his own Honoured Master, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. He never thought that he would actually have the opportunity to find the same traces in another person.
[Impossible!]
A storm suddenly exploded in Ji Ying’s heart. How could there be such a Heaven defying existence in this world? To think Yang Kai had comprehended the essence of the Alchemic Dao just like his Honoured Master!
[No. Even Honoured Master wouldn’t have possibly achieved such a feat at such a young age.]
Ji Ying was completely dumbfounded, and he had the indescribable feeling that the one competing with him in an Alchemy match right now was not a youth called Yang Kai, but rather the embodiment of the Grand Dao that he had been searching for his whole life but had never caught hold of.
How could he win?
His mind was instantly thrown into a slight disarray, causing his tripod furnace to suddenly hiss and tremble.
“Grandmaster Ji, you…” Li Jiao and Mi Qi both exclaimed in unison.
Even though they did not know anything about Alchemy, nor could they glean anything from what they were seeing, Ji Ying was clearly a little out of it at the moment. How could they not realize the problem with his state of mind from the change in his complexion?
[How could this happen?] If Ji Ying were to lose here, then he wouldn’t have much to lose, but the both of them would have to turn over fifty years of their respective Sect’s revenue! If they lost here, then the disciples of their two Sects would have to tighten their belts and live a frugal life for the next half a century.
Ji Ying had a start and suddenly came back to his senses, remembering that he was still in the middle of a match. Instantly, he felt both upset and ashamed of himself.
This was already his second lapse in concentration, and this was bound to affect the results of his Alchemy as a whole. However, he was an experienced veteran so he quickly suppressed the instability inside his furnace and rescued his work.
He forced himself to calm down and tossed away all distracting thoughts. All of a sudden, Ji Ying’s movements became much more fluid under an immense amount of concentration and pressure.
He seemed to have gained some vague insight at this moment.
As Ji Ying’s First Disciple continued staring wide-eyed at Yang Kai’s movements, his eyes became more and more bloodshot, and his body shivered and shook. It looked like he was being tormented greatly, but his expression was one of immense joy.
As time passed, wisps of pill fragrance began to emerge. This was not only the aroma of spirit herbs, but also the fragrance of the Spirit Pill itself.
The release of this fragrance meant that the refinement had reached the final stage. As long as no mistakes were made, the Spirit Pills would be finished soon.
The closer it came to the end, the more uneasy Mi Qi and Li Jiao began to feel. They had no idea if Ji Ying could beat Yang Kai or not, despite the fact that they were fully confident in Ji Ying’s abilities before. But Ji Ying’s unstable state of mind earlier made them a little apprehensive. They had no idea if that momentary distraction would affect the quality of the Spirit Pills refined in the end.
Another hour passed, and now the medicinal fragrance in the hall was so dense that it was almost material. Yang Kai’s ever-moving hands finally came to a stop, and he had a solemn look on his face. Patting the Black Jade Furnace, he let out a great shout.
“Pill Condensing!”
The faces of the crowd froze as they knew that Yang Kai’s refinement had truly reached the final stage now.
This process was an extremely important step in Alchemy as a good Pill Condensing Technique could allow an Alchemist to refine a higher amount of Spirit Pills, and in greater quality.
On the other side, Ji Ying also tapped on his own Alchemy Furnace, and the lid of the furnace flew off. He too had entered the Pill Condensing stage.
Watching this scene, Mi Qi and Li Jiao could not help but sigh with relief.
They knew that Yang Kai definitely won’t be able to win against Ji Ying at this stage. The reason for that was because the Pill Condensing Technique that Ji Ying mastered was taught to him by the Great Emperor himself. Even if Yang Kai managed to become an Emperor Alchemist, he couldn’t have a better Pill Condensing Technique than Ji Ying.
The two of them didn’t dare to pretend they understood anything either and quickly looked towards the First Disciple, trying to get some clues from his expression.
But as soon as they looked, both their hearts sank.
The reason for that was because the First Disciple was actually still staring at Yang Kai’s movements with a look of amazement in his bloodshot eyes, completely ignoring his own Honoured Master.
[No way, this Yang Kai couldn’t have a superior Pill Condensing Technique, could he? But if not, why would Ji Ying’s Disciple not take this chance to learn from his Honoured Master and instead study Yang Kai?]
[It must be because this Disciple lacks in skills and vision!]
Mi Qi and Li Jiao tried to reassure themselves. Even if Ji Ying was distracted twice during their match, they still had high hopes that Ji Ying would win.
With the Nine Heavens Profound Pill Art, seal after seal was struck into the Black Jade Furnace, perfecting the very last step of this pill refinement.
This was the Pill Condensing Technique that Yang Kai learned from the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, which was slightly better even against the technique created by the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor himself.
*Ding ling ling…*
A pleasant noise suddenly sounded in the pill furnace.
The pills were complete!
Yang Kai quickly moved over and tapped the Black Jade Furnace, causing a series of round Spirit Pills to fly out. Mi Qi and Li Jiao were all watching with their eyes wide. They wanted to see how many pills Yang Kai had refined and what quality they were, but before they could get a good look, Yang Kai had popped them into a jade bottle he had prepared beforehand.
This inevitably caused the two to grit their teeth in anger.
On the other side, Ji Ying also finished his Pill Condensing. After laying down the last seal, several Emperor Yuan Pills flew out from his Alchemy Furnace which he swiftly grabbed and stored into a jade bottle in his left hand.
“Refinement complete!” Yang Kai pressed down both hands and relaxed his breathing.
Ji Ying stood there motionless with a frown pressed between his brows, seemingly thinking about something. Meanwhile, the moment Yang Kai finished refining, the First Disciple closed his eyes and kneeled there like a statue, mind seemingly wandering elsewhere.
Both Mi Qi and Li Jiao were extremely anxious. They couldn’t wait to know the result of this competition. Even though they felt that the chances of Ji Ying losing were quite low, they still felt a little nervous when it came time to announce a verdict.
After all, this concerned fifty years of revenue from each of their Sects, five billion High-Rank Source Crystals were on the line.
Ji Ying did not move, and Yang Kai couldn’t just disturb him either. He knew that he was currently pondering on the success or failure of this Alchemy session, which was an extremely important moment for an Alchemist. Looking around, he caught Zhu Qing who was looking towards him and winked at her.
Zhu Qing’s face was as cold as ice, so how could she pay him any attention? Leaving him to make a fool out of himself.
Only after a long time did Ji Ying exhale lightly and turn around, cupping his fists at Yang Kai, “This Ji admires Brother Yang for his great skill.”
After competing with Yang Kai, Ji Ying immediately realized that he had truly underestimated him before. Not only was he an Emperor Alchemist, but his skills were also no less than his own.
He had only caught a glimpse of the amazing Alchemy techniques Yang Kai employed, but that was still enough to amaze him. If it weren’t for how important this match was, Ji Ying would have even halted his own Alchemy so he could properly observe and emulate him.
“Whether this Ji wins or loses this time, this Ji wishes to thank Brother Yang,” Ji Ying said to him with a sincere expression before glancing at his First Disciple.
After knowing that Yang Kai was an Emperor Alchemist no less than himself, even Ji Ying’s way of referring to him had changed, and from a glance, he could tell that his First Disciple had gained great benefits during this match, so he had no qualms about thanking Yang Kai.
Ji Ying had been calling him Palace Master Yang before, but now the way he referred to him was far more collegial.
“Brother Ji is too polite, this Yang is happy to oblige,” Yang Kai smiled.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both dumbfounded. They thought to themselves, [that’s not right… isn’t Ji Ying supposed to be making things hard for Yang Kai right now? Why are they suddenly calling each other brothers?]
Even if the two of them had known Ji Ying for many years, they still didn’t dare, nor did they have the qualifications to address him so informally.
They couldn’t help but feel a little chagrined. If they had known things would turn out like this, they never would have followed along this time.
“Grandmaster Ji, let’s see the results of the match first.” Mi Qi changed the subject to stop Yang Kai and Ji Ying from deepening their friendship. As long as Ji Ying won the match, then it would definitely be worth their trip here.
Fifty years of a Sect’s earnings. Just thinking about it made them excited.
The two of them were still quite curious about the contents of Yang Kai’s ring. They wanted to know what on earth was stored in it that made Ji Ying so covetous.
Ji Ying looked inquiringly at Yang Kai, and the latter smiled, stretching out his hand, “As the guest, Brother Ji should go first!”
Ji Ying nodded, “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
As he said that, he uncapped the bottle in his hand and poured out the Emperor Yuan Pills.
Everyone in the hall instantly craned their necks, looking into the centre of his palm.
“Nine pills!” Mi Qi looked over and immediately shouted in excitement.
Ji Ying was able to refine nine pills during this session, which was the ultimate limit for one furnace worth of ingredients. With this, he was basically halfway to victory! Now the rest would depend on the quality of the Spirit Pills, but if it was Ji Ying, then the grade of the Spirit Pills he refined would certainly not be bad. That fact could be proven just by how round and full each Spirit Pill looked, with the colour so vivid and radiant.
“Look, look…” Li Jiao called in excitement as if he had suddenly discovered a new world, pointing at one of the Emperor Yuan Pills as he shouted, his breath growing ragged, “Pill Veins! Pill Veins!”
One of the Spirit Pills was covered with vein-like patterns on its surface, which looked at first glance just like the meridians of a person’s body. It was the legendary Pill Veins!
If Pill Veins were produced during the refining process, then the medicinal efficacies of the pill would be doubled, naturally raising its value as well.
But Pill Veins were not things that the average Alchemist could produce during a refinement. It was a faraway dream even for the most skilled of Alchemists, but now, Pill Veins actually appeared on one of the Spirit Pills Ji Ying refined!
And it was an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill!
That made it even more rare and astounding.
“Hahaha!” Mi Qi also broke out in laughter, his worries finally settling back down. If Ji Ying’s nine pills could be described as winning half the battle, then that one Spirit Pill that formed Pill Veins would be the nail in the coffin for Ji Ying’s victory. There was no chance for Yang Kai to turn the tables.
There wasn’t even the need to look at the quality of Spirit Pills that he refined.
Mi Qi did not believe that Yang Kai could also refine an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill that formed Pill Veins.
If Pill Veins were really that easy to produce, then they wouldn’t be called legendary!
Exchanging glances with Li Jiao, both of them were overflowing with joy.
Five billion High-Rank Source Crystals, fifty years of a Sect’s earnings were going to be theirs soon, how could they not be happy?
They secretly decided to buy the Emperor Yuan Pill that formed Pill Veins from Ji Ying after Yang Kai fulfilled his bet. This was their key to victory and was well worth keeping. With this Spirit Pill, neither High Heaven Palace nor Yang Kai should even think of raising his head in front of them in the future.
They could also curry favour with Ji Ying in the process.
Should they humiliate Yang Kai as well? But looking at the three Monster Kings that were watching them, they thought better of it in case they become angry out of shame. The two of them really weren’t these three’s opponents.
“Sure enough, Brother Ji is a true Grandmaster!” Yang Kai praised, looking at the Spirit Pill with Pill Veins. It truly was amazing to be able to refine an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill with Pill Veins. Even he himself did not often see Pill Veins when he refined Emperor Grade Spirit Pills.
This alone made Ji Ying worthy of his status as an Emperor Alchemist.
“Not at all, it is all thanks to Brother Yang that this Ji was able to form Pill Veins today!”
“This… What does this have to do with him?” Mi Qi retorted at the side, “Being able to achieve Pill Veins is a reflection of Grandmaster Ji’s Alchemy skills. How does it relate to him?”
“That’s right. If he hadn’t interfered, then there would probably be more than one Spirit Pill with Pill Veins right now!” Li Jiao chimed in.
Ji Ying shook his head and did not bother to explain as he believed that Yang Kai did not need his explanation.
Being able to refine an Emperor Yuan Pill that formed Pill Veins this time was all thanks to the pressure Yang Kai gave him. Even though he let his mind wander twice halfway through, Ji Ying was able to obtain a certain kind of enlightenment under that immense pressure, and only then was he able to achieve such a shocking result.
Otherwise, based on his usual abilities, he may not be able to produce even one Emperor Yuan Pill that formed Pill Veins out of a hundred furnaces. For one to appear in just one furnace today was truly a miracle.
But if he were to refine another furnace of Emperor Yuan Pills right now, he might not be as lucky.
Seeing that Ji Ying did not speak, Mi Qi and Li Jiao thought that he was just being polite with Yang Kai. How could they figure out all the intricacies of the situation? At once, Mi Qi said, “Palace Master Yang, we’ve already finished checking the Spirit Pills refined by Grandmaster Ji. I wonder how the Spirit Pills that Palace Master Yang refined are?”
“Heh heh, Palace Master Yang’s Alchemy skills are also quite amazing, I’m sure he managed to refine Pill Veins,” Li Jiao had deliberately put Yang Kai on a pedestal, but his intentions were obviously sinister.
Yang Kai smiled.
“Since we’ve already made our bets, take them out and let’s see the results,” Mi Qi had a smug face as if he’d already won, “Palace Master Yang wouldn’t be holding onto the Spirit Pills because he’s conscious that he can’t win against Grandmaster Ji, would he?”
Ji Ying quickly interjected, “Must the two of you speak in such a way? Brother Yang is also an Emperor Alchemist, and also the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. We are all going to be living together in the Northern Territory in the future so we are sure to see much of each other. Why not just forget about today’s incident? Let us have a drink and let bygones be bygones while we discuss our various experiences in the outside world.”
He agreed to compete with Yang Kai in Alchemy out of impulse from anger, but now he actually began to feel a little worried for Yang Kai.
He was lucky enough to refine an Emperor Yuan Pill that formed Pill Veins, but Yang Kai couldn’t be that lucky as well, right? If he were to lose, then that would cost him five billion High-Rank Source Crystals. Both he and his First Disciple benefited greatly from Yang Kai today, especially his Disciple who was still in the midst of an epiphany. Clearly, Ji Ying’s Disciple must have gained a lot from the competition just now, so if Yang Kai really lost five billion because of him, then Ji Ying would definitely feel terrible about it.
That was why he wanted to act as the peacemaker to settle things between these three. Ji Ying had deliberately pointed out Yang Kai’s identity as an Emperor Alchemist so that Mi Qi and Li Jiao would hopefully know when to back down. As long as they could give up on this bet today, then they would definitely be able to befriend Yang Kai, and once they did so, would they have to worry about not getting any benefits in the future? At the very least, Yang Kai definitely would not refuse if they were ever to need help refining any Spirit Pills in the future.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi exchanged glances. Naturally, both of them understood Ji Ying’s intention, and both of them showed a troubled expression on their faces.
If it were any normal matter, they would be able to show Ji Ying some face, but five billion High-Rank Source Crystals were on the table here. Even if it was them, they still felt a little hesitant.
After a while, Mi Qi frowned, “Grandmaster Ji, a man is only as good as his word. Since Palace Master Yang has made a bet with us, then he should keep his promise. If Brother Li and I were to just let this go, then we would also be underestimating Palace Master Yang. I’m sure Palace Master Yang wouldn’t be happy about that.”
Ji Liao nodded, “Brother Mi is right. Please forgive us, Grandmaster Ji. It is not that we are unwilling, but… A bet is a bet, after all.”
Ji Ying’s face couldn’t help but turn a little sour from their answers. He didn’t expect that these two would not give him face even after he personally stepped out to persuade them. It seemed like they were determined to oppose Yang Kai to the end.
Just as Ji Ying was about to say something though, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand to stop him and said, “Brother Ji doesn’t have to say anything. This Palace Master is willing to accept his losses if he were to lose.”
Li Jiao and Mi Qi were happy to hear this and liberally praised, “Palace Master Yang is truly an honourable man. If there is anything High Heaven Palace needs in the Northern Territory in the future, then just say the word. Our two Sects will surely not refuse.”
Who didn’t know cheap talk like this? If he really needed their help, then they might help depending on the circumstances. What’s more, they didn’t think Yang Kai would seek them out for help. Even if High Heaven Palace would not become enemies of their two Sects after this, they wouldn’t be getting along peacefully.
Yang Kai smiled, “This Palace Master only said he is willing to accept his loss, not that he has already lost. Are you two so confident that you can take five billion Source Crystals back with you today?”
Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both dumbfounded while the latter commented, “Let’s take a look at the Spirit Pills that Palace Master Yang refined then.”
“Yes, that’s right. We have to take a look first.” Li Jiao also nodded repeatedly.
He was definitely going to lose anyway, so the least they could do was show him his loss bright and clear.
Ji Ying sighed. Since things have already come to this point, there was nothing he could do to stop them either. Five billion High-Rank Source Crystals was indeed a high enough number for Li Jiao and Mi Qi to risk offending him.
“Brother Ji, if you could help me with the inspection.” Yang Kai tossed the jade bottle in his hands to Ji Ying.
Ji Ying caught it and nodded, “Alright.”
After saying that, he opened the bottle and poured out the Emperor Yuan Pills inside.
All eyes were on his hand, and the breathing of the crowd seemed to have grown considerably quicker.
As the three Monster Kings exchanged glances, a fierce glint emerged in their eyes. Without needing to say anything, the three of them had already decided that they would immediately take down Mi Qi and Li Jiao if Yang Kai were to lose this match.
They wanted to take away five billion High-Rank Source Crystals today? Only in their dreams!
“Nine… Nine pills?” Li Jiao’s originally expectant eyes suddenly widened in astonishment at the nine Spirit Pills on Ji Ying’s left hand, his expression instantly transforming into one of shock.
Yang Kai actually managed to refine nine Emperor Yuan Pills, which was no worse than Ji Ying at all. Didn’t that mean that Yang Kai’s mastery in the Alchemic Dao was comparable to Ji Ying’s?
It’s not like just any Emperor Alchemist could just refine nine Spirit Pills.
“Pill Veins?” Mi Qi drew a breath of cold air as he stared at one of the pills.
That one Spirit Pill looked exactly the same as the one Spirit Pill Ji Ying refined with Pill Veins. There were dense lines over the surface of the pill, like an exquisite pattern that contained some sort of profound mystery.
“Ah?” Ji Ying was also thoroughly shocked.
It was within his expectations that Yang Kai was able to refine nine Emperor Yuan Pills as it would have been stranger if he failed to do so. However, the surprising thing was the fact that one of them actually formed Pill Veins.
Ji Ying was able to achieve such a feat out of a series of coincidences and good luck, but he didn’t expect Yang Kai’s luck to be so good as well.
“That’s… That’s impossible…” Mi Qi rubbed his eyes hard as if he was afraid they were playing tricks on him, but it seemed true that one of the Spirit Pills did have Pill Veins around its surface.
“You must have cheated!” Li Jiao’s face sank as he glared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Be careful what you say, Palace Master Li. You can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you like! When did this Palace Master cheat?”
Li Jiao grunted, “You were the one who proposed to refine the Emperor Yuan Pill. This Spirit Pill with Pill Veins must have been obtained by you beforehand, and now you’ve brought it out to fill the gap!”
Hearing this, Mi Qi also thought it was logical. Yang Kai very quickly stuffed the Spirit Pills into the jade bottle from his furnace as soon as he was finished refining them, then he also asked Ji Ying to take out his Spirit Pills first. The jade bottle had been in his hands during that whole duration, so it was completely plausible that he could have swapped out the Spirit Pills.
[That’s right, now that makes sense!]
[What a treacherous little brat! Such dark designs are simply abominable!]
“Palace Master Yang, this isn’t appropriate, is it?” Mi Qi was blue-faced from anger. Those five billion High-Rank Source Crystals were right at his grasp, but were now up in the air because of Yang Kai’s cheating, so he wasn’t very happy. The worst part was, neither he nor Li Jiao had any evidence to prove their claims.
“Whether I swapped it in or not, just ask Brother Ji and you’ll know the answer,” Yang Kai curled his lips in disdain, not even bothering to argue with them.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi both turned their heads towards Ji Ying.
Ji Ying nodded, “These nine Spirit Pills all came out of a furnace just now. They were not made beforehand.”
“What!?”
“That’s impossible, Grandmaster Ji. Please take a closer look!”
“Are you doubting even my words now?” Ji Ying’s face turned dark, feeling extremely displeased. Even though he intended to befriend Yang Kai, he would not lie about such matters as it concerned his honour. Mi Qi and Li Jiao were simply questioning his character and credibility by making such a remark.
Both Mi Qi and Li Jiao were shocked, and only then did they come to realize they had angered and offended Ji Ying.
Mi Qi quickly said, “You misunderstand, Grandmaster Ji. Naturally, we do not dare to question your word, but we do not know what this little brat’s character is like, so we have to be on our guard. Please, Grandmaster Ji, take another look! Have these pills been tampered with in any way?”
Ji Ying answered indifferently, “Each refinement produces a batch of Spirit Pills that have unique traces that can never be replicated perfectly again. Those who have not immersed themselves in the Alchemic Dao for a long enough time will not be able to tell, but from what this Ji can see, these nine Spirit Pills all indeed came from the same furnace.”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both dumbfounded at those words.
“Of course, the easiest way to tell is by the fact that these Spirit Pills are all still warm. If you don’t believe me, feel free to inspect them yourselves.” As he said that, Ji Ying threw the Emperor Yuan Pill with Pill Veins directly to Mi Qi at the side.
Mi Qi caught it and felt it carefully. Just as Ji Ying said, the Spirit Pill was indeed warm and had obviously just been refined.
His heart sank into the abyss as he handed it over to Li Jiao so that he could feel it too.
Yang Kai sneered, “Are the two of you still going to say that this Palace Master cheated?”
Mi Qi laughed dryly, “Of course not, we were just making a joke, a small joke. Please pay it no mind, Palace Master Yang.”
“That joke wasn’t funny at all.”
Li Jiao coughed dryly, “Both of you refined nine Spirit Pills with a single one forming Pill Veins. So does that mean… it’s a tie?”
“A tie it is then, no winners or losers!” Mi Qi quickly added in, but the look of disappointment on his face was obvious.
Yang Kai chuckled, “The quantity is the same, even with regards to forming Pill Veins, so the deciding factor is quality. There are always differences in efficacy!”
Ji Ying nodded at his words, “That’s right. The difference in quality can really distinguish things.”
Both Li Jiao and Mi Qi’s hearts jumped. Even though they were reluctant to accept ending things as a tie, they could still barely accept it since they weren’t losing anything anyway, but now that Yang Kai had taken the initiative to propose determining the winner by quality, they couldn’t help feeling some tightness in their chests.
[Could it be that… he really had the confidence to win? Otherwise, why would he propose such a thing?]
As soon as that thought came up, both of them instantly began to panic and Mi Qi quickly said, “Let’s just call it a tie. There’s no need to judge the quality.”
Yang Kai grunted, “Since it’s a bet, then we naturally have to determine who the winner is. Why? What is Sect Master Mi scared of?”
Mi Qi answered nervously, “What? This King, scared? What nonsense, Palace Master Yang.”
Li Jiao’s forehead also couldn’t help becoming a bit damp with sweat as that bad feeling in his heart became more apparent.
“Let me trouble Brother Ji to check once more!” Yang Kai turned towards Ji Ying.
“A trivial matter.” Ji Ying nodded.
At this point, winning or losing in this duel with Yang Kai didn’t matter that much to him anymore. He could tell at a glance that Yang Kai was able to perceive the true essence of the Alchemic Dao, so in the future, he may even be able to stand side by side with his Honoured Master. Therefore, Ji Ying didn’t think it would be shameful even if he were to lose here.
This Alchemy competition had also been quite rewarding for him, so Ji Ying felt that after returning and entering retreat for a time, he would definitely be able to make a breakthrough in his pursuit of the Alchemic Dao. When that time came, he may even be able to improve his skills to be no less than his Senior Brothers and Senior Sister.
At once, he focused his heart on examining the pills. He was holding both his and Yang Kai’s Emperor Yuan Pills on each hand, inspecting their colour, size, purity, and emitted aura. He even scraped off a layer of powder from each of the pills and tasted it.
The hall was silent as everyone looked on nervously, especially Mi Qi and Li Jiao. This bet related to fifty years of earnings for both of their respective Sects, so they were both eyeing Ji Ying intently like leeches on their prey, observing his expressions, fearing that he would say something that would mean bad news for them.
Yang Kai was the only calm and collected one, even walking back to his seat to pick up his cup of tea.
After a long time, Ji Ying finally exhaled. It seemed from the look on his face that he had come to a conclusion.
“Grand… Grandmaster Ji, what are the results?” Mi Qi asked nervously as even his voice slightly cracked.
Li Jiao was also watching Ji Ying intently, not even realizing that he had sweat running down his cheek.
“This Ji… is lacking. Brother Yang’s aptitude in the Alchemic Dao is superior, this Ji admires his skill greatly!” Ji Ying did not respond to them, but instead turned to Yang Kai and cupped his fists in respect.
“This Yang is unworthy of Brother Ji’s praise. This Yang was only able to win this time due to luck. I will still have to trouble Brother Ji to give me pointers in the future,” Yang Kai smiled and cupped his fists in return.
Ji Ying waved his hand with a bitter smile.
While the two of them talked, Li Jiao and Mi Qi stood there like fools, faces turning blue as the blood in their veins seemed to freeze solid.
Even though Ji Ying did not explicitly declare the winner, the meaning of his words were clear enough.
“Grand… Grandmaster Ji, are you sure? Are the Spirit Pills that he refined truly of higher quality?” Mi Qi asked in a trembling voice.
Li Jiao also hurried to add, “Why don’t you look at it again?”
Ji Ying’s expression turned to anger this time as he spat in a cold voice, “Are the two of you questioning this Ji’s character and competence?”
His character and skill had never been questioned by the two of them before, so Ji Ying also did not want to fuss over the matter with them out of the years of friendship they had together, but for them to repeatedly question his judgement angered Ji Ying very much.
Once was enough, but what did they mean by questioning him twice? Was his word really worth so little?
Seeing that Ji Ying was truly angered this time, both Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s hearts jumped as they belatedly realized how rude they had been.
Mi Qi wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, “No, no, no, Grandmaster Ji has misunderstood. Neither Brother Li nor I mean anything of the sort, please believe us, Grandmaster Ji.”
They could offend whoever else they wanted, but they could not afford to offend Ji Ying.
Ji Ying grunted, “Let me tell you. A real Alchemist will never make jokes with the pills they refine. If this Ji says he lost, then this Ji lost! There is no need for me to slander my own name to put Brother Yang on a pedestal.” After a pause, he extended both hands towards them, “If the two of you do not trust this Ji, then try the medicinal efficacies of these two Spirit Pills yourselves. Since the two of you are both Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, then it should be easy for you to tell which is the stronger by taking them and refining them.”
Li Jiao and Mi Qi both exchanged glances and saw the intent in each other’s eyes as this was indeed a good idea.
This was an important matter, so they couldn’t help but be overcautious. However, if they were to do this, then they would completely offend Ji Ying because once they took those Spirit Pills to refine, it would mean they really did not believe in Ji Ying’s words.
These two choices troubled Li Jiao and Mi Qi greatly.
Yang Kai on the other hand was cheerful and fanned the flames, “I think it’s best if the two of you try them for yourselves, that way you can uphold Brother Ji’s name as well!”
Ji Ying stood there with a cold face, hands still outstretched.
Gritting his teeth, Li Jiao stepped forward and said with shame, “My apologies.”
He picked out a single Emperor Yuan Pill from each of Ji Ying’s hands at random.
Seeing this, Mi Qi also took two Emperor Yuan Pills.
Once they finished, Ji Ying declared bluntly, “Since the two of you do not trust this Ji, then this Ji’s cooperation with you two will end here. There is no need for you to come to Medicine Pill Valley to ask this Ji to refine Spirit Pills in the future either.”
Upon hearing this, Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both shaken. Pale-faced, they spoke in unison, “Grandmaster Ji…”
“It’s needless to say more!” Ji Ying coldly snorted, not even bothering to say another word to them.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi both heaved heavy sighs. Looking at the two Spirit Pills in their hands, they suddenly felt as if these small Spirit Pills weighed tens of thousands of kilograms.
Since things had come to this though, the two of them could only grit their teeth and refine these Emperor Yuan Pills.
Since they have already offended Ji Ying, they couldn’t lose those five billion Source Crystals either, could they? Once they refined the two Emperor Yuan Pills and proved that the one that Ji Ying refined was better than Yang Kai’s, then they would still gain something in the end.
Even though Emperor Alchemists were rare, there were still a few in the Northern Territory that did not belong to Medicine Pill Valley.
Circulating their Emperor Qi and refining the Emperor Yuan Pills, they managed to completely refine its medical efficacies in just a short moment. Then, the two of them took the second Emperor Yuan Pill and continued refining.
A short while later, both Li Jiao and Mi Qi opened their eyes. Grief-stricken as if they were mourning the death of their parents, both their faces looked extremely terrible.
After refining both pills themselves, they clearly felt that the first Emperor Yuan Pill they took had lower medicinal efficacy than the one they took after. And, the first one that they took was the Spirit Pill that Ji Ying refined.
The difference between the two was not too big, but the former Spirit Pill was still just a slight bit inferior.
Ji Ying commented at this point, “This Ji lost to Brother Yang in the process of condensing medicinal liquid, as the medicinal liquid that this Ji condensed was not as pure as Brother Yang’s. That is why the pills became slightly inferior. Since the two of you have personally refined them and verified this fact, you should have come to a conclusion, right? Or is this Ji still speaking carelessly and favouring Brother Yang?”
Mi Qi had a bitter face, “We never meant to imply such a thing.”
Of course, they could speak contrary to facts and say that the Spirit Pill that Ji Ying refined was better, but that would be an obvious and completely shameless lie, and with the three Monster Kings staring at them with unkind eyes, it was obvious they wouldn’t just let such an insult pass. What’s more, there was still that terrifyingly strong woman called Qing’er. If they really were to do such a shameless thing, then the situation was not destined to end well for them.
“Since the results are out, then the two of you… Please accept your loss willingly,” Yang Kai walked over step after step with his hands behind his back.
Both Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s faces were twitching as they felt as if their hearts had been stabbed and were now leaking blood.
“Grandmaster Ji…” Mi Qi shot a pleading look at Ji Ying, hoping that he would step out to speak in favour of them.
But Ji Ying just went back to his own seat, not paying them any mind. He was clearly annoyed by them.
Seeing this reaction, both Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s hearts cooled like damp ashes. They were in an unfavourable situation right now, and they definitely wouldn’t be able to win in a fight, nor could they escape. If they were to really start a battle here, then the two of them would definitely be forced to remain here forever.
Why did they think of coming to High Heaven Palace with Ji Ying in the first place? Now they had dug their own graves. Truly, entering a tiger’s den was easier than leaving. Both of their guts were churning with regret.
“Well then, you two are both well-known characters in the Northern Territory, so you couldn’t possibly be thinking of reneging on your debts, could you?” Yang Kai’s face turned fierce as he glared at the two of them.
“En?” The three Monster Kings made threatening noises in unison, Monster Qi spilling out, seemingly as if they would take the two of them down the instant Yang Kai gave the order.
“How could we?” Li Jiao wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. While suffering slightly, he could only smile, “If we are willing to bet, then we are definitely willing to concede. Brother Mi and I will definitely not renege on our debts.”
“That’s right, that’s right. We won’t do that.” Mi Qi also nodded repeatedly.
How many years has it been since they had humbled themselves like this? Not even in front of Ji Ying had they ever been this meek. Now though, the two of them had finally re-experienced what it was like to be inferior, and the vexing feeling in their heart could not be washed away even with the waters of three rivers and five lakes.
“Since you aren’t going to renege, then hurry and pay up!” Yang Kai stretched a hand out to them like a predatory creditor.
Mi Qi said with a bitter face, “Palace Master Yang, how can five billion High-Rank Source Crystals be taken out so easily?”
“That’s right, the number is too great,” Li Jiao also said awkwardly.
“Two and a half billion then. If you can’t take out five billion, then you should be able to take out two and a half billion, can’t you?” Yang Kai eyed the two from the corner of his eye.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s heads shook like rattles.
Yang Kai glared, “How many years have your Sects been established in the Northern Territory? How could you be so poor? Aren’t you afraid of people laughing if word got out that you couldn’t even take out a measly two and a half billion Source Crystals?”
Li Jiao answered, “Palace Master Yang does not understand. Our Sects may earn a lot each year, but our expenses are equally large. Not much balance remains after each year.”
“That’s right.” Mi Qi nodded, “Palace Master Yang also obtained the foundation and wealth accumulated by Seeking Passion Sect over the millennia of its existence, so he could know how many Source Crystals there were. Our Sects and Seeking Passion Sect were not that far apart in terms of overall strength and assets.”
“So, does that mean the two of you can’t pay up?” Yang Kai’s face suddenly turned cold.
“For now… we can’t.” Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both feeling very guilty.
“How dare you!” Yang Kai bellowed, “What gave you the guts to make such a large bet with me if you didn’t have the capital to do so? Did the two of you come just to make a pastime out of this Palace Master? Hear my order, Monster Kings, kill them!”
“Yes!” Upon hearing this, all three Monster Kings shot out immediately.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both horrified, thinking that Yang Kai may have planned to wipe out both of them long ago so he could rob the foundations of their Full Sky Sect and Fire Dragon Palace. If the two of them were to die here, then their Sects would be without leaders. There will be no way they could resist the terrifying might of High heaven Palace then. They would probably be razed to the ground immediately.
“Hold on, please wait!” Seeing that the three Monster Kings were rushing towards him, Mi Qi quickly raised his hand and shouted.
“Wait!” Yang Kai also shouted.
The three Monster Kings stopped instantly, but they stood around Li Jiao and Mi Qi, surrounding them with their Monster Qi, not giving them any room to escape at all.
Cold sweat slid down their cheeks, dripping onto the ground with a clear noise.
Watching the two of them, Yang Kai asked lightly, “Does Sect Master Mi have any last words? This Palace Master is merciful, so he will allow you to live for another few breaths of time!”
He wanted him to say his last words already? Black lines covered Mi Qi’s face. Suppressing the panic in his heart, he said nervously, “Palace Master Yang, Brother Li and I did not intend to renege on our debt, nor did we have any intentions not to honour our bets. We just… we do not have the capital to fulfil this bet. We should not have made such a large bet with Palace Master Yang without being fully prepared, but now that things have come to this, you have nothing to gain even if you were to kill us.”
“That’s right, that’s right! If you kill us, then those five billion Source Crystals will really be gone and you will also be making mortal enemies with our Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect.”
“Since I can destroy Seeking Passion Sect, why would I fear your Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect?” Yang Kai sneered at them with much disdain. However, he stroked his chin in a manner that seemed like he was considering things seriously and nodded after a long while, “But you are right. Keep talking, whether you can live or not depends on your mouths now.”
Mi Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that his life was safe for the time being, but he also knew that if he couldn’t convince Yang Kai to let the two of them live, then they were certain to lose their lives here today.
After thinking for a while, he organized his words and began, “Brother Li and I can’t possibly gather so many Source Crystals right now, but a portion is still possible.”
“How much?” Yang Kai asked in a deep voice.
“Five… five hundred million?” Mi Qi asked tentatively.
Li Jiao nodded, “Five hundred million is possible.”
“Are you trying to dismiss a beggar with that?” Yang Kai coldly snorted, “This Palace Master earned more than ten times that from Seeking Passion Sect’s Treasury! If you dare mention a measly five hundred million again, I’ll kill you right now! At worst I would simply lose those five hundred million Source Crystals.”
“A billion, a billion!” Mi Qi hastily changed his words hastily, “We cannot offer any more. If we go any higher, then we really won’t be able to take it out immediately.”
This was already the bottom line for his Full Sky Sect. Even a billion would require him to take out several treasures to sell just to scrape together the required amount.
“And you, Palace Master Li?” Yang Kai eyed Li Jiao coldly.
Li Jiao said uneasily, “Yes yes, the most I can gather is a billion.”
“One billion huh…” Yang Kai paced back and forth, thinking for a while before nodding, “Fine, one billion it is.”
Li Jiao and Mi Qi were overjoyed at those words.
But before they had time to relax, Yang Kai added, “But you’ll still be short one and a half billion each then. How are the two of you planning to pay the rest back?”
“This…” Li Jiao and Mi Qi were at a loss for words, not knowing how to answer.
Yang Kai continued, “This Palace Master does have an idea, but I’m not sure if you are willing to listen.”
“Please enlighten us, Palace Master Yang!” Both Li Jiao and Mi Qi turned to Yang Kai together.
“If you don’t have enough Source Crystals on hand, then you can make up the amount with treasures. I believe that the two of you must have many rare treasures in the storehouses of your Sects. My High Heaven Palace has not been established for long, so we just happen to need large amounts of cultivation resources. Let’s see, an Emperor Artifact can count for ten million, so for one and a half billion, you only need to turn over a hundred and fifty!”
“A hundred and fifty Emperor Artifacts!”
“An Emperor Artifact is only worth ten million High-Rank Source Crystals?”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao both exclaimed in unison, cursing him in their hearts. Even though they had known that Yang Kai would definitely take advantage of this opportunity to cut off a pound of flesh from them, they didn’t think he would be so ruthless. This was outright robbery!
What Emperor Artifact was worth only 10 million High-Rank Source Crystals? Even the worst Emperor Artifacts would never sell for so little! What’s more, a hundred and fifty Emperor Artifacts was a ridiculous number. Even if both their Sects combined all of their assets, it would still be impossible for them to find so many Emperor Artifacts.
“If you don’t have Emperor Artifacts, then Dao Source Grade Artifacts and Origin King Grade Artifacts will do as well, along with spirit flowers, herbs, rare ores… As long as they are cultivation materials or rare resources, this Palace Master will accept them all,” Yang Kai waved his hand as if making it seem like he was a generous soul.
Li Jiao and Mi Qi’s faces were as black as the bottom of a pot. If they really did as Yang Kai said, then wouldn’t both their Sects be emptied by him? What would happen to the disciples in their Sects then? How could they still face all the Elders and Disciples of their Sects?
“No, that’s impossible…” Li Jiao was almost in tears, “Palace Master Yang, please have mercy!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold, “This Palace Master has already given you a chance, but you didn’t cherish it. Now you want to blame me?”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both speechless.
Yang Kai sighed, “As Brother Ji said before, we are all cultivators of the Northern Territory, so we are surely going to see more of each other in the future. So, this Palace Master will not feel good taking things too far either.”
[You want to ‘apologize’ now?] Li Jiao and Mi Qi sneered in their hearts.
“How about this? This Palace Master has another suggestion. If this too is impossible, then you two can just stay here until your Sects pay a ransom to take you back. I’ll let the two of you go whenever they gather enough Source Crystals.”
“Please go on, Palace Master Yang.”
Even though they knew that Yang Kai’s idea definitely won’t be a good one, it was better than him exterminating their Sects and taking all of their treasures by force. It didn’t hurt to listen to his suggestions either.
“Once you manage to gather the first billion Source Crystals… You can pay the rest in instalments,” Yang Kai said while waving his hand.
“Pay in instalments?” When they heard this, Li Jiao and Mi Qi exchanged glances before cautiously asking, “How are the instalments going to be calculated?”
Yang Kai explained, “Since you both command top Sects, it is natural for you to have large incomes each year. In the future, a portion of that income will be paid to my High Heaven Palace. When you finish paying off your debt, the bet will end. What do the two of you think of this suggestion?”
Mi Qi said with great joy, “Palace Master Yang’s suggestion is good, we’ll pay in instalments then!”
Li Jiao also nodded, “Good, good, good, Palace Master Yang is truly wise to be able to think of such an idea.”
“Your heads are also pretty good,” Yang Kai smiled, “In that case, let’s do that. But we should discuss the details carefully.”
“Yes, of course,” Mi Qi nodded incessantly.
Yang Kai continued, “I take it your Sects earn around fifty million High-Rank Source Crystals a year, is that correct?”
“Just about,” Mi Qi and Li Jiao nodded. For those small or medium Sects, this was a terrifying number. It should be known that the Emperor Realm Masters who participated in Flowing Shadow City’s auction only brought around ten or twenty million High-Rank Source Crystals with them, and even that had emptied the coffers of their respective Sects. But for Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect, their annual earnings alone would reach over fifty million.
The difference was like Heaven and Earth.
“I won’t ask for all fifty million then, forty million each year will do!” Yang Kai said to the two of them.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao’s faces twitched. If they had to pay forty million each year, it meant they would only have ten million left for their own Sects. That was a greatly reduced figure, and their Sects would surely not have an easy life in the future.
But if they wanted to pay off their debt, then they had no choice but to do so.
The two of them nodded sullenly, agreeing.
“Good, after fifty years of payments, the debt will be cleared,” Yang Kai said seriously.
Both mi Qi and Li Jiao frowned when they heard this, with the former asking, “Palace Master Yang, this number… doesn’t seem quite right, does it?”
Li Jiao also chimed in, “That’s right, Palace Master Yang. Did you miscount? Brother Mi and I each have a bet of two and a half billion to settle, and we will be giving you a billion upfront, so only one and a half billion will be left. If we hand over 40 million a year, then no matter how you calculate it, it would not take fifty years to pay off the balance.”
If they went according to what Yang Kai said, then the total number of High-Rank Source Crystals their Sects would end up paying to High Heaven Palace would be three billion, which was five hundred million more than their bet.
Yang Kai sneered, “Do you two not count interest?”
“In… Interest!” Mi Qi and Li Jiao were both dumbfounded.
What sort of interest would cost this much? Five hundred million High-Rank Source Crystals was already ten years worth of each Sect’s revenue!
It was only at this moment that they understood Yang Kai’s sinister intentions. They thought he was offering them the opportunity to pay in instalments out of conscience and consideration for future relations, but who knew that he had actually been digging a big hole for them and tempting them to jump into it?
“You have two choices here,” Yang Kai looked impatiently at them, “Either you gather two and half billion Source Crystals worth of resources and send them to my High Heaven Palace within a month, or you can gather one billion and repay the rest over the next fifty years!”
“Palace Master Yang…”
“You think this Palace Master won’t destroy your Sects if you try to haggle with me again?” Yang Kai spat with an unkind glare.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao immediately fell silent, their faces filled with fear.
They could also see that Yang Kai’s patience was almost worn out. If they kept on dragging things out, then they would be the ones eating a loss in the end.
Exchanging glances with each other, Mi Qi said helplessly, “We’ll pay in instalments then.”
Even though they had to pay an additional five hundred million with this method, which would hurt them gravely, they could at least retain their foundations this way. If they really forcefully coughed up the full two and a half billion in a month, it would definitely deal critical damage to their Sects, damage they might not be able to recover from even after a hundred years.
However, it was now apparent that for the next fifty years, both Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect would likely have to take High Heaven Palace’s head as their guide, and the disciples of their Sects would also be unable to raise their heads in front of the disciples of High Heaven Palace.
Li Jiao had a gloomy look on his face, “I will also pay in instalments.”
“Very good!” Yang Kai rubbed his palms and smiled, “Both of you are men of decisive character! In that case, please return now. This Palace Master wants to see your one billion Source Crystals within a month, then we will collect the rest each year after. We should not delay matters, so this Palace Master will not keep you two. Please!”
Mi Qi and Li Jiao cupped their fists, exhausted, and turned around, walking outside.
Unlike their exuberant faces when they arrived, they were now completely downcast.
Nobody would be happy to encounter such a tragedy, and it would also be a headache for them to tell the Elders of their respective Sects once they returned. A lifetime of fame, ruined because of one wrong move! Both men were filled with remorse and regret, wondering in their hearts whether they should refuse to acknowledge their debts after leaving…
“Palace Master Li, please wait.”
Before the two of them could walk out of the hall though, Ji Ying suddenly spoke up.
Hearing his call, Li Jiao turned his head to look at Ji Ying and asked, “Grandmaster Ji, what are your instructions?”
“I dare not give instructions,” Ji Ying responded frankly as he tossed a wooden box towards Li Jiao, “As this Ji’s skill is lacking, this Ji is afraid that he may fail Palace Master Li’s request. So, I will return this Dragon Blood Flower to Palace Master Li. Palace Master Li should find another Grandmaster to assist him.”
“Dragon Blood Flower!” Zhu Qing who had been standing quietly in the corner of the hall this whole time was suddenly roused as if a nerve had been touched. Her face changed, and at the same time, she reached out to grab the wooden box and a huge suction force suddenly appeared, bringing it right into her hands.
Before Li Jiao could even recover from the shock of Ji Ying’s words, he suddenly discovered that his precious treasure had been snatched away. Face changing, he shouted, “Young Lady, what are you trying to do?!”
Truly, when it rains, it pours. Not only did the ship arrive late, it set sail in a headwind too.
They had already completely offended Ji Ying during this trip, so not only did his plan to refine the Dragon Blood Pill fall through, now the materials have also been stolen away.
That was the spirit flower that he spent so many years cultivating with his own Blood Essence. He was counting on it to improve his own strength, so how could Li Jiao stand idly by while it fell into the hands of another person? But he didn’t dare to be forceful here and just looked at Zhu Qing with an indignant face, hoping that this young woman would return the Dragon Blood Flower to him.
Zhu Qing flicked her wrist, opened the wooden box, and a bright red flower lying quietly inside immediately came into view.
Yang Kai looked over curiously, and his eyes couldn’t help but light up.
The Dragon Blood Flower was like a crystal formed from the purest blood. The strangest thing was the fact that a trace of Dragon Qi was actually being emitted from the flower.
Even if he had never heard of this Dragon Blood Flower before, and it was also his first time seeing it, Yang Kai understood that it must be something amazing.
“It really is a Dragon Blood Flower!” Zhu Qing frowned and shut the wooden box again, but she didn’t give it back to Li Jiao. Instead, she glared at him and snapped coldly, “Where did you get this Dragon Blood Flower?”
Li Jiao answered, “Young Lady, please return that flower back to me first!”
Naturally, Zhu Qing paid him no mind, and before Li Jiao could blink, she appeared in front of him with a solemn and aggressive demeanour, “I’ll ask you one more time, where did you get this Dragon Blood Flower from!”
A powerful aura suddenly pressed down on him, causing Li Jiao’s breathing to grow difficult. All the blood in his body seemed to freeze up and he couldn’t help but back up a few steps. Face pale, he answered, “I came upon it by chance. Why are you asking me?”
He was truly baffled now. This Dragon Blood Flower was really something that he obtained by chance, and even though it was precious, what about it was enough to rile up this woman so much? Even more shockingly, he couldn’t muster the slightest bit of resistance against this woman in front of him despite being a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. A sort of fear born from the deepest marrow of his bones which consumed all his will gripped him every time he faced her.
But how could that be? He was already a Third-Order Emperor, but he was completely suppressed just by her aura alone. Only a Great Emperor could achieve this, but no matter how he looked at her, this woman in front of him didn’t look like a Great Emperor at all.
“Liar!” Zhu Qing shouted, “The Dragon Blood Flower only grows on Dragon Island. It can’t appear elsewhere!”
She seemed to be possessed with anger, and as she spoke, a resounding dragon roar suddenly rang out across the sky. The illusory phantom of a giant dragon head suddenly appeared above her, its two majestic eyes staring down at Li Jiao. In an instant, all the strength seemed to have been drained from Li Jiao’s body, and he actually fell to the ground with his eyes wide in horror. Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead like a waterfall as she stutteringly shouted, “Dragon Clan!”
“What!?” Mi Qi was also taken by surprise and kicked the ground hard to put some distance between Zhu Qing and himself, his face turning as white as snow.
Mi Qi looked stunned at the phantom dragon head above Zhu Qing’s head, and he couldn’t help but gulp audibly.
No wonder this woman had such terrifying power despite her petite size, and no wonder why Li Jiao couldn’t muster any resistance against her despite being a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, it turned out this woman belonged to the Dragon Clan!
If that was the case, then everything could be explained.
The Dragon Clan was the king of the myriad spirits, the leader of all Divine Spirits! Naturally, it would not be difficult for an adult dragon to be able to send him flying with a single punch, and Li Jiao was even worse off. Due to the trace of Dragon Bloodline in his body, he was completely suppressed by the Bloodline Power of this dragon girl in front of him. He may not even be able to find a sliver of strength in his body in front of her.
This was the terror of Dragon Blood’s bloodline suppression.
But how could there be a Dragon here? And, looking at Yang Kai’s attitude towards this dragon girl before, their relationship seemed a little unusual.
Could Dragon Island be lurking behind this High Heaven Palace?
Mi Qi was still thinking about whether he should renege on his debt after escaping from High Heaven Palace a moment ago, but how could he dare to do that now? With the Dragon Clan being involved, he wouldn’t dare to run away from his debt even if he had a hundred times to courage.
On the other end, Ji Ying who was seated on his chair was also stunned.
As the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he was a knowledgeable and experienced man, but he had never met a true Dragon Clan member before. He never thought he would have the chance to set his eyes upon one in this High Heaven Palace.
Thinking back to Yang Kai’s attitude towards this dragon girl though, he remembered he had even asked her to serve them tea!
Cold sweat began to drip down Ji Ying’s face while deep admiration for Yang Kai, as well as shock and fear, filled his heart.
The Dragon Clan were famous for their pride and arrogance, so how could one of them possibly end up being treated as a maidservant? If her temper were to be provoked, then who would be able to walk out of this hall alive?
What ability did Yang Kai possess to be able to make a dragon girl so obedient to him? Could he also be part of the Dragon Clan?
At that thought, Ji Ying began looking at Yang Kai in a different light. Originally, his identity as an Emperor Alchemist as well as his ability to beat him in an Alchemy competition was enough to garner Ji Ying’s attention and make him want to befriend him, but now, all Ji Ying could think of was ‘admiring the high mountains’.
To be served tea by a dragon girl. Even his Honoured Master, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor himself, would not receive this kind of honour if he personally came to visit, right?
Ji Ying’s thoughts couldn’t help but run wild.
“Speak, where did you get this Dragon Blood Flower? Tell me or die!” Zhu Qing eyed Li Jiao coldly, murderous intent radiating from her body.
The Dragon Blood Flower was an exclusive product of Dragon Island, but now one had actually appeared outside. Even though it was of the lowest quality possible, it was still undoubtedly a Dragon Blood Flower. Could it be that someone from Dragon Island was colluding with the outside world, selling Dragon Blood Flowers? This was no small matter, also the reason Zhu Qing was so serious about it.
“Frozen Earth! The Frozen Earth! I got it from the Frozen Earth!” How could Li Jiao dare to hide anything at this moment? A living, breathing dragon girl was standing right in front of him. The bloodline suppression he felt was more than enough to send fear into his bones. If this dragon girl wanted to kill him, then she could very likely do it in just one move. So, he could do nothing but reveal his secret.
“So, it’s the Frozen Earth!” Mi Qi was shocked. He had asked many times in the past, curious to know where Li Jiao had obtained this Dragon Blood Flower, but each time, Li Jiao would try to brush off the question, which made him grit his teeth in hate. Only now did he find out that this Dragon Blood Flower actually came from the Frozen Earth!
This was a dangerous Forbidden Zone, and it was rumoured that even Great Emperors did not dare tread deeply into it. A Third-Order Emperor would be taking a great risk just entering the Frozen Earth.
“Frozen Earth,” Zhu Qing frowned. She believed him partially and she didn’t think that Li Jiao would dare to lie under her pressure, but she was still curious and asked, “How could there be a Dragon Blood Flower in the Frozen Earth?”
That damned place was extremely cold without any living things in sight, so how could a Dragon Blood Flower appear there?
Li Jiao hurried to explain, “A dragon seemed to have met its end there, and his bones must have been buried in that ground. That was how the Dragon Blood Flower managed to germinate and survive.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing’s face changed, “The burial place of a dragon then?”
She seemed to have thought of something, and after a few breaths of silence, she pressed, “You better be telling me the truth, or I’ll rip you into a thousand pieces.”
“Every word is true!” Li Jiao responded with haste.
“Where exactly did you discover the fallen dragon? What landmarks were nearby?” Zhu Qing suddenly transmitted her voice directly to him.
When he heard this, Li Jiao understood that she intended to investigate the matter herself. But this wasn’t a surprise as a dragon may possibly have met its end there, and the Dragon Clan’s numbers were small to begin with. Each one of their clansmen was extremely precious, so if one of them fell in the Frozen Earth, then naturally, Zhu Qing had to go and investigate. At the very least, she had to retrieve their bones to give them a proper burial.
Li Jiao transmitted back, “Young Lady, if you really plan to collect the corpse of your clansmen personally, then there is no need for that. I have checked before and the bones of that dragon had already turned into dust. It no longer exists.”
Zhu Qing quickly snapped, “You need only tell me the location. You don’t have to care about anything else.”
Seeing her insistence, Li Jiao could only tell Zhu Qing the location. In the end, he also added, “The Frozen Earth is a very dangerous place. If Young Lady were to meet with any accidents inside, it is none of my business.”
Zhu Qing sneered, “Even you managed to come out of there alive, why can’t I?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Li Jiao’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He then glanced at the wooden box in Zhu Qing’s hand, “Then, this Dragon Blood Flower…”
“Do you want to die?”
“I’ll return it to the Young Lady, it belongs to Dragon Island to begin with!” Li Jiao quickly changed his tone, but his heart felt pained enough that it could bleed.
He really suffered a miserable loss this time. Losing so many Source Crystals to Yang Kai was already a big heartache to him, and now he was going to lose the precious Dragon Blood Flower he spent so much time and effort raising too.
He shouldn’t have come. He really shouldn’t have come to this damned High Heaven Palace!
“Scram!” Zhu Qing waved her hand as if shooing away a fly.
Only then did Li Jiao get up in a hurry. He took another reluctant look at the wooden box before turning around and flying off.
Since Li Jiao had already left, Mi Qi naturally did not dare to stay any longer. Cupping his fists and excusing himself, he quickly followed suit.
“Qing’er, let me have a look at that.” Inside the hall, Yang Kai suddenly beckoned Zhu Qing with a smile on his face.
Zhu Qing glanced at Yang Kai with scorn and casually tossed the wooden box to him.
Yang Kai grabbed it and opened the box, clicking his tongue at the marvellous sight.
“The Dragon Blood Flower is one of the most exotic spirit flowers in the world and can only be cultivated with the blood of a Dragon Clansmen. It only grows on Dragon Island,” Ji Ying explained on the side.
“Cultivated with Dragon Blood?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at those words.
Dragon Blood itself was already a very good thing, and it was rare for anyone to be able to see it, so how could something cultivated with Dragon Blood be any worse? No wonder this Dragon Blood Flower was so full of energy and even contained a wisp of Dragon Qi.
Even though he had no idea what sort of Spirit Pill could be refined from this Dragon Blood Flower, Yang Kai could instinctively tell that this spirit flower was very useful to him.
“Can it be refined?” Yang Kai raised his head to look at Ji Ying.
Ji Ying smiled, “Naturally. The Spirit Pill made with the Dragon Blood Flower as the main ingredient is called the Dragon Blood Pill. If a dragon or someone with a Dragon Clan bloodline were to take such a pill, they would be able to enhance the purity and power of their bloodline. Even if an ordinary person were to take it, it would grant tremendous benefits, especially for body tempering.”
“Dragon Blood Pill…” Yang Kai muttered, an interested expression on his face.
According to Ji Ying, this Dragon Blood Flower could be refined into a furnace of Dragon Blood Pills, and not only could the Dragon Blood Pill enhance the purity of a dragon bloodline, it also had a significant effect on the tempering of a physique, not to mention a variety of other positive effects.
The quality of his own physical body was extremely strong to begin with, so if he could refine this Dragon Blood Flower into Dragon Blood Pills, then it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Yang Kai’s thoughts couldn’t help but spin as he turned to Ji Ying and asked, “Brother Ji, do you have the pill recipe for the Dragon Blood Pill?”
Ji Ying scratched his cheek and coughed dryly, “Yes I do, but…” He glanced at Zhu Qing.
There was a real dragon girl here so he didn’t dare to discuss with Yang Kai about the matter of refining the Dragon Blood Pill; after all, the significance of the Dragon Blood Flower to Dragon Island was simply too big. If he were to provoke this dragon girl, then even his identity as one of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Legacy Disciples may not necessarily be able to save him.
“You want Dragon Blood Flowers?” Zhu Qing looked at Yang Kai.
“You have more?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, but he soon reckoned this was an obvious fact; after all, Zhu Qing was a Dragon, so it made sense for her to have a lot of Dragon Blood Flowers on her. If he could get her to part with those Dragon Blood Flowers, then he could refine a large batch of Dragon Blood Pills and greatly enhance his strength!
“I do.” Zhu Qing nodded.
Yang Kai was overjoyed, but before he could say anything more, Zhu Qing continued, “But I left them all on Dragon Island. It’s taboo to take Dragon Blood Flowers out of Dragon Island.”
His excitement was instantly doused with cold water, causing Yang Kai to shout in an aggrieved tone, “Then why did you bother saying that in the first place!”
However, this too made sense as he had checked Zhu Qing’s Space Ring before. If she really did have Dragon Blood Flowers, then he would have found them already.
Ji Ying’s forehead was covered in cold sweat again. How could this Yang Kai have such a casual attitude towards a dragon girl, not even showing a trace of politeness? Ji Ying’s heart was simply drumming with worry.
Zhu Qing smiled, a cunning light flashing across her eyes, “If you come with me to Dragon Island, I can give you all of those Dragon Blood Flowers. I still have around ten in my possession!”
Ji Ying’s eyes went wide as he was shocked beyond words.
This dragon girl… actually invited Yang Kai to Dragon Island? Did he hear her right?
Dragon Island was the most mysterious place in all of the Star Boundary. Don’t even mention going there, ordinary people couldn’t even figure out where it was located. On top of that, as they considered themselves the kings of the myriad spirits, the Dragon Clan never invited others into Dragon Island. Only the Great Emperors had the right to step foot there, but it was still impossible for them to go often, much less obtain Dragon Blood Flowers from the Dragon Clan.
But now, not only did this dragon girl invite Yang Kai to Dragon Island, she even said she would give him ten Dragon Blood Flowers…
Ji Ying was dumbfounded. Even though this was none of his business, he still quickly shot a meaningful glance at Yang Kai.
This was a very rare opportunity, so how could he hesitate? Naturally, he should agree as quickly as possible. If it were him, he would definitely get up and go immediately.
“If you mention this again, we’ll no longer be friends!” Yang Kai glared at Zhu Qing with a stern face.
Zhu Qing pouted and extended a hand towards Yang Kai, “Then give the box back to me.”
With a flip of his hand, the box disappeared and Yang Kai swiftly turned his head away, “What box? I don’t see anything!”
Zhu Qing fumed, “The Dragon Blood Flower belongs to Dragon Island. Aren’t you worried you’re going to attract trouble if you keep it?”
Yang Kai continued, “What Dragon Blood Flower? I don’t know anything!”
Zhu Qing was furious and unamused. Yang Kai clearly wasn’t planning to spit it out. If someone else had snatched away that Dragon Blood Flower, Zhu Qing would undoubtedly have taken action immediately, but even though Yang Kai was not part of the Dragon Clan, he carried the Ancestral Dragon Source with him, so he was entitled to the Dragon Blood Flowers.
Frowning, Zhu Qing decided to not dwell on this matter with him.
Ji Ying was stunned. Someone actually dared to… snatch something from the Dragon Clan in this world?
He hadn’t been shocked so greatly and so often at any other point in his entire life as he had been today, and he felt like he was slowly losing his sense of reality.
“Qing’er, it’s a nice day today so why don’t you go out and get some sun? It’s not good for your skin if you stay inside all the time,” Yang Kai suddenly smiled at Zhu Qing again.
Zhu Qing coldly snorted. She knew that he was just trying to drive her away, so she left with a stomp of her feet.
Yang Kai then shot a look at Hua Qing Si and the three Monster Kings, after which they all retired in unison.
In just an instant, the only ones left in the hall were Yang Kai and Ji Ying, as well as Ji Ying’s First Disciple who was sitting in meditation.
With a toss of his hand, Yang Kai gave the wooden box back to Ji Ying and commented, “I’ll have to trouble Brother Ji to refine a furnace of Dragon Blood Pills for me.”
“Ah?” Ji Ying was dumbfounded and caught the wooden box stiffly.
Yang Kai laughed, “Brother Ji hasn’t forgotten, right? You’re now my High Heaven Palace’s Chief Alchemist!”
Ji Ying was stunned before he laughed bitterly, “This Ji is willing to accept his loss and will naturally not renege on his debt, but I must first return to Medicine Pill Valley in order to inform my Honoured Master…”
Yang Kai nodded, “No problem. Brother Ji can go back and take care of his own matters first, then you can return to my High Heaven Palace whenever you are free.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang,” Ji Ying politely acknowledged, feeling somewhat conflicted inside. He was still a free and unrestrained man before coming to High Heaven Palace, but he actually became this place’s Chief Alchemist after coming here once.
This was not the ending he hoped to see.
But on second thought, Yang Kai’s own Alchemy skills were quite amazing, and he even managed to touch the true essence of the Alchemic Dao, so if Ji Ying had more opportunities to compare notes with him, it would be of great benefit to his advancement.
Once such an idea came to mind, he wasn’t so opposed to the idea of becoming High Heaven Palace’s Chief Alchemist anymore. Instead, he was even vaguely looking forward to it.
“Brother Yang, there is one matter which I need to confirm with you,” Ji Ying suddenly looked serious.
Yang Kai smiled and understood, “Is it about my Alchemy techniques?”
Ji Ying’s body trembled in surprise, “Could it be…”
Yang Kai nodded, “Brother Ji’s guess is correct!”
“As expected!” Ji Ying’s face changed. He had his doubts when he first saw Yang Kai’s pill recipe as it was identical to the one he used.
Quite obviously, there was only one possibility…
“The only one who could have known that recipe and who had left Medicine Pill Valley would be my Third Senior Brother. This Ji entered too late and never met Third Senior Brother, but I have heard about him before. Since this pill recipe is now in Brother Yang’s hands, dare I ask where Third Senior Brother Gong Sun Mu is now?”
Gong Sun Mu committed a terrible mistake in his early years and was expelled by Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. Many years had passed since that event, and there had been no news of Gong Sun Mu in the Star Boundary since then. Now that Ji Ying saw this familiar pill recipe, he naturally wanted to ask about Gong Sun Mu as his Junior Brother.
He knew that even though his Honoured Master had already expelled Gong Sun Mu from Medicine Pill Valley, they still shared some fond memories of those years and no matter what may have transpired, they were still once Master and Disciple. Ji Ying’s Third Senior Brother was said to be a natural genius with unmatched skills in the Alchemic Dao, skills that neither his Eldest Senior Brother or Second Senior Brother could compare to. Unfortunately, Gong Sung Mu went down the wrong path, otherwise, his achievements would have only been more outstanding than his Senior Brothers now.
Yang Kai sighed with dismay, “Senior Gong Sun Mu had long ago passed away.”
Ji Ying was shaken but still revealed a bitter smile, “As expected.”
It seemed that he too had some suspicions in his mind, but Ji Ying still felt sad when Yang Kai confirmed the fact, sad that such an Alchemy genius had fallen before his time.
Yang Kai explained, “It was in a secluded cave mansion left behind by Senior Gong Sun Mu that I found his inheritance.”
Ji Ying could only laugh bitterly, now understanding why Yang Kai’s refining process for the Emperor Yuan Pill was the same as his. As Yang Kai inherited Gong Sun Mu’s inheritance, he naturally received his pill recipes as well. That was exactly the pill recipe that Gong Sun Mu received from the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, as had Ji Ying.
Having explained, Yang Kai took out a jade slip and passed it to Ji Ying, “These are the final words Senior Gong Sun Mu left. I will now pass them to Brother Ji to bring back to Medicine Pill Valley. As for the matter of Senior Gong Sun Mu’s inheritance, I will have to trouble Brother Ji to ask the Great Emperor for his opinion on the matter.”
Ji Ying accepted it and nodded, “Brother Yang is righteous. I will report this matter to my Honoured Master and I believe he will not have any objections. Honoured Master should be happy that there is someone to take up Third Senior Brother’s mantle.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I hope that is the case.”
After a pause, Yang Kai asked curiously, “In Senior’s final words, he mentioned being expelled by the Great Emperor because he committed a taboo by studying the Human Pill Technique. Dare I ask Brother Ji what this Human Pill Technique is?”
Ji Ying’s face changed, “Could it be that Brother Yang is interested in the Human Pill Technique?”
Yang Kai waved his hands, “It was just a casual question. Since it has been deemed taboo by the Great Emperor, it must not be anything good. How could I be interested in studying it?”
Ji Ying’s expression cleared a little and he thought for a moment, “Actually, there is no harm in telling Brother Yang. I believe in Brother Yang’s character. I’m sure you wouldn’t pursue the Human Pill Technique.”
Yang Kai looked at him curiously.
Ji Ying continued, “The Human Pill Technique that Third Senior Brother was studying was a way to refine Spirit Pills by taking human lives as kindling. The higher the cultivator’s cultivation, the better the Spirit Pill that could be refined.”
“What?” Yang Kai’s face changed, “Using humans as ingredients?”
Ji Ying sighed, “That’s right. Honoured Master was furious when he learned of this, and if Eldest Senior Brother had not pleaded for his mercy back then, then Third Senior Brother would probably have been killed by Honoured Master on the spot. After this Ji entered the Sect, Eldest Senior Brother told me about Third Senior Brother, as a cautionary tale of sorts.”
Yang Kai nodded and commented, “Even though Senior Gong Sun Mu went down the wrong path, he repented in his final years. It’s just a pity he was unable to face the Great Emperor personally and ended up dying while meditating in seclusion.”
Ji Ying smiled bitterly, “No one is without fault.”
While they talked, Ji Ying’s Disciple suddenly opened his eyes and exhaled lightly, a look of joy on his face.
“Did you gain anything?” Ji Ying smiled at him.
His First Disciple quickly nodded his head, got up, and bowed to Yang Kai, saying respectfully, “Many thanks, Grandmaster Yang!”
Ji Ying laughed, “If you are able to ascend to the ranks of Emperor Alchemist someday, then it would all be thanks to your Martial Uncle Yang. You’d best not forget his gracious gifts.”
His First Disciple answered promptly, “This disciple will never forget!”
Yang Kai laughed, “It was all thanks to his own luck, there’s no need to thank me!” With a twinkle in his eye, he proposed, “Now that your Honoured Master has become the Chief Alchemist of my High Heaven Palace, why don’t you stay at High Heaven Palace too?”
“This…” The First Disciple looked a little hesitant, seemingly unable to make a quick decision.
Ji Ying scolded in a light-hearted manner, “Brother Yang, you’re insatiable! Why don’t you pull my Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Fourth Senior Sister over as well?”
“That would be wonderful!”
“I wish to take a trip to the Frozen Earth.”
Half a month had passed since Yang Kai’s Alchemy competition with Ji Ying. Today, he had been refining the Golden Armor Heavenly Book when Zhu Qing suddenly sought him out with a declaration.
Yang Kai was shocked, “That place is a Forbidden Zone. Even if you’re a Dragon, you may not be able to get out safely. What are you going there for?”
“You know the reason.”
Yang Kai frowned as he did understand Zhu Qing’s plans.
She wished to visit the Frozen Earth for no reason other than to retrieve the bones of her clansman. Before, Zhu Qing had a rather off expression when Li Jiao revealed to her the location where he discovered the Dragon Blood Flower. That Dragon Clansman that had fallen in the Frozen Earth must have had some relationship with her.
“Didn’t Li Jiao say that the skeleton has long turned to dust, so it would be useless even if you went there?” Yang Kai tried to persuade her. Even though this girl had been quite annoying to him, and he couldn’t hope for anything more than for her to go as far away from him as possible, he still felt worried if she had to go to a place like the Frozen Earth.
A Dragon Clansman had already fallen there, so if Zhu Qing headed there, then she may end up following in the footsteps of her predecessor.
“There is still one more thing there,” Zhu Qing revealed.
“What?”
Zhu Qing pondered for a moment before saying truthfully, “A Dragon Source. I must go there and find my clansman’s Source!”
Yang Kai suddenly understood. The Source of a Dragon Clansman was a Divine Spirit Source and definitely would not disappear so easily. Even if the bones had already turned into dust, the Source definitely remained.
He nodded, “Then go, but you must be careful. The Frozen Earth is not a place where you can just barge into.”
Zhu Qing looked silently at him, “Are you coming?”
Yang Kai immediately rolled his eyes, “Of course not.”
“Can’t you accompany me?” A look of disappointment flashed past Zhu Qing’s eyes.
Yang Kai grunted, “My strength is too low. The only thing waiting for me in the Frozen Earth would be death. Aren’t you worried that I’ll become a burden to you if I go?”
Most importantly, he wouldn’t have much to gain by going, so why would he go there?
Zhu Qing thought about it seriously before nodding, “You’re right, I’d just be imposing on you. In that case, I will go alone.” After a pause, she added, “But you have to behave and stay here. Don’t go wandering off.”
Yang Kai scoffed, “Why do I have to behave and stay here? Once you leave, I’ll leave the Northern Territory immediately. It’s wide seas and high skies after that, so I’ll go as far away as I want and you’ll never find me again!”
Zhu Qing’s face went dark in an instant, “In that case, I’m not going.”
Compared to her clansman’s Source, her business at Yang Kai’s side was the top priority.
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched and he couldn’t help but want to slap himself on the face, “I was just kidding. Rest assured, I’ll remain in High Heaven Palace and wait until you return.”
“You’re not lying, are you?” Zhu Qing observed Yang Kai’s eyes, seemingly trying to peer into his soul.
“Why would I lie? There are too many things to settle here at the Sect, and this Palace Master has a lot of issues he needs to handle, so where is he going to find the time to run around?” Yang Kai responded earnestly.
“Good,” Zhu Qing nodded, convinced. Suddenly, she added, “By the way, I have a Secret Technique here. Try cultivating it, it’s much better than your previous one.”
“Secret Technique? What kind of Secret Technique?” Yang Kai frowned.
Zhu Qin took out a jade slip and threw it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grabbed it and looked inside with his Divine Sense, his eyes turning round in an instant as he shouted, “Dragon Transformation Secret Technique!”
Zhu Qing nodded, “I’ve seen you perform a Secret Technique similar to Dragon Transformation before, but the level of that Secret Technique seems to be quite low, far below this one. If you can successfully cultivate this Secret Technique, then it will increase your combat ability by at least twenty percent in that form.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he asked joyfully, “Truly?”
Zhu Qing smiled, “Do I look like the type to lie to you?”
Yang Kai blushed before changing the subject, “How come you have Secret Techniques like this on Dragon Island?”
Dragons only needed to circulate their Source Strength in order to transform into their True Dragon Form, so what use was this Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to them? Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out.
“Pureblood Dragons aren’t the only ones living on Dragon Island. There are others too,” Zhu Qing said leisurely. “You’ll know when you go to Dragon Island one day.”
“Then we’ll talk again then.” Yang Kai waved his hand and happily studied the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique written in the jade slip. If it was really as Zhu Qing said, then his battle power would soar again if he managed to cultivate this Secret Technique.
“Take your time cultivating, I’m going now.” After saying that, Zhu Qing turned around and walked off.
“Don’t die out there.” Yang Kai suddenly looked up at Zhu Qing’s back and called out.
Zhu Qing smiled and opened the door, leaving while feeling quite smug inside. She figured cultivating this Dragon Transformation Secret Technique would keep Yang Kai busy for a month or two, by which time she should already have returned from the Frozen Earth.
Outside the main gate, Zhu Qing turned into a stream of light and flew towards the far north. Then, she suddenly stopped and looked back, getting the vague feeling that someone was watching her.
But looking around, she didn’t catch sight of anyone. Shaking her head, she quickly left, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
“Ai!” Yang Kai sighed in his room, feeling a little guilty.
He didn’t agree to Zhu Qing’s request to accompany her to the Frozen Earth for two reasons. The first was really because the Frozen Earth was a very dangerous place, but the second was because he wanted Zhu Qing to give up on the whole idea. How could he have expected her to just leave without even hesitating?
“What a stubborn girl! I hope she dies out there,” Yang Kai coldly snorted, clearly in a bad mood.
But soon, his frustrations cleared as he concentrated on the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique in his hands.
The Dragon Transformation Secret Technique that he possessed now was taught to him by Chi Yue back on Heng Luo Star Field’s Monster Emperor Star. Yang Kai considered this quite an amazing Secret Technique back when he wasn’t very strong, and it had helped him raise his battle power a lot when he learned it, but with his increase in strength, that Secret Technique had become less and less useful to him.
But this Dragon Transformation Secret Technique given to him by Zhu Qing was indeed profound and could bring out the full latent potential of his Dragon Source, as well as the dragon artifacts that he had refined into his body.
When comparing the two Secret Techniques, the previous Dragon Transformation Yang Kai cultivated was indeed quite low in level.
The more Yang Kai studied this technique, the happier he felt, and the more he devoted himself to studying it.
He originally planned to get as far away from Zhu Qing as possible after she left, but he had already forgotten all about that.
In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.
Inside the room, Yang Kai opened his eyes and shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
A high-pitched dragon roar sounded before a huge Golden Divine Dragon Illusory Phantom flickered behind him, merging into Yang Kai’s body, immediately resonating with the dragon artifacts that he refined into his body.
The sound of bones cracking could be heard and Yang Kai showed an immensely painful expression. His figure, which was originally sitting cross-legged on the floor, rose more than three meters higher.
*Kacha…*
Both his hands transformed into dragon claws that were much more realistic than the previous ones. The tips of the claws were as sharp as blades and were shining with a cold glint. On his chest, Scales covered with patterns emerged, spreading all the way down to his waist.
The Dragon Scales were not made of energy like before, but rather a condensation of the Dragon Clan’s Source Strength. They were no worse when compared to real Dragon Scales, and looked no different to the naked eye.
There were also some slight differences with his head and tail as well.
Yang Kai reached out to touch his head and his eyes widened instantly. That was because he discovered that two small nubs had suddenly bulged out on both sides of his head, as if something was growing out of it.
Dragon Horns?” Yang Kai recalled the scene of Zhu Qing activating her Source Strength the first time he met her, instantly understanding.
The two small bulges on each side of his head should be Dragon Horns. Only, he hadn’t cultivated a profound Dragon Transformation Secret Technique like this one, so he looked like neither fish nor fowl.
Touching his back, Yang Kai’s expression grew even stranger.
But this couldn’t be helped as a small Dragon Tail had actually grown out behind his butt…
Could he really face people with this appearance?
After calming his emotions, he slowly stood up. Yang Kai discovered himself to be more than two times taller than before. He wasn’t short to begin with, but he wasn’t remarkably tall either. Right now, perhaps only a few naturally gifted people could compare to his height. Anyone else standing in front of him could only be looked down upon.
Gently clenching his fists, Yang Kai could feel that his hands were filled with power, as if they could explode at any moment.
The richness of that power made Yang Kai feel extremely happy.
With a light wave of his hand, the air rippled in front of him, turning into a mirror. When Yang Kai saw his reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.
How could this look be described as just fierce and fiendish? Not only had his image been greatly changed, but there was also an extremely ferocious aura emanating from his body. Any timid person would probably run away immediately if they saw him like this.
The most striking part of his transformation were his eyes. They had turned into a golden color just like when he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation. It gave off a mighty feeling, and if he narrowed his eyes, perhaps even his close friends would be frightened by his visage.
Yang Kai couldn’t resist laughing, now very satisfied with this appearance.
And he was still a ways away from perfecting this Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. If he really understood the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique that Zhu Qing gave him thoroughly, then the changes to his body would likely become even more pronounced. At the very least, he would become even taller.
The old Dragon Transformation Secret Technique really could not compare to this one.
“Palace Master, Palace Master!” Hua Qing Si’s voice suddenly came from outside.
Yang Kai’s eyes twinkled as he took a step out, his large feet producing a heavy thudding noise as they hit the ground like beating war drums.
The moment the door was opened, Hua Qing Si’s beautiful face lost color as she exclaimed, “Who are you?!”
When she spat out the first word, she had already summoned her Five-Coloured Spear and poured her Emperor Qi into it, causing the Emperor Artifact to release a radiant glow that shot towards Yang Kai.
Hua Qing Si had the instinctive feeling that this extraordinary being wasn’t something to be trifled with, so she had released a lethal strike on the very first move.
Yang Kai laughed viciously and lunged out with his dragon claws.
With one swing, he was able to shatter the five-coloured light and caught the Five-Coloured Spear between his fingers, halting its advance.
With her Emperor Artifact restrained, Hua Qing Si was horrified and tried desperately to retrieve her weapon.
The Five-Coloured Spear rumbled loudly in Yang Kai’s hand, but it wouldn’t move. She couldn’t shake off Yang Kai’s restraint no matter how she tried.
“Heh, heh, heh, your Palace Master has already been killed by this King, and now this King is going to destroy your High Heaven Palace! I’ll give you a death without burial!” Yang Kai laughed maniacally.
The horror on Hua Qing Si’s disappeared all of a sudden as she swept her eyes over Yang Kai, frowning as she asked, “Palace Master, what are you doing? You really scared me there.”
“You recognized me?” Yang Kai scratched his cheek, feeling a little frustrated that his prank failed.
Hua Qing Si rolled her eyes, “I didn’t think of it before because of how sudden it was, but looking closely at you now, I can still see some traces.”
And, when she heard Yang Kai’s voice just now, Hua Qing Si was able to recognize him in an instant.
After returning the Five-Coloured Spear to her, Yang Kai said proudly with his hands on his waist, “Don’t I look handsome?”
Hua Qing Si responded, “A little fiercer.”
“Fierce is good.” Yang Kai laughed.
“What Secret Technique is this? Why haven’t you used it before?” Hua Qing Si asked curiously.
“During my recent retreat, this was a gain I encountered by chance while immersing myself in my cultivation,” Yang Kai looked pleased with himself.
Hua Qing Si curled her lip, “It’s obvious that Zhu Qing was the one who taught you.”
“En, so what do you need from me?” Yang Kai dispersed the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique and restored his original appearance, but the clothes on his body had become tattered. Since his body suddenly doubled in size, it was only natural that his clothes would be stretched and broken.
Hua Qing Si ignored this entirely and just handed over two Space Rings to him, “The Source Crystals from Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect have arrived.”
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “Keep them. We can just get the funds from there when the Sect has any needs in the future.”
Hua Qing Si was now the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace. Even though Yang Kai had already given her quite a lot of Source Crystals last time, it wasn’t that much considering he had some two billion High-Rank Source Crystals in storage. With so much wealth stashed away, High Heaven Palace would not have to worry about cultivation resources for at least the next fifty years.
“Good,” Hua Qing Si nodded and put away the rings again. “Also, Grandmaster Ji is here and wants to see you.”
“Oh? Brother Ji is back so soon?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. After some thought, he said, “I’ll go and change. Tell him to wait a moment.”
“En,” Hua Qing Si left with her orders while Yang Kai went back to his room and changed into a new set of clothes, wondering whether he should buy an Artifact Armor or not. He did not need an extra defensive artifact, but if he was going to keep using the Dragon Transformation, having clothes that would adjust to his size when his body swelled would be useful.
Artifact Armor was generally incredibly sturdy and flexible, far more so than ordinary robes.
Inside High Heaven Palace’s main hall, Ji Ying sat while glancing out from time to time, looking anxious.
Hua Qing Si was accompanying him.
A short while later, a figure came in from outside. It was Yang Kai.
“Brother Yang!” Ji Ying quickly stood up.
Yang Kai greeted him with a big smile, “Brother Ji, you’ve arrived so quickly! Are you ready to stay in my High Heaven Palace and refine pills?”
Ji Ying smiled bitterly, “My apologies, but I may have to postpone this matter.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank, “Could it be, the Great Emperor…”
Ji Ying shook his head, “Honored Master did not comment much on this matter, but instead showed interest in you and asked me to tell you to visit Medicine Pill Valley when you are free.”
“The Great Emperor wants to see me?” Yang Kai turned serious.
Ji Ying smiled, “Please don’t worry, Honored Master is just interested in exchanging ideas about Alchemy with you since you were able to beat me in a match.”
This was just modesty, as the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor was an existence beyond mere Emperor Alchemists, so even if Yang Kai had excellent Alchemy skills, what sort of ideas could he exchange with him? The Wondrous Pill Great Emperor obviously just wanted to give Yang Kai a few pointers, and that was why he said things in such a roundabout way.
Yang Kai respected that. Even though he had never met the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor before, this invitation alone was enough for Yang Kai to feel that this Great Emperor was easily approachable.
But of course, the prerequisite was Yang Kai having enough ability. After all, a Great Emperor wasn’t a character that just anyone could meet.
“The Great Emperor is generous, this Yang is filled with gratitude!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Ji Ying smiled, “Honored Master says that it was fate that you found Third Senior Brother’s legacy, so it is yours now.”
“Please help me give my thanks to the Great Emperor,” Yang Kai nodded. He had expected this result as it was naturally impossible for the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor to be petty enough to deny him this inheritance given his status and identity.
Ji Ying then turned solemn, “This Ji came bearing an order from my Honored Master and has a rather presumptuous request to make.”
Yang Kai said, “Since it is an order from the Great Emperor, please speak freely, Brother Ji.”
Ji Ying explained, “Could I trouble Brother Yang to accompany me to retrieve the bones of my Third Senior Brother so they may be buried in Medicine Pill Valley?”
Yang Kai raised his brows and nodded, “Naturally. Senior Gong Sun Mo’s last wish was to return to Medicine Pill Valley, so I’m sure he must be smiling now that it has been fulfilled.”
“Many thanks, Brother Yang. I remember hearing from Brother Yang previously that Third Senior Brother passed away in the Southern Territory, is that right?”
“That’s right. At the Southern Territory’s Yuan Furnace Mountain. I remember the place.”
“It’s a long journey to the Southern Territory, so we should not delay, shall we?” Ji Ying enquired, “Only, I’m wondering if Brother Yang has any other matters to take care of before we depart?”
Yang Kai smiled, “I barely have any disciples in my High Heaven Palace right now, so what matters would I need to take care of? Since Brother Ji is in a hurry, let us depart now.”
He was originally planning to return to the Southern Territory anyway, so this was quite convenient for Yang Kai. As for Zhu Qing’s request for him to remain here, he didn’t pay it any heed at all.
Yang Kai didn’t inform the three Monster Kings either as he could even kill a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master now, so there weren’t many people who could threaten his life in this world. There was naturally no need to have the three Monster Kings accompany him.
When Yang Kai brought Ji Ying to the Space Array, two Thousand Leaves Sect disciples guarding the place immediately greeted him with respect, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
“Did Manager Hua tell you to keep watch here?” Yang Kai looked at the two of them.
The slightly older Thousand Leaves Sect disciple responded respectfully, “Yes. Manager Hua has taken great care of us and also posted many tasks to us at Thousand Leaves Peak. Junior Brother and I were lucky enough to take on the task of guarding the Space Array in exchange for some contribution points.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded. “If anything happens, send a message to Manager Hua immediately.”
“Yes!”
Yang Kai was very satisfied with Hua Qing Si’s arrangements. No matter what, this was still an important place. There wasn’t a single person guarding the Space Array the last time Yang Kai came over, so he quickly reminded Hua Qing Si about it and sure enough, a ‘round the clock guard’ had been established.
The two Thousand Leaves Sect disciples didn’t recognize Ji Ying, but if they knew that he was a direct Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, their eyes would surely have popped out of their sockets.
“Brother Yang, where does this array lead to?” Ji Ying asked curiously as he stood on the array, watching Yang Kai set down Source Crystals on the grooves.
“Brother Ji will find out soon enough.” Yang Kai smiled, his vague answer making Ji Ying even more curious.
“Brace yourself now, Brother Ji!” Yang Kai suddenly cautioned Ji Ying.
Ji Ying failed to stifle his laughter. Even though he was an Alchemist, he was still a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, so what could a trivial Space Array do to him? Unless it was that kind of super long-distance Cross-Territory teleportation.
Thinking so, Ji Ying had a start.
Before he could recover from his surprise though, his vision was filled with white light, and a bout of dizziness washed over him…
By the time Ji Ying recovered, he found Yang Kai standing beside him, looking at him with an amused face.
Ji Ying shook his head, still feeling dizzy, but his face was filled with shock, “Cross-Territory Teleportation?”
Ordinary Space Arrays couldn’t affect him in such a way. He had also been on Space Arrays countless times, and he never felt anything no matter how far he travelled on them, but this time, he was left extremely dizzy, so it was easy to imagine just how far they had travelled.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Ji Ying was shocked, “How could there be a Cross-Territory Space Array in High Heaven Palace?”
High Heaven Palace was originally Seeking Passion Sect, and Ji Ying had visited there many times in the past. If Seeking Passion Sect had a Cross-Territory Space Array, it was impossible that Ji Ying would not know of it. It had to be known that Cross-Territory Space Arrays were extremely precious treasures, and only a few of them still existed in the entire Star Boundary. What’s more, they were all in the hands of the Sects of Great Emperors. These few Space Arrays were all relics from ancient times.
Right now, practically nobody could arrange a Cross-Territory Space Array in the Star Boundary.
Ji Ying was naturally shocked.
Yang Kai did not answer, only smiling as he motioned, “Let’s go.”
Ji Ying followed Yang Kai and flew alongside him. After looking around, he was shocked again, “A Small Sealed World?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Brother Ji has good eyes. Indeed, this is a Small World that was originally the foundation of Thousand Leaves Sect, but I have taken over it now.”
Ji Ying sighed, “Ah, what a pity.”
It wasn’t Yang Kai taking over the small world that was a pity, but rather that the grade of this small world was not high enough. Even though the World Energy here was serviceable, it wasn’t at the level of a true cultivation paradise yet.
If the World Energy here were just a little denser, then it would be possible to grow some rare spirit medicines here, developing it into a medicine garden.
Cultivating spirit medicines in small worlds like these was very safe, and as an Emperor Alchemist, Ji Ying would always consider things from the perspective of an Alchemist.
A short time later, the two of them arrived before another Space Array, the one that led out of this Small Sealed World.
After activating the Space Array, Yang Kai and Ji Ying immediately appeared inside Thousand Leaves Sect.
“This used to be Thousand Leaves Sect’s foundation, but unfortunately, the Sect was razed more than a year ago,” Yang Kai explained while looking at the dilapidated scenery.
Ji Ying nodded lightly and asked, “So, this is the Southern Territory, right?”
Since Yang Kai used the Cross-Territory Space Array, it naturally brought him directly to the Southern Territory.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded and turned to him, “I hope Brother Ji can keep the matter of this Space Array a secret.”
Ji Ying was stunned for a moment, but he soon promised solemnly, “Rest assured, Brother Yang. This Ji isn’t the type to run his mouth to others.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s nothing that serious. If the Great Emperor asks, then Brother Ji can inform him.”
Ji Ying was grateful, “Many thanks, Brother Yang.”
After all, he originally estimated that a round trip from the Northern Territory to the Southern Territory would take at least a year, so if he suddenly returned in just a few days, then Ji Ying really wouldn’t know how to answer if his Honored Master were to ask how.
Yang Kai was clearly thinking for his sake.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to Yuan Furnace Mountain.” Yang Kai flew out first.
Yuan Furnace Mountain was not close to Thousand Leaves Sect, so it would take at least three to five days for the pair to fly there. However, since both of them were Emperors with rich backgrounds, there was naturally no need for them to rest halfway there.
Yang Kai remembered that Yuan Furnace Mountain was located near Maplewood City, on the border of Raging Fire Temple.
Back in those days, Raging Fire Temple was an untouchable existence for Yang Kai because he was only in the Origin King Realm back then, while they had a Dao Source Realm Master assuming command.
But now, a trivial Raging Fire Temple could hardly even be compared to a hair on Yang Kai’s head. After a decade, most of the people whom he needed to look up to were now prostrated at his feet.
“So, this is Yuan Furnace Mountain?” Ji Ying asked in surprise as he looked at the mountain peak that was almost completely collapsed.
Traces of the old Yuan Furnace Mountain were almost nowhere to be seen as only dark red rubble remained in its place, naturally the result of the erupting magma.
“En!” Yang Kai nodded, “This is where I received Senior Gong Sun Mu’s inheritance back then. Originally, his cave mansion was located at the bottom of the mountain. Unfortunately, the surge of Earth Fire beneath caused lava to erupt, destroying the place.”
It was with the Earth Fire’s help that Liu Yan was able to obtain strength comparable to the Dao Source Realm back then.
“I was too weak back then and was unable to give Senior Gong Sun Mu a proper burial, so I had only managed to bury him hastily. However, quite clearly, what I did to Senior was shameful.” Yang Kai sighed.
“Brother Yang need not mind. It is all thanks to Brother Yang that Third Senior Brother is able to return to Medicine Pill Valley now. He would surely be grateful to know this deed you have done for him, so how could he fuss over such trivialities?” Ji Ying consoled him.
Yang Kai told him, “Senior’s burial place is quite far underground. Let us clean up a little first.”
“En!”
At once, the two of them used their own means to excavate the site.
They were both Emperor Realm Masters, so their strength was enough to move mountains and flip seas. As such, it did not take long before the half of Yuan Furnace Mountain that was left behind was removed.
The pair then found a spot each and began digging into the ground. At the same time, they spread out their Divine Senses to search thoroughly.
It wasn’t until a whole day later that Yang Kai suddenly discovered that he had gotten the direction wrong. He turned and dug towards his left-hand side while sending a message via Divine Sense to Ji Ying at the same time.
In just a short while, Ji Ying flew down into the hole that Yang Kai had dug, stopping next to him and asking, “Did you find something?”
“En. You should search in that direction,” Yang Kai pointed to a direction and said.
Ji Ying immediately used his Divine Sense to search in that direction, and after a few moments, he wore a solemn look on his face and nodded, “It’s really there.”
He was clearly able to find a skeleton buried in the ground in that direction.
Now that they had located the skeleton, everything else was much easier. Holding the Myriads Sword in hand, Yang Kai channelled his Emperor Qi slightly. Wherever the blade passed, the hard stone was ground into dust by the astonishing energy fluctuations, allowing the pair to pass through quickly.
An incense stick of time later, they finally arrived at Gong Sun Mu’s burial place.
Ji Ying went forward and carefully removed the dirt near the bones, revealing a white skeleton.
“Third Senior Brother, this is Junior Brother Ji Ying. By order of Honored Master, I’ve come to bring you home!” Ji Ying solemnly cupped his fists at the skeleton before approaching it. He took out a jade coffin that he had prepared and laid it down before he kneeled and picked up Gong Sun Mu’s remains piece by piece, placing them into the coffin.
It did not take long before he was done picking up the bones, after which Ji Ying sealed the coffin and returned it to his Space Ring.
“Now that this is done, this Ji has to return to the Northern Territory to report back to Honored Master. What are Brother Yang’s plans?” Ji Ying looked at Yang Kai and asked.
“I still have some matters to attend to here,” Yang Kai said, “But it’s nothing important. I will send Brother Ji back first.”
Ji Ying laughed, “Since Brother Yang has business to attend to, then this Ji will not trouble you. This Ji remembers the way back, so it will be fine for me to go alone.”
Yang Kai said, “You may remember the route back, but you won’t be able to activate the Space Array.”
“Why not?” Ji Ying was surprised.
What Space Array was there in this world that he could not activate?
Yang Kai briefly explained, “I have added a restriction to the Cross-Territory Space Array so that no one will be able to activate it without me.”
“Such a thing can be done?” Ji Ying was amazed. To be able to tamper with a Cross-Territory Space Array was not something even an ordinary Great Emperor would be able to achieve, so how was Yang Kai able to do it?
Ji Ying had no idea that this Cross-Territory Space Array had been arranged by Yang Kai to begin with.
“Here, take this. With this, you’ll be able to activate the array.” Yang Kai took out a token and handed it to Ji Ying. It was the Transmission Token that he had especially refined and held his unique Space Principle fluctuations.
Ji Ying accepted it and promised solemnly, “Please rest assured, Brother Yang, once I return to High Heaven Palace, I will be sure to return this token to Manager Hua.”
The value of this token could not be underestimated as it was essentially a pass that allowed a person to travel directly from the Northern Territory to the Southern Territory. This was an extremely precious treasure, so Ji Ying naturally did not dare to keep it for himself. The way Yang Kai was able to pass him this item proved how much he trusted in his character and was a sign of his respect.
Yang Kai smiled and waved his hand, however, “No need. Since Brother Ji is now my High Heaven Palace’s Chief Alchemist, Brother Ji is qualified to possess this Transmission Token. It will also be easier for you if you ever need to visit the Southern Territory in the future.”
Ji Ying was moved and cupped his fists, “In that case, many thanks, Brother Yang. Please rest assured, this Ji will return to High Heaven Palace as soon as Third Senior Brother’s matters are dealt with. When Brother Yang returns to High Heaven Palace, the Dragon Blood Pills will already have been refined.”
“I would have forgotten if you had not mentioned that,” Yang Kai grinned, “Then I will have to trouble you, Brother Ji.”
Above Yuan Furnace Mountain, the two cupped fists and said their farewells, going their separate ways.
Only after Ji Ying’s figure disappeared from his view did Yang Kai turn around and look in a certain direction.
Maplewood City. It seemed like he had not returned even once since he left, and that was many years ago.
Technically speaking, Maplewood City was Yang Kai’s first stopover after arriving in the Star Boundary, and it was here that he met his first friend. Now, on his trip back to Maplewood City, his main intention was to see how the place had changed, and secondly to do some shopping.
After performing the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, his body would swell in size and rip apart his clothes, so Yang Kai became interested in buying a good Artifact Armor.
Moreover, his store of Space Spirit Crystals and Space Spirit Jade was almost exhausted. These were essentially materials for arranging Space Arrays, and as the saying went, even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice.
Yang Kai’s plan was to connect the four territories of the Star Boundary using Cross-Territory Space Arrays. Once this was finished, the disciples of High Heaven Palace would be able to go wherever they wanted. Not only would it make it convenient for the disciples to go out and train, but it would also be a great advantage to High Heaven Palace when it came to purchasing cultivation resources.
The price of materials differed greatly in different territories. Some materials may be expensive in one region, but extremely cheap in another.
Many nimble-witted cultivators would risk their lives travelling to and from each territory, buying and selling goods and making a lot of profit. If Yang Kai’s idea could be realized, then it would have an irreplaceable effect on the future development of High Heaven Palace.
Flying ahead at a leisurely pace, Yang Kai inexplicably felt as if he were returning to his hometown in full glory, and he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
Even though Maplewood City was not his hometown, his feelings were not wrong either. When he left Maplewood City back then, he was not very strong, only a First-Order Dao Source Realm, but now, he was an Emperor Realm Master that was looked up to by many.
Yuan Furnace Mountain was not too far away from Maplewood City. When Kang Si Ran brought Yang Kai to Yuan Furnace Mountain back then, it had only taken a few days, but now, Yang Kai’s strength had increased dramatically, so he was naturally much faster than before.
After flying forward for half a day, Yang Kai could faintly catch a glimpse of Maplewood City. What’s more, there was another city just a short distance away that was no smaller than Maplewood City.
Spirit Lake Palace!
Yang Kai suddenly remembered.
This Spirit Lake Palace had been born because of him.
Originally, there was no Spirit Lake Palace outside of Maplewood City, but one day, eighteen Spirit Springs suddenly appeared here and began gushing out World Energy, directly forming a giant Spiritual Lake at this place. The matter alarmed all of the top Sects in the Southern Territory, and even Star Soul Palace stepped in during the event.
But nobody could monopolize this heavenly creation.
Finally, after much discussion, the top Sects of the Southern Territory took the lead in building Spirit Lake Palace on top of the Spirit Lake, creating cultivation rooms that were separated into several grades, namely Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. The Southern Territory’s cultivators cultivated in these rooms as much as they could, for a modest amount of Source Crystals, of course.
The profits from this business were then divided among the top Sects in the Southern Territory.
Yang Kai’s Embodiment’s current weapon, the Demonic War Hammer was found by Yang Kai beneath Spirit Lake Palace. He fought a great battle with an Ancient Great Demon’s remnant spirit there at the time to seize this weapon.
Spirit Lake Palace had now become a landmark in the Southern Territory, its abundant World Energy attracting many cultivators as such a fine place to cultivate could not be found just anywhere. The Heaven Grade cultivation rooms in Spirit Lake Palace were not much worse compared to the cultivation rooms of those top Sects, and were the best choice for cultivators looking to break through their bottlenecks.
Countless cultivators who have been stuck at the peak of their current realms for many years would spend huge amounts of Source Crystals in order to enter Spirit Lake Palace to cultivate, all in the hopes of achieving a breakthrough inside.
In the past few years, some people really managed to succeed at this, resulting in their strength soaring; however, most ended up losing their money without gaining anything in return. This was a huge gamble. Cultivators would gamble away all of their wealth for a chance to advance on the Martial Dao, but more often than not they would fall short, losing everything. Even so, the number of cultivators that visited each year only rose in numbers, never falling. The most numerous Mortal Grade and Earth Grade cultivation rooms could not meet the public’s needs, however, so cultivators had to wait for a long time in the queue if they wanted to make use of these cultivation rooms.
As for the Heaven Grade cultivation rooms, not everyone was qualified to enter them. If one wished to cultivate in these Heaven Grade rooms, then not only did they have to shell out enough Source Crystals, they also needed some inside connections to put in a good word for them.
On the other hand, many of the disciples from the Southern Territory’s top Sects came to Spirit Lake Palace’s Heaven Grade cultivation rooms to enter retreat.
The revenue that Spirit Lake Palace brought in each year was counted in the hundreds of millions.
The existence of Spirit Lake Palace had gathered the attention of not only the cultivators of the entire Southern Territory, but even cultivators from other territories that were willing to travel millions of kilometres just to take advantage of the situation. With the increase in population, more and more buildings were constructed around Spirit Lake Palace, and after a few years, a new city had been formed.
Maplewood City, which was just a short distance away, also benefited from the existence of Spirit Lake Palace.
Back then, the World Energy in Maplewood City was thin, and the cultivators living here were slow to improve. The strongest cultivator back then was City Lord Duan Yuan Shan, and he was only in the Second-Order Dado Source Realm. The pair of Vice City Lords and the Patriarchs of the major families were only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm.
But now, the World Energy in Maplewood City had already become very dense, almost on par with other top-tier cities in the Star Boundary. As a result, the population in Maplewood City exploded and the city naturally flourished. Emperor Realm Masters were no longer a rare sight in Maplewood City as many of them lived in Maplewood City year-round, unlike before where it would depend on one’s luck whether they could witness the majesty of an Emperor Realm Master or not.
Spirit Lake Palace was too small, unfortunately, so many people who couldn’t find a place to settle down there would make a temporary stop at Maplewood City. The distance between the two cities was not that great anyway, so it was convenient to make round trips between the two.
The changes in Spirit Lake Palace and Maplewood City were new and fresh to Yang Kai, who was curiously surveying the two mutually coordinating twin cities at the moment. There was a look of astonishment in his eyes, because no matter where he looked, there were tides of people walking shoulder to shoulder in either city.
Yang Kai could feel how prosperous the two cities were despite being more than a thousand kilometres away from them.
It seemed like Maplewood City really had changed, and it made him wonder how the Qin Family was doing right now. Back then, the Qin family was still considered a pretty large power in Maplewood City, even having a Dao Source Realm cultivator assuming command. But in the current situation, Dao Source Realm was clearly nothing to brag about.
Yang Kai’s Myriads Sword came from the Qin Family, and he had an agreement with Qin Zhao Yang that he would return it to Qin Yu whenever she ascended to the Emperor Realm.
The Seven Points Black Tortoise Formation that he imparted to the disciples of Ice Heart Valley was also one of the Qin Family’s secret inheritances.
It could be said that although Yang Kai did not receive much direct help from the Qin Family along his path, he owed them many favours. Naturally, he had to go and visit them on this trip back to Maplewood City.
There was also Ruo Xi’s family that he should visit, and since he was back in the Southern Territory, Yang Kai also had to pay a visit to the Azure Sun Temple. No matter what, he was an In-Name Disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and even had one of their Core Disciple tokens.
Yang Kai also remembered the request Senior Tian Yan had made to him, and now that he had found the Flesh Incarnation Fruit and several adjuvant herbs to go along with it, he could refine the Flesh Incarnation Pill. Then, Yang Kai would be able to get Tian Yan out of the Divine Ascension Mirror and help him mould a physical body.
Tian Yan was a Great Emperor-level existence, so once he possessed his own physical body and was able to walk around the Star Boundary, High Heaven Palace would gain a great patron in the future.
Just as Yang Kai was planning out his trip, a stream of light suddenly shot over from the front at great speed.
Immediately after that, another cluster of lights appeared. Several figures could faintly be seen inside those streams.
From the looks of it, this seems to be a chase; however, the stream at the front was only one person while there was a whole group behind him. All of these people were emitting Dao Source Realm auras, but Yang Kai didn’t concern himself with this incident.
This kind of thing could often be seen in the Star Boundary. Whether it be due to benefits or grudges, numerous people were killed each day. Even Yang Kai himself had been chased who knows how many times in the process of his growth, surviving each time to reach his current height.
The fleeing light seemed to be in a panic and was rushing straight over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai frowned slightly, not knowing whether the other party was trying to drag him into their misfortune, but he couldn’t be bothered to involve himself in something like this. Without even changing direction, he greeted the stream of light head-on.
Since all these people were merely Dao Source Realm cultivators, he had no need to give way.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had arrived a thousand metres away from the lead stream of light.
After taking a closer look though, Yang Kai could faintly see some curves in the figure hidden inside the light, indicating it was a woman. When he saw her face though, he couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise and stopping.
The woman in front clearly noticed Yang Kai as well, and her beautiful eyes were stunned at first before changing to pleasant surprise immediately after, “Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai smiled, “Fate really does bring us together often, Protector Bian. I trust you’ve been well since we last met?”
This woman actually turned out to be a familiar face: Blue Feather Sect’s Protector, Bian Yu Qing.
When he and Liu Xian Yun first arrived in the Star Boundary, they were caught by Blue Feather Sect’s Kou Wu and later ended up taking refuge under Bian Yu Qing. They stayed in Blue Feather Sect for some time until the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor’s descendant, Wu Meng Chuan, escaped from prison and went on a killing spree, giving the pair a chance to escape.
Bian Yu Qing, on the other hand, happened to be out on business at the time, escaping Wu Meng Chuan’s ruthless hands. She later joined his ranks as his subordinate to do his bidding.
After that, the two of them bumped into each other again outside the Four Seasons Realm.
Thinking about it that way, the reason why Wu Meng Chuan was able to enter the Shattered Star Sea was that Bian Yu Qing obtained a Star Seal from the Four Seasons Realm. The reason she went to the Four Seasons Realm with Kou Wu last time was likely Wu Meng Chuan’s orders to find a Star Seal.
Unfortunately for Wu Meng Chuan, Yang Kai had turned the tables on him when he tried to act against him in the Shattered Star Sea, ultimately resulting in Wu Meng Chuan’s death while allowing the Heaven Devouring Battle Law that his Embodiment cultivated to be perfect.
It seemed that all these causes and consequences were predetermined from the very first day Yang Kai entered the Blue Feather Sect.
As all these thoughts flashed past Yang Kai’s mind, Bian Yu Qing had already arrived in front of Yang Kai and gritted her teeth, “How come it’s you?!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Protector Bian seems quite disappointed to see me.”
Bian Yu Qing responded, “I thought I could throw my troubles onto someone else, but since it’s you… This is not the place to speak, let’s escape first.”
She actually admitted her purpose of flying over quite readily, which took Yang Kai by surprise, and even as she spoke, she had already flown past Yang Kai.
When she flew out and did not see any movements from Yang Kai though, she quickly stopped again and urged him, “Quickly run! What are you waiting for?”
Yang Kai remained as still as a mountain though and stared at the sword wound on Bian Yu Qing’s abdomen, frowning, “What grievances do you have with those people? Why are they trying to kill you?”
“Has a donkey kicked you in the head? You still have the heart to ask me this?!” Bian Yu Qing was already feeling anxious, and now Yang Kai was just standing there without moving, which looked no different to her than courting death.
She knew that Yang Kai was a cultivator from the lower Star Fields and had outstanding cultivation that improved at a rapid rate, but how many years had it been since she last saw him? She did not think Yang Kai could grow even stronger than her in terms of cultivation already. She was no match for her pursuers, so how could Yang Kai best them?
While they were speaking, the clusters of lights had already closed to a distance of three kilometres and a stern voice shouted out to them, “Bitch, stop right there! Hand over the Entry Token and we’ll spare your life!”
“Entry Token? What Entry Token? Did you rob someone?” Yang Kai frowned. If that were true, then Bian Yu Qing was just asking for trouble.
“Who robbed them!? They’re the ones trying to rob me!” Bian Yu Qing quickly explained, “Are you coming or not? If not then you’re on your own! They’ll definitely kill you!”
Even though her tone was harsh, she was more or less thinking for Yang Kai’s sake, which changed Yang Kai’s impression of her a little.
Speaking of which, he and Bian Yu Qing did not have any real grudges with each other. He once caused trouble in the Blue Feather Sect, and it was Bian Yu Qing who helped speak for his sake. In the end, he was punished by being made to enter retreat at that Ice Cliff to repent, which turned out to be more of an opportunity than a punishment.
“If you want to go, then go,” Yang Kai smiled.
“Suit yourself!” Bian Yu Qing turned around and quickly flew off.
But after a short flight, she suddenly turned around and flew back, landing next to Yang Kai again.
“Not running anymore?” Yang Kai looked at her curiously.
Bian Yu Qing’s face was dark as she fumed, “You’re going to be the death of me! I really don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours!”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Protector Bian, does this mean you’re planning to share life or death with me? Doesn’t sound too bad, we can be a pair of fated mandarin ducks under the yellow spring!”
“In your dreams!” Bian Yu Qing glared at him, her expression cold, “Hold down the others for a bit, I want to kill that man.”
“What grudge do you have with him?” Yang Kai raised his brows.
“Kou Wu died at his hand!” Bian Yu Qing’s voice was cold to the bones and her fists were clenched tight.
“Kou Wu is dead?” Yang Kai was shocked, and his face quickly turned serious. Even though it was Kou Wu who captured Liu Xian Yun and him and brought them to the Blue Feather Sect, he still took care of them as their Senior Brother at the time.
Kou Wu was also with Bian Yu Qing when they happened to meet each other at the Four Seasons Realm, but now he actually died. Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a little sad. The slightest mistake on the path of the Martial Dao could very well lead to a torn body and crushed bones.
“He helped me delay them for a short while,” Bian Yu Qing took a deep breath and quickly said, “If you still feel any shred of brotherhood with me, then help me out this once.”
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded.
Bian Yu Qing went on, “Those people are all Third-Order Dao Source Realms. You can’t best them, so if things go awry… Just run and leave me behind.”
Yang Kai looked at her as it felt like he was truly getting to know her for the first time.
Bian Yu Qing smiled, “Don’t look at me like that. The Blue Feather Sect is gone, so Kou Wu and I depended on each other for survival. Now that he’s dead, I should at least avenge him.”
“You’ll get your wish,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“I hope so,” Bian Yu Qing exhaled lightly, shutting her beautiful eyes for a moment before opening them in a flash of cold light. A bracelet-like artifact appeared in the palm of her hand at the same time.
While the two of them were speaking, the cluster of lights had already grown close, and when the light receded, it revealed the figures of three people.
All three of them had Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivations, and from the clothes they wore, they seemed to be from the same Sect, but Yang Kai was not able to recognize which Sect these cultivators came from.
The one at the front was a fair-faced and beardless man who looked to be about forty. He was holding a sharp sword in his hand which was still stained with blood.
As soon as Bian Yu Qing saw the blood, her eyes instantly turned red.
She knew that it was definitely Kou Wu’s blood.
“Slut, try and run again!” The middle-aged man pointed his sword at her and shouted with a fierce look in his eyes.
Bian Yu Qing gritted her teeth and said nothing.
The middle-aged man continued shouting, “Hand over the Entry Token and we’ll let you live!”
“Were you the one who killed my fellow disciple?” Bian Yu Qing didn’t respond but interrogated instead.
The middle-aged man admitted freely, “That’s right, I’m the one who killed him. My sword pierced straight through his heart and granted him a quick death! He was very loyal to you, sacrificing his own life just so you could escape.”
Bian Yu Qing’s face was ice-cold as she suppressed the anger in her heart, her teeth already drawing blood from her lips as her body trembled and she said, “I’ll make sure to give you a quick death after this as well!”
At these words, the three men threw their heads back in laughter.
The middle-aged man glanced at Yang Kai from the corner of his eye, saying disdainfully, “I don’t know where you found this little helper, but to think you still dared to boast so shamelessly! Hey brat, I’d run as far away as possible if I were you, a pretty woman may be tempting, but you’ll need your life to be able to enjoy her!”
He obviously thought that Yang Kai had become smitten with Bian Yu Qing’s beauty and was trying to play the part of a hero. That being said, Bian Yu Qing’s looks were indeed not bad, especially the mature charm she exuded. It was something that a young and fresh girl wouldn’t be able to compare to.
Many men at Yang Kai’s age had a taste for such delicacies.
“Sorry, but I can’t do that,” Yang Kai smiled.
The middle-aged man’s face darkened and he coldly snorted, “Since you’re courting death, then don’t blame my fellow brothers for being ruthless!”
They had long investigated Bian Yu Qing and found out everything about her origins and her identity. She was just a Sectless woman without any kind of backing. If that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t have dared to have any thoughts about Bian Yu Qing, much less try to snatch away her Entry Token.
One had to know that all sorts of hidden dragons and crouching tigers lurked in Maplewood City and Spirit Lake City now. Any random person may well have a distinguished identity and strong backing, so they might end up kicking an iron plate if they were unlucky.
But for someone like Bian Yu Qing, even if she were able to find some help, that help wouldn’t be too strong. Yang Kai was also visibly quite young, so it was hard not to underestimate him.
“Junior Brothers, kill that little brat, then come help your Senior Brother. If we get the Entry Token today, then even advancing to the Emperor Realm in the future will be nothing difficult!” The middle-aged man pointed to Yang Kai and gave instructions to the two men beside him.
The two Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators nodded, a fierce glint in their eyes. In the blink of an eye, their bodies had already moved to each side of Yang Kai.
“Yang Kai, be careful!” Bian Yu Qing warned him.
The middle-aged man could not help but snicker at those words, “Still have the heart to worry about your little lover? Worry about yourself first!”
As soon as those words were spoken, a sword light flashed over along with a figure lunging towards Bian Yu Qing. The middle-aged man was preparing to unleash a fierce slash to start off the battle.
Right at that moment though, two pitiful screams suddenly rang out at the same time.
The middle-aged man’s face changed drastically and turning his head towards the direction of the sounds, his eyes widened into circles.
His two Junior Brothers who had lunged towards Yang Kai suddenly had large holes passing through their chests, ones that could be seen clear through. Even the wriggling five viscera and six organs could clearly be discerned.
“What happened?!” The middle-aged man was utterly confused. His two Junior Brothers were fine just a moment ago, so how did they end up like this in just the blink of an eye? The terrible wounds passing right through their chests had seemingly evaporated their hearts and organs. In other words, his two Junior Brothers had no chance of survival. They were definitely going to die.
They were both Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators and their strength wasn’t that much lower than his own, so how could they be killed in an instant?
Who did it?
The middle-aged man’s first reaction was that a Senior Expert was hiding nearby. At that thought, his lunging movements towards Bian Yu Qing stopped, and the light on his sword also dimmed.
Bian Yu Qing was also stunned. She had planned to kill this man today even if she had to die as well in order to avenge Kou Wu’s death. As long as Yang Kai could delay the other two for a while, she was confident she could do it.
Even though she had not been able to advance into the Emperor Realm, she was still a top existence among Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators after remaining in this realm for so many years.
But now, the two opponents whom Yang Kai was supposed to be holding back actually received critical injuries, and from the looks of things, they weren’t going to live much longer.
Everything happened in a flash, so fast that none of their minds could keep up.
At that moment, an astonishing aura spread out from Yang Kai’s body. Merely by raising his hand and clenching it hard, he was able to explode those two Junior Brothers into a bloody mist, leaving no bones behind.
*Ding dang…*
Two Space Rings fell to the ground, making an extremely light noise, but the noise was deafening like noon bells, shaking everyone back to their senses.
“Emperor Realm!” The face of the middle-aged man twisted in panic as he almost bit his own tongue.
This helper that appeared out of nowhere actually turned out to be an Emperor Realm Master!
And not just any ordinary Emperor at that! Even a First-Order Emperor could not possibly exterminate his two Junior Brothers in just a flash. This young-looking man was definitely a terrifying existence in the Second-Order Emperor Realm, possibly even the Third-Order!
At that thought, the middle-aged man was immediately filled with terror and dread.
He really kicked an iron plate this time.
He couldn’t help but feel desperate enough to cry, yet unable to shed any tears, and that was because he had thoroughly investigated Bian Yu Qing before this. She came from a Sect called Blue Feather Sect, but after the disappearance of its Sect Master, that Sect became disorganized and dissolved soon after. On top of that, there didn’t seem to be any Emperor Realm Masters that Bian Yu Qing was familiar with, so how did such a terrifying helper suddenly appear?
Stricken with fear, he didn’t dare to attack Bian Yu Qing again. All he could think about now was how he could keep his life. This unknown young man was able to kill his two Junior Brothers so casually, so it was likely his own death could also come as simply as blowing a puff of air.
“Yang Kai, you…” Bian Yu Qing was completely dumbfounded.
She never would have thought that Yang Kai could actually grow to the Emperor Realm in just a short few years. It was the Emperor Realm after all! A realm she had been striving towards for so many years but had been unable to even touch. And yet, Yang Kai was able to achieve it so easily! Was this still that little brat that had just joined Blue Feather Sect back then and needed her care? Were all cultivators that came from the lower Star Fields this terrifying?
For a moment, Yang Kai felt like a complete stranger to Bian Yu Qing.
“Protector Bian, didn’t you wish to avenge Kou Wu?” Yang Kai looked solemnly at Bian Yu Qing, “If not now, how long are you going to wait?”
His words brought her back to her senses. Bian Yu Qing focused her eyes and pushed her Source Qi, causing a light to suddenly blossom from the hand which had been grasping the bracelet the whole time. The bracelet swelled as thick as a person’s waist in the next instant, and forming seals with her hands, Bian Yu Qing sent the enlarged jade bracelet shooting towards the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was still panicking, so he wasn’t able to react in time when Bian Yu Qing suddenly made her move. By the time he was able to circulate his Source Qi and raise his sword, hurriedly blocking in front of him, the enlarged bracelet had already come crashing over.
There was a loud bang.
The bracelet seemed to have the force of ten thousand kilograms, and it actually managed to bend the Dao Source Grade sword when it hammered down onto it. The residual impact passed through the sword and smashed onto the middle-aged man’s chest, directly shattering the Source Qi layer protecting his body.
The middle-aged man’s face went pale as he seemingly hadn’t anticipated Bian Yu Qing to strike with such thunderous force. He had previously fought Bian Yu Qing with his two Junior Brothers, but that had been bullying using numbers rather than a life or death battle. He didn’t think Bian Yu Qing had any notable skill, but now that he was fighting her one-on-one, he finally realized how terrifying this beautiful woman was.
What’s more, an Emperor Realm Master was watching them from the side, so he couldn’t bring out his full strength with such a distraction.
[I’m not their opponent!]
But before he could even finish that thought, the bracelet that hit him suddenly bounced away, stored up some power, and came whistling over again.
The middle-aged man had already eaten a loss from this artifact once, so how could he not be afraid when he saw it returning for more? He quickly brandished his sword and used a Sword Art to keep his body well protected without any gaps.
But one false step always led to another, eventually leading to ruin. He had already reacted too slowly when Bian Yu Qing first attacked and had now fallen into the enemy’s rhythm. Again and again, Bian Yu Qing’s artifact smashed down on him until his fingers had gone numb and he almost dropped his sword.
More flaws were revealed in the Sword Arts that he had polished all his life.
Bian Yu Qing saw her opportunity and closed in. Wind and clouds gathered in her palms, containing a terrifying destructive force as she thrust it out straight towards the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man was caught off guard. While worrying that Yang Kai would make a move, he was also on guard about the bracelet’s fierce attacks. He was distracted and could only barely send a sword wave at Bian Yu Qing, but it wasn’t powerful enough and was easily nullified by her.
Her palm landed right onto the middle-aged man’s chest, knocking the blood straight out of his mouth.
It was at the critical moment that the middle-aged man shifted to avoid receiving a fatal hit. Otherwise, that blow alone would have been enough to send him to the afterlife.
Even so, he wasn’t in good shape now. After he was sent flying backwards, the bracelet artifact followed him like a shadow, smashing against him over and over again. Being careless for just a moment would be enough to kill him.
Terrified, he shouted, “Senior! This lowly one had eyes but failed to see! Please have mercy and spare my life! The Broken Mountain Sect will surely grant you a large gift for your generosity!”
He was smart enough to know that his life or death was in Yang Kai’s hands. Even though Yang Kai did not intervene in the battle between him and Bian Yu Qing, he was sure that Bian Yu Qing would definitely be unable to kill him if he could convince Yang Kai to spare him.
And, he had also pointed out his origins on purpose in order to intimidate Yang Kai. At the very least, it was well known that an Emperor Realm Master was commanding the Broken Mountain Sect.
But how could he have known that Yang Kai did not even recognize the name Broken Mountain Sect?
The Southern Territory was vast and had countless Sects, so how could Yang Kai know all of them? However, even if Yang Kai did know about Broken Mountain Sect, he probably wouldn’t put it in his eyes. The Sects that he was in contact with now were all top Sects of each territory. Even those Sect Masters don’t dare to boast in front of him, and Li Jiao and Mi Qi had even been swindled by him for two and a half billion High-Rank Source Crystals! So what was a trivial Broken Mountain Sect worth?
Yang Kai grinned, “This King is not the one who wants to kill you, so what’s the use of pleading with this King?”
The middle-aged man’s face was filled with despair at those words. He knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t let him go, so he turned to Bian Yu Qing instead, “Elder Sister, you’ve lost one of your fellow disciples, and both my Junior Brothers are dead. Why don’t we just consider the matter settled? This one will offer an apology to Elder Sister!”
“In your dreams!” Bian Yu Qing gritted her teeth, her beautiful eyes seeing red as if she had gone insane. Source Qi was pouring out of her body like a tide and it seemed like she would not settle for anything less than killing him ruthlessly.
The middle-aged man fumed and shouted, “Then I’ll fight you to the death!”
As he said that, he was barely able to condense a layer of Source Qi around his body to protect himself. Raising his sword in front of his nose, he ran his finger over the blade and opened his mouth, recklessly coughing up a large mouthful of Blood Essence.
The sword suddenly hummed as if it would shoot to the sky at any moment as an extremely fierce Sword Intent spread out from the blade.
“Protector Bian, you better watch yourself,” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and warned her, but he didn’t have any intention of intervening. Yang Kai could easily kill this middle-aged man, but revenge was something that had to be obtained by one’s own hands for it to be of any significance.
There was actually no need for Yang Kai to warn her as Bian Yu Qing herself knew that this middle-aged man was ready to throw away his life for this fight. Her expression turned serious as she clapped her palms together and shouted, “Divide!”
As she finished speaking, the bracelet artifact suddenly split into two, then two became four, four became eight…
In the blink of an eye, enlarged bracelets covered the sky in all directions and all crashed towards the middle-aged man. Each one of the bracelets appeared extremely vivid, as if they were all real, and a very strong aura was being emitted from them.
But Yang Kai could tell that only one of these bracelets was real while the rest were merely illusions.
This was not a bad artifact, but it was still just Dao Source Grade.
The middle-aged man felt confused when he saw these changes, and he felt at a loss of what to do, but very quickly, he regained his senses and shouted, “Even if I die today, I won’t let you feel any better!”
Sword light flashed as man and sword united into a stream of light, penetrating through the bracelets and aiming for Bian Yu Qing.
Faced with this thunderous attack, Bian Yu Qing did not back down and instead met it head-on. At the same time, she propelled all the bracelets in the sky towards the middle-aged man with a single thought.
Bracelet after bracelet slammed down, but the middle-aged man was unharmed. Instead, those bracelets all cracked. These were merely illusory phantoms in the end, so they didn’t have any real destructive power.
The two enemies closed in on each other quickly and were soon going to clash.
The middle-aged man grinned, thrusting his sword out in front of him.
With a dull noise, Bian Yu Qing’s body trembled as the sword passed straight through her chest.
Suppressing the pain, Bian Yu Qing’s face turned hideous as she roared, “Die!”
As she said that, a bracelet crashed right down onto the middle-aged man’s head, cracking it open like a melon and spewing red and white matter into the air.
The headless corpse swayed before suddenly falling from the sky.
Bian Yu Qing’s body also trembled. Holding the stab wound on her chest, she staggered back a few steps, opening her mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood.
Followed by a slight breeze, Yang Kai suddenly appeared next to her, holding her with one hand and frowning as he questioned, “You could have ground him to death little by little, why the need for such ferocity?”
Bian Yu Qing definitely had the upper hand in that confrontation, and she even had Yang Kai watching over her from the side. As long as she maintained her steady rhythm a little longer, she would have been able to kill her opponent with minimal to no losses at all, but unexpectedly, she actually chose to engage in a frontal clash, accepting serious injuries in exchange for a quick victory.
The middle-aged man was killed, but she had also been stabbed in the chest. This couldn’t be called a trivial wound, and if she had been the slightest bit careless, then she would have been dead.
Bian Yu Qing wiped the corner of her mouth and laughed mockingly at herself, “You men aren’t the only hot-blooded ones, you know!”
Yang Kai fell silent.
Bian Yu Qing shook her head, not feeling any joy from obtaining vengeance at all; instead, she just felt more desolate.
With Blue Feather Sect gone, she and Kou Wu had been depending on each other for survival this whole time. Now that even Kou Wu was dead, she was all alone, and she suddenly felt lost about her future.
“Focus on healing your wound first.” Yang Ki looked at the sword pierced through her chest and frowned.
If she hadn’t shifted her posture at the last moment, then this sword could really have taken her life. It wasn’t that Yang Kai couldn’t save her, but he knew that this sword wasn’t going to kill her, so he respected her wishes and stood by and watched.
If the injury wasn’t treated in time, then it may cause problems in the future.
Bian Yu Qing shook her head, “I need to take care of Kou Wu’s remains first. There are many wild beasts out here.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Where are they?”
“Over there!” Bian Yu Qing pointed in a certain direction.
Yang Kai reached out to hold her and was just about to move when Bian Yu Qing suddenly said, “Their rings.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, causing several streams of light to fly over from below. Three Space Rings, alongside the artifacts of the other two, were instantly brought over.
Even though the belongings of these Dao Source Realm cultivators weren’t worth Yang Kai’s attention, they were a fortune to Bian Yu Qing, so she naturally couldn’t just let them go.
He casually tossed the items to Bian Yu Qing before setting off.
In a few moments, they arrived at their destination where they found a corpse lying on its back on the ground. Who else would it be if not Kou Wu? But indeed, as the middle-aged man said before, Kou Wu died a quick death. He incurred a fatal stab wound to the chest, so he probably didn’t feel any pain.
Bian Yu Qing’s eyes were a little red as she sniffled, but forced herself to hold back her tears. Moving away from Yang Kai’s embrace, she flew down.
Once she landed on the ground, she was quiet for a moment before opening up, “Great riches and honours didn’t come to him when he was with me. I hope he finds a better place in his next life.”
Finally, she couldn’t stop the tears from running down her cheeks. She bent down and carefully picked up Kou Wu’s corpse, storing his remains carefully into her Space Ring.
Yang Kai watched in silence, not saying anything.
Only when Bian Yu Qing was done cleaning up and flown back did he lead her towards a nearby mountain peak.
Sweeping over the terrain with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found a cave and entered it. After landing, Yang Kai took out a few pills and ordered, “Open your mouth!”
Bian Yu Qing opened her mouth obediently, and with a flick of his wrist, Yang Kai popped the Spirit Pills into her mouth.
Before she could react, Yang Kai suddenly reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword stuck in her chest, pulling it with one swift movement.
Bian Yu Qing’s body froze for a moment before she let out a heart-wrenching scream.
But with his fingers, Yang Kai jabbed a few points on her body and stopped the blood flow before saying, “Once you refine the medicinal efficacies, you should be fine.”
Turning around, he headed out of the cave.
Yang Kai had refined those healing pills personally, and one of them was even an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill. Bian Yu Qing’s injury was quite serious, so with only her Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation and her own Spirit Pills, it would likely take a long time for her to recover.
Half a day later, Yang Kai, who was standing at the entrance of the cave with his hands behind his back, heard the sound of footsteps. Turning around, he saw Bian Yu Qing walking out with a fresh set of clothes.
Four eyes suddenly meeting, Bian Yu Qing had a slightly complex look in her eyes as she meekly spoke, “Thanks.”
The little brat she used to look down upon had now grown to the point where she needed to look up to him; these changes overwhelmed Bian Yu Qing a little. She wasn’t acting as naturally as in the past, but rather a little more formal now.
“It’s just a trivial matter,” Yang Kai shook his head. “Perhaps I am also responsible for your current situation.”
Bian Yu Qing couldn’t understand, “What does any of this have to do with you?”
Yang Kai looked at her with a solemn gaze and said, “I’m the one who killed Wu Meng Chuan.”
“What?” Bian Yu Qing trembled, almost in disbelief at what she heard. But she also understood that there was no need for Yang Kai to lie to her about this with his current status and strength.
If he confessed to it, then Wu Meng Chuan must have really died at his hand.
Blue Feather Sect’s decline had much to do with Wu Meng Chuan’s disappearance. With the Sect Master gone and three of the original four Protectors killed off by him, only Bian Yu Qing was left, and she naturally couldn’t save this situation with her strength alone. Soon after, Blue Feather Sect disbanded, and the disciples went their separate ways.
While others had no idea why Wu Meng Chuan disappeared, Bian Yu Qing knew that it happened after he left for the Shattered Star Sea. After all, the Star Seal to enter the Shattered Star Sea was obtained by Kou Wu and her from the Four Seasons Realm.
But to think that Wu Meng Chuan actually died to Yang Kai. That man was a descendant of the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, and as far as Bian Yu Qing knew, Wu Meng Chuan still had a Legacy Emperor Artifact handed down to him from the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor.
Yang Kai must have been in the Dao Source Realm as well when he entered the Shattered Star Sea, but he still managed to kill Wu Meng Chuan.
“Seems like you don’t intend to seek revenge for him,” Yang Kai smiled at this observation.
After he admitted to killing Wu Meng Chuan, Bian Yu Qing was shocked, but she didn’t have any other reaction.
“Why would I want to get revenge for him?” Bian Yu Qing scoffed, “If he hadn’t needed someone to manage the Blue Feather Sect for him, then I would have been killed by him after he got out. I have no problem with you killing him.”
“That’s for the best,” Yang Kai nodded. “By the way, what is that Entry Token that those people were talking about when they were pursuing you?”
Bian Yu Qing was silent for a moment, but she still took out the sapphire jade token from her Space Ring which was about the size of a palm, handing it to Yang Kai, “This is it.”
Yang Kai took the token and studied it. He could see that this jade token was carved from sapphire jade, but there wasn’t anything special about it.
Sapphire jade was a type of jade ore that wasn’t considered precious. It was produced in many places and one or two ores would perhaps be needed to refine low-grade artifacts. So what about this Entry Token warranted a group of Dao Source Realm cultivators to fight and chase after?
Turning it over, Yang Kai saw several numbers engraved onto the back, ‘3-9-1-2’!
“What’s it for?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at Bian Yu Qing.
“This is the Entry Token for Spirit Lake Palace. With this, you can enter Spirit Lake Palace’s cultivation rooms,” Bian Yu Qing explained, “You’ve been gone for many years, so you probably don’t know how bustling Spirit Lake Palace is these days. Countless people arrive every day in order to use the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal cultivation rooms. I spent all of my assets in order to obtain this Entry Token, but I still have to wait two more months before it’s my turn to cultivate inside.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened, “Two months? There are that many people waiting in line?”
Bian Yu Qing said, “Do you know how long it’s been since I got my Entry Token?”
“How long?”
“Half a year,” Bian Yu Qing told him, “I got this Entry Token half a year ago, but I still need to wait two more months before it’s my turn. Countless others still have to wait a year or even two.”
“Heavens!” Yang Kai clicked his tongue in amazement, “Is Spirit Lake Palace really so popular?”
Bian Yu Qing laughed, “The World Energy is just that dense in Spirit Lake Palace. Even the lowest grade, the Mortal Grade cultivation rooms, are something any ordinary small Sect can’t compare to. For people looking to make breakthroughs like us, Spirit Lake Palace is naturally a popular place, but if you don’t have connections, you just have to wait in line.”
Yang Kai asked, “Is that why those three were trying to steal your Entry Token?”
Bian Yu Qing responded, “Of course. Don’t underestimate the value of this Entry Token. After Spirit Lake Palace hands out an Entry Token, they only care about the token, not the owner. In other words, whoever holds this Entry Token will be able to enter Spirit Lake Palace to cultivate in two months. I spent all of my Source Crystals in order to get this Entry Token, but if I take this Entry Token to the black market now, I’ll definitely be able to sell it for twice as much. Even the highest rank of Entry Token can often be found up for auction.”
“Because of the wait time?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
“En. The closer the date is, the higher the value of the Entry Token. Maplewood City’s black market is crazy over this. Who knows how many people are there trying to find an Entry Token.”
Yang Kai nodded. Not mentioning the worth of the Entry Token itself, the fact that one was able to enter Spirit Lake Palace to cultivate in two months was enough to get people fighting over it. Bian Yu Qing must have accidentally exposed her ownership of the token, leading to the three disciples from Broken Mountain Sect pursuing her.
Yang Kai didn’t expect this place to change so much after being away for just a few years.
“The White Entry Tokens are for Mortal Grade rooms, Sapphire Entry Tokens for Earth Grade, and as for the top Ruby Entry Tokens, those are naturally for Heaven Grade!” Bian Yu Qing explained, “But Heaven Grade rooms aren’t something people like me can enter.”
Even Emperor Realm Masters dream of entering those rooms, so naturally Bian Yu Qing couldn’t compete with them with the resources she had.
“Only Earth Grade, huh?” Yang Kai muttered in thought, “Are you planning to go inside to see whether you can break through to the Emperor Realm?”
Bian Yu Qing smiled, “The chances are slim, but I should still try, shouldn’t I?”
She didn’t have much confidence in her chances, and Yang Kai estimated that she probably wouldn’t be able to make a breakthrough even if she really did get to cultivate in the Earth Grade cultivation room. A cultivator’s mentality was a very important factor when it came to such things.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai said, “Let’s go.”
“Where to?” Bian Yu Qing asked.
“To Spirit Lake Palace. It’s been many years since I last came here, and it seems like you’re more familiar with the way there, so why don’t you be my guide?”
Bian Yu Qing nodded, “That’s fine.”
Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi, wrapping around her and then speeding off towards Spirit Lake Palace’s direction, but he did not return the Sapphire Entry Token to her.
Bian Yu Qing seemed to want to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask in the end. If Yang Kai really wanted to snatch the Sapphire Entry Token from her, Bian Yu Qing would not be able to fight him.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at a place a thousand kilometres away.
Yang Kai looked towards Spirit Lake Palace from the air and couldn’t help but whistle in amazement. In just a few years, this place had already formed into a city not inferior to Maplewood City. And, from the looks of it, they were still expanding. Maybe in a few years, Spirit Lake Palace would swallow up Maplewood City as well, merging the two into one.
Seeing that Yang Kai seemed to have the intention of just swaggering in, Bian Yu Qing quickly interrupted, “We need to pay Source Crystals in order to enter Spirit Lake City. Ten Mid-Rank Source Crystals per person.”
“Oh, that’s quite a hefty entrance fee,” Yang Kai was taken aback. He had been to many cities, and those cities all generally charged tolls in Low-Rank Source Crystals, and usually only around ten crystals at that, but this Spirit Lake City actually wanted ten Mid-Rank Source Crystals, which was a hundred times more than what other cities charged.
“It’s a lot, but it’s worth it. The World Energy inside Spirit Lake City may not be as plentiful as the cultivation rooms in Spirit Lake Palace, but it’s still very dense. Many people who can’t get Entry Tokens instead find places to stay in Spirit Lake City, living there year-round.”
Yang Kai nodded. He was also a cultivator who climbed up step by step from the bottom, so he could naturally sympathize with the hardships faced by those cultivators. For them, the World Energy in Spirit Lake City was no less than a divine blessing. Naturally, they were willing to pay the trivial ten Mid-Rank Source Crystals to gain entry.
While speaking, the two of them had already arrived at the entrance. Fortunately, the entrance was quite empty and there weren’t many people lining up. When it was Yang Kai’s turn, he just tossed over a High-Rank Source Crystal, causing the cultivator guarding the entrance to happily take it and let them through.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai was trying to show off his wealth on purpose, only that he basically had no Mid-Rank or Low-Rank Source Crystals. All the Source Crystals he had in his ring were High-Rank ones.
When they entered Spirit Lake City, they were greeted with a bustling sight. Cultivators came and went along the streets like a school of carp in the river, plentiful as the hairs on an ox. It was extremely lively, and many stores were lining both sides of the streets, rows upon rows of them. Many had even set up stalls on the empty ground to sell off the things they didn’t need anymore. Most of the stalls had people stopping around, and the sound of bargaining was endless.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in amazement. There were Dao Source Realm cultivators as far as the eye could see here, and even some Emperor Realm Masters who were concealing their cultivations walked among the crowd. This would simply have been impossible ten years ago. Back then, the strongest Master within a hundred thousand kilometres of Maplewood City was a mere Second-Order Dao Source Realm, and the number of cultivators in the Dao Source Realm could even be counted on two hands. But right now, Dao Source Realm cultivators were truly all over the place.
These changes were naturally attributed to the rise of Spirit Lake Palace.
Yang Kai walked around, soaking in the lively atmosphere that all felt a little surreal.
Bian Yu Qing would also tell Yang Kai about Spirit Lake City from time to time, causing him to nod lightly in understanding. Ever since Blue Feather Sect disbanded, Bian Yu Qing and Kou Wu had come to Spirit Lake City in order to make a living, so she naturally knew more about the area than Yang Kai did.
Almost an hour later, they arrived at Spirit Lake Palace, which was located in the centre of the city.
The huge palace was just like a city within a city, and many people were lined up at its entrance.
Yang Kai could see quite clearly that these people were in three lines, and the leftmost line had the largest number of people, totalling five hundred or so. The middle line had much fewer people, about half the leftmost line. As for the last line on the right, less than fifty people were waiting. The strength of the cultivators in these three lines were also clear to see. The leftmost line was made up almost exclusively of those in or below the Origin King Realm. There were a few downtrodden-looking Dao Source Realm cultivators mixed in with them, however.
The middle line, on the other hand, was mostly First and Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators, with a few wealthy-looking Origin Kings.
As for the line on the right, their cultivations were all at or above the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, with two even being Emperor Realm cultivators.
Yang Kai said, thoughtful, “These three lines are for the different Entry Tokens, right?”
Bian Yu Qing nodded, “That’s right. The leftmost line is for the White Entry Token holders, the centre is for the Sapphire Entry Token, and the right is for the Ruby Entry Tokens. Most of the cultivation rooms in Spirit Lake Palace are Mortal Grade, then Earth Grade, and the fewest at Heaven Grade, so even though there are more people in line for White Entry Tokens, the rotation is actually quite fast.”
Yang Kai nodded, walking over towards a rather empty place at the side and looking around, revealing a satisfied look.
Bian Yu Qing had no idea what he intended to do, but she didn’t ask, choosing to observe him curiously instead.
Yang Kai suddenly said aloud, “I have a Sapphire Entry Token here with the number 3912, buyers welcome, first come, first served!”
Even though his voice wasn’t too loud, the force he pushed into it had likely amplified and carried it out for the entire Spirit Lake City to hear.
Bian Yu Qing’s face changed drastically as she cried out in alarm, “What are you doing?!”
This was the Sapphire Entry Token that she spent all of her fortune on to obtain, and she only had to wait another two months before it was her turn! That was her key to whether she could ascend to the Emperor Realm or not, but now, Yang Kai had actually taken out her Entry Token to sell without asking for her permission. If she really wanted to sell it off, then she would have taken it to an auction long ago, why keep it till now?
“Just trust me!” Yang Kai glanced at her.
Bian Yu Qing’s anger was instantly doused. Frowning, she nodded and said nothing more.
Yang Kai was already in the Emperor Realm, so if he really did have any ill intentions towards her, then she wouldn’t be able to resist him.
After Yang Kai’s words, the cultivators nearby stopped in their tracks to look at him in astonishment. In the next moment, a crowd rushed over like a tidal wave, all of them scrambling to get to Yang Kai.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai and Bian Yu Qing were completely surrounded by a sea of cultivators. Bian Yu Qing couldn’t help but feel nervous at this sudden situation. It should be noted that many of the cultivators surrounding them had extremely terrifying auras, not something she could contend with.
Subconsciously, she edged closer towards Yang Kai, as if trying to find a sense of security.
“Token 3912? Really?”
“Quickly take it out and show us!”
“Little brat, you’re dead if you dare to trick us!”
Many cultivators here in Spirit Lake City were trying to find an Entry Token, so they were naturally quite familiar with the numbers and what they meant. A Sapphire Entry Token bearing the number 3912 was already very close in the queue. One might be able to get in within less than two months with that token.
Usually, such close numbers would only appear in auctions, and even then they may not be able to find it in the black market. Naturally, everyone was quite excited to hear that one such token had appeared out here.
In an instant, a noisy crowd had formed.
Yang Kai ignored the people threatening him and continued shouting.
People were constantly flying over from afar, and very soon, more than five hundred cultivators gathered around them. People were crowding around Yang Kai and Bian Yu Qing, with many even flying in the sky around them.
If not for the fact that fighting was prohibited in Spirit Lake City, some people may even have tried robbing them by now.
After enough people had gathered, Yang Kai took out the Sapphire Entry Token and showed it to the crowd. Then, he flipped it around and held it up high for display.
The numbers on the back shone brightly in the sunlight, so everyone could see it clearly.
“It really is number 3912!”
“It’s been so long since such a close Entry Token appeared. This number only requires a two month wait!”
“Boy, I came here first so hurry up and sell me that Entry Token! I can guarantee you’ll be happy with the price!” An elderly man shouted eagerly. This man looked quite old, he had a head full of white hair, but his cultivation was only in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Death Qi was emanating from all over his body, and his vitality was also extremely thin. From his appearance, he seemed to be quite close to his predestined time of death.
But if he could make another breakthrough, then he may be able to live a few more years, so he was naturally very interested in this Entry Token.
Another cultivator, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm standing mid-air, looked down at them and said, “Boy, how much is that Entry Token? Give me a price!”
Yang Kai smiled and looked around, “It seems like everyone is quite interested in this Entry Token. Very good, in that case, let’s auction this right here! The Entry Token goes to the highest bidder!”
The elderly man’s face changed as he yelled, “Little brat, you said first come first served just now, so how can you go back on your word?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Old man, that was just something I blurted out. You believe that? Naturally, such a precious Entry Token should be auctioned!”
“You,” the elderly man’s beard was twitching, “You irritate this Old Master!”
“Since you’re going to auction it, what’s the starting price?” A Dao Source Realm cultivator in the air asked.
Yang Kai said, “You’re all free to bid, there’s no starting price.”
With so many people competing, there was simply no need for a reserve price as the price would naturally go up while they’re fighting for it.
As soon as he said that, someone immediately shouted, “Twenty million!”
“Twenty million is the price to buy an Entry Token to Spirit Lake Palace, have you no shame offering such a measly sum? Thirty million!”
“Thirty-one million!”
“Thirty-two million!”
In the blink of an eye, the price of the Sapphire Entry Token went up to thirty-six million.
Yang Kai whispered to Bian Yu Qing, “Is the price Low-Rank Source Crystals or Mid-Rank Source Crystals?”
Bian Yu Qing answered, “Mid-Rank Source Crystals. White Entry Tokens are all sold for Low-Rank Source Crystals while Ruby Entry Tokens cost High-Rank Source Crystals.”
“How much did you spend when you bought this?” Yang Kai asked.
“Twenty million Mid-Rank Source Crystals!”
Twenty million Mid-Rank Source Crystals would translate to Two Hundred Thousand High-Rank Source Crystals, which was just a drop in the bucket to Yang Kai, but to Bian Yu Qing, it was everything she had.
And even this was thanks to the fact that she had constantly been managing Blue Feather Sect in the past and had some of the Sect’s cultivation resources with her, or she would not have had such a large fortune.
In the blink of an eye, something she bought for twenty million was now priced as high as thirty-six million. Just like Bian Yu Qing said before, she really could double her money by reselling the Entry Token. The demand for this Entry Token was clear to see among the cultivators of Spirit Lake City.
“Forty million!” A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator in the air shouted out the price, red-faced and grimacing, looking like he was in great pain. But as long as he could get his hands on this Sapphire Entry Token, he could try to break through to the Emperor Realm in two months. If he succeeded, then what would this forty million Mid-Rank Source Crystals be worth?
The appearance of Spirit Lake Palace had allowed many cultivators to break through their own shackles. There were over a hundred Emperor Realm breakthroughs over the past ten years here alone, so if those people could do it, why couldn’t he?
“If anyone can name a higher price, then I don’t want the Entry Token anymore!” That Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator grit his teeth and observed his surroundings nervously.
To his delight, nobody else raised the bid after him, but that did make sense. Forty million was already twice the price of buying the Entry Token from Spirit Lake Palace to begin with, and this price was already the bottom line of most people. There were no fools here. Even though the number would grant entry very soon, Source Crystals don’t just come from nowhere, so how could they squander them freely?
“This Old Master bids forty million and ten thousand!” An old voice suddenly appeared from the distance.
Upon hearing this, the whole crowd had strange expressions on their faces. For someone to suddenly come in and add a mere ten thousand to the bidding price, who knows whether this person was trying to pick up a bargain or had some grudge with that cultivator who bid forty million and simply wanted to insult him.
“Who? Who said that?!” The Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator was infuriated hearing this of course and the anger in his chest began boiling like magma in a volcano.
Even though Yang Kai never specified how much the price had to be raised for each bid, everyone was quite disciplined during the auction earlier, raising the bid by at least half a million each time, but mainly raising the price by a million. But now, someone suddenly came out and raised the bid by just ten thousand. Wasn’t that a display of naked contempt?
“It was this Old Master. What’s wrong? Do you have any complaints?”
In a flash, an old man showed himself. Flying above everyone, he looked down at the crowd, pushing his voice with the force inside his body, sending a blast of Emperor Intent to all their faces.
“Emperor Realm!” The face of the cultivator who was still looking around furiously just now to see who was trying to mess around suddenly changed, instantly turning silent.
An Emperor Realm Master actually came to snatch the Sapphire Entry Token away from him, this was something he would never have expected. Even though the Sapphire Entry Token only allowed one to enter an Earth Grade cultivation room, that still had some use to an Emperor Realm Master. However, in general, Emperors would only use the Heaven Grade cultivation rooms. Of course, there was also the possibility that this old man was joining the auction in order to secure the Entry Token for his Disciple or descendant.
“It’s Broken Mountain Sect’s Sect Master, Le Dong Zheng!”
Someone suddenly shouted in the crowd, seemingly recognizing the identity of this old man.
When the others heard his words, they all revealed looks of fear.
Bian Yu Qing’s body trembled slightly as she had the subconscious feeling that this Le Dong Zheng was here to find trouble with her. But thinking about it carefully, nobody saw them when she and Yang Kai killed those three Broken Mountain Sect disciples. Only after this thought hit her did she relax.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and looked at Le Dong Zheng with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Not to mention the fact that this old man was suspected to be starting trouble by raising the price by just ten thousand out of nowhere, this Sect Master had come over as soon as he killed those Broken Mountain Sect disciples. This was too much of a coincidence, right?
Could it be that the matter was exposed? But that didn’t seem right. Yang Kai swept through his surroundings with his Divine Sense before killing them, and nobody was watching at all. Moreover, the three men did not send any messages before they died, so how could Le Dong Zheng know?
“So, it is Senior Le,” that Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator also recognized Le Dong Zheng and smiled bitterly, “Since Senior Le wants this Sapphire Entry Token, Junior naturally wouldn’t dare to have any complaints.”
“Good!” Le Dong Zheng let out a light grunt and turned his head to look at Yang Kai, reaching his hand out, “Hand over the Entry Token.”
Yang Kai eyed him and sneered, “The auction isn’t over yet.”
Le Dong Zheng said, “What, could there be anyone who can outbid this Old Master?”
He eyed his surroundings with his imposing glare, and anyone who met his gaze felt chills rising in their hearts, so even if they wanted to bid, they didn’t dare to open their mouths anymore. Not to mention the fact that the price of forty million had exceeded most of their bottom lines.
“Do you see that? This Old Master’s price is the highest!” Le Dong Zheng extended his hand once more, “Hand over the Entry Token.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin and shook his head, “Even if your price is the highest, I’m still not going to sell you this Entry Token.”
[Raising by just 10,000 and you want to snatch away this Entry Token?] If Yang Kai really gave it to Le Dong Zheng, it would leave a bitter taste in his mouth for a long time to come. On top of that, this Entry Token was originally something that three cultivators from the Broken Mountain Sect wanted to steal. Even Kou Wu had to be killed before the Entry Token was saved, so how could it now land in the hands of the Broken Mountain Sect?
Le Dong Zheng’s face darkened, “Boy, you dare disobey the rules?”
Yang Kai snickered, “My things, my rules. What the hell do you count for?”
As soon as he said that, everyone was staring tongue-tied at Yang Kai, secretly admiring his guts. Le Dong Zheng was an Emperor Realm Master, and yet this young man actually dared to provoke him.
“You court death!” Le Dong Zheng was furious and his aura flared around his body, attempting to pressure Yang Kai.
Many of the people standing nearby grunted and stepped back.
Yang Kai did not move, however, and instead just sneered at Le Dong Zheng. After a light snort, his own Emperor Pressure rose up like an awakened beast.
Le Dong Zheng’s face changed dramatically as he called out, “You’re also an Emperor!”
The crowd at the side was also shocked. They never would have thought that Yang Kai was actually an Emperor Realm Master. All of them instantly felt nervous, but fortunately, they were quite disciplined during the auction earlier and did not offend him too much; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.
“It was this Old Master who had eyes but failed to see,” Le Dong Zheng’s expression cooled instantly.
Yang Kai ignored him and pointed his hand to the front, “Hey, you! Come over here!”
When Yang Kai pointed his hand, the crowd split away in a flash, as if the outstretched finger was a venomous snake.
The cultivator who bid forty million earlier also tried to doge, but no matter where he moved to, Yang Kai’s finger kept on pointing at him.
With a bitter face, he asked, “Senior, what can I do for you?”
Even though he was quite a lot older than Yang Kai, his cultivation was inferior, so he could only address him as Senior.
“Come over here!” Yang Kai said again.
The man had no choice but to walk towards Yang Kai with an apprehensive face, not knowing what the latter wanted from him.
After approaching, Yang Kai shoved the Sapphire Entry Token into his hands before he could say anything and declared, “The Entry Token is yours.”
In a flash, the face of Le Dong Zheng, who was floating in the air, turned blue.
He was a First-Order Emperor and his bid was higher, but Yang Kai refused to sell the Entry Token to him. Instead, Yang Kai passed the Sapphire Entry Token to a mere Dao Source Realm cultivator. This was a public slap to the face.
Instead of feeling happy, the Dao Source Realm cultivator felt shocked and afraid. The Sapphire Entry Token in his hands felt just like a hot lump of iron, burning into his palms.
If Le Dong Zheng hadn’t made a bid, he would have happily accepted the Entry Token, but now that Le Dong Zheng had appeared, how could he dare to take it? If he does take it, then he would be offending someone he couldn’t afford to. He couldn’t be sure whether he would get what was coming to him in the future either.
“Senior, I don’t want the Entry Token anymore,” he opened his mouth with great difficulty and returned the Entry Token.
“You dare refuse?” Yang Kai grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up, glaring fiercely at his face, “You think I won’t beat you black and blue for that?”
That man was so shocked that his face turned white and he quickly cautioned, “Fighting isn’t allowed in Spirit Lake City!”
Yang Kai said threateningly, “Can you hide in Spirit Lake City for the rest of your life? I’ll beat you half to death as soon as you leave the city!”
That man wanted to cry but had no tears, all but begging, “Senior, why must you make things difficult for me? I’m just a Dao Source Realm cultivator.”
“You call selling you an Entry Token making things difficult for you?” Yang Kai sneered, still holding onto his collar, “Are you taking it or not? If not, you’re dead.”
The man dodged his gaze, not daring to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai then whispered quietly, “If you take it, you may offend Le Dong Zheng, but you’ll also gain an Entry Token, and have the chance to break through to the Emperor Realm. If you don’t though, you will offend this Young Master and get no benefits at all. Consider the gains and losses by yourself.”
As soon as he heard that, his eyes lit up.
That’s right. No matter whether he takes the Entry Token or not, he would be offending an Emperor Realm Master. If he did take it though, then he at least had a ray of hope for advancing to the Emperor Realm. It was such a simple question, so why hadn’t he thought it through before?
In an instant, he made his decision.
Looking up towards Le Dong Zheng, the man cupped his fists, “Senior Le, it’s not that Junior wants to fight with you, but Junior was forced to buy! Please understand!”
“Hmph!” Le Dong Zheng coldly snorted, causing the man’s face to turn pale again, but things had already come to this, and there was nothing for him to hesitate over anymore. He quickly moved forty million Mid-Rank Source Crystals from his ring to another before handing it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai turned around and tossed the ring to Bian Yu Qing. Only then did he let go of the man’s collar and say, “You can use the token yourself, but you can’t sell it, especially not to that old man!” He pointed at Le Dong Zheng and threatened, “If I find out that you’ve sold the token to him… Hmph!”
“I know, I know! I’ll use it myself, I definitely won’t sell it!” The man nodded incessantly.
“Now go!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
That man ran into the crowd and disappeared without a trace as if it had been a ghost.
Seeing that the Entry Token had already been sold out, the rest of the crowd naturally had no reason to stay anymore and quickly scattered like birds and beasts.
Only Le Dong Zheng stayed behind, staring at Yang Kai with narrowed eyes. A cold glint could be seen through those slits as he spoke, “Little friend, this Old Master has no idea how he offended you, for you to target this Old Master in such a way.”
Yang Kai snickered, “Sect Master Le, why the need to play dumb? Since you’re already here, why don’t you just air out what you want to say?”
Le Dong Zheng responded, “I don’t know what this little friend is talking about.”
“In that case, there’s nothing for us to talk about,” Yang Kai turned around and said to Bian Yu Qing, “Let’s go.”
“Wait!” When he saw that Yang Kai was really planning to leave, Le Dong Zheng quickly shouted.
“Sect Master Le, what else do you need?” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Le Dong Zheng narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at Yang Kai for a while before asking, “My three disciples… where are they now?”
“Hah!” Yang Kai laughed and looked jeeringly at Le Dong Zheng, “And here I thought that Sect Master Le really didn’t know anything. So, you were the one who sent the three of them?”
Bian Yu Qing’s face paled, as she looked at Le Dong Zheng with rage in her eyes. If what Yang Kai said was true, then Le Dong Zheng was the culprit responsible for Kou Wu’s death. Without his orders, she and Kou Wu wouldn’t have been chased after by those three people.
As if he didn’t hear that snide comment, Le Dong Zheng continued, “You haven’t answered this Old Master’s question yet.”
“Curious to know?” Yang Kai grinned, “Figure it out yourself!”
He turned around and left.
Le Dong Zheng was fuming. If not for the fact that Spirit Lake City forbade fighting, he would have rushed over to battle Yang Kai to the death. One of the three disciples he sent was his descendant, one he had high hopes for him. From Yang Kai’s tone, the fate of the three must be disastrous, so how could Le Dong Zheng’s heart not ache?
Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “Boy! Don’t let this Old Master see you outside the city, or he will kill you!”
Yang Kai scoffed and couldn’t even be bothered to turn around, giving Le Dong Zheng a sense of powerlessness as if he were punching at cotton. He almost coughed up a mouthful of blood from anger.
He watched Yang Kai leave with hatred in his eyes, inwardly deciding to himself that he would teach this little brat a harsh lesson; otherwise, his three disciples would have died in vain.
…..
“What are you doing? Go back and wait in line!”
In front of Spirit Lake Palace, a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator dressed in the uniform of Heavenly Martial Holy Land reached out to stop Yang Kai with an arrogant look on his face.
As a disciple of one of the Southern Territory’s top Sects, he naturally had the capital to act arrogant. What’s more, he was still young and had already reached the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so the possibility of him breaking through to the Emperor Realm in the future was quite high.
Led by Star Soul Palace, Spirit Lake Palace was built under the joint efforts of all three of the Southern Territory’s top Sects, so it was naturally managed by the three of them.
Yang Kai took out a token and waved it in front of the man.
The Heavenly Martial Holy Land disciple instantly withdrew his arrogance and cupped his fists, “So it is a Senior Brother from Azure Sun Temple. May I know how to address Senior Brother?”
The token that Yang Kai held up was the Azure Sun Golden Token, a token that only Core Disciples were qualified to possess. Even though this man was from Heavenly Martial Holy Land, he was merely an inner disciple, a far cry from a Core Disciple. After confirming Yang Kai’s identity, he naturally didn’t dare to be too reckless.
Bian Yu Qing almost went cross-eyed at this sight. She had personally seen how arrogant and supercilious the cultivators guarding Spirit Lake Palace’s entrance were. Even Emperor Realm Masters would sometimes be greeted with disdainful looks by these top Sect disciples, so when she saw one cupping his fists and bowing to Yang Kai, then listening to what he said, Bian Yu Qing suddenly recalled that Yang Kai was with Azure Sun Temple when they went to the Four Seasons Realm back then.
It turned out that Yang Kai had already become a disciple of Azure Sun Temple, and from the looks of this situation, his status didn’t seem low. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to make this cultivator lower himself before him.
“Yang Kai!”
The disciple who was guarding the gate frowned at his words and thought carefully for a moment, but found that he was extremely unfamiliar with his name. He had never even heard of it.
He basically knew all of Azure Sun Temple’s Core Disciples, but he had never seen or heard of Yang Kai before. But the Azure Sun Golden Token couldn’t be faked. With this Golden Token, it meant that Yang Kai really was a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple.
When Yang Kai refined the Extraordinary Treasure Pill back then in the Four Seasons Realm, his fame spread across the entire Southern Territory, but since so many years had passed, news naturally died down and many cultivators spent much of their time in secluded retreat, so it was normal for them to have never heard of Yang Kai’s name before. This cultivator at the gate was clearly one of these people.
“So, it is Senior Brother Yang!” Even though that cultivator did not recognize Yang Kai, he didn’t dare to be any less polite to him, “May I ask if Senior Brother Yang has come this time in order to make use of the cultivation rooms?
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded.
When Gao Xue Ting handed him this Azure Sun Golden Token, she told him that in addition to the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal Grade cultivation rooms in Spirit Lake Palace, there were even better ones reserved for the disciples of the three Sects that were not open to the public. However, they were free to enter them with the Golden Token.
If not, Yang Kai wouldn’t have sold Bian Yu Qing’s Sapphire Token. Since there was an even better place for her to go, there was naturally no more use for that Sapphire Entry Token.
“Senior Brother Yang, please follow me. I’ll bring you to see the Sir Steward.” That man turned around after he finished speaking.
Yang Kai called out to Bian Yu Qing and followed him.
Bian Yu Qing had already figured out what Yang Kai was trying to do at this point, and her eyes were filled with gratitude. At the same time, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She had to spend all of her assets just to buy that Sapphire Entry Token after many difficulties, still having to wait eight months before her turn came. On the other hand, Yang Kai only needed to come here and he was allowed into a Heaven Grade cultivation room. Through this comparison, Bian Yu Qing realized that the convenience of being the disciple of a top Sect was beyond her imagination, and she couldn’t help but feel helpless at that fact.
Without a strong background, even if one really were to ascend to the Emperor Realm, they wouldn’t have much prestige in front of these large Sect’s disciples.
“What’re you doing?” Yang Kai suddenly turned around to look at Bian Yu Qing, frowning, suddenly realizing that her state was not quite right.
Bian Yu Qing was taken by surprise at his call and suddenly realized how dispirited her thoughts had become. With such a mindset, her already slim chances of breaking through to the Emperor Realm became even slimmer.
She immediately collected her thoughts and her eyes became determined!
That’s right, Kou Wu died in order to preserve that Sapphire Entry Token, all so he could leave a ray of hope behind for her to break through. If she couldn’t give him a satisfactory answer, how could she face Kou Wu in the future after her death?
Kou Wu’s blood could not be shed in vain.
“Nothing!” Bian Yu Qing smiled, a hard-to-describe sense of self-confidence and determination emanating from her body. She had a feeling that if she could find a good place to enter retreat at this moment, then her chances of breaking through to the Emperor Realm would be as high as thirty percent!
It had to be known that she only had a one in ten chance before this, so thirty percent was already very high.
Yang Kai stared at Bian Yu Qing seriously, watching her for a long time before turning his head away.
He had no idea what sort of psychological struggle Bian Yu Qing had just gone through in this short period of time, but he was pleased to see that she was in better form now.
That Heavenly Martial Holy Land disciple led Yang Kai and Bian Yu Qing to a room and said, “Senior Brother Yang, please wait for a moment. I’ll go and get the Sir Steward.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai nodded.
The man then turned and left.
“Thank you!” Bian Yu Qing suddenly spoke. This was already the second time she thanked Yang Kai since bumping into him again, and each time, she was thanking him from the bottom of her heart. In all her years of living, no one had ever shown her such kindness, so his actions moved her greatly.
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s just a trivial matter!”
While saying that, he casually tossed a few jade bottles over to her.
Bian Yu Qing accepted them and looked doubtfully at Yang Kai, “These are…”
“You can use these while you cultivate,” Yang Kai explained.
Curious, Bian Yu Qing opened up a jade bottle and peeked inside. In an instant, her entire body shook and she was wide-eyed, “This is… an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill?”
Looking into another bottle, it turned out to be another Emperor Grade Spirit Pill, and from the looks and fragrance of the pill from the first bottle, it seemed to be similar to the legendary Pure Heart Pill. The Pure Heart Pill was a pill that could help a cultivator focus their mind and alleviate any heart demons from disturbing them during cultivation.
Even though similar pills were available on the market, one at the Emperor Grade would definitely not appear. The best ones were no more than Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank, a far cry from the one inside this jade bottle.
The other bottle seemed to contain a Heavenly Dao Pill. This pill was even more shocking as it could help a cultivator perceive the Heavenly Way and assist them in comprehending Principle Strength…
With the help of these two Spirit Pills, her thirty percent chance rose up to at least fifty percent! If she still didn’t manage to make a breakthrough this time, then she probably wouldn’t ever be able to.
Holding the two bottles tightly in her hands, Bian Yu Qing’s heart was surging. She looked at Yang Kai with a complicated gaze as she commented, “I don’t know how to repay you for such a heavy gift.”
“It’s not like I’m asking for repayment,” Yang Kai stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, “But if you insist, then… Why don’t you join my Sect?”
“Azure Sun Temple?” Bian Yu Qing was dumbfounded.
This was another great gift, so how could it be considered repayment? Even if there weren’t ten thousand cultivators just like her who wanted to enter Azure Sun Temple, there were at least eight thousand. Azure Sun Temple was one of the top Sects in the Southern Territory, so how could she simply enter it?
If she really were able to join Azure Sun Temple, then even if she was a lowest-ranking disciple, it would still be better than wandering around on her own. A woman, and especially a beautiful woman like her with a charming face and an enchanting body, was prone to getting caught up in trouble when she was on her own. Sometimes, trouble would even come to her even if she stayed hidden.
“No, no, no, not Azure Sun Temple,” Yang Kai shook his head.
“No?” Bian Yu Qing was surprised.
Yang Kai smiled, “I founded my own Sect. Right now, my Sect has… En, ten people? It’s still a work in progress at this stage and we’re short of hands. Is Protector Bian interested?”
“Yes!” Bian Yu Qing didn’t even think for a moment before she agreed. Yang Kai had already helped her so much, so even if she had to give her life, she wouldn’t have hesitated, let alone just joining his Sect.
Bian Yu Qing didn’t think that the Sect Yang Kai founded would be that powerful as even though he was an Emperor Realm Master with strong abilities, every Sect had a development phase. Right now, there were less than ten members, so it was quite clearly a small Sect. Perhaps, it may even be worse than the Blue Feather Sect of the past.
But so what? As long as they worked together, the Sect would have a chance of becoming big in the future, and if she could break through to the Emperor Realm, then she would be an even greater help to Yang Kai, which would allow her to slowly repay his favour.
“You’re quite quick to agree!” Yang Kai grinned.
Bian Yu Qing brushed her hair behind her ear and smiled, “I’m also a person who knows gratitude, so you may rest assured. If I can safely come out of this retreat, I’ll follow you back to your Sect, but if I happen to die… then that’s just my destiny.”
Breaking through to the Emperor Realm comes with its risks and one mistake could lead to death. Many Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivators not only failed to ascend to the Emperor Realm, but died during their attempt.
It had to be known that Wu Dao had died back then on the threshold of advancing to the Dao Source Realm, and he was known as the strongest person in Heng Luo Star Field. Even he died trying to reach the Dao Source Realm ascension, so the path to reaching the Emperor Realm could only come with greater risks.
“Ahaha, Martial Nephew Yang! It’s been a while since I heard from you. I didn’t expect you to visit Spirit Lake Palace today,” a man’s voice suddenly called out from the side. Yang Kai looked over to see an elderly man seemingly in his fifties walking over. He had white hair and a ruddy complexion that was brimming with vitality. Even the aura emanating from his body was dense.
[First-Order Emperor Realm!] Yang Kai could tell instantly.
But this man was much stronger than average cultivators in his realm, not to mention the heritage he had. Just his aura alone was not something people like Le Dong Zheng could compare with.
Yang Kai estimated that if this old man were to fight Le Dong Zheng in a one-on-one battle, then it likely wouldn’t take more than an incense stick’s time to determine a winner.
“Senior is…” Yang Kai got up and cupped his fists.
The elderly man stroked the beard on his chin and smiled, “This Old Master is Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s Yao Li!”
Yang Kai wasn’t familiar with too many people from Heavenly Martial Holy Land. Other than Chen Wen Hao, the only other one he knew was Wu Chang. Yang Kai didn’t know anyone else besides those two, but since Yao Li’s cultivation was First-Order Emperor Realm, he should at least be an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land.
Since the old man was his Senior, Yang Kai naturally didn’t show any disrespect.
“So, it is Elder Yao. Yang Kai greets Elder Yao!”
“No need to be polite, Martial Nephew. Please sit!” Yao Li smiled and gestured to him.
Immediately, a beautiful young woman came over to serve tea.
Yao Li was observing Yang Kai with a smile on his face, seemingly showing great interest in him; after all, this young man was able to refine the Extraordinary Treasure Pill, so there was a high possibility of him being an Emperor Alchemist now. Unfortunately, he didn’t belong to Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s. Suddenly, Yao Li’s eyes turned to Bian Yu Qing and he asked, “This is…”
“My Elder Cousin!” Yang Kai said casually.
Bian Yu Qing got up from her seat, “This Mistress greets Elder Yao!”
Even though Yang Kai and her did not discuss this matter beforehand, Bian Yu Qing’s performance was flawless. She had been making a life for herself outside for many years, so she wasn’t some naïve little girl.
“So it is Martial Nephew Yang’s cousin. En, please, sit,” Yao Li showed an amiable attitude towards her.
Bian Yu Qing couldn’t help but feel a little flattered by this. Yao Li was someone who stood far above her, someone she could only look up to, and this would not change even if she broke through to the Emperor Realm, but now, just because of Yang Kai, she was actually able to sit here with him and drink tea.
Deep inside, an extremely absurd feeling emerged in Bian Yu Qing’s heart, as if her fate had taken a huge turn ever since meeting Yang Kai again.
“I heard from my disciple that Martial Nephew Yang is here to ask for a cultivation room?” Yao Li cut straight to the point. Even though Yang Kai looked impressive, Yao Li was still an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, so there was naturally no need for any flattering.
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, “May I ask Elder Yao if there are still any free cultivation rooms that are not open to the public?”
Yao Li frowned and pondered for a moment, “Martial Nephew Yang, is the cultivation room for your own use, or…” He swept a glance at Bian Yu Qing.
Wiseness comes with age. Even though Yang Kai didn’t say anything, he was able to guess Yang Kai’s purpose in bringing Bian Yu Qing here.
Yang Kai spoke truthfully, “My cousin’s cultivation has reached the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, so if there is a suitable place for her to enter retreat, she may be able to make a breakthrough.”
Yao Li nodded, “As expected.”
After a pause, he continued, “Martial Nephew Yang, I’m not going to lie to you, those cultivation rooms that are not open to the public are indeed prepared for Core Disciples like yourself; but unfortunately, those rooms are already coincidentally full. If you were planning to use the room yourself, then this Old Master would not hesitate to arrange for someone to give up their place, but since it is someone else, it makes things very difficult for this Old Master.”
“They’re full?” Yang Kai was surprised.
He suddenly felt that something here was off. Even though the World Energy in Spirit Lake Palace was very dense, and the cultivation rooms reserved especially for Core Disciples were not bad, they were at best comparable to the cultivation rooms inside the three top Sects. Instead of cultivating at home, why would disciples from the three top Sects run over here to Spirit Lake Palace to cultivate instead?
“Indeed, they are,” Yao Li nodded seriously.
Yang Kai instantly felt awkward.
He originally thought that there had to be an empty cultivation room, and that was the reason he sold off Bian Yu Qing’s Sapphire Entry Token, but now that he was told there were no free rooms here, wouldn’t that mean that he had left Bian Yu Qing with nothing?
Yao Li continued, “Martial Nephew Yang, how about this? Even though the top reserved cultivation rooms are full, this Old Master can arrange a Heaven Grade room for you. What do you think? The Heaven Grade cultivation rooms are also good environments, and many Emperor Realm Masters are waiting in line for them. I’m sure your cousin will definitely have good returns if she enters retreat in one of them.”
Since things had come to this, Yang Kai also had no better ideas. He couldn’t really just ask Yao Li to vacate one of the top rooms, right? The people who were able to cultivate in their top rooms are all disciples of the three Sects, so nobody was inferior to anyone else in terms of status. If Yang Kai really were to make such a request, whether Yao Li would agree or not was one problem, but he may even cause a conflict between the Sects.
Moreover, Yao Li was an Elder of Heavenly Martial Holy Land, and his attitude towards Yang Kai could already be considered gracious, which would make it awkward for Yang Kai if he were to push the matter.
“How long do we have to wait?” Yang Kai asked.
Yao Li smiled, “It will be available today.”
This was still considered a queue jump that didn’t even require a Ruby Entry Token. From this point alone, Yang Kai’s Azure Sun Golden Token was still extremely useful.
“Cousin, what do you think?” Yang Kai turned to Bian Yu Qing and asked.
Bian Yu Qing said, “I’ll leave it up to you to decide.”
She only needed to wait another two months before she could enter an Earth Grade cultivation room, but now, she suddenly had a chance to enter a Heaven Grade cultivation room today, so she was naturally very happy.
Seeing that Bian Yu Qing didn’t have any complaints, Yang Kai could only go with this. Just as he was about to agree, another voice suddenly called out from outside, “No free cultivation rooms? That doesn’t seem right to me. I remember there being one that was empty.”
When he heard this voice, Yang Kai was slightly stunned, and when he looked up, a familiar figure appeared before him with a nonchalant smile and a casual attitude.
“Senior Brother Xia!” Yang Kai quickly got up and looked at Xia Sheng with surprise, “What are you doing here?”
As the Chief Disciple of Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng broke through to the Emperor Realm in the Shattered Star Sea, and he was now a well-known figure in the Southern Territory. In time, there would definitely be no problems for him reaching the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Even the Third-Order was within expectations.
Yang Kai would never have expected to meet Xia Sheng here, so there was a look of pleasant surprise on his face.
On the other hand, Yao Li’s face suddenly turned uneasy as he brought his tea to his lips.
“Eldest Senior Brother is one of the three Chief Stewards here at Spirit Lake Palace, so I keep watch here all year round!” Xia Sheng came over with a smile.
“Three Chief Stewards!” Yang Kai was stunned.
After some thought though, he immediately understood. This Spirit Lake Palace was under the joint management of the three top Sects, so each Sect would assign a Steward to keep watch in order to prevent their disciples from being treated unfairly. At the same time, they were also here to monitor the income.
When Heavenly Martial Holy Land’s disciple brought Yang Kai in, he said he was going to look for the Steward, and then Yao Li appeared. Yang Kai didn’t think much of it at the time, only figuring that Yao Li was the one in charge here at Spirit Lake Palace, but he now knew that wasn’t exactly the case when he heard what Xia Sheng said.
“Temple Master is actually willing to let you stay here?” Yang Kai smiled.
Xia Sheng said, “I only broke through recently, so Temple Master says I have to experience the bustling world in order to consolidate my cultivation and sent me over here.”
As he spoke, he had a bitter look on his face as if this were a tough job.
“How are Temple Master and Elder Gao doing?” Yang Kai asked.
“They’re doing just fine. You, on the other hand, have been gone for so many years without returning to the Sect even once you brat.”
Yang Kai responded awkwardly, “I was caught up with many mundane affairs. I was planning to visit during my trip back this time.”
Xia Sheng suddenly lowered his voice, “When you return, you should avoid Elder Gao as much as possible. Elder Gao said the next time she sees this ungrateful wolf, she would definitely teach you a lesson.”
“How could that be…” Yang Kai’s forehead was instantly covered in sweat.
Seemingly taking pleasure in his misfortune, Xia Sheng continued, “Well, that’s what Elder Gao said at least, and you know Elder Gao’s temper…” While speaking, he couldn’t help but shudder. “By the way, I have bad news to tell you. Elder Gao ascended to the Second-Order Emperor Realm two years ago, so even though you’re also an Emperor now, you definitely won’t be able to beat or escape her.”
“Elder Gao broke through?” Yang Kai was surprised but also felt glad for her. The last time he saw her was in the Eastern Territory, when she was trapped in the Sealed World medicine garden. At that time, she was only a First-Order Emperor, so Yang Kai hadn’t expected to hear that she’d broken through so soon.
“I wish you good luck,” Xia Sheng patted Yang Kai’s shoulder with a look of pity on his face.
“By the way, Senior Brother. What did you mean when you said the cultivation rooms weren’t full?” Yang Kai frowned. Yao Li told him they were full, but now Xia Sheng was telling him a different story, so he couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious.
Xia Sheng smiled and looked at Yao Li, “There are nine top cultivation rooms in total, three for each of our Sects. Only two of our Azure Sun Temple’s rooms were in use the last time I checked, so how could the last one suddenly be occupied? Steward Yao, may I know which one of my Azure Sun Temple’s disciples entered retreat?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai’s frown grew deeper.
Previously, he learned that there were special cultivation rooms in Spirit Lake Palace reserved for the use of the three Sect’s disciples, but he had no idea of the details involved.
From how Xia Sheng and Yao Li were speaking, it seemed the two of them were in conflict with each other.
Yao Li smacked his head and smiled, “That’s right! Steward Xia, if you didn’t mention it, then this Old Master would not have remembered. Now that I think of it, only two rooms are occupied by your Azure Sun Temple. This Old Master has really grown senile.”
Yang Kai’s face darkened instantly, and any good feelings he had towards Yao Li previously disappeared in an instant.
If Xia Sheng hadn’t appeared today and revealed the truth, then he really may have been led by the nose by Yao Li, and would still feel grateful to him despite it. Even though the difference between the top cultivation rooms and the Heaven Grade ones wasn’t great, that slight difference may be the difference between success and failure for someone hoping to break through to the Emperor Realm.
Every single advantage counted in matters like these.
“Martial Nephew Yang, this Old Master has truly been swamped senseless by work today and actually forgotten that your Azure Sun Temple still had a room left. Please forgive me,” Yao Li said with a face filled with self-reproach.
But how could a mistake like that happen? There were only nine top rooms, so it was simply impossible for someone in the Emperor Realm to not be able to remember such a thing.
Yang Kai’s face was cold as he replied indifferently, “It’s fine as long as Steward Yao remembers now.”
Yao Li followed up quickly, “But it is still true that the nine rooms are reserved only for the Core Disciples of the three Sects, anyone else is simply not permitted to use them. Steward Xia knows this as well. Martial Nephew Yang, if you wish to have your cousin enter retreat in that room, then I’m afraid it’s impossible.”
“I’ll use it myself!” Yang Kai declared before turning to Xia Sheng and asking, “But I plan to bring my cousin in with me to stand guard and observe while I enter retreat and cultivate. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Xia Sheng grinned, “Definitely not.”
He turned back to Yao Li, “Steward Yao, I’ll have to trouble you to make arrangements for this matter.”
Despite Xia Sheng ordering Yao Li around directly, Yao Li didn’t show the slightest bit of displeasure and nodded, “This Old Master will arrange it immediately.”
Saying that, he turned around and walked out.
Yang Kai’s eyes were slightly dim as he watched him leave, and he couldn’t help but feel thankful inside, thankful that he’d bumped into Xia Sheng here today.
“Are you curious as to why that old fart would listen to me?” Xia Sheng asked with a smile, seemingly able to guess the doubts in Yang Kai’s heart.
Yang Kai nodded.
Xia Sheng explained, “The nine top cultivation rooms generally won’t be full as the disciples of our three Sects will generally choose to enter retreat in their own Sects. Since the cultivation rooms are going to be empty anyway though, the Stewards here privately find cultivators in need to rent out the rooms to, or use them privately for their own descendants instead. Just like that, our temple’s remaining room had been occupied by them. Normally I wouldn’t be bothered about something so minor, but since Junior Brother wants to use it, I can’t let them have it for nothing.”
“I understand now,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Let’s go, I’ll bring you over,” Xia Sheng said and walked off.
While the three were walking to the room, they saw two people walking over from the front. One of them was Yao Li, and the other person following him had a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator who had a face filled with anger and helplessness at the moment. When they saw each other, that cultivator shot Yang Kai and Bian Yu Qing a hateful glare before quickly looking away again.
This man had spent a lot of effort to buy a spot in the top cultivation room from Yao Li, and had gone through many difficulties before he was able to enter a deeper level of cultivation. It had been less than ten days, though, before he was interrupted by Yao Li, telling him that someone wanted to use the room and that he couldn’t cultivate inside. How could he not be angry at that?
But he didn’t dare to direct his anger at Yao Li or Yang Kai. Neither of these two were characters he could easily provoke, so he could only choke down his anger. There was no need to mention how vexing it was for him.
Fortunately, Yao Li assured him that if there was another free room, then he would still allow him inside to cultivate for the allotted time, so his loss wouldn’t be too big.
As they brushed past each other, Yao Li was still smiling and nodding at Xia Sheng and the others as if nothing was wrong.
Soon after, the trio arrived before a stone door and Xia Sheng held out a token while pouring his Emperor Qi into it, waving it lightly to open the door.
Light suddenly emerged from the space inside, quickly spreading around like a prairie fire. In the blink of an eye, the entire stone room was filled with a warm light.
Xia Sheng said, “Generally, the use period for each cultivation room is one month, which is no exception even for Core Disciples of our three Sects, but Junior Brother can use it for two months.”
Yang Kai asked, “Will that make things difficult for you?”
Xia Sheng smiled, “Their asses aren’t clean either, so Senior Brother isn’t afraid of them.” While speaking, he patted Yang Kai’s shoulder and urged earnestly, “Cultivate properly and don’t mess around!”
Bian Yu Qing’s face suddenly became a little unnatural.
How could she not understand what Xia Sheng meant by this?
“Go on,” Xia Sheng smiled.
Yang Kai cupped his fists and entered the stone room with Bian Yu Qing. Soon, the stone door was shut and the entire room became isolated.
“Such rich World Energy!” Bian Yu Qing walked to the centre of the stone room and took a deep breath, her eyes filled with amazement.
She had never in her life felt such intense World Energy before. Not only was it dense, but it was also extremely pure. Looking around, the entire stone room was visibly filled with World Energy, as if they were currently standing in a light cloud. Simply breathing in, Bian Yu Qing felt a sense of pleasure from every inch of her body.
No wonder the disciples of top Sects all cultivated so quickly. Their cultivation environments were simply too different, incomparable to what small Sects could offer.
If she cultivated here for two months, then her fifty percent chance of breaking through would likely increase by another ten percent.
“Here, these are for you.” Yang Kai tossed out a large pile of Source Crystals onto the ground.
Bian Yu Qing was shocked when she saw them and couldn’t help shouting, “High-Rank Source Crystals!”
And, from how large the pile was, there were at least a million of them here.
A million High-Rank Source Crystals, that was equivalent to at least a hundred million Mid-Rank Source Crystals or ten billion Low-Rank Source Crystals! Yang Kai’s gift stunned Bian Yu Qing. It had to be known that previously, she and Kou Wu had taken out all of their resources just to buy a single Sapphire Entry Token, which was worth a measly 20 million Mid-Rank Source Crystals, incomparable to what Yang Kai just offered her.
“That’s too much!” Bian Yu Qing hurriedly said, “Besides, you helped me sell that Sapphire Entry Token for forty million Mid-Rank Source Crystals already. That alone is enough, I don’t have any use for this.”
“Just keep them,” Yang Kai waved his hand, “High-Rank Source Crystals are more effective to cultivate with, and this much is still within my means.”
Bian Yu Qing opened her mouth, but she really had no idea what to say. She simply ended up owing him too much during their encounter this time. She made up her mind that she had to break through to the Emperor Realm no matter what, otherwise she would not be able to live up to not only Kou Wu’s sacrifice, but also Yang Kai’s generosity. As long as she could reach the Emperor Realm, she could join that Sect of his and help out. She had the experience of managing a Sect before, so she just happened to be able to offer some assistance in that regard. It wasn’t a problem that the Sect was small. If they take the steps to develop themselves properly, then there would be a day when they could grow strong.
Silently, she sat down cross-legged before saying, “I’m sorry you have to be stuck with me here for two months…”
Yang Kai smiled, “This place can’t trap me. Just focus on your retreat, I’ll come back again in two months to see you. En, I’ll be going now.”
Saying so, Yang Kai reached his hand out in front of him and Space Principles surged, causing ripples in the air in front of him that spread out gently in all directions.
Yang Kai stepped into the ripples and his body vanished mysteriously. Only his voice was left echoing in Bian Yu Qing’s ears, “Don’t doubt yourself. Breaking through to the Emperor Realm isn’t as hard as you think it is.”
Bian Yu Qing was lost in thought for a while before she exclaimed, “Space Principles!”
After Yang Kai had stepped into the ripples, his figure disappeared mysteriously without a trace. No doubt this was something that only Masters proficient in the Dao of Space could achieve. This was a legendary technique that Bian Yu Qing never thought she would be able to witness one day.
A short moment later, she withdrew the shock in her heart, calmed her breathing, and cleared her mind of distractions before shutting her eyes and beginning to cultivate.
…..
Outside of Spirit Lake City, a space in the air suddenly became unstable. Following that, a figure appeared from the Void.
A cultivator just happened to pass by, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw this sight. He thought he had seen a ghost in the daylight and quickly rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again there was nothing there anymore, as if the person he saw just now was just a figment of his imagination.
That cultivator instantly began to doubt his surroundings and quickly flew off, not daring to stay any longer.
A short distance outside of Maplewood City, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared in front of a tranquil manor.
A young girl about the age of sixteen or seventeen stood in front of the residence, sweeping up leaves with gentle movements while her hair swayed lightly in the wind. At the same time, there were sounds of shouting from inside the manor, as if someone was practising their techniques.
After Yang Kai swept the residence with his Divine Sense to inspect the situation inside, a stone instantly lifted from his heart.
This place was the Zhang Family, Ruo Xi’s home. After leaving for so many years, and with so many changes happening to both Maplewood City and Spirit Lake City, the area nearby was now filled with countless Masters. Bloody fights were constantly breaking out each day, and Yang Kai was worried that something might have happened to the Zhang Family.
If that had happened, Ruo Xi would be devastated.
Now, it seemed that even though the Zhang Family lacked a powerful Master to shelter it, they were still able to live in peace, passing the years calmly as always.
“Who… Who are you looking for?” The young girl who was sweeping the floor was startled to see Yang Kai appear all of a sudden and asked apprehensively while staring at him with her big black eyes, her hands gripping nervously onto her broom.
It had been almost ten years since Yang Kai took Ruo Xi out from the Zhang Family, and this young girl was only around sixteen years old. Even if she could still vaguely remember some things from that time, she couldn’t remember them clearly, so she naturally couldn’t recognize Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately put on a harmless smile and said affably, “I’m looking for Old Lady Zhang.”
“Grandmother?” The young girl tilted her head and asked.
“That’s right. Could you please inform her that Yang Kai seeks an audience with her?” Yang Kai smiled.
Even though he could simply walk in to visit a place as trivial as the Zhang Family, this was still Ruo Xi’s home, so Yang Kai naturally had to show proper etiquette.
“You’re Senior Yang?” The young girl’s eyes suddenly lit up and she looked at Yang Kai with both surprise and joy.
“You remember me?” Yang Kai was a little surprised.
The girl shook her head, but then nodded. Yang Kai had no idea what she was trying to express by that, but he could see how happy she looked, and in the next moment, she tossed away the broom in her hands, ran up to him, and grabbed his arm before pulling him into the manor.
“Grandmother, Grandmother!”
The quiet in the manor was broken by the echo of the young girl’s crisp voice.
The manor was not too big, so as soon as the girl shouted, the entire Zhang Family was alerted and a few figures flew over from various directions.