Having a bad premonition, Zhu Qing quickly changed the subject, “So where is he now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know. We were all caught by the Frozen Tide when it came and brought us into a Sealed World. I also got separated from him then, but he should not be in any danger, so no need to worry about him.”
“A Sealed World!” Zhu Qing was shocked. She recalled the hazy feeling she had before and realized now that the feeling of being caught up in an overpowering crisis was her being sucked into a Sealed World. Looking around, she asked, “Is this the Sealed World? It actually looks quite pleasant.”
The Sealed World Bead was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day with abundant World Energy, so it was a nice place, especially after Yang Kai’s trip to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda which fundamentally changed this Sealed World. This was a completely Self-Contained World, one with a perfect set of World Principles, a true paradise.
“Haha.”
Yang Kai shook his head while chuckling, “This isn’t that Sealed World, this is a different one. One that belongs to me… Hm?”
Suddenly, he turned his head towards a certain direction as if he’d discovered something unusual.
Zhu Qing asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before saying, “I have something interesting to show you.”
He suddenly grabbed towards a direction. Zhu Qing was watching wide-eyed in curiosity when a pitch-black object that resembled a puppy suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.
When the little puppy appeared, it barked a few times, seemingly out of fright, but its tail was wagging and filled with energy. Its weak appearance from before had completely disappeared.
“Where’d this little demon come from? It’s so ugly.” Zhu Qing gazed at the black puppy, then she glanced at Yang Kai, teasing, “Just like you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s no ordinary little demon.”
“What’s so special about it?” Zhu Qing frowned.
“You’re a member of the Dragon Clan, so if you examine it carefully…” Yang Kai said while lifting up the black puppy to his face.
After hearing Yang Kai’s voice, the black puppy seemed to have settled down. It stared at him with its black eyes, panting with a fawning expression, its saliva flowing down its big tongue, looking incredibly mangy.
Zhu Qing finally noticed something unusual and said hesitantly, “It seems to have some sort of powerful bloodline. It’s just not very pure though.”
The Dragon Clan’s core was its bloodline, so their knowledge on the subject was naturally quite profound. After having its Abyssal Returner bloodline awoken by Gong Yue’s Secret Technique, some traces were left behind in the black puppy, which was what Zhu Qing discovered its bloodline from.
“It’s a descendant of a Demon Beast, the Abyssal Returner. Heard of it?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Qing shook her head, confused.
“It was my first time hearing about it too, but I’ve seen how powerful it is first hand,” while speaking, Yang Kai shook the black puppy, “Little brat, show us your skills.”
“Wang wang!”
“Don’t play dumb. Do that same move you did before. The one where your mouth opens up all of a sudden. If you dare refuse, I’ll cook you into a stew and eat you!”
“Wang wang!”
Zhu Qing palmed her forehead, “Its sentience hasn’t opened yet. With such low sentience, it wouldn’t understand if you talk to it that way.”
Yang Kai smiled deviously, “Whether it understands or not, it knows in its heart, but… Forget it, if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it. You’re quite the lucky one aren’t you, you actually survived.”
Saying so, Yang Kai let go. At once, the black puppy fell to the ground. Turning its head to look at Yang Kai, then at Zhu Qing, it plodded to Yang Kai’s feet and laid down.
Zhu Qing covered her mouth and laughed, “It seems to like you.”
“It’s just acting cute!” Yang Kai kicked the little puppy, but it remained unmoved.
Yang Kai ignored it and looked up at Zhu Qing, “Let’s get out of here first. We have to find out what this place is. Who knows whether we’ll be able to return to the Star Boundary or not.”
“It’s not that serious, right? Aren’t you proficient in the Dao of Space?” Zhu Qing felt that Yang Kai was exaggerating the situation, but she didn’t feel any sense of crisis at all. She felt that as long as she was with this man, she would be fine regardless of where she was.
Yang Kai grinned and with a thought, he brought Zhu Qing out of the Small Sealed World with him.
When they returned back to the cave, Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing with amusement, “Want me to carry you on my back? Who knows what sort of place this is? We have to find out whether there are people here or not and try to get some information.”
Zhu Qing blushed, “I’m not that weak.”
As she spoke, she took the lead and walked out of the cave. Even though she walked at a light pace, she seemed to be frowning after each step.
Yang Kai grinned mischievously before suddenly frowning and muttering “You’re so annoying.”
Zhu Qing’s tender body quivered as her beautiful face lost colour, “You’re finding me annoying so soon?”
Yang Kai quickly explained, “No no, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about this guy.”
At the end of his sentence, a bark emerged. The black puppy had been thrown out of the Sealed World Bead and began barking angrily at Yang Kai as soon as it reached the ground, seemingly asking why Yang Kai didn’t take it with him.
“Alright, alright, stop barking. If you keep barking, I’m tossing you back inside!” Yang Kai threatened it with an impatient expression.
The black puppy’s barking stopped abruptly and then it ran out in a flash, passing Zhu Qing, being the first to rush out of the cave. From then on, as high as the skies were tall and as far as the seas were wide, the puppy was free to roam around.
Zhu Qing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Yang Kai came over and embraced her, drawing a slight struggle that did not persist long.
As soon as they came out of the cave, they were greeted with a world covered in white. At first glance, it didn’t look much different from the Frozen Earth, but both Yang Kai and Zhu Qing knew it was not.
That was because the cold that even the two of them could not resist did not exist here.
“Wang wang!” The black puppy’s barking suddenly rang out, seemingly in a panic as if something terrible had happened.
Yang Kai scanned the area with his Divine Sense, and he soon showed a look of pleasant surprise. No doubt Zhu Qing sensed it too, and since she wasn’t used to being so intimate with Yang Kai in front of people, she quietly put some distance between them.
A black shadow flashed by as the black puppy returned.
Two figures followed behind it, one man and one woman, both emitting strong auras from their bodies.
When they saw Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, the man and woman were clearly shocked. That was because they clearly did not detect the aura of any living people despite carefully checking this area before. They had no idea when these two people had appeared.
If they were enemies… Both of them let out a cold sweat inwardly.
The black puppy swiftly hid behind Yang Kai.
Yang Kai went up to them and cupped his fists, “Greetings, two friends.”
The cultivations of the man and woman weren’t bad, but they were only Dao Source Realm, so Yang Kai did not pay them too much mind. Only, since it was a rare encounter with living people in this area, he naturally wanted to quickly get some information from them.
The man and woman looked at each other before the man cupped his fists in return, frowning, “Is this little beast owned by the two of you?”
As a Dao Source Realm cultivator, his face did not change despite facing an Emperor Realm Master like Yang Kai. Instead, there was a questioning look on his face which made Yang Kai raise his brow in surprise. Such a thing was not common in the Star Boundary unless the other person had some strong background. From the way these two were dressed, they didn’t seem like the important type. They just looked like ordinary cultivators.
As a newcomer though, Yang Kai decided to do as the locals did and smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Ah Wang’s sentience hasn’t opened yet so he’s a bit naughty. If he offended you, then I must beg for your pardon.”
The man shook his head before he swept his Divine Sense past Yang Kai to examine the black puppy for a while before saying, “I must have seen wrong. It did not offend me or my wife. It was just a misunderstanding. May I ask who you are?”
“Yang Kai!” In this foreign land, there was no need for him to hide his name.
Right at that moment, the woman who had been standing beside the man quietly sent him a Divine Sense message. The man looked stunned for a moment before looking at Yang Kai in amazement, “Are the two of you from outside?”
If not for his wife, then he would likely have missed this point. That was because the two people in front of him were dressed slightly differently from themselves.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “Indeed, we are from the outside.”
The man nodded, “It has been a long time since someone new has come in. It seems like your luck is not so good.”
“I was just about to ask. What exactly is this place?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
The man explained, “This place is called Revolving World.”
“Revolving World?” Yang Kai frowned, but just as he was about to ask more questions, the man hurriedly said, “If you want to live, then come with me. There’s not much time left.”
“Not much time?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The man did not have any intention to explain though and after his statement, he turned around and flew off in another direction. His expression looked quite anxious.
It was the first time Yang Kai had met a Dao Source Realm cultivator with such a curt temper. Not only was he able to speak so confidently in front of an Emperor Realm Master, he even kept an aloof attitude with him, but at the very least, he was a clue, so Yang Kai couldn’t just break off with him. After exchanging glances with Zhu Qing, the pair immediately followed.
Since both of them were strong, they naturally weren’t afraid of meagre Dao Source Realm cultivators plotting against them.
In a flash, they began following the couple while the black puppy nimbly bit onto Yang Kai’s clothes and followed him around without letting go, trying its best not to be thrown off. Despite the strong winds, it still didn’t loosen its jaw.
Seeing how pitiful it looked, Zhu Qing fished it over.
Quick as lightning, the group of four soon came to a certain mountain. At first glance, it didn’t seem like much, but upon closer inspection, there were traces of some Secret Technique left on the wall in front of them.
The man in the lead took out a mirror and shot out a profound light onto the wall.
At once, a cave large enough for two people to pass through appeared.
Only after the group of four entered the cave passage did the man and woman exhale gently, seemingly relieved.
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Why are we in such a hurry?”
The man led the way while explaining, “Because soon, the World Principles will change. That is when the Demons will come out and it becomes very dangerous outside. No one will be able to survive in that environment.”
“The World Principles will change?” Yang Kai was shocked, wondering if he had misheard him.
World Principles were what made a world a world, the fundamental laws and building blocks of everything that existed, it was simply impossible for them to ‘change’ in such a short amount of time, unless the end of the world was coming. And yet, the way this man spoke sounded absolutely certain, very much unlike a lie. Nevertheless, it was simply too hard to believe.
“Hurry up, what are you still dawdling over there for?”
A shout suddenly came from the depths of the cave. Yang Kai raised his brow as he didn’t think there would actually be people inside this cave.
After hearing the man’s urging, the couple hurriedly went deeper into the cave. Shooting a glance at Zhu Qing, Yang Kai quickly followed them.
A small light was lit, and within a not so spacious stone room, a middle-aged man stood with a gloomy look on his face, seemingly waiting for something.
“Liao Guan Shi.” The man who led Yang Kai here went up to him and cupped his fists to salute the man in a respectful manner.
Meanwhile, that Liao Guan Shi didn’t even look at him and was just staring curiously at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing who had followed the couple in before asking in surprise, “Why are there two extra people? Where did they come from? They don’t look very familiar.”
The man responded, “They seem to have strayed in from the outside world and happened to run into us, so we brought them here as well.”
“From the outside?” Liao Guan Shi clicked his tongue in awe. He continued observing the two unfamiliar faces. When he looked at Yang Kai, he showed no special reaction, but when his eyes steered to Zhu Qing, they couldn’t help but light up, revealing a look of interest.
Zhu Qing was a natural beauty, and after receiving the nourishment of the dew during the past few days, she was currently at her most tender and beautiful state, so she appeared especially charming.
Zhu Qing wore her usual cold expression on her face, but even though she did not like being stared at in such a way, she did not get angry. Yang Kai’s body moved in front of her at that moment, blocking the man’s view.
Liao Guan Shi coldly snorted, looking unhappy, “These outsiders not knowing the rules is acceptable.” He raised his head to the man, “But it can’t be that the two of you don’t either, can it?”
The man quickly answered, “I will be troubling Liao Guan Shi.”
Only then did Liao Guan Shi’s face clear up a little before beckoning the couple over.
After both of them stepped forward, Liao Guan Shi suddenly began chanting under his breath and circulating the energy in his body. Then, fingers erected like a sword, he tapped several points on the man’s body in mid-air.
Yang Kai was stunned at this, because he actually saw some traces of a Shamanic Spell in this Liao Guan Shi’s techniques. Curiosity piqued, he couldn’t help but observe carefully.
In just a short while, a complicated seal suddenly appeared in the air. Liao Guan Shi struck his palm out, and the seal was thrust into the man’s body. The seal seemed to have other purposes and was not an attack. After his figure swayed slightly, the man was fine.
When it was the woman’s turn, there was a rare smile on Liao Guan Shi’s cold face. Instead, it was the woman who had a nervous look on her face. She glanced at her husband, as if pleading for help.
The man slowly shook his head and lowered his gaze.
Liao Guan Shi did the same thing to her, but this time, his hands were a little less well-mannered. When he was pointing out the spots with his fingers, he would touch the woman’s body from time to time, and when his fingers brushed past the woman’s full peaks, it caused her tender body to shudder.
The man ignored all this and stood to the side, watching them without turning his gaze away.
Liao Guan Shi was now in a joyful mood and the movements of his hand grew more and more unruly, causing the woman’s face to look more and more terrible, yet she had no choice but to endure it.
In just a short while, another seal was drawn and Liao Guan Shi thrust it into the woman’s body a little reluctantly before leisurely withdrawing his hand. Only then did the woman’s stiff body relax and she glanced at her husband with a look of chagrin.
Turning his head to Yang Kai, Liao Guan Shi’s face immediately cooled down, “Since you come from the outside, let me tell you about the rules here.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile, “Please enlighten me.”
Liao Guan Shi explained, “In a moment, the World Principles will change. Other than the Human Imperial City, there will be no safe place in the entire Revolving World. So, if you want to live, then you have to go to Human Imperial City. Got that?”
“Understood. We must head to Human Imperial City!” Yang Kai looked enlightened.
Liao Guan Shi continued, “And, if you wish to enter Human Imperial City, then you must receive the Human Sovereign Seal from this Guan Shi. Only those with the Human Sovereign Seal can be transported to Human Imperial City through the array. So, there is only one rule in this place… The Heavens and the Earth are great, but this Guan Shi is the greatest!”
Liao Guan Shi swung his sleeves and stood with his hands crossed behind his back, shouting, “This Guan Shi asks you, do you want to live or die?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Naturally, if I can live then I want to live.”
Liao Guan Shi nodded, “Seems you’re a student who can be taught. Come, let me apply the Human Sovereign Seal to you.”
Yang Kai stepped forward, but Liao Guan Shi waved him away with a repugnant look, “Women first. You stand aside.”
Yang Kai frowned and did not insist. As he stood aside, he said, “I must ask Liao Guan Shi to please be careful. My wife’s temper is not very good.”
Liao Guan Shi coldly snorted, “She better be smart if she wants to live!”
After saying that, he began chanting another spell. Fingers forming a blade, he tapped several points in front of Zhu Qing’s body, seemingly drawing something in mid-air. At first, his hands were still behaving, but in just a moment, the movements of his hand grew wider, and when he swung his fingers next, they brushed right over Zhu Qing’s chest, and his expression that instant also swelled with excitement. He was clearly anticipating something.
Zhu Qing suddenly looked up and glared coldly at him.
Liao Guan Shi was taken aback, but the movements of his fingers did not stop. It seemed he fully intended to take advantage of this situation.
“Wang!”
“Ah!”
A bark and a man’s scream broke out at the same time. The black puppy that had been in Zhu Qing’s arms the whole time suddenly opened its mouth and bit Liao Guan Shi’s hand. Even though its mouth was clearly not very big, it was able to swallow Liao Guan Shi’s entire hand, its sharp teeth sinking deep into his wrist, drawing a spray of fresh blood.
Liao Guan Shi howled in pain, but the black puppy refused to let go. It shook its head left and right, seemingly trying to bite the man’s hand off while a threatening growl was emitted from its mouth.
“Let go! Let go of me! This little beast is courting death!!” Liao Guan Shi cursed angrily, but he could not break free. Out of desperation, he slapped a palm fiercely towards the black puppy, and as energy fluctuated, rumbling thunder and flashing lightning emerged in the cave.
Flicking his wrist gently, Yang Kai released a burst of Emperor Qi.
Liao Guan Shi let out another miserable howl and his extended arm dropped limply.
“You… How dare you attack me!” Liao Guan Shi turned his head to glare in hatred at Yang Kai, grinding his teeth and hissing. It had been a long time since he encountered such a thing. He had always been the one to order people around and act as he pleased. He never expected to actually kick an iron plate this time.
This all happened in the blink of an eye. The couple who brought Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were also shocked. When he saw Liao Guan Shi eating a loss, the man quickly said, “Stop! Do not hurt him!”
The woman finally spoke up as well, “Don’t fight with him. You’ll only regret it.” This was the first time she spoke, her voice panicked beyond expression.
Liao Guan Shi quickly said to them, “Hurry up and kill those two! Otherwise, this Guan Shi will condemn both of you!”
The couple was both dumbfounded when they heard that, and their faces paled as if a great disaster had befallen them. For a moment, they were at a loss of what to do.
“You sure are arrogant!” Yang Kai went up to Liao Guan Shi and stared at him curiously, “Tell me, what gives you the right to act so haughty? As a trivial First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator actually dares act unruly in front of this Young Master?”
Liao Guan Shi’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat as he tried to struggle several times, but was still unable to break free from the black puppy’s restraint. Seeing how he was really stuck, he instead sneered and scoffed, “What right? By the right of me being a Steward, by the right of controlling the Human Sovereign Seal!”
Yang Kai turned his head over to the couple, “Just because of that Human Sovereign Seal? That’s why you choke down your voices even when you’re being bullied? This guy probably isn’t even as strong as you two, right?”
The man lowered his head, “Without the Human Sovereign Seal, we won’t be able to enter Human Imperial City. If we can’t enter Human Imperial City, we’ll only die!”
Yang Kai scoffed, “What joy is there in life, and what is there worth fearing in death? You’re a man, aren’t you? If you won’t resist even when your wife is being molested in front of you, then you’re better off just dying.” He turned to Zhu Qing and winked at her, “Qing’er, rest assured. I, your husband, will not let you lose a hair even if I die.”
Zhu Qing scowled, “Don’t try to be slick with me. I didn’t even see you make a move just now.”
Yang Kai was amused, “He’s nothing but trash. You could take care of him with just a breath. You didn’t need my help at all.”
Zhu Qing grunted but didn’t say anything more.
The man was extremely humiliated by Yang Kai’s words, but the woman went over to him and tugged on his hand before turning to Yang Kai, “You’re new here so don’t talk nonsense when you don’t know what you’re talking about. You better let go of Liao Guan Shi as soon as possible, otherwise, you’ll never be able to establish any foothold in Human Imperial City.”
Liao Guan Shi became energized and shouted, “Newcomers always have to suffer some losses to learn the rules! Release me now, otherwise, this Guan Shi will give you a death without burial!”
Yang Kai laughed, “And you’re going to make concessions if we let you go?”
Liu Guan Shi said, “Don’t even think about it. This Guan Shi is the Human Sovereign’s subordinate. If you dare to hurt this Guan Shi, then Human Imperial City won’t accept you! Your woman, on the other hand… If you surrender her to this Guan Shi, then perhaps we can work out a way for you to survive.”
“You seem… a bit messed up in the head.” Yang Kai looked at him with a speechless face. Even at death’s door, he was still trying to threaten him. He really had no idea what this guy was thinking inside.
Zhu Qing called out, “Ah Wang, bite him!”
The black puppy heeded her order and suddenly split its mouth into a giant maw, swallowing Liao Guan Shi into his stomach with one gulp before sticking its big tongue out to lick its lips, as if it still hadn’t had enough.
As this was her first time seeing the black puppy’s Divine Ability, Zhu Qing was stunned. She had only wanted the black puppy to bite the man harder, but she never thought he would swallow him directly instead.
What kind of Divine Ability was this?
When the couple saw this, their faces changed and they said in horror as they shouted, “Demon Beast! It’s really a Demon Beast!”
The reason why they chased after the black puppy previously was that they had detected some Demon Beast aura from it, but after a quick inspection, they confirmed that it was just their imagination. But now, it seemed like they weren’t mistaken. The black puppy’s Demon Qi had merely been hidden too deeply and only when it suddenly struck out using its strange innate ability was there a clear surge of Demon Qi, which they recognized at once.
Yang Kai gave them a curious glance, “You know about Demon Beasts?”
The man immediately shielded his wife behind him and looked warily at Yang Kai, “Are you a member of the Demon Race?”
“Hm?” Now Yang Kai was truly surprised this time. This man was able to say the words ‘Demon Beast’ and they actually knew about the Demon Race as well, which seemed very unusual.
The man became even warier of him and gritted his teeth, “Did you come from Demon Fury City?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea what this Demon Fury City is, nor am I a member of any Demon Race. This is most likely a misunderstanding…”
But he suddenly frowned as he spoke, and the reason for that was because he suddenly felt the world shake. The Word Principles filling their surroundings seemed to have begun distorting and changing. He looked over to Zhu Qing, who also showed a look of astonishment.
The World Principles had really begun to change, and it had to be a big change for such obvious signs to appear.
“Kill us.” The man’s face went ashen. He no longer had any hope to live. Liao Guan Shi was devoured by a Demon Beast, and two powerful Demon Race-like Masters suddenly appeared in front of them. They had no way out of this and he could only hold onto his wife tight with the hope that he could enjoy a moment of warmth before death’s approach.
“It’s easy to die if that’s what you want. There’s no need for me to do anything.” Yang Kai walked up to the front of an array. The only thing inside of this cave was this array that was erected here, so it was particularly conspicuous. Pointing to it, he asked, “Can we teleport to Human Imperial City with this?”
The man looked over with a bleak gaze, nodding, “Yes.”
Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and investigated it briefly before mumbling, “It’s a Space Array, but something about it seems different.”
The man said, “It’s no use. If you want to activate the array, you have to have the Human Sovereign Seal.”
“Don’t you have the Human Sovereign Seal? Why don’t you go?” Yang Kai turned to look at them.
The man explained, “It has to be the Human Sovereign Seal that Liao Guan Shi has, which is naturally a primary seal. Only the primary seal can activate the array for teleportation. What we have is only a secondary seal, there’s no way it can activate the array.”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai nodded to express his understanding.
Having seen no action from Yang Kai, and instead finding him studying the array seriously instead, the man asked hesitantly, “Are you really not from the Demon Race?”
Yang Kai asked him while studying the array, “There are Demons in this world?”
The man spoke, “Yes. Our Human Race and the Demon Race are on opposing sides, but we have coexisted in this world for countless years. It’s true you don’t look like a Demon, but why do you have a… Demon Beast?”
Yang Kai did not answer his question. The origins of the black puppy were a little strange, and also a little troublesome to explain, so he changed the subject, “Despite coexisting with Demons, it’s amazing you’re still alive.”
The man explained, “Human Imperial City shelters us. Without Human Imperial City, there’s no way we would still be alive.”
Yang Kai said thoughtfully, “Is it related to the transformation of the World Principles?”
“That’s right. In a short while, the World Principles will change, and when that time comes, our Human Race won’t be able to walk outside safely while the Demon Race can traverse it freely like fish in water. During these times, not a single person dares to leave Human Imperial City, otherwise, if ten were to go, only one would make it back alive.”
“Then, previously, the World Principles were suitable for the survival of the Human Race, forcing the Demon Race onto the defensive?”
“That’s how it is.”
“What a mysterious world.” Yang Kai had an astonished expression on his face.
The man smiled bitterly, “We have been here since birth. No one knows why this world is like this. Perhaps, only Lord Human Sovereign has some insight into the matter.”
“Lord Human Sovereign huh…” Yang Kai heard the man mention this title several times and he couldn’t help but pry, “Is he the ruler of Human Imperial City?”
The man answered solemnly, “Naturally, he’s the leader of the Human Race! He watches over Human Imperial City and protects all Humans!” His words were filled with respect, seemingly holding this Human Sovereign in high esteem.
Yang Kai smiled and continued studying the Spirit Array.
Signs of the World Principles’ transformation were becoming clearer and clearer and a large amount of Demon Qi had begun manifesting in the surrounding air, as well as other strange phenomena. The couple had already circulated their energy to form a protective layer around themselves, but it looked like they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. Once the protection was broken, they would immediately be corrupted by the Demon Qi and undergo demonification.
Zhu Qing was a member of the Dragon Clan, so she didn’t feel much of a threat even in this environment; however, she still circulated her Dragon Qi lightly in order to dissolve the corruption of the encroaching Demon Qi.
The black puppy was the only one whose eyes lit up at these changes and was now constantly sniffing around, appearing quite excited.
It had the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner, which meant it was a descendant of an Ancient Demon Beast to begin with, so it was naturally joyful at the surge of Demon Qi.
“Alright, all of you come over.” Yang Kai called them over.
Zhu Qing, carrying the black puppy, walked over and stood beside him.
The couple were hesitant as the man asked, “What are you trying to do?”
“Teleport to Human Imperial City.”
The man was shocked, “You don’t even have the Human Sovereign Seal, how do you plan to enter Human Imperial City?”
Yang Kai snickered, “Who told you that you can’t go to Human Imperial City without that Human Sovereign Seal thing? If you keep hesitating, it’ll be too late. Do you want to live or die?”
The man was still hesitant, but the woman gave him a tug.
Finally, they made up their minds and nodded, “Alright. I’ll trust you this once.”
Yang Kai grinned, “I hope you can keep Liao Guan Shi’s matter a secret.”
The man smiled bitterly, “We gain no benefit from exposing you, only harm. Besides… Human Imperial City has its own way to figure out the truth. In fact, I think it’s better if you don’t go to Human Imperial City. If you really do enter, even if you’re strong, it’ll still be useless.”
“We can’t say that for sure!” As he said that, Yang Kai’s face turned solemn, and his Space Principles began to ripple out.
The four of them were standing on top of a Space Array that was connected to Human Imperial City, and under normal circumstances, they had to receive the Human Sovereign Seal from a Steward like Liao Guan Shi, then have him activate the Space Array to teleport them.
But these tedious steps were merely a disguise. It was just a means for Human Imperial City to control the Human Race, and such trickery was easily dismantled in front of Yang Kai, who was well versed in the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai used his Space Principles to connect to the other side of the Space Array directly, eliminating the need for the Human Sovereign Seal altogether.
As a light flashed, the couple were both wide-eyed. They could hardly believe that the Space Array was really working, and for a moment, they were both overjoyed. It felt as if they had been pulled back from death’s door.
Due to extreme changes of the World Principles around them, the World Energy had become flooded with Demon Qi, which was hardly suitable for a Human to survive under. Even if they were strong enough to temporarily resist the encroaching Demon Qi, they would eventually run out of strength if they remained under such circumstances for too long. When that happened, they would be completely corrupted by the Demon Qi, lose their sanity, and turn into Demons.
A moment later, the light inside the cave vanished and the four people on the Spirit Array disappeared.
…..
Noise suddenly poured in from all directions, which made them feel a little uncomfortable.
Yang Kai looked around and discovered that the four of them had arrived in a prosperous city with a giant Space Array beneath their feet. There was a constant stream of new figures appearing on top of the Spirit Array of varying levels of cultivation, each with different expressions on their faces. Some overlooked the world with joy while others had gloomy expressions, still others were badly injured and hissing in pain.
Quite evidently, these people were just like Yang Kai and his group. They had just returned from the outside to escape from the changes in the World Principles.
Yang Kai even saw the presence of many Emperor Realm Masters around them.
So, the four of them were not too conspicuous as they stood on top of this huge array.
The entire city seemed particularly prosperous with crowds of people brushing past each other in an endless stream. There were stores set up everywhere, selling all kinds of the world’s specialties, the calls of vendors reaching the ears of those passing by. It was almost like being thrown into a marketplace of the mortal world.
It was a first for Zhu Qing to arrive at such a lively place, so she couldn’t help but look around with a bit of surprise.
Well-dressed guards were walking through the streets, marching neatly in their uniforms. One could tell at a glance that these were the protectors of order in Human Imperial City.
But the cultivation of these guards wasn’t very high. The one leading the team was a First-Order Emperor while the rest were all Dao Source Realm cultivators. However, no matter how strong the cultivators on the streets were, they all avoided them as if they were snakes and scorpions, seemingly quite afraid of them.
Yang Kai even clearly saw a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master move out of their way.
Seniority in this world seemed to not be distinguished by cultivation realm. The couple they met before were clearly weaker than them in terms of cultivation, yet they did not have the respect a weaker cultivator would generally hold for a Master. This was even more obvious with that Liao Guan Shi. His cultivation could hardly match any of theirs, yet he was still able to boss the couple around while they were powerless to fight back.
There were people flying in the sky, but not many, and their cultivation levels were also diverse.
“This is goodbye. Take care, you two.” The man seemed to be in a hurry to separate from Yang Kai and Zhu Qing so as not to be dragged into their troubles, and that was why he immediately bid farewell after composing himself.
Sensing his thoughts, Yang Kai gave him a casual response.
The woman suddenly said, “A piece of advice for the two of you. Those with the leaf emblem embroidered on their chests are not to be offended. The more leaves there are, the nobler their identity. This is not your original world and we do not follow the law of the jungle here. In addition, Liao Guan Shi’s death likely cannot be concealed for long. It’s best if you two leave Human Imperial City once the World Principles change again.”
“Many thanks.” Yang Kai smiled.
When the woman was just about to say something else, the man had already dragged her into the crowd, and they soon disappeared.
“What an interesting world.” Yang Kai looked around with great curiosity.
The entire Human Imperial City seemed to be enveloped by a giant, magnificent barrier. This was even more obvious as the changes in the World Principles in the outside world could not be felt inside of Human Imperial City in the slightest. The Principles here seemed much closer to those of the Star Boundary. Looking up, the sky seemed to be in chaos, with countless vortices that could swallow one’s sight covering the sky. After staring for a while, it actually made one dizzy.
“Is Zhu Lie here?” Yang Kai turned to Zhu Qing and asked.
Zhu Qing answered, “I need to find a place to perform the Secret Technique to be sure, but I hope he is.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry. He’s pretty strong, so even if he’s out there, he won’t be in any trouble so soon.”
“En.” Zhu Qing gently nodded, subconsciously stroking the black puppy in her arms. Ah Wang felt so comforted that he narrowed his eyes happily. It was not even known whether Liao Guan Shi, who had been swallowed into its stomach, was still alive or not.
“Make way, make way!”
Just as Yang Kai was silently observing his surroundings, an extremely rude shout came from behind him. Turning around to look, he suddenly saw a large number of people emerging from the gigantic Space Array. There were a dozen of them, and each of them had extraordinary levels of cultivation.
The most conspicuous man among the group looked to be in his early twenties. He was handsome and had an arrogant attitude, his sharp eyes containing a sense of majesty that matched well with his extravagant jade-white robes.
The rest of the group scattered around and surrounded him like stars around the moon.
As soon as the group appeared, they immediately began heading in one direction while one cultivator in front led the way, rudely shoving those in his path.
Those that were pushed dared not resist in the slightest, and instead ran aside while shivering in fear.
“It’s His Highness, the Third Imperial Prince, the Third Imperial Prince has returned!”
“Hurry up, kneel down and don’t say anything. Don’t look at him either, it will be over if he sets his eyes on you.”
…..
*Hua la la…*
The crowd fell to their knees in unison. Regardless of gender, age, or strength, with the Space Array as the centre, all cultivators in a thousand-meter radius, no matter what they were doing, all prostrated on the ground to show respect.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
He was curiously observing this so-called Third Imperial Prince when he heard whispers secretly discussing him, wondering to himself what these Imperial Princes were. That was because such titles were only heard of in mortal kingdoms.
Everyone around them was now kneeling though, leaving just Yang Kai and Zhu Qing standing in place. Zhu Qing was even holding a black puppy in her arms, which made her look particularly out of place.
Yang Kai sighed as he knew that things were about to get complicated. He didn’t really want to get into any trouble before he could get a thorough understanding of the situation in this Revolving World and Human Imperial City, but life doesn’t always go as planned. Even without provoking any trouble, trouble would still come to him by itself.
He glanced helplessly at Zhu Qing, who kept a smile at the corner of her eyes.
“Hm?”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s unusual behaviour instantly caught the attention of the Third Prince’s group. The cultivator leading the way swiftly arrived before Yang Kai. This man was tall like an iron pagoda and gave off an oppressive aura as he looked down on Yang Kai from above, shouting, “Boy, why didn’t you kneel down in front of His Highness the Third Imperial Prince?”
As the man spoke, an extremely strong pressure pervaded from his body and crashed down on Yang Kai.
He was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, and seemed to be no stranger to battles as the Emperor Pressure which pulsed from his body had an extremely strong, bloody aura. Ordinary people would surely be frightened upon contact with it, eliminating most thoughts of resistance.
But Yang Kai was unmoved. He still stood in place as if it was merely a light breeze that caused his hair to flutter. He then gazed up at the burly man, “This countryside yokel has never seen the world before and knows little about etiquette, so he hopes this Sir does not blame us. We will leave at once.” As he said that, he was just about to leave with Zhu Qing.
Whether it be the Third Imperial Prince or the other Imperial Princes, it was naturally impossible for them to make him kneel. As for Zhu Qing, that was even more impossible. She was a member of the mighty Dragon Clan, so even in death, it would be impossible to make her kneel. So, it was better for them to leave now lest they cause any more trouble.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he’d hoped. When the burly man saw Yang Kai leaving, he glared at him and shouted “Impudence!”
Like a frenzied bull, the man slammed down his large fan-like palm at Yang Kai, hitting him directly on the shoulder.
There was a loud bang, but Yang Kai’s body remained as stable as a mountain, the violent power travelling through his body and down to his feet, causing the stone slabs on the ground to split into pieces.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes over to glance at the burly man before answering lazily, “What is the meaning of this, Sir?”
The burly man revealed a look of surprise and sneered, “No wonder you’re so arrogant, it seems you have some skill, but it’s a pity that you met me!” As he spoke, the force in his hand became even more violent as the veins on his thick neck bulged. It seemed as if he was trying to use all the strength in his body to crush Yang Kai to the ground.
Yang Kai looked at the rest of the guards only to see them eyeing him with cold faces. It was as if he had broken some taboo and had to be punished for it.
The Third Imperial Prince, on the other hand, had an indifferent look on his face, not showing him much regard. Only when his eyes moved to Zhu Qing was there a flash of amazement in them, but that was all and he didn’t pay her any more attention after that.
Instead, the Third Imperial Prince’s gaze went past the crowd and half of Human Imperial City to stare at a certain point with a fiery look shining in his eyes.
The prince stood there, most likely waiting for his subordinates to teach Yang Kai a lesson to show the inhabitants of Human Imperial City what the price of offending him would be, and to learn to respect him.
The burly man was still putting pressure on Yang Kai. At first, he had a look on his face as if victory was already in his grasp because he could sense that Yang Kai was only a First-Order Emperor as well. Under the circumstance that his opponent shared the same cultivation as him, he wasn’t afraid of any opponent, let alone this little brat in front of him.
But as time went on and his Emperor Qi surged more and more, his face gradually became ugly. That was because no matter how he exerted his strength, he still could not shake the little brat in front of him in the slightest. This boy seemed completely rooted to the ground and didn’t even show any signs of swaying.
A few moments later, the burly man was already red-faced and his neck was bulging. His iron pagoda-like body actually began to shake, clearly running out of energy, but it was as if he were riding a tiger and had no choice but to stand strong.
Unfortunately, he had greatly underestimated his opponent.
Yang Kai’s face grew slightly dark as his gaze crossed over the burly man to look at the Third Imperial Prince, saying, “It’s a virtue to know when to stop.”
The Third Imperial Prince ignored him, eyes still gazing at a certain place in Human Imperial City. It seemed as if his entire mind was immersed into it and could no longer feel anything else.
Yang Kai let out a soft grunt and raised his palm, thrusting it against the burly man.
He had already given the Third Imperial Prince a warning, but since the other man wouldn’t take it seriously, he didn’t need to care about his face. As for what consequences would be incurred if he were to give him a face-slapping here, Yang Kai intended to act first and deal with whatever came later.
Everything happened suddenly, and the burly man clearly did not expect Yang Kai to fight back, so by the time that palm reached him, it was too late to defend. Not to mention that he was fully concentrated on how he was going to suppress Yang Kai, so how could he still gather any strength to defend himself?
Yang Kai’s light palm did not seem threatening, but it caused the burly man’s face to change dramatically when it struck. Just like a paper kite, he was sent flying high into the sky before landing heavily on the ground.
The crowd was shocked, and those kneeling who had peeked up to look at the situation immediately let out a cry of surprise when they saw this scene. Quite apparently, they did not expect to see anything like this either.
To think someone would actually dare to clash with the Third Imperial Prince’s guards in Human Imperial City, and to have done it in front of His Highness. This man was probably out of his mind to do such a foolish thing and the pitiful beauty next to him was going to suffer for this, too. There was no telling what kind of horrible fate awaited her.
Even though the guards of the Third Imperial Prince were shocked by Yang Kai’s counterattack, they reacted quickly. Without a single word, they jumped over, instantly surrounding Yang Kai and Zhu Qing without leaving any gaps.
These guards included a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master and two First-Order Emperors. The rest were all in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, and all of them seemed to possess strong foundations, making it seem as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
Even though Yang Kai had not been here for long, the number and quality of the Emperor Realm Masters in Human Imperial City still amazed him. He had no idea how the cultivators here cultivated, but Emperors actually seemed to be a very common sight here.
This was a luxurious lineup for a group of guards, especially when the Third Imperial Prince himself was also a First-Order Emperor.
The many Masters surrounded him but did not attack, merely waiting for the Third Imperial Prince’s order. As long as the Third Imperial Prince gave the order, they would immediately pounce onto Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, ripping their corpses into ten thousand pieces. Regardless of how strong they were, no one would have a good end if they dared provoke any of Human Imperial City’s Imperial Princes.
Yang Kai remained calm despite being surrounded by these guards though. There was even a cold smile on his lips while Zhu Qing had already leaned over to put the black puppy down, standing quietly beside Yang Kai.
“Did you just arrive from the outside?” The Third Imperial Prince suddenly withdrew his gaze and turned to Yang Kai, asking.
“Is it that obvious?” Yang Kai frowned. He was surprised that this man would ask him this question.
The Third Imperial Prince said indifferently, “If you had spent any amount of time here, you would understand that it is not wise to clash with the Imperial Princes in Human Imperial City.”
Yang Kai grinned, “So that’s how it is. Third Imperial Prince really has good eyes. Indeed, my wife and I have in fact just come from the outside.”
The Third Imperial Prince gently nodded, “Outside has outside rules, but we have our own rules here. I’ll let this matter go this time out of consideration for your ignorance. Hopefully, you’ll be able to follow the customs next time.” After saying that, he gave Yang Kai a deep look before walking straight past him.
When the guards gathered around Yang Kai and Zhu Qing heard their leader speak, they withdrew their intention to continue making things difficult for them and immediately turned around to follow. Even the burly man who had been sent flying by Yang Kai before didn’t look at them as he passed by, just as if he never fought with Yang Kai to begin with.
“That’s right…” The Third Imperial Prince who had already walked a dozen paces away suddenly stopped and said without turning back, “I think you should know that I’m not sparing you just because you have shown enough strength, but because you are a first-time offender. I’m just giving you a chance to reform.”
Yang Kai frowned and squirmed his lips at Zhu Qing.
Even though he didn’t say anything or transmit his voice to her, Zhu Qing still understood what Yang Kai was trying to express, this boy was too full of himself.
Zhu Qing covered her mouth and smiled.
Then, with a *pa…* the Third Imperial Prince snapped his fingers in a seemingly casual manner.
That caused Yang Kai’s face to change abruptly, and he suddenly let out a stifled grunt.
Zhu Qing’s beautiful face lost its colour and she stared nervously at Yang Kai, “You’re bleeding!”
While saying that, she quickly took a silk handkerchief from her Space Ring and placed it under Yang Kai’s nostrils.
Yang Kai accepted the silk handkerchief and held it over his nose, looking at the Third Imperial Prince who was walking away with an incredulous look on his face.
“Why are you bleeding?” Zhu Qing’s eyes were furrowed. She couldn’t figure out what had happened since she had been watching that conflict from beginning to end, but she didn’t find any signs of injury on Yang Kai’s body, yet here he was, bleeding, which was clearly not normal.
“Let’s find a less public place to talk.” Yang Kai had a grave look on his face as he dragged Zhu Qing away.
The inhabitants all throughout Human Imperial City slowly got up and avoided the two of them like they were snakes or scorpions.
Inside a teahouse, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing sat opposite each other with good-quality fragrant tea steeping on the table. The black puppy was lying on a corner of the tea table, sleeping.
“What happened just now?” Zhu Qing asked in a quiet voice. She still had no understanding of how Yang Kai had come to be injured. Even though it wasn’t a serious injury, it still drew blood. To say it was the Third Imperial Prince who made a move didn’t seem too likely either. She couldn’t be any clearer as to how strong Yang Kai was, so how could a trivial First-Order Emperor injure him? And with just a snap of his fingers at that.
If the Third Imperial Prince really had that ability, then he may not be far off from becoming a Great Emperor.
“There’s something strange about this Human Imperial City.” Yang Kai moved the silk handkerchief from his nose. The bleeding had stopped, but the silk handkerchief had been turned into a mess, so he casually put it away.
Zhu Qing was amazed, “It really was the Third Imperial Prince who injured you?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded.
“How could that be?” Zhu Qing’s expression changed slightly, “He couldn’t be hiding his power, could he?” She was shaken inside. What sort of Master could hide their strength so well that even she could not see through it? If there really was such a person, then would that power not be too terrifying?
“No, no, no.” Yang Kai shook his head, “That guy wasn’t hiding his strength. He really is in the First-Order Emperor Realm.”
“Then how…” Zhu Qing’s lips parted slightly.
“How should I say this…” Yang Kai frowned and recalled what he experienced earlier and only after a long pause did he continue, “There’s a powerful force that pervades Human Imperial City, and that Third Imperial Prince seems to be able to control that force at will. The one who hurt me was not the Third Imperial Prince per say, but rather that omnipresent power.”
It was hard to describe, but its meaning was very simple. Naturally, Zhu Qing wouldn’t understand, so she asked in a daze, “So what sort of power is it?”
“I can’t say for sure.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Remember when that woman told us not to mess with those people with leaf emblems on their chests?”
Zhu Qing tapped the table lightly in realization, “There seemed to be a leaf emblem on the Third Imperial Prince’s clothes.”
Yang Kai grinned, “And it was a nine-leaf emblem!” Then, he pointed to the sky, “You may not have noticed, but the guys flying in the sky all had leaf emblems on their chests, just not with the same number.”
Hearing him say so, Zhu Qing quickly released her Divine Sense to check and discovered that it seemed to be true. Regardless of strength, none of those people flying in the sky were ordinary people. All of them had the leaf emblem embroidered in front of their chests.
“These people probably hold a special status in Human Imperial City.” Yang Kai rapped his fingers on the table, “There’s the Human Sovereign and the Imperial Princes here, so I’m guessing… Those guys with the leaf emblems on their chests must be related to this Imperial Family, which gives them some privileges.”
Zhu Qing frowned, “What kind of Imperial Family is this? Aren’t there too many relatives?”
Yang Kai laughed, “That’s why most of those guys only have one or two leaves on their emblem. It’s rare to see a number above five. Take the Third Imperial Prince for example. With nine whole leaves, he seems to be a real powerful figure.”
Zhu Qing said, “I remember now. That Liao Guan Shi from the cave earlier seemed to have an emblem like that too.”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded, “That’s why he could control the Space Array over there, and why he had the Primary Human Sovereign Seal. That couple before had to swallow his insults despite both of them being stronger than him. Tsk… Privilege is a good thing to have, huh?”
“What are you thinking about?” Zhu Qing looked coldly at him.
Yang Kai spoke with a serious face, “What I mean is that only the Imperial Family can mobilize that mysterious power within the city, allowing them to easily defeat stronger opponents. Of course, not everyone who serves the Imperial Family should have that ability, I’m guessing. There may be some restrictions, for example, only those with five leaves and above would have that sort of qualification. The more leaves, the stronger the power that can be mobilized.”
“En. What you say seems to make sense.” Zhu Qing did not think deeply about it. She just thought that there were no problems with what Yang Kai said.
Yang Kai scoffed, “In the end, it’s still the law of the jungle here. Only, some of the people can draw on a special type of power for help, and that power seems to pervade every part of Human Imperial City.”
“Will we be able to resist it?” Zhu Qing asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not sure. Just now, the Third Imperial Prince didn’t use its full power, and I didn’t try to defend either. If we really confront each other, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to resist it. Right now, the most important thing is to figure out what sort of power it is. Only then will we be able to prescribe the right medicine.”
“So, should we ask around about it?” Zhu Qing suggested.
Yang Kai smiled and shook his head, “No need.”
“Why?”
“Because… Someone has sent themselves to our door, silly.” Yang Kai smiled at her.
Zhu Qing snapped at him, “You’re the silly one!” But Yang Kai’s words reminded her that her intelligence seemed to have been lacking since coming into Human Imperial City. If she thought carefully about things, it seemed to be because a sense of reliance had emerged in her heart. So, both her judgement and observation ability had plummeted, which gave her a bad feeling, and yet, she wasn’t repulsed by that feeling.
“This Sir, since you’re here, then come and sit with us. There’s no need to sit there alone with no one to talk to, right?” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to look at a table not far away from them.
Only one guest was sitting at that table, and he looked to be in his fifties. He sported a goatee and had a well-mannered appearance. At first glance, he looked like a scholar of some kind, and with his cultivation withdrawn and his aura concealed, it was difficult to judge how strong he was.
And this guy had entered the teahouse right after Yang Kai.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, the goateed man simply stood up and walked over, looking at neither Yang Kai nor Zhu Qing, instead finding some interest in the black puppy which was napping on top of the table.
Tea fragrance overflowing, Yang Kai picked up the teapot and filled a cup for the man, “What is this Sir’s name?”
The goateed man sat and picked up the cup of tea, gulping it down without fear of the heat, “What a fine dog.”
Yang Kai smiled, “It’s just a mutt, what’s fine about it? Sir is over-complimenting it.”
The black puppy did not have any particularly conspicuous features, and under the premise that it did not reveal its Abyssal Returner bloodline, outsiders simply would not be able to catch anything strange about it.
The goateed man shook his head, “I’m not talking about it.”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “If not it, then you’re talking about me?”
The goateed man stroked his beard, “Seems the child can be taught.”
Zhu Qing’s face turned sour and she immediately felt the need to teach this old thing a lesson. This oblivious old bastard actually insulted her man right in front of her, so how could Zhu Qing tolerate that?
Yang Kai just shot a glance at her though, telling her to calm down before chuckling at the man, “Sir is funny. I’m a man, how can I be compared to a dog?”
The goateed man said “Sometimes, a man can be worse than a dog when they’re unwilling to show proper respect. A dog, on the other hand, can have its own benefits.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Then may I ask whose dog this Sir is? The Third Imperial Prince’s?”
The goateed man’s face was slightly cold, but he did not get angry and nodded, “There is nothing wrong with you calling me so.”
Yang Kai said, “I often hear people say that a dog that bites doesn’t bark, but a dog that barks redundantly is a waste. It seems to me that this Sir is also a fine dog.”
Zhu Qing scoffed, “Don’t compare him to Ah Wang. Ah Wang is much better than him.”
She seized every opportunity to vent her anger and quickly reached out to pick up the black puppy, gently brushing its fur with her hand.
The goateed man responded, “It’s not up to me to decide whether a dog is good or not. That’s up to His Highness the Third Imperial Prince. If he thinks you are, then you are, but if he doesn’t, then you’re still a dead dog no matter how strong you are.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “So, is this Sir’s intention here to beat the dog for his meat, or is this Sir here for something else?”
The goateed man pushed his teacup in front of Yang Kai, indicating for him to fill it up, “Dog meat does not taste good, and the Third Imperial Prince does not have that interest either.”
Yang Kai answered, “Oh, that means you’re here to catch a hunting dog, then?”
“Whether it’s a hunting dog or a pet, that all depends on your performance.”
The goateed man picked up his teacup once more and placed it by his lips for a sip, “A Master from the outside is rare, and Third Imperial Prince thinks you’re not bad, so he’s willing to give you this opportunity. Whether you can seize the opportunity or not depends on your own performance.”
Yang Kai laughed and shook his head, “I really have to apologize, but Sir’s ambitions are too high. It’s Sir’s freedom to become a man’s pet dog, but I have different thoughts. There’s no need for me or my wife to put on a performance. For us… raising a dog is enough, we have no interest in being one ourselves.”
The goateed man put his cup down, his expression unchanged, seemingly expecting this response, and nodded, “I have heard about some matters from the outside, and also know the situation there. You may have been a powerful man who could command wind and rain in the outside world, but this is Human Imperial City, so it follows Human Imperial City’s rules. Outsiders like you have to eat a loss before you can understand the law.”
After he was done speaking, he stood up and casually tossed over a wooden token, “This is the Third Imperial Prince’s token. If you can escape this, then find yourself qualified to be the Third Imperial Prince’s hunting dog. Otherwise, that just proves that’s as far as your abilities go.”
After saying that, the man walked away.
At the same time, the sound of clothes fluttering emerged from all sides as a dozen figures rushed in from all directions. At once, the teahouse had become tightly packed with people, and the guests in the teahouse were also greatly alarmed at the sight, hurriedly fleeing away. When the owner of the teahouse saw this sudden situation, he had a face that seemed desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears, yet he didn’t dare to have an outburst.
That was because he recognized the identity of the people who just appeared.
Yang Kai massaged his aching head, “Giving us a honey date before sending us a wooden club? What’s the meaning of this?”
Zhu Qing observed the people around her coldly, “They don’t seem to be from the same side.”
Yang Kai understood, “If there’s a Third Imperial Prince, then there has to be a First and Second Imperial Prince, no? I don’t know which group they’re from, but whatever the case, they don’t seem to be a monolithic entity.”
They did not try to hide their conversation in the slightest, so the cultivators gathered around the teahouse all heard it clearly, but they were all indifferent. No one came forward to explain the situation to Yang Kai; instead, they seemed to be waiting for something or someone.
And they were indeed waiting for someone as the sound of something breaking through the air could be heard in just a moment, followed by the appearance of a huge palanquin from one end of the street. The people carrying the palanquin were all Dao Source Realm cultivators. With wind blowing under their feet, they did not need to move their bodies and the palanquin would speed along steadily.
The palanquin was extremely luxurious, and its translucent pink curtains gave off a hazy sense of extravagance.
There was a man and two women reclining on the palanquin with wine and fresh fruit placed on the divan. The man held a woman in each arm while sipping on wine and eating a spirit fruit with a look of comfort on his face. The two women were wearing very little, so much of their snow-white skin was exposed. They were squirming around in his arms, the sound of their coquettish flirtations incessantly leaking out as they waged a veiled contention for his affection.
As if no one else were around him, the man fondled the tender bodies of the two women wantonly with his large hands, drawing a charming gasp from time to time.
All the people along the way knelt down before him, not daring to look up, much less to discover the infinite beauty of spring happening inside the palanquin. Only the sweet and charming voices of the women remained to be heard, fanning the flames of desire in the men in the crowd.
In the blink of an eye, the palanquin arrived in front of the teahouse. Before the palanquin was even lowered, the Dao Source Realm palanquin bearers straightened their bodies and stood in place.
It was silent all around. Only the decadent sounds within the curtains grew more and more obvious.
Yang Kai stared with great interest.
Blushing slightly, Zhu Qing snorted, and when she saw the lustful expression on Yang Kai’s face, she couldn’t help but kick him under the table and glare at him, “What are you looking at? If you keep looking, your eyes are going to fall out.”
Yang Kai grimaced in pain as he grinned, “Qing’er, you look so adorable when you’re jealous.”
“Nonsense,” Zhu Qing blushed even redder, “W-W-Who’s jealous?”
The two were flirting without any regard for anyone else, drawing cold looks from the cultivators around them. A burly bald headed man walked into the teahouse next, seemingly a lackey, but he had an impressive Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, with a full and robust aura.
He glared coldly at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing before bellowing, “The First Imperial Prince has come, are you still not going to kneel?”
“So it really is an Imperial Prince.” Yang Kai exchanged glances with Zhu Qing. It was just a casual guess he made earlier, but he didn’t expect it to actually be an Imperial Prince who arrived.
He and Zhu Qing had only been in Human Imperial City for a short time but had already had a small conflict with the Third Imperial Prince’s subordinates, so Yang Kai didn’t expect this First Imperial Prince to show up just a while later.
The Third Imperial Prince gave him a warning, then sent someone to him immediately after, undoubtedly in hopes to take him in as his subordinate.
But Yang Kai had no idea what this First Imperial Prince was planning to do by coming here; however, from how the First Imperial Prince embraced a woman in each arm, he had a vague guess, which instantly made him feel displeased. Even his tone became unkind as he snorted, “I apologize, but this Young Master does not have the habit of kneeling to others. If you have something to say, then say it. Otherwise, get lost.”
The burly bald headed man was infuriated by his answer and roared, “Impudence!”
After saying that, he raised his hand and was just about to make a move when a soft voice came from the palanquin, “Stop right now. Using violence over such a small matter… What are you going to do if you hurt this beauty?”
Upon hearing that, the burly bald-headed man withdrew his hand immediately, but he still shot a mean glare at Yang Kai.
The voice from the palanquin continued, “Beauty, let’s get to know each other. I am Human Imperial City’s First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu. Are you interested in following this Prince out to have some fun?”
Before Zhu Qing could even answer, the two women in Fu Shu’s arms became dissatisfied and one of them climbed on top of Fu Shu, feeding him a mouthful of wine from her mouth before coyly whispering, “First Imperial Prince is so bad, you’re actually still looking for others despite having us sisters to serve you.”
The other woman also chimed in, “That’s right, First Imperial Prince. What’s so good about that cold-faced woman? How could she be as understanding and attentive as us sisters? Don’t bother with her, First Imperial Prince. Who knows where this village girl came from, let’s go back to the imperial palace. Elder Sister and I recently came up with a good idea that will surely satisfy you.”
The First Imperial Prince swallowed the fine wine into his belly, which made his body feel light and airy, before squeezing the soft and tender bodies of the two women by his side with his big hands, drawing sweet moans from them as he laughed, “You two are good, but she’s not so bad either. This Prince can just take her in to become your sister.”
“No! We already have enough sisters. First Imperial Prince, don’t take in any more!”
“That’s right! We can’t even count all those sisters we have, and First Imperial Prince, you promised this humble servant a few days ago that you wouldn’t play around again. Why are you going back on your promise after just a few days? I won’t forgive that!”
The First Imperial Prince laughed dryly, “Yes, yes, yes, this Prince did say that before, but this beauty wasn’t around then. I’ll take in one more, one last one. I absolutely won’t take in any more in the future.”
“First Imperial Prince is lying, I don’t believe you!”
“No, First Imperial Prince! There’s nothing special about this woman. Oh… She has red hair. If First Imperial Prince likes it, we sisters can also dye our hair red and show it to you every day until you have your fill.”
“How could that be the same?” Fu Shu shook his head incessantly, “You may not know this, but even though that beauty doesn’t look like anything special, I heard she’s from the outside world. This Prince has seen countless women, but it’s the first time this Prince has encountered one from the outside world, so I naturally can’t let her go so easily.”
“She’s from the outside?”
“What’s so unusual about that? Women are all the same. First Imperial Prince…”
“Enough. Both of you shut up.” Fu Shu’s tone suddenly cooled, instantly silencing the two women who were trying to act coy. They understood their own status and their position in the First Imperial Prince’s eyes. They were mere playthings, so it was fine for them to whine a little in order to receive more pampering, but if they insisted on stopping the First Imperial Prince from having his fun, then they would surely lose all favour with him.
The First Imperial Prince had numerous beautiful women in his residence, so it was by no means necessary for him to keep the two of them to serve him.
So, as soon as they noticed the difference in the First Imperial Prince’s tone, the two women did not dare to disobey, with one of them immediately changing her tune, “Since First Imperial Prince likes her so much, then just take her in. It’ll just be one more sister for us. Anything is fine as long as First Imperial Prince is happy.”
“Elder Sister is right. This woman’s looks don’t seem bad. She can barely be qualified to serve First Imperial Prince.”
A smile instantly spread across Fu Shu’s face and he kissed the cheeks of the women on his left and right before laughing happily, “You two are the most reasonable of my women, en this Prince did not favour you for nothing.”
Two tender bodies squirmed around in the First Imperial Prince’s arms with the older woman speaking up, “But this beauty’s heart seems to belong to someone else. What is First Imperial Prince going to do?”
Fu Shu smiled, “Naturally it’s because she doesn’t know this Prince’s might. Once she’s had a taste of this Prince’s skills, how will she be able to think about another man? Just wait and see, this Prince is going to make her bend!” While saying that, he broke away from the two tender bodies and straightened his loose clothes before standing up in the palanquin. Lifting the curtain, he stepped down and raised his eyes to look at Zhu Qing once he entered the teahouse.
As soon as he did, his heart was brimming with delight.
He was not able to see too clearly behind the curtain just earlier, so it was only now that he could see that this red-haired woman was simply beautiful beyond words. Even though her face looked a little icy, it only provoked a man’s desire to conquer her further.
As he said, he had never had a taste of a beauty from the outside world before, not because he was lacking in power, but because it has been many years since outsiders last came into Human Imperial City.
He was the First Imperial Prince and in Human Imperial City, he stood below only one man, while above countless others. Any beauty he wanted, he only needed to give the order and someone would immediately arrange it for him. Not a single one of those women dared to resist. On the contrary, they all tried their best to please him.
Having grown so used to fine delicacies, a change of taste every once in a while was also a blessing.
So, the colder Zhu Qing’s expression was, the more it pleased him. Deep inside, he was eager to take this red-haired beauty back to the imperial palace immediately and love her tenderly.
His hot, unrestrained gaze was like a leech biting down on Zhu Qing’s face, examining her from top to bottom.
Yang Kai moved and stood in front of Zhu Qing.
The First Imperial Prince’s face changed at once. As if he’d stepped on a pile of smelly shit, he said with a look of disgust, “What is your name?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Fu Shu waved his hand, “Never mind, no matter what your name is, step aside if you want to live. For your merit of offering up this beauty, this Prince can bestow you one leaf.”
At these words, the gazes of the cultivators all around turned hot.
The status of one leaf may be the lowest level of a noble, but it was still a noble status that could enjoy privileges in Human Imperial City that ordinary people can only dream of. This would instantly set him apart from the ordinary citizens of the city. Of the servants nearby, many had followed the First Imperial Prince for numerous years, but none of them had ever received similar rewards. They did not expect this outsider to gain such privileges just because he had a beauty with him, which made many of the First Imperial Prince’s subordinates feel red-eyed with envy, lamenting at the little brat’s good fortune.
The burly bald-headed man stepped forward and yelled furiously at Yang Kai, “Little brat, still not giving thanks and standing back? Do you want to die?”
Yang Kai sighed and gazed seriously at the First Imperial Prince, “This… First Imperial Prince, this one also has deep feelings for his wife and is unwilling to separate. I have no desire to offer up a beauty. First Imperial Prince has Heaven shrouding power and countless beauties by his side. This one can see that the two in the palanquin are already very good, so why set your gaze on a married woman? If word gets out, then this would be detrimental to His Highness’s reputation. Why don’t we just say our goodbyes here, and to meet again if fate plans it?”
Fu Shu’s face turned cold, “Are you insulting my intelligence or your own?”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he also found his proposal overly naive.
Fu Shu followed up, “This Prince does not want to take advantage of his position to bully people either. What about this? If you think those two in the palanquin are good, then this Prince will give them to you. I want the one standing behind you.”
When they heard those words, the faces of the two women in the palanquin became extremely stiff, as if they had been struck by lightning, but they didn’t dare to say anything. For a while, they had miserable looks on their faces, weeping in the shadows.
Yang Kai said in amazement, “This… Wouldn’t this be a loss for First Imperial Prince?”
Fu Shu snorted, “This Prince is generous, what harm is there to let you take this bit of an advantage?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “But I’m not interested in taking advantage of others. Staying with my wife is enough for me.”
Fu Shu waved his hand and said impatiently, “Then consider it a reward, no need to thank me!”
Yang Kai opened his mouth, but he had no idea what to say.
Zhu Qing said from behind him, “Seems like they won’t let me go. What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai grinned, revealing a bright smile, “What else can I do? Since they’ve come, I’ll just fight them!”
“A Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator dares to show off in front of this Young Master?” Yang Kai sneered as he raised his hand, palming towards Fu Shu without mercy.
He could see that this Human Imperial City was without a doubt safe and undisturbed by the changes in the World Principles outside, but inside it was filled with muddy waters. If he and Zhu Qing wanted to gain a foothold in this place as outsiders, then they needed to show overwhelming power to let others know that they were not to be bullied.
The law of the jungle was the undeniable reality no matter where they were. If it were any different, it only proved that they were not strong enough.
Fu Shu’s strength was not high, only Third-Order Dao Source Realm; however, Yang Kai had sharp eyes and could easily tell that his pompous prince must have achieved his strength through taking numerous elixirs and precious treasures. It was simply impossible for him to display the proper strength of his level, not to mention the fact that this First Imperial Prince seemed to have fallen into an addiction of wine and lust. His body may have long been emptied out by his habits.
Yang Kai could easily destroy several dozen or even hundreds of wastes like him.
Fu Shu did not have the slightest self-awareness and just stood ten meters away from Yang Kai, so how could he have the time to react to this attack?
Emperor Qi surged and World Energy stirred as a palm print visible to the naked eye slapped down towards Fu Shu.
The burly bald-headed man’s face changed dramatically as he shouted, “Stop!”
“Stop your mother!” Yang Kai cursed and did not stop, instead becoming even more violent.
As expected, Fu Shu could not react in time. All this time, he was looking around curiously, hoping to take a look at the body of the beauty behind Yang Kai, so it wasn’t until the palm print approached him that he shrieked and began to shiver, completely at a loss as to what to do.
When the palm print was about to turn Fu Shu into dust, a green glow suddenly emerged from his body, forming a layer of protection around him.
*Hong…*
As the protection shook, Fu Shu’s hair became dishevelled and his clothes were whipped into a mess, but he was unharmed.
“What the hell is that!” Yang Kai’s jaw dropped. He didn’t see any traces of Fu Shu using a skill or technique at that moment, and yet that strange barrier appeared all of a sudden.
Looking him up and down, Fu Shu didn’t seem to be wearing any artifacts either. Rather, he was covered in a lot of useless accessories that were only there for decoration.
After Yang Kai’s unsuccessful opening move, the burly bald-headed man had already rushed over from the side and a flash of light appeared in his hand as a large hammer suddenly appeared. The hammer was half the size of a tea table, and the dazzling light it gave off gave one a grievous sense of danger.
The burly bald-headed man roared, “How dare you disrespect the First Imperial Prince. Suffer death, little brat!”
All the muscles in his body were tensed as he raised the hammer with all his strength, smashing it down on Yang Kai. A thunderous noise filled everyone’s ears in an instant, filling them with awe.
“Help, help!” Yang Kai shouted.
Zhu Qing glared at him before her red hair flashed and her petite body arrived next to Yang Kai. Then, she raised her small, fair, and tender fist to meet the large hammer.
The burly bald-headed man’s face changed and he shouted, “Move!”
He had no idea why this red-haired woman would seek death herself, but he knew that though she seemed to have a decent cultivation, she was, after all, a weak and frail woman. If his attack really connected with her, then she would at least be severely injured, if not dead.
This was a woman that the First Imperial Prince had his eyes on, so how could he dare to harm her?
And he just had to put his all into this attack. Now, even if he wanted to withdraw his move, it was too late. Seeing Zhu Qing block in front of him, the man had no choice but to force his body to twist slightly to the side, shifting the hammer a little in hopes that the woman could escape demise.
Zhu Qing’s fist collided with the huge hammer. The tender fist and the huge hammer formed a very strong visual impact, with no one doubting that Zhu Qing’s end would be miserable beyond comparison.
However, the results of this clash left everyone astonished.
A loud bang rang out. A strong gust of wind tousled Zhu Qing’s red hair slightly as she held her ground while the burly bald-headed man who was holding the large hammer went wide-eyed, as if struck by lightning. After a moment’s pause, he was sent hurtling backwards as if he were struck by lightning.
*Hong long long…*
A row of holes crashed open through the walls of the teahouse and the buildings behind it. At the end of the newly created tunnel, in a cloud of dust, the burly bald-headed man could be seen lying in a pile of rubble, not moving.
The eyes of the crowd almost popped out at this sight, especially the guards who came together with the First Imperial Prince. All of them stared dumbfounded at Zhu Qing. They never would have thought that this delicate little body could release such Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering power.
This was even more unbelievable to them than seeing a Demon waltzing into Human Imperial City for some casual shopping would have been.
Zhu Qing waved her hand off with a look of disdain.
Outside the teahouse, the two coquettish women inside the palanquin let out screams of terror.
How many years had Human Imperial City maintained its peace? No one ever dared to cause trouble in the city, let alone clash with the Imperial Princes. Suddenly coming across such a scene scared the two women almost to death and their faces went pale as their tender bodies shivered.
Their screams woke up the disoriented Fu Shu.
He was stunned for a while before coming back to his senses. Gritting his teeth, he shouted at Yang Kai, “You hit me?” His tone became harsher and he began to sound hysterical, “You actually dare to hit me? This Prince…”
“Enough nonsense! That’s right, I hit you!” Yang Kai reached for the void, grabbing his Myriads Sword and slashing it straight down at Fu Shu. The sword light was bitterly cold, and the Sword Intent was awe-inspiring.
Fu Shu was so scared that he screamed and tried to run away.
But the Myriads Sword chased after him without giving him even half a chance to escape. One after another, sword lights slashed down on Fu Shu’s body, but none of them did any harm as each time a slash was about to connect, a green glow would emerge from the surface of Fu Shu’s body to block the attacks.
This glow grew stronger or weaker according to the force Yang Kai used, as if it had its own intelligence. It was intent on protecting the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu, no matter what, and even someone as strong as Yang Kai could not break through the protection of that green light.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue curiously. Sure enough, there were no ends to the world’s mysteries. If he had not chanced upon this Revolving World and entered Human Imperial City, he would never have known that such a strange thing existed in the world.
“Help, help!” The First Imperial Prince shouted as he ran, not at all maintaining even a shred of his majesty as an Imperial Prince. At this moment, he was nothing more than a dog trying to run for his life, even forgetting that he had cultivated before.
His guards finally reacted and rushed towards Yang Kai to protect their master.
Even though the cultivation of these guards was not low, how could they be Yang Kai’s opponents? One by one, the Myriads Sword picked them off and cut them down, chopping all of them up like vegetables. Yang Kai did not kill them, however, and even though the smell of blood permeated throughout the teahouse with wails breaking out everywhere, there were no deaths so far.
But Yang Kai’s savagery scared the First Imperial Prince out of his wits. He didn’t even have the strength to run away anymore and retreated into a corner, his path blocked off. He watched in horror as Yang Kai took step after step towards him. Body shaking, he screamed, “Don’t come over here, don’t come over here! I’m the First Imperial Prince, I order you to stop!”
Yang Kai grinned viciously, and with the fresh blood dripping from his Myriads Sword, he appeared like a devil that had walked straight out of hell.
The First Imperial Prince could wish for nothing more than to faint right there and have death end all his troubles, but the fear festering in his heart just had to keep him far more alert and conscious than usual.
In just a few steps, Yang Kai was standing right in front of the First Imperial Prince. Tilting his head and glancing at him, he slowly stabbed over with his Myriads Sword.
The First Imperial Prince sucked in a deep breath and held it, staring at the tip of the Myriads Sword, terrified beyond words.
When the Myriads Sword was just a finger’s width away from Fu Shu, the green glow reappeared, blocking the Myriads Sword with great tenacity, halting its advancement, meeting strength with strength.
“What is this?” Yang Kai nudged the green layer of protection with the Myriads Sword while looking down at Fu Shu from above.
Fu Shu’s teeth were chattering and he clearly could no longer answer Yang Kai’s questions.
At that moment, someone at the side spoke, “As long as the Sacred Tree’s blessings remain, the Imperial Family will never suffer harm.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look, only to see that the goateed man who had left earlier had reappeared in the teahouse at some unknown time, sitting in the same spot as if he had never moved, looking indifferently at him.
Yang Kai raised a brow, “The Sacred Tree’s blessings? What Sacred Tree?”
The goateed man answered, “It has nothing to do with you, nor I.”
“So you’re not going to tell me? I hate people like you the most. What do you want?” Yang Kai looked impatiently at him.
The goateed man shrugged, “You have offended the First Imperial Prince and injured so many of his guards. There is no place for you in Human Imperial City now.”
“I’m so scared!” Yang Kai scoffed, “Next, are you going to tell me that if I want to live, I should hurry up and kneel to the Third Imperial Prince and lick his boot? That only he can guarantee my safety?”
The goateed man smiled, “A smart man needs only a small reminder.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Seems like everything that happened here was within your expectations. You were also the one who asked the First Imperial Prince to come, aren’t you?”
The goateed man shook his head, “Do not slander me. Everyone knows the First Imperial Prince’s fondness for seeking beauties. Someone had already gone to inform him as soon as you and this young miss appeared in Human Imperial City. This Old Master merely anticipated the scene and came to watch a good show.” After a pause, he looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Well? Do you still refuse?”
Yang Kai still did not reply, but Fu Shu who was cowering in the corner seemed to look with a burning gaze at the goateed man as if he had met his saviour and shouted, “I remember now, you’re the one by Third Brother’s side. That… That guy! That’s right, that guy! Quickly kill this impudent man for me! This Prince will reward you handsomely!”
The goateed man looked disdainfully at the First Imperial Prince, “This Old Master is the Third Imperial Prince’s subordinate, how could this Old Master help you? First Imperial Prince must be confused.”
Fu Shu’s face paled, “Then what do you want before you’ll act?! How about I give you the two women outside?”
The goateed man looked between his legs and sighed, “This Old Master is getting on in age. It’s not easy keeping one’s Yang Essence potent after so many years. En, this Old Master is thankful for First Imperial Prince’s kindness, but unfortunately, this Old Master is powerless to enjoy it.”
“You… How could you do this!” Fu Shu was disappointed.
The goateed man turned back to Yang Kai, “So, your answer remains the same?”
Yang Kai rested the broad Myriads Sword on his shoulder, scoffing.
The goateed man understood and turned back to Fu Shu, “Though this Old Master will not act, this Old Master can offer First Imperial Prince some advice on how to handle this situation.”
“Tell me, tell me!” Fu Shu said anxiously.
There weren’t any Masters left among his subordinates, or any subordinates at all for that matter as they were all sprawled down on the ground, so Fu Shu could only pin his hopes on the goateed man.
The goateed man continued, “With the blessings of the Sacred Tree, First Imperial Prince will definitely not be injured, so since you won’t get injured, why fear him? You are an Imperial Prince, after all. You can command the power of the Sacred Tree, so even if you can’t beat him, couldn’t you have just grabbed her and ran? As long as you return to the imperial palace, what can he do to you?”
Fu Shu’s eyes lit up when he heard this and inwardly cursed himself for losing his mind from fear. Just as the old goateed man said, he had the protection of the Sacred Tree, so normal people couldn’t hurt him. Since he couldn’t be hurt, what was there for him to be afraid of?
He could only be bitter at himself for being so scared that he did not think about such a thing, and bitter at Yang Kai even more for humiliating him. Eyes turning to Zhu Qing, who was standing at the side, his courage was reinvigorated and he slowly stood up from the corner.
Even though his body was shaking a little, it was much better than how he was begging for mercy and trying to flee just now.
Their conflict earlier also attracted many of Human Imperial City’s residents to watch, so the teahouse was now surrounded by onlookers in all directions. When several groups of patrolling guards around the area broke through the crowd after hearing news about the situation and seeing the mess here, they were astonished.
Once they saw Fu Shu, they all saluted and asked about the situation.
“You came just in time!” The presence of the Imperial Guard gave Fu Shu even more confidence. He pointed at Yang Kai and declared, “This vicious man hurt my guards and humiliated this Prince! Quickly subdue that man for this Prince!”
When the guards heard this, they all answered his command.
A cold smile appeared on Fu Shu’s face and an incantation suddenly spilled from his lips, which sounded obscure and difficult to understand. The onlookers were confused, but Yang Kai was the most shocked of them all.
He was much too familiar with this incantation. When the words sounded, his mind involuntarily recalled a magnificent scene of war. During that time, with tens of thousands of warriors under his command, he had launched a long and bloody campaign against the Demon Race, and each time battle was joined, Shamans would chant such spells.
The chanting of the spell made one’s blood boil and filled one’s chest with killing intent, making it so that they would want for nothing more than to destroy everything before their eyes.
Fu Shu’s incantation was very short and seemed to vary a little from the one Yang Kai knew, but it was essentially the same.
A light suddenly bloomed and enveloped the guards.
In the next instant, the vitality of the guards all surged and their bodies bulged violently, as if they were inflated with hot air. Their exposed skin began to glow red, and even their eyes had turned crimson.
Cowardice and fear disappeared from their bodies, replaced by ferocity and killing intent.
“Bloodlust Spell!” Yang Kai’s eyes almost popped out of his head. He never expected to see someone else perform the Bloodlust Spell today after a lapse of more than ten thousand years.
Despite the fact that this Bloodlust Spell was slightly different from the one he knew, Yang Kai definitely wouldn’t mistake it for something else.
There were some traces of Shamanic Spells when Liao Guan Shi performed his technique back in the cave, but it wasn’t too obvious, so Yang Kai didn’t pay it too much attention. But now, it seemed that Shamanic Spells still existed in this Revolving World. Yang Kai had no idea how they managed to pass it down for so long.
Zhu Qing clearly did not expect to see this either and she looked curiously at the cultivators who suddenly changed, feeling puzzled.
When Fu Shu’s chanting began again, Yang Kai immediately figured out what sort of Shamanic Spell it was. This Shamanic Spell was the biggest headache for the Demon Race back in ancient times, and it was also a Shamanic Spell that could not be broken easily.
It was only with the protection of this Shamanic Spell that the Ancient Barbarian Race was able to compete with the Demon Race.
Yang Kai knew deeply how terrifying this Shamanic Spell was, so how could he let Fu Shu cast it?
Taking a step forward, the Myriads Sword disappeared in the blink of an eye, and with a wide sweep of his arm, Yang Kai sent a huge Moon Blade flying towards Fu Shu.
This attack was so sudden and unpredictable that it shocked the goateed man. Naturally, it scared Fu Shu as well; however, the ignorant were fearless, and remembering what the goateed man told him just now, Fu Shu showed no intention to dodge or resist despite his fear, continuing his chanting, becoming louder and louder.
The enormous Moon Blade struck Fu Shu’s body as expected, but it was blocked by the green light that appeared on the surface of his body just as before. Only this time, the green light was particularly dense, so bright that it was almost solid. This green light was a protective barrier, and always responded proportionally to the threat it was facing, which in a sense highlighted just how deadly Yang Kai’s Moon Blade was.
This Divine Ability that could sever space itself was unable to do anything to Fu Shu. The green light was actually able to block the Moon Blade’s attack once more, but a small crack appeared where it met with the black blade, one so small it was almost imperceptible.
Seeing this, Yang Kai suddenly realized that this protection was neither invincible nor unbreakable. The reason why his previous attacks were ineffective was simply that they were not strong enough.
With that momentary delay, Fu Shu had already completed his Shamanic Spell.
Another light burst out, enveloping the guards.
Suddenly, there seemed to be something linking these people together, making them share life and death. All their vitalities came together in one place and rose to the sky.
Zhu Qing frowned slightly.
“Life Chains!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth. He never imagined that he would one day face off against the two Shamanic Spells of the Two Race Great War, Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains. The great Shamans of the Ancient Barbarian Race that Yang Kai fought alongside in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld relied on the help of these two Shamanic Spells to become invincible, and it was because of that reason that Yang Kai knew the power of these spells better than anyone else alive today.
The goateed man looked surprised, “You actually know about the Sacred Techniques?”
“What Sacred Technique?” Yang Kai took a few steps back to stand next to Zhu Qing, staring coldly ahead.
The group of guards who were blessed with the Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains numbered about thirty people, all of whom had cultivations just under the Emperor Realm. The strongest was a Third-Order Dao Source cultivator, while the weakest was merely a Second-Order Origin King. If this group of people fought against Yang Kai alone, or even just as an ordinary group, Yang Kai could have easily exterminated them with a wave of his hand.
But right now, this group had the ability to fight against an Emperor in a life or death battle.
The fame of Shamanic Spells in the war did not come from nowhere.
The goateed man continued, “They are Secret Techniques that only the Imperial Family with more than six leaves are able to perform. If you don’t know about the Sacred Techniques, then how do you know the names of these skills?”
Yang Kai did not answer him and instead whispered to Zhu Qing, “We’re in a bit of trouble now.”
Zhu Qing commented, “I’ll deal with these people. I’ll leave that Imperial Prince to you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “They’re not pushovers. Let me deal with them instead.”
Zhu Qing remained unperturbed, “Don’t underestimate me, will you? Besides, I don’t want to even get close to that nasty guy.”
“Since you’ve already said so, I don’t have much of a choice.” Yang Kai shrugged.
Zhu Qing snorted, “If you can’t handle him, then don’t even think about touching me again in the future.”
As soon as she said that, her body lunged forward in a flash.
Yang Kai wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, “Does she have to be so ruthless all the time?”
The goateed man poured cold water over him at the side, “It’s useless. Since the Sacred Techniques have already been cast, you have no chance to win. That is unless you can break the Sacred Techniques, but you would have to obtain the Sacred Tree’s blessing to do that.”
Fu Shu fumed, “Whose side are you on, old man?”
The goateed man said indifferently, “This Old Master is just here to watch a good show, he stands on neither side. First Imperial Prince should focus on his enemy. Be careful not to throw the face of the imperial family.”
Fu Shu was stirred up by his words, “Then open your dog eyes wide and watch!”
While they were talking, Zhu Qing had already engaged the thirty or so guards in battle. As the violent energy overflowed, the small teahouse collapsed at once, causing the teahouse’s owner to run out to the streets, crying and cursing incessantly.
Very soon, Zhu Qing discovered the difficulty in dealing with this group of people. Their actions couldn’t be called swift, nor were they very well coordinated. They didn’t have polished formations to take advantage of and would often interfere with one another, appearing quite clumsy.
But still, each one of these thirty or so people was actually able to withstand her attacks.
Each of the blows from Zhu Qing’s fists was actually caught by these stray cats and dogs, which was simply unbelievable. She was a member of the Dragon Clan and had ferocious power. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would not dare to say that they could withstand a hit from her unharmed, and yet these fodder were able to do just that.
After a few strikes though, Zhu Qing quickly discovered the secret behind how they were able to withstand her attacks.
She had no idea what happened with these people, but regardless of who came up to stop her, the damage from her attack would actually split up between their whole group, allowing the thirty or so to bear the effects together.
A single chopstick could easily be broken, but the resistance more than doubled when two chopsticks were used. Not to mention the fact that some other Sacred Technique or whatever was cast on more than thirty people, causing their vitality to surge, turning them fearless against pain or danger. All of them were red-eyed, and their ability to withstand punishment was multiplied.
Zhu Qing’s face turned cold and her attacks became fiercer and fiercer. Just now, she had been holding back quite a bit to test the waters.
As their fight rumbled on, the battlefield was constantly shifting and soon, half the street was affected.
Over where the teahouse used to stand, Yang Kai gazed at Fu Shu and commented, “You heard what the madam said. For the sake of this Young Master’s future happiness, I must ask First Imperial Prince to please… fall!”
As soon as he said that, he appeared before Fu Shu, so close that they were almost stuck together.
The goateed man’s eyes shrunk as his pupils became as small as a pinhole.
He did not see clearly what happened in that instant.
Fu Shu let out a yelp and almost fell backwards, but he was very quickly able to calm his heart and gritted his teeth while shouting, “You think this Prince is afraid of you!?”
Yang Kai raised a hand and threw a fierce punch at his face.
Fu Shu did not react to it at all, however, and the fist smashed in front of him, but fortunately, the green light appeared to block the blow and did not allow any harm to come to him. Otherwise, he would have died on the spot.
His face paled, but he grit his teeth and began chanting.
He wanted to apply a Bloodlust Spell to himself too, that way, he would no longer have any fear.
Yang Kai suddenly gazed at his chest, “First imperial Prince has eight leaves, huh? Tsk tsk, even the Third Imperial Prince has nine leaves, so why do you, as the Elder Brother, have one less than him? Is the Human Sovereign favouring him, or are you just unlovable?”
Fu Shu’s chanting came to an abrupt end as he shouted angrily, “Don’t talk nonsense! How could Imperial Father be partial towards Third Brother? I’m the First imperial Prince!”
“Oh really? However, the Third Imperial Prince does indeed have one more leaf than you. If my assumptions are correct, the greater the number of leaves you possess, the greater the respect you will obtain. From the looks of it, you really are inferior to the Third Imperial Prince.”
“It’s… it’s all due to the inferior cultivation of this Prince. That’s right, that is the only reason! This Prince was slightly negligent with his cultivation, therefore he only has eight leaves. If someday this Prince has the same cultivation as Third Brother, even obtaining nine leaves would be a trivial matter.”
“Tsk tsk tsk…” A look of contempt covered Yang Kai’s face, “I don’t think that is possible; tiny clues can reveal the general trend of things. If I were the Human Sovereign, I also wouldn’t appreciate your behaviour and character, First Imperial Prince. If the matter of succession were to be on my mind in the future, I would definitely consider the Third Imperial Prince. The Third Imperial Prince is a dragon amongst men, possesses outstanding cultivation, and treats people with respect and dignity, how could you ever match up to him?”
“You… you shut your mouth!” Fu Shu’s anger was fully stoked by Yang Kai’s words and he lunged over in fury, relying entirely on the protection of the Sacred Tree to maintain his fearless image.
As Yang Kai was speaking though, his hands never stopped, continually releasing fierce attacks towards various parts of Fu Shu’s body. Nevertheless, he was ultimately unable to break through the protective green light. On the other hand, the attacks the First imperial Prince was launching at him amounted to no more than tickles that he could completely disregard.
For a moment, the two of them brawled like rogues on the street, though neither side was able to gain the upper hand, with all of their attacks amounting to nothing.
The goateed man let off a sigh. Simply unable to continue watching on, he opened his mouth and shouted, “First Imperial Prince, there’s no need to worry about his rubbish comments. Your Highness should focus entirely on displaying your Sacred Techniques. Since your cultivation cannot match up to his, only the Sacred Techniques can wipe your humiliation away.”
Yang Kai turned his head around and snorted coldly, “If you continue yapping, old thing, I’ll smash your teeth out first!”
The goateed man said in a heartfelt manner, “Youngsters should learn how to respect their elders.”
“That will depend on the person. Those who like to act pretentiously like you, I will beat up several dozen every day!”
As Yang Kai shouted, Fu Shu continued to curse. Nevertheless, having received the goateed man’s reminder, he did not continue tussling with Yang Kai and immediately cast the Bloodlust Spell on himself. The fear and timidness in his eyes quickly disappeared, immediately being replaced by a look filled with fury and excitement. Letting off a loud, derisive chuckle, he spoke with a fierce tone, “Boy, for daring to offend this Prince, you must die! After that, I will properly enjoy that beautiful lady.”
The Bloodlust Spell affected the rationality of the target, lowering their inhibitions while enhancing their ferocity. Nevertheless, it was still able to provide many benefits in some special circumstances.
Fu Shu’s fear and timidness had been suppressed by the Bloodlust Spell. Focusing his scarlet red eyes firmly on Yang Kai, he appeared to have become an entirely different person as he let out a loud roar, “Bind!”
An invisible strength suddenly came gushing out from the void, binding Yang Kai’s raised fist like a thousand tightly wrapped threads.
Yang Kai was suddenly unable to move his fist regardless of how he tried.
He felt as though his fist was being tied down by an invisible power. The more he tried to attack, the greater the restraining force he felt. Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn. Despite his Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu, was actually able to rely on his so-called Sacred Techniques to even restrain his movements. This made Yang Kai increasingly vigilant against the Shamanic Spells that were the root cause of this situation.
Ordinary Shamanic Spells could not possibly have such an effect. Yang Kai had always been the one fighting across realms. This was the first time he had been placed in such a disadvantage by a person with a lower cultivation realm than him.
Floating backwards in retreat, Yang Kai was no longer being restrained as he easily increased the distance between him and Fu Shu.
With the success he obtained, Fu Shu’s confidence was greatly increased, leading to him laugh crazily, “You’re running? Let me see where you run to! Come, sword!”
Extending his hand, a burst of jade green light erupted forth from the void. The fluorescent light appeared to be identical to the energy that was protecting Fu Shu. Rapidly converging together in the air, it transformed into an astonishing longsword.
With a pointing motion, Fu Shu aimed at the long sword and sent it chopping down towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he felt the power behind the incoming attack. Unleashing his Space Principles, he greeted the incoming attack with a number of Moon Blades.
After a series of explosions, the jade-green long sword smashed through everything as though they were rotten wood, completely destroying all the incoming Moon Blades; however, after breaking through the last Moon Blade, it suddenly collapsed and dissipated.
A shiver shook through Fu Shu’s body before two streams of blood flowed out from his nostrils. Nevertheless, appearing to have not felt anything, he raised his hands up and roared loudly, “Again!”
Light condensed once again, before converging to form a gigantic jade green long sword.
Yang Kai shot a pensive look towards a certain location at that moment.
After experiencing it a few times, he had finally managed to catch onto some faint traces. Every time Fu Shu displayed his Sacred Techniques, they seemed to produce some kind of resonance from that direction. This resonance was very weak, so weak that Yang Kai would not have sensed it if not for his powerful Divine Sense.
It was impossible for someone at Fu Shu’s realm to compete against him in a head-on confrontation; therefore, there was only one reason that this could be happening, and that was the fact that something was lending him the power to do so.
He was borrowing the power of the so-called Sacred Tree!
And the direction from which the resonance was occurring should be where the Sacred Tree was located.
Yang Kai really wanted to see exactly what the hell this Sacred Tree was, to actually be able to display such power to let trash like Fu Shu display some ability.
A torrent of Divine Sense expanded out, causing waves of humming sounds to ring in the sky, leading the goateed man’s expression to change once again.
After an instant, everything within Human Imperial City appeared before Yang Kai’s eyes, just like the most outstanding artist painting picture after picture in his mind with exquisite detail. As his Divine Sense continued to expand outwards, his field of view continued to increase.
All of a sudden, a barrier blocked his Divine Sense from expanding. Caught off guard, Yang Kai was dazed for a moment when his Divine Sense smashed right into the barrier.
Coincidentally, right at the same exact moment, the jade-green longsword had already chopped down, cleaving down on Yang Kai’s shoulder, drawing blood as a result.
Fu Shu laughed madly, “This is what you get for challenging this Prince!”
Forming a seal with his hands, he controlled the jade-green longsword to press downwards, seemingly wanting to chop Yang Kai in half.
Yang Kai responded with a cold snort. Summoning the Myriads Sword into his hand once more, he proceeded to swing it up, causing a chilling cold Sword Qi to burst forth and break the jade-green longsword apart.
Fu Shu was stunned for an instant, surprised at the outcome.
Yang Kai said, “Is that all of you’ve got, First Imperial Prince? Ridiculous! Do you not have any other moves? Let me see exactly what you’re capable of!”
Fu Shu roared back in fury, “Don’t get cocky, you little brat!”
All of a sudden Fu Shu started to chant; however, this time around, Yang Kai did not recognize the words, nor could he associate them with any Shamanic Spell he knew. While he chanted, Fu Shu proceeded to take a stance akin to what one would take when notching an arrow on a bow.
A jade-green arrow mysteriously appeared before him, which he held lightly as he drew it on an invisible bow.
“Chasing Star Pursuing Moon! Die!”
Following Fu Shu’s furious roar, the jade-green arrow disappeared as it spun through the air, smashing through space, leaving a gash across the sky that was visible to the naked eye before appearing right before Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai tilted his head to the side, as the arrow slid past his temples, slicing off a few strands of black hair that drifted away with the wind.
“You dare dodge!” Fu Shu erupted like a volcano as he continued to pull back on his invisible bow, repeatedly launching arrow after arrow at Yang Kai. Blood continued to flow out from his nostrils like water bursting out from a dam, dripping down and staining his robes and the ground below. Nevertheless, Fu Shu did not seem to notice this at all, as if he had entered into a frenzied state.
However, after firing off five arrows in a row, blood was now dripping from all of his seven orifices.
It seemed that unleashing the Sacred Techniques had put an extremely large burden on his body.
No power in this world could be obtained without a corresponding price. Without a doubt, this also applied to Fu Shu. Being the First Imperial Prince, he had obtained the protection of the Sacred Tree at birth, granting him the capability to unleash this powerful Sacred Techniques. Nevertheless, with his Third-Order Dao Source cultivation, he would still have to pay a steep price to unleash enough power that could contend with Yang Kai.
His unrestrained attacks allowed Yang Kai to observe the flow of power for the Sacred Technique’s origin with greater detail and accuracy.
All of a sudden, a frown appeared abruptly on Yang Kai’s face, as though he had thought of something. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded to close his eyes.
Fu Shu was immediately overjoyed when he saw this and proceeded to shout naively, “So you now know the might of this Prince? It’s too late for you to kneel and beg for your life! This Prince has decided that you will experience the worst torture in this realm!”
As he said those words, he raised his hands yet again, sending a green arrow shooting off into the sky.
Right at this instant, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly snapped open and raised his hand lightly to grab at the jade green arrow. In the next instant, the powerful arrow was locked into place before him, unable to move even an inch forward.
“How is that possible?”
Yang Kai and Fu Shu both uttered the same question, though the former had a blank look on his face, while the latter had one filled with shock.
“Your aura…” The goateed man’s eyes suddenly turned as round as saucers as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai, as though he was looking at something he had never seen before that left him full of confusion.
Right at the instant, Yang Kai closed his eyes, his aura suddenly experienced a drastic change.
It did not become any stronger; however, his aura now made people feel as though it came from ancient antiquity, like he had stepped through time into this moment, his entire body radiating a desolateness that could not be identified nor described.
The jade arrow dissipated within Yang Kai’s hand as an ancient chant began to stream from his lips.
At this instant, he was not an Emperor Realm Master, but a Shaman King, an Ancient Shaman King that hailed from the South Barbarian Clan of the ancient world!
His words sounded more cryptic and indecipherable than the First Imperial Prince’s, and despite not ringing out loudly, they seemed exceedingly hard to pronounce.
The goateed man’s entire body shook violently as his entire being turned as stiff as a dumb chicken.
A tiny flame snake suddenly appeared right before Yang Kai, slithering about as if it was a living creature, before he quickly made his judgement.
This was not a Sacred Technique, as there was no jade-green glow present on the flame snake that was unique to the Sacred Techniques, though the process of its construction seemed to be exactly the same as the Sacred Techniques.
“So that’s what your so-called Sacred Techniques are, huh…” The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth curled up, as he was mysteriously able to sense a connection with something that was present within Human Imperial City. This connection was precisely something that he had established after transforming into a Shaman King, and after casting the Shamanic Spell, this connection had instantly become much stronger.
The tiny flame snake twisted around deftly in a lifelike manner, bringing unimaginable shock to everyone present.
Fu Shu was already stupefied as he stared blankly at the flame snake, utterly forgetting that he was still in the middle of a fight.
The goateed man roared, “First Imperial Prince, that isn’t a Sacred Technique! Don’t be deceived by his methods!”
“That really isn’t a Sacred Technique?” Fu Shu turned around to ask.
The goateed man was so furious that his beard was trembling as he repeated with strong reaffirmation, “This Old Master is willing to stake his life that it absolutely isn’t a Sacred Technique! It’s just… somewhat similar to the Sacred Techniques, that’s all! There’s no need to fear it!”
Fu Shu’s mind shook upon hearing those words, leading him to roar out furiously, “Just as I expected! As if an inferior being like you could unleash the Sacred Techniques! It turns out that you are just trying to scam me! Despicable bastard, you must die!”
Fu Shu attempted to notch his invisible bow to fire off another arrow; however, with a flick of his finger, the flame snake Yang Kai had conjured straightened up, before shooting over towards Fu Shu like a bolt of lightning.
Fu Shu pretended not to hear anything as he completely ignored the incoming flame snake attack, as he knew that the Sacred Tree would provide impenetrable protection. Any attack from Yang Kai would be utterly ineffective, just like what happened earlier.
The flame snake didn’t seem to possess much power behind it, appearing just like an extremely common Flame Snake Spell. In ancient antiquity, even a Shaman Warrior would be able to execute a Shamanic Spell of this level.
With a bang, the flame snake smashed into Fu Shu’s body, but an unexpected outcome occurred then. The protective green light had once again blossomed around Fu Shu’s body, but after the impact from the flame snake, despite the latter instantly disappearing without a sound, flames covered Fu Shu’s entire body, burning him until he was crying out in pain.
The goateed man’s eyes contracted, as he could faintly sense that something wasn’t quite right about this.
According to reason, being the First Imperial Prince, Fu Shu was granted the protection of the Sacred Tree within Human Imperial City. Therefore, only existences with eight leaves or more would have the capability of harming him. However, this mysterious foreigner had actually managed to accomplish such a feat! This was utterly out of his capability to comprehend, and he simply couldn’t understand how this could even happen.
Furthermore, why did that Secret Technique appear no different from the Sacred Tree’s Sacred Techniques? Other than the absence of the Sacred Tree’s signature fluctuations, it simply appeared identical to the Sacred Techniques.
“Seems I’ve also obtained the protection of the Sacred Tree.” Yang Kai grinned as he looked at the First Imperial Prince.
“Nonsense!” Extinguishing the flames on his body, Fu Shu cursed out madly, “You? Impossible!”
“Take a close look, First Imperial Prince, and see if I’m talking nonsense or not.” As he sneered, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand, before a flame snake appeared before him once again. This was followed up by another one, a third, then a fourth …
“You, you, you…” Fu Shu was getting shock after shock, “Why don’t you need to chant an incantation!”
“Why would I need to chant?” Yang Kai continued to execute Shamanic Spells; but they were all the simple Flame Snake Spell.
“Singing incantations is necessary to unleash any Scared Technique!” Fu Shu felt his common sense being shattered apart, something he found hard to accept.
Yang Kai chuckled, “How can trash like you compare with this Young Master? This Young Master can conjure Sacred Techniques with a snap of his fingers.”
As he was talking, a dense array of flame snakes had already appeared before him, as though they had just been forced out from their holes. As time continued to pass, the newly formed flame snakes started to transform.
Slivers of green glow started to surface on their fiery red bodies, and although this was not very conspicuous, the green glow was undoubtedly present. The green glow grew increasingly intense, and before the final few flame snakes materialized, they were completely covered with a jade-green glow.
Yang Kai finally pulled his hands back, grinning as he looked at Fu Shu, “Take a look. Didn’t I say that I’ve also obtained the Sacred Tree’s protection?”
“Ssii…” The goateed man sucked in a mouthful of cold air, while beads of cold sweat dripped down from his forehead. The way this matter developed exceeded all of his expectations! A foreigner was actually able to obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection, and execute Sacred Techniques boosted with the Sacred Tree’s power. Now, it was utterly impossible to rely on the Third Imperial Prince to deal with him. In fact, the appearance of this man would be sufficient to cause a giant storm that Human Imperial City had not experienced in over ten thousand years. If this young man wasn’t dealt with appropriately, he could change the entire situation of Human Imperial City.
At this moment, the goateed man no longer had any thoughts of dragging Yang Kai down, only wanting to find an opportune moment to flee.
On the other hand, Fu Shu was also in such shock that he had turned speechless. The massive turmoil of emotions he was experiencing caused a series of events to occur within him, with the first being the dispelling of the Bloodlust Spell, before being closely followed by the backlash of his continuous usage of Sacred Techniques. The latter left Fu Shu crying out as he collapsed onto the ground, his hand covering his nose, though he was unable to stem the flow of blood. In an instant, his vitality plummeted, to the point where he was only a step away from death. Crying out in misery, he sought help from his surroundings. Yet, who could step forward to save him at such a moment?
Seeing his enemy, who was fighting on equal footing against him just a moment ago, had actually collapsed onto the ground, Yang Kai’s face twitched fiercely. Nevertheless, he felt too lazy to add insult to injury. In the first place, he wasn’t all that concerned about Fu Shu, as the latter was only able to contend with him by temporarily relying on the strength of the Sacred Tree. Currently, with Yang Kai having access to the same power, there was already nothing to fear from Fu Shu.
Turning around, Yang Kai grinned as he looked towards the goateed man.
With beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead, the goateed man spoke out in a sour tone, “Could it be… that you’re actually royalty that has been lost in the past?”
Yang Kai replied with an indifferent expression, “You have quite the imagination.”
“Then why are you able… to summon the power of the Sacred Tree?” The goateed man was unable to wrap his head around it.
“Who told you that only the Imperial Family is able to gain the Sacred Tree’s protection?” Yang Kai sneered.
The goateed man gawked in sudden realisation. That deeply entrenched thought was completely due to the environment and knowledge he had been exposed to since his youth. It really seemed that no one had considered why only the Imperial Family was able to obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection, and thereby gain access to its strength.
All of a sudden, the goateed man’s mouth turned parched, as he felt as though an enormous secret had just been exposed before him.
He proceeded to ask in a quivering voice, “What kind of people can obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection?”
Yang Kai replied coldly, “Getting rebellious, old dog? Why are you asking about this? Do you really have such thoughts?”
The goateed man burst into anger, “Stop spewing nonsense!” As he replied, he glanced at his surroundings, appearing afraid that his question had been overheard by other people.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “Scram off and tell your master to not bother me in the future. This Young Master has no intention of purposefully offending anyone, and more so becoming enemies with anyone. It’s just that my wife and I accidentally strayed into this place, so we will leave when we find the exit. If anyone dares to find trouble with us… heh heh.”
Coming to a clear realization, the goateed man nodded his head and replied, “This Old Master will definitely convey Your Excellency’s message. As for what the Third Imperial Prince decides to do, that isn’t up for this Old Master to decide.”
“I also know that you don’t have the qualifications to make a decision, now scram.” Yang Kai waved his hand as though he was shooing away a fly.
The goateed man immediately left. How could he dare to remain here?
At this point in time, Fu Shu was still shrieking in pain, his voice filled with incomparable misery. Not far away in the air, Zhu Qing was currently engaged in an intense fight against over thirty cultivators. Despite being blessed by Fu Shu’s Bloodlust Spell and Life Chains, having their strength boosted and their vitalities tied together, how could these rabble match up with a member of the Dragon Clan?
The Bloodlust Spell could only stimulate the power of one’s Blood Qi to strengthen their physical bodies and raise their bravery and ferocity. This would result in an increase in pure strength, though it would not raise it by much. As for the Life Chains, it merely linked their lives together, increasing their ability to absorb damage and injuries.
Their offensive capabilities still remained within the upper bounds of their cultivation realms.
As such, it wasn’t difficult for Zhu Qing to deal with them, with the odds still being overwhelmingly stacked in her favour. Nevertheless, due to the effect of Life Chains, it still took her quite some effort to deal with them.
Yang Kai raised his hand at that moment and sent the flame snakes floating before him over, taking only an instant to smash into the crowd of people.
Immediately, the Life Chains which tied their life force together, burst apart like a pin-pricked balloon as countless flame snakes drilled their way through their protections.
The Life Chain Spell was dispelled before shattering apart. In the next instant, the group of thirty were swept away by Zhu Qing’s violent aura, resulting in them suffering serious injuries, all of them spewing blood as they fell out of the sky like dumplings.
Under normal conditions, Life Chains couldn’t be dispelled with such ease; however, Fu Shu was using the power from the Sacred Tree when he had cast that spell, and with Yang Kai’s interference, it had resulted in the Life Chains breaking from within.
With her opponents suddenly collapsing in a single move, Zhu Qing was also too lazy to clean them up. Bullying the weak was considered an embarrassment for the Dragon Clan. With a flicker, she arrived by Yang Kai’s side. Shooting a look at Fu Shu, who was now squirming in a pool of his own blood, she asked in an irked tone, “Why is he still alive?”
Yang Kai replied in shock, “You still want to kill ruthlessly? Indeed, there’s nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart.”
Zhu Qing snorted coldly in response, “Why are you letting trash like him live?”
“You have a point.” Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked towards a certain location within the crowd of people, “Having witnessed such a good show for so long, shouldn’t you come out already, Sir? You should have heard it. If you aren’t going to come out, my wife will execute this First Imperial Prince. When that happens, don’t come crying over spilt milk!”
Right after Yang Kai’s words rang out, a figure suddenly dashed forward, appearing right before the First Imperial Prince. This person was rather tall and had a lanky build, as though he was malnourished. Standing there, he appeared akin to a bamboo pole, creating an exceedingly conspicuous sight.
Upon seeing this man, shock flashed across the face of Fu Shu, who was drowning in pain, before pointing at him, “You, you, you… you are…”
The tall man did not give a reply. Instead, he bent down and shoved a Spirit Pill into Fu Shu’s mouth, before knocking him unconscious with a slap. Extending his hand, he lifted Fu Shu up, before turning around to stare coldly at Yang Kai.
“Oh? A Third-Order Emperor!” Yang Kai’s brow immediately rose.
Despite knowing the outstanding heritage of this Human Imperial City, bumping into a Third-Order Emperor so quickly still brought some shock to Yang Kai. This tall man’s aura was exceedingly profound, and wasn’t inferior even when compared to Azure Sun Temple’s Temple Master Wen Zi Shan, or the Star Soul Palace’s Xiao Yu Yang.
In other words, he was a Master on the same level as Temple Master Wen and Elder Xiao, and not just some embroidered pillow. If he were to take action here, Yang Kai might not be able to deal with him.
Of course, within Human Imperial City, it shouldn’t be a problem for Yang Kai to suppress him with the aid of the Sacred Tree’s protection. At this moment, he had the Sacred Tree’s blessing. The reason he had unleashed so many Flame Snakes earlier was for the sake of establishing a connection with the Sacred Tree.
The Sacred Tree didn’t only protect and bless the Imperial Family, but rather it protected and blessed all Shamans. This was the deduction Yang Kai had made after observing the First Imperial Prince display Shamanic Spells. Therefore, he had used his Shamanic Strength for the sake of proving his theory.
This proved that his guess was right. When he had unleashed the first Flame Snake Spell, there was indeed a sliver of resonance with the Sacred Tree, resulting in a faint connection being formed. After successively casting the Spell, this connection grew substantially stronger.
This resulted in Yang Kai gaining the blessings of the Sacred Tree, allowing him to display what the goateed man recognized as Sacred Techniques.
The so-called Sacred Techniques were just Shamanic Spells that had received a blessing of power.
The citizens of Human Imperial City had assumed that the Sacred Tree was protecting the Imperial Family, resulting in the Imperial Family becoming existences that could not be provoked or disrespected, while granting them many different privileges that no one could go against. However, the truth was simply that the only Shamans in Human Imperial City were from the Imperial Family, a status which allowed them to form a resonance and connection with the Sacred Tree to enable them to tap into the strength of the Sacred Tree.
Other than the Imperial Family, there was basically no one else that could cultivate Shamanic Strength. In other words, they were obstructed from cultivating Shamanic Spells.
This should be the method used to control Human Imperial City.
There was only one thing that Yang Kai could not understand. Exactly what was the Sacred Tree? Why did it protect Shamans, and offer them its strength?
Various thoughts swam through his mind, though Yang Kai could not find the answer for the time being, as the only way he could do so was to personally take a look at the Sacred Tree. However, how would that be an easy task to accomplish? Since the Sacred Tree’s importance was tantamount in this place, it would definitely be well guarded by Human Imperial City. Therefore, it would be more difficult than ascending to the Heavens for Yang Kai, an outsider, to be able to see the Sacred Tree in person.
Focusing his attention towards the tall and skinny man, Yang Kai smiled faintly and said, “Let me guess, since the First and Third Imperial Princes have appeared, could your excellency be a person of the Second Imperial Prince? No, that doesn’t seem right; although I also do not know if there is any Second Imperial Prince at all.”
The tall and skinny man’s expression remained emotionless as he replied in an indifferent tone, “How can you be so sure?”
His voice sounded like what a person with a skinny build would sound like, while his tone seemed to be exceedingly raspy, as though he had not drunk any water for several dozen years.
Yang Kai snorted in reply, “Since ancient times, Imperial Families have not cared about family relationships, and it is inevitable for intense struggles and underhand schemes to occur between princes. If you really were a person of the Second Prince, you would be ecstatic for the First Imperial Prince to kick the bucket as soon as possible, so why would you bother to save him? The Spirit Pill you just fed to him was quite expensive after all.”
“So that’s how it is. Looks like you have quite a sharp mind.” The tall and skinny man nodded lightly, “You’re right, I’m not a person of the Second Imperial Prince.”
“Then whose person are you?” Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he asked.
The tall and skinny man replied, “I’m here on orders from the Human Sovereign to invite you two to the palace!”
“Human Sovereign!” Yang Kai raised his brow, before turning his head towards Zhu Qing, “Madame, should we go or not?”
Zhu Qing replied, “I’ll let you decide.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, before flashing a faint smile, “Let me ask a question first. Having beaten the First Imperial Prince up, would the Human Sovereign punish me?”
The tall and skinny man replied, “This lowly one isn’t fit to judge the intentions of the Human Sovereign. I’m just acting on orders! Please cooperate!”
After saying those words, he turned his body sideways in an inviting stance.
Yang Kai said to Zhu Qing, “Looks like we have to take a trip there. I just so happen to have some questions to ask him as well.”
“Let’s go then.” Zhu Qing nodded her head.
“Lead the way!” Yang Kai indicated to the tall and skinny man with his chin.
Without saying a word back, the tall and skinny man’s body flickered before he flew off in a certain direction, with Yang Kai following in suit.
The little black puppy ran out from an unknown location at that point, and with a few barks, rushed into Zhu Qing’s bosom.
During the earlier fight, this fellow had fled without a trace, but with the fight over now, he had immediately shown himself.
Within this exceedingly large Human Imperial City, this tall and skinny man clearly possessed a high status, as Yang Kai had caught notice of the five-leaf insignia embroidered on his clothes.
Although a five-leaf insignia was relatively low in terms of status compared to the First and Third Imperial Princes, it was still a symbol of nobility. In accordance with the words of the goateed man, only people with six leaves have the qualifications to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree, and unleash the Sacred Techniques that could suppress all in its path.
There was only a single leaf difference between five and six, but it was a great chasm in terms of status.
Yang Kai estimated that anyone within this Human Imperial City that was part of the Imperial Family’s direct bloodline should have six leaves at the very least. For people like this tall and skinny man, who possessed powerful cultivation yet was not part of the Imperial Family’s bloodline, five leaves would be the very peak, with it being impossible for them to rise any higher.
This man was a Third-Order Emperor, and would be an overlord or a Sect Master of a top Sect if he was in the outside world. However, within this Human Imperial City, he was a subordinate that served someone else.
Within Human Imperial City, one’s status depended on one’s presence or absence of leaves, while the number determined how esteemed one was, or whether one would be the master or subordinate. This was a method of control which Yang Kai would not agree to blindly, nor did he wish to make any judgement about it.
Yang Kai figured the Human Sovereign was a man who appointed people through favouritism, and someone that was very narrow-minded, which caused his initial impression of the latter to be rather poor.
The reason the Human Sovereign had summoned him was most probably due to him being able to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree. His appearance and his actions had shaken the very core of control the Human Sovereign had in his reign.
Yang Kai’s appearance was just like a rock that had been thrown into a tranquil lake, causing ripples to spread out, and thereby attracting the attention of the overlord of the depths.
Yang Kai believed that if he were to reject the Human Sovereign’s summons, a kill or capture order for him would immediately be spread across the entire Human Imperial City. Therefore, he could not reject this summon at all, and since that was the case, Yang Kai had no other choice but to go with the flow.
However, this would definitely not be a peaceful trip, so he needed to be extra vigilant.
Only nobility were allowed to fly within Human Imperial City. Regardless of how powerful one’s cultivation was, one would need to obediently walk on the ground if one did not possess any leaves.
The tall and skinny man possessed five leaves. Furthermore, he seemed to be a Master that directly served the Human Sovereign, naturally giving him the qualifications to fly. As he did so, the people that were in his path all retreated to give way to him.
The status of the nobles were inferior to that of the tall and skinny man.
Yang Kai quickly noticed that it was hard to bump into anyone with six leaves. At the very least, he did not bump into a single one on this flight. The majority of the nobles he had bumped into possessed three leaves or less, with only a small handful possessing more than three leaves.
With such a pool, the tall and skinny man with his five leaves appeared to tower over the rest. The only difference between him and the First and Third Imperial Princes was his inability to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree.
That was because he was not born into the Imperial Family, leaving him unable to cultivate Shamanic Strength, resulting in him not receiving the blessing of the Sacred Tree.
The Imperial Palace was situated in the centre most region of Human Imperial City. The palace consisted of numerous buildings and spanned over an exceedingly vast area of space. It was also precisely the direction that Yang Kai had sensed the resonance coming from, where the power provided to him by the Sacred Tree came from.
Yang Kai squinted his eyes towards the direction he estimated the Sacred Tree was located, only to see a stretch of haze hanging over there, as though something was being encompassed by a powerful Spirit Array, leaving him unable to survey the situation within. The Spirit Arrays were most likely the ones that were obstructing his Divine Sense before as well.
Not long after, the tall and skinny man descended from the air, before landing in front of a palace. This palace was exceedingly opulent and furthermore, it seemed to have been built a long time ago. Standing outside of the palace, an ancient and desolate aura came surging out to greet them, as though it was telling them the ebb and flow of time.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn.
The tall and skinny man passed the First Imperial Prince, whom he had been carrying over his shoulder like a sack the whole time, to the guards standing outside of the palace, before turning around, “Please enter. The Human Sovereign is waiting inside.”
Yang Kai smiled, “This isn’t a trap, is it? There aren’t a few hundred blades and axes waiting to cleave us apart when we enter, right?”
The tall and skinny man replied in an emotionless tone, “Is this a joke from the outside world? It is not funny at all.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “You obviously do not have any sense of humour.”
The tall and skinny man replied, “The Human Sovereign is the most supreme existence in this world, and does not need any traps if his esteemed self wanted to deal with you.”
“We’re all Emperors here, so what’s the use of posturing?” Yang Kai spat in disdain, before striding towards the palace.
The tall and skinny man pointed towards the little black dog in Zhu Qing’s bosom, “Leave the bastard behind.”
Zhu Qing shook her head and replied, “Ah Wang will not be left behind.”
“The Human Imperial Palace is not a palace where one can just enter like that, much less a mutt. Please do not add more difficulty to my job.” The tall and skinny man obstructed their paths.
Yang Kai replied with a sneer, “You are the one that said the Human Sovereign had summoned me and my wife, and yet now, you are obstructing us. Can’t you make up your mind?”
The tall and skinny man opened his mouth, appearing to be in the process of giving a reply, before his ears suddenly perked up. Clearly, someone was transmitting a message to him.
After an instant, with a shift of his body, he moved to give way to Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
“This is the proper attitude to treat guests with,” Yang Kai smiled faintly, before walking forwards with Zhu Qing by his side.
From the outside, the interior of the Human Imperial Palace appeared to be filled with a dusky haze, making it seemingly impossible to make out anything within. However, upon entering, one would immediately notice how bright it was in here, with a dozen gigantic pillars erected in all directions, appearing as though they connected the Earth to the Heavens. Rays of light radiated out from the luminous pearl decorations that dotted the halls, encompassing the entire palace with a warm glow.
Pairs of eyes immediately swept over from all directions.
Yang Kai raised his brow in response, as he did not expect there to be so many people present within this Human Imperial Palace. Sweeping his gaze around, he quickly spotted a familiar figure among the crowd, and with a faint smile, he sent his greetings, “How are you, Third Imperial Prince? We meet again so soon! I have to thank you for your care earlier.”
The Third Imperial Prince snorted coldly in response, his eyes brimming with disdain.
All of the people present within this palace possessed six leaves and above. In other words, all of them were blood-related to the Imperial Family, and Shamans of outstanding power. There was a great range in their ages though, with both males and females present.
There were not many nine leaves present, with only two people having them. Other than the Third Imperial Prince, there was a beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty years of age. The two of them stood right at the highest place within the palace, right next to the throne, with the others standing in rows by their sides.
What piqued Yang Kai’s curiosity was that the beautiful woman was actually a Second-Order Emperor.
Of the twenty or so Shamans present, there was a great range in their cultivation, but not a single Third-Order Emperor.
Right at the head of the room was a gigantic imperial throne, one that was wide enough to allow a person to lie in comfortably without feeling cramped. Seated on the imperial throne was a somewhat obese elderly man. He did not seem to be tall or muscular, instead appearing somewhat tubby when seated on the imperial throne, making for somewhat of a funny sight.
However, the aura that radiated from him gave Yang Kai a shock.
Before coming over here, he was secretly guessing the cultivation of the Human Sovereign.
The unique situation within this city had led him to the realisation that the greatest source of power was the ability to connect with the Sacred Tree and borrow its strength, with one’s cultivation coming second to this.
Therefore, he had faintly concluded that the Human Sovereign’s cultivation should not be too high, and thus would obviously not be at the Great Emperor Realm.
It was precisely because of this that Yang Kai had come here so confidently to meet this Human Sovereign.
If the latter really was a Great Emperor, he would not even have the chance to retaliate.
However, upon seeing the Human Sovereign, Yang Kai realized that he had been too naive. This Human Sovereign wasn’t a Great Emperor at all. In fact, he wasn’t even a Third-Order Emperor.
The aura that he radiated was just of a Second-Order Emperor! What’s more, it was an exceedingly feeble aura at that!
The leader of Human Imperial City, the person above all others, was only a Second-Order Emperor!
No one would believe such a thing if they weren’t here to personally witness it. Zhu Qing had obviously not expected this either, falling into a daze. Being an existence on par or even stronger than a Third-Order Emperor, she was able to gauge the Human Sovereign’s cultivation realm with a single glance, his Second-Order Emperor Realm strength appearing somewhat of a joke in her eyes. Furthermore, the Human Sovereign was already old, and although his age was unknown, his vitality was already starting to decline. In other words, his Second-Order Emperor cultivation realm was his peak, and there was no room left for improvement. Furthermore, his cultivation realm would gradually decline as time continued to pass.
The weakness of his aura was the greatest evidence!
“Outrageous! Why are you not kneeling down in the presence of the Human Sovereign!”
A high-pitched shout rang out, as the beautiful woman standing at the topmost right-hand side of the hall unexpectedly took the lead and started causing difficulty for Yang Kai. Within the entire palace, she was the only person besides the Third Imperial Prince to possess nine leaves. However, her cultivation realm was higher than the Third Imperial Prince’s by a Minor Realm, reaching the Second-Order Emperor Realm.
It could be said that she was the strongest person within the entire Imperial Family. Although the Human Sovereign possessed the same cultivation as her, his strength was already starting to decline. Unlike him, she was at the peak of her life, with a very large window for improvement. With the right opportunities, she could reach the Third-Order.
Raising his eyes to look over, Yang Kai snorted coldly in response, “Requiring one to kneel whenever we see someone. Your Human Imperial City’s rules are really weird. Why don’t I see you kneeling down before me?”
The beautiful woman took a step forward, her face turning icy cold as she unleashed a powerful aura to press down on Yang Kai, “This Queen is the Second Princess of Human Imperial City. Are you even able to accept my kneeling?”
Undeterred at all, Yang Kai did not move as he replied haughtily, “Bullshit, someone like you, Imperial Princess, is nothing to me. In my eyes, only those with the strongest fists have the right to stand forward and talk. Your First Imperial Prince was beaten to a pulp by me, so there’s nothing to say about some Second Princess.”
The Second Princess’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly as a dangerous glint flashed within, “Are you saying that you feel that your fists are very strong?”
Yang Kai proceeded to size her up earnestly, before sneering, “At least they’re bigger than your chest.”
The group of Imperial Princes and Princesses could not help but let out a laugh, feeling that this outsider’s mouth really was poisonous. With her high self-esteem and cultivation realm, the Second Princess generally wouldn’t show respect to any other member of the royalty. In fact, she didn’t even treat the Imperial Princes that stood near the top with any regard. It was a pity that she was born a woman, which put her at a disadvantage in a fight for succession. If she was born a male, she would have been designated the successor to the Human Sovereign a long time ago.
However, apart from being a woman, she didn’t possess any physical traits to be proud of. Her curves were essentially non-existent, both on top and on the bottom, and while her egg-shaped face was somewhat pretty, there really was nothing outstanding about her appearance.
Yang Kai’s reply instantly struck the Second Princess’s sore spot, causing her face to turn ashen as she growled, “Kneel down for me!”
As those words rang out, she raised her hand fiercely, sending a jade green beam of light shooting towards Yang Kai like an arrow. Upon reaching the air above him, a palm-like shape appeared from it as it pressed down fiercely, appearing as though it wanted to force Yang Kai down into a kneel.
“It’s you who is going to kneel,” Yang Kai snorted coldly while extending his hand to pull Zhu Qing towards him. He then formed a seal with his other hand, causing a similar jade-green glow to blossom. This beam of light wasn’t as big as the Second Princess’, but it was undoubtedly brighter and more tangible looking.
The faces of the Imperial Family in the palace immediately turned pale.
As the beam of light flew up, it actually fused with the jade green palm, and in front of everyone’s eyes, the palm unexpectedly proceeded to turn and head in another direction. In the blink of an eye, it pressed down onto the Second Princess, appearing as though the Sacred Technique she had unleashed had backfired and was now acting against her.
The Third Imperial Prince’s eyes narrowed, while a sense of danger he had never felt before started to wrap around his heart. He secretly sized up the situation, only to see that the Human Sovereign’s face had remained utterly expressionless. The Human Sovereign was still half-squinting as he sat there, appearing as though he was asleep.
As the mountain-like pressure descended from the sky, the Second Princess’ expression instantly turned incomparably ugly. Waves of cracking sounds began to ring out from her body before she slowly began to hunch down.
She went all out to resist, continuously channelling her strength, trying to inspire a stronger resonance with the Sacred Tree; however, there seemed to be an invisible power that was interfering with her, causing her to be unable to maintain a connection, leaving her with only her own strength to deal with the powerful downward pressure.
Finally, she felt the pressure of being pressed down by the Sacred Technique. This man’s cultivation was obviously inferior to hers, but he was relying on the Sacred Technique to toy with her in the palm of his hands. As feelings of embarrassment she had never experienced before flooded her mind and heart, her face turned flushed. Nevertheless, she had no other option but to growl, “What are you all gawking at? Why aren’t you all helping!”
Only after her words rang out did the shocked Imperial Family members snap back to their senses. Right as they were about to take action, Zhu Qing suddenly spoke out in an emotionless tone, “I’d like to see who dares to move.”
As her words rang out, a gigantic Red Dragon phantom suddenly surged out from her body. This Red Dragon was over 300 meters long, it’s massive form seemingly occupying half of the entire throne room. An immensely dense Dragon Pressure burst out towards all directions at that moment, causing everyone to start to feel suffocating chills. The two massive dragon eyes present on the head of the dragon seemed capable of seeing through all creation and radiated with an awe-inspiring might that could not be disregarded.
Everyone was stunned and froze in place, staring dumbly at the gigantic draconic figure, before sounds of loud gulping could be heard.
The Red Dragon raised its head and unleashed an ear-splitting roar that whipped up fierce winds, sending several of the relatively weaker Imperial Family members flying.
Unleashing the full might of her Dragon Source allowed Zhu Qing’s strength to surpass that of an ordinary Third-Order Emperor, and despite the protection of the Sacred Tree, these Imperial Family members did not end up unscathed from it.
The Second Princess, who was holding on bitterly, ended up in an even more miserable state than before. With Yang Kai breaking her connection with the Sacred Tree, the impact from the Dragon Pressure caused her body to slump down even more, to the point of her knee touching the ground.
Her face instantly turned incomparably pale, while overwhelming feelings of embarrassment and humiliation filled her heart, letting her experience a feeling that was worse than death.
The Human Imperial City had stood for tens of thousands of years, ruled solely by the Imperial Family, which had resulted in the royalty developing arrogant and aloof characters since youth. It had always been the commoners kneeling down before them, so this was the first time in history that an Imperial Family member had even knelt down before a normal person.
Yang Kai did not continue to increase the pressure though and instead turned his head towards the Human Sovereign and spoke, “Sir, what are you going to do about this? If you continue watching on, your daughter might really kneel down before me. Although I can accept her kneeling, bullying women isn’t something to be proud of. There’s a saying that goes, a good man doesn’t fight with women.”
The Human Sovereign slowly stood up, before a voice that didn’t seem too loud rang out within the Human Imperial Palace, “This Sovereign has been lacking in his teaching towards his daughter. Please restrain yourself, my guest.”
The faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses changed slightly upon hearing those words.
Never had they ever heard the Human Sovereign speak to someone with such courtesy. He would even be exceedingly strict when talking to them in normal circumstances, when had he ever used such a gentle tone? A sliver of a peculiar glint flashed across the eyes of the Third Imperial Prince, as he seemed to have caught onto something. When he looked back at Yang Kai, the gaze he was holding was already completely different from the gaze he had sent out earlier.
Yang Kai grinned at the Human Sovereign, though he did not pull back, nor did he give a reply, leaving the situation hanging like that.
The gigantic Red Dragon that filled half of the palace hall raised its head slightly, causing the intensity of the Dragon Pressure to rise.
A sliver of frustration flashed across the eyes of the Human Sovereign, though he did not follow up with any action. Instead, he turned his head towards the Second Princess, “Fu Yu, you were insolent with your words, and caused a conflict with this Sovereign’s guests. Hurry up and apologize.”
“Imperial Father!” The Second Princess, with the name of Fu Yu, gasped in shock after hearing his words, an incredulous look appearing on her face as she looked at the Human Sovereign. Only after locking gazes with the Human Sovereign and noticing the fury contained within his imposing gaze did her eyes tremble as she hastily lowered her head, and spoke out between her clenched teeth, “Fu Yu had eyes but failed to see and caused a conflict… Sir, please do not take offence!”
Her words sounded exceedingly stiff, especially the word ‘Sir’, which she spoke extremely quietly and awkwardly. Clearly, this had never happened before, much less addressing someone with this term.
Yang Kai chuckled loudly, “Since the Human Sovereign has spoken, I naturally have to give face to him. Qing’er, relax.”
As his voice rang out, he took the lead and dispelled his Shamanic Spell, causing the jade-green palm that was pressing down on Fu Yu to dissipate away and vanish in the blink of an eye. This was followed by the Red Dragon phantom flickering and disappearing in a shower of light. As the Dragon Pressure dissipated, the various Imperial Family members took a slight breath of relief.
Fu Yu slowly stood up, her head still lowered, with no one being able to see her face and eyes. Nevertheless, her continuously shivering body revealed the extreme turmoil present in her heart.
“Bring in the chairs!” The Human Sovereign raised his hand.
Two exceedingly luxurious chairs were immediately carried into the hall, before they were placed not far away from the imperial throne.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “There’s no need to sit. I think that the Human Sovereign should have many things to ask me, and I just so happen to also have some things to ask you, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign did not insist further, and raised his head, “That’s right. I indeed have some matters to ask you about.”
Yang Kai adopted the stance of a listener.
The Human Sovereign asked, “Where are you two from?”
“The Star Boundary. I don’t know if you have heard about it, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign nodded his head, “I’ve naturally heard about it. The Human Imperial City has existed for tens of thousands of years, and there is a continuous influx of outsiders. This Sovereign does not know when this started to happen, but all of them would claim they came from the Star Boundary. Furthermore, from the looks of it, you two seem to have also come from there.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “The Revolving World that you all have named this place, is connected to the Star Boundary via a Void Channel. Therefore, those who were able to enter are naturally from the Star Boundary.”
The Human Sovereign followed up with another question, “Then how did you two enter Human Imperial City? According to what this Sovereign knows, there should’ve been no one that could’ve opened the Space Array for you two, as that person had already been killed.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows and replied, “Your ability to gather information is quite impressive. It hasn’t even been half a day since then, right?”
“One of this Sovereign’s subordinates died, so there naturally has to be a detailed investigation.”
Yang Kai suddenly shook his head and said, “I feel that this is very unfair for me, as it has only been Sir asking the questions, and me answering. This isn’t a good deal for me. How about we take turns to ask questions, with one person asking, and the other one answering before exchanging roles. It can’t be just one side asking and one side answering, right?”
The various Imperial Family members were stunned, as this was the first time they had ever seen someone bartering with the Human Sovereign. Furthermore, Yang Kai had replied in a righteous and almost offensive manner, yet there was unexpectedly no trace of anger coming from the Human Sovereign, with the latter only remaining silent for an instant before nodding and replying, “Let’s do as you proposed.”
The strange glint in the Third Imperial Prince’s eyes grew more intense hearing this.
“Then, it is now my turn, right?” As Yang Kai said that, his expression suddenly sank, “Where is the couple that arrived with us in Human Imperial City? Are they alive or dead?”
The Human Sovereign laughed, “You’re asking two questions.”
Yang Kai shrugged, “The earlier one doesn’t count.”
“They’re still alive. How did you manage to enter Human Imperial City through the Space Array without possessing the Human Sovereign Seal?”
Raising his hand, Yang Kai gave the space before him a pat, causing it to cave in and collapse, as though a piece from a complete puzzle had been shifted out of place. Although it quickly returned back to normal, this could be classified as a shockingly brilliant move.
A look of understanding appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face, “So that’s how it is!”
Yang Kai continued, “May I know how Human Sovereign will deal with that couple?”
“Death!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned blank, “How is that reasonable? Liao Guan Shi was killed by me, and that couple had just happened to be in the same place; neither did they take any action to help me, so why kill them? Aren’t you having too much disregard for people’s lives, Sir?”
The Human Sovereign grinned at him.
Yang Kai coughed lightly, “Your turn to ask.”
The Human Sovereign suddenly turned his gaze towards the little black dog in Zhu Qing’s bosom and asked, “Is that beast a Demon Beast?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded his head in agreement, “Although its bloodline isn’t pure, it is indeed a Demon Beast!”
The faces of the Imperial Family members changed drastically upon hearing his words as they looked with incomparable shock at the little dog, before turning back to look at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing with extreme vigilance.
Yang Kai asked, “So can you answer my earlier question now?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Not reporting the matter is the reason for them to be killed.”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “How imposing of you, Sir.”
“Looks like you care a lot about those two. In accordance with what I know, you don’t even know their names, right? You don’t have any relationship with them either.”
“I don’t know what their names are; however, I did not kill them, yet they will die for me, how can a person feel at ease about such a thing?”
“You’re unexpectedly kind-hearted.” The Human Sovereign nodded slightly, before his gaze flicked like a bolt of lighting towards Yang Kai, “Are you of the Demon Race?”
Yang Kai sneered coldly in response, “If I was a Demon, I would have already obliterated your Human Imperial Palace rather than sit here and chatting with you.”
“This Sovereign also feels the same. Nevertheless, a confirmation is required to be on the safe side.”
“You may rest assured that we husband and wife ended up in this place by accident, and have no interest in your Human Imperial City whatsoever.” Yang Kai sneered, “What needs to be done for you to let those two people go?”
The Human Sovereign replied in an indifferent tone, “If you two leave Human Imperial City and never set foot here again, this Sovereign will release them.”
Yang Kai frowned, “As long as I can find the way home, this Young Master will immediately leave, why would I want to stay in your Human Imperial City? If you want us to leave, we will have to ask Sir to guide the way.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head, “The Revolving World is easy to enter, but hard to leave. This world has existed for tens of thousands of years, yet no one has ever left.”
“Being able to enter naturally means that one can also leave, we just have to find a suitable method to do so. If Sir really wants us to leave as soon as possible, it would be best for you to not conceal anything.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head, “I really do not know.”
Yang Kai’s forehead wrinkled up, as he felt that this Human Sovereign didn’t seem to be lying, so there was basically no point in continuing to pursue this line of questioning. As such, he could only let out a depressed sigh, “Sir, I can understand why you wish for us to leave; however, if there’s no way out of here, what should we do?”
“Although the Revolving World isn’t large, it also isn’t small. With your strength, you two should have the ability to contend against the Demon Race should you encounter them. Other than Human Imperial City, you two can head to the other cities.”
Yang Kia pursed his lips, “Aren’t you being too irresponsible, Sir? If that’s the case, we’ll stay put in Human Imperial City for a period of time.”
The Human Sovereign narrowed his eyes, “If that is the case, this Sovereign has no other choice but to try his best to fight you. I hope you two also have the mental preparation to enter the Yellow Springs together.”
As he said those words, an exceedingly dazzling jade-green glow suddenly erupted from his body. His entire person seemed to have turned younger by a few hundred years, while an overbearing pressure surged out from him.
A frown appeared on Yang Kai’s face in response, as he could instinctually sense that this old fellow wasn’t someone that was easy to deal with. At that instant, the former seemed to have established an unbreakable connection with the Sacred Tree, granting him access to unlimited power which caused him to give off a feeling of invincibility.
Not only that, but this phenomenon also happened to the surrounding Imperial Princes and Princesses, as all of them stared covetously at Yang Kai and Zhu Qing.
Provoked by their surging auras, the Dragon Essence within Zhu Qing’s body started to churn as her face turned chilly.
Patting her shoulder, Yang Kai signalled for her to calm down, before speaking out with a faint smile, “There’s no need to be that nervous, Sir. Truthfully speaking, we can leave Human Imperial City. You just need to accept two of my requests and we will depart.”
The Human Sovereign nodded, “Speak.”
Yang Kai raised a finger, “Release those two unrelated people. They did not go against your will.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Their lives are not of importance compared to your decision.”
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I’ll take that as a yes. My second condition is… I want to see the Sacred Tree!”
“Impudence!” The Third Imperial Prince and Second Princess growled in unison, as though they had been humiliated by Yang Kai’s words.
Yang Kai glared coldly at them, “Is this a hard request to fulfil? How impudent is it?”
The Second Imperial Princess replied, “The Sacred Tree is the foundation of our Human Imperial City! Since the beginning, only members of the Imperial Family have been allowed to approach it! Who are you to make such an outrageous request!” She turned towards the Human Sovereign, “Imperial Father, your daughter beseeches you to grant me the authority to kill these people who are clearly harbouring ulterior motives!”
Having just suffered a big loss at Yang Kai’s hands and losing all face, the Second Princess had been trying to find any means possible to retaliate. At this moment, with the opportunity presenting itself, she naturally didn’t hold back in engaging in a confrontation against Yang Kai. Although this couple seemed to be extremely strong, the Imperial Family was the strongest within Human Imperial City. As long as the Human Sovereign took action, this couple would not be able to cause any mayhem, no matter how strong they were.
As if he hadn’t heard anything Fu Yu had said, the Human Sovereign looked deeply at Yang Kai, “What is your reason for this request?”
Yang Kai shrugged, “It’s purely out of curiosity. I just want to know exactly what the Sacred Tree is and why it is able to provide such incredible blessings.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “What if this Sovereign doesn’t agree?”
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, before his laugh halted as he replied in a chilling voice, “Then we’ll have to see if your Imperial Family or we husband and wife are more formidable! In any case, I will get to see the Sacred Tree.”
“Shameless boasting!” Fu Yu erupted with fury, “Imperial Father, your daughter is willing to take the lead and make sure this little brat knows the might of our Imperial Family!”
Yang Kai shot a sidelong gaze at her, “Disgraceful. How about this Young Master teaches you another lesson on how to show proper respect?”
Fu Yu was seething with anger, and was barely able to hold herself back from attacking Yang Kai to reclaim her dignity. Even though she wasn’t a match for him, it was still better than letting him speak so impudently. Nevertheless, without an order from the Human Sovereign, she didn’t dare to recklessly take action.
“Are you adamant on seeing it?” The Human Sovereign suddenly opened his mouth and looked solemnly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “I hope Sir can fulfil this little wish of mine.”
The Human Sovereign closed his eyes and seemed to enter deep thought, appearing to struggle in making a decision. After a long while, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he spoke, “Answer one more of this Sovereign’s questions.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Go ahead!”
The Human Sovereign’s eyes narrowed slightly, “How are you able to use the Sacred Techniques and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sir should have already guessed it, so why the need for this question?”
“Although I already have my suspicions, I still do not dare to believe them. In accordance with what I understand, the Ancient Shamanic Spells have long disappeared from Star Boundary, so how are you able to display them?”
“I managed to learn one or two moves by chance, and was just showing my meagre skills before an expert like you, Sir.”
The Human Sovereign shook his head slowly, clearly not satisfied with Yang Kai’s reply to his question. Other than this explanation though, he was unable to come up with a better answer to this question of his.
Just as Yang Kai had guessed earlier, the Sacred Tree did not solely protect the Imperial Family, but all Shamans. Within Human Imperial City, only the Imperial Family members were allowed to borrow the power of the Sacred Tree to cultivate Shamanic Strength and become Shamans. This had allowed the Imperial Family members to appear special within Human Imperial City.
Over the past tens of thousands of years here, there were cases of people from the Star Boundary entering Human Imperial City, and Human Imperial City had very detailed records of these outsiders. When consolidated, these records from those outsiders’ world could basically explain the developmental history of the Star Boundary.
The changes in the World Principles had caused Shaman Strength to gradually be replaced by Yuan Qi. Indeed, the Ancient Shamanic Spells had long gone extinct. Yet, there was a living example in the form of Yang Kai present right before him, leaving the Human Sovereign no choice but to treat the latter with importance.
“This Sovereign can agree with your request, but I hope that you too can keep to your promise,” The Human Sovereign finally relented.
He wasn’t willing to start a fight with Yang Kai, who could similarly display Sacred Techniques, and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree. If they really were to fight, it would absolutely end up in a situation of mutual destruction. Furthermore, the woman by Yang Kai’s side wasn’t an ordinary character either, she seemed to hail from the legendary Divine Spirit Dragon Clan!
Although the Sacred Techniques could suppress ordinary Third-Order Emperors, they were still lacking in power when compared to a true member of the Dragon Clan.
The Second Princess seemed to wish to say something, but her words caught in her throat before she could voice them.
She knew the Human Sovereign had already made his decision, so anything she said now would be futile.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “Please rest assured, Sir, I’m a man of my word. Naturally, I hope that Sir will not trouble that couple anymore and let them go as soon as possible.”
The Human Sovereign nodded lightly, “Follow me.”
As he replied, he had already flown towards the outside.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing followed suit behind him, with the other Imperial Princes and Princesses in hot pursuit. The Second Princess glared at Yang Kai’s back, her eyes brimming with incomparable hatred, as though she could not wait to rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces, yet was unable to proceed as she wished.
The Third Imperial Prince moved to her side and whispered, “Imperial Father knows what he is doing, so why the hurry?”
Fu Yu was shocked by his words, causing her to look back at him with a peculiar gaze, “Third Brother, are you saying…”
The Third Imperial Price moved past her before transmitting back, “I didn’t say anything.”
An extraordinary splendour flashed across the Second Princess’s eyes while excitement surged in her heart as she started to fill up with anticipation.
The Sacred Tree was located in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace, with Masters standing guard in all directions. There were clearly a few dozen people specially protecting this place, all of whom were Emperor Realm Masters, and there were also some powerful auras that were concealed in the darkness.
The Human Sovereign took the lead, causing those guards to move forward to greet him, but upon seeing Yang Kai and Zhu Qing, confused looks appeared on their faces, as they did not recognise these two people.
These guards were stationed here all year round, and also weren’t allowed to go within a thousand metres of the Sacred Tree. Therefore, other than members of the Imperial Family, they had never seen anyone else come here at all.
However, there were two other people today. Furthermore, they were brought here personally by the Human Sovereign. This shocking oddity obviously caught everyone’s attention.
The dense fog ahead of them seemed able to obstruct any surveillance from Divine Sense, and also limited vision, leaving one unclear of the situation within.
The Human Sovereign came to a halt and pointed in front of him, “The Sacred Tree lies ahead. If you want to see it, you have to enter there, guest.”
Looking at the swirling haze, Yang Kai smiled faintly, before turning his head towards Zhu Qing, “Wait for me a while. I’ll be right back.”
“Be careful!” Zhu Qing shouted back in a serious tone; after all, this was someone else’s territory. Although Yang Kai was no slouch, compared to a head-on fight, it was harder to defend against an ambush. Therefore, there wasn’t any harm to be more careful and vigilant.
“I will!” Yang Kai smiled faintly and strode in. Right after taking two steps forward, his figure suddenly disappeared within the fog, leaving no trace of him visible anymore.
A slight frown appeared on Zhu Qing’s face, and despite knowing that this was the effect of the Spirit Array, she could not help but to feel a sliver of anxiety.
“Are you, esteemed one, from the Divine Spirit Dragon Clan?” The Human Sovereign suddenly asked.
Zhu Qing’s beautiful eyes remained locked in the haze in front of her, appearing as though she hadn’t heard him speak at all.
Not minding her reaction, the Human Sovereign continued to smile faintly, “There aren’t any Divine Spirits present in this Revolving World; however, there are many records of them in the ancient books. It is rumoured that the Dragon Clan are the leaders of the myriad spirits, and are exceedingly aloof and arrogant. Why would you, esteemed one, mix with an ordinary person and throw your Dragon Clan’s face away for no reason? Furthermore, this Sovereign can tell that your relationship with that man… seems to be somewhat different from normal.”
“If this was the outside world, a person like you wouldn’t even have the qualifications to speak to me,” Zhu Qing turned her head abruptly around and looked right at the Human Sovereign.
A gloomy glint flashed across the Human Sovereign’s eyes, while looks of fury appeared on the faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses. There had never been anyone who dared to speak like that to the Human Sovereign! She had basically treated him with no regard at all!
“Therefore, you better be careful with the words you use. Since you know I’m from the Dragon Clan, then you should be aware of the Dragon Clan’s temper.” After saying those words, Zhu Qing turned back and stared into the depths of the fog.
The Human Sovereign remained silent for a good while, before chuckling, “The arrogance of the Dragon Clan truly lives up to its name.”
All of a sudden, he waved his hands lightly, and a ray of dark-green light shot out from the fog in front of them, transforming into ropes that immediately bound Zhu Qing up.
“Although the Dragon Clan are strong, they are still somewhat lacking in this Sovereign’s eyes.”
Zhu Qing’s expression turned exceedingly cold. Lowering her head to look at the restraints that were binding her, she looked up and replied, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
The Human Sovereign sneered in response, “This Sovereign obviously knows what he is doing. Human Imperial City has stood for tens of thousands of years, and our Imperial Family has been protecting the Human Race’s way of life all this time, allowing the Human Race to have a foothold in this world. This Sovereign will not allow any accidents to happen. That friend of yours… is the greatest accident possible. Since he is an accident, he must be eliminated.”
“Therefore you had lured us here to give yourself an advantage before taking action?”
The Human Sovereign sighed, “This method is indeed somewhat despicable. However, this Sovereign has no choice but to do so for the sake of the Human Race. I hope that you, esteemed one, can understand. Our Imperial Family can only unleash our full strength here; however, there’s no need for you to worry. You will have that person to accompany you on the road to the Yellow Springs, so you won’t be too lonely.”
Zhu Qing did not give any reply. Instead, with a shocking dragon roar, her body twisted about, before suddenly transforming into a three-hundred-metre-long Red Dragon, with Dragon Pressure surging out from her, shaking her surroundings.
Apparently, the jade green restraints that bound her were exceedingly flexible though and could change in length at will, so they did not break apart. Despite assuming her true form, Zhu Qing still found herself restrained, the jade green glow from the bindings appearing exceedingly conspicuous against her bright red body.
The faces of the Imperial Princes and Princesses turned pale as they proceeded to send their Sacred Techniques towards the Great Dragon, causing sparks to fly out as they smashed into her hard scales.
Both sets of guards, those in the light and those hiding in the dark, also proceeded to take action. A total of sixteen Emperor Realm Masters, with the lead two being Third-Order, unleashed their overwhelming might as soon as they took action.
With so many against her, despite Zhu Qing’s incredible strength, she was instantly swamped by attacks, causing her to let off an earth-shattering roar.
Of the Imperial Princes and Princesses present here, the Second Princess’ actions were especially ruthless, as she appeared to be trying to pay back the humiliation she had suffered at the hands of Yang Kai earlier.
Giving no regard to its life, the little black dog rushed forwards, taking the opportunity when Fu Yu wasn’t prepared to bite down on her leg. Ignoring the pain, it shook its head in an attempt to tear a chunk of her leg.
“Get off!” Brimming with anger, Fu Yu sent out a vicious palm strike, her powerful Second-Order Emperor cultivation coupled with the blessing of the Sacred Tree culminating into an exceedingly terrifying attack.
Nevertheless, with exceeding deftness, the little black dog actually managed to shift its body to evade the incoming attack, before biting down on Fu Yu’s skirt, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin.
Now, with her nose crooked with anger, Fu Yu could not be bothered to care about Zhu Qing, with her entire mind focussing on killing the little black dog.
The Human Sovereign continued standing there with a cold expression on his face, having not taken any action after his first move. From what he could see, although this Dragon was powerful, with the combined strength of all of the Imperial Family members and guards present, it was more than sufficient to kill her.
Now, what he needed to do was to deal with the fellow that was able to unleash the Sacred Techniques. Turning his head around, the gaze of the Human Sovereign turned bone-chillingly cold.
He had never once considered to actually allow Yang Kai to observe the Sacred Tree. He had lured the latter here just for the sake of dealing with him with greater ease, as the nearer he was to the Sacred Tree, the greater the strength he could borrow from it.
Within the haze, Yang Kai was not able to get his bearings.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was able to follow along the faint sensation he was getting within here.
He could feel where the Sacred Tree was located, and this feeling was intimate and not one bit foreign to him, as though he had experienced it before.
The closer he got, the more obvious this feeling became.
Finally, after stepping across layer after layer of restrictions, Yang Kai arrived before a large tree that towered the Heavens. At this place, the dense fog had abruptly dissipated away, revealing everything before him.
This was an exceedingly large ancient tree. Raising his head to look at it, Yang Kai noticed that its branches extended across the entire sky, its gigantic crown appearing just like an incomparably wide shield that was able to provide powerful protection, as well as a shelter against any wind or storm.
Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly narrowed violently as he gawked at the towering ancient tree. Thoughts began to fly in his head, while the sounds of combat rang in his ears as he appeared in what seemed like an out of body experience.
Pursing his lips gently, he extended his hand and made contact with the body of the tree.
Yang Kai could not stifle his laughter, “How can it be you? Senior Qing…”
A flash of realization made him feel as though he had returned to that ancient world, back to the scenery of green he had seen upon arriving at Frost and Snow City for the very first time. The shock surging through his heart was the same as what he had felt then, so vividly present in his mind.
In that world, Frost and Snow City was the capital of the Frost and Snow Clan, while the Evergreen Divine Tree stood tall within it, protecting the entire city for all calamities and disasters.
In the final battle between the Ancient Barbarian and Demon Races, Senior Qing had even supported the last hope of mankind with his life.
This familiar aura, as well as the innumerable tree caves present on its trunk and branches, were exactly the same as the Evergreen Divine Tree of that ancient world, with not a thing out of place.
This was definitely the Evergreen Divine Tree! Yang Kai believed that he would not mistake it for something else.
There might be other trees in this world that could grow to such vastness and gargantuan size; however, this familiar aura could not be fake, as after all, he had stayed in one of its tree caves for a very long period of time.
Yang Kai had never expected that the so-called Sacred Tree of this Human Imperial City would actually be Senior Qing!
Shouldn’t Senior Qing have already died though? For the sake of sealing the Two Worlds Passage, Senior Qing had sacrificed his life, consuming all his vitality to achieve this final victory. Senior Qing’s sacrifice had ended the Demon Race’s invasion of the Star Boundary, thus saving this world.
During that battle, millions of warriors engaged in a life or death showdown, giving themselves up for the survival of their race. Countless Masters fell, leaving behind mountains of corpses. That battle was sufficient to enter the history books and leave its mark for eternity.
As Tiea had said, everything that happened within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, while illusionary, was grounded in reality.
Therefore, the two years Yang Kai had spent within the Thousand Illusions Dream World was based entirely on real historical events from ancient antiquity. In other words, such an earth-shattering battle had indeed taken place. It was just that no Yang Kai had actually been present for it. Yet, there were countless warriors similar to Yang Kai that finally allowed the Barbarian Race to ultimately triumph.
Without a doubt, Senior Qing had existed, and was the greatest contributor behind the Barbarian Race’s victory, the shield and sword which shifted the winds of the battle. This was a fact that could not be changed.
The history from hundreds of thousands of years ago had intersected with the present in such a shocking place, which left Yang Kai dumbstruck.
Nevertheless, he quickly discovered that something wasn’t quite right, as there was only a somewhat disordered Will present within this Sacred Tree. It appeared as though it was just a newborn baby, incapable of independent thought.
When he had made contact with the Sacred Tree, this Will had clearly sensed Yang Kai’s existence and proceeded to admit him without any reservations at all.
Instantly, Yang Kai developed an indescribable resonance with the Sacred Tree, making him feel as though he was connected with it.
An expression of slight shock appeared on Yang Kai’s face, as he was able to sense the enormous energy, which was as boundless as an ocean, within the Sacred Tree. The gargantuan amount of energy was sufficient to rival any Great Emperor, and might even exceed that of one.
It was precisely through the usage of this power that the Imperial Family of Human Imperial City was able to display their Sacred Techniques and unleash moves far surpassing their cultivation realms.
At this moment, if Yang Kai wanted, he would be able to pull all of this gargantuan power out, with the Sacred Tree not putting up any resistance at all. On the contrary, it had become intimately connected with Yang Kai’s existence.
“Hm?” A frown suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s face, as he had unexpectedly sensed another element that seemed aloof, or even hostile towards him within the body of the Sacred Tree. This element gave him the feeling akin to a pustule on one’s skin, making people feel exceedingly uncomfortable.
“Get out!” With a loud shout, Yang Kai extended his hand into the Sacred Tree and made a fierce pull.
With another exertion of force, a human figure was forcefully pulled out from within the Sacred Tree.
Unexpectedly, this person was the Human Sovereign, whom he had just separated from not long ago. Utter shock had covered this old man’s face, as he could not imagine that he would end up in such a state, leaving him dumbstruck. Only after seeing Yang Kai’s chilling gaze did he snap back to his senses. Raising his hands to form a seal, an incantation rang out from his mouth before he pointed towards Yang Kai.
A piercing green glow transformed into a spear-like construct and rumbled right towards Yang Kai’s chest.
Standing in his original location, Yang Kai stared coldly at the Human Sovereign as a jade green glow abruptly surfaced on the outside of his body, transforming into a powerful barrier.
As the green spear smashed against the barrier, both of them dissipated away.
“How’s that possible!?” The Human Sovereign gasped in shock. He naturally knew that Yang Kai could display the Sacred Techniques and borrow the strength of the Sacred Tree; after all, the latter was also a Shaman, and being a Shaman, was naturally able to commune with the Sacred Tree.
However, without even a baptism, why would the Sacred Tree automatically protect him? The reason why the Imperial Princes and Princesses could obtain the Sacred Tree’s protection and remain safe even in times of danger was due to them undergoing an exceedingly complicated baptism ritual.
At this instant, the feeling the Sacred Tree gave off was exceedingly strange. On one hand, it did not reject the commands from the Human Sovereign, while on the other it was obstructing his killing move, appearing just like a naughty child that was following its whims, doing whatever it wished.
“It seems you want to kill me,” Yang Kai sneered, obviously having expected this to happen.
The Human Sovereign did not reply, though his expression grew a few shades more solemn. Chanting an incantation, the Human Sovereign raised his hand and sent a bolt of lightning at Yang Kai. This bolt of lightning was filled with astonishing might, moving about like an angry flood dragon as it appeared right before Yang Kai in the blink of an eye. Blossoming with dazzling brilliance, it completely engulfed Yang Kai.
The Human Sovereign’s face changed once again.
As the light dimmed down, he saw Yang Kai standing right where he originally was without the slightest injury. In fact, there wasn’t even any trace of damage to his clothing.
“Why!?” The Human Sovereign roared out in anger, but rather than Yang Kai, he had turned to face the Sacred Tree, appearing just like a stern father scolding a naughty child and letting his anger blow his head off.
Twice! The Sacred Tree had spoiled his plans twice, something that was hard for him to endure.
Yang Kai spoke out with a cold and indifferent voice, “Do you want to know why?”
The Human Sovereign growled back, “What the hell did you do!”
Yang Kai snorted, “Aren’t you clear whether I’ve done anything or not? There’s no need to deceive yourself!”
The Human Sovereign roared in reply, “I am the Human Sovereign! How dare you go against me!” No one knew whether he was talking to Yang Kai or the Sacred Tree.
After that loud roar, he proceeded to chant an incantation again.
As he was doing so, the Sacred Tree suddenly shook, before undergoing what seemed like a strange transformation. In the next instant, massive amounts of green energy started to gush out from within the Sacred Tree, flowing right into the body of the Human Sovereign. This caused his aura to surge in power, while his average stature suddenly turned imposing.
“Killing the chicken to get to the eggs! Your impudence is beyond forgiveness!” Yang Kai’s anger exploded before he similarly proceeded to chant an incantation. However, compared to the Human Sovereign, his incantation sounded more ancient and profound, containing a mystery that was nigh impossible to understand.
Although he did not know what Shamanic Spell the Human Sovereign was trying to unleash, he was able to sense from the Sacred Tree some things that could not be seen through the naked eye. At this moment, the Human Sovereign was damaging the core of the Sacred Tree, which was tantamount to draining its life force.
From the looks of it, he was willing to make whatever sacrifice was necessary just for the sake of dealing with Yang Kai.
If the foundation of the Sacred Tree was damaged, Human Imperial City might collapse as a result.
The green energy flowing towards the Human Sovereign appeared to meet some kind of obstruction at that moment and its rate of flow began to slow.
The anger the Human Sovereign felt soared to the Heavens upon seeing this, causing him to voice his incantation out more loudly in an attempt to contend with Yang Kai for the Sacred Tree’s power.
Yang Kai glared coldly at him, but the tone of his voice remained staunch and steady.
Just like that, the two stood face to face, with neither blade nor sword silhouettes, no scenes of carnage. Instead, they were fighting a battle using an exceedingly special method of combat, with the winner taking everything, and the loser being trampled underfoot.
The critical point that everything was hinged on was their resonance with the Sacred Tree. The deeper the resonance, the greater the strength they could draw from it.
Both Yang Kai and the Human Sovereign understood this point; therefore, they did not take any physical action and focused wholeheartedly on communicating with the Sacred Tree. The Sacred Tree didn’t have a clear, independent consciousness, existing only as a remnant clump of Will that strictly adhered to the protection of Shamans. Regardless of who the Shaman was, it would provide its power to whoever requested its strength.
The green glow radiating from the Human Sovereign flickered between bright and weak, with him obtaining an advantage when it was bright, and losing out when it was weak.
All of a sudden, he felt that Yang Kai was an extremely difficult opponent to deal with, one that far surpassed his earlier estimations.
This outsider’s resonance with the Sacred Tree was unexpectedly not one bit weaker than his own, despite him having spent thousands of years by the Sacred Tree’s side. If not for this fact, he would have finished dealing with Yang Kai a long time ago, and not been drawn into this tug of war.
The Sacred Tree seemed to have an exceedingly intimate connection with this outsider, shunning the Human Sovereign in every way in favour of him, allowing this competition to drag on.
The Human Sovereign suddenly realized that he had made a mistake by allowing Yang Kai to come here and be in such close proximity to the Sacred Tree. If he had just made a move to end things back in the Human Imperial Palace, he might not have had to deal with this much trouble.
[I am the Human Sovereign, ruler of the Human Race!] The Human Sovereign roared angrily in his heart, hoping that his will would be transmitted to the Sacred Tree, yet he did not know that it would have the opposite result to what he had hoped for, as he could clearly sense that the Sacred Tree was actually rejecting him, appearing just like a rebellious child after it was scolded by its father.
This caused his expression to contort.
Although Yang Kai was hard to deal with, the Human Sovereign still had his methods to deal with him; however, if he were to lose the support of the Sacred Tree, he would become just an old, dying Second-Order Emperor, with many others in Human Imperial City far stronger than him.
Not daring to dwell in those messy thoughts, the Human Sovereign knew that he had no choice but to deal with Yang Kai here and now.
While chanting more and more fiercely, he suddenly communicated using his Divine Sense, “Rather than fighting with this Sovereign here, shouldn’t you be more worried about your woman? If this Sovereign is not mistaken, she should be on the brink of death now!”
So what if she was from the Dragon Clan? So what if she stood at the apex of all living beings? There was no shortage of Masters in Human Imperial City, so even a Dragon would not be able to gain any advantage here.
Remaining unmoved, Yang Kai replied strongly, “My woman doesn’t need my concern. You, on the other hand, should take a look at yourself! Tsk tsk. You, Sir, aren’t young anymore. From the looks of it, you won’t live much longer no matter what you do, so why not step down now? From what I can see, several of the Imperial Princes are quite good, especially that Third Imperial Prince. His cultivation is outstanding, and he has a firm and resolute mentality, a suitable successor as the next Human Sovereign. The only negative is that he’s a bit sinister, though no one’s perfect. The Second Princess is also not a bad choice. I don’t know if there’s any case of an Empress ruling Human Imperial City in the past, but if there is a precedent, you can pass your crown on to the Second Princess. I can see that Princess has big ambitions…”
“Shut up!” The Human Sovereign roared in anger.
Yang Kai chuckled lightly, “So those two don’t meet your standards? Looks like you are intending to pass it on to the First Imperial Prince? The First Imperial Prince is addicted to wine and women, and truthfully isn’t a good choice for a successor. Human Imperial City won’t have a good end if he’s in charge. When that happens, brothers will quarrel and internal strife will run rampant, to the point that you will not be able to rest even in your grave. No, no, the First Imperial Prince clearly is a piece of trash that cannot be propped up at all, yet he just happens to have a high eight leaf status. From the looks of it, you are really biased towards the First Imperial Prince. Could it be that the First Imperial Prince’s mother is the one you love the most, causing you to love anything that is connected to her?”
The Human Sovereign’s expression flinched, and despite it being minute, how could it be hidden from Yang Kai’s eyes?
Yang Kai continued to fan the flames, “Looks like I’ve struck a nerve. Furthermore, from the looks of it, that one true love of yours has already passed away, right? I couldn’t tell from our first meeting, but it seems you’re a man of great sentimentality. I guess that when you were young, you had spent the prime of your life with that beauty, though the dead cannot be brought back to life, so please restrain your grief, Sir. Memories are also a kind of beauty. Reminiscing of the past from time to time and crying your heart out is also quite a good experience to have.”
The Human Sovereign’s face twitched violently, as though he had been prodded in a sore spot. Unable to control himself anymore, he started to madly draw upon the power of the Sacred Tree.
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “You lose!”
As his words rang out, the Human Sovereign let out a muffled grunt and retreated a few steps while the faint green glow surrounding his body suddenly dissipated into nothingness.
His resonance with the Sacred Tree had actually been severed, just like that! Even though he wanted to reconnect with the Sacred Tree, there was utterly no response from it! The Sacred Tree was actually not responding to him anymore! He knew that the tumultuous emotions present in his heart were too overwhelming, causing him to react impatiently, which led him to lose everything in this one on one struggle.
“So what if I don’t have the protection from the Sacred Tree!? This Sovereign’s cultivation is still higher than yours!” Not willing to accept his defeat, the Human Sovereign’s aged body abruptly straightened up, while his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation erupted in full force. Raising his hand, he palmed towards Yang Kai, creating frenzied winds as the print smashed down with incomparable might.
With a sneer, Yang Kai sent out a single fist covered in Emperor Qi, unleashing a torrent of explosive power.
As the fist and palm collided, the Human Sovereign spurted blood from his mouth as he suffered a severe blow and was thrown back like a kite with torn strings before landing heavily on the ground, not moving even after a long while.
The sound of footsteps sounded lightly as Yang Kai slowly walked over before lowering his head to look down at him.
The Human Sovereign coughed up the blood pooling in his throat and staggered to stand up, growling manically, “I am the Human Sovereign, the king of the Human Race! How can you treat me like this?”
“Do you know why you lost?” Yang Kai replied in an emotionless tone.
The Human Sovereign was stunned by the former’s words. He really wanted to know the answer, but his self-esteem prevented him from doing so. Only after a long struggle did he reply stiffly, “Why?”
“Those who follow the Dao help others, those who lose their way help none! You all treat the Sacred Tree as an energy source that can be accessed and used as you pleased, a tool to lord over the masses with, that is your greatest folly.”
The Human Sovereign shouted, “The Sacred Tree is exactly that kind of existence!”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “How stubborn! It’s pardonable if you committed a wrongdoing when you knew nothing; however, your death isn’t worth pitying after you commit a wrong you know is one. The blessing of the Sacred Tree isn’t just for your Imperial Family, and isn’t just for Shamans, but for the entire Human Race, yet you all treat it as your personal property! What utter foolishness!”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Nonsense!”
Yang Kai sneered coldly, “I’m talking nonsense? The Spirit Array barrier surrounding the entire Human Imperial City draws its power from the Sacred Tree. It shelters all of Human Imperial City from any outside danger, so how am I talking nonsense? I see that you’ve become blind from old age.”
After resonating with the Sacred Tree, Yang Kai could clearly feel its energy covering the entirety of Human Imperial City. It was precisely due to it that Human Imperial City was able to stand within this Revolving World, unchanged throughout eternity.
The Human Sovereign turned depressed, “What’s the point of saying all of this? This Sovereign has already lost. Kill or extort me as you please.”
Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at him, “When did I say I wanted to kill or exhort you?”
The Human Sovereign gawked in surprise, “Are you willing to let me go?”
“That will depend on your performance.”
The Human Sovereign hesitated for a moment, before replying, “I don’t know… what orders you have, Esteemed One?”
In this situation, the Human Sovereign was powerless to resist if this man before him wanted to steal his throne away. Ever since the beginning, Human Imperial City had been ruled like that. The one who controlled the Sacred Tree would become the Human Sovereign, and at this moment, the one who controlled it was this outsider.
Many different thoughts flashed through the Human Sovereign’s mind as he made the mental preparations to haggle with Yang Kai. At the same time, he was also secretly planning to surrender if the latter made any outrageous requests. So long as Yang Kai didn’t request for his throne, everything else was negotiable. And as long as he could keep Yang Kai controlled, he could slowly think of ways to deal with Yang Kai.
“Tell me about the history of this Human Imperial City and the Revolving World.”
“Huh? What?” The Human Sovereign gawked, wondering if he just misheard the question.
At this moment, the Human Sovereign was basically fish on the chopping block, and this outsider was holding the chef’s knife. Yet, the Human Sovereign absolutely didn’t expect Yang Kai to make such a request. The Human Sovereign was mentally prepared to pay a pound of flesh, yet Yang Kai only wanted to pluck one strand of hair from him… no, this couldn’t even count as a strand of hair.
“You really are old. Have you gone blind and deaf?” Yang Kai stared coldly at him, somewhat dissatisfied with the Human Sovereign’s response.
Only then did the Human Sovereign realise that Yang Kai really was making such a simple request. As he secretly attempted to guess the reason behind Yang Kai’s question, he simultaneously rearranged his thought processes and replied, “Since you, Esteemed One, wish to know, then this Sovereign…”
“Hm?”
“Then this Old Master will briefly summarize,” a somewhat awkward look appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face. It had always been other people watching his expressions to handle matters. Never had he expected a day to come where he would have to handle matters in accordance with someone else’s expression.
“This Old Master’s knowledge is also limited, so if there are areas that aren’t too detailed, please do not be offended, Esteemed One.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Just get on with it.”
The Human Sovereign let off a dry cough before continuing, “In reality, this Revolving World can be considered a part of the Star Boundary. Naturally, back when the two places were still connected, the Star Boundary wasn’t yet known as the Star Boundary. I’m also not too sure what that ancient people called it, but it seems our ancestors called themselves the Barbarian Race, while their Masters cultivated Shamanic Strength. Clansmen gathered together into tribes to form the structure of society. Although there were internal conflicts, the human race flourished.”
As he continued to speak, he quietly observed the expression on Yang Kai’s face, noticing that the latter’s expression had grown somewhat strange, as though he was reminiscing about something. Not knowing which part of his explanation had caused Yang Kai’s expression to change so, he did not dare to stop, “All of a sudden, the Heavens fell and the Earth was rent, before a gigantic hole appeared in the sky. Powerful Masters proceeded to stream out of the hole and attacked the Barbarian Race. These Masters that came from an unknown place called themselves the Demon Race. They had many powerful Masters, with murder and carnage being the defining traits of their characters. Many tribes suffered immense numbers of injuries and deaths. Faced with such a strange and dangerous foe, our ancestors were naturally unwilling to wait helplessly for death, and therefore mustered the strength of the entire Barbarian Race to resist.”
“The war between the races was incomparably intense, seemingly lasting for many decades. Both races, be it the Barbarian or the Demon Race suffered massive casualties, and the battlefield where the final act of the war happened has become what is now known as the Revolving World.”
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “The Revolving World was a battlefield of the past? Then, in accordance with what you’ve said, why did the Revolving World separate from the Star Boundary?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Esteemed one, you don’t know, but the reason why our ancestors were able to win that war seems to be related to the Sacred Tree. From the records written down in ancient books, the Sacred Tree had given up its life and sealed the passageway the Demon Race was using to invade our world. However, it was a pity, as in the end, for some unknown reason, a conflict arose between the World Principles of the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, causing the entire battlefield to be exiled into the Void. This led to the birth of the Revolving World. The few survivors from the Barbarian and Demon Race who were on that battlefield at the time managed to survive and proceeded to settle in this place. In the beginning, there were mutually destructive fights erupting constantly; however, the World Principles here had become exceedingly warped, causing our Human Race to suffer quite a bit. Furthermore, the Revolving World’s World Principles were not constant. For some time, it was quite similar to that of the Star Boundary, allowing our Human Race to move about freely without suffering any negative consequences. However, at other times, the World Principles seemed to match with the Demon Realm, causing the World Energy to become infused with Demon Qi. This caused our Human Race to have difficulties moving about. In the end, we had to rely on the Sacred Tree and gradually proceeded to erect Human Imperial City. This gave the Human Race a place to establish themselves and so it has continued on for tens of thousands of years.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly as he sent a complicated gaze towards the towering ancient tree.
Senior Qing was still alive. Although he was no longer the intelligent old tree from ancient times, there was still a sliver of Will remaining. Nevertheless, Senior Qing was to this day using his body and strength to protect the surviving Humans. If not for Senior Qing, there would have been no more Humans present in the Revolving World.
That was because the World Principles here were more suited for the survival of the Demon Race, allowing Demon Qi to propagate, leaving humans utterly incapable of surviving on their own.
When this was flipped, it did not restrict the Demon Race much. Having lived in much worse conditions than this, the Demons were naturally not affected by this relatively good environment by their standards.
The information provided by the Human Sovereign was in line with Yang Kai’s experience in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, proving that the latter was not lying and that Tiea was also not lying. It was just that there were some differences between the real and illusionary world. At the very least, Yang Kai did not experience the birth of the Revolving World in the illusionary realm he had experienced, and Senior Qing had completely perished in that fight.
He did not know whether it was due to an error in Tiea’s records or something else.
“In other words, this Revolving World is in fact located in the Void?” Yang Kai asked with a frown.
The Human Sovereign nodded, “That’s right. Our ancestors had made many guesses to the actual position of the Revolving World; however, it has been basically recognized that this world is located within a fissure. This Void Crack is positioned in between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm, which is why the World Principles of this world flip back and forth, being dominated by the Star Boundary at times, and then the Demon Realm at other times.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, with many of his suspicions answered.
Earlier, when he was devoured by the Frozen Tide in the Frozen Earth, Yang Kai sensed the strong Space Principle fluctuations. Obviously, that Frozen Tide was in fact a kind of Void Tear that one would be able to enter the Revolving World from.
However, unlike teleportations via Space Arrays, this was Cross-World transmission.
“Has no one ever tried to leave the Revolving World and return to the Star Boundary?” Asked Yang Kai.
The Human Sovereign gave an embarrassed laugh, “Our ancestors had thought of that; however, who would have known that the World Barriers would be so firm? Before talking about finding a way back, one would first need to find a way to break through this barrier.” Right after saying those words, the face of the Human Sovereign suddenly changed as he looked suspiciously at Yang Kai and asked, “Esteemed One, you seemed to be proficient in the Dao of Space, right?”
Earlier, he had asked Yang Kai how he was able to enter Human Imperial City without the Human Sovereign Seal.
At that time, Yang Kai had displayed his Space Principles, and despite his age, the Human Sovereign’s vision was quite sharp, so he was able to instantly understand the underlying source of this strength. If it was this person… he might very well be able to break through the World Barriers.
Considering all of this, the emotions present in the Human Sovereign’s heart suddenly started to turn jittery.
Yang Kai shot a thoughtful look at him, “It seems like you’re not looking to leave this place.”
A sliver of embarrassment appeared on the face of the Human Sovereign as he quickly replied, “Leaving this world and returning to our ancestral home is the final wish of our ancestors. This Old Master naturally wishes to leave this place.”
Yang Kai sneered in response, “What nonsense are you talking about? In Human Imperial City, the Human Sovereign stands above all, with his every word being law. No one, regardless of how strong or weak, dares to go against him. If I were you, I also wouldn’t wish to leave this place. Who would leave such a carefree and happy life?”
The Human Sovereign gave a couple of dry coughs as Yang Kai had obviously hit upon the truth. Although he wasn’t too strong, he understood the situation he was in. If he were to really leave the Revolving World and return to the Star Boundary, he would be knocked off his throne right back down to the masses.
Yang Kai changed the subject and asked, “Is there really no way to leave this world?” Before waiting for the Human Sovereign to reply, Yang Kai continued, “You better speak the truth. Although I’m not too willing to kill an old man, I will not hesitate to do so if I’m forced to.”
The face of the Human Sovereign changed slightly as he replied hastily, “Yin Wind Mountain!”
“Where is this Yin Wind Mountain? Can I leave this Revolving World from that Yin Wind Mountain?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “There’s a very small possibility of that being true, and I don’t dare to guarantee its existence. Naturally, this is only for a Master like you, as it is a Forbidden Zone for anyone that doesn’t cultivate the Dao of Space. During these years, many of our ancestors gave their all to leave this place, trying many different methods, but all ending in futility. In the end, they finally managed to confirm that there was a passageway they could leave from that was located at the peak of Yin Wind Mountain. Naturally, that was only a possibility, as that place was exceedingly dangerous. The frigid winds which blow there are filled with a combination of Cold and Demon Qi. Even a Third-Order Emperor cannot penetrate too deeply into it.”
“Cold Qi?” Yang Kai’s eyebrows rose up, catching the critical words, “What kind of Cold Qi?”
The Human Sovereign replied, “Cold Qi that will sap every single bit of vitality.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. Wasn’t that just like the Cold Qi present within the Frozen Earth? It looked like this fellow wasn’t lying, and that meant that it might really be possible to leave this Revolving World from this Yin Wind Mountain.
The Cold Qi from the Frozen Earth couldn’t appear in this Revolving World without a reason; after all, they were in two separate worlds. However, in actual fact, there was Cold Qi present at the top of Yin Wind Mountain. That meant that the Cold Qi from the Frozen Earth was entering the Revolving World from some passageway. If Yang Kai was able to reverse the direction of that passageway, he would definitely be able to open the way back to the Star Boundary.
However, there was still Demon Qi present within the Yin Winds. That meant that the passageway was not only connected to the Star Boundary, but also the Demon Realm, which naturally allowed the Demon Qi from there to flow into here.
Therefore, the location above Yin Wind Mountain should be the spatial nexus between the Revolving World, Star Boundary and the Demon Realm.
Just the Cold Qi was already exceedingly terrifying to deal with. Coupled with Demon Qi, it was indeed capable of stopping a Third-Order Emperor in their tracks.
That’s why there was no one from the Human Race in here that was capable of leaving the Revolving World.
Observing Yang Kai’s expressions and noticing the drastic changes that were occurring, how could the Human Sovereign not know what the former had guessed? Despite feeling ecstatic, there was not a single change to the Human Sovereign’s expression as he proceeded to speak in an earnest manner, “Are you going to take the risk, Esteemed One? Forgive me for saying this, but Yin Wind Mountain isn’t a good place. Even if you managed to find the exit, you might not be able to return to the Star Boundary and instead accidentally enter the Demon Realm! That would really be a certain way to die.”
Yang Kai patted the latter’s shoulders, to the point where the Human Sovereign started to get squashed down, before grinning, “Aren’t you eager for me to die as soon as possible? Just say what’s on your mind out loud, it’s disgusting to watch you cover up your real thoughts while giving ironic replies.”
An embarrassed look appeared on the Human Sovereign’s face. Nevertheless, despite cursing out within his heart, he wasn’t that thick-skinned to reply to Yang Kai’s words.
Contrary to him, Yang Kai had already made up his mind. Rubbing his hand, he said, “Let’s go to Yin Wind Mountain!”
The Human Sovereign was instantly petrified, “I… I’m also going?”
“You wish to go there?” Yang Kai cast a sidelong gaze at him.
The Human Sovereign shook his head vehemently.
“If you don’t wish to go, why ask?” Yang Kai sneered, before changing the topic, “Do you know why I’m not killing you?”
The Human Sovereign wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied in a shivering voice, “Please tell me.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Senior Qing and replied, “I’m letting you keep your life, so you better take good care of Human Imperial City, and not lose the face of your ancestors. These people managed to keep their lives all due to Senior Qing’s blessings.”
“Yes,” The Human Sovereign had become a yes-man, completely unlike his earlier aloof and haughty attitude. With the support of the Sacred Tree being stripped away from him, and his personal strength being of no use, he had no other choice but to wag his tail and act obediently.
Nevertheless, feelings of doubt were present in his heart. Who was Senior Qing? Could Yang Kai be referring to the Sacred Tree? Why did he not know anything about this?
“Let’s go,” His interest waning, Yang Kai called out to the Human Sovereign. Extending his hand to touch Senior Qing’s large and tall trunk one last time, Yang Kai then proceeded to turn around and head out.
The Human Sovereign followed closely behind.
Walking out of the fog and back into the Imperial Palace, sounds of intense fighting immediately rang out in their ears, with miserable shrieks and angry roars punctuating it from time to time.
“Quite an intense fight,” Yang Kai swept his gaze out, spotting people strewn disorderly across the ground. Ninety percent of the over twenty Imperial Princes and Princesses were lying on the ground, with basically all of them having broken arms and legs. A few of them appeared to have suffered serious injuries, with large pools of blood surrounding them, their lives teetering on the brink of death.
As for the guards who protected the Sacred Tree, half of them had basically been beaten into the ground while at this moment, a three-hundred-meter-long Red Dragon lorded over the sky, searing hot Dragon Breath spewing out from its mouth as it unleashed one devastating Dragon Clan Secret Technique after another, causing the humans on the ground to cover their heads and scuttle about like ants.
The Human Sovereign was utterly shocked by what he was seeing, as unconcealable terror surfaced within his eyes.
Although he knew that it was not easy to deal with the Dragon Clan, he didn’t expect this young woman to be this terrifying.
He had basically gathered all of the Masters at his disposal here, yet they were still unable to take down a single Dragon. Instead, his people suffered serious injuries and were almost all completely incapacitated. Despite its gigantic body making for a very clear target, every single attack coming from the Red Dragon was exceedingly powerful and terrifying, which left those Masters that were still able to move teetering between life and death.
In the blink of an eye, two more Emperor Realm guards were engulfed in the Dragon Breath attack, their entire bodies covered in flames as they fell from the sky, crying out miserably.
“Stop, everyone stop!” The Human Sovereign hastily shouted out.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses, as well as the guards that were still able to move, proceeded to retreat, increasing the distance between them and Zhu Qing. Looking up, all of them gawked in shock upon seeing Yang Kai and the Human Sovereign.
That was because Yang Kai was actually standing in front of the Human Sovereign. The almighty and aloof Human Sovereign unexpectedly stood three steps behind, as though he was a subordinate, with an unprecedented look of urgency present on his face.
“Imperial Father!” The Second Princess shouted. With her Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, she was the strongest among the Imperial Family. Furthermore, she had been tangled up in a fight against the little black dog and did not take direct action against Zhu Qing. This resulted in her not suffering any serious injuries, only looking miserable with her clothes tattered, revealing her skin to the world. She looked in shock at the Human Sovereign, wanting to ask the latter exactly what was going on. Yet, no matter what, she was unable to speak those words out.
“Shameful!” The Human Sovereign roared in fury without any warning at all, instantly stunning everyone, “These two are this Sovereign’s esteemed guests, yet you all treated them so improperly, even going so far as to clash against them! Such impudence! All of you are totally disregarding this Sovereign!”
The entire place turned silent, while the Second Princess felt dizzy as a result.
Did… did they mishear? The orders from the Human Sovereign were the sole reason why they had all taken action; to use our combined might to take down this Dragon Clan member. However, in the blink of an eye, their Imperial Father had actually spun an entirely different narrative.
Was this the Human Sovereign that they knew?
Contrary to the others, the Third Imperial Prince reacted quickly as he hastily knelt down, “Please calm yourself, Imperial Father! We were all just excited to have an opportunity to exchange some pointers with our guest and did not have any intentions to be negligent.”
“Exchange pointers?” The Human Sovereign reacted gloomily to his response, before sneakily sizing up Yang Kai. After discovering an emotionless expression on Yang Kai’s face, he raised his hand and smashed it down on the Third Imperial Prince.
The heavy palm smashed into the Third Imperial Prince, sending him flying and spurting out blood in the air.
The Human Sovereign roared angrily, “Is this the way you all exchange pointers? All of you actually exchanged pointers at once, having an absolute advantage in numbers! All of you have really caused our Imperial Family to lose face!”
Ignoring the serious injuries he had suffered, the Third Imperial Prince knelt down and spoke once again, trembling in fear as he did so, “Please quell your anger, Imperial Father! We see the error in our ways.”
“We see the error in our ways!”
The Imperial Princes, Princesses, and guards hastily knelt down, even the two Third Order Emperors weren’t exceptions. Such a scene couldn’t occur in the outside world. All Third-Order Emperors in the Star Boundary stood high above others, and which one of them was not an overlord that could flip mountains and boil seas? Why would they ever kneel before a person that had weaker cultivation than them?
Yet, this was a common occurrence in Human Imperial City.
“Does a single ‘we see the error in our ways’ excuse you all for neglecting our guests and starting a fight with them? Don’t be so naïve!” The Human Sovereign’s expression turned cold, before taking up what seemed like a strict and impartial attitude, “Looks like all of you have been living in peace for too long, leaving you all not knowing that there are Heavens beyond Heavens, and people beyond people.”
The Second Princess opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but she was stopped by the Human Sovereign with a single glare. One could guess how many grievances she was feeling right now in her heart.
Within Human Imperial City, the Imperial Family was the Heavens, so where were there any Heavens beyond the Heavens? People beyond people?
“These unfilial things have eyes but failed to see, and actually dared to take action towards the wife of this esteemed one. May I know what the esteemed one feels about this? This Old Master will definitely abide by whatever esteemed one decides.” The Human Sovereign turned his head around and looked earnestly towards Yang Kai.
Everyone turned as dumb as a wooden chicken upon hearing his words, even the Third Imperial Prince, who had some guesses towards the current situation. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect the Human Sovereign to treat the outsider with such courtesy, to the point where it seemed like an act of servitude.
Exactly what had happened inside the fog barrier? Why did the Human Sovereign’s attitude change so drastically? He had even addressed himself as ‘Old Master’…
Despite not having guessed what had happened within, the Third Imperial Prince could faintly make out that something astonishing had definitely occurred. If not, it would be impossible for the Human Sovereign to bend over and curry favour like this.
Yang Kai grinned in response, before raising his head to look towards the exquisite figure in the air and speaking in a raised voice, “Are you injured, Qing’er?”
Returning to her human form, Zhu Qing shook her head slowly after hearing his words.
If not for her being a member of the Dragon Clan, it would have been impossible for anyone to escape successfully in the face of so many powerful opponents. However, after assuming her dragon form, her bodily defences reached astonishing levels, resulting in her not being at much of a disadvantage despite being utterly outnumbered. Although she had suffered quite a few attacks, she did not seem to be injured.
Smiling, Yang Kai turned and looked at the Human Sovereign and replied, “There’s no problem then. Let’s just treat this as an exchange of pointers and end things here.”
The Human Sovereign was overwhelmed with emotions and bowed, “This Old Master is very grateful for your esteemed one’s righteousness.”
He was truly afraid that Yang Kai would not let this matter go, and secretly felt lucky that this Dragon was immensely powerful. If not, this matter would not end as peacefully as it did.
“Why aren’t you all scramming out of here? You bunch of shameful things!” The Human Sovereign turned his head towards the others in the hall and roared in anger.
Snapping back to their senses as though they had just come out of a dream, the Imperial Princes, Princesses, and guards proceeded to retreat, though not forgetting to pick up their injured companions on the way out.
The little black dog appeared out of nowhere, just like a spectre, and while the Second Princess was still confused over the whole matter, clamped down on her dress.
Gasping in shock, the Second Princess raised her hand to smack it away.
“Huh?” The Human Sovereign snorted coldly.
The Second Princess’s moving hand was instantly halted in mid air. Becoming increasingly bold, the little black dog proceeded to rip out a large piece of her blouse, revealing the pink underwear within. Having done so, it ran towards a side in excitement, its tail raised high, appearing exceedingly satisfied, as though it had managed to exact some kind of deep revenge it had borne.
The Second Princess’s face turned pale as she frantically tried to cover her barely bulging bosom. Her face proceeded to turn red as she stamped her feet in hatred before she left in a flash.
“I apologize to you for this poor joke, esteemed one.” The Human Sovereign felt incomparably embarrassed. In the past, he felt that his Imperial Princes and Princesses were still reliable; however, all of them had revealed their pathetic characters today.
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “My wife and I will be staying in the Imperial Palace temporarily.”
Not willing for it to happen yet unable to stop it, the Human Sovereign had no other choice but to reply, “You can stay as long as you want, esteemed one.”
“Rest assured. I will not be staying here for long. After making our preparations, we will set out.”
The Human Sovereign did not dare to continue speaking, as one would be bound to slip up if they spoke too much in a short period of time.
“Additionally, I need all of the information you have about this Revolving World and Yin Wind Mountain. Send over everything as soon as possible.”
“Yes!”
“Furthermore, I have something that requires your assistance. There is another Dragon Clan member and human that had accompanied my wife and me into the Revolving World. I hope that Human Sovereign can help take note of this, and inform me as soon as there is news about this matter.”
“Rest assured, esteemed one. When the World Principles shift, this Old Master will immediately send people to search for them.”
“Good.”
…..
An hour later, within an exceedingly luxurious palace, Yang Kai was gently embracing Zhu Qing while seated on a spacious sofa. Zhu Qing was seated on his leg, with the little black dog dozing off by their side.
“From what you’re saying, this Revolving World really is unique, and if we want to leave, we have to pass through Yin Wind Mountain?” Asked Zhu Qing in a soft voice.
Yang Kai held her hands and started to play around gently with her fingers. Zhu Qing’s hands were extremely beautiful, something that he did not pay attention to in the past. Only after becoming intimate with her did he realize that her hands were snow white and completely unblemished, soft and supple, with her fingers long and slender.
It was hard to imagine that such tiny hands were capable of unleashing such terrifying might.
Zhu Qing was completely unnerved by being played around by him, resulting in her wanting to pull her hands back. Nevertheless, she was unable to muster any strength, leaving her with no other option but to glare at him, causing a slightly menacing air to appear.
Pretending to not notice her reaction, Yang Kai continued to play with her hands and replied in a leisurely manner, “From the information we have in hand, Yin Wind Mountain is the only way out of this place, so we have no other choice but to head there.”
Zhu Qing said worriedly, “But the Yin Winds are not easy to fend off. Earlier, we did not travel too far into the Frozen Earth, so we don’t know what the Yin Winds in the depths of the Frozen Earth are like. If the Yin Winds come from the deepest parts of the Frozen Earth…”
In the best-case scenario, it would be hard for a Third-Order Emperor to move about, with them frozen into ice cubes on mere contact being the worst case.
“Regardless of that, we have to take a look. However, we have to find Zhu Lie first.”
“Truthfully speaking… this is quite a good place. With the protection of that so-called Sacred Tree, there’s no need to be worried at all when in Human Imperial City. There’s no need to worry about any harassment. If we could stay here…”
“You wish to stay here?” Yang Kai gawked in slight surprise.
Right as Zhu Qing was about to reply, she seemed to suddenly notice something, her face turning red as she hastily stood up from Yang Kai’s lap.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai pulled her back down.
“Someone’s coming,” Zhu Qing felt somewhat anxious, as she was still very easily embarrassed due to her being a beginner towards such intimacy.
Seeing her insistence, Yang Kai did not force her anymore and allowed her to stand up.
After an instant, a cold and indifferent voice rang out from outside the palace, “Are you two esteemed ones there? Fu Yu has come to seek an audience.”
The little black dog, who was lying on the ground, lifted its head up fiercely and bared its fangs in anger. During the earlier fight, it had come to see Fu Yu as its nemesis, resulting in it being hostile towards this woman’s voice.
“Come in.”
The palace doors were pushed open and a few women and girls walked in in single file. All of them possessed outstanding appearances, with Fu Yu in their lead.
Each of them carried a huge pile of what seemed like ancient books in their hands.
“Sir, the things you have requested are all here,” Fu Yu said with her head lowered. It seemed that she had a look of unwillingness present on her face, as though she was very reluctant to carry out these menial tasks.
Truthfully speaking, how would she be here if not for the Human Sovereign’s orders? Why would she do something a servant would normally do? She did not know what the Human Sovereign was thinking or why he would curry favour with this outsider to such a degree.
The displeasure in her heart was projected right on her face.
“Put them down over there,” sweeping his gaze across the group of people, Yang Kai discovered that the majority of these girls were familiar to his eyes, meaning that all of them were actually princesses. From the looks of it, Fu Yu was the oldest, with the youngest looking no more than fourteen or fifteen years of age. He did not see this little girl earlier in the palace, though her having six leaves was something that could not be faked. The youngest princess was obviously very curious; despite standing at the rear of the group, she continued to focus her big eyes on Yang Kai.
Being influenced by Fu Yu, her first impression of Yang Kai was that he was an exceedingly wicked and evil person; however, that didn’t seem to be the case from her initial impression of him. He possessed neither three heads nor six arms, leaving her wondering why her Eldest Sister held such hatred against him.
Yang Kai swept his gaze over and winked.
This scared the little princess, who hastily lowered her head and dropped the items in her hands.
“Do you have any other requests? If not, we will take our leave.” Fu Yu glared coldly at Yang Kai, her voice sounding hard and emotionless, a look of unwillingness still present on her face.
Yang Kai cast a sidelong glance at her, seemingly deliberating trying to cause difficulties for her as he waved his hand and replied, “Wait outside then. I’ll call you if I need anything, and don’t disturb us if there isn’t anything.”
“Wait… wait outside?” Fu Yu’s eyes snapped wide open as though she had misheard.
She was the Second Princess of the Human Imperial City, with only one person above her, while everyone else stood below! Sending the ancient books to him was already a form of humiliation for her, yet he actually dared to ask her to wait outside at his beck and call? Did he really think that she was a servant that he could order around? She was utterly incapable of enduring it.
Anger started to appear on her face. However, right at the last moment, she remembered the Human Sovereign’s earlier instructions and it was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her, causing her overflowing anger to evaporate in a flash, leaving her no choice but to reply through clenched teeth, “Yes!”
Regardless of anything, she did not dare to go against the Human Sovereign’s orders.
The few other princesses slowly backed out of the palace, their hearts filled with various kinds of thoughts as they stood guard outside of the door. Other than the little princess, the rest had expressions of hatred on their faces, as they felt that they should not be taking care of such matters.
Within the palace, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing stared at the pile of ancient books on the table, before picking up a book each to start reading.
These ancient books basically recorded the history of the Revolving World. Half of them recorded historical events, while the other half recorded points of geography. The Human Race had lived here for tens of thousands of years and had a fair understanding of this place. This world wasn’t very large, so other than the ten thousand kilometres of restricted area where Demon Fury City stood, the Human Race had already surveyed every single piece of land.
These books were all the private collection of the Imperial Family, so it was basically impossible for any random person to have read them.
For the next few days, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing locked themselves within the palace, reading through those ancient books in detail as they gathered various kinds of information about this world.
At the end of these few days, Yang Kai rubbed his temples, placing the last of the ancient books down as his brow twitched unconsciously, seemingly deep in thought.
By his side, Zhu Qing had similarly completed her reading. Looking up in thought, she mused, “So it turns out that this world is really located in the Void Crack between the two Great Worlds.”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “If that wasn’t the case, there wouldn’t be the phenomenon of the changing World Principles.”
“It really must have been difficult for them to live and establish lives in such a place. The Sacred Tree is truly a blessing to them.”
“Sacred Tree…” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “It has indeed aided them greatly. Not only did it shelter the entire Human Imperial City, but it also left behind the inheritance of Shamanic Spells.”
Yang Kai originally assumed that it was the old ancestors of the Imperial Family that had passed down the Shamanic Spells to them, allowing the flame of Shamanic Spells to not be extinguished. However, from the looks of it, that was not entirely the case.
After tens of thousands of years, with the constant change of World Principles, that Shaman Strength that once filled the Star Boundary had gradually been replaced by the modern Martial Dao. The occasional contacts with the World Principles of the Star Boundary meant that the Revolving World naturally wasn’t suitable for the cultivation of Shamanic Spells.
However, the existence of Senior Qing allowed for the continued inheritance of Shamanic Spells here.
Those Imperial Family members had no other choice but to cultivate in the vicinity of Senior Qing, comprehending the latter’s strength. Only by forming a resonance with Senior Qing would they truly be able to cultivate Shaman Strength. Even if they had the cultivation methods, the World Principles of the Revolving World wouldn’t allow them to cultivate their Shamanic Strength if not for the aid Senior Qing provided.
Senior Qing was the hero of an entire era, the torchbearer for the power of the entire ancient world. Without him, Shamans would have long gone extinct in this Revolving World.
It was a pity that his consciousness had disappeared during the final battle between Humans and Demons, leaving only a faint remnant Will behind. This remnant Will continued to uphold the wishes he had while he was still living, to protect the Human Race and pass down the Shamanic Ways.
No one knew whether there was any hope for Senior Qing to regain full consciousness. Nevertheless, Yang Kai knew that the possibility of that happening was exceedingly bleak. That was because, after tens of thousands of years, Senior Qing would have already awakened if it were actually possible, and not wait all that while to do so.
Furthermore, Yang Kai guessed that Senior Qing would not be able to remember his past experiences even if he could truly awaken, and would instead be reborn with a clean slate.
He should be granted a new life.
There were records of Yin Wind Mountain within the ancient books as well, though they were rather sparse. Most of the records were of its approximate location, without any information about the situation present on it. That was because not a single human had ever stepped foot onto it for the past few tens of thousands of years.
On the contrary, members of the Demon Race would frequently visit it, relying on the pure Demon Qi gushing out from Yin Wind Mountain to cultivate.
Therefore, if they really wanted to go to Yin Wind Mountain, they would definitely end up in a conflict against the Demon Race.
Yang Kai did not mind this though as he had managed to subdue a dozen Demon Kings within the illusionary realm that would heed his every order. He had the knowledge of the various unique traits of the Demon Race at his fingertips, so they would be the ones in trouble if they were to run into him.
Other than that, there was still no news about Zhu Lie from the Human Sovereign.
The World Principles of the Revolving World had already changed, allowing all of Human Imperial City’s Masters to be mobilized, searching in all directions for news pertaining to Zhu Lie. Nevertheless, there was no new discovery yet.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were not too worried about Zhu Lie, as he was also an Eighth-Order Red Dragon after all. He wouldn’t be a Dragon Clan member if he could be easily dealt with.
Therefore, the two of them continued to stay leisurely within the Imperial Palace.
Today, Yang Kai suddenly woke up from his seated rest, his eyes glowing faintly as he seemed to be in an excited but also somewhat confused mood.
“What happened?” Not needing to cultivate in a traditional fashion, Zhu Qing was currently flipping through a book, but sensing Yang Kai’s movements, she raised her head to ask him.
“I think I’ve become stronger, Qing’er,” Yang Kai replied with elation.
“It’s a good thing to become strong, so what’s with that look?”
“That’s because I don’t know why I became stronger.”
“Which aspect of yours became stronger?”
“My bloodline!” Yang Kai looked at Zhu Qing in curiosity, “I didn’t seem to do anything during this period of time, so why do I feel that my bloodline has become quite a bit stronger?”
The increase in the strength of his bloodline was apparent as Yang Kai was able to sense the Golden Divine Dragon Source’s strength fusing with him on an even deeper level than before. During this period of time, he did not cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, nor did he engage in any life or death battles to stimulate his potential, so there was no plausible reason for him to become stronger at all.
The increase of one’s strength would also require one’s efforts for it to happen.
“Let me test it!” For the sake of removing any feelings of misconception, Yang Kai proceeded to roar as he displayed the Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
After a high pitched dragon roar, a large Golden Dragon phantom appeared in a flash.
Creaking sounds rang out as loud cracks rang out from Yang Kai’s body as he proceeded to grow in size. His combed hair scattered apart, and at the instant when Dragon Pressure erupted from within him, Yang Kai felt his head turn itchy, as though something was wanting to break through his scalp.
His arms grew longer, his hands transformed into claws, his clothing was ripped apart, revealing tough and resilient Dragon Scales that covered the entirety of his figure.
He was somewhat used to these transformations, and also knew the changes that were happening to him, so he continued to focus on experiencing the entire transformation process.
By the time the transformation had stopped, Yang Kai had already become a gigantic creature. With a gentle breath, two white jets of smoke instantly spewed out from his nostrils.
Seated on the chair, Zhu Qing closed her book, raised her head, and looked towards him.
Taking big strides, Yang Kai made a round within the hall, before exclaiming in surprise, “Oh, I seem to have grown a bit larger.”
Earlier, the fight against Zhu Lie in Azure Sun Temple had allowed Yang Kai to achieve a breakthrough in his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, going from twenty metres in length to forty metres.
However, his current body had actually increased in size again, and from the looks of it, it had already reached around forty-five metres. This increase was definitely not a misconception, but something that had really happened.
Ever since he had started to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai had been able to faintly grasp onto some critical points that allowed him to deepen his mastery, resulting in a stronger fusion with the Golden Divine Dragon Source within him. This had increased the purity of his Dragon Bloodline, which corresponded to the growth in his size. The stronger and deeper his cultivation, the taller and bigger his half-dragon form would be.
Yang Kai suspected that when he finally fully refined the Golden Divine Dragon Source, he would be able to transform into a True Golden Dragon and traverse the myriad worlds.
“How tall were you in the past?” Asked Zhu Qing.
“Around here,” Yang Kai extended his hand to indicate his previous height. Fortunately, the construction of this palace was extremely extravagant, or he really wouldn’t be able to stand up straight.
“That means that you’ve really become stronger,” Zhu Qing smiled.
“But how is that possible?” Yang Kai scratched his head, which ended up in him using his dragon claws to scratch at the scales on his face, creating a string of sparks that shot everywhere.
It was a good thing to become stronger, but it wasn’t good if he didn’t know where the strength originated from. He needed to find the reason so that he could put effort in that direction in the future.
He started to reflect on the matters that had happened during this period of time, only to discover that there was really nothing noteworthy. Furthermore, it had been less than two months since his earlier breakthrough in the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. Yang Kai was able to remember every single thing that had happened since then, but was unable to recall anything special that had taken place.
Zhu Qing lowered her head as a reddish blush flashed across her face. She continued to read her book, though her heart wasn’t focused on its contents anymore.
“Do you know something?” Yang Kai turned his head to look over after discovering her strange actions.
Zhu Qing shook her head like a rattle drum as her face turned even redder.
“Hurry up and say it,” Yang Kai walked towards her and knelt down. Despite that, he was still a few times taller than Zhu Qing. Lowering his head to look at her small figure made him feel exceedingly weird.
This might be a similar view that Zhu Qing would have if she transformed into her Great Dragon form.
“I really don’t know…” Zhu Qing whispered back in reply.
“Does this concern the secrets of the Dragon Clan?”
Zhu Qing shook her head.
“Then say it.” Extending his hand, Yang Kai carefully coaxed Zhu Qing into his palm, as though he was lifting the most exquisite porcelain, before saying in a threatening tone, “If you know the reason but do not report it, be careful about being disciplined by our Family Law.”
“What Family Law…” Zhu Qing’s eyes snapped wide open as a black look appeared on her face. Nevertheless, she quickly caught on to what Yang Kai meant, causing her entire body to turn flushed. Raising her head, she glared at him, only to discover that his eyes were wide open, while his breathing had turned rough. Sighing in her heart, she knew that this was a blessing and not a curse, though it couldn’t be avoided if it was a curse.
Using the book to cover her face, she whispered back, “The myriad of living creatures reject the Yin and embrace the Yang, when Yin and Yang merge, the Source will flow together, filling… one with energy.”
Yang Kai gawked before a strange look appeared on his face as he said in an ambiguous tone, “Are you saying…”
Zhu Qing’s face was now covered entirely by the book, leaving him unable to see the expression on her face. Nevertheless, he knew that her pretty face was definitely burning up at this very moment as she hastily replied, “I’m just casually speaking. Don’t treat it as a fact.”
“The Dragon Clan has also paid attention to dual cultivation?” Yang Kai’s smile grew wider, which appeared exceedingly malevolent in his dragon form, as though he could devour Zhu Qing in a single mouthful.
If this was really the case, the future days would really be too blissful.
“How is that possible, but…”
“But what?” Yang Kai extended a claw out and gently pushed Zhu Qing’s book down, while extending his head forwards, taking what seemed like a menacing stance.
With nowhere to hide, Zhu Qing finally replied in embarrassment, “But even for human women, their… virgin Yin Qi is extremely beneficial towards the cultivation of men, with the effect being increasingly obvious at higher realms of cultivation, much more that of a Dragon.”
Yang Kai replied, “Are you saying that I’ve grown stronger because… that was your first time?”
Zhu Qing nodded gently. She was feeling utterly embarrassed being forced by Yang Kai to say such words out loud, and could not help herself from wanting to dig a hole to hide in.
“So there will be no effect in the future?”
“No,” Zhu Qing shook her head decisively.
“I don’t believe it!” As he said that, Yang Kai grabbed Zhu Qing and scuttled in a direction. As he took big strides forwards, he dispelled the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, causing his gigantic body to rapidly shrink in size.
“What are you doing?” Zhu Qing exclaimed in shock.
“A test is needed to know if it works or not,” having returned to his original appearance, Yang Kai proceeded to lift Zhu Qing by her waist.
Pressed against his chest and feeling the fiery temperature of his body, Zhu Qing was instantly flustered as she hastily replied, “There really are no further results. I’m not lying to you!”
Yang Kai replied with a wide grin, “I already said to give it a try, so don’t struggle and resist, alright? It’s useless.”
As he said those words, he tossed Zhu Qing heavily onto the bed. She shrieked in response, while Yang Kai had already launched himself at her like a ravenous dog. Although she had experienced this before, Zhu Qing hadn’t adapted to it fully, resulting in the intense thumping of her chest as her heart appeared to be wanting to jump out at any given moment.
The male on top of her was extremely invasive, lunging right at her with reckless abandon, causing her weak defences to crumble and shatter apart with a bang.
As her clothes started to unravel, Zhu Qing tilted her head and closed her eyes tightly. Her hands gripped the sheets of the bed, as though she was about to enter the execution grounds, her entire being brimming with nervousness.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something as he turned his head to the side and pointed, before speaking a single word at a time, “Get… Out!”
The black puppy had been roused from its sleep, resulting in it quietly trying to doze off during these last few moments. It did not bark nor cause any trouble, and was extremely clever and obedient; however, right at this moment, it had raised its head and opened its eyes wide to stare towards the direction of the large bed. It did not move an inch, with its breathing sounds coming to a halt as it earnestly took in everything in sight.
The dog’s eyes gleamed with curiosity and a vacant look.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, it whined as it stood up in reluctance, its tail hanging between its legs as it slowly walked towards the door.
Reaching the door, it still shot a longing glance back, its eyes filled with entreaty, as though it was begging Yang Kai to allow it to stay here.
Instead, Yang Kai replied with a snort, leaving it no choice but to push open the door dejectedly with its head. Slinking away through the crack between the doors, it still knew to close the doors properly after leaving.
At this moment, there were a few women of varying ages that stood outside of the palace, and every one of them appeared to have a layer of frost covering their faces.
These few princesses had basically had enough of this. A few days ago, Yang Kai had asked them to wait outside of the palace, leaving them no choice but to obey.
Never did they expect this to drag on for days, with not a single order coming their way this whole time. Yang Kai had also not dismissed them, leaving them no choice but to wait here like wooden poles anchored to the ground.
When did they, who were pampered throughout their entire lives, ever experience such humiliation? All of them were unleashing torrents of curses towards Yang Kai in their hearts, praying that he would die miserably and as soon as possible.
The only exception was the innocent and pure little princess, who did not have a single inkling about the entire matter that had happened. She only knew that her Imperial Father had ordered them to come over, listen to the orders from the man inside, and make sure to fulfil his every demand.
Being young and innocent, she had yet to be corrupted by the complicated issues present within the Imperial Family. Therefore, she was the only one that did not feel any grievances towards Yang Kai, with only feelings of boredom and tiredness surfacing within her after standing for the past few days. At this moment, she was dozing off while resting her head on one of her Elder Sister’s shoulders, her head rocking slightly, coming close to falling down onto the ground on a few occasions.
When the black puppy walked out, it was noticed by all of the princesses, instantly drawing their attention to look over towards it.
A look of hatred immediately appeared on the face of the Second Princess, Fu Yu, as she still vividly remembered the matter of this little bastard causing her to lose all face through a wardrobe malfunction a few days ago. Therefore, she was naturally incomparably hellbent on getting revenge, with her heart being filled with thoughts on how she would exact vengeance, like whether she should take the chance to capture this little bastard, chop him into little bits, and make a hotpot of him.
Seemingly sensing something, the black puppy turned its head towards Fu Yu, bared its fangs and let off a threatening growl at her, all while moving into a pouncing stance.
[Little bastard, if you dare act rampantly, I’ll make sure to kill you and eat your meat!] Fu Yu cursed out in her heart, while an ambiguous feeling of happiness surged through her entire body as images of her accomplishing that feat played through her mind.
Right at this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out from within the palace.
The shout shocked all of the princesses, with all of them exchanging blank looks with each other, not knowing exactly what had happened within the palace.
The drowsy little princess was also shocked awake. Opening her eyes wide, she snapped to her senses faster than anyone else and asked in a fluster, “What happened?”
Nonetheless, no one bothered about her as the other princesses had perked their ears to listen for any follow-up sounds.
Yet another shout rang out, but this time, the group of ladies heard it clearly. However, this shout… seemed a little strange, as it did not sound like what one would let off when met with an incident. Instead, it sounded suppressed, somewhat raw, and almost like…
The faces of the few princesses turned red. Having clearly realized what this cry represented, how would they have the heart left to continue eavesdropping? On the contrary, they wished they could block their hearing out to prevent that sound from fouling their ears.
The stifled sounds grew increasingly clearer as they continued on, increasing and softening in varying intervals, sounding as though someone was dying.
Jumping in fright, the little princess’s face turned pale, “What’s happening? The voice sounds strange. Is someone in trouble? Should we go inside to take a look?”
Her questions left her Elder Sisters hanging between laughter and tears.
The Sixth Princess, who was standing by the little princess’s side, hastily replied, “You better not go in.”
“Why? Why can’t we go in?” The little princess wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery.
The Sixth Princess stamped her feet, “Little kids shouldn’t ask so much.”
“Ah… en,” the little princess nodded her head obediently. Although she could not wrap her head around the current situation, since her Sixth Sister had told her so, she definitely had her reasons to oppose. All of a sudden, she looked curiously at her other sisters and asked in a worried tone, “Second, Sixth, and Eleventh Sister, why are your faces so red? Are you all sick?”
The Eleventh Princess glared back at her and replied with an irritated tone, “What sick? When did we get sick?”
“But…” The little princess extended her little hand out and touched the Sixth Princess’ face, which resulted in her pulling her hand back in fright, “Your face is really hot, Sixth Sister! This is bad! Let’s go to Imperial Father to have him take a look.”
The Eleventh Princess shot a glare at the Sixth Princess, before covering her mouth to hide her grin, “There’s nothing Imperial Father can do for what your Sixth Sister is going through right now.”
“Then who should we see?”
The Eleventh Princess pouted, “She’ll be alright if you call the man inside to take a look at her.”
After finishing her words, she could not contain herself, letting a laugh slip out from her mouth, one so strong that it caused her waist to buckle as she shook like a willow in a gust.
“Then I’ll go call him over.” Believing everything she was told, the little princess strode forwards in an attempt to rush into the palace. However, after taking two steps forward, she hastily retreated, before speaking out in fear, “It sounds like he’s killing someone, right… I don’t dare to go in.”
The smile on the Eleventh Princess’ face grew even wider as a light flashed across her peach blossom-like eyes as she indicated towards the palace, “Of course he’s killing someone, but not just killing… he’s… eating someone.”
“E-E-Eating someone!” The little princess’s face drained of so much colour it turned into a shade that rivalled that of snow.
The Eleventh Princess continued on, “The man inside is an incorrigible tyrant, and he loves to eat tender little girls like you. If you get captured by him, he will first devour your fingers, then your nose, then your ears…”
As she spoke, she made a gnawing action, as though she was really chewing something, before wrapping it up with a look of satisfaction.
“Yee!” Terrified, the little princess immediately drilled herself into the bosom of the Sixth Princess, shivering as she replied in a trembling voice, “Sixth Sister, save me! I don’t want to get eaten! I don’t want to get eaten by him!”
“What are you scaring her for!” The Sixth Princess glared angrily at the Eleventh Princess, “Little sister is pure and naive, and believes anything people say, so what’s the point of telling her such a frightening tale.”
The Eleventh Princess shrugged her shoulders, “Since we’re all bored, I’m just trying to have a little fun. Haa… it’s really not fun to only hear but not participate in this colour-filled spring scenery.”
Fu Yu replied in a cold tone, “You can go in if you wish to participate, though I don’t know if they’ll welcome you or kill you.”
The Eleventh Princess said, “Forget it. It’s not good to provoke that fellow. As for me, I’m afraid even my bones won’t be left after he’s done eating me.”
Hearing those words, the little princess became increasingly frightened, causing her to hug the Sixth Princess tightly and cry, “Bring me away, Sixth Sister! I don’t want to be here! Save me, Imperial Father! Save me, Imperial Father! Wu wu wu!”
Fu Yu glared at her and growled, “Cover her ears.”
The Sixth Princess hastily extended her hands and covered the Little Princess’ ears tightly.
Sounds continued to ring out from the palace. In the beginning, it was somewhat subdued before becoming utterly unrestrained, causing the few princesses to feel exceedingly awkward. Fortunately, the Little Princess returned to snoozing within the Sixth Princess’s embrace, seemingly tired from the huge cry after being frightened. The tear stains which now marred her little sister’s face caused the Sixth Princess to feel sorry and angry for her, as well as forming an even worse impression of the man who was at fault for all this misery.
“It’s really no use.” Yang Kai felt somewhat speechless as he looked at Zhu Qing lying on the bed.
He displayed the Dragon Transformation Secret Art once again. This time, however, there wasn’t any significant change, as his height still remained at 45 meters, with completely no increase at all.
Raising her snow white body, which was covered by the bedsheet, Zhu Qing frowned slightly as she replied: “I’ve already told you, so why don’t you believe me?”
Thinking about it now, it wasn’t a question of whether he believed her or not, but a result of the rise of his lecherous side that he wanted to go all the way with.
Dispelling the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai chuckled: “We only tried a few times. If we do it a few more times, it might work…”
Right as he finished his sentence, he leapt back onto the bed.
“Stop messing around,” Zhu Qing reached out and pushed him away, shooting him a glare. “Dragons are lascivious by nature, the stronger your Source the more you would need to restrain yourself.”
During these few days of their intimate relations, Zhu Qing had always behaved submissively. However, now, she suddenly expressed her views solemnly, with a look of authority. Yang Kai could not help but look at her in bewilderment. It was as though she was a completely different person.
He could only bob his head and agree. “Alright, alright. I’ll control myself. Just that… If all those in the Dragon Clan are like this, how exactly do you live with it?”
Zhu Qing said, “Only the males of the Clan are like this. They also won’t act so presumptuously in front of the other Dragon Clan Members on Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened. “Then what if they… need it?”
Zhu Qing had no desire to answer his question but knew that he could continue to pester her about it, so she could only frown and state. “They have their own ways.”
This statement inevitably made Yang Kai’s imagination run wild. Some funny scenes came to mind, and he could not help but chuckle. He was ready to meet Zhu Lie again and make fun of him.
Zhu Qing stared at him and reprimanded. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch me without my consent?”
Yang Kai made an innocent expression and asked. “But didn’t you give me your consent? I swore you did.”
“Just don’t do that next time!” Zhu Qing pinched Yang Kai’s arm to vent her frustration and then started to get dressed.
Yang Kai propped his head up on one hand and enjoyed looking at her, giggling.
“What are you staring at me for?” Zhu Qing became flushed.
“You are just too beautiful.” Sweet words started to spew from his mouth. “I can just stare at you for the rest of my life.”
“I wonder how many women you’ve said this to before?” Zhu Qing’s question carried a strong tinge of jealousy, she quickly organized her dress and blankly looked around before asking. “Where’s Ah Wang?”
“Guarding the door.” Yang Kai pointed at the door.
Zhu Qing just recalled that the black puppy had seemed to have been driven out by Yang Kai. She then recalled that several princesses were standing outside the door. Soon, her beautiful face lost all colour. It was clear that what they did was heard.
She did not know how she could possibly see people now…
She was so ashamed and annoyed that she reached out and grabbed Yang Kai’s ear. “Why are you not getting up yet!?”
Abiding her order, Yang Kai got up. He was completely naked. Although not stout, his body was quite well proportioned. He exuded an aura of masculinity. Facing the embarrassed Zhu Qing, he simply laughed and played dumb.
Zhu Qing gave him an angry look. Her eyes were wandering here and there. She was trying to look away from where she shouldn’t be looking. She picked up his clothes from the bed and started carefully dressing him.
It was the first time the dragon girl was doing this, so she was a little unfamiliar. Men’s clothes had always been a little different from women’s, and having never had the experience of serving others, and the fact that Yang Kai was standing right opposite to her, her hands and feet were tied.
After gasping through for a good while, she slowly got better and gradually dressed Yang Kai neatly.
She then grabbed Yang Kai’s hand again, leading him to the vanity mirror beside her and pushed Yang Kai down on the chair, sitting him down and cautiously grooming his hair.
Yang Kai was staring at the figure in the mirror with a smile hanging on his face. And seeing her serious and focused look, his pride skyrocketed.
…
Half a day later, the Human Sovereign came in a hurry. And when he arrived at the gate of the palace, he looked at his daughters standing outside in surprise, “Why are you standing outside?”
Fu Yu replied, pursing her lips, “He made us stay here.”
The Human Sovereign furrowed his brow. “Has it been like this these days?”
Fu Yu gently nodded.
The Human Sovereign heaved a sigh as a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but nothing else. He just reported aloud, “Sir, there has been some progress about the news you have been looking for.”
The door of the hall was pushed open as Yang Kai and Zhu Qing walked out in succession.
The princesses had varying expressions on their faces. Second Princess Fu Yu couldn’t hide the look of contempt in her eyes, especially when she looked at Zhu Qing. The Sixth Princess lowered her head; it was hard to see the expression on her face. The Eleventh Princess, on the other hand, was making seductive gestures, looking at Yang Kai with great interest, as if she was secretly expecting something. But the next moment, the princess turned pale and quietly slipped behind the Sixth Sister, shuddering.
Their reaction didn’t remain hidden from Yang Kai. He coldly snorted in his heart, noticing it. But he didn’t have time to care about that. He focused his gaze on the Human Sovereign and asked, “Tell me about it.”
The Human Sovereign replied, “About thirty minutes ago, there were signs of someone fighting at Eagle Beak Cliff. This Old Master immediately sent someone to investigate, but by the time he reached there, the battle was already over. He found a dozen or so dead Demon Race members, all of whose cultivation was quite extraordinary.”
“Did you find who did it?”
The Human Sovereign shook his head. “No, it’s just that all the Humans in the Revolving World live in Human Sovereign City. I’m afraid that no one apart from the two of you could remain outside. And more importantly, they don’t have the strength to kill a dozen or so Demon Race members. So, this Old Master thinks that the person you are looking for is probably near Eagle Beak Cliff.”
Yang Kai, after nodding and pondering for a moment, suggested, “If that’s the case, then let’s go and have a look.”
The Human Sovereign agreed, “The Old Master will immediately arrange someone to lead the way.”
“No need, I know the place. My wife and I will go and check it out on our own.” These past few days, Yang Kai had clearly memorized the layout of the Revolving World. So, he knew where Eagle Beak Cliff was when the Human Sovereign mentioned it.
“Sir and Madam, please be careful.”
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile. “If everything goes well, we may directly leave this world. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Hearing this, the Human Sovereign happily smiled. He wished that Yang Kai would go away as soon as possible, lest his rule was shaken. Naturally, he was overjoyed after hearing this. He quickly suppressed his excitement and calmly stated, “Sir and Madam, please forgive this Old Master if this Old Master has not looked after you well.”
His face didn’t match his words. And Yang Kai was also too lazy to haggle with him. Just as he was about to call Zhu Qing to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Fu Yu still staring at Zhu Qing with a look of contempt. Her face was filled with disdain. This immediately annoyed him a little.
Suddenly, an idea clicked Yang Kai as he stretched his hand out to Ah Wang and ordered, “Ah Wang, let’s go!”
“Woof!” The black puppy stood up and threateningly barked at Fu Yu before slowly making its way to Yang Kai.
“What!? What did you say?” Yang Kai stared at the black puppy with widened eyes.
“Woof!” The black puppy titled his head, wondering what the hell Yang Kai was up to.
“What!? That’s impossible. You bastard, how can you even think like that? That’s simply outrageous.”
The black puppy was completely dumbstruck. It stupidly stood in his spot, completely confused.
Yang Kai continued, ignoring it, “One should have a sense of propriety. As a dog, you should know your limit. You shouldn’t think about what you shouldn’t, you just shouldn’t, understand!? Thankfully this Young Master is here, otherwise, you would have been beaten and eaten by him.” While he was speaking, he leisurely glanced at the Human Sovereign.
Everyone was left confused and disoriented by him. The princesses were even more confused. Fu Yu slightly frowned. Instinctively, she felt something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t think what was wrong?
But the Human Sovereign was smart and shrewd. He immediately snickered and asked, “Sir, I wonder what your pet wants to do? If you don’t mind, can you tell this Old Master. If this Old Master can satisfy it, this Old Master will definitely fulfill it.”
Yang Kai replied with a chuckle, “It’s nothing. It just made an interesting request. You don’t need to care about it.”
The Human Sovereign criticized in his heart but still asked, “If it’s interesting, why not tell us? There is no harm telling us.”
Yang Kai pointed at Fu Yu. “This Bastard has actually come to take a liking to the Second Princess. It has hit it off with the Second Princess and actually wants to take her with it. Don’t you find it funny?”
The smile on the Human Sovereign’s face immediately froze. He really didn’t know how he should answer as a drop of cold sweat trickled down the corner of his forehead.
Blood immediately drained from Fu Yu’s pretty face as she cried in horror, “Impossible!”
Yang Kai’s face turned cold as he asked, “Why is it impossible?”
Fu Yu replied, panicked, “How…how can it like me? You are clearly talking through your hat.”
Yang Kai added with a snort, “When it’s impossible for me to like you, but you have still taken a liking to me. I can’t do anything, can I? Probably, after having been looking at you for a long while, it has been attracted to you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask yourself.”
“How…how can I ask?” Fu Yu was completely dumbfounded. She really couldn’t ask the black puppy this question. Although she was sure that Yang Kai was taking revenge on her, the current situation was more complex than she realized. She might really be carried off and be reduced into a beast’s plaything.
She would rather die than be subjected to this. How could she even agree to it?
“Imperial Father!” She hurriedly looked at the Human Sovereign, trying to ask for his help. But what entered her eyes next caused her words to be stuck in her throat. Because she noticed a tight frown on her Imperial Father’s face. He appeared to be in deep thought as if he was considering whether to agree to this or not.
In an instant, all her hopes shattered to pieces. She lost all her strength.
[Imperial Father is really considering giving me to that beast!]
[That’s right, the Imperial Father is very afraid of these debauchers. If he can send them away without any accident, not to mention one daughter, he will gift all his daughters without even a frown.]
[Since ancient times, the Imperial Family has been devoid of any familial love. Who knows what I was expecting?]
The Human Sovereign’s lips parted. But before he could speak anything, Yang Kai chuckled. “Second Princess, don’t worry. Even though Ah Wang likes you, I can’t take you with us. Second Princess will be staying in Human Sovereign City, being a good princess.”
Fu Yu didn’t utter a word. She just glared at him with extreme hatred. It looked like she could not wait to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
“By the looks of it, it seems the Second Princess would like to come with me! If that’s the case, you can tell me. It’s not like this Young Master can’t consider it.” Yang Kai raised the corner of his lips.
Fu Yu hurriedly lowered her head. She didn’t dare to take another look at him, lest he started making things difficult for her again.
“Hmph!” The Human Sovereign coldly snorted. At this moment, how could he not realize that Yang Kai was deliberately making things difficult for her? [Presumably, Fu Yu had looked at the dragon girl with a wrongful gaze.] He looked at Fu Yu and ordered, “Why are you still not thanking Sir!?”
How could Fu Yu dare to disobey him? Left with no choice, she stepped forward and elegantly bowed, thanking Yang Kai in a low voice. “Thank you, Sir!”
Her arrogance had been completely worn out.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing had to leave through the city’s Space Array, and the Human Sovereign personally sent them off.
A group of Imperial Princes and Princesses was following close behind along with anyone with the slightest prestige in Human Imperial City. The big crowd made the onlookers confused as to what was happening.
The Human Sovereign was extremely considerate the entire way, he tirelessly reminded Yang Kai of the things he should take note of when outside.
Yang Kai even bothered responding from time to time.
After finally delivering them to the Space Array, the Human Sovereign secretly let out a sigh of relief. As long as that guy left, Human Imperial City would still be under his rule and the position of his family would be secure.
He personally bestowed Yang Kai and Zhu Qing with the Human Sovereign Seal and ordered for the array to be activated.
When it lit up to initiate transport, the Human Sovereign’s suspended heart settled at last, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
However, Yang Kai smashed his good mood into smithereens with one sentence, “In the future, this Young Master may come to visit again. I hope Sir will look after the Sacred Tree well and won’t arbitrarily extract its power again.”
After a flash of light, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing disappeared.
The Human Sovereign froze and his smile stiffened.
The Imperial Princes and Princesses, as well as the Masters gathered here, all sensed the Human Sovereign’s mood and kept silent out of fear. After a long time, an imposing aura burst forth from the Human Sovereign and washed out in all directions. As the fluctuations dispersed, after venting the anger in his heart, he seemed to have aged greatly.
……
Ten thousand kilometres from Human Imperial City, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing appeared in the depths of a burrow in what appeared to be a concealed cave.
The burrow was pitch-black with only a narrow passageway that led to the surface. In the burrow was a simple Space Array that connected with the array in the city. There were other numerous places like these dotted across the entirety of the Revolving World.
The cultivators of Human Imperial City travelled about using these Space Arrays.
Each Space Array was constructed in an obscure location, out of fear of being discovered by the Demon Race.
However, even if the Demon Race were to discover a Space Array, they could only destroy it, as without the Human Sovereign Seal’s blessing, they couldn’t enter Human Imperial City through the array. In a way, the Human Sovereign Seal was a protective mechanism of Human Imperial City. In this aspect, it was similar to the Transmission Token that Yang Kai used.
The Space Arrays arranged by him could only be used with a Transmission Token.
The pair came out of the burrow and onto the surface.
There was no abnormality with the outside world’s World Principles, indicating that the Revolving World was leaning towards the Star Boundary at the moment.
“Yang Kai, stand guard for me,” Zhu Qing wasted no time, and after informing Yang Kai, she set about using a Dragon Clan Secret Technique to find Zhu Lie’s whereabouts.
“Hm? What did you call me?”
Zhu Qing said quietly, “…Husband…”
She had never called a man like this before, so her heart raced as she felt like this simple address was capable of tying them intimately together, sharing life and death, disgrace and honour.
Yang Kai finally revealed a satisfied look.
Zhu Qing cut her palm and a drop of crimson blood dripped down. It was hot, like magma, but after falling onto the ground, it disappeared without a trace.
An enigmatic chant sounded and there was a reverent and solemn look on Zhu Qing’s face as she wove some ancient words together.
Yang Kai had witnessed such a scene before when Zhu Lie used the same Secret Technique back in the Frozen Earth.
It was a Secret Technique for locating individuals.
After a moment, when the chant reached its peak, the whole world trembled like thunder was brewing, and a Dragon’s roar pierced through the Heavens.
A small spot of red blossomed from the ground and what appeared to be a blood coral grew from it, reaching about a forearm’s length in height.
Zhu Qing stopped her chant and reached out to pick up the blood coral. Looking in the direction of the light the blood coral was floating towards, she pointed and said, “That way.”
Yang Kai nodded and he leapt into the sky to fly in that direction with Zhu Qing.
After the time it took to boil a cup of tea, the pair arrived in front of a cliff.
A long ravine stretched out into the distance while the cliff itself was extremely beak.
This was the Eagle Beak Cliff mentioned by the Human Sovereign before, and when they arrived, they saw remains of the Demon Race as they had expected. The ground was covered in fresh blood, severed limbs, and minced flesh. From the vestiges left at the scene, it seemed that although the battle had been intense, it was short-lived. The Demons seemed to have been killed before they could even bring out their full power.
This could only mean the Demons had encountered a strong enemy, so strong that they were entirely helpless.
Yang Kai looked over at Zhu Qing, who nodded back gently, “I sense an aura from the Dragon Clan, it’s definitely Zhu Lie.”
“Can you tell which direction they went?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Qing observed the blood coral for a moment then pointed left, “That way.”
After half an hour, Yang Kai, who was travelling quickly, let out a sound of surprise. He raised his head and looked into the distance, seemingly having discovered something.
Zhu Qing also noticed it and looked ahead with keen eyesight.
The World Energy over there was fluctuating, and there were faint sounds of battle. There seemed to be an ongoing dispute.
The two shared a glance before speeding up.
After a while, the scene ahead unfolded before their eyes.
Hundreds of troops from the Demon Race Army surrounded a single location, causing thick Demon Qi to envelop the area, and the people being surrounded by them happened to be the two people who had gotten separated from Yang Kai when he entered the Revolving World, Zhu Lie and Li Jiao.
It was unclear if they had always been together or if they had only recently met up.
The two of them were currently in a bleak situation. Although they were both powerful Masters, there seemed to be Demon Kings commanding the Demons surrounding them. It seemed that they planned to use the advantage of their numbers to slowly whittle them down.
The several dozen Demon Race corpses on the ground were no doubt Zhu Lie and Li Jiao’s handiwork.
The Demon Race had a hundred clans, and each clan possessed their own unique Innate Divine Abilities. Shadow Demons were the best at concealment, Charm Demons were unrivalled in seduction, Strength Demons possessed immense physical strength, Blood Demons were the most insidious, and if one didn’t know the characteristics of each clan, it was easy to suffer a loss.
If it was an average Third-Order Emperor, even if there were two of them, they would’ve already been defeated.
Thanks to Zhu Lie being a member of the Dragon Clan, he was able to persist under the encirclement. It was another matter for Li Jiao, however.
What’s more, it was obvious Zhu Lie wasn’t concerned with Li Jiao’s life or death.
When Yang Kai and Zhu Qing arrived, it was clear that Li Jiao’s condition wasn’t good. His mood was anxious and he was faintly emitting a black Qi. It seemed to have been corroded by the Demon Qi.
His eyes were faintly red, and his movements were stiff, while even the circulation of his Emperor Qi had become sluggish.
Among the Demon Race Army, an alluring Charm Demon suddenly used a technique against him. An intangible charm bypassed Li Jiao’s mental defences, causing ceaseless whispers to echo in his Soul, trying to break down his sense of self and reduce him to being a slave.
This was a signature move of Charm Demons. While they were physically weaker than average among Demons, their Souls were extremely powerful and were most suited to deception and manipulation.
A few Demon Great Generals charged fearlessly towards Zhu Lie, but were slain by him easily, their bodies exploding into blood mists that rained down from the sky.
In the next moment though, the blood raining down condensed together, as if it possessed spirituality, and formed into numerous blood serpents that flicked their tails and bared their fangs towards Zhu Lie.
Zhu Lie snorted coldly and spat out a searing Dragon Breath, incinerating the countless blood serpents. But before he could catch a break, a blood serpent suddenly leapt forth from the flames, much to Zhu Lie’s surprise.
At first glance, this blood serpent was indistinguishable from the others, but if one looked carefully, they would see its amazing and unique points.
It was too late to dodge it, so Zhu Lie could only use his Dragon Essence to block it.
A peal of eerie and pleased laughter arose from the snake as if its sinister ploy had succeeded.
Zhu Lie furrowed his brows with a foreboding feeling. It seemed that perhaps blocking the attack wasn’t the best move.
Just as the blood serpent was about to reach Zhu Lie, a pitch-black Moon Blade descended, brushed past Zhu Lie’s head, and directly cut the serpent in half. The blood serpent turned into ashes as if it had been incinerated, and at the same time, a miserable cry sounded from the distance.
A Blood Demon suddenly grabbed his head and collapsed onto the ground, his expression twisted as he writhed in pain.
“Who’s there?” Zhu Lie growled, but when he lifted his head, he saw a familiar figure in the sky.
Yang Kai grinned and greeted him warmly, “Hello, Little Brother-in-law!”
Zhu Lie furrowed his brows, his face puzzled, “What did you just say?”
He wasn’t sure he caught what Yang Kai just called him.
As soon as his words fell, Li Jiao, who had been fending off the enemies behind Zhu Lie, suddenly turned around and abruptly sent a palm towards him. Emperor Qi surged forth from the palm, along with the entire might of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Li Jiao’s eyes were now pitch black, and it was obviously not a move made of his own accord; however, even Zhu Lie couldn’t disregard such a blow.
A red light flashed as Zhu Qing mysteriously appeared between Zhu Lie and Li Jiao. Sending out a fist, she struck Li Jiao’s stomach.
There was the sound of bones breaking. Li Jiao let out a miserable scream and when his eyes regained clarity, it was clear he was at a loss as to what just happened. In an instant, he felt the sharp pain from his stomach and a tremendous force pressing down on his heart that practically threatened to silence it. A burst of Qi exploded behind him, tearing his clothes and sending him flying face-first, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood mid-air.
Zhu Lie turned around and when he saw Zhu Qing, he was first overjoyed before his expression quickly cooled, “You’re still alive?”
“Is that any way to talk to your Elder Sister?” Zhu Qing glared at him.
“Hmph!” Zhu LIe snorted coldly. He wanted to say something else but he suddenly widened his eyes and gawked at Zhu Qing incredulously while stuttering, “You… You…”
“I what!?” Zhu Qing pursed her lips and blushed. She guessed the reason for Zhu Lie’s astonishment and quickly cut him off, “We can talk about it later.”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing’s arrival surprised the Demons, and after seeing the fates of the Blood Demon and the Charm Demon who were attacking from the shadows, fear started to take root. Whether it was the Blood Demon, who was screaming in anguish, or the Charm Demon that made flowers pale in comparison, they were both Demon Kings.
Even though the two Demon Kings attacked stealthily, the newcomers deflected their attacks and even managed to retaliate and injure one of them, it was simply inconceivable.
While they were shocked, they suddenly heard the sound of a dog barking. Following after, a black puppy charged over, its four tiny legs blurring as it dashed towards a Demon General. It looked as if it was in heat and had seen a beautiful female dog inviting it, making for a funny scene.
That Demon General should be a Strength Demon. He was tall, burly, and held an axe in his hand. The blade of the axe was bright and sharp, exuding a dense black Qi, clearly identifying it as a Demon Artifact.
Seeing the black puppy charging towards him, the Demon General’s expression became ferocious. He shook his head, lifted his axe, and swung it down on the black puppy.
His movements were relaxed as he could feel that the black puppy wasn’t strong, and that he could easily kill such a beast.
The other Demons’ attention was all on Yang Kai and Zhu Qing right now, so other than the few Demons who glanced at the black puppy, no one else paid it any attention.
The axe swung down, but the small dog dodged it nimbly with shocking prowess, leaving the Demon General shocked and humiliated when his attack only hit air. Without giving him a chance to make another move though, the black puppy launched in his direction.
The puppy’s head, which originally wasn’t big, suddenly inflated to the size of a door panel and swallowed the Demon General in one bite.
Everyone was stunned.
The Demons all turned their heads towards the black puppy, staring so hard their eyes nearly popped out.
Zhu Qing and her brother were evidently shocked as well. Who could’ve imagined that this little puppy could be so powerful, able to swallow a Demon General in one gulp! Although that Demon General wasn’t particularly strong, he was still comparable to a human cultivator in the Origin King Realm. Furthermore, he was a Strength Demon, so even some Dao Source Realm cultivators may not have been his opponent.
Zhu Qing was especially surprised, as although she realized the black puppy was somewhat peculiar during her interaction with it, she never imagined it would possess such a powerful Divine Ability.
Only Yang Kai was unsurprised while he rubbed his chin as if in thought.
According to Gong Yue, the black puppy had the bloodline of the Abyssal Returner, one of the Demon Realm’s unique ancient beasts. The power of this bloodline was deeply hidden but was drawn out by Gong Yue using a Demon Race Secret Technique back at Azure Sun Temple. At that time, the black puppy became as strong as an entire army, allowing Gong Yue to use its Divine Ability to hold out against ten Emperor Realms Masters.
This puppy was even able to swallow a Second-Order Emperor like Feng Ming in one bite, so nothing needed to be said about a trivial Demon General.
However, the black puppy’s abilities weren’t stable due to its low strength, so other than swallowing Liao Guan Shi, it didn’t use this devouring Divine Ability again. When it fought Fu Yu in the Imperial Palace the other day, it didn’t swallow her despite fighting with her for quite a long time.
But now, the black puppy was acting as if it had been injected with chicken blood, shocking everyone.
Yang Kai estimated it was because it was consuming Demons; after all, the Abyssal Returner was a unique beast from the Demon Realm, so the aura of the Demons must’ve delighted it. Perhaps Demons were a delicacy to it.
As Yang Kai was pondering these thoughts, the Demon General captured in the black puppy’s mouth fought hard. Visible to the naked eyes, the black puppy’s large mouth would bugle from time to time, its large head disproportionate to its small body swaying about from the Demon General’s struggle.
Abruptly, it raised its head and made a swallowing motion.
In front of everyone’s eyes, a small bulge arrived at its throat then disappeared into its stomach.
As its door-sized mouth returned to its original size, its stomach showed no signs of change at all. It was a mystery where the Demon General had gone, along with the Demon General’s Demon Axe Artifact, which had also vanished.
There were sounds of sharp inhales and the Demons felt their blood run cold.
The black puppy merely licked its mouth with a hungry look. Its bright eyes looked at where the Demons were gathered, and every Demon its gaze fell on, regardless of their cultivation, erupted in goosebumps, their heart trembling in fear as if they had met their natural nemesis.
There was no need for any prompt, as the moment danger approached, the Demons all released their Secret Techniques. Pitch-black energy condensed into attacks one after another and launched intimidatingly at the black puppy.
Yang Kai’s expression changed, but he intended to observe first before acting.
The black puppy howled, not out of fear, but rather excitement. It jumped a metre into the air and opened its mouth again.
Its mouth became even larger than before, and inside its maw seemed to be a corridor that led to an unknown world, exuding a strong suction force.
The attacks directed at it were swallowed up without exception, and it was not the slightest bit affected. The black puppy became bolder, and under the attacks from the Demons, its mouth expanded until it was the size of a house before biting down.
The space where it chomped shattered, showing bits of the Void. The ten Demons standing within range of this bite also disappeared in an instant while the rest ran off in a flurry, quickly putting distance between themselves and the black puppy.
*Gudong*
The black puppy swallowed again, but it still wasn’t satisfied as it turned its gaze to the other Demons.
“World Destroying Beast… Abyssal Returner!?” A voice sounded from among the Demons, it was someone dressed in pure black, crying out in horror.
He realized the origins of the black puppy and his voice was full of terror.
This Demon was also a Demon King and the aura around him was considerably stronger than the rest, around the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Added to the fact that he was a Shadow Demon, if he harnessed the element of surprise, he could even assassinate a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master with ease.
He was the strongest among this group of Demons and he should also be its leader.
But even a powerful figure like him screamed after realizing the origins of the black puppy before he turned into smoke and escaped in nine different directions.
The Abyssal Returned was famously known in the Demon Realm as the World Destroying Beast. Although it was born in the Demon Realm, it could be considered a natural enemy to all Demons. It lived to devour anything that contained Demon Qi.
Rumour had it that in the original Demon Realm, there used to be an Abyssal Returner that wreaked havoc in all directions, even outmatching Demon Saints. In an age without a Great Demon God, the Abyssal Returner was practically the overlord of the Demon Realm. The Demons it devoured and the Demon cities it destroyed were beyond number.
The Abyssal Returner represented obliteration, it left ruins in its wake, so came its name ‘Abyssal Returner’.
Finally, a powerful Demon Saint led all the Demon Race Masters into a decisive battle against the Abyssal Returner. The battle lasted for a dozen years, and the Demon Race suffered innumerable casualties, nearly halving the entire population while simultaneously shattering the Demon Realm itself.
In the end, the Demon Race triumphed over the Abyssal Returner and obtained victory. The Demon Saint also had a breakthrough, and after becoming a Great Demon God, became the ruler of the Demon Realm. However, the war made much of the Demon Realm uninhabitable, leaving the Masters of the Demon Realm with no choice but to search for new land, for a more hospitable Great World.
Every Demon was familiar with this history, even the Demons of the Revolving World.
Therefore, when the black puppy showed its devouring ability, this Demon King immediately thought of the World Destroying Beast.
Although there was no way to confirm if it actually was an Abyssal Returner, this sense of crisis before death couldn’t be faked. Being devoured by the Abyssal Returner meant certain doom.
This Demon King was frightened out of his mind and even went so far as to use his life-saving Divine Ability to escape.
Out of the nine wisps of smoke, only one hid his true body, the other eight were merely diversions. With a Divine Ability of this calibre, even an enemy one Minor Realm above him wouldn’t necessarily be able to stop him.
Shadow Demons specialized in stealth and speed, and this was a perfect example.
However, the Shadow Demon Demon King had miscalculated this time. The scattered wisps of smoke had barely gotten a thousand metres away before they hit upon an invisible barrier. Eight of the wisps of smoke dispersed while one revealed the body of the Shadow Demon, his face ashen as he raised his head and looked at the human flying up in the sky.
Yang Kai smiled down at him as the Space Principles around him surged with him as their centre. The space within a thousand-metre radius of Yang Kai had transformed into a cage, one filled with a viscous feel that made it difficult to move about freely.
Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie both felt slight discomfort even though Yang Kai wasn’t deliberately targeting them; however, the strength of the two Dragon Clan members wasn’t weak, so they were much better off than the Demons.
Li Jiao groaned, seemingly having regained his consciousness, but his injuries were not light after Zhu Qing’s struck his stomach. He could only continue lying on the floor, using his Emperor Qi to recover while resisting the Demon Qi’s corrosion.
“Ah Wang, what are you waiting for?” Yang Kai said lightly.
The black puppy sprang forth towards the Blood Demon who had used his Secret Technique to attack Zhu Lie. Evidently, it seemed to think that this Demon was more delicious than the others.
The Blood Demon’s sneak attack failed as Yang Kai used his Moon Blade to intercept it, resulting in his Divine Sense being injured and his strength plummeting. Now, seeing the black puppy charging towards him, this Blood Demon’s expression sank as he turned and transformed into a bloody light that charged towards the black puppy.
He had naturally heard of the Abyssal Returner before, but even if this black puppy was a descendant of that calamity, it was still merely a puppy. As a Demon King, he had the confidence to contend against it.
The bloody light spread out in mid-air until it became bigger than a house, resembling a blood-coloured net that enveloped the black puppy.
The black puppy tilted its head, puzzled how that guy became even bigger than its mouth.
It struggled to widen its mouth, but it was unable to outgrow the blood-coloured net, making it angry and inhale sharply.
Out came an incredibly strong suction force and a shriek came from the blood-coloured net as it was sucked and folded like a pancake before disappearing into the black puppy’s mouth.
The dense bloody light was sucked into the humongous mouth. In a panic, the Blood Demon revealed his true body, but that only made it even more convenient for the black puppy to devour him. Its humongous mouth suddenly closed and bit into the Blood Demon’s lower half, and no matter how hard the other struggled, he couldn’t escape.
The Blood Demon’s face went pale as he cried for help, but which Demon present dared to rescue him? The aura of the black puppy wasn’t strong, but its unique air made them feel a chill run deep into their bones, and added with how the Shadow Demon had called it an Abyssal Returner just now, it made them even more frightened. At this moment, they only wished to be as far away from it as possible.
The Blood Demon was sucked in, little by little, completely unable to use any of his strength. It was like he had become a Demon who had never cultivated before, unable to even circulate his Demon Qi.
Looking at it, the scene was reminiscent of a python swallowing its prey. Snake species like pythons could swallow prey larger than themselves whole, so why couldn’t the black puppy?
Crimson flames blossomed and a searing force burst forth, it was Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie making their move.
They were both Red Dragons and cultivated Fire Attribute Source Strength. The temperature of the surrounding space rose sharply and the world seemed to have turned into a refining furnace, melting all the Demons nearby.
A dragon breath, fireballs, and fire blades covered the sky, with the Demons instantly beaten into a mess. Panic ensued, and the Demons were cut down like grass.
Although the Demons were large in number and they possessed a variety of strange and difficult to deal with abilities, even if Yang Kai and Zhu Qing hadn’t appeared, Zhu Lie would have still done fine against them by himself.
An Eighth-Order Red Dragon was an existence that surpassed a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, which was more than enough to massacre these Demons.
From just one attack, the hundreds of Demons were reduced by half. None swept up by the hot flames had survived, all died without exception.
The Charm Demon screamed, the Shadow Demon paled, the Sand Demon tried to escape, but the surrounding space was sealed, making it impossible to use their Divine Abilities to flee.
Zhu Qing charged and her small fist connected with the Charm Demon dressed in a revealing outfit. An explosive force erupted, reducing the Charm Demon to a pulpy mess without a single bone intact.
The Charm Demon had been on her nerves for a while now. She kept throwing amorous glances about all the time. Just who was she making those to? What was there worth seeing about her?
After failing to flee, the Sand Demon had only just steadied himself when Zhu Lie’s fire blade in the sky swooped down and cut him into two.
The remaining Shadow Demon became the single pillar of the remaining Demons, making the situation bleak. He looked around, as an army of hundreds was nearly annihilated, and in such a muddle-headed manner, leaving him as the sole survivor. His blood went cold and his hands and feet trembled.
Two Dragon Clan members were so powerful without even revealing their true forms. If they fought using their Dragon Forms, even if he had an army ten times larger, it would still be swept away.
Zhu Lie charged towards the Shadow Demon while the latter reused his old tricks, executing his life saving Innate Divine Ability again, but he was hit with a burst of Dragon Pressure at the last moment, disorientating him and making it impossible for him to activate his skill. Zhu Lie crashed into him and smashed his head, sending red and white matter splattering in a gruesome display.
At this time, the black puppy finished swallowing the Blood Demon into its stomach with gusto. Still not satisfied, it looked around, but there wasn’t a single live Demon left to be seen as the entire army had been wiped out.
It snorted, ignoring the corpses, and turned to Yang Kai in the sky.
Yang Kai didn’t move this entire time. Other than making the spatial cage, he hadn’t killed a single Demon. That was because he knew he didn’t need to act.
He landed beside Li Jiao and lowered his head to look at him.
Li Jiao happened to open his eyes at this time, and when he saw Yang Kai, he made a smile that looked even uglier than crying, “Palace Master Yang… Help ah…”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “What does Brother Li mean? In my opinion, Brother Li is as mighty as a Dragon and as fierce as a Tiger. You are still very vigorous, there is no place for me to help.”
Li Jiao pushed on, “Palace Master Yang, you can’t just lie with your eyes wide open, this Li… This Li had been corroded by Demon Qi, can’t you tell?”
He landed in the Revolving World with Zhu Lie, but wasn’t as fortunate as Yang Kai. No one guided them to Human Imperial City, so he had been wandering in the outside world the entire time. When the World Principles shifted and Demon Qi filled the air; even Li Jiao, someone in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, was unable to resist, ultimately resulting in Demon Qi invading his body.
That Demon Qi was extremely hard to purge, like maggots on rotting bones, present no matter what. If that wasn’t the case, with his cultivation, it would’ve been impossible for him to fall under the Charm Demon’s control. His injury from Zhu Qing was a minor issue, at most, it was just a few broken bones and spitting a bit of blood, he would recover after recuperating for a while, but corrosion from Demon Qi could cost him his life and if it wasn’t handled properly, he could lose his mind.
Seeing Yang Kai now was like seeing a life-saving straw.
“I can tell, but I’m also helpless seeing your situation,” Yang Kai rubbed his chin.
Li Jiao nearly cried when he heard him, “Palace Master Yang, you must help, this Li only followed you for your sake! If Palace Master Yang didn’t insist, how would this have happened to this Li? In Fire Dragon Palace, I would be enjoying prestige and luxury, but now, this has happened to me. I have to say this, Palace Master Yang… You must take some responsibility here!” He gauged Yang Kai’s expression as he talked, afraid to offend the other.
Yang Kai did get offended and sternly rebuked, “Rice may be eaten at will, but words cannot be spoken arbitrarily. You came with me because of the conditions you negotiated in advance, you’re not without gains. Not to mention, I didn’t cause you to be corroded by Demon Qi, it was your insufficient strength and brittle will, why should I be responsible?”
Li Jiao cried without a mournful expression, “Palace Master Yang, are you just going to stand by and watch as this Li becomes corroded with Demon Qi, loses his consciousness, and degenerates into a Demon?”
“Hm, why wouldn’t I?” Yang Kai asked curiously, “Rest assured, if you succumb, this Young Master will personally take care of you and give you a quick death.”
Li Jiao scolded the other’s mother in his mind, so regretful he turned green. If he knew this was going to happen, he wouldn’t have followed Yang Kai to the Frozen Earth no matter what. Now that he was like this he was sure what the future would be like and was at a loss.
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai suddenly chuckled. He patted the other’s shoulder and pulled him up.
Li Jiao was disorientated by the sudden change of attitude. He looked at him blankly and asked, “Palace Master Yang… Are you…”
Yang Kai replied, “Isn’t it just Demon Qi corrosion? Anyone else would’ve really become a Demon by now, but fortunately, Brother Li, your cultivation is high. Although you’ve been corroded, it’s not incurable.”
Li Jiao’s eyes lit when he heard this, he said hurriedly, “This Li knew Palace Master Yang wouldn’t be so heartless. Palace Master Yang, please tell me the way to save me!”
“The way to save you is right in front of you!” Yang Kai chuckled.
Li Jiao was perplexed.
Yang Kai nodded in a direction and whispered, “Go find Zhu Lie and ask him to give you some Dragon Blood. Dragon Blood carries high resistance to any kind of corruption and can certainly drive out the Demon Qi in you.”
Li Jiao was instantly frightened and his face paled as he waved his hands, “Palace Master Yang, please don’t joke around, how can something like Dragon Blood be so easily obtained? If Zhu Lie learned of my intentions, he might slap me to death! This Li is only a small fish, I wouldn’t dare to have any such thoughts.”
“It is precisely so that you have to do this. With your background, if you could ingest some Dragon Blood, tsk, tsk…”
“Gudong…” Li Jiao couldn’t help gulping.
Speaking of which, he was also considered to be a descendant of the Dragons. Although his Dragon Blood was weak and diluted, if he really ingested some pure Dragon Blood, it would increase his strength dramatically and elevate his bloodline by a grade. Yang Kai’s words sounded absurd at first, but they rang incessantly in his ears, bewitching him into action.
An excited gleam flashed through his eyes and the Demon Qi seemed to have become even thicker.
Yang Kai took in this scene and said nothing, only grinning meaningfully as he turned his head.
Meanwhile, Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie were having a discussion of their own. One acted like she had committed a grave crime, her eyes were evasive and unable to meet the other’s eyes. The other had a face full of shock and was scrutinizing his Elder Sister, like he was meeting her for the very first time.
Zhu Qing’s face was faintly red and her gaze became even more evasive.
“You…” After a long time, Zhu Lie finally spoke, “How did you reach the Ninth Order?”
From the time they reunited, Zhu Lie felt something was off. Zhu Qing’s bloodline seemed to be purer than his now. When she left Dragon Island, both siblings had been at the Eighth-Order. The bloodline of the Dragon Clan was extremely difficult to promote. Initially, it was influenced by their lineage, then by their own efforts and resources from Dragon Island. None of these conditions could be missed.
The siblings could be considered as two of the few powerhouses on Dragon Island, with their Eighth-Order strength already being considered amazing. Even the Great Elder was only a Tenth-Order Dragon.
The Great Elder once said the siblings were likely to remain stagnant in the Eighth-Order throughout their lifetime, and there was only a slight chance of them breaking through to the Ninth-Order. The Great Elder had lived for a long time and his judgements were almost always accurate.
And reality proved him correct. After the siblings reached the Eighth-Order, it became harder and harder for them to improve their bloodline in recent years. No matter how many Dragon Blood Flowers they consumed, no matter how long they spent in closed-door cultivation in the Dragon Palace, there was no significant progress.
Zhu Lie never thought he would see his Elder Sister becoming a Ninth-Order Dragon!
It was inconceivable, but Zhu Lie believed he wasn’t mistaken. Dragons were incredibly sensitive to each other’s bloodlines, so even if Zhu Qin wasn’t in her true form, the Ninth-Order aura she exuded was quite palpable.
Zhu Lie felt like there was a cat scratching his heart with its claws. He felt envious of his Elder Sister promotion, but also admired her. He wanted to know what the secret behind Zhu Qing’s sudden breakthrough was.
Zhu Qing didn’t answer, but her expression became even more bashful, causing Zhu Lie to ask again.
Zhu Qing finally said quietly, “The opportunity just came…”
“Impossible!” Zhu Lie refuted. He felt that Zhu Qing was being too stingy here, actually wanting to keep it a secret, only making him even more curious.
“Qing’er, you reached the Ninth-Order?” Yang Kai walked over and asked in surprise.
After asking this, Yang Kai suddenly recalled that at the Imperial Palace in Human Imperial City, Zhu Qing had shown her true form. It was a three-hundred-metre long Red Dragon. When Zhu Lie had shown his true form in Azure Sun Temple, he seemed smaller than Zhu Qin, only two hundred metres in length.
Similar to his situation, the purity of a Dragon’s bloodline would be determined from the size of its true form.
Like this, Zhu Qing’s bloodline was indeed a grade stronger than Zhu Lie’s. Zhu Lie saying she was in the Ninth-Order wasn’t without basis.
But Yang Kai found a point puzzling, “So what if she is a Ninth-Order now, isn’t that a good thing? Doesn’t the Dragon Clan pursue the purity of their bloodline? Qing’er, why is your face red?”
“Impossible, impossible, how is it possible?” Zhu Lie muttered, his brows furrowed deeply, unable to understand how Zhu Qing was promoted to Ninth-Order in this short period of time. He was indignant, and felt that the Heavens were unfair. Why couldn’t benefits like these fall on his lap instead?
He suddenly turned towards Yang Kai and said coldly, “What did you call her just now?”
His surprise over Zhu Qing’s bloodline promotion caused him to miss what Yang Kai called his Elder Sister at first, and it was only now that he felt something was amiss. How could such an intimate address be called out by a mere human? It was simply blasphemy, an insult to the Dragon Clan! What was worse was that Zhu Qing didn’t refute!
He suddenly realized something and his tone became even icier, laced with murderous intent, “What did you call me earlier?”
Yang Kai walked to Zhu Qing’s side, and under Zhu Lie’s incredulous gaze, put his hand on Zhu Qing’s shoulder, grinning as he commented, “You’re Qing’er’s younger brother, so naturally I would call you little Brother-in-law.”
Zhu Qing squirmed, but she didn’t pull off Yang Kai’s evil hand, simply allowing him to do as he pleased.
Zhu Lie’s pupils shrank. He wasn’t a fool, so he could tell that Zhu Qing didn’t reject Yang Kai’s intimate behaviour and even welcomed it. Added with how Yang Kai addressed the siblings, a daring thought popped into his head.
His face paled like it was covered in a layer of frost.
To the side, Li Jiao’s mouth was open wide enough to fit a melon into. He looked at Yang Kai with shock and admiration as he thought to himself, [He actually got together with a Dragon Girl!?]
Li Jiao wondered if he was dreaming. If it was true, wouldn’t Palace Master Yang be the son-in-law of Dragon Island? That was nothing short of an extraordinary feat.
He wanted to prostrate to Yang Kai in deep admiration. Moments before, there were still complaints in his heart, but they were nowhere to be found now. Compared to his matters, hooking up with a Dragon Girl was a heinous crime against Dragon Island. Since Yang Kai had the guts to do even this, what would he not dare to do?
“The both of you… Are you serious?” Zhu Lie’s eyes seemed to burn with flames as he looked at Zhu Qing then Yang Kai, asking in a heavy voice.
Feeling Zhu Lie’s murderous intent, Yang Kai furrowed his brows and said, displeased, “Do I look like I’m joking with you?”
“I must hear your answer!” Zhu Lie ignored him, his gaze fixing on Zhu Qing.
“Is this how you talk to your Elder Sister?” Yang Kai’s face sank as he said darkly, “Don’t think I won’t hit you just because you’re my little Brother-in-law. If you continue being discourteous to your seniors, don’t blame me if I beat you until even your Elder Sister won’t recognize you.”
Veins bulged on Zhu Lie’s neck as murderous intent spread out and he glared at Yang Kai and snarled, “I’d like nothing more!”
“I just said a few words and you’re already like this. Today I’ll give my little Brother-in-law a lesson on showing proper respect!” Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and walked forward, but Zhu Qing grabbed him.
“What are you stopping me for?” Yang Kai said with an unhappy face, “Your brother has no manners, he should be taught properly. Don’t worry, I won’t kill him, I only plan to break a few bones so he drills into his head how to speak to you.”
Zhu Qing shook her head softly before turning to Zhu Lie, “You saw everything and heard everything, there is nothing more for me to say.”
Zhu Lie trembled and staggered back a few steps. Yang Kai’s words and actions were all hints, and he himself had already guessed it, but for Zhu Qing to confirm it herself, he still found it hard to accept.
A dignified member of the Dragon Clan, a Ninth-Order Red Dragon who stood above all living creatures, actually gave herself to a human!
This was a humiliation, a humiliation to Dragon Island! It was a humiliation to the entire Dragon Clan!
“Zhu Qing, you disappoint me,” Zhu Lie shook his head, his face and tone full of disappointment, “How could you be so foolish?”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “You make it sound as if we did something wrong. Zhu Lie, this Brother-in-law is finding you more and more displeasing to the eye.”
“Likewise!” Zhu Lie glared coldly at Yang Kai, and as their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly in all directions. It looked like a fight could break out at any moment.
Zhu Qing gave a small smile, “I don’t think I’m foolish, on the contrary, I think this is the greatest happiness of my life.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s dissatisfaction towards Zhu Lie dissipated in a puff of rose-coloured smoke. He was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction as he laughed like a fool.
Zhu Lie said bitterly, “Women, no matter how strong they are, in the end, they’re all fools. You know what will happen if you do this, don’t you?”
Zhu Qing’s face paled slightly as she gently pursed her red lips and nodded.
“Then why did you do it!?” Zhu Lie roared hysterically, hating that iron couldn’t become steel.
Zhu Qing didn’t answer and just lowered her head to say, “If I was given a chance to choose again, I would still do so.”
“Madness, utter madness!” Zhu Lie shook his head. As he looked back and forth between Zhu Qing and Yang Kai, his expression grew complex.
After a while, he finally said quietly, “You rose to become a Ninth-Order Red Dragon because of him, right? So that’s how it is, I thought it was an opportunity for you, but unexpectedly… heh.”
Zhu Qing blushed, silently confirming Zhu Lie’s guess.
Yang Kai looked over at Zhu Qing strangely and asked, “What does your breakthrough to the Ninth-Order have to do with me?” He didn’t even know when Zhu Qing had been promoted to the Ninth-Order.
“Stop asking,” Zhu Qing’s face was bashful.
Looking at her appearance, Yang Kai suddenly recalled the crazy days in the Sealed World Bead. At that time, he vaguely noticed a change in Zhu Qing’s aura but he didn’t think too deeply about it. In retrospect, her bloodline had probably made a breakthrough at that time.
Then…
Yang Kai quietly asked via sound Divine Sense, “Qing’er, is it because of my Yang Qi… That…”
Zhu Qing pinched his arm, annoyed, “What Yang Qi?”
Yang Kai laughed dryly, winking at her as he continued speaking through Divine Sense, “You know, it’s that…”
Zhu Qing nodded, “You possess the Ancestral Dragon Source, and with that bloodline… The nourishment of its essence is a great help to Dragons like me.”
She never had such an explicit conversation with a man before, so her face couldn’t help but heat up.
“You really broke through to the Ninth-Order because of me?” Yang Kai wouldn’t stop asking.
“En,” Zhu Qing’s face became even hotter.
“Doesn’t that mean if the two of us work harder in the future…” The gears in Yang Kai’s head turned and came to a conclusion, “Your bloodline could be promoted to an even higher degree?”
“Don’t talk about it anymore…” Zhu Qing bit her red lips; she was really too embarrassed to continue this conversation with Yang Kai.
“I understand, I understand now!” Yang Kai chuckled.
Zhi Lie watched them from the side with cold eyes. Seeing them flirt like this made him look like a fool and he hated that he couldn’t just gouge his eyes out. Zhu Qing’s thoughts were incomprehensible to him. How could she do something so stupid?
Sneering, he said, “Be happy while it lasts, you’ll both come to regret it sooner or later.”
“I just discovered you really are unpleasant,” Yang Kai glanced coldly at Zhu Lie, “If you weren’t my little Brother-in-law, I would have taught you a lesson by now.”
Zhu Lie gritted his teeth, “You think I like being your Brother-in-law? Don’t think too highly of yourself!”
Yang Kai grew angry, “If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I won’t be surnamed Yang! Qing’er, step aside.”
Saying this, he pushed Zhu Qing to the side and with a low murmur, used the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique.
His body expanded rapidly and turned into a giant behemoth as he smashed a giant fist down on Zhu Lie.
Affected by the bloodline suppression, Zhu Lie was unable to use more than forty percent of his cultivation. He was secretly alarmed, the last time he fought Yang Kai, the other hadn’t been nearly this tall or suppressive. This time though, the Ancestral Dragon Source seemed to be giving off even more power, making it impossible for Zhu Lie to fight back.
With a crash, Zhu Lie was sent flying and light flashed wildly on his body.
Yang Kai chased after him, and before Zhu Lie could regain his footing, a thunderous attack came aiming at his face, followed by the sound of things breaking. Zhu Lie was beaten like a sandbag.
“Stop!” Zhu Qing stomped her foot anxiously. One was her man while the other was her younger brother, why couldn’t they get along? They acted like enemies that moment they met, and she was stuck in the middle of a difficult situation.
“No need to worry, I’m only educating him, he won’t die!” Yang Kai replied from afar, but his actions were truly quite ruthless. Regardless, an Eighth-Order Red Dragon was extremely tough and durable, so a little harshness wasn’t going to matter.
The situation was extremely one-sided, and Li Jiao was frightened stiff as he watched. However, his admiration for Yang Kai increased a lot as well.
Forget about getting together with a Dragon Girl, this High Heaven Palace Master actually pummeled his little Brother-in-law Dragon like this. From the past to the present, Palace Master Yang was surely the first to accomplish this. Though, even if Palace Master Yang caused disastrous trouble, he wouldn’t have any self-awareness at all.
“Don’t hide behind the bloodline suppression, do you dare to face me in a real battle of strength?!” Zhu Lie clenched his fists and roared. Although his injuries weren’t heavy, he had lost all face. He was filled with fury but had nowhere to vent it other than with his words.
“You said the same thing last time, don’t you remember how that ended? What a stupid brat!” Yang Kai snorted and continued raining down kicks and punches on him.
In the time it took to boil a cup of tea, Zhu Lie’s face became swollen and bruised. Lying on the floor, his clothes were in disarray, and he was panting heavily, like a girl who had been ravaged by a hundred and eighty strong men.
His eyes swelled and became nearly imperceptible slits while his handsome face was even worse off, looking practically deformed.
“The next time you dare to be disrespectful to Qing’er and me, the consequences will be worse,” Yang Kai looked down at him condescendingly.
Zhu Lie turned his head, ignoring him as he thought, [As long as the forest remains, there would be no lack of firewood, isn’t that the saying among humans? A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. I’ll show him one day…]
Yang Kai released the Dragon Transformation Secret Art and returned to his Human Form.
“Yang… Palace Master Yang!” Li Jiao timidly called from the side, “Help.”
Yang Kai looked over and suddenly wanted to laugh.
The black puppy had run over to Li Jiao at some point and was sniffing him curiously. Occasionally, it would even stick out its tongue to lick Li Jiao.
Li Jiao, being corroded by Demon Qi, now exuded a similar smell to the Demons, thus attracting the black puppy’s interest.
The scene where it swallowed the Blood Demon was still vivid in his mind, so Li Jiao was naturally afraid of it. Not to mention, since it was a pet beast brought by Yang Kai, he didn’t dare to act rashly towards it, and could only ask Yang Kai for help.
“Ah Wang, that’s not food!” Yang Kai called out.
The black puppy looked at Li Jiao reluctantly but still walked away obediently and jumped into Zhu Qing’s arms.
“What a perverted guy!” Yang Kai looked at it contemptuously. Before, the black puppy was only close to him, but ever since meeting Zhu Qing, it wouldn’t leave her side.
Zhu Qing said, “What are you saying, she’s a girl!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Really?”
Come to think of it, he never paid attention to the gender of the black puppy. He walked over and lifted the black puppy’s tail for a look, but Zhu Qing slapped his hand away.
“I’m just taking a look… What’s the big deal?” Yang Kai mumbled but didn’t continue to press the matter. Instead, he looked over at Li Jiao and Zhu Lie, saying, “Since we’ve found them, let’s head towards Yin Wind Mountain.”
Li Jiao asked, “What kind of place is Yin Wind Mountain?”
Yang Kai replied, “If you want to leave here, that place is the only exit.”
Li Jiao instantly became lively and he stood up energetically, “Then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
His cultivation wasn’t the lowest present, after all, there was Yang Kai; however, based solely on combat ability, he was undoubtedly the weakest present, not to mention he was being corroded by Demon Qi and was feeling extremely unwell. He couldn’t wait to leave this damned place as soon as possible.
“Then, let’s head off,” saying this, Yang Kai summoned his Flowing Clouds Shuttle.
Zhu Qing held the black puppy and walked inside. Li Jiao followed in with a smile.
Yang Kai turned his head, “Do you want to get on as well?”
“Hmph!” Zhu Lie snorted coldly, his face full of contempt. Naturally, there would be no good feelings towards the person who had just thrashed him, not to mention he still had pride as a Dragon.
“Don’t then!” Yang Kai spat in disdain and didn’t ask anymore, in any case, he had already extended an invitation so he couldn’t be blamed if the other party didn’t want to enter. Since Zhu Lie didn’t view him as a brother-in-law, why did he have to kiss up to him?
Entering the shuttle, Yang Kai confirmed his destination, then used his Emperor Qi to guide the Flowing Clouds Shuttle towards the Yin Wind Mountain.
The Emperor Artifact was extremely fast, turning into a stream of light as it disappeared in a flash.
Li Jiao was self-aware and found a corner to sit down to meditate in a cross-legged position, utilizing his Emperor Qi to resist the corrosion of the Demon Qi. At the same time, the restlessness in his heart grew. The speaker said it casually but the listener paid heed. When Yang Kai suggested he ask Zhu Lie for Dragon Blood to suppress and expel the Demon Qi inside his body, although it sounded unrealistic, he still took it seriously.
The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Dragon Blood could definitely purge the Demon Qi troubling him, not to mention for a half-dragon like himself, Dragon Blood had another use. It could purify his bloodline.
His cultivation had reached a bottleneck with no hope of improvement in this life, so if he wanted to increase his strength, he could only improve his bloodline.
Back then, he risked his life to bring back a Dragon Blood Flower from the Frozen Earth, nourished it painstakingly with his own Blood Qi and Blood Essence for three hundred years before it matured, but Yang Kai ended up benefiting from it instead. Every time he thought of this, his heart ached. The one who officially took it from him though was Zhu Qing, a member of the Dragon Clan, making it so he didn’t even dare to resist or take revenge.
However, the Dragon Blood Flower’s effects were pitiful compared to a Pure Dragon’s blood.
If he could get a drop, it would be more effective than one hundred Dragon Blood Flowers.
The more he thought about it, the harder it was for him to hold back. In a fight, he would lose for sure, maybe he should just ask Zhu Qing? Who knows, she might give him a drop.
As his thoughts were running wild, the Demon Qi in his body fluctuated and the black puppy looked up from Zhu Qing’s arms to stare at Li Jiao with a burning gaze.
To the side, Yang Kai smiled lightly and said comfortingly, “Don’t worry, he’ll be able to catch up to us.”
Zhu Qing sighed, “Don’t bully him like that in the future. Dragons are like that, he didn’t mean anything by it.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “But your temper seems different.”
Although Zhu Qing had an aloof and prideful demeanour when they first met, as if no one in the world could enter her eyes, it changed later on.
“It is only towards you… Who knew that when we first met…” Zhu Qing glared at him, “I should’ve known you weren’t a good thing even back then.”
“But you still stayed by my side,” Yang Kai added sweetly.
Zhu Qing beat her hand on his chest, turning her head away shyly.
Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao and scolded angrily.
[I shouldn’t have let this guy up with us.]
……
The Revolving World wasn’t big, so with the speed of the Flowing Cloud Shuttle, Yang Kai and the others arrived at Yin Wind Mountain within a day.
In a remote land, an ancient castle was situated hundreds of kilometres from a tall mountain peak. The castle’s design was crude and sinister-looking, like an ominous beast, constantly hovering and waiting to devour its prey.
There were various buildings scattered in no particular order around the periphery of the castle, forming a unique city there.
Demon Fury City!
The gathering place of Demons in the Revolving World.
Demon Fury City covered a much wider area than Human Imperial City; after all, Demon Fury City didn’t need to be protected by a barrier to resist the changes in the World Principles. Unlike the Human Race, no matter how the World Principles of the Revolving World changed, none of the Demons would be affected, and during this period where it was inclined towards the Demon Realm, they were like fish in water.
Currently, the Demon Qi was dense and it also carried a hint of coldness that could almost be called Cold Demon Qi.
This couldn’t be helped though as Demon Fury City was located near the foot of Yin Wind Mountain and Yin Winds blown down from the mountain had the characteristic of being bone-piercingly cold, attracting Demons to live here.
The Demon Race obviously chose this spot to build Demon Fury City for the sake of a better cultivation environment. The closer you were to Yin Wind Mountain, the stronger the Demon Qi would be, and the more suitable it was for the Demons to enhance their strength. Hundreds of thousands of years of research had allowed them to reduce the impact of the cold while incorporating the maximum amount of Demon Qi to enhance their strength.
When the Flowing Clouds Shuttle arrived in the sky, the Masters of Demon Fury City naturally took notice of it and leapt into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, a dense crowd had formed above Demon Fury City. There were at least a thousand people gathered and among them were a number of Demon Kings.
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle stopped outside the city and Yang Kai slowly walked out.
Countless eyes gathered on him and powerful Divine Senses swept over him, warping the surrounding space to a degree.
Yang Kai was calm and relaxed, with a smile on his face.
“Impudent Human, actually daring to trespass into my Demon Fury City, preposterous!”
“Who are you, state your name!”
“Kill him, kill!”
“Let me do it, I’ll suck his Yang Qi dry!”
The Demon Kings hollered. No Human ever dared to come into Demon Fury City in such a bold manner, it was simply against common sense. Many of the Demon Kings felt that the majesty of the Demon Race was in question so they wouldn’t let this matter go.
Dark Demon Qi soared into the sky, covering it, forming a large black cloud that slowly advanced towards Yang Kai.
Yai Kai chuckled and said loudly, “This Young Master is heading to Yin Wind Mountain, passing by here was just on the way and he has no intention to cause conflicts with everyone. If it is possible, this Young Master asks for your understanding.”
“Hahaha, what did this brat say? Heading to Yin Wind Mountain? Is he courting death?”
“It’s said that Humans don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. It seems to be true. He wants to go to Yin Wind Mountain with his pitiful strength? This King is going to die of laughter.”
“Little Brother, why rush to die? Even I can’t easily approach Yin Wind Mountain as a Demon King. If you go there, I’m afraid you’ll die a cold, lonely death. Why not stay here and accompany this Elder Sister instead? Elder Sister is so lonely.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Many thanks for Elder Sister’s concern, but I must go to Yin Wind Mountain, so I can only thank Elder Sister for your kindness. If it is possible, could Elder Sister speak with the other Demon Kings so they would let us pass?”
The Charm Demon smiled elegantly with a pure expression that unconsciously aroused goodwill in others. Hearing Yang Kai’s words, she asked innocently, “Little Brother, why are you headed towards Yin Wind Mountain?”
“It’s rumoured that atop Yin Wind Mountain there is a way to leave this world, so I’m going to find it.”
The Charm Demon nodded, “There is indeed such a rumour, but no one can confirm its authenticity.”
“It’s alright, I’m just trying my luck. If I can’t find a way out, I’ll come back to accompany Elder Sister. This Little Brother is well-equipped and skilled, I’m sure Elder Sister won’t be disappointed.”
The Charm Demon covered her mouth and tittered, “My, what is Little Brother saying? How shameless. Alright, seeing how sincere you are, Elder Sister will help you, but whether or not they let you go is not something I can control.”