[They dare act so arrogant and domineering when they have nothing to do with any of the Great Emperors?!] Hua Xing’s expression turned cold instantly.
While those two were talking to each other, Yang Kai was admonishing Lin Yun’er, “Didn’t we agree to launch a sneak attack together? Why did you attack the instant we got inside?”
Lin Yun’er scratched her head before spitting out her tongue, “I forgot.”
Yang Kai sighed, “This is just great. Now that you have acted rashly and alerted the enemy to our plans, it won’t be easy for us to take him down anymore.”
“Then, what should we do now?” She looked at him with a rather innocent expression. She, too, realized that Hua Xing was a tough opponent when she fought him just now. Ever since she came to Star Boundary, she had been cultivating in retreat with her Master, and all her battles so far were one-sided tramplings. It could be said that this was her first true battle in many years.
It wasn’t until she ran away from home recently that she discovered that most people in the outside world weren’t very strong. They couldn’t take her attacks and often died in just one or two punches. Hence, she had assumed that everybody in the world was like that; however, Hua Xing’s performance had broadened her horizons and made her aware that there were still other powerful people in this world.
“What else can we do? We’ll just have to push through by force,” Yang Kai shrugged.
Understanding the meaning behind his words, she nodded in agreement, “I see. Then, let’s kill him together.”
She spoke matter-of-factly as if victory was certain, so when Hua Xing heard those words, he was absolutely livid, “Impudence! I wasn’t going to stoop down to your level, but you just had to walk right into the fire yourselves! Good! Good! Good! Today, this place will be your grave!”
Since these two had nothing to do with the Great Emperors, Hua Xing became bold and felt that he had been overly cautious before. Youngsters were always hot-blooded. Wasn’t he the same when he was younger? It’s always the newborn calves that are not afraid of tigers. They would forge ahead thinking that they are indomitable, even if the road before them is covered in thorns. It’s only when they grew older that they became overly suspicious. Not every youngster comes from a powerful background.
Hua Xing secretly vowed fiercely in his heart, [Today, I’m going to show them their place!]
Gritting his teeth, he looked at Li Jiao and warned, “Brother Li, we can still be friends if you leave right now.”
He was not worried about the two young ones, but he was worried about Li Jiao; after all, the latter was a Dragonborn and stronger than himself.
“I don’t have a friend as deceitful as you!” Li Jiao retorted unceremoniously, filled with resentment.
Hua Xing sighed in response, “If that’s the case, I have nothing else to say.”
Lifting a hand into the air, Hua Xing shouted, “Kill!”
As soon as the word left his mouth, he took the lead to attack. The cyan sword once again transformed into a phantom form that covered the entire sky. At the same time, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples nearby also attacked in unison. Various artifacts flew out and Secret Techniques flashed brilliantly, enveloping the trio in an instant.
“Palace Master Yang, I will keep that old dog busy, please lend me a hand once you’re done dealing with the other rabble!” Li Jiao shouted.
Reaching one hand into the void, an ancient scroll immediately appeared in his hand. The scroll unfurled quickly, emitting blasts of dazzling light from within as it guarded against the attacks from their surroundings. It was an impenetrable defence.
With a loud rumble, Li Jiao completely blocked all the attacks aimed at them before he flickered and lunged towards Hua Xing.
Hua Xing shouted angrily, “You! Shameless!”
His rage was driving him crazy. He had been very hospitable to Li Jiao when he arrived at Wind and Cloud Pavilion, not only providing him with good food and wine, but also with many beauties for a pleasurable indulgence! He couldn’t believe Li Jiao would so easily and completely betray him at this moment.
Hua Xing held a deep grudge in his heart and immediately engaged Li Jiao in battle. As the two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters put their lives on the line, their fight turned into a grand-scale battle that began cracking space around them while throwing the surrounding World Energy into chaos.
While those two were fighting each other, the rest of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’ disciples did not remain idle. They relied on their overwhelming numbers to launch devastating waves of attacks at Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er. Unfortunately, the effects of their assault were minimal. Most of these cultivators were only in the Dao Source Realm, and they were no match for those two.
When the attacks rained down on Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er, they each moved in opposite directions and vanished from where they stood. None of the attacks landed on their targets as a result.
Immediately after that, bone-chilling screams rang out as one after another Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples exploded into a fine blood mist. More than forty people died tragically on the spot in just ten breaths. Consequently, the rest of the disciples turned pale with shock and their eyes were filled with absolute horror and terror.
They initially thought that Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er would not be overwhelmingly strong even though both of them were in the Emperor Realm. Their First-Order auras were on full display for all to see, but after actually clashing with those two, those disciples realized how mistaken they were. These two were slaughterers! Nobody could stand against them, and Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples dropped like flies wherever those two went.
[How do we fight these monsters?!] The surviving disciples no longer had the courage to resist and wanted nothing more than to run as far as possible. At that moment, several whooshing sounds came from afar.
The Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples were overjoyed at the sight, “The Great Elder is here!”
“The other Elders are here too!”
“There are also some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters!”
“Please save us, Elders!”
The surviving disciples started shouting all at once, watching the Great Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion flying in this direction as if their saviour had come to rescue them.
Wind and Cloud Pavilion was one of the top Sects in the Western Territory, and aside from Hua Xing, who was a Third-Order Emperor, there were two other Second-Order Emperors and almost a dozen First-Order Emperors in the Sect. Such a heritage was unbelievably powerful.
The two Second-Order Emperors were seated as the Great Elder and the Second Elder respectively. Unfortunately, the Second Elder was killed in Great Cloud City previously, causing Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s overall strength to drop noticeably.
Having received a message from Hua Xing, the Great Elder brought all the forces he could muster here with him. Hundreds followed behind him, with even the weakest among them being a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master. They were clearly the complete elites of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
It had been a long time since Wind and Cloud Pavilion brought out its full power to deal with an enemy; however, the situation was too dangerous at the moment. They would not have any chance of winning this battle if they did not go all out.
The Great Elder flew over with his sleeves fluttering in the wind. He had witnessed the Sect’s disciples being slaughtered from a distance and was instantly enraged as he roared, “Stop this instant!”
While speaking, a simple but ancient-looking sword appeared in his hand. His Emperor Qi surged as he slashed at Yang Kai. That attack was shockingly powerful and Sword Intent covered the sky, causing one’s skin to crawl.
The sword light slashed through Yang Kai’s body with unparalleled precision and cut him into two. Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples immediately cheered at the sight.
“Great Elder is mighty!”
“Great Elder is too amazing!”
“How could that trivial brat survive the might of Great Elder’s sword?! In terms of the Sword Dao, Great Elder might rank in the top ten in the entire Western Territory!”
“Hahaha! That’s what you get for being so arrogant and wild! Now you finally know your place!”
…..
Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples who had fled in terror after being beaten up just now felt their morale lifting and their hearts were filled with joy.
On the other hand, Lin Yun’er’s pretty face paled instantly as she yelled, “Uncle Yang!”
“Huh?” However, the Great Elder did not look the slightest bit joyful at his accomplishment. He knew his own swordsmanship best and had not felt as if he had cut through anything solid. When he looked again, he felt a chill running down his back as what he saw made the blood in his veins run cold.
The figure that he had cut apart was not a real person and not even a single drop of blood flowed out from it. It was clearly just an afterimage. Even so, the afterimage was so realistic that it managed to deceive so many eyes.
[Where is he? Since it is just an afterimage, that little brat must be unscathed. Where did he go? I didn’t even notice any movement!] The thought had just crossed his mind when a strange figure suddenly appeared before him.
*Ssii…*
The Great Elder gasped in surprise and stabbed out with the sword instinctually.
That sword was undoubtedly an Emperor Artifact as it was exuding waves of Emperor Pressure. Moreover, the Great Elder had wielded this sword for many centuries, so he had long ago reached the point where it was like an extension of his body. The thrust of his sword was immaculate, without any kind of flaw be it the angle or the timing. Sword Intent was dense and focused while the Sword Aura was stable and silent.
“Hm?” Yang Kai was rather surprised. He had met many Second-Order Emperors before and even killed some of them; however, those people were significantly weaker than the Great Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
The attack might have looked simple, but it was made exquisitely and would land no matter how he tried to dodge or escape, thus he found himself unable to avoid the blow. But if he couldn’t avoid it, he simply had to face it head-on.
Summoning the Myriads Sword into his hands, Yang Kai swung at the approaching sword and a series of metal clashing sounds rang out as they exchanged countless blows in the blink of an eye.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai retreated and looked at the Great Elder in astonishment,
Not far away, the Great Elder’s complexion was pale, his hand holding his sword trembling uncontrollably as he gritted his teeth and shouted, “What is this?!”
In terms of swordsmanship, the young man facing him was not even worthy of carrying his shoes; however, that same young man had blocked his series of attacks despite only being a First-Order Emperor. What the young man relied on wasn’t his mastery of the sword but rather his phenomenal reaction speed and terrifying strength. In particular, the brute force this young man wielded astonished the Great Elder. The power that surged through the opponent’s sword made his blood churn and if not for his own great strength, he probably would have lost the ability to even hold his sword up.
“One man can defeat an army with brute force alone if his strength is great enough!” Yang Kai raised his face and smiled in approval, “Great Elder, your swordsmanship is amazing!”
When those words left his mouth, countless blood arrows suddenly shot from his arms and legs. Even the clothes he was wearing were torn to pieces. During this exchange, Yang Kai had suffered a loss. Although the Great Elder’s vitality had been disturbed from the fallout of their clash, it was Yang Kai who suffered more injuries in the clash. If he had not been wearing the Great Soaring Black Dragon Armour, his injuries would have been far worse.
“Uncle Yang, are you okay?” Lin Yun’er’s voice came from the side. Every time she swung her fists, Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciples died or were critically wounded. When she saw Yang Kai being cut in half just now, she thought he had died and it saddened her so much that she nearly cried. Fortunately, he immediately reappeared and she understood she had seen wrongly and finally felt relieved.
“I’m fine. Yun’er, you should be more careful,” he urged.
“Good.” She nodded repeatedly before declaring, “They can’t beat me.”
Her nonchalant attitude made the Great Elder and many other Elders furious. They could tell that Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er were extraordinarily powerful though, and if they moved carelessly, they might end up failing miserably instead.
The Great Elder glanced at the battle taking place up above, where Li Jiao and Hua Xing fought on par with each other. It would be a long time before they could decide on a winner; thus, he could not place his hopes on the Pavilion Master to come and aid him. Understanding this, a savage look flashed across his eyes as if he made his decision about something as he shouted, “Formation!”
The use of Spirit Arrays went back a long way and often brought about miraculous effects. All large Sects in this world had their own unique Spirit Arrays. Putting aside large-scale arrays like the Sect Defending Array and Mountain Defending Array, there were many Spirit Arrays that linked people together as well, known as Formations. As disciples under the same Sect, they generally had many opportunities to practice working together and using special Formations often produced incredible results when dealing with strong enemies.
It was only natural for Wind and Cloud Pavilion to have its own Formations too. Moreover, it wasn’t just any Formation, but a Sword Formation of incredible power, which was mainly used for killing.
This Sword Formation was known as the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It was an inheritance that had been passed down by the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s ancestors for thousands of years. This Sword Formation had been used numerous times throughout the history of the Sect to turn things around during critical moments and allow the Sect to continue on until this day.
The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation needed at least five people to form; however, there was no upper limit to the number of people that could be linked by it. The more people linked by the Formation, the greater the power.
Oftentimes, as long as ten disciples in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm assumed this Formation, they could hold out against an average First-Order Emperor. If there were twenty disciples linked to the Formation, then it was enough to kill a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Every Wind and Cloud Pavilion disciple had to cultivate this Formation once they reached the Dao Source Realm. Furthermore, there were large-scale joint exercises held every month to practice this Formation. Therefore, all disciples in the Dao Source Realm and above were extremely familiar with this Formation. It was all done as defensive preparations just in case Wind and Cloud Pavilion provoked a powerful opponent one day.
The last time Wind and Cloud Pavilion used the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was hundreds of years ago. At that time, Hua Xing had yet to return from his travels outside. The previous Pavilion Master was getting on in years, and the Sect showed signs of decline, as a result, several great forces in the Western Territory that coveted the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s resources and position joined forces to attack it.
At the time, a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master had broken through the Sect Defending Array. It was then that the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion relied on this Formation to repel their enemy. The reputation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion soared after that battle and the situation finally stabilized after Hua Xing returned to assume command of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Hundreds of years later, the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation appeared once more; however, their opponents this time were merely two First-Order Emperors.
It wasn’t that the Great Elder was being overly cautious, it was just that he knew how terrifying these two youths were. During this period, Wind and Cloud Pavilion had sent out many Masters to kill these two. In addition, many Second-Order Emperor Realm Masters had been attracted by the reward of 20 million High-Rank Source Crystals for the heads of these two, but in the end, those two youngsters were still alive and kicking. They even killed their way into Wind and Cloud Pavilion while those so-called Masters dropped like flies in their wake.
The Great Elder himself was just a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. He learned from past mistakes and did not hesitate to pull out the Sect’s trump card after getting a feel of Yang Kai’s power during their exchange.
Numerous Wind and Cloud Pavilion Elders and disciples looked solemn when they heard his command.
“Link!” The Great Elder shouted again. He lifted the sword in his hand and pointed it to the sky, releasing a burst of Sword Intent.
Six Elders in the First-Order Emperor Realm and hundreds of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm also summoned their own sword artifacts in unison, each activating a different Secret Technique. Their longswords vibrated with dazzling Sword Aura as they shouted, “Link!”
The voices of a hundred people intertwined and even their auras seemed to be connected by a mysterious force. The world buzzed and the void shuddered.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes. Although he did not know what was happening, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Turning his gaze to the place where most of the enemies were gathered together, he shouted, “Myriad Sword Arts, Radiant Moon Swallows the Wolf!”
He swung the Myriads Sword down as thousands of sword lights covered the entire sky and rushed towards those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm like a locust plague.
Under normal circumstances, even a First-Order Emperor Realm Master would have a hard time taking his attack head-on. On the other hand, a Dao Source Realm Master would definitely lose their life. However, those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm were not at all flustered as the sword lights headed in their direction. They simply watched indifferently while maintaining their Sword Aura and pushing their Sword Intent.
“Come!” The Great Elder flicked his longsword and released a sword flourish towards the sky with a roar.
A strange Formation appeared in mid-air, one that rotated slowly and turned into a barrier visible to the naked eye, which blocked in front of those cultivators in the Dao Source Realm.
*Hong hong hong…*
All the sword lights landed on the barrier but did not have any effect. Instead, they were all absorbed by the Formation.
Yang Kai frowned. [This is going to be a little tricky. This Formation is quite profound.]
Before he could finish his thoughts though, the Great Elder shouted again, “Go!”
The Formation suddenly began spinning in the opposite direction. Following that, sword lights shot out from within the array and appeared in front of Yang Kai in the blink of an eye.
“Uncle Yang, watch out!” Lin Yun’er called out.
Yang Kai wasn’t caught off guard though and with a swing of his Myriads Sword, he blocked those sword lights while raising his brow, “Reflection?”
He noticed that those sword lights that came flying at him were the ones he created just now. Thinking about the mysterious effects of the array, Yang Kai immediately understood how it worked. This Formation that appeared out of thin air didn’t just absorb attacks; it also had the ability to reflect those attacks back.
“Transform!” The Great Elder released his Sword Aura again while shouting.
The world changed in the next moment. All of a sudden, everyone disappeared and the entire world seemed different. Yang Kai looked around and saw countless longswords with dense auras forming the sky. The longswords felt real yet unreal at the same time; moreover, there were as many swords as there were stars in the sky, so many that one couldn’t see the end at a single glance. It was practically a world of swords.
An impressive Sword Intent pressed down from all sides. Simultaneously, waves and waves of invisible Sword Qi cut through everything in the world. It made the skin all over Yang Kai’s body sting with pain.
A drop of sweat slid down from his forehead. He could tell that the situation was not looking too good. Although he had yet to experience the true extent of the Formation’s power, his vision was still quite sharp. It was impossible for him not to notice the strangeness of this Formation.
“Entering the Sword Formation is a one-way road to death! Die!” The Great Elder’s voice came from void. It was vague and hard to track, making it impossible to grasp his position.
“Entering the Sword Formation is a one-way road to death!” Hundreds of people shouted together. Their words seemed to contain a shocking Sword Intent in them, which turned into invisible swords that attacked the minds of Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er.
That was clearly a kind of Soul attack. Moreover, it was a Soul attack with Sword Intent imbued into it, strengthening its piercing power greatly.
Yang Kai felt pain in his mind as his Knowledge Sea became turbulent. The defences of his Knowledge Sea were torn apart without warning and a huge sword wave slashed towards his Soul. Shocked, he quickly pushed the power of the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus and transformed it into a shield to defend against the attack. The shield fended off the attack from the sword wave with a loud explosive sound as seven-coloured light flared brightly.
Following that, both sides were stuck in a stalemate for a long time before the sword waves suddenly dissipated.
Feeling horrified, he turned to look at Lin Yun’er, only to see that the little girl was staring around with her eyes wide open and her fists clenched tightly. She was looking around for traces of people and didn’t seem to be affected by their situation.
[This little girl is truly amazing!] That Soul attack just now could not have been aimed at him alone. She must have been included in the attack too. Even so, she wasn’t just completely unscathed; she didn’t even show any reaction at all, which was a little strange.
Although her cultivation was in the same realm as his, Yang Kai believed she could not be stronger than him in terms of Spiritual Energy; his Soul had been nurtured and nourished by the Soul Warming Lotus for so many years after all. His Spiritual Energy was on par with an ordinary Third-Order Emperor’s; thus, it would be rather outrageous if Lin Yun’er was stronger than him in this aspect.
Most likely, the reason she was safe and sound was either a result of her Special Constitution or a powerful artifact she carried on her. He leaned towards the latter reason. The special traits of the Tyrant Strength Body were mainly reflected in the body, not the Soul.
Yang Kai did not have the time to mull over this though. Shifting his body slightly, he arrived next to her and reached out to grab her while pushing his Space Principles. Following that, they vanished instantly.
This Formation was strange and unpredictable, so they would suffer a miserable defeat if they continued to remain in this place. Thus, the best thing to do right now was to escape.
“Trying to flee?” The Great Elder snorted coldly. A longsword suspended in the sky suddenly trembled slightly before disappearing as swiftly as lightning and plunging directly towards the void where they once stood.
In the next moment, the figures of Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er falteringly reappeared not far away. Lin Yun’er was holding a longsword in one hand with a furious expression on her face.
“This is not good.” Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly. His Space Divine Ability was rarely ineffective; however, in such a situation, it meant that the enemy’s strength was way beyond his expectations
“Space Principles?” The Great Elder was surprised too. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to defeat Yang Kai, a Master on the Dao of Space, with his cultivation. It was just that he could control everything within the Sword Formation since he was the Formation Core. That was how he managed to grasp Yang Kai’s movements and presence. It was precisely because of this that he managed to force Yang Kai out of the Void and obstruct his escape.
“Are you scared, Yun’er?” Yang Kai swept a cold glance around his surroundings and asked. Even with his Divine Sense stretched to its limits, he could not locate where the people of Wind and Cloud Pavilion were hiding. The only thing in this place were swords, Sword Intent, and Sword Aura. There was nothing else besides those.
“I’m not scared!” Lin Yun’er replied. Exerting some force into her small hand, the longsword she caught shattered and disappeared in a flurry of light particles. Even though that was just an illusory sword, it felt real inside this Sword Formation.
“Good.” Yang Kai laughed, “Then, let’s break through this trash Sword Formation together!”
“Shameless boasting!” The Great Elder roared, “Even if you struggle endlessly, you will never escape from this Formation!”
As soon as his voice rang out, countless longswords around them began to vibrate and turn towards one direction. The sword tips were pointing directly at where Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er stood.
Yang Kai’s expression sank. He was enveloped by dense Sword Intent, causing the Emperor Qi inside his body to stagnate.
“Die!” Following that shout of anger, countless swishing sounds whistled through the air. It was deafening as countless longswords attacked Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er from all directions. Moreover, each sword exuded a shockingly powerful Sword Intent that seemed capable of cutting through everything in front of it. The entire world within the Sword Formation was filled with such attacks; there was nowhere for the two of them to dodge.
“Yun’er, get down!” Yang Kai shouted.
Without even thinking about it, Lin Yun’er crouched and hugged her head with her hands.
“Dragon Transformation!” Yang Kai let out another roar. When the high-pitched Dragon roar rang out, the Sword Formation shuddered slightly as if shocked by something. Then, a series of snapping sounds rang out as Yang Kai’s body expanded all of a sudden and turned into a forty-five meter tall behemoth. He had stubby Dragon Horns on his head; his hands became Dragon Claws; and his body was covered in Dragon Scale Armour. It was a powerful and majestic appearance.
Crouching down, Yang Kai curled up his huge body and protected Lin Yun’er.
*Hong hong hong…*
The swords rained down and exploded against Yang Kai’s body, causing sparks to fly in all directions. The forty-five-metre tall behemoth swayed as it was struck by the forces that came from all directions, looking as if it might collapse at any time.
*Chi chi chi…*
He grimaced in pain when the attacks began to draw blood. It made his monstrous face look quite hideous and terrifying. Even so, Yang Kai remained in place without moving. Curling up into a ball, he exposed his back and protected Lin Yun’er from even the slightest harm.
“Uncle Yang!” Lin Yun’er lifted her head, shock and surprise flashing in her eyes. She had not expected him to change so drastically in the blink of an eye; however, her eyes immediately reddened when she realized that he was enduring those attacks.
He grinned, “Let’s get through this for now and deal with them later.”
She nodded in response, a ruthless expression flitting across her face.
The endless sword rain lasted for a long time before it gradually subsided.
“What!?” The Great Elder’s voice rang out. He was astonished beyond words, having never imagined that Yang Kai could survive the Sword Formation’s assault. Not only was that a Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation formed by hundreds of people, but he, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, was also acting as the Formation Core! In addition, he had the support of six other First-Order Emperor Realm Masters, while the rest were Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters! Even if a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master was subjected to that attack, they would die without a corpse!
[How did he survive?! Furthermore, his appearance has changed too greatly! There are two bulging protrusions on his head; his hands have turned into sharp claws, and his exposed skin is covered in scales. What kind of monster is he?!] He was so shocked that he couldn’t speak, his thoughts turning rapidly as he activated the power of Sword Formation again.
After that previous rain of swords, not many longswords were left inside the Sword Formation; however, swords of different shapes and auras were slowly condensing again at this moment as though the supply of swords was infinite. Although it wasn’t certain whether those sharp swords were real or not, every one of them was emitting powerful Sword Qi regardless of how real they were.
In response, Yang Kai’s expression turned grim. He anxiously swept his Divine Sense out in all directions.
[Trapped inside this Sword Formation, Yun’er and I will eventually tire ourselves out if we can’t find a way to destroy it or escape.] It was only to be expected; they were fighting against so many enemies after all. Moreover, their enemies were relying on the power of the Formation to maximize their strength. In contrast, the two of them were greatly outnumbered. Even if they could hold out for a while, they could not keep it up forever.
It was a pity that his Divine Sense could not find any loopholes in this place. Besides, he did not have much knowledge in Spirit Arrays. [If only Nanmen Da Jun was here, he might be able to give me some advice.]
While he was frowning deeply, Lin Yun’er angrily said, “Uncle Yang, please buy me some time.”
Although she had killed a lot before, she had always remained perfectly calm. Rather, it felt as though she was simply kicking aside a small stone by the side of the road. She didn’t even get mad when she was constantly being attacked or ambushed previously, but this time, she was angry for real. It couldn’t be helped though as her Uncle Yang had suffered a serious injury in order to protect her.
He was stunned when he heard those words, “Can you destroy this Formation?”
She replied, “I have a trump card. It should be able to destroy it!”
“Good.” Yang Kai was elated, “Go ahead and cast your Secret Technique. I will not let them interfere with you.”
“En!” She sat down cross-legged as soon as he finished speaking. Closing her beautiful eyes, she placed one hand flat against her lower abdomen and made a weird seal with the other hand. The aura around her floated about erratically.
Yang Kai did not know what she was going to do; however, she had already said so much, so he could only give her his greatest trust in return. Besides, he currently did not have any means to destroy this Formation. Thus, it was only natural to let her try if she had a way. If it failed, he would think about it then.
“You brats think you can destroy our Formation?! Such shameless boasting!” The Great Elder’s voice rang out again. He had heard the conversation between the two, and his voice practically dripped with scorn.
[If the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was that easy to break, it could not have rescued Wind and Cloud Pavilion from danger on so many occasions. Even if these two have some knowledge in Spirit Arrays, it won’t be enough for them to discover the weak points of this Formation.] While thinking so, he shouted again, “Slash!”
Without warning, a huge sword wave sliced down with Lin Yun’er as its target. The sword wave was several tens of metres long and looked like one of the towering pillars supporting the Heavens. Even cracks appeared in space as it slashed down from the sky. This attack was comparable to the full strength of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Yang Kai roared in defiance as he used his large body to stand between Lin Yun’er and the sword wave. His window-sized fists simultaneously lashed out, striking the approaching attack.
The sword wave dissipated with a loud bang. Meanwhile, Yang Kai staggered backwards slightly, a bloody wound appearing on his clenched fist.
“What amazing might!” The Great Elder was astonished. He did not know what kind of Secret Technique Yang Kai had used to make his body become so large, but even so, it was impressive of Yang Kai to take on the Everchanging Profound Sword Formation with his body alone. Still, he coldly snorted, “Let’s see how long you can last!”
“Slash!”
“Slash!”
“Slash!”
One after another, huge sword waves attacked again and again. The aura behind those attacks threatened to kill Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er ruthlessly. It was completely different from the endless sword rain just now. Each sword wave was infinitely more powerful. Hence the power was increased by a thousand times even though the number was much smaller.
Yang Kai strode forward to meet these attacks. His huge body was indescribably flexible and nimble, swinging out with his fists as he took on one sword after another. Every time he dealt with one sword, he staggered backwards slightly and an extra gash appeared on his fist. Meanwhile, fresh blood dripped on the ground with soft pattering sounds.
By the time the last sword wave came towards him, Yang Kai’s fists were a bloody mess and the Dragon Scales covering them were completely cracked. Gritting his teeth in determination, he used his head to block the attack.
An explosive sound rang out as that sword wave slashed down and embedded itself more than a hand length into his head. His entire body seemed to become shorter after taking that attack, and fresh blood slid down his cheeks.
“Ah…” The Great Elder gasped, feeling shocked. [How is he still alive?! What is with this boy?! How can his body’s defence be this strong?! How is he still standing even after taking on so many of our attacks?! Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master wouldn’t be able to remain standing after that, right?! This is impossible!]
A sharp look flashed through his eyes as he sent a giant sword wave at Yang Kai while simultaneously sending a much stealthier sword wave towards Lin Yun’er. Even if he couldn’t kill this boy, he could at least kill that girl, right?
As soon as the sword waves were released, the Great Elder suddenly felt a chill running down his back. The feeling that he was being targeted by a mighty presence blossomed in him for some reason. This terrifying sensation gave him the feeling that he could die at any moment if the other party so wished.
“Who’s there?!” He exclaimed in shock, but received no reply, and strangely enough, the feeling he got just now also vanished without any explanation, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.
The Great Elder frowned in response, not knowing what was going on and secretly wondering if he had sensed wrongly.
He was currently acting as the Formation Core of the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation; moreover, he had combined with hundreds of disciples to assemble the Sword Formation. If anybody wanted to harm him, they had to destroy the Sword Formation before they could locate his true body. [That inexplicable murderous intent that targeted me directly just now must have been nothing more than a figment of my imagination.]
In the meantime, while the sword wave rushed toward Lin Yun’er, she remained motionless, as if she could not sense the imminent danger approaching. She simply continued to cast her Secret Technique quietly and prepared to unleash her trump card.
[I wonder what trump card she has that requires such a long preparation time.] It made Yang Kai secretly judge her Master for being rather unreliable. [Who cares how powerful the trump card is if it takes so long to prepare?! In a real life-or-death situation, who is going to give you the time to make such preparations?!]
Although he was dealing with the Great Elder, he remained vigilant and paid close attention to Lin Yun’er’s situation; therefore, he immediately noticed the sword wave as soon as it appeared. With no other choice, he summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
The tiny Mountains and Rivers Bell looked like a child’s toy in his large hands, but as it spun about in the air for a moment, it rapidly enlarged before covering Lin Yun’er. For that reason, the sword wave that arrived as expected struck the bell instead.
“That is…” The Great Elder was shocked again, his gaze locking onto the Mountains and Rivers Bell like a leech, a strange light shining in his eyes. How could he fail to detect the profoundness of this artifact? The aura that seeped out of this bell was ancient and desolate, as well as incredibly powerful.
“An Ancient Exotic Artifact!” He exclaimed, his gaze immediately filling with greed. He could barely hold in his urge to laugh as he couldn’t believe that this boy had such a precious treasure in his possession!
Even though he was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master with his own Emperor Rank Artifact, an Emperor Rank Artifact and an Ancient Exotic Artifact were two completely different things. The latter was extremely rare but unbelievably powerful and would be incredibly beneficial in improving his strength if he could obtain one.
Looking at the bell again, he realized how extraordinary it was. Even among all the Ancient Exotic Artifacts, it was certainly a superior existence.
A greedy notion immediately budded in his heart as he secretly vowed to himself that he would seize that Ancient Exotic Artifact! How could a mere First-Order Emperor deserve such a treasure? Leaving that in his possession would be such a waste!
If he could get hold of that Ancient Exotic Artifact, he was confident that he could even fight against a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. The appeal was too great.
While the Great Elder was being distracted by his greedy thoughts, Yang Kai reached out a hand to wipe at the blood on his face. He breathed in gently, a harsh and cold light flashing in his eyes.
He would not have used the Mountains and Rivers Bell if it had not been necessary. That was because the suppression effect of the Ancient Exotic Artifact was too strong. Even though it could provide Lin Yun’er with great protection, the suppression effect it exuded would surely interfere with her somewhat, especially since she was currently casting her Secret Technique.
Unfortunately, there was nothing much he could do about it at this point. He could only hope that it did not affect her too much. For that reason, he had also weakened the power of the Mountains and Rivers Bell as much as possible.
“Now I can finally go all out now! Old dog, you had better hide as best as you can. Don’t let me catch you, otherwise, I’m going to skin you alive!” Yang Kai looked around with cold eyes, sneering icily.
“How dare you be so cocky, you brat!” The Great Elder yelled in great frustration. His pride was hanging on the line. He was leading a Sword Formation composed of hundreds of people, so logically speaking, he should have been able to eliminate Yang Kai with ease, but contrary to his expectations, Yang Kai wasn’t just alive and kicking, he even dared to throw out threats too!
It was simply intolerable!
Inside Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the whole world was shaking while the surrounding World Energy rumbled.
While the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was in operation, all the World Energy in Wind and Cloud Pavilion seemed to be sucked over to sustain it. The Sword Intent in the Sword Formation churned, making it so hazy that it was difficult to see what was going on inside.
Many of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples drew sharp breaths when they heard the ruckus. What kind of powerful enemy had invaded the Sect for the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation to be activated?
Despite their willingness to help, the Formation had already been activated, so even if they were the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples, they couldn’t break into it. Forcefully entering the Formation would only cause them to be turned into dust by the limitless Sword Intent.
Since they couldn’t see the situation inside the Sword Formation, they could only turn their eyes to the other battlefield. Needless to say, it was the battle between two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. Every attack they unleashed had the power to split mountains, causing the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples watching the battle to be dazzled and shocked by what they saw.
“Li Jiao, those two Juniors have entered the Sword Formation; they will definitely die a miserable death, so why are you still fighting for their sake?” Hua Xing asked while dealing with Li Jiao.
Hua Xing’s cultivation might be comparable to that of Li Jiao’s, but Li Jiao was not a pure human. Li Jiao was a descendant of the Dragon Clan, so if it really came down to it, Hua Xing was not his match.
Being able to keep up with Li Jiao for so long was thanks to his favourable conditions and an advantageous position. He was the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, after all, so blessed by the fortune of the land, Hua Xing was slightly stronger than normal when fighting within Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Even so, he was only barely managing to keep up with Li Jiao on equal grounds.
[A Dragonborn really does deserve the title ‘Dragonborn’. Despite only inheriting a thin portion of the Dragon bloodline, Li Jiao can exert such great strength. If I had fought him outside of the Sect, I would have lost the battle a long time ago.]
He abhorred Li Jiao’s backstabbing attitude; however, he also knew that continuing with the battle was of no benefit to himself or Wind and Cloud Pavilion. The destruction brought about by two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters clashing would destroy the foundation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Therefore, he wanted to make peace with Li Jiao.
[There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal benefits. Besides, those two Juniors are bound to die so it’s meaningless to continue fighting Li Jiao. It’s not like we gain anything from determining the winner between us anyway.]
Li Jiao frowned when he heard those words. He did not say anything in response, but Hua Xing clearly felt his strength reducing considerably.
Hua Xing was overjoyed. [I knew Li Jiao isn’t as aggressive and determined as he acts on the surface. Perhaps, he was forced to become enemies with me.]
Hua Xing decided to strike while the iron was hot and added, “Brother Li, you and I have been friends for hundreds of years. People from all over the world would ridicule us if they knew we made such a fuss over two measly Juniors. Why don’t we stop here for now and decide on what to do after seeing the results of the fight over there? What do you say?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Li Jiao’s power reduced even more. Thus, he knew that he had guessed correctly. Casually exchanging blows with Li Jiao, he asked, “Brother Li, oh, Brother Li… Why are you doing this?”
Although Li Jiao said nothing to that, he was not as aggressive as before either.
Hua Xing understood that Li Jiao’s pride had taken a blow; after all, Li Jiao’s actions might seem rather capricious if he kept changing his mind left and right. The reason he continued fighting was that he still had some misgivings in his heart. He was afraid that the two Juniors might come out from the Sword Formation and see him loafing around instead of taking things seriously.
Hua Xing secretly sneered at that thought but did not try to persuade Li Jiao any further. As long as they were no longer destroying the foundation of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he could play along with this farce. Once those two Juniors died and the Great Elder provided their corpses as proof, he would let Li Jiao know the consequences of offending Wind and Cloud Pavilion!
On this side, the battle was like a show of sorts. Both parties were not giving their full strength. Even so, the battle seemed fierce on the surface. Thus, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples that had gathered around watched the battle with great interest.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was not having such an easy time inside the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It was a Sword Formation deployed using the power of hundreds of people after all. Even though he had used his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he still couldn’t break out and could only remain passive, defending against the countless sword waves that attacked him.
Meanwhile, the Great Elder was becoming more and more frightened the longer the battle went on. [I’ve used the power of the Spirit Array to launch consecutive attacks, yet it isn’t making any difference! Is this boy really even human?!]
The behemoth that the young man had transformed into was a mess, covered in blood and wounds, but the monstrous ferocity it radiated did not diminish. On the contrary, it was only growing stronger. Oftentimes, the immense power that burst out randomly was capable of shaking the entire Sword Formation.
Although there was no need to worry about him destroying the formation, the Great Elder and the others had to expend their strength to defuse his attacks.
[If things continue like this, he might actually turn the situation around on us.] A sharp look flashed through the Great Elder’s eyes as soon as that thought crossed his mind and he swiftly began giving orders.
Soon, a figure appeared in front of him. It was the Third-Elder of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the one who had set up the formation with him.
“Take over!” The Great Elder instructed.
The Third Elder was shocked by those words and exclaimed in astonishment, “Are you going to use ‘that’, Great Elder?”
The Great Elder replied solemnly, “There’s no other way aside from that.”
The Third Elder pondered in silence for a moment before nodding, “Be careful, Great Elder. That little brat is rather unusual.”
“Of course!” The Great Elder responded and handed the Array Core over to the Third Elder. Afterwards, he stepped into the void, reached out his hand, and beckoned with his hand. A light immediately flew over from not far away, and he caught it in his hands. It was none other than his Emperor Artifact, a longsword.
The Sword Formation not only required people but also their swords as its base. Therefore, the cultivators that set up this formation were cultivators of the Sword Dao. The Emperor Artifact of the Great Elder had been integrated with the formation previously. For him to recall his sword from the formation was a clear indication that he was about to execute a powerful and mighty Secret Technique.
With the long sword erected in front of him, he formed a series of hand seals before sliding his finger along the blade. Fresh blood flowed out from the wound but did not drip anywhere. Instead, it was cleanly absorbed by the longsword, which instantly turned the colour of blood. Immediately after that, the World Energy in the surrounding area reacted like a cat catching a whiff of fish, swarming over and pouring into the sword.
At the same time, the Great Elder’s aura climbed steadily. The clothes on his body flapped madly as all of a sudden, his aura erupted with the strength of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Even so, there was no sign of it stopping. It wasn’t until his entire complexion turned beet red, like he might explode at any time, that the rising momentum finally ebbed.
At this moment, the Great Elder’s power was absolutely terrifying. Even Hua Xing and Li Jiao were incomparable. It wasn’t his heritage of course, but rather the Great Elder taking advantage of the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation to empower himself.
His scarlet eyes locked onto Yang Kai, and taking a deep breath, he suddenly roared, “Die!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, together with his sword, he transformed into a beam of light that shot towards Yang Kai.
Inside the Sword Formation, Yang Kai felt his skin tightening as he felt the aura of death descend around him, causing the Emperor Qi in his body to churn uneasily. Throwing his Divine Sense into the surroundings, Yang Kai immediately discovered the source of the danger.
A dazzling light was rushing towards him at the speed of lightning inside. That sword wave was extremely bright, and the Sword Intent was so condensed that it seemed solid. It felt like it could break through all the barriers in the world and cut through the universe.
The pupils of Yang Kai’s eyes contracted. Although that terrifying blow was not comparable to that of Great Demon God’s cross-world attack, it was not something that could be unleashed by a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Despite turning into a half-dragon, Yang Kai had a feeling that he couldn’t endure that blow. He felt as if his body was being torn apart by the sword wave even before it arrived.
Using his giant claws, Yang Kai rapidly formed a set of seals before pushing his palms out and shouting in a low voice, “Time Flies!”
Just as the sword wave split the air and flew at him, the Time Flies Seal shot out to meet it, exploding on contact. However, the sword wave continued to advance; its power had not been reduced whatsoever.
Yang Kai was startled. It was his first time meeting somebody who could break the Time Flies Seal in a direct confrontation. Even if he had not mastered the Time Flies Seal, it was still a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability! How could it be broken so easily!
Just as he was considering the idea of hiding inside the Sealed World Bead for a short while to escape the imminent danger, he heard a soft voice ringing out in his ears, “Uncle Yang!”
Lin Yun’er’s preparations were finally completed, and her voice was brimming with confidence.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as the Mountains and Rivers Bell that had been guarding Lin Yun’er all this time immediately turned into a stream of light which then encapsulated him.
“Damn it!” Even though the Great Elder’s mental fortitude was impeccable, he couldn’t help cursing out loud at this moment. He had learned just how strong that Ancient Exotic Artifact’s defensive abilities were from previous experience.
He might be able to use the power of the entire array to perform an attack far beyond his own cultivation, but he did not have the confidence to break through the defence of this Ancient Exotic Artifact. In other words, he had used this trump card in vain. Encountering an opponent like this was the biggest misfortune of his life!
If he had been using his own swordsmanship to attack, he could have changed targets and taken the opportunity to kill Lin Yun’er. Unfortunately, this power was far beyond his ability to wield freely. He could only unleash it but not retract it; hence, he could only stare blankly at the Mountains and Rivers Bell in front of him and slam straight into it anyway.
*Hong…*
A loud explosion rang out, followed by a huge blast of light. The Mountains and Rivers Bell trembled while the Great Elder’s figure was revealed. At this moment, he had lost his previously proud demeanour. Although the force of the collision had not killed him, it had caused him to bleed from his seven orifices. He was extremely dizzy, and all the strength in his body disappeared. He couldn’t bring out the slightest bit of Emperor Qi in him.
“Seize!” Lin Yun’er did not take this opportunity to kill the Great Elder and shouted out instead.
In the next moment, the dizzy Great Elder’s expression changed drastically because he suddenly felt a huge force pulling against the Emperor Artifact longsword in his hands. The longsword involuntarily flew out of his hands as a result.
Shocked, he hurriedly tried to activate his Divine Sense to recall his Emperor Artifact. For people cultivating the Sword Dao, the sword in their hands was equivalent to their lives. What’s more; this was the Emperor Artifact that he had used his own life force to cultivate. If this sword fell into somebody else’s hands, it would be equivalent to having half his life in their hands.
However, what horrified him even more was that, regardless of how much he pushed his Secret Technique, the Emperor Artifact that had followed him for thousands of years did not respond at all. It was as if the ties formed during the past thousand years had been cut off by an inexplicable force.
The Great Elder widened his eyes and stared at Lin Yun’er dumbfounded. The sight that greeted him instantly rendered him speechless. Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s huge body suddenly appeared in front of him before he could react. Yang Kai’s huge body was like a small mountain that blocked out all the light in front of him.
[This is bad!] The Great Elder felt his entire body going cold. He shifted his body as if to conceal himself inside the Sword Formation; however, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and captured the Great Elder in his hand. Grinning, he asked, “You want to leave after finally showing yourself?”
Upon hearing those words, the Great Elder was so scared that it felt as if his Soul was being extinguished. Then, bursts of shocked exclamations rang out from the surroundings. Those shouts came from the Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples who had set up the Formation.
“You!”
“How dare you, you brat!”
“Hurry up and release the Great Elder! Otherwise, you will die a miserable death!”
…
Shouts rang out from all around. Meanwhile, Yang Kai held the Great Elder in one hand and swept a sharp gaze across the sky as he sneered softly.
He had been one-sidedly beaten up ever since this Formation was set up. He couldn’t even find the enemy’s shadow. Thus, the rage he had been holding back was still simmering inside him with no place to go. He finally caught hold of one of their weaknesses and captured one of the enemy’s leaders, so how could he give him up so easily?
Over a hundred people had worked together to attack Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er, quite a few of them Emperor Realm Masters. There was even a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master among those numbers. During this period, they vigorously pressured them, fiercely attacked, and ruthlessly tried to kill them, yet now that Yang Kai had seized an opportunity to turn things around, they became furious and started issuing threats.
Yang Kai chuckled softly. Shifting his gaze, he stared at the Great Elder and coldly spat out a single word, “Die!”
“No!” The Great Elder’s expression changed drastically while wailing loudly. Unfortunately, he couldn’t break free from the restraints of that large hand regardless of how hard he struggled.
A violent force squeezed him from all directions and the sounds of bones breaking rang out. At the same time, blood flowed from all seven of his orifices. The Great Elder could distinctly feel his bones snapping and his internal organs being squeezed so hard that they exploded.
*Pa!*
Fresh blood splattered all over the place as the Great Elder’s flesh scattered in all directions.
“Ah!”
“The Great Elder is dead!”
The disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion exclaimed in horror. They could not accept what they just saw. The Great Elder was not just anybody. In the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he was the second most powerful person aside from the Pavilion Master, Hua Xing! However, such a great existence had been single-handedly crushed by that monster!
“How impudent!”
“Avenge the Great Elder!”
They were shocked into silence for a moment before they began to clamour even louder than before.
The Sword Formation was activated once again and sharp swords appeared in every direction again, murderous intent increasing rapidly.
The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was constructed with swords as its base and cultivators proficient in the Sword Dao as its roots. It was basically a killing array. The Great Elder’s death made their murderous intent swell and significantly enhanced the power of the Formation.
It was a pity that the overall strength of the Formation still decreased despite their rage. It couldn’t be helped though as the Great Elder, who was acting as the Formation Core, had died. Meanwhile, the Third Elder, who took over his role, was only a First-Order Emperor. Hence, the power of the Formation Core had been reduced by a whole Minor Realm. It caused the entire Sword Formation to weaken as a result. Even the increase in intensity could not make up for the difference in power caused by the Great Elder’s death.
Yang Kai laughed wildly, “If I can kill one of you, I can kill all of you! Wash your necks and wait for me; I’ll find all of you, one by one then kill each and every one of you!”
“How dare you boast so shamelessly?!” The Third Elder, who linked the Formation, roared and no longer hesitated. As soon as the thought flashed across his mind, an overwhelming sword wave rushed toward Yang Kai again.
Before Yang Kai could react though, Lin Yun’er shouted again, “Seize!”
The moment the words left her mouth, the countless sword waves seemed to receive some sort of command from somebody else. They uniformly changed directions, flew in a certain direction, entered a certain spot, and vanished instantly.
Turning his head to look at her, Yang Kai raised an eyebrow and revealed a look of surprise, “Huh?”
At this moment, Lin Yun’er had her hands held up high and was holding a washbasin-sized item over her head. That item was entirely ink-black and looked extremely plain. It looked like nothing more than the usual iron wok that people used to cook with.
Contrary to appearances though, the plain-looking iron wok was the one to release such an incredible and unimaginable devouring power. All the Sword Qi brought out by the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation disappeared after being sucked into it. Like a bottomless pit, that iron wok absorbed all the sword waves that came its way regardless of the number. Moreover, there was no sign of saturation at all.
Even so, what surprised Yang Kai wasn’t the power it displayed but the aura it emitted. It was a very pure and ancient aura, just like the Mountains and Rivers Bell he owned. It felt as though the aura had come from prehistoric times.
“An Ancient Exotic Artifact!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up as he was shocked to see that Lin Yun’er had an Ancient Exotic Artifact in her possession.
After all, Ancient Exotic Artifacts were items that had been passed down since ancient times and were extraordinarily rare. The only Ancient Exotic Artifact Yang Kai knew about, aside from his Mountains and Rivers Bell, was Hua Yu Lu’s small flower drum; however, he did not know the extent of Hua Yu Lu’s artifact’s power.
This iron wok was amazing, on the other hand. Just judging by the devouring ability, it was incomparable to ordinary treasures. It was just that it looked… Rather unsightly. At first glance, Yang Kai really thought it was an ordinary wok used for cooking.
“Is that your trump card?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Lin Yun’er balanced the iron wok on her head and rushed over to him with a smile. She lightly kicked with her feet and stood on his shoulders as she replied without answering his question, “Uncle Yang, you’re so handsome.”
He laughed heartily, “I think so too. You sure have a good eye, Yun’er.”
When the Third Elder heard those words, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. This was a life or death battle with the future of a great Sect at stake, so why was the enemy having such a casual conversation?! They were clearly looking down on them!
The Third Elder did know where that iron wok came from, all he knew was that it could bring about a miraculous effect. Even so, he had been angered by Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er’s nonchalance. Just as he was about to activate the power of the Formation again though, he heard exclamations of shock ringing out from all directions.
“Ah!”
“What’s going on?!”
“My sword!”
“Senior Brother, help! My sword is being sucked away!”
“Help you? Damn it… My sword is being sucked away too! I can’t even protect myself right now!”
When those voices rang out, the Third Elder’s expression changed drastically. He recalled the strange occurrence that the Great Elder had experienced before his death and seemed to understand something all of a sudden. Consequently, his expression became horrified.
At that moment, he suddenly felt the longsword in his hands being pulled by a powerful force. It was being drawn towards a certain direction uncontrollably as if to escape his grip. That direction happened to be the location of the little girl holding the iron wok.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
Streams of light cut through the air, but this time around, it was no longer those non-existing sword waves but actual, genuine Artifacts.
The cultivators forming the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation were either in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm or higher; therefore, the artifacts that they owned were naturally of rather high quality. Those Artifacts were Dao Source Grade Mid-Rank at the very least, but many were actually Emperor Artifacts.
Unfortunately, those swords were now flying toward Lin Yun’er and disappearing into the iron wok regardless of whether they were Dao Source Grade or Emperor Grade. In the blink of an eye, the iron wok had collected several dozen longswords. Moreover, more were still to come.
“What in the world is that?!” The Third Elder was horrified as he couldn’t believe that the iron wok would actually be able to snatch away other people’s artifacts! How were they supposed to fight against such an unfair power? He had never even heard of such a strange artifact before!
The power that was trying to devour the sword in his hands was becoming stronger and stronger, and even he had a hard time resisting it. He did not dare to relax his guard and hurriedly focused his attention on controlling his Emperor Artifact.
“Shua shua shua…*
In less than ten breaths, more than ninety swords had been sucked away by the iron wok. A short while later, even the Third Elder could not hold onto his artifact anymore. The sword slipped out of his control with a whoosh and flew away.
“Ah!” The Third Elder screamed as he madly pushed his Secret Art to recall his Emperor Artifact. But, what use would that do? Even the Great Elder had failed, so it was only natural that he couldn’t do any better.
When the last sword disappeared into the iron wok, a crashing sound rang out. Figure after figure began to appear, surrounding Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er in all directions, the expressions on their faces filled with terror.
These people were none other than the disciples and Elders that had participated in the Sword Formation. The Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was constructed with their swords as its base and them as its roots. Now that all the swords had been taken away, the Formation naturally broke apart even though the cultivators making up its roots were still around. Therefore, it could no longer conceal their presence.
“H-H-How is that possible?!” On the other side, Hua Xing drew a sharp breath of cold air into his lungs as he stared in that direction in disbelief. The Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation was destroyed! The indestructible Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation that saved Wind and Cloud Pavilion from danger on multiple occasions had actually been broken!
Hua Xing felt he was having a nightmare, [This is impossible! That formation was passed down for thousands of years! It only needs five people to deploy; moreover, it gets stronger the more people are linked to it!]
More than a hundred people were linked to the formation this time, an extremely large-scale event. Furthermore, the person leading the Formation was the Great Elder, a man whose cultivation reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm! With such a lineup, even Hua Xing would have died several times over if he were caught inside. How could it be destroyed by two unknown Juniors?! Also, what happened to the Great Elder? Where was he?
Hua Xing swept his gaze around but did not see the Great Elder anywhere among those people and his heart pounded wildly, knowing that something had gone wrong. The Great Elder had been acting as the Formation Core, but he was currently nowhere to be seen. That could only mean one thing, the Great Elder was dead!
[How did he die? Who killed him?] Hua Xing did not understand anything and was clueless about the happenings within the Sword Formation, so it was only natural that he was completely bewildered.
At that moment, he felt his heart clenching all of a sudden as he instinctively sensed that danger was heading his way.
[This is bad!] Only then did he remember that he was in the middle of a battle with someone else. Moreover, the opponent was stronger than him. He would never have made such a foolish mistake under normal circumstances, but what he just witnessed had shocked him to the core, so it was inevitable that he would become slightly distracted as a result.
Unfortunately, that moment of distraction gave Li Jiao an opportunity to attack. A ferocious burst of Emperor Qi pressed down on Hua Xing and exploded on his chest, sending him flying as he coughed out a mouthful of blood.
“Old Dog Hua, how dare you make Palace Master Yang your enemy?! Today, this Li will definitely kill you!”
Upon hearing those words, Hua Xing spat out another mouthful of blood as he roared furiously, “Damn you, Li Jiao!”
The exchange of blows between them just now had been little more than a farce, a show they were putting on for the masses. Although it seemed like a lively battle, they had not been using even ten percent of their true strength. Thus, the full-powered attack had caught Hua Xing completely off guard.
Hua Xing also knew why Li Jiao was acting in this manner. It was clear that Li Jiao was reacting to the situation at hand and choosing the most advantageous action for himself. Even so, Hua Xing couldn’t help the rage that erupted in his heart. How could a hundred years of friendship be overturned just like that?!
Gritting his teeth, Hua Xing roared, “Are you certain you’ll win?! Just wait and see! Nobody will leave this place alive today!” Pausing for a moment, seemingly steeling himself, Hua Xing then shouted to the sky, “Come out, Divine Beast!”
Inside the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation had been destroyed. Thus, hundreds of the cultivators that had formed the Sword Formation were revealed. It made the disciples who were watching from the sides cry out with shock. In particular, Yang Kai’s hideous appearance and huge body terrified them greatly.
[What kind of monster is that?!]
“You take the left; I’ll take the right!” Yang Kai swept a cold glance over his surroundings and yelled out instructions to Lin Yun’er.
Lin Yun’er said nothing and simply rushed forward with the iron wok floating above her head. Three Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples gathered in one place didn’t even have the time to react before they exploded to bits from her punch.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai started moving too. Reaching out into the air, he somehow managed to grab the Third Elder in his hands even though the Third Elder was more than thirty metres away. Nobody knew how he managed to do that.
The Third Elder didn’t even have the time to say anything as a chill ran down from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Then, he was squeezed by a great force until he exploded and followed in the footsteps of the Great Elder.
Afterwards, Yang Kai waved his hand again. This time, another Elder standing close to the Third Elder was sent flying, spitting blood in mid-air and dying before he even reached the ground.
Under the Dragon Transformation, the power hidden in Yang Kai’s Dragon Source was stimulated, allowing him to utilize immense strength, so how could mere First-Order Emperors be his opponents?
Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er mowed through the crowd, leaving a disaster in their wake. Both the disciples and the Elders of Wind and Cloud Pavilion suffered heavy casualties with nobody able to stand up against those two at all.
In just three breaths, more than half of the over hundred people were dead while the rest finally started fleeing in a panic as if they had just awoken from a dream.
In the face of these two monstrous opponents, they could not even muster up the slightest bit of courage to fight back, especially since their artifacts had been taken from them. It was more important to flee for their lives.
*Chi chi chi…*
One after another, Moon Blades flew out in all directions. None of the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion who had contributed to the Sword Formation were spared. They screamed as they fell to the ground. Wherever the Moon Blades struck, a bloodbath ensued.
Lin Yun’er spun around in a circle. She had only killed a few dozen people, but looking around now, there was no corpse left. Only blood rained down from the sky.
The disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion watching from afar fell silent like crickets in the winter. Their complexions were ashen. [Just what kind of enemy did the Sect provoke? The entire elite force of the Sect, from the Great Elder all the way down to the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm are being wiped out! All of them are dying!]
Hua Xing was the only person left in the Sect that was an Emperor Realm Master. Throughout the entire history of the Sect, it had never suffered such severe damage as it had today. After this battle today, Wind and Cloud Pavilion would have difficulty restoring itself even if they managed to repel the enemy. Besides, could these two Monsters even be forced out of the Sect? Clearly the Sect was heading towards complete annihilation.
At that moment, Hua Xing roared in grief and rage, his anguished voice echoing across the sky, “Come out, Divine Beast!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the expressions of many Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples changed drastically as they looked even more terrified than when they watched Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er slaughtering their brethren.
“What did the Pavilion Master say?!”
“He wants to release the Divine Beast?!”
“Run! Why are you still standing there stupidly!?”
“If you don’t run now, it will be too late!”
The Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples who had been watching from afar reacted as if a great enemy was about to appear and began fleeing helter-skelter, acting as though the Divine Beast was some sort of plague.
Some of the disciples that had just joined the Sect looked confused. Although they knew about the Divine Beast guarding the Sect, none of them had seen it before. They didn’t even know what that Divine Beast was. All they knew was that the Divine Beast was incredibly powerful; in no way inferior in strength compared to the Pavilion Master, Hua Xing.
When they saw their Seniors from the Sect fleeing for their lives though, they began to panic too. It didn’t matter what kind of being the Divine Beast was; it was by no means anything good.
Just after Hua Xing’s roar rang out, an imposing hostility suddenly appeared from somewhere deep within Wind and Cloud Pavilion. It felt as if a sleeping dragon had awoken, and the entire world shuddered in response.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai turned his head to look in the direction of the aura’s source. There was a faint scorching sensation burning throughout the blood in his body, as if some sort of force was pulling against him and made him eager to fight.
Lin Yun’er flew over to him, the shabby iron wok still floating above her head, her beautiful eyes glancing in that direction as she sniffed lightly, her beautiful eyes suddenly brightening.
*Huo…*
Another roar rang out again, and a huge figure flew out from that direction. It looked like some sort of beast that was covered in flames and struck a majestic image.
[Is that the Guardian Divine Beast of Wind and Cloud Pavilion?] Yang Kai raised an eyebrow as his fighting spirit grew even stronger. It couldn’t be helped; it was because he could feel a trace of a Divine Spirit’s aura from this Divine Beast. [I can’t believe that the Guardian Divine Beast of Wind and Cloud Pavilion is a Divine Spirit! Inconceivable!]
Soon, something else happened that shocked him even more. That Divine Beast did not fly straight at them and instead headed towards some of the fleeing Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples. It was as swift as lightning as it rushed into the crowd and in the next moment, blood-curdling screams ringing out. They had obviously been bitten to death by the Divine Beast.
Hua Xing was utterly heartbroken. The Wind and Cloud Pavilion had kept a Guardian Divine Beast for thousands of years. Unfortunately, that Divine Beast was nothing more than an Ominous Beast, which was brought back by the tenth generation Sect Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. When the tenth Ancestor was still alive, that Divine Beast was relatively obedient; however, once he passed away, the ferocious nature of this Divine Beast was revealed.
Although it did not leave the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, it was not under anybody’s control either. Only the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion of each generation could communicate with it a little.
Moreover, there would be a heavy price to pay every time it was brought out of the mountains. If they had time to prepare, they could have enough sacrifices on hand in advance to sate its appetite. Only then could they manage to ask it to repel the powerful enemies of the Sect. Having said that, they were completely unprepared this time around, and for that reason, the price they had to pay were the tragic deaths of their disciples.
Even when Wind and Cloud Pavilion was facing a huge crisis a few hundred years ago, the previous Pavilion Master had not brought the Divine Beast out of the mountains for this exact reason. Nonetheless, Hua Xing no longer had the leisure to care so much anymore with such a huge crisis before them.
The blood-curdling screams continued without stopping as Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples were thrown to the ground and devoured by the Divine Beast, one after another.
“What the hell is that?” Yang Kai squinted as he looked over. It was too bad that the distance was too great so he couldn’t see clearly. All he knew was that the Divine Beast had yet to do anything to them and instead had taken down many of their enemies for them.
“It sure looks delicious!” Lin Yun’er sniffed even harder.
Yang Kai was rendered speechless by her words. [Why does this little girl only think about food?]
A quarter of an hour later, the Divine Beast seemed to have eaten its fill and finally ran through the air, rushing towards them, its hooves were covered in flames and its beastly eyes were burning with fire.
As it approached, Yang Kai finally had a clear glimpse of what the Divine Beast looked like. It had a Dragon Head, Deer Horns, Lion’s Eyes, a Tiger’s Back, a Bear’s Waist, Snake Scales, Horse Hooves, and a Cow’s Tail. It was extremely menacing and looked down on everyone present with clear disdain in its eyes.
“A Fire Qilin?” Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly. No wonder it had the aura of a Divine Spirit, it actually turned out to be a Fire Qilin! There were many types of Qilins, but all Qilins were Ancient Divine Spirits regardless of what species they were. The Dragon Clan blood flowing in Yang Kai’s veins also belonged to a Divine Spirit, and as both the Qilin and the Dragon Clan were considered superior beings among the Divine Spirits, their auras would naturally be attracted to each other.
“It only resembles a Fire Qilin,” Lin Yun’er seemed to have some knowledge on Divine Spirits though and her eyes were gleaming as she said, “It has a Qilin bloodline, but it’s not a pureblood.”
Yang Kai turned to glance at her with a speechless expression. “Yun’er… You’re drooling…”
She lifted a hand, wiped at the corner of her mouth, and excitedly proclaimed, “Leave this to me!” After saying that, she rushed forward.
“Be careful!” Yang Kai yelled after her. Although her strength was impressive, encountering an Ominous Beast with the blood of a Divine Spirit was still rather worrisome and he was certain she was not its opponent. Even so, she acted so confidently that Yang Kai couldn’t bear to discourage her; thus, he decided to be ready to react at a moment’s notice.
Both the human and the beast approached each other swiftly. The Fire Qilin descendent was clearly sentient, and when it saw Lin Yun’er rushing towards it, it roared furiously while at the same time, the flames on its body burned even more fiercely.
Lin Yun’er was unfazed by its reaction and continued to rush forward.
Opening its mouth, it shot out a large fireball that gave off an extremely terrifying heat; however, Lin Yun’er didn’t even flinch and instead used the iron wok to take on the attack.
The iron wok wasn’t that large, only about the size of a washbasin. Moreover, it was several times smaller than the fireball, but contrary to expectations, the fireball disappeared cleanly when it came into contact with the iron wok.
Yang Kai, who had been on the verge of moving, stopped in his tracks. His scorching gaze glanced at that black and shabby iron wok with a question in his heart: Just what was this thing!?
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er had arrived right in front of the Qilin descendant. She kicked out with her feet, immediately jumped up, and swung the iron wok at its head.
In response, the Qilin descendant lifted its claws and swiped at the iron wok. The air surrounding the passage of its claws became distorted, forming irregular claw marks in the sky.
Forcibly twisted her body in mid-air, Lin Yun’er barely avoided the attack. Even so, she was slashed around her abdomen area. Blood gushed out immediately but she ignored it and slammed the iron wok down on the enemy’s head.
In the next moment, a miraculous scene occurred. The Ominous Beast, which could rival a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in strength, and was also a Qilin descendant blessed by the Divine Spirit’s bloodlines suddenly yelped and swayed unsteadily. The iron wok now looked like it had become part of its head; furthermore, it released a terrifying suction force.
The humongous body of the Ominous Beast was drawn in by the inexplicable force, twisted, and distorted, then was soon sucked into the iron wok like a stream of water and vanished without a trace.
Yang Kai was stunned; Li Jiao was stunned; Hua Xing was stunned too! Even Lin Yun’er seemed slightly stunned as well, scratching her head as she wore a confused expression.
Despite being aware of the power of her treasure and having the confidence that it could deal with that Ominous Beast, she had not expected it to be so easy. She had been prepared to fight a tough battle against it and never imagined that it would actually end in one move.
She was a simple-minded person though, and excitedly taking back the iron wok without thinking too much about it, she brought out a lid from who knows where and placed it onto the iron wok with a resounding snap. Then, she glanced about with a huge smile, her expression becoming more and more delighted.
On the other hand, Li Jiao’s expression changed drastically. Even though he experienced all sorts of dangerous situations before, he couldn’t help shuddering at this moment. When Hua Xing called upon the Divine Beast of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, Li Jiao had taken the time to check out the Divine Beast’s strength. Even if he had fought it with all his strength, he was not confident he could win against it; however, such a terrifying existence had been defeated by a mere iron wok, in one move no less.
It was something he found simply incomprehensible.
[Wait… An iron wok?] Li Jiao’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly recalled a dusty memory in a corner of his mind and brought it to the surface again, and the next thought that popped into his mind terrified him out of his wits.
“That treasure…” Hua Xing clearly recognized the origin of that iron wok too and a horrified expression flashed across his face, “Don’t tell me it’s…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain shooting up his arm. Li Jiao had taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on him while he was distracted, and one of his arms exploded into dust as a result.
“Old Dog Li, how dare you deceive me!?” He roared in grief and rage. He hastily retreated and put some distance between him and Li Jiao as blood gushed out from the wound like a fountain.
Li Jiao followed close behind, completely unrelenting in his attacks as he shouted, “One may eat as much rice as they like, but they cannot spit out words carelessly! When have I ever deceived you?!”
“Who was the one to tell me that these two have nothing to do with any of the Great Emperors?!” Hua Xing’s expression was so distorted that it was hideous to see. He was both furious and extremely anxious. [If I had known that the little girl is related to a Great Emperor, I wouldn’t have dared to make her my enemy!]
Li Jiao sweated as he mumbled, “If I said I didn’t know either, would you believe me?”
That was the honest truth as he knew about Yang Kai’s situation, which had nothing to do with the Great Emperors. Therefore, he assumed that the little girl did not come from any special background either; however, he realized his mistake upon seeing that mysterious iron wok that could even absorb a descendent of the Divine Spirit in an instant.
That little girl wasn’t just related to a Great Emperor, she was clearly very closely related to them! Moreover, that Great Emperor in particular was the most battle-crazy and brutal among the Ten Great Emperors. Even the other Great Emperors could not afford to provoke that person easily.
Hua Xing thought to himself. [That little girl is definitely related to him! We should have never provoked her!]
“As if I’ll believe you!” Hua Xing roared furiously. His entire being was akin to a volcano that was about to erupt. His vitality attacked his heart, and his defence was full of holes. He was beaten up by Li Jiao so badly that he could not fight back.
Originally, he could have dealt with Li Jiao to a certain extent; however, he had long lost his composure after everything that happened. Combined with the loss of his arm, the gap between them immediately became apparent.
He received another blow and flew backwards from the force, bleeding non-stop. Before he could stabilize his body though, a monstrous figure suddenly descended from the sky, its humongous shadow looming over him.
Shocked, Hua Xing raised his head to look and saw Yang Kai slamming a fist down at him with a ferocious expression. He did not dare to let his guard down and hastily defended against the attack. Nevertheless, all defences were like paper in front of that punch.
The violent force smashed him down into the ground. He fell against the ground so hard that it created a deep hole in the ground. Meanwhile, Yang Kai landed next to him in pursuit and stepped on him, causing him to be unable to move. Hua Xing’s eyes were filled with fear and panic as he shouted, “Please spare me!”
Yang Kai glanced down at him from above and said lightly, “Your life is not in my hands.” He lifted his head to look at Lin Yun’er and asked, “How should I deal with this person?”
Lin Yun’er replied, “Master says that trouble needs to be removed from the roots up…”
Before she could finish her sentence, the strength within Yang Kai’s legs surged and he stomped down.
Hua Xing died!
On the other hand, Li Jiao broke out in cold sweat. [Hua Xing was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! Moreover, he was the leader of a top Sect! I can’t believe Palace Master Yang killed him just like that! There was no room for negotiations whatsoever! Isn’t Palace Master Yang a little too crazy?! No; thinking about it, it’s not the first time he did this either. He annihilated the entire Seeking Passion Sect back in the Northern Territory too. What was Hua Xing in comparison?]
Turning his head, he glanced at Wind and Cloud Pavilion, which was currently in chaos and sighed, knowing that this great Sect was completely done for. The inheritance of such a large Sect that had lasted for over ten thousand years ended in a single day. From the Pavilion Master at the top down to the elites of the Sect beneath him… Not a single one of them was spared; all of them died.
[What a headache…] Back in the Northern Territory, Yang Kai had turned the entire place upside down. Li Jiao couldn’t believe that Yang Kai didn’t even bother holding back at all even after coming to the Western Territory.
Even so, Li Jiao looked at the girl standing next to Yang Kai and knew that nothing would happen to Yang Kai regardless of what crazy things he did. However, that girl was different. That girl though… wasn’t someone simple either…
After a series of cracklings, Yang Kai returned to his original form. Fortunately, the Great Soaring Black Dragon Armor was very flexible or he would have been naked again.
“Wang wang wang!”
The black puppy ran over leisurely. It had gone into hiding during that earth-shaking battle just now and disappeared off somewhere, but now that the dust had settled, it immediately reappeared again. Its innate ability to seek fortune and avoid disaster was first-class.
Yang Kai glanced at it sullenly and decidedly ignored it. He was covered in numerous wounds inflicted by the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation just now, some so deep that even his bones were visible. Even so, he ignored his wounds, took out a new set of clothes, and put them on. Glancing sideways at Li Jiao, he said, “Please take care of that little girl and clean up the rest of the battlefield while you’re at it. I’ll be right back.”
Li Jiao hurriedly replied, “Palace Master Yang, please rest assured. I will fight to the death to protect that girl’s safety.”
Yang Kai nodded and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Wind and Cloud Pavilion was a chaotic mess. Countless disciples were trying to escape. The Pavilion Master had died! The Great Elder was dead! All the Elders in the Sect died! Even the elites in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm were dead!
Wind and Cloud Pavilion was doomed to perish. None of them were fools. Several plague-like disasters had attacked the Sect, and if they did not escape now, they would be killed as well!
Despite being a large Sect with thousands of disciples within it, it took less than a quarter of an hour for all the surviving members to flee, every one of them flying off into the sky without looking back at all.
Yang Kai searched for some time before he managed to locate the Treasury of Wind and Cloud Pavilion. Such a large Sect would surely have had some valuable treasures in its stores; therefore, he could not miss out on it. Even though he was extremely wealthy now, it was not enough to finance the expenditures of an entire Sect eternally so he wanted to obtain more cultivation resources so that he could splurge on his family and friends when they arrived from Shadowed Star. After all, they were not few in numbers.
After busying himself for half a day, Yang Kai returned with a good haul. The valuables stored within the storehouse of a top Sect such as Wind and Cloud Pavilion was extremely impressive, no less than what Seeking Passion Sect had once held. Just the High-Rank Source Crystals alone numbered close to a billion, not to mention the countless cultivation resources.
[These treasures will be indispensable to High Heaven Palace.] Yang Kai wandered around Wind and Cloud Pavilion again and collected everything that was of value. It wasn’t until evening rolled around that he returned.
Lin Yun’er and Li Jiao had moved to a nearby mountain peak and when Yang Kai came over, he was immediately greeted by a tantalizing scent. It seemed to be the smell of meat, moreover, meat packed full of energy. The smell entered his nose and greatly stimulated his appetite, even managing to make him feel genuine hunger. Could it be that Lin Yun’er, that little glutton, was cooking something?
“What are you doing?” Yang Kai asked curiously as he walked over, but after a glance, he was dumbfounded.
Lin Yun’er had built a fire on the top of this mountain peak and was using that shabby iron wok to cook over the heat. A gurgling sound was coming from the iron wok as if something was being boiled in it and sure enough; that tantalizing smell came from that iron wok.
Yang Kai felt cold sweat beading on his forehead. Was she really cooking? Moreover, with that iron wok? But inside that was…
Yang Ka couldn’t help feeling a little dizzy at the thought.
“Palace Master Yang, you’re back!” Li Jiao greeted him eagerly as he handed the Space Ring in his hand over, “These are the spoils I gathered from the battlefield earlier. Please check through them, Palace Master Yang.”
Be it Hua Xing or the Elders of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, their Space Rings would surely contain a plethora of valuable treasures. Hua Xing, in particular, as the Pavilion Master of Wind and Cloud Pavilion would have many good things in his Space Ring. Not to mention, there were hundreds of elites in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. It was a tremendous harvest.
Li Jiao had collected all of them but did not dare to keep them for himself; quickly handing all of them over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai accepted the Space Ring casually and didn’t even bother to check the inventory nor look inside the ring. He simply stared at Lin Yun’er, who was crouching in front of the iron wok, the corners of his mouth twitching as he asked, “What’s going on?”
At the moment, Lin Yun’er was staring at the iron wok with gleaming eyes and the corners of her mouth were moist; she was clearly on the verge of drooling. When she noticed that Yang Kai had returned, she greeted him absent-mindedly before gulping her saliva and focusing all her energy back on the iron wok in front of her.
“This… young lady is cooking something to eat,” Li Jiao coughed awkwardly and replied.
“Cooking something to eat… With what?” Yang Kai asked casually. However, his expression quickly darkened as he looked over at Li Jiao and asked, “It can’t be…”
Li Jiao nodded grimly.
Yang Kai was shocked, “Is even that okay?!”
Li Jiao hesitated, “Palace Master Yang, could it be that you don’t know the origin of this strange treasure?”
“Do you?”
He replied, “I’ve heard of it. If I’m not mistaken, this wok is known as Unlimited Return.”
“Unlimited Return…” Yang Kai frowned. It was a name he had never heard of before. Still, there was only one thing he was concerned about right now. He walked over and softly called out, “Yun’er.”
Lin Yun’er responded without even raising her head, “It’s almost done, Uncle Yang. Just wait a little longer.”
Wiping at the cold sweat on his forehead, he asked, “Did you really cook that Qilin descendant?”
“En! That’s a descendent of a Divine Spirit. I’ve never eaten one before. I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”
Li Jiao shivered after hearing those words. He was also a descendant of a Divine Spirit and a Dragonborn. [I hope I don’t end up getting boiled in a pot by this girl one day…]
For an instant, he looked at her with shock and awe as if he was looking at his natural-born enemy.
[As expected, I won’t be able to have a good life with Palace Master Yang around. Forget about the Dragon Clan; the worst that could happen is my power being suppressed, but this little girl is even more terrifying! I can’t believe she used the iron wok, Unlimited Return, to capture a descendent of a Divine Spirit and immediately cooked it up…]
Li Jiao felt as if his heart was at its limits. [If I stay around Yang Kai for any longer, I will die of fright, sooner or later. If I value my life, I should stay away from him…]
Yang Kai’s expression turned green, “Yun’er, you have to think this through properly. You can’t just eat things randomly. This guy devoured many Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples earlier.” At this point, his complexion paled slightly.
If it was just a descendent of a Divine Spirit, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was cooked up as food. Besides, it smelled so delicious so its taste was surely even better. The point was that he had personally witnessed it eating many of Wind and Cloud Pavilion’s disciples just now.
[At this moment, all those people are inside this pot too.] When he thought of that, he no longer had any interest in eating. In fact, it would be a miracle not to throw it all up.
Lin Yun’er smiled, however, and waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t worry, Uncle Yang. I cleaned and prepared everything properly first.”
Yang Kai was surprised. He turned to look at Li Jiao.
In response, Li Jiao nodded, “She has indeed cleaned it. I’ve also stored all the sword artifacts that she absorbed previously in one of the Space Rings.”
[It looks like Lin Yun’er really did process it to be eaten while I was gone.]
Upon learning that, the conflicting emotions in Yang Kai’s heart weren’t as great as before anymore. He mulled over it for a bit before sitting down next to Lin Yun’er. Then, he listened to the bubbling sounds coming from the iron wok and appreciated the aroma in the air. He was waiting to eat!
After a while…
“It’s delicious! It’s so delicious!” Lin Yun’er was holding a large bone in her hands, exclaiming in delight as she chewed on its meat.
“Eat slowly!” Yang Kai reached up to wipe the grease from his face, “Nobody will snatch your food from you!”
Having said that, his speed wasn’t slow either. He had a small pile of bones next to him, but far less than Lin Yun’er’s as her bones were practically piled as high as a small mountain.
Truly worthy of being the descendent of a Divine Spirit, the Fire Qilin variant’s flesh contained first-rate essence. The moment Yang Kai bit into the meat, the juices flowed out and warmed his stomach.
Although there were no added seasonings, it was definitely the most delicious and scrumptious food Yang Kai had ever eaten. That iron wok seemed to have a way of making miracles happen. Despite cooking it so simply, the food turned out so delicious that one could get addicted to it.
After eating several bites of the meat, Yang Kai scooped a big bowl and took a sip of the soup. Then, he glanced at Li Jiao, who was standing by the side, “Brother Li, do you want to have a taste?”
“N-No, it’s alright…” Li Jiao replied politely.
“Then why are you drooling? Stop speaking nonsense.”
Li Jiao laughed, “Then, I won’t hold back anymore.”
The idea was rather repulsive to him at first; after all, he, himself, was a descendent of a Divine Spirit. Suddenly cooking a descendent of a Divine Spirit in a pot might have smelt tantalizing, but it would probably spark some conflicting feelings in him. Still, he wasn’t in a position to turn down Yang Kai’s invitation. Besides, he was truly curious to have a bite; he wanted to know what it tasted like.
Walking over to the pot, Li Jiao reached out with his hand and fished out a rib. Asking for forgiveness in his heart, he took a small nibble. Then, his eyes widened in response. His speed increased significantly to the point where he was eating with the speed of a whirlwind.
“It’s delicious, right?” Yang Kai smilingly looked at Li Jiao.
Li Jiao nodded vigorously, “It’s good. It’s very good. I’m blessed with such good food when I’m with you, Palace Master Yang.”
Lin Yun’er only made a muffled sound. Taking advantage of the time Yang Kai and Li Jiao spent talking, she had already wolfed down even more of the meat and a few more bones had been added to the pile next to her.
Not to be outdone, the black puppy lay down next to the pot, grabbed a large piece of meat, and ate it with great relish.
An hour later, Lin Yun’er lay on the ground and patted her stomach with her hand. That huge Divine Spirit descendant had been cleanly devoured by the three of them. Not even a mouthful of soup was left over from their meal.
Lin Yun’er had a contented expression on her face, having finally eaten her fill. She had not eaten until she was satiated ever since she snuck out. When she was with her Master, she had never had to worry about her meals as he would take care of everything for her. She finally learned that life was not easy after leaving her Master’s side. Even eating a full meal was such a difficult task. All of a sudden, she began to miss her Master.
“Yun’er, why didn’t you use your trump card earlier?” Yang Kai had gotten a blade of grass from somewhere and was using it to pick his teeth. [I wonder what’s the story behind this iron wok, Unlimited Return. If Yun’er had summoned it from the beginning, that Sword Formation would have been taken care of easily.]
She squinted his eyes and said, “Master said the trump card can only be used if it is my last resort.”
[Her Master again… This little girl really seems to take her Master’s words as law.]
“I’ll bring you out to eat something better next time,” Yang Kai casually offered.
She was surprised, “Really?”
“En. The Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory is sure to have a lot of delicious food.”
[He even plans to target the Ancient Wild Lands!?] Li Jiao felt cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. [I heard a Divine Spirit guards that place… Palace Master Yang is too bold!]
“Thank you, Uncle Yang!” Lin Yun’er was overjoyed.
After lying down for a while, Yang Kai asked, “Where do you plan to go after this?”
Wind and Cloud Pavilion had been annihilated, so the little girl had achieved her goal. She had managed to let out the rage that had built up in her.
“I don’t know,” she shook her head. She had been bored and ran away from home without any real plans or objectives. Meeting with Yang Kai had been pure coincidence.
“Is that so…” Yang Kai pondered for a moment before saying, “Why don’t you come with me to the Northern Territory? I established High Heaven Palace there.”
“High Heaven Palace?” She immediately became interested when she heard those words. Lin Yun’er had been part of Shadowed Star’s High Heaven Sect for a while; thus, she felt a sense of familiarity when she heard the name and quickly nodded, “En.”
“Good. Then, let’s return tomorrow.” Yang Kai immediately made his decision. The matter related to Wind and Cloud Pavilion had become a rather huge deal as a top Sect had been annihilated just like that. If the two of them had been cultivators of the Western Territory, it might not have been as bad, but the key point was that none of them belonged to the Western Territory. If they remained in this place, they might attract the attention of the Sect run by the Great Emperor here. Night Shadow Great Emperor and Shadow Killer Palace were not parties that they could afford to offend so easily.
When Li Jiao heard those words, his spirits lifted. [Finally! I finally have the hope of going home after travelling with Yang Kai for such a long time!]
The night passed quietly and the next morning, Yang Kai began arranging a Space Array.
He originally wanted to find a hidden location in the Western Territory to place this Space Array, that way it would be more convenient for him to come and go in the future as he could directly access this territory. Unfortunately, he was not familiar with the Western Territory so finding such a place was not that easy. It might take up to a month or more; therefore, Yang Kai gave up on his original plans after careful consideration.
[Let’s go back first. If I need to come to the Western Territory again one day, I’ll just make some effort to come through here again.] Hence, he set about arranging the Space Array on one of the peaks of Wind and Cloud Pavilion.
Li Jiao was meditating by the side but he was also secretly paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements. As a Palace Master himself, he had sharp eyesight. Therefore, he noticed the extraordinary features of this Cross-Territory Space Array right away.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er had nothing to do so she played with the black puppy.
Half a day later, the Space Array was perfectly arranged; then, Yang Kai called them over. Lin Yun’er immediately ran up with the black puppy in her arms while Li Jiao also walked onto the Space Array.
Space Principles surged and enveloped the trio. Yang Kai’s expression became solemn as he circulated his Emperor Qi to power the array.
With a dazzling light, a feeling of weightlessness washed over the trio and they disappeared instantly. At that moment though, Yang Kai felt a strange power striking him. It was not strong, but incredibly masterful, actually managing to interfere with the teleportation.
Yang Kai was shocked, but before he could figure out what was wrong, a voice sounded in his Knowledge Sea, “Little brat, you’ve got some courage! How dare you try to abduct my beloved disciple? I will forgive you this once since it was not done out of malice, but the next time this happens, I’ll kill you!”
The voice sounded directly in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, making it clear his defences were completely penetrated, but what shocked Yang Kai even more was that he failed to notice the slightest signs of intrusion.
[How is this possible!? My Divine Sense is extremely powerful, comparable to that of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master’s. What kind of person could seamlessly break through the defences of my Knowledge Sea and even send a message directly to my head without me noticing?]
Before Yang Kai could finish processing this thought, his vision blurred and by the time he regained his sight, he had already arrived at High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. He turned to the side and saw Li Jiao standing next to him, his brow deeply furrowed. It was clear that he had yet to recover from the side-effects of teleporting across domains. On the other hand, the black puppy stood by his feet with a blank expression. Only Lin Yun’er was missing!
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly tried to teleport himself back to check on the situation; however, when he poured his Divine Sense into the Space Array under his feet, he discovered that the connection with the Space Array in the Western Territory had been severed. [That’s impossible! Li Jiao and I have just teleported over! How could the connection be cut off so abruptly?!]
The Space Arrays Yang Kai arranged were all linked together, allowing teleportation between any of them freely. After teleporting about so many times, Yang Kai was certain that nothing was wrong with the array he had arranged, and it was not the kind of thing that would fail so easily. Then, he suddenly recalled the words that had sounded in his head just now and his expression changed again.
[Yun’er must have been picked up by her Master. Does that mean her Master had been following her around all this time? If that wasn’t the case, her Master couldn’t have taken her back in such a timely manner.] In other words, the reason why the connection to the array was cut off was that somebody had destroyed it on purpose. Needless to say, the person who did that was none other than Lin Yun’er’s Master.
Yang Kai cursed in his heart as this was the second time he encountered something like this. The last time it had happened in the Ancient Wild Lands. The array he left in the Ancient Wild Lands had been destroyed by Luan Feng, [I can’t believe this happened to me again!]
[Just who on Earth is Yun’er’s Master?! I can’t believe I didn’t even notice anything even though her Master had been following us for so many days.] Considering all this, Yang Kai couldn’t help leaking cold sweat.
[No! No! That’s not right!] He suddenly remembered that inexplicable sense of hostility he had felt when he was in one of the cities previously. That sense of hostility came and went quickly. At the time, he had dismissed it as part of his imagination. Now, it seemed as though it had not been an illusion but rather hostility from Yun’er’s Master!
[Why was he being hostile towards me?!] The words that had sounded in his head just now were also dyed with some prejudice. It left him feeling puzzled. [I don’t think I did anything to Yun’er that warrants such hostility…]
Upon figuring things out, Yang Kai felt relieved. As long as it wasn’t an issue with the transportation which caused Yun’er to be left behind, then it was fine. [Her Master must be one of the top existences in this world and have his own reasons for taking her back. Besides, I can tell that he cares very much about her from those words just now.]
…..
Lin Yun’er stood alone on the Space Array on the mountain peak in Wind and Cloud Pavilion, a puzzled expression on her face as she looked around. Unable to find anybody, she immediately became anxious and called out, “Uncle Yang! Uncle Yang!”
Nobody answered her so she called a few more times, but the surrounding area remained silent.
“Stop shouting,” a person’s voice suddenly rang out. As soon as the words sounded, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared on the mountain peak.
Lin Yun’er glanced in the direction of the sound and became surprised, “Master? What are you doing here?”
She ran over quickly and looked at the middle-aged man with a smile.
The middle-aged man sighed, “You would have been kidnapped if I hadn’t come. How could I not come?”
He had not planned to show up so soon. He had finally gotten himself a Legacy Disciple; moreover, one he cared about deeply. She had never disappointed him before in all the years that they had spent together and her cultivation had progressed extraordinarily quickly. Therefore, he doted on this little girl very much. All that talk about secretly running away from home was just her wishful thinking. How could she possibly escape from under his nose if he didn’t indulge in her whims?
Lin Yun’er stuck her tongue out. She did not feel any remorse from being caught after running away from home and instead pouted, “Master, you’ve been following me all along.”
That person replied, “The world is a sinister place, but you are such a naïve child. It’s only natural for me to watch over and protect you.”
She snorted angrily, “No wonder. So, the reason why I took that big guy down so easily yesterday is because you helped me from the shadows.”
Lin Yun’er might be simple-minded and naïve, but she was no fool. She had been surprised at how much her ability had suddenly grown yesterday, but at this moment, she quickly understood the reason behind that change. It wasn’t that she had gotten stronger, but rather that her Master had secretly helped her. Otherwise, she could not have absorbed that Divine Spirit descendant in a single move.
When she pointed it out, that person simply smiled and did not deny her words.
“Where did Uncle Yang go?” She then asked.
He replied, “He is billions of thousands of kilometres away by now.” While speaking, he glanced at the Cross-Territory Space Array and secretly felt astonished. In his opinion, Yang Kai’s cultivation of the Dao of Space was already extremely impressive, especially since he could arrange an Array like this. No matter how fastidious he was, he could tell that that brat had a lot of promise. [He will accomplish many things in the future, but so what? How dare he actually try to abduct my Disciple?! I was being generous for Lin Yun’er’s sake by not breaking both his legs!]
“Ah! I need to go find Uncle Yang then!” She became anxious.
“Nonsense!” That person’s expression darkened, “You’ve spent quite a long time outside so it’s time for you to return with me. Don’t neglect your cultivation!”
“I don’t want to! I want to go and find Uncle Yang!” After saying that, she walked onto the Space Array on her own and tried to pour her Emperor Qi into it; however, the Array showed no signs of reacting even though she was trying so hard to activate it that her face was flushed from the effort.
When that person saw her actions, he felt as if a knife was twisting in his heart. [I struggled so hard to raise you and teach you for so many years. I even guided you to become an Emperor Realm Master. I can’t believe I lost to this Uncle Yang that popped out of nowhere! They say that girls are more outgoing, but isn’t this a little too much?!]
He did not have a good impression of Yang Kai in the first place, but now, his impression of Yang Kai became far worse. He was tempted to capture that boy from the other side of the Space Array and torture him to vent his anger.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the sorrow in his heart and smiled, “Disciple, let’s discuss something.”
“What?!” She glared at him furiously.
“Do you like that little brat with the surname ‘Yang’?”
“Uncle Yang is someone precious to me.”
“Do you want to find him?”
“Of course! Master, hurry up and come help me with this. I don’t know why this thing isn’t working.”
[Of course, it isn’t working. I secretly cut off the connection. It’d be weirder if it worked!] Naturally, those words could never be said out loud. If she ever heard those words, they would never have a future together anymore.
“I heard what that Uncle Yang of yours said just now. He has a Sect by the name of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory, right?” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Let’s do this. Disciple, when you become a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, I’ll bring you to that High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory to look for your Uncle Yang. At that time, you can stay there for however long you want to.”
As soon as she heard those words, her beautiful eyes lit up, “Really?!”
[My heart hurts even more now!] That person forced a smile and nodded gently, “When have I ever lied to you before?”
Lin Yun’er didn’t even bother to think about it and immediately jumped off the Space Array, grabbed her Master’s arm, and started flying forward.
“What are you doing?” He was surprised.
“I’m going back; what else? I have to hurry up and cultivate. Don’t worry, Master, I will surely reach the Third-Order Emperor Realm very soon.”
“En, it’s rare for you to be so motivated. Your Master is very happy. You really are my treasured disciple,” that person replied with a smile; however, the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. [Damn it! Why does it feel like I’ve lost instead?! It’s him! Hmm… That brat was called ‘Yang Kai’, right?! Just you wait!]
…..
“Greetings, Palace Master!”
“Palace Master has returned!
“Quick! Quickly go and inform the Head Manager!”
Several disciples standing guard beside the Space Array in High Heaven Palace were elated to see Yang Kai and clamoured with joy.
They had originally been disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, but Yang Kai had later taken them into High Heaven Palace after the Thousand Leaves Sect was destroyed. Although they still wore the Thousand Leaves Sect’s emblem, their sense of belonging and identity to High Heaven Palace was growing stronger and stronger as time passed.
Today, all the disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect felt as if they were a part of High Heaven Palace. It was just too comfortable to cultivate here. Not only was the World Energy many times denser here than back at the Thousand Leaves Sect, but there was also no need to worry about cultivation resources. Moreover, the Head Manager did not treat them differently just because they were Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples.
Only a short period had passed, but the cultivation of the Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples had increased rapidly. Even the previous Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen, had entered retreat to break through to the Emperor Realm. That was something they could never have imagined before this; however, everything had changed ever since they came to High Heaven Palace. Nowadays, if anybody were to claim that they were not High Heaven Palace’s disciples, they would surely fight those people to death.
Yang Kai wasn’t just the benefactor of Thousand Leaves Sect, he was also the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. Even so, he rarely showed himself and hardly ever remained in High Heaven Palace for long. He spent most of the time travelling around outside the Sect. Even on the occasional trip home, he would usually leave again soon after staying for only a short while; therefore, Head Manager Hua Qing Si had issued an order a long time ago that she had to be notified as soon as possible whenever Yang Kai returned. That was also why these disciples guarding the array were so excited.
“Hm?” Li Jiao finally recovered from the side-effects of the cross-territory teleportation and looked around in surprise, “Where’s that little girl?”
She was standing next to him just now, so how did she vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye?
Yang Kai replied, “Her Master took her back, so she couldn’t follow us here.”
“Her Master?!” La Jiao’s expression changed considerably as he asked in a terrified voice, “Did that Senior… appear?”
Yang Kai glanced at Li Jiao and curiously asked, “Why do your words sound like you know who Yun’er’s Master is?”
Li Jiao’s expression cramped as he answered honestly, “I have a good guess.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested, “Who is that person? Let’s hear it.”
He could guess that Lin Yun’er’s Master was by no means an ordinary person and most likely a Great Emperor; however, Yang Kai still did not know who he was. The Great Emperors he came into contact with were few and far between, but it was unlikely for them to have anything to do with her. Still, the fact that Li Jiao had an inkling of who it was surprised him.
Li Jiao pondered in silence for a while before saying, “How much do you know about that girl’s iron wok, Palace Master Yang?”
“It’s my first time seeing it, and I’ve never heard of it before.”
“I see.” Li Jiao nodded, “If you don’t know about that iron wok, then it’s understandable that you couldn’t figure it out, Palace Master Yang.”
“What kind of reputation does that iron wok have?”
Li Jiao solemnly continued, “I’m sure you felt it too, Palace Master Yang, that iron wok, Unlimited Return, is an Ancient Exotic Artifact. Moreover, it can absorb all the treasures in the world when used.”
Yang Kai gently nodded. He had seen the power of Unlimited Return. Lin Yun’er had relied on that strange power to collect hundreds of Artifacts from other people inside the Yin Yang Five Elements Everchanging Profound Sword Formation. It could even be said that the absorption of Divine Spirit’s descendent was not due to her ability but rather due to the Ancient Exotic Artifact’s power.
“As far as I know, that iron wok’s previous owner was the famous… Iron Blood Great Emperor!”
“Iron Blood Great Emperor?!” Yang Kai was shocked.
“That’s right. It is none other than Senior Iron Blood. No one knows how he obtained that Ancient Exotic Artifact, but everyone knows that it is in his possession; however, that story is something from several thousands of years ago. Still, who doesn’t know of Senior Iron Blood’s strength? He is an existence that ranks at the top among all the other Great Emperors. There is almost no one in this world who is his opponent, so he doesn’t have any need to use such treasures. Therefore, Unlimited Return has not surfaced for the past few millennia. Even so, those of the older generation in the Emperor Realm are no strangers to that Ancient Exotic Artifact. I am fairly certain that the iron wok in that girl’s possession is Unlimited Return!”
A strange look flashed in Yang Kai’s eyes, “In other words, Senior Iron Blood is Yun’er’s Master?”
“Yes, the possibility is very high!” Li Jiao nodded affirmatively, “Senior Iron Blood rarely shows himself, so very few people know him. Nevertheless, his cultivation route is very similar to that girl’s, primarily focused on physical techniques and body tempering.”
“En,” Yang Kai thought about it for a while before he continued, “What you say makes sense.”
[Yun’er’s Master is Iron Blood Great Emperor…] That was completely unexpected. It would seem that Yang Yan had taken Yun’er away with her back then so that she could entrust the little girl to Iron Blood Great Emperor. It also made sense for Yun’er’s cultivation to increase so quickly if she was taught by a Great Emperor directly. Rather, it would be much weirder if her cultivation failed to progress quickly under Iron Blood Great Emperor’s guidance considering her own inherent ability and her Tyrant Strength Body.
Yang Kai suddenly thought of something else. Prior to the battle between Heaven Devourer and Bustling World Great Emperor back in the Shattered Star Sea, Duan Hong Chen once casually mentioned that Iron Blood had taken in a good Disciple. Thinking back on it now, it seemed that the good Disciple mentioned back then was referring to Lin Yun’er.
Yang Kai felt happy for the little girl. She had found herself a good Master. With a Great Emperor backing her, who would dare to provoke her? Besides, judging from the words transmitted by Iron Blood Great Emperor just now, it would seem that she was also very important to her Master. It could even be said that he doted on and spoiled her, so much so that it led to some prejudice against Yang Kai.
At that thought, Yang Kai rubbed his nose and couldn’t help feeling rather wronged.
Meanwhile, Li Jiao was sweating profusely by the side. He swallowed nervously and asked fearfully, “Was Senior Iron Blood… following us?”
“Probably,” Yang Kai replied casually.
Li Jiao sweated even more profusely, feeling extremely anxious and guilty. Back when Yang Kai and Lin Yun’er had been trapped within the Formation at Wind and Cloud Pavilion, he had slacked in his battle with Hua Xing until the two of them broke out of the Formation. Only then did he go all out. Even if his act could fool the disciples of Wind and Cloud Pavilion, it certainly could not fool a Great Emperor.
Luckily, the Great Emperor seemed to disdain acting against him for such a petty display; otherwise, he would not have returned alive. The horror of narrowly avoiding the gates of Hell left Li Jiao feeling extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden and he declared, “Palace Master Yang, I should be going now since this matter has been settled. This trip has taken quite a long while and I’m worried about how my Sect is doing, so I would like to go back quickly. May…”
“Go ahead,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively.
“Then, I will take my leave!” Li Jiao reacted as if his dreams had come true and he hurriedly fled outside while secretly making a vow in his heart, [I have to watch out for fire, thieves, and Yang Kai! Regardless of the circumstances, I will never go on another trip with Palace Master Yang again! It’s too frightening!]
[Iron Blood Great Emperor! I can’t believe that Yun’er’s Master turned out to be Iron Blood Great Emperor!] Yang Kai stood in place, lost in his thoughts for a long time. Then, he suddenly smiled. Despite feeling slightly regretful over failing to bring Lin Yun’er back, there would always be another chance for them to meet in the future. Now that she had a good Master taking care of her, her path towards the future would never be as thorny and difficult as his.
At that time, Hua Qing Si flew over and smiled at him as she called out from a distance, “Palace Master, you’re back!”
She had rushed over immediately as soon as she received the news while Bian Yu Qing had tagged along too.
Upon landing close by, Bian Yu Qing became rather cautious and cupped her fists respectfully, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
If not for Yang Kai’s help back at Spirit Lake Palace, she might not have had the chance to reach the Emperor Realm. Many things had changed with time. The little brat from back then was now her Palace Master. Moreover, he had provided her with shelter and a paradise to cultivate in. Thus, she couldn’t help feeling slightly embarrassed. Still, she had adapted to her new circumstances very well and was extremely grateful. She had assimilated quite well into High Heaven Palace and gotten very close with Hua Qing Si recently. They were practically like sisters now.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and looking at Hua Qing Si, he said, “Long time no see, Sister Hua. You’ve gotten more beautiful again.”
Hua Qing Si glared at him, but the joy sparkling in her eyes could not be concealed, “You are a Palace Master now so you should speak with some propriety. What would somebody who doesn’t know the full story think if they heard you?”
“I was only speaking the truth,” turning to look at Bian Yu Qing, Yang Kai asked, “How do you like living here so far?”
Bian Yu Qing hurriedly replied, “Thank you for your concern, Palace Master. I am very grateful to you for giving me a place to settle down.”
He gestured dismissively, “You became part of High Heaven Palace the moment you entered High Heaven Palace. You don’t need to be so stiff. This place will be your home from now on.”
Bian Yu Qing fell silent for a moment and smiled.
Then, Hua Qing Si added, “Palace Master, Junior Sister Qing helped out with many things within the palace while you were gone. In fact, regarding the management of a Sect, she is more experienced than I am; therefore, I was thinking of making her the Vice-Manager of High Heaven Palace. It’s just that I have not had the chance to inform you about it.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded, “Then, Protector Bian will be the Vice-Manager from now on.”
He instantly made the decision and with that, Bian Yu Qing’s position as Vice-Manager was confirmed.
Although Bian Yu Qing came from a small Sect and her foundation wasn’t as strong as Hua Qing Si’s, she was still a Protector of her previous force. When the Sect Master of Blue Feather Sect, Wu Meng Chuan, had been imprisoned, she and three other Protectors had stepped forward and managed the Sect. Naturally, they accumulated a lot of experience from that incident.
Hua Qing Si honestly learned a lot during the time she had spent with Bian Yu Qing. High Heaven Palace did not have many members at the moment since most of them were actually disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, but even so, its background was deep and profound, so it was only a matter of time before it became one of the top Sects in the Star Boundary. When that happened, the disciples of the Sect might number tens of thousands. It would definitely require somebody to manage them, and although Hua Qing Si was doing well enough right now, things would only become increasingly difficult in the future.
Bian Yu Qing uttered with trepidation, “Palace Master, I didn’t help out that much! Entering High Heaven Palace has been the greatest stroke of fortune of my life. I will live as a member of High Heaven Palace and die as a member of High Heaven Palace and do everything in my ability to help should the Sect ever require it, but I am not worthy to accept the position of Vice-Manager!”
This wasn’t false humility on Bian Yu Qing’s behalf, it was simply the truth. When she first came to High Heaven Palace, she had not thought too deeply about it and simply felt that it would be a good place to live. Putting aside the fact that she owed Yang Kai a huge favour, the conditions of this land were incomparably better than those of Blue Feather Sect, so cultivating in this place was something any cultivator would yearn for.
As time passed though, Bian Yu Qing gradually learned more about High Heaven Palace’s depths and it was then that she realized she had completely underestimated this small Sect.
Three Monster Kings were guarding this place and each of them could rival a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master in strength. Meanwhile, the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor served as Chief Alchemist of High Heaven Palace. Additionally, the Sect had an Emperor Rank Array Master, an Emperor Rank Artifact Refiner, as well as the Heavenly Tone Palace and the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld…
That wasn’t all. Yang Kai had a close relationship with Ice Heart Valley, a top Sect in the Northern Territory, one that was akin to the bonds of family. Likewise, the other two top Sects, Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect, owed a huge debt to High Heaven Palace.
On top of that, the Sect had a Cross-Territory Space Array linked directly to the Southern Territory, where it had a close partnership with the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, the annual income of the Sect was several times that of other top Sects.
Rumours even had it that Yang Kai had an ambiguous relationship with a member of the Dragon Clan…
It was hard to imagine that such an impressive heritage belonged to a Sect that had only been established recently. Furthermore, Yang Kai was the one to lay down such a foundation himself.
The more she learned about the Sect, the more frightened she became, so how could she take on the role of Vice-Manager? Not to mention she had just broken through to the Emperor Realm, only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would be qualified to take on such a role.
Hence, the moment she heard that Yang Kai wanted her to take on the position of Vice-Manager, she quickly refused. She simply lacked the confidence to fulfil this role.
Hua Qing Si knew what Bian Yu Qing was worrying about though and simply smiled, “We don’t base our positions in the Sect on our cultivation. We only look at who is most competent. Besides, the Palace Master himself is just an arm-flinging shopkeeper. I know how skilful you are, so you can’t turn down the position as Vice-Manager.”
Bian Yu Qing was about to speak again when Yang Kai waved her off, “This matter is settled.”
Then, he turned to look at Hua Qing Si, “Is Zhu Qing back?”
Hua Qing Si shook her head, “No. Didn’t she go to the Frozen Earth?”
Although Yang Kai had returned for a short time the other day, he had left again in a hurry; therefore, Hua Qing Si was completely unaware that he had also gone to the Frozen Earth and experienced so many things there as a result.
Yang Kai frowned upon hearing her reply. He had spent a lot of time in the Western Territory; making his way to Wind and Cloud Pavilion with Lin Yun’er had taken some time after all. Based on his calculations, Zhu Qing should have returned by now, and yet, Hua Qing Si had not seen her around… [Could it be that she was delayed en route?]
That possibility seemed likely after considering it. Hence, he did not inquire further into the matter. In his opinion, Zhu Qing would definitely return to High Heaven Palace once she left the Western Territory. She would, at the very least, come back to check on his situation since they now shared an intimate relationship with each other.
Yang Kai decided to wait for her. Who knows? She might turn up within the next few days.
“Palace Master, did something happen?” Hua Qing Si keenly noticed the strange expression on his face.
“It’s nothing.” He shook his head.
“How long will you be staying here this time, Palace Master?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Would you like to call everyone over to hold a meeting?”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded. He also felt that he was being too much of an absentee landlord and since it was a rare occasion for him to be back, he ought to bond with everybody else too.
A short while later, a number of figures appeared in the Main Conference Hall of High Heaven Palace, one after another.
Yang Kai sat at the head of the hall. To the left of him was Ji Ying, an Emperor Alchemist. His strength wasn’t the highest here, but his status was special. He was the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, which made his position far higher than others. Naturally, there were no objections to him sitting in that position.
On Yang Kai’s right sat Xi Lei, a Monster King. The three Monster King’s cultivations were almost on par, but his true strength was greater than the other two. He was ranked very high among the Thirty-Two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands.
Further down were Ying Fei, Xie Wu Wei, Emperor Array Master Nanmen Da Jun, and Emperor Artifact Refiner Hou Yu. Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing, the Head Manager and Vice-Manager respectively, sat opposite Yang Kai.
A total of nine Emperor Realm Masters were gathered inside the main hall, among which three were Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. Such a lineup was simply luxurious. The number of Emperor Realm Masters might lose to other top Sects, but no top Sect could compare in terms of quality.
Chi Yue and others were not present. According to Hua Qing Si, they had been training within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld recently. The distortion of time and space within the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld was special and something irreplaceable for rapid growth.
Everyone knew of the power of the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld and recognized it as a key component of the foundation for the future of High Heaven Palace.
Gathering everybody here wasn’t to discuss anything important. Although High Heaven Palace occupied a massive piece of land, it currently had few members so it was only natural that there were few issues too. Thus, there was no need for Yang Kai to ask about anything in particular.
Ji Ying had been immersed in Alchemy during this period. Yang Kai had given him countless Spirit Herbs, most of which came from the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory. Many of the spirit medicines among them were things that Ji Ying had only heard about but had never seen before. Consequently, many Emperor Grade Spirit Pills had been accumulated in recent days, enough to splurge for a while.
On the other hand, Nanmen Da Jun had just finished arranging a new set of Spirit Arrays across the entire High Heaven Palace. He also finished refining the Mountains and Rivers Projection of High Heaven Palace. As soon as the Mountains and Rivers Projection was activated, the entire situation within High Heaven Palace could be seen at a glance. Hence, he had nothing much to do recently.
Only Hou Yu was busy all day long. Since she was a rebellious spirit, she constantly tried to escape every few days. It was a pity that the three Monster Kings took turns to watch over her; thus, she had no hope of fleeing at all. It caused the resentment she held towards the Monster Kings to deepen.
They chatted for a bit before everybody dispersed a short while later.
Yang Kai returned to High Heaven Peak and emptied out his mind for some time. Then, he waved his hand and countless High-Rank Source Crystals filled the room. In the first place, High Heaven Peak was the best Spirit Peak in High Heaven Palace with the densest World Energy. With so many High-Rank Source Crystals in the room, the density of the World Energy was elevated to a whole other level. The World Energy in the room practically began to form mists and was about to condense into a solid substance.
Yang Kai felt incredibly comfortable being enveloped in such dense World Energy. It felt as if his very pores were expanding.
He prepared to cultivate seriously. Ever since he broke through to the Emperor Realm in Shattered Star Sea, his cultivation had been steadily increasing; however, there were no signs of the next breakthrough even though a long time had passed since then.
He always felt as though his next breakthrough was imminent. Unfortunately, there was always something missing at the critical moment that he simply couldn’t identify.
With all of the recent outings he had been on, Yang Kai had not had the time to cultivate in retreat for any appreciable amount of time. For that reason, he wanted to quickly break through to the next realm now that he finally received a rare period of calm.
At present, he was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master and if he used everything at his disposal, he could stand against a Third-Order Emperor. If he was lucky, he might even be able to kill such an opponent. Even so, that was not enough. The higher his cultivation became, the higher the cultivation of enemies he faced rose. It made Yang Kai more aware of his shortcomings.
The Emperor Realm was not the pinnacle of cultivation. There still existed the Great Emperor Realm above the Emperor Realm! And, Yang Kai’s goal was to become a Great Emperor!
Ever since his trip to the Shattered Star Sea, his various experiences had been considerably rich and colourful, especially the years he spent inside the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld. It was simply an opportunity that not just anybody could encounter. It stood to reason that that experience itself should have been enough for him to break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm, but for some reason, he just couldn’t overcome that last barrier. Therefore, he felt that he needed to work harder so that he could climb to even higher heights in one go.
Inside the room, Yang Kai sat cross-legged and circulated his Secret Arts, causing the rich surrounding World Energy to immediately rush towards him like a river flowing into the sea. It was then absorbed into his pores and distributed through the meridians in his body.
Gradually, the room where Yang Kai sat turned into a vortex that swallowed everything around it. It guided the World Energy that surged towards him from the surroundings before vanishing without a trace.
His cultivation slowly climbed, becoming stronger and stronger. Little by little, signs of a breakthrough appeared. The aura in his body fluctuated, his meridians expanded, and his body trembled.
Yang Kai steadied his mind to prevent external influences from interfering and his expression turned indifferent, neither happy nor sad. His aura simultaneously grew stronger and stronger as time went on.
The shackles of the First-Order Emperor Realm felt like a mountain that was lying directly in his path, with the beautiful scenery in the surroundings and the obstacles along the road to achieving a breakthrough. If Yang Kai were to become distracted by the scenery and stop, his Martial Dao would end then and there. On the other hand, the fierce winds, the thunder, and the lightning at the top of the mountain were the challenges hindering his growth. Many cultivators had stopped in front of these hurdles, leading to a lifetime of regret. Even if they thumped their chest in sorrow later, they would no longer have another chance to try again.
Yang Kai meandered up the winding mountain path without stopping, ignoring all distractions around him. The fierce winds, lightning, and thunder could not stop him at all. He only had one thought lingering in his mind. He wanted to overcome the mountain in front of him and stand at a higher place, overlooking the vast numbers of living beings beneath him.
He did not know how long had passed before a slight change abruptly came over his calm expression. His eyebrows furrowed together slightly. Following that, the changes became more and more obvious.
Finally, he coughed out a mouthful of blood while at the same time, the aura in him that had climbed to its limits suddenly wilted like a dying flower.
If the path to breakthrough was compared to climbing a mountain, then what just happened was equivalent to him rolling down from the top of the mountain. His goal was right before him; all he needed was one more push to overcome all that stood in his way; however, he failed to take the last step. Not only did he fall short of his goal and tumble down the cliff, he also suffered a slight injury from the agitation of his aura.
Yang Kai’s complexion was rather unsightly. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the Source Crystals around him, of which nearly eighty percent had been used up. He reached up with his hand and wiped away the blood at the corners of his mouth before taking out several Emperor Grade Pills and stuffing them into his mouth.
With a wave of his hand, the room was immediately filled with countless High-Rank Source Crystals.
[Again!]
This time around, Yang Kai proceeded even more cautiously than before. In the Emperor Realm, each breakthrough to the next Minor Realm was very difficult and represented a significant increase in strength. Unfortunately, Yang Kai was stuck at the peak of the First-Order Emperor Realm. The threshold of the Second-Order was right at his fingertips, but he kept falling short for some reason. Therefore, he could not take this resentment lying down.
First, he took some time to recover from his wounds and steady his condition. Once all his preparations were complete, he began trying to break through again. The World Energy churned again under his influence while at the same time, the Source Crystals inside the room began to turn into mist and pour into his body.
His aura climbed steadily. It wasn’t fast, but it was a constant increase. In less than half a day, his First-Order Emperor Realm aura began to climb to the peak again. He swiftly used several Secret Techniques to guide the strength in his body to challenge that layer of shackles again.
*Hong…*
A shock reverberated in his soul again and his vision blurred, causing him to feel dizzy. Unable to restrain the sweetness rising in his throat, he spat out another mouthful of blood and his aura deflated once more.
[I was so close!] A flash of determination flitted across his expression as he internally shouted, [Again!]
Ever since Yang Kai began his journey on the Martial Dao, his experience could be described as filled with wonders and tribulations. How many times had he narrowly escaped death? How many times had he created miracles? Compared to everything he faced in the past, what was this small obstacle? He refused to believe that he couldn’t even break through the barrier of the First-Order Emperor Realm.
Another day later, Yang Kai grunted as blood trickled out the corner of his mouth. When he opened his eyes, a sharp light flashed through them. [I was almost there! Again! Just a little more!]
The stubbornness in his bones had been completely triggered. There was a fierce determination burning in his heart as Yang Kai tried again and again, only to fail each time.
[There will always be a chance of success as long as I don’t die!]
…..
Yang Kai did not know how many days passed, but during this time, he challenged his limits again and again only to fail again and again, finally forcing him to accept reality. His cultivation had reached a bottleneck!
After realizing this, Yang Kai took several deep breaths and calmed the surging vitality in his chest. He stopped trying to break through to the next realm and simply sat there cross-legged. He was motionless and expressionless; there was no joy, anger, or sorrow.
Along his journey, he had gone through all kinds of dangers and nearly lost his life countless times; however, this was his first time experiencing something like this. Basically, every breakthrough he went through was a matter of course, occurring naturally and freely when he accumulated enough experience and energy. This was the first time he had ever encountered a bottleneck.
[It feels like I was so, so close. It’s like there’s a thin film blocking me from prying deeper into the mysteries of the Martial Dao. It feels like I can reach out and break it with a touch, but it just won’t break!]
These kinds of situations could not be solved through brute force and determination alone. He had tried several dozen times, so if he could have pushed through with will alone, he would have already.
[Is this the Emperor Realm? The obstacles are truly much harder to overcome than previous realms.] Yang Kai believed that it had something to do with the smoothness of his cultivation up until now. He had never encountered a bottleneck during a breakthrough before; hence, he had never known this helpless feeling either. Over time, this common obstacle finally showed itself in the Emperor Realm. It also gave Yang Kai a taste of what an ordinary cultivator felt like.
The Heavens were truly fair, and the joy of success could only be tasted after experiencing setbacks. Besides, only after experiencing such setbacks could the road of cultivation be considered complete.
Yang Kai was not discouraged. Rather, he considered himself lucky. It was fortunate that the bottleneck had appeared in the First-Order Emperor Realm. Although it seemed difficult to overcome right now, it did not mean that there was no hope. If it had occurred in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, it would have been much more troublesome than this.
After understanding this point, his emotions calmed as he knew that as long as he could overcome this obstacle, his journey on the Martial Dao in the future would be smoother than before.
Yang Kai waved his hand and put away all the remaining Source Crystals in the room before getting up and going outside. Since effort was not enough for him to break through, then it wasn’t a question of effort anymore. It was simply that his opportunity had yet to arrive and he could not force it.
When he pushed open the door, the black puppy lifted its head and looked up at him. Yang Kai did not know how many days the black puppy had been waiting here; however, nothing seemed to have changed with it at all. When it saw him walking out, it simply glanced at him before closing its eyes again and continuing its nap.
Yang Kai used his leg to nudge at it, but it seemed intent on playing dead. Chuckling, his figure flickered and disappeared instantly. When he reappeared again, he had arrived at a different mountain peak.
A loud trio of voices then reached his ears, “Big! Big! Big!”
“Big! Big! Big!”
Yang Kai swept his glance in that direction and saw the three Monster Kings yelling so hard that their faces were flushed. They were staring intently at a dice cup that was being held in Hou Yu’s hands with all her might. A rattling sound came from inside the dice cup. It wasn’t just crisp and pleasant, it was also refreshing and calming. The shaking of the dice cup was accompanied by the rippling of the air which spread out to the surroundings.
Hou Yu, the Chief Emperor Artifact Refiner of High Heaven Palace and the ‘Monkey Grandmaster’ famous throughout Star Boundary, had rolled up her sleeves to reveal her fair and tender arms. She had one foot on a wooden stool, her long skirt fluttering to reveal her calves. It was an extremely indecent posture.
Nevertheless, she ignored her lack of elegance as her beautiful eyes were staring fixedly at the three Monster Kings in front of her. Meanwhile, her hands moved faster and faster, a triumphant expression on her face.
None of them noticed Yang Kai’s arrival as all their attention was fixed on the dice cup, causing his expression to darken with rage.
Yang Kai was well aware of Hou Yu’s gambling addiction. Back then, she incurred a huge debt of Source Crystals because of this vice. In the end, she was cornered on an island, relying on the Spirit Array Nanmen Da Jun had arranged for her years ago to avoid being tracked down. This continued until Yang Kai had rescued her out of there. Otherwise, she would still be stuck on the island right now.
He had recruited her into High Heaven Palace because of her skills as an Emperor Artifact Refiner, and in regards to that particular aspect, she had not disappointed him. She had easily refined the Flowing Clouds Shuttle for him.
Not a day went by since Hou Yu entered High Heaven Palace that she did not wish to escape though. Unfortunately, there were three Monster Kings taking turns guarding her, so how could she hope to escape? Oftentimes, she was captured before she could even leave the gates of High Heaven Palace.
But now, it seemed like this woman was a terrible influence. Who did these three Monster Kings think they were? How could they be dragged into gambling with her!?
Looking at how they were behaving, it was clear that they were extremely into it as well; thus, Yang Kai suddenly became a little worried for High Heaven Palace. It felt like the Sect’s future was becoming uncertain.
[Was it the right choice to recruit Hou Yu?] He glanced at the dice cup again, and his expression darkened further. [That damn thing is an Emperor Artifact! What’s more; it’s an Emperor Rank Artifact that can prevent Divine Sense probing!]
Thinking about it though, it made sense. The Monster Kings were all very powerful so what could they gamble on if she could not prevent them from seeing the results beforehand with their Divine Senses?
“Place your bets!” Hou Yu shook the dice cup for a long time before slapping the dice cup down on the stone table in front of her. She had a sneer on her face as she glanced over at the three Monster Kings. Her posture was full of confidence, as if she was undefeated in this world.
“Open it! Hurry up!” Xi Lei urged.
“Xiao Hou, you better refine my Eagle Claw carefully if you lose!” Ying Fei smiled.
“Me? Lose? How can I lose? You must be joking!” Hou Yu sneered.
Xie Wu Wei added, “Don’t forget about me!”
She snorted, “Don’t worry. Just leave your Crab Shell to me if I actually lose.”
“Good good, quickly open it!”
“Are you sure?!”
“We’re sure!”
“Then look carefully!” Hou Yu’s eyes flashed madly as she lifted the cup and revealed three carefully crafted dice.
Upon looking at the dice, the three Monster Kings smiled widely. On the other hand, Hou Yu’s expression changed. She looked like she had a layer of frost on her face, like her parents had just died.
“Xiao Hou, don’t forget about your promise!” Xi Lei grinned.
Hou Yu turned her head away with a furious expression. She was just about to say something when her expression changed in an instant to the most forced smile possible as she stuttered, “P-P-Palace Master, you came! Why didn’t you say something?”
After Hou Yu said that, the three Monster Kings finally noticed Yang Kai’s presence and hurriedly cupped their fists and saluted him, looking extremely embarrassed.
Ying Fei nimbly and swiftly put the dice cup and the dice on the stone table away.
All three Monster Kings and one Emperor Artifact Refiner were not doing their jobs properly. Instead, they had gathered here to gamble and were caught red-handed by Yang Kai. It truly was too outrageous.
“En, I sensed that you were all here, so I came to see what was happening,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly.
Xi Lei hurriedly asked, “Young Master Yang, do you have any instructions for us?”
“Nope!” Yang Kai did not mention anything about their gambling as he reached out his hand and captured Hou Yu who was trying to sneak away.
“Palace Master… I won’t do it again…” Hou Yu was being held like a chicken in Yang Kai’s hand. Hence, she forced an ingratiating smile on her face, “Please forgive me just this once. I will go back to Artifact Refining immediately. Didn’t you bring back many precious materials for me recently? Don’t worry; you can leave it all to me.”
Yang Kai released her and asked, “What do you do when you encounter a bottleneck in your cultivation and cannot break through?”
“Huh?”
“A bottleneck?”
“What bottleneck?”
The three Monster Kings stared at Yang Kai in puzzlement. They had not expected him to ask such an off-topic question out of the blue.
Ying Fei replied, “We never encounter bottlenecks.”
Yang Kai stared at Ying Fei in surprise, “Not even once?”
Xi Lei chuckled, “Young Master Yang, we of the Monster Race are dependent on our bloodline and our Sources. We are different from Humans. Our bloodline and our Sources basically determine the height we can achieve in our lives. Of course, there are some outliers and unexpected opportunities, but generally speaking, those from the Monster Race do not experience bottlenecks in their cultivation.”
“Indeed,” Xie Wu Wei nodded in agreement, “The cultivation of those of the Monster Race are basically based on our innate talent. It’s different from the Secret Arts cultivated by Humans, so the term ‘bottleneck’ doesn’t hold any meaning for us.”
“Right, I forgot that part about the Monster Race!” Yang Kai nodded before glancing at Hou Yu, “What about you?”
“Me?” Hou Yu had yet to recover from her panic and fear, so when she saw Yang Kai focusing on her, she smiled in embarrassment, “Palace Master, I am an Artifact Refiner so I don’t pay much attention to my cultivation. I don’t even know how I managed to become an Emperor Realm Master… So, this question of yours… is a little out of my realm of expertise…”
“So, you’ve never encountered a bottleneck before?” He glanced at her incredulously.
“No, I have, I think…” she dived into her memories for a moment before nodding, “En, I did.”
“How did you break through?”
“I just waited, I guess. I practised Artifact Refining or gambled… When the time was right, I naturally broke through to the next realm.”
Yang Kai groaned in response before nodding lightly.
“Young Master Yang…” Ying Fei looked at Yang Kai and hesitated.
“It’s nothing. You can continue,” Yang Kai smiled before he flickered and instantly disappeared out of sight. Just like how he had appeared silently, he left without a trace either.
“Did Young Master Yang encounter a bottleneck in his cultivation?” Xi Lei murmured thoughtfully.
“Probably,” Xie Wu Wei nodded, “I heard that he has been cultivating in retreat over the past few days, but his cultivation remains unchanged, so it might be true that he has encountered a bottleneck.”
Ying Fei remarked, “Humans have Secret Arts and Secret Techniques to help in their cultivation so their strength generally increases much faster than we of the Monster Race; however, they might not be able to move forward if they encounter a bottleneck that is very difficult for them to break through. I hope Young Master Yang will not be stuck in the First-Order Emperor Realm.”
Xi Lei added, “He is still young. It’s not a big deal for him to encounter a bottleneck. Besides, who doesn’t suffer from setbacks in life? With Young Master Yang’s talent and fortitude, he would surely make it through this ordeal.”
“Hopefully.”
“Are we still gambling?” Hou Yu glanced at the three Monster Kings pitifully, clearly itching to continue.
Xi Lei glanced sideways at her and asked, “What else do you have that you can afford to bet?”
Hou Yu considered it for a moment but found that she had no answer to that statement.
…..
Medicine Pill Peak was one of the Main Peaks of High Heaven Palace. Both the landscape and the World Energy were not inferior to that of High Heaven Peak. It was also the place where Ji Ying, the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and the Chief Alchemist of High Heaven Palace, lived.
Yang Kai heard a gentle voice when he arrived. It sounded like somebody was preaching the Alchemic Dao. Glancing over, he saw a person who was speaking eloquently and passionately while sitting cross-legged at the top of the peak. In front of that person sat more than ten cultivators of different realms. They were listening attentively with pensive expressions.
These cultivators were disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect who were interested in learning the Alchemic Dao and who had come here to study the craft from a true Master. It was too bad that Ji Ying’s status as one of the few Emperor Alchemists in the Star Boundary made it impossible for him to teach them. Even if he had the heart to do so, chances were they wouldn’t understand what he meant.
At this moment, the person giving the lecture was a disciple of Ji Ying. Yang Kai greeted him, knowing that he was a Dao Source Grade Alchemist with a solid foundation.
“Brother Yang, you’re here! Please come in quickly!” Ji Ying’s voice suddenly sounded in Yang Kai’s ears. It was obvious that he had noticed Yang Kai’s presence.
Yang Kai smiled slightly and walked into a large hall that was filled with heat waves from a Pill Fire that was burning brightly. Ji Ying was standing next to an Alchemy Furnace that stood in the middle of the hall with a smile on his face. When he saw Yang Kai approaching, he cheerfully exclaimed, “Brother Yang, you came at just the right time! I was looking for you recently, but Manager Hua told me that you were cultivating in retreat and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Do you need something from me, Brother Ji?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“It’s like this. I’m preparing to refine the Nine Heavens Good Fortune Pill, but there are some obscure elements regarding the condensing of the medicinal liquid and the engraving of the pill arrays, and I wanted to ask you for some advice.”
“The Nine Heavens Good Fortune Pill?!” Yang Kai was surprised to hear what Ji Ying said. Needless to say, he knew of this Emperor Grade Pill. It was one of the most difficult Spirit Pills to refine, and even if an Emperor Alchemist went all out, they might not succeed. Although Ji Ying was the Fifth Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, he was obviously not on the same level as his Master; thus, he was not certain he would succeed in refining such a difficult Spirit Pill. Yang Kai was the only person he could discuss such topics with in the entire High Heaven Palace.
“I don’t dare to give advice, but I happen to have some time on my hands. Why don’t we study the problem together?” Yang Kai said modestly.
“I was hoping for that. With your help, Brother Yang, refining this Spirit Pill shouldn’t be a problem,” Ji Ying was overjoyed.
Three days later, Yang Kai walked out of Medicine Pill Peak looking tired, but his eyes were extremely bright.
As he walked off, his expression suddenly changed into a wry smile. [I came here to ask Ji Ying about the way to overcome a bottleneck in cultivation but instead got dragged into studying the refinement process of the Nine Heavens Good Fortune Pill. I can’t believe I even forgot about what I wanted to ask…]
Ji Ying had already started the Alchemy process, so it wasn’t convenient to bother him at this point. Besides, he might not have an answer even if he was asked about this matter. Ji Ying’s situation was similar to that of Hou Yu’s after all, where his focus was not his realm, but the Alchemic Dao. Neither of these two probably thought much of it even if they did encounter a bottleneck during their cultivation, so they would not have much experience in this area.
Sighing, Yang Kai raised his gaze and looked around. [Even though High Heaven Palace is so large, I don’t have anybody I can talk to.]
At that moment, several beautiful figures flashed across his mind and a wave of loneliness washed over him.
A long while later, he stepped forward and vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he had already arrived at the Space Array.
“Greetings, Palace Master!” The disciples guarding the Array quickly saluted him.
He nodded in acknowledgement before stepping onto the platform.
One of the disciples asked, “Palace Master, are you going out? When will you be back? The Head Manager might ask about this.”
“I’m going to Ice Heart Valley,” Yang Kai answered before pushing his Space Principles, after which a bright light instantly wrapped around him.
Yang Kai’s figure appeared at Ice Heart Valley’s Restricted Area, the Ice Lake, in the next moment. As soon as he appeared, a feminine voice rang out, “Are you from High Heaven Palace?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai replied.
This Array was only connected to Ice Heart Valley and High Heaven Palace, making it quite easy to travel between the two places. Therefore, only the people of High Heaven Palace could use the Array to teleport here. Even so, the disciples of Ice Heart Valley guarding the Array had to verify this fact upon seeing the Array being activated.
After confirming that it was somebody from High Heaven Palace, the disciple stepped forward, but when she saw his face, she blurted out, “P-P-Palace Master Yang?!”
Yang Kai looked at her but did not recognize her. She was a young girl with a babyface. Although she looked only eighteen or nineteen years old, her cultivation was in the First-Order Dao Source Realm so she was clearly older than that.
At this moment, the young woman looked very surprised and her beautiful eyes flashed with a strange brilliance, almost as if she was welcoming home a long lost family member.
“Do you know me?” Yang Kai cocked his head to the side and asked.
The young woman explained excitedly, “Everybody in Ice Heart Valley knows you!”
Her response made Yang Kai sweat slightly, but thinking about it, it wasn’t that surprising; after all, when Ice Heart Valley was besieged by Seeking Passion Sect, he had brought the Monster Kings here and turned the tide of the battle. Many Ice Heart Valley’s disciples had seen him in that battle, and even if they did not witness it themselves, they would still hear some information about it from their fellow disciples.
“Palace Master Yang, did you come to speak to Ancestral Founder? Or, did you come to find… Martial Aunt Ji Yao?” Everyone in Ice Heart Valley knew that Yang Kai and Ji Yao had a close relationship; moreover, the only reason their missing Third Martial Aunt was able to return to the Sect was that Yang Kai had brought her back. It was rumoured that she had experienced a lot of hardship outside the Sect over the years.
“I’m here to meet Senior Bing Yun,” Yang Kai said politely.
“I’ll relay your request then!” The disciple hurriedly took out her communication artifact and poured some Divine Sense into it. A moment later, she beckoned, “Palace Master Yang, please follow me.”
“Many thanks!”
While following this disciple, Yang Kai encountered many Ice Heart Valley’s disciples along the way. Their cold yet alluring nature was simply beautiful. Indeed, it was as this young woman guiding him had mentioned, all the Ice Heart Valley’s disciples recognized him. Most of them bowed deeply at the sight of him while others gathered from afar to point at him and murmur among themselves. Yang Kai did not know what they were saying, but from the way they were acting it was obvious they weren’t making malicious remarks.
Ice Heart Valley was a female-only Sect. Only women could be found here and men were basically not allowed to set foot in this place. That was to say, only Yang Kai would receive such courteous treatment in this place. If it had been any other man, they would have been cut into ten thousand pieces a long time ago.
The scenery in the valley was stunning, and the World Energy was dense. Combined with the countless beauties around, any man would wish to linger in this place.
The female disciple leading the way seemed to be very proud of the fact that she was the one escorting Yang Kai and occasionally chatted with him along the way, arousing the envy of many within the Sect.
After a short walk, they came to a great palace where that female disciple stopped walking and said, “Palace Master Yang, please go inside. Ancestral Founder is waiting for you.”
“Many thanks!”
The female disciple hurriedly waved her hand in dismissal, “Palace Master Yang, please don’t be so formal with me. It was not trouble for me at all.”
As Yang Kai stepped forward, a beautiful figure suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his way.
He looked up and a cold yet beautiful face entered his vision. The graceful figure was slender, and her white skirt fluttered in the wind. She looked like an immortal fairy that had descended into the mortal world. A refreshing fragrance wafted into his nose, clearly this woman’s natural scent, and a very pleasing one at that.
“Junior Sister Yao, it’s been a while. I trust that you’ve been well since we last met!” Yang Kai smiled at her lightly.
Ji Yao nodded lightly, sweeping her eyes over him before parting her red lips to utter a sentence that nearly made him spit blood in response, “I see you are still alive, Senior Brother.”
“Haha…” The corners of his mouth twitched, “Many thanks for your concern, Junior Sister. I’m doing well.”
“Where have you been all this time?” She asked.
“Just wandering around,” he replied offhandedly, feeling guilty for some reason.
Speaking of which, he had barely met with Ji Yao after he annihilated Seeking Passion Sect as he had been busy running around all this time; however, Hua Qing Si would always mention that Ji Yao was looking for him during his rare trips back to High Heaven Palace. Each time he had remained in High Heaven Palace for a while after hearing that; unfortunately, he would leave again before he had the opportunity to meet her.
[I believe Hua Qing Si also mentioned that Ji Yao was looking for me again when I returned this time.]
There had been many misunderstandings between him and Ji Yao.
Ji Yao had not been in the right state of mind while wandering about in the Ancient Wild Lands of the Eastern Territory. During that period, she somehow mistakenly identified Yang Kai as Bing Yun. As a result, some embarrassing incidents occurred. Even now, Yang Kai could recall the shocking scene he had witnessed in Luan Feng’s bathing room.
Seeing her at this moment instantly caused that shocking image to pop up in his mind again.
Fortunately, she later regained her senses from the shock of meeting the real Bing Yun. Regardless, Yang Kai still felt somewhat guilty when facing her as he was certain that she remembered those embarrassing incidents as well. Nevertheless, she never mentioned them and he was not foolish enough to mention them either.
Ji Yao looked at him coolly for a moment before the corners of her mouth lifted, “How many flowers have you picked this time?” Then, she actually sniffed the air around him a little and nodded, “Mm, very fragrant.”
Yang Kai felt even more guilty and quickly wiped at the cold sweat on his forehead before he smiled brightly, “Junior Sister, what are you saying…”
While speaking, he snuck a sniff of his aura and thought to himself, [It has been so long, so how could Zhu Qing’s scent possibly still be on me?]
“Is Yang Kai here? Come in if you’ve arrived. Why are you still standing outside?” Bing Yun’s voice suddenly called out from inside the palace.
When he heard Bing Yun’s voice, Yang Kai reacted as if he had received a Heavenly pardon and made some non-committal sounds before hurriedly rushing inside. Meanwhile, Ji Yao gave him a vicious look, one that made him feel as if a knife was stabbing into his back.
Upon entering the room, Yang Kai hastily greeted Bing Yun.
In response, Bing Yun studied him with a smile before nodding to Ji Yao, who had followed him into the room. Shen then gently said to him, “You’re not an outsider. Please, have a seat.”
Yang Kai thanked her graciously before sitting down opposite her.
On the other hand, Ji Yao knelt by the side with an indifferent expression. She took out a tea set and started making preparations without saying anything. Clearly, she was very familiar with the process and it would appear she was also quite skilful at it.
“When did you return?” Bing Yun asked warmly.
“I came back two months ago,” he replied.
Ji Yao’s hands paused slightly in their movements when she heard those words. Lifting her head, she looked in his direction and happened to meet his gaze. He saw the hint of blame in her eyes when their gazes collided in mid-air. She initially thought that he had just returned not long ago but how could she have known he had been back for two months now, yet she had received no word from him?
Yang Kai immediately retracted his gaze and straightened his back somewhat awkwardly.
“Have you been well, Senior?” Yang Kai desperately looked for a topic to fill the silence.
Bing Yun smiled, “En, I’ve been fine.”
That was not a statement made out of politeness, but rather just the plain truth. Ever since Yang Kai helped Ice Heart Valley tide over its crisis, the Sect had been progressing by leaps and bounds. Now that the Sect had a close relationship with High Heaven Palace, who in the entire Northern Territory dared to be discourteous towards them? Ice Heart Valley used to be one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, but Bing Yun had been missing for many years. During that time, the Sect had been managed by Bing Yun’s disciples who, despite being stronger, were not as powerful as their Master. Combined with the fact that they were all women, they were constantly looked down upon or coveted, sometimes both. The so-called title of being one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory was nothing more than a name on paper. If this was not the case, Seeking Passion Sect would not have dared to attack Ice Heart Valley.
However, things were different now. High Heaven Palace had become one of the most prestigious Sects in the Northern Territory, second only to Medicine Pill Valley. Consequently, Ice Heart Valley had also benefited from being connected with High Heaven Palace. Nobody dared to provoke an Ice Heart Valley disciple when she went out anymore.
Bing Yun asked, “I heard that Wondrous Pill Great Emperor invited you to the Medicine Pill Valley. Have you gone yet?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not yet. I’ve been caught up with some trivial matters recently, so I have not had the time to go pay my respects.”
She advised, “The Great Emperor’s invitation should not be neglected. You should head there once you have the time. It will benefit you greatly if you can receive guidance from any Great Emperor.”
“En, you’re right.” Yang Kai nodded.
The two chatted for a bit and a short while later, the tea was ready. Ji Yao poured a cup for each person, and then sat there quietly.
Taking a sip of the tea, Yang Kai praised her, “This tea is delicious. Junior Sister, your tea-making skills are impressive.”
His flattering words did not seem to have any effect as she gave no response whatsoever. Hence, Yang Kai gave a dry cough and continued to drink.
Bing Yun chuckled, “Did you run into trouble?”
Yang Kai was startled before he responded with a wry smile, “Senior certainly has sharp eyes.”
To which she replied with a smile, “You seemed absent-minded, like you were lost in your own thoughts. I’d be blind if I couldn’t even see that.”
Yang Kai gave a faint nod, “I did run into something troublesome.”
Upon hearing those words, Ji Yao looked up at him and stared fixedly. Bing Yun followed up, “If you don’t mind, you may discuss it with me. I might not be able to help you, but I can at least listen.”
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn, “I seem to have encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation.”
“Oh?” She looked at him in surprise.
“I have been cultivating in retreat recently and I can clearly tell that I’m very close to breaking through, but I just can’t seem to grasp that vague opportunity.”
“And?” She asked.
“And that’s what’s been troubling me so,” he sighed helplessly.
Bing Yun failed to stifle her laughter and asked, “Is that all?”
Yang Kai looked speechlessly as he thought, [This is a huge deal to me!]
Seeing his face, Bing Yun laughed once more and tried to give him some sense of comfort, “I don’t know your exact age, but if I were to guess, you don’t seem a day over a hundred.”
He nodded affirmatively, “More or less,” while thinking to himself, [I don’t even remember how old I am anymore…]
Bing Yun then continued, “For most mortals, such an age is indeed close to the end of their lifespan, some might even have passed away already, but for cultivators like us, such an age is just the beginning. You have already reached the First-Order Emperor Realm despite how young you are; moreover, you climbed your way up from a lower Star Field. Just that alone is enough for you to be considered an unparalleled genius.”
“You are praising me too much, Senior.”
She shook her head, “I’m not praising you; it’s simply the truth. Do you know how long it took me to cultivate to the First-Order Emperor Realm?” Before he could answer, she raised a finger and continued, “A thousand years. I cultivated for a whole thousand years! Compared with your achievements, my aptitude for cultivation is insignificant.”
Yang Kai felt ashamed as he muttered, “How can I compare myself with you, Senior.”
Then, she pointed to Ji Yao, “Do you know how long it took for your Junior Sister Yao to reach the Emperor Realm?”
Yang Kai looked at Ji Yao curiously.
Ji Yao raised her hand, picked up the teapot, and poured a cup for Bing Yun while speaking softly, “Master, please have some tea!”
Bing Yun smiled and did not continue with the previous line of conversation. Instead, she focused back on the primary subject, “To be so accomplished at your age… I’m sure you’ve gotten accustomed to a smooth-sailing journey.”
[Did I have a smooth-sailing journey?] He considered it briefly. [It doesn’t feel like everything has been going smoothly for me. Rather, it feels like the journey was very difficult and bumpy.]
“That’s why you feel like it is a serious matter now that you’ve encountered a bottleneck.” Bing Yun smiled, “But in my opinion, this is nothing to be concerned over. Who doesn’t experience a bottleneck or two when cultivating? Who doesn’t encounter setbacks during their growth? A blade gets sharper the more it is honed, the same goes for cultivators. Bottlenecks and setbacks are just tools for polishing yourself…”
“Senior’s words make sense,” Yang Kai nodded.
Bing Yun then narrowed her eyes slightly and abruptly remarked, “Though, that does not really seem to be your main cause of concern. You aren’t worried about the bottleneck you encountered.”
Yang Kai now looked at her in amazement.
She smiled, “You have long understood what I mean, and you also know that you will break through this bottleneck sooner or later. You are worried about something else.”
“What do you mean?” He looked at her strangely.
She continued to smile enigmatically, her piercing gaze seemingly burning a hole into him to the point he felt uncomfortable. Then, all of a sudden, she advised, “Follow what your heart tells you.”
After saying that, she closed her eyes and gestured for him to leave.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed and he pondered in silence for some time before picking up the cup in front of him and downing its contents. Following that, he stood up and bowed, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Bing Yun gave no reply, so he simply turned to Ji Yao and added, “Goodbye, Junior Sister Yao.” He then strode out in large strides.
Ji Yao stared at his back as he left and did not chase after him. She waited until he left before speaking, “Master, what happened to Senior Brother Yang?”
“I don’t know,” Bing Yun shook her head slowly. “But, he must have been hesitating about something. That bottleneck issue is just an excuse for him to avoid that.”
“So, Senior Brother Yang didn’t encounter a bottleneck?”
“The bottleneck is indeed there, and the opportunity for him to break through that bottleneck hasn’t arrived yet, but he understands that such an opportunity will come in due time. However, the other matter he is worrying about isn’t something as easily resolved.”
Ji Yao looked out, wondering what Yang Kai was hesitating over.
Yang Kai stood in Ice Heart Valley, summoned the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, boarded, and disappeared in a flash of light. He did not return to High Heaven Palace through the Space Array because his goal for this trip was not located in the Northern Territory. His goal was in the Eastern Territory; Dragon Island!
Zhu Qing never came back. At first, he assumed that she had been delayed on her way; however, it had been two months since he returned to High Heaven Palace. In other words, she must have returned to Dragon Island.
Yang Kai had been hesitant to go to Dragon Island to find her; but even so, he had been looking forward to Zhu Qing’s return to High Heaven Palace. They were now husband and wife, their relationship inseparable. Unfortunately, there had been no news even after waiting for so long, so it left him feeling rather uncomfortable.
[What are you trying to do? Are you trying to make us into a couple with a short-lived relationship? You can’t just eat your fill then not pay! Just you wait for me, little girl, I’m going to find you, and when I do I’ll spank you hard!] He vowed ruthlessly in his heart. Recalling what she had said to him before, he smiled coldly.
He knew that she had made this choice for his sake; however, he was not convinced that it was the right choice nor could he accept her decision. [I’m a man. I don’t need her protection.]
Yang Kai had been hesitating between waiting for Zhu Qing to come back and going to Dragon Island to find her. At this moment, he finally made his decision.
Fire Dragon Palace, the back of a certain mountain, the scenery was as beautiful and refreshing as a spring day.
Li Jiao was strolling leisurely in a flower garden, feeling at ease. Beside him, a young woman in a fine dress accompanied him on his stroll. Their fingers were tightly intertwined, and they looked very intimate. She gently snuggled against him with a contented smile on her face.
She was dressed in red; her face was like a peach blossom; her skin was fair, tender, and delicate. Her eyes had an unconcealable charm to them, and her gaze was so elegant that it was breathtaking.
The Dragonic Nature was a lustful one, and even though Li Jiao was not a Pureblood of the Dragon Clan, this trait was not absent in him. It gave him an extremely high libido as a result. As such, he had many wives and concubines in Fire Dragon Palace. Despite his numerous wives and concubines though, his favoured consort was undoubtedly Lady Hong, the woman currently standing next to him.
In the past, he would be intimate with Lady Hong whenever he had the free time, and as Lady Hong was well aware that her life’s happiness was tied to Li Jiao, she was dutiful and dedicated herself to pleasing him.
It could be said that none of the other wives and concubines he had could compete with her for his love. It used to be so, and it was even more so right now.
Lady Hong could tell that Li Jiao pampered her even more than before ever since he returned to Fire Dragon Palace two months ago. Even though he had always treated her very well, things had obviously changed a lot recently. He had not separated himself from her for two whole months, leisurely spending each day with her. It indicated just how important she was to him.
She could keenly feel the change in him, but she was wise and did not question him about it; instead, she took the opportunity to completely capture his body and his heart by showing him how gentle and loving she was.
“Palace Master, that flower is so beautiful,” she suddenly pointed to a big red blossom with a loving smile.
“Do you like it?” His tone was extremely gentle as he looked at her with a smile.
“Yes, I love it!” She nodded lightly, acting like a weak and obedient woman.
Smiling, Li Jiao stretched out his hand, plucked the flower, and turned to her.
She glanced at him with joy, lowering her head slightly as she allowed him to insert the flower into her hair. When she looked back up, she turned her head left and right, pursed her lips, and asked with a smile, “Is it pretty?”
Reaching out his hand to pinch her delicate face, Li Jiao couldn’t help but nod, “It looks beautiful, but you look even more beautiful.”
Upon hearing those words, she felt as if her heart was overflowing with sweetness. It made her entire body feel light and fluttery yet she still pretended to sulk and ask, “Palace Master, why do you only know how to tease me?”
[The Palace Master has really changed a lot recently! I wonder what he experienced outside. He treats me even better than before after his return and has become much gentler.] In the past, he would have gone into retreat to cultivate; however, he had not shown any interest in cultivating for the past two months and simply took her out on trips all day long, making the rest of his wives and concubines green with envy and jealousy. They claimed that she had snatched all his favour away.
“Hong’er, I will stay with you like this from now on, okay?” He asked softly, the reflection in his eyes as he looked at her was filled with nothing but her face.
Her tender body trembled, and when their eyes met, hers reddened slightly as she said emotionally, “I can’t keep you for that long, Palace Master. You still need to cultivate.”
“Cultivate? Why bother?” He sneered, “My cultivation journey has come to an end. I will never cultivate again in the future! I’ll spend all my time looking at flowers with you until we grow old together.”
Those words were like sharp swords piercing her heart. She was so moved by them that she couldn’t stop her tears from flowing out.
“Why are you crying?” Lifting his hand, Li Jiao wiped away the string of pearl-like tears on her face and chuckled, “It is said that women are made from water. It seems that saying is true.”
“Palace Master, you are so kind to me. Hong’er is happy,” she gently snuggled in his arms and soon a small patch of wetness appeared on his robes. Li Jiao had been very good to her in the past, but he had never been so sweet before. She immediately felt as though she had entrusted her life to the right person and no longer had any regrets left.
“What is this? We still have a long future ahead of us.” Li Jiao smiled, reaching out to pat her on the back with a gentle and rhythmic motion.
She squirmed in his arms and shyly whimpered, “Palace Master… I want…”
Li Jiao suddenly became energetic when he heard those words, raising his brow as he asked teasingly, “What do you want?”
Lady Hong pouted, hammered her tender fists against his chest, and coyly cried out, “Palace Master, you are so awful!”
Li Jiao roared with laughter, but all of a sudden, his voice caught in his throat and his expression darkened as he whipped his head and shouted, “Who goes there?!”
When he looked over, he saw that an extra person had appeared by the rockery at some point in time. That person crouched there quietly, watching the intimacy between him and Lady Hong with relish.
As soon as he saw that person’s face clearly, Li Jiao felt as if his soul escaped his body from fright and he cried out in a markedly higher pitched voice, “You…”
“Hello!” Yang Kai smiled and raised his hand in greeting, “I haven’t seen you in two months, but you are still the same, Brother Li!”
“Ah!” Lady Hong was startled and quickly jumped out of Li Jiao’s arms. Looking in the direction of the sound, her face turned bright red. [This person must have heard what I said just now!] Thinking back on how indecent she had been, she wished that the ground would open up for her to jump in. Her shame soon turned to anger as she stomped her feet and yelled, “Who are you?! How can you be so discourteous?!”
The words had just left her mouth when Li Jiao pulled her behind him. She had never met Yang Kai before, so she did not know him; however, Li Jiao knew Yang Kai very well.
“Palace Master Yang…” He sounded almost close to tears, “When did you come? You should have said something.”
[If I had to name one person who I never wanted to meet again for the rest of my life, it would definitely be this boy! Even the Dragon Clan cannot compare to this walking ill omen!] This person was practically Li Jiao’s nightmare, as well as his natural enemy!
Anytime he got involved with him, he would definitely suffer. The experience he went through recently was the best proof there was. It was simply an unbearable memory.
“I’ve been here for a while. I apologize for interrupting your fun. Please forgive me!” Yang Kai laughed.
[Apologize for interrupting my fun?! Don’t you feel embarrassed secretly spying on us?!] Li Jiao retorted in his heart. Even so, he did not dare to show anything in his expression and simply stared at Yang Kai cautiously, “Palace Master Yang… Why did you come here?”
“You can continue. I’m not in a hurry. We can talk when you’re done.”
Li Jiao’s expression turned frigid as he cursed to himself, [You completely ruined the atmosphere. What do you mean by continue?!] Then, he resentfully said, “Palace Master Yang, please get straight to the point. I’ll say this first, if you are here to collect your debt, then we have nothing to discuss.”
“I’m not here about the debt. Why do you always assume I’m here about that?” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively before he stood up from the rockery with a serious expression and quickly said, “I just wanted to ask you for a favour, Brother Li!”
*Gudong….*
Li Jiao gulped hard. [Why do those words sound… so horrendously familiar!?]
The last time Yang Kai came to Fire Dragon Palace, he had said something similar. Because of that, Li Jiao was dragged to the Frozen Earth, entered the Revolving World, and wandered about the Western Territory. During that time, he faced countless life-and-death situations and nearly lost his life on multiple occasions. That experience was far too rich and colourful for his taste.
[I’ve lived for so many years and been through all sorts of hardships, but all the hardships I experienced have never been as crazy as one particular trip! And, you want me to do it again?! Are you insane?! All I owe you are some Source Crystals, so why do you have to bully me like this?!] He was tempted to simply fight it out with Yang Kai on the spot. Even if he died, it would still be better than being constantly tormented like this.
Still, those thoughts remained as mere fanciful thoughts as Li Jiao knew that he was definitely not Yang Kai’s match. The bloodline suppression could not be overcome with willpower alone.
“If I may humbly say, my strength is not high so I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you much, Palace Master Yang.” Li Jiao didn’t even have the intention to ask about the favour and simply refused it outright.
[I never want to get involved with you ever again! I want to live the rest of my days freely and peaceful, regardless of how much turmoil the world outside is in. I just want to live and grow old with my beloved!]
Yang Kai solemnly continued, “I want to go somewhere, and I need you to help me, Brother Li.”
[Damn it, are you ignoring me?! Didn’t you hear what I said?!] Feeling sad and angry at the same time, he muttered through gritted teeth, “Palace Master Yang, I’ve been very clear with you. I’m afraid I can’t help you with your favour, so please…”
“I want to go to Dragon Island!”
“Enough!” Li Jiao couldn’t suppress his rage anymore and roared. He glared at Yang Kai fiercely as if he was about to eat his flesh and drink his blood, but then he froze in shock before exclaiming, “Y-Y-Y-You… What did you say?! Where did you want to go?!”
“Dragon Island!”
“Aahh!” Li Jiao gasped as his complexion went as white as a sheet. He was silent for a long while before asking cautiously, “Palace Master Yang, are you insane?”
“Do you have a way?”
Li Jiao was rendered speechless. Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Palace Master Yang, don’t you know what kind of place Dragon Island is? Why would you want to go there?”
Yang Kai replied, “Zhu Qing hasn’t come back!”
Li Jiao immediately became happy when he heard those words and he blurted out, “Were you dumped?”
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai became angry out of shame, “She has her own considerations.”
Li Jiao obviously realized something and nodded, “Young Lady Qing is both strong and wise, if she chose to do this, it must have been for your own good. So, why are you asking for trouble by going to Dragon Island, Palace Master Yang?”
Yang Kai snorted, “It’s not certain who will be troubled.”
Li Jiao looked speechless, “If you want to go to Dragon Island, just go. Why did you come to me? What can I do to help you?”
Yang Kai explained, “You are Dragonborn; don’t you know the location of Dragon Island?”
Li Jiao blinked in response, “Why would I know where Dragon Island is? Palace Master Yang, what you say simply doesn’t make sense.”
“You really don’t know?” Yang Kai looked at Li Jiao.
Li Jiao shook his head, “I really don’t know.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “If that’s the case, then I won’t disturb you any longer. This… uh, sister-in-law, please forgive me for disturbing your time together.” Saying so, he cupped his fists at Lady Hong, tapped his foot gently, and rushed straight into the sky.
[Is he gone? Did he leave just like that?] Li Jiao stared blankly at Yang Kai’s back. He could barely believe what he was seeing. He thought Yang Kai would be as forceful as he was the last time, but who knew he would be so reasonable this time around?
“Um… Was that the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace?” Lady Hong asked, looking in the direction Yang Kai was leaving, the blush on her face yet to fully recede. Having realized who Yang Kai was, she couldn’t help feeling scared. It was rumoured that the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace was the greatest devil who killed without batting an eye. Moreover, he was the one who annihilated Seeking Passion Sect.
Li Jiao did not answer. It was as if he had not heard what Lady Hong said. His expression kept changing constantly, and his gaze seemed conflicted.
Lady Hong glanced at him, walked over, and straightened his clothes, then said gently, “I remember what you once said to me years ago, Palace Master.”
“What?” Li Jiao subconsciously asked.
“You told me that the greatest wish in your life was to set foot on Dragon Island. You wanted to see the place where your bloodline originated from. You said that if you could just take a single look, you would be able to die without regrets.”
“Hong’er, you…” Li Jiao turned to look at her in shock. He did not expect her to recall something he mentioned so many years ago while drunk. Moreover, she remembered it so clearly.
“Go, I will wait for you.” She looked at him with eyes that were full of reluctance, but her expression was full of smiles.
The struggle in his eyes became more apparent and all of a sudden, he stretched out his arms, wrapping them around Lady Hong’s waist and back as he lowered his head and kissed her red lips.
“Mmph…” She moaned and slowly closed her beautiful eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
He kissed her deeply and held her tightly as if trying to merge her alluring body with his so that they would never separate again. A moment later, he parted his lips from hers, turned around, and spoke in a low voice, “If I don’t return … You… should remarry as soon as possible.”
After saying that, he rushed straight into the sky and chased in the direction Yang Kai had left just now. His aura was so imposing that even tens of thousands of people couldn’t stop him!
Staring in the direction Li Jiao was leaving with teary eyes, Lady Hong cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Hong’er will wait for you to return! If you don’t return, I will go to the underworld to find you!”
Li Jiao paused for a moment, but after a brief hesitation, he sped up and disappeared from Lady Hong’s field of vision.
…..
Yang Kai set off on his journey alone. His entire mind was filled with thoughts of how to enter Dragon Island.
Dragon Island was an extremely mysterious place. Although it was famous and had many rumours about it concerning the Dragon Clan living there, practically no one knew where it was located. All that was known about Dragon Island was that it was located somewhere on the East Sea in the Eastern Territory. Needless to say, Yang Kai was clueless as to where it was actually located.
He came to Fire Dragon Palace to ask Li Jiao, hoping that he might get lucky. Since Li Jiao was a Dragonborn and a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master at that, Yang Kai thought he might know something about Dragon Island’s location.
However, Yang Kai was greatly disappointed after asking. [If Li Jiao doesn’t know, then I have to think of another way. Fortunately, I have another plan, so I’m not totally unprepared.]
Just as he was considering his options, his brow furrowed slightly and he turned to look back. A figure was chasing after him at a high speed. Before that person came closer, Yang Kai had already detected that person’s familiar aura with his Divine Sense and he frowned even deeper, a strange look appearing on his face as he waited in place for that person to arrive.
A moment later, Li Jiao appeared in front of Yang Kai with a complicated expression.
Yang Kai scoffed, “Why did you chase after me, Brother Li?”
“Are you really going to Dragon Island?” Li Jiao scowled and answered Yang Kai’s question with a question of his own.
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded gently.
“For Young Lady Qing?”
“Yes.” He nodded again.
Li Jiao smiled bitterly and cupped his fists, “Palace Master Yang, this Li deeply admires your courage.”
“Enough with the nonsense. Why did you chase after me?” Yang Kai looked at Li Jiao curiously.
Li Jiao scratched his face and apologetically stated, “I came because I wanted to help you, Palace Master Yang.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai lifted his eyebrows slightly.
Li Jiao continued, “I know the approximate location of Dragon Island…”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai lowered his eyes.
Li Jiao observed Yang Kai’s expression. [This is bad. I vehemently denied knowing anything just now, yet now, I am admitting that I lied. My actions might have angered this guy…] Thus, he hurriedly explained, “I honestly only know the approximate location. I don’t know exactly where it is, so I didn’t dare to mention it before. I was worried I might cause trouble for you, Palace Master Yang.”
“Is that so?” Yang Kai walked over with a smile.
Li Jiao paled in response. [I’ve made this walking disaster mad after all! I shouldn’t have chased after him… Wasn’t living peacefully with Hong’er in Fire Dragon Palace nice? Why did I have to invite trouble to myself? Now, I’m riding on a mad tiger and I don’t even know why!]
He watched as Yang Kai walked over to him and raised a hand, causing Li Jiao’s heart to leap into his throat. [It’s impossible to win against him in a fight. Even if I resist, I’ll still end up being crushed. I might as well close my eyes and get this embarrassment over with!]
He believed that Yang Kai wouldn’t kill him. At most, he would be beaten up to allow Yang Kai to vent his anger.
*Pa…*
Li Jiao shuddered, but the attack he imagined did not come. Rather, he only felt an arm being placed on his shoulders.
Opening his eyes, Li Jiao saw Yang Kai had put his arm around his shoulders and was actually laughing in delight, “Hahaha… I knew you’d have a way, Brother Li! As expected, I didn’t come to the wrong person. Good, good! Let’s barge into Dragon Island and see what kind of lion’s den it is!”
Li Jiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, “I’m just going to take a look.”
“Rest assured; with me around, you won’t suffer any losses.”
The corners of Li Jiao’s mouth twitched, “Then, I’ll have to depend on your protection, Palace Master Yang.”
He did not believe those words. [Yang Kai might be powerful, but once we enter Dragon Island, even he will be forced to crawl on all fours in that damn place. What kind of waves can I expect him to make?]
“Leave it to me. This matter cannot be delayed any longer; let’s set off now.” While speaking, Yang Kai summoned the Flowing Clouds Shuttle. The two of them boarded, then the shuttle turned into a stream of light and left this place at an even faster speed.
Inside the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, Li Jiao hesitated for a long time before he cautiously said, “Palace Master Yang, I’m doing you another favour, so about the debt…”
“Debts are debts and favours are favours. The debt you owe me and the favour I owe you are two different things altogether. How can we confuse them together?”
Li Jiao sighed, he didn’t even know whether he would return from this trip alive, so why was he worried about mere Source Crystals now? He should just consider it a win as long as he returned alive.
“Palace Master Yang, how were you planning to enter Dragon Island if I had not come? Did Young Lady Qing tell you anything about Dragon Island’s location before she left?”
“Nope.” Yang Kai shook his head. He answered the question while controlling the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, “I was planning to go to Spirit Beast Island and ask Martial Beast Great Emperor for directions. The location of Dragon Island is hidden, but I’m sure Martial Beast Great Emperor knows where it is.”
“Spirit Beast Island?!” Li Jiao was absolutely shocked as he asked in horror, “Palace Master Yang, are you acquainted with Martial Beast Great Emperor?
“Nope!”
Li Jiao was instantly dumbfounded, “If you are not acquainted with Martial Beast Great Emperor, how were you planning on asking him for directions?”
“I have my ways,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly. He might not be acquainted with Martial Beast Great Emperor, but he was acquainted with Martial Beast Great Emperor’s daughter! He had not seen Mo Xiao Qi since they separated after the Shattered Star Sea closed, which was some time ago, so he wondered how that silly little girl was doing now.
Spirit Beast Island might be hard to find, but at the very least, it wasn’t as secretive as Dragon Island. His initial plan was to go to Spirit Beast Island first and head to Dragon Island after that. The two Great Islands were both located in the East Sea, so even if there was some distance between them, they shouldn’t be that far apart from each other. As long as Mo Xiao Qi gave him directions, wouldn’t finding Dragon Island be a simple matter?
However, Yang Kai’s casual answer shocked Li Jiao so much that he began to sweat profusely and wonder, [Just who on Earth is Palace Master Yang!?]
He had not known Yang Kai for long, but their relationship wasn’t short either; however, the more Li Jiao learned about Yang Kai, the more terrifying this youth became. [It’s bad enough that his relationship with Dragon Island is ambiguous, and just recently, I found out that he has a very close relationship with the Disciple of Iron Blood Great Emperor, but now he is also connected to Spirit Beast Island?!]
Li Jiao was utterly confused. He found that it was getting harder and harder for him to figure Yang Kai out. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “Palace Master Yang, if… I’m just saying; if we really manage to enter Dragon Island… No matter what you want to do on that island, never mention your relationship with Spirit Beast Island.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai looked at Li Jiao in astonishment.
Li Jiao explained, “Dragon Island and Spirit Beast Island… Are as incompatible as fire and water with each other.”
Yang Kai’s mouth was agape with shock as he exclaimed in shock, “Where did you hear that from?”
He had never heard of such a thing before; thus, his first reaction upon hearing what Li Jiao said was disbelief. The two Great Spirit Islands were considered to be among the top existences across the entire Star Boundary. If they were in conflict with each other, everyone would have known about it, so how was it possible he had not even heard a rumour to that effect?
Li Jiao wiped his sweat and continued, “This isn’t mere gossip, Palace Master Yang. You probably don’t know because you are too young. Besides, it has not been long since you became an Emperor Realm Master. It’s only natural that you don’t know many of the secrets between the Star Boundary’s top forces. In time you surely would have come to learn about it.”
Yang Kai frowned, “The two forces are at odds with each other? Is it that serious?”
Li Jiao solemnly replied, “More or less.”
“Why?” Yang Kai suddenly became interested. A secret like that wasn’t something ordinary people had the chance to hear about. Li Jiao could understand; it was most probably because Yang Kai had the Dragon Clan’s blood in him.
Li Jiao explained, “Among the ten Great Emperors, Martial Beast Great Emperor’s Dao is that of Beast Taming. There are countless different exotic beasts on Spirit Beast Island and I’ve even heard there are one or two Divine Spirits there. Cultivating such a Dao naturally drove Martial Beast Great Emperor to want to control the most powerful Monster Beasts in the world. Think about it; what is the most powerful Monster Beast in the world?”
Yang Kai widened his eyes, “The Dragon Clan!”
Li Jiao slapped his thigh and said, “Exactly! The Dragon Clan claims to be the head of the myriad spirits, the leaders of the Divine Spirits, but when it comes down to it, they are still Monster Beasts. On the other hand, Martial Beast Great Emperor’s greatest dream is to control the Dragon Clan. Can he really have a good relationship with the Dragon Clan? You can even say that the reason why Spirit Beast Island is located in the Eastern Territory is that Martial Beast Great Emperor wanted to stay close to the Dragon Clan.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course!” Li Jiao looked solemn, “Not many people know about this, but there is no impenetrable wall in the world.”
“This news is absolutely shocking.” Yang Kai looked lost. [Martial Beast Great Emperor wants to control the Dragons, but the Dragon Clan’s pride would never allow such a thing. Putting it that way, it’s no surprise they have a poor relationship with each other.]
Li Jiao continued, “Recently, the relationship between Martial Beast Great Emperor and Dragon Island deteriorated drastically and it is said that the Great Emperor caused a ruckus on Dragon Island some twenty years or so ago.” Then, Li Jiao added, “Of course, nobody knows if this information is real or fake. The only thing we can be certain about is that Martial Beast Great Emperor and the Dragon Clan are on bad terms with each other.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand. If we really enter Dragon Island, I will not mention Martial Beast Great Emperor.”
“That would be for the best.” Li Jiao was relieved.
“By the way, why did you chase after me?” Yang Kai tilted his head to look at Li Jiao and smilingly added, “It’s not like I forced you this time.”
Li Jiao smiled wryly and answered, “Everyone has something they yearn for in their heart. Dragon Island… To visit that place has always been my deepest desire.”
Those words sounded sorrowful, but Yang Kai understood what Li Jiao was trying to express. Stretching out his hand, he patted Li Jiao on the shoulder and said, “Rest assured. We will definitely reach that place, and if you are lucky, you might even be able to improve your bloodline”
Li Jiao burst into laughter, “I’m not aiming for such heights. This Li will be happy enough just to get to see Dragon Island.”
“Just you wait. One day, I’m going to make you pay for this!”
Yang Kai’s expression was gloomy as he muttered seemingly to himself. Meanwhile, Li Jiao silently hid in a corner like a cicada in winter. For some reason, Yang Kai’s temper suddenly became extremely bad one month after they set off from the Northern Territory. His expression was so cold and dark that it felt like his face was covered in a layer of frost. Moreover, he constantly cursed at somebody under his breath.
Yang Kai’s behaviour caused Li Jiao to be on edge all the time. [I didn’t do anything to upset him recently, so why is he acting like this all of a sudden?]
Fortunately, Yang Kai did not lash out at Li Jiao even though he was in a bad mood. Nevertheless, Li Jiao behaved very carefully around Yang Kai, lest he caused the building resentment in the other to suddenly erupt.
There was no doubt that Yang Kai was in a bad mood; however, it wasn’t because of Li Jiao but Luan Feng! [It’s all because that damn woman destroyed the Space Array I previously arranged in the Ancient Wild Lands. Otherwise, I could have gone directly from High Heaven Palace to the Ancient Wild Lands, then headed towards the East Sea!]
Although the distance between these two locations was not small, it was still infinitely better than the distance between the Northern and Eastern Territories. It was because Luan Feng destroyed his Space Array that he now had to fly all the way to the Eastern Territory. Even if the journey went smoothly, it still took a great deal of time!
For that reason, Yang Kai felt extremely upset and annoyed and vowed to himself that he was going to make Luan Feng pay for this. It was simply too frustrating otherwise!
The Flowing Clouds Shuttle travelled very quickly with Yang Kai and Li Jiao taking turns steering.
Whenever Yang Kai was free, he would sit down cross-legged to cultivate. His cultivation might have hit a bottleneck, but it didn’t prevent him from cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. At present, he became forty-five metres tall after his Dragon Transformation. Besides, cultivating the Dragon Transformation Secret Art could greatly help the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source integrate with his body and increase the power of his Dragon Transformation.
Once in a while, he also contemplated the Dao of Space. The Space Divine Abilities he currently wielded were essentially the fruits of his comprehension of the Dao of Space, each of them strong in their own way. Thus, it would be of great help to him if he could gain more insight into the Dao of Space.
This trip to Dragon Island was rather impulsive, but it was also the result of careful consideration. Yang Kai knew that he still had a long way to go in his cultivation, and if things went sour, they might get dragged into a conflict on Dragon Island. [Entering Dragon Island with my current strength spells certain death. Still, Zhu Qing is on that island. I can’t just sit around and do nothing.]
What Zhu Lie mentioned to him in the Revolving World echoed in his ears. He did not know what Zhu Qing might have encountered after she returned to Dragon Island, but it was obvious that the outcome would not be good.
A True Dragon was involved in an intimate relationship with a Human. Yang Kai didn’t even need to think to know that Dragon Island would never allow for something like that. If Zhu Qing gave in and decided to end their relationship because she failed to stand up against the pressure, he would have to reluctantly accept; however, if she refused to give in to the pressure, she would surely have to suffer.
[Will Zhu Qing be willing to sever our relationship?] Yang Kai never even bothered to consider this question because he knew what she would choose without even needing to think about it.
Time passed, and the days went by peacefully.
Yang Kai had not made much progress in the Dragon Transformation Secret Art. He had not been cultivating that Secret Art for long after all. It was all thanks to the Dragon Blood Pill and Zhu Qing’s pure Primordial Yin that he could achieve a height of forty-five metres. If he wanted to improve that Secret Art even further, then he would need time, a lot of it actually.
Finally, the duo arrived at the East Sea. Standing above the vast and boundless waters, it seemed like the blue sky was cloudless for tens of thousands of kilometres.
Even with the assistance of the Flowing Clouds Shuttle, it took Yang Kai and Li Jiao two months to arrive from the Northern Territory. That went to show just how far apart the major territories in Star Boundary were.
Upon arriving at the East Sea, Li Jiao took over control of the Flowing Clouds Shuttle. Yang Kai had no idea where Dragon Island was, whereas Li Jiao was the one who knew the approximate location.
It was understandable. Just as Yang Kai had guessed, Li Jiao was a Dragonborn with the blood of the Dragon Clan in him; therefore, he had a special attachment towards Dragon Island. Even the fact that he had never been to Dragon Island before did not hinder these feelings from growing in him. Li Jiao desperately wanted to visit Dragon Island; however, he was aware that his meagre bloodline did not qualify him to enter.
Still, five hundred years ago, Li Jiao had searched the East Sea for a very long time to find Dragon Island. He spent a full three years looking for clues, but was only able to gain a general idea of its location.
According to Li Jiao, back then, he inadvertently followed somebody into a coastal region, but unfortunately, the person he had been following, who seemed to be part of the Dragon Clan, mysteriously disappeared after entering that place.
This discovery made him very excited and he later searched the area for a long time only to fail to obtain any other clues. Thus, he could only give up on his endeavour. It wasn’t until Yang Kai came looking for him that the suppressed desire in his heart burst out again. For that reason, he had chased after Yang Kai so boldly.
“Back then, I lost sight of that guy in this region.” The Flowing Clouds Shuttle had been put away and above the vast and borderless sea, Li Jiao stretched out his hand and drew a circle in front of him as he explained to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai glanced left and right. Frowning, he asked. “Are you sure this is the place? There’s nothing here that you can use as reference.”
Li Jiao said. “Although there is nothing here to use as reference, I will never forget this place. I have always kept the image of this place in my heart.”
Yang Kai nodded. [If he is that confident, then it’s probably the right place.] “This area is vast, at least tens of thousands of kilometres across. Moreover, we have no clues whatsoever.”
“Should we just forget about it then?” Li Jiao looked at Yang Kai timidly. Throughout the entire journey, he had been extremely excited; he wanted to enter Dragon Island and explore that place; however, now that he had arrived at this place again, he was getting cold feet. He was scared, but he wasn’t scared of dying. He was afraid as to whether he had the courage to enter Dragon Island if they actually managed to find it. It was a question he asked himself constantly but could not answer.
“Brother Li, you can go back if you want to, but I’m going to continue searching.” Saying so, Yang Kai flew off.
Li Jiao stood there and hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Let’s search separately!” After saying that, he began flying in the opposite direction.
Yang Kai spread his Divine Sense around like a tide in the sea, carefully exploring every inch of this place. He even flew slowly, lest he missed anything.
Dragon Island’s location was so mysterious that no one knew where it was. In his opinion, that must be the work of an impressive Spirit Array which completely concealed all the traces of Dragon Island from the world.
[If Dragon Island is being concealed by a Spirit Array, then there will surely be traces of its existence.] As long as he could locate that Spirit Array, the location of Dragon Island would be revealed too. Yang Kai might not know much about Spirit Arrays, but he did know that all of them gave off fluctuations. Everything would fall into place once he detected the fluctuating energy of a Spirit Array.
One day, two days, three days…
Yang Kai expanded the search scope little by little but found nothing despite turning the coastal area spanning tens of thousands of kilometres upside down. During this period, he met up with Li Jiao several times. Unfortunately, Li Jiao had no results to show either.
Ten days later, they had doubled the scope of the search. One month later, the search scope doubled again.
Yang Kai’s expression gradually became extremely ugly. [Don’t tell me I’ll have to return home empty-handed without even locating Dragon Island? That would be the world’s biggest joke.]
When he met with Li Jiao again, he frowned and asked, “Are you sure Dragon Island is in this coastal area?”
“Of course, I’m certain,” Li Jiao nodded repeatedly. A long while later, he suddenly seemed to realize something. “Palace Master Yang, are you doubting me? You can’t wrong me like this; I’m innocent! Besides, what good will it do me to lie to you?”
“I’m not doubting you. It’s just that so many years have passed and the surrounding scenery in this vast sea is homogenous. It’s inevitable if you recall the place wrongly.”
“Impossible!” Li Jiao denied vehemently, “It’s impossible for me to get it wrong! It’s definitely this place! There’s no doubt about it!”
Yang Kai couldn’t say anything anymore after seeing Li Jiao’s reaction. He nodded slightly and looked out into the distance. [Should I go to Spirit Beast Island? Although Martial Beast Great Emperor and Dragon Island are on bad terms with each other, it shouldn’t be a problem for Martial Beast Great Emperor to provide some directions, right?]
“Haa… Dragon Island is so mysterious and hard to locate… If only we had a Dragon Island Token…” Li Jiao sighed.
Yang Kai abruptly turned his head to look at Li Jiao.
“What is it?” Li Jiao exclaimed in surprise.
Yang Kai said, “Can the Dragon Island Token locate Dragon Island?”
Li Jiao replied, “I think so. The Dragon Island Token is something the Dragon Island issued to others after all. Those who hold one of the Dragon Island Tokens can ask Dragon Island to fulfil one of their wishes as long as it is within the Dragon Clan’s abilities. However, the Dragon Clan rarely appears in public. If somebody obtained the Dragon Island Token, they would have to come to Dragon Island to make their wish, right? But, how do they get into Dragon Island? Naturally, they can only rely on the Dragon Island Token to do so.” Then, Li Jiao sighed, “Unfortunately, only a few Dragon Island Tokens exist. Besides, I heard Dragon Island took most of them back, so finding a Dragon Island Token now is more difficult than ascending to the Heavens.”
Yang Kai let out a long sigh. He raised his head and patted Li Jiao on the shoulder with a sorrowful expression.
Li Jiao was shocked. “What’s wrong, Palace Master?!”
Yang Kai lifted his head and forced out a smile that looked even worse than if he had cried. Gritting his teeth, he growled. “Why didn’t you mention something so important sooner!?”
Li Jiao felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as if his arm was about to be crushed. [Why is Yang Kai going crazy all of a sudden!?]
“You didn’t ask.”
He had only mentioned it off-handedly; he did not expect Yang Kai to react so strongly to his words.
“A Dragon Island Token, right?” Yang Kai released his grip and took something out, “I have one right here!”
“Huh?” Li Jiao was dumbfounded; he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he shouted, “Why didn’t you take that out earlier?!”
“How was I supposed to know it would be of use here?!”
The two of them looked at each other, both feeling a little speechless and close to tears. They had worked so hard trying to locate Dragon Island for the past month with no results to show for it, only to learn that the key to solving the puzzle had been in their hands all along.
“Is this really a Dragon Island Token?” Li Jiao asked in disbelief. He had just mentioned how rare Dragon Island Tokens were. As far as he knew, only a handful of them even existed. Moreover, most of them had been retrieved by the Dragon Clan. Thus, he could not believe that Yang Kai could pull one out of his pockets.
Upon a closer look, the Dragon Island Token was simple and unpretentious. It was made out of unknown materials that were neither metal nor wood. On one side, a life-like Great Dragon had been carved into it while the character ‘Dragon’ had been engraved on the other side.
Li Jiao felt a little out of sorts. [This… Really seems to be a genuine Dragon Island Token! It’s not much different from the records I have seen in ancient books!]
“Are you sure this is useful?” Yang Kai asked, looking at Li Jiao.
Li Jiao was uncertain, “Probably?”
He had no way to be sure; after all, he had never used this before. Still, it was just as he had said. The location of Dragon Island was hidden and the Dragon Clan had not shown themselves for a long time now. If anybody obtained a Dragon Island Token and wanted to get to Dragon Island, they would most likely need to use the Dragon Island Token to find the location of Dragon Island. After all, it’s not as if the Dragon Clan was going to guide them there.
“We’ll know whether it has any use once we try it!” Yang Kai took a deep breath, circulating his Emperor Qi, and poured it into the Dragon Island Token.
Li Jiao widened his eyes and watched carefully, for fear of missing something.
The Dragon Island Token had been in Yang Kai’s possession for many years. When he first got this token, he had experimented with it to see what use it had; however, it had not shown any reaction whatsoever when he poured his Qi into it back then.
This time was no different from the rest. His Emperor Qi was accepted by the Dragon Island Token. Unfortunately, this simple token showed no response whatsoever.
Yang Kai and Li Jiao’s expectant gazes gradually became looks of disappointment.
“W-W-What?! How can it be useless?” Li Jiao felt slightly guilty. What he said just now had been based on mere guesswork, but there was some basis to it. Who could have known that the experiment would produce no results at all? He couldn’t help feeling rather embarrassed, as if he had offered up a bad idea.
On the other hand, Yang Kai sighed softly. Just as he was about to stop pouring his Emperor Qi into the Dragon Island Token, a sudden change occurred. The Dragon carving on the Dragon Island Token blinked all of a sudden.
He looked up and stared at Li Jiao. Similarly, Li Jiao was staring at him with wide eyes too. Their gazes met, and Yang Kai exclaimed, “Did you see that?!”
Li Jiao confirmed, “You saw it too?!”
The two of them were shocked. Once again turning their attention to the Dragon Island Token, they finally saw it clearly. That Dragon carving was indeed blinking. Not only was it blinking, but it also seemed to have been given a breath of life. It looked like it was going to jump out of the token.
The lifelike Dragon carving stretched its body as if it truly had a life of its own, swimming about inside the palm-sized token. Needless to say, it could not escape the constraints of the Dragon Island Token regardless of how hard it swam. Even so, its actions gave one the feeling that it was swimming freely.
Yang Kai observed it carefully and seemed to realize something. Placing the Dragon Island Token flat on his palm, he slowly rotated the token around in all directions. The direction the Dragon carving pointed in did not change. No matter how he rotated the Dragon Island Token, the Dragon carving always faced a certain direction. The Dragon’s Claws danced as if it were travelling through the skies.
“Dragon Island lies in the direction the Dragon’s head is facing!” Li Jiao shouted.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai was overjoyed and hastily flew in the direction the Dragon’s Head was facing. Likewise, Li Jia seemed very fired up and quickly followed after Yang Kai.
They sped forward without paying any attention to their surroundings. Yang Kai only needed to follow in the direction indicated by the Dragon’s Head. They did not know how many tens of thousands of kilometres they flew when all of a sudden the Dragon carving spun around. The original position where the Dragon’s Head had been was replaced by the Dragon’s Tail while the position of the Dragon’s Tail was replaced by the Dragon’s Head.
Yang Kai slid to a stop and a moment later, Li Jiao abruptly stopped next to him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai did not answer. Instead, he slowly backtracked, and after taking several dozen steps, a change came over the Dragon carving again. The Dragon carving folded down into a right angle and the Dragon’s Head disappeared, leaving only the Dragon’s Tail pointed at Yang Kai.
“What does this mean?” Li Jiao was paying close attention to the changes of the Dragon Island Token and couldn’t help being puzzled.
Yang Kai frowned and studied the Dragon Island Token carefully for a moment. Then, he stretched out a finger and pointed at the sea, “That’s where Dragon Island is!”
“What?!” Li Jiao was shocked, “That’s where Dragon Island is?! Are you sure you aren’t making a mistake?”
Yang Kai replied, “If this token really does have a guiding function, then I’m not mistaken.”
The Dragon Island Token had been placed flat against his palm all this while. At this moment, the Dragon carving was obviously perpendicular to the sea surface and the Dragon’s Head was pointing toward the depths of the water.
“How can this be?! How can Dragon Island be beneath the sea?!” Li Jiao had trouble accepting such a truth. [Dragon Island! It’s called Dragon Island! Since it’s an island, shouldn’t it be on the surface of the sea?! In any case, it shouldn’t be under the sea!] Even so, the Dragon Island Token was guiding them in that direction so it left him with no other explanation.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai shook his head, “If that’s the case, it’s not surprising why Dragon Island has managed to remain concealed for so long.”
Everybody assumed that Dragon Island was located above the sea, who could have thought that Dragon Island was actually located under the sea?! This dramatically increased the secrecy of Dragon Island!
“Let’s go and investigate!” After saying so, Yang Kai plunged downwards.
With a loud splash, seawater splashed in all directions and he vanished from sight. He activated his Emperor Qi and formed a defensive barrier around his body, pushing the seawater around his body away.
At first, the light from above was sufficient; however, as Yang Kai dove deeper and deeper, the light from the surface became dimmer and dimmer. At the same time, more massive Sea Beasts passed him by. Those black shadows flitting by gave him a strong sense of oppression and anxiety.
Sea Beasts were usually large, and their strength normally corresponded to their size. Fortunately, Yang Kai and Li Jiao were not weak. By releasing their Emperor Pressure, the nearby Sea Beasts did not dare to approach them at all and their journey was unobstructed.
They did not know how long had passed. The depths of the sea were pitch-black and they couldn’t even see their fingers in front of them. Simultaneously, the surrounding pressure became quite terrifying. With such heavy pressure crushing down on them, even a Dao Source Realm Master would have been crushed to death. Only an Emperor Realm Master could manage to continue diving.
Their Emperor Qi flowed outward as rapidly as floodwaters and cold sweat was pouring from Li Jiao’s forehead, but he could sense with his Divine Sense that Yang Kai had not stopped. Thus, he could only grit his teeth and keep up with him.
All of a sudden, a powerful aura swiftly rushed towards them from the front. It was a Sea Beast hurtling towards them without any hesitation. Although both their Emperor Pressures could scare away most Sea Beasts, some domineering existences were utterly fearless.
When the black shadow passed by, the two of them were swallowed into its abdomen before they could even react. A fishy smell immediately enveloped them.
Yang Kai’s expression turned grim and raising his hand, countless Moon Blades flew out. Thudding sounds echoed as Yang Kai followed the Moon Blades and slipped out of the Sea Beast’s abdomen.
When Yang Kai looked back, he saw the huge black shadow writhing constantly. The pitch-black waters surrounding it seemed to be dyed red. Meanwhile, Li Jiao also escaped from that Sea Beast’s stomach through the wounds Yang Kai had inflicted on it. Sea Beasts generally had strong vitality and would not die even if they suffered this level of injury. Even so, it immediately understood that it had provoked an enemy that should not be provoked, and consequently, it swiftly fled.
“Keep up!” Yang Kai sent Li Jiao a Divine Sense message to which the latter nodded and sped up.
Another quarter of an hour passed but the pair still couldn’t see the bottom of the sea. Without warning, Yang Kai abruptly stopped in his tracks for some reason. At this point, they no longer knew how deep they had gone. There was no light nor sound from their surroundings, making it extremely quiet. It felt like the world had not been born yet and this was an endless space of chaos.
“What’s wrong?” Li Jiao asked, puzzled, standing beside Yang Kai. The defensive barrier he built with his Emperor Qi deforming slightly under the pressure of the seawater.
Yang Kai replied, “We’re in the right place.”
Li Jiao was overjoyed to hear those words, “That’s great! It’s great that we got the right place, but… Is Dragon Island really beneath the sea?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s not beneath the sea.”
Li Jiao was a little confused, “What do you mean?” [We’ve come so far down into the sea… He even said that we’ve come to the right place. Where else can Dragon Island be if not here?]
“The entrance to Dragon Island is right in front of us!” Yang Kai raised his finger and pointed to the front.
Li Jiao hurriedly spread his Divine Sense out to investigate what was ahead of them, but his Divine Sense did not find anything related to what Yang Kai had mentioned.
“It’s a Void Corridor!” Yang Kai breathed out softly, “There’s a Void Corridor here. It’s just that it’s very well-hidden. Look closer.”
Upon hearing those words, Li Jiao finally noticed that something was wrong with this place. There certainly were traces of a Void Corridor nearby. Although he did not cultivate Space Force, he was still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. He had some experience and eye for these kinds of things and immediately exclaimed in shock, “Dragon Island is hidden behind a Void Corridor?!”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded gently. With this, everything made sense. He had not been able to understand it before. He did not know why the Dragon Island Token would point into the depths of the sea. It wasn’t until he found the entrance to the Void Corridor that he had a sudden realization.
Putting aside the exact location of Dragon Island, this was obviously the entrance. Thus, it meant that whichever direction the Dragon Island Token pointed in was the location of the entrance.
*Gudong…*
Li Jiao swallowed audibly, “Will we enter Dragon Island once we pass through this?”
What he had been pursuing and dreaming about his entire life was now right in front of him so he couldn’t help becoming nervous. He had dreamt and imagined what Dragon Island was like, what he would feel upon setting foot on Dragon Island. He had imagined the scene so many times that he lost count. Therefore, he felt a little lost now that the goal was within his reach.
“Brother Li, you should leave now if you want to go back. I can handle the rest alone.” Yang Kai sent a transmission to Li Jiao.
When Li Jiao heard those words, the impulse to leave this place and return to the Northern Territory surged up in his heart; however, that impulse disappeared just as quickly as it came.
“I’m going with you!” He said decisively.
“Good, are you prepared?” Yang Kai turned his head to look at Li Jiao with a smile.
Li Jiao’s expression was solemn. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed the tumultuous emotions in his heart and nodded firmly, “Yes!”
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai shouted and enveloped Li Jiao with his Space Principles before plunging into the Void Corridor.
The surrounding space changed suddenly. At the same time, a tearing force came at them from all directions. The barriers of space were broken and the two of them seemed to enter a whole new world in the next moment.
Just then, a thunderous Dragon Roar sounded from the Void ahead. Immediately following that, several huge Dragon Phantoms aggressively rushed towards them from the front, brimming with murderous intent.
When the Dragon Roar rang out, Li Jiao nearly jumped in fright. All the hair on his body stood on end as the feeling of death wrapped around him.
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically too. He could feel the horrifying murderous intent coming from those Dragon Phantoms and without even thinking about it, he shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
Another Dragon Roar sounded and a Golden Dragon Phantom flashed behind him before rushing into his body and disappearing. With the Dragon Clan’s blood in him awakened, a crackling explosion rang out and Yang Kai’s body grew to a massive forty-five metres in height. Stubby Dragon Horns appeared on his forehead and his hands turned into Dragon Claws while his body was covered in Dragon Scales.
Just as Yang Kai assumed his Half-Dragon Form, the Dragon Phantoms from before slammed into him. A mighty wave of power struck him from the front, forcing him to stagger backwards by more than three hundred metres. A sweetness rose in his throat and he nearly coughed out a mouthful of blood.
Meanwhile, those Dragon Phantoms immediately turned their heads back after that attack and haughtily looked down at Yang Kai and Li Jiao from above.
Yang Kai was covered in cold sweat. If he had reacted the slightest bit slower just now, he would have either died or been seriously injured. Fortunately, his Dragon Transformation protected him, otherwise, things would be very bad by now.
Yang Kai stared at those Dragon Phantoms, frowning slightly. That was because he noticed that the Dragon Phantoms did not have physical bodies nor were they like Soul Avatars. Rather, they seemed more like a kind of Secret Technique, a Dragon Clan Secret Technique!
The power of the Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques was extremely potent, but only those with the Dragon Clan’s bloodline could perform them. These illusory phantoms were clearly Secret Techniques left here by a Dragon Clan Master.
This Secret Technique would not appear in the Void Corridor for no reason though. Yang Kai hadn’t thought that the defenses of the Dragon Clan would be so tight. Dragon Island was on the other side of the Void Corridor after all, so who would dare to risk their lives just to sneak in?
Looking at the Dragon Phantoms again, it was clear as day that they were lethal existences. If Yang Kai had not used his Dragon Transformation to bolster his defences, it would have been impossible for him to stand here at this moment.
[This is a trap! It’s definitely a trap meant for somebody. A trap like this is enough to kill a Third-Order Emperor on the spot. Was it aimed at me?] A sudden thought came to mind, but Yang Kai couldn’t be certain.
While he was distracted, the Dragon Phantoms suddenly started chanting in the obscure Dragon Language. Dragon Language was the foundation supporting the Dragon Clan’s Secret Technique. On the surface, it sounded similar to the spells of the Ancient World’s Shamans; however, it was even more ancient and esoteric than that.
The Dragon Language rang out rhythmically as the Dragon Phantoms suddenly separated from each other, their voices never stopping.
Meanwhile, Li Jiao shivered uncontrollably, instinctively feeling scared. He deeply regretted coming here. [If I had known this would happen, I would have turned around and gone home just now!]
The scattered Dragon Phantoms regrouped and suddenly transformed into a huge ancient character. They loomed over Yang Kai and Li Jiao like a net that covered the skies.
Yang Kai and Li Jiao hastily retreated only to discover that no matter how they tried to escape, they could not avoid being enveloped by this ancient character. The mysterious ancient character looked like four squarish ancient characters superimposed on one another, forming a regular and orderly shape.
In that tense situation, the ancient character blanketed the two of them. Following that, a strange Principle Strength began fluctuating.
Li Jiao’s complexion turned ashen in response. He looked like he had given up. On the other hand, Yang Kai made a soft exclamation of surprise with an odd expression.
In the next moment, their visions blurred and they instantly found themselves standing in a world of nothingness. There was neither light nor sound in that space. It was even more disturbing than when they had been deep under the sea previously.
Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense out and sensed Li Jiao standing not too far from him. Thus, he reached out to pull him over.
“Palace Master Yang… What is this place?” Li Jiao asked, gulping hard.
“A Void Crack!” Yang Kai replied as he dispelled the Dragon Transformation Secret Art and changed back to his original appearance.
The Dragon Phantoms from before were gone without a trace. After they transformed into the ancient character, they had forced Yang Kai and Li Jiao into a Void Crack.
“Ah!” Li Jiao paled in shock.
It was only natural that he was familiar with what a Void Crack was. Even for a Master like him, this was an extremely dangerous place where the slightest bit of carelessness would cause him to lose his way and never find his way out again.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai took out a new set of clothes from his Space Ring and put them on while carefully taking in his surroundings. He did not know how many times he had been in and out of Void Cracks by now; but even so, this place gave off a slightly different feel. It was as though something profound was hidden everywhere within its depths.
Yang Kai tried to manipulate the local Space Principles and, fortunately, there were no restrictions placed on them. He believed that he could break out of this Void Crack and return to the outside world if he used his full strength. It was just that he did not know where they would end up appearing; therefore, he was in no hurry to make a move. Besides, he still needed to enter Dragon Island.
A Void Crack would not appear for no reason. From the accumulation of his past experiences, Yang Kai could vaguely sense that this Void Crack was between the Star Boundary and Dragon Island. In other words, as long as they could locate the proper exit point of this Void Crack, they could enter Dragon Island.
[This is definitely a trap!] Yang Kai had a faint feeling that this trap was aimed at him, yet at the same time, it didn’t seem like that either.
Anyone who passed through the Void Corridor would have triggered this trap and been exiled to this place. Yang Kai might just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time; after all, Dragon Island was so well-hidden and their defences were so strict, that they were willing to leave a Dragon Clan Secret Technique here to defend against intruders.
If that was the case, Yang Kai couldn’t just tear space as he pleased here. He could not determine where they would land if he did that. There was no guarantee that he could enter Dragon Island.
As that thought passed through his mind, a plan formed in his heart and he sent a Divine Sense transmission to Li Jiao, “Follow me closely. The Void Turbulence in the Void Crack is very unstable. If you get caught, you will be sent to another place instantly and I’m not sure I’ll be able to find you then. There are also Void Fissures lurking here, and if you touch those, you will either die or suffer from severe injuries.”
Void Cracks were different from Void Fissures. The environment they were in was a Void Crack. On the other hand, Void Fissures were much smaller tears in space, sometimes so tiny they were imperceptible. They were similar to sharp blades randomly floating about, and if one were to come into contact with one they would be lucky to get away with some scratches. If they were unlucky, they could be cut in half.
Li Jiao clearly understood the situation he was in. In this damned place, only Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space, could guarantee his safety. Thus, he nodded heavily, “I understand.”
After that, Yang Kai immediately led the way forward. Space Principles fluctuated as he inspected their surroundings, carefully avoiding all the Void Turbulence and Void Fissures around them. Li Jiao followed at Yang Kai’s heels, stepping where Yang Kai stepped and always staying one step behind him, his nerves stretched to their limits.
Yang Kai’s movements were rather erratic, constantly moving from left to right without a pattern. Although there was nothing to be used as a reference in this place and Li Jiao couldn’t distinguish North, South, East, or West, Yang Kai’s change in direction was still rather obvious. Sometimes, he would even turn around and walk backwards without warning.
Li Jiao kept quiet through it all, not daring to disturb Yang Kai. Only the Heavens knew how long it had been since they started walking when all of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks with a strange expression on his face.
“Palace Master Yang… Did you find the exit?” Li Jiao asked cautiously.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head.
“Then…” Li Jiao looked at Yang Kai inquiringly.
“We’re lost,” Yang Kai replied.
“Huh?” Li Jiao was taken aback, “We’re l-lost?!”
He nearly thought that he had misheard. [The surrounding space is in pure chaos and nothingness. There is no road to speak of, so how can we get lost? Still, Yang Kai must have his reasons to say that; after all, he has the most authority to speak in this place.]
“We passed through here earlier.” Yang Kai sighed softly.
Li Jiao scratched his head and released his Divine Sense into his surroundings to look around. [This damned place is the same everywhere. I can’t tell the difference at all. I can’t believe Yang Kai can differentiate where we are in this place.]
“This is a labyrinth.” There was a strange light in Yang Kai’s eyes. If he had not seen it for himself, he wouldn’t have dared to believe that there was such a mysterious labyrinth within this Void Crack.
The labyrinth was incredibly large. Using the Void Turbulence as paths and combining countless Void Fissures into one, it transformed a vast region into a maze with no way out.
What shocked him even more was that the labyrinth was not static. It changed constantly. Any changes to the surging Void Turbulence and the flowing Void Fissures could trigger a change across the entire labyrinth.
[Who set this up? Who has such great ability to pull this off? Is it Dragon Island? If it is Dragon Island… For what reason did they set up this labyrinth? Who are they trying to trap?]
All of a sudden, a sentence Li Jiao said before came to mind. Twenty years ago, Martial Beast Great Emperor had caused a ruckus on Dragon Island!
Yang Kai burst out in cold sweat. [This labyrinth… Maybe it was meant for Martial Beast Great Emperor! Only such a huge layout could trap a Great Emperor after all! On that same note, only a Great Emperor has the ability to force Dragon Island to set up a labyrinth like this, I’m nothing more than an innocent victim caught up in their squabble!]
When that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai’s spirits lifted suddenly. [It looks like my previous guess was right. I can enter Dragon Island as long as I can crack this labyrinth because this Void Labyrinth was created with the Void Corridor as its foundation. The exit of the Void Labyrinth should coincide with the exit of the Void Corridor!]
He started moving again, carefully observing the changes around him. Then, he gradually formed a map in his head. It was a map of the entire labyrinth. He believed that as long as he could perfect this map, he could find a way out of the labyrinth.
Li Jiao did not know what plan Yang Kai had come up with. All he knew was that Yang Kai suddenly sped up; thus, he could only grit his teeth and keep up.
Time flew by. There was no Sun, Moon, or Stars here, and there was no way to tell how much time had passed, but even so, Li Jiao had the feeling that at least one month had passed.
Yang Kai spent the entire month walking here and there aimlessly. He stopped from time to time and observed his surroundings, muttering something under his breath before setting off again.
Although no battles had taken place during this month, Li Jiao nearly died several times. Void Turbulence could appear anywhere, and there was one time when he got caught in them and was nearly teleported away to a random place. Fortunately, Yang Kai had reacted swiftly and pulled him back or he might have been trapped here for the rest of his life. Li Jiao did not have the confidence that he could escape this place on his own.
During this past month, Yang Kai’s expression had gotten grimmer and grimmer. He slowly realized that he had underestimated this Void Labyrinth greatly. The map in his head had to be redrawn over and over again, to the point where he had barely made any progress.
With his knowledge of the Dao of Space, it was not difficult for him to leave this place. All he had to do was tear open the space randomly and he could return to the Star Boundary; however, doing that would mean giving up on his plan to enter Dragon Island. That was not what he planned on doing.
On this day, Yang Kai and Li Jiao were walking in the Void Labyrinth while looking for the exit as usual.
Li Jiao felt dead inside. He had given up, feeling as though he should never have hoped to set foot on Dragon Island in the first place. He simply followed Yang Kai mechanically, stepping where Yang Kai stepped.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and his Emperor Qi surged. Surprised, Li Jiao pushed his Emperor Qi without any hesitation, thinking another Void Turbulence was coming.
Contrary to his expectations though, Yang Kai didn’t make any moves. He simply stood there and stared to the front in a daze. Li Jiao frowned and looked in the direction Yang Kai was staring before his jaw suddenly fell open in shock.
Not far away, a figure sat cross-legged inside the Void. It seemed to be exuding a strange Principle Strength fluctuation from its body and the surrounding Void Turbulence could not approach it.
[There’s somebody here? There are people in this damned place?!] Li Jiao could barely believe his eyes. However, he soon discovered that this ‘person’ was not really alive. Rather, it seemed to be a phantom image. Although that person’s entire being exuded a faint glow, they did not have a physical body.
A labyrinth existed inside the Void Crack. That in itself was incredible. However, there was a human phantom image in the labyrinth at this moment. That was even more incredible.
[Who is this person? Or should I ask; who is the person who left this phantom image behind?]
Both Yang Kai and Li Jiao were staring in that direction with widened eyes. Unfortunately, they were disappointed to learn that they could not see the true face of the phantom image no matter how hard they looked.
That Phantom Image Secret Technique seemed to have existed for many years. It might have been extremely powerful once, but it had become a little unstable after being exposed to the Void Crack for so long. The figure wavered erratically. Sometimes, it was long and thin; sometimes, it was short and round. It looked as if it might collapse at any time.
For some reason, Yang Kai had the feeling that the figure looked familiar, as if he had seen the one it was modelled after somewhere before.
“Brother Li, have you seen this person before?” He asked softly.
Li Jiao shook his head, “I can’t tell, but this person was definitely not just a nobody.”
That phantom image might be unstable, but the occasional short-lived aura that pulsed out from it was extremely powerful. That person was obviously not an ordinary Emperor Realm Master.
Yang Kai nodded. Images of all the Masters he had met before flashed through his mind as he tried to match them to the figure in front of him.
At that moment, the phantom image suddenly expanded then rapidly contracted. It turned into a small fist-sized ball of white light that slowly drifted towards somewhere.
Yang Kai did not have the time to think about anything else as he grabbed Li Jiao and shouted, “Follow him!”
Li Jiao was stunned, “Follow him?”
“En!” Yang Kai replied. He had the feeling that the appearance of this figure might be a turning point. He had been searching this place for a month now; however, he still couldn’t find a way out of this Void Labyrinth. [At this point, it won’t hurt to try everything at our disposal. We might as well see what that ball of light will do.]
Yang Kai no longer hesitated and followed closely behind that ball of light. The movement of that ball of light was even more erratic and elusive than Yang Kai’s movements from before. It looked aimless, but there were signs of predictability upon closer look.
Yang Kai was secretly encouraged, thinking that his guess was right. Now, all he wanted to know was who had left that figure behind; therefore, he had been observing the state of that ball of light but had not found any traces that would identify its source. That ball of light was produced by a Secret Technique cast by a Master who also made that phantom image. Unfortunately, it had long since become completely unrecognizable after so many years in this chaotic place. Thus, it was extremely difficult for Yang Kai to trace the origins of that figure.
They walked for several days and Li Jiao was becoming desperate while, similarly, Yang Kai felt his heart pounding wildly. The idea of giving up had popped up in his head several times by now, but doing so seemed like such a waste. Hence, he could only grit his teeth and continue to persevere.
All of a sudden, the ball of light accelerated and rushed forward. Yang Kai hurriedly chased after it upon seeing that. Unexpectedly, the ball of light suddenly exploded in a shower of sparkles and disappeared when it reached a certain spot in the Void.
“Uh…” Li Jiao looked a little dumbfounded.
They had been walking behind this ball of light for several days now but he had not expected that this would be the outcome of their efforts. Thus, he nearly cursed out loud at the sight. [Wasn’t this a waste of time?]
Following this incident, he began to lose confidence in Yang Kai. [We are probably destined to be trapped here for a lifetime. We will never be able to get out of this labyrinth.]
He turned to look at Yang Kai only to find that Yang Kai’s expression had lit up with joy as if he had discovered something amazing.
“Palace Master Yang?” Li Jiao called out.
Yang Kai turned his head to look at Li Jiao and said, “I found it!”
“You found it?” Li Jiao frowned and subconsciously asked, “Found what?”
“What do you think?”
Li Jiao was startled, then he became excited, “Are you saying… you found the exit?!”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. He mulled over it for a moment before continuing, “I will open the exit now. Follow me as quickly as possible. If we are too slow, Dragon Island might discover us.”
“Good!” Li Jiao couldn’t help swallowing nervously. [We found it just like that? We actually found the exit just by walking behind that ball of light for a few days? What in the world was that ball of light?! Why would it guide us to the location of the exit? Whatever; that’s not important anymore. What’s important is that I’m about to set foot on Dragon Island! I’m about to complete my life’s greatest wish!] He was excited, nervous, eager, and anxious…
While Li Jiao’s emotions were all over the place, Yang Kai’s expression had already turned solemn. Space Principles began surging as he stretched out his hands and fiercely tore space apart.
“Go!” Yang Kai shouted.
Li Jiao immediately plunged into the gap and Yang Kai followed closely. Then the two of them instantly disappeared from this endless Void.
In the East Sea of the Eastern Territory stood a lush and beautiful island rich in World Energy, reminiscent of a paradise.
On that island stood a man dressed in white, holding his hand out to the void. Beside him stood a beautiful woman dressed in an elegant black dress. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest, squeezing her ample assets so tightly that they were slightly deformed. The split in her dress rose up to her thighs, exposing more than half of her legs to the air. Her fair skin was smooth and tender, exuding a seductive lustre akin to fine soft white jade. If a man were to witness this sight, he would be so charmed that he would lose his soul to her.
The man was handsome while the woman was voluptuous and graceful. Just by standing there, the two of them made an extremely eye-catching sight.
The two of them were looking out into the distance where a small figure was sitting cross-legged at the mouth of an active volcano. The blazing heatwave did not harm her whatsoever. Rather, it continuously rushed towards her childlike body and was completely absorbed into her.
“Feng’er, did that girl really assimilate with the Phoenix True Fire?” The white-robed man asked abruptly.
The beautiful woman in black who was called ‘Feng’er’ replied, “En. Moreover, it was a perfect assimilation.”
He asked, “Isn’t she an Artifact Spirit? Although she is a Fire Attribute Artifact Spirit, which does not clash with the attribute of the Phoenix True Fire, she does not have a flesh and blood body. How did she assimilate with the Phoenix True Fire?”
She responded, “Don’t underestimate her body. It might be artificial, but its ability to adapt and grow is incredible. That is the body of a Spirit Puppet. You will never find another one like her in this world.”
“You seem really taken with her,” he turned his head and looked at the person next to him.
She smiled, “Her future achievements will surely surpass mine.”
He nodded, “In any case, I should congratulate the Phoenix Clan for adding another clansman to their ranks.”
Her smile widened. It was an amorous sight.
At that particular moment, the white-robed man frowned and revealed an expression of surprise.
“What happened?” The beautiful woman glanced at him in amazement. At their cultivation, it was rare for anything to surprise them anymore; however, the expression on his face clearly indicated that something big and unexpected had occurred.
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you!” He turned to look at her with a strange expression, “Somebody has broken into Dragon Island!”
She was stunned for a moment. Then, she giggled, “Who could be so desperate? What an unlucky guy.”
She did not ask how the white-robed man knew about this because she knew that he had probed into the situation on Dragon Island several years back. Furthermore, he had left a kind of Soul Clone back in that Void Labyrinth.
That Void Labyrinth was not easy to crack. Even the white-robed man had failed to find the exit back then. In the end, he could only cast a Secret Technique to leave a Soul Clone to slowly decode the labyrinth.
More than a decade had passed since then and that Soul Clone had obviously made some headway in regards to escaping the labyrinth during that period. For the white-robed man to receive this information could only mean that he had received feedback from it. In other words, the Soul Clone he left behind in the Void Labyrinth had been dispelled.
“If it was really him, you also know him,” the white-robed man said with an odd expression. He couldn’t be sure about the identity of the person that had broken into Dragon Island; after all, the message he received from his failing Soul Clone after it had scattered had been incomplete. Thus, he was only sixty percent certain.
“I know him too?” The beautiful woman was taken aback by those words and asked curiously, “Who is it?”
“He is related to the Young Lady.”
She frowned at those words.
“He is also related to her!” He pointed at the small figure by the mouth of the volcano.
“Do you mean that guy?!” She was dumbfounded. His hints were so obvious that she would be an idiot if she still couldn’t guess who he was referring to. Still, she could not imagine that that person could successfully break into Dragon Island.
“How can it be him?” She was in disbelief, “Is he insane?! He actually dared to break into Dragon Island!?”
In response, he shrugged with a look that seemed to say, ‘I don’t know either.’
“Did you lead him in?” she asked.
He replied, “No, it wasn’t me. It’s something my Soul Clone did on its own.”
“Nonsense! What kind of place do you think Dragon Island is? What can he do after entering that place with that paltry strength of his!? He will probably be beaten to a pulp!”
The man added, “I left my Soul Clone there more than ten years ago. I didn’t know him back then, so the Soul Clone I left behind doesn’t know him either. It only led him into Dragon Island in hopes that he could make some waves in that place. It wanted to see if that person could create an opportunity for me to take advantage. It would be great if he causes a ruckus there, but it’s fine even if he doesn’t.”
“If anything happens to him, Xiao Qi will never forgive you for it. It’s not like you don’t know how important he is to her. She has been clamouring to go to the Southern Territory to look for him for years now. If she had not been confined by her father, she would have run off a long time ago.”
He sweated profusely at those words, “Please don’t tell her.”
She replied, “There are no secrets that can be kept forever.”
He exclaimed, “So, what should we do? He has already gone inside. If he was going to die, he would already be dead by now!”
She pondered in silence for a moment, “Well, this is certainly an opportunity. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing if we took this chance to sneak into Dragon Island… I will report this to Sir. We’ll see how he decides to proceed with this matter.
“Good.” He nodded.
Then, the beautiful woman transformed into a fiery light and headed into the distance as swiftly as lightning.
“Were you talking about Master just now?” A childish voice suddenly rang out.
The corners of the white-robed man’s mouth twitched at those words. Lowering his head, he glanced in the direction of the voice and saw a seven-or-eight-year-old little girl standing there. He did not know how long she had been standing there. She was staring unblinkingly at him with a pair of large, sparkling eyes.
The little girl looked like a jade sculpture. One glance was enough to determine that she would become a beauty that would turn the world upside down in the future.
However, the white-robed man knew that this little girl wasn’t a little girl at all. Lifting his head to look at the sky, his expression was full of vicissitudes as he groaned, “The wind today sure is noisy…”
The sky was blue and the earth was vast. Two figures stood mid-air, dazed and unable to respond. Needless to say, these two were none other than Yang Kai and Li Jiao who had experienced all kinds of hardships during their journey to this place. Yang Kai had torn open the space after that ball of light had led them to the exit of the Void Labyrinth, and they arrived in this place. However, what greeted them was so different from what they had imagined that they couldn’t help being stupefied for a while.
“Palace Master Yang, i-is this Dragon Island?” Li Jiao turned to look at Yang Kai with a look of astonishment.
“I don’t know either.” Yang Kai was also at a loss. He had assumed that they would arrive at Dragon Island after exiting the Void Labyrinth; however, at this moment, he was not sure if this place was Dragon Island because this place was not an island at all. It was a Sealed World!
Extending his senses out into the surroundings, he could tell that the World Principles in this Small Sealed World were complete, even more perfect than the Sealed World Bead in his possession. Lifting his head to look at the sky, he was amazed to see that it even had a scorching sun.
If somebody clueless to the situation were to see this place, they would have mistaken it as someplace in Star Boundary. Fortunately, Yang Kai was aware that this was not anywhere within Star Boundary. He had traversed many Small Sealed Worlds before, and even owned one, hence, he was extremely sensitive to these kinds of places.
This was a Small World, a perfect Small World. Furthermore, the World Energy here was impressive. It couldn’t be said to be extremely dense. After all, Star Boundary was vast with countless cultivation paradises, so which large Sect was not located in a beautiful spot that was rich in World Energy? This Small World might contain dense World Energy, but it was not much better than the cultivation paradises in Star Boundary.
The key point was its purity! The World Energy here was extremely pure, several times more so than any other World Energy Yang Kai had ever come into contact with before. A cultivation environment like that was extremely advantageous as the higher the purity of the World Energy, the faster and more easily one could absorb it. What cultivator would not thirst for that?
“We… Didn’t end up in the wrong place, right?” Li Jiao had an expression that indicated he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“Why do you say that?” Yang Kai turned his head and looked at Li Jiao.
“How does this look like an island?!” Li Jiao was a little disappointed. In his imagination, Dragon Island was above all worldly considerations. It was an island isolated in the middle of the ocean with gigantic Dragons flying about and puffing out smoke. This place was also a paradise of sorts, but it was just too different from what he had imagined.
“Who stipulated that Dragon Island had to be an island?” Yang Kai countered rhetorically.
Li Jiao was stunned by those words before thinking to himself, [Fair enough.]
The name ‘Dragon Island’ had been passed down through the generations, so everyone assumed it was an actual island, but no one had ever entered Dragon Island nor spoken about what the island was like on the inside.
“In my opinion, this is probably Dragon Island,” Yang Kai took a deep breath. The pure World Energy in the air made him relax, physically and mentally. It felt as though even the pores in his body had expanded. Then, he broke into a grin, “It’s not just ‘probably’. This is definitely Dragon Island!”
What other place in this world could be better than the legendary Dragon Island? Yang Kai had been to many other cultivation paradises before, but nowhere else was comparable to this place.
Li Jiao nodded lightly and did not argue with Yang Kai on that point, “So, what should we do now?”
Yang Kai frowned and thought for a while before speaking, “Since we’re already here, we might as well enjoy ourselves. Let’s investigate this place first.”
“Sounds good!” Li Jiao nodded.
Afterwards, the two of them immediately flew off in the same direction. Both of them tried hard to conceal their auras to prevent revealing their whereabouts. Additionally, they neither flew too high nor too fast.
The Small World seemed to be rather large compared to the Revolving World they went to previously and while flying, they passed numerous mountains and rivers. However, they didn’t even see a single member of the Dragon Clan anywhere.
Although the numbers within the Dragon Clan were extremely low, as far as Yang Kai was aware, there should still be some of the Dragon Clan members living on Dragon Island. Thus, it made no sense that they couldn’t find a single trace of the Dragon Clan anywhere.
For that reason, he couldn’t help doubting whether his previous conjecture was wrong. [Could it be that this isn’t Dragon Island? Don’t tell me Li Jiao and I fell into a random Small World by accident. If that’s the case, things will get embarrassing…]
On the other hand, they ran into several Monster Beasts. Some were strong while some were weak. Moreover, many of the stronger Monster Beasts possessed some thin Dragon Clan bloodline. Their auras were terrifying, and they ran wild in the mountains and forests.
The appearance of these Monster Beasts with the Dragon Clan bloodline greatly increased Yang Kai’s confidence; even so, the True Dragon Clan was nowhere to be seen.
Two days later, a huge city suddenly appeared before them. The city was built on a huge plain and occupied almost one-third of the horizon. From a distance, the buildings in the city seemed densely packed with streets of varying sizes crisscrossing between them. Such a huge city could accommodate at least a million people.
Yang Kai and Li Jiao were instantly dumbstruck while at the same time, an inexplicable feeling surged in their hearts.
“Brother Li, is there a city on Dragon Island?”
Li Jiao smiled wryly, “I have never heard of a city on Dragon Island. However, the members of the Dragon Clan are so scarce, so why would they create such a large city?”
Yang Kai agreed with that sentiment. [The Dragon Clan has no reason to create such a large city. So, is this not Dragon Island after all?] At that thought, his expression turned grim. Two days ago, he had confidently declared to Li Jiao that this place was definitely Dragon Island. Who could have known that those words would slap him in the face two days later?
[But, what is this place if it isn’t Dragon Island?] Yang Kai mulled over it for a moment and said, “Let’s go take a look.”
They might as well take a look at the place regardless of where this was. Even so, they did not rush headlong into the city. They did not know where exactly this place was nor who exactly lived in this city. Therefore, they landed about a hundred kilometres away from the city, found a hidden spot to hide, and prepared to observe the situation for a while.
Upon a closer inspection, they saw many people actively going about their day inside the city. Even if the number of people in the city did not amount to a million, there were at least several hundreds of thousands of them here. This discovery made Yang Kai and Li Jiao even more disappointed. [This really isn’t Dragon Island… Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people here!]
“Somebody is coming!” Yang Kai shouted suddenly, staring intently at something.
The moment Li Jiao heard that, he hurriedly turned his gaze in that direction and saw several figures rushing in their direction. Soon, those people flew over the two of them, seemingly heading for the city.
After they passed by, Li Jiao muttered, “Those were Humans in the Dao Source Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly at those words. Those were Humans indeed. Moreover, their cultivation was neither high nor low. People like them were everywhere in the outside world; it was nothing special.
Not long after those people left, another group of people flew towards the city. This time around, Yang Kai and Li Jiao discovered a strange phenomenon. The leading figure among this group was a person with a Dragon Clan bloodline.
He was a man with a First-Order Emperor Realm cultivation and had several Dragon Scales on his face. Apart from that, he did not show any other Dragon Clan like characteristics. Even so, this discovery astonished Yang Kai and Li Jiao greatly.
This man’s situation was very similar to Li Jiao’s. He was probably a Dragonborn with an impure bloodline. In fact, the purity of his bloodline was even lower than Li Jiao’s.
Yang Kai frowned slightly, feeling there was something unusual here.
For the next half a day, the two of them did not move from that spot. A figure or two would fly over their heads from time to time, heading straight towards the city.
The more they observed, the larger the shock and doubt in their hearts grew. This couldn’t be helped though as it was frightening just how many Dragonborn were in this place. At least a hundred people flew over their heads during the time they spent observing and a full ten had Dragon Clan bloodlines. That was a ratio of ten to one, which would have been impossible anywhere else in the Star Boundary but Dragon Island.
Dragonborn could be found in the Star Boundary of course, but there were not many of them. However, in this damned place, one out of every ten was a Dragonborn. If Yang Kai had not seen this ratio for himself, he would never have believed it.
The cultivations of these Dragonborn were uneven; some were high and some were low. The lowest was only in the Origin King Realm while the higher ones were in the Emperor Realm. The distinct Dragon Clan characteristics that they displayed varied too. Some had a short Dragon Horn on their heads, some had Dragon Tails behind them, some had nondescript Dragon Claws while most of them had a few Dragon Scales on their bodies. Naturally, the Dragon Clan characteristics that they had were completely incomparable to that of the true members of the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Scales they had were not so much Dragon Scales as they were more like snake scales.
Aside from Humans and Dragonborn, there were members of the Monster Race thrown into the mix too.
“Palace Master Yang, what’s going on? Why are there so many Dragonborn here?” Li Jiao couldn’t remain calm any longer.
“Do I look like I know the answer to your questions?” Yang Kai gave Li Jiao a sideways look.
Li Jiao laughed awkwardly. He had only been asking in passing. It was just that what they had seen over the past half a day was too startling.
“It’ll be easy to get down to the bottom of this matter. We’ll know once we go inside, right?” Yang Kai pointed out while looking in the direction of the city.
Li Jiao was silent for a while, then he nodded in agreement.
After observing for so long, they discovered that the city’s defences were very lax. Nobody would bat an eyelid at them even if they rushed straight into the city. Moreover, there were no gatekeepers asking them questions or collecting any kind of entrance toll. In other words, Yang Kai and Li Jiao could literally just walk in.
Upon discussing their plans, they immediately rushed out from their hiding spot and flew towards the city. They soon closed the distance of one hundred kilometres and imitated how the people from before had acted. Landing some distance away, they walked into the city on foot.
When they arrived at the city gate, Yang Kai looked up and saw three characters drawn across the city gate in a showy fashion. He was stunned by those words. Similarly, Li Jiao also seemed shocked. Those three characters drawn across the city gate in such showy fashion read ‘Half-Dragon City’!
The two looked at each other and saw the surprised look in each other’s eyes.
A lifelike gigantic Dragon carving sat on the city gates. At first glance, this Dragon seemed to be alive, lunging forward at them with fangs bared. It made Li Jiao pale slightly at the sight and he couldn’t help walking a little faster.
When they entered the city, the two were shocked again. They had long speculated that this city housed a large population, but the size of the population exceeded their expectations. The people coming and going in the city were so numerous that they looked like a school of silver carps moving down a stream. There were shops and stalls in every direction, and they were surrounded by a cacophony of everyday noises like people shouting and bargaining. Moreover, there were beings from the different races, Humans, Monsters and Dragonborn, mixed into the crowd.
Humans numbered the most among them, making up nearly half of the population. Next came the Monster Race that, although lesser in number than the Humans, were not far behind. Last came the Dragonborn who were the rarest.
[What is going on!?] Both Yang Kai and Li Jiao were a little confused.
Half a day later, Yang Kai and Li Jiao sat opposite each other in a teahouse. The fragrance of the tea tickled their noses, but both of them remained silent.
Half a day of observation had given them a lot of time to see many things. Half-Dragon City was extremely strange. Putting aside how odd it was to see so many Dragonborn in one place, just the number of Masters here was staggering. At least 1 out of 1,000 people in the street were in the Emperor Realm. To put it into perspective, the population of this city was approximately 500,000. In other words, there were 500 to 600 Emperors living in this Half-Dragon City!
[What is this!? There are simply too many of them!]
There were countless cities across the entire Star Boundary, both large and small; however, no other city would ever have enough Emperor Realm Masters to compare with Half-Dragon City. Oftentimes, just a dozen Emperors living in one city was an astonishing sight. And, even those numbers had taken the Emperor Realm Masters that were simply passing by into account. 100 was impossible let alone 500!
Even if the World Energy here was extremely pure and helped the cultivators break through quickly, the ratio was still too frightening to think about. To put it into perspective, even the Top Sects such as Azure Sun Temple had no more than a dozen Emperor Realm Masters among their ranks. That wasn’t even a fraction of the numbers in Half-Dragon City.
In addition, Dragonborn with the Dragon Clan’s bloodline seemed to have a generally higher status in Half-Dragon City. Of those in the same cultivation realm, a Dragonborn was often the leader among their peers.
Yang Kai made a conjecture that if all the Masters in this city were to take up arms, they would have enough strength to take over any city and any top Sect in the Star Boundary. Only the Great Emperor Sects would be able to put up some resistance against Half-Dragon City. This entire city was like an invincible army!
However, both Yang Kai and Li Jiao also discovered something else that was strange. The Dragonborn, especially those with slightly purer bloodlines, seemed to suffer from unstable auras. No matter how high or low their cultivation, they seemed unsteady on their feet and looked as if they were suffering from hidden injuries. Moreover, the higher the cultivation among those in the Emperor Realm, the fewer the Dragonborn among them.
[What’s with this situation?] Yang Kai and Li Jiao had even more trouble understanding.
Logically speaking, the Dragonborn had a unique advantage in cultivating due to the Dragon Clan’s blood in them. Take Li Jiao for example. If he had not been a Dragonborn, his cultivation journey would have ended when he was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. It was because of his Dragon Clan bloodline that he was able to break through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm.
Strangely enough; the situation seemed to be reversed in Half-Dragon City. The purer the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, the harder it was for their cultivation to advance, and they reached the end of their cultivation in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. Thus, most Dragonborn cultivators were only First-Order Emperors. Contrarily, there were Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters among those that did not have the Dragon Clan’s bloodline in them, such as the Humans and Monsters.
After staying in the teahouse for a long time and listening to the conversations around them, Yang Kai and Li Jiao did not hear anything that stood out too much. The only thing that caught their attention was when one person accidentally mentioned the words ‘Dragon Palace’. Unfortunately, that person immediately realized that he had said something that was not supposed to be said and quickly changed the subject. It had left Yang Kai and Li Jiao feeling frustrated.
Half-Dragon City, Dragon Palace, Dragonborn… There were all indications that this place was none other than Dragon Island itself. However, Yang Kai found that hard to believe in the face of a population of several hundreds of thousands. [How can there be so many people on Dragon Island?]
Li Jiao was also confused. The difference between this place and what he had imagined was so vast that he could not accept reality.
While the two of them were immersed in their silence, a loud commotion sounded from the opposite shop. It sounded like a quarrel and immediately following that, Emperor Qi surged and Principles churned. The sound of something hitting the ground rang out, followed by a shocked exclamation. At the same time, a figure flew out from the shop and landed heavily on the ground.
The figure turned out to be a woman dressed in a light yellow dress. She had a head of black hair that fell to her shoulders like a waterfall while the shape of her back was slender and graceful. It was too bad that her face remained out of sight. The aura coming from her body was also not weak; she was a First-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Nobody knew who she had gotten into a conflict with inside that shop for her to be beaten up and thrown out but it seemed as though the injuries she suffered were not light. When the pedestrians on the street saw the commotion, they hurriedly evaded the area. Without knowing the cause and effect, no one was willing to stick their nose into another’s affairs, lest they bring trouble upon themselves.
“Mother!” A child’s voice cried out with a trace of sobbing. The woman lying on the ground got up with some difficulty, wiped the fresh blood from the corner of her mouth, and glared in front of her with a livid gaze. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, whether from anger or fear remained unknown to the people.
“Hmph!” A cold snort rang out and a man walked out of the shop with a sullen expression. His movements were neither fast nor slow. His hand was slightly lifted, grabbing a girl by her hair and dragging her outside with him. Caught in that manner, the girl could only walk after him with her body half-arched backwards.
The girl was beautiful. She looked fairly young, and her body wasn’t very well-developed. With two small bulges on her chest, she looked extremely petite and exquisite. All in all, she looked no more than 15 or 16 years old. Her eyes were reddened, and tears slid down her cheeks. She seemed to be frightened, and her expression was filled with panic. Looking ahead of her, she cried out again, “Mother, please save me!”
Listening to her cries for help, this girl seemed to be the daughter of the woman that had been thrown out of the shop before.
“Let her go!” That woman growled through gritted teeth. The Emperor Qi in her body churned violently while her posture indicated that she was desperate to rush forward and fight; however, her daughter had been captured which made her hesitant to act, lest she cause her daughter to be harmed. She didn’t dare to act hastily regardless of how furious she was.
Besides, the cultivation of that sinister and vicious-looking man wasn’t just higher than hers; he was also a Dragonborn. Even if she fought with her life on the line, she would still be no match for him.
“Let her go?” The sinister and vicious-looking man looked at the woman and laughed coldly, “Why should I let her go just because you asked me to? What thing are you?”
Disdain was dripping from his words and it was obvious that he did not put the woman in front of him in his eyes. While he was speaking, he lowered his head and took a sniff at the girl’s hair. Then, he suddenly showed an expression of ecstasy, “How fragrant. I just love little girls like her.”
The girl had never gone through such experiences before and feeling the burning aura coming from behind, she stiffened and wept even harder, crying out pitifully, “Mother…”
“Don’t you dare!” The woman was enraged by the sight. Gnashing her teeth, she yelled, “Do you know whose daughter she is? How dare you act so frivolously toward her?!”
The sinister and vicious-looking man sneered, “Of course I know whose daughter she is!”
The woman seemed stunned by those words. She clearly had not expected the other party to reply in such a manner. At first, she assumed that the other party was abusing his authority and harassing them; thus, she only needed to bring out the name of her daughter’s father to make the other party back off in fear, leaving the mother-daughter pair unharmed. Who could have expected that it would have no effect at all?
She couldn’t help but feel her heart sinking, knowing that the situation was against her. The other party had been targeting her all along. He must have investigated them beforehand so threatening him with the father’s identity was no longer of any use.
The sinister and vicious-looking man said, “Did you think that person would care about a Human like you? If he cared, he wouldn’t have driven the two of you out!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, not only did that woman’s expression darken, but the expressions of the onlookers also became dejected. They looked as if they had gone through the same experience that woman did.
“Believe me; even if I strip her naked right here and right now, nobody will care about what happens to you!” The sinister and vicious-looking man said, placing his hand on the girl’s shoulder.
The girl’s body stiffened abruptly. Her tears slid down her cheeks uncontrollably like a broken string of pearls.
The woman standing opposite him was incredibly shocked by those words and shrieked, “No!”
If he really stripped her daughter naked here, then her daughter would never be able to hold her head high in public again. In the worst case, her daughter might even commit suicide. Her daughter was the only thing that made living bearable so how could she just watch this travesty happen?
The words of that sinister and vicious-looking man made many of the onlookers frown in response. They felt that he was going too far and somebody immediately piped up, “Hey, Friend. It’s not necessary to drive them into a corner. Even if they provoked you in some way, there’s no need to humiliate them in this manner, right?”
The moment that person spoke up, the expression of his companion next to him immediately changed drastically. His companion hurriedly tugged at him and whispered something in his ear. Following that, his expression changed too and his face became rather sickly and ashen.
The sinister and vicious-looking man turned to look in that person’s direction and sneered, “What did you say just now? I didn’t hear you clearly. Why don’t you repeat that?”
That person’s complexion paled further as he cupped his fists and bowed, responding in a low voice, “Sir, please forgive me. I failed to choose my words carefully. Please forgive me if I have offended you, Sir.”
The sinister and vicious-looking man stared at him coldly and a long while passed before he suddenly shouted, “Scram!”
When that person heard that word, he reacted as if he was granted a pardon by the Heavens. He hurriedly turned around and fled. Although he was willing to stand up against injustice if it was within his capabilities, he did not have the courage to do so when his life was at risk.
The rest of the onlookers saw the scene unfolding before them and understood that the Dragonborn in the Second-Order Emperor Realm was very influential. He might have a powerful backer supporting him, otherwise, his threat alone could not have been such a great deterrent.
Some of the others could recognize that sinister and vicious-looking man. Thus, they knew just where his confidence was coming from. Sighing, they thought to themselves, [Both of them are done for. They could have offended anybody in the world, but they just had to offend this bastard. Their futures will not be easy.]
After throwing his weight around, the sinister man turned his head to look at the girl’s mother and said with a smug expression, “Do you know what to do now?”
How could the woman not know what he was talking about? She clenched her fists so hard that her nails cut into her palms. Even so, she did not feel the pain. Lifting her eyes to look at her daughter, she smiled sadly and slowly got down on her knees. Prostrating herself, she pressed her forehead against the backs of her palms and aggrievedly said, “I… am willing to serve you, Sir. Please let my daughter go!”
The corners of his mouth lifted into a jeering sneer. The woman’s lowly posture satisfied him greatly and his gaze lingered on her round and tight bottom for a while before he leisurely swaggered over. All of a sudden, he lashed out and kicked the woman to the ground. The force of his kick was not small and caused the woman to roll across the ground several times before she stopped.
“Mother!” The girl cried out sorrowfully when she saw that.
“Shut up!” The sinister and vicious-looking man slapped his palm across the girl’s cheeks, causing her face to swell up greatly.
It could be that she had been scared senseless and did not dare to say anything else again after that. The pupils of her bright eyes dilated with fear.
Meanwhile, the sinister and vicious-looking man kicked the woman again. It was clear that he was not done with her. Stepping forward, he stomped one foot down on her chest, causing her voluptuous peaks to deform from the pressure.
The woman’s expression was twisted in pain, but even so, she called out to her daughter, “Close your eyes!”
She did not want her child to see the state she was in right now.
As a mother, how could that woman let her daughter witness herself being tortured?
Unfortunately, the girl was completely stupefied. Her eyes were open wide and staring. At the same time, her tears flowed freely down her face. It could be seen that she had been frightened senseless.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you had agreed earlier?” The sinister and vicious-looking man coldly snorted. He ground his foot into her chest several times. The sound of bone being dislocated rang out, but he acted as if he did not hear anything. Lowering his body, he snorted, “If you agreed sooner, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”
The woman’s expression was filled with pain. Even so, she gritted her teeth and refused to utter a single sound. She simply looked at her daughter and squeezed out a smile. It was too bad that that smile was uglier than if she had cried instead.
“You rotten wretch! You should be honoured that you caught my interest! How dare you refuse me?!” It seemed as though he had not tortured her enough and still wanted to vent his rage. More than that, he clearly enjoyed the feeling of trampling on this woman, his eyes filled with bliss.
Inside the teahouse, Yang Kai’s gaze cooled slightly. He and Li Jiao had watched the entire scene unfolding before them, so they knew exactly what had happened.
Although it was his first time in Half-Dragon City and he was not very familiar with the situation here, he couldn’t bear to continue watching the mother-daughter pair being tormented so badly under their noses anymore. Just as he was about to make a move though, Li Jiao stood up abruptly. Li Jiao was watching the woman being stepped on the ground with a shocked expression. There was a look of disbelief in his eyes and in the next moment, fury burned in him.
“It’s too late to beg for mercy now!” The sinister and vicious-looking man was still trampling that woman underfoot, “Neither you nor your daughter can escape. You will both come with me!”
While speaking, he grabbed the girl with one hand and reached out to grab the girl’s mother with the other.
At that moment, without warning, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. An imposing Emperor Pressure descended from the sky, enveloping the sinister and vicious-looking man.
The sinister and vicious-looking man was utterly shocked. Kicking out with his feet, he flew backwards and yelled, “Who!?”
Li Jiao stretched out his hand to form a fist, slamming it straight into that man’s face.
The sinister and vicious-looking man was horrified and hurriedly circulated his Emperor Qi to defend against the attack; however, the fist pressure became infinitely magnified in the next moment and smashed into his nose. Then, he was sent flying by that punch with a loud crack, sounding as if something had split apart. Concurrently, he lost his grip and the girl he had captured broke free from him.
A loud crash subsequently rang out as the man slammed into the shop behind him, breaking who knows how many things as he fell. Climbing up with some difficulty, he felt extremely dizzy and his mouth was filled with the smell of blood. He reached out to wipe at his nose, smearing blood all over his hand. It would seem as though his nose had been broken.
He was enraged as a result. Immediately rushing out of the shop, he fixed a cold gaze on Li Jiao and his murderous intent rose like a tide as he shouted through gritted teeth, “Impudence!”
Meanwhile, Li Jiao ignored him and instead he was focused on the girl he had rescued before turning to look at the woman who was still lying on the ground, saying in a low voice, “Go and help your mother up.”
The girl remained motionless. She had probably been overwhelmed with fear.
On the other hand, the woman stared at Li Jiao in astonishment. She had not expected anybody to help them at this point; after all, that sinister and vicious-looking man was not somebody they could afford to provoke. That man’s cultivation could not be counted among the best in Half-Dragon City and many others were stronger than him. Even so, he was not somebody that just anybody could afford to offend. Anybody who offended him would meet a terrible end and it had nothing to do with their cultivation.
When that woman saw Li Jiao’s face clearly though, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes and let out a soft exclamation in response. Their gazes met, and a look of pity and nostalgia flashed in Li Jiao’s eyes; however, that woman immediately looked away and avoided his gaze.
Seeing her reaction, Li Jiao sighed softly and gave the girl a soft push. Only then did the girl return to her senses and step forward to help her mother while bawling her eyes out.
Li Jiao’s arrogant attitude undoubtedly angered the sinister and vicious-looking man. It was strange to say that even though he noticed that Li Jiao’s cultivation was higher than his by a whole Minor Realm, he was not the slightest bit scared. Rather, he glared at Li Jiao hatefully and snapped, “How dare you injure me?! I don’t care who you are; you’re dead!”
“You took those words right out of my mouth.” Li Jiao turned back to look at the sinister and vicious-looking man, his expression completely indifferent, but the suppressed rage in his voice clear to all.
Inside the teahouse, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, picked up a cup of tea, and took a sip. He gazed at the woman before shifting his gaze to Li Jiao. A moment later, his expression changed as if he had understood something.
On the other side, the sinister and vicious-looking man was stunned for a moment before he burst into laughter and said grimly, “You are pretty courageous. No one has ever dared to speak to me in that manner in Half-Dragon City.”
“There’s one now!” Li Jiao took a shallow breath and calmed the anger in his heart. He had never been so angry before. The rage burning in his chest threatened to explode right out and he could barely restrain himself from venting his anger and smashing this sinister and vicious-looking man into powder.
“You court death!” Similarly, the sinister and vicious-looking man was incredibly furious. His aura intensified, and the colour of the Dragon Scales under his neck deepened considerably. Simultaneously, a faint Dragon Pressure spread in the air.
Many of the Dragonborn within the crowd suddenly looked uncomfortable. It couldn’t be helped as this was a form of bloodline suppression. The Dragon Clan bloodline of that sinister and vicious-looking man was purer than theirs; moreover, his cultivation was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. If he used his full strength, not many Dragonborn within Half-Dragon City could stand against him. Even the Humans and Monsters who were not Dragonborn looked extremely uncomfortable and began to back away.
Meanwhile, Li Jiao’s expression remained unchanged as he stood there as immovable as the mountain. He simply stared at the sinister and vicious-looking man coldly.
The expression of the sinister and vicious-looking man twisted slightly when he saw Li Jiao’s calm and indifferent demeanour. He couldn’t help thinking that something was wrong. Knowing that Li Jiao also had the Dragon Clan’s blood flowing in him, that man dared to be so reckless because he was certain that Li Jiao’s bloodline was not as pure as his.
Contrary to his expectations, Li Jiao’s reaction to the overwhelming Dragon Pressure gave him a shock. [How is he unaffected?! How can this be?! Is the bloodline suppression not working?! That’s impossible! There’s only one possible reason for his indifference… His bloodline is not inferior to mine!]
At that thought, his expression changed drastically. His cultivation was incomparable to Li Jiao’s in the first place, and if his bloodline gave him no advantages, then he was no match for Li Jiao whatsoever!
Upon taking a closer look at Li Jiao, a suspicious look flashed through his eyes. He realized that Li Jiao did not look even a little bit familiar, so much so that he had no recollection of ever meeting Li Jiao before.
Dragonborn might be common in Half-Dragon City, enough to number several tens of thousands, but not many Dragonborn were Emperors. There were only a few hundred in Half-Dragon City that were in the Emperor Realm in total, of which Humans and Monsters accounted for roughly eighty percent.
Totalling up all the Dragonborn in the Emperor Realm amounted to less than a hundred, so this man essentially had some recollection of all of them. Even if he was not close with them, he would have met them several times before. That was inevitable; they were all living in Half-Dragon City after all. The city might be big, but they would still run into each other over the years. In contrast, Li Jiao was a face he had never seen before. [Where did this guy pop out from? His cultivation is in the Third-Order Emperor Realm, and his bloodline is not inferior to mine… I’ve never heard of a guy like this before!]
At this point, he was utterly stunned! The woman was shocked too! Similarly, the surrounding onlookers were absolutely astonished! Everybody stared blankly at Li Jiao as though he had flowers on his face.
After a while, the sinister and vicious-looking man felt cold sweat beading on his forehead. He had the feeling that he had chosen a bad match.
“Disgraceful!” Li Jiao snorted coldly and activated his power too. In the next moment, a trace of Dragon Pressure that was obviously stronger than that of the sinister and vicious-looking man’s covered the entire surrounding area. Following that, the man’s Dragon Pressure disintegrated instantly like a bubble popping.
Muffled exclamations rang out from the surrounding onlookers as they suppressed their reactions.
“Third-Order Dragon Vein!”
“It’s a Third-Order Dragon Vein!”
“Was there someone with a Third-Order Dragon Vein in Half-Dragon City?”
Li Jiao furrowed his eyebrows at those exclamations. He knew that his Dragon Clan bloodline was impure, but he did not know how to classify it. He had never had anything else to compare it with after all, let alone a standard he could measure against.
The classification of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline originated from Dragon Island and the Dragon Clan, so it was not known to outsiders; however, judging by the exclamations from the crowd, the Dragonborn of Half-Dragon City seemed to have a clear idea of the standards of classification.
[So, I have a Third-Order Dragon Vein?] It was the first time Li Jiao had ever heard of that himself.
“Did we have a Dragonborn like that in Half-Dragon City?”
“Who is this person? How come we’ve never seen him before?”
“Look at his power! He probably has a Third-Order High Rank, right?”
“I don’t think so. It’s probably only Mid Rank.”
“Someone is about to be in trouble.”
“Don’t joke around. It’s not like you don’t know that person’s background, he might not necessarily be the one in trouble.”
……
The expression on that sinister and vicious-looking man changed constantly as he cursed endlessly in his heart. [What the hell?! Where did someone possessing a Third-Order Mid-Rank Dragon Vein pop out from? I, myself, only have a Second-Order High-Rank Dragon Vein! There’s a difference of two Minor Realms between us! My cultivation is not as good as his, and my bloodline is not as pure as his. How am I supposed to fight him?]
A wave of Dragon Pressure pressed down on him, and his expression became extremely troubled. The Emperor Qi in his body could barely respond, and the meridians in his body squirmed. At the same time, the throbbing from the depths of his heart made him panic.
It was also the first time Li Jia had experienced the benefits of bloodline suppression. In the past, he had always been the one being suppressed. He could only shrink in fear in front of Zhu Lie and Zhu Qing. This time, he was finally the one standing on top.
The rage in his heart had yet to subside though and raising his hand, he swept his palm at the sinister and vicious-looking man’s face. The sinister and vicious-looking man wanted to resist; however, he did not have the power to do so. He couldn’t even dodge aside when the slap came at him.
The crisp sound of a slap rang out. Consequently, one side of that man’s face swelled and several of his teeth were knocked out. He spun around several times before crashing heavily into the ground; that was how much power Li Jiao’s attack contained.
Afterwards, Li Jiao turned around. His cold expression disappeared immediately to be replaced with a kind one as he looked at the little girl, “He slapped you once, so I slapped him back. Was that enough to vent your anger?”
Meanwhile, the girl was in shock. She did not know Li Jiao. More than that, she did not know why he was helping her. All she knew was that she had been filled with grievances and fear when she and her mother had been harassed by that sinister and vicious-looking man. In contrast, she currently felt overjoyed to see that man receiving his just desserts. Hence, she had a good impression of Li Jiao, a person she had just met by coincidence, so she nodded repeatedly in response to his question.
He smiled, “If you think it’s not enough, I can hit him a few more times.”
The girl mulled over it for a moment and shook her head.
Li Jiao continued, “Good, then I’ll help your mother vent some of her anger now.”
On the streets of Half-Dragon City, everyone was silent.
When Li Jiao turned around again, the cold expression was back on his face. He approached that sinister and vicious-looking man, step by step.
The sinister and vicious-looking man was dizzy after being slapped in the face and when he finally got his bearings again, he saw that Li Jiao was standing in front of him all of a sudden. Thus, he became angry out of shame and opened his mouth to curse at Li Jiao, “How dare you hit me!?”
Li Jiao’s eyes drooped. Then, he lashed out again. A crisp slapping sound rang out, and the other side of that man’s face swelled as a result.
The double suppression from their bloodline and their cultivation left that man with no power to resist; thus, he could only take the beatings passively.
“You bastard! How dare…”
Before he finished speaking, Li Jiao smashed another fist into his face. He was hit so hard that his skin tore off.
“You…”
*Hong…*
Another punch slammed into his face.
The surrounding onlookers were as silent as cicadas in winter, feeling a chill running down from the tops of their heads to the bottoms of their soles.
Li Jiao was extremely furious and ignored everything around him as he rushed forward and pinned that sinister and vicious-looking man. Then, he began punching that man’s face repeatedly with both fists. The sounds of punching rang out continuously, so much so that that man couldn’t even get another word out of his mouth.
Although Li Jiao appeared ruthless, he also knew his limits. This was an unfamiliar place after all and even if he wanted to help those two vent their anger, he did not kill that man. Therefore, that sinister and vicious-looking man’s life was in no danger whatsoever even though he suffered such a terrible and miserable beating.
“Friend… It would do you good to be forgiving. Besides, this person… Isn’t somebody you can afford to offend.”
A voice suddenly floated into Li Jiao’s ears. Somebody had sent a Divine Sense transmission directly to him, causing him to frown and reduce the force behind his attacks considerably. Most of his rage had calmed down after beating that man up, so he was no longer as unreasonable as he had been previously.
The woman he rescued finally came back to her senses and screamed, “Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him! Sir, please stop!”
She wasn’t pleading on behalf of that sinister and vicious-looking man. How could she possibly plead on his behalf after suffering such humiliation at his hands? Her daughter even saw the entire scene! She was brimming with a thirst for revenge, but she was worried about Li Jiao. If Li Jiao killed that man, he would not walk away from this incident alive; thus, she was filled with the guilt and anxiety of dragging him into her problems.
In response, Li Jiao punched the sinister and vicious-looking man two more times before stopping and coldly snorted, “Worthless dog!”
The woman took the opportunity to run forward and clutched at his arm as she begged, “Sir, please stop! Stop hitting him!”
Li Jiao got up, looked at the sinister and vicious-looking man lying on the ground coldly, and snarled ferociously, “I’ll let you off this time. If this happens again, I will rip your corpse into ten thousand pieces.”
At this moment, the face of the sinister and vicious-looking man was covered in blood and his expression was literally deformed. Nobody knew whether it was because he was feeling incredibly embarrassed or he was actually severely injured, but he lay motionlessly on the ground as if he was dead.
Li Jiao kicked the sinister and vicious-looking man once again before turning to look at that woman with a slightly complicated expression and asked, “Are you alright?”
The woman shook her head, not daring to meet his gaze. Then, she gently let go of his arm. She was also an Emperor Realm Master. Thus, she was only sightly injured despite being subjected to that torture just now.
“Good,” Li Jiao nodded.
Lowering her head, the woman bit her red lips lightly before uttering, “Many thanks for lending a helping hand, Sir. But… You should leave quickly. You can’t stay in Half-Dragon City anymore.”
Li Jiao frowned at those words. Whether it was this woman’s current reaction or the message from before, both were conveying a clear meaning. Li Jiao was no fool, so how could he not realize that the man he had beaten up was somebody influential?
[I’ve really done it now. This is going to be troublesome.] Li Jiao couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy. Even so, he did not reveal his uneasiness in front of the woman. Besides, he would still make the same choice even if he was asked to choose again. It wasn’t because he had a gallant and compassionate nature; it was just…
“Are you going to keep addressing me in that manner?” He looked at the woman and sighed softly.
The woman’s tender body trembled and continued to play dumb as she asked, “Sir… What do you mean by that?”
“Ha…” Shaking his head, Li Jiao did not continue pestering her on that topic and simply said, “Come with me.”
After saying that, he led the way.
The woman hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she called her daughter over and held her hand before following behind him.
Walking into the teahouse from before and heading to the second floor, Li Jiao immediately saw Yang Kai smiling at him strangely. He couldn’t help blushing furiously in response, knowing that his impulsive actions just now had made him seem like a fool. He was a Third-Order Emperor, as well as a Palace Master, so it was indeed rare for him to lose his composure in such a manner.
Without saying anything, Li Jiao returned to his original seat. Yang Kai pushed a cup of tea over to him which he downed in a single gulp with a grim expression and remained silent.
Meanwhile, the mother-daughter pair stood next to each other happily. If one were to look at them carefully, one would notice that they had many similarities. Moreover, they were both extraordinarily pretty. The woman had been injured, and she even had some blood in the corner of her mouth, but that did not take away from her beauty.
Li Jiao remained silent. Similarly, the woman said nothing either. She simply stood there with her head lowered as if she had done something wrong. On the other hand, the girl studied Yang Kai and Li Jiao curiously, although she was relatively more curious about Li Jiao as he had rescued her and her mother; thus, she was more cordial and grateful toward him.
“Why don’t you sit down and talk?” Yang Kai smiled at them slightly.
The woman shook her head and whispered, “I have received your kindness, Sir. It’s enough for me to remain standing.”
Li Jiao was frustrated when he heard what she said and took another sip of tea.
She continued, “Two Sirs, you should leave Half-Dragon City as soon as possible. You must not stay here for long.”
Yang Kai asked, “Who is he?”
She answered, “He isn’t anything important, but… He can communicate with the other side.”
She did not explain clearly as it seemed to be a taboo of some sort. Seeing the indifferent expressions on both Yang Kai and Li Jiao’s faces though, she anxiously turned to Li Jiao and explained, “Sir, you really have to leave soon. It will be too late if you don’t leave now.”
Li Jiao turned his head and looked at her in annoyance and quickly snapped back, “Are you going to continue pretending not to know me?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, she immediately lowered her head again and did not dare to look at him. The girl next to her widened her eyes curiously and stared at her mother. Then, she turned to Li Jiao and asked, “Do you know my mother?”
Li Jiao snorted, “You have to ask her yourself!”
Li Jiao seemed to be a little angry; however, even he did not know why he was feeling upset.
In response, the girl innocently turned her head, “Mother, do you know this man?”
The woman remained silent, but her tender shoulders began shaking softly. Her tears dripped down like a string of broken pearls as she looked like she was reminiscing about something sad.
“Mother…” The girl’s eyes reddened at the sight, and she reached out to hug her.
“Why are you crying? So many years have passed, yet you’re still the same…” Li Jiao felt speechless. Knowing that his words had been a little too harsh just now, he suddenly felt bad. Unfortunately, he did not know how to comfort her so he fidgeted anxiously for a bit before turning to Yang Kai for help.
Yang Kai smiled, “Elder Sister, please have a seat.”
Although they were both in the First-Order Emperors, this woman was certainly older than him so it was not wrong of him to address her as ‘Elder Sister’. Furthermore, she seemed to be an old friend of Li Jiao’s, so it was only natural for him to show some courtesy to give Li Jiao some face. After all, Li Jiao had gone out of his way to play the role of a hero just now.
Sure enough; Yang Kai’s words immediately caused Li Jiao’s face to turn a brilliant shade of red. Nevertheless, he sternly ordered, “Sit. Why are you just standing there? If people didn’t know better they might think that I am bullying you!”
The woman continued weeping quietly. Even so, she sat down with her daughter. She probably felt that it was unsightly of her to stand there and cry. Her emotions were all over the place. Nobody knew if it was because of the harassment she received earlier or her meeting Li Jiao again after so many years; in any case, her tears flowed without stopping.
Seeing that it wasn’t convenient for her to talk at the moment, Yang Kai decided to turn to look at Li Jiao instead and secretly communicated with him via Divine Sense, “Do you know her?”
He had guessed as much before Li Jiao even made a move. Besides, what happened afterwards gave him various indications that Li Jiao and this woman were old acquaintances. It was just that he found it strangely coincidental for Li Jiao to meet somebody he knew in this weird place called ‘Half-Dragon City’.
Li Jiao nodded lightly in response, his expression becoming complicated again as memories flashed through his eyes.
Yang Kai did not inquire any further. It wasn’t easy to ask about something so private and he just couldn’t shake the feeling that the relationship between Li Jiao and this woman was not an ordinary one.
“Palace Master Yang, have you ever heard of the Sect, Dream Gate?” Li Jiao was silent for a long time before he answered through Divine Sense without any warning.
“Dream Gate?” Yang Kai pondered for a moment and nodded, “Yes, I have.”
Dream Gate was also located in the Northern Territory, but it was nothing compared to Fire Dragon Palace, Full Sky Sect, Seeking Passion Sect, or Ice Heart Valley. That was because there were no Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters in that Sect. The strongest among them was merely a Second-Order Emperor. Therefore, Yang Kai did not have a thorough understanding of this Sect even though he had heard of it before. Hearing Li Jiao mentioning it at this time, he immediately understood that this woman had something to do with Dream Gate.
Li Jiao continued, “Dream Gate’s Sect Master, Lu Qiu, is only a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. Although his cultivation is not the greatest, it is not bad either. Furthermore, Dream Gate is a Sect with a long history. Sect Master Lu Qiu might not have many achievements under his belt, but he has been able to maintain the inheritance passed down by his ancestors well. The point is, he has many children. In particular, his third child is very beautiful and very famous. Everybody knew her as Lu San Niang.”
At this point, he turned to look at the woman who was crying softly next to them.
“It was probably around three hundred years ago, I was out travelling when I encountered a group of evildoers committing heinous crimes. I’m sure you are familiar with such incidents, Palace Master Yang. Not knowing the circumstances, I did not dare to interfere in the matter lightly, but just then, a lone woman decided to intercede on behalf of justice. Her strength wasn’t bad, but in the end, she was just a Third-Order Dao Source Realm at the time. She was surrounded by danger on all sides, so I saved her from her predicament and became acquainted with her. That woman… Was none other than Lu San Niang of Dream Gate. I am not afraid of being laughed at, Palace Master Yang, but the lecher in me was tempted by her beauty. After getting to know her for some time, I learned that she had a favourable impression of me, and therefore, I went to Dream Gate to ask for her hand.”
Li Jiao was born lecherous. Combined with the Dragon Clan’s blood flowing in him, it was only natural for him to be charmed by Lu San Niang’s country destroying beauty.
“Lu Qiu allowed the marriage, and as I did not wish to delay the matter any longer, I planned for the wedding to be held in a month. It’s a pity that one cannot predict the Heavens’ will; Lu Qiu sent a message half a month later saying that San Niang had disappeared. Naturally, I was furious. I went crazy at Dream Gate and injured many people; however, it was later verified that San Niang had vanished for no reason. It wasn’t the doing of Dream Gate. Fire Dragon Palace and Dream Gate searched for San Niang’s whereabouts for years after that, but there had been no leads whatsoever.” Li Jiao gave a wry smile, “It was as if she had vanished off the surface of Star Boundary. It was very strange indeed. This matter was such a huge deal back then that everybody in the Northern Territory knew about it. It was extremely embarrassing for me.”
Li Jiao was the Palace Master of Fire Dragon Palace, as well as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master; therefore, it must have been quite humiliating for him to be involved in a marriage scandal like that. Yang Kai could almost imagine how Li Jiao had felt at the time.
[No wonder he went crazy at Dream Gate in his rage. If I had been in his shoes, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back either.]
“Up until today…” Li Jiao let his sentence trail away. Turning to look at Lu San Niang, he fell silent for a moment before sighing again.
It couldn’t be helped. They had been mutually in love at the time, but the woman he used to love now had a daughter of her own. Thus, he couldn’t help feeling heartbroken at the sight. Even though three hundred years had passed, some things could not be smoothed out with time. Li Jiao did not know why or how Lu San Niang vanished back then. He also did not know how she turned up in this Small World. More than anything else, he did not know whose child that girl was.
When he heard her voice earlier at the teahouse, he had simply thought that it sounded familiar. It wasn’t until that sinister and vicious-looking man kicked her to the ground that Li Jiao saw her face clearly and acted out of shock and rage.
The woman who had been betrothed to him had disappeared for three hundred years. Moreover, she had given birth to the child of another man. Any man would simply not be able to bear such humiliation.
It was only because it was Yang Kai that Li Jiao bothered to explain the situation. If it had been any other person, he would not have revealed such embarrassing secrets. In any case, it was not the first time he was humiliated in front of Yang Kai so he was already used to it.
“Big Brother Li…” A low voice rang out from the side. Lu San Niang had finally stopped sobbing. Wiping her tears from the corners of her eyes, she called out to Li Jiao.
Yang Kai choked and nearly burst into laughter. [‘Big Brother Li’!? I can’t believe that there are people in this world who address Li Jiao in such a manner! Moreover, it’s such a beauty too! He sure has pretty good fortune in love!] Unfortunately, now was not the time for laughter thus he hurriedly picked up a teacup and placed it by his mouth.
On the other hand, Li Jiao looked shaken. He turned to look at Lu San Niang with turbulent emotions, but what came out of his mouth was a sneer, “Are you going to stop pretending now?”
Lu San Niang did not look up as she whispered, “I was too ashamed to meet you. That’s why I didn’t dare to admit that I know you.”
“Oh, so you know that you should be ashamed to meet me?!” He coldly snapped. Li Jiao was feeling extremely vexed. At first, he wanted to ridicule and humiliate her to vent the anger that had been simmering in his heart for so many years; however, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue again when he saw her bleak and miserable appearance. At the same time, his face became slightly distorted.
Rubbing her eyes hard, Lu San Niang lifted her head and forced a smile at him, “I really would have never imagined that I’d be able to meet you again, Big Brother Li.”
His heart softened at the sight of her face and he no longer had the heart to blame her for anything else anymore.
“The person I have wronged the most in my entire life is you, Big Brother Li. I won’t have any complaints even if you want to beat me, scold me, or even kill me. It’s just…” While speaking, she turned to look at her daughter with eyes that were filled with love and longing.
The girl was shocked to hear those words and all the goodwill and gratitude she felt for Li Jiao vanished from her heart instantly. She jumped up, spread her arms wide in front of Lu San Niang, and shouted, “Don’t bully my mother!”
Li Jiao immediately became exasperated. Slamming his hands on the table, he shouted, “When have I ever bullied her!?”
The girl jumped in fright, blinking several times as pea-sized tears slid down her cheeks. Despite trembling uncontrollably, she continued standing in front of her mother with her arms spread open.
“Why is this girl so much like you?!” Li Jiao felt a little speechless. His words and tone had been a little harsh just now, so he felt extremely apologetic and looked extremely uncomfortable.
Lu San Niang reached out and pulled her daughter’s arms down, coaxing her in a gentle voice, “Qin’er, don’t cause a fuss. Your Uncle Li will not bully me.”
The girl seemed sceptical. However, she no longer dared to challenge Li Jiao again after he yelled at her just now.
Lu San Niang continued, “Big Brother Li, you should leave as soon as possible. That person won’t let things go so easily now that you beat him up. If you don’t leave now, things will get very troublesome.”
Li Jiao smiled coldly, “Trash like him? I won’t show him any mercy if he dares to pester me again.”
He was simply being stubborn and prideful when in actuality, he felt rather uneasy inside. Half-Dragon City was simply too strange. He would never have placed himself in the limelight if he had not accidentally come across Lu San Niang.
Lu San Niang shook her head though and continued, “Big Brother Li, I know that you are powerful; however, it doesn’t matter how strong you are in this place. The opponents you will face are not ordinary people.”
Despite feeling extremely nervous inside, he immediately scoffed at her words, “If that’s so, then I really want to see what kind of help he can bring.”
Lu San Niang was about to continue speaking when Yang Kai suddenly smiled and said, “Sister San Niang, you don’t need to worry about our affairs. Rather, I’m very curious about why you suddenly disappeared back then.”
He knew that what Li Jiao wanted more than anything else in the world was the answer to that question. Putting himself in Li Jiao’s shoes, he knew that this matter was a thorn in Li Jiao’s heart, one that had been pricking at him for three centuries now.
Nevertheless, Li Jiao seemed reluctant to ask that question. Rather, it might be more accurate to say that he seemed scared of asking. He was probably worried about what he might gain or lose from knowing the answer, so Yang Kai decided to ask in his stead.
Upon hearing that question, Li Jiao’s expression twitched as he picked up his teacup and took a sip. Despite how calm he acted on the outside, his hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly.
Lu San Niang did not expect Yang Kai to ask that question so forthrightly, so a trace of shame surfaced on her face and she lowered her head, “It happened so long ago. I don’t remember it that well anymore.”
That answer clearly did not satisfy Li Jiao and he couldn’t be bothered to keep up with pretences anymore. His expression sank immediately and he shouted, “In other words, the feelings you showed me back then were nothing but lies! Good good good!”
He looked sad and indignant. If any other man had been the one to encounter this situation, they would not have remained calm either. Just thinking about the marriage back then left him feeling incredibly vexed and he was tempted to slap that shameless woman to death!
“That’s not it!” She abruptly lifted her head with all her strength as her tears came rolling down her cheeks again, “The feelings I had for you were genuine! I wanted to marry you, Big Brother Li.”
The way she looked caused his heart to soften again and his ferocity subsided considerably as he quickly said, “I need an explanation for what happened back then.”
She shook her head again, however, and as a result, the rage in his heart that had cooled flared up again and he stood up and spat, “Fine! You don’t need to tell me. I won’t force you. Let’s just pretend we never knew each other in the first place. Let’s go, Palace Master Yang.”
Although what happened back then was extremely regretful, Li Jiao had overcome so many other challenges over the years so by now, he could take what came his way in stride. His cultivation was not low after all and his mental fortitude was exceptional.
As soon as Li Jiao turned around to leave though, Lu San Niang grabbed his sleeve.
“What else do you want?” Li Jiao looked down at her with a cold expression.
She sobbed for a while before explaining in a soft voice, “I… was kidnapped back then.”
Li Jiao’s face twitched upon hearing those words, but he said nothing. He simply stood there without moving and did not mention leaving again either.
“Back then, our marriage had been decided and I was eagerly awaiting Big Brother Li’s arrival at Dream Gate, but I could not bear it any longer and wanted to meet with you right away. Hence, I ran out secretly. I wanted to go to Fire Dragon Palace to find you, but… but I never imagined…” At this point, she couldn’t continue speaking anymore. She was probably recalling the memories from back then and they choked her up so much that she couldn’t even speak anymore.
“Mother…” The little girl started crying too as she raised her hand to wipe away her mother’s tears. For a moment, both mother and daughter wallowed in grief and wept their eyes out.
Then, Li Jiao sighed, “That’s enough. Stop crying. It’s fine; let’s not talk about what happened back then. I went too far.”
Lu San Niang shook her head, barely able to control her emotions as she continued, “I was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm at the time, while ‘that’ person’s cultivation was extremely high. Unable to fight back, I was kidnapped and…”
There was no need to explain what happened next. She was such a stunning beauty, so she couldn’t escape unscathed after being kidnapped.
Li Jiao’s expression turned frosty at those words and he asked coldly, “Who was it?”
Lu San Niang did not answer directly and instead simply continued her story, “After that, he brought me here, to Dragon Island.”
“Dragon Island?” Both Li Jiao and Yang Kai were shocked and looked at her in unison to ask, “Is this really Dragon Island?”
She looked up at them, feeling curious about the reason why they did not know where they were even though they were already here. Nodding, she confirmed their suspicions, “That’s right, this is Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai and Li Jiao looked at each other, their expressions sinking. Although Lu San Niang did not mention who had kidnapped her, the answer was obvious. Who else could freely come and go from Dragon Island aside from the Dragon Clan?
Li Jiao clenched his fists tightly, and his hand trembled violently. [No wonder she refused to tell us, it was the work of the Dragon Clan! If I had not forced her to talk, she would never have revealed the truth!]
[Her disappearance back then was related to the Dragon Clan after all…] Yang Kai frowned, secretly thinking that this matter was going to be very troublesome.
Li Jiao was the same. It wouldn’t have mattered if it were anybody else; even if it were another Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. Li Jiao was willing to risk his life to get revenge and seek justice on Lu San Niang’s behalf; however, it turned out her abductor was a Dragon…
Li Jiao laughed bitterly in his heart as he thought to himself, [The Dragon Clan is something I can’t afford to offend…]
Just the bloodline suppression alone prevented him from having any thoughts of resistance. Thus, he fell back heavily in his seat with an ashen complexion. [My woman was snatched from me and humiliated beyond words. I also lost a great deal of face because of that incident, but even after learning the truth of the matter, I can’t even take revenge!!] A strong sense of helplessness sprung up in his heart, leaving him extremely depressed.
“How did you end up in this place?” Yang Kai looked at Lu San Niang with a frown. [The Dragons are lustful in nature. To add to that, she is a stunning beauty so it makes sense for her to attract the attention of someone from the Dragon Clan and get herself kidnapped, but how did she end up in Half-Dragon City then?]
Yang Kai was puzzled by this conundrum while at the same time, he sympathized with Li Jiao. [The Dragon Clan bastard that kidnapped her is a real piece of shit!]
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Li Jiao became suspicious too. He frowned and asked, “That’s right. Why did you end up here? What happened to the guy who harmed you?”
Lu San Niang lowered her head and was silent for a while before she whispered, “After being taken back to Dragon Island, I was imprisoned in the Dragon Palace. It was a life no better than death.” Her voice choked, and her body trembled continuously, “Until fourteen years ago…” She turned and glanced at her daughter with a sad smile, “I was finally driven out of the Dragon Palace when Qin’er was born.”
Li Jiao was taken aback by her words and couldn’t quite wrap his head around what she said, but when he finally returned to his senses, his complexion turned pale with rage as he slammed his fists down on the table and shouted, “That bastard!”
Similarly, Yang Kai’s expression was no better, [That Dragon Clan member really is a piece of shit. It was bad enough that he kidnapped a woman, brought her to Dragon Island, and made her suffer for so many years, yet he kicked her out when her daughter was born?! Where are his morals?! Is he someone without a heart!?]
Yang Kai had not held much prejudice against the Dragon Clan before, simply feeling that they were too arrogant for their own good. On this point, both Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie were carved from the same mould; however, if the Dragon Clan was not arrogant, could they even be called the Dragon Clan anymore? He never expected the Dragon Clan, who called themselves the strongest and the head of the myriad spirits, to actually have such reprehensible conduct.
“Then this girl is…” Yang Kai looked at the girl when he asked the question.
She said nothing to that, but the meaning was obvious enough.
“She is a child of that bastard, she has their blood flowing through her! Why was she kicked out of that Dragon Palace?” Li Jiao frowned. As the saying went, ‘even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs’. Regardless of the circumstances, her daughter was still part of the Dragon Clan, so why would they kick both mother and daughter out of the Dragon Palace the moment the daughter was born?
Lu San Niang replied in a quivering voice, “Those are the rules of the Dragon Palace. It doesn’t matter if you are infertile or have yet to give birth to children, but once you do, those without a Dragon Vein will be expelled from the Dragon Palace. Qin’er she… Wasn’t born with a Dragon Vein.”
“What kind of rule is that?!” Li Jiao was furious. [These children are their flesh and blood, regardless of whether they have Dragon Vein or not! How can they kick their children out like they were disposing of unwanted garbage?! Isn’t the Dragon Clan being too inhumane?!]
“This is truly too much!” Yang Kai lost any favourable impression he had towards the Dragon Clan.
However, Lu San Niang smiled sadly and shook her head, “These kinds of stories are not uncommon on Dragon Island.” Turning to look outside, she pointed at the pedestrians who came and went outside, “Where did you think all these people in Half-Dragon City came from?”
“Where do they come from?” Li Jiao asked.
She explained, “Many of them were expelled from Dragon Palace. Even if they themselves weren’t, their ancestors were.”
“What!?” Yang Kai and Li Jiao widened their eyes in unison.
“There are very few true members of the Dragon Clan and it is always very difficult for them to conceive children. Thousands of years can go by without a single new addition to the clan. Additionally, the ratio between men and women is very unbalanced in the Dragon Clan. Hence, most adult males in the Dragon Clan leave Dragon Island occasionally to search for excellent women, kidnap them, bring them back, and use them as tools to fulfil their desires. Over time, many of these women would eventually become pregnant. After giving birth, they can remain in Dragon Palace under observation. Even if the child is born with a Dragon Vein, it must be of a certain order or else even they will be expelled from the Dragon Palace. That’s how Humans, Monsters, and even Dragonborn with impure bloodlines have been added to Dragon Island over the years. As the number of Humans, Monsters and Dragonborn increased, they eventually established Half-Dragon City. That’s how Half-Dragon City began. Afterwards, the residents of Half-Dragon City got together with each other and gave birth to the next generation. Over the years, the population increased and gradually developed into what it is right now.”
After listening to Lu San Niang’s explanation, Yang Kai and Li Jiao were so shocked that they couldn’t say a word for a very long time. [Is that how Half-Dragon City was formed? All living creatures in Half-Dragon City, be they Human, Monster Race, or Dragonborn, are descendants of the Dragon Clan?! T-That’s… Just unbelievable…]
Lu San Niang had made it very clear. A portion of the people in Half-Dragon City were driven out from Dragon Palace; these people were none other than the women who had been captured by the Dragon Clan and their respective children, like Lu San Niang. However, this group was small in number. The rest were the descendants of people like them that had continually reproduced over the generations; they made up the vast majority of the population.
[No wonder this place was named Half-Dragon City. It turns out that there is an actual reason for this moniker. All the residents in Half-Dragon City had some relation to the Dragon Clan. What else should the city be called if not Half-Dragon City?]
At first, Li Jiao felt as if he had been cheated on by his once future wife. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to vent his anger. Even meeting with her today caused unpleasant emotions to erupt within him and the reason he asked so many pointed questions of her was that he simply wanted to get a clear picture of the situation.
But after listening to those words, all Li Jiao felt now for her was sympathy and regret. It wasn’t her fault for being kidnapped. At the time, she was only a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so how much resistance could she put up against a member of the Dragon Clan? Besides, what happened to her was so saddening that he couldn’t even blame her anymore.
Letting out a long sigh, he couldn’t help feeling that he was not fated to be in a relationship with her. Then, he looked at the girl and asked, “What is your child’s name?”
She replied, “Yu Qin. Lu Yu Qin!”
Li Jiao nodded and asked another question, “What is the name of the Dragon that harmed you?”
Lifting her head, she anxiously asked, “What are you going to do?!”
“I was humiliated so badly, and it’s all that guy’s fault. Don’t I at least have the right to know his name?”
Lu San Niang shook her head without saying anything. It was clear that she wasn’t willing to tell him the name of that Dragon Clan member, lest she bring trouble down on him. She understood Li Jiao’s circumstances, but… the other party was a member of the Dragon Clan, and this was Dragon Island. How could Li Jiao possibly bear to offend that man? She did not want to see him meeting a tragic ending because of her.
Her reaction enraged Li Jiao and he was just about to say something when he frowned and turned to look into the distance.
At the same time, Yang Kai seemed to notice it too and focused his gaze in the same direction.
“A Dragon!” Li Jiao shouted with a solemn expression.
He and Yang Kai had been searching this place for so long to no avail. They saw neither hair nor hide of the Dragon Clan during this time. Who could have known that the Dragon Clan would show up on their own initiative? Before that member of the Dragon Clan approached, a monstrous power washed over them from a distance and Li Jiao couldn’t even move a muscle from the effects of the bloodline suppression. Similarly, the many Dragonborn in Half-Dragon City noticed what was happening and quickly stopped and stared.
A loud Dragon Roar soon came from afar. Immediately after that, the figure of a Great Dragon appeared before everybody. It was a Green Dragon a few dozen meters long and it flew through the clouds and quickly arrived in the skies above Half-Dragon City. The Dragon Body covered the skies as its giant head stared down from above.
The entire Half-Dragon City seemed to tremble and all the residents within it panicked. The Dragon Clan was absolute on Dragon Island. Furthermore, the Dragon Clan rarely came to Half-Dragon City. For one to suddenly appear left them feeling at a loss for what to do. They did not know the reason for this Green Dragon’s sudden appearance.
That Green Dragon remained in mid-air for a long time, taking in the entire situation of Half-Dragon City before assuming human form. A young man in his twenties or thirties appeared on the spot with a flash of light. He was wearing gaudy clothes, looking like a butterfly flying through the city.
Following that, a figure suddenly flew out from Half-Dragon City.
Yang Kai and Li Jiao watched this scene with shocked expressions. This couldn’t be helped though as the person who flew over to meet the Green Dragon was none other than the person Li Jiao had beaten up earlier.
At this moment, the sinister and vicious-looking man cautiously and respectfully landed in front of the Green Dragon with a fawning smile. He was shorter than the Green Dragon by a head. Furthermore, he had yet to recover from the injuries he sustained before so his cheeks were badly swollen, and he had lost some teeth. Combined with his current ingratiating behaviour, he looked extremely ridiculous.
The Green Dragon glanced at the sinister and vicious-looking man and frowned slightly. The contempt and disgust in his eyes were obvious.
“Greetings, Senior Fu Qi. I didn’t know you were coming. Do you have any instructions for me?” The sinister man did not immediately start snitching to this Green Dragon by the name of Fu Qi. That was because he knew that everyone in Half-Dragon City, including himself, were nothing but ants in the eyes of the Dragon Clan. Although he could communicate with the other side of Dragon Island, he was still no different from an ant to them. Trying to tattle at this moment would not only make Fu Qi ignore him, but it would also annoy Fu Qi instead.
Fu Qi did not look at the sinister and vicious-looking man at all and simply said indifferently, “The Dragon Blood Flowers need watering.”
The sinister and vicious-looking man hurriedly nodded when he heard those words, “I understand. I will prepare for it immediately. Will two hundred as usual be enough?”
Fu Qi nodded gently, “Yes.”
“Sir, please return ahead of me. I will bring the people to Dragon Palace immediately.”
Fu Qi then added, “I also need five hundred ordinary people!”
The sinister and vicious-looking man was stunned by those words, “Five hundred ordinary people?”
He looked confused, wondering why Fu Qi made such a sudden request like that. In the past, the Dragon Clan essentially only came to Half-Dragon City for matters related to the Dragon Blood Flowers. It had always been enough to bring two hundred Dragonborn over to the Dragon Palace. There had never been a precedent where ordinary people had been brought along before.
Regardless of how high a person’s cultivation was, they were nothing but ordinary people to the Dragon Clan as long as they did not have the Dragon Clan’s bloodline in them.
“What for?” He didn’t quite understand the situation.
“Are you questioning me?” Fu Qi turned around and glanced at the sinister and vicious-looking man with a frigid look.
In response, the sinister and vicious-looking man became anxious. He knew he should not have asked that question. No matter what the Dragon Clan did, his job was simply to do as he was ordered. He did not have the right to inquire too much into it; therefore, he immediately lowered his head and said, “Of course not. I wouldn’t dare. Please forgive me, Senior Fu Qi, I was careless with my words.”
“Scram!” Fu Qi spat out before closing his eyes and standing there motionlessly.
The sinister and vicious-looking man thanked the Heavens for his luck before he immediately spun around and flew towards Half-Dragon City.
Inside the teahouse, Lu San Niang’s beautiful face paled drastically as she screamed, “Big Brother Li, please leave immediately! It will be too late if you don’t leave right now!”
Li Jiao frowned as he watched the sinister and vicious-looking man fly towards them and calmly replied, “It’s already too late to run.”
He had assaulted that sinister and vicious-looking man previously, and it was clear that the other party was holding a grudge over it. Although he did not hear what that man said to that Green Dragon, Li Jiao knew that he couldn’t get out of this easily just by looking at the unkind expression on that man’s face.
[Do I regret doing that? No, I don’t.] Lu San Niang was being humiliated right in front of his eyes, so if he had just stood idly by, he wouldn’t be able to call himself a man ever again. It was just that Li Jiao had not expected trouble to come knocking on his door so soon.
Lu San Niang once mentioned that the sinister and vicious-looking man could communicate with the other side. Now, it would seem that the ‘other side’ was referring to Dragon Palace and the Dragon Clan.