“Brother Yang, please accompany me to Azure Sea Palace. With my Old Ancestor around, you’ll be sure to achieve great success in the future!” Yan Luo passionately invited him.
Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “Patriarch Yan, many thanks for your invitation, but I don’t intend to join Azure Sea Palace. We’ll part ways now, and let’s hope that we won’t meet each other again.”
When Duan Mu Qi, who was whispering something to Chen Chui Ling, heard that, his gaze darkened. He had no regard for Yang Kai whatsoever. The reason he came with Yan Luo to help him out this time was that they were on good terms. As for the grudges between the Yan Family and this young man, he couldn’t care less.
However, he had never expected that the young man would reject joining Azure Sea Palace, and it was apparent that the latter had no respect for his Sect. Displeased, he uttered, “Boy, Azure Sea Palace is one of the great forces in the Ancestral Domain. Most cultivators wouldn’t have a chance to join us even if they wanted to. Now that you’re given a chance, you’d better appreciate it. If you miss it, you might regret it in the future.”
Without uttering a word, Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
Duan Mu Qi’s expression darkened as he snorted, “What an ungrateful brat!”
[How dare a bumpkin from the Lower Star Field be so arrogant in front of me!]
Thinking so, he released his Dao Source Realm aura in an attempt to pressure Yang Kai.
Seeing that, Yang Kai almost burst out laughing.
Duan Mu Qi was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, so where did his sense of superiority come from? How could he dare act so haughty in front of an Emperor Realm Master? If Yang Kai unsealed all of his cultivation pressure right now, everyone present would immediately be forced to their knees.
“Duan Mu Qi, what are you doing?” Just then, another Dao Source Realm aura silently clashed with Duan Mu Qi’s and neutralised it. The person was a muscular man whose face also oozed masculinity, he appeared to be a forthright character, and since his cultivation was the same as Duan Mu Qi’s, he wasn’t afraid of him, “Don’t you know the rules? Are you trying to snatch him by force?”
“That’s right. He’s expressed his unwillingness to join Azure Sea Palace, so why are you still harping on about it? Follow the customs, otherwise, he might despise all of us in the Ancestral Domain.”
“Come on, young lad. You don’t have to be afraid of him. Not joining Azure Sea Palace is a wise choice, they have nothing worthy of note. Why not join my Holy Mountain Peak? Your future will be bright with us, and you’ll receive many benefits.”
“Nonsense, you should come to Nine Stars Palace. As long as you’re talented enough, I guarantee that you’ll reach the Dao Source Realm within ten years!”
“Haha, Little Brother, rather than those stuffy places, you should join Elder Sister’s Yin-Yang Sect. As long as you join us, you can take home one of our Senior Sisters or Junior Sisters. Moreover, the lady behind you is as beautiful as a peach blossom. Just the lovely countenance of her face proves that she is perfectly suited to cultivate our Sect’s Secret Arts.”
…
He Yun Xiang was dumbstruck. She watched dazedly as these people in a realm above the Origin King Realm invited Yang Kai and her to join their respective Sects.
[Are they all really in the realm above the Origin King Realm? Where’s their majesty? Where is their aloofness?] He Yun Xiang felt like she was a wealthy woman with a lot of cash who had accidentally stepped into a food market, causing all these people to call out to her passionately to hock their wares.
[What’s going on? Why are they so hospitable? Something must be amiss.]
In just a short moment, these Masters had all invited them to join their forces, more than a dozen of them at once.
After everyone else had made their appeals, an old man with a smoking pipe approached them, but he walked up to He Yun Xiang instead of greeting Yang Kai. Then, in a serious manner, he stuffed something into her hands and said in a low voice, “Come join Eternal Life Pavilion. As long as you can make a single contribution, there will be many more of these in your future.” The old man seemed to be taking an indirect approach. As long as he could persuade the woman beside Yang Kai, he was sure that Yang Kai would join them.
Lowering her head, He Yun Xiang took a look at her palm and saw a familiar-looking Spirit Pill.
[Isn’t this a Source Condensing Pill?] She had consumed a lot of Source Condensing Pills recently, so she was familiar with it and could recognise it at first glance. However, the pill in her hand appeared inferior to those given to her by Yang Kai. The pill wasn’t as fragrant, its size was small, and the colour appeared dull. Apparently, it was poorly made.
At that instant, she realised that those Source Condensing Pills given to her by Yang Kai were in a realm of their own, so the pill in her hand wasn’t comparable to them.
She was torn between tears and laughter, but at the same time, she grew more confident in Yang Kai. Judging from this pill alone, she was certain that the heritage of these people wasn’t comparable to that of Yang Kai.
On the nearby hill, Azure Sea Palace’s Duan Mu Qi and the two people from the Yan Family were extremely displeased. Yan Luo was especially anxious because he thought that he could rely on his Old Ancestor to teach Yang Kai a lesson after he arrived in the Ancestral Domain so that Yang Kai would understand the consequences of offending the Yan Family. However, he didn’t expect such an unforeseen event.
He understood what the Old Ancestor was wary of, as the latter couldn’t possibly make a move on Yang Kai in front of all these Masters.
If Yang Kai joined another Sect, then it would be hard for them to retaliate against him in the future, so he turned to look at his Old Ancestor in hopes he would have a solution. Unfortunately, Yan Ren Hao just shook his head, which hinted that he was powerless to do anything as well.
Yan Luo clenched his fists in resentment as he couldn’t get the fury off his chest.
“Everyone, many thanks for your kind invitations,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and put on a faint smile, “But I apologize as we do not intend to join any great force at the moment.”
All of them fell silent in an instant and stared at Yang Kai as though the latter was a fool.
The alluring lady from Yin-Yang Sect uttered in a small voice, “Little Brother, I don’t know what grudges you have with those from the Yan Family, but if you don’t seek refuge now, it will be hard for you to move around in the Ancestral Domain in the future.”
The old man with a smoking pipe also whispered, “A wise man should be able to adapt to his circumstances. As a man, you should know when to yield. It doesn’t matter if you take a step back temporarily to take two forward later.”
Yang Kai still shook his head, “Again, many thanks, but we have made our decision.”
He Yun Xiang immediately passed the pill back to the pipe-smoking old man. Since she wasn’t going to join his Sect, she didn’t feel right accepting this reward.
The pipe-smoking old man, however, waved his hand, “Since it is fate that brought us together today, just take it as a gift.”
He wouldn’t mind giving her a single Source Condensing Pill as he could just treat it as an investment, possibly making them change their minds in the future.
He believed that after He Yun Xiang took the pill, she would definitely want to join his Sect.
“Farewell,” Yang Kai said and walked away with He Yun Xiang who hurriedly summoned a flight type artifact and boarded it together with him. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from everyone’s sight, leaving these people sighing in the same spot.
Yan Luo nearly failed to contain his laughter. [He has basically just refused the easy way out and headed to Hell instead. He could have joined a great force and left this place safely, but he’d chosen to walk into a dead end. Isn’t he trying to induce me to retaliate against him? Certainly, I wouldn’t let this chance slip through my fingers.]
Then, he traded glances with the Old Ancestor as they understood what was on each other’s minds.
Yan Ren Hao uttered, “Senior Brother Duan Mu, we should probably forget it. Let’s go back to Azure Sea Palace.”
“Good.” Duan Mu Qi played along and nodded his head. Then, he hurled a small boat forward, upon which it expanded along with the wind and transformed into a flying ship that could accommodate five to six people.
The four people from the Azure Sea Temple then boarded the boat and rose into the air, after which they headed in the direction Yang Kai had left without trying to hide their intentions.
“That boy…”
“He’s basically asking for death.”
“I think he must be out of his mind.”
“I don’t think so. Everyone coming from the Lower Star Field is haughty because they were overlords in their respective homes. Now that you want him to join a great force and work under someone else, it’s expected that he’s not willing to do so. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with his brain since he has cultivated to this point. It’s just that he thinks too highly of himself. I guess he’ll have to suffer a few setbacks before he’ll face reality.”
The others present agreed with such sentiments, because that was the path that many of them had gone through before, so they understood that it was important to adjust their mentality. It meant nothing that someone was able to rule over a Star Field, only if they could gain a solid footing in the Ancestral Domain would they be considered powerful.
[Unfortunately, it seems that he won’t live to see the sunrise tomorrow.]
“That poor girl…” The woman from Yin-Yang Sect heaved a sigh. She didn’t exaggerate when she said that, given He Yun Xiang’s alluring face, it was suitable for her to cultivate Yin-Yang Sect’s Secret Art. Before she could promise her any benefits or show her the Yin-Yang Sect’s power and heritage though, she had already left this place, making this woman quite displeased with that young man.
Nevertheless, she didn’t want to bother about it anymore since the young man was about to lose his life.
…
The view around them was quickly flowing past them as Yang Kai and He Yun Xiang took in the Ancestral Domain’s magnificence while riding her artifact.
The World Energy here was indeed more abundant than any place in the Star Field, but it still wasn’t comparable to the Star Boundary. There was a large difference between the two. Moreover, Yang Kai could feel that the World Principles here weren’t as perfect as those of the Star Boundary.
In other words, Dao Source Realm was probably the limit in the Ancestral Domain while it was practically impossible for anyone to reach the Emperor Realm here.
If the incident earlier hadn’t happened, He Yun Xiang would’ve been more than happy to enjoy the splendid view around her; however, she wasn’t in the mood to do so now as obviously there were multiple auras relentlessly tailing them.
She didn’t even need to give it a thought to know that they must be those from Azure Sea Palace and the Yan Family duo. She wanted to ask Yang Kai about his plan, but she gulped down her words in the end. In her heart, she consoled herself that there was nothing to be afraid of. Since Yang Kai was so confident, he must have a way to deal with them.
“Cultivators from their respective Star Fields who have managed to come here are all top talents, so their futures are naturally bright. That is why those from the Ancestral Domain were waiting at that portal to invite us to join their forces,” Yang Kai suddenly said something puzzling.
He Yun Xiang replied in shock, “Is that so?”
“Why do you think they’ve been staying there? Isn’t it better for them to meditate and cultivate if they have the time?”
He had a similar experience in the past. After he entered the Star Boundary, he was taken in by Bian Yu Qing.
However, it seemed that Ancestral Domain and Star Boundary were slightly different in a way. There were no fixed entrances to the Star Boundary. After he passed through the Starlight Corridor, he landed in a random place. However, judging from what happened earlier, he could see that the entrances to the Ancestral Domain were fixed.
That seemed to be a fixed passageway that connected the Ancestral Domain and the Star Fields, which gave those people a chance to keep watch in that place.
Yang Kai even felt that he could open the passageway in reverse and return to Unending Star Field.
The discovery made him excited. If he could find the corridor that connected to Heng Luo Star Field, he would be able to return to his homeland.
“However, those Sects are obviously not very powerful. The truly formidable Sects will never do such a thing.” Yang Kai came to this conclusion because he could see that those people were only in the First-Order Dao Source Realm. Cultivators would scramble to get into the truly powerful Sects, so those forces wouldn’t disparage themselves like that.
He Yun Xiang pondered on it and nodded, “Sir, I think you’re right.”
“Stop here,” Yang Kai tapped her shoulder.
Upon receiving his order, she stopped the Star Shuttle.
They were in a place that was surrounded by mountains. The area was beautiful with fragrant flowers dotted around, and birds could be heard chirping joyfully.
“You’ve found a good cemetery for yourself. It’s a nice place indeed.” Yan Luo’s voice could be heard from behind. When he uttered the first word, he was still in the distance, but when he finished speaking, he had already reached right in front of Yang Kai.
Then, the boat was put away as the four from Azure Sea Palace hovered in the air.
“It’s indeed a good place to be buried, but I’ve not chosen it for myself,” Yang Kai grinned.
Certainly, he knew that by turning down the other Sect leaders, they would attract those from Azure Sea Palace to chase after them once they left the scene. If those from Azure Sea Palace and the Yan Family decided not to race after them, they would have stood a chance to stay alive. After all, the Yan Family had helped him enter the Ancestral Domain, so it would be wonderful if their grudges could be resolved just like that. However, since they had chased after him, then he had no choice but to destroy them.
A true Master would never intentionally oppress the weak, he would only inadvertently destroy everything the weaker party had. Those who oppressed the weak all the time were not truly powerful, they were those who had lost the will to challenge greater heights and thus degenerated into cowards who could only handle those beneath them.
Certainly, Yan Luo understood the meaning behind his words, so he snorted, “How shameless! Now that my Old Ancestor is here, do you still think you can act however you please?”
Yan Luo had been forced to act obsequiously for a long time, so he felt truly gleeful that he would get his revenge soon. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Old Ancestor, please bring justice to our family and avenge the Second Elder’s death.”
Yan Ren Hao nodded slightly and stepped forward, upon which his First-Order Dao Source Realm aura surged and pressed down on Yang Kai.
Casually, Duan Mu Qi uttered, “I don’t care what you do to the man, but you have to keep the woman alive.”
Hearing that, Chen Chui Ling pouted in displeasure. With a smile, Duan Mu Qi explained, “I’m getting you a new Sister to share your burdens. Don’t you like it?”
Chen Chui Ling knew that she couldn’t dissuade him from doing this as he was always a lascivious man. Regardless, she just wanted to cling to him, so she said dispassionately, “I want to be the Elder Sister, then.”
“Sure. It’s up to you,” Duan Mu Qi replied with a smile.
Upon that, Chen Chui Ling put on a smile, but she still shot a disdainful glance at He Yun Xiang. By just thinking that there would be one more woman who would share her man from now on, she was displeased.
“Old Ancestor, you have to be careful. This man seems to have cultivated the Dao of Space.”
“Dao of Space?” Yan Ren Hao turned solemn, then he put on a haughty expression, “So what?”
When faced with absolute power, even Masters of the Dao of Space were useless. Dawdling no further, he growled, “Die!”
After that, he shot towards Yang Kai and reached him in the blink of an eye. Without using any artifact or Secret Technique, he clawed at the young man’s forehead as his Source Qi burst out from his fingers. The sound of something breaking through the air could be heard, as though his fingers had turned into a sharp weapon.
He wanted to end Yang Kai’s life with just one strike to avenge the humiliation that had been brought upon the Yan Family.
He Yun Xiang exclaimed as she witnessed the prowess of a Dao Source Realm cultivator for the first time. She couldn’t even clearly see his move. If she was in Yang Kai’s place, she wouldn’t have been able to avoid the attack. In an instant, her face turned pale and immediately tried to push her Star Shuttle to bring Yang Kai away.
When she moved, though, Yang Kai remained in the same spot.
*Dang…*
The crisp sound of metal clashing against metal sounded.
The ferocity on Yan Ren Hao’s face froze at that moment before it quickly turned into shock as he stared at the young man in disbelief.
He had accurately hit right on target, but unlike his imagination earlier, the young man’s head didn’t explode, nor did blood splash out. It didn’t feel like he was clutching at a person’s head but rather had grabbed an extremely hard piece of metal, only managing to leave a small white mark on the man’s forehead.
[What is his head made of? Why is it so hard?]
Not daring to hesitate, Yan Ren Hao immediately released his powerful Source Qi through his palm.
Upon impact, Yang Kai rocked his head back and forth lightly like a toy rattle, a mocking gaze on his face as he stared at Yan Ren Hao, who was now less than an arm’s length away.
In an instant, Yan Ren Hao’s heart sank, and while he was in a dazed state, Yang Kai managed to grab his hand. An immense power could be felt on his wrist as the sound of cracking was heard. The next moment, the bones in his wrist shattered to pieces.
[No! I’m definitely no match for him! Is he really from Unending Star Field? How is it possible that there’s such a monster like him in our Star Field!?] Flabbergasted, Yan Ren Hao opened his mouth, upon which a beam of light shot out and transformed into a sabre. However, instead of slashing at Yang Kai, the sabre was actually aimed at Yan Ren Hao’s own wrist.
Instantly, Yan Ren Hao’s wrist was severed from his arm as blood spurted out of the wound, thereby allowing him to escape Yang Kai’s grasp. He had not hesitated at all when he cut off his own wrist because he knew that if he didn’t do that, he would be killed by the young man.
He had managed to reach his current cultivation realm by not only relying on his talent and luck, but also on his sharp intuition.
Seeing Yang Kai leap into the air after him, his speed was even more rapid than his own, Yan Ren Hao was terrified and shouted as he retreated, “Friend! Please stop! There must be a misunderstanding between us! It must be my family’s descendants who were disrespectful and offended your honourable self! I have to thank you for teaching them a lesson and instilling a sense of respect in them. Friend, I haven’t managed to ask for your name yet.”
He spoke in a rapid yet clear manner, as though he was worried that he might not have the chance to speak again if he was slow.
“Just die.”
Yan Kai had given them a chance already, but since they didn’t appreciate it, they could reflect on their mistakes in the next life.
Then, he pushed out his fist with brute force, without any aura fluctuation around him.
The target, Yan Ren Hao, turned ashen as he shouted, “Senior Brother Duan Mu, save me!”
After he finished speaking, he was struck by the fist. Without the chance to utter one more word, he exploded into a blood mist that even those kilometres away would clearly be able to see.
Yang Kai lifted his hand casually and combed his hair back as it had been slightly disturbed by Yan Ren Hao just now. Then, he turned to look at Yan Luo.
Yan Luo’s jaw was dropped as he was still reeling from the shock that his Old Ancestor had just been killed.
The process was too fast. From the time his Old Ancestor made a move until he exploded into a blood mist was less than a breath. Unlike what he had imagined, his Old Ancestor didn’t manage to kill Yang Kai to avenge their family’s humiliation. Instead, Yan Ren Hao had been killed.
Yan Luo couldn’t accept this fact. He was so astounded that it felt as if someone had battered his Soul. His heart contracted, causing him to feel suffocated.
Meeting the young man’s gaze, Yan Luo began trembling uncontrollably as he could feel that he had been engulfed in an aura of death. Subconsciously, he hid behind Duan Mu Qi to gain a sense of security.
“How dare you kill someone from Azure Sea Palace!?” Duan Mu Qi was no longer in the mood to flirt with Chen Chui Ling. In the blink of an eye, Yan Ren Hao had been killed, and he didn’t even clearly see what had happened. Enraged, he shouted, “You must die today!”
Just like what Yang Kai had expected, although Azure Sea Palace had some fame in the Ancestral Domain, it wasn’t among the top Sects. They didn’t have many cultivators in the Dao Source Realm, so the death of any one of them would mean a huge loss for the Sect.
Initially, Duan Mu Qi thought that this excursion would be a simple, easy one; he never anticipated that a Master from his Sect would be killed. Once he returned, he would definitely be punished.
If he wanted to be spared from punishment, he had to kill the murderer to make up for his mistake.
“Is there something wrong with his head?” Yang Kai turned to look at He Yun Xiang and asked seriously.
With a smile, she replied, “I guess he’s so sick that not even the Heavens can save him.”
She had just witnessed that someone in the realm above the Origin King Realm couldn’t withstand a single punch from Yang Kai, so the worry in her heart had vanished instantly. She couldn’t comprehend the depths of Yang Kai’s strength, but she was certain it was beyond even her wildest imagination.
“Good, I should send him on his way then.” Yang Kai flickered and appeared before Duan Mu Qi in the blink of an eye. Although his figure wasn’t particularly large or burly, the moment he appeared there, he seemed to block out everything else in the world from Duan Mu Qi’s vision.
It was then that Duan Mu Qi came to his senses. His instincts were screaming to him that he was in imminent danger.
Despite that, he wasn’t flustered as he extended his hand into the air and summoned a long sword into it. It was apparently a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank artifact. Layers of cold glints radiated from the sword and turned into a net as it engulfed Yang Kai.
In response, Yang Kai just waved his hand, upon which a sword appeared in his grip. However, the sword was quite different from the other long swords. The hilt was unusually large as the average person would need both hands to take hold of it. It was apparently a heavy sword, but Yang Kai managed to hold it with ease. He didn’t attempt to use any splendid-looking moves as he brandished his Myriads Sword.
The net of swords broke into pieces with a loud clang. As if struck by lightning, Duan Mu Qi sprayed out blood as the Dao Source Grade long sword in his hand snapped in two.
Yang Kai didn’t pause for an instant as he slashed his Myriads Sword at his opponent.
As though a Binding Technique had been cast on him, Duan Mu Qi was rooted to the spot as he looked dazedly at Yang Kai, only able to mutter, “You…”
With a loud slice, his body was split into two from his head to crotch in a symmetrical manner. Falling apart, blood and organs splattered everywhere.
After a short moment of silence, the sound of someone sobbing could be heard from the side. Already drenched in tears, Chen Chui Ling was completely pale as she trembled and stared at Yang Kai. Her pupils had bulged to the size of plates, as though the person standing before her was a stone-hearted devil instead of a Human.
Two First-Order Dao Source Realm Masters were not even able to take a single blow from this young man. They were killed easily as though they were just ants.
In her heart, she was utterly regretful. If she knew this would be the outcome, she wouldn’t have followed Duan Mu Qi to this place.
When Duan Mu Qi was killed and his blood had splashed everywhere, she was right beside him, so she was immediately dyed red. The mixture of blood and tears slid down her face and got into her mouth, which tasted salty and fishy, causing her to retch.
Not sparing her a glance, Yang Kai grinned at Yan Luo, who had been hiding behind Duan Mu Qi just now.
At this moment, Yan Luo was drenched in blood as well. Fear and horror seemed to be filling his eyes as he lamented in the deepest part of his heart.
[Why is he so powerful?] He had never expected that there existed a person as formidable as Yang Kai in this world. When Yang Kai made a move, he couldn’t even sense any aura fluctuation around him, but with just a fist and a sword, he had managed to kill Yan Ren Hao and Duan Mu Qi with ease.
Therefore, Yan Luo decided to run for his life. His desire to stay alive had conquered the fear in his heart.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai stared at his figure.
He Yun Xiang uttered, “Sir…”
She wasn’t willing to let Yan Luo off. If it weren’t because Yang Kai was so strong, they would’ve fallen into Yan Luo’s trap. Since the situation had been flipped, she could not forgive him.
Yang Kai didn’t race after Yan Luo not because he was magnanimous, but because…
All of a sudden, a net shot out of a nearby forest towards Yan Luo. Yan Luo was caught off guard and swiftly captured. Shocked, he hurriedly pushed his Saint Qi to resist it, but he soon plunged into despair because he realised that the harder he tried to struggle, the tighter the net became. In just a short moment, he was wrapped up like a rice dumpling. The thin threads, which seemed to contain some sealing power, even dug into his flesh, causing him to be unable to use his Saint Qi.
At the other end of the net, an old man with a sallow face appeared. There was a smoking pipe in his hand as he gazed at Yang Kai with a conflicted expression.
After a moment of hesitation, he approached Yang Kai with his pipe in one hand and the bound Yan Luo in his other hand. Then, he sized up the young man and asked, “What is your cultivation realm?”
Although he was rejected by Yang Kai earlier, he wasn’t willing to give up so easily. Thinking that it would be a waste of talent if someone from the Star Field was killed by those from Azure Sea Palace, he secretly followed them. His intention was to save Yang Kai from trouble and make the young man owe him a favour, thereby luring him to join the Eternal Life Pavilion.
However, instead of reaching his goal, he watched a hair-raising show.
The two First-Order Dao Source Realm Masters were killed by this young man with ease, which meant that it also wouldn’t take him much effort to end his life either. What horrified this old man though was that he couldn’t even see through Yang Kai’s cultivation.
Even if Yang Kai had an artifact that could cover up his cultivation, he couldn’t possibly hide it after taking action; however, from beginning to end, his cultivation had remained a mystery.
“How should I address you, Elder?” Yang Kai smiled at him.
The old man replied, “Xu Hou Tu.”
Yang Kai uttered, “Elder Xu, many thanks for lending me a hand.”
In a helpless manner, Xu Hou Tu shook his head. Yang Kai was able to kill two Dao Source Realm Masters with ease, so there was no way a trivial Third-Order Origin King could turn the situation around. Even if he didn’t make a move, this man called Yan Luo would never have been able to escape. Given how he immediately changed the topic though, it was apparent Yang Kai was unwilling to answer the old man’s question.
After giving it a thought, the old man said, “There are about ten Dao Source Realm Masters in Azure Sea Palace. What’s more, the Palace Master is in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. Since you’ve killed two of their people, they won’t let you off.”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m not interested in slaughtering an entire Sect, but if they insist on asking for death, I won’t be magnanimous.”
Xu Hou Tu was shocked upon hearing that. He was just telling Yang Kai some information about Azure Sea Palace, but at the same time, he was also trying to probe him. Seeing that the young man had no regard at all for a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master, he knew that he had still underestimated him.
As such, he gave up the idea of inviting him to join the Eternal Life Pavilion. Even if a Master like Yang Kai was willing to join his Sect, he would bring immense pressure and worry to everyone else.
But, how was this possible? He had personally seen Yang Kai arrive from a Lower Star Field, so how could the latter possess such incredible strength? Which Star Field could nurture this kind of monster? There was no precedent like this in the past.
“Little Friend, why have you come to the Ancestral Domain?”
Since he couldn’t lure him to join his Sect, the old man reckoned he could at least strike up a relationship with him. Perhaps this friendship would be useful in the future.
After a moment of deliberation, Yang Kai replied, “I came here because I wish to travel to a different Star Field through the Ancestral Domain.”
Yang Kai knew that Xu Hou Tu wasn’t a wicked person judging from the fact that the latter had followed him to this place. Moreover, he knew nothing about the Ancestral Domain, nor could he rely on He Yun Xiang since she was as clueless as he. So, he might achieve his goal faster with the help of a local.
“I am not originally from Unending Star Field. I just happened to be stranded there and want to return to my native Star Field.”
Hearing that, Xu Hou Tu finally understood what was going on, “I see.”
The Ancestral Domain was supposedly connected to all Star Fields. Many Masters had discussed before the feasibility of using the Ancestral Domain as a terminal to head to other Star Fields. Their conclusion was that it was possible, but they would have to pay a hefty price, and it required them to be extremely powerful.
“But I’m not sure how I can go home. Elder Xu, do you have any suggestions?” Yang Kai asked.
Xu Hou Tu replied, “Little Friend, I’ll have to ask which Star Field you want to go to first. It’s not that I want to boast, but I’ve lived in the Ancestral Domain for many centuries now and have come into contact with many cultivators from different Star Fields. So perhaps I know someone from your Star Field.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “Elder Xu, then, have you heard of Heng Luo Star Field before?”
Xu Hou Tu gave it a serious thought, but to Yang Kai’s disappointment, he shook his head, “No.”
Then, he consoled the young man by saying, “However, the Ancestral Domain is extremely vast. People from my Sect have been guarding only five Star Road Portals, so I can at least tell you that these portals do not connect to Little Friend’s Heng Luo Star Field.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “You mean, there are many such portals like the one just now?”
“Haha. There are hundreds of them.”
Yang Kai was astounded.
Xu Hou Tu went on to say, “Your best option would be to visit other Star Road Portals and ask the ones waiting at them about it. If the people from your homeland have come to the Ancestral Domain, you will surely obtain some useful information from those at the portals.”
“Where are all these portals?”
Xu Hou Tu pondered on it for a moment before flicking his wrist, upon which two Space Rings flew towards him. The rings belonged to the deceased Yan Ren Hao and Duan Mu Qi. He forcefully erased the seals on those rings and then searched them.
Then, he took out something that looked like a scroll and tossed it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took it and looked doubtfully at him.
Xu Hou Tu uttered, “Try infusing your Divine Sense into it.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai unrolled the scroll open and poured his Divine Sense into it. The next moment, dots of light suddenly lit up on the scroll.
Yang Kai his brow and poured more Spiritual Energy into it, upon which the light dots appeared closer now.
These light dots were mostly very far from his current location, but there was one that looked like it was quite a nearby place.
Xu Hou Tu explained, “This is a Star Road Chart. All the portals that have been discovered in the Ancestral Domain are recorded here. The closest portal to you is the one you just passed through to reach the Ancestral Domain.”
Yang Kai withdrew his Divine Sense and stored the scroll. Elated, he said, “This is indeed a good thing.”
With a smile, Xu Hou Tu uttered, “This thing isn’t that valuable in the Ancestral Domain. Almost any Sect or individual with a little background can afford to buy a similar Star Road Chart.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Many thanks for your guidance, Elder Xu.”
With this Star Road Chart, he could go to different Star Road Portals to ask for more information. At that instant, Yang Kai’s plan for the future had been set.
“It was just a minor matter, so there’s no need to thank me. I hope that you’ll achieve your goal soon.”
“I’ll take advantage of your auspicious words.”
“En, please carry on then, I’ll help you handle the situation here.”
Yang Kai bowed his head, “I’ll be troubling you then, Elder Xu. Farewell.”
Then, he beckoned to He Yun Xiang, upon which they left the place on the Star Shuttle.
Just as they left, something flew through the air. Xu Hou Tu reached out and caught a round object in his hand, and upon a closer look, he was astonished.
It was a Spirit Pill that he had never seen before, but he could feel that the pill contained medicinal efficacies that were beyond his imagination. Excited, he began fantasizing about what kind of transformation he would go through after he took this pill.
He had intended to gain some benefits in the future by helping Yang Kai, but he didn’t expect that the reward would come so soon.
Then, he took a look at the sobbing Chen Chui Ling and the bound Yan Luo. After that, he lit up his pipe and drew in a deep breath. Following that, he puffed out the smoke and it soon covered a large area. When the smoke disappeared, there was no longer anyone at the scene.
…
“Sir, where are we going now?” He Yun Xiang asked while she flew the Star Shuttle.
Having just witnessed that Yang Kai had killed two people who were in the realm above Origin King Realm, she grew even more respectful of him.
Yang Kai tossed the Star Road Chart to her and replied, “Visit every place that’s recorded on this.”
He didn’t know where the portal that connected Heng Luo Star Field and the Ancestral Domain was. He didn’t even know whether such a portal existed. Since he knew nothing, he had no choice but to investigate each portal one by one.
Although it was quite a silly and time-consuming method, it was the best way he could think of for now.
He Yun Xiang nodded before she took the Star Road Chart and infused her Divine Sense into it. Upon confirming their location and destination, she steered her Star Shuttle towards a particular light dot.
Five days later, they reached a desolate swamp area. There was a huge puddle of water somewhere in the swamp, and in the water, lights of different colours undulated. Looking at it from above, the puddle of water appeared quite mysterious.
The colourful lights were vivid and flowing, swirling in a particular pattern that was clearly a Star Road Portal!
Around the puddle, there were some cultivators standing guard. Some of them exuded an aura that suggested that they were in the Dao Source Realm as they sat in place to meditate and adjust their breathing.
Although they were waiting for new people here, it was quite a boring task. So, they spent most of their time cultivating. By doing so, they wouldn’t slow down their progress. Nevertheless, the environment here was hostile.
The flash of light in the distance had attracted the attention of those guarding this place and those cultivators, who were meditating, opened their eyes in displeasure in an attempt to find out who had the guts to disturb them.
The light faded, upon which a Star Shuttle was revealed. All of their gazes brightened when they saw an alluring lady piloting it. She was standing at the front of the Star Shuttle, and behind her was a young man. What made them displeased was that the young man was lying on the Star Shuttle with his head resting on his arms while his legs had crossed, appearing carefree.
[Who is this arrogant man?]
After they scanned the young man with their Divine Sense, they were all shocked, because they couldn’t find out whether he had cultivated before or not.
Standing on the Star Shuttle, He Yun Xiang put on an elegant smile and said in a soft voice, “Pardon me for disturbing all of you. There’s something I need to ask.”
A beautiful woman naturally had an advantage when it came to negotiations. Moreover, she was quite polite, so it was hard for them to feel repulsed by her.
“What do you want to ask?”
“Have you heard about Heng Luo Star Field before?”
One of them replied, “Yes.”
He Yun Xiang’s gaze brightened as she didn’t expect that they could gain some useful information on their first stop. With a joyful expression, she gazed at the person and asked, “Can you tell me more about it?”
It was a burly man whose muscles were bulged up noticeably. Upon hearing that, he replied with a meaningful smile, “Good. Why don’t you follow me to a quiet place? I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” As he spoke, he winked at her.
In an instant, He Yun Xiang’s face fell. Meanwhile, at the back of the Star Shuttle, Yang Kai closed his eyes again, seemingly going to sleep.
Suppressing her displeasure, He Yun Xiang uttered, “If any of you can tell me any useful information about Heng Luo Star Field, I’ll give you a reward.”
The burly man asked with a smile, “What kind of reward can you give us?”
It was apparent that she had just reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm not long ago, so it was impossible that she had any treasures on her. However, if she was willing to spend a night with them, they might help her find out more about Heng Luo Star Field.
At the very least, the burly man was willing to do so. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have teased her.
With a faint smile, He Yun Xiang fished out something and replied, “This is the reward.”
It was an ordinary-looking round mirror that looked like something a woman would use. It appeared simple and dated, but when He Yun Xiang infused her Saint Qi into it, a glint flashed across the mirror. At the same time, an amazing energy fluctuation propagated from it.
Everyone down below was immediately attracted to the mirror as their gazes were filled with greed and desire.
[It’s a Dao Source Grade artifact! Moreover, it’s Mid-Rank… No, High-Rank!]
Although they were not sure about the uses of the mirror, they couldn’t ignore the fact that it was a High-Rank Dao Source Grade artifact. All of those guarding this portal were merely First-Order Dao Source Realms. Although they had Dao Source Grade artifacts themselves, those were just Low-Rank items. None of them even had a Mid-Rank artifact, much less a High-Rank one. In fact, none of them had even seen a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact before.
Even the Sect Masters of their Sects didn’t possess such a treasure! Normally, only the strongest Sects in the Ancestral Domain had such artifacts, and they were seen as Supreme Artifacts in their respective Sects.
*Gudong…* All of them gulped.
It was said that everyone only acted for benefits. To cultivators, good pills and high-grade artifacts were unspeakably attractive. By obtaining either one of these treasures, they could significantly increase their power and reach a higher realm.
“I know some information about Heng Luo Star Field. Let me have a look at the mirror first. If it’s good, I’ll tell you all you need to know.” The burly man spoke as he leapt into the air. At the same time, he covered He Yun Xiang in his Dao Source Realm aura. With his fingers forming into a claw, it was apparent that he intended to snatch the treasure.
The other Dao Source Realm Masters were shocked and cursed at the burly man. They had been staying together in the same place for far too long, so they knew each other’s temperament well. This burly man was reckless and unreasonable. If he managed to snatch the treasure, it would be hard to make him cough it out.
At that instant, all of them shot into the air and pounced on He Yun Xiang, targeting the mirror.
After a sigh, He Yun Xiang looked pitifully at these people who were coming at her.
Faced with so many Dao Source Realm Masters, not only was she, a Third-Order Origin King, not afraid, she even put on that kind of expression. Some of her attackers were amazed upon seeing this while at the same time, they felt that something was amiss.
Just then, a fist appeared mysteriously and came at the burly man at an incredible speed. It was so rapid that a scar in space was formed where the fist passed.
Before the fist even reached him, the burly man’s expression drastically changed as he widened his eyes. He opened his mouth to shout something, but before he could utter a word, his face was struck by the fist.
Like a watermelon that had been dropped from a hundred metres up, his blood exploded out while the momentum of the fist sent his headless corpse flying backward for some time before it landed in the swamp and caused a giant splash.
Everyone gasped as they froze in place. They hovered in mid-air as all their blood seemed to have been frozen over, even having difficulty gulping.
Their focus was now on the carefree-looking young man, who was lying on the Star Shuttle. Their gazes were filled with horror.
Just now, they clearly saw this young man make a move, after which the burly man was killed.
They knew the burly man’s power very well and none of them had the confidence to defeat him in a one-on-one fight. However, just now, a single fist was all it took to end his life. He was killed as easily as though he were an ant.
[Who is this man!?] Feeling fearful, they even quieted their breathing, afraid they would displease him by being too loud while he relaxed.
He Yun Xiang kept a smile on her face as she swept a glance over them, “Has no one heard about Heng Luo Star Field before?”
None of them dared to reply to her now, as they were worried that they would be killed as soon as they spoke.
He Yun Xiang went on to say, “Sir is a man of his word. If any one of you can provide any information about Heng Luo Star Field, this mirror will belong to you. Of course, it’d be best if you could also point out the Star Road Portal that leads to Heng Luo Star Field. Sir has said that he’ll give you an additional reward if you can provide such information.”
Only after some time did an elderly man muster enough courage to reply, “Madam, we know nothing about Heng Luo Star Field, and we have never heard of it before.”
He just wanted them to leave as quickly as possible, as they felt pressured with these two people around.
“That’s a shame,” He Yun Xiang didn’t expect to get any useful information on their first stop. Perhaps they wouldn’t even get a lead after visiting all the Star Road Portals; however, they still had to work hard and make the attempts.
“I swear it is the truth.” The elderly man said sincerely.
He Yun Xiang replied with a smile, “It’s fine. I believe you, but since all of you are guarding this place, please keep an eye on it for us. If anyone comes out of this portal, please ask where they’re from. If they come from Heng Luo Star Field, tell them to head to Azure Dragon City after three years. Tell them that Yang Kai will be waiting for them.”
Azure Dragon City was one of the top cities in the Ancestral Domain, so everyone knew about it, which was why it was a suitable gathering place. As for the timeframe, Yang Kai had calculated that they would need three years to visit all the Star Road Portals in the Ancestral Domain. It would be great if they could find a clue by then, but if they couldn’t, then they’d have no choice but to wait in Azure Dragon City.
“Yes, yes,” the elderly man hurriedly agreed.
He Yun Xiang uttered, “If possible, please help escort the person to Azure Dragon City when the time comes. All of you will be rewarded for your efforts.” Then, she raised the mirror with a smile, “Sir has many such things after all.”
All of them were shocked and became excited.
This was indeed some incredible news. By just escorting a person to Azure Dragon City, they would be able to obtain a Dao Source Grade High-Rank artifact. They probably couldn’t find such a good deal anywhere else in this world. Of course, the prerequisite was that a cultivator from Heng Luo Star Field would come out of their portal.
They silently memorized Yang Kai’s name, as this might be their opportunity to rise. At the same time, they speculated that this young man must have some powerful background, otherwise, he wouldn’t have told them his name even after he killed someone. Apparently, he wasn’t afraid that the force behind the burly man would retaliate against him.
Moreover, judging from the young man’s single move just now, his cultivation was profound. Anyone who wanted to take revenge on him would basically be asking for death.
The Star Shuttle then turned into a beam of light and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
…
For the next period of time, the pair visited more Star Road Portals and left behind the same reminder and request.
Some greedy men were killed while most made sure to remember Yang Kai’s name before promising to bring any cultivator from Heng Luo Star Field to Azure Dragon City three years later.
Just like that, half a year had passed. During this period of time, Yang Kai and He Yun Xiang tirelessly visited every Star Road Portal they could. He Yun Xiang knew that this matter was important to Yang Kai, so she had been very meticulous when carrying out her duty. Besides driving the Star Shuttle, she spent most of her free time cultivating, and she never complained.
Although it had been half a year since she arrived in the Ancestral Domain, she hadn’t been able to take a proper look at the sights and scenes of this place as she spent most of her time on the road, looking for people from Yang Kai’s homeland.
“Sir, we’ll arrive at the next portal soon.” The Star Road Chart in her hands played an important role, without which it would be akin to looking for a needle in a haystack if they were to aimlessly search around the Ancestral Domain.
As she spoke, she took a look at a little girl who seemed to only be about seven or eight years old with a weird expression.
One day about half a month ago, after He Yun Xiang finished her meditation, she opened her eyes and turned around, only to be shocked to see this little girl riding on her Star Shuttle. The girl’s facial features were delicate and adorable. There was no impurity behind her clear gaze, which seemed to sparkle with the radiance of a spring river.
Hearing how Yang Kai addressed her, she knew that her name was Liu Yan.
However, she failed to notice how Liu Yan appeared on her Star Shuttle. Moreover, this little girl was as strange as Yang Kai. There were no aura fluctuations around her, as though she had never cultivated before.
Nevertheless, when facing her, He Yun Xiang could feel an immense pressure that was just as intense as when she was facing Yang Kai.
[Is she as powerful as Sir?] He Yun Xiang couldn’t believe she would have this thought. After a person began cultivating, they would age slower, so it was difficult to tell a cultivator’s age by looking at their appearance. However, this was just a little girl, so how powerful could she be?
She had asked Yang Kai where Liu Yan was from, but all he told her was that he had picked her up from somewhere, which caused her to be torn between tears and laughter.
Moreover, she was puzzled as to how Liu Yan addressed Yang Kai. The little girl kept calling Yang Kai ‘Master’ without feeling ashamed. He Yun Xiang even suspected that he had a special fetish, which was why he wasn’t interested in a charming lady like her.
At this moment, Yang Kai was sitting cross-legged on the Star Shuttle, while Liu Yan was lying in his embrace as she fiddled with her own long and smooth hair. Both of them appeared bored as Yang Kai yawned and grunted.
Then, he suddenly turned to look in the distance and said with a grin, “It’s certainly bustling down there.”
Liu Yan immediately said, “Let’s go over and have a look!”
“No. What’s the point of watching a group of ants fight? Focus on our task.”
Liu Yan pouted.
“Alright. Alright. We’ll take a look.” Feeling helpless, Yang Kai pinched her face.
It was then that Liu Yan beamed at him. Her temperament seemed to have changed significantly during her time of cultivating in seclusion on Spirit Beast Island. After acquiring her Phoenix Bloodline, she really seemed to have turned into a child. Perhaps it was due to her inheritance.
Without waiting for his order, He Yun Xiang changed direction and headed for the crowd. At the same time, she used her Secret Technique to hide their figures and auras.
It was truly bustling below them. Hundreds of people were using their own Movement Skills as they charged forward at a speed that was as swift as the wind. A small number of people were leading the way at the front as their sleeves flapped in the air. Their auras were stable and powerful, apparently Dao Source Realm Masters. The most powerful one was even in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Besides him, there were five others in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm.
He Yun Xiang could feel immense pressure coming from these people.
Her concealment technique naturally couldn’t fool the senses of these people so they shot her a glance before looking away. Apparently, there was a more urgent issue at hand for them.
The pressure was as heavy as a mountain on He Yun Xiang. However, since Yang Kai had remained silent, she had no choice but to continue chasing after them, all the time feeling as though she was a moth that was flying towards a fire.
After they kept flying at full speed for half a day, they finally saw those people stopping in front of a solitary mountain.
The mountain was about a thousand meters high, and there was a bamboo hut at the peak. The place was practically covered in bamboo forests as the plants swayed with the wind, which looked like a sight that came right out of a beautiful painting.
The arrival of these hundreds of cultivators had added a layer of murderous intent to this place. Apparently, they were all from the same Sect as their movements were orderly and organized. Upon arriving at this place, they immediately dispersed and surrounded the mountain.
Upon a closer inspection, He Yun Xiang was shocked to discover that these people were actually arranging a huge Formation. She wondered who the Master was that could make these people go all out and form into such a huge Formation to oppose him. In her heart, she lamented that there was always someone stronger out there. Then, she took a look at Yang Kai, who was still casually lying on the Star Shuttle, as though he was unperturbed by the tension below them.
At that instant, she realised she had forgotten that the person she was following was also an inscrutable Master and probably had no regard for the people below them.
After pulling herself together, she keenly looked down at the good show.
“It’s just a normal vendetta against someone. There’s nothing to see here,” Yang Kai pinched Liu Yan’s ear.
Liu Yan just let him be as she looked excitedly at the events down there and uttered gently, “There’s a Secret Technique in the Phoenix Clan that can be used to predict the future. Just now, I suddenly had a feeling that your wish would come true today.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai sat up straight and gazed at her in shock, “Really?”
Liu Yan replied, “It wouldn’t cost us anything to just watch.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly and released his Divine Sense to investigate the solitary mountain, but it was blocked in front of the bamboo hut and couldn’t go any further. In an instant, his expression turned awkward.
Just then, a grey-haired old man leapt into the air. Although his figure was thin, he appeared very energetic. There were some age spots on his wrinkled face, which made him look like he didn’t have much time left in this world; however, his eyes beamed with a horrifying glare.
He stared fixedly at the bamboo hut and bellowed, “How dare you break into Wild Dragon Pavilion and steal our Sect’s Supreme Artifact!? This place will be your burial ground today!”
“Wild Dragon Pavilion…” He Yun Xiang was stunned.
It had been half a year since she arrived in the Ancestral Domain, so although she had always been on the road to carry out Yang Kai’s orders, she wasn’t as clueless as before and had even gained a lot of information during her journey. Certainly, she had heard about Wild Dragon Pavilion before, which was one of the most powerful Sects in the Ancestral Domain.
It was no wonder that there was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master among them. They were all from Wild Dragon Pavilion, which was why there were so many formidable Masters.
It wasn’t that there were no other great forces that could go up against Wild Dragon Pavilion, but there were definitely not many. Who was it that was gutsy enough to steal the Supreme Artifact from Wild Dragon Palace? What amazed He Yun Xiang was that the person in question had actually succeeded and fled from the place.
It would take immense power and boldness for someone to achieve that.
At that instant, she felt curious about the person who was hiding in the bamboo hut.
“Stop hiding in your shabby hut and come face us now!” Gong Yang Xi was extremely furious. His Sect’s Supreme Artifact had been stolen, but there were no signs prior to that of anything amiss. If it weren’t because the thief didn’t intend to erase his traces, they wouldn’t have even been able to pursue him to this place.
The thief apparently had no regard for him or Wild Dragon Pavilion. He would like to find out who had the guts to steal something from the tiger’s den in the Ancestral Domain.
“Come out!” The people from Wild Dragon Pavilion were agitated as they chanted along with their leader.
Just then, a dispassionate voice could be heard from the bamboo hut, “I was just taking back my own thing, so how could you call me a thief? Trash like all of you should mind your language. I’m in a good mood today, so I don’t want to kill anyone. Go back to where you’re from now.”
Gong Yang Xi was so angered that he actually started laughing, “What a shameless man!”
[Who is this arrogant man? Who does he think he is? Wild Dragon Pavilion has stood in the Ancestral Domain for over ten thousand years! Our inheritance is rich, and our disciples are both powerful and plentiful.]
Gong Yang Xi was in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm, which was the highest cultivation achievable in the Ancestral Domain, so he had never been afraid of anyone.
Moreover, what this man said was ridiculous. The Supreme Artifact was a relic left behind by their Ancestral Founder more than thirty generations ago, which meant that it was at least ten thousand years old, so how was it possible that it belonged to some outsider?
“Sir?” He Yun Xiang was shocked that the person was so haughty, as though he had no regard for anyone in the world, but just then, Yang Kai stood up on the Star Shuttle. He had always been calm and carefree, but at this moment, his expression had turned solemn for the first time as he stared fixedly at the bamboo hut, as though a formidable enemy was right before him.
[What’s going on?] He Yun Xiang’s heart was filled with doubts.
She still did not understand the full extent of Yang Kai’s strength, because since she started following him, she had never seen him use his true power. Be it Origin King Realm Masters or Dao Source Realm Masters though, he could kill all of them with just one punch. Certainly, he wouldn’t need to use all his power when faced with enemies that he could kill with one move.
He Yun Xiang had speculated that Yang Kai was probably at the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill those First-Order Dao Source Realm Masters as though they were mere ants.
Given his cultivation, he could be considered one of the top cultivators in the entire Ancestral Domain. Wherever he went or whoever he faced, he would still be confident enough.
So, why would this kind of Master appear so solemn all of a sudden? Who was that person inside the bamboo hut?
“Master?” Feeling that something was off, Liu Yan looked up at him and asked.
After a gulp, Yang Kai stroked her head and said in a bitter voice, “It seems that you’re right. My wish will come true today.”
Liu Yan’s gut feeling had indeed lit up a light that could show him the way forward, but the light was so dazzling that he was worried he would be blinded by it.
“Little Friend, you’re here as well! What a coincidence!” The voice sounded from the bamboo hut again.
Hearing that, Yang Kai stiffened. Up until a moment ago, he was 30 percent doubtful and 70 percent shocked, but upon hearing what this man just said, he was now 100 percent confident of his speculation. The man in the bamboo hut was exactly the one he thought it to be.
[I can’t believe he’s here!]
It was pointless to try to hide their figures in front of such a Master, so the moment Yang Kai’s trio arrived at this place, that person must have discovered them.
As such, Yang Kai let out a loud growl, “You thief! I don’t care how powerful you are, but you’re in the wrong to have stolen their Sect’s Supreme Artifact! Such heinous acts are contrary to how a true Master should behave! It wouldn’t matter if I hadn’t come across this incident, but since I’ve seen it now, I won’t just stand by!”
Then, he turned to look at the old man from Wild Dragon Pavilion and cupped his fists, “Old man, although this has nothing to do with me, it seems fate has brought us together today. If you require any help, please don’t hesitate to ask. I have always pledged to help those in need.”
He appeared righteous, and his voice sounded determined.
[O-Old man?] Gong Yang Xi was astounded. Since he took over Wild Dragon Pavilion, anyone who had come across him would always call him ‘Pavilion Master’ in a respectful manner. Now that he was called an ‘old man’, his expression turned weird, but it wasn’t the right time to flare up. So, his expression only slightly darkened.
The person in the bamboo hut fell silent for a moment before he uttered again, “Little Friend, are you pretending that you don’t know me?”
“I don’t know who you are!”
[I don’t know who you are either.] Gong Yang Xi felt helpless toward this young man. Although he had realised that the latter had been following him, he ignored him because he was busy. However, he didn’t expect that the young man would butt in on his affairs.
[He said he wanted to help me?] Gong Yang Xi wasn’t a fool, so he wouldn’t believe the young man’s nonsense. It seemed that the young man and the person in the bamboo hut were old acquaintances. It was just that they were on bad terms.
Still, he didn’t want the situation to become more chaotic, so he saluted the young man and said, “Young Friend, many thanks for your offer. However, this is an internal matter for Wild Dragon Pavilion, so we don’t want any outsiders to interfere in it. Please step aside now, as I’m worried that you might be accidentally harmed during the fight.”
In truth, he didn’t want Yang Kai to get involved in this matter because he was worried that the young man was the accomplice of that person in the bamboo hut.
“Alright.” Yang Kai bowed his head, “Old man, since you’ve said so, I’ll stand aside for now.” He intended to find out the strength of the man in the bamboo hut by using these people from Wild Dragon Pavilion in the first place.
He had been suppressed and repelled by the Heavenly Way since he came to the Lower Star Field, so Yang Kai knew that it was the same case for that person as well. When they fought later, Yang Kai could probably find out about it. However, he was worried that Gong Yang Xi would underestimate the person, so he said solemnly, “Old man, it’s not that I’m trying to frighten you, but the person in the hut is a difficult character to deal with. You have to be careful. Otherwise, you will suffer.”
Gong Yang Xi frowned and replied impassively, “Many thanks for your warning.”
However, his expression suggested that he didn’t take the young man seriously. He was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so he was already one of the top cultivators in the Ancestral Domain. Even if there was someone stronger than he was, that person wouldn’t be overwhelmingly more powerful. Now that all the top cultivators from Wild Dragon Pavilion had gathered here, there was basically no one in the world that could be a match for them. No matter how formidable the person in the hut was, he was determined to kill him.
Then, with a dark expression, he turned back and uttered, “It seems that you’re unwilling to return our artifact to us in a peaceful manner. I’ll ask you one last time. Will you give back what you stole or not?”
“I told you this thing belongs to me, so stop harping on it. You’re annoying.”
“Good! Since that’s the case, don’t blame this Gong for being ruthless! Die!” Gong Yang Xi pushed his Source Qi as his beard and hair flapped in the wind. Then, he leapt into the air and charged towards the bamboo hut like an enraged ram. His aura was strong, and his fury seemed able to burn through the air.
However, there was no reaction from the person in the bamboo hut.
Gong Yang Xi’s threat from earlier wasn’t effective at all. When he reached the bamboo hut, he attempted to land a palm on the door, “It’s disgraceful that you don’t even have the guts to show your face. Come out now!”
*Ziya…* The bamboo hut’s door suddenly flung open as a gale gusted out of the house. Gong Yang Xi’s pupils contracted as his expression was transformed by horror. Under the attention of hundreds of stunned cultivators, Gong Yang Xi was sucked into the bamboo hut.
*Hong…* The door was closed again, but no noises were coming from the house anymore, nor any signs of a struggle. It was so quiet that it was as though they were in the earliest stage of the universe.
With their eyes widened, everyone held their breaths and became all ears. However, the atmosphere was eerily quiet, which caused their hearts to be filled with horror.
At that instant, the bamboo hut looked like an ancient beast that had swallowed Gong Yang Xi whole.
A moment later, the bamboo hut’s door opened again, and under everyone’s stunned gazes, a pale Gong Yang Xi walked out of the house. He turned around and respectfully closed the door before bowing, “I’m sorry for disturbing you, Senior. Please rest well.”
The jaws of these hundreds of top cultivators from Wild Dragon Pavilion dropped as they couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Let’s go!” Gong Yang Xi yelled as he turned into a beam of light and shot into the distance.
Although the people from Wild Dragon Pavilion were doubtful, they didn’t dare to ask anything. After that, they summoned their own flight type artifacts or used their Movement Skills to leave this place. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of them disappeared from the place, as the solitary mountain became serene again.
After they flew for more than 100 kilometres, Gong Yang Xi, who was at the front, staggered and sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his aura weakened all of a sudden. His wrinkled face became even more withered, as though he would lose his life at any moment.
“Pavilion Master!” The other Elders were stunned as they surrounded him.
[What happened inside the bamboo hut? What did Pavilion Master and the thief talk about? Why did he step out of the house and leave the place in silence? Why does he look like he’s severely injured now?]
Their minds became a mess because of the mysteries.
Gong Yang Xi stabilized himself with difficulty and waved his hand to signal that he was fine.
“Pavilion Master, that person…” One of the Elders couldn’t contain his curiosity anymore, so he asked the question.
“Don’t ask anything,” A sense of fear flashed across Gong Yang Xi’s face.
“But our Sect’s Supreme Artifact…”
“Never mention it again!” Gong Yang Xi’s gaze was filled with conflicted determination, “Just treat it as if we have never had it before.”
“What!?” All of them exclaimed.
[Who was that person!? Why is Pavilion Master so terrified of him? Now, he doesn’t even want to get back the Supreme Artifact that has been with us for more than ten thousand years…] The Elders wouldn’t dare to keep thinking about it, as they were worried that the idea in their minds would make them lose faith in their Martial Dao.
…
Outside the bamboo hut, He Yun Xiang opened her mouth slightly, as though two invisible fingers had been stuffed into it. She watched dazedly as the people from Wild Dragon Pavilion left the place because what was happening before her eyes was beyond her ability to understand.
[Aren’t they from one of the top Sects in the Ancestral Domain? Why did they suddenly turn so timid when they were confronted?] If He Yun Xiang hadn’t sensed their power, she would have thought that there was another great force in the Ancestral Domain that was also called Wild Dragon Pavilion.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth kept twitching. If possible, he would want to turn around and leave as well.
However, the person inside the house might be the key to obtaining what he wanted, so he was reluctant to leave. After hesitating for a long time, he clenched his teeth and made up his mind. In order to return to the Heng Luo Star Field, even if there was a pile of dung inside the house, he would go in and step on it!
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Yang Kai patted Liu Yan’s head.
Nevertheless, she grabbed his sleeve and wouldn’t let go.
“Let go.” Yang Kai glowered at her.
“No!” Not to be outdone, Liu Yan opened her eyes wider than him.
Yang Kai uttered, “We can’t put all the eggs in the same basket. If something goes wrong, I’ll notify you. Then, you’ll rush into the house and burn him to ashes.”
Hearing that, Liu Yan nodded and released him, “Alright then. Be careful.”
Yang Kai groaned and thought that it was useless to be careful in front of that person. Then, he walked up to the door and coughed slightly before he knocked on the door. In a loud voice, he asked, “Is anyone home?”
In an instant, the solemn atmosphere became hilarious. He Yun Xiang even burst out laughing, but she quickly covered her mouth and suppressed her voice.
Getting no response, Yang Kai adjusted his clothes and went on to speak, “Sorry for the disturbance then.”
Following that, he pushed the door open and stepped into the house. Just like what had happened just now, the door automatically closed.
Inside the dark house, a person was sitting cross-legged on a futon as he looked smilingly at Yang Kai.
When their gazes met, Yang Kai became extremely alarmed, but he still pretended to be nonchalant and cupped his fists, “Brother Wu, how are you?” [Since you’ve used the alias Wu Chen, I’ll call you Brother Wu, then. I’ll never call you Senior Wu because you’re the biggest scourge in the entire Star Boundary has ever known.]
Wu Kuang didn’t mind it as he extended his hand, “Have a seat.”
Yang Kai replied, “I don’t mind standing.”
He circulated his Qi and readied himself to battle against the man before his eyes at any moment.
Wu Kuang said, “But then I have to raise my head to speak to you.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched. After giving it a thought, he decided that he didn’t want to take advantage of him in this matter, for he was worried that the latter might suddenly become enraged. So, he gave in and took a seat.
As they were sitting across from each other, Wu Kuang took out a tea set and started preparing tea.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt overwhelmed by this kind of treatment. Wu Kuang was the greatest disaster the Star Boundary had experienced in the past hundred thousand years and had devastated countless Star Fields, killing an innumerable number of people in the process. Nevertheless, he was still one of the strongest Masters in the entire Star Boundary’s history, even killing a few Great Emperors. So, it was quite an honour for Yang Kai that Wu Kuang was preparing tea for him.
In an instant, he felt less hostile towards Wu Kuang. That was indeed the kind of demeanour a Master should have. In the future, he would be quite honoured to tell others that he had had tea with Wu Kuang before.
“Little Friend, why are you here?” Wu Kuang asked nonchalantly. In fact, he hadn’t expected that he would come across Yang Kai in such a place.
With a serious expression, Yang Kai replied, “It’s a long story, but my intention was to hunt you down.”
Wu Kuang put on a smile, “What about now?”
“Will you let me kill you?” Yang Kai questioned.
“That’ll depend on whether you’re powerful enough.”
Yang Kai pondered on it for a moment and shook his head, “Even if I had the power to do so, I’m afraid I still can’t kill you.” By killing Wu Kuang, it would be akin to murdering Duan Hong Chen, so it was too hefty a price to pay.
In an instant, he turned furious and bellowed, “Just you wait. When I find a way to get you out of Senior Hong Chen’s body one day! I’ll certainly kill you!”
“Then you’ll have to work harder on cultivating.” Wu Kuang grinned.
Yang Kai felt uneasy, as this meeting was different from what he had imagined. [Isn’t he a murderous madman? Why is he acting like a wise and magnanimous old sage now?] He felt as though his fist had landed on a soft wad of cotton rather than an iron sheet he was expecting, making him feel all the more uncomfortable. It would have been more natural to have been dragged into an all-out battle from the start.
“Did you suddenly become a vegetarian?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
“What do you mean?” Wu Kuang was puzzled.
“Why didn’t you devour those people from Wild Dragon Pavilion?” In fact, Yang Kai was utterly surprised that those from Wild Dragon Pavilion had left safely, which was an inconceivable idea. It must be the luckiest day in their lives that they had escaped from this place unscathed.
Wu Kuang’s temperament couldn’t have changed, as his Heaven Devouring Battle Law was his primary Secret Art. Just half a year ago, he had even eaten an Eighth-Order Dragon on Dragon Island.
“They’re not even enough to fill the cracks between my teeth, so why should I bother?”
Finally understanding the reason behind it, Yang Kai nodded and asked, “Why did you come to the Ancestral Domain, then? Did you go to Dragon Island in an attempt to come here?”
Wu Kuang replied, “I’ve come here to get back something and prepare for the future.”
“The future?” Yang Kai frowned.
“We’ll talk about the future in the future.” When the tea was ready, Wu Kuang filled one cup with it and took a sip.
Realising that there was no extra teacup, Yang Kai directly picked up the pot and drank a mouthful of it before he said, “You didn’t eat those people not because you didn’t want to, but because you couldn’t, right?”
Wu Kuang froze for a moment as a glint flashed across his eyes, “What do you mean? There’s nothing in this world that I can’t do!”
“Although those people are not powerful enough, a mosquito is still meat to you. Moreover, you’re still recuperating. The reason you’re hiding in a Lower Star Field is to absorb more energy, isn’t it?”
“So?” Wu Kuang looked smilingly at him but didn’t refute him.
Yang Kai went on to say, “Senior Duan would never allow that to happen though, he must have stopped you…” As he spoke, he frowned all of a sudden. Then, he fell back a little and sized up Wu Kuang.
For a moment, an inconceivable idea flashed across his mind.
Wu Kuang kept a smile on his face.
Yang Kai’s body shook as he asked hesitantly, “Senior… Duan?”
It was then that Wu Kuang’s smile turned helpless.
In disbelief, Yang Kai asked, “Are you really Senior Duan?”
All of a sudden, ‘Wu Kuang’ cackled, “Old Duan, I told you that you can never imitate my confident demeanour! It’s as if you want to draw a tiger, but it turns out to be a dog instead.”
Then, the same man snapped, “Shut up.”
Yang Kai’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. He was just having doubts earlier, but now, his speculation had been confirmed. Since the beginning, it was Duan Hong Chen who had been talking to him instead of Wu Kuang.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s face fell as he questioned, “Senior Duan, what’s going on?”
He had thought that Duan Hong Chen had been suppressed by Wu Kuang. Otherwise, the latter wouldn’t have gone to Dragon Island to slay a Dragon and hidden in a Lower Star Field. However, now, that didn’t seem to be the case. Apparently, Duan Hong Chen hadn’t been completely suppressed as he still had some freedom.
Moreover, judging from the conversation between Wu Kuang and Duan Hong Chen just now, they were at least not fighting anymore.
No matter what evil atrocities Wu Kuang had done, Yang Kai would just think that it was typical of him to have done that. However, if Duan Hong Chen was involved in those evil acts, it would be an entirely different story.
Knowing what Yang Kai was questioning, Duan Hong Chen replied after a sigh, “I was only liberated after he came to this place. I didn’t mean to hide anything from you.”
Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief because Duan Hong Chen wasn’t involved in any of those crimes. If Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang had become partners things would become troublesome.
Seeing Yang Kai’s expression fluctuating between ferocity and hesitancy, Duan Hong Chen uttered, “Don’t even think about it. Even if we team up, we won’t be able to kill him. It’s thanks to him that I’m able to take a breather now. If he decides to fully suppress me, I won’t be able to struggle out of his grip.”
Frustrated, Yang Kai pushed the idea to the back of his mind and asked helplessly, “What should we do, then?”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Just let nature take its course. However, since we’re lucky enough to have come across each other today, I do have a favour to ask of you.”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai said, “Just tell me right away. I’ll surely do my best to fulfil it.”
Duan Hong Chen went on to say, “After you return to Star Boundary, they’ll certainly ask you about Wu Kuang’s whereabouts. Please don’t reveal it to anyone.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Why?” During this meet-up, he had a feeling that Duan Hong Chen’s attitude towards Wu Kuang had changed significantly. Duan Hong Chen wasn’t as hostile towards Wu Kuang as before, almost as if he had given in and was now partnering with him.
[What’s going on? Have these two Great Emperors communicated and come to some kind of agreement? Why is Duan Hong Chen trying to help Wu Kuang hide his whereabouts?]
“Please just agree to it.”
“Alright. Since you’ve said so, I won’t say no.”
It was then Duan Hong Chen nodded, “Work hard and continue to cultivate. Given your aptitude, you might be strong enough by then. In the future, we might have a chance to go to war together.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became excited as it would be an honour to go to war with a Great Emperor. However, he soon became puzzled. [Who is the enemy? Wu Kuang?]
However, he felt that something was amiss. Also, Duan Hong Chen appeared grim when he said those words earlier.
Then, he went on to tell Duan Hong Chen about the recent developments in Azure Sun Temple and what happened after the latter left Dragon Island. After a sigh, Duan Hong Chen said, “It’s a shame that a Dragon Clan member was killed.”
After that, he suddenly chided, “What do you mean it’s a shame? All members of the Dragon Clan should become food for me!”
“Will you shut up!?” Yang Kai looked disdainfully at him. [I was having a chat with Duan Hong Chen, why did you come out all of a sudden?]
Wu Kuang put on a wicked smile and took a look outside before asking, “Where’s your Stone Spirit, your Embodiment?”
“What do you want with it?” Yang Kai looked vigilantly at him. It wasn’t strange that Wu Kuang knew about his Embodiment because they had come across each other before. Moreover, his Embodiment had cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so they shared a kind of invisible connection.
“Actually, my Heaven Devouring Battle Law isn’t suitable for Humans to cultivate, but it does suit those from the Stone Spirit clan surprisingly well. I thought that if you had brought him with you, I could have given him a gift. Since he isn’t here, forget it then.”
As soon as he finished his words, the Embodiment appeared out of thin air.
Fortunately, after absorbing Shi Huo’s Source, the Embodiment could shrink to the size of a Human now. Otherwise, this house wouldn’t be able to accommodate him.
“The Dao of Space is indeed wonderful.” Wu Kuang complimented him. He didn’t even realise how Yang Kai made the Embodiment appear, he just assumed that this young man had some kind of special storage artifact on him.
After the Embodiment appeared, he immediately felt Wu Kuang’s aura, so he became alarmed as the scarlet fires in his eyes flickered.
“He said he’ll give you something,” Yang Kai uttered.
Embodiment asked in a low voice, “What is it?”
In response, Yang Kai shrugged.
With a faint smile, Wu Kuang extended his hand towards the Embodiment, who hesitated for a moment but didn’t resist in the end. The next moment, Wu Kuang’s large hand was pressed against the Embodiment’s angular head as an amazing wave of energy was released, causing the Embodiment to be rooted to the spot.
Although Yang Kai appeared aloof, he was extremely alarmed in his heart. He had no idea what Wu Kuang was up to; however, he was ready to make a move if something went wrong. Nevertheless, from beginning to end, nothing seemed to have happened to his Embodiment.
A moment later, Wu Kuang withdrew his hand, upon which Yang Kai turned to look at the Embodiment, only to see that the latter had fallen into deep thought.
Yang Kai pushed his Divine Sense and immediately understood what his Embodiment had obtained from Wu Kuang. After all, the Embodiment was his Soul Clone, so there were no barriers in their communication with each other. If Yang Kai wanted, he could even feel everything his Embodiment could feel.
What he received was a vast amount of knowledge and insight into the Heaven Devouring Battle Law!
Wu Kuang had infused practically all his experience in cultivating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law into the Embodiment, which was more than just a generous gift. Wu Kuang was the one who created the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so he was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable about it. His millennia of experience and insights into this Secret Art were an unimaginable treasure.
Nevertheless, he still passed everything to the Embodiment without any reservation.
Although Yang Kai had always been hostile towards Wu Kuang, he was still moved at this moment. [Is it a bribe to keep our mouths shut? However, this is indeed a hefty price to pay.]
It could be imagined that after his Embodiment comprehended this knowledge, it would be smooth sailing in his cultivation journey from then on. Perhaps he would become as powerful as Heaven Devouring Great Emperor one day, or even surpass him; after all, the Embodiment was initially a Stone Spirit, and he had already assimilated Shi Huo’s Source, so his starting point was much better than Wu Kuang’s.
Noticing that Yang Kai was both doubtful and shocked, Wu Kuang said with a grin, “Maybe one day we’ll stop being enemies and become friends instead.”
“Don’t even think about it!” Yang Kai snorted, but his tone had softened significantly.
It couldn’t be helped, as it was said that gifts blinded the eyes. He wasn’t a shameless man, so after obtaining huge benefits, he was too embarrassed to keep acting aggressive. However, it was impossible that they would go from enemies to friends because Wu Kuang was the most detested figure in the entire Star Boundary.
It was said that there were no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits, but what Wu Kuang had done was beyond the boundary of morality. Yang Kai would be out of his mind if he became friends with him.
“Nothing is constant. Who can say what will be in a hundred years, or a thousand,” Wu Kuang didn’t seem to mind either way.
Yang Kai stored his Embodiment and grinned, “Only if you’ll live until then.”
With a wicked gaze, he stared fixedly at Wu Kuang’s neck, as though he was pondering on where to start.
Then, his expression turned solemn as he said, “Wu Kuang, since you’re willing to change for the better, I’ll give you a chance to make up for the crimes you’ve committed.”
With a smile, Wu Kuang asked, “What is it? Just tell me.”
Yang Kai replied, “I want to return to my homeland, but I can’t find any way to do that. Since you’re an expert in this matter, tell me how I can go back to my own Star Field.”
This was the reason he still stepped into the house despite knowing that Wu Kuang was inside.
Wu Kuang had destroyed countless Star Fields before, so he was apparently familiar with the ways to move between Star Fields. If Yang Kai could get his guidance, it’d be better than if he searched around aimlessly.
“What Star Field are you from?” Wu Kuang asked.
“Heng Luo Star Field!”
Hearing that, Wu Kuang shook his head, “Never heard of it before.” He had been to countless Star Fields, but he had never bothered to find out their names. To him, all Lower Star Fields were just resources to him.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be disappointed. After giving it a thought, he realized that if Wu Kuang had been to Heng Luo Star Field, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Purple Star, and Sword Union would already be in Wu Kuang’s stomach.
“If you want to return to a Lower Star Field from here, one of the ways is to pass through those Star Road Portals. The prerequisite is that the Star Field has a portal that’s connected to the Ancestral Domain. Apparently, you haven’t found it.”
“What about the other way?”
With a smile, Wu Kuang replied, “You’ll have to make use of the Star Field Source.”
“Star Field Source?” Yang Kai arched his brow as an idea flashed across his mind. It seemed important, but he couldn’t catch it.
“There’s a Star Source in every Star, so naturally, there’s also a Star Field Source in every Star Field. The difference is that a Star Source is hidden in a Cultivation Star. Anyone with enough power will stand a chance to refine it and become the Star Master. On the other hand, it’s much more difficult to look for a Star Field Source. A Star Field is extremely vast. Maybe a flower, a tree, someone you come across on the street, a rabbit running in the wild, an asteroid in the Starry Sky… Any of these could be the manifestation of the Star Field Source. The average person might not be able to discover it even if they see it. However, if you can refine it, you’ll take control of the Star Field and become its Master and its Guardian.”
Wu Kuang was speaking slowly, while Yang Kai was attentively listening to him as his eyes glinted. It wasn’t the first time he heard about Star Field Guardian. Someone had mentioned that title to him before.
In the past, when he left Heng Luo Star Field and headed to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had made the decision to become the Guardian of Heng Luo Star Field one day.
“If you can become the Star Field’s Guardian, you’ll be able to sense the Star Field’s location no matter where you are. By then, you won’t need to exert any effort to travel to that Star Field from the Ancestral Domain.”
By then, Yang Kai would just have to think about the Star Field, and he’d be able to grasp the connection between them. In a calm manner, he uttered, “I see. Many thanks for your guidance.”
In his heart, he scolded himself for being an idiot. If he hadn’t come across Wu Kuang on this day and listened to him, he would have forgotten about the thing in his Knowledge Sea. The Star Chart!
In his Knowledge Sea, there was a massive Star Chart of the entire Heng Luo Star Field. It wasn’t a Star Chart that was drawn by a Star Chart Master to navigate through a Star Field. It was more like a mysterious inheritance.
He obtained it from a Star Chart Master not long after he first stepped into the Starry Sky from Tong Xuan Realm. At that time, the Starship he was aboard fell into a crisis and was torn apart. A Star Chart Master was killed in a place near Yang Kai, upon which a beam of light shot into Yang Kai’s mind. After that, the Star Chart of the entire Star Field suddenly appeared in his Knowledge Sea.
During his years in Heng Luo Star Field, it was the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea that had given him directions countless times, which was why he was never lost in the Star Field.
In the past, there was a Master who broke into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea using a kind of Soul Clone, and upon seeing the Star Chart, he exclaimed as though he had obtained an invaluable treasure. Unfortunately for him, he was captured and taken away by Yang Yan before he could obtain anything.
Previously, Yang Kai still couldn’t confirm what the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea was. But now, he knew that it was the Star Field Source!
He still remembered that after he reached the Star Boundary, he was still somewhat connected to his homeland thanks to this Star Chart. However, as time passed, this connection weakened.
The very elusive Star Field Source had been residing in his own Knowledge Sea for years. With this thing in his mind, he could easily find the path back to Heng Luo Star Field.
Although he was over the moon, he still pretended to be nonchalant as he uttered dispassionately, “I’ll ask you one more question.”
“Go ahead.” Wu Kuang seemed to be in a good mood, which was why he didn’t mind Yang Kai asking so many questions.
“How do you avoid being rejected by the Heavenly Way?” Tens of thousands of years ago, Wu Kuang had destroyed countless Star Fields. Yang Kai didn’t think he could do it with just an Origin King Realm cultivation.
Since Wu Kuang was able to act as he pleased in those Star Fields, he must have used a power that exceeded the Origin King Realm. Perhaps he had even showcased all his power, but even though he was a Great Emperor, the Heavenly Way’s repulsion was no laughing matter. How was he not punished?
Wu Kuang explained, “Every time I visited a Star Field, the first thing I’d do is look for the Star Field Source. I didn’t care if I had to dig it up or simply snatch it from someone. After I refined the Star Field Source, I became Master of that Star Field, so why would I be rejected?”
At that instant, enlightenment dawned upon Yang Kai.
Just like how a Star Master could become the ruler of a Cultivation Star by refining its Source, a Star Field’s Master could take control of the entire Star Field by refining its Star Field Source, so being repelled by the World Principles of that Star Field would naturally become impossible.
Certainly, if a Star Field Guardian didn’t want the Star Field to be damaged, he shouldn’t showcase a power that was too strong. Only someone like Wu Kuang whose intention was to swallow everything would be so reckless.
Outside the bamboo hut, Liu Yan was sitting on the Star Shuttle as she rested her delicate face on her palms. Every detail of the solitary mountain was reflected in her clear gaze.
“Were you really picked up by Sir?” He Yun Xiang stroked the little girl’s head. It was hard not to take a liking to such an adorable young girl. She especially liked to run her fingers through the young girl’s long and silky hair. She probably wouldn’t get bored even if she had to do it all day.
“Yes,” In a way, Liu Yan was picked up by Yang Kai. If she hadn’t come across Yang Kai, she would still be an Artifact Spirit that was trapped in an Artifact Refining Furnace. She considered herself extremely lucky that she had gotten her own body and the inheritance of the Phoenix True Fire.
“Who is the person inside that Sir is meeting?”
Liu Yan shook her head, for she also didn’t know who the person inside was. However, she could feel that the person was so powerful that even if she and Yang Kai joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him. Suddenly, she looked up at He Yun Xiang and asked, “Do you want to be my Master’s woman?”
“What?” He Yun Xiang started blushing. [This is not something a kid should ask about!]
Then, she crouched down and uttered solemnly, “Who taught you this?”
Liu Yan replied, “I don’t think you’ll stand a chance, because my Master already has several women.” Then, she turned her head and looked at the front.
Yang Kai pushed the door open and stepped out of the house. Rubbing his own chin, he fell into his thoughts on the same spot for a long time before he leapt into the air and landed on the Star Shuttle.
“Sir, shall we continue?” He Yun Xiang asked.
“En, let’s go.” Yang Kai waved his hand and sat down on the Star Shuttle with his legs crossed. Seeing that Liu Yan was staring longingly at him, he felt helpless and pulled her into his embrace.
It was then that Liu Yan beamed at him and sat properly. After that, the Star Shuttle turned into a beam of light and disappeared from the place.
Then, voices could be heard from inside the bamboo hut.
“My reputation has always been excellent, but I’ve never expected that I’d partner up with someone like you to do such a thing in the end.”
“Hmph. You shouldn’t bother about trifles if you want to achieve success. When that day comes, you’ll understand that you’ve made the right decision.”
“I hope so…”
The bamboo hut fell into silence again, as the person inside it had disappeared.
…
“This way!” One day later, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and pointed in a particular direction. His gaze appeared excited.
All of a sudden, he caught a faintly discernible trace. It was like a thread that would break apart at any moment, or a flickering fire amidst the rain that was shining faintly. It was this faint and almost imperceptible connection that pointed in the right direction for him. The direction that led to the Heng Luo Star Field!
There was no doubt that the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea was its Source. However, it was impossible to refine it in one day. Despite that, Yang Kai had attempted to communicate with it multiple times, and now he had gotten something in return.
By just following this faint induction, he would surely find his way back home. It was like a kite that was high above the sky, but the thread was still firmly held by the kite runner.
Just then, different faces flashed across his mind. Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, Xue Yue, his other friends and family… and even those whose names he had forgotten. However, at this moment, all of them sprang into his mind as though they were trying to tell him something.
All of a sudden, a subtle but intoxicating feeling rose within him. It was as though a warm stream was filling his chest and penetrating his heart.
Liu Yan seemed to have noticed the change in him, so she lay in his embrace and touched his chest to feel the vigorous heartbeat.
The induction coming from the Star Chart was faint and intermittent. While Yang Kai kept giving directions, He Yun Xiang drove the Star Shuttle and executed his orders.
One month later, they arrived at a deserted stretch of land. There was a vividly colourful Star Road Portal that was tens of metres above in the sky. Some cottages were scattered around the place, and there were some cultivators who were meditating in those houses. Apparently, they were the cultivators from different Sects that had been stationed here to attract newcomers if anyone emerged from the portal.
Almost every Star Road Portal in Ancestral Domain looked like this. These Sects seemed to be in favour of the cultivators that came from Lower Star Fields. Those cultivators who came from Lower Star Fields themselves would even proactively take up this task. This way, they would be in an advantageous position to attract newcomers if they came across those from the same Star Field.
With that said, while some Star Road Portals were bustling, some were quiet. The reason for that was that the number of Star Fields these Star Road Portals were connected to varied. Some portals were connected to a dozen and even more Star Fields, while some portals were connected to only one or two Star Fields, so the number of cultivators that would walk out of these portals would be different too. That was why some portals were viewed as more important than others.
The portal before their eyes was obviously the latter, so Yang Kai reckoned that it was probably only connected to a few Star Fields. Moreover, the cultivators that had been stationed here were all Origin Kings, none of them being in the Dao Source Realm, which went to show that this place wasn’t regarded as important.
However, in Yang Kai’s eyes, this portal was the most beautiful thing in this world. He pulled himself together and communicated with the Star Chart again, upon which he realised that the induction really pointed to the deepest part of the entrance.
[This is it!]
He was truly surprised that there was a portal that was connected to Heng Luo Star Field in the Ancestral Domain. In the past, before he left the Star Field, he had never heard of the Ancestral Domain, not even a rumour.
Just then, the doors of the cottages opened, upon which some cultivators walked out and looked up at Yang Kai and the others. One of them cupped his fists and asked, “Friend, where are you from? And where are you going?”
Yang Kai was in a good mood, so he waved his hand and uttered, “I’m just passing by, no need to concern yourself with me.”
The person frowned as he was disgruntled with Yang Kai’s attitude, but he didn’t utter another word.
The next moment, Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense and probed the Star Road Portal. Although the portal must be connected to Heng Luo Star Field, it would still take him some effort if he wanted to return to his Star Field through this portal.
Others might need immense power to break through the Void, but Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so he would just have to grasp the proper path to take and he’d be able to go home with ease. He was already used to passing through the Void anyway.
A moment later, he made up his mind and clapped He Yun Xiang’s shoulder, “You have two options now. First, you could stay here in the Ancestral Domain. This is a good place. If you stay here, you’ll also have a bright future. I’ll give you some pills and supplies for your cultivation.”
“I’ll choose the second option,” He Yun Xiang declared without hesitation. If the recent incidents hadn’t happened, she would have chosen to stay in the Ancestral Domain; however, she had experienced many eye-opening events with Yang Kai, so she knew that the Ancestral Domain wasn’t the greatest world out there, and Third-Order Dao Source Realm wasn’t the peak of the Martial Dao.
She had followed Yang Kai all the way from Unending Star Field to this place, so she wouldn’t want to stop here. Before Yang Kai even told her the second option, she had already made a decision.
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded. It wouldn’t be a burden for him to bring along one more person.
Just when he was about to step forward, he suddenly stopped and looked down at the people below him, “Friends, have you ever met someone from Heng Luo Star Field?”
During this period of time, he would ask this kind of question every time he reached a new portal. Now, he was just habitually asking this question, so he didn’t expect any positive reply. Since he was going back to his Star Field, he would be able to meet his loved ones soon anyway.
“Why are you asking this question?” One person suddenly appeared vigilant as he stared at Yang Kai with a frown. It was the person who talked to Yang Kai earlier.
Shocked, Yang Kai blinked and asked, “You’ve really met someone from that Star Field?”
“No,” The person shook his head.
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t believe him, so he extended his hand, upon which the person felt an immense power of attraction as his body flew uncontrollably forward. After his neck was clenched, his face reddened in an instant, and he realised that he couldn’t use his Saint Qi at all, so he couldn’t help but be horrified.
Appearing ferocious, Yang Kai demanded, “What I hate most is when others lie to me. You either have or have not seen anyone from Heng Luo Star Field. I’ll give you one last chance. Think it through before replying to me.”
Sometimes, being overbearing was more effective than appearing kind.
The other cultivators turned pale upon seeing how powerful Yang Kai was. It was then they realised that the young man was able to kill them with a wave of his hand.
“Y-Yes!” The person tried his hardest to squeeze out one word.
[Really?] Yang Kai couldn’t believe his ears as he slightly relaxed his grip and questioned, “When did you see that person? What did that person look like? Where did they go? Tell me everything in detail. If you dare hide anything from me, today next year will be the anniversary of your death!”
“I couldn’t remember exactly when it was, but it was about 20 years ago. At that time, I wasn’t the one who was responsible for welcoming her, but I heard that Senior Sister came from Heng Luo Star Field.”
“Senior Sister?” Yang Kai turned solemn, “What’s her name?”
“Su Yan!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was shaken to the core. The name of the woman he had been longing for was uttered by a stranger all of a sudden, and it was revealed that she was in the Ancestral Domain! The revelation had an unimaginable impact on him, which caused his mind to turn blank and all his thoughts to stop.
If any Master were to attack him now, they would certainly be successful.
Then, Liu Yan asked, “Are you sure she’s from Heng Luo Star Field?”
“Yes. Because Senior Sister Su has never tried to hide her background. Instead, she intentionally made it known to everyone. My fellow Brothers paid attention to her at that time.” They didn’t just pay attention to her background but also to her stunning, world-shaking beauty.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He was still doubtful earlier, but now, there was basically no doubt that Su Yan was here in the Ancestral Domain.
Her name wasn’t that special. In fact, it could even be said to be ordinary, so there must be many people with the same name; however, there was only one Su Yan in this world who was from Heng Luo Star Field and would be able to pass through that portal.
[Twenty years… It means that a few years after I left the Star Field, Su Yan arrived in the Ancestral Domain. How did she find the entrance to this place? She has never been one to speak carelessly though, so the reason she told everyone her background must be because she wanted me to hear about her! She didn’t know where she was or what place the Ancestral Domain was, which was why she did that to increase the chances of meeting me. If I were in the Ancestral Domain, I would’ve looked for her upon learning about her. She was venturing into this totally unfamiliar world on her own…]
At that instant, Yang Kai felt sorry for her, and at the same time, he felt extremely guilty.
Original Title – Su Yan Is in the Ancestral Domain
Yang Kai had personally witnessed what Chi Yue and Ai Ou had to experience when they ventured into the Star Boundary, and what kind of suffering they had to go through. Even Wu Dao, who was touted as the strongest cultivator in Heng Luo Star Field, had fallen, to say nothing of a woman like Su Yan who was on her own.
There was a voice that was shouting in the deepest part of Yang Kai’s heart. [I have to meet her! Now!]
His longing for the woman surged within him, almost causing him to drown in it.
“Master!” Liu Yan hurriedly took his arm. When Yang Kai felt the soft touch, he immediately came to his senses, only to see the man, whose neck was clenched by him, rolling his eyes. His face was completely pale, and he could hardly breathe, as though he would lose his life at any moment.
Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly released him and dropped him on the Star Shuttle.
The person fell on his knees and covered his neck as he coughed violently until his tears slid down his face. The eyelids of the cultivators on the ground twitched as they watched that.
“Sorry,” Yang Kai reached out to that person, but his hand was visibly trembling.
Given his temperament and cultivation, there was hardly anything in this world that could rattle him, but the news that Su Yan had arrived at the Ancestral Domain was one of those things. The man before his eyes called Su Yan ‘Senior Sister’, which meant that Su Yan had joined his Sect after she came to the Ancestral Domain. Whatever the case, it wasn’t appropriate of Yang Kai to bully her Junior Brother. Moreover, he still needed this man’s help.
The person pulled himself together before he took Yang Kai’s hand and got to his feet. He still appeared horrified as he looked timidly at Yang Kai.
He was a Third-Order Origin King, but he was as powerless as an ant when confronted by this young man. Apparently, he was no match for him. Moreover, Yang Kai’s rapid switch in attitude made him feel that this young man was subject to shifting moods, which made him grow more wary of him. To him, the young man was extremely strange, had shocking power, and was also temperamental.
“Junior Brother, what’s your name?” Yang Kai tried his hardest to appear benevolent.
The person gulped and replied, “Xiang Fei.”
“I’ll call you Junior Brother Xiang, then.” Yang Kai patted his shoulder with a grin, causing the latter to shrink back slightly, “I’m sorry for what happened just now. Please don’t mind it. Good, you called Su Yan ‘Senior Sister’ just now. Does it mean she’s joined your noble Sect as a disciple?”
During their conversation, Yang Kai obtained some useful information.
Just like what he had expected, after Su Yan came to the Ancestral Domain, she joined the great force behind Xiang Fei, Red Clouds Sect. Also, she had arrived in the Ancestral Domain through this very Star Road Portal.
However, it was someone else from Red Clouds Sect instead of Xiang Fei who welcomed her, so he knew little about the situation at that time. He only managed to learn more about Su Yan after she joined the Sect.
Su Yan was a cold but alluring lady who was also very intelligent, so a few years after she joined Red Clouds Sect, she managed to garner a lot of supporters. Many Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers were pursuing her, so she had become a popular figure.
There were always such figures in every Sect, though the number varied. As a disciple from a Lower Star Field, Su Yan would naturally attract more attention, which was how the news that she came from Heng Luo Star Field was spread.
Xiang Fei had met Su Yan several times before, but he had never had the guts to speak to her. Her icy aura and expression seemed able to deter anyone from approaching her. It was as though he might be frozen if he even approached.
“Senior Sister Su is extremely talented. Just five years after she joined our Sect, she managed to reach the Dao Source Realm. Her aptitude made many of us feel ashamed of ourselves,” Xiang Fei said bitterly. It was apparent to him that Yang Kai knew Su Yan, so he tried to only say good stuff about her.
As expected, Yang Kai appeared elated upon hearing that, “She reached the Dao Source Realm already?”
He was worried that she might be treated unfairly or marginalised in this world; however, it now seemed that she was having a good life here.
“How is she now?” Yang Kai questioned.
Xiang Fei replied, “I don’t know.”
Yang Kai scowled, “What do you mean you don’t know? Aren’t you a disciple of Red Clouds Sect?”
Shocked, Xiang Fei hurriedly explained, “I’m indeed a disciple of Red Clouds Sect, but I’ve been stationed here for more than ten years. I’ve rarely returned to the Sect, so I know little about any recent developments there.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai looked pitifully at him. Normally, people who were sent to keep watch on Star Road Portals were not considered important in their Sects, and they didn’t have any backers, which was why they were given this kind of task that was time-wasting and without any benefits.
Apparently, Xiang Fei was one of those people in the Red Clouds Sect.
“Do you want to go back?”
“Of course,” It had been a difficult life for him in this wilderness, making him miss the comfortable life in the Sect.
Yang Kai clapped his shoulder, “Congratulations. Your wish will be granted soon!”
“W-What?” Xiang Fei hadn’t grasped what Yang Kai meant, but he instinctively had a bad feeling.
“To Red Clouds Sect!” Yang Kai said to He Yun Xiang, who immediately activated the Star Shuttle.
“Tell us the direction.” Yang Kai turned to look at Xiang Fei.
Flustered, Xiang Fei shouted, “No, no! Please let me go! Without permission from the Sect Master or the Elders, I… Ah! Not that way, that way!” Faced with Yang Kai’s fist, he was forced to give in, for he couldn’t afford to offend this crazy young man. At the very least, after he returned to his Sect, if anyone asked him about it, he would be able to give an excuse. However, he wasn’t sure what kind of punishment he would receive. Perhaps he would have to forfeit his share of resources for the next year. At the thought of missing his important Source Condensing Pills, he felt dejected.
Just then, Yang Kai landed a fist on Xiang Fei’s chest, causing him to be terrified. Upon realising that he hadn’t been hurt, he said with a crying face, “Senior Brother, please stop scaring me.”
“Tell me more about Su Yan. If your information is useful, I’ll give you some benefits.”
[As long as you stop involving me, I won’t ask for anything else!] Xiang Fei wasn’t sure whether it would be a blessing or disaster to bring this man to Red Clouds Sect. This man was apparently close to Su Yan, and he was probably one of her admirers. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to pry more information out of him about her. Moreover, he was clearly very powerful, so he was bound to fall into a conflict with those from Red Clouds Sect.
After giving it a thought, Xiang Fei realised that this matter actually had nothing to do with him though. Every man loved beautiful women, but most of them couldn’t obtain one, so they could only drool over them from afar. If Yang Kai were to make a scene at the Sect, he would be the one who would be taught a lesson.
With this thought in mind, Xiang Fei began telling Yang Kai what he knew.
In fact, he knew very little about Su Yan. Although Red Clouds Sect wasn’t one of the top Sects in the Ancestral Domain, it was still second class. There were more than a thousand disciples in the Sect, so people who weren’t familiar with each other would rarely come into contact. Most of his understanding of Su Yan came from hearsay.
Whether or not the news was true, Yang Kai kept a smile on his face as he listened to him, as though he was able to personally go through what Su Yan had experienced over the years.
“By the way, not long after Senior Sister Su Yan joined our Sect, she was taken in as a disciple by Elder Ruan. I heard that Elder Ruan had been extremely adamant at the time and raised a huge fuss. It’s because of this incident that Senior Sister Su became famous in our Sect.”
“Is Elder Ruan a man or a woman?”
“S-she’s a woman. Elder Ruan is the oldest and most seasoned Elder in our Sect!” Xiang Fei felt that a cold glint had flashed across Yang Kai’s gaze when the latter asked that question. However, after he took one more look, he realised there wasn’t any trace of hostility left in his eyes anymore, so he wondered if he had seen it wrong.
Yang Kai laughed and patted Xiang Fei’s shoulder hard, “Your Elder Ruan indeed has an acute vision.”
“Haha…” Xiang Fei pursed his lips and smiled, “Elder Ruan is a peculiar person. We wouldn’t dare to go near the Spirit Peak where she resides. Although she’s an Elder of Red Clouds Sect, she rarely gets involved in the Sect’s matters and she had never taken in any disciple before Su Yan. That was why after she decided to take in Senior Sister Su, the news caused an uproar in the Sect.”
After Yang Kai listened to Xiang Fei’s narration, the image of a peculiar, temperamental, and wrinkled old lady sprang into his mind. Nevertheless, he was grateful for this Elder whom he had never met before.
It was Su Yan’s good fortune to come across a Master who treated her well and cared for her. Otherwise, given her beauty, she would’ve attracted a lot of trouble after she joined the Sect. There were many talented people out there, so why was she able to reach the Dao Source Realm in just five years? Ultimately, it must be thanks to Elder Ruan’s support. It would take lots of Source Condensing Pills for anyone who wished to reach the Dao Source Realm. Su Yan had come to this place without any resources on her, so how was she able to collect so many pills?
The conversation went on while they were on the way. Xiang Fei racked his brain for anything knew about Su Yan; however, Yang Kai was still not satisfied as he kept pressing for more information from him. He was like a starving person who demanded someone else to give him more food.
Xiang Fei had nothing to say, but he didn’t dare to offend Yang Kai, so he felt rather miserable as he thought, [What kind of person is this?]
Gritting his teeth, he decided to tell him something that was supposed to be shocking, “Senior Sister Su has many admirers in the Sect.”
It was apparent to him that this young man must be close to Su Yan, and was likely an admirer of hers. Earlier, he avoided talking about Su Yan’s personal life because he was worried that he might irritate the young man.
Now that he had nothing else to say, he had no choice but to talk about it. [You’re basically asking for trouble, so you can’t blame me!]
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai only smiled at him in response as he appeared unperturbed.
He had guessed this point even before Xiang Fei told him about it. In fact, it would be strange if Su Yan didn’t have many admirers. However, she wouldn’t favour any man in this world. To Yang Kai, those admirers couldn’t even be considered his rivals.
Seeing that he was unfazed, Xiang Fei went on to say, “Most men have given up. After all, Senior Sister Su is Elder Ruan’s only disciple, so they wouldn’t dare to keep pestering her. After they were rejected, they would tactfully back off. But there is one person…”
“What? Is there such a shameless man?”
“I’ll tell you about it, but don’t tell anyone you’ve heard it from me.” Xiang Fei lowered his voice as he looked around.
“Just spill it!”
“Our Young Sect Master is very fond of Senior Sister Su. He’s announced to everyone in public that he will marry her.”
“What!?” Yang Kai was enraged as his expression turned hideous. His calmness from earlier vanished completely.
[Damn it! If I ever come across that man, I’ll beat him up until his mother can’t recognize him anymore! I don’t care if he admires Su Yan, but he shouldn’t have made such an announcement in public! How shameless!]
Red Clouds Mountain was a beautiful place that was covered in forests and rivers. The mountain range was long and wavy. Birds and animals could be seen roaming, making the atmosphere refreshing and peaceful.
Outside the entrance of the mountain, the Star Shuttle landed on the ground, upon which the disciples, who were responsible for guarding the mountain, stepped forward and stared at Xiang Fei in shock, “Senior Brother Xiang, why are you back? Who are they?”
Although Xiang Fei had no backer in Red Clouds Sect and he wasn’t favoured by the Elders, he was still a Third-Order Origin King. That was why these disciples wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful to him.
Xiang Fei hesitated for a moment as he didn’t know how to explain himself. He had already broken the rules by coming back to the Sect without permission. If he wanted to go in, he had to give an explanation to these disciples so that they could inform the Elders about it.
The other disciples looked doubtfully at Xiang Fei as they didn’t know what he was hesitating for.
“We’re looking for someone!” Yang Kai was eager to meet Su Yan, so he didn’t want to waste any time. He waved his hand to sweep the disciples away and stepped into the place.
Xiang Fei’s heart skipped a beat when he saw that. [Damn it! I knew that things were going to be messy, but I didn’t expect that this guy would be so impatient! If we politely asked, we would be able to get in without any trouble, so why is he being so rude and charging forward directly? Because of him, I might be regarded as colluding with outsiders to break into the Sect! Should I run away now? If I don’t run away, I’ll be punished by the Elders. However, where can I go if I choose to run away?]
At the thought of this, he clenched his teeth and raced after Yang Kai before pleading, “Senior Brother, please wait!”
He Yun Xiang immediately blocked his way and put on a smile, “Many thanks for your help so far. Take this bottle of pills as your reward. You may leave now.” After tossing a bottle of pills at him, she ran after Yang Kai.
The disciples were startled for a moment before they came to their senses. One of them hurriedly took out a communication artifact and infused his Divine Sense into it. A moment later, deafening alarms from Red Clouds Sect started ringing out.
Xiang Fei turned ashen as he fell on his bottom. The bottle of pills in his hand seemed to have become scorching hot.
Following that, beams of lights could be seen rising from the Sect and heading to the entrance from all directions.
Soon, Yang Kai came across the first hurdle, the Sect Defending Array.
Every Sect had their own Sect Defending Array, but it wouldn’t be activated fully in normal times. However, it would still provide detection and alarm functions in a passive state. Without permission or special methods, it was almost impossible for anyone to pass through this barrier. During a war, a Sect Defending Array could even be turned into a powerful shield.
Yang Kai had no choice but to stop in his tracks because there was an invisible wall in front of him.
*Shua shua shua…*
Many figures appeared around Yang Kai and glowered at him. Although Red Clouds Sect wasn’t one of the top great forces, it wasn’t so weak it could be bullied at will. The man before their eyes was trying to enter without permission, so it was apparent that he had no regard for their Sect at all. This was a taboo for any Sect because this was a sign of hostility.
“Stop right there! Identify yourself!” A red-faced man at the front growled. This person was in the First-Order Dao Source Realm, so he was obviously one of the important Masters in this Sect. It seemed that he was holding a major position, and he was probably an Elder.
Yang Kai frowned not because he was blocked by the Sect Defending Array or that he was surrounded by so many people, but because he couldn’t sense Su Yan’s aura in Red Clouds Sect.
In the past, he and Su Yan had shared a fortuitous encounter where they obtained the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art and the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress inheritance. They became a couple after that moment and formed a kind of inextricable link between their Souls. As such, as long as they were within a certain distance, they would be able to sense each other.
Red Clouds Mountain was only a few hundred kilometres in diameter, so if Su Yan was here, he should have been able to sense her. Since there was no induction, it meant that Su Yan wasn’t in Red Clouds Sect.
[Is it just a misunderstanding, then? Does she just share the same name? Is the Su Yan in Red Clouds Sect not the one I know and love? However, according to Xiang Fei’s descriptions, that woman must be the one I’ve been longing for. Maybe Su Yan isn’t in Red Clouds Sect at the moment. En, that’s possible.]
The red-faced man was indeed an Elder of the Red Clouds Sect, but in front of so many disciples, his question was completely ignored, so he was rather furious. Then, he scanned them with Divine Sense and realised that one of the invaders was a Third-Order Origin King while the other two didn’t show any signs of cultivation. What shocked him though was that there was a little girl who was about seven or eight years old in this group.
[Has this family of three come out for a walk and lost their way or something?]
“Are you deaf? Did you not hear my question?” The red-faced man bellowed.
It was then that Yang Kai turned to look at him and raised his hand, upon which an illusory phantom appeared above the void, which looked so lively that it was as though it was a real Human. Her long hair waved in an invisible wind as her delicate gaze and alluring smile caused everyone to fall into a dazed state.
Yang Kai stared at the red-faced man and asked, “Is this woman in your noble Sect?”
Before the red-faced man could answer that question, the other disciples broke into commotion.
“Isn’t that…”
“Senior Sister Su?”
“She looks like Senior Sister Su. No, that’s exactly her!”
“My goodness. Senior Sister Su’s smile is so charming!”
The image of Su Yan that Yang Kai had formed using his Qi was her appearance that he remembered in his mind. However, these disciples had never seen Su Yan’s smile before. Her dispassionate temperament earned her the title of ‘Ice Fairy’. At this moment, these people almost couldn’t recognise her.
[Who is this person? Why was he able to see Senior Sister Su Yan smile?] At that instant, all of them felt furious and found the young man before them loathsome. [Why was he so lucky?]
The answer was pretty obvious now as Yang Kai listened to their chatters. He heaved a sigh of relief and asked, “Where is she?”
“Who are you!?” Having been ignored by Yang Kai several times, the red-faced man was infuriated.
“Where is she!?” Yang Kai stared at him and growled.
The red-faced man was so angered that he broke into laughter, “Why should I tell you?”
With a loud boom, the mountain shook as the Sect Defending Array in front of Yang Kai shattered into pieces and disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Then, Yang Kai withdrew his fist and uttered calmly, “Today, I am feeling a little impatient, so please forgive me if my behaviour is abrupt.” As he spoke, he stepped forward and instantly arrived in front of the red-faced man.
The red-faced man was still reeling from the shock when he was confronted by an intense aura. When he raised his head and saw that Yang Kai was only a few centimetres away from him, he couldn’t help but step backwards and question in a vigilant manner, “What do you want?”
Yang Kai had managed to destroy their Sect’s barrier with a single punch. Although their Sect Defending Array wasn’t running at maximum capacity, it should have been impossible for anyone to break it with such ease. Moreover, from beginning to end, this young man had not exuded any kind of energy fluctuation, so how was he able to do that with pure brute force?
Following that, Yang Kai grabbed his collar and questioned, “Are you deaf or dumb? I’ve asked you many times already. Where is she!? Tell me!”
The red-faced man was soon covered in spit, causing his rage to win out over his cautiousness, “Stop being so arrogant! You are now in Red Clouds Sect! If you’re clever, leave this place immediately, otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your short life!”
Yang Kai had showcased incredible brute force, but as an Elder of the Sect, the red-faced man couldn’t appear weak. They had more than a thousand disciples in the Sect, and there were more than ten Dao Source Realm cultivators serving as Elders and Protectors. The Sect Master was even a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master. If Yang Kai dared to make a scene here, they would be sure to make him leave this place on his back.
Moreover, after Yang Kai broke the Spirit Array, the red-faced man had secretly sent a message to the Elders and the Sect Master, so they should already be on their way.
Just then, a beam of cold light approached Yang Kai and turned into a long sabre before it slashed at him.
Yang Kai just flicked his finger at the spine of the sabre, upon which it flashed and was sent flying backwards. Following that, an old man grabbed the weapon as his face contorted as he felt that the spirituality of his artifact had been greatly damaged.
[Who is this young man?]
*Shua shua shua…*
More powerful auras appeared as eight people showed up. When the Sect’s disciples saw these people, they immediately turned respectful. These were all Dao Source Realm Masters as well as the Elders of the Sect. Normally, it would be quite hard to meet any one of them, but at this moment, so many of them had shown up in one place. Besides the Elders who were currently outside the Sect, basically all the powerhouses of the Red Clouds Sect had gathered.
Just then, a man in black clothes stepped forward as his long sleeves flapped in the wind. He appeared authoritative, and his aura was stronger than the others.
“Sect Master!” The man in black nodded slightly as all of them saluted him.
He was the Sect Master of Red Clouds Sect, Han Zheng Yuan. Since the Sect Defending Array had been damaged, he had to personally look into it without needing the red-faced man to inform him about it.
When he saw that a young man was clenching an Elder’s collar, his expression darkened.
“Let go!” The red-faced man sneered as he glared at Yang Kai with his sharp gaze.
By now, Yang Kai had calmed down slightly. He was partly responsible for this farce, as he became agitated since Su Yan was involved. Then, he released the red-faced man as he was told.
Upon seeing that, those from Red Clouds Sect thought that he was afraid. The red-faced man arrogantly scoffed at him before he turned to look at Han Zheng Yuan and cupped his fists, “Sect Master.”
At the very least, the red-faced man didn’t embarrass their Sect and still appeared very confident.
Han Zheng Yuan nodded and shifted his attention to Yang Kai, “May I ask who Your Excellency is and what your purpose here is?”
Yang Kai replied, “It doesn’t matter what my name is. I’m here to look for someone.”
“Who?”
“Su Yan!”
With a frown, Han Zheng Yuan questioned, “What’s your relationship with her?”
Yang Kai uttered, “I’m her husband!”
After he finished speaking, all of them broke into commotion. All the disciples were dumbfounded as they looked at Yang Kai as though he was a fool. Su Yan had been in the Sect for more than twenty years, but they had never heard that she had a husband. It was already quite rare for her to speak to a man, so how was it possible that her husband would appear all of a sudden? They first denied this statement and then became furious.
Su Yan was a popular figure in the Sect as many of the male disciples were fond of her. Certainly, they’d be enraged if a man came out of nowhere and claimed to be her husband. They felt that this guy had blasphemed the goddess of their hearts, so they were all eager to charge forward and rip him apart to soothe their anger.
“Lies!” Before Han Zheng Yuan could even reply to him, a young man suddenly stepped forward and scolded Yang Kai.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a clean-looking man. His skin was fair, and his figure was thin. Although he was an Origin King, his aura was fairly unstable. Apparently, his foundation wasn’t solid, indicating that he had reached his current cultivation only with the help of many pills and precious treasures.
Upon a closer look, Yang Kai realised that the man looked similar to Han Zheng Yuan, so he immediately knew who he was.
Han Qian Cheng was baffled when he saw Yang Kai grinning at him. He felt that there was a hidden message behind this man’s grin, but he wasn’t willing to waste time pondering on it. With a dark expression, he uttered, “Little brat, you should stop spouting nonsense, otherwise, you might attract trouble towards yourself!”
Everyone in Red Clouds Sect knew that Su Yan was his! Although many disciples were fond of her, they would only dare to secretly admire her, and they would never have the guts to appear intimate with her. There was a brazen man who walked up to Su Yan and tried to talk her up in the past. The next day, all his bones were broken, and all his meridians were crippled.
Since then, no man in Red Clouds Sect dared to approach Su Yan again.
So, Han Qian Cheng couldn’t believe that someone had the nerve to claim to be Su Yan’s husband. He was so angered that he began sizing Yang Kai up with his sharp gaze, as though he was thinking about how to make him experience the most excruciating pain in the world.
Then, he turned around and spoke to Han Zheng Yuan, “Father, this man has broken into our Sect, so it’s apparent that he has no regard for us at all. He’s even damaged our Sect Defending Array. He cannot be forgiven! Please kill him now so that it will serve as a warning to others. Otherwise, others might think that we are cowards if this news is spread.”
With an impassive expression, Han Zheng Yuan simply declared, “Stand back. I have my own considerations.”
“Father!” Han Qian Cheng called out relentlessly.
“I said back down!” Han Zheng Yuan turned stern.
It was only then that Han Qian Cheng stepped back with a dark expression. He was seen mumbling something, so it was apparent that he was cursing at someone. Since he was a young child, he had always been favoured by Han Zheng Yuan, which was why he had grown up to be a haughty man who would willfully do whatever he wanted. He hated Yang Kai, so he wanted him immediately dead. However, he didn’t understand why his father, who had always doted on him, would reject his request at this point, embarrassing him in front of so many disciples and Elders of the Sect.
If anyone else was so arrogant in this place, Han Zheng Yuan wouldn’t have let him off. In order to protect their Sect’s reputation, he would certainly battle against that person. However, there was no aura fluctuation around the young man before his eyes, which gave him an eerie feeling.
Han Zheng Yuan had a feeling that if they got into a fight here, it would be Red Clouds Sect that would suffer a setback, so he had to be careful.
“Little Brother, what is your name?” Han Zheng Yuan asked.
Upon getting a reply from Yang Kai, he frowned and gave it a thought. [I’ve never heard of this name. This is a totally unfamiliar name to me.]
He turned to look at the Elders and realised that they appeared baffled as well. [Alright. Since none of us has heard about him before, it means that he’s without any powerful background. This matter can be solved easily, then.]
“You said you’re Su Yan’s husband. Do you have any proof?” Han Zheng Yuan asked. Then, he added, “I’m not doubting you. However, Su Yan is my Sect’s disciple, and I’m the Sect Master, so I have to look into this matter.”
Yang Kai replied, “Just tell Su Yan to come over, and you’ll know.”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared so confident, Han Zheng Yuan started believing him. On the other hand, Han Qian Cheng’s expression appeared gloomier. [No way! That woman has a husband? When did she get married? She’s been in our Sect for more than twenty years, but I’ve never seen her come into contact with any outsider. Why is there a man who claims to be her husband all of a sudden? This is ridiculous.]
“Su Yan has been in our Sect for more than twenty years, but she’s never contacted any outsider before. How did you even become her husband?”
“I’m from Heng Luo Star Field!”
“What?” Han Zheng Yuan was shocked upon hearing that. Then, he mocked himself in his heart. [Have I grown timid because of my old age? Why am I so overly cautious now? I’m no longer as straightforward and bold as when I was young.]
The fact that Su Yan came from Heng Luo Star Field wasn’t a secret, as many people in Red Clouds Sect knew that. As the Sect Master, Han Zheng Yuan was aware of that as well. According to Su Yan, she believed that she was the first one who left Heng Luo Star Field and arrived at the Ancestral Domain.
In other words, Yang Kai must have come to the Ancestral Domain after Su Yan did. So, it hadn’t been a long time since he arrived in this place and there was no way his cultivation was very strong.
At most, he was probably a First-Order Dao Source Realm. The reason Han Zheng Yuan couldn’t sense his cultivation must be that Yang Kai had used a Secret Art to hide his cultivation or that he was wearing an artifact with a similar effect.
Then, Han Zheng Yuan shook his head and chuckled, “So, you and Su Yan come from the same Star Field.”
Han Qian Cheng’s face had turned livid as he cursed at Su Yan. [What a slut! She always appears pure, innocent and aloof, but I’ve never expected that she’d actually slept with a man before! And to think I’ve always treated her so well. If I knew this earlier, I would’ve forced myself upon her instead of wasting my years away!]
“Yes. Su Yan and I became a couple back in our Star Field. We come from the same Sect as well,” Yang Kai said in an impatient manner, “Sect Master Han, please tell Su Yan to meet me.”
He was here to look for Su Yan, so he wasn’t willing to waste time talking to them.
Han Zheng Yuan said, “Alright, then.” He suddenly changed his tone, “However, Su Yan’s place is pretty far from here, so it might take her some time to come here.”
“That’s fine. I’ll wait.” Yang Kai had been longing to meet her for years, so he wouldn’t mind waiting for a bit. [It’s no wonder that I can’t sense her aura. It turns out she is somewhere far from here.]
“Elder Chen, please bring this Little Brother to the reception hall and serve him some tea. Then, send a message to Su Yan and tell her to come over.” Han Zheng Yuan spoke to the red-faced man.
The red-faced man was startled for a moment before he cupped his fists, “Yes!” Then, he made a gesture to Yang Kai, “This way, please.”
Normally, a cultivator from a Lower Star Field wasn’t worthy of such a treatment. However, the power Yang Kai just showcased was incredible, so he deserved a little more respect.
In a calm manner, Yang Kai nodded and followed Elder Chen.
The other disciples watched them leave as they found the situation baffling. [Is this matter over just like this? Someone broke into our home and destroyed the Sect Defending Array, but the Elders and Sect Master don’t seem to have the intention of holding him responsible. Moreover, they’ve even invited him in for tea. When did the Elders and Sect Master become so amiable? Also, Senior Sister Su Yan isn’t in the Sect!]
Some could see that it was a trap, and they disdained the way the Elders and the Sect Master dealt with the young man. However, there was nothing they could do as they sighed and looked pitifully at Yang Kai.
[If this man really is Senior Sister Su Yan’s husband, he’ll be doomed today.]
Upon entering the reception hall, Yang Kai took a seat and looked around. While He Yun Xiang stood behind him, Liu Yan directly sat next to him.
Only the red-faced Elder Chen was there to keep them company, but he was reluctant to talk to Yang Kai, so he just said briefly, “Just wait here. I’ve informed Su Yan about your arrival so she’ll come soon.” Then, he closed his eyes to take a rest. It seemed that he still had a grudge against Yang Kai for grabbing his collar earlier.
[Just go on being arrogant. You’ll soon know the consequences of offending me!] Worried he might accidentally show signs of hostility if he opened his eyes, he decided to keep them shut.
Just then, a female disciple came in and put down cups of tea for them, upon which the aroma of tea permeated the place.
The red-faced Elder Chen opened his eyes and put on a smile, “This is Red Clouds Tea, which is exclusive to our Sect. This is quite famous in the Ancestral Domain. Little Brother, please give it a try. The average person wouldn’t be able to drink it. The Spirit Teas in the Star Field are not comparable to this.” His voice sounded arrogant as he gazed at Yang Kai as though the latter was a bumpkin.
Yang Kai just stared fixedly at him without uttering a word.
Elder Chen kept a smile on his face, but he was vigilant in his heart. [Has he found out about it? No, it’s colourless and odourless. I’m not even able to tell if it’s been added, so how could it be possible for a brat from a Lower Star Field to have such sharp vision? Nevertheless, Sect Master is basically making a big fuss over a trivial matter. Yes, this brat has shown amazing strength, but with so many people in our Sect, we should be able to take him down with ease. It’s quite pointless to use this kind of trick to deal with him.]
Despite his displeasure, he still had to carry out the order in a serious manner. After all, this was a task given to him in secret by the Sect Master. [In any case, Sect Master has overly doted on Young Sect Master. Just like Su Yan, this brat is a talented person. If we could have pacified him, we might have been able to take him in as a disciple so that our Sect will have one more powerful member. What a shame… Since he has the guts to snatch Young Sect Master’s woman, he won’t be able to see the sunrise tomorrow.]
With this thought in mind, Elder Chen asked, “Little Brother, do you not like this tea?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then, why don’t you drink it?” Elder Chen’s expression darkened. His red face appeared stern even though he was actually calm, “Do you have no regard for our Sect at all?”
With a faint smile, Yang Kai picked up the teacup and said, “Elder Chen, since you’ve said so, I’ll drink it. I’ll just take this tea as wine to thank all of you who have been taking care of and nurturing Senior Sister Su over the years.”
Whatever the case, the reason Su Yan was able to reach Dao Source Realm and gain a footing in the Ancestral Domain was because of Red Clouds Sect. Drinking this cup of tea would serve as his gesture of gratitude towards them. Then, they would battle against each other to resolve the grudges between them.
[I hope they won’t have any complaints.]
“Boy, put down that tea!” Suddenly, a loud voice called out from outside.
Elder Chen’s expression changed when he heard that voice and raising his head, he saw a figure leaping into the hall and pouncing at Yang Kai, reaching for the teacup in his hand.
Enraged, Elder Chen slammed the table and got up before snarling, “Elder Ruan! What are you doing!?”
Yang Kai twisted his wrist slightly and avoided the hand grasping for his own before lifting his head and pouring all of the tea into his mouth.
Elder Chen was stunned for a moment before he started laughing boisterously.
The person who barged into the hall was startled as well. Given her Second-Order Dao Source Realm cultivation, not only was she not able to snatch the teacup from Yang Kai, but the latter was also able to avoid her attack without even getting up. This young man indeed had incredible reflexes.
Upon a closer look, she realised that, just like what she had heard, there was no aura around the young man, as though he had never cultivated before.
“Elder Ruan?” It was then that Yang Kai turned to look at the person and realised that she was a middle-aged beauty. Her plain clothes could not conceal her well-defined curves or her mature charm. He had never expected that she was such a lovely lady, totally different from his imagination.
The only person in the entire Red Clouds Sect with this kind of cultivation who was also surnamed Ruan must be Su Yan’s Master.
“Boy, you say you’re Su Yan’s husband?” Ruan Bi Ting asked with a frown.
Yang Kai nodded, “Indeed.”
“How can you prove it?”
“Hmm… Her sword is called Profound Frost! She also uses a Secret Technique called Clear Sky Snowfall!”
Ruan Bi Ting turned solemn, “It’s really you!”
The others might not understand what Yang Kai was talking about, but as Su Yan’s Master, Ruan Bi Ting immediately did. Su Yan had brought an Origin King Grade longsword from her Star Field to this place. The long sword was named Profound Frost, and one of the techniques she used was indeed called Clear Sky Snowfall.
What Yang Kai had just said confirmed his identity. Since he was able to name her sword and her Secret Technique, he must be very close to her. Moreover, Ruan Bi Ting had heard from Su Yan about Yang Kai’s existence; after all, they were Master and Disciple, so they frequently communicated with each other. And today, she finally met Yang Kai.
“Brat, follow me!” Upon confirming Yang Kai’s identity, Ruan Bi Ting reached out her hand towards him.
She had just gotten a secret message from a disciple which said that Su Yan’s husband had come to look for her from Heng Luo Star Field, but he was brought to the reception hall by Elder Chen to drink tea. Once she heard that, she immediately knew that it was a trap, so she rushed over to this place; however, she still couldn’t stop the tragedy from happening.
At that moment, she was utterly frustrated. She had warned him to put down the teacup and even tried to snatch it from him, but he ignored her and gulped it down right in front of her.
[Su Yan, Su Yan, what kind of husband have you gotten for yourself? Given his stupidity, how has he even survived until this day? Has no one taught him that he should be careful when drinking or eating in the outside world?]
She grabbed Yang Kai’s wrist with her slender hand and pulled him towards herself. However, instead of making him move, she was forced to stagger forward.
Her pupils contracted as she was flabbergasted. She was a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master, and although she didn’t use all her strength just now, it was impossible that she couldn’t even make him move.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her. His impression of Red Clouds Sect was quite terrible at the moment, so his intention was to find out Su Yan’s whereabouts before he slaughtered all of them; however, it now seemed that there was someone in this place that actually cared about Su Yan.
[That is more than enough, isn’t it? It isn’t like there is only evil in this world. There is still warmth that is like a light in the darkness that shines and illuminates our way.]
He then tapped Ruan Bi Ting’s hand to motion for her to release him.
With a frown, Ruan Bi Ting questioned, “What are you doing?”
She used her Divine Sense and spoke to him in his mind, “This place is dangerous! Leave with me now!”
Seeing that she was truly worried about his well being, Yang Kai felt warm in his heart. They didn’t know each other, but she was concerned about him because of Su Yan. Apparently, she was really good to Su Yan.
“Elder Ruan, what are you doing?” The red-faced Elder Chen sneered at Ruan Bi Ting, not showing any respect to a Master like her who was stronger than he was. Although both of them were Elders in this Sect, she didn’t hold any important position, so she was basically powerless regarding internal affairs. If it weren’t because of the Old Sect Master’s will, she wouldn’t have even been allowed to remain in this Sect for such a long time and keep her title as an Elder.
Nobody really knew the relationship between Ruan Bi Ting and Red Clouds Sect. It was rumoured that the Old Sect Master owed her a favour, which was why he let her stay in this Sect; however, after the Old Sect Master passed away, the current Sect Master took over his role and Ruan Bi Ting became an outsider within their Sect.
“It’s none of your business!” Ruan Bi Ting glowered at Elder Chen.
With a grin, Elder Chen rebuked, “I don’t agree that it’s none of my business. The Sect Master has ordered me to serve this Little Brother. Elder Ruan, you’re being impolite to our guests, so please leave now.”
Ignoring him, Ruan Bi Ting stared at Yang Kai and asked, “Are you leaving or not?”
“I can’t leave because this matter isn’t over yet.” Yang Kai put on a smile and gazed at Elder Chen, “You seem quite pleased. What are you laughing at?”
“Of course I’m laughing at something funny.” Elder Chen looked disdainfully at him, “How does our Red Clouds Tea taste?”
“The tea is good, but the taste isn’t very pure.” It was then Yang Kai put down the tea cup and adjusted his position, “You’ve put something into it, right?”
“It’s too late that you’ve only found out about it now!” Elder Chen’s expression turned cold as he could stop pretending to be polite. Anyone who was stricken with that poison would go limp very quickly. Even a Third-Order Dao Source Realm Master couldn’t detoxify it with ease. Now, Yang Kai was like a fish on a chopping block in his eyes, so he could do whatever he wanted to him.
“Elder Chen, you seem quite confident in this poison,” Yang Kai lowered his head as his hair blocked his face, which made him look quite gloomy.
“You… Knew that there was poison in the tea?” Ruan Bi Ting suddenly thought of something and exclaimed. At the same time, she cursed at him in her heart and thought that he must be insane.
*Chiliu…*
In this intense atmosphere, a sound was suddenly heard. The three of them turned their heads and saw Liu Yan holding another teacup and drinking down its content.
Elder Chen and Ruan Bi Ting were dumbstruck. [Has she also become foolish because she’s been with this boy for too long? Both of them are out of their minds!]
“Why did you still drink it after they admitted that there was poison in it?” Yang Kai stroked her head.
“I just wanted to have a taste,” Liu Yan replied, “It’s not delicious though, so I’ll give it back to you!”
After she opened her mouth, the tea shot towards Elder Chen like an arrow. While the tea was still in mid-air, it turned red suddenly as though it was a fire snake.
The temperature in the hall rose rapidly.
The expression of Elder Chen changed drastically as he was engulfed in a sense of danger. Without even thinking, he summoned an artifact to protect himself. With a clang, the tea arrow crashed into the artifact that looked like a shield, causing the glow on the artifact to flicker and turn dim, which went to show that it had lost all its spirituality. The tea arrow then continued forward unimpeded, burning a hole right through the artifact.
“AH!” Elder Chen shrieked and fell on his butt. Lowering his head, he realised that there was a dark hole on his shoulder as his blood was streaming out of it. At the same time, he could feel a horrifying Fire Attribute energy entering through the wound. Wherever it went, all his meridians and flesh would burn.
He widened his eyes in disbelief. [What is going on? What is going on? Aren’t they poisoned? How are they still able to use their strength? Also, who is this little girl? Did she make tea so terrifying!?]
Ruan Bi Ting was dumbfounded as she looked dazedly at Liu Yan. If she hadn’t seen it with her eyes, she wouldn’t have believed that this little girl was able to harm Elder Chen with just a mouthful of tea. Then, she turned to look at Yang Kai and realised that he had at some point stood up. His countenance appeared healthy, so it was apparent that he wasn’t poisoned.
“You’re… fine?” Ruan Bi Ting almost lost her ability to think.
Yang Kai put on a smile, “It’s just a little bit of trash, how could it possibly harm me?”
[T-Trash? This is the most potent poison in our Sect, but it’s just some rubbish to him? Is he really from Heng Luo Star Field?]
What she wasn’t aware of was that Yang Kai had cultivated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, and after refining the Golden Divine Dragon Source, he had developed a strong Dragon bloodline. Dragon Clan members were famously known for their resistance to all kinds of poisons.
Given Yang Kai’s physique, he couldn’t be said to be immune to all poisons, but the kind of poison that could harm him definitely didn’t exist in the Ancestral Domain. He decided to drink the tea not because he was a fool or that he was out of his mind, but because he wasn’t worried about it at all.
“Elder Ruan, what are you doing? It will be hard for me to explain myself to Su Yan if she sees this,” Yang Kai turned to look at Ruan Bi Ting and winked at her.
It was then that Ruan Bi Ting realised that she had been clenching his wrist the whole time. With her face blushing slightly, she shot him a glare and released him.
She indeed had lost her composure on this day.
*Shua shua shua shua…*
Just then, many figures appeared abruptly. They were all the Sect’s Elders who had been waiting outside. They barged into the hall because they heard Elder Chen’s scream, and upon a closer look, they were all dumbstruck.
While Yang Kai was fine, Elder Chen was battered.
With a cold expression, Han Zheng Yuan bellowed, “Elder Ruan, I think you need to give me an explanation!”
Earlier, he saw Ruan Bi Ting breaking into this place, but he hadn’t managed to stop her. Now that Elder Chen was injured, he thought that it was she who had made a move.
[I’ve been putting up with this woman for far too long! No matter what, I’ll have to kick her out of our Sect today!]
Ruan Bi Ting growled, “Han Zheng Yuan, don’t cross the line!”
Han Zheng Yuan replied, “Who is crossing the line here? You are our Sect’s Elder, but you’ve sided with an outsider! You’ve let all of us in Red Clouds Sect, including the Old Sect Master, down.”
“Settle your own problems later. I just want to know why you’re treating me this way when I’m just here to look for Su Yan.” Yang Kai swept a glance over everyone and then stared fixedly at Han Zheng Yuan.
Elder Chen couldn’t have possibly made the decision on his own. He must have received the order from Han Zheng Yuan. A Sect Master was going against Yang Kai for no apparent reason, so his behaviour was really laughable.
“Su Yan isn’t in Red Clouds Sect. He was lying to you earlier,” Ruan Bi Ting explained.
Yang Kai asked, “Where is she?”
“She’s been sent to guard our Fire Cloud Ore Vein. She hasn’t returned to the Sect for more than ten years. That’s a mineral lode under Red Clouds Sect, so it’s one of our core businesses.”
“She’s guarding a Fire Cloud Ore Vein?” Yang Kai arched his brow as he set his mind at ease. Since that was the case, Su Yan wasn’t in any danger. However, he soon grasped the crux of the matter and snorted, “Why?”
Fire Cloud Ore was rich in Fire Attribute Strength, so it was suitable for cultivators who practised Fire Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques to stay at such a mineral lode. Any cultivators with this kind of Secret Art would be more than happy to take on this task.
However, Su Yan cultivated an Ice Attribute Secret Art. Moreover, she had an Ice Crystal Jade Body. If she stayed in such a fiery place for too long, she would be considered lucky if her cultivation didn’t regress, so it was practically impossible for her to cultivate.
Yang Kai doubted that these people from Red Clouds Sect didn’t know the attribute she was cultivating. Since they were aware of it, they must have done it on purpose by sending her to guard Fire Cloud Ore Vein.
[Damn it! Ten years isn’t a long period of time, but it isn’t a short time either. In other words, Su Yan has wasted ten years for nothing!] Yang Kai was enraged.
“Why?” Ruan Bi Ting sneered as she was utterly disappointed, “They’re trying to make her give in. You might not be aware of it, but his son is very fond of Su Yan.” She paused for a moment, “Moreover, Su Yan has grown too rapidly, so someone is afraid that her cultivation would surpass his and threaten his position!”
“What a load of nonsense!” Han Zheng Yuan snorted, “Both of you two agreed that she’d guard the Fire Cloud Ore Vein, so why are you blaming it all on me now?”
Ruan Bi Ting shook her head as she appeared disheartened, “Han Zheng Yuan, you’re a Sect Master now, but you’re still so narrow-minded. You’re no match for the Old Sect Master in this regard.”
In fact, this was the reason she had been marginalised in the Sect as well.
Before the Old Sect Master passed away, he asked Ruan Bi Ting to help look after Red Clouds Sect, which was why she continued staying in this place for more than 100 years. At that time, she was already a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master, while Han Zheng Yuan had just entered the Dao Source Realm. Without her protection, Red Clouds Sect would’ve been destroyed by their enemies, and they wouldn’t have been able to hold on to the foundation passed down to them by their Ancestors. 100 years had passed, and Han Zheng Yuan finally reached the Second Order, but his attitude towards Ruan Bi Ting grew increasingly terrible as well.
He couldn’t tolerate someone who had protected their Sect for more than 100 years, let alone a rising star like Su Yan. If Su Yan managed to reach the Second-Order Dao Source Realm and join forces with her Master, Han Zheng Yuan would probably lose his position as Sect Master.
The reason he sent Su Yan to guard the Fire Cloud Ore Vein was to warn and suppress her. If she was clever enough, she would marry Han Qian Cheng and her future would be bright. However, ten years had passed, but Su Yan had never returned to Red Clouds Sect once. She seemed determined to remain defiant even as she guarded that place.
“You have no right to criticize whatever I do!” Han Zheng Yuan snorted, “You’re just a Foreign Elder in our Sect, but we’ve been providing for you for a long time. However, not only do you not help us solve our problems, but you’ve also colluded with our enemies! Ruan Bi Ting, I’ll abolish your position as an Elder today. From now on, you have nothing to do with our Sect!”
Han Zheng Yuan was elated because the events that unfolded turned out to be a pleasant surprise. He had always intended to kick Ruan Bi Ting out of his Sect, but he couldn’t find an excuse; after all, the fact that she had protected the Sect for so long left him and the Sect indebted to her. If he banished her out of the Sect without a reason, others would feel disheartened.
Now, he had finally found an excuse.
Ruan Bi Ting tucked her hair behind her ear and replied in a calm manner, “Good. At least I’ve not disappointed the Old Sect Master. Now, Red Clouds Sect will be fine even without me. Just like what you’ve wished for, I hereby announce that I’ll have nothing to do with your Sect anymore.”
“You may leave!” Han Zheng Yuan growled.
Ruan Bi Ting uttered, “He comes with me!” She pointed her slender finger at Yang Kai. Since he was Su Yan’s husband, she wouldn’t let him stay in this place.
“Dream on!” Han Zheng Yuan bellowed.
Ruan Bi Ting uttered dispassionately, “It’s hard to sustain the foundation left behind by your Ancestors. Don’t let it perish in your hands.” Although she was utterly disappointed in Han Zheng Yuan, she was still concerned about this Sect because she had protected it for more than a century. She didn’t have the heart to see it destroyed.
“I am the Sect Master of Red Clouds Sect!” Han Zheng Yuan yelled.
“Han Zheng Yuan, think this through!” Ruan Bi Ting said through gritted teeth.
In response, Han Zheng Yuan shot her a cold glance, “If you’re not willing to leave, you’ll also have to stay here with him.”
The last bit of hope in her heart died. With such a Sect Master, there was no way Red Clouds Sect could be sustained. She had already done her best by protecting the Sect for more than 100 years.
“Are you done?” Yang Kai suddenly uttered. With his eyes glowing with a red glint, he swept a glance over Han Zheng Yuan and the other Elders, causing them to feel horrified.
A sense of uneasiness rose within Han Zheng Yuan, but it was soon replaced by rage. Waving his hand, he demanded, “Kill him!”
In an instant, two figures pounced on Yang Kai from both sides, their movement as swift as lightning. However, in the blink of an eye, they were sent flying backwards as they exploded into blood mist in mid-air. Even their bones had vanished.
The chamber fell into silence as everyone widened their mouths and watched the sight in disbelief.
Ruan Bi Ting sighed and closed her eyes. [Han Zheng Yuan, this is the dumbest decision you’ve ever made in your life. Do you think I’m doing this for this young man by trying to bring him away? I’m just trying to help Red Clouds Sect one last time.]
Yang Kai still appeared fine even though he had been poisoned, so Ruan Bi Ting knew that his strength must be inconceivable. Paired with the strange young girl, there was no way these people from Red Clouds Sect were a match for them. What was laughable was that Han Zheng Yuan still thought everything was well within his control. He wasn’t aware that the positions of the predator and the prey had been switched without him knowing.
“Start the Array!” After Han Zheng Yuan was startled for a moment, he growled as rapidly formed a set of hand seals.
At that instant, the talismans inside the chamber flickered as the people at the scene were all engulfed in a Spirit Array. It was only then that the Elders felt a sense of safety as they looked at Yang Kai as though he was the most horrendous devil.
Earlier, he seemed to be just lightly waving his fist, but two Elders in the First-Order Dao Source Realm who had leapt at him exploded into blood mist, which went to show that the young man was incredibly powerful. Fortunately, the Sect Master was intelligent enough not to confront him at the mountain entrance earlier. Instead, he had lured him to this place.
With the help of the Spirit Array, paired with their collective powers, they were practically invincible.
“Kill them!” Yang Kai simply pointed a finger forward.
In response, Liu Yan opened her mouth and spat out a breath of fire that seemed to have a life of its own, one that filled the entire hall with blistering heat. The temperature in the palace rose rapidly, causing the base and flags of the array to flicker.
The Red Cloud Sect Elders were terrified as they hurriedly tried to defend themselves.
He Yun Xiang was equally shocked.
She had been getting along with Liu Yan for some time, but she had never expected that this adorable little girl was able to exert this kind of horrifying power.
He Yun Xiang took note of one Elder who was trying to resist Liu Yan’s flames, only to quickly be turned into ashes.
He was a Dao Source Realm Master! He Yun Xiang wasn’t surprised that Yang Kai was able to kill a Dao Source Realm Master with ease, as she had witnessed his power many times throughout their journey, but what was going on with this little girl? Was she just as formidable as Yang Kai?
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai took Ruan Bi Ting’s wrist.
In a dazed state, Ruan Bi Ting asked, “Where are we going?” She was stunned as well. She had seen Liu Yan injuring the red-faced Elder Chen with just one move earlier, so she knew that the latter was powerful, but it was apparent she had still underestimated her. No one in Red Clouds Sect could possibly match her.
“Bring me to look for Su Yan!” Without waiting for her reply, Yang Kai brought her to the door and pushed out his fist, upon which the Spirit Array disintegrated with a boom.
Horrified screams could be heard from behind them as Han Zheng Yuan yelled, “Elder Ruan! Elder Ruan! Save us!”
Ruan Bi Ting turned around as she didn’t have the heart to see them die.
“If you want, I can spare his life.” Noticing the emotion behind her gaze, Yang Kai stared at her. She was Su Yan’s Master, after all, so he was willing to grant her wish.
Ruan Bi Ting opened her mouth slightly, but she eventually sighed and replied, “Let’s go.”
All debts of gratitude and grudges between them had been settled, and she no longer had any association with Red Clouds Sect. The only thing she felt guilty about was that she was no longer able to protect the Sect as the Old Sect Master had asked her. Although it was her first time meeting Yang Kai, she had already learnt a lot about his temperament. He was a resolute man in whatever he did. Even if she asked him to spare Han Zheng Yuan’s life, he would still cripple him.
If a cultivator was crippled, it was more miserable than if he was killed. She wondered if, at this moment, Han Zheng Yuan regretted the fact that he didn’t listen to her earlier.
In front of a Space Array, the Red Clouds Sect’s disciples traded glances and cupped their fists, “Elder Ruan.”
The person at the front asked, “Elder Ruan, where are you going?”
Ruan Bi Ting was still in a dazed state as she replied, “To Fire Cloud Mountain.”
The Fire Cloud Ore Vein was inside Fire Cloud Mountain.
The disciple was surprised, “Elder Ruan, you’re going to Fire Cloud Mountain as well?”
While Ruan Bi Ting nodded, Yang Kai realised something through his words, “What’s wrong? Has someone else recently gone to Fire Cloud Mountain?”
“You are…” the disciple asked as he had never seen Yang Kai before.
Ruan Bi Ting came to her senses and questioned, “Who else has gone to Fire Cloud Mountain?”
Naturally, the disciple wouldn’t dare to ignore her. In a respectful manner, he replied, “Just a quarter of an hour ago, Young Sect Master brought two Elders to Fire Cloud Mountain.”
“What!?” Ruan Bi Ting’s expression changed as she yelled, “Oh, no!” She immediately swept the disciple away and stood on the Space Array with Yang Kai before she activated her power. In an instant, the array glowed and engulfed them. When the glow disappeared, they were nowhere to be found.
Inside Fire Cloud Mountain, there were many interconnected tunnels and caves. This place was where Fire Cloud Ore was mined, so it was one of the most important businesses for Red Clouds Sect. There was always an Elder in the Dao Source Realm who would guard the place.
However, the environment in this place was quite hostile. Normally, the Elders from the Sect weren’t willing to take on this task. Even the two Elders who cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts didn’t want to remain here all the time, so they basically took turns to guard the place. Every year, another Elder would come over to take this post.
However, for the last ten years, only one person had been guarding the place. No other Elders had come here since.
She was a woman who was always clad in white robes. Her skin was as translucent as jade and she was always on her own, but she seemed to carry herself well.
Anyone would take a liking to such a beautiful woman, but she was ordered to guard this dirty mineral lode inside a mountain. Her white clothes were in stark contrast with the filthy environment. However, wherever she went, the place would appear clean and pure.
The disciples knew that she was forced to take on this difficult task because she had offended the Young Sect Master. They were all displeased with the Young Sect Master because of this, but they wouldn’t dare to complain about it, so they could only secretly feel sorry for her. A beautiful woman like her was to be treasured. No man would have the heart to make her do such a thing. [Young Sect Master is too stone-hearted.]
Normally, the disciples who were responsible for mining Fire Cloud Ore would go back to the Sect every ten to fifteen days to take a break before coming back here. However, she had stayed in this place for ten years without ever leaving.
She was the most outstanding disciple in the history of Red Clouds Sect. It only took her five years to go from the peak of the Origin King Realm to the Dao Source Realm after she joined the Sect. Nonetheless, in the past ten years, her cultivation had not improved one bit.
It was thanks to Ruan Bi Ting who would give her resources from time to time that she was even able to sustain her Dao Source Realm cultivation, otherwise it might have already regressed.
Inside a cave, a disciple, who was in charge of the place, hung his head low as he reported to the white-clothed lady on the recent developments in their mining activities. Having been here for too long, the disciple appeared dishevelled as well. He kept his head low and never looked at the lady. It wasn’t because he didn’t dare to, but because he wasn’t willing to. It was as though his vision would blaspheme her beauty and purity.
Upon hearing his report, the lady nodded slightly, “Good, thank you.”
Her voice was soft and gentle. The person in charge appeared satisfied as he looked forward to reporting to her every ten days. It was because he just wanted to hear her voice.
“Please take a rest.” The person in charge stepped backward but suddenly crashed into someone, upon which he turned around with a furious expression. [Who is this reckless person that has entered this place without permission? Doesn’t he know this is the place where Senior Sister Su cultivates?]
After he made out who the person was though, he was shocked as he hurriedly stepped aside as he bent his back, “Young Sect Master!”
[I can’t believe that the Young Sect Master has come here. He rarely visits this place. He hasn’t come here for a long time. Ten years ago, he would come here very often with a joyful expression, but he’d always leave disappointed. After a time, he stopped visiting at all. Why is he here today all of a sudden? Moreover, he is followed by two Elders.]
The disciple appeared doubtful, but he wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful, so he immediately saluted the two Elders.
“We don’t need you here, scram.” Han Qian Cheng impatiently waved his hand.
The disciple then hung his head low and left the place quickly.
Han Qian Cheng stepped forward and stopped ten steps away from the white-robed lady. His eyes appeared as fiery as the Fire Cloud Ores that had just been unearthed as he stared lustfully at her figure. He hadn’t seen her for years, but she remained as enrapturing as ever
All of a sudden, he regretted the fact that he hadn’t visited her often in the past years. Perhaps she would be moved by his persistence if he had come here more often. However, he soon cast the idea away. He was the Young Sect Master of Red Clouds Sect, so he could get any woman he wanted with ease. However, this woman had always been cold to him. [If it weren’t for our Sect, she wouldn’t have been able to reach Dao Source Realm. Perhaps she would’ve been gobbled up by other Masters right after she arrived at the Ancestral Domain.]
As he recalled what that bastard from earlier had said, he became even more frustrated. He thought that this woman was as pure as jade, but he hadn’t expected that she had already gotten married and surrendered her innocence to another. He was furious because he couldn’t be her first man.
“Junior Sister Su, we haven’t met for a long time. How are you?” He looked at Su Yan with a smile. Although she was in a higher realm than him, he was the Young Sect Master of Red Clouds Sect, which was why he wouldn’t call her ‘Senior Sister’ like how other disciples did.
“Young Sect Master.” Su Yan looked calmly at the front as she got up slowly and saluted them, “Greetings, Elders.”
The two Elders remained silent as they stood behind Han Qian Cheng like two pieces of wood. The cave was dim, and they stood in the shadows, so it was hard to see their expressions clearly.
“Young Sect Master, why are you here?”
With a faint smile, Han Qian Cheng replied, “I missed you, so I decided to come over to meet you. We haven’t met for a long time, right?”
Su Yan remained calm, “It’s been eight years.”
“Oh, eight years is indeed a long time.” Han Qian Cheng appeared dejected, “It’s true that time flies. I remember that when you first joined our Sect, you weren’t so cold to me.”
Su Yan replied, “I do not mean to discriminate against anyone. If you feel unjustly slighted, then I apologize.”
Han Qian Cheng guffawed, “It’s fine. I know it’s your nature, so I don’t blame you.” He leaned forward slightly, as though he was an aggressive beast that was ready to pounce on his prey, “Eight years have passed. Junior Sister, have you seriously considered my offer?”
Su Yan uttered, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
With a smile, Han Qian Cheng pointed at her, “Junior Sister, what’s the point of feigning ignorance? You’ve always known what I want.”
“I don’t intend to fall in love with anyone.”
Han Qian Cheng put on a meaningful grin, “Really?” He reached out and took a look at his own hand. Then, he rubbed his fingers and went on to say nonchalantly, “I think it isn’t because you don’t intend to fall in love with anyone, but because your heart already belongs to someone else.”
Su Yan replied, “If you understand, then you should know it’s pointless for you to persist.”
[You slut!] Han Qian Cheng cursed at her in his heart, [I’m the Young Sect Master of Red Clouds Sect, so how am I not comparable to that bumpkin!? I can’t believe you still can’t forget about him after so many years. You’ll soon understand the consequences of going against me. I’ll have my way with you all I want and only after you’re worn out completely will I toss you away!]
“That man is called Yang Kai, right?”
Su Yan’s eternally cold expression finally changed slightly, “How do you know that?”
She had only told Ruan Bi Ting about Yang Kai before, so other people were not supposed to be aware of his existence. The first thought that came to her mind was that Ruan Bi Ting had told other people about it, but she soon realised it was impossible. Ruan Bi Ting was her Master in Red Clouds Sect, and although they were Master and Disciple, they were as close as Sisters, and Ruan Bi Ting had always been good to her. So, there was no way she would mention such a sensitive piece of information to others.
“How could I not know?” Han Qian Cheng chuckled. It was the first time he managed to attract Su Yan’s attention, but he felt dejected instead of happy because she only showed interest at the mention of that bastard. Pretending to be nonchalant, he went on to say, “Let me tell you something, then. That brat called Yang Kai is in Red Clouds Sect right now.”
“What?” Su Yan exclaimed, “What did you just say?” She couldn’t believe her ears. After pulling herself together, she said, “Young Sect Master, please don’t joke with me.”
“You can ask the Elders whether or not I’m telling the truth.”
Su Yan looked hopefully at the two Elders behind him.
One of them nodded and replied, “Young Sect Master is right. Today, a young man called Yang Kai came to our Sect to look for you and said…”
“What did he say?”
“He said he’s your husband.”
Su Yan staggered as her doubt had been cleared. [Yang Kai really was in Red Clouds Sect! Did he come to look for me? Has he been in the Ancestral Domain all these years?] She had always been a dispassionate lady, but at this moment, she couldn’t help but put on a bright smile, one that seemed to make all the colours in the world fade away and dull.
Han Qian Cheng widened his eyes as he stared fixedly at her. He was eager to pull her into his embrace and do whatever he wanted to her when he saw that radiant smile. The feeling of becoming one with such an icy beauty must be different from his experiences with other women.
“It seems that he’s really your husband.” Han Qian Cheng snorted as he was burning with jealousy.
Su Yan uttered, “Young Sect Master, I want to return back to the Sect.”
Han Qian Cheng shook his head and replied, “No! Unless my father gives the order, you cannot go back.” He paused for a moment and grinned, “Moreover, it’s pointless for you to go back.”
“What do you mean?” Su Yan asked with a frown.
“The thing is…” Han Qian Cheng sighed, “That Yang Kai is far too reckless. It’s fine that he came to look for you, but he scolded all of us and destroyed our Sect Defending Array. Our Sect has been around for thousands of years, so we won’t let anyone humiliate us. By now… I presume he must have been captured.” He tutted, “He must be going through an unimaginable ordeal now.”
A sense of coldness that seemed able to freeze people’s hearts appeared in this searing cave all of a sudden.
Han Qian Cheng looked smugly at her, as his intention was to make her furious. [If you beg me properly, I might grant your wish and let you meet your lover before his death.]
However, he soon became startled, because her cold aura had disappeared in the blink of an eye as her expression turned dispassionate again.
He asked, “Junior Sister, aren’t you worried?”
“Worried about what?” She questioned.
Han Qian Cheng was rendered speechless, as her reaction was different from his imagination. [Isn’t she too cold-hearted? That’s her husband after all. Now that he’s in trouble, she should appear worried at the very least. Why is she still so calm and collected?]
“Shouldn’t you be worried about that Yang Kai?”
“There’s nothing to worry about.” Su Yan brushed her hair back behind her ear.
When Yang Kai left the Star Field, he was already in the Second-Order Origin King Realm. Many years had passed, and given his aptitude, his cultivation must be among the top in the Ancestral Domain by now. Although those in the Red Clouds Sect were strong, it would be hard for them to deal with him. Moreover, he was proficient in the Dao of Space, so he was unmatched when it came to escaping.
Han Qian Cheng was startled for a moment before he said, “He’ll end up in a miserable state.”
“He only has himself to blame then.”
“Junior Sister, he’s your husband isn’t he, how can you just ignore his well being? If no one begs my father, he might severely punish him. If that Yang Kai is injured or even dies…”
“It is up to the Heavens to decide his life or death. Young Sect Master, you need not concern yourself.”
“Junior Sister, I’m willing to put in a good word to my father to let him go. You know that he will listen to me.”
“Many thanks for your kind intentions, Young Sect Master, but you don’t have to worry about it. I’m certain you find this place stiflingly hot, so you should probably return.”
“You…”
“By the way, if you go back and see my husband, please tell him to come over. I’ll be waiting for him here.”
“You bitch!” Han Qian Cheng couldn’t take it anymore and cursed.
Everything went differently from his imagination. He thought that after he told her this news, she would be flustered, and then she wouldn’t reject whatever request he would come up with. As long as she still cared about that bumpkin, Han Qian Cheng would be able to fulfil his long-held wish.
However, everything subverted his expectations. She didn’t even seem to care about that bumpkin’s safety at all.
[How is she so unfeeling and ruthless?] Even Han Qian Cheng felt sorry for Yang Kai. This kind of stone-hearted woman must be taught a lesson so that she would understand how it felt to be with a man.
At that instant, he couldn’t help but start snickering. [It seems that Yang Kai isn’t that important in her heart. However, since I’ve come here, I must obtain her.]
He raised his head and stared lustfully at her.
Su Yan questioned, “Is there anything else?”
Han Qian Cheng replied, “Although this place is dirty, it must be quite fun to do it here.”
Hearing that, Su Yan scowled.
“I’ve never slept with a woman in this kind of place. I’m looking forward to it. Will you scream after I strip you bare?”
With a clang, Su Yan summoned Profound Frost as a cold glint flashed across her weapon.
A sword wave rapidly swept toward Han Qian Cheng’s eyes as he was engulfed in the fear of death. Although he was in the Origin King Realm, his cultivation was built almost entirely using Spirit Pills. He had never battled against anyone before, so there was no way he could parry her attack. If no one saved him, he would be killed on the spot.
Just then, a big hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him back while at the same time, another hand moved past him and confronted the cold flash.
After a clang, the sword wave scattered and Su Yan withdrew her sword and straightened up as she watched the middle-aged man clad in grey and white clothes before her eyes. This man was in the First-Order Dao Source Realm, the same as Su Yan.
On the other hand, Han Qian Cheng had been saved by another Elder. Although he was fine, he felt as though he had just escaped from death’s door. After he stabilised himself, his cold sweat started streaming down his forehead as he growled, “You! You dare try to kill me!?”
The attack just now was no laughing matter. If the sword wave had hit him, he would undoubtedly have died.
“That was just a warning.” Su Yan looked impassively at Han Qian Cheng. Since he had the guts to harass her with such vulgar words, she had to respond appropriately.
“Good, very good!” Having just escaped from death’s door, Han Qian Cheng still appeared pale. As he looked insidiously at her, he stepped backwards until he all but left the cave and waved his hand, “Capture her!”
Whatever the case, he had to bed her today. He had lost all patience, so he wasn’t willing to keep waiting. Since she wasn’t willing, he just had to use force!
The two Elders stood beside each other as they blocked the cave entrance. They looked quite similar and were apparently brothers. Both of them appeared tough and sturdy as their shoulders and waists were broad. After they pushed their Source Qi, a layer of red glow appeared on their skin, which was so hot that it was as though it was burning with fire.
Han Qian Cheng prepared well before he came to the Fire Cloud Ore Vein to find fault with Su Yan. The two Elders he had chosen had cultivated Fire Attribute Secret Arts, so they were able to amplify their power in this environment.
By standing there, they had blocked the only exit. If Su Yan wanted to leave, she had to defeat them first.
The Elder on the left advised, “Su Yan, our Sect is basically your saviour. If it weren’t because we took you in after you came to the Ancestral Domain, you wouldn’t have been able to achieve success. Since you owe our Sect a favour, you should repay us. Is this how you repay our Young Sect Master?”
Su Yan refuted, “The only person who I am indebted to is my Master. What does it have to do with Red Clouds Sect?”
The Elder on the right snorted, “Young Sect Master will certainly take over the position of Sect Master in the future. How is he not a match for you? If you’re clever, agree to his request now. Otherwise, we’ll have to make you suffer.”
Su Yan slowly shook her head, “No!”
“How obstinate!”
“You court death!”
The Elders growled at the same time as their Source Qi soared, causing the cave to quake.
Han Qian Cheng bellowed, “Enough nonsense! Take her down now! I want to make her regret it for the rest of her life! By the way, don’t damage her face and body. I’m going to have fun with her later.”
“Don’t worry, Young Sect Master, she’s just a young inexperienced woman, so we can capture her easily.” The Elder on the left snorted as the Source Qi within his body surged. Then, he charged at Su Yan, stretching out his hand. As he attempted to claw at her, the Fire Attribute Energy around him seemed to be attracted as it gathered on his palm to amplify his power.
Su Yan wielded Profound Frost as a curved and azure-blue sword screen appeared right before her, serving as a protective barrier. The sword screen appeared thin, as though it could be broken by a gust of wind, but it was actually formed from countless tiny sword waves.
The Elder on the left extended his hand and came into contact with the sword screen, but he soon felt a sharp pain. In response, he pushed his Source Qi harder to scatter this thin barrier.
A ripple was formed, but the sword screen remained unphased. After the Elder’s first strike was blocked, he arched his brow in surprise. Although they were both in the First-Order Dao Source Realm, he had reached this realm a long time ago, while Su Yan had only broken through recently and had been guarding the Fire Cloud Ore Vein for the past ten years. It should have been impossible for her to increase her strength during this time, and with the environmental advantage, this Elder thought that he could defeat her with ease.
However, in just one move, he realised that he was wrong. Su Yan’s sword screen was impenetrable. She was indeed a cultivator from a Lower Star Field, but the purity of her Source Qi was beyond his imagination.
After the failed attack, the Elder on the left flew backwards and twisted his body as he circled around Su Yan.
At the same time, the Elder on the right stepped forward, upon which a brown hammer appeared in his hand. The brown hammer was more than a meter in length and appeared quite weighty. With this artifact in his hand, the right Elder charged forward and smashed down at the sword screen.
Su Yan frowned as she realised that this move was indeed powerful. If she was outside, she could have evaded it swiftly; however, she was trapped inside a narrow cave now, so how could she avoid his attack?
The sword screen suddenly disintegrated as Profound Frost released thousands of cold flashes. Following that, the flashes converged into one and shot towards the right Elder.
The entire cave suddenly filled with icy cold Sword Intent. Su Yan’s usually indifferent expression flashed with determination and coldness. Ignoring the hammer that was coming at her, she instead thrust out to attack, seemingly determined to perish together with the Elder on the right.
The Elder on the right was shocked and didn’t dare to continue with his attack. Although he would certainly end her life with his hammer, he would also be killed in the process. Feeling the power of her sword, he was horrified.
[Why is she so powerful?]
She was still so formidable even after she had been suppressed for ten years. If she stayed in the Sect to cultivate and continued to enjoy its resources, her power would soon reach an unbelievable level.
Her aptitude was indeed unrivalled. It was no wonder that the Sect Master decided to send her to guard the Fire Cloud Ore Vein for ten years. Otherwise, no one in Red Clouds Sect would be a match for her by now.
At the most critical moment, he lowered his brown hammer and parried the fatal attack.
Nevertheless, Su Yan twisted her wrist as Profound Frost flitted past the Elder and stabbed at Han Qian Cheng.
[Such swift movement!] The Elder on the right was astounded as he realised that Su Yan’s suicidal counterattack had actually just been a feint. Her intention was to catch the most important person on the scene. With the two Elders joining forces, there was no way she could escape from this place. However, if she managed to capture Han Qian Cheng, she could flip the situation around.
It was too late to turn back to save Han Qian Cheng, so at this critical moment, the Elder on the right stomped his foot hard, forming a crack on the ground, sending rocks shooting up. Su Yan’s vision was suddenly blocked, causing her movements to slow down momentarily.
“Get back here!” Seizing the chance, the Elder on the right wielded his brown hammer and blocked her way.
Profound Frost clashed with the hammer as she made use of the force from the exchange to withdraw to her original position.
[What a shame.] Su Yan thought to herself. If she was just a bit quicker, everything would have been different. She was a First-Order Dao Source Realm Master that had been suppressed for ten years, so the power she had showcased was indeed surprising, given the fact that she was confronted by two Elders at the same time. Both Han Qian Cheng and the Elders were already drenched in a cold sweat.
The battle just now was indeed marvellous and eye-catching.
The Elder on the left, who had snuck behind Su Yan, finally found a chance to make a move as he lashed his red whip at her. The whip looked like a fire snake that was sticking out its tongue as it swerved towards her.
Without turning her head, Su Yan swung her sword back and accurately parried the fire snake. Nonetheless, the fire snake twisted and climbed around the sword. At that instant, auras of fire and ice clashed with each other as the cave was soon filled with a thick fog, blocking everyone’s sight.
Just then, Su Yan turned around and pointed her finger at the red whip that looked like a fire snake. At that moment, her slender finger became as translucent as ice as though it was no longer made from flesh and bone.
The Elder on the left exclaimed in shock as he felt that his artifact’s spirituality had been damaged. Moreover, the damage was rapidly increasing. Not daring to dawdle, he immediately withdrew his artifact. His expression changed when he took a closer look because a layer of frost had formed on the end of his whip and was spreading quickly.
Astounded, the Elder on the left quickly pushed his Source Qi into the whip to break the frost. Even after succeeding, he still appeared horrified.
[Just how is she so strong?]
Although it was just a brief battle, both Elders realised that they were no match for Su Yan individually. If they were in a one-on-one fight with her, they would undoubtedly be the ones to lose.
Amidst the thick fog, all three of them activated their Divine Sense to locate each other. After the initial exchange, the two Elders no longer dared to make any rash moves. However, Su Yan was also in a perilous situation because her enemies were standing in front and behind her. Although she was incredibly strong, she couldn’t safely leave this place if she didn’t take some risks.
Both Elders wouldn’t dare to make any reckless moves now and were waiting for the right chance to capture her with one strike.
The place fell into silence, and the atmosphere was extremely eerie.
Displeased, Han Qian Cheng growled, “What are you two doing? You’re swift when it’s time to get your pay, but when I want you to capture someone, both of you are just dawdling about! Wastes!”
The two Elders were enraged upon hearing those words. [You are the waste, not us! If it wasn’t for you being the Young Sect Master, we would have killed you a long time ago! You know nothing, so how can you boss us around here!? Ridiculous!]
Whatever the case, both Elders were truly embarrassed because they couldn’t defeat Su Yan even though they had joined forces. After they communicated with each other using their Divine Senses, they came to an agreement. Following that, they both pushed their Spiritual Energy and sent two streams of invisible Divine Sense toward their target.
It was a Soul Technique!
Su Yan’s Source Qi was extremely pure, even more so than these two Elders. If they fought with her head-on, one of them might even be killed. However, an attack on her Soul would be a different story. It had only been ten years since Su Yan reached her current realm, so there was no way her Soul was that strong.
Any wise man would attack the enemy’s shortcomings using his strengths.
As expected, after Su Yan received the Divine Sense attacks, she groaned in pain. Apparently, she was unable to block their attacks. Her defence against their strike only lasted for a short while before it was broken.
The two Elders were elated upon that realization. In order to seize the chance, the Elder on the right didn’t hesitate and leapt at her while lifting his brown hammer.
Right then, he saw a faint glint in front of him. Upon scanning it with his Divine Sense, he realised that Su Yan was charging forward with her sword as she appeared determined. At the same time, she had totally given up her defence.
[Again?] The right Elder sneered. He had just been fooled by her earlier, which caused him to be embarrassed, so he wouldn’t fall for the same trick again.
Turning ferocious, he also gave up his defences and attempted to smash his brown hammer at her sword.
His brown hammer was a Dao Source Grade Low-Rank artifact, while Profound Frost was just an Origin King Grade High-Rank artifact, which Su Yan had brought with her from her Star Field. Both weapons were not even in the same realm. If their weapons clashed with each other, it would be Su Yan who would suffer a loss.
With this thought in mind, the right Elder grinned smugly, but his smile soon froze.
Before their weapons clashed, Su Yan’s sword avoided the hammer as it slid over his weapon in a seemingly impossible manner, the cold aura coming from the blade sending a chill down his spine.
Following that, the sound of a blade penetrating flesh could be heard as the Elder on the right grunted.
It was scorching hot inside the cave as the fog gradually dispersed, upon which everyone’s vision cleared up.
Standing outside the cave entrance, Han Qian Cheng widened his eyes as he gazed forward with a horrified expression. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes.
The hammer-holding Elder and Su Yan were just three steps apart as they were facing each other. However, at this moment, a blade had penetrated the Elder’s chest and stuck out of his back. The blade itself had a pristine glow about it, seemingly unstained by a single drop of blood.
With the wound as the centre, coldness spread across the Elder’s body, quickly freezing his limbs and head.
“You…” The Elder uttered with difficulty as he couldn’t believe that he would lose his life in this place. He thought that the way he was harmed earlier was ridiculous. He seemed to have fallen into a dazed state for a moment and when he came to his senses, his chest had already been penetrated.
Su Yan was surprised as well, for she didn’t expect that she could kill this Elder with such ease. Her intentions were to trade wounds with the other party. However, it had never crossed her mind that the Elder would be so inept.
[Was it really just a careless mistake?] In her heart, she felt that something was off. With no time to think about it though, she hurriedly infused her cold aura into the Elder and froze him into an ice sculpture in the blink of an eye. After she withdrew Profound Frost, the Elder fell forward and shattered into pieces.
Then, Su Yan turned around and swung her sword, upon which her cold aura condensed a flurry of snowflakes that engulfed the other Elder.
The left Elder still hadn’t come to his senses from the fact that his brother had just been killed. Faced with a fatal move though, he quickly composed himself and attempted to parry. However, he realised that he couldn’t make a move as he was covered in the snowflakes, winding up in the same state as the right Elder.
The snowflakes were actually condensed from Su Yan’s Source Qi, so they were extremely potent and deadly. The cold aura penetrated the Elder’s body through his pores, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. He wasn’t even able to circulate his Source Qi, so how would he resist her attack?
Faced with Su Yan’s strike, the Elder couldn’t even raise his hand. A look of regret and pleading flashed across his eyes as he was cut in half by her, upon which his blood splashed out, dying the cave red.
With a frown, Su Yan stood there with her sword in her hand. She didn’t feel joyful about killing two cultivators in the same realm, nor was she elated about escaping unscathed. Instead, she increasingly felt that something was amiss. At the same time, something seemed to be surging within her.
All of a sudden, she realised something and turned to the cave entrance as her eyes beamed with a different glow.
Earlier, she was too focused on the life-or-death battle with the two Elders, so she wasn’t aware of the strange sensation in her Soul. After both her enemies were killed though, she finally realised what this familiar feeling was. Even though she was a woman with an icy temperament, at this moment, she couldn’t hide the change of emotions on her face. Expectation, surprise, fear, apprehension…
“Ah!” Han Qian Cheng exclaimed as he staggered backwards and waved his hands, “J-Junior Sister, please don’t kill me. I-It’s just a misunderstanding.”
Both Elders were killed just like that. If he hadn’t seen it with his eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it. He thought that he could rely on them to capture Su Yan so that he could do with her as he pleased. However, it now seemed that not only was his plan foiled, but he might also lose his life here.
He felt apprehensive because he didn’t know whether Su Yan would also kill him. [Wastes! How did they get killed by a woman so easily!?]
Suddenly, he couldn’t move backwards anymore as though he had crashed into a solid wall. Turning around, he opened his mouth wide and stuttered, “W-W-Why are you here?”
The young man called Yang Kai was now standing in front of him with his arms crossed. Han Qian Cheng wasn’t even sure how long Yang Kai had been there because he couldn’t sense his aura at all. [Wasn’t he supposed to have been captured by those Elders in the Sect by now? Why has he appeared here all of a sudden? Moreover, he looks totally fine!]
His face turned completely pale as he was now surrounded by two people who bore him ill will. When he caught a glimpse of Ruan Bi Ting, who was standing nearby, he hurriedly shouted, “Elder Ruan, save me!”
Without hiding the disdain behind her gaze, Ruan Bi Ting simply snorted coldly at him.
“Hello, Young Sect Master!” Yang Kai flashed a grin at him before raising his hand and uttering, “Goodbye!”
After he landed a palm on Han Qian Cheng, the latter turned into a pile of hashed meat without even a chance to scream. A metallic tang filled the cave, one that would induce the urge to retch. Yang Kai hadn’t met Su Yan for a long time, so he wasn’t willing to waste time on this rubbish.
He raised his head and looked at the person inside the cave. The image in his memory slowly integrated with the person before his eyes as he gulped. Although he had many things to tell her, he wasn’t even sure where to start. For some reason, he became very nervous.
On the other hand, Su Yan was staring quietly at him with her clear gaze, as though he was the only existence in this world.
“Ahem!” Ruan Bi Ting coughed and spoke, “Go on and have a chat. I’ll go out.”
Even a fool could see that the atmosphere was turning ambiguous, so she wouldn’t choose to continue staying in this place. However, she felt crestfallen as her decision somewhat led to the destruction of the Red Clouds Sect. She wasn’t even sure where else she could go now.
It was supposed to be a warm reunion after a long time of separation, but the three corpses on the ground had spoiled the atmosphere. Nevertheless, as long as they were together, they would still feel sweet even if they were in Hell.
“What are you waiting for? Come over here!” Su Yan beckoned to Yang Kai as she spoke in a trembling voice, which went to show that she wasn’t as calm as she appeared to be.
Now, she knew that she managed to kill the two Elders with ease not because they had made a mistake, or because her potential was suddenly ignited, but because this man had secretly assisted her.
Yang Kai threw himself at her as he spread his arms and pulled her into his embrace. He was so forceful that it was as though he wanted to merge her into his body so that they would never separate again.
Her fragrance and touch were still so familiar to him. Although they had been separated for several dozen years, he still hadn’t forgotten anything about her. The moment they came into contact with each other, all the memories were unsealed as they flashed across their minds as though it was yesterday.
Su Yan draped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. This moment seemed to have turned into eternity.
Yang Kai greedily inhaled her scent as he could never get enough of it, but after half an hour spent just like that, Su Yan patted his back and spoke in a tone that sounded like a mother pacifying her child, “It’s alright.”
“No,” Yang Kai wasn’t willing to let her go. Feeling unsatisfied, he moved away a little and clenched her shoulders. When their eyes met, he lowered his head and locked his lips with hers.
Just like her temperament, her red lips were cold, but Yang Kai was still engrossed in the kiss. Then, he pried her mouth open and stuck out his tongue as they had a taste of each other’s longing. Initially, Su Yan was stiff. After all, they hadn’t met for decades, and they hadn’t been so intimate with each other for a long time. However, after she got used to it, her body softened as she proactively wrapped her arms around his neck.
The two of them were deeply engrossed in their kiss, and if not for the environment and the corpses on the ground, the sight could be considered romantic and poetic.
A while later, Yang Kai still wasn’t satisfied, so he moved one hand towards her bottom and grabbed her peaks with the other. As he felt the amazing elasticity of her body through his hands, he began massaging them as he pleased.
Su Yan balled up her fists and thumped at his shoulders, but it was useless. Instead, her actions only stimulated his wild nature.
Then, she hardened her heart and bit his lips, but he was still unfazed.
“Don’t force…” she mumbled with difficulty, but before she could even finish her words, her soft tongue was captured and sucked by his lips.
All of a sudden, he stopped his presumptuous action as he realised that he couldn’t feel the intoxicating touch anymore. Instead, he felt a cold aura as though he was grabbing ice blocks. Not only was her body hard, but it was also bitingly cold. Both his hands and tongue felt the same way, as though he was embracing an ice sculpture.
Then, he moved away a little and took a look. Shocked, he asked, “Senior Sister, what are you doing?”
At this moment, Su Yan appeared translucent as though she was sculpted from an ice block. There was no trace of flesh on her body, and if it weren’t for her eyes that seemed out of focus and her panting, anyone would have mistaken her to be an ice sculpture.
“My Master is still outside.” Su Yan reached out a finger and poked his head.
Although she too was drowning in a sense of longing after the reunion, in the end, she was a woman with a sense of shame. Moreover, how could she let Ruan Bi Ting wait outside while she made out with Yang Kai in this cave?
Yang Kai grabbed her finger and fiddled with it as he asked in shock, “Is this the Ice Crystal Jade Body?”
Su Yan nodded and retracted her finger, upon which she deactivated her Divine Ability and restored her body. After pushing him away, she scolded, “Don’t move. Let me have a look at you.”
While remaining on the same spot, Yang Kai grinned at her.
Upon inspection, she finally set her mind at ease. He had ventured into the outside world for several dozen years, so she was glad that none of his limbs were missing. His cultivation wasn’t as important as his safety.
Yang Kai uttered, “I’m hurt.”
Su Yan asked in shock, “Where?” She had failed to notice it just now.
Then, he appeared in pain as he explained, “I don’t know. Senior Sister, you must give me a full examination. I feel that my entire body is in pain. I think I’m dying.”
“Which part of your body is hurt!?” Su Yan’s expression changed as she was flustered.
After that, Yang Kai wrapped his arms around her waist and replied with a grin, “It’s not the right place for an examination. Let’s go somewhere else.” After a flash, both of them disappeared from the place.
Somewhere near the medicine garden in the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai quickly stripped himself bare. Then, he took her hand and placed it on his chest before saying in a shy manner, “Senior Sister, please do a thorough examination of me now. My heart is thumping.”
Su Yan glowered at him as her fair face started blushing. Lowering her head, she said through clenched teeth, “I think you look fine. You’re not hurt at all.” She was truly worried about him just now, but after giving it a thought, she realised that he was able to influence the two Elders without any of them noticing, so it was apparent that his strength had grown to an incredible level. Therefore, it was unlikely that he would get hurt easily.
As for the reason his heart was beating so fast, the lust in his eyes was more than enough of an explanation.
Yang Kai gulped as he stared at her blushing face. Leaning closer to her, he uttered, “Senior Sister, you have to let me check on you as well.”
“I-I’m not hurt.” Su Yan looked away.
“How will I know if you don’t let me examine you? You just battled two enemies in the same realm, it would be terrible if you were left with some internal injuries.” As he spoke, he started making a move. Her white robes couldn’t possibly withstand his rough movements and were soon taken off.
Seeing her jade white body filled with astonishing curves and softness, Yang Kai practically threw himself onto her. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably as she attempted to suppress her moaning. During their union, a layer of pinkness appeared on her fair skin and even the air seemed to have been filled with sweetness.
It was like a timely rain after a prolonged drought. All the trees had been resurrected, and all the flowers started blooming.
Su Yan’s white clothes were put on and then taken off again and again, as though she had fallen into an infinite loop.
No matter how impassive and aloof she was, she couldn’t resist Yang Kai’s passionate aggression. The fiery lust seemed able to completely melt her Ice Crystal Jade Body. She lay paralysed on the ground as she couldn’t exert any strength at all, as though all her bones had softened. Her fair skin was left with many marks that were caused during the intimate session.
They spent the entire day entangled with one another, and as they both lay naked, Yang Kai rested his head on her plump bosom to take a rest.
Su Yan’s out-of-focus eyes slowly regained their vigour as she patted his head and asked, “Are you done?”
She couldn’t take it anymore, as the man in her embrace seemed to have the intention of infusing his several dozen years of longing into her body, causing her to writhe in happiness. Her heart had been like a still lake for the past few decades, but at this moment, countless ripples had been formed in it.
Yang Kai could be heard mumbling, but it was hard to make out what he was saying, as though he was talking in his sleep.
With a faint smile, Su Yan stroked his back with her slender hand, as if she was trying to pacify a child who was having a nightmare. All of a sudden, she uttered, “It must have been difficult for you over the years.”
He was just a Second-Order Origin King when he left the Star Field, but now, she couldn’t even be certain about his current realm. However, she could feel that he must have reached a height even greater than the Third-Order Dao Source Realm.
He must have sacrificed much and endured even more to reach this kind of realm.
Although she hadn’t been able to stand by his side over the years, she knew that he must have gone through a lot of hardship and pain. At that instant, she felt utterly sorry for him. [Who was there to serve and take care of him whenever he was hurt?]
“I’m fine.” Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and rested his head on his palm. As he stared at her face right in front of his own, he began climbing on of her peaks with his hand. Appearing to be deep in guilt, he said, “I’m sorry for being late.”
Su Yan stroked his face and protested, “You’re such a fool!”
Yang Kai was startled, “I’m a fool?”
Covering her mouth, she giggled and replied, “Yes, you’re the most foolish person I’ve ever seen.”
“Why do you say so?” He felt wronged.
Nevertheless, she just smiled without replying to him.
Pretending to be angry, he uttered, “How dare you tease me?” Then, he extended his hand to tickle her, causing her to scowl as she tried her hardest not to laugh. After that, he paused what he was doing and tilted his head, “If I’m a fool, then all of you are this fool’s wives!”
Upon finishing his words, he lowered his head and kissed the redness on her chest, as though he was having a taste of the most delectable dish in the world.
Su Yan stiffened and bit her lip as her long legs unconsciously squirmed. Reaching out her hands, she cupped his face and hoisted his head.
“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
“Let’s go again…” Su Yan looked away and said gently as she was too shy to meet his eyes.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s eyes beamed with a lustful glare. Upon receiving the order, he stopped hesitating and growled before he pressed his body against hers.
…
“Let me put on my clothes.” Su Yan appeared exhausted and desperate as she looked at him and pleaded.
[No. We can’t keep doing this. If I don’t put on my clothes, I’ll probably die here. Moreover, I’m really too unrestrained as I’ve made love with him in this place for two days! My Master has been waiting for so long.] Realising that she still had to face Ruan Bi Ting later, Su Yan started blushing.
Yang Kai grinned at her, “Why are you in a rush? I’m not done with you yet.”
She poked his forehead and demanded, “Be a good boy.”
He nodded repeatedly, “Yes, Ma’am.”
She went on to say, “We still have a lot of time in the future, so you don’t have to rush things.”
“But we haven’t even dual cultivated yet!”
Two days of union was just his way to express his longing, but they hadn’t even cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art.
“Can we do it next time?” Su Yan pleaded with him.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head.
With a long face, she threatened, “I’ll get mad.”
He couldn’t help but be frightened as he darted his gaze around and replied, “I want to tell you what I’ve gone through over the years. Don’t you want to listen?”
She frowned and appeared hesitant. Certainly, she wanted to find out what had happened to him over the years. In fact, she had wanted to ask him about it right after their reunion, but he didn’t give her that chance. After hesitating for a bit, she uttered, “Good… The short version?”
“Good.” After lifting her up, he sat down with his legs crossed and grinned at her, “We can talk about it while dual cultivating.”
Feeling helpless, she nodded gently. Then, she ran her fingers through her messy hair and tied it into a bun before she sat down on his thighs.
It was a story of his experience in the past several dozen years, so he couldn’t make it short. Beside the medicine garden, a man and a woman could be heard moaning harmoniously as their desire consumed them from the inside out.
Time went by slowly as Yang Kai narrated his experiences to her. Too many things happened after he arrived in the Star Boundary, so he only told her the most important events and avoided talking about his dangerous experiences. Su Yan listened attentively as she asked some questions from time to time.
A long time had passed when he was finally done with his story.
“Senior Sister, what about you? How did you end up in the Ancestral Domain?”
She replied, “It was an unexpected opportunity.”
It was indeed a strange incident. Heng Luo Star Field had always been a sealed place, and their connection with the Star Boundary was actually formed using the Star Emperor Tokens left behind by Yang Yan. However, five years after Yang Kai left, an area of space in the Star Field showed some unusual signs, as though it was going to collapse.
That place wasn’t far from Shadowed Star, so upon learning the news, Su Yan brought some people with her to look into the matter. However, before she could find out what was going on, she suddenly arrived at the Ancestral Domain and then joined Red Clouds Sect. She wasn’t even sure how she had come to this new place.
The story after she joined the Sect was simple. She was favoured by Ruan Bi Ting, so she was taken in as her Disciple and nurtured by her. However, because she resisted Han Qian Cheng’s harassment, she was ordered to guard the Fire Cloud Ore Vein, and she had stayed there for ten years since then.
Upon hearing her story, Yang Kai snorted and regretted killing Han Qian Cheng too quickly earlier. He should have tortured him first.
…..
“Elder Ruan, Red Clouds Sect is finished! What should we do?” Inside the Fire Cloud Ore Vein, the disciples, who were responsible for mining operations here, looked to Ruan Bi Ting for guidance.
They had received the news from their Sect that their Sect Master and all the Elders were killed by a little girl who looked only seven or eight years old, and the incident seemed to be related to Su Yan.
The death of the Sect Master signalled the fall of Red Cloud Sects. In just one night, all the disciples scrambled to leave the Sect as they were worried that they would be dragged into this mess. There was probably no one left in the Sect now.
It was already quite late when these disciples, who were here to mine Fire Cloud Ore, received the news.
Feeling apprehensive, they had no choice but to ask Ruan Bi Ting what they could do.
Ruan Bi Ting heaved a sigh as everything was within her expectation.
She had protected the Sect for 100 years, so she felt dejected that it was now destroyed. However, after giving it a thought, she realised that those from the Sect only had themselves to blame. If Han Zheng Yuan wasn’t such a narrow-minded man, his Sect wouldn’t have ended up in such a state. If they had treated Su Yan well, they would have reaped a handsome reward by now.
The young man called Yang Kai possessed a power that was beyond even her ability to comprehend. She wasn’t even certain about what realm he was in. However, she knew that if Yang Kai was willing to gift any one of his possessions to them, it would be hugely beneficial for Red Clouds Sect.
Unfortunately, there was no pill for regret in this world. Han Zheng Yuan and his son must be utterly regretful in Hell right now.
“You must seek your own path now,” Ruan Bi Ting waved her hand in a crestfallen manner.
“Elder Ruan, only you can take charge of Red Clouds Sect now.” The disciple at the front wasn’t willing to leave the Sect, so he still attempted to persuade her.
However, Ruan Bi Ting shook her head, “Red Clouds Sect has fallen. There are no everlasting Sects or families in this world. Tides rise and fall. Flowers bloom and wither. Just let nature take its course. Please go now.”
In fact, she was more relieved than sorry. She took a deep breath as she refreshed her spirits, as though the chains that had been binding her had shattered to pieces.
“But…”
All of a sudden, Ruan Bi Ting’s expression turned solemn as she looked in a particular direction and uttered, “That person is coming. If you don’t want to be dragged into this, leave now. I’m not even sure if he will kill all of you.”
The expressions of these disciples changed when they heard that. Not daring to remain, all of them ran away in the blink of an eye.
A moment later, Yang Kai and Su Yan came out together.
“Master,” Su Yan saluted her with a healthy blush on her face.
Ruan Bi Ting wasn’t an inexperienced little girl, so she knew what this pair had been up to for the past few days. Besides the fact that Su Yan had become even more charming at this moment, Ruan Bi Ting was able to tell through the unique fragrance associated with such acts that were literally covering them.
[It’s been ten days! This brat is truly relentless!]
“Su Yan, you… wait, your cultivation!” Ruan Bi Ting hadn’t even finished her words when she stared at Su Yan in shock. She thought that she was dreaming.
They hadn’t met each other for merely ten days, but Su Yan’s cultivation had risen from the First-Order to the Second-Order Dao Source Realm! Moreover, her aura was rich and her foundation was solid, as though she had spent years thoroughly consolidating it.
[H-How can this be?]
She had never doubted Su Yan’s aptitude, as the latter was able to go from peak Third-Order Origin King Realm to Dao Source Realm in just five years. In the past, it had taken her more than ten years to achieve the same result.
However, they were now in the Fire Cloud Ore Vein, and Su Yan had been suppressed here for ten years, so her cultivation shouldn’t have increased at all. Ruan Bi Ting was even certain about this fact as when she came to look for Su Yan ten days ago, the latter’s cultivation was still in the same state as ten years ago.
However, now, Su Yan had reached the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, the same as her.
[How did she achieve this? How is this possible?] After Ruan Bi Ting recovered from her shock, she immediately turned to look at Yang Kai.
There was no way Su Yan was able to achieve this on her own. This had nothing to do with aptitude, it was simply an impossibility to advance so quickly without some kind of shocking fortuitous encounter or outside assistance from a supreme Master.
It must be this young man who had helped her! But what kind of elixirs did he give to Su Yan to achieve such an amazing result?
Su Yan’s face turned a shade redder. In truth, it was all thanks to the dual cultivation session she just experienced that she was able to reach a higher realm. The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art was a Dual Cultivation Technique. Although they hadn’t met for ages, Su Yan’s foundation had only been strengthened over the years, so after the dual cultivation session, her accumulated strength burst forth and pushed her cultivation higher.
Moreover, Yang Kai was in the Emperor Realm, so with his ‘assistance’, it was impossible that Su Yan couldn’t reach a higher realm.
“Congratulations.” Ruan Bi Ting came to her senses and stared at Su Yan.
She felt joyful that her Disciple had attained the same realm as her. It went to show that she had made the right decision to take her under her wing.
Su Yan replied, “Master, it’s all thanks to your help over the years.” Without Ruan Bi Ting continuously and secretly giving her resources this past decade, her cultivation would have regressed, as it was impossible for her to maintain her realm in this fiery place without adequate support.
“Many thanks, Elder Ruan.” Yang Kai saluted her with a sincere expression. There was no doubt that Ruan Bi Ting had been treating Su Yan well. During their conversation over the past few days, he had heard from Su Yan about what Ruan Bi Ting had done for her, so he was grateful towards her Master as well.
Ruan Bi Ting waved her hand and uttered, “You don’t have to thank me. Su Yan is my Disciple, so I’m supposed to take care of her. I blame myself for not being resolute enough in the past as I didn’t take her and leave Red Clouds Sect, which caused her cultivation to stagnate for ten years. Thankfully, she’s finally reached a higher realm. Otherwise, I’d feel very guilty.” Then, she turned to look at Yang Kai, “You must treat her well. Although I’m no match for you in terms of cultivation, I won’t let you off if you ever betray her.”
Yang Kai grinned at her and made a ‘cut-throat’ gesture on his neck, “Senior, if that really happens one day, you don’t have to do it because I’ll behead myself.” Although his cultivation was more powerful than hers, she was Su Yan’s Master after all. So, he was supposed to call her ‘Senior’.
With a smile, Ruan Bi Ting replied, “I’ll remember that.”
Realising something, Su Yan asked, “Master, where will you go now?”
Ruan Bi Ting took her Disciple’s hands and heaved a sigh, “Red Clouds Sect has fallen. Prior to that, I was expelled from the Sect by Han Zheng Yuan. The world is vast, so I should go out and have a look; after all, I’ve stayed in the same place for 100 years already. Furthermore, you’re already in the same realm as me. If I don’t work harder, how am I supposed to be your Master?”
Su Yan asked, “Master, why don’t you come with me?”
With a faint smile, Ruan Bi Ting replied, “You two have just reunited after a long time of separation, so why should I be the third wheel? Good, we’ll definitely meet again when the time is right.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Senior, if you leave now, we might not be able to meet each other forever.”
Ruan Bi Ting uttered, “Although the Ancestral Domain is vast, we still can meet up if we want to.”
“We are going to leave the Ancestral Domain soon.”
Ruan Bi Ting was startled for a moment before she stared at Su Yan and asked, “You’re leaving the Ancestral Domain? Where are you going?”
Su Yan replied, “The Star Boundary!”
“Star Boundary?” Ruan Bi Ting was stunned, but she soon appeared surprised, “You have a way to head to the Star Boundary?” Judging from her expression, it was apparent that she was aware of the existence of the Star Boundary.
In fact, this wasn’t surprising. The Ancestral Domain was connected to countless Star Fields, some of which undoubtedly knew of the Star Boundary. The average cultivators in the Ancestral Domain might not be aware of it, but the top cultivators would be able to gain access to this kind of secretive information.
The Star Boundary was almost a legendary place. It was rumoured that it was a broader place with even more abundant World Energy. The environment there was more advanced, and there was a higher Martial Dao to be pursued.
It was the final destination in every cultivator’s Martial Dao journey. In that place, Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters were nobodies.
“En.” With a serious expression, Yang Kai nodded.
“Master, please come with me.” Su Yan pleaded with her. Ruan Bi Ting had helped her immensely before, and if they parted ways just like this, she might not be able to repay her favour forever.
At that moment, a myriad of expressions came over Ruan Bi Ting. She intended to roam around the world, but all of a sudden, a door had been opened right before her eyes, and the view on the other end was extremely tempting.
After taking a deep breath, she stared at Yang Kai and asked, “What realm are you in right now?”
“I am a First-Order Emperor.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
“The Emperor Realm!” Ruan Bi Ting appeared to be yearning for it, “After the Dao Source Realm, it’s called the Emperor Realm?” She tucked her hair behind her ear and put on a smile, “If I tag along, will I disturb you two?”
“No, because we’ve had enoug… gah!”
Su Yan hit his stomach with her elbow.
Ruan Bi Ting looked smilingly at her and said, “I’ll rely on you from now on, then.”
…
Although the view in Red Clouds Sect remained beautiful, the place was no longer lively.
Despite the Sect’s vast territory, the entire place was quiet. Not a single person could be seen in the square or wandering the palaces, as though this place had become a desolate area. Even the beasts in the forests had returned to their homes and wouldn’t come out again, as if they could sense the danger around them.
On the steps in front of a certain palace, Liu Yan was sitting as she rested her chin on her palms and stared at the scene in front of her. Her gaze appeared listless and hollow, as though she had no regard for anyone or anything in this world, but at the same time, it seemed able to contain the entire world.
He Yun Xiang shuffled towards her and took a look at her with fear in her heart.
No one could have expected that this adorable-looking little girl was able to kill her enemies in such a resolute manner. He Yun Xiang still remembered vividly what happened inside the reception hall ten days ago. This little girl used a single fire snake to burn the Sect Master and all the Elders of Red Clouds Sect to ashes in less than ten breaths of time. Those formidable Dao Source Realm Masters in He Yun Xiang’s eyes were completely powerless when confronted by her attack.
“Have you found anything good?” Liu Yan suddenly looked at her and raised her hand, upon which a burning palm-sized firebird that had been following He Yun Xiang around flew over and landed, vanishing after a light chirp.
He Yun Xiang was startled for a moment before she replied, “I’ve taken all the things from their storehouse.”
Red Clouds Sect was a great force in the Ancestral Domain, so they had their own treasury of course. Normally, only the Sect Master and a small number of Elders had the right to open it; however, the Sect Master Han Zheng Yuan and the Elders were killed suddenly, and all the disciples had run away, so no one had the time to get anything out from the storehouse.
The treasury was protected by multiple barriers while He Yun Xiang had just reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm not long ago, so she was powerless to open it. However, the firebird given to her by Liu Yan had burned through all the barriers with ease, allowing her to enter and clean out the place.
He Yun Xiang had never expected that she would one day be able to seize so many treasures, exciting her greatly. Those were the treasures that had been accumulated by Red Clouds Sect over thousands of years, which included countless elixirs, exotic herbs, Secret Art manuals, and artifacts.
As the Head Manager of the Fierce Gale Pirates who had roamed around the entire Unending Star Field and robbed countless people for many years, it wasn’t until this moment that she realised that she was still just a small-time ignorant bumpkin. The treasures seized by the Fierce Gale Pirates were totally incomparable to what she found in Red Clouds Sect’s treasure house.
It required more than ten Space Rings for her to store everything!
[We’re rich now!] Then, she passed all the Space Rings in her hands to Liu Yan, who raised her head and stared at her with her clear gaze.
“I’ll just keep one and you can have the rest, Madam,” He Yun Xiang explained. Certainly, she couldn’t hoard all the good stuff, as she was someone who knew her place. Besides, just this one ring would be enough to last her for many years.
“Just keep all of it.” Liu Yan waved her hand.
Both Yang Kai and she didn’t need this kind of trash.
“But…”
All of a sudden, Liu Yan turned to look in a particular direction as her petite figure leapt up. Her expression also became strange, filling with a mix of excitement and respect.
He Yun Xiang was shocked and followed her gaze, only to see a few figures rapidly flying towards them. The person at the front was none other than Yang Kai. A moment later, all three of them landed on the ground.
In an instant, He Yun Xiang was attracted to the unfamiliar woman as she was astounded. [What a pure beauty! Sir was enraged upon learning that ‘Su Yan’ had been mistreated. Is she the one?]
The first impression she had of Su Yan was that the latter was utterly flawless. It was as if the Heavens had given all its blessings to her. By just looking at her, any woman would find themselves feeling inferior.
Then, she took a closer look at her face and realised that the latter was indeed beautiful enough to make any man fall for her. It was then she came to the realisation why Yang Kai wasn’t interested in her, because he already had such a beautiful woman by his side. Other women in this world probably couldn’t attract him anymore.
“Sir,” He Yun Xiang hurriedly saluted him as she felt apprehensive because she was worried that Su Yan might be displeased with her; after all, she had been following Yang Kai around, so it would be terrible if the latter was jealous. It seemed that she had to be more restrained in the future. At the very least, she should stop trying to flirt with Yang Kai.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked puzzledly at Liu Yan as he approached her and stroked her head. Then, he said with a grin, “Don’t you remember her?”
Certainly, Liu Yan and Su Yan knew each other because they had come into contact many times before in Heng Luo Star Field. What baffled Yang Kai was that Liu Yan was looking at her with a curious expression, as though it was her first time meeting her.
What was even more puzzling for him was that Su Yan was also looking at Liu Yan in the same way, her gaze filled with interest.
Yang Kai darted his gaze between them and asked in bewilderment, “What are you two doing?”
Liu Yan stepped forward and approached Su Yan before she wrinkled her nose and sniffed around her like a dog. A moment later, she raised her head and flashed a smile at her.
Su Yan smiled back at her as though she was looking at her relative. Lovingly, she stroked Liu Yan’s head and asked in a soft voice, “What’s your name?”
Yang Kai hurriedly wiped the rapidly forming cold sweat on his forehead and explained, “She’s Liu Yan.”
Su Yan paused what she was doing as she was astonished, “Liu Yan?”
[Why has she become like this?] The Liu Yan Su Yan remembered was a beautiful mature woman who was always clad in revealing clothes. She had never expected that Liu Yan had become a child when they met again.
Then, she turned to look at Yang Kai and inquired him about it with her gaze.
“It’s a long story, but in short, many things have happened, and she’s become like this.” He paused for a moment, “By the way, why were you two silently looking at each other just now?”
He didn’t understand what these two women of different heights were up to as they were not so intimate in the past.
Su Yan and Liu Yan traded glances as they put on tacit smiles, but they didn’t seem to have the intention of explaining themselves.
[Oh! Just you wait!] Yang Kai protested in his heart, but he didn’t want to harp on this issue. After looking around, he said, “Let’s go.”
Ruan Bi Ting waved her hand, upon which a 100-metre ship with four floors appeared. The ship was beautifully crafted, so it was apparently made by a famous grandmaster.
After they boarded the ship, Ruan Bi Ting injected her Source Qi into it and with a flicker, it soared off.
It was time to return home!
The vast Star Field was dead silent.
A Void Corridor swirled at a certain location, looking as if it had been there for eternity all on its own. The Void Corridor was unlike others because it gave off a feeling that it was extremely unstable, as though it would collapse at any moment.
A dangerous aura wafted from it.
The existence of this Void Corridor wasn’t a secret in the Star Field, but rarely did anyone have the guts to approach it. That was because a Third-Order Origin King Realm Master had gone missing in this place in the past, and there had not been any news about her since then. No one knew for sure whether she was even still alive.
So, over the years, many people had speculated that this Void Corridor led to an unknown world from which there was no way to return, but no one had actually tried to find out.
In fact, this place had become desolate for several dozen years.
However, at this moment, there seemed to be some unusual changes in the Void Corridor. The entrance violently contracted and expanded several times before a beam of colourful light shot out of it.
A figure was also ejected out of the corridor along with the beam of light. Like an arrow leaving the bow, the person was shot out more than a kilometre before he managed to stabilize himself.
The person was none other than Yang Kai. At this moment, he appeared quite dishevelled.
After he entered the Star Road Portal in the Ancestral Domain, he had to pass through multiple Void Cracks before he managed to return to Heng Luo Star Field. It took him quite some effort to do that. He couldn’t use much of his strength either as it might cause a Void Collapse, but he also couldn’t use a power that was too weak, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to break through the various World Barriers to reach his destination.
He had made many attempts before he found the path back home. After he stabilised himself, he scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense. Following that, he appeared elated as he guffawed. That was because he could sense the existence of Shadowed Star.
Spreading his arms, it was as if he wanted to embrace the Star Field itself.
[Heng Luo Star Field, I’m back!]
When he left this place in the past, he had never expected that he would come back so soon. He had set a goal of returning 100 years later for himself, but now, not even half of that time had passed. The journey had been paved with countless hardships and life-or-death battles, but everything became worthwhile now. The images of the people he had been longing for became clearer in his mind, making him wish he could grow a pair of wings and immediately fly back to Shadowed Star. He wanted to show up before their eyes and see how pleasantly surprised they were.
Then, he turned around and stared fixedly at the Void Corridor. That was the portal through which Su Yan had travelled to the Ancestral Domain. As he felt the aura wafting from the corridor, he was still reeling from the shock. Su Yan must have been extremely lucky to have arrived at the Ancestral Domain safely.
After that, he took a deep breath and waved his hand, upon which Su Yan appeared before his eyes.
She seemed to be meditating, but upon realising something had changed around her, she opened her eyes and looked around before asking with a smile, “We’re back?”
Before they embarked on the journey back home, Yang Kai put all of them in the Sealed World Bead. First of all, it was energy-consuming to bring so many people to pass through the Star Road Portal. Secondly, Su Yan was in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm, which was beyond the limits of what Heng Leng Star Field could tolerate, so she had to suppress her cultivation.
So far, it seemed that she had been doing well. It was just that she had suppressed her cultivation too much, to the point that she only gave off a Second-Order Origin King aura now.
“En, we’re back!” Yang Kai took a deep breath. Although there was no air in the Starry Sky, he could still smell the familiar scent. Then, he extended his hand and grabbed Su Yan’s firmly, as though he didn’t want to separate with her again. With their hands of different sizes interlocked with each other, Yang Kai appeared as excited as a child as he declared, “Let’s go back home!”
He didn’t need to identify the direction as the intimate connection between Shadowed Star and him was enough to point out the right way for him. Following that, they transformed into a beam of light and shot towards Shadowed Star.
With a beautiful woman by his side, Yang Kai no longer felt lonely on his journey. Whenever he felt like it, he would bring Su Yan to land on a nearby Dead Star or asteroid before engaging in various ‘activities’ with her. After he did this several times though, Su Yan had no choice but to use her Ice Crystal Jade Body to dampen his enthusiasm.
A few days later, a huge Star finally came into sight. The Star Source of Shadowed Star within his body pulsated, as if it was a traveller that was finally back home.
For some reason, Yang Kai felt nervous again, as if he was slightly afraid to return home. Then, he felt a firm grip on his hand. It was Su Yan who had grabbed his big hand. As their eyes met, he was finally at ease. After that, he pulled her into an embrace and landed a kiss on her forehead as he shouted, “Let’s go!”
Half a day later, they were in a location that was near Shadowed Star.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai and Su Yan turned to look at a spot where more than ten large Starships were hovering in the Starry Sky. Powerful auras radiated from those Starships.
“What Sect are they from?” Yang Kai pointed at the symbol that looked like a skeleton on a Starship. Perhaps he had left the Star Field for too long, so he couldn’t recognise the great force this symbol represented.
Unexpectedly, Su Yan shook her head and replied, “I don’t know.”
She had also left the Star Field for years, so she wasn’t aware of the changes that had happened to Heng Luo Star Field and Shadowed Star in recent decades.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared on the deck of the biggest Starship. It was an old man with a dense aura, marking him as a Third-Order Origin King. They were a few thousand metres apart, but he still fixed his sharp gaze on Yang Kai. His eyes seemed capable of seeing through the void and the intrinsic quality of everything in this world.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at him, but the old man raised his hand, upon which a Crystal Cannon on the Starship aimed at Yang Kai and Su Yan before a dazzling light started converging. Following that, a beam of light shot toward them.
“Hahaha!” Yang Kai chuckled heartily, “It seems we’ve bumped into a madman right after we’ve come back. En, let’s have a chat with him.”
After the beam of light diminished, Yang Kai and Su Yan were nowhere to be found. The old man on the deck stared in that direction for a while before he snorted and turned around, ready to get back into the cabin.
However, he suddenly stopped in his tracks as he felt a sense of coldness engulfing him. With a horrified gaze, he stared fixedly at the front where a man and a woman had appeared at some point without him realising. These two people were none other than the pair he had just seen thousands of metres away! They were supposed to have been destroyed by the Crystal Cannon.
Nevertheless, they were still alive and kicking as they appeared behind him, but he couldn’t sense their presence at all.
“Old Sir, are you addicted to killing or something?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at him. In the past, he would have directly killed this old man with one punch; however, he was in a good mood on this day, so he wasn’t interested in seeing blood. Moreover, he didn’t know this old man’s identity, so he didn’t want to make a rash move. It would be terrible if the old man actually held an important position and there was simply some misunderstanding here.
Yang Kai had connections with many people and forces in Heng Luo Star Field, so he couldn’t act rashly.
The old man just stared fixedly at Yang Kai without replying to him. He instinctively felt that he couldn’t afford to offend this young man as a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead. With his hands hidden in his sleeves, he secretly performed a seal and readied himself to make a move at any moment.
“Old Mister, who are you? Who do these Starships belong to? What are you all doing here?” Yang Kai looked around and casually asked some questions, but he didn’t get any answers in return.
Then, he stepped forward and circled around the old man several times. Following that, he stopped in front of him and leaned closer to gaze at him, “Old Mister, you seem very anxious.”
More cold sweat streamed down the old man’s forehead.
Yang Kai reached out and patted the old man’s shoulder before saying with a grin, “Don’t worry. As long as you’re not my enemy, I won’t do anything to you. Are you my enemy?”
“N-N-No!” The old man uttered with difficulty.
Yang Kai nodded, “Very good. By the way, let me introduce myself. I’m the Master of this Star, Yang Kai.” He pointed at the huge Star below them.
The old man’s pupils contracted as he appeared horrified. He had never heard of any news that there was a Star Master for this Cultivation Star, but Yang Kai appeared serious, so he wasn’t sure if he should believe him.
“I’ve been gone for several dozen years, and I’m finally back today. Some women are waiting for me at home. Old Mister, what gifts do you think I should bring?”
[Why are you asking me this question?] The old man complained in his heart, but he wouldn’t dare to ignore his question. After giving it a thought, he replied, “I don’t think they’ll care about gifts as long as you’re back.”
Yang Kai stroked his chin and nodded in agreement, “Old Mister, you’re right.” Then, he suddenly laughed, “I’m already the best gift. Do you agree, Senior Sister?”
Su Yan replied, “Yes.”
“Old Mister, many thanks for enlightening me.” Yang Kai cupped his fists at the old man and took a deep breath, “I should get going now. I believe they can’t wait to see me.”
[Please just go away! Where did this lunatic come from!? It’s a shame that this beautiful woman doesn’t seem to have the intention of leaving him.]
Yang Kai was indeed in a rush, so he was eager to leave, but just as he was about to fly off, he suddenly turned around and looked at the old man, “Old Mister, are you really not my enemy?”
“Certainly not!”
“En, good,” Yang Kai nodded, “Just so you know, if you were my enemy, your end will be miserable.”
The old man’s heart jumped to his throat as a chill ran from his feet to his head, but when he raised his head again, the duo was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t even sure when they disappeared. After he scanned the area with Divine Sense, he couldn’t even detect any auras, as though they hadn’t been there in the first place.
With difficulty, the old man gulped and immediately fished out a communication artifact before infusing his Divine Sense into it. His wrinkled hands were trembling uncontrollably.
High Heaven Sect.
As a relatively new great force, the rise of High Heaven Sect could be considered miraculous. It was founded just several dozen years ago, but after such a short period of time, it had managed to amass countless Masters that were in the Origin King Realm. They even had four or five Third-Order Origin Kings in the Sect. Therefore, they had now become the most powerful force in the Star Field. Even the old hegemons like Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Purple Star, and Sword Union were of no match for them.
At this moment, in the Main Conference Hall of High Heaven Sect, many Masters had gathered together.
The temporary Sect Master as well as the Great Elder of High Heaven Sect, Ye Xi Yun, sat at the head position while elders like Chu Ling Xiao, Ling Tai Xu, Yang Xiu Zhu, Chu Han Yi, Lin Yu Rao, Qing Ya and the others were seated on both sides of the hall. Each of them was an Origin King.
Further away from this group were more than ten Juniors like Wu Yi, Yang Wei, Dong Qing Han and the others that were already in the Origin Returning Realm. Some of them were at the peak of Origin Returning Realm, so they might break through to the Origin King Realm at any moment.
The hall was noisy as all of them were engaged in a heated discussion. Not only were the older people split in their views, but even the younger generation were also engaging in fierce debate.
Seated in the main seat, Ye Xi Yun remained silent, but she was attentively listening to all their conversations.
They were all arguing over one issue, how to wage a war! Two prevailing strategies had emerged, splitting their forces to confront the enemy on all fronts, or launching an all-out assault on the enemy headquarters. Everyone in the hall had been split into two sides and had been debating with each other for a long time but still couldn’t come to a conclusion.
All of a sudden, Ye Xi Yun, who had remained silent for a long time, looked into the distance with her deep gaze as though she was able to break through the barrier of space.
All the arguments in the hall halted abruptly as they all looked up at her.
Chu Ling Xiao asked, “What happened?”
“Some people have broken into High Heaven Sect,” Ye Xi Yun replied. As the substitute Sect Master, she was the one who controlled the Sect Defending Array of High Heaven Sect, so she was able to detect anyone who attempted to forcefully intrude.
“What!?” All of them exclaimed in disbelief and shock. High Heaven Sect was no longer a budding force. It was now the top Sect in the entire Star Field, so who would have the guts to force their way into their headquarters without permission? Who had the power to do so?
In an instant, all of them turned extremely solemn.
“These auras…” Ye Xi Yun’s expression changed. A tinge of disbelief appeared on her indifferent yet alluring face. Following that, she became agitated as she swiftly stormed out of the hall.
All of them traded glances as they didn’t know what had happened that made Ye Xi Yun lose her composure. They all knew her temperament very well, no matter what kind of disaster she had to face, she wouldn’t even frown, so her actions at this moment truly surprised them.
They immediately rose from their chairs and walked out of the hall before looking into the distance as well.
On the other side, two figures were walking toward them at a relaxed pace. Everyone in the hall stared fixedly at the two people as they widened their eyes in disbelief, wondering if they were dreaming.
As Yang Kai came across the High Heaven Sect’s disciples along the way, he amicably greeted them, causing these disciples to widen their mouths as they looked dazedly at him and Su Yan.
These disciples were mostly brought over to this place by Yang Kai from Tong Xuan Realm or the Great Han Dynasty, so most of them knew who he was. Even those who didn’t know him could recognise Su Yan. They all couldn’t believe that these two people, who had disappeared separately and at different times several dozen years ago, suddenly appeared together now.
Wherever they went, all the disciples appeared to be in a dazed state as they followed their figures with their eyes, unable to come to their senses even after a long time.
The entire High Heaven Sect seemed to have been affected by a Binding Technique by a supreme master. Everything seemed to have frozen, as only the voice of Yang Kai greeting them could be heard.
“It’s Yang Kai! It’s Yang Kai!” Dong Qing Han suddenly exclaimed. He forcefully rubbed his eyes as he was worried that he was mistaken. Then, he took Lan Chu Die’s hand and asked, “Do you see him? Is Yang Kai really back?”
Still in a confused state, Lan Chu Die nodded her head almost unconsciously, “You’re not mistaken. He’s really back.”
Dong Qing Han forcefully clapped his hands. The two of them had already been married when they were back in the Great Han Dynasty. They had gone through life’s ups and downs for several dozen years already and had always treated each other well.
The more than ten members of the younger generation in the hall who knew these two people became agitated as well. As for Ye Yi Xun, Chu Ling Xiao, and the other Elders with the strongest cultivations in the Sect, who always remained level-headed, they could barely contain the excitement on their faces.
A moment later, Yang Kai reached all of them. After sweeping a glance over them, he said with a grin, “I’m back!”
The passionate welcome he had imagined earlier, however, didn’t happen as all of them just stared dazedly at him, which made him feel slightly embarrassed. Rubbing his nose, he said in a cautious manner, “I’m back…”
Right after he finished his words, Dong Qing Han pounced on him and tackled him with a bear hug. Then, he forcefully clapped the latter’s back with his big hand as loud thuds could be heard.
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, as he didn’t expect that the first person who would respond to him would be this fatty. Yang Kai, however, let him be for a moment before he uttered teasingly, “My dear Cousin, it’s time you lost some weight.”
“Is it really you?” It was only then that Dong Qing Han stopped what he was doing as he moved away a little to examine Yang Kai.
“I’m really back!”
Dong Qing Han turned his head and pointed at Yang Kai before shouting to everyone, “Yang Kai is back!”
It was as though he was the first one who noticed it.
All of them appeared solemn as they saluted Yang Kai, “Welcome back, Sect Master!” Their voices trembled, which went to show they were all agitated.
Yang Kai raised his hand and used an invisible force to make sure that all of them couldn’t bend their backs. What was strange was that none of them could detect Yang Kai using the slightest force to accomplish this, a feat beyond their imagination. At that instant, they realised that his power had truly reached an inconceivable level.
With a serious expression, Yang Kai cupped his fists and saluted them instead, “Martial Ancestor, Grand Master, I have returned!”
Chu Ling Xiao was the Ancestral Founder of High Heaven Pavilion, while Ling Tai Xu was the Honoured Master of Yang Kai’s Father. These two people were truly his Seniors. Although his cultivation was more powerful than theirs, he would never dare to see himself as more important than them. Naturally, he also wouldn’t dare to let them salute him.
If that really happened, Yang Ying Feng, his father, would certainly break his legs.
With a smile, Chu Ling Xiao replied, “You are the Sect Master of High Heaven Sect now, so you should stop being overly polite to us.”
Ling Tai Xu uttered, “He’s right. It’s thanks to you that we’ve achieved such success. You should start carrying yourself in a way that befits the image of a Sect Master.”
Yang Kai replied, “Even a Sect Master shouldn’t be impolite to his Seniors. Both of you are my Seniors, so I must be respectful of you.”
Chu Ling Xiao and Ling Tai Xu traded glances as both of them appeared gratified.
“Big Brother Yang…” Wu Yi stepped forward and pressed her lips together.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and put on a smile, “We haven’t met for many years. How have you been?”
In the past, it was thanks to Wu Yi’s help that he was able to gain a footing on Shadowed Star. It could be said that Wu Yi and her family’s disciples were the first friends and allies he had made on Shadowed Star. Without them, High Heaven Sect wouldn’t have become what it was today.
“I’m well,” Wu Yi replied with a faint smile. She had missed him greatly, and this reunion after so long had formed a ripple on the tranquil lake that was her heart. However, after she took a look at the woman beside him, the ripple immediately faded. She could no longer keep up with his pace. He was now in a position high above, shining brightly like a star.
After greeting everyone one by one, Yang Kai finally turned to look at Ye Xi Yun and said with a grin, “Great Elder, many thanks for looking after the Sect for all these years.”
Ye Xi Yun replied, “You’ve come back at just the right time. I’ll pass the Sect back to you now so I can finally enjoy my retirement.”
Yang Kai uttered in shock, “Great Elder, you are still in your prime and have many years of life left to live. Why would you want to suddenly retire?”
Ye Xi Yun snorted, “It’s no use flattering me because I’ve made up my mind. Don’t even try to change my decision!” [I don’t care how powerful your cultivation is now. I’m totally done with this job. It’s too exhausting to be in charge of a Sect. I’d rather be on my own so I can roam around freely.]
After a sigh, Yang Kai said, “Since you’ve said so, I won’t force you. Anyway, after some time, I’ll bring all of you to a new place. By then, you can take a rest for as long as you want.”
“A new place?”
“Where is it?”
“Is it where you’ve come back from?”
All of them were curious.
Yang Kai smiled without replying to them. A moment later, he asked, “I heard all of you arguing over something. What’s wrong? Who has the guts to offend our High Heaven Sect?”
Upon hearing that, all of them fell silent and no longer appeared excited.
Yang Kai examined their expressions and immediately knew that something serious must have happened to the Sect.
Ye Xi Yun uttered, “Let’s go in first.”
After they entered the hall and took a seat, Ye Xi Yun explained the current situation in the Star Field to Yang Kai.
It was then Yang Kai realised that it was the entire Heng Luo Star Field, rather than High Heaven Sect, that was in trouble.
Twenty years ago, even after Su Yan left the Star Field and entered the Ancestral Domain, everything was peaceful. However, a few years later, a strange Void Corridor appeared in the Star Field. Following that, a large number of Starships and powerful cultivators poured through this portal and began a widespread invasion of Heng Luo Star Field, travelling from one Cultivation Star to the next, burning and pillaging everything in their path.
In the beginning, no one understood what was going on. They only knew that these invaders were exceptionally formidable. Heng Luo Star Field had been sealed off for countless years, so they had never seen any cultivators like them before. They were caught unprepared and as a result, several Cultivation Stars quickly fell to the enemy.
For a short period of time, everyone in the Star Field was thrown into a flurry of panic as they worried about their own safety. After the initial stage of the invasion though, the remaining forces composed themselves and began banding together to resist the foreign invaders. With the four top great forces, High Heaven Sect, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Purple Star, and Sword Union, leading the way, Masters gathered from all over Heng Luo Star Field to wage war. Countless were killed, including many powerful Masters. Even High Heaven Sect had lost many people.
Yang Kai’s chest tightened when he heard that. Earlier, he had noticed that even though there were many familiar people in the hall, the women closest to him were not there. Even his parents were nowhere to be seen.
Ye Xi Yun seemed to have noticed his worries, so she reassured him by saying, “Your wives are all fine; however, they have returned to their own Stars to rally their forces and strengthen their defences.”
It was only then that Yang Kai set his mind at ease.
[Shan Qing Luo must have returned to Monster Emperor Star, while Little Senior Sister should have gone back to Tong Xuan Realm. En, Xue Yue must have returned to the Home Star of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, Water Moon Star.] The Star Field was in a crisis now, so naturally, they wouldn’t stay in High Heaven Sect and do nothing.
Moreover, before he left in the past, Yang Kai had arranged many Cross-Star Space Arrays in the Star Field. Monster Emperor Star, Tong Xuan Realm and Water Moon Star were all connected to High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star. It was just that they might need to take several waypoints in the process. If they came across any danger, they still had a way out, so they should be pretty safe.
“Where are those invaders from?” Yang Kai asked in a grim voice.
He couldn’t believe that while he wasn’t in the Star Field, there were people out there who had the guts to invade his homeland.
Ye Xi Yun replied, “I heard that they come from a place called the Grand Desolation Star Field.”
In an instant, Yang Kai’s expression turned awkward, “They come from Grand Desolation Star Field? Are you sure?”
Ye Yi Xun bowed her head, “Yes.”
The war had been going on for more than ten years, so it would truly be laughable if they still hadn’t found out where their enemies came from. In the past, after they discovered the fact, they were all stunned, because they had never expected that another Star Field would suddenly open a Void Corridor to their Star Field and launch an invasion.
If it weren’t because those Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field suddenly invaded and devastated them, many of Heng Luo Star Field’s people would never have even known other Star Fields existed.
“Sect Master, you know about the Grand Desolation Star Field?” Ye Xi Yun looked doubtfully at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai chuckled, “En, naturally I know about it.”
[What a coincidence.]
Grand Desolation Star Field was a familiar name to Yang Kai.
In the past, when he and the others left Heng Luo Star Field and passed through the Starlight Corridor, they were ambushed by some Origin King Realm Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field, which caused the Starlight Corridor to collapse and separated all of them. Even Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao had gone missing at the time and it took Yang Kai a few years to find them.
The leader of those ambushers was called Yin Le Sheng. He was the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect as well as the overlord of Grand Desolation Star Field.
Liu Xian Yun, who had gone through some hardships with Yang Kai before, also came from Grand Desolation Star Field. Both of them treated Yang Kai differently, so they also ended up in different states.
Yin Le Sheng had escaped unscathed from the Shattered Star Sea, but in the end, Yang Kai managed to kill him in the Ancient Wild Lands of the Eastern Territory. On the other hand, with Yang Kai’s recommendation, Liu Xian Yun was accepted by Ice Heart Valley. The last time he went to Ice Heart Valley, he met up and had a chat with her. She had been doing well, and she was ready to break through to the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Certainly, given her aptitude and Ice Heart Valley’s support, it wouldn’t be hard for her to achieve this breakthrough; then, it would only be a matter of time before she reached the Emperor Realm.
Yang Kai was surprised to hear the name ‘Grand Desolation Star Field’ from Ye Xi Yun.
However, after giving it a thought, he realised that since they could come across Yin Le Sheng in the Starlight Corridor when they were heading to the Star Boundary, it meant that the two Star Fields must be adjacent to each other. They were probably separated by only a single World Barrier. Now that the barrier was broken, and the Star Fields were connected, it was expected that those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were able to reach Heng Luo Star Field.
“We’re both from Star Fields, so how are we not a match for them?” Yang Kai asked.
Ye Xi Yun explained, “There’s a Sect called Netherworld Sect that is the leader of their Star Field, so their forces are completely united. On the other hand, our Sects are all divided, so it’s indeed difficult for us to oppose them. Moreover, they’re the invaders, so they have far more freedom of movement. As a result, they have always had a more advantageous position.”
[It’s really Netherworld Sect. It seems that even without Yin Le Sheng, their Sect is still the ruler of their Star Field. They’ve even managed to unite all the forces in their Star Field.]
“So, the Starships outside Shadowed Star all come from Grand Desolation Star Field?”
Ye Xi Yun nodded, “That’s right. Shadowed Star is one of the main battlefields. They’ve deployed quite a large force to this place to specifically target us.”
“How dare that old fart lie to me!” Yang Kai snorted.
They didn’t know who Yang Kai was referring to, so they were all somewhat puzzled.
Ye Xi Yun set aside her confusion though and went on to say, “We were arguing whether we should directly attack those Starships to destroy their cannons, or split up and kill the enemies that are scattered around Shadowed Star. Since you’re back, there’s no need to argue anymore though.”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded his head, “Just wait a moment.”
All of a sudden, he closed his eyes and raised his arm. Then, he twisted his wrist and extended his hand into the void. His movement appeared swift, but it was actually quite slow.
All of them in the hall felt their chests tightening suddenly. Following Yang Kai’s movement, it was as though their hearts were grabbed by someone, causing them to suffocate.
Just then, Yang Kai clenched his fist.
“It’s done!” He opened his eyes and lowered his hand, upon which the horrifying pressure vanished.
Everyone traded glances and appeared puzzled, as they didn’t know what he was talking about. But soon, sounds of intense explosions could be heard from a faraway place. All of them immediately focused their attention on this new development. Some of them seemed to have figured out something as they dashed out of the hall and looked up at the Starry Sky.
High up in the sky, huge explosions could be seen clearly even though it was now daytime. The location of these explosions was a few tens of thousands of kilometres away, but the sound from them could still be heard clearly.
The location where the explosions took place was where those Starships from Grand Desolation Star Field were anchored.
After everyone became aware of what just happened, they were left dumbfounded.
Although they knew that Yang Kai was the Star Master of Shadowed Star who could rule over everything on this Star, those Starships from Grand Desolation Star Field were parked in the Starry Sky, not on the ground of Shadowed Star. How was he able to destroy those Starships that were so far away with such ease? How powerful must he be?
Moreover, many Origin King Realm Masters were aboard those Starships. However, it was likely that none of them managed to escape with their lives.
At that instant, these people in the hall were extremely excited.
With a serious expression, Ye Xi Yun uttered, “Since there’s no disagreement between us now, I believe we can stop waiting. Now is the best time to make a move.”
In an instant, everyone rose from their chairs and stepped out of the hall. Then, they left High Heaven Sect through different Space Arrays and headed to various parts of Shadowed Star. Since they had the absolute advantage now, they had to hunt down those remaining people from Grand Desolation Star Field who were on Shadowed Star and kill them ruthlessly.
Yang Kai uttered, “I’ll also get some exercise, then.”
Shadowed Star was his territory, so he wouldn’t allow such trash to make a fuss in his home. Those invaders from Grand Desolation Star Field were like fleas that jumped around on his body, so he had to catch them, pull out their guts, and twist their necks so that he could relieve this itch.
First though, he turned around and said, “Senior Sister, you should take a rest.”
Before Su Yan could disagree with him, he had already disappeared from the hall, so she could only shake her head helplessly.
Just then, a figure stormed into the hall and shouted in an agitated manner, “Where’s my son!?”
Upon learning that Yang Kai had returned, Dong Su Zhu immediately rushed over to this place, but it was too late.
“Take it slow. What if you trip and fall? You’re not a child anymore, so why are you still so impetuous?” Yang Ying Feng’s calm voice could be heard from behind; however, in the blink of an eye, he already appeared next to Dong Su Zhu, so it was apparent that he was not as calm as he tried to appear.
The couple looked around but couldn’t see Yang Kai, their attention soon shifting to the white-robed young woman standing there.
“Su Yan…” Dong Su Zhu’s eyes turned bloodshot as she covered her mouth. With teary eyes, she asked in a trembling voice, “Are you really Su Yan?”
Su Yan approached her and elegantly saluted her, “Mother.”
Her soft voice was like the most pleasant music in the world to the ears of Yang Ying Feng and his wife. They felt that there was no voice in this world that was more delightful than hers.
“She’s really Su Yan,” Yang Ying Feng gently pushed the dazed Dong Su Zhu. [Haa… she’s a woman after all. She’s always so flustered whenever something happens. I guess I’ll have to keep worrying about her for the rest of my life.]
It was then that Dong Su Zhu spread her arms and pulled Su Yan into an embrace. Dong Su Zhu was a petite lady, while Su Yan was slightly taller than her, so now it seemed as though she had actually crashed into Su Yan’s embrace.
With a faint smile, Su Yan looked over Dong Su Zhu’s shoulder and stared at Yang Ying Feng, “Father.”
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Ying Feng nodded gently. He felt as if the worries that had stayed in his heart for twenty years were finally taken off his chest.
In the past, Su Yan had gone missing after she went over to investigate a strange Void Corridor. All of them were worried about her. Dong Su Zhu and Yang Ying Feng were so flustered that they could barely eat anything or sleep at night. They felt guilty that they hadn’t managed to take good care of Yang Kai’s wife. At the same time, they blamed themselves for their weak cultivation. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let Su Yan look into the matter as they could have done so themselves.
Over the years, the couple had been trying hard to increase their cultivation so that when they eventually reached the Origin King Realm, they could head to the Void Corridor to look for Su Yan. Otherwise, they would be too embarrassed to meet Yang Kai again.
However, a surprise came to them when they least expected it. Both Yang Kai and Su Yan came back together. No one could be happier than their father and mother.
“Stop it. You’ve dampened Su Yan’s clothes. Stop being inappropriate.” Seeing that Dong Su Zhu just wouldn’t stop crying, Yang Ying Feng couldn’t take it anymore and chided her.
Upon hearing that, Dong Su Zhu raised her head and examined Su Yan. She appeared worried, just like how Su Yan reacted when she reunited with Yang Kai.
“Come take a seat first.” Dong Su Zhu grabbed her hand and brought her to a nearby chair. She couldn’t wait to find out where Su Yan had gone, and whether the latter had suffered any hardships over the years.
After they were both seated and had a chat for a while, Su Yan uttered, “Mother, Yang Kai…”
“Don’t mention that brat!” Dong Su Zhu’s face fell, “Just let him perish outside!”
Yang Ying Feng refuted, “Then why were you in a rush to come here?”
“What does it have to do with you? Why can’t I come here in a rush?” Dong Su Zhu shot him a glare, “I was looking for Su Yan.”
“Look. I was just saying… why are you mad at me?” Yang Ying Feng felt helpless and pressed his palm against his forehead. [Why did she call out to her son right after she came into this place, then?]
“If you can’t put up with me anymore, why don’t you divorce me? There are many beautiful women out there anyway. That’s your intention, right? Why don’t I prepare the divorce document for you? You just have to sign your name on it.”
Yang Ying Feng spread his palms and then did a ‘zip’ gesture on his mouth. Seeing that, Su Yan burst into laughter.
Dong Su Zhu patted her hands and persuaded her by saying, “Men should be lectured just like this. Don’t treat that brat too well. If you’re too good to him, he won’t take you seriously. You should be more fierce with him, then he’ll keep thinking about you.”
“I will remember Mother’s teachings,” Su Yan nodded gently.
“I’m just concerned about you. With your temperament… Haa… It’s the same case for Ning Chang. Only Little Qing Luo is more opinionated. I’ll persuade her next time. All of you are too doting on him.” She paused for a moment before speaking in a small voice, “Did he bring back any…”
“Bring what?” Su Yan looked doubtfully at her.
“Did he bring any women back?”
After giving it a thought, Su Yan replied, “I guess… Not?” She had met He Yun Xiang and understood why the latter was following Yang Kai, so she wouldn’t regard her as Yang Kai’s woman.
However, just like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Dong Su Zhu became enraged in an instant as her face turned livid, “He really brought back a woman?”
[How outrageous! If any man has a wife like Su Yan, he would have doted on her instead of leaving home for several dozen years. But he still dared to flirt with other women out there!]
“She’s not Yang Kai’s lover.”
“Did he force you to lie!? How dare he!” Dong Su Zhu landed a slam on the armrest and glowered at Yang Ying Feng, who had remained silent, “Look at the good deed your son has done!”
Yang Ying Feng hung his head low and didn’t dare to speak. He felt wronged, as he had never uttered a word, but he was still dragged into this mess.
[Brat, just pray for yourself. When you’re back, your mother will probably beat you black and blue. Even if she forgives you, I’ll still do it on her behalf!]
“She’s really not,” Su Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she felt warm deep in her heart all the same.
Gathering Clouds Mountain on Shadowed Star was a place filled with vitality where the World Energy was abundant. It was also the location of the most famous Crystal Stone Lodes on the Star and the most important business for High Heaven Sect. The Crystal Stones mined from this place accounted for one-tenth of the Sect’s income every year.
For this kind of important business, naturally, there was a Master assuming command here.
She was clad in tight-fitting clothes which outlined her curvy figure and her hair was tied into a neat bun, giving her a clean-cut appearance. In the past, she was the Eldest Young Lady of the Qiu Family in the Great Han Dynasty, but now, she was the Matriarch of the Qiu Family. Qiu Yi Meng was the person who guarded this place. Several dozen years had passed since she came to Shadowed Star, and she had always worked hard to increase her cultivation. Now, the aura radiating from her body suggested that she was a First-Order Origin King.
It could be said that among the youths who had left the Great Han Dynasty, besides Yang Kai, her cultivation was the strongest. Even many of those from the older generation were not comparable to her. There was no doubt that she had innate talent, but there was a more important reason why her cultivation had soared.
The sun in the sky was too far away from her, so if she wanted to pick the Sun and reach for the Moon, she had to work harder. Even if she couldn’t pick it, she wanted to be nearer to it at least.
As one of the main battlefields of the two Star Fields, Shadowed Star was targeted by many Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field. There were more than several dozen battlefields on the Star, and as expected, those places with more resources were where more battles were fought.
Naturally, those from Grand Desolation Star Field had their eyes on Gathering Clouds Mountain and had deployed an Origin King to take control of it. This person had hundreds of subordinates who were mostly Origin Returning Realm cultivators. With Qiu Yi Meng as the leader of the disciples from High Heaven Sect, the feud between the two sides had lasted for about five years now.
During this period of time, there had been hundreds of skirmishes between them. Both parties had won some battles and suffered some losses, but no one had managed to become the clear winner. Those from Grand Desolation Star Field failed in their attempt to seize the Crystal Stone Lode, while on the other hand, Qiu Yi Meng couldn’t expel or exterminate all of her enemies. Nevertheless, she couldn’t seek help from High Heaven Sect because the other party would also do the same if she did that.
Moreover, the helpers on the other side would arrive quickly. The more Origin Kings that High Heaven Sect sent out, the more the other party would also increase their fighting strength.
Five years had passed, and they seemed to have come to a tacit agreement that they would only battle against each other with the current manpower they had. Neither commander would seek help from their respective backers.
At this moment, Qiu Yi Meng was burning with rage. [Several dozen years have passed, so he’s probably reached a very high realm by now. If I can’t even deal with these low lives, how am I supposed to get closer to him?]
With such thoughts, whenever there was no active battle, Qiu Yi Meng would cultivate diligently because she didn’t dare to waste any time.
Just then, someone rapidly knocked on the door from outside.
“Come in!” Qiu Yi Meng opened her eyes.
The door was opened, after which a burly man stepped into the room. His murderous intent was so intense that it was as though it had almost materialised. He was none other than Tu Feng, a Blood Warrior who had greatly helped Yang Kai in the Inheritance War.
The Blood Warriors from the Yang Family were all top talents who had sworn loyalty to the Yang Family. After they followed Yang Kai to Shadowed Star, their power had also seen exponential growth. As one of the most outstanding Blood Warriors, Tu Feng was already in the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm, just one step away from the Origin King Realm.
Among the subordinates Qiu Yi Meng had, many came from the Eight Great Families of the Great Han Dynasty, so naturally, Blood Warriors from the Yang Family worked under her as well.
“Elder Qiu!” Tu Feng cupped his fists.
After Qiu Yi Meng had reached the Origin King Realm, she had been promoted to the position of Elder in High Heaven Sect.
“What’s the matter?”
“Those rats have made a move.”
“Again?” Qiu Yi Meng frowned and felt that something was off, because their enemies had returned too soon. The last battle only ended five days ago, and normally after such a war, they would rest and recuperate for at least a month before staging another assault, so why did they come back after only a few days?
With a weird expression, Tu Feng replied, “They’re not coming; they’re fleeing.”
“What!?” Qiu Yi Meng scowled. They had been fighting with each other for five years now, so both sides were quite familiar with one another. The question then became, why would the enemy flee all of a sudden? Realising something, Qiu Yi Meng asked, “What were those loud sounds just now?”
She was cultivating earlier, so although she had heard some strange noises, she didn’t pay much attention to it. Now, she realised that those sounds came from the Starry Sky, and the source of the sounds was…
Appearing excited, Tu Feng replied, “That’s what I was going to tell you. Those Starships from Grand Desolation Star Field seem to have been destroyed.”
“Has the Great Elder made a move?” Qiu Yi Meng straightened her face.
The dozen or so Starships had been anchored outside Shadowed Star and had served as the enemy’s headquarters and staging ground for their invasion. Not only did this strategy allow those from Grand Desolation Star Field to wage an unrestricted war on Shadowed Star, it had also served as a blockade to stop those from High Heaven Sect from making a move.
Although High Heaven Sect was fairly powerful, and they had quite a few Origin King Realm Masters, there was only one Third-Order Origin King, the Great Elder, Ye Xi Yun, guarding this place. The other top Masters were no longer on Shadowed Star as they had their own territories to defend.
Unless Ye Xi Yun personally made a move, no one else could deal with those Starships.
In fact, even if Ye Xi Yun made a move, she couldn’t have achieved this kind of result, unless those people had returned to High Heaven Sect and joined forces with her.
[Have they come back?] That was the only reason Qiu Yi Meng could think of. If that was the case, then everything made sense to her now.
Tu Feng uttered, “I don’t know the exact details, but it’s the best time for us to make a move.”
Qiu Yi Meng rose from the chair and sneered, “It’s time we settled the score with them.”
The Grand Desolation Star Field’s support had been destroyed, so it was no wonder that their forces on the ground became flustered. Certainly, Qiu Yi Meng wouldn’t let this chance of striking their weakened enemies slip through her fingers.
After she stepped out of the room, she saw many people gazing at her. All of them exuded auras that were thick and heavy. Staring at these familiar faces, she nodded slightly.
Then, she turned around and saw that many beams of lights were flickering in the sky that was hundreds of kilometres away. They were as bright as meteors, but instead of descending, they were all flying upwards. Those were the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field who were trying to flee from Shadowed Star.
After that, she turned to look at the other side and saw a similar sight in an even further location.
It seemed that those from Grand Desolation Star Field had become flustered after their Starships were destroyed and they no longer dared to remain on Shadowed Star, so they attempted to run for their lives.
“Spare no one!” Qiu Yi Meng ordered while snickered to herself, [Shadowed Star is not a place where you can come and go as you please!]
“Yes!” Everyone pushed their Saint Qi and shot into the sky to chase down the hated enemies they had fought with for the past five years.
At this moment, dazzling lights could be seen filling the sky. It was a bustling and chaotic day on Shadowed Star as similar sights could be seen everywhere. However, those who were racing after their enemies couldn’t shorten the gap between them. After all, those from Grand Desolation Star Fields were not weaklings. They must be quite powerful to have the guts to invade another Star Field.
Qiu Yi Meng realised that she had to use her trump card here, otherwise, those people would flee from Shadowed Star soon. Gritting her teeth, she performed a hand seal with both hands, upon which a layer of pink mist wafted from her skin. Suddenly, her pace quickened as though she was able to move as swiftly as lightning.
Those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field, who were running away, sensed this sudden surge in energy fluctuations and turned their heads to investigate, only to see a beam of red light shooting towards them at incredible speed. The man leading the withdrawal had his expression darken as he cursed, “You!”
He was the Origin King Realm Master from Grand Desolation Star Field who had been fighting with Qiu Yi Meng in the past few years. He was a thin man who appeared to be in his forties. Although he had been drooling over Qiu Yi Meng’s beauty since he arrived, he had never been able to subdue her. Now that she had separated from her forces though, he started having lustful thoughts again.
[It’d be nice if I can get myself a woman before we have to leave.]
After he spoke to his subordinates with Divine Sense, they all immediately dispersed.
Although Qiu Yi Meng saw this, she still didn’t slow down her pace.
“Come if you dare! I won’t let you leave if you do!” The thin man sneered.
“Bian Hong, today you die!” Qiu Yi Meng’s shout resounded even before she arrived within striking distance.
The man called Bian Hong simply cackled as he pretended to flee as he turned his head and mocked her, “Little Girl, are you reluctant to see me go? Why don’t you come with me? I’ll dote on you and make sure to fill you with ‘satisfaction’ every day!”
His vulgar language elicited a laugh from his subordinates.
In response, Qiu Yi Meng used her Divine Ability. She raised her hand as her long sword pulsated. Lights could be seen flashing across the blade, and the power of wind converged at its edge.
With a wide sweep of her sword, a sword wave was released and transformed into a weapon that was several dozen metres long, aimed at the heads of those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field. The Wind Attribute energy could be seen circling around the sword wave as the sound of a tornado forming was heard.
Seeing that, all of them from Grand Desolation Star Field turned solemn. After all, this was the attack of an Origin King Realm Master, so they couldn’t take it lightly.
The dispersed group converged all of a sudden as their Saint Qi fluctuations could be seen around them. In the blink of an eye, those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field had assumed a Formation that linked their Saint Qi together, forming a light shield before them.
With a loud crash, the huge sword wave slashed into the giant light shield, upon which a surging explosion took place.
Clenching her teeth, Qiu Yi Meng exerted more force and pressed down her weapon in an attempt to break the light shield and kill some people first.
*Kacha…*
Cracks were immediately seen on the light shield, as though it would break into pieces at any moment.
Qiu Yi Meng was startled at this sight. Although her strike was powerful, it was impossible that it could break the other party’s defence so easily; after all, there was an Origin King on the opposing side, unless…
She swept a glance over all of them and realised that Bian Hong was nowhere to be seen. She wasn’t even sure when he disappeared.
[Damn it!] Qiu Yi Meng was astounded as she realised that she had fallen into the enemies’ trap because she was too eager to chase after them.
Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind coming at her from behind. At the same time, Tu Feng and the others could be heard shouting out warnings in the distance.
Although Qiu Yi Meng was astonished, she still wasn’t flustered. She had learned to be flexible and swift from her years of battle. In order to ward off the attack, she pushed her Saint Qi and formed a protective layer behind her.
Two streams of Saint Qi clashed with each other as the protective layer behind her broke apart in an instant and Bian Hong landed a palm on her back, scoffing as he sneered, “Go to Hell!”
Qiu Yi Meng staggered forward and spat a mouthful of blood. At the same time, she seized the opportunity to widen the gap with Bian Hong.
Rather than looking pleased though, Bian Hong looked down at his palm with a livid expression as he realised that it was now darkened. He even felt a numbing sensation in his hand that he tried his hardest to suppress with his Saint Qi, but found very little success.
Clenching his teeth, he growled, “What have you done?”
Qiu Yi Meng chuckled and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth before she gazed at him with a tilted head, “Do you like my present? I’ve prepared it specifically for you.”
Bian Hong’s chest tightened when he saw her expression, “You set me up!”
Now, he realised that she had used a powerful Divine Ability just now, seemingly leaving herself exposed and defenseless, in order to draw him in and take the opportunity to mount a sneak attack.
[She must be wearing an Artifact Armour that is coated in some extremely potent poison.] Instead of ending her life with a palm, he was actually poisoned. Although the poison wasn’t fatal, it would require him to spend some time suppressing it. However, he couldn’t divert his attention to do that right now as he was facing her in battle.
Qiu Yi Meng brushed her hair behind her ear and stared at him with her clear gaze, “Indeed, and so?”
Bian Hong’s heart sank as he felt a sense of coldness engulfing him from head to toe.
[This woman is too devious!]
He had been battling against her for the past five years, but he had never expected that she still had such a trump card. She only used it at the last moment to deal a fatal blow to him.
He blamed himself for being careless, but there was no use complaining about what was already done. Sweeping away all distractions, he turned around and fled before shouting “I’ll let you off today! I’ll definitely make you beg me to stop in bed one day!”
Seeing that, Qiu Yi Meng raised her sword and raced after him, but she couldn’t shorten the gap between them. She had expended a lot of her Saint Qi to use her Secret Technique to increase her speed earlier. Moreover, she had shown a weakness to lure Bian Hong to launch a sneak attack on her. As a result, she was wounded after she was struck by his palm. Given the fact that they were in the same realm, if Bian Hong tried his best to flee, she wouldn’t have any way to catch up to him.
In the blink of an eye, they had shot past the clouds and couldn’t see the view on the ground anymore.
Qiu Yi Meng sent out a blast of Sword Qi for the last time before halting in her tracks.
As expected, Bian Hong was able to avoid the attack with ease, and as he fled, he turned around and mocked her, causing her to be infuriated. She stared fixedly at his figure, as though she wanted to imprint his image in the deepest part of her memory so that she could find him one day and kill him with her sword.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared a thousand metres above Bian Hong.
Qiu Yi Meng didn’t notice the figure at first, but upon catching a glimpse of it, she couldn’t help but frown and narrow her eyes to examine this newcomer.
The person was facing away from her, and with the sun in her eyes, the glow and golden halo surrounding him was too dazzling, making it hard to see him properly. However, his figure was familiar to her.
Her chest tightened, for the person’s figure was exactly the same as the man she had always longed for in her mind.
“Who!?” While in mid-air, Bian Hong sensed something and lifted his head, only to be shocked to see that a person was standing right above him. Upon closer inspection, he realised that he hadn’t seen this young man before. Moreover, he couldn’t detect any energy fluctuations around this young man even after he scanned him with his Divine Sense.
“Move!” Bian Hong bellowed. He had been set up by Qiu Yi Meng on this day, and he was almost killed by her, forcing him to flee in embarrassment. However, he didn’t expect that someone would have the guts to block his way at the last moment.
As such, he raised his hand and pushed out his palm at the young man.
The young man also lifted his hand and nonchalantly pushed down his palm, as though he was facing a leaf that was swept up at him by the wind instead of the blow of an Origin King Realm Master.
With an inscrutable smile on his face, the young man simply uttered, “Fall.”
In an instant, Bian Hong widened his eyes as his body trembled uncontrollably. The young man’s attack appeared slow and harmless, but when he pushed down his palm, it felt as if the entire world was pressing down on him.
Bian Hong’s vision darkened as he couldn’t see any light at all, and for reasons he could not comprehend, he found himself plummeting down rapidly.
[What’s going on?] He was dumbfounded, but before he figured out the reason behind all this, he felt a stream of Sword Qi slashing toward him.
Upon turning his head to investigate, Bian Hong was terrified.
Naturally, Qiu Yi Meng wouldn’t let this chance slip through her fingers. She covered herself in a radiant glow and charged toward Bian Hong while swinging her sword.
After the sword light slashed across his figure, Qiu Yi Meng appeared again with a reddened face. Judging from her heavy panting, it was apparent that this fatal attack cost her a lot of energy.
On the other hand, Bian Hong covered his chest and staggered, as though he was about to fall. In disbelief, he stared at Qiu Yi Meng and said through clenched teeth, “You…”
His blood was gushing out through his fingers and soaking his clothes, filling the air with the smell of blood.
Following that, Qiu Yi Meng raised her hand and slashed once more, upon which the vitality in Bian Hong’s eyes rapidly diminished as his view turned upside down and faded into darkness.
The cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were instantly flustered, because they couldn’t believe that the strongest person among them, Bian Hong, was killed so easily. They wanted to run away immediately, but they suddenly realised that the space around them had become extremely viscous, and they couldn’t move forward at all.
Right then, Tu Feng and the others finally arrived at the scene.
Tang Yu Xian approached Qiu Yi Meng and asked, worried, “Young Lady Qiu, are you alright?”
They were too far away from this place earlier, so they weren’t sure what was going on. All they saw was that Qiu Yi Meng had killed Bian Hong in an astonishing manner, but they reckoned that she had also paid a hefty price to do it.
Qiu Yi Meng shook her head and pointed at those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field, “Kill them all.”
Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian and the others nodded and charged forward to engage the remnants from Grand Desolation Star Field. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be an easy battle. Their opponents, who were normally just as resilient as they were, didn’t seem able to use half of their usual strength at this moment, as though they had been suppressed by something. Just like a group of wolves pouncing on a herd of sheep, the disciples from High Heaven Sect were able to defeat those from Grand Desolation Star Field with ease as their opponents were powerless to resist.
Screams could be heard continuously as blood rain filled the sky and bodies fell to the ground far below.
On this day, they were able to destroy the arch enemies they had confronted for the past five years. This was supposed to be a piece of joyful news, but Qiu Yi Meng was oblivious to it as the shouts around her sounded distant and became almost inaudible. She looked up dazedly as she desperately wanted to find out the answer she needed to know.
As the person approached her, she realised that her heart was pounding against her chest, and she felt incredibly nervous. When the person finally stood right before her eyes, his familiar face and smile came into her sight. The memories from several dozen years ago became vivid again, like this man had leapt from the past right into her present.
She held her breath, as if she was afraid to greet the man before her eyes. Although the distance between them had shortened, she felt as if they were further away from each other now more than ever. He was like the sun in the sky that was extremely radiant and distant from her. She could see it and feel its warmth, and it illuminated her gently, but at the same time, it also cast a shadow behind her that could never be eliminated.
“Don’t you recognise me anymore?” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
“Sect Master!” Qiu Yi Meng pulled herself together and bowed her head low. Her eyelashes fluttered while she spoke in a choking voice.
She thought that her years of hard work could shorten the gap between them, but at this moment, she realised that she had been naïve.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he bent his middle finger and placed it in front of her head, “Raise your head!”
After taking a deep breath, she lifted her head.
*Dong…*
Her head jerked backwards from the impact, after which she covered her forehead with both hands and bellowed, “What are you doing!?”
[How could he flick my forehead with his finger? That’s outrageous! He shouldn’t bully me just because he’s powerful!] Her eyes turned bloodshot. [Is this what I get after years of waiting!?]
Nevertheless, Yang Kai let out a hearty laugh and said, “I’m glad you’re still the Young Lady Qiu I know. I thought that you were possessed by an evil spirit or something, so I was ready to harden my heart and kill that demon. Now, it seems that there’s no need for that.”
“You’re the one who’s been possessed!” Qiu Yi Meng growled. Seeing that he was still grinning, she felt her fury rising within her. Emboldened, she raised her leg and kicked him.
Yang Kai evaded it with ease.
“How dare you!” She glowered at him and threw another kick at him.
This time, Yang Kai obediently let her kick him. Seeing that she was still mad as she was glaring at him, he pretended to be in pain as he groaned and covered his calf before jumping up and down, as though he was truly in excruciating pain.
Qiu Yi Meng shot him a look as if he was a fool. As she gazed at him, her face started blushing all of a sudden. [Why do we look like we’re flirting with each other?]
At that thought, she didn’t dare glower at him again.
At the same time, she felt warm in her heart. No matter how powerful he had become or how long he had left, he had never been too far away from her. It was just that she insisted on gauging the distance between them with her own metrics.
“Alright. You’re a Sect Master now. It’d be embarrassing if the others see you behaving like a child.” She couldn’t help smiling as well.
Yang Kai suddenly took her wrist. Flustered, she stammered, “W-What are you doing?”
After she finished her words, her face turned completely red, because she could feel a pure energy coming from his palm and streaming into her body. In an instant, her wounds seemed to have healed. Feeling embarrassed, she wanted to look for a hole and bury her head into it.
[He’s just trying to heal me. Why do I feel so dejected? What was I expecting?]
A moment later, he withdrew his hand and fished out a Spirit Pill before placing it on her palm.
Without asking anything, she raised her head and gulped it down. After tidying her hair, she asked, “When did you come back?” Her expression and tone had become normal again. Since the feelings she had would never be reciprocated and forgetting him was equally impossible, she decided that maintaining the status quo was her best option.
“I just came back.” He replied, “It seems that many things have happened here.”
“En, did you return to the Sect already?”
“Yes.”
“Has the Great Elder told you everything?”
“I’ve heard about it from her.”
“Shadowed Star is your territory. How are you going to settle it now?”
He replied, “Since they’ve come here, then they shouldn’t even think about leaving.”
As they spoke, he was already making a move in secret. The World Energy of the entire Star surged as its Principles started to become active.
In disbelief, Qiu Yi Meng looked around as she felt an amazing change around herself. The Star below her seemed to have come to life.
In fact, it was a living thing, and it had never been dead; however, since Yang Kai left Shadowed Star, the Star had become lethargic as it simply meandered along in its existence. Although it was a living thing, it had been in a kind of hibernation for the past several dozen years since Yang Kai was gone.
Now, after he had returned, the Star had also awakened from its slumber. All the World Energy in the atmosphere seemed to be filled with an unspeakable sense of vitality. Qiu Yi Meng could even feel that the streams of World Energy around her were dancing and intertwining with one another.
A gigantic web seemed to have formed in this world as it transformed into a cage and engulfed the entire Star.
Qiu Yi Meng realised something and turned to look into the distance. Then, she directed her Saint Qi to her eyes and faintly saw the sight on the other side.
In an area of the sky thousands of kilometres away, cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were struggling hard like trapped fish in an attempt to struggle out of a net, but their efforts were clearly in vain.
Not only could they not flee from Shadowed Star, but they were also not able to fully use their strength under the suppression of the World Principles.
The cultivators from Shadowed Star were not suppressed in the same way though, so they quickly caught up to their opponents and killed them all.
[This is the power of a Star Master! Here, I rule over everything! Here, I am God!]
Above the clouds and below the sunlight, Yang Kai closed his eyes and spread his arms. He was engulfed in the golden sunlight, appearing rather sacred.
Following that, screams could be heard continuously. In just an incense stick’s worth of time, hundreds of cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were killed.
After Tu Feng and the others returned, they were all agitated when they saw Yang Kai.
Qiu Yi Meng placed a finger on her lips and shushed them.
A moment later, Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked at them with a smile.
“Patriarch!”
“Sect Master!”
All of them saluted him.
Yang Kai swept a glance over all these familiar faces. Blood Warriors like Tu Feng, Tang Yu Xian, and Ying Jiu, who followed him in the Inheritance War of the Yang Family in the past, had grown exponentially over the years. Those disciples from the Eight Great Families had come of age as they all appeared mature. The disciples from different Sects in the Great Han Dynasty were also at the scene. Although he hadn’t met them for several dozen years, he could still remember their names just by looking at their faces.
He had never forgotten about them because they were his closest companions when he was still young and weak. At that instant, memories from the past flashed across his mind.
“Your Elder Sister is back,” Yang Kai stared at Su Mu and uttered.
Su Mu was startled for a moment before he became ecstatic, “She…”
“She came across an opportunity.”
Tears could be seen sliding down Su Mu’s face as he jumped up into the air like an excited monkey. After pulling himself together, he gazed at Yang Kai and asked, “Where is she?”
“At High Heaven Sect.”
“I’m going back now.” Not willing to wait anymore, Su Mu turned around and left.
Su Yan had gone missing for twenty years, and no one knew whether she was dead or alive, so he had been extremely worried all the while. Now that she was said to be safe, he was excited.
However, he realised that he couldn’t step forward, as though he had been bound by someone. Then, he turned to look at Yang Kai and said in embarrassment, “Brother-in-law, I admit that I’ve been cursing you in my heart over the years, but since my Elder Sister is back, just take it as that it’s all nonsense. I’ll apologise to you next time. Please let me go now.”
“You’ve been cursing me?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Su Mu scratched his head and put on a hollow laugh. Certainly, he had cursed Yang Kai many times before, as he felt that Su Yan only went to investigate the Void Corridor because she wanted to look for Yang Kai. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone missing. The culprit behind this incident was undoubtedly Yang Kai.
“I’ll tell your Elder Sister to deal with you later.” Yang Kai snorted.
“As long as both of you are safe, you can deal with me however you want,” Su Mu appeared prepared to be taught a lesson. He was no longer as reckless as when he was younger, “Can you let me go now?”
“Better than that, I’ll send you there directly.” Yang Kai waved his hand, upon which, Su Mu disappeared from the place with only some residual Space Principle fluctuations remaining.
Then, he turned to look at Qiu Yi Meng and said, “After all of you settle everything here, you can return to the Sect. There won’t be any invaders anymore.”
“Yes!” All of them replied in agreement.
“Where are you going?” Qiu Yi Meng asked anxiously.
“I have to attend to some matters. I’ll go back soon,” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her and disappeared from the place.
Qiu Yi Meng reached out her hand but couldn’t grab him, causing a crestfallen expression to cross her face.
All of them looked at her with conflicted expressions, because they knew what was on her mind. She was in love with Yang Kai, but unfortunately, he didn’t love her back, so there was nothing they could do about it.
With a grin, Tu Feng added, “Finally, we can take a long rest. Elder Qiu, why don’t we go back?” He was attempting to change the topic because he didn’t have the heart to see her looking so dejected.
Qiu Yi Meng nodded and turned to look in the direction of High Heaven Sect, “We really should go back.”
On the other hand, Yang Kai kept moving down until he reached the centre of the Star. This was the birthplace of Shadowed Star’s Source.
It was the first time he returned to this place since he left several dozen years ago. He came here today because he had realised that there had been some unusual reactions in the Shadowed Star’s Source, especially during the past few times when he communicated with the World Principles here.
After he stepped into the hollow at the centre of the Star, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of warmth, like a traveller that had returned to his homeland. This kind of feeling was even more intense than when he returned to High Heaven Sect, as though this place was the origin of all things as well as the beginning and the end of everything.
Shadowed Star’s Source Strength within his body had become more active as it was now surging within him.
He walked up to a stone bed and sat down on it with his legs crossed. Then, he emptied his mind and let the Source Strength within his body resonate with Shadowed Star.
A moment later, he lay down on the stone bed. After some time, he turned and slept on his side as he appeared serene like a baby that was still being nurtured in a mother’s stomach.
Just then, some sounds could be heard. At first, he couldn’t make out what the sounds were, but soon, they became clearly audible.
The sounds were chaotic and continuous as though a piece of indescribable music had been composed and played out in his mind.
[This is…] He was astounded as he listened attentively to it.
Soon, he realised that these sounds were coming from every part of Shadowed Star. He didn’t use any force or even try to communicate with the World Principles here, nor did he use any of the powers that were bestowed on him as the Star Master of this Star. By just lying down on the side, he was able to listen to everything on the Star.
The languages of birds and insects were alien to him in the past, but at this moment, he seemed able to understand them.
Two dung beetles were fighting over a ball in the wilderness. They clashed with each other with their horns as they were having an argument, “This is my dung! Go away!”
“You should go away because this is mine. Otherwise, I’ll beat you up!”
“Try me!”
“Alright, then!”
After they argued for a bit, they started trying to snatch the dung ball, then it turned into a scuffle. Neither of them was willing to back down and the fight went on for a long time.
On the other hand, a moth was struggling on a spider web. An eight-legged spider giggled as it climbed towards the centre and injected its poison into the moth before having its meal, “This is delicious! It’d be nice if I could have such a delectable meal every day.”
A pair of ants were shouting a chant in an orderly manner as the other ants diligently brought the food back to the ant nest kilometres away.
Pleading voices could be heard as well. Yang Kai followed these voices and realised that there had been a drought in a certain area for several years, leading to a famine where many had died of hunger and those who had survived were barely hanging on. The situation had become so desperate that some had even resorted to cannibalism. There were also people who had invited mediums to communicate with the Heavens to beg for rain to alleviate their suffering.
Yang Kai, who seemed to be asleep, saw this and impatiently waved his hand.
Just then, thunder could be heard from above the peoples’ heads. The sky, which was filled with nothing but blue, suddenly turned gloomy as dark clouds had gathered above them, covering an area that spanned ten thousand kilometres in every direction. Lightning struck, then rain started pouring down.
Looking up at the sky, those mortals fell on their knees and pressed their heads against the ground as they thanked the Heavens for their blessing.
Inside Coloured Glass Sect, Dai Yuan had activated her Coloured Glass Body, forming a nigh unbreakable barrier around herself. Right now she was battling against several people at the same time, but just as she was on the brink of defeat, the World Energy around her surged and condensed into a series of blades that slashed her enemies in half. In an instant, their blood and organs splattered everywhere.
Dai Yuan was flabbergasted as she didn’t understand what was going on.
Those who were cut into half appeared horrified as well because they couldn’t tell who had launched a sneak attack on them. Whoever it was, they were unable to even sense their presence.
*Chi chi chi chi…*
More blasts of World Energy formed and began cutting down the enemy forces. All the disciples from Coloured Glass Sect were dumbfounded as they watched as some mysterious force slaughtered all their opponents while they remained unharmed.
“Senior Sister, what’s going on?” Yin Su Die flew towards Dai Yuan and stood beside her before asking this question.
Dai Yuan shook her head, “I have no idea.”
Then, they turned to look at Gong Ao Fu, who appeared surprised as well. After their enemies were all killed, Gong Ao Fu cupped her fists and said gently, “May I know who has helped us? Please show yourself Your Excellency, so we may offer you our sincere gratitude.”
Even after she shouted three times though, she still didn’t receive any reply, as though the Master who had helped them earlier didn’t exist.
Gong Ao Fu heaved a sigh, as she knew that their saviour wasn’t willing to show up, and she probably had no way to find him. So, she could only remember this favour in her heart so that when she found out their saviour’s name one day, she could repay this grace.
Similar sights could be seen all over Shadowed Star.
Initially, those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field wanted to flee because their Starships had been destroyed. Certainly, those from Shadowed Star wouldn’t let them go easily, so they raced after them and engaged them in fierce combat.
For some mysterious reason though, before many of the battles could even be joined, their enemies were all killed. In just one hour, Shadowed Star fell silent as no more battles were left to be fought.
Countless people were befuddled as they didn’t understand what happened. They also wondered who the mysterious benefactor was that had helped them.
Just then, World Energy started swirling high up above as a kind of illusionary phantom appeared in the distance. When the shadow first appeared, no one could clearly make out what it was. They just knew that it was immense as it was covering half the sky like a black screen.
All living creatures on Shadowed Star, regardless of where they were, could see this shadow as long as they looked up.
An indescribable feeling then rose within everyone’s heart, as they had the urge to worship that phantom. As everyone gazed dazedly at this image, it started going through a transformation. The phantom’s image grew clearer, as hands and legs became visible. Eventually, it assumed the form of a human, an enormous human that towered above the world. All were astounded at this sight and couldn’t come to their senses for a long time.
Moments later, the shadow’s face became clearer, causing the sluggish eyes of the masses to glow with excitement and ecstasy as utter surprise and joy came over them, for many of them recognised this person’s face.
It was Yang Kai! He was the Shadowed Star’s Star Master who had left several dozen years ago. As they watched the gigantic shadow, they wondered where Yang Kai actually was.
What was even more puzzling was that this immense shadow, which was hovering in a void, was lying on his side in the sky. His eyes were closed, making him look like he was asleep.
As his chest heaved, the World Energy rose and fell as well.
Just then, faint wisps of starlight could be seen coming from the Starry Sky and landing on Shadowed Star from all directions.
At first glance, many thought Shadowed Star had somehow run into an Asteroid Sea, sending tens of thousands of meteors falling to the ground, causing a kind of fluster and panic.
However, after the wisps landed on the ground, they didn’t cause any damage at all. Instead, they streamed into Shadowed Star like a mysterious force that nurtured this Cultivation Star and the trillions of creatures that lived on it.
As the giant illusionary Yang Kai breathed in and out, more wisps of starlight rained down in a dense and dazzling shower.
The World Energy Aura across Shadowed Star became thicker and purer at a speed that was clearly noticeable. Even the elusive World Principles seemed to become stronger and more tangible at this moment.
The Star Master was nourishing his Star!
The relationship between a Star Master and a Cultivation Star wasn’t that of a Master and a Servant. Instead, their fates were correlated as one’s fortune or misfortune would affect the other. If the Star Master’s cultivation was powerful, the Cultivation Star would also benefit, and vice versa.
It was just like what happened to Tong Xuan Realm in the past. At that time, the World Energy on the Star was quite weak, and if not for Xia Ning Chang taking the risk and refining its Star Source, it would have become desolate after several hundred or possibly a thousand years, rather than being its current vibrant existence.
Yang Kai had left Shadowed Star for many years, so the connection between the Star Source and Shadowed Star had become frail. Moreover, after years of wars, the Star had taken damage and begun to decline.
Nevertheless, it was still a short period of time, and the change was gradual, so the cultivators on Shadowed Star hadn’t noticed much.
However, Yang Kai immediately realised it after he returned because Shadowed Star had become bleaker than before he left.
As such, the unexpected opportunity to return nurture to the Star as a Star Master was a stroke of good fortune. Yang Kai had managed to attract some power from the Star Field to nourish Shadowed Star, replenishing the losses it had suffered. All things, living or nonliving, were able to benefit from this nourishment.
After such an incident, mortals would rarely come across any droughts again and cultivators would find it easier to cultivate. Whenever they were facing any bottlenecks, they would be able to achieve breakthroughs quicker. It could be said that what Yang Kai had done did not just help the current situation on the Star, but it would also benefit generations to come.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai wasn’t aware of what he was doing for his Star. His mind was in a totally empty state as countless sounds flowed into his ears. Anyone would have gone mad if the same thing happened to them, but Yang Kai appeared calm and collected, as though this was a completely natural process. Not only did he not find the chaotic sounds maddening, he even found a sense of cordiality and warmth in them.
His eyes were closed, but he was able to sense every movement of all the trees and flowers on Shadowed Star. The entire world had become vivid and beautiful in his mind.
Time slowly went by. On the square in front of the main hall in High Heaven Sect, many people were gathered together. The hall was also packed with people. Besides those from High Heaven Sect, the cultivators from other great forces on Shadowed Star had arrived at this place.
At this moment, the strongest Masters on Shadowed Star had all gathered together here.
One month ago, the gigantic image of Yang Kai sleeping on his side suddenly appeared in the sky for everyone to clearly see. It was impossible that this huge image would appear for no reason, so with doubts in their minds, many people had asked those from High Heaven Sect about it.
The reply they got was truly exciting – Yang Kai was back!
It was then everyone realised why the Starships from Grand Desolation Star Field were all destroyed and the cultivators from the invading Star Field were killed. It was all thanks to Yang Kai. While they were agitated, they were also shocked to learn that a Star Master’s power could be so horrifying.
It was as though they had found a pillar to rely on, boosting their confidence and setting their minds at ease after many years of anxiety and tension. With Yang Kai watching over Shadowed Star, no one would dare to invade them again. This was probably the best news they had heard in the past decade.
Yang Kai’s huge image had been hovering in the sky in a sleeping position since it appeared one month ago. Sometimes, he would turn over and extend his legs to change into a different position. As he breathed, countless wisps of starlight would continuously be attracted to Shadowed Star, causing the entire Star to be illuminated in a fantastical glow.
Those on the Star hadn’t seen the sky turning dark for the past month, but even after such a long time, they were still astounded whenever they looked up.
In just one month, the effects of the Star Master giving back to his Star could be clearly felt.
Like the bamboo shoots after a spring rain, the disciples from different Sects in every corner managed to achieve breakthroughs all at once. The lower their cultivation was, the faster they could achieve a breakthrough. The most shocking success story was a disciple from a small, previously unknown Sect. He was just a Separation and Reunion Boundary Junior one month ago, but now he had reached the Sixth-Order Immortal Ascension Boundary. In just one month, he had broken through two Major Realms!
In normal times, such an incident wouldn’t have happened. Even the most talented of cultivators couldn’t possibly achieve such progress in just one month; however, during this period of time when the Star Master was returning nurture to the Star, the impossible had become reality.
What truly excited those cultivators on Shadowed Star was that many cultivators who were stuck in the Third-Order Origin Returning Realm for a long time were finally able to break through to the Origin King Realm. Although there were not a lot of examples of this, it wasn’t a small number either. Roughly twenty people on Shadowed Star reached the Origin King Realm in this one month period, four of which came from High Heaven Sect.
More than twenty Origin King Realm Masters were a terrific number on any Cultivation Star. If they had these more than twenty Origin King Realm Masters a dozen years ago, they would have chased away those from Grand Desolation Star Field a long time ago, and the war wouldn’t have lasted until now.
It was said that a person could transform after everyone hadn’t seen him for three days. It was just an old saying, but during this period of time on Shadowed Star, anyone could truly transform into an entirely different person in just three days, because he might have reached a new realm.
At this moment, more than ten people were standing in a row in front of the main hall as they looked up at the Starry Sky. These people were the leaders of the most powerful Sects on Shadowed Star. Ye Xi Yun stood in the middle, while everyone else stood beside her.
“Hasn’t he awakened?” The Hall Master of Shadow Moon Hall, Qian Tong, looked up at the huge image in the sky and recalled the time when Yang Kai had arrived at this place as though it was yesterday. At that moment, he couldn’t help but heave a sigh. He had never expected that this brat would grow up to be as powerful as the Heavens and Earth one day. As he reminisced about the past, he found that everything that was happening now a little surreal.
“He’s been sleeping for a whole month already. Is that really alright?” The Sect Master of Clear Sky Sect, Gu Zhen, appeared worried.
Gong Ao Fu explained, “He’s basically nourishing the Star. The longer this period of time lasts, the better it is for all of us. So, there won’t be any problem. We should hope that he’ll continue sleeping for longer.”
“He’s waking up.” Ye Xi Yun suddenly raised her head and declared.
Hearing that, all of them shifted their attention to the sky, only to see the huge image, which had been sleeping for a long time, turning over and slowly sitting up. He covered his mouth and yawned as he was still in a groggy state. Although it was just an image, it captured every movement and expression of Yang Kai accurately and vividly.
“This brat!” Dong Su Zhu said through clenched teeth as her eyes had turned bloodshot, “I’ve come all the way to look for him, but he isn’t willing to show up for the entire month! He’s definitely not my son!”
Hearing that, Yang Ying Feng was shocked, “Then who gave birth to… Ahh…” Before he could finish his words, Dong Su Zhu landed a kick on him, causing him to grimace in pain.
“Help me deal with him later!” Dong Su Zhu turned to look at Su Yan with a furious expression.
“Yes, mother.” Su Yan nodded obediently.
“Little Su Yan, you’re the best. Haa… I should have given birth to a daughter. My son is never by my side…” Dong Su Zhu complained for a bit before she glowered at her husband.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Ying Feng’s chest tightened. [I’ve done nothing here. How have I offended you again? I didn’t even complain about it when you kicked me. What else do you want?”
“This is all your fault!” Dong Su Zhu uttered through gritted teeth.
Yang Ying Feng felt wronged, “What does it have to do with me?”
She went on to say, “If it weren’t because of you… If it weren’t because of you, I wouldn’t have given birth to such a son. He’s always making me so worried!”
Yang Ying Feng forced a smile, but it was uglier than if he had been crying. At that instant, he felt that there was no justice in this world.
To the side, Su Yan covered her mouth and giggled. It was quite rare that a married couple would still bicker like this after so many years of marriage.
“I feel furious just by looking at you!” Dong Su Zhu seemed to have no other way to get the frustration off her chest, so she could only vent it all out on her husband.
Yang Ying Feng darted his gaze around, but suddenly thinking of something, he walked up to his wife and leaned close to her before speaking to her using Divine Sense.
Dong Su Zhu’s face reddened in an instant as she pinched his waist and uttered, “What in the world are you talking about? You’re such an old pervert!”
“Let’s go.” He took her wrist and dragged her away.
“No! Stop pulling me! There are so many people around. It’s so embarrassing!”
As they bickered with each other, they soon disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Su Yan was blushing slightly. Yang Ying Feng thought that no one could hear him, but Su Yan was already a Second-Order Dao Source Realm Master, so his Divine Sense couldn’t block her probing.
She hadn’t eavesdropped intentionally, it was all just an accident, but what was said still sounded like thunder in her ears.
[They want to give birth to a little sister for Yang Kai? I’m looking forward to it…]
In the sky, Yang Kai finally came to his senses. It was apparent that his mind had become clearer now after awakening from a long sleep. He scanned his surroundings and eventually looked down from the sky.
His vision seemed able to traverse across space and allowed him to take in everything that was happening in High Heaven Sect. Then, he put on a smile.
Everyone thought that he was smiling at them. No matter where they were, or from whatever angle they looked at him from, this seemed to be a universal feeling for all of them.
However, only Su Yan was able to see the reflection of herself in his eyes.
With a loud crash, the huge image suddenly disintegrated and turned into pure and thick World Energy that began circling the world.
Just then, a figure appeared in the sky above the square of High Heaven Sect. As he was flying over, his black hair and clothes flapped along with the wind. At that moment, all of them shifted their attention to him.
Following that, voices that were as loud as thunder or a mountain collapsing could be heard, “Sect Master Yang!”
Facing this Star Master, who was not only supremely powerful but had also brought great transformative changes to the entire Shadowed Star, everyone could only offer the highest respect.
Yang Kai waved his hand, upon which a breeze whisked across the square and prevented them from bowing. Then, he swept a glance over all the faces that he was or wasn’t familiar with before he said with a smile, “This is a fortunate day for Shadowed Star, and so many Masters have gathered here as well. It’s such a rare occasion. I’ll drink 300 cups of wine with all of you at the very least!” Then, he swung his hand, “Prepare a banquet for the next three days. No one is to leave this place without getting drunk!”
“Many thanks, Sect Master Yang!”
Even without his order, those in High Heaven Sect had already prepared for such a celebration; after all, Yang Kai’s return was an important occasion. Moreover, they had just destroyed all the invaders on Shadowed Star, thus resolving the pain of a war that had lasted for more than ten years. It was the time for them to celebrate.
Yang Kai was the Sect Master of High Heaven Sect as well as the Master of Shadowed Star, so no one could challenge his authority.
As such, this celebration party could only be held in High Heaven Sect, not that anyone was opposed to the idea.
Soon, the vast square was covered in tables and chairs. The venue that could accommodate thousands of people was now packed. Besides the disciples from High Heaven Sect, there were also disciples from other Sects who had followed their Elders to this place.
On the other hand, the Sect Masters of different Sects and powerful cultivators were given a seat inside the main hall, which separated them from the people on the square.
Countless delectable dishes were soon served and placed on the tables. Many wines were opened as their aroma permeated the air. The joyous atmosphere around these cultivators on Shadowed Star seemed to fill from the ground all the way to the Starry Sky.
Silavin: I’m alive!
Has not been that active on Discord the past few weeks. Got the covyeet.
To celebrate, I’m gonna do a 50 this week.
I was all happy until I found out I still have to take the booster or I’ll be registered as unvaccinated in a few months. Well, since I’ve already made my mind up about the upload, here you go.