Old Demon asked, “What’s the matter, Lady Yue?”
Seeing a trace of excitement in Xue Yue’s solemn expression, he immediately realized that something was up. He lifted his gaze and looked out of the hall. However, he did not see anything when he followed her gaze. The Nine Peaks were currently under the protection of the Star Master, Xia Ning Chang, so it was impossible for the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field to barge in.
Xue Yue resisted the excitement in her heart and walked out of the hall. When everybody saw that, they glanced at each other and followed her and soon, a large crowd soon gathered outside.
Meng Wu Ya looked at Old Demon; both of them shook their heads slowly. They did not know what was going on.
All of a sudden, the Nine Peaks hummed and shuddered.
Meng Wu Ya paled, “Someone is coming!”
The rest also looked like they were preparing to face the enemy.
Xue Yue lifted her hand, “No need to be nervous.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, they settled down. They lifted their heads and looked into the distance, watching as the Spirit Array rumbled before splitting open. It wasn’t because an enemy had managed to slip through the defence. Rather, it opened on its own.
The control jade for the array was in Xue Yue’s hands, and Xia Ning Chang was the only other person. Aside from her, who could control it? Since she wasn’t doing anything and the array was being activated on its own, it had to be Xia Ning Chang’s doing.
Before they could understand why Xia Ning Chang did this though, a figure suddenly walked out of the mist. It looked like that person barely made any movement, but they stood in front of the crowd in a few steps. Their speed was so fast that none of them could react.
All eyes turned to that person and everybody was frozen in place as if they had been struck by a Binding Secret Technique. Only Xue Yue watched Yang Kai quietly. Her eyes were gleaming with a complicated mixture of love and hate before they gradually reddened.
Yang Kai smiled at her. With that, her tears began to fall uncontrollably and slide down her cheeks. Although she had not heard from this man for several dozen years, he still appeared in front of her at the most critical moment. It instantly made her rely on him. She wasn’t as anxious as before, and her emotions had calmed down considerably.
“Young Master!” Old Demon was so emotional that his lips trembled.
“Greetings, Holy Master!” Similarly, An Ling’er, Xu Hui, and the others returned to their senses, swiftly stepped forward, and cupped their fists.
“Greetings, Master!” Li Rong and Han Fei of the Ancient Demon Clan also hurriedly bowed.
“Yang Kai…” Hu Jiao’er and her little sister exclaimed, lifting their hands to cover their red lips.
Every single gaze fixed on him was filled with disbelief. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that Yang Kai would appear here at this moment. It felt as if they were dreaming.
Zi Wu Ji said in astonishment, “Elder Brother Gu, is he really…”
“En. He’s back. The Master of Shadowed Star!” Gu Jian Xin replied solemnly. He was frowning slightly as he gripped the sword in his arms a little tighter.
At that moment, the simple longsword in his arms was conveying a sense of terror to him, one so strong that he couldn’t even gather any fighting spirit when he glanced at Yang Kai. As a swordsman, something like this was supposed to be impossible. A swordsman’s character was calm and resolute. Generally, their first thought upon meeting a strong opponent was to battle them to temper their Sword Dao; however, his sword was warning him that he was no match for Yang Kai the moment he saw him. [Just how great is his cultivation?! How much stronger is he to be able to make even my Sword Spirit fear him?]
Meanwhile, Zi Wu Ji was startled when he heard those words. [So, it’s him! I can’t believe it’s him!]
Back then, Yang Kai had been rather arrogant on Purple Star’s Home Star. He even killed several Masters while he rampaged. Later, Purple Star confirmed that both Zi Long and his son had both died at Yang Kai’s hands; therefore, their hatred towards Yang Kai was absolutely irreconcilable.
Nevertheless, it was not the first time Zi Wu Ji had met Yang Kai; however, after so long, it was unbelievable for him to suddenly appear now.
The conflict between Yang Kai and his Sect took place decades ago, and right now, Zi Wu Ji needed Xia Ning Chang’s protection to survive. So, how could he possibly show any hostility towards her husband?
Yang Kai walked over to Xue Yue and reached out to wipe away her tears, whispering in a gentle voice, “Don’t cry. I’m back.”
Xue Yue’s tears stopped and turning her head away, she refused to let him touch her. Then, she reached her hand up and rubbed at the corners of her eyes.
He was stunned, but he couldn’t cause a fuss in front of so many people. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “Be at ease.”
Everybody immediately straightened without any resistance.
“Where is Ning Chang?” He glanced at Xue Yue. Despite leading him here, Xia Ning Chang had yet to show herself. That could only mean that something was wrong. Combined with what he had seen prior to this, he couldn’t help feeling very uneasy.
Xue Yue lowered her eyes without saying anything. Thus, he raised his head to look at Meng Wu Ya. In response, Meng Wu Ya sighed and shook his head slowly. That immediately made Yang Kai’s expression crumble. All the expectations he had fell apart, and his heart sank into an endless abyss.
“Come with me,” Xue Yue called out to him as she headed into the inner palace. She might hold a lot of resentment towards him, but when it came down to it, what happened wasn’t his fault, so how could she blame him for it? She was not the kind of woman to find fault with others for no reason. The truth was that she blamed herself for leading her pursuers here, bringing this disaster down on Tong Xuan Realm and Xia Ning Chang. More precisely, her cold attitude towards him wasn’t because of her resentment; it was mostly because she was too ashamed to look at him.
[I am the culprit. It’s my fault if anything happens to her!]
Yang Kai stepped forward to keep up with her. Reaching out, he grabbed her soft hands. Her small hands were ice cold; it almost felt like they had no temperature at all. Despite struggling lightly against him, she couldn’t break free of his hold. After that, she stopped struggling but did not dare to look him in the eye.
The two of them vanished out of sight soon after, but following their departure, a heavy silence remained outside the great hall. The depression and anxiety they had been suffering from for a long time were not relieved by Yang Kai’s arrival in any way. Regardless of how high Yang Kai’s cultivation currently was, even if he could drive the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field away, Xia Ning Chang would still not be able to recover from her wounds so easily.
Just then, another small figure suddenly walked over.
Meng Wu Ya made a soft cry of surprise as he looked in that direction and immediately revealed a shocked expression. He discovered that the small figure belonged to a seven or eight year old girl. She was exquisite and adorable, yet gave one a strange feeling when they looked at her. After considering it for a moment, he realized what was so strange about her. She had no expression! There was neither happiness, anger, sorrow, or fear on this little girl’s face. It was like a dried-up well, which was very odd.
A colourful butterfly was fluttering in front of the little girl as she walked over from the foot of the mountain, step by step, unhurriedly. She seemed to be chasing after the butterfly while at the same time, it also seemed as though she was walking down a path she did not want to miss.
…
“She probably doesn’t want to meet you,” Xue Yue stopped outside a certain room in the inner palace, lowering her head as she spoke. Just because Xia Ning Chang said that she did not want to meet Yang Kai did not mean that she really did not want to meet him. She simply did not dare to let him see her haggard appearance. As a woman, Xue Yue could understand her feelings; after all, women always wanted to show their best sides to the man they loved.
Yang Kai held Xue Yue’s hand tightly, “Thank you for everything that you’ve done.”
Her tears gushed out again uncontrollably. All the longing and grievances that she had suffered over the years disappeared with those words. Shaking her head, she said, “Ning Chang had the hardest time out of all of us. You should talk to her, but don’t just force your way in.”
“Good.” He nodded before turning to face the door, lifting his hand and knocking softly. He then called out, “Is anybody in?”
There was no response from inside the room; however, he could clearly detect Xia Ning Chang’s aura inside the room. It was just that her aura was extremely weak. It was like a thin thread that could break at any moment. This discovery broke his heart while at the same time, murderous intent flared up within him. The reason she was in this condition was undoubtedly related to what the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field did to Tong Xuan Realm. All of them had to die, not a single one could be allowed to escape!
“If you’re there, can you please open the door?” Yang Kai restrained his murderous intent and kept his voice as gentle as possible.
Still, there was no response.
He continued, “Ning Chang, I’m back. Can’t I at least see you? I’ve missed you so much. I’ve never forgotten you and often thought about you throughout all these years I’ve been away. I finally returned today. How can you have the heart to lock me out?”
He blabbered on and on for some time.
After a while, Xue Yue grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and shook her head slowly. Xia Ning Chang generally had a gentle and obedient demeanour towards Yang Kai, but also had a stubbornness in her that was not to be underestimated.
Yang Kai sighed and slumped, “Good, rest well, Ning Chang. I’ll go get rid of those pests right now. After I obtain justice for you, I’ll come back to see you again.”
Turning around, he shot a look at Xue Yue and she immediately understood his meaning. Thus, she turned around and followed him outside. They had not taken more than several steps when a loud noise sounded from inside the room. Xue Yue and Yang Kai looked at each other, their complexions turning pale in unison.
With a loud bang, they crashed through the door with Yang Kai rushing over to help Xia Ning Chang up from where she lay on the bed. When he supported her in his arms, he realized that she felt very different from how she used to be. At this point, she could not be described as having just lost some weight. She was practically skin and bones now.
For her height, she was now at least a third lighter than she should be to be considered healthy. The bones underneath her frail body pressed against his hands, feeling like they were stabbing into his heart.
Yang Kai was in no mood to pay attention to her physical appearance though because at this moment she was coughing up blood from her mouth. The bedding was stained red and her body was enveloped in a faint black smog. The Black Qi was churning like a living being, but that wasn’t all; there were certain spots where the colour was extremely dark, as if someone had spilled ink on her.
This situation was exactly the same as the scene Yang Kai had observed while observing Tong Xuan Realm’s condition from the Starry Sky. It was just that those ‘black ink stains’ had covered the Star while these ‘black ink stains’ were on Xia Ning Chang’s body. Upon counting those spots, he saw that they were exactly seven of them!
[Grand Desolation Star Field and Netherworld Sect… You court death!]
Although he did not know why such a change had occurred so suddenly, it was obviously related to something the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field had done. He had just destroyed their Array Core, so for her to suffer such attacks suddenly… It was definitely related to his actions.
The black ink stains slowly expanded. They were not increasing quickly, but the expansion affected Xia Ning Chang’s entire body, and every time they expanded, they devoured some of her vitality and made the Black Qi surrounding her body grow denser. Obviously, the consequences would be disastrous for her once they expanded until they covered her entire body.
“Ning Chang!” Xue Yue was dumbfounded and frozen in place from shock. She never expected that things would turn out like this. She initially thought that it was caused by Xia Ning Chang’s excitement over Yang Kai’s return; however, that did not seem to be the case. This situation was not that simple.
Yang Kai sat sideways on the bed and pulled Xia Ning Chang into his arms so that she was lying in his embrace, he then began sending pure energy into her body.
He had sealed his cultivation and could only draw out power equivalent to an Origin King Realm Master at their peak, but even so, the essence of his Emperor Qi had not changed by much. Emperor Qi was two realms higher compared to Saint Qi; hence, pouring even a small amount into her body had a miraculous effect on her condition.
The speed that the seven black spots were spreading out over her body distinctly slowed down. They even looked to be slightly suppressed. Additionally, the Black Qi on her body that had been churning wildly calmed down too.
Yang Kai kept this up diligently for a quarter of an hour, working carefully and not daring to let his guard down in the slightest. Even so, he could only suppress those seven ‘black ink stains’ to the size of a fist. That was the extent of what he could do.
Besides, he knew that these ‘black ink stains’ on her body were just manifestations of what was actually happening. The damage the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were causing to Tong Xuan Realm was the most fundamental reason for these ‘black ink stains’.
If his guess was correct, it was the effects of the Spirit Arrays that were surging with Yin Qi. Xia Ning Chang’s fate was inextricably intertwined with Tong Xuan Realm’s. If one suffered, both suffered. Therefore, to solve her current problem, he had to first deal with the crisis that was affecting Tong Xuan Realm. In other words, these ‘black ink stains’ could not be removed unless the Spirit Array was completely rooted out.
It was not a difficult task to get rid of the Spirit Arrays and he only needed to go out for a while to do so; however, he had to stabilize her vitality first. The Black Qi and ‘black ink stains’ covering her body were continuously devouring both her and Tong Xuan Realm’s vitality. As she already had a weakened constitution, this immediately caused her condition to worsen. Thus, she would be at risk of death if her vitality was not stabilized immediately.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and tossed quite a number of jade bottles to Xue Yue, “Take out those pills and feed them to her.”
Xue Yue took those jade bottles and opened them without any hesitation. Taking out some of the Spirit Pills within, she pinched Xia Ning Chang’s small mouth open and stuffed those pills into Xia Ning Chang’s mouth. Then, she placed one hand on Xia Ning Chang’s chest and poured some Saint Qi in to help her absorb the medicinal effects.
Unfortunately, the results weren’t promising. These Spirit Pills were only Dao Source Grade, which could only bring about a limited result. Although Yang Kai had many Emperor Grade Spirit Pills on him, he couldn’t give Xia Ning Chang any due to her current cultivation. The effects of one such pill would be enough to cause her body to explode from the potency.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai slapped his palm to his forehead and cursed at himself for being a fool.
[How could I forget about that at such a critical moment?!]
He plunged his Soul Avatar into the Sealed World Bead in the next moment and soon after, a green leaf appeared in his hands. There was a drop of milky white sap on that leaf. That white and flawless sap contained an unimaginable amount of vitality in it, as though it was the source of life itself. The same went for the leaf.
The leaf and sap were both from the Immortal Tree and were incredibly precious. They were treasures that anyone in the Star Boundary would kill to obtain. Nevertheless, Yang Kai took them out without hesitation. If it could resolve the current critical condition that Xia Ning Chang was in, he wouldn’t even mind letting her refine the entire Immortal Tree. Unfortunately, he had yet to find a method of refining the Immortal Tree itself. Besides, one leaf and one drop of sap was the limit; her body could not withstand any more than that.
Opening her mouth, Yang Kai placed the leaf and the sap inside. Then, he gently patted her on the back. Both items slid down her throat and entered her belly. His Emperor Qi circulated as he embraced her gently, like he was holding an exquisite and delicate porcelain vase in his arms; after all, the slightest negligence and carelessness could cause the woman in his arms to suffer.
The leaf and the sap of the Immortal Tree slowly melted, causing the effects of the Spirit Pill she had taken previously to spread out as well. A moment later, her body emitted a faint green light which melted into the Black Qi and diluted it.
Xue Yue cried with joy when she saw that. She did not know what Yang Kai had done or what he had fed Xia Ning Chang, but the scene before her undoubtedly showed that the latter was getting better.
[A family really can’t function perfectly without a man in the house.] There was nothing much she could do to help at the moment, so she continuously called Xia Ning Chang’s name softly in hopes of waking the other party up.
The green light gradually became denser and Xia Ning Chang’s dried-up vitality slowly recovered. At the same time, the Black Qi shrouding her body was restrained by the green light. The two colours intertwined continuously around her body and gradually reached a balance.
The effect of the Immortal Tree was so powerful that if it were any other person, they would already be jumping around energetically by now even if they had been at death’s door just a moment ago. However, Xia Ning Chang’s situation was different. The reason being that the problem she was facing was not an internal one that could be solved solely by treating her.
Xia Ning Chang groaned softly, her eyelashes fluttering. Then, her eyes slowly opened slightly.
Xue Yue exclaimed, “Ning Chang! Ning Chang!”
“Elder… Sister Yue…” Xia Ning Chang’s eyes were still a little dazed. Her thoughts gradually returned to normal when she saw Xue Yue’s face; however, she soon noticed that she was lying in a broad and comfortable pair of arms. Moreover, her nose was filled with a nostalgic scent. Leaning her head back to rest against Yang Kai’s shoulder, she looked at that side profile and smiled bitterly, “Junior Brother!”
[I didn’t want him to see me like this, but in the end, he still saw me in this state. I must look extremely ugly right now.]
“Call me ‘husband’!” Yang Kai lightly touched his forehead against hers.
Her pale face blushed slightly before disappearing a moment later. Lowering her head, she called him again softly.
He laughed in response, “It’s bad enough that Su Yan calls me Junior Brother, but I can’t have everybody calling me that, right? I am the head of the family. How can I hold my head up high in the future?” He turned to look at Xue Yue, “What about you?”
Xue Yue shyly replied, “Save Ning Chang first.”
Xia Ning Chang added, “I’m feeling much better now.” During that short conversation just now, her complexion had truly gotten much better. Even her voice sounded stronger and she no longer felt as lethargic as before. The green light wrapping around her body gave her a warm and comfortable feeling, so much so that she wanted to lie in her man’s arms until they grew old together.
Xue Yue said frustratedly, “Ning Chang, how can you do this to me?!”
Xia Ning Chang smiled.
Then, Xue Yue snapped, “Husband!” She glared at Yang Kai with an expression that seemed to say, ‘are you happy now?’
All of a sudden, a person came into the room. It was Meng Wu Ya, who looked very anxious. He and the others had been waiting outside the great hall just now, so they were unaware of what had happened here. At this moment, he saw Xia Ning Chang lying shyly in Yang Kai’s arms, smiling again. For some reason, that made him calm down as the heavy weight that had been pressing down on his heart for a long time lifted.
Yang Kai and Xue Yue exchanged a glance with each other and immediately came to an understanding. Putting Xia Ning Chang down again, Yang Kai said, “Rest well. I’m going to kill some people and avenge you.”
When he turned around, he felt something pulling on his clothes. Xia Ning Chang, who was lying on the bed, was looking at him with a horrified look. That gaze was extremely distressing to see. She was scared; she was petrified that he might leave and never return, just like last time; she was afraid she might not hear from him for several dozen years again. More than that, she was terrified that what happened just now was nothing more than a dream. If that was the case, she would rather not get revenge. She would rather he stayed by her side forever. She never wanted to let him leave again.
Knowing how she felt, Yang Kai patted her hand gently and comforted, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Here, why don’t you count to a hundred? I’ll reappear in front of you by the time you reach a hundred.”
“What if you don’t come back?” She asked.
“I will definitely come back!”
Upon hearing those words, she nodded gently, let go of her hand, and closed her eyes.
Yang Kai signalled Xue Yue and Meng Wu Ya with his eyes, and they walked out of the room together. Liu Yan was happily standing outside the door. She looked up at him when he came out. He patted her head, “Stay here and take good care of her.”
She nodded obediently.
Meng Wu Ya frowned slightly, wondering why Yang Kai asked a little girl to guard this place. Furthermore, he could not understand the relationship between those two. [Could she be Yang Kai’s daughter?] He had to admit that Liu Yan’s appearance could easily cause such misunderstanding. [Even if she is Yang Kai’s daughter, she doesn’t seem to have cultivated before. What can she do even if she stays here?]
A short while later, they walked into the outer palace. Meng Wu Ya anxiously spoke up, “Those rats seem to be fleeing from Tong Xuan Realm. Yang Boy, what should we do?”
It was precisely because he had sensed the signs of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators fleeing that he hurriedly approached Yang Kai to discuss countermeasures.
During that conversation, they arrived outside the palace. A group of people were standing there and looking at something in the sky. Following their gazes, Yang Kai saw streams of light flying out in all directions and fleeing into the Starry Sky. Many of those lights were huge Starships. Just as Meng Wu Ya had reported; the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field were retreating from Tong Xuan Realm.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth lifted into a smirk. [Trying to escape? Where can you run to? I planned to deal with you after meeting with Xia Ning Chang and Xue Yue, but I did not expect you to flee so quickly like frightened rats. Still… Did you really think you’d be able to escape death that easily!? You still need to pay for all the suffering Little Senior Sister went through several hundred times over!]
Everyone looked at Yang Kai, waiting for his orders, as even though he had just returned, the moment he stood there, he became their backbone. He reached out, pointed toward the sky, and ordered in a low voice, “Engage them. There’s no need to fight; just don’t let them escape easily.”
Everybody acknowledged those words as soon as they heard them.
“Wait!” Somebody shouted all of a sudden. Everybody turned to look in the direction of the voice. The speaker was none other than the current Sect Master of Purple Star, Zi Wu Ji.
Yang Kai glanced at him but did not recognize him, so he frowned in response.
“Greetings, Brother Yang. I am…”
He interrupted Zi Wu Ji, “If you have anything to say, hurry up and spit it out.”
A flash of displeasure flitted through Zi Wu Ji’s eyes. He knew that Yang Kai was powerful. Yang Kai had already been in the Second-Order Origin King several dozen years ago and at that time, he had supposedly journeyed to a mysterious place. His cultivation was probably much higher than it had been back then. Even so, Zi Wu Ji was the Sect Master of Purple Star. He might be under the shelter of somebody else at the moment, but his strength wasn’t to be scoffed at. With such a powerful enemy in front of them, every little bit of strength was precious. For that reason, everybody, including Xue Yue, Xia Ning Chang, or Meng Wu Ya, had been rather polite to him for the past few years. It was inevitable that Yang Kai’s forceful attitude rubbed him the wrong way.
Putting such thoughts aside though, he warned, “The cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field greatly outnumber us. As far as I know, there are several Third-Order Origin Kings among them as well. Now, they even have several dozen Starships escorting them. If we charge at them recklessly with our numbers, it wouldn’t be any different from walking into a lion’s den.”
“Besides, they are fleeing. Why bother provoking them at this time? The concept of ‘not pursuing a hard-pressed enemy’ fits this situation perfectly. I hope you can think this over, Brother Yang.”
“Are you done?” Yang Kai looked at Zi Wu Ji.
Zi Wu Ji nodded in response.
Then, Yang Kai stopped paying attention to Zi Wu Ji. Raising his finger to the sky, he shouted, “Engage them!”
“You…” Zi Wu Ji was stunned. He did not expect this person to ignore his advice and be so adamant on doing things their own way.
To some extent, there was nothing wrong with his concerns. There were quite a lot of Masters gathered in Nine Heavens Holy Land, and their respective cultivations were very high, but even so, they would be stretched quite thin compared to the lineup of those from Grand Desolation Star Field. If they really chased after the enemy without care, they might not only fail to kill them, but also risk losing their lives as a result.
Hence, the best way to deal with this situation was to stay put and let the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field leave. That way, they would have some breathing space to catch their breath; after all, ten years was not too long for a gentleman to have his revenge. There would always be an opportunity in the future as long as one survived.
He had tried so hard to persuade Yang Kai only to realize that he was simply casting pearls before a swine. Thus, he started cursing Yang Kai in his heart. [Hmph. Look at how arrogant you are acting. Let’s see just who is willing to accompany you in your crazy endeavours!]
However, he quickly froze in shock.
That was because Li Rong and Han Fei solemnly acknowledged Yang Kai’s order the moment it was issued. They turned into two streams of black light and shot straight into the sky with all the rest of the Ancient Demon Clan following behind them.
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon followed closely behind. Similarly, Hu Jiao’er and Hu Mei’er transformed into two rays of light, one purple and one green, and spiralled into the sky.
Everyone took off, one after another, without any hesitation or doubt. In the blink of an eye, only the people of Purple Star and Sword Union were left standing in front of the great hall.
[Are they all crazy?] Zi Wu Ji looked lost.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai bent his knees and leapt up, shattering space and leaping across the Void, disappearing in an instant.
“Brother Zi, let’s go and help them too!” Gu Jian Xin said suddenly.
Zi Wu Ji turned to look at Gu Jian Xin, “Have you gone crazy too, Brother Gu?”
Rushing over right now was tantamount to rushing towards their deaths. Leaving aside the others, what surprised him was that Gu Jian Xin had made the same decision. That puzzled him to no end. He had grown a sense of comradery with Gu Jian Xin over the years due to their similar situations; therefore, he simply could not understand why Gu Jian Xin was so foolish now.
Gu Jian Xin smiled slightly, “You’re not really living if you don’t let loose a little every once in a while.” The simple longsword in his arms trembled, making his blood boil. He couldn’t wait to fight a huge battle and release the Sword Intent accumulated in his body.
As a Sword Master, he had not fought to the death for years and he felt as though his Martial Heart had been growing duller as a result. Although the situation at this moment was not optimistic, Gu Jian Xin burned with an endless fighting spirit. It didn’t matter whether he was being wise or unwise, at this moment, all he could think about was letting loose and fighting to his limits.
Taking out his sword, it thrummed with power and flashed with light. Gu Jian Xin became one with his sword and took off like a flash of lightning. His Sword Servants followed him without saying a word.
The corners of Zi Wu Ji’s brow twitched. He couldn’t remain here alone no matter how shameless he was; thus, he gathered a group of cultivators from Purple Star and joined the attack. He vowed to himself that he was only there for appearances’ sake and refused to fight to the death. If the situation took a turn for the worst, he would escape quickly.
In the blink of an eye, there was no one left in front of the great hall and the entire Nine Heavens Holy Land fell silent.
…
“Many thanks, Little Senior Sister!” Yang Kai laughed as he threw out a punch. A storm of fists then rained down on the enemy party.
He did not intercept the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field. He had more important things to deal with at the moment; that was to deal with the seven sub-arrays of the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array. These seven sub-arrays were like seven malignant tumours growing on Tong Xuan Realm. They eroded away at the vitality of both Xia Ning Chang and this Star. Although he had used the leaf and the sap of the Immortal Tree to stabilize Xia Ning Chang’s condition, getting rid of these seven sub-arrays was the top priority at the moment.
He initially wanted to rush to the place where these seven parts were located as quickly as possible; however, his body suddenly became lighter during the flight and he immediately appeared at his destination, crossing several tens of thousands of kilometres in an instant.
This was clearly Xia Ning Chang’s doing. She was the Star Master of Tong Xuan Realm, so transporting a person around on this land was as easy as snapping her fingers. Even though she was still recuperating in her room, she was obviously aware of his plans; hence, she helped him with the power of a Star Master. It was also a way to help herself.
Below Yang Kai was where one of the seven ‘black ink stains’ was located. According to reason, the situation should have been similar to what he saw at the largest ‘black ink stain’ he destroyed previously; however, the cultivators of the Grand Desolation Star Field had clearly done something to the Array. The ‘black ink stain’ was showing signs of wildly spreading to its surrounding areas. The huge ‘black ink stain’ continuously devoured the surrounding region while at the same time, an extremely uncomfortable aura was being emitted from its depths. It seemed to be connected to the Netherworld and led straight to Purgatory.
An endless rain of punches blasted down on the ‘black ink stain’ from above, and the Black Qi was instantly sent churning. It was like throwing a drop of cold water into a pan of boiling oil, resulting in an unpredictable chain reaction. The ‘black ink stain’ stopped expanding all of a sudden. Then, it exploded without warning, shrouding a thousand-kilometre radius in black light.
Yang Kai stopped punching at that moment. Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the situation below him. The ‘black ink stain’ could no longer maintain its shape, and although it had expanded by a lot, its colour had grown considerably lighter.
Regardless of what the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field had done to make the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array gain such explosive power before they left, it was still just a Spirit Array. The ‘black ink stain’ would no longer be a threat as long as he destroyed the structure of the array. The World Energy would now repair this region over time and one day, the Black Qi would disappear on its own.
Without giving him time to observe the situation though, Yang Kai felt a floating sensation once more. It felt as though he was being held by an invisible hand, and when that hand moved him around again, he found himself in a new place. Below him was another ‘black ink stain’ that was spreading violently, so he gave it the same treatment as the one from before.
“Another one down!”
“Little Senior Sister, don’t tire yourself out, okay? Don’t force yourself if you feel uncomfortable. My cultivation is very high, so travelling this kind of short distance is no trouble for me.”
“By the way, I forgot to tell you, but Su Yan is fine now. I’ve brought her back with me. She is probably with Luo’er right now.”
“When this matter is resolved, let’s return to Shadowed Star together. We can have a good talk once our whole family is reunited once again.”
Yang Kai attacked again and again. At the same time, he kept up what looked like a monologue to outsiders. Although he did not receive any responses, he knew that Xia Ning Chang was paying close attention to him as she was actively assisting him. The help she gave him undoubtedly saved him a lot of time travelling as while Tong Xuan Realm wasn’t exactly large, it would still take some time for Yang Kai to deal with the seven ‘black ink stains’ in his current condition. Therefore, things went far smoother with the Star Master aiding him. It was just that… This undoubtedly put quite a heavy burden on her body. Her condition had just stabilized, so it was best if she did not use so much strength.
The entire process took approximately a quarter of an hour. In that time, the seven ‘black ink stains’ had been eradicated and the seven sub-arrays had been destroyed.
Yang Kai smiled, “Alright, Little Senior Sister. You should get some rest. Leave the rest to me.”
A gentle breeze blew against his face at that moment and it felt as if something had left his side.
Raising his head, Yang Kai looked up into the sky and his gaze instantly became as sharp as a sword. The tenderness his eyes previously held was gone without a trace.
Blood was being spilled above the clouds high up in the sky. Corpses fell to the ground as figures tangled together in battle. Their violent power flowed and spread out wantonly.
The power gathered in Nine Heavens Holy Land was not weak, but it was not as good as the lineup of those from Grand Desolation Star Field. One after another, they began to fall into a disadvantage as there were four Third-Order Origin Kings from Grand Desolation Star Field present. If Xin Xuan Ming, who was killed by Yang Kai previously, was added to the count, they had a total of five! Most of them might only have been promoted recently, but a Third-Order Origin King was still a Third-Order Origin King, not an easy opponent to face under any circumstances.
Xue Yue was battling alone at the moment against none other than the Third-Elder of Netherworld Sect! Among all the other Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field, he was the strongest.
Both of them were Third-Order Origin Kings. Xue Yue was full of vigour while the Third-Elder was still kicking despite his age. Thus, they were equally matched. Both sides used their Artifacts and Secret Techniques at full power, but neither could gain an advantage.
The strongest was facing the strongest. It was a fruitless move, but it was also the best way to deal with the situation. If the Third-Elder was allowed to roam around freely, nobody from Nine Heavens Holy Land would be able to withstand him.
Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon were each battling a powerful enemy; but unfortunately, they were being beaten badly. In just a short amount of time, both Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon suffered minor injuries. They could only keep a Third-Order Origin King busy through various tricks and didn’t dare to turn the fight into a direct confrontation.
Meanwhile, Hu Jiao’er and her sister merged their strength to confront their opponent. Even though they were both just First-Order Origin Kings, they were in a much better situation compared to the former two. A purple and a green sword-light twisted together to form a large net of swords and wrapped around the final Third-Order Origin King. Caught in the net, their opponent would not be able to break free for some time.
Li Rong, Han Fei, Gu Jian Xin and his two Sword Servants, Xu Hui, as well as An Ling’er… All of them were fighting vigorously. They remembered Yang Kai’s order to hinder the enemy and prevent them from escaping.
“How dare you chase after us!? I’ll kill every last one of you!” The Third Elder forced Xue Yue back with a heavy palm strike; then, laughing wildly, he hurriedly turned and retreated.
Likewise, the other Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field seemed to have received some kind of signal and quickly created some distance between themselves and their opponents. One of them even reached into the net of swords created by Hu Jiao’er and her sister to pull their companion out.
The Third Elder stood there, looking outraged, but soon a sly and triumphant smile appeared on his face. Dozens of Starships lined up behind him, and their Crystal Cannons shone with white light. Their target was everybody from the Nine Heavens Holy Land!
Escaping was just a ruse! Their biggest purpose was to draw the enemy out of their lair, and from the looks of it, they had succeeded in their goal. The Starships had long been prepared and they only needed to fire one volley to reduce these people from Nine Heavens Holy Land to dust.
Victory was within sight; however, the Third Elder still felt his heart pounding in trepidation. He couldn’t help feeling that something was wrong. It made him feel extremely uneasy. Scanning his gaze over the crowd, he could not find any notable yet unfamiliar face.
[Who was it? Who was the one that destroyed the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array Core and killed the Vice Sect Master!?]
“Damn it!” Meng Wu Ya cursed, his complexion turning pale. The dozen or so Starships lined up in a row looked like wild beasts that devoured people whole and they gave off an incredible pressure as their Crystal Cannons began to glow, generating a sense of crisis.
Starships had always been used as weapons of conquest; therefore, even a single Crystal Cannon had unbelievable power. With more than ten Starships and hundreds of Crystal Cannons, even the Third Elder of Netherworld Sect could not predict just how great the damage would be. The only thing he could be sure of was that the people of Nine Heavens Holy Land would not be able to defend against this attack.
Even though Xue Yue and the others were unable to defend against an attack of that magnitude, they had no choice but to do so because behind them stood Nine Heavens Holy Land, as well as the Tong Xuan Realm. If they dodged the attack, then Nine Heavens Holy Land and Xia Ning Chang would be the ones to take it instead. Xia Ning Chang’s condition had just stabilized, so if she had to withstand a volley of hundreds of Crystal Cannons all at once, her condition would surely worsen.
Xue Yue’s figure flickered and she once again appeared, her long hair flying in the wind. Subsequently, a group of people gathered around her and formed an impassable defensive barrier.
The Third Elder was both shocked and overjoyed as he sneered, “If you are not going to avoid this attack, then you can all go and die!”
With a grand wave of his hand, he ordered the Starships to open fire.
The light of the Crystal Cannons was extremely dazzling, and the accumulated energy had reached its peak.
Without warning, a loud explosive sound rang out.
It was so loud that the world seemed to tremble in response; however, the expected barrage of Crystal Cannons did not appear. Scenes of carnage and devastation did not materialize either. On the contrary, an aura so powerful that it made one’s heart pound came from behind the crowd and approached them swiftly.
The Third Elder turned his head abruptly and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. A black-haired young man had appeared out of nowhere and rushed towards where Grand Desolation Star Field’s Starships were all on his own. The difference between the size of the huge Starships and that person’s figure was akin to a firefly and the Moon, giving off an absolutely tragic yet resolute vibe.
Be that as it may, the defences of the Starships might as well have been made of paper when that person slammed into one of their hulls. The Third Elder watched as that young man swung his fists casually, opening a huge hole in the side of a Starship with ease. It was followed by a loud explosion and flames flaring in all directions. At the same time, miserable cries rang out from inside the Starship as lives were extinguished, one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the young man rushed out from the other side of the Starship and flew straight to the second. He was like a meteor falling from the sky, bringing with him an unstoppable destructive force as he smashed through one Origin King Grade Starship after another.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of explosions rang out from every Starship, and by the time the unknown man made his way out of the last Starship, none of them remained intact. The Crystal Cannons that had been shining with a dazzling light now became extremely unstable.
*Hong long…*
A Starship suddenly exploded and was engulfed in flames. The huge hull of the ship split apart with a creaking sound and slowly fell downward. Another Starship quickly followed suit, then a third, a fourth… In just a few breaths, the dozen or so Starships had all been completely decimated.
All the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field felt as though their souls had left their bodies. Chills ran down from the tops of their heads to the soles of their feet, freezing them in terror as all of them stared at this young man with eyes full of shock and horror.
[Who the Hell is that!? How was he able to destroy more than ten Starships so easily!? Is he still human!?]
The Third Elder suddenly had an epiphany and shouted, “It’s you!”
He had wondered who destroyed the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array Core and killed Vice Sect Master Xin Xuan Ming. It was only at this moment when he saw this earth-shattering sight that he understood.
[It’s him! It’s definitely him! To be able to perform such feats… There can be no other person! He must be the one who destroyed the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array Core and killed the Vice Sect Master! But, who is he!? How is he so strong!?]
Xue Yue breathed out softly. She had steeled herself just now. Even if she had to give up her life in this place, she would not let a single one of those Crystal Cannons touch Tong Xuan Realm, but to her surprise, Yang Kai had arrived in the nick of time. His arrival instantly created a sense of relief and reliance in her heart and the churning emotional storm in her was finally able to calm. A proud expression next appeared on her face as she inwardly declared, [This is the man I chose!]
Gu Jian Xin looked shocked as a bitter smile hung at the corner of his lips, [No wonder my sword warned me about him. To what extent has he grown? When I first met him, his cultivation was on par with mine. I’ve always known that he had a limitless future ahead of him, but even so, I can’t believe he managed to increase his strength by so much in just a few dozen years. He has left me so far behind that I can’t even see his shadow anymore. What is his cultivation now? Is it comparable to the legendary Starry Sky Great Emperor? No wonder he only asked us to keep the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field occupied. We really only needed to prevent them from escaping as with his current strength, all of them put together aren’t his opponent.]
The situation had changed sharply, and it was all because of the arrival of one man.
Many of the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were ashen-faced. They couldn’t even muster the slightest bit of courage to fight when faced with that young man in front of them.
“Die!” Yang Kai spat out a word coldly. He was still standing there when he opened his mouth to speak, but by the time his voice rang out, he had already appeared on the opposite side of the crowd.
The Third Elder only saw a barely visible shadow passing through the ranks of his men, but before they had any time to react, the other party had already walked out of there calmly. He jumped in fright, intuitively feeling as though he had brushed past the gates of death.
*Chi…*
A strange sound rang out as many cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field looked in the direction of the sound only to see a scene that scared them senseless. A headless corpse stood in mid-air, blood spouting from its neck like a fountain. It was spectacular as the corpse still maintained a defensive posture, but its head was nowhere to be seen.
Turning their eyes stiffly, they quickly found the missing head of the corpse. At this moment, it was being held in the hand of the young man who had appeared out of nowhere. The head of the corpse had a confused expression on its face, looking as though it was still clueless about what had happened up until the moment of its death.
That was one of their Third-Order Origin King Realm Masters! That Master had battled with Meng Wu Ya previously and pounded the latter into the ground. To think he had been beheaded by Yang Kai; moreover, nobody had seen how he pulled that off!
“Kill!” Xue Yue shouted. The rage, resentment, and even the guilt she felt that had accumulated over the years burst out at this moment. These emotions fueled a thick murderous intent as she charged toward the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field.
What else was there to hesitate about? After seeing Yang Kai’s strength, everyone from Heng Luo Star Field immediately understood that there was no possibility of them losing today’s battle. Thus, they swiftly used their Movement Skills and jumped forward.
The battle began raging once more, but the situation was reversed. The cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field were fearful of Yang Kai’s Heaven defying strength and had lost all will to fight. On the other hand, the cultivators of Nine Heavens Holy Land charged forward bravely, fueled by unparalleled fury.
The result of the battle was decided from the beginning.
Yang Kai was not idle either. The torture Xia Ning Chang went through had left him feeling as though he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He needed to get that feeling of vexation out of his system. Moreover, he intended to make these invaders pay plenty of interest for this blood debt. Like a tiger descending from the mountain, he struck at the Third-Order Origin Kings with both hands. These Third-Order Origin Kings that had always stood at the top of the world quickly exploded into blood mists as they were completely incapable of putting up any resistance whatsoever. All of them died in the blink of an eye, leaving only the Third Elder behind.
The Third Elder looked around in stunned shock. How could he not realize that the war was lost? This young man was so strong that he had never seen another of this calibre in his life. Nobody in the Star Field was a match for this person.
Suddenly, the Third Elder’s vision blurred as he saw the unfathomable young man appear just one step away from him
Before he had the time to get out of the way, he was grabbed by the neck and hoisted into the air. He couldn’t even circulate his Saint Qi as he felt as though his bones were going to be crushed. Only when experiencing it in person did the Third Elder fully understand just how terrifying this man was.
“You sure had a lot of fun while I wasn’t home!” Yang Kai looked at the Third Elder coldly as he tightened his grip on the other party’s neck.
“Wait!” The Third Elder yelled, his face flushing red.
Yang Kai grinned, “If you have any last words, then hurry up and spit them out. You won’t have another chance if you don’t speak now.”
The Third Elder looked hostile instead, “Release me. Otherwise, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
Yang Kai looked at the Third Elder in surprise, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you clearly. Can you say it again?”
The Third Elder coldly said, “Your Star Master! Aren’t you going to go back to check on her condition? If nothing unexpected happens, she should be dead by now.”
Activating the seven parts of the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array to lure their enemy out of their lair was only one part of the Third Elder’s plan. He had prepared something else too, and the target was Xia Ning Chang! Once the Master of Nine Heavens Holy Land was gone, all the defences in this place would collapse. There was no way his plan could fail as it was his biggest trump card. Unfortunately, all the other Third-Order Origin King Realm Masters, aside from himself, had died before he could reveal this final move.
The Third Elder hated Yang Kai for being so decisive and ruthless. He only wanted to lure his enemies out, but how could he have known that he would bait such a dangerous existence instead?
“Really?” Yang Kai tilted his head to the side.
“You can go and confirm it yourself! The Netherworld Sect is finished, so I won’t ask for anything else. I just want you to let me live, and I will let your Star Master go free.”
“Idiot!” Yang Kai suddenly exerted more strength and the Third Elder’s head immediately separated from his shoulders. Blood splashed everywhere, as that flying head filled with an incredulous expression. It seemed as though he did not understand why Yang Kai had killed him. [I told him the truth. Doesn’t he need to confirm it? He-] His thoughts were cut off partway through, and he plunged into eternal darkness.
Yang Kai stood in mid-air, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. Sneering as he muttered, “As I thought, a thief in the family is the hardest to ward against.”
All of a sudden, he recalled what Long Tian Shang had said to him before losing his last bit of sentience. Those words might have been about the situation today. From the looks of it, Long Tian Shang had learned some secrets before and after being refined into a corpse.
Glancing at Nine Heavens Holy Land below him, Yang Kai raised an eyebrow but eventually shook his head, “Forget it, I’ll go back later.”
He was not worried about Xia Ning Chang’s safety at all. The Third Elder may have had a hidden trump card, but Liu Yan was guarding Xia Ning Chang right now. With Liu Yan there, nobody could harm a single hair on Xia Ning Chang’s head!
Thus, Yang Kai entered the fray again. His figure leapt across space and wherever he passed, Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field fell, one after another. Many people wanted to escape when they saw that the battle had been lost; however, how could Xue Yue or any of the others allow these people to escape so easily? All of them used everything they had to intercept and tie down these invaders.
The number of Masters from Grand Desolation Star Field dwindled as the battle went on, and under these circumstances, it soon turned into a massacre.
The battle ended an hour later, with not a single cultivator from Grand Desolation Star Field surviving. On the other hand, except for some casualties sustained during the initial interception, nobody from Nine Heavens Holy Land had died after Yang Kai came to support them. In fact, not a single one of them had even taken any further injuries.
Everyone was covered in blood, some of it their own, most of it the enemies’. They were breathing heavily as many pairs of eyes were fixed on Yang Kai. The looks were filled with admiration and astonishment. All of them were curious as to how strong he really was as he had seemed so casual in today’s battle, making it obvious that he wasn’t using his full strength…
While everybody from Nine Heavens Holy Land was stuck in a desperate battle against the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field, a sneaky and suspicious figure suddenly appeared in the empty Nine Heavens Holy Land. That figure was dressed in a purple robe that seemed to signify auspicious omens and unparalleled luxury. That figure was none other than Zi Wu Ji!
He did not follow Gu Jian Xin nor participate in the battle. He only pretended to join for a bit before returning to Nine Heavens Holy Land. Gu Jian Xin and the others were staunchly fighting against the enemy, so how could they notice what he was doing? Besides, the Holy Land had Xia Ning Chang’s protection and should be all but impregnable to invasion from external forces. Unfortunately, Zi Wu Ji was one of their own, and all of those sturdy defences were useless against him; therefore, he returned to the great hall without any problems. He was constantly muttering under his breath with a bitter and resentful expression, as if cursing at something.
Just a moment ago, he received a secret order that was currently troubling him greatly. Even so, he had to choke down his resentment and get it done out of consideration for his life. Not only would his life be spared if he succeeded, but he would also be able to become intimate with the woman of his dreams. That was killing two birds with one stone.
Approaching the inner temple cautiously, he tried to restrain his aura as much as possible. He knew that it was difficult to conceal his whereabouts from a Star Master, especially when they were so close. Still, that only applied if the Star Master was in a good enough condition and had the spare mental capacity to perceive their surroundings.
Unfortunately, that was not the case for Xia Ning Chang. She was in a terrible condition that had been worsening by the day, a fact Zi Wu Ji had confirmed with Gu Jian Xin earlier. For that reason, he was rather confident about succeeding in his mission despite feeling a little nervous.
After passing through the inner palace, Zi Wu Ji soon arrived at a room located not too far away. He rounded the corner and was overjoyed by the sight he was greeted with. The door to the room was wide open, and there were no traces of any Spirit Arrays for defence.
[The Heavens are on my side!]
Before he could dance for joy though, he heard a peal of clear and sweet laughter. The sound shocked him so much that he was stunned in place for some time. That was because the sound of laughter belonged to Xia Ning Chang. Although she sounded weak, she was not in as bad a condition as he had thought.
[What is going on? Isn’t she supposed to be bedridden, so sick that she doesn’t even have the strength to open her eyes? How is she able to laugh now? Also, who is joking with her at this time?] In that instant, he decided to retreat. He might not be able to go against those orders, but he had to reconsider taking action if his life was going to be at stake.
Suddenly, a realization flashed through his mind and he recalled the identity of a person Xia Ning Chang could be talking to. It was that seven- or eight-year-old girl! Among all the people who arrived earlier, she was the only one who did not leave.
Thinking so, he let out a soft breath of relief. [What a false alarm. I don’t have anything to worry about if it’s that little girl. The only thing I have to worry about right now is Xia Ning Chang’s current condition. She has the strength to laugh, so will she also have the strength to mobilize the power of Tong Xuan Realm? If that’s the case, then I’m no match for her…]
While he was hesitating, Xia Ning Chang’s voice suddenly rang out, “Come in and talk if you have something to say. Why are you… cough, cough… skulking around outside?”
[I’ve been discovered!] Zi Wu Ji was surprised at first, but he soon calmed down. Since she was not unconscious, it was only natural for her to notice his presence as he was literally just outside her room. Listening to her voice, he realized that she was indeed extremely weak, so after struggling with himself in his heart, he made his decision and stopped concealing his presence. He hurriedly ran into the room and shouted, “Young Lady Xia, this is bad!” Barging into the room, he promptly revealed an anxious expression.
Xia Ning Chang’s expression immediately changed as she couldn’t help but straighten her body that was leaning against the side of the bed and ask anxiously, “What’s wrong?”
He looked devastated, “Brother Yang, h-he… Haa…” Zi Wu Ji thumped his chest and stomped his feet, deliberately dragging things out.
Even if Xia Ning Chang doubted Zi Wu Ji’s words, she couldn’t help turning pale after hearing them. Swiftly, she released her Divine Sense and turned her attention to the battle above the clouds.
At that moment, Zi Wu Ji struck out. His palms flashed with a purple brilliance as he covered Xia Ning Chang in a layer of light and blurted out, “Please don’t blame me for this, Young Lady Xia. I have no choice; I was forced to do this. But, don’t worry. I won’t take your life…”
His sentence trailed off as at the same time, his expression turned into one of astonishment. Without any warning, a small figure was suddenly standing in front of him. A pair of distinct black eyes calmly watched him without the slightest emotion. Those eyes were looking at him as though looking at a mere pebble or grain of sand and made him extremely uneasy for some reason.
“Scram!” he shouted. [I’ve already shown my hand. At this point, there’s no turning back anymore. This little girl doesn’t know her place, so I’ll dispose of her first!]
He threw out a palm strike towards Liu Yan’s head at the same time, one that made solid contact, but in the next instant, his face filled with astonishment as he gawked stupidly, [She’s unscathed!]
The little girl, who looked like she was carved from the purest jade, was completely unscathed after taking a hit from him at full strength. She simply remained standing there quietly, her body note even flinching from the impact.
A feeling of horror grew in Zi Wu Ji’s heart as he began to wonder, [Did I… make a mistake somewhere?]
Before he could understand the situation, a fire snake wrapped itself around him and bound him up.
When Yang Kai returned after he finished dealing with the cultivator from Grand Desolation Star Field, he was greeted with the sight of a trussed up Zi Wu Ji trembling in a corner. The tongue of the fire snake flicked in and out of its mouth, making it look extremely ferocious. Even so, it was not releasing any heat even though it was literally made of flames. Otherwise, Zi Wu Ji would have been burned to ashes by now.
“As I thought, it was you!” Yang Kai glanced at Zi Wu Ji as if he had expected this outcome. What the Third Elder mentioned earlier had not been very clear, but Yang Kai was shrewd, so how could he fail to guess what that old man was implying? At that time, Yang Kai simply glanced about the battlefield and quickly figured out the meaning behind the Third Elder’s words.
All of a sudden, Liu Yan tugged at his clothes. She pointed to herself to indicate that it was all thanks to her. Then, she put on an expression that seemed to say. ‘Hurry up and praise me.’
Nodding, he rubbed her small head, “Good job.”
She narrowed her eyes in enjoyment.
“Hey! Why did you get up, Little Senior Sister? Lie down quickly!” Walking over to the side of the bed, Yang Kai helped Xia Ning Chang lie back down on the bed.
Xia Ning Chang, however, gave him a small smile and comforted, “I’m fine.”
She had received nourishment from the Immortal Tree, and additionally, Yang Kai had destroyed the seven sub-arrays of the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array, curbing the spread of the ‘black ink stains’ they were sustaining. For that reason, she was feeling much better now. Although she should have been recuperating meticulously, she was curious about what he had experienced over the years while he was away; therefore, she had sat up on the bed and asked Liu Yan to chat with her.
Liu Yan also sympathized with Xia Ning Chang’s situation, so she only spoke about all the interesting things that Yang Kai had experienced outside while she avoided mentioning all the dangers he had faced. It was those stories that had made Xia Ning Chang burst into laughter.
“Have you counted to a hundred?” Yang Kai reached out and tapped Xia Ning Chang on the nose.
Xia Ning Chang replied, “Not yet.” [Why would I count to a hundred? I was busy chatting with Liu Yan.]
He laughed, “Good, then it seems that I have not broken my promise.”
While they were talking, Xue Yue walked in from the outside where the sight of Zi Wu Ji sitting there, tied up, caught her by surprise, “What’s this? What happened?”
Zi Wu Ji cried and pleaded, “Young Lady Yue, please save me!”
She frowned, looking at him before looking back at Xia Ning Chang again. Although she did not know the full sequence of the events, she was intelligent and quickly guessed what had happened in this room. Realizing what had transpired here, her pretty face filled with anger as she shouted, “How dare you?!”
There had been no signs at all. It wasn’t that Zi Wu Ji had concealed himself well, it was just that they had both been swamped with internal and external issues. Combined with his identity, nobody could have imagined that he would actually be a traitor that managed to take refuge under those from Grand Desolation Star Field. Now that they thought about it, this person did seem to portray some rather suspicious behaviour over the past few years.
“I didn’t mean to do this! I was forced to! I was helpless too!” He had a bitter expression on his face.
“It’s just a simple seal placed on you!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. He hadn’t bothered investigating Zi Wu Ji before, but when he looked into the matter after something had occurred, he discovered that Zi Wu Ji had a very well-hidden seal on his body. The person who placed the seal was very skilful, and no Master from a Lower Star Field would be able to notice any trace of it without a thorough investigation. Moreover, the seal had been planted for at least seven or eight years by now, so it would seem that it had been applied when Purple Star had been conquered.
Zi Wu Ji asked, “Why would I do something so unjust if I had the choice? Young Lady Xia has protected us for so many years. I’m eternally grateful to her! It’s just that this seal is impossible to remove! I’ve been trying to break it for so many years but to no avail; moreover, I would be tortured if I was discovered trying to break the seal. If…”
A ray of light flashed towards him at that moment, cutting him off mid-sentence. Shocked, he thought that Yang Kai was going to kill him but instead, he felt his body becoming lighter when that beam entered him, as though the chains binding him had been broken.
A thought flashed through his mind before he turned to stare at Yang Kai in horror. The seal placed on him by a Master from Grand Desolation Star Field had vanished! That should have been an extremely gratifying event; however, he could not bring himself to feel happy at all. A deep wave of regret washed over him. If he had simply told Yang Kai about his situation… he could have gotten his life and freedom back, but now…
Zi Wu Ji’s lips moved but no sound came out as only the strong taste of bitterness remained on his tongue.
“Kill him!” Yang Kai said coldly.
“No! Have mercy!” Zi Wu Ji yelled in horror.
In the meantime, Liu Yan’s thoughts flashed, causing the fire snake wrapped around him immediately came back to life and began to emit a scorching aura.
“Wait!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted, shooting a look at Liu Yan before saying, “Kill him outside. Don’t dirty this place.”
Liu Yan nodded and controlled the Fire Snake to fly off with Zi Wu Ji in its grasp. A short while later, a scream came from far away.
Xue Yue shook her head and sighed. [He really brought ruin upon himself. The overall situation had been decided, but he chose to walk into a dead end.]
Starting from several dozen years back, Purple Star had been wrought with various conflicts in quick succession and probably would not recover from this incident anytime soon. Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce might not be in good shape, but its foundation was still in place. There was a chance of making a comeback as long as they could recover their lost Cultivation Stars.
“Little Senior Sister, you should rest now!” Yang Kai held Xia Ning Chang’s soft hands and made her lie down, all while refusing to accept any objections.
Although Xia Ning Chang looked helpless, she obeyed him. Even so, her cold hands grabbed onto his and refused to let go. She felt as though he would disappear as soon as she let go of his hands, so her red lips parted to object. However, Yang Kai spoke before she could say anything, “I’ll stay here with you. I won’t go anywhere.”
She nodded at his words and finally closed her eyes. Afterwards, he turned around and glanced at Xue Yue. Smiling at her, he spread his other arm out invitingly. Xue Yue glared at him before sassily walking over and leaning into his embrace.
Liu Yan pouted when she saw this and walked out with an unhappy expression. Nevertheless, she closed the door behind her gently.
First, Yang Kai ran into Su Yan in the Ancestral Domain by accident. Then, he returned to Shadowed Star to calm the war. After that, he went to Monster Emperor Star to help Shan Qing Luo. And now, the conflict in Tong Xuan Realm had been settled.
All those who were close to him were safe and sound. That was the greatest happiness he could ever ask for. Everything else could be dealt with slowly.
Xia Ning Chang had suffered greatly over the years. Not only did she have to maintain the protection over Nine Heavens Holy Land, but she also diverted her attention to take care of Xue Yue and the others whenever they went out on occasion and got into a skirmish with the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field; therefore, she had not had a real break in years.
Now that her worries were gone and Yang Kai was back, she snuggled against him and soon fell into a deep sleep. She no longer needed to use sleep to supplement her bodily needs at her current cultivation, but even so, she fell into a deep slumber like any ordinary mortal. Her expression was calm as she curled up next to Yang Kai and she seemed to be dreaming about something and smiled.
Meanwhile, Xue Yue lay on the other side of Yang Kai. They quietly used their Divine Sense to communicate, telling each other about their lives and the experiences they went through over the years.
The fragrance from her body lingered in his nose, and although he was not consumed by desire, he couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her on her red lips.
Xue Yue reached out and covered his lips with her hand though before he could and whispered, “Don’t even think about touching me until you solve Ning Chang’s problem!”
The situation in Tong Xuan Realm had calmed down and the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field who invaded this place had been eliminated; however, the wounds Xia Ning Chang suffered could not be so easily erased. Even though Yang Kai had used the Immortal Tree to restore her vitality and had destroyed the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array, she would not be healthy again as long as Tong Xuan Realm had not fully recovered.
Yang Kai scratched his head, “That will take several hundreds of years. Can you wait that long?”
Xue Yue snorted, “I’m fine with that. I’m more afraid you won’t be able to wait that long.”
“You’re looking down on me too much!” He spat disdainfully. Many years had passed since he went to Star Boundary, and if he had not gotten intimate with Zhu Qing, he would have remained celibate up until today. He was not some sort of gentleman and would of course still be moved by beauties; however, he refused to go against his principles and cheat on his wives.
She added, “You are not allowed to touch Elder Sister and Luo’er either!”
Yang Kai’s expression immediately sank into despair, “Why must you go that far?”
[There truly is nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart! What fun is there in life if I have four women by my side but I can’t even touch a single one of them!? Traversing the Martial Dao is about more than just cultivating! If Xue Yue colludes with Su Yan and Shan Qing Luo, she might actually be able to convince them. No, she will definitely convince them!]
Xue Yue arched her body against his arms and said softly, “I’m to blame for what happened to Ning Chang. As long as her problems aren’t solved, I won’t be able to rest at ease. Husband, I’m begging you, please think of a way to help Ning Chang recover as soon as possible.”
Reaching out her hand, he pinched her nose and said firmly, “If you blame yourself again like that, I will devour you right here and right now.”
She made a contemptuous snort in response.
He used his hand to lift her face up by her chin, “Ning Chang won’t blame you, so you should stop blaming yourself too. If she were in your shoes, she would have made the same decision. You also wouldn’t blame her for making that choice either.”
“But…”
“There are no buts.” He smiled and scratched his head again, “Still, you’ve given me quite a difficult challenge.”
Solving Xia Ning Chang’s issue wasn’t going to be easy; however, Yang Kai had planned to do something about it even if Xue Yue had not said anything. Several hundreds of years was too long, so whether it was for him or Xua Ning Chang, he could not afford to wait that long, and neither could she.
“Husband, are you at a loss for what to do too?” Xue Yue looked sad.
“I’m thinking…” He pondered in silence, “En, I’ve thought of something.”
Xue Yue was pleasantly surprised by those words as she looked up at him.
“If I succeed, will I get a reward?” He looked at her with a big grin.
She blushed slightly at those words and lowering her head, she murmured, “Why is your head always thinking about such obscene things? Ning Chang is your wife, so why are you asking me for a reward? How illogical.” She pouted, but still asked, “What do you want as a reward?”
He reached out and touched her cherry lips.
Despite glaring at him, she voluntarily stood up, leaned down, and pressed her lips against his. They kissed for a short while, and their breathing became uneven. Then, she grabbed his large hands that were shamelessly groping her under her clothes and slowly shook her head. Xia Ning Chang was sleeping right next to them, so how could she bring herself to act so shamelessly?
Yang Kai didn’t force the issue. Besides, he knew that she wasn’t in the mood right now. Removing his hand from her clothes, he pulled her into his arms and enjoyed the peaceful moment together.
Once Xia Ning Chang fell asleep, she remained so for five days straight. It wasn’t until five days later that she slowly opened her eyes and saw that Yang Kai was sitting next to her in the same position he had been in before she fell asleep. It looked as if he had not taken a single step away in the past few days. She couldn’t help feeling bad for him and blaming herself for making him uncomfortable.
After resting for five days, her condition had somewhat improved; unfortunately, the problem was not solved. The two auras in her body, one black and one green, were entangled with each other, but the green aura clearly had the upper hand. She only needed to wait for some time and the Black Qi would disappear completely; hence, there was no need to worry about her own body. The only thing that needed to be considered was Tong Xuan Realm.
On the contrary, Yang Kai had already considered many issues during this time and a plan had formed in his head. The reason he had not taken action immediately was that he wanted to wait until Xia Ning Chang woke up. He was afraid that she might be disappointed if she opened her eyes and did not see him there.
Yang Kai stayed with Xia Ning Chang for a while before he asked Xue Yue to take good care of her then got up and walked out.
A group of people was gathered inside the main hall at this moment.
They had eliminated the enemies that invaded their land during the battle a few days ago, and the excitement continued to bubble within them to this day.
When Yang Kai appeared, Meng Wu Ya and Old Demon greeted him immediately, with the former immediately asking, “How is Ning Chang?”
“Don’t worry. Little Senior Sister’s situation has stabilized and she will recover over time.”
Upon hearing those words, Meng Wu Ya heaved a sigh of relief.
Yang Kai glanced about his surroundings, letting his gaze roam across every familiar and unfamiliar face in the room before cupping his fists and speaking solemnly, “Many thanks for all the help you’ve given me over the years.”
Meng Wu Ya laughed and scolded, “You smelly brat! Why are you being so reserved around us?”
Yang Kai sternly replied, “The troubles in Tong Xuan Realm might be resolved, but the situation of the Star Field as a whole is not optimistic. There will be many aspects which you will need to contribute to in the future. Once we eliminate all the enemies across Heng Luo Star Field, I will prepare a huge celebratory feast for all of you.”
As soon as his words rang out, everybody fell into deep contemplation. They had been stuck inside Tong Xuan Realm for many years, so they did not know much about the outside world. Clearly, the situation outside was not much better than their own had been.
“So… For now I ask all of you to cultivate diligently. We must begin preparing for the next battle immediately.” Saying so, he tossed a Space Ring to Meng Wu Ya.
Meng Wu Ya accepted the Space Ring and swept its contents with his Divine Sense, his expression swiftly turning to one of shock. The Space Ring was filled with all kinds of cultivation resources; moreover, he could tell that those items were extremely valuable at first glance, some of them he had not even heard of nor seen before.
He did not check the contents thoroughly, but such a large number of materials was enough for thousands of people to use for several years.
[With these, everybody will surely undergo explosive growth within a short period of time!]
“I will leave these things to you, Treasurer Meng. You will be in charge of distributing them to the others. Next, I will open up a communication channel between this place and the outside world. Once that’s finished, you will be able to reach Water Moon Star, Monster Emperor Star, and Shadowed Star. One month. After one month, please join me in battle again!
…..
Nine Heavens Holy Land had the Space Array that Yang Kai had arranged back then, and working together with Liu Yan, he was able to quickly upgrade it so it could connect to the more distant Stars.
Yang Kai instructed Liu Yan to stay behind after they were finished before he mounted the Array and activated it. A bright light flashed for a moment and his figure vanished. After that, Yang Kai appeared in the palace of Water Moon Star where he saw a young girl sitting cross-legged by the side. There were a lot of Source Crystals piled up beside her and she seemed to be cultivating.
The young girl sensed something and hurriedly opened her eyes. Lifting her head, she exclaimed in surprise, “Senior Yang!”
“Yu Qin. Are you alone?” He smiled at her.
This young girl was Lu San Niang’s daughter, Lu Yu Qin. Although her cultivation was nothing special in the Star Boundary, it was considered rather uncommon and extraordinary in the Star Field considering her young age. Leaving her to guard this Space Array was a great idea as there was really no need to worry about people attacking or intruding.
Lu Yu Qin was clearly much more cheerful than before and her small face blushed slightly as she nodded, “Mother said that this Array is very important to you, Senior Yang, so she asked me to guard this place to prevent anybody from getting close.”
“Where are your parents now?” Yang Kai asked.
Pouting slightly, Lu Yu Qin muttered, “In the city. They’re ignoring me.”
Seeing this, Yang Kai laughed, “They finally reunited after a long time, so it’s inevitable that they want some time together by themselves.”
She snorted, “They are stuck together all day long. I hate it!”
Despite saying that, she did not look like she was holding it against them. All she and Lu San Niang had on Dragon Island was each other; moreover, they were constantly bullied there. Now, they had Li Jiao by their side and he took very good care of both of them. Even Lu Yu Qin was glad about the change so how could she reproach them for their behaviour?
“Alright. Focus on cultivating. I’m going to look for your parents,” Yang Kai said before he used his Divine Sense to check his surroundings and locate Li Jiao and the others.
Li Jiao, Lu San Niang, Ruan Bi Ting, and He Yun Xiang were gathered together inside one of the palaces in the city right now. In addition, there were many unknown faces gathered around them. These people were all Origin Kings whose eyes were filled with admiration and respect as they gazed upon these four, Li Jiao in particular. There were as many as a dozen such individuals.
They seemed to be discussing something. Li Jiao sat at the head of the table, feeling bored and absent-minded. He was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so being left here by Yang Kai to recover Water Moon Star was simply overkill. After separating from Lu San Niang and the others, the task only took less than a month to complete. It was just that Li Jiao had no choice but to manage the place after regaining control since he had no idea how important Water Moon Star was to Yang Kai.
Unfortunately, this place and its issues were completely meaningless to him so he felt it was better if he went sightseeing with Lu San Niang instead.
As for the other cultivators in the Origin King Realm gathered in this palace, they were subordinates he took in during the process of recovering Water Moon Star. They were originally local Masters or subordinates of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce who had been living in hiding from the Netherworld Sect all these years, but all of them had joined the crusade after witnessing the strength of these four strangers.
The door was pushed open suddenly and somebody in the palace stood up and shouted, “Who goes there!?”
They were discussing important issues at the moment, so just who would dare to act so presumptuously and barge into this place without prior notification? Everyone lifted their gazes to look in that direction and the sight of a young man walking into the room entered their vision. He looked familiar at first glance, as if they had seen him somewhere before, but they couldn’t quite recall where.
While many of the Origin Kings were still feeling confused, a gust of wind blew past them and Li Jiao greeted the young man in surprise, “Brother Yang!”
Similarly, Lu San Niang, Ruan Bi Ting, and He Yun Xiang all stood up and bowed too.
After seeing that, the Origin Kings no longer dared to look down on Yang Kai. Over the past month, all of them had witnessed how powerful Li Jiao and the others here were. He Yun Xiang seemed to be a Third-Order Origin King, which meant that while she was strong, it was still within their ability to understand. On the other hand, the strength of the other three, whether Li Jiao, Lu San Niang, or Ruan Bi Ting, was unfathomable. An Origin King Realm Master was nothing more than a child in front of them, one that they could kill on a whim; therefore, somebody who could receive such respectful treatment from these Masters could not be any ordinary person.
Upon a closer look, some people gave an exclamation of surprise and astonishment. They finally realized that this young man was Yang Kai, the same Yang Kai who had visited Water Moon Star back then and met many people during his trip here. Although more than several dozen years had passed, the memory was still vivid in their minds. Xue Yue’s husband; the handsome son-in-law of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce; the Star Master of Shadowed Star. Any of these names were enough to attract their attention. Even so, they were astonished to see that he was acquainted with such powerful people. Moreover, looking at the way these influential Masters were treating him, it seemed as though they… respected and even felt grateful towards him.
All of a sudden, they recalled what Li Jiao casually mentioned before. He said that the reason why the four of them had purged their enemies and were helping the weak was that they were asked to do so by a certain person. From the looks of things, the person in question seemed to be none other than Yang Kai. For a moment, the Origin Kings were overwhelmed by their emotions.
“Brother Yang, we have taken back control of this Cultivation Star as you asked. We also got rid of all the remaining rats.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Many thanks for your hard work. En… I actually came here today to ask for a favour.”
Li Jiao laughed, “Just tell us what you need, Brother Yang. There’s no need to be so polite.”
Yang Kai rubbed his two fingers together and asked, “Lend me some money.”
“Huh?” Li Jiao was stunned.
“Source Crystals. Lend me everything you have. I will pay you back when we get back to the Star Boundary.”
Li Jiao finally ascertained that he had not heard wrongly. Failing to stifle his laughter, he hurriedly took off his Space Ring, fiddled with it slightly, and transferred all the Source Crystals within it to another before handing that second Space Ring to Yang Kai, “I only have these.”
He might be the Palace Master of Fire Dragon Palace, but he couldn’t possibly bring massive amounts of Source Crystals everywhere with him. Fire Dragon Palace needed funds to operate and develop after all. The disciples also needed to spend a lot of Source Crystals for their cultivation. The Sect would not be able to function if he took all the Source Crystals away with him. Besides, Fire Dragon Palace still owed High Heaven Palace a huge sum of money, so more than 90% of the reserves in the palace had been used to repay that debt.
Therefore, Li Jiao had no more than several tens of thousands of High-Rank Source Crystals in his Space Ring. He had slightly more Mid-Rank Source Crystals and Low-Rank Source Crystals, but unfortunately, these did not match with his status as a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. In short, he had been living on a tight budget for the past two years.
“I have some as well,” Lu San Niang walked over and took out all the Source Crystals she had. Yang Kai was not offended by the amount and accepted them all. Meanwhile, Ruan Bi Ting and He Yun Xiang were helpless in this matter.
Yang Kai had been working hard in the Star Boundary over the years, so the number of Source Crystals he had amassed during this period was simply uncountable. Unfortunately, he left almost all of that wealth back in High Heaven Palace. He had quite a lot of Source Crystals in his possession, but for the next step of his plan, the more Source Crystals he could get, the better. It wouldn’t be enough no matter how many of them he had.
“Brother Li, can I ask you a question? How much do you know about Spirit Arrays?” Yang Kai asked after putting the Source Crystals away
Li Jiao replied, “I’m no expert, but I know a thing or two.”
“Good. Come with me.” Yang Kai reached out, grabbed Li Jiao’s arm, and walked outside.
Li Jiao was speechless. He did not know why Yang Kai was in such a hurry, but he didn’t resist. He simply gave Lu San Niang a look and asked her to wait there; afterwards, Yang Kai and Li Jiao returned to Nine Heavens Holy Land together via the Space Array.
“Come!” Yang Kai flew up into the air while Li Jiao followed closely behind. It didn’t take long for the two of them to reach a height of several thousands of kilometres, at which point Yang Kai pointed downward and said, “Brother Li, take a look.”
Upon hearing those words, Li Jiao looked down and subconsciously frowned. Everywhere he looked, Tong Xuan Realm seemed to be wrapped in a frail aura. Furthermore, the surface of this Cultivation Star had many obvious traces of being poisoned.
“What do you want me to do, Brother Yang?” Li Jiao had a vague idea as to what Yang Kai was planning now.
Yang Kai asked, “Are there any Spirit Arrays that allow this Cultivation Star to quickly recover its World Energy and vitality?”
Li Jiao pondered for a moment, “I know a Spirit Array called the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array. It might be of some help to you, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai lifted his brow at that and said, “In that case, please help me arrange this Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, Brother Li.”
Li Jiao explained, “The Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array can be divided into several types. They are the 18 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, 36 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, 72 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, and the highest rank being the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array. Every type requires different kinds of materials to arrange, and the difficulty of arranging it increases with each rank. In exchange, the effects will get better and better. I could easily set up the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array if we were in Star Boundary, but here…”
“I can help.”
Li Jiao laughed, “Brother Yang, as you know, these Lower Star Fields will reject any power that exceeds the limits of its Principles. I need to suppress my cultivation to be able to move about freely here just as you do, so the same limitation applies to Spirit Arrays as well. The very existence of the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array surpasses what this Star’s World Principles can handle, so I’m afraid that arranging such a Spirit Array won’t make much of a difference.”
“What if we have the help of the Star Master?”
“This Star has a Star Master?” Li Jiao asked in surprise. This Cultivation Star was in a dilapidated state and its World Energy was clearly exhausted. Even if there was a Star Master, that person would likely be dying by now. That was why his thoughts had not gone in that direction before. However, Li Jiao abruptly realized something after listening to what Yang Kai said. The reason Yang Kai wanted him to arrange such a Spirit Array to help this Cultivation Star recover its World Energy was not for the sake of the Cultivation Star, but for its Star Master!
Now that he understood the situation, Li Jiao nodded, “If we can get the Star Master’s help, we’ll have some hope in this matter.”
The Star Master was the ruler of this place, so even if the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array was rejected by the Star Field, the Star Master could circumvent the rejection enough to activate the Spirit Array.
“Which type of Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array do you want me to arrange here, Brother Yang?”
“Naturally, I want you to prepare the best.”
Hesitating, Li Jiao cautioned, “The materials required will be quite substantial.”
Even for Fire Dragon Palace, the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array was not something they could arrange at will without a valid reason. Doing so for a Cultivation Star of a Lower Plane was simply not worth it.
Yang Kai resolutely declared, “The cost is of no concern.”
While speaking, he took off the Space Ring on his finger and tossed it to Li Jiao to check.
Li Jiao used his Divine Sense to sweep this Space Ring, and what he found inside immediately made him dizzy. Source Crystals were piled up like mountains in practically impossible to count numbers. Moreover, there were various cultivation resources and rare materials of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Even though he was a Palace Master himself, looking at these items made him envious. In comparison, the Source Crystals he lent to Yang Kai just now were not even a fraction of what was inside this Space Ring.
The initial shock was quickly followed by astonishment as Li Jiao recalled that it wasn’t that long ago that Yang Kai established High Heaven Palace. Besides, High Heaven Palace did not own any businesses or industries to generate regular income or collect materials. Yang Kai couldn’t have earned so many Source Crystals in such a short time, so the only other explanation was he gained all this treasure through fighting and looting others. In other words, this mountain of Source Crystals and every single artifact and material in this Space Ring represented the number of enemies Yang Kai killed and the Sects he destroyed.
A drop of cold sweat dripped down Li Jiao’s forehead as he sincerely thought to himself, [I’m so glad I didn’t cause a falling out with Yang Kai back then. Otherwise, things would not have ended well for Fire Dragon Palace!]
“Are these enough?” Yang Kai asked, “I still have a Source Crystal Lode tucked away if it’s not enough.”
“It’s enough.” Li Jiao nodded repeatedly, [It would be inexcusable if this amount still wasn’t enough…]
“Then, I’ll have to trouble you with this, Brother Li. Please let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”
“Of course. Uh… I also need you to inform the Star Master that I need their cooperation, Brother Yang.”
“Good!”
Next, Li Jiao took out several blank jade slips and using his Divine Sense began engraving them with all the essential information about the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array before he handed them over to Yang Kai.
Afterwards, Yang Kai returned to Nine Heavens Holy Land and informed Xia Ning Chang of the matter. On the other hand, Li Jiao flew around Tong Xuan Realm and carefully inspected the environment to determine the optimal way to arrange the Spirit Array.
The Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array wasn’t considered a profound or complex Spirit Array in the Star Boundary. It was just that there were many different types. With Xia Ning Chang’s insight, it was not difficult for her to comprehend the mystery of this Spirit Array, and with Yang Kai assisting her, she gained a comprehensive understanding of the subject within a few days.
One day, Xia Ning Chang suddenly felt something and smiled, “That person is here.” While speaking, she gently waved her hand.
At the moment, Li Jiao was wandering around outside Nine Heavens Holy Land while thinking about how to get in.
[Maybe I should call Yang Kai and ask him to pick me up?] While he was considering his options, the thick fog in front of him suddenly split apart to reveal a passage into which he immediately walked.
Yang Kai was waiting inside the great hall, and when he saw Li Jiao arriving, covered in dust and tired from travelling, he asked anxiously, “How did your investigation go, Brother Li?”
Li Jiao replied, “It’s going to be time-consuming, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Very good!”
“Let me tell you where to arrange the Spirit Array. There is some preparatory work that needs to be done in advance, which I will leave to you, Brother Yang. We can start arranging things once the refining of the base and flags is completed,” Li Jiao said. While speaking, he took out a jade slip and tapped on it.
A sphere projection then appeared from the jade slip with a flash of light. Most of the sphere was covered in blue or yellow. Moreover, the distribution of the two colours were uneven. Yang Kai glanced at the projection and immediately realized that it was a projection of Tong Xuan Realm with yellow representing land and blue representing water.
It seemed that Li Jiao had been working very hard over the past few days. Not only did he circle the entire Tong Xuan Realm, but he also carefully drew such a map. Although he did not dare to say that it was 100% accurate, it was certainly pretty close. Studying it for a moment, Li Jiao pointed to a certain spot, “Brother Yang, please look at this. This place is where we are right now.”
Yang Kai nodded, recognizing that it was the location of Nine Heavens Holy Land on Tong Xuan Realm.
“The World Energy here is the densest across the entire Star. The Principles are the most perfect too. It can be used as the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array Core.” Li Jiao gave a wave of his hand and a red spot immediately appeared where Nine Heavens Holy Land was located on the projection as if he had marked it.
The cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field had wantonly done whatever they wanted to Tong Xuan Realm for several years, so at this point, the only place left undamaged was Nine Heavens Holy Land. With Xia Ning Chang overseeing this place, it was the most suitable for the Array Core to be situated.
Yang Kai nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
Then, Li Jiao waved his hand again. Eight small black spots immediately appeared on the projection of Tong Xuan Realm. These spots coincided with the positions of the sub-arrays of the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array that Yang Kai had destroyed previously. Li Jiao continued, “The poison is the worst in these eight areas. If I am correct, somebody set up Spirit Arrays in these eight spots before. If you want this Star to recover its World Energy, we must deal with these eight spots with utmost priority.”
“What you say makes sense, Brother Li.”
Lifting his hand again, many red spots appeared on the sphere, one after the other, “I travelled this land for several days and surveyed many places. As a result, I have chosen a total of 108 spots to situate sub-arrays. Aside from the Array Core and the eight black spots, there are still 99 more places to go. I need you to bury an adequate amount of Source Crystals in each of those places; then, once the Spirit Array is activated, those Source Crystals will be transformed into World Energy by the Spirit Array to nourish this Star.”
“Wonderful!” Yang Kai applauded. He had been studying the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array with Xia Ning Chang over the past few days and had gotten a basic understanding of how it worked and how to arrange it. After listening to Li Jiao’s explanation, Yang Kai was confident that this plan would work.
Xia Ning Chang had to rely on Tong Xuan Realm to recover if she wanted to restore her own vitality as soon as possible. Or, she could undergo the same experience Yang Kai had gone through on Shadowed Star. If she could perform a Star Master’s returning nurture to the Star, she could guide Starlight Strength to Tong Xuan Realm from the Star Field itself. There was no need for the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array anymore if she could do this.
Unfortunately, her cultivation was not sufficient. She could not achieve what Yang Kai had accomplished as returning nurture to the Star was too far out of her grasp. The only reason Yang Kai could achieve it so easily was because his own cultivation had far surpassed the limits of Shadowed Star.
“Brother Yang, if you don’t have any objections to the plan, I will start working on it immediately.”
“Many thanks, Brother Li.”
Li Jiao gently nodded. After a pause, he added, “There is one more thing. I need Liu Yan’s help with this.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Go ahead and use her as you please.”
Li Jiao needed to refine all kinds of things for the Spirit Array, and it just so happened that Liu Yan could help in that aspect. It would also prevent her from being bored all day long.
The two of them immediately divided the materials between them with Yang Kai taking the Source Crystals while handing everything else to Li Jiao. Those were the materials that Li Jiao needed to refine for the Core of the array.
After that, Yang Kai did not linger and immediately went back and found a suitable spot in Nine Heavens Holy Land. Tapping his foot against the ground, he lifted his head with a smile, “Please help me, Little Senior Sister.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the solid ground under his foot suddenly turned into quicksand and he instantly began to slide downwards without the slightest resistance. Even so, he remained motionless and was not the least bit panicked. Rather, he quietly calculated his position in his heart and halted his descent a few moments later. At this point, he was several hundred kilometres below the surface.
Taking out a large number of Source Crystals, he scattered them about so that they would flood to underground depths here. This spot in Nine Heavens Holy Land was going to be the Array Core of the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, so the need for Source Crystals was extraordinarily high.
Although Yang Kai didn’t keep an accurate count, he scattered an estimate of several million High-Rank Source Crystals in this area before he was satisfied and stopped. Several million High-Rank Source Crystals was considered a huge sum even in the Star Boundary, let alone a Lower Star Field where Saint Crystals were the only currency in circulation. Even Peak-Rank Saint Crystals were incomparable to Low-Rank Source Crystals.
If the World Energy contained within these millions of Source Crystals could be channelled into the Star, it would instantly transform Nine Heavens Holy Land into a place that could rival any Cave Heaven or Paradise of the Star Boundary.
After setting up the Array Core, Yang Kai immediately flew up and headed towards the next area.
A quarter of an hour later, Yang Kai checked the information in the jade slip he was holding and stopped on the spot. This was close to the periphery of a city. Unfortunately, the city that was supposed to be bustling at this time was uninhabited and dilapidated. It was clear that it had been deserted for some time.
Yang Kai called out to Xia Ning Chang again and just like before, the process of burying a large amount of Source Crystals was carried out.
Over the following days, Yang Kai circled around Tong Xuan Realm and completed the preparatory work for arranging the Array according to the instructions written in the jade slip given to him by Li Jiao. His busy figure could be seen everywhere, including in the deserts, below the sea, in the jungles, and out on the plains.
He did not allow Xia Ning Chang to intervene during his travels as although she could instantaneously move him from one point to another in Tong Xuan Realm with just a single thought, it would also consume quite a bit of her strength to do so; therefore, he only asked her to help him a little when burying the Source Crystals.
In this manner, he spent countless Source Crystals along his journey. Yang Kai ended up using more than 90% of the Source Crystals in his possession. It wasn’t that he was wasting his financial resources, but rather that this matter was related to Xia Ning Chang’s future, so he refused to hold back in any way.
By the time he was done setting up all 108 locations, several days had passed. Yang Kai scratched his head and communicated with Xia Ning Chang, who had been watching him the entire time. Then, he plunged himself towards the ground. In response, the ground opened up a passage for him and let him pass through unobstructed.
Soon, Yang Kai arrived at the centre of the Star. This place was where the Source of Tong Xuan Realm came into being. It was also the place where Xia Ning Chang had refined the Star Source back then and could be said to be the heart of Tong Xuan Realm.
Scorching lava flowed around Yang Kai, seeming to burn everything in its path. Arriving here, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pulled out a magnificent Source Crystal Lode from the Small Sealed World before dropping it into the core. The Lode sank into the lava soon after.
This was the only Source Crystal Lode in his possession, and he had obtained it just outside of Maplewood City many years ago. It had always been left inside the Sealed World Bead to be used by his Embodiment for cultivation, so a large portion of it had already been consumed. That said, it was still a huge expenditure for the current Tong Xuan Realm.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that with the help of so many Source Crystals from Yang Kai, Tong Xuan Realm’s dismal situation would immediately become much better once the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array was up and running. Although it would still take some time to recover completely, it would reduce that time from several hundred years many times over. In other words, Xia Ning Chang’s recovery period would be shortened. She could be back to normal within a decade.
That wasn’t all. As long as the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array continued to operate, Tong Xuan Realm’s situation would continuously improve. The World Energy would become denser, richer and, in time, this Cultivation Star would grow to be on par with Shadowed Star and Water Moon Star. It would no longer be like how it was before, where the cultivation limit was the Saint Realm at best. It would be able to produce cultivators in the Saint King Realm, the Origin Returning Realm, and the Origin King Realm, ultimately reaching the peak of the Star Field’s Martial Dao.
The better Tong Xuan Realm became, the more beneficial it would be for Xia Ning Chang.
Yang Kai returned to Nine Heavens Holy Land with a beautiful dream for the future. Meanwhile, Li Jiao and Liu Yan were refining the base of the Spirit Array. Even with Liu Yan’s help, the process was taking a lot out of Li Jiao. He looked haggard and worn out, and if not for the numerous Spirit Pills he was consuming, he would have collapsed a long time ago.
Seeing this, Yang Kai assisted from the side.
Two months passed by in a hurry, and on this particular day, Li Jiao handed the last item to Yang Kai with a slightly dazed expression and dull eyes, “I’ve done what you asked.”
The refining of 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Columns was completed. With that, Li Jiao had completed his task. During the process, he had made several mistakes and wasted quite a bit of material, but Yang Kai was well prepared, so some wastage was no big deal.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to take the item with a word of thanks. Then, he lifted his hand and transferred Li Jiao to the Small Sealed World so that he could rest inside and recover from his fatigue.
Fiddling with the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Column in his hand that was about a meter tall, Yang Kai raised his eyes to look in the direction of Nine Heavens Holy Land’s Array Core and smiled before asking, “Are you ready?”
A refreshing breeze blew against his face like an invisible hand stroking his cheek. That was Xia Ning Chang’s response to his question.
“Then, let’s begin!” He shifted his body slightly and immediately arrived at the place where he had buried the Source Crystals previously. Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai circulated his Emperor Qi and tossed the Profound Spirit Column into the air in front of him. At the same time, he swiftly formed a series of hand seals.
Following that, several beams of light entered the Spirit Column and disappeared.
As the Profound Spirit Column slowly fell downward, it seemed to become more and more energetic while also expanding in size rapidly.
The Profound Spirit Column had only been a meter tall before, but it turned into a towering pillar that was a few thousand meters high in the blink of an eye. Even if several people tried to wrap their arms around it, they wouldn’t be able to encircle it fully. The complex patterns on the Profound Spirit Column flickered and flashed before it fell straight down into the ground as if held by an invisible large hand.
In response, countless people in Nine Heavens Holy Land looked up with shocked expressions. The Profound Spirit Column was not an artifact, it was simply a Spirit Array base; however, it was emitting an imposing aura at the moment. If an ordinary cultivator from the Star Field were to come into contact with an existence like this, they would be turned to ashes in an instant.
Then, the ground formed a whirlpool, revealing a path that guided the Profound Spirit Column deeper into the ground.
Yang Kai quickly shouted, “Bury the Array Core 2 kilometres deep while leaving a kilometre exposed. Little Senior Sister, please pay attention to the details.”
The Profound Spirit Column silently continued to bury itself deeper into the ground before stopping all of a sudden when it reached a certain level. Afterwards, the ground hardened again to bind the Profound Spirit Column tightly in its embrace. It was now buried exactly 2 kilometres into the ground, not one bit more nor one bit less.
Inspecting the Profound Spirit Column, Yang Kai confirmed that there were no errors in the placement before swiftly heading in another direction with Li Yan following close behind him.
The Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array was formed based on the 108 Profound Spirit Columns. The requirements for the location and the depth of placement for every Profound Spirit Column was very particular and the slightest error would make a huge difference.
Fortunately, Li Jiao was quite familiar with this Spirit Array, although the one he was familiar with was the 72 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array and not the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array. The fundamentals were basically the same despite the difference in numbers; therefore, the information he supplied was pretty much accurate.
Li Jiao had worked together with Liu Yan to refine all these Profound Spirit Columns, so the Array should activate smoothly as long as everything was arranged appropriately.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai revisited all the places he had been to previously and buried one Profound Spirit Column above each buried pile of Source Crystals. It took him a whole seven days to finish burying all 108 Profound Spirit Columns before he ran around with Liu Yan, cross-checking his handiwork. Only when he was satisfied that everything was in order did he return to Nine Heavens Holy Land.
Yang Kai stood in the sky inside Nine Heavens Holy Land, his black hair flying around him and his robes dancing wildly. His expression was solemn as he held a small Array Jade in his hand. That was the Array Jade to control the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array. It was something that he, Li Jiao, and Liu Yan jointly made together with a lot of effort.
Everything was in place, except for the most crucial part of it all. Closing his eyes, Yang Kai concentrated for a moment; then, he lightly touched the Array Jade and slowly poured some Emperor Qi into it so that it flashed with light.
Next, he opened his eyes abruptly and began forming a set of hand seals. Rays of light entered the Array Jade and he shouted, “Initialize!”
The Array Jade shone brightly!
A low humming sound came from deep underground. At the same time, an earthquake shook the entire Nine Heavens Holy Land. The changes startled countless cultivators who were cultivating in meditation, causing them to come out of retreat to investigate the situation. Upon seeing the figure standing in the sky though, they understood that the changes were his doing and not another enemy invasion; thus, they felt relieved.
Inside Nine Heavens Holy Land, the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Column located at the Array Core suddenly underwent an unusual change. The complex patterns on the surface of the pillar flickered and shone. Simultaneously, an invisible pulse spread out. With the Profound Spirit Column as its centre, it spread out tens of thousands of kilometres, covering Tong Xuan Realm.
One by one, the Profound Spirit Columns lit up in succession across the land. Under the influence of their energy fluctuations and invisible energy waves, they resonated with each other and the patterns on their surfaces shone brightly. If one were to look down from the Starry Sky, one could see the 108 lights flashing brightly across the entire Star. Everywhere the waves passed, the lights became extremely dazzling.
The speed of Yang Kai’s hand seals increased, becoming more and more rapid while his expression remained extremely solemn. Although his cultivation was extremely high, he was currently in a state of self-suppression, so he did not dare to be careless or negligent while maintaining this Grand Spirit Array. This matter was related to Xia Ning Chang’s well-being, so he had to take it very seriously.
Soon, sweat was dripping down his face.
A quarter-hour later, the Profound Spirit Column in Nine Heavens Holy Land emitted an invisible wave once again and the previous phenomenon repeated. That column was like a beating heart, pulsing rhythmically. Every time it beat, the other 107 Profound Spirit Columns would produce a subtle resonance with each other. As the number of beasts increased, the resonance would connect from end to end and could no longer be separated from one another. Over time, all 108 Profound Spirit Columns synchronized and covered the entire Tong Xuan Realm as a result.
The invisible wave spread out again and again. Similarly, the 108 Profound Spirit Columns flashed in rhythm. The cycle repeated continuously; however, the frequency of the cycle slowly accelerated as time passed.
One day later, the time between each wave had been halved from the initial quarter-hour. Another day later, the time halved again. In another three days, the Profound Spirit Column at the Array Core pulsed every few breaths. The remaining 107 Profound Spirit Columns were the same. Moreover, if one were to observe it closely, they would discover that the flashing lights of the Profound Spirit Columns no longer lit up sequentially but in sync.
Yang Kai controlled the Array Jade with great focus, maintaining the Array without even knowing how much time was passing. Finally, the frequency of the flashing lights of the Profound Spirit Columns seemed to have reached a certain limit. Following that, an invisible aura spread like a fierce beast from ancient times that had awakened suddenly.
Yang Kai looked tired, but his eyes were shining so brightly that it was scary. The moment he had been waiting for was finally here! He no longer hesitated. Changing his hand seals, he threw the Array Jade high into the air as a ray of light hit it and he shouted, “Activate!”
The Array hummed. At that moment, the 108 lights that had been flashing continuously died out completely. They no longer contained any light in them; however, the extinguished lights were rekindled again in the next moment. There was neither sequence nor individuality to the rekindling of the lights. They had completely become one and 108 vibration waves undulated all at once. Every one of the Profound Spirit Columns shot out 107 rays of light in all directions. These lights cut through the sky and weaved a gigantic net that covered the skies above all of Tong Xuan Realm.
At that moment, all living creatures in Tong Xuan Realm looked up into the sky. The criss-crossing rays of light looked like meteors falling from above, converging to form a shower raining across the entire Star. The sight was shocking to see; however, nobody felt any fear or trepidation. Instead, many had the urge to worship the phenomenon instead.
*Hong hong hong…*
Rumbling sounds rang out continuously as every Profound Spirit Column was closely connected with the other 107 Profound Spirit Columns.
*Kacha…* As if a key had slid into the lock, the 108 Profound Spirit Columns came to life at the same instant and began to release a world-shattering force.
Immediately after that, the sky sparkled, the clouds gathered, and Principle Strength swirled. The world was beginning to reject the Spirit Array that exceeded its tolerance limit.
All of a sudden, a fair and flawless jade-white hand swept through the air. Wherever the jade-white hand passed, the clouds dissipated and the skies calmed. Soon, everything returned to normal.
Without Xia Ning Chang using her Star Master’s power to protect the Spirit Array and interfere with the World Principles, the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array would not have been able to function properly.
Li Jiao was right, those in the Emperor Realm were unable to exist in this world safely with their cultivations unsealed, so how could the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array that came from the Star Boundary be any different?
If it were a slightly weaker Spirit Array, it might not have been a problem; unfortunately, the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array was an Emperor Grade Spirit Array that far exceeded the limits that this world could withstand. Fortunately, Xia Ning Chang’s power had allowed the Array to continue existing within Tong Xuan Realm.
It wasn’t just Nine Heavens Holy Land that was facing constant tremors though; in fact, the entire world shook as the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array took effect.
The net of light covering the entire world gradually disappeared, but the 108 Profound Spirit Columns were now connected together as one. At the same time, the Array began to truly operate. Firstly, the Source Crystals that Yang Kai buried in advance finally came into play. Guided by the Profound Spirit Columns, countless Source Crystals transformed into pure World Energy, which was extracted by the Profound Spirit Columns and circulated into the world.
“What rich World Energy!” A burst of exclamations rang out from Nine Heavens Holy Land.
At this moment, the World Energy that had always been rather special in the Holy Land climbed to new heights. More importantly, it had yet to reach its limits and continued to rise rapidly. Nine Heavens Holy Land was soon covered in a layer of fog, one that took only the blink of an eye to become so thick that one couldn’t see anything in front of them. The fog made a person feel as though they were floating in a sea of World Energy, a very pleasant and joy-inducing sensation.
Nobody had ever experienced such dense World Energy before. Although Nine Heavens Holy Land was the Cultivation Paradise of Tong Xuan Realm and, it was still worse off compared to many other places in the Star Field. The reason being that Tong Xuan Realm’s World Energy had been in decline for thousands of years and was now quite depleted. That was why it couldn’t produce any strong cultivators. Even when Nine Heavens Holy Land was at its peak, it could not compare to any of the ordinary mountains on Shadowed Star or Water Moon Star. The differences between them were like night and day.
However, it was different now. Changes were occurring everywhere on Tong Xuan Realm and all the cultivators who survived the previous war happily cheered and ran around spreading the news.
The sun was shining in the sky, but raindrops still began to fall. The cheering cultivators suddenly seemed to freeze in place when this happened and looked up into the sky stupidly, reached out their hands to catch the raindrops or using their tongues to lick them. When they did, they were shocked to the core.
It was Spirit Rain! It wasn’t just any ordinary rain as every single drop of rain was brimming with World Energy. It was practically the manifestation of pure, condensed World Energy.
When the Spirit Rain first appeared, it was only a light drizzle; however, it soon became a pouring rain that covered the entire Star with not a single spot left out. Green sprouts emerged in the withered wilderness; young grass sprung up from the dry ground; sickly cows mooed and stood up again; the dying elderly abruptly opened their dull eyes as they began shining with life. Their grieving families, who were about to cry in mourning, were dumbstruck by the phenomenon.
When the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array was in operation, it not only increased the World Energy of the Star but also improved the ethereal vitality of Tong Xuan Realm that was difficult to sense.
Yang Kai remained standing in the sky, holding the Array Jade of the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array in his hand as he spread his Divine Sense out like a tide and investigated the situation in every corner of the world. Upon seeing the status, a satisfied look surfaced on his face.
He was only able to solve Tong Xuan Realm’s worries this time around thanks to Li Jiao’s help. Yang Kai neither knew much about Spirit Arrays nor had he heard of the Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array before. If not for Li Jiao’s efforts over the past two months, he would not have been able to arrange this Array. And now, the effects were greater than Yang Kai could have expected. He couldn’t help feeling extremely grateful toward Li Jiao.
[En… Let’s just write off the debt that Fire Dragon Palace owes me. At any rate, Li Jiao and I have gone through more than one life or death experience together and he has also provided his assistance to me… though not always willingly. In any case, it would be too embarrassing to try and collect that debt from him after this. Besides, those debts are nothing to the current High Heaven Palace. Why should I make others tighten their belts just to pay me money I don’t care about?] Secretly making up his mind, Yang Kai glanced out of the corner of his eye and immediately flew off in a certain direction.
“Little Senior Sister, why did you come out?” He appeared next to two women and supported Xia Ning Chang by the arm with one hand. He was extremely anxious, “Why aren’t you lying down? Why did you run out instead? Walk slowly! Slowly! Stop, stop. It’s raining outside. You shouldn’t go past this point.
Xue Yue glanced sideways at him and complained, “If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought that Ning Chang was pregnant.”
Xia Ning Chang’s face reddened upon hearing this.
On the other hand, he touched his chin and considered it seriously, “That’s not a bad idea.”
Xia Ning Chang quickly changed the topic, “I just came out to take a look as I felt much better all of a sudden just now.”
It wasn’t just ‘much better’. Prior to this, she remained extremely weak and pale-faced despite receiving Yang Kai’s help to stabilize her vitality and prevent it from being drained. In contrast, her face now had a rosy glow. It wasn’t just because she was feeling shy after being teased by Xue Yue, it was mainly due to the effects of the Spirit Array.
Even though she was the Star Master and could grasp the situation of the entire Star with just a single thought, seeing with her own eyes was a habit and a more intuitive experience overall.
“This Spirit Array is truly amazing. Junior Brother, please thank Sir Li for me.” Xia Ning Chang was watching the Spirit Rain pouring down outside, and if not for Yang Kai’s presence, she would have rushed out to dance in the rain to express the joy she was feeling inside.
“Of course,” Yang Kai nodded. Although Li Jiao and him were now close enough that there was no need for thanks between them anymore, it was only natural that he agreed to this task since Xia Ning Chang had spoken up about it.
“10 years!” Xia Ning Chang suddenly said.
“What?”
She smiled, “Tong Xuan Realm will fully recover within 10 years.”
The cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field only took a few years to cause such severe poisoning. In contrast, it would take 10 years to recover from the damage even with Yang Kai spending a huge amount of Source Crystals. Destruction was often easier than recovery.
“Are you satisfied with just that?” He glanced at her with a grin.
She blinked, “What else is there to want?”
He replied, “Tong Xuan Realm is inferior to the other Stars. In the first place, its grade is on the lower side. Just restoring it to its original state is no good. Moreover, 10 years… That’s far too long.”
The wheels in Xia Ning Chang’s head spun quickly as she asked, “Husband, are you saying you have a way to make the Star even better?”
“It all depends,” He laughed heartily. He had some plans in his heart, but he did not know if they could succeed; therefore, he did not dare to promise them anything, lest he could not achieve what he promised. That would be extremely embarrassing.
However, Xue Yue seemed to have seen through his intentions and smirked, “If you can make Tong Xuan Realm better, then I will…”
“You will what?” He glanced at her with a scorching gaze.
She blushed slightly but remained steadfast, “I will let you do whatever you want with me.”
His eyes gleamed, “I want us to sleep together!”
“Hmph!” She scoffed at him.
Then, he slipped between Xue Yue and Xia Ning Chang. Hugging both women in his arms, one on each side, he boldly declared, “You can’t make a horse work without feeding it. Let’s all sleep together, come come!”
“Pervert!” Xue Yue glared at him fiercely, her alluring and graceful looks nearly charming his very soul out of his body. Then, she lowered her head shyly and murmured, “You have to convince Ning Chang first.”
Xia Ning Chang’s face blushed beet red, “How did this topic even come up?”
Yang Kai then said with a serious expression, “The convergence of Yin and Yang is the Heavenly Way. En, it’s decided then.”
“Who agreed to that!?” Xia Ning Chang was anxious. She couldn’t even imagine doing something like that; however, Yang Kai quickly lowered his head and took a little taste by pecking her on the lips. In response, she became frozen stiff as if she had been struck by lightning. She had never been so intimate with him in front of others before.
Xue Yue had been watching them with a smile and was caught off-guard when he turned around and stole her red lips too. Similarly, it was just a peck and he did not go too far. It wasn’t that he wasn’t tempted, but that he still remembered what Xue Yue said before. He was not allowed to touch her until Xia Ning Chang was fully recovered. Although he could win them over with persistence at this moment, how could that win against the expectation of having both of them at once in his heart?
[Heh heh… These two innocent women… Did you think that it’s just the two of you? When that time comes, neither Qing Luo nor Su Yan will escape!] Laughing riotously, he flew off.
Behind him, Xue Yue touched her cherry lips for a moment before she stomped her foot and shouted, “Scoundrel!”
Yang Kai stood under the Spirit Rain with his hands on his waist, energetically and passionately declaring, “Everyone, Grand Desolation Star Field has invaded our lands for more than 10 years, massacred our fellow cultivators, snatched our women, and looted the riches from our Star Field! Billions have lost their homes, and billions more have had their lives destroyed! Now is the time for us to fight back!”
The heavy rain was noisy, but it couldn’t drown out his voice so everyone heard him clearly.
“Join me now and we will make them pay! An eye for an eye! Blood for blood!” Yang Kai lifted his fist towards the Starry Sky.
“Blood for blood!” Voices roared to the sky. The grievances accumulated over the past few years had not disappeared with the recovery of Tong Xuan Realm. Instead, the thirst for revenge had only grown stronger with time.
…..
Yang Kai sat on the peak of a barren mountain on a certain Dead Star in the endless Star Field. He propped his cheek on one hand and closed his eyes in deep contemplation. His Divine Sense dived into his Knowledge Sea, navigating through the vast Star Chart there.
This Star Chart depicted the entire Heng Luo Star Field and was something Yang Kai obtained by accident when he first left Tong Xuan Realm in the past. At first, he had not paid much attention to it and simply used it as a navigation tool to not lose his way in the Star Field.
Over time though, he discovered that this Star Chart was different from the Star Charts drawn by ordinary Star Chart Masters. It seemed to be changing constantly, corresponding to every corner of the entire Star Field. It was just that the Star Chart was too large and the Star Field was too vast, so these minor changes would not have been noticeable without careful observation.
Yang Kai later learned that the Star Chart he had accidentally obtained was actually the Source of the entire Star Field. It was precisely because of this Star Chart that he managed to sense a faint connection with Heng Luo Star Field in the Ancestral Domain and eventually return to this place.
Wu Kuang mentioned that, in the past, every time he travelled to a new Star Field, he would search for the Star Field Source and devour it. With that, he could become the Master of that Star Field and would no longer be rejected by its World Principles.
A Star Field Source did not have a fixed form, and compared to the Star Source of a Cultivation Star, the Star Field Source could almost be considered a mythical existence, practically impossible to find.
For Yang Kai to obtain one could be said to be a great stroke of good fortune. Unfortunately, he could not harness the power of the Star Field Source because he had never bothered to refine it. Only by successfully refining this Star Field Source could he truly become the Master of Heng Luo Star Field. At that time, he wouldn’t even need to lift a single finger to purge all the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field as he could do so with just a single thought.
It had been half a year since he left Tong Xuan Realm, and throughout this time Yang Kai had been trying to refine the Star Field Source, but he had yet to make any progress. Even if his cultivation was in the Emperor Realm, the Star Field was too vast and it contained countless Stars within it. To refine the Star Field Source was equivalent to trying to control all of these Stars; it was more difficult than trying to ascend to the Heavens.
[I must be doing something wrong.] Even Wu Kuang had to suppress his cultivation when he arrived in the Lower Star Fields and could only start unscrupulously doing as he pleased after consuming the Star Field Source.
[If Wu Kuang can do this, then there’s no reason why I can’t.] Yang Kai was secretly annoyed with himself for not asking more about this matter at the time. [Even if I go to the Ancestral Domain right now… Putting aside the issue of whether I can manage to locate him, even if I did manage to, that guy might not tell me anything either.]
Yang Kai secretly rejoiced over the fact that he had not boasted about anything in front of Xue Yue and Xia Ning Chang; otherwise, he would be too embarrassed to meet them now. At the time, he only had a vague plan in mind; that was to refine the Star Chart and become the Master of this Star Field. Then, he would be able to control the power of the entire Star Field to provide some extra nurturing to Tong Xuan Realm. Upgrading it to be the same level as Shadowed Star and Water Moon Star would be nothing but child’s play at that time; but now, it would seem that his thoughts had been too naïve.
“Still not working?” A crisp voice rang out next to him, one that was sweet and pleasant to the ear.
Upon hearing her, Yang Kai opened his eyes and pulled Liu Yan into his arms. He continued to prop his cheeks on his hand and sighed, “I have an idea, but I don’t know if it will work.”
Liu Yan raised her head to look up at him. Reaching out her hand, she touched the hard stubble on his chin and gently murmured, “If you have an idea, then go ahead and try it out. There’s no loss in trying, right?”
“I was thinking so too.” He nodded and stood up, “How much longer before they gather here?”
“There are about ten more days until the agreed time.”
“Ten days is enough. Can you keep watch? Tell me immediately if you receive any news. I’m going to give my idea a try.”
“En.” She nodded.
Afterwards, Yang Kai kicked off the ground and rushed straight into the sky like a flying arrow, soon vanishing from sight. Plunging into the Starry Sky, he flew about aimlessly at a speed that was neither fast nor slow. As he flew, Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi gently, leaving a trail of his aura behind him. At the same time, he observed his path with the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea and delineated an area that was neither large nor small.
With the Star Chart as a cross-reference, he was not worried about getting his position wrong. And so, he continuously flew around this area as if drawing a circle. All the aura he had left behind was within the circle.
Five days later, he came to the centre of the circle and abruptly stopped before closing his eyes. His Divine Sense dived into his Knowledge Sea as he quietly studied the Star Chart. All of a sudden, his figure stiffened. A look of pleasant surprise soon appeared on his face as he clearly felt a special area within the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea. That area was none other than the place where he had spent the past few days marking with his aura.
[Interesting! Perhaps the method I’ve been trying for the past six months has been wrong all along. If this method works, then it means that refining the Star Field Source and a Star Source are two completely different things.] He had been trying to refine the Star Field Source with the method he used to refine Star Sources before. He had worked directly on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea, but his efforts had been to no avail. From what he could see right now though, it was apparent he needed to start from the basics before going deeper. [Tackling this from the ground up is the way! But, what method should I use to refine it? There’s no other Secret Art to use aside from the Star Refining Art.]
Upon making his decision, he no longer hesitated. He immediately activated the Star Refining Art and immersed his mind in that special area within the Star Chart. All of a sudden, he felt a strange sensation. It felt as if his thoughts were spreading and expanding, flooding across the places he had passed through during the past five days, and firmly connecting the path made of aura he had left behind. He could now sense the movement of every object in that region without even opening his eyes. Everything was as clear as could be.
The Star Refining Art continued to circulate slowly, branding a certain area within the Star Chart with his aura, as if gradually changing the colour of that region. There were no ripples nor fluctuations that accompanied this process; everything seemed so peaceful and natural.
Without warning, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and laughed loudly. [I can’t believe a sudden whim pointed me in the right direction.]
The ‘colour’ of that particular area in the Star Chart inside his Knowledge Sea seemed slightly different from the other places now. Correspondingly, he could feel that special area within the Starry Sky too.
Yang Kai did not use any kind of power. He simply changed what he was thinking about. Following that, his figure kept flickering throughout the area, leaving behind afterimages as if countless versions of him existed at the same time.
This was a special piece of the Starry Sky, a piece that only belonged to him! He was the Master of everything within this region, just like on Shadowed Star.
His figure stopped abruptly, and an eager light flashed in his eyes. [If I am safe after doing this, then it proves my theory is correct! If so, then all I need to refine the Star Chart is time and I can become the Master of Heng Luo Star Field!]
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai roared. A strange sound rang out from the depths of his heart as the seal on his cultivation broke open. Immediately after that, his cultivation soared. First-Order Dao Source Realm… Second-Order Dao Source Realm… Third-Order Dao Source Realm… Emperor Realm!
Despite lifting the seal on his cultivation though, he remained safe and sound. The world was not rejecting him nor revealing any hostile intent towards him.
[I did it!]
Abandoned Lair was one of the two most notorious and savage forces in Heng Luo Star Field. It was a dangerous organization filled with wicked evildoers. The only other place as infamous as this was Galaxy Ridge. Almost 90% of the Star Pirates and exiled cultivators in the entire Star Field belonged to these two forces. For that reason, everyone who lived in their headquarters was a criminal with an evil, malicious, brutal, and violent temperament.
The three great forces of the Star Field had been in constant friction with these two forces for thousands of years and had even once joined forces to destroy them outright. However, both Abandoned Lair and Galaxy Ridge had their headquarters located in regions of the Star Field that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, they were protected by powerful Natural Spirit Arrays so it was no simple task to eradicate them. The three great forces of the Star Field had suffered enormous losses as a result. Thus, the matter had been left unsettled until now.
Abandoned Lair was not really a lair. Rather, it was an extremely chaotic region of the Star Field surrounded by raging Starry Sky Storms and turbulent Asteroid Seas. If one was not familiar with the method of entry and exit, even a Third-Order Origin King would be at mortal risk if they lost their way in these lands.
In the centre of this chaotic region were many huge asteroids. Each of these asteroids was so large that their sizes were difficult to estimate. Originally, some Star Pirates had settled in this region of the Starry Sky, building their homes on these asteroids. As the generations passed, more and more Star Pirates settled here, eventually leading to the foundation of Abandoned Lair.
Abandoned Lair was not a single unified force but rather a gathering of many different factions of Star Pirates. Among these factions, the Blood Star Pirates were considered the strongest because their Boss, Jiang Xue Song, was a Third-Order Origin King. With his strength, he was considered to be one of the strongest Masters in the Star Field and there were few that could oppose him.
Jiang Xue Song had been cultivating for 1,500 years now and it was rumoured that his origins could be traced back to Sword Union, one of the three great forces in the Star Field. Jiang Xue Song had been a talented genius in Sword Union when he was younger, and Sword Union’s higher-ups supposedly had great expectations of him at the time, so he was carefully nurtured. However, something happened for some reason, and in the end, he murdered his Master, massacred his fellow cultivators, turned traitor against the Sword Union, and escaped to Abandoned Lair. Several hundred years later, the Blood Star Pirates grew to fame.
Jiang Xue Song’s hair was greying, and he looked like he was in his twilight years. His appearance was very unusual for a Third-Order Origin King. Despite his age though, his back remained as straight as a sword. It seemed as though his time in Sword Union when he was younger still influenced his demeanour to a certain extent. As he sat there, his entire being was akin to a sword concealed within its sheath. He was a blade that was as sharp as could be.
On the opposite side of the table Jiang Xue Song sat at was an elderly man sipping on his tea. This old man’s body exuded an extremely uncomfortable Blood Qi. Although these two were similar in age, a closer look would reveal that this old man’s body was surging with a bloody aura and his vitality was far stronger than an ordinary young man’s would be. Moreover, the Blood Qi pulsing from this old man was extremely sinister and strange.
“So, did you manage to learn anything?” The old man put his teacup down and asked softly.
Jiang Xue Song was the Master of Abandoned Lair, so nobody had ever spoken to him on equal terms before, let alone question him in this manner. Although the old man had phrased his words as a question, his tone was that of a superior speaking to his subordinate.
The old man was also a Third-Order Origin King though, so his cultivation was no weaker than Jiang Xue Song’s. Furthermore, the clothes he was wearing indicated his origins. He was from the Netherworld Sect of the Grand Desolation Star Field! This old man was one of the Vice Sect Masters of the Netherworld Sect. Jiang Xue Song was unaware of the old man’s true name and only knew that he called himself ‘Old Hawk’.
The way of a Sword Master requires one to have a resolute Sword Heart. They would rather break than bend, especially when it came to a peerless swordsman like Jiang Xue Song. If anybody else dared to show him such disrespect, he would have slashed out with his sword to let the other party know the cost of offending him. Unfortunately, Jiang Xue Song was not confident he could defeat Old Hawk. Besides, even if he was upset over Old Hawk’s condescending attitude, he did not want to make an enemy out of the Netherworld Sect. Over the past ten years, Jiang Xue Song had witnessed the strength of the Netherworld Sect and if it really came down to a fight, Abandoned Lair would not be able to survive.
Upon hearing the question, Jiang Xue Song quickly replied, “I have not heard anything useful. The people of your Star Field perished so quickly that nothing useful could be gathered at all.”
Old Hawk said, “There must be some sort of clue. It’s practically impossible for there to be no leads whatsoever, right?”
In recent months, those from Grand Desolation Star Field had suffered heavy casualties. More than half of their conquest from their invasion over the past decade or so had been lost. One after another, they had lost contact with the Stars they had sent forces to occupy, including Monster Emperor Star, Shadowed Star, Water Moon Star, Green Mountains Star…
Old Hawk didn’t care about the deaths of cultivators belonging to other great forces from Grand Desolation Star Field, but he had no choice but to care about those from the Netherworld Sect.
What frightened Old Hawk the most though was that he had also lost contact with Tong Xuan Realm. That was where one of his fellow Vice Sect Masters was stationed. That person’s cultivation was comparable to his own and he had been leading four other Third-Order Origin Kings. With such a lineup, who in the Heng Luo Star Field could have fought back against them, much less exterminate them?
[Maybe some sort of accident occurred on their side and caused communications to be cut off.]
Even Old Hawk himself could not convince his brain to believe in this conjecture as he instinctively felt that something was wrong but couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Therefore, he asked Jiang Xue Song to send someone out to inquire about the situation. In the end though, this was the only answer he received. It was extremely displeasing.
“There really are no leads whatsoever. If you don’t believe me, you can send your own men out to investigate, Old Hawk,” Jiang Xue Song replied in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant.
Unlike Galaxy Ridge, which had chosen to surrender to Grand Desolation Star Field entirely, the path Jiang Xue Song chose was cooperation! He formed an alliance with Grand Desolation Star Field to destroy Sword Union and avenge the deep grudge he held towards them from back then. Simply judging from the results, the cooperation was going pretty well.
Sword Union had been annihilated and some of the Cultivation Stars under its control had fallen into the hands of the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field. As a result, Sword Union had collapsed. Of its leaders, only Sword Union’s Young Union Master had managed to escape and seek refuge on Tong Xuan Realm. Even so, Tong Xuan Realm was similarly caught in a precarious situation at the moment. Sword Union’s Young Union Master would have nowhere else to hide once Netherworld Sect’s plans succeeded. At that time, he would surely be killed.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xue Song was not happy despite completing the revenge he had been seeking for hundreds of years. He had mistakenly underestimated the strength of the Netherworld Sect, and although he was the biggest Boss in Abandoned Lair, Abandoned Lair had practically fallen into Netherworld Sect’s control. Jiang Xue Song had long become a Boss in name only.
[If Netherworld Sect really wanted to get rid of me, I wouldn’t be able to escape from their clutches either. That’s what I get for trying to do something impossible.]
It was just that there was no benefit to dealing with a Sword Master that would rather break than bend; therefore, the Netherworld Sect had been tolerant towards him for so long because removing him would have led to internal friction within Abandoned Lair’s ranks. Nevertheless, cooperation was no longer on the table. Jiang Xue Song had long served his purpose and it was time to cast him away. He would never be a follower; hence, he was obviously the first thing Netherworld Sect had to deal with after the complete fall of Heng Luo Star Field.
Old Hawk smiled lightly, but coupled with the gloomy aura around him, that smile gave off a chilling feeling, “I believe you, Boss Jiang, but the events over the past few months have been too ridiculous. You are a native, so you should know if there is anybody with the means to do something so extraordinary.”
Jiang Xue Song raised his sharp eyebrows and said in surprise, “Old Hawk, are you saying that all those who lost contact with you were struck by a disaster?”
Old Hawk sighed, “I don’t want to think so, but I don’t think I am wrong.”
It would have been different if they only lost contact with one or two places. That could have been explained away as an accident or mishap; however, they had lost contact with too many places recently that something more had to be happening.
Even if Old Hawk did not want to admit it, he was certain that some reclusive Master from Heng Luo Star Field must have come out of seclusion. Moreover, that person was hunting down the cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field and Netherworld Sect.
Jiang Xue Song was slightly taken aback by those words. [If even Old Hawk has said so, then it must be true.]
He pondered for a moment before saying, “Back then, there was an old fart in the Star Field who was universally recognized as the strongest, and his strength truly was unfathomable.”
“Who?”
“Wu Dao!”
Who in Heng Luo Star Field did not know of the name ‘Wu Dao’? Wu Dao had already reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm before Jiang Xue Song was born, and his cultivation had only grown stronger over the years. It would make sense if he was the one behind the attacks.
“But, it can’t be him.” Jiang Xue Song slowly shook his head.
“Why do you say that?” Old Hawk asked.
“Because he left this Star Field several dozen years ago to go to some more mysterious world.”
“The Star Boundary!” Old Hawk’s eyes flashed, revealing a look of yearning that was soon extinguished.
“Star Boundary?” Jiang Xue Song Stared at Old Hawk in amazement. It was the first time he had heard this name and it naturally piqued his curiosity.
“Go on,” Unfortunately, Old Hawk couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to him. Heng Luo Star Field was clueless about the existence of the Star Boundary, but those from Grand Desolation Star Field were not. That was because the Ancestral Founders of Netherworld Sect had travelled to the Star Boundary thousands of years ago and founded a Sect there. Those ancestors had in turn once used a great Divine Ability to send some knowledge and treasures back to the Netherworld Sect.
As a Vice Sect Master of Netherworld Sect, Old Hawk was no stranger to the Star Boundary; after all, the previous Sect Master, Yin Le Sheng, had also gone to the Star Boundary.
The Star Boundary was the world all cultivators yearned for. It was a place with greater World Principles and a higher Martial Dao. If not for the fact that he was getting on in years, Old Hawk would have loved to travel to the Star Boundary as well.
Jiang Xue Song knit his brow and continued, “Since it’s impossible for it to be Wu Dao, then I can’t think of anybody else.” While speaking, he frowned and hesitated for a moment, “It’s impossible that it’s him too.”
“Who?”
“A Junior named Yang Kai.”
“Why did you mention him if he is a Junior?” Old Hawk was irritated.
Jiang Xue Song replied, “I’ve never met Yang Kai personally; however, he is no ordinary Junior. The reason Wu Dao was able to travel to your so-called Star Boundary was all thanks to him. Back then, it was Yang Kai who brought Wu Dao and a few other Masters with him when he left the Star Field. There was a rumour going around the Star Field at the time claiming that he could become the strongest person in the Star Field and replace Wu Dao from the top position in less than a hundred years.”
Jiang Xue Song sighed, “I regret not getting a chance to fight against him.”
“If that’s your wish, I can satisfy it,” a person’s voice suddenly called out from afar. When they heard the first word this voice spoke, it seemed to be several dozen kilometres away, but by the time the sentence was finished, a brave and heroic figure had already appeared in front of them inside the hall they were sitting in.
The dim light in Abandoned Lair shone against his back, creating a long shadow as if to cover the entire hall in his shadow. His face was obscured by the lighting, making it impossible to see clearly. Only a pair of eyes stood out, shining brightly in the dim darkness.
Both Jiang Xue Song and Old Hawk felt their hearts clench in their chests. The person who had come did not release any aura, but he made all the hairs on their body stand on end. His mere presence was that terrifying.
“Who!?” Jiang Xue Song shouted as he jumped to his feet.
The figure strode into the great hall and stood in front of him in just two or three steps, and all of a sudden, Jiang Xue Song felt as though a huge Dragon was bearing down on him. He involuntarily took several steps back and fell back into his chair. At the same time, he heard a cracking sound coming from the Sword Heart he had been cultivating for 1,500 years as a fracture appeared.
[I’m feeling fear?] It wasn’t until this moment that he came back to his senses and realized what had happened to him just moments ago, shocking him greatly.
Having lived a perilous life, Jiang Xue Song had encountered countless powerful enemies before, but even so, he had never retreated in fear before, regardless of who his enemy was. No matter how famous his opponent was, or how powerful their cultivation might be, Jiang Xue Song would still pierce through them with his sword. It would be worth it even if his body was broken to pieces. It was such a determination that had allowed him to hone his flawless Sword Heart; however, just now, he felt paralyzing fear for the first time in his life, and that caused a chip to appear in his Sword Heart.
Yang Kai looked down and practically shoved his face in Jiang Xue Song’s face while grinning widely, “Boss Jiang, how can you be so forgetful? You even mentioned my name just now! Could it be that you forgot about me in just the blink of an eye?”
“You are…” Jiang Xue Song’s eyes bulged in their sockets as an extremely absurd idea came to mind, drawing a determined cry from his lips, “That’s impossible!”
“Anything is possible!” Yang Kai turned around and sat at the table. Then, he turned to look at Old Hawk and asked, “Are you from the Netherworld Sect?”
That casual posture of his did not look like he had just barged into an extremely dangerous place. Rather, Yang Kai made it seem as though he was visiting his neighbour’s house. Even Old Hawk, who had experienced many great storms before, couldn’t help feeling that it was absolutely absurd.
“Let me ask you something!” Yang Kai stared at Old Hawk, “Are you the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect?”
“No!” Old Hawk shook his head.
Yang Kai rubbed his chin and said regretfully, “I guess I came to the wrong place again.”
A Sword Intent surged without warning just then and a dazzling sword wave flashed out simultaneously, illuminating the entire great hall. At that moment, everything in the world seemed to have lost its brilliance and only the shining sword light remained.
Jiang Xue Song had made a bold move without any warning!
As a swordsman, he should never launch a sneak attack on another, and indeed he had never done so against any foe he had fought before in the past. He had always defeated his enemies in head-on clashes; however, Yang Kai’s pressure had made a sliver of fear sprout in his heart and corrupted his Sword Heart. As a result, the anger born from shame had made him disregard everything else other than the impulse to kill.
Before the Sword Qi struck its target though, Old Hawk raised his hand and a blood-coloured banner appeared in his palm. It was one of the two most common artifacts of the Netherworld Sect, the Blood Sea Banner. The Blood Sea Banner in Old Hawk’s hand was clearly better than all the Blood Sea Banners Yang Kai had encountered so far, its aura distinguishing it as a peak Origin King Grade Artifact. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Star Field’s World Principles did not allow for it, this artifact would have become a Dao Source Grade Artifact with just a few more sacrifices and refining.
Old Hawk waved the Blood Sea Banner and subsequently, a turbulent gush of Blood Qi blasted out, transforming into a Blood Sea that engulfed Yang Kai like a tidal wave.
At the same time, an unmatched sword wave slashed at Yang Kai.
Jiang Xue Song couldn’t help feeling disappointed and frustrated at that moment. He did not know how high this young man’s cultivation was, but there was no way that he could survive after taking on a Sword Technique initiated by a Swords Master like himself with only a distance of a single step between them. Not to mention Old Hawk had coordinated with his attack just now.
Although the two of them had been at odds with each other all this while, they worked together for a common cause at this moment, and their coordination was near perfect.
After the sword wave slashed downward, Jiang Xue Song’s expression changed drastically while Old Hawk could feel that something was wrong too. A shiver ran up their spines as they exchanged a glance, clearly seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. After that, they turned into two streams of light and rushed out of the hall without any hesitation, vanishing out of sight in a blink of an eye.
In the midst of the turbulent Blood Sea, a fist blasted out suddenly. The Blood Sea shattered into pieces and the residual sword light dispersed. Then, Yang Kai took a step forward and appeared outside the hall. He did not chase after those two, however, and instead just leaned against one of the pillars of the great hall and coldly watched the situation with mild interest.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xue Song and Old Hawk looked around and froze in place after rushing out of the main hall. Abandoned Lair, which they had regarded as secure and impenetrable, was now surrounded by more than a dozen black Starships. A huge fleet was besieging the entire Abandoned Lair and groups of people were constantly pouring out of these Starships, rushing into the asteroids of all shapes and sizes to hunt down all the wicked cultivators who lived here.
[Since when!?]
Abandoned Lair was extremely easy to defend while incredibly difficult to attack; additionally, it was guarded by Natural Spirit Arrays and terrifying Starry Sky Storms. Only those who were familiar with the patterns of this place could navigate a safe path of entry and exit. Despite how strong the Netherworld Sect was, even Old Hawk would have to pay a high price if he brought his men here to storm Abandoned Lair. The only reason he could enter this place safely was that Jiang Xue Song had taken the initiative to contact him more than 10 years ago; however, this seemingly safe place had been now breached without anybody knowing it. It was a nightmare, to say the least.
The powerful auras that washed over them from all directions clearly told Old Hawk and Jiang Xue Song a cruel fact, today was going to be a disastrous day.
A small figure flew towards them suddenly.
Jiang Xue Song focused on the figure and saw that it was a seven- or eight-year-old girl. Old Hawk seemed to have realized it too and his expression turned cold. Twisting the Blood Sea Banner in his hand, he swiftly rolled up that little girl into it.
In the next moment, Jiang Xue Song’s figure suddenly retreated explosively, quickly distancing himself from Old Hawk.
“What are you doing!?” Old Hawk glared at Jiang Xue Song furiously, “We must work together to get out of here quickly!”
[This guy must be insane. Why is he moving away from me at this point!? Don’t tell me he thinks he can break through this siege with that stupid sword of his!?]
Jiang Xue Song looked at Old Hawk earnestly and shook his head, “We each have our own destinies!”
Although Jiang Xue Song had not noticed anything peculiar about the little girl, the Sword Heart inside his body had sent out strong warning signals when she appeared, as if a voice in his heart was screaming. ‘Get away! Get away! Get as far away as possible!’
“Have you gone mad!?” Old Hawk raged, “In the current situation, we need to join forc… hm?” Halfway through, he suddenly lowered his head and looked at his Blood Sea Banner. A bright red flame had appeared at some point on it and was now swiftly spreading out in all directions, burning madly. The scorching aura made Old Hawk’s blood run cold as he desperately poured his Saint Qi into the banner, trying to extinguish the flame. Unfortunately, the fire remained unaffected regardless of what he did. In fact, his Saint Qi only seemed to make it burn faster.
“Pu…”
Old Hawk spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His artifact had been damaged, and he suffered from the backlash. Then, a small figure stepped out of the Blood Sea Banner. The little girl used her fair finger to lightly poke his head and he immediately collapsed to the ground limply like a balloon that had lost all its air.
Liu Yan picked the old man up with one hand and looked up only to see Jiang Xue Song had already merged with his sword light and turned into a streak that was soaring away with all haste.
[What the Hell!? What the Hell is that little girl!? Not only was she unscathed after being stuffed into the Blood Sea Banner, but she was even capable of escaping! She destroyed the Blood Sea Banner without any effort at all! She heavily injured Old Hawk with a single finger! That strength is beyond anything that I can imagine! I need to run! I need to run as far as possible!]
“Don’t run,” A voice that was as sweet and pure as a silver bell suddenly rang in his ears.
Turning his head to look, Jiang Xue Song saw that the little girl was now keeping pace with him. She looked like she was walking leisurely as she carried Old Hawk, who was half-dead, in one hand.
The corners of Jiang Xue Song’s eyes twitched fiercely as he almost had the urge to burst out cursing. Biting his tongue, he spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence which greatly enhanced the sword light around his body, increasing his speed dramatically.
Seemingly not even flustered by this increase in speed, Liu Yan simply tapped her delicate feet harder, stretched out her little hand, and grabbed Jiang Xue Song’s sword, causing the sword light coming from it to change from a brilliant glow to a dim hue as she snapped in annoyance, “I said… don’t run!”
The sharp and unmatched Origin King Grade Artifact longsword that could split mountains failed to inflict any damage on her whatsoever even though she held it in such a way.
“Wa…”
Jiang Xue Song spewed out a mouthful of blood again, but this time around, it was caused by the shock from his sudden change in momentum.
Turning to stare at the little girl, he almost wondered if he was dreaming.
A moment later, Liu Yan, holding Old Hawk in one hand and Jiang Xue Song in the other, strolled back a short distance, and threw them to the ground outside the great hall. Old Hawk’s aura was practically non-existent while his injuries were anything but light. Although Jiang Xue Song was in better condition, he no longer had any fighting spirit left, his eyes completely dull.
Yang Kai, still leaning against the pillar of the great hall with his arms folded across his chest, smiled slightly at this sight and called out, “Thanks!”
Liu Yan pouted, as if blaming him for making her do something so bothersome, and vented her frustrations by kicking Jiang Xue Song. Meanwhile, Jiang Xue Song did not dare to make a single sound nor speak a single word of protest.
Crouching down a bit, Yang Kai stared at Old Hawk and asked, “Where is the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect now?”
Old Hawk looked up at Yang Kai and answered in a trembling voice, “I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?” Yang Kai frowned in response as he suddenly raged, “Old dog, you better not lie to me! Your cultivation is pretty high so you must be an Elder at the very least. How can you not know where your Sect Master is?”
Old Hawk tearfully replied, “I really don’t know, he might be at Galaxy Ridge!”
“Might?” Yang Kai scowled, his expression turning savage, “Is he there, or is he not?”
Old Hawk trembled, “I… cannot be sure …”
“Useless!” Yang Kai cursed. Grabbing Old Hawk by the clothes, he threw him off into the distance. Old Hawk screamed as he flew out a thousand metres before suddenly exploding into a blood mist.
Grand Desolation Star Field had invaded Heng Luo Star Field, and the main culprit behind this invasion was Netherworld Sect; therefore, the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect was the one who all blame had to be laid upon. It was only natural for Yang Kai to seek out the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect to make that person pay. It was a pity that that person was nowhere to be seen.
It didn’t matter though as this battle was only Heng Luo Star Field’s first counterattack. The Sect Master of Netherworld Sect would appear, sooner or later, as long as he was still within Heng Luo Star Field.
Besides, the attack against Galaxy Ridge should have started by now, with Su Yan leading the battle. Galaxy Ridge wouldn’t be able to make any waves either with her assuming command.
At the same time, the passage between the two Star Fields was being guarded by Li Jiao. Li Jiao and his entire family had been sent by Yang Kai to guard this passage. Those from Grand Desolation Star Field would not be able to receive any reinforcements, much less think of escaping from Heng Luo Star Field.
The reason why Yang Kai had waited ten days to gather allies was that he wanted to wipe out Abandoned Lair in one fell swoop. He did not want to let a single enemy escape from his grasp. Although he and Liu Yan could run rampant in this place, Abandoned Lair was huge and a few rats would surely slip through their fingers without a corresponding force assisting him.
It was different now though. One of the two most powerful people in Abandoned Lair had died while the other was gravely injured. The entire Abandoned Lair was surrounded by Heng Luo Star Field’s forces, so it was simply a pipe dream for those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field and these Star Pirates to even think of escaping from this place.
The sounds of massacre continued endlessly as Yang Kai lowered his head and glanced at Jiang Xue Song, a trace of disgust flashing across his eyes as he declared, “Let’s hear it if you have any useful information for me. If you can satisfy me, I will give you a swift death.”
Half a day later, the commotion gradually subsided. Abandoned Lair was in ruins, and the corpses were piled up like mountains. This sin-filled location, which had existed for thousands of years, was finally swept clean today. Heaven-shaking cheers resounded through the sky as everybody let out the joy within their hearts.
Ever since the invasion of Grand Desolation Star Field, it was the first time in more than 10 years that they achieved such a large-scale victory. Moreover, it was such a one-sided and crushing battle. They only destroyed Abandoned Lair so far, which was still very far from their objective of ruthlessly killing all the cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field; however, today’s battle was like a little spark, illuminating the entire Star Field. It was the single spark that could start a great fire.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.” Yang Kai smiled at everyone around him and leisurely flew off. This time around, he didn’t even bring Liu Yan with him.
The Embodiment, Liu Yan, Ruan Bi Ting, and Su Yan were all existences that surpassed the limits of a Star Field, so combined with the many Masters on their side within this Star Field, their lineup was enough to solve all the problems they might face. All they needed was some time.
Hence, there was no need for Yang Kai to hang around. Besides, he had something more important to do.
“Where is he going?” Ruan Bi Ting asked Liu Yan, who looked upset.
“He went to refine the Star Field.”
Everybody was shocked by those words. [The Star Field can be refined?!] They had only heard of people refining a Star Source to become a Star Master. They were unaware that even the Star Field could be refined. What an amazing thing it would be if the refinement process was successful. Would that make him the Master of the entire Star Field?
Nobody dared to imagine what changes Yang Kai would bring to the Star Field. They did not dare to imagine how strong Yang Kai would be at that point either.
…
Yang Kai drifted aimlessly across the vast Starry Sky, going with the flow without any direction in mind. He flew off quickly after leaving Abandoned Lair, releasing a constant stream of his Qi as he travelled and leaving a path of aura behind him.
The previous experiment had proven that the idea in his head was feasible. In that case, he might as well go all out in doing it. It might be a little troublesome and time-consuming, but it still showed results. Who knows? He might even be able to figure out a better solution during the refinement process.
Ten days later, he successfully refined a large piece of Starry Sky around Abandoned Lair. Concurrently, the colour of the position corresponding to this piece of Starry Sky on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea changed a little. It also seemed to be brighter. This lighter area might not even make up a fraction of the Star Chart as a whole, but it was still a good Start.
Yang Kai immediately aimed for the next piece of Starry Sky after successfully refining this piece of Starry Sky. Day after day, the same process repeated over and over again; however, he was not bored by the monotony of it. Instead, he immersed himself in it. As piece after piece of the Star Field was refined and spot by spot on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea lit up, Yang Kai began to develop a weak connection with the entire Star Field while he had full control over all the places that he had successfully refined with just a mere thought.
If this connection had existed when he was in the Ancestral Domain before, he was certain he could accurately locate Heng Luo Star Field without referring to the Star Chart.
The Star Field was vast and untouched. It gave birth to untold millions of creatures every day. There were places filled with death and dangers, as well as places filled with life and opportunity. During the refinement process, Yang Kai could sense and experience all of these things and as a result, they brought out a host of different feelings in him.
One month… Two months… Six months… One year… Two years… Yang Kai was like a leaf, drifting about the Star Field. As he refined more and more of the Starry Sky, the illuminated areas in the Star Chart became larger and larger. His refining speed increased too. That wasn’t all; he also figured out a method of refining that was faster than before. Navigating his way around an endless Asteroid Sea, jumping from one asteroid to the next, Yang Kai left his aura on each of them.
He brushed past the Asteroid Sea half a day later and looking behind him, he saw what looked like a large Dragon that wandered around aimlessly in the Star Field. His aura was now deeply ingrained in this Asteroid Sea, so wherever it passed, his aura would be deposited, helping to greatly reduce the time he had to spend covering different regions with his aura.
This was one of the methods Yang Kai had discovered over the course of the past few years. He borrowed the power of the Asteroid Sea to refine the Starry Sky along the path of its travel. It turned out to be pretty effective. Aside from that, he found another method as well, one that was a little more overbearing and straightforward.
Yellow sand swept across the skies of one particular Star. The clouds reflected this yellow light, obscuring the view of the Sun and Moon. The environment on this Star was extremely harsh, and large storms occasionally brewed in this land.
Yang Kai descended from the sky and looked around. He discovered that this Star was not a Dead Star in the true sense. Although the surface of the Star was mostly sand, there were occasional spots of greenery scattered around. Strange birds and beasts lived on this Star but they quickly fled in all directions when they noticed him coming.
This was not a Dead Star as Dead Stars did not contain any vitality whatsoever. It was not an ageing Star either. On the contrary, it was a Star that was growing vigorously and slowly radiating vitality. Although nothing could be seen for the time being, this Star would surely be brimming with life if one were to return tens of thousands of years in the future. Even if it could not compare with Shadowed Star at that time, it wouldn’t be inferior to the current Tong Xuan Realm.
Naturally, Yang Kai had no plans to wait for tens of thousands of years. He immediately leapt into the air before plunging headfirst into the ground, spinning like a top. The ground rumbled in response, and a path leading underground immediately opened up.
A short time later, Yang Kai appeared in a certain place deep underground.
A ball of grey-white energy floated in front of him, pulsing unsteadily. It looked like a candle flower at first glance. It was dim and unclear, but teeming with obscure World Principles. This was the Star Source of this Star. It was not as good as the Star Source of Yang Kai’s Shadowed Star or Xia Ning Chang’s Tong Xuan Realm of course, more like a fetus of Source Strength still in the process of gestation.
The Star Field was so large that it was hard to imagine just how vast it was; therefore, it was not strange to see some of the recovering or growing Stars producing a Source like this. Even so, most cultivators would not choose to refine something like this because it was not beneficial. It might even bring harm to the cultivator if they tried; after all, who knew whether such a Star could truly grow and develop? What if the situation changed one day, causing the Star to weaken and the Source to die? The cultivator who refined this Source would be affected too if that were to happen.
However, Yang Kai was not afraid at all. It could also be said that he dived so deep underground just to obtain this ball of growing Source Strength. If his plan succeeded, there was no possibility of suffering a backlash. If he failed… Well, he wasn’t afraid of a little backlash at his current cultivation realm.
Reaching out, he touched the ball of Source Strength. The Star Source seemed to have a trace of its own consciousness already, so it tried to float away and avoid him, but in the end, it wasn’t a sentient creature so this little bit of reaction was all it could muster up.
Yang Kai smiled and tried to coax it, “Come with me. There will be endless benefits for you!”
Regardless of whether the Star Source could understand the meaning behind his words, Yang Kai grabbed at it and activated the Star Refining Art, only taking a short while to refine it.
Inside Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, the spot of light on the Star Chart representing this Cultivation Star flickered suddenly and became extremely bright. The effect only lasted for a moment before it returned to normal. Comparatively, it was only a little brighter than before.
Yang Kai then studied the Star Chart and determined where his next goal was before his figure soared upward.
….
Yang Kai stood in the skies above Fire Cloud Star, looking down on its bright lights. The major cities were peaceful, and the people lived in contentment as cultivators came and went freely.
The invasion of Grand Desolation Star Field did not seem to have any particular impact on Fire Cloud Star. It remained unchanged from before, bustling with life everywhere. It wasn’t that the cultivators of Fire Cloud Star were extremely powerful, their overall strength only slightly above average for the Star Field while still a far cry compared to the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s Home Star. There was only one reason for it to remain untouched; this Star had a Star Master guarding it!
Although Xia Ning Chang was overseeing it as its Star Master, Tong Xuan Realm was fundamentally weak and could not withstand great disturbances. Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice, which was why Netherworld Sect could barge right in and set up the Eight Desolation Binding Spirit Array to putrefy the land.
In comparison, Fire Cloud Star was more than just a little bit stronger than Tong Xuan Realm. Thanks to the Star Master here, Netherworld Sect would have to pay a certain price to invade this Star, which was why Fire Cloud Star was spared from the wars that ravaged the Star Field for more than ten years.
Existences like Fire Cloud Star were not that special across the Star Field. There were as many as six other places with similar circumstances. Netherworld Sect and those from Grand Desolation Star Field originally planned to fortify their defences and cut off supplies to the enemy by laying waste to the other Cultivation Stars that were easier to deal with before gathering their strength to deal with the Cultivation Stars that had Star Masters overseeing them.
It was a pity that their plans were thwarted by the Heavens. Yang Kai’s return had eventually led to their downfall.
“May I know who has honoured us with their presence? I, Chi Huo, apologize for not greeting you immediately. Honoured Guest, please come this way.” A majestic voice rang out from the world. In the midst of that grand display, the entire Fire Cloud Star seemed to fall silent as all people looked up. Even more of them fell on their knees in reverent worship and chanted, “Long live Sir Chi Huo!”
The voice thundered in Yang Kai’s ears deafeningly. It was as if the lightning had struck right beside him while a faint trace of rejection also emerged in the World Principles around him. Any ordinary Third-Order Origin King would have suffered some internal injury upon encountering such a situation; however, Yang Kai simply used his little finger to dig at his ear while grinning, glancing in a certain direction with a flashing gaze.
[Is this a show of intimidation?] Smiling, Yang Kai replied casually, “Good.”
His figure transformed into a stream of light and flew in that direction.
Three thousand kilometres away, lava flowed around Blazing Mountain. Craters of various shapes and sizes in the volcano sprayed black smoke into the air like a huge Dragon flying through the skies. The air was scorching to the point where it was nearly unbearable. Anybody with lower cultivation would not be able to come close to this place at all.
Chi Huo’s Blazing Palace was built on one of the largest craters here. The palace was majestic, grand, and as scarlet as flames. At first glance, it looked like the entire palace was made of lava and it was easy to tell that the owner’s personality was equally explosive.
A moment ago, the rustling sounds of silk and bamboo rang out amidst singing and dancing inside Blazing Palace. The Star Master of Fire Cloud Star, Chi Huo, was entertaining many of the Star’s local Masters. Today was the day he took in a new concubine, his wedding day. It was only natural for the people living on Fire Cloud Star to visit and congratulate him. There was nothing more important than the Star Master on Fire Cloud Star after all. Therefore, everyone of even some importance rushed to Blazing Mountain, whether or not they wanted to or could afford to.
As the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star, Chi Huo was naturally a Third-Order Origin King. It could almost be said that he stood at the peak of the Star Field, so it didn’t make much sense to cultivate further. For that reason, he had been indulging in various vices, including wine and beautiful women, for the past 500 years, living a thoroughly enjoyable life.
Although the concubine he was marrying today was only a First-Order Origin Returning Realm, she was an absolute beauty, so despite most cultivators not being big on formalities, Chi Huo had arranged an extravagant event to celebrate the occasion.
Inside the palace, Chi Huo and the bride were both dressed in fiery red as they sat side by side. Guests from all walks of life were celebrating their union. When the guests came forward to offer a toast, they also presented generous gifts to Chi Huo. There was also a lot of flattery going around, which made Chi Huo roar with laughter, his voice echoing thunderously.
Meanwhile, the bride sat motionlessly with a faint smile on her face. She looked dignified and generous. Many women were secretly pointing at her and talking about her. Their words were full of envy and jealousy, claiming that she was marrying above her station and enjoying the benefits that came with a huge promotion in status.
When it was the turn for a Second-Order Origin King Master to come up and offer a toast, Chi Huo lifted his glass before turning his head abruptly to look into the distance. His gaze seemed to pierce through the void, and he revealed a solemn expression.
The palace immediately quietened down as everybody’s gaze was fixed on Chi Huo.
Putting down his glass, he shouted, “May I know who is honouring us with their presence? I, Chi Huo, apologize for not greeting you immediately. Honoured Guest, please come this way.”
Everybody was shocked by his words for they had never seen Chi Huo acting so courteously before. His cultivation had reached the peak of the Star Field’s limits, and he was also the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he held the lives of several billions of cultivators living on this star in his hand. Even another Third-Order Origin King, who would technically be his equal, had to bow before him in this place.
[Who is it that can receive such courteous treatment from Sir Chi Huo? Just what kind of person can have such rights?] In their confusion, the crowd heard an unfamiliar voice sounding in their ears who simply replied, “Good.”
The guests couldn’t help finding it weird. Even though they had yet to meet the speaker, that response was far too presumptuous. [That person doesn’t know his place! He doesn’t even show basic respect in front of the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star!] The lively atmosphere in the palace cooled down all of a sudden, and everybody wore a strange look on their faces.
Yang Kai moved as swiftly as lightning, traversing the three thousand kilometres distance to arrive at Blazing Mountain in an instant, his goal the majestic Blazing Palace.
To Yang Kai’s surprise though, a shout suddenly came from below, “Senior! Please take me along with you!”
Lowering his head to have a look, Yang Kai saw a person standing on a black stone below. There was boiling lava flowing on all sides and it was so hot that it was scalding, a harsh and dangerous environment to be in.
That person was only in the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator and was clearly quite young, looking around 27 or 28 years old. He was square-faced and dressed in ragged clothes. It would seem that he had experienced a lot of hardships along his journey. His exposed skin revealed many scald marks caused by the lava, and the Saint Qi he was using to protect the surface of his body was dim and bleak, looking like it might disappear at any moment.
The Blazing Mountains, which stretched out for thousands of kilometres in all directions, was the place where Chi Huo lived. It was not a place that could be traversed by ordinary people. Without support and guidance, a Second-Order Origin Returning Realm Master would surely die in these lands. Even so, this young man had not retreated. Despite being in a dishevelled state, those eyes of his were very determined and it seemed as though he would continue his journey towards Blazing Palace even if Yang Kai refused to help him. He wouldn’t complain even if he died here.
“Were you talking to me?” Yang Kai stopped and looked at that young man.
“Senior, please bring me along with you! I, Cui Meng Yuan, will forever be grateful!” The young man gave a deep bow. His appearance was a mess, but it was hard to find fault with his etiquette. He seemed to have been at least educated well.
“Why should I bring you along?” Yang Kai grinned, “What benefit might it bring me?”
Cui Meng Yuan shook his head, “I don’t have anything except this life of mine to offer you.”
Yang Kai curled his lips in response, “Your life is worthless to me.”
Cui Meng Yuan’s eyes darkened at those words. Then, he sighed and did not force the matter. Straightening his back, he prepared to fly away; however, the lava around him turned into something akin to a living monster at that moment and condensed to form fire pythons that lunged at him.
Cui Meng Yuan’s heart sank, knowing that he was destined to die here today; hence, he didn’t even bother to resist and simply took a long, yearning look at Blazing Palace. Contrary to his expectations though, the scorching temperature suddenly disappeared and the pain he imagined did not come. Stunned, he discovered that he had been rescued. The fire python that had been striking at him had turned back into lava and flowed away.
When he lifted his head to look at Yang Kai, he gratefully spoke, “Many thanks, Senior.”
“Forget it. It is fate that you and I met today, so I’ll bring you along at a loss!” Yang Kai grinned and grabbed Cui Meng Yuan by the collar. He then carried the young man in his hand like a chicken. The scenery around them receded in a flash and they arrived at Blazing Mountain in the blink of an eye.
After being tossed to the ground by Yang Kai, it took a while for Cui Meng Yuan to recover from his shock. He was just about to thank Yang Kai again when he saw him striding towards Blazing Palace. Thus, he gritted his teeth and followed closely behind.
The gates of the palace were wide open, displaying the magnificent interior that gave off an extremely luxurious aura. The moment Yang Kai walked into the palace, he felt many pairs of eyes staring fixedly at him. Those gazes were scrutinizing and contained a touch of hostility.
A stocky man with red hair and a beard sat on an elevated platform like an iron tower. He was dressed in red robes and looked like a bundle of flames that could turn the entire world into a sea of fire. He also had a pair of red eyes that shone as brightly as two suns and flickered with an imposing light.
Cui Meng Yuan stepped out from behind Yang Kai and stared towards the bride beside Chi Huo with a complex expression. His lips moved and he whispered something. Although his voice was very soft, it couldn’t escape Yang Kai’s ears. Similarly, the bride’s tender body stiffened in response; however, she quickly lowered her eyes and her expression returned to normal.
Chi Huo and Yang Kai looked at each other. One was aggressive and imposing, while the other was deep and quiet. There seemed to be invisible forces clashing and colliding in the palace, making the atmosphere as tense as could be.
All of a sudden, Chi Huo laughed and stretched out his hand to hold the jade white hand of the bride next to him, “Today is my wedding day. I can’t believe I have such an Honoured Guest gracing my palace. What a happy occasion! Dare I ask for your name, Honoured Guest?”
Although it was a question, he remained sitting above all others in a condescending manner. As for Cui Meng Yuan, Chi Huo didn’t even bother to glance at him, as if the latter was air.
Yang Kai smiled, “Names are nothing more than labels others use to distinguish one from another, not worth mentioning here. I invited myself in because I have a favour to ask of you, Brother Chi.”
Chi Huo lowered his eyes and replied faintly, “We can talk about that another day. Today is my wedding day. Little Brother, if you don’t mind, you should stay and join us for a few drinks.”
Despite directing a question at the young man, he did not receive a corresponding answer; thus, Chi Huo was a little displeased. Feeling that this young man was a little too arrogant, he lost interest in speaking with him further. [How dare he call me ‘Brother Chi’? What arrogance! Does he really think he can speak to me as equals just because I’m being a little generous?]
The only reason he did not kick Yang Kai out was because he could vaguely sense Yang Kai’s strength was astonishing. Besides, today was his wedding and he did not wish to create trouble on such an auspicious day. Otherwise, he would never have held his temper in. Even so, the way he addressed Yang Kai became ‘Little Brother’ at some point, which carried a sense of superiority over Yang Kai.
Chi Huo initially thought that Yang Kai would take his advice, but to his surprise, Yang Kai shook his head, “This matter is of great importance. Although I am not in a hurry, it’s better if I settle this matter as soon as possible. Please forgive me, Brother Chi.”
Chi Huo’s expression immediately darkened at those words. He was not acquainted with Yang Kai, so there were no grievances between them to speak of; however, he was getting irritated with Yang Kai’s arrogant attitude during the brief conversation they had with each other. [I don’t really want to make a move, but if this boy doesn’t know when to call it quits, I don’t mind adding another bloodstain to Blazing Palace.]
Hence, he quickly said, “Is that so? Well then, let’s hear it. We’ll see just how important it is.”
Yang Kai solemnly replied, “It’s related to the peace in the Star Field.”
Chi Huo was startled for a moment, then he roared with laughter. Similarly, the other guest began laughing too, their voices filled with mockery. There was no way they could hold in their laughter if a random cultivator suddenly popped out and claimed that his circumstances were related to the peace of the entire Star Field. To them, it was as though a frog had popped up to tell them that the sky was falling.
The guests today consisted mostly of the older generation and they had long noticed the change in Chi Huo’s attitude. Seeing how Yang Kai was behaving, how could they tolerate his lack of propriety? Hence, an old man with a goatee immediately shook his head and mocked, “Brat, this is Blazing Palace. It’s not a place for you to spew utter nonsense. Go back to wherever you came from. Sir Chi Huo is in a good mood today, so he won’t mind a tasteless joke or two.”
“That’s right. Hurry up and scram from here. Stop delaying my time; it’s my turn to offer a toast.”
“To think Sir Chi Huo was being so polite to him. I can’t believe he is so crazy. How ridiculous.”
“The Star Field has been at peace for such a long time. How dare he try to deceive us!?”
…
Yang Kai was unmoved by the insults and mockery that blew past his ears like a breeze. He simply frowned and looked at Chi Huo, “Brother Chi, did you block all news from the outside? Why?”
These guests didn’t seem to know about what had happened in the Star Field over the past decade. [I can’t believe they said something like ‘The Star Field has been at peace for such a long time.’ Don’t they have any form of communication with the outside world?]
Then, he remembered the barriers he encountered when he first arrived at Fire Cloud Star just now and immediately understood the situation. It wasn’t that they did not communicate with the outside world, it was that the Star Master had blocked all communications. They had no way of getting any news from the outside world at all.
Yang Kai turned to look at the old man with a goatee then and asked, “Old man, do you know of the Grand Desolation Star Field? Or Netherworld Sect?”
The old man with a goatee frowned and asked, “What nonsense are you spewing now?”
“Where did this crazy brat come from? His insane talk is so displeasing! Sir Chi Huo, please allow me to throw him out!” Somebody yelled with righteous indignation. The joyous wedding feast had been ruined by this young man’s arrival and many were naturally unhappy at losing the chance to ingratiate themselves with the Star Master.
“Why did you do that, Brother Chi?” Yang Kai looked at Chi Huo in a puzzled manner. Was he trying to isolate them from the dangers outside? If that’s the case, then these actions were a little too ridiculous. How could Fire Cloud Star survive if Heng Luo Star Field fell?
Chi Huo replied indifferently, “It has nothing to do with you.”
Yang Kai thought for a moment and nodded, “You’re right.”
[It’s not my problem. There’s no reason for me to care.]
Even so, Yang Kai kindly gave some advice, “Brother Chi, there’s no need to do this anymore. For the past two years, Grand Desolation Star Field and Netherworld Sect have been on the decline. My fellow Star Field cultivators have paved a path towards victory and killed countless enemies; however, the war is not over yet. You can lend them a helping hand if you wish, Brother Chi. I believe the war will end faster with Fire Cloud Star’s help.”
Chi Huo grinned, “So, why aren’t you helping them?”
Yang Kai said, “I have more important things to do, which is also the reason I am here today.”
“I’m curious as to just what this ‘important thing’ of yours is.”
Yang Kai solemnly answered, “Brother Chi, I’m here to borrow something!”
“What do you want to borrow?” Chi Huo asked in a low voice while thinking, [This is ridiculous. All the other guests came with gifts, but as if it wasn’t bad enough that he came here empty-handed, he wants to borrow something on top of that!?]
Chi Huo was filled with murderous intent and if Yang Kai dared to say something displeasing, he would surely unleash his wrath on him.
“I want to borrow this Star’s Source!” Yang Kai pointed to the ground under his feet.
The whole palace fell silent, and the scorching air was filled with murderous intent. Many guests looked at each other, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears. Why else would they hear such nonsensical words?
“What did you say?” Chi Huo’s expression turned grim. [What a presumptuous little brat! How dare you want to borrow Fire Cloud Star’s Star Source!? Are Star Sources something that can be lent to others!? When it comes down to it, the reason why I stand above others and why even Third-Order Origin Kings have to bow down before me is because I am a Star Master! What leverage would I have if I lent my Star Source to somebody else!? Besides, I’ve never even heard of a Star Source being lent out before!]
Murderous intent spread out like a tide. If Yang Kai’s attitude earlier had displeased him, then this one sentence had truly triggered his murderous intent. The topic of the Star Source itself could be considered taboo so Chi Huo immediately concluded that this young man was here to intentionally cause trouble on his wedding day. Thus, he decided that Yang Kai would not leave this place alive.
“Brother Chi, please calm yourself.” Yang Kai lifted his hand placatingly, “I came here with sincere intentions so please hear me out until the end.”
Chi Huo was so furious that he laughed instead, “Fine. Go on.” [I want to see how smooth-spoken and eloquent your tongue can be.]
“If you can lend me your Star Source, Brother Chi, you can ensure the peace of this Star Field. It can be considered a heroic act of sorts. Of course, I know that the Star Source is very important to you so I won’t let you do this for nothing. I will definitely provide you with equivalent compensation.”
Chi Hup was taken aback for a moment before he roared with laughter, “Compensation!?”
[I already stand at the peak of the Star Field. What else is there in this world that can impress me? This little brat is bluffing so shamelessly that it’s infuriating. Could it be that my enemies sent him here to entertain me?]
“En, compensation!” Yang Kai repeated solemnly, flipping his palms over and summoning a cloud of radiant and colourful energy into it.
“That’s…” Chi Hup suddenly became interested. He stood up from his chair abruptly and stared at the light incredulously. The rest of the guests also lost themselves for a moment, showing extremely shocked and greedy expressions.
“This is also a Star Source, but it has no corresponding Cultivation Star,” Yang Kai explained, “However, if I use this as compensation, I believe it will not have much impact on your cultivation, Brother Chi. En, once the affairs related to the Star Field are settled, I will also return Fire Cloud Star’s Source to you. In this way, you will have earned another Star Source without even lifting a finger, Brother Chi.”
“Which Star does this Source belong to?” Chi Huo muttered under his breath.
Yang Kai spread his hands wide and shrugged, “As I said, this Source has no corresponding Cultivation Star.”
Yang Kai had many other Sources just like this one. It was something he picked up in the Shattered Star Sea back then. Although he had given some away, he still had many left in his possession.
Chi Huo’s expression fluctuated, not because of Yang Kai’s proposal though. Even if Yang Kai compensated him with a new Source, he would be a Star Master in name only without the corresponding Cultivation Star. How could that compare to the benefits of being the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star?
It was simply the idea of killing and looting Yang Kai that came to Chi Huo’s mind; however, a strong sense of crisis rang out in his heart the moment that thought appeared in his head. It seemed to be warning him that he would face a tragic ending if he so much as lifted a finger against the young man in front of him. That feeling caused the blood surging all over his body to cool down instantly, and his mind cleared.
Returning to his seat, Chi Huo shook his head, “I won’t lend you Fire Cloud Star’s Source. Please leave.”
At the same time, he sneered in his heart. [This little brat doesn’t seem to understand the concept of hiding one’s wealth from others. Even if I suppress my greed and do nothing to him, he will surely be ambushed the moment he leaves Blazing Palace. When that time comes, I will be able to gauge his strength. It won’t be too late to decide to attack him then.]
The light disappeared as Yang Kai put away the Source. Rubbing his forehead, he seemed a little troubled, “Haa… As expected, trying to be reasonable doesn’t work after all.”
He had tried to be gentlemanly and settle things peacefully without resorting to forceful means, but in the end, it still came down to a fight. Turning around, he grabbed Cui Meng Yuan by the collar and shouted, “Boy, what grievances do you have? Spit them all out, I’ll stand up for you today!”
“Huh?” Cui Meng Yuan was taken aback. His eyes had never left the bride from the moment he followed Yang Kai into Blazing Palace. The only time he had looked away for a moment was when Yang Kai took out the Star Source. Nevertheless, his attention was quickly drawn back to the bride again; hence, being questioned by Yang Kai without any warning or context like this left him feeling rather confused.
“What do you mean by ‘Huh?’ I heard what you said earlier. Are you acquainted with the bride?”
Yang Kai was practically spitting in his face, but even so, Cui Meng Yuan nodded stupidly in response to the question. That was the reason why he had charged into Blazing Mountain without fear of death today.
“Were you and the bride deeply in love with one another? Did you promise your lives to each other?”
Cui Meng Yuan nodded again, his eyes filled with humiliation and reluctance.
“Did this old fart bully the weak and abuse his authority? Did he snatch your woman from you regardless of your feelings?”
“Yes!” Cui Meng Yuan shouted, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth so hard that his gums were bleeding.
“Good!” Yang Kai shouted. Tossing Cui Meng Yuan to the side, he turned to look at Chi Huo and leisurely said, “I’ve felt your determination. Today, I will help you get your bride back!”
Cui Meng Yuan was both shocked and delighted. He never imagined that something so dramatic would occur. He had barged into Blazing Palace alone today with the resolution to die for the sake of his revenge. He had not expected somebody to stand up for him.
However, he soon seemed to realize something and spoke up sadly, “Senior, many thanks for your kindness, but…”
“Shut up!”
He immediately closed his mouth and did not dare to say another word.
Meanwhile, Chi Huo stood on the elevated platform and lowered his eyes. His expression was gloomy as he indifferently said, “All disputes begin due to the wrong words being said and the eagerness to show off. Junior, don’t think too highly of yourself just because I was being generous with you.”
[This bastard is simply looking for trouble. It really is as the saying goes, ‘He who comes is surely ill-intentioned’.]
Yang Kai laughed before pointing at Chi Huo and shouting, “Old dog, the Star Field is at war! Foreign enemies are invading us! It’s bad enough that you aren’t helping, but you also sealed Fire Cloud Star from the outside world to keep all others here ignorant as well! How dare you! I came here for the common people and would have turned a blind eye to the matter if you had cooperated with me, but since you refused to cooperate, don’t blame me for being merciless!”
Yang Kai acted as though he was standing on a moral high ground, preparing to take down a villain who killed and looted the innocent, eliciting a round of cursing from the guests.
In contrast, Chi Huo stood with his red hair flying in the wind and his robes flapped around him, “How outrageous!”
Yang Kai declared, “You have no choice but to lend me your Star Source, even if you don’t want to!” While speaking, he lunged towards Chi Huo.
“Impudence!” Chi Huo was furious and with a single thought, his power surged as an invisible force descended from the sky. Everybody had trouble breathing as a result as they felt as though a mountain was pressing down on their chests.
Yang Kai, who was the target of this oppression bore the brunt of this pressure and paused for a moment before he abruptly doubled over slightly, looking like he would be forced to the ground at any moment.
This was the power of a Star Master. Chi Huo could dominate everything on this Star and could kill his enemies soundlessly with a single thought.
Many guests applauded and cheered at the sight.
However, Chi Huo’s expression was extremely solemn. Rather than being displeased, he was thoroughly shocked. Yang Kai’s performance was beyond his expectations. [How is this brat not forced to the ground by the pressure!? He truly isn’t anything ordinary.]
Chi Huo focused and increased the pressure exerted on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai grunted slightly, and the ground beneath his feet cracked. Even so, he smiled coldly, “So what if you have Star Strength? Do you think I don’t?”
A Star flickered in the distant Starry Sky at that moment and emitted a beam of light. That light leapt across billions of kilometres in the blink of an eye and shone down on Yang Kai. It made the area around his body glow and shine so brightly that people couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore.
This place was not Shadowed Star, but although Yang Kai was not in his domain, he was still in the same Star Field. It was only natural that he could guide the power of Shadowed Star to him and use it to resist the World Principles of Fire Cloud Star.
The pressure Yang Kai felt instantaneously lightened; however, the show wasn’t over yet. A portion of the Starry Sky began to light up and gather great power, strangely resonating with Yang Kai, becoming a source of strength.
That stretch of the Starry Sky was the result of what Yang Kai had spent the last two years refining. The power gathered by the vast Starry Sky was not as pure as the Star Strength of Shadowed Star, but it was vastly superior in terms of quantity, enough to cause unimaginable changes.
“Break!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted.
*Kacha…*
As if something had cracked apart, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly stood up tall and straight again.
A look of disbelief flashed across Chi Huo’s eyes as he stood up from his chair. Before he could do anything though, a figure flashed in front of him and a large iron-shackle-like hand grabbed him by the neck. The force coming from that arm was so powerful that he couldn’t muster up the strength to resist.
A layer of invisible force wrapped around Chi Huo’s entire body instantly, and the connection between him and Fire Cloud Star was severed without warning. That wasn’t all; even the Star Source he had refined in his body was suppressed too.
His eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, Chi Huo wondered in terror, [What is this horrifying strength!? Just who is this person!?]
*Ding ding dang dang…*
The sound of wine glasses falling to the ground rang out from the surroundings as all the guests stared at this scene stupidly with their mouths agape in shock, feeling as though they were dreaming. Their eyes were filled with pure astonishment as Star Master Chi Huo was being single-handedly lifted into the air by a boy! Moreover, it looked like Chi Huo didn’t even have time to react or the strength to resist!
The confrontation between those two had lasted for less than a moment. It was so fast that everybody was left reeling and many were still clueless as to what was going on. Nevertheless, the victor had already been decided.
There could only be one explanation for this situation: the strength of one party far surpassed the strength of the other. That was the only way for an instant defeat to occur.
But… Chi Huo was a Star Master and a Third-Order Origin King! What kind of person could surpass him in strength by such a large margin? None of them could wrap their heads around the idea as it was too much to take in at this moment. Regardless, this scene would forever be the most shocking moment in their entire lives.
“Huh!?” Cui Meng Yuan yelled with a dazed look. Things had ended so quickly that he didn’t even have the time to prepare himself.
Similarly, the bride was covering her red lips with her small hands. Her eyes were filled with shock and horror as she looked up at Yang Kai. The figure in front of her seemed as large as a mountain and she couldn’t see his face clearly despite their close proximity. Instead, it felt like he was standing beyond Heavens themselves.
Yang Kai turned his head and grinned at her, “Hurry up and fly away with that boy.”
He waved his hand while he was talking, tossing both her and Cui Meng Yuan thousands of kilometres away from Blazing Mountain, regardless of whether she wanted it or not.
[Oh, well. I’m sure she is willing; after all, she looked worried when that Cui Meng Yuan first appeared here.]
“W-Who… Are you!?” Chi Huo squeezed out those words from between his teeth.
He was a burly man who was one head taller than Yang Kai, but he was currently being held like a helpless little baby chicken by the latter. Anybody who saw this sight would feel a strong sense of visual conflict.
“Will my name have any meaning to you?” Yang Kai sneered, ignoring Chi Huo while silently circulating the Star Refining Art.
Chi Huo had a sudden realization. He had asked this young man for his name before but did not receive an answer. He thought this boy was cocky and reckless, but now it seems that he just couldn’t be bothered to answer.
An unbearable pain suddenly spread throughout Chi Huo’s body. It hurt so much that he shuddered violently; then, his eyes widened as he clearly felt something and screamed in horror, “No!”
“Come!” Yang Kai abruptly raised his hand and pressed against Chi Huo’s dantian. His fingers turned into claws as he grabbed at something without warning and dragged it out. A ball of crimson light was plucked out in an instant.
Tossing Chi Huo aside, Yang Kai lowered his head to study the ball of crimson light in his hand before nodding in satisfaction.
On the other side, Chi Huo got up shakily. He was in bad shape, and his face was ashen. Yang Kai had severely damaged his foundation, and while that damage was not permanent, his Star Source had been forcefully taken away. How could Chi Huo not be affected by that? Lifting his head, he looked in that direction with a sorrowful gaze.
[How was my Star Source taken away from me so easily? That was the Source I risked my life to obtain and spent many years of blood, sweat, and tears to refine. It is by relying on it that I became a Star Master and succeeded in unifying the entire Fire Cloud Star. Without that Source, I am nothing more than an ordinary Third-Order Origin King. No, I might be even worse than that… I’ve suffered internal injuries when my connection to the Source was severed.]
Many of the guests couldn’t help feeling sympathy for Chi Huo when they saw what happened while a horrifying chill wrapped around their bodies. They froze in place, not daring to make any reckless moves.
Somebody as powerful as the Star Master of Fire Cloud Star couldn’t even lift a finger against this young man. Not only was he defeated in an instant, but his Star Source had also been forcibly taken away. How could they dare to make an enemy of Yang Kai after witnessing this? Their gazes were filled with both awe and horror.
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai opened his mouth, stuffed the ball of crimson light into his mouth, and swallowed it. His skin immediately turned blood-red as if he was being burned by flames. Groaning, he felt a heavy pressure on his dantian and quickly activated the Star Refining Art to suppress and refine the Star Source.
Unfortunately, he soon discovered that things were not looking too optimistic. Shadowed Star’s Source Strength that was inside his body turned out to be incompatible with Fire Cloud Star’s Source. The two seemed to be innately hostile toward each other, and the former formed an unimaginably strong resistance against the latter as a consequence.
This situation was a little surprising as Yang Kai had refined the Sources of several other Stars before coming here. It was just that the Sources of those Stars were very weak, so he had not felt any kind of conflict. It wasn’t until this instance that he experienced a reaction.
The World Principles of each Cultivation Star were distinct. They had their respective differences and could not coexist. Yang Kai quickly figured this out; but even so, he did not panic and continued to circulate the Star Refining Art. For the next part of his plan, he would need to refine more than just a single Star Source. He was going to refine all the Star Sources in the entire Star Field. How was he going to carry out his plan if he couldn’t even get past the minor challenges that he was currently facing?
Dividing his attention in two, Yang Kai comforted the Source Strength of Shadowed Star with one hand while doing the same for Fire Cloud Star’s Source with the other. This led to the surface of his body, his left side and right side, both emitting different rays of light that seemed like they were attacking each other.
The power of the two Stars lashed out arbitrarily, causing Blazing Palace to collapse in an instant. The towering palace was turned into ruins and many of the guests fled in all directions. The guests that came to offer their congratulations to Chi Huo were all powerful people, so they would not die because of a minor accident like this, but that did not diminish their shock when witnessing Yang Kai’s power and methods.
The aftermath of the conflict between the two Star Sources made them uncomfortable even from a distance, so it wasn’t difficult for them to imagine how Yang Kai, who stood at the centre of the conflict, was feeling.
As expected, Yang Kai was not unscathed. He felt as though two children were pummeling each other inside of him, vying for the ownership of his body. Trying to calm and mediate between the two was not very effective. On the contrary, it made his vitality become unstable and his face flushed red as a result. There was no describing how unbearable it was. Aside from those two unruly children, there were a few wailing babies in the background too. Those babies were undoubtedly those Star Sources that he had refined recently. Compared to the Source Strengths of Shadowed Star and Fire Cloud Star, these Star Sources were neither as complete nor as strong. They had been behaving themselves until Fire Cloud Star’s Source agitated them and made them restless too.
[Calm down… calm… down… caalll… Agh! Screw it!]
“Behave yourselves!” Yang Kai roared furiously, emphasizing each syllable strongly as he abruptly pushed the Star Refining Art hard to suppress these Star Sources.
The whole world fell silent all at once. At the same time, his aura gradually stabilized and the conflict between the Source Strengths inside his body subsided.
[These rascals were simply asking to be disciplined!] Even so, he knew that this was just a stopgap measure. They might not pose a problem for the time being, but those conflicts would only get worse and worse as he refined more and more Star Sources in the future. If he could not find a proper solution to the problem, it would eventually turn into a bigger issue down the road. [Haa… I’ll think about it when it happens…]
In the Star Chart inside his Knowledge Sea, the light that symbolized Fire Cloud Star flickered. At the same time, he formed an unbreakable connection with the entire Fire Cloud Star. With a single thought, the entire Fire Cloud Star came under his control. The skies rumbled and the earth trembled. All these phenomena seemed to be informing the world that the Star Master had changed.
The guests that came to attend Chi Huo’s wedding hurried forward at this moment and bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Sir!”
Leaving aside the overwhelming strength that Yang Kai had displayed, just the fact that he was the current Star Master of Fire Cloud Star was enough to make them swallow their pride and lower their heads. In the future, they would have to live under his rule, so how could they dare to conduct themselves carelessly?
“Greetings… Sir!” Chi Huo lowered his head too, looking like he had aged several hundred years in an instant, an extremely depressed look on his face.
Unexpectedly, he was good at judging the situation and reading the room. He had previously dared to challenge Yang Kai because he had the confidence of winning. Reality had proven that that was nothing more than an illusion though and now that he was in an inferior position, he had no choice but to lower his head. He didn’t even dare to think about exacting revenge despite the hatred burning in his heart. He was no match for Yang Kai even at his peak, so nothing needed to be said about now when he was severely weakened.
Yang Kai glanced at Chi Huo meaningfully, which made Chi Huo tremble out of fear, afraid that Yang Kai was going to kill him. Fortunately, Yang Kai never had the intention to do that. Sweeping his gaze across the room, he said, “There’s something I need your help with.”
The old man with the goatee that had mocked Yang Kai previously hurriedly said, “Sir, grant us your instructions. This Old Master will do his best to complete them for you.”
“Yes, please tell us, Sir.”
Yang Kai said, “Chi Huo sealed this Star previously, so you don’t know about the recent situation in the Star Field, right?”
The old man with the goatee hesitated, “I’m not sure what you are referring to…”
“More than 10 years ago, enemies from Grand Desolation Star Field invaded our Star Field, seized many of our Cultivation Stars, and killed billions of our fellow cultivators. They are greedy, cruel, and ruthless! Their sins are unforgivable!”
“What?” Everybody was shocked. Although they had heard Yang Kai mentioning this matter previously, nobody had taken it seriously. Hearing it again now though, they had no choice but to take it seriously.
[To think that there is another Star Field out there! Moreover, they invaded us!? Something like that is simply unthinkable!]
“However, the situation isn’t so dire anymore. Our fellow cultivators are fighting back. I want you to go and support them. Wipe out those cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field!”
The old man with the goatee asked, “Where… Should we go to support our fellow brothers and sisters?” They had never even heard of Grand Desolation Star Field before, so it was only natural that they didn’t know where to go.
“Figure it out yourselves!” Yang Kai had been operating alone for the past two years so he did not know where the battle was currently taking place either. However, it wouldn’t be hard for them to find out about the war as long as they had the heart to do so. Fire Cloud Star might have been sealed off by Chi Huo, but that was also the reason that these people’s strength had been preserved more or less perfectly. If they joined the front, they would surely be of great help.
“Of course. Of course.” The old man with the goatee nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that this young man was subject to shifting moods.
“Stop wasting time. Set off immediately.” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively and called up a strong burst of wind like he was chasing flies away. Immediately every Origin King present lost their footing and was blown away by the wind.
A moment later, Yang Kai was the only one left in the ruins of Blazing Palace. Then, he found a spot and sat down cross-legged, plunging his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea to study the Star Chart.
A few lights in a certain location flickered. Those were the lights that corresponded to the Cultivation Stars he refined recently, and the brightest one among them was Fire Cloud Star. More importantly, these lights were not chosen at random. If a line was drawn to connect them to each other, the outline of an irregular polygon would appear in the massive Star Chart.
Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar moved slightly. Separated by several thousands of kilometres, he activated the Source Strengths of these Stars and all of a sudden, lights lit up along the edges of the invisible irregular polygon and began to spread outwards. Wherever the light passed in the Starry Sky, those areas were branded by Yang Kai’s aura and gradually refined by him. He could tell that those areas within the Starry Sky were now under his influence and was overjoyed to know that his previous conjecture was not wrong.
Confirming his theory, Yang Kai immediately continued with his efforts.
The entire process only took three days for him to complete the entire refining process, and when he checked the Star Chart again, the irregular polygon formed by the light points on the Star Chart were already in harmony with him. That irregular polygon might not be much in the scale of the entire Star Chart, but the corresponding region of the Starry Sky was still extremely vast. If Yang Kai had used his previous refining methods, it would have taken him at least half a year to accomplish this. Using this method, it only took him a month to complete the refinement process.
He only needed to refine a few Star Sources, then use those Cultivation Stars as his foundation to increase the area under his influence. With that, he could achieve twice the results with only half the effort. It saved him a lot of time and energy.
The Star Field was truly too vast. He had spent two years only to refine an area that did not even make up 1/20th of the entire Star Field. In other words, it would take him at least 40 to 50 years to completely refine the entire Star Field at the previous speed.
[Do you know how long 40 to 50 years is!? How can I spend so much time in this Star Field!?] The efficiency was increased by a lot with his current method. Combined with the many auras that he had left behind in various Asteroid Seas, it would speed up even more.
[10 years. Within 10 years, I will finish refining the entire Star Field and become its Master!]
A pitch-black Starship sailed slowly and silently across the empty Star Field like a huge ghost. A skull logo on the Starship revealed its origins. It was a Starship that belonged to the Netherworld Sect of Grand Desolation Star Field.
The huge Starship wandered the Starry Sky like a homeless child, exuding an extremely depressed aura although it was a non-living thing. It seemed to depict an extremely tragic end in life.
It was currently sailing towards Broken Void Corridor, which only appeared in the last two years. Broken Void Corridor was connected to Grand Desolation Star Field, so if they could reach the Broken Void Corridor, they might get the chance to return to Grand Desolation Star Field.
The lives of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators had become extremely difficult ever since the day Heng Luo Star Field’s counterattack began five years ago. All of their invading armies had been obliterated, one by one. Consequently, panic spread throughout the hearts of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators. They didn’t even want to know why Heng Luo Star Field, which should not have had the strength to fight back, could rise up again all of a sudden.
All the powerful Sects that had invaded this Star Field had paid a heavy price as a consequence. Myriad Beast Mountain, Heavenly Sword Sect, and Wild Thunder Divine Sect had been annihilated… Which one among these powerful Sects was not a top existence in Grand Desolation Star Field? And yet, none of them could even lift a finger against Heng Luo Star Field.
Heng Luo Star Field was now a ruthless wild beast that devoured its prey whole.
Some of the surviving members among Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators even suspected that this was a conspiracy set up by Heng Luo Star Field, that they had been feigning weakness for the past 10 years so that they could lure their enemies in completely; that way, they could attract even more cultivators here to kill.
Although the Netherworld Sect had yet to be completely annihilated, it was very close to dying out. This was the only Starship left from Netherworld Sect’s invasion force; moreover, this Starship had suffered greatly from various attacks. The surface was full of dents and bloodstains, with every part of it covered in the scars left behind by the war.
It was hard, but it managed to escape the latest siege and wandered across the Star Field for a very long time before it finally lost its pursuers.
[Home! We have to go home! This Starfield is a place we should never have carelessly invaded!]
Broken Void Corridor was just a few thousand kilometres ahead, so the surviving cultivators of Netherworld Sect inside the Starship could see it with their own eyes through the polished crystal windows. The scent of home seemed to linger in their noses, as if their relatives were beckoning to them after such a long separation. As such, everybody was overjoyed; they were extremely excited at the thought of returning home.
All of a sudden, a white shadow appeared in front of them and blocked the Starship’s path.
The cultivators inside the Starship soon discovered the presence of this white figure. Controlling the Spirit Arrays within the Starship, they enlarged and projected the image of the white figure and the image of a stunning woman with long, smooth-flowing hair dressed in snow-white clothes instantly entered their vision. Her expression was indifferent, but she had a noble and divine poise. Looking at her made one feel inferior and ashamed of their unseemliness for some reason.
A gasp rang out throughout the entire Starship, followed by a heavy silence as everyone held their breaths.
[It’s her!]
Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators did not know her name; however, she was their greatest nightmare. Cultivators in the Third-Order Origin King Realm were as weak as babies in front of her. No one was a match for her the moment that longsword of hers began to dance.
A cold air spread out inside the Starship as everyone felt their limbs stiffen and their bodies shiver. The huge Starship was a sharp contrast to this tiny figure; but even so, the entire Starship seemed to make various creaking sounds, as if whimpering in fear in front of this woman.
“You! Are you really so intent on killing to the last?!” An aged voice rang out furiously from within the Starship.
Su Yan stood inside the void, her beautiful eyes like a pool of water in autumn, staring at the oncoming Starship without any intention of responding to the question.
“Move aside, or this place will become your burial ground!” The aged voice threatened harshly; however, it was clear that this person was simply trying to act strong. Besides, it was impossible for her to move aside. Raising her bare hand, she placed it against the hilt of her sword.
“Since you court death, we’ll grant your wish! Run her over!” That aged voice was undoubtedly irritated. This woman had displayed cultivation and strength vastly surpassing ordinary Masters in recent years. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter how strong an individual was; how could one person possibly compete against a Starship?
The cultivators of Grand Desolation Star Field were eager to escape back to their homes and they were reluctant to go through another bout of fighting here. That was why they were threatening her instead. If she refused to appreciate their kindness, then she should just die.
With a loud hum, the Starship sped up abruptly and charged directly towards Su Yan!
As the distance between the two parties quickly shortened, Su Yan continued to stand there quietly without dodging or drawing her sword. She didn’t even show any changes in her expression whatsoever. It was almost as if what was charging straight at her wasn’t a monstrous Starship but a light breeze blowing across her face.
When they were separated by a mere 100 kilometres, a sword light suddenly flashed out and struck the huge Starship. 100 kilometres of space was torn asunder as a result. At the same time, the Starship slammed into the spot where she had been standing previously and left as swiftly as lightning.
“Hahahaha! That’s what you get for being overconfident!” That aged voice laughed wildly and continuously before it stopped abruptly when he discovered that Su Yan, who should have been smashed to pieces, was standing behind the Starship in perfect condition. Her sword had been unsheathed at some point. At this moment, her back was facing the ship as she sheathed her sword, turned into a stream of light, and flew off. Not even once did she glance back at the Starship throughout the entire process.
“Wha…” The owner of the aged voice was confused; however, he soon realized that something was wrong. The speed of the Starship was becoming slower and slower, as if an invisible force was binding it in place. At the same time, an astonishing chill filled the entire Starship from the inside and a strange crackling sound came from all directions.
Turning around, the sight that greeted this old man shocked him. Snowflakes had appeared inside the Starship at some point of time, blooming and spreading to every corner of the hull. One by one, the Spirit Arrays that were in operation iced over. Similarly, the cultivators that had been caught off guard were frozen on the spot as the snowflakes covered their entire bodies.
The old man suddenly felt a coolness spreading across his hands.
Looking down, his pupils contracted as he saw snow flowers had appeared on the back of his hand, and he lost feeling in the parts of his body that were covered by these white snowflakes. One snowflake… Two snowflakes… Three snowflakes…
While that was occurring inside the Starship, the same was happening on the outside too. Dense snowflakes wrapped the Starship in thick layers, like a naughty child had wrapped the Starship in a coat sewn out of snowflakes until it became a white and flawless bundle.
*Kacha…*
The sound of something shattering rang out as the huge Starship shattered into pieces mid-motion and broke into multiple blocks of ice. The cultivators inside the Starship were not spared either, joining these blocks of ice that continued to sail forward into the endless void for all eternity.
…..
Several lights passed by as swiftly as lightning, chasing after each other in the Star Field. The three leading this group had powerful auras with the weakest among them being a First-Order Origin King while the one leading the group was a Third-Order Master. Meanwhile, the aura of the light following behind them was quite subdued. The figure was that of a little girl around seven or eight years old. Moreover, she did not give off any aura at all, as if she had never cultivated before.
Even so, the trio flying in the lead did not even dare to turn back to look at her, seemingly terrified of what they might see. They simply fled for their lives, desperately.
One day… Two days… Three days… The three fleeing Origin Kings were exhausted as, although their cultivations were fairly high, escaping at full speed for such a long time was extremely tiring. If they had not been constantly taking Spirit Pills to supplement their energy consumption, they would have died of exhaustion a long time ago.
[We must have gotten away by now, right?] The three of them thought in unison; thus, they turned back to take a look and immediately felt as though their souls had left their bodies.
That small figure was following not far behind them, her delicate and tender face completely expressionless. Her black eyes were clear and deep, so clear that their fearful expressions were reflected in them. What made them despair even more was that she didn’t seem the least bit out of breath, even after chasing them for such a long time. Her face was not flushed, and her breathing was steady. The indifferent expression on her face had not changed in the slightest since the beginning.
[Monster! That little girl is a monster!]
“Let’s fight!” The person in the lead made a resolute decision, turned around, and struck out at Liu Yan. The remaining two knew that running was useless too; hence, they immediately cooperated and launched an attack. A powerful wave of strength instantaneously swept towards the tiny figure like a torrent.
[Did we get her?] Those three were hopeful; however, their joy immediately turned into deep despair when the situation became clearer.
“How boring…” A childish voice sounded as Liu Yan raised her hand, seemingly tired of this little game she had been playing.
A great sense of crisis enveloped the trio of Origin Kings, turning them stiff and unable to move. Following that, flames ignited around them and the last thing they saw while alive was a flash of red.
…..
Li Jiao and his family were enjoying themselves in the Starry Sky. Although they had been assigned an extremely dull task for the past seven or eight years, neither Li Jiao nor Lu San Niang was bored.
Li Jiao had got a huge asteroid from somewhere and placed it in the Starry Sky, turning it into a simple house where the family of three now lived.
A thousand kilometres behind the asteroid was a deep and chaotic Void Corridor. This was the passage through which Grand Desolation Star Field had first invaded Heng Luo Star Field.
Li Jiao had been stationed here roughly eight years now and he had long since lost count of how many cultivators from Grand Desolation Star Field he had killed during that time. They probably heard that the cultivators of Heng Luo Star Field were easy targets and hurriedly travelled here from their Star Field. Unfortunately, they had been massacred by Li Jiao before they even got to reap any benefits.
Li Jiao didn’t just kill the cultivators arriving from Grand Desolation Star Field though, he also killed those who were trying to escape back to Grand Desolation Star Field.
In recent years, Heng Luo Star Field had fought back against their invaders. They were united in their cause and worked seamlessly together. Furthermore, they had a number of extraordinarily powerful Masters helping them. Therefore, Grand Desolation Star Field’s forces were no match for this counterattack at all. All the Cultivation Stars that had been captured in the past were recovered, one by one. As a result, every one of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators was running away like dogs with their tails between their legs.
Many of them wanted to escape back to their homeland, but Li Jiao was guarding this place, so who could get past him? He killed every single person who came, like a meat grinder that had been placed in front of the Void Corridor. Regardless of whether the person was trying to enter or exit the Void Corridor, he would turn them into paste without any exceptions.
Since Yang Kai’s return, the turbulent situation in the Star Field had stabilized while the invading enemy had been crushed without mercy. Even if there were an occasional rat that slipped through this purge, they would never be able to cause trouble again.
On this day, Li Jiao had just finished getting rid of a group of cultivators that had arrived and was trying to flee back to Grand Desolation Star Field. He then returned to the asteroid in a dashing manner. Lu San Niang greeted him with a smile.
After living together for so many years, they no longer had any estrangement between them. Li Jiao even regarded Lu Yu Qin as his own daughter, which moved Lu San Niang so much that the thought of staying together with him in this place for the rest of her life bloomed in her. However, she knew that that was an extravagant hope. Li Jiao and Yang Kai had to return to the Star Boundary, and at that time, she would bring her daughter with her as she followed Li Jiao back to Fire Dragon Palace. For that reason, she believed that she had to cherish the good times they had now even more than ever.
“You must be tired.” Lu San Niang spoke gently.
Li Jiao proudly replied, “It was just a group of pitiful weaklings.” Despite having sealed his cultivation, he still had the foundation of a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so killing a bunch of ants below the Origin King Realm was simply overkill. He had the feeling that Yang Kai had assigned him to guard this place mainly so that he could have some time and opportunities to get along with Lu San Niang. Reaching out to embrace her soft waist, he gently planted a kiss on her forehead.
Feeling shy, she half-angrily warned, “Yu Qin is here too.”
Before Lu San Niang could finish her sentence, Lu Yu Qin ran out of the stone house with her hands over her eyes. She turned into a stream of light and flew away. Then, her voice floated over to them, “I’m going out for a walk. Staying here is too boring!”
“This little girl!” How could Lu San Niang not understand the hidden meaning behind her daughter’s words?
Li Jiao grinned and whispered, “She’s not here anymore.”
While speaking, he bent down and picked her up in a princess carry and strode into the stone house. Lu San Niang’s heart pounded in excitement, and she nestled against that wide chest, her entire body becoming soft and relaxed.
Li Jiao suddenly paused mid-stride though, and the smile on his face froze. He abruptly lifted his head and glanced in the direction of the Void Corridor located a thousand kilometres away. For a moment just now, a sense of crisis had come over him but he instinctively found this rather hard to believe. With his cultivation, what could give him a sense of danger in this Lower Star Field? To put it bluntly, there was nobody in this Star Field that could be his opponent, except for Yang Kai.
[Uh… Liu Yan should be taken out of the equation too.]
It didn’t look like there were any changes to the Void Corridor, but at the same time, it seemed to have become deeper. All of a sudden, the darkness expanded in Li Jiao’s field of vision and spread to the surroundings at a terrifying speed. Large pieces of the Starry Sky were swallowed by the darkness and vanished without a trace.
The Void Corridor was expanding!
“This is bad!” Li Jiao paled in shock and turned to look in the direction Lu Yu Qin had left. Not far away, the little girl was so frightened that she had frozen in place, staring blankly at the darkness that was expanding towards her.
Li Jiao didn’t have time to consider anything else. Grabbing Lu San Niang in one hand, he hurriedly rushed towards Lu Yu Qin, arriving in front of her in the blink of an eye and grabbing her hand as he shouted, “Run!”
His figure flashed like lightning as he fled this place at full speed. He did not know what had happened here, but this was no longer something he could handle.
He had to inform Yang Kai about this as soon as possible.
All of a sudden, he felt all the hair on his back standing on end as he vaguely felt as though somebody was spying on him. There was a pair of invisible eyes watching his every move and a soft exclamation of surprise rang out in his ears. It was barely audible, almost like a hallucination; however, Li Jiao immediately felt a strong restraining force wrapping around him in the next moment, forcing him to come to a sudden stop.
“Don’t leave my side!” Their lives were on the line, so Li Jiao shouted at Lu San Niang and her daughter while pushing his Emperor Qi to envelop both of them just as the darkness swallowed them up and they vanished entirely!
…..
Day after day passed by, followed by year after year… Yang Kai had navigated his way through the Star Field, forgetting about the passage of time. His mind entirely immersed in the refining process.
The Star Chart inside his Knowledge Sea had been 90% illuminated by now, and there was only a little bit left. Over the years, he had more or less traversed the entire Star Field. Even the most remote and distant places had not been overlooked.
With the Star Chart as a guiding reference, he could not get lost and could also tell where he had been before and where he had not been yet. Everything was laid out in an orderly manner.
Collecting thousands of Star Sources and spreading his aura throughout the entire Star Field was an extremely large-scale project. Even so, he did not find it boring. As he continued to refine, he gradually gained a stronger understanding in his heart.
After everything he experienced since coming back to this Star Field, Yang Kai had been increasingly confident that he could break through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm. But now, he was pretty much certain that he would break through the moment he returned to the Star Boundary.
[It’s not enough! There’s still a little more to go!] The truth was that he was more curious about how Wu Kuang had refined Star Field Sources in the past.
[I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t use such a painstaking method. He might have a method to achieve the same results in a shorter time. Still, he had lived for so long so it’s only normal for him to have many amazing Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques in his arsenal.]
Time continued to pass, so much so that Yang Kai had lost track of how long he had been at it. When the last spot on the Star Chart in his Knowledge Sea finally lit up, he heard a loud booming sound resounding in his ears, like an explosion had gone off in his head. This explosion was so loud that he became dizzy and stars swam in front of his eyes. After recovering though, he was filled with joy.
[I did it! How long did it take? 8 years? 9 years? Or, has it been 10 years? I can’t even remember anymore…]
However, things hadn’t ended yet. All he had done over so many years was to divide the entire Star Field into puzzle pieces of different shapes and sizes. Although he had refined these pieces to some extent, it was still a mish-mash of individual parts. He could form a whole picture when he put them all together, but there were still many flaws and gaps in between the pieces. He would never become the Star Field Master as long as these flaws were not removed completely. He was only one last step away from completion. Unfortunately, it was also the most difficult step.
Just by using his thoughts, Yang Kai’s figure flickered through the various pieces of the Star Field and it didn’t take long for him to reach the centre of the entire Star Field. Taking a deep breath, he slowly adjusted his mental state. After some time, he abruptly opened his eyes and spread his arms wide as though he was trying to embrace the Star Field.
His Space Divine Ability and Divine Sense were activated both at once. His Divine Sense navigated through the Void, leaping forward, radiating throughout the entire Star Field.
For an instant, he felt as though his entire being had vanished; it felt as though he had turned into nothing; it felt as though he was spread throughout the entire Star Field. His Spiritual Energy flowed out rapidly like the floodwaters in a river after a torrential rain.
The Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus seemed to notice the change and immediately shone with a seven-coloured light, swiftly making up for the Spiritual Energy that was consumed.
Countless Stars flickered above Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, as if all of them were flashing. It made the brightness within his Knowledge Sea fluctuate unsteadily.
The magnificent Star Field had undergone a wondrous change at this moment and all living creatures, regardless of where they were located or how high their cultivation was, could feel a mighty will descending on them from the sky. This Will was greater than the will of a Star Master. It was the Will of the World. It was the Will of the Star Field.
When Yang Kai had divided the Star Field into countless puzzle pieces to refine, he had not felt any obstacles; however, when he tried refining and merging the entire Star Field together into one picture, the world began rejecting him. Even the Star Chart that had always remained in his Knowledge Sea without any problems was showing signs of leaving his Knowledge Sea and abandoning him.
He was startled to notice these signs. The first thing in the course of refining the Star Field was to obtain the Star Field Source, so what was he supposed to refine if he let the Star Chart escape?
The lights were flashing wildly in the Star Chart, transforming into a surging mighty force. That force was turning his entire Knowledge Sea upside down, seemingly trying to intimidate him into retreating in the face of danger and force him to release it on his own.
A piercing pain spread out through Yang Kai’s head, but he gritted his teeth and refused to make a single sound. Simultaneously, he sealed off his entire Knowledge Sea.
[No matter what, I will never let you leave!]
His Soul was taking damage and his vision dimmed as if he was about to faint. Fortunately, the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus had been continuously pouring pure power into him to nourish his Soul, making up for the damage and bringing the situation in his Knowledge Sea to a stalemate. However, this also meant that he could not do anything else.
A sharp look flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes at that moment as he sent his Soul Avatar into his Knowledge Sea, stretched out his hand, and summoned something. A large blade appeared in his hands and pointing that blade at the Star Chart in the sky, he shouted, “If you dare to cause trouble again, believe me when I say I will cut you down!”
That blade was the Soul Splitting Sabre. Moreover, it had been nourished for many years, so if he truly slashed at the Star Chart with this blade, using his Heaven Severing Slash, even the Star Field Source would suffer severe consequences.
Murderous intent spilled from Yang Kai’s figure as he was not joking around; even so, the Star Chart was unmoved by his threats. Its lights continued to flicker, and each time they did it produced an invisible force that interfered with his Knowledge Sea.
It seemed to have spirituality so it could tell that he was bluffing by trying to act strong.
“Since you refuse to do this the easy way, we’ll do it the hard way!” Yang Kai was livid.
[I can even cut down a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master! How dare a mere Star Chart act so presumptuously!?]
However, he truly did not dare to do anything to the Star Chart. How was he going to refine the Star Field without this Star Chart?
Tossing aside the Soul Splitting Sabre, he formed a set of seals with both hands. The Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus inside his Knowledge Sea transformed into a Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain that charged upward without any warning as he shouted, “Settled down!”
The Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain flew high into the sky, higher than the Star Chart. Then, a suppressive force spread out and slowly pressured the Star Chart. In response, the Star Chart’s lights flickered even more vigorously. Nevertheless, it was being suppressed little by little as the Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain descended.
Yang Kai was overjoyed when he saw what he was doing was working. The Star Chart was a Star Field Source, and although it was precious, it was not the only one in the world. Every Star Field would have its own Star Field Source. On the other hand, the Soul Warming Lotus was similar to the Immortal Tree. There was only one, and there could never be another one. Just from this point, both the Soul Warming Lotus and the Immortal Tree were more precious and of a higher order than a Star Field Source.
Reality had proven that the Soul Warming Lotus truly did have the ability to suppress the Star Chart. Under the effects of this suppression, the Star Chart was gradually subdued. The frequency of the flickering lights lessened considerably, and the interference became less frequent.
Yang Kai could finally breathe out a sigh of relief. Following that, he concentrated on controlling the Soul Warming Lotus to utilize its unbelievable powers.
*Honglong…*
The Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain descended and the entire Star Chart was suppressed under it, sinking into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea. The waters in his Knowledge Sea were his Spiritual Energy; thus, the Star Chart stabilized significantly when it was surrounded by these waters. At the same time, Yang Kai could feel that the connection between him and the Star Chart had grown much stronger than before.
Before Yang Kai had time to rejoice, something happened again. The thousands of Star Sources that were gathered inside his body suddenly rose in revolt. Wave after wave of enormous energy rushed through his body arbitrarily.
Back when he was refining Fire Cloud Star’s Star Source, he learned that having too many Star Sources in his body would cause irreconcilable contradictions. At the time, he had used his powerful cultivation to suppress the Sources by force.
After all these years of wandering and refining, he no longer only had one or two Sources in his body like back then though, now, he had thousands of them!
In the blink of an eye, his body became a battlefield where thousands of children wailed and threw tantrums constantly. If it had been any other ordinary cultivator, they would soon suffer a mental collapse and damage to their physical bodies, even if they were in the Emperor Realm.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s physical body was very tough. In all the years he spent cultivating, he had always paid attention to Body Tempering; therefore, the toughness of his body was incomparable to average cultivators. On top of that, he was also a Half-Dragon. This commotion was nothing to him. It was just that he could feel wave after wave of stabbing pains coming from his body. He immediately discovered the anomaly on his body the moment his Soul Avatar left his Knowledge Sea.
“Attacking my physical body after my Knowledge Sea? As expected, refining a Star Field Source is not easy!” He had already expected this, so he wasn’t surprised nor panicked. Instead, he was burning with a fighting spirit that made him eager to succeed.
Colourful rays of light burst out from the pores of his body and for an instant, he was bathed in a bright and colourful glow. Moreover, it was more fantastic compared to ordinary glowing lights. The Star Sources were fundamentally different from each other, so their respective colours were different too. That was why this phenomenon was occurring in his body right now. If anyone were to see the condition he was in, they would definitely worry about whether he was going to explode and die immediately.
Various Principle Strengths, which were generally the same but with some subtle variations among them, clashed violently inside Yang Kai’s body. These Principles came from the Star Sources themselves. The quantitative changes quickly turned into qualitative changes, causing him to suffer great pain. It felt as though his body could collapse at any time. Only then did he realize that he had underestimated the power of these naughty children. Not daring to underestimate them any longer, the words burst out of his mouth, “Dragon Transformation!”
A lofty Dragon’s Roar rang out and a phantom Golden Dragon flashed behind him before plunging into his body.
The sounds of bones cracking rang out, so many that they compounded together into an endless loop.
Yang Kai’s brave and heroic figure quickly swelled like a balloon that was being pumped full of air. His hair flew in all directions as two lumps appeared on his forehead before short Dragon Horns pushed out from those lumps. His exposed skin was covered in strong Dragon Scales and his hands turned into sharp Dragon Claws while a sturdy Dragon Tail abruptly appeared behind him.
30 metres… 50 metres… 100 metres… 150 metres… 180 metres… 200 metres!
Yang Kai quickly transformed into a giant half-Dragon half-Human Monster that towered alone above the Starry Sky.
[I can’t believe I turned into a 200 metre long Dragon. What a pleasant surprise!] He recalled that he had only been 180 metres long when he last used the Dragon Transformation Secret Art on Dragon Island.
[I can’t believe I grew another 20 metres over the years.]
Although 20 metres was not a lot, it was the pure embodiment of the Dragon Clan’s bloodline. He had consumed so many Dragon Blood Flowers and Dragon Blood Pills back then that he had failed to absorb all the medicinal efficacies at the time. Hence, most of the medicinal efficacies had been stored in his body. This increase of 20 metres was undoubtedly the imperceptible influence of those stored medicinal efficacies in his body over the years.
Snorting lightly, two plumes of white smoke came out from his nostrils and his cultivation had more or less burst out of him. There was no holding back anymore.
In response, the space around him trembled and collapsed. Such power had already exceeded the limit that this world could withstand, and even without doing anything, Yang Kai had made the world uneasy just by standing there. The space surrounding him was like a lake that was no longer calm. Waves of ripples spread out as they constantly hovered along the fine lines between destruction and restoration. Following that, a great hostility enveloped him. That was none other than the World’s Will.
Flashes of thunder raced across the empty Starry Sky without rhyme or reason. In an instant, an area of a thousand kilometres around Yang Kai turned into a thunderstorm. Thunder rang out and converged together until it became a continuous roar, soon turning into a dense rain of lightning bolts that bombarded him from all directions.
Yang Kai laughed loudly at that moment, as though he had gone absolutely insane. He didn’t even bother to defend against these attacks, allowing the lightning to strike his body as he focused all his attention on suppressing the rioting Star Sources in his body.
*Hong long long…*
The lights in the Starry Sky flickered and blinked as the waves of lightning and thunder that rained down on Yang Kai soon caused his Dragon Scales to crack and his flesh to singe.
The World’s rejection was unbearable, and even if Yang Kai had great power, he still couldn’t turn a blind eye to it; however, he possessed extremely powerful restorative powers and, combined with his Half-Dragon Form, he would heal quickly even if he took some damage.
Thunder and lightning continued to rain down on him for an hour while his body stood taller and straighter as time passed. The thousands of Star Sources above his 200-metre-long Half-Dragon Form were still in constant conflict, causing light to shine out of his pores as the different Principle Strengths entangled and clashed with each other.
All of a sudden, the force behind the thunder and lightning reduced considerably. The thunder arcs flashing around him lessened too.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with light, and he snorted coldly. If he had not had the Star Field Source in his possession nor the results of all his hard work over the past 10 years, he would never have dared to release all his strength in this manner. Doing so would only result in him being rejected or eliminated by the world. On the contrary, it was because he had the Star Field Source suppressed under his control and the 10 years of hard work under his belt that his aura had already influenced the entire Star Field. Even if the World’s Will had noticed his actions and began to reject him, he had the strength to resist it.
All the World could do was make him suffer so much that he retreated on his own. Even so, Yang Kai would never retreat. He had worked hard for so many years just to refine the Star Field and now that the goal was right at his fingertips, how could he be willing to let go?
When two parties clashed, one side would surely lose. Yang Kai believed that he would not be the losing party, and the weakening of the thunder and lightning was undoubtedly the best sign. It even made him feel a little dissatisfied because he did not expect it to reveal its weakness so quickly.
“Hm?” Yang Kai suddenly raised his head abruptly and glanced in a certain direction. He could vaguely sense something approaching him, but he found nothing there even after careful inspection. However, trying to pacify the thousands of Sources inside his body, he kept a close watch on his surroundings.
As he suspected, something was approaching him. Moreover, it was travelling at a great speed. It was hurtling through the Void so quickly that it was visible to the naked eye.
All of a sudden, a huge black hole appeared, approximately a thousand kilometres away. It looked like a piece of the Starry Sky had been melted away by something before a gigantic Monster leapt out.
When that gigantic Monster appeared, a strange voice sounded at the same time. It was neither sharp nor majestic. Rather, it was dreamy and sounded like a sorrowful cry, overflowing with despair and nostalgia for life. However, it was definitely not a sound that an animal could make. The appearance of the gigantic Monster was similar to that of a dolphin, one that was several hundred times the size of an ordinary dolphin! The Starry Sky was the ocean it swam in, and the Void was its home!
“A Shocking Void Beast!” Yang Kai’s eyes widened when he recognized what this gigantic Monster was.
[It’s a Shocking Void Beast! This is a rare event!]
He once met a Shocking Void Beast in his early years and had also killed it and obtained its Monster Core. A Shocking Void Beast could be considered a type of ancient Monster Beast. They were naturally proficient in the Dao of Space. Moreover, their proficiency was something innate, carved deep into their bones. Additionally, they were rumoured to be able to navigate freely between various planes without being hindered in any way.
The power of the Void was something people got anxious about just by mentioning it; however, this power was nothing more than nutrition to a Shocking Void Beast. Their favourite place to hide was inside the Void Cracks where they could devour the void turbulence as food for their growth. For that reason, it was rare for them to appear since they spent most of their time swimming through the Void. It was generally difficult to see them in the material world.
“I never expected to meet a Shocking Void Beast at a time like this. No, that’s not right! It’s a Shocking Void Beast King!” Yang Kai compared this Monster Beast to the ones in his memories and quickly discovered that this was not an ordinary Shocking Void Beast. It was a Shocking Void Beast King! That monstrous body was not something an ordinary Shocking Void Beast could have.
The dreamy voice sounded once again, and regardless of whether Yang Kai wanted it or not, it filled his ears and made him dizzy.
Meanwhile, the Shocking Void Beast King flicked its tail lightly, causing space to ripple as it skipped past the thousand kilometres between them to arrive in front of Yang Kai in a flash. It was so fast that he didn’t even have the time to react.
His 200-metre-long Half-Dragon Form looked like an infant next to the gigantic Shocking Void Beast King’s mountainous figure and Yang Kai felt as though a mountain was crushing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
On the contrary, the Shocking Void Beast King seemed not to have noticed him at all. Opening its gaping maw, that huge mouth looked like a Void Corridor that connected to a space of chaos and nothingness.
It was going to swallow him up in the next moment.
A Shocking Void Beast King couldn’t appear in this place without a reason. More than that, it was impossible for a Shocking Void Beast King to fail to notice Yang Kai’s presence. Although it was strong, it was not invincible, and the aura Yang Kai was emitting at the moment was not weak. As long as this Monster had some sense in its head, it would not charge in so recklessly and open its mouth to swallow him up, of all things.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt the intense malice from the world around him. The reason the Shocking Void Beast King appeared in this place and seemed to be targeting him was definitely the doing of the World. The weakening of the thunder and lightning was simply in preparation for a more powerful attack. As the saying went, ‘Nature was unkind; everything was but a pawn in its eyes’. It really was vicious indeed.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai wouldn’t have minded having a battle with a Shocking Void Beast King. He might even be able to kill it and obtain its Monster Core, something that would surely be beneficial for cultivating the Dao of Space. It was just that he had more important things to do today, so he had no choice but to let it go for the time being.
Swinging his hand, a large Moon Blade formed out of nowhere, and with his current 200 metres long body, how could the Moon Blade he condensed be small? If it were to slash out, even the Shocking Void Beast King in front of him could not ignore it.
Yang Kai remained motionless despite wielding the Moon Blade in his hand. In the meantime, the Shocking Void Beast King continued to rush forward.
All of a sudden, it came to a stop as though it had sensed something. It was hard to imagine how it managed to control such a humongous body with such finesse, but it went from charging forward to a complete stop in an instant. Then, the two eyes on the top of its head slanted downward and fixed their gaze on where he was standing.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai snorted and the aura of the Moon Blade in his hands became more and more dangerous by the moment.
In response, the Shocking Void Beast King closed its gaping mouth with a snap. It seemed like it had only just noticed his presence, and its eyes gleamed with sentience.
Yang Kai lifted his chin at it, making a gesture that seemed to say, ‘fight if you dare.’ His fighting spirit burned so hot that it almost condensed into something tangible.
Two figures, one large and one small, confronted each other strangely for several moments before the Shocking Void Beast King suddenly leapt and vaulted over his head. The huge body seemed to plunge into an invisible lake and melted into the Void before vanishing out of sight, leaving behind only a large Void Corridor that slowly closed behind it.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and let his Space Technique disperse into nothingness. Just as the Shocking Void Beast King had found him to be a difficult opponent, he could tell that it was no pushover either.
He was at the critical juncture of refining the Star Field, so why would he deliberately complicate the issue? The retreat of the Shocking Void Beast King was the best result he could hope for. If he truly fought with it, it wasn’t a matter of whether or not he could kill it but that the refining of the Star Field would probably end in a disaster.
“What other moves do you have? Why don’t you throw them all at me!?” Yang Kai laughed maniacally, standing with one hand on his waist and the other hand pointing towards the sky.
The hostility that had shrouded him all this time slowly faded away. Simultaneously, the conflict between the thousands of Star Sources in his body eased up too. He couldn’t help feeling happy over this discovery as it seemed like… After everything just now, the World Will had compromised and approved of his presence.
Things could not have turned out better. As somebody good at reading the situation, Yang Kai no longer did anything that would agitate the World’s Will. He also stopped hesitating and immediately closed his eyes to begin refining the Star Field Source.
Time slowly passed, and his body gradually shrank in size. The light pouring out of his skin was lessening too, a clear sign that he was making good progress on the refining. It wasn’t until the moment when the last ray of light disappeared that Yang Kai finally returned to his original appearance.
Opening his eyes abruptly, despite the trace of fatigue that showed in his expression, Yang Kai was extremely spirited. Besides, the refining process wasn’t completed yet; there was one last step to go.
Spreading his arms wide, he shouted, “It’s time to go home! Go on; go home!”
Thousands of lights suddenly poured out from all parts of his body and turned into balls of Source Strength. They lingered around him, circling a few times before disappearing in a flash.
Yang Kai had been going around the Star Field to refine Star Sources and turn the entire Star Field, dividing it into over a thousand separate pieces to make the refining process a little easier. Asking the Star Sources to leave now was also in preparation for the last step.
Suppression by force was not enough to succeed. Only with genuine recognition from both parties could they truly connect with each other. The thousands of Star Sources scattered in all directions and disappeared in the blink of an eye. With Yang Kai standing in the middle, it looked as though a meteor shower had rained down on the entire Star Field.
Only one Star Source remained behind, constantly dancing around him, giving off a sense of nostalgia and dependence. It was the Star Source of Shadowed Star! It did not leave immediately like the other Sources. Instead, it stayed behind as though it had its own thoughts and ideas.
Smiling, Yang Kai reached out his hand and held it up in his palms. The Star Source squirmed around slightly, constantly moving and shape-shifting.
“Go on!” He gently said.
Only then did Shadowed Star’s Source transform into a beam of light that headed in the direction where Shadowed Star was located.
[Come!] Yang Kai shouted in his heart.
Closing his eyes, he sent his consciousness into his Knowledge Sea. The Seven Coloured Treasure Mountain transformed back into the Soul Warming Lotus and released the suppressive force it had been using to restrain the Star Chart. Then, the Star Chart slowly rose from the depths of the ocean and intertwined with his Soul until they could no longer be separated.
*Hong…*
A loud sound rang out and Yang Kai felt his entire body shaking from the impact. It felt as though something had exploded inside him. Looking around, he saw that the Star Chart was once again hanging in the sky above his Knowledge Sea. He lifted his head to look and saw the sky twinkling with Stars; however, there was a huge difference between how it was now and how it was in the past.
Although the Star Chart had settled down in his Knowledge Sea and was useful to him back then, it had never truly belonged to him. But now, the Star Chart was completely his. Every last part of it, down to the smallest speck of dust, contained his aura.
“So that’s how it is!” The moment Yang Kai completely refined the Star Chart, he immediately understood something. It wasn’t until this moment that he understood why Grand Desolation Star Field managed to invade Heng Luo Star Field. It turned out that the reason was related to him!
When Yang Kai left for the Star Boundary back then, he had taken the Star Chart away with him. In other words, he took away the Source Strength of the Star Field. Without its Source, the Star Field’s World Barrier, which should have been impenetrable, grew weaker as a result. That almost imperceptible flaw was what formed the channel connecting Grand Desolation Star Field and Heng Luo Star Field together and allowed the cultivators from the former to invade.
Yang Kai scratched his head, feeling somewhat guilty. The invasion of Grand Desolation Star Field’s cultivators had caused the deaths of many and brought disasters down on numerous Cultivation Stars. He could never have imagined that he would be the reason for such a catastrophe. In any case, all he could do at this point was apologize.
Focusing his thoughts, Yang Kai’s excitement soon surged. Upon becoming a Star Field Master, he realized it felt somewhat similar to the feeling when he became a Star Master. Everything was in the palm of his hands with just a single thought. It was just that the range had been expanded by several thousand times.
As his mind continued to reach out into the surroundings, Yang Kai could perceive anything and everything at his target location.
He soon came across Tong Xuan Realm.
Over the past few years, Tong Xuan Realm had recovered considerably with the traces of Grand Desolation Star Field’s corruption having long since vanished completely. With the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array and Xia Ning Chang protecting this place, 10 years was enough time for Tong Xuan Realm to recover its World Energy to its original state. However, that was still not enough.
In the first place, Tong Xuan Realm’s foundation was inherently weaker than other Cultivation Stars and could not produce any strong cultivators. There were two reasons why Yang Kai had been so desperate to become the Star Field Master. Firstly, it was for his own needs. Secondly, it was for Xia Ning Chang and Tong Xuan Realm.
Only by becoming the Star Field Master could Yang Kai use the power of the Star Field to bring benefits to Tong Xuan Realm and make Xia Ning Chang rise in power.
[It’s time to experiment and see if it works.] He stood in place without moving and simply gestured with his hands.
…..
Xia Ning Chang was talking to Xue Yue in Nine Heavens Holy Land on Tong Xuan Realm at this time. Ever since the war ended three years ago, the entire Star Field had returned to normal. There was no longer any need to be worried about being invaded by powerful enemies again. Both the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and Sword Union were in the process of rebuilding. As for Purple Star… it no longer existed. Moreover, Purple Star’s place in the three great forces had been assumed by High Heaven Sect, which was also the strongest force in the entire Star Field now!
Xia Ning Chang’s aura had recovered and she was no longer as weak as she had been back then. Her skin was fair and healthy; her aura was stable, and she had reached the peak of the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
Similarly, Xue Yue was doing well also. Although she was not a Star Master, she had a Special Constitution and an unlimited supply of resources, so her cultivation progress had never been less than the others.
All of a sudden, Xia Ning Chang lifted her head and looked outside, seeming to sense something.
“What’s wrong?” Xue Yue asked suspiciously.
“It’s…” Xia Ning Chang got up and walked out of the palace in a single step. Then, Xue Yue came to stand next to her as two pairs of eyes stared into the sky before they immediately froze.
Under the blazing sun in the blue sky, they saw streams of lights flashing across the Heavens. Each stream of light contained an unimaginable amount of pure energy and all of them came crashing towards the surface like a meteor shower.
Xue Yue’s face paled. Even though there was a large distance between them and the incoming meteor-like things, she could sense how much damage they could do if they were to land. If even only one of them fell on Tong Xuan Realm, the entire Star would be hit hard. What’s more, there were far more than one that they could see. The sky was densely packed with these lights, simply too many to count.
Xia Ning Chang and Xue Yue were not the only ones to witness it. All the living creatures in Tong Xuan Realm were shocked by what they were seeing at this moment.
Xia Ning Chang’s expression turned solemn and she was just about to summon the Star Source’s Strength to stop some of these incoming meteors when she suddenly noticed one of the large clouds in the sky distort and transform into a distinct human face.
“Ah!” She screamed.
“Husband!” Xue Yue was dumbfounded too.
The face formed by those clouds undoubtedly belonged to Yang Kai. They did not know how far away he was from the two of them, but it seemed as though he could see them and was smiling at them, even winking cheekily.
That moment of hesitation caused Xia Ning Chang to lose the opportunity to intercept those meteors. However, she knew that all of this was his doing the moment she saw his face and lost all intention of intercepting them as a result. She was simply curious as to what he was planning to do as the world-shattering power looming over them was nothing to joke about after all.
When the meteors crashed to the ground, the impact and destruction they imagined did not come. On the contrary, those meteors silently vanished without a single trace and once the light dissipated, the World Energy in the Nine Heavens Holy Land clearly became denser. Additionally… Several other things were quietly changing too.
Xia Ning Chang was the most conscious of these changes.
As the Star Master, she could sense that the World Principles in Tong Xuan Realm were gradually becoming stronger and more perfect. More complete Principles would mean that stronger cultivators could be born here. The whole Star conveyed a pleasant aura, which gave her a sense of joy too.
“Ning Chang, this is…” Xue Yue couldn’t help asking when she saw Xia Ning Chang smiling.
“He succeeded!” Xia Ning Chang replied.
Xue Yue understood immediately, and her beautiful eyes shone with a strange light, “Did he finally succeed?”
Ten years had passed without any news from Yang Kai. They would occasionally hear that somebody had seen him in the Star Field, but they would only catch a glimpse. Nobody went looking for him since they all knew what he was busy with. It was surprising that he managed to succeed in just 10 years though.
The abnormality occurring in Tong Xuan Realm at the moment was the best example of his success though. Only by successfully refining the Star Field and becoming a Star Field Master could Yang Kai have the power to guide such enormous amounts of power to Tong Xuan Realm and carry out such a huge transformation.
It could be said that a transformation like this was not without cost. The improvement of Tong Xuan Realm was done by extracting power from other places. Nevertheless, it was a matter related to Xia Ning Chang, so Yang Kai was not going to be stingy about his methods.
“Hmm? What happened here?” All of a sudden, Yang Kai noticed that something was wrong. A fist-sized ‘black ink stain’ had appeared somewhere on the Star Chart above his Knowledge Sea. This ‘black ink stain’ looked extremely familiar. It reminded him of the scenery he once saw when looking down on Tong Xuan Realm from a high altitude. Now that he was connected to the Star Field Source, he immediately felt a strong malice coming from this ‘black ink stain’.
If he was not mistaken, the location where that ‘black ink stain’ was located should be the place where Grand Desolation Star Field and Heng Luo Star Field were connected.
That was an important location so 10 years ago, Yang Kai had dispatched Li Jiao and his family there to guard the place. Yang Kai thought that his plan was foolproof and it wasn’t until today when he finished refining the Star Chart that he noticed something was wrong.
With a single thought, Yang Kai’s vision seemed to travel across a distance of billions of kilometres and came to the vicinity of the ‘black ink stain’ in an instant. The sight that greeted him shocked him to the core.
An area stretching for tens of million kilometres had turned into a black hole so humongous that it was hard to imagine. Everything that was originally located in this piece of Starry Sky was gone without a trace, including some Dead Stars and many asteroids. That wasn’t the worst of it; the edges of the black hole continued to expand into its surroundings at a steady speed. Everything that stood in the path of that creeping darkness turned into nothingness. From the way things stood, it looked like the darkness was devouring the Star Field.
The sight immediately enraged him! He had refined the Star Field Source and became the Star Field Master just now; in other words, the entire Star Field was his domain. Regardless of what that darkness was, it was encroaching on his territory! How could he tolerate such actions as the Star Field Master!?
[Where is Li Jiao, that bastard!? I sent him here to guard this place back then. Why didn’t he inform me about such a major incident? Even if I’ve been running all over the place for the past few years and have no fixed residence to speak of, I’m sure he could have found a way to locate me if he really wanted to…] Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little resentful in his heart and with a slight flicker, it didn’t take him more than a moment to reach the edge of the huge black hole.
Upon a closer look, Yang Kai understood more and more just how horrifying this black hole was. All he could see was darkness and nothing else. It was no less dangerous than a Void Crack for sure though as that darkness slowly crept forward like the tide, expanding into its surroundings and assimilating everything in its way.
Yang Kai could feel that he was losing his territory, bit by bit, so his expression turned grim. Communicating with the Star Chart through his mind, the Star Field Source hummed in response as if it had received some sort of encouragement and began to exude a dazzling light.
The darkness that had been expanding steadily suddenly slowed down considerably. The sight made him raise an eyebrow in response. He had never encountered something like this before; hence, he honestly did not know how to deal with it. He simply wanted to try to prevent the spread of the darkness and had not expected that communicating with the Star Chart would bring about such effects.
Then, Yang Kai immediately understood the situation. Since he was the Star Field Master, his Will was the Will of the Star Field. Every thought and every action of his could make the Star Field resonate with his wishes. With that answer in hand, he no longer hesitated. Communicating with the Star Chart more actively, borrowing the power of the entire Star Field, Yang Kai strove to prevent the darkness from spreading further.
The speed at which the darkness expanded outwards slowed down so much that the changes were visible to the naked eye. In the end, it gradually stopped expanding. Even so, Yang Kai was not satisfied with the situation and shouted, “Get out!”
At the same time, he pushed out explosively with both arms in front of him and an invisible force pressed down from all directions. The boundaries of the darkness instantly shrank back by several thousands of metres and continued shrinking without stopping.
As the darkness receded, everything in its path that it had previously devoured was restored back to normal. Yang Kai watched as a huge asteroid slowly emerged from within the darkness and eventually became fully exposed after a while. The discovery made him extremely happy. He initially thought that everything the darkness swallowed would no longer exist, but that did not seem to be the case. Even though all those places had been devoured, they still existed in perfect condition. It was just that nobody could see them anymore, and the truth could only be revealed by pushing back the darkness.
[What the Hell is this darkness?] Yang Kai wondered as he worked to take back his territory, probing into the emptiness. A short while later, his body stiffened and a shocked expression appeared on his face. He had discovered a World Will in the depths of the darkness! Moreover, it was a World Will that did not belong to Heng Luo Star Field! The World Will was very similar to the one found in Heng Luo Star Field, however. Regardless, it was almost as though this darkness was another world on its own.
[This is incredible! Simply unbelievable! Could it be? That there is another world out there trying to eat away at Heng Luo Star Field? Is it Grand Desolation Star Field? This place is where the two Star Fields are connected after all. It makes sense if Grand Desolation Star Field is the one trying to devour Heng Luo Star Field.]
Yang Kai suddenly felt a little fortunate. If he had not refined the Star Chart and become the Star Field Master, he would have had no way to deal with this situation. The absorption of a world by another world was no longer something that could be solved through cultivation alone. He had to borrow the power of the world he was in to fight back against the absorption. Just then, a sliver of insight came to him. The reason why he managed to refine the Star Chart so easily was probably related to the current situation. Heng Luo Star Field wanted to use his power to fight against this encroachment.
“Spit out whatever you ate that belongs to me!” Yang Kai had just become Heng Luo Star Field’s Master, so he was in high spirits. How could he be afraid of the minor difficulties in front of him?
Directing the power of Heng Luo Star Field, Yang Kai viciously pushed back against the darkness. With no power to resist, the darkness steadily retreated as a result. In the meantime, the Starry Sky that had been swallowed by the darkness gradually returned to normal while the darkness retreated faster and faster with his help. In less than a quarter of an hour, the darkness had receded by more than ten thousand kilometres.
Ten thousand kilometres was nothing compared to the territory it had engulfed, but even so, it was a good start. Yang Kai was certain that the speed at which he regained the lands he lost would increase as time passed, and reality proved that to be the case. The entire Heng Luo Star Field seemed to be aware of his intentions and the Star Field Source cooperated with him unreservedly to give him the power to make it a reality.
A hundred thousand kilometres… Two hundred thousand kilometres… A million kilometres… The darkness had shrunk considerably. At this speed, he would be able to recover everything he lost to the darkness in less than a month.
At that moment, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up without warning as he felt a great sense of crisis enveloping him. Widening his eyes, Yang Kai focused his gaze on the darkness in front of him. It was completely filled with chaos and nothingness. Not only did it not contain any vitality, but it also did not contain any living or dead. Despite that, Yang Kai was certain that the sense of crisis had come from within the darkness.
A ray of light suddenly appeared in his line of vision. It arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye. Lifting his head abruptly, Yang Kai opened his mouth and bit down on the ray of light. The light trembled endlessly as if it was a living thing. Biting down, his sharp fangs turned into indestructible blades.
*Kacha…* The sound of something shattering rang out and the struggling movement in his mouth subsided suddenly.
“Bah!” Yang Kai spat out the thing. Then, he reached out his hand to catch it, his gaze focusing on the item. The item turned out to be an exquisitely shaped flying knife. It had a flawless blade, about a forearm in length. Unfortunately, there was now a row of teeth marks on the blade. It was also covered in a dense spider web of cracks. Yang Kai’s bite had destroyed the flying knife’s spirituality.
“This is…” His eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, “An Emperor Artifact?”
The thing that struck at him from within the darkness turned out to be an Emperor Artifact! Although the spirituality had been destroyed and it was covered in cracks now, Yang Kai was not blind so how could he fail to recognize an Emperor Grade Artifact? Besides, there were still traces of Emperor Qi lingering on the flying knife.
Lifting his head, he stared into the darkness with eyes that burned with raging flames. [Good, good, good! I thought that the absorption between worlds was some kind of natural phenomenon. I can’t believe it turned out to be a man-made disaster instead!]
There was no way an Emperor Artifact had attacked him for no reason, and judging by the lingering Emperor Qi aura left on the blade, that person had clearly tried to kill him from the other world. Moreover, the person who attacked him was definitely in the Emperor Realm.
Launching an attack across a World Barrier was not something that Yang Kai could pull off even now. The wall between worlds was simply too strong. Only a Great Emperor might be able to pull off such a feat. However, Heng Luo Star Field and Grand Desolation Star Field were not completely separated at the moment. The darkness was the place where the two worlds were connected. Thus, it was not difficult for potential enemies to ambush him from across the boundaries of the world. As for the reason… It was undoubtedly due to the fact that he had been hindering Grand Desolation Star Field’s absorption of Heng Luo Star Field.
A bold idea popped up in Yang Kai’s head at that point, and though he was not 100% certain, he was quite confident about it.
“It’s finally getting interesting!” Yang Kai couldn’t help flashing a savage grin as he stared into the darkness as though he could penetrate the barriers between the worlds with his gaze and stare straight at the powerful enemy hiding in the other world!
Ever since he returned to the Star Field, the only enemies Yang Kai encountered had been weaklings. Those enemies could not do anything to him even though he was affected by the rejection of the world. Therefore, the sudden appearance of such a strong enemy immediately roused his long-diminished fighting spirit.
“It’s impolite not to reciprocate the gesture. Take this!” He slapped his hands together and condensed a huge Moon Blade. He did not launch it immediately. Instead, he continued to pour his power into it.
The Moon Blade buzzed and became erratic. It felt as though it might collapse at any time. Even so, it was more stable than ever under Yang Kai’s control.
A long while later, he finally looked up and threw the flying blade with broken spirituality back into the darkness in front of him. Only then did he slash out with the Moon Blade. Both the flying knife and the Moon Blade disappeared into the darkness without a sound.
A great darkness was surging in the endless Starry Sky within Grand Desolation Star Field. The scenery there was similar to the scenery on Yang Kai’s side, and at the edge of the darkness, a middle-aged man with a sallow face frowned as he stared straight ahead.
All of a sudden, a flying knife appeared out of the darkness. He lifted his hand and caught the flying knife in his hand, but before he could study the condition of the flying knife, a pitch-black Moon Blade followed close behind and slashed towards him.
He was not a careless individual, but even so, he did not notice the Moon Blade until it was practically right in front of his eyes. The main reason was that the Moon Blade was extremely stealthy and silent. Moreover, it was very similar to the darkness before him, which made it very hard to detect.
Perceiving the terrifying power of the Moon Blade, the middle-aged man raised his brow and revealed a look of surprise; however, he did not panic. Another flying knife abruptly appeared in his hand, one identical to the one Yang Kai had intercepted before. Raising it high, the flying knife shone brightly and turned into a huge blade before slashing downward without warning.
The Moon Blade shattered suddenly, causing the middle-aged man to frown in response. Then, his heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly backed away. Unfortunately, it was too late. The Moon Blade exploded and the space around him went wild. Consequently, several void cracks appeared. Those cracks were not arranged in a disorderly manner. Rather, they spelled out the words, “Fuck your mother!”
“Space Technique!” The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise. He looked extremely shocked but didn’t seem bothered by Yang Kai’s insult. The main reason was that the Dao of Space was incredibly esoteric and difficult to cultivate. A person who could utilize a Space Technique to this extent could not be just a random nobody.
“Could it be him!?” The image of a person appeared in the middle-aged man’s mind. If the person on the other side of the Void Corridor matched with the person in his mind, then things would become extremely troublesome. The prestige of the Martial Beast Great Emperor and of Spirit Beast Island could not be ignored. ‘That’ person was the right arm of the Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang. If it really was him, then things would become very difficult to handle.
[Still… I have never heard of that person being related to a Lower Star Field before… Why would he suddenly appear in Heng Luo Star Field?] He suddenly remembered the family of three who had been dragged into this Star Field three years ago. At first, he had no intention of bothering with them, but now, it would seem that it was time for him to have a talk with them. Perhaps… he could obtain some useful information.
Yang Kai waited intently in front of the darkness, but after a full day and night, he began to feel bored when he did not see any signs of a counterattack. He did not know if his Moon Blade had injured the other party; however, it shouldn’t be possible. The barrier between the two Star Fields might be weak enough for him to send an attack across the World Barrier, but the power behind his attack would be severely worn down in the process. Moreover, the opponent was strong, so how could they be harmed so easily? He simply could not understand why the other party had not made a move.
Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to think about it though. Since the other party didn’t seem like they were going to make a move, he might as well restore his Star Field with some peace of mind. Hence, the darkness continued to recede, revealing the Starry Sky that had been swallowed previously.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s eyes flashed as he grinned, “How bold!”
Stretching out his hand, Yang Kai grabbed at the space in front of him as a figure suddenly leapt out from the endless darkness. However, he frowned and immediately stopped his attack when he saw who it was, instead reaching out and pulling this figure to him.
“Yu Qin?” Yang Kai looked down at the little girl in front of him with a slight frown.
Lu Yu Qin was not injured, but her complexion was extremely pale. She had obviously been deeply frightened by something. The pupils in her eyes were dilated, and she was trembling uncontrollably.
Yang Kai called out her name twice, but she did not react one bit. With no other choice, he circulated his Spiritual Energy to soothe her mind first.
After a while, she finally recovered from her shock. When her eyes gradually focused and she saw his face clearly, she began crying before she could say anything, her tears pouring down her face.
“Why did you appear from the other side? Where are your parents?” A sense of uneasiness bloomed in his heart.
“Senior Yang, please save my father and mother!”
Yang Kai felt his heart sink at those words and he quickly asked, “Are they on the other side?”
“Please! I beg you! Save them!” She grabbed at his arm tightly, crying pitifully.
“Stop crying first, you have to explain the situation to me properly if you want me to act,” he comforted her.
A while later, her emotions finally calmed down enough for her to brokenly recount the events of the past few years.
Three years ago, the Void Corridor connecting Heng Luo Star Field and Grand Desolation Star Field suddenly went out of control. The darkness had swept across the land and devoured their family of three. When they recovered from their shock, they discovered that they had arrived at another Star Field. It was only later that they learned that the Star Field they were in was none other than Grand Desolation Star Field.
Fortunately, Li Jiao and Lu San Niang were existences that had surpassed the limits of the Star Field; hence, they did not encounter any danger. However, they seemed to be sealed in a certain space and couldn’t find their way back.
One day ago, a middle-aged man suddenly came to them and chatted with Li Jiao for a long time. Lu Yu Qin did not know what they discussed at the time. In the end, that middle-aged man had grabbed her, dragged her to the edge of the darkness, and threw her in.
“What was that guy called?” Yang Kai was aware that there was somebody on the other side of the darkness and he felt that this person was behind the encroachment upon his Star Field. And now, his guess had been confirmed by Lu Yu Qin’s story.
She shook her head in response. She had never seen that man before yesterday. All she knew was that her parents were no match for him. They had tried to stop him when he grabbed her, but they couldn’t even touch the hems of his clothes.
“What did he say?” Yang Kai asked. That man clearly wanted her to pass on a message since he returned her to this place.
Lu Yu Qin said, “He asked me to tell you… If you want them to live, then hand over the Star Field Source!”
“Hah?!” Yang Kai’s eyebrow twitched in response, “Is he crazy?”
Although he got along fairly well with Li Jiao, they were not close enough to be used as a bargaining chip for something so valuable. Yang Kai might have stopped to consider it if Su Yan or one his other close relations had been kidnapped instead, but the other party might not keep his word to release the hostages even if he handed over the Star Field Source. Instead, he would no longer have the ability to fight against the other party without the Star Field Source. In the end, Heng Luo Star Field would not be able to escape from being completely devoured.
[Is that person deliberately trying to annoy me by asking Lu Yu Qin to come back and pass this message to me?]
“Senior Yang…” She looked at him pleadingly.
“I’ll send you somewhere safe first. Don’t worry. I will rescue your parents.” He patted her on the shoulder. He divided part of his attention to continue suppressing the darkness before his figure flickered slightly and he headed towards Shadowed Star.
The Star Field was vast, so anybody would need to spend a lot of time travelling across it from one Star to another; however, Yang Kai was now Heng Luo Star Field’s Master, so it was only natural that he enjoyed certain conveniences that nobody else could have. One such advantage was that he could cover a lot of distance with just a thought.
After several leaps, Shadowed Star appeared in the distance. With another leap, they appeared inside High Heaven Sect. A stream of light flew out from a certain Spirit Peak at that moment. It was Su Yan, who had sensed his return. Under her lead, all the Masters in High Heaven Sect swarmed over. It didn’t take long for all the Elders and Masters to gather together.
Ye Xi Yun stepped forward and spoke first, “Sect Master, there is something I need to inform you about.” While speaking, she glanced at Lu Yu Qin, who was leaning in Yang Kai’s embrace, with some measure of surprise. The matter she wanted to report about was related to the disappearance of Li Jiao and his family.
“You don’t need to tell me. I already know about it.” Yang Kai handed the sleeping Lu Yu Qin over to Su Yan, “Please take care of her!”
Their gazes met, and although nothing more was said, they understood each other; thus, Su Yan gently nodded and carried Lu Yu Qin back to her Spirit Peak.
Afterwards, Yang Kai took a seat in the main hall while the rest gathered around him. Sweeping his gaze over them, he spoke, “You have worked hard over the years. I have seen the results of your hard work with my own eyes. Although I did not participate in the endeavour, I am thankful for all your contributions.”
Ye Xi Yun said, “It’s what we should do, but, what do you know about the expanding black hole, Sect Master?”
Yang Kai replied, “I just found out about it not too long ago, but don’t worry, I will deal with this matter myself.”
Upon hearing what he said, she calmed down. What she had been worrying about for the past few years finally disappeared. Although Yang Kai was somebody who rarely showed his face and usually left all the work to her, he was reliable when he became serious.
“Husband, what is that black hole? How is it able to devour the Star Field?” Shan Qing Luo asked puzzledly.
To which he answered, “It’s the power of Grand Desolation Star Field.”
“It’s the doing of Grand Desolation Star Field again!?” A group of people suddenly exclaimed with righteous indignation.
Ever since the war ended three years ago, the entire Star Field had entered a stage of recuperation. They thought that they could finally live in peace for a time but they did not expect Grand Desolation Star Field to reappear and stir up a storm again so soon. Moreover, it was worse this time around as that Star Field actually started to eat away at their Star Field, leaving them at a loss for what to do.
Ye Xi Yun frowned, “Sect Master, how is Grand Desolation Star Field able to devour this Star Field? Could it be that Grand Desolation Star Field is a higher plane than ours?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s not it. There are no major differences between the two Star Fields. The reason something like that happened is that somebody is pulling strings from the shadows.”
“Somebody?”
“Who!?”
“Could it be…”
He nodded and said solemnly, “It’s the Master of Grand Desolation Star Field!”
The person who had exchanged blows with him was no ordinary person. Besides, only one person could direct the refinement and assimilation of another Star Field, and that was the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field! That person was just like Yang Kai; they were both Star Field Masters!
A gasp rang out among the crowd. Then, they quickly remembered that Yang Kai was also a Star Field Master, so there was no reason for them to be so fearful. It was just that… What would happen if the two Star Field Masters started a fight with each other? How would their battle affect their respective Star Fields? Their battle would not be done in person nor with their strength alone after all, they would be fighting with the power of their respective Star Fields as their support. That was bound to cause great disturbances in both Star Fields.
“Sect Master, who is stronger between the two of you?” Ye Xi Yun raised the question that everyone was most anxious to know.
“He is not my opponent at the moment,” Yang Kai replied calmly. The places swallowed up by the darkness had originally been part of his territory, so Yang Kai still had a certain advantage despite it having been taken over by the other party. In essence, it was not difficult for Yang Kai to drive the foreign enemy out.
“At the moment?” Ye Xi Yun keenly grasped the key points in his words, “What about in the future?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Who can say what the future will bring? We simply do what we can to conform with the Heavenly Way.”
She looked like she still had more to ask, but he raised his hand to stop her before smiling meaningfully, “There’s an insect here.”
While speaking, he suddenly stretched out his hand and grabbed at something in front of him. His movements were neither hurried nor unhurried. In response, the space in front of him became chaotic. Plunging his large hand into this warped space, Yang Kai seemed to grab hold of something far away, and when he withdrew his hand, an old man with an all-white beard appeared in the great hall.
The old man looked shocked and bewildered. He had a stooped figure, and his entire body was trembling. He looked rather unsteady on his feet; moreover, the aura around him was not that strong, only in the Origin Returning Realm.
Everybody in the great hall looked at each other in confusion, wondering why Yang Kai had captured this old man. They didn’t even know where Yang Kai had brought this old man from. After becoming the Star Field’s Master, Yang Kai’s strength had become more and more difficult for them to understand.
In the meantime, that old man with the stooped figure glanced about his surroundings and seemed to be frightened. The people around him might not know who he was, but he knew many of their faces, so panic flashed through his eyes for a moment before he quickly feigned ignorance and haltingly asked, “Where… am I?”
Inside the great hall, Yang Kai looked at the old man with a smile. Meanwhile, everybody else looked surprised and puzzled.
The old man asked, “Excuse me, Sirs… Who are you?”
“Stop playing dumb!”
“This old man really doesn’t know what you are talking about, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai looked the old man up and down. Then, he grinned and said, “Look at you; the Corpse Qi around you is so strong. You must be proficient in Corpse Refinement. What position do you hold in the Netherworld Sect?”
“Netherworld Sect!?” The expression of Ye Xi Yun and the others changed drastically at the name. They glared at the old man fiercely as although they could not tell what was so special about him, there could be no mistake since Yang Kai had said so.
All the cultivators in the Star Field held a deep hatred for the name ‘Netherworld Sect’. They thought that the dust had settled after they cleaned up the Star Field three years ago, so they never expected that a rat could have slipped through their fingers. Moreover, that rat was hiding right under their noses.
“Little Brother, I’m afraid you must have made a mistake. I’m not part of the Netherworld…”
“What were you trying to do by coming to Shadowed Star? What are you looking for?”
The old man shook his head, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Yang Kai raised his hand and enveloped the old man in a thick murderous intent. In response, the old man’s stooped figure straightened immediately and his aura burst out without warning.
Ye Xi Yun and the others were dumbfounded. Only then did they realize that the old man in front of them was no Origin Returning Realm cultivator. He clearly stood at the peak of the Origin King Realm. Moreover, his aura was slightly stronger than all the other Origin King Realm Masters they had met before. It was as though he could break through the shackles of the Origin King Realm at any moment. They did not know what kind of Secret Technique he had used to conceal his cultivation so well, but if not for Yang Kai’s sharp vision, everybody else would not have seen through his disguise.
The attack the old man expected did not come, however, as Yang Kai simply put down the hand he raised. How could the old man not know that he had been played for a fool? No longer trying to conceal anything, he coldly snorted, “You were the ones who forced my hand.”
He had indeed infiltrated Shadowed Star to look for something, but he had no intention of facing High Heaven Sect so quickly. Unfortunately, the Heavens did not act according to his wishes. Now that things had come to this, he could only fight his way out. Saying so, he summoned a large banner to his hand. The banner was unfurled as rich Blood Qi surged, dyeing the whole hall a bright red colour.
Inside the hall, everybody from High Heaven Sect instantly felt as though they had fallen into a turbulent Blood River. The Blood Qi in their surroundings carried a strong corrosive aura that made it hard for them to breathe and rendered their Saint Qi useless.
One after another, they paled in response. They knew about the Blood Sea Banner. After fighting with Netherworld Sect’s cultivators for all these years, every one of them had some experience facing this kind of artifact. Even so, they had never seen such a terrifying Blood Sea Banner before! It seemed that even a Third-Order Origin King Realm Master would be helpless once this Blood Sea Banner was summoned.
“You could have taken the easy way out, but you just had to choose the difficult path. Today, I will turn every one of you into…” The old man bit his tongue mid-way through his sentence, because a small figure was strolling towards him in the middle of the Blood Sea. That small figure raised its head and looked up at him with an innocent expression. Although no aura fluctuations were coming from this small figure, it was strangely unaffected by the Blood Sea Banner. At that moment, that small and petite figure felt like a huge mountain towering over him, making him feel as though he needed to look up at it.
“How is this possible!?” The old man was shocked and horrified. This artifact of his had long since surpassed the limits of what this Star Field could withstand. It was something that had been given to him from ‘that place’, and it was by relying on the power of this Artifact that he still remained calm and confident even after his identity was exposed. That was because it was impossible for anybody in this Star Field to escape from the imprisonment and corrosion of his Blood Sea Banner. Those who fell prey to it would die without a doubt. However, there was now a seven- or eight-year-old little girl who was completely unaffected by the power of his Blood Sea Banner standing in front of him.
The little girl blinked once before lifting her hand and seemingly grabbing at something. The old man took several steps back as though he had been struck by lightning at that moment and his face paled slightly as his horror grew. The connection between him and his Blood Sea Banner… Had been cut off!
When he looked up again, the blood-coloured aura that was covering the hall had disappeared. Meanwhile, the little girl held the Blood Sea Banner in her hands and casually stuffed it into her Space Ring. After that, she turned around and walked back without even sparing him a single glance.
The old man felt as if his throat had gone dry and vigorously tried to swallow. The greatest card he relied on had been taken away from him so easily that even his mental state had suffered a backlash from the incident. He had acted so high and mighty just now, but now he was like a venomous snake with his fangs pulled out. His aura withered, and his arrogance from before was gone.
Compared to the injury he received from having his artifact forcefully taken away from him, he felt more mentally traumatised. The feeling that little girl gave him… She was in no way weaker than ‘that’ person.
[Why is there such a powerful existence in this Star Field!? No wonder everybody from Grand Desolation Star Field had been massacred mercilessly. How can the invasion succeed with somebody like that guarding this place!?]
“Who is the one who helped you upgrade this Artifact?” Yang Kai sat boldly and unrestrained on an elevated platform inside the hall, resting his cheek on his hand as he looked at the old man calmly.
The old man trembled. Throwing himself to the ground, he respectfully said, “Senior, I will tell you everything you want to know, just please have mercy on me.”
Now that the tables had been turned on him, he immediately became much more well-behaved.
“I don’t think you have the right to negotiate with me.”
The old man lowered his head, “I implore you to have mercy on this old man. I have never done anything to harm this Star Field before!”
Yang Kai thought about it seriously and nodded his agreement, “Good. I promise I won’t kill you?”
“Senior, can your words be trusted?”
Yang Kai grinned slightly, “Most of the time, when I speak such words, I’m not being sincere…”
The old man instantly turned deathly pale at those words.
“But…” Yang Kai added in the same breath, “This time around, I will keep my word. I won’t kill you.”
“Many thanks, Senior!” The old man burst into tears of gratitude, “What do you wish to know, Senior?”
“You are the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect, right?” Yang Kai asked.
The old man smiled bitterly, “Senior has good eyes. Although I am incompetent, I am the 345th generation Sect Master of Netherworld Sect.”
“What!?”
“He is the Sect Master of Netherworld Sect!?”
A commotion rose up inside the great hall. Everybody glared at the old man furiously. Netherworld Sect was the culprit behind Grand Desolation Star Field’s invasion. Even though they had killed many people from the Netherworld Sect, including several Vice Sect Masters and Elders, they had never found their true Sect Master. Furthermore, none of the Elders and Vice Sect Masters knew where this Sect Master was. The only information they could glean was that the Sect Master had separated from the rest after arriving in Heng Luo Star Field. Nobody knew where he went or what he was up to.
There had been practically no information on this person, so who could have imagined that he had infiltrated Shadowed Star at some unknown point in time? It wasn’t until today that he was discovered by Yang Kai. That was probably the result of being too clever for his own good. He had thought that the most dangerous place would be the safest place to hide. Unbeknownst to this old man, Yang Kai’s perception of Shadowed Star had become even more acute after becoming the Star Field Master. How could Yang Kai fail to notice an existence with such an obvious aura that practically screamed Netherworld Sect? If he had been hiding on another Star, Yang Kai might not have bothered to go looking for him, and he could have remained hidden for a few more years.
“That artifact of yours… Did that person help you upgrade it?” Yang Kai repeated the question again.
“That person? I don’t know who you are referring to…” The old man looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
“That guy from Grand Desolation Star Field.”
“Have you met the person before?” The old man was shocked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have never met him.” He paused before continuing, “We simply exchanged a few blows in secret.”
The old man was dumbfounded when he heard those words. He first thought that the young man in front of him was bluffing as no matter how high his cultivation is, how could he possibly survive an exchange of blows with that person? Then, the old man suddenly recalled the strange occurrences that he had felt a few days ago and exclaimed in alarm, “Are you the Master of this Star Field!?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder! No wonder!” The old man murmured to himself. [No wonder the Star Field felt so abnormal several days ago. No wonder he can exchange blows with that person. It turned out that he is the Master of this Star Field. Only by becoming a Star Field Master could he be qualified to fight against another Star Field Master after all.]
Yang Kai observed the old man’s words and actions. All of a sudden, his eyebrows twitched and he asked, “You’ve been hiding and acting alone for so many years. Could it be that you were looking for the Star Field Source of Heng Luo Star Field?”
The old man’s expression changed slightly. Seeing that Yang Kai had seen through him, he no longer concealed anything and nodded, “I was simply following orders.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “That guy sure has a voracious appetite!”
*Kacha…*
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Strong winds blew and storms stirred in the skies. At the same time, dark and oppressive clouds formed without warning, covering the sky like a thick quilt. Looming overhead, they gave off a stifling feeling. Now that he was this Star Field’s Master, Yang Kai’s very mood, be it happiness, sadness, or anger, could affect the entire Star Field.
Upon seeing this, the old man no longer doubted. He was fully convinced that this young man was the Master of Heng Luo Star Field.
Yang Kai sneered, “He is trying to devour Heng Luo Star Field in one bite.”
Judging by the current situation, it was not accurate to say that the Netherworld Sect was the culprit behind Grand Desolation Star Field’s invasion. It would seem that the Netherworld Sect was just another pawn, and the person behind the scenes was the Master of Grand Desolation Star Field.
Making use of the war between the two Star Fields’ cultivators to create chaos and weaken Heng Luo Star Field was the only way to make the Star Field Source reveal itself. Subsequently, this old man simply needed to locate the Star Field Source and that person on the other side of the darkness would be able to absorb and refine it.
Once that person successfully refined the Heng Luo Star Field’s Source, the two Star Fields would be merged together into one. In that way, that person would become the Master of two Star Fields, and his strength would rise like the tide. His methods were not the most ingenious, but were highly effective.
If Yang Kai had not returned to the Star Field in time, that person would already have succeeded with his plans and Heng Luo Star Field would definitely have ended up as a vassal of Grand Desolation Star Field.
“I do not know what that person’s goal is,” Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master lowered his gaze.
“Is that so?” Yang Kai gave the old man a deep and meaningful smile, making the old man’s heart skip in fear.
“Forget it. Come with me.” After saying that, Yang Kai stood up and grabbed the old man by the collar. He strode forward, and they appeared in the Starry Sky in just a few steps.
“Senior! Please have mercy on me!” The old man yelled, looking quite panicked. The feeling that he could not win through force bloomed in him when he looked at the strange little girl earlier; however, he found that he couldn’t even muster the courage to fight back after meeting Yang Kai.
[This is the power of a Star Field Master!] He did not believe that Yang Kai’s strength was much higher than his own. Thus, the only reason Yang Kai could handle him so easily was because he obtained the recognition of the Star Field Source.
[If only I had the opportunity…]
“Why are you raising such a fuss?” Yang Kai slapped the old man on the back of the head.
The Sect Master of the Netherworld Sect immediately calmed down after being smacked by Yang Kai. The scenery flashed by quickly as they brushed past large Stars that soon were left behind as no more than specks of lights in the distance. In just a short while, the two of them had travelled across billions of kilometres.
Stopping all of a sudden, Yang Kai tossed the old man to the side. The old man immediately caught his balance and looked around. His pupils contracted at the sight, “This is…”
There was a gigantic black hole in front of him, heaving and writhing like the mouth of a giant beast. It seemed to be gnawing at this world, trying to swallow it all up.
“Grand Desolation Star Field is on the other side of that darkness!” Yang Kai pointed at the area where the darkness was the densest.
The old man’s eyes lit up at those words.
“Do you want to go back?”
He nodded repeatedly to that.
“Good. I’ll let you go back. But, you have to help me pass on a message.”
He cautiously asked, “What message?”
“Tell that bastard to wash his neck and wait for my arrival! I’ll be there to claim his head soon enough!”
“Uh…”
“Scram!” Yang Kai lifted the old man by the collar again and threw him into the darkness without any explanation. The old man screamed in horror and tried to resist, but he couldn’t even gather his Saint Qi. In the end, he could only plunge headfirst into the darkness and his figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he glanced into the darkness and let out a soft whistle.
Three figures stood on the other side of the darkness at this moment. Aside from the sallow-faced man, the other two were people that Yang Kai was familiar with. They were Li Jiao and Lu San Niang!
Both their auras were still intact. They had suffered neither torture nor injury, but they had no intention of escaping either. That was because neither Li Jiao nor Lu San Niang could exert their full strength in this place, while on the contrary, this middle-aged man in front of them could.
Capturing them was a simple task for this man. Neither Li Jiao nor Lu San Niang could put up any resistance against him.
“No matter who you are, you will pay the price for this!” Li Jiao gazed at the middle-aged man with a vicious expression on his face. This man had thrown Lu Yu Qin into the darkness right in front of them and they did not even know whether she was still alive at this point. It was only natural that Li Jiao was furious. He hated himself for being helpless. If he had been in the Star Boundary, he would have fought this man to the death. Even if he wound up not being this man’s opponent, it would still be better than simmering with this rage.
The middle-aged man turned a deaf ear to those words and simply said calmly, “How are you so confident?”
Li Jiao smiled coldly, “Because you don’t know who you provoked.”
The middle-aged man finally turned his head to look at Li Jiao. Studying Li Jiao for a moment, he said, “I’m afraid you don’t have that ability.”
Li Jiao said, “If I had the ability, I would have twisted your head off a long time ago.”
“Are you pinning your hopes on that person named Yang Kai?” The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows at Li Jiao, secretly feeling amused.
He had never even heard of the name ‘Yang Kai’ before. So, how strong could this person be? Even if he was lucky enough to become the Star Field Master, he wouldn’t last long. He only learned of Yang Kai’s existence after talking to Li Jiao for some time. It wasn’t that Li Jiao wanted to sell Yang Kai out. He simply had no choice but to answer the questions since Lu Yu Qin and Lu San Niang were behind him.
“Just you wait. You will come to regret this.” Li Jiao sneered and said no more. It didn’t matter where the person in front of him came from or how high that person’s cultivation was, he believed that Yang Kai could get rid of them as long as they were not a Great Emperor. Yang Kai was a person who even dared to barge into a place like Dragon Island after all, so what else could trouble him in this world?
“I hope he is as capable as you say. Otherwise, this will be too boring!” The middle-aged man smiled slightly. All of a sudden, he sensed something and turned to look into the darkness. Ripples spread across the surface of the darkness. Immediately after that, a figure flew out from the depths of the darkness. Flailing about wildly, a deep look of shock still etched on their face.
The middle-aged man stretched out his hand and caught the figure. Meanwhile, the old man continued to yell without stopping. It took the middle-aged man shouting at him for him to calm down.
“S-Sir!” The old man exclaimed when his vision cleared and he saw who was standing in front of him. His eyes flashed with a sense of euphoria at having escaped the clutches of death. He had thought that he was a goner when Yang Kai threw him into the darkness. Who could have known that Yang Kai had kept his promise and let him live? Moreover, Yang Kai even sent him back to Grand Desolation Star Field!
“Why did you appear here from the other side?” The middle-aged man looked at the old man rather curiously and slowly released him from his grip.
The old man hurriedly replied, “Sir, I had to endure great humiliation in return for my life. That was how I survived and came back here to report to you.”
“Did that person send you back?” The middle-aged man frowned slightly, hitting the nail on the head with his statement.
Netherworld Sect’s Sect Master wore a stern expression. Even so, he could only nod affirmatively, “Yes. He sent me here to pass a message to you.”
“What message?”
“That little brat who doesn’t know his place claimed that he will be coming for you soon, Sir.” The old man considered his words carefully, not daring to repeat the exact words that Yang Kai had used.
“Is that all?” The middle-aged man frowned slightly. He seemed astonished by the message and turned to glance at Li Jiao and Lu San Niang.
[Doesn’t that person care about the lives of these two?]
“That’s all.” Netherworld Sect Master lowered his head.
The middle-aged man mulled over it for a moment. Then, he raised his hand and reached out towards Netherworld Sect Master’s head, an action that startled the old man greatly. He instinctively wanted to resist even though he knew that it was useless to, but in that moment of hesitation, the large hand covered his forehead and he stiffened in response, even his thoughts freezing in place.
“I’ll see for myself,” the middle-aged man said faintly. He then released his Divine Sense and poured it into the old man’s Knowledge Sea, forcefully scanning his memories. This method could easily cause irreversible damage to the old man; however, it was clear that the middle-aged man was not too concerned about that.
The old man’s Knowledge Sea churned violently all of a sudden, and a ray of light burst out from within the waters. That light flickered with an aura that did not belong to him before it transformed into an incredibly sharp attack that lashed out at the middle-aged man’s Divine Sense.
It turned out that Yang Kai had planted a lethal attack in the old man’s Knowledge Sea without the old man noticing, then he simply waited for the middle-aged man to walk right into his trap.
“Hmph!” The middle-aged man coldly snorted. Although he was surprised, he did not panic. His Divine Sense fluctuated and a wave of pure Spiritual Energy surged forward to take on the attack.
A loud crash rang out as the water in the old man’s Knowledge Sea boiled. The two Divine Senses collided together before dissipating, with the middle-aged man slightly surprised to find that the other party’s Spiritual Energy was no weaker than his. But, from what he heard from Li Jiao, this Yang Kai was only a First-Order Emperor! How can he have such a powerful Divine Sense?
When the two Divine Senses collided, neither side could do anything to the other. Unfortunately, Netherworld Sect Master suffered from their little exchange as he was caught off guard. The aftermath of the clash sent ripples back into the Star Field Master’s own Knowledge Sea, shaking his Soul slightly. On the other hand, the old man’s Knowledge Sea collapsed under the impact of this clash and his aura was extinguished. In the end, he was simply collateral damage in their confrontation. Yang Kai had not killed him and even allowed him to return, but Yang Kai’s trap caused him to lose his life instantly.
It was no longer realistic to investigate anything else, but just as the middle-aged man was about to withdraw his consciousness from the collapsed Knowledge Sea, a great sense of crisis descended from the sky.
He forced his eyes open and looked up to see a vortex had appeared within the darkness in front of him and a young man grinned at him from within as he leapt across the World Boundaries and lunged at him.
“Bold!” The middle-aged man’s expression finally changed as he exclaimed to himself. Grand Desolation Star Field was located on this side of the darkness and it was his territory! Anybody who entered this place would be suppressed by his power.
Even when he made plans to devour Heng Luo Star Field, he had to take his time and slowly make progress, one step at a time. He also had to send people over to search for Heng Luo Star Field’s Source on his behalf.
[How can this boy just rush into this place like this!? Isn’t he afraid he won’t leave this place alive!?]
Despite all the thoughts running through his head, the middle-aged man swiftly composed himself and grinned happily. He would have been helpless to do anything if Yang Kai had fought him while remaining hidden in Heng Luo Star Field. Both of them were Star Field Masters with control of their respective Star Fields, which also meant that they held a distinct advantage over the other in their respective territories.
But this place was his territory! A hint of pride flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes as he looked at the fist slamming towards him, communicating with his own Star Field Source as he threw out a punch of his own.
“Dragon Transformation!” A shout suddenly rang out as Yang Kai’s body suddenly swelled, transforming into his 200-metre-long Half-Dragon Form in the blink of an eye, his fist suddenly becoming the size of a house.
The middle-aged man was startled by this change and before he could react, their fists collided. From an outsider’s perspective, the middle-aged man was not even the size of Yang Kai’s finger and it gave rise to an inexplicable feeling that the middle-aged man had overestimated his abilities, like an ant trying to shake a tree. Even so, the aura of both parties was not inferior to one another, both as tall and imposing as giants.
When their fists connected, Yang Kai’s huge fist visibly dented. The sound of bones breaking subsequently rang out and that sound travelled upwards, from his arms to his shoulders. His arm immediately went as limp as a wet noodle.
With just one punch, his arm had been rendered useless. He had suffered such a serious injury despite his Dragon Transformation which went to show just how powerful the middle-aged man was.
Although Yang Kai suffered great damage though, the other party was no better off.
The middle-aged man originally thought that with the advantage of being in his own territory, being able to fully mobilize the power of his Star Field, he could defeat Yang Kai without breaking a sweat; however, he realized how wrong he was the moment their fists connected.
An explosive and shocking power struck him from the front, and as a result, he was thrown backwards like a meteor and his figure vanished in the blink of an eye.
“What happened!?” The middle-aged man’s eyes widened as large as saucers. He had a look of disbelief on his face, but nevertheless, he soon figured out how Yang Kai had managed to do it. Logically speaking, Yang Kai would not be able to cause any harm to him in his own Star Field, no matter how high Yang Kai’s strength was. That punch was clearly not an ordinary attack. It was an attack that was mixed with the power of the enemy’s Star Field. That was the only explanation for how Yang Kai could produce such great force.
“Brother Yang!” Li Jiao was pleasantly surprised.
“Hurry up and escape!” Yang Kai stretched out his other intact hand towards Li Jiao and Lu San Niang, grabbed them in his palm, and plunged into the darkness behind him without any hesitation whatsoever. A punch like that could only be thrown once. He couldn’t do it again. Fortunately, his attack had caught the other party off guard. If he waited until that person recovered from his shock; forget letting Li Jiao and Lu San Niang escape, he himself would not be able to leave this Star Field alive either.
“You won’t escape!” A furious voice rang out from behind them as space around them seemed to solidify. Yang Kai was halfway through the motion of leaping into the darkness, but his body came to an abrupt stop at that moment. He was stuck in place with the darkness only several metres away from him, escape literally at his fingertips.
Turning his head, Yang Kai saw that the figure of the middle-aged man he had blown away just now was flickering and rushing towards them urgently. Yang Kai had always used his Space Techniques to inhibit his opponents’ movements and never expected he would one day be imprisoned in place by somebody else.
The middle-aged man had not mastered the Dao of Space, but he could mobilize all the Principles and powers of the Star Field as its Master.
[Fighting him in this place is very disadvantageous indeed.]
After suffering a loss once, the middle-aged man’s expression was extremely ugly; however, his eyes were also filled with excitement. It seemed as though he planned to keep Yang Kai here, once and for all. This was truly a godsend opportunity. If he missed this chance, he would never be able to take over Heng Luo Star Field again.
“Go!” Yang Kai threw Li Jiao and Lu San Niang, who were in his clutches, into the darkness, using both brute force and Space Principles at the same time to break through the restraints around him.
*Kacha…* Small cracks appeared in the surrounding space like little fish swimming about, and his imprisoned body finally regained a sliver of freedom. Clenching his intact fist, Yang Kai stealthily grasped something in the palm of his hand while praying in his heart that his guess was correct. Otherwise, a disastrous end would await him.
“I praise you for your righteousness, Your Excellency, but doing this was utter idiocy on your part.” The middle-aged man could not restrain the joy in his heart and quickly rushed over to Yang Kai in just several steps. Although the power behind Yang Kai’s punch just now was not weak, it had not caused any substantial harm to him.
As the Master of this Star Field, he had countless ways to disperse the power of that punch when he stood within his own domain. Therefore, he only suffered some slight discomfort. On the other hand, Yang Kai had lost the use of an arm and was now lashing out with his other one. The middle-aged man lifted his fist in response, preparing to render that arm useless too.
When their fists connected again, the smile on the middle-aged man’s face stiffened suddenly. He was, once again, blown away like a shooting star with a loud ‘whooshing’ sound. His eyes were filled with confusion, and he was completely incapable of understanding what had just happened. There was only one question repeating over and over in his heart.
[How is this possible!?]
Failing to receive the first punch earlier could be explained away by him underestimating his enemy and by the opponent still being able to utilize the power of their Star Field to a certain extent since they had just leapt across the World Barrier.
Be that as it may, it should have been impossible for the second punch to have such an effect! The middle-aged man had confined his opponent in this space and isolated him from Heng Luo Star Field on the other side! This boy couldn’t use the power of his Star Field again! Even so, the middle-aged man could clearly feel the power of a whole world rushing towards him from that punch. It was different from the first punch yet very similar at the same time.
“Hahahaha!” Yang Kai laughed wildly.
When the laughter reached the middle-aged man’s ears, it immediately filled him with rage. It felt as though he, an adult, was fighting with a child and being thrown to the ground, over and over again. It was extremely frustrating and humiliating. That wasn’t to say that Yang Kai was a child. It was just that Yang Kai should be no different from a defenceless child in this Star Field.
A voice that irritated him even more sounded in his head at that moment, “Just you wait! Sooner or later, I’ll beat your face in so badly that even your mother won’t recognize you!”
After leaving those vicious words behind, Yang Kai turned and stepped into the darkness.
By the time the middle-aged man lunged toward Yang Kai again, the latter was gone.
Clenching his fists furiously, he roared bitterly, “Yang Kai!”
There had been no grievances between Yang Kai and him before this, simply some friction over the assimilation of Heng Luo Star Field. However, there had not been a Star Field Master in Heng Luo Star Field when this middle-aged man first made his plans to take it over. What he wanted to devour had simply been an unowned Star Field at the time. In the end, those plans were ruined by Yang Kai. In other words, Yang Kai was the one who destroyed everything.
After being played for a fool over and over again though, the middle-aged man ended up embarrassing himself greatly. Therefore, the flames of rage were burning high in him and he already considered Yang Kai to be an enemy.
[If I ever get the chance, I will definitely kill him!]
Yang Kai appeared in Heng Luo Star Field and reverted back to his human appearance. Meanwhile, Li Jiao and Lu San Niang both stood there and watched the darkness anxiously. They were overjoyed to see Yang Kai emerge and immediately came forward in concern. Then, they saw that both his arms were hanging limply by his sides like strands of noodles, so how could they not realize that he had suffered a great loss?
“Brother Yang…” Li Jiao’s eyes were a little moist. After being captured by that middle-aged man, he had not held any hope that Yang Kai would come and rescue him. That was because he knew that, although he had some standing in Yang Kai’s heart, it was impossible to compare it to a whole Star Field; after all, this Star Field contained Yang Kai’s friends, family, and Sect. How could he sacrifice the entire Star Field for the sake of one newly made friend?
For that reason, Li Jiao had planned for the worst. Who could have known that Yang Kai would take such a huge risk to infiltrate a Star Field controlled by the enemy just to save him, though! Moreover, he succeeded! It was not an exaggeration to say that Li Jiao would never be able to repay such a great kindness even if he gave his life!
Yang Kai looked at Li Jiao in disgust and said, “My arm hurts very much right now. And, the way you look right now is making my head hurt too.”
Li Jiao blushed at those words.
Then, Yang Kai continued, “I only did that as an experiment. It would have been your fate if I failed to rescue you at that time. Of course, I would have avenged your deaths.”
Li Jiao said, “I understand. In any case, I am still very grateful.”
Lu San Niang seemed like she was hesitating to speak, but Yang Kai added, “Yu Qin is safe. She is currently at High Heaven Sect. You guys should go too.”
“What about you?” Li Jiao asked in concern.
Yang Kai said, “I will stay here to monitor the situation. Besides, I have to recuperate from my injuries.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “By the way, do you know who that person is? At least, his name?”
Li Jiao replied, “That person calls himself ‘Wu Heng’!”
“Another one surnamed ‘Wu’?” Yang Kai frowned, and his expression became a little strange. All those with the surname Wu he met seemed to be scum. Even the greatest villain in history was surnamed Wu.
Li Jiao clearly knew what Yang Kai was thinking about, but shaking his head, he explained, “This person probably has nothing to do with ‘that’ person. They just happen to have the same surname.”
“It would be best if they are completely unrelated to each other.” Yang Kai nodded. If Wu Heng turned out to be related to Wu Kuang, then it would turn into an extremely troublesome matter. Another Heaven Devouring Great Emperor could not be allowed to exist in this world; after all, the original was still alive and kicking.
They talked for a bit more, but Li Jiao did not know much about Wu Heng’s background either, so Yang Kai soon sent the couple back to Shadowed Star.
Sitting cross-legged in the void, Yang Kai circulated his strength to restore his arms, both of which had been shattered. Although his actions had disgraced Wu Heng just now, they were not without cost. Various Principles flowed inside his arms, wantonly destroying his body and veins. The injuries were so severe that if it had been anybody else in this condition, their arms would have been completely crippled as a result.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had a strong physique and vitality, and now that he was back in his territory, he could borrow the power of the Star Field to easily draw out the Principles in his body and dissipate them into the void. Not only did he not suffer much from doing that, but he also added some energy to the Star Field, even though it was an insignificant amount.
A long while later, Yang Kai could finally slightly raise his arms. The potential dangers had been removed and the rest would simply heal slowly. It probably wouldn’t take long before they were completely restored. Then, he took out some healing pills and stuffed them into his mouth to further shorten the recovery period.
The palm of his right hand had been tightly clenched all this while. He had not loosened his grip at all since earlier. It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai unclenched his fist and spread out his palm.
A longan sized bead was lying quietly on the palm of his hand. It was the Sealed World Bead!
His first punch managed to blast Wu Heng back because he had been betting on catching Wu Heng off guard. Besides, he had just crossed over from his own Star Field so he could still mobilize some of the Star Field’s power when he stood at the border between both worlds.
However, Yang Kai did not rely on the power of the Star Field for the second punch. It was by borrowing the power of the Sealed World Bead that he managed to succeed!
If a Star Field was said to be its own world, then the Sealed World Bead was also its own world. The only difference was their sizes. Comparing the sizes of the worlds within the Sealed World Bead and the entire Star Field was like comparing a child to a full-grown adult. Even so, one thing was the same; they both contained their own World Force.
As the owner of the Sealed World Bead, it was only natural that Yang Kai could mobilize the power of the Sealed World. He had previously used the World Force within the Sealed World Bead to defend himself against a World Energy Baptism. Consequently, the Small Sealed World within had been heavily damaged, its World Principles suffering gravely.
Yang Kai had later entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda of Star Soul Palace and used the Sealed World Bead to absorb a lot of Source Strength from it. It was only then that he finally managed to repair the Sealed World Bead and evolve it into a complete world.
Repeating that old trick was his last resort. Fortunately, the results did not disappoint him. He would not have been able to force Wu Heng back without the Sealed World Bead, regardless of how powerful his second punch was.
“May the Heavens bless you!” Yang Kai held the Sealed World Bead in both hands and chanted those words several times before his expression became resolute. Immersing his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead, he probed the condition within and his face immediately twitched in response. His expression fluctuated endlessly, it was only after a long time that a miserable howl resounded through the Starry Sky.
As he expected, the insides of the Small Sealed World were a mess. The world that had been repaired and perfected when he entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda had fallen apart again. The World Principles were chaotic, the mountains were upside down, the rivers flowed in reverse, and multiple Void Cracks spread across the Small Sealed World like great scars.
At first glance, the world was in such a dilapidated condition that it looked like it might collapse at any moment.
Yang Kai was heartbroken. Saving Li Jiao this time around had bled him dry. Luckily, he had managed to save those two at the very least. Furthermore, the one silver lining among the rest of the misfortunes was that there was no damage near the medicine garden. After all, the medicine garden was the real core of the Small Sealed World.
One reason for this stroke of fortune was that Yang Kai had deliberately protected that place. The other reason was that the Immortal Tree and Firmament Tree were planted inside the medicine garden.
Be it the Immortal Tree or the Firmament Tree, there was only one of their kind in the world. Their existences in itself were difficult to destroy, so it was only natural that the place where they were located would be practically untouchable too.
Sometime later, Yang Kai withdrew his consciousness from the Sealed World Bead and calmed his rampaging emotions.
Although the Sealed World Bead was severely damaged, it was not destroyed. That meant that there was always a chance to repair it again.
[I will have to see if I can get another chance to enter the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.]
However, he suddenly recalled what had happened when he left Star Soul Palace back then and instantly dismissed the idea.
[I caused a lot of trouble for Star Soul Palace when I last entered the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, so I’m afraid Bright Moon Great Emperor will never let me enter it ever again.]
Putting the Sealed World Bead away, Yang Kai cast his gaze into the darkness before him.
Right now, taking care of what was in front of him came first.