This was a peculiar race that had almost gone extinct. Their clansmen were inherently weak and did not have much fighting ability, but they had a unique talent for cultivating plants.
It was rumoured that in ancient times, powerful cultivators liked to subdue one or two Wood Spirits to help take care of their medicine gardens. The quantity and quality of the harvested herbs in a medicine garden of 100,000 acres would increase by 30% as long as there was a Wood Spirit living in it. They were the darlings of nature and extremely rare existences.
As the years went by, the world continuously experienced changes. The topography of Stars in the Star Fields as well as the Star Boundary itself continued to evolve and develop. Similarly, changes among the species were common occurrences. Conversely, the Ancient Wild Lands had not changed since ancient times. That was why there were many rare creatures in this place that could not be found in the outside world.
The Wood Spirits were one such example, as were the Stone Spirits. These two races supported and depended on each other, forming a kind of symbiotic relationship. The Stone Spirit Clan provided the Wood Spirits with powerful protection while on the other hand, the Wood Spirit Clan granted the Stone Spirit Clan the ability to fly in battle. Without the help of the Wood Spirit Clan, the Stone Spirits could only fight on the ground, often resulting in them suffering heavy losses.
More than ten exquisite Wood Spirits flew towards Yang Kai and gathered around him like a bunch of curious butterflies.
“Hello,” Yang Kai smiled.
Both the Wood Spirits and Stone Spirits were very cloistered races. Under normal circumstances, they refused to interact with the outside world. Many of the Monster Race living in the Ancient Wild Lands had never even seen them before, only hearing stories of their existence.
However, Yang Kai was different. He had been to the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan more than 10 years ago and was received as an Honoured Guest by both them and the Wood Spirits. With how much they interacted, they no longer found him unfamiliar upon meeting again.
A female Wood Spirit landed on Yang Kai’s shoulders, leaned in close to his ears and said, “The Elders and our clansmen are waiting for you, please come this way.”
Her voice was very soft, and her cheeks seemed faintly flushed. Wood Spirits became shy easily.
Yang Kai vaguely felt that this particular Wood Spirit looked familiar and soon recalled that she was probably the one who poured wine for him back then, but he couldn’t be sure, so he simply smiled in response and nodded, “Good.”
The Wood Spirits had an Innate Divine Ability that allowed them to make all the plants surrounding them for thousands of kilometres into their eyes and ears. Therefore, they immediately noticed his presence the moment he arrived. These Wood Spirits came here to meet him as a result.
The Wood Spirits led the way forward, and after walking for some time, Yang Kai arrived at the place where the Stone Spirits lived. The ancient trees in this area were far larger and taller than all the other trees anywhere else. Moreover, each and every tree had a natural Tree Cave that could be used as a house.
Nine huge Stone Spirits were standing in a line when Yang Kai arrived, with the one in the middle seemingly quite elderly. This figure was stooped and had a beard that looked like upside-down stone pillars hanging down to his chest; he had an appearance that was full of the vicissitudes of life. At this moment, he was looking in this direction with a smile.
Yang Kai walked over to it, cupped his fists, and bowed, “Elder!”
Then, he glanced at the palm-sized female Wood Spirit with a flower crown that was sitting on the Elder’s shoulders, “Matriarch!”
“Honoured Guest, we meet again.” The Stone Spirit Elder chuckled, his dull voice making the ground rumble slightly.
“Lower your voice.” The Wood Spirit Matriarch, Mu Na, reached up to cover her ears.
“I am not worthy of the title ‘Honoured Guest’. Elder, please call me by my name,” Yang Kai said with a humble expression. A wise Elder deserved to receive the respect his age warranted. Besides, Yang Kai had a deep relationship with the Stone Spirit Clan. Be it Xiao Xiao or his Embodiment, both of them originated as Stone Spirits, “I came uninvited because I have something to ask of you, Elder.”
The Stone Spirit Elder laughed, but his laughter was much more constrained now, seemingly afraid that Mu Na might complain again, “We can talk after we fill our bellies. The last time you came here was more than 10 years ago. It’s rare for us to have any excitement here, so we cannot miss this opportunity to have some fun.”
“Uh… Then let’s do as you say, Elder.”
Following that order, a banquet was held. Everyone sat down on the ground around a huge tree root just like before and used it as a table. With the Wood Spirits bustling back and forth, the table was soon filled with all sorts of fruit and wine.
As night fell, moonlight shone through the leaves. Strange fruits hung from the tree trunks all around them, glowing with colourful lights that illuminated the clearing.
The Stone Spirits were generally stiff and unresponsive, but some of them were going wild at this moment. They were shouting boisterously while holding wooden cups that were taller than a person. They drank heartily and enjoyed the fruits cultivated by the Wood Spirits. Meanwhile, the Wood Spirits danced by their sides.
A bright moon hung in the sky and the feast and wine made one reluctant to worry about other things.
The names of the Stone Spirits were very simple, ranging from Shi Yi to Shi Ba. Unfortunately, Yang Kai couldn’t tell them apart because they all looked the same. Originally, there was another one by the name ‘Shi Jiu’, which was Xiao Xiao; however, there had been no news about him ever since he entered the Blood Gate with Zhang Ruo Xi.
The Stone Spirit Clan had great innate strength and there were few Humans or Monsters that could be their opponents, but the Heavens were fair in all things so there could not be more than ten among the Stone Spirit Clan at a time. If there were more than ten of them, they would surely die. In other words, the number of members in the Stone Spirit Clan would never exceed ten across the entire world.
There were nine of them before Yang Kai right now, and if Xiao Xiao was included, there were exactly ten of them. Although his Embodiment had the body of a Stone Spirit, it could no longer be regarded as a Stone Spirit as it had no sentience, so it wasn’t included among them.
Eight of the Stone Spirits took turns to offer Yang Kai a toast. The wine glasses they used were twice as big as ordinary wine barrels and they seemed like they would not be satisfied unless they drank until he fell. Unable to refuse, Yang Kai could only do his best to match their drinking pace.
The spirit wine brewed by the Wood Spirit Clan was full of energy and medicinal efficacy, so even the Stone Spirits could not drink too much of it. How could he, even with his Half-Dragon Form, win in a consecutive battle against these silly Stone Spirits?
Thus, Yang Kai collapsed without warning in the middle of the night amidst the triumphant cheers of the Stone Spirits. Following that, a dozen or so Wood Spirits flew over, helped him up, and took him into a Tree Cave to rest.
By the time he woke up again, it was morning.
Yang Kai felt incredibly hungover and only felt slightly better after meditating and circulating his Emperor Qi for a while. He secretly made up his mind to never get into a drinking contest here again.
The female Wood Spirit who came to greet him yesterday was looking inside curiously from outside the door.
When she saw that he was awake, she timidly spoke up, “Honoured Guest, you’re awake. The Elder and the Matriarch are waiting for you.”
“En, thanks, I’ll be right there.” He smiled at her lightly, causing her to blush again.
[What a peculiar species…]
The Wood Spirit Clan not only had a unique talent in cultivating spirit flowers and exotic plants, but they themselves were also very valuable. It was said that the bodies of the Wood Spirits contained the mystery of immortality and indestructibility. If somebody was severely injured and on the verge of death, they could be brought back to life immediately and their injuries would heal completely as long as they consumed a Wood Spirit alive.
It was fortunate that they lived in the Ancient Wild Lands and had the protection of the Stone Spirit Clan; otherwise, they would have already gone extinct in the outside world. The greed of Humans knew no limits, and if any of these walking miracle cures was targeted by ill-intentioned people, they would never be able to escape from their evil clutches.
Yang Kai walked out of his Tree Cave and soon saw the Elder in another. Bowing, he took a seat and asked, “Is there still no news of Xiao Xiao?”
The Elder shook his head, “There has been no movement since the Blood Gate concealed itself. I don’t know how Shi Jiu is doing right now.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Ruo Xi is watching over him, so there’s no need to worry too much, Elder.”
There was a grand palace inside the Blood Gate where countless Divine Spirit Sources were sealed. They were obtained from the hunting of Divine Spirits by Heavens Order in the past. Xiao Xiao had followed Ruo Xi into the Blood Gate to inherit the Tai Yue Source.
Xiao Xiao would be fine with Ruo Xi watching out for him, and his future would be bright after he incarnated as the Divine Spirit Tai Yue.
There were countless Divine Spirits during the ancient times, but differences in strength also existed between them. If the Dragons and the Phoenixes were the apexes among the Divine Spirits, then familiar names such as the Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Qilin, and Qiong Qi were second only to those top existences. Similarly, Tai Yue also ranked fairly high among the Divine Spirits. It was no less than a Qilin or a Qiong Qi. For that reason, Yang Kai was looking forward to what Xiao Xiao would become after emerging from the Blood Gate.
Upon hearing those words, the Elder looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he changed the subject, “You mentioned you needed a favour from us yesterday. What is it about?”
“It’s like this. I plan to set up a Cross-Territory Space Array here which will connect directly to High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory.”
“Connect to the Northern Territory!?” The Elder was startled by his words.
“Boy, that cannot be allowed.” Mu Na flew in from somewhere and landed on the Elder’s shoulder. She looked at Yang Kai and shook her head, “This place is a pure land for the Wood Spirit Clan and Stone Spirit Clan. No Human, aside from you, has ever set foot here. If you set up a Cross-Territory Space Array here, our lives will definitely be affected by it. I cannot agree to your request.”
Both the Stone Spirit and Wood Spirits were extremely vulnerable to becoming a coveted possession; hence, their existence itself was a secret. If this secret were to spread, it would surely bring a lot of trouble to them.
Yang Kai solemnly explained, “Matriarch, please rest assured, I promise that I will be the only one using the Space Array. Nobody else can come here through it.”
His main reason for making this request was because the Space Array he arranged in Luan Feng’s palace had been destroyed. This was the only feasible option if he wanted to connect the Northern Territory and the Eastern Territory. On a side note, the ‘debt’ he wanted to collect from Luan Feng was his revenge over the destruction of the Space Array.
“How can you guarantee this?” Mu Na clearly still disapproved of this matter.
Comforting her, Yang Kai replied, “Since I am the one arranging the Space Array, I can guarantee this. Additionally, if anybody else aside from me were to enter this place one day, you are free to eliminate them without holding back.”
Mu Na looked like she was about to say something else, but the Elder ended the conversation by saying, “If you can guarantee that, then it’s not a problem.”
“Many thanks, Elder!”
Naturally, Mu Na couldn’t say anything else since the Elder had agreed to the request.
“Where do you plan to set up the Array?”
“In Xiao Xiao’s Tree Cave.” Yang Kai had chosen the location in advance. The place he rested in before was none other than the Tree Cave Xiao Xiao had lived in back then. The Tree Cave was large enough and besides, it was located in the place where the Stone Spirit Clan lived, so it would receive their protection too.
“Good. Let us know if you need any help.”
“En, then I’ll get to work immediately.” Yang Kai stood up and excused himself.
“Come and visit me once you’re done with your work. I have something to discuss with you,” Mu Na spoke up suddenly.
Glancing at her strangely, Yang Kai nodded in response.
Inside her palace, Luan Feng sat at the forefront, dressed in luxurious robes with a phoenix coronet on her head. She was sitting motionlessly as somebody paced about in front of her with an anxious expression. Moreover, that person kept glancing out the window from time to time, as if waiting for something.
That person appeared to be a man of superb stature. He was wearing a beige-coloured robe and his hair was carelessly pulled into a bun behind his head with a jade hairpin. He was none other than one of the Three Great Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands, the West Divine Venerable Cang Gou. At this moment, the West Divine Venerable, who had always been unflappable in the face of great crisis, seemed to be deeply distressed for some reason and had a conflicted expression on his face.
After watching him pace about like a headless fly for some time, Luan Feng finally couldn’t stand it anymore, rubbed her forehead, and spoke up, “Sit down. You are making me dizzy.”
Cang Gou stopped and looked at her with a mixture of sorrow and fury, “Why is he here again!? Tell me! Why!? Why!?”
She weakly replied, “How should I know?”
“Didn’t the rumours say that he went to the Northern Territory and created a Sect there? What was its name…”
“High Heaven Palace!”
“Right! High Heaven Palace!” Cang Gou palmed his fist lightly, “I heard he is doing pretty well in the Northern Territory, so why is he not enjoying lording over that place and is instead here in the Eastern Territory again!?” [I’ve never met anybody like him. He crosses domains at his leisure like it’s nothing. He even regards the Ancient Wild Lands, which is famous for its brutality, as a place that he can enter and exit at will!]
Luan Feng said lightly, “He said he came here to collect a debt from me.”
“Debt? What debt!?” He widened his eyes and stared at her.
She lowered her gaze, “Who knows? Maybe he is just talking nonsense.”
He looked at her suspiciously, “Are you hiding something from us?”
She snapped, “What could I possibly hide from you!? Anyway, you didn’t leak this information out, right?”
Cang Gou scornfully replied, “I’m not a fool. Why would I leak something like this?”
“That would be for the best. If the Monster Kings learn that he is here…” Her words trailed off halfway. She couldn’t finish her sentence as just thinking about the scenario was enough to make her headache worse.
It was clear that Cang Gou was aware of what she was referring to as he had a look of grief and rage on his face. [I can’t believe that we, the dignified Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands, have to guard against a mere Human in the First-Order Emperor Realm like some unstoppable thief! Nobody will believe us if we say that he worries and frightens us. Since when have the Ancient Wild Lands become a place where a Human can act so presumptuously!?]
Unfortunately, that was the reality of their situation. When that person came to the Ancient Wild Lands more than ten years ago, he had stirred the place up so much that his name had spread far and wide. If not for the Three Great Divine Venerables joining forces to suppress them, the Monster Kings under their command for so many years would have left to look for him a long time ago.
It went without saying that they were not looking for him for revenge. It was just that ‘that person’ was the only one who could communicate with the descendent of Heavens Order, so all the Monster Kings wanted to serve him. The reason being that if they could obtain the favour of Heavens Order’s descendent when the Blood Gate opens again one day, they would have a chance to recreate the glory of their ancestors and become Divine Spirits.
For the past few years, the remaining 29 Monster Kings had been clamouring that they wanted to replace Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei to serve under Yang Kai despite the suppression of the Three Great Divine Venerables. Some even put forward the absurd proposal of a shift system.
It was extremely unsightly to see how the Monster Kings, who stood above others, would go to such great lengths to ingratiate themselves to a Human for an opportunity that was nearly impossible to come true. They were so desperate that they even abandoned their pride and honour as Monster Kings. Even the Three Great Divine Venerables felt embarrassed watching them.
Even so, it was only natural if one stopped to think about it. The Monster Kings’ cultivation had reached its limits. If they wanted to go any further, they could only look to the bloodline of their ancestors. Most of the Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands carried at least faint bloodlines of Ancient Divine Spirits, so the chance of becoming a Divine Spirit was high if they could receive the help from the descendant of Heavens Order.
For that reason, the Three Great Divine Venerables could not punish the Monster Kings even if they felt extremely exasperated and disappointed in them. Fortunately, the Monster Kings had gradually calmed down over the past 10 years or so and finally stopped causing such a fuss.
Luan Feng was very thankful for her decision to destroy the Cross-Territory Space Array back then. It had been a move of great foresight. Otherwise, the Three Great Divine Venerables would quickly become the Three Solitary Divine Venerables if Yang Kai were to come and go freely in the Ancient Wild Lands every few days. It would truly be shameful if all the Monster Kings defected to High Heaven Palace, leaving for the Northern Territory, with the Divine Venerables not having a single subordinate under them.
“What about that Monster Commander who reported this to us?” Cang Gou suddenly seemed to think about something and felt concerned for a moment. The news of Yang Kai’s reappearance in the Ancient Wild Lands could not be leaked, or else the just settled Ancient Wild Lands would boil over again.
“I locked him up.” Luan Feng replied.
How could she not anticipate something that Cang Gou could? She had placed the Monster Commander under house arrest the moment he finished reporting to her because she was scared that the news might leak out.
“Good.” Cang Gou breathed a sigh of relief.
“Have you prepared what I asked you to prepare?” Luan Feng lifted her gaze to look at him.
He flipped his palm upward and three Space Rings appeared in his hand immediately, “It’s right here. Are we really going to be able to solve this disaster with money?”
“Then, what else do you think we should do?” Luan Feng was certain about one thing, she had destroyed the Space Array that Yang Kai worked so hard to arrange; therefore, things would definitely turn disastrous if she did not give him an explanation or compensation for her actions back then. The easiest and most effective way to do that was to use money to buy peace. Unfortunately, this sum could not be provided by one person alone. It was a matter related to the entire Ancient Wild Lands after all, so there was no way the other two Divine Venerable could escape scot-free either.
He said a little painfully, “The Ancient Wild Lands might be rich, but it can’t withstand his plundering. He took a lot of things away with him last time too…”
“It’s just some rocks and plants, nothing useful to our Monster Race in the Ancient Wild Lands anyway. Just give them to him. Or…” Her beautiful eyes flashed with a frosty light, “We could find a chance to get rid of him!”
He jumped in fright, “Absolutely not!”
[What a crazy idea! If we really killed him, ‘she’ would definitely never forgive us!] Shi Huo’s death back then was still extremely vivid in Cang Gou memories, as though it was only yesterday. That Heavens Order descendant had taken away Shi Huo’s Source like she was plucking a flower from the roadside. Who would dare to provoke her when killing a Divine Spirit was as simple as chopping up vegetables for her!? She was the natural enemy of all Divine Spirits. The relationship between them was akin to a cat and a mouse.
Cang Gou had never considered the question of whether he could kill Yang Kai or not. How could the Three Great Divine Venerables working together fail to kill a mere First-Order Emperor Realm Master if they really had the mind to do it? It only came down to the fact that… he did not dare to kill Yang Kai.
“Fan Wu is here.” Luan Feng suddenly raised her head and looked outside.
A tall and slender figure came from the outside and landed in front of them. That person was wearing a crown of feathers and a decent blue robe; however, their expression was incredibly grim…
Looking at Cang Gou before glancing toward Luan Feng, he asked, “Is he here again?”
Luan Feng nodded lightly.
Fan Wu let out a long sigh, “What a disaster!”
Fan Wu never imagined that a trivial Human could shake up the Ancient Wild Lands so badly. It would have been different if that person was strong to the point they couldn’t stand up to him. Divine Spirits might be powerful, but they were not unparalleled in strength; however, it just so happened that Yang Kai wasn’t particularly strong nor hostile towards the Ancient Wild Lands. It was just his existence in itself was enough to endanger their peace.
For that reason, the Divine Venerables of the Ancient Wild Lands had never been so vexed before in their lives. They could neither attack nor kill that boy, making them realize what the saying ‘Decent people had short lives but evildoers lived for a thousand years’ meant. Naturally, this saying was referring to people like Yang Kai.
“Where is he right now?”
Luan Feng shook her head, “I don’t know. All I know is that he suddenly appeared in the Ancient Wild Lands yesterday and ran into a Monster Commander. He ordered the Monster Commander to come and send me a message, saying that he would come looking for me.”
“Did any other members of the Monster Races see him?” Fan Wu felt as though his heart was in his throat.
“Probably not.” She frowned, “Otherwise, the Monster Kings under us would not be so quiet. You know as well as I do that that guy is proficient in the Dao of Space, making him extremely elusive. If he wanted to conceal his whereabouts, the Monster Kings would not be able to notice him either.”
All those eager Monster Kings, who were itching to make a move, would have come out in full force the moment news about this matter spread around.
“That’s good. That’s good.” Fan Wu finally felt relieved.
“What do we do now? Do we just wait for him to come here?” Cang Gou glanced at Luan Feng before turning to look at Fan Wu.
“The most important thing right now is to figure out where he is at the moment. It’s best if we go to him before he comes to us. We shouldn’t let him run about freely in the Ancient Wild Lands.”
Luan Feng nodded, “That makes sense.”
Angered by Yang Kai, she had failed to realize this point until now, but soon, her eyes flashed and she spoke, “I might know where he is right now.”
Looking up, she and Fan Wu blurted out in unison, “The Stone Spirits!”
It was not hard to guess Yang Kai’s whereabouts; after all, the Stone Spirit Clan were the only ones with a good relationship with him in the Ancient Wild Lands. Since he had not come looking for any of the Three Great Divine Venerables after appearing here, then there was only one other place that he could go! They might not be able to confirm their conjecture, but the possibility was very high.
Having reached a decision, the Three Great Divine Venerables stopped hesitating and immediately set off together towards the territory of the Stone Spirit Clan. If they could not afford to wait for him to come to them, then they could only go to him themselves.
The Stone Spirits were a very special group within the Ancient Wild Lands, because they were not under the jurisdiction of the Divine Venerables and could be considered an independent clan.
It wasn’t that Luan Feng and the others had not thought of subduing the Stone Spirit Clan before, it was just that these giants were not only very strong, but they were also very stubborn in nature. Even though the Divine Venerables gained the upper hand in their fights against the Stone Spirit Clan over the years, they could not do anything for the Stone Spirits to submit.
At some point though, it was discovered that the Stone Spirit Clan was only active within a couple tens of thousands of kilometre radius. Moreover, they did not harm the interests of the Divine Venerables, so the Divine Venerables left them alone after that, though there was still some friction between the two parties. If not for Yang Kai, they would never enter the Stone Spirit Clan’s territory so recklessly.
Inside the Tree Cave, Yang Kai looked at the Space Array in front of him with satisfaction. Arranging the Space Array this time around was much easier than all his previous attempts. The most obvious change was that the time he had taken to complete it had been halved. It wasn’t because he had gotten stronger. The main reason was the fact that his attainments in the Dao of Space had greatly improved.
Becoming a Star Field Master, using the entire Star Field as a medium to activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, devouring part of the Grand Desolation Star Field… The benefits Yang Kai gained from all these activities didn’t stop at just a stretch of Starry Sky spanning millions of kilometres. He also gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Space.
Similarly, the changes in the Sealed World Bead and the expansion of the Small Sealed World had involved the mysteries of Space. He might not have deliberately cultivated, but he still gained a lot of intangible benefits without noticing. His insight into the Dao of Space had improved significantly and he could instinctively tell that he had touched upon some kind of profound mystery, resulting in him seeing things a little differently now.
Despite being surrounded by the Void, he saw some semblance of structure and there were traces he could follow. Standing there, Yang Kai’s mind was immersed in the very mysterious perception, and he was unable to extricate himself for a long time.
Yang Kai seemed to enter a peculiar trance-like state. Lifting his hand slightly, he lightly pushed it out. It was a subconscious movement. Moreover, nothing happened despite his palm strike. Even so, he continued striking out in front of himself. Sometimes, it was a closed fist. Sometimes, it was an open palm. His movements seemed random and without any method to speak of, yet there was a strange charm to them.
A few hundred kilometres away, the Three Great Divine Venerables flew over and suddenly stopped above a canopy of trees.
Luan Feng frowned and said, “The Stone Spirit Clan’s territory is right ahead. We don’t even know whether that boy is there.”
“Let’s hope he is,” Fan Wu looked tired. [The Three Great Divine Venerables rushed out just to give a Little Brat something in hopes of sending him away as soon as possible. If word of this gets out, we will be a laughingstock for years to come.]
All of a sudden, Cang Gou sniffed the air around him with a strange expression, “Do you feel anything?”
“What is it?” Luan Feng turned to look at Cang Gou.
He replied with a frown, “I’m not sure. It’s just… Watch out!” His expression changed abruptly, pointing at something behind her and shouting.
She felt it too. A sense of danger rushed at her from behind. It was accompanied by a powerful suction force that threatened to swallow her into some unknown place. Panicking, she hurriedly spread open a pair of beautiful wings and rushed up into the sky.
She looked back and saw that a large black hole had appeared out of nowhere, right at the spot where she was standing just now. The black hole was a swirling chaotic nothingness that dissolved and shattered everything surrounding it. It was also transmitting an extremely strange vibration. More importantly, she could sense a life-threatening aura coming from that black hole. She would have suffered a tragic end if she had been swallowed up by it just now.
“Space Principles!” Fan Wu’s expression turned grim. Before he could finish his sentence, space in front of him rippled as well as that strange vibration force struck out again, using the Void as a medium to slam into him from the front.
His expression changed drastically. Bending backwards, he lay flat as he watched a layer of ripples visible to the naked eye sweep across the empty space above him. It cut off a strand of his hair and stretched out for hundreds of metres, smashing the gigantic canopy of trees along its path into dust.
More black holes emerged one after another, as the strange destructive fluctuations came at them from all directions, transforming a large space into an absolute killing zone with the Three Great Divine Venerables caught in the middle.
All three of them were shocked and hurriedly pushed their strength to twist and turn to avoid those invisible killing moves.
Fortunately, these three were no ordinary people. They were extremely powerful beings. Otherwise, the first wave of attacks alone would have instantly killed them.
If one were to look down from the sky, they would see that the space spanning several hundred kilometres had turned into a broken mess, and the Three Great Divine Venerables were trapped inside. They could not distinguish between north, south, east and west; furthermore, they would run into each other for some inexplicable reason despite running in opposite directions.
The whole world seemed to have turned into a cage, trapping the three of them inside, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t break free from that invisible barrier. Hence, their expressions were a mixture of horror and shock.
It wasn’t as if there was nobody stronger than them in this world, but they were Divine Spirits so it was hard to imagine that somebody could toy with all three of them without even revealing his face.
“Is this his doing!?” Cang Gou asked with a glare as he dodged the invisible yet lethal attacks that kept coming.
The Dao of Space could not be mastered by just anybody, and Yang Kai appeared in the Ancient Wild Lands yesterday, while today they were being attacked by some strange Space Divine Ability. It was difficult to imagine it was not his doing.
All of a sudden, Cang Gou realized that Yang Kai was much stronger compared to how he was just ten years ago.
[If he had this much power ten years ago, he would not have been beaten so badly by Shi Huo.]
“Where is he!?” Luan Feng was now feeling quite annoyed. Two feathers had fallen off the wings on her back because she couldn’t fully evade all these Space Principle attacks.
The situation in front of them might seem a little dangerous, but it wasn’t to the extent that their lives were at stake now that they were on guard. It was just that she couldn’t understand why Yang Kai had attacked them without any warning or reason. [Has that boy gone insane!? Even if he has gotten stronger over years, it’s not to the point where he can make the Three Great Divine Venerables his enemy! Besides, we didn’t do anything to provoke him this time. Isn’t he being too petty if he is doing this over a mere Space Array!?]
Meanwhile, Fan Wu didn’t say anything as his expression turned solemn before he suddenly stretched out two fingers to cover his eyes and shouted, “Open!”
Glancing around, he studied their surroundings from a completely different perspective, his expression changing greatly in the next moment, “This is bad! This place is about to collapse!”
He had the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability, so he could see the essence of things that other people couldn’t. Under the observation of his Heavenly Eye, he saw the space around them seemed to be trembling uncontrollably. While their surroundings might look intact at the moment, it was actually filled with innumerable tiny Void Cracks that could not be detected by their Divine Senses. If this space were a cookie, then that cookie was about to crumble and turn into countless tiny crumbs. It was just that it couldn’t be seen on the surface.
Cang Gou and Luan Feng paled when they heard those words and understood how serious of a problem it was. Hence, they no longer hesitated and immediately revealed their true forms.
With a bang, an enormous Phoenix-like bird soared in the sky, breathing out black flames to open a path. It struggled to break free of the constraints of this place and rushed out. Similarly, Cang Gou had transformed into a monster several tens of metres tall and followed closely behind Luan Feng. On the other hand, Fan Wu relied on his Heavenly Eye Divine Ability to navigate through the numerous Void Cracks.
A short while later, they finally escaped from that dangerous area and Luan Feng and Cang Gou transformed back into their Human forms again. They glanced behind them with solemn expressions; their hearts filled with lingering fear. They had to admit that power like that was enough to endanger them. If that really was Yang Kai’s doing, then they had to re-examine their relationship with him.
The turbulent space suddenly calmed down; the pitch-black black holes slowly shrunk and disappeared without a trace; the violent forces of vibration became peaceful again; and the space that was about to shatter became safe once more.
“What the Hell!?” Cang Gou frowned, looking unhappy, “Was he just showing off his strength!?”
Although he was fearful of the Heavens Order’s descendent behind Yang Kai, that was all it was. In his opinion, Yang Kai was just a boy who relied on the protection of a woman.
[What can a trivial First-Order Emperor Realm Master do without the support of that Heavens Order descendent?]
Cang Gou was already pretty upset in the first place when he followed Luan Feng and Fan Wu to this place, so it was only natural that he was in a worse mood after encountering an incident like that before he even met Yang Kai.
Luan Feng looked gloomy too, [That boy is too much! No matter how you put it, the three of us are Divine Spirits! He shouldn’t be this rude even if I destroyed his Space Array back then!]
Fan Wu shook his head slightly, “It doesn’t seem to be intentional.”
He had a good look at the situation just now, and he could tell that all those attacks had not been targeting anybody. If Yang Kai was truly trying to scare them, then his attacks wouldn’t be so messy.
“How can that be unintentional!?” Cang Gou asked furiously.
“Maybe he is cultivating some sort of Divine Ability?” Fan Wu guessed faintly; however, he was shocked as soon as the words left his mouth. [At a glance, this Divine Ability seems incomplete. In other words, it has not been perfected yet. If an incomplete Divine Ability is this strong, then how strong will it be once he successfully cultivates it!?]
He didn’t quite dare to continue thinking in that direction. [No wonder that descendant of Heavens Order treats him so differently. From the looks of it, he is not somebody to be trifled with even without her support.]
A Human’s lifespan and starting point was not as long nor as great as a Divine Spirit’s. In fact, they could not even compare to the Monster Race; however, a Human’s rate of growth could be quite horrifying.
At that moment, a person’s voice sounded in their ears, “I apologize for not greeting the three of you. Please forgive me for my rudeness.”
The expressions of the Three Great Divine Venerables changed as they could tell that the voice belonged to Yang Kai. Glancing at each other, Fan Wu greeted back, “Brother Yang, you are too polite. We are also at fault for coming uninvited.”
A hint of surprise flashed across both Cang Gou and Luan Feng’s eyes. The way Fan Wu addressed Yang Kai was very… intriguing. Divine Spirits had their pride as Divine Spirits, and a mere Emperor Realm Master was not qualified to be addressed on equal terms such as ‘Brother’.
“Since you are here, why don’t you come in and talk?”
Fan Wu smiled, “Please excuse our intrusion!”
He shot a look at Luan Feng and Cang Gou before striding forward.
Under his influence, Cang Gou and Luan Feng pushed down their anger. Among the Three Great Divine Venerables, Luan Feng might be the strongest, but Fan Wu was known as the wisest; hence, they basically relied on him whenever they gathered.
A short while later, the Three Great Divine Venerables arrived at the residence of the Stone Spirit Clan. Yang Kai stood in the vast and empty space that was surrounded by countless thick trees, smiling as he watched those three descending from the sky.
Eight Stone Spirits were scattered around, glaring at those three with an unkind look in their eyes. The Stone Spirit Clan and the Three Great Divine Venerables were not on good terms with each other.
Meanwhile, the Elder stood beside Yang Kai while the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan sat on his shoulder. Meanwhile, many Wood Spirits watched curiously from among the treetops, but none of them dared to show themselves.
Fan Wu stepped forward and greeted the Stone Spirit Elder, “It has been years since we last met, Elder. Your bearing is as noble as ever.”
Elder seemed taken aback by those words, but despite his astonishment, he quickly replied in kind, “You are too polite, Sir Divine Venerable.”
There was no reason for Elder to kick up a fuss when the other party was acting courteously. Besides, he was not fond of fighting at his advanced age.
“We came here uninvited because we heard that Brother Yang appeared in the Ancient Wild Lands. Thinking he might be here, we decided to visit. It would seem that our guess was correct.”
Yang Kai smiled in response, but was feeling a little puzzled inside. Wasn’t Fan Wu being a little overly friendly? Besides, didn’t he only instruct that two-horned Monster Commander to tell Luan Feng that he would go and find her to settle their debt? Why did they come looking for him instead?
Yang Kai was unaware of his current influence within the Ancient Wild Lands, but how could the Three Great Divine Venerables allow him to walk around freely? If not for that, they would not be so courteous towards him.
Not wanting to beat around the bush with them, Yang Kai bluntly asked, “May I know the purpose of your visit?”
“We don’t really have a reason. We only came to visit,” Fan Wu responded with a smile.
[Am I supposed to believe you?] Yang Kai was unconvinced and secretly became vigilant.
Still, he welcomed them, “In that case, why don’t you have a seat?”
Afterwards, he sat down at the wooden table where the banquet last night had taken place and was joined by Fan Wu and the others. Mu Na clapped her hands lightly, and the Wood Spirits flew out from the treetops with fruits and wine.
Fan Wu smiled, “I have long heard that the Wood Spirit Clan is good at cultivating spirit fruits. I’ve never had the chance to witness it myself before. It looks like I will be enjoying a great feast today. Allow me to take this opportunity to offer a toast to you, Brother Yang.”
Fan Wu had humbled himself with the intention of making friends, so Yang Kai showed him due respect in return. During the banquet, they laughed and smiled. Both the host and the guests seemed to be having a good time. After a few rounds of drinks, Fan Wu intentionally or unintentionally asked, “Why did you come to the Ancient Wild Lands this time around, Brother Yang?”
“I was just passing by,” Yang Kai replied casually.
“Passing by? Haha…” Fan Wu chuckled. Needless to say, he did not believe this nonsensical excuse. According to the information he received, Yang Kai had established High Heaven Sect in the Northern Territory. Not only was this place in the Eastern Territory, but it also happened to be the remote and treacherous Ancient Wild Lands, so nobody could be ‘just passing by’ this place!
Unbeknownst to him, Yang Kai was speaking the truth. It really was a coincidence for Yang Kai to end up in this place after leaving Heng Luo Star Field. Along the way, he decided he might as well set up another Space Array in the Ancient Wild Lands since he was already here. It truly was something he merely did in passing.
Unfortunately, those words sounded like a lie to Fan Wu, so it only resulted in making his belief that Yang Kai was hiding ulterior motives grow stronger. Thinking that Yang Kai was here to target their Monster Kings, Fan Wu became even warier of Yang Kai. If he were to wander around the Ancient Wild Lands, he would only need to raise his arm and all 29 Monster Kings would unquestioningly follow him. How could the Divine Venerables allow something like that to happen right under their noses?
“Brother Fan, is there something you wish to say?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at Fan Wu. He couldn’t help thinking that whatever was happening today was rather suspicious and thus spoke with a frown, “If you have something to say, please be frank about it. It makes no sense to keep beating around the bush.”
[The one that makes no sense is you!] The Three Great Divine Venerables retorted in their heart and Luan Feng couldn’t help but roll her eyes at those words. If anybody else were to speak such words to them, they would have taken offence a long time ago regardless of whether that person did indeed have such a mindset. They would not have allowed anything the least bit suspicious to slide by them. That person would be killed on the spot to protect their dignity and interests.
However, Fan Wu believed that Yang Kai had a promising future and was someone who would stand on equal footing with them, sooner or later. Moreover, he had the descendent of Heavens Order behind him, so how could they afford to provoke him?
Thus, Fan Wu simply chuckled at those words and replied, “I heard that you established a Sect in the Northern Territory, Brother Yang. The three of us have been living in the Ancient Wild Lands for a long time without stepping foot outside. I apologise for not coming to congratulate you earlier.”
Yang Kai waved his hand casually, “You are being too serious, Brother Fan. I’m not that impressive. How can I compare to the three of you who live in such comfort with so many outstanding people under you?”
Those words were the truth. Although the Ancient Wild Lands were dangerous and filled with Wild Force, something ordinary people would not be able to withstand, they were also an enormous natural treasure trove. There were all sorts of spirit flowers and exotic plants here that could not be found anywhere else, as well as numerous Earth Veins and mineral lodes. The Three Great Divine Venerables could be said to occupy an excellent Heavenly Paradise. Moreover, they had several dozen Monster Kings under their command. It really made Yang Kai envy them.
High Heaven Sect would surely become one of the top Sects in the entire Star Boundary within a hundred years if it was established in this place.
Nevertheless, those words sounded unnatural and awkward to the three Divine Spirits and they couldn’t help thinking that there were other meanings concealed behind them. [What does he mean? Is he not only eyeing the Monster Kings under our command but our territory as well? Is he saying he wants to snatch our lands from us? That’s just too much!]
The Three Great Divine Venerables with preconceived notions of their own had ugly expressions on their faces. They couldn’t care less about beating around the bush with Yang Kai anymore, so Fan Wu reached out and placed several Space Rings on the wooden table and pushed them in front of Yang Kai with an undiminished smile on his face.
Yang Kai glanced at the Space Rings, then looked at the Three Great Divine Venerables and blinked and asked, “What is this about?”
Fan Wu smiled slightly, “Brother Yang, High Heaven Palace was established not long ago, so I’m sure this is a time when financial resources are much needed. The three of us might not be able to contribute much, but please take these commodities from the Ancient Wild Lands as our congratulatory gift. It is just a little token to show our respect to you, so please don’t turn it down. Consider it as a little bit of support towards your noble Sect’s future from the three of us.”
[No, seriously, what is this about?] Yang Kai was truly confused now. It was undeniable that he had planned to make Luan Feng pay him a substantial amount as compensation when he asked that two-horned Monster Commander to send a message to her yesterday, and he had even prepared the speech he was going to give her. He was going to claim that the Cross-Territory Space Array had cost him a lot in terms of financial resources and effort, and since Luan Feng had destroyed it, it was only natural that she should offer a little compensation in return. He would refuse to leave if she refused to offer a fair price, and he was determined to receive some big benefits.
Of the Space Arrays he had arranged in the Star Boundary, two had been destroyed. One was destroyed by Luan Feng, and the other was probably destroyed by the Iron Blood Great Emperor. He didn’t dare to find fault with the Iron Blood Great Emperor, so Luan Feng was the unlucky one who had to take the brunt instead.
However, this matter only involved Luan Feng and had nothing to do with Fan Wu and Cang Gou. Besides, he and Luan Feng were not enemies. He also borrowed her help once in the past, so he wouldn’t go too far either. As long as she took out some compensation, the matter would have been resolved just like that; after all, he wasn’t such an unreasonable person.
Yang Kai never imagined that Luan Feng would actually send gifts to his door before he could even begin trying to rip her off. Moreover, it wasn’t just one, but three of them.
[This is just strange… I can’t believe there are people in this world who take the initiative to offer up gifts for no reason at all.]
He was certain that the nine Space Rings in front of him were the collective possessions of the three of them, with each of them contributing three.
[Is this a trap?] Yang Kai couldn’t dismiss the feeling that today’s events felt extremely strange. Fan Wu and the others were being too friendly. In fact, they are so enthusiastic that it was almost unbearable.
Even with the possibility of it being a trap, Yang Kai was not such a coward that he didn’t dare to check out the contents of the Space Rings though. Reaching out, he picked up a Space Ring, and swept its content with his Divine Sense. Then, he raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes slightly. [Amazing! So many Source Crystals!]
There was no way to calculate how many there were exactly, but the Space Ring was filled with Source Crystals that were Mid-Rank or above! There were numerous High-Rank Source Crystals too. A rough estimate placed the value of these Source Crystals at no less than 100 million High-Rank Source Crystals! 100 million High-Rank Source Crystals might not sound like much, but it was equivalent to 10 billion Mid-Rank Source Crystals or 1 trillion Low-Rank Source Crystals!
Coughing lightly, he calmly picked up another Space Ring and checked the contents. Countless spirit flowers and exotic herbs entered his vision. Furthermore, the medicinal age of each one was quite high. As for the third Space Ring, it was filled with rare ores.
Source Crystals, herbs, ores, as well as Monster Cores of Monster Beasts… These were undoubtedly the resources produced in the Ancient Wild Lands. Unfortunately, the first three commodities were basically useless to the Monster Race. Source Crystals and ores were of no value since the Monster Race’s cultivation was not dependent on Source Crystals. Instead, they absorbed the essence of their environment, relying on the accumulation of this energy over many years to strengthen themselves.
Although the herbs were somewhat useful, nobody in the Ancient Wild Lands knew Alchemy. The Monster Race could only consume them raw, so they could not bring out the full effects of their medicinal efficacies. On the contrary, the Monster Cores of Monster Beasts had a huge effect on them. Consuming the Monster Cores of other Monster Beasts made their might rapidly increase.
However, when Yang Kai last came to the Ancient Wild Lands, he had robbed them of quite a lot of Monster Beast Cores. Consequently, the Three Great Divine Venerables were unable to gather up many this time around and replaced them with rare ores instead.
The items were divided into three different categories and each category was placed into one of the three Space Rings. That held true for all nine Space Rings from the three of them.
The wealth Yang Kai took from the Ancient Wild Lands during his last visit was several times what was contained within these nine Space Rings; nevertheless, this time was different from last time. Back then, both parties had confronted each other in a huge battle which later woke the bloodline of Heavens Order’s descendant. Following that, the Three Great Divine Venerables became anxious and reluctantly handed over a large amount of compensation to calm Yang Kai’s anger.
Today, however, they simply wanted to send him away as soon as possible. These items could be considered fairly valuable for that purpose.
[How timely! I really needed these now!] There were over a hundred thousand people in the Small Sealed World that were just waiting to be accommodated. Once settled into High Heaven Palace, a huge demand for resources would occur, especially with regards to Source Crystals, and pills.
Which cultivator would not need these when they cultivated?
Yang Kai had used up all of the Source Crystals in his Space Ring for Xia Ning Chang’s sake in Tong Xuan Realm when he and Li Jiao arranged the 108 Absolute Profound Heaven Spirit Array, so he was in urgent need of Source Crystals right now.
Needless to say, there were still Source Crystals with Hua Qing Si; moreover, the commercial channel between High Heaven Palace and the Southern Territory should have been established by now. Even so, in the long run, who would turn their nose up at more Source Crystals? Besides, with all this wealth, he wouldn’t need to worry about the cultivation of High Heaven Palace’s disciples for a while.
“Are these for me?” Yang Kai quietly gulped. It wasn’t that he had not seen much of the world, but the Three Great Divine Venerables’ timely assistance left him feeling very confused.
Fan Wu laughed, “I’ve already delivered them to you. Brother Yang, you can’t mean to have us take them back, right? That would be highly improper.”
“That’s right, B-Bro… Brother Yang. You won’t embarrass us, right?” Cang Gou played along. [Ugh. Calling him ‘Brother Yang’ sounds so awkward. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.]
“Little Brother Yang, please don’t refuse.” Luan Feng pursed her lips and smiled.
“In that case…” Yang Kai smiled brightly but pretended to be calm and unaffected while he quickly put away the nine Space Rings and laughed, “Then, this Junior will not refuse anymore. Hahahaha!”
[Who cares what they are planning? Let’s just take this first and worry about it later, it’s much more than what I expected to get anyways. The Ancient Wild Lands is so rich in resources. Isn’t it time to put them to good use? If I can turn the Ancient Wild Lands into High Heaven Palace’s source of supplies, then the disciples will never have to worry about their cultivation resources again. If we run short of Source Crystals then we can just come and mine some directly; if we run out of pills, then we can look for the herbs to refine them. It will be completely self-sufficient. It won’t be difficult for High Heaven Palace to rise to the top under these circumstances.]
Grinning widely, Yang Kai blurted out, “I am thankful for your favourable opinions of me. I am willing for the three of us to become sworn Brothers and Sister. I don’t ask for us to be born in the same year, same month, or same day, but I hope to share our troubles and blessings together. What about the three of you?”
[The part about sharing their blessings held true, but they can forget about sharing troubles. If there is something that even the Three Great Divine Venerables can’t handle, then I probably won’t be of much help in that regard either.]
“Huh?” The topic had switched too quickly, and the subject had strayed so far that Luan Feng couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise. Her small hands covered her red lips. Similarly, Fan Wu and Cang Gou frowned.
*Pfft…* Mu Na, who had been sitting on the Elder’s shoulders, couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Yang Kai with interest.
[Is he seriously saying that? Is he pretending to be stupid or does he really not understand? How can he actually speak such words?]
“Uh…” Despite Fan Wu’s sharp mind, he was at a loss for what to say. A sense of powerlessness washed over him at this moment. [Isn’t this little brat far too shameless!? How dare he utter such nonsense!? Becoming sworn Brothers and Sister with three Divine Spirits!? I don’t deny the fact that he has great potential and might even be stronger than me in the future, but that is far off in the future. Who knows if he can even survive that long!? There’s no value in befriending a dead genius!]
If the Three Great Divine Venerables were to readily agree to that request, they would be the only ones losing out in the deal. As sworn siblings, they had no choice but to help out with High Heaven Palace’s issues. They would surely be forced to send a dozen or so Monster Kings to support this ‘Fourth Brother’ of theirs. That was what they were most worried about. Even if they could not avoid it, how could they voluntarily throw themselves at it?
The fairly harmonious atmosphere suddenly froze.
Yang Kai had been observing their reactions, so how could he not understand what they were thinking about? He coldly snorted to himself in his heart. [In the end, I still need to rely on my strength to do the speaking for me. These three are still looking down on me; otherwise, why would they show such troubled expressions?]
He had simply uttered those words for the sake of it. He had not truly meant them. The only reason he did it was due to the abundant resources in the Ancient Wild Lands. How could he force the issue if the other party was unwilling? Things like these could not be forced. Besides, he did not believe that he was in any way inferior to these three. How could a person like him, who forced his way in and out of Dragon Island, be impressed by these three Divine Spirits, who were incomparable to the Dragon Clan?
Laughing heartily, Yang Kai declared, “It was just a small joke. Don’t mind it too much.”
Fan Wu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and squeezed out a smile, “You truly are a humorous person, Brother Yang. Come, come; let me drink this toast to you again.” While speaking, he shot a look at Luan Feng and Cang Gou to signal them.
After a few more rounds of drinks, the awkward atmosphere eased considerably. It wasn’t until evening rolled around and sunset coloured the skies that Fan Wu and the others took their leave.
Yang Kai warmly offered, “I’ll see you off.”
“No need for that,” Fan Wu hurriedly said, “We can see ourselves out. Please get some rest, Brother Yang.” [We don’t want him moving around the Ancient Wild Lands in the first place. How can we let him see us off?]
“Good!” Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fists, “Please excuse me, then.”
“En, please take care, Brother Yang!” Fan Wu smiled reservedly. After bidding farewell to the Elder and Mu Na, he departed into the skies with Luan Feng and Cang Gou.
Yang Kai waved his hands enthusiastically and shouted, “I will remember the kindness you’ve shown me today and will visit you another day as a sign of my gratitude. Please have a safe journey!”
Fan Wu and the others, who were turning around and preparing to leave, staggered and almost fell from the sky at those words. It was visible to the naked eye as Fan Wu took several deep breaths while Luan Feng turned and glared at Yang Kai.
Afterward, the three figures turned into streams of light and disappeared. Yang Kai stood in place, frowning deeply in puzzlement, scratching his head and questioning, “How strange. They are acting quite weird today!”
“Pfft!” Mu Na snickered again. Similarly, the Elder was smiling from ear to ear and couldn’t help but laugh at those words.
Yang Kai turned to look at them and asked, “Elder, Matriarch, what do you think is up with those three? Why did they come all this way just to present me with gifts? It’s not like we have that great of a relationship between us!”
[The only one I’m familiar with is Luan Feng; moreover, I’ve only met Cang Gou and Fan Wu once. There’s no reason for them to behave in this manner even if I have Zhang Ruo Xi behind me.]
“Are you really clueless? Or, are you just pretending to be clueless?” Mu Na was beginning to feel speechless. The thoughts and practices of the Three Great Divine Venerables were extremely obvious to her, but Yang Kai just seemed so confused for some reason. He even mentioned something about becoming sworn siblings. Wasn’t he trying to drive them into a corner?
Yang Kai cupped his fists with a serious expression, “Matriarch, please enlighten me.”
“How did you manage to survive until today?” She looked at him in surprise.
The Elder chuckled, “You can’t blame him for being clueless about this matter, I’m afraid he simply isn’t aware of the inside story.”
Mu Na considered those words for a moment and agreed, “That’s true. Good, boy, I’ll tell you why they are behaving like this…”
After listening to Mu Na’s explanation, Yang Kai finally understood the situation. He pointed to himself and stared wide-eyed, “They are afraid that I will take away all the Monster Kings!?”
Mu Na replied, “Most Monster Kings’ cultivation has reached its upper limits. If they want to improve any further, then they can only aim for the Blood Gate. And, you are the only one who can communicate with that descendant of Heaven’s Order. The only reason Shi Jiu was able to enter the Blood Gate was thanks to you. With that precedent, can you understand what kind of position you hold in the hearts of those Monster Kings?”
Yang Kai was still stunned by the revelation and muttered, “I knew something about this, but I didn’t think it would have such a huge impact.”
Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei were all Monster Kings working under him. He had only been taking advantage of the situation when he took them away from the Ancient Wild Lands with him back then, and when he finished what he had to do, he had asked the three Monster Kings to return, but they refused. Moreover, they had been overjoyed to learn that the Space Array had been destroyed and they could continue staying at High Heaven Palace. It wasn’t that they had forgotten their roots, but just as water flowed downwards, people aimed for higher places, it was a matter of course for Monster Kings to continue to strive and better themselves.
Yang Kai thoughtfully said, “According to what you said, won’t I be able to bring all the Monster Kings away with me if I simply call for them?”
“Probably…”
He continued, “If I ask them to join me in eliminating Fan Wu and the others…”
“In your dreams!” Mu Na glared at him unkindly, “The Three Great Divine Venerables have ruled the Ancient Wild Lands for tens of thousands of years. Under their rule, which Monster King would have the courage to go up against them? They might be willing to follow you and listen to your orders for the sake of entering the Blood Gate, but, I don’t think things will go your way if you dare to ask them to go against Fan Wu and Luan Feng.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I was just wondering.”
Soon, his expression turned serious, “From the looks of it, I should visit the Ancient Wild Lands more often in the future.”
[I don’t even need to do anything, all I need to do is come here and make some noise for Fan Wu, Luan Feng, and Cang Gou to come and give me some benefits just to chase me away. Of course, this can only be done once or twice; after all, Divine Spirits are not to be trifled with. It would be bad if I angered them too much and caused our friendly relations to fall apart.]
In any case, Yang Kai was in a great mood after getting a good grasp of the situation. Although he could not regard the entire Ancient Wild Lands as High Heaven Sect’s playground, he might be able to reach a cooperative relationship with the Three Great Divine Venerables eventually. The only way to make their relationship stable and long-lasting was if it benefited both parties.
The Ancient Wild Lands produced a lot of materials, while High Heaven Palace was fully capable of exchanging pills for those materials. Just because none of the Monster Race was capable of Alchemy, did not mean that they could not consume Spirit Pills.
Pills refined by Humans were very scarce among the Monster Race, so even if they were sold to them for ten or twenty times their actual value, the demand would still be greater than the supply.
In due course, High Heaven Palace would be cooperating with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Territory and the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory. By buying and selling commodities that were rare in one territory and abundant in another, one only needed to earn a certain degree in the price difference to profit. With that, High Heaven Palace would never need to worry about its disciples’ cultivation resources again. Furthermore, this was a unique business. Even if other people were jealous of High Heaven Palace and tried to emulate it, they would not be able to pull it off because they lacked the Cross-Territory Space Arrays.
With that vague idea in mind, Yang Kai decided to ask Hua Qing Si to come up with a detailed and feasible plan once he returned to High Heaven Palace.
“By the way, Matriarch, you mentioned something about wanting to talk to me before. What was it about?” He suddenly remembered something and casually raised a question.
“Come with me.” Mu Na became solemn and turned around to fly towards a Tree Cave.
Not knowing what she wanted, Yang Kai could only follow after her.
Inside the Tree Cave, she turned to face him and waited until he walked in before raising her hand. The Tree Cave suddenly closed behind him, isolating them from the outside.
[What does she have to say that she needs to be so secretive?] He wondered in his heart. Nevertheless, he knew that she would never harm him. It was a publicly known fact that the Wood Spirits detested fighting.
Just as he was about to speak, she abruptly flew towards him and stopped in front of him, “Close your eyes.”
Yang Kai obediently did as she instructed. Then, he felt a very natural, fragrant scent lingering on the tip of his nose. It made him subconsciously take a few more breaths.
Mu Na was an absolute beauty, it was just that the limitations of a Wood Spirit only allowed her to grow to the size of a palm. If she were as large as a normal Human, she would be an existence that could turn the world upside down.
The scent on her body was so relaxing though that Yang Kai’s emotions became calm and unflappable. It was as though he had entered an ethereal state.
A short while later, he heard a strange noise. A strange expression appeared on his face. It was because he could feel that Mu Na seemed to be circling around him while sniffing something continuously.
“Matriarch, what is going on?” He asked, secretly opening his eyes slightly. If it had been an ordinary woman doing this, he would have thought that the woman was trying to seduce him; however, Mu Na clearly wasn’t. [Do I have some strange odour on my body? Otherwise, why would she be sniffing me?”]
Mu Na did not reply to his question, she simply continued downward and abruptly stopped at his dantian. After a few more sniffs, she looked shocked and reached out to cover her mouth with her hands.
The Tree Cave fell silent, and Yang Kai waited for a while before asking, “Can I open my eyes now?”
“En.”
Opening his eyes, he saw Mu Na frowning deeply with a troubled expression on her face.
[Today has been filled with strange events. First, it was the Three Great Divine Venerables coming to give me presents of their own volition, and now, the Wood Spirit Matriarch dragged me into a Tree Cave and sniffed me all over…]
“Do you know what the Wood Spirit Clan is best at?” She asked without prior warning.
“Cultivating all sorts of spirit fruits and brewing fine wine! Oh, you are pretty good at singing and dancing too.” Yang Kai replied without even thinking about it.
She pressed her palm against her forehead tiredly and muttered, “Is that your impression of the Wood Spirit Clan?”
Yang Kai was surprised by her words and asked, “Isn’t that the truth?”
To which Mu Na smiled bitterly, “Of course not. We are good at cultivating all sorts of spirit fruits and exotic plants because we are inherently capable of communicating with them. I’m sure you’ve heard of the rumours that say that, in ancient times, the Wood Spirits helped powerful Masters tend their medicine gardens.”
Yang Kai nodded at her words.
“That is the Innate Divine Ability of my Wood Spirit Clan. Any plant in this world can bloom and flourish to its best in our hands because we are familiar with how the plants behave and what their needs are. No other clan can equal our skill in this regard.”
Yang Kai made an expression as though he was enlightened by her words; however, he had no clue what she was trying to express.
“It is precisely because of this Innate Divine Ability that we of the Wood Spirit Clan can sense the existence of some very strange plants.” Her scorching gaze burned into him, “Do you have a special kind of plant in your possession? Like a flower? A herb? Or perhaps… a tree!?”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched at her words as his tone of voice turned serious, “Why would you ask such a thing?”
He truly had some extremely precious plants in his possession.
[Does she know something?]
Mu Na advised, “Don’t get so nervous. I only found out because I smelled something on you.”
She paused for a moment before continuing, “I actually noticed it the first time you came here, but I wasn’t sure back then.”
“And, are you sure now?”
“Yes.” She nodded, “Can you tell me what it is?”
“Matriarch, can you not tell by the smell?” Yang Kai asked without answering her question.
Mu Na glanced at him helplessly. Knowing that he was hesitant to answer, she answered, “It is rumoured that during ancient times, there was a strange tree known as the Firmament Tree, which was a mixture of gold and silver intersecting with each other that was capable of sealing all things in existence. Am I right?”
His eyes widened, and he nearly gave her a thumbs-up sign. [How is she able to tell just from the smell? That’s amazing. The Wood Spirit Clan indeed is a clan born with the ability to communicate with plants.]
The Ancient Demon Qi of the Ancient Demon was sealed in his dantian with the gold and silver power of the Firmament Tree. It was only natural that some clues existed. Nobody else had the talent of the Wood Spirit Clan, so it had gone unnoticed until now.
Unfortunately, that faint clue was as bright and dazzling as a lamp in the dark to the Wood Spirit Clan, especially for the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan. Observing Yang Kai’s reaction, how could she not know that she had guessed correctly? She exclaimed in surprise, “You actually have the Firmament Tree!?”
He grinned meaningfully, “I obtained it by accident. It was pure luck.”
She enviously murmured, “You sure are lucky.” Then, she furrowed her eyebrows., “But, there seems to be another aura on your body. That aura…”
This time Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat. The fact that she knew about the Firmament Tree was nothing as, while it was a legendary tree, it only had the power to seal. Yang Kai was only using it to seal the Ancient Demon Qi in his dantian, so it wasn’t a big deal even if news about the Firmament Tree got out. There were many other ways to seal something after all. Besides, he was no longer that weak. He was not afraid of the foolish people who would come causing trouble for him over the Firmament Tree.
However, the other tree was different. If news of its existence were to spread, it would turn the entire Star Boundary upside down in an instant. That tree represented the very mystery of immortality and indestructibility! Those attributes were extremely attractive to others! Even the Great Emperors could not claim that they were immortal and indestructible. Even they possess lifespan and had a predestined time of death. The rumours claimed that if one could refine it, then they could obtain the secret of everlasting life. They would have the same lifespan as the Heavens, living in harmony with the universe itself.
Yang Kai felt his heart getting stuck in his throat.
Mu Na was unbelievably amazing and he was terrified that she might utter the words ‘Immortal Tree’. He did not know how to deal with the situation if she really did mention its name. If it were anybody else, he would have killed them on the spot to maintain secrecy; unfortunately, he had no grudge or grievance with her. Moreover, the Wood Spirit Clan detested fighting, so how could he be so cruel to such an existence? Besides, he wouldn’t just be offending the Wood Spirit Clan if he did something like that, even the Stone Spirit Clan would become hostile to him.
Fortunately, Mu Na hesitated for a long time before shaking her head, “I’m not certain what that one is.”
He breathed a sigh of relief.
She exclaimed, “I can’t believe that there are plants that the Wood Spirit Clan doesn’t know about! There sure are all sorts of mysteries in the world!”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Maybe you smelled wrong, Matriarch.”
“Impossible!” She shook her head resolutely. She was completely oblivious to how nervous he was. She looked up and spiritedly said, “Hand it to me!”
A pair of beautiful eyes shone brightly, revealing her excitement.
“What?” He was taken aback.
She repeated, “I said, hand over the Firmament Tree and that other thing to me.”
“Is this a joke!?” He became livid at her words. He originally had a favourable impression of her, but hearing those words of hers immediately infuriated him. [The Firmament Tree is not something I can just give away! I’m still relying on its power to seal the Ancient Demon Qi. Otherwise, once the seal on my dantian falls apart, without the Firmament Tree, I will immediately fall prey to the demonification and lose myself entirely! As for the Immortal Tree… That’s even more impossible! It is the world’s most precious treasure! It can revive the dead and heal all wounds, it’s an essential cure-all! How can I possibly give it away!?]
Mu Na urgently added, “I can trade with you for it. As you know, the Wood Spirit Clan cultivates…”
Lifting his hand, he resolutely said, “There is no need for further discussion, Matriarch. I will take my leave if there’s nothing else.”
Mu Na finally came back to her senses when she noticed his frosty attitude. [I seem to have angered him. From his reaction, it would seem that the thing I can’t identify is more precious than I imagined, but what in the world is it? Something so precious and rare that even I can’t identify it by its smell…]
One after another, names that only existed in legends flashed through her mind. Unfortunately, she could not place a name to that peculiar smell.
Yang Kai had already walked to the entrance of the Tree Cave when he turned back to glance at Mu Na.
Mu Na was about to continue trying to persuade him; however, she couldn’t help but sigh the moment she met his eyes. Lifting her hand, the closed Tree Cave reopened and he immediately rushed out. It didn’t matter whether she opened it or not. If she refused to open the Tree Cave, he could have just smashed it down with his fist.
Hovering in mid-air, she pondered for a long time until she finally flickered and flew out.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai returned to Xiao Xiao’s Tree Cave. Upon checking and confirming that the Space Array was properly arranged, he finally headed towards the Elder’s Tree Cave. He entered the house and said, “Elder, I am done with my tasks here, so it is time for me to depart. Please take care of the matters regarding Xiao Xiao and the Blood Gate. Do be careful if anything does come up.”
Elder nodded, “Don’t worry. Shi Jiu is one of us. We won’t be negligent in this matter.”
“Goodbye then.” Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned to leave without looking at Mu Na, who was sitting on Elder’s shoulders.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Mu Na suddenly stretched out her hand and pulled on Elder’s ear. Elder grinned and raised his hand to stop Yang Kai, “Wait a moment!”
Yang Kai turned back and asked, “Is there something else you need, Elder?”
The Elder replied somewhat apologetically, “I’m sorry, it’s not me who has something to say to you. It’s Mu Na…”
Yang Kai directly interrupted Elder’s words, “I have made myself clear to Matriarch. There will be no further discussion on that matter.”
Mu Na was furious, “Little brat, do you think I will take advantage of you!?”
He frowned in response, “That is not what I meant. It’s just that I will never hand over these two items. They are of great use to me!”
“If it was something useless, I wouldn’t even have brought it up with you,” she snorted, annoyed beyond words.
He could tell that his reaction had been a little too harsh when he saw her expression; thus, he cupped his fists, “I’m sorry, Matriarch. In any case, I cannot hand those two items to you.”
Gritting her teeth, she glared at him angrily, “Can you even take care of them!?”
He shrugged at those words, “They are not dead, are they?”
She was extremely furious and turned her head away, looking as though she refused to talk to him anymore.
The Elder spoke up at that moment, “Calm down, both of you. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths and settle down.”
Yang Kai retorted, “I’m very calm, she is the one that refuses to leave this matter alone. Elder, you should talk some sense into her.”
The Elder chuckled, “Do you know why moths are drawn to fire?”
“Because they are stupid?” Yang Kai replied smoothly.
The corner of the Elder’s face twitched at those words, “It’s because it is in their nature. One’s inherent nature is a very mysterious thing. Take the Stone Spirit Clan for example, we won’t be able to stop ourselves from devouring a rare ore that we come across. As for Humans… men can’t help themselves from stealing a few more glances at a beautiful woman. Similarly, a moth cannot stop itself from being attracted to fire. It is all part of their nature.”
“The leopard can’t change its spots!”
Elder’s face twitched even more violently, “Yes, that’s the concept. For the Wood Spirit Clan, the rarer the plant, the more it inspires their desire to care for it.”
After circling around the bush for so long, it came back to the starting point again.
Yang Kai was just about to say something when Elder interrupted, “I might not know what Matriarch wants from you, but it’s obviously something that is very precious. It seems that it is something very difficult to give up. Moreover, it seems to be something that cannot be made public.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, so please forgive me.”
The Elder smiled, “In that case, you don’t need to hand it over. Instead, the Matriarch has a suggestion. Why don’t you listen to it patiently?”
“What suggestion?” Yang Kai looked at Mu Na curiously. As long as they did not bring up the same request from before, he did not mind listening; after all, the inherent ability of the Wood Spirit Clan allowed them to communicate with all plants, so he might even get some tips from them on how to better take care of the Firmament Tree so that its sealing abilities would be recovered faster.
Mu Na turned her head away as if she was reluctant to look at him. Even so, she muttered, “I will assign two of my clansmen to you to help you take care of these two items.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes at her, “Assign two of your clansmen to me?”
He quickly did some calculations in his heart. He had a medicine garden in his Small Sealed World, which contained all sorts of rare plants and herbs, including the Firmament Tree and the Immortal Tree. He had simply planted them at will and had never bothered to tend to the garden before. Fortunately, the medicine garden contained a large amount of Heavy Earth and a number of Earth Vein Crystals. Otherwise, most of the plants would have withered by now.
If he had two Wood Spirit Clan members sent by the Matriarch to take care of his medicine garden for him, not only would he not have to worry about his collection dying anymore, but the herbs in the medicine garden would also be very well raised and tended to. There was nobody else in the world who was more suited to this task than the Wood Spirits after all. They were practically born to take care of plants since ancient times. If a person could obtain a Wood Spirit, they wouldn’t need to worry about the affairs of their medicine garden anymore. More importantly, their harvest would also increase by at least thirty percent.
Therefore, he looked very shocked, “Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I am joking?” Mu Na retorted angrily.
Yang Kai rubbed his hands together and broke out into a huge grin, “How could I possibly accept something like that? This is really… Oh, my…”
He was slightly incoherent at this point.
He had thought of abducting a Wood Spirit before leaving once, as it would be such a waste not to let such a rare species put their talents to full use in his medicine garden. Furthermore, High Heaven Palace would definitely have its own medicine garden in the future, and judging by the current scale of High Heaven Palace, the medicine garden would surely be huge. Nothing could beat having a Wood Spirit taking care of it.
Mu Na turned to look at him in contempt. [This brat was so rude to me just now but changed his tune so quickly. How hateful and disgusting! Why have I never noticed this before?]
Yang Kai made a fist, placed it next to his mouth, coughing lightly before trying to act seriously and asking, “Are there any conditions attached to this offer, Matriarch? Let me say this first; don’t even think about touching those two things.”
“What conditions!? What conditions can I put forth!?” She snapped angrily.
Yang Kai was astonished, “You can’t be offering this for nothing, can you?”
Elder chuckled, “Didn’t she mention the conditions just now? Let her two clansmen take care of those two items.”
“That… Does that even count as a condition?” Yang Kai was so shocked that his eyes were practically falling out of their sockets.
[That’s clearly beneficial to me, so how is that a condition?]
The Elder replied in a serious manner, “That is the nature of the Wood Spirit Clan. Seeing how much she values those two items, letting them take care of it is the best reward they could possibly receive.”
Not only were there no conditions attached, but Mu Na was also going to assign two clansmen to help him take care of his medicine garden. Yang Kai couldn’t believe something this incredible could be true…
Yang Kai finally understood the depth of the Wood Spirit Clan’s desire and pursuit of rare plants. It was just like what the Elder mentioned, this was part of their inherent nature. Allowing them to take care of the plants was the greatest sign of gratitude that he could give them. Besides, it was an excellent deal for him. It cost him nothing, and he even managed to hire two caretakers for his medicine garden for free. How could anything be better than that?
The sudden unexpected stroke of good fortune left him feeling rather dizzy so he began pacing about the Tree Cave, feeling extremely excited.
Meanwhile, Mu Na, who was watching him, frowningly and enigmatically said, “If you can’t even agree to this, then I have nothing else to say. In the future, please don’t come here anymore. The Wood Spirit Clan does not welcome you! The Stone Spirit Clan too!”
“I agree! Of course I agree to it!” Yang Kai stopped pacing and turned to her with a huge smile, “I’d be foolish to refuse such kindness from you, Matriarch.”
Mu Na snorted and cast a look at him that seemed to say, ‘At least you have some tact.’
His expression became solemn again, “But, there’s something I need to let you know, Matriarch.”
“What is it?”
“I’m afraid it won’t be easy for your two clansmen to see freedom again once they are in my hands.” If he really got his hands on two Wood Spirits, he would surely place them in the medicine garden inside the Small Sealed World. As long as he did not have the power to maintain the Immortal Tree on his own, he would not allow them to leave easily.
Mu Na frowned at those words, “Why? Are you going to restrict their freedom?”
“I have no choice. Please forgive me, Matriarch.”
She thoughtfully said, “It looks like that item is very special.”
Yang Kai replied with a serious expression, “Matriarch, if you don’t mind, then I will be very happy to accept. Of course, I will not treat them badly, so please don’t worry about that.”
“I’m not worried about that.” For the Wood Spirits, being able to spend time with precious plants was the greatest joy in life for them. Not only did Yang Kai have the Firmament Tree in his possession, but he also had something even more precious. Any Wood Spirit would be willing to stay by his side and work for him. Besides, she had already anticipated something like this when she came up with this suggestion, so she nodded in response, “No problem.”
He grinned, “Many thanks, Matriarch!”
The irritation he held towards her had vanished without a trace and he suddenly shyly said, “Matriarch, don’t you think two clansmen might be too few? If possible, won’t you assign at least seven or eight of them to me?”
The Elder’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at those words while, on the other hand, Mu Na yelled, “Get out!”
“I was just saying! Just forget it if you don’t agree. Why did you have to yell at me?” Yang Kai lowered his head and muttered under his breath.
“Stop acting like you’re pitiful when you received the most out of us all!” Mu Na snapped furiously.
He lifted his head at those words, looking as if nothing had happened and declared, “Matriarch, please summon your two clansmen here quickly. I still have other matters to deal with, so I can’t remain here for long.”
Needless to say, he had no time to delay for fear that she would regret her decision. He had to abduct two of the Wood Spirits and take them away with him immediately.
Even though Mu Na was annoyed at him, she still raised her hands and clapped twice. Soon after, two Wood Spirits flew in from outside the house. They bowed to her and then turned to study Yang Kai. It was clear that they had been prepared in advance.
Yang Kai looked at them and immediately felt elated. One of the Wood Spirits was somebody he was familiar with. It was the Wood Spirit who came to greet him yesterday. She seemed to be very shy, blushing deeply and looking around awkwardly when their gazes met.
The other one was also a female Wood Spirit, but she was clearly more outgoing. She smiled when she saw Yang Kai looking her way, instantly brightening the world around her.
“Mu Zhu, Mu Lu, you will follow this boy from now on. Take good care of his… things,” Mu Na instructed.
Mu Zhu and Mu Lu answered in unison, “Yes!”
Then, Mu Na turned to Yang Kai again, “I’m leaving my people in your hands. If you dare to wrong them or hurt them in any way, I will hold you accountable!”
“Rest assured, Matriarch, I won’t let anything harm a single hair on their heads!” Yang Kai patted his chest and promised, his eyes gleaming when he glanced at Mu Zhu and Mu Lu.
[Tsk, tsk. These two Wood Spirits will belong to me from now on. It’s so amazing.]
“Which one of you is Mu Zhu? And, which one is Mu Lu?” He asked as harmlessly as possible with a smile on his face.
The outgoing Wood Spirit bowed elegantly and introduced herself, “I am Mu Zhu.” Pointing at her blushing companion, she added, “She is Mu Lu.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly and continued in a warm voice, “I’ll be sending you somewhere in a bit, please don’t be scared.”
Having said so, he reached out and held them gently, after which the two Wood Spirits disappeared immediately.
Mu Na was enraged when she saw this and swiftly raised both hands, summoning many vines as thick as a grown man’s arm into the Tree Cave. These vines shot out like arrows and wrapped around Yang Kai until he looked like a dumpling.
The Wood Spirit Clan detested conflict, but that did not mean they were incapable of fighting. The power contained within those small and exquisite bodies was no inferior to any other race. Moreover, Mu Na was stronger than the average Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, so while she might not be as strong as a Divine Spirit, she was in no way weak.
“What did you do to them!? Spit them out, right this instant!”
“Calm down! Calm down!” Yang Kai felt cold sweat oozing from his head. Her words made it sound as though he was a wild and savage beast that devoured its prey whole.
“Where are they!?” How could she remain calm after witnessing her two clansmen disappearing right in front of her eyes? Their aura had vanished completely too. [I don’t even know if they are dead or alive right after handing them over to him!]
“They are in a safe place!” As he spoke, his entire body flickered and with a pulse of Space Principles, the vines trapping him in place fell apart like they were cut by thousands of knives, disintegrating into powder and floating to the ground.
Mu Na’s pupils contracted at this sight.
Similarly, the Elder was looking at Yang Kai in shock. He had known Mu Na for thousands of years, so he knew best just how strong the binding force of those vines were. The Elder might have been able to break free of the vines with brute force, but not as easily as Yang Kai had.
Before the arrival of Fan Wu and the others, Yang Kai had been immersed in his newfound perception of Space Principles. He could vaguely comprehend something, but it was not yet a complete understanding. After trying it out, he realized that his attainments in the Dao of Space had improved greatly and was confident he would be able to create a new Divine Ability if he had more time to work on it. Unfortunately, now was not the time to consider such matters. Mu Na would never let him go unless he cleared up the issue regarding Mu Zhu and Mu Lu.
“Matriarch, as you know, I am proficient in the Dao of Space. That’s why it’s not strange for me to have a special kind of storage artifact.” While speaking, he took out the Sealed World Bead.
In the early years, he had concealed the Sealed World Bead very carefully because he did not have enough strength to protect it or himself. There were times when he needed to borrow the strength of the Sealed World Bead as well; however, Yang Kai now had the strength to refine a new Sealed World, so there was no need to place so much importance on the Sealed World Bead anymore.
A light flashed across the Sealed World Bead and a confused Mu Zhu and Mu Lu reappeared with bewildered expressions.
“That world! I see.” Elder exclaimed.
A strange light shone in Mu Na’s eyes as she seemed to realize something and exclaimed, “Are the Firmament Tree and that thing in there?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai broke out into a grin, “Matriarch, do you want to go inside and have a look?”
She immediately looked wary, “I won’t be able to leave once I enter, right?”
“Of course, you can.” Yang Kai laughed heartily while, honestly, he had such intentions. As the Matriarch, Mu Na was the best among all the Wood Spirits in terms of cultivating spirit flowers and exotic plants. If he could trick her into the Small Sealed World… However, he knew that that was impossible. The Stone Spirit Clan and the Wood Spirits depended on each other and often relied on each other’s strength. If he kidnapped Mu Na, the Stone Spirit’s Clan Elder would be the first to become hostile to him.
But in this way, Mu Na finally understood what he meant when he said ‘they would not see freedom again in the short term.’ This storage artifact was a world of its own, so upon entering it, they needed to get his consent to exit again.
Meanwhile, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were still confused. They suddenly felt the world spinning around them just now. Then, they found themselves in another world. Before they could take a closer look at the environment inside that world though, they suddenly reappeared in the Tree Cave again.
“Boy, you sure have a lot of good things in your possession.” Mu Na sighed in amazement. A storage artifact that could form a complete world on its own was very rare. Moreover, something like that was most effective in the hands of somebody who was proficient in the Dao of Space. It was the envy of others.
“Matriarch, do you have any other questions?”
“No. Please take good care of them.”
“Don’t worry, I will never let them feel wronged,” Yang Kai replied. Following that, he placed Mu Zhu and Mu Lu back into the Small Sealed World. He cupped his fists and said, “I am grateful for your kindness, Matriarch. I won’t forget the graciousness you showed me today even if I climb to the top in the future. It’s getting late, please excuse me now. I hope we meet again.”
Elder said, “Be careful. If you ever need the help of the Stone Spirit Clan in the future, just come over and say hello.”
Yang Kai nodded and strode out of the Tree Cave to return to where the Space Array was located. The Space Array surged, light flashed, and his figure disappeared.
A palace had been built around the Space Array at High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. The Space Array was located right in the centre of the palace, so several disciples were on guard duty, sitting cross-legged while meditating by the side.
This place was the passage connecting High Heaven Palace to the broader world; therefore, it was an extremely important existence. An Emperor Realm Master was assigned to guard this place all year round. Moreover, the palace was protected by the layers of Arrays that Nanmen Da Jun had arranged. If anybody dared to invade this place, the entire palace could be turned into a death zone with the slightest activation of the Array Jade. Even a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master would not be able to escape alive.
The Emperor Realm Master on duty today was none other than Bian Yu Qing. She had joined High Heaven Palace after receiving Yang Kai’s help at Spirit Lake Palace where she broke through to the Emperor Realm. Due to her experience in managing Blue Feather Sect previously, she had been assisting Head Manager Hua Qing Si since she joined. She could be considered the Second Manager of High Heaven Palace.
Speaking of High Heaven Palace, it now had many Emperor Realm Masters among its ranks. The greatest among them were the Three Monster Kings, the Emperor Alchemist, Ji Ying, the Emperor Array Master, Nanmen Da Jun, and the Emperor Artifact Refiner, Hou Yu. They were followed by Hua Qing Si, Bian Yu Qing, and the former Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen, who came out of retreat three years ago after breaking through into the Emperor Realm. It could be said that although High Heaven Palace did not have many members in total, the ratio of Emperor Realm Masters among their ranks was terrifying. There was no other Sect in the Star Boundary that could achieve such a ratio.
With such a line-up, High Heaven Palace had a richer heritage than most of the top Sects in the Star Boundary. Even Sects like Fire Dragon Palace, Ice Heart Valley, and Azure Sun Temple only had one Third-Order Emperor Realm Master each.
The Space Array shone brightly, which startled Bian Yu Qing who was meditating, causing her to lift her eyes and glance in that direction. Thinking that it was Hua Qing Si returning from the Southern Territory, she hurriedly got up to greet the person who arrived.
Yang Kai’s figure was revealed before she could get closer though, and surprised, she hurriedly cupped her fists, “Palace Master, you’re back.”
Several disciples guarding by the side also rushed to greet Yang Kai with respectful expressions. Incidentally, it had been more than ten years since Yang Kai left the Northern Territory to go to Dragon Island. There had been no news from him throughout all this time, and if Zhu Qing had not come here to inform everybody of the truth, they would have assumed that something had happened to him. However, she had not mentioned that he was going to a Lower Star Field and simply said that he was cultivating in retreat and might take months or years to exit.
Now that Bian Yu Qing could feel the fluctuations coming from Yang Kai’s body, she was shocked to the core to discover that he was now a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master. [I can’t believe he broke through to the Second-Order Emperor Realm in a little more than ten years! What incredible cultivation speed!]
When she first met him, he had only been a Second-Order Origin King. She inadvertently felt a sense of shame for her lack of achievement when she compared herself to him.
“Manager Bian.” Yang Kai grinned, feeling extremely cordial to be reunited with an old friend. Although Heng Luo Star Field was where he was originally from, High Heaven Palace was the foundation of where he currently stood. He finally returned after ten years outside, so he was in a good mood, “Are you on duty today?”
“Yes!” She replied honestly.
“En, did anything happen in the past few years?”
“Everything has been peaceful. Please rest assured, Palace Master.”
The heritage of High Heaven Palace was clear as day and it was no secret that three Monster Kings were guarding this place, so who in the entire Northern Territory, aside from Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s Medicine Pill Valley, could even compare to it? It was only natural that nobody dared to cause trouble for High Heaven Palace, so the past ten years had gone by without incident.
“Rather, people from Fire Dragon Palace came here many times to ask about the whereabouts of Li Jiao.”
“Oh, just ignore them.” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “Ask Sister Hua to come and meet me.”
She responded, “Manager Hua is currently not in the palace.”
“Where did Sister Hua go?” Yang Kai was startled to hear the news.
“Manager Hua is currently settling some accounts for the end of the year. She went to the Southern Territory half a month ago to settle some material transactions with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, and based on her schedule, she should be returning in about two days.”
A few years back, Yang Kai had reached an agreement with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce. Since the two Territories were located very far apart and the resources they produced were very different, they were fully capable of making up for what each other lacked. Hua Qing Si had maintained the trade relationship between them for all these years, bringing in a lot of income for High Heaven Palace as a result.
“Is that so? Then, ask Nanmen Da Jun and Chi Yue to come and meet me instead.”
“Yes.”
Afterwards, Yang Kai strode forward and merged into the Void. By the time he reappeared again, he was standing in the sky and looking down at High Heaven Palace. The mountains below him rose up in the distance, the vegetation was lush, the scenery was beautiful, and the weather was calm. There were many mountain peaks scattered around and numerous buildings were located in the valleys between them; however, most of these places were empty. These buildings were originally the properties left over from Seeking Passion Sect, but because High Heaven Palace had always been sparsely populated, nobody lived there and those buildings were left empty.
Yang Kai flew around the entire High Heaven Palace for a while, observing the landscape quietly as he formed a plan in his heart. Since he was back, the first thing he needed to do was to release the people within the Small Sealed World. The only way they could adapt to the World Principles in the Star Boundary was to integrate them into this world as soon as possible.
After today, the population of High Heaven Palace would probably exceed a hundred thousand people.
An eagle’s cry sounded and a figure dashed over to Yang Kai at that moment. When that figure got closer, it turned into a well-dressed man with a hooked nose who cupped his fists and greeted, “Young Master Yang.”
“Ying Fei, it has been years since we last met. I trust you’ve been well?” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ying Fei replied, “Many thanks for your concern, Young Master Yang. I have been well.”
While they were speaking, Xi Lei and Xie Wu Wei rushed over too. The three of them had noticed Yang Kai’s aura at the same time, it was just that Ying Fei’s speed was faster, so he arrived first.
After exchanging greetings, Xi Lei asked curiously, “Young Master Yang, what are you looking at?”
“I was trying to assess how many people High Heaven Palace can accommodate.”
Xi Lei chuckled at those words, “We have vast lands and a small population, with hundreds of spirit peaks empty. Accommodating one or two hundred thousand shouldn’t be a big deal. Why? Are you planning to open the gates and recruit disciples, Young Master Yang?”
“That’s not necessary.” Yang Kai shook his head. Then, he casually added, “By the way, I just came back from the Ancient Wild Lands.”
All three Monster Kings turned pale at those words. Glancing at each other, Ying Fei cautiously asked, “Did the Divine Venerables… say anything?”
“We met briefly before they drove me out. It seems that they don’t welcome me very much.” Yang Kai grinned, recalling the behaviour of the Three Great Divine Venerables back then still amused him greatly.
“Is that so…” Ying Fei was speechless. Although he could guess why the Three Great Divine Venerables were not welcoming toward Yang Kai, it was not easy for him to explain the situation at this time.
Xi Lei hesitated for a moment, “Did the Divine Venerables mention us?”
As soon as those words sounded out, both Ying Fei and Xie Wu Wei looked at Yang Kai nervously. When it came down to it, they were still Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands. They were subject to the commands of the Three Great Divine Venerables, and if they were ordered to return, they would have no way to refuse. Otherwise, it would be considered a betrayal. However, they would surely be frustrated and unable to accept the situation if they returned just like that. Despite staying by Yang Kai’s side for so many years, they had yet to obtain the opportunity they were hoping for. It would be such a waste to leave right now.
“Not at all.” Yang Kai shook his head, “It looks like you’ll be my people officially from now on.”
The three looked at each other before cupping their fists in unison, “We wish to serve under you!”
Their eyes were full of excitement. It was best if the Divine Venerables did not order them to return. They were willing to continue staying by Yang Kai’s side and offer their services to him. Although living in High Heaven Palace was peaceful to a fault and there was nothing much for them to do, it was still the best way for them to make a connection with that descendent of Heavens Order.
“Work hard. In the future, I will make it worth your time.” Yang Kai nonchalantly said. It was a casual remark, but it sounded much more significant to the listeners. Thus, the three Monster Kings became even more excited.
“En, come with me.” Yang Kai ordered before he turned around, flew downwards, and landed in front of a huge square where Nanmen Da Jun and Bian Yu Qing were waiting for him.
Upon noticing his arrival, Nanmen Da Jun hurriedly came forward, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
“Little brat, you’re finally back!” Chi Yue, Gui Zu, Gu Cang Yun, and Ai Ou also greeted him.
Yang Kai cupped his fists respectfully. These few would always be regarded as his Seniors no matter how high his cultivation, especially Chi Yue and Ai Ou. One was his Mother-In-Law and the other was his Father-In-Law, so how could he not be respectful towards them?
“Boy, where have you been gallivanting off to recently? I heard you even subdued a Dragon Girl!” Ai Ou looked at Yang Kai with an unhappy expression. Moreover, his tone was rather difficult to interpret.
[This smelly brat is too improper! He already has four wives in the Star Field yet he dares to continue to fool around after coming to the Star Boundary!? He even dared to seduce a member of the Dragon Clan and become intimate with her!] It was only natural that Ai Ou had some thoughts of his own regarding Yang Kai’s actions. He might not dare to act presumptuously in front of the Dragon Clan, but it was different when it came to Yang Kai. [Who cares how high your cultivation is!? I will never forgive you if you treat my daughter badly!]
Moreover, that Dragon Girl wasn’t the only one. Ai Ou had also heard about a woman in Ice Heart Valley who seemed to have some sort of ambiguous relationship with Yang Kai as well. It was simply intolerable. If not for his lack of strength, he would have taught Yang Kai a harsh lesson by now.
“It was an accident. It was only an accident!” Yang Kai sweated profusely. He only mentioned Zhu Qing to Su Yan alone and did not know if Su Yan had told Luo’er and Xue Yue about this, but he had never heard them asking him about it before.
“An accident!?” Ai Ou snapped angrily, “How can you do that to those girls!? You don’t even know how they are doing back in the Star Field right now. Smelly brat, if you have the time to go around seducing women, then you should use that time to figure out a way to go back and bring them here! You should be able to do it with your current ability!”
“I was just about to discuss this matter with you.” Yang Kai took the opportunity to change the flow of the conversation.
“About what?” Chi Yue looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
“Look who’s here!” Yang Kai smiled and waved his hand out in front of him. Communicating with the Sealed World Bead, several figures appeared, one after another, with that flick of his wrist.
Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue all appeared together. It was clear that they had been summoned without warning as they were confused and did not know what was going on; however, just standing side by side highlighted how beautiful yet distinct they were. Although their looks varied greatly, every one of them was an outstanding beauty.
Nanmen Da Jun and Bian Yu Qing were amazed by what they saw, their eyes gleaming brightly as they swept their gazes over these four women. The cultivation of Su Yan and the others might be nothing special in their eyes, but each one among these four women was incredibly gorgeous. It was a blessing of several lifetimes for an ordinary man to obtain any one of them. Nevertheless, Yang Kai managed to grab hold of all four of them at once! It seemed their Palace Master was quite lucky in love!
[It’s Yang Kai after all.]
Meanwhile, the focus of the three Monster Kings was not on the external appearances of Su Yan and the others. It was undeniable that these four women were beautiful even in the eyes of the Monster Race, but they could sense a different sort of aura coming from two of these women that grabbed hold of their attention.
In particular, the aura from the woman with the cold expression gave birth to a sense of worship in them. Her aura was similar to that of Luan Feng’s, but it was even nobler and more powerful. Despite just standing there, she felt as though she was towering above the clouds and looking down on the world from the Heavens. Conversely, the other enchanting woman did not have as imposing a presence, but even so, her aura was not something ordinary people could possess.
[Divine Spirits!] The three Monster Kings glanced at each other and their eyes were filled with shock. As part of the Monster Race, they were very sensitive to the auras of Divine Spirits so they could easily tell that both Su Yan and Shan Qing Luo were carrying Divine Spirit Sources with a single glance. Even if the two women were weak right now, these three were certain that these two women would surpass them in strength if given the opportunity to grow.
“Luo’er?” Chi Yue was stunned and stared at Shan Qing Luo in a daze. She was barely able to believe her eyes.
Ai Ou was just asking Yang Kai to figure out a way to go back to the Star Field to bring Shan Qing Luo and the others here, but then Shan Qing Luo suddenly appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye.
Shan Qing Luo was taken aback upon hearing her name being called out. Their gazes met when she turned her head to look and she excitedly called out, “Mother!”
Back when she and Bi Luo left the Great Han Dynasty, they were transported directly to Monster Emperor Star after passing through an extremely strange altar. If not for Chi Yue finding and watching over them, taking her in as her Adopted Daughter, they would have met a disastrous end with their strength alone.
Therefore, Chi Yue wasn’t just her saviour but also her Adoptive Mother. Shan Qing Luo had known before coming here that she would be able to meet with Chi Yue again, so she had been looking forward to it.
On the other hand, Ai Ou was similarly staring at Xue Yue in a daze. The latter felt her eyes reddening as she called out softly, “Father!”
He resisted the turmoil of emotions in him and nodded, “Good, good, good. It’s good that you are safe.” Turning his head, he glanced at Yang Kai and felt all the dissatisfaction from before dissipating. Yang Kai had returned to the Star Field and brought his daughter here, so what more did he have to say?
Although Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang did not have any family to reunite with here, they had not seen Gui Zu for many years, so they stepped forward to greet him. Meanwhile, Gu Cang Yun stared blankly and stammered, “Palace Master, did you return to the Star Field?”
Chi Yue and Ai Ou could address Yang Kai directly by his name or even call him ‘Boy’ or ‘Little Brat’, even ‘Smelly Brat’ was fine, but Gu Cang Yun did not have the courage to do so. Hence, he conscientiously addressed Yang Kai as ‘Palace Master’.
“En. I just got back from there.” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“T-Then, is Sword Union…” Gu Cang Yun looked at Yang Kai with a look of expectation.
“Don’t worry, Senior Gu. I also brought Brother Gu here on this trip and many others from Sword Union too.”
“Where are they?” Gu Cang Yun’s eyes brightened.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to meet them soon.” More than a hundred thousand people were crowded in a certain area of the Small Sealed World, so Yang Kai could not find Gu Jian Xin nor the people of Sword Union at a moment’s notice. The reason he could summon Su Yan and the others so easily was that they were not staying in the same place as the others.
“Da Jun, bring me the Mountains and Rivers Projection,” he said while lifting his hand.
Nanmen Da Jun did not know what Yang Kai wanted to do, but he did not doubt the latter. He hurriedly took out the Mountains and Rivers Projection controller and opened it. A picture instantly lit up and an image of a miniature High Heaven Palace appeared before them. From the mountains and the plains down to the smallest stream and hill, everything was clearly shown in the image. This was something Nanmen Da Jun and Hou Yu had joined hands to refine so it was only natural that it was an amazing work.
Yang Kai pointed at several of the peaks and asked, “There are people living here, right?”
Bian Yu Qing glanced at the spots Yang Kai was pointing at and answered, “That’s right. That’s Thousand Leaves Peak where Old Man Ye Hen and the people of Thousand Leaves Sect are staying. Five Saints Peak is where Chi Yue lives…” She had been living in High Heaven Palace for more than ten years now, so it was only natural that she was familiar with where everyone lived.
Yang Kai nodded at her words, “There will be a lot of people coming out soon. I need you to help settle them in.”
“How many?” She asked.
“More than a hundred of thousand!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, everybody gasped in response. High Heaven Palace had always been small in number; moreover, Yang Kai had never shown any intention to recruit disciples. The gates to High Heaven Palace had never been opened since its establishment, so they did not know what he was planning. It wasn’t until today that they understood he was simply making preparations all this time.
“With so many people, I will need some helping hands,” Bian Yu Qing said.
“Good. You can also ask the people from Thousand Leaves Sect to come.” Yang Kai nodded, “I’m going to bring these people out first.”
Bian Yu Qing immediately took out her communication artifact and poured her Divine Sense into it. It was obvious that she was calling for people to come over and help.
On the other hand, Yang Kai summoned the Sealed World Bead, and in a swirl of darkness, a huge tadpole-like figure appeared. It was Gun-Gun who proceeded to open his dark and wide mouth as though it spanned across the entire world.
The terrifying aura emanating from Gun-Gun made the three Monster Kings pale. They couldn’t even tell what this thing was. It wasn’t due to the large body size either, but rather that it gave off an extremely dangerous feeling.
A figure soon rushed out of that big mouth and looked around with a shocked expression. The figure that was frozen in place was none other than Meng Wu Ya. The rich World Energy all around made him think that he was in a dream. The World Energy in the place where High Heaven Sect was located on Shadowed Star had been second to none in the entire Star Field; however, comparing that place to this place was like comparing the ground to the vast Heavens. One didn’t even need to circulate a Secret Art to feel the World Energy pouring into their body here, an extremely comfortable sensation.
Then, another figure came out of Gun-Gun’s mouth. Followed by the third, and then a fourth… Everybody reacted in the same way.
Yang Kai called out loudly seeing this, “Everyone, please don’t stop here. Please continue moving forward as there are still others coming out behind you.”
His reminder finally woke these people from their daze and glancing at each other, they saw the shock and excitement in each other’s eyes. They had long been informed that they were going to follow Yang Kai back to a higher world known as the Star Boundary, and from the looks of it, they had arrived safely. It was just that they never imagined that the Star Boundary they heard about would have such an excellent cultivation environment.
Naturally, most places in the Star Boundary were unlike High Heaven Palace. Even if it was better than the Star Field, it would not have given them the sense of disparity between day and night; however, this was High Heaven Palace. It was where the Seeking Passion Sect once stood. In the first place, it was one of the best Cultivation Paradises in the Northern Territory, so how could the Word Energy not be abundant?
In the meantime, a steady stream of people emerged from Gun-Gun’s mouth and the square was soon filled with people.
At this time, the people of Thousand Leaves Sect also rushed over under Ye Hen’s lead. There were not many of them, only a few hundred at best, and needless to say, they were extremely shocked to be greeted by this scene. After asking around for a bit, they finally learned that these people came from a Lower Star Field and were astounded by Yang Kai’s methods.
In the eyes of a cultivator born and raised in the Star Boundary, those that arrived from a Lower Star Field were the elites among the elites. As long as they did not die partway through their journey, the chances of them advancing to the Emperor Realm was extremely high. It was only because the cultivation environment of a Lower Star Field was vastly inferior to the Star Boundary that their potential for growth had been limited.
It wasn’t as if there were no cultivators from a Lower Star Field in Star Boundary, it was just that they were scattered all over the place so it was difficult to see so many of them all at once.
Thousands of cultivators appeared in the square, and there were still more people coming out. These people might not be powerful at the moment, but with enough time, they would surely become the foundation of High Heaven Palace.
Yang Kai had no time to chat with anybody as he stood in a corner with Bian Yu Qing, pointing at various spots at High Heaven Palace shown on the Mountains and Rivers Projection. They were constantly discussing how to divide the land and living quarters for these people.
One by one, the disciples of the Thousand Leaves Sect were given instructions, each of them leading approximately 1,000 or 2,000 people as they headed for a mountain somewhere.
This busy work spanned several days, during which, Hua Qing Si returned from the Southern Territory. With her help, things went more smoothly than before while her expression was both blissful and distressed. She would glance at Yang Kai from time to time with a resentful look.
Although she was personally named by Yang Kai as the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she had nothing much to deal with since its establishment. There weren’t that many people in High Heaven Palace in the first place. Besides, most of them were disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect, and since Ye Hen was also based on Thousand Leaves Peak, self-governance had not been a problem.
Over the years, Hua Qing Si had mostly busied herself looking for ways to obtain cultivation resources for High Heaven Palace. Cooperating with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Territory had earned her a lot of fortune, but what was the point of earning so much? There were no disciples using these resources so these materials ended up as a bunch of numbers of paper. Hence, it could be said that she was Head Manager in name only.
However, it was different now. More than a hundred thousand disciples had entered High Heaven Palace all of a sudden; in other words, she had to coordinate, determine their cultivation techniques, and prepare the resources needed for all of these disciples. She could almost see a future where she would not get a moment’s rest for at least half a year…
Her workload would finally be worthy of her title as ‘Head Manager’, but… wasn’t this going to be too exhausting?
Fortunately, she had Bian Yu Qing sharing her worries and helping her in solving problems; otherwise, she would have to bear this burden all alone. Nevertheless, it was still too much for her and Bian Yu Qing alone to handle the daily needs of more than a hundred thousand people, so they needed to come up with a better plan.
The last group that came out of the Small Sealed World was a group of Monster Race cultivators. They were the elites of Monster Emperor Star, and numbered around three thousand in total with Yu Xiong as their leader. Furthermore, each one of them gave off a tremendous Monster Qi.
Yang Kai beckoned at the three Monster Kings, “I will hand them over to you three to take care of.”
The cultivation of the Monster Race was different from that of Humans; therefore, it would be for the best for them if they were personally taught by the three Monster Kings. In response, Ying Fei, Xi Lei, and Xie Wu Wei smiled widely. Their gazes swept over the three thousand or so new members of the Monster Race with a calculating look, causing a chill to shoot up the spines of these three thousand.
These new members of the Monster Race could be considered the elites of Monster Emperor Star, the outstanding talents who survived the war against Limitless Beast Mountain. Even so, they felt like babies when faced with the aura coming from the three Monster Kings. None of them could tell how powerful the Monster Kings were specifically, but there was no doubt that any one of these three could snuff them out with a snort.
“Finally, we have something to do!” Xi Lei laughed loudly.
Like Hua Qing Si, the three of them had been idling since they came to High Heaven Palace. Their greatest joy had been playing hide-and-seek with Hou Yu. Unfortunately, she lost the heart to escape after being captured by them countless times and instead dedicated herself to refining artifacts for High Heaven Palace nowadays.
In her words, she was going to squander all the resources in High Heaven Palace to make Yang Kai feel distressed and finally release her. Nevertheless, she could not bring herself to disgrace her reputation as an Emperor Artifact Refiner, and as a result, all the Artifacts she refined were of top quality. At the moment, countless artifacts of various grades were piled up in High Heaven Palace’s treasury. If she had known beforehand that Yang Kai would bring more than a hundred thousand disciples into the Sect and effectively put those artifacts to good use, she would not have the motivation to continue ‘wasting’ resources.
Without Hou Yu to chase around, the three Monster Kings had felt increasingly bored; therefore, handing them three thousand or so disciples was just what they wanted. At the very least, they could do something for Yang Kai, which was better than staying here doing nothing all day long.
“Little ones, come with me.” Xi Lei waved his hand and took the lead to fly to a large mountain deep inside High Heaven Palace.
The three thousand or so newcomers looked at each other, feeling confused until Chi Yue shouted, “What are you waiting for!? Get moving!”
Only then did many of them notice Chi Yue’s presence and they were both surprised and delighted to see her. When she left the Star Field, Chi Yue had been the one and only Monster Queen on Monster Emperor Star, and while her strength was simply incomparable to that of Xi Lei and the other Monster Kings, her orders carried far more weight, so the three thousand or so Monsters follow after Xi Lei obediently.
It was a mighty and spectacular procession.
It took Yang Kai half a month to completely arrange accommodation for this mass of people. During this period, he was so busy that he was practically running around all the time. Fortunately, he had Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing helping him; otherwise, he would have died from overwork.
The hundreds of Spirit Peaks of various shapes and sizes in High Heaven Palace were originally empty; however, they were now filled to the brim with people. The smaller Spirit Peaks housed up to several hundred while the largest Main Peaks could house up to three thousand people. With more than a hundred thousand people distributed among the hundreds of Spirit Peaks, High Heaven Palace instantly transformed into an extremely lively place.
Managing so many people was a huge challenge, be that as it may, Hua Qing Si made a suggestion that they select a Peak Master for and from each peak. These hundreds of Peak Masters would fall under her direct responsibility while the Peak Masters would be responsible for the newly welcomed disciples living in their respective Spirit Peaks. That way, it would save everybody a lot of trouble.
Naturally, Chi Yue, Ai Ou, Gu Cang Yun, and Gui Zu were each capable of overseeing a Spirit Peak; moreover, the Spirit Peaks they oversaw were the Main Peaks. Although their cultivation had yet to enter the Emperor Realm, they now all stood at the peak of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm. They were much more powerful than the cultivators from the Star Field. For that reason, the four of them gave up the Five Saints Peak that they had been living on for a long time and relocated to other Spirit Peaks.
Gu Cang Yun was the former Union Master of the Sword Union, and Yang Kai brought most of the elites in Sword Union here with him; thus, all the disciples from Sword Union were pushed onto Gu Cang Yun to manage. Yang Kai was fairly certain that those disciples would not mind either. If their numbers were insufficient, he could transfer people in from other places to fill the empty spots.
Meanwhile, Ai Ou was placed in charge of the cultivators from Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce; Gui Zu and Chi Yue each oversaw a portion of those who were originally in High Heaven Sect. It was because the three thousand members of the Monster Race had been assigned to the three Monster Kings, so she had nobody available under her.
The others such as Ye Xi Yun, several Elders of the original Star Emperor Sect, Qiu Yi Meng, and Old Demon, who were in the Origin King Realm, were all promoted to become Peak Masters of their respective Spirit Peaks too. With this system in place, the entire structure within High Heaven Palace immediately became clear and far more convenient to manage.
Yang Kai patrolled and monitored the conditions of the various Spirit Peaks along with the two Head Managers, Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing. After confirming that everything was in order, he finally had some time to rest for a few days. Even so, he did not spend the so-called ‘rest days’ doing nothing. It was just that he wasn’t as busy as he had been at the beginning.
With so many people moving in, a large number of cultivation resources and Secret Arts and Techniques would definitely be needed for cultivation.
Now that everyone was in the Star Boundary, the Secret Arts they cultivated in the Star Field would not be able to keep up with their progress. It was only natural to replace those Secret Arts with better ones.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had killed countless people ever since he entered the Star Boundary, and even a top Sect like Seeking Passion Sect had been destroyed at his hands; therefore, he had gathered quite a collection of Secret Arts. There were many different varieties of Secret Arts suitable for all kinds of cultivators to choose from.
Furthermore, Hua Qing Si had long been prepared for this potential future and had built a library on one of the Main Peaks that contained countless Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. The library was now open for the numerous Peak Masters to freely browse. The matter regarding the Secret Arts was temporarily solved, only the matter regarding cultivation resources remained.
Cultivators in the Star Field mostly cultivated using Saint Crystals while those in the Star Boundary mostly cultivated with Source Crystals. The two were completely different in terms of quality. Luckily, High Heaven Palace accumulated a lot of wealth over the years. Source Crystals were piled up like mountains in the storehouses and Yang Kai had just received a fortune from the Three Great Divine Venerables recently. Combined with the earnings from the trade between Hua Qing Si and Violet Source Chamber of Commerce in the Southern Territory over the years, a rough estimation indicated that High Heaven Palace had no need to worry about Source Crystals for the next fifty years, at the very least.
Moreover, transactions with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce took place every year, and the trade of materials was on a very large scale, so there would definitely be a surplus of Source Crystals even after fifty years. Hence, the matter regarding Source Crystals could be put aside. The only problem left to consider was the supply of pills.
Yang Kai brought along many cultivators from the Star Field who were in the Origin Returning Realm. Additionally, the number of people breaking through to the Origin King Realm would increase gradually with time. This wasn’t of particular concern as Origin Kings weren’t anything special in the Star Boundary. On the other hand, it was the process of advancing into the Dao Source Realm from the Origin King Realm that was extremely pill-consuming. That was because every cultivator required Source Condensing Pills during this period to aid in the transformation of their Saint Qi to Source Qi.
Yang Kai had also experienced this process back then. The same went for Chi Yue, Gui Zu, and the others. Without the assistance of the Source Condensing Pill, it would take an Origin King at least ten or twenty years to completely transform their Saint Qi into Source Qi, and that was considered fast. Those that were slower might take hundreds of years to complete the process.
Consequently, High Heaven Palace would require an enormous amount of Source Condensing Pills over the next hundred or even thousand years. They would not be able to meet this demand just by relying on the Sect’s own production alone. It would be far from enough, even with High Heaven Palace’s very own Spirit Pill Peak. Thus, there was a need to buy such pills in bulk while training their own Alchemists.
For that reason, Yang Kai had asked Hua Qing Si, who had just returned, to visit the Southern Territory again. She took a large number of Monster Beast Cores with her and was prepared to use these to exchange for a batch of Source Condensing Pills from Violet Source Chamber of Commerce to tide over this emergency period for now.
Yang Kai had a few million Monster Beast Cores in his possession, the vast majority of which he obtained when he entered the Ancient Wild Lands in the past. Those Monster Beast Cores were the results formed from the accumulation of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years in the Ancient Wild Lands’ Ten Thousand Spirits Tomb and he had stolen them all in one fell swoop. Among them, there was no lack of Twelfth-Order Monster Beast Cores. Violet Source Chamber of Commerce would certainly be more than happy to go through with such a transaction.
Yang Kai had taken out more than ten thousand Monster Cores of all kinds just to obtain an urgent supply of Source Condensing Pills. It was an incredibly high expenditure for High Heaven Palace.
After working for one month straight, Yang Kai finally let out a breath of relief. On this day, he led Xia Ning Chang to the top of one of the Spirit Peaks. This peak was one of the Main Peaks in High Heaven Palace. The scenery here was far more beautiful than all the other Spirit Peaks. Not only was it abundant in World Energy, but it was also surrounded by flowers and birds.
Compared to the other lively Spirit Peaks, this one was quite different. Although the Peak was extremely tall and large, it was quiet and peaceful. That was because he did not allow any other cultivator from the Star Field to disturb this Spirit Peak. This was Spirit Pill Peak of High Heaven Palace!
There were two similar Spirit Peaks, Spirit Array Peak and Spirit Instrument Peak. The respective Peak Masters were Nanmen Da Jun and Hou Yu. Needless to say, these two Peak Masters were forcibly appointed by Yang Kai. Regardless of their consent, the two of them were to be the respective Peak Masters of Spirit Array Peak and Spirit Instrument Peak from now on.
On the other hand, Spirit Pill Peak did not have a Peak Master even though it was the place where Ji Ying, an Emperor Alchemist, was located. Strictly speaking, Ji Ying was not part of High Heaven Palace. He was the Fifth Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor after all. It was only because he lost to Yang Kai in an Alchemy competition back then that he stayed in High Heaven Palace to help with Alchemy. He could be considered an Honoured Guest of High Heaven Palace.
Nonetheless, Ji Ying was not a pedantic person. Not only was he in the Emperor Realm, but he was also an Emperor Alchemist. Moreover, he was a Legacy Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. All three of these statuses would attract a lot of attention no matter who held them, but it was all the more terrifying when all three of them were held by the same person.
Yang Kai would not have been able to do anything to Ji Ying if he had refused to admit his loss back then; furthermore, he could not be killed since that would surely offend Wondrous Pill Great Emperor. The wrath of a Great Emperor was not to be taken lightly; however, Ji Ying actually stayed to fulfil his bet with Yang Kai and refined a large number of Spirit Pills for High Heaven Palace over the years. The Spirit Pills he personally refined were not only of high grade, but the quality was also guaranteed too.
Ji Ying had several disciples under him, who he brought along with him to Spirit Pill Peak to help out. Thus, only Ji Ying and his disciples lived on Spirit Pill Peak, along with several others who were in charge of miscellaneous work.
Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang slowly wandered up the peak and soon arrived at the summit. A man who appeared to be in his twenties was waiting in front of the great hall and when he saw Yang Kai, he bowed, “Palace Master Yang, Honoured Master has been waiting for your arrival. Please come with me.”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded. He knew that Ji Ying had noticed his presence the moment he arrived.
After following the disciple into the great hall, Ji Ying quickly appeared to greet Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, it has been a long time since we last met.”
The two had not seen each other for more than ten years, which certainly was quite a long period. Besides, Ji Ying was so friendly not only because he lost to Yang Kai in the Alchemy competition, but also because of Gong Sun Mu. It was only thanks to Yang Kai that the Third Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, Gong Sun Mu, was able to return to Medicine Pill Valley after his death.
Ji Ying was grateful to Yang Kai for that reason.
“Brother Ji!” Yang Kai responded with a smile.
Ji Ying grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and exclaimed, “Brother Yang, you came at just the right time! I’ve been experimenting with a new Alchemy Technique recently. I’ve had some gains with it, but I would like to ask you for some advice.”
Ji Ying was an Emperor Alchemist, so there were very few people in the world who could discuss Alchemy with him. Although he had several Senior Brothers and a Senior Sister, they were all taught by the same Master, so there was a limit to what he could gain from discussing Alchemy with them.
Whereas, Yang Kai was different. Ji Ying might not know who taught Yang Kai Alchemy, but he knew that Yang Kai’s skills in Alchemy were not inferior to his own. Furthermore, Yang Kai was unique in the sense that he had his own style and methods. One would surely gain something from communicating with him.
“Uh…” Yang Kai looked speechless. [Alchemists truly are single-minded. I came here today for a purpose, but he’s already dragging me off somewhere the moment we meet…]
Thinking that he had things to request during their meeting this time around, Yang Kai decided that it would be best if he could earn some favours to make the discussion go a little bit smoother later. Hence, he had no choice but to humbly state, “I don’t dare to give advice, but I don’t mind discussing the matter with you, Brother Ji.”
It had been pure luck for him to defeat Ji Ying the last time they competed in Alchemy. Yang Kai did not think that he was better than Ji Ying in any way; after all, he still felt that Ji Ying was better than him when it came down to Alchemy skills.
Ji Ying laughed heartily, “Brother Yang is too humble. Even Honoured Master is full of praise for your Alchemy skills. It’s a pity…”
“What’s a pity?” Yang Kai was stunned. [Could it be that the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor has some sort of negative opinion of me?]
“It’s a pity that you can’t focus solely on the Alchemic Dao.”
[Oh! So, that’s why they feel that it is such a waste…] Yang Kai grinned, “There are three thousand Daos, and I simply choose one of them. It’s enough for me to pursue that path to the peak.”
Ji Ying was taken aback for a moment before he nodded, “Fair enough.”
Afterwards, he no longer wasted any time, dragged Yang Kai into his Pill Refining Room, took out some precious herbs, and began refining. Needless to say, Xia Ning Chang followed them inside.
Ji Ying did not know who this young woman was; however, he did not stop her from entering upon seeing that her relationship with Yang Kai seemed a bit unusual. Besides, his new Alchemy Technique wasn’t something that could be learnt by just anybody watching it.
Ji Ying had been researching a new Alchemy Technique recently. The most notable part of the technique was the Pill Condensing Technique. According to his explanation, his Pill Condensing Technique was relatively simple compared to other similar techniques, to the point that even an average Alchemist could master it with some practice. Moreover, the Pill Condensing efficiency would be increased by at least 10% or 20% upon mastering the technique.
A 10% or 20% increase was nothing to sneeze at. It might not make much of a difference when refining only a small number of Spirit Pills, but an Alchemist would refine a large amount of Spirit Pills throughout their lifetime, so a 10% or 20% increase in the quantity of condensed pills would result in quite a terrifying amount of wealth.
Since the Pill Condensing Technique was the last part of the process, Ji Ying did not choose to refine a high-grade Spirit Pill; instead, he chose a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill to experiment with.
The early stages of the process were ubiquitous, and even though the process was sophisticated, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
The room was shrouded in silence for a while as Ji Ying was focused on his Alchemy. Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang watched the entire process together. In particular, Xia Ning Chang stared unblinkingly at Ji Ying’s movements with her beautiful face revealing a thoughtful expression from time to time.
Ji Ying condensed the medicinal liquid, portrayed the Spirit Arrays, and refined the embryonic Spirit Pills. Soon, it was time for the Pill Condensing process and his expression subsequently became serious, “Brother Yang, please watch carefully.”
Saying so, Ji Ying began forming a set of hand seals while directing subtle waves of his Emperor Qi into the Alchemy Furnace. A fragrant aroma seeped out in an instant. The Pill Condensing process had obviously begun, and a short while later, Ji Ying shouted in a low voice, “Condense!”
He then lifted the lid of the furnace. Following that, several circular Spirit Pills flew out and were guided into a jade bottle Ji Ying had prepared in advance. They rolled around inside the bottle noisily. There were exactly nine Spirit Pills, no more, no less. Nine was the limit. No matter how great the technique of the Alchemist or how high the level of refining, each refinement could only produce nine pills at the most, a law even Wondrous Pill Great Emperor could not break past.
As an Emperor Alchemist, Ji Ying could refine nine Spirit Pills when refining a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill even without using his newly developed Pill Condensing Technique; therefore, the number of pills he refined, even after using his new technique at the end, was still nine.
Even so, Yang Kai could tell that the new technique had its unique points and immediately focused his mind carefully before discussing the process with Ji Ying.
A discussion between Alchemists was not limited to theory only; hands-on experiments were necessary too. Therefore, Yang Kai took out his Alchemy Furnace and some herbs before he began to refine a Spirit Pill. When he arrived at the last Pill Condensing step, he used the techniques developed by Ji Ying to compare the pros and cons first-hand.
Afterwards, they refined Spirit Pill after Spirit Pill in their experiments. Time passed little by little, but Ji Ying was not the slightest bit fatigued. Rather, his eyes shone brighter and he became more energetic the longer they worked. It was the right decision to discuss this matter with Yang Kai after all. Over the next few days, he discovered that his new Pill Condensing Technique still had some flaws and he gradually rectified them with Yang Kai’s mutual input and confirmation, which made him extremely happy.
Five whole days later, the two of them put away their Alchemy Furnaces and walked out of the Pill Room together. Having gained some new insights, Ji Ying was in a jubilant mood and thus ordered his disciples to prepare a banquet to entertain Yang Kai.
This was in line with Yang Kai’s wish so he signalled to Xia Ning Chang with a look. Xia Ning Chang immediately understood his intentions and picked up a bottle of wine to pour them some drinks.
It was several rounds of drinks before Ji Ying slapped his head and said, “Where are my manners! I haven’t even asked for this lady’s name yet!”
While speaking, he turned to glance at Xia Ning Chang with an apologetic expression. Despite noticing that the relationship between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang was a bit unusual, Ji Ying had quickly become fully engrossed in his Alchemy. Aside from Alchemy, the only other thing in his head was Yang Kai, the person he was discussing this matter with, which was still related to Alchemy. He completely neglected Xia Ning Chang the whole time and didn’t even notice that she was serving their drinks by the side until this moment.
“This is my beloved wife, Xia Ning Chang.” Yang Kai smiled slightly and introduced them.
Xia Ning Chang bowed elegantly, “Greetings, Grandmaster Ji Ying!” Her face was slightly flushed as it was the first time Yang Kai had introduced her to an outsider in that manner.
“Madam Yang!?” Ji Ying was startled. [The person who has been pouring me wine is Yang Kai’s Wife!?]
Ji Ying seemed at a loss and hurriedly stood up, “W-What have I done? Please sit down!” [If I had known this Xia Ning Chang was Yang Kai’s wife, I would never have let her do such menial tasks! Isn’t that like slapping Brother Yang’s face!? Luckily he doesn’t seem to mind…]
“I have been disrespectful. Allow me to offer this toast to you as an apology, Madam Yang! Please forgive me for my lack of hospitality!” Ji Ying lifted his wine glass and drank its content down.
“Brother Ji, you are being too serious about this, it’s just a minor matter.” Yang Kai smiled and waved dismissively.
Ji Ying looked at Yang Kai with a bitter smile, “Brother Yang, how could you allow me to make such a fool of myself, bringing your wife here without saying anything and making me look bad? You have to drink three cups of wine as punishment later!”
“It is as you say, Brother Ji.” Yang Kai smiled before continuing, “But, there’s no hurry to start drinking just yet. I actually have something to ask of you, Brother Ji, and it concerns my wife.”
Ji Ying said, “Feel free to speak up whenever you need my help, Brother Yang. I won’t refuse as long as I can help.”
“This matter is definitely something only you can do, Brother Ji.” Yang Kai smiled confidently and pointed to Xia Ning Chang, “It’s like this… Ning Chang has also been practising Alchemy ever since she started cultivating. She loves Alchemy more than fighting and cultivation.”
“Oh? Sister-In-Law is an Alchemist too?” Ji Ying studied Xia Ning Chang seriously but frowned slightly a moment later. As an Emperor Alchemist, he could tell if somebody studied the same field as him with a glance. That was because an Alchemist would have a unique air around them. This was especially true for those who dealt with different fires and herbs all year round; there would definitely be traces that could not be removed completely. Oddly, he could not find any of these traces on Xia Ning Chang at all of her dealing with flames, though he could clearly smell the scent of various pills coming from her, which made him suspicious.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “It’s just that she has just arrived from a Lower Star Field where the conditions were very limited. She also had nobody to teach her about Alchemy, so now that I finally managed to bring her here, I was hoping that she could study the Alchemic Dao from you, Brother Ji.”
Ji Ying replied, “Brother Yang, your achievements in Alchemy are no worse than mine; moreover, you are husband and wife. Would it not be simpler for you to teach her? Why bother going around the sun to reach the moon?”
Yang Kai smiled wryly, “You think too highly of me, Brother Ji. As you know, I don’t have the time to teach her.”
Upon hearing those words, Ji Ying knew that Yang Kai was speaking the truth. He had been in High Heaven Palace for quite a long time now, but even so, he practically never saw Yang Kai around. Yang Kai’s whereabouts were a constant unknown, so how could he have the time to teach others?
Thus, Ji Ying nodded lightly, “If that’s the case, I don’t mind helping. But…” Before Ji Ying could continue his sentence, Yang Kai cut him off and winked at Xia Ning Chang, “Ning Chang, come and greet your Honoured Master!”
Not only was Ji Ying in the Emperor Realm, but he was also an Emperor Alchemist, so he was more than qualified to be Xia Ning Chang’s Master. Even if he and Yang Kai referred to each other as brothers, their relationship would not be affected if Ji Ying simply taught Xia Ning Chang casually.
Ji Ying was a Legacy Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, and learned the Alchemic Dao from Wondrous Pill Great Emperor personally, so if Xia Ning Chang could learn from him, she would surely gain greatly from the experience even if it was slight.
However, it was different if Ji Ying took her on as a formal Disciple. That would mean he was obligated to teach her everything he knew without any reservations. Comparing those two options, it was natural that Yang Kai wanted Xia Ning Chang to become Ji Ying’s Disciple. Suffering a small loss in terms of hierarchy was nothing compared to that.
Before coming here, Yang Kai had informed Xia Ning Chang in advance of his plans; hence, she knew what she had to do right now and quickly tried to bow. Before she could speak though, Ji Ying waved his hand and an invisible force supported her to forcefully prevent her from bowing before him.
“Brother Yang…” Ji Ying looked at Yang Kai helplessly. Waving his hand about, he continued, “I can’t. I can’t.”
If he really accepted Xia Ning Chang as a Disciple, then what would become of the relationship between him and Yang Kai? What’s more; he was not just an ordinary Emperor Alchemist, he represented Medicine Pill Valley. It was not possible for him to randomly take in Disciples at will. He had to receive approval from Medicine Pill Valley first.
In addition, he had no intention of accepting more disciples. It was okay to ask him to teach Xia Ning Chang; however, accepting Disciples was an important affair. How could it be done so carelessly? Even if Xia Ning Chang was Yang Kai’s wife, Ji Ying didn’t dare to take her in as a disciple without even knowing her aptitude; otherwise, it would be Medicine Pill Valley’s reputation at risk if things went wrong.
Ji Ying already had several disciples under him, but each one of them was elite among the elites. Over time, each of them was likely to become an Emperor Alchemist.
“Why not? Could it be that you are unwilling, Brother Ji?” Yang kai thought to himself. [I’ve already said so much, so how can I let you escape so easily? You have to take her in as your Disciple. I’ll make you do it even if you don’t want to!]
“It’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just…” Ji Ying was extremely conflicted, “There are rules in place, so I cannot take in Disciples at will. I will need to report this matter to Eldest Senior Brother first.”
Although Medicine Pill Valley was where Wondrous Pill Great Emperor cultivated in retreat, the old man was not in charge of everyday matters. Currently, the person in charge of Medicine Pill Valley was the Eldest Disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, the man Ji Ying addressed as ‘Eldest Senior Brother’.
“There are such rules?” Yang Kai was stunned, but at the same time, he knew that Ji Ying would not lie to him. He also understood that various obstacles had appeared in his plan.
“That’s right. Otherwise, I would not refuse this request. Why don’t we do this instead, Brother Yang? I can teach Sister-In-Law Alchemy, but we won’t have the status of Master and Disciple between us.”
Yang Kai was greatly reluctant to accept that offer. [What if he isn’t serious about teaching her? How much can she learn?]
Worried, he tentatively asked, “Does Medicine Pill Valley still accept disciples?”
How could Ji Ying not know what Yang Kai was trying to do? As such, he gave a troubled smile, “The Valley has not taken in any new disciples for the past 500 years. However, Eldest Senior Brother will not refuse if the person has extraordinary aptitude.”
Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai became happy and called out, “Ning Chang, demonstrate your skills for Brother Ji.”
Ji Ying stared at Yang Kai in amazement, finding all this rather hard to believe. From what he could see, there were no traces of Xia Ning Chang practising Alchemy; however, Yang Kai seemed to be extremely confident about her skills. Unfortunately, things had already come to this, so Ji Ying could not put a stop to the matter anymore. It was all down to Xia Ning Chang now.
[If her aptitude is even the slightest bit acceptable, I will go back and beg Eldest Senior Brother to accept her into Medicine Pill Valley. I should at least do that for Yang Kai.]
“Then, please excuse me.” Xia Ning Chang said softly before she took out some herbs from her Space Ring. They were all herbs of the Origin King Grade as there were no higher grade herbs in the Star Field. Just this action alone though made Ji Ying’s eyes brighten.
With Ji Ying’s insight, it was easy for him to tell that Xia Ning Chang was only in the Third-Order Origin King Realm, but even so, Xia Ning Chang was taking out Origin King Grade herbs. Her actions indicated that she was going to refine an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill, which was probably the limit for a cultivator from a Lower Star Field.
In other words, Yang Kai’s Wife was an Origin King Rank Alchemist.
[Perhaps… I can look forward to this a bit.] Ji Ying secretly nodded to himself and silently began paying attention.
In the meantime, Xia Ning Chang gently picked up one of the herbs, and at that moment, the aura around her changed drastically and became extremely focused. It was as though the only thing left in the world was the herb in front of her right now and nothing else.
Alchemy required incredible concentration, and one could not become easily disturbed or distracted. That was an essential quality for every Alchemist.
Seeing this, Ji Ying nodded to himself again. Regardless of her Alchemy aptitude, her performance alone would deserve some merit.
In the next moment though, Ji Ying’s brow furrowed deeply because Xia Ning Chang was controlling her Saint Qi to wrap around the herbs in her hand directly. Furthermore, her Saint Qi did not remain constant and instead fluctuated freely. Both the amount and the strength of her Saint Qi constantly increased and decreased without a fixed pattern.
Under the influence of these fluctuations, an emerald aura soon seeped out of the herb and a clear medicinal liquid began to condense.
[She is not using an Alchemy Furnace!?] A strange look flashed across Ji Ying’s eyes. An excellent Alchemist did not need to use an Alchemy Furnace when refining Spirit Pills they were very familiar with. They could simply refine it in the air. Nevertheless, that process required the skill of the Alchemist to be extremely high. Moreover, the Spirit Pill they were refining could not be of too high of a grade.
For example, an Emperor Alchemist like him did not need to use an Alchemy Furnace when refining a Dao Source Grade Spirit Pill. Be that as it may, the quality and number of those pills would be affected even if he could complete the refinement successfully.
An Alchemy Furnace was the life of an Alchemist. Those weren’t just empty words. Regardless of how good or bad the Alchemy Furnace was, it was the most essential tool necessary to assist an Alchemist in refining.
Xia Ning Chang was in the Origin King Realm; therefore, refining an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill was her limit in the first place, and yet, she was going to refine the pill in the air without the help of an Alchemy Furnace. That made Ji Ying a little unhappy. Even if she wanted to show off a thing or two in front of him, she should not go overboard. This wasn’t a good mindset to have as an Alchemist. She was sacrificing substance for style, a mentality that would limit her future prospects.
If it had been anybody else, Ji Ying would have reprimanded them for their actions already. He only managed to stop himself from doing so at the thought that this young lady was Yang Kai’s wife. Unfortunately, the hope he previously had for her vanished.
In the next moment though, he was again stunned. That was because he sensed that her Saint Qi was not of the Fire Attribute. [What is she doing!? It’s bad enough she is refining without an Alchemy Furnace, but now, she isn’t even going to use a fire!? How is she going to perform Alchemy!? Does she take Alchemy for a children’s game that she can fool around with!?]
Unable to take it anymore, he turned to look at Yang Kai.
But contrary to expectations, Yang Kai was smiling and he meaningfully said, “Just watch, Brother Ji. You will come to understand later.”
Ji Ying frowned, but he had no choice but to let nature run its course while pondering how he could refuse Yang Kai’s previous proposal without wounding the latter’s pride or the friendship between them. [This is very difficult. If Yang Kai had brought anybody else, I could have rejected the request outright, but this woman is his wife! If I handle this poorly, it might form a rift between us!]
Meanwhile, Xia Ning Chang’s Saint Qi surged and the herb which was tumbling before her gradually began to shrivel up as a pearl-sized emerald green liquid sphere was extracted from it.
Ji Ying’s abruptly eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed out loud, “How is this possible!?”
The first step in refining Spirit Pills was to condense medicinal liquid from the required Spirit Herbs. Generally, an Alchemist would use an Alchemy Furnace and intense flames to do so; however, Yang Kai’s wife used neither. Even so, she magically managed to condense the medicinal liquid of that herb.
He turned to look at Yang Kai in shock only to see that Yang Kai’s expression was indifferent, as though he had expected this outcome.
[What is going on? How did Young Lady Xia manage to condense the medicinal liquid without the help of an Alchemy Furnace or any kind of fire at all!?] Unable to believe his eyes, Ji Ying silently spread out his Divine Sense only to have his eyes widen again.
This was indeed medicinal liquid, and moreover… it was extremely pure! The pearl-sized green medicinal liquid drop did not contain any impurities whatsoever. It was pure and flawless. Plus, the medicinal properties were extremely well preserved without any hint of damage. The shock to his heart was extraordinary as he felt as though what he just saw overturned his lifetime of knowledge and experience.
With his current skills, Ji Ying could achieve the same results as Xia Ning Chang with the same Origin King Grade herb; however, he would need to use an Alchemy Furnace and an appropriate flame to achieve that. Moreover, he was an Emperor Alchemist while Xia Ning Chang was only an Origin King Rank Alchemist. The gap between those two was so wide that they were simply incomparable.
Ji Ying never imagined that an Origin King Rank Alchemist could condense medicinal liquid to the extent where it was above their limit. At the very least, he couldn’t have achieved this when he was an Origin King Rank Alchemist himself.
The purity of the medicinal liquid directly affected the quality of the Spirit Pill that was produced. The higher the purity and quality of the medicinal liquid, the smoother the subsequent refining process would become and the better the end result would be. In this step, Xia Ning Chang had undoubtedly reached a state of perfection.
Ji Ying glanced at the withered Origin King Grade herb in her hand next and determined that all the medicinal efficacies contained in it had been fully extracted without any wastage.
It was already amazing how she could condense such a pure medicinal liquid without the help of an Alchemy Furnace or any kind of flame, but she was even able to extract every last bit of medicinal efficacy from the Spirit Herb she was working with. It could be said that Ji Ying had never met an Alchemist like Xia Ning Chang before. Even those disciples under him that he had great expectations for could not compare to her. If he were to score her on this stage of Alchemy, and 10 was a perfect score, then he would give her 9 points, deducting one point solely out of fear that she would become overconfident.
He could not figure out how she managed to achieve this simply because it went against everything that he knew. Calming himself down, he continued to watch her. The rest of the herbs were being condensed into individual balls of medicinal liquid now, and it did not take long before she completely condensed all of the medicinal liquids necessary.
Ji Ying was amazed at her achievements. Furthermore, he realized that the first time she condensed such pure medicinal liquid had not been a lucky accident. That was because all the medicinal efficacies of the other herbs she processed had been condensed completely without the slightest trace of wastage.
The dissatisfaction and contempt in his heart had vanished and he now focused all his attention on Xia Ning Chang’s movements without moving. Ji Ying was afraid he might miss out on some of the finer details of her methods. Even if he couldn’t quite figure out how she managed to achieve this, the visual and sensory impact was still incredibly pleasurable to watch as a Senior Alchemist.
After condensing the medicinal liquids, it was time to portray Spirit Arrays to temper and merge them together. Thus, Ji Ying thought to himself, [At this point, she should be taking out her Alchemy Furnace, right? That performance just now was enough to prove her ability.]
But contrary to his expectations, Xia Ning Chang continued without taking out her Alchemy Furnace. She simply spread out her hands slightly and wrapped the pearl-sized medicinal liquid drops with Saint Qi, suspending them between her palms. When her Saint Qi churned again, those balls of medicinal liquid began to dance quickly. They spun around a point in space that acted as the centre without stopping while her palms acted as the boundaries. During this process, the droplets merged and blended over and over again until something strange happened.
At this point, Ji Ying was completely speechless. All he could understand was that the way Yang Kai’s wife refined Spirit Pills was completely different from any form of Alchemy that he knew. It was far beyond what he could even imagine. Using his Divine Sense to observe the changes in the medicinal liquid, the expressions on his face constantly shifted from astonishment, to shock, to amazement… all sorts of expressions flashed across his face.
A quarter of an hour quickly passed by when the blended medicinal liquid that had been rotating between Xia Ning Chang’s palms suddenly slowed down. With Ji Ying’s perception, he could clearly tell that all the different medicinal liquids had been completely fused with one another without any kind of incompatibility or waste.
Holding the semi-finished pill in one hand, Xia Ning Chang suddenly knit her brow and pondered something for a moment, after which she suddenly changed the array that she had been using with her free hand and pushed her Saint Qi in a pulsing manner.
“This is…” Ji Ying stood up abruptly as the Alchemy Technique she was currently using was none other than his newly developed Pill Condensing Technique! He had discussed the technique with Yang Kai over the past five days and used it to refine roughly twenty Spirit Pills, but that was all. He couldn’t believe she learned his new technique completely just by watching them for five days! Not only did she learn it, but was even able to apply what she learned immediately!
Ji Ying became more and more excited as he instinctively realized he had stumbled upon a hidden gem.
Her excellent and unique Alchemy skills could be explained away as having been acquired through great amounts of practical experience; after all, Xia Ning Cheng had indeed been practising the Alchemic Dao for a long time. However, learning Ji Ying’s new Pill Condensing Technique in just five days and applying it now proved that her comprehension and aptitude had reached an astonishing, near Heaven-defying height.
Naturally, Ji Ying could tell that the Pill Condensing Technique she was using was not perfect. There were some flaws in the execution, and some parts were rather stiff compared to when he was using it, but those small flaws did not obscure the brilliance of this feat. She had simply been watching from the side for five days, and he didn’t even teach her anything about this technique, but despite that, she was capable of executing it to a practical extent. If she was this good when she was simply observing, how much more would she improve if he actually taught her himself? Compared to her, the disciples he had high hopes for weren’t worth anything!
Upon executing the final portion of the Alchemy Technique, the medicinal liquid in Xia Ning Chang’s hands split into seven orbs. Those seven balls of medicinal liquid spun continuously, gradually solidifying and drying.
Once the dust had settled, there were seven round, snow-white pills rolling around in her palm.
“Please have a look, Grandmaster.” She said softly as she placed the seven Spirit Pills on the table and retreated behind Yang Kai.
Ji Ying immediately widened his eyes at the sight. Grabbing the seven Spirit Pills, he studied them carefully.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had been observing Ji Ying’s expressions the entire time, so how could he not notice the changes in the latter’s demeanour? Lifting his gaze, he smiled and winked at Xia Ning Chang, signalling that she had done well.
“Pill Veins!” Ji Ying exclaimed. Two out of the seven pills actually formed Pill Veins! This was such an amazing ratio that even he felt dazed with shock for a moment.
Pill Veins were the best proof of an Alchemist’s skills. Unfortunately, it was something that could only happen by chance. If Pill Veins appeared on a Spirit Pill during the process of refinement, then both the medicinal efficacies and the value of that Spirit Pill would at least double. That was because the medicinal efficacies of a Spirit Pill that formed Pill Veins would not fade away no matter how much time passed as long as the pill was stored properly. The patterns on the surface of the Spirit Pill were akin to the meridians in a Human’s body that locked in the medicinal efficacies and prevented them from waning.
It was even more remarkable if Pill Clouds appeared. Pill Clouds not only had the same preservative and enhancement effects as Pill Veins, but they could also actively absorb World Energy to nourish the Spirit Pill. The longer such a pill was stored, the more powerful its medicinal efficacies became. Hence, the medicinal efficacies contained in the Spirit Pill that formed Pill Clouds would be terrifying if it was stored for thousands or tens of thousands of years.
Pill Veins were already considered rare coincidences, so what more needed to be said about Pill Clouds? Pill Clouds were an absolute rarity. Whenever Ji Ying refined Spirit Pills, he might occasionally produce a Spirit Pill with Pill Veins, but a Spirit Pill with Pill Clouds… he had never produced one before.
On the other hand, his Fourth Senior Sister had once had a stroke of good fortune and managed to refine a Spirit Pill with Pill Clouds. However, it was only an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill. She was already an Emperor Alchemist at the time, so refining an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill was as simple as breathing for her. Still, she received the praise of their Honoured Master for that achievement and had kept that special Spirit Pill hidden like a precious treasure till this day. It would probably become a family heirloom and be passed on from generation to generation.
Xia Ning Chang had refined an Origin King Grade Spirit Pill, which was her limit. After all, she was only an Origin King Rank Alchemist. Producing seven pills in itself was an amazing outcome, but she also produced two pills among them that had Pill Veins.
Ji Ying was thoroughly shocked by the results. One could have been passed off as luck, but two? Can two be produced by pure luck? Wasn’t that a bit too much for a mere coincidence?
He carefully confirmed that he was not mistaken. Both definitely had formed Pill Veins.
The medicinal efficacies of both Spirit Pills with Pill Veins were more than twice as potent as the other five. Such results were even rarer than producing nine pills all at once.
Ji Ying also realized that the reason why she only produced seven pills was that she did not fully understand the Pill Condensing Technique, the last step in the refinement. After all, it was the first time she was using it. If she had more time for her to completely comprehend the new Pill Condensing Technique, how could she not produce a full nine pills?
Taking a deep breath, Ji Ying put down the two Pill Veined Spirit Pills and looked at the remaining five with an amazed expression. When she had condensed the perfect medicinal liquid, he had expected that the quality of the Spirit Pills would be quite good, and in fact aside from those two Spirit Pills with Pill Veins, the remaining five were also of the best quality. It felt as though she was only one step away from producing Pill Veins in all the pills.
[Madam Yang doesn’t just have great aptitude; she is a genius among geniuses! I’m afraid she is far more talented than Yang Kai!] Recalling her various Alchemic performances just now, Ji Ying suddenly lifted his head and glanced at her blankly as an incredible idea flashed through his head, “Madam Yang… Do you possess the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body?”
When Ji Ying pointed out the truth, Xia Ning Chang nodded lightly in response while Yang Kai laughed out loud, “Brother Ji, you sure have sharp eyes!”
“No wonder. No wonder…” Ji Ying smiled bitterly. No wonder she was able to refine in the air with such precision and excellence without the need for an Alchemy Furnace or flame attribute energy. It was because she had the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body! [How embarrassing; I can’t believe I thought she was trying to show off in front of me. I finally know the whole story now. Why would somebody with the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body need a furnace or flames? Her very being is the best pill furnace there is and her Saint Qi is superior to any kind of fire!]
He then turned to look at Yang Kai and whined at the injustice of it all, “Brother Yang, why did you hide this from me? I nearly made a fool of myself because of my ignorance!”
Yang Kai blinked innocently, “Seeing is believing. You might not believe what you hear. Brother Ji, what do you think of my wife?”
Ji Ying solemnly replied, “This Ji is inferior!”
It wasn’t flattery; it was simply the truth. He suddenly recalled the records he once read in some ancient books. There were countless peculiar Special Constitutions in this world, and every one had its own uniqueness. However, for an Alchemist, the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was the most coveted. That was because that kind of physique was specifically made for Alchemy. For those with the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, practising Alchemy was akin to breathing, an innate ability they were born with.
It did not matter that he currently had higher Alchemy skills and rank than her. Once she grew, Ji Ying would be no match for her, even his four Senior Brothers and Sister under Wondrous Pill Great Emperor could not compare to her. With time, she might even be able to reach the height of his Honoured Master and truly become one with the Alchemic Dao.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment as he had not expected Xia Ning Chang to receive such a high evaluation from Ji Ying. A proud expression appeared on his face as he laughed heartily, “Brother Ji, you praise us too much! We still have much to learn from you.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “Does that mean I can take it that you are willing to take my wife as your disciple, Brother Ji?”
[With such a high evaluation, it shouldn’t be difficult for Ji Ying to take Xia Ning Chang under his wing.]
Every famous Master would yearn to have talented disciples under them. Ji Ying was one of the most prestigious Emperor Alchemists in the Star Boundary. Just as the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor must pass on his mantle eventually, Ji Ying must have had similar thoughts too. Unfortunately, famous Masters were everywhere while talented disciples were rare. Xia Ning Chang was, without a double, an excellent choice.
Yang Kai originally thought that Ji Ying would agree to the proposal with great enthusiasm, but to his surprise, he saw Ji Ying frowning deeply and looking troubled so he asked suspiciously, “Brother Ji, are you still worried about the rules of Medicine Pill Valley?”
“No.” Ji Ying waved his hand dismissively, “With such amazing aptitude combined with the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, I’m sure Eldest Senior Brother will warmly welcome Madam Yang into Medicine Pill Valley.”
“If that’s the case, why do you have such a troubled expression, Brother Ji?” Yang Kai was bewildered. [I’m willing to go so far as to send Xia Ning Chang to Medicine Pill Valley to learn the Alchemic Dao for the sake of her future even though being apart is such a painful experience. So, why is he hesitating? Shouldn’t he accept her while jumping for joy instead?]
Ji Ying did not answer for a long time while his expression fluctuated. After hesitating for quite a long time, he finally made up his mind and resolutely declared, “Brother Yang, I want to introduce Sister-In-Law to my Honoured Master.”
“To Wondrous Pill Great Emperor?” Yang Kai was stunned, but a moment later, he exclaimed in shock, “Brother Ji, you don’t mean…”
“I’m afraid only Honoured Master is qualified to teach Sister-In-Law.” Ji Ying declared solemnly. If he was being honest, he really wanted to accept Xia Ning Chang as his Disciple and nurture her carefully. It would surely reflect well on him with a Disciple like her. Unfortunately, the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was so rare and conveyed such advantages that he would not be able to teach her for long. It would be embarrassing as her Master if he was inferior to his Disciple soon after taking her in. Besides, taking her on as his Disciple would mess up the hierarchy in his relationship with Yang Kai.
That was why he said what he said. If he could make her a disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, then they would be Senior Brother and Junior Sister. That way, it would not be awkward to meet with Yang Kai in the future.
Yang Kai looked excited and exclaimed, “Brother Ji, I really can’t thank you enough for your kindness…”
If Yang Kai was being honest, it wasn’t as if he never thought about making Xia Ning Chang the disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor; however, Wondrous Pill Great Emperor was not somebody he could meet just because he wanted to, much less put up a request for him to become Xia Ning Chang’s Master. It just so happened that Ji Ying was at High Heaven Palace, so he decided to approach Ji Ying instead. Who could have known that Ji Ying would voluntarily bring such a proposal up? It was truly something to rejoice about.
Yang Kai hurriedly turned to Xia Ning Chang and said, “Little Senior Sister, quickly thank Brother Ji.”
Xia Ning Chang had just arrived in the Star Boundary, so she had no idea who Wondrous Pill Great Emperor was. Even so, she understood that he must be an extraordinary existence from Yang Kai’s reaction; thus, she hurriedly paid her thanks but Ji Ying lifted his hand to stop her, “Wait, wait!”
Yang Kai solemnly said, “Brother Ji is so kind, how can I express our gratitude with just a simple word of thanks!? Brother Ji, please don’t refuse.”
Ji Ying smiled bitterly, “I’m not refusing, It’s just… I don’t have much confidence in this matter. Please don’t blame me if this doesn’t succeed.”
“Not much confidence?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Why do you say that?”
Ji Ying replied, “It’s like this… Honoured Master has accepted five disciples so far, and I am his youngest disciple, as well as his last disciple! Back when Honoured Master took me under his wing, he once mentioned that he would never take in another disciple again.”
After hearing that explanation, Yang Kai understood why Ji Ying had such a troubled expression. Ji Ying had the intention to introduce Xia Ning Chang to Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, but the issue was that the old man had already declared he would not take in another disciple. The words of a Great Emperor held enormous weight, so how could he break them so easily?
The only hope was for Xia Ning Chang to have enough aptitude and prospects that Wondrous Pill Great Emperor would willingly go against his own word to accept her. Nevertheless, her Sacred Spirit Medicine Body was undoubtedly her greatest trump card. Otherwise, Ji Ying would never take the initiative to mention something like this. As a disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, it was impossible for him to discredit his Honoured Master. It was just that he couldn’t bear to leave such a precious pearl lying in the dust.
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai exclaimed.
Ji Ying continued, “I can only promise to try my best. As to whether it will work…”
Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Brother Ji, please allow my wife and I to offer our thanks for your kindness in advance. It doesn’t matter whether this matter is successful or not, we will forever be grateful to you.”
Ji Ying smiled, “If you don’t have any objections then I will leave for Medicine Pill Valley immediately.”
“This matter is not that urgent…” Yang Kai said without actually meaning it.
Ji Ying replied, “You may not be anxious about it, but I am!”
After saying that, he stood up and walked outside with long strides.
“Do you need my wife to go with you?” Yang Kai asked.
“Not yet. I will try to feel out Honoured Master’s attitude first. If it seems possible, then it won’t be too late to bring Sister-In-Law to the valley.” The point was that he had no confidence in this matter. If his Honoured Master refused to even meet Xia Ning Chang, then it would be very humiliating for her.
Thus, Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang saw him off outside the great hall.
“I hope everything goes smoothly.” Ji Ying muttered before shooting straight into the sky. He instantly disappeared from view, seemingly to be in a great rush and not willing to delay in the slightest.
Looking in the direction Ji Ying had left, Yang Kai clenched his fists lightly and exclaimed excitedly, “If this works out, then you will have a powerful backer in the future, Little Senior Sister!”
If she could become the disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, then nobody would ever dare to provoke her again regardless of where she went in the Star Boundary. The weight behind Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s current five disciples was so terrifying that nobody would dare to challenge them.
“Junior Brother, who is… Wondrous Pill Great Emperor?” Xia Ning Chang asked softly.
Yang Kai smiled, “I haven’t had the time to explain this to you in detail. Hmm… Let’s call Su Yan, Luo’er, and Xue’er. It’s a good chance to tell you all about the current situation in the Star Boundary.
Reaching out to grab her waist, he flew towards the Main Peak where he lived. His hands were naturally a little naughty since he was in a good mood, causing Xia Ning Chang to blush furiously as she bit her thin lips with an expression of shame.
Ji Ying was extremely efficient so Yang Kai only waited at High Heaven Palace for less than five days before Ji Ying rushed back in a hurry and headed straight to the Main Peak, High Heaven Peak.
“Brother Ji, how did it go?” Yang Kai couldn’t read the situation from Ji Ying’s expression, so he asked anxiously.
Ji Ying replied, “Honoured Master has agreed to meet Sister-In-Law.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed by that answer, but he also knew that Wondrous Pill Great Emperor would not take in a disciple so carelessly. Just the fact that Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had agreed to meet Xia Ning Chang meant that they had a chance. If he refused to even meet them, then Yang Kai could only give up on this idea; thankfully, there was still a glimmer of hope.
“If Sister-In-Law is not busy with anything right now, then let us set off immediately. We cannot let Honoured Master wait for long.” Ji Ying did not want to delay a single moment to return to Medicine Pill Valley.
“Many thanks, Brother Ji.” Yang Kai bowed slightly with one hand on his chest. Xia Ning Chang walked out from behind him then they reluctantly said their goodbyes.
They had just reunited not long ago, and now they were about to be separated again; moreover, it would not be easy for them to meet again if and once she entered Medicine Pill Valley. Even so, that was the best place for her to be in the long run.
[After she has learnt enough, she can always come back, and we have a long future together. So, stop worrying. Don’t keep thinking of making her stay.]
Afterwards, Ji Ying took out his boat artifact, boarded it with Xia Ning Chang, and shot off into the sky in a stream of light.
Yang Kai stood in front of the main hall and watched their departure. A long time passed before he retracted his gaze. Su Yan, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue were standing behind him. Composing himself, he turned and asked, “Luo’er, are you sure you don’t want to go to the Ancient Wild Lands?”
Over the past few days, he had given the four women a rough explanation of the situation in the Star Boundary. He had arranged for Xia Ning Chang to enter Medicine Pill Valley. As for Shan Qing Luo; the best place for her to go was the Ancient Wild Lands. Although she was born a Human, she had the Monster Race’s bloodline in her as well as the Source Strength of the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, so the most suitable place for her to increase her cultivation in the Star Boundary was undoubtedly the Ancient Wild Lands.
He believed that if he sent her to the Ancient Wild Lands, the Three Great Divine Venerables would not have much to say about it. It went without saying that it was useless even if they were against the idea. Surprisingly though, she didn’t seem to have such intentions. On the contrary, she seemed happy to stay and cultivate in High Heaven Palace. He even had a vague guess for her reasoning. She was worried that Xue Yue might get lonely, so she was staying to keep her company.
“I’m not going.” Shan Qing Luo smiled, “As long as I have the heart and the will, it makes no difference where I cultivate.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “Fair enough.”
At present, High Heaven Palace had no shortage of cultivation resources, so even if she did not go to the Ancient Wild Lands, it would not negatively affect her cultivation pace; thus, he did not force the issue since she was not willing to go. Turning to look at Su Yan, he said, “Let’s go to Ice Heart Valley, then.”
After saying that, his figure moved as he headed towards the Space Array at a high speed with Su Yan following closely behind him.
A short while later, the Space Array located in the once Restricted Area on the Ice Island of Ice Heart Valley lit up brightly.
Ice Heart Valley’s disciples guarding the area noticed the changes and went to investigate the situation. When they got a grasp of what had happened, they reported it to their higher-ups.
Yang Kai rarely came to Ice Heart Valley, but all the Elders and many of the disciples could recognize him; after all, it was Yang Kai who turned the tide and saved Ice Heart Valley from the catastrophe they were facing just over a decade ago. On the other hand, his position in the hearts of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples was almost transcendent. Otherwise, how could a man like him enter a place where only women gathered so easily? Normally, they would kill any man who dared to contaminate this paradise.
A quarter-hour later, Yang Kai met with Bing Yun in a large hall. There was nobody else with her except Ji Yao, who served next to her.
Yang Kai felt troubled the moment he saw Ji Yao as just the sight of her brought up memories of the embarrassing incident between them in the Ancient Wild Lands.
Similarly, Ji Yao had a strange expression on her face too. She smiled at him, but the smile was not reflected in her eyes. It made him extremely uncomfortable and gave him the feeling that she was hiding something she wanted to say in her gaze.
Shifting his eyes away, he cupped his fists, “Yang Kai greets Senior.”
Bing Yun smiled and replied in a gentle voice, “Why are you acting like such an outsider? Boy, why have you not visited this place for more than ten years?”
Before he could reply, Ji Yao insultingly interjected, “Palace Master Yang is an important and busy man. He only interacts with the noble and the rich. Why would he think of this desolate and small Ice Heart Valley?”
Yang Kai lifted his gaze and glanced at Ji Yao. [I’ve never done anything to provoke you before, why are your words so harsh?]
Even Bing Yun glanced at her Third Disciple upon hearing those words.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Junior Sister Yao, I trust you’ve been well since we last met.”
Ji Yao stretched out her hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. Then, she lightly replied, “Last time, it was ‘Yao’er’, but now, it has changed to ‘Junior Sister’.”
This time around, the corners of his brow twitched at those words. Even Bing Yun’s eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness before she lifted a hand and spoke up, “Don’t act so distant. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Ji Yao added, “There is no tea for guests. Please forgive our discourtesy, Palace Master Yang.”
“Aha.. ha… haa…” Aside from giving a dry chuckle, he had no idea how else he should react to her words.
Meanwhile, Bing Yun couldn’t take it anymore and glared at Ji Yao, with the latter lowering her eyes with a docile look in response.
“This is…” Bing Yun glanced at Su Yan, who was standing behind Yang Kai, with a strange look. She secretly thought to herself. [Ji Yao’s cold attitude probably has something to do with this woman this little boy brought with him….]
Thinking so, Bing Yun couldn’t help asking out of curiosity.
Su Yan stepped forward and bowed slightly with her fists cupped, “Su Yan greets the Ancestral Founder!”
“Ancestral Founder?” Bing Yun was taken aback by those words. Similarly, Ji Yao lifted her head to look at Su Yan curiously.
“That is…” Bing Yun’s eyes suddenly shone with a different light and her gaze fixed on the sword hanging by Su Yan’s side with a stunned look. Beckoning with her hand, the sword flew into her grasp. She held the hilt of the sword and pulled it from its sheath with a sharp sound. The large hall was instantly filled with a cold yet dazzling light while at the same time, a freezing aura spread out.
“Profound Frost!” Bing Yun muttered in surprise. This sword originally belonged to her. It was the sword she used when she was the Valley Master of Ice Heart Valley on Scarlet Wave Star in Heng Luo Star Field. She had left the sword behind in Ice Heart Valley when she later left the Star Field to head for the Star Boundary. Even after more than ten thousand years though, and even though Profound Frost had undergone tremendous changes, Bing Yun could still tell with a glance that this was the sword she had used back then.
“Yes, Ancestral Founder. It is Profound Frost!” Su Yan replied respectfully.
Bing Yun glanced up at Su Yan and asked, “Are you from Heng Luo Star Field?”
Since Profound Frost was here, it was not hard to guess where Su Yan had originated from.
Yang Kai smiled, “My wife once studied in Ice Heart Valley on Scarlet Wave Star for a while. Profound Frost was something she received from Ice Heart Valley back then.”
“Wife?” Bing Yun keenly caught the extremely intimate manner Yang Kai had addressed Su Yan. Similarly, a strange light flashed across Ji Yao’s eyes.
Stroking the sword edge lightly, Bing Yun recalled the memories of the past and couldn’t help sighing. A long while passed before she spoke again, “Profound Frost was only an Origin King Grade Artifact back then, but it is now a Dao Source Grade Artifact. Moreover, it seems to have gained spirituality. It seems that leaving the sword in your hands has not been a disservice to it.”
Returning the sword to its sheath, Bing Yun lifted her hand and returned Profound Frost to Su Yan. Although it was something she used to own, Profound Frost was no longer useful to her so it was only natural that she would not snatch it from Su Yan, who brought it here with her.
Bing Yun turned to look at Yang Kai then and said, “Yang Kai, the reason you brought her here to me…”
Yang Kai grinned at her, “Su Yan can be regarded as a disciple of Ice Heart Valley on Scarlet Wave Star. Naturally, that makes her your disciple by extension, Senior. I simply brought her here to return to her roots.”
Bing Yun nodded lightly at those words as she could guess his intentions, “Good, I will take her in. Don’t worry, I will not neglect her.”
[Bing Yun sure is easy-going!] Although he knew that nothing would go wrong here, he had not expected Bing Yun to agree so readily. Compared to Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, Bing Yun was much more amiable. Nevertheless, Bing Yun was only a Third-Order Emperor, a far cry from Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s height. A Great Emperor should be extremely cautious in accepting disciples after all. What’s more; Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had already declared he would not take in more disciples.
Yang Kai winked at Su Yan, who immediately bowed once more, “Disciple greets Honoured Master!”
Ji Yao suddenly spoke up, “Honoured Master, you spend most of your time cultivating in retreat, so why not leave Little Junior Sister to me? I will take responsibility for her.”
Yang Kai was shocked and shifted his eyes abruptly to stare at Ji Yao, only to see that she was smiling at him with a cryptic grin. It gave him a bad feeling, but before he could say anything, Bing Yun nodded and said, “Good. If I am busy, I will leave Little Su Yan to you. Please take good care of her.”
“Of course. I won’t disappoint you, Honoured Master.” Ji Yao replied respectfully before turning to look at Su Yan and saying, “Little Junior Sister, this is our first time meeting each other. You may call me ‘Third Senior Sister’. You can also call me by my name. I am Ji Yao.”
“Greetings, Third Senior Sister!”
Ji Yao smiled, “Leave that to the future. Honoured Master has yet to take you in formally, but we will all be one family once the reception ceremony is over, so you don’t need to act so stiff and polite.”
“Yes.”
Yang Kai broke out in a cold sweat as he suddenly had the feeling that he was sending Su Yan into a lion’s den. However, it wasn’t the time nor occasion to regret his decision. Bing Yun had already agreed to take Su Yan in as her disciple; moreover, Su Yan was very suited to stay and cultivate in Ice Heart Valley, so what was the point of regretting now?
[Ji Yao won’t make things difficult for Su Yan, right?] Based on his understanding of Ji Yao, it shouldn’t come to that. That thought settled all the anxiety in his heart, so he added, “Senior, I returned to Heng Luo Star Field a short while ago and brought back a number of disciples from Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley. If you are willing to take them in, I will return immediately to arrange for them to be brought here.”
The people he brought with him when he left the Star Field were not just from Shadowed Star but from all the major Cultivation Stars. Needless to say, Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley had been one of those with preferential treatment, so almost the entire Sect had been relocated.
“You went back to the Star Field?” Bing Yun was shocked.
“Yes. It was a lucky coincidence.”
“How many people did you bring with you?”
“Senior, are you asking about Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley or the total number of people I brought back?”
“Of course, I’m asking about Ice Heart Valley.”
“Several thousands.”
Bing Yun was stunned as she initially thought that even if he had the ability to bring a few people back from the Star Field with him, it would not be more than a couple dozen. Hence, the number amounting to several thousand shocked her to the core. But soon, her eyes brightened and she asked, “Did you become the Star Field’s Master?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Senior has sharp eyes.”
She felt relieved by those words. [No wonder he can bring several thousands of people along with him. It’s because he became the Star Field Master and the Guardian of the Star Field. There is no other way to explain how he could bring so many people along with him aside from that.]
Frowning suddenly, Bing Yun said, “All Star Fields and the Star Boundary have their own respective rules. Only those in the Third-Order Origin King Realm can pass through the Starlight Corridor to arrive in this world after overcoming the obstacles in their path. Although I don’t know what method you used to bring them here, I’m afraid your actions will invite some trouble.”
Yang Kai replied, “Don’t worry, Senior. The fact that I dared to do this means that there won’t be any problems.”
If not for the fact that Yang Yan was Yang Kai’s direct superior, he would not have been able to pull this off. He would definitely have been caught and ultimately punished for his actions. In the worst case, he might even be deprived of his Star Field Master status; however, with Yang Yan’s protection, it was nothing for him to sneak a few people over.
“What about the total number?” Bing Yun suddenly realized something. If he brought over several thousands of people just from Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley alone, then the total must be even higher; after all, Yang Kai himself originated from the Star Field, so he couldn’t neglect taking care of his friends and family there.
“I think there were more than a hundred thousand…” He scratched his face.
Bing Yun was completely stunned while Ji Yao stared at him blankly. What was the scale of a hundred thousand people? The entire Ice Heart Valley only had a few thousand disciples. It didn’t even reach a population of ten thousand in total. Moreover, that was the result of continuously recruiting disciples over so many years. A hundred thousand was practically equivalent to several Ice Heart Valleys.
“Why did you bring so many people over?” Bing Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Can you afford to feed them?”
[It’s more than a hundred thousand people! Just the cultivation resources for everybody will amount to a terrifying figure! It has not been long since High Heaven Palace was established, how can they have such a large heritage to squander?] She couldn’t help but worry about his future.
Yang Kai chuckled, “There is no problem for the time being.”
Bing Yun was stunned for a moment before she nodded, “It seems that I have underestimated you. Since you have so many people on your side, let’s arrange for those from Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley to be sent over as soon as possible. That will be my contribution to sharing and reducing some of your burdens.”
Bing Yun would not have done this under normal circumstances; however, Scarlet Wave Star’s Ice Heart Valley was also a Sect she had established with her own hands in the past. Thus, she could not ignore those thousands of disciples that were essentially her disciples too. It was also better for those disciples’ cultivation if she took them into Ice Heart Valley.
“Many thanks, Senior.”
She smiled, “I should thank you instead. Since you have such deep pockets, there is nothing Ice Heart Valley can provide you as thanks other than this. In the future, I will teach Su Yan carefully to return your favour.”
That was clearly implying that Yang Kai had nothing to worry about as she would never treat Su Yan poorly.
On the other hand, Yang Kai seized the opportunity to make a request, smilingly speaking, “Senior, this Junior has a favour to request.”
Bing Yun asked, “What is it? As long as it isn’t too much… Let’s hear it.”
He made a bitter expression, “Senior, High Heaven Palace has only been established for a short time so its heritage cannot compare to that of other Sects in the Star Boundary. Putting aside the issue regarding cultivation resources since we can still live frugally, the disciples cannot rely solely on Source Crystals to cultivate. They need suitable Secret Arts and Secret Techniques. If they cultivate blindly without any direction, they will not survive in a fight against others no matter how high their cultivation. How humiliating will it be if they are killed by others with lower cultivation realms than themselves?”
Bing Yun looked at him in annoyance and declared, “Get to the point. Why are you beating around the bush!?”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “I was wondering if I could borrow some Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from Ice Heart Valley? As you know, there are bound to be all sorts of people among the many I brought with me, so I’m sure some of them will cultivate Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Techniques. We are currently lacking in these things right now.”
Bing Yun couldn’t help laughing, “You eliminated the Seeking Passion Sect and took away everything that belonged to them. Isn’t the heritage of a Sect that is several tens of thousands of years old not enough for you to use?” Speaking of which, the heritage of the Seeking Passion Sect was more impressive than that of Ice Heart Valley. It was a Sect created by a Great Emperor after all. Back then, the Seeking Passion Great Emperor was very influential. It was just that the Sect’s reputation gradually declined over the generations and in the end, was destroyed by Yang Kai.
Although Bing Yun did not know how much he benefited from annihilating the Seeking Passion Sect, the fact that he could afford to feed more than a hundred thousand people was a good indicator of how many cultivation resources he obtained. In that case, there must have been many Secret Arts and Secret Techniques too. She distinctly remembered that the library in Seeking Passion Sect was larger than Ice Heart Valley’s.
Yang Kai simply rubbed his hands together though, “Of course, it’s always better to have as many Secret Arts and Secret Techniques as possible. That way, the disciples will have more options to choose from, right? Of course, we can also do an exchange if you are interested. High Heaven Palace now has its own grand library. Senior can take whatever Secret Arts or Secret Techniques you fancy from there.”
Bing Yun waved her hand, “The disciples of Ice Heart Valley cultivate Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Ice Attribute Secret Techniques exclusively. Why would I want the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of others?”
“Senior, does that mean…”
She replied, “Won’t I look too stingy if I refuse your request?”
“Many thanks, Senior!” He broke into a broad smile.
She nodded before turning to the side, “Yao’er, bring him to the Cultivation Technique Pavilion to have a look. Aside from the restricted resources on the top level, he is free to go anywhere he pleases.”
Issuing a command like this right in front of Yang Kai was a clear indicator that she did not treat him as an outsider. As for those restricted resources; they were the core foundation of Ice Heart Valley itself which even its own disciples could not freely access. Only the future leaders and promising talents of the Sect were qualified to study those records; thus, it was only natural that she could not allow him to take them away.
“Uh… I can go by myself. I don’t need to trouble Junior Sister Yao.”
Ji Yao chuckled, “It’s not up to you. Honoured Master has already decreed it to be so. Senior Brother Yang, please come with me.” She smiled and walked over. Brushing past him, leaving a touch of fragrance lingering in his nose like something tangible.
“Go on. I want to have a chat with Su Yan.” Bing Yun waved him away, indicating that his presence was no longer welcome.
Thus, Yang Kai had no other choice but to leave. Before he left, he quietly sent a transmission to Su Yan, “Focus on your cultivation. I will visit you from time to time.”
Su Yan nodded at him lightly.
The door to the large hall closed behind Yang Kai as he followed Ji Yao to the Cultivation Technique Pavilion. Along the way, he came across many beautiful and alluring young women. Many of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples moved to the side to open up a path in the middle and bowed respectfully when they saw Yang Kai and Ji Yao coming from afar; however, he could sense that the occasional peeping looks were studying him with great curiosity.
All sorts of fragrances and perfumes intermingled in the air, giving birth to the illusion that he was trapped in a country of women.
It was silent throughout the entire journey. Even though Ji Yao took the lead, she had no intention of striking up a conversation with Yang Kai and soon, a nine-story pagoda came into sight. There was a plaque on the pagoda with three words written on it, ‘Cultivation Technique Pavilion’. Many Ice Heart Valley’s disciples came and went from the pagoda, clearly here to choose their Secret Arts and Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai entered the pagoda with Ji Yao and was immediately greeted by a woman dressed in palace clothes with her hair tied up in a high bun behind her head. She politely called out, “Martial Aunt Ji!”
This woman was in the Dao Source Realm, so she was not weak in terms of strength. If Ji Yao was a first-generation disciple of Ice Heart Valley, then this woman would be a second-generation disciple.
After her initial greeting, this young woman glanced at Yang Kai and suddenly exclaimed, “Martial Uncle Yang!”
She had seen Yang Kai before, and although it had only been a distant glimpse in the past, there was only one man in the world who could enter the Cultivation Technique Pavilion with Ji Yao and that was the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace.
Yang Kai smiled and returned the courtesy. He was aware of how famous he was within Ice Heart Valley, so he was not surprised.
“Ask all the disciples inside to leave. Senior Brother Yang and I have something to do,” Ji Yao commanded indifferently.
A look of surprise flashed in the woman’s eyes. [Are the rumours true? Otherwise, why are they clearing out the entire Cultivation Technique Pavilion just to enter? It will be bad for Martial Aunt Ji’s reputation if word got out that she was alone with a man, but she clearly doesn’t seem to care about that.]
Despite the suspicions in her heart, she replied, “Yes!”
Following that, the woman turned around and went inside. A short while passed and one by one, the disciples of Ice Heart Valley walked out of the pagoda, bowed to Yang Kai and Ji Yao, and took their leave. The entire process only took a quarter of an hour at most. Afterwards, the woman in the palace clothes approached the two again and reported, “Martial Aunt Ji, all the disciples have exited.”
“Good.” Ji Yao nodded slightly. Looking back at Yang Kai, she said, “Come in.”
Yang Kai looked uncomfortable. He had wanted to stop Ji Yao when she asked to clear out the pagoda; however, he was worried that other people might take it the wrong way and decided to keep his silence instead. Now, that ship had sailed and he could only let nature run its course.
[Ji Yao isn’t afraid, and she is a woman, so why should I be bothered?]
The Cultivation Technique Pavilion was divided into nine floors, and the higher the floor, the higher the grade of the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques stored inside. Correspondingly, the requirements for the disciples to enter the pagoda would increase too. Although this was Ice Heart Valley’s Cultivation Technique Pavilion, the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques stored here did not just include those of the Ice Attribute.
After all, Ice Heart Valley had been standing for more than ten thousand years. Disciples who journeyed outside the Sect for life experience and missions were bound to gain some benefits during their travels. Hence, they would bring those Secret Arts and Secret Techniques they obtained, whether by intention or by luck, back to the Cultivation Technique Pavilion in exchange for Sect contribution points. That was basically how a Sect’s heritage grew. It was not something that could be obtained overnight but rather something that was accumulated over many centuries and millennia.
Ji Yao led Yang Kai inside and gave him a quick introduction of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion’s organization as they walked. After Yang Kai got a rough idea of the place, he said, “Let’s head directly to the fourth floor.”
All the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques below the fourth floor were useless to him. The materials suitable for cultivators in the Saint King Realm and above were only located on the fourth floor and above.
Nodding, she followed the winding staircase upward to the fourth floor, “Take your time and see if there’s anything you need, Senior Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded and looked around. The fourth floor was very spacious. Moreover, it was filled with at least twenty wooden shelves as tall as a person and as long as several tens of metres. The wooden shelves were divided into small grids, with each containing a jade slip inside. The name of the Secret Art or Secret Technique was written on the jade slip. The organisation of the resources was very clear and easy to navigate.
Grabbing one of the jade slips at random, Yang Kai poured his Divine Sense into it to investigate the contents. It turned out to be a Secret Technique that allowed cultivators to cultivate until they entered the Origin King Realm. It was not very precious, but its main point was that it progressed steadily. There was no need to worry about cultivation dissonance.
Not holding back, he took out a blank jade slip and began copying the contents. He had prepared in advance for this trip, so he had readied tens of thousands of blank jade slips inside his Space Ring. It wasn’t just Ice Heart Valley; he was also targeting Fire Dragon Palace. He had long asked Li Jiao to go back and prepare some Secret Arts and Secret Techniques to be sent over.
If it were in the past, Li Jiao would have tried to shirk the task or negotiate with Yang Kai; after all, that was Fire Dragon Palace’s heritage, how could he allow other people to benefit from it so easily? However, after experiencing life and death with Yang Kai on Dragon Island, owing a favour to Yang Kai for saving Lu San Niang, and the comradeship formed when they joined hands in battle all over Heng Luo Star Field, he did not refuse Yang Kai’s requests. He immediately agreed and brought both Lu San Niang and Lu Yu Qin back to Fire Dragon Palace with him.
[It should be about time to receive those Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from Li Jiao.] Yang Kai was also planning to head to the Southern Territory to obtain some Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from Azure Sun Temple.
Once High Heaven Palace gathered Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from four of the top Sects in the Star Boundary, the disciples of High Heaven Palace would have a wide variety of choices when it came to their cultivation. Just this starting point alone would give them a distinct advantage over others. It would be difficult for them not to become strong even if they didn’t want to.
“Shall I help you?” Ji Yao walked over and asked softly.
Nodding, Yang Kai took out a jade slip and handed it to her. He might not know how many Secret Arts and Secret Techniques were stored in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion of Ice Heart Valley, but it was always more efficient to have one more person helping to copy the jade slips.
There were jade slips on both the left and right sides of each wooden shelf. Yang Kai started copying the jade slips from the left while Ji Yao started from the right. The two of them kept the same pace, walking forward at the same time with only a hollow wooden shelf between them. Whenever they looked up, they could see each other’s faces clearly.
They were not choosy when it came to what they were copying into the jade slips either. In fact, Yang Kai was hell-bent on taking everything. He was prepared to copy everything from the fourth floor all the way to the eighth floor of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion in Ice Heart Valley.
For a while, the Cultivation Technique Pavilion was utterly silent. Only the jade slips in their hands kept changing. There were several thousands of jade slips on the fourth floor, but it only took them half a day to finish copying all the Secret Arts on that floor.
“Let’s head to the next floor,” Ji Yao said before leading the way to the stairs.
The fifth floor was slightly smaller than the fourth floor, and there were considerably fewer wooden shelves too. There were only around a dozen or so of them. Accordingly, the jade slips stored on this floor were also approximately half the amount found on the fourth floor.
With their previous experience, the two worked even more efficiently than before. It only took them around two hours to finish copying all the jade slips on this floor. Then, it was the sixth floor, followed by the seventh floor…
In the beginning, Yang Kai felt rather uneasy. He had the feeling that it was not a good thing that Ji Yao was following him around; however, she was acting as she normally did, and even when they spoke to each other occasionally, it was just casual conversation. Thus, he slowly began to relax in her presence.
He was afraid that she might bring up the incident in the Ancient Wild Lands back then. Her consciousness had been hazy, and she had mistakenly identified him as Bing Yun. With no other choice, he had impersonated Bing Yun for a while. As a result, he saw some things that he should never have seen. Ji Yao’s reputation would be ruined if word got out about what happened back then.
Seeing that she seemed to be calm and peaceful though, Yang Kai gradually calmed down as well. He understood that what happened back then had been nothing more than an accident; hence, there was no reason for her to hold onto that incident for so long.
When they entered the eighth floor, there were only a few wooden shelves. A rough estimate placed the number of jade slips to be around only a hundred or so. Nevertheless, the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques stored within these jade slips were the most advanced in Ice Heart Valley, second only to the restricted resources, and were suitable for those in the Emperor Realm to cultivate. It could be seen how generous Bing Yun was to Yang Kai for her to share these things with him. If it were any other person, they wouldn’t even have the chance to set foot into the Cultivation Technique Pavilion.
There were not many jade slips, so Ji Yao did not copy anymore. She walked over to the window and stared out into the distance, a slightly sad and lonely expression showing on her side profile.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai continued the copying on his own.
“I heard you brought back four wives from the Star Field.” She suddenly spoke up.
Lifting his head, he glanced at her. She continued showing only her side profile to him. If he had not been paying attention, he would have thought that he had an auditory hallucination just now. Cold sweat broke out across his forehead as he called out, “Who did you hear that from?”
She turned to look at him with a mocking smile hanging from the corner of her lips, “I’ve already met Little Junior Sister. When can I meet the other three?”
[Why do you want to meet them!?] He yelled in his heart. What puzzled him even more than that was how she learnt about this matter. It was true that he had returned from the Star Field for more than a month now and bringing his four wives with him was not a secret either; even so, who would tell her something as trivial as this?
“Did you plant spies in High Heaven Palace?” Yang Kai suddenly looked at her with an incredulous expression. She could not have learnt about these things unless she did that.
“You haven’t answered my question,” she replied without replying to the question.
He laughed wryly, “If you want to meet them, you can always visit them at High Heaven Palace at any time, Junior Sister Yao.”
She snorted softly and spun around angrily, “I would love to go, but I’m afraid some people wouldn’t welcome my presence.”
“Who dares!?” He glared.
Her gaze burned into him unwaveringly.
Pointing at himself, he asked, “You can’t be talking about me, right? What nonsense! Junior Sister Yao, you can come to High Heaven Palace any time you want to. Everyone will surely warmly welcome you.”
“You said it yourself.” She smiled, “In the future, I should show my face around High Heaven Palace more often.”
She used to visit High Heaven Palace frequently, but nine times out of ten, she wasn’t able to meet him. All the information she received only mentioned that he had yet to return from his various excursions. Even if that was the truth, it inevitably gave her the illusion that he was avoiding her, which made her very sad. Now that she had his promise she could come over at any time, some of her unease faded away.
“By the way, I also heard that a Zhu Girl has fallen for your charms too.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s face twitched at those words, “Who has such loose lips?”
Several possible candidates flashed through his mind. [The three Monster Kings? No. They have no reason to gossip about me behind my back. Could it be Hua Qing Si? Or, Nanmen Da Jun? Or, Hou Yu? It was Hou Yu, no doubt!] He was furious. [I will definitely lock her up for a hundred years and make her refine artifacts non-stop once I get back! I won’t let her out before a hundred years have passed!]
“Senior Brother, you really are quite capable. You have so many lovers. You must be enjoying life to the fullest. It really is the envy of others.”
Yang Kai awkwardly coughed and said, “Junior Sister Yao, if you have nothing to do, please help me copy these jade slips. There’s not much left.”
Talking about a subject like this with a woman like Ji Yao felt extremely strange. He might have had some interest in joining the conversation had it been with a man instead.
Ji Yao only looked at him sarcastically though, “Senior Brother, are you feeling embarrassed? What is there to be embarrassed about? Aren’t all men like this? They can’t help but want to conquer all the beautiful women in the world.”
“That’s wrong.” Yang Kai shook his head, “I cannot deny that beautiful women will always attract a man’s attention. Men might even fantasize about them sometimes, but to conquer all the beautiful women in the world is simply unrealistic.”
“Is that so?” She was expressionless, “Does that mean you are already content with five beautiful women by your side?”
He sternly said, “How dare I be unsatisfied?”
She walked toward him and solemnly said, “Senior Brother, can you guarantee that you will never mess around with other women or seduce other women in the future?”
He pressed his palm against his forehead, “Junior Sister Yao, we really should change the conversation topic.”
“Are you avoiding my question, Senior Brother? Or, could it be that you have other intentions in your heart? Are you saying you won’t refuse a woman if they throw themselves into your arms?” She stopped in front of him, and her soft fragrance filled his nose.
Yang Kai took a step back, his back now pressing against the wooden shelf as he warned, “Junior Sister Yao, you are overstepping your boundaries!”
Ji Yao didn’t pay his warning any mind though and continued, “If it was like in the past, I could have ignored it, but Honoured Master promised to accept Little Junior Sister into the Sect. That means I am already family with Little Junior Sister. Although it’s only our first time meeting, I can tell that Little Junior Sister has a cold nature. I’m sure she won’t restrict you when it comes to relationships between men and women. As a Senior Sister, it’s only natural that I worry on her behalf.”
“You are being ridiculous.” He frowned.
She laughed coldly, “And you are a hypocrite.”
“How am I a hypocrite!?”
“How are you not?”
“Don’t talk as if you know men very well.” Yang Kai glanced at her up and down. Then, he sneered, “If I’m not mistaken, you are still a virgin, Junior Sister!”
Ji Yao’s fair face blushed beet red, feeling ashamed, “Scoundrel!”
He spread his arms wide, “You just had to discuss this topic with me. I’m only replying in kind. You’ve never even met a suitable man before, spending all your time painstakingly cultivating in Ice Heart Valley, so how can you understand a man’s thoughts?”
“Who says I haven’t met one!?” She snapped angrily, her chest heaving violently as she glared at him with wide eyes.
Feeling guilty for some reason, Yang Kai shifted his gaze away and shrugged, “That’s why I suggested we change topics. It’s meaningless to continue discussing this.”
“No!” She reached out and grabbed him by the collar, “I used to think that you were a decent person who understands how to control his desires. I never imagined that you would turn out to be this rotten on the inside despite your decent appearance! We have to settle things between us now; otherwise, Little Junior Sister will surely suffer in the future!”
Yang Kai instantly became livid and snapped back, “Who is decent on the outside but rotten on the inside!?” [This is too much! How am I decent on the outside but rotten on the inside!? This is a blatant slander! How can I possibly tolerate this!?]
She abruptly put force into her hands, and her entire body leaned forward towards him, then she enunciated her words clearly, “I am talking about you.”
“Ji Yao!” He shouted, “That’s enough!”
“Enough? Enough?! I’m just that unreasonable! What are you going to do to me!?” She leaned in further, looking incensed. She clearly had no intention to step back. Despite being half a head shorter than him, it felt as though she was looming over him instead.
He glared at her fiercely, hot air blowing out of his nose. There was such a beautiful woman in front of him; moreover, he could feel an amazing warmth and elasticity pressing against his chest. It made him lose track of what he was thinking for a moment, and his savage expression changed to something more intimate all of a sudden. He had only been focused on arguing with Ji Yao just now so he failed to notice how close they were to each other. Now that the reality of the situation hit him, his heart was pounding like crazy. The corners of his eyes twitched slightly as he softened his tone, “Let’s calm down and talk this out. Why don’t you let go of me first?”
He reached out and tried to pry her hands away, but to his surprise, she had no intention of letting go at all. It was just that the moment their skin made contact, her soft and white hands began to tremble. At the same time, her face slowly flushed red.
Their gazes met, but it was no longer hostile. Rather, it felt tantalizing and sensuous.
Yang Kai took a deep breath to try to calm his rampaging emotions and earnestly said, “Look; I was wrong, okay? Can you let go first?”
“No!” Ji Yao lost the courage to meet his eyes but remained stubborn.
He quickly said, “This will lead to trouble.”
She said nothing; however, her silent defiance was enough to indicate her stance.
“I’m warning you for the last time. This will only lead to trouble.” His expression was stern.
She remained motionless.
[I can’t stand it anymore! There’s no need to endure!] Letting out his breath softly, he slowly lowered his head and tilted hers up, pressing his lips against hers.
Ji Yao’s entire body began shivering violently, and her hands grabbing at his collar tightened abruptly. A strong male scent washed over her as the distance between them was closed swiftly. She immediately closed her eyes, and only her long eyelashes continued to tremble softly, revealing the nervousness she was feeling inside.
A soft and warm touch came from her lips. There also seemed to be a touch of fragrance that lingered and made her crave for more. Her trembling body instantly stiffened as if a binding technique had been cast on her.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s movements were extremely gentle. He seemed afraid of frightening her, pulling back immediately every time he touched her. His touch was as light as a dragonfly skimming across the water surface. The rigid tender body gradually relaxed and the hands that had been gripping his collar tightly released at some point. She was being held in his embrace as he snuck his arms around her back. Then, his hands tightened around her waist and her whole body pressed forward against his.
At the bottom of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, the woman dressed in palace clothes who previously addressed Ji Yao as ‘Martial Aunt Ji’ looked up with a worried look. She seemed to have heard the faint sounds of quarrelling coming from above.
The Cultivation Technique Pavilion had been cleared out, so aside from her standing guard outside the door, only Ji Yao and Yang Kai were left inside. As such, the quarrelling noises must have come from those two; however, she could not figure out what it was that was making them quarrel so loudly that even she could hear them from the outside.
[Nothing will happen, right? Ice Heart Valley is indebted to Palace Master Yang. Besides, I heard that Martial Aunt Ji and Palace Master Yang have a close private relationship. When Martial Aunt Ji went missing for so many years, it was Palace Master Yang who brought her back safely. If that’s the case, why would they be quarrelling with each other?] She considered investigating the situation but hesitated for fear of encountering something that shouldn’t be seen.
Fortunately, the quarrel stopped as abruptly as it began. There was no more movement from above, which reassured her greatly. She couldn’t hear anything when she tried to listen in on them now; thus, she could only shake her head and sigh. As she continued to guard the door, she secretly prayed that nothing would happen.
Unbeknownst to her, something had really happened on the eighth floor of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion.
Ji Yao was completely inexperienced, so how could she compare to Yang Kai, a veteran in the matters of intimacy? Nothing serious had happened yet, with Yang Kai simply having his hand around her waist as he kissed her on her scarlet lips for a little bit. Even so, Ji Yao’s entire body had gone limp, and she lost all strength. If not for his hands supporting her around her waist, she would have fallen to the ground by now. Her breathing was ragged and her chest heaved violently. At the same time, her cheeks burned as though they had been set aflame.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was no longer satisfied with the sampling taste. Pushing her lips apart, he caught her soft tongue and had his way with it.
Ji Yao moaned, frightening herself. She never imagined that she could make such a strange sound, and it woke her up from her dazed state. Then, her eyes widened as round as saucers. She did not know where the strength came from, but she shoved at him with all her might and turned away. Pulling herself out of his embrace, she leaned against the wall and breathed in heavy gasps like a fish out of water.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai smacked his lips as he revelled in the taste of her lips for a moment. After that, he grinned at her and quipped, “I told you that it was going to lead to trouble!”
Ji Yao pressed one hand against her chest as it felt like if she didn’t do that, her heart would leap right out of it. The blush on her face had not gone away, and her enchanting eyes were watery. Nevertheless, she sneered, “What else do you have to say now?”
“About what?” He was stunned.
“That you’re a hypocrite! That you won’t be able to control yourself if a woman throws herself into your arms!” She snarled bitterly.
“So, it’s my fault?” He looked speechless. [Isn’t this your fault? If you didn’t do that, I wouldn’t have done anything either. Seriously, I’m a man after all.]
She frostily replied, “The truth is right in front of you, yet you still dare to deny it!?”
Yang Kai lowered his gaze, several strands of black hair falling across his forehead and concealing his expression as he murmured calmly, “Junior Sister Yao, were you using yourself as bait just to prove your point?”
Ji Yao said, “Yes!”
Raising his head, he grinned, “Junior Sister Yao, you sure are bold. Aren’t you afraid I might just eat you whole?” While speaking, he approached her slowly, step by step.
Ji Yao was already feeling weak and leaning against the wall for support to begin with; thus, she couldn’t escape as he slowly came up to her. Her long eyelashes began trembling violently as she exclaimed, “What do you think you are doing!?”
Yang Kai slammed one hand against the wall behind her and used the other to lift her jade-white chin. It was as though his inner evil demons had been completely released from their shackles and he smiled at her faintly, “What do you think I’m doing?”
Without waiting for her to respond, he leaned down and kissed her again. This time around, he wasn’t as gentle as before. Instead, he roughly pushed past her defences and wantonly had his way with her. She immediately became out of breath, feeling as though she was suffocating. Only then did she understand that men should never be provoked arbitrarily.
After experiencing something like this for the second time, she performed much better. Moreover, she could begin to feel something. It was also because of that stirring feeling that it became more and more unbearable. It felt as though something was awakening within her. The blood in her body flowed several times faster than usual, and her entire body seemed to burn with an astonishing heat. It felt as though her clothes were about to burst into flames.
It wasn’t until a large hand slid from her waist to her chest that she grabbed his fiendish paws and opened her eyes wide, shaking her head beggingly.
Yang Kai had been observing her reactions, so he smiled at the situation. Even so, he did not force things any further.
A long while passed before their lips parted while a glittering thread connected them together even after the deed. Ji Yao stared at the glimmering thread blankly, her already flushed cheeks becoming redder and redder. Then, she ducked and wriggled out of his embrace from beneath his arm. Dashing to the top of the stairs, she stopped and turned around to glare at him fiercely, “You absolutely cannot tell Little Junior Sister about this!”
After saying that, she hurried down the stairs as though she was fleeing from him.
“How dare she continue to act so fierce!?” Yang Kai looked in the direction she had disappeared and snorted with laughter. Her scent still lingered in his hands and placing one under his nose, he took in her fragrance with a captivated expression.
[I came here today just to obtain some Secret Arts and Secret Techniques from Ice Heart Valley, so why did things develop like this with Ji Yao?] Looking back on everything just now, it felt almost like a dream. Unfortunately, what was done was done and there was no point in thinking about it now.
[I wonder if things will be awkward when I next meet Ji Yao again.]
What bothered him the most was that Ji Yao did not want him telling Su Yan about this. He originally thought that she was using herself as bait to get some dirt on him to use against him, but contrary to his expectations, she seemed even more afraid about this matter being exposed than he was.
Yang Kai rubbed his chin and pondered over it for a moment before shaking his head. He simply could not understand what she was trying to do.
On the first floor of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, the woman dressed in palace clothes hurried over after hearing the commotion and saluted, “Martial Aunt.”
Ji Yao didn’t look at the woman and apparently didn’t hear a single word she said as her mind was still occupied with thoughts of what had happened just now. The shock Ji Yao was experiencing due to this incident was unimaginable. She was definitely not as calm as she seemed on the surface.
The woman asked, “I heard some commotion upstairs just now. Were you and Palace Master Yang quarrelling, Martial Aunt?”
Ji Yao glanced at the woman and frowned, “You heard?”
The woman replied in trepidation, “It wasn’t on purpose. It was just that… It was a little loud.”
The look in Ji Yao’s eyes flickered, “What did you hear?”
The woman lowered her head, “I couldn’t hear anything clearly.”
Ji Yao had no idea whether this young woman was speaking the truth; thus, she could only instruct, “Keep this to yourself. It was just a minor disagreement between Senior Brother and I.”
“Good.” The woman nodded in response before asking curiously, “Martial Aunt, why is your face so flushed?”
She replied with an unnatural expression, “He made me angry.”
The woman did not doubt those words. As those who cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts generally had a calm, cold demeanour, so she couldn’t help being very curious about what it was that Yang Kai and Ji Yao had been quarrelling over that could anger the latter so badly.
[Seriously; what is wrong with the Palace Master Yang? Martial Aunt Ji is such a good person, yet even she lost her temper with him. It must have been his fault!]
There were not many jade slips on the eighth floor, so Yang Kai finished copying them quickly. He then looked up and glanced at the ninth floor. That was where all the restricted resources of Ice Heart Valley were stored.
The ninth floor was completely unguarded to him, so he could easily enter the place if he wanted to; however, Bing Yun had not allowed him to do so. For that reason, he would not trespass into that area; after all, he only came to collect these Secret Arts and Secret Techniques to provide his disciples with more choices. There was no need for such profound materials.
[This trip has been very rewarding. I wonder how things are progressing on Li Jiao’s side.] Yang Kai leisurely walked downstairs where a woman immediately stepped forward to greet him.
“You didn’t leave?” Yang Kai looked at Ji Yao, who had her back to him, in amazement. [I thought she was going to avoid me after what happened just now. I can’t believe she was waiting right here!]
Ji Yao turned around and stated, “Why should I leave? It’s not like I did anything to be ashamed of.”
[I can’t believe you just said that with a straight face!] Yang Kai’s eyes widened. [She was getting intimate with her Little Junior Sister’s man behind her back. Doesn’t that count as shameful?] Unfortunately, he was involved in the incident, so he couldn’t say anything to refute her. He simply nodded at her words, “I’m done here. I should return now.”
“I’ll see you off.”
He did not refuse. He did not know whether he was imagining things, but it felt as though she was maintaining some distance between them during their journey. He tried to make small talk with her, but she did not respond to his attempts, so he couldn’t help feeling a little bored.
In truth, he wanted to bombard her with questions. [What in the world happened just now!? We were so intimate just moments ago! Why do you have such a cold expression now? You look so bitter, could it be that you are angry?] When that thought crossed his mind, his heart tightened a bit.
[That’s quite possible; after all, I lost control and went too far just now. It’s inevitable that she is mad. Still, intimacy is not a solo act. If she wasn’t willing, why didn’t she reject me right from the start? Why was her resistance so weak? I thought she had acquiesced to it, that’s why I took the opportunity to go even further with her! Damn it, this is going to be awkward now. I wonder how we are going to get along with each other in the future.]
They soon arrived at the Restricted Area on Ice Island. Yang Kai stepped onto the Space Array and glanced at Ji Yao. Her expression was no different from usual, and she simply stood there quietly. Sighing to himself, he cupped his fists and said, “Please take good care of Su Yan, Junior Sister Yao.”
Ji Yao faintly replied, “Don’t worry, she won’t suffer any grievances here.”
He nodded at her words and activated the Space Array, disappearing from sight with a bright flash of light.
Upon returning to High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai went to Hua Qing Si and handed his gains from this trip. It was so that she could put it into their own Cultivation Technique Pavilion for the disciples to choose from.
After receiving these items from him, Hua Qing Si reported, “Palace Master Li came not long ago and brought many Secret Arts with him. I thanked him, but it seems like he has something to talk to you about.”
“Where is he?”
“In the conference hall.”
“Good, I’ll go and meet him.”
While speaking, Yang Kai flew into the air and left.
Li Jiao was sitting inside the conference hall, accompanied by Lu San Niang. The two of them were whispering to each other and giggling away happily. Li Jiao sensed somebody entering through the door and looked up. Then, he looked surprised for a moment before getting up to bow respectfully.
“Brother Li, did you need something from me?” They were no longer strangers after experiencing various life-and-death situations together and sharing both honour and disgrace, so Yang Kai gradually changed his opinion of Li Jiao. There was no need for formalities between them.
Li Jiao smiled, “Brother Yang, I wish to form an alliance between Fire Dragon Palace and High Heaven Palace so we can look out for each other from now on. What do you think?”
[An alliance? Look out for each other? That’s great news!] Although High Heaven Palace was currently respected and the disciples in the Sect numbered over a hundred thousand, it was still a new force in the Northern Territory. If it could form an alliance with Fire Dragon Palace, it would surely be beneficial in the future. In any case, Li Jiao was no longer an outsider and Yang Kai had no reason to refuse such a request. Hence, Yang Kai immediately agreed.
Li Jiao chuckled and put his hand on his chest, “From now on, Fire Dragon Palace will be depending on you, Brother Yang. We will only submit to High Heaven Palace.”
He knew better than anybody else just what Yang Kai was capable of; therefore, he knew that there was still a hierarchy to adhere to in the alliance. Fire Dragon Palace was no match for High Heaven Palace. Those were honest words, but there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
An alliance between two great forces was a major event; however, it was finalized in a few words between these two men. They didn’t even sign an agreement because they both knew that there was no need to sign anything.
“Brother Yang, since we have allied, that would mean we are family now?” Li Jiao grinned meaningfully, “So… about those debts… do you think we can write them off now?”
When Li Jiao came to High Heaven Palace to cause trouble with Ji Ying back then, he had taken the chance to make a bet during an Alchemy competition between Yang Kai and Ji Ying. Consequently, he lost the bet pathetically and ended up owing High Heaven Palace several dozen years’ worth of Fire Dragon Palace’s income. He was required to pay millions of High-Rank Source Crystals every year, causing Fire Dragon Palace to tighten its belt considerably. Life had been very miserable for Fire Dragon Palace as a result. Many of the Elders and Deacons in the Sect had been complaining while the disciples occasionally ran out of Source Crystals to use for cultivation.
Only slightly more than 10 years had passed since then, but Fire Dragon Palace was starting to fall apart. Just thinking about another 20 to 30 years of repayment left Li Jiao feeling extremely troubled.
“You tricked me!” Yang Kai glared at Li Jiao as those debts were not a small amount after all.
Li Jiao grinned meaningfully and cheekily stated, “We are not outsiders anymore. We are family now.”
Yang Kai paused for a moment before he laughed, “It’s not like I can’t write them off…”
Li Jiao hurriedly latched onto the opportunity and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai lifted his palm to stop Li Jiao, “But, I have a condition.”
Li Jiao said, “Please name it, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m sure you are aware of what is going on within High Heaven Palace at the moment. More than a hundred thousand disciples have just arrived, and although there is no need to worry about cultivation resources, Secret Arts, and Secret Techniques for the time being, cultivating experience is indispensable. These disciples need people to teach and guide them, but there are just too many of them. I can’t gather enough people to teach them on my own; therefore, I would like to ask for your support, Li Jiao.”
In the pursuit of the Martial Dao, having someone to guide you in contrast to figuring things out on your own was completely different. Yang Kai had first-hand experience with this, having navigated his journey almost entirely on his own. Hence, he already had plans to arrange for people to guide the disciples. It just so happened that Li Jiao came offering himself up on a silver platter, so how could Yang Kai let the chance slip him by?
All of Ice Heart Valley’s disciples cultivated Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques; thus, they were unsuitable to teach the general masses. If not for that, he would have asked Bing Yun to send some people over for support during his previous trip to Ice Heart Valley. It was just that the Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Secret Techniques of Ice Heart Valley were too specific and might not be suitable for a lot of cultivators.
“What kind of support?” Li Jiao was puzzled.
“Please select a group of experienced cultivators from Fire Dragon Palace and send them here to teach my disciples how to cultivate.”
[Is that all? I thought it would be a bigger deal.] Li Jiao immediately patted his chest and said reassuringly, “Not a problem!”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “But, there are too many disciples in High Heaven Palace. Even with the support of Fire Dragon Palace, I’m afraid it still won’t be enough.”
With more than a hundred thousand disciples, they would still need two hundred to three hundred teachers even if each teacher took responsibility for five hundred disciples. Fire Dragon Palace could not afford to send that many people over; after all, a cultivator had to be at least in the Dao Source Realm to be qualified to teach. Those with cultivations lower than the Dao Source Realm would not be helpful since the cultivators from the Star Field were already capable of cultivating to the Origin King Realm. What they lacked was the cultivation experience above the Origin King Realm. Regardless of how many cultivators Fire Dragon Palace had that were in the Dao Source Realm, it was still impossible to send them all here.
“It’ll serve as emergency measures for now. I’ll try to come up with a solution for the rest.” Yang Kai sighed. With so many people, it was inevitable that all kinds of issues would appear too. It was impossible for him to account for everything all at once, so all he could do was create a foundation for High Heaven Palace as best he could. How it developed in the future would depend on the management of those below him and the advancement of the disciples themselves.
“How many people do you need, Brother Yang?” Li Jiao asked.
“A hundred!”
Li Jiao considered it for a while before nodding, “Good!”
A hundred was not a small amount, but Fire Dragon Palace could still afford to deploy this number of people; any more than that was impossible. As the task was to teach, it would require Masters who could instruct others in cultivation, not something everybody was capable of. Teaching somebody else to cultivate was different from cultivating themselves after all. Fire Dragon Palace was a large Sect, so even though deploying a hundred disciples was difficult, it was still doable.
“We can consider those debts as the monthly salary of the 100 teachers. Do you have any objections, Brother Li?”
“None at all! None at all!” Li Jiao responded with a smile. Those debts were a huge fortune, so if sending out a hundred teachers was enough to cover the entire debt, it would be a huge boon for him. How could he have any objections to that? Besides, these hundred disciples would eventually return to him anyway, so there was nothing to lose in this deal. Thus, Li Jiao stood up and said, “This matter shouldn’t be delayed any further. I will head back immediately and send the necessary manpower over as soon as possible, Brother Yang.”
“I’ll go with you!” Yang Kai said.
Li Jiao was taken aback for a moment before he seemed to realize something and asked, “Could it be that you plan to create a connection between Fire Dragon Palace and High Heaven Palace, Brother Yang?”
“That will make it easier for us to come and go.”
“Good,” Li Jiao did not refuse and immediately set off for Fire Dragon Palace with Yang Kai and Lu San Niang.
All three of them were in the Emperor Realm; moreover, they had the help of a powerful flight type artifact, so it was only natural that their speed was very fast. It didn’t take more than half a day for them to arrive at Fire Dragon Palace.
Li Jiao led the way, bringing Yang Kai to a quiet and remote place in Fire Dragon Palace.
Yang Kai immediately began arranging a Space Array, and by the time night fell and the stars filled the sky, the Space Array was completed. With this Array connecting High Heaven Palace and Fire Dragon Palace, a distance of tens of thousands of kilometres could be crossed in an instant. It truly was helpful for both parties and allowed them to ‘take care of each other’ per the alliance.
Yang Kai initially wanted to rush home right away since there were still lots of trivial matters troubling High Heaven Palace, many of which he needed to handle personally, but contrary to expectations, Li Jiao forcibly made him stay the night. He did that by saying that a banquet would be held in his honour. Since it would not be good for him to refuse Li Jiao, Yang Kai could only agree to remain.
Lights flickered inside the hall, illuminating the luxurious interior. Everyone with any standing in Fire Dragon Palace, from the Palace Master Li Jiao to the Protectors to the Elders came to accompany Yang Kai at the banquet.
Clearly, they had already received the news from Li Jiao that Fire Dragon Palace would no longer have to turn over Source Crystals to High Heaven Palace every year in the future, so all of them were in an exceptionally good mood and it was only natural that their attitudes towards Yang Kai changed too. Every one of them tried to ingratiate themselves to Yang Kai, with Li Jiao even boasting about the fateful friendship between him and Yang Kai. He even wrapped his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulders after getting tipsy from drinking. It was clear that he no longer recalled how much he hated and feared Yang Kai back then.
The atmosphere was exuberant, and there were dancers below livening up the event. Yang Kai sat beside Li Jiao without putting on any airs. When it came down to it, he was only a Second-Order Emperor right now, so there was nothing to brag about after meeting so many more powerful Masters. Consequently, more and more of Fire Dragon Palace’s higher-ups began having a better impression of him.
Wine flowed freely, and they drank until they were drunk.
It wasn’t until the latter half of the night that they began to disperse. Li Jiao ordered a young and beautiful maidservant to bring Yang Kai to a room to rest; however, Yang Kai declined. He wanted to return to High Heaven Palace that very night, so Li Jiao personally saw him off.
Standing in front of the Space Array, Yang Kai suddenly turned to look at Li Jiao, “Brother Li, I want to unify the Northern Territory. What do you think?”
The night breeze blew across their faces and Li Jiao sobered up instantly as he exclaimed, “Unify the Northern Territory!?”
“Good!” It was a sudden idea that struck Yang Kai. A hundred thousand disciples were waiting to be fed back at High Heaven Palace, and while there might be no need to worry about cultivation resources for the time being, and there was even a source of trade with Violet Source Chamber of Commerce which was located in the Southern Territory as well as the possibility of establishing trade with the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory, doing nothing but using up resources was not a viable solution in the long term. If High Heaven Palace wanted to continue its legacy, it would need to establish its own business and industry.
The Seeking Passion Sect owned many properties in the past and held jurisdiction over as many as twenty cities of various sizes in their vicinity, so the Sect used to receive many offerings from those cities every year. In return, it ensured the safety of those cities.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai only looted the wealth of the Seeking Passion Sect after he destroyed the Sect and ignored the properties left behind by the Sect. In other words, those twenty or so cities of various sizes were not under High Heaven Palace’s control. Still, it would be easy to take them back in. With High Heaven Palace’s current strength, he could randomly send out a Monster King as a threat and the opposing party would promptly give in to his demands.
Nevertheless, that income would not satisfy the cultivation needs of all the disciples. If he could unify the entire Northern Territory though, then there would be nothing else to worry about. All the resources in the Northern Territory would be at his beck and call. Forget about a hundred thousand people, he could even feed millions of people.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai knew that there would be resistance. No matter how powerful High Heaven Palace was, there were billions of cultivators in the Northern Territory and many of them would not take him trying to establish dominion lying down. The Monster Kings were powerful indeed, but there were only three of them. Besides, their identities were a bit sensitive. They were not suited for long-term public appearances, so the gain would not be worth the losses if they accidentally provoked a great force and ignited a war with the Monster Race.
Moreover, Yang Kai did not believe that there were no stronger Masters in the Northern Territory. All the Masters he knew of were those who were already known to the public, but there must be other capable people that remained hidden beneath the surface. The only reason he didn’t know about them was that he had no interest in approaching them. Nonetheless, they would not sit around and do nothing if he provoked them.
At present, there were several top forces in the Northern Territory. High Heaven Palace, Ice Heart Valley, and Fire Dragon Palace were in the same boat, advancing and retreating together, so if Yang Kai really wanted to unify the whole Northern Territory, these two Sects would not stand in his way. Besides, he would not harm their interests either. Unfortunately, the other great forces would not step aside so easily.
By now, Li Jiao was very familiar with Yang Kai’s thought process, so he knew that this person was incredibly bold and daring. Yang Kai even dared to intrude on Dragon Island, so there was really nothing in this world he would not dare to do. If somebody else had asked Li Jiao this question, he would have laughed it off as it was highly unrealistic, but it was different when it came to Yang Kai. The reason Yang Kai asked was because he might be able to pull it off, and had the confidence to back up his plans.
Looking up at Yang Kai, Li Jiao saw there were no signs of intoxication on his face; hence, he knew that Yang Kai was not just making drunk talk. After pondering in silence for a moment, Li Jiao answered, “If you have the intention to do so, I will surely assist you…” [Besides, I just agreed to form an alliance between us, so I can’t slap myself in the face like that.]
“It’s just that… Are you mentally prepared to face the criticism of countless people? Including those in the Northern Territory?”
Yang Kai laughed, “What does the life or death of others have to do with me? I only care about High Heaven Palace.”
Li Jiao nodded in response. Every man for himself. Ever since he had embarked to pursue the peak of the Martial Dao, he had been mentally prepared to die at any moment. Killing and being killed were normal occurrences for cultivators like them.
“There’s just one thing… About Medicine Pill Valley…” Li Jiao looked at Yang Kai rather worriedly.
There was no real Great Emperor Sect in the Northern Territory. Medicine Pill Valley was simply the place where Wondrous Pill Great Emperor lived in retreat, it was not a Sect. However, if Yang Kai were to cause pandemonium in the Northern Territory, it might draw out the people of Medicine Pill Valley, and the situation might get out of hand once they intervened.
Yang Kai sneered, “It’s not like I’m going to slaughter the billions of cultivators in the Northern Territory. I just want to occupy a few cities so that they pay tribute to me every year. Why would Medicine Pill Valley care about that?” Tilting his head to the side, he looked at Li Jiao and asked, “Brother Li, you didn’t actually think that I was going to destroy all the major Sects in the Northern Territory, right?”
Li Jiao broke out in a cold sweat, “It seems that I have misunderstood.”
When he first heard Yang Kai talking about unifying the Northern Territory, he actually believed that Yang Kai was about to go on a killing spree. Only now did he realize that he had been overthinking things. [It’s not too much if he is simply occupying some cities and making the major Sects in the Northern Territory pay tribute. There will be no ruthless killings after all so there’s a lot of room for appeasing the masses.]
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and patted Li Jiao’s shoulder, “In order to do that, I need to set up some prestige for myself first. Full Sky Sect is a good target to start with. Brother Li, please help me send a message asking Mi Qi to come to High Heaven Palace as soon as possible.”
Li Jiao smiled bitterly, “Brother Yang, you are making me into the villain.”
Yang Kai blinked, “There’s no other choice. You are more familiar with Mi Qi, after all, Brother Li.”
“Fine. I will let him know as soon as possible. It’s just I don’t know how he will react.”
“It’s enough if you let him know.” Yang Kai smiled before he turned around and stepped onto the Space Array. A bright light flashed, and he was gone without a trace.
….
Full Sky Sect was also one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, its strength on par with Fire Dragon Palace and Ice Heart Valley, each having a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master commanding their respective forces. Since Yang Kai wanted to establish his dominance and spread High Heaven Palace’s reputation, he had to choose a suitable target to demonstrate his worthiness. Since Ice Heart Valley and Fire Dragon Palace were his allies, he could only target the Full Sky Sect.
Having said that, Full Sky Sect was similar to Fire Dragon Palace in that it was also suffering from the crippling debt owed to Yang Kai. Although it had paid back a lot of Source Crystals over the years, it was still far from paying off the bulk.
Time flew by quickly with Yang Kai being so busy every day that he didn’t even have the time to speak with Shan Qing Luo or Xue Yue. Providing resources, shelter, and cultivation techniques to more than a hundred thousand disciples was a huge issue. As long as he could not solve these problems, there was no way he could do anything else.
When Hua Qing Si received his instructions, she went back to the Southern Territory again, bought a large number of Source Condensing Pills from the Violet Source Chamber of Commerce, and distributed them to the cultivators who were at the peak of the Origin King Realm and on the verge of breaking through to the Dao Source Realm.
After a few days, the hundred instructors from Fire Dragon Palace arrived. Yang Kai and Hua Qing Si discussed the distribution of these hundred teachers and then assigned them to respective Spirit Peaks. These hundred were all in the Dao Source Realm, so it was not a problem for them to teach the cultivators from the Star Field.
Once each Spirit Peak produced its own Dao Source Realm Masters, they could fill in the gaps in the ranks of High Heaven Palace. In time, the old would guide the new in a never-ending cycle. There was no need to worry too much in that aspect.
Each Spirit Peak varied in size, and accordingly, the number of people living there varied too. It ranged from a minimum of two hundred people to a maximum of three thousand. Those instructors who were assigned to Spirit Peaks with fewer people were overjoyed while those who were assigned to Spirit Peaks with more were extremely dejected. Just imagining what would happen if a person were to guide three thousand people in their cultivation was a headache. Even if only 1% of the population came to ask a single question each day, the instructor would still have no time to rest whatsoever.
One month later, Yang Kai sat at the head of High Heaven Palace’s Main Conference Hall. The three Monster Kings and the Head Manager, Hua Qing Si, were seated on both sides of the table while the area below the platform was densely packed with people. More than a hundred people squeezed inside the hall today to attend the first general meeting involving the entire High Heaven Palace. These people were the Peak Masters of High Heaven Palace whose cultivation varied in strength. Yang Kai did not even know half of them personally.
Yang Kai swept a sharp gaze over the crowd below him, and they simultaneously bowed, “Greetings, Palace Master!”
Regardless of whether the person in front of him used to be his Elder or his fellow cultivator, they came to the Star Boundary and entered High Heaven Palace only thanks to his blessing, which meant that they were now part of High Heaven Palace. As the Palace Master, it was natural for Yang Kai to receive their respect.
Raising his hand in acknowledgement, Yang Kai secretly found this scene somewhat amusing. He himself never expected that things would turn out on such a grand scale when he first established High Heaven Palace. [I’m afraid there is no other Sect across the entire Star Boundary that would have so many people gathered just for a general meeting. It feels like when an Emperor assembles his court. But then again, there should be no Sect that has more people than High Heaven Palace either. Such a situation is inevitable under these circumstances.]
Although it was supposed to be a meeting, they were simply establishing the rules and regulations of the Sect today. Nothing could be accomplished in a Sect without established rules, and with more than a hundred thousand disciples and more than a hundred Spirit Peaks, High Heaven Palace was now a very large enterprise. Even if there was no shortage of cultivation resources, those supplies could not be given out at will. How many resources could be claimed each month by each Spirit Peak and how much of that would be distributed to each disciple were things that required very detailed considerations.
Aside from that, there was the matter of rules for handing out rewards and punishments too. These had all been previously discussed by Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing, so at this moment, the two of them stood at the head of the hall and announced these laws. The main reason for doing so was for the Peak Masters of each Spirit Peak to record them and convey the information to the rest of the disciples when they returned, lest the disciples claimed injustice when they made mistakes. Suffice it to say, where there were punishments, there would also be rewards. Those who made rapid progress in their cultivation and those who contributed to Sect would receive rewards.
Half a day passed just like that.
Afterwards, it was time for each Peak Master to report the situation on each Spirit Peak. Fortunately, there was no trouble so far. All the disciples had been acting rather amiably considering they had just arrived here and most were cultivating in retreat after receiving some cultivation resources.
It wasn’t until evening rolled around that the crowd slowly dispersed, one after another. Then, somebody rushed in from outside the hall to report, “Greetings, Palace Master. Honoured Master asks that you visit him.”
Yang Kai fixed his gaze on the speaker and discovered that it was the Eldest Disciple under Ji Ying, which immediately lifted his spirits, “Is Brother Ji back?”
The disciple replied, “Honoured Master returned at noon but heard that you were having a meeting with the Peak Masters, so he decided not to bother you until it was over.”
“I’ll head over immediately.” After saying that, Yang Kai immediately headed towards Spirit Pill Peak.
Upon arriving at Spirit Pill Peak, Yang Kai entered the hall and looked around only to see that Ji Ying was alone. Yang Kai smiled happily and cupped his fists, “Brother Ji!”
Ji Ying replied, “Brother Yang, fortunately, I did not fail my mission.”
Even though Yang Kai had guessed as much when he did not see Xia Ning Chang around, he was still overjoyed to hear the words Ji Ying uttered. He quickly pulled Ji Ying by the arm and sat down together, “Did the Great Emperor agree to accept Ning Chang as his disciple?”
Ji Ying smiled, “No.”
The expression on Yang Kai’s face froze, “How can this be!?”
Ji Ying had been gone for more than a month, and when Yang Kai didn’t see Xia Ning Chang around, he naturally assumed that Wondrous Pill Great Emperor had already taken her in as a disciple. Who could have known that Ji Ying would bring him down with such news? Yang Kai’s emotions instantly cooled down.
“Brother Yang, please listen to me first.” Ji Ying smiled slightly, “Honoured Master has said that he would no longer accept disciples, so he cannot go back on his word.”
Yang Kai glared, “Ning Chang has the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body, how can the Great Emperor be unmoved by that?”
Ji Ying explained, “It is precisely because Sister-In-Law has the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body that Honoured Master believes it would be a waste of her unique talent if he let her go. That is why he allowed Sister-In-Law to remain in Medicine Pill Valley.”
“What does that mean?” Yang Kai looked puzzled. [If he didn’t accept Xia Ning Chang as a disciple, then why keep her in Medicine Pill Valley?]
Ji Ying continued with his explanation, “Honoured Master wants Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Fourth Senior Sister to jointly teach Sister-In-Law. He even mentioned that if there was anything she did not understand, she could directly ask him for advice. It is just that they will not have the status of Master and Disciple.”
Yang Kai asked in astonishment, “Is there a difference compared to taking her in as a disciple?”
Xia Ning Chang was allowed to remain in Medicine Pill Valley and would be jointly taught by several of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s disciples. Moreover, she was allowed to approach Wondrous Pill Great Emperor directly to ask Alchemy-related questions. No matter how he thought about it, it was no different from taking her in as a disciple.
Ji Ying smiled slightly at those words, “Honoured Master seemed slightly remorseful about his past declaration that he would no longer accept disciples. He is even more vexed that what he said back then had been spread to the public.”
Yang Kai was stunned for a long time before he burst into laughter. It wasn’t that the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor didn’t want to accept Xia Ning Chang as a disciple, it was just that he could not embarrass himself by going back on his word. If not for the fact that his words were already widely known to the public, he would never have refused to take Xia Ning Chang in.
“So, there’s no need to worry, Brother Yang. Little Junior Sister has Senior Brothers and Senior Sister teaching her. She will definitely flourish under Honoured Master’s mantle.”
Yang Kai looked at Ji Ying teasingly, “The Great Emperor did not accept my wife as his disciple, but you are calling her ‘Little Junior Sister’… If the Great Emperor hears…”
“That is how it is,” Ji Ying wasn’t bothered. He was the Fifth Disciple of the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, so how could he not understand what the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor was thinking? Besides, the Great Emperor was a person who cherished talented people. Although he could not take Xia Ning Chang in as his disciple due to what he said back then, he would definitely teach her carefully. In her case, she simply lacked an official title. Nonetheless, she was recognized by Ji Ying and his fellow Senior Disciples.
“Wonderful! How wonderful!” Yang Kai clapped his hands excitedly.
Su Yan had gone to Ice Heart Valley to be a disciple there while Xia Ning Chang had gone to Medicine Pill Valley and became a disciple in all but name there. It could be said that they shared the same fate. However, it was inevitable. Compared to the others, their age and cultivation were incomparable. [If they become Little Junior Sisters, then so be it. They can benefit from studying under an influential person.]
Meanwhile, there was no place he could arrange for Shan Qing Luo and Xue Yue to go. Shan Qing Luo refused to go to the Ancient Wild Lands, so the two women could only remain in High Heaven Palace to cultivate. It wasn’t too bad for Shan Qing Luo though since she could consult the three Monster Kings on their experience in cultivation. Unfortunately for Xue Yue, she could only teach herself. Although Yang Kai had also blindly stumbled and groped his way along his cultivation journey, he was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm now, so it was not a problem for him to teach her when he had time.
In great spirits, he remained at Spirit Pill Peak to have a drink with Ji Ying in joyous celebration.
…
Full Sky Sect was one of the four top Sects in the Northern Territory. The Sect Master, Mi Qi, was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master who was famous throughout the entire Northern Territory. Unfortunately, life began to become increasingly difficult ever since High Heaven Palace appeared. Mi Qi had to hand over more than half of the Sect’s annual income to High Heaven Palace every year, forcing him to live on a tight budget. Fortunately, Fire Dragon Palace was in the same boat; otherwise, he would have been at a loss for what to do.
On a certain day, Li Jiao suddenly paid a visit.
Mi Qi and Li Jiao were old acquaintances, so it was only natural that he greeted Li Jiao with enthusiasm.
A banquet was held to honour this guest, and after a few rounds of drinks, Li Jiao smiled slightly and spoke up, “Actually, I came over uninvited today because I was entrusted with a task.”
Mi Qi was taken aback by those words, “You were entrusted with a task? What task?” Like Mi Qi, Li Jiao was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master; moreover, Li Jiao carried a Half-Dragon bloodline. If it came down to a fight, Mi Qi had to admit that he was no match for Li Jiao, so what kind of person had the power to entrust Li Jiao with the task of delivering a message to him?
“The Palace Master of High Heaven Palace!” Li Jiao replied.
The corner of Mi Qi’s eyes twitched at those words. Gnashing his teeth, he muttered, “Why is it him again?”
He had a resentful expression on his face and clearly had no fondness for Yang Kai at all. That was no surprise considering that he had only met Yang Kai once before, and that one meeting caused him to lose a large amount of Full Sky Sect’s Source Crystals. It felt as though knives were cutting into his heart every time he recalled that incident, and he sorely regretted tagging along to join in on the fun back then,
He glanced sideways at Li Jiao and said, “Brother Li, isn’t it enough to be oppressed by him? Why are you turning around and fawning over that bastard instead?” His tone was filled with scorn, anger, and bitterness. He and Li Jiao could be considered friends, and although they were not close friends, their association should still be deeper than whatever relationship Li Jiao might have with Yang Kai. Hence, the fact that Li Jiao came bearing a message from Yang Kai upset him greatly. [Li Jiao is such a coward. What’s more; he even carries the Half-Dragon bloodline in him. What a disgrace!]
Even Li Jiao became a little embarrassed upon hearing those words and a trace of guilt appeared on his face. He couldn’t say that his relationship with Yang Kai had improved tremendously, so much so that Yang Kai had even written off the enormous debts Fire Dragon Palace owed; thus, he could only say bitterly, “I had no choice. He is the creditor after all. Beggars can’t be choosers; I have no choice but to submit to him.”
“Hmph!” Mi Qi slapped the table, a savage light flickering in his eyes, “That despicable villain used lies and trickery to set us up! If not for Grandmaster Ji, why would I even bother with him for all these years!?”
That was the truth. Full Sky Sect was one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, and Mi Qi was a Third-Order Emperor. Even if he lost a bet against Yang Kai, he could have denied making it and refused to take responsibility. With so many Source Crystals on the line, what was a little embarrassment in comparison? It was just that the incident had occurred right in front of Ji Ying. Also, Mi Qi later heard that Ji Ying had even joined High Heaven Palace and become their Chief Alchemist. Thus, he had no choice but to compromise.
After all, he might upset Ji Ying if he refused to take responsibility for losing the bet. Mi Qi wasn’t scared of Yang Kai, but he was scared of Ji Ying. The statuses Ji Ying held as the disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor and an Emperor Alchemist were not to be underestimated.
Li Jiao retorted in his heart. [It wasn’t lies and trickery, Yang Kai won fair and square with his Alchemy skills.] If not for the various life-and-death situations he had been through with Yang Kai, his thoughts would not have been much different from Mi Qi’s; however, his opinion of Yang Kai had changed greatly during their various excursions and experiences together. He could tell that Yang Kai was a decent person. Naturally, that was on the condition that they did not provoke him first.
Mi Qi picked up his wine glass and gulped down its contents as if to vent his anger. Then, he quickly said, “Brother Li, what is the message you came here to convey?”
Li Jiao had a calm expression on his face as he replied, “Palace Master Yang wants Full Sky Sect to submit to High Heaven Palace.”
“What!?” Mi Qi’s eyes widened, “I seem to have heard you wrongly. What did you say, Brother Li?”
Li Jiao sighed in his heart. How could he not know that Mi Qi was asking him that question knowingly? They were the only two people here, there was no other noise around them, and Mi Qi was a Third-Order Emperor. There was no way Mi Qi had not heard what he said. Feeling exasperated, he could only repeat what he said.
“Hah!” Mi Qi was so furious that he laughed instead. A cold light flashed across his eyes as he toyed with the wine glass in his hand, “How does he want me to submit to him?”
His tone was frosty, and he obviously held some resentment towards Li Jiao too.
[I can’t believe he dared utter such ridiculous conditions!] By extension, Li Jiao was equally as hateful for delivering the message.
Before coming here, Li Jiao knew that what little friendship there was between him and Mi Qi was going to end today, and he became certain after seeing the expression on Mi Qi’s face and felt a little regretful, “Brother Mi, please rest assured. It seems that Palace Master Yang has no intention to seize Full Sky Sect’s territory. It’s just that High Heaven Palace needs a lot of cultivation resources at the moment. What he wants is for Full Sky Sect to offer up some of its annual income to High Heaven Palace every year in the future.”
Mi Qi asked sarcastically, “How much is ‘some’?”
“Half?” Li Jiao asked tentatively. Yang Kai had not mentioned the exact amount, but he knew any less would not satisfy Yang Kai’s appetite.
“Half…” Mi Qi was all smiles as he lifted his wine glass in a toast, “Brother Li, drink!”
Li Jiao looked bewildered. Even so, he raised his wine glass and clinked glasses with Mi Qi. After emptying his glass, he heard something shattering against the ground. Mi Qi had smashed his wine glass to the ground and then slamming his fists down on the table, he roared, “This is bullshit! Does he think Full Sky Sect is powerless!?” Throughout his entire cultivation journey, threats and intimidation had never worked on him before. If he easily gave away half of Full Sky Sect’s income any time a random person came asking, he would not have survived until today.
This was unlike those debts. Although the debts were heavy, there was an end to them, so Mi Qi only needed to spend another thirty years or so to clear that burden away. However, if he submitted to High Heaven Palace like Li Jiao mentioned, he would have to offer up half of their yearly income every year from now on, unless the Full Sky Sect was destroyed one day.
[How can I agree to such outrageous demands!? What will people think of me if I actually agree to those conditions!? What will the disciples of Full Sky Sect think of me!?]
“Brother Mi, please calm down…”
“Silence!” Mi Qi glared at Li Jiao in fury. Then, he smiled contemptuously, “Brother Li, you sure are easy-going. Back then, both you and I were humiliated together. It’s bad enough you don’t have any thoughts of taking revenge after suffering from so many years of exploitation and oppression by High Heaven Palace, but now you are colluding with that evil devil, wearing the skin of a man!? Palace Master Yang… Hahaha… I truly had no idea that you decided to latch onto him and willingly become his lackey for benefits, Brother Li!”
Although Li Jiao was embarrassed by the way Mi Qi worded that, it was simply too harsh so he expressionlessly replied, “It’s hard to explain.”
He could not tell Mi Qi about his experiences with Yang Kai over the years. Putting aside the fact that he and Mi Qi were not that close in the first place, just the secrets involving Dragon Island could not be revealed easily.
“It’s hard to explain!?” Unconcealed contempt shone in Mi Qi’s eyes, “Brother Li, you assessed the situation and decided that this is best for your survival. I don’t blame you for ingratiating yourself to him. To each their own after all. However, I will not stoop to your level!”
The implication behind his words was that Li Jiao was greedy and a coward while he was a courageous person.
Li Jiao’s expression turned ugly, “I am only responsible for delivering the message. Why do you have to speak so harshly, Brother Mi? Whether you agree or not, it has nothing to do with me.”
“It seems we will go our separate ways. Palace Master Li, please leave.”
Mi Qi had changed the way he addressed Li Jiao from ‘Brother Li’ to ‘Palace Master Li’. It was clear that he was drawing a line between them now.
Li Jiao shook his head and stood up, but thinking of what little friendship they used to have, he urged, “Sect Master Mi, please rethink your decision. The Seeking Passion Sect was destroyed before High Heaven Palace even emerged as a force. Now that several dozen years have passed, I’m afraid it has only grown stronger. How do you think Full Sky Sect compares to Seeking Passion Sect? Why must you invite disaster upon yourself?”
Mi Qi sneered, “Palace Master Li, you should take care of your own affairs. You don’t need to worry about the affairs of Full Sky Sect. If Yang Kai wants Full Sky Sect to surrender to him, he might as well come over and talk to me in person. He can see for himself whether Full Sky Sect will acquiesce to his demands!”
“I’ll take my leave then,” Li Jiao nodded lightly, cupped his fists, and turned to leave. [I have delivered the message. What Mi Qi chooses to do is his choice.]
Since Yang Kai decided to use Full Sky Sect as an example to the Northern Territory, he must have known that Full Sky Sect would not agree to such a request so easily. This situation might be exactly what he wanted. Otherwise, how could he display and establish his strength? There were four top Sects in the Northern Territory, out of which two had friendly relations with High Heaven Palace; hence, the only remaining choice for Yang Kai to show off his might was Full Sky Sect.
Inside the great hall, Mi Qi stared in the direction Li Jiao had left with a disdainful sneer. He felt that Li Jiao was being melodramatic. Nevertheless, he had no idea what methods Yang Kai used to make Fire Dragon Palace submit to him, so much so that even Li Jiao came all the way here to deliver a message.
Mi Qi had heard a lot about the destruction of the Seeking Passion Sect back then as it was such a huge affair in the Northern Territory that there was no way to remain ignorant about it. It was true that the strength of Seeking Passion Sect was no less than that of Full Sky Sect. Such a large Sect might have been destroyed easily, but it did not mean that Full Sky Sect would be just as vulnerable.
Mi Qi felt that the reason Seeking Passion Sect was destroyed was that all its Masters had left to attack Ice Heart Valley. As a result, Yang Kai, along with some Masters under his command, worked together with Ice Heart Valley to sweep the Seeking Passion Sect clean. However, Mi Qi had no intention of attacking High Heaven Palace. If Yang Kai really came looking for trouble, Full Sky Sect’s Sect Defending Array and Masters were enough to deal with his forces. If he was lucky, he might even manage to kill Yang Kai.
Proactively attacking a Sect and defending a Sect against external attacks were two different things after all. Still, there was one thing he couldn’t help being wary about. Yang Kai had three Monster Kings under his command, and each of them was equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. It would not be easy to deal with them.
Mi Qi racked his brains for ideas for a time before suddenly clapping his hands. A black-robed man immediately walked in from outside the door. Looking at the man, Mi Qi asked, “Is the Blue Jade Fruit in the medicine garden about to ripen?”
The black-robed man did not know why Mi Qi brought this subject up so suddenly, but even so, he cupped his fists and replied, “It will ripen in one month.”
Mi Qi nodded at that, “Very good. Send a message to Old Tao and invite him over for a taste.”
The black-robed man bowed deeply before leaving to fulfil the given commands.
Turning around, Mi Qi looked in the direction of High Heaven Palace and laughed coldly. [Yang Kai, oh, Yang Kai… You better behave yourself. If you look down on Full Sky Sect again, you will never leave this place alive!]
…
“Sect Master Ye, the situation is just like this. I’m sure you know the current situation at High Heaven Palace. There are simply way too many disciples. All Spirit Peaks are filled to the brim. Some of the Spirit Peaks even house two thousand or three thousand people at the moment. That’s not just a tight squeeze anymore, it’s practically stuffed to the brim. On the other hand, you are occupying such a large Spirit Peak even though you don’t have that many disciples in Thousand Leaves Sect. Many Peak Masters are complaining about it. After giving it some thought, I had no choice but to come and discuss this matter with you.” Yang Kai looked helpless as the Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect, Ye Hen, was sitting opposite him. The table full of wine and food between them remained untouched.
“Palace Master, what are you trying to say?” Ye Hen looked at Yang Kai inquiringly.
“I brought you back to High Heaven Palace for several reasons. Firstly, the cultivation environment here is excellent and there are no disturbances here. It was perfect for you to recover and regain your strength. Secondly, the misfortune Thousand Leaves Sect suffered was my fault, and I felt extremely guilty for that.”
“Palace Master, you are exaggerating. I can only blame Thousand Leaves Sect for being inferior to others. Speaking of which, it’s all thanks to the protection and care that you provide that Thousand Leaves Sect survives to this day.”
“I don’t need your words of gratitude.” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop Ye Hen, “Today, I came here to play the villain.”
“I’d appreciate further details, Palace Master.”
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “As the saying goes, ‘there cannot be two tigers on the mountain’. It might not be appropriate to say that in this case, but that is how it goes. As the Palace Master, I am not trying to cast Thousand Leaves Sect aside. It is just that… having another Sect, or a group that identifies itself as another Sect, within High Heaven Palace, is truly an inappropriate affair.”
“Palace Master, you want us to move out?” Ye Hen was surprised. After what happened to Thousand Leaves Sect back then, the Sect only had around two or three hundred members left out of its previous thousands and their strengths varied greatly. If not for the care given by Yang Kai all these years, the Sect would have fallen apart a long time ago. Instead though, the cultivation of his disciples advanced by leaps and bounds over the years while he, the Sect Master, had also advanced to the Emperor Realm.
“You have two other choices, Sect Master Ye,” Yang Kai said and raised one finger, “The first choice is for Thousand Leaves Sect to fully merge with High Heaven Palace. From then onward, there will be no more Thousand Leaves Sect, only Thousand Leaves Peak will remain, and you will become its Peak Master. While we discussed this before, that was then, and this is now. If you choose this option, the other Peak Masters won’t have complaints anymore.”
Ye Hen’s expression changed slightly. If he chose this option, Thousand Leaves Sect would truly be gone forever, so he hesitated before asking, “And, the second choice?”
Yang Kai responded, “I will send you back to Thousand Leaves Sect’s original foundation. Manager Hua passes through the area every time she travels to the Southern Territory and I’ve heard that nobody is occupying that place at the moment, but it is a little worn out. Sect Master Ye, you will only need to instruct your disciples to do some minor repair works and you can move back in immediately. As for safety issues; there is no need to worry. You are already in the Emperor Realm and have enough strength to protect yourself and your disciples. Combined with the Heaven Grade Puppets, I’m sure not many would come looking for trouble. In addition, I am still a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple so I will call on Azure Sun Temple to ask that they take good care of Thousand Leaves Sect. That will give you some space and time to grow stronger.”
Ye Hen was moved by those words and gratefully said, “Many thanks for your kindness, Palace Master Yang.”
Knowing that Yang Kai had done all he could, Ye Hen held no resentment towards him. Rather, choosing to discuss this matter so frankly and openly was the greatest respect Yang Kai could give to Ye Hen. With Yang Kai’s current strength, he was perfectly capable of kicking them out without a word.
[Will I still have the opportunity to exact my revenge if I leave this place and return to Thousand Leaves Sect?] His disciples had made rapid progress in their cultivation over the years and even he had broken through to the Emperor Realm. Those achievements were thanks to the excellent cultivation environment of High Heaven Palace and the continuous supply of cultivation resources that High Heaven Palace provided. On the contrary, they would need to start over from scratch if he chose to return to the Southern Territory. Even if Azure Sun Temple protected them from danger, where were they going to obtain their cultivation resources? Thousand Leaves Sect excelled at refining puppets, but refining those puppets required a lot of materials too.
More importantly, would his disciples be willing to go back to the Southern Territory with him? Having stayed here for a few decades now, those hundreds of Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples had long since gotten used to life here. To put it bluntly, this was a paradise. It was easy to change from a lifestyle of frugality to one of luxury, but it was difficult to do the reverse. Who would willingly return to a barren place that even birds and beasts avoided after living in such a wonderland?
“Sect Master Ye, you can take your time to think it through. This matter is not urgent enough that you need to rush with your reply.” Yang Kai sighed when he saw the troubled expression on Ye Hen’s face.
Patting Ye Hen on the shoulder, he stood up.
“I don’t need to consider it any further.” Ye Hen suddenly piped up.
Yang Kai turned to look at Ye Hen.
In response, Ye Hen stood up and respectfully cupped his fists, “This Ye Hen is willing to lead all of Thousand Leaves Sect’s disciples and submit under High Heaven Palace. I have but one requirement.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Let’s hear it.”
“When the time comes, Palace Master, please allow me to lead the disciples of Thousand Leaves Peak to Flowing Shadow Sword Sect to seek justice!”
Flowing Shadow Sword Sect was the Sect that destroyed Thousand Leaves Sect back then, and even if it was instigated by others, they were responsible for carrying out the act. Ye Hen had been painstakingly cultivating for so many years just to be able to set foot into the Flowing Shadow Sword Sect and avenge his dead disciples.
“If you can agree to this condition, I am willing to serve High Heaven Palace faithfully.
“Good, how can I not agree to that?” Yang Kai chuckled, “You and I talked about this back then. What I said then still stands. If you want to get revenge with your own hands, you need to work hard on your cultivation. Flowing Shadow Sword Sect is not an easy opponent.”
Ye Hen nodded in acknowledgement. Throwing his sleeves back, he placed his hand on his chest and bowed in the utmost formal manner, “Peak Master of Thousand Leaves Peak, Ye Hen, greets the Palace Master!”
Although he had always addressed Yang Kai as ‘Palace Master’, it had a different meaning now. From now onward, those originally in Thousand Leaves Sect would truly belong to High Heaven Palace; moreover, their puppet refining and puppet controlling methods would also become part of High Heaven Palace’s heritage.
Despite Yang Kai’s reluctance to let Ye Hen leave and interest in integrating them into his Sect, he had still spoken the truth. The two to three hundred disciples of Thousand Leaves Sect were occupying an excellent Main Peak, and the other Peak Masters were indeed making some noise about it. If they had been one of their own, it wouldn’t have mattered as much; however, they were outsiders who were occupying a good spot purely because they had arrived earlier. Fortunately, that concern was no longer valid.
Yang Kai informed Ye Hen that more people would be assigned to Thousand Leaves Peak in a few days. With such a large Main Peak, it would be a waste not to house at least two thousand people.
He had a relaxed expression as he returned from Ye Hen’s place.
Upon entering the main hall of High Heaven Peak, a maidservant immediately stepped forward and reported, “Palace Master, Senior Ji is here.”
“Brother Ji? Is something the matter?” Yang Kai was stunned.
The maidservant covered her mouth to hide her smile, “Not Sir Ji Ying, but Lady Ji Yao.”
Yang Kai was walking inside when he paused mid-stride. Feeling a little guilty, he asked, “What is her purpose for coming here?”
An incident had occurred in the Cultivation Technique Pavilion of Ice Heart Valley previously, and Yang Kai thought back on the memory of that incident at this moment, still feeling Ji Yao’s attitude at the time was confusing. They had shared such an intimate moment together, and yet, she had acted as though she was unaffected and nothing unusual had happened afterwards.
The good news was that she warned him not to let Su Yan know about the incident. If not, he would have worried about whether she would blackmail him with the information. Seeing as she had warned him not to reveal anything though, it meant that she would not leak the secret either.
He had been so busy since his return that he had completely forgotten about what happened that day. Hence, he couldn’t help feeling a little apprehensive when he heard that she was here. [Ji Yao’s emotions seemed a little out of control that day. She couldn’t have regretted her actions and came here to settle the matter with me, right? If that’s the case, then I most likely will be humiliated.]
The maidservant replied, “I don’t know. After Lady Ji Yao came, she went inside immediately and told me to inform you to visit her as soon as you returned, Sir.”
Yang Kai scratched his neck and looked uncomfortable. Glancing at the maidservant, he asked again, “What expression did she have on her face when she arrived? Was she angry?”
The maidservant had a strange look on her face, “No. Lady Ji Yao has always been cold, so I don’t know if she was angry.”
“Can’t you even tell whether or not she is angry?” Yang Kai glared at her.
The maidservant hurriedly lowered her head, “I really don’t know.”
“Forget it. Forget it.” He waved his hand dismissively, “You can go back to your work.”
The maidservant obeyed his command and scuttled away as if to escape.
Afterwards, Yang Kai paced back and forth in the main hall. He simply could not figure out Ji Yao’s purpose in coming here. It stood to reason that it would be rather awkward to meet right now. Not knowing her intentions, he hesitated to head inside.
He paced back and forth a few more times. At one point, he walked to the entrance of the main hall, ready to ignore her. She would not be able to stay in High Heaven Palace forever, so waiting it out until she left would save him from embarrassment. Then, he thought about it again. [I’m not the one who should be feeling embarrassed. It should be her instead, and she isn’t even scared. I’m a man, so what am I afraid of? The one who suffers the most is her anyway.]
Turning around, he gallantly and spiritedly walked inside, holding his head up high. It took him a long while to finally locate Ji Yao in one of the rooms.
It was Su Yan’s room, which was built on a cliffside. The balcony faced a bottomless canyon with clouds and mist rolling around below.
When he pushed open the door and entered, he saw Ji Yao standing next to the guardrail. She was looking out at the setting sun. The afterglow of the sunset enveloped her, dyeing her whole body in golden light. A breeze blew past and her hair was gently lifted while her robes fluttered around her, making it seem like she could float away at any time.
Ji Yao did not turn around, as if she had not sensed his presence at all.
Yang Kai closed the door behind him and walked over to her. Standing next to her, he glanced at her side profile. Her snow-white skin, her slender neck, her proud peaks, and her demure posture revealed an enchanting kind of style.
“Junior Sister Yao, you came.” He chuckled and rubbed his hand together,
Without understanding her current attitude, he did not dare to be too presumptuous. When men and women shared such an intimate moment, a man should feel as though he had taken advantage of the woman. Thus, he felt a little like he was in the wrong.
“I came to take something.” Ji Yao turned to look at him.
“Take what?” he asked curiously.
“Some changes of clothes for Little Junior Sister,” she replied.
Yang Kai stared at her in a daze. A long while later, he realized that she was not planning to say anything else, “That’s it?”
She gently nodded.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in response, “Do you need to personally come here for something like that?”
As a cultivator, everybody had a Space Ring; furthermore, they would have prepared several sets of spare clothes in their Space Rings normally. He himself had some in his Space Ring, and he was certain Su Yan did too. Hence, there was no need to come here on purpose just to get some spares.
“Am I unwelcome here?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“No! Of course not. That’s absolutely not it. Why would you be unwelcome here?” He denied vehemently.
She lifted her chin and said, “Then, go and find some for me. It’s not appropriate for me to rummage through Little Junior Sister’s personal effects.”
“En, just wait for a moment.” While speaking, he turned around and walked into the room. He walked over to the closet and began searching through it. Su Yan was not particular about the clothes she wore, and with her beauty, she would still look gorgeous regardless of what she wore.
There were not many clothes in the closet to begin with, so Yang Kai just stuffed them all into an empty Space Ring. Turning around, he discovered that Ji Yao had followed him in. She was sitting sideways on the bed and being so quiet that it was strange.
He handed the Space Ring to her, “It’s all here. Go back and tell her that she can cultivate in Ice Heart Valley without feeling burdened. Just let me know if she needs anything. I will send somebody over to deliver the items.”
“Good.” She took the ring from him with her bare hand and placed it on her finger. Then, she raised her hand to admire it. She was acting as if he had gifted the ring to her.
“Junior Sister, is there anything else?” Yang Kai asked.
“No.”
[If there’s nothing else, then why are you still sitting there!?] He had a speechless look on his face. Even so, he could not bring himself to kick her out. He didn’t know if he was imagining things, but it felt like their encounter this time was different from all their previous encounters. He felt like he was constantly making blunders and mistakes; thus, he couldn’t wait to send her away as soon as possible, so that he was not stuck in anxiety all the time.
“Is there something wrong?” She looked up at him with bright eyes.
“Of course not,” He scratched his head. [There’s nothing wrong with me. You are the only one who has a problem.]
“If you have something to attend to, you can leave. You don’t need to mind me.”
“Haha…” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched in response. [You are a guest here. How can I leave my guest alone?]
Yang Kai had no choice but to make small talk with Ji Yao, lest the atmosphere become too awkward. Fortunately, Su Yan gave them a common topic to talk about. He asked about Su Yan, and Ji Yao responded to all of his questions. In that way, he learnt about how well Su Yan had been doing in Ice Heart Valley recently and how welcoming her Senior Sisters were to her. Part of the reason was out of respect for Yang Kai, but it was mostly out of affection as disciples in the same Sect. Regardless of the reason, Bing Yun had spoken so it was quickly confirmed that Su Yan was their Little Junior Sister, and they were all part of the same family from now on.
On another note, Bing Yun had been ecstatic when she learnt that Su Yan had the Ice Crystal Jade Body. Yang Kai had not mentioned anything about that when he brought Su Yan to Ice Heart Valley to return her to her roots. He was originally planning to bring it up, but Bing Yun had accepted Su Yan so readily that it didn’t take much effort from him to convince her.
Between the two of them, one was sitting and one was standing. Yang Kai turned to look out the window from time to time. The meaning behind his actions clearly being ‘it’s getting late, she should be going now; otherwise, it would be bad if word got out that they were alone in a room in the middle of the night.’
However, Ji Yao wasn’t bothered by his actions. She simply sat there quietly and didn’t seem to feel any discomfort.
As night fell, the clouds outside the window became so thick that it was hard to see. The hazy dimness gave off a different kind of beauty.
Yang Kai was a little speechless. He truly had no idea what Ji Yao wanted to do. [Could it be that she came here to cause trouble because of the previous incident? But, that doesn’t seem likely. If she was here to cause trouble, she could have brought it up directly, so why is she stubbornly refusing to leave?]
In any case, it wasn’t good to continue standing around. It made it seem like he was listening to her preach. [I am the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. I am a relatively respectable and influential figure. Besides, this is my territory. Why should I stand while you sit?]
Turning around, he smoothed the front of his robe with both hands and sat down on the edge of the bed, not too far away from Ji Yao.
“By the way, how is Junior Sister Liu doing?” There was nothing to talk about, so he randomly found another topic to discuss. The ‘Junior Sister Liu’ in question was referring to Liu Xian Yun, who entered the Star Boundary through the Starlight Corridor and ended up in Blue Feather Sect with him back then. She later entered the Solitary Void Sealed World with Yang Kai where the two of them had met Bing Yun. Later, Liu Xian Yun entered Ice Heart Valley.
Speaking of which, Liu Xian Yun did not cultivate an Ice Attribute Secret Art and was technically not qualified to enter the Sect according to Ice Heart Valley’s criteria; however, she had nowhere to settle down and Yang Kai could not ignore her circumstances. In the end, he asked Bing Yun to accept her into the Sect.
“Junior Sister Liu recently went into retreat to attempt to break through to the Emperor Realm. It has been several years since I last saw her, but there is nothing to worry about,” Ji Yao replied indifferently.
That was the good thing about cultivators from a Lower Star Field. Their aptitudes were among the best of the best, and they had a high probability of advancing to the Emperor Realm. Liu Xian Yun had been one of the leading Masters in Grand Desolation Star Field, and after entering Ice Heart Valley, she had abundant cultivation resources and an excellent cultivation environment. The accumulation of her efforts allowed her to progress rapidly and explosively.
Yang Kai nodded in response, feeling happy for Liu Xian Yun.
Unfortunately, what Ji Yao said next left his heart pounding wildly, “Senior Brother, are you interested in Junior Sister Liu too?”
He glared at her and solemnly stated, “Stop talking nonsense. Such words could ruin her reputation.”
Ji Yao slowly adjusted her sleeves, “Senior Brother, haven’t you already ruined a lot of reputations?”
[What does that mean!? Isn’t it just that I couldn’t help myself the other day!? Besides, it’s not entirely my fault either! Why is she so hung up on that? Does she feel like she was taken advantage of? How about I let her molest me right now in return!?] Turning to stare at her, he sternly said, “Junior Sister Yao, I think you might have misunderstood me a little bit.”
“Hahah…” The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, neither confirming nor denying his charge.
Yang Kai suddenly became angry out of shame and leaned towards her, the veins in his forehead twitching wildly, “Can you not laugh like that? It’s very disrespectful of you.”
It was an angry outburst, but he looked startled after speaking. That was because a hint of panic flashed across Ji Yao’s face without warning, and her eyelashes quivered. It wasn’t until he came back to his senses that he realized that he was so close he was almost pressing his lips against her face. His expression twitched slightly in response.
[Damn it! Now it’s going to be awkward again… I need to think of a way to explain myself… I’m already being suspected of taking advantage of her. I’m just digging myself into a hole at this rate. She won’t believe me even if I try to explain, but backing away right now will make it seem like I’m feeling guilty.] He was racking his brains trying to think of how to calmly get out of this situation and broach this topic.
Contrary to his expectations though, he noticed a faint blush creeping up her face, one that was incredibly alluring. Moreover, Ji Yao’s scent lingered at the tip of his nose, penetrating his senses as though a hand was gently stroking his heart.
[What’s going on?] He was puzzled. [Why isn’t she avoiding me? I accidentally got too close, so logically speaking, she should have moved away. But, it seems she has no intention of doing that…]
There was only a hint of panic flashing in across her eyes and her hand was subconsciously gripping her snow-white sleeves as she lowered her gaze docilely.
Yang Kai swept his eyes across her fair face, delicate earlobes, and slender neck. From this angle, he could even see into the valley between her two mountains. Unfortunately, her clothes were too tight to see clearly. Nevertheless, the darkness of that crevice gave him much to fantasize about. Swallowing nervously, he turned his head away and whistled casually as he moved to sit much closer to her.
[Hmm? No response?] He moved a little more, then a little more… Finally, he could feel a warmth pressing against the side of his body. It was clear that they were already touching each other. Even now, Ji Yao was not reacting, nor did she seem intent on moving away. However, her entire body shuddered slightly when he pressed his body against hers just now.
[What is happening!?] He yelled in his heart. A thought rolled around in his mind, and he could not suppress that idea no matter what he tried. Thus, he put one hand on the bed and his other hand quietly snuck around her back and slowly tightened around her, hugging her to him.
He stopped whistling and sat up straight. He didn’t look at her directly, but he did study her reaction from the corners of his eyes. Meanwhile, she turned to look at him with a sharp gaze that felt like knives slicing across his face. No matter how thick-skinned he was, that gaze still made him extremely uncomfortable.
[Now that things have come to this, what else is there to say?] The look in his eyes suddenly became firm, and with the determination of a hundred men storming a fortress, he turned to look at her. Their gazes met, his eyes filled with hunger like a starving beast, and this time around, she was the one to look away instead.
[Not so tough after all!] He laughed wildly in his heart before he lowered his head and leaned towards her.
Ji Yao’s eyes closed quickly, and her entire body trembled lightly in Yang Kai’s arms. When their lips touched, she abruptly stiffened, amusing Yang Kai somewhat. [This isn’t her first time anymore, so why does she still have such a huge reaction? It was the same back at the Cultivation Technique Pavilion a few days ago. Really… She hasn’t made any progress whatsoever.]
Savouring the sweet taste, Yang Kai quickly pried open her lips and caught her tongue, ravaging it wantonly.
Ji Yao was very clumsy and didn’t even respond to his advances. She simply allowed him to do as he pleased. If not for the slight trembling of her body, he would have thought that he was holding a piece of wood in his arms.
The hand holding her around the waist slowly shifted upward. He placed his hand on her shoulder before putting some strength into it and pushing her against the bed. Rolling over so that he was on top, he placed one hand on her back. His other hand slid beneath her clothes at her waist. It was a brazen and unscrupulous act.
The atmosphere between them was so hot and electrifying that the scorching atmosphere almost caused the room to burst into flames. One should strike while the iron was hot and since things had already gone so far, Yang Kai decided that he should go all in. Grabbing her belt with one hand, he moved to pull it off, but unexpectedly, she grabbed his wrists and opened her tightly shut eyes, a look of pleading filling her face.
[This again?] He felt a little speechless. She had done the exact same thing back at the Cultivation Technique Pavilion. It seemed that kissing was okay, but she refused to go any further than that. Nonetheless, he was certain that she was already aroused. Her face was so flushed that it looked like blood was going to seep out of her pores, the sound of her pounding heartbeat could be heard from her ample bosom, and her breathing was incredibly ragged.
Yang Kai tentatively pulled at her belt again and discovered that her hand was tightly clenching his wrist. Feeling a little helpless, he could only step back and go for something else. His large hand slid along her belt and continued upward. This time around, there was still some resistance but it was not as strong as before.
At this point, he couldn’t care less though. [She seduced me but won’t let me have a taste. If I can’t have a taste, then I can at least enjoy myself fully, right?] He pulled out his other hand, grabbed both her wrists, yanked her hands above her head, and held them there. At the same time, he used his other hand to climb her peaks.
Ji Yao moaned, and in response, he pressed himself against her again and covered her lips with his.
Yang Kai did not know how long passed. They had changed positions on the bed several times and now, he was lying beneath her, and she was riding on top of him. Her clothes and hair were a mess, and she no longer had her usual immaculate image.
He squeezed and kneaded her snow rabbits, constantly changing their shapes. Nevertheless, she was kissing his lips without the slightest care in the world. It was just that she had no skills so her kisses felt like the touch of a dragonfly skimming across the water. It was both amusing and frustrating.
“Junior Sister Yao, I have a request!” Yang Kai suddenly blurted out.
Ji Yao’s movements froze abruptly. Then, she pressed her palms against his chest and pushed out lightly. Her entire body fluttered backwards and she came to stand beside the bed.
Yang Kai saw this and asked anxiously, “What are you doing?” [We were doing just fine. Why is she running away all of a sudden?]
Biting her red lips, she glared at him angrily and shouted, “Scoundrel!”
Afterwards, she turned around and rushed out of the room. She went straight to the guardrail and flew into the air, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
“Scoundrel? What? I haven’t even mentioned what my request was!” Yang Kai chased her to the porch, but she was already gone.
[This is just great. Last time, I took advantage of her back at the Cultivation Technique Pavilion of Ice Heart Valley. This time, she came to High Heaven Palace and took advantage of me. Does she think that she can write it off just like this?]
Yang Kai didn’t know if he still had any chance with her in the future; thus, he couldn’t help feeling annoyed with himself for not hardening his resolve and taking her on the spot to officially make her his. The main reason was that his resolve melted whenever he saw that begging look in her eyes.
Letting out a long sigh, he walked out of the room and searched the palace for some time. Then, he came to a room, pushed the door open, and strutted in.
Inside, Xue Yue was meditating, but when she saw that it was Yang Kai, she couldn’t help asking, “Husband, what are you doing here?”
Yang Kai did not reply to her question. He simply walked over to her and picked her up in a princess carry.
“Where are we going?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“To find Luo’er.” He smirked deviously.
In the early morning of the next day, Yang Kai woke up and yawned. There was a tender body in each of his arms, and a strange smell lingered in the room. Last night was another crazy one!
He gently disentangled himself from between the two soft forms and got out of bed to open the window with a wave of his hand. A light breeze blew in, blowing away the lingering fragrance.
Those movements of his caused both Shan Qing Luo and Xue Yue to wake up. Shan Qing Luo was thick-skinned so she sat up and stretched in a seductive manner, her exotic curves exposed for all to see. Staring at Yang Kai, she smirked and asked, “Are you satisfied now?”
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully. Walking over, he groped her chest, “You make it sound like you suffered a loss. I don’t even know who was wilder last night.”
She snorted, “Don’t come to me for the time being. I’m going to cultivate in retreat to break through to the Dao Source Realm. Big Sister is already in the Second-Order Dao Source Realm. If I don’t work harder, I won’t be able to keep up with you guys anymore.” While speaking, she reached out and pinched Xue Yue’s cheeks, “Stop pretending to be asleep and quickly get up.”
Xue Yue blushed when her cover was blown and had no choice but to get up; however, she was not as bold as Shan Qing Luo so she grabbed a blanket to cover her chest
Shan Qing Luo stretched out a hand to tickle Xue Yue, “What’s wrong? It’s not like we haven’t seen them before. Why are you being so shy?”
“Luo’er, stop teasing me.” Xue Yue was blushing furiously. Although she wasn’t as shy as Little Senior Sister, she wasn’t as unrestrained as Shan Qing Luo either. She secretly snuck a glance at Yang Kai and saw him standing there buck-naked, watching them with a smile on his face. He had no intention of stopping Shan Qing Luo’s antics; thus, she blurted out in shame, “You two always go overboard now that Big Sister isn’t here! I’m going to tell Big Sister about this!”
“Wow! How dare you tattle on us!?” Shan Qing Luo gritted her teeth and lunged over to pull the blanket off Xue Yue’s body. Then, she used both hands to tickle Xue Yue to the point where she started begging for mercy. At the same time, she called out to Yang Kai, “Husband, how can you dominate the world if you can’t even keep your woman in line? Little Sister is in need of some discipline. What are you still waiting for?”
Yang Kai considered it seriously for a moment and nodded, “That makes sense.” Approaching them, he grinned savagely as he ravaged Xue Yue with Shan Qing Luo’s assistance. Needless to say, Shan Qing Luo could not escape from the devil’s clutches either, and by the time the battle had been settled, it was midday.
The two women helped Yang Kai dress as he sat in front of the mirror with one helping him straighten out his clothes while the other combed his hair.
Xue Yue busied herself with her task while talking, “Husband, since Luo’er is entering retreat, I will too. You better not sabotage our efforts in the near future. It will be bad if our cultivation cannot keep up with you and Big Sister.”
“Good,” Yang Kai nodded. Although he would miss making love with them, they needed to continue scaling the path of the great Martial Dao. Both Shan Qing Luo and Xue Yue had just arrived from the Star Field, so it was the perfect time for them to improve at an explosive speed. If they missed this chance, it would affect their futures, so he warned them, “Work hard on your cultivation and don’t be afraid to ask if there is anything you don’t understand. There are many in the Emperor Realm within the Sect, so teaching you should not be a problem.”
“En.” Xue Yue nodded.
Shan Qing Luo suddenly pursed her lips and smiled, “Big Sister went to Ice Heart Valley, Ning Chang went to Medicine Pill Valley, and Little Sister Yue and I are going to cultivate in retreat. Husband, you are probably going to be a lonely man for some time. Didn’t you mention we have another Sister? Moreover, a member of the Dragon Clan at that. Why don’t you bring her over? That way, you’ll still have somebody taking care of you when we are not by your side.”
“About her…” Yang Kai murmured, “We’ll see.”
Zhu Qing’s affairs were a little tricky. Her very existence was related to the reputation of the Dragon Clan, so they would not let her go so easily. Furthermore, he caused a huge stir on Dragon Island previously and indirectly contributed to the death of an Eighth-Order Great Dragon. The Dragon Clan not being hostile to him was the best outcome he could hope for, so how could they allow Zhu Qing to join High Heaven Palace on top of that? The only way he could bring Zhu Qing here was if he had enough power to subdue all of Dragon Island.
Once Yang Kai was properly dressed, he walked out of High Heaven Peak and saw Hua Qing Si waiting outside. Hua Qing Si greeted him with a grumbling expression, “It’s one thing when you were constantly absent from the Sect in the past, but now that you are back, why is it still so hard to meet you!”
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“Take a look.” She handed him a jade slip.
He took it from her and investigated the contents with his Divine Sense. Then, he couldn’t help gnashing his teeth, “Why are so many people filing complaints?”
To which she replied, “Well, there’s not enough to go around. Those teachers that arrived from Fire Dragon Palace are having an extremely difficult time these days. They practically don’t even have the time to rest, much less cultivate.”
“Why would they have no time to rest?” He was stunned.
Rolling her eyes at him, she stated, “Let me show you around and you’ll understand why immediately.”
While speaking, Hua Qing Si flew into the sky and led him to a Spirit Peak nearby. The cultivators living on this Spirit Peak seemed to be from Shadowed Star and numbered about a thousand in total. Currently, a long queue was stretching out in front of a palace situated at the top of the Spirit Peak. There were at least two hundred people waiting in line. From time to time, a cultivator would walk out of the palace with a look of sudden enlightenment. Every time somebody walked out, the person at the front of the line would enter the palace. Then, the cycle would repeat.
The corners of Yang Kai’s face twitched as he pointed to the palace below them and asked, “Is that the place where their teacher lives?”
“En.” Hua Qing Si looked a little apprehensive just looking at the situation, “The cultivators you brought have just arrived, so they are not used to the Star Boundary yet. It’s only natural that they run into some problems in their cultivation. Whenever they run into a problem, they come looking for their respective teachers to seek guidance. But, there is only one teacher on each Spirit Peak. Look at the line outside the palace. Where would these teachers find the time to rest? This is only a Spirit Peak with a population of around a thousand people. Those with even more living on them have it even worse. Though those with a population of only a few hundred have it slightly better, they are still very busy. A few of the teachers have already come to me, saying that they can’t bear life here any longer. Even if they suffer some punishment, they want to return to Fire Dragon Palace immediately. They have asked me to contact Palace Master Li.”
“Ignore them.”
Hua Qing Si said, “I’ve managed to suppress them for now. But, how well can they teach our disciples with that kind of mentality? If they don’t teach them properly, it will affect the futures of our disciples. Palace Master, you really need to look for a way to alleviate this situation.”
“En. I was already planning to do that.”
She said, “Ice Heart Valley has a pretty good relationship with us. Can’t we get some help from Ice Heart Valley?”
“Forget about Ice Heart Valley. I’ve considered it before, but all the disciples of Ice Heart Valley only cultivate Ice Attribute Secret Arts and Techniques. It’s too specific, which makes them unsuited to be their teachers.”
“What do we do then?”
“I have my own plans,” Yang Kai replied, “But, before more teachers arrive, I need you to appease the ones here already somehow. Let’s give them a monthly salary every month. We’ll stop making them work in vain.”
“I had that idea too. I was just about to report it to you.”
“Use your own judgement regarding this matter. If that doesn’t work, discuss it with Manager Bian. You are free to decide how much pay is suitable. You don’t need to ask me for my opinion on this.”
“Fine, fine,” Hua Qing Si sighed helplessly. She had never met a Palace Master like him before. He simply couldn’t wait to let go of all the power in his hands, seemingly happiest acting as an arm-flinging shopkeeper.
After separating from Hua Qing Si, Yang Kai went to Spirit Pill Peak, met with Ji Ying, and took out a number of items with him. A short while later, he appeared in front of the Space Array.
“Palace Master!” Bian Yu Qing, who was meditating by the side, hurriedly came to greet him.
He waved her away gently, indicating for her to go back to what she was doing, before walking over to the Space Array, activating it, and disappearing.
In the Southern Territory, Yang Kai leisurely appeared in a quiet mountain valley located at the back of Spirit Sword Peak in Azure Sun Temple. He swept his Divine Sense around and confirmed that nobody had seen him; then, he flew straight towards Spirit Sword Peak.
He was a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, and Spirit Sword Peak was the Spirit Peak where he lived. It was also the place he had chosen for himself and was located far away from the other Main Peaks, which made it easier for him to conceal the Space Array.
Flying over to Spirit Sword Peak, he took out an Elder’s Jade Token, opened the protective Array, and walked straight in.
Two young and beautiful women were feeding fish in front of a pond. The big red koi carps were swimming in the pond and competing for food, causing the two girls to giggle.
Yang Kai was a little dumbfounded by the sight. Looking around him carefully, he was certain that he was not in the wrong place. [This is definitely Spirit Sword Peak. Since when did I have two maidservants?]
Both girls did not have high cultivation and it wasn’t until Yang Kai had gotten very close that they noticed that there was somebody else present. Startled, the girl on the left dressed in red jumped up and shouted, “Who are you!?”
Yang Kai laughed and looked back at them and asked, “Who are you?”
“We are disciples of Azure Sun Temple. Who are you?” The girl in red looked at him warily.
On the contrary, a thoughtful look flashed through the eyes of the other girl, who was dressed in green. Seemingly realizing something, she tugged at her friend’s sleeve before bowing elegantly, “Greetings, Elder Yang!”
[Elder Yang!?] The girl in red froze in shock. There was only one Elder with the surname ‘Yang’ in the entire Azure Sun Temple, so she immediately composed herself and bowed.
“Rise.” Yang Kai waved his hand and beckoned them to stand. Then, he asked curiously, “Why are you here?”
The girl in green replied, “Elder Gao assigned us this mission. She said that Elder Yang doesn’t live here all year round, so she wanted us to stay here and tend to this place.”
“Senior Sister Gao…” Yang Kai nodded, “So that’s how it is.”
The girl in green continued, “We didn’t touch anything on Spirit Sword Peak. We kept everything as it was. We only clean the palace and feed the fish. Please understand, Elder Yang.”
He smiled, “Many thanks for your hard work, both of you.”
The two girls seemed overwhelmed by his praise. The person in front of them was an Elder of the Sect. Moreover, he was an Emperor Realm Master. With their humble statuses and low cultivation, the gap between them was as vast as the space between the Heavens and Earth. Nonetheless, the person in front of them was being so friendly that it made them very emotional.
By the time they came back to their senses, Yang Kai had already stepped into the hall.
“So that was Elder Yang.” The girl in red looked at Yang Kai’s disappearing back with a look of admiration, “He looks very young.”
The girl in green stated, “I heard that Elder Yang may be the youngest Elder we’ve ever had here. It’s said that he only spent a hundred years cultivating.”
“Seriously!?” The girl in red was visibly stunned. Although their cultivations weren’t high, they knew that it was not easy to become an Emperor Realm Master. To achieve that Realm within a hundred years was simply unthinkable.
“Elder Yang is said to have come from a Lower Star Field,” The girl in green clearly had more information. After saying that, she exclaimed out loud.
“What’s wrong?”
“Elder Gao told me to let her know as soon as Elder Yang returns. I almost forgot.” While speaking, she hurriedly took out a communication artifact.
Upon entering the hall, Yang Kai walked around and found that the place was indeed kept neat and tidy. He slid his hand over a tabletop and saw that there was no dust at all. It could be seen that the two girls had earnestly taken care of this place. Then, he turned around, sat on a chair, and pondered for a moment. When he looked up again, the two girls walked in and bowed in greeting.
“By the way, wasn’t there another old man living here? Where did that old man go?” He asked, looking at them.
Yang Kai was referring to Tian Yan, who had arrived from the Divine Ascension Mirror after creating a new body for himself. Back then, Tian Yan received help from Yang Kai to create his physical body with the Flesh Incarnation Pill. Yang Kai originally thought that he could gain a Great Emperor as his support, but reality turned out differently. Tian Yan was indeed a Master comparable to a Great Emperor in the Divine Ascension Mirror World, but that was only limited to when he was in the Divine Ascension Mirror. When he later created a new physical body, he needed to start all over again. He was equivalent to a newborn baby simply because the Heavenly Way could not be deceived. The Heavenly Way couldn’t produce another Great Emperor out of nothing.
At the time, Yang Kai had not understood the situation clearly. It wasn’t until his talk with Yang Yan that he finally understood. The world was a bottle that could not contain Tian Yan’s existence; thus, Tian Yan had to start cultivating all over again. Wen Zi Shan initially wanted to choose another place for him to stay, but Tian Yan insisted Spirit Sword Peak would be fine.
Afterwards, Yang Kai went to the Frozen Earth with Zhu Lie, entered the Revolving World, took a trip to the Western Territory, entered Dragon Island, and returned to Heng Luo Star Field. More than ten years had passed in a blink of an eye. He didn’t see Tian Yan anywhere upon his return to Spirit Sword Peak; there were only these two girls in front of him on this Spirit Peak. Thus, he couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious.
“Senior went on a trip,” A clear voice suddenly rang out from the outside.
Yang Kai lifted his head to look in the direction of the voice and saw a tall figure stepping in. That person wore a clean, white dress and had her hair tied up in a bun above her head. It made her seem neat and tidy, and also somewhat heroic.
Standing up, Yang Kai cupped his fists with a smile, “Senior Sister Gao, it has been a long time since we last met. You are as beautiful as ever.”
He was not surprised to see Gao Xue Ting appearing here so quickly. The reason she ordered those two girls to stay here was to take care of Spirit Sword Peak and also to monitor his movements. She would definitely be notified as soon as he returned.
*Zheng…*
A clear sound rang out while at the same time, a cold light flashed as a longsword slid out of its sheath. Gao Xue Ting strode forward and rested the sword on Yang Kai’s shoulder and smiling coldly, she sneered, “Tell me! How do you want to die!?”
The two girls next to them cried out in surprise. They never expected Gao Xue Ting to lose her temper the moment she ran into Yang Kai. [Why is Elder Gao pointing her sword at Elder Yang? Could there be some sort of long-standing grudge between them?]
They wondered if they should report this matter to the other Elders; however, both of them had low cultivation and humble statuses. How could they have a method to contact the other Elders?
The smile on Yang Kai’s face stiffened as he swallowed nervously, using two fingers to pinch the sword blade and gently remove it from his shoulder before he asked, “Senior Sister Gao, what are you doing?”
“How dare you return so shamelessly!?” Gao Xue Ting coldly snorted, unmoved by his words.
His expression twitched slightly, “I don’t understand what you mean. Please enlighten me, Senior Sister.”
“You want to know why you deserve death?” She looked at him expressionlessly, “Fine! I will let you die knowing the reason why! Let me ask you this; are you or are you not an Elder of Azure Sun Temple!?”
“Of course, I am!” He quickly nodded in response before exclaiming in shock, “Could it be possible that I’ve been kicked out!?”
“If you claim to be an Elder, then why didn’t you show up for more than ten years!?”
“It has only been slightly more than ten years… It’s not that long…” Yang Kai touched his nose weakly, “Besides, I’m just a High-Rank Guest Elder. It doesn’t make any difference to the Temple whether I’m here or not.”
“A High-Rank Guest Elder is still an Elder! You ran away the moment the Temple ordained you and failed to send word ever since then. Do you still hold the Temple in your eyes!?”
“Nope!” He shook his head flatly at those words.
She was taken aback by his answer. It would seem that she never expected him to respond in such a manner. A look of disappointment appeared in her eyes, and she slowly retracted her sword.
He smilingly added, “I keep the Temple in my heart!”
He even patted his chest while speaking.
She glared at him immediately, “Enough with your antics. If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation for your absence, I will ask the Temple Master to revoke your status as a High-Rank Guest Elder; after all, it doesn’t make any difference to the Temple whether you’re here or not.”
[Why use my words against me!?] He looked speechless. Even so, he could only smile at her, “Senior Sister Gao, as you know, I have High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory. There were a lot of matters to take care of. Moreover, it is not convenient to come and go. The North and the South are separated by millions and millions of kilometres, so it takes years just to make one round trip. It’s not too much to come back every ten years or so, right?”
She scoffed, “I told you this a long time ago. You don’t need that High Heaven whatever in the Northern Territory. Just settle down here at the Temple. A great force isn’t something a person can support all by himself.” Nevertheless, her tone had softened considerably.
Even he knew that a great force was not something that a person could support all by themselves. If it was in the past, he could still have given up on High Heaven Palace; however, he had just brought more than a hundred thousand people over from Heng Luo Star Field, and they were all gathered in one place. How could he abandon them now? He had to take responsibility for them since he brought them here.
Yang Kai signalled the two young girls, who were watching the excitement by the side, with a look and sent a transmission to them at the same time. After that, he nodded and bowed, “Senior Sister, please calm down. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Gao Xue Ting turned around and took a seat. Her longsword that was glimmering with a cold light was put away too, which made him sigh with relief.
Soon, the two girls served a fragrant and steaming pot of tea.
“Senior Sister, have some tea. I’m afraid this place is crude, and I don’t have much to offer.”
She glanced sideways at him, “Are you looking down on Spirit Sword Peak? This is the place you chose for yourself. If you are not satisfied with this place, you can settle down at my place, Purple Bamboo Peak. I have a lot of empty space anyway.”
“Uh… how could that be appropriate?” Yang Kai wanted to slap himself on the mouth for saying the wrong thing; thus, he hurriedly changed the subject, “I believe I heard you say something like Senior Tian Yan is out on a trip. What did you mean by that, Senior Sister?”
“It means exactly what I said.”
Yang Kai was stunned and asked, “Did the Temple send somebody to protect him? Won’t it be dangerous for Senior to wander around outside on his own?”
Yang Kai was quite worried. Although Tian Yan had the foundation of a Great Emperor, he had to start his cultivation over from scratch after creating his body. Only slightly more than ten years had passed since then, so his cultivation couldn’t be that high yet. The Star Boundary was unlike the Star Field, there were Masters everywhere. If Tian Yan encountered heinous individuals during his journey, it might lead to his demise. It would be the greatest joke if a Great Emperor was killed by a cultivator in the Origin Returning Realm.
“It’s what Senior himself wanted, so who could have stopped him? As for being in danger… You don’t need to worry about that either. When Senior left this place three years ago, he was already in the Saint Realm.”
“What!?” Yang Kai was utterly taken aback. He nearly suspected that he had heard wrongly.
In the Martial Dao, the Saint Realm was the seventh Great Realm, following the Initial Element Realm, the Qi Transformation Realm, the Separation and Reunion Realm, the True Qi Realm, the Immortal Ascension Realm, and the Transcendent Realm. Moreover, there were nine Minor Realms in each Great Realm before reaching the Immortal Ascension Realm. Following that, the Transcendent and Saint Realm both had three Minor Realms. Every cultivator had to spend a lot of time and effort just to progress forward a single Minor Realm, one step at a time. Even Yang Kai spent thirty to forty years to advance through those Realms.
But how long had it been since Tian Yan created his body? Only a few years or so had passed, yet Tian Yan was already in the Saint Realm three years ago. In other words, he spent less than ten years cultivating to reach the Saint Realm. Now that three more years have passed, his cultivation was undoubtedly even higher.
Thinking about it though, it made sense. Tian Yan was not an ordinary cultivator. He had the heritage of a Great Emperor, so it was only natural that he had a faster cultivation speed. Most cultivators would normally encounter bottlenecks, but not him.
“Although Senior’s cultivation isn’t that high, don’t forget what he is best at. It’s unlikely that he will encounter any dangers even if he wanders around outside.”
Yang Kai nodded in response. Tian Yan was born in the Divine Ascension Mirror World with only a Soul Avatar; as such, he was unmatched in the application of the Spiritual Energy and Soul Secret Techniques. On this point, even the Serene Soul Great Emperor was no match for him.
Tian Yan’s physical cultivation was certainly not that high, but if it was supplemented with the strange Soul Secret Techniques he had, he would be able to fight with people several Great Realms higher than himself.
“Senior sure is courageous,” Yang Kai laughed.
Gao Xue Ting explained, “The outside world is unfamiliar to him, so it’s only natural that he doesn’t want to cultivate blindly. Besides, it’s beneficial for him to go around and see the world.” She glanced sideways, and her tone turned cold, “What about you? What have you been doing?”
[Why did she turn the topic of conversation back to me again!?] Yang Kai felt rather speechless. Even so, he nonchalantly replied, “It’s better to traverse the world far and wide than to sit at home and study all day. Haha…”
“Shut your mouth!” She shouted.
In response, he sat up straight in a proper manner.
“Pfft!” The two girls by the side snickered loudly. However, they immediately lowered their heads again when they saw Yang Kai’s resentful glare.
The two quickly became silent and looked away with looks that screamed, [We didn’t see anything. We didn’t hear anything.]
“Take out those things!” Gao Xue Ting suddenly stretched out her jade white hand.
He asked blankly, “What things?
She sneered, “Stop acting dumb. You took so many of the Temple’s spirit flowers and exotic herbs with you back then. You couldn’t have forgotten about the task you were given, right?”
“Oh! That’s what you mean!” He finally understood the situation and added confidently, “How could I have forgotten the task you assigned to me, Senior Sister Gao? I completed it diligently. Here, have a look.”
After saying that, he took out a Space Ring and pushed it to her. While she was investigating the contents, he said, “The main reason I was delayed in the Northern Territory for so long is that I was refining these items. Then, I cultivated in retreat for a while.”
“So many!” A hint of consternation flashed through Gao Xue Ting’s eyes. This Space Ring was filled with nothing but Emperor Grade Spirit Pills that Yang Kai had gotten from Ji Ying.
It was true that he had taken a lot of spirit flowers and spirit herbs away with him back then. That was the task the Temple had given to him; refine Emperor Grade Spirit Pills. Therefore, he did not forget to prepare the Spirit Pills in advance before coming here. Looking at her reaction, it would seem that he safely passed this challenge.
“You still had the energy to cultivate after refining so many Spirit Pills?” She glanced at him in surprise, thinking that the Spirit Pills had all been refined by him. The look she gave him immediately alerted her to something though. Something was different about him. Thus, she studied him carefully and murmured suspiciously, “Your cultivation…”
He grinned meaningfully, “Senior Sister Gao, you really have good eyes. I can’t hide anything from you.” Pushing his Emperor Qi slightly, the aura of his cultivation was revealed.
She was immediately shocked by what she saw. [Second-Order Emperor Realm! This brat is actually a Second-Order Emperor! How is this possible!?]
Milf is milf. You can state that they are Milfs. But, I sorta want to know which character reminds you most of your own mom. (I don’t expect you would consider them to be milfs right? So, do split the responses apart.)
After meeting again after more than ten years, Yang Kai was now in the Second-Order Emperor Realm, the same as her!
Gao Xue Ting couldn’t believe it. Nonetheless, she had no choice but to believe it. The Second-Order Emperor Realm’s aura could not be faked. [Still… Isn’t his cultivation speed a little too fast?]
She could still remember the first time she saw him. It was when the Four Seasons Realm was about to open and he arrived at the Temple with a Bustling World Token to exchange for an entry spot. At the time, Yang Kai had only been in the First-Order Dao Source Realm. Several years later, he returned from the Shattered Star Sea having broken through to the Emperor Realm. And now, only a few more years had passed since then, but he already experienced another breakthrough.
She was in the Second-Order Emperor Realm, hence she knew how tough it was to break through to the next Minor Realm in the Emperor Realm. There were many Emperor Realm Masters in Azure Sun Temple, but most of them were only in the First Order. On the other hand, there were only three Second-Order Emperors. Excluding her, the other two were Vice Temple Master, Qiu Ran, and Grandma You, who guarded the Divine Ascension Mirror.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was a rising star who actually managed to catch up to them. Judging by the current situation, he would surpass them one day. It was only a matter of time.
The other disciples who started at the same time as Yang Kai, such as Xia Sheng, Xiao Bai Yi, and Murong Xiao Xiao, had only just stabilized their cultivation in the First-Order Emperor Realm, so who knows when they would be able to break through to the Second-Order? In comparison to Yang Kai, the so-called genius disciples were simply mediocre.
An old saying popped up in Gao Xue Ting’s head at that moment, ‘Every generation produced new talents, and the new generation would eventually replace the old’! The smiling young man sitting in front of her was a star that was gradually rising into the sky, one that would bloom with a dazzling light one day and cover the entire Star Boundary in its radiance as long as nothing unexpected occurred.
“Not bad,” She praised indifferently. However, she thought differently in her heart. [How is that ‘not bad’!? It’s practically a miracle! I seriously have no idea how he cultivates or what kind of Secret Art and Secret Techniques he uses.]
“Senior Sister Gao, how many Elder Contribution Points can I redeem with these items?” Yang Kai asked.
Putting the Space Ring away, she responded in a detached manner, “Emperor Grade Spirit Pills are hard to come by. Converting so many Emperor Grade Spirit Pills into Elder Contribution Points should garner you a large profit but I don’t know the exact amount. Senior Brother Qiu is in charge of this matter, so you will need to discuss this with him.”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go see Senior Brother Qiu!” He stood up.
“You sure are in a hurry,” She glanced at him suspiciously.
He quickly stated, “Not really. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve contributed to the Temple. Of course, I want to know how valuable this contribution is. Motivation only comes after achievements, right?”
“Fine. I’ll go with you to meet Senior Brother Qiu. Let’s have him give us an exact number.” She stood up as well.
“Senior Sister, after you!” He gestured with his hand.
Walking to the entrance of the palace, she suddenly paused mid-step and turned around to look at him in a mixture of confusion and suspicion.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Yang Kai asked in bewilderment.
“Something’s not right.” Gao Xue Ting shook her head slowly, “Tell me honestly. How did you return?”
“What do you mean by ‘how did you return’? I returned like normal,” Yang Kai’s expression remained calm as he spewed nonsense with a straight face.
“If you returned like normal, why didn’t the disciples on guard duty report anything? If you came from the outside, you would have needed to pass by Purple Bamboo Peak. Why didn’t I notice anything?”
To which he promptly replied, “I am proficient in the Dao of Space. It only takes a few rounds of teleportation for me to arrive. That’s probably why you failed to notice my presence.”
“Is that so?” She glanced at him with a look that said she neither believed nor doubted him. Nevertheless, she did not question him any further and simply flew up into the sky.
Staring at her back, Yang Kai touched his nose absent-mindedly. [Did I mess up somewhere?]
He couldn’t figure out what possible mistakes he had made. In the end, he could only fly after her, but to his surprise, he saw her making a turn and flying in a different direction before he could catch up to her.
“Senior Sister Gao, are you going in the wrong direction?” Yang Kai shouted from behind. Although he rarely stayed in Azure Sun Temple for long, he knew that Spirit Jade Peak, the place where Qiu Ran lived, was not in this direction. However, Gao Xue Ting ignored him as she flew towards a certain spot before landing in one of the mountain valleys.
Seeing where she landed, Yang Kai’s heart clenched tight and his speed increased significantly.
Gao Xue ting silently stood in front of a Space Array inside a cave in the mountain valley. Walking into the cave nervously, Yang Kai called out softly but did not receive a reply; thus, he grit his teeth and exclaimed, “Wow! What is this? Why is there an array here!?”
She turned to look at him, “You still dare to pretend!?”
He innocently replied, “What are you talking about, Senior Sister Gao? Pretending? Me? About what?”
She sneered, “This is the back mountain of Spirit Sword Peak. Are you saying that you don’t know about the things that are in your territory?”
He protested, “I don’t know about this!” Looking at her, he continued, “Do you not believe me? I really know nothing about this. As you know, I rarely live here. How am I supposed to know about what happens in this place?”
“Do you really not know?” She asked.
“Yes, I really don’t!” He maintained a serious face.
Then, she nodded and turned to look ahead, “It looks like a Space Array. Moreover, it hasn’t been many years since it was arranged. We don’t know who set this up nor where this connects. Junior Brother, please stand guard for me. I will inspect it.”
“Uh…” He didn’t know how to dissuade her, so he could only nod in agreement, “Okay. Be careful, Senior Sister.”
She immediately walked onto the array and took out some Source Crystals. Placing them on the surrounding grooves, she released her Emperor Qi and activated the array; however, there was no response at all.
Yang Kai lowered his head guiltily. This was naturally the array he arranged and no one could activate it without his special token. For that reason, he was not worried that she might suddenly be transported to the Northern Territory.
Despite trying for a time, Gao Xue Ting failed to activate the array and in the end, she could only walk off it.
Yang Kai spoke up at that moment, “It looks like the array has been in disrepair for a long time. It probably lost its functionality, making it useless. We should just leave it be.”
She shook her head, “There might be other activation methods that we don’t know about. Besides, we don’t know where this array leads to. This place is deep within the Temple so we cannot leave this threat lying here. If somebody uses this array to sneak inside our borders one day, we won’t be able to notice their arrival at all.”
*Zheng…*
A clean sound rang out, and a cold light flashed as Gao Xue Ting drew her sword and pushed her Emperor Qi.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched in response to her actions and he called out, “Senior Sister, what are you planning to do?”
“What does it look like I’m planning to do? I’m destroying it, lest it keeps us on edge all the time.” While speaking, she lifted her sword to cut the array.
“Wait!” Yang Kai shouted.
She turned to look at him, “What is it?”
Scratching his face, he anxiously said, “Don’t be so reckless, Senior Sister. This is a Space Array after all. Although we don’t know where it connects, it might lead to a vast source of treasure. If you destroy the array just like that, won’t you also be cutting off all connection with that opportunity?”
“Then, what do you think we should do?”
He put his hand on his chest and bowed, “Although I am not talented, I am proficient in the Dao of Space. Please let me study this Space Array. I might be able to learn a thing or two about it.”
“How long will you need to study it?”
“A month or two?”
“Hmm.”
“Or, twenty to fifty years?”
“Hmm?”
He explained, “I can’t really say. I can only say that I will do my best.”
She waved her hand dismissively, “There’s no need for so much trouble, let’s just destroy it. Stand aside, Junior Brother, this array looks quite firm so I don’t think I can hold back”
“Senior Sister Gao…” He pressed his palm against his forehead, feeling a little desperate to cry but unable to shed any tears.
“Do you have something else to say?” She looked at him with an expression that seemed to be asking if he had any last words. It was as though the sword was not about to cut the array but him.
He lowered his head, “Senior Sister Gao, do you know something?”
She scoffed, “That depends on what you want me to know.”
“Haaa…” He sighed, knowing that he couldn’t hide it anymore, “How did you find out?”
He believed that he had concealed the Space Array very well; moreover, Spirit Sword Peak could only be accessed by those that have enough authority. Unless they searched every inch of this place, it should have been impossible to discover.
Gao Xue Ting simply replied, “You have always been elusive and hard to track, so it’s difficult not to become suspicious of your actions. Besides, our Temple Master is an idle and bored person. During the past ten years that you were away, he searched every last step of Spirit Sword Peak. Did you think a single Array could block his search? He has a more advanced Spirit Jade to control the Arrays in his possession. Speak. Where does this Array lead to?”
He lowered his gaze. His expression was wooden, “The Northern Territory.”
“High Heaven Palace?” She raised her eyebrows.
He nodded at those words.
“As I expected! It’s a Cross-Territory Space Array!” She coldly snorted, “Did you arrange it?”
He smilingly said, “Yes.”
“Why did you have to be so sneaky about it?”
“I wasn’t being sneaky about it. I was just waiting for the right time to tell you about it,” Yang Kai declared.
Needless to say, she did not believe him. If she had not confronted him face-to-face like this, the ‘suitable time’ he mentioned would never have appeared. Even so, she could understand why he did what he did. The existence of this Spirit Array was too shocking and not something that could be leaked to the public easily.
“Why can’t I activate it?” It wasn’t the first time Gao Xue Ting had tried to activate the Space Array; in fact, both she and Wen Zi Shan had tried to activate it when he first discovered it, but nothing they did worked.
“It can only be activated if you have one of my specially refined tokens.” Now that it had been discovered, there was nothing left to hide. Azure Sun Temple had always been generous to him. The main reason he kept everything such a secret was that he was afraid of being used as her errand boy.
The people of Azure Sun Temple knew that he was an Emperor Alchemist and had long wished for him to keep refining Emperor Grade Spirit Pills for them; however, he had no time to focus on Alchemy and would hide in High Heaven Palace to live a leisurely life. Unfortunately, Gao Xue Ting could come to him anytime and anywhere now that the Space Array has been exposed.
“What token? Show me.”
“Is it okay if I don’t show it to you?” Yang Kai looked at Gao Xue Ting weakly.
Gao Xue Ting stretched out her hand, indicating that she was not going to give up until he showed it to her. Thus, he had no choice but to take out a token. She quickly reached out and snatched it from him and began studying it. She did not sense anything strange about it, but it did seem to give off some subtle Space Principles. She vaguely understood that the Space Principles sealed within were the key to activating the Space Array.
After a while, the token was put away into her Space Ring.
Seeing this, Yang Kai’s face twitched visibly, but he didn’t dare to raise any objections.