All members of the Dragon Clan surrounded Yang Xiao to take a proper look at the newly born clansman. It had to be said that he was truly adorable. His skin was fair, his figure was chubby, and all his limbs appeared just a bit bloated. His big eyes and long eyelashes also made him look likeable.
About seven to eight pairs of hands were touching the young boy at once as they were trying to feel the newly born aura. Yang Xiao flashed a broad smile at all the clansmen, which made them adore him even more.
Even Zhu Qing appeared overjoyed as if she was eager to give birth to a child herself.
“Alright. Alright,” Zhu Yan was so elated that he couldn’t stop smiling, but seeing Yang Xiao being molested by so many clansmen, he felt sorry for the boy, which was why he stepped forward to stop them, “It’s wonderful news that a new clansman has been born, so we should celebrate. It’s been a long time since we last had a new clansman. Go back now and get prepared. We’ll come together soon to hold a banquet.”
Zhu Kong nodded, “Great Elder is correct. We should celebrate this joyous event properly.”
Since Zhu Yan had said so, all the others stepped away from Yang Xiao, which allowed the boy to heave a sigh of relief.
Fu Zhun looked softly at him and asked with a smile, “Let’s go home.”
However, Yang Xiao appeared hesitant as he turned to look at Yang Kai with an inquisitive gaze. It was as though he wouldn’t leave with Fu Zhun if Yang Kai didn’t agree to it.
Seeing that, Zhu Yan felt sorrowful as it seemed that Yang Kai was more important than them in the boy’s heart. Although it was Yang Kai who hatched him, they were the ones that were related to him by blood. [Does it have something to do with the Ancestral Dragon Source?]
Fu Zhun turned to look at Yang Kai as well, but the coldness and steadfastness in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a look of pleading.
Yang Kai simply grinned and waved his hand, “Go now. You have to listen to your mother.”
Yang Xiao replied respectfully, “En, I’ll be obedient.”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were both heartbroken and gratified. They were heartbroken because Yang Xiao seemed to only listen to Yang Kai. On the other hand, they were gratified because their child was obedient.
After taking Yang Xiao’s hand, Fu Zhun nodded gently at Yang Kai. Then, she turned around and headed towards Snowy Island. Zhu Yan bowed his head at Yang Kai with a grateful expression before he hurriedly raced after them.
The others slowly left as well, but they sported an awkward expression when they gazed at Yang Kai; after all, it was an inconceivable idea that he had managed to hatch a Dragon Egg, which had lost all its vitality.
Soon, only Yang Kai, Zhu Qing, and Qiong Qi were left on the island.
“Are you reluctant to part with him?” Zhu Qing suddenly gazed at Yang Kai and asked.
Yang Kai retracted his gaze and snorted, “He’s not my kid, so why would I be reluctant to part with him?”
Zhu Qing pressed her lips together and took his hand, “Let’s go back now and think about what we should gift him.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was startled.
With a smile, Zhu Qing explained, “Didn’t you hear Great Elder declare we would celebrate this occasion? That child will be the star on that day, so as his Seniors, we naturally have to prepare some gifts.”
Understanding what she meant, Yang Kai nodded, “You’re right. What should we give him?”
Zhu Qing replied, “I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I think that the Dragon Blood Pills you’ve refined would be excellent gifts. That boy has just been born, so his priority right now will be to improve his Dragon Vein.”
She paused for a moment, “But it’s you who gave me those pills.”
“You can give them to him as you please. I’ll just make more pills for you. Those pills aren’t anything rare anyway.”
[Not rare?] Zhu Qing was lost for words. On Dragon Island, every Dragon Blood Flower was extremely precious, let alone Dragon Blood Pills. However, she soon recalled that Yang Kai was an Emperor Alchemist, and he had two Wood Spirits tending to his personal medicine garden, so Dragon Blood Pills really might be common items in his eyes.
Speaking no further, all three headed to Half Moon Island at full speed.
Although Yang Kai had been muddle-headed during the hatching process, he had actually expended a lot of energy. He just couldn’t feel it at the time. Earlier, he wasn’t aware of it, but after he returned to Half Moon Island and fell into bed with Zhu Qing, he was engulfed in a sense of exhaustion immediately and fell asleep for the next few days.
Some days later, while he was in a groggy state, he felt a ticklish sensation on his nose, as if something was brushing against his face gently.
Absent-mindedly, he reached out and grabbed the person’s wrist before pulling her into his embrace, muttering under his breath, “Stop being naughty.”
A tender body remained unmoving in his embrace as she breathed heavily into his chest. Yang Kai closed his eyes and changed into a different position, hugging the woman in his embrace with one hand as he slid his other hand down her waist, reaching for her bottom.
As he stroked the half-moon gently, he couldn’t help but frown slightly because something felt off about the feedback he was getting.
Although he felt an amazingly elastic and plump sensation on his finger, the shape and size were all wrong, making him aware that the woman in his embrace wasn’t Zhu Qing. Furthermore, the fragrance that exuded from this woman’s hair was also different.
At that instant, Yang Kai woke in shock as his forehead was covered with beads of cold sweat. At the same time, a horrifying idea sprang into his mind. [Did I… make some kind of terrible mistake?]
Before he could understand what was going on, he heard footsteps approaching from outside along with Zhu Qing’s voice, “Your father has been asleep for a few days… Ah! You…”
Outside the room, Zhu Qing stared dazedly at the sight on the bed with widened eyes.
On the bed, Yang Kai was lying on his side while Mo Xiao Qi was tucked into his embrace. His big hand was even currently stroking her bottom.
Beside Zhu Qing, Yang Xiao batted his eyes and stared fixedly forward. With his lips curving into a grin, he darted his gaze between the duo on the bed as if he was happy with what he was seeing.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing quickly covered his eyes and dragged him away.
Yang Xiao shouted, “I can’t see! I can’t see! Why are you covering my eyes?”
Ignoring him, Zhu Qing lugged him out of the bedroom before she stomped her feet and said through clenched teeth, “How inappropriate!”
She had managed to stop all her Fellow Sisters from approaching her husband, but she had never expected to see Yang Kai and Mo Xiao Qi in the same bed instead.
After blowing her top for a moment, Zhu Qing turned to look at Yang Xiao, only to see that he was tiptoeing and trying to peek into the bedroom, as though he was curious about what was going on.
Seeing this, her face fell as she said in exasperation, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing. I saw nothing!” Yang Xiao placed his hands behind his back and lowered his head to whistle as he kicked away the stones on the ground.
The corner of Zhu Qing’s brow twitched as her expression turned weird. [Is he really the child of Great Elder and Second Elder? There are no similarities between him and them at all; instead, he looks like a younger version of Yang Kai. So adept at spouting nonsense with a straight face.]
Straightening her face, Zhu Qing said, “Remember, you saw nothing just now.”
Yang Xiao nodded his head repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, “I saw nothing.”
Meanwhile in the bedroom, after being woken up by Zhu Qing and Yang Xiao, Mo Xiao Qi jumped out of Yang Kai’s embrace like a frightened rabbit.
Yang Kai slowly straightened up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. Seeing the girl in front of him, he was torn between tears and laughter, “It’s you, Xiao Qi…”
It was truly a tragedy. He hadn’t expected that Mo Xiao Qi would come over to visit him at this hour. Instead, he thought that it was Zhu Qing, so without giving it a thought, he had begun exploring her body without holding back.
If he knew it was Mo Xiao Qi, he naturally wouldn’t have done so.
A flushing Mo Xiao Qi felt her face burning. Her butt, which was stroked by Yang Kai just now, felt scorching hot. With her head hanging low, she did not dare to look at Yang Kai and simply remained silent for a moment before all of a sudden stomping and shouting, “Big Brother Yang is such a bad bad baddy!”
Upon finishing her words, she dashed out of the bedroom and almost crashed into Zhu Qing.
“Qing… Elder Sister, Big Brother Yang is awake. I’ll take my leave now!” A flustered Mo Xiao Qi wasn’t even sure about the right direction as she just leaped into the air and disappeared.
“Be careful…” Zhu Qing exclaimed as she watched her leave, worried that the young girl would accidentally fall.
“Hmm?” An amazed Yang Xiao muttered as he looked in the direction Mo Xiao Qi left. Then, he shifted his attention to Zhu Qing and giggled.
“What are you laughing at?” Zhu Qing questioned with a long face as she stared at the young kid’s cheeky smile.
“Mother, you’re pretty magnanimous,” Yang Xiao replied smilingly.
A blush appeared on Zhu Qing’s cheeks as she refuted, “Who are you calling mother?”
Yang Xiao said matter-of-factly, “You are father’s wife, so I have to call you mother; otherwise, it would be regarded as disrespectful.”
“Just who taught you all of this?” Zhu Qing was stunned. It had only been a few days since the boy was born, but he already seemed to know quite a lot, including many useless things. After getting called ‘mother’, she felt somewhat awkward and joyful all at once, but at the same time, she wasn’t used to it. She hadn’t even given birth to a child, but now a young boy was calling her ‘mother’.
“Nobody taught me anything, I just know it somehow.”
Zhu Qing wasn’t willing to harp on this issue as she said solemnly, “You mustn’t tell anyone what you just saw.”
An astonished Yang Xiao asked, “What happened?”
He batted his eyes and appeared puzzled.
“En, clever boy!” Zhu Qing patted his head.
Yang Xiao moved his head away and pouted, “Why do all of you love to touch me like this? It’s disrespectful.”
An amused Zhu Qing asked, “Who else touches you like this?”
Yang Xiao grunted without replying to her. Without the need to think about it, Zhu Qing was certain that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun had done the same thing to him many times.
“A little kid like you should stand firmly on the ground when the adults rub your head. Blame yourself for being born short.” After Yang Kai finished speaking, Zhu Qing and Yang Xiao shifted their attention to him, only to see him waltz out of the room confidently and majestically. Admiration was written all over Yang Xiao’s face when he saw that.
On the other hand, Zhu Qing shot Yang Kai a glare.
Immediately feeling guilty, Yang Kai coughed and rubbed his nose.
Yang Xiao cupped his fists and said, “Xiao’er greets father.”
He appeared polite and well-mannered, then he suddenly changed the topic, “En, what father says is correct. I’ll remember it.”
“What will you remember?” Yang Kai stared at him with his sharp gaze.
Yang Xiao balled up his fists, “I want to grow to be taller than everyone else, so I can look down at everything in the world. In the future, if I’m displeased with anyone, I can pinch his head and make it explode. Father, that’s what you meant, right?”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched but he still nodded, “You’re truly ambitious.”
An exasperated Zhu Qing snapped, “How can you teach a child such nonsense?”
Yang Kai quickly shrunk back as he muttered, “I’ve never had a kid before, so how would I know what to teach him?”
Zhu Qing snorted, “If we ever have a child together, I’ll never let you teach them.”
Yang Kai stared at her with widened eyes, “Nonsense! I have to teach my own children.”
A disdainful Zhu Qing said, “Look what you’ve just done. How can I believe that you’ll be able to teach our children how to act properly?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “The world is full of devious people, so how can a sheltered child face the challenges out there? Haven’t you heard of the saying that a loving Mother makes a wastrel?”
Zhu Qing shot him a glance, “And what is that supposed to mean?”
Yang Kai looked up at the sky, “Nothing.”
Yang Xiao darted his gaze between the couple with narrowed eyes as he seemed to enjoy this kind of atmosphere.
Seeing that, Yang Kai directly punched the boy’s head, “What are you grinning about?”
An aggrieved Yang Xiao looked up at Zhu Qing and called out, “Mother, Father hit me again!”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Qing was instantly filled with motherly love as she pulled Yang Xiao towards her and glared at Yang Kai, “Why do you have to hit him every time you speak to him?”
Yang Xiao nodded repeatedly, “En, en, that’s right.”
Yang Kai pointed at her and said, “See? Remember what I just said? This is what I mean when I say a loving Mother makes a wastrel! Women tend to dote on their children far too much, creating problematic characters in the future.”
An enraged Zhu Qing refuted, “It’s better than an abusive father who only teaches his child how to use violence.”
After they glared at each other for a while, Yang Kai couldn’t help but burst into laughter. They had started arguing about how to educate their children before they even had one. What would the situation be like if they actually had a child in the future?
With the same thought in mind, Zhu Qing started giggling as well.
“By the way, why was Xiao Qi here?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
At that instant, Zhu Qing stared at him with a weird gaze, “Did you enjoy yourself?”
Yang Kai immediately lifted his hand to slap his face. [Are you stupid or what? Why did you have to mention that all of a sudden?]
Zhu Qing sighed and said, “Some time ago, after you were done with nurturing the Dragon Blood Flowers, you left Dragon Island without informing Little Sister Xiao Qi. After she found out about it, she was quite frustrated. Then, when she learned that you were still on Dragon Island, she decided to come over to settle the score with you; however, before she could do that, it seems she suffered a big loss at your hands.”
Yang Kai coughed, “Ahem, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Yang Xiao chimed in, “Is she Aunty Xuan’s daughter?”
“That’s right.” Zhu Qing nodded and looked at him in surprise, “You know her? Have your parents told you about her?”
“No,” Yang Xiao shook his head and fell into his thoughts, then he put on a smirk, “I just know, but I’m not even sure how I learned about it.”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances as they realised that Yang Xiao must have inherited something from Yang Kai during the hatching process; otherwise, he wouldn’t have known so many things, nor would his temperament be so similar to that of Yang Kai.
“By the way, why are you here? Where are your parents?” Yang Kai stared at the boy and asked.
“My parents are on their own Spirit Islands. I was bored, which is why I decided to come here.” As Yang Xiao spoke, he felt a chill running down his spine as he appeared meek, “My mother is too passionate. I can’t take it anymore.”
Yang Kai’s face fell, “Don’t ever say that in front of her; otherwise, she’ll be heartbroken.”
Yang Xiao replied, “I know… I’m just not used to it. Also, I don’t even know why I feel a little repulsed by her…”
Yang Kai’s chest clenched slightly when he heard that. There was no son in the world who would naturally feel repulsed by his own mother, so the only answer was that it had something to do with Yang Kai. During the hatching process, Yang Xiao had inherited a lot of things from him, which was why their temperaments were so similar. The boy must have also been affected by Yang Kai’s mentality, which was why he was somewhat reluctant to get close to Fu Zhun.
Yang Kai was resentful of Fu Zhun, so that impression might have passed on to Yang Xiao, who was still a Dragon Egg at the time, which caused him to feel repulsed by Fu Zhun after he was born.
“But at the same time, I love her and feel comfortable with her.” Yang Xiao appeared perplexed as he gazed at Yang Kai, “Father, can you tell me why?”
Certainly, Yang Xiao was fond of Fu Zhun because they were related by blood. The repulsion he felt must be due to some external forces. Yang Kai was too embarrassed to explain it to him, so he just said, “Just spend more time with her and you’ll get used to it.”
Yang Xiao nodded, “En.”
A smiling Yang Kai patted the young kid’s head, “I’m glad that you still call me father; however, you have your own parents, so it’s inappropriate that you keep calling me that.”
A shocked Yang Xiao questioned, “Father, don’t you acknowledge me as your son anymore?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s not true; however, the titles father and mother are sacred and unique. You are the child of the Dragon Clan’s Great Elder and Second Elder, so I cannot snatch that position from them. If I have a child of my own one day, I wouldn’t want them to call another man father either.”
“Is that the case?” Yang Xiao appeared perplexed, “I’m still young, so I don’t quite understand.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Of course you don’t. It’d be strange if you actually understood.”
Yang Xiao said, “Since you’ve said so, I’ll call you in a different way.”
Yang Kai looked curiously at him, “What do you want to call me then?”
After giving it a serious thought, Yang Xiao cupped his fists and saluted them respectfully, “Xiao’er greets Adoptive Father and Adoptive Mother.”
He looked joyfully at Yang Kai, “It should be alright now, right?”
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances, then he pulled Yang Xiao towards himself and forcefully stroked his head, “You’re quite clever!”
Yang Xiao said through clenched teeth, “I’ve indeed acknowledged you to be my Adoptive Father; however, if you keep doing this, I’ll…”
“What will you do?” Unperturbed, Yang Kai directly messed up the young kid’s hair.
After struggling out of Yang Kai’s grip, Yang Xiao tidied his hair and shot him a disgruntled look, “Adoptive Father, you’re so unreasonable.”
Yang Kai laughed, “This is the first lesson Adoptive Father will teach you. In this world, strength determines how much say you have. Since my fist is bigger than yours, you have to obey my orders.”
Yang Xiao fell into contemplation upon hearing this worldly wisdom.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing pulled him away into the distance and said to him in a hushed voice, “Don’t listen to your Adoptive Father’s nonsense. Not everything in this world can be solved with your fist.”
Yang Kai shouted from behind her, “If the problem can’t be solved with only one fist, use two fists then!”
Yang Xiao turned around and yelled excitedly, “I also have my teeth and both legs!”
Yang Kai guffawed, “That’s my boy!”
Zhu Qing placed her hand on her forehead and thought that this boy had been wrongly influenced by Yang Kai from the start, making her worry about how he would turn out when he grows up.
Then, she dragged Yang Xiao further away so that Yang Kai couldn’t come into contact with the boy anymore and teach him such twisted logic.
Yang Kai didn’t mind it. Since the boy had inherited his temperament, he was confident he would grow up to be a well-rounded and confident man.
Then, he turned to look at the side. Although no one could be seen over there, he could sense Fu Zhun’s aura hidden nearby. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Yang Kai, but rather that she had only just reunited with her child that was thought to be dead, so she wasn’t willing to part with him even for one breath, which was why she had secretly followed him all the way here. Even if she couldn’t talk to him, she would be satisfied by just observing him from afar.
Since she didn’t seem to have the intention of showing up, Yang Kai wasn’t going to call her out. Placing his hands behind his back, he simply shuffled back towards Zhu Qing’s bedroom.
Ten days later, the celebration party for Yang Xiao’s birth was held on Zhu Yan’s Azure Tree Island. Compared to Snowy Island, the Great Elder’s island was a more pleasant place to hold this kind of event.
All members of the Dragon Clan had come together, including Fu Ling, who was relieved of her guard duty specially for today.
There were only a small number of Dragons, and after a quick count, Yang Kai determined that there were exactly eighteen. If he included the newly born Yang Xiao, there were only nineteen in total. Out of the nineteenth, there were only seven female Dragons while the rest were all male.
There were two rows of tables at the banquet, and each table was able to seat two people.
Naturally, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were seated at the front, and the others took a seat according to their Dragon Veins below them. The stronger ones were seated closer to the Elders, while the weaker ones were seated further back.
In fact, when it came to cultivation, besides Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun, there wasn’t a huge difference in power between the other members of the Dragon Clan. However, bloodline suppression was a fundamental problem for the Dragon Clan. If two people had equal cultivation, equivalent to the Third-Order Emperor Realm, an Eighth-Order Dragon could easily suppress a Seventh-Order one.
Just when Yang Kai wasn’t sure where he should take a seat, Fu Zhun said, “Yang… Yang Kai, your seat is over there.”
Her voice was slightly shaky as she still wasn’t used to calling Yang Kai by his name; after all, they were basically archenemies in the past. However, due to Yang Xiao’s birth, her resentment towards Yang Kai had vanished and was replaced by gratitude.
Furthermore, Yang Xiao was truly loyal to Yang Kai, so if Fu Zhun offended him, he could easily destroy her relationship with her child.
When she tailed Yang Xiao to Half Moon Island a few days ago, she heard what Yang Kai said about calling him his Adoptive Father instead, which was why she became more grateful to him, and her view of him had completely changed.
Therefore, she had the intention of repairing her relationship with Yang Kai.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai looked in the same direction and realised that the seat she had pointed at was at the front of one of the two rows of tables.
Arching his brow, he cupped his fists at her and without saying a word, he took a seat as he was told. The person across from him was Third Elder Fu Xuan, and the person beside him was Fifth Elder Zhu Qing. The person opposite Zhu Qing was Fourth Elder Zhu Kong.
Nobody was surprised by the arrangement as they all took their seats.
Yang Xiao’s petite figure was sandwiched between Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun as he didn’t occupy much space. He was clad in auspicious-looking clothes, which went to show that Fu Zhun had spent some time dressing him up.
However, the young kid was fidgety as he kept winking at Yang Kai. After he received a glare from Yang Kai though, he finally became obedient.
Zhu Yan clapped his hands, after which, some strikingly beautiful women appeared as they placed spirit fruits and glasses of wine on their tables. These women were not part of the Dragon Clan, but there had never been a lack of such individuals on Dragon Island.
Such women normally resided on the Spirit Islands of those male Dragons, so all of them were top beauties. Not only were they alluring, but they also had powerful cultivation.
However, they were only servants right now.
They must have learned about the recent good news on Dragon Island and what Yang Kai had done, which was why when they were serving food and wine, they curiously examined him as they wanted to find out why even members of the Dragon Clan regarded him to be an important guest.
The banquet on this day was to celebrate the birth of a new member of the Dragon Clan, and after everyone was seated, Zhu Yan gave a brief speech before proposing a toast.
The wine being served was Dragon Spirit Wine, which was a local specialty on Dragon Island that the Great Elder had brewed personally. It had been ageing for three thousand years now, so it was aromatic and mellow. Normally, Zhu Yan would only drink a small sip of it from time to time, but on this day, he actually brought out several dozen bottles of this wine. It seemed that he was determined to get everyone drunk, which went to show how jubilant he was.
All the food and Spirit Fruits on the tables were not ordinary either; of course, almost everything on Dragon Island was considered a treasure in the eyes of ordinary Masters. The food was even beneficial to Emperor Realm Masters. If outsiders saw this sight, they would undoubtedly feel heartbroken. All the things on the tables were extremely precious treasures, but they were being gulped down by these Dragons without a single care in the world. Anyone who saw it would chide them for being wasteful.
The atmosphere was lively as they drank and celebrated with one another. The smile on Fu Zhun’s face had never faded. After she drank some wine, her fair face had even reddened slightly. Yang Kai was amazed by the sight, for he had never expected that he would see this side of Fu Zhun one day.
The females of the clan came together and started dancing, which made everyone else cheer for them as their roars reverberated around Azure Tree Island.
On the other hand, Yang Xiao appeared bored, as a normal child would be at such an event clearly tailored towards adults. Although the place was bustling with noise, he was unable to join the fun, which was why he was somewhat distracted. Then, he secretly took his father’s bottle and poured a cup of wine for himself to have a taste. Nevertheless, Fu Zhun snatched it from him and chided him in his ear, which caused him to be further dejected.
Fu Zhun was heartbroken upon seeing that, so she hugged him and whispered in his ear until he cheered up again.
After a few rounds of drinking and eating, the best part of the party began.
Just like what Zhu Qing had said, since this was a celebration party for Yang Xiao’s birth, the Seniors had to present him with some gifts.
Apparently, Yang Xiao was excited about this as well, so after getting Zhu Yan’s permission, he jumped out of his seat and cupped his fists to Yang Kai first, “Adoptive Father, what have you prepared for me?”
Upon hearing this, all the Dragons couldn’t help chuckling.
Zhu Yan lectured him with a smile, “Little brat, you’re quite the brazen one. No one would ask for presents from other people like you do.”
However, Yang Xiao refuted matter-of-factly, “It’s completely justifiable that a son asks for things from his father, and I believe that Adoptive Father would give me the best stuff he has.”
Yang Kai poked the boy’s forehead and replied with a smile, “Adoptive Father doesn’t have expensive gifts for you, but he does have a few bottles of pills. Do you want them?”
Yang Xiao darted his gaze around before he said, “It depends on what pills they are. If I’m not happy with the pills you’re giving me, I’ll not take them.”
“Have a look for yourself, then,” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai tossed a Space Ring to the boy.
Although Yang Kai had many valuable things on him, the most useful items he had for Yang Xiao at this moment were undoubtedly Dragon Blood Pills. It had only been a few days since Yang Xiao was born, so he needed to quickly improve his Dragon Vein; therefore, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing had prepared some bottles of Dragon Blood Pills for the boy, enough to last him a long time.
After catching the Space Ring, Yang Xiao fished out a jade bottle from it and directly opened it in front of Yang Kai. At that instant, he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent. When he took a peek inside, he became elated and shouted, “Many thanks, Adoptive Father.”
He wanted to wear the ring right away, but his stubby little finger was too small for that. Left with no choice, he stuffed it into his clothes and turned to salute Zhu Qing, “Greetings, Adoptive Mother.”
The expressions of the other members of the Dragon Clan turned slightly awkward when they heard that. It didn’t matter that Yang Xiao called Yang Kai ‘Adoptive Father’ as he wasn’t exactly part of their clan; however, Zhu Qing was one of them, and in terms of seniority, she was at least a generation removed from the Great Elder and Second Elder. In other words, she was in the same generation as Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao calling her ‘Adoptive Mother’ had basically upgraded her seniority, which put her to be on the same level as the Great Elder and the Second Elder.
As a result, their relationships had become something of a mess. Nevertheless, no one actually cared about such insignificant details so they quickly adapted.
Zhu Qing fished out some Dragon Blood Pills as well, after which Yang Xiao took them with a joyful expression.
Following that, the boy had to salute all his Seniors, Brothers, and Sisters in the Dragon Clan one by one. All of them had prepared gifts for him, so soon, Yang Xiao’s hands were stuffed with gifts as he grinned from ear to ear.
He was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, so all members of the Dragon Clan had given him the best gifts they could offer. It would’ve been inappropriate if they gave him things that were not good enough.
Certainly, Yang Xiao would never forget about Qiong Qi. While Qiong Qi was drinking Dragon Spirit Wine, Yang Xiao suddenly appeared before his eyes. Left with no choice, the old man reluctantly fished out a bead and gave it to the boy.
It turned out to be an Emperor Authority Bead, and judging from the aura that was exuding from it, Qiong Qi must have personally refined it. In other words, Qiong Qi’s full-powered strike was sealed inside the bead.
For Yang Xiao, who was still young and weak, this bead could serve as a safety charm for him. Yang Kai wasn’t sure how powerful Qiong Qi was, but he estimated that the latter was just as formidable as a Ninth-Order Dragon.
Hence, this gift could be considered extremely precious, and Qiong Qi must have given it to the boy after considering Yang Kai’s face.
After Yang Xiao was done collecting his gifts, his arms were stuffed with things that could make most people in the world feel green with jealousy. It had to be said that he was born extremely fortunate.
When they were done with gift-giving, it was time for the highlight of the party.
This wasn’t just a party to celebrate the birth of a new Dragon Clan member, it was also an event to announce the attribute of this new clansman.
Each Dragon had an associated attribute. Nevertheless, whatever their attribute, all members of the Dragon Clan would become extremely formidable when they reached the peak of their power. Most Dragons fell within the Five Elements. For example, Zhu Qing was a Red Dragon who made use of fire. However, there were some who fell outside the Five Elements. For example, there were Thunder Dragons and Nature Dragons as well.
A space was soon emptied, after which Zhu Yan fished out something and placed it on the ground. Yang Kai took a look and realised that it was a mini altar. Many dragon-shaped patterns had been etched into this altar. All of them were colourful, but they all looked somewhat strange.
After asking Zhu Qing about it, he learned that it was a sacred item to ascertain a newly born clansman’s attribute. It was a precious treasure that had been passed down over the generations and was so ancient that even the Great Elder wasn’t sure about its history and origins. However, every newly born clansman had to go through this test, for they could only work hard in the right direction after their attribute was confirmed.
All the members of the Dragon Clan gathered together to prepare for the ceremony while outsiders like Yang Kai and Qiong Qi were excluded from the preparation.
Mo Xiao Qi didn’t come to the party on this day, perhaps too embarrassed to face Yang Kai.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Xiao received some guidance from Zhu Yan before he stepped onto the mini altar. Then, he sat down with his legs crossed, closed his eyes, and wore a solemn expression.
As the abstruse Dragon language was chanted as all members of the Dragon Clan straightened their faces and activated their Dragon Sources to use their Secret Techniques.
Streams of Dragon Aura then exuded from their bodies and penetrated the altar.
Soon, the altar began shining. At the same time, the Dragon patterns around the altar seemed to have come to life as they gleamed with different colours.
The voices that were chanting the Dragon language alternated between high-pitched and hushed. As they undulated, the whole world seemed to shake as the waves around Azure Tree Island surged.
The altar became increasingly luminous as the different colours intertwined with one other. All of a sudden, the lights separated and turned into orbs of different colours that circled around Yang Xiao.
All members of the Dragon Clan widened their eyes and stared fixedly at the young child.
The attentive Yang Kai could feel that the ceremony had reached its critical moment.
With a whoosh, the red orb disintegrated. Yang Kai arched his brow and realised that this was because there was no Fire Dragon’s Source in Yang Xiao’s body.
This was to be expected as he was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder. Although it was possible that he could be born with a Source that was of a different attribute, the most likely outcome was him inheriting his parents’ traits. Moreover, his true form was that of a White Dragon, which suggested that he was probably an Ice Dragon.
*Xiu…* The blue orb vanished.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The orbs popped one by one, and soon, only two light orbs remained around Yang Xiao. One of them was green, and the other one was white. They respectively exuded a Wood Attribute aura and Ice Attribute aura.
[Maybe he inherited my attribute?] Zhu Yan wondered
*Xiu…*
The green orb popped.
Zhu Yan gritted his teeth upon seeing that, as he found it to be a shame that Yang Xiao did not inherit his Source attribute. On the other hand, Fu Zhun was elated as a broad smile filled her face.
However, her smile soon turned to shock because the white orb also vanished following the green orb.
The altar turned dim, and there were no more light orbs around Yang Xiao.
Everyone fell silent as they stared at the sight in shock.
While Zhu Yan staggered, the colour had drained from Fu Zhun’s face as she couldn’t believe her eyes.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai widened his eyes as he appeared puzzled. Although he didn’t understand what was happening, he realised that something was off through the crowd’s expressions.
To his side, Qiong Qi stroked his chin and said under his breath, “It can’t be…”
“What happened?” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
Qiong Qi explained, “Since all the light orbs have vanished, it means that the Dragon Source in his body doesn’t match any of the attributes in the altar. Which most likely means he has no Dragon Source at all.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes, “He has no Dragon Source? How is that possible?”
This shouldn’t be possible. If Yang Xiao didn’t have a Dragon Source, he wouldn’t be able to exude such a pure Dragon Aura, and he wouldn’t have had a White Dragon form after he was born. Furthermore, only by possessing a Dragon Source could he assume Human form.
Qiong Qi shrugged, “That’s why I said it can’t be.”
He had personally seen the little White Dragon before, which was why he couldn’t find any explanation for what just happened.
Realising that it was eerily silent around him, Yang Xiao opened his eyes and gazed at Fu Zhun before asking with a hopeful gaze, “Mother, what attribute am I?”
Fu Zhun parted her lips, but before she could say a word, her tears had started streaming down her face.
Fate had been cruel to her child. He had nearly died when he was still just a Dragon Egg, and now that he had finally been born, he didn’t manage to pass the Dragon Clan’s initiation ceremony.
“Mother, why are you crying?” Yang Xiao got to his feet on the altar and looked dazedly at Fu Zhun.
Fu Zhun shook her head without saying a word, but her gaze was filled with sorrow.
Realising that something was amiss, Yang Xiao turned to look at Zhu Yan and asked, “Father, what happened?”
At that moment, Zhu Yan seemed to have aged tremendously. After his lips squirmed for a bit, he heaved a sigh, “The ceremony has failed.”
The atmosphere around the celebration party, which was bustling with noise just now, turned solemn because of the failure.
“What do you mean that it has failed?” Yang Xiao appeared puzzled.
Zhu Yan didn’t know how to explain it to him. On the other hand, Fu Xuan sighed and walked over to stroke the boy’s head before replying gently, “Since the ceremony has failed, it means that you either don’t have a Dragon Source or that your Source isn’t pure.”
Yang Xiao pointed at himself and asked in shock, “I don’t have a Dragon Source?”
Yang Kai dashed forward and pushed away the others, who had surrounded the altar as he shouted, “That’s impossible! There’s no way he doesn’t have a Dragon Source. After he was born, he was in his Dragon form. Old Qiong and I saw it with our own eyes.”
Upon hearing that, Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan turned to look at him with hopeful gazes. At that time, they didn’t manage to see Yang Xiao’s true form as when they arrived, he had already assumed Human form. They even thought that their child was indeed extraordinary as he could assume Human form not long after he was born. After hearing what Yang Kai had said, they found what he said sensible. If Yang Xiao didn’t have a Dragon Source, or that his Source wasn’t pure, he wouldn’t have been able to assume his Dragon form.
Then, they shifted their attention to Qiong Qi, who nodded his head to affirm what Yang Kai had said.
“Kid, show us your true form this instant.” Yang Kai gazed at the boy and said. If Yang Xiao could assume his true form, it meant that he had a complete Dragon Source in his body. The reason he didn’t pass the ceremony must be that something had gone wrong with it, rather than him.
Yang Xiao clenched his teeth and nodded repeatedly. Then, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Right in front of everyone’s eyes, he remained unmoving as his Dragon Aura undulated.
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes as he appeared helpless. Gazing at Yang Kai, he stated, “I can’t do it!”
Yang Kai glowered at him, “What do you mean that you can’t do it?”
Yang Xiao pouted, “I just can’t…”
The hope behind the eyes of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun turned into despair when they heard that. Fu Zhun parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a word in the end.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well as he wondered, [How is it possible that he can’t do it?]
Yang Kai could still vividly remember the little White Dragon. He was around 20 metres long and a pure jade white colour. Although Yang Xiao’s Dragon Form was still small, it already appeared intimidating. Since he was already in his Dragon form after he was born, why couldn’t he return to it at this point?
“Did you really try?” Yang Kai asked.
“I-I’ve tried my best.” Yang Xiao was flustered. What was he if he wasn’t a member of the Dragon Clan?
Yang Kai said, “Don’t panic and take it slow. Take a deep breath to calm yourself down first.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Xiao did it as he was told.
Yang Kai went on to say, “Now, follow your instinct and imagine that you can roam the sky freely. You’re a member of the Dragon Clan, so there’s no way you can’t turn into a Dragon.”
Yang Xiao meticulously followed Yang Kai’s advice as his face slowly reddened. A long time later, he let out a breath and looked dejectedly at Yang Kai. He still couldn’t turn into a Dragon.
Then, he turned to look at Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun. When he saw their parents’ disappointed gazes, his chest tightened, and he leapt away and ran off.
“Lin’er!” A flabbergasted Fu Zhun quickly ran after him.
Yang Kai hinted at Zhu Qing with his gaze, after which she hurriedly raced after them as well. He was worried that the young child would do something foolish in this moment of panic.
The place fell into silence.
Yang Kai stared at Zhu Yan and asked, “Great Elder, is there something wrong with this altar?”
Zhu Yan replied with a frown, “It’s impossible for something to be wrong with the altar, and there was no problem with the ceremony either. Lin’er simply couldn’t reveal his true form just now, everyone saw it.”
He paused for a moment and stared seriously at Yang Kai, “I have to ask you one question. You must be totally honest with me. Did you really witness Lin’er in his true form that day?”
Yang Kai immediately nodded, “If I lied about what I had seen on that day, I’ll dig out my own eyes!” As he spoke, he pointed at his eyes with his fingers.
A puzzled Zhu Yan said, “How is that possible? Since he had shown his true form after he was born, why couldn’t he do so today?”
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai asked with a frown, “Could I be the reason behind it?”
“You?” Zhu Yan gazed doubtfully at him.
Yang Kai explained, “He’s the child of you and Second Elder, so there’s no way he isn’t a member of the Dragon Clan; however, it was I who hatched him. Hence, I might be the reason if there’s anything wrong. Perhaps when I was hatching him, my Human bloodline affected him in some way, causing his Source to become impure.”
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan knitted his brow for a moment before he nodded, “It’s possible.”
A helpless Yang Kai said, “If that’s the case, I’ve caused him great harm…”
Zhu Yan, however, shook his head and consoled him by stating, “You don’t have to blame yourself. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible for Lin’er to be born. Whatever the case, you’ve given him life. Even if his Source has become impure because of that, it’s not your fault.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “Will he be resentful of me?”
Zhu Yan replied, “Only if he dares to be!”
If that was the case, Yang Xiao would truly be ungrateful; however, he had been obedient in the past few days, and his temperament was likeable, so it was unlikely that he would have this kind of thought.
After giving it a thought, Zhu Yan went on to say, “Moreover, there were severe problems with his Dragon Egg to begin with, which led him to be unable to hatch in the past. It’s very likely he has a congenital defect, so it may have nothing to do with you at all.”
Yang Kai asked, “Whatever the reason behind it, how will the Dragon Clan handle him if his Source is impure?”
The Dragon Clan emphasised the purity of one’s blood, and only true members of the Dragon Clan had the right to reside in Dragon Palace. The ones with impure bloodlines would be sent to Half-Dragon City. Although Yang Xiao was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, there still wouldn’t be any exception made.
Hence, Zhu Yan wasn’t even sure how he should reply to Yang Kai.
Given how much Fu Zhun cared about Yang Xiao, she would undoubtedly go mad if her baby was banished to Half-Dragon City. However, since his blood was impure, how could he be allowed to stay in Dragon Palace?
Seeing that Zhu Yan was hesitant, Yang Kai immediately stated, “If that’s the case, I’ll take him with me. In any case, the outside world is vast and filled with interesting things.”
Zhu Yan gave him a grateful look as this was the best solution for now. He wasn’t worried at all if he had to entrust his child to Yang Kai; after all, Yang Kai was the one who had hatched Yang Xiao. Although they were not related by blood, they were just as close to each other as any father and son.
“I’ll go check on him. He’s so bad-tempered despite his age. What a naughty kid!” Yang Kai snorted and turned to leave.
After what happened, the other members of the clan were not in a mood to keep celebrating. They consoled the Great Elder for a bit before they left. At the same time, they were all crestfallen. Before the incident on this day, no one could have expected that the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder would have impure blood.
Although Yang Kai was possibly the culprit, he couldn’t be blamed. Just like what Zhu Yan had said, without Yang Kai’s efforts, Yang Xiao would never have been born. Furthermore, the egg likely suffered from a congenital defect in the first place.
On the edge of Azure Tree Island, Fu Zhun was standing on the beach as she stared fixedly at the reef from afar as though she was trying to penetrate it with her gaze. She wanted to go over, but she was at a loss for words and didn’t dare to approach any closer.
Hearing some footsteps, she turned around and saw Yang Kai striding toward her. As if seeing a saviour, she immediately grabbed Yang Kai’s arms and said with bloodshot eyes, “Yang Kai, Lin’er doesn’t want to talk to me. Please help me persuade him. Please help me. I was wrong in the past. I’ll apologise to you now.”
Yang Kai looked down at her hands and secretly sighed. He knew that the Dragon Clan’s Second Elder had completely lost her cool; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so humble.
She intended to repair the relationship between them at the celebration party and she had just expressed her gratitude to him; however, at this moment, she was begging him, even going so far as to apologise.
She was the Dragon Clan’s Second Elder, a Master on par with Great Emperors, but at the same time, she was also a mother.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai said, “You’re his mother. How dare he not want to talk to you?”
Fu Zhun shook her head, “My attitude just now must have saddened him. Please help me persuade him!”
An exasperated Yang Kai said, “What’s the point of persuading him? You’re his mother, so you should do whatever you feel is best for him. Since he dares to ignore you, I’ll beat him up and make him stand before you.”
Upon finishing his words, he pushed her hands away and dashed forward.
An anxious Fu Zhun exclaimed from behind him, “Don’t beat him up! Please don’t do that!”
Seeing as Yang Kai was oblivious to her, she immediately changed her stance, “Please be gentle when you do that! Be gentle to him…”
Yang Kai shook his head and sighed. Fu Zhun might be a dutiful Elder of the Dragon Clan, but she wasn’t qualified to be a mother. Whenever Yang Xiao was concerned, she would lose her ability to think clearly.
Some time ago, he had told Zhu Qing that a loving mother makes a wastrel. Now, it seemed that Zhu Qing paled when compared to Fu Zhun in this regard. If Yang Xiao were to grow up by Fu Zhun’s side, he might become an arrogant and reckless person when he grew up. Given his background, it would be too late to discipline him if he got into trouble in the future.
Considering all that, Yang Kai became more determined to take Yang Xiao with him. At the very least, he wouldn’t allow Yang Xiao to grow up by Fu Zhun’s side unless she could change herself and stop being so overwhelmingly doting on him.
As the waves splashed onto the reef, Yang Xiao’s petite figure sat on the beach’s edge. Although he had been soaked to the bone, he remained unperturbed as he submerged his legs in the seawater. Zhu Qing was keeping him company as she gazed at him with a helpless expression.
Yang Kai walked over and stood behind Yang Xiao, then he waved his hand at Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing nodded and leapt into the air before she landed on the beach and stood beside Fu Zhun.
“Is my mother still over there?” Yang Xiao suddenly asked.
Yang Kai grunted and shot him a look, “She’s heartbroken. I’ve heard that you’re not willing to talk to her.”
“Who said I don’t want to talk to her anymore?” Yang Xiao refuted loudly, but he soon lowered his tone and appeared hesitant, “I just don’t know how to face her.”
Yang Kai snorted, “She is your mother, so why wouldn’t you know how to face her?”
Yang Xiao hung his head low and replied in a hushed voice, “But… She looks so disappointed.”
“Of course she’s disappointed. The ceremony has failed, do you think she’d be happy? How could she be joyful about it?”
Yang Xiao batted his eyes, “But I did not want to disappoint her!”
Yang Kai grinned and patted his head, “At least she hasn’t doted on you for nothing. You’re right to have this thought in mind.”
In a dejected manner, Yang Xiao replied, “But my Source isn’t pure…”
Yang Kai interrupted him by saying, “It’s still too early to come to any conclusion. Who knows whether there’s something wrong with the ceremony or not? You have shown me your true form after you were born, so it’s not possible for your Source to be anything else but pure. You should know that only by possessing the purest Dragon Source could you transform into a True Dragon. I have a Dragon Source as well, and it’s a very high rank one, but I can only transform into a Half-Dragon because I am originally Human. I will only be able to turn into a True Dragon if I manage to eliminate every ounce of my Human blood in my body one day.”
A puzzled Yang Xiao asked, “Why couldn’t I show my true form just now, then?”
“You have to ask yourself about that. Maybe you were too nervous? Or perhaps you are still not proficient in transforming since it was your first attempt.” Yang Kai shrugged, “I can’t give you an explanation. So, you’ll have to look for the answer on your own.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Xiao nodded his head.
Yang Kai went on to say with a smile, “In any case, so what if you don’t have a Dragon Source or if your Source isn’t pure? The world isn’t ruled by the Dragon Clan. None of the Ten Great Emperors is from the Dragon Clan, so who says you can’t grow without your identity as a Dragon? Can you not still reach the peak if your Source isn’t pure?”
With a helpless smile, Yang Xiao replied, “Adoptive Father, don’t you think it’s too early to tell me this? I’m still a kid.”
“A kid?” Yang Kai directly smacked his head and glowered at him, “Other kids don’t behave like you do.”
“Why did you hit me again?” Yang Xiao covered his head with an aggrieved expression.
Yang Kai stroked the young kid’s head and consoled him, “Stop being unhappy. Do you understand that your emotions affect others? Your mother is especially crestfallen because you’re her most cherished one. She is actually sadder than you are.”
With a serious expression, Yang Xiao replied, “I’ll remember Adoptive Father’s teaching. I’ll apologise to her now so that she will cheer up.”
Upon finishing his words, he got to his feet.
“There’s no rush.” Yang Kai pulled him down and took a seat beside him. After giving it a thought, he asked, “I’ll ask you a question. Do you want to leave Dragon Island with me?”
Yang Xiao’s gaze brightened when he heard that, and then he asked excitedly, “Can I leave Dragon Island?”
Yang Kai replied, “Initially, you probably couldn’t… But now, I guess you’ll be allowed to leave.”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Xiao understood the meaning behind Yang Kai’s words. If his Source was pure, he’d be a true member of the Dragon Clan, and he’d have to remain on Dragon Island to cultivate; however, since his Source wasn’t pure, he couldn’t stay in Dragon Palace anymore.
No matter how much Fu Zhun loved him, she couldn’t openly break the rules and would have to send him away one day soon. Compared to going to Half-Dragon City, leaving with Yang Kai would be the better option.
Upon that realization, Yang Xiao clapped his hands and laughed, “It’s actually a blessing to have an impure Source, then. I should have celebrated it instead.”
Yang Kai shot him a glare, “Why do you look like you don’t want to stay on Dragon Island?”
Yang Xiao giggled and scratched his cheek, “It isn’t that I don’t want to stay here. It’s just that mother always follows me around, so I can’t do whatever I want.”
Yang Kai let out a hollow laugh, “You don’t even know how lucky you are. Many are jealous of you, but you don’t appreciate having a mother like her.”
Yang Xiao put on a fawning smile, “Adoptive Father, you’re more powerful than I am, so you’re always right.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he thought that his way of teaching Yang Xiao had made things problematic.
Although he hadn’t managed to completely untie the knot in Yang Xiao’s heart with this brief bit of persuasion, he had managed to make him calm down at the very least. Then, he also told the young child how interesting the outside world was to get him looking forward to leaving Dragon Island with him soon.
One hour later, Yang Xiao followed Yang Kai and shuffled toward Fu Zhun. With a serious expression, he apologised to his mother, which prompted her to pull him into his embrace and start bawling, constantly blaming herself for the suffering he had to go through.
Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were rendered speechless as they watched them by the side.
After Yang Xiao and Fu Zhun left together, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing returned to Half Moon Island.
At the break of dawn the next day, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun arrived at Half Moon Island together with Yang Xiao.
After making Yang Xiao wait outside, the four adults entered the side hall, and then Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun told them the purpose of their visit. A shocked Yang Kai questioned, “You want me to enter the Dragon Temple with Xiao’er?”
Zhu Yan bowed his head, “That’s right. Last night, I gave it a thought and realised that what you said made sense. Maybe there was something wrong with the ceremony, which was why Xiao’er couldn’t pass it. This Old Master also checked his body carefully and couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Although I couldn’t identify the Source in his body, he is undoubtedly a member of the Dragon Clan since he has a Dragon Aura which only a Pureblood could possess. Perhaps his Source is hidden somehow in a way I cannot detect; therefore, this Old Master wants you to enter the Dragon Temple with him and ask our Ancestors to check him.”
Yang Kai asked, “Why do you want me to do that? Both of you are more than capable of doing so.”
Zhu Yan shook his head, “The Dragon Temple is where the Dragon Souls of the past Great Elders reside. Unless something serious has happened, we cannot disturb their peace as we please. Hence, it is inconvenient for either of us to enter.”
It really wasn’t a serious enough matter for the Elders to ask the Ancestors to examine Yang Xiao’s Source.
Fu Zhun said, “You, however, are not really part of the Dragon Clan, so you don’t have to follow our rules. It would be good if you could lend us a hand on this matter.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was inwardly elated. The Dragon Temple was a sacred place, and even members of the Dragon Clan couldn’t enter it unless something serious happened, so why was it that an outsider like him could go in as he pleased? After giving it a thought, he realised that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun must have wanted to do him a favour, and by allowing him to enter the Dragon Temple, they could at the same time ask him to bring Yang Xiao with him to have the boy’s Source inspected.
After all, Yang Kai had asked to enter the Dragon Temple previously; however, after he had nurtured so many Dragon Blood Flowers for them, Fu Zhun went back on her word, which caused him to be incensed. That was why he had returned to Dragon Island to sneak into the temple, though he ended up stealing a Dragon Egg instead.
Upon realizing the intricacies of this matter, Yang Kai nodded firmly, “Since both of you insist, I’ll bring him with me.”
To the side, Zhu Qing shot him a funny look. [He must be over the moon in his heart, but he still pretends to have been put in a tight spot. What a…]
After they came to an agreement, they hesitated no more and headed straight to the Dragon Temple.
Members of the Dragon Clan were well-known for their long lives, but there would still come a day when they had to depart for the next life. There were two places for their deceased to go. One of them was the Dragon Grave, and the other was the Dragon Temple. The Dragon Grave was where most of the deceased members of the Dragon Clan resided, so there were a lot of their remains there. Since they were powerful when they were alive, their Corpse Qi was naturally richer after they passed away. Yang Kai had never entered the Dragon Grave before, but he had heard that it was extremely gloomy inside. A top cultivator like Fu Xuan almost lost her life after being locked inside for just ten years, which went to show how terrible the environment really was.
On the other hand, the Dragon Temple was where the Dragon Souls of the past Great Elders resided. In other words, only the Great Elders had the right to be enshrined in that place after they passed away. For example, Zhu Yan would be placed in the temple one day, but Fu Zhun didn’t have the right.
In return, the Dragon Souls of these Great Elders would continue to protect the entire Dragon Clan. The Blessing Technique that was drawn out of the temple could render the bloodline suppression on the Dragon Clan less effective or even completely useless.
Certainly, the valuable experiences and knowledge of the Dragon Souls of the fallen Great Elders were also a great treasure. It had been more than ten generations since the first Great Elder’s Soul entered the temple, so there were quite a lot of Dragon Souls inside now.
In the past, after Yang Kai activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source and summoned all the slumbering Dragon Souls inside the temple, he became practically invincible. As long as he stood in the temple, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun wouldn’t be a match for him even if they joined forces.
Yang Kai still remembered that the biggest Dragon Soul that had appeared back then was a full 1,000 metres in length. This Master was none other than the first generation Great Elder.
Yang Kai wasn’t certain what order ones Dragon Vein had to be to produce a 1,000-metre-long figure, but judging from Zhu Qing’s 300-metre-long figure as a Ninth-Order Dragon, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun could possibly be between 400 and 500 metres in size. As such, Yang Kai estimated the first Great Elder to be a Twelfth-Order Dragon, which could be regarded as the peak of the Dragon Clan’s power.
However, as time passed, the Dragon Clan seemed to become less powerful as the succeeding Great Elders all had shorter figures.
The Dragon Temple wasn’t far from Half Moon Island, but it wasn’t near either. It took them half a day to reach their destination.
Looking from afar, the Dragon Temple seemed to be floating on the clouds and appeared quite surreal. Its aura was ancient and imposing, fully displaying its illustrious history.
Not just anyone could enter the temple. Only those from the Dragon Clan could step into this place; otherwise, they would be crushed into dust by the ambient Dragon Pressure.
Upon landing on a spot in front of the temple, Zhu Yan fished out a Dragon-shaped token, from which a beam of light shot forward.
Soon, a spinning cloud appeared in front of them, and as it accelerated, a swirl that could let a person pass through appeared.
Fu Zhun crouched down and gave Yang Xiao some advice, “After you go in, you must listen to your Adoptive Father and mustn’t run around. Got it?”
Yang Xiao nodded obediently, “I’ll remember.”
Fu Zhun then looked up at Yang Kai, “Please take care of him.”
Yang Kai waved his hand with a smile, “Second Elder, you don’t have to be overly polite with me. Since Xiao’er calls me Adoptive Father, I’ll make sure that he won’t be harmed.”
He then beckoned to Yang Xiao, “Let’s go.”
The adult and child then stepped into the swirl and disappeared.
Fu Zhun looked longingly at her child, as if her heart could follow him into the swirl. After he disappeared though, she became dejected and anxious.
Zhu Yan sighed and consoled her by saying, “Don’t worry. Yang Kai will take care of him.”
Oblivious to him, Fu Zhun simply stared fixedly at the Dragon Temple.
After passing through the swirl, Yang Kai took Yang Xiao’s hand and stepped into the Dragon Temple.
While he was in a dazed state, he suddenly realised that he was no longer holding anyone’s hand. Turning around, Yang Kai was shocked to see that Yang Xiao had disappeared without any warning. At that instant, he was drenched in cold sweat. Just now, he had promised Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun that he would take good care of Yang Xiao. Now that Yang Xiao had disappeared, how would he explain himself?
“Xiao’er! Xiao’er!” Yang Kai shouted as his loud voice reverberated around the spacious hall, but he did not get any reply. Next, he released his Divine Sense, but he was shocked to realise that it had been suppressed to a radius of ten metres around himself.
This wasn’t the first time he had entered the Dragon Temple. Previously, after Wu Kuang made use of the temple’s power to break through space and sneak into a Lower Star Field, Yang Kai had come to the temple to look into the matter. Afterwards, he chased after Wu Kuang through the same Void Corridor that the latter had opened up.
However, Yang Kai had not come across such a strange incident at that time, which was why he couldn’t understand what was going on right now.
He had a feeling that it had something to do with the Dragon Souls in the temple. The Souls had been enshrined in this place for a long time, and although it wasn’t certain how many years had passed since their deaths, their Souls were still fairly powerful.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai bellowed, “Show yourselves!”
As he activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source, his high-pitched Dragon Roar resounded in the hall.
The next moment, Dragon Roars could be heard responding to him from all around.
Following that, lights were ignited consecutively as the gigantic Phantom Dragons appeared from the columns that seemed to be leading to the Heavens. Then, they surrounded Yang Kai and made sure that he couldn’t run away. Every Phantom Dragon appeared vivid and they looked just as majestic as when they were alive. As the Dragon Pressure undulated, ripples could be seen spreading from the space Yang Kai stood in, as though the space around him would break apart at any moment.
Yang Kai looked around and swept a glance over all the Phantom Dragons before asking in a grim voice, “Where’s the kid who has come with me? Where are you hiding him?”
All the Dragon Souls fell silent as they just stared fixedly at him.
“Are all of you deaf?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened.
He wasn’t even sure whether these Dragon Souls still had any consciousness left. Perhaps they were only possessed with instinctive reactions since a long time had passed since they had died. Nevertheless, he couldn’t let Yang Xiao be harmed.
“Answer my question!” Yang Kai bellowed as his Dragon Roar seemed able to pierce the Heavens.
Finally, a Dragon Soul responded to him. The longest one suddenly raised his head and looked in a particular direction.
Following his gaze, Yang Kai peered through the void to where the Dragon Soul was looking.
At that moment, Yang Xiao was seated with his legs crossed on a rock. His expression was serene, and he didn’t seem to be injured at all. His aura was steady, and he was surrounded by colourful lights. As the lights kept leaving and entering his body, he appeared to be in a strange state.
Yang Kai watched him for a moment before he turned to look at the first Great Elder’s Dragon Soul with a frown, “You know why I’ve brought him with me?”
He wasn’t even sure how he came to this conclusion; however, upon seeing what was happening to Yang Xiao, Yang Kai was certain that these Dragon Souls were examining his Source. That was why Yang Xiao was taken away to a different location in the temple right after they stepped into this place. Without the Dragon Souls’ help, Yang Kai couldn’t even see Yang Xiao or locate the latter.
After receiving a nod, Yang Kai said, “There seems to be something wrong with his Source, so I needed you to check on him. Since you are already doing so, please carry on.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the area around Yang Xiao darkened and he disappeared.
Yang Kai set his mind at ease. Since the Dragon Souls were willing to help, it proved that there was nothing wrong with Yang Xiao’s Source; otherwise, they would’ve expelled Yang Xiao as not just anyone could step into this sacred place.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai went on to say, “There’s something I want to ask all of you. I want to cultivate some Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques, but I don’t know where to start.”
Normally, a Divine Spirit’s Source contained all of its ancestral inheritance. Given the right opportunity, a Divine Spirit could obtain their Ancestors’ knowledge and experience, including Secret Techniques; therefore, they could instinctively use these skills and methods.
Yang Kai had comprehended a lot from his Source as well. For example, he had never learned the abstruse Dragon language from anyone; however, after he cultivated the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he gained an understanding of this ancient language as if he had known it all along.
The only thing he was displeased about was that he hadn’t really learned any Secret Techniques, making him wonder if there was something wrong with his Golden Divine Dragon Source.
The reason he came to the Dragon Temple was to comprehend some useful Secret Techniques, and since the chance was right before his eyes, he wouldn’t let it slip through his fingers.
Upon hearing this request, the first Great Elder opened his mouth as a white light orb shot out directly at Yang Kai.
A shocked Yang Kai thought that he had somehow offended the first Great Elder and prepared to defend himself; however, upon closer look, he realised that he was mistaken. The aura inside the light orb was profound and powerful, but it didn’t have any murderous intent.
[Could this be…] Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he thought of a possibility. Seeing as the light orb was about to hit him, he quickly sat down with his legs crossed and hung his head low.
As soon as the light orb came into contact with Yang Kai, it expanded and engulfed him in it. The next moment, he realised that a lot of information was madly penetrating his mind, which caused his Knowledge Sea to shake violently and he felt a slight pain in his head.
[He’s trying to impart his wisdom to me!] An elated Yang Kai quickly made his mind focus and did his best to absorb the information from the light orb. A long time later, the light that had surrounded Yang Kai slowly diminished.
Before the light completely vanished, another Dragon Soul shot out a similar light orb that engulfed Yang Kai once more.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as things were going differently from what he had imagined. Although he wanted to comprehend a few of the Dragon Clan’s Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques from the Dragon Temple, he had never expected that the Great Elders of the past would be so enthusiastic and directly impart all of their wisdom to him.
It would be fine if it was just two to three times, but there were more than ten generations of the Great Elders’ Dragon Souls on the scene, which was a bit troublesome to digest, but at the same time, Yang Kai was truly overjoyed.
A myriad of expressions came over Yang Kai, who was seated on the ground. Nevertheless, he was meticulously absorbing all this new knowledge. Soon, the pain faded, and he seemed to have plunged into a state of emptiness, thus making him unable to sense anything around himself.
All of a sudden, he opened his eyes, which shone brightly as he had gained a lot of wisdom, and after a blink, the gleam in his eyes faded.
Looking up, Yang Kai realised that the more than ten Dragon Souls had turned dimmer than they initially were. Knowing that they must have exhausted a lot of their energy, he cupped his fists to express his gratitude.
The more than ten Great Elders’ Dragon Souls nodded, after which they roared and disappeared from the place.
Following that, an immense pressure swept over Yang Kai as his vision turned blurred. Then, he realised that he was already outside the temple.
After that, he turned his head and saw that Yang Xiao was standing beside him; however, the young child appeared sullen with his brows knitted together. Apparently, he had been sent out of the temple as well.
“Are you alright?” Yang Kai stroked the young boy’s head.
Yang Xiao shook his head, “I’m fine.”
Seeing them, Zhu Yan and the others, who were waiting for them, immediately flew over.
Seeing Yang Xiao’s dejected face, Fu Zhun felt her heart sinking. However, she wouldn’t dare to ask him anything; instead, she turned to look at Yang Kai and questioned, “How was it?”
Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “I don’t know.”
Zhu Yan frowned, “What do you mean that you don’t know?”
Yang Kai explained to them that he and Yang Xiao were separated right after they entered the temple, so he wasn’t sure what was happening to the boy. It wasn’t until now that they were sent out of the temple together.
Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan understood that he couldn’t get the answer from Yang Kai, so he turned to gaze at Yang Xiao and asked, “What was the result of the examination?”
Yang Xiao hung his head low and fell silent. Despite his silence, the answer could be deduced from his expression.
Zhu Yan felt unsteady as he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to say a word in the end. Ultimately, he just heaved a sigh and patted Yang Xiao’s head.
Fu Zhun crouched down in front of her child and flashed the best smile she could muster at him, “It’s fine. You are still my son. So what if your Source isn’t pure? I’ll take care of you.”
“Mother, I’m so sorry!” Yang Xiao pressed his lips together and crashed into her embrace before he started sobbing.
“How is this possible?” Yang Kai scratched his head with a puzzled expression. He thought that since the Dragon Souls were willing to check on Yang Xiao, there shouldn’t be a problem; however, he didn’t expect that the result would be the same as the previous ceremony. Could Yang Xiao really have suffered from a congenital defect, or was affected by Yang Kai during the hatching process?
Every move Yang Xiao made was able to infect Fu Zhun. She had merely forced a smile just now, so upon seeing that he was crying, she started tearing up as well.
The mother and son hugged each other and bawled their eyes out, which caused Zhu Yan to feel heartbroken as well. No matter how Zhu Qing tried to console them, her attempts were useless.
After they finally calmed down, Zhu Yan brought his family away.
A dispirited Yang Kai then followed Zhu Qing back to Half Moon Island.
Although he had told Yang Xiao that it didn’t matter even if his Source was impure, it was merely to temporarily cheer him up. Only a member of the Dragon Clan could truly understand how terrible it was to have an impure Source. In the future, he wouldn’t be able to mingle with his fellow clansmen as an equal. Although he was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, he would forever be considered an outsider to the Dragon Clan now.
Since that was the case, Yang Xiao probably had to leave with Yang Kai. There was no way he could stay on Dragon Island as any attempt to have him remain would be a violation of the clan’s laws.
However, Yang Kai didn’t understand whether it was his fault or Yang Xiao’s congenital defect that had resulted in such an outcome.
Realising that Yang Kai was feeling uneasy, Zhu Qing spent the next few days treating him gently, which slowly managed to cheer him up a little.
Since his matters on Dragon Island were all settled, Yang Kai didn’t want to delay any longer. Although he was unwilling to part with Zhu Qing, he had set up a Space Array just outside Dragon Island; hence, he could easily visit her in the future.
Yang Kai informed Mo Xiao Qi about it a few days earlier so that she had enough time to get prepared. This time, she had to leave with Yang Kai and return to Spirit Beast Island. Yang Kai decided to escort her back home and build a Space Array over there as well. Previously, Li Wu Yi had told him to do so, and the array would be useful if Mo Xiao Qi wanted to meet Fu Xuan in the future.
One day, Zhu Yan came over to have a drink with Yang Kai for a night, but they never really talked about anything the whole time. It was only at the break of dawn, before Zhu Yan left, that he said, “Please take good care of Xiao’er on our behalf.”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai nodded his head as he understood that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun wanted him to take Yang Xiao with him. Although it had only been a few days since Yang Xiao was born, the problems he was facing meant that he couldn’t stay in Dragon Palace. Since he had to leave the palace one day, it was best he leave with Yang Kai sooner rather than later. With Yang Kai taking care of him, Zhu Yan could set his mind at ease.
On the day of departure, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were waiting on Half Moon Island. Mo Xiao Qi and Fu Xuan had already arrived. Just like a pair of sisters, they were holding hands and whispering to each other. Fu Xuan’s eyes were filled with sorrow. She had spent quite some time with her daughter, so naturally, she was reluctant to part with her.
A long time later, Yang Xiao was still nowhere to be seen and Yang Kai frowned as he had a premonition.
A few hours later, a beam of red light approached them and landed in front of them, after which, Zhu Lie revealed himself.
“Where are Great Elder and the others? Why aren’t they here yet?” Zhu Qing asked.
Zhu Lie’s face twitched as he replied, “Second Elder took Yang Xiao away and went into hiding.”
“She hid him?” Zhu Qing appeared shocked.
Yang Kai was rendered speechless. Although he knew that Fu Zhun was unwilling to send Yang Xiao away, he hadn’t expected that she would go to such an extent.
Zhu Lie went on to say, “Great Elder asked me to come over to ask you to wait for a while more. He’ll send Yang Xiao over soon.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
Upon completing his task, Zhu Lie flew away as he was probably going to look for Fu Zhun and Yang Xiao as well. Yang Kai and Zhu Qing traded glances before they smiled helplessly.
They went on to wait for an entire day, and it wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that Zhu Yan rushed over to Half Moon Island with Yang Xiao. His wrinkled face was dark, so it was apparent that he was incensed. Fu Zhun was following them as traces of tears could still be seen on her face. She looked longingly at Yang Xiao, whose hand was held by Zhu Yan. Nevertheless, she knew that there was nothing she could do about it, so she bit her lip and silently wept.
Zhu Yan passed the boy to Yang Kai and said solemnly, “I’ll entrust Xiao’er to you now. If he’s naughty… discipline as you see fit.”
Yang Xiao immediately said, “Father, don’t worry, I’ll listen to Adoptive Father and not cause any trouble to him.”
His obedience made Zhu Yan feel assured as he nodded.
Gazing at Fu Zhun, Yang Kai gently pushed Yang Xiao and said, “Bid your mother farewell so we can get going.”
After a nod, Yang Xiao walked up to Fu Zhun and looked up at her.
The emotions in Fu Zhun’s heart finally exploded as she crouched down and pulled him into her embrace. As she cried her heart out, she whispered into the young child’s ear. Yang Xiao nodded repeatedly and helped her wipe away her tears as he consoled her.
Moments later, Fu Zhun finally calmed herself down and gave him some parting advice.
Yang Kai walked over and stated gently, “We should leave now.”
Fu Zhun bowed her head and suppressed the sorrow in her heart before stuffing a Space Ring into Yang Xiao’s hands. As she sniffled, she said, “Mother has prepared some things for you, and if anyone dares to bully you, just call out to us. We’ll stand up for you.”
“I understand!” Yang Xiao nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Yan covered his face with his palm and thought that she was basically encouraging their child to start walking sideways and cause trouble. At that instant, he thought that it was actually a good idea to let their child leave with Yang Kai. If he was allowed to stay on Dragon Island, Fu Zhun would unconditionally dote on him and he might even become a rotten adult one day.
At that moment, Zhu Yan wondered just how the Dragon Clan’s icy Second Elder had changed completely after their child was born.
In the end, Yang Kai and the others departed. He didn’t allow any of them to see them off so, on Half Moon Island, three women looked dejectedly at the leaving figures as their eyes were filled with a sense of longing.
As they flew forward at full speed, Yang Kai’s group reached the entrance half a day later.
Noticing the noise, Fu Ling came over to find out what was going on. Upon seeing that Yang Xiao was following Yang Kai, she was stunned, but after she learned the reason behind it, she did not make things difficult for them. Presently, Yang Kai was highly regarded on Dragon Island, so all members of the Dragon Clan had to be polite to him. Furthermore, she didn’t have the courage to go against him.
Therefore, she quickly let them pass.
After passing through the entrance, they left Dragon Island and shot up from the bottom of the sea. Soon, they reached the surface and leapt out of the water.
An amazed Yang Xiao looked around and tutted, “Is this the outside world? It’s not so different from Dragon Island.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “This is just a small part of the world. We’re on the East Sea right now, and Dragon Island is surrounded by water as well, which is why you don’t see any differences. Soon, you’ll see that the outside world is truly different from Dragon Island.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Xiao replied, “I see.”
“Let’s go. We’ll head to Spirit Beast Island first to send Xiao Qi home,” Right after Yang Kai finished speaking, Mo Xiao Qi pouted.
Since the farce previously, Mo Xiao Qi had been too embarrassed to face Yang Kai. Now that she had to leave Dragon Island with him, she remained quiet, which was unlike how vivacious she usually was; however, upon hearing that he wanted to send her back to Spirit Beast Island first, she was displeased.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles and formed a hand seal as he readied himself to use his Space Secret Technique.
Previously, he had exchanged Space Spirit Beads with Li Wu Yi, so it was easy for him to head to Spirit Beast Island directly, he just had to communicate with the Space Spirit Bead he had given to Li Wu Yi and he’d be able to reach him in an instant.
Supposedly, Li Wu Yi was on Spirit Beast Island at the moment.
Just then, Mo Xiao Qi suddenly asked, “Big Brother Yang, can we fly back to Spirit Beast Island?”
Yang Kai stopped what he was doing and stared doubtfully at her, “Why?”
Although both Spirit Beast Island and Dragon Island were both on the East Sea, there was still quite some distance between them. Yang Kai estimated that it would take him seven to eight days if he decided to fly over. Since he had a Space Spirit Bead there at this moment, which was a more convenient way to arrive there, he wasn’t willing to take the effort to fly over. It’d be a waste of time and energy.
Mo Xiao Qi hung her head low and replied, “Doesn’t Yang Xiao want to see the outside world? If we fly over to Spirit Beast Island, he can take in some different sights.”
Yang Xiao was still looking around when he heard that, then he clapped his hands and said, “That’s right, Adoptive Father. We should fly over.”
He wasn’t aware of what lay between the two islands but still went along with her because he truly was looking for some excitement.
Yang Kai stopped performing his hand seal and smiled helplessly, “Why do you look like you’ve been bored for years?”
Yang Xiao replied, “That’s absolutely right. Although it’s only been a few days since I was born, do not forget that I had been sleeping in the egg for a long time.”
Seeing how pitiful he described himself to be, Yang Kai relented, “Alright then. Since both of you have asked, we’ll fly over.”
Then, he turned to look at Qiong Qi.
The corners of Qiong Qi’s mouth twitched as he thought that he was the one who had to expend a lot of energy after they decided to fly over. It was especially tiresome for him because he was so old.
Despite his unspoken criticism, he had no choice but to assume his true form. At that instant, a hideous yet majestic beast appeared before the trio.
They consecutively jumped onto Qiong Qi’s back and Yang Kai laid down a rug before sitting across from Mo Xiao Qi, then he put Yang Xiao on his lap.
Following that, they headed to Spirit Beast Island at full speed. Initially, Yang Xiao was curiously looking around, but upon realising that all he saw were the ocean and islands, he soon grew bored. Looking up at Mo Xiao Qi, he asked, “Elder Sister Xiao Qi, is there anything fun on Spirit Beast Island that I can play with?”
Yang Kai knocked the little boy’s head and stared at him with a long face, “What did you just call her?”
Yang Xiao covered his head and replied, “Elder Sister. What’s wrong with that?”
Yang Kai said, “Xiao Qi and I call each other Brother and Sister, and you are my son, so don’t you think it is wrong for you to call her Elder Sister?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Xiao gave it a thought and replied, “According to the seniority on Dragon Island, I’m supposed to call her Elder Sister. However, given that you’re my Adoptive Father, she is my Senior. What should I do?”
Mo Xiao Qi pressed her lips together and smiled, “Just separate your relationship with your Adoptive Father from the others. If you adhere to your Adoptive Father’s seniority, your relationships with others will all be messed up.”
Upon hearing her advice, Yang Xiao nodded, “You’re right.”
Despite his immature voice, his manner of speaking was that of an old man, which was amusing to others.
Yang Kai shared the same thought. After he helped Yang Xiao to be born, he messed up the seniority in many ways, so he wasn’t willing to dwell on the issue.
Yang Xiao asked again, “Is there anything fun on Spirit Beast Island?”
Instead of answering his question, Mo Xiao Qi questioned, “Is there anything fun on Dragon Island?”
Yang Xiao shook his head like a rattle. To him, there was nothing fun on Dragon Island. Not only was the atmosphere not lively, but there was also a mother who followed him around all the time.
Mo Xiao Qi went on to say, “Spirit Beast Island is the same to me.”
As they looked into each other’s eyes, they realised that their fates were pretty similar. At that instant, they couldn’t help but heave long sighs.
“You two are both so young, why are you sighing like that?” Yang Kai chided them, after which Mo Xiao Qi stuck out her tongue.
Yang Kai reached out to pinch Yang Xiao’s fleshy cheeks and said, “Let’s talk about something serious now.”
Yang Xiao couldn’t even speak clearly as he muttered, “What is it that Adoptive Father wants to say?”
Yang Kai asked, “Has your mother or father taught you how you will cultivate in the future?”
Yang Xiao replied, “Mother has placed a copy of the Dragon Transformation Secret Art in my Space Ring.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “Good. You might have a congenital defect or your bloodline might be impure, but either way, you’re still the child of two Tenth-Order Dragons; therefore, you must have some Dragon Blood in you. The Dragon Transformation Secret Art does suit you, so you should work hard on cultivating this Secret Art, then. Perhaps you’ll have a chance to transform into a True Dragon one day.”
The Dragon Transformation Secret Art was perfect for the current Yang Xiao. Furthermore, Yang Kai could grow the Dragon Blood Flowers in his medicine garden and refine Dragon Blood Pills, so as long as the supply was adequate, improving Yang Xiao’s bloodline should not be a problem and turning him into a True Dragon was not without hope.
Feeling something was off though, Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep moving about so restlessly?”
Yang Xiao couldn’t help but scratch his ears and cheeks in embarrassment before timidly replying, “Adoptive Father, there is a saying that one should not speak something improper before a child.”
Yang Kai touched his chin, suspiciously looking at him, “Why do I feel that you have done something wrong?” As Yang Xiao was sitting between his thighs, Yang Kai couldn’t clearly see what face the boy was making. But he had a feeling that this smelly brat had done something wrong; otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting like this. No one could understand a son better than his father, and Yang Xiao had predominantly inherited his temperament, so Yang Kai could accurately infer many things from Yang Xiao’s actions alone.
“Why…” Yang Xiao’s tone became weaker. His eyes kept wandering here and there. Even Mo Xiao Qi, who was sitting right opposite him, could tell that something wasn’t right at this point and raised her eyes to signal to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai chuckled before he replied with a gentle smile, “Xiao’er, just say what you want to say to your Adoptive Father. You should know that your Adoptive Father will always listen to your troubles whenever you want.”
Yang Xiao forced a cough before speaking, “First you have to promise that you won’t hit me.”
Yang Kai was immediately piqued and snapped, “Why would I hit you without a good reason? Don’t worry, I won’t hit you.”
Yang Xiao immediately raised his head and turned to Mo Xiao Qi, “Big Sister Xiao Qi, you heard him, right? Adoptive Father said that he won’t hit me, and Adoptive Father must be a man who keeps his word.”
Mo Xiao Qi replied, “Of course, of course. Speak up now, don’t keep us guessing.”
Yang Xiao moistened his lips before he softly murmured something.
“What was that?” Yang Kai knocked on his head, “Speak clearly, I didn’t hear it.”
Yang Xiao immediately jumped up and shouted, “Adoptive Father just said that he wouldn’t hit me, but you still did.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched before he assured, embarrassed, “It’s just a habit, Adoptive Father won’t do it again.”
Yang Xiao squinted at him, “How come I don’t believe you?”
Yang Kai snorted and added, “While I am asking nicely, quickly tell me, otherwise…”
“There is no problem with my Source!” Yang Xiao quickly threw out a sentence before he hid behind Mo Xiao Qi, vigilantly staring at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai kept nodding his head, “En en, there is no problem with your Source… no problem with your Source… How do you know that there is no problem with your Source?”
Yang Xiao replied, “I knew it when I was tested in the Dragon Temple.”
“Be specific,” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Yang Xiao meekly stated, “I can transform into a True Dragon!”
“Ha… haha… hahaha!” Yang Kai broke into a hearty laugh and confirmed, excitedly looking at Yang Xiao, “Can you really transform into a True Dragon?”
“It’s true. Adoptive Father, please look!” Just as he said so, Yang Xiao’s figure distorted before he really transformed into a jade-like White Dragon, just as fair as the first time Yang Kai saw him.
But Yang Xiao apparently couldn’t maintain this state for too long and reverted back to his Human form shortly after.
Yang Kai clapped his hands, “Good!”
A big weight had finally lifted off his shoulders. Yang Xiao’s previous ceremony had failed and had almost become a thorn in Yang Kai’s heart, because he always worried whether he had done something wrong when he hatched this boy, resulting in his Source becoming impure. But now it was evident that there was nothing wrong with his Source; being able to transform into a True Dragon was proof in itself.
Relieved, Yang Kai immediately jumped up and grabbed Yang Xiao as he ground his teeth and roared, “If I don’t beat your ass up today, my surname will no longer be Yang!!”
[This damn brat is so bad! When he came out of the Dragon Temple, when Zhu Yan asked him about it, he actually hid everything! As a result, not only did Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun feel heartbroken, even I suffered for days as I worried about him. Had I known that there was no problem with his Source, I wouldn’t have taken him from Dragon Island as he is perfectly qualified to stay!]
Yang Xiao’s face turned pale when he heard this and objected, “Adoptive Father, you’re going back on your word!”
He promptly kicked the ground, trying to run away, but he was born not too long ago so how could he escape from Yang Kai’s grasp?
Suddenly feeling a vice grip on his arm, Yang Xiao was lifted off his feet by Yang Kai and immediately called out in horror, “Big Sister Xiao Qi, save me! Adoptive Father is going to beat me!”
Mo Xiao Qi, however, was unsympathetic as she declared firmly, “You deserve it!”
She felt that Yang Xiao had gone too far this time too. [Why didn’t he inform us of such important news in the first place and hid it instead? Fortunately, he has some reservations, otherwise, we all would have remained in the dark and kept blaming ourselves.]
This brat needed to be taught a lesson for doing something this selfish.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already placed Yang Xiao across his knee and lifted his arm up high. Swinging down, he prepared to spank the naughty kid’s butt as he really felt he needed to be disciplined this time.
Yang Kai was also mad at Yang Xiao for lying like this. He had made up his mind to make this boy suffer today, otherwise, he would commit all kinds of irresponsible and immature matters in the future.
However, just as he was about to deliver the first spanking, Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow because he felt something was off, and in the next instant, his eyes bulged.
Yang Xiao, who had just been on his knee, had actually disappeared into thin air.
Qiong Qi, who was silently flying forward, minding his own business, also let out a cry of surprise as he abruptly paused and turned to look up just like Yang Kai, staring at Yang Xiao who was already a thousand meters away from them, looking like a small dot in the sky. The next moment, Yang Xiao’s voice came from the distance, “Adoptive Father, you went back on your word, I hate you!”
“Smelly brat, come back here right this instant!” Yang Kai shouted back, his expression contorted quite wonderfully. With his Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, he actually allowed Yang Xiao to escape from his grasp. Not only was it a huge embarrassment, it was completely incomprehensible given the difference in strength.
“If you promise that you won’t hit me, I will come back, or else… or else… I’ll run away!” Yang Xiao, moving backwards, stuttered as he shouted aloud.
Yang Kai coldly chuckled, “You dare threaten me? Good, good, good! Go on then, run away!”
“I’m leaving now!” Yang Xiao shouted.
“Go go, go away!” Yang Kai said as his face turned black.
“I’m… really leaving…” Yang Xiao’s voice grew weaker.
Yang Kai only sneered, remaining unmoved.
Yang Xiao suddenly fumed with anger, made up his mind, turned around, and flew off.
Staring in the direction Yang Xiao left, Yang Kai furrowed his brow and asked quietly, “Old Qiong, did you feel it as well?”
Qiong Qi solemnly nodded, emphasizing his every word, “Time Principles!”
Yang Kai heaved a deep breath, “Sure enough, I didn’t sense it wrong. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but you noticed it too. How certain are you?”
Qiong Qi replied with a serious look on his face, “That boy definitely used the Dao of Time.”
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in amazement, “How did that smelly brat comprehend the Dao of Time?” The moment Yang Kai was about to spank him, time seemed to stop for a moment, so he didn’t even notice how Yang Xiao slipped away. This boy had escaped from right under his nose, and by the time he recovered, Yang Xiao was already a thousand meters away.
Qiong Qi’s eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief as well, but soon a possibility crossed his mind and he shouted, “Inheritance!”
Yang Kai thoughtfully spoke, “You mean to say, he got it from me…”
“Apart from that, this Old Master can’t think of another possibility.” Yang Xiao’s Dragon Source wouldn’t grant him such an ability, and since Yang Xiao’s character was greatly affected by Yang Kai, it meant that when Yang Kai hatched him, Yang Xiao had inherited many things from Yang Kai.
Because Yang Kai had cultivated the Time Flies Seal though, he understood a bit about the Dao of Time, and now it was apparent that a bit of comprehension had been passed on to this boy, that was the only explanation.
Since Yang Xiao inherited comprehension of the Dao of Time from Yang Kai, what about the Dao of Space? The Dao of Space was Yang Kai’s Grand Dao, so if Yang Xiao had inherited some talent in the Dao of Space as well, that would be an enormous boon.
“Big Brother Yang, are you not going to chase him?” Mo Xiao Qi asked, apparently worried. Although she had hoped that Yang Kai would give this brat a memorable lesson, she became a little worried seeing Yang Xiao run away just now.
“Rest assured, he can’t run far.” Yang Kai smiled. Despite Yang Xiao raising hues and cries, he definitely wouldn’t go too far. Furthermore, Yang Kai had locked his Divine Sense onto Yang Xiao, so it was impossible for this smelly brat to really escape.
Just as he said that though, Yang Kai’s expression drastically changed as he cursed, “Damn!”
His figure immediately flickered as Space Principles fluctuated and he vanished into thin air.
Qiong Qi also frowned deeply before calling out to Mo Xiao Qi, “Hold on tight.”
The next moment, his speed soared as he flew towards a certain direction as swiftly as a wind.
In the sky over the sea, a grim-looking black-robed old man was hovering mid-air. Several corpses were floating on the sea below, dying it red with blood.
There was a pale but beautiful young woman hovering by that old man’s side. Although she was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm cultivator, she appeared weak and feeble at this moment, unable to muster even an ounce of strength. Had the black-robed old man not been holding her up with his Emperor Qi, she would have already crashed into the water.
The old man happened to be holding a fair-skinned tender little fatty with one hand at this moment. Naturally, it was none other than Yang Xiao, who had just arrogantly proclaimed that he was running away from home.
Despite Yang Xiao raising a ruckus just now, he naturally understood that Yang Kai would not let him really run away. At most, he would catch him and beat him up after letting him roam free for a bit. But now, Yang Xiao had accidentally fallen into this old man’s grasp, and after witnessing such a scene, there was a good chance he was going to be silenced.
Yang Xiao immediately wore the most innocent look he could muster as he asked the black-robed old man, “Grandpa, who are you? Why did you catch me?”
The black-robed old man tilted his head and furrowed his brow, looking rather troubled.
[If it was just an ordinary brat, I would have killed him right away, but I can sense Pureblood Dragon aura from this little fatty. In other words, this brat might be a member of the Dragon Clan!]
[Since when did the Dragon Clan have someone like him though?] The old man gave it a careful thought, but he couldn’t come up with any answers. As far as he knew, all members of the Dragon Clan had reached maturity centuries ago, so how could a mere boy like this exist? However, the Dragon Clan having a new clansman couldn’t be ruled out.
Furthermore, this place wasn’t far from Dragon Island, so it wasn’t surprising for a Dragon Clan member to be here.
Killing this boy would be as simple as killing an ant, but it would be problematic if he drew a Master from the Dragon Clan here as a result.
While the black-robed old man was hesitating, he suddenly furrowed his brow as he turned towards one side.
A ripple in the sky appeared before Yang Kai’s figure manifested, emerging like a ghost. The old man’s pupils shrank at this sight as he naturally recognized this kind of Space Divine Ability, owing to his vast knowledge and experience. Furthermore, such a profound instantaneous movement ability was only attainable by those who cultivated the Dao of Space to an extremely high level. In fact, when he took a closer look at Yang Kai, a sliver of recognition appeared in his eyes, as if he knew him from somewhere.
As Yang Kai stared at the old man, his face couldn’t help but turn serious; because he discovered that the black-robed old man was a Third-Order Emperor. Worse, this old man gave him an uncomfortable amount of pressure, similar to when he was facing Cang Mo.
A Pseudo-Great Emperor!
Yang Kai was inwardly shocked, but he showed nothing on his face. He had heard Yang Yan mention that this world had restrictions, and many Pseudo-Great Emperors were living in seclusion, but he never expected to run into one in the middle of the vast East Sea.
Counting Cang Mo, Yang Yan, Li Wu Yi, and Sheng Yu Zhu, this old man was the fifth Pseudo-Great Emperor Yang Kai had encountered.
When the girl next to the black-robed old man saw Yang Kai, her terrified eyes suddenly glimmered with pleasant surprise before silently sending signals for help.
When Yang Kai glanced over at her, he was even more shocked.
He actually knew this girl, and her background was far from ordinary.
Yao Lin!
Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Jun, had a son and a daughter. His son was Yao Si and his daughter was Yao Lin, and Yang Kai had met both of them.
Yang Kai met Yao Si in the Shattered Star Sea, but their encounter was brief and they didn’t even converse, not even once. On the other hand, Yang Kai had actually gotten into a big conflict with Yao Lin, one that was life threatening for both of them. It was only because at the critical moment Serene Soul Great Emperor’s Soul Descend appeared that Yang Kai was forced to retreat, allowing Yao Lin to survive.
It wasn’t surprising to run into Yao Lin in the East Sea; after all, Serene Soul Palace was also located in the Eastern Territory. What Yang Kai wondered about was who this black-robed old man was. What gave him the courage to make a move on Yao Lin? Judging by Yao Lin’s appearance, it was quite obvious that she was kidnapped, and the corpses floating on the bloody sea below obviously belonged to Yao Lin’s guards, though they were already dead at this moment.
[Does this black-robed old man have some kind of enmity with Serene Soul Great Emperor? Or did Yao Lin accidentally provoke this old man and was taught a lesson by him?] He was well aware of Yao Lin’s character. She was domineering and arrogant, not putting anyone in her eyes. If she really did provoke this old man, it wasn’t that surprising either.
But no matter what, since Yang Xiao was in this old man’s hand, Yang Kai had to get involved.
As these thoughts flashed in his mind, Yang Kai turned a blind eye to Yao Lin’s plea and asked, only looking at Yang Xiao, who was held by the old man, “Xiao’er, are you alright?”
Yang Xiao grinningly replied, “Adoptive Father, don’t worry, your son is alright.”
[Adoptive Father!?] The black-robed old man furrowed his brow upon hearing this, even more confused than he had been before. He recognized this boy had a Pureblood Dragon aura and assumed he was a member of the Dragon Clan, but no member of the Dragon Clan in this world would call a mere Human ‘Adoptive Father’. A prideful and arrogant member of the Dragon Clan, even as a newborn, would never demean themselves so.
[Was I mistaken? Could it be that this little fatty isn’t a Dragon Clan member, and just has a slightly stronger Dragon Clan bloodline? Strange, it’s really strange!]
“When I tell you to not run around, you better not run around! Look what you have gotten yourself into. Since you’re alright, why are you still standing there instead of coming back!” Yang Kai sternly shouted.
Yang Xiao’s brow twitched as he thought, [I very much want to go back now, but I’m being held tight by this old man; how am I supposed to leave?]
Caught in this awkward position, Yang Xiao had no choice but to ask the black-robed old man with a bitter look on his face, “Grandpa, my Adoptive Father is asking me to go back, can you please let me go now?”
The black-robed old man didn’t say a word as he just deeply stared at Yang Kai.
Slowly, murderous intent began to fill the air.
He hadn’t expected to run into others on this vast ocean, and not a word of what he did today could be allowed to leak out, so he was already considering silencing all the witnesses to his crimes, but seeing how Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, he was feeling quite frustrated. Against someone like Yang Kai, it was necessary to kill with a single blow, otherwise Yang Kai would simply escape.
With the murderous intent being so obvious, how could Yang Kai fail to detect it. His nerves growing taut, he hurriedly stated, “Old Sir, we father and son were just passing through. If this little brat was impolite to you, this Yang will apologize on his behalf. There is no need to keep holding onto him, right? He is just a boy.”
Yang Kai was currently cursing Yang Xiao in his mind. [Smelly brat, don’t you understand Dao of Time? You just slipped away from my grasp, so how did you get captured by someone else right after? Quickly use your Dao of Time to slip away!]
Yang Kai didn’t dare to act rashly in this situation. Yang Xiao was caught by this unknown man, and just a slight move could lead to unimaginable consequences. Yang Xiao had just been taken out of Dragon Island by him a few days ago, so if something happened to him, how would he face the Great Elder and Second Elder in the future? Yang Kai’s heart was pounding with anxiety, but that only made him grow calmer and calmer.
Right then, a streak of red light shot over from the horizon.
The black-robed old man, who had been staring at Yang Kai, frowned and promptly looked in that direction. Immediately after, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
With the flash of red light, Qiong Qi rushed over with Mo Xiao Qi, and when he saw the black-robed old man, Qiong Qi said a cry of shock as well. Obviously, he was aware of the opponent’s strength.
“Qiong Qi!” The black-robed old man finally spoke, his eyes filled with apprehension. He suddenly realized that the situation had grown completely out of his control. Even though he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Third-Order Emperor Realm, facing Qiong Qi, an Ancient Divine Spirit, he still felt pressured.
[Why is Qiong Qi here? And there is even a girl riding on his back.] His day was turning stranger and stranger.
On another side, after peeking out from Qiong Qi’s back, Mo Xiao Qi spotted Yao Lin and opened her mouth instinctually, “Ah…”
Just as she was about to speak though, Yang Kai’s voice sounded in her ear, “Don’t say another word.”
Mo Xiao Qi quickly swallowed what she was about to say back into her stomach, though she kept staring at Yao Lin while Yao Lin stared back at her pleadingly.
Obviously, the two girls knew each other as they were both daughters of Great Emperors who lived in the Eastern Territory. They would have met, talked, and bickered a few times. If they didn’t recognize each other, then who would? But with Yao Lin’s bad personality, Mo Xiao Qi didn’t have any deep friendship with her, so their relationship was only that of acquaintances.
But at this moment, she absolutely couldn’t let this be known, at least not until Yang Xiao was safe; otherwise, the black-robed old man might gain another advantage.
Attacking the daughter of a Great Emperor was extremely sensational and no one would want this news to be leaked out. This was why Yang Kai stopped Mo Xiao Qi from speaking another word, to prevent the situation from becoming even more complicated.
Things had suddenly taken a strange turn. Everyone had different thoughts while only Yang Xiao, this smelly brat, who didn’t know how high the Heavens were, kept looking around curiously, planning who knows what.
After a long silence, the black-robed old man suddenly asked, “Qiong Qi, what do you want?”
His voice was hoarse as raspy, like metal scraping against metal, extremely harsh on the ears. The reason he was asking was because Qiong Qi had been eyeing him like an enemy since he appeared.
The old man was confused by this. [Is Qiong Qi with these people? Otherwise, how come all of them ran over one after another? If that’s the case, my luck is really terrible.]
“You tell me, what do you want?” Qiong Qi’s voice was thunderous, releasing power on par with that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. He was naturally not intimidated in this situation; after all, he had accompanied Flowing Time Great Emperor in the past and seen many Pseudo-Great Emperors. He didn’t need to be polite in front of this old man at all.
The black-robed old man frowned before suggesting, “How about you stay out of this matter?”
Qiong Qi agreed with a nod, “Good. Let the boy go and I’ll retreat.”
“Him?” The black-robed old man lifted Yang Xiao and shook him a bit.
Yang Xiao immediately objected, “Grandpa, please be gentle, I’m getting dizzy.”
“En.”
“Is he a member of the Dragon Clan?” The black-robed old man asked.
“You don’t need to know,” Qiong Qi fumed a jet of white mist through his nostrils as his eyes turned fierce and vicious, “You only need to know one thing, if anything happens to that boy, you will definitely die today.”
The black-robed old man nodded before replying, “Anyone can make a bluff, but since it’s being said by Qiong Qi, this Old Master will have to think carefully about it.” He pondered for a moment before casually raising his head and throwing Yang Xiao out, “He’s all yours.”
The next moment, the black-robed old man suddenly lifted his black robe as the sky suddenly grew dark. It seemed as if his black robe turned into a black curtain that covered the sky. Taking advantage of this sudden change, the old man grabbed Yao Lin with one hand and immediately fled.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, had already shot forward, catching Yang Xiao in his arms. When he scanned Yang Xiao with his Divine Sense though, his face drastically changed as he hurriedly shouted, “Old Qiong, kill that bastard!”
Qiong Qi didn’t reply but his figure had already been turned into a small black dot over the horizon, pursuing the black-robed old man the moment he threw Yang Xiao out.
Mo Xiao Qi descended from the sky. When Qiong Qi gave chase, she naturally jumped off. Qiong Qi couldn’t guarantee her safety when fighting against a Pseudo-Great Emperor, so he had of course let her off first.
“Is Xiao’er alright?” Mo Xiao Qi asked as she stood beside Yang Kai, but as she looked down at the little fatty in Yang Kai’s arm, her she couldn’t help gasping in shock, “What’s wrong with Xiao’er?”
Yang Xiao’s eyes were completely wide and there was a terrified look on his face. He was bleeding from all his orifices, and his body was alternating between red and white. Obviously, he was struck with some kind of sinister move. Clearly, the black-robed old man had done something when he threw Yang Xiao just now.
Yang Kai tore Yang Xiao’s clothes and laid him down flat. The next moment, his gaze fixed on his back, where he saw a clear five fingers imprint on his jade white skin. Wisps of evil energy could be seen spreading from this imprint, making Yang Xiao’s body alternate between hot and cold.
“Come with me!” Yang Kai said, grabbing Mo Xiao Qi’s arm, and with a flash of thought, he took her into the Small Sealed World, straight to the medicine garden. He then shouted aloud, “Mu Zhu, Mu Na!”
The two Wood Spirits immediately rushed over. Once they saw Yang Kai holding the little fatty with a distraught look on his face, they were greatly frightened and hurriedly asked, “Master, what happened?”
Yang Kai placed Yang Xiao on the ground and anxiously informed them, “He was injured by a powerful Master. I need to force the evil energy out of him while you help me stabilize his vitality and heal his injuries.”
The two Wood Spirits hurriedly nodded and got to work.
Not only did the Wood Spirit Clan have a unique advantage in cultivating Spirit Herbs, but healing others was also their speciality. With the assistance of two Wood Spirits, Yang Kai could naturally act feely. Not to mention, they were inside the Small Sealed World where his will was law.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai tapped a few times on Yang Xiao as he conscientiously and meticulously pushed his Emperor Qi, carefully moving it inside Yang Xiao.
He had no idea what Secret Technique the black-robed old man had used, but it was absolutely insidious. Even though it wouldn’t kill Yang Xiao, it was incredibly difficult to remove it. Yang Kai had to constantly infuse energy into Yang Xiao to maintain the latter’s vitality, and during this process, Yang Kai could even feel wisps of dark and insidious energy trying to erode him along with Yang Xiao.
[Damn old dog!] Yang Kai didn’t know who the old man was, but he hated him to the bone. If he got the chance, Yang Kai would kill that old man a thousand times over.
The two Wood Spirits worked diligently as specks of green light started to fly over from the medicine garden, flying into Yang Xiao’s body like fireflies, providing him endless vitality. Mo Xiao Qi was also surprised by the two little Wood Spirits, but she didn’t have time to care about them now as she was preoccupied with praying for Yang Xiao’s safety, over and over again.
At some point, Yang Xiao suddenly opened his eyes and cried in agony, “Adoptive Father, it hurts!”
“Serves you right!” Yang Kai had an exasperated look on his face. Meanwhile, the movements of his hands became more rapid. [If this smelly brat hadn’t joked about running away from home, why would he have encountered such a disaster? I too was a little careless when I told him to go too, but who would have thought that he would run into a Pseudo-Great Emperor committing a kidnapping?]
“Adoptive Father, am I going to die?” Yang Xiao asked again.
Yang Kai snorted, “How could it be that easy for you to die with me here?”
Yang Xiao still wanted to talk but just as he opened his mouth, he spurted a mouthful of blood. The blood seemed to be boiling as it let out sizzling noises the moment it touched the ground, making Mo Xiao Qi extremely worried. She was worried that Yang Xiao would not be able to hold on.
While Yang Xiao kept coughing up blood, again and again, Yang Kai kept checking his condition, adjusting his Emperor Qi output while the two Wood Spirits worked in concert, increasing their healing efficiency.
After some time, Yang Xiao’s abnormality finally and slowly disappeared. Yang Kai flipped him over and glanced at his back. The five finger imprint on his back had disappeared as well. It was just that Yang Xiao had coughed up a lot of blood and was currently weak and pale, having difficulty trying to keep his eyes open to look at Yang Kai. In the next moment, his head tilted to one side as he fell asleep.
Yang Kai took out a few healing pills from his Space Ring and stuffed them into the boy’s mouth before helping him digest their medicinal efficacies. Only once all of this was finished did he say to Mu Zhu and Mu Na, “It’s okay now.”
The two Wood Spirits also stopped while wiping the fine beads of sweat on their foreheads.
“He will stay here for a few days to recover, so I’ll be leaving him in your care.” Yang Kai exhorted.
Mu Zhu replied, “Master may rest assured.”
Yang Kai glanced at Yang Xiao with a complicated look on his face before he caressed his forehead and then said to Mo Xiao Qi, “Let’s go.”
With a surge of Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, the two emerged from the Small Sealed World.
No one was in the vicinity. Just the smell of blood permeating in the air and the billowing sea, as well as many Sea Monsters that had come smelling the blood and were vying for the corpses floating on the water.
Mo Xiao Qi was a little confused, wondering how they appeared in a medicine garden at one point, and then back over the sea the next moment, but she still asked with concern, “Is Xiao’er alright?”
“He is out of danger,” Yang Kai nodded, but his face was filled with gloom.
Yang Xiao was able to survive not because the black-robed old man had shown mercy, but because he belonged to the Dragon Clan, which granted him powerful resilience and recovery abilities. Had it been someone else, he or she might have already lost their lives even if Yang Kai and the two Wood Spirits treated them immediately.
The old man’s last move wasn’t just to take Yang Xiao’s life, but to distract Yang Kai at the same time so that he could calmly escape.
[That was borderline lunacy!]
[But…he actually dared to kidnap Serene Soul Great Emperor’s daughter. Who the hell was he?]
After waiting for a while, Qiong Qi finally returned.
Yang Kai looked up, whereupon Old Qiong shook his head, “He got away!”
If that old man really fought, Qiong Qi was confident that he could defeat him, but at the end of the day, the enemy was still a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and since he was determined to escape, Qiong Qi was powerless to stop him. Unlike Yang Kai, Qiong Qi wasn’t proficient in the Dao of Space, so he didn’t have a unique advantage in tracking or escaping. After chasing the black-robed old man for a while, he had no choice but to return.
Although he was mentally prepared, Yang Kai was still unwilling to hear Qiong Qi say so and grumbled, “He got lucky.”
Had the old man not run away, with Qiong Qi, his Embodiment, and Yang Kai working together, they definitely would have been able to keep him here. But since the old man ran, they could do nothing. Now, it was too late to chase the old man as they had no clue where he had run off to. Yang Kai pondered for a while before asking, “Any idea who he was?”
Qiong Qi shook his head, “This Old Master has been sleeping in the Four Seasons Realm for countless years, and only came out not too long ago. This Old Master is completely unaware of the other Masters in this world.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “Senior Li might know something.”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin before adding, “Xiao Qi, we need to return to the Spirit Beast Island immediately.”
Originally, he had planned to return straight to Spirit Beast Island via the Space Beacon he left with Li Wu Yi, but in order to satisfy Yang Xiao’s wish, and coupled with Mo Xiao Qi’s proposal, they decided to fly back. In light of today’s events though, Yang Kai was afraid of some problems cropping up from undue delay, so he decided to head over directly.
Yang Xiao had encountered a mishap right under his nose, so Yang Kai couldn’t let anything happen to Mo Xiao Qi too, so he decided to take her back as soon as possible.
Mo Xiao Qi didn’t object either, simply standing there obediently on the spot.
Yang Kai pushed his Emperor Qi, enveloping Mo Xiao Qi and Qiong Qi in it before he lifted the Space Spirit Bead given to him by Li Wu Yi, formed a few hand seals, and pushed his Space Principles.
Suddenly, a flash of white light blinded the trio before they slipped through the Void. By the time they regained their vision, the trio was already standing by a lake.
The lake was crystal clear and surrounded by extremely rich World Energy. One could see fish swimming in it while Li Wu Yi was sitting by the shore, fishing casually.
After sensing their arrival, Li Wu Yi looked around and immediately noticed their figures. A smile involuntarily bloomed on his face as he put down the fishing rod and welcomed them, nodding to Mo Xiao Qi, “Welcome back, Xiao Qi.”
“Uncle Li!” Mo Xiao Qi greeted him back, looking around for a while before curiously asking, “Where is Aunty Feng?”
In her mind, Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng were completely inseparable. Although the two weren’t husband and wife, their relationship was better than ordinary couples, so she couldn’t help but find it odd that Li Wu Yi was without Jiu Feng.
“I’m up here!” Jiu Feng’s voice rang out from the treetop beside Li Wu Yi. Mo Xiao Qi immediately looked up and saw Jiu Feng lying sideways on a branch, her legs dangling down lightly.
“Aunty Feng!” Mo Xiao Qi tenderly cried, flying up and plunging into Jiu Feng’s arms, rubbing her head on her chest.
Jiu Feng, on the other hand, pinched her ear and pulled on it, angrily snapping, “Smelly girl, you’re only returning now? If you hadn’t come back, Sir would have gone to Dragon Island to look for you.”
Mo Xiao Qi stuck her tongue out, “Aren’t I back now? Don’t pinch my ears.”
“Alright, I will let you off for coming back.” Jiu Feng sized her up, “Did you get thinner?”
Mo Xiao Qi hurriedly jumped up and began checking herself, but after a moment, she asked instead, “Do I look thin now? I was living happily with mother, she took very good care of me!”
“En, seems like you aren’t thinner,” Jiu Feng nodded, poking the little girl’s chest as she said in a low voice, “Rather, you seem a bit bigger, especially here.”
Mo Xiao Qi immediately grew shy and her cheeks turned red all over. She snuck a glance at Yang Kai before retorting, “Aunty Feng, you are talking nonsense! I’m not talking to you.” Having said this, she ran off.
Yang Kai lightly coughed before greeting, cupping his fists, “Greetings Senior Li, Senior Jiu Feng.”
Li Wu Yi smiled and asked, “How did your trip go?”
“Although there were some twists and turns, nothing big happened,” replied Yang Kai.
“That’s good then.” Li Wu Yi lightly nodded, “Since you have come to Spirit Beast Island, stay here for a few days, the Great Emperor also wants to know what the situation is like on Dragon Island, so he might have some questions to ask you.”
Yang Kai solemnly replied, “Whatever the Great Emperor asks, this Junior will honestly answer, but before that, there is a matter of great importance I need to report to Senior.”
“What is it?” Li Wu Yi, seeing Yang Kai’s solemn expression, he couldn’t help but turn serious as well.
Yang Kai replied, “It’s like this, after we left Dragon Island, we ran into someone.”
“Who?” Jiu Feng asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea…” Next, he described the old man’s appearance before adding, “There was another person beside him, the daughter of Serene Soul Great Emperor, Yao Lin.”
“Yao Lin?” Li Wu Yi furrowed his brow, “What’s Yao Lin’s relationship with that person?”
Yang Kai replied, “It doesn’t look like there is one; or rather, that old man seemed to have attacked Yao Lin as all her guards were dead while she was captured. When she saw me, Yao Lin seemed to be pleading for help, but unfortunately, I was powerless to do anything. Qiong Qi gave chase when that man fled, but he still managed to escape.”
“Are you sure Yao Lin was captured?” Li Wu Yi’s eyes widened in shock.
Jiu Feng also asked, “You know Yao Lin? There is no room for mistake in this matter.”
Yang Kai replied, “I met Yao Lin once before, and although it was a few years back, there is no way I would mistake her. I can guarantee that it was Yao Lin. I believe Xiao Qi also recognized her, so you can check with her for confirmation.”
Li Wu Yi and Jiu Feng glanced at each other and both found it a bit strange that anyone in this world would actually dare to make a move against a Great Emperor’s daughter. Was that old man simply tired of living?
But if what Yang Kai said was true, this was an incredibly serious incident. How could anyone be allowed to make a move on a Great Emperor’s daughter without any repercussions? Who will bear the fury of the Great Emperor?
After pondering for a while, Li Wu Yi stated, “Follow me to see the Great Emperor, we also need to inform Serene Soul Palace immediately about this.”
Yang Kai simply nodded, “Good.”
The reason Yang Kai brought up the matter as soon as they met was that he wanted to use Spirit Beast Island to inform Serene Soul Palace. Since he had bumped into this matter and was unable to save Yao Lin, the least he could do was pass on the news.
What’s more, that old man almost killed Yang Xiao, so Yang Kai wanted to know who he was.
On the way, Yang Kai voiced his doubts. Li Wu Yi pondered for a while before slowly shaking his head, “I don’t have an impression of anyone matching your description, but if I get to see him with my own eyes, I might recognize him. Although there are a fair number of Pseudo-Great Emperors in this world, there aren’t that many.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a little regretful after hearing this. He thought that Li Wu Yi might know the identity of the old man. He hadn’t expected him to be unable to identify him, but it wasn’t surprising either, as he hadn’t seen the incident with his own eyes and who knows whether the old man had disguised his appearance or not?
Soon, the pair came to a pavilion with small bridges and creeks flowing below them, a beautiful and unique place. A stalwart man happened to be standing on the bridge, throwing fish food into the water below, attracting red carps to fight for the feed, splashing the water noisily.
Judging by his appearance alone, no one would notice anything special about this man. He looked like an average commoner, lacking any bearing of nobility. It was just that he was relatively bigger and taller, but he was no doubt one of ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, Martial Beast Emperor, Mo Huang!
“You’re back!” Mo Huang raised his eyes, looking at Yang Kai with a smile before continuing to feed the fish.
Yang Kai earnestly cupped his fists, “Greetings, Senior!”
Mo Huang lightly nodded in response before indifferently asking, “Xiao Qi is also back?”
Yang Kai replied, “She is back and currently chatting with Senior Jiu Feng.”
Mo Huang gave a nod before going silent.
Li Wu Yi stepped up at that moment and spoke with a serious look on his face, “Sir, something has happened.”
Mo Huang looked up as his brow slightly rose. Throwing the rest of the fish food in his hand into the water, he asked while clapping his hand, “What’s the matter?” Since it is coming from you, then it is clearly not a small matter.”
All of a sudden, Mo Huang worried that something happened on Dragon Island’s side, involving his wife, Fu Xuan.
Li Wu Yi, however, replied, “Yao Lin was captured by an unknown assailant and all of her guards were slaughtered.”
Mo Huang furrowed his brow after hearing this, “Yao Lin? Yao Jun’s daughter?”
“That’s right.”
Mo Huang curiously asked, “How do you know?”
Li Wu Yi explained, “Yang Kai came across the scene on his way back. The Young Lady was present as well. Apparently, the attacker was a Pseudo-Great Emperor.”
Mo Huang grew even more curious, “A Pseudo-Great Emperor!”
Although Pseudo-Great Emperors were fairly strong, which Pseudo-Great Emperor had the guts to make a move on a Great Emperor’s daughter? Even if Yao Lin had done something incredibly offensive, she would only be slightly punished at most, but to kill her guards and even capture her was tantamount to completely offending Yao Jun.
“Are you certain?” Mu Huang asked with a frown.
Li Wu Yi looked at Yang Kai, who replied with a serious face, “Junior is certain. I could tell it was Yao Lin, and Xiao Qi also recognized Yao Lin at that time.”
Hearing Yang Kai call his darling daughter so intimately, the corners of Mo Huang’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch as he deeply stared at this boy with a meaningful look on his face.
Li Wu Yi coughed and cut in at that moment to ask, “Should I inform Serene Soul Palace of this?”
Mo Huang gave consent with a nod, “En, we have to inform them. If it’s all some misunderstanding, that couldn’t be any better, but if what you say happened really happened, the sooner Old Yao Jun knows, the better.”
Having said so, Mo Huang took out a jade slip and engraved a message into it with his Divine Sense. Then, he flicked his wrist as the jade slip disappeared into thin air following a surge of Space Principles.
Seeing this, Yang Kai understood what happened right away. Mo Huang and Yao Jun should have used Li Wu Yi’s Space Beacons to establish a line of communication between them. This wasn’t surprising as both of them were Great Emperors as well as residents of the Eastern Territory. It was normal for neighbours to have a way to contact each other.
Mo Huang then switched the topic and asked, looking at Yang Kai, “Did anything unusual happen on Dragon Island?”
Yang Kai immediately replied, having understood what he was ultimately asking about, “Everything went well. Third Elder hasn’t received any harsh treatment and was very happy when Xiao Qi went to see her.”
Mo Huang’s expression turned softer as a smile spread on his lips, “That’s good to hear.”
He then asked, “They didn’t embarrass you this time, right?” If Fu Xuan and Zhu Qing’s fate were connected, Yang Kai and Mo Huang were also considered to be connected by the same fate. They were both married to Dragon Women and weren’t liked by Dragon Island.
Yang Kai touched his nose as he replied, “The situation was a bit awkward at first, but in the end, all our misunderstandings were resolved.”
Mo Huang asked in amazement, “Resolved? What do you mean?” Even though he was a Great Emperor, he couldn’t help but be surprised after hearing this.
Yang Kai replied casually, “It means what it means.”
Mo Huang looked at him with a brilliant look on his face, “Don’t tell this King that Dragon Island is no longer hostile to you?”
Yang Kai forced a cough, “In the beginning, there were indeed a bit, but later… they were quite warm to me.”
[Warm…] Mo Huang’s eyes were almost ready to pop out when he heard this. He was simply astonished by Yang Kai. Li Wu Yi also looked at Yang Kai with a strange look on his face.
Warm could describe many things out there, but it couldn’t be spoken in the same breath with the Dragon Clan.
[How can the Dragon Clan be warm to someone?] Mo Huang was hunted and attacked by Dragon Island just because he had a daughter with Fu Xuan even when he was a Great Emperor. They even almost launched a full-scale attack on Spirit Beast Island. Although Yang Kai could be counted as a rising star, he was still just a Junior. Mo Huang had far greater strength and status than Yang Kai, so how could the latter get preferential treatment from Dragon Island while a Great Emperor was treated with disdain and hostility?
[Fu Zhun isn’t that easy to talk to, right?]
Naturally, Yang Kai could easily dispel the doubts in their hearts, but he found it bothersome so he just scratched his nose and stated, “Xiao Qi knows the whole story. Senior can ask her when you have the free time.” He also didn’t want to give a detailed explanation here, otherwise, he would need to bring up the matter of Yang Xiao, which would take more than one or two sentences.
Right then, Space Principles fluctuated.
The trio promptly sensed it and Mo Huang reached out to catch a jade slip that appeared out of thin air. This jade slip was different from the one he had taken out previously.
This was obviously a reply from Serene Soul Emperor.
After checking it, Mo Huang frowned and informed the others, “Yao Lin may really have been kidnapped.”
“Why do you say that, Sir?” Li Wu Yi asked.
Mo Huang crushed the jade slip and explained, shaking his head, “Yao Jun can’t reach Yao Lin or her guards.” If he couldn’t reach her, it means that things aren’t looking good for her, and coupled with what Yang Kai has reported, Yao Lin’s capture is all but confirmed.
“Do you have urgent business?” Mo Huang asked Yang Kai again.
Yang Kai had no idea why he was asking but he still replied, shaking his head, “I don’t have any urgent matters to attend to for the time being, but since my business in the Eastern Territory is over, I was preparing to return to the Northern Territory.”
Mo Huang added with a nod, “Since you aren’t in a hurry, stay here for a few days. Someone from Serene Soul Palace will be coming to ask you some questions.”
The kidnapping of Yao Lin was a matter of great importance, and as the primary eyewitness to the crime, Serene Soul Palace naturally had some questions to ask Yang Kai. Of course, Yang Kai understood this so he immediately agreed, “Good.”
He was planning to stay on Spirit Beast Island for a few days anyway; first to enjoy the beautiful scenery, and second to arrange a Space Array here. This way, whether he wanted to travel to Spirit Beast Island, or travel between Spirit Beast Island and Dragon Island, it would be far more convenient.
Having bid farewell to Mo Huang, Yang Kai was led to a courtyard by the sea by Li Wu Yi. The courtyard was quite spacious and had beautiful scenery surrounding it; he could relax by the beach here, watching the tides come and go.
The next day, Yang Kai accompanied Mo Xiao Qi to sightsee Spirit Beast Island. The island itself was fairly large and was protected by an enormous Spirit Array. Outsiders couldn’t find Spirit Beast Island from the outside; only those who knew its location would be able to come here.
The World Energy on the island was incredibly rich, and the mountains and rivers here painted an extremely beautiful picture. From time to time, one could catch sight of rare and exotic beasts wandering about, each of them exuding a terrifying aura.
Martial Beast Great Emperor pursued the Grand Dao of Beast Taming, so there was no shortage of Monster Beasts here. Spirit Beast Island also had its Beast Seekers, who searched for rare beasts year-round. Today, there weren’t many people living on Spirit Beast Island, but the number of Monster Beasts living on it was at least eight hundred, and each of them was an extraordinary existence.
These Monster Beasts all had a high level of sentience too and were especially close to Mo Xiao Qi. What was rare was that Mo Xiao Qi had given each of them a name and remembered all of them.
Of the many Monster Beasts living on Spirit Beast Island, Yang Kai was most impressed by a Seven Coloured Elk. It was short compared to the other Monster Beasts, just ten meters tall or so, but it was a descendant of the Ancient Divine Spirit Nine Coloured Elk, and as such, was quite extraordinary.
After a brief tour, Yang Kai was full of emotions. On the surface, Spirit Beast Island was only managed by a few Masters, but in fact, each of these Monster Beasts here had extremely fearsome combat power.
After two days, Yang Kai, led by Li Wu Yi, came to a suitable place and prepared to arrange the Space Array.
Originally, Li Wu Yi wanted to arrange it himself while Yang Kai supervised and guided him, but if it was really arranged by Li Wu Yi, it would fail to connect to the various Space Arrays already arranged by Yang Kai in various places, defeating its original purpose.
Left with no choice, Li Wu Yi could only let Yang Kai do it himself while he observed and emulated.
Last time, he got the chance to witness this process in Heavenly Wolf Valley, so this would be the second time. Both of them were proficient in the Dao of Space, and Space Arrays and Space Beacons had many similarities, so when Yang Kai was finished laying out the Space Array, Li Wu Yi had already mastered it. In the future, he too could arrange a Cross-Territory Space Array like Yang Kai, through which he could travel to and fro anywhere he wanted.
However, whether Space Arrays were more convenient or Space Beacons were, it was hard to say. The Array could send more people at once, but it was cumbersome to arrange. On the other hand, beacons were convenient to refine but had many more limitations on their usage.
On the fifth day after Yang Kai came to Spirit Beast Island, the people from Serene Soul Palace finally arrived.
In the main hall, Yang Kai hurried over with Mo Xiao Qi after having received the news. Before going in, he saw two Emperor Realms Masters standing on either side outside the hall. They were radiating a strange aura that was a little dark and gloomy, and that Yang Kai found somewhat familiar.
After giving it a second thought, it was similar to the aura of Netherworld Sect cultivators. He immediately understood that these two Emperor Realm Masters should be the members of Serene Soul Palace, but since two Emperor Realm Masters were guarding the door, the person who had come from Serene Soul Palace must have a very high status.
[Did Serene Soul Great Emperor come in person?] Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he immediately froze in place.
To be honest, if Serene Soul Great Emperor really arrived, Yang Kai still had no idea how he should deal with it; after all, he almost killed Yao Lin a while back and provoked Yao Jun into appearing with his Soul Descent. Only then did the conflict back then stop, but Yang Kai’s actions were still enough to be taken as offending the Great Emperor.
Yang Kai didn’t really want to kill Yao Lin back then, as his objective was simply to draw out someone to negotiate with, but he also didn’t care if he really killed her either. Furthermore, everything was Yao Lin’s fault. As long as Serene Soul Great Emperor remained reasonable, there was no reason to blame him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him go at the time.
Having adjusted his mindset, Yang Kai strode into the hall under the eyes of the two Emperor Realm Masters.
Inside, Li Wu Yi was speaking to a woman in noble attire. The woman looked cold with long silky hair that cascaded down her light green dress, giving her a mature charm and elegance. Coupled with towering peaks and a tight ribbon around her waist, this woman, who looked roughly thirty or so years old, was no doubt a ravishing beauty that could easily provoke the fantasies of men.
An old woman with grey hair stood behind this woman, her eyes somewhat murky, as if she already had one foot in the coffin.
But whether it was the middle-aged woman or the old woman, both of them were in the Emperor Realm. The cold middle-aged woman was a Third-Order Emperor, while the old woman was Second-Order.
When Yang Kai arrived, an anxious and angry look appeared on the cold-looking woman’s face. Obviously, she was anxious and impatient. When she was talking to Li Wu Yi, she even spoke in a perfunctory manner while not showing the slightest respect.
Seeing Yang Kai come in, the middle-aged woman and the old woman turned their gazes on him and Yang Kai suddenly felt as if two sharp swords were pointed at him.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow as a confused look appeared on his face. He didn’t know these women, yet he could clearly feel their hostility towards him.
[What, do you have some kind of grudge against me?] Yang Kai criticized in his heart.
“Yang Kai, you’re here.” Li Wu Yi turned to face him.
Yang Kai immediately cupped his fists and greeted, “Senior.”
Li Wu Yi nodded before introducing the two women in a serious tone, “This is Madam Rong from Serene Soul Palace, Yao Lin’s biological mother. Madam Rong would like to ask you what you witnessed that day. You must reply to her truthfully.”
Yang Kai was immediately surprised and took a closer look at Madam Rong. [No wonder I felt this woman resembled Yao Lin a little, it turns out she is her mother. But if she is Yao Lin’s mother, doesn’t that make her Serene Soul Great Emperor’s wife or concubine?]
[No wonder Li Wu Yi is personally entertaining her! With Serene Soul Great Emperor behind her, Spirit Beast Island obviously can’t be neglectful towards her.]
While thinking such thoughts, Yang Kai cupped his fists politely, “Greetings Madam Rong.”
Li Wu Yi introduced Yang Kai, pointing at him, “Madam Rong, this is Yang Kai whom I was just speaking to you about. When your daughter was kidnapped, he happened to be nearby and can be considered a witness. You may ask him whatever you want to ask.”
Madam Rong’s pair of pretty eyes stared sharply at Yang Kai as a gloomy look appeared on her face. It seemed she hadn’t heard anything Li Wu Yi said as she indifferently asked, “Are you ‘that’ Yang Kai?”
[What do you mean by ‘that’ Yang Kai?] Yang Kai momentarily frowned. [Are there many Yang Kais in this world?] Nevertheless, he nodded, “Yes, I am Yang Kai!”
Madam Rong continued swiftly, “You saw Lin’er captured that day with your own eyes? You’re sure you didn’t mistake her for someone else!?” She was asking a question, but her tone sounded less inquisitorial and more accusatorial.
Li Wu Yi also heard this and couldn’t help but furrow his brow, suspiciously looking at Madam Rong. Somehow, he felt that she was overly hostile to Yang Kai, but as far as he knew, Madam Rong stayed perennially inside Serene Soul Palace, so how could she have any conflicts with him?
Since the other party was being impolite to him, Yang Kai naturally responded in kind, indifferently replying, “I have already reported everything I witnessed to Senior Martial Beast. I believe Senior Martial Beast has also passed that information to Senior Serene Soul. Madam, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Xiao Qi too as she was at the scene as well.”
The nearby Mo Xiao Qi nodded in agreement, “Yes, Sister Yao Lin was indeed taken away by an old man in black.”
After getting confirmation from Mo Xiao Qi, the little hope Madam Rong was holding onto was immediately quashed. If it was just Yang Kai saying so, she would have doubted him, but Mo Xiao Qi’s confirmation didn’t give her any room for doubt.
Mo Xiao Qi and Yao Lin knew each other, so it was impossible for her to not recognize the other. And combined with the current situation, there was no shred of doubt that Yao Lin had been kidnapped.
After falling silent for a while, Madam Rong shouted at Yang Kai through gritted teeth, “Why didn’t you save her?”
Yang Kai looked up in amazement, looking at her, “Save her? How?”
Madam Rong angrily shouted, “Does this Queen need to teach you how to save people!? Since Lin’er was captured, you should have snatched her back! Why did you just watch some strange old man take Lin’er away while doing nothing!?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “Madam, I’m afraid you still aren’t clear on the situation, the man who attacked your daughter was a Pseudo-Great Emperor.”
“So what if he was a Pseudo-Great Emperor!?” Madam Rong became a little hysterical, “Pseudo-Great Emperors are also humans! A Pseudo-Great Emperor was enough to frighten you off!?”
Yang Kai’s face turned black, “Madam, are you just trying to find fault with me?”
What was going on? Since it was related to Serene Soul Palace, Yang Kai didn’t have any complaints about someone coming here to ask him some questions; and at Martial Beast Great Emperor’s request, Yang Kai was willing to cooperate with the investigation.
But who would have thought that Madam Rong would turn hostile from the very moment they met and was now screaming at him, accusing him of not saving Yao Lin. Yang Kai wanted to pry open this woman’s head to see whether it was filled with water.
[Serene Soul Great Emperor’s concubine is this crazy?]
“Bold!” The old woman behind Madam Rong shouted at Yang Kai, “You dare to speak to Madam like this, slap your mouth!”
Yang Kai stood gawking at her. [What ignorance! Madam Rong being a little out of her mind is still somewhat acceptable; after all, her daughter was just kidnapped, but what’s the deal with this old woman?]
Seeing his indifferent face, the old woman grew angrier and shouted again, “Are you still not doing it!?” Her pair of muddy eyes suddenly bloomed with a terrifying gleam as she fiercely glared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s brow momentarily twitched as he asked her incredulously, “Are you asking me to slap myself?”
The old woman sneered, “Since you like to play dumb, then don’t blame this old woman for bullying you!” As she said this, her skinny and dried up figure swooped towards him like a hawk, raising her arm and slapping towards Yang Kai’s cheek. Her palm was surging with Emperor Qi as clearly she was really trying to slap Yang Kai.
Yang Kai immediately blew his top and shouted, “It’s in my virtue to respect the old and take care of the young, but that doesn’t mean that I will allow others to disrespect me!”
He didn’t want to quarrel with the old woman, after all, she was clearly getting on in years and fighting her would be nothing less than bullying, but the other party was now trying to slap him, so how could Yang Kai remain indifferent? His Emperor Qi surged as he palmed back in response.
Li Wu Yi rubbed his forehead as he heaved a sigh. He too had not expected for things to take such a turn. He thought that it would just be some routine questioning, so how could he have known that they would resort to blows after just a few questions?
As an outsider, he naturally knew who was right and who was wrong, and was even a little angry in his heart; after all, this was Spirit Beast Island. Yang Kai might not officially belong to Spirit Beast Island, but he was their Little Princess’ friend. Even if these two were from Serene Soul Palace, they should give him some face. If their Eldest Young Lady’s friend was slapped on Spirit Beast Island, would Spirit Beast Island still have any face left?
So, even though he was able to prevent the conflict, Li Wu Yi didn’t do so. He wanted to teach this old woman a lesson and let her know who was the master here.
Although the old woman was a Second-Order Emperor, her strength was clearly in decline as her vitality was severely withered. On the other hand, Yang Kai was no ordinary Second-Order Emperor. Since this old woman wasn’t thinking straight, Li Wu Yi knew that she was definitely going to suffer.
Sure enough, the old woman’s majestic blow was completely quashed under Yang Kai’s counterattack. The moment their palms came in contact, the expression of the old woman immediately changed as she felt an immense power surging towards her like an oncoming ocean. It wasn’t even a clash when their palms met, just a complete overpowering.
With a crisp slap, the old woman somersaulted a few times through the air before she crashed onto the ground, losing quite a few of her teeth. She somehow tried to get herself back up, but before she could get up, she spurted a mouthful of blood and her vitality plummeted all of a sudden. Looking up from the floor, she shouted in disbelief as she glared at Yang Kai, “You dare to attack me!?”
Her speech was a little slurred; after all, she had lost a number of teeth just now.
Yang Kai flicked his sleeve and said with a mocking look on his face, “You can try again if you’d like!”
Madam Rong was left dumbfounded by such an unexpected turn of events and only after some time did she come to her senses and scream in anger, “Little bastard, you court death!”
Although the relationship between her and the old woman was technically that of Master and Servant, it was much closer to mother and daughter. Seeing the old woman slapped, Madam Rong’s eyes turned red with rage and ignoring her status completely, she immediately wanted to teach Yang Kai a harsh lesson on behalf of the old woman.
Just as Madam Rong’s Emperor Qi surged though, a shout resounded in the hall, “Enough!”
Space seemed to freeze and Madam Rong instantly felt as if a few mountains were pressing down on her, making it a little hard to breathe. Her pretty face turned ashen as she tenderly shouted, gritting her teeth and looking to one side, “Li Wu Yi, what do you think you’re doing?”
Even if Li Wu Yi didn’t really make a move, just mobilizing the local Space Principles was enough to render her powerless.
Li Wu Yi indifferently stated, “This King doesn’t want to see Madam Rong embarrass herself, that’s all. I hope Madam Rong will remember to conduct herself in a manner appropriate to her status in this place.”
[This short-sighted woman thinks that she can do whatever she wants just because her cultivation is higher than Yang Kai’s? If I didn’t stop you, you would be lying next to that old woman coughing up blood as well!
It was fine if the old woman got beaten; after all, she had treated others with contempt and had spoken rudely, but Madam Rong was Serene Soul Great Emperor’s wife. If she really got beaten by Yang Kai on Spirit Beast Island, while Spirit Beast Island might not suffer any consequences, things would become a little difficult for Yang Kai.
What was difficult to understand was why Serene Soul Great Emperor would let these two come to conduct the questioning? Was there no one else in Serene Soul Palace?
“Are you looking down on this Queen!?” Madam Rong’s face turned extremely dark. Although Li Wu Yi’s words were vague, how could she not understand what he was implying? Li Wu Yi clearly meant that she wasn’t as strong as Yang Kai.
[I might be a woman, but I am still a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. This Yang Kai is just a Second-Order Emperor, so how am I worse than him? Li Wu Yi must just be intervening to protect him.]
“Now I know why Yao Lin’s character is so terrible, it’s all because she has a mother like you. It would be strange if she was the least bit virtuous.” Yang Kai coldly snorted. [I guess, Yao Lin not only inherited Madam Rong’s beauty, but she also inherited her personality. Sure enough, a loving mother makes a wastrel.]
Madam Rong lashed out at that comment, “Whatever Lin’er’s behaviour is, it’s not your place to judge!” She then turned her gaze at Li Wu Yi and asked, “Are you going to let me go or not?”
Judging by her stance, she was hell-bent on teaching Yang Kai a lesson.
Li Wu Yi’s eyes slightly drooped as he indifferently stated, “Not long ago, Netherworld Sect and Brahma Holy Land were destroyed, I believe Madam Rong should have heard about it.”
Madam Rong furrowed her black and curvy brows, wondering why Li Wu Yi brought up this seemingly unrelated topic now, “So what!?”
Li Wu Yi added, “Madam, how would you compare yourself against Fu Bo and Xu Chang Feng? Are you stronger or weaker than them?”
Madam Rong asked in a grim voice, “What do you want to say?”
Li Yu Wi heaved a sigh, deeply staring at her. [This woman can’t be reasoned with, she’s just too foolish. Only her beauty has grown with age, not her brains. Who knows what Serene Soul Great Emperor saw in her? Even someone with lower intelligence could guess after hearing this, but she still has no idea.]
“Even though Netherworld Sect and Brahma Holy Land were ultimately destroyed by the Ahan Temple, the root cause was that most of these two great forces’ Masters were killed, and the one who killed them is standing before you.”
“You?” Madam Rong still didn’t figure it out as she stared at Li Wu Yi in confusion, wondering why Li Wu Yi would make a move against the leaders of Netherworld Sect and Brahma Holy Land.
[Could it be that those people provoked him somehow?]
In contrast, the old woman’s eyes flickered with shock as she glanced toward Yang Kai before she whispered something in Madam Rong’s ears.
Madam Rong’s face immediately changed as she finally turned her attention to Yang Kai.
“Does Madam still want to seek redress? If you insist, then it will be at your own risk. This Li will not interfere any further,” Li Wu Yi indifferently stared at her.
Madam Rong appeared to be struggling, but finally, she flicked her sleeve and snorted, “This Queen does not want to bully the weak.”
[Are you kidding me? This boy annihilated so many Emperor Realm Masters from two of the top forces in this territory, so there’s no way I am his opponent. If I insist on attacking him, I will be the one to suffer in the end.] Instead, she just bitterly stared at Yang Kai and declared, “This Queen will remember this. Boy, you best watch yourself. We’re leaving!”
After speaking, she turned around and walked out with the old woman.
Before leaving, the old woman gave Yang Kai a glare of hatred, seemingly wanting to burn his image into her memory; after all, she had never suffered such a huge loss before so she was extremely angry. She might have aged, and was only a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master, but with Serene Soul Palace’s backing and Madam Rong’s support, anyone in the Eastern Territory who saw her had to treat her with respect. She had never been slapped, much less lost teeth before.
In the main hall, Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi exchanged a glance, both of them feeling speechless.
A few days ago, they heard that someone from Serene Soul Palace would come to ask Yang Kai a few questions, but they had never thought that things would turn out like this.
Li Wu Yi asked with a bitter smile, “Does Madam Rong have some enmity with you?”
Yang Kai denied, shaking his head, “This is the first time I’ve ever met her, so how would I have any grievance with her?”
Li Wu Yi curiously asked, “Then why did she turn so hostile the moment you met?” If she wasn’t holding some preconceived impression of him, why would the conversation have become so heated so quickly?
In truth, there was no need for this questioning at all as Yang Kai had told everything he knew to Mo Huang already, and Mo Huang had in turn passed that information along to Serene Soul Palace.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai thoughtfully mentioned, “Perhaps it’s because of Yao Lin. I had some conflict with Yao Lin in the past, and came close to killing her, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she told her mother about me, which led to her being so hostile.”
Li Wu Yi agreed with a nod after hearing this, “This makes sense. Haa… such short-sightedness should not be taken seriously.” Although Yang Kai said he and Yao Lin had some conflict, that was all in the past. Now that Yao Lin had been kidnapped, if anyone else had come here to ask questions, he or she would have definitely been eager to learn as much as possible about the situation at that time, rather than trying to show off their dominance and arrogance.
But since Madam Rong had done this, it wasn’t Yang Kai’s fault, and the old woman with her had practically asked for a beating. Nonetheless, even if Serene Soul Great Emperor wanted to, he would not be able to do anything just for the sake of an old woman as his focus right now would be on tracking Yao Lin’s whereabouts.
Yang Kai had remained on Spirit Beast Island mainly because he was waiting for the emissary from Serene Soul Palace, so now that this matter was settled, it was time to return home.
As such, he went to meet Mo Huang and bid him farewell. And after Li Wu Yi, Mo Xiao Qi, and Jiu Feng said their goodbyes, Yang Kai finally stepped onto the Space Array.
After shuttling through the Void, a flash of light blinded his eyes, and in the next moment, Yang Kai appeared in High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory.
The disciples guarding the Space Array immediately sensed his arrival and upon seeing it was Yang Kai, they promptly bowed and greeted him. At the same time, one of the disciples went to report to Hua Qing Si as she had specifically instructed that as and when Yang Kai returned, she was to be immediately notified.
They really had no choice. If anyone was to blame, it would be their irresponsible Palace Master who only ever showed his tail but never his face. The time Yang Kai spent in High Heaven Palace was probably shorter than the time he spent outside of it; furthermore, every time he left, he would be gone for a few years to even over a decade. This time it was better as he only left for a year or so. Last time he went to the Star Field, he had been gone for over a dozen years.
Although Hua Qing Si was the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she was only Head Manager in the end and there were many things she needed to report to Yang Kai about.
It was Qiong Qi’s first time coming to High Heaven Palace, but he had learned that this Young Master of his had founded a Sect in the Northern Territory a while ago. Furthermore, it wasn’t a small Sect and had many Masters. Since he had finally arrived here, he naturally wanted to look around.
After informing Yang Kai, Qiong Qi began to tour the peaks of High Heaven Palace, his arms folded behind his back like he was taking a stroll in his own backyard.
Naturally, Yang Kai let him go before he flew over to High Heaven Peak.
After sorting things out, Yang Kai finally let Yang Xiao out. As soon as the little fatty appeared, he started complaining, “Adoptive Father, why did you keep me locked up for so long.”
As expected of a True Dragon, Yang Xiao had taken just three days to recover from his injuries after Yang Kai and the two Wood Spirits treated him. However, Yang Kai didn’t let him out on Spirit Beast Island as he was worried that this boy would get into trouble. Only when they returned to the High Heaven Palace did Yang Kai finally let Yang Xiao see the sun again.
“I am your Adoptive Father, so what I say goes. Why do you have so many complaints?” Yang Kai snorted.
Yang Xiao rolled his eyes at him before speaking with an apologetic smile, “Adoptive Father, please calm down, I was just saying…” He then looked around and asked, “Where are we?”
“The Northern Territory, High Heaven Palace!”
Yang Xiao blinked in confusion.
Yang Kai added, “High Heaven Palace is my Sect. You will live here in the future. Remember to be on your best behaviour and don’t go causing trouble, understand?”
“I understand!” Yang Xiao nodded like a chicken pecking rice before curiously looking at Yang Kai and asking, “Adoptive Father, you said that the High Heaven Palace is your Sect, does that mean you are its Palace Master?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded his confirmation.
Yang Xiao jumped around in joy after hearing this, “Hahaha, doesn’t that mean that this Young Master is the Young Palace Master?” After speaking, his face beamed with joy as he asked again, “Adoptive Father, how many disciples does our High Heaven Palace have? How strong are they?”
[This little brat sure adapts quickly.] After learning that Yang Kai was High Heaven Palace’s Master, Yang Xiao immediately started calling it ‘our’ High Heaven Palace. Obviously, he regarded this place as his home already.
Having said that, Yang Kai was his adoptive father, and High Heaven Palace was Yang Kai’s home, so it was reasonable to say this was his home too.
“You will come to know in the future,” Yang Kai scolded him with a straight face. After having said this, his expression changed as he looked towards the front.
Hua Qing Si walked in with an aggrieved look on her face, glaring at Yang Kai as she greeted him with a bow, “Palace Master.”
“Sister Hua!” Yang Kai smiled widely.
Hua Qing Si stated with a snort, “Palace Master, you finally remembered to return.”
Yang Kai coughed awkwardly as he replied, “High Heaven Palace is my home, why would I not return home?”
Hua Qing Si stated, “When so many of the disciples migrated to the Southern Territory, you just flicked your sleeve and ran off. Now that I have finally finished all the arrangements, you suddenly return. Palace Master, your life is really carefree, you’re making your Elder Sister Hua truly envious.”
Yang Kai averted his eyes awkwardly as he tried to justify himself, “An able man is always busy. En, right, is there anything for me to deal with? What about the Orthodoxy Temple Branch?”
“With three Monster Kings overseeing it, what could possibly happen?”
“What about the Northern Territory?”
“Business as usual.”
“En, that’s good then.” Yang Kai let out a hearty laugh, “It looks like our High Heaven Palace is thriving under Sister Hua’s management. Whether I am here or not, it makes no difference.”
“Enough with the flattery, I’m here to say goodbye.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “Say goodbye?”
Hua Qing Si heaved a sigh as she replied, “En, if I continue to toil so hard, this Sister Hua will turn old in just a few years. I don’t want to die of stress and overwork so young.” While speaking, she flashed a beautiful smile at Yang Kai.
How could Yang Kai still not understand that she was complaining to him rather than really wanting to leave. But then again, She was indeed quite exhausted. She had to manage the distribution of basic life necessities and cultivation resources for over 100,000 disciples, and then there was the matter of transactions between the Northern Territory and Southern Territory. And now, there were also all kinds of trivial matters on the Orthodoxy Temple Branch side that she had to deal with.
In the end, a person’s energy was limited. Since Hua Qing Si broke through to the First-Order Emperor Realm, her cultivation had barely increased because she had no time to cultivate at all with all the responsibilities she had to take care of.
Currently, High Heaven Palace’s management was still in its development stage. The six Monster Kings might be strong, but in the end, they were still Monster Kings, so it was impossible to ask them to manage administrative tasks in High Heaven Palace. If they really did that, the entire High Heaven Palace would fall into a mess in short order. Now, there was only Second Manager Bian Yu Qing in the entire High Heaven Palace who could help Hua Qing Si, so it was a predicament that she would be stuck in this busy period for a long time.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai began to feel guilty. Hua Qing Si was also a cultivator, so she pursued the peak of the Martial Dao, but now, she was distracted by so many trivial matters she couldn’t even find time to cultivate. It really wasn’t fair to her.
However, before Yang Kai could speak, a crisp voice rang out from the side, “Beautiful Big Sister, what’s your name?”
Hua Qing Si’s attention was immediately attracted to this unexpected voice as only now did she notice that there was another person in the room. A tender little fatty with a tinge of innocence, long eyelashes, and a handsome pinkish face that looked like it was carved from jade caught her eye. She immediately exclaimed as she stretched her hand out and asked, pinching Yang Xiao’s cheek, giggling, “Who’s the cute little one?”
Powerless, Yang Xiao had his cheeks squeezed by her as he smiled even more happily, “Big Sister, you’re so pretty!”
[Sister Hua, don’t be fooled by this smelly brat’s act!] Yang Kai shouted in his heart.
Unfortunately, every woman loved hearing compliments like these. Hua Qing Si was stunned for a moment, then she asked, giggling and pointing her slender finger at Yang Xiao, “Little one, how sweet of you!” She then looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Who is he? Palace Master, where did you abduct him from?”
Yang Xiao smilingly replied, “I am Father’s son.”
Hua Qing Si’s laughter abruptly caught in her throat as her pretty eyes bulged in surprise. She looked at Yang Xiao and then at Yang Kai then back at Yang Xiao, as if she wanted to see if there was something in common; however, it seemed that there was no similarity between the two.
Yang Kai swiftly broke into a cold sweat and shouted, “Adoptive Father and Adoptive Son!”
Hua Qing Si heaved a sigh of relief before nodding in understanding, “I was wondering how you had such a big child after leaving for just over a year. So he is your Adoptive Son!” [If he was really Yang Kai’s kid, it would have been a real mess. The Palace Master has four wives, but none of them have ever given birth. If he suddenly brought a child back from another woman, it would be a great scandal!]
“Adoptive Father is also Father, and once a father is forever a father,” Yang Xiao stated with a serious and righteous look on his face.
Yang Kai was very pleased after hearing this while Hua Qing Si also added, “This little one is quite a sweet talker. What’s his name?”
“Yang Xiao!”
Hua Qing Si’s expression suddenly turned weird, wondering if this boy was really Yang Kai’s kid; otherwise, why would he even have the same surname? If he is an Adoptive Son, why would be he surnamed Yang?
But she didn’t dwell on the issue. The only person who was going to have a fire in his backyard would be Yang Kai. As such, Hua Qing Si gave Yang Xiao’s cheeks another squeeze before praising, “A good name! It’s said a tiger would never beget a dog. Your Adoptive Father is the dragon among men, your achievements should not be too bad either.”
Yang Xiao giggled and stated, “If Adoptive Father is a dragon among men, then I will become a True Dragon!”
Hua Qing Si praised, “Ambitious, I like it!” She had no idea that Yang Xiao was really a member of Dragon Clan. If she did, who knows what she would have thought.
Hua Qing Si switched the conversation at that point and reported, “By the way, Palace Master, an old man with a fierce and sinister look is strolling around the peaks inside the palace. When the disciples asked him who he was, he said he came with you.”
“He’s… Qiong Qi,” Yang Kai casually replied.
“Qiong Qi…” Hua Qing Si furrowed her curvy dark brows, “Such a strange name… wait, Qiong Qi!?” Hua Qing Si’s pretty eyes widened as she suddenly came to a realization. She immediately tried to confirm her assumption, looking at Yang Kai in surprise, “Palace Master, by Qiong Qi, you mean the Qiong Qi or… is it just a similar name?”
Yang Kai smiled, “He’s exactly who you think.”
“Oh no!” Huan Qing Si’s expression changed.
“What happened?” Yang Kai curiously looked at her.
Hua Qing Si’s face twitched as she reported, “The disciples reported that an unfamiliar old man was wandering around and didn’t look like anything good, so I summoned Monster King Xie and asked him to look into the situation. Nothing should go wrong, right?”
Yang Kai assured, smiling, “Monster Kings live in the Ancient Wild Lands year-round and have met several Divine Venerables, so they should be able to differentiate Qiong Qi’s aura from ordinary people’s.”
Even as he said so though, a bit of nervousness crept into his expression as he muttered, “Well, it depends on how the Monster King acts.”
Hua Qing Si nodded and hurriedly took out a communication artifact to contact Xie Wu Wei.
After a moment, Hua Qing Si wiped the cold sweat off her forehead, “Fortunately, nothing serious happened to Monster King Xie.”
“Nothing serious?” Yang Kai asked hesitantly.
Hua Qing Si didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she reported, “Monster King Xie seems to have made some impertinent remarks, and was then taught a lesson by Senior Qiong Qi. Now, Lady Liu Yan and the two other Monster Kings have rushed over after hearing the news.”
“The old fart is a constant source of trouble….” Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Meanwhile, on a lush and verdant peak, Xie Wu Wei was standing beside Qiong Qi with an awkward look on his face. Qiong Qi, on the other hand, was standing with his hands behind his back, looking straight ahead with interest.
Before coming here, although he knew that High Heaven Palace had a pretty good heritage and that Masters floated about it like clouds, he never expected it to be so good.
There were three Monster Kings here, as well as a lot of other Emperor Realm Masters; however, in his opinion, this still wasn’t much as none of these people could enter his eyes. Now though, the little girl in a fiery red dress standing opposite him had caught his attention.
[The aura of a Divine Spirit!]
This little girl was radiating the aura of a Divine Spirit; furthermore, it was the unique aura of the Phoenix Clan!
In other words, there was a Phoenix in High Heaven Palace!
Although Qiong Qi was confident that, if they really started fighting, this little girl would surely not be his opponent, that was only because age and experience were on his side. He was already an old man from Flowing Time Great Emperor’s era, while the other party was filled with youthful vigour. Obviously, this little girl still hadn’t reached her limits yet.
A Phoenix Clan member would definitely climb higher than him in the future.
“Who are you?” Liu Yan asked after looking at the unfamiliar old man for a long time. She also felt strong pressure from this sinister old guy and immediately identified him as one of the strongest enemies she had ever faced in her life. The last time she felt this kind of pressure was when she was on Dragon Island, facing the Great Dragons.
Qiong Qi smiled, “Who are you, little girl?”
Liu Yang’s face sank, “I asked you first?”
Qiong Qi laughed, “Do we have to answer in order?”
Xie Wu Wei, who was standing nearby, quickly made introductions, “Lady Liu Yan, he is Qiong Qi. This Kin… ahem, I heard that he came back with the Palace Master.”
Qiong Qi, proudly straightened his back as he was looking forward to Liu Yan’s reaction after hearing his name, but contrary to his expectations, Liu Yan’s face just bloomed with a pleasant surprise as she asked, “Master is back?”
Xie Wu Wei nodded and said, “The disciples guarding the Space Array said that they saw Sir Palace Master return not long ago.”
As soon as he said this, Liu Yan disappeared from everyone’s sight, leaving a long fiery trail behind her.
The corner of Qiong Qi’s mouth twitched, gazing at the departing Liu Yan. He then asked, “The Master of that little girl… is the Palace Master of this place, Yang Kai, right?”
Xie Wu Wei agreed, nodding, “That’s right Sir, is there any problem?”
Qiong Qi’s expression turned quite wonderful, thinking, [What’s the problem? He is my Young Master too! Originally, I thought that a dignified Divine Spirit like me lost face after I was forced to serve him as my Master, but now even a Phoenix Clan member is calling him Master. It seems me calling him Young Master is nothing special!]
Furthermore, Yang Kai was in the good graces of the Dragon Clan on Dragon Island and even had a Dragon Girl as his wife. More astonishingly, he had become the Adoptive Father of the son of the Great Elder and Second Elder of Dragon Island. Compared to Dragons and Phoenixes, Qiong Qi really was a bit lacking.
Meanwhile, Liu Yan rushed straight into the main hall and called out to Yang Kai with a smile, “Master.”
Yang Kai nodded at her, “Liu Yan, you’re here.”
“En, I heard that you just got back, so I came over.” Liu Yan sweetly smiled before she walked to Yang Kai’s side, looking up at him.
Yang Kai reached out and patted her head, asking, “Have you met Qiong Qi?”
Liu Yan replied, nodding, “We met.”
“Nothing happened, right?”
“Nope, just a small scuffle. Since he came with Master, there’s nothing to worry about.” While speaking, she suddenly sensed something as she looked to one side, staring straight at Yang Xiao with widened eyes, who was curiously sizing her up in return. When their gazes met, she couldn’t help but frown, watching Yang Xiao smiling at her, “Who are you?”
“Me? My name is Yang Xiao, Xiao as in soaring through the nine Heavens (Xiao).” Yang Xiao explained proudly.
Yang Kai slightly smiled and introduced Yang Xiao, “This is my Adoptive Son. He will live in High Heaven Palace from now on. Xiao’er, this is Liu Yan, you can call her…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Yang Xiao cup his fist and bow to Liu Yan, “Xiao’er greets Big Sister Liu Yan.”
[This damn sweet talker!] He called Liu Yan Big Sister just after meeting her. He appeared quite humble and polite, as if he had received quite a good family education.
Liu Yan’s brow rose slightly before her lips curled upwards in an unreadable manner as she slightly nodded to him, before snuggling next to Yang Kai, ignoring Yang Xiao.
Although Yang Kai left not too long ago, with High Heaven Palace now spanning both the Northern and Southern Territories, there were many things he needed to attend to. After he returned, Hua Qing Si naturally had many things to report to him, so inside the main hall, Hua Qing Si began listing off various things. Yang Kai asked a few questions from time to time, and gradually understood the current situation of the entire High Heaven Palace.
After a while, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Liu Yan, show Xiao’er around. Since he will be living here in the future, he should familiarize himself with the environment.”
The main reason was that Yang Xiao seemed to be very interested in Liu Yan. Yang Xiao was moving around Liu Yan, but couldn’t quite understand what he found interesting, so he kept quiet. Yang Kai knew that this boy had never seen a child around his age before, which would naturally make him interested in Liu Yan.
“En.” Liu Yan nodded and waved to Yang Xiao, “Follow me.”
Yang Xiao immediately followed after her, grinning from ear to ear.
After coming out of the main hall, Yang Xiao followed Liu Yan like a tail as he sweetly asked, “Big Sister Liu Yan, where should we go now?”
Liu Yan tilted her head and looked at him, faintly smiling as she said, “I will show you around.”
“En en,” Yang Xiao kept nodding his head. Obviously, he had no opinion either way. Just as Yang Kai had assumed, since he had never met a child about his age before, his first thought was to make friends upon meeting one.
Touring around the mountains and rivers with Liu Yan, Yang Xiao only felt that this place was much more fun than Dragon Island. Not to mention that it was quite lively, he had found a playmate to accompany him. He thought that it really was a wise choice to come out with his Adoptive Father.
The only thing that dissatisfied Yang Xiao a little was that Big Sister Liu Yan was a little reticent. He asked her ten things, but she would only answer one or two occasionally; she would basically ignore him other times.
Suddenly, Liu Yan came to a halt in a mountain valley full of flowers.
Yang Xiao hurriedly stopped as well and looked around. Slowly, his eyes began to glow in surprise. The mountain valley was extremely beautiful, like a paradise on earth, where hundreds of flowers were competing for beauty, and Liu Yan was beautifully standing here, like the most stunning flower that made the entire world lose its brilliance.
As the wind blew by, thousands of butterflies fluttered in the air, painting the sky in a colourful glow, emphasizing Liu Yan’s beauty even more so; she looked just like a fairy.
Yang Xiao stood dumbstruck. For the first time in his life since he was born, he truly realized the meaning of the word beautiful.
But suddenly, Liu Yan tilted her head and indifferently stated, looking at him, “You should run now.”
Yang Xiao, who was looking at her in a daze, was taken aback when he heard this and asked, somewhat confused, “Why should I run?”
Liu Yan slowly raised her hand and stretched her index finger as a flash of fiery glow suddenly appeared at its tip. She then gently stated, “Because… I’m going to burn you with this.”
Yang Xiao was a little dumbfounded hearing this; he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he asked, “Big Sister Liu Yan, why would you want to burn me? Did I do something wrong?”
Liu Yan didn’t answer as she just smiled at him. Then, under Yang Xiao’s incredulous gaze, her index finger bloomed with a fiery glow forward as she gently pushed her fingertip. The next moment, a fire snake shot straight toward Yang Xiao.
Everything happened so suddenly that even though Liu Yan had warned him, Yang Xiao couldn’t react in time. When the fire snake was almost upon him, he finally came to his senses and promptly retreated several tens of meters back as he shouted, “What are you doing!?”
[I didn’t provoke you, so why are you trying to burn me without any rhyme or reason!?] Yang Xiao even wondered if there was something wrong with Big Sister Liu Yan’s head.
Liu Yan remained silent, still beautifully standing on her spot, but with a single flash of her thoughts, the fire snake chased after Yang Xiao under her command like it was an extension of her body.
As the wave of intense heat blew on his face, Yang Xiao’s expression drastically changed. Although he could tell that the fire snake didn’t have enough power to kill him, if it really struck, it would definitely be extremely painful. He immediately jumped here and there, dodging desperately. Although he had been born not too long ago and hadn’t received any formal training, he was still a member of the Dragon Clan, so he instinctively knew some methods and his movements appeared extremely nimble. For a while, the fire snake couldn’t do anything to him. Although the fire snake was extremely hot and fearsome, it didn’t cause any harm to flowers and plants here under Liu Yan’s precise control, proof of the mastery of her own strength.
Yang Xiao shouted while dodging, “Big Sister Liu Yan… why are you doing this? Quickly stop!”
Liu Yan paid no heed to him as a devilish smile hung on her pretty lips, controlling the fire snake to chase after Yang Xiao, making him continuously complain.
After dodging several times, Yang Xiao finally flew into a rage and cursed out loud, “Crazy woman, are you sick in the head!? We have no grudges or grievances between us, so why!?”
He had inherited Yang Kai’s character to a large extent, so having been teased by Liu Yan so much, he would start to grow angry, and when he really reached his limits, he reacted strongly, causing him to be a little unscrupulous with his words.
“What did you just call me?” Liu Yan narrowed her eyes. Her pair of big eyes flickered with a cold gleam as even her voice seemed to have turned into the chilly winds of winter, making Yang Xiao involuntarily shudder after hearing her.
“Crazy… woman…?” Liu Yan asked and answered, laughing menacingly.
Yang Xiao couldn’t help having an ominous premonition, so how could he dare to remain here anymore? Finding a chance, he immediately flew off.
But even though he was a True Dragon, he was born just recently, so how could he be Liu Yan’s opponent? The fire snake suddenly split apart, transforming into a fiery net before covering him. Caught unprepared, Yang Xiao was caught by the fiery net and screamed miserably again and again as blue smoke rose from him.
The net of fire was extremely hot, and although it wasn’t lethal, that didn’t mean being scaled by it didn’t hurt.
Suddenly, a high-pitched dragon roar rang out as Yang Xiao’s body glowed white and Dragon Aura spread into the surroundings. The next moment, Yang Xiao shattered through the fire net and flew off into the distance without even looking back.
He felt very wronged, [Big Sister Liu Yan is definitely crazy. I really didn’t provoke her! I even addressed her politely, but she actually used such a sinister move against me.]
[What kind of people are following Adoptive Father!? I will definitely run back and expose her true face to Adoptive Father and warn him to be careful of her in the future!]
“Run, run, I told you to run before but you just didn’t listen,” a faint voice suddenly called out from his side. Yang Xiao’s small face suddenly went blue as he stiffly turned his head to look and saw the devilish Liu Yan running side by side with him. Clearly, she was doing something malicious, but there was only a beautiful, pleasant smile on her face, as if she was the happiest she could be and was having great fun.
[She’s really crazy!]
“Ah!” Yang Xiao screamed in horror as any good impression he had of Liu Yan in his heart was completely wiped out. All that was left was a deep fear. He just wanted to stay as far from her as possible. It would be better if he never saw her again in his life!
As one ran and the other chased, they disturbed many disciples of various peaks who all cried out in surprise before staring at this unusual pair in wonder.
Yang Xiao asked for help numerous times, but the disciples of various peaks didn’t recognize him, and seeing that it was Liu Yan who was chasing him, why would they care? They only thought that this little fatty had snuck into High Heaven Palace with impure intentions and gotten caught.
From time to time, Liu Yan fired off a fire snake. The fire snakes weren’t enough to kill or injure Yang Xiao, but their high temperature was unbearable, causing the boy to cry out from the torture. [Damn it, this crazy woman is attacking me just enough to not injure me. If I was hurt even a little, I could go and complain about her to Adoptive Father but like this…!]
He also wanted to escape back to Yang Kai, but Liu Yan was hot on his tail. Not to mention, he didn’t know the way back and High Heaven Palace was pretty vast, so he didn’t know where he had escaped to after running around randomly.
In line with the saying that a wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him, Yang Xiao begged for mercy several times, but Liu Yan turned a deaf ear to his grief and indignation.
Yang Xiao fled all the way to a lush and verdant peak, alarming countless people living there and finally drawing the attention of a certain charming woman. Next to the woman was a little girl who looked like she was carved from jade itself. She was about four or five years old and was almost as tall as Yang Xiao.
“Oh, what’s going on here?” The woman took the little girl’s hand and walked out of the wooden building overlooking a lake and was surprised when she saw Yang Xiao being chased by Liu Yan.
Yang Xiao rushed straight to the woman and begged her with snot dripping from his nose and tears leaking from his eyes, “Help! Someone wants to kill me!”
The woman’s heart ached the moment she turned her gaze to him. The little fatty was in an extremely embarrassing state as his clothes were singed and his hair was a bit burnt, like a little beggar on the street. And what’s more, Liu Yan was behind him with a couple of fire snakes circling around her, giving off a fearsome and chilling aura.
Maybe it was because the little fatty seemed about the same age as her daughter, the woman’s maternal instincts were tickled and she immediately pulled him behind her and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid, no one will kill you!”
She could also tell that Liu Yan had no intention of killing this boy and reckoned that Liu Yan just wanted him to suffer a little; otherwise, with Liu Yan’s strength, how could this little brat have survived until now?
She looked at Liu Yan in a little confusion and asked, “What’s going on here?”
Before this woman, who outwardly was just a First-Order Dao Source Realm, Liu Yan actually assumed a humble and polite attitude. She first withdrew the fire snakes before elegantly greeting, “Greetings, Madam.”
In the entire High Heaven Palace, only one woman could be treated so courteously by her, and that was Yang Kai’s mother, Dong Su Zhu!
Back in Heng Luo Star Field, Dong Su Zhu was just an Origin King, but owing to slow accumulation after coming to the Star Boundary and the support of the enormous resources of High Heaven Palace, she easily broke through to the Dao Source Realm. After advancing to a higher realm, her appearance had become a lot younger and she now appeared no older than twenty-five years old. It would be easy to mistake her as Yang Kai’s sister if the two stood side by side.
With the woman being Dong Su Zhu, the cute and pretty little girl whose hand she was holding was naturally Yang Xue, who she had given birth to a few years ago. The little girl was too young to start cultivating, but it was alright to instil some knowledge into her. When she was at the right age, she could choose a Secret Art and begin her journey on the Martial Dao. Presumably, with High Heaven Palace’s unlimited support, Yang Xue’s future prospects would be pretty good.
“What did this little one do to provoke you?” Dong Su Zhu asked, looking at Liu Yan.
Liu Yan calmly replied, “He didn’t do anything wrong, he just spoke incorrectly.”
Yang Xiao refused to back down though and stuck his head out from behind Dong Su Zhu to shout, “What did I say wrong?”
Liu Yan cast him a glance, which caused Yang Xiao to immediately shudder. He hurriedly retracted his head. He was really afraid of her. Who would burn someone on their first meeting just because he or she said something wrong? But even after giving it another thought, he couldn’t think of anything he had said that would be considered disrespectful.
Dong Su Zhu rebuked, “When children make mistakes, just reprimand them a little. What you did is just too pitiful. His parents would feel tormented seeing him like this.” If Yang Kai or Yang Xue was tortured like this, she would not have been able to accept it.
Liu Yan lowered her brows as she complied, “Yes.”
Dong Su Zhu squatted down and wiped Yang Xiao’s face with her sleeve, ignoring the dirt and snot on his face. Immediately, a chubby white face appeared before her, making her happy, “Little one, you’re pretty cute, where are your parents?”
She thought that the little fatty resided on some Spirit Peak around here. Although most of the people in High Heaven Palace were from the lower Star Field, there were just too many of them to keep track of. It was next to impossible for Dong Su Zhu to know all of them so it was reasonable to say that a kid like Yang Xiao would be from a different peak nearby.
“Father… is far away,” Yang Xiao knew that he couldn’t easily reveal his identity, so he gave a vague reply. When he said this, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad; he missed his parents a little now, but mainly because he was afraid of being tormented by Liu Yan. If he had stayed on Dragon Island, he would have definitely been loved and adored by all; how would he have been chased around like a stray dog like this?
Dong Su Zhu, sensing it was wrong to ask about this, quickly changed the topic and asked another question, “What’s your name?”
Yang Xiao sniffed before abjectly replying, “My name is Yang Xiao, Xiao as in rising straight to the ninth heavens.”
Dong Su Zhu was overjoyed after hearing this, “Yang Xiao… en, what a good name, you have the same surname as my son.”
Yang Xiao was taken aback, “Your son’s surname is also Yang!?”
“That’s right! My son’s name is Yang Kai, he is the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. Since you are a High Heaven Palace disciple, you should know him, yes?” Dong Su Zhu introduced her son with pride. Although she would complain a little every time she met Yang Kai, she was very proud of her son. He forged his way to the Star Boundary alone, toiled hard to lay a solid foundation for High Heaven Palace, and then returned to Heng Luo Star Field to bring so many friends and family here, allowing more than 100,000 people to enjoy far better cultivation conditions. Even if someone might be able to accomplish a similar feat in the future, right now, it was definitely unprecedented.
Yang Xiao’s jaw dropped so wide that an egg could be stuffed into it upon hearing this.
[What!? What!? Did I just hear it wrong? This woman is actually Adoptive Father’s mother!? If it was just the name, it might be nothing, but how many Palace Masters can High Heaven Palace have?!]
[No wonder this devilish crazy woman is so respectful, so that’s how it is!]
“Hm, what’s wrong?” Dong Su Zhu was paying great attention to Yang Xiao’s words and expressions, so she was now curiously looking at him after noticing there was something wrong with this little fatty’s state.
Yang Xiao hurriedly straightened his clothes and cleaned his face before he took a few steps back and courteously bowed to Dong Su Zhu, solemnly greeting, “Grandson Yang Xiao greets Grandmother!”
Now it was Dong Su Zhu’s turn to be dumbfounded. Even Yang Xue, who was standing by Dong Su Zhu’s side, stood gawking at him in surprise.
After a long time, Dong Su Zhu broke into giggles before she rubbed Yang Xiao’s head and said, “Little one, you can’t randomly call just anyone by such a title.”
Yang Xiao, however, sternly shook his head, “Grandson did not randomly call you grandmother. You are my grandmother. High Heaven Palace Master is my Father.”
Dong Su Zhu couldn’t laugh anymore hearing this. Her facial features twitched a little, whereas Yang Xue looked shocked. The little girl might be young, but she was extremely smart, so how could she not understand the meaning of Yang Xiao’s words?
“What’s going on?” Dong Su Zhu turned to Liu Yan and asked using her Divine Sense, “Is he telling the truth?”
[My son actually has a son, and I didn’t even know about it!] At this moment, Dong Su Zhu was completely furious; however, she couldn’t show it in front of Yang Xiao, so she could only ask Liu Yan privately.
“Master said that he is his Adoptive Son.” Liu Yan replied, “And he brought him back from the outside.”
“Adoptive Son!?” Dong Su Zhu couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief after hearing this, “That scared me, thinking that he had…”
Although Dong Su Zhu was eager for Yang Kai to find more daughters-in-law and give her grandchildren, his four wives at home still hadn’t given birth yet. If some random woman from outside gave him a child first, it would be quite a mess for his four wives back at home.
Since it was an Adoptive Son though, there was no problem.
Suddenly, something came to mind and Dong Su Zhu turned around and rushed straight into the wooden house.
Yang Xiao was confused now. The three little figures remaining stood exchanging uncertain glances.
After his recent experience, Yang Xiao was truly scared of Liu Yan, so he chose to focus on Yang Xue with a flattering smile on his face.
Yang Xue decided to take the initiative here, placed her arms akimbo and asked in a cute voice, “Are you Big Brother’s son?”
“Big… Big Brother?” Yang Xiao was taken aback but immediately understood, “Oh, you’re Adoptive Father’s sister!?”
“Hehe,” Yang Xue cutely laughed through her nose. “You are Big Brother’s son, while I am his younger sister, what should you call me?”
“What should I call you?” Yang Xiao looked confused.
“En, en, what should you call me! Hurry up and call me something nice and I’ll give you a nice gift!” Yang Xue’s pretty eyes lit up.
Yang Xiao couldn’t help his face from twitching. He now felt that no one inside High Heaven Palace was normal. Liu Yan could torture him with a smile on her face, and now his Adoptive Father’s younger sister was making such incomprehensible demands. While he was thinking so, he suddenly felt a heatwave blowing across his face. When he focused his gaze on the source, he saw a fire snake hovering beside him, calmly staring at him.
“You want to burn me again?!” Yang Xiao was shocked.
Liu Yang strode towards him as she stated in an incomparably gentle voice with a sweet smile hanging on her lips, “Think carefully before you answer.”
Yang Xiao wracked his brain for a while before casting a begging look toward the wooden building. But unfortunately, his grandmother had just gone in to do who knows what and still hadn’t come out. He wanted to escape, but he knew that was impossible, so he forced his brain to work even harder to come up with the right answer.
Suddenly, in a flash of enlightenment, he excitedly turned to Yang Xue and stated, “Auntie!”
Yang Xue blinked her big, pretty eyes before looking at Liu Yan.
Liu Yan gently nodded, indicating he was right.
Yang Xue immediately clapped her hands and stated, “Hehehe, that’s right. Tell me, what do you want as a reward?”
Yang Xiao powerlessly replied, “I don’t want any reward.” [I only want to return to Adoptive Father’s side. The outside world is too dangerous. Where are you, Adoptive Father?]
“That won’t do!” Yang Xue shook her little head, flicking her two braids left and right. She tilted her head for a moment before making her way to Yang Xiao’s side, where she stood on tiptoe and rubbed Yang Xiao’s head, muttering in a cute and tender voice, “Good Yang Xiao, great Yang Xiao, Yang Xiao is the best.”
Yang Xiao’s face twitched as he stared at her. The little girl before him was even shorter than him, but she actually dared to pat his head and call him a good boy. He was a member of the Dragon Clan, and no one would dare touch a dragon’s head! But after giving it another thought, she was his Adoptive Father’s younger sister, so seniority wise, he was indeed lower than her. He had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and smiled bitterly as he asked, “Is this a reward?”
Yang Xue earnestly nodded, “En, mother always rewards Xue’er like this.”
“Aha… ha…” Yang Xiao couldn’t only sigh and say, “Auntie, you are quite easily satisfied.”
Yang Xue snorted and angrily rebuffed, “You’re happy too, right?”
“Yes, yes, I am very happy,” Yang Xiao couldn’t help but nod.
The nearby Liu Yan giggled as she asked, “Now do you know what you said wrong?”
Just as he heard her voice, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but shudder and nervously gulp before asking, “Ahem, what exactly did I say wrong?”
Liu Yan didn’t answer and just quietly stared at him.
Yang Xiao had a bad premonition, like he had reached a critical juncture in his life. He realized that if he couldn’t give an answer that satisfied Liu Yan, his future would be quite miserable.
Once again, he racked his brains hard, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand what his mistake was. Left with no other choice, he pitifully looked at Liu Yan and asked, “Can you give me a hint?”
Liu Yan’s lips curled before she turned to Yang Xue and stated, “Xue’er, who am I?”
Yang Xue immediately called out in a loud and clear, “Big Sister Liu Yan!”
“Now do you understand?” Liu Yan turned back to Yang Xiao.
“En, en, I understand!” Yang Xiao fiercely nodded, but inside he was angrily howling in his heart, [I understand nothing! Why does her calling you Big Sister Liu Yan lead to you burning me!?]
[Wait…]
Yang Xiao suddenly seemed to have realized something and timidly glanced at Liu Yang before hesitantly calling out, “Aunt… Liu Yan?”
A smile immediately bloomed on Liu Yan’s face as she then declared to Yang Xiao, “From now on, I am your Great Aunt, and Xue’er is your Little Aunt. Don’t you forget it, okay?”
Yang Xiao stood dumbfounded on his spot. [That’s it?! So she chased me around and burned me with her fire just because I addressed her the wrong way!?]
[If that was the case, couldn’t she have said something earlier? Why did she force me to realize it myself? How was I supposed to know that!?] Yang Xiao was sad and frustrated, wishing he could smash his head on the ground to death.
But right then, the nearby Yang Xue clapped and stated, “Right, right, I am your Little Aunt, and Big Sister Liu Yan is your Great Aunt. We’re all one family now.”
[Only ghosts would want to be your family!]
Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard coming from inside the wooden house. Yang Xiao turned to look and saw Dong Su Zhu hurrying over with a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man bore some resemblance to his Adoptive Father, and coupled with Dong Su Zhu’s intimacy with him, Yang Xiao immediately understood his identity. This man must be his Adoptive Father’s father.
Yang Ying Feng had been cultivating when he heard Dong Su Zhu excitedly running over, saying she has some good news for him. With a look of glee, she told him that their son had adopted a son, a cute and chubby little boy, so Yang Ying Feng came out to check on the situation.
When Yang Ying Feng looked at the little boy before him, he realized that it was indeed as Dong Su Zhu had said; this little guy was pretty cute, but he also seemed to be in a bit of a miserable state. After gazing at him for a while, he nodded and asked, “Is he Yang Xiao?”
“En, that’s him. He said he came back with our son,” Dong Su Zhu nodded.
Yang Ying Feng smiled, but before he could speak, he saw Yang Xiao bowing flat to the ground, “Greetings, Grandfather!”
Being addressed as Grandfather gave Yang Ying Feng immeasurable joy. Although it wasn’t his grandson by blood, judging by the fact that this little one was so sensible at his young age, it was evident that he had received a good education, so he hurriedly raised his arm and said, “Get up, get up, let Grandpa take a good look at you.”
Yang Xiao immediately straightened his back and stood at attention, allowing Yang Ying Feng to take a closer look.
Yang Ying Feng nodded with a smile, “Good, good, but… since you’re my son’s Adoptive Son, why is your surname Yang? Could it be that your family’s surname is also Yang?”
Yang Xiao respectfully replied, “Grandson was born with the help of the Adoptive Father just a few days ago, so when I was born, I asked the Adoptive Father to grant me a name and received Adoptive Father’s surname.”
Yang Ying Feng suddenly came to realize before he asked, “Your parents had no objections?”
Yang Xiao smiled, “They did not.”
“Then everything is alright…” Yang Ying Feng smiled and nodded before suddenly his eyes widened and he asked, “Born not long ago? How old are you?”
Yang Xiao bashfully replied, “Xiao’er was born about one or two months ago.”
[One or two months ago!?] Dong Su Zhu and Yang Ying Feng stood in a daze.
Liu Yan explained, “He does not belong to the Human Race, he seems to be from the Dragon Clan.”
As a fellow Divine Spirit, Liu Yan could feel the Dragon Aura from Yang Xiao.
“Dragon Clan!” Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu were greatly taken aback. As far as they knew, Yang Kai had an ambiguous relationship with a Dragon Girl. The last time he went out, he seemed to be going to Dragon Island, and now, he had returned with an Adoptive Son who was a Dragon. Furthermore, his surname was also Yang. Could it be…
“Where is that smelly brat!?” Dong Su Zhu asked with a stern look on her face.
Liu Yan replied, “He is talking with Head Manager.”
Dong Su Zhu coldly snorted, “Tell him to immediately come over to see me.”
Yang Kai, who was summoned, hurriedly rushed over to the Spirit Peak where his parents were residing, greeted and then explained everything to them. Finally, he cleared the misunderstanding and let them know that Yang Xiao was really not his biological son, just his Adoptive Son.
Dong Su Zhu’s expression finally changed for the better. She then maternally and earnestly persuaded Yang Kai, “Son, you are not young anymore, and you’ve already gained a firm foothold in the Star Boundary. If you really want a child, your mother won’t object, rather, I would be really delighted at the prospect, but you can’t keep fooling around outside. You have four wives already, so you need to conceive a child with each of them first, do you understand?”
“I understand, I understand! I’m not fooling around outside at all,” Yang Kai repeatedly nodded while at the same time the image of Ji Yao suddenly appeared in his head, inexplicably making him feel guilty.
Dong Su Zhu, seeing that he was being perfunctory, couldn’t help but sigh, “Forget it, you’re not a child anymore so you can take responsibility no matter the outcome. Since you are always out all year round, it’s not suitable for Xiao’er to follow you all the time. So, let him live with me. He can play with Xue’er too. What do you think?”
Yang Kai gave it a thought before agreeing with a nod, “Good.”
With his mother taking care of Yang Xiao, he naturally had nothing to worry about, but before that, he had to first ask Yang Xiao what he thought. If the brat didn’t agree, he could do nothing about it.
And so, he called Yang Xiao over and asked his opinion. Yang Xiao had no objections and immediately agreed.
He could easily tell that he could enjoy his grandmother’s protection if he stayed with her; however, if he followed Yang Kai, he might be tortured by his devilish Great Aunt, Liu Yan, who would burn him without speaking a word whenever she pleased.
Yang Kai was quite surprised by Yang Xiao’s response and suddenly felt that this boy’s disposition was quite unpredictable.
Since Yang Xiao had agreed, he would now be staying by Dong Su Zhu’s side.
…..
Whether it was the Northern Territory’s High Heaven Palace or the Southern Territory’s Orthodoxy Temple Branch, everything was proceeding smoothly. After returning from Dragon Island, Yang Kai had no plans of leaving anytime soon and was ready to enter a long retreat to digest his recent experiences and consolidate his current cultivation. Ever since he returned to the Star Boundary from the Star Field, he had been running here and there and didn’t have any time to sit and cultivate in peace. The road of cultivation was fraught with obstacles, which he had to overcome to keep moving forward, so he would rarely have free time and naturally couldn’t waste it when he did.
But before that, Yang Kai had some other matters he needed to take care of first. At the very least, he had to attend to his wives.
Yang Kai first went to Spirit Pill Peak for Xia Ning Chang where he spent a day and night with her, much to the ire of Ji Ying. Xia Ning Chang was the unofficial close-door disciple of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor, and although they weren’t Master and Disciple on the surface, in reality, that was exactly what they were. Wondrous Pill Great Emperor was filled with praise for Xia Ning Chang’s Alchemy talent and even went so far as to say that if she found the right opportunity, her future achievements would absolutely not be lower than his own.
In other words, she could become the second Wonderous Pill Great Emperor.
As Yang Kai ran over to waste Xia Ning Chang’s time, it would be strange if Ji Ying was happy. They might be on friendly terms, but when it came to his Little Junior Sister’s future, Ji Ying would absolutely not compromise; he would not let Xia Ning Chang’s talents go to waste.
After Xia Ning Chang was Xue Yue, who Yang Kai spent day and night with as well.
He then set off to Ice Heart Valley where he dual cultivated with Su Yan.
Before leaving, he naturally secretly accompanied Ji Yao in a rather exciting affair.
Then, after returning to High Heaven Palace, he stood before the Space Array, hesitating for a long time. Finally, he heaved a sigh and decided to not go to the Ancient Wild Lands. If he met with his enchantress, his body would be sucked dry and break down.
For the first time, he found that having so many women was not necessarily a good thing.
He then announced that he was going into retreat and gave orders to not disturb him unless something serious happened.
In the best cultivation room in High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and dumped out a large number of High-Rank Source Crystals around him. The next moment, his Emperor Qi surged and the Source Crystals burst apart, filling the room with incredibly rich World Energy.
Yang Kai continued to throw out Source Crystals, flooding the room with the World Energy to the point it became a fog so dense it was almost tangible.
Yang Kai then silently circulated his Secret Art as he cultivated and comprehended the various gains he had on Dragon Island.
In the Dragon Temple, the Dragon Souls of the Dragon Clan’s past Great Elders had passed down to him many Dragon Clan Secret Techniques. Each Secret Technique was extremely powerful and had its own mystical effects, but since all of it was delivered to him all at once, Yang Kai still needed to take some time to process and comprehend them before he could use them.
This wasn’t a task that could be completed overnight. It would require a long period of study, followed by many trials and experiments.
Spring went and autumn came, flowers bloomed then wilted.
When one’s cultivation reached the Emperor Realm, it was quite common for a single retreat to last several years to over a decade. It wasn’t even rare for a Master to spend an entire century in seclusion. Yang Kai had reached the Second-Order Emperor Realm already, so if he wanted to break through again, he would need a long period of accumulation.
During this period, he occasionally left his retreat to check up on High Heaven Palace’s situation, to see if anything serious had happened. Fortunately, with Hua Qing Si as Head Manager, everything ran smoothly, which gave Yang Kai the time and peace of mind he needed to improve his cultivation and strength.
Two years later, Yang Kai, who was steadily absorbing World Energy, furrowed his brow and took a deep breath before slowly ending his cultivation and opening the barrier.
Hua Qing Si quickly rushed in, cupped her fists, and greeted, “Palace Master.”
“What is it?” Before entering retreat, Yang Kai had issued instructions to not disturb him over trivial matters, but now, Hua Qing Si had intentionally disturbed the barrier, so it was clear that something major must have happened.
“Someone from the Southern Territory had come, saying that he must speak with the Palace Master about something important.”
“Who?”
“Elder Gao Xue Ting, and… Star Soul Palace’s Elder Xiao Yu Yang.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “They came together?”
Yang Kai might not have been too surprised if Gao Xue Ting had come to talk to him; after all, he was also regarded as a High-Rank Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, but why would Xiao Yu Yang come too?
“Yes!” Hua Qing Si slightly nodded with a complex look on her face. She used to be a Star Soul Palace disciple, and her Master was even one of its Elders, but Tan Jun Hao was too unreliable. He even sacrificed his own Disciple for his own benefit and was eventually killed by Yang Kai. Since then, Hua Qing Si had left Star Soul Palace and officially joined High Heaven Palace. Still, when she met Xiao Yu Yang as the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.
“Did they say anything about their purpose?” Yang Kai asked.
Hua Qing Si shook her head, “They didn’t say anything, but by the looks of it, it’s something bad.”
“Invite them to the main hall, I will join you soon,” ordered Yang Kai.
Having received Yang Kai’s order, Hua Qing Si withdrew.
Yang Kai sat on the ground, rubbing his chin. He couldn’t understand why these two had come all of a sudden, but he still got up and went straight to meet them.
In the main hall, Gao Xue Ting and Xiao Yu Yang were sitting at a long table. Gao Xue Ting had a familiar cold look on her face, making it difficult to read anything just from her expression, but Xiao Yu Yang on the other hand appeared to be quite anxious, even looking up from time to time to see whether Yang Kai had arrived yet.
It was a rare sight to see someone of his cultivation acting like this; after all, Xiao Yu Yang was a Third-Order Emperor. More importantly, he was one of the Elders of the hegemon Sect of the Southern Territory. He would not bat an eye even if a mountain collapsed right before him. Judging by how anxious he was, it was evident that whatever the situation was, it was far from good.
Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t make them wait any longer and arrived in the main hall after freshening himself up slightly.
Seeing him appear, Gao Xue Ting lightly nodded whereas Xiao Yu Yang hurriedly greeted, “Yang Kai.”
“Elder Xiao!” Yang Kai cupped his fists before nodding to Gao Xue Ting as a greeting. Then, he cut straight to the point and asked, “For what reason has Elder Xiao decided to suddenly visit my High Heaven Palace?”
Xiao Wu Yang was equally straightforward and asked, “This Xiao needs your help to save someone.”
“Who?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, wondering if that little brat, Xiao Chen had some kind of accident. [If it’s really that arrogant boy, I might not be in the mood to save him. That little brat is an eyesore, but since Xiao Yu Yang has personally come, I guess I should give him face, shouldn’t I?]
Just as he was thinking this through, Xiao Yu Yang made a shocking declaration, “Her Royal Highness, Princess Lan Xun.”
Yang Kai was taken aback, “What happened to Junior Sister Lan?”
Xiao Yu Yang replied as a thick gloom appeared on his face, “Her Royal Highness was kidnapped.”
Yang Kai was startled when he heard this and couldn’t help staring at Xiao Yu Yang with an incredulous expression. He then turned to look at Gao Xue Ting, but seeing her nod, he realized that he had not heard wrong just now.
[Lan Xun was kidnapped? Who would dare to kidnap Lan Xun, the apple of the Bright Moon Great Emperor’s eye? Furthermore, Lan Xun reached the Emperor Realm some time ago. Although she is just a First-Order Emperor, she inherited Bright Moon Great Emperor’s Special Constitution, so her true combat power is far from what an ordinary First-Order Emperor can display. What’s more, as the daughter of a Great Emperor, she must have a number of life-saving treasures granted to her by Senior Bright Moon. If someone wanted to capture her, he or she must at least be a Third-Order Emperor.]
But what madman had eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall to get the courage to pull off such an act?
While thinking about it though, Yang Kai’s brow suddenly furrowed as he recalled a certain event from two years ago…
[This sounds somewhat familiar… it can’t just be a coincidence, right?]
Faintly, Yang Kai felt a bad premonition and hesitantly asked, “Do you know who did it?”
Xiao Yu Yang solemnly replied, “We have some idea, but it’s not definitive.”
Yang Kai stated, “Since you have some speculations, why not take decisive action. What about the Great Emperor? Since Lan Xun was the one kidnapped, the Great Emperor can’t possibly be staying out of this, right? Why even bother coming to me in that case?”
Although Yang Kai’s strength was pretty good, in the end, he was just a Second-Order Emperor. Star Soul Palace was a ruling Sect with a Great Emperor overseeing it, with numerous Third-Order Emperors and quite likely a hidden Pseudo-Great Emperor or two. Yang Kai couldn’t figure out why Xiao Yu Yang was trying to go around the sun to reach the moon.
Xiao Yu Yang hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you remember the matter of the Orthodoxy Temple?”
Yang Kai replied, “Of course.”
The disaster only happened three years ago, so how could Yang Kai have forgotten? But why would Xiao Yu Yang suddenly bring that incident up?
Xiao Yu Yang continued, “The Orthodoxy Temple incident was related to the safety of the entire Southern Territory, so it stands to reason that the Great Emperor should have stepped forward to handle it personally, but in the end, the Great Emperor never appeared. Did you ever wonder why that was?”
When Xiao Yu Yang mentioned this, Yang Kai recalled the aftermath of that event and indeed found it strange. The Orthodoxy Temple incident was quite serious, but Bright Moon Great Emperor hadn’t even shown up; instead, only a few Elders of Star Soul Palace had come to deal with it. Obviously, this didn’t make much sense…
At that time, Xiao Yu Yang said that the Great Emperor had already set off for Orthodoxy Temple, but when he heard that the matter had been resolved halfway through, he went back.
No one questioned this statement, but now it seemed there was more to the story.
“At that time, Princess Lan Xun had already disappeared and the Great Emperor had been tracking her whereabouts, so the Great Emperor was completely unaware of Orthodoxy Temple’s incident,” Xiao Yu Yang explained with a solemn look on his face.
“Princess Lan Xun had disappeared at that time?” Yang Kai was greatly shocked. [No wonder I didn’t see Lan Xun at the Southern Territory’s Martial Gathering.]
Although it was a bit strange, Yang Kai didn’t think much about it at the time and it was only now that he finally learned the reason. Frowning, he asked, “So, the Great Emperor has not been in Star Soul Palace these past few years?”
It had been so long since the Orthodoxy Temple incident, so it was impossible for the Great Emperor to not have heard about it unless he was somewhere out of contact.
“That’s right,” Xiao Yu Yang confirmed with a nod, “The Great Emperor only has one blood relative, and since the Princess disappeared, the Great Emperor would naturally be anxious. So, he had been searching for clues ever since. Furthermore, it could only be done in secret as such news cannot be announced to the public.”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding. If the kidnapping of a Great Emperor’s daughter was made public, it would create panic as well as a massive public search effort which would only make the situation more chaotic. In that chaos, some may try to take advantage of the situation, or worse, the one responsible might become enraged and silence Lan Xun, a disastrous outcome.
“A year ago, the palace received a message from the Great Emperor, but it was garbled and incomplete. The Great Emperor might have sent it in a hurry or perhaps he was disturbed when he did, we don’t know. In any case, we followed the lead from the message and found a suspicious place, but we were unable to enter it.”
“Why?” Yang Kai asked, surprised. With Star Soul Palace mobilizing all its Masters, what place could possibly be inaccessible to them?
“It’s a Sealed World, so without the corresponding method to open it, no one could enter.”
Yang Kai suddenly came to realize, “Which is why you came to find me.”
Xiao Yu Yang nodded, “Since you are proficient in Dao of Space, perhaps you can find a way inside.”
Yang Kai nodded. If it really was a Sealed World, then coming to him was definitely the best option for Star Soul Palace.
“Where is the Great Emperor now?” Yang Kai asked again.
Xiao Yu Yang shook his head, “After sending back that message, we didn’t hear from the Great Emperor again.”
Yang Kai was shocked. [Even the Great Emperor couldn’t send another message? Could it be that something had happened to him? Impossible! Who in the world can threaten a Great Emperor? But if Lan Xun was used to threaten him…]
Yang Kai secretly shook his head. He wasn’t sure if Lan Xun was taken hostage to threaten Bright Moon Great Emperor, or whether the Great Emperor would really surrender without a fight for his daughter. But more importantly, even if someone did force the Great Emperor to stand down, then why? Even if he did not resist, how could a Great Emperor be detained or killed so easily?
This was really a big deal.
As if he could tell what was going through Yang Kai’s mind, Xiao Yu Yang stated, “The Great Emperor has incredible power and strength, so we need not worry about his safety. Since he didn’t reply, it must have been because has already entered that Sealed World. Yang Kai, I heard that you are good friends with Her Royal Highness, so we came to ask for your help. At the very least, we hope you can open up a passage to that independent world to allow Star Soul Palace’s Masters to enter and search it.”
Yang Kai agreed, nodding, “Junior Sister Lan has also shown kindness to me a number of times. Since she is in trouble, I can’t stand idly by.”
Xiao Yu Yang was overjoyed after hearing this. Originally, he was worried that Yang Kai would decline, but by the looks of it, he was a man who valued friendship highly.
“But I am curious about one thing,” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
“What is it?” Perhaps because Yang Kai readily agreed to help, Xiao Yu Yang’s attitude became more cordial.
“As Elder Xiao said, Junior Sister Lan disappeared three years ago, and the Great Emperor also started to investigate this case at the time. Since the Great Emperor sent a message a year ago, why did you only come to me now?”
In the Southern Territory, it wasn’t a secret that he could arrange Cross-Territory Space Arrays. Azure Sun Temple and High Heaven Palace had an Array connecting them, so it would only take a breath to come and go from the two places, so there was no reason to wait a whole year.
Xiao Yu Yang heaved a sigh, “The location of the Sealed World is far from the Southern Territory, so it took just over a year to make a round trip from there to here.”
“A whole year’s journey?” Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Is it in another territory?”
“En, the Western Territory!” Xiao Yu Yang’s voice turned solemn.
Yang Kai was struck with realization. [So it’s in the Western Territory. Going back and forth would really take a long time. No wonder it was a whole year before they came to find me.]
Speaking of the Western Territory, Yang Kai had some sour memories of it. Back then, when he returned from the Revolving World, he had run into Lin Yun’er and raised a huge ruckus in one of its Top Sects. Later, he arranged a Space Array to bring her back to High Heaven Palace to visit, but who could have anticipated that his Space Array would be destroyed by someone at the critical moment, causing him and Li Jiao to be the only ones teleported back, leaving Lin Yun’er back in the Western Territory.
Although Yang Kai didn’t see who destroyed it, he was fairly certain it was Iron Blood Great Emperor.
If not for Iron Blood Great Emperor’s actions that day, it would have been quite convenient to travel to the Western Territory for Yang Kai, but now he would have to waste months flying there.
“This matter can’t be delayed. Yang Kai, if you have nothing to do, let’s set off immediately,” Xiao Yu Yang anxiously suggested. Things had already been dragged out for so long, so who knows what sort of mishap might have happened? As such, he was pressing Yang Kai to depart even a moment sooner.
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “En.”
Saying so, he took out a communication artifact and sent Hua Qing Si a message, telling her that he would be going on a trip, and that it was uncertain when he would be returning.
Hua Qing Si had also grown accustomed to his sudden outings, so she didn’t raise any objections or ask any questions.
And so, Yang Kai, Xiao Yu Yang, and Gao Xue Ting set off for Azure Sun Temple via Space Array.
Upon arrival, Xiao Yu Yang summoned his flying ship and invited Yang Kai onboard before the two flew off. It seemed that he didn’t want to delay even a moment longer.
Gao Xue Ting didn’t accompany them any further. She had only come along so far to lead Xiao Yu Yang to High Heaven Palace. Without her, it would have been impossible for Xiao Yu Yang to use Azure Sun Temple’s Space Array, but she had no reason to follow them all the way to the Western Territory.
The flying ship was quite fast and Xiao Yu Yang paid no heed to exhausting himself and he used all his energy to rush forward; after all, this was related to the Great Emperor and Princess Lan Xun, so he was also eager to learn the truth about their situation.
On the deck, Yang Kai stood at the bow, his hands folded behind his back, asking Xiao Yu Yang all the ins and outs of the matter, but he didn’t get much from him as there wasn’t much to tell. He only came to know that they found a location by tracing the message sent by the Great Emperor, and that they were sure that it was a Sealed World. As they had no way to open it, Xiao Yu Yang was sent to contact Yang Kai.
Hearing this, Yang Kai nodded before he took out a jade slip from his Space Ring, engraved a message into it, then flicked his wrist. The next moment, the jade slip slightly shook before it disappeared into thin air.
Xiao Yu Yang raised his brow, “Space Beacon?”
Yang Kai looked at him in surprise, “Elder Xiao is familiar with it?”
Xiao Yu Yang replied, “The Great Emperor also uses this method for long-distance communication. I heard that it was invented by Li Wu Yi of Spirit Beast Island. Back then, the Great Emperor visited Spirit Beast Island and learned of it. I didn’t expect you to use it too.”
Yang Kai added with a smile, “I also learned this technique from Senior Li.”
Xiao Yu Yang was surprised, “You’ve met Li Wu Yi?”
Yang Kai nodded, “When I went to the Eastern Territory two years back, I was fortunate enough to have a discussion with him about the Dao of Space.”
Xiao Yu Yang was struck with realization, “Right, you can arrange Cross-Territory Space Arrays, so it’s far more convenient for you to travel between different territories. In that case, you can freely travel between the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Territory. What about the Western Territory?”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched slightly as he muttered, “It should have been possible, but the Array I arranged was destroyed by someone not long after.”
Xiao Yu Yang was saddened to hear this, “Who would be so bored they would go around destroying your Array?”
Yang Kai smiled but didn’t reply.
Now that he was headed to the Western Territory, he could arrange a new Space Array, finally connecting all four territories together.
“Who did you just send that message to?” Xiao Yu Yang curiously asked.
“Senior Li.” Yang Kai didn’t bother concealing anything and explained, “Elder Xiao might not be aware of this, but two years back, Serene Soul Great Emperor’s daughter, Yao Lin, was also kidnapped on the East Sea of the Eastern Territory.”
“What!?” Xiao Yu Yang was greatly taken aback, “Serene Soul Great Emperor’s daughter was also kidnapped?”
Lan Xun was kidnapped about three years ago, and Yao Lin, two years ago. Although there was a gap of a year between their kidnapping, it wasn’t that long a gap considering one happened in the Eastern Territory and the other in the Southern Territory.
“Could the same person have done it?” Xiao Yu Yang suddenly thought of a possibility.
“It’s not clear. But the person who captured Yao Lin at that time was a Pseudo-Great Emperor.”
“A Pseudo-Great Emperor!” Xiao Yu Yang drew a sharp breath. Although he was a Third-Order Emperor, he had only risen to his current realm recently, so if he was up against a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he knew that he would not be his or her opponent. He slowly asked, “How do you know about this incident so clearly? Hmm, you just said that you went to the Eastern Territory two years ago, and Yao Lin was also captured two years ago, could it be…”
“That’s right, when Yao Lin was kidnapped, I happened to come across the scene.” Yang Kai nodded, confirming Xiao Yu Yang’s guess, “Now, two years have already passed, so I wanted to ask if Senior Li had any new news.”
Xiao Yu Yang continued, nodding, “I want to ask if it was the same person who did it. If so, then that person really doesn’t fear the Heavens. But what could he possibly be hoping to achieve?
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, “You’ll just have to ask that old man in person when we find him.”
As they were speaking, a subtle Space Principle fluctuation pulsed from the bead on Yang Kai’s wrist and soon a jade slip appeared.
Yang Kai grabbed it and poured his Divine Sense into it to read the message.
The next moment, his face turned serious.
“What is it?” Xiao Yu Yang anxiously asked.
“Elder Xiao should see for himself,” Yang Kai tossed the jade slip to him.
Xiao Yu Yang grabbed and read it before his face drastically changed as well, “How is that possible? Disciples and descendants of many Great Emperors have gone missing!? Who… who could possibly be responsible for this?”
The Great Emperors naturally all knew one another, and with a convenient way to exchange messages like the Space Beacon created by Li Wu Yi, it wasn’t difficult for them to keep in contact. Furthermore, since Li Wu Yi was the creator of the Space Beacons, it only made sense for Spirit Beast Island to be a hub of information. At the very least, they were better informed than Star Soul Palace.
According to Li Wu Yi’s reply, after Yao Lin’s disappearance, almost all of Serene Soul Palace’s cultivators fanned out, performing an extensive search of the entire Eastern Territory, but unfortunately, they found nothing in the end. Yao Lin seemed to have disappeared from the face of the world. Naturally, Serene Soul Great Emperor was very concerned about his daughter after her disappearance, so he sent messages to all the other Great Emperors, asking them to keep an eye out in their respective territories…
Who would have thought that they would receive such a disturbing response saying that descendants and Disciples of many Great Emperors had disappeared, and in a span of just two or three years, too.
[As many as five Great Emperors have been drawn into this. In addition to Serene Soul and Bright Moon, Heavens Revelations Great Emperor, Flower Shadow Great Emperor, and Iron Blood Great Emperor also had their descendants or Disciples kidnapped.]
That meant that Lin Yun’er was also missing!
Whether other descendants or Disciples of other Great Emperors have gone missing, Spirit Beast Island wasn’t clear about it for the time being; after all, not every Great Emperor used Space Beacons. But, judging by the current situation, while Disciples and descendants of just these five Great Emperors were confirmed missing, perhaps there were still more.
Whether others were missing or not, Yang Kai didn’t really care, but Lin Yun’er’s situation was different. After they parted ways in the Western Territory back then, he hadn’t seen her again to this day and he never expected to receive news like this.
Xiao Yu Yang and Yang Kai glanced at each other and could clearly see the shock in each other’s eyes. Although they had no idea who was responsible for this, they faintly felt that an invisible dark hand had covered the entire Star Boundary.
The descendants and Disciples of Great Emperors had gone missing from various territories of the Star Boundary, and anyone who had the courage and means to do this could not be ordinary. More likely than not, the one responsible for this incident was some huge and powerful organization.
However, what confused Yang Kai was what the goal of the mastermind behind this was. The Great Emperors were the strongest figures in this world, so it wasn’t a good idea to provoke any one of them, much less five all at once.
After a long silence, Yang Kai finally opened his mouth, “Elder Xiao, you said that you had a guess about the perpetrator behind Junior Sister Lan Xun’s kidnapping, but you aren’t sure. Dare I ask who you think is responsible for this?”
Xiao Yu Yang pondered for a while before finally replying, “Originally, we thought that Shadow Killer Palace was behind it.”
“Shadow Killer Palace!” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
He was definitely familiar with Shadow Killer Palace as it was the dominant Sect of the Western Territory, a great force helmed by Night Shadow Great Emperor. But this great force was extremely mysterious, just like the Night Shadow Great Emperor himself. No one knew where Shadow Killer Palace was located exactly. All the public knew was that there was a hegemon existence in the Western Territory, but it was almost impossible to meet anyone from it under normal circumstances.
“Because the message sent by the Great Emperor pointed to a location in the Western Territory?” Yang Kai asked. This was a reasonable guess as no one would dare to attack the daughter of a Great Emperor, unless it was another Great Emperor. The message sent by Bright Moon Great Emperor eventually led to someplace in the Western Territory, which made Xiao Yu Yang and the others ultimately make such a conclusion.
Xiao Yu Yang denied it, shaking his head after hearing this, “That is only one of the reasons, there are others as well.”
“Oh! I would like to hear the details.”
Xiao Yu Yang explained, “You may not know that the Western Territory’s Great Emperor and our Sir are at odds. The two Great Emperors have a number of grievances with each other.”
Yang Kai asked in surprise, “Why so?”
“It’s primarily a struggle that originated from their opposing Great Daos,” Since Xiao Yu Yang had already decided to speak, he didn’t have any intention to conceal anything, “Just think about the titles of the two Sirs.”
Yang Kai frowned as he murmured, “Bright Moon, Night Shadow…” After murmuring a few times, a stunned look suddenly appeared on his face.
“Under the bright moon, everything is visible, nothing is hidden, there is no night shadow. These two Sirs were at odds from the start. One represents the light, and the other represents the darkness.”
Yang Kai frowned and stated, “But how can there be darkness without light?”
Xiao Yu Yang was stunned for a moment before he failed to stifle his laughter, “You should talk about this with the two Sirs and see what they think.”
Yang Kai’s facial muscles twitched before he waved his hands in denial, “It was just a casual thought, but since Elder Xiao originally speculated that Shadow Killer Palace was behind Junior Sister Lan’s disappearance, why didn’t you send a representative to Shadow Killer Palace to speak with someone important?”
Xiao Yu Yang heaved a sigh before replying, “Perhaps only a few Great Emperors know the actual location of Shadow Killer Palace, so how could we know where its headquarters are? What’s more, if Shadow Killer Palace was really behind it, then it means that they were prepared to go to war with my Star Soul Palace. Not only that, if they were responsible, would they even bother discussing it with us? Although it was our guess at first because of the relationship with the two Sirs, now it seems… someone was trying to make Shadow Killer Palace their scapegoat.”
Yang Kai nodded. If only Lan Xun was missing, this speculation might have merit, but now, far too many Great Emperors were involved. Even if Night Shadow Great Emperor wanted to deal with Bright Moon Great Emperor, he wouldn’t have involved others into this dispute.
“While speculation is just speculation, the possibility also can’t be ruled out; after all, the final point is indeed in the Western Territory. We will know the truth after we have found Her Royal Highness and the others.”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement before both sunk into silence.
Xiao Yu Yang’s heart was weighed down by Lan Xun’s safety and Bright Moon Great Emperor’s unknown whereabouts. Whereas Yang Kai was concerned about Lin Yun’er. He had no idea whether he would find her at the destination of this trip or not. If so, it would be best; he could then rescue her together with the others. If not… where would he even begin to look for her in this vast Star Boundary?
[Iron Blood Great Emperor should know about this, so Yang Yan must have also learned about it. Will they take action too?]
The flying ship was as swift as lightning, and with Xiao Yu Yang not holding back in the slightest despite exhausting himself, their pace was extremely quick.
However, even if he was a Third-Order Emperor, Xiao Yu Yang couldn’t sustain such intense output forever. Fortunately, there was Yang Kai to help out. After releasing the controls of the flying ship, the two took turns piloting. When one was resting, the other person would fly ahead at full speed. As such, there wasn’t any delay whatsoever.
As the journey was long, Yang Kai took the opportunity to intermittently cultivate for a few days. In his spare time, he also discussed various cultivation experiences with Xiao Yu Yang. In any case, he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master. As the saying goes, wise men correct their mistakes from others’ faults. In the end, each had their own harvest from the other’s knowledge and understanding.
After two months, the duo finally reached the borders of the Western Territory. Here, it wasn’t suitable to use the flying ship openly anymore. According to Xiao Yu Yang, because the relationship between Bright Moon Great Emperor and Night Shadow Great Emperor wasn’t amiable, Star Soul Palace and Shadow Killer Palace were also like water and fire. As such, the members of Star Soul Palace had to remain discreet after entering the Western Territory, lest they be discovered and it led to unintended accidents.
After disembarking the flying ship, the duo disguised themselves quickly before flying off under their own power.
This time, they remained completely silent, alternating between flying and resting. Apart from occasionally looking for hidden mountains and rivers to rest along the way, they spent all their time moving forward.
Nearly five months later, Xiao Yu Yang finally pointed to a vast desert before them and spoke, “Here, it’s inside that desert.”
Yang Kai’s expression finally changed after hearing this. He had been constantly rushing forward for the past few months, which was already extremely tiring both physically and mentally. At this time, he couldn’t help but grumble about the Space Array he had arranged back then and how much easier it would have been if it hadn’t been destroyed. For various reasons, he had been feeling somewhat anxious and upset during this trip, so now that their destination was in sight, he naturally felt his spirits lift.
[We’re finally here.]
The two shot straight into the endless desert one after another, disappearing into a cloud of dust and sand in the blink of an eye.
Compared to the other territories of the Star Boundary, the Western Territory’s geography was generally desolate. Desert and rock fields could be found almost everywhere while lush and verdant mountains and rivers were very rare. However, it was this harsh environment that forged a valiant attitude and hearty disposition in the Western Territory’s cultivators.
There was no end to this vast desert in sight, and when the wind blew, the sky was filled with dust and sand. Visibility was reduced to just three meters at times and furthermore, everything within ten thousand kilometres appeared identical. There was nothing to take as reference for bearing. Even a cultivator with low cultivation might get lost and trapped here forever. Not to mention that there were many unpredictable dangers in the desert. Even an Emperor Realm Master may meet their end here if he or she wasn’t careful.
After Yang Kai followed Xiao Yu Yang into this desert, he immediately realized the ruthlessness of nature. When the wind started blowing hard, the sand particles blew in his face, striking hard against his Emperor Qi protection, releasing some harsh noises.
When he scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai found almost no living auras in his range of perception. All he sensed were some Monster Beasts that were struggling to survive in this difficult environment.
After two days, when the duo was passing by an oasis, Yang Kai finally called out to Xiao Yu Yang, signalling for them to fly down.
Xiao Yu Yang, whose entire figure was covered in dust, doubtfully asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Kai took a glance at him before suggesting, “Elder Xiao, you should take some time to recover, you haven’t rested for a long time.”
Xiao Yu Yang furrowed his brow before denying, “We’re almost there. It won’t be too late to rest when we arrive.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Just rest. This place is perfect to arrange a Space Array. You don’t want to fly all the way back on our return trip, do you?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yu Yang finally nodded in agreement, “Good, then I will leave it to you.”
Yang Kai waved his hand before he started inspecting the oasis.
This place couldn’t really be called an oasis, not anymore at least. The water source here had dried and even the trees were completely dead and dry, leaving only a remnant behind. But compared to the desert filled with sandstorms and dunes, this was the only real option Yang Kai had to arrange a Space Array.
After all, he couldn’t arrange a Space Array in the middle of the desert. If he did that, the Array would be buried in sand in just a few days.
Although the water source here had dried, since the oasis still continued to exist, it meant that it would not disappear in a short time. It was the best landmark to arrange a Space Array at.
This time, Yang Kai didn’t bother trying to conceal the Array. In any case, his Array could only be activated using the Transmission Tokens specially refined by him, so even if it was discovered, it didn’t matter. The only thing he was worried about was it being destroyed by someone.
After picking a place with solid ground, Yang Kai got to work.
After toiling hard for half a day, a brand-new Space Array had been laid out. After a thorough inspection and confirming that the Array was connected to various Arrays he had arranged before, Yang Kai stepped back and nodded in approval.
Xiao Yu Yang, sensing this, opened his eyes and asked, “Finished?”
“En!” Yang Kai nodded.
Xiao Yu Yang came over and after looking at the finished Array for a while, he couldn’t help but praise, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, this Xiao wouldn’t have believed that something like this could be arranged in just half a day.”
“Practice makes perfect,” Yang Kai smiled lightly before he threw a Transmission Token to Xiao Yu Yang.
“This is…” Xiao Yu Yang looked curiously at the Transmission Token in his hand.
When Yang Kai explained the purpose of the token, Xiao Yu Yang immediately put it away like he had received a precious treasure. With this thing, it would be more convenient for him to travel everywhere in the future as he could freely shuttle through any Space Array arranged by Yang Kai.
“When you are free, come to Star Soul Palace and arrange a Space Array, okay?” Xiao Yu Yang looked at him with a smile.
Yang Kai nodded and agreed, “No problem.”
He had originally planned to connect the entire Star Boundary with Space Arrays, so he had no issue arranging one in Star Soul Palace. After Yang Kai’s agreement, the two set off again.
After another three days, they finally arrived at their destination.
As Xiao Yu Yang flew down to the desert, Yang Kai looked in a certain direction in surprise.
About a thousand metres from him, there was a huge pit in the endless desert. The pit spanned over a thousand metres and was several dozen metres deep. The pit was like a huge funnel embedded in this part of the desert, one that was constantly rotating as a large amount of sand kept slipping into it and disappearing.
Yang Kai looked at it in amazement. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would have never believed that there was such a peculiar landscape in this world.
Who knows how this funnel was formed or how long it had existed, but Yang Kai could sense Space Principles fluctuating from its bottom. Whatever was at the base of this funnel seemed to be connected to an unknown location.
[Is this the entrance to the Sealed World that Xiao Yu Yang mentioned?]
Yang Kai carefully inspected and discovered that it was indeed the case. There should be a Void Corridor at the bottom of the funnel, but who knows where it led to. At this moment, this void Corridor seemed to be in a sealed state; however, judging by the traces Yang Kai noticed, this sealing seemed to have been done artificially. Without the correct method, it would be impossible to open this corridor, let alone enter it.
Hastily using brute force may very well destroy the corridor, and once that happened, entering the Sealed World would become orders of magnitude more difficult.
[No wonder Xiao Yu Yang didn’t hesitate to return to the Southern Territory from the Western Territory and asked Gao Xue Ting to lead him to the High Heaven Palace to find me. In this situation, I am indeed the right person to deal with it.]
Perceiving Yang Kai and Xiao Yu Yang’s arrival, figures hidden in the vicinity slowly appeared and gathered around them, one after another.
Yang Kai glanced around and found all of them to be familiar faces.
Xue Zheng Mao, Lei Hong, two Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, were among them, and counting Xiao Yu Yang, three Third-Order Emperors from Star Soul Palace had been deployed here. Also, there were more than a dozen other Emperor Realm Masters present. Obviously, a great deal of the high-level figures of Star Soul Palace had come.
Xiao Yu Yang greeted the others before getting a brief rundown of the situation. After making sure that nothing eventful had happened during his absence, he finally put his heart to rest. Yang Kai too went over and greeted everyone.
Xue Zheng Mao’s face turned serious as he stated, “Yang Kai, we can only rely on you regarding this. Although it’s not definite, we are almost certain the Great Emperor’s message originated from this place. We suspect that Princess Lan Xun is inside as well. Please lend us your assistance.”
Yang Kai earnestly replied, “Elder Xue, I can also be regarded as a Southern Territory cultivator and am friends with Her Royal Highness. If she is in trouble, it is only natural that I help her.”
Xue Zheng Mao was very pleased after hearing this and repeatedly nodded, “Good, good, good, if you can really rescue Her Royal Highness, this Old Master and the others here will forever be in your debt. In the future, if you need any help, our Star Soul Palace will never turn you down.”
This was a very heavy promise, but it was also proof of how desperate Xue Zheng Mao and the others had become; otherwise, they would never promise something like this so easily.
“Elder Xue, please calm yourself. Let me take a look at the situation first.” Having said this, Yang Kai flew towards the bottom of the funnel.
The nearby Lei Hong immediately warned, “Be careful, the space down near the bottom is somewhat unstable.”
Yang Kai nodded before he quickly approached the bottom of the funnel. He stood there, observing the situation, and soon discovered it was even more shocking than what he first thought. With the sand flowing into it and the funnel rotating, it gave Yang Kai a feeling as if the entire world was being swallowed up.
Carefully spreading his Divine Sense, Yang Kai probed the area with his Space Principles, silently perceiving the feedback he received for quite some time. After he had made some speculations, he flew up again.
“Well, what do you think?” Xue Zheng Mao anxiously asked.
Yang Kai replied, furrowing his brow, “The entrance has been sealed by someone. All of you have been waiting here for so long, so have you discovered traces of other people?”
Xue Zheng Mao denied, shaking his head, “We found nothing. No one has even passed by here in many years as far as we can tell.”
Yang Kai continued, “The tracepoints to the seal being created by someone, so all of this must have been well planned out, a conspiracy of some kind. If I really open the entrance, I have no idea what would happen.”
“What do you mean?” Xue Zheng Mao’s expression turned serious.
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders, “I mean I literally have no idea what would happen. Perhaps it will alarm someone, or it might make things even more difficult for Her Royal Highness. In light of this, do you still want to open this entrance?”
Everyone looked at each other after hearing this, but after a long silence, Xue Zheng Mao stated in a heavy voice, “We haven’t heard from the Great Emperor, we have no idea whether Her Royal Highness is dead or alive. Now, this place is the only clue we have. Since that’s the case, we can only continue forward by opening it. If they are alive, we have to see them in person, if they’re dead, we must see their corpses.”
The others also nodded, expressing their agreement with Elder Xue. Now that they had a clue, exploring was the only option; no one was willing to simply sit back and leave things to fate. What’s more, Yang Kai only warned about the worst possible situation while there was no guarantee that things would turn out that bad.
They might even find both father and daughter, the Great Emperor and Lan Xun, right after opening the entrance.
Yang Kai nodded, “Since you have already made a decision, I will proceed. However, the entrance is too unstable, so if everyone wants to enter, you must make every breath count. In addition, you have to be on guard the moment you enter, lest others take advantage of it.”
Xue Zheng Mao slightly smiled, “Though we’ve all lived many years, none of us is willing to die just yet. Naturally, we won’t be careless.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Since that’s the case, follow me.”
Saying so, he turned around and flew back down. Everyone hurriedly followed after him before scattering about, giving Yang Kai space to work. Everyone’s nerves were taut, waiting for the entrance to open so that they could rush in.
Space Principles fluctuated as Yang Kai cautiously cracked the seal on the entrance, opening the Void Corridor.
Space started rippling, as if pieces of stone were dropped onto the calm surface of the lake, causing ripples to spread.
Not long after, a dark tunnel suddenly appeared at the bottom of the funnel.
Void Corridor!
Everyone’s spirit rose at the sight of this, much more so for Xiao Yu Yang. He felt that it wasn’t a waste of time to invite Yang Kai. They had also tried to open this Void Corridor before, but none of them even had a clue how to begin. If they had used brute force, it might have collapsed the entrance entirely. Now though, the seal which had stumped them all had been solved in the blink of an eye by Yang Kai.
[As expected, it’s all about the right man for the job.]
Pairs of eyes kept wandering between Yang Kai and the Void Corridor as everyone waited for him to give the signal.
The Void Corridor had just taken shape and was highly unstable, warping and distorting in a chaotic fashion. All Yang Kai could do was use his Space Principles to reinforce it so that it would be safer for people to transit through it.
After an incense worth of time, the Void Corridor that had been distorting all the while finally and slowly stabilized.
Yang Kai shouted, “Quickly enter, and be careful!”
Xue Zheng Mao, who had long been waiting for this, immediately rushed in. Right after, figures kept disappearing into the Void Corridor, one after another, with Xiao Yu Yang being the last one remaining.
When Xiao Yu Yang had plunged into the Void Corridor, Yang Kai’s figure also flickered as he prepared to go in.
But right then, his expression suddenly changed as he looked up.
In the sky, a streak of light was swooping down, shooting straight towards the Void Corridor. Yang Kai noticed a hazy figure in that streak of light, but even with his incredible strength and senses, he actually failed to even catch a glimpse of this newcomer’s true appearance.
“Who!?” Yang Kai immediately shouted as he lifted his palm and struck out. In his haste, Yang Kai actually used one of his recently comprehended Dragon Clan Secret Techniques unconsciously.
Majestic Dragon Pressure immediately spread into the surroundings as Yang Kai’s palm print transformed into a great Dragon Claw, giving the impression that it could shatter through the sky!
The oncoming figure, however, didn’t dodge or even try to slow down.
With a deafening bang, Yang Kai was knocked backwards and plummeted into the swirling sand, left in a sorry state from the rebound of his own strength.
When he flew back out from the sandpit, covered in dirt, the figure was nowhere to be seen. Immediately, Yang Kai looked towards the Void Corridor which was about to disappear because it had lost his stabilizing support and was quite unnerved.
The instant he came into contact with the other party, he felt an unfathomable strength push back against him. Till the end, he didn’t even catch sight of the appearance of the person who brushed by him.
[Even a Third-Order Emperor couldn’t have taken that attack head-on, but whoever it was just now smashed through it head-on without even stuttering! In other words, that person definitely had a cultivation much higher than the Third-Order Emperor Realm! Was it a Pseudo-Great Emperor? Or even a Great Emperor?]
Only someone with such strength could outright ignore an attack from Yang Kai.
The only thing Yang Kai was certain of was that the other party had no malice towards him; otherwise, he would not have taken his attack without countering. Judging by the other party’s cultivation, if they really decided to fight back, Yang Kai would definitely have suffered.
[Who was it?]
Yang Kai was confused. Coincidentally or not, this newcomer had gone straight into the Void Corridor. Obviously, he or she had been monitoring this place all along, yet Xue Zheng Mao and the others had not noticed them.
Could it be Bright Moon Great Emperor? But if it was Bright Moon Great Emperor, why did he not appear?
[Who the Hell was it!?] Yang Kai felt extremely frustrated.
Seeing that the Void Corridor was about to close again though, Yang Kai had no time to give it any more thought as his figure rushed straight into the black portal.
Everything went white before Yang Kai’s eyes before he suddenly appeared in another world.
He immediately prompted his Emperor Qi to guard himself against any possible threat, but no sneak attack came. As Yang Kai looked around, he couldn’t help but frown.
Because not a single person was in sight. Xue Zheng Mao and the other Emperor Realm Masters of Star Soul Palace who had entered before him had completely disappeared, and when he spread his Divine Sense, he couldn’t sense anyone either.
[Where is everyone?] Yang Kai was confused.
Over a dozen Emperor Realm Masters of Star Soul Palace had clearly entered this place before him, but Yang Kai didn’t see a single figure when he came in. It was a bit strange.
However, if the entrance had the function of randomly teleporting, it could explain the current situation. Yang Kai had entered similar Sealed Worlds where although there was only one entrance, the people who entered didn’t appear in the same location.
Judging by the current situation, this Sealed World should be also of this type. So, Yang Kai couldn’t find everyone who had stepped in before him, and perhaps everyone else was in the same situation. They might be all alone and forced to fend for themselves.
But that shouldn’t be a problem. If everyone was dispersed, there was a higher chance of finding Lan Xun if she was really here.
After confirming that there was no danger around, Yang Kai began searching the nearby surroundings. It was a dark and gloomy world where World Energy wasn’t rich. The entire world appeared dead and silent. It was impossible for such a world to give birth to any kind of precious treasure. At first glance, the environment here somewhat resembled that of the Western Territory, with hard rocky ground and some sparse shrubs scattered around. As for living creatures, there were no signs of any at all.
But for some unknown reason, Yang Kai had felt a sense of unease ever since he entered this place, as if there was some kind of danger lurking nearby, unseen and unheard.
After pondering for a while though, Yang Kai turned towards a certain direction and flew off.
This was indeed an independent Sealed World, but although it had its own World Principles, they were imperfect, a bit similar to his original Sealed World Bead. Other than that, this Sealed World seemed to be fairly large. Yang Kai flew forward for almost an entire day but didn’t encounter anything worth paying attention to, let alone Xiao Yu Yang or the others.
It was as if they had all evaporated from the face of this world.
There was no day or night in this Sealed World, and the sky was always dark and bleak. The surroundings too were extremely similar. Being left alone in such a lonely and bleak environment would gradually wear down anyone’s mental strength. After another day, Yang Kai, who was searching around, suddenly raised his brow as he looked ahead.
[Someone’s there!]
Over a dozen kilometres ahead of him, he could sense a life aura, so he immediately focused his gaze in that direction.
This person seemed to have noticed Yang Kai’s gaze though and their figure flickered as they flew off.
Yang Kai had finally met someone alive in this damned place, so how could he just let the other party escape? He immediately gave chase, but very soon, he discovered that this person was unbelievably fast and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t close the distance between them. What’s more, this person’s Divine Sense was so powerful that Yang Kai couldn’t probe their true appearance or cultivation at all. Yang Kai’s own Divine Sense was blocked by an invisible field when it approached this person.
A feeling of being toyed with rose in Yang Kai’s heart, causing his anger to rise as he made even more of an effort to catch up, only realizing a short time later that the other party seemed to be leading him somewhere.
Speculating so, Yang Kai deliberately slowed down a little, and as expected, the other party also slowed down. When Yang Kai sped up again though, the other party also sped up!
[Damn it!] Yang Kai was furious as he threw all caution to the wind and gave it his all to catch up.
Although he knew that there might be some kind of trap waiting for him, this was the first clue he had found since entering this world, so even if he knew that there was a tiger waiting for him on the mountain, Yang Kai had no choice but to ascend it anyway.
One chased and the other fled, leading to an hour-long chase before suddenly, Yang Kai’s brow furrowed.
Because at that moment, he actually lost the opposite party’s aura, like they had simply vanished for no rhyme and reason, leaving not a trace behind.
Instead, Yang Kai now sensed several life fluctuations belonging to a small group not far ahead. Among them, Yang Kai found three of them somewhat familiar.
Realizing this, Yang Kai frowned before he hurriedly flew towards that side.
Not long after, he reached a rocky slope where five figures, one male and four females, were all sitting cross-legged.
When Yang Kai looked over at this group, he couldn’t help but be elated as he hurriedly shouted, “Yun’er!”
Among the five figures, the one in the middle was actually Lin Yun’er. Even though Lin Yun’er had also apparently gone missing and Yang Kai had suspected that it was the handiwork of the same group, he hadn’t really expected to find her here.
After looking at the others, Yang Kai discovered that it was as he had expected. Yao Lin, who was captured on the East Sea, as well as Lan Xun, who went missing in the Southern Territory, were both here. As for the remaining man and woman, Yang Kai didn’t know either of them, but judging from the previous intelligence, he could make an educated guess that this man and woman were either blood kin or Legacy Disciples of one of the Great Emperors.
The man appeared to be in his thirties and had a fair complexion, seemingly born with a handsome face. As for the woman, she was wearing a veil over her face, making it harder to see her true appearance, but judging from her enchanting and ravishing figure, she was undoubtedly a great beauty.
Yang Kai didn’t immediately rush over. He was lured here, otherwise, he would not have found these Great Emperors’ sons, daughters, and Disciples.
The question was, why was he led here? Was there some sort of scheme behind this? In such an unfamiliar environment, in suspicious circumstances, how could Yang Kai not raise his guard.
“Yun’er!” Yang Kai shouted again; however, Lin Yun’er remained sitting cross-legged, not reacting at all, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense scanned over and over again, but he couldn’t find the aura of the person who had led him here, nor did he find any traces of traps around Lin Yun’er and the others. Someone seemed to have cast a Divine Ability on the five though, locking them into a state of deep slumber with no perception of the outside world.
Of these five, except for Yao Lin, who was a Third-Order Dao Source Realm, the remaining four were all Emperors. The veiled woman was especially noticeable as she had a cultivation on par with Yang Kai’s, Second-Order Emperor Realm.
[She should be Flower Shadow Great Emperor’s Disciple! As expected, an accomplished Disciple owes their accomplishments to their great teacher.] Although he couldn’t see her true appearance, Yang Kai was sure that she wasn’t that old. Having such high cultivation at such a young age indicated that this woman’s aptitude was incredibly good.
However, thinking that Yao Lin’s kidnapper was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh. Although these five were fairly strong in their generation, they were far worse than a Pseudo-Great Emperor. If a Pseudo-Great Emperor had been aiming for them, none of them would be capable of escaping.
Yang Kai stood on the spot for a while, pondering, before he strode towards Lin Yun’er and the others in large strides.
If this was a blessing, it was not a curse, and if it was a curse, it couldn’t be avoided. Since he had found Lin Yun’er, Lan Xun, and the others, Yang Kai couldn’t stand idly by. In any case, he had to wake them up and ask them what had happened to them if he ever wanted to figure out what was going on.
At the very least, he had to know who did this to them, why they were kidnapped and brought here, and what was their kidnappers’ ultimate objective?
Not long after, Yang Kai stood right next to the small group of five, but to his surprise, everything remained completely safe and stable as before; nothing eventful happened. In fact, nothing happened at all.
Standing right in front of Lin Yun’er, Yang Kai placed his finger on her forehead, and then carefully sent a thread of his Emperor Qi and Divine Sense into her body to check her condition.
Surprisingly, Lin Yun’er had not suffered any injuries, though she seemed to be in a peculiar kind of mental state. Her Knowledge Sea was wide open and unguarded, and she seemed to have fallen into some kind of profound illusion, making it impossible for her to wake herself or even sense what was happening around her.
In other words, if someone wanted to do something nefarious to her, they could do so with impunity.
Realizing this, Yang Kai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He was originally worried about what kind of peculiar seal had been planted on Lin Yun’er or others, but if it was just a type of illusion induced dream, he had a way to wake them up.
Silently urging his Golden Divine Dragon Source, Yang Kai sent a wisp of his Divine Sense into Lin Yun’er’s Knowledge Sea, transformed into an enormous Dragon Head, and roared, “Yun’er, wake up!”
Dragon Roar!
This was among the most basic Secret Techniques of the Dragon Clan and had the simple effect of shaking the mind of anyone who heard it.
The Dragon Roar echoed endlessly in Lin Yun’er’s Knowledge Sea, spreading ripples far and wide. As these ripples spread, they cleared all foreign influences from Lin Yun’er’s Knowledge Sea and a moment later, a faint sound of something breaking rang out.
Lin Yun’er unconsciously made a groan as a frown appeared on her forehead before she slowly opened her eyes.
As her eyes gained clarity, Yang Kai’s face appeared before her.
Lin Yun’er kept blinking her big eyes, seemingly confused.
“Yun’er, how do you feel?” Yang Kai nervously asked. Although he had controlled the Dragon Clan Secret Technique as best he could to only awaken her, he had still done so directly into her Knowledge Sea, so a single careless mistake might have harmed Lin Yun’er Soul.
“Uncle… Uncle Yang?” Lin Yun’er was obviously a little groggy and confused as she stared at Yang Kai in a daze and asked, “How come you are here?”
Yang Kai smiled, “I came here to find you. Forget about me for now, let’s talk about you. Are you alright? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
Lin Yun’er checked her condition after hearing this. Then, she candidly smiled, “I’m not feeling uncomfortable at all.”
However, she suddenly frowned and said, “It’s just…”
Yang Kai’s face sank as he suddenly became nervous, “What is it?”
“I’m hungry!” Lin Yun’er touched her belly before she stuck her tongue cutely.
Yang Kai’s face twitched visibly as he wasn’t quite sure how to react.
He quickly recalled that after becoming the Disciple of Iron Blood Great Emperor, Lin Yun’er had somehow gained an astonishing appetite. In fact, when he last reunited with her, the moment she was out of danger, she had complained she was hungry.
She was really too carefree!
“If you’re hungry, fix something to eat yourself. I have to wake them up,” Yang Kai stated before walking toward Lan Xun.
“What happened to them?” Lin Yun’er seemed to have finally noticed that there were others here besides them and her eyes widened in astonishment.
“You don’t remember?” Yang Kai looked back at her and asked.
A pensive look suddenly appeared on Lin Yun’er’s face, and after a long time she clapped her hands and said, “Oh, I remember, I was caught by someone. That old man was really powerful. I couldn’t defeat him.”
“An old man?” Yang Kai frowned, “Was he wearing a black robe?”
Lin Yun’er denied, shaking her head, “No, he wasn’t wearing a black robe. His hair was white, but other than that he didn’t have any distinguishing features. I didn’t recognize him either.”
[White hair?] Yang Kai was a little stunned. He remembered that Yao Lin’s kidnapper didn’t have white hair, which was to say that Yao Lin and Lin Yun’er were kidnapped by different people!
“But if Yun’er sees him next time, I’ll have to thank him.” Lin Yun’er cutely smiled.
“Why would you thank him?” Yang Kai did his best to keep a straight face. No matter who kidnapped her, obviously, he wanted to do something bad to her, so why would she feel grateful to him?
Lin Yun’er replied like it was a matter of course, “If he hadn’t kidnapped me, Yun’er would not have the chance to meet Uncle Yang again so soon! Of course, I will have to thank him well for that.”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless and bitterly smiled in resignation, “Do as you please.”
“Uncle Yang, you were also caught by him?” Lin Yun’er asked again.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I came to find you.” While speaking, he pointed his finger on Lan Xun’s forehead and did the same as before.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun’er kept chattering non-stop, “Uncle Yang, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to go with you to the Northern Territory last time, it was Master who took me back. He destroyed the array you worked so hard to arrange as well. Are you angry?”
[As I expected, it was Iron Blood Great Emperor’s doing!] Yang Kai had long guessed it, but now, after Lin Yun’er’s confirmation, he knew that his guess was right, Iron Blood Great Emperor really was the one to destroy his Space Array.
Of course, Yang Kai just shook his head as he replied, “It’s fine, your Master did it for your sake.”
Lin Yun’er immediately smiled, “Next time, when we see Master, I will ask him to apologize to you.”
Yang Kai broke out into cold sweat and shook his head, “No need, no need!” He solemnly exhorted, “It’s okay to say such things when it’s just us, but you absolutely cannot speak so inappropriately before your Master.”
If she really asked her Master to apologize to him, wouldn’t Iron Blood Great Emperor start skinning him alive?
“En!” Lin Yun’er obediently nodded.
Soon after, Lan Xun also woke up, but she wasn’t as careless as Lin Yun’er. The moment she opened her eyes, she pushed her Emperor Qi to shield herself as she leapt back, vigilantly staring at Yang Kai.
After assessing her situation though, she tilted her head in surprise and asked, “Senior Brother Yang?”
“Junior Sister Lan.” Yang Kai smiled.
Lan Xun rubbed her forehead before she embarrassingly smiled, dispelling all her hostility, “I’m sorry.”
“No harm,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. Her reaction was quite normal, it was Lin Yun’er who was the strange one.
“Where are we?” Lan Xun looked around and asked in confusion.
Yang Kai replied, “A Sealed World of some kind. All I know other than that is I entered from a desert in the Western Territory. You recover first while I will wake the others.”
Lan Xun glanced over at the other three, who were still asleep, and lightly nodded. She then walked back and sat down cross-legged, calmly waiting. She had many questions, but she knew that now wasn’t the right time.
The third one Yang Kai awakened was Yao Lin. She had the lowest cultivation, so Yang Kai handled her more delicately, but what rendered Yang Kai speechless was that the moment she woke up, she started screaming in fear, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me! My father is Serene Soul Great Emperor, he can pay you anything you want, just don’t kill me!”
Yang Kai fiercely glared at her and snapped, “Does it look like I’m going to kill you?”
Yao Lin finally stopped flailing about, opened her eyes, and took a good look at Yang Kai’s face. She soon came to her senses and shouted, pointing at him, “It’s you!”
Yang Kai asked, snorting, “What’s wrong, can it not be me?”
“You didn’t rescue me when you saw me in danger! When I return, I will definitely tell my father and ask him to heavily punish you!” Yao Lin glared at Yang Kai, grinding her teeth. Obviously, she still remembered the scene when she was captured.
Yang Kai coldly glared at her, “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Yao Lin’s lips parted. She obviously wanted to say something, but when she saw Yang Kai’s glare, she couldn’t help but shudder. She swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue before murmuring, “Why are you being so fierce? My father is Serene Soul Great Emperor.”
Yang Kai pointed at Lan Xun, “Guess who her father is!”
How could Yao Lin not recognize Lan Xun? After all, these five had met each other once or twice before and were all familiar with one another. Her identity of being a Great Emperor’s daughter might deter others, but it was meaningless before those present here.
Yao Lin immediately shrunk her neck and became extremely timid. She finally remembered that the guy before her tried to kill her once before. She almost died at his hand, so she couldn’t help but be struck with panic.
“Alright, Senior Brother Yang, Sister Yao Lin is just a little ignorant of the ways of the world. Don’t be too angry at her.” Lan Xun mediated.
Yang Kai snorted, “I think she’s just too spoiled.” After meeting Yao Lin’s mother, how could he not understand how she came to be so arrogant and condescending; after all, like mother like daughter.
Yao Lin didn’t speak anymore and just cowered beside Lan Xun. Yang Kai completely ignored her and walked straight to the only other man and once again used his Dragon Roar Secret Technique.
After a while, the man moved. Obviously, he had woken up, but what surprised Yang Kai was that he kept his eyes closed.
Even though his eyes remained shut, Yang Kai could feel that he was being examined by the opposite party. This made Yang Kai a little uncomfortable. [What arrogance! So what if you are a Great Emperor’s Disciple? Father here just saved your life! Can’t you at least open your eyes to see your saviour?]
“What’s your good name?” The opposite part suddenly spoke, his voice extremely gentle and pleasing to the ear.
Yang Kai replied in neither a cold nor in a warm manner, “Yang Kai!”
A look of surprise immediately appeared on the man’s face as he declared, “So it is Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai was surprised now and asked, “You know me?”
The man smiled, “I have heard so much about you, and finally met you today, a pleasure, a pleasure.”
Yang Kai indifferently responded, “I’m flattered.”
The man seemed to have felt his indifference and pondered for a while before finally understanding the reason. He then smiled temperately and explained, “Brother Yang, forgive me, this one is not deliberately trying to be offensive, it is just inconvenient to show my eyes because of my natural disability.”
Saying so, he suddenly opened his eyes, and when Yang Kai saw them, he was momentarily shocked. Because this man was actually blind. His eyes were pure white, with no pupils at all. A normal person who saw this man’s true appearance for the first time would probably be frightened, or at least taken aback, so Yang Kai immediately realized why he kept them closed.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yang Kai scratched his cheek as he apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
Originally, Yang Kai thought that the man was putting on airs when he kept his eyes closed. He hadn’t thought that it was just because of a disability.
This man had reached the Emperor Realm, but even if his Honoured Master was a Great Emperor, he was still unable to restore his sight. It was evident that he was born this way, so no matter how much effort he put in, it would be all but impossible to grant him sight.
“May I ask for your honoured name?” Yang Kai asked.
“Gao Zhan!”
The nearby Lan Xun explained, giggling, “Senior Brother Gao is the only Disciple of Senior Heaven’s Revelations. Rumour has it that he has received Sir’s Eight True Scriptures.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “Brother Gao is impressive.”
Among the ten Great Emperors, Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor might not be the strongest, but he was by far the most knowledgeable. Rumour had it that Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor could spy on the secrets of the Heavens, peering into the past and the future with his Divine Foresight Ability.
Gao Zhan was the only Disciple of Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor, so obviously he was exceptionally talented and suitable to carry Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor’s mantle. Lan Xun’s comment about Gao Zhan receiving the Great Emperor’s Eight True Scriptures wasn’t just idle praise, but heartfelt admiration.
Gao Zhan humbly smiled, “Junior Sister is overpraising me. My paltry skills cannot compare to Honoured Master’s. This Gao Zhan fears he will never reach such a height in this life.”
Suddenly, he turned to Yang Kai and stared hard at him with his white eyes, “Brother Yang, do be careful.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “Be careful of what?”
Gao Zhan’s mouth was already shut though as he closed his eyes and quietly sat on his spot, as if he had fallen asleep again.
Yang Kai looked confused and turned to Lan Xun, but unfortunately, she just moved her lips a few times, indicating that she was equally perplexed. As far as she knew, Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor was also like this. He would say something inexplicable from time to time, which could only be fully verified and understood afterwards.
Several Great Emperors had been warned by Heavens Revelations Great Emperor in their youth about impending catastrophes, which helped them survive till this day.
Gao Zhan was Heavens Revelations Great Emperor’s Disciple, so since he suddenly warned Yang Kai, it undoubtedly meant that he would encounter some danger in the near future. After thinking about it, Lan Xun simply told Yang Kai about her worries.
On the other hand, Yang Kai just pursed his lips into a smile and replied, “What will come will come.”
After all, it was just a warning with no additional details, so all Yang Kai could do was continue forward. Constantly worrying about some disaster would only hinder him, so he decided to just take things as they came.
After this brief but confusing incident, Yang Kai looked over at the last female and asked, “This should be Senior Flower Shadow’s Disciple, right?”
Lan Xun was surprised, “How did Senior Brother Yang know? Have you met Senior Sister Li before?”
Yang Kai explained, shaking his head, “I have never met her before, but I received some information on the way here. I know that all of you had gone missing together, and now that your count matches the number, it’s not hard to guess who the last one is.”
“So that’s how it is.” Lan Xun nodded before she suddenly smiled mischievously, “Senior Sister Li is extremely pretty. Brother Yang, do you want to see her true face? Senior Brother Yang can take advantage of the fact that Senior Sister Li is asleep right now to see her unveiled beauty. If you miss out on this chance, you might never get another in the future!”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “Junior Sister Lan is also a great beauty. Do you have to resort to these wily tricks if you want to see it?”
Lan Xun pursed her lips and stated, “Senior Brother Yang, don’t say that. Although Xun’er has confidence in her looks, Senior Sister Li is still prettier.”
Hearing what she said, Yang Kai’s interest was a little piqued. Lan Xun could already be considered a country destroying beauty, but she freely admitted that this Senior Sister Li was actually prettier than her. It was difficult for Yang Kai to not be curious.
But curiosity was just curiosity. He wouldn’t really lift someone’s veil just to peek at her true face. If he really did that, he would be no better than a pervert.
Besides, people were watching right now.
Wryly shaking his head, Yang Kai stretched his finger forward.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense and Emperor Qi surged as a solemn look appeared on his face.
After a short while, the woman’s figure trembled ever so slightly. Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times before a pair of beautiful eyes suddenly opened.
When their eyes met, Yang Kai suddenly had a very strange feeling; he felt that her bright star-like eyes seemed to be the only thing present in the world, drawing his very soul into them, making him feel that it would all be worth it even if he died for her right here and now.
A sense of crisis immediately gripped Yang Kai’s heart when he realized just what he was thinking, but in the next instant, as the opposite party’s eyes regained their normal state, the invisible force or attraction that was drawing his mind in suddenly disappeared, allowing him to extricate himself from that peculiar state. Just as he was relaxing though, he was hit with an odd sense of loss, as if he had just missed something important.
“Shi Qing thanks Senior Brother for his help. How may I address Senior Brother?” The woman opposite him suddenly spoke. Her voice was as clear as the splashing sounds of a mountain spring, extremely pleasant to the ear.
“Yang Kai.”
“So it is Senior Brother Yang,” Li Shi Qing nodded and expressed her gratitude again before getting up and looking around. “Where are we?”
Lan Xun explained to her as Li Shi Qing gently nodded in response.
Yang Kai frowned, staring at her side profile. He had a faint feeling that something wasn’t right here, but he couldn’t tell what. He carefully went through every single detail of what just happened, but it all seemed quite normal. She had shown no signs of using a Beguiling Technique, so Yang Kai figured he had just been caught up in her innate charm.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and didn’t give it any more thought. He clapped his hand and stated, attracting everyone’s attention, “It’s not safe to stay here. It’s better to leave as soon as possible.”
He was lured here by someone. Furthermore, before he came in, a Pseudo-Great Emperor or Great Emperor had also broken into this place. Also, this damned place was still giving Yang Kai inexplicable palpitations so of course he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Now that the missing Great Emperors’ children and Disciples had been found, all that was left was to find the exit of this Sealed World and escape.
Lan Xun agreed with a nod, “Senior Brother Yang is right, but we don’t know anything about this place, so we will leave it to Senior Brother to lead us.”
Yang Kai stated, bitterly smiling, “I am just about as clueless as you are, so let’s just proceed with caution. It would be best if we could find the Elders of Star Soul Palace and then work together with them. Perhaps they have even found something already.”
Naturally, no one had any objections. After reaching an agreement, Yang Kai decided on a direction and led the way ahead.
In this team of six, apart from Yang Kai, who had little known origins, the remaining five had monstrous backgrounds. Such a luxurious lineup was a once in a lifetime kind of event; after all, these people usually lived in different territories of the Star Boundary so if it weren’t for some hidden mastermind kidnapping them, it would be all but impossible for them to gather together.
Although everyone had noble origins, they were quite easy to get along with, except for Yao Lin, who was too arrogant and domineering. Whether it was Lan Xun or Lin Yun’er, they never bullied others or abused their status, and it went without saying that Gao Zhan had done nothing of that sort. Although he was blind, he had a very gentle and mild temperament. As for Li Shi Qing, she seemed to have a somewhat aloof personality, but it wasn’t like she was deliberately looking down on others. The moment she opened her eyes, she addressed Yang Kai as Senior Brother, so it was clear she did not judge others by their origins.
Unfortunately, this Sealed World seemed quite vast, and much of the scenery was grey and monotonous. Even after travelling for an entire day and night, their team of six didn’t encounter any other living creatures. What they saw was the same dull scenery so they couldn’t help but be suspicious about whether they were actually flying around in circles.
But Yang Kai found no signs of an Illusion Array, which only puzzled him further.
“Uncle Yang, Yun’er is hungry,” Lin Yun’er suddenly cried out. When Yang Kai woke her up, the first thing she thought of was food, and at this moment, her stomach was already grumbling audibly.
Yang Kai was quite curious about just what Secret Art Iron Blood Great Emperor had imparted to her that even when she reached the Emperor Realm, she still needed to eat to satiate herself. Under normal circumstances, an Emperor Realm Master would never need to eat as he or she could simply survive by absorbing World Energy.
But Lin Yun’er was obviously not like this. Although the little girl had astonishing strength, her hunger was equally impressive and at this moment, her eyes looked a little sluggish and droopy.
Yang Kai, after thinking for a while, consented, “Then we can take this opportunity to rest while you fix yourself something to eat.”
Just after waking up, everyone started following Yang Kai, and they all seemed a little worn down, so it was the perfect time to take a breather.
Landing, all of them immediately started adjusting their breathing, all except for Lin Yun’er that is as she right away took out a big black pot, set up a small stove on the ground, poured some clean water into it, and then threw some strange Monster Beast meat into it before covering it with a lid and lighting a fire.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he had seen the fearsome might of this ordinary-looking black pot with his own eyes. It was an Ancient Exotic Emperor Artifact gifted by Iron Blood Great Emperor to Lin Yun’er called Unlimited Return, and its might was unfathomable.
However, in Lin Yun’er’s hands, it almost exclusively became used to cook meat. If Iron Blood Great Emperor came to know about this, who knows how he would feel?
But having said that, the food cooked in Unlimited Return was almost divine in taste as Yang Kai could personally attest. Anyone who ate it would keep licking their fingers until they were completely clean. Not only was the meat delicious, but it also retained all the essence and energy of what had been cooked.
Not long after, a delicious smell started spreading into the surroundings, causing everyone who was meditating and adjusting their breaths to sniff with their noses and open their eyes.
Lin Yun’er didn’t look sluggish anymore and instead was staring at the black pot with bright eyes, continuously smacking her lips.
Yang Kai couldn’t bear the sight of it and warned her, “Yun’er, you’re drooling.”
Lin Yun’er took a breath with a slurping sound then apologetically smiled at Yang Kai; however, very soon, she said with great pride, “I’m making enough for everyone! It’s almost done now, just wait a bit.”
Lan Xun couldn’t help but smile wryly, “You’re the only one who seems to be impatient!”
Yao Lin pouted as she muttered, “I don’t want to eat such strange things.” Even so, her eyes couldn’t help but be involuntarily glued to the black pot. Although she was Serene Soul Great Emperor’s precious daughter, loved and adored by millions of people, never before had she smelled such a delicious smell.
This interruption had turned the tense atmosphere a little relaxed.
A short time later, sizzling sounds rang out from the pot as Lin Yun’er exclaimed, “En, it’s done. We can start now!”
While speaking, she opened the lid to reveal a pot of amber-coloured broth. Lin Yun’er reached out and plucked a Monster Beast’s thigh from the pot and offered it to Yang Kai, “Uncle Yang, this is for you.”
Yang Kai took it with a smile, “Then I won’t be polite.”
Having tasted it last time, he knew that the things cooked in Unlimited Return could not only satiate one’s appetite, but also provide a rich amount of energy and essence. Long-term consumption of such food would definitely be beneficial to one’s cultivation. Lin Yun’er’s strength had likely progressed so rapidly because she had eaten a lot of these dishes.
And in her Space Ring, there must be many corpses of some Monster Beasts in reserve. For instance, the one she cooked just now was at least a Ninth-Order Monster Beast.
Lin Yun’er divided the meat, giving a piece to everyone. Lan Xun, holding a large chunk of meat on a bone, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She had not eaten things like this in many years, but Lin Yun’er was so enthusiastic that she simply couldn’t refuse, and looking at the look of relish on Yang Kai’s face, she couldn’t help but take a small nibble. One nibble, however, was enough for her eyes to flash brilliantly. She felt that the meat in her hands was more delicious than any miracle elixir or meal she had ever tasted before in her life.
Caught in a dilemma, Lan Xun did her best to maintain her noble image while eating as quickly as possible.
Yao Lin on the other hand had already completely forgotten what she had just said and at this moment was eating like a starved ghost, cleaning her bones while licking her fingers. Gao Zhan didn’t say a word, but he ate no less than the others. At this moment, all thoughts of mystical foresight were set aside as he focused on moving his hands as swiftly and deftly as possible.
Lin Yun’er, with meat still in her mouth, incoherently said, “There is still the soup. Master said that the soup is actually the best part.”
While eating, Yang Kai suddenly frowned and asked, “Where is Li Shi Qing?”
Everyone paused together and looked up at each other. Suddenly, they realized a problem; there were only five of them instead of the original six and they had no idea when Li Shi Qing had disappeared.
Although everyone’s attention had been captured by Lin Yun’er’s cooking, almost everyone here was Emperor Realm Master, so even if they didn’t deliberately keep their eyes on Li Shi Qing, they should not have failed to notice when she had disappeared.
But only when Yang Kai reminded everyone did they finally realize this problem. It was like Li Shi Qing had evaporated into thin air.
For a moment, everyone felt a chill!
Lin Yun’er swallowed the meat in her mouth before speaking, “She was here just now, but I didn’t see her when I was dividing the meat.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and looked at the others, “No one noticed anything?”
He also knew that he probably wouldn’t gain anything by asking as among everyone present here, his cultivation was the highest. If even he failed to notice when she disappeared, it was simply impossible for others to have sensed anything.
Lan Xun solemnly shook her head, suddenly losing her appetite.
Yao Lin nervously voiced her speculation, “Did she get caught again?” Recalling the scene when she was captured, she couldn’t help but shiver as she leaned against Lan Xun, looking for a sense of security.
“Who could snatch her away without any noise from right under our noses?” Yang Kai shook his head. Even a Great Emperor wouldn’t be capable of something like this.
Gao Zhan didn’t say a word as he suddenly took out three turtle shells with a flip of his hand, one big and two small. The big one was the size of an adult’s palm, while the smaller ones were the size of an infant’s fist; however, each tortoiseshell exuded an extremely ancient and desolate aura. Obviously, these items had an extremely long history.
He stretched his hand out and formed a seal and in the next moment, he threw the three turtle shells forward.
When the turtle shells fell on the ground, he touched the patterns on the three shells and closed his eyes, pondering for a while. Then, he stretched his hand out and spoke, pointing in a direction, “Senior Sister Li is in that direction.”
[Can this kind of thing also be predicted?] Yang Kai was equal parts stunned and satisfied.
Although Li Shi Qing and Yang Kai weren’t acquaintances, since they had met, he had to rescue her; furthermore, he could not understand how Li Shi Qing disappeared into thin air all of a sudden. This kind of mystery needed a swift resolution, so he was eager to find her.
“I’ll go there and take a look, wait for me here,” Yang Kai said, standing up.
Lan Xun suggested, “Let’s go together.”
Yang Kai refused, shaking his head, “We don’t know what happened, but if something goes wrong, I have a way to deal with it if I go alone. If we go together and it’s a trap, things will only be more difficult.”
Hearing what he said, Lan Xun lightly nodded in agreement. Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so unless someone was capable of sealing off space around him, it was all but impossible to keep him from escaping.
Yang Kai asked the four to remain in place and be on guard for anything out of the ordinary. And if he didn’t return after a set time, they should look for the Elders from Star Soul Palace and leave this place. After giving out instructions, Yang Kai flew along the direction pointed by Gao Zhan.
All along the way, he kept searching for Li Shi Qing, but to no avail. Only a faint fragrance of her lingered in the air.
[Gao Zhan pointed in the right direction! He really calculated Li Shi Qing’s location.] Yang Kai couldn’t help but admire him and these divining techniques.
But he found one thing strange. He only smelt the lingering fragrance of Li Shi Qing, and no one else. In that case, he could only assume Li Shi Qing left alone.
But why would she leave alone? If something was the matter, why didn’t she inform everyone in advance?
After about the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, a lake appeared in front of Yang Kai’s eyes and he could hear the splashing sounds of water coming from the distance. Yang Kai grew suspicious and immediately concealed his aura before approaching the lake.
After a short while, he arrived by the shore and hid behind a tree, quietly looking around.
After just one glance though, Yang Kai’s face went red with embarrassment.
Because there was a graceful tender figure bathing in the lake. Although it was just a quick glance, Yang Kai’s eyesight was quite amazing and the lake water was so clear that he saw everything that shouldn’t have been seen.
The figure was so ravishing and enchanting that it could make anyone’s nose bleed. Even a veteran of such affairs like Yang Kai couldn’t help but have his heart skip a beat and start rapidly beating.
The person bathing in the river was none other than Li Shi Qing who had silently disappeared earlier.
How could Yang Kai have ever expected to see such a beautiful sight when he went searching for Li Shi Qing though? He found this infuriating and funny all at the same time. Apparently, Li Shi Qing hadn’t encountered any danger, nor was she kidnapped. She should have left by herself.
But there was one that Yang Kai still puzzled over; how did she leave without a trace or anyone noticing?
While he was mulling this over, Li Shi Qing suddenly shouted, “Who’s there?”
Perhaps it was because Yang Kai’s emotions had been disturbed, but she discovered some clues and immediately turned her head, looking in the direction Yang Kai was hiding. When she shouted, she stirred the lake with her feet, stirring the sand at its bottom to muddy the waters and obscure the alluring sight.
Yang Kai, after momentarily hesitating, could only grit his teeth and call out “It’s me, Yang Kai!”
“Senior Brother Yang!?” Li Shi Qing sounded a little surprised, “What are you doing here?”
Listening to her question, Yang Kai grew a little angry, “I was about to ask you the same question! Do you know what’s going on in this damned place? You just ran here without saying a word. Are you courting death? Have you gone nuts?”
After he was finished, Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown. [I don’t know her, so whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me. What did she do to me? If she really wanted to kill herself, no one would stop her, but just now, I couldn’t help but snap at her!]
After a moment of silence, Li Shi Qing’s voice came the next moment, “Sorry, I just wanted to clean myself as I was feeling uncomfortable. I saw that everyone was busy with their own affairs, so I thought that I had some time, and as luck would have it, I noticed this lake when we were passing by. So I came here.”
Yang Kai was surprised by her reaction and scratched his cheek as he stated, “In that case, you should have told us beforehand. Everyone was worried about you.”
“Next time, I will,” Li Shi Qing replied.
[There will still be next time?] Yang Kai couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He firmly decided that he would part ways with this woman after leaving this place and in the future never meet her again. He had a faint feeling that nothing good would come out of associating with her.
“Brother Yang…” Li Shi Qing called out again, sounding a little embarrassed, “Are you still here?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai replied in a heavy voice.
“Can you please move back a little, I want… to put on my clothes.”
These words could easily arouse some fantasies in the listener’s mind and Yang Kai couldn’t help but picture a certain naked figure in his mind. Quickly shaking his head and putting aside the distracting thoughts, he replied, “Alright, I’ll go over there and wait for you.”
“Many thanks,” Li Shi Qing gently replied.
Yang Kai’s figure rose and flew towards the distance.
But just as his feet lifted from the ground, he heard Li Shi Qing suddenly shout and he hurriedly stopped and turned back. The next moment, he saw the part of the lake where Li Shi Qing was previously bathing turn turbid and amid all the commotion, a struggling arm which quickly sank towards the bottom of the lake.
[What happened?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
At this moment, he didn’t know what to think and promptly flew over and shouted, “Li Shi Qing!”
But how could he get an answer? The lake was in turmoil and he couldn’t find Li Shi Qing anywhere in his sight. He could sense her with his Divine Sense, but he had no idea what danger she was in. Much to his surprise, she kept sinking to the bottom of the lake as she struggled.
Without giving it another thought, Yang Kai flipped in the air and dove straight down into the lake.
The water splashed as he swam deeper, urging his Emperor Qi to push away the surrounding water as he reached down to grab.
A soft and silky feeling came from his hand, as if he was grabbing the most exquisite silk in the world, and Yang Kai fiercely pulled Li Shi Qing over, flying up with a completely bare, shapely, snow-white figure in tow. Her soft, silky, and snow-white body was enough to make any man in the world go crazy, but Yang Kai didn’t have the time to appreciate it as he just stared into her eyes and asked in a deep voice, “What happened?”
Li Shi Qing didn’t answer though and instead, she let herself be pulled along with his strength and crashed into Yang Kai’s arm. In that instant, Yang Kai felt something, or rather two somethings softly press against his chest.
When he gazed down, he saw a beautiful face that could make everyone fall head over heels for it.
The veil that was covering her face had disappeared, revealing Li Shi Qing’s true appearance.
As Lan Xun had said, she was indeed an incredible beauty. The Heavens seemed to have put all the most beautiful features on her, resulting in a breath-taking countenance.
As their eyes met, warning bells immediately rang in Yang Kai’s heart as Li Shi Qing gently whispered in his ears, “Look at me…”
Her voice had a mysterious power that caused Yang Kai to involuntarily stare at her.
A strange gleam suddenly appeared in the depths of her eyes, like the starry sky in the night, full of glittering points of light. Yang Kai felt as if a binding technique had been cast upon him, making it impossible for him to move. An invisible burst of Divine Sense easily broke through Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea defences and left a kind of brand on his Soul in the next instant.
Time seemed to have been frozen at this moment.
After some unknown time, Yang Kai’s pupils finally moved and when he finally regained his vision and looked ahead, he saw Li Shi Qing gently smiling at him. That smile was enough to make everything in the world lose its colour, like that smile would only bloom for him and him alone.
Yang Kai was furious, however, and grabbed Li Shi Qing’s slender neck, leaping out of the water and landing on the shore as he pressed her up against a tree and gloomily asked with a cold glare, “What did you just do to me?”
At this moment, if Yang Kai still couldn’t understand Li Shi Qing’s distress was just a ploy on her part and that there was no danger under the lake, he would be a true fool.
From the start, he felt that something was wrong. The lake was so clear that it was impossible for a Monster Beast to hide in it. And Li Shi Qing was a Second-Order Emperor as well as Flower Shadow Great Emperor’s personal Disciple, so how could it be possible for her to fall into danger so easily?
Now he finally understood that everything was a trap to draw him closer to herself. [And laughably, I got myself tricked.]
But how could he have expected that Li Shi Qing, whom he had met by chance just a day ago, would use this kind of ploy to trick him.
Suddenly, he recalled Gao Zhan’s previous warning!
[Could it be that he was warning me about Li Shi Qing?]
[But why? Why did she entrap me? What did she just do to me?] Yang Kai didn’t feel any discomfort, nor did he find any injuries on himself while his Knowledge Sea looked just fine as well.
But he clearly noticed that Li Shi Qing had done something to him just now, something involving his Knowledge Sea, but if that was the case, why didn’t the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus react?
Yang Kai even suspected that Li Shi Qing came here alone just to draw him out.
By the small lake, a naked and enchanting figure, that could make anyone’s nose bleed, was pressed against the tree and held by her neck by Yang Kai, who had a furious and murderous look on his face. This situation looked extremely weird.
Having fallen into her trap without even noticing it, Yang Kai became somewhat angry out of shame. Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t show mercy but neither was he cruel. Although Li Shi Qing’s cultivation was fairly good, he literally had her by the neck now, making it difficult for her to breathe, flushing her face red.
But Li Shi Qing didn’t complain at all; rather, a smile that could melt even a statue’s heart hung on her face as she calmly gazed at Yang Kai, as if she would have no complaints even if he really killed her now.
Yang Kai’s heart ached inexplicably seeing this but he forced down his feelings of discomfort and shouted, “Speak!”
“From now on, we will never separate,” Li Shi Qing suddenly stated.
Just as she said this, Yang Kai felt his heart flutter, but his frown only grew deeper, “Are you insane? If you utter any more nonsense, I’ll kill you! Don’t think that I won’t dare!”
Li Shi Qing smiled at him, as if she knew no fear, lifted one of her slender jade-like hands, and asked in a gentle voice while gently holding Yang Kai’s arm, “Are you willing?”
Yang Kai coldly smiled, “Why wouldn’t I be willing?”
On the inside though, Yang Kai was cursing vehemently, [Damn it! I’m really reluctant to do it!] As soon as he thought of killing her, it was like his mind, body, and soul all rejected the very notion violently. At this moment, the woman before him, whom he had only known for a day, actually appeared like the most important person in his life. He felt as if he had already known her for decades, and they shared a deep and unbreakable bond with each other.
“Charm Technique?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, thinking about it as one of the possibilities. Only a powerful Charm Technique could explain the current situation, and his feelings for Li Shi Qing; otherwise, why would he be swayed over a woman he had only just met by chance and who clearly had sinister intentions towards him?
Li Shi Qing just giggled and said nothing.
Yang Kai fiercely glared at her, as if he wanted to eat her alive, the murderous intent emanating from him reaching an almost tangible level. Anyone facing this kind of situation would fall into a panic, but Li Shi Qing seemed to not know any fear. Even when Yang Kai had her by the neck and had pinned her against the tree, she just kept smiling. Only the slight grimace on her face showed that she even felt any pain.
“I’ll ask one last time, what did you do to me?” Yang Kai questioned in a bone-chilling voice.
As if she sensed his impatience, Li Shi Qing hesitated for a moment before finally giving a blunt answer, “Heart Seal!”
“Heart Seal? What’s that?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“A link that binds our hearts together. We are inseparable from now on!” Li Shi Qing smiled winningly.
Yang Kai’s frown grew tighter, “You mean to say, after you cast that… Heart Seal Secret Technique on me, I will see you as precious?”
“Can’t you feel it yourself?” Li Shi Qing mischievously looked at him before continuing, “Moreover, this feeling is mutual. What you are feeling, I am as well.”
Yang Kai stood gawking. What kind of nonsense Secret Technique was this? It actually brings two people, who had just met by chance, together, making both of them suffer. If it was just unidirectional, it would still have some uses, but it now seemed Li Shi Qing was also affected by this Secret Technique. It was no wonder her gaze seemed a little off when she was staring at him just now. So it was because of this reason.
“Are you happy?” Li Shi Qing suddenly asked.
Yang Kai, maintaining a straight face, rebuffed, “Do you think I look even a little bit happy?”
“The corners of your lips are raised though.” Li Shi Qing stared at him, blinking her big pretty eyes.
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai immediately denied.
Li Shi Qing asked, sighing, “Can you not be so rough? If you’re too rough, it’ll be very difficult for me to endure.”
“Who do you think you’re flirting with?” Yang Kai glared at her. When she had just awakened, Yang Kai thought that she was cold and aloof, but after having come in close contact with her, he realized that he was blind. There wasn’t a sliver of coldness or arrogance in this crazy woman.
Even now, Li Shi Qing was just pitifully staring at him, her eyes filled with resentment.
Yang Kai, holding her neck, struggled hard a few times, but in the end, he couldn’t overcome the strange sense of affection in his heart. He hated himself for being unable to do anything in this situation. He clearly wanted to kill her to prevent any future troubles, but he just couldn’t do it. In the end, he let go of her and stated, “Put on your clothes, then we’ll talk.”
Her being naked wasn’t helping his situation, as even if he didn’t intentionally look at her, her sexy, bare-naked figure continued to affect his mind.
Li Shi Qing touched her neck and coughed a few times before taking her clothes from her Space Ring and pushing them toward Yang Kai.
“What?” Yang Kai impatiently asked.
“Help me dress!” Li Shi Qing smilingly looked at him.
“Scram!” Yang Kai snorted, blowing his top once more. [She is actually asking me to help her dress? Dream on!]
“Are you going to help me or not?” Li Shi Qing stubbornly looked at him.
Yang Kai rebuffed, “And what if I don’t help you?”
Li Shi Qing seriously gazed at him for a while before suddenly throwing her clothes on the ground, turning around, and flying back.
Yang Kai stood dumbstruck on his spot. After a long time, he finally reacted. His figure moved as Space Principles fluctuated around him. After a few teleportations, Yang Kai stood blocking Li Shi Qing’s path and asked, grinding his teeth, “What are you doing?”
“Going back of course. Everyone must be worried about me,” Li Shi Qing replied as if it was a matter of course.
Yang Kai stared his eyes out at her, looking at her from top to bottom, “Are you going to return like this?”
Li Shi Qing replied with a smile, “En, why?”
“Have you gone insane?” Yang Kai simply didn’t know what to say to her. Although most of their group were women, and the only other male was blind, if she really returned naked, it would be a great scandal! Also, even if Gao Zhan was blind, his cultivation had reached the Emperor Realm, so with his Divine Sense, he could ‘see’ just fine. Thinking of this, Yang Kai felt his heart tighten.
“Then help me dress!” Li Shi Qing smugly looked at him.
Yang Kai’s expression at this moment was beyond just ugly. Clenching and unclenching his fists, veins pulsed on his forehead for a time before he roared, “You’re crazy!”
Despite saying so, he stepped forward, grabbed Li Shi Qing’s jade white hand, and dragged her back to the lake.
Li Shi Qing allowed herself to be led around by him, her face filled with happiness, accompanied by a victorious smile.
After returning to the lake, Yang Kai picked up the clothes she had thrown on the ground before, fiddled with them for a while, and finally figured out how they were worn. When had he ever helped a woman put on her clothes? He had always been only responsible for taking them off.
While dressing her, his hands inevitably brushed her body here and there, making it difficult for him to restrain the throbbing in his heart. The entire incident was quite exhausting, but Li Shi Qing still shamelessly stated, “If you want to touch, feel free to touch. I don’t mind.”
Yang Kai’s psychological line of defence instantly collapsed. Since he was already neck-deep, it wouldn’t hurt to plunge right in. No longer having any scruples, his hands began wandering about freely, causing Li Shi Qing a mixture of pain and pleasure as he wantonly groped her, causing her cheeks to flush bright pink.
After some tossing and turning, Yang Kai finally got the clothes onto Li Shi Qing, a far more exhausting task than he had imagined it would be. He then looked at her with a squinted gaze and seriously questioned, “How did Flower Shadow Great Emperor take a Disciple like you? Isn’t she afraid of having her reputation ruined?”
Li Shi Qing smiled before beckoning Yang Kai with her fingers.
“What now?” Yang Kai warily looked at her.
“Come here.”
“Tell me what you are going to do first,” Yang Kai remained unmoving.
Li Shi Qing stomped her foot before walking over to him on her own. She then leaned forward and pressed her cherry red lips on his. Yang Kai stood in place like a wooden chicken, and when their lips finally separated, he coldly asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”
Li Shi Qing smiled, “It doesn’t have any meaning. I just wanted to kiss you.”
Yang Kai’s flashed an icy smile, “Do you think everything will be okay if you act all cute and innocent? I want to see how you will explain yourself to Flower Shadow Great Emperor after returning.”
Li Shi Qing replied, “You don’t have to worry about that.”
Yang Kai asked, curious, “Are you not afraid of disappointing your Master?”
Li Shi Qing smiled at him, “Are you trying to probe me? In fact, if you want to know anything, you can just ask me straight away. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
[Only ghosts would believe you!] Yang Kai had a lot of questions on his mind, such as why she planted the Heart Seal Secret Technique on him, bringing misery to both of them.
But he knew that even if he asked, he wouldn’t get a straight answer from Li Shi Qing.
He still hadn’t figured out why Li Shi Qing and the other children and Disciples of the Great Emperors had been kidnapped in the first place, and now such a thing had also happened.
In short, Yang Kai was having a major headache.
Li Shi Qing took out a veil and put it on as she stated, “Actually, I made this trip especially for you.”
“Just for me?” Yang Kai frowned, “How did you determine that I would come?”
Li Shi Qing took a deep breath as her voluptuous bosom rose and fell before explaining, “This is an independent Sealed World, if one wants to open the entrance, they need to be proficient in the Dao of Space. In the entire Star Boundary, there are only two people who fit this criteria, you and Li Wu Yi. Li Wu Yi lives in the Eastern Territory; furthermore, since Lan Xun was involved, Star Soul Palace would definitely seek you out, and just as expected, they really went to you.”
Yang Kai frowned after hearing this and suspiciously asked, “Don’t tell me Flower Shadow Great Emperor is behind all of this? Were Lan Xun, Yao Lin, and the others kidnapped on the behest of Flowed Shadow Great Emperor.”
Li Shi Qing smiled, “Of course not. This matter has nothing to do with her.”
“It has nothing to do with ‘her’?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“En, it has nothing to do with her.” Li Shi Qing shook her head, giving her affirmation.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, shivered as he stated, “You aren’t Li Shi Qing. Who are you?”
Much to Yang Kai’s surprise, she addressed Flower Shadow Great Emperor as ‘her’. Yang Kai didn’t sense any respect in Li Shi Qing’s voice. If this Li Shi Qing was really Li Shi Qing, then as Flower Shadow Great Emperor’s Disciple, how could she act like this. She should have had the utmost respect towards her Honoured Master.
Coupled with the Heart Seal, Yang Kai was almost certain that the Li Shi Qing before him was fake! After all, as far as he knew, Myriad Flower Valley didn’t possess such a Charm Technique.
Li Shi Qing was momentarily taken aback before smiling, “Where did I slip up?” Since she knew that Yang Kai wanted to make her talk, she shouldn’t have consciously revealed anything, but she hadn’t expected to expose herself unintentionally.
“You really aren’t Li Shi Qing!” A chill ran down Yang Kai’s spine as he felt that things were rapidly getting more and more complicated.
“Where is the real Li Shi Qing? What did you do to her?”
Li Shi Qing objected, looking at Yang Kai with a frown, “Am I not enough? Why do you care about some other woman?”
“Don’t mess with me. Answer the question, what did you do to her?” Along the way here, he had been informed that Flower Shadow Great Emperor’s Disciple, Li Shi Qing, had gone missing, and now that there was a fake in front of him, the question became, where is the real Li Shi Qing?
‘Li Shi Qing’ helplessly sighed before replying, “She’s fine, she’s just been taken to a certain place, that’s all.”
“Where?”
Li Shi Qing smilingly looked at him, “To the place where I want to take you. If you agree to come with me, I’ll tell you.”
“Good, I agree,” Yang Kai readily said.
Li Shi Qing tittered lightly, “I’m not a three-year-old child that can be tricked so easily.”
Yang Kai suddenly stepped forward, pulled her into his arms and affectionately stared into her eyes, “Whether it’s because of that Secret Technique or not, my feelings for you at this moment make me want to forever be with you. Anywhere you go, I will naturally go with you.”
These words seemed to have caused a great impact on Li Shi Qing, making her grow limp and snuggle into Yang Kai’s chest. A happy and sweet smile bloomed on her face as she softly whispered, “I believe you are sincere, but it’s true that you have other intentions as well. I won’t tell you unless you come with me.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai immediately threw her away like he was abandoning a pair of worn-out shoes.