“It’s none of your damn business who this Lady likes!” Bo Ya scolded, completely unashamed by Yang Kai’s exposure of such private information.
Yang Kai grumbled in his heart, but was too lazy to be bothered by her bad attitude. He thus turned his head and looked in the direction where the Blood Demon had fled, and asked, “Since you have seen through their plot, you obviously have a way to deal with it, right? Let’s hear it, how can you and I work together?”
The corner of Bo Ya’s mouth twitched as she looked at Yang Kai mockingly, “Of course you will be the one charging forward and attracting their attention while I ambush from behind and shoot them down one by one!”
This was the most straightforward solution. It had zero guarantees of safety for Yang Kai; after all, no one could guarantee whether Bo Ya was in on this conspiracy, and there was no guarantee that she would not shoot Yang Kai from behind as well. She thought Yang Kai would refuse her, and then try to come up with a better plan together, but he simply nodded after a brief moment of contemplation, “Good idea, let’s do that.”
Astonishment flashed across Bo Ya’s eyes as Yang Kai’s reaction was quite different from what she had expected, [Is he that confident?]
In the next moment, Bo Ya felt a tap on her shoulder, but was shocked to realize that Yang Kai was staring at her solemnly, “Let’s join hands and wreak havoc!”
Bo Ya’s back was suddenly covered in a layer of cold sweat as she did not even notice when Yang Kai had gotten so close to her. In other words, if this man in front of her wanted to kill her, she would have died just now…
[Is this a warning?] Bo Ya frowned before she suddenly laughed. The stronger Yang Kai was, the higher the chances of success were if she teamed up with him. Right now, she was only afraid that Yang Kai was not strong enough.
…..
Above the mountain, the blood-red beam flew down and stopped at the summit, revealing the figure of the Blood Demon who had fled before, his face full of helplessness.
All the hidden Demon Kings came out when they saw him, gathered around, and whispered together. Several Demon Kings suddenly revealed resentful expressions.
No one knew what they were discussing, but the Demons in the audience could pretty much guess the content of their conversation. It could only be about the failed plan to lure the enemy into their trap, and about what they would do next…
At this moment, there was an uproar from the audience as everyone fixed their eyes at Yang Kai and Bo Ya in a daze.
The man and the woman seemed to have sealed their deal to team up and were now heading towards the direction where the Blood Demon had fled.
Xiao Wu covered her red lips with a look of disbelief on her face.
The Demon Great General behind her was pulling his hair out as his face scrunched up in pain as he wailed, “What is he doing? Isn’t he walking right into their trap? Crazy, this is crazy. My poor Demon Crystals!”
Initially, he naively thought Yang Kai was very lucky that the Feather Demon’s sudden appearance stopped him at a critical moment, but how could he have known that this Feather Demon was also an idiot and followed Yang Kai to walk into the trap together?
[Were these two bored of living?] The Demon Great General could not bear watching anymore for fear that he would have a nervous breakdown.
Inside the Blood Arena, Yang Kai flew forward unimpeded, with no sign of Bo Ya next to him. The woman had already concealed her aura and was trailing Yang Kai by about ten kilometres, keeping a constant distance between them.
It was almost impossible to detect her presence unless she made a move.
They travelled several kilometres and reached their destination in short order.
Yang Kai arrived at the foot of the mountain and looked up at the lush and verdant forests. A breeze swept through the dense trees, giving Yang Kai a sense of danger and hostility. Based on his Divine Sense, there were more than ten Demons Kings of all rankings hiding within the luscious greenery, including a few High-Rank Demon Kings. The situation corresponded to the information provided by Bo Ya.
He stood calmly and watched for a while. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, almost passed out in her seat, silently screaming inside, [Don’t go in, don’t go in, it’s a trap!]
The Demon Great General behind her was also holding his breath, his eyes glued to Yang Kai’s figure, praying that he could sense something abnormal and then leave that place.
In the next moment, in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai cupped his hands around his mouth, sucked in his breath and shouted, “Anyone home…”
The sound waves converged and swayed the trees left and right as if thunder had struck, and the leaves rustled noisily.
The Demon Great General slumped on his chair, looking close to collapsing.
Several kilometres away, Bo Ya, who was slowly approaching in concealment, was also annoyed. She could not help slapping her forehead as she grumbled, [This guy… What the Hell is wrong with him? All the enemies would know that you’re here when you’re shouting like that. How are we going to ambush them now?]
Suddenly, the decision of teaming up with Yang Kai felt like not such a good idea after all. She even had the urge to just turn around and leave, since she didn’t really care if Yang Kai lived or died.
On the mountain peak, the more than ten Demon Kings were still gathered together. It seemed that there was a dispute among them and they were still deep in discussion, but at this moment, they all turned their heads and looked down at the foot of the mountain with expressions of pleasant surprise on their faces.
They initially thought that since the plan to lure the enemy into an ambush had failed, they would have to come up with another one, but now that the prey had taken the initiative to send himself to their doorstep, it was their lucky day.
More than ten pairs of eyes quickly exchanged glances before one of the Demon Kings rose into the sky and flew straight to the foot of the mountain, Meanwhile, the others quickly concealed their presence.
The Demon King this time was a different one, after all, the Blood Demon earlier was ‘repelled’ by Yang Kai once, so his reappearance would cause some suspicion. As such, another Demon King took over the task of baiting the enemy!
This was a savage-looking Bone Demon. There was no flesh on his frame and every inch of his skeleton was inky black, except for the two flickering lights in the eye sockets.
Like the Blood Demon, this Bone Demon was a Mid-Rank Demon King; after all, according to the news these Demon Kings received, Yang Kai had killed a lot of Demon Kings in this Blood Arena already, so sending a Low-Rank Demon King to confront him would only be courting death while sending a High-Rank Demon King might risk frightening Yang Kai away. A Mid-Rank Demon King was the only choice.
It only took a few breaths of time to reach the foot of the mountain from its peak. Then Bone Demon’s glowing eyes were locked onto Yang Kai as he pointed downward, and a sharp bone spur wrapped in dark Demon Qi shot out, reaching right in front of Yang Kai as soon as it appeared, as if it had completely ignored the barrier of space.
With a sneer, Yang Kai stood in place with his head slightly hung, the bone spur nowhere to be seen.
[Did I hit him?] Then Bone Demon was also surprised. [Didn’t they say that this guy was very strong and killed a lot of Demon Kings along the way? How could he be so vulnerable?]
He wanted to laugh. If Yang Kai had really died at his hands, he would have made a huge contribution.
At this point, there was no need to consider how to lure the enemy into their trap. If Yang Kai could be killed here, why would they need to go through the trouble of baiting and ambushing him? The idea of getting all the credit to himself was far more tempting than having to share it with more than ten others.
As such, the Bone Demon dived down with a flicker and pulled out a pitch-black rib bone from his abdomen. The bone glowed, looking like a sword sharpened to the extreme. It was actually a high-quality Demon Artifact, one refined from the bones of the Bone Demon himself.
All Bone Demons liked to do this. They would pick the hardest piece of bone in their body and refine it into a Demon Artifact, using it to enhance their strength when confronting an enemy.
With the bone sword in hand, the Bone Demon’s murderous intent soared as he seemed intent on finishing off Yang Kai in one go.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s drooped head rose, revealing a grin on his face to the approaching Bone Demon.
This smile frightened the Bone Demon out of his wits because the bone spur that he thought had hit Yang Kai was actually clenched tightly between this strange man’s teeth, having done no harm at all.
[It was a trap!] The Bone Demon reacted immediately, but because of his greed, he advanced rashly and now he was only a hundred metres away from Yang Kai. It was too late for him to retreat, so he made a decisive move and swung the bone sword in his hand down fiercely.
Yang Kai spat out the bone spur, grabbed it in his hand, and flipped his wrist up to meet the Bone Demon head-on.
The bone spur collided with the bone sword with a resounding clang. An extremely ear-piercing sound rang out as sparks flew in all directions.
Yang Kai did not move, while the Bone Demon felt a huge and incomparable force knock against him. The bone sword in his hand almost flew out of his hand and his entire skeletal body tumbled backwards several times from the impact.
When his vision was no longer spinning, the Bone Demon saw Yang Kai rushing toward him like a bolt of lightning with the bone spur still in hand.
An indescribable sense of dread rose from the Bone Demon’s heart as a sense of crisis shrouded him. The Bone Demon’s eyes flickered madly as an impossible thought flashed across his mind, [I will undoubtedly die if he gets close!]
He was a Mid-Rank Demon King in the end though, so although he accidentally put himself at a disadvantage, it was not a fatal error.
He raised his hand fiercely, and the bones of his five fingers flew out and expanded in the air, suddenly transforming into five Bone Golems that were several tens of metres tall and advanced towards Yang Kai in a row. These Demon-Qi-coated skeletons held a blade, sword, shield, axe and hammer respectively.
The five skeletons transformed by the Bone Demon’s hand exuded aura fluctuations on par with a Low-Rank Demon King, and they were closely coordinated like an arm and its fingers.
The Bone Golem that held a shield rushed forward, providing the most powerful protection to the other Bone Golems that were now flanking Yang Kai from other directions, their jaws chattering with clicking sounds.
Completely ignoring them though, as if he had not seen the five Bone Golems, Yang Kai advanced and directly collided with the huge shield.
The Bone Golem that was holding the shield could not withstand the violent impact and its huge several-dozen-metre-tall body was knocked back like a meteor, all while the other four Bone Golems swung their weapons and hit nothing but vague afterimages.
The Bone Demon lost track of Yang Kai at that moment, The two faint lights in his eyes became much brighter, and his Divine Senses expanded like a tide to scan his surroundings.
Yang Kai was neither at his left, nor right, nor rear.
The Bone Demon stared at the shield-holding Bone Golem who was advancing towards him and seemed to peer through it. With a hand seal, the shield-holding Bone Golem burst into pieces and turned into a rain of bones, pouring down in a dome shape that covered a wide region without any path of escape.
Unfortunately, there was no one behind the shield-holding Bone Golem as the Bone Demon expected.
The Bone Demon’s heart sank and he quickly looked up as a faint light immediately flashed in his eyes. Finally, he found a trace of his enemy.
From high above, Yang Kai dove head down towards the Bone Demon rapidly.
The bones of Bone Demon cracked under the mountain-like pressure of Yang Kai’s surging Emperor Qi and he desperately pushed his Demon Qi to resist, but the sensational pressure was crushing and immobilizing him.
[This guy is actually so powerful!]
Although he had long known that Yang Kai had killed many Demon Kings on the way, including some Mid-Rank Demon Kings, the Bone Demon had not realized how terrifying he was until he really faced him.
This was not the strength someone should have at such a cultivation. He… was unstoppable!
*Hong…*
A pressure wave spread out as the ground shook for a moment. Even though there was a powerful Spirit Array that isolated the inside from the outside, all the audience members in the Blood Arena still felt this impact. Shocked by this terrifying palm strike, the same thought came to all their minds, [Where did this guy come from? Why haven’t I heard of him before?]
There was a moment of calmness as Yang Kai hovered one metre above the ground, looking down lightly.
In close proximity, the Bone Demon had been pummeled into the dirt, leaving only his head above ground. The faint light in his eyes flickered unsteadily as he was obviously dazed by Yang Kai’s strike.
His Soul was unstable, and the several Bone Golems under his control danced around groggily, as if they were drunk.
Just when the Bone Demon regained his senses after much effort, he felt that the light above him was obscured by a tall shadow. As he looked up, he saw that Yang Kai had squatted in front of him and stretched out his hand to pat his skull, even brushing it lightly like he was painting a picture. Yang Kai’s Emperor Qi had broken through the defences of the Bone Demon, poured into his body, and sealed his cultivation, making him lose the ability to resist.
Their eyes met, and the Bone Demon saw a hint of ridicule in Yang Kai’s gaze. The faint light in his eyes could not help flickering as he felt a sense of disaster was about to befall him.
“If you tell me who ordered you to do this, this King will give you a quick death!” Yang Kai whispered softly to him.
More than ten Demon Kings in this Blood Arena free for all had gathered to ambush him. Yang Kai did not believe such a huge incident was just a coincidence. There must be a mastermind behind this. He had not offended anyone since he arrived at Demon Realm a few days ago, except for one possibility…
The Bone Demon remained silent. He knew that Yang Kai was going to kill him anyway, so he naturally would not let Yang Kai achieve his wish. As there was a saying, ‘silence is golden’.
Yang Kai smiled with his teeth bared, “Even if you don’t say it, I have a pretty good guess… It was Yue Sang, right?”
Yue Sang showed open hostility and murderous intent when they met for the first time, and as a Half-Saint, Yue Sang would also have the ability to influence the events in the Blood Arena.
There was no need for the Bone Demon to respond as when Yang Kai mentioned the name, he clearly felt the Bone Demon’s Soul tremble, which made him more certain of his guess.
“One more question.” Yang Kai looked at him with a grin, “Is a female Demon King named Bo Ya part of your scheme?”
Although Bo Ya’s previous behaviour was not suspicious, Yang Kai could not just trust her completely. It would be best if he could find out something about her from this Bone Demon’s mouth. It did not matter to him if he could not get anything in the end, but it would not cost him any effort or time to simply ask.
“Just kill me.” The Bone Demon’s jaws chattered, emitting a metallic screeching sound with its movement, “Why talk so much nonsense? Do you think this King will tell you anything?”
He had no idea what Yang Kai’s intentions were to inquire about this, but it was useless to say anything now. He only hated himself for taking the enemy too lightly and rushing ahead rashly. He could only hope that the others in his group learned a lesson from this and avenged him.
Yang Kai nodded as the Emperor Qi in his hand suddenly surged and poured it into the Bone Demon’s body.
*Kacha…*
A series of cracking noises rang out as every bone in the Bone Demon’s skeleton shattered and the two faint lights in his eye sockets went out.
After getting rid of the Bone Demon, Yang Kai immediately looked up and charged towards the mountain peak at lightning speed without any hesitation.
Just halfway up the mountain, fierce attacks suddenly blasted at Yang Kai from the top of the mountain. A burning fireball as large as a washbasin, a bolt of lightning as thick as a child’s arm, an ice cone, a wind blade…
As if dancing on the scythe of the reaper of death, Yang Kai dodged up and down, swaying his body from side to side, managed to evade all these deadly attacks at the critical juncture and reach the top of the mountain unscathed.
Without any warning, he suddenly slammed his fist out and shook the surrounding space.
A phantom-like figure appeared staggeringly with a ghostly cry of surprise. It was actually a Shadow Demon.
The Shadow Demon’s body was dimly discernible, but his eyes revealed a light of surprise, as if he did not expect that his concealment would be seen through.
Yang Kai guffawed and remarked in a deep voice, “Die!”
When the voice fell, he leapt in front of the Shadow Demon and stretched out his hand to grab him. Under the fluctuation of Space Principles, a dark black hole instantly appeared behind the Shadow Demon.
The Shadow Demon had an exceptionally fast reaction and with a flicker, he turned into a thousand black crows that flapped their wings and fled frantically in all directions.
The black hole started to devour and swallowed many of the black crows, but it failed to capture all of them and allowed a few to escape.
The escaped black crows merged together a short distance away, revealing the Shadow Demon again; however, at this moment, the Shadow Demon seemed to have been severely injured and his aura was unstable.
Although he had used a profound Secret Technique to flee, many of the black crows that were condensed with his essence and strength were swallowed into the Void, which naturally damaged his foundation. He stared at Yang Kai with a fearful look for a moment but dared not approach any closer.
At this moment, an extremely vicious and strong blood-red beam struck from the side, attacking Yang Kai by surprise. It was a Blood Demon Demon King, though Yang Kai could not be sure if this Blood Demon was the one who attempted to lure him into the trap before.
The timing of the Blood Demon’s attack was perfect. He struck when Yang Kai and the Shadow Demon had just finished exchanging blows, and sure enough, the attack was effective, allowing the strong blood-red beam to engulf Yang Kai.
In the next moment, the malevolent aura of the blood-red beam surged and a hissing sound came from inside it. Obviously, this attack had a potent corrosive power and was attempting to melt Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had already vanished, completely enveloped by a scarlet blood ball in the air. A face appeared on the surface of the blood ball, which should be the face of the Blood Demon, grinning ferociously as he radiated murderous intent.
The Demons in the surroundings appeared one by one, staring at the blood ball indifferently, waiting quietly for the moment when Yang Kai was completely melted down.
But soon, these Demon Kings started to reveal suspicious looks, because the face on the surface of the blood ball suddenly filled with shock. Then, the round blood ball began to expand unevenly, with many big boils emerging one after another. Although these boils recovered quickly under the suppression of the Blood Demon, it showed that the man inside was struggling.
The rate of formation of these bulges grew faster and faster, and the range became larger and larger, while the expression of the face on the surface of the blood ball turned more and more horrified.
A powerful aura permeated through the blood-red ball, like a sleeping giant dragon awakening from its slumber.
All the faces of the surrounding Demon Kings turned solemn.
All of a sudden, the face on the surface of the blood ball shouted, “I can’t hold him any longer!”
At this point, the blood ball burst to pieces, and a Human figure rushed out like lightning. It was a furious-looking Yang Kai who seemed to be disgruntled about being trapped for so long, his whole face looking ferocious and terrifying to the extreme.
The moment he got out, Yang Kai reached out his hand and grabbed a mass of wriggling blood that was hovering mid-air.
After the blood ball was snatched by him, the fresh blood floating nearby began to struggle, but the mass of blood that Yang Kai captured seemed to be its core.
The cloud of fresh blood gathered together in Yang Kai’s hand and condensed into the figure of the Blood Demon a moment later.
The Blood Demon looked like he wanted to cry… He had no idea how Yang Kai found his weakness so precisely. He could not move an inch with his neck grasped tightly by Yang Kai.
“Heh …” Yang Kai snickered and grinned as he drew the Blood Demon close to him and stared into his eyes. Then, he opened his mouth and breathed out a raging fire
Fire Dragon Breath!
He had mastered various Secret Techniques of the Dragon Clan, and with his Golden Divine Dragon Source, Yang Kai was currently capable of executing most of the Dragon Clan’s Secret Techniques. The number of Dragon Clan Secret Techniques Yang Kai now owned surpassed even those of Great Elder Zhu Yan and Second Elder Fu Zhun.
After all, his Source did not have traditional limits, while the Great Elder and Second Elder had attribute restrictions.
A shrill scream resounded, as if someone was suffering the most terrible torture in the world. The Blood Demon in Yang Kai’s hand struggled hard but to no avail. Under the continuous scorching of the Dragon Fire, his Blood Qi evaporated wildly.
In less than three breaths of time, the Blood Demon had turned into a charred corpse.
Yang Kai dumped the lump of coal aside and turned to stare at the Shadow Demon who had been badly wounded by him previously.
Instead of facing everyone all at once, it was better to eliminate them one by one. Shadow Demons were good at concealment and assassination, so if Yang Kai did not work hard to eliminate this Shadow Demon now, he would definitely be a great hindrance in the coming battle.
The Shadow Demon knew that something was wrong when Yang Kai’s gaze swept over him. He was hit hard by Yang Kai even when he was in peak form, so it was now even more impossible to fight against Yang Kai after being seriously injured. As such, he decided to pull back as soon as he noticed Yang Kai’s murderous intent.
But when they locked eyes, the Shadow Demon suddenly noticed a majestic and awe-inspiring golden vertical slit in Yang Kai’s left eye that both fascinated and terrified him at the same time.
Demon Eye of Annihilation!
The short moment of hesitation had ruined the Shadow Demon’s best chance of escaping.
A silent blade of light suddenly blasted out from Yang Kai’s left eye and directly tore through the Shadow Demon’s Knowledge Sea defences.
The combination of the Demon Eye of Annihilation and the Soul Splitting Saber was a perfect combo. Yang Kai had used this kind of combo to deal with powerful enemies countless times before when he was not as strong, and it had always achieved amazing results. It was now child’s play using it against the wounded Shadow Demon.
The Heaven Severing Slash Secret Technique combined with the Soul Splitting Saber was so powerful that Shadow Demon screamed in excruciating pain as his Knowledge Sea was sent into complete turmoil.
Enduring the piercing pain, he barely steadied his trembling Soul, only to hear several cries in his ear, “Be careful!”
“Retreat quickly!”
Looking up, Yang Kai was already right in front of him with the Myriads Sword in one hand, slashing down at him.
The Shadow Demon was petrified in place.
Like a building collapsing in ruins, the Shadow Demon’s body was smashed to pieces and his vitality quickly dissipated.
In the blink of an eye, two Mid-Rank Demon Kings had fallen.
Atop the mountain, the remaining Demon Kings were horror-stricken. They had never seen someone with such a cultivation be so overwhelming. It really was frightening.
Yang Kai held the Myriads Sword obliquely, his aggressive gaze sweeping over every Demon King, and the corners of his mouth rising excitedly, “Killing makes people happy, I hope you can give this King some enjoyment!”
*Deng deng deng… *
Several Low-Rank Demon Kings subconsciously took a few steps back, their faces white as sheets, thinking, [This guy is completely insane!]
A Flame Demon, however, took a step forward, his body blazing furiously as he spat coldly, “Wastes! Why are you so afraid of him? There’s only one of him and a dozen of us!”
This Flame Demon was one of the three High-Rank Demon Kings present and was confident that he could do what Yang Kai did earlier if he used his full strength, so he naturally had no fear. How could a trivial loner not be taken down by the joint forces of so many Demon Kings? This boy was just a pompous fool.
Another High-Rank Demon King took a step forward too, the Blood Qi boiling richly around him which showed that he was also a Blood Demon, “Let’s finish this!”
As soon as he spoke, a cloud of dust suddenly rolled up from the ground, and that dust formed a terrifying storm that spiralled upwards within a very short time. It looked like it was planning to engulf Yang Kai and strangle him to death.
The last High-Rank Demon King, who was a Sand Demon, had made his move!
The sandstorm rose, and every grain of sand was filled with lethal Demon Qi.
Yang Kai could have avoided this, but he did not move at all and allowed the sandstorm to wrap him up with a smile on the corner of his lips. It was as if he was waiting for something.
A stream of light suddenly shot out at lightning speed from a dozen kilometres away. Everyone was caught off guard as this shot flew straight through the sandstorm. Not only that, the stream of light accurately pierced the head of a Low-Rank Demon King and exploded it to pieces.
“You finally made a move!” Yang Kai turned his head and glanced in the direction of the source of the stream of light, the doubts in his heart completely vanished.
At this time, if Bo Ya still did not make a move, it meant that she was part of the same group in front of him, and he would have an extra enemy to deal with. It was not fun being eyed by a Mid-Rank Feather Demon King from a long distance.
Fortunately, Bo Ya did not let him down.
As for the reason why this woman had been delaying her support and had not made a sound until now was probably because she was evaluating his capability. If Yang Kai could not even hold out for a few exchanges, Bo Ya would definitely have run away immediately and not shown up at all.
After witnessing him killing two Mid-Rank Demon Kings in the blink of an eye though, Bo Ya became confident that Yang Kai had the capital to cooperate with her.
Yang Kai could not help laughing heartily.
It was not a pleasant experience to be the target of a Mid-Rank Feather Demon King, but having a Feather Demon as an ally made life much easier.
At that moment, a roar suddenly erupted from the raging sandstorm, like the wail of a wounded beast.
The High-Rank Sand Demon King wanted to kill Yang Kai with his sandstorm, but was ambushed by Bo Ya. Even if his life was not in danger, he was definitely not enjoying himself right now. The shifting sandstorm was proof of the pain and anger he was in.
The Low-Rank Demon King’s sudden death surprised everyone, so they naturally turned their heads in the direction of the source of the stream of light.
Only then did they realize that Yang Kai was not fighting alone, but actually had an accomplice! And it was a troublesome Feather Demon.
[How is that possible? He had an accomplice? Wasn’t he a Human brought back by Holy Venerable? He has only been in the Holy City for a few days, so when did he make such an ally?]
“It should be that bitch Bo Ya!” Someone suddenly realized the identity of the Feather Demon in the distance.
Even though there was no trace of Bo Ya, Feather Demons were fairly rare, and a Mid-Rank Feather Demon King was even rarer. Bo Ya was the only one participating in this chaotic battle.
“Damn it! She must be tired of living!”
“She actually dared to show up in the Holy City and participated in this Blood Fight? What are the people in the Blood Arena doing?”
The bunch of Demon Kings went into an uproar. Apparently, they knew Bo Ya’s name and her reputation very well. The Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Demon Kings subconsciously moved closer to each other in search of security, while even the two High-Rank Demon Kings showed some anxiety.
Although Bo Ya was only a Mid-Rank Demon King, as long as she kept a good distance, she would be a threat even to a High-Rank Demon King. In an environment like the Blood Arena, this was naturally quite troublesome.
Just when the group of Demon Kings fell into chaos, another stream of light made its way towards them ferociously, and once again penetrated through the sandstorm, causing the Sand Demon to roar maddeningly.
With the lessons learned from the previous accident, all of the Demon Kings were highly vigilant and as expected, after the stream of light passed through the sandstorm, it continued towards another Low-Rank Demon King. Fortunately for this Low-Rank Demon King, he was prepared and hurriedly dodged; otherwise, he would have followed in the footsteps of the other Low-Rank Demon King from before.
However, although he avoided the arrow, the stream of light suddenly changed course and flew towards another Low-Rank Demon King when everyone had just lowered their guard.
*Shua…*
The stream of light penetrated the Low-Rank Demon King’s forehead, directly shattering his skull, but the headless body did not fall down immediately. The flesh around the wound wriggled vigorously as if another head was about to grow.
As long as the Demon Heart remained unscathed, the Demon would not die!
The vital point of this Low-Rank Demon King was not his head; however, it would take some time and a lot of Demon and Blood Qi to regrow his head again. Even if Bo Ya’s arrow did not kill him, it was enough to cripple his ability to fight.
“Cheap slut!”
The High-Rank Blood Demon King looked in Bo Ya’s direction in hatred, rushing out immediately towards her. As long as he could track down Bo Ya and kill her, their initial ambush plan would undoubtedly still succeed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Yang Kai grinned. With the help of the two arrows from Bo Ya, Yang Kai had managed to escape from the sandstorm and block the Blood Demon’s path.
The Blood Demon did not even spare Yang Kai a glance though and instead turned into a stream of blood-red light and shot away.
Yang Kai naturally would not allow this Blood Demon to do as he pleased, but before he could stop him, the Demon King Flame Demon had already pounced on him with a pair of flaming wings spread wide on his back and flames wrapped around his fists, and smashed down with a ferocious punch, roaring, “Where do you think you’re going!?”
Yang Kai frowned and raised his Myriads Sword to meet the Flame Demon’s attack.
With a bang, both of them took a dozen steps back, but the Blood Demon took advantage of the momentary opportunity to escape, and it was now too late to stop him.
Yang Kai snorted as he glanced back, hoping that Bo Ya could handle things. It wouldn’t be too bad if she could not though as they were not really close to begin with…
Just when he was still thinking that to himself, Bo Ya took action. Three streams of light pierced through the void.
At this moment, the Sand Demon, whose sandstorm ability had been pierced by the two arrows already, finally could not hold his dispersed form any longer and retracted his Divine Ability, revealing his presence.
The three arrows came just at the right timing when the Sand Demon appeared, as if they were fired intentionally for this moment.
The Sand Demon’s eyes widened but he did not have the time to hesitate, so he immediately dispersed his body into a mass of loose sand in an attempt to evade Bo Ya’s attack.
Unexpectedly though, the three arrows exploded at that moment, sending a hail of Demon-Qi-infused light splinters into the cloud of sand.
The loose sand, together with the splinters, reassembled into the Sand Demon’s full form again, but he was now petrified in place and glared into the distance, roaring, “Bitch!”
Yang Kai watched with joy as although he had no idea what was hidden in Bo Ya’s three arrows, he knew that this woman must have used some insidious method to cause great suffering to this High-Rank Sand Demon King.
And this was indeed the case. After reassembling his body again, the Sand Demon had no intention to remain any longer. He turned around and dashed away in a stagger, as if he was poisoned, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. He needed to find a refuge quickly to expel the foreign substances in his body; otherwise, his life would be in danger.
A High-Rank Demon King was chased off by Bo Ya. Although it was not a kill, such methods were enough to demonstrate this woman’s terrifying skill and strength.
Yang Kai wanted to keep this Sand Demon here forever, but the Flame Demon was pestering him persistently, tying him down, so he could only sigh and let Sand Demon flee.
The loud explosions never ceased as the World Energy in the Blood Arena became disordered with dust and sand flying all around the mountain peak. After each attack, the mountain would collapse by several tens of meters.
The High-Rank Flame Demon King held a fire spear in his grip, its blazing flames burning high into the sky, releasing a powerful spear aura, seemingly able to ignite the whole world.
Yang Kai swung the Myriads Sword in his hand against the Flame Demon’s attacks, looking full of valour, but he actually fell into a disadvantage in a notably short time because he did not want to expose too much of his true strength.
The two clashed fiercely, but the other Demon Kings could not intervene at all, nor they did not dare to intervene. Bo Ya was eyeing them from a distance, so they dared not to make a move easily. They could only wait for the Blood Demon who left earlier to locate Bo Ya and get rid of the threat before making further plans.
All of a sudden, an Earth-shaking sound came from the distance, and when they looked over, a mushroom cloud could be seen rising into the air.
The Demon Kings were overjoyed as they recognized this location as the spot Bo Ya launched her sneak attack from. Such an event must indicate that the Blood Demon had found Bo Ya, fought with her, and then killed her.
The Flame Demon who was fighting against Yang Kai relaxed and grinned, “You will die without a burial today!”
When Bo Ya was supporting Yang Kai from behind, the Flame Demon dared not to use his full strength lest he leave himself exposed; however, now that the biggest threat was eliminated, he had no scruples anymore. The fire around his body and his dark Demon Qi suddenly burst out together and spread towards Yang Kai.
But at that moment, an air-piercing sound rapidly struck from the opposite direction as a five-coloured light stream leapt across space and blasted in front of him in an instant.
The Flame Demon was stunned.
He did not expect that a sneak attack would come from such a place at such a time. These fluctuations and arrow techniques clearly belonged to Bo Ya, but what was the giant explosion from before then?
The Flame Demon could not afford much time to ponder though and instinctually attempted to dodge.
Even though he was a High-Rank Demon King, he dared not take Bo Ya’s arrow head-on.
But how could Yang Kai allow him to do as he wished? When the arrow suddenly flew over, not only was the Flame Demon shocked, but Yang Kai was also surprised for a moment. But soon, Yang Kai realized that this should be Bo Ya’s plan to lure an enemy away from the group. Although he had no idea what kind of means Bo Ya used to move from one place to another, since she had this kind of ability, he did not need to worry too much anymore.
With a surge of Space Principles, the space around the Flame Demon was solidified and the Flame Demon’s face instantly turned dreadfully horrified.
*Chi… *
The five-coloured stream of light penetrated through the Flame Demon’s chest with great accuracy, piercing cleanly from back to front, spilling a large amount of fresh boiling, magma-like blood.
The Flame Demon roared in pain as the blazing flames on his body burned more and more wildly in response to the rage he felt.
The Demon Kings, who thought Bo Ya had been taken care of and were preparing to join the fray, gasped and stopped their steps one by one. Chills ran down their spines, and all of them secretly rejoiced at their stroke of luck.
*Chi Chi Chi…*
Three arrows were released again.
Without any warning, the two Demon Kings who were watching from the side had their heads blown to pieces, while the remaining arrow was shot directly at the Flame Demon who was still battling with Yang Kai.
After suffering such a big loss, the Flame Demon was already on guard though and saw the incoming arrow clearly. Even if he was injured at the moment, it was not difficult for him to evade it.
Just when he was about to dodge, he saw Yang Kai smiling strangely as he bellowed, “Bind!”
The familiar feeling of his body trapped in a mire and the compression of the surrounding space appeared again, and the more he struggled, the more stuck he felt.
The Flame Demon’s eyes widened as he tried his best to push his Demon Qi in order to break free from the invisible confinement; however, before he could achieve his wish, Bo Ya’s second arrow had arrived. The arrow pierced through his abdomen, spilling a large amount of fresh blood that scorched the ground again.
Both shots were critical hits and the tens of thousands of Demons in the audience shouted in amazement. They did not know what exactly happened in the Blood Arena, but they saw that these arrows were extremely accurate and terrifying, strong and fast enough that even a High-Rank Demon King failed to avoid them and was badly injured.
If the Flame Demon continued to be shot like this, he would die very soon.
Before everyone could finish their thoughts though, the third arrow had been shot. The stream of light flew across the air and its sharp tip pointed directly at the Flame Demon’s head.
Bo Ya clearly understood the situation. With the help of Yang Kai, she did not have to worry about her shots missing. As such, she just continued to focus on firing her arrows.
Seeing that the stream of light was getting closer and closer to him and he could not move at all, the Flame Demon finally panicked. Despite his life not being at risk from the previous two arrows, if he took the third to his head, it would not end well for him.
His pupils condensed to dots as thin as needle tips and a wall of hot flame formed in front of him as a barrier.
The arrow pierced into the wall of fire and into the Flame Demon’s face with a thud, but it only entered a finger-length into his skull and did not crack open his head. The flame that was the condensation from the full strength of the Flame Demon’s fire reduced the power of this arrow by more than half.
The violent force pushed the Flame Demon’s head backwards though, and before he could regain his posture, Yang Kai had already raised his Myriads Sword and slashed through his protective Demon Qi around his neck.
With angry, glaring eyes, the Flame Demon’s head flew up, and his scorching blood shot out like a volcano eruption from his severed neck.
Surprisingly, the headless body actually quickly retreated with a flicker.
Yang Kai chased after him with a cold face as his Myriads Sword flashed, sending out a barrage of sword waves that enveloped the Flame Demon’s body.
When Yang Kai withdrew his sword, the Flame Demon’s body had been thoroughly chopped up and scattered all over the sky.
*Pa… *
At that moment, the severed head fell on the ground, its eyes glaring at Yang Kai, its mouth twitching a few times as if he wanted to say something, but to no avail. He gaped at Yang Kai as his vitality dissipated, and died with everlasting regret!
Tens of thousands of Demons in the audience seats fell silent as everyone was in a chaotic state of mind, gaping at the Blood Arena incredulously.
Both Yang Kai and Bo Ya only had Mid-Rank Demon King cultivations, but the two of them had defeated the combined force of more than ten Demon Kings. The battle had only lasted a stick of incense worth of time, with two Mid-Rank and four Low-Rank Demon Kings having been easily killed, and one High-Rank Demon King retreating while another just died…
Such unbelievable achievements had never appeared in the long history of the Blood Arena.
In the eyes of those who had no clue about the truth, they thought that eighty percent of the credit belonged to Bo Ya. It was her tricky arrows that killed and repelled the Demon Kings. As for Yang Kai, except for his domineering actions at the beginning, he was just playing the role of decoy.
Only Bo Ya herself knew that without Yang Kai, she would never have hit the Flame Demon so easily. The Sand Demon earlier was overconfident and courted death himself, giving her an opportunity to force him back, but that was nothing compared to Yang Kai’s efforts in this fight.
Among the three High-Rank Demon Kings, one retreated and one died, while the Blood Demon, who was the last High-Rank Demon King, had been led elsewhere. Given such a situation, how could the remaining Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Demon Kings still have the spirit to continue fighting?
When the Flame Demon was crushed, the rest of the Demon Kings knew that the situation had gone bad and after exchanging looks, they immediately scattered in all directions.
Streams of light reappeared at that moment.
This time, even without Yang Kai’s help, the several Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Demon Kings could not avoid Bo Ya’s arrows.
One collapsed after another as they burst into mists of blood, with not even their bones remaining.
Only two Low-Rank Demon Kings who were enveloped in white flashes of light managed to escape. It was unknown what kind of skill they used to flee from this place, causing Yang Kai to frown because even his Divine Sense failed to perceive them.
In the distance, a blood beam flew over.
It was from the Blood Demon who had left earlier. He wanted to kill Bo Ya initially, but he was surprised to find only a kind of Soul Clone when he rushed over, realizing it was all a trap in the next moment.
After returning in a hurry, he was shocked to find that the battle here had been settled. More than ten Demon Kings had vanished, leaving the ground full of fragments of corpses…
The Blood Demon’s pupil contracted as he almost thought that he was dreaming! After all, he had not left for long, so what could have happened in such a short time that led to such a disaster?
Below, Yang Kai looked up with a hint of mockery in his eyes while the Blood Demon’s expression grew notably heavy and a sense of crisis flared in his heart.
The Blood Demon’s eyes changed slightly as he suddenly looked up in a certain direction and shouted in a deep voice, “Bo Ya, you will die miserably for spoiling our plan!”
The response that he got in return was a sharp arrow.
Yang Kai immediately surged his Space Principle to trap the Blood Demon.
But to his surprise, the Blood Demon did not struggle or attempt to dodge at all. He just stared at him coldly before summoning some item into his hand and crushing it. The next moment, his body turned into a white light and he disappeared from the spot.
Yang Kai could not help looking at the scene in disbelief, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Previously, the two Low-Rank Demon Kings also vanished in a similar manner. He thought that those two had mastered some miraculous escaping technique, but now it seemed that was not the case.
They definitely disappeared using some other method, but no matter how Yang Kai thought about it he had no idea how they accomplished this!
When he was still immersed in his thoughts though, Yang Kai suddenly noticed a sharp aura locking onto him from the horizon.
[Is she going to burn the bridge after crossing it?] Yang Kai smiled with his teeth bared.
Bo Ya was indeed a decisive woman. The time had come, and one of them had to die.
He slowly turned around, facing Bo Ya’s hiding place with a deep gaze that seemed like it could penetrate space.
The aura was only locked, but no shot had been fired, only becoming sharper and sharper as Yang Kai stared back.
Yang Kai stood boldly in a completely exposed stance, which made Xiao Wu, who was watching from the audience seats, turn pale. She had witnessed Bo Ya’s marksmanship just now and obviously felt Yang Kai was courting death by doing this.
But even after waiting for a long time, there was no movement from Bo Ya, which made Xiao Wu anxious to the extreme.
Inside the Blood Arena, Yang Kai felt Bo Ya’s aura rising gradually, and it soon reached its peak. The invisible tension brought a sense of excitement to him, and he immediately realized that he had still underestimated this woman. Even if he had Space Divine Abilities, he was not sure if he could completely dodge this arrow.
As long as Bo Ya shot, there was a high probability he would be wounded.
The Feather Demons indeed lived up to their reputation of being outstanding archers, especially Bo Ya. As a Mid-Rank Demon King, as long as she kept a sufficient distance, she would even be able to take down a High-Rank Demon King.
The mountains went quiet. A light breeze swept through the woods, swaying and rustling the trees.
Suddenly, the fierce aura that locked onto Yang Kai from afar dissipated. Yang Kai squinted his eyes, showing a look of surprise, but he did not let his guard down, for he had no idea whether this was part of Bo Ya’s plan.
Only when Bo Ya flew over slowly did Yang Kai reveal a meaningful smile.
Bo Ya stopped a thousand metres in front of Yang Kai. This gap was for her own safety and was enough for her to buy time to counter any of Yang Kai’s assaults. She tilted her head up and swept her eyes over Yang Kai, remarking, “You are… a little weird.”
“Weird how?” Yang Kai laughed.
Bo Ya shook her head slowly and remained silent.
It was not because they teamed up that she did not release that arrow. Since this was a free-for-all battle, everyone was her enemy. She chose to join hands with Yang Kai only because it was the most convenient way to eliminate the biggest threat, and the results proved that she was right. She initially thought that it would be a tough battle, but to her surprise, with Yang Kai’s cooperation, those dozen or so Demon Kings became completely vulnerable.
The reason why she withdrew her arrow just now was because her instincts told her that if she let it fly, while she could wound Yang Kai, his counterattack would kill her.
This man was definitely still hiding his strength! Considering his previous performance, Bo Ya was increasingly assured of her instincts; therefore, she withdrew her arrow decisively, so as not to put herself in unneeded trouble.
“Let’s negotiate,” Bo Ya declared to Yang Kai.
“Negotiate what?” Yang Kai looked at her with a frown. He did not understand what else they could negotiate at this point. The only way out was to go all out and fight each other, with the strongest coming out the winner.
“How many Demon Crystals did you bet on yourself?” Bo Ya suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
Yang Kai pondered for a while, then disclosed without any hiding anything, “A hundred million!”
Bo Ya’s eyes lit up, pursed her red lips attractively, and whistled, looking playfully frivolous, “That’s a lot!”
“It’s none of your business!” Yang Kai snorted. [What’s wrong with this woman? Don’t tell me she’s eying my Demon Crystals before I’ve even collected them?]
Bo Ya continued with a giggle, “Give me half of it.”
“You don’t deserve it!” Yang Kai hissed.
“Thirty percent!”
“Scram!” Although he did not really care about the Demon Crystals, Yang Kai would not allow others to covet them. What belonged to him was his own.
“How about ten percent? You give me ten percent and I’ll forfeit right now!” Bo Ya did not mind his rudeness and continued to smile, “I really don’t want to be enemies with you, but it’s a pity if I just quit now. Just consider ten percent as a fee for my hard work. Don’t be a stingy man.”
“I’m stingy, it’s simply not for you to decide…” But before Yang Kai finished, a sudden realization dawned on him and he looked at her in a daze, “Can you choose to leave here?”
He remembered the previous two Low-Rank Demon Kings and the last High-Rank Demon King disappearing in flashes of white light just now and finally understood what had happened!
Bo Ya answered, “It seems that you really don’t know anything. Of course you can choose to leave the Blood Arena.” She took out an item as she said so.
Yang Kai fixed his eyes on it, and found that it was her entry token. He also had one with him.
Bo Ya waved her entry token in front of him, “It’s settled. I’ll leave first, and you’ll give me ten percent of your winnings later!”
When the words fell, Bo Ya turned into a white light and instantly vanished from the spot.
“No one agreed with you!” Yang Kai snapped. He did not promise her anything at all. This woman was just speaking to herself, and quit on her own. In any case, her departure favoured him as he really did not want to fight against Bo Ya unless it was necessary because her marksmanship was so outstanding that it would certainly cause him some headache.
However, thanks to her reminder, Yang Kai hurriedly checked his entry token and found that there was indeed an option to forfeit inside. He believed that as long as he touched this option, he could immediately be teleported out of the Blood Arena.
He put away the entry token and turned to look around.
He had killed many Demon Kings in this battle, but unfortunately, their Space Rings had disappeared. He had encountered this situation before; whenever someone died here, his Space Ring would immediately vanish.
Now that he thought about it, the Blood Arena was probably the one that plundered them.
[This is robbery!] Yang Kai cursed in his heart. Countless Demons died here every year, and all their wealth flowed into the Blood Arena just like that. How could this damned place not be rich?
Yang Kai was essentially broke after coming to the Demon Realm; therefore, he could only count on the hundred million Demon Crystals bet he made, otherwise he would not be able to purchase anything in the future.
…..
There was not much suspense in the following battles. Although a lot of Demon Kings signed up for this free-for-all, there were only a total of five High-Rank Demon Kings. Among those five, one was killed by Yang Kai and Bo Ya, one was forced to leave, and the last one, the Sand Demon, was injured and had probably quit as well. As for the remaining two High-Rank Demon Kings, they were nowhere to be seen so Yang Kai had no clue if they were already killed earlier or quit.
As for those Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Demon Kings, Yang Kai did not put them in his eyes. If he encountered them, he could easily eliminate them. Those who reacted fast enough would immediately quit to protect their lives, while those who were a little slow would stay here forever.
Half a day later, when Yang Kai finished off his last opponent, the surrounding space suddenly distorted. The mountains and trees rapidly disappeared, and the empty field appeared in front of him again.
The audiences were boiling in exhilaration and Xiao Wu was so excited that she was jumping up and down with a totally flushed face.
[Sir won, he really won!] Yang Kai had survived until the end in such a chaotic battle involving almost eighty Demon Kings. This felt like a dream and it was not until now that the rock on her heart was lifted.
Behind her, the Demon Great General who bet everything on Yang Kai laughed and cackled insanely.
He bet two million Demon Crystals, and the odds were ten to one, which meant that he won twenty million! Such a number was a great fortune for a Demon Great General! It was enough to support his cultivation to the Demon King Realm with enough leftover to buy a good set of equipment to arm himself.
He had heard that quite a number of people had gotten rich overnight in the Blood Arena before, but now it was his turn to feel such a sense of euphoria.
The emcee Demon King of the Blood Arena went up to the stage again, made a casual speech and congratulated Yang Kai on his victory…
Yang Kai was keenly aware that the Demon King’s expression was a little gloomy but this man was doing a good job hiding it.
Yang Kai could not help snorting coldly in his heart. Perhaps, the Blood Arena had something to do with the scheme plotted by those dozen Demon Kings or was even the one behind the whole plot.
Although Yang Kai believed that Yue Sang was the mastermind behind the scenes, Yue Sang was a Half-Saint in the end so it was inconvenient for him to execute such a plan in-person in this Blood Arena. Therefore, Yue Sang had probably used others to carry out this plot. Now that most of the Demon Kings involved were dead while Yang Kai was still alive and kicking, how could those responsible feel good about it?
After a short while, Yang Kai was led to a VIP room of the Blood Arena and was served the best blood wine.
Xiao Wu, who was standing by his side, glanced at him from time to time with her face filled with awe and worship.
This battle took Yang Kai quite some effort, and now it was the time for him to collect his prize. The thought of getting a hundred million High-Rank Demon Crystals and having Li Shi Qing by his side put Yang Kai in a good mood.
Now, Flower Shadow Great Emperor owed him a favour. If he asked her for anything in the future, she probably would not refuse him.
However, Yang Kai was annoyed because he had already been waiting for a long time but no one actually came to greet him.
[There’s no way the Blood Arena would go back on their word, right?] Given that this place in the Holy City was under Yu Ru Meng’s jurisdiction, it should be impossible for them to do something to sabotage her reputation; however, since the Blood Arena had participated in a plot against Yang Kai, they might not really let him obtain what he wanted.
Yang Kai snorted coldly in his heart. If that really happened, he would turn the entire Blood Arena upside down. When that happened, Yu Ru Meng would inevitably be alarmed, and someone would stand up for him. He wondered whether those guys could bear Yu Ru Meng’s anger. It would be best if he could take this opportunity to drag Yue Sang into this and let Yu Ru Meng deal with him.
After having this thought, he actually hoped that the Blood Arena would renege and give him an excuse to make a fuss.
Yang Kai waited for two hours, and only then did the door to the VIP room open. The middle-aged emcee Demon King from the Blood Arena entered the room with a smile, and greeted Yang Kai with cupped fists, “Greetings, Brother Yang.”
“Do you know who I am?”
Yang Kai looked at him meaningfully.
The middle-aged Demon King beamed, “I didn’t know before, but I do now. Please forgive me for not giving Brother Yang a proper welcome.”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Cut the courtesy. I’m here for my prize. Where is it? Why don’t I see it?”
The middle-aged Demon King explained, “Brother Yang, the female Human will be brought over soon.” He could be mistaken, but the middle-aged Demon King thought that he spotted a hint of disappointment in Yang Kai’s eyes. He could not help showing a trace of surprise in his eyes, wondering what Yang Kai was disappointed about.
After a short pause, he continued, “Before that, let’s settle another matter first.”
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked up at him.
The middle-aged Demon King glanced at Xiao Wu as he asked, “Is this woman Brother Yang’s maidservant?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
The middle-aged Demon King smiled faintly, “Congratulations to Brother Yang. According to our records, this woman bet one hundred million Demon Crystals on Brother Yang before you participated in the fight. Based on the odds offered by the Blood Arena, Brother Yang will be paid one billion Demon Crystals for obtaining the final victory.” While speaking, he took out a Space Ring and shook it as he grinned, “I have the Demon Crystals here.”
Xiao Wu’s eyes were instantly stuck to the Space Ring, her breath quickening.
One billion Demon Crystals. It was an unimaginable number. Although she did not make much effort this time, she felt glorious seeing Yang Kai suddenly winning such tremendous wealth.
Yang Kai raised his brow, “The Blood Arena is indeed wealthy! Now that it’s here, this King will take it.”
Still smiling, the middle-aged Demon King continued, “Brother Yang, please give me your Space Ring, and let this King examine it.”
“You want to examine my Space Ring? Why?” Yang Kai looked at him as his face darkened. [What does this guy mean? How can anyone allow others to check their Space Ring casually? Is he looking for faults?]
The middle-aged Demon King was taken aback for a while, and then he laughed, “It seems like Brother Yang is not very familiar with the rules of the Blood Arena.”
“What rules?” Yang Kai suddenly sensed that something was wrong, and looked towards the door.
The middle-aged Demon King explained, “It’s like this. To make it easier for everyone to bet in the Blood Arena, it has always been a rule that one must put the bet down before the payment of the winnings is given. If one wins the bet, the Blood Arena will naturally have to check if the bettor has sufficient Demon Crystals for the bet. Brother Yang is new here, so you may not know much about it. There used to be many people who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and bet even when they didn’t have enough Demon Crystals to pay up, causing significant losses to the Blood Arena. That’s why, since long ago, the hosts of the Blood Arena set rules for this inspection. As long as Brother Yang has the hundred million Demon Crystals used for the bet, this King will immediately pay you in full.”
The blood drained from Xiao Wu’s face as soon as this statement came out.
She was clearly aware of Yang Kai’s condition. Not to mention a hundred million, Yang Kai didn’t even have one million Demon Crystals on him. He had nothing in his pockets to take out for this inspection.
She secretly blamed herself. If she knew this would happen, she would have found out more information about the Blood Arena. She was not familiar with the rules; after all, she had never been here, and everything she knew about the Blood Arena was from rumours. She did not expect such a rule was in place when she told Yang Kai about the Blood Arena.
If he failed to pass this inspection, it would mean that he broke the rules of the Blood Arena, and it would be a dream to get that one billion Demon Crystals.
“Is there such a rule?” Yang Kai’s face twitched as he narrowed his eyes at Xiao Wu. By the look on her face, it was either she had no clue about such a rule, or the Blood Arena was targeting him.
“There has always been such a rule,” The middle-aged Demon King nodded gently with a smile on his face, “Could it be that Brother Yang is unable to provide a hundred million Demon Crystals?”
Yang Kai snorted, “What is a trivial hundred million Demon Crystals to me? It’s such a waste of time to inspect here and there, can’t Your Excellency be accommodating?”
The smile never fading from his face, the middle-aged Demon King shook his head, “The rules of the Blood Arena are unbreakable. This King is just doing his job. Please forgive me, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai looked at him coldly, and the other party looked back without showing any weakness. There was even a hint of aggressiveness in his eyes, and Yang Kai immediately understood that it did not matter whether the Blood Arena had this rule or not, they were deliberating making things difficult for him.
As such, he curled his lip and spat, “In that case, this King no longer wants those Demon Crystals. Just bring this King the prize.”
The middle-aged Demon King rubbed his forehead at his words as if he got a headache, “Brother Yang is making things difficult for this King. According to the rules, if you cannot take out the hundred million Demon Crystals used for the bet, it means that you have broken the rules of the Blood Arena, and if the rules of the Blood Arena are broken, everything before that would not be accountable, and the so-called prize is…”
Yang Kai burst out laughing. He initially was wondering why he had to cause such a hassle about the Demon Crystals, but now he understood what it was about. It seemed that the Blood Arena never intended to hand over Li Shi Qing at all.
“Do you insist on doing this?” Yang Kai looked at him lightly with a look of eagerness in his eyes. If the other party dared to utter a word, he would immediately raise a ruckus here.
He could let go of the one billion Demon Crystals, but he must take away Li Shi Qing today. He absolutely would not compromise on this point.
It had clearly been a while since that woman was brought to the Demon Realm, and from the look of her condition, she was not doing well. Although Li Shi Qing had been using some Secret Technique to resist the invasion of Demon Qi, who knows how long she would be able to hold out. There would absolutely be no way to save her if it was too late.
The middle-aged Demon King smiled humorously. He was about to speak, but was interrupted by Xiao Wu, who suddenly took a step forward looking as pale as a sheet, and stuttered shakily, “T-the b-bet… The bet was entered by this maid, and has nothing to do with… Sir!”
Yang Kai and the middle-aged Demon King looked at her together. The former looked bemused, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry, while the latter’s face went dark and sunken.
From Xiao Wu’s point of view, as long as she took the blame for the bet, Yang Kai would not have broken the rules of the Blood Arena, and they would naturally not seize the prize that belonged to him. However, doing this would place her in a great disaster. The Blood Arena would punish her severely even if she was a maidservant in Yu Ru Meng’s palace. In all likelihood, she would end up dead.
As for Yang Kai, this was not the outcome he wanted! He was actually hoping that the other party would give him an excuse to make trouble. If Xiao Wu took all the blame, he would have no legitimate excuse to run wild.
“Do you know what you’re saying?” The middle-aged Demon King looked at Xiao Wu viciously, and the remaining colour in her already pale face vanished, accentuating the hideous scars on her countenance.
Yang Kai moved swiftly and stood in front of Xiao Wu, his eyes looking sharp, “Your Excellency is majestic indeed!”
The middle-aged Demon King glanced at Yang Kai slightly, a little surprised by his reaction; after all, Xiao Wu was only a trivial maidservant, was she worth defending? He sneered, “Brother Yang is a man of character too it seems.”
Yang Kai did not bother to pay him any attention, he simply glanced at Xiao Wu and commanded, “This has nothing to do with you, stand back.”
“But…” Xiao Wu raised her head to say something but swallowed the words when her eyes met Yang Kai’s.
Standing in front of her, Yang Kai cracked his neck and narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged Demon King coldly, “There’s no need to play games at this point. This King wants his prize, and this King is not going to give up those one billion Demon Crystals either. I’ll give you a stick of incense to prepare everything; otherwise, don’t blame this King for being rude.”
When the conversation was no longer agreeable, to say another word was a waste of a breath. It was better to speak with actions.
The middle-aged Demon King chuckled, “Where did Brother Yang get the confidence to cause trouble in the Blood Arena?”
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “Seventeen. Tsk tsk, Your Excellency really thinks highly of me.”
While these words were inexplicable to Xiao Wu, who did not understand them at all, the expression on the middle-aged Demon King’s face changed slightly, because seventeen was the exact number of Demon Kings hiding outside the room, waiting in ambush. The Blood Arena did not intend to allow Yang Kai to do as he pleased, and the repeated persecution here was simply to provoke Yang Kai into action. As soon as he dared to make a move here, the seventeen Demon Kings outside would storm inside.
During the free for all, Yang Kai had Bo Ya’s help killing the enemy, but he was alone now. It was impossible to escape when surrounded by a large number of Demon Kings. Even if the Holy Venerable found out about it later, she would not be able to blame anyone since it was Yang Kai who dared to make trouble first.
It was just that… This guy’s senses were a little too sharp. The Demon Kings outside had concealed their presence very well, but he was still able to sense them.
Laughing lightly, the middle-aged Demon King feigned ignorance, “What does Brother Yang mean?”
Yang Kai glanced at him contemptuously, and answered lightly, “Time waits for no one. A stick of incense is very short. Your Excellency should finish the preparations immediately.”
The middle-aged Demon King laughed lightly again, “This King doesn’t need to prepare anything, but you, Brother Yang, should learn to restrain yourself.”
Right after he finished, the atmosphere in the guest room suddenly became very tense. Xiao Wu nervously waited and watched, knowing that something bad was about to happen. She was confused too. She was just taking Yang Kai out for a stroll around the Holy City, so how did things escalate to this?
Just when the tension in the room was about to reach a breaking point, the sound of footsteps approached them from the outside, and at the same time, an aura that made Yang Kai feel uneasy quickly shrouded over him.
The aura of a Half-Saint!
And… it was a familiar aura.
This was not Yue Sang’s aura, however. Even though Yang Kai and Yue Sang only met once, he remembered that person’s aura vividly, so who was this Half-Saint? Where had he seen such a person before?
Yang Kai inadvertently raised his head and almost burst out laughing, because the face of the middle-aged Demon King, who was previously looking at him as if he was ready to jump at his throat, was scrunched up in misery, as if he was extremely fearful of the incoming person.
“Greetings, Sir!” The sound of many voices came from outside, obviously from the Demon Kings who were set to ambush Yang Kai.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a tall figure stepped in. The visitor was dressed in white, and carried a valiant and heroic manner. The smile on his delicate and beautiful face, and a pair of piercing eyes had a sense of allure and captivation, which was particularly attractive to women.
Yang Kai was stunned, and pointed his finger at him, “You…”
The middle-aged Demon King hurriedly bowed and saluted, “Greetings, Sir!”
The newcomer ignored and walked past the middle-aged Demon King though and stopped ten meters in front of Yang Kai, the corner of his mouth curved into a smile as he spoke, “I told you, we would meet again.”
“Bai Zhuo!” Yang Kai finally remembered this man’s name.
No wonder that aura felt familiar. It was him.
Yang Kai had killed countless enemies while defending Tiger Roar City, so the Demon Race also seemed to recognize the horror of Tiger Roar City and invited a Half-Saint to settle the matter. How could they have anticipated that the Half-Saint who was sent would just make a few remarks before fleeing? Before leaving, this Half-Saint even told Yang Kai that they would meet again.
That Half-Saint introduced himself as Bai Zhuo!
Later, when he learned that Yu Ru Meng was one of the Twelve Demon Saints, Yang Kai realized why Bai Zhuo retreated that day. Other Demons might not recognize Yu Ru Meng, but he must have, so he left decisively.
But Yang Kai did not expect to see Bai Zhuo again in the Blood Arena of the Holy City.
“How dare a mere Human address Sir directly by his name!?” The middle-aged Demon King immediately raised his head to yell at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at him, and replied contemptuously, “He hasn’t even said anything about it, so what are you barking for?”
The middle-aged Demon King was furious and raised his eyes to look at Bai Zhuo, but only saw a smile on the latter’s face, clearly not angry at Yang Kai’s rudeness. The middle-aged Demon King’s heart suddenly clenched as he had a bad feeling in his heart.
It seemed that Sir Bai Zhuo and this Human… were on good terms.
“Why are you here?” Yang Kai looked at Bai Zhuo in astonishment. [Shouldn’t this guy be in the Star Boundary? Why did he show up here for no reason?]
Bai Zhuo turned around and sat on a chair proudly before the middle-aged Demon King immediately walked over and poured him a glass of blood wine respectfully.
Bai Zhuo gently shook the transparent wine glass. The red wine looked like fresh blood as it sloshed around, emitting a fascinating aroma, “I’m one of the supervisors of the Blood Arena. Why can’t I be here?”
Yang Kai’s jaw dropped, utterly dumbfounded, “You’re one of Yu Ru Meng’s subordinates!”
Previously Yu Ru Meng told him that the whole Demon Realm was like a broken mirror. There were countless shattered continents and each of the twelve Demon Saints controlled a different number of them, as well as a different number of Half-Saints.
Now Yang Kai knew that Bai Zhuo was one of the Half-Saints under Yu Ru Meng. No wonder he recognized her at the city wall that day.
Listening to his words, the middle-aged Demon King’s brow could not help twitching, thinking, [This Human is truly audacious. He did not just call Bai Zhuo’s name directly, but even dared to address the Holy Venerable by her given name directly. I’m afraid that there will be a good show next! Sir Bai Zhuo may not care about what this Human said earlier, but given that he dared profane the Holy Venerable, Sir Bai Zhuo will definitely peel the skin off this Human even if he doesn’t kill him.]
However, to his disappointment, Bai Zhuo made no response at all, as if he had not heard Yang Kai’s blasphemy against the Holy Venerable.
“Good!” Bai Zhuo nodded with a smile, “This Bai is one of the many Half-Saints under the Holy Venerable.”
“I see.” Yang Kai looked enlightened. He sat down on a chair opposite Bai Zhuo with no trace of politeness and looked at him with a grin, “Did you just say that you are one of the supervisors of the Blood Arena?”
Bai Zhuo smiled lightly and nodded.
“Then this will be simple.” Yang Kai raised his hand, and pointed at the middle-aged Demon King, “This guy owes me a billion Demon Crystals, but he doesn’t want to pay up. Not just that, he wants to deny me my prize. Tell me, what are you going to do about this?”
Yang Kai was confident and fearless now. Most of the Demons here did not know the relationship between him and Yu Ru Meng, and they only knew that he was a Human brought back by the Holy Venerable from the Star Boundary, so they did not really fear him. But Bai Zhuo was different. He came back from the Star Boundary, so he must know how much Yu Ru Meng values him. In that case, there was no problem for Yang Kai to use Bai Zhuo’s prestige to settle this little squabble.
Moreover, since Bai Zhuo appeared at this time, he must have known about the incident today, so Yang Kai did not need to explain too much to him.
Sure enough, Bai Zhuo put down the wine glass after hearing Yang Kai’s words before turning to the middle-aged Demon King faintly and asking, “Is that true?”
The middle-aged Demon King immediately answered, “Absolutely not. Sir, please ignore this man’s nonsense.”
Yang Kai slammed the table and stood up, “Bastard, how dare you lie so blatantly!?”
The middle-aged Demon King glanced sideways at Yang Kai, “This King just acts according to the rules.” Then, he turned to Bai Zhuo with his fists cupped, “Sir, the issue is like this. Brother Yang participated in a free for all battle and bet one hundred million Demon Crystals on himself. Although he won in the end, according to the investigation of this subordinate, Brother Yang did not have one hundred million Demon Crystals to begin with. According to the rules of the Blood Arena, this subordinate does not need to pay him the one billion Demon Crystals, and his prize will be forfeited too.”
Bai Zhuo nodded as he heard his explanation, “You’re right.”
Yang Kai glared at Bai Zhuo, thinking, [Are you here just to watch the show?]
The middle-aged Demon King was overjoyed, and he cupped his fists again, “Sir, this man is cunning and intends to break the rules of our Blood Arena. If he is not severely punished, this subordinate fears that the reputation of the Blood Arena will be ruined. Please allow this subordinate to make an example of this man in order to maintain the prestige of the Blood Arena and Holy Venerable!”
Yang Kai was stunned by this man’s speech. He thought to himself that this guy was really a sharp-tongued person. He managed to shift the issue of a gambling fight to an issue that involved Yu Ru Meng’s face. Furthermore, Yang Kai truly had no way to talk back about it.
“It’s not that serious,” Bai Zhuo ignored the suggestion of the Demon King and asked, “Have you checked his Space Ring to make sure that he doesn’t have one hundred million Demon Crystals?”
The middle-aged Demon King replied, “Not yet, because he refused to cooperate. I think it’s obvious that he doesn’t have so many Demon Crystals.”
Bai Zhuo nodded when he heard the speech, “It seems that the problem lies in the one hundred million Demon Crystals.” He turned to Yang Kai and continued, “Do you have one hundred million Demon Crystals? If so, just take them out and let them check it for you.”
Yang Kai really wanted to spit on Bai Zhuo’s face, thinking, [How can I have one hundred million Demon Crystals? If I had them, I would have taken them out long ago! Isn’t that a stupid question?]
Just as he was about to erupt though, Yang Kai saw Bai Zhuo wink at him before turning his eyes towards his own hand, then slowly picking up his glass to sip his blood wine, deliberately displaying his Space Ring to Yang Kai. This gentlemanly manner, combined with the handsome face, had fully attracted Xiao Wu’s eyes.
Yang Kai frowned for a moment before he suddenly beamed and stretched out his hand to Bai Zhuo, “I remember now. Brother Bai, you should return the one hundred million Demon Crystals that you borrowed from me last time.”
Bai Zhuo almost spewed out the wine from his mouth as he looked at Yang Kai in shock and wanted to ask him, [Since when did I borrow one hundred million Demon Crystals from you!?]
His original intention was to lend Yang Kai one hundred million Demon Crystal and then have him return it when he got his prize, but how could he have anticipated Yang Kai not following his plan at all and coming up with such an approach. ‘Borrowing’ and ‘repaying’ were two completely different terms.
The middle-aged Demon King also gawked at Yang Kai with his eyes widened, then looked at Bai Zhuo, thinking that it was impossible.
“Ha ha…” Bai Zhou forced out a smile, put down his glass, clenched his fist and cleared his throat. He then glanced sideways at Yang Kai and wanted to get up and just leave, staying out of Yang Kai’s affairs forever, for he had never met such a thick-faced person in his life. But since things had reached this point, he could only play along with Yang Kai and nod, “En, I should pay you back now.”
After saying so, he really took out another Space Ring and fiddled with it.
The middle-aged Demon King was speechless. How could he not see through such bad acting? But he just could not understand why Bai Zhuo was willing to cooperate with this Human. He wanted to remind and dissuade Bai Zhuo, but he did not have the courage to speak up.
He had no way to stop Bai Zhuo if he really wanted to protect this person and would only offend Bai Zhuo if he opened his mouth. What’s more, Yue Sang had left long ago; otherwise, he would not need to go through such pains.
After a short while, Bai Zhuo threw a Space Ring to Yang Kai along with an angry glare.
Yang Kai pretended not to see anything and without checking the Space Ring at all, tossed it directly to the middle-aged Demon King opposite to him and put up an arrogant face, “Check it!”
The middle-aged Demon King held the Space Ring as if he were holding a hot rock, replying with a long face, “There’s no need for inspection.”
The Space Ring was given by Bai Zhuo, so even if there were no Demon Crystals in it, he still had to treat it as if there were a hundred million Demon Crystals in it. If so, why did he even need to check?
“In that case, shouldn’t the prize and the Demon Crystals I won be handed over?” Yang Kai snorted coldly.
The middle-aged Demon King did not look at Yang Kai and instead turned to Bai Zhuo with a helpless face, “There’s no problem with paying the Demon Crystals, but the prize…”
As far as he knew, the female Human brought by Yue Sang was just to show her face, she was then taken away by someone else. She was not in the Blood Arena at the moment so how could he give her to Yang Kai?
“What happened to my prize?” Yang Kai’s face darkened. He took part in the fight mainly for Li Shi Qing, while the one billion Demon Crystals were not his top priority. Now he had a bad feeling when he saw the Demon King’s speech faltering.
Cold sweat beaded on the middle-aged Demon King’s forehead as he continued to look at the Bai Zhuo with a helpless face.
However, Bai Zhuo simply smiled and gestured towards Yang Kai gently, “Calm down.”
As soon as he said this, a knock on the door came from the outside. Then, the door was pushed open and a burly Demon strode in. By the look of the Demon’s aura, he was a High-Rank Demon King.
Not only that, he was accompanied by a woman with a beautiful appearance and tall figure. It was none other than Li Shi Qing
Appalled, the middle-aged Demon King looked at Li Shi Qing with a pale face. [Wasn’t this woman taken away? Why was she brought back now?] Then, he turned to the burly High-Rank Demon King and a sudden realization dawned on him. Everyone knew that Bai Zhuo and Yue Sang were at odds with one another, so perhaps this entire series of events was a secret competition between them, with Bai Zhuo seemingly gaining the upper hand in the end!
His back was drenched in a cold sweat now as he truly did not want to be involved in a competition between Half-Saints. It was better for him to get out of this as soon as possible.
After the burly Demon came in with Li Shi Qing, he cupped his fists towards Bai Zhuo, then turned and left without saying a word.
Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed as he vaguely understood something.
On the other hand, Li Shi Qing looked around anxiously after she was brought in. For her, she knew that she had been in danger since she was brought to the Demon Realm. Her efforts in keeping herself from being eroded by the Demon Qi now were actually just a futile struggle, because in the end, she would still eventually be demonized.
Therefore, she had not the slightest liking for the Demon Race.
She looked around, and her eyes found Yang Kai in a daze, and a trace of disbelief flashed across her face.
She did not know Yang Kai, but she could see that he was different from the other Demons, seemingly like a Human.
[How can there be a Human who is not affected by the Demon Qi in the Demon Realm?]
[Is this man being kept as captive too? But it doesn’t look like it.]
Just when she was lost in thought, Yang Kai walked towards her step by step and stopped a few steps in front of her.
“You…” Before Li Shi Qing could finish her sentence though, Yang Kai suddenly slapped her face.
*Pa*
The slap sent Li Shi Qing spinning a few times before she fell directly onto the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Xiao Wu’s jaw dropped, and the middle-aged Demon King was stunned too, while Bai Zhuo blinked a few times before he raised his wine glass again as if no one else was there, sipping the blood wine with a smile…
Li Shi Qing was stunned.
Although she was taken captive and brought to the Demon Realm, she was never abused. Stars danced before her eyes now though and she was left completely baffled. The Demons were a little bit violent with her verbally, but she did not expect to be slapped by someone who looked like a Human today.
[Who is he? Why did he hit me?]
Before she could think of anything else, Li Shi Qing felt a tightness pinch her chest. She raised her eyes and saw the same man who slapped her was now standing above her, leaning down slightly with one foot on her chest. He looked down at her condescendingly with a hideous look on his face and sneered darkly, “Do you know who I am?”
Li Shi Qing shook her head in panic, crystal tears overflowing from her eyes.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment wondering [Why was it so easy to toss this woman around? She’s a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master! Also, what’s with those teary eyes?] He did not really want to hit Li Shi Qing, but to everyone else, he was chased out of the Star Boundary because he had fallen to the Demon path, which was an intolerable crime. At this time, it was only reasonable that he showed some anger and resentment, but how could he have known a simple slap would cause Li Shi Qing to burst into tears.
Without thinking too much about it though, he continued to maintain that hideous face and barked at Li Shi Qing, “Look clearly, this King is Yang Kai!”
Li Shi Qing seemed to be greatly shaken by this statement and stared at him incredulously.
She obviously knew of Yang Kai, but the person in front of her was completely different from what she had heard. The Yang Kai she had heard about was the brightest rising star in the Star Boundary, but the man in front of her was like a vicious gambler who lost everything he had.
Yang Kai continued to smirk, “From now on, you’re my slave. You will do whatever I tell you whenever I tell you to. Your fate will be worse than death if I hear a word of objection! Do you understand?”
Li Shi Qing looked like she was in a trance. It wasn’t until Yang Kai repeated his question and a severe pain struck her chest that she nodded in a hurry, big fat tears sliding down the corner of her eyes, making her look absolutely miserable.
Yang Kai snorted, looking like he was bored of her, then lifted his foot before turning around and stretching out his hand to the middle-aged Demon King, “What about my Demon Crystals?”
The middle-aged Demon King immediately handed over the Space Ring he had prepared, looking like he was struggling with himself internally. [This must be why Holy Venerable brought this person back to the Demon Realm, his nature is pure evil.]
Yang Kai took the Space Ring and scanned it with Divine Sense to check its contents. After confirming everything was there, he grinned at Bai Zhuo and declared, “Brother Bai, since the matter is settled, I’ll take my leave.”
Bai Zhuo smiled lightly and got up, “Let’s go, I also happen to be going to the Holy Venerable’s palace.”
Yang Kai naturally did not have any objections and just ordered Xiao Wu to bring Li Shi Qing out of the room.
The two chatted all the way, and Yang Kai soon discovered that Bai Zhuo seemed to be interested in befriending him, which confused him slightly, [Perhaps he’s doing this because of my relationship with Yu Ru Meng?]
Bai Zhuo did not mention the one hundred million Demon Crystals, and Yang Kai did not plan to return them either. For a Half-Saint, a hundred million Demon Crystals meant nothing.
After a short while, they found someone standing in front of them, blocking their way. There was no one else within a thousand meters of where that person was standing and his aggressive aura seemed to permeate the air, causing many Demons to retreat.
Yue Sang!
He probably received news from the Blood Arena and hurried over. Yang Kai glanced at Bai Zhuo thoughtfully and secretly guessed that he might have already expected this, which was why he chose to accompany Yang Kai back to the palace.
Yang Kai would probably be in deep trouble if he was caught alone outside by Yue Sang.
At this moment, Yue Sang’s eyes were blazing, his blood boiling furiously all over him. The murderous intent was apparent as he glanced at Yang Kai and Li Shi Qing. He then fixed his gaze on Bai Zhuo and declared coldly, “You seem intent on interfering with this King’s business.”
Bai Zhuo chuckled, “Since I have nothing to do, I came here to have some fun.”
Yue Sang snorted again and raised his finger at Yang Kai, “Thirty Myriad Demon Pills for him.”
[Myriad Demon Pills?] Yang Kai’s eyes flashed. [What the Hell is that?] However, from Yue Sang’s tone, he obviously wanted to exchange thirty of these Myriad Demon Pills in order for Bai Zhuo to stop interfering in this matter. In this place and at this time, as long as Bai Zhuo withdrew, Yue Sang could do whatever he wanted. Although this place was under Yu Ru Meng’s jurisdiction, as long as Yue Sang was fast enough, there would be nothing to object about later.
Yang Kai glanced at Bai Zhuo and saw his face change slightly, which made him realize that these so-called Myriad Demon Pills were something incredibly valuable.
However, Bai Zhuo slowly shook his head, “I’m afraid I can’t give you what you want.”
“Fifty!”
Bai Zhuo rubbed his forehead, and replied with a wry smile, “It really is a tempting bargain, but…”
“Eighty!” Yue Sang raised his voice, with a painful look on his face as if a few kilograms of meat were shaved off him, “This is the most this King can offer.”
Bai Zhuo turned his head and looked at Yang Kai, then at Li Shi Qing, causing Yang Kai’s heart to tighten. Fortunately, Bai Zhuo still did not agree and simply said, “How about a slight change? I’ll give you back this woman.”
He stretched out his hand and pointed at Li Shi Qing.
“Don’t even think about it!” Yang Kai was furious and stared at him, “She’s my property now!”
Bai Zhuo shrugged at Yue Sang upon Yang Kai’s words, “Then that’s too bad.”
Yue Sang’s face darkened as his voice turned as cold as ice, “Are you sure you won’t regret this? You should know that irritating this King will not do you any good.”
Bai Zhuo smiled slightly, “Don’t be such an alarmist. This King is perfectly aware of how capable you, Yue Sang, are. However, if I were you, I would worry about myself. Do you think Holy Venerable is going to let this incident slide?”
Yue Sang could not reply as the aggressive aura around him was threatening to explode, causing Yang Kai to become vigilant.
Bai Zhuo, on the other hand, stroked his chin lightly before saying, “If you’re not going to make a move, we’ll be leaving.”
As he said that, he gestured to Yang Kai and the others to follow him. He led the group of people past the Half-Saint, whose aura just felt like a breeze sweeping by them, unhindered.
As the few of them walked past Yue Sang, Yang Kai turned to glance at him, whose face was contorted to the extreme, his fists clenched tightly as if he was trying his best to suppress his urge to pounce at them.
Yue Sang knew that if he really engaged Bai Zhuo here, on top of his uncertain chance of winning, the thought of Yu Ru Meng’s wrath descending on him was unimaginable, so all he could do was watch Yang Kai and the others leave.
When they pulled a good distance away from Yue Sang, Yang Kai let out a breath softly in relief as he squinted at Bai Zhuo, “Did you really want to trade me to him just now?”
Bai Zhuo laughed, “How can that be? If I really did that, Holy Venerable would kill me.” While speaking, he glanced at the teary-eyed Li Shi Qing, “But eighty Myriad Demon Pills would be a good deal in exchange for this woman.”
“What are Myriad Demon Pills?” Yang Kai took the opportunity to ask.
Bai Zhuo replied mysteriously, “It’s useless to ask this now. You will know in the future.”
Since he did not want to answer, Yang Kai just changed the subject.
Not long after, they arrived at the palace where Bai Zhuo, who wanted to meet Yu Ru Meng, parted ways with Yang Kai.
Returning to his residence again, Yang Kai asked Xiao Wu to arrange a room for Li Shi Qing, while he took out the map he bought and studied it in his quarters.
In the Demon Realm, he could not count on anyone, and it was not practical to just inquire about the whereabouts of Bright Moon Great Emperor, so he could only work hard on his own.
After a while of careful study, Yang Kai discovered that the Demon Realm was truly vast. There were no fewer than five hundred fragmented continents, and although there were large and small ones, their combined area was definitely much larger than the Star Boundary’s.
To track down Bright Moon Great Emperor in so many fragmented continents was like looking for a needle in a haystack!
Yang Kai could not help feeling powerless as he did not find a single clue.
While he was at a loss, he suddenly remembered Li Shi Qing. This woman had been in the Demon Realm for a long time now, so although her situation had been less than pleasant, there was a chance she might know something.
He stored the map, opened the door, and walked out.
Summoning Xiao Wu, he found where Li Shi Qing was and headed there straight away.
The place Xiao Wu arranged for Li Shi Qing was not far from Yang Kai’s room, so it took just a short time to arrive.
Pushing the door of the room open impolitely, Yang Kai strode in and glanced left and right. He found Li Shi Qing curled up in the corner, arms around her legs and chin on knees, her eyes still wet, looking absolutely pitiful.
Hearing the movement, Li Shi Qing looked up and shuddered at the sight of Yang Kai. She obviously remembered the treatment Yang Kai had shown her before so she could not help wanting to retreat; unfortunately for her, there was a wall behind her.
Yang Kai snickered, which escalated her anxiety.
With a wave of his hand, the door slammed shut and Yang Kai walked toward her.
Li Shi Qing was completely petrified as her breath caught in her chest, watching the menacing figure that obscured the light above her head with her beautiful wide eyes.
Yang Kai looked down at her condescendingly while feeling a little odd; after all, Yu Ru Meng had disguised herself using this face for a long time so he was quite familiar with it, though it never looked like this.
Raising his hand slightly and a chair flew over.
Unexpectedly, Li Shi Qing suddenly hugged her head with her arms, and whispered, “Don’t hit me, please don’t hit me…”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. [Is this woman really the only Legacy Disciple of Flower Shadow Great Emperor? She’s so timid! How did she even become a Second-Order Emperor? Could it be that the Flower Shadow Great Emperor sheltered her too much, causing her to develop such a weak character?]
Sitting on the chair, Yang Kai raised his hand and knocked on her head with his knuckle.
In the next instant, Li Shi Qing fell limp and collapsed on the ground with her eyes shut.
Yang Kai blinked dumbly for a moment before he stretched out his hand to check her breathing as a weird expression filled his face. He then examined her with his Divine Sense and confirmed that Li Shi Qing had fainted.
[What the… I didn’t even say a word…] He initially wanted to ask her something, but it was impossible now.
In irritation, Yang Kai could only wait.
After about five to six hours, Li Shi Qing finally woke up. Her eyelashes quivered, her eyes opened, and the first thing she saw was Yang Kai sitting in front of her.
She could not wait to pass out again!
Before she was able to close her eyes and pretend to faint again as Yang Kai shouted with an annoyed face, “Sit properly!”
Li Shi Qing’s body trembled and it was obvious that she was dreadfully afraid of him. She gently bit her red lips as her gaze drifted away for a while before she slowly knelt down in front of Yang Kai with her head bowed down humbly, as if she were an ill-treated daughter-in-law.
Yang Kai found her pathetic, but he maintained his stern expression, asking, “Are you Li Shi Qing?”
She nodded.
Yang Kai rubbed his temples, “Is Flower Shadow Great Emperor your Honoured Master?”
She nodded again.
“Are you a mute?”
She nodded again, then quickly shook her head, and answered as she looked up at Yang Kai in fear, “No.”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “Since you’re not, then answer when this King asks you a question. Lie, and you will suffer the consequences.”
“Yes, yes…” Li Shi Qing held her head with her hands, as if Yang Kai’s voice was too loud and it overwhelmed her.
Yang Kai suddenly pitied Flower Shadow Great Emperor. How did she raise such a weak-willed Disciple?
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai continued, “Judging from your previous reaction, you must have heard of me, right?”
“Yes!”
“Ha!” Yang Kai sneered, “This King doesn’t care what you heard before, but listen well to what this King is about to tell you. This King has betrayed the Star Boundary. We cannot coexist now, we are absolutely irreconcilable! Sooner or later, this King will trample that damned place flat and show those fools my strength.”
Initially, Yang Kai wanted to explain the truth to Li Shi Qing so that she could cooperate with him, but seeing her condition now, it was better for him not to disclose anything, lest she let slip his secret. At this moment, he could not trust this woman.
Li Shi Qing raised her head, looking at him seriously and blinking.
Yang Kai pressed on fiercely, “Do you hear me clearly?”
“Yes!”
“Good.” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “Let’s begin. How did you get here?”
Li Shi Qing shook her head, “I’m not sure. I was knocked out, and I was already here when I woke up.”
[That should be Yu Ru Meng’s work, Bai Zhuo probably helped too.]
Yang Kai suddenly changed the topic, “It was said that Bright Moon fell into the Demon Realm. Do you know where he is now?”
“You mean… Senior Bright Moon?” Li Shi Qing almost could not react to it.
“Who else could it be?” Yang Kai replied as he stared at her.
“Is Senior Bright Moon here?” Li Shi Qing was shocked.
Yang Kai sighed in his heart, showing a look of disappointment. By the look of her reaction, she probably did not know the whereabouts of Bright Moon Great Emperor, so Yang Kai immediately lost his interest in talking, because it was pointless for him to ask anymore.
Yang Kai went silent, and Li Shi Qing did not dare to make a sound, so for a moment, the room fell into dead silence.
After a long time, Yang Kai pronounced, “I see that you’ve been resisting the erosion of Demon Qi, but how long can you keep that up?” He had no idea how long she had been holding on like this; however, Yang Kai could feel that the power in her body had almost completely depleted. If Yang Kai had not protected her when she passed out just now, perhaps she would already have been contaminated by the Demon Qi. The Demon Qi would have some impact on her more or less if it invaded her body, and would ultimately demonify her if left unchecked.
Speaking of this, Li Shi Qing looked a little pitiful. She shook her head slowly as she answered, “Ten days at most… My Space Ring was taken from me, and I don’t have any recovery items.”
Yang Kai had long noticed this as Li Shi Qing did not have a Space Ring with her. If she had sufficient resources, she would not be in such a pathetic state.
Yang Kai casually flickered a Space Ring to her, and snorted coldly, “Live well. This King has no use for you if you become a Demon.” After saying so, he got up and went outside.
Behind him, Li Shi Qing picked up the Space Ring and did a brief inspection. Joy immediately crept onto her face as there were Source Crystals and various Spirit Pills that she needed the most at this time inside. With these things, she could restore her strength and continue to resist the erosion of the Demon Qi.
…
When Yang Kai walked out of Li Shi Qing’s room, he saw Yu Ru Meng standing outside in the flower garden with a meaningful smile on her face.
Yang Kai was taken aback as he had not noticed her aura at all. He secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he did not reveal anything when chatting with Li Shi Qing just now, otherwise, his end would probably have been dreadful.
“Why are you here?” Yang Kai approached and held Yu Ru Meng’s soft waist without showing any trace of politeness.
Yu Ru Meng looked down at his big hands, and revealed a faint smile, “Am I interrupting you?”
Yang Kai curled his lip, “There’s nothing to be interrupted.”
Yu Ru Meng nudged her chin towards the room and continued, “Given that you’re willing to go through all that trouble to bring her back from the Blood Arena, don’t tell me that you’re interested in her?”
Yang Kai retorted angrily, “Speaking of this, I need to ask you. What’s the matter with the maidservants here? Why do all of them look like this? Did you do it on purpose?”
Yu Ru Meng giggled, “So what? Who knows if you will cheat behind my back. I can’t watch over you all the time, so I have to take some precautions.”
Yang Kai bared his teeth, and replied painfully, “You don’t trust me.”
Yu Ru Meng glanced sideways at him, “You have to be trustworthy first.” As soon as she turned around and got rid of Yang Kai’s arms, she went to the flower garden, picked one, turned around, and went to place it on Yang Kai’s head.
Yang Kai stared at her, alarmed, “What are you doing!?”
“Don’t move!”
“Don’t even think about it!” As a man, Yang Kai found it to be embarrassing to have a flower in his hair. He quickly dodged her, but unexpectedly, Yu Ru Meng caught up like a shadow and landed the flower with a gentle motion, then quickly floated backwards. She looked at Yang Kai with her head tilted, then burst into laughter.
Yang Kai’s face went as black as the bottom of a pot and raised his hand to pull the flower out of his hair before throwing it to the ground and trampling on it, “Just you wait! You’ll regret this sooner or later.” After a fierce statement, he turned around to leave.
However, his arm was grabbed by Yu Ru Meng.
“What else do you want?” Yang Kai was full of frustration. In the Star Boundary, Yu Ru Meng only had a Second-Order Emperor Realm cultivation, so he could do anything he wanted to her, but here, when this woman restored her cultivation, he stood no chance when competing with a Demon Saint.
Yang Kai suspected that she was now taking revenge for everything he put her through.
“Are you angry?” Yu Ru Meng leaned her head close to him.
Yang Kai turned his head away, answering sarcastically, “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good, then let me get down to business.” Yu Ru Meng turned solemn. Seeing that Yang Kai was still unresponsive and had no intention to listen, she immediately smiled and grabbed Yang Kai’s big hand and put it on her chest.
Feeling an amazing elasticity, Yang Kai instantly beamed and started kneading and playing with it, nodding, “Go ahead, go ahead, I’m listening.”
Yu Ru Meng stared at him, irritated, but still pressed on, “I need you to go to Cloud Shadow Continent.”
“Cloud Shadow Continent?” Yang Kai frowned, and quickly recalled the location of Cloud Shadow Continent. Fortunately, he had studied the new map diligently, otherwise, he might still be clueless at this moment.
Cloud Shadow Continent was not far from Enchantment Continent, but it was not close either. One would need to go through several Territory Gates before reaching there. Based on his current mobility and with the aid of the Tiger Head Chariot he purchased, it would take him about half a day to arrive.
“What for?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
“It’s where your help is needed of course, which is also the reason why I brought you here to the Demon Realm. As for what to do, someone will explain the situation to you there.”
Yang Kai fell into contemplation. He always wondered why Yu Ru Meng did not hesitate to use her Heart Seal Secret Technique to tie them together just to bring him to the Demon Realm. She certainly was up to something, but this was actually a good opportunity for him to probe her intentions as well.
Furthermore, he could not find out the whereabouts of Bright Moon Great Emperor here. If he went somewhere else, he may have a chance to inquire about it.
As soon as he thought about this, he had already made a decision in his heart, but he pretended to be reluctant and asked, “Can I not go?”
“Just help me with this.” Yu Ru Meng winked at him.
Yang Kai could not bring himself to say no. This woman was not only a Demon Saint, but also a Charm Demon, so she simply exuded seduction. Even just a little wink was enough to pull out the soul of any man.
“What benefit would I get from this?” Yang Kai snorted.
Yu Ru Meng chuckled, stared at Yang Kai, then glanced at the room, “You can do whatever you want with that woman inside, and I won’t stop you.”
“What kind of benefit is that!?” Yang Kai pouted.
“What do you want then?” Yu Ru Meng looked at him playfully.
Yang Kai’s eyes quivered, and then he whispered into her ear. Yu Ru Meng could not help rolling her eyes as she stretched out her hand to pull his ear over, whispered back, and tapped on her own red lips.
Yang Kai could not help gulping, and stared at her shimmery red lips, “Splendid!”
Provoked, Yu Ru Meng pinched his waist furiously.
Yang Kai grimaced in pain, “Anyway, I’m fine with you sending me to Cloud Shadow Continent, but what about Yue Sang? I’m afraid he’ll stop me halfway. You know he treats me like an arch-enemy, and with my current strength, I won’t end well facing him.”
Yu Ru Meng reassured, “You don’t have to worry about this. I have punished him for taking Li Shi Qing out on his own and using her to lure you to participate in the Blood Arena battle this time.”
“Did you kill him?” Yang Kai was overjoyed.
“He is a Half-Saint, so how could I just kill him?” Yu Ru Meng could not help laughing. If she really killed a Half-Saint for something so small, she would lose face, and it would be bad if the other Half-Saints under her became distrustful of her. Instead, she explained, “Bai Zhuo just came back, so I sent Yue Sang to the battlefield, and told him not to return without orders; therefore, you don’t have to worry that he will give you trouble.”
“Very good.” Yang Kai sneered, “I’ll let him live for now. When I get stronger, I will take his dog life!”
“We’ll see.” Yu Ru Meng smiled lightly.
But the next moment, Yang Kai hugged her waist and carried her up, flirting with his head lowered, “I’ve heard for a long time that Charm Demons are unrivalled when it comes to seducing people and stealing hearts, but this King doesn’t believe it. Let’s find out today!”
Yu Ru Meng stretched out her hand to hug Yang Kai’s neck, giggling, “Be careful of what you wish for.”
Early morning the next day.
Yang Kai felt refreshed as he walked along the main road of the Holy City, his lips slightly curved upwards as he recalled the ecstasy of last night.
Yu Ru Meng truly lived up to her name as a Charm Demon. Her skills were almost unbearable for him even with his Half-Dragon Body. With just her sweet, little mouth alone, the things she did… If not for his strong physique, Yang Kai probably would have begged for mercy.
Even an enchantress like Shan Qing Luo was a novice compared to her.
The only flaw in the perfect scenario was that he failed to seize the ultimate prize. The last line of defence was held firm by Yu Ru Meng, leaving Yang Kai helpless.
According to Yu Ru Meng, it was not because she was unwilling, but because the Primordial Yin of a Demon Saint’s body was simply too potent, and there would be damage to Yang Kai’s foundation if he insisted. She could only ask him to work hard on his cultivation; as soon as he reached the Half-Saint Realm, he would finally be able to have his way with her.
Yang Kai was greatly looking forward to it.
As he reached the main city gate, a person’s voice suddenly came from up ahead, “Brother Yang, you look simply radiant, and there’s a certain sparkle in your eyes. Looks like you had a happy night.”
Yang Kai looked up in surprise, “Brother Bai, why are you here?”
It was Bai Zhuo, whom he met yesterday, and from the looks of it… Yang Kai could not help wondering, “Brother Bai, were you waiting for me?”
Bai Zhuo beamed lightly, “Brother Yang, don’t tell me you thought that Holy Venerable would really let you go to Cloud Shadow Continent alone.”
Yang Kai suddenly realized, “Is Brother Bai coming with me?”
Bai Zhuo replied, “I’m only responsible for escorting you and also then handing things over to the Demon Kings over there. Brother Yang will have to rely on himself for the rest. The battle between the two worlds is raging right now, so I can’t stay in the Demon Realm for too long.”
Yang Kai wanted to inquire about the situation of the battlefield, but was also afraid that he would expose himself if he asked too much, so he just nodded, “Then I shall have to trouble you, Brother Bai!”
“Brother Yang, please!” Bai Zhuo stretched out his hand in a gesture so polite that made Yang Kai wonder if he had any other intentions. This guy was a Half-Saint, so even if it was for the sake of Yu Ru Meng, was it necessary for him to be so polite? Yesterday was the same.
He could not understand, nor did he think he could get an answer if he asked, so Yang Kai decided not to think about it for now.
Outside the city gate, when Bai Zhuo was about to take off and head towards the Cloud Shadow Continent, Yang Kai stretched out his hand to stop him and summoned his newly bought Tiger Head Chariot.
In any case, he was not in a hurry for this trip, and he did not even understand the purpose of going to Cloud Shadow Continent. Since there was no need to hurry, Yang Kai took this opportunity to try his new flight-type artifact.
After some effort, the route was set up and Yang Kai boarded the War Chariot together with Bai Zhuo, Li Shi Qing, and Xiao Wu. The internal space of the War Chariot was not big, so four people was its limit.
He had to bring Li Shi Qing with him for the convenience of guarding her. He would have sent her into the Small Sealed World a long time ago if he did not have to consider raising any suspicions as that would save him a lot of trouble.
On the other hand, Xiao Wu was ordered by Yu Ru Meng to serve Yang Kai personally.
Yang Kai highly suspected the reason Yu Ru Meng arranged for Xiao Wu to stay by his side was to keep an eye on him. He had no objection to it though, for she was just a maidservant. Although her appearance was less than pleasant, Yang Kai had become fond of Xiao Wu after spending some time together. It was at least better than getting a new maidservant on the other side.
With a slight urging of his Emperor Qi, the Tiger Head Chariot immediately turned into a stream of light that soared straight into the sky, heading towards the nearest Territory Gate.
Yang Kai very soon discovered the benefit of this artifact. No control was needed as long as the route was set in advance, and as long as there was enough power, the Tiger Head Chariot would speed all the way towards its destination. Even if it could not be compared to Bai Zhuo’s flight speed, it definitely was not slow.
Emperor Qi, Demon Qi, or even Demon Crystals that had been inserted could be used as fuel to drive the War Chariot. Yang Kai spent some time playing around with it in fascination.
When he finally settled down, Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Zhuo, who was sitting next to him, and asked, “Brother Bai, do you know why Holy Venerable is sending me to Cloud Shadow Continent?”
Bai Zhuo answered questioningly, “Holy Venerable didn’t tell you?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “She only told me that someone there will explain the situation to me.”
When Bai Zhuo heard the words, he nodded, “Since that’s what Holy Venerable said, she must have…” He failed to stifle his laughter when he saw Yang Kai rolling his eyes, “Good, then I will reveal a little bit.”
“I’m eager to hear the details!” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
“Cloud Shadow Continent is about to vanish.”
Bai Zhuo looked at Yang Kai with scorching eyes, “I’m afraid that only you can prevent this from happening.”
“It’s going to disappear?” Yang Kai was astonished, “What happened? How can a continent just disappear all of a sudden?”
Bai Zhuo explained, “It’s not disappearing in the sense of it being destroyed. Strictly speaking, Cloud Shadow Continent will still exist, but the Territory Gates that connect to Cloud Shadow Continent are about to vanish. Originally, there were five Territory Gates that led to five different continents connected with Cloud Shadow Continent, but four of them have disappeared during the previous thousand years. Right now, there is only one left and it seems to be extremely unstable. Once the last Territory Gate disappears, Cloud Shadow Continent will be completely cut off from the Demon Realm, and we will lose another piece of territory. Brother Yang should understand what I mean.”
Yang Kai was startled for a while but soon nodded.
Each of the fragmented continents in the Demon Realm was equivalent to a Small World. These Small Worlds were not independent but were connected to each other by Territory Gates. If the Territory Gates of a fragmented continent disappear, then they would be completely cut off from the outside world, becoming completely isolated. To the Demon Realm, it was equivalent to a continent disappearing.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “So Holy Venerable wants me here in the Demon Realm just for Cloud Shadow Continent?”
Bai Zhuo smiled wryly and shook his head, “It’s not just for Cloud Shadow Continent. Brother Yang may not know, but over the past few tens of thousands of years, many continents in the Demon Realm have disappeared. Cloud Shadow Continent is just the latest example, and it certainly won’t be the last.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “This has happened to many continents?”
Bai Zhuo answered solemnly, “This more or less happens to every Holy Venerable’s territory. In the past ten thousand years alone, the Demon Realm has lost more than ten continents, and it is more than likely that number will only grow as more time passes.”
“The entire world is unstable!” Yang Kai’s face turned pensive as he suddenly reached an epiphany. When he first came to the Demon Realm, despite being blown away by the wonders of the Demon Realm, he still faintly felt something was off.
The Demon Realm was like a shattered mirror, its pieces once part of a whole but unable to maintain long-term stability after it was shattered. The disappearance of Territory Gates and continents were definitely related to this.
Bai Zhuo nodded, “Brother Yang is correct, only those who are proficient in the Dao of Space can possibly solve this problem. This is also why Holy Venerable values you so much.”
Yang Kai nodded firmly, “I see now, to keep Cloud Shadow Continent, we must stabilize the last Territory Gate at the very least, right?”
“Indeed!” Bai Zhuo laughed slightly, “Brother Yang, you must know that in the Demon Realm, the strength of a Holy Venerables and Half-Saints like me is closely related to the size of the territories under their command. The more continents we control, the stronger we are.”
“What’s the reason for this?” Yang Kai was stunned, as he had never heard of such a thing.
Bai Zhuo laughed without saying a word, acting mysteriously.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and gave up questioning. He just contemplated on his own with a frown on his face. As Bai Zhuo said, if the strength of the Holy Venerable was closely related to the size of the territory under his or her management, then Cloud Shadow Continent may be just the beginning. If he could stabilize the last Territory Gate and salvage the Cloud Shadow Continent, Yu Ru Meng may want him to stabilize other places and even search for the disappeared continents.
This was not nonsense. Based on his expertise in the Dao of Space, a continent lost to the Void was not actually lost, just difficult to reach. As long as the location of the previous Territory Gates could be found, it may not be impossible to recover those lost continents.
Once the lost continents were retrieved and the Territory Gates were rebuilt, Yu Ru Meng’s strength would also increase.
“Hm?”
Bai Zhuo let out a sound when Yang Kai was still deep in thought.
Yang Kai raised his head abruptly, manipulating his Emperor Qi to bring the speeding Tiger Head Chariot to a stop.
With a swoosh, a stream of light flew past them.
Someone was secretly ambushing them, but this person had no malicious intentions as the previous blow was only intended to stop the Tiger Head Chariot.
Yang Kai looked up, and found a slim figure standing a thousand meters ahead, with a pair of white wings behind her. She waved over at him vigorously with a strong bow in her hand and a smug smile on her face.
“Bo Ya!” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched. He was still wondering who wanted to ambush him, but he did not expect it to be this woman.
Previously, this woman left the Blood Arena abruptly without giving Yang Kai any time to react, but today she took the initiative to approach him.
[Could she be here for ten percent of the winnings? Then she is going to be disappointed!]
“It’s this girl…” Bai Zhuo obviously recognized Bo Ya, and smiled slightly, “Brother Yang, if possible, it would be good to subdue her. She may be of use to you when you’re in Cloud Shadow Continent.”
Yang Kai snorted coldly, “She’s fairly strong, but there’s nothing worth complimenting about when it comes to her character.” The sole fact that she liked women was enough to unsettle Yang Kai. This woman entered the free for all battle in the Blood Arena for Li Shi Qing, and it was uncertain what she would do if he kept her by his side.
Bai Zhuo did not say much after hearing Yang Kai’s response.
As the two continued talking, Bo Ya flew over with a grin, and greeted Yang Kai enthusiastically, “Hello!”
She then suddenly noticed Bai Zhuo, and was slightly taken aback, but she hurriedly composed herself and cupped her fists, “Greetings, Sir!”
Bai Zhuo smiled, “Are you in trouble again?”
An unnatural smile appeared on Bo Ya’s face, and she replied shyly, “Sir, since when did I ever get into trouble?”
Not giving Bai Zhuo a chance to speak again, she turned her head and looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression, and immediately got down on one knee and cupped her hands, “Feather Demon Bo Ya is here to serve under Sir. Please take me in!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he stared at Bo Ya in confusion, wondering, [What is this woman up to now?]
They only cooperated once in the Blood Arena, so Yang Kai was not familiar with Bo Ya. Furthermore, she did not seem to be an obedient person at that time; in other words, this woman wasn’t the type to submit meekly or obey orders easily.
Yang Kai instinctively thought that she was joking, but soon his face changed again. He turned to look in one direction, sneered, and then turned back to Bo Ya. She looked embarrassed, the corner of her lips twisting into a faint smile.
More than a dozen kilometres away, many powerful auras were approaching. There were many High-Rank Demon Kings among them whose figures could even be seen from a distance, and they were all eyeing this place.
Although Yang Kai just swept his eyes over them, he recognized one among them; he was the middle-aged Demon King who he had met in the Blood Arena that day.
It was impossible that the Demons were coming for him, so there was only one explanation for this, they came for Bo Ya.
The submission of this woman was an act she had to carry out in order to seek protection; however, Yang Kai had no idea why she was being chased and hunted by the people from the Blood Arena.
Without any hesitation though, Yang Kai waved his hand, “Make way, or don’t blame this King for being rude!”
Bo Ya pleaded with a pitiful face, “Sir, please don’t stand by and watch me die! It’s all thanks to you that this Bo Ya fell into such a situation.”
Yang Kai snorted, “It’s none of my business that you offended others.”
Bo Ya explained, “It’s because of what happened in the Blood Arena yesterday! They seem to think that my intervention sabotaged their plans, so they have been chasing after me since then. Bo Ya has no where to go now and could only ask Sir to accept her. Sir has seen Bo Ya’s abilities; she will surely not disappoint you.”
Yang Kai sneered, “The Demon Realm is a vast, wide world. You can go anywhere you want, why come to me? Stop being ridiculous.”
As soon as these words came out, Bo Ya dropped her head in despair, “If I had another choice, I wouldn’t have come to you. All the Territory Gates have been blocked by them, so where else can I go?”
Yang Kai looked at her faintly, “I wonder if you’ve heard a particular saying we have among my Human Race?”
“What is it?” Bo Ya looked at him curiously.
Yang Kai’s mouth curved into a smile, “If a natural disaster happens to someone, he can be forgiven; but if it’s of one’s own making, he deserves the punishment!” Although he knew that he was a part of the reason Bo Ya was being chased and hunted down by those from the Blood Arena, Yang Kai truly did not want to be involved with this woman. As such, he simply waved his hand and demanded, “Make way!”
Bo Ya threw herself onto the Tiger Head Chariot and begged pitifully, “If Sir doesn’t want to take me in, can you just escort me out? Just help me to pass through the Territory Gate.” After a pause, she continued, “Right, you don’t need to pay me my ten percent either. I don’t want it anymore.”
“There was never ten percent for you! Cease your nonsense,” Yang Kai hissed.
Bai Zhuo suddenly interrupted, “Brother Yang, it’d be good to take her with you. This girl’s ability is more powerful than an ordinary High-Rank Demon King. She really could be of great use to you.”
Hearing what Bai Zhuo said, Bo Ya quickly nodded like a chicken pecking rice, “Yes, yes, Sir, just take me with you. I’ll serve you well!”
Yang Kai glared furiously at Bai Zhuo as he had no idea why Bai Zhuo was so interested in this matter. He shook his head slowly and remarked, “I don’t feel secure about this.” He did not know Bo Ya well, so how could he simply keep her with him?
Bai Zhuo laughed gently, “If that’s the case, I can do you a favour.”
After saying so, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Bo Ya. Bo Ya was taken aback, and instinctively attempted to retreat, but she was no match for Bai Zhuo despite her strength. Bai Zhuo’s big hand was directly inserted into Bo Ya’s head, but no blood gushed out of it. Bai Zhuo then pulled his hand out after a while. Bo Ya’s body went stiff before it shivered, as if she had suffered some severe damage, gasping for air with a horrified face.
At this moment, Bai Zhuo had caught hold of something like a twisted and erratic cloud in his hand. He then took out something like a puppet with another hand, and placed it in front of his chest. Followed by some chanting and a hand seal, he threw the cloud into the puppet, and then applied several seals. After that, he tossed the puppet to Yang Kai with a smile, “Now you can rest assured using her.”
On the other side, Bo Ya’s face turned pale as she retreated a few steps back, looking at the puppet in Yang Kai’s hand in horror, “Soul Puppet!”
Bai Zhuo smiled at her, “Since you recognize this thing, you should behave yourself in the future.”
Bo Ya was immediately distressed, “Sir Bai Zhuo, how can you do this to me? When did Bo Ya offend you?”
Bai Zhuo replied curiously, “Isn’t this King helping you achieve your wish? You should be grateful.”
Bo Ya was so infuriated that her teeth rattled, but she dared not rebuke.
Yang Kai pinched the doll as he questioned, “What’s the use of this thing?”
Bai Zhuo beamed lightly, “To control her life and death. With this thing, she won’t betray you.”
“Really?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows.
“Not at all!” Bo Ya yelled, and attempted to snatch the puppet, “Give it to me, and I’ll leave now.”
Of course, Yang Kai would not let her get what she wanted and turned aside to avoid her snatch. He then gently flicked the puppet’s forehead, and in the next moment, a thump was heard, followed by Bo Ya’s scream. She seemed to have been hit hard, and spun several times in the air before she stabilized her body.
When she finally came to a stop, a feeling of dizziness struck her. She covered her forehead with her hands and looked at Yang Kai with a depressed face. A red mark could be seen on her forehead, as if she had been punched.
She regretted it. Initially, she just wanted to pass through the Territory Gate with Yang Kai’s help, and then she would flee far away and never return to Enchantment Continent again; however, she did not expect Bai Zhuo to make a move without any warning and seal her Soul Brand into a Soul Puppet. From now on, she would not be free anymore…
On the other hand, Yang Kai became interested. He pulled the arm of the puppet upwards, and Bo Ya could not help lifting her arm. When he poked the puppet, Bo Ya immediately fell back in a stagger.
Everything that he did to the puppet would be reflected on Bo Ya. In other words, if the puppet was destroyed, perhaps Bo Ya would die without a chance for burial.
Yang Kai grinned. He did not have to worry about anything if he had this thing. He then turned to Bai Zhuo and asked, “Do you still have more of these things? Give me some if you do.”
Bai Zhuo returned with a smile, “It’s not easy to refine this thing, and it needs the corresponding Secret Technique to use. Even if I give you another, what’s the use of it if you don’t know how to use it?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Then just teach me that Secret Technique.”
Bai Zhuo shook his finger at Yang Kai, “Be contented.” He was obviously unwilling to teach Yang Kai the Secret Technique.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could only give up on that thought. He put the Soul Puppet into his Space Ring and then looked up at Bo Ya with great interest. To be honest, aside from her character, Yang Kai truly admired her outstanding ability, for he had witnessed it when he teamed up with her yesterday.
Now, with the restriction of the Soul Puppet, it would be harmless for him to take her around; therefore, he announced firmly, “Since you have come under me, you should obey my orders in the future. You will be rewarded if you have meritorious deeds and will be punished if you make mistakes. If you dare to have any thoughts of betrayal, you will die!”
The corner of Bo Ya’s mouth twitched, she lowered her head, “Can I say no?”
Yang Kai replied, “It’s up to you. If you are unwilling to, I’ll give you the Soul Puppet now, and we’ll have nothing to do with each other.”
Bo Ya looked at him dumbfounded, as if she did not seemingly expect that he would be so easily convinced; even Bai Zhuo was a little surprised. Although Bo Ya’s reputation was not good by any means, her strength was recognized by everyone. Many Half-Saints wanted to recruit her, but she did not want to be constrained by others in her early years. Later on, her reputation grew worse, so now no one wanted to recruit her anymore.
Unexpectedly though, when she came to Yang Kai, she was treated as an existence that could be abandoned, which discouraged Bo Ya.
However, she was quite interested in Yang Kai’s suggestion. She hesitated for a while, but after looking at the crowd from the Blood Arena she rubbed her hair ruthlessly, finally declaring with a resolute face, “I can work for you, as long as you don’t do anything strange to me.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth curved, “You think too much.”
Bo Ya turned her head away while cupping her fists, “May I know where Sir is going? Bo Ya is willing to open the way ahead.”
Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, “Cloud Shadow Continent!”
Bo Ya accepted the task. As soon as she turned around, she took a deep breath, held her five fingers together, and a sharp arrow appeared at her fingertips. Without showing her movement, the bowstring of the great bow in her hand had been pulled and the arrow had been nocked. Everything was performed smoothly and swiftly.
The arrow turned into a stream of light, and was released towards a spot a dozen kilometres away.
Bo Ya guffawed wildly, “Eat this Lady’s arrow, you bunch of dogs!”
More than ten kilometres away, the faces of the Demon Kings turned pale one after another as they hurriedly dodged the arrow. With a bang, the colour of the entire world seemed to change. When everything returned to its initial state, the group of Demon Kings retreated another dozen kilometres away.
Bo Ya ignored those guys and led the way ahead arrogantly. The Demon Kings in the distance watched her leave with dark faces, but none dared to come forward to confront her.
They dared not be presumptuous in the presence of Bai Zhuo, even knowing that if they missed this opportunity today, it would be impossible to trap Bo Ya again in the future.
After a while, a Territory Gate appeared in the sky ahead, leading to an adjacent continent. As Bo Ya mentioned, there were Masters guarding the Territory Gate, and they were obviously people from the Blood Arena.
However, Bo Ya did not approach immediately and instead watched from a distance, waiting for the arrival of Yang Kai and the others. Once they regrouped, Bai Zhuo led the way through the Territory Gate, and the Masters standing guard there could not do anything but sigh.
One needed to pass through five Territory Gates and four different continents in order to travel from Enchantment Continent to Cloud Shadow Continent, but after the initial incident with Bo Ya, everything went smoothly.
They took only half a day to arrive at Cloud Shadow Continent.
After passing through the last Territory Gate, Yang Kai looked around and frowned.
He found that the Territory Gate here was indeed unstable, just as Bai Zhuo stated before. A normal Territory Gate would stand firm and remain unchanged for tens of thousands of years, but the Territory Gate of Cloud Shadow Continent was now fluctuating slightly from time to time, like a bubble that was warping and might collapse at any time.
According to Yang Kai’s prediction, within a hundred years, the Territory Gate here would collapse. By that time, Cloud Shadow Continent may be completely isolated and lose contact with the Demon Realm.
Moreover, the Territory Gate would be more and more unsafe with the passage of time. Perhaps one would accidentally be exiled to the Void when passing through it. The Territory Gate was similar to a Void Corridor, and this unstable Territory Gate was undoubtedly of great benefit to Yang Kai, because he could use it to study the Dao of Space.
But obviously, now was not the right time. Now that he had come to Cloud Shadow Continent, he needed to meet the Masters in this place; after all, he might still have to work with these people in the future.
Looking down from a high altitude, Cloud Shadow Continent covered a large area, and its border could not be seen at a glance. From the map that Yang Kai obtained yesterday, he learnt that among the continents in the Demon Realm, the size of Cloud Shadow Continent was above average, but because of the problem with the Territory Gates, this place’s strength wasn’t great. There were only ten High-Rank Demon Kings guarding this continent, while Demon Kings beneath High-Rank were not more than three hundred.
This couldn’t be helped though as no one knew when the final Territory Gate of this continent would disappear. Once the gate disappeared, Cloud Shadow Continent would be completely cut off from the outside world, trapping everyone here and dooming them. Therefore, some Masters, who had connections or were worried about the dangers of this continent, had long left and gone to work in other places. What remained here was either those who had other plans, or had no better way out.
In addition, with the war with the Star Boundary raging, many Demon troops were transferred out of Cloud Shadow Continent, leaving only four High-Rank Demon Kings behind and less than one hundred other Demon Kings.
This information was revealed casually by Bai Zhuo during their conversation.
There was a huge city at the centre of Cloud Shadow Continent. The buildings in the city were well-arranged in rows, with millions of Demons living within its perimetre. Cloud Shadow City was not only the most prosperous place on Cloud Shadow Continent, but also the hub of the whole Cloud Shadow Continent.
Clearly having received advanced notification, there were more than thirty Demon Kings waiting when the Tiger Head Chariot passed through the clouds and landed in front of a huge building in the middle of the city. Three people were standing in front, while the rest stood behind. After Bai Zhuo and the others got off the War Chariot, they cupped their fists, “Greetings, Sir!”
Bai Zhuo nodded faintly, swept his eyes across them, then raised his brow slightly as he asked, “Why are there only three of you? Where is Lie Kuang?”
There were supposed to be four High-Rank Demon Kings in Cloud Shadow Continent, but only three of them were here, and the last guy named Lie Kuang was missing.
The High-Rank Demon Kings in the middle immediately replied, “Lie Kuang reported that there was some matter that delayed his journey, and it will take some time for him to get here.”
Bai Zhuo remained nonchalant.
When he was asking the question, Yang Kai observed the three High-Rank Demon Kings; two men and one woman. The woman was a Shadow Demon and her figure was erratic with her face covered by black Qi. The High-Rank Demon King who spoke was a little elderly and showed signs of decline in vitality. As for the last one, he was a tall, pale, middle-aged man, who seemed to be malnourished and a little emaciated.
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth curved, showing a faint smile.
Yu Ru Meng gave him the task to prevent the collapse of the Territory Gate in Cloud Shadow Continent; however, while he was here, Cloud Shadow Continent would be his territory. Everyone here had to listen to his orders. In other words, these Demon Kings were all his subordinates now.
Yang Kai did not really care about this task, but he wondered if he could somehow use it to his advantage. It would be best if he could stir up a big mess among the Demons. Even if that was impossible, he should at least create a distraction for the Demon Race on this side to reduce their momentum in the war.
Bai Zhuo introduced the names and responsibilities of the three High-Rank Demon Kings to Yang Kai one by one, and Yang Kai just memorized them casually.
Among these three Demon Kings, the old Demon King was the one who had been guarding Cloud Shadow City, while the other two actually came from the other places far away. They all had their own territories to guard, and it was the same for Lie Kuang, who had not revealed himself.
After introductions were finished, Bai Zhuo waved his hand, “Let’s talk inside.”
Everyone agreed.
The crowd followed Bai Zhuo into a magnificent hall where sixteen pillars so thick it would take several people to wrap around them stood, carved with remarkable-looking Dragons and Phoenixes.
More than thirty Demon Kings lined up in several rows below while Yang Kai flicked his robe and sat at the head of the hall, glancing around casually.
Bo Ya stood ten metres in front and to his left with a valiant and heroic demeanour like a loyal guard, while Xiao Wu and Li Shi Qing stood on the left and right behind him.
The Demon Kings were dumbstruck by the scene and all of them turned to look at Bai Zhuo, before looking back at Yang Kai.
Given that Bai Zhuo was here, how could Yang Kai be so daring to take this seat without showing any courtesy? But at the same time, Bai Zhuo did not look mad at all, which made them even more confused.
Bai Zhuo beamed lightly, “Holy Venerable has an edict. She has appointed Yang Kai as Great King, and he will be in charge of all matters of Cloud Shadow Continent. All of you need to make great efforts to cooperate with him and demonstrate your loyalty to your duties. Those who dare act negligent will die!”
As soon as he announced this, all the Demon Kings became unsettled. They looked up at Bai Zhuo incredulously one after another, to confirm whether they had heard wrong. The female High-Rank Shadow Demon King even trembled violently, and it was obvious that she was greatly impacted by the news.
Although Bai Zhuo introduced Yang Kai in a friendly tone and let them know that this unknown man was special, they never thought it would be to such an extent.
There had never been any ‘Great King’ in the Demon Realm before; therefore, the Demon Kings had no clue about the meaning of this title, but by the look of the Holy Venerable’s edict and Bai Zhuo’s attitude, not to mention Yang Kai’s strength, he should at least have a status equivalent to a Half-Saint.
[Who the Hell is this guy? Why does Holy Venerable value him so much and entrust the authority of Cloud Shadow Continent to him?]
But since this message was conveyed by Bai Zhuo personally, it should not be wrong. After a little hesitation, the three High-Rank Demon Kings bowed together and saluted, “Subordinate greets Great King!”
The other Demon Kings behind them imitated them.
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched at being addressed as Great King, for he somehow felt like he had become some kind of bandit king… The title sounded pathetic, but he did not bother to correct them and simply waved his hand, “There’s no need for such ceremony. In the future, this King will be relying on you all in Cloud Shadow Continent. I hope we can cooperate with each other wholeheartedly.”
The old Demon King in the middle responded, “We shall not disappoint Great King’s trust!”
Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
Bai Zhuo remarked as he looked at Yang Kai, “Since it’s done, I’ll take my leave now. If you have any problems, you can contact Holy Venerable directly.”
Yang Kai straightened up, “It has been a tiring journey. Doesn’t Brother Bai want to rest for a few days before leaving?”
Bai Zhuo smiled and shook his head, “No need.” For him, a half day’s journey was nothing. Given that the two worlds’ war was currently in full swing, he did not have time to linger here. Although he would not return to the Star Boundary for some time, he still had tasks in the following days, such as mobilizing reinforcements from various continents to support the front line.
The dialogue between the two reached the ears of the Demon Kings, which further confirmed their guess. The new Great King was really comparable in status to a Half-Saint; otherwise, how could he be brothers with Bai Zhuo? All of them turned solemn, secretly worrying that they would soon be very busy.
“Have a safe trip, Brother Bai!” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Bai Zhuo turned around and left. When he reached the gate, he suddenly turned back and grinned at Yang Kai, “Oh right, I forgot to tell you that the Blue Plains Continent that connects to Cloud Shadow Continent is Yue Sang’s territory!” After that, he winked at Yang Kai, and then turned into a stream of light that soared straight into the sky.
Yang Kai knit his brow as he stared off into the distance, as if deep in thought.
Bai Zhuo was clearly trying to warn Yang Kai to watch out for the activity of Blue Plains Continent before he left, but Yang Kai wasn’t worried since Yue Sang had been transferred to the front lines of the war by Yu Ru Meng. Even if Blue Plains Continent really came looking for trouble, Yang Kai would definitely make sure that they paid for it with their lives.
With a light sneer, Yang Kai put aside such thoughts and saw that the Demon Kings below were staring at him. He coughed lightly and declared, “By the order of Holy Venerable, this King is here to maintain the Territory Gate of Cloud Shadow Continent and to protect Cloud Shadow Continent. This matter is very important and no carelessness will be tolerated. So do your best to cooperate with me in the future.”
“Maintain the Territory Gate?”
The Demon Kings were shocked. They finally knew the reason the Holy Venerable sent Yang Kai here. This was great news to them, for these people had no ability and no chance to leave Cloud Shadow Continent. Once the Territory Gate vanished, they would be buried along with Cloud Shadow Continent. They initially thought that there was no hope for the future, but now they suddenly caught a glimpse of light in that endless darkness.
The old Demon King was exhilarated and asked, “Is Great King being serious?”
The other two High-Rank Demon Kings also looked at Yang Kai with scorching eyes that were filled with expectation.
Yang Kai could not hold his laughter and nodded, “Of course. There is no reason for this King to lie to you.”
The female Shadow Demon pressed on, “If Great King can really maintain the last Territory Gate, it would be a great grace to the whole continent. This subordinate will follow Sir through fire and water without hesitation!”
The voice of the female Demon King was surprisingly pleasant and refreshing to the ears.
Yang Kai looked at her in amazement as he did not expect she would have such a big reaction to his words. Thinking about what Bai Zhuo told him before though, he somewhat understood this woman’s thought. Keeping Cloud Shadow Continent connected was equivalent to saving their lives and futures. How could they not pay attention to it?
However, the pale middle-aged Demon King frowned and spoke, “Great King, please forgive this subordinate for asking, but in order to maintain the Territory Gate, one must be proficient in the Dao of Space, but as far as this subordinate knows, no one in our Demon Realm possesses such capabilities. How can Great King be so confident?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied faintly, “Indeed, no one in your Demon Realm is proficient in the Dao of Space, but that doesn’t mean this King is not. I forgot to mention this to you all, but this King… is Human!” As he finished his sentence, he stretched out his hand and slammed at the space in front of him.
Ten metres away, a dark black crack instantly appeared, one that emitted a fierce suction that seemed capable of devouring the whole world.
The black hole persisted for ten breaths before it disappeared with a slight grip of Yang Kai’s hand.
However, at this moment, the Demon Kings were still shocked to their core. For one, this newcomer Great King was truly proficient in the Dao of Space; he was able to shatter space with just a simple wave of his hand, creating a black hole that led to the chaotic Void. This demonstrated his profound control of Space Principles. On top of that, this Great King was actually a Human…
[With the Great War still raging, why did Holy Venerable appoint a Human as Great King and put him in charge of Cloud Shadow Continent?]
Yang Kai noticed their expressions, and sneered slightly, “Although this King is a Human, he has already become enemies with the Star Boundary. There’s no place for this King there. Holy Venerable personally recruited me to the Demon Realm, so you need not worry about where my loyalties lie.”
The reason why he revealed his origin so readily was that he could not hide it; after all, he would have to stay here in the future and as long as he used his strength even slightly, his identity as a Human would definitely be exposed. Instead of creating suspicion and vigilance in the future, it was best to just be frank in the beginning.
Without giving these guys a chance to speak again, Yang Kai spoke sharply, “Bo Ya!”
Bo Ya froze for a moment, but quickly reacted, turned around, taking two steps forward, and cupping her fists, “Yes, Great King.”
Yang Kai looked at her solemnly, “I shall appoint you as Cloud Shadow City’s Vice Commander to assist Lao Ke in managing the affairs within the city. Cooperate fully with him.”
Bo Ya’s beautiful eyes flashed, and quickly replied, “As you command!”
Lao Ke was the old Demon King, who was the Commander of Cloud Shadow City before Yang Kai arrived. This city was the hub of the entire continent and played an important role in all functions. Before this, Lao Ke alone could make all the calls, but now, there was Bo Ya, an extra Vice Commander.
Bo Ya was not a fool either. She knew Yang Kai appointed her as Vice Commander to intervene in the matters in Cloud Shadow City; after all, controlling this place was equivalent to controlling everything in Cloud Shadow Continent. It would make it very convenient to execute any plans he had in the future only after establishing a firm foothold.
Lao Ke and the others were his subordinates, but in name only. Even if the order was from Yu Ru Meng, it was still not as convenient as having someone truly loyal to him in place.
Yang Kai did not have a choice either as he had no better option; Bo Ya was the only choice. Fortunately, with the restriction of the Soul Puppet, Bo Ya would not betray him.
If Bo Ya could really gain a foothold in Cloud Shadow City, it would definitely benefit Yang Kai in the future.
The three High-Rank Demon Kings frowned at this arrangement. Lao Ke was old and was in the waning years of his life, but he was actually the fastest to recover his composure while it was clear that the female Shadow Demon and the other High-Rank Demon King looked worried, fearing that Yang Kai would also intervene in their turf. If this was the case, they would be very unwilling.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had no intention of doing so, and only gave a few words of encouragement to Lao Ke, such as asking him to help Bo Ya adjust so that she would become familiar with Cloud Shadow City as soon as possible.
Lao Ke responded respectfully, but who knew if he was feeling the same way on the inside or not.
Since he had only just arrived here, Yang Kai had nothing much to say so he simply led Xiao Wu and Li Shi Qing into the inner hall, leaving Bo Ya alone to discuss the day-to-day matters with Lao Ke.
The best room was prepared here for him, and there were wing rooms on the left and right sides, which he assigned to Xiao Wu and Li Shi Qing. After ordering Xiao Wu to get someone to fetch a detailed map of the entire Cloud Shadow Continent and a record of the forces under each Demon King, Yang Kai secluded himself in his room and began his investigation.
Since Yu Ru Meng had given him this opportunity, he naturally had to make good use of it.
He would try his best to maintain the Territory Gate, though it did not matter to him even if he failed. Yang Kai was more interested in seizing control of Cloud Shadow Continent. At that time, whether it was for self-protection or to silently ambush the Demon Race, he would need to utilize the power here.
After two days of research, Yang Kai figured out the general condition of Cloud Shadow Continent.
Just when he was putting down the various objects of study, there was a knock on the door.
Yang Kai raised his hand to open the door, and Bo Ya walked in. At this moment, the woman had lost all the respect she showed before, and her tone became much more casual. She scanned him up and down with a smile before quipping, “Should I call you Sir or Great King?”
“It’s up to you!” Yang Kai glanced at her and asked lightly, “What’s the matter?”
Bo Ya said, “I’m here to report to you some of the information I learned over the past two days. Do you want to hear it? If you don’t want to, I’ll leave.”
Yang Kai chuckled and squinted at her, saying, “It seems that you don’t understand your situation.” While talking, he took out the Soul Puppet from the Space Ring, flexing his fingers in a playful gesture!
Bo Ya could not help backing up a few steps, her beautiful face turning pale as she immediately covered her forehead with her hands and yelled, “Don’t be impulsive, let’s be civilized about this.”
“I’m very calm right now. As for whether I am impulsive, that will depend on how you perform,” Yang Kai looked at her with a smile.
Bo Ya snorted and spat disdainfully, “Cloud Shadow Continent has four High-Rank Demon Kings. The three you met are fine, but I’m afraid you need to be more careful with Lie Kuang.”
“Why do you say so?” Yang Kai frowned.
Bo Ya answered, “Have you not realized that Lie Kuang has still not come to greet you? Two days have passed, Ke Sen’s and He Yin’s territories aren’t nearby, they managed to rush here two days ago, while Lie Kuang has not shown himself even today.”
Ke Sen was the pale middle-aged Demon King, while the female Shadow Demon was the one with the peculiar name, He Yin.
These three, together with the Cloud Shadow City Commander Lao Ke, were the only four remaining High-Rank Demon Kings on Cloud Shadow Continent.
Yang Kai did not notice anything until Bo Ya mentioned this, but now that he thought about it, there indeed was something abnormal with Lie Kuang. Yang Kai had been named the Great King and was put in charge of Cloud Shadow Continent, so by right, Lie Kuang should have rushed over to at least show his face to his new boss, but Lie Kuang still had not shown up.
The other day, Lao Ke said that Lie Kuang had sent them a message that he was going to be delayed, but no matter what it was, it was impossible for him to be delayed for two days. What could have delayed a High-Rank Demon King in this Cloud Shadow Continent for so long?
“Is he trying to challenge my authority because I’m new here?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Bo Ya sneered, “Seem like you’re not stupid.”
The corner of her mouth twitched when Yang Kai raised the Soul Puppet again though and she hurriedly continued, “I’ve asked around. Before you came, these four High-Rank Demon Kings held complete authority over their own territories with absolutely no restriction. You suddenly came here to become their Great King though, and from now on, they will have to listen to your orders. I’m afraid that none of them are happy with the situation. If you were really a Half-Saint, it would be fine, but your cultivation is only equivalent to a Mid-Rank Demon King. How can they allow you to command them?”
Yang Kai pondered, “That makes sense. What else did you find out?”
Bo Ya continued, “As I said before, Lao Ke is old and frail. Although he’s a High-Rank Demon King, there’s no need to fear him. He has been cooperating with me these few days and I now have almost half the power over Cloud Shadow City. He Yin and Ke Sen probably intend to test out your capability; after all, although they are looking forward to you stabilizing the Territory Gate and keeping Cloud Shadow Content connected with the rest of the Demon Realm, they don’t know what your skills are. Naturally, they wouldn’t trust you too much, but they won’t be causing you any trouble for now. The two of them can be ignored for the time being. As for Lie Kuang, you have to be careful about him. I heard that his strength is also the greatest of the four, and he is just one step from being promoted to Half-Saint. He is also on good terms with Blue Plains Continent. By the way, his territory is where the Territory Gate is.”
Yang Kai looked thoughtful, “How convenient.”
Cloud Shadow Continent only had one Territory Gate, which was connected to Blue Plains Continent. Since Lie Kuang’s territory was where the Territory Gate was, it was indeed convenient for Blue Plains Continent.
Bo Ya seemed to be indulging in his misfortune as she snickered, “So if you want to maintain the Territory Gate, you have to go to Lie Kuang’s territory, and if you can’t win him over, how can you get his cooperation?”
Yang Kai looked at her steadily, making Bo Ya feel uncomfortable, “What are you looking at? I warn you, don’t even think of doing anything strange to me, not even a single thought; otherwise, don’t blame me if we have a fallout.” She crossed her arms on her chest defensively as she spoke.
Yang Kai laughed lightly, “I just thought you were pretty capable.”
Two days ago, he named Bo Ya Vice Commander of Cloud Shadow City. Yang Kai originally intended to use that as a message to the Demon Kings that he had the final say on everything here, but he did not expect Bo Ya to be able to help him with anything. Who would have thought that Bo Ya could actually gather so much information in just two days, and also take charge of half of Cloud Shadow City’s power?
Hearing this, Bo Ya smiled complacently, “Feather Demons are not only good at shooting, we are also good at gathering information.”
Yang Kai crossed his arms, rested his chin on his hand, and gazed at her with scorching eyes, remarking, “If this is the case, you must know where Lie Kuang is now.”
Bo Ya did not say a word but just pointed at her feet.
Brow raised, Yang Kai asked, “He’s in the city?”
Bo Ya nodded and replied, “He entered the city a day ago, but he’s in his own mansion now.”
“Very good!” A sneer crept onto Yang Kai’s face as he ordered, “Go, summon Lao Ke and the others over.”
Bo Ya could not help having a bad feeling as she frowned, “What are you going to do?”
Yang Kai stood up, and turned to look out the window, “Naturally, I’m going to demonstrate my authority. One must whip a disobedient dog lest others begin to underestimate him.”
Bo Ya gaped at him and objected, “Are you crazy? If you fight Lie Kuang at this time, Lao Ke and the rest won’t help you.”
“I don’t expect them to help me.”
Bo Ya pointed at herself and asked incredulously, “Don’t tell me you want to depend on me? This is not the Blood Arena. I can’t help you too much. And Lie Kuang is not alone; he brought a lot of Demon Kings into the city this time with him!”
She would not be afraid if Lie Kuang was alone. As long as Yang Kai could pin down the opponent, her shooting skills would be enough to make Lie Kuang suffer; however, according to the information she obtained, Lie Kuang brought almost all of the Demon Kings loyal to him into the city this time. He was clearly prepared.
“That’s even better,” Yang Kai gave her a faint look.
Bo Ya shuddered and was about to open her mouth to persuade again, but she saw the impatience in Yang Kai’s eyes and knowing that she would probably be punished if she raised any more objections, she finally voiced out in a resigned tone, “Since you insist on doing this, I will just obey it. If something happens, don’t blame me for not warning you.”
On the field of the city hall, more than forty Demon Kings assembled, led by Lao Ke, Ke Sen, and He Yin, standing at attention and facing forward.
Behind these Demon Kings, there were thousands of Demon Great Generals of varying strengths as well as tens of thousands of Demon Generals.
Although there was a large number of people, the field was dead silent, and the atmosphere was heavy and tense.
The three High-Rank Demon Kings exchanged doubtful looks. They had no idea why the Great King summoned them here this time, but they all had a premonition that something serious was about to happen.
Yang Kai stood in front of the Demon Kings, and swept his eyes across them lightly before he spoke, “This King has only been here for two days, but my Hallowed Treasure has been stolen! It proves the incompetence of the security of Cloud Shadow City. This King is truly disappointed!”
Lao Ke, who was standing in the centre of the front row, had his brow jump when he heard this speech. He was the Commander of Cloud Shadow City, who was in charge of everything in the city. If something had really been stolen from Yang Kai, he would not be able to avoid responsibility. Moreover, given that Yang Kai was making a big scene out of this, it seemed that the lost object was truly valuable. Lao Ke suddenly felt a little uneasy, and he was afraid that he would face disaster if he could not handle things well today.
He immediately stepped out from the line, and asked, “Great King, may I ask what exactly it was you lost and when it disappeared? This subordinate is willing to lead the team personally to investigate this matter and give Great King a satisfactory response.”
Yang Kai raised his hand, “That won’t be necessary. Vice Commander has already discovered the whereabouts of the thief, but this thief is powerful and has much manpower at his disposal. Today, the reason this King summoned you is to catch the thief and restore the reputation of our Cloud Shadow City.”
When Lao Ke heard the speech, he could not help glancing at Bo Ya. The woman’s head was hung low; her eyes pointed at her nose, while her nose pointed at her heart. The uneasiness in Lao Ke’s heart only grew more and more intense seeing this.
He knew that the new Vice Commander was trying every means to fight for power with him these two days, but he was not as ambitious as he was in his younger years. In addition, Bo Ya’s actions had all been within a reasonable limit, so he had just allowed her to do as she pleased. However, he only shared half of his authority with her, and the other half was still firmly held in his own hands. Even if he had lost his ambition, it did not mean that he did not have the intention to protect himself.
However… When did this Vice Commander inquire about this kind of news? How come he had not heard anything about it?
Not only did Lao Ke have doubts in his mind, but even Bo Ya was secretly cursing Yang Kai’s mother. She certainly knew what Yang Kai was up to. Capturing the Hallowed Treasure thief was indeed a good excuse, but even though there were many people and Masters here, could they really be of any help to him? She suddenly found that Yang Kai was too naive. He really thought that he could do anything with the little bit of authority given to him, and she was afraid that he might suffer a great loss if he did not handle the matter well tonight.
She secretly made up her mind that if the situation really turned bad, she would not care for Yang Kai’s life at all. She would find a chance to snatch the Soul Puppet, and then run away from here.
On the other hand, Yang Kai simply continued, “This King will lead this operation personally and expects all of you to obey his orders. Where is the Vice Commander?”
The corner of Bo Ya’s mouth twitched but she still stepped out of the line and answered, “Subordinate is here.”
“Watch over them carefully. If anyone dares to disobey orders or disrespect this King, execute them on the spot!” Yang Kai scanned his eyes across the Demons in front of him coldly.
“Yes!” Bo Ya had no option but to accept the order.
“Very good.” Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction, and waved his big hand, “Depart!”
When the words fell, he was the first one to soar into the sky, with Bo Ya following closely behind. The three High-Rank Demon Kings exchanged looks, then hurriedly ordered their men to keep up with them. For a time, tens of thousands of figures filled the sky over the city hall.
Although it was late, Cloud Shadow City was still noisy and lively, so with the cover of night, this large group of people was able to depart without anyone being the wiser.
At the front, Yang Kai looked indifferent and calm, but Bo Ya was clearly uneasy. Her eyes drifted from side to side, as if she were looking for a way to retreat later.
Behind them, the three High-Rank Demon Kings quietly released their Divine Senses, obviously communicating with each other about something.
Yang Kai noticed it, but he did not bother to stop them. By the look of it, these three were trying to figure out his intentions, but he believed that they would understand soon enough.
And facts proved Yang Kai correct. Not long after, He Yin suddenly sent a Divine Sense transmission, “Is the Great King actually planning to deal with Lie Kuang?”
Both Lao Ke and Ke Sen were taken aback before they turned to look at her together and Ke Sen asked, “Did you notice something?”
Yang Kai’s so-called mission to capture the thief who stole his Hallowed Treasure was definitely a cover. They were not fools, so how could they not see at least that much? Given that such treasures were usually stored in one’s Space Ring, how could it be stolen for no reason? Previously, Lao Ke and the others thought that Yang Kai was making up some story to pressure or punish them, but now, they knew that it was not the case.
Nevertheless, he definitely was up to something for making such a scene.
He Yin sneered, “Don’t tell me that you didn’t know about Lie Kuang entering the city yesterday.”
Lie Kuang did not hide when he entered the city; rather, he came in swaggeringly and even contacted the three of them to inquire about the so-called Great King. As such, how could they not know about his presence?
Then, He Yin pointed to the front, “Lie Kuang’s residence is up ahead!”
When she mentioned this, both the faces of Ke Sen and Lao Ke turned solemn. They suddenly believed that the Great King was truly going to find trouble with Lie Kuang; otherwise, why would he use his ‘stolen Hallowed Treasure’ as an excuse to act like this in the middle of the night?
Ke Sen frowned, “If so, what should we do?”
In principle, they had to obey Yang Kai’s orders, but they were not close to this Great King yet nor were they convinced of his strength or leadership yet. If Yang Kai asked them to fight it out with Lie Kuang, they would surely be unwilling to act.
Lie Kuang was indeed unruly and disrespectful, but he was strong. If he was cornered, he could bring at least one of the three of them down with him, and none of them was willing to be a sacrifice.
He Yin frowned, feeling like Yang Kai had given them a big problem. At the same time, she was extremely infuriated too, because this guy thought that he could just do whatever he wanted with the support of the Holy Venerable. It seemed he was nothing more than an arrogant fool. Although the Holy Venerable appointed him as ‘Great King’ and gave him control of Cloud Shadow Continent, who would be willing to obey a person who had insufficient strength? Furthermore, the Territory Gate of Cloud Shadow Continent was about to disappear, and the whole continent would be completely isolated within a hundred years. The ones residing here were the kind of people that were not favoured by the higher-ups, so death was just waiting for them. If Yang Kai really tried to force Lie Kuang’s hand, he would be the one who would suffer losses.
After pondering for a while, He Yin spoke again, “Let’s observe the situation first.”
No matter what, she would not raise her hand against Lie Kuang. Although Yang Kai had given her some hope when he first introduced himself, that hope was so faint that it was not enough for her to risk her life working for him.
She hoped that the matter tonight would end peacefully; however, if things got out of control, she would not stand on Yang Kai’s side. At most, she would just betray Cloud Shadow Continent and take refuge under a different Holy Venerable.
A High-Rank Demon King would be accepted anywhere, though she might need to bear the name of a traitor and would certainly have a harder time in the future.
Ke Sen and Lao Ke obviously had the same idea and agreed with her with a nod.
While the three were secretly communicating, their group arrived above a huge mansion. Yang Kai, who was the leader, suddenly stopped, looked down at the bright lights below, and the corners of his mouth curved into a bantering smile.
Lao Ke, and the other two looked at each other, and realized that it was just as they thought! This Great King was really so reckless that he dared to provoke Lie Kuang!
Yang Kai pointed below, and ordered, “The thief who stole this King’s treasure is hidden here. You three, capture him for this King!”
He darted his gaze to the three High-Rank Demon Kings, but they just looked back at him quietly, not moving an inch
To the side, Bo Ya gave herself a facepalm. It was so embarrassing that she dared not to look. Awkwardness filled the air… she could not help feeling utterly ashamed about it.
Yang Kai, however, did not seem to sense anything off and just smiled faintly, waving his hand as he bellowed, “Surround this place!”
Lao Ke and the others frowned at this new order. It was not difficult to carry out this task, but it was just that it was unexpected. They thought that Yang Kai would force them to attack directly, which they were unwilling to do, but if it was just forming a perimeter, they could still cooperate with him.
As long as they did not have a direct conflict with Lie Kuang, then it would not count as really offending him.
Therefore, after a moment of pondering, Lao Ke nodded at Ke Sen and He Yin, and followed the order. Leading more than forty Demon Kings, thousands of Demon Great Generals and tens of thousands of Demon Generals, they immediately spread out and surrounded the mansion below. At the same time, they secretly gave orders to their subordinates not to attack without their explicit command.
In the meantime, in the main hall in the middle of the mansion below, lights were bright, cups went gaily round, and the atmosphere was filled with songs and dances.
A fierce and slovenly-looking Demon King with big arms and a robust chest was sitting at the head of the hall. He was clothed in black, with hair so rumpled he resembled a madman, and he had a woman in both of his arms. At the bottom of the seat, more than twenty Demon Kings were seated in lines on either side. Their tables were filled with exotic wine and delicacies.
In the centre of the hall, a group of young women were singing and dancing, and music filled the air.
From his seat, Lie Kuang looked down with a smile, looking extremely elated. The two women in his arms were particularly good at flattery and flirting, and they served him wholeheartedly.
Suddenly, a Demon King got up from the banquet, and cupped his fists as he questioned, “Sir, when shall we meet the Great King?”
As soon as he asked, the noise in the surroundings suddenly quieted down, and all the Demon Kings stared at the guy who spoke. Lie Kuang too, shifted his sharp eyes from his women to the speaker. His gaze was piercing cold, causing the Demon King’s back to be drenched in a cold sweat, thinking, [Did I say something wrong? Isn’t Sir here at Cloud Shadow City this time to meet the new Great King?]
While he was still wondering this, he saw Lie Kuang grab a wine jug in front of him and tossed it at him.
*Hong…*
The Demon King who spoke had his head smashed back. He could have dodged this blow, but he dared not do so. He did not even dare to use his Demon Qi to protect his body; therefore, even though he had a strong physique, his head was bleeding from this impact.
The pain in his head was not important though as he was more frightened by the reaction of Lie Kuang. Surely, he had said something wrong.
“Is this your first day following this King?” Lie Kuang looked at him coldly.
The Demon King was terrified and hurriedly half knelt on the ground with his head bowed, “Sir, please calm your anger. This subordinate knows his mistake.”
“What is your mistake?” Lie Kuang snorted coldly.
Cold sweat was trickling down the Demon King’s forehead. He knew that Lie Kuang was on the verge of erupting into a rage. If he could not handle it well, he would certainly have to suffer, but if he really knew what his mistake was, he would not have offended Lie Kuang with his words. At this time, he racked his brains, but he still could not think of an answer. Fortunately, someone on the side reminded him, and he hurriedly answered, “It should be that guy who comes to greet Sir, not the other way around.”
Only then did Lie Kuang’s face become a little calmer, shooting a glare at the Demon King who spoke first before ignoring him.
He definitely would punish him if he was someone else, but this particular subordinate had an accident while cultivating a Secret Art in his early years, resulting in him being a bit mentally dim; therefore, it was meaningless to argue with him.
Seeing this, the Demon King smiled awkwardly before sitting back down.
However, as soon the topic was brought up, the other Demon Kings could not sit still anymore. Someone immediately stated, “Sir, I heard that the so-called Great King seems to be weak.”
“Not only is he weak, but he’s also a Human!”
They had connections in Cloud Shadow City, and they used those connections to inquire about Yang Kai after entering the city yesterday. Since Yang Kai admitted in public that he was a Human, it was not a secret.
However, there was still a person who heard this for the first time, and he immediately exclaimed, “Human? How could it be a Human? Is the news confirmed to be true?”
“It’s true, he’s indeed a Human. I heard that this guy had committed some kind of crime in the Star Boundary, was demonified, and fell to the Demon path, causing him to be hunted by the Great Emperors and Pseudo-Great Emperors over there. He seems to have come to the Demon Realm as a last resort. Somehow, he won the favour of the Holy Venerable and was entrusted with an important task!”
“Is Holy Venerable blind? Our Sir should be the one who takes charge of Cloud Shadow Continent. Why did she send a Human over here? It’s ridiculous!”
“It would be fine if he was strong enough, but his cultivation is only equivalent to a Mid-Rank Demon King. Alas, Holy Venerable has erred this time.”
“The Human Race is cunning and treacherous. Who knows what kind of lies and deception he used to persuade Holy Venerable; after all, she is a woman.”
The group of people started gossiping, all looking like they were defending Lie Kuang against injustice, implying that Yu Ru Meng had been deceived somehow.
“Bastards!” Lie Kuang suddenly bellowed, putting a stop to all the conversations of the Demon Kings below. He looked around with his dignified eyes and growled, “Holy Venerable has her own reasons. How can you speak so casually about her commands? If a single word of this were to spread out, none of you would be able to bear the consequences!”
It was indeed wrong to speak ill of the Holy Venerable behind her back. If the Holy Venerable learned of this slight, she would definitely punish Lie Kuang heavily, even if she did not kill him.
After stating that, he snorted coldly, “I’m still fine with Lao Ke, for he was in charge of guarding Cloud Shadow City and was thus already here, but Ke Sen and He Yin, those two fools, rushing over to greet some Human as soon as they received the news, it’s shameful to our Demon Race! However, I, Lie Kuang, will not put him in my eyes. Does he really think that he can take charge of Cloud Shadow Continent with just an order from Holy Venerable? In his dreams!”
“That’s right, we don’t need him here in our Demon Realm. Strength is all that matters here, if he is not capable, how can he sit in that position?” A loud voice echoed from below.
Lie Kuang sneered again, “I’m afraid that you all don’t know about this. This little brat offended Sir Yue Sang in the Holy City a few days ago. Sir Yue Sang ordered this King to eliminate this person. As long as this task is completed, Sir Yue Sang guaranteed that this King will take charge of Cloud Shadow Continent. After assuming command, with the resources available, it will be possible for this King to break through to the Half-Saint Realm!”
The Demon Kings were overjoyed as soon as they heard his statement. They looked up at Lie Kuang and congratulated him, “With the trust of Sir Yue Sang, Sir definitely can control Cloud Shadow Continent, and be promoted to Half-Saint in no time.”
“Hahaha!” Lie Kuang could not help laughing. It seemed that he had seen the scene of his promotion to Half-Saint already and raised his hand and continued, “It’s too early to say this now. We need to finish Sir Yue Sang’s task as soon as poss… Huh?”
Before he finished, Lie Kuang suddenly frowned, looked up into the sky, and pounded the table angrily, shouting, “How dare you!?”
The table was smashed apart and the food and drink splashed everywhere while Lie Kuang soared into the sky.
There was a loud explosion as Lie Kuang opened up a hole in the roof of the hall while the other Demon Kings present only now noticed something was wrong. There seemed to be a lot of auras outside, surrounding the mansion.
Without further ado, more than twenty Demon Kings flew into the air together, flying out through the newly-opened exit.
At this moment, tens of thousands of Demons were scattered around the mansion in an orderly manner, surrounding a large area.
Lie Kuang flew up with a darkened face. He swept his eyes across them, then immediately fixed his gaze on Yang Kai, an obvious murderous intent flashing across his cloudy eyes.
*Shua Shua Shua…*
Many figures flew out and appeared behind Lie Kuang. They were all his subordinates.
Looking at each other, Yang Kai smiled lightly and looked at the High-Rank Demon King in front of him. He was indeed outstanding, with an intense vitality pulsing from his large body. This Lie Kuang was undoubtedly stronger than Lao Ke and the others. It seemed that Bo Ya’s information was right, this guy was only one step away from becoming a Half-Saint.
Lie Kuang, who was opposite Yang Kai, was stunned for a moment; however, after seeing Lao Ke and the others behind Yang Kai, he immediately understood Yang Kai’s identity. [Is this the Human Great King? We were still talking about him just now, but I didn’t expect to see him so soon. Especially not under such circumstances.]
It seemed that he was aware that Yang Kai was teasing him from his eyes, and he could see that this guy was not simple. He pretended that he did not know anything though, stretched out his hand and pointed at the front, yelling furiously, “Who are you? Report your name!”
With a faint smile, Yang Kai replied, “This King is the Great King who was appointed by Holy Venerable to command Cloud Shadow Continent. Who are you?”
“Great King? Since when has there been a Great King?” Lie Kuang’s eyes flashed fiercely as he bared his teeth and grinned, “This King has never heard of something so ridiculous. As for me… This King is Lie Kuang!” Since the other party did not come with good intentions, the matter today probably would not end peacefully. Lie Kuang planned to take this opportunity to kill this bastard. Even if Holy Venerable investigated later, he could just blame it on Yang Kai for picking a fight with him.
Yang Kai tilted his head, “Lie Kuang? Oh, I remember. This King has a subordinate named Lie Kuang, but I haven’t seen him yet. How can you prove that you are him?”
Lie Kuang sneered, “What proof do you want?”
The group of Demon Kings behind him burst into laughter, with a hint of mockery in their eyes. They thought, [Is this Human out of his mind? Why did he actually ask Sir to prove his identity? Isn’t his High-Rank Demon King cultivation the best evidence? Or is this Human just giving himself a way out?]
Yang Kai nodded, “It seems that you have no proof.” Then, he suddenly bellowed, “Vice Commander!”
Bo Ya really wanted to just ignore Yang Kai as she knew that things were going from bad to worse as soon as Lie Kuang came out. This guy was stronger than any Demon King she had seen before; moreover, it was said that he was a Stone Demon with incredible innate defence. Her archery might not be strong enough to stop him.
But Yang Kai yelled so loudly that she could not turn a deaf ear, for the Soul Puppet was still in the bastard’s hands, so she immediately braced herself and responded, “Yes Sir!”
“Take a closer look at this savage. Is he the one who stole this King’s treasure?” Yang Kai pointed at Lie Kuang.
Lie Kuang could not help frowning, [Who stole your treasure? What the Hell is this about?]
Bo Ya did not even look at Lie Kuang and she just followed up Yang Kai’s sentence, “He does… look like him… a bit,” She did not dare to answer too clearly, so that she would not gain hatred from Lie Kuang because of this.
“So it’s you,” Yang Kai nodded before charging toward Lie Kuang like a ghost right after he finished speaking.
Lie Kuang was taken aback. He did not notice how Yang Kai moved at all, and suddenly their faces were about to crash into each other. Acting on instinct, he surged his Demon Qi and his body instantly took on a stone lustre. There was no doubt that he was a Stone Demon now, born with thick skin and tough flesh.
At the same time, Lie Kuang swung a fierce punch forward.
Since the other party acted first, he would not return with a weak response. In any case, he was going to kill this person tonight, so he showed no mercy when he punched.
However, as soon as he made a move, he suddenly saw a golden vertical pupil appear in Yang Kai’s left eye. The vertical pupil radiated a strange power, which almost sent him into a trance, but that was all. Lie Kuang was a peak High-Rank Demon King, and his Soul was naturally quite powerful; therefore, even the Demon Eye of Annihilation could not affect him too greatly.
Nevertheless, what Yang Kai wanted was just this short moment.
The Soul Splitting Saber was used once not long ago, so Yang Kai had not condensed enough power to use his Heaven Severing Slash again. Instead, he executed his Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique.
For a moment, Lie Kuang’s vision was covered by a budding lotus, blinding him to everything else.
The lotus rooted strangely in his mind, and absorbed his Spiritual Energy crazily as the petals bloomed gently. Unimaginable pain struck Lie Kuang and he could not help letting out a pained grunt.
At the same time, his fist hit Yang Kai’s left shoulder.
Everyone was stunned. Even Lao Ke, Ke Sen, He Yin, and Bo Ya were all dumbstruck and did not regain their senses until this moment.
They initially thought that Yang Kai wanted to borrow the strength of the tens of thousands of troops under them to deal with Lie Kuang, so all of them had secretly been making their own plans, but how could they have anticipated that Yang Kai had no such intentions at all and would start a fight with Lie Kuang all on his own without hesitation.
[Does he not know how to write the word ‘death’?]
Even though Lie Kuang was a Stone Demon and his strength was inferior to a Strength Demon, could a Mid-Rank Demon King take his punch head-on?
Seeing that punch hit Yang Kai on the shoulder, everyone’s eyes flashed as they subconsciously thought that Yang Kai would die without a doubt. Bo Ya even readied herself to pounce, preparing to snatch Yang Kai’s Space Ring as fast as possible and then flee as far as possible.
But what she saw at the next moment made her jaw drop.
Lie Kuang’s punch indeed hit Yang Kai, but Yang Kai was not blown up or even away. His body only sank slightly as he stubbornly withstood the strength of the fist.
Immediately after, Yang Kai opened his mouth, and a deafening Dragon Roar resounded, sending a visible blast of air towards Lie Kuang in the shape of an awl.
Lie Kuang was already tormented by the Blossoming Lotus Secret Technique, and was even more stunned when he was hit by the Dragon Roar Secret Technique directly. His Soul was shaken and dazed while the Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Demon Kings behind him looked horrified, their footing becoming unstable as their formation was instantly disrupted.
Taking advantage of this good opportunity, Yang Kai raised his hand and the Mountains and Rivers Bell was summoned, grew rapidly as it spun, and then covered Lie Kuang and himself directly.
With a bang, the Mountains and Rivers Bell fell over Yang Kai and Lie Kuang, who both disappeared and were confined together inside.
Lao Ke and Ke Sen were completely dumbfounded. When Lie Kuang’s subordinates finally stabilized themselves, frowning at the Mountains and Rivers Bell with strange looks.
[Judging from this situation, does the Human want to… fight Sir Lie Kuang alone? Otherwise, why would he use this artifact in such a way?]
[Where does he get such confidence from?] Although Lie Kuang was a High-Rank Demon King, he was only one step away from becoming a Half-Saint. It could be said that as long as he had the right opportunity and sufficient time, he would definitely break through.
Even Lao Ke and the others, all of whom were High-Rank Demon Kings, knew that they were no match for Le Kuang; but a trivial Human equivalent to a Mid-Rank Demon King was recklessly challenging Lie Kuang. Did he court death?
The Demon Kings could predict the following situation – the Human would be beheaded by Sir Lie Kuang on the spot. There was absolutely no second possibility.
One of the Mid-Rank Demon Kings glanced at Lao Ke and the others indifferently and waved his hand. Twenty-odd subordinates under Lie Kuang immediately swarmed and spread out around the Mountains and Rivers Bell. It was obvious that they did not want Lie Kuang to be disturbed before the battle ended.
The faces of Lao Ke and the others darkened slightly. They were not worrying about Yang Kai as there was nothing they could do if Yang Kai wanted to dig his own grave, but the disrespectful attitude of these Mid-Rank Demon Kings was annoying.
But that was all, they did not take any action. Lao Ke glanced at Ke Sen and He Yin, and could not help but sigh. This was going to be difficult to explain to the Holy Venerable, why the Human Great King was killed by Lie Kuang only a few days after arrival. Moreover, they were actually more worried about whether Lie Kuang would trouble them later.
They were suddenly overwhelmed with worry. Yang Kai had really burdened them this time.
…..
Inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, there was only a space of about sixty metres across. Yang Kai and Lie Kuang stood opposite each other, the former cracking his neck and stretching his muscles and joints, while the latter had fires blazing in his eyes as he glared at Yang Kai furiously.
He had fallen into a disadvantage. Although he was not in any life-threatening danger, it was enough to send Lie Kuang to the verge of eruption so his expression was absolutely hideous.
Despite his anger though, Le Kuang’s mind was still clear. He turned his head to look around and spread out his Divine Sense to feel the surroundings before quickly comprehending his own situation. Understanding this, he could not help but sneer, “Human, you are indeed courageous to act like this!”
To be honest, what Yang Kai just did was beyond his expectations.
Yang Kai replied lightly, “You’re quite brave yourself. This King was ordered to take charge of Cloud Shadow Continent. Since you entered the city, why did you not come to greet me immediately?”
“What makes you think you’re qualified to be greeted by this King?” Lie Kuang sneered before he cracked his knuckles and shouted, “Do you think you can survive after crossing Sir Yue Sang?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Yue Sang has been assigned by Holy Venerable to the front lines of the war. Didn’t you know?”
At that moment, Yang Kai confirmed that Lie Kuang had close connections to Blue Plains Continent, and just as Bai Zhuo had mentioned before, Blue Plains Continent was Yue Sang’s territory.
Lie Kuang was stunned when he heard these words and his face went blank.
Yang Kai sneered, “It looks like you really didn’t know.”
Lie Kuang definitely would not react this way if he was not clueless about it.
Lie Kuang waved his hand angrily however and growled, “Don’t talk nonsense, Sir Yue Sang has won the trust of Holy Venerable, and is regarded as her right arm. How could Holy Venerable send him to the front lines of the war so suddenly? You, however… If you are willing to submit to this King, I may spare your life today.”
“I’ll return those words to you!” Yang Kai looked at him with a grin, “This King is a newcomer with a shallow foundation in this place, so I am eager to gather as much force as possible. Your cultivation is passible so it would be a pity to kill you. If you open your Knowledge Sea and allow this King to mark you with his Soul Imprint, you will be saved from death today!”
Lie Kuang burst out laughing, “What shameless boasting!” Looking around, he then asked, “Are you relying on this artifact? En, this artifact indeed is quite good. Although this King hasn’t experienced it, I can tell. It may not be easy to break through it, but your mistake is that you shouldn’t have confined yourself in here with this King. In this small space, if this King wants to kill you, where can you hide?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and smiled mockingly, “Last chance, surrender, or die!”
Lie Kuang’s face became cold as he exploded, “Die!”
When the voice fell, he pounced at Yang Kai with his Demon Qi flaring, like an unleashed dog that no one could stop.
As if he had not realized the danger at all, Yang Kai just stood still and smiled at Lie Kuang.
Lie Kuang frowned, wondering what Yang Kai was up to when he showed no sign of resistance. Lie Kuang instinctually felt something was wrong, but at this moment, the arrow had already flown from the string, so all he could do was go all out with his attack.
In the next instant, he saw Yang Kai suddenly raise his hand, and a tall figure strangely appeared in front of him, blocking the way.
Before Lie Kuang could see exactly what this figure was, a fist with the size of a door appeared right in front of his face. Lie Kuang felt the force behind this punch before it even came in contact with him and suddenly had the impression that a mountain was falling towards him!
Responding as quickly as lightning, Lie Kuang crossed his arms across his chest, and at the same time hurriedly activated his Innate Divine Ability. The surface of his body glowed in a golden sheen that radiated solidity.
There was a bang and under Lie Kuang’s shocked gaze, his whole body was blasted away by a powerful force. The golden light on his body flashed wildly as he slammed into the Mountains and Rivers Bell.
Every organ in his body shifted violently, roiling his vitality. With great difficulty, Lie Kuang got up, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and looked up in horror. Only then did he see exactly what had punched him.
It was a thirty-metre-tall stone giant covered in evil fire and sharp spines. A terrifying aura exuded from within the evil fire.
Divine Spirit!
There were also Divine Spirits in the Demon Realm, and even Half-Saints had no choice but to give way before the stronger ones. Although Lie Kuang did not recognize the origin of this Divine Spirit, he knew that he was not its match!
There was severe pain in both of his arms. The enemy’s punch had broken his limbs and even the bones in his chest were broken. If he was not protected by his Innate Divine Ability as a Stone Demon, that punch alone would have smashed him to paste.
What terrifying power!
Lie Kuang’s brow twitched and his heart filled with anxiety. Rather than being intimidated by the strength displayed by this Divine Spirit, he was even more at a loss as to how it appeared here! It was obvious that he and Yang Kai were the only ones in here just now, and this space had been thoroughly sealed off by the strange artifact, so where did this Divine Spirit come from?
Just as Lie Kuang’s mind was spinning, the Embodiment shook his head and mumbled in a rumbling voice, “It’s a bit awkward in here…”
Although the Embodiment could change his size easily, he felt quite restricted inside these sixty metres of space.
Yang Kai walked out slowly from behind the Embodiment with a smile on his face, “Don’t complain, just do it!”
With Yang Kai’s current skills, dealing with Lie Kuang was naturally not a problem, but if he really fought on his own, it would cost him some time and effort. His main purpose tonight was to subdue the group of Demons in Cloud Shadow Continent, so the faster and more decisively he finished this battle the better. If he was delayed for too long, something unexpected could happen outside.
When the Embodiment heard these words, he took a big step towards Lie Kuang while Yang Kai’s flickering figure followed after him.
Lie Kuang’s heart clenched tight, knowing that he could not overcome this challenge today. This would undoubtedly be his burial place if he could not escape. Without any hesitation, Lie Kuang reached out and summoned a six-metre-long spear into the palm of his hand. Resisting the pain he felt, he roared as he surged his Demon Qi and hurled it towards the back. That toss contained all the strength Lie Kuang could muster, which was so immense that it could shatter worlds, and a fist-sized pitch-black ball appeared at its tip.
As long as he could break this artifact, he could get the support of his subordinates outside, and the situation could be reversed. At worst, he could just escape. This was undoubtedly his only option now.
With a bang, the Mountains and Rivers Bell trembled but remained completely unscathed.
On the contrary, Lie Kuang was forced back by the shockwave and a sense of disbelief flashed in his eyes. He had greatly underestimated the grade of this artifact. It would not budge even if he attacked with full strength. This was undoubtedly a Saint Grade Artifact.
This Human was only comparable to a Mid-Rank Demon King, so how could he possibly deserve such a divine artifact? Even though his life was on the line, Lie Kuang could not help feeling jealous.
At that moment, the Embodiment suddenly raised his hand and pressed downward.
In an instant, an inexplicable force enveloped Lie Kuang, causing him to feel extremely heavy, turning his movements sluggish. Not only that, strands of red aura escaped uncontrollably from his limbs and pores towards the Embodiment’s hand.
[What kind of evil Secret Technique is this!?] Lie Kuang was shocked, clearly aware that his strength was being absorbed by the opponent, albeit the speed was not very fast. However, given enough time, his foundation would be damaged. He would not even need to consider breaking through again because it would be a great fortune to even be able to retain his High-Rank Demon King cultivation.
Lie Kuang was horrified and quickly retrieved his long spear. He wanted to forcefully break the Embodiment’s Secret Technique.
Yang Kai suddenly launched an attack. His hands had turned into Dragon Claws, with Dragon Pressure pulsing from his body.
Fear filled Lie Kuang’s heart as he realized now that he had severely underestimated this Human as well.
He looked over and saw the phantom image of a Great Dragon behind Yang Kai, falling into a stupefied daze as Yang Kai’s claw broke through his proud defence.
In normal times, such an injury could only be regarded as a minor wound, but under the influence of the stone giant’s strange Secret Technique, fresh blood poured out of the claw print like a river.
Even though Lie Kuang was quick to react to this situation by instantly sealing the wound with Demon Qi, his aura had plummeted greatly in that short moment.
As the central city of the whole continent, Cloud Shadow City had always been bustling and lively, but tonight, the city was strangely quiet.
The news about more than forty Demon Kings, thousands of Demon Great Generals, and tens of thousands of Demon Generals besieging a mansion had spread widely. Many Demons had no idea what was happening but had come to watch silently in the dark.
However, some Demons knew that this was Lie Kuang’s mansion and that he had just entered the city a day ago. The question was, why had the city hall sent so many people out to surround this mansion, were they going to kill Lie Kuang? Since when had Lao Ke been so daring?
Or was it the order of the new Great King?
In any case, there would be an interesting show tonight. Even those weaker Demons could feel that the entire Cloud Shadow City was shrouded in an inexplicable atmosphere, and a storm was brewing.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell covered a large area inside Lie Kuang’s mansion, and while Lao Ke and the others were watching from far away, the twenty or so Demon Kings under Lie Kuang were frowning, hesitating about what they should do next.
It had been almost half a cup of tea’s time since the artifact isolated the Human and Sir Lie Kuang from them, and none of them had any idea what was going on inside. All they knew was that muffled rumbling sounds were constantly echoing from inside.
It was beyond any of their expectations that the Human could last so long under Sir Lie Kuang’s assault. To them, with Lie Kuang’s cultivation, it was obvious that the arrogant Human would die quickly and everything would be over, but in fact, the activity inside actually showed the high intensity of the battle.
The more than twenty Demon Kings had lost their initial calmness as a trace of worry surfaced on their faces. Was Sir Lie Kuang having trouble inside? This artifact was owned by the Human, but they had not noticed it displaying its power yet. It seemed that the use of the bell was just for isolation.
Trying to calm their worries, they firmly believed that it was impossible that Sir Lie Kuang would fail to deal with a mere Human, so they continued to wait quietly.
In the meantime, inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, Lie Kuang was running like a stray dog with maddened eyes, but where could he escape within less than sixty meters of space?
He never thought that he would fail miserably at such an easy task. He did not put the Human in his eyes previously, but when they really began to fight, only then did he realize that Yang Kai’s strength was not inferior to his own. With the aid of the Divine Spirit, Lie Kuang was completely outmatched.
His original burly body has shrivelled up, as if he was turning into a dried fish. All thanks to the Divine Spirit, his vitality and strength had been drained enormously. He had no clue what evil skill the Divine Spirit had cultivated, which allowed it to devour his blood and energy, but with every new wound on his body, a large amount of vitality would flow out to be devoured and refined by the Divine Spirit.
It was fine if it occurred just once or twice, but even Lie Kuang could not bear it when it happened over and over again.
At this moment, he felt that his foundation had been severely damaged. His High-Rank Demon King cultivation had dropped to Mid-Rank, and it was impossible to recover from that…
His heart was filled with grief and anger. There was no light at the end of the tunnel for him, and all he could see was darkness.
Seeing Yang Kai blocking his way and stretching his sharp claws at him again, Lie Kuang hurriedly half-knelt on the ground and shouted, “I surrender, please forgive me. Lie Kuang is willing to follow and serve Sir with all his heart!”
He would undoubtedly die if he delayed any longer. At this time, integrity or reputation was not important anymore; keeping his own life was the top priority.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Claw stopped in front of Lie Kuang’s neck as he tilted his head slightly, but upon noticing the reluctance in Lie Kuang’s eyes, Yang Kai simply grinned, “It’s too late to surrender now… What do I still need you for?”
Yang Kai was interested in subduing Lie Kuang when he was still at the peak of the High-Rank Demon King Realm, but now, much of Lie Kuang’s vitality had been extracted by the Embodiment’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law, and his strength has dropped sharply. It was impossible for Lie Kuang to recover his peak state now, so it was meaningless to subdue him anymore.
He had given Lie Kuang a chance, but he did not know how to cherish it. Now that he was being cornered, Lie Kuang simply wanted to compromise to save himself; there was no deal that good in the world.
When the words fell, Yang Kai slashed out.
…..
Lights flickered, and the Mountains and Rivers Bell spun and shrank rapidly.
All the Demons who were watching lit up, and Lie Kuang’s twenty subordinates also put on excited faces.
Bo Ya’s brow jumped as she really did not dare to watch for fear of seeing a scene she did not wish to see. She was still fine with the Soul Puppet in Yang Kai’s hands, because at least Yang Kai did not embarrass her much these past few days, let alone force her to do anything she did not want to do.
But if the Soul Puppet fell into Lie Kuang’s hands, Bo Ya was sure that her life in the future would be no better than death.
Therefore, although she did not have high hopes, she still secretly prayed that Yang Kai could pull off a miracle and appear before her eyes alive.
When the Mountains and Rivers Bell floated up into the air, the space within was finally revealed to everyone’s eyes.
Lao Ke and the others narrowed their eyes in shock, while Lie Kuang’s subordinate Demon Kings who were full of expectation could not believe the scene that they saw. A chill instantly ran down their spines to the bottom of their feet.
Bo Ya was stunned too. She wiped her eyes vigorously, as if to confirm whether she was seeing wrongly.
Yang Kai survived. Not only was he alive, but there were no injuries on his body at all. He stood there majestically, holding a long spear in his hand, and a shrivelled body limply hanging at the spear’s tip.
The body looked as if it had been dead for countless years. It was so dry that it had lost its original shape, but the face and figure were still recognizable. As for the dark eyes which were wide open, they clearly showed that this man died with incredible unwillingness and hatred.
The long spear was obviously the Demon Artifact of Lie Kuang.
[Lie Kuang… Is he dead?]
Feeling as though their hearts were hammered hard, everyone’s emotions were agitated violently, as if they were in a bad dream.
How did Lie Kuang die? How did it end like this?
Lie Kuang was the most powerful High-Rank Demon King among the four in Cloud Shadow Continent. He would not be in trouble even if he encountered another High-Rank Demon King. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s cultivation was just equivalent to Mid-Rank Demon King, a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master according to Human Race standards. It was completely unreasonable for him to kill Lie Kuang without taking any damage.
[Is it because of the bell-like artifact?] Although the big bell did not seem to release its power earlier, no one knew what kind of strange ability it had. Perhaps, Yang Kai could achieve such a victory all thanks to the big bell.
What terrified these Demons even more was the Secret Art cultivated by Yang Kai which was able to turn Lie Kuang into a shrivelled-up corpse. They could imagine that Lie Kuang must have suffered extreme torture before he died as all of his Blood and Spiritual Essence seemed to have been sucked out. This kind of Secret Art would undoubtedly be called an evil technique by the Human Race.
[No wonder this guy was exiled from the Star Boundary. Given that he cultivated this kind of wicked technique, how could the Star Boundary allow him to remain?]
Yang Kai was carrying Lie Kuang’s corpse with the spear as he looked around coldly with sharp and searing eyes. Perceiving the vicious aura, the twenty or so Demon Kings who were gathered closest to him took a few steps back together, terror-stricken.
“Lie Kuang dared to steal my treasure, damage Cloud Shadow Continent’s reputation, disobey direct orders, and offend his superior with evil intentions! This King has executed him, to serve as a warning today!” Yang Kai shouted loudly while pushing his Emperor Qi so his voice spread far and wide, allowing all the Demons in Cloud Shadow City to hear him clearly. After making this declaration, Yang Kai hurled the spear together with Lie Kuang’s corpse and pinned him to the top of the tallest building nearby.
The corpse swung with the strong wind, and his wide, unclosing eyes truly terrorized the surrounding Demons.
Things hadn’t ended yet though as Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and looked at the more than twenty Demon Kings around him, yelling, “Lie Kuang’s subordinates showed grave disrespect for their superior and assisted a tyrant to do evil! All of you should be executed for this crime, but this King believes that you were all put under pressure to follow unreasonable orders, as such, you will not be executed for the time being. Your fates will be decided after a thorough investigation is completed.”
With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai looked at Lao Ke, Ke Sen, He Yin, and the others with a sharp glare, “Take them away. If anyone dares to rebel, execute them on the spot!”
Lao Ke and the others could not help shivering as the mild-mannered impression that Yang Kai gave them when they first met two days ago was totally overturned. They thought that this Human was a sheep putting up a strong act, but he turned out to be a ravenous wolf. Tonight, he revealed his true colours.
With Lie Kuang being an example, Lao Ke and the others naturally didn’t dare to neglect Yang Kai’s orders. Even Lie Kuang was killed by Yang Kai alone in just the time it would take to boil a cup of tea, so how could they be his opponents? If they really offended him, they definitely would not live well in the future, if they lived at all.
So as soon as the order was passed down, Lao Ke and the others immediately waved their hands and ordered, “Begin!”
All of a sudden, more than forty Demon Kings rushed out together and pounced at Lie Kuang’s subordinates.
Lie Kuang’s subordinates were still in a daze and had not recovered from the shock of their leader’s death, so when they heard Yang Kai’s ferocious order, they were all flustered. Although the twenty of them were still a potent fighting force, the other side outnumbered them two to one, and there were three High-Rank Demon Kings taking charge; therefore, most Demon Kings just surrendered with a gloomy face, allowing themselves to be arrested.
Not knowing whether they panicked or remained loyal to Lie Kuang though, three Demon Kings actually rebelled violently, breaking through the siege in anger. One after another, they performed their own Secret Techniques and fled outside in streams of light.
Fortunately, thousands of Demon Great Generals and tens of thousands of Demon Generals surrounded the periphery, so with the slight hindrance of these Demons, three shooting star-like arrows pierced through the air and hit the three fugitive Demon Kings precisely, killing them on the spot.
Yang Kai turned toward a certain direction just in time to see Bo Ya storing away her bow.
Soon after, the dust settled.
All the people in Lie Kuang’s mansion were captured or killed without any omission. Perhaps they wanted to make up for their previous cold shoulder, so Lao Ke, Ke Sen, and He Yin cooperated with Yang Kai quite well this time, following his orders without any hesitation.
After half a stick worth of incense, Lao Ke came to Yang Kai and cupped his fists, “Great King, all twenty-two Demon Kings under Lie Kuang have been dealt with. Nineteen were captured alive and three were killed. Besides them, 348 others were also arrested.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and replied calmly, “Take all of them back.”
Lao Ke received the order and left.
He Yin strolled forward, and handed over a bunch of jingling rings, “Great King, these are the spoils of this battle.”
The Space Rings of the group of captured Demon Kings were naturally confiscated. There were exactly twenty-two of them, all belonging to the Demon Kings under Lie Kuang. As for Lie Kuang’s own Space Ring, Yang Kai had already taken it earlier.
Yang Kai glanced at her, and waved his hand, “It has been a difficult night for everyone. Divide these things amongst yourselves, consider it as a small gift from this King.”
The resources of the Demon Race were not useful for Yang Kai, and he was satisfied with just collecting Lie Kuang’s Space Ring. As such, he might as well put these things to use to win over his new subordinates. Killing Lie Kuang was enough to deter Lao Ke and the others, so now it was time to reward them.
He Yin was silent for a while before she cupped her fists without saying much, “Many thanks for your reward, Great King.”
Although there were many good things in the twenty-two Demon Kings’ Space Rings, it was not enough to share with everyone since Yang Kai had gathered many forces tonight; however, the sign given by Yang Kai made her feel at ease, for she knew that he still had to rely on them, and would not blame them for their previous indifference.
After a moment, everything was sorted out so Yang Kai waved his hand and led the Demons back to the city.
Lao Ke looked back at the corpse nailed to the tallest building and could not help sighing. Although he had never gotten along with Lie Kuang, he never expected this guy’s death to be so tragic.
Lie Kuang’s death did not matter to him, but after tonight, it was clear a true ruler had risen in Cloud Shadow Continent.
The next day, inside his room, as soon as Yang Kai came out of the Sealed World Bead, he noticed several auras waiting outside. It was Lao Ke and the others, but he had no idea how long they had been waiting.
With a swing of his hand, the door was opened and the trio entered in turn, all of them approaching close before cupping their fists, “Greetings, Great King!”
“What is it?” Yang Kai began to pour himself a cup of water from a nearby jug and looked up at them while he could not help sneering in his heart. These three did not care so much about him the first few days of his arrival, and they did not even bother to pay him a visit; however, they actually approached him together early this morning. It seemed that the incident of last night had a great impact on them.
Lao Ke announced, “Reporting to Great King. We have interrogated Lie Kuang’s subordinates overnight as ordered. This is what we discovered.” While speaking, he handed over a jade slip.
Yang Kai took the jade slip and sent his Divine Sense into it to examine its content.
It was nothing else other than all kinds of information regarding the nineteen captured Demon Kings, including their Clans, origin, and even cultivation, as well as their relationship with Lie Kuang, their level of loyalty, and so on.
Among them, five were highlighted.
Lao Ke further explained, “The highlighted five have been followers of Lie Kuang for a very long time, with the shortest having been under him for over a thousand years. May I know what Great King wants to do with them?”
These five people were undoubtedly Lie Kuang’s confidants, similar to the three people who were executed by Bo Ya last night. Since they were Lie Kuang’s confidants, they should not be kept alive. In any case, Yang Kai did not care about the lives of the Demons here; therefore, he looked up at the three in front of him, and asked, “What do you think?”
Lao Ke pondered for a moment before he answered, “This subordinate thinks that it’s better not to keep them around, so as to avoid any trouble in the future.”
He Yin and Ke Sen nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai responded plainly, “Since all three of you agree, do as you see fit.”
The corner of Lao Ke’s mouth twitched when he heard Yang Kai’s words because it sounded like he was the one who sentenced the five Demon Kings to death. Lao Ke felt that these five Demon Kings were just following orders too, but he dared not to express opposition here. After a short pause, he continued, “The other fourteen people don’t seem problematic and are unlikely to seek revenge for Lie Kuang.”
“Then break them up and assign them to work under the three of you.”
“Yes!”
Yang Kai sipped some tea. Seeing that they had no intention of leaving, he could not help laughing, “What else do you have to say?”
Lao Ke and the others exchanged glances, but in the end, it was still Lao Ke who took the courage to speak, “Great King mentioned that the purpose of you coming to Cloud Shadow Continent was to maintain the Territory Gate and protect Cloud Shadow Continent. Now that Lie Kuang has fallen and Cloud Shadow Continent is totally under Great King’s control, we can start to make arrangements as soon as possible. May I know when Great King wishes to begin?”
This was a constant worry in their hearts, so they wished to settle the issue as soon as possible; therefore, even if they felt like they were in no position to urge Yang Kai, they still could not help asking about it.
Yang Kai chuckled, “I shall begin shortly, but before I do, I have something for you to do.”
“We await your orders, Great King.”
“Find me all the information about the Cloud Shadow Continent’s Territory Gates, including those that have already vanished. I need as much as you can gather.”
Although they had no clue what Yang Kai wanted with this information, it was a simple task so Lao Ke and the others readily accepted the order.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, then reached out his hand and took out a delicate jade box, “On a different note, I want to ask you about one thing.”
Lao Ke and the others immediately responded humbly.
Yang Kai opened the jade box and took out a pill-like object the size of a pigeon egg. It was black all over and looked just like an unimpressive black pill; however, this black pill had no medicinal fragrance. All Yang Kai knew was that when he probed it with his Divine Sense, he found that this black pill contained a horrifying amount of energy.
However, this kind of energy could not be absorbed just by anyone. The energy contained in it was chaotic and malevolent. If a Human consumed this thing, he would be demonified in an instant. On the contrary, if a Demon took it, it would surely be of great benefit to their cultivation.
He found this object in Lie Kuang’s Space Ring, three of them in fact. Each one was put in a jade box and was placed in the deepest place of the Space Ring, so it was obviously very valuable.
Yang Kai knew nothing about this thing, but he believed that Lao Ke and the others should know about it.
To his surprise, when he took out the black pill, the three Demon Kings gaped at it with scorching eyes and even some light panting.
Yang Kai raised his brow at them and asked, “What is this?”
Lao Ke gulped and cupped his fists. “It’s reasonable that Great King doesn’t know about this since you’re a Human. But to the Demon Race, it is a supreme tonic, especially for we Demon Kings. This is a Myriad Demon Pill!”
“Myriad Demon Pill?” Yang Kai was shocked, “This thing is a Myriad Demon Pill?”
Yin replied, “Has Great King heard about the Myriad Demon Pill before?”
Yang Kai put on a weird look, “I heard someone mentioned it a few days ago.”
Previously, when Yue Sang attempted to stop Bai Zhuo, he offered eighty Myriad Demon Pills to him in exchange for Yang Kai’s life. Although Yang Kai asked Bai Zhuo about the Myriad Demon Pill that day, Bai Zhuo just smiled without saying anything, leaving him clueless.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not expect to obtain such a thing so soon.
No wonder the Half-Saints used these to barter with. It was indeed extraordinary. The internal energy was enormous to the extreme, comparable to a Pill Cloud enveloped Emperor Pill that had been nourished for thousands of years.
Yang Kai estimated that a Low-Rank Demon King would only need to consume a few dozen of these pills to break through to the Mid-Rank Demon King Realm. Of course, this would depend on if said Low-Rank Demon King had sufficient time to digest the energy.
As for the Mid-Rank Demon King, they would probably need four to five hundred pills to break through to the High-Rank. However, this was only his own estimations as he did not really know the facts about this thing.
“Who refined this?” Yang Kai was an alchemist himself, so he understood that it would definitely not be easy to refine such a thing. The energy was too massive, so those who were not powerful enough would not be able to condense such energy in the first place. He was truly interested in whoever refined this pill as such a marvellous Alchemy technique was probably comparable to those of Wondrous Pill Great Emperor’s.
He did not expect that there was such a Grandmaster in the Demon Realm.
He Yin could not help laughing as she heard this and explained, “Great King is likely unaware, but Myriad Demon Pills are not refined by people, they are generated by the World itself.”
“Generated by the world?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“These are indeed natural products!” Lao Ke nodded solemnly and explained, “There are hundreds of continents that make up the Demon Realm, and eighty percent of them have a Myriad Demon Cave. After a set number of years, a Myriad Demon Cave will produce a batch of Myriad Demon Pills. These pills will contribute to a Demon King’s cultivation after consumption and shorten our cultivation time. We have all taken Myriad Demon Pills at least once.”
Flabbergasted, Yang Kai asked, “Eighty percent of the continents have Myriad Demon Caves?” He froze for a while, then proceeded to ask, “What about our Cloud Shadow Continent?”
“It has one.” Lao Ke nodded. “Similar to the Territory Gate, it is located in Lie Kuang’s territory. Every time the Myriad Demon Pills ripen, he would be the one who collected them and offered them to Holy Venerable.”
“You’re not involved?” Yang Kai looked at the three in front of him, puzzled. Since the pills were so useful to them, and given that they were the top Demon Kings in Cloud Shadow Continent, they must also have the right to participate in the harvest. But according to Lao Ke’s words, it seemed that Lie Kuang was doing it all by himself.
A look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on the faces of Lao Ke and the others.
Ke Sen disclosed, “Great King, in the past, the task was given to all our High-Rank Demon Kings, but ever since Lie Kuang took refuge under Sir Yue Sang, we… have been excluded.”
“Having a strong backer is certainly a good thing,” Yang Kai sneered and wanted to ask them why they did not take refuge under Yue Sang too; however, after he thought about it carefully, he believed that they might not have the choice, because Yue Sang probably would not want to accept them either. After collecting the Myriad Demon Pills, Yue Sang definitely had to share some profits with the collectors as a reward. If he accepted more collectors, he would have to give out more of his profits too. As such, why should he accept others when he already had Lie Kuang working for him?
“How did the Myriad Demon Caves come into being? Why do eighty percent of the continents have one?” Yang Kai questioned curiously.
This was a difficult question for Lao Ke and the others as they had no idea how the Myriad Demon Caves were formed. Ever since ancient times, it had been the case in all continents of the Demon Realm. They were simply used to it now as it was normal for them to collect Myriad Demon Pills in the Myriad Demon Caves. If they wanted to know the truth behind all of this, they would probably have to ask those older Half-Saints or the Holy Venerables.
Seeing that they were clueless about it, Yang Kai did not make things difficult for them. He further inquired about the Myriad Demon Pills, and learnt that the collection frequency and quantity of the Myriad Demon Pills were different in each continent.
On Cloud Shadow Continent, they were basically collected every ten years, and there were typically several dozen to a hundred Myriad Demon Pills each time. The quantity varied widely. There could be many during one harvest, and then only a few in the next.
The matter regarding the Myriad Demon Pills bothered Yang Kai a little. No wonder Demon Kings in the Demon Realm were far more numerous than Emperors in the Star Boundary. It was because of the existence of these pills.
According to his previous estimation, several tens of Myriad Demon Pills could promote a Low-Rank Demon King to a Mid-Rank one. In other words, Cloud Shadow Continent alone could promote a Low-Rank Demon King every ten years, and still have extra pills.
If this situation continued over thousands of years, how could there not be many Demon Kings?
Of course, although this calculation method was too idealized, with these Myriad Demon Pills, it would be much easier to cultivate Masters in the Demon Realm, and their growth time would be shorter than that in the Star Boundary.
Why did the Star Boundary not have such benefits? And how did Myriad Demon Caves appear? Why did they produce Myriad Demon Pills?
Maybe Yu Ru Meng knew the answers to these questions, but he could not ask her right now.
At this moment, He Yin smiled, “Speaking of which, Great King came at just the right time. The next Myriad Demon Pill harvest is not far away. Within six months, Great King will be able to see it with his own eyes.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, “Since the Myriad Demon Cave is located in Lie Kuang’s territory, he must have sent someone to guard it.”
“Indeed!” Lao Ke nodded.
Yang Kai glanced at him and continued, “But as far as I know, Lie Kuang brought all the Demon Kings under his command to Cloud Shadow City. Who is guarding the cave now?”
Lao Ke was stunned when he heard these words and suddenly seemed to have realized something. Cupping his fists hurriedly, he declared, “Subordinate will go to the Myriad Demon Cave to investigate.”
The Myriad Demon Cave was the most important place on every continent and must not be left unguarded. Since Lie Kuang had brought all the Demon Kings under his command here, it was very likely that no Master was defending the cave, or others were guarding it on behalf of Lie Kuang. Since Lie Kuang had taken refuge under Yue Sang, it was not difficult to guess who was guarding the cave now.
Cloud Shadow Continent was Yang Kai’s territory, and the Myriad Demon Pills collected from Myriad Demon Cave would naturally belong to Yang Kai, so how could he allow another to seize what was his?
“Bring more people, Ke Sen will accompany you.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Ke Sen responded, “Yes!”
The two of them did not hesitate and left immediately to avoid trouble caused by undue delay.
The only one left was He Yin, the unrecognizable Demon King shrouded in black Qi, “If Great King has no other instructions, this subordinate will take her leave.”
“Bring me those five Demon Kings!” Yang Kai ordered and closed his eyes.
He Yin glanced at him curiously, wondering what his plans for the five Demon Kings were, but she did not ask any questions and simply left to carry out his order.
After a short while, five Demon Kings with sealed cultivations were brought into the room. They looked defeated after a night of torture, but as they walked into the room and saw Yang Kai, their eyes were filled with anger and a few arrogant ones even spat unpleasant curses at him.
They knew that they were most likely going to have miserable deaths, and they were completely helpless against Yang Kai, so they figured they might as well just run their mouths to let out some of their resentment. It would be best if they managed to provoke Yang Kai into slaughtering them as a quick death was better than a long, drawn-out one.
The soldiers were dismissed, the doors were shut, and a barrier was opened. Yang Kai glanced at the five people indifferently, then grabbed at them with his hand.
In the next instant, Space Principles fluctuated, and all five of the Demon Kings vanished.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai too flickered, and vanished from the room.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the Embodiment sat down cross-legged in an empty land, his sixty-metre-tall body looking like a towering hill as he stared down at the five Demon Kings who Yang Kai brought in with great interest.
Yang Kai appeared, and without delay, he raised his hand, “Let’s start.”
The Embodiment nodded, placing his hands together as he assumed a strange posture. A moment later, an invisible force fluctuated, enveloping the five immobilized Demon Kings. The initially confused looks of the Demon Kings turned into panic due to the sudden change as their vitality, Demon Qi, and even Spiritual Energy began flowing out of their bodies uncontrollably.
Yang Kai watched as an aura that resembled blood gushed out of the five Demon Kings and converged towards the Embodiment, who consumed all of it into his abdomen with every breath he took.
In just a few breaths of time, the initially extremely strong scarlet aura dwindled drastically as the physiques of the five Demon Kings shrivelled up at a visible rate.
Yang Kai shuddered at the sight.
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law was indeed overbearing and evil, and it was reasonable that the Star Boundary tried to purge it from existence.
Although the Embodiment had the body of a Stone Spirit and was not afraid of the many side effects of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, Yang Kai tried his best to avoid allowing the Embodiment to use this Secret Arts inherited from the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor when he was in the Star Boundary to avoid suspicions.
In the past, the Embodiment had consumed the essence of enemies but had always stopped just before it became obvious what had happened.
But he did not even have to think twice here in the Demon Realm.
In the battle with Lie Kuang last night, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law executed by the Embodiment tormented Lie Kuang endlessly, and according to the Embodiment, one could grow stronger from the Heaven Devouring Battle Law even when fighting against another. When devouring the essence of, and weakening the strength of others, one could bolster himself. As long as one did not suffer from a one-time fatal injury, he was almost invincible.
The Heaven Devouring Great Emperor slaughtered many Great Emperors by himself in the Great Emperor War all thanks to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Yang Kai was going to let the Embodiment freely cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law in the Demon Realm and increase his strength as fast as possible.
Even though these five Demon Kings were only Mid-Rank or lower, their essences could not be wasted. It was just perfect to be used to feed the Embodiment. As long as sufficient energy was available for him to devour, the Embodiment would become powerful very quickly.
In the Demon Realm, Yang Kai only had Embodiment as an auxiliary force so he wanted him to be as strong as possible.
The five Demon Kings were no longer cursing and shouting as all of their strength was put into struggling violently, but how could they resist the devouring power of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law when their cultivations were sealed?
After only a few dozen breaths, all life had left the five Demon Kings. What remained was only dried and withered corpses. The Embodiment kept the same posture as his aura swelled and his flames trembled. As his body suddenly shook, a jet-black aura permeated from within him; it was purified Demon Qi digested from the essence absorbed from the five Demon Kings.
It was apparent that the Embodiment had favourable conditions to cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. The innate ability of the Stone Spirit Clan to expel all kinds of negative and unfavourable energies was put on full display here. If anyone else with a normal physique cultivated this Secret Art, even if they had a method to resolve most of the negative energies and impurities, they would be bound to suffer some negative effects; and in the long run, one’s temperament would inevitably be affected.
“I also have gotten clarification about this,” Yang Kai raised the three jade boxes in his hands and tossed them over while passing the information he had learned to the Embodiment.
The Embodiment caught the three jade boxes, raised an eyebrow, and muttered, “Myriad Demon Pills? En, this is a good thing.”
After that, with a thought, he opened the jade boxes, directly downed the three Myriad Demon Pills, and then immediately urged the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to begin refining them, all while Yang Kai watched with his eyes widened.
Myriad Demon Pills were generated by the world itself and contained a huge amount of energy. Demon Kings needed to be fully prepared before consuming one, and then spend a lot of time refining it. It was not something that could be done overnight.
However, the pills were just like candies to the Embodiment, who swallowed three pills in one go. This would baffle any Demon King if they really witnessed it.
Even High-Rank Demon Kings did not have the courage to act so recklessly!
Visible to the naked eye, the aura around the Embodiment’s body trembled. There was a steady stream of dark aura escaping from his body, which was on a much larger scale than when the essence of the five Demon Kings was consumed.
Only after a stick of incense worth of time did the Embodiment slowly open his eyes, flames flickering in their depths.
Yang Kai knew exactly what he was thinking and pressed his lips together, “You need about three thousand pills to reach the next stage. That’s quite a lot.”
Cloud Shadow Continent only harvested these pills once every ten or so years, and each harvest only yielded a few dozen to a hundred Myriad Demon Pills. It would require the entire Cloud Shadow Continent hundreds to a thousand years to produce three thousand pills.
But if these things could really allow the Embodiment to reach the next level, it would be worth it.
The Embodiment currently possessed the Divine Spirit Shi Huo’s Source, and had the body of a Stone Spirit as a foundation, leaving nearly unlimited room for him to grow. Already, the Embodiment was stronger than an ordinary Third-Stage Emperor. Compared to a Half-Saint, he was slightly inferior, but if he managed to reach the next realm, he would be able to compete with a Half-Saint all on his own.
Yang Kai could only try to collect more Myriad Demon Pills. If these things could greatly shorten the Embodiment’s development time, it was worth investing in doing so.
Suddenly, he regretted being so generous last night. He did not know if there were more Myriad Demon Pills in those Demon Kings’ Space Rings; however, seeing how Lie Kuang only had a surplus of three, it was unlikely that the other Demon Kings had any. Even if they had a chance to obtain one, those Demon Kings would have likely consumed it immediately to strengthen themselves.
In addition, Yang Kai could also capture more Demon Kings and throw them into the Sealed World Bead to feed the Embodiment. Although the effect was not as good as taking Myriad Demon Pills, it was not bad either.
After leaving the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai waited in the room for a while before He Yin brought back a large amount of information about the Territory Gates.
Yang Kai spent an hour reading these materials and pondered a while before getting up and walking out.
“Sir!” Xiao Wu, who was waiting outside the door, hurriedly saluted, her eyes twinkling with admiration.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly turned his head to look at the room in the corner with a weird expression, and asked, “How long has she been in there?”
“What?” Xiao Wu did not know what he meant.
“Bo Ya.” Yang Kai glanced at her.
Finally understanding his question, Xiao Wu replied, “Since she came back last night.”
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he quickly walked over to the room and pushed the door open.
This was Li Shi Qing’s room. In order to take care of her, Yang Kai deliberately arranged for her to live next to his room. Over the past few days, Li Shi Qing had been very well behaved. She was probably too afraid of Yang Kai, so she had been locking himself in her room.
She did not come out, but someone had now gone in.
At this moment, Bo Ya was in her room, sitting side by side with Li Shi Qing, holding her hand and speaking to her.
Chills ran down Yang Kai’s spine as he saw a trace of lust in Bo Ya’s eyes.
[This woman! She’s hopeless!]
Hearing the movement, the two women in the room both turned their heads to look. Li Shi Qing shivered instinctively and shrank to hide behind Bo Ya. She was really scared of Yang Kai to the extreme.
Bo Ya on the other hand let out a dissatisfied grunt, looking resentful, as if her good deed had gone bad.
After fiercely reprimanding Bo Ya and yelling at her to get out, Yang Kai turned to look at Li Shi Qing who was now curled up on the inner corner of the bed, holding her knees in her hands, the blood drained from her face, looking dreadfully afraid.
Yang Kai was speechless and eased up his face a little before advising, “Don’t get too close with that female Demon in the future. She’s not a good person!”
Li Shi Qing further curled her body, and nodded weakly.
Seeing her like this, Yang Kai knew she did not take his words to heart. He was probably the biggest villain in the world to her at this point, but he could not say anything more to convince her otherwise, so he could only stop here for now.
After pondering for a while, he flickered a Space Beacon and instructed, “In case of danger, activate the seal on that bead to protect yourself.”
He couldn’t take care of Li Shi Qing all the time, especially when he still had many things to deal with, but since he went through all that trouble to get her out of the Blood Arena, he naturally could not let her fall into any danger.
A Space Beacon was sufficient to protect her safety. As long as she was not too slow in reacting, she could be teleported to Yang Kai through this bead when she encountered unmanageable danger. Of course, the premise was that she had to be on the same continent with Yang Kai.
However, given that Yang Kai was fully in charge of Cloud Shadow Continent, he believed that she would not have the need to use the bead here. None of the Demon Kings under him would dare to disobey his orders now, so it was unlikely anyone would dare to lay their hands on his people.
After a brief explanation, he strode out without caring what reaction Li Shi Qing had.
Behind him, Li Shi Qing looked up at Yang Kai with mixed feelings and hesitated for a long time before keeping the bead with her.
At this moment, Yang Kai was already with He Yin, flying in the Tiger Head Chariot towards a certain place on Cloud Shadow Continent.
Half a day later, the Tiger Head Chariot stopped in the wilderness at a high altitude. Yang Kai and He Yin got off the chariot, and he asked as he looked around, “Are you sure it’s here?”
He Yin also turned around to look for a while, seemingly trying to confirm her position, but after a short while, she flew up slightly and declared, “It’s where I am standing now.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly and the Space Principle around him fluctuated as he closed his eyes and quietly perceived his surroundings.
He Yin stared at him curiously, but she did not dare to disturb him and just waited quietly.
After half an hour, Yang Kai opened his eyes, shook his head slowly, and looked at He Yin, “When did this Territory Gate vanish, and where did it connect to?’
Earlier, he checked the data about the Territory Gates of Cloud Shadow Continent and confirmed that Bai Zhuo’s previous statement was correct. There were once five Territory Gates, each connecting to a different continent; however, over the past millennium, four Territory Gates had disappeared one after another, with the last remaining gate being connected to the Blue Plains Continent. Cloud Shadow Continent was almost isolated because of this.
A woodcutter must sharpen his axe if he was to do his work well. If Yang Kai wanted to stabilize and repair the last Territory Gate, he would first take a look at the four disappeared Territory Gates. At least, he must examine the situation and it would be best if he could understand the reasons for their disappearance. Even if he could not understand it, he must at least find some clues.
But although he had done his best just now, Yang Kai did not obtain anything. Nothing was unusual here. If it was not confirmed by He Yin, and also the data he collected that proved there was a Territory Gate here before, Yang Kai probably would think that he was in the wrong place.
He Yin disclosed, “This Territory Gate was the first to vanish. It happened about a thousand years ago. Before it disappeared, it had symptoms similar to the last Territory Gate now, showing the signs of instability. Previously, this Territory Gate led to Blood Flame Continent.’
After a pause, she pressed on, “Did Great King discover anything?” She did not have much hope looking at Yang Kai’s expression, but she still could not help asking.
To her disappointment, Yang Kai shook his head, “I didn’t find anything. Let’s go to the next place.”
He raised his hand and summoned the Tiger Head Chariot. He Yin naturally had no opinion about it, got on the chariot with Yang Kai, and guided the direction to the next place.
Half a day later, they arrived in the sky over a vast sea with endless waves rolling and crashing.
Just like before, Yang Kai closed his eyes and felt the surroundings, while He Yin waited patiently beside him.
A moment later, Yang Kai raised his brow, revealing a look of surprise. The Space Principles around him turned more and more turbulent. He Yin, who had been watching him, could not help but perk up, realizing that Yang Kai probably found something.
The next instant, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and stared toward a certain spot with a solemn look on his face. Following the faint traces of Space Principle fluctuations, he stretched out his hand to probe the area before him.
He pushed both his hands forward at an extremely slow speed, as if fighting against great resistance. What astonished He Yin though was that after Yang Kai pushed out about a hand’s length, Yang Kai’s fingers began to disappear, as if they were sinking into another space.
He Yin’s face turned solemn.
Then she heard Yang Kai shouting, “Open!”
Following his voice, Yang Kai suddenly spread his arms widely to both sides. Space seemed to be torn at that moment and a crack opened in front of him. The crack was filled with chaotic nothingness which not only devoured up her sight, but also drowned her Divine Sense into it.
Exhilarated, He Yin squealed, “Great King!”
Yang Kai ignored her as he applied more force with his hands. His clothes were flapping and flying without any wind while the crack in front of him got bigger and bigger.
Soon, there was enough space for the two to pass through, so Yang Kai immediately reached out his hand, grabbed He Yin’s arm, and rushed into the crack together with her.
All of a sudden, the two vanished.
The world spun, and He Yin’s vision went blank. When she regained her senses, she had arrived in another world. She gathered her wits and looked down startled. After seeing a familiar scenery, she shouted in excitement, “Thunder Heaven Continent!”
The Territory Gate that disappeared was originally connected to Thunder Heaven Continent. He Yin had lived in Cloud Shadow Continent for thousands of years, and before these Territory Gates vanished, she often came to Thunder Heaven Continent for business, so she was familiar with the scenery. However, she had not been here since the Territory Gate disappeared.
She never expected that she could still have the chance to see this scenery again.
She instantly became fully confident in Yang Kai and realized that it was reasonable for the Holy Venerable to send him to Cloud Shadow Continent to maintain the Territory Gate. With such means, Yang Kai had proven that he could really open the vanished Territory Gates again, meaning Cloud Shadow Continent would no longer be isolated.
“Don’t get too excited.” Yang Kai suddenly said, immediately dampening He Yin’s excitement, “Look behind you.”
He Yin was stunned for a moment, and quickly turned back to look; however, the Void Crack that they had passed through was closing at a rapid pace and would probably disappear in less than ten breaths of time.
The exhilaration and expectation that filled He Yin just now instantly deflated as she asked in shock, “How can this be?”
Yang Kai laughed and explained, “I just followed the traces of the previous Territory Gate and forcibly broke through the Void to arrive here. The two continents have their own World Principles, so they will repair the interference of external forces to restore things to their original states.”
“Then the Territory Gate…”
Yang Kai continued, “It’s too early to be sure, but it’s not hopeless yet. Since the connection has not been severed, there should still be a way to re-establish it. Let’s go back first.” Then he turned around and tore open the crack that was about to be closed before returning the same way with He Yin.
After a moment, they returned to Cloud Shadow Continent.
Looking at the rapidly closing crack, He Yin sighed in her heart; however, after such an experience, she finally saw hope.
After that, they visited the other two lost Territory Gates and examined them carefully.
It took two days for this inspection and He Yin felt better after seeing the results, because the next two places were similar to the vanished Territory Gate that connected to Thunder Heaven Continent. There were still some traces remaining, which was enough for Yang Kai to tear through space and arrive at the other continents.
Yang Kai was only helpless regarding the first Territory Gate leading to Blood Flame Continent. In other words, three of the four vanished Territory Gates still had hope to reappear, but the first one was completely hopeless.
Yang Kai was a little puzzled about this. In theory, the four lost Territory Gates were no different from one another and should all have the same condition, but the place where they first investigated turned out to be somewhat different.
“He Yin, try to remember carefully, what are the differences between the four Territory Gates? Especially the difference between the Territory Gate connecting Blood Flame Continent and the other three.” Yang Kai could not figure it out; after all, he was a newcomer to this world, so he could only ask He Yin. This was also the reason he brought her with him.
“Perhaps it is about when they each vanished?” He Yin pondered for a moment and put forward a hypothesis, “The first Territory Gate was lost much longer ago. Could that be the reason why?”
“It’s only a thousand years versus several hundred, but we can’t rule out this possibility. What else?” Yang Kai frowned.
He Yin continued to recall. After a while, she looked up at Yang Kai and disclosed, “Oh right, Blood Flame Continent has completely disappeared. The Territory Gate of Cloud Shadow Continent that connected to it was the last Territory Gate it had.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he showed a wry smile, “Why didn’t you tell this King such an important detail earlier?”
If there was no mistake, this was the reason that the traces of the Territory Gate had completely vanished. Given that even Blood Flame Continent had disappeared, how could the traces of the Territory Gate remain?
He Yin replied embarrassingly, “I had forgotten…”
Yang Kai shook his head, but he did not blame her. Since he had figured out the reason, what happened next would be simpler. If he wanted to maintain the Territory Gate, Yang Kai had to figure out why they could persist for so long. Logically, this kind of tear should have been repaired by the local World Principles, but in fact, there were still more or less Territory Gates in many continents of the Demon Realm, ranging from one or two, to more than ten. This phenomenon was very odd to him.
Therefore, in any case, he had to pay a visit to the only remaining Territory Gate. Not only could he examine and explore it, but he could also try to study the Space Principles involved in their formation and maintenance. It would be best if he could improve his comprehension of the Dao of Space in this way…
After making the decision, Yang Kai immediately rushed to the only remaining gate with He Yin without any delay.
When he first travelled to Cloud Shadow Continent, he and Bai Zhuo came through this Territory Gate, but he had no idea that the place was Lie Kuang’s territory at that time. Now that Lie Kuang was dead and the Demon Kings under Lie Kuang’s command had been broken up, this place had become ownerless. However, Lao Ke and the other High-Rank Demon Kings dared not to occupy this place without Yang Kai’s authorization; therefore, they just waited for him to make a decision about it.
Lao Ke and Ke Sen were nearby.
A few days ago, Yang Kai instructed them to investigate the situation of the Myriad Demon Cave, so now they probably must have come out with a result.
On the way, He Yin sent them a message.
When Yang Kai arrived near the Territory Gate, Lao Ke and Ke Sen were waiting respectfully with a group of Demon Kings. Before Yang Kai landed, they quickly saluted and welcomed him courteously.
“What’s the situation?” Yang Kai asked as he looked at Lao Ke.
Lao Ke replied with his fists cupped, “As Great King expected, Lie Kuang colluded with Blue Plains Continent. When he came to Cloud Shadow City, the Myriad Demon Cave was guarded by Tu Qia Luo!”
Seeing Yang Kai’s confused look, He Yin explained in a low voice, “Tu Qia Luo is a Demon King from Blue Plains Continent who serves under Yue Sang. He’s quite strong.”
Given that He Yin evaluated him as such, this Tu Qia Luo must be a High-Rank Demon King.
Yang Kai nodded, “Where is Tu Qia Luo now?”
Lao Ke and Ke Sen could not help revealing embarrassed looks.
Noticing this, Yang Kai knew that they had let him escape; however, this was still acceptable. Although it was Blue Plains Continent’s fault for interfering in Cloud Shadow Continent and laying their hands on the Myriad Demon Cave and the Myriad Demon Pills, they had a Half-Saint backing them, very much unlike Lao Ke and the others, who were unfavoured people and were placed in an awkward situation here. Even though Yang Kai had given them a little confidence by killing Lie Kuang, they still did not dare to really stand against Yue Sang. It actually would not take much to kill Tu Qia Luo with the forces Lao Ke and Ke Sen brought, but trouble would surely follow after. If Yue Sang wanted to settle accounts in the future, they would all die miserably.
Therefore, they snatched the Myriad Demon Cave back under Yang Kai’s order, but as for Tu Qia Luo, they decided just to let him go.
As such, they felt embarrassed being questioned by Yang Kai at this moment.
Fortunately, Yang Kai did not mean to look into the matter and just stared into their eyes, curling his lips into a sarcastic grin as he waved, “Since the problem of Cloud Shadow Continent has been settled and we’ve regained control of the Myriad Demon Cave, from now on, this King will start his inspection of this Territory Gate and find a way to maintain this last passage. All of you need to cooperate with me. Henceforth, this gate is to be temporarily closed, and without this King’s orders, no one is allowed to pass through it.”
In order to study the Territory Gate and understand the principles governing its existence, Yang Kai required a quiet and undisturbed environment; therefore, the Territory Gate naturally had to be closed and people had to be stopped from going in and out.
Fortunately, they had a lot of manpower here, so it should be enough to cordon off the surroundings.
“Yes!” Lao Ke and the others responded respectfully. Their good days were indeed over. The coming of a new owner of Cloud Shadow Continent meant that they would not be free anymore; however, if Yang Kai truly could stabilize the gate and ensure that it would not vanish, it would also be of great benefit to them. At least, they would not have to worry about their backup plans in the near future.
Yang Kai continued, “Lao Ke.”
“Reporting,” Lao Ke stepped out.
“Go back to Cloud Shadow City and bring me Bo Ya.”
Although he had warned Li Shi Qing to be careful of Bo Ya before, who knew if Bo Ya would do anything to Li Shi Qing after he left; therefore, it was better to have her here. Moreover, if he wanted to comprehend the secrets of the Territory Gate, he could not afford to be distracted. He did not trust Lao Ke and the others much, so only Bo Ya could help him in guarding this place. With the Soul Puppet in his hand, Bo Ya would not dare to betray him.
Lao Ke left after receiving the order.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, then turned to Ke Sen and He Yin, “I’ve been meaning to ask you, are Myriad Demon Pills purchasable?”
Myriad Demon Pills were incredibly useful to the Embodiment, but the quantity that he needed was way too high. It would be much easier if they could be bought. Since he was now in charge of Cloud Shadow Continent, it could be said that everything here was under his control. According to the current situation of Cloud Shadow Continent, financial resources were not a problem if he wanted to buy some Myriad Demon Pills.
“Yes, but they’re difficult to find.” Ke Sen frowned, “Every Demon King needs them, so one would immediately refine and consume them as soon as they obtained one.”
He Yin continued, “In the past, every time we collected Myriad Demon Pills, we could get one or two each, but we quickly used them instead of saving them.” After a pause, she proceeded, “Great King, are you thinking of buying Myriad Demon Pills?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En, I’m considering it.”
He Yin replied, “Then I shall advise Great King not to do so. Each one is ridiculously expensive.”
“How expensive exactly?” Yang Kai looked at her curiously.
He Yin answered, “One pill would cost about fifty to eighty million High-Rank Demon Crystals. They’re always overpriced yet usually not for sale.”
Yang Kai could not stop his brow from twitching when he heard her statement. He initially thought that since he had won a billion Demon Crystals from the Blood Arena he would be rich enough to purchase anything he wanted, but according to He Yin, he could at most buy ten or so Myriad Demon Pills with his current wealth, and that was only if he found someone willing to sell them.
At such a price, perhaps the Embodiment might achieve a better result by simply refining the one billion Demon Crystals directly.
This was terrible news! Yang Kai instantly lost interest in buying Myriad Demon Pills. Even if he could mobilize the resources of the entire Cloud Shadow Continent, he could not buy many.
After the conversation was over, Yang Kai waved his hand to dismiss the two. With a flicker, he flew towards the Territory Gate and examined it carefully, the look of amazement hardly concealed on his face.
This gate was like a massive Void Corridor and the chaotic aura of nothingness fluctuating from it seemed pretty hazardous. With his current attainments in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai couldn’t create such a thing, but he might still have ways to stabilize it.
He took a soft breath, closed his eyes, and began using his Divine Sense to thoroughly examine the Territory Gate…
Below, Ke Sen and He Yin began to deploy their subordinates within a radius of thirty kilometres from the Territory Gate. All commoners were strictly prohibited from approaching the Territory Gate, so as not to interfere with Yang Kai.
Before Yang Kai cracked the secrets of the Territory Gate, the Demons of Cloud Shadow Continent were not allowed to leave through the Territory Gate. Even if this restriction would annoy some Demons, their complaints would be ignored as this matter was related to the future of the whole Cloud Shadow Continent.
Up in the sky, Yang Kai scanned through every inch of the Territory Gate with his Divine Sense, comprehending the mysterious Space Principles that maintained it with a thoughtful look on his face. As he expected, studying this Territory Gate was greatly beneficial to his understanding of the Dao of Space. After all, such a huge Void Corridor did not exist anywhere in the Star Boundary, so he had never experienced such a mysterious thing before.
Just when he vaguely felt that he had gained some insights, a rush of Space Principles came from the Territory Gate.
This made Yang Kai raise his brow as he thought that it was the unstable fluctuations of the Territory Gate itself. But the next moment, a Demon suddenly appeared in front of him.
The cultivation of the Demon was not too high, only a Demon Great General. He bumped into Yang Kai as soon as he appeared and was also taken aback, for he thought that someone was ambushing him here so he immediately flickered aside with his Demon Qi condensed.
After steadying himself, he saw Yang Kai looking at him coldly.
What’s more, there seemed to be countless eyes glaring at him right now.
Frowning, the Demon Great General immediately looked around and was instantly drenched in cold sweat …
As many as ten Demon Kings were eying him nearby, and there were even more Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals surrounding the area within a radius of thirty kilometres, which made him feel like he was a sheep who had broken into a wolves’ den by mistake. He was horrified, and forced a smile at Yang Kai as he asked in an awkward tone, “Sir, what’s the matter?”
“Scram!” Yang Kai waved his hand to him in a rather foul mood.
The Demon Great General quickly turned around and flew far away from here, only feeling relieved after escaping a great distance.
Yang Kai then shouted down to the people below, “Ke Sen!”
Ke Sen hurriedly flew up and cupped his fists, “Great King!”
“Take some people to the other side of the Territory Gate and seal it off. Do not allow anyone to pass through.” The previous Demon Great General must have travelled from Blue Plains Continent and just happened to have teleported to the Territory Gate here.
Even if he did not teleport near here, once someone passed through the gate, it would cause some interference which would disturb Yang Kai. How could he comprehend the secrets of the gate under such circumstances?
Hearing this order, Ke Sen seemed like he was in a tough position as he hesitated, “Isn’t this… not good? It is Sir Yue Sang’s territory over there, and we have no right to interfere.” Furthermore, they just drove Tu Qia Luo away a few days ago. If they brought people over there to block the Territory Gate at this time, Blue Plains Continent would definitely not sit idly. One mistake would trigger a confrontation between the two continents.
Yang Kai sneered, “What are you afraid of? Yue Sang has been sent to the front lines by Holy Venerable.”
Ke Sen replied awkwardly, “Even if Sir Yue Sang is not here, there are still ten High-Rank Demon Kings on Blue Plains Continent. We are by no means a match for them.” With Yue Sang looking after Blue Plains Continent, there were naturally more Demon Kings there than on Cloud Shadow Continent, even if some had been transferred to the battlefield. If a fight was started, Cloud Shadow Continent would definitely suffer a great loss.
Yang Kai squinted at him, “If they have any opinion, let them come and talk to this King.”
Ke Sen felt helpless as he knew that Yang Kai insisted on blocking the other side of the Territory Gate, so it was useless to say more and he could only accept the order and leave.
After selecting some Demon Kings to follow him, Ke Sen travelled to Blue Plains Continent through the Territory Gate, only then did Yang Kai continue to probe the gate with his eyes closed.
The next two days were peaceful as no one dared to disturb Cloud Shadow Continent. All those who wanted to pass through the Territory Gate were intercepted, as was the case on Blue Plains Continent. It seemed that Ke Sen did his job well.
Bo Ya had already arrived and was glaring at Yang Kai ferociously not far away, with so much hatred like she could not wait to drink his blood and eat his flesh.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai ignored her, or perhaps he did not notice her gaze at all as he was fully immersed in studying the Territory Gate.
Of course, it was impossible for Yang Kai to completely rely on Bo Ya for his own safety, so inside the Sealed World Bead, the Embodiment was carefully monitoring the situation. If anyone attempted to hurt Yang Kai, the Embodiment would immediately rush out of the Sealed World Bead to secure his safety.
Everything was calm and peaceful the next few days. Yang Kai was still standing still before the Territory Gate with his eyes closed while Space Principles from his body were fluctuating the whole time, resonating with the Territory Gate.
Below, Lao Ke, He Yin, and the others watch in astonishment. They were all anticipating what would come next. The situation now showed that Yang Kai was studying the secrets of the Territory Gate, and if he was able to thoroughly comprehend them, he just might be able to stabilize the gate.
In truth, Yang Kai had gained a lot over the past few days. His comprehension of Space Principles had grown by leaps and bounds, especially when the Territory Gate fluctuated unstably. He was able to peer through secrets that he normally could not see, all of which enhanced his own knowledge and reinforced his experiences. Every breath was a huge harvest for him.
This was indeed an excellent place to cultivate the Dao of Space. If it was an intact Territory Gate, he would not have gained so much. Only this unstable Territory Gate could help him.
Yang Kai did not even think about how to stabilize the Territory Gate but was immersed in the joy of comprehending and prying into the mysteries of the Dao of Space, taking in the nutrients that would strengthen him.
A few days later, even though Yang Kai did not spend a single moment pondering how to stabilize the Territory Gate, he had some vague ideas about how to maintain it now. Of course, it was still too early to put these ideas into practice as he still had to pry into the secrets of the Territory Gate to be more certain.
At a certain moment, another trace of abnormal fluctuations came from the Territory Gate in front of him, interrupting the state Yang Kai had been in for many days, awakening him from a condition similar to meditation.
With a scowl on his face, Yang Kai growled, “Bastards!”
Lao Ke’s and He Yin’s faces changed slightly as they quickly flew upwards together.
Yang Kai turned his head to look at the two of them, his eyes dark as he barked at them, “Go see what the Hell Ke Sen is doing! Why does this King even need him if he can’t accomplish such a simple task?”
The situation just now was obviously because someone shuttled through the Territory Gate on the Blue Plains Continent side, otherwise, it would be impossible for the sudden ripples on the Territory Gate.
Lao Ke and He Yin took the lead, flew down quickly, and selected some people to go through the Territory Gate to the Blue Plains Continent. On the other hand, Bo Ya was taking pleasure in Yang Kai’s misfortune and watched him gleefully. She had been boiling in anger since Yang Kai’s summon.
However, before Lao Ke and He Yin could make a move, a Demon King flew over from nearby and shouted, “Great King, Sir Ke Sen is in danger, please help him!”
When the last word fell, he had already reached right in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked and could not help narrowing his eyes. It was a Mid-Rank Demon King who was covered in blood and had many bone-deep wounds on his body. Obviously, he had experienced a fierce battle. This Demon King was one of Ke Sen’s subordinates who he had taken to Blue Plains Continent.
The movement of the Territory Gate just now should be caused by this man who travelled back here.
Lao Ke, He Yin, and the others looked over when they heard those words with the former asking anxiously, “What happened?”
The Mid-Rank Demon King was panting as he replied hurriedly, “By the order of the Great King, we went to Blue Plains Continent to seal off the Territory Gate. The past few days were fine, but today, all of a sudden, six High-Rank Demon Kings and a thousand of their subordinates came to besiege us. This subordinate was protected by Sir Ke Sen just so I could shuttle back through the Territory Gate to deliver a message. I hope that Great King and Sirs will help rescue Sir Ke Sen. He was already severely injured before this subordinate returned and I’m afraid he won’t last much longer.”
“How dare they!?” Lao Ke was furious and raised his head to look at Yang Kai, his face filled with righteous indignation.
Although he was old and lacked the fighting spirit of his youth, it did not mean that he would just accept being bullied without any resistance. Ke Sen was a Demon King of Cloud Shadow Continent and was regarded as his colleague. They had been working with each other for so many years and even developed a friendship. Now that Ke Sen was seriously injured, Lao Ke was naturally incensed. In addition, Lao Ke had existing resentment towards Blue Plains Continent for many years for intervening in the harvests of Myriad Demon Pills in Cloud Shadow Continent’s Myriad Demon Cave.
Now that Yue Sang was exiled to the battlefield, and Cloud Shadow Continent had the backing of Yang Kai, the Great King, who presided over the overall situation, if they still allowed the other side to walk all over them, Lao Ke could no longer call himself a Demon. He immediately cupped his fists, “Great King, nothing can happen to Ke Sen. We don’t have many High-Rank Demon Kings in Cloud Shadow Continent now so each one is precious.”
Originally there were only four High-Rank Demon Kings left here. Lie Kuang was killed a few days ago so now there were three. If Ke Sen died, who else could watch over Cloud Shadow Continent?
When his voice fell, Yang Kai had already sneered, “All of you come over when you’ve martialed our forces, this King and Bo Ya will head there first.”
There was a problem travelling through the Territory Gate; the location of arrival was random, and unless a method was used to bind everyone together, in which case everyone would appear in the same place after the shuttle, everyone would be scattered. So Yang Kai did not plan to wait for Lao Ke and the others. It would take some time for them to gather their people while Ke Sen’s situation was unknown, so he naturally had to go on ahead.
“Yes!” Lao Ke and He Yin responded in unison, thinking that their Great King was indeed a fearless leader. Originally, they were a little worried that Yang Kai would become timid when they heard that six High-Rank Demon Kings were causing trouble, so they certainly did not expect him to be so decisive.
But on second thought, this man killed Lie Kuang just a few days after arriving at Cloud Shadow Continent. If he was really a coward, how could he behave like this?
They did not expect anything else and simply hoped to rescue Ke Sen and as many of his subordinates as possible. In this way, they could reduce the damage to Cloud Shadow Continent’s foundation to a minimum.
Bo Ya obviously also realized the seriousness of the problem and completely set aside her frustration with Yang Kai for now, quickly flying over after hearing his orders.
Yang Kai’s Emperor Qi wrapped around her and the two of them plunged into the Territory Gate.
By doing this, while he could not control where the Territory Gate would send them, he could guarantee that he and Bo Ya would not be separated.
After a moment of blurriness, the pair arrived on Blue Plains Continent. Yang Kai then waved his hand and summoned the Tiger Head Chariot, boarding it together with Bo Ya.
The place where Ke Sen and the others were being besieged was obviously the Territory Gate between Blue Plains Continent and Cloud Shadow Continent, and while Yang Kai did not know how to get there, thanks to the Tiger Head Chariot, in which the route was already set, he only needed to let the War Chariot navigate for them.
Their destination was not too far away from where the Territory Gate was.
After passing through the Territory Gate, although they would be randomly transported, in general, they would appear within a thousand kilometres of the other end of the Territory Gate. Only rarely would one be transported to a place beyond a thousand kilometres.
No one knew the reason for this, but at this time it was convenient for Yang Kai’s rescue efforts; after all, if they were transported too far away from the Territory Gate, Ke Sen’s bones would probably have turned cold by the time they arrived.
Bo Ya could not help shivering when she felt the murderous intent exuding from Yang Kai’s body. She glanced at him but suddenly saw a faint grin form on his lips, so she asked dumbly, “What are you laughing at, Sir?”
Ke Sen’s situation was worrying, and if he died, there would only be two High-Rank Demon Kings left on Cloud Shadow Continent.
Yang Kai scoffed, “I’m laughing at how Blue Plains Continent has finally made a move.”
Bo Ya was startled, “Did you expect this?”
Yang Kai looked at her and explained, “Yue Sang has a grudge against me, and although he was assigned to the two worlds’ battlefield by Holy Venerable, he would still try every means to take my life. Lie Kuang was acting on Yue Sang’s orders before, and if that was the case, what more needs to be said about Blue Plains Continent? The Demon Kings on Blue Plains Continent must have received similar orders from Yue Sang. They would be a bunch of pig brains if they didn’t grab hold of the opportunity that I gave them.”
The meaning in this sentence was simple and clear, but Bo Ya was still confused. She thought for a while, then inquired, “Did you send Ke Sen to block the Territory Gate on Blue Plains Continent just to anger them?”
Ke Sen was a Demon King of Cloud Shadow Continent, but he interfered in the matter of the Territory Gate in Blue Plains Continent. If she was a Demon King of Blue Plains Continent, she would not sit back and watch either. Who could tolerate another crossing over into their territory and imposing their will arbitrarily?
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “Angering them wasn’t the primary reason, this King really does need to seal off the Territory Gate to keep it from fluctuating. However, it was expected that they would not cooperate, and once they made a move, this King would have an excuse to attack them and take this opportunity to completely subdue Blue Plains Continent. Without taking control, it will basically be impossible for this King to study the Territory Gate with peace of mind in the future.”
Bo Ya pressed on with a confused face, “Didn’t you hear the report from that Demon King? Blue Plains Continent dispatched six High-Rank Demon Kings and a thousand soldiers. Where are you getting your confidence from to provoke them?”
Cloud Shadow Continent’s high-end combat power was vastly inferior to the other side, but when she thought of Lie Kuang’s death again that night, could the big bell be Yang Kai’s secret ace?
Until now, Bo Ya still did not know how Yang Kai killed Lie Kuang. The only thing that she could suspect at the time was the big bell. Lie Kuang, a peak High-Rank Demon King, died in a matter of moments under that bell, so many people suspected he died so quickly because of the artifact’s power.
During the days she was ‘bonding’ with Li Shi Qing, Bo Ya acquired some information about Yang Kai and learnt that this man was renowned throughout the Star Boundary. He had always prevailed over opponents who were stronger than him, but Li Shi Qing did not know many details about Yang Kai. Most of her information was from rumours she heard, and she had no idea how Yang Kai killed Lie Kuang that day.
Looking up, Yang Kai appeared to have no interest in talking anymore, but the smile on his face was turning more and more unreadable. This made Bo Ya very annoyed. The Human Race was indeed as treacherous, insidious, and untrustworthy as rumoured. They were a Race that should have been wiped out long ago.
Yang Kai’s following behaviour was even stranger though. It was clear that the Territory Gate was already in sight, just several tens of kilometres away, and many figures over there were engaged in battle. Obviously, it was Ke Sen and his subordinates fighting hard, but Yang Kai did not show any intention to rescue them and instead flew around the area in a wide circle.
At first, Bo Ya did not know what Yang Kai’s intentions were, but she soon began to understand.
Within a hundred kilometres, there were three places where ambushes were laid, each with a High-Rank Demon King assuming command! Although she was only a Mid-Rank Demon King and her Divine Sense was far weaker than Yang Kai’s, as a Feather Demon, she had cultivated a wondrous Eye Technique and could see some traces that others could not, allowing her to figure some things out.
This was obviously Blue Plains Continent’s plan. Bo Ya’s face turned solemn while thinking about it as she suddenly seemed to understand something. When she turned her attention to the Territory Gate, she saw Ke Sen leading a group of Demons to battle Blue Plains Continent’s forces in a seemingly intense melee.
Although Ke Sen was strong too, he had no chance to resist against six High-Rank Demon Kings on his own and win. Besides, a large number of other Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Demon Kings were surrounding his group too, with someone being killed from time to time.
Logically, it was impossible for Ke Sen to have held out until now, but under Bo Ya’s observation, she found that the Blue Plains Continent forces did not seem intent on killing Ke Sen. Instead, they seemed to be toying with him. They just besieged Ke Sen without giving him a fatal blow, putting Ke Sen’s life at risk, but not in immediate deadly danger.
[Are they besieging a stronghold to annihilate the enemy reinforcement?]
A realization dawned on Bo Ya.
It seemed that Blue Plains Continent was truly aiming for Yang Kai. First, they trapped Ke Sen here with overwhelming power, and they were now trying to lure out reinforcements from Cloud Shadow Continent.
Once Yang Kai, Lao Ke, and the others entered the encirclement, they would be sealing their own fate.
Bo Ya was immediately drenched in a cold sweat.
All of a sudden, her level of admiration for Yang Kai increased significantly. She had no idea how Yang Kai found the three ambushes, but judging by the calm way he was reacting, it was obvious he had anticipated all of this from the start.
However, Cloud Shadow Continent was still at a huge disadvantage in this battle. The gap between the two sides was too great. Whether it was in terms of High-Rank, Mid-Rank, or even Low-Rank Demon Kings, the odds were against Cloud Shadow Continent. Even if Lao Ke and He Yin arrived immediately, they would not be of much help to the current situation.
It seemed everything would depend on Yang Kai’s methods now. Bo Ya did not have high expectations of him, but she could not simply persuade him to escape, so she could only wait and act accordingly.
As they circled the battlefield, Bo Ya suddenly saw Yang Kai flicking something out of his hand. Before she could see it properly, the Tiger Head Chariot had sped up and flew straight in a certain direction.
In that direction, a group of Demons of Blue Plains Continent were hiding in ambush.
In just a few breaths of time, the Tiger Head Chariot had flown over ten kilometres. Yang Kai suddenly grinned at Bo Ya, revealing a mouthful of pristine teeth as he remarked meaningfully, “Don’t disappoint this King!”
Just when the last word came out of his mouth, Yang Kai flickered and disappeared from the War Chariot, reappearing a few kilometres away. Emperor Qi surged around him and a brilliant flash erupted, like a small sun rising, illuminating the surroundings as he charged straight into the ambush.
The corner of Bo Ya’s mouth could not help twitching. She initially thought that Yang Kai had some clever plan in mind, but who knew this guy would just charge in recklessly while making such a sensational entrance.
[Is he afraid that the enemy won’t spot him or something? How can there be such a stupid person in this world?]
Since they had figured out the enemy was aiming to lure them in then annihilate them, they should have taken this opportunity to resolve the ambush from the outside. With her marksmanship and Yang Kai’s abilities, as long as they acted carefully, they should have been able to silently achieve that much.
However, now that Yang Kai has exposed himself, a sneak attack would no longer work.
But soon, Bo Ya frowned as she vaguely felt that perhaps Yang Kai was doing this on purpose. She immediately focused her mind and a faint blue light appeared in her beautiful eyes. With the help of her Eye Technique, everything within a hundred kilometres was captured in her eyes.
“Who is that?”
At the same time, a dozen or so kilometres away, a High-Rank Demon King stared at the small charging sun and questioned. Another Demon King beside him glanced at it and answered, “It must be the Human!”
The incoming aura was strange, and the energy fluctuations were only equivalent to those of a Mid-Rank Demon King. Given that the aura was different from a Demon’s, it was obviously Yang Kai.
“He’s the so-called Great King?” Eyebrows rose while the High-Rank Demon King guffawed with both hands on his waist, “Everyone says that the Human Race is cunning and insidious, but it seems that they’re just a bunch of fools. This King is happy to accept such easy prey today! Who will take that man down for this King?”
The main purpose of trapping Ke Sen this time was to bait Yang Kai to come to the rescue; however, these Demon Kings were not sure whether Yang Kai would come. If he didn’t, Ke Sen’s death would definitely be a heavy blow to Cloud Shadow Continent, which would be enough to affect Yang Kai’s power and ability to rule over Cloud Shadow Continent. If Yang Kai did come though, it would be the best case as their Blue Plains Continent’s army was enough to ensure that he would never go back.
Before that, they estimated that the probability of Yang Kai coming to the rescue was no more than thirty percent.
But facts proved them wrong. It was not long after the news of Ke Sen spread that the Human appeared and rushed directly towards them. The High-Rank Demon King was delighted, as he thought that pie had fallen from the sky. He never expected that he could have such a good opportunity.
Naturally, he did not want to miss the chance in front of his eyes. As long as he could take the Human down, Sir Yue Sang would certainly reward him. Even though Yang Kai approached with impressive momentum, his cultivation was only equal to a Mid-Rank Demon King, so how strong could he be? Even the High-Rank Demon King lost his interest in capturing Yang Kai on his own.
“This subordinate is willing to go!” Four or five Mid-Rank Demon Kings immediately volunteered. Sure enough, they would not let go of this opportunity to win honour and merit.
The High-Rank Demon King casually picked three Mid-Rank Demons and ordered them to bring Yang Kai back, dead or alive.
The three chosen Demon Kings accepted the order gratefully, while those who were not selected were dejected and glared at the backs of the three with jealousy in their eyes.
Yang Kai and the three Mid-Rank Demon Kings were swiftly approaching each other, and they would clash within three breaths of time.
A loud explosion rang out, and space itself shook, causing the surrounding world to tremble. A dazzling light rushed out from the centre of the chaos, continuing to charge toward the Demons with unstoppable momentum. Inside the light, Yang Kai was completely unscathed, his expression unchanged, and even his clothes unwrinkled.
Behind him, a shower of blood rained down from the sky.
The smile on the High-Rank Demon King’s face immediately stiffened as he gawked toward the front absent-mindedly. As for the Demons beside him, they gasped in disbelief.
Three Mid-Rank Demon Kings were killed off without complete corpses in a single exchange while the Human was completely unscathed.
Those Demons who were feeling envious just now suddenly felt fortunate that they were not chosen, otherwise they would not have had good ends.
In that short moment of shock, Yang Kai had already crashed into the ambush point with unstoppable force, his power frightening the wits out of all the Demons.
“Courting death!”
The High-Rank Demon King, who was guarding that area, finally regained his wits and summoned a thick copper-coloured staff into his hands. Pushing his Demon Qi, he swung the copper staff, whipping up a torrent of wind as he smashed towards Yang Kai’s head.
His blow was not fancy at all. Instead, it looked extremely ordinary.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai’s turned slightly pale seeing the power of the staff blow and dared not take it head-on. He had no idea what Clan this High-Rank Demon King belonged to earlier, but the movement of this staff was enough to reveal his origins. This High-Rank Demon King was a Strength Demon, born with innate great strength. The High-Rank Strength Demon King possessed physical prowess on par with a True Dragon of equal cultivation, and that strength was only magnified by the rage this Demon King was feeling right now. If Yang Kai took the blow, he would spew at least three litres of blood even though he had his own Half-Dragon physique.
Yang Kai tried to dodge but found that he could not avoid this blow at all. The movement of this staff seemed simple, but it actually confined the surrounding space, making it impossible to evade.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai had no choice but to surge his Space Principles and execute his Nihility Secret Technique.
His figure turned ethereal as he merged himself into the Void.
The staff struck and passed through Yang Kai’s body. The violent force exploded and shattered the Void, which forced Yang Kai’s figure to reappear, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Although he used his own Secret Technique to avoid most of the power of this blow, the fallout was still enough to shake space and send his vitality tumbling, causing Yang Kai to fall short of breath.
He did not feel well at the moment, but the Strength Demon did not seem to look good either. He thought that Yang Kai would not be able to escape from his fatal blow, but to his surprise, it was as if his staff had struck cotton, resulting in him losing his balance and footing.
Just when he looked up at Yang Kai in shock, wondering how this Human had managed to dodge his blow, Yang Kai stretched out his hand at him and roared as Space Principles surged, “Bind!”
The surrounding space turned into an invisible mire which bound the Strength Demon’s body in place without him being able to move an inch.
Eyes widened, the Strength Demon released a powerful blast out of his body, shaking the space around him and forming small cracks in the force binding him in place.
If he kept this up, it would not take more than three breaths of time for the Strength Demon to escape from this entanglement.
But Yang Kai looked at him with the corners of his mouth slightly curved upwards, like he was staring at a dead man.
The Strength Demon vaguely had a bad feeling as a chill shot up his spine, sensing an unprecedented aura of death.
When he looked up, a streamer of light was shot from over ten kilometres away. Inside the light, a giant arrow was flying towards him, one that emitted a piercing aura so sharp he felt it on his skin even from a distance.
*Du…*
Following a thunking sound, the stream of light penetrated the Strength Demon’s body and accurately pierced through one of his Demon Hearts, which caused it to explode violently.
*Du du du… *
Eight arrows were fired in a row and travelled through the air in a seemingly uncoordinated manner; however, each arrow accurately pierced the Strength Demon’s body, turning him into a hedgehog. Each arrow that struck, hit a vital point, destroying the few Demon Hearts in his body as well as a number of vital organs.
The Strength Demon stiffened in place as he stared at a spot ten kilometres away, where a beautiful figure was floating mid-air. His mouth twitched, as if he tried to say something, but he could not utter a word in the end. The copper staff-like Demon Artifact slipped out of his hand silently, and his vitality quickly dissipated.
A dozen kilometres away, Bo Ya’s face was pale, and her chest heaved up and down violently as she panted while the hand holding her great-bow was trembling slightly.
She used her Innate Divine Ability to launch that barrage of arrows just now. Otherwise, she could not achieve such an effect. The price she paid was thirty percent of her Demon Qi. In other words, even at her peak, she could only perform this skill three times before she was exhausted.
She paid a huge cost, but the outcome was quite satisfactory.
The High-Rank Demon King over there had died. Although there were still a lot of people remaining, they could not do anything in front of Yang Kai. He had breached an opening in the encirclement here, opening up paths of attack and retreat for Cloud Shadow Continent.
Suddenly, Bo Ya found that it was a good choice to be under Yang Kai’s command. With this guy’s Space Divine Abilities and her exquisite marksmanship, they could slay all the High-Rank Demon Kings who were caught off guard. This was similar to the events back in the Blood Arena, and the cooperation between them had even improved today.
After taking a deep breath, Bo Ya put away her bow and held a High-Rank Demon Crystal in each hand, restoring her consumed strength as much as possible. Although they had surprisingly neutralized an ambush site of Blue Plains Continent, there were still two remaining, not to mention the other six High-Rank Demon Kings guarding the gate. A fierce battle was inevitable today, and she did not want to miss any opportunities to recover her strength.
At this time, she suddenly heard a violent movement from the other side, and her eyes turned to it suspiciously.
There seemed to be a startling battle occurring hundreds of kilometres away, with light flickering fiercely as figures zoomed back and forth across the sky.
That was the location of another ambush site of Blue Plains Continent. [Have Lao Ke and He Yin arrived? They’re quite fast. With their help and the forces of Cloud Shadow Continent, the problem there can be solved easily.]
Subconsciously, she used her Eye Technique to peer at the situation on the other side, but what she saw stunned her greatly.
Because the scene over there was different from what she had imagined. There was no trace of Lao Ke, He Yin or even the forces of Cloud Shadow Continent. On the contrary, there was a stone giant over 100 metres tall rampaging about. The stone giant was covered in malevolent fire and sharp spines. Bo Ya had no idea what Divine Ability this Stone Giant was using, but under the observation of her Eye Technique, an invisible field had expanded some dozen or so kilometres with the Stone Giant as its centre.
The Demons, who were shrouded in this domain, could not control their own vitality as a blood-red aura was drawn out from their pores, converging towards the stone giant. This domain seemed to have the ability to devour all things within it.
The stone giant was undoubtedly a powerful and terrifying existence. Bo Ya witnessed him crushing a Mid-Rank Demon King into paste with her own eyes before sucking up all the vitality which escaped from his corpse, only leaving behind some dust on the ground.
Another High-Rank Demon King was guarding that position, but he was obviously no match for the stone giant. After a few breaths of time, he completely fell to a disadvantage. Fortunately, he was protected by his subordinates so he was able to hold on a while longer.
[Where did this guy come from? Why is he fighting the Demons of Blue Plains Continent at this time?]
Bo Ya vaguely felt that the stone giant should have something to do with Yang Kai, but she could not understand how he appeared silently. He actually appeared around the same time when Yang Kai launched his attack, resulting in two ambush sites being completely destroyed.
The next scene confirmed her guess that the Stone Giant was unleashed by Yang Kai, because the bodies of the Demons below the rank of Demon King over there rapidly shrivelled. It started with some Demon Generals, their bodies rapidly drying out, followed by the Demon Great Generals, all of which were devoured by the invisible domain.
Bo Ya was reminded of Lie Kuang’s corpse that was still hanging above his mansion, which was so similar to what she saw at the moment.
[So that’s how it is!]
That night, it was to the stone giant’s credit that Yang Kai could kill Lie Kuang in such a short time by sucking out all his Blood Essence and turning him into a dried-up husk, making him die with everlasting regret.
Bo Ya’s eyes lit up. With this kind of helper, Yang Kai would be invincible in facing the Demons below the rank of Half-Saint. No wonder he was so fearless.
While Bo Ya was paying attention to the battle on the Embodiment’s side, Yang Kai was engaging in a great slaughter.
The Strength Demon who commanded the ambush point Yang Kai struck had died, leaving only Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Demon Kings as well as subordinate Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals. None of these Demons could even slow Yang Kai down, so within ten breaths, the entire force which consisted of roughly a thousand Demons was practically annihilated. Most of the Demon Kings had fallen, while the Demon Great Generals and the Demon Generals also suffered great casualties.
Seeing how hopeless the situation was, the remaining Demons dared not to remain and fled in horror, running in separate directions like a stampede one after another.
Yang Kai casually killed a few more Demons who attempted to escape, but he did not hunt them down to the last. While gathering the bodies of those killed Demons and preparing them to be devoured by the Embodiment, he turned to look into the distance a hundred kilometres away.
Given that the Embodiment had made a move, it was undoubtedly overwhelming the other side. If five High-Rank Demon Kings worked together, they might be able to tie down the Embodiment, but with only one High-Rank Demon King assuming command over there, there was no way to stop the Embodiment.
Yang Kai had secretly let his Embodiment out while he was circling the perimeter in his Tiger Head Chariot; otherwise, with Bo Ya’s ability, it would be impossible for him to go unnoticed by her.
Moreover, the Embodiment’s body was that of a Stone Spirit that was naturally proficient at Earth Escape Techniques. As such, he approached the ambush site silently beneath the ground, and successfully launched a sneak attack on them.
Followed by a light sneer, Yang Kai took a glance at the Territory Gate. Sure enough, the Demons over there were in a mess now. It was impossible for them to not be aware of the movements of the two battlefields, and it was obvious that what they saw that made them react this way.
He did not really care much about Ke Sen’s safety as, to Yang Kai, the more Demons that died, the better; however, since Ke Sen was his subordinate now, it was better to keep him alive, but it still would not hurt him if he died, so he was not worried that Blue Plains Continent would get desperate and kill Ke Sen to vent their anger.
With a single thought, Yang Kai surged his Space Principles, disappeared from his location, and reappeared next to Bo Ya with a flash.
Exchanging looks, Yang Kai noticed the way Bo Ya looked at him was different from before. Instead of being frivolous, her eyes showed a hint of solemnity. He immediately figured that she had spotted the movement of the Embodiment over there.
After pondering for a while, Bo Ya asked, “What should we do now? Go straight to the enemy’s den or head for the last ambush site?”
If Yang Kai wanted to go straight to the enemy’s den, they had to go to the Territory Gate to fight with Blue Plains Continent’s forces, but there were only two of them now since Lao Ke and He Yin had not arrived yet. Bo Ya did not think their chances were good in such an uneven battle, so she preferred the latter option.
But now that they had made such a grand entrance, it was impossible for them to launch a sneak attack again, and the High-Rank Demon King at the last ambush site would certainly be on high alert now.
Yang Kai smiled faintly, “They made the choice for us.”
Bo Ya was slightly stunned and looked around, soon seeing that a group of Demons had suddenly broken off from the Territory Gate and were rushing towards them under the lead of three High-Rank Demon Kings. Moreover, the Demons at the last ambush site were also charging toward them. Both groups of Demons soon assembled together in an overbearing manner.
Bo Ya’s face turned slightly pale as she suggested, “I think it’s better to avoid fighting for the time being and make plans when Lao Ke and He Yin arrive.”
Four High-Rank Demon Kings joining forces together with a few dozen Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Demon Kings. Even if Yang Kai’s performance was outstanding before, he was certainly no match against such odds. They would be in trouble if they stayed here; therefore, in order to secure the final victory, they should leave first and meet up with Lao Ke and He Yin.
“Wait,” Yang Kai replied faintly.
[Wait? What are you waiting for?] Bo Ya looked confused. Seeing the incoming Demon army, her heart could not help jumping to her throat.
Even though there was still a hundred kilometres between them, she could feel the anger of the Demons in front of her. Thinking about it, their behaviour was not surprising. Initially, Blue Plains Continent had the upper hand. They had every advantage, and they intended to crush Cloud Shadow Continent in one fell swoop; however, they did not expect one of their ambush sites to be destroyed just when they encountered each other. More than ten Demon Kings were killed or severely injured, including a High-Rank Strength Demon King.
Another ambush site seemed to be under attack at the moment and was unable to support them.
If Bo Ya were a Demon King from Blue Plains Continent, she would be completely embarrassed and want nothing more than to make her enemy pay.
One hundred kilometres seemed like a long distance, but for Demon Kings it wasn’t far at all, so the enemy forces would only take ten breaths of time to reach them.
Seeing the other party getting closer and closer, Bo Ya’s brow twitched, “Can you just tell me what you want to do? I don’t want to die here.”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to her and just stared quietly ahead.
Seventy kilometres, fifty kilometres, thirty kilometres…
When there were only twenty kilometres left between the two parties, and Bo Ya could even see their infuriated faces without using her Eye Technique, only then did Yang Kai suddenly stretch out his hand and grab her arm, yelling, “Don’t resist!”
Bo Ya was taken aback, but she reluctantly gave up resistance.
It was mainly because the Soul Puppet was still in this guy’s hand, and it would be useless even if she did try to put up a struggle.
In the next moment, Bo Ya felt space warping around her and for a moment, the world spun.
When she regained her senses, she was no longer in the same place, but appeared in another location. Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen though, leaving only a bead at her feet which gave off some residual energy fluctuations.
The bead looked quite familiar to Bo Ya and soon she recognized it. Li Shi Qing had one in her possession too, which seemed to have been given to her by Yang Kai a few days ago. He mentioned before that if one activated the seal in the bead in case of danger, they would be safe and sound.
[Does my appearance here have anything to do with this bead?]
Suddenly, she recalled that Yang Kai had thrown something out from the Tiger Head Chariot when they were passing by this place. She did not see it clearly at that time, but now that she thought about it, it probably should be this bead.
Bo Ya looked up thoughtfully, and her eyes lit up.
Several kilometres ahead, the Demon army led by the four High-Rank Demon Kings was charging furiously like tigers descending the mountain.
But the funny thing was that she was actually facing their backs at the moment!
Bo Ya could not help laughing. How dare an enemy allow a Feather Demon who was proficient in archery to take their back? It was akin to suicide!
She immediately understood Yang Kai’s intention and why he told her to wait just now. He was preparing for this moment. At the same time, she felt horrified, for this guy was so terrifyingly precise in his calculations. It was going to be Hell for Blue Plains Continent today.
The Demons were clearly baffled by Bo Ya’s sudden disappearance. Although something felt off, they could not afford to investigate because at the same time when Bo Ya vanished, Yang Kai lunged forward, Sword Qi bursting from the Myriads Sword in his hand as he unleashed a wide slash at them.
The world-splitting, void-shattering power of the massive sword wave advanced towards the forces of the Blue Plains Continent.
The Demons’ faces turned pale at the sensation of the power behind this sword wave and they quickly split into two groups to evade.
With a loud bang, a thousand-metre-long crack was split open on the ground while some unfortunate Demons who failed to avoid the rampaging Sword Intent were instantly turned into dust.
The Demon Kings watched with solemn expressions. Although this attack was powerful and would be lethal if it hit, the casualties were just some Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals. All the Demon Kings managed to avoid it without suffering any injuries.
But in the next moment, several streams of light pierced through the air and flew towards them from a dozen or so kilometres away.
With Yang Kai making such a flashy opening move, how could Bo Ya not take advantage of the situation? It was impossible to resist shooting a bunch of idiots who exposed their backs to her.
These arrows were not as powerful as the nine arrows she used to shoot the High-Rank Demon Kings earlier. Obviously, Bo Ya did not use the extremely consuming Secret Technique, but even her regular arrows were not to be underestimated.
One arrow pierced more than ten Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals before flying straight at a High-Rank Demon King with a dark complexion and a rotund belly.
The black-faced Demon King never expected an attack from behind, and with all his focus being on Yang Kai’s movements, he failed to notice until the arrow was less than a thousand metres away. His complexion changed drastically as he roared and wildly pushed his Demon Qi. A pair of truncheons appeared in his hands as he hurriedly raised his arms, turned around, and braced himself.
There was a moment of commotion as sparks flew everywhere. The arrow was accurately blocked, but the black-faced Demon King was forced back almost a hundred metres by the impact.
Looking up, he saw Bo Ya sneering at him from a dozen kilometres away, drawing a finger across her neck in mockery.
The Demon King’s already black face turned much blacker, but he did not have another moment to spare because there was another fierce attack flying towards him from behind, one that was perfectly timed to when his vitality and Demon Qi were unstable and could not be condensed to defend himself properly.
At the juncture of life and death, the black-faced Demon King trembled as a raging Demon Qi burst out from him, transforming into a visible pressure wave that attempted to repel the attacking enemy.
A thrilling light flashed from the corner of his eyes as his vision was suddenly turned upside down. For a moment, the Demon King saw a headless corpse standing mid-air, not far away, with a pair of truncheons held in its hands. Fresh blood spurted into the sky from its neck, closely followed by a rain of swords pouring over the headless body, turning it into dust.
Never had this Demon King thought he would die in a place like this, and after just one round of blows…
As his head fell, the light in his eyes slowly dimmed.
On the other side, after taking advantage of the good opportunity provided by Bo Ya, Yang Kai did not even blink before slashing with his sword at another High-Rank Demon King.
The Demon King had seen the tragedy that befell his black-faced companion and wanted to rescue him, but he was a step too late and could only watch Yang Kai chop up the other Demon King’s corpse into ten thousand pieces, leaving him infuriated and horrified at the same time.
He suddenly realised that he and the others had all underestimated this Human. The Feather Demon in the distance was indeed tricky to handle, but this Human whose cultivation was only comparable to a Mid-Rank Demon King was the true terror here.
This Demon King had learned a cruel lesson from the black-faced Demon King’s death and was now extra vigilant. Not daring to meet Yang Kai’s sword head-on, he chose to retreat; however, he realised he had fallen into his enemy’s trap the next moment. The Human’s sword did not release any power at all, it was nothing but a feint.
On the contrary, at the same time the sword slashed out, a cyan bottle gourd appeared in Yang Kai’s free hand. The Demon King had no idea what artifact this was, but an inexplicable fear gripped his heart the moment he laid eyes upon it.
Yang Kai pointed the opening of the bottle gourd at the place where the crowd was the densest and poured in Emperor Qi. Blades of wind visible to the naked eye shot out of the bottle gourd, instantly covering the surrounding area.
There was an endless sound of slashing as fresh blood splashed everywhere and many Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals collapsed like wheat in a squall. Groups of them fell as their bodies were cut into countless pieces.
In just an instant, more than half of the thousand Demon army were killed. Not only the Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals, but even some Low-Rank Demon Kings could not resist the rampaging power of bottle gourd and perished along with three Mid-Rank Demon Kings.
The remaining Demons who survived were all horrified and stared at the Wind Gourd in Yang Kai’s hand fearfully.
Yang Kai grinned, evidently satisfied with the power of this artifact.
The Wind Gourd was taken from the depths of the Restricted Area of Orthodoxy Temple before coming to the Demon Realm. The Outer Astral Wind of Orthodoxy Temple was formed by this Wind Gourd and was part of the Sect’s foundation, allowing its disciples to temper their bodies and forge stronger physiques. However, until Yang Kai, no one had ever reached the deepest parts of the gorge where the Outer Astral Wind originated from.
Yang Kai had been nourishing the Wind Gourd with his Emperor Qi and Spiritual Essence all this time and tested it in battle for the first time today. It proved to be impressive, and even if it was not as good as the Mountains and Rivers Bell, it was not too far off.
The only drawback was its consumption; it required a huge amount of Emperor Qi to activate this treasure, but the results were worth the cost. This Wind Gourd was especially suitable for wide-area attacks, which was something the Mountains and Rivers Bell did not specialize in.
Just when many Demons were shocked by the power of Wind Gourd, the Nine Arrows Secret Technique fired again from the distance.
Although Bo Ya had a lousy character, her combat instincts and ability were outstanding. At the moment the Wind Gourd drew everyone’s attention, Bo Ya used her Nine Arrows Technique to attack the High-Rank Demon King who was just repelled by Yang Kai.
The nine arrows turned into a string that travelled at lightning speed and instantly reached the High-Rank Demon King.
The High-Rank Demon King only reacted at the last moment, letting out a roar as he hurriedly tried to dodge.
But Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t allow him to do as he wished and acted the moment Bo Ya released her arrows, using the local Space Principles to bind the High-Rank Demon King firmly in place.
*Du du du…*
Just like the previous High-Rank Strength Demon King, the Nine Arrows pierced through him, each arrow striking a vital point, completely destroying the Demon Hearts in his body!
In the blink of an eye, the Demons of Blue Plains Continent had suffered major casualties. Not to mention the Demon Great Generals and the Demon Generals, even many Demon Kings had fallen, including two High-Rank Demon Kings, whilst those responsible were just two people who were supposedly equivalent to Mid-Rank Demon Kings!
The Demons felt utterly embarrassed, but whether it was Bo Ya’s exceptional archery or Yang Kai’s Wind Gourd, they had no choice but to become extra cautious with their actions. These two could not be stopped even when there were so many of them just now, so how were they going to deal with them now that their numbers had been halved?
So after just a moment of hesitation, the remaining Demons fled, their formation completely collapsing.
Yang Kai sneered lightly, intending to stop the two High-Rank Demon Kings, but when he slightly surged his Divine Sense, he only blocked one of them, and the other slipped past.
However, the High-Rank Demon King did not run far, because very soon, a group of a thousand troops intercepted him from all directions. It was Lao Ke and He Yin, who arrived late.
They received orders from Yang Kai to martial their forces before coming, but assembling so many people had caused a delay. They hurriedly followed after Yang Kai, in fear that he might have had some kind of accident, but they received a shock instead.
Rather than anything untoward happening to Yang Kai, it was Blue Plains Continent’s forces that were broken and scattered.
[What… what happened?]
Lao Ke and He Yin looked at each other in shock. They never thought that the situation would turn out to be like this, but they could not afford to think too much right now. Seeing Blue Plains Continent’s forces scattered, they ordered their subordinates to finish off the retreating Demons while the two of them set their sights on the escaping High-Rank Demon King.
Although Blue Plains Continent now had a disadvantage in numbers, they were not weak, so under normal circumstances, they should have been able to put up quite a fight. However, with their morale greatly shaken, they no longer had the will to resist. On the contrary, the reinforcements from Cloud Shadow Continent had soaring morale and slaughtered anyone in their way, causing major casualties to the forces from Blue Plains Continent. Not to mention the Demon Great Generals and Demon Generals, who were killed off in a clean sweep, even the High-Rank Demon King intercepted by Lao Ke and He Yin did not have the slightest strength to fight back. An extra wound dripping with blood would be added to him after every few rounds of battle.
Coupled with Bo Ya’s accurately timed attacks, even if the entire army of Blue Plains Continent was not wiped out, barely any managed to escape.
At the same time, Yang Kai was locked in combat with a lone High-Rank Demon King.
It was because he was aware of the arrival of Lao Ke and He Yin that he let the other High-Rank Demon King leave and focused on the one in front of him.
This Demon King was quite strong, at least he was stronger than Lao Ke and the others, but he was still limited. The Demon King had been pleasantly surprised when Yang Kai wanted to fight him alone, thinking that it was indeed his lucky day.
From his point of view, no matter how impressive Yang Kai’s previous performance was, he was only equivalent to a Mid-Rank Demon King, so if he gave it his all, he may be able to kill Yang Kai then escape, and as long as he could survive this ordeal, he could even help Yue Sang conquer the entire Cloud Shadow Continent.
But after just a few exchanges, this Demon King realised he was gravely mistaken. The cultivation of this Human in front of him was no doubt equivalent to a Mid-Rank Demon King’s, but his combat power was superior to any High-Rank Demon King, so he was at a disadvantage even going all out.
This Human’s strength was definitely greater than his own in all aspects, especially with regards to raw physical power, causing every clash to numb his hands and arms.
[How can this be? How could a trivial Human be so powerful? Such power is impossible even for the direct Disciples of Holy Venerables to possess!] Just when he was distracted by his own thoughts, the situation became more and more unbearable. Yang Kai had already opened several cuts on this Demon King’s body, leaving the latter completely covered in blood, but what truly terrified him was that Yang Kai did not even seem like he was using his full strength yet.