Yang Kai fell heavily to the ground in a miserable heap, and before he could even get up, Bei Li Mo had already landed lightly in front of him. She placed one foot on his chest, her delicate foot seeming as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on him to the point that he could not breathe.
Her seductive body leaned forward slightly, revealing a deep valley between her proud peaks. Her expression was as cold as ice and her beautiful eyes glared at him, “What did you call me just now?”
Yang Kai struggled slightly but could not move whatsoever, so opening his mouth, he spat an arrow of Golden Blood directly at her.
She moved her head to dodge this vile act of defiance and in her rage, she lifted her foot and stomped down on him.
*Hong…*
His entire body sank into the ground and several bones in his chest broke as blood violently spurted out of his mouth.
“This is what you get for having such a foul mouth!” Her expression was frosty.
“Go ahead and kill me if you can!” Yang Kai glared at her fixedly with an unyielding expression.
In response, Bei Li Mo just laughed coldly, “Kill you? How could I bear to kill you? I’m taking you back with me!”
Yang Kai contained a part of the Star Boundary’s Will in his body. As such, whomever killed him would obtain that opportunity. She could not kill him here regardless of how furious she was. She could only bring him back so that one of the Half-Saints under her command could do the actual killing. Any of the other Demon Saints would have done the same.
After saying that though, she noticed something and spoke with a frown, “Did you undergo demonification?”
When he had launched his attack just now, a majestic and pure Demon Qi had clearly erupted from his body. It was only for a moment, but it could not escape her observation, so she couldn’t help feeling slightly doubtful. [This brat doesn’t look like he has undergone demonification, so why would he have Demon Qi in his body?]
“None of your damn business!” Yang Kai gritted his teeth and glared at her with fire practically spitting out of his eyes, “You better kill me now or I will be the one to kill you instead!”
Bei Li Mo giggled lightly, “So weak, yet so bold. I certainly would like to see how you are going to kill me! But first, I do have something I want to ask you.”
“If you have something to say, say it!” His expression was so cold that it was practically frosting over, but while appearing enraged and unyielding on the outside, he was desperately going over several ideas of how to get out of this predicament, his heart filled with rage and sorrow. [I finally broke through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm and solved the hidden dangers of my dantian. I haven’t even had the time to properly enjoy the growth of my strength after achieving my breakthrough! I can’t believe I just got caught by Bei Li Mo! This truly is a disastrous and unlucky year!]
Bei Li Mo seemed to be slowly getting used to his terrible attitude and didn’t think much of it anymore, so she simply said, “Senior Brother Huang said this before. Nobody can protect you unless you truly become a part of the Demon Race. So, tell me honestly. Have you undergone demonification?”
“And if I have?” He raised his brow at her.
Bei Li Mo studied him seriously, furrowing her delicate brow before she exerted some strength into her foot, pressing down hard, “Show me your power again.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a while, but in the end, he obediently drew upon his Demon Qi again. Pitch-black Demon Qi instantly surged to the surface of his body and wrapped around his entire figure. Even so, he did not take the chance to launch an attack at her because he would only embarrass himself by doing so …
“You really did undergo demonfication…” Her little mouth fell slightly open as a look of surprise appeared on her face. She could not fathom how he changed so much in such a short time. It had only been ten or twenty days since she last saw him.
As of now, Yang Kai could marginally be regarded as a member of the Demon Race. Even though he was born in the Star Boundary, he was undoubtedly one of them now that he had already undergone demonification, which perfectly complied with what Huang Wu Ji had declared.
“I’m seriously getting a little reluctant to kill you now,” Bei Li Mo frowned, as if she had encountered a serious problem. Huang Wu Ji had already issued his statement previously, so if she brought Yang Kai back and had one of her Half-Saint’s kill him now, it would be equivalent to slapping Huang Wu Ji’s face. Nothing good would come of falling out with Huang Wu Ji. Even if she disregarded that reason and only focused on Yang Kai’s potential, he was the only one of his kind in the entire Demon Realm, so it would really be a shame to kill him. Unfortunately, she couldn’t use him even if she didn’t kill him. He had been branded with Yu Ru Meng’s Heart Seal, so the young man in front of her would always be loyal to Yu Ru Meng alone. It was honestly very frustrating.
Yang Kai felt as though he had seen a glimmer of hope in the darkness upon hearing what Bei Li Mo said. Wracking his brain, he asked, “Then, why don’t we take a seat and have a calm discussion?”
Bei Li Mo just laughed mockingly, “Boy, what are you scheming now? This Saint is not like Yu Ru Meng. I won’t be deceived by your flowery words. I advise you to put away those devious thoughts of yours. Or else, you will be the one to suffer for it.”
Yang Kai grinned, “How could I dare to scheme anything in front of you, Holy Venerable?”
She snorted, “Oh? Are you calling me ‘Holy Venerable’ now? Then, why didn’t you speak politely earlier?”
“That was then, this is now. Besides, you and I have worked together once before. We are not strangers to each other. I do know a little bit about what kind of noble character you are, Holy Venerable.”
“Are you trying to say that you know me quite well?” She sneered.
“I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that you are easier to communicate with compared to the other Demon Saints. I am willing to work under you if you are interested, Holy Venerable.”
“What about Yu Ru Meng?” The corners of her mouth lifted.
He sighed, “I will explain it to Ru Meng later.”
She snorted. It was obvious that she did not believe what he said. [So what if this rotten brat lies to me? If he really does fall into my hands, I can just slowly discipline him later. With my ability, I can make him obey me in a very short period of time. I was slightly reluctant to offend Yu Ru Meng in the past just for him, but right now, he certainly has that value.]
Consequently, her thoughts began to churn.
At this moment, a figure leapt out from underground. A pure black War Hammer came smashing down on her. It was the Embodiment, who had secretly snuck over from underground to launch a sneak attack. Bei Li Mo had ignored him after sending him flying just now, but he could obviously not abandon Yang Kai and run away on his own; thus, he had quietly approached this place and waited for his chance. It was only natural that he went all out when he finally found an opening, so when the War Hammer came crashing down, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was already in full motion.
“Scram!” Bei Li Mo didn’t even turn to look at him. It seemed she had been expecting this. Her silver hair fluttered even though there was no wind. Then, it suddenly transformed into a silver light that shot directly at him.
There was a dazzling silver light wherever her silver hair passed and the Heaven Devouring Domain shattered to pieces. As for the Embodiment, he received a heavy blow, his body freezing mid-air for a moment. After that, he was sent flying at such a high speed that he was a tiny black dot flying away like a shooting star a moment later. The Demon Qi gushing out of the surface of his body practically dispersed into nothing in an instant.
The Embodiment, who had the strength of a Half-Saint, couldn’t even handle a single attack from Bei Li Mo. It was similar to the time when the heavily-wounded Bright Moon had killed numerous Demon Race Half-Saints with a single sword strike. If Bei Li Mo had really wanted to, the Embodiment would have been turned into nothing more than a pile of dust by now.
The next moment though, Bei Li Mo suddenly felt a great sense of crisis enveloping her. She looked up only to see a small cold light blooming in Yang Kai’s hand that came shooting directly at her.
With practically no hesitation in her movements, Bei Li Mo immediately backed away, staring fixedly at that small cold light with her beautiful eyes. Her beautiful face paled and she screamed, “Profound Darkness Needle!? Why do you have that!?”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to her words as he rushed at her. Activating his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, he unleashed the full might of his Dragon Pressure as his hands turned into sharp Dragon Claws. He grabbed at her ample chest without the slightest hint of compassion even though she was a woman. He did not know why she was so afraid of the Profound Darkness Needle; nevertheless, it was the only thing he could think of that could threaten her. This was the only card he had left.
In the past, Yang Kai had gone to Soaring Snow Ice Palace to repair the Territory Gates under Bei Li Mo’s invitation, but she had him imprisoned in the Ice Prison after he insulted her. He later met a young woman on the 18th floor of the Ice Prison. That young woman’s memories seemed to be a little jumbled up and she couldn’t even remember her own name; thus, he had casually referred to her as ‘Young Lady Bing’.
Young Lady Bing vaguely remembered that she had a Master-Disciple relation with Bei Li Mo. Bei Li Mo had imprisoned her in the Ice Prison because she had made a grave mistake. In the end, she handed this Profound Darkness Needle to Yang Kai, telling him there was a Forbidden Technique that she created sealed inside of it.
Not much time had passed since then; thus, he naturally recalled what Young Lady Bing had told him at the time. She mentioned that the Forbidden Technique inside the Profound Darkness Needle could not kill Bei Li Mo, but it could delay her for at least three and possibly up to ten breaths
This was the only thing Yang Kai had in his possession that could possibly be used to fight Bei Li Mo. The rest of his Divine Abilities were not worth mentioning in front of a Holy Venerable. To his surprise, the effect it had on Bei Li Mo was beyond his expectations. He had seen her reaction as soon as he took out the Profound Darkness Needle and her eyes clearly held a teeth-grinding fear and hatred in them.
At this moment, Yang Kai had the vague feeling that things were not as simple as he had thought. Perhaps, there was a hidden story to Young Lady Bing that she had not told him. Be that as it may, he had reached a point of no return and could not spare any thought on this matter at the moment. He could only pin his hopes on the power of the Forbidden Technique sealed inside the Profound Darkness Needle, praying fervently that what Young Lady Bing said before was true. If it could do what she told him it could, then he and the Embodiment might stand a chance at escaping this predicament.
Bei Li Mo moved swiftly as her figure flitted about erratically, twisting and turning about. There was an indescribable beauty to her movements. Nevertheless, the Profound Darkness Needle clung to her like maggots on rotting bones. Despite being a Demon Saint, she couldn’t get rid of it.
Three breaths. Three breaths was all the Profound Darkness Needle took before it zeroed in on her.
A hint of panic flashed across her face. Her Demon Qi instantly flared out and a thick layer of protection appeared on the surface of her body. Even so, it was meaningless. The Profound Darkness Needle effortlessly broke through the Demon Saint’s defences and penetrated her body. Her entire body shuddered in response and immediately after that, she became stiff and froze in place as though somebody had hit her with a Binding Secret Technique. There was an incredulous look on her charming face.
In the next moment, Yang Kai’s Dragon Claw also tore through her defences. His hand pierced her chest and grabbed hold of her beating heart!
[I did it!] His eyes widened in shock. It felt like he was in a dream. He had not expected to succeed so easily. She was a Demon Saint after all, one of the twelve peak Masters of the Demon Realm. He couldn’t believe that the Profound Darkness Needle could restrain her so firmly. [Didn’t Young Lady Bing say that this thing can only delay Bei Li Mo for a few breaths? Why does it have such great power? What else is there that I don’t understand here?]
Yang Kai didn’t have the time to think about other matters at the moment though as he exerted some strength into his hand and prepared to destroy Bei Li Mo’s Demon Heart. As a Demon Saint, it was a given that she would have more than one Demon Heart so crushing this one might not necessarily kill her, but it would severely damage her foundation at the very least. That would be a great help for him to escape with the Embodiment.
He had considered his plans very carefully. After crushing this Demon Heart of hers, he would immediately flee with the Embodiment.
At that moment though, an invisible force suddenly surged forth from the spot where Bei Li Mo had been stabbed by the Profound Darkness Needle. That force spread out in ripples that were visible to the naked eye and expanded to over a thousand kilometres at an extremely fast speed.
Yang Kai’s movements suddenly froze. He couldn’t conjure up any strength in his body. His Soul reacted volatilely and showed signs of leaving his body. This instance scared him out of his wits but no matter how hard he tried to stimulate his Divine Sense, he could not stabilize his Soul.
His vision suddenly blurred. Following that, the whole world changed drastically. Everything was covered in snow everywhere he looked. A freezing wind howled past, the chill biting into his bones. There were translucent icebergs in all shapes and sizes scattered all over the place. Moreover, snowflakes the size of goose feathers were steadily drifting down from the skies. When they landed on him, a chill spread throughout his body and caused him to shudder involuntarily.
Bei Li Mo, who was supposed to be standing in front of him with his arm in her chest, was nowhere in sight. On the contrary, she appeared on top of a towering ice pillar more than a thousand metres away. She stood there prettily with her silver hair whipping about in the wind, looking like a small flower that had bloomed in this icy world. However, her expression at this moment was filled with resentment as she glared in his direction with gritted teeth.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow in response, distinctly sensing that there was something wrong with this situation. After a careful check, he realized that he was actually in his Soul Avatar state. In other words, the part of him that existed in this world was not his physical body but his Soul! And the same went for Bei Li Mo! Their physical bodies were probably somewhere on Cloud Shadow Continent, still maintaining their previous posture.
[What is going on!?] Yang Kai was utterly confused by the situation when a strange noise came from behind him, and he turned around to look, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight as he quickly greeted, “Young Lady Bing!”
It was Young Lady Bing, the person he had met on the 18th floor of the Frozen Nether Ice Prison. She was walking towards him from behind with a sweet smile on her face. She had a sheltered, ignorant, and innocent appearance. However, as she gradually approached, he felt a great sense of crisis looming over him instead. Turning sideways without drawing notice, he faced both Bei Li Mo and this mysterious girl at the same time.
Naturally, he did not fully believe Young Lady Bing’s words even though she had helped him in the Ice Prison back then. The main reason he accepted the Profound Darkness Needle from her was that she had claimed that it was powerful enough to delay Bei Li Mo for a short time. He had been repairing the Territory Gates in Bei Li Mo’s territory at the time, so he wanted to be prepared against her. If not for what happened today, he would never have brought out the Profound Darkness Needle. Rather, he would have kept it hidden forever.
From the looks of things, he had fallen into somebody else’s trap and was used by them as a result. Despite knowing that, he would still have used the Profound Darkness Needle even if he had the chance to redo what happened just now. He simply had no other means of fighting back against Bei Li Mo.
“Well done,” Young Lady Bing paused in her tracks and stated. They were standing in a triangle, a thousand metres separating her from Yang Kai and Bei Li Mo. She looked at him with a smile, “You succeeded so quickly. Choosing you was the right decision indeed.”
Yang Kai calmly replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
He was extremely upset at being taken advantage of. Even if he still couldn’t figure out the true identity of this Young Lady Bing even now, the other party was definitely using him for some kind of plot. Just that was enough for him to remain wary around her.
“What did you just call her?” Bei Li Mo glared at Yang Kai bitterly and sneered, “Do you know how old she is? I can’t believe you call her ‘Young Lady Bing’!”
“You’re not young either!” Yang Kai glanced over at her faintly. Neither of these two women were anything good. In any case, his top priority was to figure out where this damned place was, and then how to get himself out of this predicament.
[Since Young Lady Bing dared to use me in her plot against Bei Li Mo, her strength is probably not inferior to Bei Li Mo’s. I am simply caught in the middle of their battle. I had better get out of the way as soon as possible before I end up as collateral damage. It would be best if I let them fight like dogs among themselves so that they keep each other occupied.]
“Unfilial Disciple!” Young Lady Bing shouted through gritted teeth, “You sure have gotten bolder after tens of thousands of years. How dare you talk about me like that!?”
Bei Li Mo sneered, “Honoured Master, how are you still alive? I thought you died in the Ice Prison a long time ago! I didn’t expect to see you again!”
Yang Kai, who was looking left and right searching for a way out, suddenly glanced at one before glancing at the other upon hearing their conversation. Then, he burst out laughing, “So, you two are really Master and Disciple!”
Back then, Young Lady Bing had mentioned that she and Bei Li Mo had a Master and Disciple relationship and he could only take her for her word. It would now appear that she had not lied on this point, but the truth was different from what she had said. She claimed that she was Bei Li Mo’s Disciple; however, the truth turned out to be the opposite… She was actually Bei Li Mo’s Honoured Master!
[A Demon Saint’s Honoured Master! That practically makes her an existence on the level of an ancient fossil!]
“What did you tell him?” Bei Li Mo asked while looking at Young Lady Bing though she had figured out practically everything when she saw the Profound Darkness Needle. Yang Kai must have encountered Young Lady Bing by chance back when she imprisoned him in the Ice Prison.
There had been no movement from Young Lady Bing inside the Ice Prison for the past ten thousand years; thus, Bei Li Mo honestly believed that the other party was dead. She had personally inspected the place many times, but she had never noticed anything out of place. It would now seem that Young Lady Bing had used some sort of Secret Technique to fool her perception.
Young Lady Bing pursed her lips and smiled, “I didn’t say much. I just took some parts from your story and embellished them a little for him, then, I asked him for a small favour…”
“Shameless!” Bei Li Mo scoffed coldly, “Do you think you can win just because you’ve dragged me here!? Honoured Master, you may have forgotten, but I am no longer the same little girl who had to obey your every word! I am Bei Li Mo! I am a Demon Saint!”
Young Lady Bing nodded repeatedly, “Of course, I know. How else would I be imprisoned by you in the Ice Prison for tens of thousands of years?”
Bei Li Mo said, “If you had remained hidden in the Ice Prison, you might have been able to die of old age, but since you dared to step forward and conspire against me, then don’t blame this Saint for not holding back!”
Young Lady Bing smiled charmingly, “I taught you everything you know. What do you think your chances of winning are in this place?”
“More than enough to kill you!” Bei Li Mo rushed forward to attack.
“Wait a moment, you two!” Yang Kai was feeling quite annoyed from listening to their bickering so he raised a hand to stop them from acting as he glanced between the two parties, “Can I ask a question? What is this place?”
Young Lady Bing smiled and replied, “This is my Soul Battlefield.”
Yang Kai’s expression twitched slightly, “Is that the Secret Technique sealed inside the Profound Darkness Needle?”
“Indeed!” She nodded, “Once the Soul Battlefield has been activated, I can drag a person’s Soul Avatar into here. It is a battle between Souls, and… it doesn’t end until one side dies!”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “An incredible Secret Technique!”
Her physical body was still in the Ice Prison, but after being imprisoned for tens of thousands of years, it was clearly no longer a viable vessel. In other words, she wouldn’t be able to exert much power even if she freed herself.
However, the Soul Battlefield was different. Each of them was free from the shackles of their bodies, fighting only with their Soul Avatar. Thus, she could counter most of Bei Li Mo’s advantages. Having been preparing for this for tens of thousands of years, her prowess in Spiritual Energy was not to be underestimated.
“I have a suggestion. I wonder if you are willing to listen to it, Young Lady Bing. I’m certain you’re itching to kill this bitch, so if you can promise me something, I can kill her within ten breaths.”
When Bei Li Mo heard him unequivocally calling her a ‘bitch’ with every sentence he spoke, her expression darkened significantly. She secretly gritted her teeth and vowed to herself. [If I get the chance, I’m going to make this bastard pay for this!]
The corners of Young Lady Bing’s mouth curved upward, “Kill her in ten breaths? Little boy, don’t you think you are talking a little too big? With your cultivation? Even I don’t have such ability, what more you?”
He chuckled softly, “Naturally, I will be needing your cooperation.”
She asked, “How do you want me to cooperate with you?”
“Let me out! I guarantee I will turn her body into mincemeat!” While speaking, he acted like he was holding a knife in his hand and made swift chopping motions.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Bei Li Mo’s expression changed greatly as she gnashed her teeth and screamed, “You dare?!”
If her physical body was destroyed, then it would be over for her. That was why she felt incredibly anxious when she heard him saying that. She was really frightened that Young Lady Bing would agree to his request.
“Hahahahahahahahaha…” Young Lady Bing suddenly doubled over with laughter.
Yang Kai also smiled in response, “What do you think of my suggestion? Speaking of which, I’m an innocent bystander who was accidentally caught up in your fight. There’s nothing for me to do here, and I can’t be of any help either. You might as well let me leave and give you a helping hand from the outside.”
“It’s a great suggestion,” She nodded lightly before the smile on her face vanished, “But I can’t agree to your request.”
He pouted, “Why not?”
She narrowed her eyes, glanced at Bei Li Mo, and replied lightly, “If you turn her into mincemeat, this Queen won’t be able to possess her body anymore.”
Yang Kai blinked at her words for a moment before he chuckled helplessly, “So, that’s your goal.”
“You want to possess my body!?” Bei Li Mo sneered. Nevertheless, she felt a little more reassured since the other party had such intentions. She was more frightened that Yang Kai might be released.
“Why not?” Young Lady Bing raised her brow slightly, “You and I cultivate the same Secret Arts and Techniques while we also come from the same Clan. As long as I can defeat you here, possessing your body won’t be that difficult. Besides… I will simply be getting back what used to belong to me.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have the ability!” Bei Li Mo sneered.
“I won’t know until I try.” Young Lady Bing smiled softly. The aura in her body slowly began to rise, and Ice Principles spread out. She licked her red lips and scolded, “Unfilial Disciple, did you know? That man kept calling out your name before he died, hoping that you would save him.”
The silhouettes of a man and a woman stood frozen in place a hundred kilometres above ground from where Yang Kai had undergone his breakthrough somewhere on Cloud Shadow Continent. They looked like sculptures that would last for eternity.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Claw had penetrated Bei Li Mo’s chest and was grabbing her beating Demon Heart. A look of pain appeared on her face, but those beautiful eyes of hers were unfocused, hollow, and chaotic. A faint scent of blood wafted in the air.
The Embodiment quickly returned in a dishevelled state, but when he first took in the scene before him, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he hurried to their side and observed them closely. A troubled and anxious look appeared on his angular face. He did not know what had happened just now, but he could not feel the slightest trace of Yang Kai and Bei Li Mo’s Souls from their bodies. In other words, the Souls of these two people had escaped their mortal shells and were missing.
This left him feeling very troubled. It was undoubtedly the best time for him to kill Bei Li Mo. Her physical body was here but her Soul was gone, so she was powerless to resist regardless of what he did to her. The key point here was, what if killing Bei Li Mo affected Yang Kai in the process?
It was impossible for the Souls of two people to leave their bodies at the same time for no reason. This must have been caused by a powerful Secret Technique; thus, he did not dare to act rashly before learning what that Secret Technique was. He didn’t even dare to move their bodies. In his desperation, he could only borrow the power of the entire continent to isolate and conceal this region so that it would not be discovered by others.
Inside the Soul Battlefield, Young Lady Bing’s voice was bitterly cold and every word she spoke was soul-crushing, “That boy was crazy about you. He thought you would come to save him eventually, but his wish never came true up until the moment he died. Disciple, did you know? That expression of despair on his face as he was dying was truly memorable! Why didn’t you save him at the time? If only you had spoken up, I would have blessed the two of you! You are my most important Disciple after all!”
“Xuan Bing!” Bei Li Mo screamed, her pretty face warped with hatred. Her tender body shook as countless icy lights struck out like a swarm of locusts.
There was a trace of a smirk on Xuan Bing’s face as a light curtain appeared around her body, forming a semi-circular dome that shielded her from harm.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
The swishing sounds rang out endlessly as the icy lights slammed into the light curtain only to form ripples on the surface, unable to penetrate the layer of defence.
The Ice Principles in the Soul Battlefield were becoming more and more intense, as if they were trying to freeze their very Souls. Both Master and Disciple were Snow Demons, so they were naturally proficient in Ice Principles. Moreover, their attainments in the manipulation of Spiritual Energy had reached an outrageous level. It was only natural that the entire Soul Battlefield would be affected the moment they began fighting.
Yang Kai had long realized that something was wrong when Xuan Bing began speaking so provocatively and hurriedly fled. Bei Li Mo was a Demon Saint, so needless to say, she had the Soul cultivation of a Demon Saint. Since Xuan Bing had dared to attack Bei Li Mo, her strength was probably on a similar plane. He did not dare to join in the battle between them.
What left him feeling speechless was that there was only a limited area to the Soul Battlefield even though it seemed infinitely vast. He immediately fled more than five kilometres away only to be blocked by an invisible barrier. It seemed as though he had arrived at the borders of the Soul Battlefield and couldn’t escape any further.
When a wave of icy force struck, his entire Soul Avatar shivered from the cold. A thin layer of frost formed over the surface of his body, shocking him so much that he hurriedly stimulated his Spiritual Energy to stave off the chill.
[I really am unlucky.] His heart was filled with grief and rage. [Judging from the current situation, I’m going to die in this place before Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo decide a winner between them. Forget sitting on a mountain top and watching the tigers fight or sitting back and watching everybody die; those are mere delusions.]
The swishing sounds continued without stopping. Although Xuan Bing had the protection of her Spiritual Energy to prevent her Soul Avatar from being harmed by the cold lights, she was being forced to retreat little by little. Judging from this point, her attainments in Spiritual Energy seemed to be somewhat inferior to Bei Li Mo. She had been imprisoned by Bei Li Mo for tens of thousands of years after all, so it was normal for her strength to be inferior, seeing as Bei Li Mo was now a Demon Saint.
Even so, the smile on her face did not falter and the provocative statements coming from her mouth did not stop either, “Are you angry? So many years have passed yet you’re still hung up on him? You truly are my best Disciple! To think you are still thinking about your Honoured Master’s man even now. So, what!? What happened in the end? He died! He died at your hands!”
“Bullshit!” Bei Li Mo, who had remained silent all this time, gritted her teeth and snarled, “You were the one who killed him! What does that have to do with me!?”
Xuan Bing had a cold expression, “Why would I have killed him if it weren’t for you!?”
While they were verbally sparring, Xuan Bing had already retreated a thousand metres, but the corners of her mouth still curled to reveal a smirk, “Disciple, you look like you’re injured. Why is your Spiritual Energy weaker than what I expected?”
Realization suddenly dawned on Yang Kai, who was doing his best to resist the cold. [Right! Bei Li Mo is injured!]
It wasn’t just Bei Li Mo. Most of the Twelve Demon Saints of the Demon Realm were currently injured. Bright Moon had wiped out the Soul Manifestations of ten of the Demon Saints, and it would be impossible for any of them to recover in such a short period of time. The injury to Bei Li Mo’s Soul was what caused her strength on the Soul Battlefield to drop by such a large margin.
“So what?” Bei Li Mo coldly snorted, raising her finger slightly as she gently pointed at Xuan Bing.
With that slight tapping motion, Xuan Bing’s tender body shuddered. Immediately after that, a pure white snowflake appeared on her chest. That snowflake was like a brand that was imprinted on her chest. It was accompanied by the sound of crackling as it rapidly grew larger. The Ice Principles condensed around her with the tendency to completely envelope her. An extreme look of pain appeared on her face, and her entire body became stiff. Nevertheless, she soon burst out laughing again and mockingly said, “I told you, I taught you everything you know! What can you do to me!?”
While she was speaking, the snowflake on her body melted away quickly. At the same time, she took several steps forward and tapped towards Bei Li Mo a few times.
Bei Li Mo’s expression froze as her figure flickered about erratically to avoid the invisible force coming from Xuan Bing’s finger. Several pure white chains lunged at her from all directions before she could steady herself. Those chains were like spirit snakes, darting out of their holes and trying to entangle her. Stretching out her hand, she grabbed at something in the void and a crystal-clear longsword appeared in the palm of her hand. She casually swung the sword, hitting the top of one of the chains with a clanging sound. That chain was sent flying away. Meanwhile, sword waves rained down like a waterfall, transforming into a curtain of light.
The clanging sounds rang out incessantly as a cold light bloomed. The two of them fought hard against each other, both Master and Disciple using their Clan’s unique Techniques and Skills. As a result, their fighting styles were very similar. The only difference was that one had been trapped for a long time and was weaker in strength while the other was injured and fighting in the other party’s territory. For a time, the battle was evenly matched.
Meanwhile, they had both completely ignored Yang Kai!
Xuan Bing was unaware that he had the Great Emperor’s Opportunity in his possession. She was focused on possessing Bei Li Mo’s body and devouring her Disciple’s Soul; therefore, she couldn’t be bothered about Yang Kai’s life or death. On the other hand, even if Bei Li Mo wanted to save Yang Kai, she had no time to be distracted.
Consequently, Yang Kai’s situation was getting worse and worse.
The situation had been bearable before these two women began fighting, but the freezing temperature across the entire Soul Battlefield sank steadily the moment their battle commenced.
Yang Kai desperately drew upon his Spiritual Energy to defend against the cold, but even so, he was unable to protect himself fully. His body was gradually becoming covered by frost despite fleeing to the very edge of the battlefield. The biting cold not only made his Soul shiver but also seemed to make his very thoughts freeze.
Soon, the layer of frost turned into ice. It didn’t take more than an incense stick worth of time before his entire Soul Avatar was completely frozen and his consciousness gradually faded, as if he had fallen into a bottomless black abyss.
[It’s really over for me now… I managed to escape Eternal Sky Continent from right under the nose of the Twelve Demon Saints only to suffer a disastrous defeat in this damned place. Could anything be more vexing than this!?] Just before his entire consciousness plunged completely into the boundless darkness, a refreshing feeling suddenly swept across his Soul Avatar, giving him a start and waking him up abruptly.
When his vision refocused, Yang Kai realized that he was still wrapped in a layer of ice and an unbearable chill had spread out throughout his Soul. Fortunately, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before anymore under the influence of the refreshing feeling bubbling up from within him.
Soul Warming Lotus!
Yang Kai’s eyes bulged wildly. He couldn’t help feeling a little incredulous. [How is the Soul Warming Lotus still working? My Soul Avatar has been dragged into this Soul Battlefield, but the Soul Warming Lotus wasn’t. Logically speaking, the connection between myself and the Soul Warming Lotus should have been completely cut off…]
However, it now seemed that this connection had not been severed and Yang Kai realized that he could even summon the Soul Warming Lotus. In fact, it was not just the Soul Warming Lotus. He could also access everything in his Knowledge Sea… Upon perceiving this, Yang Kai silently closed his eyes and decided to make like a tortoise hiding in its shell for the time being!
The battle between Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo was in full swing. Powerful Spiritual Energy overflowed, and the entire Soul Battlefield was in turmoil. It felt as though the Soul Battlefield would collapse at any time. The crystal-clear icebergs scattered around cracked and crumbled to dust, flooding the entire world with ice powder. At the same time, the delicate-looking yet deadly snowflakes floating in the sky became more and more violent.
The two figures were entangled with each other in mid-air, sometimes colliding and sometimes separating as a mixture of pained cries and grunts echoed.
A battle between Souls was not an ordinary battle. Battles like these could only be described as extremely dangerous. The slightest carelessness could result in death. Every time these two collided with each other, both Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo would have to endure tremendous pain. It was a double edge sword where both sides were injured as a result of clashing.
These two women should have been Master and Disciple, but they were facing each other as though they were irreconcilable enemies. They were acting like they wanted the other party to die the most painful death possible. Now, it was simply a matter of who could hold on longer.
Ever since the fierce battle began, Bei Li Mo had remained relatively calm, while on the other hand, Xuan Bing looked a little frustrated. It was obvious that she had fallen into a disadvantage, but this was not difficult to understand. Even if Bei Li Mo’s Soul had been injured, she was still a Demon Saint. If not for her injury, Xuan Bing would not have been her opponent at all. Xuan Bing might be Bei Li Mo’s Honoured Master, but that was still a matter that occurred tens of thousands of years ago. People were capable of improving in a matter of three days, much less tens of thousands of years.
There was another violent collision, and the entire Soul Battlefield shook from the impact. Only this time, the two women, Bei Li Mo and Xuan Bing, did not separate again. Instead, they were stuck together tightly with their palms pressing against each other. Their Spiritual Energy raged wildly in their bodies, turning into an overwhelming force that oppressed their enemy.
“It’s been tens of thousands of years! The day I’ve been waiting for is finally here! You will die here today, you Unfilial Disciple! Don’t even think about having it easy!” Xuan Bing’s pretty face was twisted into a ferocious expression as she shouted hysterically.
Bei Li Mo’s expression on the other hand remained solemn as she controlled her Spiritual Energy to fend off Xuan Bing and quickly commented, “Honoured Master, the past is in the past. Why don’t we sit down and talk about this like civilized women?”
“Talk!?” Xuan Bing laughed sarcastically, “Talk about what!? What is there to talk about between you and I, you bitch!? I even abandoned my body just to deal with you! There’s no going back anymore!”
Bei Li Mo said, “But, you are not my opponent, Honoured Master. If this continues, you will die! Your body might be gone, but I can find a new body for you. You might still have a chance of making a comeback in the future!”
“As if you were that kind-hearted,” Xuan Bing sneered. “Don’t forget, I raised you, how can I not know what kind of temperament you have? The moment I stop pressuring you, you will immediately try to extinguish my Soul!”
Bei Li Mo sighed softly, “What can I do for you to believe me, Honoured Master?”
“Don’t even dream about it! I will never believe you!”
Bei Li Mo sighed lightly, “Even if I swear on the name of Great Demon God? Will you still not trust me, Honoured Master?”
Xuan Bing’s pupils dilated suddenly, “You are willing to swear in the name of the Great Demon God!?”
Bei Li Mo gently nodded, “As long as you are willing to step down, Honoured Master!”
Xuan Bing never expected Bei Li Mo to be so sincere and her expression became a little dazed, but it was just for a moment before she immediately gave up on that thought in her heart and her expression became hideous again. Slowly shaking her head, she declared, “It’s too late. It’s all too late. When I killed him back then, you and I were destined to kill each other one day!”
Bei Li Mo gritted her teeth, “Do you have to be so hostile? I’ve made so many concessions for you on account that you are my Honoured Master. I am willing to spare your life even now. It seems you don’t know what’s good for you!”
Xuan Bing coldly snorted, “Don’t bother with all those pretty words. I might not be your opponent, but what does it matter if I keep this up and die here? You will pay dearly regardless!”
She was determined to inflict a severe injury on Bei Li Mo even if it was the last thing she ever did!
Bei Li Mo closed her eyes when her words could not get through to the other party, and when she opened them again, the fluctuation coming from her Soul magnified several times, pressing down on Xuan Bing so hard that she audibly groaned.
The two women were stuck in a deadlock above the void as the fluctuations of their respective Spiritual Energies decreased at an extremely obvious rate. Comparing the two though, the speed of Xuan Bing’s decline was much greater. It wouldn’t take longer than an hour before she died.
She might have borrowed Yang Kai’s hands to forcibly drag Bei Li Mo’s Soul into the Soul Battlefield and Bei Li Mo also happened to be injured at this exact moment, but all her plans were for naught when her strength was inferior to her opponent’s. Even so, Xuan Bing’s gaze was practically spitting with fire when she glared at Bei Li Mo, unwillingness and rage filling her eyes.
A quarter-hour later, the state of Xuan Bing’s Soul Avatar had turned slightly translucent. That was a sign of overusing her Spiritual Energy. Even if she stopped now, she would not last long in this state before disappearing without a trace.
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo, who had been confronting Xuan Bing for all this time, was pale-faced and shaky.
Neither woman dared to back down easily at this point, for they would be the first to be injured otherwise. This battle of Spiritual Energy would only end when one of them died, and judging from the current situation, the person who was bound to die was undoubtedly Xuan Bing.
At that moment, another aura rapidly recovered some five kilometres away. It felt like a sleeping Dragon had just awoken and the two women turned to look in that direction in unison, both of them wearing stunned expressions on their faces.
Yang Kai, who had frozen earlier, suddenly jerked his eyes open. His Spiritual Energy surged and the Soul Splitting Saber appeared out of thin air and transformed into a curtain of light to cover himself. Afterwards, he broke free of his icy restraints with a loud crackling sound. Grabbing the Soul Splitting Saber in his hand, the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a slight smirk. The situation in this place was as he had expected, everything in his Knowledge Sea could be summoned.
[I can summon the Soul Splitting Saber. That means I can probably summon that other thing too…] His thoughts flashed, and a seven-coloured light flashed beneath his feet. A seven-coloured lotus appeared out of nowhere, lifting him up. He stepped onto the Seven Coloured Soul Warming Lotus with the Soul Splitting Saber resting on his shoulders. Looking like a Great Mountain King preparing to go down and commit banditry, he gallantly strode into the centre of the battlefield.
The cold winds raged, and the Ice Principles ran rampant; however, a brilliant light circulated around the surroundings of the Soul Warming Lotus and blocked out all external harm, leaving Yang Kai completely unaffected.
Both Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo were stunned and stared blankly in his direction, but it wasn’t until Yang Kai came closer that Xuan Bing exclaimed, “You’re still alive!”
She had stopped paying attention to Yang Kai’s situation after she started exchanging blows with Bei Li Mo, for in her opinion, there was no need to pay too much attention to such a weak boy who could not survive for long in her Soul Battlefield. Contrary to expectations though, he not only survived but was also overflowing with energy. A vicious and hostile aura came bearing down on the two women as he came closer, causing her thoughts to freeze for a moment.
“Disappointed?” Yang Kai grinned at her before turning to glance at Bei Li Mo, his lips curling up into an evil grin.
Bei Li Mo’s expression changed as she opened her mouth without any hesitation and spat something out. Her Spiritual Energy turned into an ice spike, shooting straight toward him.
With a loud stabbing sound, the ice spike instantly penetrated his chest and left behind a gaping hole. Dazzling light flowed out of the wound, but there was no blood. It was his Soul Avatar after all, so it was only natural that there was no blood. Yang Kai lowered his head and glanced down in surprise, but after looking at his wound for some time, he looked up and stared at her again, his expression incredibly hostile, “That hurt, you bitch!”
Saying so, he stepped on the Soul Warming Lotus, rushed towards her, and slapped her with his palm.
*Pa!*
She was struck so hard that her head tilted to the side. If it had been her physical body, a five-fingered palm print would have appeared on her face by now.
Bei Li Mo wasn’t the only one who was stunned by the blow. It also left Xuan Bing utterly dumbfounded. She stared at the wound on Yang Kai’s body in a daze, unable to understand how he remained safe and sound.
His Soul Avatar had suffered such a grievous wound. Even if he didn’t die from it, he should have lost all ability to fight back, but instead he remained alive and kicking… This wasn’t normal!
While both women remained frozen in shock, a seven-coloured light flowed out of the wound on his chest and the gaping hole created by the ice spike began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. At the same time, the Soul Warming Lotus under his foot flashed with a radiance that was extremely dazzling.
“Soul Warming Lotus! A Supreme Treasure!” Xuan Bing screamed, staring at the seven-colour lotus with a scorching gaze.
Although he had been standing on the Soul Warming Lotus, she had not thought much of it, she was simply amazed by the tenacity of his vitality which allowed him to persist until now. It wasn’t until this moment that she saw the miraculous effects of the Soul Warming Lotus with her own eyes and realization dawned on her.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a unique Supreme Treasure, one that was born from the primordial chaos itself. No wonder he managed to survive. He was protected by this treasure! The environment in the Soul Battlefield might be harsh, but how could it possibly kill him? That was a treasure that only existed in legends. She never thought that she would ever witness it with her own eyes one day.
Xuan Bing, who had resolved herself to death, couldn’t help but become revitalised again. Her current condition was very dire. She had no physical body, so she could not live for long unless she successfully possessed Bei Li Mo’s body; however, things would be different with the Soul Warming Lotus. If she could get her hands on this Supreme Treasure, then her Soul would never be at risk of dissipating. Not only could she make a comeback and turn the situation around in one fell swoop, but she might also be able to successfully possess Bei Li Mo’s body.
Even Bei Li Mo was stunned when Xuan Bing’s words entered her ears. As a Demon Saint, she should have been furious after being slapped like that; however, she actually forgot to become angry when she heard those three words ‘Soul Warming Lotus’. She simply turned around and stared at the seven-coloured lotus, dumbfounded.
She might hate Xuan Bing to the core, but she believed in the latter’s vision. Besides, she was a Demon Saint, so she could also perceive that the seven-coloured lotus was something extraordinary.
[He has the Soul Warming Lotus!? What a terrifying opportunity! No wonder I’ve always felt that his Soul cultivation is higher than his realm suggested! So it was because of this! Not to mention, he has part of the Star Boundary’s Will in him and is also proficient in the Dao of Space… Any one of these three is an unattainable dream for most people, and yet, all of them are gathered together in one person. Is he the illegitimate son of the Heavens themselves or something!? How can any one person’s luck be so good!?]
While Bei Li Mo was still caught up in her thoughts, Yang Kai slapped her again.
*Pa…*
Her head turned to the side from the force of the blow, but this time she furiously jerked her head back and gritted her teeth, “You…”
*Pa…*
Her head turned to the side once more.
*Pa…*
After three consecutive slaps, her tender body shuddered. She was livid. She was a Demon Saint. How could she allow herself to be slapped by another person!? This humiliation was simply unbearable!
The rage in her heart turned into a towering tidal wave, and a malevolent aura surged violently in her body.
Nevertheless, she did not dare to turn her head again. She did not know why, but she had the feeling that this boy had changed a little since the last time she met him. There was now a ruthlessness behind his words and actions that was not present before.
“Don’t you dare go too far!” She lowered her gaze, her beautiful eyes gleaming with a cold light.
“Me? Go too far?” Yang Kai grinned savagely as he swung the Soul Splitting Saber and rested it on her white neck and declared coldly, “Who is the one who went too far? I’m sure you yourself know the truth in your heart. I warned you. If you don’t kill me, I will kill you instead! Do you regret it now!?”
Bei Li Mo didn’t say anything in response; however, she was practically gnashing her teeth to bits.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai tilted his head to look at Xuan Bing and smiled, “Senior, your schemes are truly deep. I nearly died because of your tricks. When you first handed the Profound Darkness Needle to me, you didn’t warn me that I’d be in danger too once it activated.”
Xuan Bing answered in a manner that was neither negative nor affirmative, “When two fight to the death, the third takes all. You just sat back and watched us destroy each other. Aren’t you reaping the benefits now?”
“Hah!” Yang Kai rested the Soul Splitting Saber on his shoulders, rubbing his chin with the other hand as he said, “That’s because this Young Master was lucky. If it had been anybody else, they would have died by now.”
Xuan Bing remained silent and her expression changed, but he could not tell what she was thinking.
He looked around their surroundings and spoke in an indisputable tone, “You have two options. Either I kill you both in one move or I slowly hack you both to death. Choose.”
While speaking, he slowly lifted the Soul Splitting Saber. His Spiritual Energy surged, and the blade light fluctuated in an unstable manner. It looked like a venomous snake waiting to strike.
Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo both turn slightly pale. The two women never imagined that the situation would take such a turn in the end. They had been fighting each other desperately with their lives on the line only for an outsider to ultimately swoop in and take advantage of the situation.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Bei Li Mo looked at Xuan Bing and stated, “I will count to three and we will withdraw at the same time!”
At this time, the only way for them to get out of this crisis was if they agreed to a temporary truce. Even if she was a Demon Saint, she would die if Yang Kai swung his blade at them right now, so she unceremoniously started counting the moment the words left her mouth.
Yang Kai stood by the side and sneered, the aura emanating from the Soul Splitting Saber becoming more and more dangerous and before she could count to three, the Soul Splitting Saber was already slashing toward her without any mercy.
In his opinion, Bei Li Mo was undoubtedly more dangerous than Xuan Bing; hence, if he wanted to kill anybody, he had to kill the Demon Saint first. Furthermore, Xuan Bing’s Soul Avatar was currently in a translucent state, so she bore no threat to him at all.
[It has only been less than a month since Bright Moon passed away. If I can kill a Demon Saint here, then it can count as revenge on Bright Moon’s behalf.]
Bei Li Mo’s expression changed drastically when she saw the sabre slashing down at her and she was preparing to withdraw her hand regardless of the damage it would cause her.
“Wait a moment!” Xuan Bing suddenly shouted, “I have something to say!”
The sword light paused just above Bei Li Mo’s head, its sharp aura cutting into the female Demon Saint’s Soul Avatar, causing her to feel a piercing pain. She was so scared that her complexion turned pale and her Soul quaked.
Yang Kai turned to look at Xuan Bing and said frostily, “It had better not be nonsense. I don’t have much patience.”
Xuan Bing cut straight to the chase, “Do you want a Demon Saint who will obey you and serve you? If you do, then you had better listen to what I have to say.”
“Huh?” He raised his eyebrows at her with a surprised expression, “What do you mean?”
“I meant it literally.”
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment before turning to look at Bei Li Mo and coldly said, “Don’t tell me you plan to help me subdue her?”
In order to subdue somebody, he would have to plant his Soul Imprint into that person’s Knowledge Sea or force that person to hand over their Soul Brand to him, only then could he control their life-or-death with a single thought. It was not his first time doing something like this of course; however, the premise was that his Soul cultivation had to be higher than the other party’s. That was the only way he could break through the opponent’s Soul defences. Unfortunately, Bei Li Mo was a Demon Saint, so he did not have the confidence to be able to control her.
Xuan Bing gave a mocking laugh, “The difference in strength between the two of you is too big. Even with my help, you won’t be able to subdue her!” She paused for a moment, the corners of her mouth lifting, “But, I have an excellent plan!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and pondered for a while, “Even if you can pull this off, how does it benefit you?”
“It doesn’t benefit me whatsoever!” She laughed wildly, “Not only does it not come with any benefits, but it also comes with many downsides! However, I’ve said this before, even if I die, I will make this bitch pay for what she did!”
Bei Li Mo quickly spoke up when she heard those words, “Boy, this woman is extremely vile and cunning, don’t be deceived by her!”
Yang Kai immediately pressed the Soul Splitting Saber down a little harder as he rubbed his chin and said to her, “If you dare speak another word without my permission, I will kill you immediately!”
Bei Li Mo trembled with fury in response and her gaze was filled with hatred.
Once Bei Li Mo had settled down, Yang Kai turned back to Xuan Bing, “Explain it to me in detail; how are you going to help me?”
He had to admit that what Xuan Bing had said was very attractive. Killing a Demon Saint wasn’t bad, but the benefits that came with killing a Demon Saint were simply too small compared to subduing one.
“Naturally, by planting a Soul Imprint.”
“Are you messing with me!?” Yang Kai’s expression immediately fell and he felt like he had been toyed with. It was a very unpleasant feeling.
Xuan Bing simply laughed, “Of course not! I am not joking. I know what you are worried about, you’re afraid you won’t be able to break through this bitch’s Soul defences because her Soul cultivation is greater than yours, but what if somebody actively cooperates with you?”
Yang Kai’s expression turned even uglier, “Is she such a fool that she will cooperate with this kind of thing!?”
While speaking, he lost his patience and the aura coming from his body became extremely dangerous.
“Of course, she won’t cooperate with you. But this Queen will!” Xuan Bing laughed heartily, a sadistic and deranged expression appearing on her face.
Originally, Bei Li Mo did not take Xuan Bing’s words too seriously; however, she suddenly seemed to realize something after hearing those words and her expression changed greatly as she glared at Xuan Bing furiously, a trace of fear seeping into her beautiful eyes.
The change in her expression did not go unnoticed by Yang Kai and it made what Xuan Bing said seem much more credible.
Xuan Bing continued, “You can plant a Soul Imprint in me; that way, my life will be in your hands, and then…” She turned a cool gaze toward Bei Li Mo, “I will try and possess this bitch. If it all works out, this Queen’s life will still be in your hands. If it fails…”
“What will happen if you fail?” Yang Kai asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
“This bitch will have to devour this Queen’s Soul. The Soul Imprint will then be transferred to her and take effect on her instead!” She laughed maniacally, “So, whether I succeed or fail, you will still be able to subdue a Demon Saint. What do you think of this deal?”
Upon hearing these words, Yang Kai’s pupils expanded abruptly. If it was truly as Xuan Bing had said, then it was a deal with no cost but great returns. It was highly attractive indeed; even so, how could he believe her words so easily?
He glanced at Bei Li Mo and saw the anxious expression on her face. She looked like she had something to say but didn’t dare to speak up, so he immediately asked, “Do you have something to say?”
Bei Li Mo urgently said, “Don’t believe her! She is lying to you!”
He turned to look back at Xuan Bing just in time to see her smiling coldly, “Every word I’ve said is the truth. Brat, if you have the slightest sense, then you will know that I can’t deceive you in this kind of thing.”
Bei Li Mo scoffed, “Is that so? Regardless of which one among us devours the other, our Spiritual Energy is not something he can compare with. So, what if we are marked by a Soul Imprint? We only need a little bit of time to break free from those restraints!”
Xuan Bing nodded, “As you’ve said, it will take some time, but we can break free from the restraints, but what if he strengthens the Soul Imprint every few days?”
Bei Li Mo’s expression changed drastically as she ground her teeth and snapped, “You’re digging your own grave!”
Xuan Bing laughed heartily, “Are you afraid? That’s good. This Queen is just repaying you for what you did to me in the past. Do you know how I survived these tens of thousands of years? If it wasn’t for my desire to take revenge against you, I would have died long ago!”
She abruptly turned around to stare at Yang Kai and snarled at him through gritted teeth, “If you find this offer tempting, then hurry up and assist me; otherwise, everything will be in vain if she manages to escape!”
“How can I help you?” Yang Kai asked quietly. In such a short time, he had considered his options carefully and couldn’t help being tempted by her proposal. Now that things had come down to this, he could only take this risky gamble. If it worked out, then he would be able to subdue a Demon Saint.
“Use the power of the Soul Warming Lotus and replenish my Spiritual Energy. That will be enough,” she shouted through gritted teeth.
Yang Kai did not hesitate and immediately did as she asked. As he drew on the power of the Soul Warming Lotus, a seven-coloured light bloomed and enveloped her.
Xuan Bing, who had been stuck in a stalemate against Bei Li Mo, couldn’t help giving a soft moan. Her translucent body solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye, but that wasn’t all. A light shone from within her body, making her look extremely ethereal.
Bei Li Mo’s expression was so dark that it was practically dripping with gloom.
“Don’t resist!” Yang Kai shouted.
Xuan Bing hesitated for a moment before doing as he asked.
With a surge of Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy, a chain mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around her Soul Avatar. Then, it sank into her body and disappeared. At the same time, he felt a strange and wondrous feeling in his heart. Before he could figure out what it was though, Xuan Bing spoke, “You can leave now. Next up will be my battle with her.”
After she said that, a huge force of rejection surged in all directions and forcefully kicked him out of the Soul Battlefield. He only had time to curse at her before his vision blurred and his Soul returned to his physical body.
A fragrant scent wafted in front of him, mixed with the smell of blood. He lifted his gaze and saw that he was still standing in their previous posture. He had one Dragon Claw stuck in Bei Li Mo’s chest and was clutching her beating Demon Heart.
The Embodiment sensed something and immediately flew over, asking in a worried tone, “What happened?”
“It’s hard to explain!” Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he sent all his experiences in the Soul Battlefield to the Embodiment.
A short while later, the Embodiment exclaimed in shock, “I can’t believe that happened!”
Yang Kai replied with a sullen expression, “From the looks of things, I was deceived by Xuan Bing.”
At the last moment, the strange and wondrous feeling he experienced when he planted a Soul Imprint on Xuan Bing’s Soul Avatar clearly indicated that even if he had marked her, he was still incapable of controlling a Demon Saint’s life. The gap between their Soul cultivations was simply too wide.
“Should we just…” The Embodiment stared at Bei Li Mo, who was motionless and had a pained expression on her face, and swiped his hand across his stony neck.
This was indeed the best time to kill Bei Li Mo, as the other party was utterly incapable of fighting back right now. Yang Kai could turn her into a pile of mincemeat with ease, but all his previous efforts would be for naught if he did that, so he pondered in silence for a while before saying, “Let’s wait and see.”
Although he had no way to control a Demon Saint, the Soul Imprint he planted was not without effect. Now, he just had to see how much of an effect it would have.
In addition, Yang Kai was currently holding Bei Li Mo’s Demon Heart in his hand. He could severely injure her at any time, so there was nothing to be afraid of. In any case, it didn’t matter who emerged victorious from the Soul Battlefield; that person’s Soul would ultimately return to the body in front of him.
“I’m afraid time waits for no one.” The Embodiment’s expression turned solemn, “Xue Li and Yu Ru Meng have arrived on Cloud Shadow Continent.”
Yang Kai frowned upon hearing this.
As the Master of the continent, the Embodiment must have sensed something for him to say that. Yu Ru Meng’s arrival was not a big deal. In fact, it was a good thing. Xue Li, on the other hand, gave Yang Kai a headache.
“Should I lead Yu Ru Meng here?” The Embodiment asked.
Yang Kai pondered for a while before slowly shaking his head in response, “No need. Don’t let her know about the situation here for the time being.”
Even though he had received a lot of protection from her on Eternal Sky Continent previously, he still could not completely trust her. Bringing her here before he could fully understand the situation would only add to the variables. She had a long-standing feud with Bei Li Mo and might even take the opportunity to get rid of Bei Li Mo if she saw her in this situation. Rather, it could also be said that Yang Kai had no intention of telling her about this even if it worked out. It was necessary to be prepared. Who was to say this hidden hand wouldn’t save his life one day?
Unfortunately, the two Demon Saints had already arrived on Cloud Shadow Continent, so it was only a matter of time before they discovered this place. Now, it all depended on how long the Embodiment could conceal the disruption here.
“How long can you delay them?” Yang Kai asked.
The Embodiment shook his head, “I don’t have the means to delay them. They are currently searching around Cloud Shadow Continent and will find this place within an hour.”
Yang Kai’s expression sank after hearing this, “I’m afraid it’s too late to change locations now.” There were still traces of Bei Li Mo’s aura here, so even if they switched locations, it would not make a difference. He could only hope that Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo could decide on a winner between them within an hour.
For a time, everything went silent. Only the Demon Heart Yang Kai was holding in his hand continued to beat rhythmically, but just an incense stick of time later, Yang Kai suddenly noticed the resurgence of Spiritual Energy in Bei Li Mo’s body. Immediately following that, her hollow beautiful eyes suddenly came alive again. She also seemed to feel pain again and couldn’t help groaning.
As her vision focused, she saw Yang Kai standing in front of her with a wary expression. He had one hand stuck in her chest, gripping her heart firmly in his hand, which left her unable to breathe.
“Bei Li Mo?” Yang Kai raised his brow at her. Each person had a different Soul aura; thus, he could tell who the Soul that revived in this body belonged to. He was slightly relieved that the feeling he felt in Xuan Bing’s Soul Avatar had not disappeared, so it looked like what she had said was true. The Soul Imprint had been transferred to Bei Li Mo.
“En!” Bei Li Mo gritted her teeth and hissed, staring at him with eyes that were practically spitting fire.
“So, Xuan Bing died?” He breathed out softly. It did not come as a huge surprise. Xuan Bing herself had not been confident that she could devour and possess Bei Li Mo, so this outcome was well within his expectations.
“Are you disappointed?” Bei Li Mo gave a cold laugh.
“I can’t say that I am.” He shook his head faintly, “For me, it doesn’t matter who lives and who dies; in any case, neither of you were good from the start.”
Bei Li Mo took a deep breath, and her ample bosom rose and fell. That movement affected the injury on her chest, and she involuntarily furrowed her brow slightly. Lowering her head, she looked down at his claw and asked, “Can you remove your hand now? Don’t you think it’s rude to treat a woman like this?”
“You are a Demon Saint. It’s not like you’re an ordinary woman!” Yang Kai gave a soft snort. Even so, he did not insist and simply did as she asked, slowly releasing her Demon Heart and withdrawing his Dragon Claw.
Blood splattered everywhere as she groaned again in response, her complexion turning pale. Before she could catch her breath, Yang Kai had already pushed his Divine Sense. Bei Li Mo immediately clutched at her head and wailed loudly, lifting her gaze as she glared at him and shouted, “What are you doing!?”
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Testing out the power of the Soul Imprint.”
“Stop! Are you trying to kill me!?” She screamed. She was in so much pain that she had crouched to the ground and was trembling all over.
In response, Yang Kai just looked down at her condescendingly with a cold and ruthless expression, “Stop pretending in front of me. I know that it’s impossible for me to kill you even with this Soul Imprint. But, that doesn’t stop me from causing you pain. Remember this feeling. If you dare to have any malicious thoughts towards me one day, this pain will accompany you until the day you die!”
The Soul Imprint could not control her life or death, but it could restrict her actions. If he inflicted this pain on her while she was engaged in a decisive battle with somebody else, she would definitely die on the spot.
Bei Li Mo’s anguished wails were extremely bleak and it could be seen that she was in great pain. Murderous intent poured out of her body uncontrollably, but she didn’t dare to do anything else out of fear.
He had already pushed the power of the Soul Imprint to the maximum. He wasn’t trying to kill her; it only made her miserable wailing become even more desolate. After a short while, Yang Kai stopped. He had already tested how effective the Soul Imprint was. It was different from what Xuan Bing had claimed, but it was still within the acceptable range.
Bei Li Mo was currently lying on the ground like a puddle of sweat, panting heavily, drenched from head to toe, her beautiful eyes vacantly staring at the sky. For a moment, she was unable to focus her sight. She felt on the verge of death. Eventually, a gust of wind blew and a chill ran down her back, causing her to shiver and finally return to her senses.
She looked up and saw Yang Kai standing in front of her, looking down at her from above. She turned her head away, clenching her fists tightly. The corners of her eyes were slightly moist… [I have never endured such humiliation ever since I became a Demon Saint! Xuan Bing, that bitch! I can’t believe she pulled this trick on me even at the cost of her life!]
“Open up your Knowledge Sea. I need to reinforce the Soul Imprint!” Yang Kai instructed.
She didn’t move, acting like she was deaf.
To which Yang Kai laughed angrily, “Stop acting as if you’ve been defiled and disgraced by me. Do you know how seductive you look right now? If it arouses my more base instincts…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Bei Li Mo got up shakily, her teeth biting into her red lips as the grief and rage she felt could not be more extreme.
“I will not repeat myself!” Yang Kai said with a cold expression.
Bei Li Mo closed her eyes at those words, for fear that she might lose control and attack him if she saw his face.
“That’s better!” He chuckled, his Divine Sense surging as it poured into her Knowledge Sea.
“I’m warning you. Reinforce the Soul Imprint if you want, but I will fight you to the death if you dare to pry into my privacy!” She opened her eyes abruptly and snarled.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment before he nodded, “Rest assured, I don’t have the habit of peeping into others’ private lives.”
After he said that, he began to act.
Bei Li Mo remained vigilant, however, and it was only when she confirmed that he really had no intention of making any extra movements that a sense of relief washed over her.
As the Soul Imprint in her Knowledge Sea had been transferred from Xuan Bing, it had inevitably become slightly weaker. His act of reinforcement would ensure that the Soul Imprint remained firm. Having done that, he stated, “I need you to give me your Soul Brand. I’m sure you can fulfill my request, Holy Venerable.”
“What if I refuse?” Her expression was extremely ugly.
“That’s okay.” Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Ru Meng is currently on Cloud Shadow Continent. I can lead her here. I’m sure she will be happy to have a good talk with you.”
Bei Li Mo’s expression changed drastically at those words.
The Soul Imprint Yang Kai had planted in her Knowledge Sea was not a done deal; after all, she only needed to spend some time and pay a small price to get rid of it. Once she purged it, she would be able to regain her freedom.
However, it really would be over if Yu Ru Meng learned about this. Given her relationship with Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo was certain Yu Ru Meng would be more than happy to plant another Soul Imprint in her Knowledge Sea.
Yu Ru Meng had the most powerful Soul cultivation among the Twelve Demon Saints since she originated from the Charm Demon Clan. Even Huang Wu Ji had to concede this point. If she were to plant a Soul Imprint on Bei Li Mo, then Bei Li Mo would never have the chance to regain her freedom again. Bei Li Mo would truly become a pawn in her hands!
Thus, she took this threat seriously while her hatred towards Xuan Bing peaked. [If that bitch had not revealed so much information earlier, this little bastard would never have been so cautious!]
Bei Li Mo glared bitterly and resentfully at Yang Kai for a long time before she suddenly smiled and said, “I don’t mind giving you my Soul Brand. In any case, it will only hurt me a little even if you destroy it. It won’t kill me.”
Even when her Soul Manifestation was destroyed by Bright Moon she had only been injured, not killed, so how could a mere Soul Brand threaten her life?
“I know.” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “But, it’s still better than nothing.”
He certainly could not rely on a mere Soul Imprint or Soul Brand to control a Demon Saint; nevertheless, with these two pieces of insurance in hand, he could ensure that Bei Li Mo would not dare to play tricks in front of him so easily.
Seeing his insistence, Bei Li Mo was filled with a sense of helplessness and in the end, she nodded, “Good, I’ll do as you wish. But you have to promise to treat me well; otherwise, this Saint won’t comply with you.”
He asked, “If you don’t think a promise from me is trustworthy, then what’s the point of giving you my word?”
Bei Li Mo couldn’t help spitting disdainfully at those words.
A short while later, he received her Soul Brand and placed it on the seven-coloured island. Only then did he relax and turn to look at her, “You better not destroy the Soul Imprint. I will be checking on it every so often. If I find out that you’ve disobeyed me, I will make you suffer so much that you beg for death.”
“I know!” She replied in a grudging manner.
“Also…” He rubbed his chin in thought, “Don’t let others know about this matter between us.”
Bei Li Mo blinked her eyes at those words and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, “Not even Yu Ru Meng?”
“That’s my business. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Knitting her brow and thinking about it, it took a while before Bei Li Mo covered her lips with her hand and smiled prettily, “Strange. Aren’t you under the control of the Heart Seal Secret Technique? Why do you seem to be so guarded against her?”
“None of your damn business!” Yang Kai coldly snorted.
Bei Li Mo’s eyes flashed with a gleam of light and a meaningful smile appeared on her face as though she had discovered some dark secret. Then, she saw him stretching out his hand at her and she frowned and asked, “What?”
“Give me your Space Ring!” He was staring at the ring on her finger.
Taken aback, she exclaimed in surprise, “You want to rob me!? Are you insane!?”
In response, Yang Kai swiftly turned his head and looked at the Embodiment, “Get Ru Meng!”
“Here!” She snatched the ring off her finger and threw it at him viciously, her complexion pale in anger.
Yang Kai took the ring and poured his Divine Sense into it, checking out the contents with a feeling of excitement. How many good things would there be inside a Demon Saint’s Space Ring? After all, it was an accumulation of at least several tens of thousands of years…
There certainly were quite a lot of amazing things. Demon Crystals were piled high like mountains along with countless Demon Artifacts. There were also some items for women, as well as some bright and colourful clothes. Those clothes came in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. Some were extremely revealing while some were more modest. He couldn’t help fantasizing about how those clothes would look on her if she wore them.
[It would definitely be very seductive!] When that thought crossed his mind, he inadvertently lifted his head to sweep his eyes over her.
She seemed to know what he had seen. Sneering coldly, she consciously or unconsciously stretched out her hand to push her hair behind her ear, her actions revealing her infinite charm.
He withdrew his gaze and continued rummaging through the Space Ring and soon found what he was looking for, Myriad Demon Pills!
Myriad Demon Pills were unique to the Demon Realm and had a great effect on all members of the Demon Race that were in and above the Demon King Realm. The role of Myriad Demon Pills could not be understated in the reason why the Demon Race had so many high-end Masters. In fact, it could even be said to play a decisive role in the matter.
In the past, Yang Kai had found quite a few Myriad Demon Pills on the continents that had disappeared; however, those Myriad Demon Pills had all been consumed by the Embodiment. Doing so had allowed him to advance to the realm of Half-Saint in a very short time. Unfortunately, the path of advancing from Half-Saint to Demon Saint was another long and tedious journey. The power that one needed to accumulate for that purpose was unimaginable. In other words, it required a huge amount of Myriad Demon Pills!
The Embodiment wasn’t the only one who required them, however, as Yang Kai believed that he also needed them now. He had not been able to consume Myriad Demon Pills before because the nature of the power in his body had clashed with them, but it was different now. His Emperor Qi had been converted into Demon Qi, so the Myriad Demon Pills should be very useful to him.
Therefore, it was only natural for him to rob Bei Li Mo of her possessions at a time like this. As a Demon Saint, nobody could threaten her safety in the entire Demon Realm, so for that reason, she would definitely carry all her precious items with her.
He did not count how many Myriad Demon Pills she had in her Space Ring, but there were at least ten thousand. He did not hold back in front of her. Transferring those Myriad Demon Pills into his own Space Ring, he muttered in dissatisfaction, “Is that all the Myriad Demon Pills you have?”
Bei Li Mo’s expression was murderous, “Is that amount not enough to satisfy you!?”
He laughed mischievously, “One can never have too much good stuff.”
He looked at her sharply, “Are you hiding the rest somewhere else?”
“What is there to hide!?” She was annoyed, “I have so many subordinates under me. Do you think none of them need to consume these Pills!? Don’t I have to hand out rewards every year!? Did you think the Demon Saints get to accumulate a lot of Myriad Demon Pills!? If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask Yu Ru Meng yourself! You can see just how many Myriad Demon Pills she has!”
Yang Kai chuckled softly without saying anything. Having said so much, she probably wasn’t lying to him on this point. Besides, there were more than ten thousand Myriad Demon Pills, which would be enough for both him and the Embodiment to use for several years. He didn’t take all of them of course, leaving a hundred for her. Then, he began helping himself to the Demon Crystals in her ring…
Demon Crystals were of little use to a Demon Saint, so there were not many of them in her Space Ring. She only had around one billion or so, but they were all High-Rank Demon Crystals. After the Demon Crystals, he started on the Demon Artifacts…
In short, he took everything of value. After some time, he finally returned the Space Ring to her.
Bei Li Mo checked her losses and grimly laughed, “You sure are shameless.”
In such a short time, at least half of all the good items in her Space Ring were pilfered. It was equivalent to having what she had accumulated for half of her entire life stolen by him.
Before Yang Kai could reply, the Embodiment suddenly spoke up, “They’re here!”
Yang Kai’s expression became stern as he glared at Bei Li Mo and warned, “Don’t say anything unnecessary!”
Bei Li Mo frowned at those words, but soon understood who Yang Kai and the Embodiment were referring to by ‘they’.
Two streams of light flying side by side sped over in a rush. The auras of the Two Demon Saints were very obvious. With two whooshing sounds, Yu Ru Meng and Xue Li landed almost at the same time and revealed their figures.
As soon as Yu Ru Meng saw Bei Li Mo standing there, the pupils of her eyes contracted. She immediately stood in front of Yang Kai and glared fixedly at Bei Li Mo before turning her head to the side and asking, “Are you okay?”
Obviously, this question was not directed at Bei Li Mo but at Yang Kai, who was standing behind her.
Yang Kai smiled, “I’m fine.”
She calmed down at those words, but even so, she looked doubtful. [Bei Li Mo is standing right there. How can he be fine?]
Upon closer inspection, she discovered that Bei Li Mo seemed to be injured as there was blood staining the front of Bei Li Mo’s chest… [What happened here? Who injured Bei Li Mo? She was not in such a miserable state when we went our separate ways back on Eternal Sky Continent!]
Xue Li was having the same doubts. His crimson eyes flicked towards Bei Li Mo before glancing back to Yu Ru Meng. He gave a low chuckle and a faint scent of blood permeated the air. At the same time, a dangerous aura began to spread out too.
“What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?” Bei Li Mo’s mood was as gloomy as it could get so she glared at Xue Li and snarled, “Laugh again and I’ll knock your teeth out.”
The corners of Xue Li’s eyes twitched. He did not know how he had offended this woman, but he stopped laughing and commented, “I can’t believe you didn’t do anything. It’s absolutely shocking.”
She glanced sideways at him and asked, “Why don’t you try?”
He said, “How about you and I work together instead? We can discuss who owns the little brat afterwards.”
Standing opposite him, Yu Ru Meng had a posture indicating that she was going to protect Yang Kai with everything she had; thus, it would be quite difficult for him to succeed with his power alone. It wouldn’t work unless he cooperated with Bei Li Mo and faced Yu Ru Meng two on one. One person could keep Yu Ru Meng busy while the other abducted Yang Kai. That way, Yu Ru Meng would be rendered helpless.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Ru Meng’s expression became frosty. The Demon Qi in her body became agitated and she looked like she would fight them to the death if either Xue Li or Bei Li Mo dared to make a move.
Unexpectedly, Bei Li Mo chuckled and stated, “Go ahead and attack if you want, but I’m not going to get involved in this matter.”
Both Xue Li and Yu Ru Meng were stunned by those words and turned to stare at her suspiciously.
Xue Li asked frowningly, “Why?”
Bei Li Mo’s answer was simply too shocking. With such a tempting morsel placed right in front of them, how could any Demon Saint not be tempted by it? He couldn’t believe that Bei Li Mo had just said she would not be intervening in this matter. Had she gone insane?
Bei Li Mo said lightly, “Because… I don’t want to get on the wrong side of Senior Brother Huang.”
Xue Li felt even more puzzled than before, “What has this got to do with Senior Brother Huang!?”
After saying that, he seemed horrified and glanced around their surroundings, “Is Senior Brother Huang here?”
“How could Senior Brother Huang be here?” She laughed lightly, “It’s just that… Senior Brother Huang once mentioned before that this rotten brat could keep the opportunity if he truly became a member of the Demon Race. And… he has the qualifications now.”
Xue Li scowled at those words and asked, “Isn’t he a Human? Since when did he become a member of our Demon Race?”
Likewise, Yu Ru Meng was very confused by what she heard. While those two were wallowing in confusion, Yang Kai stepped out from behind Yu Ru Meng and the Demon Qi in his body surged with every step he took.
Xue Li was astonished. Similarly, Yu Ru Meng stared blankly at Yang Kai’s back. A look of pleasant surprise appeared in her beautiful eyes.
The scene before them undoubtedly meant that Yang Kai had completely undergone demonification and became a Demon. Even if he was born a Human in the Star Boundary, only a member of the Demon Race could have such pure Demon Qi.
This was great news for both Yu Ru Meng and Yang Kai. She had been worried about what to do if he fell into the hands of the other Demon Saints, but everything was fine now. Now that he was a part of the Demon Race, all those problems could be solved easily; after all, nobody would dare take Huang Wu Ji’s words lightly.
“How is it? I can be considered a member of the Demon Race now, right?” Yang Kai asked lightly while staring at Xue Li.
Xue Li looked extremely unwilling and his expression changed several times in the process. Then, he activated his Divine Sense and said something to Bei Li Mo via transmission.
Bei Li Mo immediately sneered and spoke out loud, “You can do those deceitful acts on your own. Don’t drag me into it. I don’t want to offend Senior Brother Huang.”
His expression darkened when he heard her answer. [I only just realized for the first time that she is a lunatic! I sent her a Divine Sense transmission in secret, so why would she blurt things out so blatantly!? How am I supposed to get out of this now!? How embarrassing…]
“Xue Li, what crazy stunt are you still trying to pull!?” Yu Ru Meng screamed. Although Bei Li Mo had not expressed it clearly, the meaning behind her words could not be more obvious. Xue Li had yet to give up and wanted to work together with Bei Li Mo to capture Yang Kai. In any case, only the three of them knew that Yang Kai had undergone demonification. Once they had accomplished their goal, Yu Ru Meng would be helpless against them. There was no use crying over spilt milk, so Huang Wu Ji would not say much either.
Xue Li, however, just smiled brightly, “I just wanted to offer my congratulations. What nonsense are you talking about?”
Yu Ru Meng did not dwell on the matter as there was no point in doing so. Instead, she simply replied, “There is nothing to congratulate me for. This was Yang Kai’s opportunity in the first place. This is my territory, Cloud Shadow Continent. You should leave. I will inform Senior Brother Huang about Yang Kai’s demonification myself. He will be the one to have the final say in this matter.”
Xue Li nodded, “Good, you do that.”
After saying that, he looked at Yang Kai with some regret before slowly shaking his head and flying off.
If Bei Li Mo refused to cooperate with him, then there was nothing he could do to Yu Ru Meng with his power alone. Besides, it wouldn’t do him any good to confront Yu Ru Meng. While Yang Kai certainly had the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, it would take a long time for him to grow up. He might be able to seize this chance again over the course of these long years ahead!
Yu Ru Meng stared in the direction Xue Li was leaving, and only after she confirmed that he had left did she turn to look at Bei Li Mo with a vigilant expression on her face, “What the Hell are you planning now?”
Bei Li Mo’s attitude today was extremely unexpected. Just going by the relationship between her and Yu Ru Meng, it would not have been strange for her to cooperate with Xue Li, but on the contrary, she was going out of her way to protect Yang Kai. If she had not insisted on her decision, the situation today would not have been resolved so easily.
It left Yu Ru Meng feeling extremely puzzled; however, what baffled her even more was Bei Li Mo herself. Bei Li Mo had obviously been here for a while, and with her temperament, why hadn’t she done anything to Yang Kai? Yu Ru Meng did not believe that a mere word from Huang Wu Ji could make Bei Li Mo act so carefully as though she was worried she might harm an innocent person. Huang Wu Ji might be the strongest among the Demon Saints, but Bei Li Mo was a Demon Saint too, not his subordinate, so why was she being so obedient? Yu Ru Meng couldn’t shake the vague feeling that something was off.
“I’m not planning anything.” Bei Li Mo laughed softly before she turned to Yang Kai with bright eyes and spoke with great affection, “I just took a liking to him. Can’t I?”
That tender and affectionate attitude gave Yang Kai goosebumps.
Yu Ru Meng sneered, “Is that really all?”
“What else could it be?” Bei Li Mo raised her chin and glared at Yu Ru Meng provocatively, “If not for your untimely arrival, I would have gotten much more intimate with him.”
“Good!” Yu Ru Meng responded tit-for-tat, waving her hand widely, “If that’s your true intention, then why don’t I grant your wish? Do it right here! With the sky as your blanket and the ground as your bed, why don’t you show me how you intend to get on with it?” After saying that, she turned to look at Yang Kai, “Don’t be fooled by this woman’s age, she has never experienced the taste of a man before! If you can get on top of her, then you would have gotten the better end of the deal!”
Yang Kai felt sweat dripping down his back and couldn’t find the right words to form a response.
Bei Li Mo, however, retorted, “You speak as though you’ve experienced the taste of a man before.”
The two of them suddenly began glaring daggers at each other, neither one of them was willing to back down. As their Demon Saint auras collided with each other, even the world seemed to pale slightly.
Be that as it may, Bei Li Mo was suffering from an injury currently and that placed her at a slight disadvantage in this contest, so it didn’t take long before her complexion paled slightly. Flicking out her sleeve in irritation, she broke her staring competition with Yu Ru Meng and coldly snorted, “You owe me a favour for what happened today. You will return it to me one day.”
After saying that, she turned and flew off.
Yang Kai could not stop her from leaving; thus, he could only watch as she disappeared into the distance, secretly making up his mind to visit Soaring Snow Continent soon to check on her. He couldn’t allow her to break free of the Soul Imprint he had planted in her Knowledge Sea. Although he could not control her life with that Soul Imprint, it still might come in handy during critical moments.
Following Bei Li Mo’s departure, Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng were the only ones left in this place. The Embodiment had long since secretly and silently sunk into the ground when Bei Li Mo left.
Yu Ru Meng stood there thinking hard for a while before she turned to look at Yang Kai with a frown, “What did that woman do to you?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “She didn’t do anything.”
“Why was she hurt? Who hurt her?”
“I don’t know. She was already in that condition when she arrived.”
Yu Ru Meng stared at him deeply, as if trying to look deep into his heart, but he simply returned her look calmly. A long time passed before she sighed softly and walked over. Holding his hand, she said gently, “Don’t worry. Nobody can do anything to you with me here.”
Reversing her hold so that he was holding her hand instead, he smiled, “I’m not worried. You, on the other hand… I’ve caused so much trouble for you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, she pressed a finger to his lips. Her eyes that were like shimmering water gazed up at him and her red lips parted softly, “Are words like these necessary between us?”
They gazed at each other for a moment before he leaned down and kissed her. Her eyelashes trembled slightly before she slowly closed her eyes. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her ample peaks pressed up against his chest to the point they became deformed.
A long while later, their lips parted and Yang Kai picked her up in a princess carry and whispered, “Let’s go back to the palace!”
With a flash of thought from the Embodiment, who was lurking underground, Yang Kai felt his vision blurring for a moment before he found himself standing outside the main palace of Cloud Shadow City with Yu Ru Meng.
Many Demon Kings were feeling extremely worried inside the palace at the moment. The changes that occurred on Eternal Sky Continent had been completely unexpected and none of them could have imagined the outcome. The plan was devised by the Twelve Demon Saints themselves, and more than a hundred Half-Saints had participated in that battle. In the process, more than ten Half-Saints had fallen in battle and the Demon Race lost more than a hundred million soldiers. And yet, the final winner turned out to be Yang Kai.
It would not have been a big deal if it had only been an ordinary opportunity; however, it was an opportunity that even Half-Saints fought over desperately and the Demon Saints could not ignore. How could it be so easy to keep? There was no way Yang Kai could survive after being chased by all the Demon Saints and Half-Saints combined.
Among them, the gloomiest looking ones were the three High-Rank Demon Kings from Blue Plains Continent. That couldn’t be helped; Tu Qia Luo, Ba Zha, and Gu Li had given Yang Kai their Soul Brands, so their fates were connected to his. Thus, they would not be spared either if anything were to happen to him.
In the days since they withdrew from Eternal Sky Continent and returned to Cloud Shadow Continent, these three had been in a constant state of misery. Moreover, they prayed more fervently than anyone else for Yang Kai to return safely and soundly.
At present, He Yin, Ke Sen, and Lao Ke were gathered together with these three High-Rank Demon Kings. It wasn’t to monitor them. Rather, the three High-Rank Demon Kings were simply trying to assess Yang Kai’s situation from their current states. If they died suddenly, then it would mean that something had happened to Yang Kai. On the other hand, if they remained alive and well, then it would mean that Yang Kai was also safe and sound.
The main hall was silent for a long time, shrouded in a heavy and suffocating atmosphere, when suddenly, a strange power fluctuation came from the outside. The entire group of Demon Kings looked up and in the next moment, they stood up in unison and stared in shock at the figure striding into the palace from the outside, their eyes bulging at the sight.
Lao Ke even rubbed his eyes vigorously, for fear that he was suffering from hallucinations.
“Great King!” The three Demon Kings from Blue Plains Continent had already rushed over, looking extremely emotional as they bowed with their hands on their hearts, “You’ve returned!”
Only then did Lao Ke and the others return to their senses and hurriedly rush forward to greet Yang Kai; however, the group of Demon Kings soon noticed Yu Ru Meng, who was being held in his arms and they all swallowed nervously and dropped their gazes…
Meanwhile, Yang Kai looked around and smiled, “You are all back, too. En, this King is perfectly fine as you can see, so why don’t you get back to your duties?”
After saying that, he passed through the great hall and headed straight towards the residences, leaving the group of High-Rank Demon Kings looking at each other behind him. Every one of them were feeling extremely puzzled. [Wasn’t the Great King being chased by the Demon Saints and Half-Saints? Why is he so leisurely getting…]
At the back of the crowd, a pair of empty eyes that seemed to have lost their light stared at Yang Kai’s back before a cold gleam began burgeoning in their depths.
…..
Inside the room, Yang Kai threw Yu Ru Meng onto the bed before lunging forward under her surprised gaze and pressing her under his body. While supporting her head with one hand, he began kissing her again. At the same time, his other hand skilfully slid up her robes, past her lower abdomen and grabbed at her soft but supple peaks.
She tried to speak several times, but every time she tried, his heavy breathing would cover her mouth. Gradually, a stream of heat that surged from her heart and her lower abdomen left her feeling more than a little delirious and distracted in arousal.
Ripping sounds rang out next as he tore her clothes apart and threw them off the bed without even a second glance. It didn’t take long before her perfect body was exposed to the air. Her fair and delicate skin was as exquisite as the finest porcelain; her flat abdomen was without any excess fat; her long and slender legs were unconsciously entangled together; and a single hand was covering her most intimate place. She seemed like she wanted to refuse slightly out of shyness but was also welcoming him at the same time. Her neck was flushed with a faint tinge of pink and even her delicate earlobes became red. Her beautiful eyes were like a disturbed pool of water and her breathing was anything but calm.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s own clothes quickly turned into a pile of ashes.
Their fiery-hot bodies entangled together, and they could feel each other’s violent heartbeats. Yang Kai did not spend too much time on foreplay, but when he leaned down over her, a slender jade-white hand pressed against his chest to stop him from advancing further. Her beautiful eyes looked at him with a dreamy gaze, but there was an inexplicable pleading look in them.
Their gazes met, and his expression was calm, but Yu Ru Meng could sense his assertiveness and determination, something that had never appeared before. Although they had been intimate with each other before now, they never actually took that last step because she would always control her emotions at the last moment every single time.
However, this time… was clearly different from the past. She couldn’t tell exactly what was different, but she had a feeling that she would lose something precious if she repeated the same actions as she did in the past.
After a long while, she let out a soft sigh before slowly retracting her delicate hand. Turning her head away slightly, she closed her eyes.
Yang Kai did not hesitate whatsoever, thrusting forward and piercing the last barrier between them, instantly feeling himself being wrapped by a soft and moist warmth.
A moan leaked out as Yu Ru Meng bit her red lips hard and clenched the bedsheets with her fists.
On the other hand, Yang Kai felt a distinct sense of coolness spreading out from his lower abdomen. It rushed straight into his mind, instantly shocking his Knowledge Sea and almost causing him to faint at that very moment. He hurriedly stabilized his mind as a trace of lingering fear appeared on his face. The turbulence in his Knowledge Sea had not stopped, though, and instead was becoming increasingly violent. Fortunately, the Soul Warming Lotus was guarding his Soul, so there was no need for him to worry about anything happening.
All of a sudden, a huge force exploded in his Knowledge Sea and flooded it completely. Yang Kai could feel his Spiritual Energy growing at a terrifying speed. It almost seemed like there was no end to this growth and the rising force was threatening to explode his entire Knowledge Sea, frightening him with this realization.
It was then that a soft, dreamy whisper entered his ears. Looking down, he saw a teardrop dotting the corner of Yu Ru Meng’s eyes; however, it was accompanied by a beautiful smile on her face. Her red lips moved and strange-sounding syllables came out of her mouth to form a mysterious and Heavenly melody, one that seemed to have some sort of profound effect. The sound seemed to transform into an invisible little hand that gently stroked his Knowledge Sea and slowly stabilized the turbulence it was experiencing.
Meanwhile, his Knowledge Sea was still expanding. The explosive growth of his Spiritual Energy left him completely dumbfounded. Nevertheless, he gradually calmed down with the help of her Heavenly melody and slowly began to enjoy the process.
When Yang Kai broke through to the Third-Order Emperor Realm, he experienced great growth in his Spiritual Energy; however, that growth was nothing compared to what he was experiencing right now!
He could never have imagined that he would obtain such a huge benefit when he passed through Yu Ru Meng’s final barrier of defence. Although it was unexpected, it was well within reason.
The Primordial Yin of women with cultivation generally contained a peculiar power, and the stronger the woman was, the greater this power became. There were many Secret Arts in the world that borrowed this power to aid in cultivation, but Secret Arts that gathered Yin to supplement Yang were generally incredibly malicious. The women who were taken as dual-cultivation cauldrons would usually suffer a tragic ending.
The Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art cultivated by Yang Kai and Su Yan on the other hand was a far more profound technique, a Secret Art for dual cultivation which greatly benefited both parties when practised. Therefore, the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art could be considered to be an orthodox Dual Cultivation Technique to a certain extent, not an Evil Technique.
Yu Ru Meng was a Demon Saint. Hence, the power of her Primordial Yin was absolutely terrifying. When the final barrier was torn, the Primordial Yin accumulated in her body throughout her lifetime was released all at once and then accepted by Yang Kai in turn. As a result, he experienced an astonishing growth in his Spiritual Energy. It was probably related to the fact that she was part of the Charm Demon Clan. For that reason, the benefit he obtained from the power of her Primordial Yin was not channelled into his physical body but into his Soul.
His Knowledge Sea expanded continuously, but he didn’t feel uncomfortable in any way. The dreamy whisper kept echoing in his ears, making his mental state more peaceful than ever. It was an extremely peculiar state that gave him a sense of longing and made him wish he could remain like this forever.
Unfortunately, everything eventually comes to an end. When his Knowledge Sea had grown to more than three times its original size, Yang Kai found the rate of expansion slowed down greatly. At the same time, the whispering gradually subsided too.
Due to the Soul Warming Lotus, his Spiritual Energy had always been beyond his current Realm. He could sense that his Soul cultivation was inferior to that of a Half-Saint’s when he advanced to the Third-Order Emperor, but it was not something an ordinary Third-Order Emperor or High-Rank Demon King could hope to compare with either. In contrast, he was currently far ahead of any Half-Saint when it came to Spiritual Energy.
The only people in this world who had stronger Spiritual Energy than him were the Demon Saints and the Great Emperors. His explosive growth in Spiritual Energy allowed him to become even more sensitive to his surroundings and he experienced a mysterious feeling that felt as though he had been reborn after shedding his former body.
While he was checking out the changes in his body with some interest, he suddenly heard a soft moan in his ears. Only then did he return to his senses and look down. He saw Yu Ru Meng looking at him with a bit of resentment. She had a shy and embarrassed expression on her face, and there was a trace of wetness at the corners of her eyes.
When their gazes met, Yu Ru Meng looked away, bit her red lips, and pinched Yang Kai hard around the waist. Yang Kai hissed in pain and lowered his body to kiss the tears staining the corners of her eyes. Afterwards, he gently began thrusting again. At this moment, the one lying under him was not one of the overwhelmingly powerful Twelve Demon Saints, but a woman who had just suffered the trauma of experiencing her first time.
Unlike him, who was well-experienced in this field, she was a beautiful flower that was blooming brilliantly for the first time; thus, she was truly tormented half-to-death. They did not leave the room for three consecutive days and nights, which was extremely ridiculous.
It wasn’t until a certain moment three days later that Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes inside the room filled with an ambiguous air. Yu Ru Meng was lying on his chest with a head full of dishevelled hair, looking like a kitten that had found the most comfortable and suitable position. Her breathing was steady, sleeping away deeply.
This was extremely rare for a Demon Saint. With how high her cultivation was, she no longer needed to sleep; however, three days and three nights of non-stop passion had left her feeling absolutely exhausted, even more so than if she had fought a battle against another Demon Saint.
Yang Kai’s large hand gently stroked her smooth back while gazing down at the charming curve between her back and her bottom. Resisting the impulse in his heart, he quietly pulled himself out from under her body, dressed neatly, walked out of the room, and came into the courtyard.
There were small bridges with flowing water and rockery standing tall in the courtyard. Several unknown fruit trees were also planted there. They were in full bloom at this time with small pink flowers that were very pretty and lovely hanging from the branches.
Yang Kai stood under a certain tree with his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky with a lost gaze.
[I did it! Ru Meng didn’t stop me!] Even though he had made love to her for three days and three nights without stopping, he could still barely believe it. [I actually broke through her final layer of defence! I finally obtained her in her entirety!]
What Bei Li Mo and Bright Moon mentioned to him had made him somewhat defensive towards Yu Ru Meng. His attempt this time had been a kind of test. If she had continued to reject him, then he would have to reconsider his plans for the future. He never expected things to progress so smoothly.
[Could it be that Bei Li Mo and Bright Moon were both wrong?] A woman, who was willing to have a taste of love and passion, undoubtedly showed that she had no reservations towards him; she would never have used her virginity as a joke.
In contrast, what surprised Yang Kai was that his attitude had been so assertive at the time! That would have been impossible in the past. Before, he would not have forced her as long as she showed the slightest resistance; however, three days ago, he had been thinking that he was either going to possess her or they would have to go their separate ways. There had been no third possibility.
It would seem that after undergoing demonification, his temperament had also experienced some changes. Fortunately, the influence was not too large, or he would have felt as though he had become another person.
*Chi…*
A soft sound rang out, accompanied by a shout that entered his ears, “Die!”
A sharp energy came from behind at that moment.
Yang Kai immediately turned around, lifted his hand, and pinched his fingers together. A longsword shining with a cold light was caught between his fingers, just a palm’s length away from his eyes.
The owner of the longsword tried to pull the sword back vigorously but was unable to regain her weapon. Seeing this, she gritted her teeth and abandoned her weapon before striking at him with her palm. Emperor Qi surged and the fragrance of flowers overflowed. It was so enchanting that it didn’t feel like a slender jade-white hand was stretching towards him but rather that a flower was blooming before him. It was so beautiful that he wanted to drown himself in those petals.
Stepping forward though, he rushed into his opponent’s attack range. The woman seemed startled and caught off guard.
Yang Kai grabbed her by her wrist and with a surge of his Demon Qi, the other party instantly lost all power to resist. Then, he looked at the woman in front of him and sighed. He knew that life would become a little more difficult after he gained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity; even so, he did not expect the first person to jump out and cause trouble for him to be Li Shi Qing!
At this moment, Li Shi Qing’s beautiful eyes were bloodshot as she glared at Yang Kai with unbridled hatred. She, who was usually so weak and timid, was now showing an expression filled with murderous intent.
With her longsword taken from her, her wrist being captured, and her Emperor Qi not responding to her, she couldn’t break free of his hold whatsoever. Nevertheless, her other hand clenched into a fist without hesitation and slammed into his chest. While hammering away at him, she shouted through gritted teeth, “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
Yang Kai looked at her calmly, allowing her to hammer her fist against his chest however she pleased. She was unable to use her Emperor Qi, so her violent hits felt no different from being tickled. A long while later, he finally asked, “Why do you want to kill me?”
She glared at him furiously, “You killed the Great Emperor! I must seek revenge!”
“How did you know that I killed the Great Emperor?”
“I saw it with my own eyes!”
He lowered his gaze and calmly replied, “What you see may not be the truth!”
“I saw it… I saw you kill the Great Emperor!” She suddenly burst into tears that streamed down her face. The moment she began crying, all her murderous aura vanished instantly and she asked with red-rimmed eyes, “Why did you have to kill him!? Why!?”
The fist she pounded against his chest no longer held any strength in them. If anybody who did not know the situation saw this, it would seem like they were flirting with each other rather than trying to murder one another.
Yang Kai had nothing to say. [Why did I kill the Great Emperor? If I had known the other party I was attacking had been Bright Moon, I would never have killed him!]
Unfortunately, Bright Moon was gone, and it was useless to wonder about ‘what if’s’ now. In any case, Li Shi Qing’s reaction was normal. Anybody from the Star Boundary would try to kill him in an attempt to avenge Bright Moon after seeing such a scene. Not to mention, she was the Disciple of Flower Shadow Great Emperor, so she held an even greater sense of responsibility and awareness compared to most ordinary people. Thus, Yang Kai did not and would not blame her for acting like this. He only hated himself for being so weak that he couldn’t protect Bright Moon at that time.
The abnormal situation here quickly attracted Lao Ke and the others over. Most stared at the two of them with wide eyes while Bo Ya seemed to understand something and sighed involuntarily.
Li Shi Qing didn’t seem like she would stop crying anytime soon, so Yang Kai raised his hand and knocked her out, supporting her body before beckoning to Bo Ya, “Take her away and look after her,”
Bo Ya took the unconscious Li Shi Qing without a word, simply picking her up and disappearing in a flash.
“Disperse!” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively and returned to his own room. Pushing the doors open, he walked in and saw Yu Ru Meng lying on her side on the big bed, her cheek leaning against her jade-white hand as she exuded a lazy air.
She was not wearing any clothes and was simply covered with a thin layer of cloth, which vaguely highlighted her curvaceous figure. The sight of her made Yang Kai’s blood pressure rise once more, but when their eyes met, she smilingly asked, “She wanted to kill you. Why did you let her go so easily?”
“Why should I be bothered by her?” Yang Kai’s gaze roamed all over Yu Ru Meng’s body as he climbed onto the bed and lay down behind her. He placed one hand around her waist, and the other began groping her with no trace of politeness whatsoever.
She grabbed at his large hand that was being naughty and frowned, “Stop it. I can’t bear it anymore.”
Turning a deaf ear to her words, he blew gently in her ears while breaking free of her restraints. He then cupped one of her peaks and began kneading roughly with a chuckle, “You are a Demon Saint. Your restorative ability can’t be that bad, right?”
“What the Hell do you know!?” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes slightly and tilted her head back.
“I want to stir up a little trouble!” After saying that, he bit her on her shoulder, drawing a soft cry from her lips…
Inside the room was an ambiguous aura, and a strange smell permeated the air. After their vigorous lovemaking, Yu Ru Meng’s unblemished body was covered in faint red marks. She lay on Yang Kai’s broad chest like a kitten, her hair dishevelled as she quietly murmured, “Smelly man. Are you satisfied now?”
Yang Kai stroked her round bottom and grinned widely, “If I can do this every single day, then it will really be satisfying.”
She raised her head abruptly, glared at him furiously, and hammered his chest with her fists, “In your dreams! This time is a special case! Don’t even think about touching me again!
“What?” His eyes widened at those words and the movement of his hands froze. He looked at her beautiful eyes miserably, “What does that mean?”
“It means what it means.” She lay back down again, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, “It’s not like you can’t have me. I’ll give you everything you want once you become the thirteenth Demon Saint of the Demon Realm.”
Yang Kai gasped, taking in a breath of cold air, “Only the Heavens know when that will be!?”
After the transformation of the power in his body, he was still only a High-Rank Demon King. There was still the Half-Saint Realm before becoming a Demon Saint… Although it was only two Realms, these two Realms were the two most difficult to break through. It was even more difficult than all his efforts combined throughout his journey to becoming a High-Rank Demon King!
Yu Ru Meng just snickered and said, “Well, that would depend on your efforts…”
“Don’t be like this!” Yang Kai boldly reached his hands out to cup her face and asked seriously, “You’re joking with me, right?”
On the other hand, her expression was as stern as could be and she said in a serious tone, “I am not joking. We hadn’t reached this point before, so I didn’t mind the little things you did. You were free to do whatever you wanted, but you are my man now. You need to have the qualifications to match up to me. I am a Demon Saint. Naturally, only another Demon Saint can stand beside me!”
Yang Kai fell silent. Although these words sounded very unpleasant to his ear, it was also the truth. As the man of a Demon Saint, it was disgraceful that his cultivation was too low.
“Was killing Bright Moon a huge shock to you?” Yu Ru Meng asked, looking at him.
“He was a Great Emperor!” He furrowed his eyebrows, “And, I came from Star Boundary after all.”
Yu Ru Meng continued, “If you didn’t kill him, somebody else would have done it. From the moment he fell into the Demon Realm, it became impossible for him to escape this place. He was fated to die here. It is just like how the Demon Saints do not dare to enter the Star Boundary easily. If we were besieged by those Great Emperors there, I’m afraid we, too, would suffer!”
“Of course, I know that,” He nodded lightly.
“By the way, why did you suddenly undergo a complete demonification?” She asked curiously. Yang Kai had experienced a dissonance in his cultivation once before and gained Demon Essence back in Star Boundary, but his situation had not been that serious and the power in his body continued to be Emperor Qi. However, he had revealed extremely pure Demon Qi when he called upon his power a few days ago. It was as though he was a real member of the Demon Race.
“Speaking of this, I wanted to ask you something too.” Yang Kai frowned deeply, “Back when I was on the run after obtaining the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, my Qi began fluctuating. I had no choice but to return to Cloud Shadow Continent for my breakthrough, but when I was in the process…”
He briefly recounted everything strange that he experienced before, and after listening to his story, Yu Ru Meng’s expression changed greatly, “Are you saying a strange shadow infiltrated your Knowledge Sea at the time of your breakthrough?”
“That’s right. That black shadow was very strange. There was practically no way to destroy it. I don’t even know when it began lurking nearby. It sneaked into my Knowledge Sea in a moment of inattention. After I killed the black shadow, my entire Knowledge Sea was contaminated by Demon Essence and I became able to absorb Demon Qi after that. Accordingly, the power in my body also underwent earth-shaking changes.”
Yu Ru Meng exclaimed in wonder, “If it was impossible to destroy, then how did you kill it?”
He replied, “I have raised some Soul Devouring Insects, so I relied on them to slowly grind it to death.”
“Soul Devouring Insects!?” Yu Ru Meng exclaimed, shocked to learn that he was raising such dangerous insects.
“Just what was that black shadow?” Yang Kai asked.
“I can’t say for sure,” Yu Ru Meng slowly shook her head, “Although I have a guess, I can’t say for certain without actually seeing it for myself.”
“You have a guess?”
She poked him in the chest and said, “Don’t ask so many questions. You will slowly come to understand in the future.”
Before he could ask anything else, she gave him an annoyed look and changed the subject, “Your luck really is Heaven defying. You obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity and broke through your bottleneck. Now, even your Soul cultivation has skyrocketed, right?”
He grinned, “Did you expect that to happen?”
She scoffed, “Why did you think I’ve always stopped you in the past? I was afraid you might be unable to bear the pressure that the sudden explosive growth of your Spiritual Energy would bring. If not for how pitiful you looked, your dreams would have remained unfulfilled!”
[Pitiful!? How can you say that!?] Yang Kai felt a little speechless at those words. Still, the benefits he received from her were unmistakable; thus, he didn’t bother to argue and instead pensively said, “I can sense that not only has my Soul grown a lot, but that it seems to have something else added to it.”
Yu Ru Meng gently nodded, “I am proficient in Charm Techniques, the Innate Divine Abilities of my Charm Demon Clan; therefore, you will have greater resistance towards similar Soul Techniques in the future. Let me put it in this way; even if another Demon Saint or Great Emperor tried to use Charm-type Soul Secret Techniques on you, they would have a hard time succeeding.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened at those words, “It’s that great!?” [Isn’t that equivalent to receiving natural immunity!? Even Demon Saints or Great Emperors will have a hard time succeeding, so those Half-Saints aren’t even worth mentioning anymore!]
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, a glimmer of cold light flashed through his eyes. It was time to settle some old debts he was owed.
She added, “But, it is only limited to Charm-type Soul Secret Techniques.”
“It’s better than nothing,” He grinned.
“Are you going to avenge Bright Moon?” The question came out of nowhere, causing both his body and smile to stiffen instantly. Just as he was about to speak, a delicate finger sealed his lips and Yu Ru Meng continued, “I didn’t mean to deliberately spy on your memories. It’s just that… our Divine Senses blended together when you accepted my Primordial Yin and I gained some insight into your thoughts and emotions. I learned that you were not sincere when you came to the Demon Realm with me. You probably came for Bright Moon’s sake. Am I right?”
Hearing all this, his stiff body gradually relaxed. Since there was no point in him denying it anymore, he could only nod in response, “That’s right. I came to the Demon Realm to save Senior Bright Moon.”
Yu Ru Meng immediately gritted her teeth and scolded, “You tricked me!”
While speaking, a slender jade finger pressed against his chest. Demon Qi fluctuated at the tip of the said finger and a dangerous aura spread out in an instant.
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “Are you going to kill me?”
To which Yu Ru Meng spat equally bitterly, “Did you think I couldn’t bring myself to kill you!?”
He sighed and slowly shook his head, “Go ahead and do it then.”
After saying that, he closed his eyes as though waiting for the executioner’s axe to fall.
Yu Ru Meng gnashed her teeth so hard that the sound was audible. The Demon Qi at the tip of her finger extended out, little by little, turning into a sharp blade that pierced his skin and flesh, heading straight towards his heart, causing golden blood to flow out.
However, she suddenly stopped when it was only a finger’s width from his heart.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked at her triumphantly before rolling over and pressing her body under his, ignoring the blood flowing out of his chest as he laughed out loud, “I knew you couldn’t do it.”
Yu Ru Meng might be a Demon Saint, but she was also a woman. She would certainly hold some special feelings towards the first man to possess her. Not to mention, they were shackled by the Heart Seal Secret Technique, so how could she really bear to kill him?
While Yang Kai was speaking, he lowered his head and kissed Yu Ru Meng on her plump lips, but soon, he raised his head again with a look of pain. His mouth was filled with the taste of blood. She had bit his tongue so hard that it was bleeding.
“Was lying to me fun?” She looked at him coldly, turning hostile from passionate as fast as one could turn the pages of a book, causing him to be quite at a loss for what to do.
He covered his mouth and mumbled, “Still, you didn’t have to bite!”
“You asked for it!” She snorted coldly, “I told you. Don’t even think about touching me again in the future.”
“You were being serious!?” He was flabbergasted.
“Did you think I was joking around with you?” She lifted a leg and kicked him aside. Her clothes flew towards her body the moment she rolled over and stood up, and by the time he recovered from his shock, she was almost fully dressed.
Her well-rounded chest was rising and falling violently, making it obvious that she was still feeling aggrieved. Glancing sideways at him, she asked, “Let me ask you this, does your loyalty lie with the Demon Realm or the Star Boundary?”
This question was too pointed, so Yang Kai fell silent for some time before asking, “What will you do if my loyalty lies with the Demon Realm? And, what will you do if my loyalty lies with the Star Boundary?”
“If your loyalty lies with the Demon Realm, then everything will remain as before. I will do my best to help you become the thirteenth Demon Saint, but if your loyalty lies with the Star Boundary… then I will have nothing to do with you from now onward.”
He gave a bitter laugh, “Will you believe me if I tell you that my loyalty lies with the Demon Realm?”
If she had not seen into his thoughts and memories, his word would not have been an issue; however, it was impossible for her to believe him after the merging of their Divine Senses, so she scowled deeply and stated, “You have completely undergone demonification, and the power in your body has also been converted into Demon Qi. Even if you do return to the Star Boundary, will you still be accepted there? Why do you have to be so stubborn?”
To which Yang Kai slowly shook his head and replied solemnly, “The power in my body does not define me. Cultivators only care for what lies in our hearts. As long as my conscience is clear, there’s no need for me to fear the Heavens.”
Yu Ru Meng was dumbfounded by his words.
Seeing her dumbstruck, Yang Kai quickly struck while the iron was hot and continued, “Ru Meng, why don’t you help me instead? I’m sure I’ll be even more powerful with your help. You don’t need me to tell you about the situation in the Demon Realm as I’m sure you’re already well aware of it. This world is dying, the continents are slowly disappearing, and in addition, the Territory Gates are all becoming unstable. The Demon Realm will collapse one day so the Demon Race can only completely occupy the Star Boundary as their current solution to this problem. But, the Star Boundary won’t fall so easily. The battle will only end up destroying both sides. Both Great Worlds will experience heavy casualties and devastation in the end.”
Yu Ru Meng closed her eyes and shook her head, “That is an unavoidable outcome. The ending was determined from the moment the Two Worlds’ Passage opened. Between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary, only one side will survive.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Perhaps, there exists another ending.”
Yu Ru Meng looked at him with a strange expression, “You can’t be thinking that the inhabitants of both worlds can coexist peacefully, right?”
Yang Kai burst out laughing and shook his head, “That might have been possible before blood was shed, but both the Demon Realm and Star Boundary have lost too many, too much, how can they coexist peacefully with this blood feud between them?”
“Then, what is this other ending you mentioned?”
His gaze was scorching hot as he eagerly explained, “When it comes down to it, the dispute between the Demon Realm and Star Boundary can be summarized into one simple word, survival! What the Demon Realm desires is another world for them to live in. On the other hand, what the Star Boundary desires is to protect their home. Isn’t the reason why both the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints dare not take action so easily? They are afraid of destroying the world! Even if the Demon Realm obtained victory in the end, how many people will survive if the dispute between both worlds continues in this manner? Forget those weaker members of the Demon Race, I’m afraid even most of the Demon Saints will probably meet their end.”
She stared at him in astonishment, “You’ve actually thought that far ahead?”
He smiled, “Well, I have stayed in the Demon Realm for such a long time. If I can’t even understand this much, then my trip here would have been all in vain.”
“Even if everything you’ve said is correct, what can you do about it? All living creatures will search for ways to survive as long as they are sentient. The dispute between the two worlds will not end until a victor emerges.”
Looking at her, he asked, “What if there is another place that can accommodate the Demon Race?”
Yu Ru Meng furrowed her eyebrows at those words and replied in a pensive manner, “Do you mean… another Great World?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded, his gaze turning deep and profound, “The land area in that world is no smaller than the Demon Realm of today. The World Principles there are no worse than the Demon Realm either. Be it the lowest of the Demon Race or the Demon Saints themselves, all of you can safely live in that place. That world can be said to be another, brand new Demon Realm!”
“Do you know where such a world is?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before shaking his head slowly, “I don’t know yet. But perhaps I will in the future.”
Yu Ru Meng looked at him for a short while before she smilingly asked, “Just what are you trying to say?”
He replied with a serious expression, “If there is such a place… Will you help me, Ru Meng?”
“How can I help you?”
“Convince all the other Demon Saints to move the entire Demon Race there.”
“That’s impossible!” She laughed scornfully, “While it’s true that the Demon Realm started this war for the sake of survival, at this point, it’s hard to say how many are truly acting on their original intentions. Don’t forget, the Demon Race is full of bloodthirsty battle junkies.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow at those words. If he thought about it, this was a major factor too. Thus, he went for the next best thing instead, “Alright, let’s not talk about the others for the time being. I will only ask you, how will you choose if given the choice?”
She was taken aback for a moment before replying lightly, “If there really is such a place…” She abruptly gave a flick of her sleeves, “We’ll talk about it then.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, she continued on her own, “I’m returning to the Holy City. You will come with me. It’s not safe for you to remain here so long as Senior Brother Huang has not said anything. Pack up whatever you need quickly. I will wait for you outside.”
Finished with what she wanted to say, she began walking outside; however, she frowned with a touch of pain in her expression before she could take more than a few steps. Reaching down to clutch at her abdomen, she threw a vicious glare at him.
Yang Kai stood beside the bed without a single piece of cloth covering his body, his hands on his waist, admiring her enchanting back and slightly strange gait with a mischievous grin.
Although Yu Ru Meng had not made her stance on the matter clear in the end, he had seen that she was swayed by his proposal. That had greatly encouraged him. It gave him a stronger certainty that the sudden idea that had popped into his head might be possible to realize. Moreover, she had not done anything to him even after realizing the various intentions in his head. On the contrary, she was bringing him back to the Holy City with her to seek refuge. That showed that she still cared about him. It might have been because of the Heart Seal Secret Technique or perhaps the effects of sharing a bed with him, but regardless of the reason, it was a good start.
Yang Kai suddenly felt his entire body relaxing. The fact that he no longer needed to put up a pretence in front of Yu Ru Meng reduced a lot of the pressure on him.
A short while later, Yang Kai got dressed and left to look for Lao Ke. After leaving his instructions with the Demon King, he took off into the air with Yu Ru Meng. He did not bring the Embodiment with him and instead left him behind to protect Cloud Shadow Continent, in case of unexpected accidents.
Yu Ru Meng ignored Yang Kai throughout the journey, as if they had not shared many intimate moments over the past few days with him. She was probably still feeling angry and sullen. Not willing to upset her further, Yang Kai decided to close his eyes and rest instead. Unfortunately, that only irritated her even more and she was tempted to throw him out on several occasions.
A Demon Saint’s flight speed was extremely fast; therefore, it took them less than half a day to arrive on Enchantment Continent. Upon entering the palace in the Holy City, Yu Ru Meng tossed Yang Kai into the courtyard where he stayed before and disappeared without a word. She didn’t even give him a chance to speak.
The maids in the courtyard were the same ones as last time. None of them had changed aside from Xiao Wu, whom he had brought with him to Cloud Shadow Continent. Needless to say, they recognized him and served him wholeheartedly.
He entered the room and ordered them not to disturb him without reason. Only then did he sit down cross-legged. Sighing softly, he entered the Small Sealed World.
In the next moment, he appeared in the medicine garden of the Small Sealed World. The two Wood Spirits, Mu Zhu and Mu Na, immediately became aware of his presence and flew over from somewhere. After seeing Yang Kai, they shouted in unison, “Master!”
Yang Kai looked around and asked, “Where is the person I sent here the other day?”
The two Wood Spirits exchanged a look with each other before Mu Zhu said, “Master, please come with me.”
While speaking, she turned around and led the way. Navigating through the various exotic plants and flowers, Yang Kai soon arrived in front of a certain spirit plant with gigantic leaves under the guidance of the two Wood Spirits. There were three long leaves on the spirit plant that stretched out like three big beds. Two of the leaves were stretched out fully while the last one was furled up tightly as though wrapped around something.
He immediately understood what it was and looked at that spirit leaf with a sorrowful gaze.
Mu Zhu stretched out her hand to touch the spirit leaf, causing it to unfurl itself, presenting the body of a person. That person had a peaceful expression as though he was in a deep sleep. It was Bright Moon Great Emperor!
The blood stains on the Great Emperor’s body had been cleaned, and the two Wood Spirits even changed his clothes for him to cover up the huge gaping wound in the middle of his chest. His face was extremely pale and he was completely devoid of vitality.
“Did you try to restore his vitality?” He asked. The Wood Spirit Clan was not only proficient in cultivating Spirit Flowers and exotic herbs, but also very adept at Healing Techniques. He had sent Bright Moon here that day in hopes that the two Wood Spirits could do something to bring the dead back to life and preserve one of the pillars of the Star Boundary.
“Master, he was already gone by the time you sent him here. All that remained was an empty shell. There was nothing Na Na and I could do,” Mu Zhu replied softly.
He did not respond.
“Master, this man is…” She asked softly from the side. When he sent Bright Moon’s body here the other day, she and Mu Na had discovered him immediately. They also realized that this person must be an extremely important person; after all, it was the first time Yang Kai had ever sent a corpse to the medicine garden. He would not have sent anybody here unless they held very special meaning to him.
“One of the Ten Great Emperors, Bright Moon Great Emperor!” While speaking, he pulled up his robes and knelt respectfully in front of Bright Moon’s corpse. He took a shallow breath and quickly continued, “Senior, Junior Yang Kai swears to you that I won’t let you down. I will put my life on the line to prevent the Star Boundary’s Will from being stolen and to protect the Star Boundary from danger. I hope you will give me your protection and blessings from the Heavens.”
After he finished speaking, he bowed three times, deeply and respectfully. The two Wood Spirits behind him imitated his actions. Although they had never met, a Great Emperor was worthy of their respect.
A short while later, he instructed the two Wood Spirits to take good care of Bright Moon’s body. Then, his figure flickered, and he disappeared from that spot, soon appearing on top of a tall mountain.
A figure stood alone on the top of that mountain. Nobody knew how long that person had been standing there, but he gave off an indescribably sad and desolate air. Seeming to notice something, he suddenly yelled, “Who is it!?”
When he turned around to look, his eyes suddenly widened. A look of pleasant surprise burst forth from his gaze, almost as though he found a glimmer of hope in the midst of his despair. He practically scrambled and crawled over to Yang Kai in a rush and wept, “Sir, I finally meet you again! Sir, I’m begging you. Please let me go!”
Yang Kai looked down at the Low-Rank Demon King sprawled on the ground in front of him. Pondering for a moment, he asked, “I recall your name is Huo Lun, yes?”
Huo Lun nodded quickly, “Yes! This lowly one is indeed called Huo Lun!”
This person was none other than the Low-Rank Demon King that Yang Kai had coerced during his return journey from Eternal Sky Continent to Cloud Shadow Continent. He had borrowed this person’s body to pass through several strictly blockaded Territory Gates to safely return to the Cloud Shadow Continent. It was just that this person had learned about the existence of the Sealed World Bead, so Yang Kai had thrown him inside just in case.
On the one hand, Yang Kai had not wanted the secret of the Sealed World Bead to be exposed. On the other hand, he had wanted to run an experiment.
Huo Lun continued, “Sir, please let me know if you have any instructions for me! This lowly one will do everything you ask of without complaining! I just beg that you don’t lock me up in here anymore, Sir!”
This damned place was extremely vast, and he had been searching for a way out since he arrived; however, he had not been able to find anything. What frightened him even more was that there was not a single living thing here. It was as though he was the only one left in the entire whole world. Therefore, he had been under tremendous psychological pressure in this desolate and unfamiliar environment. If not for his Demon King cultivation and strong mental fortitude, he would likely have suffered a nervous breakdown a long time ago. For that reason, seeing Yang Kai again at this time was like meeting his saviour.
“What’s wrong? Are you having trouble getting used to living here?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
Huo Lun wept with a melancholic expression, “Sir, this is but a desolate wasteland! There’s nobody here! How can I get used to it!?” He replied to the question honestly. After saying that, his expression became incredibly sincere, “Sir, this lowly one will obey you wholeheartedly from now on if you just let me out!”
Yang Kai smiled, “What would I need from a Low-Rank Demon King like you?”
Huo Lun’s complexion paled. Thinking back on the power Yang Kai had displayed previously, he realized that a Low-Rank Demon King was really useless to Yang Kai and instantly died inside at the realization.
Huo Lun was wallowing in despair when he heard Yang Kai speak again, “Let me ask you this. How does this place feel different to you compared to the Demon Realm?”
It stood to reason that he did not dare to refuse answering any one of Yang Kai’s questions, so composing himself, Huo Lun replied, “The World Energy is not as abundant and the Principles are on the weaker side. If I stay here for too long, I’m afraid my cultivation will be at risk of regressing.”
The World Energy and Principles of the Small Sealed World’s original territory were abundant and perfect; however, this piece of newly devoured and integrated territory was much poorer in comparison. It was formed from the fragments of the Demon Realm continents that had disappeared after all, so it was an unexpected miracle in itself that these fragments could reintegrate. How much more could one ask?
Huo Lun hesitated for a moment after saying that; then, he asked cautiously, “Sir, is this place not the Demon Realm?”
When it came down to it, he was still a Low-Rank Demon King, so it was only natural that he was somewhat aware that he had suddenly arrived in another world.
“Of course this isn’t the Demon Realm.” Yang Kai nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting, “But, it may become another Demon Realm in the future.”
“W-What do you mean?” Huo Lun looked confused.
“It’s none of your business what I mean. I have an extremely important task for you. If you do this well, then I might give you back your freedom one day.”
Huo Lun was pleasantly surprised and affirmed, “Sir, please do tell. This lowly one will do his best!”
“I want you to live here with peace of mind. This world might experience some unexpected changes in the near future. All you have to do is record the changes that occur in this place and report them all to me… Perhaps, you will be reluctant to leave this place one day.”
[Who would want to live in this damned place!?] He retorted rudely in his heart; even so, Huo Lun quickly accepted the task on the surface. He couldn’t help wondering to himself, [What kind of mission is this? More importantly, what kind of changes will occur in this world?]
While he was still caught up in his doubts, Yang Kai had already vanished from sight. Shocked, Huo Lun hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs a few times, but there was no response whatsoever, so he couldn’t help feeling depressed. Thinking back on the instructions that Yang Kai had given him, he could only pray that Yang Kai would do as promised and he would be allowed to go free one day.
A short while later, a log house appeared on the top of the mountain. He needed a place to stay if he was going to be living here, and it was a simple task for a Low-Rank Demon King to build himself a simple hut.
…
Inside his room, Yang Kai composed his emotions, sat down cross-legged, and calmed his mind. Bright Moon was gone, and there was no way to bring the dead back to life. All he could do now was to fulfil the task Bright Moon had entrusted to him and protect the opportunity in his possession. To do that, he needed more strength.
Since breaking through by a Minor Realm the other day, Yang Kai had not had the time to sit and understand his current condition. It was only natural for him to be excited to see the differences within himself before and after the breakthrough since he finally had some free time on his hands. Naturally, his main reason was to check if there were any hidden dangers.
The power in his body had suddenly undergone such extreme changes that even he felt nervous, especially since the seal on the Ancient Demon’s Demon Qi in his dantian had been fully released. He was very worried that he might suffer from some sort of drawback as a result.
A powerful wave of Divine Sense surged and swept across his body, little by little, as he examined himself extremely thoroughly.
A full day later, Yang Kai exhaled deeply. His inspection had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his breakthrough. The power in his body had been completely converted, his body and meridians had not been damaged, and the rich Demon Qi flowed through him without any hindrances.
Even though there was nothing wrong with his body, Yang Kai had an extremely sorrowful expression on his face. His current condition was a perfect example of a standard High-Rank Demon King and he just couldn’t get used to the idea. He honestly did not know whether he would be hunted down as part of the Demon Race if he returned to the Star Boundary now.
Nevertheless, there was no point in thinking about such things at the moment. He decided to set aside these thoughts and try to circulate his Secret Art instead. The Demon Qi in the world surged towards him, pouring into his pores and flowing through his meridians before sinking into his dantian.
He could really cultivate in the Demon Realm without any scruples now. Yang Kai had been in the Demon Realm for such a long time, but he practically never cultivated during that period. The main reason was that the conditions did not allow for it. The world was filled with Demon Qi, which was completely different from the pure World Energy found in the Star Boundary. It could have caused unpredictable consequences if he had rashly absorbed it into his body. Unlike the Embodiment, Yang Kai had not cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so it was only natural that he did not dare to try cultivating here lightly. But the environment in the Demon Realm was no longer a constraint to him now that he had completely undergone demonification.
[I can absorb the Demon Qi in the world, but what about Demon Crystals?] Without hesitation, Yang Kai took out a large number of Demon Crystals from his Space Ring and shattered them. The room was instantly flooded with abundant Demon Qi, and as he breathed, the Demon Qi poured into his body without causing him any discomfort whatsoever.
Immediately after that, he flipped his hand and took out a Myriad Demon Pill, only hesitating for a moment before placing it into his mouth and swallowing it.
The Myriad Demon Pill was not a Spirit Pill. Rather, it was a special existence formed in the Myriad Demon Caves on the various continents in the Demon Realm. Those Myriad Demon Caves absorbed the vitality and Spiritual Essence of the Demon Race living on each continent at all times, which in turn resulted in the formation of Myriad Demon Pills like fruits inside each Myriad Demon Caves.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure why the Myriad Demon Caves had such peculiar abilities, he only knew that they suddenly appeared after the Demon Realm shattered into many independent continents.
The Myriad Demon Caves gave him a very strange feeling. They felt like they were living things, but even so, that did not prevent the Myriad Demon Pills from having powerful effects on the Demon Race. The Myriad Demon Pills formed in the Myriad Demon Caves were equivalent to the crystallization of the Demon Race’s vitality and Spiritual Essence on each continent. Hence, they contained huge and terrifying energy.
The Embodiment had advanced to become a Half-Saint in a very short time all thanks to his consumption of Myriad Demon Pills.
Yang Kai didn’t feel anything when the Myriad Demon Pill first entered his abdomen; however, he soon felt his stomach becoming boiling hot. It felt as though what he swallowed was not a Myriad Demon Pill but a burning-hot soldering chunk of iron. The huge energy exploded in his lower abdomen and flooded every corner of his body, causing his flesh to squirm and his meridians to swell.
He was secretly surprised. He had long known that the energy contained in the Myriad Demon Pills was unimaginable, but it wasn’t until he actually consumed one that he realized just how huge the energy reserves were. No wonder only the members of the Demon Race in the Demon King realm and above were eligible to enjoy the benefits of the Myriad Demon Pills. If any member of the Demon Race below the Demon King realm were to consume such a treasure, even a High-Rank Demon Great General would explode and die immediately.
At present, Yang Kai was a High-Rank Demon King; moreover, his true strength far surpassed that of an ordinary High-Rank Demon King. Therefore, a single Myriad Demon Pill could not harm him. He guided the energy in his abdomen to flow into his limbs and skeletal structure, then refined that energy into his body, bit by bit. He could clearly feel his strength increasing little by little.
He couldn’t help feeling somewhat amazed. The Myriad Demon Pill was more powerful than any of the other treasures or Emperor Spirit Pills he had taken before. It was no wonder that the Demon Race held a large advantage over the Star Boundary in terms of top Masters. It wasn’t just because the Demon Race had a larger population compared to the Star Boundary, it was also because they possessed Myriad Demon Pills.
The power difference between the two worlds was unbalanced from the beginning, and now that Bright Moon was dead, one of the peak level powerhouses had been lost and the imbalance became even more obvious. If the dispute between the two worlds were to continue, the Star Boundary was bound to face a catastrophic end. It wouldn’t even take ten years for the Star Boundary to fall, not unless they could figure out a way to reduce the number of Demon Saints. Unfortunately, a Demon Saint was not that easy to kill.
On the contrary, it would give the Star Boundary a chance to survive if there was another way to end the dispute between the two worlds.
Yang Kai knew that he needed to pick up the pace. He had to figure out another solution before the Demon Realm went all out in their invasion and the Demon Saints entered the battlefields themselves.
A single Myriad Demon Pill took Yang Kai a full ten days to completely absorb. He could not compare to the Embodiment’s speed at all. Due to the Embodiment’s constitution and cultivation technique, he was much faster at consuming the Myriad Demon Pills compared to Yang Kai. Furthermore, the Embodiment’s speed was sure to increase now that he was a Half-Saint.
[Luckily, I stole nearly ten thousand Myriad Demon Pills from Bei Li Mo…] Yang Kai opened his room door and called upon the maids. After making some inquiries, he learnt that Yu Ru Meng had not come looking for him nor passed any messages to him at all during this period. Thus, he continued cultivating. He swallowed another Myriad Demon Pill and began refining it.
It wasn’t until he finished refining three Myriad Demon Pills that he received news from Yu Ru Meng. The person who came bearing the message was none other than an old acquaintance of his, Bai Zhuo.
Bai Zhuo had also participated in the scramble for the opportunity back on Eternal Sky Continent. Unfortunately, his luck was rather poor. He had been injured by Bright Moon and was recuperating in the Holy City recently as a result. If not for that, he would have already rushed back to the Two Worlds’ Battlefield.
When Yang Kai saw him, he was still rather pale-faced and would also cough from time to time.
The two of them left the palace together, found a restaurant in the Holy City, and sat down to talk over some drinks. After a few rounds, Bai Zhuo smiled slightly and said, “Brother Yang, you really are a person with big opportunities. More than a hundred Half-Saints returned empty-handed after that battle on Eternal Sky Continent. In fact, more than ten Half-Saints lost their lives there. And yet, only you managed to grab the opportunity, Brother Yang. It really makes me envious.”
Yang Kai finished the wine in his cup in one gulp and smiled slightly in response, “It is said that fortune is a mysterious and fickle thing. Who can tell clearly where fate lies? I never meant to snatch the opportunity that day, I was only there to watch the fun.”
Bai Zhuo replied with a look of envy, “That’s why I said your luck is amazing, Brother Yang.”
So many Half-Saints had gone all out while eyeing that opportunity covetously, but in the end, it had been taken by a person who was only there to enjoy the show. It was enough to make one spit three litres of blood from the frustration.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Holy Venerable has asked me to inform you that your affairs have been settled. All of the Holy Venerables have come to an agreement that they will not attack you again directly.”
That outcome was within Yang Kai’s expectations. Since Huang Wu Ji himself had uttered those words, he could not slap himself in the face by taking them back. In addition, the rest of the Demon Saints would act out of respect for him. In any case, from the Demon Race’s point of view, Yang Kai had thoroughly undergone demonification and could now be regarded as one of them; therefore, it didn’t make much of a difference whether the opportunity was in his possession or one of the Half-Saints. It was also for this reason that Xue Li had no choice but to retreat the other day.
Upon hearing those words, Yang Kai asked, “That is to say, I will be safe in the Demon Realm from now on, right?”
Bai Zhuo smiled meaningfully, “Relatively speaking, it should be much safer,”
“Relatively speaking…” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, quickly reading between the lines.
Bai Zhuo laughed, “Holy Venerable Huang Wu Ji has spoken. The other Holy Venerables will have some scruples, so they won’t cause further trouble for you. However, that does not necessarily apply to the Half-Saints.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Even the Holy Venerables have some scruples. How can it be that the Half-Saints don’t have any?”
Bai Zhuo slowly shook his head and sighed softly, “Brother Yang, you must know that the opportunity in your possession was originally prepared for all the Half-Saints in the Demon Realm. It’s just that it happened to fall into your possession in the end. It would have been one thing were you really a member of the Demon Race. Unfortunately, Brother Yang, you know what kind of situation you’re currently in too. Somebody will inevitably make a fuss about your background and cause a dispute over it.”
“I understand what you mean, Brother Bai Zhuo. In the Demon Realm, the Demon Saints are concerned about their status and pride, so they won’t do anything to me, but those Half-Saints don’t have the same concerns, am I right?”
Bai Zhuo said, “Since ancient times, wealth blinds while opportunities breed greed. What’s more, this opportunity is a direct path to the Heavens to all Half-Saints. If not for the fact that I’ve known you for a long time now and that we work together under the same Holy Venerable, I would honestly have been tempted too.”
Yang Kai nodded gently in response.
Bai Zhuo then lowered his voice and continued, “These are the results of the negotiations between Holy Venerable and the other Holy Venerables. There is no fault in the Holy Venerables’ reasoning either. Simply put, if you don’t have the power to protect the opportunity in your possession, then you might as well hand it over as soon as possible.”
Bai Zhuo paused for a moment before adding, “Holy Venerable asked me to inform you that since you have received the opportunity, it is best if you remain in the Holy City to cultivate peacefully. Once you have reached the peak of your current Realm, nobody will be able to do anything to you anymore.”
Yang Kai looked at Bai Zhuo and asked, “Is that what Holy Venerable said?”
Bai Zhuo replied solemnly, “Not one word more, nor one word less.”
Immediately after that, he asked with a strange expression, “Brother Yang, this may be an inappropriate question, but have you done something to upset Holy Venerable?”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Holy Venerable’s attitude towards Yang Kai had become a little complicated. Despite her clear concern, it felt like she wanted to be indirect about it… saying one thing but meaning something else! Bai Zhuo would never forget witnessing such behaviour. He had served under Yu Ru Meng for so many centuries, but he had never seen her with such an expression before. It was the look a young maiden would show when she was experiencing her first love. He had been quite taken aback when he first saw it in fact.
It would not have been a big deal if it had been anybody else; however, Yu Ru Meng was no ordinary person. She was one of the Twelve Demon Saints, an existence that stood at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm. He couldn’t believe that there would be a time when she could show such a look too.
Yang Kai grinned meaningfully, asking another question instead of answering the previous one, “Since Holy Venerable asked you to inform me about this, does that mean she doesn’t want to see me?”
Bai Zhuo lightly coughed and vaguely replied, “I don’t know about that. All I know is that Holy Venerable truly values you, Brother Yang.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Brother Yang, do you mean…” Bai Zhuo looked at Yang Kai inquisitively.
Yang Kai grabbed the cup of wine in front of him and poured the contents into his mouth. After a moment, he slammed the cup down on the table heavily, wiped his mouth with his hand, and declared, “Time will not wait for me. I won’t be staying long in the Holy City!”
Bai Zhuo sighed again and smacked his lips, “Holy Venerable mentioned that if you want to leave, you can leave at any time. There is no need to see her first.”
Yang Kai nodded at those words, “Fine! Women are troublesome, so it will only be more hassle if we meet.”
Bai Zhuo looked down at his shoes, pretending to have heard nothing…
“By the way, Brother Bai Zhuo,” Yang Kai suddenly stared at Bai Zhuo with a scorching gaze, “Can I ask you a question? If any Half-Saint came looking for trouble with me, can I kill them?”
Bai Zhuo was startled when he heard those words. Lifting his head, he saw that Yang Kai’s eyes were brimming with murderous intentions and he couldn’t help asking, “Who are you planning to kill, Brother Yang?”
“I will kill anybody who comes picking a fight with me!”
If an ordinary High-Rank Demon King had spoken such bold words, Bai Zhuo would have burst out laughing, believing that person didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. There was a vast gap between a Demon King and a Half-Saint, as big as the difference between an elephant and an ant. How was it not amusing for an ant to even dream of biting an elephant to death?
However, he had no choice but to take those words seriously since Yang Kai was the one who said them; after all, the person in front of him was no ordinary High-Rank Demon King. He briefly considered it for a moment before answering, “Nobody is willing to stick out their neck and allow another to cut off their head. You can retaliate if anybody tries to harm you. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That is your right, Brother Yang.”
“Good!” Yang Kai stood up and cupped his fists, “Many thanks for the hospitality, Brother Bai Zhuo. Let us meet again in the future,” After saying that, he strode out of the restaurant.
Upon exiting, Yang Kai looked back in the direction of the palace, vaguely aware of a gaze that seemed to be looking at him, though he could not tell where it was coming from. Grinning widely, he lifted a hand and vigorously waved in that direction before shooting up into the sky and disappearing into the distance.
An incense stick later, Bai Zhuo stood inside the palace and truthfully reported the events of his meeting with Yang Kai.
Yu Ru Meng calmly listened to the end before raising her brow and asking, “Did he just leave like that? He didn’t leave any kind of message at all?”
Bai Zhuo lowered his gaze and shook his head slowly, “He did not leave behind a single word.” Afterwards, he seemed to hear the sound of somebody grinding their teeth and couldn’t help shivering from the chill that ran down his back…
After considering it for a moment, he continued, “Although Brother Yang currently carries the Great Emperor’s Opportunity in him, he cannot be considered powerful. His hasty departure is no different from a child running through a bustling city with a pocketful of money; he will only attract countless covetous gazes to him. Should I chase after him and bring him back?”
“Why would you want to chase him!?” Yu Ru Meng’s complexion paled with anger. She gritted her teeth and flicked her sleeves irritably, “Just let him die outside!”
Bai Zhuo lowered his head even further, scolding Yang Kai furiously in his heart. [That guy just upped and left, leaving me to weather through the Holy Venerable’s stormy temper, it’s just too unfair!]
Instinctively realizing that he would be miserable if he continued to stay in the Holy City, Bai Zhuo ignored the fact that he was still injured and cupped his fists, “Holy Venerable, it’s been a while since I returned and the Two Worlds’ Battlefield remains without a leader. Please allow me to return to the frontlines and preside over the overall situation.”
Yu Ru Meng’s expression clouded over slightly at those words and she asked in concern, “How are your injuries?”
To which Bai Zhuo replied, “It is nothing serious. I only need to recuperate for a few more days to recover fully. Many thanks for your concern, Holy Venerable.”
Thus she nodded, “If that’s what you want, this Saint will allow it. Take this; it will aid your recovery.” While speaking, a jade box smoothly and steadily flew over to him.
Knowing that it must be a treasure for healing purposes, Bai Zhuo hurriedly thanked her for her graciousness. Then, she suddenly spoke up just before he left, “This time, focus more on defence when you stand on the Two Worlds’ Battlefield. Don’t start battles lightly.”
He was stunned to hear those words and did not know why she issued such an order. The army under the Twelve Demon Saints was currently divided into twelve equal parts, each performing their own respective duties. The territory conquered by their respective armies would in turn become their own. It was equivalent to a competition between the Twelve Demon Saints to snatch up land in the Star Boundary in advance. Once the Star Boundary was occupied in the future, the amount of land conquered by each Demon Saint during the war would determine the size of the territory they would control.
Despite that, Yu Ru Meng’s orders were equivalent to giving up her advantage in this competition. At this rate, she would not occupy much territory if they really took over the Star Boundary in the future. It was impossible for her to resettle all the people living on the continents under her without enough land. If she failed to resettle those people, there would definitely be riots and rebellion from the masses…
He was extremely puzzled, and under normal circumstances, he would have questioned her motives carefully. Unfortunately, Yu Ru Meng was clearly in a terrible mood, so he did not dare to speak carelessly. Thus, he could only docilely accept her orders and leave.
After Bai Zhuo took his leave, a strong force burst out of Yu Ru Meng’s tender body that swept across the entire palace, causing all the furnishings in the palace to explode into dust from the impact. Gritting her teeth, she roared, “Bastard!”
The guards and the maids in the palace trembled with fright, crouching on the ground with their hands over their heads.
…..
The scenery on Flying Clouds Continent was beautiful. There were undulating mountains and countless rivers. Moreover, the World Energy was extremely abundant in this place. It was one of the territories under Yu Ru Meng that was being managed by a Half-Saint. The overall strength of the entire continent was not weak. Be that as it may, there was an obvious difference between the customs on this continent compared to most other continents. Here, women were superior to men.
The status of the male Demons was lower than that of the female Demons unless their cultivation had reached a certain realm. This disparity was more strongly portrayed among the weaker members of the Demon Race. The female Demons held all the important positions in various villages, towns, and even cities. In contrast, the male Demons with the same cultivation were generally slightly more disadvantaged than their female counterparts.
The main reason for this was the Half-Saint who ruled this continent. She was a female member of the Demon Race. Moreover, she was from the same clan as Yu Ru Meng, the Charm Demon Clan!
Among the hundreds of clans in the Demon Realm, each one had their own specialties and characteristics. The speciality of the Charm Demon Clan was that their Soul cultivation was superior to all others in the same realm. They also specialized in seduction. Every single Charm Demon was a natural beauty. In the Demon Realm, which member of the Demon Race with a little bit of strength and status did not have a few Charm Demons around for their pleasure? The Charm Demons were well-known for their seduction skills and bedroom techniques.
In this regard, Yang Kai had enjoyed an unforgettable experience with Yu Ru Meng. Even though it was her first time, her performance in bed had left him wanting. She was almost comparable to Shan Qing Luo, and this was just the beginning. Given a little more time, even Shan Qing Luo would be outdone by her.
The Half-Saint Yin Si, who was the governor of Flying Clouds Continent, might have been born a Charm Demon, but nobody had the right to make her feign obedience and cater to their pleasure due to her cultivation and status. On the contrary, she kept more than 3,000 male concubines in Flying Clouds Palace, with the number increasing every year. As new male concubines were brought in, older male concubines were naturally sent out. However, regardless of the race or cultivation of these male concubines, those that stayed in Flying Clouds Palace for more than three years generally did not live long after being let go.
The Charm Demon Clan’s techniques in the bedroom were exquisite, and their innate ability to gather Yang to supplement Yin was one of their specialties. What male Demon could bear the burden of being a Half-Saint Charm Demon’s supplement? Therefore, things would be hectic on Flying Clouds Continent for a while at a certain time every year. The Demon Kings overseeing their respective areas had to try their best to select outstanding and strong male Demons from their territories to send to Flying Clouds Palace for Yin Si’s pleasure.
Even though it wasn’t time to select those who would enter the palace yet, Flying Clouds Continent was bustling once again. Moreover, the demand from Flying Clouds Palace this time around was higher than in previous years. The whole continent was operating in full swing and a continuous stream of qualified male Demons were sent to the capital. More than a thousand men had been sent into Flying Clouds Palace over the past month, and it showed no signs of slowing down yet.
Most ordinary Demons did not know the real reason for this. They simply thought that Yin Si was doing this for her own pleasure; thus, they secretly admired and envied her at the same time for her vigour. Despite knowing that the men who were sent into Flying Clouds Palace would not live long, being able to sleep with a Half-Saint was something countless men could only dream about, much less a Half-Saint of the Charm Demon Clan. For that reason, many male Demons from Flying Clouds Continent would voluntarily sign themselves up to enter the palace whenever it issued a summons for more people in the previous years.
Only very few Demon Kings knew the inside story.
Yin Si governed Flying Clouds Continent. Although she had always done this, it had never been as ridiculous as this time. More importantly, it wasn’t for her pleasure. The truth was she was suffering from injuries and desperately needed the young men to heal herself!
During the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, more than ten Half-Saints had been killed while many more were wounded. Bai Zhuo was one of the wounded, as was Yin Si. Compared to Bai Zhuo though, her injuries were much more severe. She had nearly been killed on the spot by Bright Moon Great Emperor and if she had not avoided the blow in the nick of time, Flying Clouds Continent would be without a leader now.
Flying Clouds Palace was located where the Demon Qi was densest on Flying Clouds Continent. The entire palace had been built to a magnificent and grand scale with countless halls inside, demonstrating the flair of the Continent Lord.
A group of male Demons stood in a long line outside the main hall, each of them in thin, practically see-through robes as they waited patiently. These male Demons were the people selected from various places throughout the continent and all of them were strong and sturdy. Some were as burly as an iron tower, some were as handsome as phoenixes, and some bore the scars of profound vicissitudes. Every one of them was good-looking and had different characteristics.
A female Demon King with extraordinary cultivation was stationed at the front of the line, inspecting them one by one. She was dressed in very revealing clothes. Perhaps it was because she had been serving under Yin Si for such a long time that her actions and mannerisms were similarly bold and unrestrained. While performing her checks on the men, she would stretch out her hand from time to time to grope at their broad chests. What’s more; she even grabbed at their nether regions to get a feel for the size of their packages. If it was to her taste, she would smile charmingly, and if it was not, they would be driven away on the spot. Hence, some of the male Demons would occasionally be dragged out of the queue by the guards and thrown out of Flying Clouds Palace.
The male Demons who passed the inspection were soon divided into groups of ten and welcomed into the great hall by another female Demon King. The door of the hall opened and closed constantly, as though it was an invisible beast devouring various delicacies. Interestingly, the male Demons who entered the main hall never came back out again. Nobody knew where they went.
Once in a while, soft moans could be heard from inside when the doors to the main hall were opened. When these moans entered the ears of the male Demons waiting outside, it caused their blood to boil and their breathing to quicken.
Shortly after that, the female Demon King who was in charge of the inspection came to stand in front of a certain male Demon. Her brow automatically furrowed at the sight of him. She did not know why, but this person seemed a little off; even so, she could not find anything wrong with him even upon closer inspection. On the contrary, the strong and broad chest that was partly hidden underneath the thin robes made her eyes light up. Licking her lips, she acted as usual and slid a jade-white hand into his robe to grope him lightly. His chest felt as tough as iron and her breath caught in her throat as she swallowed nervously, “Which clan are you from?”
The male Demons grinned, “Strength Demon Clan!”
“No wonder…” The female Demon King exhaled an orchid scent, her tone soft as she whispered while stroking his chest, “It gives off such an imposing feeling.”
While speaking, her small hand slowly slid downward, but just as she was about to touch his crucial spot, a large hand suddenly caught her jade-white hand. A domineering force came from that large hand, causing her to feel the faintest trace of pain; however, his actions did not upset her, they only made her more interested in this Strength Demon who was standing in front of her. Her beautiful lashes fluttered elegantly as her complexion was slightly flushed, “What’s wrong? Can’t I touch a little?”
The Strength Demon leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Madame, please take this lowly one away with you if you really want a taste. You can touch as much as you want then…”
His hot breath blew against her earlobe, causing them to turn red in an instant. Her entire body became hot and uncomfortable. Biting her red lips, she chuckled, “How dare you tease this Queen like this?”
While speaking, she struggled with an internal conflict for a moment before she sighed softly and withdrew her hand, “Someone will be coming to lead you into the hall later. Take good care of Madame when you go inside,”
The Strength Demon shrugged with an indifferent expression on his face. On the other hand, the female Demon King brushed past him with a look of regret. Even though she really wanted to bring such a superb specimen like him back with her, she did not have the guts to steal something from her superior and could only lament a little…
In the meantime, the door to the main hall opened and closed with ten people entering the great hall at hourly intervals. The long line kept moving forward… Approximately six hours later, it was finally the turn of the group that the Strength Demon from before belonged to. They followed another female Demon King into the hall, and when the door closed again, a strange slapping sound and a low roar entered their ears. The sounds were coming from the deepest part of the hall, but it was much clearer now compared to the occasional cry heard from outside the door. Soon, the entire group of male Demons began breathing heavily.
They followed the female Demon King as she proceeded deeper inside, and a short while later, a rose-coloured world came into view. They were standing inside a room where a large bed and a mess of naked bodies were entangled like a snake pit while the air was filled with an ambiguous scent. There was only one woman among that tangle of bodies, her figure incredibly graceful. Meanwhile, the rest were men who surrounded her like the stars around the moon, servicing her as best as they could.
From time to time, the eyes of one of the male Demons on the bed would roll to the back of his head. He would then collapse, completely devoid of aura. Afterwards, the fallen male Demon would quickly be dragged out of the room by a team of maids. Even so, the rest of the men seemed oblivious to what was happening. They continued to gather around the female Demon with an intoxicated expression on their faces and dedicate their vitality to her. Even the Demons that had just entered the room didn’t seem to notice anything. They were highly aroused, staring hungrily at the perfect and tender body of the lone female Demon.
A sneer lifted the corners of the mouth of the Strength Demon who was standing among the crowd, his eyes filled with derisive scorn.
Seeming to sense something, the female Demon who was rocking her body back and forth on the bed with a head full of dishevelled hair suddenly frowned. She lifted her head and looked over in his direction, coincidentally meeting the eyes of that ‘Strength Demon’. Her expression changed drastically in the next moment as she gritted her teeth and roared, “Yang Kai!”
“Yin Si!” Yang Kai, who had disguised himself as a Strength Demon to infiltrate this place, replied with an extremely cold glare. He let out a roar while simultaneously throwing himself at Yin Si and attacking her with a palm strike.
Even though Yin Si was in the middle of copulating and was currently heavily injured, the quick reaction speed of a Half-Saint was nothing if not quick. In that tense moment, she grabbed a male Demon, who was kneeling by the bed like a dog in heat, and used him to shield herself. Following that, she abruptly backed away without even changing her posture.
The male Demon she had caught and used as a literal meat shield was still desperately groping at her, bewitched by her Charm Technique and completely unaware of the crisis approaching him. A faint enraptured smile remained on his face even when Yang Kai’s attack turned him into a mist of blood.
Another male Demon kneeling behind Yin Si suffered the same fate, but his death was unrelated to Yang Kai. When Yin Si retreated abruptly, he had not moved out of her way. Thus, she collided into him and turned him into a mist of blood as a result. He didn’t even have bones left. The boiling-hot blood splashed against Yin Si’s body, staining her snow-white skin a bloody red. Only then did a terrifying wave of Demon Qi burst outward. The pink-coloured bed collapsed, and the male Demons still left were killed on the spot.
“Impudence!” Several of the female Demon Kings inside the room, who had been serving Yin Si all this time, finally reacted, their expressions changing drastically. None of them had ever expected somebody would dare to attack Yin Si in Flying Clouds Palace.
The strength of these female Demon Kings was not weak. One was a High-Rank Demon King, three were Mid-Rank, and two were Low-Rank. They immediately pushed their Demon Qi and lunged toward Yang Kai without any hesitation.
“Die!” Yang Kai swung both arms outward and pitch-black Moon Blades slashed at those female Demon Kings.
There was a rumbling explosion and the female Demon Kings rushing at him instantly reacted as though they had been struck by lightning. Their eyes widened in unison as their advancing figures were thrown backwards as though a powerful force had ripped through them.
Ever since he began cultivating, Yang Kai had always excelled at fighting beyond his Realm. He had already killed High-Rank Demon Kings and Third-Order Emperors when he was just a Second-Order Emperor himself, so now that he was a Third-Order Emperor, the only ones in the entire Demon Realm who could put up a fight against him were Half-Saints and those above them.
Those female Demon Kings might not have been weak, but they couldn’t even approach him. They were completely wiped out in an instant. They probably did not expect him to be so powerful. They felt safe with Yin Si around, so they had let their guard down and suffered terrible misfortune as a result.
On the other hand, Yin Si, who had left his range of attack and pulled on a piece of gauze to cover her body, narrowed her eyes at him. She finally realized that his strength was much greater compared to the last time she had seen him. Even so, her subordinates’ deaths had kindled her ire and she immediately yelled through gritted teeth, “You court death!”
Having said that, she didn’t immediately rush at him. She might be a Half-Saint with the ability to crush him, but she couldn’t shake off the inexplicable sense of unease; after all, he had another powerful helper beside him when she last saw him on Eternal Sky Continent. Therefore, she spread her Divine Sense out while shouting, as if searching for something.
“Are you looking for Zhui Feng?” Yang Kai looked at Yin Si coldly, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Zhui Feng is not on this continent.”
In a sense, he was not lying. Zhui Feng was certainly not on Flying Clouds Continent as he was currently inside the Small Sealed World. Therefore, Yang Kai was not the slightest bit lying when he said those words.
Yin Si’s expression relaxed upon hearing that. Even though she was injured, she still had her foundation as a Half-Saint. She neither noticed Zhui Feng’s aura nor any other Half-Saints’ aura, so her nervous mood quickly eased. Although Yang Kai’s performance just now was rather good, she didn’t take him seriously. There was nothing she had to fear as long as that beast from Hundred Spirits Continent was not here.
“You broke through?” She frowned slightly. Even while she was asking her questions, she looked stunning. It was as though she was not the one who had been engaged in so much debauchery on the big pink bed before. That was the horrifying aspect of a Charm Demon. Every action she took, every mannerism she had, and every smile she made was capable of seducing others. It was so natural that there was not the slightest trace of deliberateness.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai admitted frankly. When he had launched his attack just now, the fluctuations in his aura were so obvious that there was no point in denying something like this.
Yin Si smiled mockingly, as a Demon King’s breakthrough was nothing to her. What difference did a Mid-Rank Demon King or a High-Rank Demon King make? The only thing she needed to worry about was the reason behind his arrival on Flying Clouds Continent. Was there any other deeper meaning to his actions? Pondering in silence for a moment, she asked, “Did Holy Venerable send you here?”
She had cooperated with Yue Sang to set up a trap to deal with Yang Kai on Eternal Sky Continent. At the time, she had not thought much about it and she only agreed because she owed Yue Sang a favour. She could not turn his request down once he brought it up. Besides, Di Li had also been involved in that matter. Three of the Half-Saints under Yu Ru Meng had joined forces, so even if Yu Ru Meng learned about it later, there was no way for her to punish them for their actions.
However, the plan had been a complete failure. Yin Si only learned afterwards just how important this Human was to Yu Ru Meng and consequently experienced a slight trace of fear. Fortunately, Yu Ru Meng had not come looking for her, so she thought that the incident on Eternal Sky Continent was done and over with.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai’s sudden and bold arrival on Flying Clouds Continent at this time, in addition to his unscrupulous attack on her, had made her wonder whether he was acting on Yu Ru Meng’s orders. She would be doomed if that were the case.
“This has nothing to do with the Holy Venerable!” Yang Kai snorted coldly, “This King simply came here for his revenge!”
He had been caught in a trap set up by three Half-Saints working under Yu Ru Meng on Eternal Sky Continent. Yue Sang had been killed by Bright Moon, but Yin Si and Di Li were still alive and well.
If he were not stuck in his current predicament, he would not have bothered to create trouble for Yin Si as he had more important things to deal with at the moment and did not want to waste time here. It was just that Yu Ru Meng had reached a new agreement with the other Demon Saints, and Yang Kai did not know how many Half-Saints across the entire Demon Realm were secretly eyeing him from the shadows. If he didn’t display enough strength now, he would be facing all sorts of trouble in the future.
Flying Clouds Continent was going to be the stage on which he displayed his might, and Yin Si was going to be the object of his practice. At the same time, he could also use this chance to settle some of the grievances that he had suffered on Eternal Sky Continent.
[How dare a mere High-Rank Demon King be so shamelessly arrogant!?] Yin Si was furious beyond belief. Under normal circumstances, she would have already made her move to give Yang Kai a terrible lesson by now so that he knew what he could say and what he could not say.
Unfortunately, the man standing in front of her was a special case. Even without the fact that he was highly valued by Yu Ru Meng, he currently contained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity in him. In time, he might end up becoming the thirteenth Demon Saint of the Demon Realm; thus, she did not have the courage to harm him. Yin Si mulled in silence for a moment before breaking out into a faint smile, “Great King Yang, I think there might be a bit of misunderstanding between us…”
“A misunderstanding?” The corners of his mouth lifted. Her reaction was a little beyond his expectation. He thought that there would be a tough battle to be fought here today, but who could have known that the other party would retreat before the battle had even started? She seemed to have the intention of exchanging weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk; thus, he responded in a manner that neither confirmed nor denied her words, “Sister Yin Si, is the matter between us just a simple case of misunderstanding?”
“Of course!” She nodded, “A few days ago, this Queen was compelled by Yue Sang to act. I don’t know what possessed me at the time to agree with him, but this Queen truly did not act directly against you at the time, I only helped Yue Sang distract Zhui Feng and lure him away. Besides, you were safe and sound in the end while Yue Sang died at the hands of that Great Emperor instead. In fact, you suffered no losses whatsoever. What’s more, you and I are now serving under the same Holy Venerable. If we were really to start fighting in this place, it would be bad for us if Holy Venerable heard about it. It would only draw ridicule for Holy Venerable from the other Demon Saints for being incompetent. What do you think?”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin, “There is some truth to your words.”
Yin Si giggled lightly, her voice extremely pleasant. Moreover, the bulge of her ample bosom beneath that thin layer of gauze fuelled one’s imagination. Any man who saw such scenery would be struck with the idea of clambering over to liberate them from their constraints. It wasn’t the effects of a Charm Technique or something of that sort, it was just the effects of her inherent charm. Still laughing, she added, “Since it is just a misunderstanding, why don’t we talk this through instead of engaging in a pointless battle?”
Her tone of voice was very soft, causing her to feel sick in her stomach. If it wasn’t out of respect for Yu Ru Meng, she would not have acted with such grace toward a mere High-Rank Demon King. As a Half-Saint herself, Yin Si had her own pride, and a High-Rank Demon King was nothing more than a tool for her pleasure in her eyes.
She originally thought that Yang Kai’s attitude would soften, and he would back down out of respect for her, but how could she have known that he would break into a grin instead? “There were countless casualties from Cloud Shadow Continent that day. Sister Yin Si, you couldn’t possibly expect me to back down with just a few words, right? Won’t that come off as a little too insincere?”
[Cloud Shadow Continent suffered casualties? Are you saying Flying Clouds Continent didn’t suffer any? Both Cloud Shadow Continent and Flying Clouds Continent suffered many deaths in that battle!] Yin Si had not thought much about that; after all, those that died were nothing more than some inferior good-for-nothings in her opinion, so she had not taken those deaths to heart. However, the situation changed since he was bringing them up in this conversation.
Despite how furious she was that he could not appreciate her kindness, Yin Si continued smiling elegantly on the surface, “What do you want this Queen to do to show you her sincerity?”
While speaking, she gazed at him with a suggestive look.
Gulping hard, Yang Kai waved his large hand and said, “Simple. As long as you bring out a thousand Myriad Demon Pills, this King can forget about what happened back then. As you mentioned, we both serve the same Holy Venerable after all, so a confrontation would not benefit anyone. As such, this King is willing to do this out of respect for you.”
“A thousand…” The corner of her eyes twitched, “Great King, you must be joking.”
It wasn’t that she couldn’t bring out that amount of Myriad Demon Pills, it was just that it would empty her entire fortune if she really were to do so. Besides, those Myriad Demon Pills were of great use to her too. How could she willingly bring out so many? It would have been negotiable if it had been about a hundred or so, but a thousand?
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, “So… you are saying that I’m willing to show you some respect, but you aren’t willing to do the same for me? Is that right, Sister Yin Si? If you refuse to show me due respect, I might just get angry.”
Yin Si frowned, “A thousand… is simply too many. Why don’t we discuss this matter further?”
“There’s nothing to discuss!” Yang Kai gave a domineering wave of his hand, “Either bring out a thousand Myriad Demon Pills or I will tear Flying Clouds Continent apart!”
“Great King, must you be so aggressive!?” Similarly, her expression had darkened immensely. In her opinion, she had shown him more than enough respect. If it had been any other High-Rank Demon King, they would not even have the right to make so much noise in front of her.
[Does he think that being crowned ‘Great King’ by Holy Venerable allows him to do whatever he wants!?] As a Half-Saint, her patience was wearing thin.
“You don’t seem to want to show any sincerity at all!” He glared at her malevolently and with a surge of his Demon Qi, his figure became surrounded by a black aura as he shouted, “Since that’s the case, there’s nothing more to be said. This King will kill you first!”
Saying so, he blasted a punch that ignored the barriers of space at her. The tumultuous Demon Qi converged the moment he threw the punch, transforming into a long, pitch-black Dragon that roared furiously, opening its mouth to bite at Yin Si.
[Kill me?] She was so furious that she laughed instead, [I seriously have no idea where he gets his confidence from!]
Casually lifting a bare hand, she met his punch with her palm.
There was a loud explosion and the entire palace was torn apart by the explosion.
Meanwhile, Yin Si took a step back and flew into the sky, a strange look flashing across her eyes. [He’s strong. That was not something an average High-Rank Demon King can resist. Even though I have yet to recover from my injuries, there shouldn’t be any Demon King who can push me back so easily…]
On the other side, Yang Kai was forced backwards by a distance of several tens of metres, tumbling and rolling into the sky. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Little girl, you’re quite strong.” Before he even finished his sentence though, he lunged at Yin Si again.
Such a large commotion naturally shocked all the Demons outside, and when they looked up, they saw their Half-Saint fighting against a Demon King, causing their mouths to fall wide-open with looks of shock on their faces.
The female Demon King who was in charge of inspecting the male Demons outside was even more shocked than the others. That was because she recognized that the person fighting Yin Si at this moment was none other than the ‘Strength Demon’ that had aroused her interest earlier. Looking at him again though, he didn’t look like a Strength Demon… She did not know what was going on; after all, she had believed what he had told her earlier.
*Shua shua shua…*
Figures began to fly up into the sky, all of them Demon Kings who were throwing themselves at Yang Kai with malevolent expressions.
“Go away!” Yin Si yelled, “No one is allowed to interfere without my explicit order!”
While speaking, she exchanged blows with Yang Kai again, her body swaying slightly while he was sent flying several tens of metres.
As a Half-Saint, she had to uphold the dignity of a Half-Saint. Thus, she was extremely irritated by Yang Kai’s unscrupulous provocations. It would have been one thing if the other party had been nothing more than an ordinary Demon King. Unfortunately, Yang Kai’s status was special. Her actions were restricted, and she didn’t dare to allow those Demon Kings under her to approach. If one of them accidentally killed him, she would not know how she was going to explain things to Yu Ru Meng.
Following Yin Si’s orders, the Demon Kings who had been rushing to join the battle stopped in their tracks and scattered in all directions, surrounding the battlefield so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.
Under the gazes of the crowd of Demons, Yang Kai and Yin Si, both wearing practically see-through outfits, battled fiercely. Although their bodies were giving off extremely enticing auras, they were currently having a vigorous battle in the sky of a much more brutal nature. It was truly an amusing sight to see.
The battle was one-sided from the beginning. Yin Si stood in the sky, not moving a muscle. On the other hand, Yang Kai dashed around her like a butterfly flitting through a flower field. He would launch a fierce bombardment of attacks at her every time he got close, but she easily nullified them. This scene looked as though an adult was teasing a small child.
The Demon Kings who were watching the battle began to feel more reassured. At the same time, they began wondering where this strange person popped out from. His strength was clearly not up to par, so why was he asking to be humiliated?
“Yang Kai, you are not my opponent. Why don’t you just stop?” Yin Si’s beautiful eyes were frosty as she had lost her temper. Even though Yang Kai couldn’t hurt her, being challenged by a mere High-Rank Demon King undermined her authority. Besides, this was nothing but a farce to her. It was only natural that she wanted it to end as soon as possible.
“This King hasn’t even exerted his full strength! How do you know I am not your opponent!?” Yang Kai shouted furiously as the Demon Qi in his body surged and he lunged at her with an even more ferocious posture than before.
“Enough!” Yin Si yelled. She uncharacteristically faced his attack without any intention of backing down. Instead, she simply stared at him with an icy glare and coldly mocked, “You say you haven’t exerted your full strength… Are you implying that I’ve gone all out!?”
The moment the words left her mouth, her Divine Sense began to surge. Her eyes turned into bottomless pools that had a peculiar lustre flowing through them.
Yang Kai’s figure suddenly froze in front of her. He was completely immobilized. His eyes that were brimming with murderous intent also became hollow while the fist he had thrown was frozen just a palm’s length in front of her well-rounded peaks. The gust of wind from the force of his punch sent her hair flying wildly.
Their gazes met, and she calmly questioned, “Didn’t you know what a Charm Demon excels most at? Did you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you just because you have the protection of Holy Venerable?”
While she spoke, her slender jade finger touched his chest and an internal struggle flashed through her eyes. The person standing in front of her wasn’t just a simple High-Rank Demon King, he was also a huge opportunity. If she killed him here, that opportunity would be transferred to her and open up a road to reach the Heavens.
As a Half-Saint, she was only one step away from becoming a Demon Saint, an existence that stood at the top of the Demon Realm. She had to admit that the temptation was extremely great. After the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, she had lost all hope of obtaining this opportunity and instead only hoped that Yu Ru Meng would not cause trouble for her afterwards. Who could have known that this opportunity would throw itself at her while she was staying at home and having some fun?
It was just that if she actually killed him here, it would be tantamount to rebelling against Yu Ru Meng completely. She would have to leave Flying Clouds Continent immediately and seek refuge with another Demon Saint. Furthermore, she didn’t know what she would experience after fleeing to the territory of another Demon Saint. If she fell prey for another person’s schemes, she would lose more than she gained.
Therefore, she was hesitating… Should she make her move here?
Before she could consider it more carefully though, she suddenly felt something tightening around her wrist. She looked down in surprise only to see that Yang Kai was grabbing her arm firmly, and the terrifying strength he used to grip her hurt her to the bone.
Yang Kai’s originally empty eyes had returned to their former lustre at this moment and he grinned maniacally, “Caught you!”
“You…” Yin Si’s beautiful face paled, and without hesitation, she raised her other palm and slammed it into his chest viciously.
Yang Kai didn’t bother to evade, he simply pushed his Demon Qi to protect himself while at the same time, his free fist that was frozen in front of her chest suddenly burst out with a violent force that exploded outward.
A resplendent shockwave spread out to the surroundings, centred around the place where the two of them stood. A few of the weaker ones among the Demon Kings gathered around were knocked flying and nearly fell out of the sky.
Two parties coughed up blood in mid-air. One coughed up Golden Blood, the other coughed up crimson blood. Both Yang Kai and Yin Si felt the vitality in their body churning from the mutual attack and they both became short of breath.
The blood they both coughed up splattered on the other person’s face, making their respective expressions hideous all of a sudden. However, Yin Si felt as though the plumpness of her bosom had almost been smashed to pulp by Yang Kai and the intense pain nearly caused her to convulse.
Her beautiful eyes trembled violently. [I can’t believe he broke free of my Soul Charm! He is just a High-Rank Demon King! Even if he cultivates some sort of profound Soul Secret Technique, how is he completely unaffected by my own!? I am a Half-Saint! What’s more, I’m a Charm Demon!]
At this point, how could she not realize that she had been tricked? The other party’s reckless and brutal attacks before were only to lull her into a false sense of superiority and entice her into using her Soul Secret Technique on him so that she would feel as though she was in control of the overall situation. Only then would he go all out with his attacks when she was least expecting it.
Her arm had been captured and she was unable to break free from the great shackling force that was transmitted through that grip. The man standing no more than an arm’s length in front of her was exuding the fierce aura of an ancient giant beast, as though he was going to devour her whole, leaving her feeling absolutely terrified.
[What is going on!? How did he break free from my Soul Charm!?]
“Dragon Transformation!” A shout rang out, accompanied by a deafening Dragon Roar. Following that, a huge Golden Dragon Head suddenly appeared behind Yang Kai and gazed down at the world below, seemingly looking down on all living beings.
Under the gaze of those Dragon Eyes, the horrifying feeling that she had no control over her life or death filled Yin Si’s heart.
The Dragon Head vanished in a flash, plunging into Yang Kai’s body, and disappearing out of sight. Immediately afterwards, his appearance changed drastically. Short Dragon Horns appeared on his forehead, his exposed skin was covered in Dragon Scales, his hands turned into sharp Dragon Claws, and a Dragon Tail appeared behind him… Only his body shape did not change at all!
With the growth of his Dragon Vein and the increase in his prowess in the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai was now capable of controlling the size of his body during his Dragon Transformation.
A stronger shackling force appeared at that moment as Yin Si immediately felt Yang Kai’s grip tightening around her waist, as though she was bound by a long whip. Looking down, she was shocked to realize that it wasn’t a whip that was restraining her but his Dragon Tail that had appeared after his transformation. The Dragon Tail curled and tightened around her slim waist, and the terrifying power almost seemed like it would cut her in two…
Yin Si knew she would have to go all out, for if she couldn’t break free from her opponent’s hold quickly, it would be difficult for her to escape with her life today. Her beautiful eyes became frosty in an instant and, lifting a jade-white hand, she palmed hard at his chest.
Yang Kai grinned seeing this and his Dragon Claw formed into a fist as he punched out mercilessly.
What used to be a farce suddenly turned into a lethal close-combat battle. The change was so rapid that the Demon Kings watching could barely accept what they were seeing…
*Hong hong hong…*
In several tense breaths, both sides had let out a barrage of attacks. The sound of bones breaking rang out as frequently as the crackling of beans being fried.
Yang Kai spat out another mouthful of blood and the Demon Qi covering the surface of his body trembled and swayed as though it could collapse at any moment. His physical fitness had always been incredibly strong, now even more so with the activation of the Dragon Transformation Secret Technique. With the Dragon Scales covering his entire body for protection, it stood to reason that there was practically no risk of him being injured.
However, Yin Si was still a Half-Saint when it came down to it. She was much stronger than him in the first place. Not to mention, this was Flying Clouds Continent! As the Lord of Flying Clouds Continent, she could communicate with the Source of this continent and use its power to enhance her own strength.
Hence, every blow to his chest was more than twice as powerful as the actual strength Yin Si could exert under normal conditions. Even he couldn’t withstand such a fierce barrage of attacks. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to do so. The moment he released his grip on her, she would put some distance between them and regain the advantage. It was very difficult to kill a Half-Saint in their own territory unless the one attacking was a Demon Saint. Otherwise, it was simply more difficult than ascending to the Heavens.
Capturing Yin Si and exchanging blows with her at point-blank range was the only possible way for him to win. That was why he had pretended to be weak from the beginning. He had planned to fight her in close combat since the very start.
Yang Kai was no doubt in a miserable condition, but Yin Si was not much better off. Although this was her territory and although she was a Half-Saint, she could not compare with Yang Kai when it came to raw physical strength. Being a Charm Demon at this point was no advantage. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s power as a High-Rank Demon King combined with the savage strength of his body under the Dragon Transformation exploded out of him. Every blow he landed caused her to suffer grievous internal injuries and the amount of blood she coughed up was even more than what he had.
Another explosion rang out…
Yin Si’s tender body shuddered once as she felt as though something inside her had shattered. Looking down at her figure, a huge sense of panic engulfed her. Her ample bosom had been beaten by him so badly that it had blown apart. Blood was gushing out uncontrollably, covering her entire body in a damp heat.
Her beautiful eyes trembled violently as she could not accept what she was seeing. Every single Charm Demon was a natural beauty, full of confidence in their figures and looks. As a woman, how could she accept that one of her most prized weapons had been blown apart?
It wasn’t as though an injury of this extent was irreparable, it was just that this ugly sight had been imprinted in her eyes, causing her to fall into hysteria. Raising her eyes again, a violent burst of Spiritual Energy poured out of her forehead and transformed into a sharp stake which rushed directly into Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea, all while she gritted her teeth and screamed, “Die!”
The stake formed from the condensed Spiritual Energy was actually visible to the naked eye, so it could be seen just how terrifyingly powerful her attack was. At this point in the battle, she no longer held any scruples. Even the opportunity in him could no longer cause ripples in her heart. She only wanted to kill this bastard in front of her as soon as possible. Everything else… could wait until after she killed him.
The Soul Stake stabbed into Yang Kai’s mind, and then… all she received in response was an even fiercer bout of attacks from him. The heavy blows landed on her wounds again and again, causing her even more unbearable pain.
Yin Si was completely dumbfounded and for the first time showed a frightened expression. She could understand to some extent why her previous Charm Techniques had not worked on him as he might be wearing some sort of treasure to counteract their effects; however, she had exhausted all her Spiritual Energy and turned it into a single piercing attack just now, so why hadn’t it worked on him either? Not only did it fail to work, but it didn’t even cause any ripples whatsoever!
Yin Si’s beautiful eyes shook violently. Her heart was chilled to the core, and the palm strike she shot out at Yang Kai weakened considerably due to her fright. On the other hand, Yang Kai was like a beast on a rampage. The force behind his punch coming at her became increasingly powerful. The impact was so strong that it caused all her internal organs to jerk and shred as bits of them were coughed up along with her next mouthful of blood.
[I’m going to die if this continues!] Yin Si had never imagined that a Half-Saint like herself would one day be threatened by a High-Rank Demon King to the point where her life was at stake. In front of this man, her strongest trump card became her biggest flaw. Her Soul Secret Techniques had failed twice, causing her to fall into an endless abyss of despair. Combined with the injuries she received back on Eternal Sky Continent not having healed yet, she was currently at a complete disadvantage.
“Hurry up and kill him!” Yi Si screamed, spitting blood.
Upon hearing her scream, the Demon Kings surrounding her finally came back to their senses and their expressions turned solemn as their Demon Qi soared to the skies as they lunged towards Yang Kai.
“Nobody can save you today!” Yang Kai’s expression was savage and with a flash of his thoughts, the Mountains and Rivers Bell smoothly appeared and covered both himself and Yin Si. The two of them were completely enveloped by the Mountains and Rivers Bell and vanished from sight before those Demon Kings could approach. The various patterns of mountains, rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and animals on the bell seemed to come to life. Following that, an overwhelmingly ancient aura spread outward.
Countless fierce attacks landed on the Mountains and Rivers Bell; however, it remained as sturdy as a rock. Those attacks only caused ripples to appear on its surface. Many of the Demon Kings paled in shock and began attacking with increasing fervour. For a time, the sky itself paled in colour and the world trembled from the impact.
Fierce tremors kept coming from inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell, mixed with the occasional high-pitched Dragon Roar and a woman’s tragic screams, performing the last elegy of life.
Nobody knew how long passed, but when the sounds from within the Mountains and Rivers Bell gradually stopped, the group of Demon Kings also ceased their attacks, each of them pale-faced as they looked around at each other nervously.
With a loud whooshing sound, the Mountains and Rivers Bell flew up, transformed into a flash of light, and buried itself in the chest of a man on the ground, revealing two figures.
Yin Si and Yang Kai remained in their original positions like a pair of lovers who had committed suicide together. Both of them were pressed tightly against each other, motionless. Yin Si was lying on top of Yang Kai’s chest so quietly that it seemed like she was asleep. It was just that both of them were covered in blood. Moreover, there was not a single uninjured spot on their bodies.
[Who won!? Did Senior Yin Si win!?] Many of the Demon Kings swallowed nervously and hesitantly released their Divine Sense to check the situation. In the next moment, the expressions of all the Demon Kings changed drastically. That was because Yin Si, who was lying on Yang Kai’s chest, did not have any vitality. On the other hand, Yang Kai was still alive. Although his breathing was heavy, he survived.
A colourful light suddenly shot out from Yin Si’s body and soared straight into the sky before bursting apart. The entire sky of Flying Clouds Continent was dyed in this multi-coloured light, becoming extremely beautiful all of a sudden. However, behind that splendid and colourful light was a sadness that enveloped the entire continent.
At that moment, realization dawned on all the Demons living on Flying Clouds Continent. The Continent Lord was dead! Yin Si was the Lord of Flying Clouds Continent, so it was only natural that she had refined the Source of Flying Clouds Continent. Now that she was dead, the Source she had refined was released from its shackles and regained its freedom; hence, it was displaying such an anomaly across the entire continent. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but a torrent of rain poured down at the same time…
Yang Kai, who was pressed under Yin Si, slowly opened his eyes. The rain hit against his face, washing away the blood, turning it into a golden and red stream.
He lifted a hand and pushed the corpse on top of him to the side; then, he stood up trembling, swaying unsteadily a few times, barely managing to not fall. Pressing his hand to his chest, he spat out a mouthful of blood. There was a hoarse sound akin to the sound of broken bellows being pumped whenever he took a breath.
He turned to look around his surroundings only to see countless pairs of frightened eyes fixed on him. All the Demon Kings gathered around were at a loss for what to do. Yin Si had been killed in the skies above Flying Clouds Continent; moreover, she was killed by a High-Rank Demon King. If they had not witnessed the entire incident with their own eyes, they would not have believed it to be possible.
[What should we do now?] Many of the Demon Kings looked lost and confused…
“Kill him! We should avenge Senior Yin Si!” A coquettish shout rang out. It was the female Demon King who was in charge of doing inspections outside the hall. She was probably a close subordinate of Yin Si’s; otherwise, she would not have thought of avenging Yin Si at this time, “He is an arrow at the end of its flight! He doesn’t have much strength left!”
After saying that, she was the first to lunge at Yang Kai, her beautiful eyes filled with a bitter murderous intent. She probably had quite a lot of prestige on Flying Clouds Continent, and for that reason, many of the Demon Kings followed suit when she took action, all of them were overflowing with murderous intent.
She had hit the mark about Yang Kai being an arrow at the end of its flight. He had killed a Half-Saint despite only having the cultivation of a High-Rank Demon King, and even if Yin Si had been badly injured before the battle began, Yang Kai still had to pay a high price for engaging in a close-combat battle with her. At this moment, he couldn’t even exert half of his usual strength, so any random Demon King could kill him with ease.
However, he was not alone…
Glaring coldly at the Demon Kings rushing toward him, Yang Kai’s eyes were filled with mockery even though he could barely open them.
When the Demon Kings were less than thirty metres away from him, he suddenly waved his hand.
There was a loud neighing sound and a figure with four hooves burning with golden flames, an unusually dignified appearance, and a Half-Saint’s aura emanating from his body appeared.
Zhui Feng!
Ever since Yang Kai’s escape from Eternal Sky Continent, Zhui Feng had been inside the Small Sealed World. He did not bring Zhui Feng out even when he was fighting Yin Si in a life-or-death battle, mainly because Yin Si would have fled the moment she saw Zhui Feng, so Yang Kai could not release him at the start. Afterwards, he simply did not have the time to bring Zhui Feng out during the battle.
Therefore, this was the best time for Zhui Feng to show up.
The Demon Kings rushing towards Yang Kai never expected such a change, but it was too late to retreat by the time they saw Zhui Feng. The female Demon King, who had acted the fastest, was also the first to be killed.
Zhui Feng simply pushed his head forward and butted it against her body, causing all her bones to instantly shatter into dust. She was thrown backwards, tumbling mid-air while spitting out blood and pieces of her organs. Her aura was gone before her body even hit the ground.
Immediately afterwards, Zhui Feng ran wildly in a circle around where Yang Kai stood, kicking and bucking the whole time, causing the Demon Kings lunging at Yang Kai to be thrown backwards at a speed that was even faster than they had charged. Consequently, those Demon Kings were all either severely injured or dead.
In the blink of an eye, the area around Yang Kai was completely emptied.
Zhui Feng was caught up in the excitement of his killing spree; thus, he took the initiative to attack. His speed was unimaginably fast, so all the onlookers could see was a streak of golden light high up in the sky, darting from one place to another.
Many of the Demon Kings screamed and died on the spot, while those who were fortunately further away turned and fled when they saw that the situation was dire.
It only took a few dozen breaths for Zhui Feng to slaughter everybody left inside the palace grounds, but he probably realized that Yang Kai was currently in terrible condition, so he did not give further pursuit. He simply drove everyone out before turning back. Pushing his large head in Yang Kai’s face, he opened his mouth wide and snorted loudly as if to say, ‘Look at what a good job I did! Hurry up and praise me!’
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched. He wanted to smile but was unable to raise his lips. In the end, he could only just manage to lift his hand and pat Zhui Feng on the head.
Seeing this, Zhui Feng immediately lowered his body, used his head to lift Yang Kai up, and placed him on his back. After that, he broke into a gallop and ran in a certain direction.
An hour later, Zhui Feng stopped under Yang Kai’s order and slowly landed. They were now atop a barren hill far from the palace.
Yang Kai got off Zhui Feng, breathing heavily. He gave a flip of his wrist and summoned the Sealed World Bead. Lifting it to Zhui Feng’s eye level so that he could get a good look at it, he said in a hoarse voice, “Keep it safe!”
After saying that, he forcefully pushed his Divine Sense and entered the Small Sealed World.
Meanwhile, the Sealed World Bead landed on the ground.
Zhui Feng widened his eyes and stared at the bead, his gaze filled with shock and curiosity. After examining it for a while, he could not find anything strange about this bead though and only then did he muster up his courage to approach it. He sniffed it lightly and licked it with his long tongue…
There was nothing unusual about the bead. Walking around the Sealed World Bead a few more times, Zhui Feng neighed loudly and stepped forward so that he was standing right on top of the Sealed World Bead. He subsequently bent his legs and sat down on it, protecting it like a hen protecting her eggs.
Inside the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai appeared in the medicine garden, his entire body was covered in blood. Swaying unsteadily, he took a few staggering steps before his vision darkened and the world spun dizzily. He collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness. The shocked exclamations and horrified screams of the two little Wood Spirits, Mu Zhu and Mu Na, seemed to ring in his ears.
…..
Three days later, Yu Ru Meng sat behind a desk made of white jade in the study of her palace on Enchantment Continent, quietly listening to the report of a Demon King in front of her.
“According to the investigation, Great King Yang snuck into Flying Clouds Continent after he left Enchantment Continent. He made use of the fact that Senior Yin Si had summoned many people to her palace and infiltrated her bedroom where he then attacked her. Great King Yang ultimately killed Senior Yi Si on the spot in close combat. More than eight hundred clansmen from various Clans and twenty-three Demon Kings were either injured or killed during that battle. Flying Clouds Continent is currently in a huge mess.”
“He killed Yin Si?” Her eyes widened at the news, “Is this true? Have you checked?”
“Yes, it has been confirmed. An anomaly had taken place throughout the entire Flying Clouds Continent when Senior Yin Si died. All of the clansmen living on Flying Clouds Continent felt it.” The Demon King replied, lowering his head.
“Damn it!” Yu Ru Meng slapped her palm against the white jade table in front of her, causing cracks to appear on its sturdy frame as she gnashed her teeth furiously, “How dare he!? How dare he kill one of my Half-Saints!?”
The Demon King was so frightened that he fell to his knees with a thud. His entire body shook in terror. It was never a good thing if a Demon Saint lost their temper. In the worst case, it would lead to rivers of blood. At this moment, he couldn’t help paying a silent tribute to Yang Kai in his heart as he had the feeling that the latter was now in deep trouble. As a subordinate of Yu Ru Meng, Yang Kai had caused internal strife and even went so far as to kill one of his colleagues. It was a given that he would face terrible consequences for his actions.
[I have to say, Great King Yang is truly amazing indeed. Rumour has it that he is only a High-Rank Demon King. To think he managed to kill a Half-Saint! It certainly is inconceivable.] When this Demon King first heard the news, he had barely been able to believe it. He even took a trip to Flying Clouds Continent himself to inquire about the matter carefully before returning to report the news after receiving confirmation.
Killing a Half-Saint with the strength of a High-Rank Demon King was absolutely unprecedented. Nobody in the Demon Realm had ever achieved such a feat before, though that wasn’t to say it might not happen again in the future. Even so, it was a feat that not even the Demon Saints had been able to achieve back then. He truly admired Yang Kai’s courage and strength.
Just as he was fretting over it, he suddenly heard Yu Ru Meng cursing through gritted teeth from behind the desk, “Little bastard!”
[Little bastard?] The Demon King couldn’t help feeling a bit strange when he heard those words. [Why does her tone sound so… off? It feels like Holy Venerable isn’t as furious as I expected. It seems that the rumours I’ve heard… are not groundless after all. The relationship between Holy Venerable and Great King Yang seems to be quite unusual…]
“Elaborate more on how he managed to kill Yin Si.”
Upon hearing this, the Demon King immediately told her all the intrinsic details of everything he knew about the battle that had taken place three days ago. He had gone to Flying Clouds Continent himself and located several survivors from that day to learn more about the incident; therefore, he had a thoroughly detailed understanding of what had happened. In this way, it was almost as if he had witnessed the entire incident with his own eyes and he reported the entire incident perfectly down to the finest detail.
A short while later, Yu Ru Meng’s voice came from behind the desk again, a hint of surprise in her tone, “Are you saying that he fought Yin Si alone, from start to finish? No one else intervened?”
“As far as my investigation shows, that is the truth. It’s just that Great King Yang seemed as spent as an arrow at the end of its flight after he killed Senior Yin Si. In the end, he summoned Zhui Feng to protect him when the Demon Kings of Flying Clouds Continent tried to attack him.”
“I can’t believe he managed to achieve so much…” Yu Ru Meng’s expression became rather complicated; however, Yin Si’s death was not surprising upon further consideration. As a Charm Demon, she probably had great confidence in her Soul Secret Techniques, but unfortunately for her, after Yang Kai had taken Yu Ru Meng’s innocence, his Soul cultivation had soared to the point where even Half-Saints could not do anything against him. Furthermore, it was impossible for the Charm Techniques of the Charm Demon Clan to have any effect on him. It was most likely for this reason that Yin Si was placed in such a disadvantageous position against him.
Additionally, Yin Si had been severely injured in the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, and although more than a month had passed, she had yet to fully recover. Even if she was the Master of Flying Clouds Continent, it was hard to say how much power she could exert in such a state. That was how Yang Kai managed to accomplish this feat. He could never have pulled that off with his power alone if he had been facing a Half-Saint in peak condition on their home turf.
[It’s just… that damn man went straight to challenge Yin Si the moment he left Enchantment Continent! That was completely beyond my expectations. Moreover, he even managed to kill Yin Si! If word gets out about this, I will definitely become the laughing stock among the other Demon Saints! I can even imagine the despicable expression on Bei Li Mo’s face the next time we meet! Hateful!]
Yu Ru Meng was deep in her thoughts when the Demon King below her tentatively spoke up, “How should we deal with this matter? Holy Venerable, please give your command.”
The loss of a Half-Saint was no trivial matter, and if it was not handled well, it might cause anxiety among the other Half-Saints. Furthermore, Yin Si had been working under Yu Ru Meng for many centuries now, so an explanation of some sort was necessary, especially since Yin Si had been killed in her own territory for no reason.
“Where is that little bastard right now?” Yu Ru Meng asked with a sombre expression.
“His whereabouts are unknown. No one has seen Great King Yang ever since he escaped on Zhui Feng three days ago.”
“Find him! I want him found! He must be seriously injured right now, so bring him to the Holy City the moment he is located. I’m going to teach him a lesson myself!”
Although her words were spat out through gritted teeth and her expression seemed like she couldn’t wait to tear Yang Kai apart, the Demon King heard a different kind of meaning behind her words. [Holy Venerable sure does love Great King Yang; otherwise, why would she order him to be brought back to the Holy City alive? She could have just sent several Half-Saints there to finish him off on the spot. I’m afraid Senior Yin Si has died in vain this time.]
“Also, spread the news that Yin Si was colluding with the traitor Yue Sang. She committed various traitorous acts last month, and she only has herself to blame for her death.”
[Sure enough…] The Demon King made a respectful response. Then, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Um… What about Senior Di Li? Should I send somebody to warn him?”
He clearly knew about the incident on Eternal Sky Continent, and since Yang Kai went to the trouble of hunting Yin Si down, even going so far as killing her, he would surely not let Di Li walk free either. Just thinking about it was frightening. [Great King Yang was able to single-handedly kill Yin Si, so I’m sure he will also be able to put up a fight against Senior Di Li. What’s more, he has Zhui Feng with him. If he really went after Di Li, it would definitely lead to chaos.]
“Di Li has gone to the Two Worlds’ Battlefield. There’s no need to inform him about this!” Yu Ru Meng replied decisively.
“Yes.” The Demon King’s expression was respectful, but he secretly thought to himself. [It seems Holy Venerable was already prepared for this. Since Senior Di Li has gone to the Two Worlds’ Battlefield, Great King Yang most likely does not have the means to cause trouble there, so this matter will end here.]
“You’re dismissed.” Yu Ru Meng waved her hand lightly before slowly closing her eyes and relaxing her entire body into the soft chair behind her. What Yang Kai mentioned to her the other day echoed in her mind, ‘Even if the Demon Realm wins this war and successfully conquers the Star Boundary, how many of the Demon Race will survive? How many Demon Saints will survive?’
…..
Inside the medicine garden, Yang Kai opened his eyes, his entire body itching all over as though there were millions of ants crawling under his skin. The strange itch coming from his flesh, bones, and meridians reminded him of the feeling of having an itch that he could not scratch. It was an extremely uncomfortable feeling.
“Master, you’re awake!” Mu Lu’s cry of surprise came from his feet.
He lowered his head and looked down only to see the little Wood Spirit looking at him with a pleasantly surprised expression. Both her eyes were red and there were tear stains on her small cheeks. She looked like she had been crying.
At this moment, she was floating by his feet, casting Secret Techniques with both hands. The surface of her body was glowing with an emerald light. Mu Zhu was maintaining the same posture on top of his head. The green aura the two Wood Spirits released wrapped around him like the warm water of a bath, immersing his entire being in the energy that was brimming with vitality and life.
“How long have I been asleep?” He asked in a hoarse voice. The moment he began speaking, his throat felt like it was on fire, causing him to cough lightly.
“Eight days,” Mu Zhu’s voice sounded from above his head.
“That long…” Yang Kai was shocked. He knew his body the best, and that usually, most injuries didn’t even require his attention. Even if his tendons ripped or he broke a bone or two, he would only need a brief period of rest to recover; therefore, it could be seen just how severe his wounds were that he fell unconscious for eight whole days. It could even be said that he had never been injured so badly before. Even now, his internal injuries were not fully healed despite regaining consciousness.
“Master, you are pushing yourself far too hard! Mu Lu was nearly worried to death!” Mu Zhu reprimanded him with a stern expression, “If you didn’t wake up soon, she would have cried herself blind!”
“Wha…” Mu Lu flushed, staring hard at Mu Zhu as if blaming the latter for talking nonsense. When she saw Yang Kai looking at her with a smile though, her complexion turned even redder than before and she lowered her head and spoke in a voice no louder than a mosquito’s buzzing, “I didn’t cry that much…”
Seeing her innocent and cute appearance warmed Yang Kai’s heart and he gently waved his hand at them and advised, “The two of you should get some rest, I’m fine now.”
While speaking, he pressed both hands against the ground to push himself up into a sitting position.
Mu Zhu immediately flew behind him when she saw what he was doing and supported him with all her might. Similarly, Mu Lu rushed over too. She grabbed hold of one of his fingers and pulled him up with the strength of a baby suckling at milk, her face flushing red from the enormous effort.
The moment the two Wood Spirits left their positions, the emerald aura filled with vitality and life disappeared without a trace.
Yang Kai sat up straight and smiled. Lifting a finger, he stroked Mu Lu’s small head and said, “Thank you, it must have been hard on you two.”
Mu Lu immediately closed her eyes slightly with an expression of enjoyment. When Mu Zhu came from behind his back to stand in front of him, she pursed her lips and smiled at the scene that greeted her, “It’s all thanks to your body’s toughness; otherwise, there would have been nothing we could have done either. Ordinary people would have died from such wounds. Even ten lives would not have been enough to save you!”
After saying that, she made a stern expression, “You cannot fight in such a reckless manner again in the future, Master.”
The sight of a fist-sized little person acting all stern and strict made him feel like laughing, but the concern and worry these two little Wood Spirits showed him was full of sincerity and care; thus, he quickly nodded, “I won’t do it again.”
Mu Zhu let out a long sigh at those words as she knew that he was simply offering platitudes without actually meaning what he said. The world outside was extremely dangerous, and there would always be times when one needed to risk their life in a fight. Even if one didn’t seek trouble, that didn’t mean others wouldn’t. Hence, she did not bother saying more and changed the subject instead, “Master, you should examine the condition of your body. Don’t let any hidden dangers go unnoticed.”
“En!” He nodded and sat down crossed-legged, using his Divine Sense to examine himself.
The Immortal Tree was right next to him, but unfortunately, the tree was completely bare now. He had picked the last three remaining leaves on the tree and given them to Bright Moon Great Emperor back then. Still, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu flew to a branch of the Immortal Tree and sat side-by-side.
Mu Lu was swinging her two little feet with an extremely happy expression. Seeming to plan something, she turned to look and saw Mu Zhu looking at her with a smiling yet teasing expression. Her face immediately turned crimson. Lowering her head in response, she felt as though even the top of her head was steaming from embarrassment…
Yang Kai’s injuries this time were extremely severe, so even with his powerful regenerative abilities and the two Wood Spirits’ help non-stop for eight days straight, he was still not fully healed. But to his surprise, his examination left him feeling reassured. His injuries were indeed very severe, but there were no hidden dangers. On the contrary, fighting Yin Si with his life on the line had brought him some unexpected benefits. At the very least, his cultivation as a High-Rank Demon King had been completely consolidated.
As expected, fighting with one’s life on the line was the fastest way for a cultivator to grow. The eruption of insights that one experienced on the verge of death would be imprinted both on the body and deep within the soul, never to be forgotten.
Thinking back on the battle eight days ago, Yang Kai felt somewhat fortunate. He was grateful that the explosive growth of his Spiritual Energy had caused Yin Si’s Soul Secret Technique to be ineffective against him and even allowed him to become immune to her Charm Techniques. He was grateful that she had not recovered from her previous injuries and he was even more grateful that she had been overly complacent, which gave him the chance to take advantage of her weakness. If not for all those factors, he could never have killed a Half-Saint in their own territory.
As the Master of Flying Clouds Continent, Yin Si could have escaped at any time if he were not holding onto her firmly. He would not have been able to restrain her otherwise even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space.
Naturally, he was not so hot-headed that he had to fight her alone. In a fight with his life on the line, he had decided beforehand that he would release Zhui Feng if things took a turn for the worse. That would turn the situation into a two-against-one battle, so she would not have been able to do anything to him either.
He had gained a lot from this battle. The most intuitive manifestation of his benefit was that he now had a deep understanding of his current combat power. He could not compare with a Half-Saint in strength, but he was no longer as powerless against a Half-Saint as he had been in the Second-Order Emperor Realm. If he played all his cards, he had the feeling that he now stood a fighting chance even if he were to fight a Half-Saint all on his own.
He reminisced about the time when he first encountered Cang Mo outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Star Boundary. Despite joining hands with the Embodiment to face Cang Mo at the time, he was still beaten up very badly; thus, he couldn’t help feeling amazed. [Times have changed. I will definitely be able to finish off Cang Mo with the Embodiment’s help if I encounter him again!]
There were no hidden dangers in his body. In the face of his powerful regeneration abilities, those injuries that had not fully healed would only need a little more time for recuperation before they were as good as new, so he felt relieved.
With a flip of his hand, he took out a Space Ring. This Space Ring had a gorgeous design. It was the one Yin Si had been wearing on her finger. After he killed her within the Mountains and Rivers Bell the other day, Yang Kai had not forgotten to retrieve his spoils of war.
With his current cultivation, most Demon King’s Space Rings would not be able to entice him; however, a Half-Saint’s Space Ring should still have some good stuff within.
A brief check later, Yang Kai smiled broadly. Yin Si’s Space Ring did contain quite some good stuff after all, but what interested him the most was none other than the Myriad Demon Pills. There were only about 1,000 or so of them. It wasn’t much compared to what he looted from Bei Li Mo before, but that was only to be expected.
There were several billion Demon Crystals, some Demon Artifacts, and some Secret Techniques cultivated by the Demon Race. The rest were her personal belongings. What left him feeling rather speechless was that the contents of her Space Ring and Bei Li Mo’s were rather similar. There were countless clothes of various different styles. Moreover, most of them used very little material and were very revealing.
[It looks like a woman will always be a woman. Be they Demon Saint or Half-Saint, there doesn’t seem to be any difference when it comes to the pursuit of beauty. I wonder if Yu Ru Meng’s Space Ring also contains similar items…]
Having seen the wealth in Bei Li Mo’s Space Ring, the contents of Yin Si’s Space Ring were somewhat lacking in comparison. Although Yang Kai was quite happy to obtain some useful things, he wasn’t too excited either. He took out all the items that were useful to him, leaving the clothes and other items inside. It took him a while of busy work before he finished organizing it.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai took out some healing Spirit Pills and consumed them. While refining the medicinal efficacies of the Spirit Pills, he took out some Space Spirit Jades, pushed his power, and refined them into Space Beacons.
Being chased by Demon Saints previously had given him an urgent sense of danger. He might stand a fighting chance against a Half-Saint with his current strength, but he would be utterly crushed if he encountered a Demon Saint. Yu Ru Meng had reached a new agreement with the other Demon Saints, so they would not attack him again. Even so, he would not have lived until today if he simply relied on such agreements to keep him safe. Any agreement could be torn apart if the benefits were large enough after all. He had to consider his safety, especially since he was stuck in the middle of the enemy’s camp.
At this moment, the only thing he could rely on was his Space Divine Abilities. Instantaneous Movement could be regarded as a means of escape, but compared to using Space Beacons, the distance covered by Instantaneous Movement was undoubtedly significantly shorter; moreover, Instantaneous Movement could be easily disrupted by a Demon Saint.
Meanwhile, the Space Beacon attached to the Space Spirit Jade was faster and more convenient to a certain extent compared to performing Instantaneous Movement. In addition, the distance he could teleport was significantly greater.
Mu Zhu and Mu Lu both sat quietly by the side and watched Yang Kai working with curious expressions. One by one, he formed new Space Beacons in his hands.
Time slowly passed by.
During this period, Yang Kai took the initiative to chat with the two Wood Spirits when he noticed that they had nothing to do. The main reason was that he was afraid they might be bored after being locked in the Small Sealed World for so long; after all, these two little ones had been living in the Sealed World Bead from the moment they were brought over by the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan and had not left it since. They usually only had Yang Kai or the Embodiment to talk to.
The two were very curious about the Demon Realm, so most of the topics were centred on the Demon Race. Hearing about the unique geographical environment of the Demon Realm and the fragmented continents, the two Wood Spirits both showed a surprised look. Then, they showed extremely worried expressions when they heard about the Twelve Demon Saints of the Demon Realm, each of whom was extremely powerful.
A few days later, Yang Kai had refined several hundred Space Beacons. He only stopped when he felt that his injuries were for all intents and purposes healed. After giving some instructions to the two Wood Spirits, he left the Small Sealed World.
It was still the same barren mountain, with Zhui Feng lying on the ground with his hoofs folded under him. His large eyes watched his surroundings vigilantly, like a gatekeeper guarding a treasure. Anybody who dared to approach him would have to suffer his fury.
Yang Kai appeared directly beside Zhui Feng.
Zhui Feng turned to look at Yang Kai and immediately stood up with a grin. He butted his big head against Yang Kai affectionately before gesturing to the Sealed World Bead on the ground to indicate that he had been guarding this place all this time.
“Did anybody come here recently?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhui Feng snorted…
“En, good job,” Yang Kai patted Zhui Feng’s head and put the Sealed World Bead away. His Divine Sense surged, and then he soon found a deserted cave on the barren mountain. Instructing Zhui Feng to wait a moment, Yang Kai vanished out of sight with a slight flicker of his body and reappeared again a moment later. In that short moment, he had hidden a Space Beacon in a remote corner inside that deserted cave.
He planned to connect the continents of the Demon Realm with his Space Beacons, especially the areas close to the Territory Gate; this way, it would be much more convenient for him to travel around in the future. Even if he was hunted by the Demon Saints again, he would be able to escape in time. If not for this plan, he would not have made so many Space Beacons in one go.
Swinging himself up onto Zhui Feng’s back, Yang Kai took out his map to check his position and the direction of the Territory Gate before he pointed Zhui Feng in the direction. Zhui Feng immediately dashed away with golden flames surrounding his hooves.
Yang Kai had no plans to cause trouble for Di Li. So much time had passed since he killed Yin Si that news had probably spread across the entire Demon Realm by now; therefore, even if he attacked Di Li, the other party would be prepared for it. In the worst case, he might fall into their trap instead.
His original purpose had been achieved. Yu Ru Meng had reached an agreement with the other Demon Saints, and in addition, many Half-Saints would probably be scared by the news of how he single-handedly killed Yin Si. Yang Kai had managed to suppress their eagerness to attack him, so it didn’t matter whether he went after Di Li or not.
Besides, Di Li was not Yin Si. As a Charm Demon, Yin Si’s abilities had been greatly restricted once he caught her. If his opponent had been Di Li the other day, the outcome of the battle would be unknown.
Unbeknownst to Yang Kai, Di Li had already been sent to the Two Worlds’ Battlefield and was not in the Demon Realm.
The journey forward was arduously slow, the main reason being that Yang Kai would stop from time to time to hide Space Beacons in suitable locations. As they passed through various continents, Yang Kai left at least three Space Beacons on each. He would definitely leave one near at least one Territory Gate while the rest were hidden in various suitable places.
These Space Beacons might be discovered and taken away, but finding and destroying all of them was practically impossible. Any one of these Space Beacons would work when he was in a critical situation; therefore, setting this up today was not a waste of effort.
It was not until half a month later that he finally arrived at his destination. It was a biting-cold place covered in perpetual snow. Soaring Snow Continent!
Needless to say, he did not come to Soaring Snow Continent at this time with kind intentions. He had borrowed Xuan Bing’s help that day to transfer a Soul Imprint to Bei Li Mo, and although he had taken Bei Li Mo’s Soul Brand as a double insurance afterwards, it was not impossible for a Demon Saint to break free from those shackles.
Regardless of how readily she had given him her word at the time, Yang Kai was certain that Bei Li Mo had been doing her best to purge the Soul Imprint he had planted on her.
The gap in cultivation between them was not small, especially in terms of Soul cultivation, so Yang Kai was not sure how long his Soul Imprint could last under her various efforts to break free. For that reason, he had rushed over in a hurry to reinforce his Soul Imprint on her and prevent her from breaking free of his control.
Controlling a Demon Saint would be of great help to his future plans. It could even be said to be the key to their success or failure. How could he allow Bei Li Mo to regain her freedom?
[I’m certain that the reinforcement of my Soul Imprint on her this time around will be a huge shock to her. I just hope she won’t be too surprised.] A sly smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He first found a place near the Territory Gate to hide a Space Beacon, leaving himself a way out in case of accidents. Only then did he ride Zhui Feng gallantly towards Soaring Snow Ice Palace.
Half a day later, he saw the huge and hazy outline of Soaring Snow Ice Palace from a distance. At that moment, he suddenly felt a connection with something that was inside the palace and laughed, knowing that he was not too late. Bei Li Mo had not managed to get rid of his Soul Imprint yet; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to experience this feeling. This intimate connection was his link to his Soul Imprint. It could not be anything else aside from that.
At the same time Yang Kai felt the connection, a beam of light suddenly shot out of Soaring Snow Ice Palace and swiftly fled in the opposite direction. It was moving at an extremely high speed. At first, he didn’t realize what was happening, and it wasn’t until he felt the connection getting further and further away from him, quickly exceeding his range of detection in the blink of an eye, that he suddenly became livid, “Damn it! That bitch is trying to escape!”
That beam of light had been none other than Demon Saint Bei Li Mo! She probably detected his aura at the same moment he sensed the connection between them. That was why she was in such a hurry to leave. She was probably so reluctant to meet him because she was on the verge of breaking free of his control; otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a dangerous move.
How could Yang Kai allow something like that to happen? He immediately manipulated Space Principles, performed an Instantaneous Movement, and materialized a thousand kilometres away with Zhui Feng. The connection that had broken off just now reappeared again.
He was just about to give Bei Li Mo a taste of his fury when she abruptly put on a burst of speed and accelerated. He did not know what kind of Secret Technique she was using for her to put so much distance between them in such a short moment, but she soon exceeded his range of detection again.
Yang Kai was livid. She might really regain her freedom again if he let her escape!
Thus, he spurred his Space Principles repeatedly and performed consecutive Instantaneous Movements before the connection between them finally reappeared once more. The moment he felt the connection between them, his thoughts flashed without any hesitation.
In the distance, the escaping beam of light paused suddenly, swayed slightly in mid-air, and nearly fell out of the sky; however, it resolutely continued flying a moment later.
Seeing this, Yang Kai grinned savagely, [As if I’ll let you get away!]
He continuously controlled the Soul Imprint to exert unbearable torture upon Bei Li Mo while urging Zhui Feng to go even faster.
Although Zhui Feng’s speed was not slow in the first place, he became even faster with Yang Kai’s urging. Ten thousand kilometres flashed beneath their feet as the chase continued.
The distance between the two parties was closing bit by bit. It wasn’t because Bei Li Mo’s flying speed was not as fast as Zhui Feng’s. On the contrary, Zhui Feng might not have been able to keep up with a Demon Saint’s speed if she was moving at full speed. Moreover, she was currently running for her life, so it was only natural that she was fleeing with all her might.
The main reason was that Bei Li Mo could not exert her full strength due to the torturous pain inflicted by the Soul Imprint. The pain coming from her Soul was not something even a Demon Saint could withstand, and she could not reach her maximum speed under this affliction.
As the distance between them continued to reduce, Yang Kai could gradually make out Bei Li Mo’s figure. An incense stick later, they were only a few dozen metres away from her. With such a short distance it would only take a moment for them to catch up with her.
“You had better hurry up and stop now; otherwise, you’re dead!” Yang Kai shouted viciously, his voice resounding in the surroundings. Many Demons heard his voice from below and looked up into the sky, and when they saw two flashes of light speeding by at breakneck speed, they all revealed shocked expressions. However, they did not know who was involved in the high-speed chase. Just what would they think if they knew that their Holy Venerable was the fleeing party?
Needless to say, Bei Li Mo ignored Yang Kai’s threats. It would be weirder if she suddenly began obeying him out of nowhere.
Yang Kai was so furious that he laughed instead and nodded repeatedly, “Good, good, good! It looks like you won’t give up unless you get a taste of true torture! In that case, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
While he was speaking, he spurred the Soul Imprint even more fiercely than before.
Bei Li Mo was fleeing ahead when she suddenly let out a muffled groan. Sweat dripped from her body in mid-air and her speed slowed down considerably. Nonetheless, she gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
In that moment, Yang Kai immediately caught up with her. Riding on Zhui Feng as he kept pace beside her, he tilted his head to the side and gave her a sideways glance, his expression incredibly overbearing and arrogant.
Although she didn’t even bother to look at him, her gaze was blazing with flames. It was obvious that she was feeling extremely vexed. Without warning, she suddenly raised her hand and struck out at him. Her Demon Qi surged violently. Then, her slender jade hand rapidly enlarged in front of his eyes and obscured the light from his vision.
Startled, Yang Kai didn’t even think about it and sharply increased the pressure he was exerting on her.
Bei Li Mo had been gritting her teeth all this while to bear the pain, but in that instant, she suddenly let out a loud scream. Her voice was filled with agony as her entire body trembled so hard that she couldn’t maintain her flight and fell out of the sky. Following the unstable fluctuations in her Demon Qi, the palm that was striking him vanished without a trace.
Yang Kai was quite rattled. Cursing out loud, he prepared to chase after her only to see her stabilizing herself several thousand metres below and continue fleeing.
[How persistent!] Yang Kai lifted his gaze and looked forward. The light of a Territory Gate twinkled in the distance, and he immediately understood what she was aiming for. He stopped trying to chase her and rode Zhui Feng towards the Territory Gate while continuing to put pressure on her.
He was the first to arrive at the Territory Gate a short while later, and reaching out his hand, he pushed his Space Principles once more. Ripples swept across the huge Territory Gate before it abruptly disappeared.
Concurrently, Bei Li Mo finally approached at a high speed only to watch helplessly as the Territory Gate disappeared without a trace. Her originally pale face paled even further until not a trace of colour could be seen on it.
“Run! Go on, run!” Yang Kai rode on Zhui Feng, looking down condescendingly on Bei Li Mo from above as he snarled, “You bitch! How dare you attack me!?”
Bei Li Mo bit her pale lips, her clothes drenched in sweat, revealing her shapely figure. Her gaze was fixed on the spot where the Territory Gate had disappeared with a despairing look on her face. She had the feeling that she was probably the most aggrieved Demon Saint in all the Demon Realm’s history. All the problems she currently faced were caused by Xuan Bing; hence, she wished for nothing more than to revive her Honoured Master and kill her several hundred times over …
“I’m talking to you. Have you gone deaf?” Yang Kai shouted angrily.
Bei Li Mo took a deep breath, causing her ample peaks to heave violently in a breath-taking arc. She turned her head and looked away, an extremely unconvinced expression on her voice as she shouted, “The winner is the King while the loser is the villain. What else do you want this Saint to say!?”
“Who gave you the courage to raise your hand against me?” Yang Kai glared at her with a vicious expression on his face.
She retorted, “Who told you to get so close to me?”
“Astonishing! You even dare to talk back now!” Yang Kai was furious. His thoughts surged and she began howling in pain once again. Her entire body curled up into a ball, and the fine beads of sweat on her forehead suddenly gushed out. If Yang Kai had not held her up with his Demon Qi at that moment, she would have even fallen out of the sky.
Yang Kai tortured her severely, and it wasn’t until her voice became hoarse that he let up. The anger in his heart had subsided considerably now and he stared at her coldly as she convulsed and trembled, giving a cold snort, “This is the first and last time. If this happens again…”
Bei Li Mo immediately glared at him…
Yang Kai blinked and suddenly realized that there was nothing more that he could say. The main reason was that he could torture her through the Soul Imprint, but he could neither control her nor kill her. It was really quite tragic. Scratching his chin, he continued, “If this happens again, I will strip you naked and parade you around the entire Soaring Snow Continent!”
Bei Li Mo’s expression changed drastically as she shrieked, “You dare!?”
He grinned, “Go ahead and try me. We’ll see if I dare!”
They both glared at each other furiously. Intense sparks flying in the air. A long while passed before Bei Li Mo turned her head to the side and loudly snorted.
Yang Kai didn’t bother wasting his breath on her and immediately shouted, “Open your Knowledge Sea. I must strengthen the Soul Imprint!”
Bei Li Mo looked extremely resentful, but even so, having been severely tortured by Yang Kai just now, she knew that it was useless to resist, not unless she could kill him somehow. After receiving a scare just now though, Yang Kai had wisely kept a fair distance from her so that he would have sufficient time to react. He would definitely take action the moment she tried to attack him.
Feeling extremely reluctant, Bei Li Mo lowered the defences of her Knowledge Sea and felt Yang Kai’s Divine Sense flooding into her head in the next instant.
A short while later, he withdrew his Divine Sense from her Knowledge Sea, “It’s done.”
Yang Kai was rejoicing as he spoke. While reinforcing his Soul Imprint just now, he discovered that Bei Li Mo had worn down more than half of its strength. She would have completely broken free of his control in another ten to fifteen days. If that had happened, he would not have been able to do anything to her anymore, even if he had her Soul Brand in his control; after all, she even had her Soul Manifestation destroyed by Bright Moon, so what would sacrificing her Soul Brand count for?
[This bitch, she probably started trying to break the Soul Imprint the moment she returned to Soaring Snow Continent; otherwise, she could not have made such progress in such a short period of time. It’s fortunate that I was worried about it and immediately rushed over after settling matters on Flying Clouds Continent. If not, she might have gotten her freedom back.]
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo’s expression changed drastically after checking her Knowledge Sea and she stared at Yang Kai in shock, “How is it possible for your Soul to strengthen so much in such a short time!?”
Although he had only reinforced it, the strength of the current Soul Imprint in her Knowledge Sea was simply incomparable to before. It would only have taken her a month or two if she really wanted to break free of the previous Soul Imprint, but now it would take her at least a few years!
The longer it took for her to break free, the harder it would be for her to escape his control. If it could be said that she still had a glimmer of hope before, then that glimmer of hope had now been utterly extinguished. Yang Kai would only need to reinforce his Soul Imprint on her every couple of years, and she would never regain her freedom again.
[How can a person’s Soul become so powerful in the short span of a single month!?] Bei Li Mo was shocked to the core.
Yang Kai threw back his head and laughed heartily in response, “You noticed?”
“That’s impossible!” She looked like she was refusing to accept reality. Biting her lip, she exclaimed, “Just who are you!?”
To which he lowered his body slightly and glanced at her teasingly, “I am me. Who else can I be?” After saying that, he swept his gaze over her and smilingly continued, “Why does it feel like I have complete control over you now? Do you want to test it out?”
Previously, Yang Kai could only bring great pain and agony to Bei Li Mo even if he pushed the Soul Imprint to its limit, but now, it felt as though he could kill her with a single thought.
Needless to say, this might be nothing more than his imagination; even so, it would definitely cause indelible trauma to Bei Li Mo if he pushed the Soul Imprint to its current maximum. It would not be like how it was earlier, where all he could do was inflict a short period of pain on her.
Bei Li Mo looked at him steadily for a moment before doubling over in laughter. She laughed so hard that she rocked back and forth. She even had tears coming out the corners of her eyes.
Watching her laugh, his expression turned icy instead and he asked in a dangerous voice, “What’s so funny?”
She clutched at her stomach and it took her quite a while to finally stop laughing before she looked at him with interest, “Did you and Yu Ru Meng… do it?”
[She can even guess this much?] Yang Kai felt a slight shock in his heart. [I guess a woman who can become a Demon Saint will certainly have some extraordinary observation skills. To be able to infer such information just from the changes in my Spiritual Energy alone… She really isn’t somebody I can underestimate.]
“That’s enough to make you laugh? Isn’t your sense of humour a little too childish?” He snorted coldly.
“You’re serious!?” Her eyes widened.
To which Yang Kai proudly replied, “Ru Meng and I are in love with one another, what’s so surprising about two people who are deeply in love with one another making love to each other?”
“It’s nothing. It’s nothing.” She waved her hand dismissively. Even so, the amusement was still evident on her face, “It’s just that my mood became a lot better all of a sudden.”
Tilting her head to the side, she glanced at him with an incredulous expression, “I can’t believe that that woman is willing to put such a large investment in you.”
He glared at her provocatively, “If you want, I can accept you as my wife too. That way, you can be Sisters with Ru Meng in the future.
“Go to Hell!”
…..
Yang Kai boldly lay down on the soft bed that used to belong to Bei Li Mo under a transparent dome inside Soaring Snow Ice Palace. He was surrounded by a group of beauties, each of them sporting a different charm and style.
A gorgeous female Demon King, who was peeling some fruits, suddenly brought a piece to his mouth for him to eat. Another brought a glass of fragrant wine to his lips while yet another was giving him a massage… The most beautiful women, the finest wine, and the best food. The best way to describe his current situation was ‘lording it and abusing his authority’!
Meanwhile, Bei Li Mo was sitting nearby and glaring at him coldly.
The female Demon Kings serving Yang Kai seemed rather shocked. Nobody had ever dared to act so presumptuously in front of Bei Li Mo before. Likewise, they had never seen their Mistress being so tolerant towards anybody before either.
Ever since returning to Soaring Snow Ice Palace, Bei Li Mo’s good mood had been completely destroyed. Yang Kai’s various misdeeds had had a great impact on her prestige, yet she could do nothing against him.
The door opened and a female Demon King walked in. She was inadvertently taken aback for a moment when she saw the scene in front of her. Sensing that Bei Li Mo’s mood had fallen below the freezing point, she cautiously walked over, leaned down, and spoke a few words into her ear.
Bei Li Mo nodded lightly in response and waved her hand to indicate for the female Demon King to withdraw.
“Is it ready?” Yang Kai lifted his gaze to look at her.
To which she gritted her teeth and snarled, “It’s just a trivial army of five hundred thousand. How long did you think it would take to prepare!?”
“En,” he responded non-committally before getting up from the bed and straightening out his clothes, “Many thanks for your hospitality, Holy Venerable. Let us meet again in the future.”
Her brow twitched at those words, and her crimson lips moved silently. Even though no sound came out of her mouth, their shape indicated that she was cursing at him.
He added, “By the way, Holy Venerable, please don’t miss me too much. I’ll come to visit you soon.” After saying that, he winked at her.
Bei Li Mo’s expression was as cold as ice as she knew that the ‘visit’ he mentioned was fake. His true intention was to check on the Soul Imprint for any signs of damage.
Amidst loud ringing laughter, Yang Kai strode outside imperiously with his head held high.
An army of five hundred thousand stood quietly in the large square outside Soaring Snow Ice Palace. They were divided into 5 divisions of a hundred thousand soldiers each. Strangely, there was not a single sound to be heard even though so many people gathered in one place. There was a heavy and solemn atmosphere covering the entire venue, with each division led by eight to ten Demon Kings, among which High-Rank Demon Kings abounded.
A single person stood proudly at the forefront of the entire army, and upon seeing Yang Kai appear, he immediately came forward, cupped his fists, and greeted, “Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai responded with a smile, “Brother Bai Ya.”
Bai Ya sternly replied, “In the name of the Holy Venerable, Bai Ya has assembled five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guard to serve under your command, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Very good.”
Then, his gaze swept over the five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards with a solemn expression on his face.
The Soaring Snow Ice Guard was the most elite force on Soaring Snow Continent. They were both Bei Li Mo’s exclusive imperial bodyguards and her trump card consisting of the most elite troops under her. An army like this was a rare existence even across the entire Demon Realm. Each Soaring Snow Ice Guard was selected through rigorous layers of tests and the lowest cultivation eligible to enter the Soaring Snow Ice Guard was that of Demon General. Bei Li Mo herself only had an army of five million under her command, so if Yang Kai had not demanded it, she would never have allowed as many as five hundred thousand to be deployed all at once.
Yang Kai had led an army before of course. Whether it be back in the Star Boundary or more recent times in the Demon Realm, he had commanded armies of two hundred thousand at most. However, those armies were completely incomparable to the Soaring Snow Ice Guard standing in front of him. Regardless of the overall quality or individual strength, the Soaring Snow Ice Guard made the previous armies he commanded look almost like a rag-tag bandit crew.
In contrast, the five hundred thousand people in front of him were truly a powerful army that could charge into battle on the frontlines and emerge victorious. If they met in battle, they could surely wipe out the allied forces of both Cloud Shadow Continent and Blue Plains Continent in all their entirety.
From now on, these five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards belonged to him, setting off a raging feeling in his heart. Although Bei Li Mo had not said that she was going to give them to him, these five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards were in his hands now. [There’s no way I can return them so easily. Even Bai Ya… Heh, heh, heh…]
Bai Ya seemed to detect the evil intentions in Yang Kai’s gaze and couldn’t help shivering in response as he asked, “Brother Yang, are you really going to go to the territories of each Demon Saint to continue repairing and maintaining the Territory Gates? You are very well-known right now, Brother Yang. You should be keeping a low profile for a while before making plans. It’s really not appropriate to show your face at this time.”
Yang Kai held the Great Emperor’s Opportunity in him. Across the entire Demon Realm, only the lower members of the Demon Race might not understand it very well. On the contrary, all those in the Demon King Realm and above had heard the rumours, especially those Half-Saints, so who among them did not have their eye on him at the moment?
Bai Ya simply could not understand why Yang Kai wanted to reveal his whereabouts and invite trouble for himself at a time like this. Bai Ya’s friendship with Yang Kai was nothing special, so he did not say those words out of kindness. The main reason was that he had to serve and obey Yang Kai by the orders of the Holy Venerable; thus, he wanted to find a way to protect himself. The gains would not be worth the loss if he were dragged into Yang Kai’s mess.
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, “One should always see through to the end the tasks they have begun. Although there were some misunderstandings between the Half-Saints and this King on Eternal Sky Continent, I still have to complete my assignment since it is something I have promised to do.”
Then, Yang Kai grinned and looked toward Bai Ya, “Besides, the Holy Venerables have come to a new agreement. They will not take any action against me personally. If it’s only those Half-Saints… Don’t I have you beside me, Brother Bai Ya?”
Bai Ya smiled bitterly but said nothing after glancing at Zhui Feng, whom Yang Kai was riding.
Zhui Feng might not have a high level of sentience, but his strength was obvious to see. Adding him into the mix would essentially mean that Yang Kai had two Half-Saints protecting him. If anybody were to try and harm Yang Kai, the opposing party would need at least three Half-Saints for their plan to even have a chance of success. Unfortunately, there was only one opportunity to be had. If three Half-Saints were to join forces, how were they going to split the prize afterward? Nobody would be willing to help others without appropriate compensation, so it was unlikely for such a situation to occur. What’s more, Yang Kai himself was proficient in the Dao of Space and it was rumoured that he recently killed one of the Half-Saints by the name of Yin Si, who was serving under Demon Saint Yu Ru Meng. Thus, Yang Kai’s personal strength was not to be underestimated either.
After a brief consideration, Bai Ya felt slightly relieved.
“By the way, what did the Holy Venerable tell you?” Yang Kai suddenly asked in a low voice.
Bai Ya replied, “Holy Venerable ordered that we obey all your commands.”
“What if I asked you to kill a Demon Saint?” Yang Kai looked at Bai Ya with a smile.
Bai Ya’s expression was sombre, “If you issue a command like that, Brother Yang, the Soaring Snow Ice Guard will die carrying out your orders!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he nodded at those words, “Very good.”
With a large wave of his hand, he ordered, “Let’s set off!”
After saying that, he turned around and led the way, with Bai Ya quickly relaying the command and the army of five hundred thousand moving out in an orderly manner, their speed not slow at all.
Along the journey, Yang Kai asked Bai Ya to explain the Soaring Snow Ice Guard’s organizational system and learned that the Soaring Snow Ice Guard had seven levels. From top to bottom, they were Division, Brigade, Regiment, Battalion, Company, Platoon, and Squad. A Division had 500,000 soldiers, a Brigade 10,000, a Regiment 3,000, a Company 300, a Platoon 100, and a Squad 10. The hierarchy was well-defined and the structure was rigorous.
In summary, the entire Soaring Snow Ice Guard consisted of ten Divisions and Bei Li Mo had transferred the command over one to Yang Kai. The Division Commander was none other than Bai Ya. Accordingly, the positions of Vice-Division Commander directly below Bai Ya were held by the five strongest High-Rank Demon Kings. Similarly, the Regiments and Battalions were headed by Mid-Rank Demon Kings and Low-Rank Demon Kings respectively while the Companies were led by Demon Great Generals.
There was none below the realm of a Demon General among the Soaring Snow Ice Guard, so one could only imagine what unimaginable destructive power such a well-structured and disciplined army could exert on the battlefield.
This truly got Yang Kai fired up. The Star Boundary simply could not compare with the Demon Realm when it came to warfare. Even if the Two Worlds Great War had not occurred in the Demon Realm, wars among different continents and Demon Saints were common occurrences. The skirmishes between continents would often involve large-scale battles involving millions of Demons. Therefore, the Demon Race was not unfamiliar with the art of war. On the contrary, the Star Boundary had experienced peace for a very long time. Although there were disputes among individual cultivators and occasional conflicts between Sects, a battle on the scale of millions had not occurred in tens of thousands of years.
For that reason, the Star Boundary was far inferior to the Demon Realm when it came to experience in dealing with such warfare. That was also one of the reasons why the Star Boundary had been forced into a constant retreat since the Two Worlds Great War began. Large-scale wars were often not something that could be won with one or two extremely powerful Masters. Rather, what they had to rely on was the full weight of both sides participating in the war.
The foundation and background of the Demon Realm was undoubtedly much greater than the Star Boundary’s. That was also one of the reasons why Yang Kai was desperately searching for another way out for the two Great Worlds. He wasn’t doing it out of consideration for the Demon Realm but for the Star Boundary as the latter’s odds of winning were simply too low.
Even the strongest fortresses could be brought down from the inside. Moreover, he was now within the enemy camp. Unfortunately, he did not have much confidence in being able to cause the collapse of such a strong enemy like the Demon Realm, so he could only do his best and leave the rest to the Heavens.
The army’s first destination was Eternal Sky Continent. When Yang Kai entered Eternal Sky Continent for the first time, he had also transited through Bei Li Mo’s territory and entered through the continent under another Demon Saint nearby. It was not that far away. Furthermore, the speed of the army could not be considered slow, and they arrived at the Territory Gate to enter Eternal Sky Continent in less than four days.
Eternal Sky Continent originally had two Territory Gates located in different places, but Yang Kai had sealed off one of them during his recent escape, so there was only one left. Moreover, the Demon Saints had eventually smashed the sealed Territory Gate and destroyed it as a result. As such, the army had arrived at the only remaining Territory Gate left.
Bai Ya did not know why Yang Kai had come to Eternal Sky Continent. After the last catastrophe on Eternal Sky Continent, the entire continent had been torn apart and shattered into fragments. Even the World Principles were broken beyond repair. Moreover, all the Demons who had previously lived here had been offered up as blood sacrifices. It could be said that the current Eternal Sky Continent no longer held any value at all. Not to mention, the one and only Territory Gate was showing signs of instability at this moment. If this Territory Gate disappeared, then the entire Eternal Sky Continent would be completely removed from the Demon Realm.
Bai Ya did not ask any questions despite his puzzlement though. Only a few days ago, Bei Li Mo had ordered him to lead the Soaring Snow Ice Guard and serve under Yang Kai. She also told him in very clear terms that he should not ask unnecessary questions and simply follow Yang Kai’s instructions. As a Half-Saint, it was impossible for him to serve under a High-Rank Demon King under normal circumstances; however, he could only obey since Bei Li Mo herself had ordered him to do so.
Yang Kai left Bai Ya and the army of five hundred thousand stationed near the Territory Gate. Then, he passed through the Territory Gate alone and stepped foot on Eternal Sky Continent once again.
The entire world was grey and hazy as far as the eye could see. There was not the slightest bit of brilliance anywhere. The land itself was fragmented and Void Cracks spread out across the sky like scars that could never heal.
There was a trace of sorrow in Yang Kai’s heart as he gazed at this landscape. This was the place where a Great Emperor had fallen. Nevertheless, he realized that he had no other choice whatsoever when he thought back on all the events of that day. Bright Moon Great Emperor had used his own life to hand his final responsibility over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not know how he was supposed to face Lan Xun again after returning to the Star Boundary. Lan Xun had held great expectations for him before he left for the Demon Realm. Who could have known that her Father would end up dying at his hands? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
After composing himself, Yang Kai began casually wandering around Eternal Sky Continent. The entire world was like a shattered plate wherein the fragmentation of the continent could be seen everywhere.
There were still hints of profound auras and traces of battle at the place where Bright Moon had fought against the Demon Saints back then. In addition, a bright crimson colour blanketed the spot where the boundless Blood Sea had once been. The base of the Spirit Array that made up the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array was gone, however, probably retrieved by the Demon Race.
Upon confirming that there were no other life auras on this continent, Yang Kai summoned the Sealed World Bead and had Gun-Gun come out to begin devouring the fragments of this continent. Ever since Gun-Gun started devouring numerous continents in the Demon Realm, its body had gotten even bigger than before. It was now capable of swallowing a fragment of the continent in one bite.
…..
Huo Lun stood in front of his log house located on the top of an uninhabited mountain inside the Small Sealed World, looking up at the sky with a lonely and melancholic expression.
During this period, he had gone around this strange world only to discover that it was completely devoid of any other living creatures aside from himself. Moreover, there was an invisible barrier in the sky that prevented him from flying too high. Every time he reached a certain limit, he would be blocked from going further. This world also seemed to have a set boundary, one he could not pass through. He couldn’t help feeling as though he was a bird trapped inside a cage. A vast cage, but a cage nonetheless.
[Just what is this damned place!?] He had been asking himself this question more times than he could remember but could not find an answer to it. He recalled what Yang Kai had mentioned a few days ago before leaving, ‘This world might become another Demon Realm in the future’.
Huo Lun remained unconvinced by those words. Even the most barren continent in the Demon Realm was millions of times better than this place.
All of a sudden, there was a loud explosion which sounded like thunder in the sky.
Huo Lun’s expression turned from depressed to shocked before he immediately became ecstatic as he stared up into the sky with wide eyes. In the two months that he had been living here, nothing had changed at all. There were no living creatures, and not even the slightest bit of sound; therefore, this sudden activity was a welcome sight.
[I don’t care what the changes are. It’s better than living here in dull silence!] With a shift of his body, he rushed up towards the sky in hopes of getting closer to the sound of the thunder and catching a glimpse of the mystery behind it. He also wanted to see how the world had changed.
There was another loud explosion a moment later, one so loud that the entire world seemed to tremble from it.
Under Huo Lun’s nervous and excited gaze, a huge crack suddenly opened in the sky, as if an invisible beast had opened its mouth. He felt like a tiny ant in front of that crack… Even so, that did not stop him. He rushed upward even more excitedly, thinking that this might be his chance of escaping from this place.
Just before he arrived in front of the crack though, a giant creature suddenly leaned out of the crack slowly. A horrifying pressure spread out from that figure and Huo Lun abruptly froze in his tracks to stare at this monstrosity with a wide-eyed stare.
A short while later, that giant creature finally revealed its entire body and he couldn’t help gasping at the sight. He was shocked and horrified to discover that this enormous creature was actually a giant piece of land. It looked as though somebody had cut out a part of a continent and thrown it into this world. The crack in the sky spat out the fragment of the continent, which fell straight down to the ground.
Huo Lun watched nervously, worried about the force of impact that would come from such a humongous thing crashing against the ground, but to his surprise, he saw the fragment of the continent melting away gradually as it fell. It was almost as if it had been digested by this world. The entire process took no more than ten breaths. The fragment of the continent vanished without a trace before it even touched the ground. Following that, another fragment was spat out from the crack in the sky and the process from before repeating again…
Huo Lun couldn’t help swallowing nervously at the sight as he wondered if he really was inside some sort of ancient giant beast’s belly.
Although he did not want to admit it, what he was seeing before him inadvertently made those thoughts appear in his mind. The continent fragments that were devoured up by the huge crack in the sky almost seemed like the food of a giant beast, which would mean that this world was the stomach of that giant beast; otherwise, how could the fragments of the continents be digested and disappear without a trace?
Piece after piece continued to be spat out before vanishing out of sight, seemingly without end.
All of a sudden, Huo Lun frowned. He keenly felt as though something was changing in this world. His cultivation was not that high, but he was still a Low-Rank Demon King, so he had a fairly good perception of the surrounding environment. Pondering in silence for a bit, he quietly tried to circulate his Secret Art and the results shocked him.
He discovered that the World Energy in this place had become marginally stronger than before. Even the World Principles had become a bit more abundant. Even if the changes were not significant, this feeling could not be wrong. He once again recalled what that person who tossed him into this place had once said and muttered to himself, “Perhaps one day in the future, this place will become another Demon Realm!”
He had been unconvinced by those words at the time; however, that outcome did not seem impossible now. If this world continued to develop with this kind of momentum, wouldn’t it become another Demon Realm once the World Energy became sufficiently rich and the World Principles became sufficiently perfect?
Huo Lun was extremely taken aback by this realization.
At this moment, something seemed to fall out of the air from among the vanishing continent fragments that were being digested.
[There’s something that cannot be digested by this world?] Huo Lun rubbed his eyes and confirmed that he wasn’t imagining things. Feeling curious, he hurriedly flew in the direction where that thing had fallen.
Exactly one hour later, he finally arrived at the spot. His Divine Sense surged as he searched a wide area for the item. It didn’t take much effort for him to find a spear in the middle of a lake with clear water. The spear was quite heavy, and its body was decorated with elaborate patterns. He could tell at a glance that it was an item that was forged with the greatest care.
Pouring his Demon Qi into the spear, Huo Lun examined the dazzling light it gave off and gasped at the sight, “High-Rank Demon Artifact!”
This was a High-Rank Demon Artifact! Moreover, it was a very high-quality existence even among High-Rank Demon Artifacts! There was no blockage whatsoever when he poured his Demon Qi into it. Furthermore, it felt like an extension of his arm when he swung it around casually.
As far as he knew, only some High-Rank Demon Kings and Half-Saints were eligible to wield such a High-Rank Demon Artifact. It was impossible for Mid-Rank Demon Kings and Low-Rank Demon Kings to even touch something like this.
Although he had his own weapons, they were only two Low-Rank Demon Artifacts, completely incomparable to this spear both in terms of quality and value. What made Huo Lun feel even more incredulous was that this High-Rank Demon Artifact was brand new, almost as though somebody had been using it not too long ago.
But… if the Demon Artifact was here, then where did the High-Rank Demon King or Half-Saint using it go?
Huo Lun couldn’t care less about that right now though as he clasped the spear tightly in his hand and laughed loudly. The gloomy and melancholic mood he had been experiencing all this time was swept away in an instant. Just the fact that he had unexpectedly obtained this Demon Artifact was enough to make him rejoice for a long while. It was a treasure that he did not even dare to covet before after all.
His good mood had just washed over him when something else fell out of the sky again and landed only several dozen kilometres away…
After confirming the direction, Huo Lun hurriedly flew over to look for the item. A burst of even happier laughter rang out a short while later. This time, he had picked up a Space Ring; moreover, there were countless treasures and wealth stored inside. He even found nearly a thousand Myriad Demon Pills!
These were Myriad Demon Pills! Treasures he would never even come across under normal circumstances. And yet, he had obtained nearly a thousand of them in one go. He almost thought that it was a dream. [With so many Myriad Demon Pills in hand, I only need to focus on meditating and cultivating for a time before I become a High-Rank Demon King. At this rate, even becoming a Half-Saint might not be a dream!]
So many Myriad Demon Pills were definitely not something a mere Demon King could own. As far as he knew, only the top Masters of the Demon Realm were qualified to have so many Myriad Demon Pills, such as the Half-Saints. Thinking back to the spear he had just picked up, he suddenly understood something. [I picked up the personal items of a Half-Saint who had died!]
Huo Lun jumped in fear the moment that thought came to him. For a Low-Rank Demon King like him, a Half-Saint was an extremely superior existence. Just who could kill a Half-Saint?
The shocking discoveries were far from over though. Over the next few days, Huo Lun kept seeing things falling from the sky. These were things that this world could not digest, and most of them were Demon Artifacts. Moreover, a lot of the Demon Artifacts had lost a great deal of spirituality. Their owners seemed to have experienced an extremely terrifying battle before returning to Great Demon God’s embrace. These Demon Artifacts were the weapons left behind by those who were slain in battle.
Huo Lun also picked up many Space Rings and gained quite a fortune; however, the only Half-Saint’s Space Ring he picked up was the first one. Although there was much good stuff in the rest of the Space Rings and a few Myriad Demon Pills could occasionally be found in some of them, none of them could compare with the wealth contained in the first Space Ring he picked up.
This situation continued on for seven or eight days before the crack in the sky gradually closed under his anxious gaze and nothing was swallowed into this world again. Huo Lun waited for a long time, and after making sure that there was nothing else he could benefit from, he finally turned around and headed back to his log house with a look of excitement on his face.
At this time, he was no longer complaining about being a bird trapped in a cage. Which person trapped in a cage could obtain such terrifying opportunities? The wealth he gained over the past few days was more than what he could have gotten even if he lived a hundred lifetimes.
He flew towards the mountain in a rush, but just as he was about to return to his residence, he suddenly paused in mid-air. He lowered his head and looked down. A moment later, his eyes narrowed. The mountain on which he had built his log house had gotten much higher! It definitely was not his imagination. Even if he had never measured the height of this mountain, his perception as a Demon King could not be wrong.
The mountain had gotten taller, the soil underneath had become thicker, the World Principles had become more perfect, and the World Energy was obviously more abundant than before. At some point in time, subtle changes had taken place throughout this world.
…..
Outside the Small Sealed World, the place where Eternal Sky Continent was once located had become a Void. The entire continent had been devoured by Gun-Gun. An unimaginably humongous Gun-Gun swam over to Yang Kai from the middle of the Void and transformed back into the Sealed World Bead, which Yang Kai then retrieved.
Afterward, Yang Kai turned around, passed through the Territory Gate, and sealed the Territory Gate behind him. He then called out to Bai Ya who was waiting outside, “Let’s go.”
He had not expected so much good stuff to be left behind after the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. Bright Moon had killed more than ten Half-Saints back then and the personal items of these Half-Saints had of course become ownerless at the time. Most of them had been found and retrieved after the incident; however, one Space Ring had been unaccounted for. That Space Ring had now benefited Huo Lun, whom he had locked up inside the Small Sealed World.
After leaving Eternal Sky Continent, Yang Kai led Bai Ya and the army across various continents in the Demon Realm. His nominal reason was to repair and maintain the Territory Gates, the task he failed to finish doing last time.
Half a year ago, he had been working on this task when he was ambushed by the three Half-Saints of Hundred Spirits Continent. Later, the incident on Eternal Sky Continent broke out; therefore, this matter had been delayed until now. Nobody would suspect anything if he chose to continue with his task at this time; however, repairing and maintaining the Territory Gates was a facade. His true objective was to look for opportunities to devour more lost continents.
He had not given much thought to it when he allowed Gun-Gun to devour those continents previously, only feeling it was a bit wasteful to leave the fragments to be devoured by the Void. In any case, Gun-Gun had a precedent of devouring, and it was never a bad thing to expand the domain of the Sealed World Bead. But now, it would seem that it had been a smart move of great foresight on his part.
All of the broken continents contained a part of the World Principles of the Demon Realm. Although the World Principles were as shattered as the continent themselves, Gun-Gun was never one to reject anything that came its way. As the saying went, ‘many grains of sand can build a tower’. When the quantity causes a qualitative change, the Sealed World Bead might undergo an amazing evolution in the future. If this idea was feasible, then he might be able to lead the battle between the two worlds to another conclusion.
As a veteran Half-Saint of the Demon Realm, Bai Ya knew the whole Demon Realm’s situation like the back of his hand; therefore, having him as an adviser made things much easier to handle.
Yang Kai only talked with Bai Ya for a few days, but it was enough for him to plan an efficient route in his heart.
As they passed through continent after continent, Yang Kai would stop every so often, instruct the Soaring Snow Ice Guard to seal off a certain area and disappear for a few days on his own.
Bai Ya gradually noticed how strange Yang Kai was acting, because he had not repaired nor maintained any of the Territory Gates throughout their journey at all. Instead, he seemed to be leading the army of five hundred thousand on a scenic tour throughout the various continents of the Demon Realm. Moreover, he seemed to have some sort of particular reason for stopping at certain places. It suggested that there was some sort of special pattern behind his actions.
It wasn’t until two months later that Bai Ya finally figured out what the pattern was. The places where the Soaring Snow Ice Guard raised a blockade were places where a Territory Gate once existed. In addition, those Territory Gates were once connected to a lost continent when it still existed.
After discovering this, Bai Ya couldn’t help feeling shocked. As a Half-Saint, it was only natural that he was quick-witted and an incredulous thought surged in his heart. Following his secret observations, he finally confirmed the conjecture he had formed in his heart.
[Yang Kai is capable of reopening the Territory Gates to the continents that were lost and entering those continents!] Those thoughts instantly set off a stormy wave of emotions in his heart.
There were two reasons why it was necessary for the Demon Race to start a war with the Star Boundary regardless of the costs. The first reason was the Demon Race themselves were blood-thirsty and hot-blooded, but the second and more important reason was that the Demon Race needed to find a new place to establish themselves.
The entire Demon Realm used to be whole many, many years ago. Nobody knew why it later split into countless continents of all shapes and sizes. It would have been nothing if that was all. Even if the continents were divided, they were still able to connect with each other so not much changed in the lives of the Demon Race. However, the key point was that these continents were gradually disappearing; moreover, the Territory Gates that existed everywhere also slowly began to experience some problems.
If the Demon Race did not find a new place to live, the entire Demon Realm would fall apart once all the Territory Gates disappeared and the connection between the continents were lost completely. At that time, even the Demon Saints were incapable of predicting what might happen. It might signal the end of the Demon Realm.
However, Yang Kai had found those lost continents and could even enter them! Combined with his ability to repair and maintain the Territory Gates, it was enough to maintain the safety of the Demon Realm during his lifetime. The Demon Realm would be able to avoid its fate of destruction. If that was the case, then what was the point of the battle between the two worlds? What was the point of countless Demon Race warriors, Demon Kings, Half-Saints spilling their blood in the foreign Star Boundary?
No wonder he asked Bei Li Mo for the escort of five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards. He certainly needed some manpower to help him. Without the Soaring Snow Ice Guard to seal off the surrounding region, news about this would spread instantly if anybody were to learn about what Yang Kai was doing, shaking the very foundation of the Demon Realm.
Ever since discovering Yang Kai’s secret, Bai Ya had been slightly out of it. The expression on his face when he looked at Yang Kai was as though he was looking at a monster.
Bai Ya did not reveal the truth and Yang Kai did not explain himself.
When Yang Kai brought Bai Ya along with him, he never expected his secret to remain a secret for long. In any case, this matter would be exposed to the public one day in the future, and this would simply allow him to gauge Bei Li Mo’s attitude. Especially with the possibility of Bai Ya leaking this information to her in advance.
…..
Inside the Small Sealed World, the mountain where Huo Lun had built his log house was getting taller and taller. Ever since he first witnessed that mysterious scene the other day, similar scenes would occur again every once in a while.
When the huge crack opened in the sky for the second time, Huo Lun had excitedly rushed over when the fragments of the continent were devoured into this place again. He wanted to gain more benefits from the shocking phenomenon. Unfortunately, the results this time had left him disappointed. Even when the crack closed again, nothing special had fallen out of the sky. The same went for the third time… And, the fourth time…
At present, he no longer held any expectations. When the crack in the sky opened again, he simply opened his eyes and took a look with an indifferent attitude. No matter how shocking something was, it would become nothing special after witnessing it repeatedly. Besides, there was nothing he could gain from it anymore and the crack would close on its own after a few days.
The only reason he had gone out again recently was to verify a guess he had formed in his heart, and reality proved that his conjecture was correct. The world was expanding. Not only was the mountain he was living on getting taller, but the entire world had also gotten much broader. As the crack in the sky opened again and again, as the fragments of continents were devoured and digested, the World Principles and World Energy of the entire world gradually became stronger.
[World Creation!] Realization dawned on Huo Lun. [Such tremendous changes to this world are practically equivalent to creating a new world! Just who can perform such a feat!? Is it that man who caught me and locked me in this place?]
Yang Kai’s figure surfaced unbidden in his mind. Back then, Huo Lun had told that strange man that not only was his cultivation unable to progress if he lived in this place for long, but he also faced the risk of his cultivation regressing instead. But that risk no longer existed. Perhaps it would have been difficult for his cultivation to advance without cultivation resources, but his cultivation no longer faced the risk of regression. That was because the World Energy and World Principles in this world had both undergone great changes.
Leading the Soaring Snow Ice Guard, Yang Kai wandered the continents of the Demon Realm for a full year. During that time, he passed through all the territories owned by every single Demon Saint to devour all the known lost continents.
On a certain day one year later, Bai Ya stood in front of a Void Corridor above the skies of a vast sea. He was staring blankly at the black corridor radiating with a dangerous aura, and there was a complicated expression on his face. He knew that this Void Corridor connected to a continent that had disappeared from the Demon Realm three thousand years ago.
After such a long time, Yang Kai no longer bothered to conceal anything from Bai Ya anymore. He knew that the latter had long since found out about his secret anyway. A secret that had been found out could no longer be considered a secret; therefore, approximately half a year ago, he had allowed Bai Ya to follow him into one of these lost continents and openly showed Gun-Gun in front of him, devouring the continent.
When Bai Ya saw the broken continent, many expressions appeared on his face and all of them were filled with disbelief.
Over the past countless years, at least a hundred continents had disappeared from the Demon Realm. All the Demon Race subconsciously believed that these lost continents had simply been disconnected from the Demon Realm and nothing would happen to the continents themselves. As long as they could find a way to restore that connection, those lost continents would come back one day.
It wasn’t until he witnessed the outcome of these lost continents for himself that he realized his mindset had been too assumptive.
Even if the Demon Realm had been broken into pieces, it was still a whole; however, a continent losing its connection to the Demon Realm was equivalent to chopping off a person’s limbs. Those continents would then gradually experience decay and eventually fall apart due to a lack of nutrients…
Bai Ya suddenly felt a sense of panic and existential crisis. After witnessing the fate of those lost continents, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the surviving continents in the Demon Realm would one day end up in the same state, shattered and lifeless…
If that happened, even the Demon Saints would not be spared, let alone a Half-Saint like himself.
A weak aura fluctuation came from the Void Corridor in front of Bai Ya and immediately afterwards, Yang Kai clambered out of the Void Corridor.
Meeting each other’s gaze, Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Many thanks, Brother Bai Ya.”
Bai Ya smiled bitterly and shook his head, “I was just watching the scenery and enjoying the breeze outside. What’s so hard about my task compared to what Brother Yang did inside?”
“Did anything happen out here?” Yang Kai looked around.
“There was an aura snooping around, but it didn’t come close,” Bai Ya replied. As a Half-Saint, a snooping aura that could catch his interest could only mean that it was another Half-Saint.
It had not been a smooth journey over the course of the year. Yu Ru Meng had reached a new agreement with the other Demon Saints a year ago, so the Demon Saints did not attack Yang Kai anymore; however, many Half-Saints had immediately taken action upon learning about the situation.
Yang Kai was like an injured fish flapping about in the ocean, attracting the greed of the sharks known as Half-Saints with the smell of his blood. Just this year alone, there had been no fewer than ten conflicts with the Half-Saints! It was just that he was being escorted by Zhui Feng, not to mention five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards and Bai Ya. One or two Half-Saints were completely incapable of causing any harm to him. The most dangerous situation he encountered was when five Half-Saints had joined forces to attack him.
In that battle, Bai Ya and Zhui Feng had both been held up by a Half-Saint each and were unable to extricate themselves from their respective battles. Meanwhile, the remaining three Half-Saints had chased Yang Kai vigorously for a while. It was to the point where they thought they were about to succeed in their endeavour.
Unfortunately for them, Yang Kai had concealed at least one Space Beacon on each continent every time he arrived. Coupled with his ingenious and unparalleled Space Techniques, he had no trouble escaping even if he could not win the fight.
That battle had lasted for half a month, but in the end, the three Half-Saints pursuing him were left eating his dust for that entire duration. They couldn’t even grasp a single hair on his head. On the contrary, they suffered greatly at the hands of his mysterious methods.
Since then, there had not been any direct battles between Yang Kai and a Half-Saint again. All the Half-Saints in the Demon Realm were aware that there was nothing they could do to a person proficient in the Dao of Space, not unless more than ten Half-Saints worked together against him or they found some method to restrict his movements to prevent him from escaping.
But, it was an extremely difficult task to get ten Half-Saints to work together. The Demon Realm did not lack Half-Saints; in fact, there had been more than a hundred participating in the battle to encircle and suppress Bright Moon Great Emperor back then, but they only joined forces at the time because the Demon Saints had ordered them to do so. Otherwise, trying to get ten Half-Saints to join forces against a single enemy on the premise that there was only one prize that could not be split in the hands of that enemy was something that was practically impossible to achieve.
For this reason, Yang Kai shocked the world with this battle. He had gotten famous in the Demon Realm because he obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity. It wasn’t until now that both the Half-Saints who were familiar and unfamiliar with him discovered that his strength could not be underestimated. It was no wonder he even managed to escape from the pursuit of the Demon Saints back then.
“Are there no other continents left?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Ya shook his head, “Demon Blood Continent was the last of the lost continents.”
Yang Kai frowned at those words. Immersing himself in the Small Sealed World, he felt around for a bit and sighed, [It isn’t enough!]
The Small Sealed World had undergone earth-shaking changes after devouring all those broken continents and its territory had also become unbelievably vast as a result. Unfortunately, it was still not enough. It was not about the size of the land. The size of the Small Sealed World today was equivalent to the sum of nearly a hundred continents in the Demon Realm. Housing trillions of Demons there would not be a problem whatsoever. Rather, the problem lay in the World Principles and World Energy. The World Principles in the expanded territory of the Small Sealed World were only similar to that of a lower Star Field. In other words, the highest Masters that could be produced under such World Principles were Origin Kings.
Huo Lun was the best experiment. He had the cultivation of a Low-Rank Demon King, and during this period, he seemed to have used a number of Myriad Demon Pills to improve his cultivation. Even though he was already at the peak of a Low-Rank Demon King Realm, he could not break through his bottleneck. The reason was that the World Principles in the Small Sealed World were unable to fulfil the requirements needed for his breakthrough. If the newly expanded territory of the Small Sealed World did not evolve further, then Huo Lun would never achieve another breakthrough.
That was simply the limits of the world. Just like back then, the Origin King Realm Masters in the Star Field had to find their way into the Star Boundary. No matter how great a person’s aptitude, it was impossible to progress when the world itself limited you.
[It looks like I have no choice but to try something dangerous!] Yang Kai only considered it briefly before his eyes flashed with a resolute light. [I hope Bei Li Mo will not turn against me…]
“Let’s go!” He called out to Bai Ya, who immediately relayed the command to the Soaring Snow Ice Guard who had been guarding the surroundings, for all five hundred thousand of them to gather. Once assembled, the army gallantly set off.
Half a month later, Bai Ya stopped outside a Territory Gate, the corners of his mouth twitching as he asked, “Brother Yang, if I am not mistaken, this Territory Gate leads to Hundred Spirits Continent. Is this our destination?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai looked at Bai Ya with a smile, not allowing for objections as he grabbed the latter by the arm and strode forward without any further ado.
Bai Ya was shocked; however, the two of them had plunged into the Territory Gate and arrived at a splendid and colourful world before he could say anything, causing him to smile bitterly…
Hundred Spirits Continent held a special position in the Demon Realm. Who would dare to barge into this place so casually, aside from unscrupulous and profit-driven mavericks? That especially held true for the Half-Saints serving under the various Demon Saints. They had been warned by the Demon Saints never to enter Hundred Spirits Continent or they could only blame themselves for their deaths.
Although Bai Ya knew that Yang Kai had a good relationship with Hundred Spirits Continent, he couldn’t help feeling as though he had been dragged into the lion’s den. Nevertheless, he was already here, so what else could he say? He could only pray that the Lord of Hundred Spirits Continent would spare him.
“Who dares trespass on Hundred Spirits Continent!?” The moment the two of them steadied themselves, a stern shout came from somewhere. It was clear that somebody had noticed the anomaly in this place. While that person was speaking, a ray of light sped towards them.
A figure was revealed in that ray of light as it got closer. It turned out to be a middle-aged man, but the aura radiating from his body was that of a Half-Saint. Upon seeing Yang Kai though, that person couldn’t help being taken aback for a moment before immediately cupping his fists, “So it is Senior Yang!”
[Senior…] Bai Ya couldn’t help frowning at that title. He was not familiar with the middle-aged man in front of him as the Half-Saints on Hundred Spirits Continent rarely involved themselves with the outside world. Be that as it may, almost all of the Half-Saints here were Divine Spirits who were famed for their arrogance, so why was this person addressing Yang Kai as ‘Senior’?
Only then did Bai Ya realize that he had greatly underestimated Yang Kai’s position on Hundred Spirits Continent, as well as how highly the Master of Hundred Spirits Continent valued Yang Kai! [No wonder even Zhui Feng has been following Yang Kai around! This guy is famous for being the mount that galloped across the world back then after all.]
“How should I address you?” Yang Kai looked at the middle-aged man with a smile.
The middle-aged man bowed with his hand on his chest, “Sir, please call me Du Yu.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, “Is Senior Chang Tian here? I want to meet Senior in person.”
“Sir, please come with me.” Du Yu stretched out his hand to lead the way. While speaking, he subtly glanced at Bai Ya and a fierce light flashed through his eyes. The fiendish aura made all the hair on Bai Ya’s body stand.
Yang Kai said, “This is Brother Bai Ya. He is my companion.”
Upon hearing this, the fierce light in Du Yu’s eyes gradually diminished. He nodded lightly and led the way without saying another word.
Inside that dim and gloomy hall that felt as though one would never see the sun again, Yang Kai met Chang Tian again. It was impossible for a person like Chang Tian to change much in such a short time; thus, the two of them sat on the floor inside the hall just like before.
Meanwhile, Bai Ya stood quietly outside the hall with a meticulous expression. Du Yu, who had led the way, was gone now; however, there was a pair of twin sisters standing in front of him and staring at him unblinkingly. These twin sisters had beautiful appearances and graceful figures, one dressed in black and the other in white. The auras between them seemed to resonate with each other and were clearly closely connected.
Under normal circumstances, any man would have loved to have a second glance at such eye-catching beauties. Unfortunately, Bai Ya didn’t even dare to look sideways at this moment. The reserved smile on his face was practically frozen stiff as he cursed at Yang Kai fiercely in his heart. [I don’t care if you want to come to Hundred Spirits Continent, you could have done it alone! Why did you have to drag me here with you!?]
Despite being a Half-Saint, Bai Ya felt as though he was a lamb inside a tiger’s den, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
“Senior, there are no flowers growing on my body. Why are you looking at me like that?” Inside the hall, Yang Kai rubbed his nose and glanced at Chang Tian, who had been staring at him since he came in.
Chang Tian smiled slightly and nodded, “Good. Good. I certainly picked the right person. With that opportunity in you, your chances of becoming a Demon Saint in the future will be greatly increased. This King is certain Hundred Spirits Continent will have a successor in a hundred years.”
The battle on Eternal Sky Continent had shaken up the entire world. Even Hundred Spirits Continent had heard the news despite being sealed off and isolated. Since his life was soon coming to an end, Chang Tian had wanted to train Yang Kai as his successor. He wanted Yang Kai to take over Hundred Spirits Continent in the future and protect all the Divine Spirits on this continent. Regardless of his intentions at the time, he also knew that the peak of the Martial Dao was not something that could be reached so easily. Fortunately, everything was alright now. Yang Kai had managed to snatch the Great Emperor’s Opportunity, so as long as Yang Kai progressed steadily, Chang Tian might actually be able to witness Yang Kai standing at the pinnacle of the Demon Realm before he passed away. If that were really to happen, he would have nothing to worry about anymore. In addition, the many Divine Spirits on this continent would have somebody to rely on.
“Since you have this opportunity, you shouldn’t carelessly reveal yourself outside anymore. Just stay on Hundred Spirits Continent. I have long since discussed with Yu Ru Meng, so I’m sure she won’t object too strongly to it.”
Yang Kai smiled ruefully at those words. He could discern the meaning behind Chang Tian’s words. Chang Tian wanted him to remain on Hundred Spirits Continent from now on to cultivate in peace to become a Demon Saint in the future. Although he could appreciate the care and protection Chang Tian was showing him, time waited for no one. How could he afford the time to cultivate here quietly? The goal of becoming a Demon Saint was a little too far off right now and the Two Worlds Great War was raging on. Meanwhile, his family, wives, and friends were all in the Star Boundary. How could he hide away in this paradise with peace of mind? The Star Boundary would be gone by the time he became a Demon Saint and left this place again.
Yang Kai mulled it over for a moment before he replied, “I appreciate your kindness, Senior, but has Senior never thought about leading Hundred Spirits Continent out of this rut? Hundred Spirits Continent might be large, but isn’t it a little too small for you, Senior?”
Chang Tian’s eyes flashed when he heard those words and the corners of his mouth curved upward, revealing the hint of a smile, “What do you want to say?”
Yang Kai stared at Chang Tian with a piercing gaze, “What I want to say is… With your power, you shouldn’t be confined to the Hundred Spirits Continent, Senior. Just thinking about it, each of the Twelve Demon Saints control dozens of continents, while your strength is no weaker than theirs, so why do you only settle for occupying something as insignificant as Hundred Spirits Continent? You are part of the Dragon Clan, and the Dragon Clan is Head of the Myriad Divine Spirits. You should be free to roam these lands as you see fit, not trapped in these shallow waters!”
Chang Tian’s gaze lowered slightly, “Originally, Hundred Spirits Continent did not exist in the Demon Realm. This is what this King spent half his life building. It is true that the Demon Realm is vast and there are hundreds, if not over a thousand continents, but alas! This King is only one, and such grand ambitions are not something that can be accomplished alone.”
“But, you have me now, Senior!”
“You?” He raised his eyebrows and looked at Yang Kai. Then, he burst out laughing all of a sudden, “Your appetite is truly enormous! Unfortunately, you need to have the corresponding strength to support it.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Senior, you have misunderstood my words. I am not inciting you to seize the other Demon Saints’ territories. The Demon Realm is already falling apart, so what’s the point of taking over another person’s territory? Perhaps, in a century, or a millennium, that territory you seized would collapse. That would just be meaningless effort. Forget everything else, let’s take Hundred Spirits Continent as an example. Who knows when Hundred Spirits Continent will break away from the Demon Realm and follow in the footsteps of the other lost continents? Where will you go if that happens, Senior? Where will the millions of living creatures on Hundred Spirits Continent go?”
Yang Kai paused for a moment before continuing, “Plus, you might be safe for now… But the war between the two worlds will sweep through the entire Demon Realm sooner or later. Can you and Hundred Spirits Continent still remain in a disengaged position when that time comes?”
Chang Tian’s expression darkened the moment he heard those words.
Yang Kai added, “It’s something that even a Junior like me noticed, so I’m certain Senior has already foreseen this.”
Although the war between the two worlds was raging fiercely, it had yet to reach the most critical point. That was why Hundred Spirits Continent could still afford to stay out of the matter; however, if the war reached a certain step… The Demon Saints in the Demon Realm would never allow Hundred Spirits Continent to remain watching idly by the sides. They were bound to work together to exert pressure on Hundred Spirits Continent so that it participated in the war.
Chang Tian would have no choice but to agree under such intense pressure; otherwise, Hundred Spirits Continent would become the Demon Realm’s enemy. That would only bring the worst possible fate to Hundred Spirits Continent. If the Demon Saints were determined enough to join forces, then Hundred Spirits Continent would be completely wiped off the map.
“Do you have a solution to this?” Chang Tian lifted his eyes and looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
Yang Kai had brought this matter up so abruptly that it was clear that he had a specific aim in mind; thus, Chang Tian couldn’t help speculating.
“I’m still figuring one out, and I dare not say it will succeed, but it’s a direction at least. If this succeeds, not only can it extinguish the flames of war between the two worlds, but it can also provide a better living environment for Hundred Spirits Continent and even the rest of the Demon Race.”
“Extinguish the flames of war between the two worlds…” Even though Chang Tian was incredibly knowledgeable, he couldn’t help being a little dumbfounded at this moment.
Yang Kai’s words had simply been too incredulous! The Two Worlds Great War was not a run-of-the-mill brawl, it was a battle for survival where it was kill-or-be-killed. It was impossible to stop this war unless one party thoroughly lost or was completely annihilated. In comparison, it made the part about providing a better living environment for Hundred Spirits Continent and the rest of the Demon Race sound less shocking.
If it had been anybody else who spoke these words, Chang Tian would have thrown that person out a long time ago rather than waste his time on such nonsense; however, he held great expectations for Yang Kai and still hoped that Yang Kai would protect Hundred Spirits Continent in the future. Even if he couldn’t bring himself to believe what Yang Kai was saying, he had no other option but to ask about it, “Tell me more. What exactly are you planning?”
Yang Kai hesitated for a long time, but seeming to reach a decision about something important, he raised his gaze, stared straight into Chang Tian’s eyes, and stated, “I think you should see it for yourself, Senior.”
“See for myself?” Chang Tian frowned.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to Chang Tian, “Senior, if you believe in me, then please relax and don’t resist.”
Chang Tian frowned in response. He did not know what snake oil Yang Kai was trying to sell; nevertheless, he reached out his hand and placed it in the palm of Yang Kai’s hand. As powerful as he was, he was extremely confident in his own strength, so he was not worried about any sinister trick or devious lies Yang Kai might try to pull.
In the next moment, he saw Yang Kai grinning at him and his vision blurred for a moment before he suddenly found himself in a strange world. Stunned, Chang Tian looked around only to see that this place was no longer his dark and cold palace hall. It could even be said that this place was not any place found on Hundred Spirits Continent.
This world made him feel a little uncomfortable as he felt an invisible shackle wrapping around him the moment he entered. It was the omnipresent World Force applying pressure on him to prevent him from using too much power. Although he had cultivation on par with that of a Demon Saint, it was worthless here since he could not exert that strength in this place.
This situation inadvertently made his expression change slightly. He was wondering if he had misjudged Yang Kai and accidentally fell into some sort of malicious trap. Even so, he quickly tossed this idea aside. That was because Yang Kai was standing beside him defenceless. If Yang Kai had wanted to harm Chang Tian in any way, then he would not be assuming such a carefree posture. Moreover, he was staring ahead with a relaxed expression. Stretching out a hand, Yang Kai pointed and said, “Senior, what do you think about this place?”
“Where is this place?” Chang Tian frowned. He had clearly felt the traces of teleportation just now, it was just that he had not had the time to get a closer look before he was transported here from the hall. While they were speaking, he spread his Divine Sense out, but could not perceive the boundaries of this world.
“This is a world. I call it the Small Sealed World.”
“The Small Sealed World?” Chang Tian’s frown deepened, but immediately after, his eyes gleamed with a shocking light, “A Great World!? Is this a Great World!?”
“It can marginally be considered one.”
“I can’t believe you actually found another Great World!” Chang Tian was thoroughly shocked.
The Star Boundary, which existed outside of the Demon Realm, had shown Chang Tian and the others that there was more than just one Great World out there. It was possible that there were thousands of Great Worlds out there in the vast universe. Up until now, no living Demon had seen another world other than the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary, and nobody knew where the other Great Worlds were located nor how to actually get there. Be that as it may, Yang Kai actually found a Great World and even figured out a way to enter it. How could Chang Tian not be shocked?
All of a sudden, Chang Tian understood what Yang Kai had meant just now. If Yang Kai could travel freely in and out of this Great World, then he could indeed extricate Hundred Spirits Continent from its current death spiral. There would be no need to worry about being pressured by the Demon Saints when the war between the two worlds intensified in the future. Likewise, there was no need to worry about Hundred Spirits Continent falling apart one day in the future, leaving hundreds of millions without a home.
Even so, Chang Tian only entertained the thought for a moment before the flames in his heart died down and he slowly shook his head, “This world is not suitable for the survival of stronger living creatures. It’s not perfect yet.”
With his insight, it was only natural that he could sense the shortcomings of the newly expanded territory of the Small Sealed World. If not for these shortcomings, the World Force would not have placed these invisible shackles on him. It was unfortunate, but this world was undoubtedly much inferior compared to the Demon Realm. A Great World like this was only for show. It might look impressive, but it lacked substance.
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “Senior, you have sharp eyes indeed. But, do you know what this world was like in the beginning?”
Chang Tian laughed, “How would I know?”
Pausing in shock for a moment, he turned to look at Yang Kai, “Do you know?”
Yang Kai replied in a carefree manner, “Of course, I know. That’s because… I created this world.”
“You… created it?” Chang Tian’s eyes widened at those words and he even wondered whether there was something wrong with his hearing.
“Senior, did you visit Eternal Sky Continent after the battle there?” Yang Kai suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question.
“Cough…” Chang Tian coughed lightly into his fist, “I was on Eternal Sky Continent at the time.”
This time around, it was Yang Kai’s turn to be stunned. He instinctively felt that Chang Tian would definitely investigate something as important as the battle on Eternal Sky Continent after the incident, but who could have known that Chang Tian had been there the whole time?