It wasn’t that strange upon further consideration. It was a battle between a Great Emperor and the Demon Saints after all. There was a high likelihood that it would change the future direction of the two worlds. It was reasonable for Chang Tian to be concerned over something like that.
“Then, it’ll be easy to explain.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “I’m sure Senior saw the condition Eternal Sky Continent was in after that huge battle.”
“The whole continent had shattered to pieces and the World Principles had collapsed. The might of the Demon Saints and a Great Emperor’s attacks was not something a mere continent could withstand.” Chang Tian’s expression was solemn.
“Will you believe me if I tell you that, in the beginning, this world was in worse condition than the broken Eternal Sky Continent?”
Chang Tian turned his head in Yang Kai’s direction, his pupils shrinking slightly in response.
Yang Kai met Chang Tian’s gaze with a calm expression and a pure gaze.
A long while later, Chang Tian slowly shook his head, “It’s not that this King doesn’t want to believe you. It’s just that it’s too difficult to believe.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Senior, I’m sure you know that many continents have disappeared from the Demon Realm over the past few thousand years. One by one, those lost continents were severed from the Demon Realm’s territory because the Territory Gates collapsed. Nobody could enter them, and nobody knows what happened to those lost continents after so many years.”
Chang Tian furrowed his eyebrows, “Do you know what happened to them?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I found a way to enter the lost continents, but the state of those continents is not quite like what most people imagine. They have not been preserved intact; rather, they disintegrated a long time ago. Moreover, they were in worse condition than Eternal Sky Continent after the most recent war. The world you see now is the result of the amalgamation of those lost continents and Eternal Sky Continent. Senior, can’t you sense that the World Principles and World Energy here are somewhat similar to the Demon Realm?”
How could Chang Tian fail to sense that? He had felt it the moment he entered this place. The feeling this world gave him was a weakened version of the Demon Realm. He had not understood why before, but the realization dawned on him after listening to Yang Kai’s explanation.
Although the World Principles between Great Worlds were similar, it was absolutely impossible for them to be identical. Take the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm for example. Their different Principles allowed them to give birth to distinct power systems. In contrast, this place called the Small Sealed World simply had too many similarities with the Demon Realm.
Even though Yang Kai’s explanation seemed reasonable, Change Tian was still finding it rather hard to believe, so he asked incredulously, “How did you reintegrate the lost continents together?”
The fact that Yang Kai could enter the continents that had long since disappeared seemed less shocking in comparison; after all, he was proficient in the Dao of Space. Yang Kai was capable of repairing, maintaining, and even sealing Territory Gates, so reopening lost Territory Gates did not seem far-fetched.
“Senior, have you ever heard of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
Chang Tian shook his head, “I’ve never heard of it.”
Unlike many of the Demon Saints, he knew nothing about the Star Boundary. If it were any other Demon Saint standing here, they might have been familiar with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law; after all, they must have put in a lot of effort to gather intelligence on the Star Boundary before and after they launched the current war.
“The Heaven Devouring Battle Law is a remarkable masterpiece created by a Senior of the Star Boundary. It has the ability to devour everything, including the Heavens and the Earth themselves. That Senior’s name is Wu Kuang, and he was a Great Emperor several tens of thousands of years ago. It can even be said that he was the strongest Great Emperor in history. The greatest characteristic of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law is that it can devour anything and everything in the world, then turn that into something for its own use. Unfortunately, that Senior relied on his incredible strength and supposed invincibility to perform many dreadful acts. As the saying goes, ‘Upset the Heavenly Way, suffer the karmic consequences’. He finally roused too great a public outrage and all the other Great Emperors joined together to kill him. In that battle, however, he alone managed to kill four Great Emperors before succumbing.”
Chang Tian couldn’t help gasping at those words, “He killed four Great Emperors?”
Those who had not reached Chang Tian’s height could hardly imagine how difficult such a feat was. Chang Tian was also as strong as any Great Emperor, and he was not afraid of any of the other Twelve Demon Saints in the Demon Realm. He had even fought with the First Demon Saint, Huang Wu Ji, before. Even so, it was still impossible for him to kill four Demon Saints with his power alone. Forget four; even if he challenged Huang Wu Ji alone, he would be outmatched if a single other Demon Saint intervened in the battle.
They stood at the pinnacle with their level of strength and cultivation; thus, there was not much difference between them, that was also why Chang Tian, who stood at the peak, could better understand the horrors of Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang.
“That’s right.” Yang Kai looked solemn, “That battle was known in Star Boundary as the Great Emperor War and the battlefield where it all took place was a place now known as the Shattered Star Sea.”
Chang Tian looked fascinated as he murmured, “Wu Kuang, the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. What an extraordinary genius! If I could exchange blows with somebody like that in my lifetime, then my life would be worthwhile. What a pity… What a pity…”
Yang Kai smiled slightly and did not tell Chang Tian that Wu Kuang had been resurrected from the dead. At present, Wu Kuang and Bustling World Great Emperor had formed a mysterious balance between them wherein they shared one body with two souls.
Setting such matters aside, Yang Kai continued, “Following that battle, the name of Heaven Devouring Great Emperor has become one that all knew across the Star Boundary. Even now, his fame has not diminished in any way. Moreover, he is publicly recognized as the strongest Great Emperor in the Star Boundary’s history. The Heaven Devouring Battle Law he created is both the evilest and most powerful Secret Art known.”
Chang Tian’s expression changed upon hearing those words, “And that Secret Art… Has it fallen into your hands?”
They had been talking about creating a new Great World when Yang Kai suddenly switched the topic to Heaven Devouring Great Emperor. With Chang Tian’s keen insight, he immediately realized the connection.
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes. When this Junior first entered the Star Boundary, I crossed paths with Wu Kuang’s descendant and obtained the Heaven Devouring Battle Law by chance. At the time, my cultivation was progressing smoothly and I also did not have any intention of cultivating another Secret Art; hence, it was left to gather dust. I only learned much later that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law is not something just anybody could cultivate. This Secret Art might be powerful, but it also comes with severe drawbacks. Now, it would seem that I was very fortunate instead.”
If he had cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law back then, his character might have become twisted and distorted. His physical toughness and ability to process impurities might be higher than average, but it was still much inferior to the Embodiment’s innate abilities.
Chang Tian gently nodded, “The more powerful a Secret Art, the more demanding its requirements. The Heavenly Way is fair in all things. That is reasonable.”
Yang Kai continued, “I have another item in my possession, however, called the Sealed World Bead, and inside it houses an independent world of its own.” He pointed forward, “It was the original prototype of this world. Whether it was the Heaven Devouring Battle Law or the Sealed World Bead, they were both special in their own right; however, when I combined the two together… Something amazing happened.”
“What happened?” Chang Tian couldn’t help asking even though he had a conjecture in his heart.
“The Small Sealed World became capable of devouring other spaces to strengthen itself. That is what led to the situation you see today, Senior.”
Chang Tian turned his head and looked around with a sigh of amazement, “No wonder this world is uninhabited even though it is so vast.”
Since it was a new world formed by devouring the lost continents, it was only natural that there were no living creatures here. After considering it for a bit, Chang Tian asked, “But, didn’t you say you didn’t cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law? How did you manage to combine it with the… Sealed World Bead?”
Yang Kai smiled, “I didn’t cultivate it, but that does not prevent me from using the Sealed World Bead to circulate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.”
Of course, Yang Kai could not have done this to this extent if not for the Embodiment. It was precisely because the Embodiment had cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and gained a very deep understanding of this marvellous masterpiece that Yang Kai could successfully use it through the Sealed World Bead.
“Astonishing! Simply astonishing!” Chang Tian clicked his tongue in amazement, “If it is as you have said, and this land is formed from those lost continents… Then, if you allowed that Sealed World Bead of yours to devour a complete continent…”
“Senior, what you are thinking is exactly what I am aiming for.” Yang Kai nodded seriously, “The Demon Realm is falling apart. The continents don’t have much time left. It’s only a matter of time before they, too, disappear from the Demon Realm’s territory. Compared to letting them disappear, you might as well let me devour them to build a new Great World. If I can successfully complete this grand project, then all the living creatures in the Demon Realm can settle into this new world. It will end the war between the two worlds. In fact, even you, Senior, and the denizens of Hundred Spirits Continent can find a place where you belong in the new world. You won’t need to hide away and be oppressed by the other Demon Saints again!”
As soon as those words left Yang Kai’s mouth, Chang Tian’s eyes lit up with a hungry light. It was almost as though he could see a new world beneath his feet. Nevertheless, at his realm, he would not be so easily persuaded by a few sweet words even if he valued Yang Kai highly. After a while, he calmly asked, “So, is the Sealed World Bead one of your trump cards? Aren’t you afraid of revealing it in front of me?
Something that could hopefully evolve into a Great World was a Supreme Treasure in anybody’s eyes. Even Demon Saints would be envious of it.
Yang Kai smiled upon hearing those words and replied, “The Sealed World Bead is indeed one of my trump cards, but its existence will be revealed to the world sooner or later ever since this idea came to me. In the past, I used to hide the existence of the Sealed World Bead because I was not strong enough to hold on to such a treasure. But now, I am a High-Rank Demon King and have some means of protecting myself, so why would it matter if it is revealed to the world? Furthermore, the Sealed World Bead might be valuable, but it is a dead object and requires the cooperation of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to devour space. Aside from Wu Kuang, I am the only one who has mastered the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.”
Chang Tian chuckled softly, “Why are you telling me all this? Is it because you want my help?”
Yang Kai solemnly replied, “Creating a new world is not something I can accomplish alone. And, you are the only one I can trust in the entire Demon Realm. I hope you can help me, Senior.”
He did not know whether Chang Tian was trustworthy as they had not been acquainted for long after all, so he did not understand the latter’s character in full. Even so, it was a fact that Chang Tian’s remaining lifespan was short, and Hundred Spirits Continent had nothing else to rely on in the future; therefore, Yang Kai was certain Chang Tian would make the right choice when a new, better option was placed before him.
Chang Tian did not answer immediately. Instead, he thought about it carefully with a stern expression. It wasn’t until a long while had passed that he slowly said, “It’s not that this King is unwilling to believe you. It’s just that you are speaking without proof. If this world can really evolve as you say and eventually turn into an existence similar to the Demon Realm, then it wouldn’t hurt to help you…”
“Senior, how do you want me to prove it?” Yang Kai asked.
Chang Tian smiled slightly, “Verbal statements are not guarantees, only seeing is believing.”
The heavy doors of the main hall opened by a crack, and Yang Kai stepped out from within. Three gazes immediately turned towards him in unison. They belonged to none other than the three people who had been waiting outside, Hei Lian, Bai Lian, and Bai Ya.
Bai Ya couldn’t help letting out a breath of relief at the sight of Yang Kai. Being watched by the twin sisters, who were Half-Saints just like himself, in this hostile place had been… extremely stressful.
Yang Kai nodded lightly at Hei Lian and Bai Lian, “Many thanks for your hard work. We will be leaving now.”
Hei Lian stepped forward and asked, “Did Sir issue any other orders?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Senior intends to cultivate in retreat. He did not give any orders.”
Hei Lian made a non-committal sound in response and said no more. She simply watched as Yang Kai and Bai Ya left.
Upon leaving Hundred Spirits Continent, Yang Kai gathered the five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards waiting outside and summoned Zhui Feng. Then, he swung himself up onto Zhui Feng and called out to Bai Ya, “Brother Bai Ya, you and I will be leaving first. The Soaring Snow Ice Guard can return on their own.”
Bai Ya nodded. After speaking to the five Division Commanders of the Soaring Snow Ice Guard, he left as swiftly as the wind with Yang Kai, rushing to the nearby Territory Gate.
Along their journey, Yang Kai asked, “Brother Bai Ya, are there any continents within Holy Venerable Bei Li Mo’s territory that don’t have a Half-Saint overseeing them?”
Bai Ya did not understand Yang Kai’s intentions in asking him this, but this information wasn’t a secret, so he simply pondered over it for a moment before casually reporting a list of names. Bei Li Mo was in charge of several dozen continents, but not all of these continents had Continent Lords. She only had a dozen or so Half-Saints under her command, less than twenty in total. Although each Half-Saint was in charge of a continent, most of the continents were managed by High-Rank Demon Kings. The situation was similar to how it used to be on Cloud Shadow Continent.
“Then… Let’s head to Heavenly Martial Continent.” Yang Kai chose one randomly.
Despite being clueless as to what Yang Kai planned to do at Heavenly Martial Continent, Bai Ya couldn’t help feeling uneasy. He had the feeling that nothing good would come from Yang Kai’s trip to Heavenly Martial Continent.
At the same time, Chang Tian stood on top of a mountain inside the Small Sealed World. He stood there with his hands behind his back, looking out into the distance. A Low-Rank Demon King stood tremblingly behind Chang Tian. He would glance up at Chang Tian’s back from time to time, a sheen of sweat dampening his forehead. This Low-Rank Demon King was none other than the one and only resident in this newly expanded territory, Huo Lun.
Originally, Huo Lun had been quite happy to see a fellow Demon in this accursed place; however, he suddenly felt as though he was covered in a thin layer of ice when he learned the identity of the person in front of him. The Lord of Hundred Spirits Continent, an existence comparable to that of the Demon Saints, Chang Tian, a Master famous throughout the Demon Realm.
[Why is he here?] Huo Lun felt dizzy. A humble and insignificant person like himself had suddenly come face-to-face with one of the highest existences in the Demon Realm. Nobody could have remained calm in those circumstances. What made Huo Lun most uncomfortable was the fact that this person had only been standing there motionlessly ever since appearing. The situation was such that he didn’t even dare to breathe because of that.
While Huo Lun was wallowing in anxiety, Chang Tian suddenly asked, “How long have you been here?”
The sudden question startled Huo Lun, and when he finally recovered from his shock, he immediately replied, “Reporting to Senior, it has been more than a year since this lowly one came here.”
“What did this place look like when you first arrived here?” Chang Tian asked again.
Huo Lun immediately answered, “It was not that different from what Senior sees now; however, the World Energy and World Principles in this place were inferior to what they are now. In addition, the territory has expanded many times during the past year.”
“How did those changes come about?”
“This lowly one does not know.” He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, “This lowly one was captured and locked up in this place. After two months of imprisonment here, a huge crack suddenly opened in the sky one day. Many continent fragments then rushed in from that crack and melted away before they fell to the ground. It felt as though they were being digested by the world…”
“Digested?” Chang Tian raised his eyebrows at those words.
“Yes. It’s like how a Demon would eat and digest food. It’s just that the digestion speed is extremely fast. The world gradually experienced changes following the digestion of these continent fragments.” Huo Lun glanced at Chang Tian’s back cautiously. He was hesitant to talk about the gains he obtained, for he had picked up a lot of good stuff when the world changed for the first time, including the Space Ring of a Half-Saint. He did not know if Chang Tian’s presence here had something to do with any of those things, but… What if Chang Tian decided to retrieve those items after he brought that matter up? That was wealth Huo Lun would never obtain even if he worked hard for several hundred lifetimes…
Just as he was trying to calculate his gains and losses, he heard Chang Tian speaking again, “What does the crack in the sky look like? What about the continent fragments? Tell me about them in more detail…”
Huo Lun swallowed nervously and quickly recounted everything he had seen during this past year in great detail. Chang Tian did not show any reaction to what he was saying and simply listened quietly. It made Huo Lun feel extremely anxious, afraid that he might say the wrong thing and end up killed by this person in front of him as a result. Even so, what made him feel slightly more relieved was that Chang Tian never even mentioned the personal effects of the Half-Saints…
…..
Heavenly Martial Continent was quite far from Hundred Spirits Continent, but the speed that Yang Kai and Bai Ya could travel once they left the Soaring Snow Ice Guards behind was not slow by any means. As such, it didn’t take more than a few days before the two arrived at Heavenly Martial Continent.
After rushing through the Territory Gate, Yang Kai suddenly paused in his tracks.
Bai Ya turned to look at Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, why did you want to come to Heavenly Martial Continent? Did you have any acquaintances here?”
“Nope.” Yang Kai shook his head, “I only need this continent.”
“Need this continent?” Bai Ya frowned.
“Brother Bai Ya, please stay calm. Also… Don’t be too surprised by what you see later.” Yang Kai smiled at Bai Ya slightly.
“What do you mean?” Bai Ya was taken aback by those words.
Yang Kai did not answer and simply flipped his hand over casually, summoning a bead into his palm. Immediately after that, he tossed the bead into the air, formed a set of hand seals, and then pointed at the bead. A mysterious light shot out of his finger and struck the bead squarely.
In the next instant, the light in the sky was suddenly obscured by something as an enormous shadow enveloped the earth.
Bai Ya looked up, and his jaw fell open in shock.
A strange creature with a round body and a wide tail that made it look like a fat tadpole had appeared in the sky. This thing was several thousand kilometres wide, and the shadow stretched over ten thousand kilometres of land below it. As soon as that thing appeared, numerous Void Cracks appeared in the surroundings.
At the same time, Bai Ya clearly felt the space of this continent becoming turbulent. There was a clear and distinct spatial fluctuation spreading out into the surroundings, with that creature as its centre. Wherever the invisible waves passed, countless small cracks appeared. He did not know why, but he suddenly had the feeling that the entire Heavenly Martial Continent was being pressured.
It was Gun-Gun! It was not Bai Ya’s first time seeing Gun-Gun as he had been following Yang Kai around for the past year. He had also been brought to the lost continents by Yang Kai and personally witnessed Gun-Gun devouring those continent fragments. Even so, those were the lost continents, broken beyond repair and devoid of all life. As such, Bai Ya had not given much thought to the matter despite his shock and simply felt that Yang Kai was making use of waste.
Be that as it may, this was Heavenly Martial Continent! This continent was still in perfect condition! Moreover, there were hundreds of millions of Demons living on it! [Yang Kai, are you planning to devour this continent!? Have you gone mad!?]
“Brother Yang, what are you doing!?” Bai Ya turned and gave Yang Kai a stern look, murderous intent radiating from his body.
Yang Kai seemed oblivious to this though and simply remained atop Zhui Feng’s back with a smile, “Have you reported to Holy Venerable about our arrival on Heavenly Martial Continent, Brother Bai Ya?”
During their journey here, Bai Ya had failed to conceal his little tricks from Yang Kai. In fact, Bai Ya and Bei Li Mo had remained in constant contact throughout the entire past half year, it was just that Yang Kai had pretended not to know. In any case, in his original plan, Bei Li Mo would have been the second person after Chang Tian to learn about his intentions anyway. If Bai Ya reported some things to Bei Li Mo in advance, it would save him the trouble of explaining to her later.
Bai Ya said coldly, “Holy Venerable is on the way here. Brother Yang, please do not overstep your authority!”
Yang Kai said, “Very good! It so happens that I have something to discuss with her.”
Bai Ya was stunned. He never imagined that Yang Kai would be so fearless towards Bei Li Mo. Unfortunately, this was a moment of crisis. Heavenly Martial Continent was bound to disappear completely in a few days if Yang Kai carried out his intentions here. The only person who could stand up to Yang Kai at this moment was Bai Ya; therefore, he spoke with a cold expression despite knowing that Zhui Feng was not to be taken lightly, “Brother Yang, please stop. Otherwise, don’t blame me for disregarding our friendship.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and said, “I’ve already made my move. There’s no way to stop now. Brother Bai Ya, you might as well try consulting with the Holy Venerable again to see what her stance on this matter is.”
Bai Ya’s expression became solemn. He glanced at Zhui Feng, who was carrying Yang Kai, and a trace of fear emerged on his face before he hurriedly took out an item to contact Bei Li Mo and inform her about this situation.
While Bai Ya was communicating with Bei Li Mo, Gun-Gun cracked open a mouth that was large enough to devour the entire world and then plunged headfirst towards the ground. Silently, everywhere that Gun-Gun passed turned to nothing. Bai Ya watched as a city not far away was devoured by Gun-Gun and vanished without a trace. None of the millions of Demons living in the city managed to escape their fates.
Bai Ya’s expression suddenly became extremely hideous, but just as he was about to attack, Bei Li Mo replied to his message. When Bai Ya saw her response, he was dumbfounded once more. After that, he clenched his fist and angrily snarled, “Holy Venerable is rushing here. I hope you will remain as calm and at ease as you are now when she arrives, Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
At the same time, Huo Lun gave a cry of surprise on top of the mountain inside the Small Sealed World, “Senior! That’s it… That’s the crack! Every time that crack appears in the sky, continent fragments will be digested by this world!”
Even without Huo Lun’s reminder, Chang Tian had naturally noticed this. He squinted his eyes and stared intently at that huge crack with a look of expectation in his eyes.
After some time, he confirmed it was just as Huo Lun had described, continent fragments were being devoured through the crack. Huo Lun shouted excitedly as if to verify that what he had said was true, “Look, Senior! I wasn’t lying, right!? These continent fragments are immediately digested after being devoured, with nothing left behind!”
The moment Huo Lun’s voice rang out, the continent fragments that had been swallowed into this place began melting away rapidly as though they were really being digested by the world. In the blink of an eye, the huge fragments shrank significantly, their volume decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye as they fell from the sky.
However, Huo Lun’s mouth opened wide enough for a fist to fit inside just a short while later. That was because the continent fragments had not melted away completely. There was still a part left. Moreover, no matter how he looked at it, that part looked like… a city!
[A city!?] He could barely believe what he was looking at. Over the past year or so, he had gotten accustomed to seeing the scene before him. Aside from the first time where he gained various benefits and picked up a lot of good things, the other times had always been the same. It was the first time a city had appeared in this place. Just when he was wondering if he had seen wrongly, a dense bunch of small black dots suddenly began flying out of the city. He stared intently at those black dots and discovered that those were powerful members of the Demon Race!
These Demons had obviously been living in the city and were probably uneasy after experiencing such a sudden change so they flew out of the city to investigate the situation. The moment they saw that the city they had been living in was floating in mid-air and slowly falling to the ground, they began yelling. They were too far away for him to make out what they were saying exactly, but Huo Lun could clearly hear the panic in their voices while he could see some even gesturing wildly.
In the meantime, more and more black dots were flying out of the city and gathering together in a dense cloud. They looked like a pack of locusts in the sky. As for the weaker members of the Demon Race, they had no choice but to remain inside the city, though they were running about in a panic as though doomsday was upon them, enveloped in a sense of fear and trepidation.
“What is going on?” Huo Lun muttered to himself, his complexion turning pale. The size of a city like this could not be considered small in the Demon Realm, so why did it get devoured? Moreover, where did this city come from?
On the other hand, Chang Tian remained standing there motionlessly, his expression as tranquil as an ancient well but his eyes were overflowing with excitement and anticipation.
Sometime later, the city slowly landed on the ground as though an invisible hand was supporting it from underneath and gently lowering it. Except for some minor tremors which caused the collapse of a few less stable buildings, there was not much damage to the city in general.
From today onward, there was going to be a city filled with members of the Demon Race on that distant plain…
Another crack appeared in the sky, and another continent fragment slowly appeared. Then, another crack appeared…
After less than an hour, countless cracks had appeared in the sky and rained down continent fragments continuously, only for them to be swallowed into this world and thoroughly digested. Occasionally, other large cities would also fall out of the sky.
Meanwhile, changes had taken place all over the world without anyone noticing.
…..
Bai Ya stood mid-air outside the Small Sealed World, staring forward with a pale complexion, a chill covering his entire body. Not everybody could stomach watching a perfectly intact continent being gradually eaten away. The space that had been devoured was filled with nothingness as it returned to chaos, and Void Turbulence stirred up a storm in those chaotic regions. Despite being a Half-Saint, Bai Ya could sense the dangers hidden within those areas and knew that if he was dragged into them, he would lose his way completely and never find his way back again.
[Madman! This guy is an absolute madman!] He turned around and stared at Yang Kai, his face twitching visibly. [I never took Yang Kai to be a lunatic who could reduce a perfectly good continent into such a miserable mess in such a short period of time!]
Heavenly Martial Continent was utterly destroyed. Even if Gun-Gun stopped devouring the continent now, this continent could never return to the way it had been in the past. A land of nihility had formed in the place where Gun-Gun had devoured those parts of the continent. It could even be said that Heavenly Martial Continent would fall apart, sooner or later, because of the effects.
Bai Ya constantly supplied a stream of updates on the situation here to Bei Li Mo, who was rushing over as fast as she could. There was no response from her, but he could still feel her fury. [This guy is dead! Holy Venerable is sure to chop Yang Kai up into ten thousand pieces for encroaching on her territory! There’s no room for discussion whatsoever!]
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he glanced at Yang Kai with some pity; however, his pity was also laced with the burning rage in his heart. [If Holy Venerable truly intends to kill Yang Kai in a fit of rage, wouldn’t it be better for me to do it myself? I can take the opportunity to snatch the Great Emperor’s Opportunity that is in his possession! Becoming a Demon Saint will be right at my fingertips!]
One day later, approximately a fifth of Heavenly Martial Continent had been devoured. The continent now looked like a cookie out of which somebody had taken a big bite. It wasn’t until this moment that a fluctuation came from the Territory Gate behind Yang Kai and Bai Ya. Immediately afterwards, Bei Li Mo appeared not too far away. She had finally arrived after hurrying over with all haste.
Her phoenix eyes swept over the scene in front of her and she immediately noticed the endless stretch of Void and the chaotic aura of nothingness that emanated from it. Her expression changed drastically as a result. Then, she looked into the distance and vaguely saw an enormous ball-like creature wandering about the edge of Heavenly Martial Continent. The area covered by Heavenly Martial Continent steadily shrank as that creature passed by. It was easy to imagine that it would not take long before this behemoth devoured the entire Heavenly Martial Continent and all that would be left was emptiness.
“Yang Kai, you court death!” Bei Li Mo gritted her teeth and turned her head to glare at Yang Kai furiously, the murderous intent radiating from her body so strong that it was practically tangible.
Yang Kai just smiled slightly in response, “Why so angry, Holy Venerable?”
Seeing his calm and relaxed appearance made her so furious that she burst into laughter, “This Saint did everything you asked of her, even transferring five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards and assigning Bai Ya to follow and protect you! How can you repay my sincerity by doing this!?”
While Bei Li Mo was shouting, Bai Ya secretly gathered his Demon Qi, preparing to attack Yang Kai the moment she gave the order. Yang Kai had made his bed, now he had to lie in it. Now that Bei Li Mo herself had come forward, there was no way he could create waves no matter how powerful he was. Bai Ya could almost see a golden world spreading out before his eyes, the prospect of which made him rather excited…
Yang Kai, however, just gently nodded, “This King is well aware of how accommodating you have been to me, Holy Venerable. That’s exactly why I’m showing you the right way forward.”
He simultaneously and secretly sent her a Divine Sense transmission, “Don’t cause too much trouble now; otherwise, don’t blame me if you embarrass yourself.”
Bei Li Mo’s aura froze for a moment before she gnashed her teeth so loudly that it was audible and sneered, “Destroying my continent is showing me the right way? Should I thank you then?”
“You can decide if you want to thank me after you meet a certain somebody.” He gave her a sideways look.
“Who?” She frowned slightly.
“Don’t resist!” Then, he reached out a hand towards her.
She hesitated for a moment, before lowering her guard. The main reason was that she couldn’t remain hostile even if she wanted to. She was currently being controlled by him, so it was meaningless to resist. Moreover, Bai Ya might notice something if things continued. What would happen to her pride as a Demon Saint if that happened?
A large hand lightly touched her on the shoulder, and she instantly disappeared.
Shocked, Bai Ya immediately shouted, “Yang Kai, what did you do to Holy Venerable!?”
In his rage, he didn’t address Yang Kai as ‘Brother Yang’ but directly by name instead.
Yang Kai glanced at Bai Ya, “Don’t worry, Brother Bai Ya. With my strength, what can I do to Holy Venerable if she was truly unwilling?”
Bai Ya considered those words for a moment and conceded. The situation just now clearly showed that Bei Li Mo had no intention of resisting. She had probably communicated with Yang Kai about something beforehand. Even so, his heart was filled with doubts. [Look at what became of Heavenly Martial Continent! Why isn’t Holy Venerable killing Yang Kai first and then asking questions later? Why does she still trust him so much?]
…..
Inside the Small Sealed World, Chang Tian was watching the changes occurring in the world when he abruptly furrowed his brow. He turned to look back as though he had sensed something and saw a graceful figure suddenly appear behind him.
“Bei Li Mo?” He raised his brow in surprise.
“Chang Tian!?” Bei Li Mo looked in his direction and her expression immediately sank. How could she not know who Yang Kai wanted her to meet at this point? She had long heard that the relationship between Yang Kai and Hundred Spirits Continent was good. Besides, Chang Tian even sent out his prized mount to assist Yang Kai, but looking at the current situation, it would seem that those rumours did not do the truth justice.
“B-B-Bei…” Huo Lun had gone stupid from the shock. Despite stuttering for a long time, he still couldn’t utter a complete sentence. He would not have thought too deeply into the name ‘Bei Li Mo’ by itself. The key point was that the silver-haired woman in front of him looked exactly like how she was described in the rumours. Furthermore, she dared to address the Master of Hundred Spirits Continent directly by name. There was only one person who fit this description in the entire Demon Realm, one of the Twelve Demon Saints, the Master of the Snow Demon Clan!
Huo Lun felt faint and dizzy. It was rare for a Demon King like him to meet a Half-Saint, much less a Demon Saint. Be that as it may, the Lord of Hundred Spirits Continent suddenly appeared in front of him a few days ago, and now the Master of the Snow Demon Clan had appeared here. [Just what the Hell is this accursed place!? Why does it attract so many influential figures!?]
In his panic, he hurriedly bowed and greeted Bei Li Mo, “This lowly one greets Holy Venerable!”
Bei Li Mo glanced at Huo Lun lightly and couldn’t help wondering why there was a Low-Rank Demon King next to Chang Tian. Even so, she didn’t pay much attention to Huo Lun and instead coldly asked Chang Tian, “Why are you here too? Where is this place?”
All Yang Kai had told her just now was to relax and not resist. Then, her vision blurred for a moment before she appeared in this place without any warning. She did not expect to see Chang Tian in front of her; after all, the relationship between the Demon Saints and Chang Tian was not the most amicable. She couldn’t help instantly putting her guard up in response. [That rotten brat couldn’t have borrowed Chang Tian’s power to cause me harm, right? He has already planted his Soul Imprint in my Knowledge Sea, so there’s no need to do this.]
“Sister, I am here for the same reason that you are.” Chang Tian laughed. If he had to be honest, he was a little surprised to see Bei Li Mo appear in this place, “As for what this place is… Did Yang Boy not tell you?”
Bei Li Mo coldly snorted, “That rotten brat didn’t tell me anything!” Turning her head, she took a look around and didn’t see Yang Kai anywhere, so she asked suspiciously, “Where is that little bastard?”
“Hey! Talking ill of others behind their backs is unbecoming of a Demon Saint!” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly sounded from above her head.
“You think you’re this Saint’s mother or something!?” She snapped angrily, but despite releasing her Divine Sense, she couldn’t detect his whereabouts. Thus, she shouted through gritted teeth, “Show yourself! Why the Hell are you sneaking around!?”
“I am not sneaking around!” Yang Kai sounded a little upset.
“Then, why don’t you show yourself!?” Bei Li Mo coldly snorted. She couldn’t help feeling like he was plotting against her if he did not show himself, which forced her to remain vigilant.
“It’s inconvenient!” His reply was incredibly blunt. He could use his special connection with the Sealed World Bead to send Bei Li Mo inside; unfortunately, there would be nobody keeping watch on the outside if he entered too. What would they do if a mishap occurred?
Bei Li Mo was livid, but even so, she couldn’t do anything to him, so her expression became as cold as thousand-year-old ice.
Chang Tian, who was standing by the side, showed a look of interest at their conversation. This would be understandable if Bei Li Mo had been Yu Ru Meng instead; after all, everybody in the Demon Realm knew that Yu Ru Meng held Yang Kai in special regard. The key was that this was Bei Li Mo!
[I can’t believe Bei Li Mo is letting it slide when Yang Kai is taking such a terrible attitude with her. Also, just what means did Yang Kai use to bring Bei Li Mo into this place? Is Bei Li Mo not wary of Yang Kai at all? What is the relationship between them?] Chang Tian suddenly found that he couldn’t understand Yang Kai anymore. He originally thought of the latter as a simple High-Rank Demon King with the Dragon Clan’s bloodline. He also hoped that Yang Kai would be his successor and protect Hundred Spirits Continent in the future. Who could have expected Yang Kai to be shrouded in such a layer of mystery…
While Chang Tian was deep in thought, Bei Li Mo had already discovered the strangeness of this world. There were enormous Void Cracks everywhere; moreover, continent fragments were continuously being swallowed into the world through those Void Cracks and melting away into nothing. Occasionally, a city or two would fall out of the sky and firmly root themselves into the ground. There were also countless members of the Demon Race flying about in the air in a panic.
Without even thinking about it, she immediately understood that these were the people living on Heavenly Martial Continent while the fragments that were being devoured were the fragments of Heavenly Martial Continent itself. Recalling everything she had seen so far, her expression became grim, “Just what is this place?”
She had felt an invisible force restraining her like a chain ever since she entered this place and it made her very upset and uncomfortable. In addition, this place gave her the feeling of being the Demon Realm, but at the same time not the Demon Realm
“This is a Great World!” Yang Kai’s voice sounded from the sky.
She immediately let out a mocking laugh, “Bullshit! What kind of crappy Great World is this!?”
The Demon Realm was a Great World, and so was the Star Boundary. Although she had never been to the Star Boundary, she knew that the World Principles in the Star Boundary were not inferior to those of the Demon Realm since it could produce existences like the Great Emperors. Both worlds were on the same level. On the contrary, the world she was in right now could not be compared to either the Demon Realm or Star Boundary. The World Principles were weak, and the World Energy was sparse. If this place could also be called a Great World, then what were the Demon Realm and Star Boundary in comparison? Super Great Worlds?
“This world is yet to become complete, but it will be perfected one day.”
She frowned at those words, “One day? When will that be?”
“Don’t be so impatient. Just wait and see!”
After saying that, Yang Kai stopped responding no matter how Bei Li Mo shouted at him. It angered her so much that her lungs felt like they were going to explode. Meanwhile, Chang Tian’s expression became more and more intrigued. If he had not seen it for himself, he would never have believed that Yang Kai dared to treat a Demon Saint in such a manner.
Bei Li Mo cursed for a while, but seeing that Yang Kai was adamantly ignoring her, she ground her teeth and turned to Chang Tian. She wanted to get some information from him, but the hateful thing was that he had turned away from her as he stood there with his hands crossed behind his back. His carefree and nonchalant appearance nearly made her gnash all her teeth to bits.
Close behind the two towering figures of the Demon Realm, Huo Lun shivered like a quail in the cold winter…
Time slowly passed, and the abnormality in the sky never stopped for a moment. It wasn’t until a certain moment that Chang Tian’s expression, which had been as tranquil as an ancient well, suddenly changed. Even Bei Li Mo, who was sulking, let out a cry of surprise. Chang Tian looked back and glanced at her, and when their eyes met, they both saw the shock in each other’s eyes.
At this point, Bei Li Mo no longer had time to continue being mad at Chang Tian and Yang Kai. Taking two steps forward and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo let the mountain breeze blow through her silver hair reminiscent of white snow and carefully observed the world before her.
“Did you feel that?” Chang Tian asked solemnly.
She gently nodded, “It looks like I didn’t feel it wrongly.”
His expression was one of disbelief as he slowly shook his head and said, “I would never have believed that this world was capable of such a thing if I had not seen it for myself. From the looks of it, Yang Boy’s plan might actually work.”
“What the Hell is he planning!? Why does he have to destroy my continent for no reason!?” Bei Li Mo went with the flow of the conversation and asked once more.
Chang Tian asked with some surprise, “The continent that is being devoured right now is one of the continents in your territory?”
Bei Li Mo gritted her teeth and nodded, “Of course. Why else would I come here looking for him if not for that? That little bastard ruined one of my continents without even saying a word! I’m going to make him pay for this one day…”
Chang Tian smiled slightly in response and fell deep in thought for some time before saying, “He didn’t do this without reason. He is simply verifying a future direction.”
Bei Li Mo looked at him but didn’t ask any more questions. Seeing as Chang Tian had brought up the subject, he probably planned to explain things to her now.
“Yang Boy has a treasure in his possession called the Sealed World Bead. It contains an independent world of its own inside it, which is none other than this space where we are right now. This space has the ability to devour other spaces and thereby strengthen itself in the process. What you see before your eyes are the broken continents that disappeared from the Demon Realm over the past few thousand years. According to Yang Boy, the lost continents have long since shattered. The World Principles withered, and all living creatures perished; however, this prototype world in front of us is the result formed after that giant black creature devoured those broken continents.”
“How can that be!?” Bei Li Mo exclaimed. Although she had not known about the fate that would eventually befall those lost continents, what Chang Tian was saying was simply too inconceivable.
“I didn’t believe it to be possible either.” Chang Tian slowly shook his head and continued with a chuckle, “But, I have no choice but to believe after witnessing this for myself.”
Stunned, Bei Li Mo turned to look at the crack in the sky with a slightly dazed gaze.
It was just as Chang Tian had told Yang Kai before, ‘Seeing is believing’.
Before Bei Li Mo entered this place, she had personally witnessed the enormous creature devouring the Heavenly Martial Continent. Approximately a fifth of the continent had been devoured by the time she arrived, and since entering this place, she had watched as the continental fragments that were devoured were dissolved into this world while the cities caught up in the process landed in an orderly manner. Even those members of the Demon Race living in those cities had been swallowed up into this place.
It would have been nothing special if that were all. The key was that this world was also undergoing various changes while the devouring process was taking place. These changes were so subtle that they were difficult for ordinary people to detect; however, they could not escape Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian’s senses. It was precisely because they could detect these changes that they blurted out the words that began their current conversation.
The World Principles had become stronger, and the World Energy had become a bit denser; furthermore, the changes were becoming more and more obvious with the passage of time.
“Why is he doing this?” Bei Li Mo asked with a frown.
“He said he wants to quell the war between the two worlds and provide the Demon Race with another place to live,” Chang Tian replied lightly, “But, in my opinion, he is probably doing this to save the Star Boundary!”
“He is already part of the Demon Race!” Her expression darkened. Yang Kai was Human when they first met. Nevertheless, his identity had undergone a tremendous change after he was demonified. His body was filled with Demon Qi now, so what was he if not a member of the Demon Race?
“But, his heart lies with the Star Boundary!” Chang Tian smiled slightly.
“Hmph!” She sneered, “How can the war between the two worlds be so easy to quell? Who will be willing to stop the fight unless one party dies now that the war has already started?”
“You are right, but it may not be impossible if he has enough capital to intervene in the war.” Chang Tian stretched out his hand and pointed, “And this world is his basis for intervening.”
“If you play with fire, you will burn yourself!” Bei Li Mo looked upset. Her words were clearly meant for Yang Kai to hear because she knew that he was definitely paying attention to the situation here, even if he did not say anything.
Chang Tian stopped talking and quietly watched the changes taking place before him. Since he refused to speak, Bei Li Mo had no conversation partner and could only suppress the words she wanted to say in her heart.
Around five days after Bei Li Mo entered the Small Sealed World, the cracks in the sky closed again. When the last crack disappeared, no more continent fragments appeared. By this time, both Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian could clearly perceive that the world had changed a lot from before. It might still be vastly inferior to the Demon Realm, but it was at least stronger than it had been when they first arrived.
Then, Yang Kai’s voice resounded in the sky again, “Senior, this is the result after devouring just one continent. What do you think?”
If Yang Kai had to be honest, he himself was a little surprised by the results. The benefits gained from the Small Sealed World devouring Heavenly Martial Continent were far beyond his expectations. If he compared the Small Sealed World to a person’s stomach, then the shattered continents it had devoured in the past were nothing more than weeds with poor nutritional value. In contrast, Heavenly Martial Continent was a delicious plate of braised pork. The benefits they each brought to the Small Sealed World were a stark contrast to each other. Devouring just one Heavenly Martial Continent was far better than devouring more than ten shattered continents combined. The reason behind this could only come down to the fact that the World Principles of those shattered continents had withered while the World Principles of Heavenly Martial Continent were in perfect condition.
“It was very unexpected, but there’s still a long way to go!” Chang Tian replied calmly.
Yang Kai laughed, “At least this is a good start. I believe that as long as enough continents are devoured, this world will become a perfect Great World one day. It won’t be any worse than the Demon Realm.”
Bei Li Mo was horrified and shouted, “Don’t tell me you plan on causing more damage for me!? I’m warning you! One Heavenly Martial Continent is bad enough, but if you dare…”
All of a sudden, she gave a grunt in the middle of her sentence and her complexion paled slightly as the rest of her sentence trailed off. All that was left was the fury on her face.
Chang Tian glanced at her in surprise. Frowning deeply, he seemed to realize something and promptly revealed a shocked expression. He mulled over something for a bit before saying to the sky, “Your actions will be condemned by the entire world. The Demon Saints won’t just stand by and do nothing either. If you really intend to do this, you will make the entire Demon Realm your enemy. Who knows how many Demon Saints will be after your life at that time? Are you certain you want to go down this path?”
“The bow has already been drawn, it must be shot now.” Yang Kai’s voice was resolute and decisive, “Since ancient times, those who wish to achieve great things are generally helpless without support. That is why I hope that the two of you will help me!”
Bei Li Mo immediately retorted with a frosty expression, “I refuse!”
“That’s not up to you.” He snorted coldly.
Although Chang Tian still required some persuading, Yang Kai had already decided to proceed with his plans when it came to Bei Li Mo. Heavenly Martial Continent was just the beginning. It was useless even if she refused to cooperate as he was perfectly capable of cleanly devouring the continents under her jurisdiction, piece by piece. When she was left with nothing, she would be forced to get on board with his plans regardless; therefore, she had no choice whatsoever in this matter.
Seeing how domineering Yang Kai was acting, Bei Li Mo’s expression turned even uglier.
Chang Tian gave her a smile and said, “Why are you so upset, Sister Bei? What Yang Boy mentioned earlier is the truth. The Demon Realm will not last for much longer. If we can exchange a broken Demon Realm for a perfect Demon Realm, then this is a good deal for everybody involved.”
She turned to look at him with a sneer, “Aren’t you afraid that he might cut us off and burn all the bridges later?”
Chang Tian simply smiled in response, “This King’s lifespan is nearing its end. I simply wish to find a way out for Hundred Spirits Continent before my time is up. I do not wish for more.”
Bei Li Mo was taken aback by those words for a moment before she burst out laughing, “Isn’t that great then? If you allow him to devour Hundred Spirits Continent first, then this Saint will agree. What do you say?”
Chang Tian might be a Master comparable to that of a Demon Saint, but he was different from the rest of the Demon Saints. He only had Hundred Spirits Continent under him. Losing one Heavenly Martial Continent would not harm Bei Li Mo much, but Chang Tian would lose all paths of retreat once Hundred Spirits Continent was devoured. Besides, Yang Kai had already made it clear that she had no way to refuse him. Nevertheless, her worries would be reduced considerably if she could drag Chang Tian down with her in advance; after all, she couldn’t be the only one suffering all the bad luck in the world.
Chang Tian smiled bitterly and shook his head, “Sister Bei is really quite devious.”
Bei Li Mo coldly snorted, “What? Don’t tell me you don’t even have this level of resolve?”
He nodded lightly, “What you’ve said is reasonable. Very well then, let’s start with Hundred Spirits Continent.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed upon hearing this, “Senior, does that mean you agree?”
“If you can promise me a few conditions…”
“Senior, please speak,” he said solemnly.
“Please treat all the living creatures of Hundred Spirits Continent kindly. Don’t let harm befall them for any reason or cause.”
Yang Kai laughed, “That’s not a problem. Even without you saying that, I won’t do anything like that, Senior.”
“Secondly, I want a territory ten times the size of Hundred Spirits Continent!” Chang Tian continued.
“Done.” Yang Kai agreed without even thinking about it. Hundred Spirits Continent was just one continent, so ten times the territory simply meant ten continents. Bei Li Mo controlled several dozen continents under her, and with the lost continents Gun-Gun had already devoured, allocating a bit of extra space to Hundred Spirits Continent was really not a problem. As such, this wasn’t much of a condition to Yang Kai as it was something he could solve easily.
“Third…” Chang Tian paused before continuing with a smile, “The third doesn’t really count as a condition, I guess. It’s just that your plan is on such a large scale that I’m afraid just relying on me and Sister Bei alone would not be of much help. You will need to gain more supporters to have a chance of succeeding!”
Yang Kai replied, “Ru Meng should not be a problem.”
Chang Tian had clearly thought of this too and nodded lightly in response, “If you add in Yu Ru Meng… Good, this King agrees.”
“Many thanks, Senior!” Yang Kai was ecstatic. It felt like a stone had finally lifted from his heart. He secretly made plans to go and devour Hundred Spirits Continent as soon as possible. By then, there would be no turning back anymore, and it would be too late for Chang Tian to regret.
“I have conditions too!” Bei Li Mo exclaimed.
Since he was in a good mood, Yang Kai didn’t bother getting into an argument with her and asked, “What conditions do you have? Let’s hear them.”
She said through gritted teeth, “You should know what my conditions are!”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before he replied, “Good. I will grant you your wish after we succeed in this matter!”
Although she had not mentioned what she wanted clearly, the most important thing to her at this moment was to regain her freedom, so obviously she wanted him to remove the Soul Imprint he had planted in her Knowledge Sea.
Bei Li Mo’s eyelashes trembled in response, and she didn’t say anything more.
Now that everything had been agreed upon, a crack appeared in front of Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo and Yang Kai’s voice sounded again, “Please proceed forward!”
Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo looked at each other before rushing into the crack with a flicker, vanishing out of sight in the blink of an eye, leaving Huo Lun alone on the top of the mountain. A cold wind blew past, and his body felt icy. It wasn’t until the crack in front of him disappeared that he fell to the ground, panting for breath. His fright did not come from meeting the two figures on the level of Demon Saints, but rather because of the topics that those two had been discussing with the voice from the sky…
[I heard something I shouldn’t have! The only outcome is to be silenced permanently!] In that short period of time just now, he felt as though he had been pacing back and forth in front of the gates of death. Fortunately, the final result was not too bad. Those people had not shown any interest in him whatsoever, which in turn saved his life.
…..
Outside the Small Sealed World, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo appeared together and their gazes landed on the bead that Yang Kai was playing with. They both knew that it was probably the Sealed World Bead that contained a world inside.
Bai Ya cupped his fist, “Greetings, Holy Venerable! Greetings, Senior Chang Tian!”
Bei Li Mo nodded lightly. Meanwhile, Chang Tian smiled at Yang Kai slightly, “Don’t forget what you promised me. I will await you and Holy Venerable Ru Meng on Hundred Spirits Continent!”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and said, “Senior, please have a safe journey. I will not be seeing you off.”
Chang Tian nodded and vanished from the spot.
After Chang Tian left, Bei Li Mo finally turned to look at Yang Kai while gritting her teeth and gave a cold laugh, “Are you satisfied now?”
Yang Kai gave a dry laugh, “Holy Venerable, please don’t be so bitter and hostile. If this succeeds, it will benefit all of us.”
She looked like she wanted to say something else, but he didn’t give her the opportunity, quickly taking his leave through the Territory Gate.
Bai Ya looked in the direction Yang Kai was leaving and asked, “Holy Venerable, Heavenly Martial Continent has been destroyed… Are we just going to let this matter go?”
“What else do you want to do!?” Bei Li Mo glanced sideways at him.
Bai Ya said, “Should I gather some people to…” While speaking, he reached up his hand and made a swiping gesture at his neck.
“Do what!?” She was absolutely livid. Unable to lose her temper with Yang Kai, she vented all her rage on Bai Ya instead, “Can you kill him!? Can you even catch him!? Stop humiliating this Saint! Notify all the Half-Saints who are still within the territory to gather at Soaring Snow Ice Palace! This Saint has an announcement to make!”
She then ignored Bai Ya, turned her back to him, and headed towards the Territory Gate.
In response, Bai Ya touched his nose with a helpless expression upon receiving her contempt. He did not dare to remain in this place for long and hurriedly left. Heavenly Martial Continent had been devoured, and the space where the continent used to be was now nothing but a land of nihility. With the Void Turbulence running wild inside, even the Territory Gate had become unstable. This Territory Gate would most likely disappear soon, and he would never be able to leave again once it collapsed.
…..
The place where the Holy City was located on Enchantment Continent was the centre of Yu Ru Meng’s territory. The Holy City did not seem to have been affected by the war between the two worlds and was still as lively as ever, with an endless stream of people coming and going. Moreover, Demon Great Generals and Demon Kings could be found everywhere.
Approximately ten kilometres away from the Holy City sat Yu Ru Meng’s palace.
At this moment, Yu Ru Meng was sitting cross-legged in a secret room under the palace grounds. She was slowly forming different seals with one of her hands while holding a purple fruit under her nose with the other. Following her breathing, a purple aura wafted out of that fruit like a propitious omen and was absorbed into her body.
Almost all of the Demon Saints had been injured during the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, and Yu Ru Meng was no exception. Her Soul Manifestation had been destroyed, and her Divine Sense had been injured as a result. An injury of that level could not be healed in a matter of days.
She had been recuperating from her injuries for the past year or so. The other Demon Saints who had their Soul Manifestations destroyed were obviously doing the same. Still, it would be some time before she fully healed.
All of a sudden, she seemed to feel something and opened her eyes abruptly. Her beautiful eyes sparkled like stars twinkling in the night sky, but she quickly bit her lip lightly and gave a cold snort. After that, she closed her eyes again and continued breathing in the aura of the small purple fruit. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to calm down and focus anymore. The purple aura wafted under her nose like a lost lamb, no longer pouring into her body. Instead, it disappeared after wafting about her body for a while.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai strode forward confidently inside the palace. He ran about aimlessly, shouting out Yu Ru Meng’s name loudly wherever he went. A group of guards were left knocked over and unconscious when they tried to stop him.
A charming maid followed behind him and ran forward to block his path, anxiously saying, “Great King, this is the Holy Venerable’s palace. Please do not make such a commotion. Holy Venerable will get angry if she learns about this.”
Yang Kai continued forward while glaring around at his surroundings though, shouting as he strode, “Make way! Make way! Do not block this King’s path!”
While speaking, he reached out and pushed the maid out of the way. He nearly knocked her to the ground as a result. Despite searching high and low, he could not find Yu Ru Meng anywhere. On the contrary, the commotion he caused had attracted many of the palace’s guards who surrounded him and glared at him in a hostile manner.
Yang Kai stood on the spot and scratched his head. Turning his head to look at the maid who had just spoken, he asked, “Where is Holy Venerable now? Why don’t I see her anywhere?”
The maid shook her head, “This little one does not know either.”
He then asked the guards the same question, “Do you know where Holy Venerable is right now?”
Not only did the guards ignore him, but they also glared at him in a solemn manner, as though staring at a great enemy.
Yang Kai chuckled slightly at this sight, closed his eyes, and silently spread out his senses.
Although he had transferred the Heart Seal Secret Technique to the Soul Warming Lotus, it had not made the Secret Technique lose its effects entirely. He should be able to determine Yu Ru Meng whereabouts if he focused his perception on the Secret Technique. Naturally, that was only under the prerequisite that they were not too far apart; otherwise, this wouldn’t work either.
A short while later, his expression changed. He turned his head to look in a certain direction and laughed. Following the fluctuations of Space Principles, he vanished from the spot.
Soon, someone could be heard knocking on the door from outside the secret room and it was followed by Yang Kai’s voice, “Ru Meng. Madame Ru Meng. Lady Meng, I’m back!”
Upon hearing that, Yu Ru Meng, who was seated with her legs crossed in the room, was torn between laughter and exasperation, [What does this smelly brat think my palace is? Does he think he can come and go as he pleases, doing whatever he damn well wants?]
Just one year ago, after Yang Kai left this place, word got out that Yin Si was killed, and a scout reported that Yang Kai had also been severely injured as he had gone missing. Hence, she immediately told her subordinates to look for Yang Kai and bring him back to the Holy City. Unfortunately, it was too late when her people arrived at his last known location as he was nowhere to be seen.
Then, she learned that Yang Kai had begun travelling around the Demon Realm to repair the Territory Gates. She also heard that Bai Ya and five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards had embarked on the journey with him. Upon making sure that he had the power to protect himself, Yu Ru Meng stopped following news about him as she had to tend to her own injuries; hence, she came to this secret room and had been recuperating since then.
However, she had never expected that this smelly man would have the nerve to come back one day. As she clenched her teeth, she decided to ignore him outright.
Yang Kai went on to knock on the door for a long time and kept calling out to her, but she never replied.
Knowing that she was still mad at him, Yang Kai appeared helpless as he scratched his head. He was no match for Yu Ru Meng in terms of strength, so he could not overpower her and might even embarrass himself if he tried. However, he wondered how long it would take before her anger would subside.
In Yang Kai’s plan, Yu Ru Meng was indispensable. It wasn’t certain whether Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo had agreed to work with him out of their own willingness or because they were forced to, so they might go back on their word at any moment. Nevertheless, Yu Ru Meng was different. As long as he could persuade her to join forces with him, she would be the greatest helper he had.
By then, he would have the support of three powerful Demon Saints. Although it still wouldn’t put him in any advantageous position when facing the other ten Demon Saints, it was enough for him to at least start the ball rolling.
One hour later, the knocking gradually faded and died down. Yu Ru Meng was no longer in the mood to absorb the energy from the purple fruit though, so she activated her Divine Sense and realised that Yang Kai had sat down cross-legged outside the room. He had even closed his eyes and started cultivating.
Yu Ru Meng sneered as she had the intention of teaching him a lesson, so she decided to ignore him and just let him wait out in the cold.
Someone like her was able to cultivate in seclusion for dozens of years, even for hundreds of years if need be. Although she wasn’t allowed to cultivate in seclusion for that long since they were in the middle of a war between the two Great Worlds, she could still do it for three to five years.
She doubted that Yang Kai could wait for such a long time. When he felt bored, he would leave this place. Considering all this, she made up her mind and pulled herself together as she continued healing herself.
As expected, Yang Kai stopped making a fuss outside the room as though he was determined to wait for Yu Ru Meng to take the initiative to come out. Separated by just a door, he went on to cultivate silently.
As time passed, Yu Ru Meng was finally able to be at ease as she resumed absorbing the energy from the purple fruit to restore her damaged Soul.
Half a month later, she was jolted awake by an explosive eruption of power. Right after she opened her eyes, she activated her Divine Sense, then her expression changed.
At this moment, Yang Kai, who was just outside the room, had the Demon Qi inside his body fluctuating violently. He appeared to be in pain as his forehead was beaded with sweat. It was apparent that he was suffering from cultivation dissonance.
Yu Ru Meng quickly got to her feet, but just when she was about to dash out of the room, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Although Yang Kai was no match for her in terms of power, it wasn’t difficult for him to pretend to be in pain to make her worried. Furthermore, he was now a High-Rank Demon King and had been cultivating for at least a hundred years, so it was unlikely that he would suffer from cultivation dissonance so easily. This must be a trap to lure her out of the room!
As she gritted her teeth, she snorted and sat back down, but just when she was about to wait it out, the man outside her room could be heard coughing up a mouthful of blood. His face had turned ashen as he trembled and fell backwards.
With a loud boom, a violent gale could be seen swirling around in the room as Yu Ru Meng had disappeared from her original spot. Following that, the door flung open as Yang Kai fell into her soft embrace.
The colour had drained from Yu Ru Meng’s face as she asked in a flustered manner, “What happened? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
As she spoke, she activated her Demon Qi in an attempt to check on Yang Kai’s situation.
Nevertheless, before she could do so, she realised that Yang Kai, who was in her embrace, was winking at her.
She was startled for a moment before she became incensed. Realising that she had been fooled, she hurriedly tried to push him away. Unexpectedly, the man wrapped his strong arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace though. Yang Kai exerted force with his feet and stood up while lifting her off the ground, chuckling heartily as he dashed into the room and slammed the door shut.
“Let me go, you bastard! You tricked me again!” At this moment, Yu Ru Meng’s expression was livid. She was still mad at the fact that he had lied to her previously, but she had never expected that she would be fooled by the same man again so soon. As a Demon Saint, it was truly embarrassing for her.
As she spoke, she repeatedly landed her palms on Yang Kai’s shoulders and chest, which was why loud slaps could be heard.
Upon impact, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood again, and he wasn’t faking it this time. Just now, in order to lure her out of the room, he had tried to circulate his Secret Art in reverse and lightly injured himself, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle with a few hours of rest. Although Yu Ru Meng hadn’t expended all her force at this moment, it wasn’t easy to bear a Demon Saint’s wrath. After just a few slaps from her, he could feel that his bones were about to dislocate.
Thanks to the fact that he was a Half-Dragon, Yang Kai was still able to support his own weight, fortunately. If he were just an average High-Rank Demon King, he would’ve fallen to the ground and become paralysed due to her attacks.
“Alright, stop being so mad with me. If it soothes your anger to kill me, I don’t mind losing my life here, but will you be happy if that happens?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at the woman in his embrace, the Golden Blood on the corners of his mouth quite conspicuous.
Yu Ru Meng stopped struggling, but she looked grimly at him and spoke in a voice that was colder than the winds on Soaring Snow Continent, “Release me!”
However, Yang Kai naturally refused.
An infuriated Yu Ru Meng said through clenched teeth, “I said let me go!”
“No way!” Yang Kai shook his head like a rattle drum. It had been quite difficult to make her open the door once, so if he let her go now, all his efforts would be wasted.
“Don’t test me, the consequences will be dreadful!” Yu Ru Meng’s chest could be seen heaving as she appeared utterly incensed. The previous problem hadn’t been solved yet, and now she was fooled again. She wondered whether there was something wrong with her ability to judge people.
On the other hand, not only did Yang Kai not release her, but he also lowered himself and attempted to lock his lips with hers.
As she felt his breath and watched his face magnifying in front of her, Yu Ru Meng sneered and tipped her head back, after which she thrust her head forward and struck his forehead.
With a loud thud, Yang Kai felt as if his forehead had collided with a mountain before he staggered backwards upon impact. As he felt the world spinning around him, he shook his head and stared at her in disbelief. Torn between tears and laughter, he said, “You’re a Demon Saint, so how could you deal with me by using a headbutt?”
Yu Ru Meng scoffed, “You asked for it!”
Although she was also in pain as her forehead had reddened, she couldn’t show any signs of weakness.
Yang Kai grinned, “You’ve got guts!”
Rather than deter him, this woman’s intense resistance and the pain in his forehead ignited his ferocity and wicked nature. As he spoke, he pushed Yu Ru Meng up against the nearest wall and pinned her down. The next moment, he grabbed both of her wrists with only one hand above her head, rendering her immobile.
Yang Kai had incredible physical strength, so although Yu Ru Meng was a Demon Saint, she was unable to resist him at this moment. Charm Demons were not known for their physical strength after all.
Before she could struggle out of his grip, she saw him attempting to kiss her again; hence, she decided to try a headbutt one more time, which he easily dodged. Before she could make another attempt though, he had lowered himself and sucked her lips recklessly.
In response, she forcefully bit his tongue, which caused him to feel a sharp pain in his mouth while a metallic taste suggested that he had started bleeding.
Ignoring the pain he felt, Yang Kai looked like a crazy beast that had just escaped from its cage as he snuck his other hand under her dress and groped at her wantonly.
Yu Ru Meng grunted in a muffled voice as she struggled and squirmed. Even the Demon Qi around her turned violent.
With such a close distance between them, they stared fixedly at each other as neither of them seemed to have the intention of backing down. The atmosphere in the room was awkward as it was filled with contrasting airs of violence and intimacy.
Gradually, the Demon Qi in Yu Ru Meng’s body calmed down as her gaze appeared conflicted. Then, she closed her eyes and stopped struggling. Her cold-looking face reddened as her fair neck was slowly covered in hickeys.
Then, Yang Kai released her wrists, which had become stiff from getting restricted for a long time. After that, she wrapped her arms around his neck as though her entire body had hung onto him. Their close contact allowed them to feel one another’s warmth and passion.
Following that, their clothes became a mess as the atmosphere was filled with a pink air.
One day later, Yu Ru Meng was lying on the ground as her porcelain-like body had reddened. With her hair being untidy, she stared at the ceiling through her blurred vision as she panted heavily, “I need a break… I can’t take it any…”
Before she could finish her words, Yang Kai flipped over and locked his lips with hers.
Three days later, Yu Ru Meng kept shaking her head as her hair flapped in the air while in a stuttering voice, she uttered, “N-No… please stop!”
Ignoring her, Yang Kai rampaged like an enraged bull.
Five days later, she was paralysed on the ground as she said in a lethargic voice, “Please let me go…”
She pitifully reached for her clothes that were just an arm’s length away, but as she watched her clothes turn to ash after the beast above her pushed out his palm, she felt crestfallen and closed her eyes in resignation.
Ten days later, the noises in the room slowly died down. Just like a kitten, Yu Ru Meng snuggled up to Yang Kai’s chest. As their skin came into close contact, they keenly felt each other’s heartbeats.
Yang Kai gently lifted some strands of her hair and sniffed them. Demon Saints generally exuded a pleasant scent that was neither too sweet nor tangy, which was quite relaxing for those who took a whiff of them.
Just then, he felt a soft sensation on his chest. Yu Ru Meng had awakened from her sleep as her eyelashes fluttered against him.
As expected, she opened her eyes a moment later and lifted her head to look at Yang Kai with a languid smile.
“How was the rest? Enough?” Yang Kai’s lips curved into a wicked smile.
Seeing this look, Yu Ru Meng shuddered and looked somewhat fearfully at him. Whenever he put on this kind of smile in the past ten days, it meant that she would have to suffer another several rounds of ‘torment’. If it weren’t because she was a Demon Saint, she wouldn’t have been able to bear the exertion. She had heard that male Dragons were all licentious, but it wasn’t until she had personally experienced it that she realised it wasn’t just a rumour.
Yang Kai guffawed and stroked her blemish-free back, “Don’t worry. I won’t eat you.”
It was then Yu Ru Meng heaved a sigh of relief and shot him a glare. Then, she lowered herself and leaned her head against her man’s chest to listen more closely to his heartbeat.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai straightened up and made her face him. Her long hair hung loose on her chest, just barely blocking the view of her twin peaks. As their eyes met, she realised that his gaze appeared solemn, as though he had made a very important decision.
Feeling doubtful, she gazed at him with her head tilted.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Yang Kai uttered with a serious expression, “It’s a secret.”
“A secret?” Yu Ru Meng arched her brow and put on a smile, “Everyone has their own secrets that they don’t want others to know. It’ll no longer be a secret if you tell anyone about it. If you don’t want to expose the secret to me, you can just keep it to yourself.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “You’re my woman now, so I don’t want to hide anything from you.”
Yu Ru Meng pressed her lips together, “Now? Do you mean I wasn’t your woman in the past?”
An embarrassed Yang Kai scratched his head and replied, “You’ve always been my woman, but it is different now.”
Certainly, Yu Ru Meng understood what he meant. The relationship between a man and woman became different after they united as one. Although they had bedded each other one year ago, she had chased him away in anger right after. It wasn’t until today that they truly made up with each other.
With a faint smile, she straightened up and nodded lightly, “Alright, Husband. I’ll listen to what secret it is that you’ve been hiding from me.”
Yang Kai felt somewhat awkward, as it was the first time she called him Husband. The main reason was that the person before his eyes wasn’t just his woman, but also a Demon Saint. Despite the awkward feeling in his heart, he also felt that he had achieved something astonishing.
Pulling himself together, he said, “Enter my Knowledge Sea.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Ru Meng did not hesitate to reach out and point her finger at his forehead. The next moment, they closed their eyes together, and as she activated her Divine Sense, her Soul Avatar had left her body.
In the sky above the Knowledge Sea, a curvy figure gradually appeared. It was none other than Yu Ru Meng’s Soul Avatar.
If someone wanted to enter another’s Knowledge Sea, they would either have to forcefully break through their defences using overwhelming power, or the owner had to open up their Knowledge Sea in advance.
The latter was a show of wholehearted trust to the person entering their Knowledge Sea.
Yang Kai needed Yu Ru Meng’s help, so after they reached this new stage in their relationship, he gave it a thought and decided to open up to her so that they could have a completely honest conversation.
Upon entering his Knowledge Sea, Yu Ru Meng exclaimed as it was much broader than she had expected. The sea of black demonic flames that represented the power of his Soul was extremely deep, a sign that he had gone through complete demonification.
Although his Knowledge Sea still wasn’t comparable to hers, it was much vaster than that of ordinary Half-Saints.
Yang Kai appeared beside her a moment later and took her hand. As she turned to look at him, he pointed in a direction and asked, “Do you recognise that?”
Yu Ru Meng turned her head to look in the same direction and was surprised by what she saw.
In the middle of the black sea, there was a treasure island that was gleaming with seven coloured light. No matter how violent the flames were, the seven-coloured island remained unmoving. She could clearly feel that there was a special power radiating from the island.
As she narrowed her eyes, she finally made out what the island was.
“Soul Warming Lotus?” Yu Ru Meng exclaimed. As her feelings undulated, even her Soul Avatar trembled, “Is that really the Soul Warming Lotus?”
“Milady has sharp eyes.” Yang Kai gripped her hand tighter, “It is indeed the Soul Warming Lotus.”
Demon Saints all had acute vision. Xuan Bing and Bei Li Mo could recognise it at first glance in the past, so there was no way Yu Ru Meng couldn’t make out what it was.
“You have the Soul Warming Lotus!” Yu Ru Meng was shaken to the core. As a Demon Saint, she wasn’t interested in the ordinary treasures, but the Soul Warming Lotus was different. She had only heard about such a Supreme Treasure, but had never seen it before. As she stared fixedly at the lotus, she murmured, “I’ve heard that Soul Warming Lotus is able to revitalise one’s Soul regardless of how damaged or drained it becomes. Even if the owner of the lotus passes away, their Soul can remain undiminished. It’s no wonder I always felt that your Spiritual Energy was more powerful than what it was supposed to be in your current realm. So this is the reason.”
Upon finishing her words, she forcefully pinched Yang Kai’s waist.
The sensations a Soul Avatar could feel were much more intense than those of a flesh and blood body, so as he was pinched, Yang Kai was gripped by excruciating pain. Grimacing, he questioned, “Why did you pinch me?”
Yu Ru Meng said through clenched teeth, “You knew that my Soul had been injured, but for the past year, you just let me suffer instead of using this treasure to treat me. Husband, you’re too mean!”
As she spoke, she looked resentfully and tearfully at him, appearing extremely aggrieved.
Yang Kai replied after a laugh, “I was chased away by you…”
Yu Ru Meng snorted, “If you were determined to stay, you wouldn’t have been chased away.”
She then swatted his hand away and turned around in exasperation.
A troubled Yang Kai went on to coax her for a long time before she stopped being mad at him.
“Why have you asked me to come here to see this? Do you want to treat my injury?” Yu Ru Meng shot him a glare, “If that’s your intention, I’ll forgive you. It’s better late than never.”
“I’ll certainly treat you, but before that, there’s something I need to confess to you,” Yang Kai coughed and scratched his face as he appeared embarrassed.
“What’s the matter?” Yu Ru Meng gave him a look.
Yang Kai hesitated for a long time but still couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
Yu Ru Meng said through gritted teeth, “Do you still want to hide things from me?”
Hanging his head low, Yang Kai replied in a small voice, “The Heart Seal Secret Technique you used on me has been transferred to the Soul Warming Lotus.”
Yu Ru Meng batted her eyes as she didn’t understand him, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai explained, “I didn’t mean to do it, but this thing seemed to have that ability to do so. In the past, I just gave it a try, but I never expected that the Heart Seal Secret Technique would so easily move from my Knowledge Sea to… Over there.” He pointed at the seven-coloured island and observed her expression.
Yu Ru Meng was startled for a moment before she nodded lightly, “I see. It’s no wonder that you’re still able to deceive me despite the Heart Seal Secret Technique still being active.”
After she finished speaking, she started beating him again, “You bastard! You’ve been playing with me right from the start haven’t you!?”
Yang Kai gritted his teeth to bear her wrath as he grimaced in pain.
A moment later, Yu Ru Meng stopped and glowered at him.
An embarrassed Yang Kai asked, “Have you vented out all your anger?”
“What do you think?” Yu Ru Meng sneered.
Yang Kai seemed to steel himself and waved his hand widely, “If you’re still mad at me, just continue beating me up. I’ll not be resentful even if I have to lose my life!”
“Stop putting on a show!”
Yang Kai grinned, “Does that mean that you’re not angry with me anymore?”
Yu Ru Meng huffed in annoyance, ignored him, then a moment later, heaved a sigh and said, “In fact, I have a secret too.”
“You can undo the Heart Seal Secret Technique, right?” Yang Kai looked smilingly at her.
Yu Ru Meng lifted her head and looked at him with her lips parted, appearing to be slightly flustered as she asked, “H-How do you know?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Bei Li Mo and Senior Bright Moon told me. However, Bei Li Mo was just trying to sow discord while Senior Bright Moon was well-meaning. One of them is a Great Emperor from the Star Boundary, and the other is a Demon Saint from the Demon Realm, but they both said the same thing, which is why my suspicions were aroused.”
“That bitch!” Yu Ru Meng said through clenched teeth. She was apparently scolding Bei Li Mo. Then, she appeared somewhat anxious, “They’re right to say that the Heart Seal Secret Technique can be broken. I lied to you when I said that once the Secret Technique was used, both of us would be tied together for life.”
Yang Kai replied, “If you didn’t admit it, I wouldn’t have found out. Why did you decide to tell me about it now?”
Yu Ru Meng said, “We’re together now, so there’s no point hiding it from you. If you found out about it from others and confirmed the information later, discord would’ve formed between us, which is why I’ve decided to tell you about it myself.”
Stepping forward, Yang Kai took her hands and said lovingly, “Thank you for telling me this.”
Yu Ru Meng lifted her head, “Are you not mad at me? If you are, you can beat me… That’s what I did to you just now…”
Yang Kai laughed, “How would I have the heart to lay a hand on you? We both kept secrets from each other, but we’re even now.”
Yu Ru Meng’s lashes fluttered as she appeared touched.
Draping his arm around her shoulder, he gazed at the Soul Warming Lotus with her and said, “Since you’re able to unseal the Heart Seal Secret Technique, you should do it now. This is an unfair situation to you.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Ru Meng shuddered and turned to look at him, “You want me to unseal it?”
“Of course. That’s the reason I’ve brought you here,” Yang Kai nodded as he appeared completely open and honest.
Since the Heart Seal Secret Technique was transferred to the Soul Warming Lotus, it had lost almost all of its effect on Yang Kai, but it was still able to restrict Yu Ru Meng. There was no doubt that the Secret Technique was extremely powerful as it was able to tie a man and a woman together when they first met. The bond was so strong that even if they didn’t even know each other’s name, if one of them passed away, it would leave an unhealable wound on the other’s heart.
No matter how powerful it was though, it was just a Secret Technique, not a real bond. In the past, Yang Kai didn’t care about it, and he had even taken advantage of it to deceive Yu Ru Meng; however, things were different now, and this unfair Secret Technique didn’t need to exist anymore.
Yu Ru Meng gazed at him with her alluring eyes, “Husband, aren’t you worried that after the Secret Technique is unsealed, my heart will change, and I might even harm you?”
It wouldn’t have mattered if she hadn’t seen the Soul Warming Lotus, but now she knew that there was a treasure in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea that all Demon Saints would covet. Once the Heart Seal Secret Technique was unsealed, he wouldn’t be able to resist if she had any ill intentions toward him.
They were now on Enchantment Continent, which was Yu Ru Meng’s territory. Even though he was proficient in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai couldn’t possibly escape her here, much less retaliate.
Upon hearing this though, Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “I’ve said that you’re my woman, and this fact will never change, even if you unseal the Secret Technique. If your heart really changes, I won’t blame you.”
Yu Ru Meng pressed her lips together, “Do you want me to unseal it?”
“It’s up to you,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
Yu Ru Meng beamed and stared fixedly at him, “It’s up to me, right?”
Yang Kai bowed his head, “En.”
“I won’t unseal it, then.” Yu Ru Meng let out a long breath. Before he could say anything, she went on to explain, “Although I’m able to lift the Heart Seal Secret Technique, there’s a certain price I will need to pay. Furthermore, I can only use this Secret Technique once in my life. Since I’ve used it on you, I’ll stay loyal to you forever.”
Yang Kai asked, “Aren’t you worried that your feelings for me are due to the Secret Technique, not because you really love me?”
Yu Ru Meng replied with a smile, “I can tell the difference between the effects of a Secret Technique and my own feelings.”
Initially, she had indeed developed sudden and profound feelings for him due to the Secret Technique; however, now, she was certain that she loved him not because of the Heart Seal, so it was meaningless to unseal it anymore. If it weren’t because of that, she wouldn’t have given in to him one year ago. If she wasn’t willing, he would never have been able to possess her.
“Good, you have the final say,” Yang Kai nodded. After he finished speaking, he suddenly started laughing as he felt relieved.
Since the Heart Seal Secret Technique had been transferred, he had been acting carefully in front of Yu Ru Meng so that she wouldn’t realise that something was off. Now that they had come clean with each other, he did not have to keep putting on an act anymore. At that moment, he felt as if a mountain had been lifted off his chest.
Following that, he said in a relaxed tone, “Dear, there’s something I need you to help me with.”
Yu Ru Meng asked, “What is it?”
After pondering on how he should put it, Yang Kai said, “Since you’re a Demon Saint, I’m sure you can feel that something is wrong with the Demon Realm. The entire realm is breaking apart, and the continents are slowly disappearing. It won’t be long before the Demon Realm will be completely destroyed. I’m sure that’s the reason all of you decided to wage a war against the Star Boundary.”
Yu Ru Meng lowered her head, “That’s right. Before the Demon Realm completely disintegrates, we must seek a way out. The Star Boundary is the only Great World that is connected to the Demon Realm. The plan has been in conception for a long time. Even before I became a Demon Saint, the plans were already in preparation. We were just waiting for the passage between the two worlds to open.”
Yang Kai nodded. He had experienced the last war between Humans and Demons when he was in the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld, which was why he understood what was going on.
“If there’s a new Demon Realm, does that mean that the war can end?”
“A new Demon Realm?” Yu Ru Meng frowned before she gazed at him in amazement, “Are you saying that you have found a new Great World?”
Yang Kai put on a smile, “I haven’t found a new Great World, but I can create one.”
“Create one?” Yu Ru Meng was astounded upon hearing that. If it weren’t because they had become intimate and revealed all their hidden secrets to one another earlier, she wouldn’t have believed him. It was inconceivable that anyone could create a new Great World. Even as a Demon Saint, she was unable to do that.
“I’m sure you remember that I have a storage artifact that allows living creatures to live inside of it.”
Yu Ru Meng nodded her head as she was aware of the Sealed World Bead’s existence. Yang Kai had summoned the Embodiment a few times before, and she was often beside him when he did. However, she didn’t know what Sealed World Bead truly was as no one told her about it when she was in the Star Boundary.
“That artifact can not only allow living creatures to live inside, it is also an independent world unto itself.”
“You mean it’s a Small World?” Yu Ru Meng’s gaze brightened.
In fact, there were plenty of Small Worlds out there, but it was inconceivable that one could be made into a storage artifact and carried around casually.
“I guess you can say that, but my Sealed World Bead is different from an ordinary Small World as it can devour all the continents in the Demon Realm and absorb them to strengthen itself. Furthermore, it can also assimilate the World Principles and energy of those continents…”
Before he could finish his words, Yu Ru Meng was amazed as she interrupted him by saying, “You mean your Small World can integrate all the separate continents of the Demon Realm?”
As a Demon Saint, she was naturally intelligent, so before he even finished explaining, she had already figured out what he was trying to say.
“That’s right. Moreover, the more continents that are integrated, the more solid the Principles inside it become.”
With a solemn expression, Yu Ru Meng said, “You want to amalgamate all the continents in the Demon Realm into one whole?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “When I was repairing the Territory Gates in the different continents of the Demon Realm, I found many of the continents that had disappeared already and had my artifact devour them. I’ve also had it swallow a place called Heavenly Martial Continent in Bei Li Mo’s territory. From those experiments, my theory has been proven to work.”
Yu Ru Meng gasped when she heard that he had found those lost continents and devoured them. Nevertheless, upon learning that he had even gobbled up Heavenly Martial Continent, she gazed at him with a strange expression, “You’ve swallowed Heavenly Martial Continent? When did that happen?”
Yang Kai grinned at her, “Just before I came back here.”
“Bei Li Mo didn’t try to kill you?” Yu Ru Meng was shocked.
As far as she was concerned, Bei Li Mo wasn’t a magnanimous person. It was a miracle that Yang Kai managed to come back alive after making a scene in her territory. In fact, if she were in Bei Li Mo’s shoes, she would have ripped the man who destroyed one of her continents into a million pieces.
“Ha ha!” Yang Kai guffawed, “I’ll tell you what happened to her later. Now, please allow me to tell you my plan…”
Yu Ru Meng put on a bitter smile, “I know what you’re up to, but your plan is not going to work.”
“Why?” Yang Kai was startled.
“There’s no doubt that I’ll assist you, but the other Demon Saints will not readily believe you and let you occupy all their territories.” Yu Ru Meng stared at him, “Moreover, you’re the owner of that Sealed World Bead. After the bead gobbles up all the continents and becomes the new Demon Realm, it will mean that the life or death of all the Demon Saints, and even the entire Demon Race will lie in your hands. How could they be willing to entrust their future to you?”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Of course, I understand this point of yours, which is why I don’t expect them to easily agree to it. It’s good enough that you’re willing to assist me. As for the other Demon Saints, we can slowly persuade them.”
Yu Ru Meng still shook her head, “I’m only one person, so I’m unable to protect you. If news about your plan is exposed… Damn!” Her expression changed all of a sudden, “You made a scene in Bei Li Mo’s territory, so I’m afraid that your plan has already been exposed!”
“Well…” Yang Kai coughed into his fist, “There’s one more secret that I have to tell you.”
Yu Ru Meng was startled for a moment before she shot him a glare, “Just one more secret? Spill it.”
“It’s about Bei Li Mo…”
Before he could finish his words, Yu Ru Meng said through clenched teeth, “I heard that after you left my place a year ago, you headed to Soaring Snow Continent and borrowed five hundred thousand Soaring Snow Ice Guards from Bei Li Mo. She had even sent Bai Ya to follow you and protect you, right?”
“Wife, I’m impressed by your ability to gather information!” Yang Kai quickly flattered her up.
The sound of Yu Ru Meng grinding her teeth became louder, “Are you going to tell me that you’ve hooked up with that rotten bitch?”
“We indeed have something to do with each other now, but it’s not what you think,” Yang Kai quickly explained, “Do you remember that after the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, I had to flee for my life? In the end, I was found by Bei Li Mo on Cloud Shadow Continent. I actually had a confrontation with her before you arrived.”
“Of course, I remember. Why? What really happened?” Yu Ru Meng’s expression remained cold.
“Well, before you arrived…” Yang Kai knew that if this misunderstanding wasn’t solved, he would be in deep trouble, which was why he hurriedly explained to her what had happened at that time.
“The story actually started back when I first went to Soaring Snow Continent. When I met with Bei Li Mo in her palace… certain things happened and I accidentally offended her, so she threw me into the 18th level of the Frozen Nether Ice Prison. There, I met a woman called Young Lady Bing. She was sly and lied to me by telling me that she was Bei Li Mo’s Disciple and the reason she had been imprisoned was that she had made a mistake and angered Bei Li Mo.”
Yang Kai took a breath before continuing, “She passed me something called the Profound Darkness Needle, which contained a Secret Technique she had created. She told me that after I activated the Secret Technique inside the needle, I could stall Bei Li Mo for three to ten breaths of time. After the battle on the Eternal Sky Continent, I fled to Cloud Shadow Continent, but when I was breaking through to my current realm, the commotion alerted Bei Li Mo. While I was in an intense battle against her, I used the Profound Darkness Needle.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as his words became heavier, “However, I had never expected that apart from the Secret Technique inside, Young Lady Bing’s Soul had also been sealed in the needle. Therefore, her Soul and mine were sucked into Bei Li Mo’s Knowledge Sea together. Right after the two women met, they started arguing with each other. Through their conversation, I found out that her name was Xuan Bin and she was actually Bei Li Mo’s Honoured Master rather than her Disciple. It wasn’t certain whether Bei Li Mo had gone mad or Xuan Bing had done something unforgivable that led the Master and Disciple to fall out with each other…”
“Xuan Bing wanted to take control of Bei Li Mo’s body, but she failed in her attempt to do so. Instead, her Soul had been consumed by Bei Li Mo. However, before that happened, Xuan Bing allowed me to leave a Soul Imprint on her Soul, which was then transferred to Bei Li Mo.”
“Wait…” Yu Ru Meng suddenly lifted her hand to stop him and gazed at him with a stunned expression, “You mean your Soul Imprint is in Bei Li Mo’s Knowledge Sea now?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
After batting her eyes, Yu Ru Meng covered her mouth and started convulsing with laughter.
She knew full well what a Soul Imprint on one’s Knowledge Sea meant. As a Demon Saint from the Charm Demon Clan, she had the strongest Soul of all cultivators in the Demon Realm. Any successful cultivator was able to use this method to control others, but she had grown bored of it a long time ago. Now, she wouldn’t even bother to use this kind of method to control others.
However, it would be a different story if the one getting controlled was a Demon Saint.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, Yu Ru Meng knew that it was a result of both luck and coincidence. If Xuan Bing hadn’t allowed him to leave a Soul Imprint on her, he would never have been able to achieve such a thing. It was thanks to Xuan Bing’s initiative that Bei Li Mo, who had devoured her Soul, had suffered such a catastrophe. As a Demon Saint, she was now controlled by a High-Rank Demon King.
At that instant, Yu Ru Meng realised that Yang Kai must be referring to this incident when he talked about Bei Li Mo.
“That bitch deserves it,” After she was done laughing, she snorted. The territories of the two Demon Saints neighboured each other, which was why they had always been on bad terms. Before the war between the two Great Worlds, the Half-Saints and Demon Kings that served them had been in a constant state of confrontation and war with one another. Suddenly learning such a piece of exciting news, Yu Ru Meng could barely contain her glee, “I can’t wait to see how she will react when she sees me.”
At the thought of meeting Bei Li Mo one day soon, Yu Ru Meng could barely conceal the smile on her face. This was indeed an incredible feat as no one was able to control a Demon Saint in the past.
All of a sudden, she stopped smiling and said, “However, there’s a huge gap between your strength and hers, so she might have a way of breaking the Soul Imprint of yours. You must pay close attention to it.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I know. That’s why when I left this place one year ago, I headed to Soaring Snow Continent to strengthen the Soul Imprint. Furthermore, I also received a Soul Brand from her. With both measures in place, I have full control over her now.”
One year ago, the power of Yang Kai’s Soul increased significantly, and although he was still no match for a Demon Saint in this regard, the power of his Soul was far above an average Half-Saint’s. Since the Soul Imprint had been strengthened, Yu Ru Meng knew that Bei Li Mo would have to work around the clock for a few years before she could break it.
“So, that bitch is also on your side now,” Yu Ru Meng suddenly realised this.
“There’s no way she can reject me,” Yang Kai put on a smile, “After a discussion, Senior Chang Tian has also agreed to join forces with me.”
“Chang Tian…” Yu Ru Meng nodded slightly. She wasn’t surprised that Chang Tian had agreed to it. He had always been fond of Yang Kai and had even intended to make this young man his successor. Furthermore, once Yang Kai’s plan succeeded, it would break the status quo in the Demon Realm, which was hugely beneficial to Chang Tian. At the thought of this, Yu Ru Meng turned solemn. In that case, including herself, pretty much, three Demon Saints had agreed to join forces with Yang Kai. Although there were more Demon Saints in opposition, their side had obtained the right to initiate this plan. Furthermore, Yang Kai had the support of the entire Star Boundary and its Great Emperors.
With a helpless gaze, she looked at Yang Kai and said, “Since things have come to this point, I’ll just join you and follow you around.”
She did not just agree to his request because of their relationship, but also because the future for the Demon Realm was indeed gloomy. Even if the Demon Race could win against the Star Boundary, they would definitely suffer immense losses. Furthermore, the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm were two different entities, so it still wouldn’t be a happy ending even if they won the war. With different World Principles in place, the Demons would have a hard time living in another world. In that case, they would be better off living in a new Demon Realm.
With a joyful expression, Yang Kai asked, “Does that mean that you’ve agreed to it?”
Yu Ru Meng uttered, “But I have a condition.”
[A condition? Not again! Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo had also told me the same thing.] However, Yu Ru Meng was different from them, which was why Yang Kai nodded without hesitation, “Just tell me right away. I’ll agree even if you have a thousand conditions.”
“Don’t give promises so easily.” Yu Ru Meng shot him a glare, “There’s no Pill in this world for regret.”
Yang Kai grinned at her, “I don’t think you’ll come up with a condition that will make things difficult for me anyway.”
“It wouldn’t be considered a condition if it didn’t make things difficult for you.” Yu Ru Meng snorted and then declared loudly, “I want to be the First Wife of the Yang Family!”
At that instant, Yang Kai widened his mouth in disbelief. Even though he considered himself intelligent and insightful, he could not have expected that she would come up with such a condition.
Before he could even say anything, she said through clenched teeth, “I know how many women you have. They all met you before me, and they’ve gone through countless hardships with you, so there’s no reason for me to ask you to chase them all away. Supposedly, we’re all Sisters, so seniority among us isn’t necessary; however, rules are important in everything we do, and there has to be someone who is in charge of managing the Yang Family. I don’t think any one of them is a match for me when it comes to power and experience. Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry. I don’t need you to interfere in this matter. When we meet in the future, I have my own way of making them call me Big Sister willingly!”
What she had said sounded gentle and nonchalant, but Yang Kai was already drenched in a cold sweat even though he was just a Soul Avatar right now. His women back home had been getting along with each other quite well, and Su Yan was undoubtedly the leader among them; however, Su Yan had always had a gentle temperament, so it wouldn’t be difficult for Yu Ru Meng to make them acknowledge that she was the First Wife after they met up.
Nevertheless, the main issue was that he still had Zhu Qing, who lived on Dragon Island. More importantly, she was a Ninth-Order Fire Dragon. If she and Yu Ru Meng met up, a scuffle was almost inevitable.
Seeing that Yang Kai remained silent with his head hung low, Yu Ru Meng snorted, “Of course, if you think that you’ve been put in a tight situation, just take it as that I’ve never said anything. It seems that I’m still no match for the other Sisters in your heart because we’ve only known each other for a short time…”
All of a sudden, her eyes turned bloodshot as she looked away. It wasn’t certain how she managed to make her Soul Avatar’s eyes redden.
“That’s not it at all,” Yang Kai quickly waved his hands, “I’m just happy that you’d want to be in charge of the family as all of you would respect and treat each other well. I do think that this is an easy decision to make.”
“Husband, don’t force yourself to agree to it,” Yu Ru Meng pressed her lips together as she felt sorry for him.
“I’m not forced in any way.” Yang Kai stepped forward to take her hands and flashed a smile at her, “I’m extremely lucky to have your love and support. I can even worship you as an Ancestor, let alone make you my First Wife.”
He had intended to butter her up, but he had apparently said the wrong thing. With her face turning pale, Yu Ru Meng asked, “Husband, are you saying that I’m too old for you?”
Her eyes turned bloodshot again as she hung her head low, “You’re right. I’m indeed very old, which is why you’re unhappy with me!”
As she spoke, she attempted to withdraw her hands from the man’s grip.
[She’s getting unreasonable!] Yang Kai was both exasperated and flustered. Finding it unnecessary to explain anything, he directly pulled her into his embrace and spanked her firm backside.
Yu Ru Meng let out a yelp as her face started blushing.
They were now Soul Avatars, so every sensation was more intense than what could be felt with a physical body. Lifting her head, she saw that he was gazing at her with a wicked smile and in a small voice, he whispered, “Your Soul hasn’t healed yet, so stop reading too much into whatever I say. I’ll treat you now.”
Then, he lowered himself and locked his lips with hers.
A moment later, his Knowledge Sea surged. Their Soul Avatars entangled with each other and almost merged into one atop the seven-coloured treasure island. As their moaning could be heard coming from the island, the entire world seemed to be engulfed in a sense of intimacy.
Three days later, inside the secret room, Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked smilingly at Yu Ru Meng, who was seated across from him.
At this moment, she was flushed and panting heavily as her body twitched uncontrollably.
The blending of two Souls was a lot more intense than two bodies becoming one. It was an unforgettable experience for anyone who had tried it before, one they would want to drown in to feel forever.
Moreover, Yang Kai had cultivated the Yin-Yang Joyous Unification Art with Su Yan before, so he was quite familiar with such practices. In the past three days, he had used his vast experience and numerous methods on Yu Ru Meng. Although Yu Ru Meng was a Demon Saint, only a short time had passed since she lost her innocence, which was why she was unable to resist the man’s wanton advances. She had been muddle-headed and feeling on cloud nine the whole time, losing track of everything else around her. If it weren’t because Yang Kai took the initiative to withdraw, she would have drowned in that sensation for a long time before she awoke from her dream.
During the past three days, besides the integration of their Souls, Yang Kai had also made use of Soul Warming Lotus to heal the remaining injuries of her Soul. Previously, she had already recuperated for a year, but her Soul still hadn’t fully healed. She had estimated that it would take her three to five years before she could recover.
However, with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, she was able to return to her peak in just three days. What’s more, the power of her Soul also seemed to have increased slightly.
Apart from her, Yang Kai could also feel that the power of his Soul had grown. Although it wasn’t comparable to the surge one year ago, it was still an improvement.
The integration of Yin and Yang was in accordance with the Heavenly Way. With the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, their time wasn’t wasted when they practised dual cultivation.
With his chin resting on his palm, Yang Kai put on a smile and quietly observed the Charm Demon in front of him.
When he first met her, he wasn’t even aware that she was a Demon Saint, and he could not have expected that she would become his woman one day.
At that instant, he thought that fate was truly unpredictable.
Moments later, as Yu Ru Meng gradually returned to normal, the room was filled with a pleasant scent, which was able to incite arousal of anyone who took a whiff of it. Yang Kai wasn’t sure about the other Charm Demons, but during his recent contact with Yu Ru Meng, he realised that every time she was aroused, a pleasant scent would exude from her body. The scent was harmless, but it did stimulate a certain sense of euphoria, especially when being intimate.
A while later, Yu Ru Meng opened her eyes and looked lovingly at her man. With her eyes turning watery, any man in the world would be more than willing to give her everything when they saw her in such a state. Even Yang Kai couldn’t help but gulp at the sight.
However, since he had an important task at hand, he had to suppress his excitement and pull himself together, “Please come with me to Hundred Spirits Continent. If you don’t make your stance clear to Senior Chang Tian, he won’t have peace of mind.”
Yu Ru Meng nodded, “En.”
She then put on a smile, “However, you should stop calling him Senior, because that will make me a Junior to him.”
“Good!” Yang Kai guffawed and got to his feet. After he pulled her up, they left the room together.
After giving some instructions to the leader of the guards in the palace, they leapt into the air and shot into the clouds.
Seeing that they were pretty far from the palace right now, Yang Kai pushed his Demon Qi and wrapped Yu Ru Meng in it; then, through Divine Sense, he told her, “Don’t resist.”
Yu Ru Meng relaxed her body and let him do whatever he wanted to her.
The next moment, as Space Principles undulated, the pair traversed the entire length of the continent and appeared quite a distance away. Yu Ru Meng looked around and saw a Territory Gate just a hundred kilometres away. Shocked, she stated, “Husband, your mastery of the Dao of Space has increased tremendously.”
The palace was over a million kilometres away from where they were, but Yang Kai was able to traverse such a distance with a single Instantaneous Movement, which was simply an inconceivable idea. If he could freely travel such vast distances in an instant, as long as he had a moment to use his Space Principles, no one in this world would be able to capture him. Even if he was confronted by a Demon Saint, he would still be able to escape unscathed.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai started laughing, “No, no, no. You’ve got it wrong. I’ve managed to come to this place instantly with the help of this thing.”
After he finished speaking, he fished out a Space Beacon.
Yu Ru Meng took it to study while allowing him lead her towards the Territory Gate. As she fiddled with the Space Beacon, she asked, “What is this for?”
Yang Kai explained, “I learned this trick from Li Wu Yi.”
As he explained the uses to her, Yu Ru Meng nodded repeatedly and even kept the Space Beacon in the end. Then, she fished out a silk thread from her Space Ring and tied it to the Space Beacon before putting it on her wrist.
After moving past the Territory Gate, Yang Kai activated another Space Beacon and led her to traverse to the other end of the continent. With this, the time they needed to travel across each continent was cut dramatically as it would only take them two to three Instantaneous Movements, which was much faster than simply flying.
On their way to their destination. Yang Kai asked Yu Ru Meng about the war between the two Great Worlds. It was only then that he learned that after the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, Iron Blood Great Emperor Zhan Wu Hen made a move and single-handedly killed more than a billion Demons. He also managed to push the armies of the Demon Realm back to the Two Worlds’ Passage. At that time, three Half-Saints were killed by him.
During that period of time, all other Half-Saints of the Demon Race had been summoned back to the Demon Realm to take part in the fight for the opportunity to become a Demon Saint. The unfortunate three Half-Saints left to oversee the situation in the Star Boundary were slaughtered by Iron Blood Great Emperor.
Zhan Wu Hen’s move had undoubtedly broken the agreement between the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints; however, the Demon Saints did not pursue the matter because there was nothing they could really do about it.
Everyone of importance knew why Zhan Wu Hen acted the way he did, and that if this matter was disputed, it would prematurely ignite the final battle between the Great Emperors and Demon Saints. Although the Demon Realm currently had the upper hand, the Demon Saints did not want the war to escalate to that level so soon, so they kept quiet.
On the other hand, it was thanks to Zhan Wu Hen who had killed so many Demons in a fit of rage that those from the Star Boundary managed to retrieve a great deal of territory formerly occupied by the Demons. Now, they seemed to have returned to the initial stage of the war between the two Great Worlds.
Upon learning all this, Yang Kai was able to set his mind at ease. He was most worried that the Star Boundary could not persevere any longer. He had a plan, what he lacked was time.
If Yu Ru Meng were to travel from Enchantment Continent to Hundred Spirits Continent on her own at full speed, it would still take her a few days to do so; after all, she had to travel across multiple different continents and through several Territory Gates.
However, with the help his Space Beacons, Yang Kai managed to bring her to Hundred Spirits Continent in just half a day.
Already familiar with the route, the pair passed through the only Territory Gate and soon reached the place where Chang Tian cultivated.
Then, they landed on a spot in front of the palace, but before Yang Kai could request to meet the owner of the place, Yu Ru Meng suddenly grunted and looked in a different direction.
“What’s wrong?” A doubtful Yang Kai followed her gaze and saw a beam of light in the sky that was coming toward them. Realising who the person was, he smiled, “Things will be easier since she’s also here.”
The person was moving at full speed, and not long after Yang Kai finished speaking, a beam of light landed on the ground before them, after which Bei Li Mo’s figure was revealed.
Apparently, she had arrived here earlier, but she wasn’t waiting in front of this palace. She must have detected Yu Ru Meng’s aura just now, which was why she hurriedly came over.
The two women, who were both Demon Saints, had always held grudges against each other, so it could be expected that there was bound to be a fight whenever they met up.
One of them was as passionate as fire, and the other was as cold as ice. As their eyes met, there seemed to be sparks flying between them.
Yu Ru Meng was the first one to break the silence with a smile, “Elder Sister, we haven’t met for one year, but you’ve become even more alluring. Has something wonderful happened to you? Why don’t you tell Junior Sister about it so that I can share your joy?”
Upon hearing those words, the cold-looking Bei Li Mo shot Yang Kai a glare. She knew that he had definitely told Yu Ru Meng about her plight; otherwise, Yu Ru Meng wouldn’t have mocked her in such an oblique way.
She was a Demon Saint, but she was now being controlled by someone else through his Soul Imprint. Moreover, the person who had control over her was a mere High-Rank Demon King, so there was no way this could be considered a wonderful incident.
After a snort, Bei Li Mo simply replied, “It has nothing to do with you. Just mind your own business.”
“Elder Sister, what do you mean?” Yu Ru Meng kept a smile on her face.
Bei Li Mo shot Yang Kai a look and sneered, “You should know what I mean. On the other hand, as a Demon Saint yourself, you should be careful when choosing a man. There are countless good men in the Demon Realm, but what you’re doing is embarrassing to all Demon Saints. You’ve made yourself a laughing stock.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Ru Meng put on a faint smile and leaned close to Yang Kai. She had even wrapped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. Appearing to be deeply in love, she asked, “Are you envious?”
“Me? Envious of you?” Bei Li Mo rolled her eyes, “Stop making this kind of ridiculous remark when you’re just disparaging yourself.”
Yu Ru Meng shook her head lightly and said, “You should stop pretending. Although we are both Demon Saints, before that, we are women. Hence, we have to marry a man in the end. I’ve found the right man while you’re still single. We’ve been neighbours for so long, so I really don’t have the heart to see you wallow in loneliness.”
In response, Bei Li Mo put on a sneer.
“I know! Why don’t you join me? From now on, we’ll share the same man and enjoy the fun in bed together! I don’t mind at all,” as Yu Ru Meng spoke, she took a look at Yang Kai with a bashful expression, “He might not be that powerful yet, but his skills in bed are truly amazing. I can’t bear it on my own.”
Bei Li Mo widened her eyes and uttered in shock, “You have the gall to say such things out loud?”
“It’s only natural that a man and a woman who love one another become intimate, so why wouldn’t I have the gall to speak of it?” Yu Ru Meng batted her lashes and stared at her with a clear gaze.
After they stared at each other for a while, they started cursing at the same time.
“Slut!”
“Bitch!”
Immediately after though, Yu Ru Meng stomped her foot on the ground and said, “Husband, she cursed me!”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai lowered his gaze and nodded gently, “En, I heard.”
Upon finishing his words, he gazed at Bei Li Mo as a thought flashed across his mind.
In an instant, the colour drained from Bei Li Mo’s alluring face as she grunted and shivered; however, she was no ordinary woman, despite feeling excruciating pain, she gritted her teeth to made sure not to make another sound. As she glowered at Yang Kai, her gaze was filled with resentment and rage.
Yu Ru Meng clapped her hands joyfully, “You get what you deserve!”
At the same time, she gave Yang Kai a hint with her gaze to tell him to stop. Although she enjoyed seeing Bei Li Mo squirm with Yang Kai’s help, she knew not to cross the line. Bei Li Mo was a Demon Saint after all, so they couldn’t be too harsh on her.
Just then, the heavy door of the palace creaked open and revealed a gap as Chang Tian’s voice could be heard coming from inside, “It is my honour to have you here, Sister Ru Meng. Please come in and have a chat with me.”
Upon hearing that, Yu Ru Meng put on a smile and straightened up before casually strolling into the palace, looking every bit like she had just won a great victory.
After she stepped into the palace, the door slowly closed again.
Bei Li Mo had no time to vent out her anger on Yang Kai, so she glared at him and said, “Just you wait. I’ll settle accounts with you one day!”
Then, she quickly rushed towards the door and landed a slap on it, causing the door to stop closing as she bellowed, “How dare you shut me out? I’m coming in as well!”
The discussion had something to do with her future, so she had to take part in it. She was worried that Chang Tian and Yu Ru Meng would come to an agreement without her knowledge. Certainly, the door couldn’t take her strike, so as it paused for a moment, she snuck in.
Yang Kai cleared his throat and tried to enter the palace as well; however, before he even went near the door, he felt a gentle force blocking his way, causing him to be unable to move forward.
Seeing that, he was dumbfounded for a moment but he soon realised that Chang Tian didn’t want him to be involved in this discussion.
Left with no choice, he stepped back and waited silently outside the palace. After giving it a thought, he released Zhui Feng from the Small Sealed World.
There was no doubt that Zhui Feng was happy to have returned to Hundred Spirits Continent, so after running around Yang Kai for a while, he shot off in a particular direction and disappeared. Yang Kai knew that he must have left to look for his wives.
A moment later, Hei Lian and Bai Lian flew towards Yang Kai. Upon landing on the ground, Hei Lian asked, “Have you seen Holy Venerable Bei Li Mo? Has she come to this place?”
They had received Chang Tian’s order to accompany Bei Li Mo to tour around Hundred Spirits Continent. Just now, Bei Li Mo suddenly rushed back to the palace. Their speed was much slower than hers, which was why it wasn’t until now that they reached here.
Yang Kai motioned towards the palace before crossing his hands behind his back. Turning around, he swept his gaze over the scenery and said lightly, “This place sure is great.”
Hei Lian and Bai Lian traded glances as they had no idea why he made such a remark all of a sudden.
Two Demon Saints and one man who held the same status as a Demon Saint had entered the hall, and it wasn’t certain how long their discussion would last. With nothing else to do, Yang Kai decided to ask Hei Lian and Bai Lian about the situation on Hundred Spirits Continent.
Although he had been to this place before, and had even stayed here for some time, he still wasn’t familiar with the current affairs of the continent.
If Chang Tian really agreed to let Yang Kai devour the entire Hundred Spirits Continent, all the forces in the continent would become the latter’s power. With such a huge responsibility to take up, Yang Kai had to learn more about the continent.
It wasn’t a secret anyway, and Hei Lian and Bai Lian knew that Chang Tian was fond of Yang Kai, so they did not hide anything from him.
In Hundred Spirits Continent, apart from Chang Tian, who was undoubtedly the strongest, there were nine Half-Saints. They included Hei Lian and Bai Lian, whom Yang Kai was familiar with, Xiong Shi, Zhui Feng, and Du Yu, whom Yang Kai had met once. However, these Half-Saints had their own territories in the continent, and they rarely showed up. That was why Yang Kai hadn’t met all of them even though he had spent a few months here. Hei Lian, Bai Lian, and Xiong Shi worked closely with Chang Tian, so Yang Kai had seen them pretty frequently.
Besides these Half-Saints, there were more than a thousand Demon Kings in Hundred Spirits Continent. Upon learning the number, Yang Kai was shocked as the number was indeed inconceivable. There were only a few more than a hundred Demon Kings in Cloud Shadow Continent. Of course, many Demon Kings had been ordered to join the war between the two Great Worlds; however, even at the peak of its power, there were still fewer than three hundred Demon Kings in Cloud Shadow Continent.
With more than a thousand Demon Kings, Hundred Spirits Continent probably had the highest number of Demon Kings of any continent in the entire Demon Realm.
All in all, the collective power of Chang Tian’s subordinates was weaker than that of other Demon Saints. Nevertheless, since he only had Hundred Spirits Continent, his forces were far more centralised.
As they chatted, Hei Lian suddenly asked, “Is something major going to happen?”
“Why do you ask?” Yang Kai questioned.
Hei Lian took a look at the hall, “Two Holy Venerables have arrived at this place at the same time, which is unprecedented.”
Normally, Demon Saints wouldn’t come to Hundred Spirits Continent. Hei Lian and Bai Lian were already shocked when Yu Ru Meng came over previously. They had never expected that Bei Li Mo would also arrive at this place this time. As Half-Saints, they were not fools, so they understood that something major must be going on.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You’re right, but if you want to know the details, you can ask Senior Chang Tian later. It’s inappropriate for me to tell you.” It wasn’t certain what the outcome of the discussion would be. If they didn’t come to an agreement, Yang Kai would be embarrassing himself if he told the sisters about his plan.
Upon hearing that, Bai Lian shot him a glare as she hated people who were deliberately trying to act mysterious. Her gaze was so sharp that it was as though it could pierce through Yang Kai’s body.
On the other hand, Yang Kai flat-out ignored her.
Right then, the heavy door opened again in a slow manner. All three of them turned around, only to see Bei Li Mo stepping out of the palace with an emotionless face as her clothes flapped in the wind.
Following that, Yu Ru Meng walked out as well, then she gave Yang Kai an almost imperceptible nod.
Yang Kai was elated upon seeing that as he knew that they must have come to an agreement.
Lastly, Chang Tian appeared, but he was standing behind the gap at the moment. Then, he extended his hands and slowly opened the door further. It wasn’t certain what the door was made of, but it was obviously extremely weighty. As the door opened, a creaking sound could be heard.
However, though he was just pushing a door, Hei Lian and Bai Lian felt as if Chang Tian was pushing on their hearts. As the door was pushed open, the eyes of the sisters increasingly widened, as though they were witnessing something unbelievable.
Eventually, the doors opened fully. The sisters covered their mouths as their eyes trembled.
Yang Kai turned to look at them with a curious expression as he had no idea why they were so agitated when Chang Tian had just opened a door.
Right then, Yu Ru Meng explained in a small voice, “In the past, Chang Tian fought many great battles against the Demon Saints all across the Demon Realm, acting in an extremely bold and arrogant manner. In the end, he was defeated by the Demon Saints, who had joined forces to suppress him. Left with no choice, he returned to Hundred Spirits Continent. Since then, these doors have never been completely opened. To him, this half-open door is both a motivation to overcome and a reminder of his humiliation. He once said that he would only open this door once he was able to again crusade out of Hundred Spirits Continent. That’s the reason they’re so shocked.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai finally understood what was happening. Chang Tian’s move signalled that Hundred Spirits Continent would be stepping into the limelight again. It was no wonder that Hei Lian and Bai Lian were so excited.
With a whoosh, the sisters approached Chang Tian and fell on one knee as they hung their heads low. In a shaking voice, Hei Lian uttered, “Sir! As soon as you give the order, the billions of soldiers of Hundred Spirits Continent will follow you without fear of difficulties or death!”
“Please give the order, Sir!” Bai Lian also lifted her head and spoke, her gaze beaming with excitement.
Chang Tian put on a smile, “Tell them to come. I have something to tell them.” He did not specify who he wanted to meet, but it was understood that only Half-Saints had the right to see him.
“Yes,” the sisters replied and turned around before swiftly departing.
It would take the Lotus Sisters some time to gather the people together, but since they were all top Masters, a little time meant nothing to them.
Having made up his mind, Chang Tian appeared completely at ease. Then, he waved his hand, after which a table appeared on the ground. He also fished out a teapot and a jar of spring water in order to personally boil some tea.
Yang Kai and Yu Ru Meng stood closely to each other as they secretly talked to one another using their Divine Sense. Off to the side, Bei Li Mo watched them with a cold gaze as she parted her lips to curse them in silence. The main reason she had come all the way to this place was to find out whether Yang Kai was indeed going to devour Hundred Spirits Continent. If that was the case, it meant that all routs of escape for Chang Tian would be cut off, and it would be too late for her to go back on her word as well.
Soon, the aroma of the tea permeated the air. Chang Tian invited them to have a seat as they enjoyed some tea and waited for the others to arrive.
Half a day later, the first Half-Saint arrived. Upon seeing Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo, he was startled for a moment, but he soon pulled himself together and saluted them.
Chang Tian spoke to him via Divine Sense and the Half-Saint appeared shocked, but he soon turned around and left without asking any questions.
More and more Half-Saints rushed over as time passed, and after meeting Chang Tian, they hurriedly left the place as well.
It was then Yang Kai realised Chang Tian’s intentions. It would be very turbulent once he began devouring Hundred Spirits Continent. If the Half-Saints were not informed earlier, there might be some unrest. After Chang Tian told them about it in advance, the Half-Saints could go back to make some preparations, and potential trouble could be prevented.
Two days later, the last Half-Saint finally reached the palace, and after receiving Chang Tian’s order, he quickly flew away.
They went on to wait for two days more before Chang Tian rose from the chair and gazed at Yang Kai, “Let’s start.”
Yang Kai nodded gently. He had been idling for a long time now and couldn’t wait to get started. He could only set his mind at ease after making sure that Chang Tian would be on the same boat as him. If it weren’t because Chang Tian had to inform the Half-Saints, Yang Kai would have begun a long time ago.
After that, he leapt into the sky and flipped his hand over to summon the Sealed World Bead. Pushing his Demon Qi, a thought flashed across his mind. Then, with a loud pop, the Sealed World Bead suddenly turned into a gigantic, rounded creature. At that instant, space in Hundred Spirits Continent fluctuated as many Void Cracks opened up in the sky.
Hei Lian and Bai Lian exclaimed as their faces had been transformed by shock. Although they were experienced and knowledgeable, they had no idea what this huge thing was and why it was able to shake the whole continent.
Yang Kai pointed his finger at Gun-Gun, after which it fell and opened its humongous mouth to take a bite out of Hundred Spirits Continent. As a rumbling sound was heard, the places which were bitten turned into nothingness wherever Gun-Gun passed. All things, both dead and alive, were devoured by it along the way.
The faces of Hei Lian and Bai Lian had turned ashen as they had never seen such a horrifying sight or even heard about anything like it before. They couldn’t help but turn their heads to shoot inquisitive gazes at Chang Tian.
At this moment, Chang Tian was astounded as well. Previously, when Yang Kai devoured Heavenly Martial Continent, Chang Tian witnessed the entire process from inside the Small Sealed World. However, the sight appeared even more shocking when he was observing it from the outside.
Besides him, Yu Ru Meng appeared solemn as well because it was the first time she saw such a thing.
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo, who had experienced it once, looked calm and collected. Nevertheless, she could barely conceal the astonishment behind her gaze.
In just a short moment, an enormous void had been formed in the continent. An area of millions of square kilometres had turned into nihility, and Void Turbulence could now be seen, giving off a dangerous feeling.
“Both of you, go inside now and calm them down. Tell them not to be anxious,” Chang Tian suddenly turned his head and spoke to Hei Lian and Bai Lian.
Upon hearing that, the Lotus Sisters nodded, and without any hesitation, they were about to rush over.
“There’s no need for so much trouble.” Yang Kai suddenly stopped them and extended his hands, “I’ll send both of you in.”
The sisters traded glances before tacitly placing their hands on the man’s palms.
“Don’t resist,” Yang Kai said, and with a thought, Hei Lian and Bai Lian disappeared from the spot.
“I’ll go in to have a look as well,” Yu Ru Meng said.
She had heard a lot about the Sealed World Bead from Yang Kai, including how it was able to devour the continents to strengthen its own Principles and create a new Demon Realm. However, she had yet to see it with her own eyes, which was why she was curious.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t reject his woman’s request, so he sent her in as well.
On the peak of a certain mountain inside the Small Sealed World, Huo Lun was standing in front of his log house. As he looked up at the crack in the sky, he slowly shook his head.
He had witnessed such a sight many times before, so he was no longer as astonished as the first time. Now, he was totally used to it as he knew that a continent was being devoured at the moment.
After the last continent was devoured, he had even gone over to have a chat with the newly arrived Demons and learned that they were from Heavenly Martial Continent. He wondered which continent it was that was being devoured now.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared before his eyes. Huo Lun, who was staring fixedly at the sky, was flabbergasted as he leapt backwards and bellowed, “Who goes there?”
Yu Ru Meng took a look at him and realised that he was just a Low-Rank Demon King, so she looked away and began scanning the surroundings. Seeing that Hei Lian and Bai Lian were not around, she knew that Yang Kai must have sent them somewhere else.
The Lotus Sisters had to calm their people down, but she had no such obligations.
Huo Lun widened his mouth as he stared shocked. It wasn’t that he had recognised Yu Ru Meng; it was just that he had never seen a woman as beautiful as her before. She had become even more alluring thanks to the fact that had recently experienced the spring rain and dew with Yang Kai. At first glance, Huo Lun felt as though his Soul had been snatched by this enchantress.
With that said, he wasn’t a fool; after all, he was still an experienced Low-Rank Demon King, so he knew that this beautiful woman must have an incredibly noble identity, which could be deduced from her elegant demeanour and air. Furthermore, even the leader of Snow Demons had arrived at this place before. Although he was astounded by Yu Ru Meng’s beauty, he wouldn’t dare to have any improper thoughts or display the slightest disrespect to her. Hanging his head low, he cupped his fists and said, “Huo Lun greets Madam. How may I address you?”
He couldn’t see through Yu Ru Meng’s cultivation, so it was apparent that she was more powerful than he was. Hence, it was appropriate for him to call her ‘Madam’.
Without uttering a word, Yu Ru Meng released a little of her Demon Saint’s aura.
In an instant, Huo Lun fell to his knees and pressed his head against the ground, “This humble one greets Holy Venerable Yu Ru Meng! May Holy Venerable forever remain strong and beautiful!”
In his heart, he rejoiced that he had the good sense not to hit on this woman; otherwise, he would have lost his life without even knowing how. Previously, the leader of the Snow Demons had come to this place. This time, even the leader of the Charm Demons had come over. Huo Lun wondered what was so attractive about this place that so many powerful figures wanted to visit.
A surprised Yu Ru Meng turned to look at him this time. It wasn’t that this man was particularly interesting, she was simply surprised that he was able to recognise her identity. With her head tilted, she asked, “Have you met this Saint before?”
“This humble one has not had the honour,” Huo Lun replied respectfully.
“Then how do you know who I am?” Yu Ru Meng became even more curious.
Huo Lun replied honestly, “There are twelve Holy Venerables in the Demon Realm, three of which are women. This humble one has met the Holy Venerable of the Snow Demons before, and although I have never seen the leader of the Feather Demons, I know that all Feather Demons have unique characteristics. Obviously, Holy Venerable is not a Feather Demon, thus… it is only logical Holy Venerable is the leader of the Charm Demons.”
Yu Ru Meng finally understood the reason this man could recognise her as he had met Bei Li Mo before. With a smile, she said, “You’re pretty observant.”
“Many thanks for your compliment, Holy Venerable.”
“Get up and speak,” Yu Ru Meng lifted her hand.
After a moment of hesitation, Huo Lun got to his feet as he was told, but he didn’t dare to look her in the eyes as he stared fixedly at his own feet. That was because no one should gaze at the leader of the Charm Demons as they pleased. It was no wonder he felt that his Soul was almost taken away. If he had stared much longer at her earlier, his Soul really would’ve left his body.
“You said you’ve met Bei Li Mo. When did that happen?” Yu Ru Meng nonchalantly asked as she looked into the distance.
“It was not long ago,” Huo Lun replied honestly, “About half a month.”
After some calculation, she realised that it was the time before Yang Kai returned to Enchantment Continent. He was supposed to be devouring Heavenly Martial Continent at that time. She immediately understood that he must have brought Bei Li Mo to this place when he devoured that continent.
At the thought of this, she gritted her teeth slightly because Bei Li Mo had actually found out Yang Kai’s secret earlier than she had. She was determined to settle the score with him one day.
“How long have you stayed here?” Yu Ru Meng asked.
“One year.”
Yu Ru Meng was startled upon hearing this. One year ago was just around the time when the battle on Eternal Sky Continent took place. Recalling what Yang Kai had told her before, she asked curiously, “What did this place look like when you arrived here for the first time?”
In fact, she had asked the same question that Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo had asked before, so Huo Lun began narrating his experiences to her in a concise yet full manner.
Yu Ru Meng nodded repeatedly as she listened to him. As time passed, more of Hundred Spirits Continent was devoured, and she could clearly feel the transformation of this world.
…..
It took more than ten days before the entire Hundred Spirits Continent was devoured. Just like what had happened to Heavenly Martial Continent, the location where Hundred Spirits Continent was supposed to be had turned into a turbid region of the Void.
After retrieving the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai released Yu Ru Meng from the Small Sealed World. Then, he looked smilingly at Bei Li Mo, and it was apparent what his intention was. At the same time, Chang Tian was staring at her as well.
Since Hundred Spirits Continent had been devoured, there was no turning back for Chang Tian so he wouldn’t allow Bei Li Mo to go back on her word.
Realising that she had no other choice, Bei Li Mo turned around without hesitation and said, “Let’s go.”
Then, the four of them moved past the Territory Gate and headed to Soaring Snow Continent.
Before they reached their destination, Yu Ru Meng left the group and returned to Enchantment Continent to prepare. What Yang Kai was doing would turn the entire Demon Realm upside down, so if she didn’t make any preparations, things would quickly get out of hand.
At the very least, she had to inform her Half-Saints about it and summon those Half-Saints currently on the Two Worlds’ Battlefield back. Of course, Bei Li Mo had to do the same.
A few days later, Yang Kai, Chang Tian, and Bei Li Mo arrived on Soaring Snow Continent. After arranging a place for them to stay, Bei Li Mo went on to gather her Half-Saints to tell them to get prepared.
Chang Tian had bet the future of Hundred Spirits Continent on Yang Kai, hoping that he could strive for a better future and a wider territory for those living in the continent after the new Demon Realm was born. Hence, he was most concerned about Yang Kai’s security. In Soaring Snow Ice Palace, wherever Yang Kai went, he would always tag along. Even as someone who held the same status as a Demon Saint, he had somewhat become Yang Kai’s bodyguard.
Yang Kai had persuaded him several times to stop doing so but to no avail, so he just let him be.
While Bei Li Mo was getting prepared, Yang Kai was studying the map and getting some information from Chang Tian.
He learned that Bei Li Mo had forty-three continents. Yu Ru Meng was no match for her in this regard as she only had thirty-eight continents. Initially, Yu Ru Meng had eleven Half-Saints under her command, but Yue Sang was killed by Bright Moon and Yin Si was murdered by Yang Kai. Taking her loss during the War of Eternal Sky into consideration as well, Yu Ru Meng only had eight Half-Saints left.
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo initially had thirteen Half-Saints, but one of them had lost their life during the War of Eternal Sky, so she only had twelve now.
Yang Kai made some calculations and realised that Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng collectively had twenty-nine Half-Saints, which was a force to be reckoned with. After he swallowed up all their continents though, these people would also be a part of his power. Although he was still no match for the other Demon Saints, he would gain the right to wage war against them at the very least.
Then, he asked Chang Tian whether they could have more Demon Saints side with them. Just one to two more Demon Saints would significantly increase their chance of winning.
However, Chang Tian told him to give up on that idea. The circumstances for Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo, and Yu Ru Meng were unique. Chang Tian was unhappy with the current situation and wanted to carve out a brighter future for Hundred Spirits Continent, which was why he decided to side with Yang Kai. Bei Li Mo was left with no choice, and Yu Ru Meng did it because of love; however, it wasn’t so easy to persuade the other Demon Saints. If they found out about Yang Kai’s plan, they would rage against him like a tempest; there was no room for discussion.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai had no choice but to give up on that idea. Before he became strong enough, he had to do everything he could to conceal his plans.
Bei Li Mo acted swiftly, and just three days later, she came and told Yang Kai that everything was ready.
Without waiting any longer, Yang Kai immediately started devouring Soaring Snow Continent. During the process, Bei Li Mo stood beside Yang Kai as she looked dispassionately at the disappearing continent without uttering a word.
However, her emotions were certainly not as calm as her expression; after all, this was where she was born and raised, and where she ascended to become a Demon Saint. If she was not under Yang Kai’s control, she would’ve been unresigned to see her home being swallowed up like this.
After Yang Kai was done with Soaring Snow Continent, he headed straight to the next one.
As time passed, the continents were gulped down one by one.
The time it took to devour a continent varied depending on its size. Yang Kai remembered that initially, it took Gun-Gun ten days to swallow a broken continent; however, as the space inside the Sealed World Bead expanded, Gun-Gun’s size grew as well, and it had become more efficient at its job.
It took Gun-Gun half a month to devour Hundred Spirits Continent, and it was one of the largest in the entire Demon Realm, almost twice the size of Soaring Snow Continent.
Seven days were needed for Gun-Gun to gulp down Soaring Snow Continent, and it became more even efficient as time passed.
Initially, Yang Kai was worried that it would take too long for him to carry out his plans; after all, Bei Li Mo had forty-three continents. If seven to eight days were needed to devour a continent, it would take Gun-Gun a year to devour all forty-three. Many things could happen in a year.
As such, Gun-Gun’s increase in efficiency was indeed a piece of exciting news.
As time passed, more continents were devoured, and Gun-Gun’s size became increasingly larger. At the same time, the speed at which it could eat up a continent increased proportionally. Gradually, Gun-Gun could stuff down a continent in five to six days, then it became three to four days. Eventually, it could do it in just one to two days. For some of the smaller continents, it could even devour one in just half a day.
As the continents disappeared from the Demon Realm, the locations where the continents were, joined the Void.
As Bei Li Mo had made proper arrangements in advance, only a small number of accidents had happened during the process. Although the Demons living in her territory were horrified, they could only close their eyes to bear this-Heaven destroying and Earth-shattering calamity. When they opened their eyes again, they realised that they had entered a new world.
The territory inside the Small Sealed World was expanding rapidly.
In just three months, all forty-three continents that belonged to Bei Li Mo were completely devoured.
After the last continent disappeared, Yang Kai could clearly hear Bei Li Mo heaving a sigh. At this point, her fate had been intertwined with that of Yang Kai’s. Just like Chang Tian, there was no turning back for her.
Finished with this first phase, Yang Kai sent Bei Li Mo into the Sealed World Bead so that she could help her people settle down.
During this period of time, Bei Li Mo had entered Sealed World Bead many times, so she was already familiar with this world. She had personally witnessed the transformation inside the Small Sealed World so there was no doubt that it was slowly being perfected and was much stronger than when she saw it for the first time. All forty-three continents had been assimilated, and together with Hundred Spirits Continent, they provided an immense amount of nutrition for the Small Sealed World.
With the enrichment from these continents, the World Energy in the Small Sealed World was now so thick that it could even nurture peak Origin Kings, similar to a Lower Plane Star Field.
Yang Kai had only swallowed the territories of a single Demon Saint, and there were still eleven Demon Saints out there. If he could devour all their territories, he was certain that the Small Sealed World would grow into a Great World that was a match for the Demon Realm and Star Boundary. By then, even a Demon Saint could be born into this new world.
Devouring the entire Demon Realm was a long and gradual process. Besides the time needed to devour the continents, it also wasn’t easy to deal with the Demon Saints. Since Yang Kai wanted to swallow up their territories, it was expected that they would resist.
However, the transformation the Sealed World Bead had gone through allowed Yang Kai to dream big. Perhaps Gun-Gun would be able to gulp down a continent in one go in the future. When that happened, it wouldn’t matter anymore whether those Demon Saints would agree to Yang Kai’s plan, he would just have to bring Gun-Gun to their territories and release it, after which a continent would disappear in an instant. Then, he would just head to another continent and do the same.
After all of Bei Li Mo’s territories had been devoured, it was time to move on to Yu Ru Meng’s.
Starting from Cloud Shadow Continent, he then went on to swallow Blue Plains Continent, Phantom Continent, Flying Clouds Continent, and so on. Just like how he had done it in the past, the continents disappeared from the Demon Realm one by one as the territory inside the Small Sealed World expanded and its World Principles grew.
Inside the Small Sealed World, in a log house on the peak of a nameless mountain, Huo Lun was circulating his Secret Art as the Demon Qi around him fluctuated. A gurgling sound could be heard coming from his stomach as he had just swallowed a Myriad Demon Pill and was trying to refine it. The power that the pill contained was immense. He was just a Low-Rank Demon King, so it would take him a few months before he could refine it completely.
Initially, he wasn’t in the mood to cultivate. This world was strange as a crack would appear in the sky from time to time, and the broken pieces of continents would emerge from within, which initially made him feel nervous. Furthermore, there seemed to be an invisible pair of shackles in this world that restricted him in all kinds of ways, which caused him to feel frustrated. He also could no longer use his full power. The most he could use had to be within the limits of what the Principles this world could tolerate.
Hence, it was pointless to cultivate in such a world. Even if he managed to grow to become a Mid-Rank or even a High-Rank Demon King, he could only exert as much power as Demon General.
However, since he started witnessing the transformation that this world was going through, he had stopped feeling disconsolate and become cheerful again. Although the Principles in this world were still abysmal, they were continuously improving. Also, from what he overheard of the conversation between Yang Kai, Chang Tian, and Bei Li Mo previously, he learned about the future plans for this world, which reignited his passion for cultivation.
Even as a Low-Rank Demon King, his cultivation hadn’t reached the peak of his current realm; hence, he decided to keep cultivating until he felt the bottleneck. Then, after the World Principles became good enough to allow a Mid-Rank Demon King to rise here, he could immediately achieve a breakthrough.
All cultivators sought greater heights in the Martial Dao, whether they were Humans or Demons made no difference. Absolute power was the goal that every cultivator strived to achieve.
While Huo Lun was greedily trying to refine the Myriad Demon Pill’s medicinal efficacies, he suddenly frowned and put on a helpless expression. It couldn’t be helped, as he could sense that someone was approaching.
He could be considered the first resident of this expanded territory of the Small Sealed World. Initially, he was extremely lonely, but the world had become quite bustling since Yang Kai started devouring continents with living inhabitants. Although the territory expanded continuously, many Demons were curious about the new world they were in, so upon making sure that they were safe, they started moving around to explore.
Over the past few months, many people had visited this nameless mountain. Normally, they would only look around for a while and then leave. Of course, some of them were curious when they saw that Huo Lun resided here, so they would have a chat with him.
Initially, Huo Lun was hospitable to these people. Given the fact that he was the first resident of this world, he didn’t mind exchanging views with those visitors. However, as time passed, he became sick of it all. After he decided to continue cultivating to become a Mid-Rank Demon King, he set up a barrier around his log house so that no one could disturb him.
However, at this moment, someone was approaching and triggering the barrier, which was why he could sense it.
Nevertheless, he decided to ignore that person as a Myriad Demon Pill was extremely precious. Although he had obtained more than a thousand such pills, he did not want to waste any of them. If he stopped refining it at this point, the medicinal efficacies of the pill wouldn’t exactly go to waste, but the effect would be reduced.
Although he remained unfazed, this particular visitor seemed quite interested in his log house. After the person circled around the log house for a while, the barrier actually suddenly broke apart.
Huo Lun’s brow twitched as he became enraged and finally jumped to his feet. After pushing the door open, he snarled, “Who dares…”
All of a sudden though, he stopped speaking and stared fixedly at the front.
That was because there was a frail and helpless-looking woman with a pale face standing over there.
He suddenly did not have the heart to scold her because she was strikingly beautiful. When their eyes met, he felt his rage vanish in an instant. The woman’s expression was that of a child who had made a mistake, which made it difficult for him to curse at her. Although he’d decided not to scold her, he was still quite frustrated. He had arranged a barrier around his house, so anyone who had eyes to see should understand that the house owner did not welcome guests.
[What is wrong with this woman? Not only did she not leave, but she had also broken the barrier so quickly!]
Hence, it was apparent that the woman’s ability, cultivation, or both were much higher than his, but he wasn’t afraid of her.
He was someone who had met two Demon Saints, who treated him with a level of cordiality, so he wasn’t afraid of facing anyone in the Demon Realm anymore. Furthermore, in this strange world, there was a limit to everyone’s power because of the restriction from the World Principles. Basically, they were all brought down to the same level, so it was hard to tell who the winner would be if a fight broke out.
With displeasure written all over his face, he said, “What’s wrong with you? Why did you break this King’s barrier?”
The woman’s pale face started reddening as she quickly apologised to him, “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to find out what this barrier was all about, but I accidentally shattered it.”
The veins on Huo Lun’s forehead throbbed when he heard that she had done it ‘accidentally’. If it weren’t because the woman appeared sincere, he would have thought that she was provoking him and mocking him for arranging such a sloppy array.
As he stared fixedly at her and made sure that she really didn’t intend to mock him, Huo Lun’s expression became somewhat milder and he said in a softer voice, “Are you new here?”
“What?” The woman tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
Huo Lun said impatiently, “I’m asking whether you’ve just come in from the outside world!”
He felt exhausted by just talking to her. If it wasn’t for her being so beautiful, he would have outright ignored her. He would rather spend the time refining the medicinal efficacies of Myriad Demon Pill.
Upon understanding what he meant, the woman replied, “I’ve been here for half a month now.”
“Heh…” Huo Lun quickly put on an expression which suggested that he was more experienced than she was, “This world is different from the outside world that you lived in. I’m sure you haven’t gotten used to it since you’ve only been here for half a month, but let me tell you this; it took me half a year to get used to this place after I first arrived…”
As he jabbered on and on, the woman did not show any signs of impatience; instead, she appeared intrigued and even asked him some questions.
Huo Lun slowly became fond of her and thought that apart from the fact that she was a little muddle-headed, everything about this beautiful woman was quite good.
Perhaps he had realised that he was being long-winded, so after wrapping up his story about his experience of living in this world, he changed the topic by asking, “Which continent are you from?”
The beautiful woman remained silent for a moment before replying in a hushed voice, “I’m from Cloud Shadow Continent.”
“Cloud Shadow Continent? Oh, I know of it. It’s one of the continents that belongs to Holy Venerable Yu Ru Meng.” Huo Lun nodded repeatedly as he wanted to show her that he was knowledgeable. In fact, he had just met Yu Ru Meng some time ago, so he immediately recalled it when the beautiful woman mentioned Cloud Shadow Continent. Then, he asked, “What Clan are you from?”
However, the woman shook her head without replying to him.
Huo Lun didn’t mind it as this wasn’t important, and he didn’t want to force her since she wasn’t willing to talk about it.
“By the way, is this mountain yours?” She suddenly asked.
Huo Lun guffawed upon hearing that, “There’s an owner of this place, but it’s not me. I’m just a tenant. The real owner of this place is…”
The woman suddenly pointed in a particular direction and interrupted him, “Can I stay over there?”
He was slightly displeased as he was cut off, but after he looked in the direction she pointed, his gaze brightened, “You want to be neighbours?”
Initially, this nameless mountain where he resided was but a small hill, but as the Small Sealed World consumed more continents, this place had become a much taller and grander. Presently, there were three peaks within a radius of a hundred kilometres around this area, and the three peaks were arrayed in the form of a triangle. In the middle of the peaks was a valley where some wildflowers had grown, and there was even a clean lake. However, the scenery was still somewhat lacklustre.
The peak the beautiful woman pointed at was one of the three peaks.
Upon seeing Huo Lun’s reaction, she hung her head low and said, “Forget it if it’s inconvenient for you. I’ll just look for a different place.”
Although the territory in the Small Sealed World was large, the different lands were still being remoulded and integrated, so there were not many places that were suitable for living at this point. She had wandered around for half a month and finally found a place that seemed suitable to settle down. If not, she wouldn’t have destroyed Huo Lun’s barrier.
Huo Lun guffawed, “It’s not an inconvenience for me. I’m more than willing to have a beautiful woman like you be my neighbour. Do as you please. There are two peaks over there, so you can choose whichever you want. You can even take them both if you’d like.”
The woman put on a bashful smile, “I’ll just take one. Sorry for disturbing you.”
Upon finishing her words, she turned around and left.
Huo Lun shouted from behind her, “This King is Huo Lun. What’s your name?”
The woman stopped in her tracks and said lightly, “Li Shi Qing.”
As he watched her leave, he stroked his chin and frowned, “Li Shi Qing…”
There was no doubt that it was a beautiful name, but there was something off about it as it sounded somewhat foreign and exotic. After shaking his head, Huo Lun returned to his own room and took a seat with his legs crossed, resuming his refinement of the medicinal efficacies of the Myriad Demon Pill.
He was in a good mood because he had an alluring neighbour all of a sudden, so he no longer minded the fact that he was disrupted earlier. He had more than a thousand Myriad Demon Pills anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if he wasted a bit of the medicinal efficacies of one of them.
The nameless mountain had become livelier with a new resident. When Huo Lun paused his cultivation, he could see Li Shi Qing bustling about the peak to his left. Since she settled down, she had to build a house there. Fortunately, there were trees on the peak, so it wasn’t hard for her to build a house.
In just a few days, a cabin had taken shape. The distance between the two peaks was only several dozen kilometres, so given Huo Lun’s sharp vision, he could clearly see what was going on over there.
Compared to the exquisite cabin, his crude log house looked somewhat shabby, which gave him the urge to demolish his house and build a new one. However, that remained a thought as he didn’t mind living in an ugly house as long as there was a roof over his head.
Since her new house had been built, he intended to go over and congratulate her; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that it was inappropriate for him to visit a woman’s house all of a sudden. If he really did that, it might cause some misunderstandings. Since they were now neighbours, they would definitely come into contact with each other in the future, so he decided against going over now.
On the other hand, Li Shi Qing seemed to have sensed his gaze as she turned around and nodded at him.
Since his beautiful neighbour had moved in to live on the adjacent peak, the nameless mountain seemed to become different every few days.
When Huo Lun left his house for the second time since Li Shi Qing moved in, he subconsciously took a look at the adjacent peak, then he rubbed his eyes as he almost couldn’t recognise it. The peak over there was now covered in lush trees and flowers with numerous birds chirping happily. The view was simply stunning.
A few days later, the valley, which was in the middle of the three peaks, became different as well. In the valley, there were many new plants that Huo Lun didn’t even know the names of. Standing in front of his log house, he could even catch a whiff of the fragrance coming from the flowers.
[She’s a woman who loves flowers!] Huo Lun thought. However, since this was her interest, he wasn’t in any position to say anything. Furthermore, after the makeover by this neighbour, the nameless mountain had indeed become more beautiful and liveable.
Several days later, Huo Lun was stunned once again after he left the house. That was because he realised that there were new flowers on his own peak, which made the place look brighter and more pleasant.
Lifting his head, he realised that there was an alluring woman who was busying herself on the peak that no one resided on. Seeing this, he put on a helpless smile.
Half a month later, when he was cultivating in his own house, he was shocked to hear the sounds of a scuffle. The noises came from a place that was near his house, so he could tell that it had to be in the mountain valley. Also, the voice of a woman shouting sounded familiar to him.
It was none other than his new neighbour, Li Shi Qing!
Upon that realisation, Huo Lun stood up straight and opened the door before gazing at the valley, only to see two figures flying around the valley as they were locked in an intense battle. At this moment, the originally beautiful valley had turned into a mess, and all the flowers, which he had no idea the names of, had been smashed.
Just like what he had expected, his new neighbour had gotten into a fight with someone. The person she was battling against was a burly, muscular, and ferocious-looking man. He seemed to be a Strength Demon.
It was apparent that both his new neighbour and the Strength Demon had incredible cultivation. At the very least, they were more powerful than he was; however, due to the restriction of the World Principles, they could not use their full strength. The force they had showcased was that of Origin Kings at best.
However, although their powers had been brought down to the same level, Li Shi Qing was still not a match for the Strength Demon. This couldn’t be helped, as Strength Demons possessed extremely physical strength. Since they were both brought down to the level of Origin Kings, the Strength Demon could gain the upper hand thanks to his superior physique.
Soon enough, Huo Lun realised that his neighbour was in a disadvantageous position. Although she was dexterously dodging the Strength Demon’s attacks with her Movement Skill, it was apparent that she was in a perilous situation. On the other hand, the Strength Demon’s gaze appeared lustful as he snickered. Although his attacks seemed to be clumsy and simple, every strike contained a horrifying amount of power.
The corners of Huo Lun’s eyes twitched as he wasn’t sure whether he should stay clear of it or rush over to help his neighbour.
In fact, aside from their first meeting, he had barely spoken a word to her, so they couldn’t even be considered friends. Even if he decided not to help her, no one had the right to blame him; however, judging from the lewd smile on the Strength Demon’s face, he knew that if his neighbour lost this battle, she would end up in a miserable state. She would go through an ordeal that was worse than death.
Right then, he caught a glimpse of something red from the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he realised that the flowers that Li Shi Qing had planted some time ago on his peak had bloomed into bright red blossoms as they swayed in the wind, exuding an energising fragrance.
“Damn it!” Huo Lun grumbled through gritted teeth, he hesitated no more, pushed his Demon Qi, and leapt into the valley.
Right after he made a move, he saw a blood cloud shooting towards the battlefield from the opposite side. The blood cloud looked ferocious, and flames could be seen burning around it.
[He’s got a helper?] Huo Lun was flabbergasted as he pushed his Demon Qi harder to increase his speed. At the same time, he summoned out a pair of axes and shouted, “Watch out!”
He was giving Li Shi Qing a warning.
In the valley, Li Shi Qing, who was in an intense battle against the Strength Demon, was clearly on the backfoot, so upon noticing the approaching blood cloud, she couldn’t help but look despondent. She was planting flowers in the valley just now, but a Strength Demon suddenly descended from the sky and harassed her before they got into a fight, so it was apparent what his motive was.
Still, Li Shi Qing was the Disciple of Flower Shadow Great Emperor, so although her personality appeared delicate and even a bit weak, she wouldn’t wait for death once the other party had made a move. There was no doubt that this Strength Demon was a High-Rank Demon King, but he too was restricted by the ambient World Principles and couldn’t use his full power, so he could only showcase the strength of a Demon General. Nevertheless, with his vast combat experience and superior physique, he was able to gain the upper hand against Li Shi Qing not long after they began fighting.
Hence, it was understandable how frustrated Li Shi Qing felt when a Blood Demon appeared out of nowhere. She decided that if there was really no way out for her, she would use the Flower Burying Secret Technique to kill herself so that she wouldn’t stain her Sect’s honour.
At the most critical moment, the blood cloud had already reached the battlefield while Huo Lun was still ten kilometres away. His Demon Qi could be seen swirling around the axes in his hands as he yelled and hastened his pace, wishing he could grow a pair of wings to propel him forward faster.
The beautiful woman was a good neighbour who had planted a lot of flowers in front of his house. No one had ever treated him so well before. When he saw the budding flowers a few days ago, he was truly touched. Certainly, he wouldn’t have the heart to see his neighbour suffer.
While he was grinding his teeth in frustration though, the blood cloud had already joined the battle.
“Huh?” Huo Lun exclaimed as he widened his eyes to stare forward in shock. That was because the blood cloud did not harm his neighbour and instead directly pounced on the Strength Demon.
Certainly, the Strength Demon had been alerted when he saw the blood cloud approaching; however, the blood cloud moved too swiftly for him to react. Blood Demons were the fastest in the entire Demon Realm, so before the Strength Demon could respond, he was hit by the blood cloud.
Following that, he was engulfed in the cloud, and then the noises of an intense battle could be heard.
The next moment, the blood cloud disappeared as a brave and heroic figure landed on a spot in front of Li Shi Qing. The towering figure seemed like a mountain, capable of weathering wind and rain for her. On the other hand, the Strength Demon was forced to step backwards as he looked coldly at the front.
Standing behind the Blood Demon, Li Shi Qing was startled as she found the figure was reminiscent of another she knew. In fact, if it weren’t because she was certain that he was a Blood Demon, she would have thought that Yang Kai had arrived.
However, only Blood Demons were able to use such Blood Secret Techniques, so the person in front of her was definitely not Yang Kai. Furthermore, Yang Kai was supposed to be busy devouring the continents in the Demon Realm, so he wouldn’t have the time to come here.
“Are you alright?” The man asked in a low, masculine voice.
Knowing that he was talking to her, Li Shi Qing nodded and replied gently, “I’m fine.”
At this moment, Huo Lun finally arrived. He appeared imposing with two axes that were half as tall as an ordinary Human. After landing on the ground, he took a look at the Blood Demon before shifting his attention to Li Shi Qing. Then, he asked, “Are you alright?”
Li Shi Qing shook her head and replied in a soft voice, “I’m fine.”
Huo Lun bowed his head, “That’s good.”
He then took a glance at the Blood Demon. Although he didn’t know who the Blood Demon was, he still nodded at him in a friendly manner to greet him.
There were rarely any righteous people in the Demon Race; nevertheless, beautiful women were born with some advantages. Huo Lun believed that it was her beauty that prompted this Blood Demon to save her. Whatever the case, the Blood Demon could at least be temporarily counted as an ally.
With three people going against one, there was no doubt about who would lose the battle since all of them could only use power equivalent to that of a Demon General. If the Strength Demon persisted, he would only embarrass himself. Hence, after darting his gaze between Huo Lun and the Blood Demon, he snorted and moved floated backwards.
“You want to leave just like this?” The Blood Demon sneered, “Where do you think this place is?”
After he finished speaking, a Blood Sea expanded and shot forward. In an instant, the lively and colourful valley seemed to have been dyed red.
Huo Lun could not have expected this to happen and now thought that there was some kind of blood feud between the Blood Demon and the Strength Demon. Otherwise, why would the Blood Demon stop him from leaving? It was apparent that the Strength Demon wasn’t easy to deal with, so it was good enough that they were able to force him to retreat. It would cross the line if the Blood Demon wanted to kill him.
While he was in his thoughts, the Blood Demon suddenly turned to look at him and asked, “Actually, where are we?”
Huo Lun had no idea about where they were now as this place had no name, but before he could collect himself and respond, a meek voice could be heard saying, “Myriad Flowers Valley.”
[This place is called Myriad Flowers Valley? Why didn’t I know?] Huo Lun was dumbfounded as he had never expected that his neighbour had actually named the trio of mountains. Regardless, he was fine with the name as it sounded pleasant enough.
So after a nod, he said, “That’s right. This is Myriad Flowers Valley!”
The Blood Demon then put on a sneer as his Demon Qi felt horrifying, “You’re only allowed to enter Myriad Flowers Valley, but not leave. Stay behind!”
[Why didn’t I know that there’s such a rule here when I’m the first resident of this place!?] Huo Lun’s brow twitched.
One hour later, the Blood Sea that had engulfed the entire Myriad Flowers Valley disappeared and revealed three figures. They were Li Shi Qing, Huo Lun, and the Blood Demon whom they had just met.
As for the burly Strength Demon, he had vanished completely. The outcome had already been predetermined when it became three against one. When traversing the Martial Dao, bloody battles were inevitable, and life or death could be determined in the blink of an eye.
It had to be said that the Strength Demon was truly powerful with extraordinary methods. If any of them were to have a one-on-one fight, none of these three were a match for him. After the battle, the Blood Demon and Huo Lun had some new wounds on their bodies. Li Shi Qing was fine, but her face had turned quite pale. Apparently, she had expended a lot of energy.
After the life-or-death battle, an invisible bond had been formed between the trio. Li Shi Qing thanked them because she was the reason behind this battle. Huo Lun and the Blood Demon had come to her rescue, so she had to properly thank them.
Upon hearing that she called him ‘Big Brother Huo’, Huo Lun felt somewhat awkward, but he was still happy and gladly accepted it.
The Blood Demon was a forthright person as he waved his hands and said, “You don’t have to thank me. I just cannot bear to see a man bullying a woman. If you really want to thank me, just give me some wine. Do you have any?”
“I do!” Li Shi Qing quickly nodded. Although she didn’t really drink, she had some self-made wine in her Space Ring that was brewed from flowers. The wine was aromatic and mellow. Since they had saved her life, she decided to invite them to her peak to express her gratitude.
While Huo Lun appeared hesitant, the Blood Demon agreed to it without having the intention to reject her.
Seeing as the other man was so forthright, Huo Lun thought he appeared a little petty; hence, he decided to go with them as well.
Atop the peak, a table and some chairs had been placed in front of the cabin. Li Shi Qing personally made some dishes and fished out a few jars of flower wine to serve her saviours.
There was no meat as the food was all made from various plants. Moreover, the dishes seemed to be made from strange flowers. Nevertheless, Li Shi Qing was skilful at cooking, so these flower dishes were able to get the Blood Demon and Huo Lun hooked. Huo Lun even kept complimenting her cooking skills.
After drinking for a while, Huo Lun and the Blood Demon had become tipsy. Li Shi Qing had drunk a few sips of the wine as well, so her blemish-free face had slightly reddened, which made her look even more attractive.
After the battle earlier, they could be considered friends, and with the help of the wine, they gradually became familiar with each other. Li Shi Qing and Huo Lun told the Blood Demon their names, then they stared at him.
The Blood Demon gulped down a mouthful of wine and said straightforwardly, “Mo Sheng!”
A shocked Huo Lun stood up straight and widened his eyes in disbelief, “Are you a Demon Saint?”
The Blood Demon guffawed as he seemed to have expected it. Then, he told Huo Lun it was just his name, after which the latter heaved a sigh of relief and sat down with a helpless smile. Nevertheless, he was still reeling from the shock.
Mo Sheng came from a continent that was under Bei Li Mo. Yang Kai had devoured all of Bei Li Mo’s territories, which was why those Demons had entered the Small Sealed World.
The name Mo Sheng sounded similar to that of one of the Demon Saints, so he was often mistaken for him when he introduced himself. Huo Lun wondered how this man had survived until this day. If he had such a name, he would have been killed by now.
“Sister Li, you’re not a Demon, right?” Mo Sheng took a sip of the wine and suddenly asked.
Huo Lun was about to drink some wine from his cup when he heard this, so he halted and turned to look at her. Previously, he didn’t notice what was special about his beautiful neighbour despite feeling that her name sounded somewhat exotic. However, during the battle earlier, he realised that she didn’t exude any Demon Qi, nor did she use Demon Qi to attack. The power she had showcased seemed to be that of those from the Star Boundary.
However, he had never been to Star Boundary, nor had he joined the Two Worlds’ Great War, so he couldn’t be certain.
On the other hand, Mo Sheng asked the question in his usual straightforward manner.
Li Shi Qing pressed her lips together and took a look at him. She realised that he seemed to have just randomly asked the question, and he appeared frank. Since he didn’t mean to pry, and it wasn’t a secret anyway, she nodded and replied, “I’m Human.”
“You’re Human?” Huo Lun was stunned as this beautiful neighbour was really from the Star Boundary, which was the only place where Humans existed.
Mo Sheng seemed to have expected it, so he didn’t appear surprised, “I’ve heard that Holy Venerable Yu Ru Meng has a Human subordinate called Yang Kai. He’s favoured by the Holy Venerable quite heavily. Do you know him?”
Li Shi Qing replied dispassionately, “I do.”
Mo Sheng seemed to be interested in finding more about Yang Kai, so he became energised and asked, “I’ve heard that he joined the battle on Eternal Sky Continent and seized the Great World’s Will from a Great Emperor. Is that true?”
“What battle on Eternal Sky Continent?” Huo Lun was puzzled. After the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, Yang Kai fled to Cloud Shadow Continent. On his way there, he captured Huo Lun and made use of him to pass through the Territory Gates, so the latter wasn’t aware of the incident.
“Brother Huo, do you not know about that great battle?” Mo Sheng looked at him with a stunned expression.
Huo Lun shook his head.
Mo Sheng then went on to tell him the details of the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. In fact, everything he knew was hearsay as he wasn’t there personally; however, the war had been a hot topic in the Demon Realm, so it was hard to believe that anyone wasn’t aware of it.
Huo Lun’s jaw almost dropped to the floor as he listened to this narration, and he kept gulping hard.
[The Great World’s Will… it is indeed incredible. I can’t believe that the person who created this world is so fortunate! It’s no wonder that I managed to pick up some stuff from a Half-Saint. It seems that the continent that was devoured back then was Eternal Sky Continent. The Half-Saint must have been killed by that Bright Moon Great Emperor. In other words, I’ve actually gotten some benefits from one of the Star Boundary’s Great Emperors.]
Upon finishing his story, Mo Sheng turned to look at Li Shi Qing and asked, “Both of you are Human. Does that mean that you’re close to him?”
Li Shi Qing fell silent for a moment before tucking her hair behind her ear. Then, she picked up a jar of wine to fill their cups and shook her head, “Not really.”
Seeing that she didn’t want to talk about this topic, Mo Sheng and Huo Lun didn’t dwell on it.
After the meal, Mo Sheng got to his feet and pointed at a peak, “Does that peak have an owner?”
Huo Lun shook his head, “No.”
Mo Sheng guffawed, “It has an owner from now on then.”
After he finished speaking, he picked up a jar of unfinished wine from the table before moving towards the previously ownerless peak.
Huo Lun burst into laughter, “Brother Mo is such a forthright man.”
Now, all three peaks of Myriad Flowers Valley had been occupied, which was a good thing. It would have been terrible news if Mo Sheng was a stranger, but a bond had been formed between the three of them after their recent battle. If they came across any danger in the future, they could help each other out. They were living in a dangerous world now after all. The new world had just been created, and people tended to be restless as all sorts of evil individuals had surfaced. It was a Strength Demon today, but it could be Corpse Demon or a Bone Demon tomorrow.
After Mo Sheng left, it wasn’t appropriate for Huo Lun to linger, so he thanked Li Shi Qing for her hospitality then turned around and left.
…..
Inside the turbid Void, Yang Kai and Chang Tian were standing alongside each other. In the distance, Gun-Gun’s gigantic figure seemed to have blocked out the Sun as it continuously devoured a continent.
Behind them, Bo Ya looked dazedly at Gun-Gun as she felt shaken to the core. It was the first time she was seeing Gun-Gun and witnessed how a continent was being gnawed at like a biscuit, which was why she was astonished.
“Go on!” Yang Kai could be heard saying. Bo Ya came to her senses and gave it a thought on how she should put it before she continued speaking, “After the battle, Li Shi Qing, Huo Lun, and that newcomer Mo Sheng stayed on the three peaks of Myriad Flowers Valley. They seem to be on good terms. They also seem to interact with each other frequently.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Have you found out where that Strength Demon came from?”
He still had a headache regarding Li Shi Qing’s matter. After she saw him killing Bright Moon Great Emperor on Eternal Sky Continent, her attitude towards him had changed completely, as though an irreconcilable feud had been formed between them. Previously, in the palace located in Cloud Shadow Continent, she had even attempted to kill him.
One month ago, he returned to Cloud Shadow Continent, and although she didn’t do anything foolish, she was constantly glaring at him with murderous intent.
Since Cloud Shadow Continent had been devoured, Li Shi Qing had to stay in the Small Sealed World. One day, Yang Kai learned that she had left where he had dropped her, but did not know where she went.
It would be difficult for any ordinary person to look for a particular individual in this vast Small Sealed World. Perhaps they could never find the person they were looking for even if they tried. Nevertheless, the Small Sealed World belonged to Yang Kai, so he was able to locate Li Shi Qing after scanning it with his Divine Sense.
Then, he sent Bo Ya to a location that was near Li Shi Qing and told her to protect the latter in secret. She had to report to him at any time should anything happen.
For this reason, he had given Bo Ya a Space Spirit Bead that contained his Space Principles. If she was in danger, she just had to break the bead and he would sense it.
When the incident in Myriad Flowers Valley happened, Bo Ya had seen everything clearly. Even without the help of Mo Sheng and Huo Lun, Bo Ya would certainly lend Li Shi Qing a hand in secret to deal with her attacker; therefore, she didn’t need to inform Yang Kai about it.
However, Huo Lun made a move, and Mo Sheng appeared out of nowhere, so it wasn’t necessary for Bo Ya to expose herself.
On this day, Yang Kai summoned her out of the Small Sealed World and asked her about Li Shi Qing’s recent activity. Naturally, Bo Ya had to tell him what had happened that day.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, she replied, “Yes, but countless Demons from different continents have gathered in the Small Sealed World now, and they all come from very different backgrounds, so I haven’t found any solid leads.”
“What about that Blood Demon? That guy called Mo Sheng,” Yang Kai asked.
“He is indeed a Demon King from a continent under Bei Li Mo. He didn’t lie about that.” Bo Ya couldn’t find out the Strength Demon’s background because there were no leads; however, Mo Sheng had talked about his background, so it was easy to investigate him.
“Mo Sheng…” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Do you think this is a coincidence or some kind of secret plot?”
Bo Ya fell silent for a moment before she replied, “I think this should be a coincidence. He looks like a nice guy with a forthright demeanour. I don’t think he’s a scheming person.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I hope so. Keep watch on them, especially that guy called Mo Sheng. Report to me should anything happen.”
Although Li Shi Qing was resentful of him now, Yang Kai couldn’t just ignore her. If anything happened to her in the Small Sealed World, he would have a hard time explaining himself to Flower Shadow Great Emperor.
“Yes,” Bo Ya replied with a serious expression.
Just when Yang Kai was about to put Bo Ya into the Small Sealed World and send her to a location near Myriad Flowers Valley, she suddenly said, “By the way, Mo Sheng has a figure similar to yours.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment, but he didn’t reply to her. As Space Principles undulated, she disappeared from the spot.
“Trouble is coming,” Chang Tian, to the side, suddenly said. As he stared into the Void, he seemed able to see across space and observe what happened ten thousand kilometres away.
“Many thanks for the warning, Senior.” Yang Kai nodded. Trouble should have come earlier, so he wasn’t surprised.
It had taken him three months to devour Bei Li Mo’s territories, and he spent one more month doing the same to Yu Ru Meng’s continents. A long time had passed, and huge changes had happened to the Demon Realm, so it was impossible that the Demon Saints had failed to notice it.
Since they had noticed, they would definitely look into the matter. Hence, Yang Kai knew that after he started making a move, it wouldn’t take long before he would go into conflict with other Demon Saints.
Nevertheless, he was satisfied with the fact that he had had four months as a buffer. He had devoured half of Yu Ru Meng’s continents so far, so it would take him one more month to complete the task. By then, he could shift his attention to the territories of the other Demon Saints.
As for how much he could devour, it would depend on how the Demon Saints reacted.
“Be careful, and don’t get killed.” After Chang Tian finished speaking, he stepped forward. When he appeared again, he was already a hundred kilometres away. Then, he took another step and moved another hundred kilometres again. Step by step, he disappeared from Yang Kai’s sight.
After he was gone, Yang Kai circulated his Demon Qi to protect himself. At the same time, he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation to check the surroundings.
He wasn’t sure how many Demon Saints were coming, but he was certain that there were only a small number of them. Perhaps there was only one. After all, Demon Saints valued their time, and many had been injured during the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. Most of them were supposed to be recuperating, so they wouldn’t move around without a specific purpose.
The Demon Saints who could sense something was wrong would be those whose territories were close to those of Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng, and there were only a small number of them. They must be the ones who would be the first to notice the changes to these continents.
Amidst the Void, Chang Tian suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked ahead dispassionately. A long time later, he said, “Brother Zu, although your Stealth Technique is excellent, you can’t hide your aura in this chaotic place. I can even sense it from ten thousand kilometres away, so what’s the point of hiding?”
Right then, a figure suddenly appeared several dozen kilometres away from Chang Tian. The figure was so withered that it looked like a corpse, and he didn’t exude any vitality. Besides his skin that was as pale as a piece of white sheet, his face was hideous, and his teeth were sharp and jagged. He was none other than one of the Twelve Demon Saints of the Demon Realm, the leader of Corpse Demons, Zu Liao.
“Chang Tian…” Zu Liao, whose eyes looked like those of a dead fish, stared fixedly at the Demon Dragon. His eyes were mostly white, and his pupils looked like two needles, which gave off an eerie feeling. His voice was extremely hoarse, as though he hadn’t uttered a word for a long time and he asked, “Why are you here?”
Without answering his question, Chang Tian simply replied, “Why can’t this King be here?”
Zu Liao didn’t want to harp on the issue, so he looked around and asked, “What’s going on? What happened to Yu Ru Meng’s territory? Does it have something to do with that Human?”
Demon Saints weren’t fools. The person who was able to make so many continents disappear must possess very specific and incredible abilities. However, no one was able to do such a thing in the entire Demon Realm. As Zu Liao looked into the matter, he realised that there were signs which suggested that those continents had been devoured, with obvious traces of disruptions in the local space. It wasn’t until he came to this place and saw Gun-Gun that he understood the full truth behind the disappearance of those continents.
Intense Space Principle fluctuations were radiating around Gun-Gun and it was surrounded by many Void Cracks. Hence, Zu Liao could easily deduce that it had something to do with Yang Kai.
Faced with Chang Tian’s silence, Zu Liao attempted to curve his lips into a grin, but he couldn’t do it in the end. Anyone who saw him in such a state would feel anxious for him. His hoarse voice could be heard speaking once again, “It seems that you’ve joined forces with that Human. Chang Tian, I suggest that you stop going down the wrong path. Do you understand the consequences of going against this Saint?”
Chang Tian replied coldly, “I had a taste of it several tens of thousands of years ago.”
Zu Liao’s pupils expanded a little as he pointed ahead, “I have to deal with that boy. Stand aside.”
Without saying a word, Chang Tian extended his hand and summoned out a long black sword. Dragon Tooth Sword, a blade forged from Chang Tian’s own fang. It was extremely sharp and could cut through everything in the world, even Principles.
At this point, Chang Tian had made his stance clear.
Without the need to say anything else, Zu Liao howled as the Corpse Qi around him undulated. After he lifted his hand, three black coffins appeared in front of him. Following that, thudding sounds could be heard coming from the coffins as they were surrounded by a malevolent aura. It was as though some kind of evil creatures were about to break out of them in the next moment.
Before Zu Liao could make a move though, Chang Tian had pounced on him and slashed out with his sword. As his blade sliced through the air, his Demon Qi undulated and turned into a three-hundred-metre-long Black Dragon, one that seemed to leap across space as it struck.
Chang Tian decided to make the first move to gain the upper hand.
An unperturbed Zu Liao performed a hand seal as Demon Qi exuded from the coffins. Following three thudding sounds, the ferocious creatures broke free of their confines.
The three ferocious creatures looked up at the sky and howled as visible sound waves could be seen spreading from them. Then, they clashed with the approaching Black Dragon, causing the Heavens and Earth to seemingly shatter. The Lord of Hundred Spirits Continent and the leader of the Corpse Demon Clan had engaged in combat.
Besides the battle that was ignited because of the rise of Chang Tian several ten thousand years ago, the Demon Saints rarely had a chance to have a fight in the Demon Realm. The last time they got into a fight was during the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, but at that time, all the Demon Saints had joined forces to deal with Bright Moon Great Emperor, so it couldn’t be considered a true battle.
However, at this moment, Zu Liao and Chang Tian were having a one-on-one contest. In fact, it wasn’t the first time these two had battled against each other. They had done so several times all those years ago, and the end result was always a draw.
Several tens of thousands of years had passed, but the situation remained the same as neither side could overpower the other.
All of a sudden, Zu Liao sneered, “That boy is doomed either way.”
Chang Tian pushed out his sword and said impassively, “Is it Chi Yan, or perhaps Mo Kan? Maybe both of them have arrived.”
Zu Liao, Chi Yan, and Mo Kan were considered neighbours of Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo. Hence, one of them would naturally be the first to notice what was going on with the continents. Since Zu Liao had shown up, it meant that one of the remaining two must be here as well; however, since the other person wasn’t around, he must have gone to deal with Yang Kai while Chang Tian was being held up.
Upon hearing that, Zu Liao was startled, “Aren’t you worried at all?”
Chang Tian replied, “Why should I be?”
Zu Liao’s pupils were as thin as needles, so they couldn’t constrict any more, thus he said through clenched teeth, “Impossible. We were certain Yu Ru Meng wasn’t beside him. Without the protection of a Demon Saint, he is doomed.”
Chang Tian retorted, “He won’t die.”
While they were locked in an intense battle, Yang Kai suddenly narrowed his eyes and stared fixedly at the space in front of him as he asked, “Which Holy Venerable has come? Why not show yourself?”
Space contorted and a violent flame appeared ten kilometres away, a figure standing within it. Although they were ten kilometres apart, the scorching heat still seemed able to vaporise the Demon Qi around Yang Kai’s body.
Flame Demon Clan’s Demon Saint, Chi Yan.
Yang Kai had seen all the Demon Saints during the battle on Eternal Sky Continent; moreover, Chi Yan had obvious characteristics, which was why he was able to recognise him immediately. Cupping his fist, he said, “Greetings, Holy Venerable Chi Yan.”
Chi Yan took a look at Yang Kai for a moment before shifting his attention to the humongous thing that was devouring the nearby continent. With his eyes burning with fury, he bellowed, “What are you doing!? Are you sick of living!?”
Yang Kai appeared puzzled, “Holy Venerable Chi Yan, what do you mean by that?”
Chi Yan sneered, “Are you going to tell me that this isn’t your doing?”
Yang Kai nodded and replied, “No. You’re right. I am responsible for this!”
“How dare you destroy the continents of the Demon Realm!” Chi Yan snarled as his voice seemed to contain the power to burn Souls, even causing some pain in Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
“Holy Venerable, please understand that I am left with no other choice, and am doing this for the future of the Demon Realm.” Yang Kai cupped his fist again in a polite manner.
The flame behind Chi Yan’s gaze flickered as he couldn’t conceal his shock. Although he hadn’t used all his power, a High-Rank Demon King wasn’t supposed to be able to bear his snarl. Yang Kai should have received a wound on his Soul just now, but the latter seemed totally fine, which was truly shocking.
How could a High-Rank Demon King have such incredible Soul cultivation? Could he possess an artifact that could protect his Soul?
Suppressing his doubt, Chi Yan snorted, “You’re doing this for the future of the Demon Realm? Shameless! Are you even a Demon? How dare you spout such nonsense!”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai refuted, “It does not matter whether I am from the Demon Race or not.”
Chi Yan snorted, “It seems that Yu Ru Meng has wasted her time fighting for a chance for you to live. Now that you’re here asking for death, her effort will be for nought.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Holy Venerable, you’re wrong. Holy Venerable Ru Meng has treated very me well, so I’ll definitely repay her favour. I’m doing this to save the Demon Realm and build a brighter future for all.” Without giving Chi Yan a chance to say anything, he went on to speak, “The Demon Realm is disintegrating, the Territory Gates are becoming unstable, and the continents are disappearing. Sooner or later, the Demon Realm will be destroyed. Now that I’m able to gather together all the separated continents and repair their World Principles, I certainly won’t be so selfish as to refuse.”
“You’re able to remould the Demon Realm?” The flames around Chi Yan surged, so it was apparent that his emotions were undulating. Upon taking a look at Gun-Gun, he asked, “Is that how you’re doing it?”
“Precisely.” Yang Kai nodded, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the power to make a scene in Holy Venerable Ru Meng’s territories. I’ve received her permission.”
“Where is Yu Ru Meng?” Chi Yan looked around.
“She isn’t here.” Yang Kai shook his head and then looked sincerely at Chi Yan, “Holy Venerable Chi Yan, I now ask you to lend me your assistance. This Junior swears that after he has completed his mission, he will give you twice what you have given as a reward.”
“Oh? How do you want me to assist you?” Chi Yan questioned grimly.
“By allowing me to devour all of your continents.”
Chi Yan fell silent and stared gloomily at him. Then, he leaned forward, and as his pressure swept over Yang Kai, he said dispassionately, “Say that again?”
With a sincere expression, Yang Kai repeated his words.
All of a sudden, Chi Yan started laughing as loudly as thunder, and the flame around his body weltered. A moment later, he abruptly stopped laughing and shot a glare at Yang Kai, “Your courage isn’t small.”
Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “It seems that Holy Venerable is not going to agree to it. What a shame.”
Chi Yan rebuked, “If the matter is just like what you’ve said, I can still achieve the same goal after I capture you.”
“So Holy Venerable is going to make a move against me?” Yang Kai stared calmly at him.
Feeling that something was off, Chi Yan looked around.
Yang Kai said, “Holy Venerable Ru Meng really isn’t around.”
Right after Yang Kai finished speaking, Chi Yan lifted his hand and summoned a flame rope that shot toward Yang Kai.
Right then, a curvy figure suddenly appeared in front of Yang Kai. The expression on her alluring face changed when she felt the power of the approaching flame. Then, she pushed her Demon Qi as a glacial aura expanded and turned into an ice mirror, which was placed in front of them. As fire and ice clashed, they offset one another as explosions echoed around the Void.
“Bastard!” Two people were heard growling at the same time. They were Bei Li Mo and Chi Yan.
At this moment, Bei Li Mo was completely incensed. She was inside the Small Sealed World when she felt an irresistible tug, which brought her to this place. Before she even recovered from her shock, she was faced with Chi Yan’s attack.
Ice and Fire had always been incompatible, so while Bei Li Mo loathed Yu Ru Meng, that was simply because they lived close to each other and had numerous disagreements built up over thousands of years. However, of all the Demon Saints, she hated Chi Yan the most.
Both Demon Saints were experts in opposing Principles, so they were each other’s nemeses. In other Demon Saints’ territories, Demons from different Clans could be seen mingling with one another. However, there wouldn’t be a single Flame Demon in Bei Li Mo’s territories, and there were no Snow Demons in Chi Yan’s territories.
Yang Kai summoning her to deal with Chi Yan at this point was basically pairing an equal match for his enemy.
Chi Yan cursed because he felt that he had been deceived by Yang Kai and became angry out of shame. Earlier, he had checked the surroundings and was certain there was no one else other than Yang Kai in this place. Therefore, he had never expected that Bei Li Mo would appear out of thin air.
Yang Kai shrugged, “Holy Venerable Ru Meng really isn’t here.”
Yu Ru Meng was still inside the Small Sealed World, so what he said was true.
“Bei Li Mo!” Chi Yan growled. At this moment, he wasn’t in the mood to get mad at Yang Kai anymore. Compared to Yang Kai, he didn’t understand why Bei Li Mo would side with their enemies, thus he spoke in a voice that was filled with disbelief, “Are you out of your mind?”
Without responding to him, Bei Li Mo flicked her arm as countless icicles appeared behind her. The icicles gleamed with a cold glare, and every one of them was several tens of meters long. Without the slightest pause, she pointed forward and shouted, “Go!”
Sounds of the air being broken through were heard as the icicles launched themselves at Chi Yan like a hailstorm.
Chi Yan pushed out both palms as countless fireballs shot forward. Every fireball dealt with one icicle respectively.
A moment later, the fireballs and icicles clashed with each other as mist could be seen billowing and sounds of explosions were continuously heard.
Before the attack was over, Bei Li Mo made another move. After performing a set of hand seals, she clasped her palms together while at the same time shouting, “Seal!”
A huge ice rock abruptly appeared in the Void, engulfing Chi Yan inside it. A large region was instantly frozen over, with Chi Yan as its centre.
However, the next moment, flames could be seen surging around his body. As the power of fire undulated, the mass of ice could be seen melting rapidly and in just a few breaths’ time, he managed to escape.
Bei Li Mo’s relentless moves had infuriated him. As he parted his lips and growled, a radius of eight hundred kilometres around them was engulfed in flames.
Yang Kai had already disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was standing atop Gun-Gun’s back as he watched the battle attentively.
The continent in front of his eyes hadn’t been fully devoured yet, so despite the fact that he was confronted by a formidable enemy, he couldn’t give up at this point. He was determined to let Gun-Gun finish here.
Just like what he had expected, Chi Yan and another Demon Saint had arrived, but what about the last one?
Yang Kai wasn’t sure whether the last neighbouring Demon Saint had arrived, but whatever the case, he had to protect Gun-Gun. While he was standing on Gun-Gun’s back, he communicated with Yu Ru Meng, who was in the Small Sealed World, and they had agreed that she could be summoned at any moment to surprise their enemy.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t worried, for he still had Yu Ru Meng with him. Even if one to two more Demon Saints came over, she would be able to deal with them for some time.
Unless three more Demon Saints showed up, no one could stop Gun-Gun from gobbling up this continent. With that said, two Demon Saints had already appeared, so it was impossible that three more would be coming.
Most of the Demon Saints were busy healing their wounds, so they wouldn’t gather up for no reason. Only these Demon Saints, who were in neighbouring territories, would come over after sensing that something was off.
In different parts of the Void, which were separated by a great distance, lights could be seen flickering continuously and violent energy waves spread around from time to time. Naturally, this was the fallout of the battles between these Demon Saints on both sides.
After a long time of waiting, Yang Kai still didn’t see the last Demon Saint coming. It seemed that only Chi Yan and the other one, who was battling against Chang Tian, had come over to look into the matter.
Nevertheless, he didn’t lower his guard down.
One day later, Gun-Gun finished devouring the continent, after which, Yang Kai put it away. As Space Principles undulated, he flickered and disappeared from where he stood.
When Yang Kai reappeared, he saw a Territory Gate nearby. Then, he waved his hand and released Yu Ru Meng. As their eyes met, he nodded and said, “Just do as wish.”
“How many of them have arrived?” Yu Ru Meng asked.
“Two. One of them is Chi Yan, and I’m not sure who the other is.”
Yu Ru Meng put on a smile, “It’s either Zu Liao or Mo Kan. Go, and be careful.”
“I know. You be careful as well.” Yang Kai gently squeezed her hand before he turned around and disappeared into the Territory Gate.
Yu Ru Meng turned around and gazed into the Void. As she darted her alluring eyes around and narrowed them, she soon took in the battlefields on both sides. Although the battle between Chang Tian and Zu Liao was intense, they were not at risk of losing their lives. Both of them held back; they knew they could not overpower each other in a one-on-one fight, so they didn’t even bother trying.
On the other hand, the icy Bei Li Mo and the fiery Chi Yan clashed with each other like salt thrown into a hot pan of oil. Their battle was extremely intense, and it seemed that both of them had already been slightly injured.
Watching the good show from afar, Yu Ru Meng seemed to be enjoying herself as she even started humming a song. Then, she counted to one hundred in her heart before she parted her lips and mouthed a word in silence. The word broke through space and directly reached Bei Li Mo’s ears.
Upon hearing her voice, Bei Li Mo pushed her Demon Qi madly. As her silver hair swayed with the wind, she said in a cold voice, “Grand Frost Domain!”
Right then, fine particles of frost manifested all around her. In an instant, a radius of ten thousand kilometres around where Bei Li Mo stood was frozen over, living up to the Secret Technique’s name.
With a grim expression, Chi Yan intensified the flames around his body to resist the chill as he remained unperturbed; however, what surprised him was that after Bei Li Mo used this Divine Ability, she simply snorted and turned around before quickly leaving this place.
Ten breaths later, Chi Yan broke the Divine Ability that had frozen a radius of ten thousand kilometres around him and stared off into the distance as Bei Li Mo fled, a frown on his face as his heart was filled with a sense of unease.
Then, he turned around and looked into the distance, only to see that the gigantic black object was nowhere to be found. Not just the monster though, the continent itself had disappeared.
“Not good!” Thinking of something, Chi Yan immediately forced out more of his Demon Qi and turned into a beam of light to chase after Bei Li Mo.
At the same time, Chang Tian, who was dealing with Zu Liao, guffawed and stopped attacking after a last move, “Zu Liao, you’ll never overpower me.”
Zu Liao snorted as the three ferocious creatures in front of him bared its fangs, as though they were trying to show support for their master.
“You also can’t overpower me.”
Chang Tian responded, “That’s right. We’re evenly matched, so it may take months or even years to decide a winner in this battle. So, why don’t we stop here?”
Zu Liao appeared vigilant. Although he didn’t know what Chang Tian’s intentions were, the latter’s move was very strange.
While he was in doubt, his expression suddenly changed as he turned to look in a different direction. The next moment, he bellowed, “Bei Li Mo!”
There was a beam of white light, which exuded Bei Li Mo’s aura, approaching from the distance. Naturally, he was familiar with the aura.
However, he didn’t understand why Bei Li Mo was here. According to his investigation, all of Bei Li Mo’s continents had disappeared, supposedly devoured by that gigantic black object. So, it was hard to tell whether she was a friend or foe at this moment.
With that doubt in mind, Zu Liao moved back a hundred kilometres to widen the gap between him and Chang Tian.
Soon, Bei Li Mo reached Chang Tian and stood beside him before nodding gently.
There was no room for Zu Liao’s pupils to contract anymore. There were injuries on Bei Li Mo’s body, which were apparently caused by Chi Yan. It seemed that while he was locked in battle with Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo and Chi Yan had gotten into a scuffle as well.
Hence, it was obvious which side Bei Li Mo was on.
While he was still lost in his own thoughts, Chang Tian suddenly bellowed, “Attack together!”
A flabbergasted Zu Liao subconsciously moved backwards at full speed. Even if he had to deal with two enemies at once, he would not be at risk of losing his life; however, he would definitely suffer. He wasn’t a fool, so he wouldn’t give them a chance to join forces and fight against him.
After he moved away for more than a thousand kilometres away though, he was shocked to see that after Chang Tian’s threatening roar, the latter didn’t make a move against him. Instead, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo had turned around and flown off at full speed.
[A feint?! Shameless!] Zu Liao ground his teeth in resentment, but he didn’t dare to chase after them as he wasn’t sure what they were plotting.
Soon after, a beam of red light approached, after which Chi Yan appeared.
As their eyes met, Chi Yan asked, “Didn’t they deal with you?”
When he saw Bei Li Mo retreating just now, he thought that she was going to join forces with Chang Tian to suppress Zu Liao, which was why he hurriedly came over to assist his ally; however, he was surprised to see that they didn’t even seem to have fought. Instead, it appeared Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo had fled.
Zu Liao shook his head, “Something is off.”
Chi Yan scowled and fell silent for a moment. Suddenly thinking of something, however, he looked in the direction Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo had left as he exclaimed, “Not good!”
All Twelve Demon Saints in the Demon Realm had cultivated for more than ten thousand years, so they were all iron-willed individuals who wouldn’t even frown at the sight of a continent disintegrating; however, the leader of the Flame Demon Clan, Chi Yan, had just said ‘not good’ twice in just a short period of time.
The first time he said it, was because he was mistaken, but the second time he said it meant that things were truly going from bad to worse.
When he gazed at the Territory Gate in the distance, he recalled the sight of Yang Kai fleeing after the battle on Eternal Sky Continent.
At that time, Yang Kai had obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity and quickly escaped, after which all the Demon Saints chased after him. If it weren’t because the Territory Gate suddenly disappeared, given Yang Kai’s cultivation as a Second-Order Emperor at that time, he wouldn’t have been able to escape from their pursuit.
There was no way that the Territory Gate would disappear for no reason though. Even if it did, the process would be long and gradual. Since Yang Kai was able to repair Territory Gates, it was reasonable to assume he had come up with a way to seal them as well. That was the consensus the Demon Saints reached after they saw the Territory Gate vanish on that day.
This continent had collapsed into the Void, so if the Territory Gate was also sealed, this would become an extremely dangerous place to remain.
That realisation not only dawned upon Chi Yan, but also Zu Liao. Their expressions grim, the pair rushed over to the Territory Gate as they prayed that things were not like what they had imagined.
Unfortunately, their worst predictions soon became reality. As the two Demon Saints flew alongside each other, staring at the Territory Gate from afar, they realised that Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian were nowhere to be found. Only Yu Ru Meng was standing in front of the Territory Gate and looking smilingly at them with a derisive expression. Then, she parted her lips and sent her message across to the two Demon Saints, “Have fun!”
The expressions of Chi Yan and Zu Liao cramped as light burst from their bodies and their speed increased dramatically. They rushed with all haste over to the Territory Gate in utter fluster.
Upon finishing her words, Yu Ru Meng turned around and disappeared into the Territory Gate.
Zu Liao and Chi Yan were rapidly drawing closer as they could barely contain their anxiety. In just three breaths’ time, they would be able to pass through the gate and leave this place.
Three breaths later though, they indeed reached the Territory Gate, but right before they passed through it, it disappeared from their sight. They continued charging forward for more than several thousand kilometres before they were able to stabilise themselves.
Turning around, they realised that the entire world seemed to have turned into a chaotic nothingness. With dark expressions on their faces, they realised that they had fallen into the enemy’s trap. Yang Kai must have devised this plot a long time ago; otherwise, his plan wouldn’t have been so comprehensive if he didn’t have enough time to get prepared.
Both Demon Saints had come to this place together, and they had gotten trapped in the Void at the same time. It would take them some effort before they could leave this place and return to the Demon Realm.
Anyone else would be despondent in this kind of situation. Nevertheless, Chi Yan and Zu Liao were no ordinary people. As Demon Saints, they were confident they could escape from this mess.
Things had come to a point where it was pointless to complain about anything. The most important task for them was to return to the Demon Realm as quickly as possible. After trading glances, they didn’t need to say a word as they turned around and flew into the distance.
There was more than one Territory Gate connected to this continent. Since one of them had been sealed, they just had to look for other ways out; however, three days later, they returned to the same place and stopped.
After three days of searching, they were certain that all the Territory Gates in this continent had been sealed and there was no way out. They were not sure about the exact locations of the other gates, however, which was why they returned to this place.
After a moment of observation, Chi Yan pointed forward, “Is it here?”
Zu Liao shook his head, “It should be three hundred metres to the left.”
“Are you certain?” Chi Yan turned to look at him.
Zu Liao fell silent for a moment and replied honestly, “No…”
At that, Chi Yan was lost for words. After giving it a thought though, he simply said, “Let’s do it together.”
“Good.” Zu Liao nodded.
They then moved three hundred metres apart and stared solemnly at the Void in front of them, as though their arch nemesis was there.
As Chi Yan’s Demon Qi undulated, he was engulfed in a scorching aura. Following that, he pushed out his fist towards the Void. White flame could be seen swirling around his fist, as though it could even melt space.
On the other hand, Zu Liao’s move was undoubtedly much more subtle. He could be seen flicking all ten fingers as visible thin threads shot forward. What was eerie was that the Void seemed to have turned into a lake as the threads disappeared into it. After that, he surged his Demon Qi, and then nothing happened.
He retracted his hands and stood beside Chi Yan before saying, “You’re right.”
Without responding to him, Chi Yan kept punching at the void. His attacks were so forceful that even a continent would have broken apart. The Void in front of him could be seen disintegrating as cracks started appearing.
After ten or so punches, the Void really fell apart and revealed a giant swirling vortex. The aura of nihility coming from this vortex was even more turbid and violent than the place they stood. If they rushed into it, they might be lost in the Void Crack forever and unable to find their way back.
Things had come to a point that they had no other choice but to dive in though, regardless of how dangerous it might be. Nevertheless, they were not without any hope to find their way back, they simply had to take a big risk to do so.
After taking a deep breath, Chi Yan said, “Let’s go.”
Upon finishing his words, he took a step forward.
“Wait!” Zu Liao lifted his hand to stop him and pointed at Chi Yan. Just then, a white thread appeared from his finger and stopped in front of Chi Yan. The thread kept squirming as though it was a living creature. Seeing that, Chi Yan put on a disdainful expression.
“Heh…” Zu Liao laughed, “We don’t know how dangerous it is inside the crack, but something is off about this thing’s aura. With this Soul Connecting Thread, we won’t be separated.”
Without responding to him, Chi Yan curbed his flame a little and revealed a gap. The thread immediately penetrated his body through the gap and disappeared, after which, the two Demon Saints entered the Void Crack together.
Chi Yan, who stepped into it first, was immediately faced with violent turbulence, which almost swept him away. Fortunately, he was incredibly powerful, so he was able to quickly free himself from the current. If it had been a Demon King in his place, he would have lost his life on the spot.
Inside the crack, it was pitch dark, and there was nothing but endless turbulence and invisible storms. With the Soul Connecting Thread, the two wouldn’t be separated; however, since they stepped into this crack, they had lost their ability to tell time. Apart from that, they also couldn’t identify what direction they were moving, so they could only slowly step forward.
A long time later, Chi Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks and asked, “Can you feel the Ancestral Land’s aura?”
There were more than a hundred Clans in the Demon Realm, but there was only one Ancestral Land. It was an intangible place, so no one knew where it was; however, it was the origins of all Demons. The average Demon wouldn’t know this, but the Demon Saints each received the Ancestral Land’s blessing when they assumed their position.
This was the reason Chi Yan and Zu Liao had the courage to enter the Void Crack. They were unable to identify their direction, nor could they find a way out on their own; however, as long as they could sense the Ancestral Land’s aura and move towards it, they would be able to find their way back home eventually.
After Chi Yan finished speaking, he realised that no one replied to him. Upon realising the reason, he activated his Demon Qi and spoke to Zu Liao through Divine Sense transmission.
Zu Liao replied, “I can’t. What about you?”
Chi Yan uttered, “No.”
“Keep going, then.”
They had no choice but to keep moving forward. The Void Crack wasn’t a sealed jar. Since they were able to come in, there must be a way out. Nevertheless, they had to look for the right path.
Although they couldn’t sense it here, it didn’t mean they couldn’t feel it somewhere else. After they detected the Ancestral Land’s aura, they just had to follow it to look for the exit. It might take them three years, five years, or maybe even a hundred years, but was impossible for them to be stuck here forever.
While Chi Yan and Zu Liao were trapped in the Void Crack, Yang Kai hastened his speed to swallow Yu Ru Meng’s remaining continents. He had expected Chi Yan and Zu Liao to arrive long ago, and since he couldn’t stop them, he just had to take advantage of the situation and trap them. That was the outcome of his discussion with Yu Ru Meng and the others.
Although the three of them could gain the upper hand when dealing with Zu Liao and Chi Yan, it was extremely difficult to kill a Demon Saint. In the past, many had gathered on Eternal Sky Continent just to kill Bright Moon Great Emperor. There was no way Yang Kai was able to call on so many people.
Since he wasn’t able to kill them, Yang Kai reckoned that he could at least isolate them. By doing so, he could gain a longer buffer time. At the very least, it was enough to let him devour all of Yu Ru Meng’s continents.
At this moment, Yu Ru Meng was just standing beside Yang Kai. When she was asked how long Zu Liao and Chi Yan would take to escape from the Void, she replied, “The Ancestral Land is elusive and untraceable, but its presence can be felt everywhere. As long as they can find a trace of the Ancestral Land’s aura, it won’t be difficult for them to escape. If I were them, this would be the only solution I have.”
“Ancestral Land?” Yang Kai frowned upon hearing that.
Chang Tian also took a look at her curiously. He obtained a power that was equivalent to that of a Demon Saint thanks to bloodline inheritance, so he didn’t feel this so-called ‘Ancestral Land’s’ aura when he ascended to his position; therefore, he became curious upon hearing what she had said.
Yu Ru Meng explained, “A person can only become a Demon Saint by obtaining the Ancestral Land’s blessing.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai could somewhat grasp it, “It’s just like the acknowledgement from the Star Boundary’s Will.”
“More or less.”
Yang Kai thought that it was such a shame. The place where Zu Liao and Chi Yan were trapped was still within the Demon Realm, which allowed them to have a chance to feel the Ancestral Land’s aura. If they were stuck in the Void Crack around the Star Boundary, they would never be able to escape unless they were extremely lucky to find a natural exit.
With that said, he had made use of a unique feature of the Demon Realm that was impossible to replicate in the Star Boundary. That was because Star Boundary didn’t have separate continents and Territory Gates like those in the Demon Realm.
“How long do you think they’ll take to get out?” Yang Kai asked again.
Yu Ru Meng replied with a smile, “It depends. I’ve never ventured into the Void before, so I don’t know what it’s like inside. In short, it depends on their luck. If they’re extremely fortunate, they might escape in just a few days. If they’re unlucky though, they might get stuck inside for several dozen or even a hundred years.”
Displeased with her, Bei Li Mo snorted, “What’s the point of such a vague answer?”
Time flew by and soon another month had passed. All of Yu Ru Meng’s continents had been devoured.
Without taking a break, Yang Kai headed to Chi Yan’s territory. Chi Yan and Zu Liao were still trapped inside the Void, so he wouldn’t let this chance of devouring Chi Yan’s continents slip through his fingers.
Besides, he had already set out to swallow up the entire Demon Realm.
After gulping down all of Yu Ru Meng’s territories, Gun-Gun had grown to over ten thousand kilometres wide, so it was literally a humongous object now. Once it was released, it would only take one day to devour a continent.
At the same time, transformative changes were happening in the Small Sealed World as the territory continuously expanded. The World Principles and World Energy became more abundant. The Principles were still not strong enough to allow a Dao Source Realm Master to be born in the Small Sealed World, but it wasn’t far off.
Yang Kai could feel that the condition would be met after he swallowed all of Chi Yan’s territories.
As time passed, Gun-Gun was able to consistently consume one continent a day. Although there were still some Half-Saints in Chi Yan’s continents, they were unable to derail Yang Kai’s plan as he had powerful allies now. Every time he arrived at a new continent, he would seal off all the Territory Gates first to cut off the connection between the continent and the outside world before he released Gun-Gun.
If any Half-Saints had the guts to stop him, Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, or Chang Tian would deal with them. Normally, they would be taken down in one strike and then tossed into the Small Sealed World.
There were more than ten Half-Saints that worked for Chi Yan. Excluding those that had been killed by Bright Moon Great Emperor and those that had been deployed to the Star Boundary, there were still six Half-Saints in Chi Yan’s territories. Without fail, they all stayed in their respective continents, and they were all defeated by Yang Kai.
While Chi Yan was still trapped in the Void, not only had he lost all his continents, but half of his Half-Saints had also been defeated and imprisoned. If he was able to get out of the Void and find out about it, his expression would truly be worth looking at.
Yang Kai understood that the more fuss he was making here, the more pressure would be lifted off the Star Boundary, which was why he spared no pains to do so.
However, he also knew that he would face a hurdle soon. It had been half a year since his plan to consume the entire Demon Realm commenced. Although the Demon Saints were still recuperating, they should have realised what was going on now. In the Demon Realm, besides Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and the two that had been trapped in the Void, there were still eight Demon Saints. They didn’t have to go all out, just half of them would be able to halt Yang Kai’s steps.
In any case, Yang Kai didn’t intend to achieve his goal in one go. Swallowing the entire Demon Realm was a long and gradual process, and he was only getting started.
One month later, all of Chi Yan’s continents had been devoured.
Without stopping, Yang Kai and Chang Tian headed to Zu Liao’s territories and started kicking up Hell again.
Nevertheless, just like what Yang Kai had expected, it wasn’t possible for the commotion that he created and the disappearance of so many continents to go unnoticed. The Demon Saints finally started doing something. Half a month ago, Chang Tian could feel a Demon Saint’s aura from afar, but he had no idea who the person was as they were just observing from a faraway location without the intention of approaching.
Unfortunately, by the time Yang Kai sealed off all the Territory Gates to the continent, the Demon Saint had already disappeared. Hence, he couldn’t set the person up using the same trick as last time.
On the other hand, a continent was devoured in a day again. Yang Kai and Chang Tian were standing on Gun-Gun’s back. Compared to Gun-Gun’s humongous size, they were like two millets on the ocean, hardly noticeable at all.
Just when they were about to head to the next continent, Yang Kai’s expression changed suddenly. After dismissing Gun-Gun, he said with a frown, “Senior, wait here a moment.”
Chang Tian stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him. Surprisingly, Yang Kai directly tossed the Sealed World Bead at him. After Chang Tian took it, Yang Kai moved and disappeared from the spot.
Chang Tian was startled for a moment, but he soon realised that Yang Kai must have entered the Small Sealed World. At that instant, he was shocked as he wondered what had happened that caused the young man to enter the Small Sealed World in such a hurry. Apparently, it had something to do with what was going on in the Small Sealed World.
With the Sealed World Bead in his hand, Chang Tian appeared interested as he fiddled with it. Although he knew that Gun-Gun was transformed from this thing and that the bead was a truly amazing Artifact, it was the first time he came into close contact with it, so naturally he had to study it.
However, even though his cultivation was profound, he had not the slightest bit of knowledge of the Dao of Space. Hence, he was unable to grasp the wonders of the Sealed World Bead.
Meanwhile inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai appeared in the medicine garden and stared at the Embodiment. “What happened?”
He had heard the Embodiment calling out to him, which was why he came to this place.
Since Cloud Shadow Continent was devoured, the Embodiment had been staying in the medicine garden. At this moment, the two Wood Spirits were sitting on the Embodiment’s shoulders. Seeing Yang Kai, Mu Lu said anxiously, “Master, something serious is going on. The world is about to be assimilated!”
On the other side, Mu Zhu nodded repeatedly with a worried expression.
In fact, Mu Lu didn’t even need to mention it because after Yang Kai finished asking his question, he could already feel it.
Presently, the Small Sealed World was divided into three regions. Naturally, the first region was the Small Sealed World’s own territory.
The second region was the expanded territory after he devoured several Cultivation Stars in the Lower Star Field in the past. While he was in Grand Desolation Star Field, an idea had sprung into his mind as he activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law through the Sealed World Bead, which was how Gun-Gun was born.
The third region was formed after the continents in the Demon Realm were consumed.
Yang Kai had always made sure that the three regions were separated, so they were not connected in any way.
In terms of World Principles and World Energy, the first region was the undisputed leader, especially where the medicine garden sat. The World Principles here were one par with those of the Star Boundary.
The World Principles in the second region were about the same as those of a Lower Star Field.
Initially, the third region had been the weakest in this regard; however, as time passed and with more continents devoured, it was now only second to the region where the medicine garden sat, much stronger than the second region.
In the third region, the World Principles had broken through the chains of the Dao Source Realm, which meant Demon Great Generals could now be born in it.
When Mu Lu talked about the assimilation of the world, she wasn’t talking about the first region, where the medicine garden was located. She was talking about the second region.
In terms of size, the second region was much smaller than the third region, and the World Principles were much weaker as well. In the past, Yang Kai had set up a barrier to separate the two regions, so things were still alright; however, after the most recent continent was devoured, the World Principles of the third region had achieved a breakthrough, which was why things began to turn south.
It was still fine in the first region, where the medicine garden was located. Although its size was the smallest, it was the steadiest because its World Principles were the strongest; however, the barrier between the second and third regions had been hugely impacted.
Yang Kai probed with his Divine Sense and realised that the barrier he had set up had become somewhat unstable, and once it collapsed, the third region would devour the second region.
He was the owner of the Sealed World Bead, so theoretically, he had total control over everything inside of it; however, the second and the third regions were formed after the Sealed World Bead was originally created and were not considered innate pieces of territory, which significantly reduced his control over them. Furthermore, both regions had their own World Principles. Unless one region could devour the other, there would never be peace.
If that really happened though, the people from those Cultivation Stars who lived in the second region would swiftly be contaminated by Demon Qi and undergo demonification. There were only a small number of Origin King Realm Masters in the second region, so how would they resist the World Principles from the Demon Realm?
Countless lives were at stake, and the Embodiment had noticed it, which was why he called out to Yang Kai to tell him to come have a look.
The third region was showing signs of consuming the second region. If Gun-Gun was allowed to go on devouring more continents and strengthen the Principles of the third region further, the second region would be assimilated into the third sooner or later.
Yang Kai had never expected that such a thing would happen, and upon understanding what was going in, he felt a headache coming on.
According to his plan, he would swallow up all of Zu Liao’s territories first. If there was a chance, he would go on to devour other Demon Saints’ continents. In short, he would devour as many as he could before anyone could stop him.
However, since such a thing had happened, he had to halt his plan. Before he settled the issue within the Small Sealed World, he couldn’t let the third region expand; otherwise, the second region would not be able to persevere.
Collecting himself, Yang Kai used the authority in the Small Sealed World to first strengthen the barrier between the regions before he said with a frown, “I understand now, and I’ll look for a solution. Keep watch on the situation and immediately inform me should anything happen.”
The Embodiment nodded solemnly before asking, “How are you going to solve it?”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “I don’t know yet, but there’s definitely a way.”
A moment later, he reappeared in the Void, after which Chang Tian returned the Sealed World Bead to him. Seeing the young man’s dark expression, he asked, “What happened?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m afraid we have to stop devouring continents for now. Something has happened in the Small Sealed World.”
“Is it serious?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not really, but before the issue is resolved, we can’t go on consuming more continents.”
Chang Tian gave a nod. He and Yang Kai were basically on the same boat now, so they would share fortune or misfortune together; therefore, the problems facing the young man were his problems too, “Alright, I’ll let you handle it.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Don’t worry. I believe I have a solution.”
In just a short moment, he already had an idea of how to solve the problem.
“That’s good.”
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai said and then shot towards the nearest Territory Gate.
Soon, they dove into the gate and headed to the next continent.
As soon as Yang Kai managed to stabilise himself after arriving though, his expression changed dramatically. At the same time, Chang Tian took the young man’s arm and pulled him behind his back. Following that, he parted his lips and released a resounding Dragon Roar.
Blood lights could be seen coming at them, but they soon collapsed after coming into contact with the Dragon Roar.
A red figure rushed over as Xue Li’s red hair flapped in the air. As he grinned, an endless Blood Sea expanded as though it was going to engulf Chang Tian and Yang Kai inside it.
Seeing that, Chang Tian immediately retreated. Without moving a muscle, he shot backwards at a speed that was as fast as lightning, crossing a thousand kilometres in an instant.
Of the Twelve Demon Saints, Xue Li was the fastest. Although Chang Tian was swift, Xue Li was still able to follow him closely.
During the pursuit, the two top cultivators, one Demon Saint and the other a Master on par with a Demon Saint, got into an intense battle. As Demon Qi undulated, rumbling sounds could be heard as violent forces swept out.
Just then, Yang Kai, who was behind Chang Tian, felt a sense of crisis envelop him. Without even thinking, he lifted his hand and released both Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo.
Ice Principles flared as a thick ice shell took shape and surrounded Yang Kai to protect him. Bei Li Mo’s reaction was incredibly swift. Although she had no idea what was going on, they had come to an agreement beforehand. If Yang Kai summoned her suddenly, he must be facing a formidable enemy.
Hence, as soon as she realised that she was no longer in the Small Sealed World, she immediately used a defensive Divine Ability. After the ice shell was formed, she vigilantly looked around and observed what was going on.
While she was making a move, Yu Ru Meng did not just stand idly by. Her eyes seemed to be blooming like two lotuses, which made her look extremely enchanting. The next moment, she exclaimed, “Wu Hua!”
Besides them, only Xue Li could be seen in the vicinity; however, with her Eye Technique, Yu Ru Meng was able to catch a glimpse of an almost invisible shadow sticking close to them. It was the leader of the Shadow Demon Clan, Wu Hua!
At this moment, an almost imperceptible darkness was quickly approaching Yang Kai, and with just one strike, the ice shell around him collapsed.
It wasn’t that Bei Li Mo was outmatched by Wu Hua, it was just that Wu Hua had exerted a great deal of force with his attack while Bei Li Mo had only hastily set up her shield. Earlier, she hadn’t even made out who her enemy was, so her Divine Ability wasn’t able to fend off the strike from the leader of Shadow Demons.
With a loud crash, the ice shell shattered into dust; however, the darkness didn’t stop as it reached for Yang Kai’s chest.
When a Shadow Demon made a move, they would always aim for a swift kill, it was the defining characteristic of this Clan. Even an ordinary Shadow Demon would do the same in a battle, to say nothing of the fact that Wu Hua was a Demon Saint.
Yu Ru Meng’s expression changed drastically. Although Yang Kai was fairly strong, he was still just a High-Rank Demon King, how could he fend off Wu Hua’s attack? She immediately lifted her hand, which became boneless like a snake as it coiled around the darkness. At the same time, she pushed out her other palm as her Demon Qi surged.
Nevertheless, she was shocked to realise that she couldn’t repel Wu Hua, which caused her face to turn ashen in an instant. At that moment, she could only watch as the darkness broke free of her restraint and struck for Yang Kai’s chest.
Right then, a high-pitched Dragon Roar was heard as a giant Golden Dragon head appeared behind Yang Kai and then disappeared into his back. Following that, his skin was immediately covered in a layer of thick Dragon Scales.
After he activated his Dragon Transformation, his defence increased significantly; however, he didn’t just wait for death. While he was using his Dragon Transformation Secret Art, he had also cast his Nihility Secret Art and exiled himself to the Void.
Nevertheless, Wu Hua was a Demon Saint, and he had already locked onto Yang Kai’s aura. Even though Yang Kai had hidden himself in the Void, he still couldn’t escape from Wu Hua’s attack. The fatal strike broke through space and struck its target in the next moment.
As a loud and unpleasant clang was heard, Yang Kai, who had just used Nihility, reappeared. After a grunt, his body shook as blood streamed out from the corner of his mouth. His face had turned even paler than that of Yu Ru Meng’s.
It wasn’t until this moment that what happened to Yang Kai’s chest could be seen clearly. A dagger had been stuck a palm’s length into his chest, breaking past his outer Dragon Scales with ease.
The dagger was almost transparent, so it was hardly noticeable if one wasn’t paying attention. It was the same case for Wu Hua, who was holding the dagger. His figure distorted and looked like he was made of water, so only his general shape could be seen. The darkness earlier was condensed from his murderous intent.
An enraged Yu Ru Meng screamed as her Spiritual Energy turned into a fatal strike that pierced towards Wu Hua.
On the other hand, Bei Li Mo pushed her Ice Principles as she thrust a finger at the watery figure. Her move didn’t seem as ferocious as Yu Ru Meng’s, and her attack looked somewhat nonchalant; however, no one would believe that the power of her finger was inferior to Yu Ru Meng’s Divine Ability.
How could Wu Hua dare take attacks from two Demon Saints at once? While they charged forward, Wu Hua also began retreating.
“Seal!” Yang Kai suddenly shouted, pushing his Space Principles as hard as he could to solidify the space around Wu Hua.
Unfortunately, he was unable to stop the Demon Saint from escaping as the restriction around Wu Hua was instantly broken through by the latter. Yu Ru Meng’s Soul Attack and Bei Li Mo’s finger both missed their target, and even Yang Kai’s Moon Blade which had been released at point blank range hit nothing but air.
Wu Hua was nowhere to be seen. A Shadow Demon would attempt to kill their enemy in one strike, and if they failed, they would immediately retreat.
A pleasantly surprised Yu Ru Meng turned around as her eyes were filled with tears.
Earlier, she thought that Yang Kai was doomed; after all, he was just a High-Rank Demon King. In a fit of rage and grief, she had expended a great deal of her Spiritual Energy in her last strike.
Nonetheless, she had never expected that Yang Kai was still alive!
Although Bei Li Mo’s ice shield failed to stop Wu Hua’s attack, it had offset some of the enemy’s force. On the other hand, Yu Ru Meng’s palm might have failed to hit Wu Hua, but it did force him to dodge, which further offset some of his force.
Then, Yang Kai’s combination of Dragon Scales, Nihility Secret Technique, and intrepid physique came into play. With five layers of protection in place, even Wu Hua wasn’t able to kill Yang Kai in one strike.
The invisible dagger was just a finger’s width away from Yang Kai’s heart, and although his life wasn’t at risk, the residual force from the blade had penetrated his body and damaged his meridians, causing him excruciating pain.
It could be said that he had been severely injured, and would need a good deal of time to recuperate. The incident earlier went to show how mighty a Demon Saint truly was.
Yang Kai had come into contact with some Demon Saints before, and had been pursued by a group of Demon Saints after the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. He had even planted a Soul Imprint inside Bei Li Mo’s Knowledge Sea. Nonetheless, it was the first time he experienced how formidable a Demon Saint’s strength was.
At this moment, he was still reeling from the impact, and he wasn’t even sure whether Wu Hua had used his full strength just now. If Wu Hua had increased his force by just a few percent, the consequences would have been dreadful.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to fall into wild thoughts. Although Wu Hua had retreated, they were still in danger.
They were confronted by two Demon Saints right after they were finished devouring a continent. Apparently, the Demon Saints must have realised what they were up to and made some preparations. They were just waiting for Yang Kai to fall into their trap.
Xue Li’s attack was a diversion, with Wu Hua’s ambush being the main attack. Since two Demon Saints had shown up, what about the other six?
Bei Li Mo took a look at Yang Kai, and her gaze seemed to suggest that she thought it was such a shame that he was still alive after such an ambush. It seemed that it was really difficult to kill this man.
If Yang Kai lost his life, she wouldn’t have to be controlled by him anymore. Although she would be injured slightly and her continents would be lost, it wasn’t unacceptable.
Since Yang Kai was still alive though, she had no choice but to keep guard to the side. Suddenly, with a solemn expression, she said, “Someone is coming.”
The person must be a Demon Saint to make her feel so anxious.
It seemed that three Demon Saints had arrived. Xue Li and Wu Hua were just two of them. Although it wasn’t sure who the third one was, that person must have been waiting somewhere else, and it would take them some time to arrive.
At this moment, the other five Demon Saints, who were not in this continent, must have gotten word of what had transpired. If Xue Li could hold Chang Tian up, the other five Demon Saints would have ample time to rush over. When all eight Demon Saints arrived, even if they couldn’t kill Yu Ru Meng and the others, who were also Demon Saints, it wouldn’t be hard for them to end Yang Kai’s life.
“We need to leave, now!” Chang Tian shouted. As he spoke, he wielded his Dragon Tooth Sword as gigantic and powerful shock waves spread out.
In front of him was the Blood Sea where Xue Li had hidden. The endless Blood Sea separated and raced after Yang Kai and the others, as though it was determined to engulf them. Every sword wave was able to slash the Blood Sea into half, but the sea would soon recover.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and endured the pain in his chest, which felt like countless ants were gnawing at him, and shouted, “Wu Hua is still locked onto my aura, so I’m unable to break through the Void!”
Wu Hua was nowhere to be seen, but everyone knew that he was still hiding nearby. That was the reason it was difficult to deal with a Shadow Demon. Although they were powerful, they would never fight with their enemy head-on. They were despicable as they would always launch sneak attacks.
“Allow me!” Yu Ru Meng shouted as she parted her lips and puffed out a breath, which looked like pink mist.
The pink mist surrounded them and seemed unaffected by the wind. As the pink mist thickened, they seemed to have been engulfed in a pink world, unable to see anything else.
A moment later, Yu Ru Meng shut her mouth and staggered.
Earlier, she had used a Soul Divine Ability which contained a great deal of her Spiritual Energy. She had exerted most of her force with that strike alone, so she had become somewhat weak. After forcefully puffing out the pink breath, she was unable to support her weight anymore and fell into Yang Kai’s embrace.
Yang Kai immediately kept her inside the Small Sealed World and placed her in the medicine garden. Then, he communicated with the Embodiment and told him and the two Wood Spirits to help her recuperate.
After the pink mist took shape, the lock on Yang Kai’s aura was cut off, making Wu Hua lose track of him.
Each Demon Saint had their own unique abilities, so none of them was stronger or weaker than the others. Wu Hua was able to lock Yang Kai down, preventing him from escaping, but Yu Ru Meng also had a solution to cut off the connection. She was just countering the enemy’s move accordingly.
After the lock was broken, Yang Kai immediately extended his hand to place it on Chang Tian’s shoulder and took Bei Li Mo’s wrist with his other hand. The next moment, he communicated with a Space Beacon he had pre-placed, after which, all of them disappeared from the spot.
The pink mist was weltering in mid-air as Xue Li’s Blood Sea turned into blood waves and crashed into it. The pink mist could be seen diminishing rapidly. As Xue Li attacked the mist, he sneered, “Senior Brother Huang and the others will be here soon. Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, if you don’t want to die, get out now!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Hua suddenly appeared beside him.
Xue Li immediately stopped attacking the pink mist and leapt away. Staring at Wu Hua with vigilance, he questioned, “What are you doing?”
Without saying a word, Wu Hua pointed in the particular direction where Yang Kai had fled to.
Xue Li couldn’t believe that Yang Kai had fled; however, he soon understood that it was because the latter was a Master of the Dao of Space. Although the technique Yu Ru Meng had just used wasn’t harmful in any way, it was able to cut off Wu Hua’s lock on Yang Kai. After that, Yang Kai was able to break through the Void.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was too naive to think that he could flee by just leaping across space. After a sneer, Xue Li activated his Divine Sense, but he soon appeared shocked. That was because he couldn’t feel Yang Kai’s aura anywhere. With a cold expression, he asked, “How far have they gone?”
“Very far,” Wu Hua replied briefly. After a pause, he knitted his brows together, “He’s no longer on this continent.”
“Impossible!” A flabbergasted Xue Li almost suspected that Wu Hua was messing with him. Anyone who wished to leave this continent would have to pass through a Territory Gate, and the nearest gate was more than a hundred thousand kilometres away from here.
In other words, Yang Kai had moved over a hundred thousand kilometres in an instant, which was inconceivable. If he was so proficient in the Dao of Space, no one in this world would be able to kill him.
However, he had to believe Wu Hua, who was the leader of the Shadow Demons. When Wu Hua targeted someone, he could feel the other party’s aura no matter how far the latter had gone. Since he said that Yang Kai was no longer on this continent, it must be the case.
[That rotten brat!] Xue Li was so exasperated that his face twisted in anger. He had never expected that even two Demon Saints working together would be unable to capture a mere boy. If he knew this would be the outcome, he would’ve taken him down when the latter was still walking around the Demon Realm in the past.
Just then, a swirl appeared on the ground as a figure slowly emerged. As dust rose in the air, the figure swiftly solidified. He was the leader of the Sand Demons, You Qiu!
After taking a look at both Xue Li and Wu Hua, he asked with a frown, “Where are they?”
“They fled,” Xue Li replied.
You Qiu was stunned, as Xue Li and Wu Hua had joined forces, and even Huang Wu Ji would have a headache if confronted by them; however, Yang Kai had managed to escape from them. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Did you see Zu Liao or Chi Yan?”
In response, Xue Li shook his head.
Both of them were also Demon Saints, but they had gone missing for about a month. Chi Yan’s continents had all disappeared while only half of Zu Liao’s continents were left. No one knew what had happened to them.
“However, we’re certain that Chang Tian, Yu Ru Meng, and Bei Li Mo have betrayed the Demon Realm!” Xue Li said through clenched teeth.
You Qiu’s pupils contracted when he heard that.
It wasn’t surprising that Chang Tian would betray them as he had always been on bad terms with the Demon Saints; however, it was truly shocking that Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo had also turned against the Demon Realm. Hence, it was no wonder that Xue Li and Wu Hua were unable to capture Yang Kai as the three of them would surely have been difficult to deal with.
“Have Zu Liao and Chi Yan also…” You Qiu frowned.
“Who knows?” Xue Li spread his palms. He didn’t understand the reason behind Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo’s betrayal, as there were no signs of it before this incident.
“We should pursue them,” Wu Hua suddenly said.
It was pointless to say anything else. As long as they could catch the traitors, the truth would be revealed.
…..
In the sky, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo were supporting Yang Kai’s weight on both sides as they flew forward.
Wu Hua’s strike had caused Yang Kai to be severely injured. All his organs seemed to have been shifted, and his meridians felt excruciatingly painful. The murderous intent of the Shadow Demon Saint seemed to have turned into countless needles that continuously tortured him. He had spent his last bit of his energy communicating with the Space Beacon just now, so he had no more energy left to use his Space Secret Techniques. Therefore, he could only let Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo lug him along.
“Where are we going?” Chang Tian asked.
Although they were safe for now, they were being chased by the Demon Saints. Wherever they went, they would never be able to get rid of them.
“Two worlds’ passage!” Yang Kai already had a plan in his mind, so he immediately replied to Chang Tian after the latter asked him the question.
Upon hearing that, Chang Tian knitted his eyebrows together, “Are you going back to the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai nodded his head. Just when he was about to explain his intentions, he realised that he didn’t have any strength to speak anymore. Left with no choice, he closed his eyes and started adjusting his breathing.
He didn’t dare to enter the Sealed World Bead. As long as he remained outside, he would still be able to activate a Space Beacon to flee at the most critical moment once he regained some energy. If he wasn’t around, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo would be doomed should they be confronted by a superior number of enemies.
Bei Li Mo turned to look at Chang Tian, who also happened to stare at her. A tinge of hesitation could be seen flashing across their eyes. Yang Kai was originally from the Star Boundary, so it was totally fine for him to go back. However, one of them was a Demon Dragon, while the other was a Demon Saint, so it was inappropriate for them to follow Yang Kai to the Star Boundary. After all, the two Great Worlds were currently at war. They might be willing to believe Yang Kai, but they were worried that the Great Emperors from the Star Boundary would use this opportunity to deal with them.
With that said, they really had nowhere else to go apart from two worlds’ passage. Their own territories had been devoured by the Small Sealed World, and it wasn’t possible for them to go to the territories of other Demon Saints. Basically, they had no other choice.
They went on to charge forward at the speed of lightning. Naturally, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo were swift, and other than Demon Saints, no one barred their path.
After passing through countless Territory Gates and continents for half a month, they arrived at a strangely tiny continent.
Rather than being a continent, it was more like an island that was floating in the Void. Compared to other continents, this one was really too small as it only had a land area of a hundred thousand square kilometres or so. Hovering in mid-air, they were able to take in the entire continent.
No Demon Saint owned such a tiny continent; however, millions of Demons had been stationed in this small place. These Demons had come from all directions to gather on this continent, from each of the Demon Saints’ territories. The reason they were here was to prepare to pass through the dark corridor that led to the Star Boundary at any moment.
This was the hub in the Demon Realm where they gathered together before heading to the Star Boundary.
Although this continent was small, it actually had thirteen Territory Gates, each one connected to a different continent in the Demon Realm to allow these Demon soldiers to martial here as quickly as possible.
Yang Kai had been here before. At that time, Yu Ru Meng led him to pass through the two worlds’ passage and arrived at this place from the Star Boundary. His journey to learn more about the Demon Realm began here.
However, presently, the continent appeared different from the time when Yang Kai saw it for the first time. The entire continent had been fragmented. It was originally a complete piece of land, but at this moment, it had broken into many islands, as though it had been struck by some powerful Divine Ability.
Even though Yang Kai was injured, he hadn’t lost his senses, so he knew they had arrived soon after they had passed through the Territory Gate. When he opened his eyes and saw what had happened to the continent, he appeared doubtful.
Bei Li Mo seemed to have seen through his thoughts and explained, “It’s Iron Blood Great Emperor’s doing.”
It was then that Yang Kai understood the reason behind this scene.
After Bright Moon lost his life in the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, a strange natural phenomenon happened in the Star Boundary’s sky. The Great Emperors saw it and understood what had happened. Yang Kai heard from Yu Ru Meng that Iron Blood Great Emperor Zhan Wu Hen had become enraged and stormed into the Two Worlds’ passage on his own. He had managed to kill countless Demons, as well as a few Half-Saints.
He must be the one who had caused this continent to break into so many islands.
Given enough time, Zhan Wu Hen had the capability to break the continent apart and make it vanish; however, at that time, Night Shadow Great Emperor Can Ye had rushed back to this place, and Iron Blood had no choice but to retreat. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Can Ye, but it was pointless to destroy the continent because the Two Worlds’ passage wouldn’t be destroyed along with it. The Star Boundary and the Demon Realm would remain connected.
Since he was done with all the killing, Zhan Wu Hen simply retreated without a fight.
“That’s the Two Worlds’ passage.” Chang Tian pointed at the front.
Certainly, Yang Kai recognized the huge dark corridor. The Demons would go from this place and pass through it to enter the Western Territory in the Star Boundary, after which they would begin raising havoc.
“Are we going now?” Chang Tian asked.
Yang Kai shook his head and turned to look at the side.
Although he had recuperated for half a month by consuming a lot of Pills, his face was still ashen. It was no laughing matter to be injured by a Demon Saint. If he didn’t treat his injury properly, he would be left with some irreversible damage to his body.
Bei Li Mo followed his gaze as her eyes brightened. After a nod, she said, “Are you going to seal off the Territory Gates? That’s a good idea.”
The Demon Realm and the Star Boundary were connected by the two worlds’ passage, and the entrance on the Demon Realm’s side was on this continent. As long as they could seal off all the Territory Gates to this continent, they would cut off the support from the other Demons.
After half a month of fleeing, Bei Li Mo had come to the realisation that she and Yang Kai were now on the same ship, so she wanted nothing more than for him to succeed. By cutting off the connection between the two Great Worlds, the Demon Saints wouldn’t be able to chase after them for a while.
On the other hand, Chang Tian scowled with a worried expression.
Knowing what was on his mind, Yang Kai said with difficulty, “It’s only temporary. I have to settle the problem inside the Small Sealed World before I can devour the rest of the Demon Realm. Senior, don’t worry. I’ll not go back on my word.”
Chang Tian had mentioned to Yang Kai that he wanted a territory that was ten times larger than Hundred Spirits Continent. Now, he had secured the territory, but the World Principles inside it left much to be desired, so it was pointless to stop now. He wouldn’t let the people of Hundred Spirits Continent live in a place where the Principles at most, allowed Demon Great Generals to be born. It would be too uncomfortable for them.
If Yang Kai stopped right now, Chang Tian’s previous effort would all go to waste. Upon hearing Yang Kai’s promise though, Chang Tian had no choice but to nod his head. Presently, his Hundred Spirits Continent had vanished, so he had no other choice but to fully support Yang Kai.
Then, Yang Kai urged them by saying, “We have to be quick. They might reach us soon.”
Hesitating no more, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo brought Yang Kai to the nearest Territory Gate.
Many Demons noticed them as soon as they arrived on the continent. After all, there were many Demon Kings around, and even some Half-Saints had been stationed here.
Right then, a Half-Saint quickly shot into the air and flew towards the Territory Gate. After taking a look at Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian, he appeared doubtful. As a Half-Saint, he certainly could recognise the leader of the Snow Demon Clan and the Lord of Hundred Spirits Continent.
However, he didn’t understand why the two of them had mingled with each other. As for the young man… If he wasn’t mistaken, he was the one who had obtained the Great Emperor’s Opportunity on Eternal Sky Continent.
The Half-Saint had joined the battle on Eternal Sky Continent as well, so he was familiar with Yang Kai. It could be said that all the Half-Saints in the Demon Realm knew who Yang Kai was.
Hovering in mid-air, the Half-Saint cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Holy Venerable Bei Li Mo, Sir.”
Although Chang Tian was as powerful as any Demon Saint, he wasn’t a Demon Saint in the end; hence, the Half-Saints would only refer to him as ‘Sir’. Nevertheless, they normally wouldn’t see Chang Tian as the latter hadn’t stepped out of Hundred Spirits Continent for the past several thousand years. It wasn’t until the battle on Eternal Sky Continent that he showed up again.
After greeting them, the Half-Saint put on a doubtful expression, “Holy Venerable, why are you here?”
Without responding to him, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo traded glances. All of a sudden, Chang Tian reached out his hand towards the Half-Saint, whose expression changed drastically as he hurriedly pushed his Demon Qi and tried to move backwards. However, he wasn’t able to retreat, and he realised that he couldn’t use his Demon Qi anymore.
In the blink of an eye, Chang Tian had managed to clench the Half-Saint’s neck and lift him a little, like he had grabbed a helpless chicken.
“Sir, what are you doing?” The Half-Saint asked with shock as he widened his eyes.
He wasn’t aware of what had happened in the Demon Realm, so he hadn’t expected that Chang Tian would make a move on him all of a sudden. Although Hundred Spirits Continent had always seemed out of place in the Demon Realm, and Chang Tian and the other Demon Saints were on bad terms, they had still coexisted peacefully.
The fact that Chang Tian was making a move here suggested that he was about to wage war against the other Demon Saints, but why was Bei Li Mo here as well then?
Ignoring the Half-Saint, Chang Tian sealed off his cultivation and passed him to Yang Kai.
Understanding his intention, Yang Kai put the Half-Saint inside the Small Sealed World. There were many Half-Saints in the Small Sealed World anyway, and he had previously captured some Half-Saints that worked under Chi Yan and Zu Liao; hence, it wouldn’t matter if one more was added.
Just then, two figures could be seen approaching them from below. They were the other Half-Saints that had been stationed here to coordinate the armies, but upon witnessing what just happened from afar, they were both flabbergasted. Then, they stopped, turned around, and disappeared into the crowd.
Although they didn’t know what had happened, they were certain that their colleague was captured by Chang Tian and had then mysteriously vanished. It would be akin to courting death if they still stepped forward. Looking up, they realised that Yang Kai had extended his hand and spread his palm at the Territory Gate.
Visible ripples could be seen spreading around as the Territory Gate became vaguer by the breath until it turned completely transparent.
If Yang Kai was still in peak condition, he would be able to seal off a Territory Gate in just one breath. Now that he had been injured, he had to spend more effort than usual. As Space Principles undulated, the Territory Gate slowly disappeared. Half a cup of tea’s time later, the Territory Gate vanished completely.
Without stopping, they headed to the next Territory Gate. It took the same amount of time for Yang Kai to seal off the second Territory Gate, though the colour had drained from his face and his past half-a-month recuperation had been completely negated. In fact, his injuries had become worse than before.
However, he had no choice but to keep going despite it being increasingly difficult to achieve his goal. There were thirteen Territory Gates on this continent, and if just one was left unsealed, it would render all his previous efforts worthless.
Fortunately, they had managed to gain quite a lead on their enemies, which should allow them time to seal off all the Territory Gates before the Demon Saints reached them. As time passed, more and more Territory Gates disappeared.
One hour later, ten out of thirteen Territory Gates had vanished. The Demons down below were now all looking up at what was going on in shock; after all, apart from a small number of Demon Kings and Half-Saints, most ordinary Demons had never imagined that someone was able to make Territory Gates disappear.
Just then, Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo suddenly turned around and looked in a particular direction. It was the Void where the two worlds’ passage was located.
Yang Kai had noticed it as well. Without the need to ask any question, he knew what was going on.
The two worlds’ passage was extremely important, so Night Shadow Great Emperor had always kept watch over this place. After such a serious incident happened, there was no way the two Half-Saints, who had retreated earlier, wouldn’t inform Can Ye.
Upon learning the news, Can Ye immediately rushed over.
As Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian stared at the huge black tunnel, a figure suddenly appeared in front of it. The person was engulfed in black Qi, and it was difficult to make out his face or even body shape. It was impossible to tell his gender by just looking at his figure.
Night Shadow Great Emperor Can Ye was the most mysterious among the ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. The other Great Emperors didn’t even know whether Can Ye was a man or a woman.
In the past, they just thought that it was Night Shadow’s temperament and Secret Art that caused him to remain mysterious; after all, most people who cultivated assassination skills always tried to remain anonymous and inconspicuous.
However, they then learned that Night Shadow had bloodline relations to the Demon Race, which was why he wouldn’t come into contact with other Great Emperors so that his secret wouldn’t be exposed.
After so many years, Night Shadow was still constantly surrounded by black Qi that obscured his figure and face. Nevertheless, both Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo were able to clearly sense the sharp gaze behind that black Qi.
Chang Tian just flashed a smile at Night Shadow Great Emperor without uttering a word.
Supposedly, Can Ye still wasn’t aware of what had happened in the Demon Realm; otherwise, he would’ve been prepared ahead of time. However, what Yang Kai and the others were doing was now suspicious, which was why Can Ye was able to tell that they were enemies.
As Can Ye watched Yang Kai sealing off the eleventh Territory Gate, he didn’t make a move. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stop him, but he was unable to do so.
Can Ye was only one person, so he was unable to confront Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian. Furthermore, Yang Kai had also released Yu Ru Meng. Previously, she had expended most of her Spiritual Energy, which was why she had become somewhat weak. After recuperating for half a month though, even though she hadn’t restored all of her strength yet, she was in a better state than Yang Kai.
Basically, it was three against one. Can Ye wasn’t a fool, so he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
Twelfth Territory Gate, thirteenth Territory Gate… Soon all the Territory Gates had been sealed off, yet Can Ye still hadn’t made a move.
Yang Kai let out a long breath as he finally managed to seal off all the Territory Gates before the Demon Saints reached them. Since that was the case, he had eliminated the biggest potential danger. With his mind at ease, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood and fell into Yu Ru Meng’s embrace before he said gently to her, “We need to head to the Star Boundary.”
Using his last bit of energy, he disappeared into the Small Sealed World and fell into the medicine garden before passing out. That was because he had expended most of his energy and had aggravated his previous injuries.
With the Sealed World Bead in hand, Yu Ru Meng slipped it into a pocket that was close to her chest before she turned to look at the two worlds’ passage, only to see that Can Ye had disappeared.
“He fled,” Chang Tian snorted. Before the last Territory Gate was sealed off, Can Ye had disappeared from the spot. Certainly, he knew that he would be confronted by the equivalent of three Saints if he didn’t flee. There was no way he would do such a foolish thing.
After taking a look at both Yu Ru Meng and Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo asked, “What should we do now? Are we really going to the Star Boundary?”
She was somewhat worried. The Star Boundary wasn’t like the Demon Realm. No one knew what would happen to them if they went over.
While Chang Tian fell silent, Yu Ru Meng replied in a steadfast manner, “I don’t care what both of you think. Since my husband has told me to go to the Star Boundary, I’m going to do just that.”
After she finished speaking, she directly charged towards the entrance of the passage, the huge Void Corridor.
“Husband…” The corners of Bei Li Mo’s brow twitched as she stared at Yu Ru Meng’s figure. It had never crossed her mind that a Demon Saint would call a man ‘Husband’. Was Yang Kai really such a fine man? Not only had Yu Ru Meng lost her innocence to him, but she had also fallen head over heels for him.
“Let’s go.” Chang Tian heaved a sigh. There was nowhere else they could stay in the Demon Realm. Apart from placing their hopes on Yang Kai, they had no other choice.
Soon, the three of them gathered together and rushed into the huge Void Corridor as they moved forward.
Although they were inside a Void Corridor, they were still positioned in a triangle as they were wary of Can Ye. Despite the fact that Can Ye had retreated, no one knew whether he would be hiding somewhere nearby. He had the blood of a Shadow Demon in him and was a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, so it was naturally difficult to deal with him.
Fortunately, even after they saw the light at the end of the passage, Can Ye was nowhere to be found. The light became brighter as they got closer to the exit.
Soon, the trio stepped out of the Void Corridor and arrived at a desert in the Western Territory. In front of them was the base of the Demon Realm army, where powerful auras could be felt everywhere. Although there were no Demon Saints here, there were a lot of Half-Saints.
Sensing the three’s grand auras appear, more than ten figures shot out of the base, but when these Half-Saints arrived, they realised that no one could be seen. Hence, they traded glances in puzzlement.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai was lying on the ground in the medicine garden. Mu Zhu was seated beside Yang Kai’s head, while Mu Lu was seated beside his feet. Both of them performed hand seals as Yang Kai was engulfed in green light.
In fact, it wasn’t the first time such an incident happened. Previously, Yang Kai did the same after his battle with Yin Si. It hadn’t even been two years since that fight, but he had to come to the medicine garden with a battered body again, requiring their treatment.
With a cold expression, Mu Zhu muttered in frustration. No one would be pleased with a man who didn’t even treasure his own life. Although the Embodiment had explained to them that it was an unexpected event and that Yang Kai was injured by the leader of the Shadow Demon Clan, Mu Zhu was still incensed.
Since Mu Zhu was blowing her top, the usually gentle Mu Lu had to play along with her.
Certainly, the Embodiment had to put in a good word for Yang Kai as he kept persuading the two Wood Spirits until they no longer appeared so grim.
More than ten days later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. In fact, he had awakened earlier as although he was injured by a Demon Saint, it wasn’t as severe as his previous battle with Yin Si where he had risked his life in an attempt to kill him. Despite the fact that he had awakened, he still had to heal his injuries, so he simply began cooperating with the Wood Spirits’ to increase his recovery rate.
When he sat up and saw Mu Zhu hovering in front of him, he flashed a smile at her, but before he managed to thank her, she snorted and turned away.
She had decided to ignore him, but she didn’t stop what she was doing as Yang Kai was still engulfed in the green light.
Yang Kai scratched his cheek before turning to look at Mu Lu.
Mu Lu hesitated for a bit, but when she saw her big sister glaring at her, she quickly snorted and jerked her head to the side as well.
Appearing to be puzzled, Yang Kai batted his eyes. Then, he spoke to the Embodiment via Divine Sense and soon understood what happened. After that, he balled up his fist and coughed into it before saying, “There’s some good news. Do you want to hear them?”
Mu Lu immediately turned to look at him with widened eyes as she was curious.
“We’re back in the Star Boundary,” Yang Kai looked smilingly at her.
Mu Lu was startled for a moment before she became elated, “Are you serious? Are we really back in Star Boundary?”
No longer incensed, Mu Zhu gazed at Yang Kai and asked, “Have we really returned to Star Boundary?”
They had always stayed in the Small Sealed World, but since Yang Kai was in the Demon Realm, it meant that they were in the same place as well. Hence, upon learning that they were back in the Star Boundary, they could barely contain their excitement.
Upon making sure that Yang Kai had really returned to the Star Boundary, Mu Zhu put on a milder expression while an elated Mu Lu cheered. Yang Kai extended his hand and stroked Mu Lu’s head, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
In an instant, Mu Lu narrowed her eyes as she seemed to be enjoying his touch. On the side, Mu Zhu heaved a sigh, “Although you’re our Master, we’re actually much older than you are. So, stop treating us like children… What are you doing?”
Yang Kai stroked her head with his other hand, “Thanks for your help too.”
At that instant, Mu Zhu fell silent. With his legs crossed, Yang Kai adjusted his breathing for a while before leaving the Small Sealed World.
When he appeared, three people could be seen turning to look at him. They were Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian. Seeing him, Yu Ru Meng quickly asked, “Are you alright?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’m fine.”
A worried Yu Ru Meng directly took his hand and infused some of her Demon Qi into his body to check on his condition. Upon making sure that he was indeed alright, she finally relaxed. To the side, Bei Li Mo sneered, “It seems that it’s really hard to get you killed, but you will not always be this lucky. Be careful next time.”
In a good mood, Yang Kai nodded and took a deep breath. He was finally back in the Star Boundary. It had been five years since he ‘betrayed’ the Star Boundary and followed Yu Ru Meng to the Demon Realm. The war between the two worlds had been ongoing for five years as well, and countless people had lost their lives on both sides; however, judging from the current state of affairs, the war was just getting started.
Whatever the case, he felt joyful to be back in the Star Boundary. Although he had gone through demonification, he was fundamentally still a Human. Hence, he wasn’t fond of a place like the Demon Realm as the Star Boundary was still his home. Over here, there were his family, friends, and his Sect. This kind of connection could never be broken off.
The place that Chang Tian and the others had been staying was covered in rocks and all the trees had withered. Basically, there was no greenery at all. Some traces of battle could still be seen, but it must have happened a long time ago. Judging from the remains, the war seemed to be a large-scale one.
The wind made the sand rise into the air, which blocked their vision. The scorching Sun made the air feel sultry. This place was supposed to be somewhere in the Western Territory, and it wasn’t far away from the Demon Realm’s base. After arriving in the Star Boundary, Chang Tian and the others didn’t go far. They just left the base and decided to stay in this place.
“What’s your plan?” Chang Tian stared at Yang Kai and asked.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I’ll settle the problem in the Small Sealed World first. Then, I’ll gather all the forces of the Star Boundary and come up with a comprehensive plan before we continue devouring the Demon Realm.”
Chang Tian didn’t respond to him.
“However, I need all of you to assist me.”
It was then Chang Tian said, “Things have come to a point that there’s no turning back. We’ll certainly lend a hand.”
A grateful Yang Kai replied, “Many thanks. Please follow me to meet the Great Emperors, then we’ll have a proper discussion.”
A smiling Chang Tian shook his head, “I’m afraid we can’t do that.”
Yang Kai frowned and asked doubtfully, “Why?”
“We’re from the Demon Race, after all. Now, both Great Worlds are at war with each other. If we follow you to meet the Great Emperors, no one can be sure what will happen.” Seeing as Yang Kai was about to speak, Chang Tian lifted his hand to stop him, “I trust you, but it doesn’t mean that I can trust the Great Emperors. Why don’t you ask Holy Venerable Ru Meng and Holy Venerable Li Mo what they think?”
Yang Kai turned to look at them and saw Bei Li Mo nodding with a solemn expression. Although Yu Ru Meng didn’t utter a word, her expression suggested that she was worried as well.
“Bright Moon was trapped in Eternal Sky Continent and lost his life in the end. We don’t want to end up like him.”
With a frown, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. It was totally understandable that Chang Tian and the others had such a worry. He had never thought about this issue, and he just felt that there was nothing wrong with his plan. Upon hearing what Chang Tian had said, however, he realised that he had been overly confident.
What if the Great Emperors wanted to kill these three upon seeing them? What if things would not turn out like what he had expected? Although the Great Emperors were all rational and sensible people, they still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Bright Moon was killed. Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo had joined the battle on Eternal Sky Continent, so even though they didn’t directly harm Bright Moon, they had supported the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array. Hence, they had something to do with the death of Bright Moon.
“Senior, how do you think we can solve this issue?” Yang Kai asked.
Chang Tian replied, “While you were recuperating, we had a discussion and came up with a temporary solution. Why don’t you listen to it and see whether it’ll work?”
“Please.” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
“Your plan will not change, so you can go about it with a free hand.” Chang Tian then drew a circle, which included Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo in it, “The three of us will stay here. Apart from that, some of the Demons in your Small Sealed World have to stay here as well.”
“How many do you need?”
“All those above the Demon King realm at least,” Chang Tian replied.
Yang Kai nodded. Over the past six months, the Small Sealed World had devoured more than a hundred continents of the Demon Realm, and billions were living on these continents; however, if only Demon Kings and above were counted, there were only several thousand of them.
With that said, it was still a horrifying number. A Demon King was equivalent to an Emperor Realm Master, so thousands of Demon Kings were a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, there were also some Half-Saints.
“Senior, why do you need them?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
After giving it a thought, Chang Tian replied with a smile, “I’ll be honest with you. We’re fairly powerful ourselves, so we’re not afraid of the Great Emperors one on one; however, there are only three of us. Now that we’ve lost support from the Demon Realm, we have to have some people with us should anything happen on your side.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai finally understood the reason behind it. Chang Tian wanted those Demon Kings and Half-Saints because he was wary of the Great Emperors.
“This is only one of the reasons,” Chang Tian went on to say, “As for the second reason…”
He pointed in a particular direction, “The Demons’ base is just over there. All of us are Demons, so we don’t intend to slaughter them; however, we can try to subdue them. Of course, it would be inappropriate for us to act personally, which is why we can let those Demon Kings and Half-Saints do it on our behalf.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened when he heard that. Before coming to this place, he had seen that tens of millions of Demons had gathered on that tiny continent. Including those that had invaded the Star Boundary, there were probably more than a hundred million Demons around here.
It would take those from the Star Boundary forever to kill so many Demons. However, if Chang Tian and the others were able to subdue those Demons, it meant that they could weaken the power of the Demon Realm around here.
These hundred million Demons didn’t have the support of any Demon Saint as only Night Shadow Great Emperor was keeping watch over them. It could be said that as long as Chang Tian and the others made a move, they could easily subdue the Demon soldiers without shedding any blood.
Since this was an amazing solution, there was no reason for Yang Kai to reject; hence, he hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng seemed to agree with Chang Tian. Apparently, they had had a proper discussion while Yang Kai was recuperating. All three of them thought that this was the best plan at the moment.
“You will have a discussion with the Great Emperors and help us inform them that we and our subordinates will not make things difficult for the Star Boundary. We’ll even assist them when they advance against the Demon Realm. In return, we hope that we’ll have a place to stay after everything is settled.”
“I’ll remember to pass on your words,” Yang Kai nodded seriously.
With nothing else to say, Yang Kai communicated with the Small Sealed World and investigated all the land with his powerful Divine Sense. After that, he summoned all the Demons that met the requirement.
In just a short moment, the space in front of them was filled with Demon Kings.
Just like what he had estimated, there were a few thousand Demon Kings who were all the subordinates of Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo, so they were all respectful of the two Holy Venerables upon seeing them.
He had also summoned the Demon Kings that worked under Chi Yan and Zu Liao. It was useless for them to stay in the Small Sealed World, so he believed that he could pass these people to Chang Tian and the others to be disciplined. With Chang Tian and the other Demon Saints around, these Demon Kings wouldn’t dare to play any tricks.
There were also the top Masters from Hundred Spirits Continent who had the bloodlines of Divine Spirits.
Apart from the Demon Kings, the rest were all Half-Saints. They were indeed a formidable force.
Eight Half-Saints worked under Yu Ru Meng and twelve Half-Saints that were under Bei Li Mo’s wing. Apart from that, Chang Tian had nine Half-Saints. Chi Yan and Zu Liao had six and two Half-Saints respectively. Including one more that had been captured at the two worlds’ passage more than ten days ago, there were thirty-eight Half-Saints here in total.
That was close to a quarter of the Half-Saints in the entire Demon Realm.
Although there were fewer of them compared to the Demon Kings, they were all top cultivators. Despite the fact that they were not powerful enough to conquer the entire Star Boundary, they had enough strength to protect themselves. That was the reason Chang Tian and the others wanted these Demons to stay.
If the Great Emperors decided to act against them, they would have the power to resist at the very least.
The eight Half-Saints that worked under Chi Yan and Zu Lian and the one who had been captured earlier were not considered their own people, so their cultivation had been sealed temporarily. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be difficult for Chang Tian and the others to make them submit.
After Yang Kai was done with this, he felt exhausted as he had expended a lot of Spiritual Energy. Hence, he went somewhere else on his own to adjust his breathing. When he opened his eyes a few hours later, he realised that Yu Ru Meng had been watching over him from the side. Seeing as he had awakened, she flashed a smile at him.
Ten kilometres away, Demon Qi could be seen filling the sky. It was a magnificent sight that a few thousand Demon Kings and thirty-eight Half-Saints had gathered together. Although there were many of them, they were extremely quiet as only Chang Tian’s voice reverberated.
After their initial confusion diminished, those Demon Kings and Half-Saints calmed themselves down. Upon hearing Chang Tian’s explanation, they understood what they should do for their future.
Yang Kai silently listened to him for a while before he said with a smile, “Please take care of this place.”
Yu Ru Meng gently shook her head, “Just leave it to us. It’s you who must be careful; after all, you’re a little different from others in this world now.”
Yang Kai understood what she was talking about. He had gone through demonification, so it was natural she would be worried that the Great Emperors would slay a Demon like him on sight.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “En, I’ll be careful.”
Then, Yu Ru Meng went on to tell him what he should take note of like a good wife seeing her husband go off to war. At this moment, she didn’t look like an authoritative Demon Saint but a worried woman who was reluctant to see her man go.
Yang Kai just looked smilingly at her and memorized everything she was saying.
“Are you done yet?” Bei Li Mo snickered from nearby. Initially, she was looking up at the stars, but she eventually couldn’t help but to turn around and mock her, “If you don’t want to part with him, why don’t you just go with him?”
Yu Ru Meng shot her a glare, “No one will mistake you for mute even if you don’t speak!”
Certainly, she wanted to go with Yang Kai, but she couldn’t.
Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo were wary of the Great Emperors, but Yu Ru Meng was distrustful of these two instead. If both Yang Kai and her left this place, no one could be sure whether these two, who had just obtained thousands of Demon Kings and several dozen Half-Saints, would suddenly change their minds. If Yu Ru Meng stayed here, she could watch over them and make sure that they wouldn’t betray Yang Kai. She was especially wary of Bei Li Mo because Yang Kai had planted a Soul Imprint in her Knowledge Sea. If she didn’t keep watch on Bei Li Mo, the latter might attempt to break it.
She didn’t tell Yang Kai about the worry on her mind because she didn’t have to explicitly explain everything to him.
Nevertheless, Bei Li Mo didn’t have to make a complaint anymore because Yu Ru Meng had said everything she wanted to say. In the end, she heaved a sigh and clapped her hands.
Following that, two figures quickly approached them. Upon closer look, Yang Kai realised that they were his old friends, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya.
One of them was a Half-Saint that worked under Yu Ru Meng, and the other was a Half-Saint that was under Bei Li Mo’s wing. Both of them had had some close contact with Yang Kai previously.
In fact, Bai Zhuo was supposed to be on the battlefield between the two Great Worlds; however, when Yang Kai was ready to devour all of Yu Ru Meng’s continents, he received orders to return.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai nodded at them before turning to look at Yu Ru Meng with an inquisitive expression.
Yu Ru Meng explained, “I want you to take them with you so that I feel less worried.”
“It’s not necessary.” Yang Kai burst into laughter, “I have Zhui Feng and my Embodiment.”
“That’s different.” Yu Ru Meng shook her head, “I’ve stayed in the Star Boundary before, so I know it’s not as peaceful as it seems here. If anything happens to you, they will be able to help you.”
It was an understatement to say that they were just helpers as both of them were Half-Saints. Unless the Great Emperors decided to make a move on Yang Kai, basically no one else could harm him.
Bei Li Mo played along with her by saying, “Don’t leave if you’re not bringing them with you. You’re the key to our futures now. What should we do if anything happens to you?”
There was no turning back for them since they had pinned all their hopes on Yang Kai, which was why they had to ensure his safety at all costs.
Since both Demon Saints had spoken, Yang Kai knew that it was also Chang Tian’s intention; hence, there was no way he could reject them. Left with no other choice, he nodded, “En. I’ll bring them with me.”
Yu Ru Meng nodded before turning around, her alluring face turning solemn all of a sudden as she spoke, “The two of you must follow my Husband and protect him at all times. If anything happens to him, your heads will roll!”
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya cupped their fists and replied solemnly, “Rest assured, Holy Venerables, we will protect Senior Yang at all costs.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fist at them.
“It’s our duty,” They quickly saluted him.
When the two Half-Saints came into contact with Yang Kai in the past, they would refer to him as Brother Yang, as if they were from the same generation; however, since Yu Ru Meng had called him ‘Husband’ right in front of them, they wouldn’t dare to cross the line by calling him ‘Brother Yang’.
Just then, Chang Tian came over. Before he even arrived, he could be heard saying, “Get going if you’re ready. We can only set our minds at ease when things are settled.”
Since there was nothing Yang Kai had to prepare, he immediately put Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo inside the Small Sealed World. After bidding the others farewell, he directly shot into the sky. Under the Starry Sky, he turned into a beam of light and headed South.
Watching him leave, Yu Ru Meng heaved a sigh.
Bei Li Mo shot her a look and sneered, “Why do you look like an abandoned housewife? Are you that reluctant to see him go?”
Surprisingly, Yu Ru Meng didn’t rebuke her this time. After Yang Kai was out of sight, she simply turned around and left, making Bei Li Mo feel like she had just punched at a pile of cotton.
…..
Inside the Small Sealed World, a hundred kilometres away from the three peaks that were arrayed like a triangle, there was a mountain on which trees had grown densely. On a huge tree branch, a curvy figure was lying on her side, appearing to be enjoying herself as she swung her long and slender legs. There was an arrow that was over a meter long in her hand which she was polishing with her Demon Qi.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared just steps away from her.
Bo Ya reacted swiftly as she no longer appeared languid. Leaping off the branch, she put the arrow in her hand away and summoned out a razor-sharp dagger. Grasping the dagger in reverse, she attempted to stab the person in front of her.
However, the next moment, she stopped what she was doing as her dagger was just three centimetres away from the newcomer. After letting out a long breath, she patted her plump bosom and said, “You freaked me out. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Still reeling from the shock, she could feel her chest heaving.
The person was none other than Yang Kai, as he was the only one who was able to abruptly appear in this place.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “You’re quite vigilant.”
Bo Ya snorted, “I’ve always been on my own. If I didn’t stay vigilant, I would’ve lost my life by now.” As she spoke, she examined him and appeared to be in doubt, “Your figure… Are you dead?”
“It’s just a projection,” Yang Kai replied.
He was still travelling in the outside world, so he had just sent a projection into the Small Sealed World using his Divine Sense. He was now a High-Rank Demon King and his Divine Sense was just as powerful as that of a Half-Saint, which was why he didn’t find it difficult to multitask.
The Divine Sense’s projection appeared slightly translucent, which was why Bo Ya thought that something had happened to Yang Kai and he was only left with a Soul Avatar now. Previously, after Bo Ya risked her life to ward off a fatal attack for Yang Kai on Eternal Sky Continent, they returned to Cloud Shadow Continent and then he had returned the Soul Puppet to her. Hence, even if anything happened to Yang Kai now, Bo Ya wouldn’t be affected.
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai turned to look at the peaks that were a hundred kilometres away before asking, “Is everything fine over there?”
Bo Ya replied, “They’re fine. They’re actually getting along quite well now.”
Myriad Flowers Valley was located a hundred kilometres away. On Li Shi Qing’s own peak, there was a long table, on which delicacies and jars of wine had been set. Huo Lun, Mo Sheng, and Li Shi Qing were seated on three sides of the table as they were having a good laugh.
Chang Tian wanted all the top cultivators in the Small Sealed World that were Demon Kings and above, and Yang Kai had granted his wish, with the exception of Mo Sheng and Huo Lun, who were in Myriad Flowers Valley. Naturally, he let them stay because of Li Shi Qing.
It was apparent that they were indeed getting along well. Although it wasn’t certain what they were talking about, they all appeared joyful.
“Have you found out Mo Sheng’s background?” Yang Kai asked.
Bo Ya replied, “En. He’s just an unconventional Demon King from Deep Frost Continent. He’s fairly powerful as he’s a High-Rank Demon King, but due to the fact that he’s haughty, he’s disliked by the other Demon Kings and the Half-Saint there. Although he had worked under that Half-Saint for a while, he eventually left the continent and became an independent and unrestrained cultivator like me.”
She paused for a moment and added, “By the way, Deep Frost Continent was part of Bei Li Mo’s territory.”
Yang Ki nodded slightly and replied dispassionately, “Do you think he intentionally approached Li Shi Qing? Or was it a coincidence?”
It was just a random question as he didn’t really suspect anything. The main issue was that not long after Li Shi Qing settled down in Myriad Flowers Valley, Mo Sheng happened to come over and save her from danger. In the end, he had even started living in the valley, which caused Yang Kai to be concerned.
“I think it was a coincidence,” Bo Ya replied. Yang Kai had asked her the same question before, which was why she had paid more attention to Mo Sheng. During this period of time, Mo Sheng didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives. The three of them would gather every month or so to drink and eat, but normally, they were busy with their own business.
Yang Kai nodded and stopped talking as he observed them in silence. Although Bo Ya was able to look at what was going on a hundred kilometres away using her Eye Secret Technique, she was unable to hear what they were saying.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was able to see and hear everything. As long as he wanted to spy on someone, no one in the Small Sealed World could escape his senses.
At this moment, Huo Lun was asking Mo Sheng some questions regarding cultivation. Mo Sheng didn’t hide anything from him as he told him about his insights and experiences, which prompted Huo Lun to fall into a deep contemplation as he had truly gained something from his new friend.
Li Shi Qing listened on the side, giving some remarks from time to time. All her remarks were insightful, so Mo Sheng couldn’t help but praise her. In the end, she was a Great Emperor’s Disciple, so she had received the best training possible since young, which was why she was able to provide useful insights when it came to cultivation. Although Humans and Demons were different, they shared the same goal of pursuing the peak of the Martial Dao.
After a discussion, Mo Sheng agreed to Huo Lun’s request to have a friendly spar.
There was a difference of two Minor Realms between the two Demons as one of them was a High-Rank Demon King while the other was a Low-Rank Demon King. Supposedly, there was a huge gap between their powers, but presently, the World Principles in the Small Sealed World only allowed the existence of a power that was equivalent to the Dao Source Realm. Hence, even though Mo Sheng was powerful, he couldn’t fully use his strength, and it could be considered a fair match.
There was nothing special about the fight. Eventually, Mo Sheng won the battle, and Huo Lun admitted defeat.
Half a day later, they bid Li Shi Qing farewell and left the place.
When Li Shi Qing was done cleaning up the table and returned to her cabin, she suddenly stopped smiling as her expression turned cold. Following that, she whirled around in an attempt to leave.
Right then though, the door slammed shut. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open the door. Feeling aggrieved, she turned around and glowered at Yang Kai, who was seated in the living hall, “What do you want?”
Yang Kai stared at her and said impassively, “I’ve returned to the Star Boundary.”
Li Shi Qing batted her eyes as though she couldn’t be certain what he had just said. A moment later, she recovered from her shock and asked, “You’re back in the Star Boundary?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded, “You’ll be able to leave this place soon.”
Unlike what he had expected, Li Shi Qing didn’t appear elated; instead, she fell silent for a moment before she lifted her head and looked at him with a conflicted gaze, “Aren’t you worried that I’ll tell my Honoured Master what I saw that day?”
Previously, the reason Li Shi Qing wanted to kill Yang Kai on Cloud Shadow Continent was because she had seen Bright Moon Great Emperor die by his hand. Witnessing such a sight had pushed her to seek revenge for the Great Emperor’s death. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made a move on Yang Kai.
Later on, she figured out that with or without Yang Kai, Bright Moon was destined to lose his life in that kind of situation. Perhaps he had even intentionally asked for death to save the Great Emperor’s Opportunity. Whatever the case, it was an irrefutable fact that he was killed by Yang Kai.
Therefore, whenever she saw him, she would recall the sight where Bright Moon lost his life. That was why after Cloud Shadow Continent was devoured, she left the palace and came to this place on her own to stay away from Yang Kai.
She thought that by not seeing Yang Kai forever, she wouldn’t have to be put in a tight spot. However, she wasn’t aware that she had always been under his surveillance.
If she was able to return to the Star Boundary and see her Honoured Master, there was no way she would hide what she had seen on that day. She would definitely tell her Master everything. It was an unforgivable crime to have killed a Great Emperor. She wondered how those from the Star Boundary would punish Yang Kai upon learning what he had done.
Since the Great Emperor War that took place twenty thousand years ago, no Great Emperor had lost their life. Bright Moon was the first one since that war, and he was the only Great Emperor that had ever been killed by an Emperor Realm Master.
As if he didn’t hear what she just said, Yang Kai simply said, “I’ll release you when I meet Senior Flower Shadow so that both of you can reunite.”
Li Shi Qing said through clenched teeth, “When I meet my Honoured Master, I’ll tell her everything I saw on that day.”
Yang Kai nodded as he had never intended to conceal what had happened during the battle on Eternal Sky Continent. Even if Li Shi Qing didn’t expose it, he would personally tell the Great Emperors what had happened. As his figure became blurred, he went on to say, “By the way, be careful of Mo Sheng. I have a feeling that there’s something off about him.”
He wasn’t trying to scare her or sow discord between them as it was just a feeling. Theoretically, in this Small Sealed World, Yang Kai could even find out what was on Mo Sheng’s mind if he wanted; however, based on his observation and Bo Ya’s report, it was certain that there was nothing wrong with Mo Sheng’s background.
However, he just had this feeling that could be said to be unfounded. In that case, he thought he should warn Li Shi Qing about it. It was fine even if he was wrong, he just wanted her to be more vigilant.
Upon hearing that, Li Shi Qing was startled. Just when she was about to ask him about it, his figure became transparent and then disappeared.
Staring at the spot where Yang Kai once sat, Li Shi Qing gritted her teeth and cursed.
The crescent moon hung high above the sky as countless stars could be seen twinkling. Under the night sky, Yang Kai flew forward like a falling star.
At this moment, he felt completely at ease. He had been in the Star Boundary for many years as his cultivation rose from the Origin King Realm to the Emperor Realm here. He had also made many new friends here. Besides that, he had even founded High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory and fetched all his relatives and friends over from the Lower Star Field. It could be said that the Star Boundary was his home.
However, he had never felt more relaxed than he was on this day.
It was a feeling he immediately got after he exited the Small Sealed World. Returning to the Star Boundary was like returning to his homeland and his mother’s embrace. The view, air, and world principles in this place… everything felt so amiable to him.
It wasn’t simply a feeling one would get when he returned to his home after venturing into the outside world for a long time. This homecoming might be one of the reasons he felt as such, but the Great Emperor’s Opportunity was the primary cause.
Yang Kai had obtained the acknowledgement of the Star Boundary itself! The entire world seemed to have opened up to him and embraced him. It was like a tiger that had returned to the mountain or a Dragon that had plunged into the ocean.
This made him feel extremely at ease, and he couldn’t help but start humming a song. As his figure shot forward across the sky, his humming seemingly reverberated in his surroundings.
He didn’t just feel relaxed. When he tried to sit down with his legs crossed to restore his energy some time ago, he realised that something had become different. As soon as he circulated his Secret Art, the World Energy seemed to penetrate his body like swallows returning to their nests. His efficiency at cultivation had increased manifold.
The acknowledgement from the Star Boundary allowed him to significantly increase the speed of absorbing World Energy. It went to show how amazing the Great Emperor’s Opportunity was, and perhaps there were more benefits that had yet to be discovered.
Since he was back in the Star Boundary, he could use his Space Beacon and meet those dearest to him in an instant. The reason he decided to fly back home was to experience this kind of feeling as well as to examine the current situation in the Star Boundary.
However, when he thought about the fact that the reason he had obtained these benefits was that he had killed a Great Emperor, he felt crestfallen. In the end, he failed in his attempt to bring Bright Moon Great Emperor back from the Demon Realm. Recalling Lan Xun’s gaze, which seemed to be pleading with him, when he left the Star Boundary, he felt utterly helpless.
[How am I supposed to face her now?]
While he was in a dazed state, he suddenly stopped flying and turned around, only to hear some sounds of a scuffle and feel the fallout of battle that was coming from a place not far away. In an instant, he realised that Demons and Humans were fighting nearby.
Without hesitation, he immediately flew over to that place.
Atop a desert expanse that was five hundred kilometres away, more than a thousand people were locked in battle. Thirty percent of them were Humans while seventy percent of them were Demons. In a radius of ten kilometres around the battlefield, the lights of artifacts and Secret Techniques could be seen flashing, illuminating the darkness. As Demon Qi undulated and swirled around, the Demons fought fiercely, fully intent on annihilating all of their enemies.
The Humans had been besieged as the Demons had gained the upper hand because of differences in numbers. There were also two Demon Kings that were in charge of their side, which was why everything was well under their control. On the other hand, there was only one injured Emperor Realm Master on the Humans’ side. Although the Humans were united, their defence circle was still shrinking slowly.
Nevertheless, all the Humans appeared determined and unafraid of death.
That was because they knew that if they fell into the Demons’ hands, they would end up in a more miserable state than death. Since they had been besieged, they had no other choice but to fight until the end.
Many corpses, both Humans and Demons, were seen strewn across the ground. A quick comparison showed that more Humans had lost their lives. The ground had been dyed red because of the blood.
These Humans came from multiple different Sects. Years of war had made them all become ferocious and they took up practised formations with their backs pressed against one another, obstinately resistant.
On the other hand, the Demons that had surrounded the Humans kept circling around as though they had turned into a grinder, while the Humans were like soybeans that were being crushed. If they were not careful, they would be ground into dust at any moment.
More and more Humans lost their lives, and new wounds could be seen forming on the only Emperor Realm Master’s body. He was horrendously drenched in blood, and his aura was clearly unsteady.
Meanwhile, the two Demon Kings appeared to be calm and collected. Instead of getting involved in the war, they were hovering in mid-air as they playfully watched this fight where there was a huge gap in power between the two sides. A Sand Demon was even licentiously sweeping a glance over a few beautiful and curvy women as he licked his lips from time to time.
He was especially fond of one Human woman, whose power was equivalent to that of a High-Rank Demon Great General. That was because she had a mature air and a particularly outstanding figure, just to his liking.
It had been many years since the invasion of the Star Boundary began, and the Demons had captured many Humans during this time. The salacious Demons had had a taste of many Human beauties, and this Demon King was one of them. His biggest hobby was collecting all sorts of beautiful Human women for him to have fun with. Unlike the forward, almost aggressive Demon women, Human girls were generally reserved and sheepish. Whenever he saw these girls, who were trapped under his shadow, screaming but unable to resist him, he would be completely aroused.
Certainly, those Human girls that had been violated would end up in a horrible state. Their corpses would mostly be dismembered. Whenever the Demon King bedded them, he loved to slowly bite off their flesh, chew it and gulp it down. He could never forget the delicious taste in his mouth.
As he watched the mature and beautiful woman, who was already drenched in sweat, wielding her sword, he felt his blood boiling and concentrate towards his nether region.
Knowing what his colleague was like, the Demon King beside him shot him a look and then followed his gaze. When he saw the mature and beautiful woman, he snorted, “She’s from Ice Heart Valley.”
Upon hearing that, the Sand Demon was startled, “She’s from Ice Heart Valley?”
Ice Heart Valley was one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, and they had made significant contributions in the Two Worlds’ Great War. Women from that Sect could be seen in essentially every large-scale battle. Many Demons had suffered grievously because of them, which was why many Demon Kings were aware of Ice Heart Valley.
Besides Ice Heart Valley, they also knew a thing or two about most of the top Sects in the Star Boundary; after all, the war had been ongoing for many years, so there was no way they had no idea about their enemies’ backgrounds at all.
“She’s using Ice Principles, and she’s a woman. Also, judging from her clothes, I’m sure she’s from Ice Heart Valley,” the Demon King replied. It seemed that he knew more about the great forces in the Star Boundary than his Sand Demon compatriot.
Upon hearing that, the Sand Demon was startled for a moment before he started chuckling hoarsely. It seemed that he was in an even better mood now. A long time later, he stopped laughing and nodded slowly. At the same time, he stroked his face and said, “Good, good, very good!”
There was a hideous scar that looked like a huge centipede crawling across his face. It wasn’t certain how long the scar had been there, but it still hadn’t fully healed. From time to time, a cold aura would pulse from that scar. At that instant, the image of a woman, whose expression was like unmelting ice, sprang into his mind.
In one of the large-scale battles he previously fought in, that woman had descended from the sky and slashed at him with her sword. In an instant, three of the four Demon Kings in his group lost their lives on the spot. He was the lucky one as he immediately pretended to be dead, thus allowing him to escape from death’s door.
After that, he asked around and heard from the other Demon Kings that the woman, who had killed three Demon Kings with one strike, was called Ji Yao, and she was from Ice Heart Valley. She was also the Third Disciple of the Ancestral Founder of Ice Heart Valley, Bing Yun.
Initially, he had been considered quite the handsome Demon King, but since he got this scar, all he was left with was a hideous face.
He had never forgotten about what had been done to him as he was determined to get even with that woman one day. He would definitely capture Ji Yao and pin her down before making her beg for his mercy. While she was going through excruciating pain, he would bite off her flesh until she became nothing but bone.