Ten breaths later, Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing were still waiting patiently.
Half a cup of tea’s time later, the ladies were still waiting at the same spot.
One hour later, just when Bian Yu Qing’s patience was running out, a person was seen coming over rapidly. When the person came near and revealed his face, the ladies realised that he was none other than Yao Si.
Seeing that he really returned, Bian Yu Qing was finally able to set her mind at ease. At the same time, she shot an admiring look at Hua Qing Si.
With his hands behind his back, Yao Si let his clothes sway with the wind. Suppressing his fury and frustration, he tried his hardest to say in a calm voice, “I’ll take on the position as Adjutant. Tell him that I’ll come to High Heaven Palace and assume my post in three days!”
“Adjutant Yao, with you in charge, I’m sure the Sixty-First Army will grow to be a formidable force that the Demons will tremble in fear of,” Hua Qing Si put on a smile and saluted him in an elegant manner.
“Hmph!” With his fury burning him from the inside out, Yao Si turned around and flew away. This time, he really left.
After he was out of sight, Hua Qing Si patted her own plump bosom and let out a long breath. Over the past hour, she had more than once thought that she had misjudged the situation. Fortunately, Yao Si didn’t go back on his word.
“Sister Hua, were you sure he would come back?” Bian Yu Qing asked.
Hua Qing Si forced a smile, “I wasn’t. However, I think that even if he doesn’t care about his own reputation, he can’t possibly embarrass the Serene Soul Palace and Serene Soul Great Emperor. He has to take his Sect and the Great Emperor into consideration.”
She hadn’t come into contact with Yao Si much, but judging from what she had seen of his behaviour today, it was apparent that he wasn’t a pedantic person who stuck strictly to the rules. He was probably someone who would do anything to obtain victory as long as his tactics were not immoral. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone like him would go back on his word; however, just like what Hua Qing Si had said, even if Yao Si didn’t care about his own reputation, he had to protect the reputation of the Great Emperor and Serene Soul Palace, which was why he had to come back.
Before the Sixty-First Army was even built, they had recruited a powerful Adjutant who came from a noble background. Even if Yao Si wasn’t capable of management, he would still be able to increase the overall power of the army, which was a good thing.
“Three days…” Hua Qing Si turned to look at High Heaven Palace as though she was able to see through the seal of the array and glimpse what was going on in the palace. With her face reddening, she said hesitantly, “I’m not even sure if that will be enough time…”
“What do you mean there isn’t enough time?” Bian Yu Qing was puzzled.
Hua Qing Si’s face turned scarlet as she replied in a small voice, “Second Manager, haven’t you heard of the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder? Palace Master left for several years, and just now, he…”
Bian Yu Qing finally understood what Hua Qing Si was talking about as she turned to look at High Heaven Palace and giggled with her mouth covered.
With a solemn expression, Hua Qing Si decided to stop talking about this topic, and then she said, “Whatever the case, we have to get started quickly. The Sixty-First Army has just been founded, and Palace Master has become the Army Commander. All of us from High Heaven Palace must give him our utmost support. We’ll start with organizing the twenty thousand disciples from the Sect. As for recruiting others outside the Sect, there’s no rush. Second Manager, will you please go over to the Branch in the Southern Territory and enlist those who are in the Origin King Realm and above? I’ll handle those in the main Sect. We have to get everything ready in three days.”
“Good,” Bian Yu Qing replied in agreement. Both of them had worked together for many years, so they could tacitly understand one another. After they divided up the work, they parted ways to carry out their own tasks.
In the past, the Great Emperors had ordered them to seal off High Heaven Palace. Besides the main Sect in the Northern Territory, their Branch in the Southern Territory had also been sealed off. At this moment, those in the Southern Territory were still not aware that the Great Emperors had lifted the sanctions against Yang Kai and the Sect. When Bian Yu Qing went over and told them about it, everyone in the Southern Territory Branch was over the moon.
Upon hearing that the Sixty-First Army had been established, and Yang Kai would be the Army Commander, all the disciples who were in the Origin King Realm and above applied to join the army.
Ninety-nine percent of the disciples of High Heaven Palace were brought over by Yang Kai from Heng Luo Star Field, with the largest number being from High Heaven Sect on Shadowed Star. There were also those who had been selected from different Cultivation Stars in Heng Luo Star Field. Regardless, all of them were cultivators with excellent aptitudes.
It had been quite some time since these people arrived at the Star Boundary, so all of them saw significant increases in their cultivations. Presently, there were thirty thousand to forty thousand Origin Kings. Many Dao Source Realm Masters had recently emerged as well. There were only a small number of Emperor Realm Masters, but it was enough to build the frame of the army. As long as the frame was prepared, they would have an easy time recruiting more people.
While those from both the main and Branch Sect were swamped with work, the atmosphere on High Heaven Peak was amorous, to say the least.
The room was filled with a sense of decadence as clothes had been scattered everywhere on the floor. On a giant bed, a few naked figures were entangled with one another as the sound of slapping flesh and sultry moans could continuously be heard.
Xia Ning Chang’s veil had long ago been tossed aside, revealing her breathtakingly beautiful face. While Su Yan’s hair flapped in the air, Shan Qing Luo lay nearby drenched in sweat. Xue Yue had already fallen apart as she leaned against the bed and panted heavily, her body was twitching uncontrollably.
On the bed, only Zhu Qing was still trying her hardest to persevere. As two people became one, she could be heard moaning incessantly.
Unlike the other ladies, it was the first time Zhu Qing had shared her Husband with so many women around. Initially, she wasn’t willing to join them as it was too embarrassing for her, but after she dawdled for some time, Shan Qing Luo directly tore her clothes apart as Yang Kai caught her with his evil claws. In an instant, her determination not to join disintegrated.
The first time she encountered Yang Kai, Zhu Qing had fallen prey to his draconic nature. While she was in a dazed state, Yang Kai took advantage of her wantonly. After so many years, and growing so much closer, now that she was in this kind of situation, there was no way she could resist the temptation.
In the end, she could only give in to Yang Kai. She and her Sisters had all entered the battle together, but Zhu Qing was the only one who had persevered until now; after all, she was a member of the Dragon Clan, so Su Yan and the others were not comparable to her in terms of physical strength.
Most of them had already collapsed from exhaustion on the bed, while a charming Shan Qing Luo gently clenched her teeth and muttered to Su Yan in a small voice, “Damn it. Why is this woman still so energetic?”
Su Yan didn’t even have the strength to move a finger, so she was unable to reply to her. Nevertheless, she still made the effort to shake her head slowly.
Shan Qing Luo hoisted herself and knelt on the bed before crawling toward those two who were deeply immersed in the moment. Her hair hung loose on her waist and backside, and the arch of her back as she crawled forward was the epitome of seduction.
While engaging in an intense congress, Yang Kai noticed the approaching panther and stared at Shan Qing Luo with widened eyes. Noticing his stare, Shan Qing Luo lifted her head and flashed an alluring smile at him. Then, she slid up behind Zhu Qing and wrapped her arms around the latter’s body. Following that, her slender and jade-like fingers began wandering across Zhu Qing’s bountiful figure.
Zhu Qing shuddered as though she had been terrified. She turned around with difficulty, only to see Shan Qing Luo flashing a wicked smile at her. Upon licking her red lips, Shan Qing Luo lowered herself and began kissing Zhu Qing’s chest and stomach.
Seeing that, Zhu Qing was horrified. Usually, she was overbearing in front of Shan Qing Luo, but at this moment, she seemed to be pleading with the latter.
Certainly, Shan Qing Luo wouldn’t let her off. She had always been displeased with this female Dragon and had suffered several setbacks when dealing with her in the past. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as powerful as Zhu Qing, so she was unable to fight back. Hence, this was the perfect opportunity for her to get her revenge.
All of a sudden, the pitch of Zhu Qing’s moans increased noticeably. She might have been mistaken as wailing, but that wasn’t the case.
At that instant, the aura of decadence in the room thickened.
To the side, Xia Ning Chang, who was about to nod off, widened her eyes suddenly, dumbfounded by what she was witnessing. Su Yan quickly covered her eyes with one hand.
The group of six carried out their conjugal rituals several times more, completely losing track of the time, as if this room had become a separate, sealed world.
A long time later, Yang Kai awakened from his dream. Given his cultivation, he didn’t need to sleep at all unless he was severely injured; however, after he came home, being surrounded by all his Wives, he couldn’t help pouring every last bit of his love and energy into them. With his mind at ease, he unknowingly fell asleep.
At this moment, Xia Ning Chang was napping in his left arm while Su Yan occupied his right. Shan Qing Luo directly rested on his body as he caught a whiff of the fragrance wafting from her hair. He could feel two heads resting on his thighs as well, and without the need to take a look, he knew that they were Xue Yue and Zhu Qing. However, he wasn’t sure who was on his left and who was on his right.
Shan Qing Luo’s eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes, only to meet Yang Kai’s bright gaze. With a faint smile, the Beguiling Demon Queen asked, “You’re awake?”
Yang Kai nodded.
“Are you satisfied?”
He shook his head. He could never get enough when it came to such activities. For all his life, he would never get sick of seeing their beautiful faces and bodies.
Shan Qing Luo burst into laughter, “All of us can’t take anymore.”
Upon finishing her words, she lowered herself and landed a peck on his lips. With her hands pressing against the man’s chest, she supported herself up. For some reason, she could be seen scowling, as though she was in pain.
Seeing that, Yang Kai grinned and laughed in silence while Shan Qing Luo shot him a glare.
After she sat up with difficulty, she knelt on the bed and took a look at the other ladies as she sighed, “Stop pretending. It isn’t the first time we’ve all done this together. Wake up.”
None of them was an ordinary woman, so although Shan Qing Luo’s movements and voice were light just now, it wasn’t possible that the others weren’t alerted. However, at this moment, they all kept ‘sleeping’ soundly, none of them opening their eyes.
Unlike the others, Shan Qing Luo didn’t find what they just did embarrassing in the slightest, but the rest couldn’t help feeling awkward after they regained their senses. This was not the first time this happened, so she was already used to it. In fact, things were getting better as all of the Sisters became familiar with each other, so she stopped minding it at all. The crux of the problem was that Zhu Qing was around this time.
Seeing as the other ladies did not respond to her, Shan Qing Luo sneered and lifted her hand before spanking Xia Ning Chang’s firm backside, causing a wave of ripples on her flesh, “Ning Chang, if you don’t get up, our Husband won’t be able to hold it in anymore. Will you be able to take responsibility?”
Xia Ning Chang immediately opened her eyes, not because she was shocked by what Shan Qing Luo had said, but because Yang Kai’s hands had indeed started wandering around her body.
When their eyes met, she flashed an apologetic smile at Yang Kai and landed a kiss on his cheek. Then, she struggled out of his embrace and crawled towards the edge of the bed.
“Big Sister, Xue Yue, and you too…” Shan Qing Luo called out to them one by one.
After all of them heard their names, they got up with reddened faces. A moment later, the sounds of putting on clothes were heard in the room.
The sight before Yang Kai’s was pleasing to the eyes. Lying on the bed, he looked smilingly at every one of them as he felt extremely happy in his heart.
After putting on their clothes, the ladies helped each other comb their hair and tidy their appearances. When they were finally presentable again, they turned around, only to see Yang Kai still nonchalantly lying on the bed.
Su Yan sighed helplessly, “Help him up.”
The ladies separated into two rows and served Yang Kai by cleaning and dressing him.
Inside the Main Conference Hall of High Heaven Palace, Yao Si was seated on a chair with a livid expression. Seated at another table, Hua Qing Si flashed a fawning smile at him. On the table, there were several jade slips which contained the information about names, gender, and cultivation of the twenty thousand disciples of High Heaven Palace who had been selected to join the Sixty-First Army.
The tea on the table was no longer hot, so Hua Qing Si gave a hint with her eyes, after which a maidservant came in from outside and replaced Yao Si’s cup with a new one.
The same thing had happened many times.
“Adjutant Yao, please have some tea. Palace Master will be here shortly.” Hua Qing Si forced a smile.
Yao Si turned his head and gave her a grim look, “You told me the same thing four days ago!”
He couldn’t be blamed for sporting a dark expression. He returned to High Heaven Palace after three days as promised, ready to discuss the building of the Sixty-First Army with Yang Kai; however, he hadn’t expected that the person serving him would still be Hua Qing Si, not Yang Kai.
This kind of formality didn’t really matter to him. Although he was displeased, he did not really mind it; however, he had waited in this place for four days now, but Yang Kai was still nowhere to be seen.
His patience was about to run out as he had drunk countless cups of tea served by the maidservants of High Heaven Palace. If it wasn’t because Hua Qing Si had been keeping him company with a respectful attitude, he would have thought that Yang Kai was just messing with him.
On the other hand, Hua Qing Si was extremely embarrassed. She knew what Yang Kai had been doing for the past few days, but she couldn’t possibly tell an outsider about it. Moreover, it was inappropriate for her to disturb Yang Kai at this point, which was why she felt frustrated. Yang Kai was perfect in every way except that he was too unrestrained, especially when it came to his Wives. Every time he returned, he wouldn’t leave his room for several days at least.
Previously, she already thought that there wouldn’t be enough time when Yao Si said that he would return in three days. Now, it seemed that she was right. She had spent a lot of effort making Yao Si join the Sixty-First Army, so she did not want to let him go. If he decided to leave, it would be a huge loss for both Yang Kai and the Sixty-First Army. Yang Kai had always been an arm-flinging shopkeeper, so as the Head Manager of High Heaven Palace, she had to settle all the issues for him.
“Why don’t you take another look at the information about the disciples? When the Sixty-First Army is built, Adjutant Yao will have to assign positions to the most suitable people.”
Yao Si replied coldly, “There’s no need for that. I’ve memorised all the information about the cultivators who are in the Dao Source Realm and above!”
“Then…” Hua Qing Si was flustered as she had run out of ideas on how to stall for time. She had already reached her limit by holding Yao Si up for four days. As she saw it, if Yang Kai still wouldn’t show up today, Yao Si would really leave.
As expected, Yao Si snorted, “I’ll just wait for another four hours. If Yang Kai doesn’t show up within that time, the bet will be forfeited.”
He then put on a grin, “It’s not that I don’t keep my promises, it’s that deceitful man who doesn’t show me any respect at all!”
Given his power and family background, whatever army he wanted to join, the Army Commander would wholeheartedly welcome him; however, he had been staying in Yang Kai’s place for four days now without even meeting the man himself.
He was already reluctant to work under Yang Kai, and the only reason he even agreed in the first place was to protect the reputation of Serene Soul Palace and Serene Soul Great Emperor. Now that there was an excuse for him to back out, Yao Si would certainly want to seize the chance.
Just then, a voice was suddenly heard saying, “Who are you calling a deceitful man? Just where is this man you speak of?”
Upon hearing this voice, Hua Qing Si was elated as she turned to look out of the hall.
When the first word was heard, Yang Kai was still several dozen metres away from the hall, but when he said the last word, he was already stepping through the entrance in a confident manner with a noticeable spring in his step.
He was followed by Bian Yu Qing, who had been waiting outside High Heaven Peak for the past few days. As soon as Yang Kai was done with his affairs, she reported to him about Yao Si. Hence, even though Yang Kai had only left High Heaven Peak, he was already aware of what had been going on in the hall.
[Adjutant Yao! That’s a pretty nice title for him.] He could always rest assured when Hua Qing Si was in charge.
“Palace Master!” Hua Qing Si rose from the chair and saluted him as she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, she was able to set her mind at ease.
Yang Kai waved his hand to motion for her not to be overly formal. Then, he stared at Yao Si, who ignored him and snorted. He didn’t even intend to get up from his chair.
As a magnanimous man, Yang Kai didn’t want to fuss over such a minor issue; thus, he walked up to the head seat and sat down in an elegant manner.
After serving tea to Yang Kai, the maidservant respectfully withdrew. Yang Kai picked up the teacup and took a sip before arching his brow, apparently surprised. Then, he started slurping the tea.
Hua Qing Si parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but after Yang Kai gave her a hint with his eyes, she immediately kept her mouth shut.
Both Yang Kai and Yao Si remained silent. At this moment, only the sound of Yang Kai sipping the tea could be heard in the hall.
A long time later, Yao Si stared coldly at Yang Kai for a while before speaking, “Palace Master Yang…”
“Head Manager,” Yang Kai looked up at Hua Qing Si as he fiddled with his teacup, “What’s the name of this tea?”
“Palace Master, are you not used to the taste?” Hua Qing Si didn’t know what was on his mind. Since he had asked a question, she could only answer it.
“It’s not bad. Where did you buy it from?” Yang Kai put on a smile.
Hua Qing Si replied with a smile, “We didn’t buy it. It’s actually grown in High Heaven Palace. Previously, there were already some exotic tea trees on Emerald Jade Peak. Apparently, some people from Seeking Passion Sect had planted them there. Madam Ning Chang grew quite fond of them, so she’s decided to nurture them. She has also personally prepared the tea leaves that have been collected.”
“Ning Chang produced it personally?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Hua Qing Si nodded and replied, “Yes. Madam has said that it can be used to serve guests.”
“Don’t serve the guests with this tea anymore!” Yang Kai felt heartbroken, “Send all the remaining tea leaves to High Heaven Peak. Serve the guests with other kinds of tea in the future.”
Upon finishing his words, he took a look at Yao Si’s teacup and wondered how much of the tea the latter had consumed. He felt so heartbroken that the muscles on his face started twitching.
“Yes,” Hua Qing Si hung her head low and replied.
Yao Si was enraged as he had been waiting in this place for four days before Yang Kai showed up. Now, Yang Kai didn’t even seem willing to let him drink tea. Infuriated, he picked up the cup and gulped down the tea. Then, he slammed the cup on the table with a loud thud before saying again, “Palace Master Yang…”
“By the way, has anything major happened over the past few years while I wasn’t around?” Yang Kai seemed determined to not let Yao Si get a word in, so he would cut him off whenever the latter spoke.
Hua Qing Si replied obediently, “Palace Master, after you left, the Great Emperors ordered us to seal off High Heaven Palace, and we were not allowed to come into contact with the outside world. We’re only responsible for refining pills and artifacts, so nothing major has happened.”
“That’s a relief.” Yang Kai nodded, “It’s wonderful news that nothing serious has happened.”
“Palace Master Yang…” Yao Si said through clenched teeth.
Yang Kai was still staring at Hua Qing Si. As soon as he parted his lips, Yao Si stood up straight and landed a palm on the table. In an instant, the table and the jade slips that contained the information about twenty thousand disciples exploded and turned into dust.
“Yang Kai!” Yao Si said slowly and clearly as the veins on his forehead bobbed.
A shocked Yang Kai turned to look at him, “Brother Yao, why are you so mad? Is there anything you’re displeased with?”
He then turned to look at Hua Qing Si, “Head Manager, since Brother Yao is here, you should properly serve him. Have you all neglected him in any way? Look how incensed Brother Yao is now. This is highly improper.”
Not knowing how to reply to him, Hua Qing Si simply lowered her head. If she were Yao Si, she would have sported a dark expression as well; nevertheless, she didn’t understand why Yang Kai was acting the way he was now.
He could be forgiven for not showing up in the past four days as he had been intimate with his Wives after a long period of separation; however, it was not right of him to keep ignoring Yao Si right now.
[Is he trying to demonstrate his authority in front of Yao Si? That isn’t necessary.]
Seeing Yang Kai acting dumb, Yao Si was so exasperated that he started laughing, “Good! Yang Kai, we made a bet seven days ago, and I lost it, so there’s nothing else I can say. You want me to become the Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army? Good, I’ve come as promised. I’ve also put up with the fact that you kept me waiting for four whole days. However, if you’re still showing me this kind of attitude, don’t blame me for going back on my word!”
An amazed Yang Kai asked, “Brother Yao, you mean you’re here to take up the position of Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army?”
Yao Si frowned and subconsciously took a look at Hua Qing Si, thinking that she made the decision on her own without informing Yang Kai, so he asked, “Are you not aware of it?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Head Manager informed me about it, so why would I be unaware of it?”
Yao Si bellowed, “Since you’re aware of it, why did you intentionally ask such a question!?”
Yang Kai pointed at his own nose, “Brother Yao, do you know what position I hold now?”
In a cold voice, Yao Si said, “The Great Emperors have ordered that you, Palace Master of High Heaven Palace, be appointed the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. Those from Seven Mists Sea had informed all the armies about it!”
Yang Kai nodded, “En, and you’re here to take on the position of Adjutant, while this King… is the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army!”
After he finished speaking, the smile on his face faded as he straightened his back. As his High-Rank Demon King’s Pressure flared, his figure seemed to have grown larger and he said in a grim voice, “Since you’re aware of these two facts, have you ever regarded yourself as part of the Sixty-First Army? Since you’ve not even realised your position and my own, why should I even bother to speak with you?”
All of a sudden, realization dawned upon Hua Qing Si, whose head remained lowered. It was no wonder that Yang Kai kept ignoring Yao Si by changing the topics. It was because of Yao Si’s attitude.
What Yang Kai had said was justified. The fact that Yao Si was joining the Sixty-First Army was hugely beneficial to them; however, if he didn’t regard himself as part of the Sixty-First Army or acknowledge Yang Kai as his superior officer, he wouldn’t act in the army’s best interest.
Yang Kai had indeed intended to demonstrate his authority, but he didn’t do it to strengthen his prestige or to humiliate Yao Si, this was simply a matter of maintaining discipline and order.
Yao Si yelled, “If I didn’t regard myself as part of the Sixty-First Army, I wouldn’t have stayed here and let you humiliate me!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No one is humiliating you. At this moment, you’re speaking to me as the son of a Great Emperor, not as the Sixty-First Army’s Adjutant that you claim to be. If you don’t even understand that much, just go back to where you’re from. The Sixty-First Army doesn’t need you.”
Yao Si’s brow twitched when he heard that as his Emperor Qi surged and swept across the hall. His aura became extremely dangerous.
He was completely incensed as he felt that he had been disdained. Hua Qing Si had told him that it was Yang Kai who wanted him to take on the Adjutant position of the Sixty-First Army, which was why he agreed to it despite his reluctance. He was well prepared when he came over to discuss building the army with Yang Kai, but he had never expected that he would receive this kind of treatment.
[Go back to where I came from? Where else can I go?]
Originally, he was the Deputy Army Commander of another army. Some days ago, he had returned to Seven Mists Sea to resign from his post and spent some time handing over his job to a successor. Now, everyone in Seven Mists Sea knew that he was going to become the Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army, and many had congratulated him.
Although a Deputy Army Commander was an authoritative position as well, an Adjutant only worked under one person while being able to rule over millions of others. It could be said to be a promotion; however, at this moment, Yang Kai told him to go back to where he came from.
If he really did that, he couldn’t possibly say that he had been chased out by the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army when he was asked why he had returned. Besides him, Serene Soul Palace and Serene Soul Great Emperor couldn’t bear this kind of humiliation either.
Seven days ago, he still had a choice, but at this moment, there was no turning back. It wasn’t that he had cut off his own way out, it was just that he had never expected that Yang Kai would treat him in such a way. Yang Kai still seemed eager to recruit a capable person like him previously, but presently, he seemed ready to discard him.
[Can he even be considered human?] Yao Si felt that he had been made a fool of; however, there was no turning back for him, so regardless of the fact that he was infuriated, he didn’t flare up. In a cold voice, he questioned, “What do you want?”
With a calm expression, Yang Kai said impassively, “I want nothing. I just hope that you’ll realise your identity and the stance you’re supposed to take now.”
Yao Si closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and let it out. As he breathed, the airflow in the hall seemed to have become turbulent.
Hua Qing Si and Bian Yu Qing were extremely nervous as they were worried that the two men would get into a fight. They were not worried that Yang Kai would be harmed, but if they really confronted each other, the Sixty-First Army would lose a competent Adjutant like Yao Si.
Fortunately, although Yao Si was arrogant, he was pretty flexible as he didn’t need anyone to tell him when he should flare up and when he should hold back. When he opened his eyes a moment later, he cupped his fists at Yang Kai and slightly looked away before saying, “Yao Si… greets Sir Army Commander!”
He said those words slowly through clenched teeth and his voice was filled with grievance and bitterness.
Upon hearing this, Yang Kai guffawed and abruptly appeared in front of Yao Si. After taking the other man’s arm, he said passionately, “Adjutant Yao, it was very polite of you to salute me. From now on, we’re one family, so we should help and take care of each other. You don’t have to be overly formal with me.”
His attitude had changed so abruptly that if anyone who had no idea what had happened just now saw this, they would have thought that Yang Kai and Yao Si were on very good terms.
On the side, Hua Qing Si shook her head and smiled helplessly. It was then she realised Yang Kai’s intention. He had emphasised identity and stance twice just to get Yao Si to call him ‘Sir’.
After all, it was inappropriate that Yao Si kept calling Yang Kai ‘Palace Master Yang’. It wouldn’t have mattered in the past, but things were different now. Yang Kai was the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army while Yao Si was his Adjutant, which meant that the latter was Yang Kai’s subordinate. There were strict rules to obey in the military, so Yao Si had to call Yang Kai ‘Sir’.
Only by doing so could it suggest that Yao Si had really regarded himself as part of the Sixty-First Army, and that he had realised his identity and the stance he was supposed to take. At this moment, he was no longer the haughty and aloof Great Emperor’s son. That was the reason behind Yang Kai’s change in attitude.
With his arm grabbed by Yang Kai, Yao Si felt his face twitching and his eyes seemed fiery.
Seemingly oblivious to all this, Yang Kai said to Hua Qing Si, “Bring some wine over. The Sixty-First Army is lucky to have Adjutant Yao with us, we should toast to his arrival.”
Before Hua Qing Si could even reply, Yao Si bellowed, “I dare any of you to bring wine over!”
He wasn’t in the mood to drink as he was still incensed. Even if he wanted to drink, he wouldn’t do it with Yang Kai. He was willing to call Yang Kai ‘Sir’ because of the Great Emperors’ order; however, even though Yang Kai was the Army Commander, he had no right to interfere in his private affairs.
Hua Qing Si was about to get some wine when she heard that. Feeling helpless, she turned to look at Yang Kai with an inquisitive gaze.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “Adjutant Yao, since you don’t want to drink, we’ll forget it. Why don’t we sit down and have a chat? Our army will have to rely on you from now on. Although we’ve known each other for a long time, we’re not familiar with one another yet. It’s the right time…”
“Sir!” Yao Si swung his hand away and put on a cold expression, “I’m not here to drink with you or have a chat with you. If that’s what you want to do, you’d best find someone else. I have no time for that!”
His expression was dark when he called Yang Kai ‘Sir’ for the first time as he appeared reluctant, but he was slowly getting used to it now.
After Yang Kai’s hand was swung away, he balled up his fist and coughed into it. With a solemn expression, he nodded, “The Great Emperors have ordered this King to build the Sixty-First Army. While I thank them for their trust, it’s also a responsibility as well as a burden to me. This King can understand that the Great Emperors have high hopes for me, so I wouldn’t dare to disappoint them. The fact that you’ve joined our army is of great help to us. The war in the Western Territory is a pressing issue and time waits for no man. Since you’re here, why don’t we discuss our next move in detail?”
Yao Si’s whole body shivered while Yang Kai took a seat, and he had to take several deep breaths to suppress his anger before sitting down as well.
Hua Qing Si secretly gave the order, after which a maidservant came over and put down new cups of tea. Nevertheless, it was no longer the tea that was served earlier. The Head Manager had always been meticulous when executing Yang Kai’s orders. Since he wanted the tea leaves prepared by Xia Ning Chang to be sent to High Heaven Peak, she would execute the order without delay.
“Sir, I know that you have been in the Demon Realm over the past few years, so you probably know little about what has been going on in the Star Boundary. Do you know how the armies are established and structured?” Yao Si got straight to the point after taking a seat.
Since they were discussing serious issues now, Yang Kai put on a solemn expression and replied, “I know a little about it. Essentially, we’ve imitated the Demon Realm and built fifty-four armies. In every army, there’s an Army Commander who presides over Divisions. There are ten Division Commanders in every army, and there are ten Brigades under every Division. There are also ten Brigade Commanders for each Division, and under every Brigade there are ten Battalions. Under every Battalion there are ten Teams. It’s an extremely formal structure.”
Seeing as he wasn’t completely ignorant, Yao Si gently nodded, “Palace Mast… Sir is correct. This is how an army is structured. There are some slight differences between each army, but they follow the same general pattern. Do you know who is qualified to be the Division Commanders and Brigade Commanders?”
Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Doesn’t it depend on their cultivation?”
Yao Si replied, “We take cultivation into consideration initially, but later on, the deciding factor is Military Merits.”
“Military Merits?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Yao Si nodded, “With enough Military Merits, a person can go from a common soldier to a General and even a Commander. However, if the person doesn’t contribute anything, he can also drop from a Commander to a General and even a soldier.”
Upon finishing his words, he put on an arrogant expression.
Initially, Yang Kai didn’t understand why Yao Si appeared haughty, but he soon realised the reason behind it. With a faint smile, he said, “I’ve heard that Adjutant Yao previously held the post of Deputy Army Commander. I’m curious what your position was when you first joined.”
“I was just a Deputy Division Commander!” As though Yang Kai had just hit the nail on the head, Yao Si appeared even more conceited, and there was a tinge of pride behind his gaze.
He was a Second-Order Emperor Realm Master as well as a Great Emperor’s son, so it was reasonable that he got the position of Deputy Division Commander after he joined the military. Over the years, he had earned many Military Merits and was steadily promoted from Deputy Division Commander to a Division Commander, and then to Deputy Army Commander. It could be said that he had been smoothly climbing up the ranks.
“Impressive,” Yang Kai complimented him. It wouldn’t cost a thing to praise someone, and since Yao Si loved to hear it, he would just say that to him.
Nevertheless, Yao Si wasn’t willing to dwell on this topic as his expression turned serious again, “In any case, Sir is correct. All of us began with no Military Merits when the armies were initially formed. We were assigned roles based on our cultivation. Nevertheless, only Emperor Realm Masters can become Brigade Commanders and Division Commanders. The higher a person’s cultivation, the better. The person who can take on the position of Battalion Commander has to be in the Dao Source Realm at the very least. As for a Team leader, the requirement is lower as the person would only need to be a Third-Order Origin King.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Adjutant Yao is experienced in this, so I will defer to your expertise.”
Yao Si felt pleased upon hearing that, then he gave him a look, “The problem is, we don’t have enough people in the Sixty-First Army to take up the positions of Division Commanders and Deputy Division Commanders.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “Meaning we don’t have enough Emperor Realm Masters.”
“That is correct. In High Heaven Palace, including Sir, there are fourteen Emperor Realm Masters in total, but almost all are First-Order. Given their cultivation, they can only become Brigade Commanders. There’s no way they can take on higher positions.”
“Fourteen people? Who are they?” Yang Kai asked curiously. He didn’t even know that there were fourteen Emperors in High Heaven Palace.
Yao Si directly said, “Zhu Qing, Su Yan, Hua Qing Si, Bian Yu Qing, Gui Zu, Ai Ou, Chi Yue, Chai Hu, Gu Cang Yun, Ye Hen, Ruan Bi Ting, Nanmen Da Jun, Hou Yu, and including yourself, there are fourteen in total.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Hua Qing Si, who nodded gently to mean that Yao Si was right. The reason Yao Si was aware of all this was that she had prepared the information for him.
“There are already fourteen Emperor Realm Masters…” Yang Kai chuckled. Ye Hen was the former Sect Master of Thousand Leaves Sect as well as Ye Jing Han’s father. He had already reached the Emperor Realm a few years ago. Su Yan had also achieved a breakthrough in recent years. On the other hand, Ruan Bi Ting was Su Yan’s Master from Red Clouds Sect in the Ancestral Domain, and her aptitude was extraordinary. When Yang Kai brought her over from Ancestral Domain, she was already a Third-Order Dao Source Realm. Due to the limitations of World Principles, she couldn’t achieve a breakthrough, but after coming to High Heaven Palace, and without the previous limitations, she was able to ascend to a new realm with ease.
“There are only twelve people!” Seeing as Yang Kai appeared proud, Yao Si quickly hit him with a harsh truth, “Nanmen Da Jun and Hou Yu are not included. Unless absolutely necessary, they should be kept off the battlefield.”
One of them was an Emperor Array Master, and the other was an Emperor Artifact Refiner. Both of them were incredible talents, so no one would let them battle against the Demons.
“Twelve people… Good, very good!” Yang Kai appeared elated. He recalled that when he came to the Star Boundary for the first time, he was shocked to realise there were Emperor Realm Masters in this world. Nevertheless, only several dozen years had passed, and there were already more than ten Emperor Realm Masters in High Heaven Palace, a Sect he had founded. Furthermore, those people only ascended to a new realm after joining his Sect, which showcased that as a leading Sect, they did have incredible heritage. All of this had happened in just several dozen years. In a few hundred years, or a thousand years, their achievements would be unimaginable.
With such accomplishments, they could live up to their name as a Top Sect. That was the reason Yang Kai was laughing joyfully.
After he calmed down, he said, “With so many Emperor Realm Masters around, we don’t have to worry that there are not enough people to take up the positions of Brigade Commanders.”
Yao Si sneered, “Sir, do you intend to assign all the positions of Brigade Commanders to your own people in High Heaven Palace?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Yang Kai asked.
Yao Si explained, “There wouldn’t be a problem if there were enough people in High Heaven Palace to prop up the entire Sixty-First Army; however, that isn’t the case now, so we have to recruit people from outside. In that case, we need to give the suitable positions to the right people. If all the Brigade Commanders are from High Heaven Palace, no First-Order Emperor Realm Masters will be willing to join us.”
“Aren’t there Deputy Brigade Commander positions?” Yang Kai smiled, “Moreover, there are Defenders under Brigade Commanders. We can assign the positions of Left Defenders to those First-Order Emperor Realm Masters.”
On his way back some time ago, he had come across Han Zheng Qing, who was a Left Defender as well as a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, but that was the structure in the Thirty-Fifth Army. The army was overflowing with talented people, so they had let Emperor Realm Masters become Left Defenders. There was no way the Sixty-First Army was no match for them.
However, Yao Si shook his head, “You’re not wrong, but it’s still inappropriate. By doing so, you’ll give off the impression to the outsiders that the Sixty-First Army belongs to High Heaven Palace…”
“The Sixty-First Army does belong to High Heaven Palace!” Yang Kai cut him off.
Yao Si stared at him with his mouth open.
Yang Kai went on to say, “No one in the army shall disobey my orders! I want all of us in the Sixty-First Army, whatever their position, to be united, and I don’t need any voices of dissent.”
A flustered Yao Si said, “Sir is not wrong to think in this way, but it will be hard to execute it according to your plan…”
Yang Kai grinned at him, “I know it will be difficult. That’s why I’ve asked you to become the Adjutant.”
Yao Si was dumbfounded as he realised that it wasn’t going to be easy to be the Adjutant of the Sixty-First Army. He had practically picked up a hot potato, but he couldn’t get rid of it now.
Seeing that Yang Kai was determined, Yao Si shook his head and changed the subject, “We’ll put the issue of Brigade Commanders aside for now. Let’s talk about the positions of Division Commanders. According to your plan, the positions of Division Commanders are supposed to be taken up by people from High Heaven Palace as well, but are there so many people in the Second-Order and Third-Order Emperor Realm in your Sect?”
Certainly, there were not enough. He was fully aware of how many Emperor Realm Masters there were in High Heaven Palace. The reason he even asked this question was to make Yang Kai wake up to reality. Yang Kai wanted to get the people from his Sect to take up all the important positions in the Sixty-First Army, but there weren’t even enough people to hold the positions of Division Commanders, so there was no way he could do this.
“There are not enough people in High Heaven Palace, but I know where to recruit some.” Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “En, I’ll come up with a list later. Adjutant Yao will then head to Seven Mists Sea on my behalf and get those people from Supreme Commander Li.”
Yao Si’s face twitched as he said grimly, “Are you trying to poach talents from other armies?”
Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him, “I just want to give them a chance to join a place where they can shine.”
Yao Si said, “Sir, I think you’d better do this in person.”
Yang Kai wanted to get some top cultivators to become the Division Commanders of the Sixty-First Army, but there was no way that such people were insignificant in their respective armies. Most likely, these people were already Division Commanders; hence, what Yang Kai was doing was basically stealing from others.
Although Yao Si wasn’t afraid to offend other people by doing so, he would rather not do it.
Yang Kai laughed and said, “Adjutant Yao will handle it for me as I have other matters to attend to, so I really have no time for that. Adjutant Yao, you have to spend more effort in building the Sixty-First Army.”
Certainly, Yao Si was reluctant to do it as he bombarded Yang Kai with all sorts of excuses, determined to turn down this job.
In the end, Yang Kai said helplessly, “Adjutant Yao, why don’t you handle it on your own first? If you really can’t accomplish it in the end, I will then step forward to settle it.”
After he finished speaking, he didn’t wait for Yao Si to respond as he rose from the chair and clapped the other person’s shoulder, “It’s settled, then. I still have other matters to attend to. Farewell.”
Following that, his figure suddenly flickered and disappeared.
“Sir!” Yao Si stood up straight and shouted, but no one responded to him as Yang Kai had already left the hall. At that instant, Yao Si was so exasperated that his expression turned livid. He had come all the way here to discuss building the Sixty-First Army with Yang Kai, but not long after the discussion began, Yang Kai, as the Army Commander, had actually fled. There was still a lot he needed to talk about.
Hua Qing Si was still in the hall. Seeing that Yao Si was blowing his top, she put on a smile and said, “Adjutant Yao, please don’t get mad at him.”
As Yao Si was still infuriated, she quickly said, “This is what Palace Master has left behind for you.”
She pointed at something on the table.
It was a jade slip. Yao Si didn’t even notice that Yang Kai had put it down on the table. After a snort, he picked it up and realised that there was a list of names inside.
Xie Wu Wei, Ying Fei, Xi Lei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, Chi Lian, Fu Ling, Li Jiao, Mi Qi…
Earlier, Yao Si’s expression was still cold and angered; however, after he went through the names on this list, the coldness on his face melted. In the end, he grinned and gripped the jade slip as though he was holding a treasure.
When he heard Yang Kai say that they were going to poach talents from other armies, he instinctively thought that it was an abominable task. The other Army Commanders wouldn’t easily let their people go, and when they didn’t, he, the Adjutant, would have to persuade them.
However, it now seemed that even though this task was still troublesome, it wasn’t so difficult to carry out.
At the very least, Xie Wu Wei, Ying Fei, Xi Lei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, and Chi Lian, all of them Monster Kings, were closely related to High Heaven Palace to begin with. Yang Kai was on good terms with those in Ancient Wild Lands as well. Now, all these Monster Kings were working under the three Divine Venerables of the Ancient Lands. If he went over with Yang Kai’s order to get those people from them, Luan Feng and the others wouldn’t reject him.
On the other hand, Fu Ling was a member of the Dragon Clan, so the average Army Commander wouldn’t be able to restrict her. Hence, she had always worked directly under Li Wu Yi in the First Army. Together with those top cultivators she had brought over from Dragon Island, Li Wu Yi had weaved them together into a formidable group.
Given Yang Kai’s relationship with Dragon Island, Fu Ling would definitely be willing to join the Sixty-First Army, and by obtaining Fu Ling, they would also obtain the cultivators from Dragon Island. There were more than a hundred thousand people in that group, with several dozen of them being Emperors.
It could be said that the name Fu Ling didn’t only represent herself, but also a part of Dragon Island’s power.
There were also Li Jiao and Mi Qi. They were already the Sect Masters of two top Sects in the Northern Territory, so their subordinates must be the disciples from their own Sects. By roping them in, they would have acquired the people from Fire Dragon Palace and Full Sky Sect as well.
Yao Si had heard that most Sects in the Northern Territory regarded High Heaven Palace as their leader, so now that Yang Kai’s Sixty-First Army wanted manpower, Li Jiao and Mi Qi wouldn’t turn them down.
With so many Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters, which included Zhu Qing, they had more than enough people to fill up the positions of Division Commanders.
After settling the issues regarding Division Commanders and Brigade Commanders, Yao Si could go on to build the army with ease; after all, the rest of the positions didn’t require people with powerful cultivations, so those from High Heaven Palace would totally suffice.
The Sixty-First Army could really become High Heaven Palace’s army, which wasn’t a bad thing. Although it might affect those who would join as outsiders, the cohesion of the Sixty-First Army would be unbreakable. The other armies wouldn’t be comparable to them in this regard.
Upon that realization, Yao Si stopped getting mad at Yang Kai. After putting the jade slip away, he placed his hands behind his back and shuffled out of the hall. He was pondering on whether he should return to Seven Mists Sea to get those people from Li Wu Yi or head to the armies where those people whose names were on the list were at and tell them about Yang Kai’s idea.
In the end, he decided to head to Seven Mists Sea to inform Li Wu Yi first. In the military, the transfer of people whose positions were Brigade Commanders and above had to be authorized by Lu Wu Yi. So, it would be inappropriate if he didn’t tell Li Wu Yi about it before they tried to poach those Division Commanders and Deputy Commanders from other armies.
When he reached the Space Array, he suddenly realised that while he had reluctantly accepted this job, at this moment, he was enthusiastically solving problems for Yang Kai.
After giving it a thought, Yao Si concluded that he wasn’t happy to work for Yang Kai, he was just excited about the future of the Sixty-First Army.
…
While Yao Si was moving between Seven Mists Sea and different armies to poach talents from them, Yang Kai was paying a visit to all the Seniors in High Heaven Palace with his wives. Since he had made a promise, it would be inappropriate if he didn’t fulfil it.
Nevertheless, it didn’t take them much time to visit every peak and meet the Seniors. Eventually, they arrived at the residence of Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu.
Certainly, his parents were happy because he got to spend a few days with them; however, he could sense that there was a tinge of sorrow and anxiety behind his mother’s smile. It couldn’t be helped, as there was still no news about Yang Xue.
In the past, Yang Kai had brought Yang Xiao and Qiong Qi back from Dragon Island; however, he hadn’t expected that Yang Xiao only pretended to be obedient in front of him, but when he wasn’t around, the latter and Qiong Qi snuck out of High Heaven Palace. It wouldn’t have mattered if Yang Xiao had left alone, but he had actually brought Yang Xue with him as well!
Liu Yan was worried about them at the time, so she raced after them to protect and watch over them.
Eventually, the group of four entered the Four Seasons Realm, and there hadn’t been any news about them since then. Despite knowing that Yang Xue wouldn’t be harmed with Liu Yan around, Dong Su Zhu still missed her only daughter deeply.
Moreover, Yang Xue was just seven to eight years old when she left home, and she had barely started cultivating. The Four Seasons Realm was the personal domain of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, and although Yang Xue had the protection of Qing Qi and Liu Yan, it was hard to tell what would happen to her there.
Yang Kai was still incensed every time he thought about it. Yang Xiao indeed had to be taught a lesson. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had left alone, but he just had to bring Yang Xue with him.
According to Zhu Qing, those from Dragon Island had found out about it after all, and because of this, Second Elder Fu Zhun had personally come to High Heaven Palace to inquire about it. She had even gone to the valley in which the entrance to the Four Seasons Realm was located in search of Yang Xiao for half a year, but she couldn’t get any clue in the end. Before she left, she had told Zhu Qing to tell Yang Kai to visit her on Dragon Island the moment he returned.
Yang Xiao was indeed hatched by Yang Kai, and he was accepted by the latter as an adoptive Son. Yang Kai had even named him ‘Yang Xiao’; however, at the end of the day, Yang Xiao was the son of Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan, and the blood that ran in his veins belonged to the Dragon Clan.
When Yang Xiao was still inside a Dragon Egg, he couldn’t be hatched due to some complications. According to the Dragon Clan’s rules, he was supposed to be put inside Dragon Grave; however, due to Fu Zhun’s love for her son, she secretly hid the egg on a deserted island, and Yang Kai happened to find it and hatch it.
Fu Zhun had always doted on Yang Xiao. If possible, she was willing to give him the sun and the moon. If it weren’t because Yang Xiao had pretended to have an impure bloodline, she wouldn’t have let him leave Dragon Island with Yang Kai at all.
Yang Kai had taken her son away, but he hadn’t managed to take good care of him. Now that Yang Xiao had disappeared after going to the Four Seasons Realm, it could be expected that Fu Zhun was incensed. When she found out about it, she was even ready to storm into the Demon Realm to settle the score with Yang Kai.
Fortunately, Martial Beast Great Emperor Mo Huang managed to stop her; otherwise, she would really have done it. Despite the fact that she had failed in her attempt to head to the Demon Realm, she insisted that Yang Kai must be held responsible.
The reason Zhu Qing was in High Heaven Palace was that Fu Zhun had told her to stay here to pass on her word to Yang Kai as soon as possible.
Yang Kai felt that he had been put in a tight spot. It wasn’t like he could go to Dragon Island and give her an explanation now. If he really did that, Fu Zhun would surely beat him into a pulp; after all, the Second Elder had never been a reasonable woman.
In any case, be it for the sake of Yang Xiao or Yang Xue, Yang Kai had to personally venture to the Four Seasons Realm; however, he wasn’t confident of achieving his goal as Fu Zhun didn’t manage to find a clue after searching for half a year. So, it was unlikely that he could find them either.
Nevertheless, in order to console his parents, he had to head there. Furthermore, he still had to pay a visit to Star Soul Palace, so the trip to the Southern Territory was bound to happen.
Before that, he had to first visit another place. It wasn’t an excuse when he told Yao Si that he had a lot of matters to attend to, it was the simple truth.
Ten days after he returned to High Heaven Palace, and under the attendance of Su Yan and the others, Yang Kai stepped onto the Space Array again. As a thought flashed across his mind, a white light surrounded him.
After the light faded, he was nowhere to be seen. When he appeared again, he was already in a Tree Cave.
He was now in the Ancient Wild Lands in the Eastern Territory where the Stone Spirit Clan resided. It was still the same, small Tree Cave. Yang Kai had left a Space Array here in the past, which was why he appeared again here.
The area around him was completely silent, and after stepping out of the Tree Cave, he realised that there was no one around.
In order to resist the Demon armies, the Stone Spirit Clan and their symbiotic Wood Spirit Clan allies had gone to the battlefield in the Western Territory, so this place had become all but deserted over the past few years. However, the spirit fruits and spirit grasses that the Wood Spirit Clan members had planted had become ripe.
Yang Kai randomly picked a red fruit as he took a bite and leapt into the air.
Wherever he went, he realised that not many were in sight. The Ancient Wild Lands was located in a remote area, but since the Two Worlds’ Great War broke out, most of those in the Monster Race had followed Luan Feng and the other Divine Venerables to the battlefield. Only the old, young, and frail were left behind.
Unlike the hustle and bustle when Yang Kai came to Ancient Wild Lands for the first time, this place had become eerily silent.
The place he was heading to was the Blood Gate, where the Divine Spirit Palace was located.
There hadn’t been any news about Yang Xiao and Yang Xue since they ventured into the Four Seasons Realm, but the same was true for Zhang Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao after they entered the Blood Gate. In comparison, Zhang Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao had gone missing for a longer time, as it had been more than ten years since they entered the Blood Gate.
It was said that many Divine Spirit Sources had been sealed inside the Divine Spirit Palace. If Yang Kai could open it sooner, it would benefit many Monsters from the Ancient Wild Lands. The reason Xi Lei and the other Monster Kings were even willing to follow Yang Kai was that they wanted opportunities inside the Divine Spirit Palace.
Now that Yang Kai’s power had surged, his speed had also improved. In just one hour, he reached the location of the Blood Gate. There was nothing else on the barren peak, however, and if Yang Kai hadn’t known that the Blood Gate was located in this place, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to it.
However, Zhang Ruo Xi and Xiao Xiao had indeed gone into the Divine Spirit Palace from this location. A war had also broken out in the valley nearby. Divine Spirit Shi Huo was killed by Zhang Ruo Xi with just one strike to end that battle, extracting his Divine Spirit Source and giving it to Yang Kai’s Embodiment.
Yang Kai wasn’t disappointed to see that the Blood Gate was nowhere in sight. If the Blood Gate had reopened, it wasn’t impossible that no one in the Star Boundary hadn’t noticed. The reason he came to this place was to have a look and make sure that it really hadn’t reopened.
Just then, a hooting sound could be heard, which prompted Yang Kai to turn his head to have a look.
Over there, a person was seen hanging upside down below a tree branch. With his arms crossed, he wrapped one leg around the branch. It seemed that he was sound asleep.
Yang Kai had noticed him when he arrived at this place. The person was a Monster General, but Yang Kai didn’t have the intention of speaking to him. The Monster General seemed to have exceptional perception, as he was able to sense Yang Kai’s presence even while he was asleep. When he opened his eyes, he was met with Yang Kai’s gaze.
As they stared at each other, the Monster General was startled for a moment before he let out a cry of surprise and accidentally dropped from the branch. After hurriedly getting to his feet, he skipped toward Yang Kai and said in a fawning manner, “Greetings, Senior Yang. May your life be long and prosperous. Hoohoo…”
Yang Kai gazed at him and realised that the Monster General had a square head with a pair of eyebrows that were as straight as swords. His nose was small, and his mouth was pointed, which looked like the beak of a bird. With a faint smile, Yang Kai asked, “You know me?”
The Monster General quickly bowed his head, “No one in the Ancient Lands doesn’t recognise Senior Yang. I work under Master Ying Fei. It was right in this place in the past that I witnessed Senior Yang’s awe-inspiring might. Hoohoo…”
“What species do you stem from?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
The Monster General replied, “This little one hails from the owl lineage and gained enlightenment after assuming Human Form many years ago. However, due to a minor cultivation dissonance in the past, my Human Form isn’t perfect. It is quite an embarrassing story.”
It was no wonder that he looked so strange. Normally, there wouldn’t be any flaws after a Monster General assumed Human Form; however, the person before Yang Kai’s eyes still had very conspicuous features of a Monster Beast. It seemed that he was really a simple owl who had evolved into a Monster Race after receiving enlightenment.
“What are you doing here?” Yang Kai asked.
The Monster General replied respectfully, “I’ve received Sir Monster King’s order to keep watch on the Blood Gate. En, he told me that it was also the Divine Venerables’ order.”
“Are you the only one here?”
“Yes. Hoohoo…”
Yang Kai took a look at his lower body, “How did you get injured?”
The Monster General replied with a proud expression, “It was in battle against the Demons in the Western Territory. I managed to kill a certain Demon, but my leg was cut off by him as a result. My blood soaked the ground and I was in excruciating pain; however, I was lucky to have survived, hahaha. It was worth it to exchange one leg for his life. I wanted to keep fighting as I still have one good leg, which should be enough to trade for another Demon’s life, but Sir Monster King told me to come back and keep watch on the Blood Gate instead, which is why I returned.’’
Yang Kai widened his mouth as he didn’t expect that there was such a story behind this fellow’s missing leg. Nodding, he lifted his hand and clapped the Monster General’s shoulder, “You’ve done a great job.”
The Monster General immediately appeared to be overwhelmed by his emotions as he was lost for words. With his eyes turning bloodshot, it seemed that he would tear up at any moment.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai said, “All those who can fight should take part in the war, but it is equally important to keep watch over the Blood Gate here. Just stay right here, and if anything happens, immediately inform your King or the Divine Venerables about it.”
“Please rest assured, Sir, this one will stay right here and not go anywhere.” The Monster General straightened up and thumped his own chest.
“Good. I just came here to have a look.” Yang Kai nodded and turned around to leave. After he took two steps forward, his figure flickered and disappeared, which shocked the Monster General.
A moment later, the Monster General came to his senses and cupped his fists, “Farewell, Sir…”
Before he even finished his words, he realised that there was something in his hands. Spreading his palm, he saw that there was a new Space Ring in his grip.
He wasn’t even aware that a Space Ring had suddenly appeared in his hand. With doubt, he swept the inside with his Divine Sense and was immediately stunned. That was because there were a few thousand Monster Cores inside the ring, and all of them appeared to be of extraordinary quality. Although there were no Monster Cores from Twelfth-Order Monster Beasts, they were exactly what he needed right now.
Knowing that it was a gift from Yang Kai, he immediately fell on his knees and repeatedly pressed his head against the ground in the direction Yang Kai had left. At the same time, he kept thanking him.
…
One hour later, Yang Kai arrived at Star Soul Palace in the Southern Territory.
Although he was dreading what was to come next, he still had to make an appearance. Bright Moon Great Emperor’s corpse was brought back by Lei Hong, so the reason Yang Kai came today was to pay final respects to the Great Emperor and to apologise to Lan Xun.
Before coming to this place, he had told himself that he wouldn’t resist even if Lan Xu scolded and beat him up; after all, he had indeed killed Bright Moon with his own hand. He had even imagined that those from Star Soul Palace wouldn’t welcome him.
However, when Yang Kai stepped into Star Soul Palace, he was shocked to see that the Great Emperor’s Sect, which was the cornerstone of the Southern Territory, seemed to be in a state of panic and upheaval.
Around the Space Array, there wasn’t even a single disciple from Star Soul Palace standing guard. Besides that, five coloured light could be seen flowing outside the hall. Between Heaven and Earth, the World Energy was turbulent as a very dangerous aura wafted from deeper inside Star Soul Palace, one that seemed like it would shatter the world apart at any moment.
A flabbergasted Yang Kai flew out of the hall and looked over, his pupils contracting at what he saw.
It wasn’t that Star Soul Palace was under attack. Although Bright Moon was dead, a Great Emperor’s Sect was still a powerful existence, more than enough to fend off a half-hearted invasion. The change that had taken place must be because of Star Soul Palace’s internal trouble.
At this moment, the gigantic Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was hovering in mid-air, the pulses of light radiating from its surface.
The pagoda was the most important treasure in Star Soul Palace. In the past, Yang Kai had a chance to enter it to experience its mysteries. The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld in High Heaven Palace was obtained from the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
There were five floors in total inside the pagoda, and each one was an abstruse and seemingly infinite space. This was an ancient treasure that was simply invaluable. The reason Star Soul Palace had such a firm heritage had much to do with this pagoda.
Presently, the pagoda was trembling, and Yang Kai could see that the people around it were sporting grim expressions as they kept performing hand seals in an attempt to stabilize it.
Three Great Elders, Lei Hong, Xue Zheng Mao, and Xiao Yu Yang were all present, along with more than ten other Emperor Realm Masters. Countless Dao Source Realm cultivators had also surrounded the pagoda to provide support; however, all of them seemed to have pale faces and were drenched in sweat.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what had happened to the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda, it was apparent that the situation was perilous.
Swiftly arriving beside Lei Hong, Yang Kai pushed his Demon Qi as he spread out his palms towards the pagoda in an attempt to help stabilize it. Unexpectedly, his overflowing power wasn’t even able to go near the pagoda as it was repelled by the turbulent five-coloured light.
He wasn’t a disciple from Star Soul Palace, nor had he cultivated their orthodoxical Secret Arts. Moreover, the power Yang Kai used was Demon Qi, which wasn’t accepted by Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda.
Sensing the fluctuations of Demon Qi, all the top cultivators in Star Soul Palace had their expressions change drastically as they thought that someone from Demon Heavenly Dao had invaded their Sect. However, upon seeing that the person who had used Demon Qi was Yang Kai, they were able to relax. Xiao Yu Yang and Xue Zheng Mao slightly nodded at Yang Kai before they re-focused themselves and continued trying to stabilize the pagoda.
Yang Kai turned to look at Lei Hong, “Great Elder, what happened?”
With a solemn expression, Lei Hong used a different hand seal as he replied, “Her Highness has entered the World Pagoda in an attempt to refine it. Now, it seems that something has gone wrong. The World Pagoda is attempting to leave the Sect.”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “This sudden change was caused by Junior Sister Lan?” It wasn’t until this moment that he found out that the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda was officially called the World Pagoda. Prior to this, he didn’t know the real name of this treasure.
Lei Hong nodded solemnly, “En.”
An exasperated Yang Kai said, “Why didn’t you all stop her?”
The World Pagoda was an ancient treasure that had been around since before Star Soul Palace was founded. It was refined by Bright Moon Great Emperor and became the most important piece of the Palace’s foundation. When Bright Moon Great Emperor was around, no one would dare to challenge the authority of Star Soul Palace. Now that he was gone, Lan Xun, as Bright Moon’s only descendent, had to take up the responsibility to protect and revive Star Soul Palace. Her cultivation wasn’t powerful, as she was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, so she decided to rely on a treasure, and the only treasure in Star Soul Palace that could provide her with such power was the World Pagoda.
If she could refine the World Pagoda, she could still retain the glory of Star Soul Palace even though Bright Moon Great Emperor was no longer around. If she succeeded, her power would surge despite the fact that she was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm. Fortunately, she had inherited the Great Emperor’s Bright Moon Body; hence, she was the only one who could refine the pagoda.
Unfortunately, she was in too much of a hurry.
For a treasure like the World Pagoda, even a Pseudo-Great Emperor might not be able to refine it, let alone a mere First-Order Emperor. This resulted in the current upheaval.
“She snuck in while we weren’t paying attention,” Lei Hong said through clenched teeth. If he had found out Lan Xun’s plan, he would have done everything possible to stop her. The Great Emperor had passed away, so Lan Xun was the last hope and pillar of strength for Star Soul Palace.
More than ten days ago, he had brought back Bright Moon’s corpse from Seven Mists Sea as everyone in Star Soul Palace was grief-stricken. All the Elders and disciples had put on mourning clothes as they knelt in respect in front of the mourning hall. Lan Xun had also knelt for several days straight without moving a muscle.
Three days ago, she got to her feet all of a sudden and wouldn’t tell anyone where she was going. Although Xiao Chen had raced after her, he was knocked out by her. When he came to his senses, Lan Xu had already entered the World Pagoda.
She must have obtained a special seal left behind by Bright Moon Great Emperor, as after she entered, the entire World Pagoda was sealed off, and all the disciples inside it were expelled. No one else could go in again.
Following that, the World Pagoda descended into turmoil as five coloured light radiated out of it. That was how the present sight came about.
Upon hearing Lei Hong’s explanation, Yang Kai had a grim expression. He knew that no one was at fault. Since Lan Xun had insisted on doing this, no one could have stopped her.
“Palace Master Yang, please save Junior Sister. Please save her!” Xiao Chen was just in a nearby spot as he turned his head and pleaded with Yang Kai.
He had been on bad terms with Yang Kai since the first time they met. Whenever they came across each other in the past, he would always deride Yang Kai. As Xiao Yu Yang’s Son, Xiao Chen was conceited and thought that he was the most outstanding young man in the world.
However, at this moment, he could be seen with bloodshot eyes and a pale face. Apparently, he had over-exerted himself these past few days. Lan Xun had knocked him out right before sneaking into the World Pagoda, so he blamed himself for failing in his attempt to keep watch on her. He was currently pleading with Yang Kai because he thought that the latter could save her.
Yang Kai shot him a look and nodded gently, “I’ll do my best.”
He then turned to look at Lei Hong, “Is no one else able to enter?”
Lei Hong shook his head, “None of us can get inside.”
“Have you informed the Great Emperors about the situation?” Since the advent of Cross-Territory Space Arrays, moving about rapidly had become far easier. A serious event had happened in Star Soul Palace, and if the other Great Emperors found out about it, they wouldn’t stand idly by.
Lei Hong replied, “Half a day ago, I sent a disciple to Seven Mists Sea.”
Right then, Yang Kai and Lei Hong turned around as they sensed a Great Emperor’s aura had appeared in that direction. The next moment, a towering figure appeared in front of them.
Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, had arrived. Standing in the sky, he looked up at the World Pagoda and fell silent, a tinge of longing and sorrow behind his gaze.
“Senior…” The World Pagoda was extremely unstable as it seemed that it would fly off at any moment with Lan Xun still inside. If the pagoda really flew away, they might not be able to find it again, and Lan Xun would have to spend the rest of her life trapped inside. Yang Kai was feeling flustered, but Zhan Wu Hen just stared at the pagoda without saying a word, which was why he decided to call out to him.
Zhan Wu Hen lowered his gaze and took a look at him before saying impassively, “Brat, what are you doing here?”
Yang Kai quickly said, “This Junior came to pay his respects to the Great Emperor and happened to come across this incident.”
Zhan Wu Hen clicked his tongue and asked again, “Not that, I’m asking why you’re still standing here.”
A puzzled Yang Kai looked inquisitively at him.
“Get inside!” Zhan Wu Hen demanded.
A befuddled Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Senior, you might not be aware of it yet, but Great Elder Lei has said that…”
He wanted to explain it to Zhan Wu Hen, but the latter didn’t intend to listen to him. Zhan Wu Hen directly grabbed Yang Kai’s shoulder with one hand and snorted, “Stop your blabbering! I told you to get inside!”
Upon finishing his words, he hurled Yang Kai toward the World Pagoda as though he was throwing away a dirty piece of cloth.
Yang Kai let out a panicked cry as Lei Hong was flabbergasted. The top cultivators from Star Soul Palace who had seen this scene exclaimed as well. No one could have expected that Zhan Wu Hen would make such a move.
Even as Yang Kai was being hurled away, he couldn’t help marvelling at the Great Emperor’s strength. He had seen how Zhan Wu Hen placed his hand on his shoulder and tossed him. Zhan Wu Hen’s movements were not particularly fast, but for some reason, Yang Kai didn’t even have the ability to resist.
However, such thoughts were truly fleeting as, in the next moment, Yang Kai felt that he would soon see stars after smacking into the pagoda.
Zhan Wu Hen was extremely strong, and at this moment, Yang Kai was shooting toward the pagoda at an incredible speed. Even though he was a Half-Dragon, he would probably still end up in a miserable state.
Just when he was about to crash into the pagoda though, the structure started trembling slightly as a door-sized swirl appeared in front of him. Following that, he flew past the swirl and disappeared.
[He got in! He really entered!] All the Emperor Realm Masters at the scene were dumbfounded.
Lan Xun’s entry into the pagoda had caused it to descend into turmoil, so certainly the Elders wanted to follow her inside to help her or persuade her to give up; however, Lan Xun possessed a special seal left behind by Bright Moon Great Emperor, and she had completely isolated the pagoda. No matter what methods they used, they were unable to enter; therefore, they could only try to stabilize the pagoda from the outside to lend her a hand.
However, at this moment, Yang Kai directly entered the pagoda after Zhan Wu Hen hurled him towards it, which was inconceivable.
Lei Hong and the others appeared pleasantly surprised as they gazed at Zhan Wu Hen in awe. Since he was capable of doing this much, they wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
As though Zhan Wu Hen had seen through their thoughts, he said dispassionately, “Only he is able to enter, so all of you should stop thinking about it.”
Lei Hong frowned and asked, “Senior, what do you mean?”
Zhan Wu Hen shot him a look and grinned, “I mean, even this King is unable to enter!”
“What!?” Lei Hong was flabbergasted as disbelief was written all over his face. However, since Zhan Wu Hen had said so, he could only believe him.
“To be precise, I can enter…” Zhan Wu Hen digressed, “But that would cause damage to the World Pagoda. At the very least, I have to destroy half of the seal Bright Moon left behind, and that would still take a few months.”
They couldn’t wait for a few months as too much could happen during that time.
A puzzled Xiao Yu Yang asked, “Senior, since you’re unable to enter with ease, how did Palace Master Yang…”
“What do you think?” Zhan Wu Hen put on a smile as his expression turned inscrutable.
Realisation suddenly dawned upon Xiao Yu Yang as well as Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao. That was because Yang Kai had inherited the World’s Will that belonged to Bright Moon.
Bright Moon Great Emperor had refined the World Pagoda, so it would naturally reject everyone except him under the current circumstances. Although Yang Kai wasn’t Bright Moon, he had inherited the World’s Will from him, so he carried with him a little bit of Bright Moon’s aura, which was why the pagoda wouldn’t bar him from entering.
Lei Hong and the others, as well as Yang Kai, were not even aware of this; however, as soon as Zhan Wu Hen arrived, he realised that there was a special kind of resonance between Yang Kai and the pagoda.
This kind of resonance could only have been left behind by the deceased Bright Moon.
An elated Lei Hong said, “Does it mean that after Palace Master Yang goes in, everything will be fine?”
“When did I say that?” Zhan Wu Hen shook his head, “He can indeed go in, but the world inside the World Pagoda is extremely mysterious. Even though he has entered, I don’t even know what he will come across. Maybe he won’t even be able to find Little Lan Xun.”
“What should we do, then?” The expressions of Lei Hong, Xiao Yu Yang, and the others changed.
“We’ve done our best. Their fates are up the Heavens now.” Zhan Wu Hen’s expression was solemn, “As long as the World Pagoda is still around, they will not die. That brat is also fairly powerful, so I’m sure he’ll find Lan Xun sooner or later.”
A worried Lei Hong asked, “What if the World Pagoda flies away before that happens?”
Zhan Wu Hen replied with a smile, “Just let it fly away then. That brat is an expert in the Dao of Space, so you don’t have to worry about him finding his way back. Even if it takes him hundreds or even a thousand years, he will return one day.”
[A few hundred or even a thousand years?] Upon hearing that, Lei Hong and the others were seen with worried expressions on their faces. It would be alright if it was just a hundred years, which wasn’t a short nor a long time; however, if it would take them a thousand years, Yang Kai and Lan Xun might have even begotten a crowd of children by the time they returned.
When a man and a woman spent a thousand years together alone, it wasn’t difficult to imagine what would happen.
“Stand aside,” Zhan Wu Hen waved his hand and demanded.
Hearing the order, all the top cultivators of Star Soul Palace became encouraged, knowing that the Great Emperor was going to make a move. Without hesitation, they retracted their Emperor Qi and stepped back.
In an instant, the five coloured lights around the World Pagoda flashed as the gigantic pagoda shook violently. Space around it cracked, as though the pagoda was about to fly away.
All of a sudden, a scarlet banner appeared as a bloody aura permeated the air, which caused everyone to turn solemn. The banner was so huge that it was as though the entire sky had been covered with it.
Iron Blood War Banner, Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Natal Artifact.
This wasn’t an Ancient Exotic Artifact, nor was it refined by an Artifact Refiner. Instead, it was the manifestation of Zhan Wu Hen’s cultivation. Since he had used the Iron Blood War Banner, it meant that he was going all out, which went to show how spectacular the pagoda was. Even a Great Emperor had to use his full might to suppress it. If Zhan Wu Hen hadn’t come here, Lei Hong and the others wouldn’t have been able to stabilize the World Pagoda for long, and sooner or later, they would lose this most important treasure.
The scarlet War Banner was extremely vivid. It looked like a blood wall that could shade the entire sky, and the flowing colour looked like weltering blood, which could easily daze any beholder. The War Banner swiftly fell onto the World Pagoda and engulfed it, and in the blink of an eye, the entire pagoda was covered tightly.
The five coloured light disappeared as the pagoda quickly stabilised. The entire world seemed to be filled with the scarlet colour, which painted everyone’s face red.
Standing in front of the pagoda, Zhan Wu Hen placed his hands behind his back and stared as he waited patiently.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was in trouble.
He was thrown into the pagoda by Zhan Wu Hen, and before he could understand what was going on, an oddly-shaped beast with long fur was striding toward him. The long-furred beast’s aura was strange, so Yang Kai wasn’t sure what it was.
He had wanted to make a move to test the beast’s strength, but he was surprised to see it opening its mouth wide before he could even react. A moment later, he was gulped down into its stomach, following which, he found himself inside a strange world.
The clouds above his head had been dyed red, as though the entire sky was burning. Upon closer look, he realised that the sky really was ablaze. The red clouds were actually flames that were blazing across the sky.
On the other hand, lava could be seen flowing on the ground and magma bubbles kept popping, releasing a pungent smell. Even Yang Kai felt that the surrounding heat was scalding.
Of the Five Elements, only one seemed to exist in this world, Fire. Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t detect the other four Elements. It wasn’t the first time he came across such an odd place, but before he could scan the surroundings to find out more, a hideous figure emerged from the lava.
It had a dragon’s head, a deer’s body, an ox’s tail, fish scales, and two horns on its forehead. Its entire body was burning with fire, and its feet were engulfed in dark flames. Despite its odd appearance, it was imposing
[A Qilin! An Ancient Divine Spirit Fire Qilin!] Yang Kai’s eyes almost protruded. Fire Qilins were also highly ranked among Divine Spirits. If all the Divine Spirits in the world were divided into different classes, and Dragons and Phoenixes were the most prestigious, Qilins would be among the third class, similar to Qiong Qi.
Yang Kai knew about Qiong Qi’s power and understood that the average Pseudo-Great Emperor would not be his match, so what about the Fire Qilin before his eyes?
Hence, when the Fire Qilin appeared, Yang Kai became alarmed and instantly communicated with his Sealed World Bead so that he could summon his protectors, the three Half-Saints, at any moment. The Embodiment wasn’t the only one in the Sealed World Bead right now as Bei Li Mo and Yu Ru Meng had forcefully made him bring Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya with him.
With three Half-Saints joining forces, a single Fire Qilin was certainly no match no matter how powerful it was.
While Yang Kai was still contemplating his next move though, rumbling sounds were heard as more and more Fire Qilins emerged from the lava, all of them with hideous and imposing images.
In the blink of an eye, more than a thousand Fire Qilins appeared out of the lava and surrounded Yang Kai, staring at him with fiery eyes.
At that instant, Yang Kai’s expression turned pensive. He could understand it if there was only one Fire Qilin; after all, the World Pagoda was abstruse and it contained countless Small Worlds, so it wasn’t surprising that there was such an odd world inside the pagoda.
However, something was off as there were simply too many Fire Qilins at the moment. No Divine Spirit could ever have such exceptional reproductive ability. The Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and all other Divine Spirit Clans could not achieve this.
Hence, it was impossible that there were more than a thousand Fire Qilins in this world. It was Heavenly Way’s method of maintaining balance, allowing such powerful Divine Spirits to exist, but not reproduce in great numbers. If too many Divine Spirits were born, there would be no room for other creatures to exist.
In order to prove that his speculation was right, he lifted his hand and slashed a Moon Blade at the Fire Qilin nearest to him.
The Moon Blade broke through the air and slashed across Fire Qilin’s figure. Following a shriek, the Fire Qilin was cut into two.
[They’re not real Fire Qilins!] If they were the real Qilins, Yang Kai couldn’t have killed one with just a single strike. For some reason, these beasts looked just like Qilins though, and despite Yang Kai’s acute vision, he couldn’t see any flaws in them.
Before he could heave a sigh of relief though, his strike seemed to have enraged the Fire Qilins as they all pounced at him. At that instant, all the fire in this world seemed to erupt and the lava boiled fiercely. Even the fire in the sky became more vigorous.
Not daring to underestimate his foes, Yang Kai quickly summoned his three Half-Saint protectors.
Although these Fire Qilins were not real Divine Spirits, they were also not weak. From what Yang Kai could gauge, every one of them was equivalent to a First-Order Emperor.
Yang Kai wouldn’t care if there were only one to two of them, he could even deal with ten to twenty of them; however, if the figure was more than two hundred, he would have to flee.
This world of fire had to be one of the countless Small Worlds in the World Pagoda, so unless he could break the World Barrier of this Small World, he couldn’t possibly flee.
It took time and concentration to break a World Barrier though, so he needed people to protect him while he worked.
As soon as the Embodiment appeared, he could share Yang Kai’s thoughts and understand what was going on. Without saying a word, he summoned the Demonic War Hammer and pounded his fist against his own chest. In an instant, his figure expanded into a three-hundred-meter-tall giant.
The Demonic War Hammer also expanded proportionally. Standing on the lava, the Embodiment wielded his hammer as his Half-Saint’s power flared out. Many of the Fire Qilins that were pouncing were smashed into dust in an instant.
Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo didn’t react as quickly. As soon as they appeared, they were startled for a moment, and when they saw the sight before their eyes, they were shocked.
One of them exclaimed, “What are these?”.
The other asked, “Brother Yang, what’s going on?”
Yang Kai replied, “Just kill them!”
Hesitating no more, the two Half-Saints executed his order and started killing.
With three Half-Saints around Yang Kai, the Fire Qilins were unable to get within a half-kilometre radius. The three Half-Saints also didn’t go out of their way to attack and simply defended against any Qilin that dared to leap towards them.
Remaining on the spot, Yang Kai closed his eyes to sense his surroundings. At the same time, he recalled what had happened after he entered the pagoda. He had a feeling that he had somewhat grasped something at that moment and was now trying to unravel it.
A moment later, Bai Ya exclaimed, “Brother Bai Zhuo, something is wrong!”
Bai Zhuo nodded, “En, they’re endless.”
Although there were many Qilins, the three Half-Saints should have been able to wipe them out given enough time; however, the truth was that there didn’t seem to be a drop in the enemy’s numbers. No matter how many Qilins they killed, more and more would pounce on them a moment later.
After observing for a bit, they finally realised the problem. For every Qilin they killed, a new one would emerge from the lava, which was why they were unable to kill them all.
“What kind of damned place is this?” Bai Zhuo smiled helplessly. These Fire Qilins were not tangible beings but rather condensed Earth Fire. Unless they extracted all the energy in this world, they would never kill them all.
They were Half-Saints, so killing these fake Qilins was like killing ants for them; however, a sea of ants could eventually devour an elephant.
“This is a training ground,” Yang Kai explained impassively as he opened his eyes.
The World Pagoda was the most important treasure in Star Soul Palace. Since time immemorial, countless disciples had entered it for life experience and to become stronger. The innumerable Small Worlds in this pagoda were the best training grounds for them.
It was the same case for the Small World they were in right now. If there was no mechanism to keep replacing the Fire Qilins, this training ground couldn’t serve its purpose.
“Brother Bai Zhuo, come with me!” Yang Kai said and leapt into the air.
Hearing that, Bai Zhuo immediately raced after him. Their speed was incredible as they had moved for a few thousand metres in the blink of an eye.
Gazing at the weltering flames in the sky, Bai Zhuo said solemnly, “Brother Yang, be careful.”
Although he had no idea what these flames were, he could detect a dangerous aura coming from them.
Right after he finished speaking, the weltering flames became even more violent, and the next moment, a huge bird descended from the fire clouds. Its wings could spread for more than ten metres wide and its entire body was crimson red, its beak as pointed as a sword. More conspicuously, the bird only had one leg.
It was a Bi Fang, another Divine Spirit. Needless to say, they knew that, just like the Fire Qilins that had emerged from the lava, the bird wasn’t a true Divine Spirit but a condensation of this place’s strong Fire Attribute Energy. They just looked like Divine Spirits.
Having experienced this situation already, Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo were not so shocked when they saw the sight.
As expected, following the first Bi Fang, more than a thousand Bi Fangs appeared, diving down from the fire clouds. The flames that swirled around them seemed able to burn all intruders to death.
Bai Zhuo immediately shot forward and appeared before Yang Kai. As his Demon Qi undulated, many blood threads shot in different directions as several dozen Bi Fangs were killed without even being able to make a sound.
Yang Kai followed suit and brandished his Myriads Sword as he swept his Sword Qi across the enemy.
The Human and Demon then shot into the sky and started killing.
Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo crossed a thousand kilometres and killed more than a thousand Bi Fangs. Just like the Fire Qilins, the birds coming at them were like a never-ending stream. Despite the fact that they had killed a thousand of them, it still wouldn’t be useful at all even if they could go on killing ten thousand more.
Nevertheless, they had managed to get near the fire clouds.
Yang Kai wielded his sword, sending out innumerable sword waves as he dashed forward while Bai Zhuo brought up the rear, protecting him from behind.
The fire clouds were still sweltering, but the burning flames were unable to shade the glittering cold light of the Myraids Sword.
The next moment, the fire clouds separated as Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo shot into the sky.
Unfortunately, they were still engulfed in fire clouds and there didn’t seem to be an end to them. Nevertheless, they kept flying upwards without pause.
A long time had passed, and they had lost count of how many Bi Fangs they had killed. All of a sudden, Yang Kai stopped, and upon seeing that, Bai Zhuo also halted as they respectively pushed their Demon Qi to form a protective layer around themselves.
Still standing on the lava, the Embodiment received a message from Yang Kai and shouted to Bai Ya, “Let’s go!”
After he finished speaking, he turned into a Human-sized figure, and with the Demonic War Hammer in hand, he whizzed into the sky.
Seeing that, countless Qilins quickly raced after them.
After they dashed into the fire clouds, they bumped into a large group of Bi Fangs. It was then that the Fire Qilins stopped moving. It was as though the sky and the ground were two separate domains. Qilins were only responsible for keeping watch on the ground while Bi Fangs had to deal with the enemies in the sky.
Fire clouds and Bi Fangs were unable to stop Yang Kai and Bai Zhuo, so naturally, they couldn’t do that to the Embodiment and Bai Ya either. Just a moment later, all four of them were reunited.
“One stick of incense!” The Embodiment spoke on behalf of Yang Kai. Upon hearing that, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo nodded as the three Half-Saints dispersed and surrounded Yang Kai to protect him.
Yang Kai had closed his eyes and he didn’t move a muscle. Despite that, anyone could feel the Space Principles wafting from his body. The Principles were not strong, but they were expanding in all directions like countless thin threads. It was as though he was trying to look for something.
Undoubtedly, he was looking for a weak point in the World Barrier.
This place was just one of the countless Small Worlds in the World Pagoda. If they wanted to leave, they had to break the barrier of this world. Earlier, Yang Kai had run around to search the ground, but he couldn’t find any weak points there; therefore, he decided to look for one in the sky.
Although Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, it still wasn’t easy for him to break the barrier of a Small World. Every world had weak points. For example, the Two Worlds’ Passage was where the World Barrier in the Star Boundary was weakest, which was why the Demons managed to open up a passage that connected the two Great Worlds.
Even a Great World like the Star Boundary had its weak point, so nothing needed to be said about a mere Small World.
Fortunately, Yang Kai soon found a weak point, but now he needed time. The reason he could easily find it was that this world wasn’t that large. If they were inside a large-scale Small World, he would have to spend a much longer time. As Space Principles undulated, Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy turned into a razor-sharp blade. Following his Space Principles, he cut into the weak point and pried open a gap.
The three Half-Saints around him in the meantime continued killing. These Bi Fangs were condensed from the Small World’s World Energy, so they didn’t fear death, nor did they know pain. Worse, they would be infinitely resurrected.
The Embodiment was in a better state as he was a Stone Spirit and he had obtained Shi Huo’s Source, which was why he wouldn’t get exhausted quickly. On the other hand, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya could feel their energy drain from their bodies, but they wouldn’t dare to preserve any strength at this critical moment. They fully used their power in every strike. With such great consumption, it wouldn’t take long before they ran out of fuel.
Fortunately, they only needed to persevere for one stick of incense. If they were told to hang on for a few days, they wouldn’t even know whether they could make it.
As they were killing their enemies, they were also paying attention to Yang Kai. As time passed, the originally subtle Space Principle fluctuations became violent. Apparently, Yang Kai had made some progress.
One incense stick later, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes as the fluctuations of Space Principles intensified greatly. Space around him contorted and visible ripples were formed.
Staring right at the front, he exerted more force with his hands like they were blades and stabbed into the Void.
Strangely, as soon as he pushed out his hands, they disappeared.
The next moment, Yang Kai widened his eyes in fury as his Demon Qi surged like a tsunami. At the same time, he bellowed, “Open!”
With his shout, he forcefully tore the Void apart with his hands.
In an instant, the sky separated like a silk cloth that had been torn apart. As a buzzing sound reverberated around in this world, a crack came into view. The crack was pitch-black and filled with nothingness. Following Yang Kai’s movements, it slowly expanded into a several tens of metres long and ten metres wide chasm.
Yang Kai turned around and said to the Half-Saints, “Go!”
They had been suffering in this damned place for quite some time now, so now that the World Barrier was broken, they couldn’t wait to leave.
Without hesitation, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo used their Secret Techniques to kill all the enemies in close proximity before returning to Yang Kai. The Embodiment also wielded his hammer as he retreated.
Yang Kai activated his Demon Qi to engulf them and dashed into the Void Crack. When they reappeared, they were already in another world.
In a nearby spot, a long-furred beast could be seen covering its stomach as it gazed at Yang Kai and the others with a horrified look on its face. Then, it turned around and fled. Yang Kai could recognise that it was this beast that had gulped him down earlier, which caused him to plunge into the world of fire. However, at this moment, there was a long wound on the beast’s body which it was covering. The thing that was flowing out of the wound wasn’t blood but the flames they saw earlier in that Small World.
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya still didn’t understand what was going on, so seeing the beast, they decided to kill it. However, they were stopped by Yang Kai.
“What is that?” Seeing as the beast was fleeing, Bai Zhuo frowned. He was a Demon from the Demon Realm, so he thought that the beast was unique to the Star Boundary as he had never come across it before.
“It’s the Small World.” Yang Kai scowled.
“What?” Bai Zhuo stared at him in shock, “Brother Yang, you mean, it’s the Spirit Manifestation of the Small World?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded. If that was not the case, he wouldn’t have entered the Small World after he was gulped down by the long-furred beast. After he tore apart the barrier and got out, there happened to be a wound on the beast’s stomach. It all went to show that the long-furred beast was the manifestation of the Small World.
“How can that be?” Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya were flabbergasted. They had never heard or seen a Small World that possessed a manifestation. If that was really the case, it could very well happen to the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. When that happened, Demons and Humans would essentially be living inside the stomachs of two giant Spirits.
“Nothing is impossible. Have you forgotten about my Sealed World Bead?”
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya were startled for a moment as they recalled that the Sealed World Bead could also turn into a giant manifestation. They had personally seen the enormous Gun-Gun, and upon that realisation, they were relieved.
“Moreover, there are some changes inside this place, but I’m not sure what is going on. From what we saw, the Small World has indeed obtained a Spirit Manifestation.”
The long-furred beast was a manifestation of the Small World, so its power was concealed by World Energy. That was the reason Yang Kai couldn’t make out its true form or strength at first glance and accidentally got devoured by it.
However, it seemed that the long-furred beast was without sentience and only acted on instinct; otherwise, given its power as a Small World’s manifestation, Yang Kai wouldn’t have so easily escaped.
Yang Kai had no idea what the changes were that had happened in the World Pagoda. He also didn’t know what Lan Xun had done, nor was he aware of where she was or what she had gone through.
Nevertheless, they fell into danger right after they entered the pagoda, which made Yang Kai worried. He had to find Lan Xun as quickly as possible to help her solve her current problems. Even if he couldn’t, he had to bring her out of this place.
He had been blaming himself for failing in his attempt to bring Bright Moon out of the Demon Realm. If he also couldn’t ensure Lan Xue’s safety now, his years of cultivation would have all been in vain.
After keeping the three Half-Saints, Yang Kai moved forward on his own.
He remembered that there were five floors in total inside the Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda. Every floor could allow cultivators with different cultivations to enter to train. Since Lan Xun wanted to refine the pagoda, she must have gone to the most important place, which was the fifth floor.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai couldn’t find his way to the next floor. It seemed that the floor he was in was the only one in the entire pagoda.
While looking for the way to get to the next floor, he came across many ferocious beasts. Without any exception, they were all Small Worlds that had all achieved Spirit Manifestation. These beasts had different temperaments. Some of them were timid and ran away as soon as they saw Yang Kai. Some of them were as savage as the long-furred beast and pounced on Yang Kai the moment they met.
Usually, Yang Kai would just evade them using Instantaneous Movement. He wanted to avoid as many battles as possible right now.
However, he wasn’t always so fortunate. Not all Small Worlds had a manifestation that looked like a beast. Some Small Worlds had turned into rocks that looked entirely ordinary. When Yang Kai passed by a stone once, it widened its mouth and ate him, which caused him to fall into a strange Small World again that he had to spend time escaping.
Some of these Small Worlds were strong, while some of them were weak. The strong ones were just like the long-furred beast he had come across and Yang Kai had to summon the three Half-Saints to help protect him. For the weak ones, he just needed a thought to break the World Barrier himself to escape.
Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo were exhausted by now. Although they were strong, they didn’t have enough stamina to battle against so many enemies without rest. That was why every time they returned to the Sealed World Bead, they would seize the chance to recuperate and get prepared for the next battle.
With no exception, Yang Kai wouldn’t do anything to these manifestations of the Small Worlds.
Every Small World or Sealed World in this pagoda was a treasure, and they were left behind by the Great Emperor to be passed down to Lan Xun. He wouldn’t destroy or snatch them.
After a few days, he became anxious as there still weren’t any clues about where to go. The longer this dragged on, the more dangerous Lan Xun’s situation would become.
While Yang Kai was searching around one day though, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look in a particular direction, only to see a petite figure standing on a mound as she was staring silently at him.
It was a little girl no more than five or six years old. Her hair had been tied into two ponytails, and she was clad in a beautiful dress. Her big eyes shone brightly and her facial features were exquisite.
Yang Kai knitted his brows together because it was the second time he had come across this little girl.
Despite her petite figure, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to underestimate her. The only things that could be moving around in this pagoda right now were the Spirits that were transformed from Small Worlds.
It was the case for the stone and the long-furred beast, so this little girl must be a Spirit Manifestation as well.
When he came across her on the previous day, she had just observed him from afar. A vigilant Yang Kai had circumvented her, but he hadn’t expected that he would see her again on this day. Certainly, it wasn’t a coincidence. The young girl must be following him!
That was the reason Yang Kai was wary. So far, he had come across more than ten Small World Manifestations, but none of them had any consciousness as they only acted on their instincts. The fact that this little girl could follow him suggested that she was different from other manifestations.
Nevertheless, she seemed just as timid as a frightened mouse.
When Yang Kai saw her on the previous day, she immediately ran away. Although she didn’t flee immediately this time, she had only dared to hide behind the mound and stick out her head to observe Yang Kai with her big, blinking eyes.
Yang Kai frowned as he had no idea what she was up to. Since she was stalking him, why was she so afraid of him? Was she just curious?
Without pondering on the reason behind it, Yang Kai turned around and left.
Seeing that, the little girl started flushing and balled up her fists. She also parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she couldn’t say a word in the end, so she became flustered.
After walking for several tens of metres, Yang Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around. Then, he strode towards the little girl.
When the anxious little girl saw that, she became elated in an instant, but as Yang Kai approached her, she started stepping backwards. Her movement was slow and her steps were small as the hem of her dress flapped in the air. However, Yang Kai was shocked to realise that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get any closer to her.
As his patience had run out, he used his Space Principles to appear in front of her in the blink of an eye, and before she could react, he directly grabbed her shoulders.
The next moment, both of their expressions could be seen changing.
The little girl was terrified. She was already timid to the point that she didn’t dare to approach Yang Kai, so now that her shoulders were suddenly grasped, she became incredibly anxious. Her eyes had turned watery as she was about to tear up, so she looked rather pitiful.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was stunned by the impact he felt. The moment he grabbed her shoulders, he felt an immense power storming into his body, causing him to feel dizzy and see stars; in fact, he almost passed out on the spot.
World Force!
Just like what he had speculated, the little girl was indeed a Small World Manifestation. When they came into contact, the World Force which sustained her manifestation surged and dealt a heavy blow to him.
Yang Kai was even preparing to summon his Half-Saints after he felt this impact.
Fortunately, although the little girl was greatly frightened, she didn’t seem to have any hostile intent. She was just trying to retract her frail arms as she looked pleadingly at him.
As the power of the Soul Warming Lotus undulated, Yang Kai was able to somehow calm down. Staring at the little girl before his eyes, he tried to say in as harmless a manner as possible, “I’m looking for someone who is like me, but she’s a woman. Have you seen her?”
Just like how Xiao Chen had asked him out of desperation, Yang Kai was now asking a random little girl on the off chance she had some clues.
Although he had come across some Small Word Manifestations before, they didn’t have any sentience; however, this little girl seemed to be different from them as she could clearly think for herself, which was why he had to ask her about it.
He didn’t pin his hopes on her, but simply asked as there was nothing to lose.
On the other hand, the little girl was flabbergasted. Since she was unable to withdraw her arms, her immense World Force surged again.
Despite the fact that Yang Kai was well prepared, he was still sent flying backwards upon impact. Fortunately, he didn’t get hurt as he only felt the vitality in his body roil. After landing on the ground, he took a deep breath repeatedly to calm himself down. When he lifted his head, he saw that the little girl was flying rapidly in a particular direction.
A disappointed Yang Kai shook his head and turned around.
A moment later, the little girl returned and blocked his way. It was apparent that she was trying her hardest to suppress her fear as although her body was trembling violently, she was still resolutely standing there.
Yang Kai tilted his head to gaze at her and frowned.
The next moment, the little girl flew in the same direction again; however, this time, she repeatedly turned her head to gaze at Yang Kai, and then looked ahead again.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he realised that she was trying to lead the way. With a local guide around, it was much better than if he just searched blindly.
Left with no other choice anyway, he immediately moved and raced after her. Seeing as Yang Kai started following her, the little girl stopped looking back as she accelerated her pace.
Seeing this, Yang Kai could confirm that she was really trying to lead him somewhere.
There were no hindrances in front of them as they never came across any other Small World Manifestations.
A long time later, the little girl stopped in front of a mountain valley and turned to look at Yang Kai.
There was a narrow path that led into the valley, which looked very ordinary; however, after Yang Kai released his Divine Sense, he realised that he couldn’t detect anything, as though he was engulfed in a blinding fog.
“Is she here?” Yang Kai asked.
The little girl balled up her fists and solemnly nodded.
It was the first time she directly replied to Yang Kai, so he was elated. After flashing an amiable smile at her, he said, “Thank you.”
It wasn’t certain whether the little girl could understand him or not, but she had hung her head low with a blushing face.
On the other hand, Yang Kai strode towards the valley. Since he had come all the way here, he had to go in to have a look at whether or not Lan Xun was inside. Furthermore, something felt off about this place.
The narrow path was only about several dozen metres long, and after passing through it, he arrived at the valley.
Standing at the entrance, he couldn’t help but be dazzled by the sight in front of him, which caused him to fall into a dazed state.
It was a seemingly infinite field of flowers. They came in all sorts of colours, red, blue, white, gold, and so on as they bloomed in this valley. All of them were beautiful and lovely. There was also a faint glow that permeated the valley, which made the place look as attractive as a paradise.
Yang Kai had never been to Myriads Flowers Valley, but he had heard that it was also a place that was filled with all sorts of beautiful flora. Now, it seemed that the number of flowers in this valley was comparable to that of Myriad Flowers Valley.
If he could become a hermit and spend the rest of his life here, it would be an enjoyable life.
However, the allure of the flowers couldn’t entrance Yang Kai forever. Soon, he noticed the figure that was in the middle of the field.
The curvy figure was just lying on the flowers, which were supporting her weight despite their supposed frailty. She appeared to be sound asleep as her body rocked lightly with the wind.
It was Lan Xun! She was indeed here. The little girl had really led him to her.
It wasn’t certain what had happened, but Yang Kai could see that Lan Xun wasn’t injured and had just lost consciousness. Seeing that, he heaved a sigh of relief. Since he had found her, he just had to come up with a way to bring her out of this place.
Nevertheless, he didn’t put his guard down. Although the flowers were beautiful, he knew that attractive things were always associated with danger. The reason Lan Xun had fallen asleep must have something to do with the seemingly infinite bed of flowers.
He had also become wary because the little girl decided not to come into the valley with him; thus, he released his Divine Sense to check the flowers in an attempt to find out what they were.
The next moment, his expression was transformed by horror.
The flowers appeared alluring to the naked eye, but when he investigated them with his Divine Sense, he realised that they were not really flowers. All of these lovely flowers were actually Small World Manifestations!
Nevertheless, he wasn’t too surprised as Small World Manifestations came in all sorts of forms. They could even turn into stones, let alone flowers.
However, there were just too many of them. It could be said that every flower or grass was a world in and of itself.
Yang Kai knew that the World Pagoda contained a lot of Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds, but he hadn’t expected the number to be so staggering. How abstruse must this pagoda be?
It was no wonder that Lan Xun had passed out. She was just lying on the flowers as the powers of Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds swept over her, so how was she able to persevere? The reason she wasn’t hurt must have something to do with her bloodline and unique physique; after all, Bright Moon Great Emperor had refined this pagoda, and as his descendant, Lan Xun must have inherited his aura, which the pagoda could identify.
However, the situation had become somewhat tricky. Lan Xun was lying on the flowers, and if Yang Kai wanted to bring her out, he had to pass through this field. Although these Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds wouldn’t harm Lan Xun, the same couldn’t be said of Yang Kai, which was why he was in a dilemma.
Just then, a sigh was heard close to his ears, and following that, a light shot out from his body and landed on the ground before a figure revealed itself.
Yang Kai was flabbergasted because he had no idea that there was a foreign body inside his own, which was inconceivable. He was a High-Rank Demon King, and his Soul cultivation was stronger than any Half-Saints or Pseudo-Great Emperors’; hence, it should have been impossible for anything to be planted in his body without his knowledge.
However, the truth was that it wasn’t until the sigh was heard and the light was seen that Yang Kai came to this realisation, which caused him to be drenched in cold sweat.
If the person who had used such a move on him wanted to kill him, he would have been dead long ago.
Nevertheless, when he made out the figure, Yang Kai became excited as his eyes widened. At the same time, he felt his lips trembling as he said in a choking voice, “Senior…”
Although the figure was facing away from him, he could never forget that person.
The Great Emperor was killed by him, so he couldn’t and wouldn’t dare to forget him. Yang Kai had inherited the legacy and the Star Boundary’s Will from the person before his eyes.
He thought that Bright Moon’s Soul had already vanished, so his eyes turned moist when he saw him again, even though it was just a Remnant Soul.
Bright Moon was killed by Yang Kai on Eternal Sky Continent, and his corpse was still lying in the mourning hall of Star Soul Palace, so it was impossible that he had been resurrected. Moreover, the figure before his eyes was quite translucent, very much unlikely to be a real body. The only explanation was that it was a Remnant Soul.
Yang Kai wasn’t even aware that Bright Moon Great Emperor’s Remnant Soul had been planted in his body. The Great Emperor must have used some kind of Secret Technique before his death, and it wasn’t until this day that it was triggered.
The figure turned around and revealed an oddly young face, looking just like a twenty-eight-year-old young man who was still vibrant and energetic.
Despite that, there was no doubt that the young man was Bright Moon. Presently, his expression was amiable as the smile on his face was bright.
“Senior!” Yang Kai hung his head low and cupped his fists.
“There’s no need to be overly formal with me. Stand up.”
Yang Kai’s head still remained lowered.
Bright Moon sighed, “It was my own choice, so it has nothing to do with you. If it were Iron Blood or Serene Soul or one of the others, they would have made the same decision. It’s just that you’ve been affected. In truth, this King should be thanking you for not letting me die at the hands of the Demon Race.”
Yang Kai could understand what the Great Emperor was trying to say, but he still blamed himself for the fact that he had killed him.
“Now it seems I must thank you again,” Bright Moon kept a smile on his face, “Xun’er did this, and you’ve readily come to her rescue.”
It was then Yang Kai lifted his head and stared at him in shock, “Senior, did you already anticipate this?”
Bright Moon replied with a smile, “Xun’er is my daughter, so I know her temperament well. She wants to refine the pagoda, but she isn’t qualified yet. Since she insisted on coming here, this outcome is to be expected.”
It was because he had expected this outcome that he decided to leave his Remnant Soul with Yang Kai. He believed that if Yang Kai could safely leave the Demon Realm, the latter would surely come to Star Soul Palace, and if Lan Xun came across any danger, Yang Kai would do his utmost to save her.
However, if Yang Kai lost his life in the Demon Realm, all efforts would be meaningless.
“Where is this?”
“The core of the World Pagoda,” Bright Moon replied calmly, “Since you’ve come here, I’m sure you’re aware of what’s going on in the pagoda. Presently, many Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds in the pagoda have turned into Spirit Manifestations. When this King was still alive, the power of my seal was able to ensure that the pagoda remained stable. Now that I have died, the seal has been weakened. All five floors have become one, and the space in the pagoda has become chaotic. It wouldn’t have mattered if no external forces interfered; however, Xun’er barged into this place to refine the pagoda, so it’s only natural that the Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds show some reluctance and resistance. Though, with this King’s seal still functional, they can’t harm Xun’er, they can make her fall asleep. A thousand, or maybe ten thousand years later, when my seal finally wears off, those manifestations will break free from the chains of the pagoda.”
Yang Kai couldn’t completely understand him, but he had somewhat grasped the general idea, so he asked, “Senior, what should I do to save Junior Sister Lan and safeguard the pagoda?”
Without answering his question, Bright Moon asked, “Do you know how many Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds there are in this pagoda?”
Yang Kai knew that there were a lot, but he couldn’t tell the exact number. After all, the area of flowers in front of him was expansive. In fact, Bright Moon didn’t expect any answer from him as he subsequently said, “There are exactly ten thousand of them.”
Upon hearing the number, Yang Kai couldn’t help but gasp. Although he had already imagined it would be a large number, he was still surprised to learn that there were exactly ten thousand of them.
Bright Moon went on to explain, “The World Pagoda is an Ancient Exotic Artifact, and although this King has refined it, I still can’t completely comprehend its mysteries, so I still don’t know how it is able to accommodate so many Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds. There must be a reason behind it, but it remains a mystery. However, out of the ten thousand worlds, one is now missing, so it has become nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. Although nine is the largest single number, it isn’t complete anymore when one is missing. Since the pagoda is not complete, it has definitely resulted in some flaws, that is how the current situation came about.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “One world is missing?”
Without answering his question, Bright Moon turned to look silently at him with a smile.
With his face flushing, an embarrassed Yang Kai coughed, “The Thousand Illusions Dreamworld?”
He suddenly recalled that when he finished training in the World Pagoda previously, he had taken away a certain butterfly. After he placed it in High Heaven Palace, the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld opened once more.
So, the missing one was the butterfly he had taken away. Thinking back, Yang Kai realised that the butterfly was also a Small World Spirit Manifestation. Since he had taken it away from the World Pagoda, it resulted in a single piece being missing from the ten thousand worlds.
Yang Kai couldn’t have expected that he was the reason behind all of this, so he was very embarrassed. When he left with the butterfly, he thought that no one had found out about it, so he had been gleeful for quite some time; however, it now seemed that the Great Emperor was already aware of it, but decided to let him get away with it.
Then, he recalled that when he left Star Soul Palace in the past, Bright Moon had intercepted him. Apparently, even back then, the Great Emperor was aware of what had happened.
Bright Moon flashed a smile at him, “It was your opportunity to have been able to take out a Sealed World from this pagoda. No one can blame you.”
Certainly, Yang Kai knew that the Great Emperor was just trying to console him, so with a solemn expression, he said, “This Junior will return to High Heaven Palace and bring the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld back to complete the pagoda again!”
Bright Moon shook his head, “You can’t go out. The power I’m left with is only enough for me to open up the pagoda once. After I send you out of this place, you won’t be able to come in again.”
A flabbergasted Yang Kai asked, “What should I do then?”
If he couldn’t bring the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld back, he couldn’t make the World Pagoda whole again and solve the crisis facing Lan Xun; however, if he left, he wouldn’t be able to come back. He was in a dilemma.
Bright Moon replied with a smile, “You have to rely on yourself.”
“What does Senior mean?” Yang Kai asked doubtfully.
“Since you’re a Master of the Dao of Space, you should be able to create a world on your own.”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened when he heard that, then he asked, “Senior, do you mean you want me to create a Small World?”
Bright Moon nodded, “Although there are ten thousand Small Worlds and Sealed Worlds, most of them are quite small and insignificant, there just to make up the numbers, so a powerful world isn’t required to make up for the current flaw. You just have to randomly create a Small World.”
It was such a coincidence. Even without this trip to Star Soul Palace, Yang Kai would still attempt to create a world on his own at some point. He hadn’t expected that after he entered the World Pagoda, Bright Moon would ask him to do exactly that. It seemed that it was his fate to do such a thing.
Moreover, the reason the World Pagoda had become incomplete and unstable was that Yang Kai had taken the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld away, so he had to make up for it. Basically, it was cause and effect.
In fact, he already had a Small World, which was the Sealed World Bead; however, the bead was closely related to many other things as it was now the key to the war between the Great Worlds, so Yang Kai couldn’t just place it in the World Pagoda. Even if he was willing to do so, the pagoda probably couldn’t accept it.
The World Pagoda might be able to accept the original Sealed World Bead; however, now that the bead had swallowed up a large area of the Demon Realm, part of it has become something similar to the Demon Realm. Therefore, the World Pagoda would probably be unable to take it in.
“Can you do it?” Bright Moon looked smilingly at him.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded seriously. Even if he didn’t have the intention of making a Small World right now, he would have to do it for the sake of the World Pagoda and Lan Xun, to say nothing of the fact that he was intending on doing this anyways.
Then, Yang Kai suddenly recalled something as he fished out a palm-sized mountain and placed it on his palm, “Senior, do you think this will suffice?”
Bright Moon took a look and replied with a smile, “It seems that you’re well prepared.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help laughing as he replied, “I did not create it.”
The palm-sized mountain was a real mountain, not a fake one. The mountain was covered in forests and animals could be seen roaming around. They could also hear the tigers roar from time to time.
Floating Mountain was refined by Li Wu Yi. It was given to Yang Kai some time ago to study the Space Principles involved in its creation, but he hadn’t expected that it could be useful at this point.
Yang Kai had roamed around the mountain once, so he already knew the mechanism behind it; therefore, whether the mountain was still with him didn’t matter anymore. It would be wonderful if the mountain could be used here. If it wasn’t feasible, he would have to create a new world on his own, but he would need some time to do that. It might take him months or even years.
As he observed Bright Moon’s expression, Yang Kai believed that Floating Mountain should fit the bill, but he still asked, “Can it be used?”
“En,” Bright Moon gently nodded. Although his figure was translucent, he was still able to pick up the mountain. After probing it, he said with a smile, “It was refined by Li Wu Yi, right?”
It wouldn’t be difficult to come to this conclusion. In the entire Star Boundary, only Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi could be considered experts in the Dao of Space. Since Yang Kai had said he didn’t make it, the creator must be Li Wu Yi.
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied, “I obtained it some time ago.”
“Such a coincidence.” Bright Moon smiled and nodded his head, “We can save a lot of time since we have it. En, you can leave now. You’re unable to help any further here.”
“Senior…” Yang Kai said.
However, Bright Moon lifted his hand to stop him and looked smilingly at him, “Since you’ve obtained the World’s Will of the Star Boundary, you should start working hard so that you’ll not disappoint the world and everyone in it.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before cupping his fists, “Junior will take your teachings to heart. Farewell, Senior!”
Having said his piece, Yang Kai turned around and walked out of the valley. He had just bid the Great Emperor farewell for the final time.
He could feel a gale surging behind him as flowers and leaves shook violently. At the same time, World Force swept across the area.
After he left the valley, Yang Kai realised that the violent fluctuations had calmed, and the narrow path seemed to have become an impenetrable barrier that sealed the storm within the valley.
Looking up, he realised that there were no Sun, Moon, or Stars in the sky within the World Pagoda, only an endless void.
Hearing a sound from a nearby spot, Yang Kai turned his head, only to see the timid little girl standing over there. As their eyes met, the little girl quickly lowered her head.
Yang Kai smiled as he knew that she must be a being just like Tiea. It was thanks to her that he was able to find Lan Xun, so he made a small bow to salute her.
Surprisingly, the little girl flickered before disappearing. She was replaced by a green plant on the ground. The leaves were made up from even smaller compound leaves that looked like a shuttle that was used for weaving. The leaves folded inward and drooped as though they were too shy to meet anyone.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment. Nevertheless, he soon recalled that Tiea could also transform into both Human form and the Thousand Illusions Butterfly, so it was completely reasonable that the little girl could turn into two different forms.
However, as an Emperor Alchemist, he couldn’t recognise what kind of treasure this plant was. After observing it for a long time, he burst into laughter.
It wasn’t a treasure of any kind, but rather the most common type of flower. A petite shy plant was able to contain a Small World. The world was truly vast and filled with wonders.
Upon that revelation, Yang Ki finally understood why she was so timid, it was simply in her nature.
Inside Star Soul Palace, a scarlet banner had covered the entire World Pagoda. The banner was a manifestation of Iron Blood Great Emperor’s cultivation. It could be said that Zhan Wu Hen had fully used his power to suppress the pagoda’s restlessness.
Despite the fact that the Great Emperor had made a move, the pagoda was still buzzing and shaking from time to time, as though it was trying to struggle out of the Iron Blood War Banner’s restriction.
Lei Hong and the others were extremely nervous as they appeared to be in deep sorrow. Although Yang Kai had entered the pagoda, they had no idea what had been going on inside the building. If Yang Kai couldn’t bring Lan Xun out of the pagoda, it would essentially cut off the future of Star Soul Palace.
They didn’t expect Yang Kai to solve the crisis regarding the World Pagoda, they just hoped that he could safely bring Lan Xun back. Although Zhan Wu Hen was around, which ensured that the pagoda was temporarily safe, it was unlikely that he would stay in Star Soul Palace forever. Once he had to leave, if Yang Kai still hadn’t managed to come back, it would be the end of the world for them.
They wanted to ask Zhan Wu Hen what was going on inside, but they knew that it was pointless because he probably had no idea either. All the leaders of Star Soul Palace could be seen with their brows knitted together as if they were on pins and needles.
All of a sudden, Zhan Wu Hen, who seemed to be taking a rest, opened his eyes and grunted in surprise.
All the Elders, who had been observing him, were shocked, then Lei Hong quickly asked, “Senior, has anything happened?”
Without replying to him, Zhan Wu Hen lifted his hand, after which the scarlet War Banner undid the layers of restriction and turned into a red light as it shot into his body.
Seeing this, everyone was elated. The reason the World Pagoda had remained stable was thanks to Zhan Wu Hen’s suppression. Now that he had put his Iron Blood War Banner away, it meant that suppression on the pagoda was no longer needed, which meant that the internal trouble within the pagoda had been solved.
As expected, even though the red War Banner had disappeared, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about the pagoda anymore. The five-coloured light stopped spilling out of the building, and the huge Five Coloured Treasure Pagoda remained hovering in mid-air, turning slowly.
The next moment, a figure abruptly appeared in front of the pagoda. Upon closer look, they realised that it was none other than Yang Kai, who had ventured into the pagoda earlier.
There was a sense of guilt as well as relief on his face. Nevertheless, he could be seen with a calm expression as though a burden had been lifted off his chest. He had also become more energetic.
However, only Yang Kai was seen as Lan Xun was still missing. The joy on the faces of Lei Hong and the others faded as their hearts fell.
Knowing what they were worried about, Yang Kai immediately cupped his fists, “Fortunately, I have not failed my mission.”
What he had said suggested that he had solved the crisis in the World Pagoda, but what about Lan Xun?
Lei Hong hurriedly asked, “Where is her Highness?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Junior Sister Lan is fine, but she’s still refining the World Pagoda. It will take her some time, perhaps as many as three to five years before she can come out.”
“She’s still refining it?” Xiao Yu Yang scowled. The pagoda descended into chaos exactly because Lan Xun attempted to refine it, so why was she still so obstinate? What puzzled them was why Yang Kai didn’t dissuade her from doing so.
Lei Hong and Xue Zheng Mao shared the same thought as their expressions turned solemn as they were worried that something would happen to Lan Xun again.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You need not worry because Junior Sister has Senior Bright Moon’s help, so she will be alright.”
“The Great Emperor’s help?” Lei Hong and the others were flabbergasted. Bright Moon’s corpse was still lying in the mourning hall, and his Soul had been extinguished, so how was he able to help Lan Xun?
Yang Kai quickly explained to them that the Great Emperor had planted a Soul Remnant on him, and upon hearing his explanation, Lei Hong and the others were finally able to relax. With Bright Moon’s help, there wouldn’t be any problem for Lan Xun to refine the World Pagoda. What she needed now was time. At that instant, all of them stopped worrying; however, when they recalled that the Great Emperor was truly dead and gone, they became mournful again.
Previously, after Yang Kai left the valley in the World Pagoda, he waited for two days before Lan Xun suddenly sent him a Divine Sense message. After that, she sent him out of the pagoda. She wanted to stay there to refine the pagoda, and now that it was complete again, there was no more flaw that would trigger another crisis.
Since the problem had been settled, there was no reason for Zhan Wu Hen to stick around. He didn’t even bid them farewell as he broke through the sky and left, only casting one last look towards the mourning hall before he disappeared.
Everyone bowed and saw him off.
After that, everyone from Star Soul Palace kept thanking Yang Kai, who wouldn’t dare to accept their gratitude. He asked Lei Hong and the others to lead the way for him so that he could offer condolences to the Great Emperor. Lan Xun wasn’t around, so no one could formally mourn for him. Nevertheless, the Great Emperor wouldn’t mind this kind of formality.
Yang Kai knelt in front of the mourning hall for three days before leaving Star Soul Palace.
Just like what the Great Emperor had said, since Yang Kai had obtained such an opportunity, he had to re-double his efforts so as not to disappoint the world and those who lived in it. After this trip to Star Soul Palace, his mind became clearer, and the worries he had been carrying lightened significantly.
Next, he headed to the Four Seasons Realm at full speed.
Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, Qiong Qi, and Liu Yan were all in the Four Seasons Realm, and there hadn’t been any news about them for years. Yang Kai didn’t expect to be able to find them this time, he simply had to come to this place to launch an investigation to appease his parents.
After he was done with the matter regarding the Four Seasons Realm, he had to start solving the problem of the Small Sealed World. If the problem regarding the territories in the Small Sealed World wasn’t solved, it couldn’t go on devouring more continents in the Demon Realm, which was the key to resolving the war between the two worlds; therefore, the matter had to be handled sooner rather than later.
Several kilometres above the ground, Yang Kai was flying forward at full speed. Ten days later, he was approaching the valley where the entrance to the Four Seasons Realm was located when a strange sound came from his waist.
Yang Kai was startled as he wasn’t sure what had happened. Then, he stopped and searched around before realising that the sound was coming from the token on his belt. It was the High-Rank Guest Elder Token from Azure Sun Temple, and the strange sound was a distress signal from an Elder of Azure Sun Temple.
When Yang Kai received the token and became a High-Rank Guest Elder in the past, Gao Xue Ting had told him about its many uses; however, he hadn’t come across this kind of situation before, so when the strange sound was heard earlier, he didn’t realize what was happening right away.
Upon recalling what Gao Xue Ting had told him, Yang Kai immediately understood that within five thousand kilometres, an Elder of Azure Sun Temple was in danger!
Swiftly taking the token in hand, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense into it. Following that, he sent a message and waited for a reply. The Elder Token wasn’t just a status symbol, but also a communication artifact. Although Yang Kai had no idea which Elder was in danger, he had to intervene.
A moment later, a message appeared in the token. Yang Kai turned to look in a particular direction and stored the token. Space Principles surged as his figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.
At the same time, Yang Kai was elated because when he used Instantaneous Movement, he realised that the resistance he faced had become much weaker. He hadn’t used Instantaneous Movement since he returned to the Star Boundary, so it wasn’t until this moment that the realisation dawned upon him. He understood that it was because of the Great Emperor’s Opportunity he now possessed. He had obtained the World’s Will of the Star Boundary, so the resistance he faced when tearing through space here had become weaker.
A distance of five thousand kilometres was neither far nor close; however, it would take any ordinary Third-Order Emperor Realm Master some time to cross it even at full speed.
On the other hand, it only took Yang Kai three Instantaneous Movements before he arrived at his destination.
Lifting his head, he realised that the disciples of Azure Sun Temple were besieged and in a perilous situation. Many of them had been injured and those seriously hurt had collapsed to the ground, their blood dying the earth crimson.
At the front of the group was a young woman whose hair flapped in the wind. She was the leader among the more than ten people of Azure Sun Temple. As she brandished her sword, it was apparent that she was fairly strong. Given the fact that she was in the First-Order Emperor Realm, she shouldn’t have looked so battered; however, in order to protect the disciples under her command, she had no choice but to expose openings in her defence, which gave her enemies a chance to successfully attack her.
The young woman was an old friend of Yang Kai’s. She was one of the rising Stars of Azure Sun Temple, Murong Xiao Xiao.
There were more than fifty people who were attacking the Azure Sun Temple group. One of them was an Emperor Realm Master who just like Murong Xiao Xiao was a First-Order Emperor. However, be it this Emperor Realm Master or the other cultivators, they were all exuding rich Demon Qi and their moves were all cruel and ruthless.
[Demon Heavenly Dao!] That was the first thought that sprang into Yang Kai’s mind. When he returned to the Star Boundary, Han Zheng Qing had suspected that he too was from the Demon Heavenly Dao. At that time, Yang Kai still didn’t know what the Demon Heavenly Dao was until Fan Xin explained it to him.
It wasn’t until this moment that he finally came across those from the Demon Heavenly Dao.
They were all Humans instead of Demons; however, it wasn’t certain what Secret Technique they had cultivated or what evil transformation they had gone through as they had all developed Demon Qi. During the battle, their Demon Qi could be seen roiling, and at first glance, they looked just like Demons.
Moreover, these people from the Demon Heavenly Dao were different from those Humans who had been corrupted by Demon Qi that Yang Kai had come into contact with before. They were obviously still clear-headed and their moves were orderly.
The Emperor Realm Master’s cultivation was similar to that of Murong Xiao Xiao’s, and if they were in a one-on-one battle, Yang Kai believed that Murong Xiao Xiao would emerge the victor; after all, she was a Core Disciple of Azure Sun Temple, so ordinary cultivators weren’t comparable to her.
However, this Emperor Realm Master was extremely wicked. While he was in a battle against Murong Xiao Xiao, he kept attacking the other disciples from Azure Sun Temple, which had effectively distracted her. In that case, she had less energy to protect herself, which was why she had been injured.
Furthermore, the number of people on Azure Sun Temple’s side was much smaller than that of their enemies, so it was just a matter of time before they would be defeated. That was the reason Murong Xiao Xiao had to send a distress signal asking for help. She wasn’t aware that Yang Kai was nearby, she simply sought help from anyone she could.
When Yang Kai arrived, the Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao saw an opening and pounced on Murong Xiao Xiao. The Demon-Qi-wielding Emperor Realm Master was extremely burly, and there were two huge copper hammers in his hands, Demon Qi swirling about them. As he grinned, he swept a hammer at her waist. At the same time, he wielded his other hammer at a disciple beside Murong Xiao Xiao.
The hammers swung at two people at the same time, and Murong Xiao Xiao had just used up her strength blocking a previous attack, so she was no longer able to mount an effective defence. She also realised that she could hardly use her Emperor Qi anymore. At this moment, she only had two choices, she could either protect herself, or save the other disciple.
Without hesitation, she lifted her sword, and as a cold glint flashed across her weapon, she decided not to protect herself or the other disciple; instead, she pushed out her sword at the enemy’s eyes.
She appeared like any other frail young woman, but at this moment, she displayed the staunch resoluteness of a warrior.
At such a life-or-death moment, Murong Xiao Xiao was resolute in her strike. Her sword-holding hand was extremely steady, and her eyes were clear. Upon seeing that, Yang Kai couldn’t help but cheer for her.
The Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao had made a dastardly move. With two hammers coming at both of them, if Murong Xiao Xiao chose to protect herself, the other disciple would be hurt, and vice versa. Whatever decision she would make, one of them would either be injured or die. If she were to fall here, all the disciples from Azure Sun Temple around her wouldn’t stand a chance to survive. That was the reason she decided to forgo defence and instead attack.
This was more than just a simple tactic as she was truly prepared to sacrifice herself.
The Emperor Realm Master from the Demon Heavenly Dao could either kill her or a disciple from Azure Sun Temple, but the price he had to pay was that he would be severely injured. If he was unlucky, he might even accompany them to Hell; therefore, Murong Xiao Xiao used all her strength in this strike.
Since Murong Xiao Xiao could assess the risks, there was no way the enemy Emperor Realm Master hadn’t as well. Seeing that a cold glint flashed across her sword as she was thrust at him, ready to perish together if necessary, he couldn’t help cursing out loud. Without evading her attack, he brought his two hammers together and smashed them at the disciple from Azure Sun Temple instead of Murong Xiao Xiao.
There was a sneer on the Emperor Realm Master’s face. [Since you want to risk everything, I’ll grant your wish and bet mine as well!]
His Demon Qi surged as he brought down his two hammers like they were millstones, which blocked out all the sunlight. As death’s aura approached the Azure Sun Temple disciple, his face turned ashen.
Murong Xiao Xiao was dumbfounded as she hadn’t expected that her enemy would be so ruthless. Even though he would surely be wounded, he was still determined to kill her companion. At that instant, her mind went blank, and a tinge of hesitation flashed across her clear gaze.
That hesitation only lasted a short moment though as she quickly withdrew her sword and brandished her weapon in a slowing manner. Following that, she took a step to the side and pushed the disciple away before facing the immensely powerful attack on her own.
At the most critical moment, she still decided to protect her Junior Brother and sacrifice herself.
The Emperor Realm Master had seen through her thoughts, so the sneer on his face widened as he mercilessly brought down his hammers.
All the Azure Sun Temple’s disciples exclaimed in sorrow. Seeing that Murong Xiao Xiao was about to die, they certainly wanted to save her; however, they were too weak and the number of people on their side was too low. They couldn’t even protect themselves, so how were they going to save her? They could do nothing but watch her get attacked. At that moment, their eyes widened as they all looked on with worry.
At such a critical moment, the young woman pulled herself together and her expression became completely calm.
Presently, images were flashing across her mind in a rapid manner. She was accepted into Azure Sun Temple when she was still a child. After she became a disciple and started cultivating, there had always been a cold-looking man by her side who worked hard with her. Her Elders and Senior Brothers and Sisters genuinely cared about her, and though her Junior Brothers and Sisters could be naughty at times they too adored her.
She had always heard that a person would see their life flash before their eyes just before they died.
[Am I dying? Is that why I’m seeing and thinking about all of this? Do I have any regrets? I probably don’t… Without the Temple, I would have died of hunger a long time ago. Without the Temple, even if I survived, I would have become an ordinary person, never achieving such powerful cultivation.]
In order to protect the Temple, she could sacrifice herself and die with no regrets.
However, the only thing she felt guilty about was that she couldn’t protect the disciples around her and bring them to safety. As an Elder of Azure Sun Temple who was in the Emperor Realm, it was the responsibility she was charged with.
Nevertheless, none of it mattered now. All of them could be companions on their road to the Yellow Springs as they had a good chat and laugh. If they came across any enemies once they reached the next life, they could fight alongside one another again.
Faced with this attack, her defence quickly collapsed. She had hastily set up her guard, so she was unable to parry the enemy’s violent strike at all. Just when the hammers were about to strike her though, she saw a familiar figure once again!
He didn’t grow up in Azure Sun Temple, but he was still like a family member who had also become a part of the Temple.
Seeing that Yang Kai was flashing a smile at her, Murong Xiao Xiao responded with a sweet smile of her own. She thought that he was just an illusion before her death, but the next moment, the towering figure appeared right in front of her. In an instant, the violent Qi and wind that had been swirling around the hammers disappeared as they were blocked by the figure. The storm had also turned calm. At this moment, Murong Xiao Xiao felt like she was a boat that had returned to the harbour, not having to worry about the raging ocean anymore.
With a loud clang, the millstone-sized hammers shot into the sky, and the Emperor Realm Master, who had just been on the attack, was sent flying back like a loose sack. As his Demon Qi undulated, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood mid-air.
The turn of events caused Murong Xiao Xiao to fall into a dazed state, and those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were dumbfounded as well.
It wasn’t until the Emperor Realm Master fell to the ground with a loud thud that all of them came to their senses. Both groups of people were seen with different expressions.
The disciples from Azure Sun Temple were pleasantly surprised as they knew that a strong Master had come to their rescue. They were about to get killed when things turned around all of a sudden, which re-invigorated them greatly. On the other hand, the expressions of those from the Demon Heavenly Dao were transformed by shock as they stared at Yang Kai in horror. At the same time, they were trembling uncontrollably.
They had no idea how powerful Yang Kai was, but their leader was sent flying back as his Emperor Artifacts were knocked from his hands, which went to show that this newcomer was unimaginably strong.
Hence, all of them started retreating from the disciples of Azure Sun Temple. After gathering together, they stared vigilantly at Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai didn’t even spare them a glance as he looked coldly at the Emperor Realm Master, who was lying on the ground.
The Emperor Realm Master had been severely injured as the vitality in his body had become a mess. At that moment, he realised that he couldn’t even get up. After several attempts, he staggeringly got to his feet, but a huge dent could be seen on his chest.
He pressed his hand against his chest and could not help but hunch over. There was an extremely bitter taste in his mouth as blood continuously streamed out from the corners of his lips. Staring fixedly at Yang Kai, he asked through clenched teeth, “Who are you!”
He was frustrated that he was beaten out of nowhere. More importantly, he didn’t even make out what his opponent looked like before he was struck.
At this moment, he could see the opponent clearly. The person was a brave and heroic young man who for some reason looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember who the latter was.
Yang Kai wanted to tell him that he had no right to know his name, but Murong Xiao Xiao suddenly exclaimed, “Yang Kai? Senior Brother Yang?”
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
It was truly unbelievable for her; after all, in Tiger Roar City a few years ago, Yang Kai had suffered from cultivation dissonance and been demonified before he fled from the Star Boundary. Over the years, there hadn’t been any news about him.
When she saw Yang Kai earlier, she thought that it was just an illusion before her death. She couldn’t have believed that he would really appear and that he would save her life at the most critical moment.
After his identity was revealed by Murong Xiao Xiao, Yang Kai turned around and flashed a smile at her, “Junior Sister, please take a rest for now. I’ll chat with you later.”
Although Murong Xiao Xiao was alive, she was still slightly injured. Her breathing had become unsteady because she was attacked with the hammers earlier. Now that she had confirmed it was really Yang Kai before her, her face started flushing. Part of the reason was that she was agitated, but the main reason was that she was suffering from internal injury.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, she nodded and closed her eyes. Since Yang Kai was around, no one could hurt them now. That was why she didn’t have to worry about anything.
“Yang Kai? You’re Yang Kai?” The Emperor Realm Master was still hesitant when he asked the question for the first time, but his voice was soon filled with shock when he asked it the second time.
Practically everyone in the Star Boundary knew who Yang Kai was. Although he might not be as famous as the Great Emperors, he was definitely a widely known figure. Furthermore, he had become a legend after he, an Emperor Realm Master, managed to escape during a battle against Iron Blood Great Emperor.
The Emperor Realm Master had already found Yang Kai familiar, and upon hearing his name, he could finally confirm his identity. He had seen Yang Kai’s pictures previously, which was why he could faintly remember what the latter looked like.
However, he couldn’t understand why Yang Kai would appear here at this time. Just like what was on Murong Xiao Xiao’s mind, he recalled that Yang Kai had fled to the Demon Realm, so why would he be here all of a sudden?
Nevertheless, since Yang Kai had made a move against him, it meant that he was an enemy. Upon learning Yang Kai’s identity, the Emperor Realm Master quickly bit his tongue and sprayed out a mouth full of Blood Essence. At the same time, a blood mist gushed out of his body as he turned into a stream of light and retreated.
He knew that he had to run for his life!
Nonetheless, Yang Kai just stared at him with a sneer, like how the Emperor Realm Master himself was looking mockingly at Murong Xiao Xiao earlier.
Ten kilometres, twenty kilometres, thirty kilometres, fifty kilometres… In the blink of an eye, the Emperor Realm Master had fled for more than fifty kilometres and was still fleeing at full speed.
Just then, a restrictive power appeared out of thin air, which caused him to abruptly stop. Following that, he felt the world around him spinning. The next moment, he returned to his original spot where somehow, a large hand was now clenching his neck, holding him up like a helpless chicken.
Staring at the young man’s face that was just arm’s length away, the Emperor Realm Master felt his face turning ashen.
Right then, shrieks were heard as those from Demon Heavenly Dao quickly dispersed in all directions. Just now, they saw Yang Kai reach out, after which, their strongest cultivator was captured. Apparently, the gap between their strength was even greater than they imagined.
It would be akin to waiting for death if they stayed there, but if they tried to flee, there was still a chance to survive; thus, it was an easy choice to make for them.
Seeing this, the disciples from Azure Sun Temple wanted to stop them, but they were unable to do so. All of them were injured and exhausted. Moreover, they had a smaller number of people, so they could only watch as their enemies fled.
At that moment, Yang Kai waved his hand, upon which a beautiful woman appeared out of thin air.
Everyone was dumbfounded as they had no idea how this lady appeared all of a sudden. The woman also appeared startled as she didn’t know what was going on.
The next moment, Yang Kai could be heard ordering, “Kill them all.”
The woman batted her eyes and took a look at those from Demon Heavenly Dao who were fleeing, then she replied with a smile, “I’m finally able to stretch a little. You have no idea how bored I was in there!”
Upon finishing her words, she grabbed something from the void, after which a bow appeared in her hand. The bow had a smooth outline and it looked as beautiful as an eagle. Strong fluctuations exuded from the bow, so it was apparently an extraordinary artifact.
The disciples from Azure Sun Temple were still wondering who the woman was when they saw her artifact, which caused them to frown. That was because black Qi could be seen swirling around it, which made it obvious it was a Demon Artifact.
Besides a Demon Artifact, the woman also had Demon Qi. When the woman, who appeared earlier, activated the Demon Artifact, Demon Qi could be seen swirling around her. Then of course there was the pair of white wings behind her back. Unlike those from Demon Heavenly Dao, she was clearly a real Demon!
The disciples of Azure Sun Temple exclaimed, and the Emperor Realm Master, whose neck was clenched by Yang Kai, widened his eyes in disbelief.
Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between those from Demon Heavenly Dao and real Demons unless the Demons had very conspicuous features. Bo Ya had such features.
Previously, the Demons had invaded the Star Boundary, and internally, those from Demon Heavenly Dao had been making a scene everywhere. It could be said that they were facing both external and internal threats, so they were in a perilous situation. A lot of Demons had hidden in the Star Boundary to carry out their plan in secret.
However, why would this Demon listen to Yang Kai’s commands to make things difficult for those from Demon Heavenly Dao? Weren’t those from Demon Heavenly Dao and the Demons supposed to be one family?
The Feather Demon nocked the arrow on her bow before drawing and loosening it. At that instant, all those from Demon Heavenly Dao fell to the ground as they were killed on the spot. They hadn’t even fled for more than ten kilometres when all of them lost their lives. Only the Emperor Realm Master, who had been captured by Yang Kai, was still alive.
Bo Ya once again placed an arrow on her bow as the tip of the arrow was pressed against the Emperor Realm Master’s forehead. She broke out a smile which was equal parts alluring and terrifying.
The Emperor Realm Master was drenched in cold sweat, but Yang Kai pushed the arrow away and used his Demon Qi to lay down several seals, causing this man to collapse to the ground, paralysed.
Yang Kai still had no idea what had happened, so he had to wait for Murong Xiao Xiao to awaken and ask her about it before deciding how to deal with this Emperor Realm Master.
Since they were no longer in any danger, the disciples from Azure Sun Temple heaved a sigh of relief. With their bodies still injured, they shuffled towards Yang Kai and thanked him. Yang Kai was a Guest Elder of Azure Sun Temple, so since the disciples were in danger, it was expected of him to lend them a hand. After a few words of motivation, he told them to attend to their wounds.
Bo Ya was curious about the Emperor Realm Master, so she crouched down and observed him. Despite her sweet smile, the Emperor appeared horrified as though he was being gazed at by a deadly scorpion.
A moment later, Yang Kai turned to look in a particular direction, only to see a beam of light approaching at lightning speed. When the light landed on the ground, a white-robed figure was revealed. The person was handsome with a pair of bright eyes, and the white clothes he was clad in were spotless, but his expression was slightly cold.
“Xiao Bai, it’s been too long!” Yang Kai flashed a smile at him.
Xiao Bai Yi, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Xia Sheng were the rising stars of Azure Sun Temple. Now that all three of them had reached the Emperor Realm, they had naturally become Elders. Presently, Xia Sheng was on the battlefield in the Western Territory while Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao were guarding the Temple in the Southern Territory.
Earlier, Murong Xiao Xiao sent a message to seek Xiao Bai Yi’s help, it was just that Yang Kai had arrived faster. Xiao Bai Yi was leading a group of disciples at that time, but in order to save his Junior Sister, he went on ahead at full speed.
“Yang Kai!” Xiao Bai Yi frowned as he took a look at Yang Kai and then Bo Ya, who was crouching down nearby. All of a sudden, his Emperor Qi surged as he launched himself at Yang Kai. At the same time, an immensely powerful sword wave was seen slashing at him.
With a smile, Yang Kai lifted his hand and pinched the sword from both sides using only two fingers. At that instant, the sword wave fell apart as the blade, which was as thin as a cicada’s wings, was wedged between Yang Kai’s fingers. The blade was buzzing continuously, but no matter how hard Xiao Bai Yi pushed his Emperor Qi, he realised that he couldn’t move his sword one bit.
In just one move, his Emperor Artifact was firmly grasped by someone using his bare hand, stunning him greatly.
Before Xiao Bai Yi could react, Bo Ya had dashed forward and drew an arrow which she pressed against Xiao Bai Yi’s temple, just like what she had done to the Emperor Realm Master earlier.
Sensing the dangerous aura on the tip of the arrow, Xiao Bai Yi wouldn’t dare to move a muscle; however, his already cold expression had turned even colder. He had fallen into a trap instead of saving his Junior Sister, which was why he was displeased.
“Can I kill him?” Bo Ya asked with a tilted head.
“Behave!” Yang Kai put on a hollow laugh and shot her a glare.
Bo Ya pressed her lips together and stored her arrow; then, she went back to the Emperor Realm Master and crouched down again to examine him.
“Senior Brother Xiao, it was Senior Brother Yang who saved us!” Murong Xiao Xiao opened her eyes and said in a weakened voice.
In fact, after Xiao Bai Yi made a move, he immediately realised that he was mistaken. That was because there were many corpses on the ground who weren’t disciples of Azure Sun Temple. Also, judging from the power Yang Kai had showcased, if he wanted to harm the Temple’s disciples, Murong Xiao Xiao and the others would have lost their lives by now.
More importantly, Murong Xiao Xiao had closed her eyes to adjust her breathing. If she didn’t have complete trust in Yang Kai, she wouldn’t have done such a thing. Now, her words had confirmed his speculation, but he still said with a frown, “I need an explanation!”
In his mind, Yang Kai was still a traitor to the Star Boundary who had fled to the Demon Realm, that was why when he saw Yang Kai here just now, and that Murong Xiao Xiao was injured, he had a misunderstanding and directly made a move.
It was too complicated to explain everything to him, and Yang Kai didn’t want to waste his time, so he fished out a token and tossed it at him.
Xiao Bai Yi caught the token, and upon seeing that the number ‘Sixty First’ was engraved on it, he was stunned and felt somewhat dizzy.
He had been to the battlefield in the Western Territory and worked under an Army Commander, so he knew what this token represented. The Great Emperors had personally forged these tokens and given them to the different Army Commanders. Every token contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which could be used to save the owner’s life at a critical moment.
The token was clearly genuine as the heavy Great Emperor aura on it made it difficult for him to breathe; however, since when did a Sixty-First Army exist in the Star Boundary?
“Haven’t you heard the news yet?” Seeing his expression, Yang Kai realised that Xiao Bai Yi knew nothing about the Sixty-First Army.
“When did it happen?” Xiao Bai Yi asked with a frown.
“Half a month ago.”
Xiao Bai Yi was relieved and gently nodded, “Over the past month, Junior Sister and I have been outside the Temple.”
It was because of this reason that they hadn’t heard about this news yet; otherwise, he wouldn’t have attacked Yang Kai on sight.
With the token on both palms, he respectfully passed it back to Yang Kai. Then, he cupped his fists and called out reluctantly, “Senior Brother Yang!”
In the past, they were all Dao Source Realm Juniors who entered the Four Seasons Realm together. Now, he, Murong Xiao Xiao, and Xia Sheng were still just First-Order Emperor Realm, but Yang Kai had already become the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army. Xiao Bai Yi couldn’t even see through Yang Kai’s cultivation, but as an Army Commander, there was no way the latter’s cultivation was lower than Third-Order Emperor Realm.
[I can’t believe he’s already a Third-Order Emperor! How does he even cultivate? Does he have a stash of miracle Pills or something?]
“What are you all doing here?” Yang Kai asked curiously. Although they were still in the Southern Territory, this place was pretty far from Azure Sun Temple.
A group of disciples wouldn’t come to such a place on their own accord. Moreover, two Elders were leading two separate teams, so it was apparent that they were on some kind of mission.
Since he had come across them, Yang Kai definitely had to ask them about it.
Xiao Bao Yi replied, “We were investigating those from the Demon Heavenly Dao.”
The Star Boundary was facing external as well as internal troubles. If the Demons were their known opponents, then those from Demon Heavenly Dao were the enemies within. It was said that it was easy to dodge a spear in the light, but hard to avoid an arrow in the dark. Since the rise of Demon Heavenly Dao in recent years, countless people in the Star Boundary had been wounded or killed by them, so all those loyal to the Star Boundary were very resentful of them.
Nevertheless, those from Demon Heavenly Dao were normally well hidden and rarely exposed any flaws. In terms of collective power, Demon Heavenly Dao were definitely no match for the true Demon forces; however, they were sly individuals who conducted sabotage and intrigue which caused much disruption in the Star Boundary, forcing a great many to be unable to take part in the war.
All Sects in all four territories of the Star Boundary had to leave some top cultivators behind to guard their Sects for fear that those from Demon Heavenly Dao would invade if they left. Over the course of the past few years, countless small and medium Sects had been destroyed through various plots and schemes. Even some first-class Sects had suffered grave damage and nearly been destroyed.
Hence, whenever traces of the Demon Heavenly Dao were found in the Star Boundary, they would be hunted down and killed mercilessly. Two years ago, in the Southern Territory, Star Soul Palace led all other Sects to examine themselves for any hidden traitors and also launched a large-scale attack on the enemy forces. They had managed to destroy more than ten strongholds, causing Demon Heavenly Dao’s power to be significantly reduced; however, it was impossible to kill all the scorpions in the dark as some of them inevitably escaped to fight again.
One month ago, Azure Sun Temple got wind that some people from Demon Heavenly Dao were up to something. They suspected that there was a hidden stronghold around this area, so Murong Xiao Xiao and Xiao Bai Yi led two teams to launch an investigation. Somehow though, word got out and they were ambushed instead, resulting in Murong Xiao Xiao and her team almost being wiped out.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was nearby and managed to come to their rescue; otherwise, Xiao Bai Yi would have only arrived to find corpses here.
After hearing her narration, Yang Kai asked, “So, you don’t even know how your whereabouts got exposed?”
Murong Xiao Xiao shook her head and replied with a frown, “I don’t think we’ve exposed anything on our side.”
That was what puzzled her. Her enemy was just as powerful as she was, and she had been careful when tracking them; however, she hadn’t expected that they would still fall into the enemy’s trap and almost lose their lives here.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “It has nothing to do with whether you exposed your whereabouts or not. If someone sent a message warning them, it would be pointless regardless of how careful you were.”
The expression on Murong Xiao Xiao’s pale face changed when she heard that, then she said in a small voice, “Senior Brother, you mean…”
“En, there’s a traitor!” Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai turned to look at a certain petite woman.
He had already noticed this female disciple when he arrived. He initially thought that her aura was just a little strange and didn’t read too much into it, but upon hearing what Murong Xiao Xiao said, he finally realised why this woman’s aura was odd.
Still crouching in front of the Emperor Realm Master, Bo Ya said without lifting her head, “I thought you didn’t notice it.”
“You knew as well?” Yang Kai looked down at her and happened to see her fair chest from where he stood.
Bo Ya snorted and pointed at the Emperor Realm Master, “Both of them have a putrid smell about them!”
Xiao Bai Yi’s face fell as he stared coldly at the petite female disciple while Murong Xiao Xiao still appeared to be in disbelief. The other disciples also appeared doubtful as they had no idea what had happened.
The petite woman’s expression became awkward as she was stared at by so many people. She forced a smile and asked bashfully, “Elders, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Bai Yi didn’t reply to her while Yang Kai’s lips curved into a playful smile. Murong Xiao Xiao directly asked, “Du Juan, are you part of Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Murong Xiao Xiao found it hard to accept the possibility that one of her Junior Sisters might be from Demon Heavenly Dao. It wouldn’t have mattered if the disciple was someone else; however, Du Juan had just suffered from a serious injury in the battle and blood was still streaming out of her wounds, dying her clothes red.
How was it possible that such a disciple was from Demon Heavenly Dao? Nevertheless, since this was Yang Kai’s speculation, she couldn’t take it lightly.
Two years ago, all the Sects and families had wiped out a lot of moles that had been planted by Demon Heavenly Dao. After that, a lot of Sects and families saw their foundations severely damaged. It was still alright for Azure Sun Temple as they only had found several dozen such disciples, but if Du Juan was really from Demon Heavenly Dao, it meant that they hadn’t wiped out all the traitors two years ago. It also suggested that there were probably still many traitors within Azure Sun Temple as well as the other Sects. If such a storm took place again, the Star Boundary would descend into chaos.
At the thought of this, Murong Xiao Xiao felt her heart sink.
Upon hearing the words that were spoken, all the disciples from Azure Sun Temple had their expressions change drastically as they turned to look at Du Juan, who appeared dumbfounded. In an aggrieved voice, she protested, “Elders, please don’t misunderstand! I’m not from Demon Heavenly Dao! It’s not true!”
Murong Xiao Xiao shifted her attention to Yang Kai, who said impassively, “You don’t have the final say in determining whether it’s true or that you’ve been wronged. Look into my eyes.”
After he finished speaking, his right eye became pitch-black, as though it had turned into a black hole that could devour all light in this world.
Du Juan instinctively stared at him and couldn’t move her eyes away again. As their eyes met, she started trembling uncontrollably as black Qi began leaking from her petite figure.
Initially, the black Qi looked like thin threads, but after a few breaths, it burst out of her body like a rising tide and engulfed her completely.
As her Demon Qi undulated, she exuded a very violent aura.
No more questions were needed as the answer was right before their eyes. The expressions of those disciples had been transformed by shock and Xiao Bai Yi heaved a sigh while Murong Xiao Xiao was stunned.
After her identity was exposed, Du Juan stopped appearing frightened, as though she had turned into a completely different person. As she howled, she pounced on the disciple nearest her.
She knew that she wasn’t powerful enough to battle against any one of the Emperor Realm Masters present, so she just wanted to hold someone hostage so that she could flee from this place.
Her targeted disciple was still reeling from the shock, and he was injured, so he was unable to react in any way. It was too late when he realised that Du Juan was within arm’s reach of him. In his heart, he thought that he was doomed, so he closed his eyes and waited for death.
Fortunately, he didn’t lose his life as Yang Kai managed to capture Du Juan before she could do any harm. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t struggle out of the invisible grip, so in despair, she screamed, “This world will belong to the Demons sooner or later! If you’re still so obstinate, you’ll die a dog’s death! If you want to survive, follow me and side with Demon Heavenly Dao and you might still have a chance to live!”
Her identity had been exposed and she had been captured by Yang Kai; however, instead of pleading with him, she threatened them in an arrogant manner.
Murong Xiao Xiao was heartbroken as the Du Juan she remembered wasn’t like this.
Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Did those from Demon Heavenly Dao tell you this?”
Du Juan snorted, “The Star Boundary has constantly been on the retreat on the battlefield in the Western Territory because the Demon armies are overwhelming. One of the Great Emperors has also lost his life in the Demon Realm. When the Demon Saints make a move, no one in the Star Boundary will be able to resist them!”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “The information you have is outdated. I guess you’re not aware of the changes that have taken place on the battlefield.”
“What do you mean?” Du Juan asked coldly.
Yang Kai replied, “The passage between the two worlds has been sealed off, so the support behind the Demon armies has been severed. The top cultivators from the Demon Race are unable to break the barrier either. Although there is a large number of Demons still in the Western Territory, it’s just a matter of time before they’re defeated.”
Du Juan was startled for a moment before saying grimly, “Stop lying to me!”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Whether or not you believe me, it will not affect the current state of affairs.”
Du Juan fell silent for a moment before a dangerous aura exuded from her body. The Demon Qi around her could be seen roiling as though she was about to explode at any moment. At the same time, she sneered, “I’ll wait for you all on the other side!”
Having been detained by Yang Kai, she knew that there was no way she could escape, so she decided to kill herself in a resolute manner. Perhaps her temperament had changed after she was invaded by Demon Qi, so she had started acting more and more like a real Demon.
Murong Xiao Xiao’s expression changed drastically as she exclaimed, “Heavenly Demon Blood Explosion! Senior Brother, watch out!”
Certainly, Yang Kai was aware of the changes in Du Juan’s aura. Although he had no idea what this Heavenly Demon Blood Explosion was, he could guess that it was a Secret Technique that allowed her to self-destruct; therefore, he quickly pushed his Demon Qi to suppress her.
Unexpectedly, he had failed in his attempt to do so. As Du Juan cackled, her petite figure started expanding, as though she would explode in the next moment.
Yang Kai frowned and waved his hand, after which Du Juan disappeared abruptly, and the dangerous aura vanished into thin air.
Although she was from Demon Heavenly Dao, she was still an Azure Sun Temple’s disciple. She had simply been affected by Demon Qi, and if she could be saved, there was a chance that her original temperament could be restored. Yang Kai didn’t want to kill her, nor would he allow her to self-destruct, so he decided to keep her in the Small Sealed World for now.
Given his absolute power in the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai could easily stop Du Juan from exploding.
As expected, after she was sent into the Small Sealed World and suppressed by its World Force, her violent aura quickly diminished and died down.
Seeing their Junior Sister vanish into thin air, all the disciples of Azure Sun Temple were astounded.
Xiao Bai Yi and Murong Xiao Xiao looked inquisitively at Yang Kai as they wondered where he had sent her, and only after Yang Kai explained to them were they able to set their minds at ease.
However, Murong Xiao Xiao felt her heart growing heavy as there was a traitor in her team. Xiao Bai Yi had also led a team of his own, and it was possible that there might be a traitor within his team as well.
Fortunately, Yang Kai and Bo Ya were able to point out anyone with Demon Qi, so they would just have to take a look at the other team of people later to be sure.
“What have you found out?” Yang Kai looked over at Bo Ya.
Bo Ya replied, “This should be some kind of Blood Demon Secret Technique, but I’ve never heard of it. I guess they developed it recently.”
The people from Demon Heavenly Dao were able to retain their sentience after they were corrupted by Demon Qi. They were also able to mingle with those from the Star Boundary without anyone noticing anything wrong with them. This was an issue that had confounded the Star Boundary for years now, but if they could figure out how this Secret Technique worked, they might be able to detect those from Demon Heavenly Dao in the future.
That was why Bo Ya had been examining the captured Emperor Realm Master.
Upon hearing that it was a Blood Demon Secret Technique, Yang Kai arched his brow and sent his Divine Sense into the Small Sealed World. Then, he revealed an image of himself in front of Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya.
Although Bai Zhuo was Yu Ru Meng’s subordinate, he was also a Blood Demon. If those from Demon Heavenly Dao were using a Blood Demon Secret Technique, Bai Zhuo might know a thing or two.
When his image appeared, he also summoned over Du Juan. Her Heavenly Demon Blood Explosion had been suppressed, so she had failed in her attempt to self-destruct. At this moment, she was silently lying on the ground, passed out. Her original form had been restored, and with her body curled up, she looked rather pitiful.
“Brother Yang, what’s wrong?” Bai Zhuo took a look at Du Juan and asked.
Yang Kai questioned, “Brother Bai Zhuo, I remember that you fought on the Two Worlds’ Battlefield several times, right?”
Bai Zhuo nodded, “En.”
The war had been ongoing for several years, so Bai Zhuo had moved between the battlefield and the Demon Realm a number of times.
“Then, have you ever heard of Demon Heavenly Dao before?” Yang Kai pointed at Du Juan.
Bai Zhuo replied with a smile, “Of course. What’s wrong? Is this woman from Demon Heavenly Dao?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded his head, “Bo Ya said that this woman has been affected by some Blood Demon Secret Technique, so I wanted you to check on her and see whether she can be saved.”
Upon hearing that, Bai Zhuo replied, “Those from Demon Heavenly Dao have indeed been planted with a Blood Demon Secret Technique, but I’m not exactly sure what technique it was because I wasn’t responsible for this matter. However, I can give her an examination and see whether she can be saved. I cannot guarantee anything, but I’ll do my best.”
“Then I shall have to trouble you, Brother Bai Zhuo.”
“Don’t mention it, Brother Yang.”
Suddenly recalling something, Yang Kai asked, “By the way, when the real Demons like you see those from Demon Heavenly Dao, can you tell them apart?”
Bai Zhuo took a look at the unconscious Du Juan and replied, “I can. Although her Demon Qi is well hidden, there are still some traces.”
Bai Ya nodded on the side, “En, indeed.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai lifted his hand, upon which a person appeared beside him. He was the first Demon that Yang Kai had put in the Small Sealed World, Huo Lun!
He seemed to be meditating when Yang Kai summoned him from the triangularly arrayed peaks, so his legs remained crossed. A moment later, he realised that something was off, and when he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see so many people around, so he quickly saluted Yang Kai.
Yang Kai got straight to the point by pointing at Du Juan, “Look at this woman. Can you see anything special about her?”
Huo Lun had no idea what was going on, so he carefully examined Yang Kai’s expression for a moment before shifting his attention to Du Juan. A long time later, he replied cautiously, “She’s young and petite. Also, she looks rather ordinary and there’s nothing special about her figure…”
Yang Kai lifted his hand to stop him, “Have you noticed anything else?”
“Anything else?” Immensely pressured, Huo Lun gulped, “Senior, you mean…”
“She’s been invaded by Demon Qi.”
“Really?” A shocked Huo Lun lowered his head to study Du Juan again, then he shook his head repeatedly, “I can’t tell she’s been invaded by Demon Qi.”
That was indeed strange. Bo Ya could detect the Demon Qi in her body while Huo Lun had failed to do so, despite their cultivations being quite close. Huo Lun was a Low-Rank Demon King, so if he couldn’t notice anything, it meant that the Demon Qi within those from Demon Heavenly Dao was really well hidden.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai figured that Bo Ya must have simply been born with extremely sharp vision; after all, she was a Feather Demon, and she had cultivated an Eye Secret Technique, which was why she was able to see things that others couldn’t.
While Yang Kai’s projected image was having a discussion with Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya in the Small Sealed World, he didn’t stay idle in the outside world as he told Bo Ya to interrogate the Emperor Realm Master to find out the whereabouts of the Demon Heavenly Dao’s strongholds.
Those from Demon Heavenly Dao were normally well hidden among ordinary people; however, since this person was an Emperor, he must have the right to obtain information that was not available to the common disciples. Now that they had captured him, they had to pry more information out of him.
Bo Ya didn’t disappoint as a Demon King. Although interrogation wasn’t her speciality, she had her methods. Yang Kai had planted a seal on the Emperor Realm Master, so he was unable to move a muscle. Soon, he couldn’t take it anymore and confessed everything.
Demon Heavenly Dao had many strongholds, but this Emperor was only aware of the one he came from in White Colt Town. According to him, White Colt Town might appear to be an ordinary town, but many of those from Demon Heavenly Dao were hidden in it. They mingled well with other residents and looked just like normal everyday people. When they were summoned, they would head to different locations to carry out missions.
The reason he came to this place was that he was summoned.
However, on his way to his destination, he realised that some people were following him. Being cautious, he decided to make a detour to find out who the stalkers were. Just then, he received a message from Du Juan. Upon learning about the number of people on Azure Sun Temple’s side and their overall strength, he decided to beat them at their own game by ambushing Murong Xiao Xiao’s team.
The following development of the incident was what Yang Kai had seen when he arrived.
“There’s no Demon Heavenly Dao stronghold around here?” Xiao Bai Yi frowned upon hearing that, “Then what are you doing here?”
“I have no idea.” The Emperor Realm Master from Demon Heavenly Dao shook his head, “I was just following orders.”
“Who told you to come here?” Xiao Bai Yi asked.
“I don’t know.”
Right after he finished speaking, Bo Ya, who had been crouching in front of him, flashed an alluring smile at him and placed her slender hand on his shoulder. Then, she circulated her Demon Qi and infused it into his body. The next moment, the Emperor Realm Master let out a grunt of pain. There seemed to be a small snake roaming beneath his bare skin, which was a horrifying sight. After just three breaths of time, his eyes turned bloodshot and he started howling as though he was going through unbearable torture.
In between screams, he stutteringly said, “I really have no idea! I just came here after I got the order! I don’t know who we’re looking for or what we’re supposed to do!”
Bo Ya looked up at Yang Kai and realised that he remained impassive, so she went on with her torture.
The Emperor Realm Master’s shrieks slowly died down as his voice became hoarse from all the screaming. All his clothes were drenched in sweat, and he had collapsed to the ground as he convulsed violently. His eyes had rolled back, so it was as though he would lose his life at any moment.
“Four Seasons Realm…” All of a sudden, a weakened voice was heard coming from the Emperor Realm Master.
Despite his small voice, Yang Kai could clearly hear him, then he asked, “Are you heading to the Four Seasons Realm?”
Despite his lethargy, the Emperor Realm Master still nodded his head.
Yang Kai frowned and questioned, “What are you going there for?”
He was also heading to the Four Seasons Realm, and he was pretty close to his destination. He hadn’t expected that this Emperor Realm Master was also going to the same place. It was no wonder that he would come across him here. Since their destination was the same, it could be expected that they would meet.
The Emperor Realm Master was unable to answer the question. He passed out, without giving any useful clues. He was either resolute enough to keep the secret or he really knew nothing.
The latter was more probable. If he was a resolute person, he wouldn’t have revealed so much information already.
Since the Emperor Realm Master had passed out, Yang Kai put him in the Small Sealed World. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to kill him, he just wanted to let Bai Zhuo have one more person to experiment on. If Bai Zhuo could devise a way to break the Blood Demon Secret Technique used on this Emperor Realm Master, they could easily identify and capture those from Demon Heavenly Dao. They could also set things right and help those from Demon Heavenly Dao regain their original personalities.
However, Yang Kai was surprised that the incident had something to do with the Four Seasons Realm. After giving it a thought, he said, “Xiao Bai, please bring the other disciples back to the Temple first. I’ll head to the Four Seasons Realm to find out what those from Demon Heavenly Dao are up to.”
“I’m going as well,” Xiao Bai Yi replied briefly.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly and pointed at Murong Xiao Xiao, “If you also go, who will protect Junior Sister? Aren’t you worried about making her return to the Temple on her own?”
Given Murong Xiao Xiao’s condition, no one could be assured to let her return to the Temple with only her current teammates, all of whom were injured as well. Since those from Demon Heavenly Dao had received the order to head to the Four Seasons Realm, there must be more than one group of them. If Murong Xiao Xiao and the other disciples came across those from Demon Heavenly Dao, they were doomed.
Xiao Bai Yi frowned as he understood that what Yang Kai said made sense, but he still argued, “You can put them all away safe, right?”
Since Yang Kai could keep Du Juan and the Emperor Realm Master in the Small Sealed World, he certainly could do the same to the others. It was easy for him to do such a thing.
However, Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m asking you to go back not only because Junior Sister and the others need treatment, but because there’s something I need you to do at the Temple. It’s a more pressing issue than what is happening in the Four Seasons Realm.”
No one knew what was going on in the Four Seasons Realm, but the problem facing the Temple had to be solved as soon as possible.
Seeing how solemn Yang Kai was, Xiao Bai Yi asked puzzledly, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai replied in a grim voice, “Since Du Juan was an enemy spy, it’s possible that there are more traitors in the Temple.”
He then beckoned to Bo Ya, “Take her with you and sniff out all the moles in the Temple.”
Since Bo Ya could detect Du Juan’s anomaly, it meant that she was able to see through the disguise of those from Demon Heavenly Dao. There were probably still some other traitors in the Temple, but Yang Kai had no time to go back to check, so sending Bo Ya was the best option.
Bo Ya hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would give her such a task, so she shot him a glare, but she didn’t seem to oppose the idea. In any case, it was much better than if she stayed in the Small Sealed World. Since Li Shi Qing left, she had nothing else to do in the Small Sealed World and was simply idling, feeling extremely bored.
Xiao Bai Yi hesitantly took a look at Bo Ya. Seeing that, Yang Kai said with a smile, “Don’t worry. Although she’s a Demon, she works for me now. Since I’ve told her to go with you, there won’t be any problems.”
It was then that Xiao Bai Yi nodded gently. As someone from the Star Boundary, he instinctively felt repulsed by the Demons; however, since Yang Kai had said such, he no longer cast any doubts.
“Who is in charge of the Temple now?” Yang Kai asked.
“Vice Temple Master Qiu.”
Yang Kai gave a nod, “Please tell Vice Temple Master about the situation in detail, but act cautiously. Don’t let anyone else find out about it so that we don’t alert the enemy.”
“En,” Xiao Bai Yi replied.
After the short discussion, Xiao Bai Yi didn’t leave in a hurry; instead, he remained in the same spot because his teammates hadn’t arrived yet. There was a traitor in Murong Xiao Xiao’s team, so it wasn’t certain whether there was also one in his own team.
However, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to wait. After telling Bo Ya to work closely with the others and passing her a Space Beacon, he bid everyone farewell and headed to the Four Seasons Realm on his own.
An incense stick later, the other team of disciples finally arrived. After they gathered together, Xiao Bai Yi turned to look at Bo Ya, who slowly shook her head. It was then Xiao Bai Yi heaved a sigh of relief.
Without any delays, he led everyone to return to Azure Sun Temple. Despite Yang Kai’s assurance, he was still wary of Bo Ya; after all, she was a Mid-Rank Demon King. If she suddenly struck out, while they might be still able to deal with her with their current manpower, there would be a hefty price to pay. Xiao Bai Yi thus insisted on standing between Bo Ya and Murong Xiao Xiao, who was injured.
Besides that, he felt helpless at the fact that Bo Ya’s Demonic characteristics were too conspicuous. She was a Feather Demon, so it was hard not to notice the white wings behind her back. If she really followed them back to the Temple in such a state, before she even got near the Temple, the other disciples would jump right out to slay a Demon like her.
Fortunately, she was able to use a Secret Technique to temporarily hide her wings. Xiao Bai Yi also found a black hooded coat to cover her up fully before he was able to set off on their journey with peace of mind.
…..
The Four Seasons Realm wasn’t far from the place where Azure Sun Temple’s disciples fell into danger, only several tens of thousands of kilometres away.
The reason Yang Kai came to this place was to have a look at the current situation of the Four Seasons Realm. He didn’t even think he could find out anything and was simply doing this to console his parents.
However, he felt doubtful now that those from Demon Heavenly Dao were also interested in the Four Seasons Realm.
The reason Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were able to enter the Four Seasons Realm was that Qiong Qi had led the way for them; after all, Qiong Qi was the Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount in the past. After the Great Emperor passed away, Qiong Qi fell into a deep slumber inside the Flowing Time Temple for countless years. Hence, it was only natural that he could open up the entrance to the Four Seasons Realm.
However, why would those from Demon Heavenly Dao also want to come to the Four Seasons Realm? This place had been around in the Southern Territory for countless years, and it would open up at regular intervals to allow cultivators below the Dao Source Realm in for life experience. There was still a long time before the realm would open again. Even if those from Demon Heavenly Dao came here, how were they going to enter?
Perhaps their target wasn’t the Four Seasons Realm itself but rather something else in the area that was worth their attention.
Whatever the case, Yang Kai had to quickly launch an investigation.
As soon as Yang Kai arrived though, he realized that something was off.
The entrance of the Four Seasons Realm was in the sky above a nameless mountain valley. Before it was time to open up, nothing could be found here. When the time came, the entrance into the Four Seasons Realm would simply appear in the sky.
The valley didn’t have a name, nor did it contain any natural treasures, so normally, it was deserted and no one would pay any attention to it.
However, at this moment, many people had gathered in this valley. Teams of different sizes were scattered everywhere in the valley, with all of them hidden in the forest and caves.
The largest team had more than a hundred people, while the smallest team had about a dozen people. Without exception though, all the teams were led by Emperor Realm Masters.
The more than ten teams that consisted of several hundred people had gathered in this nameless valley outside the Four Seasons Realm. They had hidden everywhere in this valley and it wasn’t certain what they were up to.
The cultivation of the more than ten Emperor Realm Masters ranged from First-Order to Third-Order. If Yang Kai hadn’t gone to the Demon Realm in the past, he would have to be more cautious so that his whereabouts wouldn’t be exposed, but now, his Soul cultivation had strengthened dramatically, to the point that no Pseudo-Great Emperor or Half Saint could compare. If he wanted to hide his aura, those in the valley wouldn’t be able to notice him.
There was nothing special about these people except for the fact that they were all from Demon Heavenly Dao.
With a frown, Yang Kai investigated the surroundings and decided to observe them before making a move. This matter was serious as it had something to do with the Four Seasons Realm. If he took action now, with the help of Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya, Yang Kai was confident he could defeat the force here with ease, but it wouldn’t be easy to find out their intentions for coming here. After all, the Emperor Realm Master, who had been thrown into the Small Sealed World earlier, didn’t even know the reason why he was told to come here, so these Emperor Realm Masters in the valley might not have any idea either.
These people were probably summoned to this place; in which case, someone must have given them the order to gather here.
This person must hold an important position in Demon Heavenly Dao and was most likely a Pseudo-Great Emperor. It wasn’t difficult to decide that he should catch the big fish rather than kill these insignificant shrimp.
For the following ten days, Yang Kai remained hidden outside the Four Seasons Realm as he observed these people from Demon Heavenly Dao. He had thought about sneaking into one of the teams, but all of them seemed to know each other so he refrained.
In the morning, these people were extremely quiet as they cultivated and meditated in their respective locations; however, they started becoming busy at night.
After observing them for over ten days, Yang Kai realised that they were arranging some kind of Grand Spirit Array that could encompass the entire entrance of the Four Seasons Realm in this nameless valley.
Naturally, not everyone could arrange a Spirit Array. Nevertheless, there was a skilful Array Master among these people, and under his guidance, an array slowly took shape.
Yang Kai memorised all the key points of the Spirit Array as it was being arranged and engraved them into a jade slip. In the morning, he would send the jade slip back to High Heaven Palace through a Space Beacon to ask Nanmen Da Jun about it.
However, the arranging of the Spirit Array in this valley was slow and gradual, and the information Yang Kai had gathered was incomplete; therefore, despite the fact that Nanmen Da Jun was an Emperor Array Master, it was still difficult for him to guess its purpose right away.
A few days later, Nanmen Da Jun sent a message to inform Yang Kai that it was likely a Summoning Array, but it had been modified in some way. Since the array was incomplete, he couldn’t tell what these people from Demon Heavenly Dao were trying to summon; thus, Nanmen Da Jun requested to come over from High Heaven Palace to have a closer look.
He was keen to learn everything about Spirit Arrays, but Yang Kai directly rejected him.
Nanmen Da Jun was only a First-Order Emperor, so he wouldn’t be able to hide his aura if he came here. Even if Yang Kai tried to hide him, his whereabouts might still be exposed.
Nanmen Da Jun felt helpless at the fact that his request had been rejected, so he could only warn Yang Kai by saying, “Regardless of how powerful that array is, that is a Summoning Array, so Palace Master must be on guard in case they try to summon some kind of ferocious, uncontrollable beast.”
Yang Kai replied, “En.”
Nanmen Da Jun wasn’t aware that there were three Half-Saints inside Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead, so even if Demon Heavenly Dao was really going to summon some kind of ferocious beast, it wasn’t certain who would be the one to die in the end. Yang Kai doubted that the thing they were going to summon could be more powerful than the combined force of three Half-Saints.
Noticing Yang Kai’s perfunctory tone, Nanmen Da Jun said solemnly, “Palace Master, please carefully observe them for the following days. I suspect that a key item is missing from that array. If you discover anything, please inform me immediately.”
Yang Kai wasn’t sure what the missing key was, but since Nanmen Da Jun had made such a judgement, he must have a valid reason. Hence, Yang Kai could only redouble his observation efforts.
A few days later, the array was seemingly almost completed. The bases of the array were hidden beneath the valley, so everything appeared normal on the surface, though the entire valley seemed to be engulfed in a strange aura now that could make anyone feel depressed.
Just then, Yang Kai received a message from the Embodiment, who was in the Small Sealed World. Noticing that, Yang Kai was elated. As he observed the changes in the array, he used his Divine Sense to send a projection into the Small Sealed World.
Seeing Yang Kai, Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo cupped their fists, “Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai looked down at a middle-aged man who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, then he arched his brow, “Did you manage to extricate him?”
This middle-aged man was the Emperor Realm Master who had been captured some time ago. Recently, Bai Zhuo had been trying to come up with a way to break the Secret Technique the Blood Demons had used on those from Demon Heavenly Dao. It wasn’t until this day that he finally achieved success.
Presently, the middle-aged man was pale, and his aura was unstable. It seemed that he was still very weak.
Hearing Yang Kai’s voice though, this man quickly opened his eyes and struggled to get up. With a smile, Yang Kai gently clapped his shoulder to motion for him to sit properly. This man really seemed to have no energy left, so he could only cup his fists at Yang Kai while he sat on the ground, “Palace Master Yang, many thanks for saving this pitiful one’s life.”
“He’s become clear-headed?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Bai Zhuo turned his palm over and revealed a drop of blood, which was squirming like it was a living creature; however, the drop of blood was filled with Demon Essence and a sense of ferocity. Obviously it was Demon Blood. Bai Zhuo said, “This is the culprit.”
Yang Kai took a look at the drop of Demon Blood and frowned, “What do you mean?”
Bai Zhuo explained, “A Blood Demon planted his own Blood Essence in this fellow, and that blood then circulated through all his veins. It’s not usually visible, but the Demon Essence would be ignited when he entered battle; therefore, in order to save him, I had to completely extract the drop of Blood Essence out of him, which was a difficult feat to pull off. Fortunately, it seems he didn’t willingly join Demon Heavenly Dao, so he subconsciously resisted this drop of Demon Blood and that’s why I was able to cure him. Despite this, before treating him, I knew that there’s only a fifty-fifty chance that he could survive.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai knitted his eyebrows together, “You mean, even if we catch more people from Demon Heavenly Dao in the future, it’s not guaranteed that they can be saved?”
Bai Zhuo shook his head, “I’m not capable enough to do so.”
He was a Half-Saint, but even he said that he wasn’t capable enough to handle this, and it wasn’t like they could look for Xue Li to help them. At the thought of this, Yang Kai heaved a sigh. Nevertheless, they had saved a person, which could serve as a bit of a consolation. Then, he turned to look at Du Juan, who was still unconscious, “How about her? Can she be saved?”
Bai Zhuo wouldn’t dare to make any promises so he simply said, “I’ll try my best.”
Yang Kai knew that there was nothing else he could do, so he turned to look at the middle-aged Emperor and asked, “What’s your name?”
The man lethargically replied, “Zhou Quan.”
After a talk, Yang Kai learned that Zhou Quan was an Elder in a medium-sized Sect in the Western Territory. When the war in the Western Territory broke out, he fell into the hands of the Demons because he tried to help his disciples escape. He thought that he was doomed, but unexpectedly, the Demons had only imprisoned him. Sometime later, a Master from the Demon Race brought him to a secret room and used some kind of Evil Secret Technique on him, after which he became a member of Demon Heavenly Dao.
That was why Bai Zhuo said that Zhou Quan hadn’t willingly joined Demon Heavenly Dao, he simply fell into the hands of the Demons because he wanted to save his disciples.
According to him, many cultivators who had been captured by Demons would be implanted with Blood Demon Blood Essence, which turned them into members of Demon Heavenly Dao. A large number of them couldn’t bear the Demon’s Blood Essence though and died directly.
Those who survived would become loyal to the Demons, as though they had transformed into entirely different people.
Now that the Blood Essence had been removed from Zhou Quan’s body, he became clear-headed again. Looking back, he couldn’t believe that he had worked under the Demons.
Despite the fact that he was weak, his eyes still turned bloodshot and he gnashed his teeth together as he spoke about it.
A smiling Yang Kai said, “There’s a chance for you to get your revenge. Do you dare to come with me?”
Zhou Quan immediately replied loudly, “Why wouldn’t I dare to? As long as I can kill those wretched Demons, this Zhou doesn’t mind losing his life! I was supposed to have passed away a few years ago anyway!”
“You won’t die. I just need you to bring me into the core of Demon Heavenly Dao.” Yang Kai put on a smile.
He had intended to infiltrate Demon Heavenly Dao, but he couldn’t find a way in. Now that Zhou Quan had been saved by Bai Zhuo, the chance presented itself.
Zhou Quan was an intelligent person, so his gaze brightened when he heard that, “Palace Master Yang, are you talking about the Four Seasons Realm?”
“That’s right. I’m just outside the Four Seasons Realm right now. To be honest with you, many people from Demon Heavenly Dao have gathered there.”
Zhou Quan nodded, “Good. I’ll go with you.”
“Good, rest for now though. I’ll summon you out of this place when the time is right.” Yang Kai turned his palm around and passed him a jade bottle, which contained some pills that could help him restore his strength.
Zhou Quan took it and thanked him before swallowing the pills and meditating.
The people in the valley were still very busy as the Array Master kept walking around and giving instructions to everyone. It seemed the array would be completed within a day or two.
At the break of dawn, they dispersed and returned to their respective hiding places.
At the same time, a thousand kilometres away from the Four Seasons Realm, Yang Kai revealed his figure and waved his hand, after which Zhou Quan appeared beside him.
“Palace Master Yang!” Zhou Quan cupped his fists. He had had a proper night’s rest, and although his face was still pale, he was already in a better state than he was on the previous night. At the very least, he could walk around with ease and protect himself.
Yang Kai briefly told him what had been going on near the Four Seasons Realm, then he said, “You’ll take the main role and I’ll follow you. There’s nothing else you need to do besides getting their acknowledgement and making them accept us.”
Zhou Quan replied, “That will be simple, Palace Master Yang. Just be ready when I signal you.”
“Good. Let’s go,” Yang Kai put on a smile.
Zhou Quan then led the way while Yang Kai followed from a short distance behind. At the same time, he put on some clothes that had been prepared beforehand to cover himself fully. He had no other choice because he was too famous in the Star Boundary. If he came across anyone who recognised him, his identity would be exposed.
Although Yang Kai’s outfit was rather dubious, he believed that there wouldn’t be any problem as long as he could handle it appropriately. After some days of observation, he realised that many of those from Demon Heavenly Dao had also put on disguises and some of them were even fully covered just like him. Apparently, even though these people were ordered to gather here, they wouldn’t want to expose their own background and identity, so his outfit didn’t look too out of place.
Finished with preparations, they headed straight to the entrance of the Four Seasons Realm in the mountain valley.
After flying for a bit, Yang Kai said with a gentle smile, “Brother Zhou, we’re trying to infiltrate the core of Demon Heavenly Dao, not kill all of them. Please curb your murderous intent.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan took a series of deep breaths to calm himself down. After his murderous intent lightened, he said, “This Zhou can’t help getting furious whenever he thinks about what has happened to his fellow Sect members. Please forgive me, Palace Master Yang.”
Yang Kai replied, “I understand, and you’ll certainly get your revenge, just not today.”
Following that, they continued moving forward. After getting a reminder from Yang Kai, Zhou Quan managed to compose himself. When they reached the valley near the Four Seasons Realm entrance, they felt someone’s Divine Sense probing them.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that the Divine Sense was coming from a place where the Array Master was located. Before the big fish revealed himself, all the matters in this place were handled by the Array Master.
Zhou Quan turned to look in that direction while receiving Yang Kai’s message in his mind. Without hesitation, he led Yang Kai to head inside.
Soon, they reached a cave where there was a pale-faced, beardless and sturdy man standing at the entrance. He looked like a blade that had been unsheathed as his Sword Intent swirled around him, giving him a very dangerous vibe. He was also fairly powerful as he was in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. This man was the one who had been following the Array Master around to ensure his safety.
According to Yang Kai’s observation over the past few days, this man always remained in close proximity to the Array Master.
Seeing Zhou Quan and Yang Kai approaching, the pale-faced man was unfazed as just stared coldly at them.
When they arrived at the entrance, Zhou Quan remained silent and fished out a black token before tossing it over. The pale-faced man took the token and made sure that there was nothing wrong with it before passing it back to Zhou Quan. However, he didn’t seem to have the intention of stepping aside as he made a ‘next’ gesture with his hand.
Zhou Quan turned to look at Yang Kai, who got his hint and pushed his Demon Qi. At that instant, a thick layer of Demon Qi could be seen engulfing him.
Instead of exposing his High-Rank Demon King’s cultivation, Yang Kai only showed the aura of a Low-Rank Demon King. He wasn’t worried that anyone would see through him. Unless a person’s Soul cultivation was stronger than his, no one could see through his disguise.
As a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, the pale-faced man was unable to do that.
Seeing that Yang Kai was able to reveal his Demon Qi, the pale-faced man set his mind at ease. All those from Demon Heavenly Dao possessed Demon Qi. Even if they didn’t know each other, they would know that they were from the same organisation by showing their Demon Qi. The token Zhou Quan had just fished out was just proof of his identity.
After Yang Kai revealed his Demon Qi, Zhou Quan said, “I was injured because I was ambushed on the way here, so it’s difficult for me to use any Secret Techniques right now.”
The Demon Blood in his body had been drawn out by Bai Zhuo, so there was no way he was able to reveal any Demon Qi; however, he indeed appeared severely injured, so there was nothing wrong with his statement.
In any case, Yang Kai had revealed his ‘identity’. Presently, no one in the Star Boundary was willing to side with anyone from Demon Heavenly Dao.
As expected, the pale-faced man didn’t doubt him as he frowned, “Who were the ones that ambushed you? Did you leave behind any traces?”
Zhou Quan lowered his head a little, “Rest assured, all of them are dead. However, the people who came with me were all killed. Now, only my Junior Brother and I remain.”
The pale-faced man gently nodded, “It’s fine. The two of you are enough. Come in and meet Grandmaster Sun before discussing anything else.”
After that, he turned around and led Zhou Quan and Yang Kai to move further into the cave.
The path in the cave became wider as they moved forward. Several dozen people had gathered inside the cave as they were busy arranging the Spirit Array alongside the Array Master, the ‘Grandmaster Sun’ that the pale-faced man had mentioned.
Presently, Grandmaster Sun had sat down cross-legged as he was adjusting his breathing. The pale-faced man brought Yang Kai and Zhou Quan to meet him and then spoke up. Following that, Grandmaster Sun nodded gently and said, “This King has asked all of you to come here to help me arrange this Grand Spirit Array. Now that the array is almost complete, just stay here to recuperate. In three days, I will require your assistance.”
“En, we will obey Grandmaster Sun’s command.” Zhou Quan replied, then he wanted to leave with Yang Kai.
When he was about to turn around, Grandmaster Sun suddenly stared at Yang Kai and asked, “Why has your Junior Brother covered himself up? What is he hiding?”
Zhou Quan cupped his fists, “My Junior Brother’s face was damaged in a fire when he was a young kid, so he isn’t willing to show his face.” He didn’t hesitate when he replied to him. Apparently, he had thought about this question before coming here.
Grandmaster Sun took one more look at Yang Kai, but he didn’t have the intention to harp on this issue. He didn’t have a problem with it since Yang Kai and Zhou Quan had passed the pale-faced man’s test. Earlier, he had just randomly asked a question.
On the other hand, the pale-faced man activated his Divine Sense in an attempt to find out whether what Zhou Quan had said was true, but there was no way he could see anything. Realising that Yang Kai’s face was blurred, he frowned and thought that the latter was wearing some kind of artifact. Since Grandmaster Sun didn’t pursue this matter though, he wasn’t willing to cause any trouble either.
Although there was a hiccup, they had passed the test. It seemed like a simple test, but if Yang Kai couldn’t show any Demon Qi, he wouldn’t have been able to come to this place. Those from Demon Heavenly Dao would never have expected that an oddity like Yang Kai existed.
However, this could only be used right now. When the fact that Yang Kai had returned to the Star Boundary was exposed, those from Demon Heavenly Dao would be alerted, and this trick would no longer work.
They found a quiet corner in the cave and sat down with their legs crossed. Zhou Quan’s wounds hadn’t healed yet, so he indeed needed to recuperate. On the other hand, Yang Kai was secretly observing the cultivation of the people around the cave.
In fact, he had figured everything out before coming here, but he knew that he had to be extra careful, and it wouldn’t cost a thing to have one more look.
Just now, Grandmaster Sun had said that they would be needed in three days. Yang Kai speculated that the array would be completed in three days, but he wasn’t sure what they would have to do when the array started operating.
Nanmen Da Jun said that this was a Summoning Array which might be used to call upon some kind of ferocious beast; however, was there such a beast in the Four Seasons Realm? Moreover, if they did this, they would have to pay a sufficient price. The Spirit Array was just a base, so what would the sacrifice be?
Could it be that those from Demon Heavenly Dao had to sacrifice themselves for this to work? It was unlikely but currently, it was the only possibility Yang Kai could think of.
Whatever the case, the truth would be revealed in three days, so Yang Kai could only wait patiently.
Over the following days, those from Demon Heavenly Dao lurked in their respective hiding places during the day, and would go out to finish the Spirit Array at night. However, Grandmaster Sun didn’t seem to have the intention of assigning any task to Yang Kai and Zhou Quan. First of all, they had expressed that they were injured, secondly, the array was about to be completed, so it didn’t matter if they participated or not. They just had to expend some energy when the array started running.
Hence, they managed to spend a few quiet days in the cave.
When the moon rose in the sky on the third night, Grandmaster Sun suddenly got to his feet. Yang Kai, who had been secretly observing him, realised that the latter had become evidently agitated. Grandmaster Sun took a deep breath and said loudly, “All of you, come with me.”
After he finished speaking, he shuffled out of the cave, followed swiftly by several dozen people.
Upon leaving the cave, Yang Kai realised that those from Demon Heavenly Dao, who had been hiding elsewhere in the valley, had all shown up.
In just a short moment, several hundred people had gathered together.
Grandmaster Sun swept a glance over them and said with a smile, “All Emperor Realm Masters, step forward!”
After he finished speaking, over twenty people stepped forward. Yang Kai and Zhou Quan were among them.
Seeing this, Grandmaster Sun nodded and lifted his hand as over twenty jade slips shot towards the corresponding Emperor Realm Masters. At the same time, he said, “These jade slips contain information on how to run the array and your respective positions in it. Memorise them.”
Yang Kai took the jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. Just like what Grandmaster Sun had said, the jade slip contained information on how to run the array and the position Yang Kai would have to take later.
All of them were supposedly going to use the same method to power the array, but the positions they had to take were different. Over twenty Emperor Realm Masters were required to run this array.
Regardless of the array’s use, this kind of setup was indeed incredible. It was no wonder that they had spent so much time and energy simply arranging the array.
Yang Kai took a look at Zhou Quan and sent him a message through his Divine Sense.
Zhou Quan imperceptibly nodded his head.
It wasn’t difficult to understand the method that had been branded in the jade slip. Those who could reach the Emperor Realm were not fools, so they memorised the instructions quickly.
Just then, Grandmaster Sun leapt into the air and landed on a spot before saying loudly, “We will definitely achieve our goal today. After that, I will reward all of you handsomely. Please assemble now!”
Upon hearing this, over twenty Emperor Realm Masters flew over and landed on their assigned spots.
Yang Kai and Zhou Quan were a few kilometres apart as they were standing in different directions. In that case, Yang Kai would be unable to protect the other should anything happen. However, he had used his Divine Sense to tell Zhou Quan to flee on his own should they fall into danger.
The array was about to be activated and all the Emperor Realm Masters were ready; however, Yang Kai was puzzled.
According to Nanmen Da Jun, a key was missing from this array. Over the past few days, he hadn’t seen Grandmaster Sun make any special preparations, so could the old man have placed the missing item down when Yang Kai wasn’t paying attention?
It was difficult to ask Nanmen Da Jun about it at this point, so Yang Kai could only see how things went. Furthermore, the big fish still hadn’t shown up, so he wondered whether his speculation was wrong, or the time hadn’t come yet.
The former outcome wouldn’t matter as he could easily kill all the people here despite their large number. If it was the latter, he would have to keep observing for now.
Things had come to such a point that Yang Kai didn’t find it necessary to be rushed. He wanted to find out what this array’s true purpose was.
While all the Emperor Realm Masters were standing on their respective spots, the other cultivators were ordered by Grandmaster Sun to head to the middle and sit down cross-legged. Several hundred cultivators were not a lot of people, but they looked intimidating when gathered together.
After everything was ready, Grandmaster Sun yelled in an agitated voice, “Begin!”
Upon hearing that, all Emperor Realm Masters started performing their own hand seals and circulating their power. At that instant, lights could be seen shining at their feet and then shot into the air, which illuminated the entire valley.
The dazzling lights soon curbed and turned into patterns in the array as they flowed towards the centre.
Right then, someone could be heard spraying out liquid from his mouth as the array started buzzing and trembling, as though he was about to collapse. The expression on Grandmaster Sun’s face changed as he turned to look in a particular direction, only to see that Zhou Quan had turned pale and he was staggering. The blood streaming out of his mouth suggested that he was the one who had sprayed out blood earlier.
Grandmaster Sun’s face fell when he saw that.
Feeling guilty, Zhou Quan said, “It’s because of my injury…”
Grandmaster Sun cut him off by calling him ‘waste’, then he motioned for the pale-faced man to replace him. This Spirit Array required everyone to join forces to activate it. Since there was a problem with Zhou Quan, it would affect the entire array. If they didn’t make up for it quickly, the array would fall apart in no time.
Fortunately, he still had a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master as his bodyguard who would be useful now.
The pale-faced man flew into the array before he clenched Zhou Quan’s collar and hurled him away. As he performed a hand seal, the array was soon put under control.
In the valley, the array patterns shone again and slowly began rotating. If anyone were to look at it from a bird’s-eye view, he would see that the patterns in the valley had formed into a huge Yin Yang symbol, which looked like two lively fish as they roamed around the valley.
Right then, a beam of lightning struck in the clear sky and a deafening thunder was heard. Following that, a person appeared out of thin air, hovering above the centre of the array.
Inside the array, Yang Kai became both elated and agitated because the person who appeared was a Pseudo-Great Emperor!
He almost couldn’t contain his urge to laugh. Over the past few days, he had been waiting patiently because he anticipated the arrival of a big fish like this man. When Grandmaster Sun was about to activate the array earlier, he thought that his speculation was wrong and there was no big fish at all. He almost decided to directly kill them all. Fortunately, he had waited for a while longer.
Now, it seemed that there was indeed a big fish behind all this, but this man had been extremely cautious and hidden his aura, lurking in the dark for a long time before showing up at the last moment.
Yang Kai secretly sized up this newcomer and realised that the person was elegantly dressed, as though he was a scholar of some kind. He also kept an amiable smile on his face all the time. Nobody who came across this person would think that he was from Demon Heavenly Dao.
In order not to expose himself, Yang Kai quickly retracted his gaze.
After that person appeared, Grandmaster Sun hurriedly saluted him, “Greetings, Wind Lord!”
Wind Lord lifted his hand, “Good work so far.”
Grandmaster Sun replied, “It is this Sun’s honour to work for Sir. Thanks are unnecessary.”
Wind Lord nodded, pleased with Grandmaster Sun’s attitude.
As Yang Kai listened to them, he immediately figured out who the person was. It had only been a short time since he returned to the Star Boundary, so he knew little about Demon Heavenly Dao. Despite the limited information he had, he knew that the leader of Demon Heavenly Dao was Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye. Can Ye had Four Great Lords, whose names were Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. All of them were Pseudo-Great Emperors.
Since this person was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and Grandmaster Sun had called him Wind Lord, it was apparent that he was one of the Four Great Lords that worked directly under Can Ye.
There was no doubt that a big fish had been hooked. Yang Kai lowered his head as he was worried that his excited expression would expose him.
Grandmaster Sun went on to say, “Wind Lord, everything is prepared.”
“Very good.” Wind Lord put on a faint smile, “If this mission is successful, you’ll be the biggest contributor. This King will definitely put in a good word for you in front of my Master.”
An elated Grandmaster Sun hung his head low and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Wind Lord!”
Without speaking further, Wind Lord turned solemn and lifted both his hands. His expression was that of a pilgrim who was holding a sacred item, but there was nothing in his palms.
The next moment, a piece of white bone that was about a palm’s length long and curved on both sides appeared in his grasp. There was nothing extraordinary about it as it wasn’t a treasure. Besides the fact that it wasn’t a bone from a precious beast, it also didn’t seem to have any spirituality.
However, Wind Lord was treating this bone as though it was the most precious item in the world.
Yang Kai frowned as he had no idea what the secret hidden behind the bone was. If he wasn’t mistaken, it should be a Human rib. Judging from the colour, the owner of the rib must have passed away a long time ago. It wasn’t certain how this ordinary-looking bone could remain intact until now.
After summoning the rib, Wind Lord suddenly lifted his hand and then forcefully pushed it down.
Below him was the spot where the hundreds of Demon Heavenly Dao’s disciples were meditating with their legs crossed. Presently, all of them had closed their eyes to adjust their breathing, so they couldn’t have expected that they would be killed.
These people were not even Emperor Realm Masters though, so even if they had figured out in advance that Wind Lord would make a move on them, they wouldn’t have been able to resist.
Following his strike, a gale turned into a tornado and engulfed all those below in an instant, drawing shrieks of pain and terror from below.
The over twenty Emperor Realm Masters had their expressions change drastically as they looked at Wind Lord in horror. Apparently, they had no idea Wind Lord would do such a thing. These disciples were brought over by them, but were all dead now. Why would Wind Lord kill them so ruthlessly?
Although they had been demonified and become part of Demon Heavenly Dao, they still treasured their lives. In a life-or-death moment like this, all they would consider were themselves.
Grandmaster Sun immediately bellowed, “All of you, settle down. If the array is interrupted now, all of you will suffer severe backlash. Wind Lord has obtained enough blood from the sacrifice, so your lives are not required. All you must do is help maintain the array.”
Regardless of whether what he had said was true or not, the Emperor Realm Masters relaxed slightly upon hearing this. However, they were still displeased that such information had been hidden from them until now.
They were also frustrated at the fact that this array couldn’t be interrupted without all of them suffering backlash.
The only person who was unfazed was Yang Kai, because he was powerful enough to battle against Wind Lord. Furthermore, this array indeed required Human lives as sacrifices. Yang Kai already had this speculation, but he hadn’t been certain. What Wind Lord had done had basically proved him right.
Inside the tornado, the shrieks only lasted a short time before they died down. Although there were hundreds of Demon Heavenly Dao’s disciples, they were totally no match for the Pseudo-Great Emperor and were all killed with just one strike.
Wind Lord curled his finger, after which a gap appeared in the tornado. Through the gap, a river of blood streamed out and was then drawn towards him before flowing into the rib in his hand.
As soon as the blood came into contact with the bone, it disappeared.
It was a very strange sight. There didn’t seem to be anything extraordinary about the piece of bone, but it was able to devour so much blood without its colour changing. The blood collected from hundreds of people was abundant, but under Wind Lord’s lead, it continuously streamed into the rib.
Gradually, the rib went through some changes. Some complicated patterns started appearing on the rib. It seemed that these patterns were already on the rib, but they were hidden by someone using an abstruse technique. Following what Wind Lord had done, they finally resurfaced.
Upon seeing the patterns, Wind Lord became excited. As the bone kept devouring the blood, more patterns appeared and slowly covered the entire rib. At the same time, a very special aura started exuding from it.
Yang Kai shuddered and his expression was transformed by horror. Although the aura was weak, he could clearly feel that it belonged to a Great Emperor!
After so much blood was devoured, many patterns started appearing on the ordinary-looking rib, which was now exuding a Great Emperor’s aura.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that he was mistaken, but the aura slowly got stronger.
The reason it had turned weak was that a long time had passed since the true owner of this rib died. Despite that, the core power within the bone never changed.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded. He was already surprised that a big fish had taken the bait, but he couldn’t have expected such a turn of events.
A Great Emperor’s aura wouldn’t appear for no reason. Since it had something to do with the rib, it meant that the bone belonged to one of the Great Emperors!
[Who? Who does it belong to?]
He had met all ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, and he had also come into contact with Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang, so he was certain that this rib didn’t belong to any of the Great Emperors he knew because the aura didn’t match.
Since it wasn’t a rib from the present Great Emperors, it meant that it must belong to one of the Great Emperors from the past.
All of a sudden, a Great Emperor’s name sprang into Yang Kai’s mind.
Just then, Wind Lord abruptly grunted.
Yang Kai shot him a secret glance and realised that the rib in Wind Lord’s hand was buzzing and shaking, as though it was about to fly away. Certainly, Wind Lord wouldn’t allow that to happen, so he grabbed the bone instead and firmly held it in his right hand.
The bone was still shaking, and a grunt was heard again. Yang Kai could clearly see that Wind Lord’s right hand, which was holding the rib, was ageing rapidly as his skin withered and became dull.
At that instant, it seemed that a thousand years had passed for his right hand.
It was then Yang Kai became certain that his speculation was right. They were now at the entrance of the Four Seasons Realm, and the person related to this place was none other than Flowing Time Great Emperor!
It wasn’t certain how Wind Lord managed to obtain one of the ribs from Flowing Time Great Emperor, but he had summoned others to arrange a Grand Array here and used some kind of Evil Secret Technique to reignite the hidden spirituality in the bone. It was apparent that he had a very aggressive goal.
Although many years had passed, and it was just a rib, the power of the Great Emperor’s Time Principles had been branded into every part of his body. The Power of Time within the rib was still enough to make Wind Lord suffer a setback.
Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor while Flowing Time Great Emperor was someone who had passed away countless years ago; however, only a single rib from the Great Emperor’s body was able to manifest so much power, so his capabilities were obviously inconceivable. It was no wonder people always said that throughout the history of the Star Boundary, only Flowing Time Great Emperor was an equal match for Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang. Nevertheless, they were not born in the same era; otherwise, there would’ve been an epic competition for the top position.
Although Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib was powerful, it was ultimately a dead object; therefore, Wind Lord was able to resist it. As he pushed his immense Demon Qi to resist the Time Principles within the bone, his withered right hand started restoring in a rapid manner. Seeing that, he sneered and raised the bone in his hand.
At that instant, all the lights in the valley seemed to focus on that single rib. Wind Lord performed a hand seal with one hand, and as his figure contorted, he flew down to the array, standing at its core. In just a moment, the Great Emperor’s bone became an indispensable part of the array.
Following that, the over twenty Emperor Realm Masters pushed their Demon Qi into the array and infused it into the rib.
Just then, all the Emperor Realm Masters were startled while Yang Kai’s expression changed.
That was because when the array became complete, everyone could feel that they had become a part of the array. Their energy streamed into the array and flowed around before entering the Great Emperor’s bone.
The situation was just like what Grandmaster Sun had said. Once the Spirit Array started running, no one could stop it as they pleased; otherwise, they would suffer a serious backlash. The power of the backlash was equivalent to a collective strike from all the Emperor Realm Masters attached to the array, so no one could resist it.
Even Wind Lord wouldn’t be able to parry the strike.
Yang Kai felt frustrated as he was just here to find out the intention of those from Demon Heavenly Dao. Earlier, he joined the array just to conceal his identity; however, he hadn’t expected that he would be in a tight spot now, which was quite embarrassing for him.
Although he was powerful, and his Half-Dragon body was incredibly tough, he would still end up in a miserable state if he were to bear the array’s backlash. Nevertheless, he was displeased at the thought that he would have to spend so much effort to maintain the array for Demon Heavenly Dao.
Even though it looked like a deadlock, there was still a way to resolve the situation. Yang Kai came up with several possible solutions before he managed to calm down and decided to keep observing until the critical moment.
The array’s power continued flowing into the Great Emperor’s bone as the spirituality within the rib was slowly awakened. The Great Emperor’s aura became thicker and more conspicuous. Time Principles were wreaking havoc in a particular space in the sky as the flow of time alternated between fast and slow, which made that area of space warp unnaturally.
When the aura around the bone reached its peak, a glint flashed across the eyes of the unmoving Wind Lord as he shouted, “Open!”
With the bone in his right hand, he pointed at the space in front of him. Following that, a ripple spread from that region of space. With the bone as the centre, it expanded as more ripples continuously spread out, which made the area look somewhat surreal.
In the bizarre-looking space, something massive slowly took shape.
Initially, the contours of the object were very blurred, so no one could tell what it was. It was like a mirage, but as Wind Lord continued channelling his technique and forming new hands seals, the image quickly became clear.
All the Emperor Realm Masters, who were sustaining the array, looked up in horror as they couldn’t move their eyes away from the contour.
It was apparently the contour of a palace. Wind Lord was pulling out a gigantic palace from the Void. As the palace became clear, everyone was engulfed by an incredible pressure. It was as though Wind Lord was drawing out a ferocious beast instead of a palace, and it was going to devour everyone at the scene.
Grandmaster Sun guffawed and yelled, “The almighty Wind Lord has drawn out the Flowing Time Temple! Demon Heavenly Dao will unify the entire Star Boundary and rule over it for eternity!”
[Flowing Time Temple! It’s really the Flowing Time Temple!] It wasn’t until this moment that all the Emperor Realm Masters realised what palace Wind Lord had just pulled out from the Void. It was the legendary palace of Flowing Time Great Emperor, Flowing Time Temple!
They were aware that they were in a valley where the entrance of the Four Seasons Realm was located, so it wasn’t that strange for the Flowing Time Temple to appear from inside the Void. Nevertheless, it wasn’t until this moment that they realised what an important event it was that they had just participated in. At that instant, all of them were excited, as they knew that they would be rewarded handsomely in the future for their efforts. The hundreds of disciples who were killed by Wind Lord as sacrifices didn’t matter anymore.
Yang Kai played along and pretended to be agitated. As he stared at the familiar Flowing Time Temple, he thought that what Nanmen Da Jun had said was right.
The Spirit Array Grandmaster Sun had arranged was indeed a Summoning Array, but he intended to summon Flowing Time Temple from the Four Seasons Realm instead of some beast.
The cultivators from Demon Heavenly Dao were truly greedy as they even had their eye on the palace of Flowing Time Great Emperor. Nevertheless, Can Ye was a Great Emperor himself. Although the Flowing Time Temple was an amazing treasure, it might not be useful to him at all. However, it was a different case for Wind Lord. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, if he were able to obtain the Flowing Time Temple, he might stand a chance to comprehend the secrets of Time Principles and reach the peak of the Grand Dao. That was the reason why Wind Lord was in charge of this matter instead of Can Ye.
Furthermore, Nanmen Da Jun had said that a key item was missing from this Spirit Array, which was now obviously the Great Emperor’s bone in Wind Lord’s hand.
The Flowing Time Temple was hidden within the Four Seasons Realm, but it wouldn’t open up before the time came; however, a bone from Flowing Time Great Emperor could be used to communicate with it.
With over twenty Emperor Realm Masters infusing their energy into the array, and using Flowing Time Great Emperor’s bone as a medium, Wind Lord was able to pull off such a feat even though he was just a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Those from Demon Heavenly Dao had an ambitious goal, and they were willing to spend lots of time and effort to accomplish their objectives.
As the huge palace became clear as every brick and tile exuded an ancient aura, Yang Kai slowly closed his eyes.
Finally, he understood what those from Demon Heavenly Dao were up to. He had been holding back for a long time for a moment like this.
Swiftly, he communicated with the Small Sealed World using his Divine Sense, and as he opened his eyes again, a murderous intent could be seen brimming from his gaze.
All of a sudden, three figures appeared around Yang Kai. One of the figures directly pounced on the Emperor Realm Masters closest to Yang Kai, while the other two figures launched themselves at Wind Lord.
Three Half-Saints had joined forces for a surprise attack, so no one was able to resist them. At the very least, the Emperor Realm Master closest to Yang Kai was unable to parry the attack. He was only a First-Order Emperor Realm, and he was engrossed in watching the manifestation of the Flowing Time Temple in the sky, so he had never expected that the person beside him would summon someone to attack him.
Nevertheless, even if he had figured it out in advance, he wouldn’t have the power to resist.
When Bai Ya reached him and extended his finger, that person then appeared shocked and turned to look at Bai Ya as he wondered why a man had appeared out of thin air.
Bai Ya didn’t have any murderous intent at all as his intention was to destroy the array; however, when his finger came into contact with that person, the latter exploded into mist without even a chance to grunt. In an instant, he was killed and not even a single bone was left.
It wasn’t that Bai Ya had killed him. Instead, he had lost his life due to the backlash of the array. As a First-Order Emperor Realm Master, he was unable to parry the collective strike from over twenty Emperor Realm Masters.
Besides him, Bai Ya was also sent flying backwards like a wet rag. The Demon Qi around him undulated as he coughed up some blood in mid-air before he landed on the ground, looking quite battered.
One by one, the Emperor Realm Masters in the array grunted and suffered backlash as well. The stronger ones only felt dizzy and staggered, while the weaker ones sprayed out blood and collapsed to the ground.
When the backlash broke out, no one was spared. It seemed that Grandmaster Sun didn’t lie to them.
However, the backlash didn’t have the same effect on everyone. The stronger cultivators were able to bear it while the weaker cultivators were most severely affected, especially the one who was disturbed by Bai Ya’s finger. It could be said that he had destroyed the array, so the backlash he was stricken with was the harshest. That was why he exploded on the spot.
The backlash did not spare Yang Kai either as he began seeing stars and felt dizzy.
Fortunately, the Soul Warming Lotus in his Knowledge Sea exuded lights of seven colours and swept a cooling sensation over him, which allowed him to pull himself together.
However, he was shocked when he looked up.
While Bai Ya was destroying the array, the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo had pounced on Wind Lord. Both Half-Saints were fairly powerful. Bai Zhuo was one of the Half-Saints who worked under Yu Ru Meng, and it had been a long time since he reached his current realm, so his foundation was solid. On the other hand, even though the Embodiment was a new Half-Saint, he had the body of a Stone Spirit and had obtained Shi Huo’s Source. Furthermore, he had cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so his heritage was immense as well. Either one of them was an equal match for Wind Lord, so the expected result was them easily defeating the latter when they worked together.
Hence, Yang Kai thought that even if Wind Lord wouldn’t lose the battle that quickly, he would be in a terrible state as the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo could easily suppress him. When Bai Ya managed to pull himself together, it would be three people against one, and if Yang Kai also joined the battle, they could easily defeat Wind Lord.
However, reality was different from what Yang Kai had imagined. At this moment, the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo were just three hundred metres away from Wind Lord; however, Bai Zhuo was rooted to the spot, still in a lunging posture.
It wasn’t that he had frozen in place as he was still moving forward, but his speed was incredibly slow. Judging from his current speed, it would take him at least three years before he reached Wind Lord.
On the other hand, the Embodiment reached Wind Lord and launched into an intense battle with him. Both of their movements were unbelievably fast, far beyond what they should have been capable of. In fact, their movements were accelerated manifolds by an invisible power. In the blink of an eye, they had traded several thousands of moves as the world seemed to be shaking and explosions happened everywhere due to their battle.
Countless afterimages had been left behind as well, and at first glance, it was as though an innumerable number of Embodiments and Wind Lords were clashing all at once.
If it wasn’t for Yang Kai’s powerful cultivation, he wouldn’t have been able to see what was happening at all.
On one hand, the Embodiment and Wind Lord were unbelievably fast, while on the other hand, Bai Zhuo was incredibly slow. The stark contrast looked very odd to the beholder.
With just one look, Yang Kai immediately understood that the time within a radius of three hundred metres around Wind Lord had been warped, which caused this kind of fantastical scene. At this moment, what was perceived from the outsider’s perspective, was not the same as what was perceived by those inside the field.
This had something to do with the Great Emperor’s bone instead of Wind Lord’s own power.
Without hesitating, Yang Kai leapt into the air and launched himself at Wind Lord.
He sported a solemn expression as his Demon Qi swirled around him. With a thick layer of Demon Qi that had engulfed him, he performed a hand seal with both hands and yelled, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Just three hundred metres away from the battle, Yang Kai pushed out his palms.
In an instant, time and space around Wind Lord became orderly again. Although Yang Kai wasn’t an expert in the Dao of Time, he knew a thing or two about it. His Divine Ability, Time Flies Seal, was inherited from Flowing Time Great Emperor, and it was good enough to resist the disruptive power of the Great Emperor’s bone.
At the same time, Bai Zhuo broke free from the chains of Time Principles. As he howled and lifted his hand, a blood river shot towards Wind Lord. In the blood river, wraiths could be seen rolling and wailing, which gave off a horrifying aura.
The Embodiment extended his hand and summoned out the Demonic War Hammer. Following that, he brandished his hammer at Wind Lord.
Two Half-Saints and one High-Rank Demon King used their Divine Abilities and attacked Wind Lord. The power of their collective strike was stunning.
The turn of events caused Wind Lord’s expression to change drastically. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he had incredibly sharp senses, so he knew that both the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo were not easy to deal with. There was also Bai Ya who was sent flying backwards after suffering from the array’s backlash. Now, there were three Half-Saints ganged up on him, how was he supposed to battle against them?
At such a critical moment, a thought sprang into his mind as he stared at Yang Kai and bellowed through clenched teeth, “Yang Kai!”
As one of the Four Great Lords in Demon Heavenly Dao, he was able to gather information that most people wouldn’t have access to. When Yang Kai, Yu Ru Meng, and the others returned from the Demon Realm, they had come across Can Ye in the Two Worlds’ Passage, so Night Shadow Great Emperor spread the news. Wind Lord obtained this information from Can Ye directly.
Hence, he wouldn’t doubt why Half-Saints from the Demon Race would make a move against him because he knew that they were enemies.
He indeed lived up to his status as a Pseudo-Great Emperor as he was able to remain unfazed. As a thought flashed across his mind, a gale was suddenly formed. Following that, countless wind blades swirled around him and served as a protective shield. At the same time, he summoned a shuttle-shaped artifact and hurled it at Bai Zhuo.
The artifact was only a palm’s length long and it looked very ordinary; however, Bai Zhuo hurriedly stopped in his tracks as though he was facing a formidable foe. Then, the blood river returned to protect him.
With a loud boom, the shuttle-shaped artifact exploded and caused the blood river to scatter apart. As a consequence, Bai Zhuo staggered back more than a thousand metres, looking quite battered.
Wind Lord lifted his hand again and pressed his palm against the Embodiment’s Demonic War Hammer. Upon impact, the Embodiment was sent flying backwards while Wind Lord turned into a gust of wind and easily neutralized the violent attack.
In the blink of an eye, Wind Lord was able to push back two Half-Saints, so it was apparent that he was truly powerful.
On the other hand, Yang Kai managed to land his Time Flies Seal on Wind Lord’s chest.
Wind Lord grunted as his facial features contorted. His face could be seen ageing rapidly, but it soon stopped, and his face was quickly restored to its original state. Although the Time Flies Seal was a powerful technique, it would be rendered useless if the difference in strength was too great.
Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor, and he was even able to resist the corrosion of Time Principles within the Great Emperor’s bone, so it was expected that he could counter Time Flies Seal as well.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t totally fine. Yang Kai’s attack had slightly injured him.
Just then, the Embodiment and Bai Zhuo returned while Bai Ya suppressed the turbulent vitality in his body and flew over. The entire sky seemed to be filled with the three Half-Saints’ murderous intent as Yang Kai cast Time Flies Seal again.
Wind Lord appeared helpless. He was able to parry the collective attack by two Half-Saints and Yang Kai once, but he couldn’t do it again. Moreover, Bai Ya joined the battle this time.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t strong, but rather that he was facing four opponents, who were all individually his equal. He had some Emperor Realm Masters who worked for him, but due to the Spirit Array’s backlash, they were either dead or injured, so they were useless right now. The only healthy one was Grandmaster Sun, but he was an Array Master, so he wasn’t adept at fighting. Clenching his teeth, he blamed Yang Kai and the others for being shameless as they oppressed him with more people on their side, which wasn’t what top cultivators were supposed to do; however, he didn’t intend to raise the white flag here. With determination written all over his face, he bit his tongue and sprayed his Blood Essence on the Great Emperor’s bone.
A dazzling light shone as a golden character shot out of the Great Emperor’s bone. The character looked odd, and no one could recognise what it was.
Yang Kai and the others had their expressions changed. Even though they couldn’t recognise this character, they could feel a very dangerous aura coming from it. At the critical moment, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and charged forward instead of retreating, sending out his Time Flies Seal again. At the same time, the Embodiment wielded his Demonic War Hammer while Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya used their respective Divine Abilities.
Right then, a golden light flashed across their eyes as all their minds seemed to have turned blank.
When Yang Kai recovered a moment later, he realised that Wind Lord’s face had aged slightly. He looked like a thirty-year-old man previously, but he now looked like he was in his forties.
The Time Flies Seal had dispersed while the attacks from the Embodiment, Bai Ya, and Bai Zhuo disappeared as well. Just now, only a breath of time seemed to have passed, but none of them knew what had happened during that brief period.
Wind Lord, whose appearance seems to have aged by ten years, sported an inscrutable smile.
As a thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, he quickly examined himself, and upon making sure that he was fine, he set his mind at ease. However, he was still drenched in cold sweat. Just now, Wind Lord must have done something, but no one saw it or detected it.
Then, he turned to look at the Half-Saints and found the problem.
Bai Zhuo was rooted to the spot as he was as unmoving as a sculpture. There was a faint golden glow on his chest. It was apparent that he was struck by an attack!
Bai Ya realised the problem earlier than he did and with a dark expression, he said, “He’s not dead.”
Indeed, the vitality within Bai Zhuo was still vibrant, and there was no trace of any injury on him; however, for some reason, he had become as stiff as a statue.
The golden character that had flown out from the Great Emperor’s bone had vanished as well. Certainly, the state Bai Zhuo was in must have something to do with that golden character.
“Are you still going to fight?” Wind Lord put on a smile as though he was certain that he would win, “All of you will lose your lives here. Flee now, and perhaps you can live a while longer.”
“Kill!” Yang Kai bellowed in response, swinging his arms widely, sending out a Moon Blade towards Wind Lord. At the same time, the Embodiment and Bai Ya launched themselves at Wind Lord from opposite sides.
Once more, Wind Lord spat a mouthful of Blood Essence on the Great Emperor’s bone.
Seeing this, Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief. The strange golden character which contained an immense power appeared once more. Apparently, it was a Divine Ability hidden in the Great Emperor’s bone. Even though Bai Zhuo had been petrified, it wouldn’t affect the situation as Yang Kai still had two Half-Saints with him; however, he hadn’t expected that Wind Lord could use the same trick more than once. It seemed that they were powerless to counter his attack.
Although Wind Lord had sacrificed his own Blood Essence to launch this strike, he was able to petrify a Half-Saint with the golden character. If he kept coughing up mouthfuls of Blood Essence, all of them would be doomed.
The Great Emperor’s bone shone again as the golden character shot out. Just like what had happened earlier, when the golden character appeared, all their minds seemed to freeze.
When Yang Kai came to his senses, he realised that he and the Embodiment were still fine; however, just like Bai Zhuo, Bai Ya had turned into a sculpture. The price Wind Lord had to pay was that he had aged even more. Earlier, he was an elegant-looking middle-aged man, but now, he had become an old man in his fifties or sixties.
Yang Kai stared at the bone in Wind Lord’s hand with narrowed eyes and said grimly, “If you’re still able to use the same trick one more time, I’ll cut my head off for you!”
Wind Lord coughed and shook his head with a bitter smile, “Palace Master Yang’s vision is indeed sharp. Given my ability, I’m only able to use this move twice.”
It wasn’t that Yang Kai had the eyes of an eagle, it was just that after the golden character appeared for the second time, a lot of small cracks started appearing on the Great Emperor’s bone. Obviously, this kind of move would also damage the Great Emperor’s rib, and it couldn’t be used for a third time.
Yang Kai arrogantly lifted his chin and said callously, “Come then. How would you like to die?”
At this moment, he was completely incensed. They were in an advantageous position as they had more people on their side, so supposedly, it shouldn’t have been hard for them to capture this Pseudo-Great Emperor. However, their opponent managed to strike first and petrify Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya. The two Half-Saints still had very strong vitality and there were no signs that they were wounded. Nevertheless, no one knew what kind of Divine Ability the golden character was, all Yang Kai knew was that he would have to spend a lot of time and effort to undo its effects.
That was the reason Yang Kai was infuriated. However, they were still in a favourable position presently. Wind Lord had activated the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability twice and he had paid a hefty price. On the other hand, Yang Kai and the Embodiment were still in top form. If they got into a fight, there was no way Wind Lord would be able to defeat them.
Despite being in an unfavourable position, Wind Lord still kept a smile on his face, “Palace Master Yang, are you sure you’ll win? Although I can’t use the same move again, it doesn’t mean I’m weak. Please think twice before you decide to make things difficult for me.”
Yang Kai snorted, “Cripple your cultivation and this King might consider letting you off.”
Wind Lord shook his head and burst into laughter, “Palace Master Yang, you think too highly of yourself.”
As he spoke, he raised the slightly cracked bone in his hand, “There’s still a Secret Technique in this bone; however, I wouldn’t want to use it unless I’m left with no other choice. So, I’d like to discuss terms with you.”
“No need. We are enemies and cannot be friends. Today, either you die or we perish!”
Appearing to be helpless, Wind Lord lowered his head and fell into his thoughts for a moment before he gazed at Yang Kai and asked, “Palace Master Yang, do you insist on forcing this King?”
“Pass me the Great Emperor’s bone and I may consider letting you off.”
Wind Lord shook his head, “No. Other than that, we can discuss anything else.”
“There’s no need for a discussion, then.” After Yang Kai finished speaking, his figure blurred. The next moment, he already reached Wind Lord as he pushed out a finger at him.
Yang Kai had exerted all his might in this finger. It wasn’t a Divine Ability or a Secret Technique; however, if a Pseudo-Great Emperor was struck with this attack, there was no way he would still be fine.
The Embodiment and Yang Kai had their Souls connected, so as soon as Yang Kai made a move, the Embodiment appeared behind Wind Lord. As Demon Qi swirled around his Demonic War Hammer, he attempted to smash it down.
This time, Wind Lord didn’t spray out some Blood Essence, nor did a golden character appear from the Great Emperor’s bone. However, at the critical moment, he flashed a smile at Yang Kai.
At that instant, Yang Kai was alarmed as he pushed his finger forward faster. Even the Embodiment became more ferocious as he wielded his Demonic War Hammer.
Just then, a snapping sound was heard as an invisible power engulfed Wind Lord.
The sound came from Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone in the Wind Lord’s hands. The palm-length rib bone suddenly shattered in half. The first half turned into fine dust and scattered away.
At the same time, Yang Kai sensed that the Wind Lord was suddenly tens of thousands of kilometres away from him even though he had clearly been within arm’s reach…
Both his full-powered attack and the Embodiment’s Demonic War Hammer smashed into nothing but empty space. Yang Kai lifted his gaze and saw that the Wind Lord’s body had blended into the outline of the Flowing Time Temple. It was as though the Wind Lord had entered another world and was staring back at him through the transparent layer of the World Barrier that separated them.
Standing under the plaque of the Flowing Time Temple situated in front of the magnificent gate, the Wind Lord gritted his teeth with a terrifying expression and shouted, “Yang Kai, how dare you ruin this King’s plans!? This King swears to obliterate High Heaven Palace once he emerges from retreat!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes at those words. How could he not know that the Wind Lord had entered the Four Seasons Realm? It was not easy to open the Four Seasons Realm before the predetermined time. Be that as it may, Qiong Qi had managed to enter that place, which would mean that the Sealed World had not been completely isolated. There were other ways to enter, and Wind Lord had mastered one of those methods.
The outline of the Flowing Time Temple that was gradually being revealed had frozen mid-motion when the Spirit Array was interrupted just now; however, the Flowing Time Temple became indistinct and vanished from sight again when Wind Lord used Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains in his hands as a medium to send himself into the Four Seasons Realm.
Wind Lord had set up a Spirit Array before coming here with that rib bone. His original plan was to summon the Flowing Time Temple from the Four Seasons Realm and refine it into his own palace. Unfortunately, that plan had been ruined by Yang Kai and the Demon Race Half-Saints he brought with him. The original plan was no longer viable as a result. Hence, Wind Lord had no choice but to settle for second best and entered the Flowing Time Temple himself instead. That was why he resented Yang Kai so deeply and left behind such hateful words.
Looking at the situation, the Sealed World of the Four Seasons Realm would be completely isolated from the Star Boundary the moment the outline of the Flowing Time Temple disappeared completely.
Meanwhile, the Flowing Time Temple faded away quickly. The outline had almost completely disappeared in the time the Wind Lord took to finish his last threat.
Yang Kai stepped forward, Space Principles surging around his body as his Divine Sense spread outward like the flowing tide. At the same time, he shouted, “Stay here!”
Those words were directed at the Embodiment. The reason Yang Kai couldn’t enter the Four Seasons Realm previously was that he could not find any weaknesses in the World Barrier around it. However, a small connection currently remained between the Four Seasons Realm and the Star Boundary thanks to the power of Wind Lord and the rib bone. With his mastery over the Dao of Space, this slight and practically undetectable connection was enough for Yang Kai to break through the World Barrier of the Sealed World, enter the Four Seasons Realm, and pursue his enemy.
Regardless of what Wind Lord was plotting, he was still one of the Four Great Lords of the Demon Heavenly Dao. Yang Kai could not turn a blind eye to the situation now that he had encountered him. Not to mention, those that he was looking for were still inside the Four Seasons Realm.
He could give chase, but the Embodiment could not go with him. Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya had been hit by the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability which had turned them into motionless statues. Somebody needed to stay and look after them. Although he could place Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya into the Small Sealed World, the Emperor Realm Masters of Demon Heavenly Dao were not all dead yet, so the Embodiment had to stay back and deal with the clean-up.
Upon hearing those words, the Embodiment understood that the situation did not allow him to follow Yang Kai; thus, he immediately nodded, “Be careful.”
Nobody knew better than him just what his main body was capable of; therefore, he was not too worried even though Wind Lord was a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Not to mention, Wind Lord had activated the Divine Ability hidden within that rib bone of Flowing Time Great Emperor twice. This would have exhausted a lot of his energy, so how much strength he could exert right now remained questionable.
Furthermore, the two children, Yang Xue and Yang Xiao, were not the only ones inside the Four Seasons Realm. Masters such as Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were there too. Wind Lord might be unaware, but how could the Embodiment not know? Wind Lord had assumed that he would be safe if he could just escape into the Four Seasons Realm, but the reality was that he had barged right into the lion’s den. [I wonder how Wind Lord will react when he meets them inside the Four Seasons Realm? He will obviously be… rather pleasantly surprised, I guess.]
The best thing about communicating with the Embodiment was that Yang Kai did not need to use many words to get his point across. All they needed was a single thought to understand each other’s thoughts.
Nevertheless, the outline of the Flowing Time Temple had completely disappeared in the time it took for Yang Kai to speak that sentence. Wind Lord’s figure had also disappeared along with it. The connection between the Four Seasons Realm and the Star Boundary was about to be severed.
Space Principles fluctuated wildly as Yang Kai took three steps forward. He remained in place for the first two steps, looking as though he had not taken a single step forward. It was an extremely strange sight to behold. On the third step though, he somehow vanished without warning.
The Embodiment lost his mental connection with Yang Kai at the same time, so he understood that Yang Kai had entered the Four Seasons Realm.
The battle between a Pseudo-Great Emperor and the Half-Saints began abruptly and ended just as hastily. It wasn’t until this moment that Grandmaster Sun, who had been watching from the sidelines all this while, suddenly turn paled and tried to flee.
A figure was already blocking his way though. Zhou Quan’s expression was icy, and he held two enormous copper hammers in his hands. His posture gave off the impression that he could hold back an army of thousands all by himself as he questioned, “Grandmaster Sun, where do you think you are going?”
When the Spirit Array had been activated, Zhou Quan had circulated his Emperor Qi the reverse and forced himself to cough up a mouthful of blood. He had managed to escape from the Spirit Array with that method thanks to a suggestion Yang Kai had given him. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to leave once the Spirit Array was fully operational.
Looking at the fate of all the other Emperor Realm Masters lying on the ground at the moment, it was easy to tell that if somebody with as low a cultivation as himself had been caught in the Spirit Array, they would either be dead or gravely injured by now. Escaping early had allowed him to remain alive. As such, he was in the best condition among all the other Emperor Realm Masters present, except for Grandmaster Sun.
Although Grandmaster Sun was also a First-Order Emperor Realm Master with profound knowledge in Spirit Arrays, his combat power was quite poor. A Demon Race Half-Saint had been glaring at him from the side in the first place, and now his escape route was blocked by Zhou Quan, so he immediately looked panicked. Putting on a strong act though, he threatened, “Make way, or this King won’t spare you.”
Zhou Quan shook his head slowly, “It’s best if Grandmaster Sun remains here until Palace Master Yang returns.”
He did not immediately move to kill, as his own experience was the best example. As long as they could remove the Blood Demon’s Blood Essence from the body, those of Demon Heavenly Dao would be able to recover their original selves and stop serving the Demon Race. Unless those people had sincerely and voluntarily joined the Demon Race’s side, most who had their dispositions modified by the Evil Secret Technique would greatly regret their actions and repent. Zhou Quan did not know about the others, but he had heard people saying that Grandmaster Sun had been captured by the Demon Race and subjected to the Evil Secret Technique.
Seeing that words were useless, Grandmaster Sun made a decisive move. He tossed a Jade Token into the air and aimed it at Zhou Quan. The method commonly used by Array Masters in a fight was to summon Array Plates. The Spirit Array sealed in the Array Plate was quick and convenient to activate after all.
Zhou Quan waited attentively. Before the Array Plate flew in front of him, a figure appeared out of nowhere and grabbed it. He looked over and saw that it was one of the helpers Yang Kai had summoned previously.
Squeezing slightly, the Array Plate exploded in a cloud of dust. A violent burst of energy spilled out from the Embodiment’s hands, but it did not harm him one bit.
Grandmaster Sun’s expression changed drastically at the sight, and he took out a few more Array Plates.
The Embodiment couldn’t be bothered to fight with Grandmaster Sun, so with a quick rush, he threw a punch and smashed Grandmaster Sun into an unconscious heap on the ground.
Zhou Quan watched by the side, cold sweat dripping down his back… When one was strong enough, fighting seemed so simple and violent at the same time.
……
Yang Kai appeared leisurely inside the Sealed World that was isolated from the outside world but saw neither hide nor hair of the Flowing Time Temple or Wind Lord. Although he had immediately chased after Wind Lord, a difference of a single step was equivalent to several thousand kilometres when moving through the Void; therefore, the current situation was not surprising. He came to the Four Seasons Realm once before when his cultivation was still very low. In contrast, he was a Third-Order Emperor now when he came back.
The Four Seasons Realm originally did not allow cultivators above the Dao Source Realm to enter. The Sealed World had its own Principles that all should be subjected to unless a person was able to surpass the limits of these Principles.
However, Qiong Qi had opened one of the back doors to this place previously and brought Liu Yan into this place. And now, Wind Lord had barged into this space with the remains of the Great Emperor who created this place, in his hands. As a result, the Principles governing the cultivation restriction had been broken. If not for that, Yang Kai would not have been able to enter this place safely.
Nevertheless, this place was indeed the Four Seasons Realm. Glancing around, he had the vague feeling that the surrounding scenery seemed very familiar. He probably came here before in the past. Mulling over it some more, it suddenly dawned on him.
[This was the Two Seasons Mountain Range!]
The Four Seasons Realm was divided into four major domains, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The Two Seasons Mountain Range ran through the entire Four Seasons Realm, dividing the world into four domains. For that reason, the left side and the right side of the Two Seasons Mountain Range experienced two different seasons. It was very mysterious.
Upon recognizing his current position, Yang Kai concentrated on recalling where The Flowing Time Temple was located. Then, he flew off after determining the correct direction. He had only taken a single step forward when he suddenly froze mid-motion with a look of shock on his face. That was because the environment around him had changed drastically with that one step he took.
When he first entered this place, it had been scorching hot, as though in the middle of summer. To his surprise, the scorching heat instantly disappeared after he took that step. It was immediately replaced by a cold wind whistling in his ears and a blanket of white snow covering everything in his vision. He seemed to have walked right into the middle of winter. The biting cold of winter seeped into his body through his pores. An ordinary person would have frozen to death if they experienced this for more than a few breaths.
He had not encountered changes like this when he last came here, so Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning in response. Even though the seasons had changed abruptly across boundaries in this Sealed World, there had been no sense of abruptness. The scenery he saw before him was completely in line with the season he was experiencing. It was almost as though the step he took had taken him into a whole other world.
Pondering in silence for a moment, he took another step. The moment his foot landed on the ground, the biting cold vanished and was replaced by a bleak autumn wind. The snow around him vanished, the leaves withered, and the trees in the jungle became laden with fruits…
After summer and winter, it was now autumn!
He lifted his foot again. This time around, he did not step forward but took a step back instead. Logically speaking, he should have been brought back to the winter sight that greeted him just now. Contrary to Yang Kai’s expectations, however, his step backwards brought him not to the winter scenery he expected to see but spring, where everything was coming back to life!
He did not hesitate and walked forward again. Step after step, the scenery around him changed like flipping the pages of a book. It no longer felt as though it was just his vision. Rather, it was the entire Sealed World that was experiencing one season with every step he took. Moreover, there was no fixed pattern to it. The four seasons seemed to change at random.
At this point, Yang Kai was scowling more deeply than ever. Although he did not know what had happened within the Four Seasons Realm, it would seem that some great change had occurred. What worried him was whether the change had been caused by Wind Lord or if it had existed prior to this incident. If it was the former, then it was not a big deal. He only needed to find and get rid of Wind Lord to solve the issue. If it was the latter… That would mean that Qiong Qi and the others might have encountered some sort of trouble. Why else would such a change occur in the Four Seasons Realm for no reason?
The seasons in the Four Seasons Realm kept changing every time Yang Kai took a step forward. If he came across such a phenomenon in the past, he would’ve been elated; after all, it was normally difficult to see such wonderful sights. If he stopped to comprehend the wonder around him, he would definitely gain some insights.
However, he was in a rush now, so he didn’t have the heart to comprehend anything. Feeling frustrated, he headed straight to the Flowing Time Temple.
As time passed, his expression became solemn.
That was because he could feel that he was ageing. It had only been over a hundred years since he started cultivating, and cultivators absorbed World Energy to increase their own strength which allowed them to stay youthful. Hence, Yang Kai only looked like a young man in his twenties or early thirties. Perhaps his appearance still wouldn’t change after hundreds or even thousands of years.
Normally, it was impossible for anyone to feel that they were ageing, unless the speed at which it was happening was incredibly rapid, and that was the situation Yang Kai was in presently.
As the seasons kept changing for every step he took, and as he charged forward, he could clearly feel that time was passing quickly.
He had only moved for several dozen kilometres, but he felt as if several dozen years had passed. This wasn’t an illusion or his mind playing tricks on him either. He was certain that several dozen years had truly passed. In other words, he had only moved forward in the Four Seasons Realm for several dozen kilometres, but he had also aged by several dozen years for seemingly no reason!
That revelation made his heart sink. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to the abnormality in the Four Seasons Realm, or he had really aged by so many years. Whatever the reason, he could not stop. Despite knowing that time was truly flying, he had to keep moving forward rapidly. He decided to pull himself together and stopped letting the passing of time bother him.
A long time later, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks when he saw a huge palace in front of him. Looking up, he felt an ancient aura coming at him, which caused him to fall into a dazed state. At that instant, he had forgotten why he had come all the way to this place, and could not remember who he actually was.
He had crossed a thousand kilometres, which translated to a thousand years of time having passed. Whatever had happened in the outside world, Yang Kai could perceive that a thousand years had passed for him. He had basically stopped thinking while instinctively flying forward. It could be expected that he would feel lost when he reached his destination.
However, when the words ‘Flowing Time Temple’ came into his sight, his blurred vision brightened and his mind became clear again. He finally remembered who he was and the reason he had come to this place.
Since the door was open, he decided to step right in. The moment he moved past the door, he entered the Flowing Time Temple.
Before he managed to investigate the surroundings, he saw a figure coming at him. With a grim expression, he circulated his Demon Qi and was ready to make a move. However, when he made out the person’s face, he widened his eyes in disbelief.
That was because the person’s outfit and demeanour were identical to those of his own. If there were a mirror in front of him, he would have thought that he was looking at his own reflection.
Upon closer look, he realised that there were still some differences. The other person looked older than him by a few years. Moreover, he was apparently injured as blood was still streaming out of his mouth.
Certainly, both of them could see one another. As their eyes met, the other person didn’t wait for Yang Kai to speak as he shouted, “Cut the crap. Look for your son this instant!”
After he finished speaking, he whizzed past Yang Kai like a gust of wind and disappeared into a Void Crack.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised the hall was filled with Void Cracks. The cracks came in different sizes, but they all looked like the hideous mouths of beasts as though they were ready to devour anyone who approached.
Yang Kai was befuddled by what ‘he’ had just said. Although he had a few wives, he still didn’t have a son. Nevertheless, he did have an adoptive son, who was a member of the Dragon Clan. He thought that he could see that brat upon entering the hall, but he could not have expected that this strange sight was what awaited him.
Whatever the case, Yang Kai couldn’t stop minding it after a person that looked identical to him had shown up. Without hesitation, he followed that person and charged into the Void Crack.
The next moment, he saw the world around him spinning, then he appeared in a hall again. The hall looked just like the one earlier, as though he hadn’t moved at all. The place was still filled with Void Cracks; however, ‘he’ was no longer in sight, which made Yang Kai frown. He had stepped into the same crack, so why had ‘he’ gone missing?
While he was puzzled, a Void Crack beside him could be seen fluctuating. Yang Kai turned his head to look at it, only to see another person that looked identical to him rushing out.
This person looked even more severely injured as he was drenched in golden blood. All his clothes had become tattered and his face was as pale as a white sheet. Presently, he was running toward Yang Kai.
At that instant, Yang Kai was shocked. He was stumped when he saw his first ‘self’ earlier. Although he was astounded, he didn’t read too much into it as he thought that it might just be an illusion; however, when his second ‘self’ appeared, he immediately examined him, and the result was horrifying.
That was because the other person was really himself! Besides the identical outfit and aura, the energy fluctuation and Divine Sense from that person were also exactly the same. It was impossible that two identical people existed in this world. Even if they were twins, there would still be some minor differences between them. However, the two ‘selves’ he had come across were totally identical to him, except that they looked slightly older.
Nevertheless, the older appearance suggested that he hadn’t just become older by a few years. When he was flying across the Four Seasons Realm earlier, he sensed that a thousand years had passed. When he was affected by the Power of Time previously, which caused him to age by a thousand years, his appearance still didn’t change one bit. It had to be more than a thousand years for him to start showing signs of ageing. Perhaps two thousand or even three thousand years had passed for his other ‘selves’.
Furthermore, after a careful examination, Yang Kai realised that the present ‘self’ looked slightly different from the first ‘self’ he just saw.
Yang Kai didn’t have the heart to make a move on himself, so he quickly shouted, “Stop!”
The second ‘self’ turned to look at him and grinned, “Run! Are you waiting for death by just standing there?”
Yang Kai felt odd as his other ‘self’ had just spoken to him, so he was lost for words. While he was hesitating, the second ‘self’, just like the first one, had disappeared into a Void Crack.
The next moment, a figure shot out from the crack where his second ‘self’ had gone into. He was elegantly dressed, and his demeanour seemed gentle. He was none other than Wind Lord!
Earlier, Wind Lord had repeatedly coughed out Blood Essence to activate the Divine Ability hidden in Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone, which caused serious damage to himself. He had also aged by twenty to thirty years, so he had turned from a man in his thirties to someone in his old age.
However, at this moment, Wind Lord had returned to his original state. Moreover, his aura was abundant, which suggested that it had been fully restored. In fact, his aura had become even more imposing than in the past.
Yang Kai was stunned as he didn’t understand how Wind Lord managed to achieve this. After Wind Lord activated the Divine Ability in the rib bone by using his own Blood Essence, supposedly, it would take him eighty to a hundred years of meditation to recover from the damage. Even if he had some Emperor Grade Pills or Artifacts that could help him shorten the time needed, he couldn’t have recovered so soon.
Although Yang Kai could feel that a thousand years had passed when he was moving across the Four Seasons Realm, he thought that it was just what he had perceived, not what had actually happened.
[Damn it!] Yang Kai cursed in his heart. The reason he entered the Four Seasons Realm on his own instead of letting the Embodiment follow him was that the latter had to stay in the outside world to clean up the mess. Also, he was confident of his own capabilities.
While he was fine, Wind Lord was severely injured. Moreover, Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were supposedly inside the Flowing Time Temple. Wind Lord barged into this place because he wasn’t aware of this fact; therefore, Yang Kai would just have to call out to Liu Yan and Qiong Qi. When they joined forces, they could easily defeat Wind Lord.
However, it turned out that Liu Yan and Qiong Qi were missing as he couldn’t detect their presence. On the other hand, Wind Lord was as imposing as a tiger. This was different from what Yang Kai had expected.
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, Wind Lord saw him but didn’t immediately make a move; instead, he chuckled and said, “Which Yang Kai are you?”
Yang Kai frowned and fell silent mainly because he didn’t know how to reply to him.
Wind Lord went on to say, “Whatever. It makes no difference. I just have to kill any one of you.”
Upon finishing his words, he lifted his hand and pushed out a palm towards Yang Kai’s forehead.
Yang Kai hurriedly activated his Demon Qi and bellowed as his Mountains and Rivers Bell shot out to intercept the attack.
When a loud boom was heard, the Mountains and Rivers Bell shone brightly and was sent flying back. Upon impact, Yang Kai felt the vitality in his chest weltering. Before he managed to pull himself together though, Wind Lord raised his hand, after which a delicate hourglass appeared on his palm.
The hourglass might appear harmless, but Yang Kai’s expression changed as he instinctively felt a dangerous aura coming from it.
He didn’t know what the hourglass could do, but he was certain that Wind Lord was truly powerful; moreover, he had no idea what had been going on in this place, so he decided to stop fighting with him and quickly stored his Mountains and Rivers Bell. Before Wind Lord could activate the hourglass, Yang Kai hurriedly moved and disappeared into the Void Crack nearest to him.
When he reappeared, he realised that he was still in the hall that was full of Void Cracks. It was as though he had returned to the starting point.
After he calmed the vitality in his chest, he looked around vigilantly. When he saw a fluctuation from a nearby crack, he quickly turned to look at it.
As expected, a moment later, his third ‘self’ dashed out of it. Seeing that, Yang Kai frowned because the third ‘self’ looked even more battered than the previous two ‘selves’. There were no changes to his appearance as he looked like he was in his thirties; however, some of his hair had turned grey. How old must he be to have grown some grey hair?
After the third ‘self’ appeared, he shot toward Yang Kai, and before Yang Kai could speak, he hurriedly said, “You are me, and I’m also you. Time and space in this place have become a mess. What you’re seeing now is the future you. Do you get it now?”
Yang Kai wasn’t sure whether he should nod or shake his head because he wasn’t certain if the person in front of him was really himself. If that was true, he had basically met his future self in the same place.
Nevertheless, if time and space around this area had truly become chaotic, what his future self had said was possible.
The universe was made up of space and time, so the secrets of the universe were also the secrets of space and time, which contained many profundities and abstrusities. Although Yang Kai was an expert in the Dao of Space, he had only touched on one part of the universe. As for the Dao of Time, he had only learned the Time Flies Seal.
The sight before his eyes had something to do with space and time, so he wasn’t able to distinguish the true from the false. At least, not right now.
After the third ‘self’ finished speaking, he suddenly turned around. With his expression changing, he yelled, “Wind Lord is coming. Run!”
Then, he directly took Yang Kai’s arm and dashed into the nearest Void Crack. Right before they entered the crack, the third ‘self’ hurriedly said, “The power of the hourglass in Wind Lord’s hand is inscrutable. You have to be careful of it.”
After Yang Kai emerged from the crack, he realised that he was alone again. He had run into the crack with his third ‘self’, but the latter was now nowhere to be seen.
However, when he looked around, he became elated because the hall he was in now was different from the previous one. He had stepped into the same hall several times prior to this and it was always filled with Void Cracks. This time, the hall didn’t look so eerie anymore.
Yang Kai let out a breath. If he kept seeing the same scene no matter how many times he moved, he wouldn’t know how to deal with it. He was relieved that there were finally some changes.
There was no one in the spacious hall, nor were there any traces of battle. The doors on both sides were open. Yang Kai investigated the surroundings with his Divine Sense but couldn’t find anything useful, so he decided to randomly choose a door and walked out of the hall.
Outside the hall, there was a corridor that was lined with two rows of rooms. The corridor was so long that there didn’t seem to be an end. Lights of different colours could be seen flowing on the floor, which made the place look strange.
Yang Kai walked up to the nearest room and kept his guard up before pushing the door open. Upon examination, he realised that there was basically nothing in the room, nor were there any people.
As he checked out more rooms, he still couldn’t find any useful clues. Furthermore, he realised that he couldn’t feel the flow of time in this place. Perhaps several dozen to over a hundred years had passed, or maybe the time had actually frozen.
The trip to the Flowing Time Temple this time was starkly different from his previous one. Soon, Yang Kai lost track of how many rooms he had checked out. When he pushed open the door of one of the rooms though, his gaze brightened.
Finally, the room wasn’t empty as a hideous giant beast was lying on the floor. At first glance, it looked like a tiger with two horns on its forehead and a pair of wings on its back.
The giant beast seemed oblivious to Yang Kai’s arrival as its snoring was as deafening as thunder. He was none other than Qiong Qi!
An elated Yang Kai walked over and called out to him, “Old Qiong! Old Qiong!”
After calling out to him several times, Yang Kai realised that Qiong Qi just wouldn’t respond to him, which made him scowl. Qiong Qi was a very powerful Divine Spirit. Even if he was cultivating in seclusion, he would awaken immediately if someone barged into his place, to say nothing of the fact that he was just asleep.
However, Qiong Qi wouldn’t respond no matter how Yang Kai called out to him, which was really odd.
Since shouting was ineffective, Yang Kai decided to go over and smack his head, but it was still useless. Qiong Qi seemed to be sound asleep, his snoring not stopping for a single breath.
With a few thuds, Yang Kai thumped the old tiger’s head several times with a force that was neither too light nor powerful. It wouldn’t hurt Qiong Qi, but it should be enough to force him awake. However, the outcome shocked Yang Kai because Qiong Qi remained unmoving even after getting punched by him.
Yang Kai was horrified because Qiong Qi still wouldn’t wake up despite such harsh treatment. [What happened to him?]
Qiong Qi was the one who led Liu Yan, Yang Xiao, and Yang Xue into the Four Seasons Realm, but he was the only one here now. Meanwhile, the other three had gone missing. [Where are they?]
Since Yang Kai was unable to make Qiong Qi wake up, he decided to put him in the Sealed World Bead. However, after several attempts, Yang Kai realized he couldn’t move him at all. It wasn’t his fault though as there was a layer of invisible power around Qiong Qi, which had blocked off Yang Kai’s Divine Sense. If he couldn’t break this layer of invisible power, he wouldn’t be able to put him in the Small Sealed World.
After a few more failed attempts, Yang Kai shook his head helplessly and gave up.
Although Qiong Qi was sound asleep, he appeared to be healthy, so there was nothing to worry about.
Since Yang Kai was able to find Qiong Qi here, Liu Yan and the others would surely be somewhere around this place as well. With this thought in mind, he accelerated his pace and searched more rooms.
In the Flowing Time Temple, the passing of time was a very vague thing. Even a strong cultivator like Yang Kai was unable to get a good sense of how much time had actually passed. A long time later, he found Liu Yan in another room.
Liu Yan still looked like a little girl, but just like Qiong Qi, she had fallen into a deep sleep. Presently, she had curled up on the ground and appeared quite serene.
After several attempts, Yang Kai realised that Liu Yan couldn’t be awakened, just like what had happened to Qiong Qi.
Both Qiong Qi and Liu Yan had fallen into a state of deep slumber, making Yang Kai wonder what they had come across after they entered the Four Seasons Realm. He thought that he could also find Yang Xiao and Yang Xue here, but even after searching all the rooms he could find, the two kids were still nowhere to be seen.
At the end of the corridor, there was another hall. Upon entering it, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state again because the hall looked just like the previous one, so he thought that he had returned to the starting point.
Nevertheless, there was a person in this room. He was elegantly dressed and had the look of a scholar. He was none other than one of the Four Great Lords under the Master of Demon Heavenly Dao, Wind Lord!
Presently, Wind Lord seemed to be in peak condition as all his wounds had been healed. At this moment, he was seated with his legs crossed on a platform where there was a translucent light screen that served as a barrier around him.
Conspicuous fluctuations of Time Principles could be seen exuding from the light screen. Wind Lord had closed his eyes, so it seemed that he was still recuperating, unaware of Yang Kai’s arrival.
After staring at him with narrowed eyes for a while, Yang Kai took a deep breath, and when he let it out, Demon Qi could be seen roiling around him as he prepared for battle.
Earlier, he had come across three ‘selves’ who looked battered as they were hunted down by Wind Lord. One of them had even told him to look for Yang Xiao quickly. However, the situation in the Flowing Time Temple was peculiar. If he wanted to break free from it, he had to directly deal with Wind Lord; therefore, Yang Kai decided to make a decisive move.
Following that, he leapt and disappeared from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already above Wind Lord as he infused his Demonic Qi into the Myriads Sword and forcefully brought it down.
The light screen around the platform was actually the masterpiece of a Great Emperor, so someone like Yang Kai was naturally unable to break it. When his sword met the barrier, the light screen became a little dented, but failed to break.
Hearing the noise, Wind Lord, who was meditating, abruptly opened his eyes. As their eyes met, Wind Lord grinned, “You could’ve stayed out of this place and lived, but you’ve decided to ask for death instead. You’ve come at the perfect time!”
He lifted his hand and penetrated the light screen before grasping the Myriads Sword. As he pushed his Emperor Qi, he sent a shock wave across the sword.
Yang Kai directly released the hilt to abandon the sword though as he pushed his Divine Sense, causing the pupil in his left eye to become a golden whirlpool that seemed able to absorb anyone’s Soul. A budding lotus shot out from his eye and penetrated Wind Lord’s Knowledge Sea.
Seeing the Blossoming Lotus, Wind Lord shuddered. Although he was strong, he was no match for Yang Kai when it came to Soul cultivation. He wasn’t careful enough, which was why he was hit by this move.
The white lotus started blooming and absorbing the power of his Soul. Wind Lord grunted as the water in his Knowledge Sea tumbled to resist the Soul Secret Technique.
However, the lotus was unable to fully bloom. In the end, Wind Lord wasn’t a pushover. Although he had fallen into a trap, he was still able to resist. Just when he sneered and was ready to mock Yang Kai’s lack of ability, his expression changed again.
That was because the lotus started expanding all of a sudden. From what he perceived, the lotus was so huge that it was able to engulf him in it, and then it rapidly began closing up.
Although Yang Kai was unable to achieve his goal with Blossoming Lotus, he still had Sealed Lotus. He was ruthless and resolute in his attack as he used two Soul Secret Techniques in a consecutive manner.
“Break!” Wind Lord’s Divine Sense surged. As he growled, he managed to break free from the chains of the lotus and escape, only to unexpectedly see a sword light flashing across his eyes.
Soul Splitting Saber, Heaven Severing Slash!
Following Blossoming Lotus and Sealed Lotus, Yang Kai went on to use his Soul Splitting Saber.
At that instant, Wind Lord was unable to fend off the strike and his Knowledge Sea was slashed by Soul Splitting Saber. It felt terrible to have one’s Soul cut apart, so Wind Lord’s face became contorted. At the same time, his Emperor Qi became chaotic.
The entire world seemed to be shaking as Yang Kai was sent flying backwards. His face turned pale while he was in mid-air, but he still manipulated his Space Principles and launched himself at Wind Lord. At the same time, he quickly performed a hand seal with both hands. Following that, the Mountains and Rivers Bell appeared and fell towards Wind Lord.
Then, Yang Kai shouted, “Dragon Transformation!”
As a high-pitched Dragon Roar was heard, his entire body shone with a golden gleam. Following a series of crackling sounds, his figure was covered in Dragon Scales and two horns protruded from his forehead. His hands had turned into pointed Dragon Claws and he had grown larger by three metres. There was also a Dragon Tail behind him.
In just a short moment, he had transformed into a Half-Dragon.
Wind Lord was still in a dazed state after he was slashed by the Soul Splitting Saber when Yang Kai reached him and clenched his shoulders with his Dragon Claws. The next moment, the Mountains and Rivers Bell was about to engulf them inside.
Yang Kai reckoned that he was no match for Wind Lord when it came to cultivation. He came to this conclusion after he saw how his three ‘selves’ ended up beaten and bloody. Hence, he didn’t even consider competing with Wind Lord using his cultivation as he had his own advantage, which was his Half-Dragon Form.
Wind Lord was no match for him in this regard. As long as Yang Kai could narrow down the battlefield and force Wind Lord into a battle of fists, he would stand a chance of winning.
Therefore, he decided to trap Wind Lord and himself inside the Mountains and Rivers Bell. Previously, he had used this tactic to kill the Half-Saint Yin Si in the Demon Realm. Although Yang Kai became half-dead after that battle, it was better than him allowing Wind Lord to use his full power.
Yang Kai’s series of moves made Wind Lord suffer a major setback. He had heard about the Mountains and Rivers Bell as it was a natal artifact left behind by Yuan Ding Great Emperor, so he knew that if he was trapped inside it, he probably wouldn’t be able to flee.
Therefore, as soon as Wind Lord saw the falling Ancient Exotic Artifact, he knew what Yang Kai was up to.
Since Wind Lord knew what Yang Kai was up to, he certainly wouldn’t allow the latter to have his way.
However, with his shoulders clenched, he was unable to move. While he was shocked by how much physical strength Yang Kai could exert, he remained unfazed as he roared, “Wind!”
After his shout, Wind Lord transformed into an incarnation of wind and disappeared. Realising that Wind Lord was no longer in his grip, Yang Kai stopped the Mountains and Rivers Bell from falling. Since Wind Lord had escaped, there was no point.
The wind looked odd as it was visible to the bare eyes, and soon, Wind Lord reappeared at a nearby spot with a nonchalant smile, “Do you know how long this King has been waiting for you?”
Without waiting for Yang Kai to reply, he went on to say, “Exactly one hundred years!” There was a gleeful expression on his face, “This place is truly abstruse. Flowing Time Great Emperor indeed lives up to his name. Now that this King has fully recovered, there’s no way you can defeat me!”
Yang Kai entered the Four Seasons Realm right after he did, but he had Flowing Time Great Emperor’s rib bone, which was why he was able to directly reach the Flowing Time Temple. It had been a hundred years since he started recuperating, so he was able to fully heal himself and wait for Yang Kai.
Although what he had said was ambiguous, Yang Kai understood what he meant.
Time and space had been confused inside the Flowing Time Temple. The reason Wind Lord had fully recovered must be that one hundred years had really passed; however, Yang Kai didn’t experience the passing of time in the space Wind Lord was in.
Looking at it from another perspective, Wind Lord was also not aware of what had happened to Yang Kai. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said this.
Wind Lord was confident that he was able to defeat Yang Kai since his cultivation was far more powerful, so he wasn’t in a rush to make a move. Instead, he stared at Yang Kai and said, “This King has heard that you’re related to the Dragon Clan on Dragon Island and that you possess a Dragon Source. Now, it seems that it’s indeed true, but that is an external boost in the end, nowhere near as profound as one’s own power. Where’s that helper of yours? Aren’t you going to summon him?”
Earlier, Yang Kai was able to summon three Half-Saints from the Demon Race in one go. Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya had been petrified by Wind Lord; however, the Embodiment, who was still fine, was nowhere to be seen.
Wind Lord couldn’t ignore the Embodiment’s existence. If Yang Kai had also brought the Embodiment into this place, it was bound to be a tough battle.
“I’ll summon him when I have to,” Yang Kai put on a faint smile, “That’s not up to you to worry about.”
Wind Lord nodded, “Although you’re young, you’re indeed powerful. To be honest, this King doesn’t have the heart to kill you.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “Why don’t you just kill yourself, then? It’ll save us both the trouble.”
Ignoring his sinister suggestion, Wind Lord went on to persuade him by saying, “This is what I think. This King does not want to kill you, but you simply insist on going against me. This has caused me some headaches. Why don’t you just join Demon Heavenly Dao? If we become one family, all these worries will go away. By doing so, you can save your life while I will have no regrets. Won’t that be a win-win solution? Moreover, I’m sure my Master is willing to accept a young and talented person like you.”
Yang Kai gave him an awkward look, “You want me to join Demon Heavenly Dao?”
“I’m being sincere.” Wind Lord sported a solemn expression, “Given your capabilities, I’m sure Master will take you seriously if you join. Although you won’t be as powerful as the Four Great Lords, you’ll hold the highest position below us. When the Demons rule over the Star Boundary in the future, you’ll enjoy all the wealth and fame in the world.”
“Haha…” Yang Kai couldn’t help but guffaw.
Wind Lord asked grimly, “What are you laughing at?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m laughing at all of you who still look so proud even though you’re just someone else’s lackeys. I’m also laughing at all of you for not being able to live the life you want despite the fact that you’ve cultivated for so many years. You want to win me over by offering me a position that’s below the Four Great Lords, but do you know who I am?”
“Who do you think you are?” Wind Lord stared dispassionately at him.
Yang Kai straightened up and put on a haughty smile, “This King is Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army of the Star Boundary, so why would I be interested in becoming a lackey for Demon Heavenly Dao?”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai lifted his hand to summon a Command Token.
Wind Lord’s expression changed drastically when he saw that as he also lifted the petite hourglass in his hand. At the same time, a glint flashed across the token as a burly figure appeared.
A Command Token wasn’t just a status symbol for an Army Commander, but also a weapon that could kill the enemy as it contained the strike of Great Emperor within. The token in Yang Kai’s hand was forged by Zhan Wu Hen, which was why it contained his Divine Ability.
Faced with a Pseudo-Great Emperor on his own, Yang Kai had failed in his attempt to launch a sneak attack; therefore, he decided to use the Command Token and activated the Divine Ability inside it. He was doing it because he wanted to kill Wind Lord quickly.
It was difficult to end a Pseudo-Great Emperor’s life; moreover, Wind Lord had been in this place for a hundred years, so it wasn’t certain what treasures he had obtained. Also, Wind Lord had fully recovered, so he appeared confident presently. Given Yang Kai’s power, he might not be able to gain an upper hand, so he directly called upon the power of the Command Token.
Zhan Wu Hen’s figure solidified as though the real person had really come out from the Command Token. Feeling the Great Emperor’s aura, Wind Lord felt as though he was suffocating. Guided by Yang Kai’s aura, Zhan Wu Hen’s image reached Wind Lord in a short moment and pushed out his fist.
It was just a very simple strike, like that of an ordinary mortal throwing a punch.
However, Wind Lord’s expression was transformed by shock as he quickly turned the hourglass upside down. Fine sand started trickling down inside the hourglass as a glow spread from it. Engulfed by the glow, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure froze on the spot as though he had been struck with a Binding Technique.
Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief as this was exactly what had happened to Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya.
After his move succeeded, Wind Lord chuckled and taunted, “That’s it?”
After he finished speaking though, he suddenly heard a series of cracking sounds. The illusionary Zhan Wu Hen, who was rooted to the spot, could be seen with his fist moving forward slowly as the barrier around him started cracking apart. Before his fist even reached the enemy, space could be seen crumbling apart.
Wind Lord exclaimed as he had lost his composure. While he was retreating rapidly, Zhan Wu Hen’s strike broke free of its constraints and followed him closely. Just when Wind Lord was about to be struck, he pushed his Emperor Qi again and turned the hourglass over once more.
Just like what had happened previously, as the glow undulated, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure froze again. This time, Wind Lord wasn’t in the mood to mock Yang Kai as he kept retreating with a solemn expression.
As expected, Zhan Wu Hen was able to move again by breaking free from the restriction a moment later. He was still several dozen metres away from Wind Lord, but when he moved, his fist appeared right in front of Wind Lord, which terrified the latter.
Then, Wind Lord turned the hourglass for the third time and Zhan Wu Hen was rooted to the spot again.
After the third time, Zhan Wu Hen’s figure started fading all of a sudden. In just three breaths’ time, the figure disappeared. Apparently, the power of the Divine Ability had been exhausted, but it hadn’t been able to harm Wind Lord one bit!
Despite that, it was obvious that Wind Lord had also lost a lot of energy. Yang Kai could clearly see that every time Wind Lord turned the strange hourglass, his face would become paler and his aura became less imposing. Apparently, there was a price to pay for activating the hourglass.
[Just what is that hourglass?] Yang Kai could barely believe such a horrifying item existed in this world. He couldn’t help but recall that the third ‘self’ had told him to be careful of the hourglass as its power was inscrutable.
That indeed seemed to be the case. The Command Token only contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, so it wasn’t as powerful as when a Great Emperor personally attacked; however, no ordinary Pseudo-Great Emperor should have been able to stop such a strike. Despite that, Wind Lord still ended up alive and kicking, which went to show how terrifying the treasure was.
Presently, the hall was filled with lots of cracks. They weren’t just Void Cracks though as both time and space seemed to have turned into a mess. The situation was just like what Yang Kai had come across when he just entered the Flowing Time Temple.
“Hahaha!” Wind Lord guffawed as he was extremely pleased with himself. That was because he had just escaped unscathed from a Great Emperor’s attack. Even though he appeared somewhat exhausted, he was still proud of himself. That was why he was laughing riotously as he lifted his hourglass, “Brat, do you know what this is?”
With a dark expression, Yang Kai asked, “Did you obtain it from this place?”
Given Wind Lord’s own power, there was no way he was able to parry the Divine Ability of Zhan Wu Hen; however, he had done just that, which went to show how extraordinary he was despite the fact that he had made use of an artifact.
This treasure appeared all of a sudden, so it was apparent that Wind Lord didn’t own it prior to their initial confrontation; otherwise, he would’ve used it on the Embodiment and the others instead of coughing up Blood Essence to activate the power within that rib bone.
Since he didn’t already own it previously, the only explanation was that Wind Lord had obtained it from the Flowing Time Temple. It was an artifact left behind by Flowing Time Great Emperor!
It was basically a Great Emperor’s Artifact going against another Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, which was how Wind Lord managed to save his own life. He didn’t break Zhan Wu Hen’s Divine Ability; instead, the figure vanished because it had run out of power.
“Indeed!” Wind Lord grinned from ear to ear, “This King has obtained this treasure from that platform over there. You may not be aware of it, but this item was the Natal Artifact of Flowing Time Great Emperor. After he passed away, this item was left behind in the Flowing Time Temple. It awaited the chosen one to obtain it, and that is this King!”
Yang Kai remained unfazed while listening to him, but he was cursing at Qiong Qi in his heart. Qiong Qi was Flowing Time Great Emperor’s mount and he had protected the Flowing Time Temple for countless years, so he must be very familiar with this hourglass. In that case, why didn’t he take it with him when he left?
Moreover, he had brought Yang Xiao and the others to this place. Since there was a treasure, why did he leave it here for others to take? Now that the hourglass had fallen into Wind Lord’s hand, and the Divine Ability in his Command Token had been rendered useless, Yang Kai was put in an awkward position. He was utterly incensed because he felt that Qiong Qi was the one who had caused all of this.
Wind Lord had just obtained a new, powerful artifact and used it to neutralize the Divine Ability of a Great Emperor, so of course he was very pleased with himself. Just when he lamented that no one could share his joy, Yang Kai asked the right question at the right time, which was why he told Yang Kai everything he knew.
As he fiddled with the hourglass, Wind Lord said with a smile, “This is the Infinite Hourglass, which contains ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand. Every grain was personally refined by Flowing Time Great Emperor and every one of them is able to activate the power of one month. Ten thousand and eight grains are equivalent to the power of over eight hundred years! Iron Blood Great Emperor’s Divine Ability is indeed mighty, but it’s still no match for this treasure!”
When Zhan Wu Hen’s image appeared just now, Wind Lord was almost terrified to death. Now that he was safe though, he was shamelessly speaking as though this was all predestined.
The Infinite Hourglass contained ten thousand and eight grains of Flowing Time Divine Sand, and every one of them was personally refined by Flowing Time Great Emperor, so they were all infused with Time Principles. Every grain could be used to activate the power of one month, so ten thousand and eight grains indeed had the power of over eight hundred years.
The might of Time Principles was profound and peerless. Even though the power of the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability within the Command Token was inscrutable, it would still wear down under the influence of the time. That was the reason Wind Lord was able to fend off Iron Blood’s Divine Ability. In an instant, Yang Kai understood everything.
“Do you want to give it a try?” Wind Lord looked smilingly at Yang Kai. Despite his question, he didn’t really intend to give Yang Kai a choice. As he activated his Emperor Qi, he turned the hourglass upside down again and the fine sand started trickling down. A visible glow expanded and engulfed Yang Kai in it, giving him no chance to react.
Following that, Yang Kai could feel that he was closely connected to something. Then, he traced it back and stared fixedly at the hourglass in Wind Lord’s hand.
At this moment, the Infinite Hourglass had targeted him with its aura. It was as though there were a pair of invisible eyes that were staring at him, which caused him to feel that he would never be able to break free of its gaze.
Without thinking, Yang Kai directly dashed into the nearest Void Crack. The Infinite Hourglass was even able to ward off a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability, so he wasn’t interested in trying to oppose its power. Presently, his best option was to run for his life.
Moreover, even though the hourglass was powerful, it was impossible for Wind Lord to use it continuously. When he reached his limit, it would be the time for Yang Kai to counterattack.
After emerging from the crack, Yang Kai realised that he was inside the same hall again just like what he had come across when he first entered the palace. Everything had returned to the starting point. Presently, time and space had become a mess, and the reason for that was the clash between the Infinite Hourglass and the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
However, Yang Kai soon found out that the aura that had targeted him hadn’t been cut off just because he had fled. It was still closely connected to him. The next moment, Wind Lord also emerged from the crack that Yang Kai had come out of. With the hourglass in his hand, Wind Lord was able to accurately locate him. Smiling wickedly, he said, “It’s pointless to flee. With the hourglass in my hand, I’ll be able to locate you wherever you are. Surrender without a fight and you can avoid suffering.”
“Even if you can follow me, let’s see if you’re able to catch me!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth before shooting into a nearby crack.
Wind Lord slowly shook his head as his lips curved into a sneer. It was as though he was laughing at Yang Kai for not knowing his limitations. Despite his slow pace, he was able to follow Yang Kai closely as his voice broke through space and time, seemingly speaking into Yang Kai’s ears, “Why torture yourself like this? Although you’re not bad, it’s impossible for you to escape this treasure’s aura. Haven’t you realised yet? I suggest that you should stop struggling now.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai indeed detected something. To be precise, he had confirmed something because he had suspected it earlier, but he wasn’t certain until now.
After Wind Lord turned the Infinite Hourglass upside down, the treasure’s aura immediately targeted Yang Kai. When Flowing Time Divine Sand trickled down inside the hourglass, Yang Kai could feel the flow of time washing over him. It was a similar feeling when he headed from the Two Seasons Mountain Range to the Flowing Time Temple.
Noticing a change in Yang Kai’s expression, Wind Lord laughed, “What do you think is being affected by Flowing Time Divine Sand? Foolish boy. The thing that’s trickling down inside the hourglass is your life!”
Yang Kai’s face fell not because Wind Lord was trying to frighten him but because he could confirm that what the latter had said was true.
When the Infinite Hourglass targeted him and the Flowing Time Divine Sand started trickling down, Yang Kai could feel himself ageing rapidly. Every grain of Flowing Time Divine Sand that fell represented a month of his life.
After fleeing for a while, Yang Kai realised that several dozen to over a hundred years of his life had left him. It was snatched away by the Infinite Hourglass just like that! The existence of such an artifact that could literally drain someone’s life away made his body go cold. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would die of old age in this place if this dragged on.
Of course, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of death. Although it had only been a short time since he started cultivating, he had lived his life to the fullest as he had experienced countless exciting events in the world. Even if he was killed in battle right now, he would have no regrets. Nevertheless, he couldn’t accept it if his life was sucked dry without even being able to put up a fight.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai turned around and balled up his fists. Staring fixedly at the crack he had just come out of, he pushed it with an immense force.
He had exerted all his might with his Half-Dragon form. Even if his opponent was a Great Emperor, the other party would be injured.
The next moment, Wind Lord dashed out of the crack. He didn’t appear surprised at all as he shot Yang Kai an impassive look.
Yang Kai’s heart sank after he pushed out his fists because his violent strike had basically hit the air instead of his opponent. Just now, he could clearly see that Wind Lord accelerated time around himself and nonchalantly dodged his strike.
Before he even had the time to react, Yang Kai felt a great force coming at him from behind, as though a mountain was crashing towards him. Upon impact, he was sent flying forward as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he was pushed into the crack in front of him.
After passing through the crack, Yang Kai realised that he had returned to the same hall and there was someone else present.
A healthy ‘self’ was standing there in a dazed state. Yang Kai could see the shock and vigilance behind his gaze, just like when he first entered the palace.
He had practically come across his past ‘self’. His face twitched as he wasn’t even sure what expression he should put on. Oddly enough, he wiped the blood off his mouth and said, “Cut the crap. Look for your son now!”
After he finished speaking, he realised that it was exactly what he had heard when he stepped into the hall initially, but he had no idea why he had said such a thing. However, Yang Kai didn’t have the time to explain anything as Wind Lord was chasing after him, so he quickly dashed into the nearest crack.
Before he entered the crack, he could feel his past ‘self’ anxiously running after him, but he soon lost track of the latter.
Surprisingly, Wind Lord was standing in front of him this time, as though he had been waiting for a long time. His burning gaze was that of a person who had come across an old friend he deeply missed, “Where do you think you can go? Stop your futile resistance.”
Upon finishing his words, he pushed out a palm at Yang Kai.
His speed wasn’t rapid. At the very least, Yang Kai was able to see it clearly, thus he lifted his hand to retaliate. As Space Principles undulated, over ten dark Moon Blades shot forward and left scars on the surrounding space.
Just then, Yang Kai’s mind turned blank for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he realised that his Moon Blades had disappeared and he was struck with a palm, which caused the vitality in his chest to roil and all his bones to crack.
After being sent flying, Yang Kai struggled for a moment before getting to his feet, then, he stared grimly at Wind Lord as he narrowed his eyes and muttered, “I see. It’s not that you’ve become faster.”
They had clashed twice now, which allowed Yang Kai to understand some things. Initially, he thought that it was Wind Lord’s speed that had accelerated, which was why the attack landed on his back as he was caught off guard; however, now it seemed that it wasn’t the case. It was Yang Kai who was affected rather than Wind Lord.
Wind Lord replied with a smile, “The Infinite Hourglass doesn’t only have the power to drain a person’s time. It’s Flowing Time Great Emperor’s Legacy Artifact after all, so it isn’t so simple.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I see. It seems that it has affected my perception of time.”
“There’s a saying that a day drags past like a year, which isn’t totally unfounded. If one is powerful enough, he definitely can achieve that.” Then, Wind Lord shook his head, “However, this treasure is truly abstruse, and I’ve not completely refined it yet. Although I’ve still not reached that kind of realm, I’ve already gained some insights.”
“So, it lengthened my perception of time.” Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood. If something could be dealt with in a breath’s time, it would take Yang Kai ten breaths or even a hundred breaths to react to it, which was why he was unable to handle it. He had been struck by the opponent’s attacks twice exactly because of this.
“So, are you not going to admit defeat yet?” Wind Lord stared dispassionately at him, “I really don’t want to kill you.”
Yang Kai grinned, “If you were powerful enough, you could have just frozen me completely. By doing so, you would be able to do whatever you wanted to me.”
Wind Lord heaved a sigh, “Your barking is becoming grating.”
With the Infinite Hourglass on his left palm, he performed a hand seal with his right and then pointed at Yang Kai.
At that instant, a deafening thunder was heard in the hall as Yang Kai was engulfed in a whirlwind, which turned into a storm of razor-sharp blades as it continuously slashed at his figure. If an ordinary Emperor Realm Master was trapped in this whirlwind, he would have been cut to pieces in an instant.
Although Yang Kai wasn’t killed, he was drenched in blood and his clothes had become tattered. Amidst the howling of wind, a high-pitched Dragon Roar was heard as a gigantic figure appeared. A three-hundred-metre-long Dragon was seen standing tall in the centre of the whirlwind and sparks were seen around his Dragon Scales.
Yang Kai opened his mouth and sucked the gale around him into his mouth like he was slurping a bowl of noodles. In just three breaths’ time, the whirlwind disappeared.
Wind Lord was shocked because Yang Kai was the strongest cultivator he had ever seen whose cultivation was below that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. He could easily kill any Emperor Realm cultivator, but the boy in front of him was far more extraordinary. Further proof was how Yang Kai had survived until now.
Just then, a cracking sound was heard. Yang Kai’s lips could be seen wriggling as though he was chewing something. As he stared at Wind Lord with his big Golden Dragon eyes, he bellowed, “You can have this back!”
His last word turned into a Dragon Roar which seemed powerful enough to shake the world. Following that, he spat out a gust of Wind Qi towards Wind Lord.
It was useless, however. In Yang Kai’s eyes, he had managed to hit Wind Lord, but after blinking, he realised that the latter was already standing far away. What he had struck was just the Wind Lord in his sight, but as his perception of time had been affected, it was difficult to accurately locate his opponent.
However, Yang Kai didn’t stop as he started chanting in an ancient and abstruse Dragon language. When he opened his mouth again, he spat a breath of raging flames.
Fire Dragon’s Breath!
The reason the Golden Divine Dragon’s Source was so highly revered was that, with its Source Strength, its owner was able to use all sorts of Dragon Clan Secret Techniques, whether he had the appropriate bloodline or not. For example, Yang Kai could use Fire Dragon attacks, or those of a Water Dragon, Wind Dragon, Ice Dragon and so on. As long as Yang Kai wanted, he could achieve this. In the past, Yang Kai had no idea how to do it, but after a visit to the Dragon Temple, he had learned about this ability by studying one of the Dragon Clan’s ancient records.