Upon hearing that, Mei Jiu’er stopped turning Yang Kai down as she also realised that this was no ordinary tea. Since Yang Kai had said so, she had no choice but to obey his order as she lifted the teacup and took a sip. At that instant, she shuddered and widened her eyes. She became rooted to the spot, as though someone had used a Binding Technique on her.
Just a moment later, she came to her senses as her eyes radiated a glow. Then, she finished the tea in just a few gulps.
Yang Kai picked up the teapot and poured one more cup of tea for her. At that instant, Mei Jiu’er was pleasantly surprised by what Yang Kai had done for her.
Right then, Duan Hong Chen’s voice reverberated in Yang Kai’s mind again, “If what he’s doing is harmful to this bustling world, I’ll do my best to stop him. Conversely, I’ll support him.”
He was replying to Yang Kai’s previous question. Even though he didn’t give a direct answer, it suggested that he believed what Wu Kuang had been doing wasn’t harmful to the Star Boundary and instead, it was beneficial.
Yang Kai gently nodded and took a sip as he relished the aroma of the tea. After giving it a thought, he asked, “Both of you know who Flowing Time Great Emperor was, right?”
Wu Kuang replied with a smile, “How I wish I could have met him when he was still alive!”
Throughout history, numerous Great Emperors had been born in the Star Boundary. When the old ones passed away, new ones would replace them. However, only two Great Emperors had fame that never faded. They were Heaven Devouring Great Emperor and Flowing Time Great Emperor. Everyone wondered that if these two Great Emperors lived in the same era, who would turn out to be stronger.
In fact, Wu Kuang shared the same thought as well. He was able to battle against so many Great Emperors on his own, and even though his body was destroyed in the end, he managed to kill four of his opponents, which went to show how powerful he was. However, Flowing Time Great Emperor lived in an era prior to that of Wu Kuang. By the time Wu Kuang became famous, Flowing Time Great Emperor had already passed away. Wu Kuang regretted the fact that he wasn’t able to live in the same era as Flowing Time Great Emperor; otherwise, he would definitely compete against him.
“Senior Flowing Time was killed,” Yang Kai looked straight into his eyes.
The smile on Wu Kuang’s face froze while Duan Hong Chen exclaimed in his Knowledge Sea.
A moment later, Wu Kuang asked with a solemn expression, “How did you find out about it?”
“Aren’t you surprised?” Yang Kai stared at him in shock.
Wu Kuang snorted, “This King was killed before as well, so what’s so surprising about it? As long as the opponents are strong enough, no one in this world is invincible. Let’s talk about Flowing Time. How much do you know?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not much. I only found out about it recently. Senior Flowing Time left behind the Flowing Time Temple in the Four Seasons Realm. Over ten years ago, a guy called Feng Zai Xiao took a bone to the Four Seasons Realm and set up an array. Then, he activated the bone’s power and almost summoned the Flowing Time Temple out of the Four Seasons Realm. The bone contained Time Principles.”
Wu Kuang frowned, “What does that mean? Was the bone Flowing Time’s remains?”
Yang Kai nodded, “En! If it wasn’t Senior Flowing Time’s bone, how could it be connected to the Flowing Time Temple and used to summon the palace? In fact, it was just one of his rib bones. There are more of his remains in the East Sea. Some Old Ancestors of the Monster Race had accidentally obtained them in the sea, but that was countless years ago.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Kuang turned solemn. Yang Kai’s statement suggested that Flowing Time Great Emperor’s corpse had been dismembered and scattered in the ocean. The reason Wu Kuang was killed was that he had offended countless people. He was confronted by the Great Emperors and he lost the battle in the end; however, during the era Flowing Time existed, he was practically the Star Boundary’s supreme leader. He also didn’t commit any crimes they knew of, so why would he be killed? Who had the power to kill him?
Yang Kai went on to say, “Senior Flowing Time had tamed an ancient beast called Qiong Qi to be his mount. Even though he had fallen, Qiong Qi survived and went on to keep watch on the Flowing Time Temple. Coincidentally, Qiong Qi and I became good friends. According to him, when Senior Flowing Time was cultivating in his palace one day, he suddenly comprehended something about the Outer Universe, which was why he left his secret room and set off on his journey to explore the universe. However, several dozen years later, his natal artifact broke through the void and returned to the palace while there was no further news about him. Seeing as his remains have been scattered everywhere, it isn’t hard to deduce what he came across in the past. He must have fallen into danger in the Outer Universe and was killed.”
Wu Kuang nodded his head. Judging from what Yang Kai had said, there was nothing wrong with his conclusion.
Yang Kai took a sip of the tea and continued saying, “The fact that Senior Flowing Time fell suggests that even a top cultivator like him wasn’t able to deal with the dangers of the Outer Universe. You’ve said that what you’re doing has something to do with the safety of the people and the Star Boundary. Wu Kuang, have you also explored the universe like Senior Flowing Time did? If so, what did you see? What is the Outer Universe like?”
No one knew whether Wu Kuang or Flowing Time Great Emperor was stronger; however, they were both more powerful than average Great Emperors. Since Flowing Time was able to explore the Outer Universe, Wu Kuang might be able to do the same.
Yang Kai stared attentively and fixedly at Wu Kuang’s face to take in every change in his expression. Unfortunately, Wu Kuang’s radiant face remained as serene as an ancient well. After a moment of silence, Wu Kuang said, “This King knows nothing about Flowing Time’s fate, and has no idea what he came across out there or whether it has something to do with what this King is trying to achieve. However, this King can tell you that it’s indeed very dangerous in the Outer Universe.”
Yang Kai turned serious, “You’ve really been to the Outer Universe!”
Wu Kuang shook his head, “No. It’s just that this King gained some faint insight which allows me to see beyond our World’s boundaries. It’s because of that insight that I don’t dare to go out and explore.”
[He ‘doesn’t dare’ to go?] It wouldn’t have sounded awkward if someone else had said it; however, it was truly horrifying that Wu Kuang had said so.
Then, Wu Kuang lifted his hand in an attempt to pour himself a cup of tea. Seeing that, Yang Kai quickly picked up the teapot and stuffed it into Mei Jiu’er’s arms, “Take it back and drink it slowly. Don’t drink too much in one go. One to two cups should suffice.”
Mei Jiu’er was dumbfounded as she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Wu Kuang. She wanted to put down the teapot, but she was reluctant to do so; however, she would appear greedy if she just held it in her arms.
She had just drunk two cups of the tea, which was why she was aware that the tea was very beneficial to a cultivator like her. After she went home and cultivated with the tea’s effects, her strength would increase significantly. Now that Yang Kai had given the remaining tea to her, she was both shocked and grateful.
Wu Kuang burst into laughter and put down his cup before waving his hand, “Forget it. It’s not every day that we come across guests. Little girl, just keep it.”
Mei Jiu’er saluted him and replied in a shaking voice, “Many thanks, Senior.”
She held the teapot in her arms like it was the most precious treasure in the world and wouldn’t let it go again.
Wu Kuang put his hands in his sleeves and took one look at Yang Kai, “Don’t read too much into it. I’m not even sure what kind of danger lies in the Outer Universe. This King is just trying to get prepared to face any possible danger. Even though you’re quite powerful now, you’re still too weak in this King’s eyes, so it’s pointless for you to overthink. As for this Lower Star Field… I’ll not integrate yours for now. There are still quite some Lower Star Fields out there. I’ll integrate all of them and then have a discussion with you, alright?”
If Wu Kuang was doing this for his personal gain, Yang Kai would never agree to it and he would’ve fought with him on the spot. Nevertheless, he had already learned some inside news, and coupled with what Duan Hong Chen had said, he would appear too selfish if he insisted on keeping his status as the Star Field Master. Thus, he nodded and said, “Good. However, I’ll make it clear to you first. It’s alright for you to integrate it, but if you dare to harm anything in the Star Field, I’ll never let you off.”
Wu Kuang cackled, “Old Duan is watching over me. I’ll never have the chance to do that even if I want to. En, Old Duan has some questions to ask you. I’ll let him speak to you now.”
Yang Kai straightened his expression and asked, “Senior, what do you want to know?”
The face of the old man in front of him contorted and transformed into Duan Hong Chen’s appearance. It was apparent that Wu Kuang’s Soul had taken a back seat and Duan Hong Chen had taken control of the body for now. After doing some stretching, Duan Hong Chen asked with a frown, “Has anything major happened in the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai said probingly, “Senior, you mean…”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Fifteen years ago, my heart suddenly clenched tight one day. Looking back, I felt like something must have happened in the Star Boundary at that time, and it had something to do with one of the Great Emperors. Yang Kai, have you heard of anything?”
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared sorrowful, Duan Hong Chen became slightly nervous as he asked again, “Has something really happened?”
He and Wu Kuang had been staying in the Ancestral Domain and had never returned to the Star Boundary, which was why he wasn’t aware of what was going on; however, all Great Emperors had obtained recognition from the World’s Will. If something happened to one of them, a Heavenly Phenomenon would take place in the sky, and everyone would sense it. Nevertheless, Duan Hong Chen wasn’t in the Star Boundary, so he had only faintly sensed something. Naturally, fifteen years ago was when the war on Eternal Sky Continent happened.
With a grim voice, Yang Kai replied, “Senior Bright Moon has passed away.”
Duan Hong Chen was startled for a moment before asking, “Bright Moon is dead? How did he pass away?” He had figured that something major must have happened to one of the Great Emperors, but he had never expected that a Great Emperor had actually fallen.
It had been several tens of thousands of years since the Great Emperors’ War in the Shattered Star Sea. Since then, no Great Emperor had lost their life. It wasn’t to say that the Great Emperors were immortal and indestructible; however, the incident had happened too abruptly. It hadn’t been a long time since he and Wu Kuang arrived in the Ancestral Domain, so why had Bright Moon lost his life all of a sudden?”
“Senior Bright Moon died by my hand,” Yang Kai replied.
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen was startled for a moment, but he soon understood what had happened. On the other hand, Mei Jiu’er was looking at Yang Kai in shock. She had no idea what Great Emperors were or who Bright Moon was; however, judging from their conversation, she reckoned that Bright Moon was a top Master as well as a righteous man. However, such a good-natured top cultivator was killed by Yang Kai.
At that instant, she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea, and her mind had become a mess.
“No wonder! No wonder!” Duan Hong Chen nodded gently, “It’s no wonder I can detect the auras of Bright Moon and the Star Boundary from you. So that’s how it is.”
Yang Kai was astounded, “Senior, aren’t you angry with me?” He thought that after the confession, Duan Hong Chen would question why he had killed Bright Moon. However, he had never expected that kind of reaction from him.
Duan Hong Chen shook his head, “Bright Moon only became a Great Emperor after the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea. However, since he was a Great Emperor, he was still one of the strongest cultivators in the Star Boundary. If it wasn’t for his own willingness, you’d never have been able to kill him. I guess he asked for death, right?”
He paused for a moment, “Was he in a situation where he could no longer survive, so he asked you to end his life? No, no, no… Given your temperament, even if Bright Moon really made such a request, you wouldn’t have the heart to make a move against him. In that case, he must have made you kill him when you were unsuspecting. You obtained his World’s Will because he was killed by you. That’s why you exude the auras of the Star Boundary and Bright Moon, right?”
As their eyes met, Yang Kai was lost for words and smiled helplessly.
It had been many years since Duan Hong Chen was lugged to the Ancestral Domain by Wu Kuang, so he hadn’t heard any news from the Star Boundary for a long time. However, simply by learning the outcome, he was able to deduce the truth of the matter, which went to show that his insight and intelligence was superb.
“But, something isn’t right…” Duan Hong Chen suddenly scowled, “Even though Bright Moon was killed by you, how did you obtain his piece of the World’s Will? When a Great Emperor passes away, his World’s Will will dissipate into the world and await the birth of the next Great Emperor. Then, the new Great Emperor will be blessed with it. Could it be that… when Bright Moon passed away, his World’s Will wasn’t able to re-integrate into the world, which was why it had to remain in your body? In that case, was Bright Moon killed outside of the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath and replied, “Senior Bright Moon indeed died outside the Star Boundary.”
Upon learning the reason behind it, Duan Hong Chen nodded and said, “Tell me what has happened over the years.”
“The Star Boundary is troubled by Demons now,” Yang Kai replied.
Duan Hong Chen turned solemn, “Demons?”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai bowed his head, “Senior, do you know of the incident where Demon Spirits from the Southern Swamp Demon Cave revived?”
At that time, the eldest disciple from Azure Sun Temple, Xia Sheng, told Yang Kai to accompany his friend named Hua Yu Lu to explore an Ancient Cave Mansion in the Southern Swamp. Yang Kai thought that he could get some benefits from it, but he hadn’t expected that he would accidentally unseal a Demon Cave and release numerous Demon Spirits, which then caused a commotion in the Southern Territory.
They were also accompanied by the former Patriarch of the Gong Family from Heavenly River Valley, Gong Yue, whose body was possessed by a Demon Spirit. Yang Kai and the others chased him down to Azure Sun Temple and realised that there was also a sealed Demon Cave in the Temple. The possessed Gong Yue went on to create chaos in the Temple.
During that period of time, Duan Hong Chen happened to be inside the Divine Ascension Mirror in Azure Sun Temple in an attempt to solve the issue of Wu Kuang’s possession of his body; therefore, he should be aware of that incident.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai had said, Duan Hong Chen nodded, “I remember.”
Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “That was the beginning of it. After the Demon Caves were unsealed, Demon Spirits were revived and went on to possess more people. It took us more than ten years to solve the commotion in the Southern Territory. We all thought that we had gotten rid of the danger, but it turned out there was a bigger plot behind it. I’ve heard that among the ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, the most mysterious one is Night Shadow Great Emperor from Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory. Even the other Great Emperors were not sure whether he is male or female. Now, it seems that it isn’t that he likes to be mysterious, but rather that he deliberately conceals himself. Night Shadow Great Emperor Can Ye possesses a Shadow Demon bloodline, he is a traitor the Demons have planted in the Star Boundary!”
Even though Duan Hong Chen was a calm person, he still widened his eyes in disbelief upon hearing this.
Regardless of how well or not well the ten Great Emperors knew one another, they naturally had some contact over the years. When Duan Hong Chen was travelling around the world, he happened to visit Shadow Killer Palace and came into close contact with Can Ye once; however, he didn’t detect any unusual aura from Can Ye.
It had never crossed his mind that one of the ten Great Emperors possessed a Demon Race bloodline.
In ancient times, Demons had invaded the Star Boundary. Even Yang Kai had heard of the incident, so there was no way Duan Hong Chen wasn’t aware of it. It was possible that some of the Demons had managed to remain hidden in the Star Boundary, or that some of the women from the Star Boundary were violated by the Demons and then gave birth to children of mixed race.
The Demon bloodline that Can Ye possessed had to be traced back to the last war between the Great Worlds.
There was an awkward smile on Yang Kai’s face which seemed to be a mixture of mockery and sorrow, “A Great Emperor was actually a traitor, and the Demons had been planning for this for a long time. When the right time came, they were able to break the barrier and open up a passageway between the two Great Worlds. Unfortunately, we had no idea what was happening until it was too late. Upon learning the news, the Great Emperors entered the passageway to investigate the matter, but they were unexpectedly ambushed by the Demon Saints. In order to allow the others to escape, Senior Bright Moon remained behind in the Demon Realm. Later, I accepted Senior Heaven’s Revelations’ request and put on a show to infiltrate the Demon Realm. On the surface, I pretended that I had suffered from cultivation dissonance and become demonified, which essentially made me a traitor to the Star Boundary. The truth was that I was heading to the Demon Realm to find out about Senior Bright Moon’s whereabouts and look for a chance to bring him back.”
He paused for a moment, “It seems I have to thank Wu Kuang for that. If it weren’t for his Heaven Devouring Battle Law being unacceptable in the world, I wouldn’t have found an excuse to put on that show. After entering the Demon Realm, everything went well for me at first. I found Senior Bright Moon in a place called Eternal Sky Continent. At that time, he was severely injured, and the Demon Saints had arranged a Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array to suppress him. Besides that, a Demon Saint Blood Demon, Xue Li, had set up the boundless Blood Sea to trap Senior Bright Moon. Faced with the Blood Sea and the Array, Senior Bright Moon was struggling just to survive,” Yang Kai’s voice sounded mournful as he recalled the scene when he saw Bright Moon on Eternal Sky Continent.
Duan Hong Chen chimed in, “I know that the Demon Realm is also a Great World, and the Demon Saints you’ve just mentioned are supposed to be as powerful as Great Emperors, right? How many of them are there?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Senior is correct. In the Demon Realm, the status and powers of the Demon Saints are equivalent to those of the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. There are twelve of them in total.”
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen gasped and appeared to be suffering from a headache. It was a simple comparison. Initially, there were ten Great Emperors in the Star Boundary. He was held up by Wu Kuang in the Ancestral Domain, Bright Moon had been trapped in the Demon Realm, and Can Ye had betrayed them. It meant that only seven Great Emperors were left to take charge of the Star Boundary. Nevertheless, there were twelve Demon Saints in the Demon Realm in total. Including the traitor Can Ye, it was seven versus thirteen. The odds were almost two to one in favour of the Demon Realm.
With such a stark contrast between the number of top cultivators on both sides, it wasn’t hard to conclude that the Star Boundary was at a severe disadvantage in the Two Worlds’ Great War.
With a frown, Duan Hong Chen said doubtfully, “You said that Bright Moon was trapped in the Demon Realm and he was severely injured, which was a good chance for the Demon Saints to kill him. Why did they only trap him?”
Yang Kai explained with a bitter smile, “Junior had the same doubt at first. After Senior Bright Moon explained it to me, I realised that it wasn’t that the Demon Saints didn’t want to kill him, but that they had bigger plans for him. They wanted to expand the capacity of their World’s Bottle!”
Upon hearing that, Duan Hong Chen gave it a thought and understood what had happened, “I see.”
Without the need for Yang Kai to explain anything, he already realised what the Demons were up to at that time. In that situation, the Demon Saints were capable of killing Bright Moon, but that would lead to nowhere. They would only make those from the Star Boundary lose a top cultivator. If there was no suitable carrier after Bright Moon passed away, his World’s Will would simply dissipate and return to the Star Boundary.
However, if they could trap him and refine him to allow the Demon Realm to devour his World’s Will, they could expand the capacity of the Demon Realm’s World’s Bottle.
It had to be said that the Demons indeed had a thorough plot. Given Duan Hong Chen’s intelligence, he didn’t need Yang Kai to tell him what happened after that.
Certainly, war had erupted and, in the end, Bright Moon was killed in battle. Bright Moon must have made Yang Kai end his life because he knew that there was no way he could survive. Yang Kai was from the Star Boundary, which was why the World’s Will had transferred to him as there was no other choice.
“You’ve done well.” Duan Hong Chen didn’t ask any further questions or make Yang Kai keep explaining. Then, he lifted his hand and clapped the young man’s shoulder, “In that situation, any Great Emperor would have made the same choice. You’re the one who was dragged into matters beyond your means. Fortunately, I can see that you’re still alive and kicking. Even though you were in a perilous situation, you were still able to survive in the end.”
After the World’s Will of Bright Moon was transferred to Yang Kai, Duan Hong Chen could imagine that the eyes of those Demons must have turned bloodshot as they hunted him down.
Regardless of what happened though, Yang Kai was still alive at the very least.
“All of us in the Star Boundary, including the Great Emperors, have to thank you,” If the World’s Will was snatched by the Demons, the Star Boundary would no longer be complete. No one could tell what the consequences would have been if that happened.
A shocked Yang Kai said, “I don’t deserve any thanks. I just didn’t want to disappoint Senior Bright Moon.”
Duan Hong Chen heaved a sigh and fished out a bottle of wine and two cups. Then, he filled the cups with wine for Yang Kai and himself before he faced the sky and lifted his cup to pay homage to his friend. Following that, he drained his glass in one gulp.
Yang Kai similarly finished his wine.
Duan Hong Chen’s emotions seemed to be unsettled after he learned that his old friend had passed away. After drinking his wine, he fell silent for a long time. He remained unmoving and didn’t seem to have the intention to say anything as his aura dimmed.
One hour later, he took a deep breath, and when he lifted his head, his expression became as calm as usual. No one could live forever. The Great Emperors had gone through the vicissitudes of life, so they were already used to it.
“How’s the situation in the Star Boundary? Since you still have the time to come to the Lower Star Field, I guess the situation isn’t so serious yet,” Duan Hong Chen asked. He and Wu Kuang had other matters to attend to, so it would be best if the situation in the Star Boundary was stable; however, if the Star Boundary was in immediate danger, he had to consider returning to support the other Great Emperors.”
“The first few years were the hardest; after all, the Demons were well prepared while we were unsuspecting. However, the situation has stabilised now. Before I returned from the Demon Realm, I sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage, which cut off the support from the Demon Realm to their armies. The Demon soldiers that are left in the Star Boundary are not capable of making any fuss now.”
Yang Kai put on a smile and went on to say, “Previously, Junior received news that the Demon soldiers left in the Star Boundary were mostly destroyed. Those who are not dead have been accepted into our own armies. Presently, all fifty four armies have gathered in front of the Two Worlds’ Passage in the Western Territory. They’re resting and recuperating right now. When the time is right, we will launch an attack on the Demon Realm.”
“Good,” Duan Hong Chen became energised and elated. After hearing about the crisis facing the Star Boundary from Yang Kai for such a long time, there was finally some good news; however, his expression soon dimmed, “The continued war will destroy lives and devastate families. The people in the Star Boundary must be suffering now.”
Yang Kai replied after a sigh, “The war between the Races devastated both Great Worlds. No one can stay clear of the calamity.”
After a nod, Duan Hong Chen said, “I’ll tell Wu Kuang to leave a secret door in your Star Field later. If the crisis worsens in the Star Boundary, you must come over and inform this Old Master about it. I won’t want to miss the chance to join the war.”
“Good. If we require Senior’s help, Junior will definitely come here to inform you.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “I’ll keep watch on your Star Field and we won’t touch it if possible. If… I mean if… we really need it in the end, I want you to cooperate with us. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that old ghost won’t kill as he pleases again.”
“Of course, I believe in Senior.” Yang Kai nodded and fell silent for a moment, “Senior, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Good. I hope that you’ll bring with you some good news when we meet again.”
Yang Kai rose from the chair and saluted him. Seeing that, Mei Jiu’er quickly stood up and bid the old man farewell as well, still holding the teapot firmly in her arms.
Duan Hong Chen waved his hand and engulfed them in a gentle force. As the world around them spun, they soon realised that they had returned to the Starry Sky.
Lifting their heads, they saw that the azure blue aura, which had covered a large part of the Starry Sky, was retreating rapidly. At the same time, a black passageway, which led to an unknown place, abruptly appeared in front of them.
Yang Kai knew that the Void Corridor must be the secret door Duan Hong Chen had left behind. Through the secret door, he could reach the Ancestral Domain and meet with him.
The passageway soon disappeared from their sight; however, Yang Kai could feel that it was still there, just that it had become invisible. It wouldn’t matter even if anyone happened to be in this place and passed through the door. Only by targeting the other end of the passageway with one’s aura could he pass through the Void and arrive at the right destination.
Turning around, Yang Kai flashed a smile at Mei Jiu’er and said, “I should get going. We’ll meet again if there’s a chance.”
Mei Jiu’er was startled for a moment before she realised what he meant, “Senior, are you going back?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. Do you have any plans?”
Mei Jiu’er looked down at the teapot in her arms and gently bit her lip, “I’ll look for a secluded place to cultivate so that I may one day be able to assist you.”
Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Then I shall thank you in advance. You’re from Blue Clouds Star, right? I’ll send you there.” They were now on the border of the Star Field, which was quite remote and desolate. Given her cultivation now, it would take Mei Jiu’er a few years to fly across the Starry Sky and reach home.
Upon finishing his words, he lifted his hand and pointed one finger at her forehead. As a thought flashed across his mind, Mei Jiu’er abruptly disappeared from his sight. Before she disappeared, she hurriedly said, “Senior, take care!”
After she was gone, he took a deep breath and stepped forward. There seemed to be an invisible flight of stairs beneath his feet as he kept moving up. After five to six steps, he suddenly disappeared into the Void.
…..
Three days later, Yang Kai, who was clad in a silk robe and a crown with a belt wrapped around his waist, was seated in the head seat in the main hall of High Heaven Palace. His demeanour was that of an expert cultivator.
On his left, Yao Si announced loudly, “Sir, when you were not around in the over ten years that passed, we managed to build up the Sixty-First Army. Now, there are 378,462 members in total. 289 of them are Emperor Realm Masters. Just like the other armies, I’ve divided ours into ten Divisions. Of these Divisions, the first in the Colour Guard with twenty thousand troops. There are two Division Commanders. Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.”
At this point, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were on the other side of the hall, stepped forward and cupped their fists, “Sir!”
While Yang Xue appeared solemn, Yang Xiao still sported a playful and mischievous expression.
Yang Kai nodded and swung his hand, after which a Command Token shot forward. Then, he said, “Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, with the Command Token of the Colour Guard in possession, you shall follow me to the battlefield to fight against our enemies.”
After taking the token, Yang Xiao became more serious as he replied solemnly, “Yes.”
The corner of Yao Si’s mouth twitched, then he cupped his fists and said to Yang Kai, “Sir, the Colour Guard is responsible for staying by your side and protecting you. There are others who will go to the battlefield and fight against our enemies.”
“Really?” Yang Kai coughed into his fists and amended what he had just said, “Then, both of you shall stay by my side and be ready for my orders.”
Yang Xue and Yang Xiao grunted solemnly and returned to their original spots.
Yang Si went on to say, “Besides the Colour Guard, the remaining nine Divisions are named Flying Hawk, Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, Raging Flood Dragon, Heavenly Fox, Falling Flower, Spirit Snake, Heavenly Phoenix, and Heavenly Dragon. There are thirty thousand in the Heavenly Phoenix Division which is responsible for military enforcement. The Division Commander is Liu Yan and the Vice Division Commander is Su Yan.”
Two figures immediately stepped forward. The adult woman was elegant and well-mannered while the young girl had a petite frame and a pair of bright eyes. They cupped their fists at the same time and called out, “Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded and tossed another token at them before saying, “Since both of you are responsible for military enforcement, you must be impartial in your judgement, not favouring anyone. On the battlefield, kill those who create chaos, disobey orders, weaken our morale, flee from the battlefield, or snatch credit from others, regardless of who they are.”
After Liu Yan took the token, she and Su Yan said at the same time, “Yes.”
Then, they returned to their original spots, after which Yao Si introduced the other eight Division Commanders and explained their duties to Yang Kai. As the Army Commander, Yang Kai had to understand everything so that he could calmly give appropriate orders on the battlefield in the future.
The Flying Hawk Division had the smallest number of people as there were only a few thousand in total; however, their collective power was not to be underestimated. The Division Commander was one of the thirty-two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands, Ying Fei. Those from Flying Hawk Division were scouts who were responsible for finding out about the enemies’ secrets. In any ordinary army, those who could be the scouts must all be elites. Only the best talents could accurately seek out enemies and bring back intelligence from the front smoothly. It was no exception for the armies in the Star Boundary.
On the other hand, the Heavenly Dragon Division could be said to be the strongest Division in the Sixty-First Army. This couldn’t be helped as the Division Commander was Zhu Qing while the Vice Division Commander was Zhu Lie. Most of the powerful cultivations in the Division came from Dragon Island. They had about several dozen Emperor Realm Masters, which was one fifth of the Emperor Realm Masters in the entire Sixty-First Army.
Following Yao Si’s announcements, Yang Kai had a better understanding of the Sixty-First Army’s structure. There were more than three hundred thousand soldiers in total, which were divided into ten Divisions.
The Colour Guard was responsible for protecting Yang Kai, with its two Division Commanders being Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, with no Vice Division Commander.
The Heavenly Phoenix Division, which was responsible for military enforcement, was led by Liu Yan and Su Yan. The Flying Hawk Division, which was responsible for scouting and transmitting orders was led by Ying Fei.
Following that, the Poison Scorpion Division was led by Xie Wu Wei, the Flaming Ox Division was led by Xi Lei, the Raging Flood Dragon Division was led by Li Jiao, the Heavenly Fox Division was led by Hu Fei, the Falling Flower Division was led by Du Mi’er, the Spirit Snake Division was led by Chi Lian, and finally, the Heavenly Dragon Division was led by Zhu Qing.
All of these faces were familiar to Yang Kai. They were his friends and family members who had gone through life-or-death moments with him. Among all the Division Commanders, only Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were slightly weaker, while the rest were either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or High-Rank Monster Kings.
It could be said that none of the fifty-four armies was as strong as the Sixty-First Army. If the Division Commanders of the other armies were considered powerful, the ones in Yang Kai’s army could be said to be superb.
Apart from the network of friends Yang Kai had built up over the years, the support from Seven Mists Sea was also crucial in achieving this result. More importantly, Yao Si had been working hard over the past dozen years or so.
Even though Yang Kai had been staying in the Star Field for the past decade, he wasn’t oblivious to what was going on in the Star Boundary as he was able to contact the people from High Heaven Palace.
Through Hua Qing Si’s reports, he learned that Yao Si had travelled extensively over the past years to build up the Sixty-First Army.
Although the Monster Kings Xie Wu Wei, Xi Lei, Ying Fei, Hu Fei, Du Mi’er, and Chi Lian originally worked for High Heaven Palace, they had left the Palace and returned to their own Divine Venerables since the Two Worlds’ Great War erupted.
Without Yao Si’s relentless persuasion, Luan Feng and the others wouldn’t have let go of these six Monster Kings. It would’ve been better for them if these Monster Kings could remain in their armies.
It wasn’t hard to get Li Jiao to come to their side. He was originally from the Thirty-Fifth Army, which was led by Bing Yun. Over ten years ago, when she heard that Yang Kai had become the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, she immediately released Li Jiao to lend Yang Kai a hand.
The powerful cultivators from Dragon Island needed no persuasion. Certainly, they would assist Yang Kai in building up the Sixty-First Army, and no Army Commanders could stop them, not even those from Seven Mists Sea.
Those were the Division Commanders.
Under Division Commanders, there were Brigade Commanders and Battalion Commanders. Battalions could be led by Third-Order Dao Source Realm Masters; however, Brigades had to be led by Emperor Realm Masters so that they could convince their subordinates to obey their orders.
All of the Emperor Realm Masters were won over by Yao Si.
In the past years, Yao Si had visited all fifty-four armies, and he had managed to poach some people from every single army. It wasn’t that those Army Commanders were easy to deal with, it was just that Yao Si was willing to act shamelessly. Making use of his identity as the Great Emperor’s Son, he brazenly snatched the top talents from other armies, and no one could stop him.
Many Army Commanders had made complaints to Seven Mists Sea, so Li Wu Yi had repeatedly summoned Yao Si and told him to stop doing that. Yao Si would pretend to agree to it, but after leaving Seven Mists Sea, he would fearlessly continue his efforts.
In the past over ten years, he had practically offended all of the Army Commanders. Now, none of the Army Commanders welcomed him at all, and they would avoid him like he was a tiger or a scorpion. Whenever Yao Si visited an army, the Army Commander would quickly run away regardless of how powerful they were; otherwise, Yao Si would immediately ask for some people from them.
TL note: In previous chapters, it was said that the armies were composed of 1 to 5 million soldiers, obviously the author changed his mind at some point and now it 100,000 to 500,000… Just go with it
After more than ten years of hard work and persistence, Yao Si managed to build up a strong foundation for the Sixty-First Army. His hard work earned him the highest respect from everyone, and no one would object to the fact that he was the Army Commander’s Adjutant. They also admired Yang Kai for his shrewdness as he managed to make Yao Si side with them; otherwise, their army wouldn’t have become what it was now.
Presently, all the top talents, Emperor Realm Masters, and Monster Kings, had gathered together in the hall of High Heaven Palace, for which Yao Si deserved the biggest credit.
Yao Si went on to say, “An army cannot be established without a Standard. The army’s morale lies with the Standard. Wherever the Standard leads, the army will charge forward. Sir, please choose a Standard.”
All fifty-four armies in the Star Boundary had their own Standards. Wherever the Army Commander was, their Standard would be too. A Standard was the spiritual support for the army. The Sixty-First Army had just been established, so naturally, they needed one as well; however, Yang Kai had left the Star Boundary more than ten years ago, which was why this matter had been held up until now. Since he had returned now, it was the best time to choose a Standard.
Yao Si had already made some preparations. After he finished speaking, ten disciples from High Heaven Palace stepped into the hall with different flags in their hands. Then, they separated into two rows and took a seat in the middle of the hall before they raised their hands and expanded the flags.
After that, Yao Si said, “These are the final ten flags that the Division Commanders and I have selected. Sir, please choose the flag you prefer to be the Standard.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and rose from the chair. With his hands behind his back, he walked up to the flags and examined them.
It had to be said that Yao Si and the Division Commanders had put in a lot of effort in selecting these flags; after all, the Standard would become the symbol of the Sixty-First Army in the future, so it couldn’t be too gaudy. At the same time, it had to appear authoritative and carry a meaning with it so that others could recognise that it was the Sixty-First Army’s Standard at first glance. It was indeed a difficult task.
All the flags came in different patterns. As Yang Kai went through them, Yao Si, on the side, explained to him what every pattern symbolised.
Yang Kai nodded from time to time as he listened to him; however, after going through all the flags, he fell silent and furrowed his brow.
Seeing that, Yao Si said, “Sir, if you’re not happy with these flags, I’ll tell the vexillographers to make some changes until you’re satisfied with them.”
Yang Kai replied, “There’s nothing I’m not satisfied with.” Frankly speaking, all the flags were excellent, and every one of them was good enough to be shown in public; however, he just felt that something was lacking.
“Sir, which one do you prefer, then?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Our army is a little different from all the others. Even though we were the last to be established, we have the strongest collective power. So, we’re bound to be the main force on the battlefield in the future, and the responsibility on our shoulders is especially heavy; therefore, our Standard has to be more outstanding than those of other armies.” After he finished speaking, his gaze brightened all of a sudden as he extended his hand, “Bring me a sheet of paper and a brush.”
Yao Si quickly gave a hint to the people outside the hall with his eyes, after which the disciples left to prepare the items. All ten disciples, who were holding the flags, left the hall and in just a moment, a few disciples rushed into the hall. Two of them separated and held both sides of a piece of white paper that was as large as a flag. On the other hand, the other disciples had a writing brush and an inkstone with them as they stood beside Yang Kai.
Yang Kai rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of the paper, but instead of drawing on it immediately, he stared solemnly at the paper.
Xie Wu Wei was just seated beside Hua Qing Si, so he leaned close to her and asked in a small voice, “Does Sir know how to draw?”
Hua Qing Si shook her head and spoke to him via Divine Sense, “I’m not sure whether he can draw.” There was a tinge of worry on her alluring face as she prayed that Yang Kai wouldn’t embarrass himself.
The Standard would be the Sixty-First Army’s symbol. If Yang Kai’s art skills turned out to be terrible, the Sixty-First Army would be embarrassed when others saw the flag. She knew that Yang Kai could be a little willful at times, but they had to be more serious when it came to choosing the right Standard.
While she was anxious, she suddenly felt that the temperature in the hall had plummeted as a chill ran down her spine. Instinctively, she circulated her Emperor Qi and lifted her head, only to see that Yang Kai was extremely focused. His murderous intent almost materialised as it swept across the hall, causing everyone inside to feel as though countless needles were pricking their skin.
Yang Kai lifted his hand and picked up the inked writing brush at that moment, and as soon as the tip of the brush came into contact with the paper, it began to flow smoothly. In just two breaths, he was finished.
Then, he passed the writing brush to a disciple and lightly took a few steps backwards. Looking at his work from afar, he grinned and said, “Good. This will be our Standard.”
All of them were on tenterhooks as they wondered what Yang Kai had drawn on the paper, and seeing how satisfied he was, they craned their heads in an attempt to make out what was drawn.
Yao Si was beside Yang Kai, so he could see the paper clearly. His brow twitched as he wanted to say something, but soon, his face relaxed and he waved his hand at the disciples, who were holding the paper.
Both of them turned around and raised the paper to show it to everyone. It was then that all the top cultivators in the hall saw what Yang Kai had drawn on the paper.
There was only one thing on the flag, a large character, ‘Kill’. The character wasn’t beautifully written, but it was imposing. At a glance, every stroke of the word seemed to have turned into a blade and slashed at the beholder, which caused all of them to be astonished.
Yao Qi aptly said, “Sir, we are all willing to follow you into battle against our enemies to protect our homeland.”
Everyone hurriedly rose from the chairs and cupped their fists, “Sir, all of us are willing to follow you into battle against our enemies to protect our homeland.”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Good! Since no one objects, it is decided. There is only one meaning for our Standard, ‘Kill’. Our job is to kill all the Demons who dare to invade the Star Boundary! We will let them know that the Star Boundary isn’t a place they can come as they please!”
“Yes Sir!”
After he finished speaking, a curvy figure jumped out from the crowd and clasped her fists, “Sir, this subordinate is willing to become the Standard-Bearer. I shall tether my life to our Standard. Only if I perish will our Standard fall.”
Yang Kai lifted his head and realised that it was Fu Ling who had just jumped out. She was a Seventh-Order Purple Dragon who came from Dragon Island, so naturally, she was placed in the Heavenly Dragon Division. Supposedly, the Standard-Bearer should be someone from the Colour Guard, so it had nothing to do with her. She must have an ulterior motive for coming forward at this point.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai scoffed, but just when he was about to tell her to step back, Yao Si said, “Sir, it isn’t a bad idea. With a Dragon becoming the Standard-Bearer, it will make our army look even more formidable.”
Yang Kai shot him a look and pondered on it. Upon realising that Yao Si was right, he nodded, “En, since you have the heart to bear this service for us, this King shall appoint you to be the Standard-Bearer for the Sixty-First Army. You must protect the Standard at all costs, only if the army falls will our Standard fall!”
“Sir may rest assured, I shall protect the Standard with my life.” An elated Fu Ling took the paper from the two disciples and joyfully dashed out of the hall.
Yang Kai had only made a draft of the flag while the true Standard had to be created by someone else, so Fu Ling left to look for Hou Yu.
Since the Divisions, duties, and Standard had all been decided and settled, there was nothing else to do. Yang Kai swept a glance over them and said loudly, “All the Demons in the Star Boundary have either been destroyed or accepted into our own armies. Presently, all fifty-four armies are assembling in the Western Territory, so we mustn’t be absent. All Division Commanders, after you return, you must begin preparations. At the break of dawn three days hence, we shall head to the Western Territory and storm into the Demon Realm to kill the Demons!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!” All of them in the hall started chanting. The Monster Kings were especially enthusiastic as their voices seemed to shake the mountain.
…..
With three days to rest, Yang Kai kept his wives and parents company as they enjoyed some quality time together.
Of all his wives, only Xia Ning Chang had an auxiliary profession, Alchemist, so she wouldn’t follow them to the Western Territory. The other four had to go to the battlefield. Su Yan was in the Heavenly Phoenix Division while Xue Yue was in the Colour Guard. On the other hand, the enchantress Shan Qing Luo worked under Chi Lian in the Spirit Snake Division while Zhu Qing led the Heavenly Dragon Division.
It had to be said that after more than ten years of separation, all of Yang Kai’s wives had significantly grown stronger in terms of their cultivation. Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, and Xia Ning Chang had all reached the Emperor Realm, and while Su Yan still remained in the same realm, her power had increased tremendously. Besides the fact that the World Energy in the Star Boundary was denser, this was also because they had extraordinary aptitudes to begin with. When they were still in the Lower Star Field, they were already top talents, so their aptitudes were naturally much greater than that of the average person.
Yang Kai’s parents’ cultivation had increased as well, but he didn’t have the heart to let them join the war. Every breath, people lost their lives on the battlefield. It didn’t matter if they were Third-Order Emperors, Pseudo-Great Emperors, or Half-Saints, as no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t lose their life the next moment. Given such a hostile environment, Yang Kai wouldn’t want them to take part in the fighting. If they really went to the battlefield, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to focus on leading the army as he would want to protect them at all times.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu knew that after their departure this time, they would only meet again after the Two Worlds’ Great War ended, but even though they were worried and reluctant to part with them, they didn’t show their emotions on their faces. Instead, they forced themselves to smile as they enjoyed this moment of tranquillity.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and at the break of dawn, snowflakes could be seen swirling around with the cold wind on an ice sheet that was several dozen kilometres away from High Heaven Palace. More than three hundred thousand people had gathered on the ice sheet, but despite the numbers present, the place was completely silent.
They had already decided on the place to assemble early on; after all, High Heaven Palace couldn’t accommodate so many people in its main square, so they decided to gather outside instead.
More than three hundred thousand people had been divided into ten formations. The number of people in each formation varied. There were only a few thousand people in the smallest formation while the largest one had more than thirty thousand people. Presently, all of them were staring in the direction where High Heaven Palace was located.
A moment later, a beam of light flew forward from that direction. When they saw the light, it was still several dozen kilometres away, but the next moment, it was already right before their eyes. Its speed was so quick that it had left behind a trail of light in the sky.
When the light diminished, Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
“Welcome, Sir Army Commander!” All of them called out to Yang Kai in unison. Their voices were so deafening that the world seemed to be shaking and the falling snowflakes stopped in mid-air.
With a rustling sound, the image of a kilometre-long blood-red flag expanded in the sky as it swayed with the howling wind. As the flag flapped, it was as though blood was flowing on it under the morning Sun. At first glance, it was as if the sky was bleeding.
On the flag, a giant ‘Kill’ character could be seen, and nothing else; however, the character seemed to have come alive as its raging murderous intent made even the sun seem to dim.
The flag was eventually hung behind Yang Kai, and it seemed to have covered the entire sky. Despite the fact that Yang Kai appeared as small as an ant compared to the flag, he was extremely imposing.
As the flag swayed with the wind, all three hundred thousand pairs of eyes stared fixedly at the gigantic ‘Kill’, which seemed able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth!
All of them felt their blood boiling. Despite the fact that the weather was frigid, the gigantic Standard made everyone from the Sixty-First Army become fervent.
Seeing that, Yao Si put on a smile. When he saw Yang Kai writing the gaudy ‘Kill’ character on the paper in the hall a few days ago, he wanted to dissuade him from choosing it as their flag; however, after giving it a thought, he realised that he shouldn’t refute Yang Kai since it was the first decision the Army Commander Kai had made after coming back to the Palace.
Now, he felt fortunate that he didn’t stop him. The Standard was clean and minimalistic. As the flag swayed with the wind, the ‘Kill’ character was able to ignite the soldiers’ enthusiasm.
Then, he balled up his fist and raised it above his head before yelling, “Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
…
The world seemed to be trembling. The collective chanting of three hundred thousand people filled the world with murderous intent. Even the disciples who had stayed back in High Heaven Palace, which was several dozen kilometres away, were able to hear them. Looking from afar, they knew that the soldiers were embarking on a journey to destroy the enemy.
When the dust settled, no one could tell how many of those three hundred thousand people could come back alive. Many of them would probably lose their lives on the battlefield.
At the thought of this, all the disciples in the Palace saluted them from afar.
On Medicine Pill Peak, just like the other disciples who had stayed back, Xia Ning Chang stared at the army in the distance, her gaze filled with worry.
On the side, Ji Ying heaved a sigh, “You know how strong he is. He’s also a Master of the Dao of Space who can flee from danger with ease, so you don’t have to worry about him.”
“I want to go with him,” Xia Ning Chang bit her lip.
Ji Ying said, “We’ve discussed this before, and he has also talked to you about it. You’re an Emperor Rank Alchemist, so it’s better for you to refine more pills here than follow him to the battlefield. For every pill you refine, you might be able to save one more life on the battlefield.”
“I know.” Xia Ning Chang lowered her head, “But I want to be with him.”
Just when Ji Ying wanted to keep dissuading her, Xia Ning Chang didn’t give him the chance to do so. As the wind howled, she spoke in a gentle voice, “Senior Brother, did you know? Since we left Tong Xuan Realm, we have always spent more time separated than together with him. It’s a good thing that he’s ambitious, and we’re happy that he always shields us from the troubles of the outside world; however, we still want to be with him. Even if we fall into danger, we want to face it together with him. Whenever he leaves, all of us cultivate diligently because we want to one day have enough strength to stand by his side and share his burden. Now, the chance has come. Big Sister Su, Luo’er, Xue Yue, and Big Sister Qing are leaving with him, but I have to stay here to refine pills because that is what I am best at, and my pills are of excellent quality. There are also other responsibilities on my shoulders.”
She turned around and stared at Ji Ying as she seemed to be pleading with him, “But Senior Brother, I really want to follow him to the battlefield and fight alongside him. I might not be able to fend off all the troubles for him, but I just hope that I can kill some enemies for him to ease his burden.”
Ji Ying parted his lips, but they soon curved into a smile, “Go then. It’s not too late yet. He hasn’t left.”
“Senior Brother…” Xia Ning Chang gazed at him in shock.
Ji Ying said with a smile, “Whether you’re going to the battlefield or staying here to make pills, you will be helping the Star Boundary, and there’s no difference between the two. Don’t worry, Senior Brother will just work hard to refine your share of pills as well. Moreover, we all only live once, so we can allow ourselves to be willful once in a while. Rather than forcing yourself to stay here, why don’t you follow your heart?”
An elated Xia Ning Chang replied, “Many thanks, Senior Brother! I’ll be going then.” Upon getting a nod from Ji Ying, she bowed to him in an elegant manner before turning to look at the huge flag that was several dozen kilometres away. With her eyes filled with joy, she flew towards that place.
“You must come back safely!” Ji Ying shouted from behind.
“I will. Senior Brother, take care!” Xia Ning Chang’s joyful voice faded into the distance.
Several dozen kilometres away from the Palace, the soldiers were still chanting as Yang Kai stared solemnly at them. All of a sudden, he arched his brow and looked in the direction where High Heaven Palace was located.
All of them stopped chanting and fell silent abruptly as they turned their heads to look in the same direction, only to see a beam of light charging toward them at full speed.
After the light landed, Xia Ning Chang’s figure was revealed. Instead of looking at Yang Kai, she walked up to Yang Xiao and Yang Xue before cupping her fists, “High Heaven Palace’s Xia Ning Chang, reporting for duty.”
A shocked Yang Xiao quickly stepped aside. Yang Kai was his Adoptive Father, and Xia Ning Chang was the youngest among his wives, which also meant that she was his youngest Adoptive Mother, so how could he receive her salute?
On the other hand, Yang Xue put on a smile before she darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Xia Ning Chang, then she nodded gently, “Assume your position.”
“Yes!” Xia Ning Chang cheerfully joined the team. Despite the fact that her face was veiled, her excited expression could barely be concealed.
The soldiers were about to head to the battlefield, but a person abruptly appeared and requested to join the Colour Guard. Furthermore, Yang Kai, the Army Commander, hadn’t even agreed to it, which essentially violated the rules.
After Xia Ning Chang joined the army formation though, Su Yan, from the Heavenly Phoenix Division, stared at Yang Kai with her chin lifted, as though she was daring him to reject Xia Ning Chang.
Pretending that he hadn’t seen her threat, Yang Kai remained floating in the void with his hands behind his back, then he coughed and said, “Since everyone is here, we should depart.”
After he finished speaking, he swung his hand, upon which the Sealed World Bead shot out and turned into Gun-Gun in mid-air. Its humongous figure covered the entire sky as it opened its hideous mouth and took a bite.
In an instant, all three hundred thousand soldiers disappeared as they were devoured into the Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai raised his hand and retrieved the bead. Turning around, he realised that Fu Ling, who was holding the flag, was looking fixedly at him.
She was the Standard-Bearer of the Sixty-First Army. When Yang Kai arrived at this place just now, she quickly stood behind him and held the flag, which was why she was spared the fate of getting devoured by Gun-Gun.
As their eyes met, Fu Ling flashed a charming smile at him, “Brother-in-law, there are only the two of us now.” She winked at him as though she was trying to hit on him.
“Store the flag!” Yang Kai took a look at the kilometre-long blood-coloured flag.
“Yes!” Fu Ling nodded and pushed her Dragon Source, upon which the flag trembled and became palm-sized in a short moment.
After storing it, she stared at Yang Kai and said, “Brother-in-law, we should get going now. Our destination is far away, so you have to take care of me.”
“Get in.” Ignoring her attempts at seduction, Yang Kai shoved her into the Small Sealed World and immediately felt that the place had become peaceful.
The next instant, he manipulated the surrounding Space Principles and disappeared from the spot.
Inside the hall of Seven Mists Sea, there was a huge sand table in the centre of a grand hall. The view on the sand table was obviously the terrain around the Two Worlds’ Passage that had been significantly shrunk.
Presently, more than twenty people had gathered around the sand table, all of them either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or Pseudo-Great Emperors. They were Army Commanders of the Star Boundary.
Li Wu Yi pointed at one spot on the sand table and said, “The Forty-Second Army will be in charge of this node, and you’ll be assisted by the Thirty-Eighth Army. Make sure that the array functions smoothly. There mustn’t be any mistakes.”
After he finished speaking, an elderly man cupped his fists and said, “Yes, Sir.”
Just then, a middle-aged man shot him a look and questioned, “Old man, are you capable of doing that? You’re getting on in years now, so you shouldn’t force yourself to do something you can’t. Just let the Thirty-Eighth Army take charge of the node and the Forty-Second Army can assist from behind.”
The elderly man grinned, “Do you seriously think you’re able to take charge of the node while I can’t? The Supreme Commander is intelligent, so he knows that experience is more important. Stop making a fuss and assist me in killing the enemy. I’ll give you ten to twenty percent of the credit after the war.”
Hearing that, the middle-aged man was infuriated, but just when he wanted to say something, Li Wu Yi said dispassionately, “Stop. The arrangement of the array is a result of the Great Emperors’ discussion. This King is only here to announce their decision. If you have any objections, you can bring them to the Great Emperors. If they agree to let you swap, this King won’t stop you.”
Upon learning that it was the Great Emperors’ decision, the two Army Commanders stopped arguing. However, the middle-aged man still seemed incensed as he shot a glare at the elderly man. He thought that his army was stronger than the elderly man’s, so he was supposed to be in charge.
Li Wu Yi pointed at another spot, “This node will…”
Before he finished speaking, he realised something and took a few steps backwards. The next moment, as Space Principles undulated, a figure abruptly appeared beside him. Seeing that, he put on a smile, “You’re finally here.”
Right after Yang Kai appeared, he realised that many people were staring at him. Even though these people didn’t release any kind of aura, he still felt his chest tightening as he knew that each one was a powerful figure.
Upon closer inspection, he narrowed his eyes in surprise. Given his acute vision, he immediately became aware that these figures were all either Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters or Pseudo-Great Emperors.
Furthermore, it seemed that they were in the middle of an important meeting.
Yang Kai quickly cupped his fists, “Greetings, Sir. Greetings, Seniors.”
Li Wu Yi clapped the young man’s shoulder, “It’s good that you’re here. En, let me introduce you to all of them.” He then turned around and stared at the others in the hall with a smile on his face, “He is the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace in the Northern Territory as well as the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army, Yang Kai. Some of you are already familiar with him while some of you have just met him for the first time. In any case, all of you will be comrades on the battlefield, so you have to cooperate with one another.”
Certainly, Yang Kai knew some of them. Besides Li Wu Yi, Yang Yan, Wen Zi Shan, Ma Qing, Bing Yun, the Three Great Divine Venerables from the Ancient Wild Lands, and several highly ranked Monster Kings were all around. Apart from them, he wasn’t so familiar with the others as it was the first time they had met.
Even though Yang Kai was aware that many top Masters led a reclusive life in the Star Boundary, he was still shocked when he saw that so many Pseudo-Great Emperors had gathered in this place.
Nevertheless, he soon came to the realisation that there were Four Great Lords in Demon Heavenly Dao, who were all Pseudo-Great Emperors, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there were also quite a few Pseudo-Great Emperors elsewhere in the Star Boundary.
Among these people, there was one person whose gaze was extremely cold. Yang Kai turned his head and realised that the source of this cold gaze was Cang Mo, which prompted him to bare his fangs.
He and Cang Mo were on very bad terms.
The first time Yang Kai met Cang Mo, they were in the Star Field. Cang Mo was also a member of the Star Court, and the Star Field Master of Grand Desolation Star Field, Wu Heng, was his subordinate.
At that time, Wu Heng made use of his own Star Field to devour Heng Luo Star Field. Certainly, Yang Kai would never allow that to happen. After an intense battle, Wu Heng was defeated, and at the most critical moment, he called upon Cang Mo’s help. After that, it was Yang Yan who arrived at the place and solved the crisis for Yang Kai.
It was during that encounter that Cang Mo realised that Yang Kai cultivated the Dao of Space and had the Sealed World Bead, stimulating the greed in his heart. After returning to the Star Boundary, he utilised all his means to find out Yang Kai’s information and whereabouts. Eventually, he came into Yang Kai’s way just outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Territory.
Outside the Valley, Yang Kai and the Embodiment joined forces to battle against Cang Mo, but they were severely injured in the process. In the end, it was Qiong Qi who appeared and beat Cang Mo up.
After two unpleasant encounters, they were practically each other’s arch enemies now.
Faced with Cang Mo’s cold expression, Yang Kai gave him a dismissive look as well. In the past, he was still wary of Cang Mo; however, now, besides the fact that he had four Half-Saints in the Small Sealed World who could assist him at any moment, his own power had also increased significantly, so he was no longer afraid of him. They could coexist peacefully if Cang Mo didn’t seek trouble with him. Otherwise, Yang Kai would let him know that he was no longer so easily bullied.
The other Army Commanders were not aware of the grudges between these two, but they just could see that these two people appeared hostile towards one another, making it obvious that they were on bad terms.
Li Wu Yi and Yang Yan knew what had happened in the past. Nevertheless, they were still faced with the threat from the Demons, so it wasn’t the right time for Yang Kai to settle scores. Thus, they secretly spoke to him via Divine Sense, “Don’t let your personal grudges with him get in the way of our plan.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Almost half of the Army Commanders had gathered in this place. Li Wu Yi went on to introduce every one of them to Yang Kai. Despite the fact that Yang Kai had excellent memory, he could only remember their names, and he couldn’t recall which armies they belonged to. It was because the armies were divided into Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, making it difficult for anyone who wasn’t familiar with the system to recall who belonged where. Nevertheless, it was no big deal. As they were going to work with each other in the future, they would slowly become familiarised with one another.
Compared to the other armies, the Sixty-First Army was like a toddler. Given Yang Kai’s cultivation and age, he could only be considered a rookie Army Commander. Despite that, the other Commanders were friendly to him and commended his youth and talent so that they could remain on good terms.
When a certain elderly man was introduced, he shot an angry glare at Yang Kai. Yang Kai was doubtful as he didn’t think he had offended this old man in the past and was pretty sure that they hadn’t even met before. So, why was the elderly man resentful of him? Yang Kai reasoned that this elderly man might be close friends with Cang Mo. In that case, he had to be extra careful in the future so that he wouldn’t be caught off guard by them on the battlefield.
To the side though, Li Wu Yi said with a smile, “Don’t blame Senior Fu for looking at you like this. He is the Army Commander of the Fifty-Third Army. Yao Si worked under him previously.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai finally understood the reason behind this hostility and smiled helplessly. Then, he quickly cupped his fists and said, “Greetings, Senior Fu. Many thanks for allowing Yao Si to come to my side.”
Originally, Yao Si was this elderly man’s subordinate; however, after he lost a bet, Yao Si had no choice but to serve Yang Kai instead. In the past over ten years, Yao Si managed to build up a strong foundation for the Sixty-First Army, which was why the elderly man was frustrated. When Yao Si was in the Fifty-Third Army, he didn’t show any signs that he was capable of doing so much, but after he was gone, he went on to achieve many great things. If the elderly man knew that this would be the outcome, he would’ve made Yao Si stay at all costs. With Yao Si around, the Fifty-Third Army could’ve become as great as the present Sixty-First Army.
The old man surnamed Fu snorted, “What are you thanking me for? This Old Master can only blame himself for failing to realise that Yao Si was such a gem when he was still in my army. It is his opportunity to have joined your army.” He paused for a moment, “However, Yao Si originally came from the Fifty-Third Army, after all. Without him, the Sixty-First Army wouldn’t have grown to be so powerful. If in the future…”
“The Sixty-First Army will stand ready to lend Senior Fu assistance at any moment,” Yang Kai immediately said.
It was then the elderly man stopped looking grim as he flashed a smile at Yang Kai, “Good. I hope that both of our armies will come into contact more often.”
“That’s my intention as well. All of you are my Seniors who are experienced in the affairs of war while I am still just a Junior, so I have a lot to learn from you. I hope that you won’t find me troublesome.”
“Hahaha!” The elderly man guffawed and clapped Yang Kai’s shoulder, “If there’s anything you need on the battlefield, just call out to me. As long as I’m still alive, I’ll bring my people to lend you a hand so that you won’t be overwhelmed by the Demons.”
“Many thanks, Senior Fu.”
At this point, they flashed a smile at one another as though they were old friends who hadn’t met for a long time.
It took quite some time for everyone to be introduced. After Yang Kai managed to memorise all their names, Li Wu Yi said, “There are other Army Commanders who aren’t here today. I’ll introduce them to you in the future if there’s a chance.”
Yang Kai nodded and took a look at the sand table. Knowing that they must have an important issue to discuss, he said, “I’ll wait for you outside. There’s something I need to discuss with you regarding the war. We’ll talk about it at a later time.”
“You don’t have to leave.” Li Wu Yi raised his hand to stop him, “Stay here and listen to us. We might need your army to help out.”
Yang Kai decided to leave because he wanted to avoid creating any kind of problems, but since Li Wu Yi had said so, he wouldn’t insist.
After the introduction, everyone fell silent in the hall and only Li Wu Yi was left to talk about his plan.
Yang Yan furtively walked up to Yang Kai and nudged him with her shoulder. Despite the fact she was staring fixedly at the sand table, she spoke to him clearly via Divine Sense, “Why did you go to the Lower Star Field for more than ten years? I thought you weren’t coming back.”
“I was studying and cultivating a Secret Technique,” Yang Kai replied honestly.
Yang Yan faintly pursed her lips, “The Star Boundary is a better place for cultivation. Was it necessary for you to go to the Lower Star Field? Seriously, have you kept any woman there?”
“What nonsense.” Yang Kai rolled his eyes, “The war between the Great Worlds is still ongoing. Why would I be in the mood to flirt with other women? Moreover, I already have enough wives.”
Yang Yan snorted, “Who knows? There’s a saying that a man’s wife is inferior to his lover, and women he can’t get are deathly attractive to him. How would I know what’s on your mind?”
Yang Kai didn’t want to dwell on it, so he changed the topic by saying, “I did indeed come across an acquaintance in the Star Field. Guess who that person was.”
“Your lover,” Yang Yan directly replied.
“Wu Kuang!”
“What?” Yang Yan exclaimed out loud before quickly covering her mouth with her hands. She accidentally shouted because she was shocked, so presently, everyone in the hall was staring at her. Yang Kai hurriedly straightened his face and pretended to look at her doubtfully as well.
A quick-thinking Yang Yan immediately pointed at the sand table and asked, “This node is very important. Shouldn’t we get some people to keep watch on this spot?”
Li Wu Yi shook his head, “There’s no need. This is basically a death trap. If the Demons get into it, they’ll never be able to come out alive. In other words, this node is deliberately emptied to lure the Demons to go in.”
Yang Yan nodded to imply that she understood him.
While Li Wu Yi went on to speak, Yang Yan secretly stuck out her tongue and waited for a moment before talking to Yang Kai using her Divine Sense again, “You met Wu Kuang? How did you escape from his claws?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “He didn’t do anything to me, so why should I flee? Moreover, Wu Kuang and Senior Hong Chen still occupy the same body, so I met them at the same time.”
“I see.” Yang Yan nodded faintly, “Is Senior Hong Chen alright?”
“He’s fine for now, but I’ve heard some news from them. I’ve recorded everything down in a jade slip. Please help me pass it to Senior Iron Blood.”
“Why don’t you give it to him yourself?”
“I’ve just arrived at this place, so I’m very busy. It’s decided, then.” More than ten years ago, he had used his Space Beacon in an attempt to appear beside Zhan Wu Hen, but he was sent into a pit of Demons in the end, which was why he wouldn’t want to see Iron Blood again if possible.
“I can pass the jade slip to him, but what do I get in return?”
“I have nothing precious with me. Why don’t you consider accepting me to be your lover?”
“Haha… Come to my room tonight then. I’ll be waiting for you,” A cold glint flashed across her eyes.
The discussion went on for half a day in the hall before everyone left. Prior to that, Bing Yun nodded her head and flashed a smile at Yang Kai, who responded with a nod as well.
After everyone was gone, Li Wu Yi took a seat on a chair, then a maidservant came over and served him a cup of tea. Upon taking a sip, he asked, “Have you settled the problem?”
Yang Kai sat down beside him as they were separated by a table, then he replied, “Yes, it’s settled.”
“Very good.” A relieved Li Wu Yi took a few more sips and put down the cup, “You’ve listened to our discussion, right?”
Yang Kai tried to recall everything Li Wu Yi had told the Army Commanders, then he asked, “We have to prepare the Formation first before we can open the Two Worlds’ Passage, right?”
He thought that as soon as he arrived at this place, they could reopen the passage and storm into the Demon Realm, but it turned out to be different from what he had expected. They had another arrangement, so they still had to wait.
Li Wu Yi tapped the armrest and replied, “The Demons are all fierce warriors, so we don’t have any advantage in frontal conflict with them. Basically, we’re on the weaker side in terms of the number of people we have. If we recklessly open up the passage and storm into the Demon Realm, we’ll end up in a miserable state. It can even be said that if we really do that, all of our fifty-five armies will be defeated.”
Yang Kai nodded in acknowledgement. He was the only one from the Star Boundary who had been to the Demon Realm, so he knew that the Demons were truly powerful and that they possessed immense heritage. That was why he understood that Li Wu Yi’s statement wasn’t an exaggeration.
“The war in the Star Boundary has been ongoing for the past dozen years. Fortunately, we’ve managed to root out the internal enemies. The remaining Demons in the Star Boundary were either killed or subdued by Chang Tian and the others. Demon Heavenly Dao was devastated as well. A few years ago, Can Ye, was injured by Senior Iron Blood, and he has gone into hiding since then. However, for the past ten years or so, it was also a buffer time for the Demons. It has been a long time since the Two Worlds’ Passage was sealed off, so no one knows what has been going on in the Demon Realm.” Li Wu Yi shook his head with a smile, “Maybe after we reopen the passage, we’ll realise that the Demons have also fully prepared as they await us to fall into their trap.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “Senior is right.”
“So, we cannot storm into the Demon Realm immediately. At the very least, we cannot recklessly do it.” Li Wu Yi rose from the chair with his hands behind his back and shuffled towards the centre of the hall, then he turned to look at Yang Kai, “You know what the passage is like. The entrance is very narrow, so only a limited number of people can pass through it at any given time. If we just charge over without any preparation, we’ll suffer a loss, and the reverse is true as well; therefore, we plan to arrange a Formation around the passage and wait for the armies to familiarise with one another before we open the gates. When the Demons come over, we’ll be able to deal a heavy blow to them.”
Yang Kai nodded, “The Demon Realm is falling apart, so they’re more anxious than we are. If they realise that the passage is open, they’ll send some people over. It’ll be useless if there’s only a small number, but if there are many of them, we can kill them all in one fell swoop.”
Li Wu Yi grinned, “That’s right. They’re the ones who are supposed to be anxious. We just have to set up an impenetrable defence around the passage. As long as the line is intact, we can make any move at any moment as we please. When we gain the upper hand one day, it won’t be too late for us to strike back.”
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai replied, “That will take a long time. Perhaps we’ll need several dozen or even over a hundred years to achieve this.”
“As long as we can ensure the Star Boundary’s safety, any sacrifice is worth it.”
“Understood.” Yang Kai rose from the chair and cupped his fists, “The Sixty-First Army has arrived on the battlefield, so if there is anything you need us to do, inform me straight away.”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “The other armies will assist in building up the formation, so you don’t have to worry about it; however, that doesn’t mean that your army has nothing to do. After the passage is opened, your army will have to face the Demons head-on. During this period of time, I’ll arrange a place for your army to stay, and then you just have to have them practice some military formations. The war between opposing armies is unlike a fight between two people. With so many people around, powerful cultivation isn’t the key to winning the battle anymore. Fortunately, even though your army has just been established, there are many veterans in your team. Just tell Yao Si to help you with it, and he’ll know what to do.”
“Understood,” Yang Kai said.
Following that, Li Wu Yi led him to the huge sand table and drew a circle on a particular spot, “With this spot as the centre, a radius of a thousand kilometres is where the Sixty-First Army will be stationed. You’ll handle the affairs in your army on your own. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can look for the other Commanders or come here to ask me.”
A moment later, Yang Kai stepped out of the hall and identified the direction before shooting into the sky. After one hour, he appeared in the sky above a desolate desert in the Western Territory. Looking down, he could still see some traces of the dilapidated Two Worlds’ Passage.
It was supposed to be the connecting point between the Demon Realm and the Star Boundary as well as the place where the Demons had gathered together in the past; however, since Yang Kai returned more than ten years ago and sealed off the passage, this place had slowly become desolate.
Even though there wasn’t anyone around now, everyone from the Star Boundary knew that if the Demons struck again one day, they would still come over through this place; therefore, with the location of the passage as the centre, those from Seven Mists Sea had begun arranging a Grand Array and Formation around it. All fifty-five armies had surrounded this barren place as they waited for the Demons to pass through the passage and fall into their trap.
Looking around, Yang Kai realised that a few thousand kilometres around the place, a lot of tents had been set up, and many people could be seen moving around. Apparently, they were the armies that had been stationed here. The bases of such a scale could be seen every couple thousand kilometres apart as they formed a gigantic circle around the passage.
While he was still observing, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the base on his right and flew towards him. The dazzling light broke through the air and reached Yang Kai in just over ten breaths’ time, after which an elderly man’s figure was revealed.
Yang Kai put on a smile and cupped his fists, “Senior Fu.”
The elderly man was none other than the Army Commander of the Fifty-Third Army, Fu Ren Jie, whom Yang Kai had come across in the hall of Seven Mists Sea some time ago. Initially, he was very stern with Yang Kai, so it was interesting that he became friendly to the young man in the end.
Fu Ren Jie guffawed, “I’ve always wondered why this place was empty and no army was stationed here. It seems that Supreme Commander Li reserved this place for you.”
Yang Kai took a look in the direction where the elderly man came from, then he arched his brow, “Is the Fifty-Third Army’s base over there?”
“That’s right.” Fu Ren Jie appeared jolly, “It seems that we’ll be neighbours from now on.” Then, he suddenly cupped his fists, “Please take care of me in the future.”
“I wouldn’t dare to.” Yang Kai quickly saluted him back, “I’m still a Junior in this place, so I am the one who will need you to take care of me. I know nothing about war affairs after all.”
Fu Ren Jie laughed, “That doesn’t matter because Yao Si is an expert in this field. Otherwise, what’s the point of you snatching him from me at all costs?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai put on a helpless smile and turned to look in a different direction, “Senior Fu, do you know whose base is there?”
Fu Ren Jie replied solemnly, “Cang Mo’s.”
Yang Kai became startled at that, but before he could come to his senses, Fu Ren Jie chuckled, “I’m just pulling your leg! I enjoy a good prank between friends. Please don’t mind it. Supreme Commander Li is aware that you’re on bad terms with Cang Mo, so he wouldn’t make the two of you become neighbours. Cang Mo’s Eighteenth Army is across from this place, which is very far from your base.”
At that, Yang Kai rubbed his nose and smirked, “Is it that obvious?”
Fu Ren Jie said, “I don’t know what the grudges are between you and Cang Mo, but I’m not blind, so it’s apparent to me that the two of you are on bad terms. I’m not fond of him either because of his arrogant attitude. If there are really grudges between you two, you have to be wary of him.”
Yang Kai put on a smile without replying to him.
Soon, Fu Ren Jie changed the topic by saying, “We’re now facing the Two Worlds’ Passage, so on your left this Old Master’s army. On your right, it’s the Thirty-Fifth Army. I’m sure you’re familiar with their Commander.”
“Senior Bing Yun?” Yang Kai became elated upon hearing that, then he turned to look at his right side. It seemed that Li Wu Yi was willing to look after him as one of his neighbours was his close friend, and the other was an elderly man that was easy to get along with. When war broke out in the future, they would be able to cooperate smoothly.
Fu Ren Jie replied with a smile, “That’s right.” He tutted, “Speaking of which, even though the Thirty-Fifth Army consists of mostly women, they’ve killed more Demons than most men. It seems that Bing Yun is an outstanding leader.”
Then, he arched his brow, “Brother Yang, since you’re already here, where’s your army? I’ve always heard that there are many top cultivators in your army, but I’ve never had the chance to meet them. Can you let me see them? I’m quite eager.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Sure. Please help me examine them.”
After he finished speaking, he summoned the Sealed World Bead and performed a hand seal. As the bead shot forward, Yang Kai quickly pushed his Divine Sense. In an instant, the void seemed to be trembling as a layer of ripples spread around. As the ripples expanded, the imposing figures of the soldiers, who were hidden in the bead earlier, were revealed.
The soldiers retained the formations they were in before Gun-Gun devoured them. All ten Divisions were in ten different formations. At that instant, three hundred thousand plus people seemed to have descended from the Heavens as murderous intent swirled around them.
That wasn’t the end of it though as Fu Ling shot out from the crowd and stood behind Yang Kai. As she swung her hand, the kilometre-long blood-coloured flag expanded and filled the sky. It was as though blood was dripping from the sky.
Three hundred thousand people cupped their fists and called out in unison, “Sir!”
The sound wave spread across the land, and even the world seemed to have paled.
Fu Ren Jie’s brow rose as he darted his gaze between his own army, which was a few thousand kilometres away, and the Sixty-First Army, his gaze filled with envy.
In fact, the Fifty-Third Army wasn’t weak. All fifty-four armies had killed countless Demons to reach where they were. That was what Fu Ren Jie thought in the past at least; however, when comparing the grandeur of Yang Kai’s army to that of his own, he felt like he was a King who had only occupied a hill. His army paled in front of Yang Kai’s. Then, he took a look at Yao Si and felt disgruntled.
Seeing his expression, Yang Kai knew that the elderly man must be frustrated, so he decided to stop showing off and quickly announced, “With this place as the centre, we’ll be stationed in a radius of a thousand kilometres around this area. All Division Commanders, divide the territories on your own and begin setting up camp.”
“Yes.” After all of them received the order, they hurriedly got to work.
Fu Ren Jie took a deep breath and praised the young man, “Good, good, good! The Sixty-First Army is like a tiger that has left the mountain or a Flood Dragon that has plunged into the ocean. You’ll make a name for yourself one day.”
“Senior Fu is too polite.”
Fu Ren Jie stared at the Sealed World Bead in Yang Kai’s hand and arched his brow, “I’ve always heard that Brother Yang has a storage artifact that can keep living creatures inside, but I haven’t had the chance to see it before. I think this must be that artifact, right?”
“En,” Yang Kai’s chest tightened as he subconsciously gripped his Sealed World Bead, thinking that the elderly man might want to snatch his treasure. Even though it hadn’t been a long time since they first met, Yang Kai knew that the old man was an easy-going and open-minded person; however, this kind of person also tended to be unabashed, which was why Yang Kai had to be cautious, “This is the Sealed World Bead, which was given to me by Senior Yang Yan in the past. Even though this item is profound, it can only be used by those who have cultivated Space Principles. It’s useless to anyone else.”
When Fu Ren Jie heard that, his gaze dimmed in an instant.
[This old man seriously wanted to snatch my treasure!] Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter.
Undeterred though, Fu Ren Jie smacked his lips and said, “Brother Yang is a Master in the Dao of Space, so could you modify it and make it accessible to those who haven’t cultivated that esoteric Dao? Take the Space Beacon as an example. It also has something to do with Space Principles, but it’s widely used in the military now.”
How far was it between the Third-Order Dao Source Realm and the Emperor Realm? If one was enlightened, the distance was as thin as a piece of window paper. If one wasn’t enlightened, it was the distance between the Heavens and Earth.
This rule applied to everything in this world, including the fact that the Sealed World Bead was able to keep living creatures within it.
Fu Ren Jie went on to say, “Brother Yang, this is what this Old Master was thinking. This is indeed a rare treasure, but it would be immensely useful if it could be widely adopted in the military. Think about it. Let’s say this Old Master is having a one-on-one fight with a formidable enemy, and things have come to a deadlock. How will the enemy react if I’m suddenly able to summon some people to help me? How will things turn out to be? Also, have you ever thought that this thing is useful for moving the soldiers around? For example, you’ve come all the way from the Northern Territory on your own, and the time you’ve taken is significantly less than if you had to march here with all three hundred thousand of your people. On the battlefield, moving soldiers around is always a troublesome issue and sometimes, speed is the key to victory or defeat, which is a problem that causes many a great deal of headache. If we had a treasure like your Sealed World Bead though, heh heh…”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he nodded, “I understand what you mean, Senior Fu. Perhaps… I can try to create something like the Sealed World Bead.”
If Fu Ren Jie had told him this before he was able to refine worlds, such an idea wouldn’t even need to be considered; however, after more than ten years of cultivation and comprehension, Yang Kai was greatly inspired upon hearing what Fu Ren Jie had said.
The Sealed World Bead was also created by a Senior cultivator, and since someone else had done it before, Yang Kai also stood a chance of achieving the same result. Moreover, he had practised refining worlds for more than ten years. He wouldn’t dare to say that he would definitely succeed, but he was sixty to seventy percent confident that he would be able to do it.
Fu Ren Jie’s eyes radiated a sharp glow when he heard that and encouraged, “Brother Yang, can you do it?”
“I’ll give it a try.”
Fu Ren Jie rubbed his hands and grinned, “Then this old man will shamelessly make a deal with you first, then. If you’re really able to create such a thing, you must give one to me.”
“En. If I succeed, Senior Fu will definitely receive one.”
Fu Ren Jie guffawed and clapped the young man’s shoulder, “If there’s anything you need in the future, just call out to me at any moment.”
“Many thanks, Senior Fu.” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
Fu Ren Jie waved his hand, “We will spend a lot of time together from now on, so both armies should frequently get in touch with one another. You’ve just arrived at this place, so I’m sure you’re swamped with work. I’ll stop bothering you now, and we’ll meet again soon.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll see you off then, Senior Fu.”
After Fu Ren Jie was gone, Yao Si approached Yang Kai and asked him where the Commander’s tent should be constructed. He had selected three decent places for Yang Kai to choose from.
Yang Kai wasn’t fastidious about it, so he just told Yao Si to make the decision on his behalf. Then, he went on to get busy along with the other soldiers.
Just like what Li Wu Yi had said, even though the Sixty-First Army had just been established, there were many veterans in its ranks. Some newcomers knew nothing about military affairs, but under the guidance of the veterans, they soon became familiarised with everything as they went on to work until the middle of the night. The base stretched about 800 kilometres and the tents were crisscrossed. There were so many people that one wouldn’t be able to see from one end to the other.
The Commander’s tent was put up in the centre of the camp, which made it very conspicuous. The tent was divided into the inner room and the outer room. The inner room was where Yang Kai would rest, and it was equipped with basic necessities. The outer room was where the military leaders would hold meetings, so it was quite spacious. There was a drum that was made from leather outside the tent. It was made using a Secret Technique, so the sound of the drum was able to transmit over a thousand kilometres, which ensured that everyone in the Sixty-First Army could hear it.
Nanmen Da Jun had tagged along this time, and he and other Array Masters had arranged a number of arrays outside the Commander’s tent. Yao Si had arranged for some people to patrol around the base as well. Before the Demons even appeared, the camp was already filled with murderous intent.
Presently, Yang Kai was seated in the outer room of his tent. Just then, an alluring figure stepped into the tent, and a fragrant scent exuded from her body. She was none other than Su Yan.
While Yang Kai put on a smile, she remained solemn and cupped her fists, “Sir.”
Coughing to adjust his bearing, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
His own wife had suddenly become strict and formal with him, so he wasn’t used to it; however, there were other people in the tent, so he couldn’t exactly behave in a casual manner.
Su Yan continued, “I’ve heard that the Thirty-Fifty Army is stationed on our right flank. I’ve not met my Honoured Master for years now and would like to pay her a visit. Please grant me permission, Sir.”
Upon learning her intention, Yang Kai got up and said, “Let’s go together. I need to visit Senior Bing Yun as well.”
Before Bing Yun left the hall in Seven Mists Sea, she spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense and told him to pay her a visit after he settled in. Yang Kai wondered what she needed to tell him and already had the intention to go over to Bing Yun’s place. Since Su Yan also had the same intention, naturally, they had to go there together.
After a nod, Su Yan followed Yang Kai out of the tent. Upon identifying the direction, they shot into the sky. Just a moment later, they were already a thousand kilometres away from the Sixty-First Army’s base. Yang Kai slowed down and waited for Su Yan to approach him before taking her hand.
An embarrassed Su Yan looked around, as though she was doing something scandalous. Seeing that no one else was around, she set her mind at ease and shot Yang Kai a glare, but she still let him do as he pleased.
However, she hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would go completely overboard by pulling her into his embrace. With her face reddening, she pressed her palms against her man’s chest in an attempt to widen their gap as she demanded in a small voice, “Don’t do this.”
“No one else is around,” A shameless Yang Kai further extended his claws toward her.
“We can’t do this even if no one else is around!” Then, Su Yan forcefully pinched his arm. While he cringed in pain, she quickly struggled out of his grip and pressed her lips together, “We Sisters have come to an agreement to not indulge in private affairs while on military duty. Be it in public or in private, we’ll not get too close to you.”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Why am I not aware of this? When did you all make such a decision?”
Su Yan covered her mouth and giggled, “It was the night before we embarked.”
“Who proposed it? This is outrageous!” Yang Kai appeared fierce as his eyes were filled with ferocity.
“You don’t have to know who proposed it. You are the Army Commander of the Sixty-First Army now, so you have to become the role model for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and everyone is watching your every move. If you don’t behave like an Army Commander and indulge in lust and debauchery, the others will follow your example, and discipline will collapse. The Junior Brothers…”
“Junior Brothers?” Yang Kai shot her a glare.
An embarrassed Su Yan quickly minced her words, “Husband, just hold it in for now. Your patience will be rewarded greatly once all this is over.”
“When will that day come?” Yang Kai’s expression darkened as he had a bad premonition.
Su Yan replied in a hushed voice, “After the Two Great Worlds’ War ends.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “All of you are truly my good wives, all so concerned about my honour and image. Truly, I am moved!”
Su Yan pinched his arm even harder this time as she muttered, “Don’t be mad at us. You know we’re doing this for your own good.”
A dejected Yang Kai let out a long, long sigh as he nodded, “Fine, I’ll act disciplined. Are you happy now?” He secretly sneered as he decided to ignore this collective decision that was unjustly made when he wasn’t around.
A gratified Su Yan nodded her head, “We’ll make it up to you in the future.”
An elated Yang Kai pulled her into his embrace again, “How are you going to make it up to me?”
Hearing that, Su Yan started blushing and fell silent.
Yang Kai chuckled and abruptly asked, “So, who proposed this?”
“I won’t tell you,” Su Yan shook her head as her long hair tickled the man’s face.
“It must be Zhu Qing. I knew it was her. Only she would make this kind of proposal. I’ll make sure to ‘discipline’ her later!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth with a ferocious expression.
“It wasn’t her, and stop asking,” Su Yan was torn between tears and laughter as she thought that she must stick close to Zhu Qing when they returned so that Yang Kai wouldn’t have a chance to make a move on her.
The distance of a couple thousand kilometres wasn’t very far, but with Yang Kai and Su Yan not rushing, it took them a stick of incense to reach their destination which was another expansive base that was brightly lit.
After they landed on the ground outside the base, someone immediately came forward and bellowed, “Who goes there! No one shall enter the Thirty-Fifth Army’s base without permission!”
Right after she finished speaking, a figure dashed out of the base and raised her hand, “Don’t be rude to them.”
The person took a few steps forward and saluted Yang Kai in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Senior Brother Yang.”
“Junior Sister Liu?” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her, “We haven’t met in years, and you’ve already reached the Emperor Realm. En, your aptitude is truly outstanding. Congratulations.”
Yang Kai was familiar with this woman. She was the one who had fallen into the hands of Blue Feather Sect in the past alongside him. Her name was Liu Xian Yun, and she originally came from Grand Desolation Star Field. When she was taken in as Bing Yun’s disciple, she was already in the Dao Source Realm, and after many years, she had become an Emperor as well.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai felt gratified. Nothing made him happier than seeing his old friends becoming stronger day by day.
Liu Xian Yun flashed a sweet smile at him, “Well, I’m no match for Little Junior Sister. She was the last one to join our Sect, but she also has the best aptitude. Our Honoured Master always praises her.”
The Little Junior Sister she was talking about was naturally Su Yan.
“Junior Sister Liu, why are you here?” Yang Kai stared at her.
Liu Xian Yun replied, “Honoured Master has ordered me to wait for you here, Sir.”
All of a sudden, she changed the way she addressed Yang Kai. It wasn’t that she wanted to distance herself from him, but rather that there were rules to obey in the military. It was inappropriate for them to keep calling one another Senior Brother and Junior Sister when formal matters were being discussed. Then, she stepped to the side and said, “Sir, this way please.”
Yang Kai nodded, “En.”
They headed straight to the Commander’s tent, after which Liu Xian Yun stopped in her tracks and turned around, “Sir, please wait a moment. I will inform Honoured Master about your visit.”
Yang Kai had nothing else to say and was completely at ease as he waited outside with Su Yan.
A moment later, Liu Xian Yun walked out of the tent with an awkward expression, “Honoured Master isn’t here at the moment. Sir, please come with me.”
Yang Kai replied, “Is Senior Bing Yun attending to some important matters? In that case, I don’t mind waiting for her here.”
Liu Xian Yun shook her head, “I don’t know. Honoured Master has left a message and told me to bring you to meet her somewhere else.”
Yang Kai nodded and followed her as he examined the soldiers in the Thirty-Fifth Army. Whenever the soldiers passed by Yang Kai and the others, they would stop and salute them.
Just a short while later, they reached another tent. There was a Spirit Array around the tent, so no one could detect what was going on inside; however, since Liu Xian Yun had arrived at this place, it suggested that Bing Yun must be inside.
After stopping in her tracks, Liu Xian Yun cupped her fists, “Honoured Master, Sir Yang of the Sixty-First Army has come to visit you.”
Bing Yun replied from inside, “Come in.”
Liu Xian Yun lifted the door curtain before flashing a smile at Yang Kai and Su Yan, “Please.”
Yang Kai stepped inside and raised his head, only to see Bing Yun looking smilingly at him. Just when he wanted to salute her, he felt someone else staring at him. Turning his head, he was met with a pair of clear eyes.
Besides Bing Yun, Ji Yao was also inside the tent. Judging from the decor inside the tent, Yang Kai reckoned that it was actually the latter’s. Ji Yao was a Division Commander in the Thirty-Fifth Army, so as a person in authority, she had the right to have a private space.
However, Yang Kai wondered why Bing Yun wanted to meet him here.
“Greetings, Senior.” Yang Kai pulled himself together and cupped his fists.
Behind him, Su Yan also saluted, “Disciple greets Honoured Master.”
Bing Yun put on a smile and raised her hand, “Stand up. Both of you are not outsiders, so you don’t have to be overly formal with me.”
Yang Kai straightened his back and took a look at Ji Yao, who was standing beside Bing Yun. Then, he said with a smile, “Junior Sister Yao, we haven’t met in ages, but you’re still as charming as ever.”
Ji Yao hung her head low and saluted him in an elegant manner, “Greetings, Senior Brother.” Her soft voice was trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly so.
“Have a seat,” Bing Yun pointed at a chair on the side and made a gesture.
A horrified Yang Kai said, “Senior, I wouldn’t dare sit before Senior, I’ll stand.”
Bing Yun shot him a glare, “Stop calling me Senior. Both of us are Army Commanders, so we are equals. I might need your help on the battlefield in the future. Must you be so formal with me?”
Since she had said so, Yang Kai gave it a thought and stopped insisting before he took a seat.
It was then Bing Yun said with a smile, “Very good. Besides the fact that both of our Sects are supposed to help one another out, my treasured Disciple is deeply in love with you, so we’re practically family; therefore, you mustn’t be too stiff with me again.”
A guilty Yang Kai bowed his head as his forehead was drenched in sweat.
Bing Yun suddenly changed the topic by saying, “Supreme Commander Li told me that you had been staying in the Lower Star Field for more than ten years. Is everything there alright?”
Yang Kai replied, “Everything’s fine. Nothing serious has happened to the Star Field.”
“That’s good.” Bing Yun nodded.
Yang Kai thought that she had an important issue to discuss with him, but he hadn’t expected that after they were seated, Bing Yun only made small talk with him. Despite that, he would still answer every question she asked.
Bing Yun had been an Army Commander for years while Yang Kai was still a novice in this regard, so he had a lot of questions to ask her. Bing Yun unreservedly shared with him her experience of leading the army and fighting against the Demons over the years.
Yang Kai listened attentively as this was all useful information.
While they were having a chat, Su Yan and Ji Yao were secretly communicating with one another using Divine Sense. From time to time, they would cover their mouths and laugh. Yang Kai wondered what they were talking about that made them so happy.
One hour later, while Bing Yun was enjoying her tea, Su Yan suddenly said, “Honoured Master, when I cultivated recently, I felt my Emperor Qi become slightly blocked as it passed through my dantian. Could there be something wrong?”
Hearing this, Bing Yun turned to look at her, which caused her to start flushing and hang her head low.
Bing Yun put on a gentle smile as she said, “Come with me. I’ll check your condition.”
“Yes,” Su Yan replied respectfully and followed her out of the tent.
After they were gone, Yang Kai frowned and turned to Ji Yao, “Junior Sister Yao, has Su Yan come across any problems with her cultivation recently?”
It was no laughing matter when one faced an issue while cultivating. Even if it wasn’t so severe, an unsteady circulation of a cultivator’s Emperor Qi could cause damage to one’s own meridians. In the worst case, one could suffer from cultivation dissonance and have all his cultivation destroyed. That was the reason he was flustered and worried, “Why has she never mentioned anything about this to me before?”
Ji Yao, however, just rolled her eyes at him and started walking away.
A baffled Yang Kai called out to her again, but she ignored him and stepped into the inner room before drawing the beaded curtain.
Yang Kai was flustered as he wanted to step out of the tent to find out what was going on; however, this had something to do with the Ice Heart Valley’s Secret Art, so he couldn’t act so rudely.
After pacing around in the tent for a while, he suddenly arched his brow and realised that something was off. As his eyes darted around, his breathing also became heavy.
Supposedly, if Su Yan had come across any trouble in her cultivation, she would’ve told him about it. Furthermore, it wasn’t necessary for Bing Yun to be wary of him as she even took Su Yan away. All the clues suggested that something was off.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai walked up to the entrance and stuck out his head, only to see that no one was around. Even the cultivators who were supposed to be guarding the tent had gone missing as well. No one could be seen patrolling around the area either.
Retracting his head, he scratched his nose and furtively looked around as though he was going to do something terrible. Somehow composing himself, he then folded his hands behind his back, walked up to the beaded curtain, and coughed into his fist, “Junior Sister Yao…”
She didn’t reply to him, but he could feel that her breathing had become more rapid.
“Can I come in?” Yang Kai asked again.
Still, she didn’t respond to him, and only after a long silence did Ji Yao say in a low voice, “Is anyone stopping you?”
There was a tinge of grievance and frustration in her voice.
Yang Kai grinned and pulled the beaded curtain apart. The inner room he had just stepped into was supposed to be the place where Ji Yao rested, but there were no intricate decorations that were commonly found in a woman’s room. The disciples of Ice Heart Valley were mostly impassive, and they were not fastidious about living facilities; therefore, Ji Yao’s room was pretty minimalistic. Only the pink curtains that were hung around her bed added a sense of liveliness to her room.
At this moment, Ji Yao was seated beside her bed as she looked away from Yang Kai. With her head hung low, like an unmoving sculpture. The candlelight flickered and dyed her alluring face red.
Yang Kai gulped as he joyfully stepped forward. His behaviour was that of a licentious man who was sneaking into a widow’s room in the middle of the night.
After taking a seat beside Ji Yao, he directly took her hand.
Ji Yao squirmed out of his grip and turned around to face away from him.
Yang Kai chuckled and clenched her shoulders, “What’s wrong? Are you mad? Tell me who has offended you.”
After a sigh, she replied gently, “I’m too ashamed to face anyone.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was puzzled by what she had said, “Why are you ashamed to face anyone?”
After a sigh, she turned around and looked into the man’s eyes, then she said helplessly, “Why do you think my Honoured Master has asked you to come over but decided to meet you in my tent? Do you seriously believe that Little Junior Sister is facing any problem in her cultivation that requires our Honoured Master’s help?”
Yang Kai was already aware of it, but he still pretended he had no clue as he replied in shock, “You mean…”
A blushing Ji Yao explained, “The reason Honoured Master asked you to meet her here and Little Junior Sister has come up with such a bad excuse to leave with Honoured Master is that they want us to have some time alone.”
Yang Kai widened his eyes, “They’ve found out about it?”
Ji Yao covered her face, “I really don’t have the courage to face Little Junior Sister anymore. What should I do?”
Torn between tears and laughter, Yang Kai extended his hands and pulled her hands away, then he consoled her by saying, “That doesn’t really matter. Since Senior Bing Yun and Su Yan have found out about it, we don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.”
“No!” Ji Yao shook her head as her hair flapped in the air, “It wouldn’t have mattered if she wasn’t my Little Junior Sister; however, the fact is that she is my Little Junior Sister! If word gets out that I, as a Senior Sister, have snatched her man, what will others think of me?”
“What should we do then? They’ve already found out.”
Ji Yao bit her lip as her gaze was filled with hesitation. A moment later, she stared at the man and said sorrowfully, “We mustn’t meet in private again. This is the last time!”
Yang Kai batted his eyes, but before he could say anything, she leaned close to him as her cold lips came into contact with his. It was just a peck, and before he could have a taste of her softness, she straightened up and demanded in a shaking voice, “Leave!”
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t leave and instead forcefully pulled her into his embrace. While she parted her lips and exclaimed, he lowered himself and locked lips with her.
At that instant, she was engulfed in desire as her heart pounded against her chest.
On her bed, the two aroused figures intertwined with one another. Initially, Ji Yao attempted to resist; however, after just five breaths, she began moaning as she wrapped her arms around the man’s neck.
As their clothes became a mess, Yang Kai realised that she didn’t turn him down this time. In the past, whenever he tried to disrobe her, she would hold firmly onto her clothes; however, this time, her resistance was minimal.
A motivated Yang Kai became even more fervent.
While they were deep in the moment though, Yang Kai suddenly stopped what he was doing and widened his eyes. Following that, he grabbed the quilt from the side and covered the dishevelled woman with it; then, he turned his head to look in a particular direction.
With a reddened face, Ji Yao panted and asked, “What happened…”
Right after she finished asking, she realised that something was off as there seemed to be one more person in the room. Thinking back, she recalled detecting an unusual energy fluctuation just now.
A shocked Ji Yao looked in the same direction and saw a curvy figure standing beside the bed. The figure pulled the pink curtains open and fell into a dazed state as she appeared astounded. It seemed that she hadn’t expected to see this sight, so she had become rooted to the spot.
“Yu Ru Meng!” Ji Yao frowned as she recognised her at first glance. At the same time, she figured out how the other woman appeared here all of a sudden. Yu Ru Meng must have activated the Space Beacon connected to Yang Kai’s own to directly appear in this room.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched before he burst into laughter, “Ru Meng, what are you doing here?”
Nothing in this world could be more embarrassing than this. Presently, Yang Kai had trapped Ji Yao under his vicious claws, so he wasn’t even sure whether he should get up. Even though Yu Ru Meng was a woman close to him, he still felt ashamed that she walked in on him during such a moment.
“I-I’m just here to visit you,” Yu Ru Meng replied, “I could sense that you were nearby, so…”
With the Heart Seal Secret Technique connecting both of them, Yu Ru Meng already realised it as soon as Yang Kai arrived at the battlefield in the Western Territory. However, it wasn’t convenient for her to set out right away to meet him. Furthermore, Yang Kai had just arrived at this place, so she figured he must have been swamped with work, which was why she thought that she would look for him at night. However, she hadn’t expected that after she activated the Space Beacon, she would appear in a woman’s room.
Soon, she came to the realisation that these two should be the ones who were anxious instead as their affair had been exposed. Why should she be flustered? As such, she sneered, “What a surprise this is. Haha.”
She wouldn’t have been stunned if the one on the bed was Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, or any woman that was Yang Kai’s wife. However, presently, the woman being pressed under Yang Kai was Ji Yao, someone she was still familiar with.
“Well, I…” Yang Kai scratched his head for a long time but still couldn’t come up with any excuse.
Yu Ru Meng darted her gaze between Yang Kai and Ji Yao before she scoffed, “Why haven’t you even taken off your clothes after such a long time? You’re so useless. Do you need my help?”
“W-What do you mean?” Yang Kai was dumbstruck.
After shooting a glance at Ji Yao, Yu Ru Meng put on a smile, “It’s apparent that she hasn’t even lost her Primordial Yin. She’s still an innocent little lamb. Since it’s her first time, she might not be too comfortable with it. I can take care of her on the side and share my experience with her.”
Yang Kai coughed, “Stop messing with us.”
He felt diffident as he wasn’t sure whether she was mad at him or amused.
Yu Ru Meng pursed her lips, “Just bed her if you want to. What are you afraid of? Have I ever tried to settle grudges with you for having so many women? I don’t mind sharing my man with one more!” Then, she started giggling as a seductive glow radiated from her eyes, “Why don’t we give this new sister a demonstration so she can learn from us?”
Right after she finished speaking, she took action by climbing onto the bed and then on top of her man, her figure radiating an astonishing allure.
While Yang Kai was stunned, Ji Yao couldn’t take it anymore as she leapt off the bed from the other side and bit her lip, “Y-Y-You two have a nice chat! I-I-I’ll wait outside.”
After she ran away in embarrassment, she heard Yu Ru Meng giggling charmingly behind her.
When Ji Yao was out of sight, Yu Ru Meng looked down at her man with a meaningful grin on her face. As she gently stroked Yang Kai’s chest with her soft fingers, he felt a slightly ticklish sensation.
After a gulp, he said, “This is inappropriate… After all, this is Ji Yao’s room, so we probably shouldn’t do… anything in her place. Why don’t we go to a different place?”
“Don’t you think it’s more exciting this way?” Yu Ru Meng lowered herself and whispered, her gaze seemingly able to suck his soul from his body.
Yang Kai shook his head, and then he quickly nodded.
As her fair hand roamed around the man’s chest, his clothes were slowly taken off. Yu Ru Meng breathed heavily as she puffed some breath into the man’s ear and murmured at the same time, her voice almost sounded like sleep talking, “When did you hook up with her?”
“It hasn’t been long.” Yang Kai extended his hands and clenched her slender waist.
Yu Ru Meng slapped away his greedy hand, as though she wanted to dominate everything today. With a gentle smile, she said, “It’s no wonder people always say that a man’s wife is inferior to his lover. So, she’s the kind of woman you love.”
“That isn’t true.” Yang Kai quickly denied it. At the same time, his blood was boiling.
“Initially, Su Yan and the others messaged me and said that they wanted to cooperate with me regarding a certain issue. I ignored them at first, but now it seems that… hehe.”
A stunned Yang Kai asked, “What do you mean that they want to cooperate with you? Actually, wait, have you been in contact with them?”
Yu Ru Meng replied with a smile, “They’re all your women, of course I have to get to know them better. When you weren’t around over the past ten years, while we could only meet a few times, we frequently contacted one another through messages. They were all very sweet to me. It’s just that there are too many of them. With that said, you’re a strong, virile man with many tricks up your sleeves, so I’m sure you won’t make any of us feel lonely.”
“What kind of alliance do they want to form with you…” Yang Kai asked again as he had an ominous premonition.
Yu Ru Meng giggled sweetly, “What else could it be? They said that since we’re now going to war, as an Army Commander, you should act as a role model and must not indulge in carnal affairs.”
Yang Kai gulped hard, “H-Have you agreed to it?”
“Why would I agree to it?” Yu Ru Meng snorted, “No one can dictate to this Queen what to do.”
“You’re right. En, very right! You must reject them!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Yu Ru Meng kept a faint smile on her face, “Naturally that is what I intended to do, but now…” All of a sudden, she forcefully pinched the man’s waist, which caused him to yelp in pain as his face contorted, “I believe I should stand together with my Sisters. In any case, you’ll find another woman to satisfy yourself when you want, so you don’t really need us to serve you, do you?”
Upon hearing his cry, a shocked Ji Yao asked worriedly from outside, “W-What happened?”
Yu Ru Meng swiftly covered his mouth to stop him from replying as she spoke through a series of breathless moans, “Ah, n-nothing.”
In an instant, the woman outside the room fell silent.
A moment later, Yu Ru Meng rolled out of the bed and snorted, “Little bastard.”
Before Yang Kai could even speak, she shuffled forward, but she soon thought of something. Then, she messed up her hair and wrinkled her clothes. Following that, she pulled the beaded curtain apart and stepped into the outer room.
Ji Yao widened her eyes as she stared at the other woman in shock.
Presently, Yu Ru Meng’s face radiated a pinkish glow, and her gaze seemed to have been filled with softness, like a flower that had just been watered. With a sweet smile, she said, “He’s all yours now.”
Then, she elegantly left the tent and shot into the sky.
After Ji Yao took a look outside, she shifted her attention to the inner room. With a frown, she hesitated for a long time. Worried about the man, she stepped inside and raised her head, only to see the man lying on the bed with a hollow, listless gaze. It was as though all his life force had been sucked out of him.
In an instant, her eyes turned bloodshot as she walked over and hoisted his figure. Heartbroken, she asked, “What happened? What did she do to you?”
Yang Kai shot her a look and heaved a sigh. It was far too embarrassing for him to admit the truth. There was no way he would tell her that he had become dejected exactly because Yu Ru Meng hadn’t done anything to him.
It was supposed to be a night of passion, but after Yu Ru Meng messed everything up, he was no longer in the mood to do anything; thus, he got off the bed and put on his clothes.
A moment later, Yang Kai and Ji Yao stepped out of the tent. Su Yan was already waiting outside the tent. Seeing them, she asked with a frown, “Was Ru Meng here?”
“Did you see her?” Yang Kai blushed.
Su Yan replied, “Honoured Master told me that she sensed Ru Meng’s aura. What was she doing here?” She looked worriedly at Ji Yao. She wanted to ask whether Yu Ru Meng had disturbed them, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Yang Kai was humming and hawing for a while, but he couldn’t tell her what had happened, so they decided to leave together while Ji Yao saw them off.
Upon reaching the Sixty-First Army’s base, Su Yan returned to the Heavenly Phoenix Division while Yang Kai went back to the Commander’s tent on his own. Yao Si came over to report that the camp had been fully set up, and he needed Yang Kai to come up with a plan for future training.
This was a serious matter. The Sixty-First Army had just been established and its foundation wasn’t so solid. Furthermore, they had never battled against the Demons before as a group. Nevertheless, there were no enemies for them to fight with now, so they had to go through some drills and exercises on their own. After pulling himself together, Yang Kai summoned all ten Division Commanders to discuss the issue regarding training.
Most of the Division Commanders had substantial experience on the battlefield, so they had greater understanding in leading an army than Yang Kai as they expressed their own opinions. Yao Si compiled their opinions and only took the best pieces of advice. Soon, a plan was devised.
Then, Yang Kai gave the order that when there was no war, the soldiers were to follow the drill schedule that had been agreed upon tonight. All the Division Commanders complied.
When they were done with the meeting, it was already in the middle of the night. Just when Yang Kai was about to take a rest, a guard stepped into the tent and reported, “Sir, Brigade Commander Shan was worried about you, so she prepared some food.”
Yang Kai didn’t understand who Brigade Commander Shan was at first, but he soon realised that it must be Shan Qing Luo. Elated, he raised his hand and said, “Tell her to come in.”
“Yes.” The guard received the order and left the tent. Soon, Shan Qing Luo walked into the tent in a charming manner with a box in her hand. When she reached Yang Kai, she saluted him in an elegant manner, “Sir, I’m sure you must be exhausted, which is why I’ve prepared some light snacks for you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Stop pretending. There are no outsiders now. Come over quickly. I want to know what you’ve prepared for me.”
On this day, he suffered quite a number of setbacks because of his women. First, Su Yan refused to be intimate with him; then, when he was just about to sink his teeth into Ji Yao, Yu Ru Meng walked in on them. Presently, he was exhausted both mentally and physically. At this point, Shan Qing Luo was considerate as she had prepared food for him, which was why he felt moved.
Shan Qing Luo covered her mouth and laughed tenderly before putting the box on the table. Then, she turned around and directly took a seat on the man’s thighs.
Embracing her with one arm, Yang Kai opened the box with his other hand, then furrowed his brow, “There’s nothing in it.”
There was no food in the box as it was empty.
Shan Qing Luo flashed a sweet smile at him as her plump bottom gently began rubbing against the man’s thighs. At that instant, Yang Kai could feel the astonishing softness and elasticity on his thighs, as well as a rising heat. Then, she drew circles on her man’s chest and said in a soft voice, “There is a snack here, but I’m not sure if it suits your taste…” After she finished speaking, she stroked her own red lips and smiled bashfully.
Understanding what she meant, Yang Kai immediately became alert, “Has your Big Sister sent you here to give me a test?”
Shan Qing Luo chortled and beckoned to him, motioning for him to come closer.
Yang Kai leaned backwards and shook his head repeatedly. Vigilantly, he said, “If I lean in now, the others will activate their Space Beacons and come over to catch me in the act, right?”
She laughed in exasperation as she grabbed his ears and pulled him closer to herself. Presently, her lips were practically brushing his skin as her breath exuded a pleasant scent, “I was the one who proposed that we should join forces and refrain from getting intimate with you.”
Just when the incensed Yang Kai wanted to teach her a lesson, he caught a glimpse of her sly smile and then he realised her true intention, “You want the full meal to yourself!”
Shan Qing Luo put on a smile, “So what?”
An astounded Yang Kai said, “You’re so brazen. If your other Sisters found out about it…”
“That’s an issue I’ll deal with on my own…” Shan Qing Luo stuck out two fingers and hoisted the man’s chin before puffing a breath at him, “But I don’t know whether you have the guts to accompany me. If you’re scared, I can leave now.”
Yang Kai snorted and lifted her off her feet before shuffling into the inner room, “Let’s see whether the late-night snack you prepared suits my taste.”
Shan Qing Luo wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled happily.
…
The Sixty-First Army was spectacular in both quality and quantity. Of all the fifty-five armies in the Star Boundary, the Sixty-First Army was definitely the greatest leviathan. The other armies were totally no match for them at all. The top cultivators in the army had also added a sense of pride to Yang Kai.
The next day, after they were done settling down, many Army Commanders, regardless of how far away they were stationed, paid them a visit, which allowed Yang Kai to get to know more people. When the Army Commanders observed how the soldiers were drilled, they all appeared envious as they wished to replace Yang Kai and lead this grandiose army to destroy the Demon Realm.
The army was essentially entirely managed by Yao Si, so Yang Kai didn’t really have anything to do. In the morning, he would receive the Army Commanders from afar and have a chat with the reclusive top Masters. At night, he would enjoy the late-night ‘snacks’ sent to him by Shan Qing Luo, so his life was pretty enjoyable. After a few days of hustle and bustle, things finally settled into a routine in the Sixty-First Army camp.
The formation devised by Seven Mists Sea to surround the Two Worlds’ Passage was still being set up. Moving the soldiers around and adjusting the nodes couldn’t be done in just one or two days. Li Wu Yi had estimated that it would be considered quick if they could finish setting up the formation in half a year.
So, he had given the order that in half a year to one year, the passage would be reopened, and they would wage war against the Demons.
All the soldiers in the Star Boundary were getting prepared for the showdown.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had returned to the Lower Star Field. He was an expert in the Dao of Space who had obtained the World’s Will and refined the Star Field’s Source, so he didn’t need to go through Star Court if he wanted to return to the Star Field, which was an advantage unavailable to the other Star Field Masters.
Previously, he had spent more than ten years trying to refine a world, and he eventually managed to separate the second region from the Small Sealed World and solved its crisis.
This time, he wanted to create a storage artifact that was similar to the Sealed World Bead. He was inspired by Fu Ren Jie, who was right to say that such a storage artifact would be very useful for moving soldiers around and catching the enemy off guard.
Yang Kai now excelled in creating such storage artifacts.
All the asteroids and Dead Stars he had refined in the past, technically, could be considered storage artifacts. When they were in his hands, he was able to keep living creatures inside them.
However, a person who hadn’t cultivated the Dao of Space wouldn’t be able to do this even if these items were in his or her possession. Hence, the problem facing Yang Kai was how he could make those who hadn’t cultivated Space Principles able to use these artifacts.
With Space Beacons as a precedent, it wasn’t so difficult to solve this problem, fortunately. Yang Kai was confident that he could do it before the final battle; however, he needed some time to create such an item.
Inside the core of a small Dead Star, he was in a state of hypnagogia. Space Principles turned into invisible waves and spread around the entire Dead Star. Under the influence of these Space Principle waves, the Dead Star was shrinking in a strange manner.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes a long time later, the Dead Star had already turned into a bead. He grabbed the bead and examined it with a frown. After pondering on it for a while, he put it in his clothes.
Half a day later, he appeared beside Su Yan in the Sixty-First Army’s base in the Western Territory.
At that moment, Su Yan was meditating in her own tent with her legs crossed on her bed. Seeing Yang Kai, she naturally thought that he had impure intentions, so she blushed and threatened, “Husband, it’s still daytime, so you shouldn’t have come here. If you dare to do anything to me, I-I’ll call for help.”
“And who are you going to seek help from?” Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, then he took her hand, “Come with me.”
A confused Su Yan asked, “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to try out something,” Yang Kai explained.
After leaving the tent, they bumped into a team of soldiers who were patrolling. Seeing Yang Kai and Su Yan leaving the tent together, the Team Leader immediately waved his hand and led his team to turn around.
“Wait a moment!” Yang Kai shouted from behind.
The Team Leader froze and slowly turned around with a miserable expression on his face, “Sir, I didn’t see anything.” Then, he turned to look at his subordinates, “Have you all seen anything?”
All of them frantically shook their heads.
A blushing Su Yan wasn’t even sure whether she should explain herself.
Yang Kai and Su Yan walked up to them before he stuffed the bead into her hand; then, he pointed at the Team Leader and said, “Send him inside it.”
Su Yan’s gaze brightened when she saw the bead in her palm and asked, “Have you succeeded?”
Before Yang Kai left some time ago, he had told the other leaders in the military about his plan; therefore, when Su Yan heard what he had just said, her thoughts naturally drifted in that direction.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know, so I need you to give it a try.”
Su Yan nodded and walked up to the Team Leader. With the bead in her hand, she pushed her Emperor Qi as her Divine Sense surged and engulfed the person in front of her.
The Team Leader trembled like a homeless quail in the winter as he pleaded with a horrified expression, “Sir, Madam, please, I-I really didn’t see anything…”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai cut him off.
The Team Leader immediately shut his mouth, but he was still shuddering.
A moment later, Su Yan retracted her Divine Sense as her Emperor Qi subsided. Turning to Yang Kai, she shook her head, “I couldn’t.”
She had attempted several times, but she still couldn’t keep the Team Leader inside the bead.
“Alright,” Yang Kai wasn’t disappointed. After storing the bead, he frowned and pondered on what had gone wrong.
Right then, the unmoving Team Leader gulped as he was very apprehensive. He wasn’t even sure what repercussions he would face for walking in on Yang Kai and Su Yan.
Yang Kai lifted his gaze, “Why are you still standing here?”
The Team Leader asked in a small voice, “Sir, is there anything else you need me to do?”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Nothing else. Continue patrolling.”
“Yes!” The relieved Team Leader quickly saluted him and fled from the scene with his team.
Yang Kai remained in the same spot for the next three days. During this period of time, some military leaders had come to visit; however, Su Yan knew that he must be pondering an important matter, so she told her subordinates to seal off the area. She also personally stood guard for him to make sure no one disturbed him.
Three days later, Yang Kai arched his brow and put on a jolly expression. With a grin, he stomped his foot and shot into the sky before disappearing from sight.
This time, he stayed in the Lower Star Field for a longer time than previously. The last time he went to the Star Field, he had stayed there for half a month. This time, he only revealed himself after two months.
Once again, he directly appeared inside Su Yan’s tent. After what had happened last time, Su Yan knew what he had been doing, so she didn’t give him a telling-off again.
After leaving the tent, they bumped into a team of soldiers who were patrolling, and as their eyes met, the Team Leader’s expression darkened.
[Why is this happening again!?] The last time he came across these two people, he was horrified for no reason. After two months, the same thing happened again. At that instant, he secretly decided that he would never patrol around this area again.
Not daring to flee, he dragged himself towards them and cupped his fists, “Sir, Madam.”
Yang Kai shot him a look and muttered, “Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before? Are you a High Heaven Palace’s disciple?”
The Team Leader replied respectfully, “Sir, I’ve always wanted to join High Heaven Palace, but have never had the luck.”
Yang Kai clapped his shoulder, “In the face of a crisis, you’re also making a contribution by working for the Sixty-First Army. Now, I have an important task for you that has to do with the safety of the Star Boundary.”
The astounded Team Leader straightened up in an instant, “Sir, please give the order. I’ll do whatever I can even if I have to lose my life.”
“It’s nothing so serious. Just stay right here and don’t resist.” Yang Kai turned to look at Su Yan, “Try it now.”
Su Yan infused her Emperor Qi into the bead in her palm as her Divine Sense engulfed the Team Leader.
The next instant, the Team Leader abruptly disappeared from their sight while the other soldiers traded their glances in surprise.
Yang Kai guffawed and lifted Su Yan off her feet before swinging her around a few times.
Su Yan exclaimed, and after Yang Kai put her down, her face was already as red as roses.
The soldiers widened their eyes as they were rooted to the spot. When they came to their senses, they either looked up at the sky or looked down at the ground.
“Try sending more people inside,” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Upon hearing that, the embarrassed Su Yan decisively pushed her Emperor Qi and sent the entire patrol team into the bead, after which she felt slightly less awkward.
“Let’s keep trying to ascertain where the limits are.” Yang Kai led her to walk around the base. Wherever they went, the people they came across would disappear.
One hour later, Yao Si, whose expression was solemn, stopped Yang Kai and Su Yan somewhere in the base, “Sir, something has happened.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai frowned as Yao Si’s expression suggested that something serious had happened.
Yao Si replied grimly, “I suspect that someone has snuck into our camp.”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened, “Who dares do such a thing?”
After shaking his head, Yao Si looked around with vigilance, “I have no idea, but the person must be a top Master as they have taken out more than seventy of our patrol teams without making any noise. There were no signs of battles either. I’ve ordered the Division Commanders to examine the base so that we’ll capture the intruder soon… Sir, why are you looking at me like that?”
Yang Kai turned to look at Su Yan, “Previously, the Army Commander from the Fifty-Third Army, Senior Fu booked this item from me. Help me pass this to him when you’re free. Also, tell him that this thing requires Spiritual Energy to activate, so he must be careful not to exhaust himself.”
“En,” Su Yan obediently nodded.
“Then I’ll carry on my own work.” Yang Kai coughed and ignored Yao Si before swiftly communicating with the Star Field’s Source, upon which his figure faded rapidly.
Yao Si furrowed his brows, “Sir, where are you going? What about the intruder?”
After shooting him a look, Su Yan heaved a sigh and tossed the bead to him.
With a doubtful expression, Yao Si took it and infused his Divine Sense into it. The next moment, he became elated, “Has he succeeded?”
In response, Su Yan nodded.
“This is wonderful news! With this, the soldiers of the Star Boundary…” Just at that moment, he knitted his brows, “There is no intruder, right? All the missing soldiers have been put inside this bead?”
Su Yan nodded, “He told me to do it.”
Yao Si blinked a few times before he heaved a long sigh. Sometimes, he found it exhausting to deal with a leader like Yang Kai. However, the birth of this storage artifact had made his frustration diminish a little. Energised again, he said, “What is this thing called? The space inside it seems to be expansive. It should be more than enough to accommodate any entire army.”
Su Yan replied, “He calls it a World Bead. The space inside it is indeed massive, but Spiritual Energy is needed for the user to put living creatures inside it. The number of people one can send in depends on how strong their Soul cultivation is.”
“World Bead…” Yao Si arched his brow, “Is the name derived from the Sealed World Bead? En, a suitable name indeed. Madam, given your cultivation, how many people can you send in one go without diminishing your combat capability?”
Su Yan replied, “I have been testing it for a while now, so I estimate I can send three thousand people in one go. Even though that would use quite a bit of my Spiritual Energy, it wouldn’t compromise my ability to fight.”
“Three thousand…” A glint flashed across Yao Si’s eyes. Su Yan was only in the First-Order Emperor Realm, so her Soul cultivation wasn’t that strong yet. If she was able to store three thousand people in one go, he certainly could do better.
A First-Order Emperor Realm Master was already able to achieve this much, so what about the Second-Order, or Third-Order Emperor? What about the even more powerful Pseudo-Great Emperors? Since the power of World Bead was correlated to Soul cultivation, it would be best utilised by someone with stronger cultivation.
With the bead in his hand, Yao Si said, “Madam, I don’t think we should pass this item to Senior Fu for now. I want to try it out on more people. Sir is going to create more beads anyway, so it should be okay to give one to Senior Fu at a later time. As for Sir… I’ll explain myself to him later, and I’ll make sure that he won’t become an untrustworthy person in others’ eyes.”
Upon hearing that, Su Yan replied, “Sir told me that when he’s not around, you are to be in charge of everything.”
With a smile, Yao Si said, “Many thanks, Madam.”
After the birth of the first World Bead, the news spread like wildfire; after all, Yang Kai and Su Yan had made more than seventy patrol teams disappear, so even though Yao Si had given the order that no one should spread the news, it still became known to others very quickly.
Soon, the Sixty-First Army’s base was filled with outsiders again as all the Army Commanders came to visit. Since Yang Kai wasn’t around, they targeted Yao Si as they stared fixedly at the bead in his hand like starving wolves.
Fu Ren Jie said that Yang Kai had promised to give him the first one made, so he assertively demanded it from Yao Si. Certainly, the other Army Commanders wouldn’t agree to it as the final battle was now drawing near. With a World Bead in possession, it would be extremely useful at critical moments. In a time like this, no one would give in to Fu Ren Jie.
Wen Zi Shan argued that Yang Kai was an Elder from Azure Sun Temple, so the first World Bead should go to them, and he would keep it as a representative from the Temple.
Lei Hong argued that Yang Kai came from the Southern Territory, and he had obtained Bright Moon Great Emperor’s inheritance, so it was time he repaid the favour.
At that instant, regardless of how close they were to Yang Kai, they were bickering with one another in the Sixty-First Army’s base. The short-tempered ones even rolled up their sleeves and almost got into a scuffle.
Fortunately, the bead was in Yao Si’s hands now, and even though his cultivation wasn’t the top as he was only in the Second-Order Emperor realm, he was the Great Emperor’s Son. Despite the fact that the Army Commanders craved the bead in his hands, they could only use persuasion. If someone else had kept the bead, it would’ve been forcefully taken away by now.
Even Bing Yun, who was usually calm and collected, had joined the competition. She even went so far as to ask Su Yan about the World Bead.
After leaving the Thirty-Fifth Army, Su Yan felt like she had been put in a tight spot. She had contacted Yang Kai, but she hadn’t gotten any reply from him. Knowing that he must be focused on creating more beads right now, she could do nothing but wait.
The farce went on for half a month, and even those from Seven Mists Sea had found out about it. Li Wu Yi directly ordered Yao Si to send the bead to Seven Mists Sea so that he could examine it properly.
The others had to respect the fact that Yao Si was a Great Emperor’s Son, but Li Wu Yi didn’t have such a concern. Certainly, Yao Si wouldn’t dare to disobey the Supreme Commander, so he personally delivered the bead to Seven Mists Sea.
Upon his return, he swept a glare over the Army Commanders. They knew that since the bead had fallen into Li Wu Yi’s hands, they wouldn’t be able to get it back. Now, they could only hope that Yang Kai could bring back more beads when he returned from the Star Field.
Even though the World Bead was gone, the Army Commanders still wouldn’t leave the Sixty-First Army, and no matter how hard Yao Si tried, he was unable to chase them away, which left him quite frustrated.
On the other hand, the top female cultivators had surrounded Yang Kai’s wives. It was easier for women to open up to one another, and since the Army Commanders were not able to get any promises from Yao Si, they had shifted their attention to Yang Kai’s wives in the hope that they could secure a bead.
When Yang Kai, who was in the Star Field, found out about this, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had never expected that a simple World Bead would become so popular. However, after giving it some thought, he understood that a storage artifact that could keep living creatures inside had never existed before. Furthermore, the grand battle was just around the corner, which was why the Army Commanders were eager to get a bead for themselves.
Despite the fact that he was busy, Yang Kai still messaged Yao Si and told him to pass on his word. As long as there was ample time, he would give every Army Commander one bead when he returned.
Upon hearing this, the noise in the Sixty-First Army died down as the Army Commanders gradually returned to their bases.
It wasn’t so difficult to make a World Bead. After the first one, which Yang Kai had spent more time and effort on, the later ones were much easier to create. The army with the highest number of soldiers had about one million people, while all the others mostly had several hundred thousand people. Given the cultivation of those Army Commanders, Yang Kai just had to create World Beads that could accommodate several hundred thousand to a million people.
The larger the space inside the bead, the longer it took to create, so in order to improve his efficiency, Yang Kai didn’t intend to go through the same troublesome route when he made the first one. He decided to just look for big asteroids to refine.
As Yang Kai became more and more skilled at the process, he gradually reached a rate of one bead every five to six days.
However, there were more than fifty armies in the Star Boundary, so if he wanted to make sure every Army Commander would get a bead, he was a little tight on time.
As time passed, the armies around the Two Worlds’ Passage continued preparing for war, and the Formation Nodes began to take shape. Everyone knew that the time for the final showdown was just around the corner, so they seized the chance and increased their strength as quickly as possible so that they would stand a better chance of surviving until the end.
One night, the dark clouds had covered the entire sky, and there wasn’t a tinge of light that could be seen in the world. It was extremely quiet in all the bases as the patrol teams roamed around.
The world seemed to be shaking slightly. A figure abruptly appeared in the void, as though he had always been there. His figure and face couldn’t be made out as he was engulfed in a layer of mysterious darkness.
Just then, the figure quietly looked up at the sky.
In the Demons’ base that was a thousand kilometres away, Yu Ru Meng, who was meditating, opened her eyes and leapt off the bed before dashing out of her tent.
At the same time, the curtains of two other tents were pulled open, after which Chang Tian and Bei Li Mo revealed themselves.
Upon trading glances, Bei Li Mo frowned and turned to look in the direction where the Two Worlds’ Passage was located, “Did you sense it?”
Without saying a word, Chang Tian nodded and put his hands behind his back. His gaze penetrated space and clashed with the pair of eyes that were a thousand kilometres away.
A puzzled Yu Ru Meng asked, “Why is he here? I’ve heard that he was injured by Iron Blood and Serene Soul. What is he doing here at this hour?”
Bei Li Mo chuckled, “Maybe he’s looking for death?”
Yu Ru Meng shot her a cold look, “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
Bei Li Mo pressed her lips together, “Are you unhappy because your man hasn’t been around recently? Why are you lashing out at me? If you need some intimacy, I’m sure I can find someone to suit your needs.”
“Fuck off!” After Yu Ru Meng finished speaking, she suddenly turned to look in a different direction.
Noticing something as well, Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian looked in the same direction.
Over there, a few beams of light that were as bright as meteors were shooting forward. All of them exuded auras that were able to shake the world. Apparently, they were the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary.
The Great Emperors must have noticed this disturbance, which was why they immediately left Seven Mists Sea and headed to the battlefield. Even though they were far away, they took a look in the direction where the Demon Saints were located, to which Chang Tian nodded.
As the Great Emperors released pressure into the surroundings, the soldiers from all fifty-five armies trembled. At that instant, all the bases began hustling with noise. Many cultivators stepped out of their tents and looked up at the beams of lights with admiring looks on their faces.
With a whoosh, three beams of light broke through the air and appeared in front of all the soldiers, after which three figures were revealed.
Even though it was in the middle of the night, the three figures still radiated a glow. Those who had met the Great Emperors before proudly introduced to the others that they were Iron Blood Great Emperor, Serene Soul Great Emperor, and Martial Beast Great Emperor.
The three Great Emperors were standing alongside one another. The armies of the Star Boundary were behind them, while they were facing a vast area of darkness which seemed able to devour everything in this world.
In the Sixty-First Army’s base, Yao Si was standing in front of everyone while the Division Commanders were right behind him. Since Yang Kai wasn’t around, Yao Si was the de facto leader.
After observing for a moment, Yao Si asked with a frown, “What are the Great Emperors doing here?”
But of course, why would the others know things that he didn’t?
A persistent Yao Si turned to look at the other Division Commanders, “Have any one of you heard anything about this before?”
All of them shook their heads.
“That’s strange,” There was a doubtful look on Yao Si’s face.
Zhu Qing said, “The Great Emperors seem to be confronting someone.”
All of them were astonished as they turned to look at her with Yao Si asking grimly, “Are you sure?”
Zhu Qing slowly shook her head, “I can’t see it clearly, but there’s indeed someone over there.”
Audible gasps could be heard all around. They still didn’t understand what was going on before hearing what Zhu Qing had said, but after she pointed it out, they sharpened their vision and saw that there was indeed a vague shadow above the Two Worlds’ Passage.
“Night Shadow Great Emperor!” Yao Si said solemnly.
If there was anyone in the world who could prompt the Great Emperors to make a move together and confront him, it must be another Great Emperor. Presently, in the Star Boundary, there was only one Master at that level left who was on the opposing side.
He was none other than Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye, founder and Sect Master of Shadow Killer Palace in the Western Territory!
Zhu Lie then asked a question that Yu Ru Meng had also asked, “Wasn’t he injured by Senior Iron Blood and Senior Serene Soul. Why is he here?”
It wasn’t a secret that Can Ye was wounded. A few years ago, Iron Blood Great Emperor and Serene Soul Great Emperor had joined forces and hunted down Can Ye. After an epic battle, Can Ye was defeated and Iron Blood had managed to land a solid punch on him. Since then, he had gone into hiding. It wasn’t until this day that he revealed himself again.
“Maybe he’s recovered?” Fu Ling said hesitantly.
Zhu Lie slowly shook his head. It was hard to know whether an injured Great Emperor could recover in such a short period of time. Even if his injury had been healed, he shouldn’t have appeared in this place. Right now, he was basically surrounded by enemies. It was unwise to barge into the enemy’s camp all on his own. No one knew what his intentions were.
Zhu Lie had a feeling that there was a secret plot that was brewing, and Yao Si shared the same thought, which was why his expression was extremely solemn.
As a Great Emperor, it wasn’t possible that Can Ye was a fool. Since he had appeared, he must have a reason for doing so. Whatever his intentions were, it would surely be terrible for the Star Boundary.
Fortunately, the Great Emperors had detected his aura and immediately came over. Whatever secret plot Can Ye was about to carry out, he could be stopped in time.
Right then, Yao Si turned to look in another direction. He had heard that three Demon Saints were just over there. Since they had sided with the Star Boundary, it wasn’t possible that they would stand idly by.
Could Can Ye really stand a chance of winning the battle when it was six against one?
There was no clash of auras or energies. Iron Blood, Serene Soul, and Martial Beast had appeared together and confronted Can Ye, who was on his own; however, they were only staring at one another.
It wasn’t that the Great Emperors didn’t want to kill Can Ye, but that it was difficult to do so. If they rashly made a move, it would be useless, and it might implicate the soldiers of the Star Boundary.
The last time Iron Blood and Serene Soul joined forces, they had only managed to injure Can Ye. What’s more, Can Ye had a Shadow Demon bloodline, so he was unmatched when it came to hiding and fleeing. If he wanted to escape and conceal himself, no one would ever be able to find his whereabouts.
Heaven’s Revelations, Flower Shadow, and Ice Feather had been carrying out other plans in secret, but as soon as Heavens Revelations obtained a revelation in Heavens Spying Valley, they could target Can Ye’s aura and he would not be able to flee from them again.
All fell silent for a long time. The depressing atmosphere was like the calm before the storm. Everyone felt pressured because of that, finding it hard to breathe.
“Are you male or female?” Mo Huang broke the silence first. This question had been bothering him for a long time now, so he would be frustrated if he couldn’t find out the truth.
Iron Blood and Serene Soul turned to look at him strangely, to which Mo Huang shrugged and said, “Aren’t you curious about it? I am.”
Iron Blood and Serene Soul retracted their gazes and shifted their attention to Can Ye.
Can Ye didn’t reply, as though he hadn’t heard his question, so an embarrassed Mo Huang simply held his tongue.
“What are you doing here?” Iron Blood asked in a small but firm voice. Just judging from his tone, it was as though he was having a friendly chat with an old friend instead of confronting an arch-nemesis.
Still, Can Ye didn’t respond to him as he remained in the same spot.
The Great Emperors traded glances as they instinctively felt that something was off. With that said, they were more than happy to stall for time. Serene Soul had secretly contacted Heaven’s Revelations and asked him how much longer would be needed to lock onto Can Ye’s aura. When Heaven’s Revelations managed to achieve this, they could immediately go all out against Can Ye until one party was killed.
Apparently, Heaven’s Revelations was busy though, so he didn’t reply. On the other hand, his Disciple, Gao Zhan, replied and said that they needed one more hour.
Even though Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor was renowned to be able to see through everything in the past and predict the future, it was still difficult for him to target a Great Emperor’s aura using a divination skill. Moreover, it happened too suddenly, so he didn’t have enough time to get prepared, and he wasn’t even sure if he would succeed by using his Secret Technique.
Upon seeing the reply, Serene Soul secretly communicated to Iron Blood and Martial Beast. Upon hearing what was said, they smacked their lips. One hour wasn’t a long time, but the person they were trying to hold up was Can Ye. As a Great Emperor, it was impossible that Can Ye was unprepared before coming to this place. They were not confident that they were able to make him stay.
In the worst-case scenario, they would have no choice but to stall him forcefully. With three Great Emperors joining forces, there was no way they would lose the battle; however, once Can Ye became alert, it was impossible for them to kill him for good.
“Can you come back to us?” Zhan Wu Hen asked with a sincere expression, “You were born and raised in the Star Boundary. You’ve become a Great Emperor because you’ve obtained acknowledgement from the World’s Will. Why have you sided with the Demons to devastate the lives of billions of people?”
Serene Soul said, “If you decide to change sides, we will not settle scores with you.”
Martial Beast chimed in, “But you have to tell us whether you’re a man or a woman first.”
“Haha…” Under the night sky, a fit of laughter was heard. Can Ye, who hadn’t made a move or responded to anyone since his arrival, finally laughed, a tinge of mockery and disdain in his voice.
Everyone could hear the voice clearly, but what was strange was that no one could deduce Can Ye’s gender through it. In fact, it was so neutral that no one could tell whether it was male or female. No one had heard such a peculiar voice before.
Feeling that something was amiss, Yao Si quickly turned to look at Su Yan, “Contact Sir and tell him what’s going on here.”
Su Yan replied, “I’ve already informed him of the situation.”
Yang Kai had ordered that whenever something major happened, they had to immediately contact him. Can Ye’s arrival at the battlefield was a serious incident, which was why Su Yan had contacted Yang Kai right away.
“What did he say?” Yao Si asked.
Su Yan shook her head, “He hasn’t replied. Maybe he’s busy.”
Yao Si frowned, and without hesitation, he ordered, “All Division Commanders, return to your camps now and do a roll call. Stay vigilant to prevent falling into danger.”
All the Division Commanders were gaping at the confrontation when they heard this, but they still quickly nodded and returned to their own camps.
Yao Si’s subordinate gulped and asked, “Sir, do you think there’ll be a fight?”
Yao Si replied, “Night Shadow has finally shown up, so the Great Emperors won’t miss this opportunity.” Then, he shook his head, “However, we won’t be able to interfere in the battle between the Great Emperors, so we just have to try to protect ourselves.”
If the Great Emperors got into a fight, the mere fallout would be enough to collapse parts of the world.
After Can Ye was done laughing, he suddenly tutted. Following that, he swiftly extended his hands, which were kept inside his sleeves just now, and performed a hand seal. As his Emperor Qi surged, the world seemed to be shaking and a buzzing sound was heard from everywhere in the Star Boundary. He finally made a move!
At that instant, Zhan Wu Hen immediately pounced. He had been attentively watching Can Ye. As soon as Can Ye tutted, he took a step forward. He didn’t seem to have done anything, but he had already appeared before Can Ye and lightly pushed out his fist.
Even though he didn’t seem to have exerted any force with his fist, Iron Blood’s move shattered space as it travelled forward.
Right after that, Martial Beast Great Emperor also made a move. It wasn’t that Mo Huang was slower than Iron Blood. In fact, he had launched an attack at the same time as Iron Blood. All ten Great Emperors lived up to their names as the strongest cultivators in the Star Boundary.
A faint roar of a beast was heard coming from Mo Huang’s body as he swung his muscular arm, after which an axe appeared in his grip. The axe was rusty, as though it was an old woodcutter’s tool that hadn’t been used in years.
However, when the axe slashed at Can Ye, the world seemed to have turned pale.
Serene Soul remained on the same spot, but his Divine Sense surged like a tidal wave as his Soul attack turned into an invisible spear and penetrated Can Ye’s Knowledge Sea.
All four Great Emperors had made a move that marked the start of an epic battle. It happened so suddenly that no one managed to come to their senses yet. Given enough time, Iron Blood and the others would rather wait for Heavens Revelations to succeed in his attempt before they made a move; however, Can Ye didn’t give them the chance. He had come over to this place on his own, and without even saying anything, launched an attack against them.
The four Great Emperors seemed to become the centre of the world at that moment. The world spun around them and everything seemed to spin in reverse.
A fist that was able to destroy Heaven and shatter Earth rapidly approached Can Ye. An axe that could split the world in half was about to reach him. He was also faced with a violent Soul Spear. Even though he was also a Great Emperor, he would end up in a miserable state if he was struck by these attacks, but unexpectedly, at such a critical moment, he remained unmoving on the same spot.
Iron Blood arched his brow as he felt that something was amiss. However, it had come to a point where he was unable to pull back, so he decided to exert even more force as he seemed determined to break the world apart.
As soon as the red, glowing fist came into contact with Can Ye, a ripple suddenly spread from his back as a dark spot that was as large as a dustpan appeared. It was at the darkest hour before dawn, but the dark spot appeared even darker.
Right after the dark spot appeared, it expanded from a dustpan-sized spot into a mass several tens of metres wide.
Zhan Wu Hen had successfully struck Can Ye, but he was shocked to realise that he couldn’t harm the latter one bit. More eerily, his fist had penetrated Can Ye’s body and disappeared into the dark spot.
Mo Huang’s attack was also futile as no blood was seen after his axe slashed across Can Ye. Mo Huang snorted as he knew that Can Ye’s Secret Technique must have allowed him to dematerialize his figure. Even though it might appear that no attack could have any impact on him, he had actually dexterously dodged it.
Mo Huang surged his Emperor Qi and wielded his axe again, which caused the void to tremble. With the axe as the centre, the spaces around it fell apart in an instant.
At the same time, Serene Soul’s attack reached Can Ye. Faced with the three Great Emperors’ collective power, Night Shadow wasn’t able to resist even though he had phased himself out of the material plane. After he sprayed out a mouthful of blood, he was sent flying backwards as his aura dimmed.
In an instant, Can Ye was severely injured.
Mo Huang wanted to deal him another blow, but Can Ye had swung his cloak and disappeared from the spot. Mo Huang frowned as he had a feeling that Can Ye was still around, but he was unable to determine his whereabouts. Night Shadow Great Emperor’s Stealth Technique was unrivalled in this world.
“Things are looking bad.” Serene Soul stared at the dark spot with a solemn expression.
Faced with the Great Emperors’ attacks just now, Can Ye insisted on using some kind of Secret Technique, even at the cost of serious wounds, after which this dark spot appeared.
Serene Soul detected a familiar aura from it, and he soon realised that it was the Demon Realm’s aura. The dark spot was connected to another Great World! The Two Worlds’ Passage that had been sealed off by Yang Kai had reopened!
“Damn it! He has betrayed the trust of this world! Damn traitor!” Mo Huang bellowed. Knowing that Can Ye was still around, he deliberately cursed him as he ignored the fact that both of them were Great Emperors.
All the Great Emperors were intelligent people, and Mo Huang was no exception. Even though he was a burly figure, he was able to grasp how Can Ye managed to unseal the passage.
Can Ye was a Great Emperor that had obtained the acknowledgement of the Star Boundary’s Will. At the same time, he had a Shadow Demon bloodline; therefore, he had an intimate connection to both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm. It was because of this connection that he could serve as the bridge to link the Great Worlds and open a passage between them.
No one else was able to accomplish the same feat, not even the other Great Emperors and Demon Saints. In this world, only Can Ye was capable of doing so.
It wasn’t hard for anyone to come to that realization, but no one could have expected that Can Ye would do such a thing, and it was already too late when they understood.
However, if Can Ye wanted to connect the two worlds, he would have to bear the impact of both Great Worlds intersecting, and there was a price to pay for that. Nevertheless, he had gone into hiding now, so no one knew what price he had paid.
“Wu Hen entered it,” Yao Jun stared at the dark spot, but soon, he arched his brow, “Hmm? He’s back.”
Zhan Wu Hen could be seen dashing out of the dark patch, but his face had turned pale. After he stabilised himself, his hand on his back could be seen trembling slightly.
Staring at the dark spot with his sharp gaze, he said, “They’re coming.”
“What do you mean?” Mo Huang looked at Zhan Wu Hen in puzzlement. Just when he wanted to inquire further, he became astounded as he turned to look at the dark patch.
A pair of gigantic hands suddenly appeared and clenched at the sides of the dark region. Following that, the person pulled their hands apart, which caused the dark spot to expand into a huge black hole.
Inside the black hole, a few figures of different heights and sizes could be seen moving forward in the same row. Despite the fact that they were coming from a different world, they remained calm and collected as they strode forward.
After they stepped out of the darkness and revealed themselves, the pressure from the Demon Saints swept across the Star Boundary and caused the entire world to tremble.
Just then, as the sun could be seen rising from the east, the Demons Saints from the Demon Realm had all appeared.
Mo Huang clenched his teeth as he understood what Zhan Wu Hen meant. The Demon Saints had arrived from the Demon Realm! It also dawned on him why Zhan Wu Hen appeared pale when he dashed out of the dark patch just now. He must have traded moves with the Demon Saints inside the darkness.
However, Mo Huang didn’t understand why the Demon Saints were already waiting at the other end of the Two Worlds’ Passage. As soon as Can Ye unsealed the passage, they appeared right away.
Was it a coincidence? Could Can Ye still contact the Demon Saints despite the fact that he was in the Star Boundary? If not, why was their coordination so seamless?
He didn’t have the time to ponder on it, nor was it useful to do so. Since the passage had opened up and the Demon Saints had arrived, they had no other choice but to fight!
At a glance, Mo Huang could see exactly ten figures. Yang Kai had reported the affairs in the Demon Realm to them, so he could immediately recognise who they were.
They were Strength Demon Huang Wu Ji, Blood Demon Xue Li, Flame Demon Chi Yan, Feather Demon Fu Yu, Stone Demon Mo Kan, Bone Demon Ge Meng, Sand Demon You Qiu, Shadow Demon Wu Hua, Corpse Demon Zu Liao, and Red Demon Huo Bo. All of them were the strongest cultivators in the Demon Realm. Huang Wu Ji appeared especially savage as Mo Huang gazed at him with narrowed eyes.
Yang Kai had told them that Huang Wu Ji was the strongest of all the Demon Saints. Now, it seemed that it was true. Compared to the other Demon Saints, Huang Wu Ji indeed exuded the most formidable pressure.
Without any emotion on his face, Huang Wu Ji looked around with his eagle-like eyes. Beside him, Xue Li put on a hideous grin. The ghostly fires behind Ge Meng’s eyes surged. Wu Hua’s figure blurred as soon as he appeared. When he reappeared, he was already somewhere else. Gradually, Can Ye revealed himself. Wu Hua pushed his Demon Qi and engulfed him in it before dragging him back to their side.
*Shua shua shua…*
The sounds of something breaking through the air could be heard as Chang Tian, Bei Li Mo, Yu Ru Meng arrived at the place and stood alongside Mo Huang and the others.
Right then, a ripple spread around in the air as four more people broke through the Void to arrive at this place. They were a beautiful and elegant woman, a man who looked as cold as a piece of ten-thousand-year-old ice, a man with a sage-like, mysterious aura, and an old man with grey hair and a long beard.
Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Heavens Revelations, and Wondrous Pill had come.
They were now equally matched in terms of the number of people on both sides as it was now ten versus ten. All of them were the most powerful cultivators in the two worlds as they stood at the peak of Martial Dao. Even though they hadn’t traded any moves yet, the clash of the invisible auras had already caused the world to teeter on the brink of collapse.
The already gigantic black hole abruptly expanded several times, as though it was going to devour everything in this world. With the Demon Saints and the Great Emperors as the centre, everyone within a radius of ten thousand kilometres felt as though a mountain had been pressed against their chest, making it difficult to even breathe.
Huang Wu Ji swept a cold look over the Great Emperors with a disdainful expression. He only stopped for a moment when he looked at the Iron Blood Great Emperor. Just now, Zhan Wu Hen had rushed into the Demon Realm and traded moves with the Demon Saints, but he was able to escape unscathed, which went to show that it was truly difficult to deal with him.
Then, he shifted his attention to Yu Ru Meng and Bei Li Mo before scoffing, “Traitors!”
While Yu Ru Meng ignored him, Bei Li Mo cried, “Senior Brother Huang, I was forced to do this. It wasn’t my intention.”
Huang Wu Ji snorted, “Come here now, and I’ll spare your life.”
Bei Li Mo’s gaze brightened, “Are you serious?” Despite what she had just said, she didn’t seem to believe the man before her eyes one bit; then, she heaved a sigh, “Unfortunately, I’m being controlled by someone now. If I go over now, I’ll end up in a miserable state. Senior Brother Huang, why don’t you help me kill a person? After that, I’ll join your side.”
“Who?” Huang Wu Ji grunted.
“A little bastard named Yang Kai!” Bei Li Mo was completely honest with him, “He has planted a Soul Imprint in my Knowledge Sea, which is why I’m forced to obey him!”
Huang Wu Ji narrowed his eyes, “Do you even believe what you’ve just said?”
“But that’s the truth!” Bei Li Mo batted her innocuous-looking eyes.
“Fuck off!” An enraged Huang Wu Ji pointed at her, “Slut, you will be the first I kill!”
In an instant, Bei Li Mo turned pale as she was on the brink of tearing up, “Why don’t you believe me when I’m telling the truth? Senior Brother Huang, you’re only pushing me further towards them.” She turned to look at Yu Ru Meng, “Little Sister, why don’t you help me explain it to Senior Brother Huang?”
“Shut up!” Yu Ru Meng rolled her eyes, “Why do you have to keep spouting nonsense?”
She wasn’t worried that Bei Li Mo would go back to the Demons’ side. Besides the fact that Bei Li Mo was controlled by Yang Kai, what she had done in the past ensured that the Demons wouldn’t ever welcome her back.
Bei Li Mo wasn’t a fool, so why would she believe what Huang Wu Ji had said? If she really went over, she would either be killed or be planted with many seals to lock her cultivation.
Basically, they were not on the same page. Huang Wu Ji stopped responding to the traitors as he stared at the seven Great Emperors with a hideous grin, “I’ve always looked forward to meeting you all.”
Iron Blood nodded, “The same goes for us.”
“Are you going to surrender or resist in vain?” Huang Wu Ji asked.
There was a faint smile on Iron Blood’s face, “Are you that confident?”
Huang Wu Ji slowly shook his head, “You don’t stand a chance. The Star Boundary is destined to be ours. If you surrender, you will have a chance to survive. If you decide to battle against us, you will definitely all die.”
Iron Blood replied dispassionately, “In that case, why are you spouting so much nonsense? If you’re able to kill us, just do it. After we’re dead, this beautiful Star Boundary will be yours.”
Huang Wu Ji scoffed, “A short-sighted and obstinate man!”
Iron Blood said with a smile, “I was born and bred in this world, so I have the obligation to protect our homeland and kill the invaders.”
“There’s nothing else to say, then.” Huang Wu Ji decided to stop talking, after which all ten Demon Saints pushed their Demon Qi and made a move at the same time. At that instant, the world was filled with Demon Qi. Divine Abilities that were able to destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth struck the Great Emperors.
Certainly, the Great Emperors wouldn’t wait for death. Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, was the first one to make a move. As Principles undulated, he pushed his Emperor Qi and parried the attacks coming at him with his own Secret Technique.
A rumbling sound was heard as lights of different colours expanded. Shockwaves spread across the area like tidal waves, and wherever they went, space itself seemed to collapse.
All the soldiers from the fifty-five armies collapsed to the ground in an instant. Fortunately, they had been practising their formations for quite some time now, and were well-prepared. As they collectively resisted the impact, they didn’t suffer from any serious injuries.
Just then, beams of lights could be seen shooting up to the sky from the battlefield before they dispersed in different directions.
Zhan Wu Hen and the others were startled upon seeing this, as they had never expected that these Demon Saints would open with a feint and then scatter. It seemed that instead of staying on the battlefield, they had intended to go deeper into different parts of the Star Boundary.
All the Great Emperors turned solemn and traded glances. Without the need to say anything, they partnered up with Yu Ru Meng and the others before they shot into ten different directions to chase after the Demon Saints.
If Huang Wu Ji and the others really stayed and fought with the Great Emperors, Zhan Wu Hen wouldn’t be afraid of them. It could even be said that he was seventy percent confident that they could defeat the Demon Saints.
After all, they were in the Star Boundary, and the Great Emperors had obtained the World’s Will. With the blessing of the World’s Will, they had a distinct advantage in their homeland against the Demon Saints.
However, the Demon Saints didn’t give them this chance as they seemed to have a different plot.
Whatever their plot was, the Great Emperors wouldn’t allow it to happen. In order to deal with the Demon Saints, the Great Emperors had to personally make a move, and others were not capable of doing that.
As they had left the battlefield to pursue the Demon Saints, the expected great battle failed to happen. All the soldiers from fifty-five armies traded glances in puzzlement.
It wasn’t certain when Li Wu Yi had appeared on the battlefield, but as he stared at the gigantic black hole before him with a solemn expression, he soon shouted, “Start the Formation!”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.
In an instant, the Seven Mists Sea’s flag was erected. All the soldiers from the fifty-five armies finally came to their senses. Under the command of Army Commanders and Division Commanders from the over twenty armies that were responsible for setting up the Formation, the soldiers hurriedly gathered together in a highly trained fashion.
They were in a rush as no one had expected such a turn of events. According to their own plan, they would fully adjust the Formation first before Yang Kai would reopen the Two Worlds’ Passage to lure the Demons over. Then, they would trap the Demons and slowly destroy them. Eventually, they would storm into the Demon Realm to devour their continents and put an end to the Two Worlds’ Great War.
However, no one could have expected that Can Ye would appear on this night, and using his own body as a bridge, forcefully opened up the passage, which totally messed up their plan.
Fortunately, even though the formation hadn’t been fully adjusted, it was already functional; hence, the situation wasn’t so terrible.
Although the Demon Saints were gone, the huge black hole remained. Despite the fact that Li Wu Yi couldn’t look through the other end of the darkness, he reckoned that the Demon soldiers must have gathered together over there, waiting to invade the Star Boundary.
Millions of people started moving around the battlefield and a War Force that seemed to connect all the armies was being formed. As they moved around, the War Force became clearer and more conspicuous.
In just a quarter hour, with the black hole as the centre, a radius of a hundred kilometres around the area had been surrounded by layers of the soldiers from the Star Boundary. Right then, a Dragon Roar could be heard.
The armies were seamlessly connected. From a bird’s eye view, one could see that the armies seemed to have turned into a Great Dragon as its humongous figure coiled around the black hole.
The Coiling Dragon Grand Formation had taken shape!
On the spot where the Dragon’s head was located, Li Wu Yi led the First Army to keep guard in that area as all the War Force seemed to have converged towards him. As the morning breeze brushed across his face, his clothes flapped gently in the wind. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and his murderous intent surged like a tsunami.
Rustling sounds could be heard coming from the black hole, as though countless locusts were swarming forth. When the first morning ray shone on the ground from the east, a figure shot out of the black hole and hovered in the void.
The horrifying Demon Qi swept across the area as the Demons crossed the border and arrived at the Star Boundary.
There wasn’t just one Demon. After the first Demon appeared, countless Demons shot out of the black hole and covered the entire sky. Looking from afar, the gigantic black hole looked just like the gates of a dam that had been opened up. With every breath, an innumerable number of Demons burst forth.
The originally quiet battlefield became abuzz with noise again.
Gazing at the terrifying sight in front of them, the cultivators in the Grand Formation sported solemn expressions, some of them had even secretly gulped. All the soldiers from the fifty-five armies had gathered together in this place, and they were the top cultivators in the Star Boundary. However, their enemies were not pushovers. These invaders from another world were just like starving wolves eager to feast.
No one knew how many Demons were coming over. Nevertheless, in just a quarter of an hour, several hundred thousand Demons had gathered in front of the black hole, and more were still coming.
Unlike the orderly armies in the Star Boundary, these Demon soldiers appeared to be disorganised. In comparison, the Demons looked more like mercenaries who knew no rules. Some of them even started cackling in an arrogant manner the moment they appeared. There were also some who pointed fingers at the Human soldiers with hideous expressions.
Just then, tapping sounds were heard, and the Demons in front the black hole separated like they had been pulled apart by a pair of invisible hands, which revealed a path down the middle. A burly demon riding a flaming and ferocious Demon Beast emerged from the passage. There was a ten-metre-long spear on his shoulder and his imposing demeanour had a strong visual impact on the beholder.
As the Demon Beast stopped in its tracks in front of the Demon soldiers, the Demon looked around and eventually targeted Li Wu Yi. With a grin, he single-handedly pointed the ten-metre-long spear forward as his Demon Qi surged and he bellowed, “Kill!”
Without any redundant words, the Demons followed the Half-Saint’s lead and charged.
Rumbling sounds were heard as the ground seemed to be shaking and the gap between the opposing sides slowly shortened.
An ancient incantation was said in a strange rhythm as beams of light radiated from everywhere in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. The Shamans that were present had blessed their companions with an Ancient Shamanic Spell.
A metallic tang permeated the air as blue lights engulfed the entire Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. In an instant, the lives of everyone in the Grand Formation became closely connected.
Unless they suffered from a fatal blow like getting their heads severed from their bodies, soldiers in the Formation wouldn’t immediately pass away even if they were badly wounded.
In the next moment, the armies from the opposing sides clashed.
The first ones to trade moves were the Half-Saint with a long spear and Li Wu Yi. Standing on the spot where the Dragon’s head was located, Li Wu Yi was too conspicuous, and it was hard not to notice him. That was the reason the Half-Saint directly came at him.
His long spear contained a power that seemed able to shatter the Heavens and a palm-sized black hole flickered on the tip of the spear. Like a Dragon that had just been summoned, the spear directly aimed at Li Wu Yi’s chest.
Before the spear even hit its target, the force that came with the thrust had made all the cultivators turn pale and shudder. They asked themselves whether their corpses would still be intact if they were struck by the spear.
Faced with the attack, Li Wu Yi lightly pushed out his palm at the Half-Saint. Compared with the Half-Saint’s imposing demeanour, Li Wu Yi appeared calm and composed.
The palm and the spear didn’t come into contact, but following a crackling sound, the black hole in front of the spear’s tip diminished rapidly. As if struck by lightning, the Half-Saint shuddered as his mount wailed and was forced to step back several dozen metres.
The imposing Half-Saint wanted to gain an upper hand in just one strike, but he ended up falling into a state of shock and disbelief.
Right then, his mount wailed again and collapsed to the ground. Blood was streaming out from its seven orifices and its vitality was rapidly leaving its body. It was apparent that the mount was at its last breath.
There were no injuries on the mount’s body, but all its five viscera and six organs had been broken into pieces by the force of Space Principles. Even a strong Demon Beast wasn’t able to withstand such a severe injury.
*Chi, Chi, Chi…*
Blood spurted out of the Half-Saint like countless blood arrows and soon dyed him crimson.
It was the second time in recent history that a passage between the two Great Worlds had opened up. The Half-Saint from the Demon Race and a Pseudo-Great Emperor from the Human Race traded only one move, but the Half-Saint already lost the battle.
In disbelief, the Half-Saint looked down at his mount. Even though the mount wasn’t as powerful as he was, it was no ordinary Demon Beast. It had an ancient bloodline; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen it to be his mount. However, he had never expected that the first enemy he came across in the Star Boundary would be able to kill his mount and injure him in just one move. It seemed that he had greatly underestimated his enemy.
The Half-Saint examined Li Wu Yi and finally understood what had gone wrong, “Li Wu Yi!”
He had heard that there was a powerful Pseudo-Great Emperor in the Star Boundary who was touted to be second only to the Great Emperors. He didn’t really pay this rumour much mind it as he didn’t have a chance to meet him in the past. It wasn’t until this moment he realised that the rumours weren’t unfounded.
No Half-Saint in the Demon Realm was a match for this man in terms of strength.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi didn’t have any interest in finding out his opponent’s name. After taking a deep breath, he simply shouted, “Die!”
To him, the Demons who dared to invade the Star Boundary were mortal enemies. In that case, he wouldn’t want to waste any time speaking to them as he just had to kill them all.
After he finished speaking, he pushed his Emperor Qi as Space Principles coiled around his body. Following that, he leapt at the Half-Saint right in front of him.
As soon as he took action, the First Army as well as the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation also started moving.
From a bird’s eye view, the Great Dragon seemed to have curled up on the ground. The hundreds of thousands of Demons were like moths that were flying toward a fire. Before they even went near, they were engulfed in the attacks from countless artifacts and Secret Techniques.
In an instant, corpses piled up on the battlefield like a mountain and the ground was dyed crimson.
Several hundred thousand Demons were indeed a lot of people, but in front of the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, they were nothing more than an appetizer. In just an hour, the Demons who had arrived at this place first were mostly killed. Other than the truly powerful Demons, the pawns had all been slaughtered.
On the other hand, the first Half-Saint was struggling to fend off Li Wu Yi’s attacks. Without any assistance, it was just a matter of time before he was killed.
However, the situation wasn’t in the Humans’ favour. That was because an inexhaustible number of Demons were still pouring out of the black hole and joining the battle.
With the black hole as the centre, a radius of over a thousand kilometres around the area was now surrounded by the Dragon that was formed by over twenty armies. In the middle of the Dragon’s body, more and more Demons appeared as though they were infinite in number.
Humans and Demons waged a life-or-death struggle against one another in front of the Two Worlds’ Passage in the desolate Western Territory. Every breath, there were Humans and Demons who lost their lives. The fire of life on this merciless battlefield was like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, which could wither at any moment.
In comparison, there were more Demons who had lost their lives; after all, they were in the Star Boundary, and the Humans were well prepared for their arrival. Furthermore, they had the blessing of Ancient Shamanic Spells. Bloodlust was able to energise the cultivators and increase their power, while Life Chains could connect everyone’s vitality in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation.
At first glance, it seemed like a one-sided massacre as usually for every one hundred Demons that were killed, perhaps just one Human would lose his life.
In the sky and on the ground, the lights of artifacts and Secret Techniques expanded. These dazzling lights came in different colours, but beneath the beautiful facade was a merciless massacre.
As time passed, more and more Demons appeared from the black hole and the Demon soldiers gathered around the Half-Saints as they charged forward in an organised manner, which caused more Human soldiers to become injured and die.
Half a day later, over ten million Demons had arrived in the Star Boundary.
Even though Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was strong, it wasn’t without its limits. It couldn’t possibly trap so many Demons within it.
The Half-Saint that was battling against Li Wu Yi earlier had gone missing. It wasn’t that he was killed, but rather that was saved by another Half-Saint, which Li Wu Yi found to be regrettable. If he were given one more hour, he was confident he could end that Half-Saint’s life.
However, it was pointless to cry over what had passed now. He was the Supreme Commander who had to lead all the armies on the battlefield, so he couldn’t leave this place to hunt down his enemy. The war between the two Great Worlds wasn’t just about the life or death of a Half-Saint, so he could only watch him flee.
At this moment, the Demons were fiercely coming at them, and the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was showing signs of cracking. Therefore, Li Wu Yi immediately gave the order to his subordinates.
The next instant, the Seven Mists Sea’s flag was raised, and under the control of the First Army’s Standard-Bearer, the flag swung in the air in a particular manner.
In the northwest of the Grand Formation, the Army Commander of the Thirty-Ninth Army had just killed a Demon King who was pouncing on him when he saw the Seven Mists Sea’s flag, causing him to shout, “Change!”
Upon receiving the order, those in the Thirty-Ninth Army began withdrawing in an orderly manner. In just a moment, a gap appeared in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation.
The experienced Demon Kings immediately ordered their soldiers to rush towards the gap.
As the armies on the opposing sides clashed, countless people collapsed to the ground and lost their lives.
The Thirty-Ninth Army pretended that they were unable to resist the Demons, and after a while, they allowed the Demons to pass through the gap. When the time was tight, the Army Commander yelled, “Close!”
In an instant, the gap was closed. There were over two hundred thousand Demons who had passed through the opening, all of them drenched in blood as their Demon Qi surged and their murderous intent filled the entire sky. Under the leadership of the Demon Kings, they wanted to turn around and help their companions on the inside by breaking the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation from the outside. However, upon raising their heads, they realised that an army was already waiting for them at the front as their flag swayed with the wind.
A middle-aged man, who was the leader, put on a grin as he stared at the Demon Kings and said impassively, “The Seventeenth Army has been waiting for you!”
Just then, rumbling and whooshing sounds could be heard. As soon as the Army Commander waved his hand, his soldiers charged forward in the sky and on the ground in a spectacular manner.
The Demons, who had just broken out of the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, were startled upon seeing this. It wasn’t until this moment they realised that they had been set up. They wanted to help their companions by breaking the Grand Formation from the outside, but they had never expected that their enemies had set a trap for them.
Behind them was the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. Regardless of whether they could go back, they would end up in a miserable state if they tried. Upon that realization, the Demon Kings raised and waved their hands, after which the Demon soldiers charged forward.
The armies from both sides were rapidly closing the gap between them. Looking from afar, they looked like two fast-moving meteors that were about to collide.
Only the bolder side would win the battle.
The Dragon seemed to have turned into a meat grinder as blood and broken pieces of corpses splattered around in the Grand Formation.
More and more gaps were deliberately opened as the Demons were released from the Grand Formation, then they would be settled by the Human armies waiting outside.
Of all fifty-five armies in the Star Boundary, only half of them were responsible for maintaining the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. The other half of the armies surrounded the Grand Formation and waited for the enemies to come out before dealing a heavy blow to them. That was the plan those from Seven Mists Sea had come up with.
Groups of Demons with varying numbers of people fled outwards, which relieved the pressure on the Grand Formation, and the giant Dragon that was showing signs of falling apart stabilised again. The armies outside the formation and the Dragon itself were killing the invaders in an efficient and steady manner.
Strictly speaking, this was the first large-scale and direct clash between Demons and Humans.
Twenty years ago, the Two Worlds’ Passage opened up for the first time. The invasion of the Demons had caught everyone in the Star Boundary off guard. Most of the cultivators from the major Sects in the Western Territory were easily defeated, and they lost a lot of their territories. Even though those from the Star Boundary quickly gathered together to resist, they were still unable to deal with the formidable Demons, and they had no other choice but to continuously withdraw. The worst had happened as almost all of the territories in the Western Territory were lost to the Demons, and the Human armies were forced to retreat to the border between the Western Territory and the Southern Territory.
If it weren’t because of the war on Eternal Sky Continent, which prompted the Demon Saints to summon all the Half-Saints back to the Demon Realm, the Humans wouldn’t have stood a chance to take a breather. After that, Yang Kai returned from the Demon Realm and sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage, which cut off the support for the remaining Demons in the Star Boundary. That was the reason they were all slowly destroyed in the end.
Twenty years later, the passage between two Great Worlds reopened, and the Demons stormed into the Star Boundary like locusts.
Even though Humans hadn’t fully gotten prepared, they weren’t as unsuspecting as when they faced the Demons for the first time. All fifty-five armies had gathered in this place, and they represented half of all the power in the Star Boundary. In this place, they had to go against the invaders from a different world.
The Demons had suffered immense losses as many of them had been killed or injured. Although there was still an inexhaustible number of Demons dashing out of the black hole to replace the lost soldiers, the truth was that they were on the losing side.
With the blessings of both the Life Chains and Bloodlust Spells, every cultivator was able to use a greater power than usual. The Dragon kept swirling around the Two Worlds’ Passage, and every time it did that, countless Demons would be killed. Whenever Li Wu Yi realised that the Grand Formation was overburdened, he would tell the Standard-Bearer to wield the flag to signal for the others to open up some gaps to ease the burden.
Presently, all the armies from the Star Boundary were closely coordinated. They had turned into a single entity as they orderly killed the invaders who were surrounded by Demon Qi.
The situation was in their favour, and if they could keep this up, regardless of how many Demons were coming over through the passage, they would eventually kill them all.
The eyes of those cultivators in the Grand Formation had turned bloodshot as their expressions appeared fervent.
However, Li Wu Yi felt that something was off. The Demons weren’t fools, so how was it possible that they were still fearlessly charging forward despite knowing that they would only get killed? Even though Demons were known for their ruthlessness and bloodlust, they wouldn’t make pointless sacrifices.
Furthermore, it was the Demons who had proactively reopened the Two Worlds’ Passage. The Demon Saints must have a hidden intention for coming to the Star Boundary.
However, Li Wu Yi couldn’t figure out the Demon Saints’ intentions. Only the Great Emperors were able to stop the enemies’ plot. On this battlefield, all he had to do was to lead all the armies to kill more Demons so that they would stand a better chance at winning the war between the two Great Worlds.
At the thought of this, he shook his head and emptied his mind. Becoming calm and collected again, he continued directing the movements of the Grand Formation.
The Sixty-First Army’s base was located in the southeast of the Two Worlds’ Passage. All three hundred thousand soldiers were enthusiastic as they rubbed their hands and awaited their turn.
Yao Si was staying with the Colour Guard as the scouts from Flying Hawk Division continuously reported to him the situation at the front line to ensure that he would stay informed.
Upon learning that they had gained the upper hand, he was both elated and shocked. Unlike Yang Kai, who had not taken part in the previous war between the two Great worlds, Yao Si had been battling against the Demons for a few years, so he knew that it was extremely difficult to deal with them. He thought that it would be a difficult battle, but it turned out that the situation was greatly in the Humans’ favour. Just like how concerned Li Wu Yi was, Yao Si also thought that there must be a plot that was brewing. However, even Li Wu Yi couldn’t figure out anything, so how was Yao Si supposed to?
While he was pondering the issue with a frown, his subordinate came over and reported, “Sir, the Division Commander of the Flaming Ox Division, Xi Lei, would like to meet you.”
There were strict rules in the military, so now that Yang Kai wasn’t around, Yao Si was in charge of the Sixty-First Army. At a time like this, Xi Lei had to go through proper procedures if he wanted to see Yao Si. If Yang Kai was still around, Xi Lei could’ve just entered the place to meet him without going through such trouble.
Upon hearing this, Yao Si frowned as he had no idea why Xi Lei had come over instead of watching over the Flaming Ox Division. Worried that Xi Lei might have something urgent to tell him, he nodded, “Tell him to come over.”
His subordinate nodded and left the place. A moment later, Xi Lei sauntered into the room and cupped his fists, “Sir.”
Yao Si nodded, “What’s wrong?”
Xi Lei smacked his lips and put on a fawning smile before rubbing his hands, “Sir, the thing is, I’ve heard that the other armies are madly killing the enemies on the battlefield now. I just want to know when we’ll also go to the front. It feels terrible to just wait here.” Then, he cupped his fists again with a solemn expression, “If we’re going to make a move, the Flaming Ox Division is willing to be the vanguard. We will be sure to make our army proud.”
Yao Si shot him a dismissive look, “You’ll certainly have a chance to go to war. What are you so anxious for?”
The Division Commanders were not aware of the plan those from Seven Mists Sea had come up with, they just saw that the Demon corpses had piled up in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, and other armies were battling against the Demons. On the other hand, the Sixty-First Army had stayed put, which was why they were anxious.
It wouldn’t have mattered if they were just an ordinary army, but the Sixty-First Army had just been established and were touted to be the most powerful army in the Star Boundary, if they didn’t make any contributions to the war, all of them would be greatly embarrassed.
Xi Lei thought that since the Demons were not coming over, they could just be more proactive by leading their people to kill some Demon Kings; otherwise, what was the point of them training so hard until now?
Seeing as Yao Si didn’t approve it, a displeased Xi Lei murmured, “If Sir was around, he would’ve led us to storm into the battlefield instead of waiting here like a fool.”
“What did you just say?” Yao Si shot him a glare.
Xi Lei quickly waved his hands, “N-Nothing. Haha. I’ll take my leave now!” Even though Yao Si was weaker than Xi Lei, he was the one who had built up the Sixty-First Army, and he was pretty authoritative in the military. Faced with the enemies now, Xi Lei wouldn’t dare to refute him. Earlier, he was just venting out his displeasure, but he didn’t have any ill intentions. Seeing that Yao Si had flared up, he quickly fled from the scene.
“Damn it!” Yao Si bellowed behind Xi Lei, then he turned to look at the Division Commanders of the Colour Guard, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, “Keep an eye on him. If he dares to be absent from his position again, cut his head off!”
An obedient Yang Xiao replied, “Yes.”
He knew that Yao Si was just incensed and venting. All the Emperor Realm Masters in the army were treasures, so Yao Si wouldn’t have the heart to kill him. They had known Yao Si for a long time, so they knew that he was cold on the outside but passionate on the inside. He wouldn’t put on airs just because he was a Great Emperor’s Son.
Yang Xue suppressed her laughter and said, “Sir, you don’t have to be mad at him. It’s expected that Sir Xi Lei wants to make a contribution. Our army will certainly be needed soon.”
She was an intelligent person, so she could see that even though Yao Si appeared unperturbed, he was actually nervous in his heart. This was the first battle against the Demons since the Two Worlds’ Passage opened up for the second time. The Sixty-First Army was famous throughout the Star Boundary, so they should make the biggest contributions; however, they had come too late, so they didn’t manage to join the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. That was why they had no choice but to wait for a chance outside the formation.
However, the other armies were already locked in an intense battle against the Demons, while their enemies didn’t seem to be dashing out of the formation in their direction anytime soon, which was why they were frustrated. If they waited any longer, no more Demons would be left for them to kill.
Xi Lei was eager to make a contribution, but so was Yao Si. Even though it might seem that Yang Xue was coming up with an excuse for Xi Lei, she was actually persuading Yao Si to calm down.
Right then, Yao Si became energised and rose from the chair. Raising his head, he saw that a gap that was facing the Sixty-First Army had opened up in the Grand Formation. Presently, countless Demons were rushing out through the gap.
Yao Si arched his brow, and there was finally a smile on his stiff face.
More and more Demons spurted out of the formation, and the person at the front was a fairly powerful Demon King. Just like the other Demons who had fled from the formation earlier, the Demon King thought that he could break the formation from outside; however, to his surprise, the Sixty-First Army was already waiting for them.
Presently, more than three hundred thousand pairs of eyes were staring at him.
The Demon King was usually a brave man, but with so many people staring at him, he felt a chill running down his spine as he wondered why these Humans appeared so excited.
“Sir!” A scout from the Flying Hawk Division flew over and fell on one knee in front of Yao Si before cupping his fists, “The First Army has informed us that more than six hundred thousand Demons have passed through. The Supreme Commander has given the order for the Sixty-First Army to confront the enemy!”
Yao Si guffawed, “Six hundred thousand! Haha! The Supreme Commander has given us a big piece of fat!”
There were only three hundred thousand soldiers in the Sixty-First Army, so there were two times more enemies on the opposing side. However, instead of becoming afraid, Yao Si appeared to be excited.
With a solemn expression, he straightened up and yelled, “Pass on my orders. Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, and Divine Dragon will make the first strike. Raging Flood Dragon and Heavenly Fox will surround the enemy flanks. Falling Flower and Spirit Snake will remain in the centre to assist the other divisions. Heavenly Phoenix is to bring up the rear. All of us will strike now and kill the enemy!”
At that instant, the Standard-Bearer wielded the flag as the deafening sounds of drums were heard.
Amidst the rumbling sounds, other than the thirty thousand people who comprised the Colour Guard and a few thousand people in the Flying Hawk Division, the remaining eight Divisions charged forward in an imposing and unstoppable manner.
Since they arrived at this battlefield, they had been training hard. Even though it was the first battle for them, they remained calm and organised as they meticulously executed Yao Si’s order. In an orderly manner, they dashed towards the Demons who had just fled from the Grand Formation.
Although there were more than six hundred thousand Demons, they had been injured when they were still inside the Grand Formation. After leaving the formation, they hadn’t managed to organize themselves and presently, they were in a mess, so upon seeing that the Sixty-First Army was marching towards them, all the Demons Kings were stunned and unable to react.
Certainly, the Sixty-First Army wouldn’t care how the Demons reacted. Over three hundred thousand people had been staying put as they grew impatient at the sight of other armies making contributions. Now that the chance was right in front of their eyes, there was no way they would let it slip through their fingers.
Poison Scorpion, Flaming Ox, and Divine Dragon had eighty-thousand people in total. Under the leadership of Xie Wu Wei, Xi Lei, and Zhu Qing, they were the first to charge toward their enemies. The three Division Commanders personally led the way while their soldiers followed them.
Heavenly Fox and Falling Flower surrounded their enemies from both sides, while Spirit Snake and Raging Flood Dragon remained in the centre and behind them were those from Heavenly Phoenix Division.
The six hundred thousand Demons, who had just dashed out of the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation, were dumbfounded at first, but the Demon Kings came to their senses quickly and swiftly reorganised the Demons. Realising that they were sandwiched between the Grand Formation and the army from the Star Boundary, they decisively charged toward the Sixty-First Army.
They had had a taste of the Grand Formation’s power, so they knew that they were unable to break it. In comparison, even though the army in front of them seemed fairly powerful, they had a much smaller number of people. Even if the two sides got into a brawl, the Demons might stand a chance of winning the battle.
As the armies from opposing sides clashed, there were no flowery moves. They were only there to kill one another.
Before they even came into contact with one another, they had already activated their artifacts and Secret Techniques to attack each other. The lights of different colours made the sun itself pale in comparison.
The Secret Techniques and artifacts from the Sixty-First Army were able to kill a large number of Demons in an instant. As the Shamans chanted a complicated Shamanic Spell, a light flashed across the Human cultivators. Following that, a layer of scarlet light appeared on everyone’s skin, and there was a layer of blue light that connected everyone.
The Demons’ Secret Techniques were powerful as well, but the Humans had the blessing of the Life Chains, so even if they were severely injured, their vitality would be swiftly replenished, which was why they wouldn’t immediately lose their lives. Furthermore, some Array Masters had tagged along this time, and as Array Plates were cast out, they would turn into an additional layer of protection to ensure the Humans’ safety.
After the first round of long-range attacks, more than ten thousand Demons had lost their lives while no more than a hundred soldiers from the Sixty-First Army fell. Without stopping, the second round of attacks was launched from both sides. At the same time, they continued charging forward as the gap between them shortened.
From a bird’s eye view, the armies from both sides looked like two gigantic ancient beasts as they were forcefully clashing with one another.
After three rounds of ranged attacks, the ground shook as the armies clashed with one another.
As Dragon Roars were heard, two Red Dragons revealed their true forms. One of them was some 200 metres long, while the other reached a shocking 300 metres in length. Crushing Dragon Pressure swept forward, causing the Demons at the front to fall into a dazed state.
That short moment of hesitation cost their lives. Divine Dragon, Poison Scorpion, and Flaming Ox Divisions, which were leading the charge, seemed to have turned into three razor-sharp blades as they penetrated the Demon lines. Wherever they went, the Demons would collapse to the ground as their blood dyed the earth crimson.
The Demon King leading the army somehow dodged a Divine Ability launched at him, only to immediately hear all the other Demons behind him shrieking, which caused his expression to be transformed by horror.
He thought that as there were not many people on the Sixty-First Army’s side, his side would certainly win the battle; however, after exchanging blows, he realised that this Human army was extremely hard to deal with for the average Demon. This couldn’t be helped, as there were too many top cultivators on the enemy side.
While he was in a dazed state, he felt an immense force coming right at him. Before he could even react, his head was smashed to pieces. After his headless corpse shuddered for a moment, it collapsed to the ground.
Xi Lei swung his hand and spat. With his eyes turning bloodshot, Monster Qi could be seen weltering around him. Without even taking a look at the Demon King he had just killed, he charged toward the Demon army. Wherever he went, he slashed at the enemies like he was chopping up fruits and vegetables.
In the sky, Zhu Qing and Zhu Lie had assumed their true forms as they opened their great maws to spray out jets of scorching flame, continuously targeting the places where the Demons were most concentrated.
Fire Dragons’ Flaming Breath was an immensely powerful technique, and even the average Demon King would lose their life if they came into contact with it. Furthermore, there were only a small number of Demon Kings who led the six hundred thousand Demons. As soon as the Demons were hit by the Dragon Breath, they would be incinerated.
After unleashing a number of Dragon Breaths, a large swath of land had been emptied of all Demons.
The Sixty-First Army was unstoppable as they destroyed their enemies. The number of Demon soldiers was two times more than that of the Human soldiers; however, faced with these savage Humans, the Demons were unable to fight back. In just one hour, their formation had become a mess as the several hundred thousand Demons descended into chaos.
Flaming Ox, Poison Scorpion, and Divine Dragon repeatedly thrust deep into the enemy lines, killing Demons wantonly. Powerless to resist, the Demons intended to flee, but they were already surrounded by Heavenly Fox and Falling Flower, while the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was behind them. To the Demons now, they were surrounded by their enemies from all directions, making escape impossible.
Now, there was no doubt who the winner would be. It was the first battle for the Sixty-First Army, and even though they were faced with an army two times their number, they were still able to destroy their enemies with ease, which was a spectacular achievement.
However, on the battlefield, winning or losing a single battle wasn’t the end of everything. All six hundred thousand Demons were without any help, and Yao Si had ordered them exterminated. As long as there was still one Demon left standing, the Sixty-First Army would not stop killing.
Just then, the riled-up Monster Kings from Ancient Wild Lands assumed their true forms and began running amok on the battlefield as their Monster Qi surged. Soon, their claws and artifacts were dyed red as they charged forward and killed their enemies. When they reached the opposite side, they would turn around and charge back again.
All the Demons, including the Demon Kings, were both shocked and horrified as they were unable to fully utilise their power in front of the formidable Sixty-First Army. Before the Demon Kings could even make a move, they were killed by the Monster Kings and Emperor Realm Masters.
As the scouts from Flying Hawk Division kept reporting the situation on the front line, Yao Si, who remained with the Colour Guard, slowly grinned.
Nothing could make him more excited than hearing such good news. Yang Kai was basically an arm-flinging shopkeeper, so Yao Si was essentially in charge of the Sixty-First Army. He had spent more than ten years building up this army, and the time and effort he had spent was unimaginable to the others. As he listened to the good news from the battlefield, he felt that his more than ten years of hard work was worth it, and the Sixty-First Army lived up to its reputation as the strongest in the Star Boundary.
The only imperfection was that Yang Kai wasn’t around. The Sixty-First Army belonged to Yang Kai, after all. Yao Si wanted to share his joy with the others as well, but as an Adjutant, he had an image to maintain, so he couldn’t revel in joy with Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
Staring at the battlefield in front of him, Yao Si narrowed his eyes and asked, “Has Sir replied to you?”
Yang Xiao immediately replied, “Not yet.”
The corner of Yao Si’s mouth twitched as he cursed at Yang Kai in his heart. As an Army Commander, Yang Kai was absent from the military almost the entire time and still wouldn’t show up in their debut battle, which was a little intolerable. Presently, more than three hundred thousand soldiers were risking their lives to fend off the enemy, but without the Army Commander here, something seemed to be missing.
Yao Si secretly decided that he would reprimand Yang Kai when they met again. If Yang Kai was unable to manage the Sixty-First Army, he was more than happy to replace him.
All of a sudden, he felt cold all over his body as a death aura engulfed him. At that instant, a feeling of crisis had befallen him.
Yao Si was flabbergasted as he realised that a murderous intent had targeted him. Even though he was a powerful Second-Order Emperor, it wasn’t until the murderous intent washed over him that he came to the realisation that the reaper had his blade on his neck. Moreover, he was in the middle of the Colour Guard, and was surrounded by countless soldiers. Nevertheless, the enemy was still able to silently approach him, which went to show how powerful this person was.
At that instant, Yao Si concluded that he was no match for this assailant. It didn’t take him much time to realise that there was a huge gap between the assassin and himself in terms of strength, but at this critical moment, he remained oddly calm.
Right then, a faint shadow abruptly appeared behind Yao Si as a cold glint flashed across a dagger that was aimed at his back. Before the dagger even reached him, Yao Si felt a chill running up his spine.
Still calm and collected, Yao Si pushed his Emperor Qi and made an invisible shield appear behind him. Then, a light could be seen exploding from the shield as it surrounded him. Apparently, this was some kind of extraordinary artifact.
As a Great Emperor’s son, Yao Si certainly had some life-saving treasures. He even had some items that were similar to a Command Token, which contained a Great Emperor’s Divine Ability.
The assassin had made a huge mistake for choosing to target him. Nevertheless, he couldn’t be blamed, as the Sixty-First Army appeared to be formidable, and Yao Si was too conspicuous as he gave orders from the Colour Guard at the rear, it was apparent that he was the most important person on the scene. It was better to kill the Commander than ten thousand soldiers.
Silently, the dagger and the shield clashed with one another as the light dimmed, and following that, the shield collapsed. Despite the fact that the force of the dagger had been weakened, it was still moving forward.
It was thanks to this delay that Yao Si managed to escape from death’s door. Then, he shot forward to dodge the fatal attack.
Unexpectedly, the dagger followed him relentlessly. The dagger was held by a vague figure with a blurry face.
Just when the dagger was about to be stabbed into Yao Si’s back, a big hand appeared out of thin air and struck the partially visible figure. At the same time, someone could be heard laughing as he said, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Judging from what he had said, it seemed that he had expected an assassination to happen.
Turbulent Monster Qi could be seen swirling around his hand, and as soon as his palm came into contact with the assassin, the world seemed to have paled. Following a grunt, the entire surrounding fell into silence.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who were behind Yao Si earlier, came to their senses. Yang Xiao’s expression changed as he leapt towards Yao Si. Faint Time Principles were seen swirling around him as he vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
Yang Xue drew out her sword at the same time and released her Divine Sense to pinpoint the enemy’s location.
“He fled.” Qiong Qi frowned and snorted, “He’s pretty quick.”
It was Qiong Qi who saved Yao Si at the most critical moment. As an ancient ominous beast, he was naturally extremely powerful. Of all the Divine Spirits in the Star Boundary, only the two Elders of Dragon Island were superior to him.
Despite the fact that he was powerful, he wasn’t a part of the Sixty-First Army. The reason he had been keeping guard here was that he had to protect his Young Master and Young Lady, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
He had hidden his aura, and even the assassin hadn’t detected him. The unsuspecting assassin was then attacked by Qiong Qi, so instead of killing Yao Si, he had suffered a setback.
Then, Qiong Qi took a look at the ground and realised that the drops of blood on it bloomed like plum blossoms.
Following a failed attempt, the assassin immediately fled from the scene. Apparently, he was an expert. Even though he had fled, he had been injured by Qiong Qi. The blood on the ground was proof of that.
Just then, the Division Commander of the Flying Hawk Division, Ying Fei, approached Yao Si from a distance with an anxious expression. When he arrived, he cupped his fists and said in a fluster, “Sir, Supreme Commander Li has informed us that some of the enemy Half-Saints have gone missing, so he…” Before he finished speaking, he took a look at the blood on the ground. Judging from the expressions of Yao Si, Yang Xue, and Yang Xiao, he realised what had happened, “He was here?”
Yao Si nodded, “Thankfully, Senior Qiong Qi saved me.”
Qiong Qi wouldn’t take the credit as he waved his hand and stood among the other soldiers before concealing his aura. Apart from his fierce-looking face, he appeared to be just like everyone else.
Yao Si took a look at Ying Fei and asked, “Has the Supreme Commander said how many Half-Saints have gone missing?”
“Five in total, all of them Shadow Demons.”
Yao Si sneered, “I knew it.” Just now, the assassin was able to silently approach Yao Si, and it wasn’t until he made a move that Yao Si became aware of his existence. Other than Shadow Demons, no other clan was able to achieve this.
Shadow Demons were extremely difficult to deal with. Moreover, the assassin earlier was a Half-Saint. If it wasn’t because Qiong Qi had been keeping guard on the side, Yao Si would’ve suffered a severe setback. Certainly, he wouldn’t get killed as he had some life-saving treasures, but he would become battered.
While they were speaking, a gigantic figure suddenly appeared in a place that was a few thousand kilometres away. Like a giant, the figure’s head seemed to have reached the sky as he stood firmly on the ground. However, the figure appeared somewhat see-through, so it was apparent that it wasn’t a real person. Anyone would be shocked to realise that the figure looked just like Serene Soul Great Emperor.
Some time ago, Serene Soul Great Emperor had left to chase race after one of the Demon Saints, so it was impossible that he was still on the battlefield. The figure that was a few thousand kilometres away must be the result of one of the Army Commanders using the Great Emperor’s Divine Ability inside their Command Token.
Nevertheless, Serene Soul Great Emperor’s phantom soon disappeared from their sight.
Looking from afar, those from the Sixty-First Army understood that the five Shadow Demons must have fled from the battlefield and dispersed to assassinate different Army Commanders. The Sixty-First Army had Qiong Qi as a protector, so the Shadow Demon who had come to kill Yao Si was forced to retreat. On the other hand, the other Army Commanders didn’t have someone like Qiong Qi to protect them.
At the most critical moment, the Army Commander over there had no choice but to activate the Divine Ability stored inside his Command Token. However, it wasn’t certain whether the Army Commander was still alive.
Noticing Yao Si’s concern, Ying Fei cupped his fists, “Sir, I’m willing to go over and investigate the situation.”
Yao Si gave it a thought and nodded, “Be careful, and come back quickly.”
Ying Fei nodded his head as a huge pair of black wings expanded from his back. Following a howl of wind, he shot into the sky and headed in that direction.
Yao Si stopped paying attention to the incident a few thousand kilometres away as he turned back to the battlefield where the Sixty-First Army was fighting. Presently, the Demons were powerless to resist the Sixty-First Army’s charge. The first three Divisions darted around while Raging Flood Dragon, Heavenly Fox, Falling Flower, and Spirit Snake were keeping a tight perimeter. Even those from Heavenly Phoenix Division, who were responsible for military enforcement, had charged towards the battlefield under the leadership of Liu Yan and Su Yan.
More than nine hundred thousand people were having a life-or-death battle within a radius of a few dozen kilometres around this area. The ground was covered in red mud as corpses could be seen everywhere.
After just a moment of observation, Yao Si knew that the outcome had been decided. It was just a matter of time before the Sixty-First Army killed all six hundred thousand enemies.
A moment later, Ying Fei returned, and upon noticing Yao Si’s attention, he immediately reported, “The other four Shadow Demons have shown up, but they haven’t managed to kill anyone. Besides the Army Commander of the Forty-Seventh Army, Ma Qing, who was severely injured by one of the assassins, the other three assassins failed in their attempts.”
Yao Si nodded gently, “Is his life at risk?”
Ying Fei replied, “Sir may rest assured. When I arrived at that place, the Matriarch of the Wood Spirit Clan, Mu Na, was already treating him. Even though he won’t recover quickly, he isn’t at risk of losing his life at any moment.”
“That’s for the best.”
Ying Fei turned his head to look at the battlefield that was hustling with noises, then he shifted his attention to Yao Si with a fervent gaze, “Sir, now that there’s no mystery as to what the outcome would be, do you think…”
Yao Si put on a smile, “You want to kill some enemies?”
Ying Fei replied, “It’s boring to watch from the side.” After all, he was a Monster King who loved to kill; however, he was appointed by Yang Kai to be the Division Commander of the Flying Hawk Division that was responsible for collecting and disseminating information. Now that the Demons were on the losing side though, there was no need for information exchange. Therefore, he wanted to go to the battlefield and satisfy his killing intent.
After giving it a thought, Yao Si waved his hand and said nothing.
An elated Ying Fei said, “Many thanks, Sir!” Then, he turned around and joyfully shot towards the battlefield. In just a short moment, he reached his destination, and as he clawed at his enemies, blood was seen spurting out of their bodies.
The epic battle lasted for the entire night. When no more Demons could be seen on the battlefield, those from the Sixty-First Army slowly calmed down. Looking around, they realised that all of them were engulfed in murderous intent, and every one of them seemed to have just emerged from a sea of blood. The red on their bodies belonged to their enemies, as well as their own.
After a moment of silence, all of them started cheering so loudly that the sky seemed to be shaking. As the sounds of the drums were heard, they returned to their camp to recuperate.
Then, they began counting the number of people who had lost their lives. As Yao Si listened to the report, he nodded lightly. Faced with an army that was two times larger than their own, the Sixty-First Army had showcased unimaginable resilience. The price they had to pay was thirty thousand lives for defeating six hundred thousand enemies.
This number was within Yao Si’s expectation and acceptable range; however, most of those who had survived were injured.
Even though the first battle for the Sixty-First Army was over, the war between the two Great Worlds raged on.
The Dragon continuously swirled around the Two Worlds’ Passage to kill the invaders; however, there didn’t seem to come a day when all the Demons would be killed as an inexhaustible number of Demons continued to spurt out of the black hole.
Even though the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was formed by more than twenty armies, with over ten million soldiers powering it, there had been several times when it showed signs of collapsing under such intense pressure.
Some of the Demons would be released from the Grand Formation to ease the burden on it, and the other armies, who had been standing guard outside the formation, would react quickly to clear out the escaped Demons.
After just one day of rest, the gap that was facing the Sixty-First Army in the Grand Formation was opened up again. However, the number of Demons that had been released was smaller than previously as there were only about two hundred thousand of them.
One day of rest had allowed them to become energised again as they confronted their enemies. At the end of the day, they managed to destroy the Demons after paying a small price.
At that instant, the army’s morale had been boosted as some of the Monster Kings loudly asked Yao Si to inform Li Wu Yi to release more Demons to them. Certainly, Yao Si directly rejected this kind of ridiculous demand.
These powerful Monster Kings were excited at the moment as killing the Demons was just like cutting vegetables for them. Even the Demon Kings were easily defeated by them.
However, not everyone from the Sixty-First Army was a Monster King. Even though most of them were strong, they were not that powerful. After two battles, regardless of whether they were injured or not, everyone needed time to restore their energy.
Frequent battles were not beneficial to the armies at all. In order to kill more Demons, they had to take a rest from time to time. Certainly, both Li Wu Yi and Yao Si understood this.
With that said, the people from the Sixty-First Army as well as the other armies that were keeping guard outside the Grand Formation had some time to rest, but what about those in the formation?
With a worried expression, Yao Si looked at the crouching Dragon on the battlefield.
If the Two Worlds’ Passage wasn’t sealed again, the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation would eventually be worn down by the Demons. By then, no would be able to stop the Demons from devastating the Star Boundary.
As time passed, Yao Si could clearly feel that the formation had been weakened. The most obvious sign was that the gaps in the formation had been opened up more frequently.
Barely half a day after the second battle, the Sixty-First Army was faced with their third battle. This time, only a hundred thousand Demons were released from the formation; however, it was more difficult to deal with this smaller number of enemies than the previous two hundred thousand.
It couldn’t be helped, as the Sixty-First Army had gone through two battles in a short period of time. Even though they were still enthusiastic, they were exhausted. On the other hand, the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was overburdened. The formation might appear to be running smoothly, but that was because the Shamans had continuously been using Bloodlust Spells to ignite everyone’s potential. Life Chains was also a ticking time bomb.
With the Life Chains’ blessing, even though the damage they suffered would be equally shared, it would accumulate and explode at some point. When the Life Chains collapsed, the formation would as well.
According to Yao Si’s estimation, the formation could only last for two more days. If they couldn’t come up with a solution in two days, they would have no choice but to retreat. By then, billions of Demons would be free to storm into the Star Boundary, and the Western Territory would quickly be lost.
Within the Sixty-First Army, only the thirty thousand people from the Colour Guard were in perfect condition. It wasn’t that Yao Si didn’t have the heart to let the Colour Guard join the battle; however, after a few days of intense battle, he wanted to keep the Colour Guard as a trump card, which might become incredibly useful at the most critical moment.
Seeing as the Grand Formation was deteriorating, Yao Si was hesitating whether he should get the Colour Guard to join the battlefield, but just then, an agitated voice could be heard saying, “Junior Brother?”
Yao Si turned around and saw a familiar face, then he said through clenched teeth, “Sir, you’re finally back.”
It was Xia Ning Chang who called out to her Junior Brother as Yang Kai appeared beside her.
Yang Kai flashed a gentle smile at her, but it wasn’t the right time to have a chat with her. With a helpless expression, he said, “I just saw your message, then I immediately rushed over. What’s the situation now?”
After he finished speaking, he took a look at the battlefield and became astounded.
Even though he had taken part in the Two Worlds’ Great War before, he hadn’t seen such a magnificent sight. More than ten years ago, he had led an army to fend off the Demons in Tiger Roar City, but that paled when compared to the scene before his eyes.
Knowing that it wasn’t the right time to reprimand him, Yao Si suppressed his anger and said, “Sir, just like what you can see, the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation is on the brink of collapsing, and all the armies are exhausted. If we don’t come up with a solution quickly, defeat is inevitable.”
Yao Si appeared discontent when he was speaking. The fact that Yang Kai had managed to seal off the Two Worlds’ Passage in the past had earned them more than ten years for all the armies in the four territories to get prepared. However, as soon as they were confronted by the Demons, they ended up in such a state, which was why Yao Si was frustrated. It wasn’t that the Human soldiers were weak, but rather that the Demon Realm didn’t seem to care how many lives they lost to achieve their goals.
No one had expected that the Demons would be so crazed. If they couldn’t cut off the source where the Demons were coming from, there would come a time when the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation collapsed.
Upon hearing Yao Si’s explanation, Yang Kai immediately understood what was going on, then he nodded slightly, “I’ll head over.”
After he finished speaking, he took a step forward as his figure faded. Xia Ning Chang hadn’t managed to tell him to be careful before he had already disappeared.
When he reappeared, he had already moved for a thousand kilometres and arrived on the battlefield.
He came across a Demon King that was just ten metres away. Seeing Yang Kai, the Demon King appeared puzzled as he didn’t understand why a person had appeared all of a sudden. Nevertheless, he soon recognised who the person was as he shouted, “Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai had become famous during his stay in the Demon Realm, and he had visited almost every continent. He was also the centre of attention in the war on Eternal Sky Continent, so it wasn’t surprising that the Demon King could recognise him at first glance.
Right after the Demon King shouted, he realised that he was in trouble. Even though he was fairly powerful, he knew that it was impossible for him to escape from the Demon Saints’ pursuit. However, the Human before his eyes was able to do just that; therefore, he immediately decided to run.
While he was doing so, Yang Kai gently raised his hand and shot out a black Moon Blade. Wherever the Moon Blade went, the Demons would be cut in two, and it soon reached the fleeing Demon King.
After a howl, the Demon King pushed his Demon Qi and sent out a fearsome fist. In an instant, an excruciating pain could be felt coming from his hand. The black Moon Blade penetrated his fist and his arm before slashing across his body.
Being cut through, the Demon King fell into a dazed state and stared fixedly at Yang Kai. After he muttered something, his body separated into two, and blood started spurting out. As a consequence, his five viscera and six organs were scattered on the ground.
Without sparing the Demon King a second glance, Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense as a dark cloud surrounded him. Buzzing sounds could be heard coming from the dark cloud. Upon closer look, anyone would be shocked to learn that the cloud was made from insects.
Soul Devouring Insects!
These days, Yang Kai wouldn’t easily use these insects because as his power increased, these insects had become less useful. They were useless when he was confronted by a formidable enemy, and they were not necessary when he was faced with weaker enemies.
However, in this situation where he was surrounded by so many weaker enemies, these insects would be immensely useful.
The insects swirled around Yang Kai as the buzzing sounds became louder. As his Divine Sense surged, he bellowed, “Go!”
After the insects buzzed for a moment, they separated into more than ten groups and flew toward the Demons in all directions. Wherever they went, the Demons would be killed as their Knowledge Seas were invaded and their Souls were devoured while no physical injuries could be seen on their figures.
Upon releasing the insects, Yang Kai stopped caring how useful they were against the enemy. With his hands hanging low on both sides of his figure, he flicked his fingers as Moon Blades shot in different directions.
The immensely lethal Moon Blades cut across a large number of Demons, and because of that, they quickly fled from the scene.
Yang Kai ambled forward and kept sending out Moon Blades. Wherever he went, he would slaughter all the Demons he could see. The ordinary Demons wouldn’t be able to close to within a hundred metres of him, and the Demon Kings would be defeated in just two to three moves.
He was pretty swift as he had moved several hundred metres in just a short moment. Wherever he went, a radius of a hundred metres around him would turn into a dead zone. From a bird’s eye view, there was a path that Yang Kai had taken from start to finish that was several thousand metres long and a hundred or so metres wide, where not a single living Demon existed.
After walking and killing for a bit, Yang Kai found it to be troublesome. Even though Moon Blades were useful, he had to personally make a move to kill the Demons; therefore, he quickly summoned the Wind Gourd.
Following that, he opened the lid, upon which Astral Wind rushed out of the gourd and turned into a torrent of Wind Blades that shot out in a large cone shape.
Swinging the Wind Gourd around, Yang Kai slaughtered Demons even faster than before. In the past, he had obtained this Wind Gourd from a Void Crack in a Restricted Area in Orthodoxy Temple. Now, this item proved to be immensely advantageous when killing enemies in large quantities.
After he was spared the trouble of making a move personally, Yang Kai just had to keep moving forward with the Wind Gourd in hand, and the Wind Blades would take care of the rest.
Not many people had noticed him when he first appeared. However, as Soul Devouring Insects devastated the surrounding Demons, followed by the appearances of Moon Blades and the Wind Gourd, Yang Kai quickly became the centre of attention.
It was hard not to take note of him since he had killed so many Demons so quickly.
Standing on a spot where the Dragon head was located in the Formation, Li Wu Yi saw the familiar figure and heaved a sigh of relief as he set himself at ease.
Yang Kai had finally arrived, and it wasn’t too late yet; thus, Li Wu Yi gave the order to change the Grand Formation as the Dragon zigzagged towards Yang Kai to help ease his burden.
Apart from Li Wu Yi, the top Demon cultivators had also taken note of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had devoured many of their continents and persuaded two Demon Saints and Chang Tian to betray them. After that, he had also sealed off the Two Worlds’ Passage. The top cultivators from the Demon Realm were extremely resentful of him, but they just didn’t see him earlier. Now that he had appeared, there was no way they would let him off.
On the battlefield, a Blood Sea suddenly retracted and turned into a beam of red light before rushing towards Yang Kai.
In just ten breaths’ time, it had reached Yang Kai as a metallic tang permeated the air, and a ferocious murderous intent engulfed him. After the beam of light faded, a figure was revealed as he pounced on his target from the sky like an eagle.
However, Yang Kai seemed oblivious to this. On the battlefield, the cultivators, who saw the sight, exclaimed, and some of them loudly warned Yang Kai of the imminent danger.
Just when the figure almost reached Yang Kai, another figure abruptly appeared and parried the enemy’s attack. With a loud boom, the world seemed to be shaking as Demon Qi swept across the area. Following that, two figures separated as they hovered in the void.
The enemy narrowed his eyes, and upon making out the person who helped Yang Kai, he said through clenched teeth, “Bai Ya, how dare you stop me!”
Yang Kai was too strong, so only Half-Saints were qualified to battle against him. Naturally, the person who had come over to kill him was a Half-Saint. There were not many Half-Saints in the Demon Realm, and all of them were famous, so even though they didn’t frequently contact one another, they were all familiar with each other. That was why upon Bai Ya’s appearance, the enemy Half-Saint immediately recognised him.
A dispassionate Bai Ya said, “Let’s just say that we don’t share the same goal.”
Across from him, the Half-Saint roared, “Damn it! Don’t forget that you are a Demon!”
A helpless Bai Ya replied, “I’m just following orders. Don’t make things difficult for me.”
“Bastard!” The Half-Saint was incensed. Just when he wanted to kill Yang Kai, he was stopped by Bai Ya, who was also a Demon. His eyes had turned bloodshot because countless of his fellow clansmen had lost their lives, so he stopped caring whether Bai Ya was a Demon. After a howl, he pounced on Bai Ya and engaged him in a fierce melee.
Both of them were Half-Saints, so they were equally matched. The battle between them could be said to be intense and eye-catching, but it wasn’t easy to tell who would come out the winner.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had already departed as he continued forward.
Wherever he went, a radius of several hundred metres around him would be emptied of all life. Despite the fact that he was on his own as he was surrounded by countless Demons, no one could stop him besides the Half-Saints.
In total, there were three Half-Saints that had come over to kill him, which went to show that the Demons weren’t just resentful of him; they had actually regarded him to be an arch-nemesis. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent three Half-Saints to stop him.
The first Half-Sant was stopped by Bai Ya though, while the second one was intercepted by Bai Zhuo. For the third one, Yang Kai directly released the Embodiment from the Sealed World Bead.
The six Half-Saints engaged in an intense battle that was quite conspicuous even on the battlefield that was several thousand kilometres wide.
Yang Kai had already reached the gigantic black hole out of which countless Demons were still streaming. With a solemn expression, Yang Kai fearlessly stomped his feet. As he activated his Demon Qi, the Astral Wind coming from the Wind Gourd became more violent. While whooshing sounds were heard, the Wind Blades cut through the void and shot into the black hole.
In an instant, shrieks could be heard coming from the black hole. Before the Demons managed to step out of the Two Worlds’ Passage, they were shredded by the Astral Wind.
Despite the size of the black hole, Yang Kai was able to single-handedly block the crack, which cut off the support for the remaining Demons as no new allies could emerge from the passage again.
Outside the Grand Formation, Yao Si, who was together with the Colour Guard, was waiting anxiously as the scouts from the Flying Hawk Division continuously came over to brief him on the situation at the front line.
Just then, a scout flew over and fell on one knee before cupping his fists, “Sir, the Army Commander has arrived at the Two Worlds’ Passage and cut off the Demons’ reinforcements.”
Upon hearing that, Yao Si rose from the chair as he could barely contain his excitement. Unable to hold it in anymore, he shouted, “Good!”
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and yelled, “Standard-Bearer!”
A shocked Fu Ling quickly summoned the blood-coloured flag. At that instant, the kilometre-long flag fluttered in the air as though the entire sky had been dyed crimson.
An energetic Yao Si pointed at the front, “Colour Guard, hear my order! Follow me to kill the enemy and assist the Army Commander!”
All the soldiers from the Colour Guard cheered as their voices reverberated across the sky.
After a few days of intense battles, nine divisions of the Sixty-First Army made significant contributions. Even the Flying Hawk Division, which was responsible for collecting information, had joined the war effort. Only those from the Colour Guard had remained behind, which was why they were now quite anxious. Upon receiving Yao Si’s order, they immediately became excited.
There were thirty thousand members of the Colour Guard in total. Besides Qiong Qi, a top Master who wasn’t part of the army, the Division Commanders, Yang Xiao and Yang Xiao, were also not weak. Most of the people in the Division were Sea Clan members who were from the East Sea.
Over the past ten years, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had been searching for Flowing Time Great Emperor’s remains, and they had managed to take in some Sea Clan members as well. There were a lot of top cultivators within the Sea Clan, so they now had more than thirty Monster Kings who were just like Bang Bang’er.
This kind of rising force might not be able to significantly affect the course of the war, but they were peerless in a small area.
After a few days of holding back, the Colour Guard finally made a move as the flag flew high in the sky.
Presently, all other nine Divisions were still battling against the Demons who had just been released from the Grand Formation. Just like starving wolves, the Colour Guard charged toward the battlefield and destroyed any Demon they came across. The Sixty-First Army was already in an advantageous position, so with the Colour Guard’s intervention, they were invincible.
In just an hour, the dust finally settled and before the Sixty-First Army were Demon corpses that had been piled up like mountains.
The Sixty-First Army cheered their success. While Yao Si adjusted their War Force, he sent someone to inform Li Wu Yi about what happened.
A moment later, Li Wu Yi replied with only one word, ‘Wait!’
After that, they decided to recuperate outside the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. Some of them took the Spirit Pills that they had brought with them, while the injured ones treated their wounds and meditated.
Inside the Two Worlds’ Passage, Yang Kai used the Wind Gourd in his hand to kill the Demons that were rushing over from the Demon Realm while to the side, Zhui Feng and Di Li were locked in a fierce battle.
Originally, Di Li was a Half-Saint that served under Yu Ru Meng. Besides Bai Zhuo, he was regarded highly by Yu Ru Meng, and he was fairly powerful as well; however, before the war on Eternal Sky Continent, he partnered up with Yue Sang and Yin Si to create a chance for Yue Sang to kill Yang Kai. Nevertheless, they had underestimated Yang Kai’s strength and background, so instead of achieving his goal, he invited trouble to himself.
On Eternal Sky Continent, Yue Sang was killed on the spot after Bright Moon Great Emperor cut him down with his sword while Yin Si and Di Li had escaped with their lives. Nonetheless, Yang Kai then headed to Yin Si’s territory on his own and killed her. Two of the Half-Saints that had targeted Yang Kai on Eternal Sky Continent had lost their lives.
Di Li was worried that Yu Ru Meng would come to settle accounts with him too, so after that great battle, he betrayed her and submitted to another Demon Saint. There hadn’t been any news about him since then.
This time, he had come with the Demon soldiers to keep watch on the Two Worlds’ Passage to prevent any unnecessary trouble.
After Yang Kai entered the passage, he was immediately confronted by Di Li.
Di Li had always been resentful of Yang Kai. The reason he even betrayed Yu Ru Meng was him. Now that they had bumped into one another, he had nothing else to say as he was determined to kill him.
Yang Kai had no other choice but to release Zhui Feng to deal with him. At this point, he had summoned all four Half-Saints that had been hiding in the Small Sealed World, and he had no more trump cards left. If he came across any Half-Saint again, he would have to turn around and seek Li Wu Yi’s help.
Fortunately, there weren’t too many Half-Saints in the Demon Realm. Most of them had joined the war, but they were mostly held up on the battlefield. Four of them were battling against the Half-Saints that worked for Yang Kai, so there were no more Half-Saints left to kill him.
Inside the passage, Di Li was flustered as he tried his hardest to break through Zhui Feng’s defence, but he was unable to do that.
Even though Zhui Feng didn’t have high intelligence, he was truly powerful. When Yang Kai came across Zhui Feng on the Hundred Spirits Continent in the past, the Lotus Sisters had told him that once there was a Half-Saint that had offended Zhui Feng somehow and was then hunted down by Zhui Feng for the next three years. The Half-Saint was eventually beaten to a pulp and wound up bedridden for years after.
Despite the fact that Di Li was formidable, he was just an ordinary Half-Saint, which was why he was wary of Zhui Feng, who seemed to have gone mad with rage.
One Demon and one Beast, both of them Half-Saints, were having a life-or-death battle in the Two Worlds’ Passage. The fallout from this battle affected many Demons, killing a large number of them and inadvertently assisting Yang Kai.
Presently, Yang Kai was surrounded by rippling Space Principles. As he lifted his hand, the invisible Space Principles engulfed the entire Void Corridor and caused the dark passageway to destabilize.
More than ten years ago, Yang Kai was already able to seal off the passage when he fled from the Demon Realm. Over the past years, he had been practising world refinement, so his mastery of the Dao of Space was already much stronger than in the past.
The connection between the two Great Worlds was slowly being cut off and the gigantic black hole in the air was visibly shrinking.
The sight was conspicuous, so the millions of Humans and Demons were able to see it clearly.
The expressions of the top Demon cultivators changed drastically. Earlier, they saw Yang Kai storming into the Two Worlds’ Passage on his own, and upon seeing the transformation the passage was going through, they immediately realised what he had done.
Upon that realisation, they quickly returned to the passage.
Certainly, Li Wu Yi wouldn’t allow that to happen. When Yang Kai dashed into the passage earlier, he had already ordered a change in the Coiling Dragon Grand Formation. Initially, the Dragon head and tail were connected as it circled around the battlefield; however, now, with the Dragon head leading the way, the formation zigzagged and reached the passage. The First Army took the initiative to defend the Passage so that no Demons could come near it.
Outside the passage, Li Wu Yi and the Grand Formation were fending off the Demons. Inside the passage, Yang Kai was destroying the Demons with his Wind Gourd. No one else could stop Yang Kai besides the Half-Saints.
In just an incense stick of time, the humongous black hole shrunk by half. Half an hour later, it diminished by half again. One hour later, the black hole became only several dozen metres wide.
Yang Kai emerged from the black hole and stood beside the passage at that point. As he raised his hand, Space Principles could be seen churning around him while a few kilometres away, Zhui Feng and Di Li were still locked in an intense battle.
Li Wu Yi, who was battling against a Half-Saint, felt the fluctuations behind him and turned to look in that direction before he put on a helpless smile. There was no need for any comparison. By just feeling the fluctuations of the Principles, he knew that Yang Kai had already surpassed him when it came to mastery over the Dao of Space.
Then, he stopped smiling and shifted his attention back to the Half-Saint. The Star Boundary had descended into turmoil, so it was a good thing that Yang Kai had achieved such a breakthrough.
After just ten breaths, the several dozen metre wide black hole contracted and became a black dot as small as the eye of a needle, then Yang Kai directly grabbed at it. When he spread his palm, the small black dot had disappeared.
The Two Worlds’ Passage that had been connected by Can Ye using his own body as a bridge existed for only a few days before it was sealed off by Yang Kai again.
When the Human cultivators saw this on the battlefield, they started cheering, their voices as loud as thunder.
They might not be privy to important decisions in the military, but they had been on the battlefield for a long time, so they understood what was going on. As long as the Two Worlds’ Passage still existed, more Demons would continue pouring out of it to replace the fallen ones. It was an advantage that the Humans didn’t have.
The Coiling Dragon Grand Formation was overburdened, and was at risk of collapsing at any moment. Once that happened, the Human armies inside the formation would either be injured or killed.
Now that Yang Kai had cut off the support for the Demons and eased the burden for the Humans, naturally, they were excited.
With a smile, Li Wu Yi gave an order to his subordinate, “Open up the formation!”
The First Army’s flag was immediately erected and swung in the air in a particular manner. The next instant, gaps started opening up in the formation.
Seeing that, the Demons became elated and charged towards the gaps. They had seen that the Two Worlds’ Passage had been sealed off, so they knew that they were in trouble. Now that gaps had finally opened up in the formation, which was usually closed up tight, they certainly had to run for their lives.
Nevertheless, before they even dashed out of the gaps, they were confronted by even more Human armies. Over twenty Human armies had been waiting outside the formation, and as soon as the gaps were opened up, they stormed into the formation.
The Demons were stunned upon seeing this while the Human armies all appeared ferocious. Earlier, these armies were just keeping guard outside the formation as they waited for the Demons to be released from the formation. Now, they had taken the initiative to charge in. One party was proactive while the other party was unsuspecting, which was why there was a gap between their morale.
More than twenty Human armies stormed into the formation from all directions. In an instant, countless Demons were killed. More Human forces had joined the war, so it was apparent to anyone that it was just a matter of time before the Humans won the battle.
After the armies hurtled into the array, the Grand Formation was closed up again as it surrounded the battlefield.
As the blood-coloured flag flapped in the air, the Sixty-First Army’s soldiers streamed into the battlefield like a torrent of steel and iron. Wherever they went, all the Demons would be crushed or killed. Yao Si was leading the way while Yang Xiao and Yang Xue followed him. Qiong Qi kept his hands in his sleeves with a calm expression. He didn’t seem to have made any move, but once the Demons came within a ten metres radius of him, they would be sent flying backwards by an intangible force as they sprayed out mouthfuls of blood.
A moment later, they finally reunited with Yang Kai. Yao Si cupped his fists and greeted, “Sir.”
Yang Kai nodded and turned to look at Di Li, who was still fighting with Zhui Feng. With a sneer, he commanded, “Kill him!”
After he finished speaking, he dashed towards Di Li, and he was followed by Liu Yan. As she flew forward, her petite figure appeared to be graceful, her big eyes as pure as water.
A shocked Di Li immediately decided to make a feint and fled from the scene before mingling with the other Demons.
Looking in the direction Di Li had fled, Yang Kai hesitated for a moment and decided not to pursue him. The battlefield was chaotic now, so it was difficult to run after him; moreover, Di Li was a Half-Saint, so he wasn’t easy to kill.
Therefore, Yang Kai decided not to end Di Li’s life for now and instead turned to lead the Sixty-First Army to destroy the other Demons.
The dust had finally settled, literally.
All fifty-five armies had gathered together, and they were surrounded by the Grand Formation. The Demons had been trapped, and they couldn’t flee in any direction. There was no more hope for them as they would all eventually be killed.
Just then, a long howl was suddenly heard coming from somewhere on the battlefield. His voice was so loud that it was as though a bolt of lightning had just struck the ground.
All the Human Masters frowned and turned to look at the source of the voice, only to see a sturdy figure hovering in the sky. His hair and eyes were as red as blood. Such conspicuous features suggested that he was a Blood Demon.
When the howl stopped, more than twenty figures shot up from all directions and gathered by the Blood Demon’s side. All these Demons exuded harrowing Demon Qi, so it was apparent that they were all Half-Saints.
“Sir!” Yang Kai moved and approached Li Wu Yi with a solemn expression as he gazed at the Half-Saints.
Just when the Demons were on the verge of total defeat, the Half-Saints suddenly gathered together in some kind of Formation. No one knew what they were up to.
Li Wu Yi shook his head to motion for him to keep watching.
The Great Emperors weren’t around, but so many Half-Saints had joined forces, so they had to act carefully.
The Half-Saints hovered behind the Blood Demon, who gazed at Li Wu Yi from a distance. Apparently, he knew that Li Wu Yi was the leader of the Human armies here.
A moment later, the Blood Demon flashed a hideous smile at Li Wu Yi and made a cut-throat gesture.
“How childish!” Yang Kai sneered.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi remained unfazed. To their surprise, after the Blood Demon was done with making the gesture, he turned into a beam of red light and engulfed all the Half-Saints before shooting into the sky.
Li Wu Yi’s expression changed as he yelled, “Stop them!”
In an instant, countless Humans shot into the sky as the lights of their Secret Techniques and artifacts engulfed the beam of red light.
However, they were unable to stop it. The red light only twisted for a bit to dodge the attacks and broke the siege before it became a small dot in the distance.
Of all the Demon clans, Shadow Demons were best at concealment; however, when it came to fleeing, Blood Demons were unrivalled. Their escape techniques were peerless in this world.
Li Wu Yi’s expression turned livid as more than twenty Demons had fled. The number might seem small, but those were all Half-Saints. If they hid in the Star Boundary and created trouble, the world would descend into a reign of terror. Nevertheless, no one was able to stop them now.
There were many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary as well, but after days of intense battles, they were all exhausted. Regardless of whether they were able to chase after them, it would be pointless even if they decided to do so.
“I’ll go!” Yang Kai offered and moved forward.
Seeing that, Li Wu Yi hurriedly clenched the young man’s shoulder and shook his head, “There’s no need.”
Yang Kai asked, “Are we just going to let them flee?” The situation was in their favour. If they didn’t kill the Half-Saints now, many problems would ensue.
Li Wu Yi explained, “What can you do even if you run after them on your own?” He grimaced and pointed at the battlefield, “We have to settle the problem here first.”
Yang Kai knew that Li Wu Yi was right, but he still felt unresigned to let so many Half-Saints go.
Knowing what was on his mind, Li Wu Yi persuaded him by saying, “It won’t be too late to hunt them down when we’re done here. They’re all Half-Saints. It won’t matter if they remain hidden forever, but if they dare to show up, their whereabouts will be immediately exposed.”
Yang Kai nodded and said with a doubt, “Why did they flee so decisively though?” Even though the Two Worlds’ Passage had been sealed off, the Demons were still able to fight back. If the battle dragged on, those from the Star Boundary would have to pay a hefty price even if they could win the battle eventually. However, the Half-Saints decided to flee when things went south, leaving millions of Demons behind, as though they had already made such a decision before coming to this place.
Without the Half-Saints, the Demons, who were already on the losing side, were unable to even put up a fight against the Human cultivators anymore. It could be said that even though the fact that the Half-Saints had fled had created a potential trouble for the Star Boundary, it had actually helped with the present war.
It was indeed a big sacrifice to make if that was how they decided to save themselves.
Furthermore, what Li Wu Yi had said wasn’t unfounded. Demons were constantly surrounded by Demon Qi, which was a conspicuous feature. It wouldn’t have mattered if they remained hidden, but once they showed up, Masters from the Star Boundary would swiftly move to besiege them, so it wasn’t really a big deal to let them go for now.
While he was pondering on the Demons’ true intention though, Li Wu Yi suddenly frowned, “This is bad.”
A shocked Yang Kai followed his gaze, only to see Demon Qi surging on the battlefield. Countless Demons seemed to have gone mad as they attacked all the living creatures around them.
Their targets were not limited to Human cultivators as they had even started harming their own companions.
Whether they were common Demon soldiers, Demon Generals, Demon Great Generals, or even Demon Kings, in just a short moment, their eyes had gone completely bloodshot. They didn’t seem to recognise their companions anymore as all they did was kill.
The Demons, who were already on the losing side, became even weaker. Even though the Half-Saints had left, the remaining Demons were still a force to be reckoned with; however, they seemed to have gone insane as they started killing one another. Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai were dumbfounded upon seeing this, not to mention the Human soldiers who were still battling against the Demons.
In just a few breaths’ time, countless Demons had lost their lives.
Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai traded glances as they saw the shock and puzzlement behind one another’s gazes. However, it wasn’t the right time to ponder on the root of the problem. Li Wu Yi immediately began passing down orders through his flag.
Yang Kai also moved and returned to the Sixty-First Army.
“Sir, what’s going on?” Yao Si asked anxiously. He had seen what was going on, so he was baffled as well.
“I don’t know. We need to withdraw for now,” Yang Kai looked around and found the spot with the smallest concentration of Demons before leading his army to charge forward in that direction.
As they killed more Demons along the way, they were drenched in blood, and their murderous intent seemed able to fill the sky.
The Sixty-First Army and all other armies saw Li Wu Yi’s flag and started retreating.
On the battlefield, all fifty-five armies turned into crushing tidal waves that washed over and destroyed any Demons that barred their path, soon breaking free from the engagement.
The armies consecutively left the battlefield, with Li Wu Yi’s First Army being the last one to retreat.
Turning around, they realised that the slaughter on the battlefield hadn’t stopped. The only difference was that there were only Demons left on the battlefield.
As the midnight breeze whisked across them, the Star Boundary forces felt chills running down their spines.
“W-What is going on?” Xie Wu Wei muttered.
No one knew what was happening as Yang Kai couldn’t provide an answer either. No one could have expected such a turn of events. The Coiling Dragon Grand Formation had been disbanded as Li Wu Yi, from the First Army, was puzzled as well.
None of them was prepared to welcome such a sudden victory, and it was because of this suddenness that they felt uneasy.
If things kept up, the Demons would eventually kill themselves off. After giving it a thought, Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Ya and Bai Zhuo.
The two Demons were perplexed as to why Yang Kai was staring at them and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Are both of you fine?” Yang Kai asked.
Yang Kai wanted to ask them why the other Demons had gone mad, but the two Half-Saints shook their heads, and even the Embodiment didn’t show any signs of anomaly.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai raised his hand and summoned two people.
The second region had been separated from the Small Sealed World and became a Star in the Lower Star Field, but many Demons still lived in the third region. Bo Ya, Huo Lun, and Mo Sheng were among them. Bo Ya had been following Yang Kai for a long time now, while Huo Lun was forcefully stuffed into the Small Sealed World by him as his first test subject. As for Mo Sheng, there were no problems with his background, but Yang Kai had a feeling that something was off with this man. So, when he released the Demon Kings and Half-Saints from the Small Sealed World in the past, he kept Mo Sheng inside and told Bo Ya to keep watch on him.
Now, Yang Kai had summoned Bo Ya and Huo Lun to test his theory.
After the pair appeared, they became confused for a moment before they saluted Yang Kai. Before Yang Kai could ask anything, however, Bo Ya suddenly grunted in pain as her face contorted. Huo Lun was in an even worse situation as his eyes had turned bloodshot. With Demon Qi roiling around him, he directly tried to land a palm on Bo Ya.
Yang Kai was well prepared though so he stopped him before he could hurt Bo Ya. He single-handedly clenched Huo Lun and pushed his Demon Qi to seal off the latter’s cultivation.
Huo Lun seemed oblivious to the fact that he had been captured by Yang Kai as his expression remained hideous and ferocious. It was as though he was determined to bite off a piece of Yang Kai’s flesh.
Everyone was stunned, while Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya stared at Huo Lun with solemn expressions.
“S-Sir!” Bo Ya bit her lip until it started bleeding. She seemed to be in pain as though she was resisting something. Both of them were also Mid-Rank Demon Kings, but Huo Lun was clearly much weaker, so he had succumbed to madness quicker. Even though Bo Ya could still resist, clearly it wouldn’t be long before she was driven insane as well as her eyes had already started reddening.
Seeing that, Yang Kai finally realised what had happened. Pushing his Divine Sense, he put both of them inside the Small Sealed World.
After that, the redness in Bo Ya’s eyes started fading as she came to her senses; however, her clothes were already soaked in sweat, sticking close to her luscious figure. Appearing rather lethargic, Bo Ya was panting heavily as though she had just gone through an intense battle.
It was the same case for Huo Lun. His eyes stopped appearing red, and seeing Bo Ya kneeling on the ground and panting, he asked in puzzlement, “What just happened?”
He couldn’t remember anything he had done.
Bo Ya ignored him because Yang Kai’s voice was ringing in her ear. He was asking about what had happened, and after giving it a thought, Bo Ya replied in a weakened voice, “Just now, I heard a voice speaking directly into my head, and then I couldn’t control myself anymore. If I stayed there any longer…”
She would have lost her mind and become unable to recognise her friends and family anymore, just like Huo Lun. At the thought of this, she shuddered because nothing was more terrifying than losing control of one’s body and mind. It would be like becoming a puppet without free will, a fate worse than death.
“What kind of voice was it?” Yang Kai asked.
Bo Ya shook her head as she had no idea. Yang Kai asked a few more questions, but he had to give up in the end.
Outside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai told the two Half-Saints what he had just discovered, and upon hearing his explanation, Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya turned pale at the same time.
Bai Zhuo concluded, “So, this sudden turn of events was caused by someone.”
Bo Ya could hear a voice speaking in her mind, then her temperament started changing. It was obviously someone’s doing; however, who could be powerful enough to influence so many Demons all at once?
The reason he and Bai Ya were unaffected was because their cultivation was strong. Below Half-Saints though, even Demon Kings couldn’t resist the power of the voice.
That was the reason Bo Ya and Huo Lun were immediately affected after they were released from the Small Sealed World.
“Can the Demon Saints do such a thing?” Yang Kai turned to look at them and asked.
Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya traded glances and fell silent for a moment. Then, Bai Zhuo replied, “All Holy Venerables possess their own Divine Abilities, and we’re not able to speculate how powerful they truly are.”
He didn’t really answer Yang Kai’s question as, apparently, they couldn’t be sure which Demon Saint was behind this; however, it shouldn’t have been possible because all ten Demon Saints had fled together not long after they appeared some time ago. If they had left behind any tricks, there was no way the Great Emperors wouldn’t have noticed.
Even though they had no idea what the Demon Saints were up to, they had figured out why the Demons had gone mad at the very least. Just when Yang Kai was preparing to inform Li Wu Yi about what had happened, his expression changed as he said, “Damn it!”
“Sir, why do you look anxious?” Yao Si asked.
“Where’s Ru Meng and the others?” Yang Kai turned to look at Su Yan and asked.
All of their expressions changed drastically when they heard what he asked.
Presently, besides the Demons from the Demon Realm and all fifty-five Human armies, there was another vast army in the Western Territory that hadn’t participated in this battle… the soldiers under Yu Ru Meng, Bei Li Mo, and Chang Tian’s command!
This army not only included the top cultivators that worked under the three Demon Saints when they were still in the Demon Realm in the past, but also many that the Demon Saints had taken in in recent years.
There were two million people in total in this army; however, since they were all Demons, Li Wu Yi didn’t have confidence in deploying them on this day, so they were told to stay put.
Presently, all the Demons on the battlefield had become insane as they couldn’t even recognise their own companions. Even the two Demon Kings that Yang Kai had summoned from the Small Sealed World were not spared this fate. As such, they wouldn’t dare to imagine what the two million troops had become.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Su Yan quickly pointed in a particular direction. The next instant, Yang Kai disappeared from the spot as his voice still reverberated around, “Inform Supreme Commander Li about it now!”
A few thousand kilometres away, the base of Yu Ru Meng and the others had become a mess.
When Yang Kai arrived at the place, the two million Demons could be heard howling and screaming. The base had been turned upside down. Countless Demon corpses were scattered everywhere, and the ground had been dyed crimson. All the Demons, whose eyes had reddened, had gone mad as they ragingly destroyed everything around them.
Seeing that, Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh as these Demons were not spared the calamity.
Amidst the chaos, about thirty figures had gathered together as they hovered in the sky. All of them were dumbfounded, and their gazes were filled with puzzlement and sorrow. They were all Half-Saints.
Some of these Half-Saints had been working under Yu Ru Meng and the other two Demon Saints, while some of them were abducted by Yang Kai when he was devouring Flame Demon Saint Chi Yan’s territories. These Half-Saints were loyal to Chi Yan, but they were now in the hands of Yu Ru Meng and the others. Certainly, they had many ways to make sure that these Half-Saints wouldn’t betray them.
At this moment, just like Bai Zhuo and Bai Ya, these Half-Saints were not affected one bit; however, they were dumbstruck by what had happened to the army.
Unless they killed all two million people, they were unable to stop so many people going mad at the same time. Nevertheless, could they kill them all? They wouldn’t even know how to explain themselves when the Demon Saints returned.
On the other hand, there were about a hundred people who had sat down with their legs crossed, Demon Qi roiling around them. These Demons seemed to be shaking violently and as Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense, he realised that they were all High-Rank Demon Kings.
Obviously, they had been affected as well. Nonetheless, they had strong cultivation, so they hadn’t lost their minds yet as they resisted the influence with difficulty. However, judging from the state they were in, Yang Kai reckoned that they couldn’t persevere much longer. If this dragged on, it was just a matter of time before they became insane.
Following that, he moved and appeared above those High-Rank Demon Kings as he bellowed, “Don’t resist!”
As he aimed his palm at them, his Divine Sense engulfed all the High-Rank Demon Kings like a tidal wave. When he retracted his hand, all these Demon Kings, who were resisting the madness with difficulty earlier, had disappeared as they had been put inside the Small Sealed World.
“Sir!” The Lotus Sisters flew over and pleaded with him as though he was their last hope, “Sir, please save them! We don’t know why they’ve become like this all of a sudden!”
Yang Kai nodded and didn’t waste any time, “I’ve come over for this reason.”
After he finished speaking, he raised his hands as several dozen beams of light shot toward the Half-Saints. Every one of them had exactly one. Upon grabbing them, the Half-Saints realised that they were just longan-sized beads with no energy fluctuations. Not knowing what these were for, they gazed at Yang Kai in puzzlement.
“I’m sure all of you know about my Sealed World Bead. These beads are similar artifacts. They can keep living creatures inside of them, and they can be used even without refining them. Move quickly and save as many of them as you can!”
Upon hearing that, the Half-Saints were elated as they clenched their World Beads.
Yang Kai also dashed towards the Demons and surged his Divine Sense. Wherever he went, a large number of Demons would disappear as they were thrown into the Small Sealed World.
There were some particulars Yang Kai had to adhere to if he wanted to move living creatures inside the Sealed World Bead. If the other party didn’t resist, it wouldn’t take him much effort as he just had to open up the World Barrier and send them inside. If the other party wasn’t cooperative, however, he had to expend a lot more energy. Depending on how powerful the other party was, the energy that would be needed varied too.
If the target was more powerful than Yang Kai, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about them.
He still remembered when he put the gigantic Embodiment inside the Small Sealed World the first time, causing a complete exhaustion of his Spiritual Energy.
World Beads were imitations of the Sealed World Bead, so the same rule applied. None of the Demons that had gone mad at the scene were more powerful than the Half-Saints, so they could easily utilise the World Beads in their hands.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation was much greater than the average Half-Saint’s, so even if those Demons were not cooperative, it wouldn’t slow down Yang Kai in keeping them inside the Small Sealed World one bit.
With Yang Kai leading the way, the Half-Saints dispersed around the battlefield. Using the beads in their hands, they hurriedly put the insane Demons away.
A moment later, Yang Kai had the Sealed World Bead assume its Gun-Gun form. Its gigantic figure covered the entire sky, and as it opened its hideous mouth, it devoured many Demons with just one bite.
However, they were in the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai didn’t dare to let Gun-Gun devour everything as it pleased. If Gun-Gun gobbled up any part of the world, he would become an eternal sinner to the Star Boundary. Therefore, despite Gun Gun’s appearance, the problem in front of Yang Kai couldn’t be solved quickly.
Furthermore, all two million Demons had begun to scatter, so it was difficult to swiftly put them all inside the Small Sealed World.
The Half-Saints were anxious as they diligently carried out their tasks. They knew that for every clansman they put away, more lives were saved; however, their energy wasn’t inexhaustible. Despite the fact that they were Half-Saints, they had to expend an unimaginable amount of energy to take in the Demons when they were resisting.
Soon, all the Half-Saints turned pale as they had expended too much Spiritual Energy. Nevertheless, they had only managed to save about half of the Demons on the battlefield.
Fortunately, at this point, Li Wu Yi had arrived with many of the Army Commanders behind him.
Upon learning what had happened in the Sixty-First Army’s base and that Yang Kai had come over to this place, he immediately realised what was happening. Swiftly, he gave the order for the armies to stay put while the Army Commanders followed him.
When they arrived at this place, they happened to see that the Half-Saints had all turned pale.
Upon Yang Kai’s explanation about the current situation, Li Wu Yi picked out more than thirty Army Commanders who had stronger Soul cultivation to replace the Half-Saints to continue putting people into the World Beads.
After a long day, they finally managed to store all the Demons that were still alive and heaved a sigh of relief. Hovering in the sky, Yang Kai looked down at the mountain of corpses and rivers of blood and sighed.
They hadn’t done a count yet, but after the incident, at least five hundred thousand out of two million Demons here had surely lost their lives. Basically, twenty-five percent of their forces were gone. This kind of loss was unfathomable and ineffable.
Yang Kai was busy just now, so it wasn’t until this moment that he was free to find out what had been going on inside the Small Sealed World.
Upon realising that the Demons, who had just been put inside the Small Sealed World, had regained their senses and stopped attacking one another, he was able to set his mind at ease. He reckoned that the situations in the World Beads must be the same as that in the Small Sealed World.
At that instant, he was torn between tears and laughter as he had never expected that the World Beads that he had spent so much effort to refine would become useful so soon, and in such a way.
“Sir.” The Lotus Sisters flew over as they adjusted their breathing. Even though they hadn’t fully restored themselves, they no longer looked pale, “Where is Sir and the two Holy Venerables?”
Yang Kai replied, “All ten Demon Saints have arrived, so they’ve gone to pursue them.”
The Lotus Sisters were shocked upon hearing this and asked, “Sir, do you know what happened just now?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know what exactly happened. A Demon King told me that she suddenly heard a voice in her head, then she started losing her rationality.”
The expressions of the sisters changed again as they traded glances. They found it inconceivable because they hadn’t heard any voice. Nevertheless, they knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t lie to them.
“We have to look into the matter before coming to any conclusions. I’ll ask the Holy Venerables about it when they return.”
The Lotus Sisters nodded as all they could do was wait.
Seeing as Li Wu Yi beckoned to him, Yang Kai flew over.
Li Wu Yi narrowed his eyes at the Army Commanders as he spoke, “Why are you holding on to the beads? Return them to Yang Kai now. He has to transfer the Demons that have just been put inside.”
All of the Army Commanders traded glances as they didn’t seem to have the intention of giving the beads back. Some of them grinned at Li Wu Yi while some of them looked fervently at Yang Kai.
They had just had a taste of the wonders of the World Beads, so they were not willing to return them to Yang Kai. Obviously, they wished they could keep the beads forever.
Knowing what was on their minds, Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “I was short on time, so I haven’t managed to create adequate beads. When I’m free, I’ll make more so that every army will have one.”
However, all of them remained unmoving. Since there were not enough beads, it meant that some of them would have to give up the beads for now. All of them wanted to be the first ones to get their hands on the beads.
“All of you are grown men and women! Masters who have lived for thousands of years! Do you have no shame at all!?” Li Wu Yi scolded fiercely.
Seeing that, the Army Commanders reluctantly passed the World Beads back to Yang Kai.
Every World Bead contained a lot of Demons, so it took Yang Kai quite some time to transfer all of them to the Small Sealed World. Eventually, these World Beads would be given to the Army Commanders, so no Demons could remain behind.
When it was Bing Yun’s turn, Yang Kai saw her smiling faintly at him. After a cough, he transferred all the Demons to his Small Sealed World and immediately passed the bead back to her, “Senior, I’ll present this to you as a gift of gratitude on Su Yan’s behalf.”
Bing Yun said, “I don’t think it’s appropriate…”
Despite what she had said, she had already taken the bead without feeling bashful.
“There’s nothing inappropriate,” Yang Kai shook his head repeatedly.
“Brat, don’t forget about your Seniors!” Wen Zi Shan passed the bead back to Yang Kai, but he wouldn’t retract his hand as he winked at the young man.
A helpless Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “Temple Master, please take this bead as my tribute to the Temple.”
Wen Zi Shan guffawed, “En, a promising young man indeed!”
The remaining Army Commanders traded glances and felt speechless at this display. Just then, an Army Commander walked over and said passionately, “Brother Yang, I have a young disciple who is beautiful and virtuous, and she hasn’t been engaged to anyone yet. She has always admired heroes like you. I think both of you would be perfect together, and I’d like to act as a matchmaker. What do you think?”
The other Army Commanders shot him with dismissive looks, but he still appeared assertive, “Men and women have to get married when they reach a suitable age. What’s wrong with that?”
Another Army Commander stepped forward, “Brother Yang, I have sixty-three unmarried women in my clan with different styles of beauty and demeanours. Why don’t you visit my home when you’re free? I’ll summon all of them to let you choose freely.”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless, knowing that they truly craved the World Beads in his hands; otherwise, they wouldn’t have embarrassed themselves in such a way. Seeing that the other people seemed to have the intention of becoming matchmakers for him as well, he hurriedly passed all the beads to Li Wu Yi and let him be troubled instead.
As expected, upon seeing that, the Army Commanders immediately surrounded Li Wu Yi. They would either argue with him or plead with him in an attempt to get the beads for themselves.
Upon getting himself out of the mess, Yang Kai looked at the chaotic battlefield and felt increasingly uneasy. The fact that the Demons had gone mad and killed one another contributed to their victory, but it was definitely part of a bigger plot. No one could set their mind at ease before finding out what this plot was.
However, the Great Emperors were not around, so it was extremely difficult to ascertain anything.
Just then, Yang Kai felt his chest tightening, which caused his expression to change.
A few billion kilometres away, above the sky of Profound Frost City in the Northern Territory, two figures were silently hovering in the air. One of them appeared righteous, while the other person looked wicked. Above the sky of this little-known city, Iron Blood Great Emperor from the Star Boundary, and the strongest Demon Saint from the Demon Realm, Huang Wu Ji, appeared at the same time and confronted one another in silence.
After a few days of chasing and trading moves, which almost shattered the world around them, the pair finally arrived at this place from the Western Territory.
Huang Wu Ji stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached this place and with an inscrutable smile, he stared quietly at Zhan Wu Hen.
Zhan Wu Hen looked around and released his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings that were within a radius of several ten thousand kilometres.
He didn’t understand why Huang Wu Ji would stop in this place. Judging from the previous circumstances, Huang Wu Ji seemed to have the intention of coming to this spot beforehand, but what was so special about this place that could attract a Demon Saint’s attention?
Even though Zhan Wu Hen was a Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, he wasn’t omniscient. At the very least, he couldn’t figure out what the Demon Saints were up to, so he had no other choice but to see how things went.
Recalling the sight when the Demon Saints first appeared, Zhan Wu Hen had a feeling that an egregious plot was waiting for the Star Boundary. Huang Wu Ji had stopped in this place, so what about the other nine Demon Saints? Where were they? What were they up to?
Despite not knowing anything, Iron Blood came to the realization that the Demon Saints had indeed risked their lives to barge into the Star Boundary, but their moves had caused the Great Emperors to fall into a passive situation.
It was a small city with only several hundred thousand residents, with the strongest being just a few Origin Kings. Such a small city was poor in resources, which was why it couldn’t attract top cultivators to stay. Moreover, the armies had been recruiting soldiers wantonly in recent years, so the small number of Origin Kings from this city had almost all joined the armies.
Despite the fact that Huang Wu Ji and Zhan Wu Hen had been staying in this place for a while, no one from the city could detect them.
Since Huang Wu Ji didn’t seem to have the intention of making a move, Zhan Wu Hen decided to wait and watch as well.
Faced with the strongest Demon Saint, he wouldn’t dare to be complacent despite the fact that they were in the Star Boundary. Once they got into a fight, they would use their full strength, and the repercussions of the battle would spread far and wide, likely wiping this entire city off the map in the opening exchange.
Unless he could discover Huang Wu Ji’s weakness and deal a fatal blow to him in the first strike, everyone in the city would lose their lives.
Their auras clashed as they confronted each other in silence. While Zhan Wun Hen appeared dispassionate, Huang Wu Ji’s expression was solemn.
It wasn’t that Huang Wu Ji was no match for Zhan Wu Hen. Given a fair environment, no one could tell who would turn out to be the winner if they got into a fight.
However, they were now in the Star Boundary, where the World Principles were different from those in the Demon Realm. Zhan Wu Hen had obtained recognition from the World’s Will, which meant that he had the blessing of this Great World. On the other hand, Huang Wu Ji was an invader, so the world was naturally hostile to him. Considering these factors, it seemed that he was on the weaker side now.
Zhan Wu Hen was confident that if Huang Wu Ji wasn’t going to flee, he could severely injure him, though there would be a heavy price to pay in order to achieve that.
Nevertheless, he didn’t have the heart to condemn to death the several hundred thousand people in the city below. The Great Emperors had obtained the Star Boundary’s recognition, making them the guardians of this Great World. If they couldn’t even protect the people living here, why would the world acknowledge them?
“Why don’t we have a talk?” Zhan Wu Hen broke the silence.
Huang Wu Ji said impassively, “Are you going to lecture me or something?”
“That’s not what I meant. I just hope that there won’t be any war between the two Great Worlds, and no one else will have to die.”
Huang Wu Ji replied with a smile, “The war has been ignited, and countless people from both worlds have lost their lives. Who could possibly forget this kind of blood feud? Great Emperor, do you even believe what you’ve said?”
Zhan Wu Hen said, “If you promise that the Demons will leave the Star Boundary, seal off the Two Worlds’ Passage, and never come back again, we can forget about this war.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Huang Wu Ji sneered.
“We can only do our best.” Normally, Zhan Wu Hen would just fight it out with his enemy. This was one of the rare circumstances where he had to talk it out with his foe; however, he had no other choice as he didn’t want more people to lose their lives pointlessly. “I know that the Demon Realm is falling apart. The reason you’re invading the Star Boundary is that you all want a place to live. You don’t necessarily have to do this though. If there’s a new world that could accommodate the Demons, the war between our worlds would become unnecessary.”
As a Great Emperor, he was aware of Yang Kai’s plan. The new world he just mentioned was the territory inside the Sealed World Bead.
Huang Wu Ji shook his head, “Discussion is meaningless because you know nothing.”
Upon hearing that, Zhan Wu Hen furrowed his brows. Just when he wanted to say something more, Huang Wu Ji suddenly spread his arms and yelled, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All living creatures and their spirits will die. In the end, everything in this world will perish!”
Initially, his voice wasn’t particularly loud, but as soon as he started speaking, his words reverberated around the world like the tolling of a gigantic bell. Apart from his, nine other voices could be heard echoing his exact statement. Despite the fact that their voices were intermingled, there wasn’t a sense of disorder. It was as though the same person had said the same thing in ten different tones.
At that instant, their voices could be heard by everyone in this world. Trillions of lives were astounded as they looked up at the sky, and it was at that exact moment that Yang Kai felt his chest tightening.
On the battlefield in the Western Territory, the Army Commanders had surrounded Li Wu Yi in an attempt to get their hands on the World Beads and were arguing with one another until their faces and necks had reddened.
““Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. All the living creatures and their spirits will die. In the end, everything in this world will perish!””
The ten voices were heard, and everyone stopped arguing as the entire world fell silent. At the same time, they all looked up into the sky. Presently, Li Wu Yi and the other Army Commanders appeared extremely solemn. Even though their voices had been mixed together, one voice stood out in particular. They had heard Huang Wu Ji’s voice before, so they could immediately recognise it.
The voices of all ten Demon Saints were suddenly heard across the Star Boundary, which was a horrifying fact.
“Damn it!” Yang Kai turned pale and cursed.
“What happened?” Li Wu Yi asked anxiously. He knew that something terrible had just occurred, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Judging from Yang Kai’s tone though, he seemed to have realised something.
It wasn’t that he was less powerful than Yang Kai, it was just that Yang Kai had inherited the World’s Will from Bright Moon Great Emperor, so he could somewhat sense what was going on.
“The World Barrier…” Before Yang Kai could finish speaking, his expression changed again as he looked into the distance. Demon Qi started surging from the five hundred thousand Demon corpses nearby. This Demon Qi was as thick as ink and soon formed into a giant Flood Dragon and shot towards the sky.
Not only was this happening on the battlefield near them, it was also happening on the battlefield near the Two Worlds’ Passage. Only five hundred thousand Demons, who worked under Yu Ru Meng and the others, had passed away in this place; however, there were millions of corpses on the battlefield near the passage.
In just a few days, the Humans had killed more than ten million Demons while the number of Demons that had lost their lives from killing one another was even greater than that.
Millions of Demon corpses were scattered everywhere on the ground. Demon Qi could be seen rising from the dismembered corpses and converging in the same place. Looking from afar, a particular area of the sky had turned completely dark.
The horrifying Demon Qi then shot into the sky like a huge black column, as though it was going to pierce the Heavens.
With a loud boom, the column exploded and turned into ten streams of darkness before shooting off in ten different directions, the same directions the ten Demon Saints had flown off in.
Li Wu Yi’s expression changed drastically as he fished out a Space Beacon and contacted Zhan Wu Hen in an attempt to ask what had happened. At the same time, he informed him about the anomaly in this place. Unfortunately, he didn’t get any reply from the Great Emperor.
At this moment, Zhan Wu Hen had no time to reply to him. Right after Huang Wu Ji said these odd words, Zhan Wu Hen hurriedly waved his hand as a blood-coloured flag appeared and covered the entire Profound Frost City.
It was the Iron Blood War Banner, which was the manifestation of his cultivation. It could be said that the banner was his unique mark.
Zhan Wu Hen had to deal with Huang Wu Ji, but he couldn’t ignore the safety of the several hundred thousand lives in the city, so he had to send them away first.
When the residents looked up and realised that the sky had been covered in red, they became flustered. Following that, the Iron Blood War Banner rolled up and turned into a red light before shooting into the distance. No one was left in the city. All the living creatures, including cats and dogs, were swept away by the War Banner.
Over ten breaths later, the residents finally saw sunlight again as the redness that had engulfed them diminished. They realised that they were in a desert with no one else around, seemingly lost.
Right after the Iron Blood War Banner swept away the residents of Profound Frost City, Zhan Wu Hen made his move.
He didn’t seem to have moved a muscle, but the next instant, he appeared in front of Huang Wu Ji. At the same time, he pushed out a fist that was powerful enough to shatter the world.
A glint flashed across Huang Wu Ji’s eyes as he pulled his arms closer and sandwiched Zhan Wu Hen’s fist with his palms, resulting in a deafening boom.
Their Demon Qi and Emperor Qi surged as two eruptions of light, one red and one black, struggled in the sky like two Stars clashing with one another. With their location as the centre, space around them shattered like a mirror breaking into pieces.
Huang Wu Ji’s expression was fierce. It seemed that he had expended all his energy to parry Zhan Wu Hen’s attack, but oddly, instead of panicking, he was laughing instead, “Many thanks!”
Zhan Wu Hen remained unfazed. Despite knowing the consequences of his attack, he still had to push out a fist. He wanted to retract his fist, but Huang Wu Ji wouldn’t give him that chance and tightened his grip.
An unperturbed Zhan Wu Hen pushed his Emperor Qi as the force of his fist gushed forward like three rounds of tidal waves, which became increasingly violent. Huang Wu Ji used his own Secret Technique to neutralise the force as his Demon Qi weltered around him; however, he was already in a passive situation from having to grasp Zhan Wu Hen’s fist, and they were in the Star Boundary, so how was he supposed to resist?
A moment later, blood started leaking from Huang Wu Ji’s mouth, but he remained unfazed and only laughed louder.
All of a sudden, a Flood Dragon made from an enormous amount of Demon Qi flew over from the horizon, as if it was leaping across space. The Demon Qi, which was as black as night, soon dyed a particular spot in the sky dark.
The dark spot was the same as the one that had appeared on the battlefield in the Western Territory, where the two Great Worlds had been connected.
It wasn’t until this moment that Zhan Wu Hen realised what the Demon Saints were up to. The battle in the Western Territory was just a feint. The Demon Saints’ real intention was to permanently establish a connection between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm.
However, he was puzzled by one question. Previously, it was because of some special reasons that Can Ye was able to use his body as a bridge to connect the two worlds.
So how did Huang Wu Ji manage to achieve this? He was a Demon Saint who had nothing to do with the Star Boundary. The battle between them had indeed destabilised the surrounding space and weakened the World Barrier, but it was unlikely that the barrier would be broken from just that. How did he even establish the connection?
Was there some kind of powerful force in the Demon Realm that could coordinate with him? Otherwise, how had he managed to do that?
Furthermore, where was the origin of the Demon Qi that came over from the horizon? The situations the other nine Demon Saints were in must be similar to the one between Huang Wu Ji and him, but how was that possible?
Previously, there was only one Two Worlds’ Passage in the Western Territory, so the Star Boundary was able to gather together and stop the Demons from invading their homeland. If ten such passageways appeared in the Star Boundary though, how were they supposed to stop the Demons?
Zhan Wu Hen didn’t have the time to ponder on the issue as he knew that if he couldn’t defeat Huang Wu Ji quickly, a calamity would befall the Star Boundary. Enraged, Iron Blood’s strength surged even more than before.
Presently, blood was still streaming out of Huang Wu Ji’s mouth, but the smile on his face had become even more savage.
The new dark spot was only tens of metres wide, but the aura of another world could be felt coming from the other end of the dark spot. Zhan Wu Hen had been to the Demon Realm, so he could immediately recognise that it was that realm’s aura.
The two worlds had been connected!
The next instant, Zhan Wu Hen, who had always remained unperturbed, suddenly turned pale. Looking up, he realised that an unimaginable amount of Demon Qi was streaming out of the dark spot in a continuous manner.
The Demon Qi that came from afar was already fairly intense, but it had only managed to open up a passage that was a couple dozen metres wide. However, the Demon Qi that was erupting from the passage was significantly stronger.
The Demon Qi was just like a nutrient, and the more of it that flowed through, the wider the passage became.
After just ten breaths, the passage had expanded to a thousand metres wide; furthermore, the speed at which it was expanding didn’t seem to be slowing down.
Looking from afar, the sky seemed to have been covered in dark clouds, like a piece of paper that had black ink dropped on it. The Principles of both worlds converged and integrated in the dark spot as though a large area had turned into a Demon land.
Just then, Zhan Wu Hen shouted, “Release!”
Muscles started bulging on his arms and with the help of the World Principles, he was able to push his fist forward despite it being still clenched by Huang Wu Ji, and struck the other party’s chest.
The sounds of bones cracking were heard at that moment. Even though Huang Wu Ji was the strongest Demon Saint in the Demon Realm, it was expected that he would be injured as he was in a situation where he couldn’t proactively attack.
After getting struck by Zhan Wu Hen’s fist, he became severely injured.
However, Huang Wu Ji just wouldn’t relax his grip as his Demon Qi surged and engulfed Zhan Wu Hen, as though he was determined to perish together with him. At the same time, he said with a grin, “Iron Blood Great Emperor lives up to his reputation! This Huang’s eyes have been opened today!”
Just then, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky. It was so powerful that even Zhan Wu Hen turned pale for a moment. With a horrified look, he turned to stare at Huang Wu Ji, only to see that the latter’s mouth was drenched in blood.
With a wicked smile, Huang Wu Ji announced, “It’s coming.”
What he had said sounded absurd, but after he finished speaking, a humongous hand descended from the dark spot and reached for them, who were in a deadlock. The speed at which the hand was descending seemed slow, but following its movement, the world seemed to be on the brink of falling apart, and the pressure on Zhan Wu Hen’s shoulders became as heavy as a mountain.
He wanted to flee from this place, but Huang Wu Ji wouldn’t give him that chance. Huang Wu Ji seemed determined to lock down the Great Emperor no matter the cost.
It felt like a short moment, but it also felt like a few years had passed. When the gigantic hand reached them, all the Demon Qi dispersed in an instant, and the Demon land expanded by several hundred kilometres. On the other hand, Zhan Wu Hen and Huang Wu Ji, who were locked in a stalemate, disappeared at the same time.
The same thing happened in nine other places in the Star Boundary.
Thirteen Demon Saints and seven Great Emperors had gone missing.
Under the azure blue sky, ten Demon lands appeared in the Star Boundary.
Violent Demon Qi was pouring forth from the Demon Realm, and the speed at which the Demon lands were expanding was rapid. It wasn’t until a quarter hour later that the expansion slowly halted.
Groups of Demon soldiers crossed over at that moment and appeared on the Demon lands in an orderly manner.
A huge calamity had officially befallen the Star Boundary!
On the battlefield in the Western Territory, Yang Kai had turned ashen as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
Li Wu Yi had never seen him losing his composure in such a way, so he hurriedly asked, “Has anything happened? What did you mean when you mentioned the World Barrier?”
Yang Kai turned to look at him. His pupils had been reduced to the size of a needle. After taking a deep breath, he replied, “Just now, I could feel that the World Barrier had weakened, and then ten places in the barrier broke.”
No Emperor Realm Masters could detect such an occurrence. Not even the Pseudo-Great Emperors could. However, Yang Kai had inherited the World’s Will from Bright Moon Great Emperor, so he was far more sensitive to changes in the Star Boundary.
Upon hearing what Yang Kai said, the Army Commanders broke into commotion.
Li Wu Yi said with a frown, “Maybe the clashes between the Great Emperors and Demon Saints caused the breakages.”
Every move the Great Emperors made would implicate the world, and the Demon Saints were formidable enemies. If the two parties got into an all-out battle, the world itself would crumble around them, so it wasn’t surprising that the World Barrier had been affected.
When the Demons invaded the Star Boundary for the first time more than ten years ago, the Great Emperors didn’t dare to make any rash moves because of this very concern; however, since the Demon Saints had arrived, they had no choice but to battle against them now.
The Army Commanders agreed with Li Wu Yi’s statement.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was still pale as he stared fixedly at Li Wu Yi, “The Great Emperors’ auras have disappeared.”
The commotion stopped abruptly as everyone fell silent and gazed at Yang Kai in disbelief. Li Wu Yi’s pupils contracted as he asked grimly, “Which Great Emperors are you talking about?”
Yang Kai gulped and replied with difficulty, “All of them.”
“Impossible!” Li Wu Yi shouted. It was indeed impossible for the Great Emperors, the strongest cultivators in this world, to simply disappear. Regardless of how formidable the Demon Saints were, they would only be on par with the Great Emperors at best. Furthermore, the Great Emperors had some natural advantages against the Demon Saints in the Star Boundary, so how was it possible that they had gone missing for no reason?
It might be possible that one to two of them had fallen, but Li Wu Yi would never believe that all the Great Emperors had lost and disappeared.
However, what he had just said was simply an involuntary, instinctual response. He knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t lie to them, and since Yang Kai had said so, he must have sensed something. Recalling that he hadn’t received any reply from Zhan Wu Hen, Li Wu Yi frowned even harder and fished out another Space Beacon before activating it with his Divine Sense.
As Space Principles undulated, his expression darkened. The Space Beacon in his hand was connected to the one held by Martial Beast Great Emperor, Mo Huang. As long as the Great Emperor was still in this world, regardless of where he was, Li Wu Yi could reach him in an instant. The prerequisite was that the Great Emperor wasn’t trapped in some kind of sealed off space or surrounded by an array that isolated space.
Nevertheless, the Space Beacon didn’t seem to react in any way after it was activated. There were only three explanations for this to happen.
The first one was that the Space Beacon in Mo Huang’s possession had been shattered. Nonetheless, it was unlikely that it would happen unless the Great Emperor had passed away.
The second one was that Mo Huang was inside an array that could block off the world, rendering the Space Beacon ineffective. However, which array in this world could stop a Great Emperor from leaving?
Thus, the only possibility left was that Mo Huang wasn’t in this world anymore!
Seeing Li Wu Yi experimenting with his Space Beacons, Yang Kai also fished out a beacon, which was connected to the one held by Yu Ru Meng. As Space Principles undulated, he was unable to reach Yu Ru Meng’s side, just like what had happened to Li Wu Yi.
They traded glances and saw the terror behind each other’s gazes. The Great Emperors had really all gone missing at the same time, which was terrible news for the Star Boundary. Without the Great Emperors, who could possibly stop the Demon Saints?
“Maybe they’ve gone to the Demon Realm?” Li Wu Yi attempted a guess.
Yang Kai nodded his head, “That’s possible, but…” He couldn’t understand why the Great Emperors had disappeared at the same time. Previously, they had pursued the Demon Saints in ten different directions, so theoretically, they would come across different incidents. How did they all end up in the same state all at once?
Yang Kai said nothing despite having those thoughts in his heart. There was a lot at stake here. If word got out about this matter, it would definitely affect Star Boundary’s morale; therefore, he could only make an assumption in a more positive direction. Unfortunately, the best outcome in this situation would be that the Great Emperors were in the Demon Realm.
“Sir, I’ll head to the Demon Realm to check,” He took the initiative to suggest. He had a Space Beacon in his possession that could allow him to contact Yu Ru Meng. If the missing Great Emperors were all in the Demon Realm, then he would know just by going there.
Li Wu Yi pondered in silence for a while before dismissing the suggestion with a wave of his hand, “There’s no hurry. At the very least, we should figure out what happened to the Great Emperors first before making any plans.”
Yang Kai could only nod at those words. Despite the worried look on his face, the anxiety in his heart had lessened considerably. He had been extremely frightened when he first realized that the auras of all the Great Emperors had vanished in an instant. Now that he had calmed down enough to consider the situation, he realized that it was impossible for the Great Emperors to meet with an accident out of nowhere. They were such powerful Masters that there was no need to worry about their lives being threatened.
The chase between the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints would surely cause a great commotion, so they would only need to investigate a little bit to gain clues about the situation. With Li Wu Yi as the leader, the Army Commanders took out their Space Beacons and sent out many jade slips to inquire about news in all directions of the Star Boundary.
While waiting for news, Yang Kai suddenly felt something and turned to look in a certain direction.
It was one incident after another today it seemed. The second wave was already crashing down before the first wave had settled. First, it was the members of the Demon Race in Star Boundary going berserk, losing their sanity, and slaughtering one another. After that, the World Barrier broke in multiple places and the auras of the Great Emperors vanished. This news had yet to even sink in yet when another incident occurred.
When Yang Kai looked in that direction, he saw a black dot the size of a needlepoint appearing out of nowhere in the sky far, far away. It was as though somebody had dripped a drop of black ink into the void. The ink spread out in all directions and began dying the Star Boundary. The dot had expanded by several times its original size in the blink of an eye. Demon Qi seeped out from that black spot and turned the world into something that was from the Demon Realm, a Demon Land.
Yang Kai’s expression grew solemn. Everybody noticed the change in his expression and followed in the direction of his gaze. In the next moment, all of them paled in unison. Everybody present in this place was among the strongest in terms of cultivation in the Star Boundary, so it was only natural that their eyesight was equally extraordinary. The changes occurring in the world might be quite a distance away from them, but they could still observe the changes clearly from here.
“The Two Worlds’ Passage?” Fu Ren Jie exclaimed in shock, “How… How can there be another Two Worlds’ Passage there!?”
All this while, everyone believed that the Two Worlds’ Passage only existed in one spot, which was the centre surrounded by the previous Coining Dragon Grand Formation. The place where the two Great Worlds were connected had to be a location where the World Barriers between the two Great Worlds were quite weak, and such places generally rarely existed; hence, Li Wu Yi had set up a Grand Formation, composed of various armies formed in the Star Boundary, and everybody’s attention had been fixed on that particular spot.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had plunged into the enemy lines, and resealed the Two Worlds’ Passage, laying the foundation for the victory of the Star Boundary’s armies. Although the members of the Demon Race later killed each other off after going mad with bloodlust, the sealing of the Two Worlds’ Passage could be regarded as a true reason for the Star Boundary’s triumph today.
Be that as it may, a second Two Worlds’ Passage had appeared in the distant sky. How could this not shock everyone who saw it?
[Where did this Two Worlds’ Passage come from?] Without waiting for them to understand the situation, Yang Kai took to the skies and flew over in a rush. Regardless of how or why another Two Worlds’ Passage appeared, it would be best if he sealed it as soon as possible.
Li Wu Yi quickly followed the moment Yang Kai made his move. After that, many Army Commanders and even the Demon Race Half-Saints tagged along. The large group of top Masters rushed toward the Demon Land in an instant.
Before Yang Kai could get close though, he narrowed his eyes suddenly only to see a Demon Race army crossing into this world inside the Demon Land. The army came in full strength. Moreover, several powerful auras emanated from among the army.
His brazen charge towards the Demon Land was naturally very eye-catching and dozens of sharp gazes from within the Demon Land turned in his direction. The Demon King in the lead was riding a tall Demon Beast with a sneer on his face, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty light. With a wave of his hand, the Demon Race army crossing into this world organized itself and prepared for Yang Kai to rush towards his death.
Soon though, the Demon King’s laughter caught in his throat. Yang Kai was followed by a large number of flowing lights, each one giving off an aura that could make one’s scalp go numb, horrifying the lead Demon King. How could he not know that he had crashed right into the tiger’s lair? He squeezed his knees and the Demon Beast he was riding hurriedly turned around with the intention of rushing back through the Two Worlds’ Passage.
Unfortunately, the Demon Race army was pouring out from the other end of the Two Worlds’ Passage at a steady pace, so there was no way he could return, at least not in the short term. In his desperation, he drew upon his Demon Qi and attacked ruthlessly, carving a bloody path through his own men. The Demon Race army around him were shocked as they did not know why their leader had suddenly gone insane.
“Dragon! Transformation!” A shout reverberated through the air, and upon hearing those words, the members of the Demon Race army looked up. A high-pitched Dragon Roar resounded throughout the skies, one so loud that it caused the ground to tremble. Following that, the small figure that was approaching them suddenly expanded and transformed into an enormous creature that slammed straight into the ranks of the Demon Race army.
Like a meteor falling from the sky, the group shook violently from the force when Yang Kai’s 300-metre Half-Dragon Form crashed to the ground. A tremendous force erupted around the spot where he landed and swept out for several kilometres in all directions. The Demon Race army suffered a heavy blow that threw their lines into chaos.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai slowly straightened up his body that was as lofty as a mountain, his pale golden Dragon Eyes overflowing with an infinite majesty. Next, he reached out with a hand and clenched his fist. The Demon King in the lead who had been fleeing for his life felt the space surrounding him tightening. It gave him the impression that he was sinking into a pool of mud, and the harder he struggled, the deeper he sank. In his panic, he let out a roar and turned around to lash out with a Demon Artifact Spear.
*Keng…*
Sparks flew as the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. The spear hit Yang Kai on the back of his claw that was covered in Dragon Scales and left a white mark; however, his large hand had already captured its prey. He was now holding the Demon King tightly in the palm of his hand.
Yang Kai gave a squeeze, and the Demon King let out a blood-curdling scream, accompanied by the sound of his bones breaking. With a surge of Demon Qi, both the Demon King and the Demon Beast he was riding exploded into blood mist.
With Yang Kai’s current strength, it did not take much effort for him to kill a Demon King. He could even match a Pseudo-Great Emperor in a life-or-death fight, so what was a Demon King in comparison?
After squeezing the Demon King to death, he leaned his body backwards slightly, his chest heaving as he took a deep breath. This breath he took felt as though he was sucking all the air out of the world. Amidst the sound of the howling winds, the surrounding members of the Demon Race lost their footing and those with weaker cultivation were pulled in by his sucking force and flew towards Yang Kai.
Just when those members of the Demon Race thought that they were going to be devoured by this monster, Yang Kai released a terrifying roar. The Dragon Roar shook the skies and a scorching flame swept outwards. An area spanning several thousand metres in front of Yang Kai instantly turned into a barren, scorched wasteland.
There were countless Dragon Clan Secret Techniques and each one had its own special characteristics. Be that as it may, Yang Kai especially loved using the Fire Dragon’s Flaming Breath simply because this attack packed an explosive destructive power. Part of the reason might also be that Zhu Qing was a Fire Dragon.
Those from the Demon Race in the area covered by the Dragon Breath were either incinerated or severely injured in an instant.
Before Yang Kai could fire another shot, the Army Commanders behind him arrived. Their numbers were not high, only slightly over thirty in total, but among them, Pseudo-Great Emperors abounded. Even the weakest was in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. Like fierce tigers among a flock of sheep, the thirty or so Masters scattered and began slaughtering their enemies without another word.
On the other hand, the Demon Race Half-Saints stopped some distance away and simply watched without doing anything. Although they had followed Yu Ru Meng and allied themselves with the Star Boundary, they were still part of the Demon Race, so they couldn’t bring themselves to kill their own clansmen. Besides, there was no need for them to participate in this one-sided slaughter.
The army crossing over into this world from the Demon Realm did not have a Half-Saint leading them. Perhaps, there might have been one at the start. Perhaps, that person fled a long time ago upon discovering the dangers. In any case, the strongest among the remaining Demons were but High-Rank Demon Kings. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were no match for the group of Army Commanders working together.
The army was swiftly and decisively defeated! They had crossed over into this world with great enthusiasm, thinking that they would be reaping a great harvest, but how could they have known that they would stumble straight into the lion’s den instead? A Demon Race army of several hundred thousand was completely routed before they could even leave the newly appeared Demon Land.
The Two Worlds’ Passage was right behind them, and when they saw that the situation was dire, they naturally tried to flee back towards it.
Yang Kai and the others gave pursuit all the way into the Demon Realm, their paths littered with countless corpses. Only then did they sound the gongs and withdraw from the battle.
One hour later, the Army Commanders returned from the Demon Realm to the Demon Land just below the black spot in succession. Yang Kai was the last to return. As soon as he reappeared, Li Wu Yi immediately looked in his direction and asked anxiously, “How was it?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response.
Li Wu Yi frowned deeply, “I’ve tried it too. The Space Beacons aren’t connecting.”
Yang Kai paused for a moment before saying, “The situation in the Demon Realm is special. Each continent is connected by Territory Gates to other continents, but they are all independent of each other. Hence, each continent can be considered a Sealed World in its own right. If the Great Emperors are really in the Demon Realm, it’s not strange that we can’t contact them through Space Beacons as they might simply be on other continents.”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “That’s the only possibility.”
Lifting his head to look at the sky, he continued, “The situation here is somewhat different from the previous Two Worlds’ Passage. Can you seal it?”
If Li Wu Yi could sense the difference, how could Yang Kai fail to notice it? It didn’t seem to be a simple channel connecting between the two Great Worlds anymore. Rather, it felt as though the Great World itself was carrying out an invasion. It was almost like the time when Heng Luo Star Field was being devoured by Grand Desolation Star Field.
“I’ll try!” Yang Kai gently nodded before flying upward and taking a shallow breath. In the next instant, Space Principles fluctuated around him. Two hours later, he flew down again. He was pale-faced and covered in a sheen of sweat. It was obvious that the endeavour had taken a lot out of him.
The black dot in the sky was gone. It had clearly been sealed, but the Demon Land that had been contaminated showed no signs of returning to normal. The Demon Qi permeated the area, and the Demon Essence was very evident. The average cultivator would find it extremely uncomfortable to remain in this place.
Turning to look around, Yang Kai showed an astonished expression, “Where is everyone?”
Li Wu Yi and the others had disappeared from the surrounding area. Even the Army Commanders were gone, and ninety percent of the Half-Saints were nowhere to be seen. Only the Lotus Sisters remained in this place.
Yang Kai had noticed some movement coming from below when he was sealing the new Two Worlds’ Passage just now, but he had been at a critical juncture of the process and could not spare the energy to pay attention to anything else, so he was only discovering this strange situation now.
Hei Lian stepped forward and handed him a jade slip, “Li Wu Yi asked us to give this to you. He said you will understand after seeing it.’
Yang Kai took the jade slip from her with a frown. His Divine Sense surged as he checked out the contents of the jade slip. He had only just begun glancing at the contents, but his expression changed drastically and he exclaimed, “How is this possible!?”