Yang Kai’s Divine Sense fluctuated and moved about, and he soon noticed something that could not be seen by the naked eye.
The 10 Primary Demon Strongholds were connected to each other with the Demon Towers serving as the foundation. This allowed the Demon Race army to travel back and forth rapidly. Moreover, the 10 Demon Towers seemed to be closely related to each other. To destroy one Demon Tower, one had to destroy all 10 Demon Towers at the same time for any chance of success. The Demon Towers might be tall, but they were constructed in a mysterious way that made them extremely strong. It was no wonder even the two Dragon Clan Elders were helpless against them.
Now that the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders had grown significantly, they might be able to destroy the Demon Towers if they were allowed to attack with all their strength. Unfortunately, the three Demon Saints were not dead, so they were bound to rush over to stop them the moment Zhu Yan and Fu Zhu tried.
Upon further investigation, Yang Kai realized that what connected the 10 Primary Demon Strongholds were not just the 10 Demon Towers but also a dense network of nodes. After counting them, there turned out to be 108 in total.
The realisation struck him and the 108 Demon Strongholds in the Star Boundary immediately came to mind. 108 Demon Strongholds had appeared in the Star Boundary in the past. Be that as it may, apart from the 10 Primary Demon Strongholds, the Demon Race armies at the remaining 98 Demon Strongholds were either wiped out by the Star Boundary armies or abandoned. Even so, those Demon Strongholds and the Demon Lands that had been devoured remained until now. It was something even the World Principles of the Star Boundary could not repair.
This number had long made many Masters in the Star Boundary secretly wary. The number ‘108’ just happened to coincide with the number in the Heavenly Orbit after all; thus, they couldn’t help wondering if the Demon Race had some sort of secret conspiracy going on. Now it would seem that it was indeed part of a greater plot after all.
Furthermore, the Demon Race had used some sort of unknown method to make these 108 Demon Strongholds into the base of an enormous Spirit Array. They had secretly arranged this inexplicable Heaven Shaking Grand Array, and once it was activated, it rapidly eroded the Star Boundary.
This move was something the Demon Race had planned for from the moment the second Two Worlds Great War broke out, but it wasn’t until today that those plans were put into action. It could be said that they had been plotting far ahead from the beginning.
Under Yang Kai’s investigation, the 108 Demon Strongholds were now rapidly expanding at an astonishing rate. At every moment, there was a large piece of the Star Boundary being transformed into a Demon Land and the Auspicious Spirit Essence was lost as a result.
There was only one thing he could not understand. The foundation for this Grand Array had been arranged several years ago, so why did the Demon Race wait until today to activate it? What was the Grand Array lacking that made the Demon Race hold back for so long?
Yang Kai extended his Divine Sense to probe even deeper, reaching out into the distance when all of a sudden, a shocking image flashed through his mind for a moment before quickly disappearing.
He abruptly jerked his eyes open in shock and cursed, “Damn it!”
Then, he reached out to grab the Azure Dragon Spear and flew up into the sky without warning. Holding the spear straight, he condensed every last bit of strength he could muster as he charged straight at the Demon Tower.
The Demon Race Half-Saints in the surrounding area jumped in surprise. They never imagined that Yang Kai would suddenly turn violent, and by the time they came back to their senses, all of them turned pale together. The Bone Demon Half-Saint from before was the first to shout, “Stop him!”
As soon as those words rang out, the Half-Saints attacked in unison. Various Demon Artifacts and Secret Techniques blasted in Yang Kai’s direction.
Although Yang Kai’s body was as big as a small mountain now, he was strangely agile and nimble. He flickered about erratically, avoided several terrifying attacks one after another and arrived in front of the Demon Tower in the blink of an eye.
Under the horrified gazes of those Half-Saints, Yang Kai gathered everything he could into his spear and thrust forward viciously. A huge black ball with a radius of several tens of metres appeared at the tip of the spear, Space Principles rampaging from it. It was filled with chaos and nothingness, similar to the aura of a Void Crack.
*Hong…*
A wave of vibrations spread out from the Demon Tower as the black ball shrank abruptly. At the same time, both the Heavens and Earth collapsed violently in the direction of the black ball.
*Kacha…* A series of crackling sounds that set one’s teeth on edge rang out from the Demon Tower.
Just then, a ferocious attack landed on Yang Kai’s shoulder. A powerful force erupted and sent his enormous body flying. Despite being thrown into the air, he continued to glare fiercely at the movements of the Demon Tower.
The huge black ball violently shrank into a small black spot and vanished with a flash. At the same time, a large circular hole appeared where the Demon Tower had been struck. The hole was so large that it practically cut the Demon Tower in half. On the other hand, the Demon Tower became extremely unstable after being subjected to this heavy blow. It swayed slightly several times before falling to the ground with a loud creaking sound.
The Half-Saints were so horrified that both their bodies and souls trembled. They never imagined that Yang Kai’s attack would be so powerful that he could cause such damage to the Demon Tower with just a single blow. More importantly, the Demon Tower currently played a key role in the Demon Race’s plans. The Demon Saints would never spare their lives if the Demon Tower was destroyed.
Yang Kai frowned, watching the Demon Tower falling to the ground and did not feel the slightest bit of joy in his heart. Rather, a sense of unease bloomed in him. His current strength might be strong, but it should only be comparable to a Half-Saint. It was also true that he had exerted all of his strength when he wielded his spear to attack just now; otherwise, he would not have been unable to dodge the enemy attack.
But… could an attack like that really destroy the Demon Tower? As far as he knew, it wasn’t as if the two Dragon Clan Elders had not tried to attack the Demon Towers in the past. They actually carried out several attempts, but even they were unable to cause any damage to the Demon Tower in a short time despite using their Unified Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai knew his own power best and was well aware he was no match for either Zhu Yan or Fu Zhun, so how could he possibly do something that they together couldn’t? Even so, there was no denying that the Demon Tower was about to collapse at any moment because of his attack. The slanted Demon Tower only lasted for less than 10 breaths before it collapsed under his gaze. The earth trembled and a haze of dust rose from the impact.
Those Half-Saints felt their limbs going cold and their complexions turned as pale as sheets. Meanwhile, Yang Kai closed his eyes and spread his Divine Sense out again to check the situation in his surroundings, a short while later grinding his teeth in frustration.
The Demon Stronghold’s expansion did not stop just because one Demon Tower had been destroyed. The 108 Demon Strongholds remained closely linked. Not a single thing had changed. It would seem that once the inexplicable Grand Array that was arranged by the Demon Race was activated, the existence of the Demon Towers became irrelevant.
It was no wonder he could knock down the Demon Tower in a single blow. It wasn’t because he was stronger than the two Dragon Clan Elders, it was simply because the Demon Towers had become an existence that was no longer necessary.
All the pieces that the Demon Race required were already in place, so they only needed to wait for the Demon Land to expand until it completely devoured the Star Boundary. At that time, the Star Boundary would become a paradise for the Demon Race. It would become the second Demon Realm!
On the other hand, the Star Boundary would follow in the footsteps of the Peerless World.
Yang Kai coughed lightly as the sweet taste of blood rose in his throat before he turned his head to the side and spat. Even with his more than 1,000-metre-long Half-Dragon Body, taking a blow from a Half-Saint wasn’t something he could just shrug off.
At this moment, the ashen-faced Half-Saints seemed to notice something. Their Divine Senses fluctuated as they communicated between themselves for a moment before their pale faces gradually returned to normal. The expressions on their faces as they looked at Yang Kai also became mocking.
He stared at them coldly, gripped the Azure Dragon Spear tightly, and turned to leave. Having achieved his purpose in coming here, there was no need to stay any longer. He might not be afraid of any Half-Saint in a one-on-one battle, but his strength was lacking if he had to face many of them at once.
Swiftly, he returned to High Heaven Palace. He didn’t even take the time to treat his wounds and teleported directly to the Main Conference Hall.
A familiar figure was waiting for him at the entrance.
Stepping forward, Yang Kai cupped his fists in greeting, “Supreme Commander Li!”
“I heard you went to investigate the situation at the Demon Stronghold. Did you learn anything?” Li Wu Yi asked anxiously. He had rushed over after receiving a report from Hua Qing Si. If there was anybody in the Star Boundary who could get accurate information regarding the Demon Race, it would be Yang Kai; thus, he had come anxiously. Unable to bear waiting for a reply, he decided to come out and ask in person instead.
“A little bit. Let’s go in and talk,” Yang Kai responded and entered the hall together with Li Wu Yi.
Inside the hall, Hua Qing Si had summoned all the top leaders of the various armies to this place and served them tea while waiting for Yang Kai to return. Be that as it may, who would be in the mood to sip tea when the Star Boundary’s survival was on the line? All of them were glancing outside anxiously, and when they saw Yang Kai appear, they quickly stood up.
“Palace Master, are you hurt?” Hua Qing Si noticed the smear of blood at the corner of Yang Kai’s mouth and his slightly pale complexion.
“It’s nothing,” Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively. After asking everybody to return to their seats, he shared all the information he obtained during his investigation.
Everybody inside the hall had ugly expressions on their faces after listening to the information Yang Kai brought back.
The Fifty-Third Army’s Army Commander, Fu Ren Jie, spoke through gritted teeth, “I knew there was something strange about those 108 Demon Strongholds, but I never expected this. The Demon Race really played us for fools.”
“Devouring the Star Boundary… Their appetite is certainly big.” Somebody coldly snorted.
“I just wonder if they can actually succeed!” The Twenty-Seventh Army’s Army Commander, Shen Tu Xing, smiled deviously, “Do they really take the Star Boundary’s army for decorations!?”
The Nineteenth Army’s Army Commander, Pan Geng Nian, frowned at those words, “Now that the Demon Lands are expanding, the Star Boundary will really fall if we don’t contain the expansion soon. It wouldn’t matter how large or how strong our armies are, once that happens, everything would be useless.”
Shen Tu Xing turned to look at Pan Geng Nian, “Brother Pan, why do you have to boost the enemy’s prestige and lower our morale?”
Pan Geng Nian shook his head and simply said lightly, “It’s the truth.”
Shen Tu Xing was about to retort when Yang Kai interrupted the conversation, “Although you might be reluctant to admit it, the Demon Race is truly capable of devouring the Star Boundary whole.”
Everybody turned to look at him. Standing up, he swept his gaze over the crowd and spoke in a ringing voice, “Have any of you ever heard of the Great Demon God?”
“Great Demon God?”
“What is that?”
“A Master from the Demon Race? Which Demon is so bold as to use such a title?”
The group of Pseudo-Great Emperor Army Commanders muttered in astonishment. It was obvious that they had never heard of this ‘Great Demon God’. Even Li Wu Yi looked at Yang Kai in surprise, making it apparent that he too was unaware.
It could not be said that the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary were ignorant and uninformed. If Yang Kai had not entered the Thousand Illusions Dreamworld by chance and returned to the time when the ancient war between Humans and Demons took place, he would not have known about the Great Demon God either. Not to mention, this existence was a taboo in the Demon Realm. He had tried to learn more about the Great Demon God from Yu Ru Meng when he first entered the Demon Realm, but she had immediately stopped him and avoided the topic as though it was cursed.
It would seem that Yu Ru Meng probably had some knowledge about the Great Demon God. She was a Demon Saint after all. When her strength reached a certain level, she gained access to certain secrets that other Demons did not know about. Be that as it may, she did not seem to know much either; otherwise, she would not have withheld the information from Yang Kai.
They were supposed to be discussing the crisis that the Star Boundary was currently facing, but Yang Kai had brought up this ‘Great Demon God’ out of nowhere. Everybody was confused, but they were in no hurry to question him. Since he mentioned the Great Demon God at a time like this, then he must be related to the situation at hand.
Everybody was waiting for Yang Kai to explain about who or what the Great Demon God was, but to their surprise, he changed the topic and brought up another conversation, “The Demon Realm was not always called the Demon Realm in the past. It was previously known as the Peerless World. In addition, the people living there were not part of the Demon Race. The Peerless World was no different from the Star Boundary. It was a place where the Human Race dominated the world.”
“The Peerless World was vast and beautiful, in no way inferior to the Star Boundary. Rather, it might even have been better in some aspects. Unfortunately, an uninvited guest came to the Peerless World one day. This person was named Mo Sheng! Mo Sheng had been seriously injured in a fight against his enemy, so he hid in the Peerless World to treat his wounds by devouring the Peerless World’s Auspicious Spirit Essence.”
“As countless years passed, the Peerless World lost its Auspicious Spirit Essence and the entire world was contaminated by Demon Essence and turned into a Demon Land as a result. It was eventually reduced to become a Demon Realm. Meanwhile, the living creatures in the Peerless World were gradually transformed into the Demon Race, which continues to this day.”
“And, Mo Sheng is none other than that Great Demon God!”
“However, another Master entered the Demon Realm at a critical juncture of Mo Sheng’s healing process. The two of them fought a grand battle that caused the Demon Realm to collapse and break apart into countless continents. Mo Sheng’s physical body was destroyed during that battle, while the other Master died from his wounds shortly after.”
“The Demon Race is currently eroding the Star Boundary in order to devour the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence and give Mo Sheng a chance to revive once more. If the Demon Race succeeds in their endeavour, then the Star Boundary will eventually become the second Peerless World. It will be identical to the Demon Realm.”
Yang Kai’s ringing voice echoed throughout the hall, and the Masters there were stunned by what they just heard. They had never heard of anything like this before. Besides, how did Yang Kai learn about the Great Demon God and the Peerless World?
Seeming to sense their doubts, he solemnly continued, “I spent the past three years in the Demon Realm, devouring its continents. Inside one of the continents was a piece of an ancient battlefield. That ancient battlefield was where Mo Sheng’s physical body had been destroyed. I saw images of Mo Sheng fighting another Master in that ancient battlefield. In addition… one of Mo Sheng’s Soul Clones came to find me and told me all these things himself.”
“Mo Sheng’s Soul Clone?”
“That Great Demon God’s?”
Another round of exclamations rang out.
Li Wu Yi frowned, “Didn’t you say that Mo Sheng’s physical body was destroyed?”
Yang Kai looked at Li Wu Yi and said, “His physical body was indeed destroyed, but his Soul remained. As long as the conditions are met, he will be able to make a comeback again, and the Star Boundary’s Auspicious Spirit Essence is exactly what he needs.” Yang Kai paused for a moment before he continued, “It’s obvious now that Mo Sheng is behind the Demon Race’s invasion this time. You might not know this, but there was not a single living creature left in the Demon Realm when I travelled there previously. All the living creatures on all the continents were dead, slaughtered by the Demon Race in order to release the Demon Essence in their bodies.”
“I’m sure you’ve not forgotten the time when the Demon Race army went insane and started killing each other three years ago. I didn’t know the reason behind this phenomenon at the time. It wasn’t until after I questioned some Demon Kings that I learned about the voice that had sounded in their minds at the time. Driven by that voice, they gradually lost their sanity and thought only about killing. That voice was not something any Demon Race member below a Half-Saint could resist.
“The Demon Saints were fighting the Great Emperors at the time, so it wasn’t the doing of the Demon Saints. Thinking about it now, even the Demon Saints might not have the ability to do something like that. I’m afraid only that guy by the name of Mo Sheng has the ability to influence the minds of so many Demons at once. The entire Demon Realm was created because of him and the Demon Race was born from his essence. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to have the means to influence the minds of the entire Demon Race.”
“Tens of millions of the Demon Race army died for this reason. Their deaths were for the same reason as those of Demons who were killed in the Demon Realm. It was to release all their Demon Essence to act as a catalyst to establish the Demon Lands in the Star Boundary. That’s why even the World Principles of the Star Boundary are unable to fix the places where the Demon Strongholds are located after so many years. It wasn’t until today when the Demon Race finally finished their secret preparations and attacked the Star Boundary in earnest.”
Inside the hall, everybody felt cold sweat oozing out of them after listening to Yang Kai’s explanation. They exchanged glances with each other, and although they didn’t want to believe Yang Kai’s rhetoric, they could not find any flaw in his words after carefully comparing the cause and effect.
Shen Tu Xing said bitterly, “Brother Yang, if it is as you say, then the Great Demon God… Mo Sheng’s true strength…”
“En, above a Demon Saint’s!”
The sound of various people gasping in shock rang out. Even though they had guessed as much after hearing what Yang Kai said, it was still difficult for them to accept the truth when Yang Kai confirmed the fact.
The Demon Saints were already an existence that they had to look up to, and yet, the Demon Race still had another Master whose strength was above that of a Demon Saint’s! Even if Mo Sheng’s body had been destroyed, his Soul remained. That meant that he had a chance of being resurrected. If such an existence were to return to life, who in the Star Boundary could stand in his way? At this rate, the Star Boundary would be following in the footsteps of the Peerless World to become the next Demon Realm.
A trace of worry flashed across Li Wu Yi’s eyes.
The changes in the Demon Strongholds and their consequent rapid expansion had left the Star Boundary panicking, and now Yang Kai had thrown out such shocking information at a time like this and without any warning whatsoever; all this was very likely to dramatically affect morale.
On second thought, however, the situation had already reached this point, so even if Yang Kai had kept quiet about this, morale would not be any better. At the very least, choosing to tell them meant that they would know who their enemy was. Perhaps, it was out of this consideration that Yang Kai decided to reveal and divulge these secrets now.
“Everyone, you don’t need to worry too much. The Great Demon God might be far stronger than a Demon Saint, but his body has been destroyed. Even if his Soul Clones are causing trouble out in the world, they won’t even have 1% of his original’s strength at his peak; otherwise, they would have shown themselves a long time ago. Why would they need to hide so furtively that nobody knows about their existence?”
If Mo Sheng’s Soul Clone inside the Small Sealed World had not been overconfident about being able to take over Yang Kai’s Small Sealed World, he would not have shown himself either. Then, Yang Kai would not have been able to obtain this information.
Pan Geng Nian said, “Brother Yang, just who in the world was the one who destroyed Mo Sheng’s physical body back then?”
The Great Demon God was powerful, but there was a precedent of him being defeated; hence, they were very curious about the Master who managed to kill him.
Yang Kai glanced at Pan Geng Nian and replied in a pensive voice, “This person’s title is one that you are familiar with. Back then, the one who fought Mo Sheng and destroyed his physical body was Flowing Time Great Emperor!”
The Masters raised their brows and immediately showed a proud look at those words. Mo Sheng’s true strength was above that of a Demon Saint’s, but Flowing Time Great Emperor had successfully destroyed his physical body. Wouldn’t that mean that Flowing Time Great Emperor’s cultivation had reached the same Realm?
Somebody frowningly said, “Brother Yang, you mentioned just now that Mo Sheng’s body was destroyed after that battle while his opponent perished from his wounds. Could it be that…”
Yang Kia nodded affirmatively, “Yes. Flowing Time Great Emperor died at Mo Sheng’s hands.”
There was another round of gasps. Flowing Time Great Emperor was practically a legend in the long history of the Star Boundary. There had been many Great Emperors in the Star Boundary throughout the ages, but not many remained famous to this day. Wu Kuang could be considered one of them, and Flowing Time Great Emperor was definitely another.
Even though everybody knew that the Flowing Time Great Emperor was no longer alive, how he died had remained a mystery. They all thought that he had died in the Flowing Time Temple of old age. It wasn’t until now that they learned that the Flowing Time Great Emperor had actually died in battle.
Li Wu Yi said thoughtfully, “It would seem that the disappearance of the Great Emperors is also related to Mo Sheng.”
At first, he had doubts about how and why the Great Emperors had gone missing without reason. Although the same number of Demon Saints had gone missing, such a large-scale effort could not have been easy to pull off. However, it would not be strange if Mo Sheng was involved in this matter.
Yang Kai nodded, “I was just about to speak about this. I saw the Great Emperors when I went to investigate the nearby Demon Stronghold.”
There was a brief commotion and many people jumped up in shock, some even knocking over their teacups in surprise.
Yang Kai swiftly raised his hand to quiet them before continuing, “It’s not what you think. The Great Emperors are neither in the Star Boundary nor the Demon Realm. Their location is very vague and I only saw a very brief glimpse of them, so I can’t determine their exact location.”
When Yang Kai immersed his Divine Sense into the Demon Stronghold previously, a blurred image had flashed through his mind all of a sudden. He did not know whether it was by chance or intentional; however, that image contained the many figures of the Great Emperors.
“How are the Great Emperors currently?” Li Wu Yi asked. Now that the Star Boundary was in this situation, the only hope for them was if the Great Emperors could return. Simply relying on the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders left them too vulnerable as they were outnumbered and overwhelmed even though their strength had grown considerably.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “Not good. The changes in the Star Boundary are apparently related to them. The Demon Saints seem to be holding them in a strange isolated space which has various Grand Arrays set up all around them. The Demon Saints appear to be refining the Great Emperors’ World’s Will.”
The Demon Race had tried something similar more than 20 years ago. The target of their attempt was none other than the late Bright Moon Great Emperor. Bright Moon Great Emperor had been trapped on Eternal Sky Continent. During that time, the Demon Saints had blood sacrificed all the living creatures on Eternal Sky Continent and even set up the Twelve Pinnacles Grand Demon Array in order to refine Bright Moon. It was all so that the Demon Realm could devour the part of the World’s Will in his body.
If the Demon Saints had succeeded in their attempt back then, then the Star Boundary’s Will would forever lose a piece of itself. The impact that would cause was difficult to imagine. It might cause the Star Boundary’s Heavenly Way to become incomplete, or the World Principles to shatter, or the capacity of the World’s Bottle to shrink. In contrast, there was a chance for a new Demon Saint to be added to the Demon Realm!
It was just that the Demon Race’s attempt at the time ended in failure. In the end, Bright Moon managed to hand over the World’s Will to Yang Kai before he died.
Many years had passed since then and a similar incident was taking place again; moreover, it was on a much larger scale this time. The seven Great Emperors were trapped in that inexplicable space surrounded by Spirit Arrays as though they were being held inside a Refining Furnace and the World’s Will in their bodies were being slowly corrupted at all times.
The Demon Race had secretly put their plans into place several years ago. The only reason they had waited until now to take action was in preparation for the refining process.
The World’s Wills that the Great Emperors had were equivalent to the Star Boundary’s self-protection mechanism. The Demon Land would be unable to expand rapidly without refining those World’s Wills; therefore, the current rate of the Demon Lands’ expansion was practically equivalent to how far the refining of the Great Emperors’ World’s Wills had progressed. Once they were completely refined, then the entire Star Boundary would be at stake.
It was precisely because of this plan that the Demon Saints immediately dragged the Great Emperors into that strange place as soon as the battle between the two Great Worlds broke out a few years ago. The first reason was to prevent the Great Emperors from interfering in the subsequent battles and limit the strength of the Star Boundary. The second reason was to refine the World’s Wills in their bodies and break through the Star Boundary’s defences.
Now that everything was in place, the Star Boundary would be powerless to resist once the Demon Race made their move. Large pieces of land would be devoured and turned into Demon Land.
A solemn atmosphere enveloped the hall. What Yang Kai had said today was a great shock to their minds. Even they had trouble digesting this piece of information.
“How do we stop it?” Someone finally asked.
Yang Kai shook his head slowly in response. Even though the Demon Race’s plans had been revealed, the Star Boundary was still completely powerless to resist. Unless the Great Emperors had a way to escape or stop the refining process, the Star Boundary would fall sooner or later.
“Heaven’s Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation…” A soft voice came from a corner of the hall.
Yang Kai lifted his head abruptly and looked in that direction, a strange look in his eyes. The person who spoke turned out to be Gao Zhan, so Yang Kai hurriedly asked, “Brother Gao, where did you hear this from?”
Gao Zhen was somebody Yang Kai did not have much contact with. They only spent a short time together in a Sealed World between the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm more than 20 years ago. He was the Legacy Disciple of Heavens Revelations Great Emperor. Although Gao Zhen’s ability to see the secrets of the Heavens, gaze into the future, and look back into the past was not as great as the Great Emperor, he had received the true inheritance of the Great Emperor.
Back in that Sealed World, Gao Zhen had warned Yang Kai to be careful. Those words were later proven to be not without reason. Yu Ru Meng had pretended to be Li Shi Qing to plant a Soul Secret Technique in Yang Kai. It was only after that that the various entanglements between him and Yu Ru Meng occurred.
Gao Zhan had been staying in High Heaven Palace for the past few years, but he was not recruited into any of the armies because he was the Disciple of Heavens Revelations Great Emperor. Thus, he was a free man. Despite participating in this meeting, he had remained silent all this while; therefore, it was unexpected to hear him speaking those words at this time.
It would have been different if he had said anything else. The key point was that Yang Kai had heard those words recently. Moreover, those words had come from his very own mouth.
He had previously lost consciousness for a moment in the Ancient Wild Lands. According to Su Yan and Luan Feng, he had said those words before fainting, although he himself had no recollection of doing so.
It would now seem that it was some kind of warning from the Star Boundary. This beautiful world that was the Star Boundary had sensed the impending crisis when the Demon Race made their move, and as he received Bright Moon Great Emperor’s legacy and part of the World’s Will, it was only natural that Yang Kai could somewhat observe the movements of the Heavens.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s question, Gao Zhan solemnly cupped his fists, “Sir, these were the words Honoured Master left with me before his departure. He predicted this revelation several years ago and figured out that the Star Boundary was going to fall into danger. Thus, he told me that I should tell you these words when the time came.”
“Tell me?” Yang Kai frowned deeply. He added in astonishment, “Did the Great Emperor say anything else?”
Gao Zhan shook his head slowly.
Yang Kai’s scowl deepened even more. He had observed a trace of the Heavens’ Revelations while unconscious and subconsciously spoken those ambiguous words out loud. Now, to his surprise, Heaven’s Revelations Great Emperor had already left a message regarding this several years ago.
[Just what is the profound meaning behind these words?]
It was easy to understand what it meant by ‘Heavens’ Revelations’. Now that the Demon Race had all their pieces in place, the Demon Land was expanding rapidly while devouring the Auspicious Spirit Essence of the Star Boundary. With the Star Boundary facing great danger, the situation was changing and the course of the future became unpredictable.
Even so, what did ‘Profound Heavens Manifestation’ mean? From the literal meaning of the words, it sounded like something was going to appear. Unfortunately, the Profound Heavens’ words were too vague for Yang Kai to make sense of even after racking his brains.
Inside the hall, everybody discussed the matter noisily for a bit, but there was nothing they could do in the current situation.
Some suggested launching an all-out attack immediately, dispatching all fifty-five armies to ruthlessly kill the Demon Race in cooperation with the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan. Others suggested that they do nothing at all. They wanted to study the mysteries of the expanding Demon Land in hopes that the Great Emperors might have a way to stop this from happening.
For a time, the hall was filled with noise. Li Wu Yi finally managed to calm everybody down, and then issued a command for all the armies to monitor the situation of the Demon Strongholds closely and prepare for battle at any time.
An hour later, the crowd dispersed; however, Li Wu Yi did not leave.
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Sir, do you need anything else?”
Li Wu Yi studied Yang Kai deeply, a complicated emotion behind his gaze, which made the latter very confused.
Yang Kai had known Li Wu Yi for a long time now, but he had never seen the latter showing such emotions before. It seemed like there was a trace of regret and envy in that gaze…
“Senior?” He frowned slightly.
Li Wu Yi sighed softly and murmured under his breath, “Heaven’s Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation… Who knows if it will be a blessing or a disaster for the Star Boundary?”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “Sir, do you know something?”
Li Wu Yi did not answer and simply smiled slightly in response, “Come take a walk with me.”
While speaking, Li Wu Yi headed out of the hall with a flash of his figure. Yang Kai pondered for a moment before hurrying to catch up.
They were both proficient in the Dao of Space, so with every flicker of their figures, vast stretches of land flashed beneath their feet and the scenery around them changed constantly.
They flew for an hour without stopping before they arrived somewhere in the wilderness. This place was desolate and uninhabited. Most of the places in the Northern Territory were cold and frozen, and this place was no exception. It was covered in a blanket of snow, and their breaths misted visibly in front of them.
Li Wu Yi stood mid-air with his hands behind his back as he looked up at the sky. Similarly, Yang Kai lifted his head to look. However, all he saw was a blur of white in the sky as goose feather-like snow fell around them.
He did not know why Li Wu Yi had brought him to this place all of a sudden, but the latter obviously had something to tell him. Besides, what Li Wu Yi said just now bothered him greatly. The other party seemed to understand the meaning hidden behind those cryptic words.
“Sir…” Yang Kai called out, intending to get a clearer understanding of the situation.
However, Li Wu Yi suddenly turned around with a chilling expression on his face. The murderous intent radiating from his body was practically palpable. Raising a hand, he struck at Yang Kai without warning.
Yang Kai was caught off-guard by this action. He never imagined that Li Wu Yi would attack him. In all the time that he had known Li Wu Yi, the latter had always been gentle and cordial. Li Wu Yi had never shown him any contempt even when he was still very weak and powerless.
Li Wu Yi was the kind of person that would give anybody the impression of a gentle spring breeze when interacting with him. He was not arrogant despite being recognised as the strongest Master below the Great Emperors. Rather, he had always treated others warmly and amicably.
Moreover, the Star Boundary army had won numerous battles against the Demon Race army under his command over the years. It could even be said that he held most of the credit as to why the Star Boundary managed to persevere until today. There was no telling what kind of situation the Star Boundary would be in right now if not for him.
From Yang Kai’s standpoint, Li Wu Yi was a noble Senior who was willing to teach and guide his Juniors without reserve. He learned a lot from Li Wu Yi through various discussions and exchanges regarding their thoughts and experiences on the Dao of Space. Therefore, a person like Li Wu Yi was both a teacher and a friend to him. Yang Kai held great respect for Li Wu Yi, so he never imagined that Li Wu Yi would try to kill him one day!
The attack that came rushing down at him was extremely terrifying. Space Principles fluctuated violently and it was clear it was no ordinary attack. It was an attack that truly meant to take his life.
Although this attack came without warning, Yang Kai’s reaction was not slow either. He hurriedly raised his palm to counter.
When their palms came into contact, Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. He could feel the Principles surging at him in an unpredictable manner. Although he was familiar with Space Principles, this attack still gave him an overwhelming feeling.
Li Wu Yi had been immersed in the study of the Dao of Space for a long, long time, so it was not surprising that his control over the Space Principles was superb.
Yang Kai pushed his Demon Qi madly, causing the Space Principles to warp even more madly, literally shaking the world around them. The Heavens and Earth between the pair began to crumble and shatter, piece after piece. Afterwards, there was a loud explosion and Yang Kai was sent flying. His body trembled uncontrollably before he managed to purge the Principle Strength that had invaded his body.
On the other hand, Li Wu Yi only staggered backward by three steps before stabilising his figure once more. This clash of strength clearly indicated who was stronger between them!
“Sir, what is the meaning of this!?” Yang Kai shouted. He did not wish to fight Li Wu Yi, especially in such an unreasonable battle.
“Enough nonsense! Today, either you die or I perish!” Li Wu Yi’s expression was cold, and while speaking, he lunged forward and punched at Yang Kai. A figure in his image was still standing in place, but it was only an afterimage.
Yang Kai brought both hands up in front of him and blocked this attack. His body was blasted over a thousand kilometres backwards and his complexion paled slightly as a result. He shouted through gritted teeth, “Sir, have you been affected by demonification!?”
Li Wu Yi’s sudden change in temperament made him wonder if the other party had accidentally been infected by Demon Essence at some point in time. While speaking, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged and wrapped around Li Wu Yi as though to check the latter’s condition.
Li Wu Yi replied solemnly, “Do I look like I’ve undergone demonification?”
The Space Principles around his body fluctuated and cut off Yang Kai’s probing Divine Sense.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai felt a slight pain in his head. The Soul Warming Lotus fortunately came into play to repair his damaged Divine Sense.
On the opposite side, Li Wu Yi raised his hand and pointed a finger at Yang Kai. Intangible Principle Strength transformed into an attack that was visible to the naked eye and shot straight towards Yang Kai’s forehead. If this attack landed, Yang Kai’s head was bound to explode on the spot.
Yang Kai had always known that Li Wu Yi was the strongest beneath the Great Emperors, as well as a pinnacle existence among the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. Even so, he had never really exchanged blows with the latter before. Therefore, he did not have a clear understanding of what being the strongest meant. It wasn’t until this moment that he properly understood what it was to be second only to the Great Emperors!
This person in front of him was clearly different from all the other Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors that he fought in the past. The fierce offensive coming at him barely gave him any time to catch his breath. He only managed to barely lift his hand and send out a Moon Blade when the arrow of Principle Strength was almost upon him.
The collision was silent, then the two bursts of Space Principles vanished. He spoke with a serious expression, “Sir, please stop!”
He really did not wish to fight Li Wu Yi at a time when the Star Boundary’s survival was at stake. No matter who won in the end, it would be a loss for the Star Boundary. Besides, he was not confident he could win against Li Wu Yi even if he brought out everything he had. At most, he would only just barely escape alive.
“Bring out everything you have! Otherwise, you will die here today!” Li Wu Yi shouted while clapping both hands together in front of him at the same time. Following that action, Yang Kai immediately felt space tightening around him, as though he was being held in place by an invisible force.
The space surrounding Yang Kai became compressed. Every part of his body was placed under great pressure and creaking sounds rang out from his bones. All this while, he had always used Space Principles to restrain his enemies’ movements. Now that he was facing Li Wu Yi, he finally got a taste of what it was like for those people he had restrained in the past.
The Space Principles that pressed down from all directions were not something he could resist with his physical body alone. If he continued to endure by willpower, he would eventually be squashed into paste.
Giving a furious roar, Space Principles fluctuated above his hands as he slowly pushed them out to the sides, as though he was pushing open a set of invisible doors. Following his movements, a ripple that was visible to the naked eye spread out into the surroundings. The Space Principles pressing down on him immediately eased up considerably.
A trace of appreciation flashed across Li Wu Yi’s eyes before he suddenly flattened his palms that were pressed together and swiped out horizontally at Yang Kai.
In the next moment, Yang Kai saw a Void Crack forming out of nowhere at the spot between his waist and abdomen. It was as though that Void Crack had always existed in that spot and was only just rearing its ugly head at this moment. His expression twitched involuntarily.
[I see. So Space Principles can also be used in this way.]
Before he could fully appreciate Li Wu Yi’s ingenuity, that several-metre-long Void Crack sliced through his skin like an indestructible blade. A stabbing pain came out as even the physique he was so proud of could not withstand an attack like that.
The pressure surrounding him was still in place, causing him to struggle to move. It was too late for him to retreat at this point. Even though his life was at stake, his mind was strangely calm and he was not the slightest bit panicked. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed at the Void Crack.
His large hand transformed into a Dragon Claw when his fist closed in a grip. He was grasping the Void Crack in his hand, causing it to struggle as if it had a life of its own. Exerting more force, Yang Kai’s claw closed tightly and the Void Crack shattered.
He was the only one who could do something like this because he was also proficient in the Dao of Space. How could just anyone grab a Void Crack with their bare hands? It would surely end in tragedy the moment they came into contact with it.
On the other side, the admiring light in Li Wu Yi’s eyes grew stronger when he saw Yang Kai easily dealing with his sure-kill attack. It was just that he concealed his emotions very well, so the depths of his eyes remained as cold as ever. He looked like he would not stop until he killed Yang Kai on the spot. His palms that were placed flat against each other suddenly pulled apart. He slowly moved his palms in a spinning motion, rotating his hands against each other…
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. He felt as though the space he was standing in had undergone Earth-shaking changes. The space around his upper body turned in a clockwise direction while the space around his lower body turned in an anti-clockwise direction. The spinning motion was slow but firm and unyielding. As a result, the space he was standing in became disjointed.
His body was twisted into a very strange posture in an instant. Both his upper body and his lower body were twisted in opposing directions and a painful creaking sound rang out from all his bones.
Feeling greatly horrified, he pushed his Space Principles madly once more to restore the chaos to order. Creaking sounds rang out incessantly. Concurrently, the Void within a radius of a thousand metres centred around Yang Kai became frayed as countless tiny cracks flashed and disappeared erratically.
Li Wu Yi’s expression became solemn. His slowly spinning palms seemed to face some kind of resistance and their speed of rotation became slower and slower until it finally came to a stop.
When a furious howl sounded, space shattered and Yang Kai’s body, which was twisted strangely, returned to normal. At the same time, Li Wu Yi clapped his palms together again.
“Sir, take this!” After receiving multiple fierce attacks from Li Wu Yi, Yang Kai no longer held back. He had lost his temper. It didn’t matter why Li Wu Yi was doing this; he could not stand to allow himself to passively receive these attacks forever.
The best way to deal with the strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors who, like himself, was also proficient in the Dao of Space was to go on the offence, not passively try to escape. There was no point in trying to escape from Li Wu Yi and simply defending would only hasten his death and defeat. Only by attacking could he stand a chance of victory!
Flicking his ten fingers one after the other, pitch-black Moon Blades flew out towards Li Wu Yi with the last one being much larger and containing an extremely horrifying power.
Despite facing the overwhelming attack, Li Wu Yi’s expression remained calm. He simply raised his hand and gave a light wave in front of him. His actions were elegant, almost as if he was sweeping dust away, but the power of the Space Principles was instantly flattened. The Moon Blades didn’t even manage to approach Li Wu Yi before dissipating into nothing. Only the last and largest Moon Blade carried on; however, even that was deflected to the side, brushed past his body, and flew away.
“Your Moon Blades are useless against me!” Li Wu Yi glanced at Yang Kai and spoke in a calm tone. He had discussed the Dao of Space on numerous occasions with Yang Kai; hence, he was familiar with the latter’s Moon Blades. What’s more, it was not his first time seeing Yang Kai using this move.
Unaffected by those words, Yang Kai threw a punch, “If the Moon Blades won’t work, then what about this!?”
While Yang Kai was speaking, a black ball suddenly appeared in front of Li Wu Yi. The aura of chaos and nothingness fluctuated within the black ball, similar to the aura of a Void Crack.
Li Wu Yi raised his brow at the sight. He could clearly sense that this attack was much stronger than the previous Moon Blades; thus, his desire to learn the secret behind it was stimulated. To his surprise, the Divine Sense he released to examine it was devoured by the black ball.
In the next moment, the black ball shrank abruptly and turned into a small black point. The surrounding space collapsed inwards at that moment and Li Wu Yi was hit by the brunt of the attack. He had a hard time fending off the collapsing force and his entire body consequently twisted and rushed towards the rapidly shrinking black spot.
There was a loud whooshing sound as the black spot vanished with a flash. The collapsing world disappeared too. When everything calmed down, there was a large circular crater on the previously flat ground that was the size of several thousand metres wide.
Meanwhile, Li Wu Yi remained standing in his original position, the Space Principles around his body pulsing strongly. He had managed to defend against that horrifying power at the last moment and his distorted figure returned to normal when the black spot vanished.
He finally let out a sliver of a smile and commented, “Although it’s not bad, it’s not enough!”
By the time the last word left his mouth, he had already arrived in front of Yang Kai and thrust out with his palm.
Yang Kai’s figure abruptly retreated and flashed straight into the Void, leaving an afterimage in place.
As Yang Kai’s afterimage scattered into nothing, Li Wu Yi stepped forward and chased after him.
Two figures appeared one after the other above that vast, empty plain, mysteriously appearing and disappearing again without any discernible pattern. If anybody else were to witness this sight, they would think that there was something wrong with their eyes. The erratically flickering figures were extremely elusive. They might be here one moment only to appear a thousand kilometres away the next.
During their clash, their positions kept interchanging with each other. It was no longer possible to determine just who was chasing and who was being chased. What bystanders could not see were the countless manoeuvres and numerous confrontations that happened inside the Void…
At a certain moment, there were two whooshing sounds accompanied by the shift of both Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai’s figures, turning from illusory images to solid matter. They appeared together, standing in their original starting position with the original distance between them. It was almost as if they had not moved at all.
Looking at each other, Yang Kai furrowed his brow tightly. On the other hand, Li Wu Yi smiled with a hint of relief in his eyes, the previous coldness and murderous intent from before nowhere to be seen.
Yang Kai licked his somewhat dry lips and asked, “Sir, what is the meaning of this?”
At the very beginning, Li Wu Yi had truly released a terrifying murderous intent as though he wanted to kill Yang Kai on the spot; however, after fighting the other party, Yang Kai soon realised that the battle had many elements to it that were much closer to a test than a fight. The intense murderous intent was only to force him to go all out.
Moreover, Li Wu Yi only used Space Principles from start to finish. As strong as he was, how could he not have any powerful Secret Techniques or artifacts on hand? If he really wanted to kill Yang Kai, he would surely use everything at his disposal.
There was only one thing Yang Kai could not understand. [Why is he testing me at this time? If there’s something going on, why can’t he just tell me about it properly?]
Li Wu Yi smilingly said, “Heaven’s Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation! The battle of the Grand Dao is upon us!”
Yang Kai blinked, then his expression froze slightly before he exclaimed, “Sir, do you mean…”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “It’s exactly what you are thinking.”
Seeing Li Wu Yi’s affirmation made all the blood in Yang Kai’s body boil. He couldn’t stop his mouth from going dry. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he asked, “Is the Grand Dao battle related to those words?”
Li Wu Yi chuckled, “The place where the battle for the Grand Dao will take place is precisely the Profound Heavens Temple.”
“Profound Heavens Temple?” Yang Kai glanced at Li Wu Yi in surprise, “Where is that?”
“I have no idea. I’ve only heard of it myself.” Li Wu Yi frowned.
It seemed like there was no way to ascertain just what the Profound Heavens Temple was. Still, since it was called the Profound Heavens Temple, it had to be some sort of mysterious place.
When Yang Kai had been trying to guess what those words meant before, the words ‘Profound Heavens’ had completely baffled him. It wasn’t until Li Wu Yi explained it to him that he finally understood what it meant. [‘Profound Heavens’ was probably referring to the Profound Heavens Temple.]
Seeing as both he and Heavens Revelations Great Emperor had received insight into the movements of the Heavens and spoke these words as a result, it had to be an indicator that the Profound Heavens Temple was about to appear.
Li Wu Yi stood with his hands behind his back and leisurely explained, “The Profound Heavens Temple opened up a hundred years after the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea. All those qualified in the Star Boundary had entered the Profound Heavens Temple to seek their own opportunities and compete for the Grand Dao. The opening of the Profound Heavens Temple at that time saw the rise of Senior Martial Beast, Senior Bright Moon, Senior Ice Feather, Senior Flower Shadow, and Can Ye. They all broke through the final barrier to become Great Emperors.” He paused for a moment and smiled, “Do you know why there are five of them?”
Yang Kai pensively replied, “Because five Great Emperors died in the Great Emperor War?”
The Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea was the battle where all the Great Emperors in the Star Boundary had besieged Wu Kuang. In that battle, Wu Kuang had fought against nine other Great Emperors who were working together with his strength alone. Although he was ultimately defeated, Wu Kuang managed to kill Cyan Lotus Great Emperor, Yuan Ding Great Emperor, Martial Flame Great Emperor, and Azure Sea Great Emperor before his death by relying on the Heaven-defying might of his Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
That unprecedented battle had shaken the Heavens and the Earth. There had never been a more intense battle in the long history of the Star Boundary.
The Mountains and Rivers Bell that was currently in Yang Kai’s possession used to be the natal artifact of Yuan Ding Great Emperor. Meanwhile, the Phoenix True Fire that Liu Yan obtained was the legacy of Martial Flame Great Emperor.
During the Great Emperor War in the Shattered Star Sea, Wu Kuang had killed four Great Emperors while he himself was torn to pieces in the battle. Although his Soul had escaped to hide deep within the Shattered Star Sea, as far as the Star Boundary was concerned, half of the ten Great Emperors had lost their lives in that battle, leaving exactly five behind.
The capacity of the World’s Bottle was limited. The Demon Realm’s limit was twelve while the Star Boundary’s limit was ten. For that reason, only five would have a chance to rise even though there were many competitors who were qualified to become Great Emperors when the Profound Heavens Temple opened at the time.
Li Wu Yi smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Five Great Emperors died in the Shattered Star Sea, so it was reasonable that another five were born in the Profound Heavens Temple at that time. And now, the Profound Heavens Temple is going to open again soon. Unfortunately, the situation this time will be unlike last time. There won’t be as many Great Emperors being born again. I’m afraid… only one will be born.”
Yang Kai understood immediately. Among the ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, Bustling World Great Emperor was missing while Night Shadow Great Emperor had defected to the Demon Realm. Nevertheless, they were still alive. Only Bright Moon Great Emperor had lost his life, so only one space had been freed up in the World’s Bottle. Even if the Profound Heavens Temple opened and the day of the Grand Dao battle grew closer, only one person would succeed in becoming a Great Emperor in the end. So, the competition was going to be extremely fierce!
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Yang Kai understood what Li Wu Yi meant previously. The Star Boundary was at a critical juncture where its survival was at stake. If the Profound Heavens Temple were to open, there was no saying whether it would be a blessing or a curse for the Star Boundary.
If somebody could finally obtain the only opportunity and fill in the missing spot among the Star Boundary’s Ten Great Emperors, it would be very beneficial for the overall situation in the Star Boundary. At present, the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan were already capable of fending off the three Demon Saints if they joined forces. If another Great Emperor was added to the mix, then that person would be equivalent to an unrivalled existence. Unfortunately, there would be a bloody and cruel war before anybody could become a Great Emperor.
There weren’t many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, but their numbers were not that few either. Who would not strive to reach the peak of the Martial Dao? Who would not be tempted by such a great opportunity in front of them? If everybody was tempted by the opportunity and joined the Grand Dao battle at the Profound Heavens Temple, then what would happen to the fifty-five armies of the Star Boundary? Without these Pseudo-Great Emperors, the Demon Race army would obliterate the Star Boundary army in an instant.
Participating in the Grand Dao battle at the Profound Heavens Temple would surely lead to internal conflict. That was something the Star Boundary could not afford at present. For the sake of the Star Boundary’s survival, the Army Commanders and the Pseudo-Great Emperors had been willing to obey Li Wu Yi’s commands, lead the armies into battle, and kill their enemies. But, how effective would Li Wu Yi’s commands be when it came to their own opportunities and lifelong cultivation goals?
Besides, Li Wu Yi would never order the Pseudo-Great Emperors to not participate in the Grand Dao battle. He could not bring himself to hinder a person’s Martial Dao journey.
Thinking about it further, Yang Kai quickly understood the reason for Li Wu Yi’s gloomy mood. The timing of the Profound Heavens Temple’s opening was more than a little awkward, leaving them in an extremely passive situation.
The enthusiasm and excitement from before cooled as though he had been doused in cold water, and after a short period of silence, Yang Kai asked, “Sir, can we be sure that the Profound Heavens Temple will be opening?”
If all of this turned out to be a misunderstanding, then their current concerns were completely meaningless.
Li Wu Yi sighed softly, “From what I know, there has never been a precedent where Senior Heavens Revelations had made a mistake in his predictions. Since he left that message so many years ago, that must mean the Profound Heavens Temple will definitely reappear in this world.”
He paused before continuing, “Leaving aside Senior Heavens Revelations’ observances, it is only natural that the Profound Heavens Temple will open soon given the Star Boundary’s current situation. Since you carry the World’s Will in you, you can obviously sense it more acutely than others. The Star Boundary might be a world, but it is not dead.”
Yang Kai nodded solemnly. It wasn’t to say that the Star Boundary was a sentient, living creature, but rather that it was alive.
“Even ordinary birds and beasts have a self-defence mechanism to protect themselves when their lives are threatened, so what more need be said about an entire world? Now that the Star Boundary’s survival is at stake, it is defending itself by urgently creating another Great Emperor to fight the invading enemies.”
Yang Kai nodded again, “I understand what you mean, Sir.”
“So, the Profound Heavens Temple is bound to open. Moreover, it will happen soon. The only thing is that nobody can be certain when it will start showing signs.” Li Wu Yi sighed again. In all the years that they had known each other, Yang Kai had practically never heard him sighing. However, it seemed to be happening rather frequently today, “Although very few know about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple, it is not a secret either. Many Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary are aware of this.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “If that’s the case, why did everybody react that way back in the…” At this point, he suddenly understood and smiled wryly, “So that’s how it is.”
After Gao Zhan spoke those words back in the hall just now, the Pseudo-Great Emperors present had not shown any particular reaction; therefore, Yang Kai had assumed that they were unaware of the meaning behind those words. Now, however, it would seem that while a large number of people had not known what those words represented, there were definitely some who did. Keeping silent despite understanding the meaning behind those words could only mean that they had their own plans.
The Profound Heavens Temple had yet to reveal any signs of itself; even so, just one sentence from Heavens Revelations Great Emperor was enough to make the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary, who had been through thick and thin together all this while, begin to have different agendas. It was easy to imagine how great an impact this news would be on the current situation once word got out completely.
As the Supreme Commander of the fifty-five Star Boundary armies, Li Wu Yi had to be under unimaginable pressure right now. Figuring out how to mitigate the impact of the Profound Heavens Temple’s opening would most likely be his biggest headache in the coming days.
Yang Kai exhaled softly, “Sir, if it can help to lessen your worries, I am willing to help share your burdens by commanding the Star Boundary’s armies in your stead!”
“You?” Li Wu Yi turned to look at Yang Kai and chuckled, “You are already a well-known arm-flinging shopkeeper with the Sixty-First Army, pushing all your management responsibilities onto Yao Si. If you were put in command of all fifty-five armies, it won’t take longer than three months before the Demon Race wipes us out.”
Yang Kai was naturally unconvinced, “Sir, don’t you think you’re looking down on me a little too much? How do you know I’m incompetent without even giving me a chance? There’s probably still some time until the Profound Heavens Temple opens. Why don’t you let me try? We can think of a different solution if it really doesn’t work out.”
Li Wu Yi said, “Let you try doing what? What am I supposed to do in the meantime if I give you a chance to try?”
Yang Kai was confused by this response and asked the obvious question, “Sir, do you not plan to compete for the Grand Dao?”
It was precisely for this reason that Yang Kai proposed this idea. It was not as if he had nothing better to do than to seize power from Li Wu Yi and take over command of the fifty-five armies. Just as Li Wu Yi had said, he was an arm-flinging shopkeeper with the Sixty-First Army. In fact, the whole reason he even made Yao Si his Adjutant was because he was afraid of being tied down by troublesome matters.
If the Profound Heavens Temple opened, it was certain that Li Wu Yi would enter, given his level of strength. Moreover, he was the strongest Master beneath the Great Emperors and was definitely the best candidate to compete for the one and only empty spot. The situation in the Star Boundary might change for the better if he became a Great Emperor.
Contrary to Yang Kai’s expectations, however, Li Wu Yi slowly shook his head and declared, “I won’t go. I can’t go.”
Yang Kai looked shocked, but before he could say anything, Li Wu Yi raised a hand to interrupt him and solemnly added, “The army will panic if I leave. It will be over for the Star Boundary if that happens, so… Regardless of whether everybody else goes, I absolutely cannot.”
Yang Kai wanted to persuade him otherwise, but upon seeing the solemn expression on Li Wu Yi’s face, he knew that it was useless to say anything.
Just as Li Wu Yi himself had said, he was the Supreme Commander of the Star Boundary’s armies. If he left, the army would literally be without a leader. All the armies that had finally united would collapse again. Who could soothe the hearts of the people when that happened? More importantly, if Li Wu Yi set such a precedent, then the other Pseudo-Great Emperors with some scruples would also head towards the Profound Heavens Temple without reserve.
Thus, Yang Kai sighed bitterly, “Sir is indeed righteous. I hope everyone will one day understand how great your sacrifice today is.”
He deeply understood what kind of resolution Li Wu Yi needed to come to this decision.
Li Wu Yi had spent a lifetime cultivating just for this day, but now that the opportunity was in front of him, he had to harden his heart and abandon it without even trying. That was equivalent to giving up on the possibility of further progress in his cultivation. It was probably more painful for him than dying.
The Profound Heavens Temple was not an ordinary place. Its opening was entirely dependent on whether a Great Emperor fell. The last time the Profound Heavens Temple had opened was more than twenty thousand years ago. If Li Wu Yi missed this opportunity, he might have to wait tens of thousands more years, or even longer for the next one.
There was no saying whether he could even live that long. Even if he could, there was a high probability that he would no longer have the same vigour and vitality to engage in such an intense competition. Therefore, giving up on this opportunity was equivalent to giving up on the goal that he had been chasing all his life and the possibility of improving himself in the Martial Dao. How large a sacrifice was that? How noble was that? And, what had prompted him to make this decision was the current turbulent world and the hundreds of millions of living creatures struggling to survive within that world?
Yang Kai was in awe of that resolve.
Li Wu Yi chuckled lightly, “It doesn’t matter whether the others understand. It’s enough if you understand.”
Yang Kai clenched his fists tightly and quickly said, “This Junior understands…”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “It’s good if you understand. You better prepare yourself well during this period. Don’t do anything else; just wait for the Profound Heavens Temple to open!”
Yang Kai looked up with a puzzled expression and saw Li Wu Yi smiling at him, “You need to go to the Profound Heavens Temple and seize that one and only opportunity!”
“Me?” Yang Kai pointed to himself. If he had to be honest, it wasn’t as if he had not thought about it when Li Wu Yi first mentioned the Profound Heavens Temple and the Grand Dao battle. It was just that he was only a High-Rank Demon King, equivalent to a Third-Order Emperor. He had yet to even reach the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm, so how could he have the qualifications to enter? Hence, he quickly rejected the thought after it came up.
Who could have known that Li Wu Yi would suggest it instead?
“Don’t look down on yourself. You carry Senior Bright Moon’s legacy with you. Anybody else with your level of strength would not have the qualifications to enter the Profound Heavens Temple; however, you have the World’s Will in your body, so the Profound Heavens Temple will not reject you. It can even be said that the World’s Will in your body will be your greatest advantage when competing for this opportunity. Your cultivation might be lacking, but your chance of success is higher than anybody else.”
He paused, then looked at Yang Kai with a smile, “Besides, are you willing to watch as this opportunity passes you by? Or, are you hoping to wait until the next time the Profound Heavens Temple opens?”
Yang Kai blurted out, “Of course not.”
Li Wu Yi said in satisfaction, “Since that is not the case, then go ahead and do it without inhibitions. The ultimate power lies in the Dao. At first, I was quite worried about you. No matter how excellent you are, your low cultivation is your greatest shortcoming. But, after testing you just now, I discovered that your achievements in the Dao of Space are no less than mine. With this ability, it’s enough for you to join the competition.”
The reason he suddenly brought Yang Kai over for a test was to see how deep Yang Kai’s achievements were in the Dao of Space. Otherwise, he would not have used only Space Principles in that battle just now. He would have used everything in his arsenal instead.
The results of the test left him feeling both relieved and astonished. Putting aside the fact that Yang Kai’s strength had grown to become comparable with that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor or a Half-Saint, just Yang Kai’s achievements in the Dao of Space alone did not lose to him in any way. That was also the biggest reason why he gave up on entering the Profound Heavens Temple. Since Yang Kai had the ability, then letting Yang Kai enter the Profound Heavens Temple would not result in a performance that was any worse than if he went himself.
“There is one thing you need to pay attention to!” Li Wu Yi’s expression turned stern, “After you enter the Profound Heavens Temple, you will most likely become the enemy of most people!”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Because of the World’s Will?”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “That’s right. The World’s Will you inherited from Senior Bright Moon will certainly give you a lot of advantages in the upcoming Grand Dao battle, but it will also put you in all sorts of dangerous situations. There will definitely be people who will try to harm you. Moreover, these people won’t just include the Demon Race Half-Saints but also the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary!”
Yang Kai’s expression froze, “The Half-Saints can also enter the Profound Heavens Temple?”
Li Wu Yi burst out laughing, “Who said they can’t? Can Ye is the best example. If he can become a Great Emperor, then so can the Demon Race Half-Saints. This world might have a self-defence mechanism that opens up the Profound Heavens Temple at a time of crisis, but anybody can snatch that opportunity. It doesn’t care. The Heavenly Way is merciful in that it gives us a chance to turn the situation around, but at the same time, the Heavenly Way is cruel in that it gives the invading Demon Race the same opportunity. It’s all up to us whether we can take hold of the opportunity given to us.”
Yang Kai exhaled gently and smiled bitterly, “I get it now. In other words, if I enter the Profound Heavens Temple and participate in the Grand Dao battle, it will be like throwing a piece of meat to a pack of hungry wolves.”
Li Wu Yi smiled, “Although not quite accurate, that’s the general gist of it.”
“That’s really quite… exciting.” Yang Kai grinned. Although he was smiling, the scorching gaze in his eyes looked like blazing flames.
There had never been such a precedent before. It had always been the Pseudo-Great Emperors who participated in the Grand Dao battle and won their own opportunities that would receive the World’s Recognition, obtain the World’s Will, and become the World’s Representative!
In contrast, Yang Kai’s current situation was unique throughout the ages. There was nothing that could be done about this though. Bright Moon Great Emperor had died at his hands on Eternal Sky Continent. The World’s Will in the Great Emperor’s body had no other choice and was automatically transferred to him as a result. That was why he received the World’s Recognition before he even became a Great Emperor. This was the advantage he obtained in the Grand Dao battle, but while it might allow him to observe the Heaven’s Revelation more clearly and effectively bring him closer to his end goal, it also brought various disasters his way.
In the past, there might have been some who were envious of the Great Emperor’s legacy in Yang Kai’s possession; even so, they stopped at merely feeling envious. Unfortunately, it was possible that their envy would evolve into action the moment he entered the Profound Heavens Temple. Furthermore, if somebody wanted to snatch the World’s Will, they would have to kill Yang Kai with their own hands.
Li Wu Yi slapped Yang Kai on the shoulder, “Rest assured. You won’t be fighting alone. I will arrange for someone to assist you when the time comes.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Sir.”
“You shouldn’t go around as you please for the time being, lest you give somebody the chance to harm you. Return to High Heaven Palace and enter retreat. I will let you know when the Profound Heavens Temple opens.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Sir, why ask me to hide if you want me to participate in the Grand Dao battle? I can hide before the Profound Heavens Temple, but what about after it opens?”
Li Wu Yi was taken aback for a moment, then he burst out laughing, “You’re right. I was overthinking things. Good, do whatever you want, just be careful of all the people who approach you in the near future.”
“I understand.” Yang Kai grinned, “If somebody with malicious intentions approaches me, I will not hold back.” After pondering for a moment, he added, “But, Sir, what do I need to do once I enter the Profound Heavens Temple? What am I supposed to snatch?”
Li Wu Yi shook his head slowly, “I don’t know. All I know is that the key to becoming a Great Emperor is hidden within the Profound Heavens Temple. As for what is inside the Profound Heavens Temple… I’m afraid there is nobody in the Star Boundary at the moment who knows.” He frowned, “Maybe, you can try asking the two Dragon Clan Elders. They have lived longer than any of us, so they should have some knowledge about the situation.”
“I will ask them if I get the chance.” Yang Kai nodded. Then, he seemed to recall something and asked, “By the way, Sir, there’s something I need to ask of you.”
“Speak.” Li Wu Yi nodded.
“I don’t know how long I will spend inside the Profound Heavens Temple once it opens; however, there have been some unusual movements at the Blood Gate in the Eastern Territory’s Ancient Wild Lands. I suspect that the Heaven’s Order Palace will open soon…”
“The Heaven’s Order Palace?” Li Wu Yi raised his brow at the news.
“Sir, please keep an eye on the situation there. If the Heaven’s Order Palace opens, please ask the young woman who comes out not to worry. I will visit her the moment I get back.”
Li Wu Yi nodded, “En.”
Half a day had passed by the time Yang Kai returned to High Heaven Palace again. He did not know whether it was because he was aware of certain things now, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a gaze lingering upon him when he returned. It made him sneer in his heart. [It looks like Li Wu Yi’s worries are not without reason. Something unusual is already happening just half a day after those words were revealed. The situation will surely become even more serious if the news spreads widely.]
Giving a small sigh, Yang Kai mused, [I’m afraid the Star Boundary is going to face a great turmoil in the near future. This is undoubtedly an unbearable disaster for an already turbulent world.]
It was eerie how the war between the two Great Worlds eased up during this period.
For the Star Boundary, it might be because news about the imminent opening of the Profound Heavens Temple had secretly been leaked. It might also be that Li Wu Yi was observing the situation, so all the armies were not taking aggressive action. On the other hand, the Demon Race was more than happy to delay. The 108 Demon Strongholds were rapidly expanding outward at all times, eroding away at the Star Boundary. All they needed to do was wait. Once the Star Boundary was completely transformed into Demon Land, it would be simple for them to take over.
Therefore, there were no conflicts between the two Races recently. According to the information from various sources, the erosion of the Demon Strongholds everywhere had even accelerated. Combined with Yang Kai’s explanation previously, everybody could tell that the state of the Great Emperors who were trapped in that mysterious space was only getting worse. Once the World’s Will in their bodies were completely corrupted, the entire Star Boundary would be powerless to resist.
Approximately 10 days later, Yang Kai received a secret letter. The letter was delivered through one of High Heaven Palace’s disciples. There was no name and not even the slightest trace of aura on the letter. There was no way to determine the sender either. Moreover, not much was written in the letter, only the name of a specific place. That place was located within the Northern Territory and was not far from High Heaven Palace, only about five thousand kilometres away.
Holding the letter, Yang Kai sneered lightly. [Are they finally running out of patience? Are they planning to attack me before the Profound Heavens Temple even shows signs of opening? I’m curious to see just who is so eager!]
He tightened his fist and the secret letter turned to dust.
……
The moon was high in the sky when Yang Kai climbed out of bed without a sound. There were several tender bodies lying across the bed, their curves fully on display as their snow-white skin was exposed to the gentle moonlight. Furthermore, the room was filled with an amorous scent.
Yang Kai could not be certain that he would return alive since he was going to participate in the Grand Dao battle and compete against numerous Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saint for the Great Emperor opportunity. This time around, his only choice was to succeed. He could not afford to lose, so there was no room for him to shrink back in fear. In the past, he had the option of escaping if he ever encountered an enemy beyond his ability to deal with. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to forge forward bravely this time around.
However, he did not inform Su Yan and the others about this matter. Telling them about this would only cause them to worry. All he could do was give them the most precious memories during this period before his departure.
A small hand gently grabbed his finger at that moment. He turned to look in that direction and saw Xia Ning Chang holding him lightly with a blush on her face.
Yang Kai smiled, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead, “Rest.”
She responded obediently and closed her eyes.
Afterwards, he pushed the door open and left.
Following the soft sound of the door closing, Shan Qing Luo sat up abruptly. Her long hair draped down her front and covered her ample peaks as she snarled through gritted teeth, “Sneaking out in the middle of the night, he must be having a secret rendezvous with some bitch!”
She kicked Xue Yue, who was lying next to her, “Stop pretending to sleep! Our husband is about to be stolen away!”
Xue Yue buried her head under the pillow and her muffled voice came out, “Why don’t you follow him then, Luo’er? You can tell us who he is meeting when you return, and we sisters can join forces to expel her.”
Shan Qing Luo pouted, “I refuse! If anything, Elder Sister and Big Sister Zhu Qing should go!”
While speaking, she turned her gaze towards Su Yan and Zhu Qing.
Zhu Qing lowered her head, fumbling around the bed. She soon found her undergarments and got dressed, blushing furiously without making a single sound…
Su Yan simply pursed her lips and smiled, however, reaching out a hand as she pulled Shan Qing Luo to lie down in her embrace, “Don’t be so nosy. Husband knows his boundaries. Have a good rest. Aren’t you tired?”
Shan Qing Luo widened her eyes, her lashes fluttering slightly, “Elder Sister, I noticed that you’re too lenient with him…”
Seeming to discover something amazing, she reached out, grabbed Su Yan’s twins and exclaimed, “Elder Sister, have you gotten bigger?”
*Pa…* Su Yan slapped Shan Qing Luo’s naughty claws away and chided, “Stop it.”
“En,” Shan Qing Luo responded obediently, found a comfortable spot in Su Yan’s arms, and closed her beautiful eyes. She didn’t sleep quietly for long, however, as her small hand began secretly climbing the nearby mountains. Seeing that Su Yan did not stop her, she let out a small, happy smile.
Strong Wind City was a small city in the Northern Territory. It was comparable in size to Maplewood City before the latter’s great expansion. If Yang Kai had not run around the entire Northern Territory some years ago, he would not have even known where Strong Wind City was located.
With his current speed, it took him less than a quarter-hour to travel 5,000 kilometres and arrive at his destination even at a leisurely pace. He looked around and let out a soft sigh. There were many places like Strong Wind City in the Star Boundary nowadays. The small city was dilapidated. Everywhere he looked was a mess. Although the Demon Race army had not reached this place, the residents of the city had long since escaped; thus, the city that could not be called prosperous fell into greater derelict.
This was just a single example representing countless places across the Star Boundary. The flames of war between the two worlds had spread far and wide. Once this war was over, who knew how long it would take for the world to recover even if the Star Boundary was victorious? It might take several thousand years, several tens of thousands of years, or even longer… But, as long as the possibility of recovery existed, it was enough to make all the people in the Star Boundary give their lives to prevent the Demon Race’s victory.
Above the city wall, Yang Kai stood with his hands behind his back and raised his head to look at the sky. The moonlight could not shine through the dense layer of dark clouds that covered the sky and grinned. [It’s a dark and windy night; the perfect time for murder.]
Rustling sounds came from behind him at that moment, so he turned around to look with an expression of surprise. He could not believe that the person who invited him here was revealing themselves so openly. That person did not seem to have any intention of concealing their presence.
[Could it be that I was mistaken?] He frowned slightly after getting a clear glimpse of that person’s face.
“I was afraid you might not come, but it seems I underestimated your courage. Why are you recklessly running around outside at a time like this? What would you have done if I had invited three or four powerful helpers here and set up a trap in this place?” A melodious voice rang out, one that was clear and pleasant. Not far away, a beautiful figure appeared, landing about 15 metres in front of him, a smile on her face. A faint fragrance in the wind blew towards him, mesmerising him.
This distance was definitely an extremely dangerous distance for the person who just arrived. Proficient as he was in the Space Principles, Yang Kai could land a fatal blow in the blink of an eye and she would not be able to avoid no matter how strong she was.
“Senior Sheng!” Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise, “That secret letter… Was it from you?”
Standing in front of him was Sheng Yu Zhu of Luo Sha Sect! She was the person he rescued from the Void Crack, a Pseudo-Great Emperor who lived for several tens of thousands of years and once experienced the Grand Dao battle in the past!
Strictly speaking, the Grand Dao battle she experienced was the one before the last Grand Dao battle. She was somebody from the same era as Wu Kuang after all. When he first rescued her from the Void Crack, he had wanted to verify her identity; however, she had casually brought up the names of Wu Kuang, Yao Jun, Chu Tian Ji, Duan Hong Chen, and Zhan Wu Hen…
Before that incident, he would not have dared to believe that a person could survive in a Void Crack for so long; furthermore, she claimed that she fell into the Void Crack because she had been set up by Wu Kuang.
Back then, her true strength had been on par with Wu Kuang and they both had the potential to become a Great Emperor. In order to reduce the competition by one, Wu Kuang had tricked her into the Void Crack before the arrival of that Grand Dao battle. She had been stuck there until Yang Kai found her; therefore, she had failed to participate in the Grand Dao battle even though she experienced it once before. It could be said that she had perfectly missed everything.
Many years ago, Yang Kai had rescued her from the Void Crack in the Luo Sha Sect, but they had rarely been in contact with each other after that.
When the Two Worlds Great War broke out later, he had thought about her and tried to inquire about information on Luo Sha Sect since he still held the title of Luo Sha Sect’s High-Rank Guest Elder. After asking around, however, he learned that Luo Sha Sect had vanished without a trace more than 20 years ago. A swift calculation indicated that the timing was a few years after he rescued her from her predicament. The entire Luo Sha Sect, along with Sheng Yu Zhu, had been missing ever since then. It wasn’t until today that they finally met again.
Upon learning that it was Sheng Yu Zhu who was looking for him, Yang Kai immediately realised that he had over-thought things. She clearly had no malicious intentions towards him since she had revealed herself so openly and even spoke about such things to him. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had not asked around about her after he rescued her.
There was once when Yang Kai mentioned her name to Zhan Wu Hen, and the latter had been quite astonished when he learned that she was still alive. Tens of thousands of years had passed, so not many of his old acquaintances from back then still remained in this world. Only a few old friends were still alive. Therefore, he smiled after learning that she was alive even though they were not very well-acquainted. He only had one thing to say about her, “She is a good person!”
Since Zhan Wu Hen had said as much, then that was enough proof about what kind of person Sheng Yu Zhu was.
“If not me, who did you think sent that letter?” Sheng Yu Zhu tilted her head and looked at Yang Kai with a bright smile. If he did not consider the fact that she had lived for more than tens of thousands of years, he would have thought that she was no more than 28 years old just by looking at her appearance and mannerisms.
[Old Monster!] He slandered in his heart. On the surface, however, he smiled and said, “It’s precisely because I didn’t know who sent the letter that I came to have a look.” He paused and continued, “It seems that you know something, Senior. Am I right?”
If not, she would not have mentioned his boldness.
She glanced at him in astonishment, “If you can ask me that question, then it means that you also know something! Good! That saves me the effort of explaining.”
“How did you know, Senior?” He was puzzled. The news shouldn’t have spread so quickly.
She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and pursed her lips into a smile, “Did you forget what I told you before? I experienced something similar before, so I’m very sensitive to the changes in the World Energy. I can sense that that thing is going to appear soon.”
“Do you mean the Profound Heavens Temple?” His expression stiffened. First, he experienced an insight into the Heavens’ Revelations. Then, the message from Heavens Revelations Great Emperor, and now, what Shen Yu Zhu just mentioned. It would seem that there was no doubt the Profound Heavens Temple was going to open soon.
“Indeed!” She nodded. She didn’t seem surprised by the fact that he knew about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple. It might be a secret, but it was not as if nobody knew about it. The Pseudo-Great Emperors who stayed by the Great Emperors’ sides all this time would surely have heard about this matter from them. That was also how Li Wu Yi learned about the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple.
She stared at him steadily, “Seeing as you know so much, does that mean that you are planning to enter?”
He gave a nod.
“As expected…” She showed an expression of understanding, “I knew you would enter.”
Although she had led Luo Sha Sect into seclusion for all these years, it wasn’t as if she was completely unaware of the matters in the outside world. In particular, she had put effort into inquiring about information on Yang Kai.
He smiled, “How can I miss out on such an auspicious matter? But, Senior, do you know when the Profound Heavens Temple will open?”
If she knew the approximate time, then it would give him an even greater advantage.
“Within the month,” she replied, “The last time the world experienced such changes, the Profound Heavens Temple appeared within the month. It’s a pity that I was tricked by Wu Kuang before that happened.”
It was a grudge from tens of thousands of years ago, so her tone was indifferent when she spoke about it now. Compared to the other Pseudo-Great Emperors from the same era who had already fallen into the long river of history, she had at least lived until today. She managed to wait until the Profound Heavens Temple opened once more and gained another chance to participate in the Grand Dao battle.
“Then, did you come looking for me to join forces with me?” He asked.
She slowly shook her head, “I will have to apologise to you in advance regarding this matter. Back when you rescued me, I certainly did mention that we could join forces if the conditions were suitable. Unfortunately, cooperation will be impossible under the current circumstances. For one, the Profound Heavens Temple appeared too quickly this time. It’s probably related to the invasion of the Demon Realm, which gave the world a sense of crisis. In the end, only one person can become a Great Emperor. If I join forces with you, we will still need to confront each other at the end. If that’s the case, we might as well not join forces from the beginning, lest we end up with bad blood between us. For another, I don’t dare to join forces with you in your current situation. I’m sure you know the reason why.”
Yang Kai was practically a tempting piece of meat to the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. Sheng Yu Zhu would need to be kicked in the head by a donkey for her to join forces with him and invite trouble upon herself.
While speaking, she looked slightly apologetic as it was as if she was going back on her word.
Yang Kai, however, just nodded, “I understand.”
He wasn’t too bothered; rather, he felt that it was already quite righteous of her to be so frank with him, “So, the reason you called me out here…”
“This jade slip contains information about the Profound Heavens Temple. Read through it carefully when you get back,” While speaking, she tossed a jade slip over.
He reached out to catch it with a joyful expression, “Senior, do you know about the inside of the Profound Heavens Temple?”
She shook her head, “Not really. I’ve never been inside after all. It’s just something I heard from others back then, so I myself can’t distinguish between how much of the information is real and how much is fake. You will have to judge at your own discretion.”
Despite what she said, Yang Kai was still overjoyed and cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Senior.”
She waved her hand dismissively, “I owe you a life debt. It’s not something that can be repaid easily. If it wasn’t for you, I would still be stuck in the Void Crack, slowly waiting for death.”
He grinned, “Although you say you owe me a life debt, I only saved you in passing.” He raised the jade slip in his hand, “Now, this is what I currently need most. Let’s consider it even with this.”
Sheng Yu Zhu sighed softly as she muttered to herself, “How can one’s life debt be repaid so easily?”
After a moment of silence, she continued, “If we meet in the Profound Heavens Temple by chance, just speak up if you need any help. I will not refuse to provide help before the start of the final battle, as long as it is within my abilities.”
“At the time, I might need to trouble you a little more.” He grinned.
“Also, there’s something else I need to ask of you,” She said.
He immediately showed an expression of attentiveness, “Please speak, Senior.”
“Although it was not my intention to pass down my teachings to the Luo Sha Sect, their roots can be traced back to me. Throughout the years I spent recuperating, they did their best to honour me as an Ancestor. I don’t know if I can return to them after this trip. Besides, the situation in the Star Boundary is ever-changing. If these little girls are left outside without anybody to protect them, they will eventually die a tragic death. I ask that you bring them back to High Heaven Palace. It doesn’t matter whether you recruit them into the army or leave them to fend for themselves; it’s up to you.”
“That’s a simple task.” Yang Kai smiled, “I tried to inquire about Luo Sha Sect in the past, but there was nothing to be found. Seeing as it is a request from Senior, they can follow me back to High Heaven Palace. Please rest assured, Senior. As long as High Heaven Palace remains safe and sound, they will be safe too.”
“Many thanks.” Sheng Yu Zhu revealed a grateful expression. Although she knew that he would not reject a request from her, she was still surprised to see him agree so readily. [I didn’t misjudge him after all.]
“You should have a good rest during this period. Once the Profound Heavens Temple opens, the situation is bound to change again. At that time, the enemies you will face won’t just be from the Demon Race,” she said sternly. Then, her figure gradually faded away as though she had entered a layer of thin mist, her melodious voice drifting to and fro, “Take care!”
He cupped his fists, “Take care, Senior.”
A short while later, Sheng Yu Zhu’s aura vanished completely. The dark clouds in the sky scattered and the moonlight shone down, dyeing the land in silver.
Yang Kai let out a gentle sigh, “I only came out for a bit, why did you all follow me? Also, Old Qiong, your hostility is too strong. I could smell you from a thousand kilometres away.”
As Yang Kai said so, a ripple spread out not far away from him and three figures were gradually revealed.
“Smelly brat, I’m surprised you noticed us.” Jiu Feng was dressed in a fiery red dress, studying Yang Kai in astonishment, “Do you really have the abilities of a Pseudo-Great Emperor?”
Qiong Qi frowned, “Is this Old Man’s hostility so strong?”
Yang Yan pursed her lips into a small smile, “It’s not that your hostility is strong, it’s that his perception is sharp. I’m afraid his Soul Cultivation is beyond that of a Pseudo-Great Emperor. Tsk, tsk…”
“Did Supreme Commander Li send you?” Yang Kai looked at them, rubbing his head with a slight headache.
He had noticed three people tailing him the moment he left High Heaven Palace, and although they were very well-concealed, how could they escape Yang Kai’s careful probing? Just in terms of Soul Cultivation alone, he was far beyond them; hence, some traces would remain no matter how well they hid.
It was precisely because Yang Kai realised that it was the three of them that he did not expose them. He knew that it was most likely Li Wu Yi’s directive. Even so, sending out a veteran Pseudo-Great Emperor and two powerful Divine Spirits to ensure his safety was a little too much for him to accept despite how grateful he was.
“Right now, you are the key to the Star Boundary’s survival. It’s good to be on the cautious side,” Jiu Feng said.
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Who was that just now? Why does it feel like we heard something unbelievable?” Yang Yan stared in the direction Sheng Yu Zhu had gone, narrowing her eyes slightly.
That Pseudo-Great Emperor was completely unknown to her, which was incredible in and of itself. It had to be said that, at this point, the flames of war between the two worlds had spread across the entire Star Boundary and there was no pure land left in the world. All the Masters of any measure of strength were no longer concealing themselves as a result. Even so, it wasn’t until today that Yang Yan discovered this Pseudo-Great Emperor.
Moreover, the conversation between that woman and Yang Kai just now was very concerning. It even involved the Profound Heavens Temple. What’s more, that woman seemed to have a relatively greater understanding of the Profound Heavens Temple than they did. That was enough to make anybody wary. Although the woman’s attitude indicated that she did not hold any malicious intentions towards Yang Kai, those who knew so many unknown secrets would definitely be a strong opponent in the coming Grand Dao battle.
Therefore, Yang Yan was already considering if she should act ruthlessly and eliminate that person first.
Yang Kai seemed to realise what Yang Yan was thinking and explained, “Senior Sheng is somebody from Senior Iron Blood’s era.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to gawk at him.
“You must be joking!” Yang Yan exclaimed.
Yang Kai shrugged in response, “I’ve brought her up with Senior Iron Blood before and he confirmed her story.”
“Sii…” The sound of cold air being inhaled rang out. If even Zhan Wu Hen had confirmed it, then it could only be the truth. It was just… How could a Pseudo-Great Emperor from that era survive until now? That was the era of two Grand Dao battles ago! Up until today, at least 20,000 years had passed! How did she survive until now!?
Yang Kai briefly recounted Sheng Yu Zhu’s origins, then he talked about how he accidentally discovered her whereabouts and rescued her from the Void Crack.
Yang Yan, Jiu Feng, and the others listened with expressions of amazement.
“That’s the reason why Senior Sheng invited me out for a secret meeting and gave me this.” He lightly tossed the jade slip in his hands.
“Inspect it carefully. Who knows if she did something to the contents inside.” Jiu Feng said sternly.
Yang Kai nodded, “You don’t need to worry about that. I inspected it just now and the only thing recorded inside is some information.”
He had not had the time to study the specifics of the content and was planning on waiting until he returned to High Heaven Palace first to do so.
“That would be for the best. In any case, it’s not too much no matter how careful you are under the current circumstances.”
Yang Kai then asked, “Are you planning to follow me into the Profound Heavens Temple?”
Yang Yan smiled, “I am, but they can’t enter.”
She pointed at Jiu Feng and Qiong Qi.
“Why?” Yang Kai did not understand, “Why can’t they go in?”
Once again, Yang Yan answered, “I don’t know the exact reason. It’s just that there have been no Divine Spirits in any of the previous Grand Dao battles. It might be that the Divine Spirits have their own Source Inheritance and as long as they continuously develop their bloodlines, there will come a day when they reach the peak of the Grand Dao. Hence, the Profound Heavens Temple does not allow them entry.”
“So, no Divine Spirits will be able to enter?”
She nodded, “That’s right.”
Yang Kai rubbed his chin after hearing those words. [If that’s the case, then Zhui Feng definitely won’t be able to enter. He might be a Demon Beast from the Demon Realm, but he is still a Divine Spirit. What about the Embodiment? He has the body of a Stone Spirit, and Stone Spirits are descendants of a Divine Spirit. He also has Shi Huo’s Source in his body… If I think about it this way, then I don’t think the Embodiment can enter. And, neither can Liu Yan… Tsk… If that’s the case, then I will need to change my plans.]
Yang Kai originally wanted to bring all the powerful helpers around him into the Profound Heavens Temple. He himself was not weak, and combined with Zhui Feng, the Embodiment, Liu Yan, and Qiong Qi, they would be a force that would certainly give the Demon Race a huge headache. Unfortunately, all his helpers would be stuck outside the door if Divine Spirits were unable to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, leaving him on his own once inside.
After pondering in silence for a moment, Yang Kai abruptly lifted his head to look at the three people in front of him and grinned, “Since you’re already here, would you like to get some light exercise?”
Yang Yan frowned, “What are you planning now?”
“Tag along and you’ll find out,” Yang Kai did not explain himself, turning to head in a certain direction instead.
Yang Yan and the others looked exasperated as they hurriedly caught up to him.
An hour later, a shocking battle broke out in the Demon Stronghold located at Blue Wave City. Yang Kai charged into the Demon Stronghold together with Yang Yan, Jiu Feng, and Qiong Qi. They ran rampant, slaughtering countless Demons and enraging many Demon Race Half-Saints. However, they quickly retreated after a brief scuffle, leaving a mess in their wake before the Half-Saints could complete their encirclement. It caused the Half-Saints guarding the Demon Stronghold to grind their teeth and curse furiously.
The huge commotion might have killed a lot of Demons, but it did nothing for the general situation. Not a single Demon Race Half-Saint had been injured in the process; therefore, Yang Yan and the others had no idea what Yang Kai was planning. They simply assumed that he was facing too much stress and went to vent out some of his pent-up frustrations.
Upon returning to High Heaven Palace, Yang Kai immediately entered a cultivation room to study the contents of the jade slip that Sheng Yu Zhu had given to him.
Although Sheng Yu Zhu had experienced the Grand Dao battle once before, she had not participated directly in it, she simply had more knowledge about the Profound Heavens Temple compared to others. Even so, the information she had was limited.
In this world, the only ones who knew anything about the Profound Heavens Temple were the Great Emperors; however, most of the Great Emperors were currently trapped in that inexplicable space, so who could contact them?
On the other hand, the Demon Race had the traitor, Can Ye, on their side. The Half-Saints might receive more comprehensive information, which was definitely not something the Pseudo-Great Emperors could compete against.
Can Ye had gone into hiding after he was injured and nobody knew where he was secluded to treat his injuries. Be that as it may, there was no way he did not notice that the Profound Heavens Temple was going to open when even Sheng Yu Zhu could sense it. Hence, the Demon Race were certainly already making preparations for the Grand Dao battle.
The information contained inside the jade slip was not much as Sheng Yu Zhu knew nothing about the internal situation of the Profound Heavens Temple. All she knew was that many people would die every time a Grand Dao battle took place. Only Pseudo-Great Emperors could enter, but no more than one-third of them would return alive. Moreover, how many among that one-third could aspire to reach the Grand Dao and become a Great Emperor would depend on the capacity of the World’s Bottle.
It could even be said that many of the Masters who participated during the Grand Dao battle were simply foils. The main protagonists only consisted of a select few who were favoured by the world.
According to the jade slip from Sheng Yu Zhu, the Profound Heavens Temple was a Sealed World self-generated by the Star Boundary itself. This Sealed World existed from the moment the world was born and would die when the world perished. There was no set time for it to be opened and it would only become accessible when the world felt that it was necessary.
In addition, there was an Illusionary Heavenly Furnace located in the depths of the Profound Heavens Temple. The Illusionary Heavenly Furnace was extremely mysterious. Only by locating the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace could one have hope of becoming a Great Emperor.
“The Illusionary Heavenly Furnace in the Profound Heavens Temple…” Yang Kai rubbed his temples and frowned deeply, “What am I supposed to do after locating it?”
Unfortunately, even Sheng Yu Zhu did not know what to do after locating the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace. Perhaps, it was a Supreme Treasure of some kind and everything would be over once somebody managed to refine it. Then again, the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace might be a kind of sentient treasure which was meant to carry out the Will of the World…
Although the information within the jade slip was not much, it had at least served to point Yang Kai in the right direction; otherwise, he would have been completely lost when he entered the Profound Heavens Temple.
Just from this aspect alone, Sheng Yu Zhu had helped him a lot. What’s more, she also mentioned in the jade slip that the key to becoming a Great Emperor, the Illusionary Heavenly Furnace, was not the only thing that could be found inside the Profound Heavens Temple. There were also all kinds of other opportunities. It was a place which was linked to the birth and death of the world after all. There were countless good things inside that place. Since ancient times, the Pseudo-Great Emperors who failed to become Great Emperors yet survived the Grand Dao battle would generally experience a great increase in strength after they returned.
After a series of inspections, Yang Kai decided on a plan of action for this trip. He was going to kill as many Demon Race Half-Saints as possible while doing his best to compete for the Grand Dao! The latter was the main objective of course. Even if he was unlucky enough to let the one and only opportunity slip through his fingers though, he could not let it fall into the hands of the Demons; otherwise, the Star Boundary would become powerless to resist.
Once he decided on his goal, his mind became clear. He put away the jade slip and adjusted his condition. This was going to be a difficult mission where his life and death were uncertain. It was only natural that he welcomed the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple in his best condition.
The night Sheng Yu Zhu secretly invited Yang Kai out, she had told him that the Profound Heavens Temple would open within the month. In reality, the Profound Heavens Temple started showing signs just three days later.
Somewhere in the sky, a trace of a mysterious aura surged out of nowhere. The aura resonated with the Grand Dao of the world. People with lower cultivation might not notice anything, but those in the Emperor Realm and above could clearly perceive this aura. Furthermore, their understanding of the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way seemed to become much more thorough under the influence of this aura. That was followed by an explosive increase in strength.
Under the influence of that mysterious aura, many Emperor Realm Masters and Demon Kings from the Demon Realm whose cultivation had been stagnant suddenly broke through the shackles that had troubled them for so many years in an extremely short time. They broke through their bottlenecks and advanced to a higher Realm.
The numbers were low at the beginning; however, the aura that leaked out of the void became more and more intense with the passing of time. This resulted in more and more Masters achieving a breakthrough. Every day, a rising storm would surge through the places where the Star Boundary armies were stationed and the Ten Primary Demon Strongholds occupied by the Demon Race. World Energy Baptisms boomed endlessly.
Even some of those in the peak of the Third-Order Emperor Realm seemed to receive enlightenment over the past few days and hurriedly entered retreat. If they successfully comprehended these new insights, then they would surely break through to become Pseudo-Great Emperors.
An omen of great prosperity had appeared when the world was in great chaos. Like a dying old man, the hidden potential of the Star Boundary burst out at a critical life-or-death moment. It thus blanketed the world without discriminating between Humans and Demons.
The Profound Heavens Temple had yet to open, but be that as it may, the effects of its impending advent were already miraculous. What kind of situation would arise if the Profound Heavens Temple were to open or if they went inside?
This abnormal phenomenon left many people bewildered. Meanwhile, those Pseudo-Great Emperors with a slight understanding of the situation became more and more confident in their conjectures; thus, they quietly made intensive preparations for the future.
Five days later, the illusory phantom of a large palace suddenly appeared in the sky. The palace appeared out of thin air without any warning beforehand, looking like a projection with no real substance. The appearance of the palace was simple, but it gave off a desolate aura, as though it passed through the river of time from an extremely ancient era. It appeared just like that in front of everybody’s eyes.
Both the Star Boundary and the Demon Realm sent people to investigate the situation; however, nobody could get close to that ethereal palace, regardless of who went or what methods they used. It wasn’t as though the palace had a barrier around it that made it impossible to approach. It clearly looked like it was not far away, almost as though they would arrive if they flew for a little while longer. Even so, the distance remained the same an hour later. Yet another hour later, the distance still remained the same. Helpless, both sides gave up on investigating the phenomenon. Besides, the higher-ups on both sides knew that nobody would be able to obtain any useful information before the Profound Heavens Temple opened completely.
When the illusory phantom of Profound Heavens Temple appeared, the World Energy of the entire Star Boundary began gathering in its direction. It happened so fast that there was a frenzy of energy in every corner of the Star Boundary.
As the days passed, the palace became clearer and clearer. It also became more and more tangible. In comparison, the World Energy in the Star Boundary had reduced considerably. It would seem that the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple was not without a price. It needed the World Energy of the entire world as its foundation to reveal its true appearance.
At this point, the existence of the Profound Heavens Temple could no longer be hidden. It was not as if it was a top-secret matter. It was just that only a small number of Pseudo-Great Emperors knew about it. Most people were completely unaware since information regarding this matter had been contained among a handful of people in order to prevent a huge ruckus. But now, the matter regarding the Profound Heavens Temple was exposed. Anybody could see it as long as they were not blind. It was just that nobody knew when it would open.
At the place where the Star Boundary armies were stationed, the matter regarding the Grand Dao battle was gradually revealed with the appearance of the Profound Heavens Temple, more so when they connected the words ‘Heavens’ Revelations, Profound Heavens Manifestation’ to this phenomenon. The hearts of the people surged. Some with more straightforward personalities went directly to Li Wu Yi to ask if it was the truth while others secretly planned to watch how the situation would unfold.
The matter relating to the Profound Heavens Temple could not be covered up any longer; thus, Li Wu Yi decided to gather all the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary in one place to disclose the matters regarding it and the Grand Dao battle. Everybody was in an uproar and the hall instantly became chaotic.
Li Wu Yi smiled bitterly. What he worried about the most had happened in the end. Now that the matter regarding the Profound Heavens Temple was known to all, the problem the Star Boundary faced was who would go and who would stay.
If everybody decided to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, then the Star Boundary armies would immediately collapse. The Demon Race’s Grand Array had been activated and the Demon Strongholds were continuously devouring the Star Boundary’s territory. Without Pseudo-Great Emperors leading the armies, who could block the charge of the Demon Race army? Even the few territories left would be lost.
Even so, which Pseudo-Great Emperor would be willing to back down when the greatest opportunity and event in their lives appeared right in front of them? It wasn’t that they were selfish, it was just that they had worked hard to cultivate until today. How many times had they wandered between life and death during this process? Was it not for this very moment? Even with the pressure of total annihilation bearing down on them, it could not stop their determination and desire to reach even greater heights in the Martial Dao.
Nobody could deprive them of this right. Not even the Great Emperors would have had the qualification to do so if they were still here. For that reason, it would surely cause the people’s hearts to chill if this matter was not handled carefully. The Star Boundary could not withstand any more unrest at this point. Unfortunately, Li Wu Yi, who could calmly deal with matters in the face of the pressure from the Demon Race army, had no idea how to begin persuading the Pseudo-Great Emperors within the hall.
The commotion continued with everyone expressing their respective opinions, but their discussions led nowhere even after five days.
It was unrealistic for nobody to go in. The Profound Heavens Temple was right before them and judging by the speed it was solidifying, it wouldn’t take long before it formed completely. The doors of the palace would open when that happened. Even if the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary did not enter, the Demon Race Half-Saints would not hold back. What else would remain for the Star Boundary if the Half-Saints got their hands on the World’s Recognition? Similarly, it was unrealistic for everybody to go in together.
Fortunately, the Demon Race was most likely facing the same problem. It was just that their situation was slightly better in comparison as they did not have as many worries as the Star Boundary.
At this critical moment, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun appeared together. When their Dragon Pressure spread out, the entire hall fell silent and stopped bickering. In the end, it was decided that fate would decide.
They would draw lots.
Some had to enter the Profound Heavens Temple while others had to stay behind and guard the Star Boundary. They could only rely on their respective luck since nobody was willing to miss this opportunity.
According to the two Dragon Clan Elders, this method might be a little foolish, but it was still a matter of destiny. If a person could not even draw a winning lot, then that could only mean that fate was not on their side and things would probably end badly for them even if they entered the Profound Heavens Temple.
There was no logic behind these words, but the strength of the two Dragon Clan Elders was a powerful deterrent. Who would dare to object to their suggestion when they had already made it?
After some preparations, the final results came out. A total of 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors received the honour of entering the Profound Heavens Temple when the doors opened. Thus, they were both elated and worried at the prospect.
They had heard from Li Wu Yi that countless Pseudo-Great Emperors had fallen during every Grand Dao battle up until today. In the end, only about one-third would safely return from the Profound Heavens Temple. The rest would be buried there. In other words, only 10 out of these 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors with the qualifications to enter were expected to survive to the end. Looking around at each other, they wondered to themselves. [Who will be among those that will survive? Will it be you? Or me?]
With that, this matter was settled. The 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors immediately returned to their respective residences to undergo intensive cultivation in retreat while waiting for the day to arrive. Although the remaining Pseudo-Great Emperors were unhappy, they could only resign themselves to their fate. Under the watch of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun’s Dragon Eyes, anybody who showed the slightest hint of disobedience would immediately be killed on the spot. At such a critical juncture, the two Dragon Clan Elders would not be the least bit merciful.
The Demon Strongholds expanded outward rapidly every single day, eroding large swaths of the Star Boundary’s territory. Similarly, the Profound Heavens Temple devoured the World Energy from the world at a terrifying speed, solidifying its existence.
Day after day, the World Energy in the Star Boundary weakened. This weakening was not permanent of course and only needed time to recover; however, the time required would not be just three or five years but rather several dozen years or even several hundred years!
Half a month after Yang Kai’s meeting with Sheng Yu Zhu, a humming sound rang out in the world. Yang Kai, who was in retreat, abruptly opened his eyes as though he could sense something and appeared outside with a slight flicker of his body. Lifting his head to look, he saw the huge palace shining with millions of points of light in the sky. It illuminated the entire world and even the most intense of darkness could not resist. The humming sound was naturally coming from the palace.
All the blood in his body began boiling uncontrollably and he could sense something calling out to him from the shadows to enter the palace. Yang Kai lightly pressed his hand against his chest, knowing that the World’s Will in him was surging, surprising himself slightly. [I can’t believe the Profound Heavens Temple opened at this time!]
Sheng Yu Zhu had said that the Profound Heavens Temple would open within the month, but even so, he had not expected it to happen so soon.
Yang Kai next frowned slightly as he could clearly sense that the World Energy in the surroundings had grown weaker by a considerable amount. Although he had been in retreat during this period, he had remained aware of what was going on outside. He also knew about the dispute over the qualifications to enter between the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary.
After sensing his surroundings at this moment, he immediately understood that the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple had, at the very least, consumed a hundred years’ worth of World Energy from the Star Boundary.
In other words, it would take at least a hundred years for the World Energy in the Star Boundary to recover completely.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling amazed. [It is indeed a Small Sealed World. The cost of its opening is so great.]
At the same time, numerous powerful auras came out of retreat in all the places where the Star Boundary armies were stationed. These figures looked up into the sky with an excited look in their eyes.
When the thousands of lights vanished, a corporeal palace appeared in front of everybody’s view. It was no different from the illusory phantom that they saw previously, but now it gave off a great sense of oppression after having solidified completely. It was almost as if what was in front of them was not a palace but an entire world.
*Kacha…*
Following that sound, a heavy set of doors at the front of the palace slowly swung open. The inside of the doors was dark and deep, leading to a completely unknown world. The opened door was like the eyes of the World, looking down on everything. All the living creatures were as insignificant as ants before it.
A high-pitched Dragon Roar rang out as two figures, one blue and one white, rose to the sky. The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan moved out at once, transforming into two more than 1,000-metre-long Dragons and flew towards the Profound Heavens Temple.
At the same time, the three Demon Saints with Xue Li in the lead rushed out of Star Soul Palace in the Southern Territory and headed towards the Profound Heavens Temple.
There had been no prior indications of the Profound Heavens Temple’s opening, so even Zhu Yan, Xue Li, and the other peak Masters had been caught off guard. Having sensed it at this moment, nobody was willing to be left behind. They were not going to enter the Profound Heavens Temple and had no need to enter in the first place, but many Masters from both the Human and Demon Races would gather this time around. Therefore, they had to provide protection to their respective camps.
The Profound Heavens Temple clearly looked very far away, but to everyone’s surprise, they found that they only took about half a cup of tea’s time to reach its entrance. Landing in front of the Profound Heavens Temple that was located several thousand metres up in the sky, the two Dragon Clan Elders and the three Demon Saints glared at each other coldly. It felt as though sparks were flying in the air between them.
Following a humming sound, a jade slip appeared out of thin air in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out a hand to grab the jade slip. Scanning it with his Divine Sense, he found that it was a message from Li Wu Yi. Then, he lifted his head to look at the sky. It was time. Although the opening of the Profound Heavens Temple came much earlier than he expected, everything he needed to prepare had been prepared in advance; hence, there was no need to delay anything. He took a step forward, climbing upward as though there was a flight of invisible stairs beneath his feet, his figure flickering slightly with every step he took.
Seeming to sense something, he lowered his head to look and saw countless soldiers from High Heaven Palace and the Star Boundary armies watching him from the hundred Spirit Peaks at High Heaven Palace. In particular, his parents, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Xue Yue, Shan Qing Luo, Zhu Qing, and his other close friends and family were staring at him intently. Their gazes that were filled with worry and reluctance never shifted away from him even once. Dong Su Zhu was sobbing softly, her shoulders shaking slightly while being held in Yang Ying Feng’s embrace.
All of a sudden, the voices of more than a hundred thousand disciples of High Heaven Palace shook the Heavens, “We wish Palace Master swift success!”
“We wish Palace Master a prosperous journey to become a Great Emperor!”
Shan Qing Luo even lifted her hands to form a circle around her mouth, activated her Emperor Qi, and shouted, “Come back quickly! We will wait for you!”
Yang Kai smiled and waved at them. Then, he took another step and his figure vanished from sight.
On this trip, he was shouldering the heavy responsibility of the Star Boundary’s survival. He was going to do everything in his means to kill his enemies. It was all or nothing! He would either return as a corpse or return to dominate the world!
When Yang Kai made his move, several jade slips appeared out of thin air all over the Star Boundary where armies were stationed. Following that, those Pseudo-Great Emperors that had managed to obtain the qualifications to enter the Profound Heavens Temple and participate in the Grand Dao battle rushed into the air.
Numerous figures and rays of light gathered in this place from all directions. No matter where they came from or how far they were from the Profound Heavens Temple, they only needed a cup of tea’s time to arrive at this place. The Profound Heavens Temple looked extremely far, but it also felt as though it was right in front of them. Just this mysterious phenomenon alone was enough to confuse and awe people.
Yang Kai was the first to arrive where Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun nodded at him lightly. With all eyes in the world on them, they could not behave overly humble, not even if they had already recognised Yang Kai as the Dragon Clan’s Dragon God.
*Xiu xiu xiu…*
More and more figures appeared, and it didn’t take long before 30 of the Star Boundary’s Pseudo-Great Emperors gathered in this place. When they arrived, they bowed respectfully to the two Dragon Clan Elders, then gazed at Yang Kai in astonishment. Just as Yang Kai himself had no intention of joining the Grand Dao battle in the beginning, many Pseudo-Great Emperors never expected to see him appearing in this place. He was only a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master after all. Still, it was not surprising when they recalled that he once obtained the legacy of Bright Moon Great Emperor and had the recognition of the World’s Will in his body.
Excluding the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan, there were 31 people from the Star Boundary, including Yang Kai.
“Elders, I don’t understand,” Somebody suddenly stepped forward from among the crowd.
Yang Kai glanced in the direction of the voice and discovered that the person who spoke was no stranger to him. It was somebody who once had a disagreement with him. It could even be said that this person held a grudge against him. Cang Mo!
Seeing as Cang Mo was standing here, that would mean that he had obtained the qualifications to participate in the Grand Dao battle. His luck was rather good. It was just that he kept glancing at Yang Kai while speaking.
Yang Kai immediately understood. This person was about to cause trouble for him. He sighed. The bad blood between them occurred many years ago when he condoned Wu Heng invading and devour Heng Luo Star Field.
Later, Cang Mo coveted Yang Kai’s Sealed World Bead and was badly beaten up by Qiong Qi outside Heavenly Wolf Valley in the Eastern Territory as a result. However, he then took up the position as the Eighteenth Army’s Army Commander when the Two Worlds Great War broke out since his cultivation was quite high. During that time, Cang Mo slaughtered many of the Demons and made a lot of contributions.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would not have been willing to take matters with Cang Mo lying down. Although he rarely came into contact with Cang Mo, their grudge could not be wiped away. Unfortunately, this was a time of war and Yang Kai was not willing to allow his personal feelings to disrupt the peace of the Star Boundary. For that reason, nothing had happened between them over the years even though neither could stand the other. They had each led their respective army into battle against the Demon Race and barely interacted with each other. It was a pity that even if Yang Kai was unwilling to start trouble, the other party didn’t seem to think the same way.
“What is it?” Zhu Yan turned to look at Cang Mo.
“Sir, my companions and I were selected to enter the Profound Heavens Temple by drawing lots. As far as I know, the Sixty-First Army’s Army Commander, Sir Yang, did not participate at that time. So, why is he here?”
Yang Kai grinned at Cang Mo, “I’m here for the same reason as you.”
“Based on what qualifications?” Cang Mo’s expression was chilly, “Sir Yang, you are only a High-Rank Demon King, right? I’m afraid you will need to go back and undergo intensive cultivation for several hundred more years to participate in the Grand Dao battle.”
“It’s not your place to say whether or not I have the qualifications.” Yang Kai gave a small laugh and pointed at the Heavens, “You’d have to ask Them to know.”
Cang Mo ignored Yang Kai, only looking at Zhu Yan as he quickly said, “Sir, this solution was carried out under your fair judgement and we have no complaints about that. However, the people who stand here are blessed by the Heavens. How can Sir Yang enter with us when he did not participate in drawing lots? If you really allow him to enter, then it will cause the hearts of my companions watching below to grow cold. Sir, please order him to leave, lest he causes more trouble.”
As soon as those words rang out, many people looked pensive and troubled. Although nobody wished to create trouble at a time like this, Cang Mo’s speech was not without reason. If Yang Kai really were to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, then what would those Pseudo-Great Emperors, who failed to obtain the qualification and willingly stayed behind to protect the Star Boundary, think? Leaving aside whether or not a High-Rank Demon King like Yang Kai could enter the Profound Heavens Temple, even if he could enter, he had not received the qualifications to do so.
“Yang Kai’s qualification comes from me. I am not going to enter the Profound Heavens Temple.” Li Wu Yi spoke up suddenly.
Everybody was shocked by those words and they all turned to look at him. Somebody even called out in alarm, “What do you mean, Supreme Commander!?”
Li Wu Yi smiled slightly, “It’s exactly as you heard. The qualification to enter the Profound Heavens Temple that belongs to me will be transferred to Yang Kai. In that way, he will have the qualifications to enter.”
Although it was based on drawing lots, it was very easy for the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan to manipulate the results. Those who were required to enter the Profound Heavens Temple would naturally receive the qualification. And, Li Wu Yi was naturally one of them. The rest was really up to luck.
“Sir, you can’t!”
“Supreme Commander, please rethink your decision!”
“T-T-This…”
Many among the crowd exclaimed and tried to persuade Li Wu Yi otherwise. It was not that they had anything against Yang Kai and refused to allow him entry into the Profound Heavens Temple, it was just that Li Wu Yi was the strongest beneath the Great Emperors. The Star Boundary would have a greater chance of success if he entered the Profound Heavens Temple. When it came down to it, Yang Kai was only a rising star and would not be as helpful as Li Wu Yi if he took up one of the spots. It was based on this consideration that they tried to persuade Li Wu Yi otherwise. If not, how could they be so uncaring towards Yang Kai’s situation?
“There is no need to say anything more. This is the result of my discussion with the two Elders,” Li Wu Yi waved his hand dismissively, ending the discussion with a single sentence.
They immediately understood that persuasion was useless upon learning that it was also the intention of the two Dragon Clan Elders. Nevertheless, this result also left some of them feeling rather relieved.
After all, Li Wu Yi’s reputation was too great and his strength was too overwhelming. If he entered the Profound Heavens Temple, the rest would not have much of a chance to reach the Grand Dao. Now that he voluntarily gave up on this opportunity and was replaced by Yang Kai, would that not mean that their greatest opponent was gone? Although this would cause the Star Boundary to lack some power, it would also give everybody else a greater chance of success. It was both advantageous and disadvantageous to all of the Pseudo-Great Emperors.
At that moment, an elderly man stepped forward and cupped his fists, “Elders, Supreme Commander, this old man has something that I am not sure if I should say.”
Li Wu Yi smiled, “Please speak freely, Sir Lin.”
Similarly, Yang Kai turned to look in that direction. He recognised the old man as the Forty-Ninth Army’s Army Commander, Lin Ru Song. The old man became a Pseudo-Great Emperor 3,000 years ago and had a warm temperament. He had been living in seclusion deep within the mountains for all these years and only due to the outbreak of the war between the Two Worlds had he come out to serve as an Army Commander.
It could be said that he was the friendliest Army Commander in the entire Star Boundary. Every time he fought against the Demon Race, he would lead the way and rush to the forefront of the battle. Therefore, all the soldiers under him greatly respected him. Among the entire army of several hundreds of thousands of people, there was not a single person who did not respect him. He was famous for being good-natured and had never got into a dispute with anyone. More importantly, he was on good terms with every other Army Commander.
Lin Ru Song said, “Supreme Commander, this Old Master has gotten on in age and all those years living in seclusion have stripped me of my spirit to strive further. Although I was lucky enough to receive the qualification to enter the Profound Heavens Temple, I’m afraid I don’t stand much chance of success. Why don’t I give my qualification to Sir Yang instead? Sir Yang is a rising star, young and strong. Not to mention, he inherited Senior Bright Moon’s legacy. This Old Master is sure he will achieve great things if he enters the Profound Heavens Temple. Supreme Commander, please also enter the Profound Heavens Temple and preside over the overall situation there.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, all the Masters turned their eyes to him in astonishment, but soon their astonishment transformed into profound respect.
It was true that he was no longer young; but even so, he was far from approaching the end of his life, he simply looked elderly on the outside. As a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he still had a long life ahead of him; therefore, his willingness to give up his spot at this time was undoubtedly his way of trying to bring a peaceful resolution to this situation. It was just that the cost was far too great.
Everyone else knew that they did not have the courage to do what he did, so how could they not respect him for it? Even Cang Mo, who was trying to cause trouble for Yang Kai, frowned with a troubled expression. He had targeted Yang Kai for personal grievances, while on the other hand, Lin Ru Song had sacrificed his own interests for the sake of the greater good. Comparing the two made Cang Mo seem as though he was a petty and small-minded man.
Even Fu Zhun’s generally cold gaze became considerably warmer and gentler when she looked at Lin Ru Song. Generally, most Pseudo-Great Emperors would rack their brains to obtain a spot among the quota. It was rare to see a person taking the initiative to give up the qualification they previously obtained. Such a mindset was difficult for an ordinary person to achieve.
Li Wu Yi smiled, “I have received your kind intentions, Sir Lin. It is just that the two Elders and I have discussed this matter in advance. There are many things that the two Elders cannot directly interfere with in the Star Boundary, so I need to stay behind and take charge of matters here. That is why I won’t be able to step away no matter what.” He paused for a moment before cupping his fists, “Regardless, many thanks, Sir Lin!”
Lin Ru Song sighed upon hearing those words, “Sir Li’s righteousness is an example to us all. This Old Master respects you!”
Li Wu Yi said, “I also admire your noble spirit, Sir Lin.”
What originally started as an attack targeting Yang Kai was peacefully diffused with Lin Ru Song’s appearance. The old man would rather give up his qualification to settle matters peacefully, so if Cang Mo still refused to back down now, he would be too unappreciative of the old man’s kindness.
“Does anybody else have any objections?” Zhu Yan swept his gaze over the crowd, and no one made a sound.
“In that case, be sure to support each other when you enter the Profound Heavens Temple. Avoid internal conflict. This Old Master will be waiting for your good news upon your return.” He gently nodded. He knew that once they entered the Profound Heavens Temple, it was impossible to completely avoid any internal strife. Even if this group of people from the Star Boundary ruthlessly killed all the Demon Saints from the Demon Realm, it would still end in a fierce struggle between evenly matched opponents.
There was only one vacant spot to become a Great Emperor when the Profound Heavens Temple opened this time and the only way to compete for that spot was through bloody slaughter; therefore, the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary had to maintain a relationship between allies and comrades-in-arms until all the Demon Race Half-Saints were eliminated.
While the discussion between the participants from the Star Boundary was happening, the Demon Race’s side was gradually gathering as well. Numerous figures brimming with Demon Qi appeared behind the three Demon Saints.
Yang Kai lifted his gaze and looked over in their direction with a frown. It was obvious that the number of Half-Saints dispatched by the Demon Realm was greater than the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. That was within his expectations, however, as the Demon Race had always held an absolute advantage when it came to their number of Masters. That was the case for the Great Emperors and Demon Saints, as well as the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints. The reason was that the Demon Realm was much larger than the Star Boundary, so the capacity of its World’s bottle was also greater. In addition, the Demon Race had the Myriad Demon Pills which allowed their high-level Masters to cultivate faster and more efficiently.
Fortunately, the Demon Race seemed to have the same concerns as the Star Boundary and did not dare to dispatch all of their Half-Saints. Hence, although their numbers were slightly greater than the Star Boundary, it was not an outrageous difference. The Demon Realm had roughly 40 participants, which was still within an acceptable range. It was most likely an arrangement specially set up to deal with the line-up of the Star Boundary.
“Be careful of that Corpse Demon,” Li Wu Yi suddenly sent a secret Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai followed Li Wu Yi’s gaze and saw a Corpse Demon standing in front of the Demon Race Half-Saint camp. The Corpse Demon was looking in this direction with a grim smile. His skin appeared to be dark blue in colour and his fangs were exposed at the edge of his mouth. Moreover, palm-length spikes were sticking out of his exposed skin like steel needles all over his body. He had a terrifying and menacing air about him.
“Jia Long?” Yang Kai raised his brow slightly. Having lived in the Demon Realm for many years, he had a better grasp on the Demon Race’s information than anyone else in the Star Boundary. Even if he had not met all the Half-Saints in the Demon Realm, he had heard all of their names at least. Thus, he could immediately guess the identity of the Corpse Demon after hearing what Li Wu Yi said.
“En,” Li Wu Yi gently nodded. “He ranks first among the Demon Race Half-Saints in terms of strength. I’ve fought him twice. He is a very difficult opponent. Be careful if you run into him.”
Yang Kai gently nodded in response.
There was not much time left, so Li Wu Yi quickly pointed out the Half-Saints of the Demon Race that required special attention to Yang Kai. Those Half-Saints were those that Li Wu Yi thought might pose a threat to Yang Kai’s life; hence, Yang Kai carefully committed them all to memory.
On the other hand, Jia Long seemed to hold great prejudice against Li Wu Yi. He had been staring at Li Wu Yi since he appeared and it wasn’t until he noticed that Li Wu Yi was communicating with Yang Kai via Divine Sense that he turned his attention to Yang Kai. Then, he grinned and swiped his finger across his neck.
Yang Kai sneered and turned a deaf ear. All of a sudden, he frowned and stared at a figure among the Demon Race camp, “Who is that? Why is there a Human there?”
There was indeed a Human standing among the many Half-Saints. Although this person was also overflowing with Demon Qi, there were some subtle differences between him and the other Demons. It might have been missed if one was not paying attention, so Yang Kai had failed to notice it at first.
Li Wu Yi replied lightly, “One of the Four Great Lords of Demon Heavenly Dao, Fire Lord!”
“So that’s him!” Yang Kai realised.
Demon Heavenly Dao was a group of traitors from the Star Boundary who took refuge with the Demon Race. Whether they did so willingly or were forced to, they had since become Demons. The Master of Demon Heavenly Dao was none other than Night Shadow Great Emperor, Can Ye. Even before the Demon Race invaded, Demon Heavenly Dao’s existence had caused a lot of trouble for the Star Boundary. Below the Master of Demon Heavenly Dao were Four Great Lords named Wind, Lightning, Fire, and Mountain. Each one of them had the strength of a Pseudo-Great Emperor.
Wind Lord had basically ‘died’ in the Flowing Time Temple. The reason Yang Kai now had some grey mixed in with his black hair was all thanks to Wind Lord, in fact. Afterwards, Thunder Lord seemed to have died at the hands of a Star Boundary Master while Fire Lord and Mountain Lord were missing.
The Demon Race had invaded at the start of the second war between the two worlds and the Master of the Demon Heavenly Dao, Can Ye, went missing after becoming severely injured; thus, Demon Heavenly Dao gradually disappeared.
Demon Heavenly Dao was originally an organization Can Ye established in order to create chaos in the Star Boundary before the invasion of the Demon Realm. Therefore, Demon Heavenly Dao naturally lost its primary purpose once the Demon Race army came. Since Can Ye was treating his wounds in secret, even he could only leave Demon Heavenly Dao to fend for itself.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai never expected Fire Lord to actually receive the qualification to enter the Profound Heavens Temple when it opened. Although he did not know what the situation was like among the Demon Race, it was clear that they were no better off than the Star Boundary. There must have been disputes as they scrambled to compete for the qualifications to enter; hence, it was somewhat unexpected for a Human like Fire Lord to stand out among a bunch of Demon Race Half-Saints. Yang Kai also vaguely had the feeling that Fire Lord gave off a familiar air, like he had met this person somewhere before.
As if feeling Yang Kai’s gaze, Fire Lord turned to look at Yang Kai and grinned slightly when their eyes met.
“You need to be careful of this person too.” Li Wu Yi’s voice sounded in Yang Kai’s ear, “Among the Four Great Lords of Demon Heavenly Dao, the other three have clear origins and traceable backgrounds. Only Fire Lord’s origins are a mystery. It’s almost as if he never existed before the rise of Demon Heavenly Dao. He appeared out of nowhere alongside Demon Heavenly Dao. I have no idea where Can Ye recruited him from.”
“I’ll remember,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
By this time, the doors of the Profound Heavens Temple had long been opened. It looked like an invisible beast was opening its mouth wide to choose a person to devour. Just the aura that came out of the doors alone gave people a slight insight into the Grand Dao. Be they the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Human Race or the Half-Saints of the Demon Realm, all of them were eager to move after they gathered in this place; after all, they had a chance at becoming a Great Emperor as long as they rushed through the doors and entered the Profound Heavens Temple. Who could resist such a temptation?
It was just that the two Dragon Clan Elders and the three Demon Saints had not said anything, so nobody dared to act rashly. It was not easy to be the first to speak out in this situation after all.
The auras from both sides collided with each other, causing the space between them to become distorted.
All of a sudden, Xue Li lifted a hand and pointed at Yang Kai and declared out loud, “Once you’re inside, find a chance and kill him for me!”
While speaking, a bright red light shot out from the tip of his finger and flew towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression froze, but before he could do anything, Zhu Yan was already standing in front of him. The blood-coloured light scattered with a wave of Zhu Yan’s hand.
That action seemed to be a signal as, after Xue Li pointed with his finger, the tens of Half-Saints behind him rushed towards the opened doors of the Profound Heavens Temple. They instantly arrived in front of the doors and were about to rush into the Profound Heavens Temple.
Just then, Space Principles fluctuated and the figures of Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai disappeared at the same time. By the time they reappeared again, they had already passed the Half-Saints and arrived in front of the doors of the Profound Heavens Temple.
Li Wu Yi’s black hair fluttered even though there was no wind. His clothes flapped audibly as the space around him became distorted and Space Principles flared. He did not flinch even when facing dozens of Half-Saints coming straight at him and simply clapped his hand, pressed his palms tightly together, and shouted, “Solidify!”
Space froze, causing the Half-Saints who rushed forward to freeze in their tracks. Unfortunately, no matter how powerful Li Wu Yi was, he was only a Pseudo-Great Emperor, so how could he stop the charge of so many Half-Saints by himself? Just being able to stop them for a moment was already an astonishing feat. Thus, the Half-Saints were all furious. They all urged their own Secret Techniques to break free from the constraints of space, causing their Demon Qi to surge violently.
*Hou…*
A high-pitched Dragon Roar rang out, followed by a crackling sound. Then, a more than 1,000-metre-long behemoth appeared out of thin air and stood in front of Li Wu Yi.
Taking advantage of the momentary gap created by Li Wu Yi, Yang Kai transformed into his Half-Dragon Form. Light flickered at the tip of his Azure Dragon Spear. Gripping the tail of the spear tightly, he swept the spear in a horizontal arc in front of him. The flash of power shrouded a large area and a terrifying murderous intent mixed with a mysterious aura enveloped the Demon Race Half-Saints.
All of the Half-Saints turned pale and couldn’t be bothered to attack Li Wu Yi as they hurriedly retreated instead. From their past experience, they knew that Yang Kai had realised a power called Martial Truth. It was a strange and unpredictable power, but it was also incomparably difficult to handle. Once injured by that power, the injury was like maggots on rotting bones. Even the Demon Saints had to spend a lot of effort to neutralise the power. If it really came down to a fight, there was no way they would fear Yang Kai with so many of them on their side. Even if they had to pay a price, they could still manage to kill him here.
However, this was the critical moment when they were about to enter the Profound Heavens Temple to compete for the Star Boundary’s opportunity. Which Half-Saint would be willing to be injured here, especially by Yang Kai? They would immediately be disqualified if they were so much as scratched by Yang Kai’s spear; therefore, they backed away despite their unwillingness and did not dare to confront the latter directly.
The moment both sides clashed, the two Dragon Clan Elders and the three Demon Saints of the Demon Realm also collided with each other. The world instantly fell into a state of chaos from the impact of their battle.
Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun were not willing to fight the Demon Saints in this place since they were too close to the Profound Heavens Temple and it would be disastrous if their battle affected it in some way. What’s more, the fallout of their battle was too devastating. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if they accidentally hurt one of the Pseudo-Great Emperors on their own side?
Unfortunately, the Demon Saints didn’t seem worried about that. They seemed to be trying to break through the defensive line of the two Dragon Clan Elders to attack the Pseudo-Great Emperors in order to reduce some of the competitors in the Grand Dao battle in advance. If they wanted a fight, then the two Dragon Clan Elders would take up the challenge. It was an inevitable battle.
Terrifying shockwaves of the battle spread out and both Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors paled at the sight. There had never been a time when they were so close to a battle of this scale. Feeling the power of the top Masters from their respective sides left them feeling a sense of yearning on top of their horror.
“What are you all waiting for!?” Yang Kai held the 1,000-metre-long giant spear in his hand and his voice boomed out like a Dragon Roar. Both he and Li Wu Yi were blocking the doors to the Profound Heavens Temple, preventing several dozens of Half-Saints from advancing. Their majesty was so brilliant that nobody could look at them directly.
In the wake of his roar, many Pseudo-Great Emperors came back to their senses and quickly rushed towards the Profound Heavens Temple.
*Xiu xiu xiu…* Numerous figures brushed past Yang Kai and Li Wu Yi. The first to rush over was Cang Mo. He was quick to notice the opportunity and also the fastest to react among all the others. Nobody knew if it was because he had already planned for this a long time ago. The rest of the crowd gently nodded, plunged through the doors, and disappeared.
Watching the group of Pseudo-Great Emperors entering the Profound Heavens Temple, the Half-Saints headed by Jia Long of the Demon Race camp all had deeply unhappy expressions. Nobody knew what the situation was like inside the Profound Heavens Temple, but those who entered first might enjoy some extra advantages. Who could say whether the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary would set up various traps in advance by the time the rest of them entered? They might suffer some casualties as a result. Even so, they were worried about Yang Kai’s Martial Truth, so none of them was willing to step forward at this time.
In the blink of an eye, all the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary entered the Profound Heavens Temple.
“Go!” Li Wu Yi shouted in a low voice.
The two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan were being held up by the three Demon Saints and could not get away, so it was impossible to block the attacks of so many Half-Saints with just Li Wu Yi and Yang Kai’s power alone. The best outcome they could hope for was to let all the people from the Star Boundary enter first.
Yang Kai also understood this fact and with a nod of his head, his enormous body twisted and transformed back to his Human form. He stared at Li Wu Yi deeply for a moment before turning and rushing into the palace.
Once Yang Kai had entered the Profound Heavens Temple, Li Wu Yi smiled at Jia Long, stretched out his hand in a welcoming gesture, and stepped aside.
Jia Long was livid as he snorted coldly and ignored Li Wu Yi. Leading the group of Half-Saints behind him, he rushed forward quickly and the figures vanished out of sight, one after another.
A short while later, only Li Wu Yi was left in front of the Profound Heavens Temple. Looking at the opened doors and feeling the deep aura coming from within, he gave a small sigh. Giving up on this opportunity was equivalent to narrowly missing the chance of reaching the peak of the Martial Dao. Unfortunately, with the current situation, he would still make the same choice even if he was given the chance to redo everything again.
“Hmm?” At this moment, he suddenly frowned and turned to look to the side. A stream of light was rushing in this direction at a high speed, arriving in close proximity in the blink of an eye to reveal a slim figure.
“Sheng Yu Zhu?” He glanced at the person who just came and smiled. Although he had never met Sheng Yu Zhu before, he had heard Yang Kai mention her before; thus, he immediately recognised her at a glance.
“Supreme Commander Li? This Sheng has long admired you.” Sheng Yu Zhu’s beautiful eyes glanced upward and she smiled sweetly, “Are you going to stop me, Supreme Commander?”
He slowly shook his head, “You don’t belong to the Star Boundary army, so I have no control over you. You may enter if you wish, but, if you meet Yang Kai inside, please help him out as much as possible.”
She nodded, “I will. Before the final moment comes, I will not make things difficult for him, but you should also understand that everybody is an enemy in the battle over the Grand Dao, Supreme Commander.”
“Naturally!” Li Wu Yi agreed.
“If I come out alive, I will definitely contribute to the stability of the Star Boundary,” While speaking, her tender body shifted and she threw herself into the doors of the Profound Heavens Temple and disappeared.
Li Wu Yi smiled lightly. Having learned about Sheng Yu Zhu’s situation from Yang Kai, he knew that she had been trapped in the Void Crack for many years. After so many years of suffering, it was only natural for her to want to recover her strength as fast as possible; therefore, she had not answered the call to join the Star Boundary army back then. Now that her strength had been fully restored, it made sense that she could not remain on the sidelines any longer.
According to the information she provided previously, the Profound Heavens Temple would remain for three days once it completely solidified. It would slip back into the Void three days later and disappear without a trace. When it reappeared once more, it would be the day the Grand Dao battle ended.
Therefore, Li Wu Yi’s current duty was to guard this place for the next three days. It was both to prevent the Demon Race from allowing more Half-Saints to enter and the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Star Boundary from making a move.
Meanwhile, the battle between the two Great Elders of the Dragon Clan and the Demon Saints was slowly coming to an end. In the past, it had always been Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun being suppressed by the three Demon Saints; however, the couple had gotten much stronger ever since they entered the Dragon Rebirth Pond and now held the upper hand in battle.
Even so, it was still rather unrealistic for them to kill off any of the Demon Saints with just their strength alone, just as how the Demon Saints had not been able to kill them before either.
Continuing in this meaningless battle would only lead to losses on both sides. Hence, they gradually stopped fighting once all the people who were to enter the Profound Heavens Temple had entered. They each took up guard on one side of the Profound Heavens Temple and quietly confronted each other.
…..
The world spun in a dizzying manner. During that moment when Yang Kai stepped through the doors of the Profound Heavens Temple, he felt as though his head was about to explode. These were obviously signs of Space Transference. If a person who was proficient in Space Principles like him was suffering such symptoms, then it must be much worse for the others. He secretly estimated that it would take the others who entered the Profound Heavens Temple at least several dozen breaths before they could gather their wits.
The scenery in his field of vision was twisted and distorted, as though he were travelling through a tunnel of time and space. In addition, his figure was free-falling endlessly. It was extremely disconcerting.
Yang Kai did not know how long it was before he suddenly noticed the space around him relaxing and the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet. A cold wind blew past him, and his entire body felt a chill. Only then did he notice that his clothes were soaked with sweat and he was half kneeling on the ground while gasping for breath.
Before he even had the time to study his surroundings, he quickly released his Divine Sense to check for danger. Nobody knew what the situation was like inside the Profound Heavens Temple, not even Sheng Yu Zhu. Even though she had experienced a Grand Dao battle in the past, she had never entered the Profound Heavens Temple after all, so who could guarantee that there were no threats here?
Fortunately, there seemed to be no danger in the vicinity of where he had landed. He noticed some life auras around him through his perception, but they posed no threat to his life even though they were fairly powerful. There were no familiar energy fluctuations in the range covered by his Divine Sense, so he couldn’t help frowning and murmuring to himself, “Were we randomly teleported to different places?”
It was not his first time entering Sealed Worlds similar to this one. Many Sealed Worlds had these kinds of restrictions placed at their entrances, so each person would land at a completely different place even though they all entered together.
It was reasonable. This was the Profound Heavens Temple where the Grand Dao battle took place after all. All the people who entered this place were enemies, so if all of them landed in the same spot, it would surely turn into an instant blood bath.
As the feeling of dizziness gradually faded, Yang Kai finally had the time to look around, and what he saw made him raise a brow. He seemed to have landed in a jungle with incomparably huge and towering ancient trees all around him. Each of these large trees would need at least several people to wrap their arms around. The largest one of them was bigger than an ordinary tree by more than ten times. The dense canopy was like a gigantic umbrella that covered the sky above his head; moreover, every single giant tree was exuding an extremely ancient aura.
In addition, the World Energy in the jungle was so dense that it had condensed into a fog, causing the entire jungle to be shrouded in a mist thick enough that he could not see his fingers if he stretched his hand out in front of him.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, only to feel all the blood in his body boiling in excitement. Millions of pores opened on his skin and the ubiquitous and pure World Energy poured directly into his body in a mad rush.
It made him feel speechless. This place consumed a hundred years’ worth of World Energy from the Star Boundary when it opened, but the interior was an even greater scene of flourishing prosperity. It was worthy of being called a Source Sealed World…
Just the density of the World Energy alone was not something anywhere in the Star Boundary could compare with. Even the Heaven Grade cultivation rooms at Spirit Lake Palace were nothing compared to this place. If a person were to cultivate in such an environment, their cultivation speed would increase by more than ten times.
It was a pity that the Profound Heavens Temple could only be opened at a certain time. Besides, who could occupy a Source Sealed World like this forever? While it was not a bad idea to hide inside this place without leaving, that person would not be able to survive the erosion of time either and would eventually turn into a pile of dead bones.
A strange fragrance lingered at the tip of Yang Kai’s nose, so he sniffed lightly and his line of sight quickly moved in the direction of the smell. He saw a short vine not far from where he had first landed. The vine was covered in pale gold, longan-sized fruits. These fruits were peculiar in shape and at first glance, it seemed like there were countless cicadas perched on top of the vine. They were so lifelike that they looked like they were about to come to life. That strange fragrance was emanating from those fruits.
Yang Kai stepped forward, reached out to pick a fruit, and studied it carefully.
“Golden Cicada Fruit?” His eyes lit up. This was an amazing item. Even though it had been a while since the last time he personally refined anything through Alchemy, his heritage as an Emperor Grade Alchemist was still there. His outlook was naturally unmatched by ordinary people. The Golden Cicada Fruit itself was an Emperor Grade Spirit Fruit that could be used to refine the Golden Cicada Pill. Consuming this Spirit Pill could greatly improve the cultivation speed of a cultivator. Even without further refining, the Golden Cicada Fruit itself carried some of these special effects.
All this information was something he learned from various ancient books and records. The Golden Cicada Fruit had long since gone extinct in the Star Boundary, so he had never seen the real thing for himself. Nevertheless, the Golden Cicada Fruit had such obvious features, so how could he mistake it?
[The Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple… is amazing…] Yang Kai had been teleported to this place at random and immediately came across the Golden Cicada Fruit. That went to show just how rich the materials in the entire Sealed World were. No wonder Sheng Yu Zhu claimed that all the Masters who participated in the Grand Dao battle throughout the ages would undergo earth-shaking changes in terms of strength as long as they could come out alive. It would now seem that there were opportunities to be found everywhere in the Profound Heavens Temple.
“Where the Golden Cicada Fruit exists, there must be a Golden Striped Wind Snake guarding it…” The information he read back then flashed across his mind. Then, a lurking shadow shot out from the vines at the speed of lightning.
“As I thought!” Yang Kai grinned and reached out a hand to grab that black shadow. It felt very smooth to the touch and turned out to be a strange 3-metre-long Spirit Snake with two fleshy wings on its sides. There was a straight golden line running down its back. Its tongue flicked listlessly, making soft hissing sounds, a stench overflowing with poison emanating from its mouth.
The Golden Cicada Fruit had long since gone extinct in the Star Boundary, and the accompanying Golden Striped Wind Snake naturally disappeared along with it. Although it was only a 3-metre-long snake, the aura radiating from its body was comparable to a Monster King. In other words, the strength of this Spirit Snake was equivalent to a Human in the Emperor Realm. Also, the Golden Striped Wind Snake was highly poisonous and moved as swiftly as the wind. If an ordinary Emperor Realm Master were to encounter this Spirit Snake, they would have no choice but to admit that they were very unlucky indeed.
The Spirit Snake in Yang Kai’s hand struggled and its Monster Qi surged violently. The long body curled up, coiling around his arm and constricting tightly as if trying to break it.
Yang Kai, however, just smiled lightly and slightly pushed his Dragon Pressure. The Golden Striped Wind Snake, which was struggling desperately, immediately stopped moving. At the same time, the body wrapped around his arm went limp and a sliver of fear appeared in those vertically slitted pupils.
All snakes in the world carried the bloodline of the Dragon Clan. It was just that the bloodline in them was extremely thin. How could a trivial Golden Striped Wind Snake carry on under Yang Kai’s Pureblood Dragon power?
“Don’t panic. I won’t take your life,” Yang Kai said to the snake. He did not know if it could understand him, but he had the feeling it could not. Although this Golden Striped Wind Snake was rather powerful, it had yet to gain sentience and was only acting based on instinct. While speaking, Yang Kai placed it into the medicine garden of the Small Sealed World.
Afterwards, he picked the Golden Cicada Fruit in front of him before also transferring the whole vine into the medicine garden. The Golden Cicada Fruit Vine and the Golden Striped Wind Snake had a symbiotic relationship. The growth of the Golden Striped Wind Snake was inseparable from the sap of the Golden Cicada Fruit Vine. In turn, the aura released by the Golden Striped Wind Snake had the effect of promoting the growth of the Golden Cicada Fruit.
Therefore, both of them had to be moved into the medicine garden together if Yang Kai wanted to transplant the plant. The plant would not survive if he only took one of them. That was probably the biggest reason why the Golden Cicada Fruit and the Golden Striped Wind Snake went extinct in the Star Boundary.
Even though the main purpose of entering the Profound Heavens Temple was to participate in the Grand Dao battle, Yang Kai did not mind enriching the number of Spirit Herbs in his medicine garden as long as it didn’t cost him much time or effort. Everything in the Source Sealed World was extraordinary after all, not something he could come across under normal circumstances, so it would be a pity to miss out on them. Besides, these items could quickly help to improve the strength and abilities of himself and his companions once he left the Profound Heavens Temple.
Yang Kai quickly finished his task; then, after considering something for a moment, he stretched out his hand and gave a small wave. A figure wrapped in Demon Qi suddenly appeared in front of him. It was a Demon; furthermore, the aura emanating from this person’s body indicated that he was only a Mid-Rank Demon King.
This member of the Demon Race was one of Yang Kai’s prisoners. When Yang Kai had caused a ruckus at the Demon Stronghold outside Blue Wave City with Jiu Feng and Yang Yan previously, he had slaughtered many of the Demons but also captured some alive. At the time, Jiu Feng and Yang Yan did not know why he took the trouble to capture some Demon Kings and he did not explain anything either. Be that as it may, now was the time to use these captives.
This Demon King had been trapped in the Small Sealed World for many days and had yet to figure out the situation after being released from his restraints all of a sudden. Even so, his expression changed the moment he saw Yang Kai standing in front of him and threw a punch while simultaneously retreating quickly.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai easily blocked the opponent’s attack. After that, he simply stared at the other party without any intention of giving chase.
The Demon King who was fleeing swiftly could not help feeling his heart clench in fear at the sight, but before he could understand what Yang Kai was trying to do, his eyes widened abruptly. The aura in his body fluctuated violently and became extremely unstable before a roar rang out. The Demon King could not even hold out for more than three breaths before exploding into pieces and leaving no corpse behind.
Yang Kai frowned, waved his hand again, and released a second Demon King. Like the first Demon King, the second Demon King exploded into a cloud of blood mist several breaths later. The same went for the third…
Yang Kai finally stopped after the third Demon King died in front of him. It would now seem that the Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple really had a special restriction. Anybody who had yet to reach the level of a Pseudo-Great Emperor or Half-Saint in terms of strength would die miserably the moment they stepped into this place. It was completely without mercy.
The only reason why Yang Kai was safe and sound was likely because he received the legacy of Bright Moon Great Emperor and had the recognition of the World’s Will as a result. In addition, this mechanism was most likely only aimed at outsiders. All three Demon Kings he released had died cleanly, but the Golden Striped Wind Snake whose strength was only on par with a Monster King was alive and well. Part of the reason was that one was an intruder while the other was a native resident. Upon reaching a conclusion, Yang Kai could not be bothered to experiment any further.
[Still… it’s been so long. Why haven’t they arrived yet?] Yang Kai frowned slightly, an uneasy feeling growing in his heart.
Li Wu Yi had made prior arrangements on his side for when Yang Kai entered the Profound Heavens Temple. That was because Yang Kai was very likely to become the main focus of the Demon Race’s attacks since he carried the World’s Will in his body. Even if his strength was now comparable to a Half-Saint, there was no way he could defend against the joint attack of many Demon Race Masters.
He had no choice but to join forces with others to turn the situation around. Unfortunately, there were very few candidates he could choose from to join forces with him as he could not trust most people.
Li Wu Yi had initially arranged for Yang Yan and Yang Kai to work together; however, Bing Yun approached Li Wu Yi after the candidates to enter the Profound Heavens Temple were confirmed and eventually became one of Yang Kai’s allies after some discussion. In other words, the only ones Yang Kai could truly trust in the Profound Heavens Temple were Yang Yan and Bing Yun.
According to the previous agreement, they would use their Space Beacons to teleport to Yang Kai’s side as soon as possible after entering this place. They would then hide in his Small Sealed World and act according to the situation. Unfortunately, the reality was that Yang Yan or Bing Yun were nowhere to be seen.
Deciding to test things out, Yang Kai pushed his Space Principles as he connected with the Space Beacons on his belt. After a moment, he sighed lightly, “As expected…”
The worst-case scenario had occurred. The Space Beacons could not function within the Profound Heavens Temple. He could clearly sense that there was a force suppressing the Space Beacon teleportation and preventing him from going to either Yang Yan or Bing Yun’s side.
The current situation was not looking good! Even so, it was not as if he had not considered the possibility of this situation before. There would surely be all sorts of incredible restraints in a Source Sealed Word like the Profound Heavens Temple. Besides, the existence of Space Beacons would be too unfair for the Grand Dao battle. It could even be that the World itself had vaguely sensed something and rendered the Space Beacons useless within the Source Sealed World as a result.
[If the Space Beacons cannot be used, then what about Instantaneous Movement?] With a flash of his thoughts, Yang Kai stepped forward. His figure blurred swiftly and he vanished from the spot by the time his foot landed on the ground. Then, his figure reappeared out of nowhere in another part of the jungle. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Yang Kai looked rather pensive.
His Instantaneous Movement had not been restricted, which was good news for him. It meant that he could still escape even if he encountered multiple Demon Half-Saints joining forces against him. Nevertheless, it would be best if he could reunite with Bing Yun and Yang Yan in addition to finding the Illusionary Heavens Furnace as quickly as possible.
He originally thought that he would definitely take the lead in the Grand Dao battle due to the World’s Will that he carried in his body, but now who could say? He might have been able to sense something when he entered the Profound Heavens Temple, but contrary to his expectations, the intangible World’s Will had not given him any substantial help whatsoever. He could not sense anything out of the ordinary either.
Yang Kai did not know how large the Profound Heavens Temple was nor where the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was located; thus, he could only adapt to the circumstances and bear with them for the time being. Concealing his aura as best as possible, he began making his way through the jungle. The harvest he made along the way was astronomical! This jungle was extremely rich in materials, filled with many precious treasures that had long since gone extinct in the Star Boundary, many of which he couldn’t even identify, let alone know their specific function. Most likely, the only one who could recognise those herbs was Wondrous Pill Great Emperor.
However, Yang Kai had his Sealed World Bead and medicine garden, so whatever he came across, he would place it directly inside and leave the two little Wood Spirits to slowly figure things out.
After travelling hastily for an hour, Yang Kai had crossed thousands of kilometres through the jungle when, all of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks abruptly and turned his head to look in a certain direction with a smile creeping onto his face, “I finally met somebody.”
There were faint sounds of fighting coming from that direction. He had no idea what the specific situation was; nevertheless, having encountered others by accident, he had to go and check it out in case it happened to be Yang Yan or Bing Yun.
Yang Kai silently crept over. By the time he arrived at the place, he found that there was nobody around. The towering ancient trees in the surroundings were leaning precariously to the sides and the ground was a mess. There were also more than a dozen Monster Beast corpses that looked similar to wild wolves scattered across the ground. These Monster Beasts no longer contained any aura and their blood stained the ground.
Although these Monster Beasts were dead, Yang Kai could tell at a glance that each of the dozen or so wolves was equivalent to a Monster King. Moreover, the leader of the pack that was covered in silver fur was much larger than its companions. It was most likely a peak Monster King. A group of Monster Beasts like this was not weak in terms of power.
It had taken Yang Kai no more than ten breaths to rush to this place after hearing the commotion. For a person to kill so many powerful Monster Beasts in such a short period of time indicated just how powerful they were. Furthermore, the aftermath of the battle lingered in the air along with a faint trace of Demon Qi…
Yang Kai smiled slightly and looked in a certain direction, “Are you going to come out by yourself? Or, do I have to invite you first?”
The surroundings remained silent; there was no answer. Yang Kai did not ask a second time and instead reached out, clenched his fist, and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear out. Without missing a beat, the spear pierced the ground in an electrifying thrust.
There was a loud explosion. A huge hole was blasted into the ground by a great force. Amidst the flying dust, a figure sprang from the ground and quickly escaped into the distance. It was just that, no matter how fast that person was, how could he be faster than Yang Kai? The Azure Dragon Spear turned into a spread of spear shadows that covered the skies, sending a series of clanging sounds ringing out as shockwaves ran rampant.
Afterwards, two whooshing sounds echoed as two figures clashed and separated. Yang Kai stood in the void, holding the spear in one hand and a smile on his face, a gentle breeze blowing causing his hair to dance in the wind.
Not far away stood a Half-Saint whose Demon Qi was surging violently. He looked livid as he glared and ground his teeth, “Yang Kai!”
“It is this King!” Yang Kai snorted, fresh blood leaking from the corner of his mouth while he spoke. Although it was brief, he had suffered some minor losses in the exchange just now. The opponent was a Half-Saint, not some weak pushover. The other party’s all-out retaliation had caused Yang Kai to suffer a shock that made his internal organs churn unsteadily. He consequently sustained light injuries. While his combat power might be comparable to a Half-Saint’s, Yang Kai’s true cultivation was not there yet. Fighting a Half-Saint without falling into a disadvantageous position was already a huge achievement in and of itself.
One of the reasons he managed to kill the Stone Demon Half-Saint previously was that he had taken his enemy completely by surprise. Yang Kai had relied on the sharpness of the Azure Dragon Spear and the peculiarity of his Martial Truth to win that battle. In addition, he also had Lin Yun’er, Lan Xun, and Mo Xiao Qi helping him from the side. These three young women might only be Emperor Realm Masters, but they were personally taught by Great Emperors and had powerful artifacts in their possession. It was only natural that they could not be taken lightly.
While speaking, Yang Kai glanced at the waist area of the Half-Saint opposite him. There was a forearm-length gash at that spot and fresh blood was gushing out of the wound. Even though there was Demon Qi surrounding the wound, it made no difference. No matter how small the injury, being wounded by Martial Truth would cause the injury to worsen until it became fatal.
This Half-Saint had clearly realised that the moment he recognised Yang Kai and his already livid expression became uglier than ever. He reached out a hand to cover his wound but could not stop the blood from flowing no matter what he did.
“If I remember correctly, you’re called Luo Ya, right?” Yang Kai tilted his head to the side and stared at Luo Ya. During his time in the Demon Realm, he had travelled across many continents to repair and maintain the Territory Gates. Most of those continents were governed by Half-Saints, so he had actually met a fair number of them. For that reason, he knew most of the Half-Saints in the Demon Realm. The person in front of him was one of those Half-Saints he once met.
Luo Ya was a Sand Demon! He had been hiding underground just now, so it would seem that he knew the noise of the battle might alert others and draw them to this place to investigate. Hence, he immediately concealed himself after killing those Monster Beasts, just in case. It was just that he never expected Yang Kai to arrive so quickly, much less pinpoint his location with such ease.
“If I knew this was going to happen, I would have killed you back then!” Luo Ya snapped bitterly. The first time he met Yang Kai on his continent, Yang Kai had not held such terrifying combat power yet. If he had made a move at the time, he could have succeeded in taking Yang Kai’s life. Moreover, that chance of success was extremely high. Unfortunately, Yang Kai had now grown to an extraordinary extent. It would take a Demon Saint taking action personally to kill him now. Any Half-Saint trying to kill him on their own would only find the attempt to be as difficult as ascending to the Heavens.
“Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?” Yang Kai reached out to wipe the blood at the corners of his mouth and used the spear to point at Luo Ya, “You have two choices, surrender or die!”
Luo Ya seemed even more furious upon hearing those words and a dangerous look flashed across his pale-yellow eyes, “Do you really think I’m afraid of you?”
“Sorry! Wrong answer!” Yang Kai grinned. As soon as the smile spread across his face, he had already arrived in front of Luo Ya.
The Azure Dragon Spear quickly enlarged in front of Luo Ya’s eyes. The weapon rushing at him didn’t seem like some spear, it was more like a Dragon lunging at him with fangs and claws bared. The petrifying Dragon Pressure actually made a Half-Saint like him a little breathless. Forcefully suppressing the anxiety in his heart, Luo Ya gave a furious roar and his Demon Qi surged.
When the Azure Dragon Spear landed in the middle of Luo Ya’s chest, Yang Kai frowned. It did not feel as though his attack had landed on a solid entity. Following that attack, Luo Ya exploded violently and transformed into a huge sandstorm that encased Yang Kai inside.
The wind howled while sand and gravel danced in the air. The tiny grains of gravel seemed to have turned into countless indestructible blades. In just a moment, Yang Kai was covered in wounds. Fresh blood dripped from all over his body, and the surrounding trees collapsed around them.
“How dare you offend the majesty of a Half-Saint!? This King will kill you here today!” Luo Ya’s voice came in all directions, making it difficult to figure out where he was hiding.
Next, a high-pitched Dragon Roar rang out. The Dragon Head of a Golden Dragon appeared and disappeared in a flash. With the activation of the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, Yang Kai transformed into his more than 1,000-metre-long Half-Dragon Form. The gravel swirling around him pounded against his Dragon Scales, causing sharp rattling sounds to ring out incessantly. Those sounds were accompanied by a shower of sparks that flashed continuously. Meanwhile, the 1,000-metre-long giant spear swept out horizontally. The sandstorm that covered a large area was cut in half; however, it instantly returned to its original condition a moment later.
“I am invincible within this sandstorm! What can you do to me!?” Luo Ya’s voice echoed again. It was erratic and hard to pinpoint. While speaking, a trickle of sand separated from the sandstorm and formed a vigorous Sand Dragon that came lunging at Yang Kai with its fangs.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly as his spear thrust out, a huge black ball leisurely appearing at its tip. The black ball was filled with nothingness and chaos.
Rupture!
The combined power displayed by using the Azure Dragon Spear to activate Rupture was not as simple as one plus one equals two. The entire world seemed to collapse towards the black ball before disappearing in a flash. The Sand Dragon lunging at Yang Kai was completely swallowed up in the process and the blast even hollowed out a huge hole in the middle of the sandstorm.
At the same time, a giant sand figure with Luo Ya’s appearance suddenly emerged behind Yang Kai. The figure opened its two big hands and violently smashed them towards Yang Kai’s head in a clapping motion.
Yang Kai could sense the attack, but it was too late to dodge. There was a loud explosive noise. Then, he was struck so hard that his body staggered unsteadily and he became dizzy. Before Yang Kai could regain his footing, Luo Ya, who was composed of sand and gravel, threw another punch. This time around, the punch landed squarely in the middle of Yang Kai’s back. There was another loud explosive noise and Yang Kai’s staggering figure plunged forward as though he was struck by lightning. At the same time, a spray of blood mist spurted out of his mouth. Despite his rather severe injuries, however, the corners of Yang Kai’s mouth curled up into a smile. His Golden Dragon Eyes stared at a certain part of the sandstorm and he grinned madly, “Found you!”
If Luo Ya had not made a move, it would have been extremely difficult to pinpoint his exact location. However, the vague fluctuations he made the moment he attacked were enough for Yang Kai to lock onto his whereabouts. Therefore, Yang Kai ignored the huge Sand Demon behind him and thrust his spear to the side with both his Demon Qi and Dragon Strength.
A cry of shock rang out as Luo Ya’s figure was revealed in the endless swirl of gravel and sand. His expression was horrified as he desperately moved about within the sandstorm, trying to avoid this terrifying blow. Unfortunately, the spear followed him closely like maggots on rotting bones.
With a deafening explosion, the huge Sand Demon fell apart. All the sand and gravel from the sandstorm gathered behind Luo Ya to form a thick and solid sand shield in the blink of an eye.
In the meantime, the spear had already arrived. Its ferocious force rampaged, causing the sand shield to explode into pieces. Luo Ya screamed in pain and borrowed the power of the thrust to quickly escape into the distance.
Retracting his arm, Yang Kai stared at the smear of fresh blood on the tip of the spear and smiled coldly. Afterwards, he strode forward and chased after Luo Ya.
Both of them were in the same league in terms of strength. While Luo Ya should be stronger than Yang Kai, the Martial Truth attached to Azure Dragon Spear made him cautious about acting lest he be wounded in the process. He had already been slashed by Yang Kai’s spear at the outset and suffered a small injury as a result.
What’s more, Yang Kai had used a method that left both parties sustaining great losses during their subsequent exchange of blows to ensure that Luo Ya would suffer greatly regardless of the injury he himself received. How could Luo Ya dare to continue fighting after that?
Yang Kai might be rather injured, but he could recover completely with some recuperation. On the other hand, Luo Ya’s injuries were not as easy to deal with and there was no Demon Saint around to help him neutralise the Martial Truth eating away at him here. It would be difficult even to suppress the wound just by relying on his strength alone.
Just within these few breaths, Luo Ya could already feel the strange energy in his initial wound causing trouble within his body. Moreover, the force seemed to penetrate even deeper into his bones and meridians with the use of his Demon Qi. If he continued in this battle, he would ultimately face a tragic ending even if Yang Kai would not get away unscathed either.
“Damn this power!” Luo Ya’s face was ashen. There was no way he would have been so afraid of Yang Kai if not for this Martial Truth. Furthermore, trying to escape from a person who was proficient in the Dao of Space was nothing but a fool’s dream. All he could hope for right now was to encounter other Demon Half-Saints, join forces with them, and repel Yang Kai together. As for trying to kill Yang Kai… the chances were too slim, it was better to not even consider the possibility.
Be that as it may, what made Luo Ya despair was that he did not know how vast the Profound Heavens Temple was. The commotion caused during his fight with Yang Kai could not have been small, but even so, the noise had not attracted another Half-Saint towards them. Not even a Pseudo-Great Emperor from the Star Boundary had appeared.
While fighting and retreating at the same time, Luo Ya felt his heart sinking. The longer he dragged things out in his current condition, the worse it would be for him. Thus, the struggle between fear and desperation couldn’t help flashing before his eyes. All of a sudden, that struggle vanished and was replaced by a resolute look. His escaping figure stopped abruptly, turned around, and stared at Yang Kai coldly.
“Go on, run! Why aren’t you running?” Yang Kai turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Lifting his head slightly, he looked down at Luo Ya condescendingly.
Luo Ya quickly said, “The Grand Dao battle has only just begun, must you insist on being so aggressive? Why don’t we just stop here? We can continue later. There will always be a time for a battle in the future.”
“Are you begging for mercy?” Yang Kai tapped his spear on his shoulders with a contemptuous look in his eyes.
“Yang Kai, hear this well. It’s not that this King doesn’t have the power to fight you, it’s just that I am not willing to fight with you when it will only end in a lose-lose situation,” Luo Ya replied in annoyance.
“That would depend on whether you have the qualification!” Yang Kai slammed the Azure Dragon Spear to the ground, his expression suddenly becoming serious. While forming hand seals rapidly, an ethereal Principle Strength began swirling around his body. The whole world seemed to stagnate, as if the flow of time had stopped at this moment.
“Time Flies Seal!” Luo Ya frowned deeply. The information the Demon Race had collected on Yang Kai was extremely detailed, so it was only natural for him to know what kind of Divine Abilities Yang Kai was capable of using. Therefore, he instantly knew what kind of attack was coming as soon as he saw the motions Yang Kai was making.
Among the information collected on Yang Kai, there were many things that could make a Half-Saint apprehensive; however, there were three in particular that stood out the most. The first was the strange Martial Truth he wielded. It was something that even gave the Demon Saints great headache, what more a Half-Saint? The second was his Space Principles. He had been able to repair and maintain the Territory Gates when he first entered the Demon Realm, and in comparison, his strength had grown immeasurably since then. Accordingly, his accomplishments in the Dao of Space had become increasingly powerful. The third was the Time Flies Seal. Since it involved Time Principles, it was even more bizarre and difficult to predict than Space Principles.
Up until now, the people from the Demon Realm remained a little puzzled. How could a single person cultivate two different Principle Strengths to such an extent? Moreover, be it the Dao of Space or the Dao of Time, both were extremely profound and esoteric. It was simply incredible for both of these powers to appear together in one person.
Hence, the thought of escaping instantly bloomed in Luo Ya’s mind the moment he noticed the aura of the Time Principles. The resolve to stand and fight just a moment ago shattered completely. Unfortunately, Yang Kai had already struck a palm in his direction before he could do anything. Time Principles spread out, causing Luo Ya’s thoughts to stagnate for a moment. It only lasted for a moment and he hurriedly snapped back to his senses, but even so, what entered his vision at that moment was an unstoppable spear crashing down on him.
At the juncture of life or death, Luo Ya desperately lifted a hand to summon a bunch of Demon Artifacts. Each Demon Artifact blazed with various colours in front of him, forming a solid layer of protection.
A series of cracking sounds rang out as the Demon Artifacts that were powerful enough to make any Demon King break their head open in order to obtain instantly exploded into dust. Luo Ya’s complexion swiftly turned pale as a huge force came rushing at him from the front. A feeling of pain spread out from his chest as though he had been hit head-on by an enormous mountain. His entire being was sent flying backwards into the air and his Demon Blood scattered across the sky.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai returned to his Human form and quickly pursued.
The battle resumed within the jungle. Despite being severely injured, Luo Ya still had the strength to fight back. Besides, it was only natural that he would not sit still and wait for death to come to him when Yang Kai was being so aggressive.
A quarter-hour later, Luo Ya lay on the ground somewhere in the jungle like a pile of hashed meat. The Azure Dragon Spear had pierced through his body and pinned him to the ground. On the other hand, Yang Kai was breathing heavily. Walking over from a distance, he came to stand in front of Luo Ya and looked down on the latter condescendingly with a look of indifference in his eyes.
That icy cold expression made Luo Ya panic. It had been many years since he last felt this helpless. In fact, such despair had not visited him ever since he became a Half-Saint. His heart was filled with grief, anger, and unwillingness. Unfortunately, things had already come to this point, so what was the point of feeling resentment? The only thing that made him furious was that he had not tried his best to fight Yang Kai from the beginning. If he had not been so timid at the outset, he might not have lost so badly in this battle.
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk…” Yang Kai stared at Luo Ya as though looking at a dying dog. He thought back to the past when the pressure of a Half-Saint or Pseudo-Great Emperor had weighed down on him like a mountain. It had been so heavy that he couldn’t even breathe. Back then, he had wished that he had such powerful strength himself, and now, more than one Half-Saint had died at his hands, “The vitality of the Demon Race is really enviable.”
Following their big battle, Luo Ya’s body had been smashed in half. If any Pseudo-Great Emperor of the Human Race had been as severely injured as Luo Ya, they would definitely be powerless to survive and struggling would only serve to delay their death. However, it was different for the Demon Race. Even if Luo Ya’s body had been reduced to a pile of meat, he would not die as long as his Demon Heart survived. Naturally, his strength would be greatly reduced even if he managed to revive with his Demon Heart. In addition, the erosion of the Martial Truth was like maggots on rotting bones, so there was no way to get rid of it.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had similar resiliency. Since the power of his Dragon Source had been greatly awakened and even his Half-Dragon Form had grown immensely, the Dragon Clan’s originally powerful healing abilities had also gotten stronger.
“Mercy!” Luo Ya moaned. While speaking, a lot of fresh blood spurted out of his mouth.
“I gave you a chance previously. It’s too bad that you didn’t cherish it!” Yang Kai stretched out his hand, grabbed hold of the Azure Dragon Spear, and twisted it lightly. A look of pain appeared on Luo Ya’s face, but he was extremely stubborn and refused to let out a scream.
“Let me go and I will tell you everything you want to know.”
“What do you think I want to know?” Yang Kai looked at Luo Ya coldly.
“Everything about this Source Sealed World! Didn’t you ask me to surrender so that you can ask about this!?” Luo Ya gasped, blood dripping from his mouth, making him look extremely miserable, “I’m sure you know less about the Profound Heavens Temple than we do.”
Yang Kai snorted, “That’s only thanks to the traitor on your side!”
If the Great Emperors had still been here, the people from the Star Boundary who entered the Profound Heavens Temple would not have been this bewildered by the Source Sealed World. On the other hand, the Demon Race had Can Ye on their side. Although Can Ye was currently healing from his previous injuries, it was still possible for him to pass some information to the others. Therefore, it was safe to presume that the Half-Saints had more information on the Source Sealed World that belonged to the Star Boundary than the people of the Star Boundary themselves.
“As long as you swear on your Dao Heart and let me go, I will tell you everything I know.” The desire to survive flashed in Luo Ya’s eyes. Even if he was a Half-Saint, it was only natural to struggle to survive in the face of death.
Yang Kai said coldly, “Why should I swear an oath? Can’t I just take what I want to know directly?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, his left eye suddenly turned golden and a majestic slip appeared in it. An endless majesty filled the air, captivating people’s Souls.
Then, a terrifying wave of Divine Sense pressed down on Luo Ya like a tsunami. It was only for a moment before that Divine Sense came into contact with a layer of protection which was obviously his Soul defence.
“No!” Luo Ya screamed in shock. In that brief instant, he had felt an intense pain running through his mind as though his head was being pierced by thousands of needles. His expression became horrified after sensing Yang Kai’s Soul cultivation. Although Yang Kai was no more than a High-Rank Demon King, the Divine Sense that Yang Kai unleashed was much stronger than his own. It was simply abnormal.
Even so, this was not the time to consider this. Upon realising that Yang Kai wanted to break through his Knowledge Sea’s Defences to directly search his Soul for his secrets, Luo Ya quickly bolstered his resistance. It was just that he was already an arrow at the end of its flight. It was only thanks to Yang Kai not giving him the final blow that he could still struggle with his dying breath. What’s more, his Soul cultivation was not as strong as Yang Kai’s to begin with, so how could he do anything to stop Yang Kai? He barely held on for ten breaths before a cracking sound rang out in his head. His Soul Defence had been penetrated.
The pain was so intense that he became unable to even think for himself. All he could feel was the wave of Divine Sense that was rampaging about his Knowledge Sea without any scruples, tearing it apart. Nothing could be hidden from this intruder in his mind. All the secrets hidden in his Knowledge Sea were revealed at this moment. However, Luo Ya suddenly showed a strange and relieved smile at that time and muttered, “You’re dead.”
At the same time, Yang Kai, who was focused on investigating the many secrets in Luo Ya’s Knowledge Sea, let out an exclamation and his expression changed drastically, “A Soul Wisp!?”
He could clearly sense an aura that did not belong to Luo Ya hiding within the latter’s Knowledge Sea. Although that aura was very weak, it was also extremely pure. More importantly, it gave off an exceedingly ominous feeling.
It all happened in an instant. Luo Ya’s Spiritual Energy poured into that wisp, causing it to surge violently and transform into an illusory figure. That figure was slender and tall with fiery-red hair and scarlet eyes. He stood within Luo Ya’s Knowledge Sea, looking at Yang Kai’s outpouring Divine Sense with a smile that simply radiated with pure hostility.
“Xue Li!” Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically. He instantly understood what was going on, but he never expected that Xue Li and the other Demon Saints would go to such lengths just to protect the secrets of the Profound Heavens Temple that were hidden within the minds of the Half-Saints. [I can’t believe he planted a Soul Wisp into Luo Ya’s Knowledge Sea! If Luo Ya has this, then all the other Half-Saints probably do too…]
Luo Ya’s pleading previously might have been sincere. Nobody was willing to die if they had a chance at survival after all. On the flip side, it could also have been deliberate just to make Yang Kai relax his vigilance.
Whatever the case, he would have survived this ordeal if Yang Kai had agreed to the oath. Even though he had been injured by the Martial Truth, they were standing in the Profound Heavens Temple that contained countless precious treasures. Who could say whether Luo Ya would come across some method to neutralise the Martial Truth? If Yang Kai refused to comply with his request, then this was the inevitable outcome. In this case, Yang Kai, who had tried to harm him, would certainly suffer as a result.
As of this moment, Yang Kai was out of luck. There was no time to think as he swiftly withdrew his Divine Sense. By then, Luo Ya’s Spiritual Energy had merged with Xue Li’s Soul Wisp completely. All the secrets in Luo Ya’s mind had vanished out of sight, so it was impossible to investigate any further. Furthermore, the rapid growth of Xue Li’s Soul Wisp was making Yang Kai feel very threatened.
The Divine Senses of two illusory phantoms, one chasing and the other running, were silently clashing with each other inside Luo Ya’s Knowledge Sea. It didn’t take long for Yang Kai’s Divine Sense to escape out of Luo Ya’s Knowledge Sea, but unfortunately for him, Xue Li’s Soul Wisp pursued, following him back in the direction Yang Kai had fled, all the way to the latter’s Knowledge Sea.
The sky was full of stars inside the pitch-black Knowledge Sea. There was the Star Field Source of Heng Luo Star Field, as well as a seven-colour brilliance shining in the middle of the black flames of Yang Kai’s Knowledge Sea.
Xue Li turned his head and looked around, staring at the seven-coloured treasure island. His scarlet eyes seemed to be able to break through the illusion and observe its essence, causing him to murmur with a greedy expression, “Soul Warming Lotus?”
“Do you want it?” Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar stood to the side, squinting at Xue Li.
“It’s one of the world’s Supreme Treasures. Who wouldn’t want it?” Xue Li licked his lips, his gaze full of envy and desire, “It will become mine once I kill you.”
“Really… I’m not as easy to kill as you seem to think. Besides, this is my territory.” Yang Kai grinned at Xue Li, raising both hands into the air, causing the pitch-black Knowledge Sea to churn…
A quarter-hour later, Yang Kai, who had been standing frozen in the middle of the jungle, gave a shudder all of a sudden. His complexion was as pale as a sheet and two streams of blood flowed out of his nostrils. His eyes that had been closed opened abruptly and a flash of fear flitted across them for a moment. The Soul battle just now had seemed silent to the outside world, but it had been far more dangerous than the fight between Yang Kai and Luo Ya. It had been a Soul Wisp of a Demon Saint after all. Moreover, the battlefield had been within Yang Kai’s own Knowledge Sea. The slightest carelessness would have led to his death.
Even so, it was fortunate that the battle had occurred within his Knowledge Sea, giving him a decisive advantage. Combined with Xue Li’s underestimation of his Soul cultivation and the Soul Warming Lotus’ assistance on his side, Yang Kai finally managed to kill that Soul Wisp after paying a heavy price.
His physical body and his Soul had been severely damaged, yet the Grand Dao battle had only just begun, frustrating Yang Kai greatly. The injuries to his body were sustained during his fight with Luo Ya as he had used a method of fighting where both sides suffered losses to end things quickly. It would not have been difficult for him to win even without the Martial Truth constantly eroding away at Luo Ya’s strength, but killing Luo Ya would have been a fool’s dream.
That was something that could not be helped. A Half-Saint was not easy to kill after all. The Half-Saints who died at Yang Kai’s hands so far started with Yin Si, who was already badly wounded in the first place. She had been in the process of healing at the time when he snuck into her territory and took the initiative to create havoc for her. Even so, it had taken him more than a month to recover from that incident.
Strictly speaking, the second had not died at Yang Kai’s hands directly. It was truer to say that the Wind Lord had been killed by Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
The third was the Stone Demon Half-Saint whom Yang Kai killed in Star Soul Palace previously. That was only possible thanks to the power of the Azure Dragon Spear and help from Lan Xun and the others.
Therefore, Luo Ya could be considered Yang Kai’s first time killing a Half-Saint at the peak of their power on his own. Moreover, this Sand Demon Half-Saint was slightly stronger than Wind Lord. Seeing as he was only a High-Rank Demon King, how could Yang Kai not pay a price for this victory?
As for the injuries to his Soul; that was not something that could be helped either. Even though Xue Li’s Soul Wisp had underestimated his Soul cultivation and he held the geographical advantage, a Demon Saint’s Soul Wisp completely inherited the main body’s experience and knowledge. It was difficult to say who would have won this battle in the end if not for the Soul Warming Lotus nourishing Yang Kai’s damaged Soul at all times.
Considering that Luo Ya, whom Yang Kai had encountered at random, had a seal placed in his Knowledge Sea by a Demon Saint, it was conceivable that the other Half-Saints chosen to enter this place were under similar conditions.
[I have to get this information as soon as possible.]
Although everybody would become enemies to one another at the end of the Grand Dao battle, it would be best if the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary could work together until they managed to get rid of the forces of the Demon Race. It would be detrimental to the overall situation of the Star Boundary if they fell for the Demon Race’s trickery. Moreover, if Yang Kai could think of retrieving information from Luo Ya’s Soul, then the other Pseudo-Great Emperors might get the same idea too. This method was the fastest way to obtain information on the Profound Heavens Temple after all.
After a brief consideration, Yang Kai took a deep breath and murmured to himself, “There is a Demon Saint’s Soul Wisp in their Knowledge Seas. How devious!”
A breeze blew past, causing the leaves to rustle in the wind. The air was filled with the stench of blood. Yang Kai held the Azure Dragon Spear and stood in place with his eyes lowered. He did not know how long passed before he suddenly lifted his gaze and stared in a certain direction, frowning slightly, “As expected, it’s one of us…”
While fighting Luo Ya previously, he had noticed an aura hidden in the shadows. It was just that he had been at a critical point of the battle, so he could not afford the distraction to investigate the issue at the time. He didn’t even know whether the hidden person had been a Human or Demon.
Be that as it may, the hidden person had remained motionless even when he nailed Luo Ya firmly to the ground; hence, the possibility of that individual being a Demon Race Half-Saint became minuscule. If it truly had been a Demon Race Half-Saint hiding nearby, they would not have watched the fight from the sidelines. They would have jumped out to join forces with Luo Ya instead.
Yang Kai had suffered injuries from killing Luo Ya and battling Xue Li’s Soul Wisp in his Knowledge Sea; thus, he no longer had the strength to distinguish who it was hiding nearby. He couldn’t even be sure whether that person who had been secretly following him in the shadows was still there. It wasn’t until this moment when the feeling of being watched from the shadows vanished abruptly that he could confirm the actual situation. That person had always been there and only just left moments ago.
It was obvious that the words he deliberately uttered under his breath had been heard by the other party. Regardless of whether that person would pass the information on to other Pseudo-Great Emperors nearby, at the very least, that person now knew. That was also part of his intention.
But… It truly was the Grand Dao battle. There were enemies everywhere and nobody could be trusted. The situation was not looking too optimistic for the Human Race. There were already ten fewer Masters from the Star Boundary compared to the number of Half-Saints from the Demon Realm. Even so, this person simply watched passively from the sidelines as Yang Kai fought a desperate battle against a Half-Saint, which clearly indicated that he had the mindset of taking advantage of the situation.
Yang Kai laughed bitterly to himself. It was most likely related to the World’s Will that he possessed. It might be that everybody firmly believed that the World’s Will he possessed was highly beneficial for the final part of the Grand Dao battle. If Luo Ya had managed to kill Yang Kai just now, the person hiding in the shadows would definitely have taken action to kill Luo Ya and snatch the World’s Will for themselves.
Seeing as how the World’s Will had been transferred from Bright Moon Great Emperor to Yang Kai, it made sense that if Yang Kai died, then the World’s Will would be transferred to the person who took his life.
But, when it came down to it, only Yang Kai himself knew that the invisible and intangible World’s Will had not played any role whatsoever so far.
Regardless of the circumstances, the injuries he received during this battle were rather severe even though the benefits he reaped were great. As long as he could digest the various gains and losses from this battle, it would serve as a great boon for him.
[I need to hurry up and find a place to treat my wounds!]
After considering all this, Yang Kai hurriedly turned to look in the direction of Luo Ya’s corpse. A Half-Saint’s assets accumulated over the course of their life were a huge fortune. There was no reason to abandon the loot after paying such a high price to kill the other party, but contrary to his expectations, what Yang Kai found gave him a start.
Luo Ya, who had once been a burly man, had turned into a mummified corpse at some point; moreover, he shrivelled up and withered as though he had been exposed to the elements for thousands of years. In addition, all the essence in his body had vanished without a trace.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling disturbed by the sight! Having noticed somebody spying on him from the shadows, he had deliberately set aside a part of his mind to remain vigilant of his surroundings even while fighting Xue Li’s Soul Wisp in his Knowledge Sea. He did not want to give that person the opportunity to attack him. However, he completely failed to notice when Luo Ya’s corpse ended up in this condition. This situation was somewhat similar to how it would look if the Embodiment had used the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to devour a person’s essence.
What happened? Yang Kai simply could not make sense of the situation. The person watching from the shadows just now might have seen everything from the beginning to the end, but he didn’t even know who it was, so how could he ask them about this incident?
There was still a Space Ring on Luo Ya’s corpse, however, so Yang Kai used his spear to pick it up and put it away. Afterwards, his figure flickered and he headed in another direction.
Half a day later, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged in the medicine garden inside the Small Sealed World. Dense World Energy gathered around his body, causing his form to throb in response. His hideous wounds were squirming endlessly, growing new flesh continuously so that scabs and dried skin moulted and fell off in layers.
Two small Wood Spirits floated around him with solemn expressions, one in front and one behind him. They were forming seals with both hands in a serious manner, their two small pairs of hands glowing with an emerald light that enveloped Yang Kai. That emerald light was brimming with energy and vitality, accelerating the healing speed of his wounds.
Although his injuries from this battle were fairly severe, his foundation had not been damaged, so he could simply rely on his own powerful regenerative abilities combined with the Wood Spirit’s healing to treat his wounds. It would not take long for him to recover. On the other hand, there was no need to bother about the injuries to his Soul as the Soul Warming Lotus would deal with that on its own.
It was just that the Grand Dao battle in the Profound Heavens Temple could not be delayed. For every day that he spent in the Small Sealed World, the Pseudo-Great Emperors on the outside would lose a bit of combat power.
…..
A piece of chaos existed somewhere in the depths of the Profound Heavens Temple. It was shrouded in endless darkness as if the world itself had yet to open. Inside that chaos, a square and boxy Giant Furnace spun slowly. The surface of the Giant Furnace was engraved with countless complicated patterns. At first glance, the patterns seemed incomprehensible. Even the Great Emperors and the Demon Saints would not be able to distinguish the specific lines of these patterns if they were here. Be that as it may, one would be able to make out the scenery of everything in the world from these patterns if they were to stare at them continuously for a while. The crisscrossed patterns seemed to depict the origins and essence of everything in the world, which was very profound and mysterious indeed. In addition, the Giant Furnace was emitting a kind of mysterious aura that could drive anybody insane from within its depths.
When the Demon Realm Half-Saint, Luo Ya, was killed by Yang Kai, his body had shrivelled at a speed visible to the naked eye. The Spiritual and Vital Essence in his body also disappeared without a trace, causing him to become a dry corpse in a blink of an eye.
At the same time, a hazy aura suddenly appeared in the Giant Furnace. That aura was so pure and clean that any living creature could absorb it into their bodies to enhance their strength. The moment this mass of pure aura appeared, the darkness that enveloped the deepest part of the Profound Heavens Temple seemed to become slightly thinner.
Meanwhile, the Giant Furnace continued spinning, as it had been since time immemorial and would continue to until the end of the world…
The Profound Heavens Temple was the Source Sealed World of the Star Boundary, a wondrous space that had existed since the beginning of the world. It was where the fate of trillions of creatures born into this world converged.
The world seemed to have accumulated everything that was good and pure in this place. Every part of the Sealed World contained beautiful and unforgettable scenery, as well as World Energy which was so dense it could be felt and touched. Even the World Principles were clear and distinguishable here, making it easier for a person to perceive the Dao.
It was just that every time this Source Sealed World was opened, it was accompanied by endless battle and slaughter. Hence, none of the participating Masters had the heart to enjoy this rare beautiful scenery that could not be found in the outside world.
…..
Somewhere in the dense forest, Sheng Yu Zhu’s body moved agilely as she jumped about above the tree canopy like a fluttering butterfly. All of a sudden, her beautiful figure paused in her tracks and her clear voice sounded in the air, “Come out. What’s the point of hiding? Is it fun?”
A layer of ripples spread out in the air and a figure wrapped in darkness suddenly appeared not far in front of her. Another skeleton-like figure followed closely with two orbs of Ghost Fire dancing about his eye sockets. One stood in front of her and the other stood behind her, blocking her path and preventing her from proceeding forward or retreating backwards.
“A Shadow Demon and a Bone Demon…” Sheng Yu Zhu glanced at the two Demons with her beautiful eyes and immediately recognized their identities. Although she had constantly been in retreat to recover the strength she lost and did not participate in the Two Worlds Great War, it did not prevent her from sending the Luo Sha Sect disciples out to gather information on the Demon Race. The Demon Race proclaimed to have a hundred different Clans, but only a few of those really stood out among them. Moreover, each Clan had their own distinct characteristics, making them extremely recognizable.
“This is going to be a little troublesome…” She frowned slightly. Despite being caught in a pincer by two Demon Race Half-Saints, Sheng Yu Zhu unexpectedly did not show signs of panic.
A strange cackling laugh rang out at that moment as the Bone Demon’s teeth chattered open and close, making a sound similar to metal striking metal, “You sure have terrible luck. I can’t believe you bumped into us here. Can you please die for us?”
Although his tone was polite, his voice was as cold as ice.
She smiled in response, “Are you that confident?”
The Bone Demon snorted, “It’s two against one. How can I not be confident?”
“Stop wasting your breath on nonsense and just get on with it!” The Shadow Demon Clan had always been one of few words, just as they were stingy about revealing their figures to others. After the Shadow Demon finished speaking, he turned into a stream of black light and lunged toward Sheng Yu Zhu.
Likewise, Sheng Yu Zhu moved at the very same moment the Shadow Demon made his move, her delicate body showing unimaginable swiftness as she rushed at the Shadow Demon coming at her and simultaneously reached out to grab at something in the void with both hands. Twin sabre-like artifacts were summoned into her grip, an ancient aura fluctuating around the curved blades that gleamed with a cold light.
“Hm?” The Shadow Demon exclaimed in surprise. It would seem that he did not expect a Human woman to be so daring. Not only did she not try to escape despite facing a two-on-one battle, she even took the initiative to attack. Nevertheless, this was exactly what he desired. The other party was all alone, so this woman would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage in this battle.
A dagger appeared silently as the Shadow Demon’s figure flashed several times, a cold light gleaming from his blade as he slashed at Sheng Yu Zhu’s waist and abdomen. There was no feeling of his attacks landing, however, and contrary to his expectations, her figure dissipated immediately after being hit. His expression froze in surprise for a moment before he quickly looked toward the Bone Demon and shouted, “Watch out!”
As soon as those words rang out, Sheng Yu Zhu suddenly appeared behind the Bone Demon. The twin sabres in her hands drew a beautiful arc as her cold voice sounded, “You should treat your Seniors with more respect.”
Although the Demon Race Half-Saints had lived many years, Sheng Yu Zhu had undoubtedly lived much longer than them; thus, she had the right to call herself ‘Senior Sheng’.
“Kacha…*
A crisp sound rang out from the Bone Demon’s neck as his head fell. The two orbs of Ghost Fire danced violently in his eye sockets as he muttered, “What…”
He didn’t even manage to see how she had attacked him before his head was chopped off cleanly. Fortunately, he was a Bone Demon. If it had been a Demon from any other Clan, they would most likely have suffered a heavy blow from that attack.
Roaring loudly, the Bone Demon’s skull-less body lifted a hand to catch his fallen head while the other hand slammed upward abruptly. Five bony fingers shot out, expanding in the wind to transform into five armoured Bone Demons wielding Demon Artifacts of different shapes and sizes. The Demon Qi coming from each Bone Demon was astounding and far beyond the level of a High-Rank Demon King. Although it was not on the level of a Half-Saint, the combined force of these five Demons was not to be underestimated either.
“Hard to kill indeed.” Sheng Yu Zhu swept her gaze around, allowing the five Bone Demons to surround her as she locked her beautiful eyes onto the Bone Demon Half-Saint again.
The Bone Demon Half-Saint placed his head back on his neck and turned it with a slight crack. Once he confirmed that there were no hidden problems with his head, he shouted angrily, “You’ll pay for that!”
Her attack had not caused him any damage, but it had frightened him quite a bit. He had been sure that it was going to be easy to take down the other party in a two-on-one battle, but who could have expected that this woman would be so difficult to deal with? Hence, he suddenly became furious out of shame.
The five Bone Demons gathered around Sheng Yu Zhu immediately took action. Five powerful Demon Artifacts flashed with light and came down on Sheng Yu Zhu all at once, resulting in a loud explosion as her figure was smashed apart.
At the same time, a chill shrouded the Bone Demon Half-Saint’s body. A sword light slashed straight across his eyes seemingly from nowhere. Even though he had long since lost his physical body, he could still feel a chill run up his spine at that moment. Even his hands and feet felt cold. The biggest weakness of Bone Demons was the Soul Fire in their eye sockets. While this Race did not have a Demon Heart, their Soul Fire was their root. If their Soul Fire was extinguished, they would immediately turn into a pile of broken bones. On the flip side, they were practically immortal so long as their Soul Fire remained safe.
*Dang…* A crisp sound rang out as a black shadow appeared out of nowhere. Sparks erupted in all directions as the Shadow Demon stopped Sheng Yu Zhu’s attack and snarled coldly, “Concentrate!”
“I know!” The Bone Demon gritted his teeth, hatred overflowing from the Soul Fire in his eye sockets, “I’m going to skin her alive!”
“Only if you have the ability,” Sheng Yu Zhu’s voice remained calm as the twin sabres in her hands turned into a storm of slashes that enveloped both the Shadow Demon and the Bone Demon.
…..
Somewhere in a swamp, three figures were locked in pursuit. The one fleeing at the forefront was a Demon Race Half-Saint that was emitting a stench of decay similar to a corpse that was resurrected after being buried in the ground for countless years. It was a Half-Saint from the Corpse Demon Clan.
He was being chased by two Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Human Race. One of them was somebody Yang Kai had some friendly relations with, Army Commander of the Fifty-Third Army, Fu Ren Jie.
Fu Ren Jie was pretty lucky. Not long after entering the Source Sealed World, he managed to meet up with a companion. Both of them were Army Commanders from the Star Boundary, so they were quite friendly with each other. After some deliberation, they decided to cooperate on their journey to find the legendary Illusionary Heavens Furnace.
Yang Kai had not concealed the information he received from Sheng Yu Zhu; therefore, all the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary knew to search for the Illusionary Heavens Furnace that would act as the key for them to become a Great Emperor when they entered the Profound Heavens Temple. It was just that even Yang Kai and Sheng Yu Zhu were clueless about the Illusionary Heavens Furnace, so how could the others know any more?
Nevertheless, their harvest has been great so far. There were many precious treasures to be found in this swamp that had long medicinal ages. The two of them had made quite a fortune, but everything would be in vain if they entered the Profound Heavens Temple only to fail to become a Great Emperor.
When the pair suddenly came across a Demon Race aura during their search, they immediately gave chase, which then resulted in the current situation. On the other hand, the Corpse Demon didn’t even stop to consider anything when faced with the prospect of confronting two Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary alone. He instantly turned around to escape; hence, this cat-and-mouse chase had gone on for an entire day. Although the pair tried to attack the Corpse Demon on several occasions during that period, the latter had dexterously dodged and avoided all of those attacks.
“It will be bad if we drag this out any longer! Don’t hold back!” Fu Ren Jie suddenly shouted. He was extremely annoyed that they had failed to tie down the other party after chasing him for so long.
Unfortunately, this was something that could not be helped. If the other party was determined to escape, it would not be easy for them to stop him. Seeing as it wouldn’t do anybody good to continue with this pursuit any longer, Fu Ren Jie was preparing to use some sort of powerful Divine Ability.
The middle-aged man beside Fu Ren Jie nodded and said, “I’ll stop him!”
Along with a series of crackling sounds, a smattering of lightning suddenly appeared around the man’s body. It immediately turned his entire figure into a bolt of lightning as he dashed forward in the direction of the fleeing Demon.
The Corpse Demon seemed to sense the danger coming from behind him and turned around to spew out a dense mass of Corpse Qi. The lightning bolt penetrated the Corpse Qi, however, causing a muffled groan to escape from both sides.
The figure of the middle-aged man appeared a couple thousand metres behind the Corpse Demon with an abnormal flush on his face. It was obvious that the move he used just now put a heavy burden on him; otherwise, he would have intercepted the enemy earlier and not have waited until this moment. Nevertheless, his effort paid off as there was a scorched burn mark on the shoulder of the Corpse Demon, as though he had been struck by lightning.
The World Energy in the world seethed violently and gathered around Fu Ren Jie’s body at that moment. His expression was solemn as she swiftly formed a set of hand seals and pushed his Principle Strength madly.
Thanks to the Profound Heavens Temple being a Source Sealed World, the World Energy was very rich in this place. As a result, both the Humans and the Demons experienced a great increase in the power of their Divine Abilities upon entering.
Following Fu Ren Jie’s actions, a fireball appeared in front of him. The fireball was only the size of a fist, but it was as dazzling as the sun itself. Not to mention, it was exuding a horrifyingly searing heat that made all the muddy water in the swamp evaporate rapidly.
It was conceivable that even the Corpse Demon Half-Saint would be in deep trouble if he was hit by this fireball; however, despite being in an obviously terrible situation with one enemy in front of him and the other behind him, he simply laughed evilly to himself.
The middle-aged man standing behind the Corpse Demon Half-Saint frowned and instinctively felt that something was wrong, “What are you laughing at?”
The Corpse Demon’s laughter gradually grew wilder, causing their eardrums to hurt, “Foolish Humans! Did you think I was trying to escape!? You’re wrong! I was simply buying time to refine them!”
“Refine them?” The middle-aged man frowned, wondering what the Corpse Demon meant.
On the other hand, the Corpse Demon took a deep breath with a look of joy on his face, “The Source Sealed World of the Star Boundary, the Profound Heavens Temple, really is a good place! You only see the various precious treasures lying around you. But, for this King, there are other treasures buried here…”
“Not good! Hurry up and attack!” When the middle-aged man saw the Corpse Demon’s deranged expression, he knew that they could not delay things any further even though he did not know what the other party was about to do. While urging Fu Ren Jie to speed up his preparations, his figure transformed into a flash of lightning again that struck the Corpse Demon like a punishment from the Heavens.
“Come out, my servants!” Intricate patterns flashed across the Corpse Demon’s palms, illuminating dazzling patterns. Then, he pushed his palms downwards sharply.
There was a deafening rush of noises and from the depths of the swamp emerged numerous silhouettes. Hundreds of figures appeared in the blink of an eye. Among those many figures, some headed towards the incoming lightning strike while others headed towards Fu Ren Jie who was in the process of channelling some powerful Secret Technique.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of explosions rang out and amidst the thunder and lightning, the figure of the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor was revealed again, his complexion ashen. Meanwhile, Fu Ren Jie released his ultimate move. It was just that his attack was blocked by the incoming figures before it could approach the Corpse Demon. The flames erupted in all directions, causing more than half of those figures to be blasted into pieces. The power of the Divine Ability that took Fu Ren Jie so much time and energy to prepare was truly extraordinary. Unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain since the attack missed the Corpse Demon.
On the contrary, it was Fu Ren Jie, who performed this Secret Technique, whose breathing became a little uneven instead.
“Corpse Refinement!” The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and shouted, his expression turning slightly grim.
Leaving aside the Corpse Demon Clan’s individual strength, their Innate Divine Ability allowed them to refine corpses for their own use; therefore, the silhouettes that suddenly emerged from the swamp were clearly the Corpse Demon’s Corpse Puppet Army.
However, what made Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor fearful was that there were an abundance of Half-Saints and Pseudo-Great Emperors among these Corpse Puppets! There were not many Half-Saints of course, just two who were obviously corpses that the Corpse Demon had collected back in the Demon Realm.
On the other hand, there were as many as four Pseudo-Great Emperors among the Corpse Puppets! Moreover, the clothes of the four Corpse Puppets clearly indicated a very ancient style of dressing. These four did not seem to belong to the same era as themselves.
Recalling what the Corpse Demon said just now, Fu Ren Jie’s expression changed, “Damn! These must be the corpses of our Seniors who were buried in this place!”
The middle-aged man also came back to his senses, his expression instantly turning solemn. Nobody could have expected that the Corpse Demon would be able to locate so many Pseudo-Great Emperor corpses and refine them in such a short period of time after entering the Profound Heavens Temple.
Be that as it may, it was not surprising either. The Profound Heavens Temple had existed since the beginning of the world and the Grand Dao battle took place many times over that period. There were countless Pseudo-Great Emperors who died here. Not to mention that Corpse Demons were especially sensitive to powerful corpses. It was only natural that he would have a way of locating these remains.
Besides, the physical body of a Pseudo-Great Emperor was inherently powerful and would remain intact under the right circumstances even if they died countless years ago.
Even if a corpse was refined into a Corpse Puppet, it was impossible to draw out the full strength they used to wield before they died. It would be miraculous if they could even draw out 80% of their original strength. However, the number of the Corpse Demon’s Corpse Puppet Army was daunting. Just the Corpse Puppets of the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints alone numbered six. The others were High-Rank Demon Kings. Furthermore, there was also a Corpse Demon Half-Saint watching the situation from the side.
The situation had taken a turn for the worse. It was originally a two-against-one battle, and even if the Corpse Demon had a Corpse Puppet Army under him before, the two of them still stood a fighting chance to win. However, the balance of power had been overturned now that the Corpse Demon had refined four Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets.
“You’ve had a lot of fun chasing this King all day long.” After the Corpse Demon called out his Corpse Puppet Army, he calmly gazed at Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor, his expression overflowing with the sadistic pleasure of getting his revenge, his tone especially harsh, “Did you ever think you would end up in this state when you were chasing this King!?”
While speaking, he thrust out his hands in the direction of Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor. As if receiving some sort of signal, the surrounding Corpse Puppet Army tightened the circle around those two, forcing them into the middle of a siege.
Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor exchanged a glance with each other and their Divine Senses flickered for a moment. Then, they both turned and rushed towards one of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets. At this point, they could only hope to break out of this encirclement before making further plans.
The reason they chose one of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets was mainly because of how long they had been refined. The Corpse Demon had discovered the corpses of the Pseudo-Great Emperors in the Profound Heavens Temple, so he only had a day to refine their corpses. Even if the Corpse Demon could forcefully control these corpses, he should not be able to bring out much of their strength.
In that tense moment, the two figures broke through the barrier of more than ten High-Rank Demon King Corpse Puppets and arrived in front of one of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets in an instant.
Under the control of the Corpse Demon, the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet threw a punch at Fu Ren Jie, but all three of them, Fu Ren Jie, the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor, and the Corpse Demon Half-Saint, couldn’t help frowning when that punch was thrown as the power of that punch seemed to be…
In the next instant, the two figures flashed past and the body of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet exploded into dust.
The Corpse Demon Half-Saint’s eyes widened with an incredulous look, unable to believe what he was seeing, “Wha…”
That was a Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet after all. Even if the refining process had been rushed, it should not have been this vulnerable. He felt as though he had found a great treasure when he discovered these corpses. Unfortunately, he had been discovered by Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor before he could study them carefully. Afterwards, he had refined these corpses while on the run from his pursuers; thus, even he was unaware of the state these Pseudo-Great Emperor corpses were in. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised that what he regarded as treasures were actually just paper tigers.
Similarly, Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor seemed to catch on to this point and did not leave after breaking through the siege. Instead, they glanced at each other and turned back. Spreading out, they each headed towards a Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet.
Two explosions rang out and the two Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets targeted by Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor exploded into dust.
These corpses were completely vulnerable.
Although their bodies emitted the aura of a Pseudo-Great Emperor during the refining process, it was only true for their outer appearance. They looked strong on the outside but were empty on the inside, like hollow shells. The amusing thing was that the Corpse Demon Half-Saint had used these four Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets as his trump card.
Looking at the face of the Corpse Demon Half-Saint, the two of them knew that he was just as surprised as they were. Fu Ren Jie grinned lightly and looked at the Corpse Demon, “You’re dead now!”
They originally thought that the opponent had managed to turn the situation around on them, so they had no choice but to flee for their lives. Who could have known that such an unexpected accident would occur? Without those four Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppets, how could Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor fear this Corpse Demon?
[Perhaps it has been too long and the bodies of these four Pseudo-Great Emperors have long since decayed…] Fu Ren Jie thought to himself.
Likewise, the Corpse Demon had noticed that something was wrong. His thoughts flashed for a moment and the remaining Corpse Puppet Army rushed towards Fu Ren Jie and the middle-aged Pseudo-Great Emperor. Meanwhile, he turned and fled instead.
He could hear various noises coming from behind him while at the same time, his heart bled as he felt his Soul Imprints disappearing one after another! That Corpse Puppet Army was something he had accumulated over the course of his entire life after all. It would seem that all of them would be buried here today. What’s more, losing his Corpse Puppet Army would mean that his strength would be greatly reduced as a result.
There was only one question circling deep in his heart. [What is wrong with those four Pseudo-Great Emperor corpses that I found!? Even with the erosion of countless years, there is no reason for them to be so fragile!]
When he urgently investigated the last of the Pseudo-Great Emperor Corpse Puppet, he found that the corpse itself was completely rotten. He had made a huge mistake. At this point, he could no longer worry about the fate of his Corpse Puppet Army, all he could do right now was find one of his companions as soon as possible and join forces with them in order to stand a fighting chance against those two.
…..
An agonised scream rang out across the rolling grasslands. A Stone Demon Half-Saint half-knelt on the ground as his powerful lifeforce slowly bled out of him. He was covered in countless wounds and fresh blood was flowing freely from those injuries. The surrounding area around him was a mess, evidently caused by the fallout of a great battle.
Although the Stone Demon Half-Saint was severely injured, he would not die so quickly. He would even recover completely given the chance to treat his wounds. It was a pity that this was the Profound Heavens Temple where the Grand Dao battle took place. There were enemies and dangers on all sides, so who would give him the time to recuperate?
Beside him stood three figures in a triangle formation. Their Divine Senses were firmly locked on him so that a barrage of attacks would immediately rain down on him if he so much as moved a finger. Naturally, those three were Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary. If they had not joined forces together, they would not have been able to back a Half-Saint into a corner so quickly.
“Tell us the secrets of the Profound Heavens Temple and we’ll give you a swift death,” one of the Pseudo-Great Emperors said coldly. Just like how Yang Kai had tried to inquire about the Profound Heavens Temple from the Sand Demon Half-Saint, many other Pseudo-Great Emperors had the same idea.
Everybody knew that the Demon Realm had Can Ye on their side. As a former Star Boundary Great Emperor who had once entered the Profound Heavens Temple and participated in the Grand Dao battle, Can Ye was sure to know exactly what secrets there were in the Profound Heavens Temple. Furthermore, what he knew would surely be passed on to the Half-Saints that entered this place.
“Heh heh…” The Stone Demon Half-Saint looked miserable, but even so, he laughed when he heard those words and a rebellious look appeared on his face. Sweeping his gaze over the three people surrounding him, he spoke in a hoarse voice, “I will only tell one person. Who should it be?”
The first Pseudo-Great Emperor coldly snorted at those words, “Don’t try to sow discord among us. Answer us truthfully and quickly! Otherwise, I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
The Stone Demon looked at him frostily, “What if I refuse to tell you? What can you do to me?”
“Stubborn bastard!” The first Pseudo-Great Emperor coldly snorted before turning to look at an elderly man next to her, she continued, “Old Chen, your Soul cultivation is the strongest among the three of us. We will have to count on you for this.”
The elderly man called Old Chen nodded in response, “Of course. Please rest assured, this Old Master swears on his Martial Heart that he will share whatever he learns with the two of you, if I learn anything at all. There will be no hidden secrets.”
“Many thanks, Old Chen.” The first Pseudo-Great Emperor and another man thanked him in unison.
“Please stand guard for me. While this fellow is an arrow at the end of its flight, he is still a Half-Saint. We must not underestimate him,” Old Chen stepped forward and walked towards the Stone Demon.
“Of course,” The other two responded and stepped forward together.
The Stone Demon panicked slightly, gritting gritted his teeth as he roared, “You want to search my Soul!? In your dreams!”
While saying that, a dangerous aura began to fluctuate all over his body.
“You wish!” The first Pseudo-Great Emperor shouted tenderly and with a shift of her body, she arrived at the Stone Demon’s side and placed a slender jade finger to the Stone Demon’s forehead. At the same time, the other man gave a soft whistle, one that sounded like some kind of bird song, but it was extremely pervasive and hypnotic.
The jade finger tapped against the Stone Demon’s forehead and his aura suddenly reduced considerably. In addition, the struggling look on his face weakened significantly after listening to that soft whistling sound. His dangerous aura calmed down a lot as a result.
Old Chen nodded lightly and walked over to the Stone Demon Half-Saint before whispering, “Look into my eyes…”
That voice seemed to contain some sort of peculiar power and the Stone Demon was already being suppressed by the two Pseudo-Great Emperors; thus, he involuntarily looked into Old Chen’s eyes upon hearing those words. Looking into that gaze gave him the feeling that the elderly man’s eyes were spinning and rotating in a strange manner that engulfed his entire mind. His expression instantly went blank.
If the Stone Demon had been at the peak of his power, Old Chen would not have been able to do anything to the other party even with his Soul Secret Technique. It was just that the other party had been beaten half to death by their combined power; moreover, his Spiritual Energy was being suppressed at the moment. How could he resist Old Chen’s technique?
The two Pseudo-Great Emperors standing next to them couldn’t help breathing quickly in excitement at the sight. What secrets were hidden in the Profound Heavens Temple? Where exactly was the Illusionary Heavens Furnace located? How exactly do they become a Great Emperor? These were all the things that they were eager to know. It was a pity that nobody in the Star Boundary could give them the answers, but the Stone Demon in front of them was the best person to obtain this information from.
It had only been a few days since the Profound Heavens Temple opened; therefore, the three of them would be ahead of many other people if they could get first-hand information from this Stone Demon. Whether or not they shared this information with other Pseudo-Great Emperors later would depend on the situation at hand.
As for whether or not Old Chen would hide any secrets from them, there was no need to worry. Seeing as he had sworn an oath on his Martial Heart, he would have to pay a steep price in order to deceive them. If he caused a crack to appear in his Martial Heart, there was a high possibility that he would lose his chance to become a Great Emperor in this lifetime.
It could be said that if the three of them could obtain this first-hand information, then they would surely be able to take the lead in the upcoming Grand Dao battle. They would also have a better chance of becoming the Great Emperor.
The moment that thought crossed their minds, both the middle-aged woman and the other man couldn’t help but stare at the Stone Demon with fiery eyes. It was as though the person in front of them was not part of the hated Demon Race but a plate of mouth-watering delicacies.
At that moment, Old Chen was investigating the secrets within the Stone Demon’s Knowledge Sea when his expression suddenly changed drastically. His aura burst out violently without any warning, catching the middle-aged woman and other man off guard, sending them flying from the impact as a result.
“What happened!?” That man was furious, thinking that Old Chen had found some incredible information and attacked them because he was unwilling to share it with them. If that was really the case, then it only went to show that Old Chen was very short-sighted indeed. However, he realised at a glance that the situation was not what he had initially thought.
[Old Chen’s condition…]
“Something… seems to be wrong with Old Chen.” The middle-aged woman had also noticed the abnormality of the situation and stared straight ahead while speaking.
At this moment, two streams of blood were flowing out from Old Chen’s eyes. Not only that, but his face was also flushed red. A turbulent wave of Spiritual Essence erupted like a tide from his head, as though he was suffering from a dissonance in his cultivation.
“Xue… Xue Li!” Old Chen gritted his teeth and roared, staggering backwards. He was unable to control himself and fell to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth and his aura quickly weakened.
“What!?” The middle-aged woman’s beautiful face turned pale and instinctively checked her surroundings. The meaning behind the name ‘Xue Li’ was something all the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary knew. It was referring to one of the Demon Saints, an existence that was equivalent to a Great Emperor. It was just… could a Demon Saint enter the Profound Heavens Temple?
“A Soul Seal!” The other man was quick-thinking and immediately caught on to what was going on, calling out in alarm, “There was a Soul Seal in the Stone Demon’s Knowledge Sea! We were tricked!”
Realisation dawned on the middle-aged woman at those words. Only then did she realise that Xue Li had not entered the Profound Heavens Temple. Rather, he had left a seal in the Stone Demon’s Knowledge Sea that caused Old Chen to suffer.
“Save… Save me!” Blood was flowing out of Old Chen’s seven orifices as he cried out for help. Even the two Pseudo-Great Emperors next to him could clearly perceive that he was fighting against some sort of power inside his own body, and that power undoubtedly originated from the Demon Saint, Xue Li!
The middle-aged woman and the man looked at each other and saw the conflicting emotions in each other’s eyes. The reputation of the Demon Saints was too intimidating; thus, they did not have the courage nor the confidence to fight one. It would not be worthwhile if they not only failed to save Old Chen but also fell into trouble themselves. Even so, it was unbearable to just watch Old Chen suffering without doing anything. What’s more… Xue Li only planted a Soul Seal in the Knowledge Sea of the Stone Demon, so the power he could exert should be limited.
There was only a brief hesitation before the two of them moved in unison and came to Old Chen’s side. They each pressed a finger on Old Chen’s forehead, one on the left and one on the right. Their Divine Senses surged as they couldn’t afford to care about anything else at the moment. When their Soul Avatars rushed into Old Chen’s Knowledge Sea, their expressions changed drastically.
About half an hour later, both the middle-aged woman and man suddenly opened their eyes and gasped for breath. Their complexions were pale and looking at each other, they saw the horror in each other’s eyes.
“We were careless!” The middle-aged woman gritted her teeth. Who could have known that Xue Li would leave a Soul Wisp in a Half-Saint’s Knowledge Sea? Even if the other party was a Demon Saint, doing something like this would still be a huge burden for him.
Just a mere Soul Wisp had given the three Pseudo-Great Emperors such a difficult time. The strength that the other party could exert might not be stronger than any one of them individually, but Xue Li’s mastery of his strength was far above anything those three could even hope to compete with. Not to mention, the battlefield was located within Old Chen’s Knowledge Sea, so the movements of both the middle-aged woman and the man were somewhat restricted. On the other hand, Xue Li’s Soul Wisp had no such scruples.
While they eventually managed to destroy Xue Li’s Soul Wisp in this difficult battle, the price they had to pay was not small. The man glanced at Old Chen with a sad look on his face, “Old Chen, he…”
Likewise, the middle-aged woman had a gloomy look on her face as she sighed heavily, “His life is in no danger, but…”
“Let’s find a place to hide for now,” the man suggested.
“En. That’s our best option right now.”
A short while later, the middle-aged woman stuck her head into a cave, and once she confirmed that there was nothing dangerous inside, she drew upon her Divine Sense and sent a message. The man soon entered this place with an unconscious Old Chen on his back, placed Old Chen down in a clean place, and went back outside the cave to make preparations.
Old Chen was in a coma for three whole days and when he finally did awaken, as a Pseudo-Great Emperor, he knew exactly what kind of situation he was in even though he had been unconscious the entire time. The gazes of his two companions immediately turned to look at him the moment he opened his eyes and the middle-aged woman asked with concern, “How are you feeling, Old Chen?”
Old Chen coughed slightly, forced himself to sit up, and laughed bitterly, “We tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead.”
The other man said, “Who could have imagined that Xue Li would set up something like that… Old Chen, you…”
Old Chen raised his hand to stop the other man, “I know my own situation best. I’m afraid I won’t be able to participate in this Grand Dao battle anymore.”
His demeanour might seem rather light and carefree, but both the middle-aged woman and the other man could see the deep despair and unwillingness in his eyes. Who would be willing to accept something like this? The Grand Dao battle was a monumental event that only occurred once every few tens of thousands of years. It was an opportunity many Pseudo-Great Emperors never experienced even after waiting for their whole lives. It was not easy for the opportunity to reach the peak of the Martial Dao to come by, but Old Chen ended up in this state so quickly after the Grand Dao battle began.
He might have received help from his two companions and retained his life as a result, but his Soul had been gravely injured in the process. This kind of wound was something that completely cut off his future path toward the Martial Dao. Moreover, he would never recover from the trauma to his Soul for the rest of his life. Falling from the Pseudo-Great Emperor Realm was only a matter of time.
It could even be said that the Grand Dao battle no longer had anything to do with him. It was only thanks to many millennia of mental tempering and cultivation that he did not go insane. If anybody else went through something like that, there was a good chance they would have immediately gone crazy and committed suicide.
“This is simply my fate. However, I did find a piece of information, so my sacrifice was not in vain,” He gave a self-deprecating laugh, then he looked at his two companions with a solemn expression, “This information must be passed on no matter what. Inform our other companions and let them be vigilant. Don’t let them follow in my footsteps.”
“Don’t worry. We will definitely let the others know if we meet them.” The middle-aged woman nodded solemnly.
The other man sighed, “It’s such a pity. If only the Space Beacons could be used…”
They immediately discovered the drawbacks of being unable to use the Space Beacons when they arrived in this place, which ultimately resulted in the inability to transmit vital information to one another.
“The two of you have accompanied this old man for so many days. Don’t delay here any longer. Please go quickly. My sacrifice will be in vain if you miss this opportunity. I can only trouble the two of you to bring me along with you.”
The middle-aged woman replied, “Old Chen, if you can trust me, I will do everything possible to ensure your safety.”
Old Chen smiled, “How can I not believe you?”
The middle-aged woman nodded, took out a World Bead, and stretched out a hand towards him, “Please.”
Old Chen relaxed his mind and was instantly transported into the World Bead.
Inside the cave, the middle-aged woman and her only remaining companion exchanged a glance with each other before she spoke, “Let’s go. We need to meet up with the others as soon as possible.”
The man had no objection.
Inside the World Bead, Old Chen’s expression was gloomy as two tracks of tears made their way down his cheeks…
It had only been less than ten days since the Profound Heavens Temple opened, but great battles had already broken out everywhere. A fight would basically occur whenever the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints encountered each other.
The Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary were more restrained in their movements as there were more Half-Saints after all. Furthermore, they were completely clueless about the situation in the Profound Heavens Temple. They were disadvantaged due to the lack of information, so they did not want to cause too much trouble before they figured out what was going on. However, if they had an absolute advantage in numbers, such as in the case of Old Chen’s group, they didn’t mind killing off a few Half-Saints.
Compared to the Pseudo-Great Emperors, the Half-Saints were much more radical and acted ruthlessly as long as they had the slightest advantage.
In just a short span of ten days, as many as six Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints died in the Profound Heavens Temple, an extremely terrifying number. The war between the two worlds had gone on for so many years and involved hundreds of millions of cultivators, but even so, less than 20 Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints combined had died. The brutality and bloodshed of the Grand Dao battle were evident.
With the passage of time, the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints continued to encounter companions from their respective camps and joined forces. No matter how big the Profound Heavens Temple was, there were limits to its size, so it was inevitable for them to occasionally run into each other when they were all in the same Sealed World.
Nevertheless, whether they were a Pseudo-Great Emperor or a Half-Saint, they would instantly be turned into mummified corpses if they died in the Profound Heavens Temple, as though they were being sucked dry by some kind of invisible force.
With the deaths of those Masters, the chaotic aura around the Giant Furnace located in the deepest part of the Profound Heavens Temple became more and more apparent. Accordingly, the darkness surrounding it also became much lighter.
*Hu…*
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai gently exhaled and the emerald light surrounding his body gradually disappeared. All the injuries he sustained during his battle with the Sand Demon Half-Saint were finally healed. That was not all; he had learned a great deal about his own shortcomings after digesting his experiences from his last battle.
After all, that was the first Half-Saint in peak condition whom he fought and killed all on his own. All sorts of details from the battle had been constantly replaying in Yang Kai’s mind over the past few days and he was confident that if he was given another chance now, he would be able to win against that Half-Saint with far less effort, though it would likely need to sustain quite severe injuries again. Unfortunately, there would always be a price to pay if he wanted to kill his opponent.
[Strength! I need greater strength! I am only a High-Rank Demon King right now. If I can become a Half-Saint…] Yang Kai clenched his fists tightly. There were countless opportunities in the Profound Heavens Temple, so who could say whether he might be able to become a Half-Saint in this place?
Inside the jungle, an approximately 10-metre-tall giant wolf darted from tree to tree. That giant wolf was covered in silver fur that was spotless, soft, and smooth. Moreover, it had a strong and noble figure. The aura it exuded was impressive, equivalent to a peak Monster King. Its pale blue eyes flickered with a cold light and it would look around its surroundings from time to time with an almost humanised expression.
At a certain moment, the silver giant wolf abruptly stopped in its tracks, cocked its ears, and listened to something carefully. Then, it turned around and ran off in another direction.
Over a thousand kilometres away from where the giant silver wolf was located, a violent energy was running rampant inside a deep mountain valley. There were several figures colliding and clashing with each other in a great battle. The impact of these powerful forces stirred up everything in the mountain valley, causing a hazy and dusty atmosphere to fill the air. It should have been a place with extremely beautiful scenery, but it was now a completely dilapidated mess.
Sword Qi flashed, followed by an icy burst of Sword Intent. The entire mountain valley was shrouded in ice and the ground was covered with frost. Amidst the clashing sounds, a slender figure was pushed back several dozen metres.
Bing Yun immediately stabilised her stance, her fair face flushing with a faint tinge of red. Suppressing the churning vitality in her body, she furrowed her brow together deeply as she stared hard at the two enemies overflowing with Demon Qi in front of her. One was tall and the other was short.
Understanding her situation, she sighed softly, [This is going to be very troublesome.]
She had encountered these two Half-Saints by chance in the Profound Heavens Temple. Unfortunately, she was alone while there were two enemies. Hence, there was nothing much to say about her situation. A battle immediately broke out between them and although Bing Yun was determined to escape, the opposing two Half-Saints naturally would never give her the chance to flee. They chased her all this way into this mountain valley and eventually blocked off all her escape routes. Forced into a corner, Bing Yun turned to confront them instead.
While she was also a Pseudo-Great Emperor, she only became one some ten years ago. How could she compare to the two veteran Half-Saints who had centuries of accumulation behind them, much less when the two of them were working together?
The way forward was rather rocky seeing as she could neither escape nor win against them. Even so, Bing Yun’s expression remained cold and indifferent. She had been cultivating for so many years now that she had long since become indifferent to the prospect of death. Along the way, she enjoyed all the beautiful sceneries of life and was also more than fortunate to participate in this event that only occurred once in tens of thousands of years. Even if she lost her life in the Profound Heavens Temple, she would not have any regrets.
The only thing she could not forget was Yang Kai. She had already made plans to protect him before she entered the Profound Heavens Temple. She was supposed to support him together with Yang Yan so that he could seize that one and only opportunity to become a Great Emperor and rescue the Star Boundary from its current crisis. Unfortunately, more than ten days had passed since she entered this place and while she came across many good things during this time, she could not find any trace of Yang Kai.
[But… Forget it. I can’t even take care of myself right now. There’s no time to worry about others.] Bing Yun took a small breath and raised her longsword as Ice Principles churned around her.
On the opposite side, the two Demon Race Half-Saints stared at Bing Yun coldly. The taller one had scarlet eyes and even his hair seemed to be dyed with fresh blood. It was obvious that he belonged to the Blood Demon Clan. Meanwhile, the shorter one was full of muscles and explosive power. He was clearly from the Strength Demon Clan.
The two Demons had joined forces to suppress Bing Yun which made this quite a simple matter. As long as nothing unexpected occurred, this battle was destined to end with her death. What the two of them had to do was finish this battle at the smallest price possible.
The Blood Demon stared at the flawless woman dressed in white in front of him, stuck out his tongue, and licked his lips, “There is a smell of ice. Her blood will definitely be delicious. Don’t kill her later. I want to drink every single drop of her blood.”
The Strength Demon coldly snorted, “Kill first, talk later.”
The woman in front of him was certainly a stunning beauty, it was just that… Having reached this level of cultivation and strength, what kind of woman had he not seen before? Needless to say, he was not going to let his guard down just because of a beautiful woman. No matter how beautiful the woman opposite him was, she was still a Pseudo-Great Emperor. She might be able to drag one of them down with her in a desperate counterattack.
“Fine, fine, how boring!” The Blood Demon did not dig his heels in on this matter. While speaking, he inadvertently glanced at a rocky outcropping not far away and smiled contemptuously.
Likewise, the Strength Demon also glanced in that direction, snorted coldly, and stopped paying attention to whatever was in that direction.
In the next moment, the Blood Demon transformed into a streak of bloody light and rushed towards Bing Yun, followed closely by the Strength Demon. Although the Strength Demon’s speed was slower, the ground shattered under his feet as he moved and his punch blasted out before he even arrived. Moreover, his fist was shrouded in an aura that seemed capable of shattering worlds.
Bing Yun’s expression remained unchanged as she drew a large circle in front of her with her long sword. Ice Principles filled the air along with a chill cold enough to penetrate the heart. The large circle was followed by a smaller circle, and then another even smaller circle. Circle after circle, the concentric rings intertwined, seemingly derived from each other with a sense of infinity.
The Blood Demon plunged straight into the endless Sword Circles and his bare figure was revealed in an instant. When the Sword Intent swept across him, his clothes were cut to pieces and countless small wounds appeared on his skin. However, the fresh blood that flowed from the wound seemed almost like a sentient creature, transforming into numerous Blood Snakes that penetrated the barrier formed by the Sword Circles and attacked Bing Yun directly.
Bing Yun frowned in response and while continuing to draw circles with her sword, she fluttered backwards in retreat.
Meanwhile, the Strength Demon emerged out of nowhere, falling from the sky and smashing his fists downward. There was a loud explosion and the interlocking Sword Circles lost their shape, opening a flaw in Bing Yun’s defences.
At that moment, the Blood Demon took the opportunity to slip through and let out a maniacal laugh, “Surrender without a fight if you know what’s good for you! You’ll suffer less that way!”
He was still fervently hoping to capture her alive in order to refine her blood little by little at a later date, but in the next moment, he frowned. A hostile look appeared on his face and he looked to the side and snapped, “An ant that doesn’t know its place!”
Just as he was about to make his move, a ten-metre-tall and unbelievably robust silver giant wolf suddenly leapt out of the rocky outcropping with its fangs bared. Its huge figure moved about with unimaginable agility as it opened its mouth wide to bite off the Blood Demon’s head.
The Blood Demon was so furious that he laughed instead. This silver giant wolf might look quite extraordinary, but it was still just a Monster Beast comparable to a Monster King in strength. He did not know if it had lost its mind or something for it to gain the courage to attack him.
In any case, he had already noticed the wolf when it first appeared in this place. The gap in their strength was massive after all. Besides, he was certain that he was not the only one who noticed it. His companion and the Human woman had most certainly noticed this wolf too. It was just that a Monster King had no right to intervene in a battle between a Pseudo-Great Emperor and Half-Saints, so the three of them had ignored it completely. At least… until this moment when the silver giant wolf suddenly attacked.
This situation was no different from a child rushing into an adult’s battle; thus, the Blood Demon was amazed by how ignorant and fearless this wolf was. He raised his hand and pointed, and while no force seemed to appear from his finger, the silver giant wolf lunging at him suddenly whimpered. All the blood in its body began to boil and its originally robust body began to swell up in a very short time. It didn’t take long before it exploded into a blood mist with a loud bang.
Blood Demons were masters when it came to blood manipulation. As long as blood existed, it would serve as the foundation for them to perform their Secret Techniques. Although the giant silver wolf was equivalent to a Monster King and was quite powerful, how could it withstand the force behind a Blood Demon Half-Saint’s attack?
Seeming to have expected this result, the Blood Demon ignored the giant silver wolf after pointing his finger at it and turned his attention back to Bing Yun. Contrary to his expectations, however, he suddenly saw a new figure out of the corner of his eyes. The figure appeared out of nowhere from the middle of the blood mist that used to be the silver wolf just now.
The Blood Demon turned pale in shock, but before he could even see what was going on, he turned into a bloody light and quickly retreated.
At that moment, a cold light was released and a spear shadow thrust out. The whole world seemed to become frozen for a moment.
Bing Yun’s Sword Intent had been disrupted, so her aura was slightly disordered as a result. Glancing at the figure who popped up in front of her without any warning, surprise flashed across her eyes; then, she immediately broke into a smile.
[So, that’s how it is! No wonder the Monster Beast on the level of a Monster King acted so foolishly and even dared to intervene in a battle that was beyond its level.] She originally thought that the reason behind the silver giant wolf’s behaviour was that it had yet to gain sentience. Now it would seem that it had nothing to do with its intelligence at all. It was obvious that it was being controlled by somebody else; after all, a Monster Beast would act according to instinct even before it gained sentience and no Monster Beast would be so stupid as to throw itself to its death.
When Bing Yun broke out into a smile, the Blood Demon who retreated previously widened his eyes abruptly instead, his scarlet pupils trembling violently as he gritted his teeth and shouted, “Yang Kai!”
The figure that had appeared without any warning from the middle of the blood mist was none other than the target that the Demon Saints had specifically ordered to kill!
At this moment, the person who was regarded as a thorn in the side by all the Demon Race Half-Saints was standing with his back to the Blood Demon. Yang Kai was holding a spear with both hands. In addition, there was a short and sturdy figure pierced through on the tip of his spear. That figure was the Strength Demon from before.
The Azure Dragon Spear and been thrust through the Strength Demon’s chest and out through his back, piercing a hole right through him. An injury of this level was not something that could be taken lightly even for a Half-Saint.
Hanging from the tip of the Azure Dragon Spear, the Strength Demon stared at Yang Kai who was standing less than a metre away from him, his eyes widened with a look of disbelief mixed with a trace of bloodthirsty hatred.
This had started off as a two-on-one battle where the Demons held the upper hand. Who could have expected Yang Kai to pop up out of nowhere? The perfect situation turned around in an instant because of his appearance.
Yang Kai tilted his head and glanced at the Strength Demon with a sinister smile curling the corners of his mouth, “Surprised? Happy to see me?”
The Strength Demon grunted, gripping the Azure Dragon Spear with both hands as he squirmed and exerted force into his hands, as if trying to pull it out.
“Well? Say something!” Yang Kai flicked his wrist and a Dragon Roar immediately sounded from the Azure Dragon Spear. A wave of Supreme Dragon Pressure, along with Yang Kai’s Martial Truth flooded into the Strength Demon’s body through his open wound like a raging tide.
The Strength Demon opened his mouth and spat out a large amount of blood, his expression suddenly becoming livid.
Fresh blood sprayed down and drenched Yang Kai’s face, but he did not flinch. The crimson liquid only made his smile seem even more wicked than before, as if a malevolent Devil Lord was standing here.
The aura coming from Yang Kai made Bing Yun, who was standing behind him, frown slightly and she couldn’t help feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“Die!” The Strength Demon suddenly opened his mouth and roared. He stopped trying to pull himself from the spear and instead used it to propel himself closer and smashed his fist down on Yang Kai. His desperate blow was fuelled by all the strength he could muster and space shattered in response.
Unperturbed, Yang Kai held the spear in one hand, clenched his other hand into a fist, and punched. When the two fists clashed against each other, a huge shockwave spread out into the surroundings from where they stood.
There was a series of cracking noises which sounded like bones breaking as the Strength Demon was thrown backwards into the sky. Likewise, Yang Kai couldn’t help being pushed back several dozen metres, his feet carving deep pits into the ground. Furthermore, the earth split apart in a spiderweb of crevices centred around where he once stood.
“Senior, I’ll leave the rest to you! Keep him alive!” After Yang Kai stabilised his stance, he did not attack again immediately and instead, he hurriedly left those words behind before curling his body up slightly and launching himself in the direction of the Blood Demon like a meteor.
Starting from the time when the silver wolf appeared and launched an attack to the time the Blood Demon caused the silver wolf to explode with a single finger, to the time Yang Kai showed up out of nowhere and skewered the Strength Demon Half-Saint with his spear; everything had happened in less than a couple of breaths. The changes had occurred so quickly that the Blood Demon had no time to rescue his companion, and by now, the Strength Demon was already badly wounded.
It wasn’t that the Strength Demon was lacking in any way. It was just that he had been focusing solely on Bing Yun. How could he have expected Yang Kai to attack out of the blue? Furthermore, the sharpness of the Azure Dragon Spear had already been verified by the life of the Stone Demon Half-Saint who died at Yang Kai’s hands in Star Soul Palace. How could the body of a Strength Demon defend against that?
A moment of carelessness had caused the Strength Demon to lose most of his combat effectiveness; therefore, Bing Yun was fully capable of handling the rest. She was a Pseudo-Great Emperor after all, so there was no reason why she could not win against a seriously injured Strength Demon Half-Saint.
During that moment when the Blood Demon froze in surprise, Yang Kai had already arrived in front of him and the sound of a Dragon Roar came from the Azure Dragon Spear. With a solemn expression, Yang Kai thrust out his spear at his enemy.
Struck by the spear, the Blood Demon reacted as though he had been struck by lightning. His entire body stiffened in place and a big hole where the Azure Dragon Spear had pierced through his chest appeared, the expression on his face was filled with shock.
“Trying to escape!? In your dreams!” Yang Kai took no joy in his successful attack as he withdrew his spear, ignored the Blood Demon before him, and rushed towards another direction with a flash of his body.
Following Yang Kai’s departure, the ‘Blood Demon’, whose body had been pierced cleanly, suddenly melted into a puddle of blood water and vanished out of sight. This was clearly not the Blood Demon’s true body. It was simply a Secret Technique he cast to create a distraction.
There was no saving the Strength Demon, and with Yang Kai and Bing Yun working together, the Blood Demon did not dare to confront them. It was better to escape as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Yang Kai immediately saw through his plans.
A streak of blood light sped through the sky at a high speed, emitting the aura of a Half-Saint. Moreover, that aura was fluctuating erratically as though it had suffered a great fright and was desperately fleeing like a stray dog. The blood light suddenly stopped moving, revealing the figure of the Blood Demon Half-Saint, his scarlet eyes glaring fearfully ahead of himself.
Space rippled and Yang Kai slowly walked out of the Void with a cold glare on his face, “Are you trying to escape from me? Is your head alright?”
The Blood Escape Technique was an unrivalled Secret Technique when it came to fleeing whether it be in the Demon Realm or the Star Boundary. Few escape methods could compare to it and it could definitely rank among the top three techniques in terms of speed alone. Blood Demons relied on the Blood Escape Technique to get away from strong enemies and survive dangerous situations on multiple occasions. It was a pity the opponent this time was Yang Kai! In front of Instantaneous Movement, all other escape methods were completely useless.
The Blood Demon’s path forward was blocked, and he could also vaguely sense a freezing aura approaching from behind. That Human woman had probably finished dealing with his companion and was rushing over to provide support. A hideous expression flashed across the Blood Demon’s face as he snarled, “Yang Kai, let me go if you know what’s good for you. You won’t get out of this unscathed either if I fight to the death!”
Yang Kai grinned at the Blood Demon, “The barking of a beat dog is truly grating on the ears!”
By the time the last word left his mouth, all that was left where he stood was an afterimage. His true body rushed towards the Blood Demon with the Azure Dragon Spear in hand and thrust out.
The Blood Demon let out a furious howl, after which he exploded and transformed into a Blood Sea that enveloped Yang Kai.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai frowned and said through gritted teeth, “A man unafraid to sacrifice his arm is truly difficult to deal with!”
The spear began to dance, filling the Blood Sea with endless spear shadows. Numerous black balls appeared at the tip of the spear. Following that, large patches of the blood vanished without a trace…
By the time Bing Yun rushed over, she saw Yang Kai getting rid of the last of the blood and a look of astonishment swept across her eyes, “Did you… kill him?”
The Blood Sea was a Blood Demon’s foundation, so how could the Blood Demon survive if Yang Kai got rid of the Blood Sea? He would die without a doubt. Nevertheless, that was simply unbelievable. When Yang Kai had severely injured the Strength Demon previously, he had relied on the element of surprise and his enemy’s negligence to pull that off. However, it was shocking that he could kill a Blood Demon Half-Saint in such a short time. Even Li Wu Yi would not be capable of doing that if he came here himself.
For a moment, Bing Yun felt as though she was dreaming.
Knowing what she was thinking, Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “We were tricked. It wasn’t his true body. I think it was something similar to an Avatar.”
As a Half-Saint, how could the Blood Demon not have a few life-saving techniques? His Avatar was something even Yang Kai had failed to see through, and for that reason, Yang Kai had chased the Blood Demon all this way, thinking that he had managed to intercept the enemy. He had no plans of fighting the Blood Demon alone as what happened a few days ago was still fresh in his memory. Besides, he had no wish to enter retreat again in order to treat his wounds.
Fortunately, it would not take Bing Yun much effort to finish off that injured Strength Demon, so as long as Yang Kai could delay things until she came to provide support, he was confident they could defeat the Blood Demon in a two-against-one battle. If that were the case, the price they would have to pay would be negligible. However, Yang Kai immediately noticed something was off the moment he attacked. The Blood Demon’s power was considerably weaker than what was displayed earlier. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do at this point even if he noticed that something was wrong.
He sighed softly, “What a pity.”
Bing Yun said, “There’s nothing worth regretting. That Blood Demon was forced to pay a heavy price to escape and probably won’t be able to participate in the Grand Dao battle anymore. All he can do now is find a hiding place to lick his wounds.”
“Senior is right,” Yang Kai nodded at those words, the depressed feeling in his heart dissipating instantly. Turning to look at what she was holding in her hand, he smiled, “Senior, you work fast.”
What she was holding in her hand was none other than the Strength Demon he had severely injured with his spear earlier. It was just that the Half-Saint was completely wrapped in ice now. Despite looking like he had been frozen alive, his vitality was still present, so it was obvious he wasn’t dead yet.
It was not an easy feat to capture a Half-Saint alive even if the other party was severely injured. Even so, Bing Yun managed to achieve that within such a short time. It was clear that her foundation was not as weak as it seemed on the surface.
“How could I have captured him if you had not injured him first?” A complicated look flashed across her eyes. She thought back to the first time she met Yang Kai. He had only been in the Third-Order Dao Source Realm Junior back then. On the other hand, she was already a Third-Order Emperor. Although her cultivation remained one Realm higher than his after all these years, there was no way her real combat power could compare with his. The growth rate of this young boy who came from the same homeland as her was simply astounding. Such a chaotic time in the world was precisely when the extraordinary would grow and flourish. Be that as it may, the person in front of her was clearly the best of all those existences.
[My two Disciples sure have a good eye for people.] Bing Yun mused to herself.
“Are you planning to search his Knowledge Sea?” She asked. Seeing as Yang Kai had specifically asked to keep the opponent alive, that could only mean that he planned to interrogate the opponent for information. However, Half-Saints were stubborn, so how could they possibly give up the information so easily? The only way to gain information was to search their Soul, “If so, I advise you to give up on that idea. I’ve received information that the Demon Saints have done something to these Half-Saints’ Knowledge Seas. There is a seal placed on their Soul so you will immediately suffer from the backlash if you try to search their Knowledge Seas.”
“Oh? Does everybody already know about it?” Yang Kai was surprised. He had planned to tell the others about this information when he learned about it. Unfortunately, he could not contact anybody and he also urgently needed to treat his wounds, so he had given up on the notion. [I wonder how this information got out. Is it related to that person who was spying on me from the shadows?]
“You know about it too?” Bing Yun was stunned.
A frightened look filled Yang Kai’s face as he replied honestly, “I nearly died finding out.”
If not for the fact that his Soul cultivation was more powerful than any Pseudo-Great Emperor or Half-Saint, and if not for the fact that he had the Soul Warming Lotus, he would not be standing here right now.
“But, I was not planning to search his Soul. There’s another way to learn what we need.” Yang Kai smiled and reached out to take the Strength Demon who was frozen in ice. He then turned to her and added, “Senior, please help me stand guard.”
She nodded in response, “En.”
With a shift of his body, Yang Kai instantly vanished along with the Strength Demon. All that was left behind was a longan-sized bead in his place.
Bing Yun reached out and caught the bead. After studying it carefully, she murmured pensively, “Is this the original Sealed World Bead?”
The Sealed World Bead in Yang Kai’s possession was no longer a secret. She had also seen it before from afar. Nevertheless, it was her first time holding it in her hand like this.
It was said that the World Beads that each army held were modelled after this Sealed World Bead. She herself had one of the World Beads in her possession, so she was no stranger to this feeling. However, the World Beads could not compare to the Sealed World Bead at all. Be it in terms of the interior area or World Principles, they were as different as clouds and mud.
It was hard to imagine that there was a Great World contained inside this tiny bead. Furthermore, Yang Kai controlled everything in that world as the Master of the Sealed World Bead!
[Perhaps… He might actually get some information.] At that thought, Bing Yun couldn’t help feeling a little expectant of the results; after all, the greatest shortcoming of the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary was their lack of information regarding the Profound Heavens Temple.
She didn’t need to wait for long as only an hour had passed before Yang Kai reappeared. Handing the Sealed World Bead over to him, Bing Yun asked, “Were you hiding in this bead when you attacked earlier?”
Yang Kai laughed, “En.”
While recuperating from his wounds previously, he had hidden the Sealed World Bead inside the stomach of the giant silver wolf; after all, the Sealed World Bead would be completely exposed if he entered it. Without a person standing guard, nowhere was safe enough regardless of where he placed the Sealed World Bead. He happened across the silver wolf just as he was agonising over this issue.
Thus, he decided to make the silver giant wolf swallow the Sealed World Bead. With his current Soul cultivation, it was a simple matter for him to control a Monster King. Yang Kai had been in no hurry to exit the Sealed World Bead upon recovering from his injuries; hence, he borrowed the giant wolf to investigate his surroundings and coincidentally discovered Bing Yun’s whereabouts.
“Did you learn anything?”
“A little, but things are very different from what we thought,” He scowled.
How could the Strength Demon resist him inside the Small Sealed World? By using his privileges as Master of the world, Yang Kai had indeed managed to force some information out of the Strength Demon.
“How is it different?” Bing Yun asked.
“They don’t know anything about the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. Senior, don’t you think that’s strange?” Yang Kai scowled fiercely.
“Could it be that the information we received is wrong? Or, is somebody deliberately trying to obscure our sight?”
“I don’t think so,” Yang Kai slowly shook his head. How could he not understand the meaning behind her words? It was just that the information on the Illusionary Heavens Furnace was something Sheng Yu Zhu had specially given to him. He had no bad blood with Sheng Yu Zhu; rather, she owed him a life debt. There was no reason for her to deceive him on this point. What’s more, what was her purpose if she had truly fabricated the information about the Illusionary Heavens Furnace? How would that benefit her?
“Then, what do the Half-Saints from the Demon Realm know?”
His expression became strange, “That’s the part that puzzles me the most. They don’t know anything.”
“They don’t know anything? Could it be that Can Ye never told them anything?” Bing Yun was taken aback by the news. Can Ye had participated in the previous Grand Dao battle, gained great benefits from that experience, and became a Great Emperor as a result. Nobody else in the Star Boundary had more knowledge about the situation inside the Profound Heavens Temple than him. The people from the Star Boundary had assumed that Can Ye would surely reveal a lot of information to the enemy, but it would seem that they were overthinking this matter.
“None of them have even seen Can Ye recently, but that’s understandable considering that he has been in the process of recuperation. On the contrary, Xue Li issued a command to all the Half-Saints.”
“What command?”
Yang Kai glanced at Bing Yun and spoke in a cold and quiet voice, “Kill!”
She laughed, “What kind of command is that?”
Even without that command, the Half-Saints from the Demon Realm and the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary would surely engage in a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents the moment they encountered each other. There was no need to specifically issue an order like that.
“To be precise, Xue Li said ‘you will naturally know what to do once you’ve killed enough’,” Yang Kai followed up.
“The Demon Saints said that?” She frowned.
He gently nodded.
Bing Yun was silent for a moment before she hazarded a guess, “Could it be that the Heavenly Manifestation will only be revealed if enough blood and life are sacrificed to it?”
Yang Kai lightly exhaled, “That’s what I think too; otherwise, the Demon Saints would not have specifically issued a command like that. There’s also another thing that bothers me greatly, however…”
While saying that, he suddenly gave a wave of his hand and a mummified corpse appeared in front of him. That mummified corpse was completely devoid of moisture, as though all the essence within had dissipated over countless years.
Although it was a corpse, it retained some of the traces from when that person had still been alive and Bing Yun immediately recognised at a glance that the mummified corpse belonged to the Strength Demon from before.
“How did he become like this?” She frowned deeply. A moment later, her expression changed greatly and she looked at him and exclaimed, “Yang Kai, you couldn’t have…”
Yang Kai laughed, “Don’t worry, Senior. I might know the essence of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, but I did not cultivate that evil Secret Technique.”
This mummified corpse looked like somebody had used a Secret Art to suck out all the essence from it, similar to the effects of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, so he knew what she was worried about.
“To be honest, I didn’t kill him either.”
Although Yang Kai had the ability to do so in the Small Sealed World, the reason for the Strength Demon’s death was the activation of the Soul Seal. Not only could the Soul Seal in his mind cause a backlash to those who tried to search his Soul, but it also activated without warning when he so much as gave up the slightest bit of information regarding the Profound Heavens Temple. That was what caused him to die on the spot. That was also related to why Yang Kai had only managed to retrieve so little information.
“However, at that moment after his death, I clearly felt an invisible force passing through the boundary of the Small Sealed World, enveloping him, and draining him of all his vitality.”
Yang Kai was the Master of the Small Sealed World, so his perception was incredibly sharp inside of it. Therefore, the subtle force had not escaped his notice despite how hidden it had been. Thinking back to what happened previously, Yang Kai felt as though the veil over his eyes had been lifted…
“How could this be?” Bing Yun seemed extremely puzzled. What kind of power could penetrate the boundary of the Small Sealed World? It was a Sealed World after all.
“Actually… I also killed a Half-Saint soon after we entered this place. This situation is similar to what happened after he died. I didn’t notice anything at the time, but… the situation in the Profound Heavens Temple might not be as simple as we believed.”
“Are you saying that…”
“All those who participated in the Grand Dao battle will end up in this state if they lose their lives in the Profound Heavens Temple.” Yang Kai pointed at the mummified corpse on the ground, a light flashing brightly in his eyes, “Combining that with the command that Xue Li issued to the Half-Saints, I think what you said before makes a lot of sense.”
“If that’s the case, then we will have to take the initiative to be ruthless. The people from the Demon Realm came prepared. We will suffer a huge loss if we don’t take precautions.” Bing Yun’s expression turned solemn while she was secretly surprised by Yang Kai’s strength. He was strong enough to kill a Half-Saint before this incident! As a Pseudo-Great Emperor herself, she knew just how difficult it was to kill an opponent on the same level in a one-on-one battle.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “At the very least, we need to let everybody know what kind of situation they are in.”
If the final secret of the Profound Heavens Temple and the key to becoming a Great Emperor was the blood sacrifice of many people, then the Demon Race’s information already put them ahead of the rest. They had orders from the Demon Saints after all. Combined with the advantage of numbers on their side, they would not be holding back at all.
On the contrary, the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary were probably thinking of avoiding any battles they could under the premise that they had yet to figure out the situation for the time being. If they took on the Demon Race Half-Saints with that kind of attitude, they were bound to suffer a great loss.
After saying that, Yang Kai smiled wryly, “Nevertheless, let’s decide once we meet somebody else. You’re the first ally I’ve met since entering this place, Senior.”
The person watching him from the shadows before did not count.
Bing Yun smiled in response, “It seems my luck is better than yours. You’re the second I’ve met so far.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai was surprised, “Who else did you meet, Senior?”
“Yang Yan.”
He was overjoyed at the news, “Where is she!?”
As per the original plan, Yang Yan and Bing Yun were supposed to accompany him as his companions. It was just that they had been separated when they entered the Profound Heavens Temple. Yang Kai had no way to track their whereabouts and even meeting Bing Yun here had been a lucky coincidence. He even had the faint suspicion that the World’s Will in his possession was acting in secret. Why else would he encounter Bing Yun being besieged as soon as he came out of retreat?
In any case, it was only natural for him to proceed according to plan since they had already met up with each other. He had planned to look for Yang Yan after this, but who could have expected that Bing Yun had already met her?
Bing Yun pointed a finger in a certain direction, “It’s a day’s journey in that direction. We found something interesting there, so Yang Yan stayed behind to examine it while I came out to track your whereabouts.”
If it was something even a Pseudo-Great Emperor would find interesting, then it must surely be something very precious. That was not surprising, however, as the Profound Heavens Temple was the creation of the world itself. Yang Kai also encountered many good things along the way.
“Let’s go and meet up with her. It’s always more convenient to take action with more people.”
“I was thinking so too.” Bing Yun smiled.
The two of them set off immediately, heading in the direction Bing Yun originally came from. Along the way, Yang Kai inquired about their destination. He was curious to know just what it was that had attracted Yang Yan so much that she would stay behind.
Bing Yun did not hide anything from him and answered honestly.
According to her, she began to track his whereabouts after she met Yang Yan in the Profound Heavens Temple. In the end, they failed to locate him but accidentally discovered a strange pool instead. This pool was filled with milky white liquid that was almost a metre deep. Moreover, it exuded an intoxicating aroma that was very refreshing to the senses.
According to Yang Yan’s observation, that pool of water was most likely the legendary World Source Liquid.
It would have been nothing if it were just an ordinary treasure. The Grand Dao battle was such a rare opportunity that nobody would waste their precious time to harvest an ordinary treasure unless it was very easy to obtain; however, that was World Source Liquid! It was a precious treasure that was formed only during the birth of a world. Not to mention, it had great and mysterious effects on both the Pseudo-Great Emperors and the Great Emperors. If a person were to consume even a drop of it, they would definitely gain insight into the Heavenly Way and their strength would be greatly increased.
Unfortunately, a Natural Grand Array had formed around the pool. The Grand Array was profound and mysterious, so nobody could approach the pool, much less obtain the World Source Liquid, unless they passed through it.
Yang Yan was the best Artifact Array Grandmaster in the Star Boundary. There was nobody better than her whether it was in Artifact Refining or Spirit Arrays, so if there was anybody in the world who could crack this Natural Spirit Array, she would be the only one.
Therefore, Yang Yan stayed behind to crack the Spirit Array. Since there was nothing Bing Yun could help with, she decided to come out to continue searching for Yang Kai’s whereabouts instead.
“World Source Liquid…” Even Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with greed at those words. It was something he had heard of before but never imagined he would ever find; after all, it was a precious treasure that would only form at the birth of the world. Great changes happened over time and nothing ever remained the same. Even if it was formed during the birth of the world, it would have been used up or destroyed a long time ago. On the contrary, the Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple was born alongside the world, so it was not impossible for it to preserve some of the things from ancient times.
It was no wonder that Sheng Yu Zhu mentioned that as long as the Pseudo-Great Emperors who participated in the Grand Dao battle survived the experience, they would receive a huge boost in strength even if they failed to become a Great Emperor.
The World Source Liquid was undoubtedly a good thing that could make a person’s strength soar without any side effects. It was just that Yang Yan alone might not be able to monopolize a treasure like that. If it were discovered by the Half-Saints, a fierce struggle was inevitable. Even if the other Pseudo-Great Emperors found out about it, there would still be some internal conflict arising from this.
Hence, Yang Kai immediately picked up the pace upon learning that it could be the World Source Liquid and rushed over with Bing Yun.
The place where Yang Yan and Bing Yun had found the pool of World Source Liquid was located in a thick jungle. There were huge towering trees everywhere in the surroundings, but there was only one empty space in its centre. Right in the middle of the jungle was a wooden stump with a diameter of approximately ten metres wide. The wooden stump was hollow in the middle, which formed a pool. That pool was filled with a milky white liquid that was suspected to be World Source Liquid.
Naturally, that was just Yang Yan’s guess. She could not be certain what was inside the pool until she passed through the Grand Array after all. Nevertheless, it would surely be useful for a Pseudo-Great Emperor even if it was not World Source Liquid.
Just a moment ago, the surrounding scenery had been pleasant. However, in the next moment, Yang Kai plunged into a fog so thick he could not see his hand in front of him. The change was so sudden that he was caught completely by surprise. Shocked, he abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned to look in the direction of Bing Yun, “Senior?”
Although he could not see anybody there, Bing Yun’s voice rang out clearly, “I’m here!”
He secretly let out a breath of relief in response. By inferring from the direction of her voice, she seemed to be standing no more than two steps away from him. It was just that he couldn’t even see her outline through this dense fog. Moreover, the dense fog had the effect of preventing anybody from probing their surroundings with Divine Sense.
Even his Divine Sense, which was stronger than that of any Half-Saint or Pseudo-Great Emperor, was suppressed by the dense fog and could not advance forward whatsoever when he released it into his surroundings. If that was the case for him, what more need be said about Bing Yun? Their sight was obscured and their Divine Sense was useless in this strange place, so they were essentially blind.
“Was this place like this before?” Yang Kai asked in a quiet voice.
Bing Yun replied, “No. There was nothing unusual here before. Maybe Yang Yan triggered something when she was trying to crack the Spirit Array.”
Yang Kai nodded when he heard those words. That explanation was reasonable. They originally came to meet up with Yang Yan and check on her progress in cracking the Natural Spirit Array while they were at it. Unfortunately, it would seem that the situation here was not too optimistic. They did not see Yang Yan anywhere upon their arrival, nor did they see that wooden stump pool either. There was only this strange fog in all directions.
In this environment, Yang Kai couldn’t help being extremely alert and warned, “Be careful, Senior. Call me immediately if you find anything.”
“I know! You do the same!” Bing Yun’s voice rang out.
They continued walking deeper inward while conversing with each other. Although they could not see anything and their Divine Senses were useless at the moment, they could use their voices to estimate each other’s positions so that they did not need to worry about getting separated.
It was just that the deeper they went, the bigger the frown on Yang Kai’s face became.
According to what Bing Yun told him earlier, the wooden stump pool that contained what was suspected to be World Source Liquid was located in an empty clearing that was about a thousand metres from the edge of the jungle. They had been walking straight ahead for the past quarter hour, but had yet to come across anything. Furthermore, forget a thousand metres, they might even have travelled tens of thousands of metres by now.
“Listen…” Bing Yun suddenly spoke.
“What is it?” Yang Kai turned to look at her, but all that he could see in front of him was a layer of fog.
“Didn’t you hear anything?”
“What did you hear, Senior?” Her unexpected discovery in this strange place not only surprised him but also raised his wariness somewhat. He couldn’t help getting goosebumps all over his body, but to his horror, Bing Yun stopped responding. He suddenly had a bad feeling and called out once more, “Senior?”
Despite shouting several times, he received no response at all. Yang Kai then reached out to grab at the spot where Bing Yun had been standing just now, but there was nothing there. He could not find any traces of her anywhere when he rushed forward a little either. By this point, Yang Kai’s expression couldn’t help turning a little ashen.
Bing Yun had been by his side a moment ago only to disappear without a trace a moment later. Was this the secret work of somebody at play? Or, was this the power of the Natural Spirit Array?
The possibility of the latter was much more likely of course. Bing Yun had mentioned there was a Natural Spirit Array nearby that guarded this place after all. It was the one Yang Yan had stayed behind to crack. Besides, there was nobody with the ability to take Bing Yun away without Yang Kai noticing among the many Half-Saints from the Demon Realm.
In that case, was this a Bewildering Array? Natural Spirit Arrays were generally very extraordinary of course, so it might not only have the effect of a Bewildering Array. What concerned Yang Kai even more were Bing Yun’s words before she disappeared. She had obviously heard something; however, he had not noticed anything. Even when he listened attentively at this moment, Yang Kai still couldn’t hear any sounds at all.
It was said that all Spirit Arrays in the world could be broken by brute force; unfortunately, Bing Yun had fallen prey to the Spirit Array. Yang Yan’s situation was probably not much better given the current circumstances; therefore, Yang Kai did not dare to act rashly. It would not be worthwhile if he accidentally harmed them by lashing out now.
Standing motionlessly in place, Yang Kai took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A few moments later, he jerked his eyes open again and his left eye seemed to flicker with a golden light.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation he obtained from the Great Demon God had the ability to see through all illusions, so it was extremely effective against something like Bewildering and Illusion Arrays. Under the effect of the Demon Eye of Annihilation, the fog shrouding his surroundings seemed to fade away considerably in an instant.
Yang Kai calmed down slightly upon seeing this. It would seem that the Great Demon God was indeed extraordinary. All this time, Yang Kai seemed to have underestimated the power of the Demon Eye of Annihilation. He had also been unable to fully bring out its potential. Even though the Natural Spirit Array in the Source Sealed World was so mysterious, he instantly got a glimpse of its mysteries with the help of the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
“Hm?” Yang Kai’s expression changed as he looked around at his surroundings. He had not been able to see anything just now, but he discovered that he was actually surrounded by numerous tiny silk threads under the influence of the Demon Eye of Annihilation. The silk threads were densely packed, but invisible to the naked eye, fluttering in the air like tentacles. Occasionally, these silk threads would approach him as if to touch him; however, they would quickly shrink away from him as though scared of something.
He frowned and reached out to grab at the silk thread in front of him, but to his surprise, it avoided his hand as if it were a living creature.
“Where are you trying to run!?” Yang Kai coldly snorted. He instinctively felt that Bing Yun’s disappearance was related to these silk threads; thus, he violently reached out and caught a handful of silk threads in his grip.
In the next moment, a strange voice suddenly sounded in his head. That voice sounded like a soft murmuring that seemed to be calling out to him, giving rise to an impulse that urged him to head in a certain direction. The light in his eyes vanished and was replaced by a dull look. At the same time, his mind instantly sank into an abyss!
Numerous silk threads appeared inside his Knowledge Sea, travelling through the pitch-black flames. A layer of ripples formed everywhere they passed, spreading out into the surroundings. Meanwhile, the Soul Warming Lotus in the middle of his Knowledge Sea burst out with a seven-coloured radiance. That gentle force filled every corner of his Knowledge Sea, smoothing out the ripples that formed. In response, the countless silk threads that barged into his Knowledge Sea dissipated instantly like snowflakes under the scorching sun.
Yang Kai’s body jerked abruptly and his dazed eyes regained their lustre. An expression of lingering fear crept across his face when he finally realised what happened to him. He looked back again and saw that the countless silk threads surrounding him were still there. As before, these silk threads constantly wandered around him but did not dare to approach. If he had not taken the initiative to reach out just now, they would not have come into contact with him at all.
[What in the world are these things!?] He was completely bewildered by the tiny silk threads. The only thing he could be sure of was that these strange things definitely had something to do with Bing Yun’s disappearance.
Bing Yun had clearly heard something just now; likewise, a soft murmuring had sounded in his head when he touched those silk threads and he immediately lost consciousness after that. It was obvious that the same thing had happened to her. It was just that she did not have one of the world’s Supreme Treasures like the Soul Warming Lotus protecting her Knowledge Sea.
[But, why don’t these silk threads dare to touch me? Do I have something that Bing Yun does not have?] Yang Kai had some vague guesses but could not be certain. In any case, the most important thing right now was to locate Bing Yun and Yang Yan as soon as possible. Thinking back to the strange voice in his head just now, he lifted his eyes to look in a certain direction and strode forward.
Following his advance, the silk threads in front of him involuntarily shrank back from him. The direction he was heading was none other than the source of those silk threads. The further he went, the clearer his sight became as the dense fog enveloping his surroundings became thinner and thinner.
All of a sudden, there was a loud cracking sound. He seemed to have stepped on something. When Yang Kai lowered his head to look, his pupils involuntarily contracted. There was a skeleton beneath his feet. He did not know how long ago this person had died, but their bones were scattered across the ground quite messily. From the shape of the bones, it was clear that it had been a Human, and since the only ones that could die in this place were the Pseudo-Great Emperors that participated in the Grand Dao battle, it had to have been one of those ancient Masters.
This place was extremely dangerous after all. Other people had discovered this place that Yang Yan and Bing Yun had found, but these people had been ambushed and died in this place as a result. Moreover, it was evident that more than one person had experienced such a fate.
Yang Kai lifted his gaze and looked ahead. Countless skeletons were piled high across the ground in the open space around him. Some of those skeletons were completely weathered away while others still retained their original shape. The clothes on their bodies had long since rotted away into dust; however, from the degree of decay, it was clear that these people were from many different eras.
Aside from these skeletons, there was also a round-shaped wooden stump about ten metres in diameter and hollow in the centre like a wooden pool, filled with a milky white liquid.
A strange fragrance tickled Yang Kai’s nose and when he breathed it in, his entire body throbbed with excitement. Even his mood brightened and he became elated.
World Source Liquid!
Even though he had never seen it before, one glance at this liquid was enough for Yang Kai to instantly confirm that this was the legendary World Source Liquid. Yang Yan and Bing Yun were not mistaken.
Nevertheless, his attention was quickly drawn to something else instead. There were five cocoon-like things around the wooden pool. The cocoons were as tall as a person and in addition, numerous strange silk threads were endlessly wrapping around the cocoons, thickening and strengthening them with time.
One of the cocoons had yet to form completely. More importantly, the thing that was being wrapped by the silk threads inside that particular cocoon was none other than Bing Yun, who had just gone missing not too long ago. Yang Kai did not know when she had arrived here, but at this moment, her eyes were tightly closed as she stood there quietly, allowing the pure and clean silk threads to wrap around her. She seemed oblivious to the danger that she was in and there was even a slight smile adorning her lips.
Yang Kai’s scalp tingled at the sight and he couldn’t help gulping nervously. Judging from Bing Yun’s condition, there were bound to be other people inside the other four cocoons. They were either Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary or Half-Saints from the Demon Realm. Yang Yan was probably among them too.
These Masters had fallen into this trap unsuspectingly and without their knowledge, and looking at the countless skeletons surrounding him, Bing Yun and the others would eventually suffer the same fate if nobody rescued them.
Yang Kai took a deep breath and silently pushed his Demon Qi. Then, he stimulated the Demon Eye of Annihilation to its maximum and prepared to make a move at any time. After a careful investigation of the strange silk threads, Yang Kai was frustrated to learn that there was no way to trace them back to their source. These silk threads seemed to appear out of thin air to wrap around the living creatures that entered this place, which would eventually cause generations of Pseudo-Great Emperors who came here to lose their lives without even realising it.
[What a terrifying natural death trap!] Yang Kai was drenched in cold sweat.
Lured by World Source Liquid, the Pseudo-Great Emperors and Half-Saints were tempted into investigating this place. Then, they would unknowingly lose consciousness by being drawn into illusions that even they could not wake up from and eventually die in this place.
The Source Sealed World known as the Profound Heavens Temple was not just filled with endless opportunities, it was clearly also brimming with unpredictable dangers. Over the generations, no more than one-third of the Pseudo-Great Emperors who participated in the Grand Dao battle would survive. Those who died in this place not only included those who fought against others and were killed due to their own lack of strength, but also the many who died due to various traps similar to this one.
There were five cocoon-like things in this place, and aside from Bing Yun, whom he could see at the moment, the other four cocoons were wrapped up tightly. Yang Yan should also be inside one of them.
The peculiarity in this place was something even a veteran Pseudo-Great Emperor like Yang Yan could not resist; hence, it was easy to imagine what would happen to the others who arrived in this place.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had the feeling that the reason he was safe and sound was most likely related to the fact that he had part of the Star Boundary’s Will in his body.
The Profound Heavens Temple was a Source Sealed World that was born along with the Star Boundary itself, as well as the place where the Grand Dao battle took place. Thus, the world itself was probably watching the current progress at all times.
It was only recently that Yang Kai had complained about how useless the invisible and intangible World’s Will in his body was. He never imagined that it would begin showing its effects so quickly.
This Natural Spirit Array was not entirely ineffective against him. It had been proven that he would also be affected by this death trap from what happened when he took the initiative to touch those silk threads before. It was just that he received protection from the Soul Warming Lotus and did not lose himself as a result.
As for the reason why those silk threads did not actively touch him; it was most likely that they could sense the aura of the World’s Will in his body. It was only natural that the World’s Will in his body allowed him to escape the hostility in this place, which in turn caused the silk threads to avoid touching him.
From this, it could be seen that the World’s Will in his possession was not completely useless in the Profound Heavens Temple, it was just that he had not discovered its uses. After understanding this point, Yang Kai became a little expectant. [I wonder what other kind of support I will receive from the World’s Will in the upcoming battle.]
However, his top priority now was to rescue Yang Yan and Bing Yun. Yang Kai quickly strode forward and came to Bing Yun, his hands transforming into Dragon Claws. Tearing apart the silk threads wrapping around her body, Yang Kai quickly pulled her out from inside the cocoon. Even so, Bing Yun did not wake up immediately. Her eyes remained tightly closed with a smile on her lips, as though she was having a beautiful dream. With no other choice, he placed her inside the Small Sealed World and decided to wait until she woke up before planning his next move.
Yang Kai quickly tore apart the second cocoon. Glancing at the contents, he immediately became happy. A Demon Race Half-Saint was wrapped up inside this cocoon. Judging by the rotten stench that burst out the moment the cocoon was opened, it was a Corpse Demon.
His previous guess was correct. There really were Demon Race Half-Saints among these five cocoons. Yang Yan had been the only person here when Bing Yun left this place. In that case, the other three had appeared later but fell prey to the same trap as Yang Yan.
The opportunity to kick his enemy when they were down was very rare. Seeing as they were mortal enemies, how could Yang Kai afford to be benevolent and soft-hearted? He looted the Space Ring from the other party, and then threw a punch in the direction of the Corpse Demon while using Rupture. A black ball appeared and disappeared in a flash, and the Corpse Demon vanished without a trace along with the cocoon wrapped around him.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling jubilant that he had managed to kill a Half-Saint so easily.
The third cocoon contained a Pseudo-Great Emperor of the Human Race. It was one of the Star Boundary’s fifty-five Army Commanders, Gan Li. Although Yang Kai was acquainted with this person, he did not have much interaction with him. They probably did not exchange more than three sentences between them in total. Given their fateful meeting, however, Yang Kai casually rescued and transferred the other party into the Small Sealed World while he was at it.
The fourth cocoon contained another Demon Race Half-Saint, who followed in the footsteps of his companion a moment later.
It wasn’t until he tore open the fifth cocoon that Yang Yan’s figure was revealed. Yang Kai couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief at the sight. He had been worrying about what to do if the fifth cocoon did not contain Yang Yan. Fortunately, such a situation did not come to pass.
Yang Kai had managed to eliminate two Demon Race Half-Saints and rescue three Pseudo-Great Emperors without much effort; therefore, he was in a great mood. According to his calculations, as many as four Half-Saints had died at his hands alone since the start of the Grand Dao battle. A war record like this was probably something even Li Wu Yi could not pull off if he had been here in person.
Although a large part of his success had been due to luck, was luck not sometimes considered to be one of the strengths of a cultivator when climbing towards the peak of the Martial Dao?
Next, Yang Kai turned to stare at the milky white liquid inside the wooden pool and couldn’t help becoming a little breathless. He had obtained countless precious and rare treasures ever since he began his journey in the Martial Dao, but even so, there were very few things that could compare with that pool of liquid in front of him.
Both the Soul Warming Lotus and the Immortal Tree were regarded as unique Supreme Treasures, but World Source Liquid had its own profound uses. It was the essence that was formed during the birth of the world; hence, every drop of World Source Liquid contained the chaotic primordial aura from when the world was first created. It would surely help a person gain insight into the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao after they consumed even just a drop of it.
Even a Great Emperor would become greedy in front of such a precious treasure, what more a High-Rank Demon King like Yang Kai?
Gulping hard, Yang Kai reached out a finger, dipped it into the wooden pool, and placed a bit of World Source Liquid into his mouth. Something so precious counted for nothing until he had it firmly in his possession.
Before he could carefully enjoy the taste, Yang Kai heard a bang in his mind. Immediately after that, his entire body shuddered as his Knowledge Sea became turbulent. His vision went black, and at the same time, he was deprived of all his other senses. He could neither see, hear, nor feel anything. It was as though he had fallen into a place of chaotic nothingness.
A ray of light suddenly bloomed and chaos split apart for the first time. Pure Qi rose to become the sky while Turbid Qi sank to become the ground. The world was born and millions of living creatures were created…
Yang Kai did not know how long went by before he abruptly came back to his senses, a light shining brightly in his eyes. Meanwhile, his expression was exhilarated but thoughtful at the same time. In that brief moment, he felt as though he had turned into the world itself and experienced the birth of the universe from chaos until it became what it was today…
Furthermore, he vaguely felt an insight blooming in his heart. Perhaps, this was the peak that all the cultivators pursued… Unfortunately, all of this was too far away for him right now. He was just a High-Rank Demon King and still had to become a Half-Saint and then a Demon Saint in the future…
The insights gained this time far exceeded his own cultivation Realm, so there were many things that remained obscure to him. Even so, Yang Kai was not annoyed. The cultivation Realm was something that would eventually be achieved through a gradual accumulation. On the other hand, obtaining an insight like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He had to memorise this feeling for now and wait for the right time to revive this memory. It would definitely help him in the future.
At this point, Yang Kai was certain that the milky white liquid in this pool was World Source Liquid. Nothing else but World Source Liquid could give him such a mysterious yet enjoyable epiphany.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai immediately began collecting the World Source Liquid. Pushing his Divine Sense, he wrapped the wooden pond with it and exerted a slight force. However, there was no movement.
Yang Kai’s expression twitched slightly. He originally wanted to place the wooden pond directly into the Small Sealed World, but who could have known that it would not budge in the slightest? When he pushed his Divine Sense just now, Yang Kai clearly perceived that the small wooden pond and the entire Profound Heavens Temple were closely connected to one another. If he wanted to collect the wooden pool, then he first had to collect the Profound Heavens Temple, which was naturally completely impossible.
Therefore, he had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and began to collect the World Source Liquid in the wooden pool. This was not a difficult task. Following his actions, World Source Liquid in the wooden pond began to drain at a constant rate and be deposited into the Small Sealed World. For this reason, he also specially made a pond in the medicine garden of the Small Sealed World.
The wooden pool was not big, only ten or so metres in diameter. In addition, the liquid in the pool was only about one metre deep.
When the World Source Liquid in the wooden pool had decreased by half, however, Yang Kai’s movements suddenly froze. He looked around his surroundings with a solemn expression. For a moment just now, he had a feeling as though he was being spied on, like a pair of eyes watching him.
A sweep of his Divine Sense found nothing, however, which puzzled him. With his current Divine Sense and Soul cultivation, there was nobody in the Profound Heavens Temple who could spy on him in secret. Hence, it was impossible for him to fail to notice if a person was really watching him from the shadows.
He frowned pensively for a bit before smiling coldly. It didn’t matter whether the person spying on him was a Human or Demon. It didn’t even matter what that person’s intentions were. He would think about it once he collected every drop of World Source Liquid here. Once he had everything in hand, the decision to fight or to flee would take but a brief consideration.
Even though he consciously made such a decision, his instincts were screaming at him that it was a bad idea. It felt as though something terrible would definitely happen if he continued down this path.
A layer of cold sweat slowly oozed out of his forehead as Yang Kai made repeated attempts to continue with his plans, but something inside him was screaming to leave while he was still ahead. After hesitating and struggling for a while, Yang Kai grit his teeth and gave up on collecting the rest of the World Source Liquid. Miraculously, the sense of crisis that he was feeling, as well as the sensation of being spied on vanished the moment he gave up and everything returned to normal.
“The World’s Will!” Yang Kai’s expression froze. At this point, how could he fail to realise that the situation just now was not someone else watching him from the shadows? Rather, it was the World’s Will in his body that was acting up!
The invisible and intangible World’s Will bestowed upon him was a blessing from the world itself. It had the slight ability to attract luck and guide him to avoid misfortune. Although he did not know what consequences would have befallen him just now had his greed won out, he was certain that it would not have ended well.
Now that he had given up on the idea, he felt a lot more relaxed.
Even so, who would willingly give up on taking everything when there was such a precious treasure right in front of him? Thus, Yang Kai struggled, hesitated, and tried several more times, but whenever the idea to continue collecting the World Source Liquid came into his mind, that inexplicable feeling of doom would appear again. On the other hand, everything would return to normal whenever he gave up on that idea.
After numerous attempts, Yang Kai no longer dared to entertain any more thoughts about the World Source Liquid. He hardened his head and turned around to leave without looking back.
A short while later, he walked out of the place where the wooden pool had been located. Looking back, he saw the scenery in that area become twisted and distorted before it vanished out of sight, replaced by a dense forest that looked no different from the rest of the areas.
Yang Kai immediately understood. The natural death trap that had existed since ancient times was probably damaged after what he did just now, so how could the remaining World Source Liquid be preserved without its protection? Removing itself from this place was probably a form of self-protection. Who knows how many years it would take before it reappeared once more?
Yang Kai searched for a hiding place and hid inside. Thinking back to the remaining half of the World Source Liquid that he failed to obtain, he couldn’t help feeling greatly distressed. He had collected quite a lot, but how could anybody believe that there could be too much of a good thing?
The World Source Liquid contained the chaotic aura from when the world was created. That aura was enough to allow a Third-Order Emperor, who had been troubled by a bottleneck for many years, to break through their shackles and be promoted to become a Pseudo-Great Emperor. If only he could have collected a little more of the World Source Liquid, he could have created many more Pseudo-Great Emperors for the Star Boundary in the future.
He could only say that what belonged to him would belong to him no matter what. On the contrary, it was useless to dream too much about something that was not destined to be his.
Yang Kai sighed and wallowed for a bit before he finally let go of the regret in his heart. Shifting his thoughts, he checked the Small Sealed World and discovered that Bing Yun, Yang Yan, and Gan Li had woken up. The three of them had gathered together and seemed to be discussing something. It was obvious that they had realised they were currently inside Yang Kai’s Small Sealed World, so they did not look panicked. Nevertheless, they couldn’t help feeling some lingering fears whenever they recalled what they went through previously.
Yang Kai’s Soul Projection manifested in front of them, and once everybody greeted him, Gan Li spoke, “Many thanks for your help this time, Brother Yang. This Gan would have been in great trouble if not for you.”
Yang Kai responded with a smile, “You’re too kind, Brother Gan. You and I have both fought under the command of Supreme Commander Li and equally contributed to the peace of the Star Boundary. During a period where the outsiders are coveting all we have, I’m certain you would not stand by idly either if this Yang encountered trouble and you had the ability to help.”
“Of course.” Gan Li nodded sternly, “In any case, I will forever remember this second chance at life that you’ve given me, Brother Yang. Feel free to let me know if you need any assistance inside this Profound Heavens Temple.”
The two exchanged a few more words of courtesy, but neither of them mentioned the World Source Liquid. Yang Kai did not know if Gan Li had seen the World Source Liquid or if the latter deliberately refused to broach the subject.
Thinking about it again, since Yang Yan had seen it, there was no reason for Gan Li to have missed it. Gan Li must have been attracted by the World Source Liquid and fell prey to the Natural Spirit Array as a result. As for whether he recognized exactly what the World Source Liquid was or not was another matter altogether.
“What do you plan to do next, Brother Gan?” After the pleasantries were dealt with, Yang Kai went straight to the point.
“Naturally, I will try my best to seize the opportunity to reach the peak of the Grand Dao and locate the Illusionary Heavens Furnace.” Gan Li frowned and smiled bitterly, “But, then again, this Gan has been searching for the Illusionary Heavens Furnace since entering the Profound Heavens Temple. It’s a pity that I have found nothing so far. Did you find anything on your end?”
Yang Yan replied flatly, “No.”
She then turned to look at Yang Kai and continued, “Little brat, are you sure that Sheng Yu Zhu was not lying to you? Did she deliberately throw out bait to lure others away while she goes off doing something on her own in secret?”
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a moment, “It’s not impossible, but this is the only clue we have.”
He had not gotten any useful information from the Demon Race Half-Saints either. All he learned was that the Demon Saints had ordered the Half-Saints to kill the Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. But, why did something like that need to be specifically worded into a command? The struggle between the two worlds had never ceased. Was there any possibility of peace between the Masters from both the Human Race and the Demon Race if they encountered each other inside this place?
“In any case, our top priority is to find the Illusionary Heavens Furnace. We can search for more information along the way.” Yang Kai then turned to look at Gan Li, “If you don’t mind, would you like to travel with us, Brother Gan?”
Bing Yun and Yang Yan were definitely going to accompany him as this was something they had decided on beforehand. Since Yang Kai had the World’s Will, the Demon Race was sure to target him. Even with his mastery of the Dao of Space, it would be bad if he were to face this situation all on his own. Besides, it wasn’t just the Demon Race. Even the Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary might try to kill him at the final stage of this battle.
It was obvious that Gan Li also knew about this situation. Yang Kai was currently in possession of something that would incite the greed of others, so he did not dare to take the initiative to mention this subject. He was afraid that Yang Kai and the others might misunderstand him even though he genuinely wanted to join forces with them. He never imagined that Yang Kai would be so carefree to broach the subject himself. It made him feel a little ashamed.
Without giving Gan Li a chance to speak, Yang Kai continued, “There are only 30 Pseudo-Great Emperors from the Star Boundary who entered the Profound Heavens Temple. On the other hand, there are 40 Half-Saints from the Demon Realm. Just from our numbers alone, the Demon Race holds an absolute advantage over us. If we don’t unite, it will only give the Demon Race a chance to destroy us. That is why I implore you to come with us, if possible, Brother Gan. We can discuss our plans again at the final stage of the Grand Dao battle.”
Having said so much, it would be ill-mannered for Gan Li to refuse. Besides, Yang Kai had just saved his life, so how could he dare to refuse this proposal? Not to mention, that was also his intention in the first place, so he immediately cupped his fists, “That was my wish. It was just that I did not dare ask it of you.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Good! In that case, I’m going to go fishing.”
“Fishing?” Gan Li looked at Yang Kai suspiciously.
Yang Yan understood instantly and smiled in response, “Just don’t catch any sharks.”
“What’s wrong with sharks?” Yang Kai chuckled and his figure faded away. Just before he left, he saw Yang Yan wink at him.
At this moment, Gan Li seemed to catch on to what Yang Kai previously meant by ‘fishing’ and exclaimed in realisation, “Interesting. How interesting.” While speaking, he revealed a look of great anticipation.
Yang Kai was moving around outside; however, he left a thread of consciousness inside the Small Sealed World. The look that Yang Yan secretly gave him just now clearly meant that she wanted a private conversation with him, so he quietly contacted her.
“Little brat, what about the World Source Liquid? Did you get it?”
As expected, she immediately asked that question of him the moment he got in touch with her. Nevertheless, she remained engaged in conversation with Gan Li about something else on the surface.
Yang Kai grinned and replied, “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you I didn’t manage to get any.”
“Very good! Give me half!” She said decisively.
Yang Kai tripped over his own feet and nearly faceplanted on the ground at those words, “Big Sister, why not declare you’re robbing me!” [How can she ask for half right at the start!? It’s inhuman!]
Yang Yan simple giggled and declared, “If not for me, you wouldn’t even have found that in the first place. So, it’s perfectly acceptable for me to demand half.”
“Fine, fine, half it is.” He couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. Besides, he had taken so much of the World Source Liquid that he could not possibly finish it all on his own anyway, “But, I only managed to collect half of the World Source Liquid there. I couldn’t collect the remaining half.”
“Why?” She was puzzled.
“I can’t give you an exact explanation. I just had the feeling that something terrible would happen if I had forcefully taken the remaining half.”
“Something that ominous happened?” Yang Yan was shocked, but after mulling over it for a bit, she added, “En, that makes sense. That is a treasure formed during the creation of the world after all. Alchemists always emphasise leaving behind roots when harvesting treasures, lest they cause the herbs to go extinct. If a treasure like the World Source Liquid was completely taken away, it would surely be self-defeating. Still, half isn’t a bad haul either.”
“Seeing how enthusiastic you are about the World Source Liquid, do you know what kind of mysterious properties it has?”
She laughed softly, “Do you want to know?”
“Tell me about it.” Although he had tried some and deeply experienced the effects brought about by that small drop of World Source Liquid, Yang Kai was unable to fully grasp its effects even now.
Yang Yan didn’t try to keep him guessing and immediately asked, “Do you know why Senior Iron Blood is more powerful than the other Great Emperors?”
“Isn’t it due to the Secret Art he cultivated?” Yang Kai was puzzled. Nobody ranked the Ten Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, but Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen, was publicly recognized as the strongest among them. This point was something none of the other Great Emperors denied either.
“Of course not. How could the Secret Art cultivated by one Great Emperor be any worse than another’s?” Yang Yan sneered, “Besides, the only thing that could be compared at their cultivation is their own understanding and insights. It has little to do with their Secret Arts. Well… Wu Kuang is a special case. All his success came from the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and I have to admit that that guy is truly a genius.”
“Are you saying that Senior Iron Blood once consumed World Source Liquid?” Yang Kai asked.
“En! He once casually brought up the subject of the world’s treasures with me and among them was World Source Liquid. He claimed that he had the opportunity to consume a cup of the World Source Liquid in the Profound Heavens Temple; moreover, he was still benefiting from that cup to this day!”
“Sii…” Yang Kai inhaled sharply. At the same time, his figure that was rushing forward paused for a moment. He had tried to overestimate the effects of the World Source Liquid as much as possible, but it turned out he was still greatly undervaluing it.
Iron Blood Great Emperor had participated in the Grand Dao battle that took place when the Profound Heavens Temple opened two cycles ago, which meant between 20,000 and 30,000 years had passed since then. Be that as it may, a single cup of World Source Liquid he consumed at the time had given him so much insight that he was still benefiting from it today. It was conceivable just how precious the World Source Liquid was.
In addition, Zhan Wu Hen had gotten a cup of World Source Liquid in the Profound Heavens Temple. Did he have the ability to escape from that natural death trap at the time? This was somebody else’s affair, moreover, so many years had passed, so Yang Kai did not know the details, but he was becoming increasingly aware of the terrifying effects of the World Source Liquid.
“Don’t feel bad, boy. Besides, I wasn’t planning on using my half of the World Source Liquid all for myself. With the World Source Liquid in hand, we might be able to considerably improve the strength of many Pseudo-Great Emperors of the Star Boundary. What’s more, if the Great Emperors were to escape their current predicament, they might also be able to use some of the World Source Liquid to enhance their strength. When the time comes, I will inform them that I brought this precious treasure out.”
Yang Kai replied, “For the Star Boundary’s sake, that’s how it should be.”
In that way, the remaining half of the World Source Liquid in his possession would belong solely to him. More importantly, as far as the public was aware, Yang Yan would be the only one in possession of this item. Even if somebody were to covet it, they would not make the connection back to him. Unfortunately, this would most likely cause some trouble for her. Then again, considering that she was Zhan Wu Hen’s direct subordinate, nobody would have the courage to provoke her.
“By the way, what happened to the two Demons? Did you see them?”
Yang Yan had been in the middle of cracking the Natural Spirit Array when two Demon Race Half-Saints happened to pass by. She had no choice but to take some risks with what she was attempting and as a result, seemed to have triggered some sort of restriction and fallen unconscious. She didn’t even know when Gan Li got trapped in that place.
“Those two are already dead,” Yang Kai chuckled. That was probably the easiest two Half-Saints he had ever killed in his life as there had been no resistance whatsoever.
“Good,” Yang Yan coldly snorted.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Kai relayed to her the information he had obtained from the Strength Demon Half-Saint before. He also added the speculations he and Bing Yun came up with, as well as the abnormality that occurred to the corpses of the Demon Race Half-Saints who died in this place.
After listening to this, Yang Yan fell silent for a long while before saying, “Your guess is not unreasonable. Slaughter and blood… That might just be the truth. Perhaps, the final opportunity might only be revealed once enough blood has been spilt.”
Pausing, she then laughed lightly, “Little brat, do a good job fishing. The more Demons die, the better. Our advantage will also get greater and greater with time. It doesn’t matter who gets the opportunity in the end, as long as it doesn’t fall into the hands of the Demon Race.”