It was only then that Senior Brother Wei realised that Ah Sun was crying not because she was bullied, but because their homeland was gone. At that instant, his expression dimmed as he patted her head, “From now on, this Wei will be your family.”
Ah Sun buried her head in the man’s arms and started bawling.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai could understand her sorrow. The Star Boundary was also in a perilous situation after Mo Sheng had raised chaos there. Now, only the World Tree could save the Star Boundary. What if he couldn’t find the World Tree? Would the Star Boundary also fall into oblivion just like what had happened to Ah Sun’s homeland?
How many people would lose their homes by then? With these thoughts in mind, it made Yang Kai even more determined to look for the World Tree to repair the Star Boundary.
After wailing for a bit, Ah Sun finally calmed herself down as she bashfully moved her head away from the man’s chest, her face completely reddened. Just now, she had lost her composure because she recalled the danger she had come across on her way here; therefore, she couldn’t control her emotions when she finally saw someone who also came from the same world. Now that she had calmed down, she felt utterly embarrassed.
Senior Brother Wei guffawed and patted her head, “Not bad. You’re still acting bashful in this kind of situation. It seems that you’ve been well protected.” He gazed at Yang Kai and nodded, “You’ve done a great job.”
When he approached them just now, Yang Kai was the first one to step forward and stand in front of their group. This young man took action to protect the others even before he was sure about the other party’s true strength, which went to show that he was a courageous and reliable man. This made Senior Brother Wei have a good impression of him.
“Many thanks for your compliment, Senior,” Yang Kai replied politely.
“Xiao Sun’er, why don’t you introduce your friends to me?” Senior Brother Wei looked down at her.
It was then that Ah Sun rubbed her eyes and after pulling herself together, she started introducing them to one another. Through her introduction, Yang Kai and the others found out that this burly man was called Wei Que. Upon learning his name, they saluted him again.
Wei Que passionately waved his hand, “There’s no need to be overly polite. Since all of you are Xiao Sun’er’s friends, you’re not outsiders. Follow me to a safe place now.”
“Many thanks, Senior,” Certainly, Yang Kai and the others wouldn’t object; after all, the reason they had come over to this place was to seek the Great Moon Province’s protection.
Then, Wei Que led all of them to the Great Moon Province’s ship. As he flew forward, he asked, “Xiao Sun’er, why did you come here? Didn’t I tell you to bring the Faith Token to Great Moon Province to look for me?” He was deathly curious. If it weren’t because he detected a signal from his Faith Token just now, he wouldn’t have believed that Ah Sun had come all the way here. After all, this place was far away from Great Moon Province.
“It’s a long story…” Ah Sun stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Wei Que replied with a smile, “Tell me about it slowly, then. There’s no rush.”
It was then Ah Sun told him what had happened after she escaped from her own Universe World. When Wei Que heard that she had been abducted to Seven Wonders Land and became a general worker there for half a year, his expression darkened. Nevertheless, his expression changed again when he learned that a major crisis had befallen Seven Wonders Land. Not only were many Venerable Protectors killed, but Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch had also been severely injured, “It’s no wonder I didn’t see anyone from Seven Wonders Land. It’s because something like that has happened to them…”
If it weren’t because of the calamity that had caused the top Masters in Seven Wonders Land to be killed or injured, they would’ve surely come over to witness the Sun’s fire dying out. Even though Seven Wonders Land wasn’t close, it wasn’t far from this place either.
“What happened next?” Wei Que asked.
Ah Sun glanced at Yang Kai briefly before explaining. Without mentioning the fact that Great General had sought out his Mother, she told Wei Que about what happened after they fled from Seven Wonders Land, how she activated the jade white fox and followed it towards Great Moon Province. However, after only passing through two Territory Gates, the fox stopped functioning.
An embarrassed Wei Que explained, “Well, the thing is, I didn’t expect you to bring so many friends with you, ahaha… So, when I created the fox… It’s because of this Wei that you’ve suffered a lot.”
Ah Sun shook her head, “Senior, please don’t say that. Without the fox, we wouldn’t have been able to come this far. Even though there have been some twists and turns along the way, Ah Sun has finally found you and is very happy with that.”
“En, you’re right. Whatever the case, we’ve met again in the Outer Universe. Please stay in Great Moon Province from now on. As long as this Wei is still alive, I’ll ensure your safety.”
“Thank you, Senior!” Ah Sun pressed her lips together and nodded, then she took a look at Yang Kai and the others.
Wei Que understood and quite followed up, “If your friends are interested, they can stay in Great Moon Province as well. This Wei holds an important position in the Province, so I can take in some people as I please.”
Old Fang and Dié You appeared elated upon hearing that, while Yang Kai quickly said, “Many thanks, Senior.”
Following that, a ship came into their sight. Wei Que directly led them to the deck, which was already filled with people. A woman in an imperial dress at the front looked smilingly at them.
Yang Kai and the others traded glances and put on helpless smiles. They had actually surveyed this ship from afar before, but they didn’t see Wei Que at that time so they moved on. Perhaps he was staying inside the ship, which was why they missed him. Fortunately, Wei Que took the initiative to look for them; otherwise, they would have had to ask around for directions.
“Senior Brother Wei, have you found her?” The woman in the imperial dress took a look at Yang Kai and the others, but she couldn’t be sure which one of them was Wei Que’s Junior.
Wei Que pulled Ah Sun towards himself and guffawed, “Come, come. Meet your Martial Aunt Tao.”
Ah Sun obediently saluted her, “Greetings, Martial Aunt Tao.”
The woman surnamed Tao examined Ah Sun and said with a smile, “Such a pretty little girl. What’s your name?”
“Ah Sun…” She hung her head low as she was bashful.
“En, a good name.” The woman nodded, “You must be exhausted. From now on, we’re your family, so if anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell your Martial Aunt and I’ll stand up for you.”
“Many thanks, Martial Aunt Tao…” Ah Sun’s eyes turned moist again. She had been on her own for years, so now that there were people who actually cared about her, she felt as though she was in a dream, and everything appeared surreal.
“Silly girl…” Wei Que felt his head aching, “Why do you cry all the time?”
The woman surnamed Tao shot him a glare, “Don’t you know that women are made of water? So what if she cries?” She pulled Ah Sun into her embrace and patted her shoulders.
Wei Que scratched his head, “Is that so?” He decided not to keep pondering on what he didn’t understand as he placed his hands on his hips and swept a glance over the other disciples on the deck, “Listen up, brats. From now on, Xiao Sun’er is my Legacy Disciple as well as your Little Junior Sister. No one can bully her, understand? If anyone dares to bully her, I’ll skin him alive!”
A young man replied with a grin, “Martial Uncle Wei, Little Junior Sister is so adorable. Why would we bully her instead of taking care of her?”
All of them nodded repeatedly.
Wei Que snorted, “You’d better.”
The woman surnamed Tao said, “Senior Brother, is your cultivation technique suitable for Xiao Sun’er? I can’t imagine what a beautiful girl like her will turn out to be after getting taught by you for a few years.”
Wei Que batted his eyes and replied firmly, “What do you mean my cultivation technique might not be suitable for her? It’ll work as long as it can make her stronger.” He turned to look at the other disciples, “Don’t you agree?”
The young man from earlier and the other disciples responded, “Martial Uncle Wei is right.”
The woman surnamed Tao put on a smile, “It’s pointless for you to ask them. No one from Great Moon Province has the guts to go against you. Senior Brother, if you trust me, why don’t you let her follow me from now on? I’ll take her on as a Disciple and teach her everything I know.”
“You want to accept her to be your Disciple?” Wei Que gazed at his Junior Sister in shock.
The woman questioned, “What’s wrong? Are you unwilling to let her follow me?”
Wei Que laughed, “How can that be? But it’ll depend on whether Xiao Sun’er wants to follow you.” He shifted his attention to Ah Sun, “Xiao Sun’er, I’ll ask you a question now. Do you want to follow me or your Martial Aunt Tao?”
Ah Sun darted her gaze between Wei Que and the woman, then she hung her head low, “Senior can make the decision for me. I’m fine with anything.” She had just joined the Province, which was why she didn’t have any opinion of her own.
The woman then said, “It’s decided, then. I’ll take her on as my Disciple.” She directly made the decision for her.
Wei Que said, “What are you waiting for? Greet your Master now.” Then, he gently pushed Ah Sun forward.
The quick-witted Ah Sun hurriedly saluted her in an elegant manner, “Disciple Ah Sun greets Honoured Master!”
After receiving her salute, the woman helped hoist her with a smile, “We are currently away from home, so we’ll hold an official ceremony after we return to Great Moon Province. Your Master will give you this as a gift for first meeting.” Following that, she took out a jade hairpin from her bun and stuffed it into Ah Sun’s hands, “This is a defensive artifact. Properly refine it as it will be able to save your life at a critical moment.”
Wei Que’s expression changed slightly, “Why are you giving that to her? It’s too valuable. No, no, no. Take it back and give her something else.”
The woman smiled gently, “I’m giving it to my Disciple, what does your opinion matter?”
At those words, Wei Que was rendered speechless.
The other disciples clearly became envious because both top cultivators in their Great Moon Province group wanted to take Ah Sun on as a direct Disciple. After she was accepted by the woman surnamed Tao, she was given such a treasure as a gift. None of the disciples at the scene had been treated in such a way before.
Nevertheless, they were not in any place to be envious. Ah Sun and Wei Que came from the same homeland, while the woman surnamed Tao had been secretly in love with Wei Que for many years. However, Wei Que was an obtuse man, so he still wasn’t aware of it. They knew that this woman must have taken Ah Sun on as a Disciple because she wanted to take care of Wei Que’s Junior.
Besides the disciples from Great Moon Province, Old Fang and Dié You were also envious of her.
All of them had fled from Seven Wonders Land together as they went through countless difficulties to come all the way here, but in the blink of an eye, Ah Sun had many people to love and treasure her.
Despite their envy, they were also genuinely happy for what had happened to her. Even though they had only known each other for a few months, they knew that Ah Sun was a pure-hearted girl, which was why they took a liking to her.
After accepting a Disciple, the woman was apparently joyful and shifted her attention to Yang Kai and the others, “They are…”
Ah Sun hurriedly said, “Honoured Master, they’re my friends. It’s thanks to their help that Disciple was able to come all the way here.”
“Since they’re your friends, they’re not outsiders.” The woman surnamed Tao nodded at Yang Kai and the others with a smile.
Yang Kai and the others hurriedly saluted her, “Greetings, Senior.”
Wei Que said, “All of them have suffered a lot. Just like Xiao Sun’er, they have nowhere else to go, and there’s no one in this Outer Universe that they can rely on. I’ve promised them that if they’re interested, they can stay in Great Moon Province. Junior Sister, what do you think?”
“Of course they can. Senior Brother, you have the final say.” The woman nodded her head, “I believe our leader will not reject newcomers like them.”
“It’s decided then.” Wei Que chuckled and shifted his attention to Yang Kai and the others, “All of you must be exhausted now. Take some time to rest.”
Then, he turned around and gazed at a young man who had been grinning from the start, “Brat, bring them to their rooms now.”
“Yes!” The young man agreed to it and beckoned to them, “Please come with me.”
Without any objection, they quickly followed him.
Then, they moved across the deck and entered the cabin. As they walked down the stairs, the young man took the initiative to speak to them as he said, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Meng Hong. What are your names?”
After Yang Kai and the others revealed their names, all of them could be considered friends now as they called him ‘Senior Brother Meng’.
Meng Hong said, “The one who brought you here is one of the Elders of our Great Moon Province. I’m sure you know his name by now. The other one is Elder Tao, Tao Rong Fang.” He turned his head and playfully gazed at them, “I’ll share a secret with you. Elder Tao seems to be in love with Elder Wei, but unfortunately, he’s an insensitive man, so he’s not aware of it.”
Women were always interested in other people’s love affairs, so Dié You became energised as she asked in shock, “Does Elder Wei knows nothing at all?”
Meng Hong heaved a sigh, “That’s right. We all are wondering what his brain is made of. Everyone else in Great Moon Province is fully aware of it, but he’s still oblivious. Sometimes, we really have the urge to pry his head open to see what’s inside.”
What he had just said was pretty amusing, so Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother Meng, aren’t you worried that Elder Wei will find fault with you if he hears what you’re saying?”
“He won’t.” Meng Hong waved his hand casually, “Even though Elder Wei looks like a great bear, he’s a kind-hearted man and he treats us very well. He has never scolded or beaten us. Of the five Elders of Great Moon Province, he’s the most popular one among the disciples. A lot of Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters even want to marry him.”
“Elder Wei is indeed a kind-hearted man.” Yang Kai nodded. Although it hadn’t been long since they came into contact with one another, it was enough for Yang Kai to see through Wei Que’s temperament and nature. He had a good impression of this old man.
Meng Hong said with a smile, “In fact, the other Elders and our leader are good-natured people as well. Anyway, all of us in Great Moon Province are friendly. You might join us one day, so you’ll find out about it on your own.”
Soon, they arrived at their destination. After Meng Hong assigned some rooms for them, he turned around and left.
Even though the rooms were not spacious, each of them had their own room. After looking around, Yang Kai sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and started adjusting his breathing.
He had successfully brought Ah Sun to this place and met up with those from Great Moon Province; however, he wasn’t certain what he should do next. These people he had just met had left a good impression on him, which suggested that the other people from this great force should be just as friendly. If he joined them, he would have a terrific environment for cultivation.
However, he didn’t come to the Outer Universe to cultivate as he had something else to do. If he really joined Great Moon Province, he would also have to assume some responsibilities related to this great force, and that would make it difficult for him to move freely in the future.
Furthermore, Great Moon Province wasn’t considered powerful in the Outer Universe, so the resources they could provide would surely be limited as well. Yang Kai’s starting point was excellent, and he had a lofty goal, so he wouldn’t want to be restrained in any way.
As he felt his head aching, he decided to get to his feet and shuffled towards the deck.
For this event, many people from Great Moon Province had come out. Besides the two Elders, a couple dozen top disciples had tagged along as well. However, presently, there was no one on the deck.
Standing on the edge of the deck, Yang Kai held the railing and looked at the Sun Star in the distance. Perhaps it was because the Sun’s fire was dying down, so the entire Star appeared to be crimson, like a piece of molten steel. The scorching power continuously radiated from the Star, and even though there was a Protective Array around the ship, Yang Kai could still feel the heat.
“Junior Brother Yang!” Someone called out from behind at that moment.
Yang Kai turned around and cupped his fists, “Senior Brother Meng.”
Meng Hong approached him and gazed at the Sun Star in the distance, then he grinned, “It’s magnificent, right? Just like you, I’ve never seen anything like it before. When I go back and tell my Junior Brothers about it, I’m sure they’ll be envious of me.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter as though he could already imagine that scene, then he said, “Senior Brother Meng, I’ve heard that the Sun Star might contain Sun’s True Gold. Is that true?”
With a solemn expression, Meng Hong replied, “I don’t think it’s an unfounded rumour. Since everyone says so, it might be true.”
“I’ve also heard that even the lowest rank Sun’s True Gold is a Sixth-Order Fire Element material.”
“I’m not sure about that as I’ve never seen Sun’s True Gold before, but if such a thing really exists, there’s no way it’s of a low Order.” He turned to look at Yang Kai in shock, “Junior Brother, are you interested in the Sun’s True Gold as well?”
“Are you not interested?” Yang Kai questioned.
“Of course I am! If I can get a piece of Sun’s True Gold, I’ll be filthy rich. However, many people have arrived at this place, so even if such a thing exists, we might not be able to get our hands on it. We’ll have to be extremely lucky to get ahead of so many people.”
“En. By the way, Senior Brother Meng, I’ve just entered the Outer Universe, so I know nothing about the affairs or the great forces in this place. Do you mind enlightening me?”
Meng Hong burst into laughter, “There are eighty to a hundred great forces gathered here, and many of them share the name ‘Province’. I don’t even know all of them, so how am I going to tell you about it?”
“Well…” Yang Kai was lost for words as he hadn’t expected this kind of answer. After giving it a thought though, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Unlike the Star Boundary where there were only a small number of truly great forces, the Outer Universe was extremely expansive. Without substantial experience and excellent memory, one wouldn’t even know about all these forces, much less remember their details.
Of course, the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises were the exception. All one hundred and eight of these top forces were extremely famous, so it was difficult not to know about them.
“Wait a moment…” Meng Hong suddenly recalled something and searched his Space Ring, soon fishing out a jade slip, “A lot of information about the Outer Universe is recorded in this jade slip, including the classification of the great forces as well as some other things. Read it when you’re free. You’ll gain something out of it.”
An elated Yang Kai hurriedly said, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Meng.”
Even though the jade slip wasn’t too valuable, the information it contained was what Yang Kai needed most right now.
“There’s no need to thank me. Take a rest now. When the Sun’s fire finally dies out, we’ll be busy. By then, we won’t have any time to rest.” Meng Hong clapped his shoulder and shuffled into the cabin.
Not long after Meng Hong left, Yang Kai also left the deck and returned to his room. Then, he took out the jade slip and went through the information in it. There was all sorts of information contained in the jade slip, but they were still classified in an orderly manner. The author must be an experienced person who had been to many Great Territories before recording everything he knew.
There were a few major chapters in the jade slip. The first one was about the great forces in the 3,000 Worlds. Naturally, the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises were the first to be introduced.
Yang Kai came across the name Myriad Demons Heaven. It wasn’t certain whether Mo Sheng was from Myriad Demons Heaven, but Yang Kai reckoned that he should be careful if he bumped into people from that place in the future.
What surprised him was that the Dragon Altar of the Dragon Clan was listed as one of the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens.
That revelation made him stunned for a long time; however, after giving it a thought, he understood that given the Dragon Clan’s power, it wasn’t surprising that their base was one of the Cave-Heavens.
After reading the slip for a bit, Yang Kai realised that just like what Old Fang had said, the great forces in the Outer Universe could be classified into three classes. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises were considered First Class as all of them were powerful great forces that had many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command. The Second Class ones were great forces like Seven Wonders Land that were led by Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Third Class forces were like Great Moon Province and led by Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Certainly, they could be classified further, but that was the overall hierarchy.
Besides the introduction to the great forces, identifying symbols and standards of each great force was recorded as well. After searching for a bit, Yang Kai finally found the symbol he was looking for, and the great force associated with it was called Perpetual Province.
Recalling the symbol on the ship he had come across on his way to the Sun Star, he immediately realised that the young man was from Perpetual Province. Just like Great Moon Province, Perpetual Province was also a Third Class force with no Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai felt glad that the young man came from a Third-Class force; otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.
He reckoned that he should stop pretending to be someone he was not in the future; otherwise, he might find himself to be in a perilous situation.
After the chapter regarding the great forces, it was followed by an introduction to beasts. Most beasts in the Outer Universe were similar to those in the Star Boundary, but some of them were starkly different. In any case, those that could roam through the void were all extremely powerful.
The strongest ones were the Giant Spirit Gods, of course.
Yang Kai didn’t understand why Giant Spirit Gods were classified as beasts as Ah Da looked just like a giant Human and had no beast-like features.
However, he could understand why they were considered the strongest. Yang Kai had seen Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters making a move before, and even though he hadn’t witnessed how powerful a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters possessed, he reckoned that Ah Da could still defeat them.
According to the jade slip, Giant Spirit Gods ate dead Universe Worlds as they roamed around the Starry Sky. They were normally mild-tempered and would avoid conflict with other people. As long as they were not offended, they were essentially harmless.
That wasn’t different from the experience Yang Kai had. Ah Da was indeed a mild-tempered guy, and just like a hungry ghost, knowing only how to eat.
Recalling Ah Da, Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking about the Star Boundary as well, wondering what it was like back home now. It had only been a year or so since he left, so the Star Boundary shouldn’t have gone through any drastic changes. Furthermore, Ah Da was keeping guard outside of the Star Boundary, so even if any powerful Master happened to pass by, they wouldn’t dare to go near. Therefore, the Star Boundary should be safe for now. The only thing he had to worry about was the Star Boundary suddenly collapsing, then Ah Da would surely eat it. Hence, Yang Kai had to find the World Tree as quickly as possible.
Yang Kai next read that the Dragon Clan was ranked second only to the Giant Spirit Gods.
He was amused as it seemed that wherever the Dragon Clan appeared, they would be famous. It was the same case in both the Star Boundary and the Outer Universe.
Information about Mie Meng was also recorded in the jade slip. The picture was similar to the beast he had met, and needless to say, she was highly ranked as well.
There was indeed a lot of information in the jade slip and Yang Kai was soon totally engrossed. Like a studious scholar, he didn’t seem tired of gaining knowledge.
A long time later, Yang Kai was shocked by a sudden jolt. Following that, a horrifying scorching power penetrated the Protective Array and swept across the entire ship. Then, terrifying creaking sounds were heard coming from the overburdened ship.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he dashed out of his room.
When he reached the deck, he realised that everyone from Great Moon Province was already present. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were forming hand seals as though they were trying to reinforce the ship’s shields. Presently, the barrier around the ship seemed to be breaking, and even the ship was starting to smoulder as though a scorching power had swept across it.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai turned to look at Meng Hong, who was just beside him.
A fervent-looking Meng Hong replied in a hushed voice, “The Sun’s fire is on the verge of dying out.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and followed Meng Hong’s gaze, only to see that the crimson Sun Star was still burning like a gigantic fireball hanging in the void. However, its flame was extremely unstable as it expanded and contracted from time to time. Sometimes, pillars of flame could be seen spitting from it. Every time such a pillar erupted, a horrifying scorching power would sweep across the surrounding space.
It was the final radiance of the Sun Star.
Without the need for any explanation, Yang Kai immediately realised the crux of the matter. This series of eruptions would exhaust the last bit of energy the Sun Star was left with. After the flames went out, the Sun’s fire on the Star would completely die. Once that happened, it would become a free-for-all match between the great forces.
Just then, Tao Rong Fang exclaimed, “The shield won’t last any longer, Senior Brother Wei!”
Wei Que’s expression changed as he yelled, “Retreat!”
After he finished speaking, he formed a different set of hand seals, upon which the ship rapidly withdrew, moving some ten thousand kilometres in an instant. When they reached a location that was far away from the Sun Star, they finally felt the scorching power waning, and the ship stopped creaking.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that, besides Great Moon Province, the other great forces, which had gathered around the periphery of the Sun Star earlier, had reacted the same way by retreating. There were only a small number of people who managed to remain in their original positions.
The explosion of the Sun’s fire was unexpected, but fortunately, it diminished quickly. In just a quarter hour, the gigantic fireball lost its vigour as its flames contracted, and the scorching aura visibly weakened.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances, and without the need for any discussion, they drove the ship towards the Sun Star. At the same time, the other great forces, which had retreated just now, scrambled to get ahead of the others.
All of them knew that it was time to explore the Sun Star and seek out the Sun’s True Gold.
On the deck, Wei Que looked around and shouted, “Brats, don’t go anywhere on your own when you reach the Sun Star, and don’t stray too far from me and your Martial Aunt Tao. No one knows what danger awaits us on the Star. If you still want to live, you have to be careful. Got it?”
“Yes,” all of them replied at the same time.
Wei Que nodded and looked solemnly towards the front. Even though he and Tao Rong Fang, who were Open Heaven Realm Masters, were around when exploring the Sun Star, they couldn’t protect so many people if they fell into danger; however, it was worth it to take the risk to look for a treasure like Sun’s True Gold.
As they got closer, the pressure coming from the humongous Star intensified. Although the Sun’s fire had died out already, the scorching heat wouldn’t dissipate so quickly. The closer they approached, the hotter they felt. Moreover, lights could still be seen flashing all across the Star. They were the last radiance of the Sun’s fire.
Everyone on the ship looked attentively at the front as many of them had never seen such a splendid sight.
After flying for an hour or so, the ship finally landed on the Sun Star. When the ship stopped, everyone leapt off the artifact and took a deep breath. However, they immediately felt a burning sensation in their chests and stomachs while the pungent burning smell was all but intolerable. They were so shocked that they hurriedly held their breaths.
Wei Que used a different hand seal, causing the ship to shrink down and become a palm-sized item before it was stored away by him.
Yang Kai and Old Fang were standing among the crowd as they looked around, only to see that they were the only people in this area, causing them to wonder where the other great forces were.
It wasn’t surprising after thinking about it though. Many great forces had come to this place, but the Sun Star was enormous. The great forces had decided to land on different locations, which was why they wouldn’t immediately come into contact with one another. This also prevented them from getting into conflicts right away.
From time to time, magma would spurt out from the crimson ground, making the entire environment seem very dangerous.
Even though Tao Rong Fang was an Open Heaven Realm Master, she had apparently never participated in such an important mission before, so she didn’t know where to start and turned to Wei Que to ask, “Senior Brother, what should we do now?”
Wei Que stroked his beard and gave it a thought before replying, “Let’s walk around first. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to pick up a piece of Sun’s True Gold. If so, we can immediately go back.”
His plan wasn’t outrageous as he just needed a piece of Sun’s True Gold to complete his mission; after all, each piece of Sun’s True Gold was at least a Sixth-Order material. If they really obtained one, the best thing to do would be to return to their headquarters quickly. If they stayed any longer, they might invite trouble to themselves.
Since he had said so, Tao Rong Fang wouldn’t object. And so, they led the disciples to roam around aimlessly. Everyone on the Sun Star was trying their luck anyway, and no one was at an advantage. As they released their Divine Senses, they began scanning the surroundings.
Looking for something in this kind of environment was undoubtedly exhausting because they had to continuously use their strength to resist the heat.
After half a day, they still hadn’t discovered anything and the weakest person in the team started showing signs of lethargy. Seeing this, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang told that disciple to leave and wait for them in the periphery of the Sun Star.
Even though the disciple was reluctant, he had no choice but to comply. Right after he left, Wei Que suddenly turned to look in a direction as though he had discovered something. Seeing that, Tao Rong Fang asked, “Senior Brother, what happened?”
“Something is coming!” Wei Que shouted. Upon hearing that, the others hurriedly circulated their strength and got ready for any potential trouble.
A moment later, they could really see something coming towards them. It was a beam of light that was rapidly flying over, but before the disciples could make out what it was, Wei Que exclaimed in surprise, “It’s a Fourth-Order Fire Element material!”
Then, he traded glances with Tao Rong Fang, and without uttering a word, they moved to approach the beam of light.
Yang Kai realised that the beam of light seemed to have some spirituality, and before Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang could close in, it suddenly moved in a different direction and disappeared into a pool of magma.
Wei Que guffawed, “How dare you try to flee!”
A ferocious Wei Que raced after the beam of light and dove into the magma. Before he disappeared though, he shouted to Tao Rong Fang, “Junior Sister, stay there!”
The disciples were still on the surface, so if both Open Heaven Realm Masters left to pursue the beam of light, no one could ensure their safety. Tao Rong Fang furrowed her brow, apparently worried about Wei Que’s safety, but she still obediently stayed behind.
Yang Kai and the others caught up just in time to see Wei Que plunging into the magma and Meng Huang asked, “Will Martial Uncle Wei be fine?”
Tao Rong Fang replied, “The magma won’t harm him, but all of you should be on guard.”
“Yes.”
After they waited in the same spot for a bit, a figure suddenly shot out from another magma pool. Everyone turned to look at him and realised that it was none other than Wei Que.
There were countless magma pools on the surface of the Sun Star, most of them roiling and bubbling from time to time. Some of them even looked just like volcanos, erupting with flame. Now, it seemed that these magma pools were interconnected underground. Otherwise, it was impossible that Wei Que could enter one pool and come out from another.
However, at this moment, Wei Que appeared elated as he was holding a transparent container. A yellowish flame inside it was trying to shatter the container, but it could not break free from the restriction.
A joyful Tao Rong Fang walked over and said, “Senior Brother, did you manage to capture it?”
Wei Que nodded and replied, “It’s a Sun’s True Fire!”
Upon that realisation, Tao Rong Fang commented, “No wonder it’s a Fourth-Order material, it turned out to be a Sun’s True Fire!”
Wei Que grinned, “It’s not surprising that there’s Sun’s True Fire on this Sun Star. It seems that we all became short-sighted as all our attention was on the Sun’s True Gold.”
Everybody wanted to find the Sixth-Order Sun’s True Gold, completely forgetting that there were other precious materials to be found here, like Sun’s True Fire. Moreover, judging from the current situation, it seemed that there was a lot of Sun’s True Fire around the area; otherwise, Wei Que couldn’t have obtained one so easily.
Wei Que easily obtained a Sun’s True Fire, which could be traded for over 100,000 Open Heaven Pills. That was the reason he was grinning from ear to ear.
More importantly, for a great force like Great Moon Province, having a Fourth-Order material didn’t only mean a lot of pills, but also a chance for a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to be born, which would increase their overall power.
Therefore, the value of materials that were Fourth-Order and above couldn’t be calculated simply according to Dié You’s previous method.
While Wei Que was still laughing, the sounds of something breaking through the air could be heard coming from a distance. In the blink of an eye, two figures abruptly appeared in front of them. Both of these men exuded Open Heaven Realm auras and were clad in matching light blue robes, indicating they were from the same force.
Following that, a large group of cultivators appeared behind them. Apparently, they came from the same great force as the two men. However, these people were obviously not Open Heaven Realm Masters. Just like Yang Kai and the others, they had only condensed their Dao Seals.
Right after the two men appeared, they stared fixedly at the Sun’s True Fire in Wei Que’s hand. Wei Que immediately stored the container and shot them a stern look, “So it is Still Winds Province’s Ge Brothers? What’s wrong?”
“Great Moon Province’s Wei Que.” One of the brothers with a pair of grim-looking eyes apparently recognised Wei Que.
The other brother grinned and continued, “Brother Wei, that’s not very honourable of you.”
Wei Que frowned, “What do you mean by that? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The person said, “You should know. We were the ones who discovered that Sun’s True Fire in your hand first; however, something went wrong when we were capturing it, which is why it escaped. We didn’t expect that you would catch it without our permission.”
Tao Rong Fang scoffed, “Ridiculous. Ge Yan, you said that you were the first to discover the Sun’s True Fire. How do you prove that?”
The person called Ge Yan said, “The fact that we were chasing after it is the best evidence. What else do you need? Otherwise, why would we have come all the way here?”
Tao Rong Fang snorted, “Could that even be considered evidence?”
Wei Que raised his hand to stop her, then he grinned at the Ge Brothers, “Fellow brothers, even if you really discovered the Sun’s True Fire first, it’s now in my hands, so it belongs to me. Things without owners belong to those who are capable of claiming them, so do you want to snatch it from me? In that case, this Wei doesn’t mind, we’ll fight for it here and the Sun’s True Fire will go to the winner. What do you think?”
Upon hearing this blatant provocation, the Ge Brothers furrowed their brows and traded glances before one of them spoke, “Brother Wei, many great forces have come to this place and we’ve only started exploring this Star where many more rewards undoubtedly await us. I don’t believe we should get into a conflict at this point.”
“What nonsense are you spouting here, then?” Wei Que arrogantly patted his Space Ring, “The Sun’s True Fire is right here. Why don’t you call out to it and see whether it responds to you? If it chooses you, this Wei will give it to you freely. If it refuses, then it belongs to me.”
“Brother Wei, stop being so haughty. We’re not afraid of you, we just don’t want to fight pointlessly and let others take advantage of us. That thing is indeed in your hands now, but we expended great effort and energy chasing after it. How about this, you give us some benefits and we’ll allow you to keep the Sun’s True Fire.”
“You want to obtain some benefits from us?” Wei Que snickered in amusement, “This Wei will say it one more time, what’s in my hands belongs to me, if you want it, try taking it!” Then, he raised his arm and shouted, “Brats, these people are trying to snatch our things, what should we do?”
In an instant, the disciples from Great Moon Province became incensed and roared, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”
At the same time, they all assumed some kind of Formation as their auras surged, staring ferociously at the enemy.
Yang Kai and his group were all dumbfounded as they thought that these disciples had been affected by their Elder. Wei Que was a fierce and straightforward man, so even his disciples had turned out to be just like him.
The expressions of the Ge Brothers darkened, but after pondering for a moment, Ge Yan snorted, “Wei Que, just you wait. I’ll make you pay for what you’ve taken from me today!” Then, he waved his hand and shouted, “Let’s go.”
It really wasn’t that he was afraid of those from Great Moon Province, but rather just as he had said, the powers of both parties were equally matched as there were two Open Heaven Realm Masters on either side. Therefore, no one could tell which party would turn out to be the winner, only that injuries and possibly deaths would result from a conflict, forcing them to withdraw from this exploration prematurely. If that happened, they wouldn’t even be able to dream of getting any benefits from this place. Wei Que seemed brainless and overbearing, so the Ge Brothers didn’t want to get dragged down with him.
As the people from Still Winds Province left, Wei Que remained silent, and only after they were out of sight did he quietly signal to Tao Rong Fang in a meaningful way.
A puzzled Tao Rong Fang asked in a hushed voice, “What happened?”
Wei Que pointed at the ground, “There’s one more down below.”
“Really?” Tao Rong Fang was shocked at first, but then she became surprised, “Another Sun’s True Fire?”
Wei Que nodded, “I saw it when I was in the magma pool, but I hadn’t managed to capture it. I’ll dive down once more. Junior Sister, get ready with these brats to prevent it from fleeing.”
“Good. Senior Brother, please be careful,” Tao Rong Fang uttered.
“Don’t worry.” Wei Que laughed and disappeared into the magma.
On the surface, Tao Rong Fang led the disciples to seal off a radius of several dozen metres around the area as they arranged an array while performing a set of complex hand seals.
Yang Kai and the others were newcomers and weren’t familiar with this Spirit Array, which was why they couldn’t participate, so instead, Tao Rong Fang told them to stand guard in the four corners.
The magma roiled as bubbles burst from time to time, exuding a pungent smell. The disciples fell silent as they waited patiently, but even after a long silence, Wei Que hadn’t returned.
Tao Rong Fang frowned as she had a feeling that Wei Que must have come across some trouble. She wanted to look for him, but she was also worried about her disciples’ safety. Without an Open Heaven Realm Master around, they might fall prey to unexpected dangers.
While she was feeling anxious though, she saw the magma pool in front of her boiling as a strong energy fluctuation could be felt rising from it.
Tao Rong Fang turned solemn as she exclaimed, “Prepare yourselves!”
Right after she spoke, a beam of light suddenly shot out of the magma, surrounded by a scorching aura as it soared away. Wei Que’s figure emerged from the magma right behind it and yelled, “Don’t let it flee!”
In fact, as soon as the Sun’s True Fire appeared, the disciples already started making a move as they performed their hand seals, after which the area was engulfed in a Heaven sealing, Earth locking power.
Tao Rong Fang raised her slender hand and lightly pushed out her palm at the Sun’s True Fire.
The fire seemed to possess spirituality as it dodged the attack and whizzed past Tao Rong Fang. Following that, it attempted to crash into a disciple behind her.
The disciple’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly summoned out a mirror artifact. A profound light shot out from the mirror and struck the fire, engulfing it in an instant and freezing it mid-air. It seemed that the mirror was a powerful binding artifact.
Seeing this, the other disciples heaved a sigh of relief; however, before they could even relax, the light that had engulfed the fire wisp melted and the flame which seemed able to burn down everything in existence reached the disciple who had summoned the mirror in a flash, causing his face to contort with fear and panic.
“Solidify!” At the critical moment, Yang Kai shouted and surged his Space Principles, binding the Sun’s True Fire in place for a second time.
However, Yang Kai didn’t relax in the slightest as he could feel the fire wisp quickly breaking free of his restriction, causing him to yell, “Senior Tao!”
Tao Rong Fang had already appeared in front of the disciple with a transparent container in her hand. The container looked just like the one Wei Que had used earlier and she swiftly captured the fire wisp with it.
The crimson glow dampened at that moment as Tao Rong Fang managed to seal the container with the fire wisp inside. After she completely secured it, she turned to look at the disciple and asked, “Are you alright?”
The disciple had turned pale as he was still reeling from the shock, but even though his vision was still blurred, he shook his head and declared, “I’m fine. Many thanks for your concern, Martial Aunt.”
Tao Rong Fang nodded gently.
Right then, Wei Que dashed towards them and bellowed, “Damn it! This thing almost fled. It obtained a very high level of spirituality, almost being a living creature of some sort.” If it wasn’t because the disciples had set up an array beforehand, the Sun’s True Fire would have escaped.
Then, he turned to look at Yang Kai and commended, “Kid, you did a great job.”
Even though that disciple wouldn’t have been killed even if he was struck by the fire wisp, he would’ve gotten seriously injured. Fortunately, Yang Kai managed to make a move at the last moment and prevented such a tragedy.
Yang Kai replied politely, “Senior is too polite.”
Wei Que pondered on an issue for a moment before asking, “Did you just use Space Principles?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded as he couldn’t hide it anyway, and since he had decided to make a move, he wasn’t worried that his skills would be exposed.
“Incredible.” Wei Que’s gaze brightened, “The Dao of Space is abstruse and esoteric. This Wei has only ever heard of it but has never witnessed anyone wielding it. You’ve broadened my horizons today.”
Tao Rong Fang appeared joyful as well, “It seems that we’ve taken in a treasure.” She seemed to have already regarded Yang Kai as a Great Moon Province’s disciple and Yang Kai certainly couldn’t refute her at this point.
Wei Que patted Yang Kai’s shoulder, “Work hard and you’ll definitely become an Open Heaven Realm Master. When that time comes, you’ll be free to explore anywhere in this wide universe.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied respectfully.
Then, Wei Que gazed at the other disciple, “Little brat, why haven’t you thanked your Junior Brother Yang? Where are your manners? Is this what I’ve taught you?”
It was only then that the disciple came to his senses and walked up to Yang Kai before seriously saluting him, “Junior Brother Yang, many thanks for saving me just now.”
“Senior Brother need not mention it. We’re all supposed to help each other. It was the least I could do.” Yang Kai returned the gesture.
After the incident, Yang Kai realised that the other disciples had become more amiable towards him, and it seemed that they had acknowledged him to be one of them.
They couldn’t be blamed, however. Previously, these people were not familiar with Yang Kai and the others yet. They hadn’t grown up together or gone through life-or-death moments with one another, so they found it hard to acknowledge them; however, things were different now as they had become closer.
“Let’s find out what Order this thing is,” Wei Que stared at Tao Rong Fang and asked.
Tao Rong Fang fished out the Sun’s True Fire from her Space Ring and examined it for a while before she replied, “It’s the same as the previous one. A Fourth-Order material.”
Wei Que chuckled, “Not bad.”
It had only been half a day since they arrived at this place, but they had managed to obtain two Fourth-Order Fire Element materials. More importantly, they were both Sun’s True Fires, so it could be said that it was a fruitful day for them. If they could collect a few more such materials, they could go to Star City and trade them for materials of other Elements. Then, they could pick out a disciple with outstanding aptitude and attempt have them break through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
By then, Great Moon Province would also grow in importance.
As though he could already envision a bright future for all of them, a glow could be seen radiating from Wei Que’s eyes. Then, he said seriously, “I understand now. There’s nothing worth scavenging on the Sun Star’s surface because all the good things are hidden underground. Junior Sister Tao, I think we have to separate the disciples into two groups, and we’ll lead each group respectively. One group will stay on the surface, and the other group will go underground. What do you think?”
Tao Rong Fang was more than willing to give everything to Wei Que, so she wouldn’t object to his suggestion. After a nod, she replied, “We’ll do it as Senior Brother says.”
After the discussion, Wei Que directly separated the disciples into two groups. One group would follow him, and the other group would follow Tao Rong Fang.
Since there were benefits to be gained, the disciples had become energised as they meticulously searched around.
There might be danger lurking in the magma which was why the two groups took turns diving below. As Open Heaven Realm Masters, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were certainly not afraid of the heat; however, the disciples they brought with them were not strong enough, and the durations they could withstand the heat varied. As long as they knew where their limits were though, their lives wouldn’t be at risk.
Then, Wei Que told everyone to prioritise their own safety and if they discovered anything, they had to inform Tao Rong Fang or him immediately. All of them nodded in agreement.
Nevertheless, for the next few days, they didn’t get anything more. Despite the fact that they had searched around carefully, they couldn’t find any more Sun’s True Fire. It had to be said that they were truly lucky on the first day.
During this period of time, they had come across people from other great forces, all of whom seemed to share the same thought as them as they were all looking for the hidden treasures beneath the magma.
They didn’t get into conflicts during the encounters, so everything was peaceful so far. Right now, everyone’s focus was on the Sun’s True Fire and the possibly existent Sun’s True Gold, so no one was willing to fight at this point.
A few days later, those from Great Moon Province finally found something.
They found one more Sun’s True Fire that was hidden in the magma. Tao Rong Fang and the disciples, who were staying above ground, spent a lot of effort but eventually captured it.
As time passed, only a small number of places were left unsearched. Even though the Sun Star was enormous, many great forces had arrived this time as all of them searched around on the Sun Star. In just a few days, they had visited most of the places on the Star, and the areas that were still unsearched were shrinking.
Wei Que was slightly anxious because he thought that his mission would only be completed by collecting seven Sun’s True Fires. That was because only by having seven fires could they go to a Star City and trade them for enough materials so that they could nurture a Fourth-Order Heaven Realm Master.
With only three fires now, it was far from enough. After all, it wasn’t every day that they could collect Fourth-Order Open Heaven materials. Wei Que had cultivated for a long time, but this was the first time he had encountered such an opportunity.
On this day, half of the disciples led by Wei Que dove into the magma to look for more treasures. Yang Kai was a part of them.
It was a unique experience to move through magma. Not only was the magma extremely viscous, but it was also extraordinarily hot, forcing everyone to continuously use their strength to protect themselves. Moreover, in this kind of special environment, Divine Sense wasn’t able to extend very far, so the area they were able to scan was limited.
Therefore, before one reached the Open Heaven Realm, they couldn’t stay for a long time inside the magma. They could only last an hour at most. After that, they had to leave the magma and have someone else replace them. That was how they had been working with one another these past few days.
Inside the magma, Yang Kai moved around slowly as he scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense, but he didn’t discover anything. Honestly, he wasn’t interested in the Sun’s True Fire; however, since he was a part of Wei Que’s group, he had to play along with them. It would be wonderful if he could find anything, but if not, he wouldn’t mind.
Soon, Yang Kai realised that his time was up. Just when he was ready to ascend to the surface though, he suddenly detected something and turned his head to look in a particular direction. He could see nothing else but red magma, but he had clearly detected something with his Divine Sense.
[Did I really find something?] At that instant, Yang Kai couldn’t contain his laughter. Since he had discovered it, he naturally wouldn’t let it go. Without any hesitation, he shot forward, and before he even reached that place, he activated his Space Principles to seal off the surrounding region. At the same time, he summoned his Six Fated Paths Bag and covered the fire wisp in it.
To the average Emperor Realm Masters like Meng Hong and the other disciples, it would be all but impossible to capture a Sun’s True Fire on their own, unless they had a useful artifact. For example, the Sky Seizing Net that belonged to Du Ru Feng. However, those from Great Moon Province obviously didn’t have such powerful artifacts, so every time they found a Sun’s True Fire, they would force it to the surface and let the other group capture it.
However, Yang Kai possessed the Six Fated Paths Bag, so it wasn’t necessary for him to do that. The bag was even able to suck in and trap an Open Heaven Realm Master, let alone a Sun’s True Fire. Even though Yang Kai wasn’t powerful enough to fully activate its power, the artifact was not to be underestimated.
Initially, he thought that he could capture the fire with ease, but as soon as he summoned the Six Fated Paths Bag, he felt an immense force coming from in front of him and his Space Principles couldn’t confine it at all. The Sun’s True Fire, which was hidden in the magma, suddenly radiated a glow and shot downwards.
“Fifth-Order material!” Yang Kai arched his brow. He couldn’t detect it when the fire was hidden in the magma; however, as soon as it moved, he realised that it was special. The fire was different from the three they had collected previously as its Fire Attribute Energy was purer and thicker, making it apparent it was above the Fourth Order.
A Fifth-Order material was worth over a million Open Heaven Pills!
Although Yang Kai wasn’t interested in Fourth-Order materials, he was keen on getting a Fifth-Order one. Seeing that the fire was moving downwards, he didn’t hesitate as he raced after it. As he extended his hand, Space Principles surged even more violently.
The fire became frozen for a moment, then it struggled out of the Space Principles’ restriction and kept moving downwards.
Yang Kai was incensed at the fact that he had failed in his attempt twice, so he relentlessly raced after it.
Anyone else would have attempted to chase the fire out of the magma first as if they went any deeper and expended too much energy, they wouldn’t be able to go up again. They might even lose their lives in the magma. However, Yang Kai wasn’t worried about this because he had Six Fated Paths Bag and his Sealed World Bead. If he really exhausted himself, he could hide inside the bag or the bead to restore his strength before making a move again.
Soon, Yang Kai wasn’t even certain how deep he had dived into the magma.
At that moment, some figures shot out of the magma and landed on the surface. All of them had turned pale, so it was apparent that they didn’t have much energy left. Wei Que was the last one to emerge from the magma, prompting Tao Rong Fang to ask, “Have you not obtained anything?”
Wei Que shook his head as he felt dejected, “It seems that the truth is different from what I’ve expected.”
After the first fruitful day, he thought that the underground was filled with Sun’s True Fires; however, after a few days of searching, they had only managed to find one more material. It was then he realised that he was too optimistic. Even on a Sun Star, Sun’s True Fire was not abundant.
Tao Rong Fang nodded, “Senior Brother, please have a rest. We’ll look for a new place before searching around again.”
Wei Que nodded his head, “That’s the only thing we can do.”
All of a sudden, Ah Sun looked around and asked, “Where’s Senior Brother Yang?” She realised that Yang Kai wasn’t among the people who had just come out of the magma.
Upon hearing her question, the others finally realised that Yang Kai was missing. Wei Que frowned and gazed at the disciples who had followed him just now and questioned, “Have any of you seen Yang Kai?”
A female disciple said, “Martial Uncle, I did rub shoulders with Junior Brother Yang just now.”
Wei Que asked, “How long ago was it?”
After giving it a thought, the female disciple replied, “About a quarter-hour ago.”
Wei Que nodded and said, “It hasn’t been that long then, we can…” He wanted to say that they could wait a little longer, as Yang Kai might come out from the magma soon.
Nevertheless, when he saw how worried Ah Sun and Dié You were, he said, “All of you, wait here. I’ll go look for him now.”
After he finished speaking, he plunged into the magma.
Old Fang and Dié You traded glances and saw the worry behind each other’s gazes. Old Fag even said, “I’ll try to contact him.”
Then, he fished out an artifact that he normally used to contact Yang Kai and infused his Divine Sense into it. After waiting for some time though, he didn’t get any reply. Dié You also gave it a try, but the result was the same.
A moment later, Wei Que returned from the magma with a dark expression.
Dié You hurriedly asked, “Senior, have you found him?” In fact, it was a pointless question. If Wei Que had really found Yang Kai, he would have brought him up. Now that he was alone, it suggested that Yang Kai had fallen into danger.
Seeing that Wei Que shook his head, Dié You turned pale.
A flustered Old Fang said, “Why is he missing? He was with all of you.”
Ah Sun was on the brink of tearing up and she shook Tao Rong Fang’s arms, “Master, Senior Brother Yang is a kind-hearted person. Please save him.”
Tao Rong Fang clapped the back of her hand and consoled her by saying, “Don’t worry. Your Martial Uncle and I are around, so we won’t let anything happen to Yang Kai.” Then, she gazed at Wei Que and communicated with him using her Divine Sense.
Wei Que nodded his head and said, “Brats, Yang Kai has gone missing, so he might have come across some kind of danger. I need you to go down with me again and search for him.”
“Yes, Martial Uncle!” They all agreed.
Wei Que said solemnly, “There might be danger inside the magma that we’re not aware of, so you mustn’t stray too far away. I want you to stay close to your fellow Brothers and Sisters so that you can contact one another at any moment. If you realise that something is off, call out to me immediately.”
Besides the fact that Yang Kai had escorted Ah Sun all the way to meet up with those from Great Moon Province, his mastery of the Dao of Space made Wei Que realise that he was a rare talent. Wei Que wanted to take him on as a Disciple, which was why he had been treating the young man like he was already a part of Great Moon Province. Now that Yang Kai had fallen into danger, Wei Que wouldn’t turn a blind eye to it even if Ah Sun didn’t plead with him. As long as he was able to do so, he would try to look for Yang Kai.
After Wei Que was done with the arrangements, he led the other disciples down into the magma again, only this time, they were looking for Yang Kai instead of Sun’s True Fire.
The fact that Yang Kai had gone missing suggested that there might be danger inside the magma that they were not aware of; therefore, all of them were careful and didn’t stay too far away from one another.
One hour later, they returned to the surface without having found Yang Kai.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances before she led her group down into the magma without saying a word.
After several attempts, four hours had passed. Presently, all the disciples were exhausted and pale-faced. Only the two Open Heaven Realm Masters were still alright. However, they still hadn’t found Yang Kai after such a long time, so it was pointless to keep searching.
Tao Rong Fang and Wei Que traded glances and shook their heads.
Seeing this, Dié You said in a shaking voice, “Seniors, are you not going to keep looking? Yang Kai is still down there.”
With a dejected expression, Wei Que turned to look at her and sighed, “Too long has passed. Given his strength, it’s impossible that he could’ve survived until now. I’m afraid that he’s already passed away.”
Dié You’s face, which was already drained of any colour, turned as pale as snow. She started trembling and almost couldn’t support herself. Even though she knew that Wei Que was right, it was still difficult for her to accept such an outcome.
Yang Kai was able to create countless miracles in Seven Wonders Land, flipping the situation over in the face of formidable enemies time and again. He had also given her a Third-Order Stainless Golden Dew and led her to escape her enslavement in Seven Wonders Land. Could he have really lost his life just like this?
Unable to accept the truth, she covered her mouth and started sobbing as her shoulders trembled.
On the other side, Ah Sun’s eyes turned bloodshot as she crashed into Tao Rong Fang’s embrace and started bawling.
Old Fang thumped his chest and said, “The Heavens must have been jealous of him! Little Brother, how could you lose your life at such a young age? The Heavens must be blind! Why couldn’t it have been me instead? Little Brother, come back! I’ll replace you!”
A sense of sorrow permeated the air, causing the other disciples to be crestfallen as well. The female disciples were especially affected by their emotions as tears streamed down their faces.
Wei Que raised his hand and patted Dié You’s shoulder, “Try to restrain your grief. We’ve done our best. Now, all we can do is hope that he somehow managed to survive.”
Of course, Wei Que didn’t believe what he was saying, but that was the only way he could console her. He didn’t understand what kind of danger there was inside the magma that caused a person to go missing as even after a meticulous search, they couldn’t find any signs of danger.
Dié You brushed away her tears and said, “Senior, I’d like to keep looking for him. I don’t think he’d be killed so easily.”
“Nonsense!” Wei Que shot her a glare, “Don’t you understand your own condition? Take a rest for now.”
“But…”
Wei Que cut her off by saying, “I don’t want to use force; however, if you insist on making a scene, I’ll have no choice but to knock you out.”
Tao Rong Fang took Dié You’s hand and said gently, “Rest now. We’ll talk about it later.”
Dié You pressed her lips together and nodded as her tears slid down her face.
Just then, an unexpected change occurred. A rumbling sound was heard coming from underground, and the entire Sun Star seemed to shake. Everyone was stunned as they turned around, only to see the magma boiling vigorously, a dangerous aura permeating all around.
Wei Que’s expression changed as he shouted, “Retreat!”
As he spoke, he wrapped everyone in his World Force and hoisted them up into the sky.
At the same time, columns of magma shot out of the pools as though countless Fire Dragons had been born.
After rising thirty kilometres above the surface, everyone looked down and turned pale. That was because countless cracks had appeared on the Sun Star as though it was going to explode at any moment. Gullies had been formed as the magma weltered in them, sweeping everything away.
The rumbling sounds were so loud that their eardrums hurt.
Then, a dazzling light could be seen coming from a certain direction, causing one of the disciples to unconsciously exclaim, “What is that?”
When the others turned their heads to look at the source of the light, their pupils contracted. In the distance, the gigantic illusory phantom of a palace could be seen hovering high up above, appearing both real and yet ethereal.
Even though it was just an illusory phantom, it was still awe-inspiring to the beholder. The ancient palace seemed to have passed through millions of years to arrive in the modern era.
There was a palace on this Sun Star!
Wei Que exclaimed, “Golden Crow Divine Palace!”
It was rumoured that besides the Sun’s True Gold, there might even be a Golden Crow Divine Palace on this Sun Star, and the reason that the Sun’s fire was dying out was that the Golden Crow was dying.
However, in the end, this was just a rumour. Most people would believe that there was Sun’s True Gold to be found, but nine out of ten people wouldn’t believe that there was a Golden Crow Divine Palace here, while the remaining one person would be seriously doubtful.
Nonetheless, at this moment, a palace had really appeared on the Sun Star. What else could it be if it wasn’t a Golden Crow Divine Palace?
Tao Rong Fang widened her eyes, “The rumour was true?”
A myriad of expressions came over Wei Que as he had a feeling that things were rapidly growing beyond his expectations. If it was just the possibility of Sun’s True Gold, the great forces in the neighbouring Great Territories would be able to monopolize the benefits of this place. However, now that a legendary Golden Crow Divine Palace had appeared, word was sure to spread and real powerhouses were bound to come.
It was inevitable that the Thirty-Six Cave Heaven and Seventy-Two Paradises would hear of this and come to investigate. Once that happened, the Third Class great forces like Great Moon Province wouldn’t be able to reap any benefits while even the Second Class great forces with Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would be forced to the sidelines.
Therefore, in order to get any benefits, they had to obtain them now before word spread.
After pondering the issue for a short time, Wei Que made a decision and called out, “Meng Hong!”
“Yes!” Meng Hong stepped forward.
“Leave with your Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters.”
Meng Hong was startled for a moment before he realised Wei Que’s intention, then he cupped his fists and bowed, “Yes. We’ll await Martial Uncle and Aunt at the periphery.”
Wei Que shook his head, “No. All of you must directly go to First Inn, then ask them to send a message to Sect Master. Have him and the other Elders come as quickly as possible.”
A serious-looking Meng Hong nodded, “Understood.”
After he was done with the arrangement, Wei Que turned to look at Tao Rong Fang, “Let’s go.”
Saying so, he turned into a beam of light and shot into the distance.
Tao Rong Fang said to Ah Sun, “Xiao Sun’er, leave with your Senior Brother Meng. Be careful.”
Ah Sun nodded, “You must be careful as well, Master.”
Without speaking any further, Tao Rong Fang raced after Wei Que.
After the Open Heaven Realm Masters departed, all the disciples lost a sense of security as they turned to Meng Hong, who said, “You all heard what Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt have said. Now that the Golden Crow Divine Palace has appeared, this place will descend into chaos soon. Follow me to First Inn now!”
Dié You said, “Senior Brother Meng, I want to stay here.”
Old Fang stepped forward, “Me too.”
Ah Sun said, “And me.”
“You…” Meng Hong shot a glare at the three of them as he tried to act as a proper Senior Brother, “Didn’t you hear what Martial Aunt and Martial Uncle said? Without their protection, we’ll be doomed if we come across any enemies!”
Dié You hung her head low and fell silent.
Old Fang said, “Senior Brother Meng, please don’t try to convince us. We’re not considered disciples of Great Moon Province yet, so I believe no one will find fault with us. We… I just want to keep looking for Little Brother Yang a bit longer. If he’s alive I must see him in person, if he has fallen, I must see his corpse.”
Ah Sun nodded in agreement.
Meng Hong’s face fell, “Must you insist?”
Old Fang cupped his fists, “Senior Brother Meng, please forgive us. If it weren’t for Little Brother Yang, we three would still be suffering in Seven Wonders Land as slaves. He saved our lives and gave us our freedom. Now that he has fallen into danger, we can’t just stand idly by.”
Meng Hong let out a sigh, his expression appearing conflicted as he said through clenched teeth, “Good.” Then, he pointed at one disciple, “Junior Brother Liu, go to First Inn now and ask them to send a message to our headquarters. Be extremely careful.”
The disciple surnamed Liu cupped his fists, “Yes.” Then, he shot into the sky.
Then, Meng Hong gazed at the other disciples, “Rest for an hour. We’ll continue searching for half a day more, but if we still haven’t found Junior Brother Yang by then, we will leave no matter what.”
An elated Old Fang said, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Meng.”
Dié You hurriedly thanked him as well. Even though she didn’t want to trouble them, she reckoned that it was better to have more people helping at this moment.
Meng Hong shook his head and heaved a sigh, “All of you, listen up. If anyone dares to tell Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt what has happened today, don’t call me Senior Brother again.” He had practically gone against Wei Que’s orders, which truly made him feel guilty and afraid.
The disciples quickly replied, “We will never speak of this.”
After that, they landed on the surface and found a place to adjust their breathing. Fortunately, the Sun Star stabilised after the turbulence just now; otherwise, they wouldn’t have even been able to find a place to land.
…..
At the same time, Yang Kai was puzzledly looking around in a long hall that was very deep underground.
He had been racing after the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire for quite some time, and after several failed attempts, he finally found a chance to use the Six Fated Paths Bag to capture it. Before he could celebrate, however, he felt an immense force pulling him down into a vortex. When he came to his senses, he realised that he was already in this place.
He couldn’t believe that there was such a place beneath the surface of the Sun Star.
The hall was wide and brightly lit, and obviously wasn’t naturally formed. The walls and the ground were smooth and covered with fiery red stones, while an extremely pure Fire Element Energy permeated the air.
Yang Kai was stunned as the Fire Element in this place was much purer than that of Fire Spirit Land in Seven Wonders Land. If one could condense a First-Order Fire Element by cultivating in Fire Spirit Land, he could condense a Third-Order Element easily in this place.
Without the need for any Fire Element materials, one could achieve the Third Order by just absorbing the ambient Fire Element in this place, which was simply inconceivable. If the other great forces found out about it, they would scramble to occupy this place. Everyone would be tempted to own such a cultivation paradise.
[But… where is this place? Why does it exist beneath the surface of the Sun Star?] Yang Kai decided to push these questions to the back of his mind for now. Looking to both sides, he realised that he couldn’t see the end of the hallway with a glance.
Then, he tried to use his Space Principles and realised that he could do so smoothly, which meant that the space around here hadn’t been sealed off. Upon that realization, Yang Kai set his mind at ease. As long as the local space wasn’t sealed, he wouldn’t be trapped in this place as he could leave at any moment.
Following that, he randomly picked a direction and moved forward. After walking for a few thousand metres, Yang Kai reached the end of the hallway and was faced with a bronze door that looked extremely heavy.
He attempted to push the door with all his strength, but was shocked to discover that he was unable to even make it budge. Even though his cultivation was considered weak compared to others in the Outer Universe, Yang Kai possessed immense physical strength because he had a Dragon Vein. The bronze door didn’t look special at all, but it remained unmoving as it was pushed by Yang Kai, which went to show that it was no ordinary door.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to take extreme measures, so after pondering on it for a moment, he returned to the original spot he appeared and walked in the opposite direction.
After a long time, he reached the end again and was rendered speechless as just like what had happened earlier, he was blocked by another bronze door. If it weren’t because he was certain that he had gotten the direction right, he would have thought that he was stuck in a loop.
The tunnel was basically blocked on both ends. It seemed that if he wanted to leave this place, he had to open one of the bronze doors, making him wonder what was behind both of them.
At this moment, he was stuck in a dilemma. After giving it a thought, he decided to fish out the Six Fated Paths Bag and looked at the thing inside.
There was a flame inside that was trying to break free from the bag as though it had a spirituality; nevertheless, the bag was even able to keep an Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could a mere Sun’s True Fire struggle free?
It was indeed a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. Compared to the three fires that were captured by the disciples from Great Moon Province, the one in his possession obviously possessed a purer and denser Fire Element. Gazing at the Sun’s True Fire, Yang Kai no longer felt dejected. He had stayed in First Inn for four months and spent more than 100,000 Open Heaven Pills. Now, a Fifth-Order material in his bag was worth 1,500,000 pills at least, which more than made up for his losses.
He couldn’t keep the fire in the Six Fated Paths Bag as he needed to use the bag to deal with his enemies, so Yang Kai decided to transfer it to the Small Sealed World and suppressed it somewhere.
After he completed this, Yang Kai looked up at the bronze door with a determined gaze. He was forced to leap out into the Outer Universe for two reasons. Firstly, he wanted to experience a higher Martial Dao, and secondly, he had to look for the World Tree. Both of these endeavours would require a lot of money to accomplish.
Even though he had gained something from his trip to the Sun Star, it was nothing compared to his expected future expenses; therefore, he had to obtain as many benefits as possible this time as he wouldn’t know if he would come across such a chance again.
Invaluable treasures might be hidden just behind this bronze door.
Thinking so, he extended his hand and summoned out the Azure Dragon Spear. Channelling his strength into the spear, Yang Kai thrust it out, causing a thunderous impact that seemed to shake the world itself.
Meanwhile, an ancient palace stood on the Sun Star’s surface. Countless figures came from all directions and landed in front of the palace, appearing quite dazzled by it.
“Golden Crow Divine Palace!”
“It’s really a Golden Crow Divine Palace!”
All of the Open Heaven Realm Masters exclaimed in amazement as their faces flushed. Even though they were Open Heaven Realm Masters, they had never expected that a Golden Crow Divine Palace truly existed on this Sun Star. The rumours were not unfounded after all!
Since the palace really existed, it meant that another rumour wasn’t unfounded as well. The Sun Star was on the brink of destruction because the Golden Crow which lived here was dying!
At the thought of the possibility that the powerful Golden Crow corpse was inside this palace, these Open Heaven Realm Masters became extremely fervent. The Golden Crow was one of the ancient beasts, said to be just as powerful as the Dragons and Phoenixes. Besides the fact that the Golden Crow had undoubtedly amassed countless treasures in its lifetime, even its corpse was invaluable.
Now, the palace was right in front of everyone’s eyes, and the treasures within it seemed to be beckoning to them. No one could resist the temptation.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters who arrived at this place first couldn’t contain their excitement anymore as they attempted to dash inside. Upon seeing that, other people began scrambling to enter the palace.
The main door of the palace was firmly closed, and although there were no signs of any seals on it, it managed to block everyone outside. Just when these Open Heaven Realm Masters attempted to break the door down, two odd-looking three-legged bird sculptures, which stood on either side of the door, suddenly exuded very dangerous auras. Their eyes nimbly darted around, and following a cracking sound, their heads turned around and targeted the people in front of the door. Then, they opened their mouths and shot out two threads of fire.
The threads of fire were so thin that they appeared negligible while not feeling hot at all. However, as soon as the threads of fire appeared, holes could immediately be seen in the chests and stomachs of a number of Open Heaven Realm Masters who had gathered outside the palace. No blood could be seen streaming out of the holes, but all their organs could be seen squirming inside.
The incident was so unexpected that no one had yet to come to their senses. The next instant though, shrieks were heard as the stunned Open Heaven Realm Masters quickly withdrew.
After a series of cracking sounds, the two three-legged birds seemed to have come to life as they flapped their wings and took to the air. Their murderous intent seemed to have filled the sky as a glow radiated from their black figures. They looked like two miniature suns.
When Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang arrived at this place, they saw the other Open Heaven Realm Masters battling against the Golden Crow statues, which astounded them.
“Brother Zi Ye?” Wei Que caught a glimpse of a figure who had sat down with his legs crossed in a nearby spot. Then, he flew over and landed on the ground. When he saw the horrible wounds on the man’s chest and stomach, his face turned pale as he asked, “Brother Zi Ye, what happened?”
Upon opening his eyes, Zi Ye looked up and put on a bitter smile, “Brother Wei…”
“Brother Zi Ye, your wounds…”
The smile on Zi Ye’s face became even more bitter, “I was not careful enough…” He coughed as blood foam started streaming out of his mouth. The blood foam was scorching hot, as though it was boiling, and steam was continuously forming from it. At the same time, Zi Ye’s skin became reddened like a crab that had been cooked.
“Beware the… Golden Crow’s True Fire!” Zi Ye exclaimed before collapsing to the ground. Boiling blood could be seen streaming out of his seven orifices.
“Brother Zi Ye! Brother Zi Ye!” A shocked Wei Que called out to him, but he could no longer receive a reply.
“He’s… dead?” Tao Rong Fang, who landed on the ground after Wei Que, turned ashen.
Wei Que extended his hand to check Zi Ye’s pulse, soon causing his expression to change. That was because he realised that all the meridians in Zi Ye’s body had been burned down. There was also a scorching power within his body that was charging around violently. Without the protection of the body’s own power, the scorching power turned Zi Ye’s flesh into blood as it flowed out from his seven orifices and the wounds on his chest and stomach.
Wei Que felt a crawling sensation on his scalp, and his entire figure turned cold.
He was fully aware of Zi Ye’s strength as, just like him, Zi Ye was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. This kind of power wasn’t among the top in the Outer Universe, but it wasn’t weak either. However, Zi Ye was killed and ended up in such a miserable state, which went to show that it wasn’t easy to barge into the palace.
Looking up, Wei Que realised that the Open Heaven Realm Masters and the two Golden Crow statues were locked in an intense battle outside the main entrance. He was absolutely certain that they were just statues as they didn’t have any life aura; however, he wasn’t sure what the statues were made of as they were practically impenetrable. The statues might also contain a bit of the Golden Crow’s spirituality; otherwise, they couldn’t have been so powerful.
“Senior Brother, what should we do?” Tao Rong Fang asked.
Wei Que replied, “Just watch.”
The statues were not very agile, so Wei Que reckoned that as long as he was careful enough, he wouldn’t be harmed. Nevertheless, he was wary of the Golden Crow’s True Fire. Moreover, with so many people battling against the statues, he didn’t think they were needed anyway.
The people who had arrived at a later time shared the same thought. They were looking from afar as they didn’t have the intention of helping out.
Upon seeing this, the Open Heaven Realm Masters who were fighting with the statues cursed in their hearts. Nevertheless, they were unable to get rid of the statues, so they had no choice but to clench their teeth and keep fighting.
Presently, only Open Heaven Realm Masters had the guts to come to this place while those below the Open Heaven Realm were nowhere in sight. Just like Wei Que, these top cultivators had told their disciples to wait at the periphery of the Sun Star or return to First Inn so that they wouldn’t be restrained when fighting for the treasures.
After a long and intense battle, two more people were wounded by the Golden Crow’s True Fire and fled in embarrassment. However, the Golden Crow’s True Fire was indeed overbearing. Even though they were not badly injured by the initial impact, boiling blood could be seen streaming out of their mouths within a few breaths at most. If they couldn’t resolve the power of the True Fire, they would end up like Zi Ye.
At that instant, these top cultivators lamented in their hearts. They had arrived at this place first, but they were unfortunately confronted by the statues. If they knew this would be the outcome, they would have come at a later time.
With that said, their effort wasn’t unrewarded. After a long battle, the statues had become less agile, and the True Fire that was shot out of their mouths had been weakened as well. Also, their eyes had become sluggish.
Seeing that, they realised that the spirituality within the statues was running out. Regardless of how powerful they were, they were just statues. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters joining forces, they would eventually destroy the statues.
Since hope was within their grasp, they became even more ferocious. They wanted to get rid of the statues as soon as possible so that they could explore the Golden Crow Divine Palace.
As time passed, the two Golden Crow statues became weaker, and even the Golden Crow’s True Fire they spat out became intermittent. It seemed that they were running out of power.
Everyone was elated upon seeing that. Even though the statues were exquisitely crafted, they were nothing special in and of themselves. They were powerful because of their Golden Crow’s True Fire, but now that they had seemingly exhausted it, they no longer appeared terrifying.
Just when the Open Heaven Realm Masters were preparing to capture the statues, they were both suddenly engulfed in a shadow. It seemed to be a shadow of a greatly magnified sleeve, which flapped in the air and covered the entire sky.
“Universe in a Sleeve!” Wei Que exclaimed as he could recognise the Divine Ability at first glance.
The magnified sleeve curled up as its immense energy fluctuation swept the Open Heaven Realm Masters away. Following that, the statues were kept inside the sleeve.
A figure flashed across everyone’s eyes as an elderly man appeared. His huge sleeves flapped in the air, and his chubby face radiated a pinkish glow. Presently, he was looking smilingly at his right sleeve. Two petite statues could be seen charging around violently in the sleeve, but they couldn’t struggle out of the restriction.
Obviously, it was this elderly man who had used his Divine Ability to capture the statues.
All the Open Heaven Realm Masters were startled for a moment before they became incensed as they glared at the elderly man. They had been battling against the statues for a long time now, and just when they were able to exhaust their enemy, someone else swooped in and reaped the fruits of their labour, which was intolerable; after all, the statues had some impressive value as well.
However, upon making out the elderly man’s face, they furrowed their brows. Although they were infuriated, they wouldn’t dare to rebuke him. Apparently, they were wary of the elderly man’s strength and background.
Tao Rong Fang said in a hushed voice, “Someone from Heaven’s Border has really arrived.”
Wei Que sported a solemn expression as well, “We only see Old Hong now, and we’re not sure whether the other two have arrived. If the other two are here as well, it’ll be troublesome.”
While they were having a chat, a change happened all of a sudden. Just when Old Hong, who was from Heaven’s Border, was over the moon, a golden thread shot out from the void and snuck into Old Hong’s sleeve. When the golden thread was retracted, a statue inside the sleeve was also drawn out.
Old Hong’s expression turned cold as he bellowed, “How dare you snatch this Old Master’s prize! Who are you?”
After he finished speaking, he extended his hand towards the statue.
Just then, a fit of giggles could be heard coming from the void. This voice was as pleasant as a silver bell, which made everyone feel refreshed. Following her laugh, a curvy figure was revealed as a slender hand intercepted Old Hong’s.
With a loud boom, a violent force spread around. Old Hong shuddered and stepped backwards. Upon impact, the beautiful woman hopped backwards lightly and widened her gap with Old Hong. Then, she looked smilingly at him and said, “Old Hong, why are you so mad?”
The change happened too quickly and it wasn’t until this moment that the crowd made out who the woman was. She was a mature beauty with beautiful eyes that seemed so clear it was as if water would drip from them. The charm she exuded seemed able to attract everyone’s attention innately.
Initially, Old Hong was infuriated, but upon seeing the woman, his fury disappeared in an instant and with a forced smile, he said, “So it is First Inn’s Madam Lan, forgive my disrespect.”
In his heart, Old Hong felt frustrated. If anyone else had snatched his things like this, he would never have let them off; however, this woman was from First Inn. Given the fact that he was from Heaven’s Border, which was less powerful than First Inn, he was unable to rebuke the woman. He knew that he would never get the statue back. Nevertheless, she had shown him some respect by leaving one statue to him.
The Proprietress kept a smile on her face, “Old Hong, this in an interesting thing. Would you be willing to give one to me?”
[You’ve already snatched it from me. Can I even get it back?] Old Hong secretly cursed at her, but he still replied with a smile, “Madam Lan, it is this Old Master’s honour that you’re interested in my… in these things. If you wish, I can give you this one as well.” Then, he flapped his sleeve as though he was a generous man.
The Proprietress tucked her hair behind her ear in a charming manner, then she shook her head with a smile, “There’s no need for that. I just need one so that I can examine it when I return. Many thanks for your gift. If you need any information in the future, feel free to visit First Inn. I’ll give you one piece for free.”
Hearing this, Old Hong put on a smile, “Many thanks, Madam Lan. In that case, this Old Master will gladly accept.”
A Golden Crow statue for a piece of information. No one could tell whether it was a good or bad deal.
Old Hong turned to look at the ancient palace and asked, “Madam Lan, are you here to explore the palace as well?”
The Proprietress replied, “Since such an important incident has happened, I certainly have to come over to have a look. Isn’t it the same case for you, Old Hong?”
Old Hong’s brow twitched, “In that case, why don’t we join forces? We can help each other this way.” He wasn’t powerful enough to go against her, but fortunately for him, Madam Lan had always been fair when doing business. If he could join forces with her, he would definitely get a share of the benefits after they entered the palace. At the very least, he wouldn’t go home empty-handed.
The Proprietress fiddled with the hair in front of her chest and replied with a smile, “Join forces? Let’s not. I’m used to acting independently. If you need allies, why don’t you ask whether they’re interested?” As she spoke, she deliberately took a look in a particular direction.
“They?” Old Hong frowned, then he immediately understood what she meant and swung his sleeve widely, “Come out!”
A violent force swept across the void, forcing three figures to reveal themselves. One of them was a gentle-looking scholar with a fan in his hand. There was also a burly man with a deep gaze in tight-fitting black robes. The last person was a cheeky young girl in a green dress.
It wasn’t certain what technique they had used that they were able to conceal themselves for such a long time to the point that Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, and even a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master like Old Hong weren’t aware of their existence. If it weren’t because the Proprietress from First Inn pointed it out, Old Hong wouldn’t have known they were even here.
At that instant, Old Hong realised that Madam Lan was indeed more powerful than he was. At the same time, he was mad at these people for their viciousness. Apparently, they had been hiding in the dark because they wanted to take advantage of him.
“So it is you who had been hiding there. What’s wrong? Are you trying to reap the benefits without putting in any effort?” Old Hong snorted as he could recognise these three.
The arrogant-looking man in black robes scoffed, then he turned around and cupped his fists at the Proprietress. The scholar also cupped his fists at her with a bitter smile, “Madam Lan, you indeed have an acute vision.”
The young girl stomped her foot and pouted, “Big Sister Lan, why did you expose us?”
Despite the fact that they had been exposed by the Proprietress, they wouldn’t dare to rebuke her, which went to show how influential First Inn truly was.
Madam Lan covered her mouth and laughed, “It has nothing to do with me. It was Old Hong who found out about your existence.”
She was completely insincere, but no one dared to refute her.
On the ground, Wei Que, whose expression was bitter, gazed at the three people who had just appeared, and he said in a hushed voice, “They’re Zhang Qi from Righteous Land, Ji Tian Xing from Blood Dragon Altar, and Yuan Xiao Man from Mirror Flowers Water Moon… Things are getting interesting now.”
Even though many Open Heaven Realm Masters had arrived at this place earlier, they were all in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm with only minor differences between their strengths and backgrounds. However, the people who had just appeared were all Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Heaven’s Border, Righteous Land, Blood Dragon Altar, and Mirror Flowers Water Moon were all Second Class great forces; furthermore, the Proprietress of First Inn, Madam Lan, had also come to this place.
“I’ve met Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man before. So, the scholarly-looking one is Zhang Qi from Righteous Land, right?” Tao Rong Fang asked.
Wei Que nodded, “Although he appears harmless, he’s actually extremely ruthless. If you come across him in the future, you must take care.”
“En,” Tao Rong Fang nodded discretely.
While they were speaking, Zhang Qi suddenly turned to look at them. Tao Rong Fang’s expression changed as she knew that he must have realised what they were talking about, thus she quickly hung her head low.
Although she was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was much weaker than Zhang Qi in the end. The difference between Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters was enormous. If Zhang Qi targeted her, she would surely end up miserable.
Fortunately, Zhang Qi soon retracted his gaze. Since the Golden Crow Divine Palace was right in front of him, he didn’t have the time to care about minor matters.
Although the Golden Crow statues were gone, these Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters still wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had appeared, so they might offend them if they were not careful; moreover, they had come across danger before they even entered the palace, so they wondered what else awaited them inside. Naturally, they wanted the stronger cultivators to lead the way.
Old Hong and the others seemed to have realised their intentions as they shot a look at the weaker cultivators with Zhang Qi saying, “It’s pointless to keep waiting here. Why don’t we get in to have a look?”
The man in black robes, Ji Tian Xing, nodded, “Of course, we have to get in.”
Old Hong looked around, “Who will enter first?”
Yuan Xiao Man ignored him and walked up to Madam Lan. Then, she wrapped her arm around the latter’s spoke to her with a smile. Madam Lan pinched her nose, which caused the young girl to pout.
After a moment of deadlock, Old Hong said, “Why don’t we take turns to make a move? It seems that this door will be difficult to open. Whoever manages to open the door will go in first.”
The first one to enter the palace was taking great risks, but would also stand a chance to get the best treasures. While the weak wanted to pick up the crumbs, the top cultivators were naturally willing to take some chances to reap bigger gains.
Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing were fine with this arrangement, so Old Hong turned to look at the Proprietress to ask, “Madam Lan, why don’t you make a move first?”
Madam Lan replied with a smile, “There’s no need for that. I want to talk to Xiao Man now. Go ahead.”
Seeing that, Old Hong nodded, “Then this Old Master will go first.”
Upon finishing his words, he leaped towards the door and examined it carefully before pressing his hands against it. Everyone immediately stared fixedly at his moves.
Then, with a loud creak, the door slowly opened.
At that instant, Old Hong, Zhang Qi, Ji Tian Xing, and the rest were all stunned. No one had expected that the door could be opened so easily.
While the others were in a dazed state, Old Hong dashed into the palace. Upon seeing that, all of them became agitated and without the need for any words, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward.
“Make way!” A yell was heard coming from the man in black robes, Ji Tian Xing. Like an ancient beast that had gone mad, he rushed out and rammed into whoever came into his way, causing those people to be sent flying away. In the blink of an eye, he reached the door and became the second person to enter the palace.
Following that, the scholar, Zhang Qi, sprinted into the palace as he gently waved his fan.
“Big Sister Lan, let’s get going as well.” Yuan Xiao Man turned to look at Madam Lan, who nodded in response. After that, they dashed into the palace as well.
After all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters entered the palace, the rest scrambled towards the building. Inevitably, they had to trade some moves as their pressures permeated the place.
“Senior Brother, what should we do?” Tao Rong Fang gazed at Wei Que and asked.
“We follow them,” Wei Que replied solemnly. Since they had arrived at this place, and the palace door had opened, there was no way they would leave just like this. Even though they had no idea what danger awaited them in the building, they reckoned that they just had to be careful and not snatch stuff from others they couldn’t afford to offend. If they could do that much, they wouldn’t fall into danger.
However, when they entered the palace, they instantly felt a scorching power coming at them.
After that, they realised that many figures were flying around inside the spacious hall, which made the place look quite bustling. A number of Sun’s True Fires could be seen flitting about amongst the crowd, trying to escape from the Open Heaven Realm Masters. The glow of the Sun’s True Fires illuminated the hall and mingled with the lights caused by the Open Heaven Realm Masters’ methods.
“What…” Tao Rong Fang was stunned as she didn’t expect to see such a lively scene upon entering the hall. After a quick count, she realised that there were more than ten Sun’s True Fires that were flying around in the hall.
It was rare to see such a magnificent sight, which caused Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang to become fervent as well.
There were many huge columns in the hall, and torches could be seen burning on each of them. Tao Rong Fang didn’t pay attention to this at first, but upon closer look, she was shocked to discover that these weren’t torches at all. They were all Sun’s True Fires that were burning brightly. In other words, the hall was well lit thanks to these Sun’s True Fires.
Obviously, these flying Sun’s True Fires were supposed to be just like the other torches, but after they were disturbed by the intruders, they began flitting about.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances; then, without the need for any discussion, they dashed forward and pounced on the torches. Before they even arrived, they used their Divine Abilities in an attempt to capture the Sun’s True Fires.
The hall was quite spacious, so there were about twenty Sun’s True Fires that were used as torches. However, many people had entered the place, and all of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters with a small number of them having reached the Mid-Rank.
After a quarter-hour of fighting and snatching, the dust finally settled. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had managed to grab two Sun’s True Fires per person, some of them even being Fifth-Order. As for the rest, they were snatched by other people. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were pretty lucky. Even though they had come into the palace later than most, they managed to make a move at the right time and had obtained a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. They could barely conceal the excitement and joy behind their gazes.
A Fifth-Order material could be traded for ten Fourth-Order materials, which was enough for them to nurture a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while still having some materials to spare. It could be said that they had achieved their goal for this trip at this moment.
However, they were reluctant to leave just like this. They had obtained such a treasure not long after they entered the palace, so wouldn’t there be more rewards if they kept on exploring?
In fact, many people shared the same thought. Those who had obtained the Sun’s True Fires were unwilling to leave, not to mention those who hadn’t gotten anything yet. Although there were no more Sun’s True Fires left in the hall, no one could be certain that there wasn’t more treasure deeper inside. Therefore, they were all began searching around.
Soon, someone discovered that the floor in the hall was paved with Peak-Rank Fire Jade. The revelation was shocking. Even though Fire Jade was not a rare material in the Outer Universe, its value varied depending on its rank. This kind of Peak-Rank Fire Jade was quite valuable.
Furthermore, while the hall was quite spacious, the entire floor was paved with the purest and most exquisite Fire Jade. Even the Second Class great forces would be financially burdened if they wanted to build such a floor. Only the First Class forces had the means to do something like this.
At that instant, everyone almost went mad. Without the need to say anything, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters became moles as clanging sounds were continuously heard in the hall. The Fire Jade was all lifted and then put inside Space Rings.
Even First Inn’s Proprietress, Madam Lan, joined in. Nobody would refuse free stuff.
However, the good time didn’t last long as someone accidentally triggered a restriction soon after they began. While the crowd was busy harvesting the Fire Jade, a rumbling sound was suddenly heard, and following that, the main door abruptly shut.
Everyone was shocked as they straightened up and raised their guard, but before they could figure out what was going on, they all felt dizzy at the same time as the world started spinning around them. When they came to their senses, they realised that they were inside a huge cave.
The hall and the floor that was paved with Fire Jade was gone, so they didn’t have to continue their stripping work. After such a sudden change, the people who were familiar with one another hurriedly gathered together as they looked around in a vigilant manner to prevent falling into danger. Some of them had even used their Secret Techniques to conceal themselves.
The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were astounded as well, with Yuan Xiao Man walking up to Madam Lan and sticking close to her, as though she could only find a sense of security by doing so.
All of a sudden, Old Hong turned to look at Zhang Qi and said, “Brother Zhang, you’re an expert in Spirit Arrays. What do you think has happened?”
Zhang Qi waved his fan and gave it a thought before replying, “It should be a type of Space Array. Judging from what this Zhang felt, I reckon that we haven’t been shifted to a faraway place though. We should still be somewhere on the Sun Star.”
Old Hong nodded, “This Old Master agrees. In other words, we’re still inside the Golden Crow Divine Palace?”
“We’ll find out.”
“En,” Old Hong nodded.
All of them felt insecure at abruptly appearing in such a place, so before things become clearer, all of them silently agreed to work together. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were not fools, so without the need for any discussion, they started carefully probing their surroundings.
Soon, they discovered something. The cave wasn’t closed as there were eight exits. They were arrayed in the form of the Eight Paths of Divination, so it was apparent that they were not simple exits.
Upon that realisation, the Open Heaven Realm Masters furrowed their brows. Certainly, top cultivators like them knew a thing or two about the Eight Paths of Divination; however, no one could tell which path they should take in this particular case. Fortunately, the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were around, so the Low-Rank ones would just have to watch what decision Madam Lan and the others made. They would rather follow them than try out the paths on their own.
“Madam Lan, which path should we choose?” Old Hong turned to look at Madam Lan and asked. Her cultivation was the strongest at the scene, so her opinion also carried the most weight.
The Proprietress looked around and replied with a smile, “Since there’s a Path of Life, I’ll certainly choose that; otherwise, should we choose the Path of Death?”
“The Path of Life?” Old Hong frowned, “But we can’t be certain that it isn’t meant to mislead us.”
“You choose the Path of Death, then. Maybe you’ll reach the other end of the passage alive.”
At that, Old Hong was rendered speechless.
“I’ll be leaving first, then,” After Madam Lan finished speaking, she really shuffled towards the Path of Life and disappeared.
Everyone was dumbfounded as they hadn’t expected that she would make a decision so quickly. Was she confident in her luck? Or had she discovered something but didn’t tell them?
Yuan Xiao Man hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Big Sister Lan, wait for me…”
Then, she also followed Madam Lan and entered the Path of Life. After they were gone, half of the Open Heaven Realm Masters dashed towards the Path of Life as well; after all, they knew that she was from First Inn, which had a powerful background. Therefore, her decision should be the right one.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang also left with them.
Those who hadn’t left were either doubtful or thought that Old Hong was right. If they could get out alive simply by choosing the Path of Life, what was the point of arranging the Eight Paths of Divination?
“What should we do?” Old Hong turned to look at Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing.
Ji Tian Xing snorted, “I don’t care what you all do. I’ll leave right this instant.” After he finished speaking, he directly shuffled towards the Path of Death, causing Old Hong’s face to twitch. It seemed that Ji Tian Xing was determined to choose the worst possible path, and it wasn’t certain whether he would be able to reach the other end of the passage alive.
Zhang Qi shook his head, “Brother Tian Xing is such a resolute man. I’m no match for him in this regard.”
Upon finishing his words, he ambled towards the Path of Healing. After those two left, some Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters followed them. At that instant, only a dozen or so people were left in the cave. Apart from Old Hong, the rest were all in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm as they stared fixedly at him.
A frustrated Old Hong fished out an ancient copper coin and cupped his hands before shaking it. Then, he spread his palms to have a look and muttered something, upon which he looked in a particular direction.
After keeping the copper coin, he turned into a beam of light and shot towards the path it pointed to and was soon followed by the remaining people.
Meanwhile, inside the long hallway, Yang Kai heaved a sigh as he lifted the Peak-Rank Fire Jade tiles from the floor and put them inside his Space Ring.
He didn’t notice it at first, but after realizing that he was unable to get out of this place currently, Yang Kai decided to probe around. It was then he discovered that the floor was paved with such treasures. Apart from the fact that the floor was made of Fire Jade, he had also realised that the torches on the walls were actually all Sun’s True Fires.
In total, there were eight torches in the hallway, which meant that there were eight Sun’s True Fires. Including the one he had collected previously, he had nine Sun’s True Fires in possession now, three of which were Fifth-Order.
Yang Kai had obtained a lot of good stuff on this day. Although he had no idea how he ended up in such a place, he managed to get a lot of Sun’s True Fires and Fire Jades. However, both ends of the hallway had been sealed, which made him unable to leave this place. That was why he felt helpless.
With nothing else to do, he decided that he would take all these Fire Jade tiles before probing around the place again. If he still couldn’t find an exit at that point, he would have no choice but to use Instantaneous Movement to leave.
After two hours, he had finally stored all the Fire Jades in the hallway. Just when he was ready to start looking around again, his expression changed and he turned to look in a particular direction. That was because he could faintly hear some noises coming from there.
Upon listening carefully, Yang Kai confirmed that there were indeed noises from the other side. Furthermore, if he wasn’t mistaken, it seemed that someone was trying to attack the bronze door that had blocked the hallway.
[There’s someone on the other side of the door?] A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly rushed towards that place.
If there was someone on the other side, it meant that the hallway wasn’t a dead end. However, he wasn’t certain where the entrance or the exit was.
Upon reaching the door, he tried to examine the situation and soon his expression changed. That was because the person on the other side appeared powerful. At the very least, they must be a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Just then, a faint sound was heard, and upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that there was a small crack on the door now.
The bronze door, which he was unable to move one bit no matter how he tried, was now breaking apart. Right after the thought flashed across his mind, a loud boom was heard as the gigantic bronze door exploded and fell apart. The broken pieces were scattered everywhere, and Yang Kai was almost hurt by one of the flying fragments.
Instinctively, he manipulated Space Principles in an attempt to flee from this place; however, after giving it a thought, he suppressed his urge to leave. Swiftly, he summoned the Shadowless Veil he had obtained from Du Ru Feng and shrouded himself in it. In the next instant, his figure disappeared from the spot. At the same time, he held his breath and concealed his aura.
If he left this place at this point, it would be difficult for him to come back again. He was reluctant to leave before he at least saw the Sun’s True Gold. Nevertheless, he was too weak now, so he didn’t have the right to go against the Open Heaven Realm Masters. The only thing he could rely on was the Shadowless Veil.
Du Ru Feng had said that this thing was given to him by Duan Hai and that all cultivators below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm would never be able to discover it. As for Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, they might neglect it if they didn’t look carefully.
Yang Kai prayed in his heart that Du Ru Feng had not inflated the worth of this artifact. If he was exposed in this place, he would have a hard time explaining himself. By then, he could only flee.
After concealing himself, Yang Kai hid behind a broken piece of the door, partially obscuring himself.
Right after he was done with all that, he heard someone speaking cheerfully, “Big Sister Lan is too awesome!”
Following that, he heard a very familiar voice, “You won’t get anything from flattering me!”
The voice of the first person was pleasant to the ears, while the voice of the second person was sweet and entrancing, two very different feelings. Yang Kai frowned as his expression turned awkward because the second voice sounded like that of the First Inn Proprietress.
Yang Kai had stayed in First Inn for four months, and he would meet up with Dié You and the others in the dining hall every three days, so he had seen the Proprietress a few times. Even though they were not close to one another, they did chat once or twice.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t so surprising for her to come to this place because First Inn was close to the Sun Star. The great forces from neighbouring Great Territories had come over to have a look, so with First Inn being in this Great Territory, there was no way the Proprietress would take no action.
“It’s not flattery, Big Sister Lan. You’re really awesome. I truly admire you,” the woman with a pleasant voice said before calling out to the others, “Do you guys agree with me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” The others replied and flattered the Proprietress.
[So many people!] A stunned Yang Kai decided to be extra careful.
“Enough talk. Let’s keep moving,” the person Yang Kai suspected to be the Proprietress said before her curvy figure shuffled into the hallway.
Yang Kai took a peek and realised that just like what he had speculated, one of the women was the Proprietress from First Inn.
The Proprietress stopped in her tracks and looked around for a bit before she suddenly stared fixedly in a particular direction as her eyes widened. It was as though she had just seen something inconceivable, and even her luscious lips parted slightly.
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he secretly cursed Du Ru Feng for lying to him. Du Ru Feng had said that cultivators below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm had no hope of noticing this Shadowless Veil, while Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would neglect it if they didn’t look carefully.
Now, it seemed that he was just spouting nonsense. Presently, the Proprietress was staring right at Yang Kai, so it was apparent that she had noticed him.
An embarrassed Yang Kai felt guilty as if he had done something wrong. It was too late for him to flee now, so he forced a smile at the Proprietress and secretly cupped his fists in an attempt to plead with her to let him off.
Just then, a pretty young girl dashed into the hallway and asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong, Big Sister Lan? Did you discover something?”
The Proprietress looked away and shook her head, “No. There’s nothing here. Let’s keep moving forward.”
“En,” The young girl didn’t suspect anything as she followed the Proprietress.
Following the two ladies, a group of people streamed into the hallway. Yang Kai didn’t dare to move a muscle because these people were all Open Heaven Realm Masters. Some of them even passed within arm’s length of where he stood.
Fortunately, he was hiding behind a broken piece of the bronze door, so as long as no one took that cover away, they would not bump into him. Naturally, these people scanned their surroundings upon entering the place and soon Yang Kai realised that many people had even swept a glance over him, but failed to notice his presence. After they were all gone, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Now, it seemed that he had wrongly blamed Du Ru Feng as the Shadowless Veil was truly useful. So many Open Heaven Realm Masters had passed by, but no one had noticed him.
Now, he was wondering what the Proprietress’ expression earlier suggested. Had she discovered him? He couldn’t really tell anymore.
Whatever the case, since she didn’t expose him on the spot, he now owed her a favour. If he was exposed in that kind of situation, he would definitely suffer miserably.
Just now, there were about forty or fifty people who had entered the hallway. Yang Kai had even seen Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang, but the disciples of Great Moon Province were missing.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that this wasn’t so surprising. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters around, the disciples of Great Moon Province would only become a burden if they had accompanied Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang, so the two Elders must have told them to retreat.
Yang Kai had chased after the Sun’s True Fire, and then he was sucked into this place by a vortex, so how did these people get here? Where exactly was this?
Yang Kai gazed at the broken door and then shifted his attention in the direction those people had left. After pondering on it for a moment, he secretly followed them.
A while later, he saw the same group of people from afar. Obviously, they were blocked by the bronze door at the other end of the tunnel.
Booming sounds were heard as a violent force swept across the hallway. Apparently, the Proprietress was trying to break down the door.
Yang Kai was shocked by the fallout of her attacks. He had always known that the Proprietress was powerful, but it seemed that she was actually stronger than he had expected. There was no way she was only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. She must be a Fifth-Order.
So far, the only Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master Yang Kai had come across was Old Xu; however, Old Xu was killed after a failed attempt to get his revenge in Seven Wonders Land, so Yang Kai had never seen a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master take action before.
Now, he could experience it in person, and within one hour, cracking sounds could be heard again. Yuan Xiao Man shouted, “Keep going, Big Sister Lan! The door will fall apart soon!”
An irked Proprietress bellowed, “If you have the time to shout, why don’t you lend me a hand?”
Yuan Xiao Man giggled, “I’m too weak, so I’d better not embarrass myself in front of Big Sister Lan.” Then, she turned to look at the dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hallway and snorted, “Why are all of you only looking on from the side? Even if you’re not lending a hand, can’t you cheer for Big Sister Lan? Come on, shout with me! Big Sister Lan is the most powerful in the universe!”
All of them were dumbfounded upon hearing such shamelessness. These Open Heaven Realm Masters were all leaders in their respective great forces, making them famous at least in the surrounding Great Territories. If they really shouted in such a way as they were told, they would be too embarrassed to face anyone in the future.
“Are you cheering for her or not? Scram if you don’t want to!” Yuan Xiao Man shot them a glare.
They wouldn’t dare to rebuke her, so whether they were willing or not, they had to play along. At that instant, everyone in the hallway began cheering for the Proprietress.
An exasperated Madam Lan stomped her foot and snapped, “Shut up! What is this nonsense about!?”
She was so incensed that she had the urge to slap the young girl’s face red.
After they were spared from further embarrassment, the crowd quickly kept their mouths shut.
Worried that Yuan Xiao Man would make a scene again, Madam Lan decided to fully use her power as she landed several palms on the door. Following the booming sounds, the bronze door broke apart.
Ignoring Yuan Xiao Man, she dashed on ahead, but she became rooted to the spot when she saw what was in front of her. Yuan Xiao Man, who was following her closely, crashed into her back. Covering her forehead, she complained, “Big Sister Lan, why did you stop all of a sudden?” Noticing Madam Lan’s expression though, she followed her gaze and froze on the spot as well. Her lips parted, and she couldn’t say anything for a long time.
After all the other Open Heaven Realm Masters rushed into this place, they became fixed on the spot as though someone had used a binding technique on them. No words could describe how flabbergasted they were.
Noticing the anomaly, Yang Kai also darted over, and when he saw what was in front of him, his pupils contracted.
In front of everyone’s eyes, a ten-metre-tall all-black three-legged exotic bird was standing on a platform inside a scarlet light barrier. Despite the fact that it had spread its wings, it remained unmoving; however, an imposing pressure continuously radiated from its body. All of them at the scene, regardless of their cultivation, couldn’t help but realise how weak they were when they stood before this beast.
The dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters, including Madam Lan, who had rushed into the hall, were rooted to the spot. Although there were many people in the hall, the place was completely silent. The imposing pressure felt like an entire world was pressing down on their bodies, making it difficult for them to breathe and causing their vitality to churn.
Only after a long silence did someone finally say in a hoarse and shaking voice, “Golden Crow!”
It was rumoured that a mature Golden Crow was able to kill High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters like they were ants. No one wasn’t terrified of such a ferocious existence. Furthermore, forget High-Rank Open Heaven Masters, there were only a small number of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Masters among these people.
They had practically barged into the Golden Crow’s nesting chamber without its permission. If they infuriated the beast, no one would be able to survive. At this life-or-death moment, many of them regretted coming to this place and wished for nothing more than to immediately leave. However, as they were engulfed in the beast’s pressure, no one dared to move a muscle.
“What are you afraid of?” A person suddenly bellowed, “The Golden Crow is already dead!”
Although his voice was loud, it seemed that he was just trying to rally his courage rather than state a fact.
Upon his reminder, all of them turned to look at the Golden Crow and examined it. As expected, the beast was just standing there. Although its eyes still appeared vigorous, it remained unmoving all this time. It didn’t even react to the fact that so many people had entered its room.
“The Golden Crow is indeed dead,” Madam Lan nodded as she couldn’t detect any vitality from the beast. She was stumped when she entered the room just now. Her mind had turned blank when such a horrifying being came into her view all of a sudden, but upon calming down a bit, she took a proper look at the beast and then set her mind at ease.
Before coming to this place, they had already hypothesized that the reason the Sun Star was going out was that the Golden Crow was dying.
Now that the Sun’s fire had been put out, it also meant that the Golden Crow had passed away; however, judging from the carcass’s appearance, it seemed that it hadn’t been a long time since it perished.
Of all the people at the scene, Madam Lan was the most powerful by far. Since she had said so, the others also set themselves at ease as the sounds of their breathing and pounding hearts reverberated around the hall.
Yang Kai, who had been hiding beneath the Shadowless Veil in the rear corner, licked his dry lips. There was an admiring look on his face as he gazed at the carcass, which was engulfed in a crimson light barrier.
Just its corpse was able to give off such immense pressure, so it was unimaginable how mighty the Golden Crow was when it was still alive. What about the Dragon Clan then that was ranked higher than the Golden Crow? Now, it seemed that his Dragon Source still had immense untapped potential. Yang Kai figured at this moment he hadn’t even unlocked ten percent of his Source’s full power.
Moreover, upon reaching this place, he could clearly feel that his Dao Seal had become restless, as though something had caught its attention, something it was craving.
Following his instincts, Yang Kai gazed at a platform at the head of the hall and realised that there were four red crystals arranged at its corners.
“Sun’s True Gold!”
Yang Kai wasn’t the only one who noticed this. Since their lives were no longer at risk, they had the time to examine their surroundings and the red crystals on the platform immediately caught their attention.
They had never seen Sun’s True Gold before, but when the forearm-length red crystals came into their sight, they were certain that these were the legendary Sun’s True Gold.
It had been a few days since the Open Heaven Realm Masters started exploring the Sun Star, but they hadn’t come across any Sun’s True Gold during that time. They had all obtained some Sun’s True Fires, but their value wasn’t comparable to that of the Sun’s True Gold, which was a Sixth-Order material at minimum. There could even be Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order Sun’s True Gold.
At that instant, all eyes turned bloodshot. One figure dashed forward and pounced at one corner of the platform. Seeing that, over ten figures followed suit and headed towards different corners.
Yuan Xiao Man, who had been sticking close to Madam Lan, snorted, “What a bunch of fools.”
Madam Lan sighed, “Men die for wealth just as birds die for food.”
Soon, a shocking shriek was heard. An Open Heaven Realm Master, who was the first one to dash towards the platform, was sent flying backwards as his right hand was engulfed in flames. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t put out the fire and the nauseating smell of his burned flesh soon permeated the hall.
Following that, the fire soon expanded and reached his arm. A myriad of expressions came over that man before he resolutely drew out his sword and slashed down.
A sword light flashed across everyone’s eyes as blood spurted out of the fresh wound. Following a grunt, an arm fell to the ground with a thud. Right in front of everyone’s eyes, the fire soon turned the arm into ashes, making their faces turn pale.
Upon seeing that this man had suffered such a loss, the others, who were eager to make a move just now, didn’t dare to go forward again. Two of the more than ten people who had dashed forward earlier suffered from the same fate as they were forced to cut off their arms to save their own lives.
A solemn Yuan Xiao Man said, “It’s the Golden Crow’s True Fire.”
Madam Lan nodded her head as she gazed at the red light barrier, “It seems that the Golden Crow cast a barrier around its treasure before its death. If we don’t break the barrier, we’ll never be able to get the Sun’s True Gold.”
“Big Sister Lan, do you have a solution?” Yuan Xiao Man asked.
Madam Lan frowned and gave it a thought, “I can give it a try, but I can’t do it on my own.”
“Why don’t we join forces, then? After that, you can take seventy percent while I’ll get thirty.” Yuan Xiao Man appeared excited. Even though there were not many Sun’s True Golds on the platform, there were still eight pieces in total. Even if she only got thirty percent, she would still get two or three. Just one piece of such a treasure would make her rich beyond her wildest dreams, not to mention if she could get two or even three.
However, Madam Lan shook her head, “We’re not strong enough. Let’s wait for the others. We’ll only stand a chance if we all make a move together.”
“You mean Old Hong and the others?” Yuan Xiao Man was shocked, “They’ve gone in different directions, so it’s not certain whether they’re still alive.”
They had chosen the Path of Life and hadn’t come across any danger along the way. Nevertheless, the others might not be as lucky as they were.
Just then, the voice of Old Hong could be heard from behind, “This Old Master is a fortunate man. Of course, I’m still alive!”
Yuan Xiao Man turned around and saw Old Hong strolling towards them. He was followed by a few Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, they all appeared to be in a terrible state as they had varying degrees of injuries. Some of their robes had even been dyed crimson.
Although Yuan Xiao Man had no idea which path Old Hong had chosen, it seemed that it wasn’t as safe as the Path of Life. They must have come across a lot of danger, and some of them had lost their lives.
“Madam Lan indeed has deep wisdom and acute vision. This Old Master should have followed you to enter the Path of Life,” Old Hong said with a bitter smile.
“I was just lucky.” Madam Lan smiled, “Didn’t Brother Zhang and Brother Ji go with you?”
Old Hong shook his head, “They both chose different paths.” Then, he caught a glimpse of the Golden Crow corpse on the platform as his eyes turned fervent, “What’s the situation here?”
Before Madam Lan could explain it to him, a loud boom was heard coming from another side of the hall. Following that, a blood-soaked figure that was surrounded by a malevolent aura entered. It was none other than Ji Tian Xing from Blood Dragon Altar.
It wasn’t certain what he had encountered to make him appear so battered. Furthermore, he was the only person who had stepped out of the path. Right after he appeared, his attention was attracted by the Golden Crow carcass and exclaimed, “Golden Crow?”
After taking a look at Madam Lan and others, he quickly came over.
Old Hong examined him and grinned. Although he had come across some trouble, he still turned out fine in the end. On the other hand, Ji Tian Xing must have gone through terrible experiences.
Madam Lan nodded gently, “Only Brother Zhang is left, then.”
A displeased Yuan Xiao Man asked, “Must we wait for him?”
Madam La replied, “More people means more power. Furthermore, there is enough Sun’s True Gold for all of us.”
In response, Yuan Xiao Man pouted, and they went on to wait for a few more hours. During this period of time, Old Hong and the others, who had come at a later time, learned what had happened here and began to strategize. The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were trying to come up with a way to break the barrier, but they didn’t have any practical solution.
Even though the barrier appeared simple, it was arranged by a mature Golden Crow; therefore, even the simplest barrier would undoubtedly be difficult to break, unless they had enough strength.
A few hours later, Zhang Qi from Righteous Land finally appeared. Although it had taken him a long time to arrive at this place, he appeared to be in a much better state than Old Hong and Ji Tian Xing. At the very least, there were no visible injuries on his body and many Open Heaven Realm Masters were accompanying him.
It seemed that all eight paths in the cave led to this hall, but the time needed to reach this place and the danger contained in each one varied greatly.
Upon meeting the others and getting the necessary information, Zhang Qi nodded gently, “Good. I’m fine with anything.”
While waiting for Zhang Qi, Madam Lan and the others had come up with a method to break the barrier.
Old Hong moved and shot into the air before shouting, “Friends, please be silent for a moment. This Old Master has something to say.”
Hearing that, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who were chatting among themselves looked up at him.
A satisfied Old Hong nodded and grinned, “The reason you’ve come to this place is that you want to get some benefits. Now, the benefits are right in front of you, so it now depends on whether you’re capable of seizing them. However, the treasures are protected by a powerful barrier. If we don’t break the barrier, no one can ever get anything. We have had a discussion and determined that if we want to break the barrier, we need all of you to help us. So, please put aside your differences for now and cooperate with one another so that we can destroy the barrier together.”
Upon hearing that, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters traded glances while most sneered, thinking Old Hong was spouting nonsense.
These Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own plans. They wouldn’t mind helping to break the barrier, but what would happen after that? There was no way they could snatch anything from the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Masters. By then, all the treasures would fall into the hands of Old Hong and the others. The rest of them could only watch angrily from the side. No one was willing to lend a hand for free, which was why they had fallen silent.
Old Hong seemed to have seen through their thoughts, so he went on to say with a smile, “Of course, we won’t ask you to help us for free. We’ve examined things carefully and confirmed that there are eight Sun’s True Golds on the platform before us. Before the barrier is broken, no one can tell what Order these Sun’s True Golds are.
Once the barrier is broken, we Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters will each receive one piece respectively, while the remaining three pieces will go to you. The most capable will obtain the prize. What do you think?”
There were five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters at the scene while the rest were all Low-Rank. Although many had lost their lives when passing through the Eight Paths of Divination, there were still some sixty or seventy left.
It was imaginable how bloody and chaotic it would be for sixty-plus people to snatch three pieces of Sun’s True Gold. However, in front of such treasures, no Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had flinched; instead, they became energised upon hearing what Old Hong had said.
Amidst the commotion, the people who were either close to one another or came from the same great force gathered together and secretly communicated using their Divine Sense.
Looking down, Old Hong silently hovered in the air and waited. He didn’t seem to have the intention of rushing them.
A long time later, a person stepped forward from the crowd. Yang Kai, who had been hiding in the corner, realised that the person was none other than Wei Que of Great Moon Province.
Wei Que was a straightforward man, so it wasn’t surprising that he would come forward at this point. After cupping his fists at the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, he said, “Old Hong, do you really mean what you’ve just said?”
Old Hong put on a meaningful grin and pointed at the people behind him, “Even if you don’t believe this Old Master, don’t you trust the people behind me? This is our collective decision after a discussion, so it’s definitely true.”
Wei Que went on to say, “This Wei apologizes for any offence his words may cause, but if three of us are lucky enough to get the remaining pieces of Sun’s True Gold, will all of you come snatch them from us?”
He had asked the most important question. Once the barrier was broken, the five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would quickly grasp their own share of the Sun’s True Gold, and the rest of them would fight for the remaining three pieces. However, if Old Hong and the others decided to interfere, all the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would have to step aside as they were no match for them.
In this case, they would rather not take part at all so that they wouldn’t have to take risks without any chance of reward.
Old Hong stared at Wei Que and replied, “You’re quite the distrustful one, aren’t you?”
Wei Que refuted, “None of us will be able to be at ease if we don’t get a clear answer.”
All the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters agreed with him as they echoed what he had said.
Old Hong nodded, “Since you’ve asked this question, then this Old Master will give you an answer. We won’t have a hand in fighting for the remaining three pieces of Sun’s True Gold. The treasures will go to the most capable people.”
“How do you guarantee that?” Wei Que asked again.
A tinge of anger flashed across Old Hong’s face and he snorted, “Is this Old Master’s word not good enough for you? So many people here have heard what I’ve said. Can I even go back on it now?”
“There’s nothing we can do if you decide to go back on your word,” a person suddenly said.
“Who just spoke! I dare you to come forward!” Old Hong bellowed. The person’s voice was elusive, so it was apparent that he had used a Secret Technique when speaking. With so many Open Heaven Realm Masters around, Old Hong was unable to accurately locate this individual, which was why he had a long face.
Just then, Madam Lan stepped forward and looked smilingly at the crowd, “I will give you all a promise on behalf of First Inn. When the time comes, we will only take our share of the Sun’s True Gold and will not attempt to snatch the remaining pieces from any of you.”
The Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters all relaxed greatly upon hearing this and Wei Que cupped his fists, “Since Madam Lan has given us her promise, we have no more doubts.”
All of them had complete trust in First Inn.
Seeing this, Old Hong appeared slightly displeased as they made him look like he was someone who would go back on his word. Even though he indeed had such intentions before, there was no way he could act upon them now. Madam Lan had given a promise on behalf of First Inn, so if he still decided to snatch the Sun’s True Gold from them, it would give Madam Lan an excuse to act against him. He was wary of her because he wasn’t sure what Order she was in. He could tell that she was at least a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no way he could defy her.
After a snort, Old Hong said, “Since there are no more questions, this Old Master expects you all to cooperate fully when the time comes. If anyone doesn’t agree with this arrangement, get the Hell out now; otherwise, this Old Master doesn’t mind showing you the exit.”
As he swept a cold glance over them, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters started communicating with one another again. Some people decided to leave, thinking that it was too big a risk to take. Although each piece of Sun’s True Gold was extremely valuable, they might not even be able to bring one out while losing their lives in the process. With sixty to seventy people trying to snatch three pieces of Sun’s True Gold, many would die in the process.
Soon, more than ten people had left.
After waiting for over ten breaths, Old Hong nodded, “Go now if there’s anyone else who wishes to leave. Otherwise, we will begin.”
Certainly, those who had decided to stay didn’t have the intention of leaving. Madam Lan came forward then and explained how they would break the barrier. Then, under the leadership of the five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters surrounded the platform and formed a simple pentagonal formation.
Basically, they were going to use brute force to break the barrier, which was why the stronger cultivators needed the help of so many Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Otherwise, the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would have taken the remaining three pieces of Sun’s True Gold as well.
After they stood on their respective Formation Nodes, they started adjusting their World Force.
Yang Kai felt helpless as he was looking from afar. Countless ideas had flashed across his mind, but he had overruled all them. Strength was the only factor that truly mattered if he wanted to snatch the treasure at this point; however, he had only condensed his Dao Seal. In front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, any scheme he thought up would be useless.
Yang Kai was extremely anxious. Even though he wasn’t sure what Order those pieces of Sun’s True Gold on the platform were, one of them must be Seventh Order. If he could get one piece for himself, he could start condensing his Fire Element.
Nevertheless, it was a cold hard truth that he was weak. Even if he used Space Principles to snatch a piece of Sun’s True Gold, he wouldn’t be able to leave this place alive when the others made a move on him together. Even his Half-Dragon form couldn’t protect him from such an onslaught.
Could he only watch on the side? He was unwilling!
Looking from afar, he realised that Madam Lan secretly took a glance in his direction, but she just as quickly looked away; after all, Yang Kai was too weak to be worth her attention.
She must have discovered him back in the hallway, and the reason she didn’t expose him was that his presence made no difference either way.
Just when Yang Kai felt sorrowful over his low cultivation, the pentagonal formation activated. The five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters took charge of each node respectively while about ten Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were behind each of them.
World Force undulated as these Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered their strength. Every Open Heaven Realm Master had their own Small Universe, so they could activate World Force on their own without borrowing it from a Universe World.
After they made a move, there seemed to be dozens of worlds that were colliding with the barrier as booming sounds rang out. The violent force was able to flip the Heavens and Earth before shattering them to pieces.
There was an admiring look on Yang Kai’s face as he envisioned how powerful he would be when he made a move as an Open Heaven Realm Master in the future.
The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were fairly powerful, so with them in charge of the formation, they were able to unite everyone’s strength and concentrate it on their target, ensuring that only minimal fallout was released into the surroundings. If not for this, Yang Kai would have been exposed even though he was shrouded in the Shadowless Veil.
Rumbling sounds were heard as the entire world seemed to be shaking. Ripples spread around on the crimson light barrier on the platform as though countless stones had been thrown into a still lake.
The gap between their powers was soon revealed. There wasn’t much difference between the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who assisted in breaking the barrier, but it was pretty conspicuous for the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yuan Xiao Man was the first to appear exhausted as her face had turned pale. She hurriedly fished out some Spirit Pills from her Space Ring and stuffed them into her mouth to supplement her strength.
Ji Tian Xing, Zhang Qi, and finally Old Hong followed suit.
It was now that the First Inn Proprietress, Madam Lan, showed her strength. Since they began breaking the barrier, the expression on her face had never changed and she hadn’t used any pills to restore her energy.
It was as though she was able to keep expending her World Force at this rate forever.
Yang Kai observed everything from afar and realised that the Proprietress would steal a glance at a particular spot on the platform from time to time. He didn’t understand it at first, but he soon realised that the Sun’s True Gold over there must be of a higher Order.
With the barrier in place, no one could tell the quality of these Sun’s True Golds. Nevertheless, everyone had their own speculations.
The fact that the Proprietress had been paying close attention to that particular Sun’s True Gold suggested that she believed it was the best one. After the barrier was destroyed, she would immediately snatch it.
Furthermore, there was one thing that bothered Yang Kai.
Compared to the Sun’s True Gold, the Golden Crow corpse was even more valuable. The carcass was perfectly intact, so its value was incalculable. They had only discussed distributing the Sun’s True Gold, but no one had mentioned the Golden Crow itself.
He was certain that the corpse would ignite a fierce competition between the top Masters present. The other four Mid-Rank cultivators might even join forces to snatch the corpse from the Proprietress.
Whatever the case, it all had nothing to do with him because he was too weak. Fortunately, it had been a fruitful trip for him as he had obtained nine Sun’s True Fires, three of which were Fifth-Order. Therefore, Yang Kai just regarded the sight before his eyes as a good show to broaden his horizons. With this thought in mind, he was able to set himself at ease.
As time passed, except for Madam Lan, the other Open Heaven Realm Masters, including the four Mid-Rank cultivators, had consumed numerous pills.
Their effort wasn’t futile, however, as the crimson light barrier on the platform had become visibly dimmer.
At this rate, it would take them one or two hours to completely shatter the barrier.
As hope was right in front of them, Old Hong shouted agitated, “Everyone, don’t hold back your strength! This barrier will break soon!”
Certainly, his reminder was not needed as everyone could see the transformation the light barrier had gone through. Nevertheless, they still had to reserve some energy as a chaotic struggle was bound to break out after the barrier was broken.
Otherwise, the barrier would have been broken already.
One hour later, the light barrier on the platform had become extremely thin, as though it would collapse at any moment. At this point, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters no longer appeared united as they were all looking around warily. It was as if everyone at the scene was their competitor. Some of them had even readied themselves to make a move at any moment.
“Focus! We just need one last strike!” Madam Lan shouted at the most critical moment as she formed a different hand seal. With the pentagonal formation operating, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters collectively launched an attack on the translucent light barrier from five different directions.
Following a loud boom, cracking sounds were heard as countless fissures appeared on the light barrier.
“It’s broken!” Old Hong appeared elated as a glow radiated from his eyes.
Following the cracking sounds, the barrier began falling apart. Everyone laid their eyes on the different Sun’s True Golds, and Yang Kai was eager to get his hands on them as well; however, it was too late for him to make a move even if he was an Open Heaven Realm Master, not to mention that he hadn’t even broken through to that realm yet. In order to conceal himself, he didn’t dare to approach the others, so he was the farthest away from the platform right now.
Just then, he frowned and looked up at the Golden Crow corpse on the platform. That was because he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the Golden Crow moving its eyes.
He thought he was mistaken, but after staring a bit longer, Yang Kai realised that there was a tinge of mockery behind the Golden Crow’s gaze.
The beast hadn’t died yet!
Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he moved backwards without thinking, hurriedly sending a Divine Sense transmission to Wei Que at the same time.
Right then, the light barrier on the platform completely shattered. Dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters charged forward from all directions as they extended their hands towards their targets.
Wei Que was well prepared as well, but just as he was about to make his move, he heard Yang Kai’s desperate cry in his mind and after an abrupt change in expression, he grabbed Tao Rong Fang’s arm and withdrew as quickly as he could.
A shocked Tao Rong Fang called out in surprise and confusion, “Senior Brother?”
She didn’t understand why Wei Que would choose to run away at this important moment; after all, if he wanted to leave, he could have done so earlier. Now that the barrier had been broken, it was the best chance to snatch the Sun’s True Golds. Leaving at this point would mean that their previous effort would all go to waste.
Wei Que didn’t have the time to explain anything to her; after all, he had only heard what Yang Kai had said. He decided to leave because he would rather believe what he had heard, even if he couldn’t be sure whether Yang Kai had told the truth. As he was retreating though, he took a glance up at the Golden Crow and in the next instant, he felt a fierce chill shoot up his spine.
That was because he realised that the Golden Crow had moved its eyes. The beast really wasn’t dead yet!
“Leave now!” Wei Que bellowed as he brought Tao Rong Fang to the exit.
On the platform, Yuan Xiao Man and the others all reached for the same Sun’s True Gold, the one Madam Lan had been secretly glancing at earlier. On the other hand, Madam Lan pounced at another piece.
Seeing that, Yuan Xiao Man and the others almost coughed up blood, realising that they had been fooled by Madam Lan. The fact that she kept glancing at that particular Sun’s True Gold made them think that it was the best one, which was why they wanted to get their hands on it; however, they hadn’t expected that she had actually pulled a trick on them.
Now that the barrier had been broken, the quality of the Sun’s True Golds was laid bare. After taking a look at Madam Lan’s target, they realised that it was indeed a Seventh-Order one while the one they were fighting for was only at the Sixth-Order.
All of them responded quickly by changing their targets. However, they didn’t even think about snatching the Sun’s True Gold from Madam Lan. She was already the strongest among them, and she had used a trick to divert their attention, so by now, the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold was safely in her possession.
“Scram!” The aura around Old Hong weltered as he pushed the Low-Rank cultivators away. Soon, he reached a Sun’s True Gold and stuffed it into his own Space Ring without ascertaining its Order.
On the other hand, Yuan Xiao Man made use of her incredible speed and obtained one piece with ease.
Murderous intent swirled around Zhang Qi as he held an Open Heaven Realm Master’s corpse in his hand. After taking that person’s Sun’s True Gold as well as his Space Ring, he nonchalantly hurled the corpse away.
Ji Tian Xing had found his target as well. When a Low-Rank cultivator, who had grabbed a Sun’s True Gold saw Ji Tian Xing pouncing on him, he secretly cursed and clenched his teeth, then he hurled the treasure at Ji Tian Xing, “Take it!”
Ji Tian Xing caught the treasure and stopped in his tracks. After examining it, he realised that it was just a Sixth-Order Sun’s True Gold, which made him furrow his brows.
However, Madam Lan had given her word on behalf of First Inn that the Mid-Rank cultivators would only take one piece of Sun’s True Gold respectively, and they wouldn’t snatch the remaining three pieces. Although he was unwilling, he didn’t dare to interfere in the competition again; otherwise, Madam Lan would be forced to make a move against him.
Barely three breaths after the barrier was broken, five Sun’s True Golds had been obtained by the stronger cultivators, while the remaining three pieces were tossed between the Low-Rank cultivators as no one could safely keep the treasures. Once someone obtained it, countless attacks would be targeted at them. In the blink of an eye, a few cultivators had been killed. The competition in the hall was horrible.
“Big Sister Lan, you tricked us!” Yuan Xiao Man stood close to Madam Lan as she stomped her foot and pouted.
Madam Lan put on a smile, but just as she was about to say something, she suddenly turned to look at the Golden Crow ‘corpse’, and the next instant, the colour drained from her alluring face.
The beast’s wings were fluttering lightly as its gaze was filled with mockery. The Golden Crow, which was supposed to be dead, moved its eyes and came back to life. In an instant, its immense pressure engulfed the entire hall and sealed off the space.
Yang Kai, who was retreating, crashed into a layer of invisible force and was sent flying backwards. Upon feeling the horrifying pressure, an extremely bitter taste appeared in his mouth.
As soon as he realised that there was something wrong with the Golden Crow, he started running away; however, in order not to expose himself, he didn’t dare to make any noise, so his speed was quite slow. Nevertheless, at this moment, the Golden Crow had sealed off the entire hall, so he could no longer flee even if he used Instantaneous Movement.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were unable to leave as well. Upon Yang Kai’s warning, they managed to withdraw quickly from the chaotic competition; however, they were now in the same situation as Yang Kai.
“I-It’s not dead yet?” Old Hong’s originally pinkish face turned as pale as snow in an instant.
Ji Tian Xing, Zhang Qi, and Yuan Xiao Man also wore looks of horror. Even though they were Mid-Rank Open Heaven cultivators, they could do nothing but shudder under the Golden Crow’s pressure. Even the Mid-Rank cultivators were rooted to the spot, let alone the Low-Rank ones.
As the Golden Crow’s pressure permeated, the hall which was hustling with noise a moment ago instantly fell silent. The Low-Rank cultivators were unable to move, nor were they able use their strength smoothly as though a few worlds were pressing down on them.
The Low-Rank cultivators on the platform widened their eyes in horror as the Golden Crow lightly raised its claw and slashed at them. After their vision darkened, they were no longer able to feel anything.
It was rumoured that a Golden Crow was able to kill Open Heaven Realm Masters like they were ants, but it wasn’t until this moment that these people realized how accurate that rumour was. With just one claw, all the Low-Rank cultivators before it were ground into paste without even being able to resist. Although they were only in the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, they were still considered fairly powerful.
After casually killing a few people, the Golden Crow swept a glance over the others with its golden eyes. Its stare made everyone feel like their Soul had left their body. Even Yang Kai, who had been hiding under the Shadowless Veil, felt cold all over his body as the aura of death was on him.
The Golden Crow raised its wings and stirred up a fierce Astral Wind, which caused everyone to stagger backwards. The Low-Rank cultivators closest to the beast started bleeding as their flesh separated from their bones. At the same time, the glow on the Golden Crow’s body became brighter as a scorching aura spread out.
Following a great screech, the light exploded and illuminated the entire hall, blinding everyone within. The Golden Crow seemed to have turned into a miniature Sun as its Golden Crow’s True Fire, which was able to burn down everything in existence, swept out across the hall.
[It’s over!]
That was the thought everyone had at that instant. They had experienced the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire before, so the Low-Rank cultivators knew they were completely powerless to resist. As soon as they came into contact with the fire, they would be reduced to ashes. Now that the Golden Crow had fully unleashed its True Fire, none of them would be able to parry it. Furthermore, there was nowhere they could hide as this was a wide area indiscriminate attack.
The dazzling light only lasted for a moment before it dissipated, taking the terrifying energy fluctuations with it.
The astounded crowd turned around, only to see an artifact that looked like an umbrella hovering before the platform. There were intricate patterns on the light green umbrella as it gently twirled, an abstruse power exuding from it.
It was this umbrella that had blocked the Golden Crow’s dazzling light, shielding everyone from its horrifying power.
Presently, Madam Lan was trembling in mid-air as she rapidly formed a set of hand seals. It wasn’t until this moment that her true power was exposed to them.
“Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!” Old Hong exclaimed.
The Sixth Order was already the upper limit of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, just one step away from the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. There were only a small number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in existence.
Although they had always known that Madam Lan was formidable, it wasn’t until this moment that they realised that she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The umbrella that had shrouded the platform and saved everyone’s lives was undoubtedly summoned by Madam Lan. Only she could possess such a powerful artifact capable of blocking the Golden Crow’s attack.
Upon escaping from death’s door, everyone was elated and scrambled towards the exits in an attempt to leave the hall. Old Hong and the others were doing the same.
Seeing this, Yang Kai clenched his teeth as he cursed these people for their foolishness. Right now they should be joining forces to deal with the Golden Crow instead of fleeing.
He would have fled if he could instead of staying in this place until now, but as expected, the entire hall was completely sealed off, so none of them could leave.
“I can’t hold on any longer!” Madam Lan clenched her teeth and yelled, appearing to be struggling desperately.
A flicker of fire penetrated the umbrella and formed a hole in it. As the fire expanded, the hole also became larger. Besides that, the light of the umbrella swayed and rapidly became dim.
Madam Lan stared at her artifact with a gaze filled with sorrow and reluctance. This treasure was given to her by a Senior from her former Sect and it could even easily parry a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master’s attack. However, she had never expected that the artifact would be destroyed on this day. Compared to the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold she had just obtained, she wasn’t even sure whether she had made a gain or suffered a loss.
It was pointless to think about it now, however. While she was lost in her thoughts, a loud boom was heard as the umbrella exploded. The dazzling light, which was shielded earlier, filled everyone’s vision again as the scorching power permeated the hall.
Shrieks were immediately heard as the cultivators closest to the platform started burning and turned into fireballs in an instant. No matter how hard they tried, they were not able to put out the Golden Crow’s True Fire on their bodies.
The ones further away from the platform were luckier, but they also had to use all their strength to resist the expanding flames.
The World Force undulated as the different illusory phantoms of Small Universes appeared behind these cultivators.
Realising that he was in mortal danger, Yang Kai hesitated between using his Sealed World Bead, Six Fated Paths Bag, and Mountains and Rivers Bell for a moment. After making a decision, he snuck into Six Fated Paths Bag and summoned the Mountains and Rivers Bell to cover it. With two layers of protection in place, he felt much safer.
The next instant, his heart shook violently as though someone had landed a heavy blow on his chest. With his vitality churning, he felt like he was going to cough up blood, causing him to realize that the Mountains and Rivers Bell must be severely damaged, resulting in him suffering a backlash.
Fortunately, the raging Golden Crow’s True Fire lasted only ten breaths of time.
Presently, corpses could be seen lying all over the floor. Half of the Open Heaven Realm Masters had been killed, burned to death by the Golden Crow’s True Fire. As for the ones who were not dead, they were all injured and had gone completely pale.
This was the result of Madam Lan using her artifact to block the initial attack. Without the umbrella containing the raging Golden Crow’s True Fire, all of the Low-Rank cultivators would have been killed by now.
It was also thanks to her umbrella weakening the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire that so many were still alive.
The Mid-Rank cultivators were fine, but their expressions were still filled with fear. Faced with a powerful Golden Crow, no one had the courage to confront it.
In the corner, Yang Kai quickly left the Six Fated Paths Bag and covered himself with Shadowless Veil to conceal himself again.
Fortunately, it was so chaotic in the hall just now with everyone desperate to save themselves that no one had noticed him. Otherwise, he would have been pretty conspicuous as the only Emperor Realm cultivator in this place.
After a glance, Yang Kai felt his face twitching as he appeared heartbroken. His Mountains and Rivers Bell was practically destroyed, its surface completely melted as most of its spirituality had been lost. Unless he could find someone to repair it and then nurture it for a long time, it couldn’t be activated again.
He had never expected that this Ancient Exotic Artifact, which had been by his side since his trip to the Shattered Star Sea, would be destroyed in this place. Even though he had psychologically prepared himself for it, he still felt heartbroken when he was faced with the truth.
Nevertheless, he had no other choice in that kind of situation earlier.
He wasn’t certain how powerful the Golden Crow’s True Fire would be when it reached him, so he didn’t dare to hide inside the Sealed World Bead. That was because once he did that, the Sealed World Bead would be exposed in the hall and subject to the Golden Crow’s True Fire. He couldn’t be sure whether the Sealed World Bead would be fine after it was struck by such flames. If anything happened to the bead, his medicine garden would be gone for good. Furthermore, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu were still living inside it.
Therefore, hiding inside the Six Fated Paths Bag was his best option. To be safe, he also decided to summon the Mountains and Rivers Bell and covered the bag.
Now, it seemed that his decision was right. Compared to the other injured cultivators, he was practically fine besides some backlash he had suffered after his artifact was destroyed.
The Ancient Exotic Artifact, Mountains and Rivers Bell, had reached the end of its life. Yang Kai could only console himself in such a way. However, it wasn’t the time to be sorrowful. The Golden Crow had come back to life after feigning death, so he was still in grave danger. If he couldn’t flee from this place, he would end up dead as well.
Looking around, he realised that Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were hiding in a far corner. Despite their pale faces, they seemed to be in excellent condition as there were no injuries on their bodies.
It must have something to do with the fact that Yang Kai had warned them earlier. When the barrier around the platform was broken, everyone else charged forward, while Yang Kai, Wei Que, and Tao Rong Fang retreated. When the Golden Crow’s True Fire erupted, the people closest to the platform were the most affected, while the flame’s power weakened as it expanded.
[Should I join them?] If Yang Kai had two Open Heaven Realm Masters as his companions, he would stand a better chance of surviving.
Right after the thought flashed across his mind, a murderous intent permeated from the centre of the hall.
A horrified Yang Kai turned his head, only to see the Golden Crow standing on the platform. The beast was staring fixedly at Madam Lan with its golden eyes, its gaze filled with endless hatred.
Apparently, the beast was aware that Madam Lan had ruined its plan. If it weren’t because she had summoned that umbrella, there wouldn’t be any living people in the hall by now.
As their eyes met, Madam Lan felt as though her Soul was being drawn out of her body, causing her to shiver violently. Then, a thought suddenly flashed across her eyes.
The Golden Crow, which was standing on the platform earlier, appeared before her eyes and lightly pushed out its claw.
A terrified Madam Lan hurriedly extended her slender hand to parry the attack as the illusory phantom of her Small Universe expanded and her World Force exploded out.
A violent force swept across the hall as Madam Lan was sent flying backwards like an empty sack. While in mid-air, she coughed up blood several times, dying her robes red. The Golden Crow also staggered backwards, almost unable to support its own weight.
After flipping through the air a few times, Madam Lan agilely landed on her feet and held her chest with her hand. Despite her pale face, her eyes appeared bright as she exclaimed, “The beast is already an arrow at the end of its flight! Everyone, please assist me!”
Earlier, she couldn’t ascertain the Golden Crow’s true strength; however, after trading blows directly, she realised that the beast wasn’t as powerful as she had imagined. Even though she couldn’t defeat it on her own, it also wasn’t easy for the beast to kill her.
At that instant, it dawned on her that the Golden Crow was really dying. The reason it had feigned death was that it wanted to attract people to come over and launched a sneak attack on them, which would deliver a harsh lesson for those who coveted its treasures. It also served as a warning for other people who intended to steal its things in the future. It had to be said that the beast was truly vicious.
The beast was like a lamp that was running out of oil, and its condition was exacerbated after it expended so much energy to cast its Golden Crow’s True Fire just now.
Unfortunately, even though Madam Lan had come to that realization, the others were not aware of what was going on. Upon seeing that Madam Lan, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was unable to bear the beast’s attack, and even spat blood upon impact, no one dared to move forward.
Even the other Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yuan Xiao Man, Ji Tian Xing, and Zhang Qi, only looked on from afar, let alone those Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
A tinge of mockery flashed across the Golden Crow’s gaze as it strode towards Madam Lan.
Madam Lan stared fixedly ahead as she bellowed, “What are you all waiting for? If I lose my life here, none of you will be safe! By then, all of you will be doomed! Rather than wait for death, why not join forces with me and deal with the beast now? Only by doing so do we stand a chance to survive!”
Upon hearing that, the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters traded nervous glances.
Usually, they wouldn’t mind sitting atop the mountain, watching the tigers fight. First Inn was truly powerful, but as long as they didn’t make a move against Madam Lan, her death would have nothing to do with them. However, if Madam Lan, who was the strongest among them, lost her life at this point, none of them would be able to face the Golden Crow. By then, just like what Madam Lan had said, they would be killed by the beast like ants.
While the Mid-Rank cultivators were still hesitating, two figures shot forward from the corner of the hall and landed beside Madam Lan. They were none other than Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang.
Wei Que said, “Madam Lan, we’ll assist you.”
Madam Lan gave him a grateful look and nodded gently, “Many thanks to you and your wife.”
Besides possessing courage, it was clear they also had trust in Madam Lan as they were the first ones to step forward at this moment.
Tao Rong Fang stole a glance at Wei Que and started blushing furiously, but she didn’t explain their relationship to Madam Lan. In her heart, she thought that even if she had to lose her life today, as long as she was together with this man she loved, it was worth it.
“Big Sister Lan, I’ll help you as well!” Yuan Xiao Man shouted and darted towards them.
Old Hong, Zhang Qi, and Ji Tian Xing nodded before they appeared beside Madam Lan.
With the help of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, Madam Lan set her mind at ease and wore a smile, “You’ll not regret your decision.”
Old Hong shot a cold glance over those Low-Rank cultivators who were still hesitating, then he said grimly, “If you want to survive, come and help us defeat this beast. If any one of you dares to play tricks, this Old Master will kill you even if the Golden Crow doesn’t!”
It had to be said that deadly threats were more useful than benevolent requests at this point. At the very least, after Old Hong threatened them, these Low-Rank cultivators shuffled forward even though they were still reluctant.
At that instant, the Golden Crow was surrounded by the surviving Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The Golden Crow stopped in its tracks and looked around with a tilted head. There was no doubt that it was infuriated by the situation it was in. As the beast raised its wings and cried out, the Astral Wind, which could cut through gold and jade, surged at the cultivators from all directions. The Open Heaven Realm Masters hurriedly fended it off as clanging sounds were heard.
“Today, we either kill this beast or die trying!” Madam Lan took a deep breath as her chest heaved. Then, she raised her hand and summoned a silk ribbon, “Everyone, follow my lead!”
She knew that this kind of impromptu group was weak to pressure and if she couldn’t show them there was hope, none of them would have the guts to make a move against the Golden Crow. Therefore, she had to take the initiative so that the others became aware of the condition the Golden Crow was in.
The silk ribbon could be seen whipping about as the illusory phantom of a Small Universe flickered behind the agile Madam Lan. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, each of her moves was awe-inspiring. Her silk ribbon artifact kept lashing at the Golden Crow, causing it to stagger and shriek in fury. Although it would strike back from time to time, Madam Lan managed to dodge these attacks with ease.
Seeing this, Old Hong and the others were elated. Just like Madam Lan had said, the Golden Crow was indeed a dry oil lamp. If it weren’t so, this legendary beast wouldn’t have become so weak. Madam Lan alone was able to tie down the beast, and even though she appeared to be at a disadvantage, she wouldn’t be defeated soon.
Madam Lan alone was able to achieve this, so what if everyone in the hall made a move at the same time? There was no way the Golden Crow could survive.
At the thought of this, Old Hong shouted, “Madam Lan, allow this Old Master to assist!”
His chubby figure dashed forward as he pushed out his palm at the beast. Following that, Yuan Xiao Man, Zhang Qi, and Ji Tian Xing summoned their own artifacts and attacked.
Since the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had already made a move, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters stopped hesitating and charged forward. At that instant, the hall descended into chaos again as all of them launched attacks on the beast using their Secret Techniques and artifacts.
In the corner of the hall, Yang Kai was hiding beneath the Shadowless Veil as he suddenly felt sorry for the Golden Crow. The powerful beast was born with the Sun Star and they grew together with a symbiotic relationship, eventually becoming one of the strongest beasts in existence. However, at this moment, it was oppressed by those who were much weaker than itself. The passing of time was not to be underestimated as even the strongest of beings would be laid low by it eventually.
The Golden Crow already had one foot in the grave, and its last explosion of power was mostly contained by Madam Lan’s artifact earlier, which was why it was exhausted. With that said, Madam Lan alone was still no match for the beast. However, over thirty Open Heaven Realm Masters had survived in the hall, and four of them were in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Since all of them had joined forces, the Golden Crow was immediately put at a disadvantage. Judging from the current situation, it was just a matter of time before the beast truly fell.
Yang Kai smacked his lips. It wasn’t certain who would reap all the benefits in the end as the value of the Golden Crow’s body was incalculable. Even though he had no idea what the carcass could be used for, he reckoned that it was probably superior to even the Sun’s True Gold.
[what a shame…] As his power was too weak, he could only watch the show from the side, unable to join in the fun. This helplessness only increased his desire to become stronger.
Although the Golden Crow was at a disadvantage on the battlefield, its True Fire was indeed overwhelming as no one dared to come into contact with it. When the pitch-black True Fire sprayed out, everyone would be forced to step backward, giving the beast another chance to catch its breath.
After a quarter hour though, a shriek was heard. It was a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who was struck by the True Fire as he dodged too late. Half of his body evaporated instantly. His companions quickly pulled him out of the battlefield, but he would probably end up dying a horrible death.
As time passed, many wounds were added to the Golden Crow. Blood that looked like magma streamed out of his wounds and dropped onto the floor, opening up holes in the ground.
Of the more than thirty Open Heaven Realm Masters who had originally participated in this battle, five had been killed while the rest of them were panting heavily, exhausted from the effort. Even the Mid-Rank Open Realm Masters were in a terrible state. Despite being more powerful than the others, they also had to endure greater pressure than the Low-Rank Open Realm cultivators. All of them had expended all their strength, and even Madam Lan’s face had turned pale.
Of all the people present, she bore the greatest pressure because the Golden Crow seemed to be targeting her specifically for ruining its plan earlier. If it weren’t because she was fairly powerful, and she had many artifacts with her, Madam Lan would’ve died already.
Right then, Old Hong suddenly shouted excitedly, “Hang in there. This beast is running out of energy!”
The Golden Crow’s eyes had lost their earlier vigour as they appeared turbid now. Countless wounds had formed on its body, and it no longer appeared imposing. It was indeed in the last moments of its life. Despite the fact that the beast was staggering, it never allowed itself to collapse to the ground. As the beast swept its eyes over the crowd, it still didn’t have any regard for them despite the fact it was dying. That was its pride as an ancient beast.
Just then, Madam Lan dashed towards the beast as her silk ribbon whipped out at it.
The Golden Crow seemed to have the intention of dodging the attack, but it had no more energy left to do so. The silk ribbon directly struck its neck, and the cracking sound of bones was immediately heard. Upon impact, the Golden Crow was sent flying towards the corner of the hall.
After the strike, Madam Lan also faltered as she almost fell to the ground.
With a loud boom, the Golden Crow fell to the floor and slid forward for a long time before finally stopping.
Despite that, no one had the guts to go over and check it. That was because the Golden Crow had feigned death once already. Before they could make sure that it was really dead, no one wanted to make the same mistake again. If the beast spat out a jet of Golden Crow’s True Fire again, they wouldn’t be able to resist the attack.
The sounds of panting were heard reverberating around the hall. At the same time, all of them fished out Spirit Pills from their Space Rings and stuffed them into their mouths, hurriedly refining them to restore their energy.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, the Golden Crow remained unmoving on the ground.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai, who had been hiding the whole time, felt his face twitching as he silently cursed. This couldn’t be helped, as the Golden Crow was just one step away from him. He had never expected that Madam Lan would push the beast towards him with her final blow.
Yang Kai found himself in quite an awkward position as it was too late for him to leave and everyone’s attention was now focused on that spot as they scanned the beast with their Divine Senses. If he moved now, he would be exposed.
[What should I do? If the Golden Crow is really dead, those guys will come over to check it and snatch it. I’m very close to the beast, so I probably can’t hide from the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters once that happens. How should I explain myself if they ask me what I’m doing here?]
While he was in a dilemma, the Golden Crow in front of him suddenly moved. Then, in a slow and firm manner, it got to its three feet.
Yang Kai felt a sense of coldness rising within him as goosebumps rose all over his body. Even though the Golden Crow appeared battered, it could still kill Yang Kai as easily as an insect.
Yang Kai prayed in his heart that the beast wouldn’t discover him, but to his dismay, the Golden Crow set its eyes on him instead of Madam Lan and the others as he was closer.
Following that, the Golden Crow lowered its head and stared fixedly at Yang Kai with its golden eyes.
They were only a single step apart, and Yang Kai could even feel the beast’s breath on him. As their eyes met, he knew that the beast must have discovered him.
He couldn’t hide from Madam Lan using the Shadowless Veil, so how was it possible that he could conceal himself from a mature Golden Crow? Therefore, he quickly put on an expression that suggested that he was harmless. With a face filled with sincerity, he forced an ugly smile at the Golden Crow.
Naturally, the Golden Crow parted its beak as a scorching aura exuded from his mouth. A wisp of fire could faintly be seen, and the aura of death soon engulfed Yang Kai.
[Damn it!] Yang Kai was enraged because he had pleaded with the beast in such a pitiful manner to let him off, but the Golden Crow still mercilessly decided to roast him in return.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t wait for the beast to spit its Golden Crow’s True Fire, so he hurriedly summoned a golden feather and infused his strength into it. As a golden light expanded as another ferocious aura undulated.
From a nearby spot, the expressions of Madam Lan and the others, who were vigilantly watching the Golden Crow get up, changed drastically.
They were wary that the Golden Crow would use the same trick of playing dead, but now, it seemed that even though they hadn’t managed to kill him with the last strike, the beast was indeed on the brink of death. However, why had a ferocious aura appeared all of a sudden at this point?
As their eyes trembled, they saw a golden chicken expanding right in front of their eyes. The gigantic chicken radiated a golden glow, and its figure seemed able to cover the entire sky. Its might, which seemed no weaker than that of the Golden Crow, caused everyone to shudder.
“Mie Meng!” Old Hong exclaimed as Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing felt their eyes popping out and Yuan Xiao Man and Madam Lan parted their lips in shock.
The minds of all these Open Heaven Realm Masters had turned blank as they couldn’t think clearly. They couldn’t understand why a Mie Meng had appeared in this place all of a sudden. Where had it been until now? How did it sneak into this place?
However, Madam Lan soon realised that something was off and yelled, “It’s not the real thing, it’s just a Divine Ability!” Despite the fact that it wasn’t the real thing, they were still unable to oppose it.
Mie Meng lowered her head and looked down at the Golden Crow. Following a strange cluck, it landed a peck on the beast with its sharp beak.
With a crack, a big hole was formed in the Golden Crow’s head, and after it staggered slightly, it collapsed to the ground as all its vitality left its body. It was really dead this time.
If the Golden Crow came across Mie Meng when it was still at full strength, it could definitely defeat the latter. Nevertheless, the Golden Crow was on its last breath. Earlier, it had used a trick to kill some Open Heaven Realm Masters, who coveted its treasures, causing it to expend much of its remaining energy. Then, it had spent a long time battling against Madam Lan and the others, so it didn’t have much strength left.
Therefore, it was totally powerless to resist Mie Meng’s attack, so it wasn’t surprising that it had been killed.
After killing the Golden Crow, Mie Meng’s figure rapidly dissipated and turned into golden wisps of light before disappearing, its imposing might also vanishing with the wind.
“Hmm?” Old Hong widened his eyes and gazed at the spot where the Golden Crow had collapsed in shock. That was because there was a young man, who appeared quite embarrassed, standing beside the corpse. At that moment, Old Hong couldn’t help but ask, “Who are you?”
He had never seen this young man before and was quite surprised to learn that the latter’s aura was very weak. It was apparent that the young man wasn’t even an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai felt his brow twitching fiercely. He had no choice but to use one of the feathers given to him by Mie Meng, which caused the Shadowless Veil to lose its effect, revealing his figure.
He had managed to remain hidden for so long, but in the end he was still exposed, which made him feel quite helpless.
However, it wasn’t the time to think about it. Since he had been exposed, he had to immediately flee from this place. At the thought of this, he solemnly cupped his fists and called out respectfully, “Madam Lan.”
Old Hong and the others turned to look at Madam Lan, thinking that she was close to the young man. Nevertheless, after successfully diverting their attention, Yang Kai quickly summoned his Six Fated Paths Bag and stuffed the Golden Crow’s corpse into it. Without pause, he then disappeared from the scene.
Although Yang Kai had no idea what exactly the Golden Crow corpse could be used for, it didn’t stop him from snatching it first. It was the reward he obtained after sacrificing a feather from Mie Meng, so there was no way he wouldn’t take it away with him.
When he brought Ruler of the Dawn Great General to look for his family in the past, Mie Meng had given him three golden tail feathers. Since he was still weak, the three golden tail feathers were extremely valuable as they could be said to be his safety charms. If it weren’t because he was left with no other choice, he wouldn’t have used one here.
However, when faced with the Golden Crow’s attack, he had to use it no matter what; otherwise, he would have lost his life.
As Yang Kai moved, Space Principles around him undulated. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that after the Golden Crow died, the space around the hall had also been unsealed, which allowed him to use Instantaneous Movement.
There was no time for him to identify a direction, so he simply ran first.
Forget about poking the hornet’s nest, Yang Kai had practically smashed and stomped on it. The Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall widened their eyes in disbelief, then they became shocked and incensed. They had paid a hefty price to deal with the Golden Crow, and even some Low-Rank cultivators had sacrificed their lives during the battle. Now that the Golden Crow was finally killed, a little brat suddenly appeared and took their trophy away.
It wouldn’t have mattered if that person was powerful enough, as the weak had no rights before the strong, but the crux of the problem now was that this boy wasn’t even an Open Heaven Realm Master! How dare he have the guts to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth?
Old Hong and the others were especially enraged. Although each of the Mid-Rank cultivators had respectively obtained one Sun’s True Gold, nobody minded having more good stuff. More importantly, the corpse of a fully grown Golden Crow was undoubtedly more valuable than a piece of Sun’s True Golds.
“How dare he!” Old Hong bellowed as his Divine Sense swept out like a tidal wave and immediately locked onto Yang Kai’s location. As his chubby figure moved, he disappeared from the spot to chase after the young man.
Without saying a word, Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing used their own Secret Techniques and disappeared from the hall.
Yuan Xiao Meng turned to look at Madam Lan and asked, “Big Sister Lan, are you not going to pursue him?” Without waiting for Madam Lan’s reply, she shot into the air and broke through the ceiling, forming a path that led to the outside world. Seeing that, the Low-Rank cultivators quickly followed her.
Back inside the hall, Madam Lan sported an awkward expression as she wiped away the blood at the corner of her lips.
In fact, she did know who the young man was. He had stayed in First Inn for four months now, so he could be considered a valued customer. She even recalled that his name was Yang Kai. She had no idea how he snuck into the Golden Crow Divine Palace and hid inside the outer hallway. At that time, she didn’t expose him because she thought that he was just a reckless youth who was trying to secretly obtain some treasures by taking advantage of an artifact that could conceal himself. Given her strength as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, she had seen through his concealment at a glance. They were not close to one another, so she didn’t intend to butt in on his affairs. Another reason she didn’t expose him was that this was how First Inn did business. Given the choice between being on good terms or offending, they would always choose the former.
However, she had never expected this young man would end up looting the biggest treasure in the hall.
The Golden Crow corpse was even more precious than the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold that she had obtained. With that said, she also found this whole situation dreadfully interesting. Just where did a mere Emperor Realm youth get the guts to pull such a stunt in front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters? Wasn’t he worried that the corpse would become a hot potato for him?
“I wonder if you’ll be able to keep both the treasure and your life!” Madam Lan let out a breath before looking up. Yuan Xiao Man had already opened up a tunnel in the ceiling to the outside world, so she didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it as she shot into the sky.
At this moment, Yang Kai was fleeing like his backside was on fire, pushing his Space Principles madly. A group of Open Heaven Realm Masters were racing after him like a long snake, with Old Hong and the other Mid-Rank Masters at its head.
Seeing how infuriated they were, anyone who had no idea what was going on would have thought that Yang Kai had dug up and defaced their ancestral tombs.
It was the first time Yang Kai had been hunted down by so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, which consisted of people from numerous great forces in the neighbouring Great Territories. He was also getting a taste of how difficult it was to deal with numerous Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Although he made use of Space Principles to flee from the hall, Yang Kai soon realised that a few auras had locked onto him from afar. Without even needing to think about it, he was certain that it was the Mid-Rank Masters who were tracking him.
After a few Instantaneous Movements, Yang Kai managed to widen the gap with his pursuers a little, but he still couldn’t shake them off.
Furthermore, Old Hong and the others soon realised that Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, so they hastened their pace, quickly shortening the gap between them. Yang Kai was significantly weaker than them, so how could he outpace these Open Heaven Realm Masters?
Fortunately, his Space Secret Techniques were unparalleled when it came to escaping and fleeing; otherwise, he would’ve been captured already.
At the back of the chase group, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang from Great Moon Province sported awkward expressions as they communicated with each other via Divine Sense.
“Senior Brother, if I’m not mistaken, that’s Yang Kai, right?” Until this moment, Tao Rong Fang still couldn’t believe what she had seen in the hall. How did Yang Kai appear there?
Wei Que slightly nodded his head, “That’s him.”
“Why did he…”
“I don’t know why either, but he’s in big trouble now.” A solemn Wei Que heaved a sigh, “He’s so foolish. Since he had a way to conceal himself, he should have just remained hidden until the end. Why did he expose himself? He … He even…” Wei Que sighed again.
In that situation, even he wouldn’t have dared to snatch the Golden Crow’s corpse, not to mention that Yang Kai wasn’t even an Open Heaven Realm Master yet. By grasping such a hot potato, he was basically courting death. Now, it was such a magnificent sight that dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters were chasing after him. Even though Yang Kai was a Master of Space Principles, there was no way he could escape.
“That’s a shame. He was a good boy. It was thanks to him that Ah Sun was able to meet up with us,” Tao Rong Fang sighed.
“He also saved our lives,” Wei Que said.
A puzzled Tao Rong Fang asked, “When did he save our lives?”
“When the Golden Crow originally revived after feigning death, you were curious why I suddenly dragged you away, right? It was because that boy sent me a warning that the Golden Crow might still be alive at the last moment. Looking back, if it weren’t because of his timely warning, the consequence would have been dreadful.”
Recalling the situation from earlier, Wei Que couldn’t help but shudder. When the Golden Crow’s True Fire exploded, half of the Open Heaven Realm Masters were killed in an instant. If he and Tao Rong Fang hadn’t retreated much further than the rest, Wei Que wasn’t certain they would have survived.
A shocked Tao Rong Fang asked, “He was already there at that time?”
Wei Que smiled helplessly, “I have no idea how he snuck into the hall or how he concealed himself until then. I guess he made use of an artifact. However, in that situation, only he was able to see the whole picture. Even Madam Lan and the other Mid-Ranks were completely attracted by the Sun’s True Gold, so no one had noticed that there was something wrong with the Golden Crow until it was too late.”
Tao Rong Fang seemed to be reeling from the shock and hurriedly declared, “In that case, we truly owed him a great favour. Senior Brother, he saved our lives, so now that he is in trouble, we can’t just stand idly by.”
A frustrated Wei Que replied, “Of course we can’t stand idly by, but I don’t even know how we can help him. In any case, we have to reach him quickly. That brat is so good at running away. I have the urge to break his legs.”
Tao Rong Fang burst into laughter, “It’d be wonderful if he could keep fleeing like this. At least he won’t be captured this way. However, I’m worried he won’t have enough stamina.”
They were still charging forward while chatting, but the gap between the Mid-Rank and Low-Rank cultivators was still widening. Fortunately, the place was brightly lit from the remnant glow of the Sun Star, so they were not worried about losing them.
Just then, a roar that seemed able to shake the universe was clearly heard coming from afar, “Brat, if you still want to live, stop right now! Otherwise, once this Old Master captures you, I’ll let you have a taste of the cruellest torture in the world, making you beg for death!”
If it weren’t because he was left with no choice, Old Hong wouldn’t have resorted to threatening an Emperor Realm youth in such a way, because doing so was a great shame to his identity and status. However, this young man was truly adept at fleeing, and he had managed to seize the chance to widen the gap between them again. If the gap between them was shorter, Old Hong could have disturbed the space around him so that the young man could no longer use his teleportation technique, allowing Old Hong to reach him with ease. However, given the distance between them now, it would be useless for Old Hong to make a move as the young man could still smoothly teleport away.
As he spoke, Old Hong appeared infuriated.
Yang Kai, who was fleeing at full speed, naturally ignored him. He would have to be insane to stop at this point. Honestly speaking, Yang Kai was regretting his reckless actions right now. He had watched the good show for a long time, but none of the eight Sun’s True Golds went to him. In the end, he had even been forced to use one of Mie Meng’s precious golden tail feathers. Thinking that he couldn’t suffer such a big loss, Yang Kai rashly snatched the Golden Crow carcass.
Since he had already done the deed though, there was no way he could return the corpse to them now. Several Mid-Rank cultivators were chasing after him right now, so who could he even return the corpse to? No matter who managed to obtain the prize, the rest of the Mid-Rank cultivators wouldn’t let him off.
Since he would be targeted regardless, Yang Kai decided to just keep the corpse; after all, fortune favours the bold!
Seeing that Yang Kai outright ignored him, Old Hong became even more incensed as he bellowed, “Boy, you court death!”
After he finished speaking, his chubby body suddenly expanded and turned into a several-dozen-metres-tall figure. Then, he extended his hand in an attempt to capture Yang Kai.
Feeling a horrifying pressure from behind, Yang Kai turned his head, only to see a gigantic hand engulfing him. Fortunately, the distance between them was still too wide and the giant hand missed its target. Yang Kai’s neck shrank as he suppressed his urge to curse, drenched in cold sweat from nervousness.
After using such a Secret Technique, Old Hong, who was already injured from the battle with the Golden Crow, seemed to have expended too much energy and started coughing violently, his speed dropping noticeably as a result.
When Yuan Xiao Man whizzed past him, she said, “You should stop pretending to be tough when you’re already so old. Why did you even try to reach him from so far away?”
Seeing as she easily surpassed him, Old Hong felt a fury rising within him.
“Little Brother, can you wait for me? You’re running too quickly,” Yuan Xiao Man said in a sweet voice as she flew forward, causing Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing to furrow their brows.
“Little Brother, stop running. Where do you think you can go? Although the universe is wide, there’s no shelter for you. If they capture you, you’ll end up in a terrible state.”
Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing turned to look at Yuan Xiao Man with a sneer. It wasn’t like Yang Kai would be treated well if she managed to catch him!
“Stop chasing after me if you don’t want me to keep running,” Yang Kai yelled as he continued fleeing.
Yuan Xiao Man said, “Stop running, and we won’t keep chasing after you.” After she finished speaking, she hinted at Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing with her gaze. Seeing this, they nodded gently.
“Stop chasing after me, and I’ll stop running!”
Yuan Xiao Man sneered, “Little Brother, that’s too much to ask for, don’t you think? Since you refuse a toast, you must suffer a loss. Given your strength, you won’t be able to escape from us.”
Ji Tian Xiang then bellowed, “Brat, give the Golden Crow corpse to us now, and we’ll spare your life!”
“Good, good, good, I’ll give it to you!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, then he appeared hesitant, “But there are three of you here. Who should I give it to?”
“““Give it to me!””” Not surprisingly, all three of them shouted at the same time, then they traded glances as their gazes were filled with hostility. Every one of them was eager to slap the other two to death.
Yuan Xiao Man’s eyes darted about for a moment before she proposed, “Little Brother, if you give the Golden Crow carcass to me, I’ll let you join Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land. What do you think? Judging from your strength, it seems that you’ve just arrived in the Outer Universe. This is a place that is filled with danger, and you need a powerful background to survive. If you join Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land, I will ensure your safety.”
“You’ll let me join Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land?” Yang Kai sounded tempted.
Yuan Xiao Man replied with a smile, “I might look young, but I’m actually an Elder of my force, so I can definitely let you join. Moreover, there are many beautiful female disciples in my great force. If you’re interested in any one of them after you join, I can even act as a matchmaker for you.”
[Cheap slut!] Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing cursed in their hearts. In order to get the Golden Crow carcass, Yuan Xiao Man had even resorted to using this kind of trick, which was embarrassing for all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
After giving it a thought though, they realised that it wasn’t so surprising. The Golden Crow’s corpse was extremely rare and if she could make this young man willingly hand it over, this kind of sacrifice was worth it.
“Are those female disciples as beautiful as you are? What if I’m more interested in you?”
Yuan Xiao Man’s expression turned cold as she secretly cursed at him for crossing the line, but she still replied smilingly, “That will depend on how capable you are. If Little Brother can make me fall in love with you, I don’t mind getting together with you.”
“Are you telling the truth?” Yang Kai sounded elated.
“Of course, I’m not lying.”
Seeing that they were still in the mood to flirt with one another in this situation, Zhang Qi sneered, “Brat, if you dare believe her, I can guarantee you won’t live to see the Sun rise tomorrow. Why don’t you join my Righteous Land? Although we don’t have many beautiful female disciples, I can give you my word that you will become a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
“Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
Zhang Qi continued, “Cultivators like us should focus on cultivation, while all other matters come second. Personal strength is the key to everything. As long as you become powerful enough, you can have any woman you want.”
“Sir has a point.” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
An enraged Yuan Xiao Man turned her head to shoot Zhang Qi a glare, “Why are you interfering in my plan?”
Ignoring her, Zhang Qi snorted and continued persuading Yang Kai by saying, “Little Brother, give the corpse to me, and I can swear on my Dao Heart that I’m not lying to you!”
What he had said was pretty sincere. After one swore on their Dao Heart, they wouldn’t dare to go back on their word. That was because if they did that, their Dao Heart would be tarnished and it would affect their pursuit of the Grand Dao.
Yuan Xiao Man couldn’t believe that Zhang Qi was willing to go so far and even forgot to rebuke him.
Just then, Yang Kai’s voice was heard coming from afar, “I can feel your sincerity, and am very tempted; however, there are still three of you. I’d like to know what the last one can offer me.”
Ji Tian Xing grinned, “I’ll give you a chance to live. How about that?”
Yang Kai replied, “That’s very insincere. Don’t you even think about getting the corpse from me now. I’d rather throw it away than give it to you!”
Yuan Xiao Man hurriedly nodded, “En, en, don’t ever give it to him. He’s a ruthless fellow, so if you give the carcass to him, you’ll only end up in a horrible state.”
Zhang Qi said, “Brat, we’ve said all we should. Think it over and quickly make a decision.”
“Please slow down and give me some time to ponder. I can’t even think clearly because of the pressure,” Yang Kai replied.
Zhang Qi said grimly, “I don’t think you’re sincere at all. Stop playing these kinds of childish tricks. I’ll repeat what she said. Although the universe is wide, there’s no place for you to take shelter. Hand over the Golden Crow to us now!”
Yuan Xiao Man snorted, “No one likes an obstinate man!”
As they spoke, they never slowed down as they continuously shortened the gap with Yang Kai; however, they were enraged by the fact that whenever they were close enough to him to make a move, the young man would use his Space Principles to teleport away before they could disturb the space around him.
They couldn’t figure out how a mere Emperor Realm Junior who was so adept at fleeing had suddenly appeared in 3,000 Worlds. All the Open Heaven Realm Masters found it extremely difficult to capture him.
One day later, Old Hong also rejoined them and from afar, they could feel Madam Lan’s aura closing in on them.
Madam Lan had expended most of her strength during a battle against the Golden Crow, so she only started pursuing them after resting for a while. Despite the fact that she had lagged behind at the start though, her true strength ensured that she could eventually catch up to them.
Half a day later, all five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together again as they charged forward across the Starry Sky.
Madam Lan gazed at the others with an awkward expression and asked, “Is that boy so adept at running away?”
Yuan Xiao Man said through clenched teeth, “I don’t even know where he’s from, but once I capture him, I’ll skin him alive and crush all his bones!”
Although the others didn’t say anything, their expressions suggested that they were fuming mad. That was because it would be a huge embarrassment for them if what happened on this day was made public.
Madam Lan said with a smile, “We’ll talk about it if you manage to capture him. I’ll see you soon.”
After she finished speaking, she suddenly dashed forward at an even greater speed, rapidly widening the gap between her and the other four. Seeing this, Yuan Xiao Man and the others felt unresigned, realising that the Golden Crow carcass would have nothing to do with them anymore. It couldn’t be helped though as they were weaker than Madam Lan, and even their speed was slower than hers. Regardless of how good Yang Kai was at running away, he could not possibly outpace a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even the four other Mid-Ranks didn’t think they could achieve such a feat.
As expected, Yang Kai became flustered upon seeing Madam Lan closing in on him. The other Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to deal with him after such a long time, but as soon as she arrived, Madam Lan immediately gave him immense pressure.
Given her incredible speed, it was just a matter of time before she would reach him even if he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
In the light of this reality, Yang Kai yelled, “Proprietress Boss, I stayed at your First Inn for four months and spent many Open Heaven Pills there. Is this how you treat all your guests?”
Madam Lan simply laughed, “Rest assured I just want the Golden Crow carcass and won’t do anything to you. Why don’t you stop running and pass the corpse to me? It will save both of us much trouble.”
Torn between fury and sorrow, Yang Kai protested, “As the First Inn Proprietress, do you also commit such atrocious crimes of oppressing the weak?”
Madam Lan replied, “This Queen does not represent First Inn now and is solely acting for her own sake.”
“Proprietress is truly insincere with her words! I’m warning you, don’t force me or you’ll regret it!”
Intrigued, Madam Lan curiously asked, “And just what can you do?”
“Just you wait!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth as began fishing something out of his pocket.
The next instant, he raised his hand and hurled a bunch of small objects out in different directions. At the same time, he shouted, “There are ten Space Rings in total, one of them contains the Golden Crow’s corpse. It will belong to whoever gets it first and has nothing to do with me anymore!”
Madam Lan’s expression changed when she heard this and she secretly cursed at him for coming up with such a wicked and shameless scheme.
Yuan Xiao Man and the others frowned as well. Although they knew it was entirely likely that Yang Kai was just trying to divert their attention and that there was nothing in any of the ten Space Rings, they couldn’t just ignore the possibility either.
What if the corpse was really in one of the Space Rings? If they didn’t have a look, someone else would pick it up. Therefore, despite the fact that they were doubtful, all five of them still separated and shot in different directions.
Half a cup of tea later, all ten Space Rings had been collected, but after checking them, they realised that they were completely empty, without even a trace of the Golden Crow carcass.
Yuan Xiao Man gritted her teeth so hard they creaked before she roared, “I must kill that brat!”
Despite knowing that it might be a pit, she still had to jump into it, which infuriated her. She secretly swore that once she captured Yang Kai, she would let him have a taste of the cruelest torture the universe had to offer.
“I’ve given you the corpse already, why are you still chasing after me!? Must you ruthlessly kill me too!?” Yang Kai bellowed as his voice was filled with fury.
“Brat, how dare you still try to divert our attention!” Zhang Qi snorted.
Yang Kai said, “Why don’t you check the rings in each other’s hands then? One of you must have hidden it and is now trying to frame me!”
Madam Lan was so exasperated that she started laughing, “This brat is trying to sow discord among us…”
Yuan Xiao Man scoffed, “There’s nothing in the two rings I’ve obtained.” She turned to look at the others, who also said the same thing.
“Well, we don’t know whether he’s speaking the truth or not,” Yuan Xiao Man said impassively.
Zhang Qi shot her a glare, “Has all the nutrition for your brain gone to your chest or something? It’s true what they say, a woman with a big chest is always brainless. Madam Lan just said that he was sowing discord between us. Why have you still fallen into his trap?”
Yuan Xiao Man refuted, “Why are you cursing me? I was just saying, and I didn’t fall into his trap. Are you anxious because you’re hiding something from us?”
“Fuck off!” Zhang Qi bellowed.
Madam Lan sighed before she said, “There’s an easy way to ascertain the truth.”
Then, she shouted at the one in front of her, “Yang Kai, do you have the guts to swear on your Dao Seal that the Golden Crow is inside one of the Space Rings you just threw out? If you dare to make such an oath, we’ll stop right now!”
Yang Kai yelled, “I’ve given the corpse to you, so you have no right to make me swear on anything! Is oppressing others the only law in the Outer Universe?”
Ji Tian Xing guffawed, “Law? In the Outer Universe, strength is the only law. Since you have no power, you can only be oppressed by others!”
Yang Kai said through gnashed teeth, “Many thanks for your lecture!”
Nothing else needed to be said as they continued chasing after him. The carcass was obviously still in his possession. It had to be said that he had pulled a skilful trick on them as although he couldn’t change the outcome in the end, he had stalled for more time for himself at the very least.
Half a day later, all five Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were hunting down Yang Kai, appeared pleasantly surprised.
Yuan Xiao Man said, “He finally stopped?”
Old Hong became energised, “He must have run out of strength!” After all, Yang Kai was only an Emperor Realm Junior who had just condensed his Dao Seal. He could be considered fairly powerful as he was able to run for such a long time with so many Mid-Rank cultivators chasing after him; however, under such immense pressure, there was no way he could go on running forever.
All of their eyes brightened as they hastened their pace. Madam Lan charged forward at a greater speed and soon shook off the others, causing them to feel frustrated.
Presently, Yang Kai was standing in the void in the distance as he gazed at the figures who were dashing towards him. After letting out a breath, he fished out some pills and stuffed them into his mouth while hurriedly adjusting his breathing.
“Smelly brat!” Madam Lan’s voice could be heard coming from afar, “Why don’t you join my First Inn after this incident?”
Yang Kai was incredibly adept at escaping since he was an expert in the Dao of Space, which was why she became interested in a talented youth like him. Furthermore, regardless of how she put it, she was going to snatch the Golden Crow carcass from him. Those from First Inn would rather make friends than foes, and although she was doing this for her own sake, she was still going to forcefully take a valuable treasure away from him. Therefore, letting him join First Inn could be seen as a form of compensation. More importantly, Yang Kai had offended so many top cultivators this time, so without anyone’s protection, he would never be able to gain a foothold in the Outer Universe. Perhaps his corpse would even be found floating in the void tomorrow.
Hence, she found it necessary to ensure his safety after snatching his prize.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Join First Inn? What can I do after joining First Inn? I can’t cook.”
Madam Lan replied with a smile, “Since you’re so good at running, you can become a waiter for us.”
An amused Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, many thanks for the generous offer, but this Junior must decline. That’s not where my ambition lies, so I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Madam Lan furrowed her brows, “Do you understand that you’re in big trouble? Without someone’s protection, you won’t be able to survive.”
“Of course I understand!” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “However, I’m not used to letting anyone else decide my fate. So, Proprietress, we’ll meet again if there’s such a chance in the future. Farewell!”
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand at Madam Lan.
Madam Lan instinctively felt that something was off so she hurriedly exclaimed, “Wait!”
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t wait for her and in the next instant, he disappeared from the spot.
“Damn!” Madam Lan said through clenched teeth. She was so close to being able to make a move to seal off the space around Yang Kai, which would ensure that he wouldn’t be able to use his Instantaneous Movement again. However, she was still a short distance away from being able to do so. After Yang Kai used his Instantaneous Movement, the gap between them had widened significantly again, which would take her more effort to chase after him.
[What an ungrateful brat!] Madam Lan gritted her teeth. Following that, she released her Divine Sense in an attempt to locate Yang Kai, but the next moment, her expression changed drastically. That was because she couldn’t detect Yang Kai’s aura with her Divine Sense. The young man seemed to have vanished into thin air!
Her jaw dropped as her gaze filled with disbelief. Yang Kai had used Instantaneous Movement in front of her many times already, but there was a limit as to how far he could go, so she could always detect his aura and quickly locate him before continuing to pursue him. However, this time, he had completely disappeared.
[How did he do that? Can he really escape that far with his teleportation technique? If he was capable of doing that all along, he could have gotten rid of us a long time ago. Why did he wait until now to do so?]
While she was pondering on the issue, Old Hong and the others arrived, and after looking around, Old Hong asked, “Where is he?”
Madam Lan shook her head to mean that she had no idea.
Naturally, Old Hong and the others wouldn’t believe her; however, after releasing their Divine Senses, they were shocked to discover they couldn’t detect his aura anywhere. They were only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while even a Sixth-Order cultivator like Madam Lan couldn’t locate Yang Kai, so this result was obvious.
“Big Sister Lan, did you capture that brat?” Yuan Xiao Man sized her up with a gaze full of doubt.
Torn between laughter and tears, Madam Lan landed a knock on the young girl’s head, “How I wish I had captured him. Unfortunately, he’s not in my hands.”
Yuan Xiao Man covered her head with her hands, “You could just say he wasn’t with you. Why did you hit me?”
As they spoke, Old Hong suddenly performed a hand seal as an abstruse aura fluctuated around him. The others turned to look at him, only to see that there was a translucent red thread on his finger.
Yuan Xiao Man’s gaze brightened, “Soul Tracing Silk! When did you plant it?”
Old Hong snorted, “I did it as a precaution, but I never dreamed I would actually need it.”
Previously, he had made a move against Yang Kai but due to the distance between them, he hadn’t managed to cause any real harm. Nevertheless, it was because of that move that Old Hong managed to plant a Soul Tracing Silk on Yang Kai’s aura.
Soul Tracing Silk wasn’t a very useful material, but it was an excellent tool to track people. As long as the target wasn’t too far away, the silk could point out their direction.
After Old Hong finished speaking, he activated the red thread, which then flew forward and showed them a direction.
They widened their eyes and turned around because the direction the silk pointed was where they were coming from earlier. In other words, Yang Kai had doubled back on them without their knowledge.
“Old Hong, are you mistaken? That doesn’t seem to be the right direction.” Yuan Xiao Man batted her eyes and gazed at him.
“Impossible!” Old Hong appeared embarrassed, “There’s no way the Soul Tracing Silk would make a mistake. Since it has pointed out a direction, it means that he must be moving in that direction.”
“But… we just came from there. If he’s really gone that way, how could we not be aware of it?”
It didn’t make sense. Given their powers, they should have detected him.
After giving it a thought, Madam Lan said, “That brat is skilled in Space Secret Techniques, but until now he only showed us a kind of instantaneous movement. I’m sure he still has other tricks up his sleeves. The Soul Tracing Silk from Old Hong is truly famous, so now that it has pointed out the direction for us, I’m sure there’s no mistake.”
“Shit!” Zhang Qi’s expression changed all of a sudden as he cursed.
“What’s wrong?” Yuan Xiao Man turned to look at him in shock.
Without looking at her, Zhang Qi stared fixedly at the other woman, “Madam Lan, I’m sure you know what’s in that direction.”
Madam Lan was startled for a moment before she realised what he meant and parted her lips, “First Inn! So, that’s what that brat is planning!”
An astounded Yuan Xiao Man said, “All this time he was planning to head to First Inn?”
Zhang Qi put on a bitter smile, “That seems to be the case. It’s no wonder that, over these past few days, he never seemed afraid or worried that he wouldn’t be able to escape from us. It’s because he already came up with such a plan.”
“That smelly brat is pretty interesting,” Madam Lan laughed heartily.
She could make a move on Yang Kai in the void, but if he really hid inside First Inn, given the inn’s reputation and guarantee to their customers, his safety would become First Inn’s responsibility. No one would dare to deal with him inside the inn, not even Madam Lan. Instead, she had to protect him lest he was killed by someone else. Nevertheless, the young man was too naive.
“Congratulations, Madam Lan.” Zhang Qi reluctantly cupped his fists at her.
Ji Tian Xing heaved a long sigh, knowing that the young man had made the wrong move. Not only was he walking right into a trap, but he had also made them lose any chance to snatch the Golden Crow carcass.
Yuan Xiao Man took Madam Lan’s arm and pitifully gazed at her, “Big Sister Lan, please bring me with you. I promise that I won’t compete with you. I just want to have a look.”
With a faint smile, Madam Lan extended a delicate finger and poked Yuan Xiao Man’s forehead as she said clearly, “In your dreams!”
A soft force suddenly exuded from her finger and pushed Yuan Xiao Man away. Seizing the chance, Madam Lan said, “I’ll take my leave now.”
A white light appeared from Madam Lan’s feet and soon engulfed her. After the white light diminished, she also disappeared from the spot.
“Universe Transference Law!” Yuan Xiao Man rubbed her forehead and returned to the others, “That boy is so foolish. Doesn’t he know about the Universe Transference Law? As long as Big Sister Lan is still in this Great Territory, she can use it to return to First Inn whenever she wants.”
“It seems like he just arrived in the Outer Universe, which is why he doesn’t know about the Universe Transference Law.” Zhang Qi sounded frustrated.
“What should we do?” Yuan Xiao Man turned to look at the others.
Without saying anything, Ji Tian Xing frowned and headed to First Inn.
Old Hong said, “Whatever the case, we can go over there to watch the show. Moreover, we each have a piece of Sun’s True Golds with us, so it’s not safe for us to move around. We’d better head to First Inn for now.”
Yuan Xiao Man nodded, “You’re right.”
After a short discussion, the four Mid-Rank Open Heaven Masters began flying back towards First Inn. This time, they were no longer in a hurry as Yang Kai had fallen into a trap. Given Madam Lan’s power, there was no way Yang Kai could escape from her.
They wondered what kind of expression Yang Kai would sport when he saw Madam Lan appear before him all of a sudden.
…..
Somewhere in the void, Yang Kai’s figure abruptly appeared. There was a Space Beacon hovering beside him, and after grabbing the Space Beacon, he finally let out a breath of relief. Earlier, when he threw away the ten Space Rings to divert their attention, he also secretly left behind a Space Beacon.
By using this Space Beacon, he managed to leap across a vast distance to escape the detection of his pursuer’s Divine Senses.
At this moment, the auras that had been locked onto him had finally disappeared. Knowing that his plan had worked, he was finally at ease. Then, he looked around and made sure that no one else was around before identifying the direction and charging towards First Inn.
Just like what the other Mid-Rank cultivators had surmised, he had been planning to head to First Inn all along. He could only feel safe by hiding in that place; otherwise, there was nowhere else he could go with the Golden Crow carcass in his possession. It wouldn’t be safe for him wherever he went.
As for what he would do after arriving at First Inn, he would have to see how things went.
First Inn was a building that was hovering in the void. Presently, it was completely silent in the hall. Since the Sun Star’s fire went out, First Inn was no longer hustling with noises as all their customers had left. Although some of them had returned to the inn, they were merely the disciples from those great forces. No one present was an Open Heaven Realm Master, so they didn’t dare to go anywhere. At this moment, they were taking a rest in their own rooms, which was why the shop boy and accountant had nothing to do. One of them was taking a nap on a stool, while the other was asleep with his head on the front counter.
All of a sudden, a figure shot out from the rear court, which stirred up a gale, and disappeared into the distance.
The shocked shop boy fell from his stool and widened his eyes, but there was nothing in sight.
Behind the counter, the accountant raised his head, and his eyes still appeared sleepy, “Was that Proprietress?”
The shop boy batted his eyes, “I have no idea as I couldn’t see it clearly. Hasn’t Proprietress gone to the Sun Star?”
After giving it a thought, the accountant nodded and fell asleep again.
…
Presently, Yang Kai was charging forward through the void. It had been a day since he got rid of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, and he was getting closer to First Inn; however, for some reason, he had a foreboding feeling, as if a crisis was slowly creeping up on him.
He wouldn’t dare to ignore this feeling; therefore, he had been careful along the way and kept an eye on the surroundings in the void to prevent any danger.
After observing for a bit, he realised that there was no danger that awaited him. Besides the Mid-Rank cultivators that he had shaken off, he also hadn’t seen any Low-Rank cultivators so far.
At that instant, he suspected that he was being paranoid; after all, he had kicked the hornet’s nest and offended many great forces, creating a crisis he had no way to deal with.
A long time later, he became energised as First Inn, which was hovering in the void, came into sight.
[I’ve arrived at last!] He let out a long breath and decided that he would immediately take a shower and change into clean clothes upon entering the inn. Then, he would take a proper rest. Regardless of how turbulent the outside world was, the Golden Crow carcass was in his hands now. He would just have to look for potential buyers and become wealthy from it.
Not long after he set his mind at ease though, he felt all his bodily hair standing on end. Turning to look in a particular spot in the void, he yelled, “Who goes there!”
Upon finishing his words, he waved his arm widely and shot a Moon Blade towards that spot.
A slender hand appeared out of the void and accurately pinched the Moon Blade. Space Principles undulated around the fair hand, but they couldn’t cause the slightest harm. As the unknown person tightened her grip, the Moon Blade collapsed and disappeared.
Yang Kai felt cold all over his body as it was the first time he saw someone grabbing his Moon Blade with their bare hand. Regardless of who the person was, her power was clearly unfathomable.
Realising that he was unable to oppose this newcomer, he decided to flee immediately, but right then, he felt that the space around him be sealed off, making it impossible for him to use his Space Principles.
[I can’t escape!] Sweat streamed down his forehead as a curvy figure materialised from the void and came into his sight.
Upon making out her face, Yang Kai opened his mouth so wide that it was as though a fist could be stuffed into it. He couldn’t believe his eyes!
The person put on a faint smile as her blue dress perfectly outlined her hourglass figure. She seemed to be happy with his stunned reaction, so her smile became even sweeter.
“You…” Yang Kai stared hesitantly at her and frowned, “Are you Madam Lan’s twin sister?”
Otherwise, he couldn’t explain why Madam Lan would appear here to intercept him. Even though she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, there was no way she could return to First Inn before he did and hide her aura, awaiting his arrival.
The grin on the Proprietress’ face widened as she announced, “I am Madam Lan, and I don’t have a twin sister.”
“Impossible!” Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t believe such a ridiculous statement. As he looked around in a vigilant manner, he made one last attempt to weasel his way out of this predicament, “What is Madam Lan doing here? This Junior would like to return to First Inn now. Please step aside.”
Madam Lan smiled, “You know exactly what I’m doing here. Smelly brat, give that thing to me. My earlier proposal still stands, and I will give you appropriate compensation.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai sized her up like she was a ghost and asked, “You’re really Madam Lan?”
An exasperated Madam Lan snickered, “Could there be a fake Madam Lan or something?”
“But you…”
“That’s none of your business. Since I’m here, there’s no way you can return to First Inn. I don’t want to oppress you, so you’d better do what you’re told.”
An incensed Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “You’re blocking my way, but at the same time, you’re telling me you don’t want to oppress me? Madam Lan, do you know no shame at all?”
Madam Lan’s face fell, “Brat, who are you calling shameless? If I was shameless, I wouldn’t have bothered talking to you at all and instead would have killed you directly.” After that, she calmed herself down though, she continued, “Yang Kai, it’s not a blessing for you to keep the Golden Crow carcass in your possession. I’m sure you understand the situation you’re in. Even if you can get into First Inn, can you hide inside forever? Only a powerful cultivator can protect such a treasure. Since you’re too weak now, the carcass only places a target on your back. Now, you’ve only come across a few Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but when what has happened in the Golden Crow Divine Palace is made known to others, High-Rank Open Heaven Masters will surely come to investigate, and they won’t be as easy-going as I am.”
Yang Kai knitted his brows, knowing that Madam Lan was right. Just like what she had said, she could have made a move on him if she had intended to do so. Given the fact that she was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there was no way he could resist even a single attack; however, she didn’t forcefully take the carcass away from him and instead was doing her best to persuade him to willingly give it up. Considering all that, she could be considered a kind and righteous person.
“Think it over now, but there’s not much time left for you. I’ll be waiting here. Tell me your answer when you’ve made up your mind.” Madam Lan sighed and gave him a sympathetic look. This was the fate of the weak. Even though he had obtained a treasure, he wasn’t powerful enough to keep it.
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need to think it over.”
Madam Lan scowled, “What’s your answer?”
“Many thanks for your offer, but I must refuse. I refuse to let someone else tell me what I can and cannot do. If you want the Golden Crow carcass, you’ll have to take it from me.”
Hearing that, Madam Lan was so exasperated that she started laughing, then she stared at him with a tilted head, “Are you sure you want me to make a move against you?”
“Come!” Yang Kai appeared solemn, as though he was determined to protect his treasure no matter the cost.
Madam Lan took a deep breath as her chest heaved, then she parted her lips and said, “Don’t worry. Although you’re not willingly giving it up, I’ll still compensate you.”
What she had said could be considered incredibly sincere, and after she finished speaking, she extended her slender hand towards Yang Kai.
Just then, she had a feeling of crisis descend upon her. Flabbergasted, she instinctively pushed her strength to defend herself. At the same time, Yang Kai chuckled, “Madam Lan, protect yourself!”
As a golden light expanded and her vision turned blurred. Following a series of clucks, a horrifying pressure fell from the sky.
Releasing her Divine Sense, she realised that the illusory phantom of a gigantic golden chicken was right in front of her as it looked down at her with an impassive gaze.
“Mie Meng!” Madam Lan exclaimed and dashed backwards, so infuriated that she almost spat blood.
Previously, Mie Meng’s Divine Ability had appeared in the main hall of the Golden Crow Divine Palace and dealt a fatal blow to the Golden Crow. After that, Yang Kai snatched the carcass and fled from the scene.
She had speculated that the appearance of Mie Meg’s Divine Ability might have something to do with Yang Kai, a kind of trump card that could save his life that he could only use once.
She never expected that he could use the same Divine Ability again.
Even if she was in peak condition, she would still have to retreat when faced with Mie Meng’s Divine Ability, to say nothing of the fact that she had been injured and had expended a great deal of strength to pursue Yang Kai these past few days.
Therefore, as soon as she detected the Divine Ability, she hurriedly retreated.
As Mie Meng was crowing, she extended her neck and pecked in the direction Madam Lan was fleeing. The movement was light, but the attack contained a power that could shatter worlds.
Madam Lan exclaimed as a flash of light descended upon her. After she sprayed out a mouthful of blood, her aura plunged. Fortunately, she had retreated in time and Yang Kai had given her a warning in advance, so she wasn’t at risk of losing her life. Turning her head, she saw Yang Kai shooting towards First Inn, almost at the entrance already.
Madam Lan was so incensed she screamed and extended her hand in his direction, “Smelly brat, you still dare try to flee?!”
Yang Kai, who was charging forward, felt a terrifying force swiftly approaching from behind, and before he could turn around to parry the attack, he was struck. At that instant, he felt his senses go numb as all his bones cracked, prompting him to hurl curses. Still, using the force of the impact, he crossed the last stretch of territory and landed on the front foyer with a loud thud.
Inside the entryway, the shop boy and accountant, who were napping, were stunned as they raised their heads to look around. Soon, the shop boy saw a man lying on the floor before him. Feeling that the figure looked familiar, he walked up to the man and turned him over, then he appeared stunned as he muttered, “Yang Kai?”
Blood streamed out of Yang Kai’s mouth as he coughed violently and waved his hand.
With a smile, the shop boy crouched down and poked him, “Hey, why are you back?”
Yang Kai had just stabilised his breathing when he was poked, which caused him to cough again. He looked like he was about to lose his life. Although Madam Lan hadn’t used her full strength to attack, it was still too much for the current Yang Kai to resist. A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like her was truly formidable.
Grabbing the shop boy’s arm weakly, Yang Kai widened his eyes and said, “S-S…”
“Stop? I have never made a move on you.”
“Stay! I want to stay at your inn!”
Shocked, the shop boy questioned, “You want to stay here? This is a bandits’ inn, are you sure you want to stay? I remember someone who looked a lot like you claiming that he would never come here again when he last left.”
With a pair of widened eyes, Yang Kai gave it a thought and realised that he had indeed said so before. Forcing a smile, he said through clenched teeth, “I’ll stay!”
The shop boy turned to look at the accountant, “Do we have any rooms available?”
The accountant stuck out his head from behind the counter to have a look at Yang Kai, then he understood what the shop boy meant, “Yes, but only the best room is free.”
Then, the shop boy looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Do you want the best room? It’ll cost a thousand Open Heaven Pills per night, and you have to pay in advance.”
The price Yang Kai had to pay had practically doubled, so how could they say they weren’t a bandits’ inn!? Despite that, he still stuffed a Space Ring into the shop boy’s hand, “Cut the crap! Damn it!” Forget 1,000, even if he had to pay 10,000 pills per night, he would still have to stay here. There was nowhere else he could go apart from First Inn in this wide universe.
“You still have some energy left to curse me?” The shop boy chuckled and straightened himself up. Then, he placed the Space Ring on the counter and motioned for the accountant to get a room for him. After that, he asked, “Who was it that hurt you? Your injuries look quite serious.”
“A crazy woman!” Yang Kai replied through gritted teeth.
“Who are you calling crazy?” A figure shuffled into the inn, her face pale and blood still leaking from the corner of her lips.
“Proprietress?” The shop boy was stunned, “What happened to you?”
He was fully aware of the Proprietress’ power and was certain no one in the neighbouring Great Territories could possibly hurt her. Furthermore, there was something wrong with the way she stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai snapped back at her by saying, “I’m just calling the one who wounded me a crazy woman!” Earlier, he had safely arrived at his destination, but he hadn’t expected that not only would he be intercepted by Madam Lan, but he also had to waste another golden tail feather from Mie Meng. There was simply no way he wouldn’t complain.
A malevolent aura exuded from the enraged Proprietress as she inched closer to Yang Kai and said smilingly, “Smelly brat, you’re pretty brazen.”
Seeing this, the shop boy hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Proprietress, please calm yourself. Don’t ruin our reputation!” If the Proprietress made a move on their customer here, the good name of First Inn would be severely tarnished.
Hearing this, Madam Lan frowned and stopped in her tracks. After glaring at Yang Kai for a while, she suddenly broke into a fit of giggles.
An exasperated Yang Kai said, “What are you laughing at? Aren’t you worried that your teeth might fall out?”
Waving her hand, Madam Lan took a seat to the side and kept a smile on her face. Although she was hurt after being caught off guard by Yang Kai, it was indeed rare for an Emperor Realm Master to have achieved all this under her watch. Her injuries weren’t severe in any case, and compared to her wounds, she was more interested in finding out more about Yang Kai.
In the 3,000 Worlds, no other Emperor Realm Master could have achieved what Yang Kai had done in the past few days.
As though alerted by the Proprietress’ aura, a few figures soon appeared at the staircase on the second floor.
The person at the front was none other than Meng Hong from Great Moon Province, followed by Old Fang, Dié You, Ah Sun, and the others. Upon receiving Wei Que’s order some time ago, they returned to First Inn and sent a message to the headquarters of Great Moon Province. That was the reason they were in this inn.
Upon seeing the battered Yang Kai, who remained paralysed on the ground, Meng Hong was stunned. However, just when he was preparing to go over and check on him, Yang Kai hurriedly sent him a transmission, “Don’t come over!”
Despite not knowing the reason, Meng Hong still stopped in his tracks.
“Pretend that you don’t know me,” Yang Kai secretly spoke to him, Dié You, and the others before looking away.
Old Fang and the others had heard his voice in their minds, and although they had no idea what was going on, they realised that Yang Kai must be in some sort of trouble.
Just then, the accountant had gotten the room ready so the shop boy helped Yang Kai up and passed him the key, “I’ll help you to your room.”
Without saying a word, Yang Kai just let the shop boy help him upstairs. When they were walking past Madam Lan, she said impassively, “Come to me when you have made up your mind.”
It was indeed noble of her to still keep her word at this point, and Yang Kai was no longer incensed, so he nodded and replied, “Many thanks, Madam. I was forced to make a move against you earlier. Please forgive me.”
Madam Lan waved her hand and fell silent.
After Yang Kai entered the room with the shop boy, he realised that it didn’t look like the best room at all. In fact, it was identical to his previous room in every way except that the price had doubled.
The shop boy helped him have a seat and said, “Just call me if there’s anything you need. I have my own things to do now.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded. After the shop boy left, Yang Kai fished out some pills and stuffed them into his mouth. Before he could refine them though, he heard someone gently knocking on the door.
Upon hoisting himself with difficulty and opening the door, he saw Meng Hong, Old Fang, and the others dashing into the room.
A worried Dié You asked, “Yang Kai, are you alright? Are your injuries serious?”
Yang Kai replied with a bitter smile, “It’s not so serious. I’ll recover in a few days.”
Certainly, Madam Lan hadn’t used her full strength when she pushed out her palm as she never intend to kill Yang Kai; however, she had apparently underestimated his physical strength, so she failed to completely incapacitate him. Instead, he made use of the force and leapt into the inn.
Any other Emperor Realm Master would have become paralysed after getting struck, allowing her to do whatever she pleased with him. Yang Kai might appear to be battered, but given his physical resilience, his injuries were not so serious.
To the side, Old Fang bellowed, “Who hurt you? Little Brother, just tell this Old Master who it was and I’ll get revenge for you!”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Just forget about it.”
Old Fang refuted, “Little Brother, are you looking down on me? Although this Old Master may not be powerful enough, he is no coward. Even if I have to lose my life, I’ll certainly seek justice for you!”
A moved Yang Kai gazed at him and replied, “Old Fang, since you’ve said as much, I’ll tell you the truth. The person who hurt me is none other than Madam Lan! Go out now and beat her up for me!”
“M-Madam Lan?” Old Fang was shocked, “Which Madam Lan?”
“First Inn’s Madam Lan!”
Old Fang gulped and coughed into his fist before clapping Yang Kai’s shoulder, “Little Brother, it’s said that one is bound for great fortune after surviving a disaster. Since you’re alive and kicking, I think we should put off getting your revenge and come up with a plan first. By the way, why did you go missing on the Sun Star all of a sudden? We were worried about you, and we had been looking for you for a long time, but we still couldn’t find you in the end. Xiao Dié and Ah Sun were bawling their eyes out… Sii! Why did you pinch me?”
Yang Kai replied in a hoarse voice, “It’s a long story. Sorry for making all of you worry.”
Meng Hong knitted his brows, “How did you offend Madam Lan? Why did she attack you?”
“That’s a long story as well.” Yang Kai put on a helpless smile, “Senior Wei and Senior Tao will return to First Inn soon, when they do, you can just ask them about it.”
It wasn’t that Yang Kai wasn’t willing to tell them, but rather that it was useless to do so. Moreover, they would only become more worried. As for whether Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang would tell them what really happened, that wasn’t up to him.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai warned, “I’m in a troublesome position, so from now on, all of you must pretend that you don’t know me; otherwise, you might invite trouble to yourselves.”
Upon hearing that, Meng Hong immediately realised the severity of the matter and nodded his head, “If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to tell us.”
“Many thanks, Brother Meng.” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
They went on to talk for a while more before Meng Hong and the others took their leave. Yang Kai needed to recuperate, so they figured that they shouldn’t keep bothering him. Before leaving, Meng Hong even put down a bottle of healing pills on the table.
After closing the door, Yang Kai focused on healing his wounds and stopped caring about what was going on outside. Although the healing pills left behind by Meng Hong were not too precious, they were products from the Outer Universe after all, so they were still better than the ones Yang Kai had brought from the Star Boundary. After a few days, most of his injuries were healed.
However, during the same period of time, First Inn became bustling once again.
The Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters successively returned to First Inn and began asking around. Upon learning that Yang Kai was injured when he entered the inn, and that Madam Lan was the next to return, they became frustrated.
Since Yang Kai was injured, it meant that Madam Lan had made a move against him. In other words, she must have snatched the Golden Crow carcass from him, so it was pointless for them to come all the way here. Then, they secretly cursed at Yang Kai for making things difficult for them only to walk into a trap in the end.
Following that, the Low-Rank cultivators, who had survived the Sun Star’s dangers, returned to the inn as well.
Initially, they too had chased after Yang Kai, but due to their slower speed, they gradually lost sight of their target. With nowhere else to go, they decided to return to First Inn; after all, their disciples were waiting for them here.
Upon learning that the Mid-Rank Open Heaven cultivators, as well as the Emperor Realm Master who had taken the carcass, were all in First Inn, they were astonished. However, after giving it a thought, they realised Yang Kai’s intentions and basically figured out what had happened next.
In one of the rooms, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were seated, while Meng Hong and the others were standing in front of them and reporting what they had seen.
After the briefing, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances, then the former said with a smile, “That brat is indeed quite lucky to have survived.”
“Although he has survived, he’s in some big trouble now,” Tao Rong Fang sighed.
Meng Hong asked, “Martial Uncle, Martial Aunt, what happened on the Sun Star? How did Junior Brother Yang offend Madam Lan to the point she would attack him?”
Wei Que fell silent for a moment. Truthfully, he didn’t want to tell them, but he knew that this incident couldn’t be concealed. Even if he refused to tell them, the incident would be made known to everyone soon. By then, their disciples would also find out about it.
In light of that, he decided to briefly explain what had happened in the Golden Crow Divine Palace.
Hearing this story, Meng Hong and the others were utterly dumbfounded.
A horrified Old Fang stuttered to ask, “Martial Uncle Wei, you mean Yang Kai snatched the Golden Crow’s corpse in front of dozens of Open Heaven Realm Masters and escaped with it?”
If it weren’t because Wei Que appeared solemn and serious, he wouldn’t have believed such a fantastical story.
Tao Rong Fang nodded, “That’s right. At that time, many Open Heaven Realm Masters chased after him, but his escaping speed was simply too quick. Low-Rank Open Heaven cultivators like us were quickly left behind by him while the Mid-Rank cultivators kept pursuing him. As for what happened next, we have no idea.”
Old Fang and the others traded shocked glances. Although they hadn’t experienced it, they could imagine what kind of dangers Yang Kai had gone through.
How bold must he be to dare snatch such a treasure from so many Open Heaven Realm Masters? More importantly, he actually succeeded!
Wei Que stared at Old Fang and asked, “Does Yang Kai have an artifact that can conceal him?”
At that time, Yang Kai had hidden inside the hall of the Golden Crow Divine Palace, and if it weren’t because the Golden Crow was pushed towards him at the end, he wouldn’t have been exposed.
Old Fang appeared hesitant as he didn’t think he should expose Yang Kai’s secret.
Seeing that, Wei Que said, “I was just asking. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“Many thanks for your understanding, Martial Uncle,” Old Fang replied gratefully. Nevertheless, he knew that even if he didn’t tell them the truth, those Open Heaven Realm Masters had their own speculations.
“There’s one thing we haven’t figured out.” Tao Rong Fang frowned deeply, “Is the Golden Crow carcass still with Yang Kai? Or has it been taken away by Madam Lan?”
Supposedly, since Yang Kai had been hurt by Madam Lan, he must have lost the Golden Crow carcass. Most probably, Madam Lan snatched it from him. However, it wasn’t easy to ask about it. Madam Lan would never tell them, and Yang Kai might misunderstand them if he was asked such a question.
Wei Que shook his head and replied with a bitter smile, “No matter where the Golden Crow carcass is, it has nothing to do with us anymore.”
When the Golden Crow Divine Palace appeared some time ago, he immediately realised that the issue had grown beyond their ability to interfere; therefore, he told the disciples to return to First Inn and send a message to their headquarters. He thought that by asking all the Elders from his great force to come over, they could get a share of the treasures; however, the appearance of the Golden Crow had disrupted his plan.
This kind of prize wasn’t something Great Moon Province or the other Third Class forces had a right to covet. Even the Second Class forces would end up in a miserable state if they decided to claim it. The only people who had a right to snatch the Golden Crow carcass were those First Class forces, the Cave Heavens and Paradises!
Moreover, even though those from Great Moon Province hadn’t obtained many treasures on the Sun Star, it had still been a fruitful trip for them. They had obtained some Sun’s True Fires, including a Fifth-Order one, so they had basically achieved their goal. As long as they could make good use of these treasures, they could nurture a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master for their force. By then, the collective power of Great Moon Province would increase and it would be worth it for Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang to have done so much.
“By the way, Martial Uncle, Martial Aunt.” Meng Hong seemed to recall something as he cupped his fists, “There’s one more thing that I need to tell you. When Junior Brother Yang returned to the inn, he was severely injured. I wanted to help him, but he stopped me and secretly told us to pretend to not know him. Is he worried that he’d invite trouble to us?”
Wei Que arched his brow upon hearing that, “He secretly told you all to pretend to not know him?”
“Yes,” Meng Hong nodded.
Tao Rong Fang said in a solemn voice, “He’s indeed meticulous as he could think of such an issue in that kind of situation. It’s no wonder that he had the guts to snatch the corpse in front of so many top cultivators.”
A puzzled Meng Hong asked, “Martial Aunt Tao, you mean…”
Tao Rong Fang explained, “Just like what you’ve speculated, Yang Kai was worried that he’d invite trouble to us, which was why he told you to pretend to not know him; after all, he has offended many great forces. If others find out he’s close to Great Moon Province, we will be in big trouble. He’s concerned about our safety.”
Old Fang frowned, “But we arrived at First Inn with Little Brother Yang, and we stayed here together for a few months. Some people must have seen us spending time with him, so it’s pointless to pretend we don’t know each other.”
Wei Que said, “If so, the few of you shouldn’t show up for the time being to prevent anyone from having their eyes on you. As long as no one sees you, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
Old Fang and Dié You traded glances, and then they nodded, “Yes.”
After they talked for a while more, Wei Que told the disciples to return to their own rooms. When he and Tao Rong Fang were the only ones left in the room, he asked, “Junior Sister, what do you think?”
Tao Rong Fang replied, “He’s a bold yet meticulous young man. More importantly, he’s a kind-hearted person with great promise.” Then, she put on a helpless smile, “Unfortunately, we can’t accept him into Great Moon Province anymore.”
Wei Que fell silent for a moment before he heaved a sigh, “It seems that we share the same thoughts.”
This time, Yang Kai had caused huge trouble, so they were not able to protect him in any way; therefore, they couldn’t take him on as a disciple anymore. It wasn’t that Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang wanted to go back on their word, but as Elders of Great Moon Province, they had to consider the safety of their force above all else. They very much wanted to accept Yang Kai into their great force, but who could deal with the trouble that would ensue? By then, their great force would be turned upside down.
“He even saved our lives,” Tao Rong Fang stared at Wei Que. Back in the main hall, if Yang Kai hadn’t warned them in time, they wouldn’t even be here now, but when Yang Kai found himself in trouble, they were unable to help him, which made her feel frustrated.
An embarrassed Wei Que replied, “We’ll try to make it up to him. If possible, we can secretly assist him to flee to a different Great Territory and go into hiding.”
“That’s all we can do.”
“There’s one more thing. What do you think?” Wei Que asked.
Tao Rong Fang gazed at him, “You mean about the Golden Crow carcass?”
In response, Wei Que nodded his head.
She replied, “Initially, I thought that the carcass must be in Madam Lan’s hands, but now, it seems that it’s possible Yang Kai still has it.”
A smiling Wei Que asked, “Why do you say so?”
She shot him a glare, “Senior Brother, are you giving me a test or something?”
“Heh…” He raised his hands, “I just want to have a chat with Junior Sister to see if you and I share the same thoughts.”
Tao Rong Fang went on to say, “If the carcass is in Madam Lan’s hands now, Yang Kai should supposedly be free of trouble, and he wouldn’t have needed to secretly warn Meng Hong; however, he did so, which suggests that there’s something he’s concerned about. He must be worried that he would drag the others into this mess, which indicates that the carcass might still be in his hands. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that Madam Lan did snatch the carcass and Yang Kai was just being cautious.”
Wei Que said with a smile, “Junior Sister, you’re indeed beautiful and intelligent.”
Tao Rong Fang gave him a dismissive look, but she still said in a charming way, “Senior Brother, do you share the same thought as well?”
A frustrated Wei Que replied, “En. I don’t even know where the carcass is now; however, wherever it is, it truly has nothing to do with us anymore.”
…
The shop boy entered the room with some food and had a drink with Yang Kai. After some time drinking and eating, both of them became tipsy.
Although Yang Kai had stayed in the inn for four months, he had never asked the shop boy what his name was so he usually just called him ‘Shop-Hand’.
During the chat, he finally found out his name. The shop boy’s name was pretty simple, which was Bai Qi.
“You must have an ulterior motive for approaching me. Just tell me what you want. Has the Proprietress sent you here to pry some information out of me?” Yang Kai picked up some food and shot him a look.
Bai Qi grinned and filled Yang Kai’s cup with wine before replying, “Nothing of the sort. If Proprietress wanted to find out more about you, she wouldn’t need to do such a thing. Gathering information is our speciality, so we can find out about your background by just asking around.”
“What is my background, then?” Yang Kai appeared doubtful.
Bai Qi stared at him, “Do you want me to say it?”
“Come, enlighten me.”
After putting down the wine bottle, Bai Qi grinned meaningfully and replied, “Alright, then. Your name is Yang Kai, you’re a Peak Emperor Realm cultivator. One year ago, you emerged from an unknown Universe World and were brought to Seven Wonders Land by one of their Protector Venerables, Duan Hai. Your job was to take care of fruit trees in their Fire Spirit Land. Half a year later, Seven Wonders Land was invaded by their enemies and amidst the chaos, you fled from that place and brought three people, one man and two women, with you. They’re Fang Bi Qi, Dié You, and Ah Sun. Am I right?”
Yang Kai stared at him with widened eyes, “How many informants does First Inn have!?”
First Inn was able to find out so much about a nobody like him, which went to show that this great force was truly powerful and had a vast network of influence.
Bai Qi grinned, “I also know that you’ve condensed your Wood Element.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “What else?”
“You snatched a precious treasure from in front of several dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters and led them on a wild chase for days.”
“Ahaha…” Yang Kai forced a smile and secretly heaved a sigh of relief as First Inn apparently couldn’t find out everything in this world. At the very least, they hadn’t figured out his relationship with Old Xu and what Order his Wood Element was. The things they knew about him were all general and superficial. With that said, they had already gathered so much information about him in very short order.
“Tell me what happened on the Sun Star and how you obtained the Golden Crow carcass.”
“Just ask your Proprietress about it. What’s the point of asking me?” Yang Kai was exasperated at the mention of the Golden Crow carcass. If the Proprietress hadn’t intercepted him at the last moment, he would’ve safely returned to the inn instead of getting struck by her palm.
“Proprietress has been in a terrible mood since she returned. She’ll beat me black and blue if I ask her about it.” Bai Qi’s expression appeared bitter.
Yang Kai wanted to ignore him at first, then he recalled something and said, “There’s one thing I don’t understand. If you can answer my question, I don’t mind telling you what happened on the Sun Star.”
A vigilant Bai Qi narrowed his eyes, “What do you want to know?”
Yang Kai went on to say, “Don’t worry. It shouldn’t be a secret, but if it is, you can choose not to answer.”
Bai Qi nodded, “Go ahead.”
Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “I shook off your Proprietress in a faraway place, and I was certain that even though she is a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it would be impossible for her to catch up to me in time. However, how did she manage to return to the inn before me and even waited in the dark to capture me?”
That was the question that had been troubling him for days. Unless the Proprietress also had something like a Space Beacon, he couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation.
Bao Qi was elated upon hearing that, “That’s your question?”
“You know the reason behind it?”
Bai Qi couldn’t help but start guffawing as he repeatedly slapped the table, “Did you have nowhere else to go, which was why you wanted to seek refuge in First Inn? You thought that by entering the inn, no one would dare to make a move on you again? Was that why you rushed to our inn after getting rid of Proprietress?”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded as that was what he thought; after all, he indeed had nowhere else to go at that time as First Inn was the only safe place for him.
“Hahahaha!” Bai Qi doubled over with laughter as tears almost streamed out of his eyes.
Yang Kai stared coldly at him as he had the urge to fish out his Azure Dragon Spear to deliver a fatal strike.
Bai Qi seemed to have detected Yang Kai’s murderous intent, which was why he quickly suppressed his laughter and took a sip of the wine before asking, “Have you heard of the Universe Transference Law?”
“Universe Transference Law?” Yang Kai frowned, “What’s that?”
He had never heard of it before, but judging from Bai Qi’s expression, he reckoned that the reason the Proprietress was able to return to First Inn before he did and lay an ambush had something to do with this Universe Transference Law.
Bai Qi explained, “The 3,000 Worlds is incredibly expansive, so it’s not easy to go from one location to another even for High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Cultivators like us shouldn’t waste time simply travelling back and forth between distant places because, if we have the time, we should use it to cultivate our Secret Techniques and Secret Arts instead. The Universe Transference Law was created for this reason. This Secret Technique’s only use is to cross vast distances. For example, there’s a Universe Transference Seal in First Inn with Proprietress’ imprint sealed inside. As long as she’s in this Great Territory, wherever she may be, she can return to First Inn in an instant by using the Universe Transference Law.”
A dumbfounded Yang Kai said, “Is it so amazing?”
He couldn’t help thinking this technique was similar to a Space Beacon. The location of every Space Beacon was a destination, and with a flash of thought, Yang Kai could move to the location of any Space Beacon, so it worked in a similar way as the Universe Transference Law. A Space Array worked in the same way; however, in comparison, a Space Beacon was more convenient than a Space Array while there were advantages and disadvantages when compared to this Universe Transference Law.
“It’s truly amazing,” Bai Qi chuckled.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai said, “So, Madam Lan made use of the Universe Transference Law and returned to First Inn before I did.” It was then he came to the realization that, while he thought he had made an intelligent move, in Madam Lan’s eyes, he was just walking right into her trap. At that instant, he felt frustrated.
Fortunately, he managed to keep the Golden Crow carcass; otherwise, he would’ve spat blood.
“I’ll give you one more piece of information for free.” Bai Qi looked smilingly at him, “In the 3,000 Worlds, there are many places called Universe Temples. Basically, each Great Territory has a Universe Temple, while some even have more than one. After spending some Open Heaven Pills, one can record their aura in those temples, and then use them as destinations for the Universe Transference Law.”
“So, they’re just like Space Arrays.” Yang Kai’s eyes brightened.
Bao Qi replied with a smile, “You’re not wrong to say that; however, there’s a limit as to how far a Space Array can send a person, while the Universe Transference Law is different. As long as you’re strong enough, and your destination is in the same Great Territory, you can reach the Universe Temple where you’ve left behind an imprint.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head, “It’s really convenient. I’ll visit those temples if there’s a chance in the future. Which great force do these temples belong to?”
Bai Qi explained, “No one. The Universe Temples were jointly built by the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. Therefore, disciples from at least one Cave Heaven or Paradise will stand guard at every Universe Temple. No one can cause trouble inside those Universe Temples; otherwise, it’ll be seen as provoking all the Cave Heavens and Paradises.”
A shocked Yang Kai said, “The Universe Temples were jointly built by the Cave Heavens and Paradises?” After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. Others wouldn’t be able to set their minds at ease if the temples were controlled by just one great force, and no single great force was able to control such an important asset; therefore, it was reasonable that the temples were jointly managed by all Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises.
Judging from what Bai Qi had said, it seemed that if Yang Kai came across any trouble in the future, he could seek refuge in one of the Universe Temples.
“Now, tell me what happened on the Sun Star.”
Since Yang Kai had agreed beforehand, he wouldn’t go back on his word now. And so, he told Bai Qi what he had gone through on the Sun Star. Bai Qi widened his eyes and appeared amazed. He wasn’t surprised at the fact that Yang Kai was able to conceal himself in front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters as only a suitable artifact was needed to achieve that; instead, he was more interested in finding out how Yang Kai managed to escape the pursuit of so many Masters.
However, Yang Kai just gave him a vague answer that he was an expert in the Dao of Space, and he was especially adept at running away. It wasn’t a secret anyway. When he was hunted down by Madam Lan and the others, he had used Instantaneous Movement several times.
After a long time, a drunk Bai Qi muttered, “Let’s call it a day. I have work to do now. You should be careful as we have had many customers recently. I guess they’re here for you.”
Yang Kai watched him leave, then he appeared crestfallen. Following that, he opened his Six Fated Paths Bag and saw that the Golden Crow carcass was still inside it. Although he had snatched this hot potato, he had no idea how to handle it now. Whatever the case, the treasure was worth a lot of money. At the very least, it could make up for the two golden tail feathers from Mie Meng that he had lost.
If the treasure couldn’t be sold directly though, he would just trade it for a Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold, which was what he originally wanted. When he managed to condense his Fire Element, no one would make a move on him again.
Furthermore, he couldn’t possibly hide inside this room forever. Although he still had some Open Heaven Pills, they wouldn’t last forever.
After pondering on the issue for a moment, he rose from his chair and pushed the door open before shuffling downstairs.
Following that, he swept a glance over the hall and realised that the place was bustling. Initially, there were only seven or eight tables, but now, there were over ten. However, more tables were needed as the hall was packed with people.
Bai Qi was moving around with dishes in his hands when he saw Yang Kai and asked in shock, “Why did you come down here?”
“Why can’t I come down here?” Yang Kai scoffed.
After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent as everyone turned to look at him. At the same time, they rudely scanned him with their Divine Senses. At that instant, Yang Kai felt like he was a white sheep that had accidentally entered a wolves’ den. All his bodily hair was standing on end as he lost any sense of security.
Bai Qi gave him a thumbs-up in appreciation of his guts before continuing on with his work.
Yang Kai looked around and saw some familiar faces. Except for Madam Lan, all the other Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who had chased him down before were sitting in the hall.
The hall was filled with Divine Senses as these ill-intentioned people stared fixedly at Yang Kai. Although the place was completely silent, everyone could feel that a storm was brewing. The weaker cultivators couldn’t help but gulp as they turned to look at the door, as though they were preparing to flee at any moment.
Just as the hostility intensified, a door on the second floor suddenly opened as Madam Lan stepped out of a room and swept a glance over the crowd with her alluring eyes. Staring at Yang Kai, she snorted and leaned against the railing. Following that, she fished out what seemed to be seeds and started snacking on them.
Yang Kai grinned, knowing that since Madam Lan had appeared, no one would dare to make a move on him. Madam Lan must have detected the hostile atmosphere, which was why she made an appearance to calm everyone else down.
The hall was crammed with people, so there were no empty tables. Yang Kai looked around and shuffled towards a table. Three people had been seated at this table. One of them was a handsome young man, and the other two people were old men with profound auras. There was also an alluring woman in revealing clothes who was standing behind the young man. A group of disciples were lined up behind the elderly men. Obviously, they were from the same great force.
The young man wasn’t powerful as he had only condensed his Dao Seal, on the other hand, the old men were Open Heaven Realm Masters. The young man was disdainfully gazing at Yang Kai when the latter sauntered towards him, causing the former to frown as he had no idea what Yang Kai was up to.
“Hello, we meet again! What a coincidence.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at him, “If you don’t mind, why don’t I join you?”
Without even waiting for approval, Yang Kai directly took a seat across from him.
The young man appeared dumbfounded and asked, “Who are you?”
A passionate Yang Kai replied, “It seems that Brother has been busy. We met each other when we were heading to the Sun Star, don’t you remember?”
He wasn’t spouting nonsense as they had really met before. At that time, Yang Kai, Dié You, and the others were heading towards the Sun Star when a ship came at them from behind and almost injured them. After that, this very young man returned with his ship and invited Dié You and Ah Sun to board. However, Yang Kai turned him down.
At that time, he had no idea which great force they were from, but after going through the jade slip given to him by Meng Hong, he realised that they were from a place called Perpetual Province.
Upon Yang Kai’s reminder, the young man said, “It’s you!” Then, his face fell, “Who allowed you to have a seat? Go away!”
An unperturbed Yang Kai chuckled, “There’s nowhere else I can have a seat. There’s an empty seat at your table anyway, so why can’t I join you? Don’t be so petty.”
Just when the young man wanted to say something, he felt that something was off as there were some Divine Senses scanning him. Turning his head, he realised that all the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were staring at him with doubtful gazes. The young man’s face turned ashen as he had no idea why he had attracted so much attention all of a sudden.
The other two old men realised that something was amiss and one of them hinted at the young man with his gaze, while the other gaped at Yang Kai and said grimly, “You can have the table. We’ll take our leave.”
Following that, he rose from his chair.
The young man seemed reluctant to leave, but he was dragged away by the other old man. Without the intention to stay there, they paid the bill and stepped out of First Inn.
A moment later, the young man was standing on a ship as he asked with a dark expression, “Who was that guy?”
The two old men traded glances, then one of them replied, “Young Master, he was the one who snatched the Golden Crow carcass.”
The young man was stunned, “What? He was the one who took the carcass and safely returned to First Inn?”
“That’s right. He’s that guy.”
“Why should we be afraid of him?” The young man bellowed. Yang Kai only sat at the same table, but they immediately left the inn as though they were afraid of him, which made the young man feel quite embarrassed.
One of the old men shook his head and said, “We’re not afraid of him, but we don’t want to be dragged into his mess. The Golden Crow carcass is immensely important and First Inn will soon fall into a state of chaos. We’d better stay out of it.”
The other old man nodded, “That’s right.”
The young man sported a gloomy expression. Despite knowing that they were right, he still felt unresigned.
Knowing what was on his mind, the first old man said, “Young Master, don’t worry. That brat’s days are numbered.”
The young man asked, “What do you mean?”
The old person sneered, “He’s trying to cause turbulence when he’s so weak. He’s bound to go to Hell.”
Right after those from Perpetual Province left, Yuan Xiao Man whooshed towards Yang Kai and took a seat on his left before looking smilingly at him.
Yang Kai called out to Bai Qi and pointed at the finished dishes in front of him, “Take them away and prepare new dishes!”
Bai Qi glared at him as they had just had a chat over a drink in his room. Just when he thought they were friends, Yang Kai bossed him around like he was an ordinary shop hand, which was intolerable. Nevertheless, he had no other choice as that was indeed his job. After taking the finished dishes away, he stepped into the kitchen and told the chef to prepare some dishes.
Meanwhile, three more people rose from their chairs. One of them was a burly old man whose face radiated a pinkish glow, another was a cold-looking man in tight-fitting clothes, and the last person looked like a scholar with an elegant fan in his hand.
Following that, they shuffled towards Yang Kai and took a seat at the same table.
Presently, all four Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were staring fixedly at Yang Kai. Honestly speaking, he did feel pressured, but he wasn’t afraid of them. The Proprietress was gazing at them from the second floor, so no one would dare to make a scene here. Knowing what Yang Kai was doing, Madam Lan sported a gloomy expression; however, in order to protect her business, she wouldn’t allow the reputation of First Inn to be spoiled.
“Little Brother, you’re really something.” Yuan Xiao Man was the first one to speak. She seemed interested in Yang Kai, as though she had just found a new toy, “No one could’ve expected that you’d return to First Inn safely.”
Yang Kai gazed at her with a tilted head and took a brief look at her plump chest before grinning, “What’s your name?”
“Yuan Xiao Man!”
Following that, she pointed at the others and introduced them to Yang Kai. It was only now that he learned the names and backgrounds of these people who had been chasing after him for days.
“Little Brother, are you interested in joining Mirror Flowers Water Moon Land? It’s obvious that you’re new to the Outer Universe and it’s hard for a newcomer to gain a footing here. Life will be easier if you have some support.”
A curious Yang Kai asked, “How do you know I’m a newcomer?”
Those from First Inn could find out about his background because their job was to gather information, but it was unlikely that Yuan Xiao Man could do so as well. Moreover, he didn’t think he had accidentally exposed anything.
Yuan Xiao Man covered her lips and giggled sweetly, “You didn’t even know about the Universe Transference Law and you walked right into a trap by coming to First Inn. Do you even dare to deny that you’re a newcomer?”
Yang Kai’s expression darkened when he heard that. It was definitely the biggest humiliation in his life and a taint in his cultivation journey. When he was in Seven Wonders Land, no one had told him about the Universe Transference Law, so he wasn’t aware of its uses and mysteries. When he saw Madam Lan outside the inn some time ago, he even thought she was her twin sister.
All of a sudden, the chubby Old Hong snorted, “Brat, I only have a question for you and you’d better answer me honestly. Otherwise, you’ll bear the consequences.”
Yang Kai shot him a look, “Save your breath. I won’t tell you anything.”
“You court death!” Old Hong bellowed.
Hearing that, Yang Kai landed a slam on the table and stood up straight before glaring at him, “I dare you to make a move on me then!”
A shocked Old Hong stared at him with widened eyes as he had never expected that Yang Kai would react in such a way. At that instant, he was rooted to the spot and felt slightly embarrassed.
On the second floor, the Proprietress, who was munching on some strange seeds, gnashed her teeth together as she stared resentfully at Yang Kai, knowing that he was regarding her as a safety charm.
No one would dare to make a fuss in First Inn. He must be fully aware of it, which was why he had the gall to confront Old Hong like this; otherwise, as an Emperor Realm Junior, he wouldn’t have the guts to do such a thing.
To the side, Yuan Xiao Man parted her lips in shock, while Zhang Qi and Ji Tian Xing were astonished as well. In the dining hall, the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters all gave Yang Kai an admiring look.
“Shut your mouth if you don’t dare to make a move.” Yang Kai took a seat again and shouted at the kitchen, “Are my dishes ready? What’s taking so long?”
Bai Qi could be heard saying, “The dishes will be ready soon. Stop urging us!”
Old Hong was so enraged that his face turned pure crimson and there seemed to be some steam billowing from his head. After taking a deep breath, he said grimly, “Brat, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that! This Old Master advises you to stay in First Inn forever; otherwise, I’ll rip you into ten thousand pieces!”
He was truly incensed as Yang Kai had embarrassed him in front of so many people in the hall. He had never been humiliated in such a way before.
Yang Kai was unperturbed as he had already offended the old man before, so he wasn’t worried about displeasing him one more time.
Zhang Qi frowned as he had seen through Yang Kai’s temperament. Thus, he summoned a Space Ring into his hand and pushed it towards him before saying, “Little Brother, this King also has a question for you.”
A surprised Yang Kai gave him a strange look. Although he couldn’t be certain what was inside the Space Ring, he reckoned that there could possibly be Open Heaven Pills. Could he also sell information now?
An elated Yang Kai took the ring and scanned it with his Divine Sense. Upon releasing that there were 10,000 Open Heaven Pills inside, he grinned from ear to ear and nodded, “Sure. Sure.”
At that instant, he thought that a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was indeed generous as Zhang Qi directly gave him 10,000 pills. Although the pills were only equivalent to ten days worth of lodging fees at this bandit’s inn, it was still a substantial amount.
Zhang Qi put on a smile, and just when he was ready to speak, Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him and turned to look at Yuan Xiao Man and Ji Tian Xing, “Do you have any questions as well? This is your only chance. By the way, I’ll only answer the question of the one who will offer the highest bid, and I’ll only answer one question. So, you’d better decide what it is you want to know most.”
At that instant, the corners of Zhang Qi’s brow twitched.
Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man were also struck speechless. As Fourth-Order Open Heaven Masters, they were not the most powerful people out there, but they were some of the most famous figures in the neighbouring Great Territories. However, on this day, they were led around by the nose by an Emperor Realm brat.
Old Hong sneered, “Boy, it seems you’ve been unlucky lately, and it looks like you will fall into danger soon.”
“Shut up! This is none of your damn business!” Yang Kai growled, “Stay away from me!”
Then, he turned to look at Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man, “Are you sure you have no questions for me? In that case, I’ll answer Senior Zhang’s question now.”
Ji Tian Xing and Yuan Xiao Man traded glances before gritting their teeth; however, they indeed had a question they had to ask, so despite the fact that they were reluctant, they still tacitly fished out a Space Ring.
Yuan Xiao Man put on a smile that wasn’t a smile and asked, “Little Brother, aren’t you worried that you’ll be burned by the hot potatoes you’re about to take?”
Yang Kai immediately snatched the ring from her and sneered, “I’ve taken hotter potatoes, so why should I be afraid now?”
Hearing that, Yuan Xiao Man was rendered speechless. After giving it a thought, she realised that since Yang Kai had the guts to snatch the Golden Crow carcass right in front of so many Open Heaven Realm Masters, why would he be afraid to take their Space Rings? Obviously, he was someone who treasured money more than his own life.
After scanning the rings, Yang Kai became ecstatic, then he gazed at Ji Tian Xing, “Senior Ji has offered the highest bid. Good, what is your question? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Hearing that, Zhang Qi and Yuan Xiao Man turned to stare at Ji Tian Xing.
An unfazed Ji Tian Xing secretly spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Where’s the Golden Crow carcass now?”
Yang Kai was startled upon hearing that. Although he knew that their questions must be related to the Golden Crow, he hadn’t expected to hear this kind of question. He almost spurted out that the carcass was in his hands, but was the question even necessary for them to know that? However, he soon realised something and became astounded.
The fact that the carcass was in his hands was only known to the Proprietress and him, while all others could only guess. At that time, no one else was outside First Inn. They only knew that he had fled to the inn and was intercepted by the Proprietress outside the building before being wounded.
However, if he thought about it from the perspective of an outsider, he would have speculated that the carcass might have been taken away by Madam Lan. After all, given his strength, it should be impossible for him to escape or outmaneuver a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It should have been a simple matter for Madam Lan to snatch something from him.
Upon that realization, he finally understood why Ji Tian Xing had asked this question. Apparently, Zhang Qi and Yuan Xiao Man had the same question. It was all because they still hadn’t figured out where the Golden Crow carcass was.
Many ideas flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he pondered on the pros and cons of every one of them, and after just a short moment, he pounded the table furiously and jumped to his feet. With a face twisted in anguish and unwillingness, he pointed at the Proprietress on the second floor and screamed, “It’s her! Her! She snatched the treasure I spent so much effort to obtain! Those from First Inn oppress me because I’m the weaker one. This is a bandits’ inn! A bandit’s inn I say!!”
His roar reverberated around the hall as everyone could hear his accusation that was filled with blood and tears. Following the direction he pointed, they turned to look at the Proprietress.
A dumbfounded Madam Lan’s jaw dropped as a seed slid off her red lips. A moment later, she clenched her teeth and bellowed, “Smelly brat, you must be sick of living!”
Although she didn’t hear what question Ji Tian Xing had asked, she had guessed it without the need to actually hear it. He must be trying to find out the whereabouts of the carcass.
Yang Kai’s accusation at this point had dragged her into this mess, and it was pointless for her to deny it. Judging from the gazes of those people in the hall, she knew that they already had this speculation, and it was ‘proven’ by Yang Kai at this moment.
Hence, there was no way she could clear her name. It wouldn’t have mattered if she had really seized the carcass, but the problem was that even though she had made a move, Yang Kai pulled a trick on her and managed to sneak into First Inn.
Instead of getting any benefits, she had invited trouble to herself. She was so incensed that flames nearly shot out of her eyes. She had never seen a man as vile and shameless as Yang Kai before. If she could, she would’ve made him feel regretful of the fact that he was ever born right this instant. Nevertheless, she was the Proprietress of First Inn, and she had an obligation to protect the inn’s reputation.
“Proprietress, why are you showing such thick murderous intent? Do you want to silence me by murdering me!?” Yang Kai bellowed.
“Shut your mouth!” Madam Lan was so infuriated that she hurled the snacks in her hand at him.
“You may be able to silence me, but you can’t silence everyone here! Justice lies in everyone’s heart, and the Heavens see all we do! Proprietress, you’d best watch yourself!”
Madam Lan’s chest heaved heavily as she felt her blood boiling. She clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles started turning pale, but still she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She had the urge to go downstairs and rip this little brat’s mouth off.
“The dishes are ready! The dishes are ready!” Just then, Bai Qi dashed out of the kitchen with some dishes and a jug of wine in his hands. Upon entering the hall, he immediately realised that there was something off about the atmosphere, which caused him to be rooted to the spot. Looking around, he didn’t understand what was going on as all he could see was that the Proprietress’ face had turned livid as she was standing on the second floor. Her eyes were closed, and her curvy figure was trembling.
Then, he walked up to Yang Kai and asked in a hushed voice, “What happened?”
“A storm is coming,” Yang Kai replied and took the dishes from his hands; then, he turned around and shuffled towards the second floor. Since he had stirred up some trouble, he reckoned that he’d better leave now and go somewhere safer.
Upon returning to his room, he closed the door and activated the barrier. Unable to hold it in anymore, he started laughing.
Although the Proprietress had been treating him well, she had indeed made him waste a golden tail feather from Mie Meng. Moreover, she had injured him before. Now that there was a chance, he certainly had to get his revenge.
Furthermore, in that kind of situation, diverting the attention to the Proprietress was his best option.
Then, he took a seat at the table and drank some wine. Just when he was pondering on his future, he suddenly heard a loud bang as the door was kicked open.
A shocked Yang Kai leapt to his feet and turned around before bellowing, “Who!?”
[Who has the guts to make a move in First Inn? Is this person sick of living?]
However, when he saw who it was, his neck immediately shrank. That was because the person who had kicked the door open was none other than the First Inn Proprietress, Madam Lan.
A cold aura could be seen swirling around the Proprietress as she stepped into the room. With a sneer on her face, she stared fixedly at Yang Kai. Then, she slightly lifted her foot and closed the door behind her.
“M-Madam Lan…” Yang Kai slowly stepped backwards as his back soon came into contact with the wall. Looking around, he realised that there wasn’t even a window in the room, which made it impossible for him to flee.
He also didn’t even think about using Instantaneous Movement as he wouldn’t have a chance to do so in front of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Ahem… How may this Junior help you, Madam Lan?” A horrified Yang Kai stared at the front as his heart leapt to his throat. He secretly decided that if Madam Lan made a move against him, he would immediately use his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique to warn her off.
Madam Lan sneered, “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. If I do that, I will never be able to clear my name.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief, but all of a sudden, Madam Lan said dispassionately, “Just because I won’t kill you though, doesn’t mean I can’t beat you up. Brat, are you prepared?”
Yang Kai gulped, “Madam Lan, let’s talk it out instead of resorting to violence. Moreover, we’re in First Inn, and I’m a paying customer. You’re the Proprietress here, so is it appropriate for you to harm your customer?”
“It’s not appropriate,” Madam Lan stepped closer to Yang Kai and soon reached him and he caught a whiff of her alluring fragrance.
Then, she said through clenched teeth, “But this Queen will never soothe the rage in her chest if she doesn’t beat you black and blue!”
“Don’t you care about the inn’s reputation anymore!?” Yang Kai still tried to step backwards, but his back was already firmly pressed against the wall, so there was nowhere else he could go.
“Don’t ever think of restraining me with the inn’s signboard. I don’t care what you say!” Madam Lan balled up her fists as her knuckles cracked. Her malevolent aura seemed able to swallow the entire world and after she finished speaking, she extended her fist towards Yang Kai’s left eye at the speed of lightning.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai felt his vision darkening as all he could see were stars. Even his mind had plunged into chaos.
The Proprietress had exerted quite some force with her fist, which almost knocked Yang Kai out, but before he even came to his senses, she extended her fist towards his right eye, whereupon a loud boom was heard again.
Yang Kai instinctively covered his head and curled up in the corner. As he bore the Proprietress’ fists and feet, he secretly swore that he would get his revenge one day.
She went on to beat him for quite some time. It felt like an instant and a year all at once. Upon realising that the Proprietress had stopped attacking him, Yang Kai turned his head slightly and looked through his fingers, only to see the Proprietress panting with her hands placed on her hips. With a pleased expression, she said, “Cool! Smelly brat, you’d better behave yourself from now on!”
Upon finishing her words, she turned around and left.
Yang Kai cursed at her before flopping to the ground, unable to move.
Outside the room, Bai Qi watched the Proprietress leave and stealthily looked around before entering the room. After closing the door, he walked up to Yang Kai and crouched down to gaze at him with a sympathetic look on his face, “Proprietress really went hard on you. It seems that she’s completely incensed. I’ve never seen her blow her top in such a way before.”
A paralysed Yang Kai felt that some of his bones had cracked. Although Madam Lan really didn’t intend to kill him, she had exerted a lot of force with her beating just now. He had only just recovered from his previous injuries and now he was wounded again, which was why he was quite sullen.
“Are you going to just keep staring?” Yang Kai shot a glare at Bai Qi, who had crouched down in front of him, “Or are you going to help me up?”
Bai Qi replied with a grin, “I would’ve helped you up if someone else had beaten you; however, it was Proprietress who had made a move, so I wouldn’t dare to lend you a hand. If she finds out about it, she’ll fire me.”
“What are you doing here, then?” Yang Kai glowered at him.
Bai Qi said, “I’m just here to watch a good show. Tsk… Brat, since you’ve offended Proprietress, you’ll surely have a hard time in the future.”
“Scram!” Yang Kai bellowed. He didn’t need Bai Qi to tell him that his life would be difficult from now on. The Proprietress had even disregarded the reputation of First Inn just to vent her anger on him, so it wasn’t hard to imagine that life would be like a living Hell for him soon.
With a grin, Bai Qi got up and said, “Since you still have the energy to chase me away, it seems that you’re alright. Take a rest now and call me if there’s anything you need.”
Then, he turned around and left.
Yang Kai was so exasperated that his lungs almost exploded. Once he could move a little, he felt his entire body aching. After lying on the ground for six hours, he climbed onto the bed with difficulty and recuperated in silence.
However, it seemed his previous act had proven useful. After the incident, everyone’s attention had been diverted to the Proprietress. Although his tone and movements were a little exaggerated at that time, any reasonable person would believe that Madam Lan had snatched the Golden Crow carcass and kept it.
After all, there was a huge gap in strength between Yang Kai and her, and since she had made a move, there was no way she hadn’t achieved her goal.
The next day, there was an elderly man who was seated in a room that belonged to Great Moon Province. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were standing in front of him as they reported to him what had happened recently. The elderly man kept silent, only nodding from time to time.
A while later, Wei Que said, “That was what had happened. Leader, what do you plan to do?”
The elderly man was none other than the Province Master of Great Moon Province. Previously, Wei Que told Meng Hong and the others to return to First Inn and send a message to their headquarters. Upon receiving the message, this elderly man brought some people with him and set off to help Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang. Although they had come as quickly as they could, they only arrived at the inn today.
The Province Master nodded, “Both of you have done well. As long as we make good use of the treasures you acquired, the power of our force will significantly increase.”
Although they hadn’t managed to obtain any Sun’s True Gold, they had gotten several Sun’s True Fires, one of which was Fifth-Order; therefore, it had been a fruitful trip for them. Normally, it was difficult for a great force like Great Moon Province to even obtain a single Fourth-Order material, let alone a Fifth-Order one.
By selling the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire, they could purchase some Fourth-Order materials and attempt to nurture a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm disciple. The prerequisite was that this disciple had to be gifted, and they would need to spend a lot of time to achieve their goal.
“Both of you have earned the greatest merit for this operation.”
Wei Que replied, “Many thanks for your compliment, leader, but we only managed to escape from death’s door because of someone’s warning.”
“Oh?” The elderly man arched his brow, “You have to return the person’s favour then. Who was the top Master that had saved you?”
Wei Que said, “He isn’t a top cultivator. It was a brat called Yang Kai.”
Hearing that, the elderly man frowned, “The boy that everyone has been talking about because he has snatched the Golden Crow carcass?”
“Indeed.”
The elderly man nodded and gently tapped the table as though he was pondering on something. A while later, he said, “I’ve heard that the carcass has fallen into Madam Lan’s hands.”
“That’s what that boy said.”
The elderly man stared at Wei Que and asked, “What do you want to do?”
Wei Que replied, “If possible, I hope you’ll accept him into our great force. He’s new to the Outer Universe with no one else to rely on. More importantly, he is a kind and righteous person. On top of that, he has saved my and Junior Sister’s lives. Now that he’s in trouble, we can’t just stand idly by.”
The Province Master heaved a sigh, “I knew you were going to say that; however, do you realize just how much trouble he’s in now? If we take him in, what kind of consequences will we suffer?”
Wei Que cupped his fists, “I’ve thought this over thoroughly. However, since the carcass isn’t with him now, it shouldn’t matter.”
“It shouldn’t matter?” Boss looked straight into his eyes, “Do you even believe what you’ve said?”
Wei Que parted his lips, but he couldn’t say anything in the end. That was because he indeed didn’t believe what he had said.
The elderly man went on to say, “He said that the carcass is in Madam Lan’s hands now, but it is a rare treasure, so anyone who is interested in it won’t let go so easily. By then, countless top cultivators will interrogate Yang Kai and even scour his Soul. By then, are we even going to be able to protect him? If we try, we will fail, and if we don’t, it will disgrace and dishonour us.” Then, he waved his hand, “We can’t accept him; otherwise, our great force will surely descend into chaos.”
“Leader…” Wei Que became flustered.
“Say no more.” The elderly man interrupted him, “We shouldn’t stay in this place any longer. Pack up now and follow me back to Great Moon Province.”
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang traded glances. Since the Province Master had made a decision, it was useless for them to say anything else. In light of that, they simply heaved a sigh.
They knew that the leader’s decision was right, and they shared the same thoughts as well; however, they still felt frustrated.
“As for the favour you owe, you can try to come up with a way to compensate him,” the elderly man said.
Wei Que cupped his fists, “Yes.”
In his room, Yang Kai was sitting across from Wei Que. Tao Rong Fang was standing behind Wei Que as she stared at the battered Yang Kai with a sympathetic look on her face.
Normally, if she saw a man in such a state, she would’ve burst out laughing. That was because the large dark circles around Yang Kai’s eyes looked quite amusing, obviously caused by fists. The symmetrical dark circles around his eyes suggested that his attacker was also quite powerful.
However, she wasn’t in the mood to laugh now; after all, Yang Kai had saved their lives before. At the thought of Yang Kai’s future and the possible blaming from Ah Sun, she felt dejected.
An embarrassed Wei Que spoke for a long time before he was able to make things clear to Yang Kai. Scratching his head, he said, “Yang Kai, this is how things are now. Initially, we intended to bring you to Great Moon Province so that you could join us; however, it seems that we can’t do that now. Leader has rejected the idea, so there’s nothing this Wei can do. I’m sorry!” After he finished speaking, he cupped his fists and looked away as he was too ashamed to face him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Many thanks for your kindness, Senior Wei. I’m fully aware of the situation I’m in, so it’s understandable that your leader has rejected the idea. Even if he had agreed to it, I couldn’t have followed you to Great Moon Province as I can’t leave First Inn or I’d be ripped into pieces. There’s still a chance for me to survive if I stay here.”
Tao Rong Fang said, “You’re right to say that, but it’s not like you can stay in this inn forever. What’s your plan?”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and fell into his thoughts for a moment, then he shook his head, “I’ll see how things go. I don’t have any plans in mind now.”
“Hai!” Wei Que sighed, “You’re just too reckless. Why did you even decide to snatch the Golden Crow carcass at that time?”
It was said that men die for wealth just as birds die for food. What Yang Kai had done in the Golden Crow Divine Palace was no different from digging his own grave. Without First Inn, he would’ve lost his life a long time ago.
An embarrassed Yang Kai replied, “I didn’t have much time to think about it. I just did it on impulse, and it’s pointless to talk about why now.” He waved his hand as he wasn’t willing to dwell on this topic.
Seeing that, Wei Que decided to change the topic, “We’ll be leaving First Inn and returning to Great Moon Province soon. Is there anything we can help you with?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “There’s indeed one thing that I need you to help me with.”
“Name it,” Wei Que replied.
Yang Kai said, “Old Fang, Dié You, Ah Sun, and I fled from Seven Wonders Land and went through a lot of hardships. Now that Ah Sun has been taken on as a Disciple by Senior Tao, I don’t have to worry about her anymore. However, Old Fang and Dié You have nowhere else to go. Given the situation I’m in, they shouldn’t have anything to do with me anymore, so I hope that you’ll accept them into your force so that they’ll have a place to live and grow.”
Wei Que replied, “Even if you didn’t mention it, we’d still do so. Don’t worry. We’ll bring Fang Bi Qi and Dié You back to Great Moon Province and take care of them. As long as this Wei is still alive, I won’t let anyone oppress them.”
“Many thanks, Senior.”
An abashed Wei Que waved his hand, “Don’t thank me. Otherwise, I’ll be too embarrassed to face you.”
“What about you?” Tao Rong Fang asked, “Is there anything we can help you with?”
Yang Kai shook his head as they were truly unable to help him solve the problem he was facing. Now that Old Fang and Dié You finally had a place to call home, he could at least set his mind at ease about that issue.
After a sigh, Wei Que fished out a Space Ring and put it in front of Yang Kai, “It’s just a small gift from me, so please don’t refuse it. You’ll need money to stay in First Inn after all.”
After deliberating on it for a moment, Yang Kai decided to keep the ring. Wei Que was a straightforward man, so he would only make it difficult for him if he turned him down.
They went on to chat for a bit before the pair rose from the chairs. Before leaving, Wei Que said, “Do you want to see Fang Bi Qi and the others? After all of you part ways this time, you won’t be able to meet up again for a long time.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “We’ll certainly meet again in the future. Senior Wei, please leave with them now.” It would be sorrowful to part ways with them, so he’d rather not see them now.
Wei Que stared at him for a moment and patted his shoulder, “Take care.” Then, he turned around and left.
Tao Rong Fang nodded at Yang Kai and shuffled out of the room.
A short while later, footsteps could be heard coming from the corridor. Yang Kai knew that those from Great Moon Province must be leaving.
After all the sound of feet died down, Yang Kai returned to his bed and meditated to recuperate. Recalling his experiences since he left the Star Boundary, he felt crestfallen. After separating with Zhang Ruo Xi, he ended up becoming a worker in Seven Wonders Land. He went through countless difficulties to escape from that place, but he was then dragged into a mess because of the Golden Crow carcass soon after. As an Emperor Realm cultivator, he was caught in the middle of a great storm in the Outer Universe. If he wasn’t careful enough, he would be ripped into pieces at any moment.
He had to ponder over how to handle the carcass. Not only did he have to deal with the situation swiftly and to his benefit, he also had to ensure he would not leave behind any hidden dangers for himself. This thorny issue gave him a severe headache.
It was all calm for the next few days. Yang Kai had been worried that the Proprietress might find fault with him again, but he hadn’t seen her for days now. On the other hand, most of his injuries had healed; however, after the previous incident, he wouldn’t dare to leave his room as he pleased. If there were any reckless people who ignored the inn’s rules and made a move against him, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
Ten days later, Yang Kai and Bai Qi were having a drink in his room. While Bai Qi was talking about what had been going on outside, the door was suddenly kicked open.
A shocked Yang Kai raised his head before shrinking his neck. Turning to look at Bai Qi, he asked mournfully, “Are there any privacy measures in place in your inn at all? Do you allow your customer’s doors to be kicked open at any moment?”
Bai Qi simply gave a hollow laugh, “Well, she’s the Proprietress.”
With a gaze filled with coldness, Madam Lan shot Bai Qi a glare, “It’s no wonder I didn’t see you at all, it turns out you’ve been lazing around here! Don’t you need to serve the customers? How dare you slack off here!? I’ll deduct a year’s worth of your salary!”
Bai Qi turned pale in an instant and pleaded, “Proprietress, please calm your anger! I’ll start working now! Please don’t deduct my salary!”
Upon finishing his words, he dashed out of the room.
With his back leaning against the wall, Yang Kai wanted to flee as well, but when the Proprietress shot him a glare, a chill shot up his spine and he became rooted to the spot.
Then, she slightly extended her foot backwards to close the door and took Bai Qi’s previous seat. With a gaze filled with gloom, she stared fixedly at him.
Yang Kai forced a wry smile at her as he curled up in the corner. Then, he covered his head with his hands and said, “Just don’t hit my face.” It took a few days before the dark circles around his eyes caused by her faded. This woman was ruthless, so he had to be careful.
The Proprietress said grimly, “Sit.”
Yang Kai stole a glance at her before sitting on the ground.
The Proprietress bellowed, “Smelly brat, stop playing meek! I told you to sit so sit!”
After batting his eyes, Yang Kai got to his feet and inched closer to the chair in a vigilant manner. Then, he slowly took a seat, his eyes darting around as he was apprehensive.
Seeing how alert he was, an incensed Madam Lan landed a palm on the table, “Brat, do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?”
Yang Kai scratched his nose as he muttered, “Not really. I’ve only heard a little about it.”
Recently, he had been hearing from Bai Qi about what had been going on outside his room as he hadn’t dared to leave it. He only knew that most people from the neighbouring great forces had left. After all, the people who had checked in previously were mostly from Third Class forces, so they had no right to compete for the Golden Crow’s corpse. Just like Great Moon Province, they knew their place, so they had left as quickly as they could. Of course, there were still some of them who had stayed here to watch the show.
After they left, those from Second Class great forces subsequently arrived. Even some from the First Class Cave Heavens and Paradises had come to this place.
Presently, over twenty Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered in First Inn along with three or four High-Ranks. It could be said that this was the first time they had received so many top cultivators since First Inn’s opening. They were all attracted by the Golden Crow carcass.
Madam Lan sneered, “Did you seriously think you’d be fine by just shifting all the attention to this Queen in the hall the other day? Do you think they’re all fools? Both of us are fully aware whether the carcass is in my hands or not.”
Yang Kai replied, “I was left with no other choice…”
Madam Lan landed another palm on the table, “Do you think you could lie to everyone else just because you were left with no choice? Do you think I can’t kick you out of the inn right now? You don’t need me to tell you what will happen then!”
A stunned Yang Kai questioned, “Madam Lan, do you want me dead?”
Madam Lan fiddled with her own fingers and replied dispassionately, “I have a right to get my revenge. You were the one who framed me first.”
Yang Kai became truly flustered. If he were chased out of the inn, he would lose his life the next moment. With widened eyes, he rebuked, “Your inn is open for business, and I’ve fully paid for my lodging, how can you just chase me out?”
Madam Lan lifted her head to give him a look, “You’re right. We have never mistreated a customer before. If I kick you out, our reputation will be tarnished.”
With his heart pounding against his chest, Yang Kai let out a long breath. Then, Madam Lan said, “But there are exceptions for those who can’t pay their fees and refuse to leave.”
Yang Kai’s eyes widened as he had a premonition.
As expected, Madam Lan went on to say smilingly, “This Queen has decided that from today onwards, the fee for your room will be a 100,000 Open Heaven Pills per night.”
“100,000?” Yang Kai’s expression cramped drastically. After calculating for a bit, he realised that the pills he had could only last him three to four days, enraging him, “Proprietress, you’re oppressing me!”
Madam Lan replied, “You have no right to interfere in my decision. It’s up to me whether I want to raise the fee, and it’s up to you whether you want to continue staying here. No one is forcing you to do anything.”
Yang Kai demanded, “I want a different room!”
Madam Lan scoffed, “There are no other rooms. Our inn is packed to the brim right now, so you can’t get a new one.”
Yang Kai gnashed his teeth together and glared at her; however, an unfazed Madam Lan kept a charming smile on her face as she fiddled with her own fingers. She didn’t even spare him a glance.
Suppressing his urge to land a fist on her face, Yang Kai asked, “What do you want? Just say it!”
Madam Lan replied impassively, “Smelly brat, an ordinary man is innocent, but treasures make him guilty. Haven’t you heard of that before?”