Certainly, Yang Kai had heard the saying. In fact, he was intimately familiar with it. Since he started cultivating, he had come across countless dangers because of this exact scenario; therefore, he understood the meaning of the saying better than anyone else.
“Good, this Queen was caught off guard and framed by you, so now, many people out there believe that the Golden Crow carcass is in my hands.” Madam Lan gazed at him, “In that case, I don’t mind making their speculation a reality. Why don’t I take the trouble from you now? What do you think?”
Yang Kai asked, “You want me to give you the carcass?”
Madam Lan replied, “I won’t take it from you for free. I’ll give you enough compensation.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “May I know what the compensation is?”
With a smile, Madam Lan stuck out one finger, “The first compensation is simply Open Heaven Pills. This number.” Then, she swayed her finger at him.
“10 million?” Yang Kai was stunned.
In response, Madam Lan nodded her head.
Yang Kai said, “Madam Lan is indeed generous.” Ten million Open Heaven Pills was really a large number, tempting for any Emperor Realm cultivator.
“Since you’ve mentioned the first one, there must be a second option. What is it?”
Madam Lan shot him a look, “The second option is a full set of Fifth-Order Yin, Yang, Five Elements materials to help you break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
That was another tempting offer. A Fifth-Order set of materials could be traded for 7.5 million Open Heaven Pills. However, considering the rarity of such items, it would actually be equivalent to 10 million Open Heaven Pills.
Moreover, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be considered a powerhouse in the Outer Universe. It was in the middle of the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Duan Hai was only a Fourth-Order while both Qi Qiao Heavenly Monarch, whom Yang Kai had never met, and Old Xu were Fifth-Order. In other words, a Fifth-Order cultivator was powerful enough to gain a footing and build a great force in the Outer Universe.
Madam Lan was indeed sincere, but that was the reason Yang Kai realised that the Golden Crow carcass was far more valuable than he thought. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have decided to pay such a hefty price to obtain it. The carcass must be worth a lot more than the compensation she had offered.
“Is there a third option?” he asked.
A frustrated Madam Lan said, “Aren’t you satisfied with two options? Brat, don’t be too greedy.”
Yang Kai raised his hands, “I was just asking. Don’t get mad.” Then, he hurriedly filled her cup with tea to prevent her from blowing her top again.
After a snort, Madam Lan took a sip of the tea and shot him a look, “You should count your blessings. Countless newcomers like you struggle for hundreds or even thousands of years in the 3,000 Worlds without achieving anything. You got some luck not long after you arrived at the Outer Universe. Many people would die of jealousy if they heard.”
What she had said reminded Yang Kai of Dié You and Old Fang. It had been a long time since they arrived in the Outer Universe, but they had been trapped in Seven Wonders Land for practically all that time, which was why they hadn’t even ascended to the Open Heaven Realm. In comparison, Yang Kai was in a much better spot. With that said, the reason he had the options to choose from on this day was that he had risked his life to achieve this; it had nothing to do with luck.
Thus , he took a sip of water and fell silent for a moment before replying, “Proprietress, I’m tempted by both options, but I’m not sure what to choose.”
Madam Lan said, “Do you want my advice?”
“Yes, please.”
“If I were you, I’d choose the second option. Although Open Heaven Pills are beneficial, it’s not safe for you to carry so many pills around as you’re only an Emperor Realm Junior. Moreover, you don’t have the means to buy higher-order materials. So, you should just let First Inn purchase those Fifth-Order materials for you and enjoy the fruits of our labour.”
“You have a point,” Yang Kai crossed his arms and fell into his thoughts.
The Proprietress observed him and gently let out a breath. Judging from his expression, she knew that there was a chance to achieve her goal. If he wasn’t even willing to talk to her, there wouldn’t be any hope. It seemed that he had also realised that the potato was too hot for him to handle.
The Golden Crow carcass was a ticket to Hell for an average person, but to a great force like First Inn, it was an invaluable treasure. As long as she could secure the corpse, she wouldn’t mind paying a big price.
While Yang Kai was pondering on the issue, she didn’t disturb him.
However, one hour later, he still hadn’t made up his mind. Seeing this, she was speechless as probed, “Have you made your decision yet?”
Yang Kai knitted his brows together as though he was in a dilemma. Hearing her voice, he turned to look at her, “Proprietress, I’m fine with the options you’ve mentioned, but can you also compensate for the loss of the two Mie Meng golden tail feathers?”
At the mention of the golden tail feathers, Madam Lan became indignant as Yang Kai had used one of them on her when she was unsuspecting, which caused her to be wounded. She had never been humiliated in such a way before.
“Do you even want me to compensate for that? Are you out of your mind?” Madam Lan barked.
Yang Kai replied, “Of course you have to. In order to snatch the carcass, I had to use two of Mie Meng’s golden tail feathers. Although I don’t know how much they’re worth, they’re obviously not cheap. If I sold them, many people would want them. Perhaps they could even be traded for 10 million Open Heaven Pills. Since that’s the value of two golden tail feathers, the offer you’ve mentioned can only make up for a fraction of my losses.”
Upon hearing that, Madam Lan put on a sneer. Just when she wanted to mock him, she recalled how the golden tail feathers were powerful enough to even harm her, making them practically invaluable safety charms. If they were sold, they really could be worth a lot of money. The generous ones might even be willing to offer him 10 million pills.
Thus, she changed the topic by saying, “Now that you mention this, there’s a question I need to ask you. Where did you get those Mie Meng golden tail feathers from?” If she were aware of them in the first place, she wouldn’t have suffered such a setback.
Yang Kai grinned, “I also have a question for you. Why don’t we trade information?”
Madam Lan sized him up, “What do you want to know?”
In a stealthy manner, Yang Kai uttered in a hushed voice, “What are the uses of the Golden Crow carcass? Why do so many people want it?”
Madam Lan questioned, “Why are you asking this question?”
“I’m curious,” Yang Kai stared fixedly at her.
After giving it a thought, Madam Lan replied, “Since so many people want it, it naturally has its value. It’s difficult to look for a Golden Crow. Throughout the 3,000 Worlds, there are only a small number of them. This kind of ancient beast is born with a Sun and perishes with that Sun, so it is truly an amazing being. Its flesh can be made into pills, and its bones can be used to forge artifacts. Most importantly, the Golden Crow’s True Fire in its body is invaluable. If anyone is able to refine it, they will gain an extremely powerful Fire Element.” This wasn’t secret information, so Yang Kai could find out about it by simply asking around, thus she didn’t hide it from him.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened when he heard that, “You mean the black flames we saw in the Golden Crow Divine Palace?” He had seen how horrifying the Golden Crow True Fire was. Any Low-Rank cultivator contaminated by it died.
“That’s right.” Madam Lan nodded and sneered, “Brat, I suggest you give up even dreaming about it. Golden Crow’s True Fire is so terrifying that without a strong enough Wood Element to suppress it, you’ll be burned to death by just absorbing a wisp of it.”
Yang Kai appeared grateful for her warning, “Certainly I wouldn’t be reckless.”
“Good. Now tell me where you obtained the golden tail feathers from.”
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course they were gifted to me by Mie Meng. Some time ago, I lent her a hand, and in order to thank me, she gave me three golden tail feathers before leaving.”
Madam Lan didn’t seem to believe him, but she wasn’t willing to dwell on this issue. In an impatient manner, she said, “Enough idle chatter. Have you made up your mind?”
Yang Kai replied, “Stop pressuring me. I won’t know what to choose if you do that. Why don’t you go back to your room first? I’ll keep on thinking it over. When I’ve made a decision, I’ll inform you.”
After he finished speaking, he rose from the chair and walked up to the door. Then, he opened the door as though he was ready to see her off.
Madam Lan was dumbstruck by what he had said; however, as a woman, it was inappropriate for her to insist on staying in a man’s room. Gritting her teeth, she got up and walked out, but as she was passing by Yang Kai, she extended her leg from her dress and landed a kick on his shin before shuffling out of the room.
Yang Kai grimaced in pain as he hugged his leg with both hands and jumped around for a long time. At the same time, he secretly cursed at this woman for being so violent.
A moment later, he closed the door and turned on the barrier. Then, he sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and snuck into the Sealed World Bead.
It was completely serene inside the Sealed World. Upon landing on a flatland, he fished out Six Fated Paths Bag and shook it, upon which the Golden Crow carcass dropped on the ground.
Since he obtained the carcass, Yang Kai had never carefully examined it. Upon learning the uses of the carcass from the Proprietress though, he couldn’t help but feel tempted.
He had never expected that the True Fire within the Golden Crow carcass could be used to condense the Fire Element.
In fact, this was exactly the kind of treasure he had been trying so hard to find. The reason he went to the Sun Star was to hunt for a Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold. Although he had seen a number of such Sun’s True Golds, they ultimately didn’t end up belonging to him. The carcass he had accidentally snatched, however, had given him a new option.
Madam Lan had warned him against having his eye on the Golden Crow’s True Fire as he wouldn’t be able to suppress this kind of fire without a strong Wood Element. However, that was basically not an issue for him.
Yang Kai had no idea what Order the Wood Element which he had condensed from the essence of Immortal Tree was, but he reckoned that few if any other treasures in the world comparable to it.
The Wood Element within his body was certainly strong enough to suppress the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Nevertheless, in order to be safe, Yang Kai decided to test it out first, which was why he had snuck into the Small Sealed World; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to take the risk with so many top cultivators currently staying at First Inn.
That was his initial plan at least, but as soon as the carcass was released, Yang Kai immediately felt the entire Small Sealed World descending into chaos as its World Principles began to warp. The Sealed World seemed to be on the brink of exploding.
Yang Kai was the Master of the Small Sealed World, so he was especially sensitive to the changes it was going through.
It was like a big stone that had been forcefully stuffed into a glass of water, which caused the glass to crack.
The sudden change in the Small Sealed World shocked Yang Kai.
Instantly, many ideas flashed across his mind and he soon realised the reason behind this phenomenon. The capacity of the Small Sealed World was limited, similar to the theory of the World Bottle in the Star Boundary, where only ten Great Emperors could exist at the same time. There would never be an eleventh Great Emperor because this was how the world protected itself, an innate restriction related to the strength of the World Principles.
There was a limit in the capacity of the World Bottle in the Star Boundary, and it was the same case for Small Sealed World. Furthermore, Small Sealed World wasn’t comparable to the Star Boundary at all. Simply put, the Small Sealed World couldn’t hold a powerful being like the Golden Crow carcass.
The carcass alone was able to destabilise the Small Sealed World, so if a living Golden Crow entered the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai reckoned that it would be burned down in an instant.
The Small Sealed World was no longer the same as it was in the past because the second region and the third region had been separated from it. Now, only the original first region was left, so its capacity was rather limited. That was the reason the sudden change took place when Yang Kai took out the carcass inside of it.
Upon understanding this, Yang Kai hurriedly opened the Six Fated Paths Bag and put the carcass inside it.
It was only then that the world stopped shaking and became calm again as the chaotic Principles began mending themselves. The change proved that his speculation was right. With a frown, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts on the same spot.
If he hadn’t put the carcass into the Small Sealed World on a whim, he wouldn’t have discovered this. The carcass alone was able to make the Small Sealed World descend into chaos, so what if he put an Open Heaven Realm Master into the Small Sealed World?
An Open Heaven Realm Master contained a complete world within their body. Depending on the Order the Master was in, the power of the Small Universe World in his body also varied. Yang Kai reckoned that if the capacity in the Small Sealed World was larger than that of the Small Universe in an Open Heaven Realm Master, there wouldn’t be a problem. However, if it was smaller, such a change would happen to the Small Sealed World again.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai came to the realisation that he shouldn’t put an Open Heaven Realm Master in the Small Sealed World as he pleased; otherwise, he might suffer immense losses.
The Small Sealed World couldn’t even bear it, so nothing need be said about the World Beads he refined as imitations of the Sealed World Bead. World Beads weren’t even comparable to the Sealed World Bead because they were refined from Dead Stars and asteroids which didn’t have any World Principles of their own. Yang Kai reckoned that a World Bead he had made couldn’t even accommodate the weakest of Open Heaven Realm Masters. If such a person was forcefully kept inside the bead, it would instantly explode.
Therefore, it seemed that the Six Fated Paths Bag was indeed extraordinary. It was a storage artifact, but it could forcefully keep an Open Heaven Realm Master inside of it. Unlike the Small Sealed World, what was inside the Six Fated Paths Bag wasn’t a Sealed World but an adjustable space.
Yang Kai wondered who created this bag, and how it ended up in Old Xu’s hands; however, all that didn’t matter anymore as the bag belonged to him now.
Since he couldn’t test out his theory in the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai decided to leave. After storing the Sealed Word Bead, he plunged into the Six Fated Paths Bag. Fortunately, he had fully refined the bag, so the space inside it could be adjusted accordingly. Although it wasn’t as spacious as the Small Sealed World, it didn’t feel cramped for him to stay inside with the Golden Crow carcass.
The Golden Crow was imposing when it was still alive, but there didn’t seem to be anything special about it after its death. After releasing his Divine Sense, Yang Kai could sense a faint ferocious aura wafting from it but that was all. Next, he circled around the carcass several times before standing in front of it. With his arms crossed, he attentively examined the carcass.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure how he should start. One of the reasons he could condense his Wood Element was that he had already refined the Immortal Tree, and Zhang Ruo Xi had given him some guidance, so the process was rather smooth. Now that he was alone with no one else to rely on, he didn’t know what to do.
After pondering on the issue for a long time, he decided to simply try things out first. According to the Proprietress, the Golden Crow’s True Fire was truly horrifying, so Yang Kai was especially careful.
First, he extended his hand and pressed it against the Golden Crow’s forehead. With his eyes closed, he tried to sense it in silence and draw out the True Fire inside. Initially, nothing happened, but soon Yang Kai felt a scorching heat on his palm. An aura that seemed able to burn down everything in existence came right out of the carcass. At the same time, he had a feeling that he was standing right in front of a great Sun. The scorching power seemed able to melt him at any moment.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he hurriedly stepped backwards, but his hand was already engulfed in a dark flame. The smell of burned flesh permeated the air, and a piercing pain caused him to groan like a wounded beast.
Yang Kai hurriedly circulated his Emperor Qi in an attempt to stop the black flame from expanding, but was stunned to realise that his Emperor Qi had simply turned into fuel for the fire. As his Emperor Qi surged, the black flame became even more vigorous as it soon reached his elbow.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai was shocked. Although he was fully aware that the Golden Crow’s True Fire was extraordinary, he realized now that he had still underestimated its power. At that instant, he felt remorseful and seriously wondered if he would be burned to death today?
At the critical moment though, he suddenly recalled what the Proprietress had said. Only a strong Wood Element could suppress the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so he hurriedly drew out the power in his Dao Seal.
A green aura exuded from his arm in the next moment and met with the black flame, making for an extremely bizarre sight. The power of the Immortal Tree was indeed incredible and as soon as his Wood Element was activated, Yang Kai immediately felt that his pain had been alleviated and his wounded flesh was slowly being restored.
Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief as he knew that he had made the right move. The Order of his Wood Element must be higher than that of the True Fire; otherwise, things would’ve gone badly for him today.
Now, it seemed that as long as his Wood Element was strong enough, he could safely absorb the True Fire to condense his Fire Element.
As he thought about the issue, Yang Kai wondered how many people there were in the world that possessed such a strong Wood Element. Even if there were such people, their Wood Element was certainly not comparable to the essence of the Immortal Tree.
With his mind at ease now, Yang Kai sat down with his legs crossed and carefully engulfed the Golden Crow’s True Fire with his Wood Element before leading it to his Dao Seal.
After an hour, the originally green Dao Seal was now tinged with a black hue. From the black light, Yang Kai could feel a sense of ferocity and an aura that seemed to want to cause destruction.
Next, he checked the stability of his Dao Seal and upon realising that it was completely safe, he became elated. It seemed he would have no trouble refining the Golden Crow’s True Fire to condense his Fire Element. Furthermore, he could clearly feel that the True Fire was Seventh Order at the very least.
He had never come across other Seventh-Order materials before, but he had seen a Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold in the Golden Crow Divine Palace. The aura of the Seventh-Order Sun’s True Gold from back then was even weaker than the Golden Crow’s True Fire, which gave Yang Kai a rough estimate of the True Fire’s potential.
It had only been a year since he arrived in the Outer Universe, but he already had a chance to refine his Fire Element. It could be said that he was extremely fortunate.
Yang Kai stopped thinking over the options the Proprietress had given him and instead recalled Zhang Qi saying that everything else, be it money, women, or status, came second to personal strength.
It was extremely difficult to find materials that were Seventh-Order and above, and since he was an ambitious man, Yang Kai was determined to make it to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm in a single bound. Now that the chance was right in front of him, he would not let it slip through his fingers. In fact, he wasn’t really tempted by the offers the Proprietress had provided him in the first place. Even if she could give him an even greater offer, he would rather give all that up in order to condense his Fire Element.
In just a short moment, the Wood Element had restored the wounds caused by the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so Yang Kai took a deep breath and pressed his palm against the Golden Crow’s carcass. Then, he activated his Dao Seal and drew the True Fire into his body again.
After the dark flame was drawn out, it engulfed Yang Kai’s arm; however, thanks to the suppression of his Wood Element, the flame couldn’t harm him one bit.
Half a day later, Yang Kai reluctantly left the Six Fated Paths Bag. It wasn’t that he had finished condensing his Fire Element, but rather that he couldn’t possibly accomplish this in one go. Moreover, he had absorbed enough of Golden Crow’s True Fire on this day to feel bloated, so he needed to refine it before he could continue. Also, he was worried that the Proprietress would barge into his room all of a sudden. If she found out that he had been secretly absorbing the True Fire, she wouldn’t let him off.
For the next few days, the Proprietress would visit him regularly to discuss the carcass. Yang Kai didn’t intend to pass it to her now, so he would appear tempted for a while before chasing her away. Nevertheless, he could feel that the Proprietress’ patience was running out. For the past two days, she had appeared disgruntled when discussing the issue with him. Every time before she left, she would land a kick on Yang Kai’s shin, and since he wasn’t nearly strong enough, he was unable to dodge the attack despite knowing it was coming.
Yang Kai was fairly quick when it came to absorbing the Golden Crow’s True Fire, as with the protection of the Wood Element from the Immortal Tree, he could practically devour large amounts of True Fire without worry. If anyone else had witnessed this, they would surely be astonished.
In the entire Outer Universe, no one could condense such a violent Flame Element in such a short period of time. They would need to spend a few years or even decades to slowly tame and then refine it in order to achieve this.
Without the Wood Element from the Immortal Tree, Yang Kai wouldn’t have dared to be so reckless. It was only thanks to the tree’s power that he could absorb the amount of Golden Crow’s True Fire in a day that others would take a few months to.
As time passed, a fact gradually became clear to him. At his current speed, it would take him another ten days to fill his Dao Seal’s requirement. By then, he wouldn’t need to absorb the True Fire anymore as he would have enough to condense his Fire Element.
Ten days were the key to his success; however, the Proprietress had become impatient, so she clearly wouldn’t give him so much time. Fortunately, the Proprietress would visit him at roughly the same time every day, so his secret hadn’t been exposed yet.
On this day, Yang Kai leapt out of the Six Fated Paths Bag before the Proprietress’ arrival. One hour after he started meditating, he could hear someone knocking on the door.
Apparently, it must be the Proprietress again. A helpless Yang Kai got to his feet and opened the door, only to see the Proprietress standing outside the room demurely. What surprised him was that she wasn’t alone this time. She had brought someone with her.
Standing in front of Yang Kai was a slim yet energetic-looking elderly man. He was clad in a short sleeve shirt and a pair of short pants. With his bony arms and calves exposed, he looked like an ordinary farmer who had just returned from his field.
However, Yang Kai could see that the elderly man had a deep and profound gaze. It was as though he would plunge into it and be drowned in it forever if he stared too long, causing his chest to tighten as he realised that this elderly man was no ordinary Master.
Madam Lan, who had been harassing him recently, stood three steps behind this elderly man as she stared at Yang Kai while gritting her teeth.
“Little friend, do you mind having a chat with me inside?” The elderly man asked with a smile. Despite his gentle tone, he gave off an imposing air that made it impossible for Yang Kai to refuse. Only a person who had been in a position of authority for a long time could give off this kind of feeling, and Yang Kai was familiar with that.
Yang Kai shot a glance at the Proprietress, knowing that he couldn’t reject, before nodding and stepping aside to allow the elderly man to pass.
The elderly man thanked him and shuffled into the room, followed by Madam Lan.
After closing the door, Yang Kai turned to look at Madam Lan and asked doubtfully, “Proprietress, this is…”
With that said, he already had a speculation about the elderly man’s identity.
A solemn Madam Lan replied, “He is the owner of First Inn.”
The elderly man smiled and nodded his head, “My surname is Si Tu, and my given name is Kong.”
His identity was just as Yang Kai had expected. The moment he saw the Proprietress, who was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, standing respectfully behind this elderly man, he could already figure out his identity. Upon Madam Lan’s introduction, he knew that his speculation was right.
Si Tu Kong was the owner of First Inn who always remained behind the scenes. This man must be a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, though Yang Kai wasn’t certain what Order he was in.
“Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Si Tu. Please forgive me for any disrespect I have shown.” Yang Kai cupped his fists before gesturing politely, “Please have a seat.”
Si Tu Kong nodded and directly took a seat while Madam Lan took up a spot behind him.
“Have a seat as well,” Si Tu Kong looked around before motioning to Yang Kai.
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t dare to sit. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was standing, so he had no right to be seated. As such, he told the elderly man that he wouldn’t dare show such brazenness and was fine with standing.
Si Tu Kong didn’t dwell on the issue and simply continued, “This Old Master has heard about what happened to you. Little friend, do you know how many top Masters have gathered in my inn now?”
“Junior is unaware,” Yang Kai shook his head. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Si Tu Kong directly asked for the Golden Crow carcass, so what the latter had just said baffled him.
Si Tu Kong went on to say, “There are thirty-two Mid-Rank cultivators, and excluding this Old Master, five High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Over twenty First Class and Second Class forces are now represented here.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded upon hearing this number, knowing that things had truly become serious. So many High-Rank cultivators had come to this tiny inn, which showed just how attractive the Golden Crow carcass was.
After a pause, Si Tu Kong went on to say with a smile, “Do you understand why First Inn can do business here peacefully?”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “What does Senior mean?”
Si Tu Kong explained lightly, “Some time ago, you tried to divert everyone’s attention to Xiao Lan by saying that she had taken the carcass from you. Whether or not it was true, everyone would try to ascertain the truth. Xiao Lan is from First Inn, so they wouldn’t dare to make a move against her as they have to show adequate respect to us. So, the best way for them is to pry the information out of you to find out where the carcass truly is before coming up with a plan. However, you’ve stayed here for quite some time, but have you ever been harassed by anyone?”
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head as he could somewhat grasp what the elderly man was trying to say.
In a probing manner, he asked, “Does Senior mean… I’ve been protected by First Inn?”
Si Tu Kong didn’t directly answer his question as he continued, “Some of those out there are righteous, while some of them are wicked; however, none of them are easy to deal with.”
Naturally, Si Tu Kong was implying First Inn had been extremely accommodating to Yang Kai.
At this point, the Proprietress spoke, “Yang Kai, although First Inn is fairly powerful, we can’t possibly offend so many people for you. Whether or not you will sell us the carcass, you must give us an answer now.”
Yang Kai looked up at her and asked, “Can you give me more time to think it over?”
The Proprietress frowned, “What else is there to think over?”
Yang Kai braced himself and made an attempt, “Ten days. Please give me ten more days. After that, I’ll give you an answer you can accept.”
The Proprietress shot him a glare, “No. We can’t possibly wait for ten more days. Do you know how much pressure we’ve been under because of you? We’ve already offended many people by fending off those who’ve tried to look for you. Too much can happen in ten days.”
It was pointless for the discussion to go on if Yang Kai couldn’t stall for more time. He reckoned that he would need ten more days to condense the Fire Element and by then, the carcass would be useless to him.
“Three days,” Si Tu Kong suddenly said, “This Old Master will give you three more days to think it over.”
After finishing his words, he didn’t give Yang Kai a chance to speak as he rose from the chair and left directly. This was his ultimatum.
Yang Kai pleaded with them from behind, “Proprietress, Senior, please extend the deadline for me! I might not be able to make up my mind in just three days.”
The Proprietress turned around and snapped, “Then focus on your own safety, and I’m sure you’ll be able to make a sensible choice.” Having said so, she slammed the door shut as though she wanted to lock Yang Kai inside.
After they were gone, Yang Kai appeared crestfallen.
There was no way he could condense his Fire Element in just three days; however, since they had given him the ultimatum, there was no room for negotiation. Three days later, his life would be turned upside down.
Now that he was tight on time, Yang Kai didn’t dare to waste any time despite his worries. After turning on the room’s barrier again, he plunged into the Six Fated Paths Bag.
For the next three days, Yang Kai repeatedly entered the bag to absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire, not even caring if he was overburdened. Although he had sped up his progress, more time was still needed to fill up his Dao Seal.
After three days, the Proprietress stepped into the room again. This time, Si Tu Kong didn’t come with her, which was expected. Although the Golden Crow carcass was priceless, it was just material in the end. As a High-Rank Open Heaven Master, he had shown enough regard for the carcass by coming all the way here in person, so the Proprietress could handle the rest.
Inside the room, the Proprietress stared at Yang Kai and declared, “Owner has said that if you can give me the carcass, our two offers will not change and we’ll even grant you both at the same time. In addition, before you enter the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, we will ensure your safety so that no one can harm you.”
The benefits had more than doubled for Yang Kai just like that. Previously, although the offers given by the Proprietress were attractive, Yang Kai could only choose one of them, which didn’t seem generous enough. Now, he could get both offers at the same time. Honestly speaking, any Emperor Realm Master would have agreed to it when tempted in such a way.
However, Yang Kai had already made a resolution that he wanted to become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had discovered that he could absorb Golden Crow’s True Fire. That was the reason he didn’t agree.
Now, a bright future was within his grasp. If he agreed to this deal at this point, he would lose an opportunity to reach the peak of the Martial Dao. He didn’t want to regret a rash decision on this day in the future.
“I believe no other great force can provide you with such offers. Smelly brat, if you still refuse, I’ll have no other choice.”
Yang Kai replied, “I can feel how sincere First Inn and Senior Si Tu are, but…”
“Enough of this nonsense! Just tell me whether you agree or not!” The Proprietress cut him off as she was fed up with his stalling.
There was apparently no room for discussion as she appeared determined. Yang Kai clenched his teeth and said, “Good, I agree.”
Madam Lan was startled for a moment before she became elated, “Good, it seems you do know your place.”
“But, can you give me a few days more?”
Her face fell as she examined him doubtfully, “What are you up to? Since you’ve agreed already, why do you want to wait for a few days more?”
“I can’t tell you because it’s a private matter,” Yang Kai said calmly, which infuriated her, “However, I can assure you that I’ll give you the carcass after that.”
He thought that he could stall for more time by saying so, but Madam Lan shook her head decisively, “Even if we can wait, others aren’t so patient.” She gave him a meaningful look, “You’d better prepare yourself.”
Then, she turned around and left.
Yang Kai chased after her and called out from behind, but she didn’t respond to him. Right after he stepped out of the room, he froze on the spot because, at that instant, dozens of powerful Divine Senses locked onto him, creating a pressure like several worlds were piling on top of him, making him feel small and insignificant.
Yang Kai shuddered and hurriedly returned to his room. After a gulp, he still appeared to be reeling from shock. Recently, he had been hiding inside his room so although he knew that many top cultivators had gathered together outside, he never understood just how serious the situation was as he had never seen them. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what it felt like to be surrounded by so many top Masters.
In this situation, he could only be safe by staying inside his room. It was too dangerous outside. While he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt that something was off. After looking around, he almost couldn’t stop himself from cursing. That was because the barrier around his room had been deactivated. Obviously, it was Madam Lan’s doing. Normally, he could use his room token to control the barrier here, but as the First Inn Proprietress, Madam Lan naturally had the ability to interfere, and of course she could override his commands.
In other words, since Madam Lan had turned off the barrier around his room, he could not turn it on again.
Right after the barrier lost its effect, he could feel dozens of Divine Senses targeting him. Without the protection of the barrier, those Divine Senses penetrated the room and thoroughly examined him.
At that instant, he felt cold all over his body, and all his bodily hair was standing on end.
With a creak, the door was pushed open as a burly-looking young man appeared at the door and grinned at Yang Kai.
A horrified Yang Kai called out nervously, “Who are you?”
The young man entered the room without any hesitation, a thick Demon Qi swirling around him, which made him look extremely wicked. In an impassive manner, he said, “You don’t have to know who this King is. I’ll only ask you one question, so you’d best be honest with me.”
Without a pause, he went on to say, “Is the Golden Crow carcass still with you? Or has Madam Lan snatched it?”
This was the question everyone was trying to figure out. It was difficult for them to pry the information out of the Proprietress, so Yang Kai could be the point of breakthrough, and it was easier to make a move on him. However, Yang Kai had been sheltered by First Inn previously, so they couldn’t interrogate him. Now that First Inn had made their stance clear, they had no more worries.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t give him an honest answer; however, just when he was pondering on whether he should lie, he realised that he couldn’t even have that idea. The young man in front of him who was surrounded by Demon Qi seemed able to see through his thoughts, making it impossible to deceive him.
Was this the pressure from a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master? When Yang Kai faced Si Tu Kong, the latter didn’t give him this kind of pressure; however, in front of this young man, he realised that even breathing seemed to be a luxury.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead as he turned to look at the young man with difficulty. There was a faint smile on the young man’s face as he gazed dispassionately at Yang Kai. It was as if a giant ferocious beast was behind him, ready to gobble him up at any moment.
Yang Kai’s entire body trembled and his bones cracked as he was engulfed in the aura of death.
[I’ll die!] The murderous intent wafting from the young man made Yang Kai realise that if he couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer, this guy would make a move on him.
At the most critical moment, Yang Kai had no other choice as he roared and snuck into the Six Fated Paths Bag.
He didn’t have a choice as he wouldn’t dare to expose the Sealed World Bead, and it was useless to use Instantaneous Movement. By hiding inside the bag, he could stand a chance to catch his breath; however, what he had done was no different from a turtle hiding inside its shell or drinking poison to quench his thirst.
The moment Yang Kai disappeared, the young man arched his brow and cried out, “The Golden Crow!”
Following that, he extended his hand towards the bag. As soon as the bag was opened earlier, he could detect the Golden Crow’s aura, which immediately made him realise that the carcass was still in Yang Kai’s hands.
He was swift, but other people’s movements were even quicker. While the bag was still in mid-air, the shadows of several hands appeared out of thin air as they too reached for it.
The young man cackled, “What a shameless bunch!” Suddenly, his Demon Qi surged and exploded outwards, causing the furniture in the room to turn into dust. The young man shot forward like a Flood Dragon that had dashed out of the ocean.
*Hong hong hong…*
World Force clashed as many top cultivators traded moves in the void at that instant while grunts could be heard from time to time.
Following a loud crash, the inn, which had stood in the void for thousands of years, collapsed. Dozens of figures shot out in different directions, all of them descending into an intense battle as they showcased their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities.
With a livid expression, Madam Lan was hovering somewhere in the void as she gazed at where the inn formerly stood. Gritting her teeth, she held Bai Qi in one hand and the accountant in the other hand as a cold aura swirled around her.
Bai Qi opened his mouth so wide that a fist could be stuffed into it. The incident happened so suddenly that he had yet to come to his senses. It wasn’t until this moment that he exclaimed, “Proprietress, they’ve destroyed our inn!”
The accountant widened his eyes, “What should we do?”
Since First Inn’s inception, no one had dared to make such a scene here. Those who had the guts to do so were all killed afterwards; however, the people making a fuss here were different. Some of the great forces they represented weren’t afraid of First Inn at all. The inn was practically gone for good as no one would compensate them in any way; after all, the owner of First Inn had also made a move.
“Smelly brat, I’ll skin you alive for this!” Madam Lan said through clenched teeth.
If it weren’t because Yang Kai kept hiding the carcass from them, the inn wouldn’t have suffered such a calamity. If he had given up the carcass earlier, none of this would’ve happened. Now that things had become serious, no one knew how to handle the situation.
Six High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were trading moves in the void as the Six Fated Paths Bag flew back and forth amongst them. Even Madam Lan couldn’t interfere in a battle of this level, so she could only watch from afar.
The Mid-Rank cultivators from the Second Class forces were doing the same. After some of them suffered serious wounds while attempting to snatch the bag, they all backed off. Knowing that the Golden Crow carcass would eventually fall into the hands of one of those High-Rank Masters, they stopped wasting time and energy.
Even though the carcass was invaluable, it was still not worth risking their lives for.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai, who had been hiding in the bag, was having quite a peaceful time. Although the High-Rank cultivators’ moves were world-shaking, they still tried their best to protect the bag. That was because they knew that if the bag was destroyed, the carcass inside it would most likely be lost to the Void. By then, it would be impossible for them to look for it.
Yang Kai secretly opened a gap and released his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, but before he could detect anything, he felt an excruciating pain in his head as his Divine Sense was shredded by the violent force.
At that moment, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the top Masters trading moves.
Upon seeing that, he was dumbfounded. Earlier, he was forced to sneak into the bag because he was threatened by that young man with thick Demon Qi, and he had no idea what happened next. He reckoned that the top Masters in the inn must have started trying to snatch the bag.
Yang Kai wondered whose hands the bag would fall into in the end, and what his end would be.
At this point, he secretly hoped that Si Tu Kong could get his hands on the bag. At the very least, Si Tu Kong seemed to be a reasonable person who was willing to negotiate with him. On the other hand, Demon Qi could be seen swirling around the young man, so it was apparent that he was a malevolent fellow. If he managed to snatch the bag, Yang Kai expected his end to be miserable.
It was impossible for Yang Kai to leap out of the bag now as the mere fallout from the ongoing battle would be enough to vaporize him.
As he heaved a sigh, Yang Kai felt a throbbing headache. He wasn’t used to this feeling of leaving his life at the mercy of others. However, he was still far away from the Open Heaven Realm as he needed to gather the Power of the Yin-Yang Five Elements first.
All of a sudden, an idea crossed his mind as he realised that the man that was surrounded by Demon Qi could possibly come from Myriad Demons Heaven. Duan Hai had mentioned that Myriad Demons Heavens was one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, which were the top great forces in the Outer Universe. Yang Kai also wondered if Mo Sheng had originally come from Myriad Demons Heaven.
While he was deep in his stray thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly turned his head and stared fixedly at the Golden Crow carcass, whereupon a crazy glint flashed across his eyes.
With these High-Rank Masters trying to snatch the bag, it would surely take them a long time before a winner emerged. For a battle at this level, it might even take a whole year before the dust settled.
That was enough time for Yang Kai to condense his Fire Element. At the thought of this, he became elated. Previously, he had attempted to stall for more time, but the Proprietress didn’t give him a chance. The light at the end of the tunnel came into sight in the most unexpected way.
In fact, he wouldn’t need such a long time. Just five or six days was enough for him to fill up his Dao Seal with enough True Fire to refine his Fire Element. By then, the carcass wouldn’t be useful to him anymore regardless of how precious it was.
It had never crossed Yang Kai’s mind that a move he was forced to make would lead to a chance for him to achieve his goal.
Without hesitation, he hurriedly sealed off the Six Fated Paths Bag. This move was futile as the High-Rank cultivators could easily break the seal if they wanted to open the bag; however, it would be enough for Yang Kai to disguise his activities. He absolutely couldn’t let them find out that he was secretly absorbing the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Next, he sat down with his legs crossed in front of the carcass and placed his hand on the beast’s forehead. Upon activating the power of his Dao Seal, Yang Kai began drawing the True Fire into his body.
As time passed, the scuffle outside the bag continued. No one could have expected that an Emperor Realm Junior would have the guts to make such a move while several High-Rank Open Heaven Masters were fighting for the bag he was hiding in.
One day, two days, three days… The Fire Element in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal was slowly filled up as he was finally able to set his mind at ease. Gradually, he forgot the situation he was in as he focused everything on condensing his Fire Element.
There came a moment when the Dao Seal was completely filled with Fire Element and could no longer absorb the Golden Crow’s True Fire. It was only then that Yang Kai came to his senses, knowing that he had successfully condensed his Fire Element.
Next, he probed the carcass and realised that there was still some True Fire left; however, it was already much weaker than it was in the past. He wasn’t even sure if it was enough for another person to condense their Fire Element.
However, that had nothing to do with him anymore as he was content with the rewards he had reaped for his adventure. Even if someone took the carcass from him without giving him any benefits now, Yang Kai wouldn’t mind. The only question for him was how he could escape from this crisis.
It wasn’t like he could stay inside the bag forever as he had to face the consequences of his actions sooner or later. Moreover, he wasn’t sure whose hands the bag would ultimately fall into. He secretly hoped that Si Tu Kong would obtain the bag, but what if someone else successfully snatched it?
Yang Kai had the intention of finding out what had been going on outside the bag, but he still remembered the horrifying feeling of his Divine Sense being ripped apart previously.
After hesitating for a long time, he made up his mind and gritted his teeth. Then, he opened up the barrier and secretly released his Divine Sense.
He was prepared to get his Divine Sense torn apart again, but after a glance, he realised that the situation outside the bag was different from what he had imagined.
The battle between the High-Rank Masters had clearly ended as it was all serene in the void. He could sense that only a small number of people were left in this place and there was now a chessboard set up in the void. Si Tu Kong was seated on one side of the chessboard while the young man Yang Kai suspected of being from Myriad Demons Heaven was seated across from him. To the side, there were also some people with profound auras.
The Proprietress, Bai Qi, the accountant, and the shop hands from First Inn were standing behind Si Tu Kong.
[What’s going on?] Yang Kai was baffled.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Si Tu Kong suddenly said, “Come out now. Do you think you can hide inside that bag forever?” As he spoke, he shot an impassive look towards Yang Kai.
Although they were separated by the bag’s seal, Yang Kai could still feel that the elderly man was able to look deep into his Soul.
Obviously, Si Tu Kong was speaking to Yang Kai. After hesitating for a bit, Yang Kai knew that he had to face the music no matter what. Since he had successfully condensed his Fire Element already, there was nothing else he needed. At the thought of this, he leaped out of the Six Fated Paths Bag.
At that instant, some people turned to look at him with examining gazes, which caused him to feel his chest tightening.
On the other hand, the young man, who was seated across from Si Tu Kong, flashed a wicked smile at him. An alarmed Yang Kai thought that if the young man made a move against him, even a casual one on a whim, he wouldn’t be able to resist.
Fortunately, the probing stares and the young man’s smile only lasted for a short moment as everyone soon stopped paying attention to him.
Seeing that, Yang Kai was slightly relieved as he hid behind Si Tu Kong and let out a breath.
Just then, he felt someone staring resentfully at him. He turned his head, only to be met with Madam Lan’s exquisite-looking eyes. With a forced smile, he cupped his fists and said in a small voice, “Proprietress.”
The resentful Proprietress said through clenched teeth, “Smelly brat, this is all your fault!”
Yang Kai flashed an embarrassed smile at her and stepped back to stand beside Bai Qi. Although he had no idea why the Proprietress was so incensed, he reckoned that he’d better stay further away from her.
As for Bai Qi, he secretly gave him a thumbs-up with an admiring look on his face, which rendered Yang Kai speechless.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised that the Six Fated Paths Bag was firmly held in Si Tu Kong’s hand. Apparently, the owner of First Inn had won the contest, which was why the bag was in his possession now.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai couldn’t understand what was happening now. He also wondered why Si Tu Kong was playing chess with the young man after snatching the bag. With no one else to ask, he could only turn to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi looked around before secretly sending him a Divine Sense message, “They’re trying to determine who the winner will be through a game of chess. This is the last round. If Owner can defeat him, he’ll be able to take the Golden Crow carcass home.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was dumbstruck, “They’re battling against one another through a game of chess?” Were they not locked in an intense battle earlier? How did the chessboard become the battlefield in the end? The transition was too awkward for him to understand.
Moreover, Si Tu Kong had snatched the bag, so he could just run away. Why did he decide to play a game of chess with them?
However, after giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that if Si Tu Kong could flee, he would have done so already. His opponents at the scene were all High-Rank Open Heaven cultivators as well, so although Si Tu Kong had gained the upper hand by obtaining the bag, he wouldn’t be able to go against them if they joined forces to stop him.
Looking at it from another perspective, regardless of which High-Rank cultivator obtained the bag, the others wouldn’t give up without being convinced first.
This was basically a deadlock as the others would join forces to deal with the one who got his hands on the bag. That was the reason they decided to play a game of chess to determine the winner. It was a win-win situation as they could sit down and sort out the problem peacefully.
However, judging from what Bai Qi had said, Yang Kai reckoned that Si Tu Kong was the more skilful one amongst this group when it came to chess. Although Yang Kai could understand the game and give it a try, he wasn’t really familiar with it; therefore, he wasn’t certain whether Si Tu Kong or the young man had gained the upper hand by just looking at the chessboard as it was currently.
Nevertheless, by observing their expressions, he concluded that Si Tu Kong was the more confident one. On the other hand, the young man kept frowning from time to time as he seemed to be in a dilemma. The speed at which he made a move was also much slower than the old man.
At this rate, it seemed it was just a matter of time before Si Tu Kong could defeat his final opponent.
Yang Kai wasn’t really interested in the game as he was most concerned about his Six Fated Paths Bag. Now that the Golden Crow carcass was in Si Tu Kong’s grasp, he shouldn’t even think about getting it back. Moreover, he had fully condensed his Fire Element, so it was pointless for him to offend everyone further.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wanted his bag back, and wondered if Si Tu Kong would return it to him. If the bag was taken away from him, he would suffer an immense loss. He was so dejected that his face started contorting.
Just then, he was shocked by a crashing sound. Raising his head, he realised that the chessboard that was placed between Si Tu Kong and the young man had been flipped upside down, and the chess pieces were scattered everywhere. The young man stood up straight with a frustrated expression, “It’s pointless to continue.”
This went to show how terrible his demeanour was as he flipped the board after seeing he couldn’t win.
Si Tu Kong rose from his seat and replied with a smile, “My respects!”
The young man shot him a cold glare, “Don’t be too proud of yourself. You’ve simply lived for a longer time. This King wouldn’t have lost the game if it was something else.”
Si Tu Kong replied casually, “With age comes wisdom, or didn’t you know?”
The young man scoffed, “Old people also tend to pass away first. I hope that you’ll still be so energetic the next time we meet. Farewell!” Upon finishing his words, he turned into a dark cloud and shot into the distance.
He left without any hesitation.
Upon seeing this, the other High-Rank cultivators also took their leave. No one congratulated Si Tu Kong as they were not in the mood to do so. The reason they had stayed until now was that they wanted to witness the outcome. Now that the winner had emerged, it was pointless for them to stay there.
In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone except for those from First Inn. Yang Kai felt slightly awkward because he was the only outsider.
The Proprietress said smilingly, “Congratulations, Sir.”
The others also congratulated him.
Si Tu Kong waved his hand, “There’s nothing worth congratulating as it’s just a material. Although there have been some upheavals, we’ve finally obtained it.” Then, he gazed at Yang Kai with a smile, “Take it out.”
Following that, he tossed the bag at him.
A surprised Yang Kai caught the bag and hurriedly shook out the Golden Crow carcass. Then, he quickly stored the bag as though he was worried that it would be taken away from him.
Si Tu Kong didn’t mind his attitude as he was more concerned about the carcass, as was everyone else. With the exception of Madam Lan, none of them had seen an adult Golden Crow at such a close distance before.
Yang Kai appeared calm on the surface, but inside was feeling nervous. He had absorbed a lot of the True Fire from the Golden Crow to condense his Fire Element. The True Fire within the carcass was already much weaker than it was before, so he wondered if Si Tu Kong would notice.
Fortunately, Si Tu Kong only examined it briefly before waving his hand, upon which the carcass disappeared from the spot. It wasn’t certain where he had put it.
With that said, Yang Kai was sure that the carcass wasn’t put inside a Space Ring. Even his Small Sealed World was unable to store the Golden Crow carcass, so there was no way an ordinary Space Ring could do so.
After putting away the carcass, Si Tu Kong turned to look at Madam Lan, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Madam Lan elegantly saluted him, “Please rest assured, Sir.”
Si Tu Kong nodded and performed a hand seal, after which an abstruse pattern appeared beneath his feet and swirled around him. Yang Kai could clearly feel the fluctuation of Space Principles coming from it.
While he was amazed and wondered if Si Tu Kong was also a Master of the Dao of Space, the latter disappeared from the spot in a flash of light.
A dazed Yang Kai soon realised that it wasn’t that Si Tu Kong was adept at Space Principles, but rather that he had used the Universe Transference Law, which Bai Qi had explained to him before. Si Tu Kong must have gone to one of the nearby Universe Temples.
[So, this is how the Universe Transference Law works.] Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. Now that he had seen it, he realized there was actually a problem with the Universe Transference Law. As a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, Si Tu Kong still needed a couple of breaths to use the Universe Transference Law, so it would undoubtedly take longer for weaker cultivators.
This amount of time was not to be underestimated. During a life or death moment, a single blink could be the difference between living or dying. In order to use the Universe Transference Law to flee from danger, it seemed one had to make sure that no one would disturb them.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly felt a piercing stare, which caused him to shudder. Upon raising his head, he forced a smile, “Proprietress…”
Madam Lan kept a smile on her face and said in a soft voice, “Your name is Yang Kai, right?”
A terrified Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
The Proprietress nodded slightly, and just when Yang Kai thought she was going to say something, she hung her head low as though she had fallen into her thoughts.
Yang Kai felt like he was on pins and needles as he cupped his fists, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”
Terrible things might happen if he stayed there, so without waiting for her reply, he turned around and tried to leave.
“Don’t you want your things anymore?” The Proprietress’ voice could be heard coming from behind.
A shocked Yang Kai turned his head, “What do you mean?”
The Proprietress replied, “What’s wrong? Did you think our First Inn would buy and sell by compulsion?”
Although Yang Kai was both surprised and shocked, he still asked tentatively, “What do you mean by that?”
She then explained, “Although you’ve been uncooperative, and Owner had to expend a great deal of effort to get the carcass, First Inn has always been fair when it comes to doing business. So, we wouldn’t take your things for free; otherwise, others will think that we’ve oppressed you by stealing.”
Yang Kai couldn’t believe his ears. Upon turning around, he rubbed his hands together with an elated expression, “So, do you mean that your offers are still valid?”
Ten million Open Heaven Pills and the assurance to help him ascend to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm could be said to be very attractive offers.
“In your dreams!” The Proprietress snorted, “If you had agreed to it earlier, the offers wouldn’t have changed, but now the situation is different and our agreement must be altered as such. I’m sure you can understand.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment, but he never intended to haggle over this point so, after a nod, he replied, “Of course, I can understand that. What will I get as compensation now?” The compensation came as a surprise, so he wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t want it.
The Proprietress fished out a Space Ring and waved it in front of Yang Kai, “There are ten million Open Heaven Pills inside.”
Upon finishing her words, she tossed the ring to him.
After taking the ring, Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and became dumbstruck. The Open Heaven Pills inside the ring were piled up like a mountain, and the glow radiating from the pills dazzled his eyes.
It was impossible for him to count them all at once, but from the look of it, there really should be 10 million pills.
At that instant, he still couldn’t believe that he had obtained 10 million pills so easily.
It was substantial wealth for anyone who had just arrived in the Outer Universe, and with the right connections, one could even buy a Sixth-Order material with this amount. Old Fang and the others could never have expected that Yang Kai would possess a ring that contained 10 million pills one day.
Although he was over the moon, he still remained calm, thinking that those from First Inn had really treated him well. After all that had happened, they still gave him such generous compensation, which made him feel somewhat guilty. After all, he had absorbed a lot of the Golden Crow’s True Fire, so he wasn’t sure if the remaining True Fire was enough for another person to condense their Fire Element. If it wasn’t enough, it would ruin that person’s cultivation for life.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t expose this secret, so he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
While Yang Kai was still lost in his thoughts though, the Proprietress said coldly, “Now that you’ve gotten your compensation, it’s time we talked about this Queen’s losses.”
A shocked Yang Kai lifted his head, “Your losses? What do you mean?” He instinctively had a bad premonition, and even the ring in his hands seemed to have become scorching hot.
The Proprietress sneered, “As I said, First Inn values our reputation deeply, so we have always been fair when it comes to doing business. Since you’ve given us some benefits, we naturally have to provide you with appropriate compensation in return. However, since you’ve also made us suffer some losses, we’ll need appropriate compensation from you. See, perfectly fair, isn’t it?” Then, she clenched her fist and declared, “Let us settle accounts now.”
The accountant stepped forward from the crowd and made some loud noises with the golden abacus in his hands.
Yang Kai became dumbfounded as he stared at the accountant. A moment later, the accountant was done with his calculation and presented the abacus to the Proprietress. With a sympathetic look on his face, he gazed at Yang Kai and announced, “Including the accommodation fee, you owe us twenty million forty-six thousand pills in total.”
The Proprietress nodded gently and fiddled with the abacus with her slender fingers, then she said impassively, “We’ll just round it down and make it an even 2o million.”
“Yes,” the accountant replied.
The Proprietress extended her hand, and before Yang Kai could react, the ring that contained 10 million pills was taken back by her. With the ring in her hand, she showed it to Yang Kai and demanded, “There are 10 million pills here, so you now owe us just 10 million.”
Yang Kai was astounded. Just a few moments ago, he became wealthy as he was dazzled by 10 million pills, but in the next instant, he owed the Proprietress 10 million pills for no apparent reason.
Then, he became incensed as he gritted his teeth and glared at her, “Is it fun to mess with me?”
The Proprietress gave him a look with her alluring eyes and replied dispassionately, “Do you think I’m messing with you? I don’t have the time to waste on such things.”
“What do you mean by this, then?” Yang Kai felt his fury rising within him like a volcano that would erupt at any moment. He secretly swore that if she couldn’t give him a satisfactory explanation, he would immediately summon his Azure Dragon Spear and stab it at her beautiful face. Regardless of whether he could defeat her or not, he would make a move first and deal with the consequences later. He still had a Mie Meng’s golden tail feather that could be put to use anyway.
“What do I mean?” The Proprietress was so exasperated that she started laughing, then she pointed in a particular direction, “See for yourself!”
Yang Kai turned his head around, but there was nothing special in sight. A moment later, he gazed at the Proprietress and asked, “What?” What was he supposed to look at when there was nothing over there?
The Proprietress said slowly through clenched teeth, “First Inn was destroyed!”
“What does that…” Before Yang Kai finished his words, he gulped down what he was about to say. With a frown, he soon realised what had happened, then he appeared helpless, “I didn’t destroy your inn, so what’s the point of settling accounts with me?”
The Proprietress snapped, “If it weren’t because of you, the inn wouldn’t have been destroyed! I’ve been in charge of the inn for 1,300 years without making a single mistake; however, because of you, my inn is now gone! Who else should I settle the score with?”
Yang Kai replied under his breath, “Look for those who actually broke down your inn…”
“Don’t worry. This Queen will never let those bastards off, but as you’re the main culprit, you have to take up most of the responsibility. I don’t think I’ve gone overboard by demanding 20 million pills from you.”
“You!” Yang Kai was infuriated, “Don’t go too far!”
Just then, a figure flashed across his eyes as he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent. The next instant, a slender finger was pointed at his chest as a dangerous aura fluctuated around the tip of her finger. Madam Lan narrowed her eyes and threatened, “I dare you to say that again.”
Yang Kai gulped as he looked down at the finger on his chest, then he minced his words and said, “Proprietress, can we discuss this? While I feel sorry that your inn has been destroyed, I never made a move or damaged a single piece of furniture, so I don’t think it’s righteous of you to try to extract wealth from me because of that.”
“You say I’m not righteous?” The Proprietress laughed in exasperation, “If you had accepted my offer from the start, none of this would have happened. How dare you say that it has nothing to do with you!?”
“I have the right to decide whether I wanted to accept your offers or not. As a business person, you couldn’t force me to agree to anything, could you?”
The Proprietress said, “No one was forcing you, and you indeed had a right to decide whether you wanted to accept my offers, but do you have the guts to say that the inn’s destruction has nothing to do with you?”
Yang Kai braced himself and replied, “No, I don’t think it has anything to do with me.”
The Proprietress examined him for a moment and started laughing. Upon withdrawing her hand, she swung her sleeve, “It’s fine even if you don’t admit it. No one can renege on a debt with me.”
Yang Kai balled up his fists and glared at her.
With a faint smile on her face, the Proprietress stared back at him with a mocking gaze. Behind her, Bai Qi kept hinting at him with his gaze to motion for him to calm down.
After taking a deep breath, Yang Kai suppressed his urge to summon the golden tail feather to make a scene, then he looked away, “I have no money!”
10 million Open Heaven Pills were an astronomical number for him. There was no way he could fork out so many pills.
Surprisingly though, Madam Lan simply said, “I don’t expect you to pay me now.”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai turned his head in shock, “Then… do you need a note of indebtedness or something?” It would be wonderful if he could flee from this place by leaving such a note. The Outer Universe was expansive, so he might not come across the Proprietress again if he was careful enough. Certainly, it wasn’t hard for the Proprietress to order her subordinates to look for him, but if he never showed up again, it would be easy for him to escape from her.
“What would I do with a mere notice of debt?” The Proprietress sneered and sized him up.
Then, she said impassively, “However, you can use your body to compensate.”
Yang Kai almost spat blood as he thought he had heard her wrong, “What?”
Ignoring him, the Proprietress ordered her subordinates, “Take him. We’re leaving.”
Upon receiving the order, Bai Qi and the accountant stepped forward and captured Yang Kai.
An astounded Yang Kai bellowed, “What are you doing!?”
While the accountant sported a poker face, Bai Qi kept winking at him, but it was hard to know what message he was trying to convey.
Madam Lan raised her hand and summoned an artifact that looked like a ship. The artifact expanded rapidly and turned into a several dozen metres long ship with three floors. Then, she flew towards a room on the top floor and stepped inside.
Those from First Inn subsequently boarded the ship and got to work. Yang Kai was dragged towards the ship by Bai Qi and the accountant.
Although the ship looked ordinary from the outside, Yang Kai could feel that it was of a much better quality than the ship from Great Moon Province, which wasn’t surprising seeing as it was the Proprietress’ artifact, so it must be good enough to match her status.
After a hum, the ship trembled slightly as a visible membrane appeared and surrounded it. The next instant, Yang Kai shuddered as he could feel the ship moving rapidly in a particular direction.
A baffled Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Qi, “Where are we going?”
Bai Qi shook his head, “I have no idea. Proprietress never told us.”
“You have no idea as well?” Then, Yang Kai shifted his attention to the accountant, who silently released him and shuffled into the cabin.
Bai Qi stretched his back, and upon seeing that Yang Kai appeared dejected, he patted his shoulder, “Are you still upset?”
“If you were me, would you not be upset?”
After giving it a thought, Bai Qi nodded his head, “I would’ve felt the same way; however, not everything is as simple as it seems. We should think positively.”
A frustrated Yang Kai replied, “I don’t know what benefits I’ll gain out of it.”
“Then look over there.” Bai Qi suddenly extended his finger.
Yang Kai looked in the direction he pointed and faintly saw a ship silently hovering in the distant void.
“What do you mean?” He asked in puzzlement.
Bai Qi grinned, “I have no idea which great force they’re from; however, if you left on your own just now, they certainly wouldn’t have let you go. I’m sure you can imagine what the outcome of that would be.”
Yang Kai frowned, “But the carcass was taken away by Senior Si Tu. It’s pointless for them to care about me.”
“True, but who knows whether you obtained other treasures from the Golden Crow Divine Palace? For example, things like Sun’s True Fires or Sun’s True Golds.”
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he said through gritted teeth, “Outrageous!” Although he had no Sun’s True Gold, he had obtained quite a number of Sun’s True Fires, three of which were Fifth-Order.
Bai Qi patted his shoulder, “Proprietress might seem ruthless from your perspective, but she’s actually protecting you. Regardless of whether you’re willing or not, we have a business deal with you, so there’s no way we’ll see you falling into danger and stand idly by. If we really did that, our reputation would be tarnished.”
“In that case, should I go over and thank her?” Yang Kai snorted.
“That’s up to you,” Bai Qi shrugged.
A furious Yang Kai said, “Even if she’s well-meaning, what is she trying to achieve by making me owe her 10 million pills? She could have directly told me that she wanted to protect me.”
“Well…” Bai Qi scratched his chin, “I’m not sure about that, so you have to talk to the Proprietress. With that said, you’re indeed responsible for the inn’s destruction.”
Presently, Yang Kai was hesitating in front of a room on the top floor of the ship. A long time later, he summoned enough courage and knocked on the door.
A languid voice could be heard coming from the room, “Come in.”
Yang Kai forced himself to push the door open. Upon entering the room, he realised that the interior wasn’t luxurious; instead, it gave off a clean and fresh feeling. The scent that permeated was pleasant, but he wasn’t sure if it was the smell of sandalwood or bodily fragrance.
The Proprietress was nowhere in sight, so he figured she was in the inner room.
Upon pulling the bead curtains apart, Yang Kai saw the Proprietress lying on her side on a wooden bed. With one hand propping up her temple, she appeared languid as her clothes perfectly outlined her curvy figure.
Without looking at her, Yang Kai said impassively, “What do you want?”
Then, he fell silent and sized her up. They had frequently come into contact, but they mostly argued or fought one another, so he had never had a proper look at this woman before. Upon closer examination, he realised that the Proprietress was indeed strikingly gorgeous as every move she made had an innate charm to it. Even just lying there, she still appeared indescribably alluring.
It was no wonder that the customers at the inn would always try to flirt with her. No man in the world would ignore such an enchantress.
On the wooden bed, the Proprietress suddenly opened her eyes, “If you dare to keep staring, I’ll dig your eyes out!”
Yang Kai lowered his gaze and shuffled forward. While the Proprietress was dumbfounded, he climbed onto the bed and moved past her before lying on the other side; then, he spread his limbs and looked away as though he felt utterly humiliated, “Even if you can obtain my body, you’ll never have my heart!”
The Proprietress was astounded as what Yang Kai had done was simply too shocking. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like her was unable to react to it when he climbed into the bed all of a sudden. As though she had been stung by a scorpion, she jumped up and stood on the bed before glaring at him, so exasperated her entire body shook as she snarled, “What are you doing!?”
Yang Kai turned to look at her, “You said…”
Over ten breaths later, a pitiful shriek was heard. Following that, the door flung open, and Yang Kai shot out of the room like an arrow leaving the bow, crashing into the light barrier around the ship before he slid down miserably.
Covering his chest with his hands, he bellowed, “It’s you who didn’t make yourself clear! You said I could compensate with my body, but now you attack me? Why are you so unreasonable!?”
“Get lost!” The Proprietress yelled from the room.
“What’s going on?” Bai Qi and the others dashed out of the cabin after hearing the commotion. Then, they saw Yang Kai standing there with a furious expression. Two symmetrical dark circles around his eyes.
At that instant, they felt like they had seen a similar sight before.
“What are you all looking at? Get back to work! Now!” The Proprietress growled, upon which Bai Qi and the others shrank their necks and hurriedly left.
“Crazy woman!” Yang Kai cursed through clenched teeth before shuffling towards the cabin.
“What did you just say? I dare you to repeat that!” The Proprietress was heard yelling.
Yang Kai glared at the room on the third floor as his lips trembled for some time before he hung his head low, “A wise man does not fight against the odds.” Then, he dashed into the cabin and looked for an empty room.
Upon entering a room, he realised that it was spacious and had complete facilities.
Then, he sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and rubbed his black eyes as he felt completely incensed. When the Proprietress said that his body could serve as a form of compensation, he thought she wanted to bed him, but he hadn’t expected that it wasn’t what she meant at all. She simply wanted him to work for First Inn, slowly earning back his freedom from his 10 million Open Heaven Pill debt.
Although he had no idea how much money Bai Qi and the others received every month as salary, he reckoned that it wouldn’t be so easy to pay back 10 million pills. Therefore, he would probably be forced to work for that crazy woman for tens or even hundreds of years.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai let out a long sigh. There were some benefits he could gain by following the Proprietress. At the very least, a Sixth-Order Open Realm Master like her was powerful enough to ensure his safety; however, it was also dangerous to work for her. He had absorbed most of the Golden Crow’s True Fire to condense his Fire Element. If she found out about it in the future, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.
Recalling the Golden Crow’s True Fire, Yang Kai became fervent. He had condensed his Fire Element in the Six Fated Paths Bag, but he hadn’t had an opportunity to examine himself. Now that he was free, he wanted to see what transformation he had gone through.
Thus, he emptied his mind and inspected himself.
Inside his Dao Seal, two wisps of light, one green and one black, could be seen swirling around. The green one was full of vitality, while the black one was quite low-key. Despite that, it contained an aura that seemed capable of burning down the world.
The Wood Element and Fire Element lived in harmony within his Dao Seal, which was why the two colours existed at the same time. Although it looked slightly odd, it gave off a powerful feeling.
The Golden Crow’s True Fire was immensely powerful, but Yang Kai had successfully absorbed it and condensed his Fire Element from it. He came to the realisation that the Proprietress was right to say that only a Wood Element that was strong enough could suppress the True Fire. If his Wood Element wasn’t strong enough, his Dao Seal would have been at risk of shattering after he absorbed the True Fire.
Once his Dao Seal collapsed, the foundation of his Martial Dao would be destroyed, and he would certainly lose his life.
Besides that, Yang Kai could also feel that his strength had increased. It then dawned on him that just like the Open Heaven Realm Masters, there was a gap in power between those who had condensed their Dao Seals. The reason for that disparity was how many of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements one had condensed.
Every time a cultivator successfully condensed an Element, their cultivation would increase significantly. Once a person managed to condense five Elements, there would be an exponential growth in their strength. Such a person was called a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
Only after splitting Heaven and Earth apart within their body would one be able to take another great leap forward in power.
Certainly, the growth rate was also correlated to the Order of the materials one absorbed. If a cultivator had condensed a single Third-Order material while another had condensed a Seventh-Order material, the latter would certainly be more powerful.
Yang Kai felt that his strength had increased considerably, but he hadn’t battled against anyone yet, so he couldn’t make a proper judgement. Whatever the case, it was good news for him. The incident at the Golden Crow Divine Palace made him desperately crave greater strength. He wouldn’t want to be helplessly hunted down by a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters again.
Next, Yang Kai decided that he wouldn’t easily use the Golden Crow’s True Fire unless he was left with no other choice; otherwise, his secret would be exposed.
Now, he had successfully condensed his Fire Element, and he was satisfied with the Order of the material. Although he wasn’t sure what Order the True Fire was, Yang Kai reckoned that it was at least Seventh Order.
Wood supported Fire, which then suppressed Earth. His next step was to condense the Power of Earth.
Yang Kai was immensely lucky to have obtained the Golden Crow’s True Fire, but where was he going to look for a Seventh-Order or higher Earth Attribute material? He was clueless.
A Seventh-Order material could possibly be bought for 150 million Open Heaven Pills, but Yang Kai severely doubted whether one could actually purchase such a material with just pills. Just like the Sun’s True Gold, once such a treasure appeared, countless top cultivators would come over and fight for it. Even if a great force possessed such a material, it would likely serve as a strategic resource and not be sold for any price.
Yang Kai couldn’t think of any item in his possession that could be traded for such a treasure with those great forces; furthermore, without being powerful enough, he had no right to make such a deal in the first place.
Therefore, it was pointless to think about it for the time being. In any case, his Fire Element had just been condensed, so he needed some time to stabilise it and adapt to his new strength.
The ship moved forward at great speed, but it wasn’t clear where it was heading.
While Yang Kai was meditating, he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door. With a frown, he got to his feet and opened it only to see Bai Qi holding a tray with delicate dishes and a jar of wine on it.
Upon catching a whiff of the aroma, Yang Kai forced a smile and stepped aside, “Come in.”
Bai Qi was startled for a moment before he said, “It’s not for you.”
A speechless Yang Kai asked, “Why are you here if these dishes aren’t for me?”
Bai Qi pointed at the ceiling, “The Proprietress wants it.”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “Since she wants it, you should go to her instead of coming to my place.”
With a sympathetic look on his face, Bai Qi explained, “She has given the order that you must deliver it to her.” Then, he pushed the tray towards Yang Kai and didn’t wait for his reply, “It’s your job now. Do it well.”
Yang Kai was rooted to the spot as Bai Qi left, and only after coming to his senses did he bellow, “Outrageous!”
Following that, he raised the tray in an attempt to smash it to the ground, but he didn’t have the guts to do so in the end. As his face twitched visibly, he thought that the crazy woman had started bossing him around as though he was really a shop hand in her inn.
After taking a deep breath, he suppressed his fury and stared at the dishes on the tray. Although he had the urge to spit on them, he was worried that the Proprietress might be monitoring him; hence, he didn’t do it in the end.
“What are you waiting for? Come up now!” The Proprietress’ voice suddenly rang out.
Yang Kai shuddered as he realized she was indeed monitoring him. Fortunately, he didn’t spit on the dishes on a whim; otherwise, he would be punished.
“I’m coming now. Stop rushing me,” Yang Kai replied in exasperation before leaving the room with the tray in his hands.
Upon reaching the top floor, he kicked the door open, but before he could enter, he was swept backwards by a gale.
“Didn’t your parents tell you that you have to knock before entering another’s room?”
The door was then shut with a loud slam, which almost smacked him in the nose. After blowing his top for a while, Yang Kai knocked on the door and asked through clenched teeth, “Is anyone inside?”
“Come in,” the Proprietress was heard replying from the room.
Then, Yang Kai pushed the door open and entered the room before putting the tray on the table, “Your food is here. Enjoy.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” The Proprietress questioned.
Yang Kai turned his head, “Of course, I’m going back to my room to have a rest. What else do you need?”
The Proprietress retained her languid posture as she pouted her moist lips at the table, “Fill the cup.”
While the Proprietress was watching Yang Kai, the corners of his eyes twitched as he picked up the wine jug and filled the cup for her. The Proprietress, who was lying on the wooden bed, then extended her slender hand.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment before he laughed in exasperation, “Why are you so lazy?”
She was obviously trying to make things difficult for him; however, since he was unable to defeat her, he had no choice but to present the cup to her. A straightforward Proprietress gulped down the wine and rubbed the cup with her fingers, then she shot him a glance, “Are you unhappy with it?”
Yang Kai looked up at the ceiling, “I wouldn’t dare to. Since I’m in your hands now, you can even kill me as you please.”
The Proprietress put on a smile, “Just say it out loud that you’re not happy. There’s nothing to be bashful about.”
Knowing that she loved to mock, Yang Kai decided to ignore her lest she became even smugger.
A languid Proprietress went on to say, “First Inn is famous throughout the entire Outer Universe, and many people are unable to join our inn even if they want to. Many people are jealous of you because you’ve managed to join us. Smelly brat, you should count your blessings.”
Yang Kai turned to look at her and put on a hollow laugh.
Staring at him, the Proprietress said, “You’re my subordinate now. Are you sure you want to treat me with such an attitude?”
An exasperated Yang Kai replied, “What kind of attitude do you expect from me, then?”
She replied, “I don’t need you to be obsequious to me, but you have to respect me at the very least. If others see you treating me in such a way, how am I supposed to discipline them?”
“This is just the way I was born.”
The Proprietress snorted, obviously displeased with his attitude; however, she didn’t reprimand him as she fell silent for a moment, “Where’s your home?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“How many family members do you have?”
“I can’t tell you.”
After getting the same reply over and over again, the Proprietress lost her patience as she waved her hand, “Go back now.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around to leave.
The Proprietress could be heard saying from behind, “From now on, you’ll be responsible for sending me three meals a day and cleaning my room.”
Yang Kai turned around to stare at her, only to see that she had hung her head low and fallen into a dazed state as she held the cup in her hand, as though she was pondering on something. He wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but the Proprietress in such a state made him feel that she was a frail woman, unlike the imposing Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that she usually was.
Gritting his teeth, he replied in a hushed voice, “Understood.”
Then, he returned to his room, and before he even sat down, Bai Qi pushed the door open, entered the room, and closed the door, his stealthy behaviour that of a thief as he whispered, “Did Proprietress make things difficult for you?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai landed a palm on the table and bellowed, “She goes too far!”
A shocked Bai Qi hurriedly took the other man’s arm, “What are you doing? Keep it down!” He was puzzled as to why Yang Kai was incensed, “Why are you mad? What happened?”
Yang Kai replied, “You have no idea how unreasonable she was. She wants me to send her three meals a day and keep her room clean. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she won’t lose her life even if she’s starved for a thousand years, but now, she wants three meals a day? What a joke! I’ve never served a woman before in my life! She’s clearly retaliating against me by making things difficult for me!”
Bai Qi persuaded him by saying, “That’s not true. The Proprietress has nothing against you, so I don’t think she’d intentionally make things difficult for you. She might appear to be sharp-tongued, but she’s actually a soft-hearted person. You’ll get to know her better after spending some time with her.”
Yang Kai sneered, “I’m afraid that she’ll torture me to death first.”
Bai Qi smiled helplessly, “There’s no way that’s going to happen…”
“Forget it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Yang Kai raised his hand to stop him as he clenched his teeth, “Since she wants to mess with me, I’ll gladly accept the challenge. Let’s see who will be the last one standing.”
Life was peaceful for everyone in the following days. Although the Outer Universe was paved with danger, no one in the 3,000 Worlds had the guts to attack a First Inn ship as its markings were fairly distinct.
Yang Kai was busy every day as he had to send three meals a day to the Proprietress on time, and he would also have to retrieve the dishes and tableware after a while. He wasn’t even sure if the Proprietress had eaten anything as the dishes looked the same as when he sent them into her room.
Although he was frustrated, he still carried out his task in silence and didn’t speak to the Proprietress.
A few days passed just like that when one day, Yang Kai was meditating in his room when Bai Qi entered without permission again and stuffed an exquisite bamboo basket into his hands.
“What’s this?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Qi explained, “In one hour, we’ll pass by a Universe World called Nine Nether Continent. There’s a place called Heavenly Mountain there. Go over and look for their Sect Master. After passing the basket to him, your job will be done.”
“Am I going there alone?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Bai Qi nodded, “En, you’ll be going there on your own. Come back quickly after you’re done with the task. Don’t mess this up.” Without waiting for Yang Kai to speak, he shuffled out of the room upon finishing his words.
Yang Kai was puzzled as he held the basket in his hand. With a frown, he pondered on the issue for some time, but he still couldn’t understand what was going on. Then, he examined the basket and didn’t find anything special about it. Although the basket was delicately weaved, there was no powerful barrier around it or any kind of imposing aura radiating from it; hence, it was clearly not an artifact. Instead, it looked just like the average basket that a mortal could use to carry stuff.
[Nine Nether Continent, Heavenly Mountain…] Yang Kai memorised the names.
After one hour, the ship, which had been flying non-stop for days, abruptly came to a halt. Yang Kai stepped out of his room and looked around from the deck, whereupon a magnificent Universe World from a distance came into sight. Despite the long distance, he could still feel the universe’s aura wafting around him.
[I suppose that’s Nine Nether Continent.] Upon that realisation, Yang Kai clenched the basket and flew off.
The distance between the ship and the continent was just right, half an hour exactly. Yang Kai arrived at the Universe World, and after breaking through the World Barrier, he descended upon the continent.
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai visited a different Universe World. When those from Seven Wonders Land hunted Fang Tai down, he had the opportunity to experience the customs of a different Universe World. The world before Yang Kai’s eyes seemed to be more powerful than the one he had previously visited, on par with the Star Boundary at its peak.
At the very least, after he broke through the World Barrier and arrived at this world, he immediately felt some strong Divine Senses scanning him.
He was Void Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, so Yang Kai was quite familiar with such auras, knowing that it was the reaction from the Great Emperors of this world who had detected a top cultivator’s aura. That was the reason he felt his chest tightening. Although he was already much stronger than when he had just ascended to become a Great Emperor, he was currently in someone else’s territory. While those Great Emperors had the support of this Universe World, he had lost the Star Boundary’s protection, so the power he could use was limited. If he really got into a scuffle with those Great Emperors here, he would suffer a setback even if he was a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
While Yang Kai was pondering on how he should reveal his identity and purpose of visit, those powerful Divine Senses vanished into thin air.
One of the Divine Senses even showed him some kindness before disappearing, which caused Yang Kai to be puzzled.
While he was wondering what was going on, he saw a figure rapidly approaching from a distance. Following that, an old and gentle voice was heard saying, “Heavenly Mountain Sect Master, Bao Ze Tong, greets Special Envoy. Forgive me for not attending to you earlier.”
The elderly man was still in the distance when he uttered his first word, but by the time he finished, he was already standing in front of Yang Kai.
Yang Kai lifted his head, only to see a burly old man with a ruddy complexion smiling at him. The old man didn’t look like anything special, but Yang Kai could sense a familiar aura coming from him. Apparently, the old man was a Great Emperor of this world, and judging from his aura, he figured this old man was the one who showed him kindness earlier.
Yang Kai hadn’t expected that the Sect Master of Heavenly Mountain would be a Great Emperor, but that made things easier for him. He was just thinking about whether he should ask around to find out where Heavenly Mountain was, but now that the Sect Master had personally come over to meet him, it saved him the trouble.
However, why did this old man just call him ‘Special Envoy’? Suppressing his doubts, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Yang Kai greets Sect Master Bao. Sect Master Bao is too polite.”
Regardless of what Universe World they were in, only a small number of people could become Great Emperors by obtaining the World’s Recognition and Will. Although Bao Ze Tong appeared ordinary, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to show any disrespect when he was in someone else’s home.
“So it is Envoy Yang!” The smile on Bao Ze Tong’s face was amiable, “You’ve put this old man to shame having achieved such powerful cultivation at such a young age.”
“Many thanks for your compliment, Sect Master Bao,” Yang Kai replied politely before moving the conversation along, “To be honest with you, I’m here to look for you, but I don’t know the reason behind it. Can you tell me why you called me a Special Envoy?”
With a smile, Bao Ze Tong pointed at the basket in the young man’s hand, “The person holding this basket is the Special Envoy.”
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai looked down at the basket, “Things are easier now since you can recognise the basket.” It was no wonder that the Sect Master would come over right after he arrived at this place, that was because Bao Ze Tong could recognise the basket. Yang Kai even thought that Bai Qi had informed this elderly man about their visit beforehand.
Bao Ze Tong said, “Let’s go somewhere else for a chat. Come with me.” Then, he stepped forward and apologised to Yang Kai before grabbing the young man’s arm. The next instant, Yang Kai realised that everything around him seemed to be moving rapidly.
Seeing that, he knew that it must be a Divine Ability exclusive to these Great Emperors. Any Great Emperor born on the Nine Nether Continent could go anywhere as they pleased. This was different from his Space Secret Technique, but had a similar effect.
After just a short moment, the pair appeared before a splendid palace. Many cultivators had been waiting here and seeing the duo, they cried in unison, “Greetings, Sect Master, Special Envoy.”
Their voices were loud, and since so many of them had gathered together, it was apparent that they were well prepared. In response, Yang Kai cupped his fists at them.
A woman in an imperial dress emerged from the crowd and saluted Yang Kai before extending her hands.
Yang Kai turned to gaze at Bao Ze Tong with an inquisitive look on his face, with the latter replying with a smile, “Your basket.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai immediately passed the basket to the woman and nodded, “Many thanks.”
He had no idea what the basket was for as Bai Qi had not explained it to him; however, those from Heavenly Mountain were obviously aware of its purpose. In that case, he didn’t need to ask any questions as he just had to pass the basket to them.
After taking the basket, the woman shot into the air and disappeared. Yang Kai wondered where she was going, but before he could ask, Bao Ze Tong extended his hand and said, “Envoy Yang, please come in and have a chat with me.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Excuse me, then.”
After they entered the hall, Bao Ze Tong took the Master’s seat while Yang Kai sat down as a guest. Following that, a maidservant presented cups of tea and rare fruits to them. Both the tea and the fruits were aromatic. Besides the tea, Yang Kai had never seen the fruits on the plate before. Apparently, these were the fruits exclusive to this world. After having a taste, he realised that they were delicious; moreover, these fruits could help refine the strength of cultivators. Nevertheless, these fruits were useless to people like Yang Kai and Bao Ze Tong. Yang Kai just regarded it as trying out new delicacies.
As he drank tea and ate fruits, Yang Kai made small talk with Bao Ze Tong, and soon, the atmosphere became lively.
A moment later, Bao Ze Tong asked, “How has Madam been?”
Yang Kai reckoned that the elderly man must be talking about Madam Lan, so he nodded, “She’s well.” In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself almost too much. No other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters needed three meals a day.
Bao Ze Tong replied with a smile, “That’s good.” Then, he heaved a sigh, “In fact, life has been hard on her.”
Yang Kai lifted his head, “What do you mean?”
Although he had frequently come into contact with the Proprietress, he basically knew nothing about her. He only knew that she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with a powerful background. Therefore, his interest was piqued when Bao Ze Tong said that life had been hard on her. He was resentful because the Proprietress had been tormenting him, but he was unable to defeat her. It would be wonderful if he could learn some gossip about her to make him happier.
However, Bao Ze Tong waved his hand and said, “Please excuse this Bao’s loose lips, Envoy Yang.”
At that, Yang Kai became frustrated. Since the elderly man wasn’t willing to tell him, it was inappropriate for him to keep asking, thus, he asked, “By the way, although I’ve received orders to come here, I have no idea what I should do. Could you please enlighten me?”
Without answering his question, Bao Ze Tong asked, “How long has Envoy Yang worked for Madam?”
“A few days…” Yang Kai flashed a bashful smile at him. Strictly speaking, he was forced to work under her; otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed that crazy woman around.
Bao Ze Tong nodded, “I see. In fact, it’s nothing important. We have a kind of spirit fruit on Heavenly Mountain called Heavenly Snow Fruit. It has a special taste and only grows here. Madam loves this fruit deeply, so she always has someone collect some from us whenever she passes by Nine Nether Continent.”
“Heavenly Snow Fruit?” Yang Kai arched his brow as the name sounded somewhat poetic. He wondered what kind of spirit fruit could hold the Proprietress’, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s, interest so greatly that she would make a point to collect some every time she passed by this place. He decided to have a proper look at them later.
It was then he realised why Bai Qi had passed him a bamboo basket. It was supposed to be used to carry these spirit fruits.
“Heavenly Snow Fruit…” As Bao Ze Tong spoke, he seemed to be walking down memory lane, then he became dejected, “Let’s not talk about it. Since Envoy Yang works under Madam, you will find out about it soon.”
The elderly man would never finish his words after he started a topic, frustrating Yang Kai to the point he wanted to pry open Bao Ze Tong’s mouth with his Azure Dragon Spear.
Bao Ze Tong realised this as well apparently, so he took the initiative and led the conversation to topics such as cultivation, which Yang Kai was more than willing to go along with.
Yang Kai asked him why, since he had become a Great Emperor, he had not broken free from the world’s bounds and headed to an even wider world. Bao Ze Tong replied with a smile, “This Bao is too old and lacks the ambition he once had. So what if I can break free from this world’s restrictions? What can I do after that?”
Yang Kai frowned, “Have you decided to stay on Nine Nether Continent forever?”
An optimistic Bao Ze Tong said, “This Bao was born and raised here, so I’m willing to protect it for the rest of my days.”
Yang Kai nodded as the Star Boundary came to mind. If the Star Boundary hadn’t been devastated by Mo Sheng, would he have come to the Outer Universe? Was he willing to stay in the Star Boundary for the rest of his life? He didn’t have an answer to these questions.
Half an hour later, the woman, who had taken the basket earlier, returned to the hall and respectfully put it down on the table beside Yang Kai before saluting him, “Sir Special Envoy, your Heavenly Snow Fruits are ready.”
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai nodded and examined the spirit fruits in the basket. He realised that Heavenly Snow Fruits were dark red and about the size of a baby’s fist. All of them looked similar in terms of their size, so it was apparent that they were carefully selected; after all, these fruits were for the Proprietress, so those from Heavenly Mountain wouldn’t dare to be negligent.
The fruits were aromatic, so he wondered what they tasted like. After rising from his chair, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Sect Master Bao, since the fruits are ready, I’ll take my leave now.”
Bao Ze Tong nodded, “Safe travels, Envoy Yang. When you see Madam later, please send our regards to her and tell her that we’re grateful for the protection she has granted our world over the years.”
“I shall,” Yang Kai nodded his head and shuffled out of the hall with the basket while Bao Ze Tong respectfully saw him off.
It was easier for him to leave the Nine Nether Continent as, unlike the time he tried to enter, he didn’t have to break through the World Barrier. Apparently, Bao Ze Tong must have communicated with the World Principles to allow him to pass.
Meanwhile, in a room on the top floor of the First Inn ship, Bai Qi was standing in front of the Proprietress with his head hung low in an obsequious manner. As usual, the Proprietress had closed her eyes to take a rest as she was lying on her side on the wooden bed.
A long time later, she asked, “Has he not returned?”
Bai Qi shook his head, “No. I’m worried that he’s fled.”
The Proprietress didn’t respond to him.
Bai Qi went on to say, “He was never willing to join First Inn, so now that he has a chance, it’s expected that he’d flee. I’m worried that he won’t come back again.”
“Forget it, then,” the Proprietress replied impassively, “If he’s really fled, his life or death will have nothing to do with us anymore.”
A shocked Bai Qi said, “Proprietress, since you knew this would be the outcome, why did you allow him to go to Nine Nether Continent on his own?” Soon, he realised the reason though and nodded, “I understand. You were trying to find out whether he would flee?”
The Proprietress replied dispassionately, “It’s not so complicated. It just annoyed me to see him around me.”
Bai Qi was speechless at that, but just when he was about to say something, he saw the Proprietress opening her eyes as a glint flashed across her gaze.
“What happened?” He asked.
“He’s back,” The Proprietress closed her eyes again.
Bai Qi didn’t understand her at first, but he soon realised what happened as he turned around and left the room. Then, he stood on the deck and looked out at Nine Nether Continent. As expected, a moment later, a figure flew over rapidly. The person was none other than Yang Kai.
“He didn’t flee!” Bai Qi couldn’t believe his eyes as he muttered under his breath. He thought for sure that Yang Kai would seize the chance to escape from them, but Yang Kai had really returned. [Could this guy be a fool?] If Bai Qi were in his shoes, he would have run away.
A while later, Yang Kai landed on the deck as the light around him faded and revealed his figure. He raised his head, only to see Bai Qi staring dazedly at him.
Yang Kai looked around and furrowed his brow before asking, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Bai Qi crossed his arms and stroked his chin. As he sized Yang Kai up, he said in amazement, “I suddenly realise that you look like someone I once knew. Why hadn’t I noticed it in the past?”
“Who are you talking about?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Qi shook his head and fell silent, then he pointed at the room on the top floor to suggest that the Proprietress was waiting for him.
After a snort, Yang Kai leaped towards the room and knocked on the door, “Proprietress, I’m back.”
“Come in,” the Proprietress’ languid voice was heard saying, upon which he pushed the door open.
On the deck, Bai Qi seemed to be lost in his thoughts, but he soon shook his head and walked back towards the cabin as he muttered, “Why didn’t I realise it before? Odd…”
Then, he entered the accountant’s room and told him about it. The accountant looked emotionlessly at him, “Are you blind or something? You drank with him pretty frequently, but you only realised it now?”
“You already knew?” Bai Qi was astounded.
The accountant replied, “I realised it the first time he walked into the inn.”
Upon that realization, Bai Qi said, “It’s no wonder Proprietress wanted him to stay. So that’s the reason. Has she been tormenting him because of that as well?” Then, he put on a bitter expression, “It’s all over, then. She just managed to put down what had happened in the past, but now she’s forced to recall those sorrowful memories. What should we do?”
The account replied, “I’ve been pondering on this issue recently, and I’ve finally come up with a way to permanently settle this problem. Do you want to know?”
“Go on.” Bai Qi nodded.
The accountant went on to say in a hushed voice, “You’ll look for a chance and bring him somewhere quiet, then we’ll kill him together.” After finishing his words, he slashed at his own neck with his hand.
The corner of Bai Qi’s eye twitched, “Is this what you mean by a permanent solution?”
The accountant said matter-of-factly, “Do you have another solution?”
“No, no, no!” Bai Qi shook his head, “We don’t even know what Proprietress really thinks about it. If we cause her even more sorrow, we’ll be eternal sinners.”
The accountant heaved a sigh, “That’s a problem as well. The most important thing is that we have to find out what Proprietress thinks. Why don’t you try to sound her out?”
Bai Qi shook his head like a pellet drum, “You know what she’s like during this period of time every year. We must not look for her for the next three days; otherwise, it’d be akin to courting death.”
Hearing that, the accountant couldn’t help but shudder as though he had recalled a horrible memory. In a resolute manner, he said, “I’ll go into seclusion for a few days now. Tell the others not to bother Proprietress for the next three days.”
“I’ve already told them about it, or rather, they’ve all worked for the inn for a long time now, so they don’t need me to remind them. In any case, I’ll also go into hiding now.”
In the room on the top floor, Yang Kai entered the inner room and put down the basket on the table before saying, “Proprietress, I’ve brought back your fruits. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take a rest now.”
He wondered why the Proprietress loved these Heavenly Snow Fruits so much as on his way back, he had tried one of them and realised that they were actually quite bitter and sour, making them basically unpalatable. However, Bao Ze Tong told him that the Proprietress would always tell someone to fetch a batch of these fruits every time she passed by Nine Nether Continent. In the end, Yang Kai figured everyone had their own preferences when it came to food and just left it at that.
The Proprietress remained unfazed on the wooden bed, so after waiting for a moment, Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around to leave.
Upon returning to his room, he sat down with his legs crossed and started adjusting his breathing. Now, he had condensed the Fire Element in his Dao Seal. Although its Order did meet his expectations, he needed more time to stabilise it. This was not a process that could be rushed.
Furthermore, he wasn’t even sure where to look for an Earth Element material, so he reckoned that he’d stabilise the Element he had just obtained while he was waiting.
He could clearly feel that the Fire Element in his Dao Seal contained an aura that could burn down all existence. This kind of power was horrifying when used against enemies, but unfortunately, the features of Golden Crow’s True Fire were too conspicuous. It was different from his Wood Element, which mainly worked internally, so others wouldn’t notice it. His Fire Element might be exposed if he was not careful, and if that happened, it would be hard for him to explain himself.
Therefore, Yang Kai secretly decided that unless he was left with no choice, he wouldn’t activate the Fire Element in his Dao Seal. Just like his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique, this power had become one of his hidden trump cards.
Two points of light, one green, one black, continued swirling around in his Dao Seal, forming an abstruse picture.
While he was meditating, Yang Kai suddenly heard a strange voice, which prompted him to open his eyes and carefully listen. The voice was indistinct at first, but after listening to it for a while, he realized that it was a woman who was weeping; however, the cry sounded suppressed. If it weren’t because Yang Kai’s senses had become sensitive due to the fact that he was fully focused, he wouldn’t have heard it at all.
Why was a woman heard crying in this expansive void all of a sudden? Furthermore, her voice sounded mournful, as though she had experienced some kind of deep, sorrowful tragedy. At that instant, Yang Kai had goosebumps all over his body.
He wanted to ignore it at first, but the voice just wouldn’t stop reaching his ears, which made it impossible for him to focus on his meditation. With a frown, he got to his feet and pushed the door open before looking for the source of the voice.
A moment later, he stood on the deck of the ship and looked up at the room on the top floor, thoroughly astounded. The woman’s cry was clearly coming from the room on the top floor; in other words, it was the Proprietress who was weeping.
Yang Kai thought that he had sensed it wrongly. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the Proprietress could be considered one of the top cultivators in the entire 3,000 Worlds, so how was it possible that she’d be secretly sobbing? However, the voice was indeed coming from the top floor.
“Serves you right!” Yang Kai snorted. He had been tormented by the Proprietress for the past few days, and although he had no idea why she was so sorrowful, the sobbing was like music to his ears, causing him to feel gleeful.
After listening to it for a while, he folded his hands behind his back and returned to his room in a calm and collected manner. At that moment, he no longer felt so irritated about what had happened these past few days.
One day later, Yang Kai, who was meditating on his bed, appeared incensed as he looked up at the ceiling with clenched teeth. [Is she not done yet?] He wondered what this crazy woman had come across that made her cry for the entire day. Although she was just secretly sobbing, she still unintentionally affected the others around her due to her powerful cultivation. Yang Kai was unable to keep calm and meditate, which was why he was currently grinding his teeth in annoyance.
Exasperated, he leapt off the bed, and a moment later, he appeared in front of the Proprietress’ room and knocked on the door, “Proprietress! Proprietress!”
She didn’t respond to him, but her sobbing was still heard coming from the room.
“I’m entering now,” Yang Kai said and directly pushed the door open.
After entering the inner room, he took a glance at his surroundings as his face twitched. The room, which was originally spotless, had become a mess with fruit pits scattered everywhere. All the tables and chairs had been turned upside down, and a thick smell of alcohol permeated the air.
Then, he looked to the side, only to see that half of the fruits in the basket were gone. Apparently, the Proprietress had eaten them; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many fruit pits on the floor.
Yang Kai wondered how the Proprietress managed to eat these fruits since they were so bitter and sour.
Following that, he turned to look at the wooden bed and frowned. In the corner of the bed, the Proprietress had her arms wrapped around her legs, and she had buried her head between her knees. As she was sobbing, her shoulders could be seen shaking.
Yang Kai had never expected to see such a sight. At this moment, the First Inn Proprietress looked so frail that it was as though she was a small kitten with no place to call home.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling slightly affected by this scene and secretly heaved a sigh. What had happened to her? Why did she end up in such a state? It seemed she was a woman in the end; despite her incredible strength, she would still be vulnerable at times.
At that instant, he no longer took pleasure in her misfortune as he began putting the tables and chairs straight while cleaning up the fruit pits and empty wine bottles.
After he was done with that, he stood in front of the wooden bed and gave it a thought. However, he still had no idea how to console her mainly because he didn’t know what had happened to cause all this. Thus, he sighed and clapped the Proprietress’ shoulder, “Proprietress, misfortune is a part of life. Let go of the past and stop crying.”
The Proprietress, who was sobbing, lifted her head and gazed at him. As their eyes met, the corners of his eyes twitched.
Presently, the Proprietress appeared extremely sorrowful as her alluring eyes were as swollen as a pair of peaches. Her face was covered in tears, and there were still teardrops wetting her long eyelashes. Moreover, her face had turned scarlet. By just looking at her, one could understand what it meant to be heartbroken.
Yang Kai forced a harmless smile as he looked down at her. The Proprietress’ vision slowly focused, and her frailty was soon replaced by ferocity as she pressed her lips together and then said through clenched teeth, “Smelly Brat, it’s you!”
“Huh?” Yang Kai instinctively had a bad premonition. It seemed that the Proprietress was thoroughly intoxicated, but how could a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master even get drunk?
“How dare you come back!?” The Proprietress questioned resentfully, her gaze filled with tears and grievance.
“What?” Yang Kai was no completely baffled.
The next instant, he felt a grip on his arm. He lowered his gaze, only to see that the Proprietress had clenched his arm as a violent force gushed into his body. At that moment, his expression changed drastically as he felt like he was a leaf that had dropped onto a raging ocean. He was completely unable to use his energy, and faced with the imminent storm, he could only be resigned to fate.
He hadn’t expected that the power of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be so horrifying. While he was still shocked and dumbfounded, the Proprietress exerted more force with her hand and hurled him away, which caused him to fall to the ground with a loud crash.
Following that, she leapt off the wooden bed and pressed one hand against his chest to make sure that he was unable to resist; then, with her other hand and two legs, she attacked him like raindrops falling from the sky. As she beat him up, she bellowed, “Little bastard, how dare you come back! How did you even have the gall to show your face here? Why didn’t you just get yourself killed out there? Why did you have to come back?”
Loud booms continuously rang out. Initially, Yang Kai was still able to parry her attacks, but he was soon overwhelmed. Left with no choice, he curled up on the ground and covered his face with his hands as he silently endured the unfathomable assault.
A long time later, the Proprietress seemingly became exhausted as she fell on her backside. While she was weakly thumping Yang Kai, she started bawling again.
Anyone would understand that she was truly heartbroken by just hearing her cry. Her tears streamed down her face like pearls slipping off a string as though she had suffered immense grievances.
Yang Kai lifted his head with a hideous expression, he wanted to curse, but upon seeing that she was in such a state, he couldn’t bring himself to. Resentfully, he questioned, “Crazy woman, why did you beat me up?”
He was well-meaning in his intent, coming all the way here to console her, but he had never expected that she would pin him to the floor and beat him. The fury in his heart couldn’t be alleviated no matter what.
In an abrupt manner, the Proprietress stopped crying. While her tears were still sliding down her face, she stared at Yang Kai and questioned darkly, “Did you just scold me?”
Her vision appeared blurred, so it was apparent that she wasn’t sober yet.
“So what if I scolded you?” Yang Kai yelled. Although he couldn’t defeat her, it didn’t mean he would meekly submit either, “Crazy woman! Crazy woman! Crazy woman!”
The Proprietress stared fixedly at him and put on a smile all of a sudden. Then, she wrapped one hand around his neck and pulled him towards herself, then she rubbed his head with her free hand, “Smelly Brat, you’re still the same!”
No one had ever rubbed Yang Kai’s head in such a way before, so he felt somewhat humiliated. Although he clenched his teeth and attempted to struggle out of her grip, he was unable to do so as he was going up against a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Since you’re back, don’t ever leave again! Come drink with me!” The Proprietress yelled as she grabbed a wine jar. Regardless of whether Yang Kai was willing to drink with her or not, she clenched his jaw and lifted his head a little before pouring the wine into his mouth.
The cold liquid slid down Yang Kai’s throat, and he immediately felt a burning sensation overwhelm him. In just a moment, a full bottle of wine had been poured into his stomach.
The next instant, Yang Kai felt like his stomach was on fire and he began seeing stars. His only thought was that this wine was ridiculously strong. Even someone like him, who possessed a Dragon Vein, became intoxicated immediately, so it was no wonder that the Proprietress was fully inebriated.
This was obviously no ordinary wine.
“I’m so happy you’re back. Don’t ever leave me again.” The Proprietress was laughing and crying at the same time, so it wasn’t certain what had gotten into her. After making Yang Kai chug a bottle of wine, she picked up a Heavenly Snow Fruit and stuffed it into his mouth, “It’s your favourite. Eat up,” she muttered.
[No! I don’t like such bitter and sour fruit!] Yang Kai wanted to resist, but his body had turned limp because of the wine and his vision had become blurred, so the entire fruit was easily stuffed into his mouth by the Proprietress.
The next thing Yang Kai knew, he was seeing double, then triple. Trying his hardest to stay conscious, he struggled out of the Proprietress’ arms and scrambled towards the door. In a drunken manner, he desperately called out, “Old Bai, save me!”
Not long after Yang Kai started crawling, he felt a grip on his ankle. He reckoned that the Proprietress must have grabbed him, and in the next instant, he was pulled backwards.
“Let’s drink!” The Proprietress pried his mouth open and poured another bottle of wine into his mouth.
Soon, Yang Kai felt the world spinning around him.
A long time later, he opened his eyes as his mouth felt extremely dry while his throat was burning. At that instant, all he could see were pink bed curtains, which caused him to fall into a dazed state.
A moment later, vague memories from the previous night sprang back into his mind. He recalled coming all the way here to check on the Proprietress, then he was beaten up by her. Following that, he was forced to down several bottles of wine before he passed out.
His memory stopped at the moment when he was pulled backwards and forced to drink the second bottle. As for what happened next, he had not the slightest idea. Yang Kai seriously wondered what kind of wine it was that was so strong it only took two bottles to knock him out.
[Where am I?] After staring at the pink bed curtains for a long time, he came to his senses and realised that he was possibly lying on the Proprietress’ bed; after all, he remembered that these bed curtains were hung around her wooden bed.
Feeling a piercing headache, Yang Kai tried to rub his head to relieve the pain, but he soon realised that something was holding his arm down. After turning his head, he widened his eyes and instantly sobered up. At that moment, he felt extremely agitated.
It wasn’t a thing that had been pressed against his arm, it was the Proprietress’ head! Presently, she was lying beside him with her body curled up. She appeared to be having a sweet dream as there was a faint smile on her face. Yang Kai had no idea how long she had remained in this posture, but he knew it was long enough for his arm to go numb.
At that instant, his expression was transformed by horror.
The situation he was in was terrifying. It wasn’t that the Proprietress was ugly, far from it in fact as she was an alluring lady with a beautiful face and a curvy figure. Any man would have fallen head over heels for her and given anything for a chance to lie in her bed.
The crux of the problem was that she was the Proprietress! Yang Kai had been tormented by her in the past few days, and when he came over to console her, she even beat him up. If she found out that not only had he climbed into her bed, but they had also snuggled for a long time, he would probably be skinned alive.
Fortunately, she was still fully dressed while he, although somewhat dishevelled and battered, was also wearing all his clothes. In other words, they didn’t do anything when they were drunk, which allowed Yang Kai to relax ever so slightly.
The outcome wasn’t the worst at the very least. If they had really done something more, his life would be over. Despite that, they were still in an intimate position. Anyone would have misunderstood them if they saw them lying on the same bed. Whatever the case, Yang Kai reckoned that he’d better run away now.
With his mind made up, he held his breath and carefully pulled out his arm from beneath her slender neck. Following that, he cautiously moved past her and got out of the bed.
Looking around, he realised that wine bottles had been scattered everywhere, and the smell of alcohol still filled the air. Clenching his teeth, Yang Kai recalled hearing from someone before that too much wine could easily lead to trouble. He had always been a disciplined man, so he would exercise moderation whenever he drank, which was why he had never gotten totally drunk before. After getting forced to down so many bottles of potent wine, he finally had a taste of true intoxication.
Yang Kai had no time to clean up the room, so after shooting a glance at the Proprietress, who was still lying on the wooden bed, he clenched his fist at her and began tiptoeing out of the room. After gently opening the door, he dashed out of the room and carefully closed the door in silence. His behaviour was that of a common thief, and if he hadn’t been actively suppressing it, he would’ve heard his own heartbeat.
When he was done, he was finally able to relax. He reckoned that he’d better stay as far away from this place as possible and return to his room quickly. As he re-arranged his clothes, he took a leap forward and directly landed on the deck.
Raising his head, he saw Bai Qi standing in front of him with a bucket of hot water in his hand. As their eyes met, Bai Qi became astounded, “You…”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well. He felt extremely guilty when he bumped into Bai Qi, so he hurriedly adjusted his collar and said, “Brother Bai, it seems that you’re busy with work.”
“En,” Bai Qi subconsciously nodded.
“Good, then, I’ll be going back to my room now,” Yang Kai replied, then he placed his hands behind his back and shuffled towards the cabin.
A stunned Bai Qi watched him leave, then he shifted his attention to the room on the top floor. The next instant, the bucket in his hand fell to the ground as the hot water splattered everywhere.
As Yang Kai pretended to be calm, he returned to his room and brushed away the cold sweat on his forehead. Not long after he was seated, he heard a loud boom coming from the door. Following that, three men charged into the room with gloomy expressions on their faces, their eyes seemingly filled with murderous intent.
“What are you doing?” A shocked Yang Kai stared vigilantly at Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef, who were inching closer to him, as he slowly stepped backwards.
Without uttering a word, the three men tacitly pounced on Yang Kai and pinned him down.
The accountant raised his golden abacus as though he was ready to strike while a glint flashed across the chef’s kitchen knife as he pointed it at Yang Kai’s head. Bai Qi even wrapped a white towel around Yang Kai’s neck twice and tightened it.
Yang Kai bellowed, “We can talk it out if you’re not happy with me! Why must you resort to violence!?”
Bai Qi lowered his figure and stared at Yang Kai as their faces almost came into contact. With a hideous expression, he said through gritted teeth, “Brat, I’ll ask you some questions, and you’d better answer me honestly. If you dare to lie, I’ll kill you immediately.”
“Then ask,” Yang Kai nodded. There were three of them while he was on his own, so he was unable to defeat them.
With bloodshot eyes, Bai Qi questioned, “Where were you last night?”
“Where else could I be other than inside a room?” He wasn’t lying as he was indeed in a room, just not his room.
“How dare you try to lie to us at this point? Show him what the consequences are!” Bai Qi shot a glance at the chef, who then raised his kitchen knife.
“Wait!” A horrified Yang Kai finally realised that these guys were serious. He would be seriously injured if he was hacked by the knife.
“You should’ve treasured the chance I gave you. I’ll ask you one more time. Where were you last night?” Bai Qi yelled.
An embarrassed Yang Kai felt speechless at that, “You already saw. Why are you still asking me this question?”
“What I saw might not be the truth. I want you to tell me yourself. Now, where were you last night?”
“I was… in the Proprietress’ room.” With a fawning smile, Yang Kai scratched his face and darted his gaze around. Right after he finished speaking, he felt that the towel around his neck became tighter, and a sharp knife was pressed against his head.
Bai Qi had exerted more force with his hands and with reddened eyes, he puffed out a hot breath through his nostrils and questioned, “Did you do it?”
“W-What do you mean?” Yang Kai found it difficult to breathe as he thumped the other man’s arms.
“I asked you whether you did it or not!” Bai Qi asked again through clenched teeth.
“No, I did nothing! The Proprietress and I did nothing!” Yang Kai defended himself with difficulty.
“Is that true?” Bai Qi didn’t seem to believe him. That was because the sight he saw earlier made him fall into his wild thoughts. It was morning when Yang Kai dashed out of the Proprietress’ room with dishevelled clothes, so Bai Qi couldn’t help thinking that something untoward might have happened between them.
“It’s definitely true!” Yang Kai hurriedly stuck out three fingers and swore to the Heavens.
Bai Qi examined him for a long time before the redness in his eyes faded. Then, he pulled the towel away from Yang Kai’s neck and stared fixedly at him, “Tell us what happened. If you dare to lie to us, we’ll never let you off!” After finishing his words, he clenched both ends of the towel and straightened it.
The accountant shook his golden abacus as the beads clacked with one another while the chef swayed his kitchen knife as a cold glint flashed across it.
Yang Kai covered his neck and coughed for a bit. With an apprehensive expression, he gazed at the three men in front of him and replied in a hushed voice, “Actually, I don’t know what happened either.”
“You don’t know?” Bai Qi glared at him with a furious expression, “Tell us what you do know then!”
A helpless Yang Kai briefly told them what had happened. Last night, upon hearing a woman’s sobs that were coming from the top floor, he went over to have a look. After entering the Proprietress’ room, he realised that she was the one crying, so he instinctively tried to console her; however, he hadn’t expected to be forced to down two bottles of wine, whereupon he passed out. When he awakened, he realised that he was already lying on her bed. As for what had happened when he was unconscious, he really had no idea, and he wasn’t able to recall it.
Upon hearing this, the three of them traded glances and secretly communicated with one another using their Divine Senses.
“Old Bai, didn’t you tell him not to bother the Proprietress recently?” The accountant asked.
An embarrassed Bai Qi replied, “I forgot! After he sent the Heavenly Snow Fruits to the Proprietress, I immediately turned on the barrier around my room, so I couldn’t detect anything.”
The chef and the accountant nodded to mean that they had done the same. If Bai Qi hadn’t messaged them earlier, they would’ve hidden in their rooms for one more day.
With the kitchen knife in his hand, the chef stroked his chin and shot Yang Kai a look, “Do you think we can trust him? Old Bai, you said that you saw him leaving the Proprietress’ room with dishevelled clothes, and his behaviour was stealthy.”
“That’s right. I personally saw it,” Recalling the sight earlier, Bai Qi became incensed as he glared at Yang Kai.
The accountant gave it a thought and said, “I think we can believe what he has said. All of us have tried the Proprietress’ wine before. We couldn’t even take half a bottle before blacking out. If two bottles of wine were really forced down his throat, I guess he wouldn’t be capable of anything else.”
Bai Qi and the chef nodded as they shuddered, recalling how strong the wine was. They never wanted to have a taste of it again.
“Everything is fine, then?” The chef stared at them.
The accountant nodded, “I guess nothing had happened.”
“I’ll take my leave, then,” the chef said, “The Proprietress might awaken soon, so I’ll prepare some hangover soup for her now.”
“I still have some accounts to sort out. So I’ll be leaving too,” the accountant said and shuffled out of the room with the chef.
In the blink of an eye, two of the three men were gone. Only Bai Qi was left standing there.
Yang Kai was puzzled by the change in their attitude. Earlier, he saw them communicating with one another using Divine Senses and shooting him cold glances from time to time, he was quite unnerved. Regardless of what had happened, he had climbed into the Proprietress’ bed and slept beside her for a night. Even though he didn’t do anything, it still wasn’t righteous. He had come up with the answers to the questions Bai Qi and the others might ask him, but never expected to just leave like that.
Bai Qi turned to look at him and nodded, “It seems that it’s just a misunderstanding. We’ve wrongly blamed you.”
Yang Kai nodded his head as well, “Indeed, a misunderstanding!”
“En,” Bai Qi replied with a smile, “Good, why did you enter the Proprietress’ room to console her now? Usually, around this time, we would just go into hiding and stay as far away from her room as possible. It seems I should be blamed for not informing you earlier… Hey! What are you doing?” While he was speaking, he suddenly realised that Yang Kai had turned on the room’s barrier and rose from the chair. Then, Yang Kai punched his right fist against his left palm as he stepped towards him with a hideous grin on his face.
Bai Qi forced a harmless smile at him, “Yang Kai, it’s just a misunderstanding. Let the past be the past. Cultivators like us should look forward and move on… Don’t hit my face!” He directly squatted and covered his head.
“Misunderstanding? Misunderstanding you say? You brought two partners into my room to interrogate me just because of a misunderstanding? Did you know how sharp the chef’s kitchen knife was? If I hadn’t shouted in time, he would’ve diced me into quarters. How dare you tell me it’s just a misunderstanding?”
Yang Kai went on to beat Bai Qi to vent out the grievances he had suffered from in the Proprietress’ room.
After a long time, Bai Qi stood up straight in exasperation and bellowed, “Enough! If you keep beating me up, I’ll fight back! Do you seriously think I’m no match for you? I’m just restraining myself from making a move on you!”
Hearing that, Yang Kai directly landed a kick on him, which caused him to fall to the ground.
…..
“How could you be so ruthless?” Sometime later, Bai Qi, whose face was swollen and livid, was seated and rubbing his wounds as he glared at Yang Kai.
“This is nothing compared to how brutal the Proprietress was.”
“You deserved it!” Bai Qi sneered, then he gasped upon irritating his wounds.
“Does it hurt?” Yang Kai stared at him and asked.
An exasperated Bai Qi replied, “What do you think?”
An elated Yang Kai cackled for a moment before he straightened his face and said in a hushed voice, “I must ask you something.”
“What?” Bai Qi replied with displeasure.
After pondering on how he should phrase the question, Yang Kai said, “Do I look like someone who is close to the Proprietress?”
Bai Qi froze, then he pretended to be nonchalant and asked, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai replied with a frown, “I have no idea…” Then, he recalled what he had gone through in the Proprietress’ room as some of the things she had said bothered him. At that time, she must have mistaken him for someone else, which was why she said that she was glad that he was back, and that he should never leave again. Apparently, she thought she was speaking to someone close to her whom she hadn’t met for a long time.
“Why would you ask this question if you have no idea?” Bai Qi sized him up.
Yang Kai didn’t know how to explain it to him, so he replied vaguely, “She just gave me a feeling that she had mistaken me for someone else. By the way, is she married?” He thought that this crazy woman might have regarded him as her husband.
“No. Proprietress has many admirers, but she’s never been interested in any one of them. I’ve also never seen her getting into a relationship with anyone.” Bai Qi shook his head and tried to change the topic, “What did she do that made you feel this way?”
“Well, nothing much. She basically beat me up and then forced two bottles of wine down my throat. I don’t know what happened next.”
“Didn’t she say anything?”
“She told me not to leave again since I’d come back.”
“Perhaps she was just spouting nonsense after getting drunk?”
Yang Kai nodded as that was the only reasonable explanation.
After they remained silent for a moment, Bai Qi asked, “Didn’t you think about running away?”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai turned to look at him in shock.
Bai Qi explained, “You were told to get some Heavenly Snow Fruits from Nine Nether Continent. Did the idea of fleeing never cross your mind? No one was with you at that time.”
“Where could I go?” Yang Kai snorted, “First Inn is immensely powerful and well-connected, so unless I go into hiding forever, I’ll be exposed and get caught. By then, I’ll end up in an even more miserable state.” Then, he suddenly understood something and stared at him with a frown, “So, it was a test for me by letting me go to Nine Nether Continent on my own?”
“Not really. You’re also a part of First Inn now, so you’re supposed to do something for the Proprietress,” Bai Qi chuckled.
While they were speaking, the door was pushed open from the outside. The chef entered the room and put down a basket on the table, “I’ve prepared some hangover soup. Take it to the Proprietress when she awakens.”
Yang Kai batted his eyes for a moment before he came to his senses, “Me?”
The chef shot him a glance, “Who else?”
A guilty Yang Kai said, “I don’t want to go. Chef, can you take it to her?”
The chef refused, “The Proprietress has said that you’re responsible for taking her three meals a day. I wouldn’t dare to disobey her orders.”
“Old Bai…” Yang Kai turned to look at Bai Qi and pleaded with him.
Bai Qi rose from the chair and patted his shoulder, “I’m not supposed to help you. Whatever happens though, you have my blessings.” Before Yang Kai could say anything, Bai Qi shuffled out of the room with the chef. Left alone in the room, Yang Kai stared at the basket on the table and fell into a dilemma.
He had no idea when the Proprietress would awaken, but he reckoned that it wouldn’t take long before that happened; after all, as the weaker cultivator, it had been half a day since he awakened, so there was no way the Proprietress, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would be knocked out for significantly longer.
After just one hour, the bell in his room suddenly rang out.
Yang Kai was frustrated at the sound of this bell. Since the Proprietress told him to take her three meals a day and clean her room, Bai Qi had installed a bell, and whenever it rang, it meant that the Proprietress was summoning him. If he ignored it, the bell would never stop ringing.
Regardless of how reluctant he was, Yang Kai knew he had to face the music. After taking a deep breath, he picked up the basket and trudged towards the deck. Following that, he leapt onto the top floor and knocked on the door, “Proprietress.”
The Proprietress could be heard grunting in a languid manner. Yang Kai could even imagine what she looked like now.
“I’m entering now,” he said and pushed the door open.
He directly entered the inner room and lifted his head. Just like what he had expected, the Proprietress was seated at her table as she propped up her forehead with her hand as she rubbed her temples.
The room looked just as chaotic as when he left. Fruit pits and wine bottles were scattered everywhere, and the bed was a mess.
Staring at the curvy figure before him, Yang Kai still couldn’t believe that he had slept beside her, feeling extremely fortunate to have survived.
At that moment, he wondered if she remembered what had happened last night, and whether she would find fault with him.
With his heart filled with apprehension, Yang Kai stepped into the room and opened the lid before fishing out a bowl of soup from the basket. Then, he presented it to the Proprietress and said, “Chef has prepared some hangover soup for you. Drink it while it’s warm.”
The Proprietress grunted lethargically and closed her eyes before falling into her thoughts. A long time later, she pulled the bowl of hangover soup towards herself and picked up a spoon. After she puffed out some air to the spoon, she started drinking the soup.
The way she drank soup was elegant. Although she was suffering from a hangover, she still hadn’t forgotten her manners. In a way, she was oddly attractive.
After drinking the soup for a while, she suddenly said, “Give me a massage.”
“Huh?” Yang Kai was apprehensive when she suddenly said that, so he was unable to react to it.
“I’m suffering from a headache. Give me a massage.” The Proprietress raised her hand and pointed at her head.
A speechless Yang Kai circled around her and started rubbing her temples from behind.
As she continued drinking soup, she questioned, “Why are you so obedient today?”
Yang Kai realised that he appeared overly guilty. That was because he wasn’t sure if she remembered what had happened last night, so he quickly said, “I just don’t want to argue with you since you’re hungover. As a woman, is it appropriate for you to get this drunk?”
After gulping silently, he then asked probingly, “What if someone took advantage of you when you were unconscious? You would be unable to resist.”
“That person would suffer a horrific death then,” she replied dispassionately, but her tone sounded menacing enough.
“I’m saying what if. There are brazenly licentious people out there.”
“You were pretty restrained at the very least.”
Yang Kai froze as he almost coughed up blood. After another hard gulp, he asked, “You… remember?”
“If you remember, how could I not?” She continued having her soup, “But I don’t remember much.”
Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to utter one more word lest he say something wrong. It was said that silence was golden, so he decided to quietly rub her temples. Nevertheless, he felt so anxious that it was as if someone was pointing a blade at his back.
“Don’t tell anyone what happened last night,” the Proprietress warned.
Yang Kai secretly thought that he had already exposed the secret. He was threatened by Bai Qi and the others at that time, so he had no choice; however, he wouldn’t dare to reveal that to her, so he nodded repeatedly, “Of course, I won’t tell anyone.”
After she was done with the soup, she said, “Clean up the room and prepare some hot water for me. I want to take a bath.”
Without saying a word, Yang Kai got to work. Soon, he finished cleaning up the room and left with the basket. A while later, he returned with a basin of hot water and poured it onto her bathtub.
Suddenly, he realised that after the incident last night, he was unable to rebuke the Proprietress anymore as he felt extremely guilty. Although he was bossed around like a servant, he didn’t dare to get mad at her.
While waiting outside the room, he heard the woman taking off her clothes, and following that, the sound of water splashing came from inside. However, he remained calm and collected as he didn’t dare to have any wild thoughts about her. As he looked into the void, his mind drifted elsewhere.
After she was done with the bath, Yang Kai helped her dispose of the bath water. Fortunately, he didn’t have to clean her clothes as she naturally didn’t allow him to. A maidservant from First Inn was responsible for this particular chore.
When the Proprietress emerged from her room, she appeared radiantly attractive. Upon seeing that, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state as though the woman before his eyes and the drunkard from last night were two different people.
Yang Kai watched attentively as the Proprietress ambled towards the gunwale and looked out at the colourful and endless void. She seemed to have fallen into a dazed state as though she was pondering on something.
Without disturbing her, Yang Kai entered the room and got rid of the bath water she had just used; then, he approached her and said, “Is there anything else you want me to do for you? If not, I’ll excuse myself now.”
The Proprietress didn’t turn her head as she said, “The universe looks beautiful.”
Yang Kai took a look and thought that the view was the same everywhere, so whether it was beautiful or not didn’t matter; however, he wouldn’t dare to respond like that, so he just remained standing behind her.
A long time later, the Proprietress waved her hand, “You may go now.”
After cupping his fists, Yang Kai turned around and left.
There were no more upheavals in the following journey. The only difference was that, since the incident, the Proprietress seemed to have gone through some kind of transformation. She stopped staying in her room all the time and would frequently visit the cabin and have a drink and play some games with Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef. Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t be spared from joining them.
Bai Qi and the others were obviously used to this, while on the other hand, as a newcomer, Yang Kai was forced to drink after losing the games for the first few times. Gradually, he became adept at the games and started gaining the upper hand.
It could be said that Yang Kai had finally seen the other side of the Proprietress. As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she could be considered incredibly amiable for being friendly to mere Emperor Realm Juniors like them.
One day, Yang Kai was meditating in his room when the door was once again pushed open without his permission. It was Bai Qi who barged into his room.
A speechless Yang Kai stared at him. He had told him countless times that he should knock before entering the room, but this guy refused to remember. Yang Kai even suspected that he was doing it intentionally.
“I won’t drink with you today,” Yang Kai waved his hand. He didn’t mind joining them and having a drink once in a while; after all, as long as he wasn’t given the Proprietress’ special wine, he wouldn’t get drunk. However, they had done it too frequently, so he was a little sick of it now.
“We’re not having a drink today. I’m here to take you somewhere,” Bai Qi grinned.
“Where?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at him.
“A good place. Come with me,” Bai Qi beckoned to him.
Yang Kai frowned, but his interest had been piqued because of how Bai Qi was acting. Since he had nothing to do, he decided to leave the room with him.
Upon reaching the deck, Bai Qi shouted at the room on the top floor, “Proprietress, open the barrier!”
The Proprietress didn’t respond to him, but the next instant, a gap opened up at the light barrier, which had always surrounded the ship. Apparently, the Proprietress was able to control it freely.
“Let’s go,” Bai Qi took Yang Kai’s arm and shot forward. After they were gone, the gap was immediately sealed.
Flying alongside Bai Qi, Yang Kai turned his head and asked, “Where are we going?”
“There,” Bai Qi pointed in a particular direction.
Yang Kai looked in the same direction and soon became amazed. That was because there was a building that looked like a palace in this endless void. The palace didn’t look special, but it was obviously massive. Furthermore, it faintly radiated a golden glow.
“What is that?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“Haha. You’ll find out about it when we reach our destination.” Bai Qi kept up his mysterious act.
Yang Kai pursed his lips and stopped asking. He reckoned that Bai Qi wouldn’t harm him so he decided to just wait and see.
After flying for one hour, they finally arrived at the palace. While they were still far away from the building earlier, Yang Kai had already seen many people moving around inside this palace, which made the place look bustling. Furthermore, a giant stone had been erected beside the main entrance, and a character had been engraved on it.
‘Universe’ was intricately carved on the stone, with strokes resembling soaring Dragons and flying Phoenixes. Obviously, it was a work by a Master carver.
“Is this a Universe Temple?” Yang Kai suddenly recalled what Bai Qi had told him before, which was why he attempted such a guess.
Bai Qi grinned, “You’re a clever brat. That’s right. This is a Universe Temple.”
“Why did we come here all of a sudden?”
Bai Qi replied, “Proprietress told me to bring you to this place so you can leave your Imprint here. It’ll be easier for you if you want to come back here in the future that way. Although you’re a Master of the Dao of Space, and you’re able to use a kind of teleportation, the void is extremely vast; therefore, the Universe Transference Law is more useful for travelling around.”
An elated Yang Kai said, “I’ll have to thank her, then.” He was already deathly curious when Bai Qi told him about Universe Transference Law and Universe Transference Seal some time ago in the inn. He wanted to visit those Universe Temples as quickly as possible, but he had no idea where they were. He hadn’t expected that he would see one so soon.
A moment later, the duo landed in front of the Universe Temple. Although it was called a temple, it was much larger than any palace Yang Kai had ever seen before. Moreover, he saw many cultivators exiting the temple, with no one entering the place like how and Bai Qi were doing.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that this wasn’t so strange. These cultivators could reach this temple by using the Universe Transference Law, so they didn’t have to fly in from the outside. On the other hand, he had to go in this way because he had never left his Imprint in this temple before. Yang Kai reckoned that many first-timers had to do the same.
Two guards, who were clad in golden armour, stood on both sides of the entrance. One of these imposing men was holding a spear, while the other one had a sword in his hand.
Bai Qi secretly spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Universe Temples are jointly operated by the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises, so these guards are also from these top forces. They’re all very arrogant, so don’t say anything later. I’ll handle everything.”
Yang Kai nodded to indicate that he understood him; then, he secretly sized up the guards and realised that they were both Open Heaven Realm Masters. He was shocked by the revelation as these top forces made Open Heaven Realm Masters act as door guards. What kind of top cultivator was in charge of this temple? He reckoned that the person must be as powerful as the Proprietress at the very least.
It was no wonder that no one would dare to make a scene here. Who would have the guts to do that if they were not strong enough? Those who were capable of doing so also wouldn’t attempt to offend those Cave Heavens and Paradises. It wouldn’t be fun to be hunted down by them if they joined forces.
The Open Heaven Realm Master on the left, who was holding a sword, stared at Bai Qi and Yang Kai as he bellowed, “What is your business here?”
With a smile, Bai Qi cupped his fists at him, “Sir, my friend wants to leave an Imprint here. Please permit us to pass.”
The person turned his head and swept a glance over Yang Kai. There was no emotion on his face as he had probably seen countless people who were just like Yang Kai. In a dispassionate tone, he said, “You know the rules, right?”
Bai Qi nodded repeatedly, “I know. I know.” Then, he presented a Space Ring to the guard.
The person took it and gently tossed it into the air before scanning it with his Divine Sense. Then, he nodded his head, “Come with me.” Upon finishing his words, he led the way for them.
Bai Qi called out to Yang Kai as they hurriedly followed along.
As they were walking behind the cultivator in golden armour, a puzzled Yang Kai asked, “Why did we have to give him some benefits for leaving an Imprint in this temple?”
Bai Qi shot him a glare, “Don’t say that!” Seeing that the Open Heaven Realm Master in front of them didn’t react in any way, he secretly spoke to Yang Kai in his mind, “Why do you think those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises decided to occupy these Universe Temples? Was it because they wanted to make life more convenient for everyone? If you want to leave an Imprint, you have to pay a fee.”
“How much is it?”
“100,000.”
A shocked Yang Kai said, “So expensive!”
He couldn’t believe that they needed 100,000 Open Heaven Pills to leave an Imprint here. In comparison, a Third-Order material cost about 150,000 pills. This was a lot of money for most people and most Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t afford it. 100,000 also wasn’t a small amount of money for Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters.
At that moment, Yang Kai recalled something and asked with a frown, “You said that in this universe, there are Universe Temples in every Great Territory. Some of them even have multiple temples. Does every temple charge a separate fee?”
“That’s right. However, the price is fixed. We have to pay 100,000 pills for every Imprint we want to leave behind.”
Yang Kai gasped upon hearing that. In that case, a cultivator had to spend a substantial amount of money just to leave a Brand in these Universe Temples. However, taking one’s safety into consideration, these expenses were inevitable.
After all, compared to wealth, a person’s life was obviously more important. If someone was unable to escape from his or her enemies, he or she could use the Universe Transference Law to reach any Universe Temple, which was one of the greatest safety charms in life in that kind of situation.
Those who weren’t willing to spend money on it would be hunted down and killed.
“It’s such a good way to make money,” Yang Kai lamented. If a cultivator decided to leave behind an Imprint in 10 different Universe Temples throughout his life, he would have to fork out 1 million pills. There were countless cultivators in the 3,000 Worlds, and everyone would attempt to have some measures to keep themselves safe. Moreover, the rich would certainly leave behind their Imprint in more than ten temples, so the amount of money they would end up spending was astronomical.
These Universe Temples were basically money trees for the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As long as these temples were not destroyed, countless pills would flow into their pockets without any effort on their side.
“Haha. That’s why they have joined forces to manage these places. No single great force can monopolise such a big business.” Bai Qi grinned.
As they moved forward, they continued chatting. Yang Kai realised that there were quite a lot of shops in this temple, and most of them were crammed with customers. As he watched these people move around, Yang Kai had a feeling that this place was just like a city. Although it wasn’t as lively as a real city, it was a rare sight to see so many people in this void.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t so surprising. The people who had come to this place using the Universe Transference Law must want to take a rest upon arrival. Some of them might even be forced to come here as they were hunted down by their enemies, so they needed a break. That was why this place was filled with people. Businesses flourished when people gathered together in the same place. Nevertheless, fighting was forbidden in any Universe Temple; therefore, even though there were many cultivators around, it was a very safe place.
While the cultivator in golden armour was leading the way, Bai Qi and Yang Kai followed him and communicated with one another. Yang Kai also regarded this as a chance to do some sightseeing.
Soon, they reached a secluded room. The cultivator in golden armour stopped in his tracks and turned around, “Go in. After you reach into the array and leave behind an Imprint, you can come out.”
Bai Qi patted his shoulder, “You might feel a little uncomfortable as this is your first time, but don’t worry. I’ll be waiting out here for you.”
In response, Yang Kai simply nodded his head.
The cultivator in golden armour fished out a token and unlocked the barrier around the secret room, whereupon Yang Kai pushed the door open and entered.
After Yang Kai entered the secluded room, the door was closed once again. He couldn’t see anything as it was pitch dark inside.
While he was puzzled, he suddenly saw a light expanding right in front of him. After a glance, he realised that the floor had lit up as a complicated and massive array was gradually outlined.
Knowing what was going on, he strode towards the centre of the array. As soon as he stopped in his tracks, a buzzing sound could be heard, which suggested that the array was now operating.
A faint pull could be felt coming from the array, and upon that realisation, Yang Kai hurriedly performed a hand seal and focused his mind. Clearly feeling that his own aura was attracted to the array, he reckoned that it was trying to record some of his unique information.
The buzzing sound was continuously heard as the array continued running.
A long time later, the buzzing sound slowly died down, and the light of the array faded. Eventually, the room became completely dark again.
After carefully sensing it, Yang Kai realised that a connection had been established between somewhere in the temple and him; however, he wasn’t sure how to make use of that connection as he had never learned the Universe Transference Law. Judging from what had happened though, he should have successfully left behind an Imprint.
In fact, he was curious about what the Universe Transference Seal looked like. He thought that he would see it after entering the room, but it was nowhere in sight; instead, he only came into contact with this array.
Since the Seal wasn’t around, there was nothing else he could do. After pacing around in the room for a while, Yang Kai realised that there was nothing special, so he pushed the door open and left.
Bai Qi asked, “How was it?”
“No problems,” Yang Kai didn’t feel any discomfort like what Bai Qi had described, figuring it had something to do with the fact that he was a Master of the Dao of Space. Those who couldn’t use Space Principles might feel uncomfortable when they came here for the first time.
“Good!” Bai Qi heaved a sigh of relief before turning to cup his fists at the cultivator in golden armour, “Many thanks, Sir.”
That person nodded dispassionately, “Fighting is forbidden inside the Universe Temple, violate the rules and you will be executed.” After finishing his words, he sealed off the room and turned around to leave.
He was only responsible for bringing Yang Kai to this place to leave his Imprint, not caring about the rest. As for when Yang Kai and Bai Qi would leave, it was up to them, as those from the Universe Temple wouldn’t interfere with that.
“Let’s buy some stuff while we’re here,” Bai Qi said and took Yang Kai’s arm before walking in a particular direction. He seemed familiar with the routes, so it was apparently not his first time here.
There were all sorts of things that Bai Qi had to buy, obviously purchasing supplies for the inn, so Yang Kai followed him and looked around.
“After leaving an Imprint here, you’ll have to cultivate the Universe Transference Law. Once you’ve learned it, you’ll be able to come here as you please. Of course, the prerequisite is that you’re in the same Great Territory. However, you have to remember that you must be within a safe distance. Once the Universe Transference Law is used, you’ll directly come to this place. Given your cultivation now, if the distance is too far away, you won’t be able to take the strain and might even be crushed to death.”
Yang Kai nodded to indicate he understood.
“There’s one more thing you have to remember. There’s a delay after you use the Universe Transference Law, so it’s not like you can use it to flee immediately. You have to take the delay into consideration. If you’re being hunted down by your enemies in the future, don’t use it in front of them; otherwise, you’ll be killed before you can escape. You must only use it in a safe place.”
Yang Kai asked, “How long is the delay?” He had to have a clear idea about it.
Bai Qi shot him a glance, “Given your cultivation now, about five to six breaths. Certainly, the more powerful your cultivation is, the shorter the delay becomes; however, it’s impossible to eliminate.”
“Who should I learn this Universe Transference Law from?” Yang Kai asked.
“I’ll teach you later.” Bai Qi grinned, “But you’ll have to pay me a fee.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai immediately covered his Space Ring and replied vigilantly, “I have no money!” He still owed the Proprietress 10 million pills, so who knew when he would be able to clear his debt?
Bai Qi said, “It’s fine even if you have no money. You even snatched that Golden Crow corpse from the Golden Crow Divine Palace, so you must have some Sun’s True Fires or even Sun’s True Golds on you,” As he spoke, he winked at Yang Kai.
“Nonsense!” Yang Kai replied resolutely.
“Don’t be such a stingy man. I’m not picky at all, so you can just give me a random Sun’s True Fire.”
“Forget it. I’ll ask the Proprietress to teach me the Universe Transference Law. Your help is not needed.”
Bai Qi was speechless at that.
One hour later, they flew out of the Universe Temple and returned to the ship. The First Inn’s ship was still anchored for them at a nearby place, so after they landed on the deck, the Proprietress summoned them to find out how things went. Upon learning that they had achieved their goal, she said nothing more and simply waved her hand to motion for them to leave.
Before that though, she tossed a jade slip at Yang Kai, “Since you’ve left behind an Imprint, you’ll have to study the Universe Transference Law. You’re an expert in the Dao of Space, so this Secret Technique shouldn’t be difficult for you to master. Go and cultivate it now.”
Yang Kai thanked her and left the room with Bai Qi. After closing the door, Yang Kai showed him the jade slip in his hand with a smug smile on his face.
Seeing that, Bai Qi appeared frustrated.
For the following ten or so days, Yang Kai stayed in his room to cultivate the Universe Transference Law. Just like what the Proprietress had said, it wasn’t difficult for him to learn this technique; after all, he was already familiar with Space Principles. Technically speaking, the Universe Transference Law was also a kind of Space Secret Technique; however, one had to rely on the Universe Transference Seal to use it. Anyone could use the Secret Technique without being a Master of the Dao of Space, which was why it was attractive.
It would take the average person half a year or more to learn the Secret Technique, but Yang Kai only needed slightly more than ten days to do so. If it weren’t because it wasn’t convenient for him, he would have loved to try out the Secret Technique.
Although he had no chance to give it a try, when he activated the Universe Transference Law, he could clearly feel that there was a connection between the Universe Temple and himself. However, at the most critical moment, he would cut off the connection lest he really be transferred to the temple.
The ship continued moving forward, but it wasn’t certain where their destination was. One month after they left the original location of First Inn, a loud buzzing sound was suddenly heard as the entire ship shook violently.
A flabbergasted Yang Kai dashed towards the deck, only to see that Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant were already there. The Proprietress was standing at the bow with a solemn expression as she performed a seal with one hand, her power fluctuating around her.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai asked in a hushed voice.
Bai Qi replied, “Don’t worry. We’re just passing through a Territory Gate.”
It was then that Yang Kai realised that they had reached a Territory Gate as the ship slowly entered it. He had passed through several Territory Gates in the past, but he was protected by Ah Sun’s jade white fox for those times. Except for the last time when the jade white fox ran out of energy, which made the journey become slightly dangerous for them, his other attempts were uneventful.
However, he hadn’t expected that it would cause so much commotion when the ship was passing through a Territory Gate, which made him think that they were confronted by some formidable enemies.
“Are we going to a different Great Territory?” Yang Kai was shocked.
“I think so,” Bai Qi nodded. Judging from what he had just said, it seemed that he had no idea where their destination was either.
The gigantic ship had to endure increased pressure when passing through the Territory Gate. Fortunately, the Proprietress was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so they were not worried at all.
A moment later, the entire ship entered the Territory Gate. With the protection of the light barrier, they didn’t feel any pressure. Looking around, Yang Kai realised that the view around him kept changing in an odd yet captivating manner.
After just a short while, the entire ship shook suddenly and became stabilised. The view around them looked just like any other in the void. Apparently, they had left the Territory Gate and arrived at a different Great Territory.
The Proprietress seemed exhausted after navigating the ship through the Territory Gate, so she returned to her room and took a rest while Yang Kai was dragged away by Bai Qi to have a drink and play games with the chef and the accountant.
A few days later, Yang Kai left the ship with Bai Qi and headed to another Universe Temple. After the first time, he already became familiar with the process, so he soon left his Imprint.
The ship continued moving forward. From time to time, Bai Qi would bring Yang Kai to the nearby Universe Temples. After seven to eight times, Yang Kai became embarrassed and when returning to the ship, he asked, “Old Bai, have I held all of you up?”
Bai Qi turned to look at him with a grin, “Have you only realised it now?”
An abashed Yang Kai said, “If it weren’t because of me, all of you could have used the Universe Transference Law and arrived at those Universe Temples in an instant. The ship isn’t even needed.”
“That’s right; however, you’re now a part of First Inn. In that case, we can’t possibly leave you behind.”
Yang Kai pressed his lips together, “Is this the Proprietress’ order?”
Bai Qi nodded, “Of course.”
“Seems she really is kind-hearted…” Yang Kai scratched his head, “She spent 800,000 pills for me to leave an Imprint in those temples.”
Bai Qi gazed at him and batted his eyes, “Do you think Proprietress was paying the fees for you?”
A stunned Yang Kai asked, “Isn’t that the case?”
Bai Qi grinned, “Proprietress said that she’s just lending you the money. You’ll have to pay her back in the future.”
“What!?” Yang Kai was astonished, “So, I’m the one who has to pay those fees?”
“Of course!” Bai Qi winked at him.
Yang Kai became rooted to the spot. He thought that the Proprietress had paid the fees for him, but he hadn’t expected it to be nothing more than a loan. At that instant, he felt his face twitching.
Seeing that, Bai Qi said, “If you’re reluctant to spend the money, we don’t have to stop the ship whenever we pass by a Universe Temple.”
“Of course I want to go to those Universe Temples!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth. Certainly, he had to visit those temples as they might save his life in the future. Even if he didn’t come across any danger, he could use them to reach his destination faster. He already had a substantial debt anyway, so it didn’t matter for him to spend 100,000 more for each temple. Compared to the 10 million he owed already, this was practically nothing.
Half a year had passed just like this, and after passing through four Great Territories, they finally arrived at their destination.
Upon learning the news, an excited Bai Qi dragged Yang Kai towards the deck and pointed at a Spirit Province in the distance, “Brat, do you know where this is?”
Yang Kai replied, “How would I know?”
He was still exploring the Outer Universe that he was unfamiliar with, which was why he had no idea where they were. Looking to the side, he realised that the Proprietress was just standing at the gunwale, her dress gently flapping in the wind, a faint smile on her face. Apparently, she also became extremely bored after doing nothing for half a year, so now that they had finally arrived at their destination, she became cheerful.
Yang Kai ambled forward and stopped in a spot that wasn’t far away from the Proprietress, “Is that our destination?”
The Proprietress tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded her head, “You’re right. That’s our destination.”
“Where is this?” It took the ship half a year to pass through several Territory Gates to finally reach this place, so Yang Kai was curious.
“That’s the Star City of this Great Territory.” Bai Qi approached him with an excited expression and asked, “Brat, have you heard of Star Cities?”
He thought that Yang Kai had never heard of such a place before.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “That’s a Star City?”
He couldn’t help looking in that direction, but he couldn’t see what was going on over there due to the great distance; moreover, the Spirit Province seemed to have been surrounded by a Grand Array, so all he could see was a blurred area.
Zhang Ruo Xi told him that if he wanted to learn anything about the World Tree, his best option was to visit a Star City. That was because such places were where people from all walks of life in the Outer Universe gathered together. With so many people coming and going, a lot of information could be traded for along with many precious items. Perhaps he could find out where the World Tree was in such a place.
Unfortunately, right after he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds, he was brought to Seven Wonders Land to become a Worker. Then, he roamed around the universe for a while before arriving at First Inn. He had no time to look for a Star City, nor did he have any idea where one was. He hadn’t expected that the Proprietress’ destination was actually a Star City.
“You already know about them?” Bai Qi was shocked.
“I’ve heard of them before.” Yang Kai nodded, and then he turned to look at the Proprietress, “Will we stay there for the long term?”
First Inn was destroyed during a battle, so they had to look for a new place to settle down. There was no way they had spent half a year coming all the way here just to buy supplies, so they would most likely stay there.
“For the time being,” The Proprietress nodded. Noticing the excitement on his face, she flashed a smile at him, “You seem interested in this Star City.”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve never seen one before, so of course I’m curious.”
The Proprietress said with a smile, “There’s nothing special about it. The world you’re from must have many different shopping districts and trade cities. A Star City is just a bigger, higher-level type of shopping district. The things on sale are also more expensive.”
Yang Kai nodded his head and looked forward again. He was pondering whether he should ask the Proprietress about the World Tree; after all, First Inn engaged in the business of collecting information. If the World Tree really existed, the Proprietress must be aware of it. After giving it a thought though, he decided not to. He would just ask around after reaching the city.
Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant were having a chat amongst themselves on the deck, and a salacious look adorned Bai Qi’s face.
One hour later, the ship arrived at a dock in the periphery of the Spirit Province. There were quite a few cultivators guarding the dock. Their leader was clad in golden armour and had a long sword sheathed at his waist. He looked just like an imposing General.
After the ship stopped at the dock, the Golden Armour General lead a group of cultivators and boldly jumped onto the deck. With his hand resting on his sword, he swept a glance over them in an imposing manner.
A soldier in silver armour stepped forward and yelled, “Identify yourselves and present documents!”
The Proprietress hinted at Bai Qi, who then moved forward and passed a jade slip to the soldier in silver armour. After scanning it with his Divine Sense, the soldier became surprised and presented the jade slip to the Golden Armour General.
After reading it, the general nodded gently, “So it is First Inn’s Madam, I apologize for failing to recognise you earlier.”
The Proprietress kept a faint smile on her face, “General, you’re responsible for guarding an important place like the Star City’s dock, so you must be swamped with work. It’s understandable that you didn’t recognise me.”
While they were speaking, Bai Qi put on a smile and passed a Space Ring to the soldier in silver armour. At this point, the Proprietress said, “All of you have worked hard. Please take this gift from me and buy some refreshments for yourselves.”
The soldier didn’t know how to handle the Space Ring as he looked inquisitively at the Golden Armour General.
The general said with a smile, “Since it’s a gift from Madam Lan, just accept it.”
It was only then that the soldier set his mind at ease and stored the Space Ring before cupping his fists to the Proprietress.
The Golden Armour General went on to say, “Madam Lan, it’s just the usual practice, so please don’t pay it any mind.” Then, he passed the jade slip back to Bai Qi and led them to leave the ship. Following that, he waved his hand, “Let them pass!”
Then, the barrier at the dock slowly opened and the Proprietress thanked him before sailing the ship towards the Spirit Province.
Aboard the ship, Yang Kai was amazed by what had just happened. It was apparent that the Proprietress had a wide network. She might not know the Golden Armour General, but after she fished out a simple jade slip, the general could immediately recognise that she was First Inn’s Madam Lan, which suggested that she was truly famous in the Outer Universe.
It wasn’t surprising as she could be considered a powerful cultivator as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; furthermore, she was a charming lady, so she could easily attract others’ attention.
However, there was one thing that Yang Kai didn’t understand, so he approached Bai Qi and asked in a small voice, “Why are there so many soldiers in the periphery of the Star City? Is this city not safe? Would anyone invade this place?”
Bai Qi replied, “No one would dare to do so. This Star City is the property of Great Battle Heaven. The Golden Armour General and the soldier in silver armour are all from Great Battle Heaven. They keep guard on the dock because that allows them to control the entire Star City. Secondly, they have to fend off Space Beasts. Have you seen Space Beasts before?”
“Is the Myriad Facets Insect considered a Space Beast?” The only Space Beast Yang Kai had come across was the Myriad Facets Insect, which caused Zhang Ruo Xi and him to be separated at that time. Until this day, he still had no idea where she was.
Nevertheless, she had inherited some memories from her ancestor, so she had a better understanding of the Outer Universe than he did. In the light of that, Yang Kai felt he didn’t have to worry about her. If he wasn’t mistaken, she must have headed to Lang Ya Paradise; after all, that was the place where her ancestor was born.
“Yes, it can be considered a Space Beast; however, Myriad Facets Insects are basically harmless. Some Space Beasts love places that are bustling with noise and activity, and they’re all generally quite powerful. If they manage to barge into a Star City, they can cause a lot of damage. With the soldiers guarding the dock, these Space Beasts normally wouldn’t dare to make a scene.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai went on to ask, “You just mentioned Great Battle Heaven. Is it one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens?” He recalled seeing the name in the jade slip given to him by Meng Hong, who was a disciple from Great Moon Province.
“That’s right. The first Universe Temple you visited was guarded by those from Great Battle Heaven as well. They’re easily recognisable as they’re just like an army. They live by military rules, and they’re divided by ranks. They’re a bunch of rough people.”
Yang Kai grunted, “It’s no wonder Proprietress called him General.”
Bai Qi grinned, “A General is in fact a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. That guy is supposed to be a Great General in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realms. There are also Great Generals in the Fourth-Order or Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. A Grand Marshal is someone who is one rank above them.”
“Interesting…” Yang Kai was amazed, then he changed the topic, “By the way, which great force is First Inn from?”
Although it had been half a year since he joined First Inn, he still had no idea which great force was behind the inn; nevertheless, he was certain that it had to be one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises.
“Go ask Proprietress,” Bai Qi grinned.
Yang Kai shot him a glare as he had the urge to rip his mouth off.
While they were speaking, the ship arrived at the Spirit Province where the Star City was located. After the ship passed through the clouds, an abundance of World Energy came right at them, which prompted Yang Kai to take a deep breath. They had been roaming around the void for a long time. When he finally reached such a place, he felt like a wanderer who had finally found a place to settle down.
The Spirit Province couldn’t be considered expansive. Looking from above, one could see the end of it at a glance. It was the equivalent of a few major cities combined.
However, one could see that the entire Spirit Province was full of different styles of buildings. The clean and wide streets criss-crossed one another like the pattern on a chessboard. The streets were also lit up by beautiful lights.
On the ground, countless people could be seen moving around. In the sky, some people could be seen flying around from time to time. There were also some uniquely-shaped flight-type artifacts.
Seeing that, Yang Kai fell into his thoughts. It seemed that flying wasn’t prohibited in this place, which was a friendly practice. Many cities and forces erected Flight Inhibiting Arrays which prevented anyone from flying.
After the ship moved forward for about a quarter-hour, the Proprietress called out, “Disembark now.”
Upon hearing that, the people on the deck flew up. The Proprietress performed a set of hand seals as her energy fluctuated around her, whereupon the ship began shrinking rapidly and soon became an item the size of a palm. Following that, she hid it in her sleeve.
“Let’s go,” she said and landed on the ground, followed by those from First Inn.
There were over ten people that worked for First Inn, a number that was neither big or small. Besides Bai Qi, the accountant, and the chef, whom Yang Kai was already familiar with, the rest of them were general workers.
After all, it didn’t require a lot of people to run an inn. Ten people were more than sufficient.
A moment later, the group reached a shop, but it wasn’t certain what was sold here as there was no signboard. It was in a prime location, however, as it was at the intersection of some streets, there were a lot of people moving around.
The Proprietress looked around and nodded gently before walking inside.
Soon, an elderly man approached her and cupped his fists, “Greetings, Madam. This one is Yuan Rui De.”
The elderly man was an Open Heaven Realm Master, but he wasn’t very strong. Although he was old, he was still respectful to the Proprietress.
In response, the Proprietress nodded her head.
Yuan Rui De said, “You must be exhausted. Do you need to take a rest?”
The Proprietress waved her hand, “There’s no need for that. Let’s get down to business now.”
“Good. Have a seat, please.” Yuan Rui De extended his hand.
After Madam Lan was seated, he fished out a jade slip and passed it to her, “This is the title deed of this shop. Everything has been settled.”
The Proprietress took it and briefly scanned it before storing it.
Then, Yuan Rui De fished out another jade slip, “This contains the information of the businesses under those great forces, including the shop names and the top cultivators that work in those shops.”
After that, he took out one more jade slip, “This one contains the information about the shopkeepers and the shop hands in those shops.”
After going through the information in the last two jade slips, the Proprietress nodded her head, “Many thanks.”
Yuan Rui De replied, “It’s within my duties.”
As the Proprietress fiddled with the jade slips, she asked, “How about the previous owner of this shop? Have you made him suffer any grievances?”
Yuan Rui De said with a smile, “I’ve paid him twenty percent more than the market value of his shop. The money is enough for him to buy a new shop in a different location with a tidy profit left over. He couldn’t be happier, so I’m sure he doesn’t feel aggrieved at all.”
“Very good,” A gratified Proprietress nodded her head.
Yuan Rui De bent his back slightly, “Madam, is there anything else you need me to do for you? If not, I’ll take my leave and report to my higher-ups now.”
“Do you want to stay overnight here before leaving?”
“Many thanks for your concern, Madam, but I’ve stayed here for quite a few days already so it’s best I head back quickly.”
“I won’t make you stay, then. Old Bai, please see him off,” the Proprietress ordered.
With a smile, Bai Qi stepped forward and extended his hand, “Please.”
“Farewell, Madam.” Yuan Rui De saluted her before striding out of the shop.
After he was gone, the Proprietress looked around and nodded, “It’s a good place.”
Bai Qi approached her, “Proprietress, are we going to reopen our inn here?”
The Proprietress walked around and asked casually, “What’s wrong?”
A glint flashed across Bai Qi’s eyes as he said with a grin, “There’s nothing wrong with it. As long as you’re around, we’re fine with anywhere.”
The Proprietress scoffed, “Do you think I have no idea what’s on your mind? All of you are bored after travelling the void for so long, so you’re eager to have fun in this lively place. I’m warning you now, all of you can have fun, but don’t invite any trouble or slack off on your work; otherwise, I won’t let you off.”
“We won’t,” Bai Qi assured her before he turned his head to wink at the chef and accountant. He could barely contain his excitement.
“There’s dust,” The Proprietress wiped the armrest of a chair and took a look at her finger before rubbing it off on Bai Qi’s shoulder. Then, she turned and made a circular movement with her finger, “Get everything here changed by tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Bai Qi replied respectfully.
The Proprietress covered her mouth and yawned, “I’m tired, so I’ll take a rest now. All of you, have a good night’s sleep as we start work tomorrow.”
“Until tomorrow then, Proprietress,” Bai Qi, the chef, and the accountant stood in a row and watched her enter a room. Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before joining them.
The Proprietress shot them a glance as she had seen through their thoughts. After flicking her sleeve, she shuffled into a room and said, “Yang Kai, come with me.”
Instantly, Bai Qi and the others gazed at Yang Kai with sympathetic looks on their faces.
At that, Yang Kai was speechless as well. He wanted to take the opportunity to explore the Star City, but he hadn’t expected to be forced to stay in the shop by the Proprietress. He wondered what she was up to.
With a helpless look on his face, he watched as Bai Qi and the others ambled out of the shop with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
After a sigh, he shuffled towards the rear court. Hearing some noises from a room, he went over and knocked on the door.
Then, the Proprietress was heard saying, “Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed the door open, only to see that two maid servants were busy making the bed for the Proprietress. What shocked him was that the wooden bed he had seen on the ship had been placed in this room now.
“Proprietress, what’s wrong?” Yang Kai asked. He had been getting along with her pretty well for the past few months as she had never found fault with him again after that incident.
The Proprietress was seated in front of a quaint desk as she raised her head and asked, “You have an artifact that can conceal your figure and aura, right?”
“Why are you asking this question all of a sudden?” Yang Kai was puzzled. Nevertheless, he couldn’t hide it from her as she had already noticed him when they were in the Golden Crow Divine Palace; therefore, it was reasonable that she had this speculation. Upon that realization, he simply nodded his head.
“Let me have a look,” The Proprietress extended her hand.
Hearing that, Yang Kai summoned the Shadowless Veil and passed it to her.
The Proprietress took it with a faint smile on her face, “Aren’t you worried that I won’t return it to you?”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Nonsense. There’s no way you’d be interested in such a thing.”
“Nothing is ever for certain,” After finishing her words, the Proprietress examined the veil and infused her power into it to probe it.
A moment later, she nodded gently, “This artifact itself is not bad. It should be able to prevent anyone below the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm from seeing through it. Even Mid-Rank cultivators might neglect it if they’re not careful enough.”
Yang Kai gave her a thumbs-up. The conclusion she had come up with was the same as what Du Ru Feng had said. She was able to come to this conclusion by just probing the artifact without refining it, which went to show that her vision and insight were incredibly sharp.
“You were pretty brave to rely on this thing to make a fuss in the Golden Crow Divine Palace.” The Proprietress flashed a faint smile at him.
Yang Kai sighed, “I was left with no choice at that time. I didn’t even mean to enter that place.” He was trapped in that hallway for no reason, and then relied on his instincts to deal with the following issues. His actions were not intentional. Even the Golden Crow corpse was taken away by him by chance.
“Do you trust me?”
“Hmm?” Yang Kai looked at her doubtfully. He had no idea how to reply to her after he was asked such a question all of a sudden.
The Proprietress fiddled with the Shadowless Veil, “If you trust me, let me keep this thing for now. I’ll return it to you after some time.”
[What is the woman up to?] Although the Shadowless Veil was valuable, it wasn’t worthy of her attention; after all, she was able to see through its concealment at a glance back then. Furthermore, after spending half a year together with her, Yang Kai was convinced she wasn’t someone who would snatch things from other people.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “Can you tell me what you need this veil for?”
“You’ll find out when the time is right,” After finishing her words, the Proprietress directly put the Shadowless Veil away without getting his permission first. She didn’t give him a chance to regret it.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai became frustrated. He was weak now, so the Shadowless Veil was the most useful artifact he possessed currently. If it was really snatched by the Proprietress, he would be heartbroken; however, there was nothing he could do as he was much weaker than she was. What’s more, he still owed her more than 10 million Open Heaven Pills, so for now he could only regard the veil as part of the repayment of his debt.
Following her actions though, the Proprietress fished out a box from her space ring and pushed it towards him, “Take it.”
“What is this?” A puzzled Yang Kai gazed at her.
“Open the box and see it for yourself.”
Since she had said as much, Yang Kai stopped asking questions and picked it up. The box was neither heavy nor big, only about as wide and long as a chopstick, making him wonder what was inside it.
After opening the box, Yang Kai was startled by what he saw. There was a true-to-life mask lying in the box. It was so delicate that it was as though it was really taken from a person’s face. Apparently, it was a product from a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner.
Upon picking it up, Yang Kai realised that the mask was practically weightless and as thin as a cicada’s wings.
Yang Kai wasn’t someone who had just started cultivating, so although it was the first time he saw this mask, he had a speculation about what this artifact’s uses were.
“Seven Faces.” The Proprietress folded her hands and rested her chin on them as she looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “This treasure is called Seven Faces, which means that it can transform into seven different faces. More importantly, it can even alter the user’s aura, voice, and figure, making it truly useful for concealment. It’s something I obtained a long time ago.”
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he heard this. He had heard about masks that could help change a person’s appearance; however, those items could only alter a person’s physical appearance so others could easily see through such a disguise. On the other hand, Seven Faces could alter a person’s aura, voice, and figure, which was truly incredible. In other words, it could completely turn the user into someone else.
“This treasure has the same limitations as yours. It can’t block powerful cultivators from probing you. If that person has a strong Divine Sense, they can still see through your disguise. With that said, it can prevent Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators from spying on you.”
In disbelief, Yang Kai gulped and said, “Proprietress, why did you…”
“Take it. You’re too weak right now, so you need an artifact like this to protect yourself.”
“You shouldn’t have…” Yang Kai appeared elated. Despite what he had said, he was unwilling to put it down. In fact, the Shadowless Veil was more than enough to ensure his safety. However, if he also had the help of Seven Faces, he could be unrestrained when carrying out some tasks. At that instant, he was eager to go back to his room with the artifact and refine it to experience its abstrusity.
Nonetheless, he still said, “This is too expensive. I don’t think I deserve it.”
The Proprietress kept a smile on her face, “5 million.”
Yang Kai became startled before he turned to stare at her, “What do you mean?” Why did she mention 5 million all of a sudden?
The Proprietress explained, “I’ll lend it to you until you become an Open Heaven Realm Master. The fee is 5 million Open Heaven Pills.”
An enraged Yang Kai bellowed, “You dare still say this isn’t a bandits’ inn!?”
He had the urge to strike her beautiful, smiling face with the Seven Faces in his hand. It was inconceivable that he was charged 5 million for a mask that he would have to return after he became an Open Heaven Realm Master. Why didn’t she just become a professional thief instead? It was no wonder that she kept looking smilingly at him as though she was up to no good. He regretted deeply the fact that he was actually moved just now.
The Proprietress said lightly, “Whether or not you want to borrow this artifact, it’s up to you.”
An exasperated Yang Kai put down the box and turned around to leave. On the other hand, the Proprietress watched him leave with a smile on her face as she tilted her head and rested her chin on one hand.
Three breaths later, Yang Kai stormed into the room and grabbed the box, shooting the Proprietress a glare before leaving again.
The Proprietress shouted from behind, “It’s 16.2 million now!”
Hearing that, Yang Kai staggered as he felt extremely bitter. It hadn’t been long since he arrived in the Outer Universe, but he had already owed the Proprietress a huge amount of money. How long would it take before he could clear this debt?
Behind him, the Proprietress could be heard laughing heartily, which showed that she was pleased with what she had achieved today.
A bitter Yang Kai found a room in the inner court and pushed the door open. The room was well-decorated, and it was complete with every basic facility he needed.
Sitting on the bed, he suppressed his fury and examined the box. Although 5 million was indeed a lot of money, Seven Faces was probably more beneficial to him than the Shadowless Veil at this point. If it was used at the right time and in the right location, the benefits couldn’t be gauged in mere monetary terms; therefore, despite the fact that the Proprietress was a black-hearted woman, Yang Kai still had no choice but to borrow this artifact from her.
After closing the door, Yang Kai took out Seven Faces from the box, and with the help of the dim light, he carefully pasted the mask on his face in front of a mirror.
It was so comfortable that it was as though nothing had been placed on his face at all, surprising him once more at its thinness and lightness; however, his face didn’t change as he hadn’t refined the artifact yet.
Then, he sat down on the bed with his legs crossed and emptied his mind before circulating his strength to refine it.
A few days later, Yang Kai, who was still refining Seven Faces, suddenly heard a series of rapid footsteps approaching his room. Following that, the door was pushed open from the outside as Bai Qi stuck in his head, “Brat, it’s time to start working. Come to the lobby now.”
Yang Kai grunted and took Seven Faces away from his face. After storing it away, he shuffled out of his room.
A few days had passed, but he still hadn’t fully refined Seven Faces, so he couldn’t activate its power yet; nevertheless, this process couldn’t be rushed. Therefore, he would just do it slowly over time.
In comparison, he was more curious about why the Proprietress had decided to come all the way to this Star City. Supposedly, after First Inn was destroyed, she should have rebuilt it in the same spot. What was her purpose for coming here?
With that said, it had nothing to do with him. Presently, he was just a shop hand hired by the inn, so he just had to obey the Proprietress’ orders.
Upon reaching the lobby, he realised that everyone from First Inn was already there, and he was the only one who was late. Hurriedly, he stood beside Bai Qi and scanned the surroundings. Everything in the lobby had been changed as all the tables and chairs appeared brand new. They must have bought new ones over the past few days.
After he joined the group, the Proprietress started giving them a pep talk. There was nothing special as she just said that the previous inn was destroyed, and they had to settle down here. Although they had come to a new place, the things they had to do remained unchanged; therefore, she hoped that everyone could work hard and move forward together.
Certainly, they all agreed to it.
Then, the Proprietress told Yang Kai and Bai Qi to hang the signboard of First Inn above the front entrance, which signalled that they were officially open for business. Seeing that, Yang Kai was speechless. First Inn was famous throughout the Outer Universe, but no one had come to congratulate them on the first day of reopening, which made them look somewhat pitiful.
With that said, the Proprietress certainly didn’t invite anyone to come over; after all, it had only been a few days since they arrived at this place, so they didn’t have the time for such minor things. Furthermore, as long as the signboard of First Inn was hung, they didn’t have to worry about not having customers. First Inn had been around for thousands of years, and they were now open in this Star City, where lots of people had gathered together and information could be spread around quickly. If anyone wanted to purchase information, they would have to come to First Inn.
Not long after the signboard was hung, a thin and shifty-looking middle-aged man appeared outside the doors.
As though he couldn’t believe that First Inn had opened a shop in this lively city, he kept looking around and beating around the bush. It wasn’t until the Proprietress revealed her Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura that this man was finally convinced.
Then, he requested a private room to have a chat with the Proprietress. It wasn’t certain what she was worried about, but she had brought Bai Qi and Yang Kai with her.
The middle-aged man was here to buy information. It wasn’t a top secret as he was just looking for the whereabouts of a certain type of precious treasure. After the Proprietress revealed the information to him, he became ecstatic and thanked her repeatedly. Following that, he put down some money and sauntered out of the inn.
An amazed Yang Kai had no idea how much money the person had left behind, but he reckoned that it must have been quite a sum. The Proprietress could earn lots of money by just selling information, making Yang Kai envious of this kind of business that required such low operating costs.
After the customer was gone, the Proprietress respectively gave Bai Qi and Yang Kai a jade slip and parted her lips, “Have a look.” Then, she took a sip of the tea.
A doubtful Yang Kai took it and scanned it with his Divine Sense, only to realise that the information in the jade slip was quite bizarre. The jade slip contained information such as shop names and their locations in the Star City. Besides that, it also included information such as the names of the shopkeepers and their cultivation. Recalling the jade slips given to the Proprietress by Yuan Rui De some time ago, Yang Kai reckoned that this was the same information.
Puzzled, he stared at the Proprietress and asked, “Who are they?”
The Proprietress lifted her head and shot him a glance, “Just like you, they owe us money.”
An amazed Yang Kai said, “There are people who have the guts to owe us money?”
First Inn was in the business that bought and sold information, and their customers had to pay in pills on delivery of service. How was it possible that so many people owed them money?
To the side, Bai Qi landed a kick on Yang Kai, which prompted him to turn his head, “What?”
The corner of Bai Qi’s mouth twitched as he put on a hollow laugh.
An exasperated Proprietress explained, “Our First Inn branch being destroyed has something to do with the great forces behind these shops, and I’ve already said that I will never let them off.”
Yang Kai became startled for a moment before he came to his senses, “You mean, the great forces behind these shops were the ones who had made a move in First Inn?”
“Naturally. Otherwise, why would I have come all the way here?”
With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “What do we have to do?”
“Demand payment,” the Proprietress tapped on the table and said slowly. “Collect 10 million from every force listed.”
At that instant, Yang Kai felt an ache in his head. The reason he owed the Proprietress 10 million was that the inn’s destruction was partially his fault, so it wasn’t outrageous to demand 10 million from every one of those great forces that had participated in that fight that day. However, he was just an Emperor Realm Master while the people who had made a fuss in the inn previously were either from First Class Cave Heavens and Paradises, or Second Class great forces with Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command. Would they even bother to meet a nobody like him, let alone deliver compensation?
The Proprietress seemed to understand his concerns, so she said, “Debts must be repaid, and we’re in the right to collect it from them. It would be best if they’re willing to pay, but if they refuse, I don’t mind making a fuss at their headquarters.”
A frustrated Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, if I’m not mistaken, some of the people who made a scene in the inn are from Cave Heavens and Paradises. How…”
The Proprietress cut him off by saying, “I’ll personally deal with them, so you don’t have to worry about it. You’ll handle the rest.” Then, she shot them a glance, “This is a matter which reflects upon our inn’s reputation, so don’t make any mistakes.”
“Proprietress may rest assured. I will definitely complete this task without embarrassing you,” Bai Qi cupped his fists and replied loudly.
Yang Kai gulped down what he was about to say as the Proprietress gazed at him and asked, “What about you?”
She was forcing Yang Kai to make his stance clear, so he said through clenched teeth, “I’ll do my best. I’ve never collected debts before, so I’m not familiar with it.”
The Proprietress said, “You currently owe me 16.2 million Open Heaven Pills. En, five percent of the debt you collect will go towards your repayment.”
“Seriously?” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened. Five percent might sound like a small number, but if he could collect 10 million, 500,000 would go towards his debt. There were about twenty shops listed in the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress, so if he could collect debts from all of them, he would pay off 10 million all at once.
“I’m always serious when it comes to money.” The Proprietress nodded.
In a far more forceful manner than before, Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Rest assured, this Yang will collect those debts regardless of what it takes.”
A satisfied Proprietress nodded her head and waved her hand, “Go now.”
At the same time, Yang Kai and Bai Qi turned around with their gazes filled with murderous intent, as though they were determined to achieve their goals at any cost.
After leaving the room, Bai Qi asked, “Why do you owe her 5 million more all of a sudden? Wasn’t it supposed to be 11.2 million?” 10 million was what Yang Kai already owed, and 1.2 million was the fee for leaving his Imprint at those Universe Temples. Bai Qi was aware of all that, but the extra 5 million puzzled him.
Yang Kai directly dodged the question by saying, “Old Bai, I reckon that we’d better come up with a way to collect these debts first.”
The Proprietress had lent him Seven Faces, but Yang Kai felt that he’d better keep it a secret for now.
Bai Qi replied, “I already have an idea. Come to my room for now so we can plan our strategy.” Then, he took Yang Kai’s arm and lugged him away.
After they entered the room and sat down, Yang Kai asked, “Have you collected debts before?”
Bai Qi shook his head, “No, it’s my first time.”
In disbelief, Yang Kai widened his eyes, “How dare you make such a bold claim when it’s your first time?” Bai Qi just claimed that he would definitely complete the task!
A nonchalant Bai Qi replied, “What is there to worry about? We have the Proprietress behind us, so we’ll just demand repayment from them first. If we can’t do it, we’ll just ask the Proprietress to make a move. I’m sure they wouldn’t dare to default on the debts then.”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. Bai Qi could carry out such a plan, but he couldn’t. The Proprietress had said that five percent of the debts he collected would go towards repaying his own debts, so he wanted to collect as much money as possible. It would be pointless if he had to ask the Proprietress to do it for him.
Bai Qi went on to say, “Whatever the case, we have to be polite before demanding any repayment. Everyone we’re trying to collect from is a famous figure in their own right, and they might not be aware of what had happened. It’s inappropriate if we just go over there and demand money from them.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Why don’t we send them a notice of debt first? In the notice, we’ll explain to them what happened and the purpose of our visit. We’ll see how things go before taking further action.”
“That’s a great idea. Let’s do it.”
“In that case, we have to get a Faith Token from Proprietress; otherwise, why would anyone believe we’re from First Inn?”
“That’s easy. We’ll look for Proprietress later.”
After their brief discussion, the two got busy as they fished out blank jade slips and began writing notices of debt. Just like what they had agreed, they jotted down what had happened and their purpose of visit in those notices. The language they used was euphemistic and gentle. Although it was to demand repayment, it wouldn’t make anyone feel loathsome.
In fact, nineteen shops were listed in Yang Kai’s jade slip, so he had made nineteen notices of debt in total. Certainly, the number of notices Bai Qi had made was similar.
After they were done, they cross-checked one another’s jade slips to make sure that there was nothing wrong before going to ask the Proprietress for a Faith Token.
A generous Proprietress directly gave each of them a Jade Token the size of a palm with the characters ‘First Inn’ engraved on them.
After they got everything ready, they stepped out of the inn and cupped their fists at one another. Then, they wished each other swift success and parted ways, as though they were determined to not come back unless they managed to complete their great crusade.
Yang Kai strolled along the intricate streets as he took a glance at every single shop and experienced the local customs, which helped broaden his horizons.
Half a day later, he stepped into a teahouse and ordered a pot of tea before waiting in silence.
When the shop hand served him the tea, Yang Kai stopped him and said, “May I ask you a question?”
The shop hand politely replied, “Please.”
Yang Kai said, “It’s my first time here, so I’m not familiar with this place. Can you recommend someone who can take me for a tour around this city?”
The shop hand asked, “Are you looking for a guide?”
“That’s right.”
“You’ve found the right person then. I do have someone in mind, but I’m not sure if she’ll meet your requirements.”
“Please bring her to meet me,” Yang Kai replied gently.
“Good. Please give me a moment,” the shop hand said.
As Yang Kai looked out the window, he enjoyed the tea and waited patiently. Although the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress contained all sorts of information about the 19 shops, he was totally unfamiliar with this city. Despite the fact that he had the jade slip, he had no idea where to look for those shops, which was why he came to a teahouse to hire a guide. Now, it seemed that he had made the right decision. No matter the city, teahouses and restaurants were where people from all walks of life gathered together, so it was easy to look for a guide from one of these places.
With a local guide leading the way, it would be easier for him to look for those shops. It was a necessary expense to help him achieve his goal quicker.
Soon after, the shop hand returned with someone. Yang Kai lifted his head and realised that the newcomer was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties with a curvy figure. She appeared quite charming. Her twin peaks were especially pronounced. However, there was a cautious smile on her face, and she appeared to be apprehensive. Standing behind the shop hand, she looked anxiously at Yang Kai.
Her cultivation was excellent as she seemed to be at the peak of the Emperor Realm; however, Yang Kai couldn’t detect any condensed aura of Dao from her. In other words, she hadn’t condensed her Dao Seal yet. It wasn’t surprising as at least ninety percent of Emperor Realm Masters couldn’t condense their own Dao Seals, spending their entire lives achieving nothing great.
The shop hand approached Yang Kai and spoke to him in his ear, “Sir, she’s a local who is familiar with this city. Are you fine with her? If not, I’ll get you a different one.”
Yang Kai lifted his head, whereupon the woman saluted him and said in a small voice, “Greetings, Sir.”
Her voice was soft and gentle. Without looking at her face, one would’ve thought that she was a young woman in her early twenties.
Yang Kai raised his hand and passed her the jade slip, “Do you know how to get to these places?”
After taking it, the woman scanned it with her Divine Sense and nodded, “Yes.”
“With our current location as the starting point, plan a route that will take me the shortest time to visit each of these places. Engrave it in the jade slip and show me.”
“Yes.” The woman immediately got to work. Soon, she respectfully returned the jade slip with both hands, “Sir, please have a look.”
After taking it, Yang Kai scanned it and realised that some information had been added and the nineteen shops had also been rearranged in sequence.
“Are you a local?” Yang Kai stared at her and asked.
The woman pressed her lips together and replied, “This Mistress was born in this city and has never left it before.”
Yang Kai nodded and shifted his attention to the shop hand, “I’ll hire her.” Then, he tossed 2 Open Heaven Pills at the shop hand.
The shop hand took them and became elated, “Many thanks, Sir. I’ll take my leave now.” As he turned around, he hinted at her with his gaze to motion for her to do her best.
After the shop hand was gone, Yang Kai gazed at the woman and said, “Have a seat.”
The woman hesitated for a moment, but she reckoned that she looked too conspicuous just standing in front of him, so after thanking him, she took a seat.
Yang Kai filled her cup with tea and asked, “What’s your name?”
She hurriedly replied, “This Mistress is Luo Hai Yi.”
After a nod, Yang Kai introduced himself, “My name is Yang Kai. I’ve hired you to take me to some places, but my task can’t be completed in just one or two days, so you best be prepared. During this period of time, you have to be ready whenever I call for your help.”
Luo Hai Yi quickly replied, “There’s no problem. This Mistress is a single woman with no family members, so there’s nothing else I have to attend to.”
A surprised Yang Kai asked, “Aren’t you a local here?” Since she was born in this place, why didn’t she have any family members?
A bashful Luo Hai Yi explained, “Although I was born in this city, I have no idea who my parents are. I was adopted as a child, and my adoptive Mother passed away 700 years ago.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, “You’re quite pitiful.”
In response, Luo Hai Yi smiled demurely.
“What’s your rate?” Yang Kai changed the topic.
Luo Hai Yi replied, “2 Open Heaven Pills a day.” Then, she carefully examined Yang Kai, and upon seeing that he frowned, she hurriedly offered a lower rate, “I’m fine with 3 pills every 2 days as well.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai realised that she had misunderstood him. He frowned not because he thought it was expensive, but because he felt that the rate was overly cheap; after all, he had just tipped the shop hand with 2 Open Heaven Pills.
However, he soon recalled that when he was a Worker in Seven Wonders Land in the past, he only received 3 pills every year. Although there were other ways to make additional income, an ordinary Worker would only receive 20 to 30 pills every year on average.
In comparison, Luo Hai Yi charging 2 pills a day couldn’t be considered quite expensive.
The reason Yang Kai felt it was cheap was that he had stayed by the Proprietress’ side for too long. Presently, he owed her 16.2 million Open Heaven Pills, so when compared to such an astronomical number, 2 or 3 pills were basically negligible.
“I’ll pay you three pills a day. Be ready at all times.”
Luo Hai Yi’s gaze brightened as she rose from the chair and saluted him, “Many thanks, Sir.” Seeing that Yang Kai’s cup was empty, she quickly poured him more tea.
Yang Kai nodded gently as he thought that this woman had sharp vision and a commendable demeanour. Judging from how cautious she was, she seemed to be an honest yet prudent person; therefore, he didn’t have to worry about anything when hiring her.
After they finished drinking the tea, they left the teahouse together.
Luo Hai Yi led the way and passed through several streets before stopping in front of a shop. Yang Kai looked up and saw ‘Gathering Virtue Emporium’ on the signboard.
If he wasn’t mistaken, Gathering Virtue Emporium was a business of Nine Stars Paradise, which was one of the 72 Paradises. It was a First Class great force in the 3,000 Worlds that had numerous High-Rank Open Heaven cultivators.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth as it was certainly difficult to demand repayment from a shop backed by one of the Paradises; however, since he had come to this place, he had to give it a try at least.
Gathering Virtue Emporium lived up to its name as a business-sponsored by one of the 72 Paradises as it was much larger than the shops nearby. Moreover, a lot of customers could be seen patronising the shop. It wasn’t certain what kind of business it did, but with so many customers, they must earn a lot of money.
“Sir, do you want this Mistress to accompany you?” Luo Hai Yi asked in a hushed and shaking voice.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and realised that she had turned pale, and she subconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, which suggested that she was nervous.
Although it had only been a short time since they met, Yang Kai could see that she was a self-abased woman who had always been at the bottom of the social hierarchy in the Star City. Apparently, she hadn’t been to such a high-end shop before, which was why she felt nervous.
“There’s no need for that. Wait here for me,” Yang Kai shook his head.
Luo Hai Yi was evidently relieved, then she pursed her lips, “Sir, I wish you success.” Although she had no idea why Yang Kai decided to come here, she reckoned that it wouldn’t be wrong to wish him well.
After a gentle nod, Yang Kai turned around, placed his hands behind his back, and shuffled confidently into the building.
Upon entering the shop, he saw a shop boy passionately approaching him and without beating around the bush, he fished out a notice of debt, which he had prepared earlier, “I’m looking for the shopkeeper.”
Upon hearing that, the shop boy was startled. Although he was just a general worker in the shop, he still technically belonged to Nine Stars Paradise, a point of pride for him. In all the years he worked here, he had never seen someone as arrogant as Yang Kai who directly demanded to see the shopkeeper.
It wasn’t easy to see the shopkeeper, who would only personally greet certain wealthy patrons and Yang Kai didn’t look like he had a lot of money.
After doubtfully taking the jade slip, the shop boy scanned it with his Divine Sense and immediately straightened his face. It was only then that he realised that Yang Kai was from the famous First Inn, so he said solemnly, “Wait a moment. I’ll inform the shopkeeper about your visit now.”
Then, he turned around and walked towards the back of the shop.
While Yang Kai was waiting, he took a stroll around the floor and realised that this place engaged in many kinds of businesses. All sorts of goods could be found here, including materials for Alchemy and Artifact Refining as well as finished products. Whenever he picked up something, a shop boy would come over and passionately introduce the product to him.
A moment later, the first shop boy approached Yang Kai and extended his hand, “The shopkeeper will see you now.”
Since Yang Kai was from First Inn, he believed no one would dare to reject meeting him. After a nod, Yang Kai calmly followed the shop boy and strode further into the shop.
Soon, Yang Kai met with the shopkeeper of Gathering Virtue Emporium in a reception room. He was a thin elderly man in the Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai had a feeling that the elderly man was as powerful as Duan Hai from Seven Wonders Land who was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, which matched the information in the jade slip.
Yang Kai was stunned by how extravagant a First Class great force truly was. Even a mere shopkeeper in this Star City was a Mid-Rank cultivator. Given his cultivation, this elderly man could’ve become a Protector Venerable in Seven Wonders Land.
However, it was even more outrageous in First Inn as the Proprietress was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. At the thought of this, Yang Kai relaxed.
When Yang Kai stepped into the room, the elderly man didn’t rise from the chair; after all, there was a huge gap between their strength. If he stood up to greet this young man, it would weaken his authority.
Then, the shop boy left and closed the door, leaving the two inside the room. Yang Kai cupped his fists and said, “Junior Yang Kai greets Shopkeeper Gong Sun.”
The shopkeeper of Gathering Virtue Emporium was named Gong Sun Hong, information which was included in the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress. His face and cultivation matched the information recorded in the jade slip, so Yang Kai wouldn’t be mistaken.
A smiling Gong Sun Hong said, “You don’t have to be overly polite with me. Have a seat.”
Yang Kai thanked him and calmly took a seat. Although there was a huge gap between their powers, he was currently a representative of First Inn; therefore, he couldn’t appear weak.
Seeing that Yang Kai remained calm and collected in his presence, Gong Sun Hong secretly approved of the young man’s temperament.
After taking a few sips of the tea, Gong Sun Hong said, “Little friend, this Old Master has read your notice of debt and understands the purpose of your visit. You’ve said that you’re from First Inn, but do you have a Faith Token with you to prove your identity?”
“Of course,” With a smile, Yang Kai fished out the Jade Token given to him by the Proprietress and passed it to him.
After taking it, Gong Sun Hong infused his power into the token, and the next instant, the token shone brightly for a short moment. His expression changed slightly as he stared at Yang Kai, his face was visibly twitching as he asked, “Your shopkeeper is Madam Lan?”
“Indeed,” Yang Kai had no idea whether anything profound had been hidden in the Jade Token, which allowed the elderly man to immediately recognise who his backer was; however, judging from the elderly man’s expression, it seemed that he was wary of the Proprietress.
That was good news for Yang Kai as he secretly became elated. As long as the elderly man was wary of the Proprietress, he could easily collect the 10 million pill debt.
“Has Madam Lan arrived in this city?” Gong Sun Hong asked.
“Yes.”
“When did that happen? Why haven’t I got wind of it?”
“A few days ago,” Yang Kai replied with a smile, “The Proprietress prefers to act low-key and we’ve only hung up a signboard for the reopening today.”
Gong Sun Hong’s expression turned awkward as he coughed, “Madam Lan… is indeed a low-key person.” As though he had recalled something, his brow started twitching harder.
After a pause, he went on to say, “The reopening of First Inn is an important event that this Old Master should have gone over to congratulate Madam Lan about; however, since she doesn’t want to make it widely known, she must have her own reasons for doing so.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “This Junior is simply a subordinate, so I cannot speculate about Proprietress’ intentions.”
Gong Sun Hong nodded gently and tapped on the table as though he was pondering on something. A moment later, he said, “Little friend, this Old Master is not aware of the incident mentioned in the notice of debt. Can you tell me why that person from Nine Stars Paradise made a move in First Inn and even destroyed it?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can’t reveal the details of the incident to Shopkeeper Gong Sun. If you’re interested to find out, you should ask Proprietress directly.”
With a forced smile, Gong Sun Hong raised his hand, “Let’s drink…”
Yang Kai took a sip of the tea and stared at him, “Shopkeeper Gong Sun, this Junior is here to demand payment from you. Our Proprietress has said that Nine Stars Paradise is a famous great force, and Gathering Virtue Emporium is a profitable business, so the amount of payment would be insignificant to you. I also have to collect debts from a number of other great forces, so I am tight on time and burdened with work. Would you please make the payment now?”
A surprised Gong Sun Hong asked, “You’re going to other places?”
Yang Kai replied, “That’s right…” He then went on to name a few shops.
Gong Sun Hong was astonished, “Did so many of them make a move in First Inn?” Those shops were all backed by great forces as well.
“There were indeed quite a number of them.” Yang Kai nodded, “To be honest with you, the reason the Proprietress has come all the way to this Star City is to collect these debts. She said that all of you have to pay what you owe. Proprietress said it would be best if she can receive the payments without incident, but if she can’t, she doesn’t mind going to the headquarters of those great forces to reason with them. She has also mentioned that the Cave Heavens and the Paradises are supposed to be on the same side, so it isn’t necessary to make things unpleasant for everyone over such a trivial matter.”
Gong Sun Hong could be seen frowning, but it wasn’t certain what was on his mind.
Yang Kai looked around and went on to say, “Gathering Virtue Emporium is such a big industry, so this Junior is certain you earn lots of money every year. Although 10 million is indeed a large sum, it shouldn’t be a burden to Shopkeeper Gong Sun. If it’s alright for you, will you please help this Junior carry out his mission so he can go back and report to the Proprietress promptly?”
Gong Sun Hong nodded, “Since you’re from First Inn, and you have Madam Lan’s Faith Token with you, this Old Master is sure the incident you’ve just mentioned is true and that this payment is duly warranted. But…” His tone changed, “This is only your version of the story, after all. As for what really happened, I’ll have to send a message to headquarters to ask for further details. If the incident is just like what you’ve described, Nine Stars Paradise will naturally not default on its debts.”
Yang Kai knew that he couldn’t achieve his goal so easily. If he could collect 10 million by just demanding the payment, it would make it look like Nine Stars Paradise was afraid of First Inn; therefore, he wasn’t disappointed as this scenario was within his expectations. After a nod, he agreed, “That is a reasonable position. How long does Shopkeeper Gong Sun believe it will take for you to send a message to your headquarters to inquire about the situation?”
“One month,” Gong Sun Hong replied, “I’ll give you an answer in one month.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai rose from the chair and cupped his fists, “Then I shall have to trouble you, Shopkeeper Gong Sun.”
“En, please.” Gong Sun Hong extended his hand.
Upon leaving Gathering Virtue Emporium, Yang Kai immediately saw Luo Hai Yi standing across the street; then, he beckoned to her, whereupon she approached him and asked in a hushed voice, “Sir, have you completed your task?”
“It went smoothly.” Yang Kai nodded as he had somewhat achieved his goal, “Let’s go to the next shop.”
It took them the entire afternoon to visit three shops. Besides Gathering Virtue Emporium, there was one more shop that was backed by a Paradise. Similar to Gong Sun Hong’s reply, they requested time to send a message to their headquarters to ask about the situation.
The last shop was only backed by a Second Class force, so they were not as haughty as the others with First Class backing. Upon learning that someone from First Inn had arrived to demand payment, they appeared afraid and treated Yang Kai politely. However, they still couldn’t make the payment immediately.
Even as night descended, the Star City remained a lively place. After running around for the entire afternoon and dealing with so many people who were far stronger than himself, Yang Kai felt exhausted. Therefore, he told Luo Hai Yi to go home, and he’d look for her the next day.
Before they parted ways, they traded means to contact one another, and Yang Kai told her that they would continue moving around the next day. Naturally, Luo Hai Yi agreed to it.
Upon returning to First Inn, Yang Kai realised that the place was bustling with noise as the lobby was crammed with people. He was dumbfounded at the sight of so many drinking and chatting with one another.
On the other hand, the Proprietress could be seen walking around the hall and talking to each of the customers. Yang Kai fell into a dazed state as though he was still inside the First Inn in the void.
It had only been one day since the reopening, but the inn was already filled with patrons, which went to show that the inn was truly famous.
Seeing Yang Kai, the Proprietress beckoned to him, upon which he hurriedly walked up to her.
After they entered the inner part of the inn, the Proprietress turned around and took a seat as she gazed at Yang Kai to ask, “How was it?”
“Not bad.” Yang Kai walked over and poured himself a cup with tea before taking a few sips, “First Inn is extremely famous, so no one has dared to make things difficult for me.”
“That’s not what I wanted to know.” The Proprietress shot him a glare, “Have you collected any money?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai put down the tea cup and burst into laughter, “It’s not so easy. They each asked for time to contact their headquarters, seemingly wanting to validate the incident before deciding whether they’ll repay us.”
“How many shops have you visited?”
“Three, and they all said the same thing.”
The Proprietress nodded, “That’s expected, but make sure it’s within an acceptable time limit.”
“Don’t worry. They’ve promised to give me a reply in one month’s time, which should be acceptable.”
“One month… En, good. You can start working now.” The Proprietress waved her hand.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai stared at her in shock.
The Proprietress batted her eyes, “You’re a shop hand of this inn, so don’t you have to serve the customers? There are many customers in the lobby now, and we’re short on staff. Go help out.”
“I…” Yang Kai was lost for words. He had never served customers in an inn before.
“What are you hesitating for? Go now, or do you want me to serve the customers myself?”
Yang Kai glared at her for a long time before he admitted defeat, as the Proprietress was in a more important position than him. Then, he said through clenched teeth, “Fine. You win.” After finishing his words, he turned around and stormed out of the room.
Behind him, the Proprietress crossed her legs with a faint smile on her face.
Upon reaching the lobby, Yang Kai looked around and directly snatched a white towel from a shop boy before hanging it over his shoulder. Then, he entered the kitchen to get some dishes.
Everyone was a cultivator full of energy, so the inn was never closed. It wasn’t until the next morning that Yang Kai had time to take a rest. What enraged him was that he hadn’t seen Bai Qi since his return. Bai Qi must know that he’d have to continue working if he came back, which was why he decided to stay overnight somewhere else.
Yang Kai secretly decided that he wouldn’t come back the next day. After he was done with his break, he left the inn and sent a message to Luo Hai Yi to inform her to wait for him in front of the previous teahouse.
When Yang Kai reached the teahouse, she was already waiting for him.
Seeing that Yang Kai appeared knackered, she went over and asked, “Sir, didn’t you have a good night’s sleep?”
“Let’s not talk about it,” Yang Kai said with some frustration. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a good night’s sleep, but that he didn’t sleep at all. Although it didn’t really matter to an Emperor Realm cultivator, Yang Kai still felt pretty tired.
Since he wasn’t willing to talk about it, Luo Hai Yi wouldn’t dare to keep asking. Then, they set off for the day.
Just like what had happened on the previous day, after visiting several shops, Yang Kai got similar replies. After giving it a thought, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising. If he were faced with such an incident, he wouldn’t believe only one side of the story, even though First Inn had an excellent reputation.
He had entered every shop and had a chat with those shopkeepers. On this day, he managed to visit 7 shops. At this rate, it would take him two to three days before he could finish visiting them all, causing him to wonder about Bai Qi’s progress.
Thus, he sent a message to Bai Qi to ask him about it, but he didn’t receive any reply, causing him to wonder what the latter was up to.
That evening, Yang Kai brought Luo Hai Yi to a restaurant and ordered some food and drinks for her as a gesture of gratitude. She had worked hard guiding him around all day and attending to his needs.
Luo Hai Yi didn’t want him to waste any money on her, but upon his insistence, she had no choice but to let him be.
During the meal, she still respectfully poured drinks for him, but Yang Kai wasn’t quite comfortable with such formality because, just like himself, she was also an Emperor Realm Master, so there was practically no difference between them. He didn’t think she should keep calling him ‘Sir’ as he didn’t deserve it.
After they drank for a bit, Luo Hai Yi’s face had reddened, and her vision had become blurred. It seemed that she was a light drinker.
Yang Kai had always been curious about one thing, so he asked, “How do Emperor Realm cultivators in the Outer Universe advance their Martial Dao?”
He had condensed his own Dao Seal in the Profound Heavens Temple, an experience every Great Emperor in the Star Boundary had gone through. Apparently, the other Great Emperors in other Universe Worlds had had similar experiences. Nevertheless, the capacity of a Universe World was limited, so only a small number of people could condense their Dao Seals this way. How did people in the Outer Universe achieve this then? Since Luo Hai Yi was a local, he decided to ask her about it.
Luo Hai Yi patted her burning face and said with a smile, “Those with an excellent aptitude can comprehend their own Grand Dao to condense a Dao Seal; however, those with a weaker aptitude like me can only rely on auxiliary aids.”
After drinking some wine, Luo Hai Yi had become less restrained so she no longer spoke as cautiously as before.
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
“Some treasures as well as elixirs can help peak Emperors condense their Dao Seal, the most common example of which is the Grand Dao Pill. However, these things are all quite expensive and difficult to come by.”
In response, Yang Kai nodded. He had always wondered what those Emperor Realm Masters, who hadn’t condensed their Dao Seals, needed Open Heaven Pills for. Although the pills were like a currency in the Outer Universe that could be used to buy various items, they were useless to Emperor Realm cultivators. It was unlike Open Heaven Realm Masters, who could improve their Order by consuming and refining such pills.
Now, it seemed that Open Heaven Pills were useful for everyone. Apparently, Luo Hai Yi had been working hard in order to save up to buy some Grand Dao Pills to condense her Dao Seal so that she could take a leap forward in her Martial Dao.
However, condensing a Dao Seal was just the first step; after that, one still had to condense the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements before they could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. The Martial Dao was long and winding, and one needed plenty of financial resources to traverse it. Not many people were as lucky as Yang Kai, who managed to condense the High-Order materials for both his Wood and Fire Element.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t even certain whether he could find the remaining Elements necessary, and if even one of those materials failed to meet his requirements, he would fail to reach the Open Heaven Realm in one leap.
As they continued drinking and chatting, the atmosphere grew more harmonious.
A long time later, Yang Kai said, “Let’s call it a day. You can have a rest now. We’ll meet again tomorrow in the usual spot.”
Hearing that, Luo Hai Yi put down her chopsticks and rose from the chair, “This Mistress will take her leave then.”
Yang Kai nodded and watched her leave.
After the incident the previous day, Yang Kai decided not to return to First Inn lest he be forced to serve customers again; thus, he fished out a communications artifact and contacted Bai Qi, who, unexpectedly, replied promptly. After asking Bai Qi where he was, he immediately told Yang Kai his location.
Judging from the place’s name though, Yang Kai reckoned that it was one that offered certain amorous services.
[He dares to have fun at a brothel while I have to work!?]
Bai Qi passionately invited Yang Kai to enjoy the night with him, which Yang Kai resolutely rejected.
After drinking on his own for a bit, Yang Kai paid the bill for the meal and left the restaurant, preparing to look for a different inn to take a rest.
Although the inns in the Star City were not cheap, they wouldn’t be more expensive than First Inn. In the past, he had to pay 1,000 Open Heaven Pills every night to stay in First Inn. Later on, the fee was raised by the black-hearted Proprietress to 10,000 a night.
Right after he stepped out of the restaurant though, Yang Kai saw a figure standing across the street. Shocked, he went over and asked, “Why are you still here? Is everything alright?”
He hadn’t expected that Luo Hai Yi would be waiting for him outside the building.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head, “I’m fine. I was just worried about you.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Those bottles of wine couldn’t get me drunk. You should go home now.”
He thought that she was pretty considerate.
“It’s still early. If Sir wants, I can take you on a stroll around the city. You’re always busy during the day, so you have no time to just explore.” She paused for a moment, “Of course, for free,” she added.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I’m fine with it, but will I be troubling you?”
Luo Hai Yi quickly waved her hands, “It’s alright. There’s no one else in my home, so I have nothing to do anyway.” She halted for a moment, “Where do you want to go? There’s a red light district in the Western District. Men love going there…” As she spoke, she started blushing.
Yang Kai said, “Where’s the Spring Breeze Fine Rain Pavilion?”
Luo Hai Yi lowered her head and blushed as she asked, “Does Sir know about that place?”
Yang Kai tutted, “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there before.” He had speculated that Bai Qi was having fun with women, and now it seemed that it was indeed the case.
“Does Sir want to go there?” Luo Hai Yi asked.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “There’s no need for that. Let’s just walk around.” He suddenly thought of something, “By the way, I’d like to buy a map. Where can I get one?”
Luo Hai Yi asked, “Do you want to buy a Universe Chart? We have to go to Four Seas Workshop, then. They have the latest and most comprehensive Universe Charts.”
“Let’s go, then,” Yang Kai’s interest was piqued as he had always wanted to buy a map of the Outer Universe. He remembered someone telling him that a Universe Chart included the maps of all the Great Territories that had been discovered in the Outer Universe. It could be said that the chart was one of the necessary items for a cultivator to roam around.
Yang Kai intended to use a Universe Chart to look for the Star Boundary. He was swallowed by a Myriad Facets Insect and then unfathomably appeared near where Seven Wonders Land was located. Although he hadn’t found the World Tree, it would be wonderful if he could find a route home first.
Luo Hai Yi was very familiar with the city, so after passing through some streets, the pair arrived at a certain shop, which was Four Seas Workshop.
Even though it was nighttime now, the Star City remained just as lively as during the day.
After they entered the shop, a woman that looked like a maidservant approached and elegantly bowed to them before asking in a sweet voice, “Good evening, honoured guests. What can I help you with?”
Luo Hai Yi promptly stepped forward and replied, “My companion would like to buy a Universe Chart.”
The maidservant replied with a smile, “Please come with me.” At the same time, she motioned with her hand.
Yang Kai followed her to a row of shelves, but there didn’t seem to be any maps in sight. Instead, the shelves were filled with boxes the length of chopsticks. The black boxes looked extremely odd. Although he was puzzled, he didn’t ask any questions.
Luo Hai Yi then said, “Introduce them to us.”
Hearing that, the maidservant replied, “Replying to the honoured guest, our shop’s Universe Charts are divided into three ranks. The lowest rank ones are of single Great Territories. They include the Universe Worlds that have been discovered as well as important Spirit Provinces of these territories. The middle rank is a map of the known universe, including all the Great Territories that have been discovered. It also includes all the information in the lowest rank maps as well as the locations of all Universe Temples and Territory Gates, making it fairly comprehensive and easy to understand.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “What about the one above the middle rank?”
The maidservant replied with a smile, “There’s no difference between a high-rank map and a middle-rank map.”
An amazed Yang Kai asked, “Why are they divided into different ranks when there’s no difference?”
“Well, there’s indeed no difference between the two, but if you buy a high-rank map, we’ll help you update the Universe Chart for free for life in the instance, for example, that a new Great Territory is discovered. We have many branches in different Star Cities across the 3,000 Worlds, so honoured guest doesn’t have to worry as you just have to take your Universe Chart to any of our branches. However, you don’t get this benefit if you buy a mid-rank one and will have to pay a fee if you want to update the chart.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Yang Kai nodded.
The maidservant went on to say, “Does honoured guest want a map of a particular Great Territory, or the compilation of all Great Territories?”
Yang Kai replied, “I want the compilation, of course.”
The maidservant said, “In that case, I suggest that you buy a high-rank chart…”
Before she could finish her words, Luo Hai Yi cut her off by saying, “The middle-rank one is good enough.”
The maidservant shot her a glance, but she still kept a smile on her face, “Good. It is honoured guest’s freedom to choose.”
“Show us one,” Luo Hai Yi said.
The maidservant nodded and turned around.
Seizing the chance, Luo Hai Yi spoke to Yang Kai via Divine Sense, “Sir, as far as I know, the high-rank map is twice as expensive as a middle-rank one; moreover, no new Great Territories have been discovered in over 10,000 years, so it would be quite wasteful if you buy a high-rank one.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded gently.
A moment later, the maidservant took out a long black box and passed it to Yang Kai, “You just have to infuse your Divine Sense into it.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was astounded. It was then he realised that these long boxes were the Universe Charts. Fortunately, he didn’t ask any questions when he saw them; otherwise, he would’ve embarrassed himself.
Following her instruction, Yang Kai infused his Divine Sense and immediately realised that the view around him had changed, as though he had entered a new world. His vision kept zooming in on a particular spot and eventually stopped. After a glance, he realised that there was a red dot that kept flickering, and the words ‘Star City’ were marked beside the red dot.
It was then he came to the realisation that the red dot represented his current location, and the Star City that was marked must be the one he was in.
As a thought flashed across his mind, his vision started zooming out. Names began appearing around the Star City. They looked like the names of the surrounding Universe Worlds.
Although it was his first time using a Universe Chart, Yang Kai was able to quickly figure out how to operate it as it was quite user-friendly.
At that instant, he thought that he should get one so that he could move around easily. After retracting his Divine Sense, he asked, “How much?”
The maidservant replied with a smile, “500,000.”
Yang Kai nodded his head as the price wasn’t excessive given its quality and utility; however, did he even have 500,000 Open Heaven Pills? Most of his current wealth was obtained from looting dead people from Seven Wonders Land. Then, in First Inn, Wei Que felt sorry for failing to bring Yang Kai to Great Moon Province, so he passed him some pills before he left, approximately 200,000 of them. Great Moon Province was just a Third Class force, and the pills were given to him by Wei Que as personal compensation, so it was expected that there were not too many. Yang Kai even reckoned that 200,000 pills had been quite a big loss for Wei Que.
Just when Yang Kai was preparing to count how many pills he had with him to see if he could afford the price for the Universe Chart, he saw Luo Hai Yi dragging the maidservant away and began discussing something with her via Divine Sense.
After Yang Kai finished counting, Luo Hai Yi was also done with the discussion as she walked over and said, “Sir, I’ve managed to secure a 10% discount for you. It’s now 450,000.”
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. It was then he realised that Luo Hai Yi had pulled the maidservant away to bargain.
It could be said to be a big discount to have 50,000 pills taken off the price tag.
However, after counting just now, Yang Kai realised that he still didn’t have enough pills as he only had about 430,000 on him.
Yang Kai was now caught in an embarrassing situation as the price had been agreed upon, so all he could do was pay the bill, but how could he do that without enough money?
As he was stuck in a dilemma, Luo Hai Yi observed his expression and realised that he might be facing just such difficulties, so she spoke to him in via Divine Sense, “Sir, have you not brought enough with you?”
Luo Hai Yi asked Yang Kai whether he hadn’t brought enough money with him, not whether he didn’t have enough money, which was a very considerate question that had significantly lessened his embarrassment.
In response, he nodded his head, but just as he was about to put down the Universe Chart as he had decided to buy it at a later time, he heard Luo Hai Yi asking, “Sir, how much do you still lack?”
“Not much. About 20,000.” Yang Kai scratched his face.
After giving it a thought, Luo Hai Yi said, “Sir, if you don’t mind, I can lend you the money first and you can repay me at a later time.”
Yang Kai turned to look at her in shock as he hadn’t expected that she was such a bold person. It had only been two days since they met each other, and their relationship was nothing more than a client and his local guide. Furthermore, she wasn’t from a rich family and must have worked for many years to accumulate 20,000 pills.
One had to be truly bold to lend so much money to a stranger; after all, she wasn’t even sure who Yang Kai was. If he ran away with her money, there was no way she could find him.
Met with his gaze, Luo Hai Yi said in a small voice, “I trust you, Sir.”
Since she had said as much, Yang Kai figured it would be disrespectful to refuse her goodwill; therefore, he nodded, “Alright then, just regard it as me borrowing money from you that I will repay in the near future.”
Luo Hai Yi said, “I’ll settle the bill.”
After that, Yang Kai passed a Space Ring to her and watched her and the maidservant walk towards the counter. In his heart, he thought that Luo Hai Yi was indeed a thoughtful woman. By just helping him make the payment, she had allowed him to avoid a major loss of face. By having her pay, he didn’t have to take the pills from her and let others find out he didn’t have enough money to pay as she could now just secretly transfer her pills to Yang Kai’s ring.
Just a moment later, she returned and said, “Sir, it’s done.”
After a nod, Yang Kai stuffed the Universe Chart into his Space Ring and left the shop with her.
“Sir, do you need anything else?” Luo Hai Yi asked.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “I’m basically broke now. What else can I buy?”
In an instant, Luo Hai Yi became bashful as she realised that she had phrased her question the wrong thing, so she hurriedly changed the topic, “Are you going back to take a rest then?”
Yang Kai shook his head. Recalling his experience the previous day, he decided not to go back to First Inn. He had intended to look for an inn to take a rest, but it wasn’t possible now; after all, how was he going to get a room at an inn when he didn’t have any money?
Luo Hai Yi must have realised this, so she suggested, “Sir, do you want to go to my place?”
“Is that alright for you?” Yang Kai appeared hesitant.
Luo Hai Yi smiled lightly, “It’s not a problem. There’s no one else in my home as I’m the only…” All of a sudden, she realised that what she had just said might make him misunderstand her. It was as though she was trying to seduce him, which was why her face reddened.
Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t seem to mind it as he lifted his hand, “Let’s go, then.” It wasn’t like he could roam around the city for the entire night as it would be too boring. Moreover, he had just borrowed a significant amount of money from Luo Hai Yi. If he was so eager to part ways with her now, it would make him look like he was trying to avoid repaying his debt; therefore, he decided to take her offer at face value and go with her.
“Then please follow me, Sir,” Luo Hai Yi directly led the way for him.
As they moved forward, they slowly left the lively downtown and entered an area that was slightly dilapidated. It seemed to be in the outskirts of the Star City as they were pretty far from the central district now. Houses had been erected everywhere in a disorderly manner, and there wasn’t even a single proper road.
From time to time, people could be seen moving around, but their cultivations were all quite low. Most of them were in the Emperor Realm like Luo Hai Yi, but there were still a large number who were even inferior to that.
Yang Kai came to the realisation that this must be where those at the bottom of the social hierarchy lived. Fortunately, even though this place was somewhat dirty and disorganized, it was still within the jurisdiction of the Star City; therefore, no one would dare to make a fuss here.
Apparently, many of the locals knew Luo Hai Yi, so as the pair walked along the streets, a number of people greeted her. When some women saw that Yang Kai was following her, a meaningful look appeared on their faces, which made Luo Hai Yi feel bashful.
Soon, they arrived at a house. Luo Hai Yi stepped forward and turned off the house’s barrier; then, she opened the door and stepped aside, “Sir, please come in.”
Upon entering the house, Yang Kai looked around and realised that even though the house was small, it was tidy and neatly arranged. There wasn’t a yard as there was only a hall and a bedroom in the house. A pleasant scent permeated the air which could make anyone feel at ease.
Luo Hai Yi invited Yang Kai to have a seat as she prepared a pot of tea and said with an apologetic look on her face, “This is a small place. Please don’t mind it.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I come from a small town as well, so I’m used to living in poverty.”
An amazed Luo Hai Yi said, “Sir doesn’t look like you used to be poor.”
“What do I look like, then?”
After giving it a thought, Luo Hai Yi replied, “Sir looks like you’ve been in a position of authority for a long time, wielding great power and wealth.”
In response, Yang Kai guffawed.
Luo Hai Yi shook her head, “Sir, please do not think that I’m just flattering you. I’ve been making a living in this city for over a thousand years, so I’m quite confident in my ability to read people. Why do you think I had the courage to lend you all my savings? That’s because I believe you’re a trustworthy person. You might become destitute for a short period of time, but you’ll eventually rise to great heights.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai stopped smiling and carefully examined her. He hadn’t expected that this woman, who had been so cautious when they first met, had such an acute understanding of the world.
Luo Hai Yi covered her red lips with her mouth and said apprehensively, “I’ve said too much. Sir, please forgive me.”
Yang Kai waved his hand, “Let’s talk about you instead of me. Although your cultivation is not powerful, it’s not weak either. Have you never thought of joining a great force?”
With a bitter smile, Luo Hai Yi replied, “Even if there aren’t ten thousand people in Star City just like me, there are at least eight thousand, all of us with no backgrounds and connections, so no great force will accept us. What can they do by taking us in? It’s not like they’ll gain anything from nurturing us.” She paused for a moment, “In the past, there was a great force that had come to the city to recruit disciples, but they wanted children who were mouldable. I didn’t have such luck.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head. He was also a Sect Master, which was why he understood this kind of mentality. A Sect would rather spend the time and resources to nurture a disciple from a young age than take in a stranger who had already advanced far on their Martial Dao. This had a bit to do with establishing a proper foundation, but the main purpose was to foster a sense of loyalty to the Sect.
“My only wish is to earn enough money to buy a few Grand Dao Pills to see whether I can condense my Dao Seal. If I can one day reach the Open Heaven Realm, my life will be worth it.”
“Are Grand Dao Pills that expensive?”
“Each pill is worth at least 10,000 pills; moreover, it seems that it’s difficult to make these pills, so the output is limited. Whenever these pills go on sale, they are snatched up in an instant.”
Yang Kai nodded as this was indeed a thorny issue in the Outer Universe. There were probably many people at the Peak Emperor Realm who were unable to condense their Dao Seals, which was why Grand Dao Pills were so sought after. It wasn’t hard to imagine that besides people at the bottom of the social hierarchy like Luo Hai Yi, all great forces needed to stock such pills; therefore, the chance for people like her to get even a single such pill was slim.
“How many Grand Dao Pill do you think you’ll need?”
“Three pills at the very least.” Luo Hai Yi smiled meekly, “My aptitude is somewhat weak, so without three Grand Dao Pills, I’m not confident in condensing my Dao Seal.”
Yang Kai nodded as he wondered what Grand Dao Pills were made from. If he had enough ingredients and the pill recipe, he should be able to refine them as well.
After they chatted for a while more, Yang Kai said, “Take a rest. You’ve worked hard for the entire day.”
Luo Hai Yi replied, “I’ll do that, then. If there’s anything you need, just call out.” She didn’t reject him as, despite her boldness, she still thought it would be inappropriate to let a man rest in her bedroom.
While she was shuffling towards her room, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. Then, she hung her head low and asked in a small voice, “Sir, do you need someone to… keep you company at night? I can summon one of those people around here…”
Yang Kai shot her a stiff glance before shaking his head, “There’s no need for that.”
“En,” Luo Hai Yi visibly heaved a sigh of relief, then she entered the room and closed the door.
Yang Kai was left alone in the living room with a helpless expression on his face. He had never expected that he would have to stay overnight in the house of a woman he had just met one day. He decided that he had to get some money the next day to pay Luo Hai Yi back. If there was no other way, he could just sell one of his Sun’s True Fires.
A Fourth-Order Sun’s True Fire should be worth 150,000 Open Heaven Pills, which would be more than enough to repay Luo Hai Yi and still have plenty left over for him to use. He had 6 Fourth-Order Sun’s True Fires and 3 Fifth-Order ones, which were all obtained from the Golden Crow Divine Palace.
A Fifth-Order material was worth on average 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills, and if it weren’t for him not being able to pay off his entire debt at once, he would have sold them all so that he would break free from the Proprietress’ grip.
When Yang Kai thought about it like that, he realized once more just how much of a massive haemorrhaging the 200,000 pills Wei Que had given him must have been for him. That amount of pills was enough to purchase a Fourth-Order material while Great Moon Province was just a Third-Class force without even a single Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
After swimming in his thoughts for a bit, Yang Kai fished out Seven Faces and pasted it on his face to continue refining it. At the same time, he took out the Universe Chart and infused a bit of his Divine Sense into it.
He was trying to look for the Star Boundary in the Universe Chart.
It was only a moment later that Yang Kai became astounded as he realised there were over 1,000 Great Territories that had been discovered in the Outer Universe, and these were just the ones that had been charted. There were still unknown Great Territories that had yet to be explored far beyond the borders of the 3,000 Worlds.
Each of the 1,000 Great Territories had a varying number of Universe Worlds as well as Spirit Provinces that were headquarters of different great forces. The location of every Territory Gate and where it led was also indicated in the Universe Chart.
The chart was worth the 450,000 pills Yang Kai had to pay for. It would take tens if not hundreds of years to compile all this information considering the vastness of the Outer Universe, and the chart could still be updated. It was totally worth the price.
On the other hand, anyone with enough money would be willing to buy a Universe Chart, so Four Seas Workshop clearly must earn a massive amount of money from this product.
All the Great Territories had their own names, but Yang Kai soon realised that these names had something to do with the strongest great forces in the respective Territories. For example, the Great Territory where Seven Wonders Land was located was called Seven Wonders Territory. That was because Seven Wonders Land was the most powerful great force in that Great Territory.
The Great Territories where the Cave Heavens and Paradises were located were basically named after them. For example, the one Myriad Demons Heaven was in was called Myriad Demons Territory, while the one Great Battle Heaven was in was called Great Battle Territory.
Yang Kai also found Lang Ya Paradise and Golden Antelope Paradise in the Universe Chart.
He paid extra attention to Lang Ya Paradise because Zhang Ruo Xi’s ancestor was born in that place. She had come to the Outer Universe together with him, but they had been separated by the Myriad Facets Insect. If there were no more unexpected events though, she should have headed to Lang Ya Paradise. On the other hand, Golden Antelope Paradise was where the Golden Blade Yuan Spirit existed. If he wanted to condense his Metal Element, that would be a good place to look.
Then, Yang Kai tried to calculate the distance between the two Paradises and himself, whereupon he became speechless. That was because they were several dozen Great Territories between them. If he wanted to travel there without the help of the Universe Transference Law, it would take him several years to do so.
Upon that realisation, he became slightly worried. Although Zhang Ruo Xi was fairly powerful in the Star Boundary, she was still too weak in the Outer Universe. She was on her own, so it wasn’t certain whether she could safely and smoothly reach Lang Ya Paradise.
Other than the Great Territories that had their own names, there were also many of them that only had generic names. For example, A1 Territory, B3 Territory, and so on.
After going through them, Yang Kai realised that there was a regular pattern in naming them.
Those Great Territories that only had generic names were those that didn’t have a single Second Class force occupying them. For example, the one that Great Moon Province was in was called D39 Territory instead of Great Moon Territory.
In that case, only Great Territories where Second Class and above great forces were headquartered could have their own names. Those with only Third Class forces didn’t have such a right.
Some Great Territories didn’t even have Third Class great forces as they only had a number of Universe Worlds.
It was an immensely difficult task to locate the Star Boundary in such an expansive chart, and after going through many Great Territories, Yang Kai felt his head ache slightly.
A long time later, he suddenly heard someone opening the door. He immediately retracted his Divine Sense and lifted his head, only to see Luo Hai Yi shuffling out of her bedroom.
He fell into a dazed state for a moment before realising that it must be the break of dawn.
“Sir, didn’t you take a rest?” Luo Hai Yi gazed at him in surprise.
Yang Kai put away the Universe Chart and shook his head, “I forgot to take a rest because I was busy with something. Is it daylight now?”
She nodded her head, “Yes.”
They had to start working in the morning, so they cleaned up for a bit before stepping out of the house.
After two days of demanding repayment, Yang Kai was already familiar with the task. In any case, he didn’t expect to collect any money immediately. The other parties would have to verify his claims before deciding whether they’d make any compensation. Yang Kai just had to leave a notice of debt and have a chat with the individual shopkeepers; then, he would explain what had happened and inform the other person of the time limit of one month.
Everything went smoothly as they visited several shops on this day.
On their way to their next destination, however, Luo Hai Yi suddenly said, “Sir, you have to be careful when dealing with the shopkeeper from Hundred Refining’s Hall.”
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai looked doubtfully at her. What was different about Hundred Refining’s Hall? She had never warned him about any shop before.
She explained, “I’m not sure whether it’s true or not, but there’s a rumour which says that the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall is a thug who is completely unreasonable.”
Yang Kai took a look at his jade slip and realised that Hundred Refining’s Hall was backed by a Paradise, so with a smile, he simply replied, “It’s fine. I’ll reason with him if he’s a reasonable person. If not, someone else would deal with him.”
With the Proprietress, who was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, behind him, Yang Kai didn’t have to be afraid of anyone as long as the other party wasn’t a High-Rank cultivator. Furthermore, judging from how the other shopkeepers treated him over the days, he reckoned that First Inn was also backed by one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens.
Although both Cave Heavens and Paradises were First Class great forces, there had to be a reason that Cave Heavens were regarded as higher in status than the latter.
Nevertheless, if there wasn’t a real need, Yang Kai wouldn’t want to ask for the Proprietress’ help. First of all, five percent of the money he collected would go towards his own repayment. Secondly, if he sought her help whenever he faced any difficulty, it’d make him look like a useless person.
Seeing his attitude, Luo Hai Yi held her words; after all, she had never met the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall before and had only heard some rumours about him. It’d be embarrassing for her if she was mistaken.
When they reached Hundred Refining’s Hall, she still waited outside while Yang Kai presented a notice of the debt. A moment later, a shop hand led him into the inner court.
Upon stepping into this place, Yang Kai felt a series of violent energy fluctuations coming from up ahead. He was shocked as he wondered who had the guts to make trouble here. Judging from the intensity of the energy fluctuations though, these people were not very powerful. At the very least, they hadn’t ascended to the Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai reckoned that, just like himself, they had only condensed their Dao Seals.
A vigilant Yang Kai lifted his head and became astounded. In front of him, there was a large area that had been surrounded by an invisible barrier. Inside it, two figures continuously clashed with one another as they showcased their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques. It could be said that they were in an intense battle.
One of them was a young man in green clothes while the other was an elderly man. It wasn’t certain what grudges they had against one another, but their moves were so ruthless that it was as though they were determined to kill one another. Both of them were similarly powerful with excellent methods that marked them both as elites.
Yang Kai couldn’t help staring fixedly at them for a time before the shop boy turned around and called out, “Please follow me!”
It was only then that Yang Kai retracted his gaze and followed after the shop boy.
Soon, they reached a platform, on which a burly man with a ruddy face was staring fixedly at the battle in front of him with his hands on his hips.
It seemed this man was born with ominous facial features, so he gave off a threatening feeling even if he didn’t circulate any of his strength. However, presently, the energy fluctuations around him were unstable, which caused the subordinates around him to shudder in fright, as though they were worried that he would blow his top.
The shop boy hung his head low and stared at his own feet before saying in a shaking voice, “S-S-Shopkeeper, he’s here.”
“Tell him to wait,” The burly man waved his hand and continued staring attentively at the battle without sparing Yang Kai a glance. He seemed agitated, but it wasn’t certain what the reason was.
At that, Yang Kai was speechless. In the past, no matter which shop he visited, the shopkeeper would always treat him politely and wouldn’t look down on him just because his cultivation was weak. It was the first time he had been outright ignored.
It seemed that the rumours weren’t unfounded. Luo Hai Yi might be right to say that the shopkeeper of this place was a muscle-headed thug.
Since the shopkeeper wanted him to wait though, Yang Kai had no other choice but to comply. Fortunately, there was a battle going on, so he just regarded it as watching a show by shifting his attention to the two figures.
The battle was fervent; however, due to both parties having similar prowess, it seemed a winner wouldn’t emerge so soon.
The shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall appeared impatient, so he bellowed, “Wastes! The both of you! How much time are you going to keep wasting? I’ll give you ten breaths to defeat the other party; otherwise, both of you will be sent to the mines!”
With a stunned expression, Yang Kai turned to look at this brute, thinking that all kinds of people existed in this world. The two who were fighting were clearly equally matched, but the shopkeeper was now forcing them to decide a winner within ten breaths. It was no different from forcing them to use their trump cards and forbidden techniques.
Noticing Yang Kai’s stare, the burly man looked down at him and grinned, revealing a ferocious grin. In response, Yang Kai flashed a business-like smile at him.
Hearing the orders though, the two people on the battlefield leapt backwards and wore solemn expressions. Following that, even more violent energy fluctuations swirled around them and in the next instant, as though they had agreed upon it beforehand, they were both enveloped in dazzling bursts of light and clashed with one another again.
A world-shaking bang spread from the battlefield and caused countless ripples to form on the light barrier surrounding the battle stage. When the lights faded, one could be seen lying on the ground, while the other one remained standing tall.
The person who had become paralysed on the ground was the elderly man, and the one who was still standing proudly was the young man in green clothes. Despite the fact that he had won the battle though, his face had turned ashen, and all his clothes were drenched in blood. Apparently, he was injured as well.
Just then, the burly man lifted his hand, “Throw the one who has lost to the mines, reward the one who won.”
The young man on the battle stage cupped his fists, “Many thanks, Sir Shopkeeper.”
With a grin, the burly man took a seat and gulped down a cup of tea before sweeping a glance over everyone around him, “It was interesting this way. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Everyone nodded as they wouldn’t dare to say no.
A speechless Yang Kai wondered how Hundred Refining’s Hall was still operating. Just who allowed such a reckless and thuggish man to become a shopkeeper? Given this man’s temperament, could the business be profitable? It’d be a miracle if they could break even.
All of a sudden, the burly man turned to look at Yang Kai and asked, “Brat, you don’t seem impressed. What do you think?”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fists, “First Inn’s Yang Kai greets Shopkeeper Pei.”
According to the information in the jade slip given to him by the Proprietress, the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall was named Pei Bu Wan and had a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, which could be considered fairly powerful.
“First Inn?” Pei Bu Wan stroked his chin, “Haha, that’s a famous place for sure. Brat, why are you here?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve written my purpose of visit in the notice of debt. I’m here to collect repayment.”
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “Debt? What do you mean?”
Yang Kai frowned, thinking that this Pei Bu Wan was asking something obvious, as everything had been written clearly in the notice of debt. It seemed that things wouldn’t go smoothly today.
Despite his thoughts, Yang Kai continued calmly, “Shopkeeper Pei, some people from your great force made a move in First Inn and destroyed our inn, which is why Proprietress wants me to collect a repayment from you.”
Pei Bu Wan tutted, “Some people from my great force made a move in First Inn? That’s incredible. Who are you talking about?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have no idea as I don’t know the details.” He had not the foggiest idea about who destroyed First Inn. The Proprietress must be able to recognise them, but he was just a friendless and unlearned newcomer to the Outer Universe. Furthermore, at that time, he was hiding inside the Six Fated Paths Bag, so he wasn’t even aware that First Inn had been demolished.
“Was this King one of them?” Pei Bu Wan asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No.”
“Come closer and look carefully. Was this King one of those people who got into a fight in First Inn and destroyed it?” As Pei Bu Wan spoke, he pushed out his face.
“No,” Yang Kai shook his head again.
“Are you sure?” Pei Bu Wan narrowed his eyes.
“I’m sure.”
“Since this King wasn’t the one who destroyed First Inn, why are you asking for repayment from this King?” Pei Bu Wan loudly pounded the table in front of him, shattering it into pieces. Then, he stared at Yang Kai with widened eyes, “Brat, do you think this King is easy to bully?”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Yang Kai hung his head low and cupped his fists, “I’m just here to carry out my orders.”
Pei Bu Wan snorted, “Look for those who demolished First Inn then. What does it have to do with this King?”
Yang Kai replied, “Shopkeeper Pei is quite right. In that case, Junior will take his leave. However, there is one thing I should mention before I go.”
“Go on.” Pei Bu Wan shot him a glance.
“Before coming out to carry out my orders, my Proprietress said that it would be best if I could collect all the debts owed, and that if I couldn’t, she would personally come over to discuss them with those shopkeepers who aren’t willing to pay. If that still doesn’t work, she would go to the headquarters of those great forces to seek repayment from them.”
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “Do you think you can scare this King? Tell whoever she is to come here, then. Let’s see if that woman can get even a single pill from this King. If she can, this King doesn’t mind calling her Great Aunt!”
Yang Kai shouted, “Junior will remember and pass on Shopkeeper Pei’s sentiments to our Proprietress word for word. Farewell!”
After cupping his fists, he turned around and left.
All of a sudden, Pei Bu Wan frowned as though he seemed to recall something, “Wait.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai whirled around and stared at him, “What else does Shopkeeper Pei wish to say?”
The aggressive light in Pei Bu Wan’s eyes seemed to have weakened as he muttered, “You just mentioned your Proprietress… As far as this King knows, most First Inns are managed by men. There are only a small number of female shopkeepers. What’s your Proprietress’ name?”
Although there weren’t many female shopkeepers at First Inn, none of them were easy to deal with. In particular, there were two of whom especially shouldn’t be messed with.
“My First Inn’s Proprietress is known as Madam Lan.” With a respectful look on his face, Yang Kai cupped his fists in the direction First Inn was located.
Pei Bu Wan’s face twitched hard when he heard that and asked, “Madam Lan? Which Madam Lan?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m not sure if there is more than one Madam Lan who belongs to First Inn. It has only been a short time since I started working for her, so I’m not familiar with First Inn; however, I have a Faith Token from our Proprietress. Do you want to have a look?”
“Show me,” Pei Bu Wan extended his large hand.
Yang Kai presented the Jade Token to him with both hands. After taking it, Pei Bu Wan infused his energy into it. The next instant, he gulped hard before he let out a hollow laugh, “Oh, it’s that Madam Lan! En, this King is familiar with her. Several hundred years ago, I was a customer at First Inn, and she was quite… hospitable… Haha. A few hundred years have passed just like that. Those days…”
He wasn’t even sure how he should keep going, so he decided to change the topic, “Has she arrived in this Star City?”
Yang Kai replied, “Yes. First Inn has just reopened a few streets away from here.”
“I see,” Pei Bu Wan nodded.
“Is there anything else, Shopkeeper Pei? If not, I’ll take my leave now. The Proprietress is waiting for me to report to her.”
“There’s nothing else,” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and extended the Jade Token, but he refused to let it go when Yang Kai clenched it.
Staring at him, Yang Kai said, “What is the meaning of this, Shopkeeper Pei? A Jade Token is not valuable. If you want one, you can simply head to First Inn and get one from the Proprietress. I’m sure she still has some to spare.”
An exasperated Pei Bu Wan refuted, “Why would I need a Jade Token?” Then, he released the token, “There’s no hurry for you to leave. Let this King think about this.”
Upon finishing his words, he rose from the chair and placed his hands behind his back before pacing around. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts as though he was pondering on an important issue.
Seeing that, Yang Kai admired the Proprietress even more. Even a thug like Pei Bu Wan became terrified at the mere mention of her name. Although Pei Bu Wan didn’t let his emotions show on his face, Yang Kai would be a fool not to notice this abrupt change in attitude. Yang Kai began to wonder just what the Proprietress had done to make herself famous across the 3,000 Worlds.
A moment later, Pei Bu Wan stopped in his tracks and stared fixedly at Yang Kai, as though he had just made a difficult decision, “Brat, you’re here to collect a debt, right?”
Yang Kai replied, “Yes, I am here to ask for compensation.”
“They mean the same thing. You’re here to ask for money.” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and swept a glance over him, “I can see that your cultivation is not bad as you’ve condensed your Dao Seal. What’s your battle experience like?”
Yang Kai frowned as this question was rather bizarre, but after giving it a thought, he simply replied, “I’m from an unknown, remote Universe World.”
In other words, he had fought his way to the Outer Universe, so his combat experience was unquestionable.
Upon hearing that, Pei Bu Wan’s eyes became visibly brighter as he put on a broad smile, “Very good.” Then, he pointed at the battle stage, “Do you see that guy over there?”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw that the young man, who won the battle earlier, was seated on the ground with his legs crossed. Apparently, he was trying to adjust his breathing and heal his wounds.
“Shopkeeper Pei, what do you mean?” Yang Kai asked.
“I want you to fight against him.”
“I don’t understand.”
Pei Bu Wan wrapped his arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder and said in a hushed voice, “If you can defeat him, I’ll repay the debt.”
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious.”
“How much will you repay?”
“I’ll repay the debt in full.”
[What exactly goes through this guy’s head? How bored must he be to have developed an interest in watching other people fight? I guess thugs like him really can’t be judged with reason.] There was no doubt that Yang Kai was tempted by the suggestion. The amount of repayment was 10 million, and he’d get five percent of it, which was 500,000. It could be considered easy if he could get the money by simply fighting a battle. All the other shopkeepers had asked for a month to validate the incident, and it wasn’t certain whether they would pay up after that point; therefore, Yang Kai was quite interested in Pei Bu Wan’s suggestion.
More importantly, Yang Kai had just borrowed some Open Heaven Pills from Luo Hai Yi the previous day. If he could get 10 million pills today, he would be able to repay her and free himself from at least one debt.
Yang Kai had watched the young man fight earlier, and although he admitted he was fairly powerful, his foundation wasn’t solid. If they got into a one-on-one fight, Yang Kai was confident he would win.
He reckoned that Pei Bu Wan must be wary of the Proprietress. Earlier, the burly man had sworn that if the Proprietress could get even one pill from him, he would call her Great Aunt. Now, he must be trying to find a way out of this embarrassing situation.
Thinking so, Yang Kai nodded his head, “Good.”
“Great!” Pei Bu Wan clapped his hands and guffawed, “Just wait a bit. That guy has just gone through an intense battle and exhausted himself. Let him restore some energy first.”
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t mind this.
Pei Bu Wan moved and appeared on the battlefield in an instant before speaking to the young man, who gazed at Yang Kai and nodded gently. Then, he passed the young man a jade bottle that should contain some healing pills. The young man directly fished out some pills and gulped them down before he continued meditating.
Following that, Pei Bu Wan returned to the platform and chuckled, “Let’s wait for one hour.”
One hour wasn’t a long time, but in order to not make Luo Hai Yi worry, Yang Kai took out a communications artifact and informed her that his discussion here would take a little longer, so he’d leave the shop at a later time.
On the other hand, Pei Bu Wan told his subordinates to get a new table and cups of tea before having a small talk with Yang Kai.
One hour later, the young man got to his feet on the battlefield and beckoned to Yang Kai.
“Shopkeeper Pei, I’m going now. Please don’t forget your promise.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” Pei Bu Wan chuckled.
It was then Yang Kai leapt onto the battle stage, and upon reaching the centre, he cupped his fists at the young man, who was still tens of metres away from him, “Yang Kai!”
The young man also cupped his fists, but as soon as he lifted his hands, he suddenly dashed forward and threw his fist towards Yang Kai’s face. A blast was heard as a violent force swirled around his fist. It was as though he had some deep grudges against Yang Kai.
This was different from what Yang Kai had expected, so with a frown, he pushed out a fist as well.
Following a loud bang, two figures were seen stepping backwards. A tinge of surprise flashed across the young man’s eyes as he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so tough.
Before he even came to his senses though, Yang Kai managed to stabilize himself and shoot forward. An image flashed across the young man’s eyes as he realised that Yang Kai had already reached him as a fist expanded rapidly in his eyes.
Flustered, the young man hurriedly raised his arms to parry the attack, but he immediately felt an unstoppable force coming from the other party’s fist, which was even more forceful than the first clash. He was horrified, but it was too late for him to summon any artifacts. Following a loud crack, he felt excruciating pain as his forearm bones were broken.
The next instant, countless fist shadows rained down on the young man, turning him ashen.
On the platform, Pei Bu Wan appeared surprised at first, then his eyes brightened intensely as though he had just found a treasure. Hot breath was even seen puffing out of his nostrils.
Loud bangs were continuously heard coming from the battlefield as the young man could only defend himself without the power to counterattack. He was completely overwhelmed.
Yang Kai was used to fighting against opponents stronger than himself. He might not be able to defeat an Open Heaven Realm Master, who had split Heaven and Earth apart in his body, which allowed them to utilize World Force, but as long as his opponent wasn’t an Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai didn’t fear anyone.
If the young man had been polite, Yang Kai wouldn’t have oppressed him like this. The problem was that the young man directly made a move without saying a word, so Yang Kai replied in kind with a ruthless offensive.
Although Yang Kai was a Human, he had the brute strength of a 2,000-metre-long Half-Dragon. Therefore, the average Emperor Realm cultivator was no match for him when it came to raw power. If the other person had widened the gap and used artifacts or Secret Techniques, he might’ve lasted for a while longer; however, he decided to fight Yang Kai in close quarters, which was akin to courting death.
After just ten breaths of time, Yang Kai pushed out his fist for the last time. The young man became paralysed on the ground with his clothes drenched in blood.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to kill him, but it would take the young man at least half a month to recuperate from such injuries.
Then, Yang Kai moved and appeared beside Pei Bu Wan, not even short of breath, as though he was just warming up earlier. With his fists cupped, Yang Kai said, “Shopkeeper Pei, fortunately, I didn’t disappoint you.”
The subordinates were amazed as they looked at him like he was a freak.
Pei Bu Wan placed his hands behind his back and paced around again for a bit before striding over and grabbing Yang Kai’s shoulders.
His action made Yang Kai feel uncomfortable, and with a frown, he asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, I’ve won the battle. Just like what you’ve promised, will you make the repayment now?”
“Repayment? What do you mean?” Pei Bu Wan glared at him.
Yang Kai’s face fell, “Does Shopkeeper Pei want to go back on his word? You promised that as long as I could defeat him, you’d give me the repayment in full.”
“Did this King ever say that?” A puzzled Pei Bu Wan looked around him.
“No!” The people around him all replied loudly.
With his hands behind his back, Pei Bu Wan looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “You see, they said no. I’m sure I’ve never said that.”
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he stared at him in disbelief, “Shopkeeper Pei, are you serious?”
[How could he play dumb at this point?] Yang Kai had never seen a person like Pei Bu Wan before. He was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well as a shopkeeper. Usually, business people treasured their integrity. If someone like him could run a profitable business, Yang Kai would get his surname changed to match his.
Luo Hai Yi was right to say that he was a thug.
Without replying to him, Pei Bu Wan chuckled.
“Junior has been enlightened today,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and turned around to leave. Although he was incensed from getting tricked, there was nothing he could do as he was in the other party’s territory, and there was a huge gap between their powers. He swore that he would immediately tell the Proprietress about it so that she would teach this thug a lesson.
Stroking his stubble, Pei Bu Wan stared at Yang Kai from behind and said, “Brat, fight against someone one more time, and I’ll definitely give you the 10 million pills.”
Yang Kai didn’t even slow his pace. Once trust was broken, it was hard to be repaired. He had been fooled once, so he wouldn’t believe Pei Bu Wan again.
“This King will personally give you an extra 500,000 Open Heaven Pills!”
Yang Kai still ignored him.
“1,000,000!” Pei Bu Wan said through clenched teeth.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to step out of the inner court, Pei Bu Wan gritted his teeth and shouted, “I’ll swear on my Grand Dao!”
Yang Kai had one of his feet firmly pressed against the ground outside the inner court, but he became rooted to the spot upon hearing that, as though someone had used a Binding Technique on him.
A moment later, he slowly turned around and ambled forward.
Pei Bu Wan grinned, and upon seeing that Yang Kai had taken a seat, he did the same and extended his head, “Brat, after the fight, I’ll immediately give you 11 million pills.”
“Take an oath first,” Without looking at him, Yang Kai held the teacup in his hand, no emotion on his face.
Pei Bu Wan said, “It’s not so hard to take an oath, but there’s a condition. The prerequisite is that you have to win the battle. If you lose, not only will you not get the 11 million pills, but this King will also not let you off.”
Yang Kai shot him a glance and realised that there was a tinge of ferocity behind his gaze. It seemed that the situation was more serious than he first thought. With a frown, Yang Kai asked, “Are you going to make me fight against an Open Heaven Realm Master or something?”
Pei Bu Wan replied, “Don’t worry. Your opponent is not an Open Heaven cultivator. The person won’t even be a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm cultivator. You’ll be equals.”
“Alright, you can take an oath now,” Yang Kai nodded.
As long as his opponent wasn’t an Open Heaven Realm Master, there was nothing Yang Kai had to worry about. Furthermore, the person whom he had never met wasn’t even a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Are you so confident?” Pei Bu Wan was astounded. He did all he could to make Yang Kai accept this fight, but he became apprehensive upon seeing his casual reaction.
“If you trust me, take an oath now. If you don’t, I’ll leave,” After taking a sip of the tea, Yang Kai put down the teacup and rose from the chair.
With a scowl, Pei Bu Wan appeared hesitant, but just a moment later, he stood up straight and said solemnly, “I, Pei Bu Wan, swear on my Grand Dao that as long as… What’s your name?” He was asking Yang Kai about his name as he probably didn’t pay attention to him when he was introducing himself.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai told him his name again.
Pei Bu Wan went on to say, “As long as Yang Kai can win this fight, this King will give him 11 million Open Heaven Pills. If this King goes back on my word, may my Grand Dao shatter and my future be cut off!”
A calm Yang Kai said, “What about my opponent’s cultivation?”
Hearing that, Pei Bu Wan gritted his teeth and took an oath one more time to include Yang Kai’s demand. Then, he looked down at him and said, “That should be enough. Don’t go too far, brat!”
It was only then that Yang Kai nodded his head, “That’s enough.”
Since the thug had sworn on his Grand Dao, he could be trusted as no one would dare to make such an oath on a whim. If Pei Bu Wan went back on his word now, a blemish would be left on his Grand Dao which would surely hinder his future in the Martial Dao. Yang Kai was curious about why this thug wanted him to fight against someone so badly. Would he gain any benefits from it? If there were no benefits, why would he offer 11 million pills?
Yang Kai didn’t think he could ever understand a thug like Pei Bu Wan though, so he stopped thinking about it and stood up, “Where’s my opponent? You can summon that person now.” He wanted to go back quickly.
Pei Bu Wan grinned, “Your opponent isn’t here. Why don’t you stay overnight here to take a rest? I’ll bring you to a place tomorrow where you can make a scene.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai furrowed his brows as he realised that he had thought about it too simplistically. Judging from what Pei Bu Wan had said, it seemed that they were going somewhere to make a fuss.
[Did I fall into a trap?] Yang Kai had a bad premonition all of a sudden; however, since everything had been agreed upon, and 11 million pills were deathly attractive to him, there was no way he could back down now.
And so, Yang Kai sent a message to Luo Hai Yi and told her to go back first as they’d meet up again the next day. Then, he followed a servant from Hundred Refining’s Hall to a room.
The staff treated him very well, giving him a lot of medicinal food and pills for treating his injuries. The pills were obviously high-quality and worth a lot of money.
Yang Kai had a feeling that the battle the next day was extremely important to Pei Bu Wan; otherwise, he wouldn’t have given him such favourable treatment.
It had been a peaceful night, and in the afternoon the next day, Pei Bu Wan pushed the door open and strode into the room. With his hands on his hips, he blocked the door like he was a tower and called out, “Brat, are you ready?”
Yang Kai stood up and said, “Let’s go.” There was nothing to prepare as he just had to fight against someone he didn’t know.
The calmer Yang Kai appeared, the brighter Pei Bu Wan’s eyes became. That was because it suggested that Yang Kai was confident. With a grin, Pei Bu Wan beckoned to him, “Come with me.”
After leaving Hundred Refining’s Hall, Yang Kai immediately saw Luo Hai Yi standing in a nearby spot. He stopped in his tracks and beckoned to her.
A timid Luo Hai Yi took a glance at Pei Bu Wan, who gave off a ferocious air. She felt immensely pressured because of his presence. Normally, if she came across such a person, she’d stay as far away from him as possible; however, since Yang Kai had summoned her, she had no choice but to go over and salute Pei Bu Wan, “Greetings, Shopkeeper Pei.”
Pei Bu Wan took a look at Luo Hai Yi before shifting his attention to Yang Kai, “Is she your woman?”
Luo Hai Yi started blushing and didn’t know how to explain it to him. On the other hand, Yang Kai ignored him and gazed at Luo Hai Yi, “Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to go back?”
To which she replied, “I came here at daybreak as I thought there would be something Sir needed to do today.”
“There’s nothing for you to do today.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her before giving it a thought and saying, “If you’re free today, you can accompany me.”
Then, he turned to look at Pei Bu Wan, “Is it okay to bring someone with me?”
“It’s fine. She can tag along,” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand as he had brought some people with him as well. These people were supposed to be the shop hands in the shop. In fact, Hundred Refining’s Hall was in the business of selling artifacts, but business had been terrible for them, leaving basically nothing for the shop hands to do. If this wasn’t the case, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have let them tag along.
Yang Kai slightly nodded at Luo Hai Yi to motion for her to come with him.
Two people led the way while the others followed them. Wherever they went, the people on the streets would give way as though scorpions and snakes had appeared. At that, Yang Kai was speechless, knowing that Pei Bu Wan must be an infamous figure in the city. It was no wonder that they literally had no customers. If Yang Kai was the owner of Hundred Refining’s Hall, he would’ve fired Pei Bu Wan long ago.
“Shopkeeper Pei, since the battle will begin soon, is there anything you need to tell me?” Yang Kai said.
Pei Bu Wan nodded his head, “I do need to tell you the rules. Listen up. During the battle, you’re not allowed to use any artifacts or pills. You can only rely on your own strength to fight with your opponent. It’s the most basic rule.”
“We can’t use artifacts or pills?” Yang Kai arched his brow. In that case, he’d have an advantage.
“You absolutely cannot use them.” Pei Bu Wan appeared solemn, “Don’t get nervous and summon any artifacts. If that happens, it will be considered a forfeit even if you win the battle.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Don’t worry. I won’t use any artifacts.” In fact, there were not many artifacts he could use now. The things he had brought from the Star Boundary were not useful here. Of the actually useful things, the Mountains and Rivers Bell had been destroyed, so he was left with Azure Dragon Spear, Six Fated Paths Bag, and Shadowless Veil.
Pei Bu Wan went on to say, “Life or death doesn’t matter in the battle. In other words, you can kill your opponent if you’re capable of doing that.”
An amazed Yang Kai asked, “You can kill someone in this Star City?” He was stunned as he recalled that even fighting wasn’t permitted in this city.
Pei Bu Wan grinned wickedly as he answered, “You’re only allowed to kill other people in that place. However, if either party admits defeat, the battle will stop immediately, and the winner cannot make a move again; otherwise, he’ll immediately lose the battle.” He turned to look at Yang Kai, “Those are the only two rules. Got it?”
“Got it.”
To the side, Luo Hai Yi turned pale as she listened and asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, are you talking about Asura Arena?”
Pei Bu Wan revealed his hideous fangs and grinned at her, “That’s right. We’re talking about Asura Arena.”
Luo Hai Yi immediately pulled Yang Kai’s sleeve and said in a hushed voice, “Sir, Asura Arena is an extremely dangerous place where many people die each day. You’d better not go there.”
Hearing that, Pei Bu Wan guffawed, “It’s too late. He has already promised this King he will fight.”
In an instant, Luo Hai Yi’s eyes were filled with worry.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “It’s fine. Tell me what kind of place Asura Arena is.” He reckoned that Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t tell him the whole truth, and since Luo Hai Yi seemed to know about this place, he could ask her about it.
After giving it a thought, Luo Hai Yi explained, “Among the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, there is one called Asura Cave Heaven. Asura Cave Heaven is filled with ruthless and bloodthirsty people who love to fight and kill, so they’re not easy to deal with. They established an Asura Arena in every single major Star City to allow people to fight against one another inside the venue, and killing is not prohibited. Anyone who wins a battle in the arena will win a prize, and if he keeps winning, the rewards will also keep doubling until he or she obtains the top prize that is determined in advance.”
“For example, if Sir wins the first match, you will receive 50 Open Heaven Pills, for the second match you’ll obtain 100, and for the third match, you’ll get 200. This continues until you reach the highest limit. However, if you lose any match, you’ll have to start accumulating all over again.”
Yang Kai nodded, “An interesting idea.” Although one would only get 50 pills for the first win, the reward would snowball if they could win seven or eight matches. One could even get more than tens of thousands of pills if they won nine or ten matches.
“There are three ranks in Asura Arena, which are Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. Three Asura Rankings have been set up accordingly. The Mortal Ranking is for people below the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm, Earth Ranking is for Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Masters, and Heaven Ranking is for Open Heaven Realm Masters. Regardless of the rankings, none of the people who are listed on the Asura Rankings are easy to deal with.”
The arrangements were pretty reasonable; after all, for cultivators, Half-Step Open Heaven Realm was a dividing line. Once a cultivator managed to condense five Elements, his power would experience a great leap forward while after one ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, his power would undergo a fundamental change. Therefore, the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm served as a dividing line for the three rankings.
Since Pei Bu Wan had said that Yang Kai’s opponent wasn’t a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master, the person he was going up against must be listed on the Mortal Rankings.
“I’ve also heard that the reason Asura Arena was established is to train the disciples of Asura Cave Heaven. The training they primarily get is through battles. The more intense the battles are, the faster they grow. However, although they’re one of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, it’s impossible for them to have a chance to fight with someone else all the time. Hence, the Asura Arena is made to meet their needs.”
Pei Bu Wan turned to grin at her, “Woman, you know a lot. That’s right. Asura Arena exists for the disciples of Asura Cave Heaven to train themselves. Everyone who takes part in the battle is a stepping stone for their trials. Regardless, the rewards are truly attractive. Even those in the Mortal Rankings can get 50 Open Heaven Pills for winning their first match, and those in the Earth and Heaven Rankings can get even more. That’s why there are many applicants despite the risks. Since time immemorial, benefits have been the motivation behind everything.”
As they spoke, they reached the entrance of a certain building that didn’t look special from the outside. It was just that its door was wider than those of other shops. Before even entering though, Yang Kai could feel an air of bloodlust coming at him. Lifting his head, he realised that a signboard had been hung above the door. The characters ‘Asura Arena’ had been emblazoned on it. These characters looked so bright that it was as though they had been written in blood. At first glance, the characters didn’t look unusual, but as time passed, traces of redness seemed to be streaming down the signboard and dripping from it.
Yang Kai arched his brow and blinked, whereupon the signboard became normal again. The bloody image he saw had disappeared.
“Shopkeeper Pei! Welcome!” The shop boy at the door passionately said. It was apparent that Pei Bu Wan was a regular here.
With his hands behind his back, Pei Bu Wan calmly grunted and led his group of people into the building.
Upon entering the arena, Yang Kai realised that the interior was extraordinary. The hall was so wide that many thousands of people could be crammed inside it. The people in the hall were either in groups or on their own, while in the middle of the hall, three thick columns had been erected with glistening words written on them.
Pei Bu Wan turned around and said, “Wait for me here. This King will get someone to make the arrangements.”
Then, he left the place with two of his shop hands. After he was gone, Luo Hai Yi came over and said in a small voice, “Sir, are you sure you want to fight? This is a dangerous place. You’d better leave.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I already made an agreement.”
Her expression dimmed as she warned, “Then, you’ll have to be careful. The battles in this arena are extreme. Your past experiences may not be of much use.”
“Got it.” Yang Kai nodded and gazed at the three columns, “Are those the Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Mortal?”
The three columns immediately caught his attention when he entered the hall. It couldn’t be helped, as the columns were too conspicuous, so it was impossible to ignore them. Moreover, the words ‘Heaven’, ‘Earth’, and ‘Mortal’ had been respectively engraved atop them, so one could easily understand what they were.
Luo Hai Yi nodded her head, “You’re right. Those are the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal Rankings.”
Yang Kai examined them and realised that the names written on them were pretty interesting. Most of them didn’t look like real names; instead, they were more like aliases. For example, Black Fox, Thousand Blades, and so on. There were of course some normal-sounding names that were probably real names as well.
On these three rankings, the names at the top and those at the bottom were written in different colours.
The top three names were a dark gold colour. It was gold for numbers 4 to 10, silver for 11 to 30, and below 30 they were white.
On every ranking, there were exactly 100 names. Those names were not engraved on the columns though and instead looked more like light projections that had been written using some kind of special technique.
While Yang Kai was looking at them though, one of the names on Earth Rankings dimmed, which caught his attention, so he asked in puzzlement, “Why has that name turned grey?”
Luo Hai Yi turned pale, “He died.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai became astounded. The name was originally written in a silver colour. The fact that it was the 15th-ranked individual suggested that this person had been fairly strong, but he had died just like that, which went to show that the battles in Asura Arena were truly ruthless. Although the rewards were attractive, one had to fight for them with their life on the line. Most cultivators wouldn’t have the courage to take part in such a thing.
While he was in a dazed state, the grey name suddenly scattered and disappeared as it had been removed from the Earth Rankings. Following that, all the names below it moved up, and a new name appeared at the bottom to make it one hundred names in total.
There was a passageway in the corner of the hall, and presently, a person, who was carrying a blood-soaked corpse that had lost all vitality on his back, walked out from the passageway as the blood dripped onto the floor. Seeing that, the people in the hall felt traumatised as chills ran down their spines.
Yang Kai reckoned that the dead person must be the one whose name had been removed from the Earth Rankings. Judging from the state his corpse was in, he must have gone through a difficult battle.
Hearing rapid footsteps from behind him, Yang Kai turned around and saw Pei Bu Wan striding towards him. Then, Pei Bu Wan said, “Everything has been arranged. You’ll get your premier battle in one hour.” He scratched his head, “But there’s a slight problem.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai asked.
“What name will you use?” As Pei Bu Wan spoke, he pointed at the three rankings, “You can either use an alias or your real name. It’s up to you.”
A nonchalant Yang Kai replied, “I’ll use my real name, then.” He was just here for a single fight, so there was nothing to hide, and there wasn’t a need for him to pretend to be mysterious. Moreover, even if he used an alias, it would be pointless if he couldn’t change his appearance.
Pei Bu Wan nodded and fished out a communications artifact. It seemed that he was going to contact someone from Asura Arena. After he was done with that, Luo Hai Yi asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, who is going to be his opponent?”
With a grin, Pei Bu Wan took a glance at Yang Kai and pointed at the Mortal Rankings, “The one ranked 4th.”
In an instant, Luo Hai Yi turned ashen, “How is that possible?! Sir Yang has never taken part in a battle in this arena before, so how could he have the right to fight against that person?”
She soon realised there was something wrong with what she had said, so she hurriedly explained, “Sir, there are still rules in this arena. A person can only challenge an opponent who is within ten rankings above him or herself. If they win, they will replace that person.”
Pei Bu Wan grinned, “To the average person, rules are rules. But, to this King, rules are to be broken.” There was a smug smile on his face.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw that the name of the person ranked 4th was painted in gold.
Yu Luo Sha!
The name and rank suggested that this person would be difficult to deal with.
“Let’s go. You only have one hour to prepare. Get yourself ready,” Pei Bu Wan said and led all of them to one corner of the hall.
Soon, they entered a room, upon which a maidservant came over to serve them.
The room was spacious, and it was directly facing the gigantic arena. At this moment, two people could be seen battling intensely; however, one of them was apparently on the back foot, so it was just a matter of time before he was defeated. The arena was surrounded by spectators who were constantly yelling and cheering.
With his hands behind his back, Pei Bu Wan stood by the window and looked down at the battle, “The terrain of the arena can be changed freely. You can discuss with your opponent and decide on a particular battlefield beforehand. It can also be selected randomly. Is there any particular terrain you prefer? There are options like snowy world, scorching desert, swamp, and so on. You can choose whatever you like.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “So, this arena is also a giant artifact.”
Pei Bu Wan nodded his head, “That’s right. This arena is an artifact.”
Yang Kai replied, “A random terrain will do, then.”
With a grin, Pei Bu Wan shot him a glance, “I love how confident you are. Brat, you’d better do your best and win the battle. If you lose, you’ll die. To be honest with you, your opponent is a disciple from Asura Cave Heaven.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai said, “Yu Luo Sha is from Asura Cave Heaven?”
“Are you afraid now?” Pei Bu Wan looked him in the eyes.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not really. I’m just worried that if I accidentally kill that person…”
“Don’t worry.” Pei Bu Wan lifted his hand to cut him off, apparently understanding his worries, “Just kill if you can. There are many disciples from Asura Cave Heaven who lose their lives in the Asura Arenas around the 3,000 Worlds. They won’t care about it or retaliate against you at a later date. If they did, no one would ever take part in any battle in this arena again.”
“Good.”
“One can use any method within the rules in the arena, so you must not hold back.” Pei Bu Wan warned him with a solemn expression.
After a grunt, Yang Kai took a seat in the corner and began to meditate. His opponent was ranked 4th on the Mortal Rankings, and they were from Asura Cave Heaven, so it was apparent that they were not a pushover. Although Yang Kai was confident in himself, he planned to go all out as this was a life-or-death battle.
As time passed, the people around the arena became increasingly rowdy, but Yang Kai remained unfazed as he remained as calm as still water.