Hearing Zhao Xing Chen’s order, Meng Hong and the others turned pale in horror. They had never expected for things to take such a dramatic turn.
Chen Yue’s face turned pale in shock and she stepped forward to intervene, “Senior Brother Zhao, this is a misunderstanding!” While speaking, she tried to pull Zhao Xing Chen.
Zhao Xing Chen shook her away and impatiently stated, “Go away!” Chen Yue was directly shaken back to one side, almost falling to the ground.
“Junior Sister Chen!” Meng Hong hurriedly stepped forward to help, but Chen Yue promptly avoided him. Seeing this, Meng Hong’s face turned ashen and became a little listless.
Zhao Xing Chen glanced at her and coldly snorted. Afterwards, he turned his attention to Yang Kai and gloomily stated, “Brother Yang, this Commander considered you a genius and had every intention of recruiting you, but unfortunately, Brother Yang didn’t appreciate it. Since that’s the case, this Zhao will have to invite Brother Yang to my Scarlet Star’s dungeon for a chat!” He waved his hand and shouted, “Apprehend them. If they try to resist, kill them!”
The moment he said this, a dozen or so people rushed over and tried to capture Yang Kai, Meng Hong, and the others.
The three Great Moon Province disciples were suddenly at a loss. They wanted to resist, but at the end of the day, this was Scarlet Star’s territory. If they really couldn’t resolve this, their end would not be good.
On the contrary, the few people who tried to arrest Yang Kai suddenly groaned in unison and flew backwards, smashing the tables and chairs in the lobby.
Zhao Xing Chen cried out in shock, “You dare fight back?”
Scarlet Star had been gaining momentum for the past few days, and in this Star City, Scarlet Star cultivators ran amok. No one dared to provoke them, so Zhao Xing Chen never thought that someone would actually do something to his men in public, rooting him to the spot.
Yang Kai scoffed, “You dare to attack this King, so why wouldn’t this King dare to attack you? Come!”
He stretched his hand towards Zhao Xing Chen as a fierce suction emerged from his palm. The next moment, Zhao Xing Chen flew uncontrollably towards Yang Kai, who grabbed him by the neck and pressed him onto the table. A scorching heat radiated from Yang Kai’s arm as he looked at Zhao Xing Chen in contempt, “You dare to act presumptuous before this King with your feeble skills?”
Zhao Xing Chen became angry out of shame, “You’re dead! Dead! Do you know who I am? Scarlet Star’s Fifth Manager is my brother-in-law! Boy, let go of me or else!”
He kept screaming and struggling, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t free himself. The big hand holding his neck was like an iron hoop, sealing off all his strength.
Zhao Xing Chen was stunned. He too was an Emperor Realm cultivator and had even condensed five Elements into his Dao Seal. He never thought that he would be suppressed and have no power to fight back against another Emperor Realm cultivator!
Their own Commander was captured so easily, so the Scarlet Star cultivators didn’t know what to do. They looked at each other and stood rooted in their spots.
Zhao Xing Chen slapped the table and angrily shouted, “Why are you still standing there? Are you still not going to help this Commander?”
Helpless, everyone could only rush over; however, they couldn’t even get within ten metres of Yang Kai before they were sent flying, crashing into the ground and crying out in pain.
Meng Hong and the others were stunned while Chen Yue slightly opened her mouth with a worried look on her face.
Although she knew Yang Kai was amazingly strong and had personally witnessed him face hundreds of members of Emperor Heaven alone, she never thought he would be daring enough to attack others here.
However, the arrow was already fired. It was too late for her to stop it now. All she could do was worry. She wanted to persuade Yang Kai, but didn’t know where to start.
“I advise you to quickly release and kowtow to me! Otherwise, you won’t see the sunrise tomorrow!”
Although Zhao Xing Chen was in a miserable state, he was still acting headstrong. He was relying on his identity as a minor Commander of Scarlet Star, believing that Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to do anything to him.
“You want me to kneel and kowtow to you?” Yang Kai sneered before suddenly lifting his hand and kicking Zhao Xing Chen, “Then you should kneel first!”
Many cultivators in the lobby turned pale one after another and dared not stay here for another moment. They all paid for their drinks and ran out.
Before leaving, some people looked at Yang Kai with pity and shook their heads sighing, thinking that he would come to regret this sooner or later. An elderly man even tried his best to persuade Yang Kai, “Young Man, quickly escape from here before things turn bigger. If you don’t leave now, it will be too late; after all, this is Scarlet Star’s territory!”
Yang Kai just smiled at the elderly man, who couldn’t say anything after seeing his attitude.
In the blink of an eye, all the guests in the lobby had run away, leaving a pale shopkeeper trembling in fright! A Junior Commander of Scarlet Star was beaten in his inn; he wouldn’t be able to escape punishment now. His inn was likely never going to open again.
Having been forced to kneel by Yang Kai, Zhao Xing Chen was still wailing for a while. He glared at Yang Kai with incomparable hatred and roared, “This Commander will remember today’s shame, and will make you pay for it a thousand times over!”
“I’ll be waiting!” Yang Kai indifferently nodded.
Yue He’s obsession only grew stronger as her beautiful eyes flickered with an unusual gleam, staring straight at the side of Yang Kai’s face.
Zhao Xing Chen turned his head and shouted, glaring at the dumbstruck Chen Yue, “You stupid slut, do you only know how to sit there and watch? Don’t you know how to save me!?”
Chen Yue’s face turned pale when she heard this. She puckered her lips as she looked at Yang Kai pleadingly, “Senior Brother Yang…”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Sister Chen, don’t be ridiculous. You and I just met by chance, I really don’t deserve the honour of being addressed as Senior Brother by you. Please don’t ever address me as such again.”
Chen Yue’s face turned even paler after hearing this. She knew that Yang Kai was drawing a clear line with her. She couldn’t help but feel bitter, but then again, she and Yang Kai had nothing to do with each other from the very start. They only got to know each other through Meng Hong.
Unable to beg Yang Kai, she could only turn to Meng Hong.
Meng Hong clenched his fists before lowering his head and saying nothing.
Seeing this, Chen Yue sighed in her heart. She didn’t have the face to say anything.
“Since you can’t help me at all, what’s the use of keeping you with me, you slut,” Zhao Xing Chen angrily rebuked.
Yang Kai gave Chen Yue a cold look, “Your choice of men is truly terrible!” Chen Yue trembled after hearing this as her head dropped to her chest.
Yang Kai slapped Zhao Xing Chen once again, knocking out a few of his teeth in the process as half of his face swelled up. Yang Kai looked at him coldly and stated, “If you dare to speak another word, I will kill you right here and now!”
Zhao Xing Chen’s eyes turned red and widened in anger. Obviously, he was unwilling, but his fist was smaller than Yang Kai’s, so he had no choice but to choke down his anger.
The lobby fell into silence for a moment, leaving only the sound of Yang Kai drinking at his own leisure.
Yue He looked left and right before she giggled and asked, “How are things going to end now?”
The likes of Zhao Xing Chen weren’t even worth her attention. Not to mention Zhao Xing Chen, even the Fifth Manager above him was nothing in her eyes. Yue He might not even look straight at him, but they were inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary after all; more importantly, this place was Scarlet Star’s turf. Since Yang Kai had created such a scene, it would definitely not end that easily.
“I can understand that you acted like this because of your friends, but you have created quite a big scene.” Yue He continued via transmission, “If we want to leave, we must leave now. Once the news about this spreads, we won’t be able to leave no matter what.”
Yang Kai replied after hearing this, “Do you think I did this for Meng Hong?”
“You didn’t?” Yue He asked back.
Yang Kai thought for a moment and replied, “It’s a part of the reason, but the main reason is that he was eyeing my treasures. Since they aren’t willing to give up, I have no choice but to set up my prestige, and let them know that no one can covet my things.” Saying so, he proudly smiled, “Besides, if I want to leave, how can the likes of Scarlet Star stop me?”
He was proficient in the Dao of Space and could easily come and go as he pleased unless Scarlet Star had set up a shocking Grand Array that could isolate space!
“Yes, yes, you’re amazing, keep it up then,” Yue He sneered sarcastically as she shot him an angry glare.
Scarlet Star’s Junior Commander Zhao Xing Chen was beaten and forced to kneel in public; this news spread like wildfire across the Star City. Many people couldn’t believe it; after all, who would dare to do something like that to Scarlet Star’s men in this Star City? But the people who spread the news said that they saw it with their own eyes and that Zhao Xing Chen was still kneeling at the inn.
Some people who didn’t believe the news came to watch it secretly. After one glance, they realized it was just as they had heard. They all found it a little bizarre, and what was even more shocking was that the person who beat Zhao Xing Chen was still here.
In the backyard of a certain mansion in the northwest corner of the Star City, there was a small bridge over a creek and some artificial mountains of strange sizes and shapes. An incredibly fat man with fish food in his hand stood by the pond, attracting the fish to compete for the feed.
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry came from the courtyard. The fat man’s hand trembled the moment he heard this cry as a pained look appeared on his face, like he was having a sharp headache.
The sound of crying quickly approached as a well-endowed woman wearing luxurious jewellery appeared. Who knew what she had encountered, but tears kept rolling down her face, making her look extremely pitiful.
She arrived before the fatty and knelt down with a thud, heartrendingly weeping, “Husband, you must seek justice for me.”
The fatty turned his head and looked at her speechlessly. He sprinkled all the fish food in his hand before helping the woman up and consoling her, “If you have something to say, get up and say it, why are you crying?”
The woman didn’t get up though and wailed, “Husband, if you don’t agree to seek justice, this Mistress will not get up.”
The fatty rubbed his forehead in headache and asked, “Did your brother cause some kind of trouble again? Didn’t I give him the Junior Commander position last time, what do you want me to do this time?”
The woman looked up and woefully replied, “Husband, how do you know that it’s about Xing Chen? Did someone tell you about it?”
The fatty angrily rebuked, “Why would you come looking for me unless it’s for your idiot brother? Tell me, what is it this time?”
The woman couldn’t let this rest, “Husband, you shouldn’t blame Xing Chen, he didn’t cause trouble this time, rather someone else provoked him! The guards who went with him came back and told me that he was beaten by someone!”
The fatty coldly snorted, “He was bound to be beaten sooner or later thanks to his shitty character! I told you a long time ago that you should control him a little, and prevent him from making trouble everywhere!”
The woman cried, “Xing Chen didn’t cause trouble this time! The guards said that someone named Yang Kai bullied him. Not only did he beat Xing Chen, but he also forced him to kneel in public by shattering his knees. His face was beaten so badly that he spat teeth!” As she described her little brother’s condition, she once again became despondent and couldn’t stop crying.
“Xing Chen has been forced to kneel?” A sinister and ferocious look flashed across the fatty’s face when he heard this.
If Zhao Xing Chen had just been thrashed, it would only mean that he was weaker than his opponent, but if he was being forced to kneel, that would be a complete humiliation. Regardless of his character, Zhao Xing Chen was a Scarlet Star Junior Commander, and more importantly his relative, whether he liked it or not. Abusing Zhao Xing Chen like this was tantamount to slapping his face. As Scarlet Star’s Fifth Manager, how could he take this lying down?
Seeing this, the woman quickly repeated what she had heard, of course after heavily embellishing the details.
The fat man coldly snorted, “Good, you stay here, I’ll go see who is so bold!”
After saying this, he went out, carrying his hands behind his back. At the same time, the woman behind him shouted aloud, “Husband, you must bring back Xing Chen, if he met any kind of misfortune, I won’t be able to live.”
“I know, I know,” The fatty waved impatiently.
After gathering his men, the fatty left his mansion and headed straight towards the inn.
Within an incense stick of time, the fatty and his men had arrived at their destination.
When he arrived at the door, the fatty saw his battered and bruised brother-in-law, Zhao Xing Chen, kneeling on the ground. He also found three men and a woman in the room standing to the side while a man and a woman sat at a nearby table. The young man sitting on the chair was drinking wine calmly and leisurely, like he cared nothing about the world around him.
The fatty paid no attention to the others, but when he saw the woman sitting, he couldn’t help but frown.
Yue He had visited the Star City many times before, and as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she was not some nameless character. Even if the higher-ups of Scarlet Star had never dealt with her personally, they all recognized her.
In the outside world, the fatty wouldn’t dare to provoke a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master willfully; after all, he was only a Fourth-Order Master. Although there was only a single Order of difference between the two, there was a wide gap in their true strength.
However, they were inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary now. The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog suppressed and sealed all universes, so no matter what Order of the Open Heaven Realm they were outside, in this place their strength was greatly suppressed.
When the fatty walked into the restaurant, the entire restaurant shook with his steps.
Yang Kai turned his head to look, and saw a plump ball of meat slowly approaching. Every time his foot landed on the ground, the entire building quaked. Yang Kai’s pupils couldn’t help but shrink at the sight of this.
He had never seen someone this fat in his entire life. This man’s height and girth were basically identical. At first glance, he looked like a rolling ball of meat. His facial features were squeezed together because of all the fat, making it hard to distinguish them.
[Who in the world is he?] Yang Kai looked surprised.
Yue He knew that Yang Kai had been in retreat refining pills and knew nothing about the outside situation, so secretly informed him, “He is Scarlet Star’s Fifth Manager, Chen Tian Fei. He cultivates some unique Secret Art, and everyone calls him Fatty Chen Tian!”
Zhao Xing Chen, who was kneeling on the ground, also noticed Chen Tian Fei’s arrival and was immediately overjoyed and shouted, “Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, save me!”
While speaking, he struggled to get up.
“Did I tell you to get up?” Yang Kai coldly snorted and flicked his wrist, shooting a beam of energy out. Zhao Xing Chen immediately screamed and crashed to his knees once again as fresh blood spurted out of his thigh, unable to stand up anymore.
Chen Tian Fei kept approaching, but the fat on his face trembled a little as a cold gleam flickered across his long and narrow eyes.
Very soon, Chen Tian Fei arrived before the table and stood there like a mountain of meat, blocking all the light and giving everyone an invisible pressure.
Meng Hong and the others couldn’t help but be taken aback at the arrival of such a character. At the same time, they were secretly worried for Yang Kai.
“Brother-in-law…” Zhao Xing Chen miserably raised his head and looked at him pleadingly, his face filled with humiliation.
“Waste!” Chen Tian Fei coldly snorted and waved his hand, taking out a chair from his Space Ring. He placed the chair behind him and sat down.
His chair appeared to be custom-made. It was very wide and incomparably strong; ordinary chairs would not be able to take someone his weight and size.
After being seated, Chen Tian Fei leaned back on the chair and greeted, squinting his eyes, “Lady Yue He, it’s been a long time.”
“Manager Chen,” Yue He gave him an amiable smile.
Chen Tian Fei continued, “Lady Yue He, haven’t you gone overboard a bit this time? You should have left a little room for negotiation so as to not bring any harm to your companions! If my brother-in-law really did something stupid, it would have been fine to beat and scold him a little. Killing him would have been excessive, but making him kneel like this doesn’t make sense either!”
Yue He gazed at him and stated, pursing her lips into a smile, “Manager Chen, you are speaking to the wrong person. This has nothing to do with me, it was all done by my Young Master. If you want to say something, you should speak to him.”
“Young Master?” Chen Tian Fei was shocked and now focused his gaze on Yang Kai.
When he saw Yue He here, he made a prejudgment that Yue He was in charge, but he had never expected a ‘Young Master’ to appear out of nowhere.
[This young man doesn’t look like anything special. I really don’t know why a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Master is addressing him as Young Master!]
After pondering for a while, Chen Tian Fei asked, “May I ask Little Brother’s name?”
Yang Kai smiled at him and introduced himself, “Yang Kai!”
Chen Tian Fei nodded lightly, “So you’re that Yang Kai!”
Previously, his concubine kept shouting about someone named Yang Kai beating his brother-in-law, only now did he come to know that the assailant was sitting right before him.
“Does Little Brother Yang have anything to say to this King?” Chen Tian Fei asked.
Yang Kai glanced at him and asked, raising his eyebrows, “What’s there to talk about?”
Chen Tian Fei’s facial fat trembled. It looked as if he was smiling, “You hurt someone under me, but instead of running away, you have been sitting here and waiting for this King. Doesn’t it mean that you have something to say?” His tone turned colder, “Or is it that Little Brother doesn’t take my Scarlet Star seriously, and feels that you can come and go freely in this Star City. If you are thinking along these lines, then you have made a big mistake.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and stated, “Manager Chen is quite easy to talk to. Then I won’t beat around the bush either.” Yang Kai’s face turned serious as he continued, “I want to join Scarlet Star!”
When Yue He heard this, she turned her head and gazed at him in shock. Yang Kai never told her about any of this, and even Meng Hong and the others looked surprised.
Chen Tian Fei chuckled after hearing this, “Join Scarlet Star? You injured my Scarlet Star’s Junior Commander and have yet to give this King a satisfactory explanation, and now you want to join my Scarlet Star? Little Brother, what do you think my Scarlet Star is?”
“Manager Chen wants an explanation, right? Then I will give you an explanation!” Yang Kai stated and raised his hand, gently pressing it towards Chen Tian Fei.
A doubtful look appeared on Fatty Chen Tian’s face. He also raised his big fatty palm and pressed it towards the oncoming palm.
The palms came into contact with each other silently and uneventfully as if they just touched each other lightly.
Yang Kai retracted his palm, picked up the glass of wine, and swirled it playfully.
Chen Tian Fei’s plump figure trembled all of a sudden as the fat on his body rippled like waves and the chair under his heavy and plump butt shattered into pieces.
Afterwards, Chen Tian Fei’s face turned redder, as if he was being cooked from the inside. Steam even rose from the top of his head.
Chen Tian Fei let out a furious cry and stomped his foot on the ground, causing the floor of the restaurant to collapse. At the same time, a surge of heat gushed out from Chen Tian Fei’s pores, along with a lot of sweat.
In an instant, Chen Tian Fei looked like he had been fished out of the water, drenched all over. Not only that, but his plump body also seemed to have shrunk by half, making his tight clothes a little loose.
Chen Tian Fei looked at Yang Kai in horror as the fat on his face kept pulsating.
“Does Manager Chen find this explanation satisfactory?” Yang Kai asked without so much as raising his head to look at him.
Chen Tian Fei gazed at him deeply and then turned his gaze at Zhao Xing Chen, who had been kneeling there. And under Zhao Xing Chen’s desperate gaze, he nodded and stated, “It’s enough.”
“Brother-in-law!” Zhao Xing Chen’s face turned ashen in an instant. He had been counting on his brother-in-law to avenge him. Who knew that things would take such a turn? Chen Tian Fei just said ‘it’s enough’ and that was it. Where was his revenge? Perhaps he would not be able to wash today’s shame for the rest of his life.
“Shut up!” Chen Tian Fei coldly snorted. He took out another chair from his Space Ring with a wave of his hand, put it under his butt and stated, looking at Yue He, “Lady Yue He, your Young Master is impressive. He has a bright future ahead of him!”
Yue He smiled triumphantly, “Obviously.”
Chen Tian Fei then turned his gaze at Yang Kai, “Little Brother Yang, you have been waiting for me here just to join Scarlet Star, am I right?”
“Indeed!”
Chen Tian Fei asked, “Can I ask why? With Little Brother Yang’s ability, you can roam freely in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and have anything you want. Why choose my Scarlet Star?”
Yang Kai replied with a grin, “It’s just a coincidence, there is no special intention behind this, but if you really want to know the reason I want to join, I want to find something. Scarlet Star has a lot of people, which will make it easy for me to find what I want.” He had condensed his Wood, Fire, and Earth Elements. More importantly, he found the Power of Earth in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Naturally, Yang Kai wanted to find other Open Heaven materials while Scarlet Star happened to have no shortage of manpower and information.
“Just because of this?” Chen Tian Fei still couldn’t believe it.
“Just because of this!”
Chen Tian Fei looked at him seriously for a while. Afterwards, he nodded and added, “I understand Little Brother Yang’s intention, and Scarlet Star also welcomes the addition of someone as talented as you. This King can induct you into Scarlet Star. As for the position, how about the position of Junior Commander like Xing Chen?”
The kneeling Zhao Xing Chen was dumbfounded after hearing this.
The man who thrashed him and forced him to kneel was not only accepted into Scarlet Star by his brother-in-law himself but was also given the position of Junior Commander. That would put Yang Kai on an equal footing with him.
[How can this be considered revenge?]
“Junior Commander?” Yang Kai looked at Chen Tian Fei with a shadow of a smile.
Chen Tian Fei asked curiously, “Are you not satisfied? Little Brother Yang, I admit that you are pretty talented, but at the end of the day, you have just joined Scarlet Star. You haven’t made any contributions. The position of Junior Commander is already the very limit that this King can promote you to. It’s absolutely impossible for me to advance you to the position of the Great Commander.” He switched the topic of conversation, “But if Lady Yue He wants to join Scarlet Star, the Great Commander post is open to her!”
Yue He chuckled and remained non-committal.
Scarlet Star had a few Managers, and the strongest of them were just on par with her, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, that’s all. How could she be content with the position of Great Commander, listening to someone else’s orders?
“I don’t want to be a Junior Commander, nor am I interested in being a Great Commander.”
Chen Tian Fei asked in amazement, “Then what does Little Brother Yang want?”
Yang Kai looked at him with shining eyes, “I want to be a Manager of Scarlet Star!”
The moment he stated his demand, everyone was shocked. Even Yue He looked at him in a daze, wondering whether she had heard it wrong.
“You want to be a Scarlet Star Manager?” Chen Tian Fei looked at Yang Kai in astonishment. He looked completely surprised, just like Yue He, and wondered if he had heard incorrectly. He was already being very generous by offering Yang Kai the position of Junior Commander, but he had never expected this boy’s appetite to be so big that he directly demanded the position of Manager.
Chen Tian Fei had never seen such an arrogant person, so he couldn’t help but be a little outraged.
“Manager Chen thinks I’m not qualified?” Yang Kai looked at him, squinting his eyes.
Chen Tian Fei replied with a serious look on his face, “All seven Managers of my Scarlet Star are Open Heaven Realm Masters. Although you are pretty good, it still doesn’t change the fact that you haven’t reached the Open Heaven Realm. If we let you take the Manager’s post without sufficient strength, how would you be able to convince the public?”
Yang Kai stated, wagging his finger, “There are no Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins, so talking about Realm with me is pointless!”
Chen Tian Fei quickly added, “Be that as it may, my Scarlet Star has never had a Manager who had not reached the Open Heaven Realm since its founding!”
“There are always exceptions, aren’t there?”
Chen Tian Fei stared deeply at Yang Kai as a faint glow slowly emerged from his body, but after a while, he burst into laughter, “Little Brother Yang, you are pretty ambitious, you have opened this King’s eyes today! It’s not impossible for you to be a Scarlet Star Manager, but my Scarlet Star has its own rules. If you wish to be the Eighth Manager, you need to get the consent of four of the current Managers!”
“Then I’ll request Manager Chen to take me to meet the other Managers,” Yang Kai smiled.
Chen Tian Fei narrowed his eyes and added with a smile, “I can take you to them, but whether you can get their approval or not will depend on your own ability.”
“But of course!” Yang Kai gently nodded before standing up and assuming an inviting posture, “Please.”
A reluctant and malicious smile slowly crept up on Chen Tian Fei’s face as he stood up and walked out.
Yang Kai followed closely after him, with Yue He right behind him. The Great Moon Province disciples didn’t dare to stay here either, and followed suit one after another.
“What are you doing?” Yue He asked via Divine Sense, “Are you really going to meet Scarlet Star’s Managers?”
“Of course? Otherwise, how will I get their approval?”
Yue He angrily rebuffed, “Can’t you see that Fatty Chen Tian has something else in mind? You are venturing into a Dragon’s den! And even if you really become a Manager of Scarlet Star, how will that benefit you? I really can’t understand what’s going through your mind.”
“You’ll know when the time comes,” Yang Kai casually replied.
Yue He asked with a snort, “You really love chaos, I wonder how you survived until now?”
“Of course, because this Young Master is blessed by the Heavens!” Yang Kai assumed a calm and composed stance.
Yue He was outraged!
She kept her anger aside though and quickly told him about everything she knew. Yue He might not have met Scarlet Star’s seven Managers, but she had heard about them. For instance, Lady Qin was proficient in the Dao of Music while Gan Hong was a Master of assassination. Then there were the Ou Yang twins, who had cultivated together since childhood and were both Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, allowing them to act as one body and one soul. They were extremely hard to deal with, to the point that even Yue He would find it stressful if she ran into them outside.
In addition to these four, there was also Bei Yu Shan, who possessed extreme physical strength. Du Niang Zi, whose entire body was poisonous, was not a woman to be trifled with. Many Open Heaven Realm Masters that were in the same Realm as her had tragically died at her hands.
Counting Chen Tian Fei, the Managers of the Scarlet Star could be said to each have unique skills, and none of them could be offended easily.
As for the Head Manager of Scarlet Star, rumour had it that he had been trying to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but no one had heard about him for many years. No one knew whether he had succeeded or not, but if he had, he would become a character who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Proprietress. Even Yue He would have run as far away from him as possible if she were confronted by him.
Yue He kept chattering all the way, instilling all the information she had into Yang Kai’s head.
Yang Kai silently memorized every piece of information.
Very soon, everyone arrived before an audience hall. The door of the audience hall was extremely thick, and was about a hundred metres tall. Chen Tian Fei stepped forward and pushed the door, which opened a little with a creaking sound.
“Little Brother Yang, please come in, almost all my Scarlet Star’s Managers are inside!” Chen Tian Fei assumed an inviting gesture with an inscrutable smile on his face.
Yang Kai glanced at him before exhorting Yue He and the others, “You guys wait outside.”
Saying so, he headed inside.
Yue He promptly appeared at his side, “I’ll go with you!” How could she let Yang Kai go into the Dragon’s den all by himself? She had already decided to advance and retreat together with him, so she had no reason to back down now.
On the other hand, Meng Hong and the others knew that their strength was insufficient. Even if they followed Yang Kai inside, they would likely be more of a burden than a help, so they all stood at the door, obediently waiting.
The heavy door closed again, blocking the inside view from outsiders.
The huge hall was completely dark, and the moment the door shut, some clanking sounds echoed as masses of flames lit up everywhere. The flickering light of the flames revealed some figures sitting on the chairs around the hall, creating shadows that danced like a group of devils. The atmosphere of the entire hall had turned dark and gloomy at this moment as well.
There weren’t that many people in the hall. Apart from Yang Kai and Yue He, there were only five others in total, each sitting on their respective seats. Chen Tian Fei’s figure shook as he arrived next to another empty chair and sat down.
A sweet voice suddenly echoed in the empty hall, “Fatty Chen, is this the brat who wants to be my Scarlet Star’s next Manager? After listening to such nonsense, you brought him here just like that?”
Not only did the woman’s voice sound sweet, but it also carried with it a pleasant scent, making anyone who sniffed it have a sweet taste in their mouth!
“Poison!” Yue He’s face slightly changed as a five-coloured film suddenly appeared over the surface of her body, protecting and isolating her from the surroundings. She looked around and found that the speaker was a petite woman. She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old and looked quite cute and obedient, but Yue He recognized her at a glance. She was Du Niang Zi of Scarlet Star; only she could display such a marvellous poisonous technique.
Du Niang Zi was just a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but using just her terrifying poison, she had once killed a Fifth-Order, two Fourth-Order, and three Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. She had become famous after that incident and no one dared to underestimate this charming woman who seemed to remain perpetually young.
Yue He looked over at Yang Kai with worry, but saw that he was completely fine. Not only was he not showing any signs of being poisoned, but he was also looking at Du Niang Zi with interest.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Yang Kai was resisting her poison.
Yue He didn’t know about the extremely rich Dragon Blood flowing through Yang Kai’s body. The Dragon Clan had a strong resistance towards all forms of poison. Not to mention the poison technique secretly cast by Du Niang Zi, even if he swallowed her most potent poison, he would not be in any trouble at all.
What’s more, Yang Kai had also condensed his Wood Element from the essence of the Immortal Tree and his Fire Element from the Golden Crow’s True Fire. Even if a little poison managed to enter his system, it would be easily eliminated by these two energies.
When Du Niang Zi spoke, Chen Tian Fei chuckled, “Don’t underestimate Little Brother Yang, this King suffered a bit of loss at his hands just recently. If this King’s guess is right, he has condensed a Sixth-Order Fire Element!”
Only a Sixth-Order Fire Element Power could make him suffer when he received Yang Kai’s palm. Under that palm, Chen Tian Fei felt a scorching energy invading his body and it took him a lot of effort to expel it.
Of course, Yang Kai hadn’t used his full strength, otherwise, Chen Tian Fei would not have mistakenly judged it as Sixth-Order.
“Sixth-Order Fire Element!”
As soon as this was brought to light, the Scarlet Star Managers were all shocked.
Being able to condense a Sixth-Order Fire Element showed how impressive Yang Kai’s abilities were. Most people couldn’t bear the pressure of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven material, More importantly, Sixth-Order materials were invaluable and priceless enough for all Open Heaven Realm Masters to compete for them. Generally, only those who belonged to top forces were qualified to condense Sixth-Order materials.
“Little boy, you’re quite ambitious!” Du Niang Zi couldn’t help but re-examine Yang Kai, “Are you trying to reach the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”
Yang Kai grinned at her, showing his white fangs, “First one!”
“What first one?” Du Niang Zi furrowed her brow. She had a bad premonition as if she was being targeted by a poisonous snake, which made her hair stand on end.
“Why are you talking so much nonsense with him? Let’s just kill him and get it over with. How dare he disdain my Scarlet Star! A trivial Emperor Realm trash shamelessly wants to be my Scarlet Star’s Manager? Ridiculous!”
From a seat on the right, an icy voice came from an ethereal figure. There was someone sitting there, but it looked like a constantly distorting shadow, making it extremely difficult to see his face. Even his voice was erratic. He was none other than Gan Hong, the one Yue He mentioned was proficient in assassination!
“Second one!” Yang Kai nodded.
A thunderous voice came from the left side, reverberating in the hall, “Is there something wrong with your head, Brat? What first one, second one?”
Yang Kai ignored this voice and looked at Chen Tian Fei, asking, “Manager Chen, it’s different from what you said. Didn’t we come here to discuss my admission into Scarlet Star and making me a Manager? These Managers don’t seem to be very keen on it.”
Chen Tian Fei looked at him with a smile and replied, “That’s right, but this King said before it that if you want to be a Scarlet Star Manager, you need the approval of four Managers at the very least. But now, it seems that no one agrees with this idea. Furthermore, since ancient times, Scarlet Star has only ever had seven Managers. We really don’t have an extra seat for you to sit on. So… I’m afraid that you will have to give up on this idea.”
If Yang Kai had agreed to be a Junior Commander, Chen Tian Fei would more than welcome it. Having someone as strong as Yang Kai under him would also be good news for Chen Tian Fei. He could naturally forget about Yang Kai beating Zhao Xing Chen in the face of such benefits.
However, Yang Kai’s audacity and greed were higher than the Heavens themselves. He didn’t even place any importance on a Junior Commander or Great Commander position and wanted to stand on equal footing with Scarlet Star’s true leaders.
How could Chen Tian Fei agree to such a thing? He invited Yang Kai here to lure him into a trap. Now that the Scarlet Star Managers were gathered here and the Spirit Array of the hall had been activated, Yang Kai could not escape. He didn’t need to pretend to be polite and compliant now.
Yang Kai nodded when he heard this, “I understand what Manager Chen means, you mean to say that Scarlet Star will always only have seven Managers?”
“You can say that!” Chen Tian Fei slightly smiled.
“That makes things easy.” Yang Kai also grinned, “I just have to kill one of you and take his or her seat.”
Just as he stated this, he kicked the ground as he flew towards Du Niang Zi like a Great Peng spreading its wings.
Yang Kai was decisive in his actions, acting the moment he declared his intentions.
No one had expected him to be so ruthless. Everyone thought that Yang Kai’s hands and feet would be tied here, leaving him at their mercy. His life and death would be completely up to them. No one had thought that he would be the first to launch an assault.
“Impudence!”
“Preposterous!”
Everyone angrily shouted as they flew off their seats one after another. Especially Gan Hong, the moment his figure moved, he disappeared into the darkness in a flash.
The Ou Yang Brothers, who had been sitting still like a mountain, also moved swiftly. Their auras became connected, giving the impression that they had turned into one person, mutually strengthening one another.
Chen Tian Fei’s plump and round body bounced like a ball, flying straight at Yang Kai.
*Dong dong dong…*
The towering Bei Yu Shan strode forward, shaking the hall every time his feet touched the ground. His body suddenly grew to more than twenty metres tall and his muscles radiated a tremendous might. He stood right before Du Niang Zi like a hill and smiled wickedly at Yang Kai before throwing a punch at him.
A boom reverberated inside the hall, deafening everyone’s ears, Bei Yu Shan’s punch was so strong that it could shatter a mountain.
In front of everyone’s disbelieving eyes though, instead of trying to dodge or evade, Yang Kai threw a punch of his own, meeting fist-to-fist with his enemy.
Yue He’s beautiful face turned pale as she shouted, “Be careful!”
She was anxious like an ant on a hot wok. She had informed Yang Kai before that Bei Yu Shan was born with great innate strength that could crush mountains. How could Yang Kai be thinking of taking this punch head-on? Wasn’t that tantamount to bringing disgrace to himself?
The others couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight of this.
Among the Managers of Scarlet Star, Bei Yu Shan was the strongest in terms of pure physical power. He had a Special Constitution, giving him innate brute strength comparable to exotic beasts. Within the same realm, no one could block his punch. Not to mention that he was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior. Although there were no Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Grand Ancient Ruins, and Bei Yu Shan was unable to exert his full strength here, he still had his foundation. An ant couldn’t compete with an elephant in physical strength, could it?
It was simply an impossible feat!
Only now did Chen Tian Fei realize how headstrong and unyielding Yang Kai was! He had gone to such great lengths to bring Yang Kai here, but it seems he was acting too cautiously. Had he known this would happen, he would not have bothered coming up with such an elaborate scheme!
All kinds of thoughts flashed across everyone’s mind as the remaining Scarlet Star Managers abruptly stopped, watching patiently. It looked like they could all predict what would happen next.
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out…
What happened after the clash made everyone’s face twitch violently. When the two fists clashed with each other, it wasn’t the smaller Yang Kai who was sent flying, but the twenty-metre-tall Bei Yue Shan.
His enormous body flew out like a sack and crashed straight into the rear wall, creating a huge indent. At the same time, the entire hall quaked violently.
Yang Kai’s figure just shook a little before he continued charging forward without losing any momentum.
“Impossible!” Chen Tian Fei almost bit his tongue off in shock. His long and big eyes were narrow because of all the fat on his body, but they were now widened bigger than a bull’s eyes. What he was seeing had simply subverted his expectations. He simply couldn’t believe it.
The Ou Yang Brothers and Lady Qin also lost their wits!
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai arrived within a hundred metres of Du Niang Zi, grinning from ear to ear.
Apparently, Du Niang Zi had failed to realize her predicament as her thoughts had been thrown into chaos. When she came to her senses, Yang Kai’s grim smile was right in front of her face.
Her expression involuntarily changed as she promptly opened her mouth and breathed a pink mist at him. At the same time, she shattered the chair behind her as she retreated back.
The mist was extremely poisonous. Even an Open Heaven Realm Master would not be able to resist it if he or she was struck. If one couldn’t remove the poison in time, they would be reduced to a pool of pus.
Yang Kai charged straight into the mist, however, his body swaying slightly the next moment. Obviously, he was affected by the poison.
Du Niang Zi couldn’t stop giggling, “Boy, I have to hand it to you, you actually sent that brute flying, but this Great Aunt’s Soul Devouring Smog isn’t so easy to deal with. You can slowly enjoy the pain of your Soul melting!”
Just as she stated this though, her eyes widened in shock as she stared in Yang Kai’s direction in horror.
Inside the pink smog, Yang Kai opened his mouth and took a deep breath, directly inhaling like a whale swallowing water. Afterwards, he looked towards Du Niang Zi as his eyes glowed with a dazzling light, shaking Du Niang Zi’s Soul!
Du Niang Zi couldn’t help but scream as her tender figure rapidly fled back.
“Where do you think you are going?” Yang Kai coldly snorted and stretched his hand towards her before clenching it. The next moment, Space Principle fluctuations undulated as Yang Kai caught Du Niang Zi by her slender neck, ignoring the distance between the two, and slowly pulled her before him.
Du Niang Zi struggled hard, but the big hand that had grabbed her neck remained unmoving.
Suddenly, Du Niang Zi’s figure exploded with a bang as poisonous liquid flew everywhere, splashing all over Yang Kai.
Immediately after, sizzling sounds echoed in the hall as Yang Kai’s clothes melted away, revealing his slender yet well-proportioned muscles. In addition, there was a film of khaki light over the surface of his body. When Du Niang Zi’s highly toxic poison splashed on this khaki film, it was unable to corrode it at all and just slid down it.
“You…” Du Niang Zi’s reconstituted figure stared at Yang Kai in horror. She really couldn’t understand why the poison she was so proud of had no effect on this boy.
“Earth Element Power!” Yue He covered her mouth in shock and murmured to herself, looking at the khaki-coloured aura around Yang Kai.
[If memory serves me right, Yang Kai told me a few months back that he had only condensed his Wood and Fire Elements, so where did this Power of Earth come from? And it seems to be of High-Order as well; otherwise, how could it resist Du Niang Zi’s poison so easily?]
She couldn’t help but think about the time when Yang Kai had disappeared in the Crouching Dragon Mountains for twenty days. Could it be that he condensed his Power of Earth during that time?
“Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?” Yang Kai stared coldly at Du Niang Zi.
Du Niang Zi’s pupils immediately dilated. She was so horrified that she couldn’t even speak. She was shivering like a quail in the cold winter. The poison she was proud of had no effect on Yang Kai, leaving her without any other options.
“My turn!” Yang Kai cruelly smiled as he stretched out and pinched Du Niang Zi’s cherry-red lips. Afterwards, he brought his head closer to her, and under her terrified gaze, he took a deep breath as his chest and abdomen ballooned.
“Fire Dragon’s… Flaming Breath!”
Yang Kai spat out a scorching hot jet of flame straight into Du Niang Zi’s body from less than an arm’s length away. Naturally, it was the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Du Niang Zi instantly started screaming in pain, writhing left and right, but she couldn’t break free from Yang Kai’s grip. All the poison on her body splashed out randomly, but Yang Kai didn’t even try to dodge or evade it. He let the poison fall on him while depending on his Power of Earth to defend himself.
“Stop!” Chen Tian Fei shouted as his round and plump body turned into a ball of meat, slamming straight at Yang Kai.
The others also violently attacked Yang Kai at that moment.
When they saw Yang Kai being enveloped by the Soul Devouring Smog earlier, they all thought that everything was settled. Yang Kai was going to die for sure and they instantly relaxed, but they had never thought that their brief moment of laxity would result in Du Niang Zi’s capture. How could they dare to hesitate any longer?
In the blink of an eye, Chen Tian Fei, the Ou Yang Brothers, and Bei Yu Shan, who had just crawled back up, charged straight at Yang Kai. Each of them summoned their artifact or used Secret Technique to attack Yang Kai.
“Hou…”
Beastly roars suddenly resounded through the hall as two enormous figures, one red and one black, appeared out of thin air. One breathed fearsome flames to defend against the enemies, while the other spattered toxic and sticky mucus everywhere, forcing the Scarlet Star Managers to flee.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon had taken the stage!
The two 300-metre-long exotic beasts coiled around Yang Kai, guarding him with an airtight defence. All the oncoming attacks were blocked by the two exotic beasts!
Chen Tian Fei and the others were immediately flabbergasted.
Yang Kai still continued to breathe flames at Du Niang Zi, whose screams were gradually becoming hoarse. She was staring at Yang Kai with a pleading look in her eyes.
Unfortunately for her, Yang Kai remained unmoved.
Suddenly, sonorous and melodious chimes rang out as if someone was plucking the strings of a guqin. When these chimes entered everyone’s ears, they found themselves in an illusion, making them uneasy. It was none other than Lady Qin, who had taken out her guqin at some point and plucked its strings with her soft and tender hands gently, creating invisible sound attacks!
Yue He let out a light snort and arrived before Yang Kai in a flash. She summoned her Little Flower Umbrella and twirled it. The next moment, ripples emerged from the umbrella one after another, spreading into the surrounding.
The melodious and sonorous zither music immediately became discordant, causing Lady Qin’s pretty face to involuntarily sink!
With the two exotic beasts on the defence, and Yue He blocking the front, Scarlet Star Managers couldn’t do anything at all. They wanted to rescue Du Niang Zi, but they couldn’t find any openings. All they could do was helplessly watch Du Niang Zi suffer miserably, much to their frustration.
The sharp screams slowly became faint before they ceased to exist. Du Niang Zi’s vitality had disappeared into thin air in just a dozen breaths.
The next moment, Yang Kai shut his mouth, cutting off the scorching flames. As he shook Du Niang Zi a little, her body jiggled left and right as if she had no bones left. And along with all the shaking, bloody foam flowed out of her seven orifices, along with her internal organs.
“First one!” Yang Kai threw Du Niang Zi’s corpse aside as if he was throwing away a piece of garbage.
The hall sank into complete silence. The Scarlet Star Managers’ eyes fiercely trembled as their gaze alternated between Yang Kai and Du Niang Zi’s corpse. They couldn’t believe that Du Niang Zi, who had been with them for hundreds of years, actually died just like that.
Moreover, she died a miserable death at the hands of an Emperor Realm Junior!
If they were outside, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been Du Niang Zi’s opponent at all as she was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Not to mention a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even if he was up against a First-Order or Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he would have to escape at the first sight of them.
But the special environment of the Grant Ancient Ruins Boundary allowed Yang Kai to flaunt his skill before these Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Small Universes in their bodies were suppressed and sealed, making it impossible for them to mobilize their World Force. As such, killing these Open Heaven Realm Masters was now as easy as killing Emperor Realm cultivators.
In the hall with the flickering flames, Yang Kai’s cold and piercing voice chilled the hearts of the Scarlet Star Managers.
Only now did everyone realize what Yang Kai meant by ‘first one’. Du Niang Zi was the first to offend Yang Kai, resulting in her being the first to be killed.
If there was the first, then there was a second…
Suddenly, a light clang rang and sparks flew about as Gan Hong’s figure mysteriously appeared beside Yang Kai out of thin air, slashing diagonally at him with the curved blade in his hand.
The Power of Earth around Yang Kai’s body was unable to block this attack completely, allowing Gan Hong’s sharp blade to leave a long gash on Yang Kai’s waist, drawing fresh blood from the cut.
However, Gan Hong, who had finally appeared again, looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
That was because his attack didn’t have the intended effect. A forearm-length gash might appear terrifying, but his sneak attack should have cut Yang Kai in two.
When his curved blade cut through Yang Kai’s body, Gan Hong instantly realized that the physique of this young man was unreasonably strong and firm. Yang Kai’s sturdy body could actually withstand his attack that could even split the Heavens and the Earth.
Horrified, Gan Hong’s figure flickered as it disappeared into the darkness once again, immediately retreating.
His concealment technique was unparalleled, so even a Master who was one or two Orders higher than him might be unable to track him.
While he was making a quick retreat, his eyes happened to meet Yang Kai’s gaze, and the next moment, his heart clenched as he saw a golden vertical pupil suddenly appear in Yang Kai’s left eye. The sight was extremely daunting. Under the gaze of this golden pupil, Gan Hong couldn’t help but feel an invisible pressure bearing down on him.
The next moment, he saw a ghastly smile creep up on Yang Kai’s lips, who raised his hand and summoned a long spear into his grasp. However, Gan Hong failed to notice Yang Kai’s next move. All he saw was a spear coming at him as its sharp tip rapidly enlarged in his vision. The murderous intent emanating from the tip of the spear made his Soul shudder.
Gan Hong’s face turned pale and he promptly raised his curved blade to parry the oncoming thrust.
With a deafening clap, Gan Hong felt a tremendous force passing through the curved blade as his skinny figure was sent flying. In a flash, he felt like a boat caught in a stormy sea, at risk of capsizing at any moment.
Gan Hong shouted as his concealment technique was disrupted, “Save me!”
At the same time, a figure hurriedly rushed towards Chen Tian Fei.
Chen Tian Fei’s facial fat twitched wildly at the sight of this and he secretly cursed Gan Hong for putting him in danger; however, he really couldn’t just sit by and not save the latter. Chen Tian Fei’s figure transformed into a ball of meat as it rolled straight towards Yang Kai, carrying an unstoppable momentum with him.
The Ou Yang Brothers’ aura became interlinked with each other. One controlled fire, and the other controlled ice, creating an ice-fire attack that flew straight at Yang Kai.
In response, the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s figure moved to block them.
Lady Qin plucked her guqin’s strings once again, but the sound attack was blocked by Yue He. The two women were locked in a heated contest.
As for the Earth Dragon, its mouth chomped as it sprayed sticky mucus towards Bei Yu Shan. Bei Yu Shan might have the strength to flip mountains, but facing this exotic beast that was like a slippery loach, he was having a difficult time as he was unable to break the Earth Dragon’s defence.
The entire hall was in chaos as various kinds of energy were wreaking havoc.
Chen Tian Fei hurriedly shouted, “Little Brother Yang, please stop, we can talk about this!”
“Whatever there is to talk about, we can do it later!” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile. Looking at the ball of meat rolling towards him with unparalleled force, he thrust his spear straight towards it. The next moment, a black ball appeared on the tip of the spear before shooting ahead as terrifying Space Principle fluctuations undulated.
A deafening explosion rang out as space shattered, forcing Chen Tian Fei back. Every time he stepped back, his plump body shrank visibly. His clothes started to become loose and oversized as his entire body was drenched in sweat, as if he was just pulled out of the ocean.
After finally regaining his footing, Fatty Chen Tian looked like an ordinary-sized man, the only difference being that his face was extremely pale.
When he looked around, his now thin face couldn’t help but twitch.
Because he saw that Gan Hong had already been pushed to the wall and was unable to retreat anymore, a panicked look on his face.
Yang Kai’s eyes shone with brilliance as he thrust out his spear.
Gan Hong shouted in horror. He was an Open Heaven Realm Master, but in the Ancient Ruins Boundary, he couldn’t display his full strength. He couldn’t be any more vexed.
He mustered up all the strength he could bring out and poured it into the curved blade in his hand before hacking down. Immediately after, a peerless sword aura shot straight at Yang Kai like a torrential river.
However, the Azure Dragon Spear shattered through the curved blade before a light squishing sound rang out. The next moment, it was as if time had frozen.
Chen Tian Fei’s brow twitched hard as he stared at the scene painted on the wall, feeling as bitter and frustrated as if he had eaten bitter gourd.
The Ou Yang Brothers also stopped moving together while Lady Qin stopped playing her zither. Bei Yu Shan also turned to look.
To everyone’s surprise, on the tip of Yang Kai’s spear hung a somewhat scrawny figure. It was none other than Gan Hong.
The Azure Dragon Spear had pierced through Gan Hong’s chest and out his back. Yang Kai grabbed the spear with one arm and lifted it up high. His current stance made him look like a figure from legend, causing the remaining Scarlet Star Managers’ eyes to tremble in disbelief.
“Ke…” Gan Hong lightly coughed and spurted blood before he warned with difficulty, “If you kill me… Head Manager will not let you off.”
Yang Kai tilted his head and looked at him with a grin, “Are those your last words?”
Gan Hong’s eyes widened as he roared, “You dare?”
Yang Kai shook his arm a little as violent energy passed along the Azure Dragon Spear, invading Gan Hong’s body and wreaking havoc.
Gan Hong let out miserable screams, but only for three breaths before falling silent.
Yang Kai’s grim and ghastly voice reverberated the next moment, “See whether I dare or not!”
Yang Kai flicked his spear, but not a single drop of blood spilled. Afterwards, he turned around and looked at the remaining Managers, smiling slightly as he casually commented, “Second one!”
Lady Qin’s finger trembled, accidentally plucking the string as an ethereal chime echoed in the hall. The Ou Yang Brothers’ faces turned cold, whereas a tight frown appeared on Bei Yu Shan’s brow. Chen Tian Fei was drenched in a cold sweat from head to toe.
Yang Kai looked at him with a smile, “Manager Chen, you look much better now.”
Yang Kai was being honest. Chen Tian Fei looked handsome in his thin state, but because he cultivated some strange Secret Art, he had to maintain his fat body. Now that all of his fat had disappeared, he had regained his handsome and elegant appearance.
Chen Tian Fei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in the face of Yang Kai’s teasing, wearing a complicated look on his face.
Yang Kai looked around as he rested his spear on his shoulders and stated, “Manager Chen just said that Scarlet Star only ever has seven Managers, and there aren’t any seats available for me. Fortunately, there are seats available now, and I want one of them, do you have any objections?”
No one answered, in fact, no one dared to speak at will. Everyone was on tenterhooks, afraid that Yang Kai would attack again.
After this battle, the Scarlet Star Managers realized that this boy was a complete lunatic. He wasn’t even afraid of challenging Open Heaven Realm Masters when he was just an Emperor Realm Junior. More importantly though, a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters were beaten black and blue by him. If word about this incident got out, they would not be able to lift their heads in public ever again.
“This is your territory, so we will follow your rules. Manager Chen also said before that if I want to be a Manager of Scarlet Star, I need the approval of four or more current Managers! So ladies and gentlemen, please state your opinion, do you agree or disagree!”
Chen Tian Fei and the others were filled with unspoken criticism after hearing this. [So you know you are on our turf?]
Although they had hearts full of complaints, they had no choice but to give it serious thought.
Both Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong were dead. Although they had some friendship with these two, it wasn’t deep enough for them to seek revenge against this madman who could easily kill the two of them.
Furthermore, Yang Kai’s combat power was quite terrifying. If they could really have him as a Scarlet Star Manager, it would greatly benefit Scarlet Star.
So, after some pondering for a moment, Chen Tian Fei was the first to raise his hand and declare, “I agree!”
Melodious chimes of zither rang as Lady Qin agreed with a smile, “I agree too!”
The Ou Yang Brothers looked at each other and nodded their consents.
Bei Yu Shan stood there scratching his head. He looked at Du Niang Zi’s corpse and agreed in a humming voice, “Then, I agree too.”
Chen Tian Fei immediately cupped his fists and welcomed Yang Kai, “Little Brother Yang, welcome to Scarlet Star, everyone will be one family from now on. There will be times when we will have to rely on you, please don’t refuse!”
Yang Kai calmly smiled, “Very good.”
The nearby Yue He suddenly stated, “I also want to be a Scarlet Star Manager!”
Seeing everyone turn their gaze at her, Yue He assumed a stance that said that it was a matter of course, “Your Scarlet Star is short of two Managers, can’t I make up the number?”
Chen Tian Fei blinked his eyes in dumbfoundedness before agreeing with a smile, “Of course, you are very welcome!”
They had been trying to make Yue He join Scarlet Star for some time now, but she had always been ambiguous with her responses. Now, she was asking to join Scarlet Star of her own accord, so why would they refuse?
And as she had brutally mentioned, Scarlet Star was short of two Managers, so they needed to fill the numbers. Not to mention, Yue He herself was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, someone stronger than Chen Tian Fei and the others, making her more than qualified.
After the fight, two top positions in Scarlet Star had changed hands. Yang Kai and Yue He joined Scarlet Star as the Sixth and Seventh Managers respectively. Even though the others weren’t exactly happy about this situation, their strength had indeed been boosted. Chen Tian Fei and the others could also accept this result.
Now that Yang Kai was a Manager of Scarlet Star, he didn’t need to act wantonly arrogant anymore. Yang Kai straightened his clothes, put away the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon, and started chatting with Chen Tian Fei and the others.
After a while, Yang Kai asked, “What about the Head Manager? I’m a new member of Scarlet Star, don’t I have to greet him?”
Chen Tian Fei smiled lightly, “Head Manager is in retreat year-round. Even we don’t see him often, so why would he care about overseeing us? If the opportunity presents itself, I will introduce Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. He couldn’t help but be a little curious about Scarlet Star’s Head Manager. He didn’t participate in this fight at all, like a hidden Dragon that shows its tail but never its face. Who knew if it was as Yue He had said, that he was trying to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Outside the audience hall, the Great Moon Province disciples were waiting with bated breath. They were surrounded by a few Scarlet Star cultivators who were glaring at them, their gazes filled with malicious intent.
Meng Hong and the others felt like they were on pins and needles, but there was nothing they could do.
The door of the main hall remained closed, so they had no idea what was going on inside. Be that as it may, Meng Hong could vaguely tell that Yang Kai and Yue He had definitely entered a Dragon’s den.
Just when Meng Hong and the others were feeling restless, the door of the main hall suddenly opened wide.
Meng Hong was startled and hurriedly raised his head to look; however, what he saw next blew his mind away. Yang Kai walked right out of the door in the lead, with Yue He closely following behind him. Furthermore, a handsome and kind-looking middle-aged man was accompanying them. The middle-aged man was quite strange as his clothes were quite loose and his face was a little pale, but he was still maintaining a smile.
When they arrived before everyone, the middle-aged man finally spoke, “Sixth Manager, Seventh Manager, please stay at your previous inn for a few days while I arrange things here. I will notify you when I am done; then, you can move in. If you have any requests, feel free to let me know and I will ask someone to meet them.”
Yang Kai smiled and stated, “Do as you see fit, I don’t have any special requests.”
The middle-aged man replied, “Then this Chen will look after the arrangements. If Sixth and Seventh Managers don’t like them, they can always be changed.”
“Many thanks, Manager Chen!” Yang Kai cupped his fists slightly.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement before calling Meng Hong and the others over and walking off towards the inn.
After they had travelled a fair distance, Meng Hong couldn’t hold his curiosity and finally asked to confirm his guess, “Brother Yang, was that Chen Tian Fei of Scarlet Star?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded his affirmation.
Meng Hong was quite surprised, “How did he become like that? Wasn’t he fat before?”
Yue He pursed her lips into a smile and replied, “Of course, he was beaten to the point he lost weight. His foundation is damaged now. Who knows how long it will take for him to recover.”
[He became thin from being beaten?]
The Great Moon Province disciples looked at each other in confusion. They thought that Chen Tian Fei was beaten to this point by Yue He, imagining a great battle between two equal opponents must have happened in the hall, otherwise why would Chen Tian Fei be following her and Yang Kai so mildly?
“What’s this Sixth and Seventh Manager about?” Meng Hong asked in confusion.
Yang Kai replied, “Yue He and I have joined Scarlet Star, we will be Managers from now on.”
“Joined Scarlet Star?” Meng Hong was shocked. He had heard Yang Kai mention being a Scarlet Star Manager at the inn, but he didn’t expect for it to come true, and so quickly. Nevertheless, it was good news for them. Yang Kai and Yue He could provide them with better shelter as Scarlet Star Managers.
Meng Hong sighed in admiration, looking at Yang Kai who had joined the top echelons of Scarlet Star as an Emperor Realm cultivator. When he compared himself with Yang Kai, how he couldn’t even make the woman he had a crush on love him back, and how she gave herself to another man instead for a better sense of security, Meng Hong couldn’t help feeling a little sad and ashamed.
Yang Kai could tell what was going through his head with one look at his state, but he had no idea how to comfort Meng Hong; all he could do was pat him on the shoulder.
When they returned to the inn, Zhao Xing Chen was nowhere to be found. The entire inn was in shambles and the manager of the inn was sitting behind the counter, feeling sorry for himself. When he saw Yang Kai and the others return alive though, his eyes involuntarily widened.
Everyone else returned to their room while Yue He ran to Yang Kai’s room and sat at his table, resting her cheek on her palm and staring at Yang Kai with an obsessed look on her face.
Yang Kai completely ignored her. In his opinion, she was completely crazy and it was better not to provoke her.
But Yang Kai was a little concerned about one thing, so he couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t Scarlet Star have seven Managers? There were seven people in the hall though, right? Together with their Head Manager, wouldn’t that make it eight people?”
Chen Tian Fei, Bei Yue Shan, the Ou Yang Brothers, and Lady Qin altogether made it five, and including Gan Hong and Du Niang Zi who were killed, it was seven.
Yue He pursed her lips into a cute smile, “The Ou Yang Brothers advance and retreat together as one soul in two bodies, so they are always considered as one.”
Yang Kai suddenly understood. He threw a Dragon Blood Pill into his mouth and closed his eyes to refine it.
“I have a question too!” Yue He suddenly turned around and sat at the edge of the bed. A sweet and seductive smell wafted from her as she looked at Yang Kai with her beautiful eyes.
“What is it?” Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked at her.
Yue He asked, “Have you already condensed your Earth Element?”
“Yes!”
“I knew it!” Yue He softly sighed. She had guessed that the defensive shield around Yang Kai’s body was created by his Earth Element, but it was confirmed at this moment, “Did you get it from the Crouching Dragon Mountains?”
After thinking about it, she realized the only time Yang Kai had a chance to condense his Earth Element was during the twenty days he went missing back in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range.
It was just that she couldn’t understand what he had found.
“Why do you ask?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
“Seventh-Order?” Yue He asked nonchalantly, staring straight at him.
Yang Kai closed his eyes, too lazy to answer her.
Yue He sighed and continued, “I guess you didn’t listen to my warning. Do you know that you are digging your own grave?”
Yang Kai snappily responded, “If you have something to say, speak up. I’m just gathering my Five Elements, how is that the same as digging my own grave?”
Yue He opened her lips but stopped just when she was about to speak. Finally, she looked away and muttered, “When you leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, you can ask Lan You Ruo. If she wants to tell you, she will naturally tell you. If she doesn’t want to, come to me then.”
Then she switched the conversation topic and sternly warned, “Let me repeat it again, do not let others know that you have condensed Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm materials; otherwise, no one in the entire 3,000 Worlds can guarantee your life, not even Lan You Ruo!”
Saying so, she swiftly left the room.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. Yue He had warned him about this before, but she always spoke vaguely. There appeared to be some unspeakable secret about this subject!
Yang Kai was filled with doubts, wondering what was so dangerous about what he was doing.
Yue He only thought that he had refined Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm materials, but if she knew that he had actually gathered stronger Elements, she would definitely go crazy.
Yang Kai didn’t completely trust Yue He, but he could tell that she held no malice towards him. [I guess I have to ask the Proprietress after leaving this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.]
Scarlet Star’s management was very efficient and in just two days, Chen Tian Fei had already arranged Yang Kai’s new mansion.
He personally came to the inn to guide Yang Kai and Yue He to their residences; after all, they were the Sixth and Seventh Managers of Scarlet Star now. If they continued living in a common inn, it would be detrimental to Scarlet Star’s face.
The mansion was big and its location was good. It wasn’t any worse than the other Managers’ homes.
Chen Tian Fei led Yang Kai and Yue He around the mansion and introduced its facilities. After a while, they arrived at a hall where the host and guests took their seats, while maids served them tea and water.
Chen Tian Fei sat right below the host’s seat, smiling brightly, “Are the two of you satisfied with the mansion? If you aren’t, just inform this Chen and I will have the adjustments made to your specifications.”
In just two days, he had gained a lot of weight already, so the fat on his face shook when he smiled.
Yang Kai nodded and replied, “Manager Chen is thoughtful, everything is perfectly fine.”
As far as he was concerned, this mansion was just a temporary stopover, there was no need to be too particular about it.
Chen Tian Fei responded, “That’s good.” Saying so, he lightly coughed, and clapped his hands, “Come in.”
Two people walked in immediately, one man and one woman. The man was limping when he walked. He was none other than Zhao Xing Chen who had his knees broken by Yang Kai before.
Obviously, he had taken some precious pills over these two days; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to heal so quickly.
When he saw Zhao Xing Chen, Meng Hong, who had been standing behind Yang Kai, had no change in his expression, but when he saw the woman, a complicated look inevitably appeared on his face.
The woman was none other than Chen Yue.
The two walked in one after the other. Zhao Xing Chen had a flattering smile on his face, while Chen Yue was staring at her feet. Her hair was hanging over her head, covering her face. Only the Heavens knew what kind of expression was on her face at the moment.
“Greetings, Sixth Manager, Seventh Manager!” Zhao Xing Chen’s face was still slightly bruised, and several of his teeth were missing, so when he spoke, his words were a little slurred.
At this moment, he possessed none of the arrogance he had two days ago. He put a smile on his face that was uglier than crying, and assumed a flattering stance.
Chen Yue also elegantly bowed and greeted in a mosquito voice, “Greetings Sir and Madam.”
Yang Kai looked at Chen Tian Fei with a shadow of a smile, “Brother Chen, what’s the meaning of this?”
Chen Tian Fei replied solemnly, “Sixth Manager, this brat had eyes but failed to see and offended you before. Although you have taught him a lesson, in the end, he is still guilty of offending you. My Scarlet Star has strict rules, and anyone who dares to go against their superior deserves severe punishment! Today, I made this brat come and apologise to you. Whether you want to kill him or cripple him is your choice. This King won’t interfere!”
His words were quite eloquent, making him appear just and fair.
Zhao Xing Chen was startled after hearing this and immediately looked at him and cried pitifully, “Brother-in-law!”
“You still have the gall to call me brother-in-law!?” Chen Tian Fei coldly snorted, “This King has lost all face thanks to you! I told you a long time ago not to use your status as a Junior Commander to cause trouble. I told you that there is always someone better than you, but you didn’t believe me. You bastard, you are lucky that you ran into Sixth Manager who showed you mercy. If it was someone more ruthless, you would have died many times already!”
He then turned to Yang Kai and proclaimed, “Sixth Manager, I will leave him to you. If you want to kill him, you can do so. I, Chen Tian Fei, won’t stop you.”
Saying so, he really closed his eyes, giving the impression that his heart would not grieve for what he couldn’t see.
Zhao Xing Chen was horrified. Realizing that he could not count on Chen Tian Fei, he could only kneel on the ground and beg Yang Kai, “Sixth Manager, please spare me. I must have been possessed at the time and failed to see the truth, offending Sixth Manager which deserves capital punishment! This waste has learned his lesson and will never repeat this mistake again! Sixth Manager, please spare me!”
While begging, he kept kowtowing again and again. After a few moments, he started bleeding from the spot on his head that was banging against the floor.
Yang Kai looked at him indifferently, only declaring after a good while, “Commander Zhao, there is no grudge between you and I. Even if there is, you have just offended this King, and this King broke your legs in return. The matter is settled. If you want to live, it’s not me that you should beg!”
Zhao Xing Chen was startled when he heard this, but the next moment, he realized what Yang Kai meant and quickly acted upon it. He turned to Meng Hong and squeezed a smile as he sadly begged, “Brother Meng…”
Zhao Xing Chen’s mournful cries pulled the absent-minded Meng Hong back to reality. He looked up and saw Zhao Xing Chen looking at him, pitifully and pleadingly. He couldn’t help but recall how he bluntly spoke and showed off the day before yesterday.
Suddenly, he had mixed feelings.
He knew that Yang Kai was giving him a chance to avenge himself, so he glanced at him gratefully.
Be that as it may, Zhao Xing Chen wasn’t bowing to him because of Meng Hong’s own strength, and he had already made peace with the fact that the woman he loved had already become someone else’s. Meng Hong had no intention of getting entangled with him, so there was an indifferent look on his face, like his interest had worn out.
Zhao Xing Chen continued in trepidation, “Brother Meng, please let me off on account of the many times we’ve helped each other in the past. This Zhao knows his mistake and will never repeat it.”
Meng Hong still remained silent. He just kept staring at him indifferently, as if he was watching a clown’s performance.
The two remaining Great Moon Province disciples, on the other hand, were outraged. One of them stepped forward and cursed angrily, “Shameless bastard, you and our Eldest Senior Brother called each other Brothers, but you seduced our Eldest Senior Brother’s woman behind his back, and you still have the gall to beg for mercy now!?”
He then looked at Meng Hong and shouted, “Eldest Senior Brother, let me kill him!”
Zhao Xing Chen was shocked. Before he came, Chen Tian Fei had told him that it was up to him whether he lived or died. Chen Tian Fei had told him that he couldn’t afford to offend the new Sixth Manager. Yang Kai had personally killed Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong back in the main hall with minimal effort. If Zhao Xing Chen really got into trouble, Chen Tian Fei would be like a clay idol fording the river, hardly able to save himself.
If not for this, why would Zhao Xing Chen follow Chen Tian Fei here and apologize? If the other party made his move, he could not depend on his brother-in-law.
Knowing that his life or death depended all on Meng Hong, Zhao Xing Chen threw his pride aside and quickly stated, “Brother Meng, it’s a misunderstanding. Sister Chen Yue and I are still pure, nothing has happened between us! If you don’t believe me, you can ask her.”
He then turned his head and looked at Chen Yue, who just lowered her head, slightly trembling.
Zhao Xing Chen hurriedly added, “Brother Meng, I brought Chen Yue here to give her back to you. Let’s just treat it like nothing has happened, and everything is as before?”
“Shut up!” Meng Hong, who had not spoken a word till now, suddenly cursed. He glared at Zhao Xing Chen with flames of anger in his eyes as he continued, grinding his teeth, “Zhao Xing Chen, what do you think Junior Sister Chen is? She is a person, not some object that can be traded back and forth at will! By acting like this, aren’t you disgracing her sincerity!”
Zhao Xing Chen’s mouth opened wide but had no idea what to say. He thought to himself that Chen Yue was just trying to climb up the ranks, so how could there be any sincerity at all? It was quite evident that Meng Hong still had feelings for Chen Yue though, so if Zhao Xing Chen really spoke what was in his mind, he would die right here and now.
After Meng Hong was finished shouting, he suddenly waved his hand and stated, “Get out, I don’t want to see you again in the future.”
He wasn’t completely ruthless. First, it wasn’t him who made Zhao Xing Chen bow his head and beg him for mercy; rather, he was riding on Yang Kai’s coattails. Second, Yang Kai had just become Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager, so if he really killed Zhao Xing Chen, it would definitely cause Yang Kai some trouble. At the very least, Chen Tian Fei would definitely be outraged because of this. He might have said all those things before, but if Zhao Xing Chen was really killed right before him, he would definitely not be pleased.
Zhao Xing Chen was overjoyed after hearing this, and a smile immediately bloomed on his black and blue face, “Many thanks, Brother Meng! Many thanks!” Then he turned to Yang Kai and thanked him, “Many thanks, Sixth Manager!”
“Why are you still here!?” Chen Tian Fei kicked him and knocked him onto the ground.
Zhao Xing Chen didn’t even bother to get up and quickly crawled out of the hall. He was elated that he could escape with his life today.
As soon as he left, Chen Yue was left standing alone in place, her presence incredibly conspicuous. Her charming face was pale and her tender body was trembling slightly. Who knew whether it was because of fear or she was just extremely ashamed?
Meng Hong glanced at her before heaving a slight sigh and not saying anything. He then cupped his fists to Yang Kai before turning around and leaving.
Seeing this, Chen Tian Fei chuckled, cupped his fists and bid his farewell, “Sixth Manager, Seventh Manager, this Chen has other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first. I have left some people in the mansion for the two of you to use. Just tell them if you have any orders.”
“En, I won’t see you off!” Yang Kai gestured with his hand and stated.
Chen Tian Fei nodded before getting up and walking away.
“How should we deal with her?” After Chen Tian Fei left, Yue He motioned to Chen Yue, who was still standing to the side with her head lowered.
Yang Kai rolled his eyes. He had no idea how to deal with this woman. Originally, Meng Hong should have been the one to deal with her, but he left without saying a word. Yang Kai truthfully didn’t want to get involved in this mess.
“Figure it out yourself,” Yang Kai also left after throwing out this sentence.
In the inner courtyard, Meng Hong was standing by the pond alone, quietly watching the fish swimming in the clear water below.
The two Great Moon Province disciples were standing not too far away from him. They were looking at Meng Hong’s back with worry pasted on their faces.
Hearing footsteps, they turned around, and upon seeing that it was Yang Kai, one of them asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother Yang, will Eldest Senior Brother be okay?”
The other Great Moon Province disciple was also worried, “I heard that people who become heartbroken have very high chances of developing a heart demon. Can the Elder Brother overcome this hurdle?”
The Great Moon Province disciple, who had spoken first, angrily stated, “That slut should have been killed. Her death would have ended all these troubles. What’s the use of keeping that opportunistic slut? She would just be disturbing Eldest Senior Brother’s state of mind in vain!”
The other disciple shook his head, however, and commented, “It’s not like you don’t know that Eldest Senior Brother still has feelings for her. If you really kill her, you should be ready to face Eldest Senior Brother’s wrath!”
“Then what should we do?”
Yang Kai rebuked, confounded, “Stop arguing, I will go take a look.”
The Great Moon Province disciples looked at Yang Kai as if they saw their saviour, “Senior Brother Yang, you must persuade Eldest Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai remained noncommittal. He couldn’t rashly agree to this kind of request. Love was the most difficult thing to see through. Meng Hong had to rely on himself to understand it. It didn’t matter what the others’ opinions about this were.
After a few steps, Yang Kai arrived by Meng Hong’s side and stood silently. He glanced at him, and to Yang Kai’s surprise, Meng Hong’s expression wasn’t that bad; at least not as bad as he had imagined.
Before Yang Kai could speak, Meng Hong asked, “Brother Yang, are you worried about me?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “Your two Junior Brothers are worried about you developing a heart demon.”
Meng Hong slightly smiled and replied, “That should not happen. Although I like Yue’er, she is free to make her own choices. It is not my decision to make. I just feel sad for her. She didn’t choose the right person, and in the end, she was abandoned.”
“As you said, that was her own choice.”
Meng Hong nodded lightly, “Yes, everyone rises or falls along with the times just like the fish in the pond. In the end, they couldn’t escape from the shackles of time.”
After a bout of silence, Meng Hong continued, “Brother Yang, I want to become stronger!”
Yang Kai turned his head and looked straight at him, “Everyone grows stronger as they keep treading upon the Martial Dao.”
Meng Hong turned around and gazed at Yang Kai with passionate eyes, “I want to grow even stronger!”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He knew that although Meng Hong was saying that he was fine, Chen Yue’s affair had indeed affected him; otherwise, how would he have such an idea? People always desire more strength after suffering setbacks.
“There is no Open Heaven Realm in the Grand Ancient Ruins. If you want to become stronger, you can only continue to gather your Yin, Yang, and Five Elements in order to break through to the Open Heaven Realm once you leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary,” a pleasant voice suddenly rang in their ears. It was none other than Yue He who was coming over. She came to Yang Kai’s side and stood there as her hair gently danced along with the wind, brushing against Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai brushed her hair away, nodded and added, “There are many Open Heaven Realm materials in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which should be able to meet your needs. Brother Meng, what Order of Elements have you condensed?”
Meng Hong replied, “Third Order!”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding; after all, Great Moon Province wasn’t a powerful force. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang who Yang Kai had met before were both Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Meng Hong, as a disciple of Great Moon Province, could naturally only access Third-Order materials.
“Before, I used to think that the Third Order was enough, but now it seems that Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are just ordinary characters in the 3,000 Worlds. I have to become a higher Order Master!”
Yang Kai frowned after hearing this, “Brother Meng, if I’m not mistaken, you should have already condensed several Elements.”
As the Eldest Senior Brother of Great Moon Province, it was impossible for Meng Hong to remain in the Emperor Realm forever. He should have already condensed three or more Elements into his Dao Seal, and since his foundation was laid, he had no choice but to continue moving forward. He couldn’t turn back.
Meng Hong replied with a nod, “En, I have condensed four Elements.”
“Then how would you…” Yang Kai looked puzzled.
Just then, Yue He remembered something and her face slightly changed as she muttered, “Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water?”
Meng Hong nodded solemnly as a jade bottle appeared in his palm with a flip of his wrist.
“You’re courting death!” Yue He’s face turned extremely serious.
Yue He continued, “You should also know that to reach the Open Heaven Realm, you need to condense the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into your Dao Seal before splitting Heaven and Earth apart in your body to form a Small Universe. Only with the power of a Small Universe can one be called an Open Heaven Realm Master. Once a cultivator has condensed a certain Order Power, it cannot be changed. The final Order of a cultivator is always the lowest Order Element they have consolidated. For example, if one has condensed six Third-Order Elements, and one Second-Order Element, then the Open Heaven Realm they can achieve is Second-Order. It will not change just because the other six Powers are Third-Order.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I know.”
The process of reaching the Open Heaven was like building a barrel to hold, one can only fill up to the height of the shortest board in the barrel.
Yue He continued, “But there were always some people in the world who are not satisfied with the Order of Elements they condensed and want to climb to a higher Order when they have achieved the Open Heaven Realm. Except, their foundation has already been laid, so how can they change it at will?”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown and ask, “If it can’t be changed at will, does that mean it can still be changed?”
Yue He confirmed with a nod, “En, and the surest method is by using Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. Once someone takes it, the Power of Yin, Yang and Five Elements they had condensed will be completely stripped from their Dao Seal. If one manages to survive the stripping process, they will gain a chance to start over!”
“How dangerous is it?” Yang Kai asked worriedly. Only now did he understand Meng Hong’s plan. He obviously wanted to use the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water to start condensing his Open Heaven Elements again.
Yue He sneered upon hearing this, “The danger depends on the number of Powers the person who consumes it has already condensed. The fewer Powers gathered, the smaller the risk. If one has only condensed a single Element, the chances of success is basically 50%.”
“50% after condensing just one Element?” Yang Kai couldn’t help but turn pale, “What if one has gathered four?”
Meng Hong just said that he had already condensed four Open Heaven Realm Elements, so the chances of success were probably much smaller.
“About 10%,” Yue He replied in a solemn voice.
10%!
Yang Kai was horrified. It really was akin to courting death.
Yue He looked at Meng Hong with a sneer, “Even so, are you really going to do this?”
Meng Hong clenched the jade bottle in his hand and calmly nodded, “I have already made up my mind!” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Brother Yang, please don’t try to dissuade me, I have been thinking about this for a long time, I just didn’t have the courage to go through with it until now. Furthermore, even if I had taken the risk before, there was no way for me to acquire enough precious materials with Great Moon Province’s strength. But it’s different here. We are in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which is a vast treasure trove. Brother Yang, you might not know, but in the few months you were in a retreat, I frequently heard stories of people finding Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order, and even Sixth-Order materials. This is my opportunity. If I don’t give it a try, I will regret it for the rest of my life!”
Yang Kai remained silent. If Meng Hong was just acting on impulse because of Chen Yue, then he might try to dissuade him; after all, it wasn’t wise to take such a big risk right now. However, Meng Hong just said that he had been contemplating this course of action for a long time, but he just didn’t have the courage to go through with it.
This time, everything that had happened had just given him the push he needed to make up his mind.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai gave his encouragement, “Since you have said as much, then I can only wish you all the best.”
He then turned to Yue He and asked, “What will happen if he fails?”
Yue He solemnly replied, “Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water cleanly strips the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements from one’s Dao Seal. If one fails, their Dao Seal will shatter. What do you think would be the consequences of that?”
If one’s Dao Seal got shattered, what else could happen? One would either lose their life or have their cultivation permanently crippled.
“I’m a little curious, where did you get Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water? Although it’s not rare, it’s not something you can get your hands on as an Emperor Realm cultivator. Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water is basically as valuable as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm material.” Yue He furrowed her bow.
Meng Hong replied with a smile after hearing this, “I accidentally acquired it many years ago and decided to keep it. I wasn’t willing to sell it as I thought that I might need it someday.”
It was quite apparent that Meng Hong’s decision wasn’t on a whim, he really had been planning for this for a long time.
Yang Kai stated, nodding, “Brother Meng, since you have already made up your mind, I won’t try to dissuade you. If there is anything I can help you with, feel free to speak.”
Yue He scoffed, “You can’t help him with anything except finding him a quiet place.”
Meng Hong requested, “Brother Yang, I request you to keep this a secret from my Junior Brothers. If I am successful, I will explain to them in person. If it doesn’t work out… then I ask Brother Yang to burn my corpse and hand over my remains to my Junior Brothers to take back to Great Moon Province.”
Meng Hong had just handed over his will; obviously, he too didn’t have much confidence in himself.
Yang Kai suddenly wanted to dissuade him, but he had no idea how to start. [If I was in Meng Hong place and I had such an opportunity, how would I have chosen?]
[I’m afraid even if I knew that there was just a 10% chance of survival, I would still have gone through with it!]
“When are you planning on starting?” Yang Kai asked.
Meng Hong replied, “There is no day better than today.”
He was very resolute, so Yang Kai had no choice but to find him a secluded cultivation room. He then arranged a powerful isolation Array together with Yue He so that Meng Hong would not be disturbed by the outside world during his ordeal.
The Great Moon Province disciples had no idea why Meng Hong suddenly decided to enter retreat, but they thought it might be related to Chen Yue’s incident, causing them to hate her even more.
Outside the cultivation room, Yang Kai and Yue He got busy and finally managed to arrange everything.
Yue He softly sighed, staring at the secret room, “It’s pointless to worry, so don’t bother. It will take him anywhere from three days to half a month to complete the process; when the time comes, you will know the result.”
Yang Kai nodded and stated, “Let’s hope for the best.”
Suddenly he remembered something and asked, “How did you deal with Chen Yue?”
Yue He replied, “I decided to let her stay. We can’t drive her away, can we? She is weak, and if we drive her out, she would get devoured till not even her bones were left within a few days.”
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, “You’re quite kind.”
Yue He coldly snorted and stated, “You can easily tell that Meng Hong still has feelings for that Chen Yue girl. If we drive her away, how could Meng Hong rest at ease? We can only leave her for Meng Hong to deal with.”
Yang Kai nodded his appreciation, “Good job.”
Yue He sweetly smiled and elegantly bowed, “Many thanks for the compliment, Young Master!”
“What’s gotten into you?” Yang Kai flicked his sleeve and left with his hands crossed behind his back, leaving Yue He giggling.
Before leaving, Chen Tian Fei said that he had left some people in the mansion for him to use. Yang Kai soon met the Commander of these people, a man called Guo Zi Yan.
Yang Kai was now Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager, so they had to allocate a little manpower to him, even if just to keep up appearances.
In Scarlet Star, Guo Zi Yan was also a Great Commander-level figure. He was a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he wasn’t weak. In the outside world, he might not even pay any attention to Yang Kai, a trivial Emperor Realm Junior. Unfortunately, they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary now and Yang Kai had the strength to kill Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong. Guo Zi Yan had no choice but to lower his head, even though his cultivation was higher!
After a few questions and answers, Yang Kai had a slight understanding of Guo Zi Yan’s character; in short, he was a rather taciturn person. Originally, he was Du Niang Zi’s subordinate, but since Du Niang Zi was already dead, the resources under her were naturally divided among the other Managers, leaving Guo Zi Yan for Yang Kai.
Guo Zi Yan didn’t have many subordinates, but they weren’t few either. He had a total of a hundred or so people under him. The entire team was under Yang Kai now. Ignoring loyalty, at least he could order around these people.
Needless to say, Yang Kai went to see his hundred new subordinates with Guo Zi Yan.
The reason why Yang Kai wanted to join Scarlet Star and take the position of Manager was because he wanted to use Scarlet Star’s resources and manpower to search for the Open Heaven Realm materials he needed. More people would lead to more information. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was filled with high-quality precious treasures, but it would be difficult for him to find them all on his own. Scarlet Star was different. With this Star City as their base, their influence spread in all directions rapidly. Nothing within a radius ten thousand kilometres could remain hidden from Scarlet Star’s eyes.
Scarlet Star was itself a relatively loose organization, with all kinds of people of varying strength and temperaments. As such, many of its members had unruly personalities.
When they heard that the new Sixth Manager was only an Emperor Realm Junior, they didn’t pay much attention to him. The hundred or so people stood in their positions, completely relaxed. But when Yue He, who was with Yang Kai, arrived, everyone instantly paid attention to her. After all, Yue He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Such a Master could be considered a hegemon in the 3,000 Worlds, and all cultivators had an instinctive awe towards the strong.
Yang Kai didn’t care too much about this, and after a few words, he ordered Guo Zi Yan to take these hundred or so people out and gather intel. He ordered him to report any news about High-Order materials to him right away!
Guo Zi Yan naturally complied.
The next few days remained uneventful.
Yang Kai took Dragon Blood Pills every day to purify his Dragon Vein while spending his time comprehending his Wood and Fire Elements. He had learned an Innate Dragon Technique from the Dragon Bead he refined, but Yang Kai vaguely felt that he still could not bring out the full might of his Wood and Fire Elements.
From the energy gathered from the Immortal Tree essence and Golden Crow’s True Fire, he should also be able to produce powerful Divine Abilities! If he could successfully comprehend the mysteries of these powers, then his strength would definitely increase by leaps and bounds and he would be able to deal with more powerful enemies in a more relaxed manner.
Every day, Yang Kai would go and check up on Meng Hong. Unfortunately, since he entered retreat, Meng Hong’s cultivation room had remained completely silent. With the Array blocking everything, Yang Kai had no idea what was going on inside.
The Great Moon Province disciples were completely oblivious to what Meng Hong was doing; as such, they didn’t show much concern either.
Today, Yang Kai went to check up on Meng Hong in his spare time, but he saw Yue He coming over as well.
When their eyes met, Yue He shook her head.
Yang Kai stated with a frown, “It’s been eight days.”
Yue He heaved a soft sigh, “I’m afraid he was more unfortunate than fortunate.”
“Isn’t there any way to help?”
Yue He replied, “Once he took the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, it became solely up to him whether he lived or died. Outsiders can’t interfere. Even if you go in, you will only be disturbing him, causing him greater danger.”
Yang Kai sunk into silence. Since Yue He said as much, he couldn’t provide any help even if he wanted to.
“Wait two more days. If he still doesn’t come out, it means he has failed. Then we will have to collect his corpse,” Yue He brushed her hair back behind her ear.
Just as she was finished speaking, Yang Kai suddenly looked up, staring at the secluded room’s heavy door.
With his Divine Sense, he seemed to sense some subtle movements inside the cultivation room.
Yue He too had noticed it by now and turned her head to look at Yang Kai in surprise.
After a while, the Array arranged around the room was slowly deactivated. Yang Kai raised his brow and went forward, opened the door, and walked in.
Yue He followed close behind.
There was a strong scent of blood in the air, and everything inside the room was in a mess, as if several violent energies had fought chaotically within.
A figure was sitting cross-legged in the centre of the cultivation room, his head drooped as his black hair was hanging loose, covering his entire face. Meng Hong was in an extremely miserable state at the moment, his entire body covered in dried blood.
By the looks of it, he had suffered a lot.
Furthermore, his aura was quite weak. Yang Kai couldn’t tell whether he had succeeded or failed.
A little worried, he stepped forward and called out gently, standing right before Meng Hong, “Brother Meng?”
Meng Hong slowly raised his head. His face was dark, sunken, and extremely pale, but there was a glint in his eyes. He looked at Yang Kai as the corners of his lips slowly rose into a smile, “The Heavens have blessed me!”
A heavy weight was immediately lifted off Yang Kai’s shoulder and he broke into laughter, “Brother Meng is truly blessed with good fortune!”
In a situation where he was meant to die nine times out of ten, Meng Hong had carved a way out. Yang Kai might not have any idea what Meng Hong had gone through these eight days, but judging by his state and the state of the room, he could tell that Meng Hong had constantly been wandering between life and death.
After making him take a few pills and adjust his breathing, Yang Kai finally sent Meng Hong back to rest.
The Great Moon Province disciples were summoned and Meng Hong explained the entire ordeal to them personally. A look of fear immediately appeared on their faces and one of them rebuked their Eldest Senior Brother for not even saying anything to them before taking such a big risk. What would they do if he had an accident? The other Junior Brother was indignant, clamouring to kill Chen Yue for causing disturbing thoughts in their Eldest Senior Brother’s mind.
While they were raising a fuss, Yang Kai and Yue He withdrew, leaving the three Fellow Brothers to talk it out.
Over the next few days, Meng Hong’s condition improved gradually. The Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water had stripped him of the four Third-Order Elements, allowing him to return to the state when he had just condensed his Dao Seal, which was equivalent to gaining a chance to start over. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that not everyone could have.
This time, Meng Hong would naturally not act arbitrarily.
A few days later, Yang Kai went to visit Meng Hong again to ask about his future plans.
Meng Hong replied, “Since I have wiped clean my Third-Order foundation, naturally I want to achieve a higher order. Fourth-Order is too low, while Sixth-Order is beyond my capability. If I could become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it would be worth the risk I took.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded after hearing this. Meng Hong’s ambition wasn’t big compared to his own, but for a disciple of Great Moon Province, the Fifth Order was absolutely a luxury. After all, any Fifth-Order material would cost 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills, so seven materials would cost at least 10 million Open Heaven Pills. Great Moon Province might be able to collect this sum if they were willing to sacrifice greatly for hundreds of years, but it was meaningless to do so if they couldn’t find sellers for such materials.
It should be known that even with the backing of the Proprietress, Bai Qi could only achieve the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
If Meng Hong could achieve the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then he would have the chance to reach the Seventh-Order in his lifetime, ascending beyond the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. He would have a chance to appreciate the scenery from the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
Furthermore, Meng Hong had also said that Sixth-Order materials weren’t something that he could withstand.
Someone had told Yang Kai before that condensing Higher-Order Elements wasn’t necessarily the best for a cultivator. Everyone had their own tolerance limit, and if one exceeded that limit, they might lose their life in vain before reaching the Open Heaven Realm.
Meng Hong had judged that he could at most bear Fifth-Order Elements, which was also the limit most cultivators could bear. If he went for higher Order materials, whether it was his body or Dao Seal, both would be unable to bear it.
“If it’s Fifth Order, I can give Brother Meng something!” Yang Kai stated with a flip of his hand. The next moment, a hot aura appeared in his palm, as if he was holding a small sun.
Meng Hong’s expression froze as he exclaimed, “Sun’s True Fire! Is this… something you got from the Sun Star?”
He had also seen Sun’s True Fires before; after all, he was among the Great Moon Province disciples present when the Sun Star was extinguished. He had followed Wei Que to search for the Sun’s True Fire, so Meng Hong recognized it at a glance.
Yang Kai replied with a nod, “Yes, it’s from that Sun Star.”
Yang Kai had not only seized the Golden Crow carcass right under the nose of many Open Heaven Realm Masters, but also pocketed a lot of Sun’s True Fires at the Fourth and Fifth Order. However, he didn’t have that many Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fires, just three. They had been lying useless all this time in his Space Ring, but since Meng Hong needed it now, Yang Kai would not be stingy.
Meng Hong kept staring at the Sun’s True Fire in a daze. He wanted to refuse, but at the same time, was really reluctant too.
Great Moon Province had also obtained a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire, but instead of letting their disciples use it, they decided to exchange it for a batch of Fourth-Order materials. Owing to this careful planning, Great Moon Province would be able to raise a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master someday in the future. When that happened, Great Moon Province would be able to have a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master assume command of the Sect, allowing them to barely become a Second Class great force.
After observing Meng Hong’s words and expression, Yang Kai smiled and stated, “Brother Meng, please accept it for now and think of it as a loan. You can pay me back in the future if the opportunity presents itself.”
After Yang Kai had said so, Meng Hong couldn’t refuse anymore, so he immediately nodded, “Thanks are not enough for this kindness, this Meng will definitely not disappoint Brother Yang’s intentions.”
Urging his Qi, he wrapped the Sun’s True Fire and accepted it. In an instant, a wave of heat blew against his face, making Meng Hong involuntarily groan as his expression changed slightly.
He was used to dealing with Third-Order materials, which he could still handle with ease. Now, when he came in contact with a Fifth-Order material, he knew that not everyone could absorb these high-quality materials. If one’s foundation was lacking even a little, he or she would quite possibly get burned to death by this scorching heat once they began absorbing the Fire Element Power.
Meng Hong was secretly glad that he didn’t have overly lofty goals and only aimed for the Fifth Order. He made a wise decision.
Leaving Meng Hong to refine the Sun’s True Fire and condense his Fire Element, Yang Kai summoned the two Great Moon Province disciples to stand guard for him before finally leaving.
Passing through the corridor, Yang Kai saw a familiar figure sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard, which startled him slightly.
The other party seemed to have noticed him too. Chen Yue looked up and when their eyes met, she promptly lowered her head and greeted, “Sixth Manager!”
Yang Kai lightly nodded, having no intention of talking to her. Yue He had let her stay for Meng Hong to deal with. Unfortunately, Meng Hong had been in retreat all this time and now that he had a Sun’s True Fire to refine, perhaps he could care less about personal affairs for a short time.
Just as Yang Kai was about to leave, Yue He hurried over, “Guo Zi Yan was here. His men have found a Yuan Magnetic Mountain.”
“Yuan Magnetic Mountain?” Yang Kai raised his brow.
Yue He explained, “A Yuan Magnetic Mountain nurtures Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones, which are Metal Element materials.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “What’s the location?”
He had just finished gathering his Earth Element, so the next on the list was Metal. At this time, Guo Zi Yan had timely sent a message, making Yang Kai feel as if pies were falling from the sky.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder whether there was a Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone in the Yuan Magnetic Mountain that was Seventh-Order or above.
Yue He handed him a jade slip which he promptly scanned with his Divine Sense. The next moment, he found a map with a spot marked a few tens of thousands of kilometres away from the Star City.
Yue He added, “Not just our people have discovered the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, but many other people have also found it. According to Guo Zi Han, some Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones have already been extracted.”
“What Order?” Yang Kai asked.
“Third-Order, Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order, all of them.” Yue He seemed to know what he wanted to ask. After she was finished speaking, her red lips moved again as she added, “Fifth-Order materials are very rare even in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. You better not expect too much.”
Yang Kai remained non-committal, “I’ll go take a look. Meng Hong is focusing on condensing his Fire Element, so you stay here and oversee things.”
“I don’t care about his life or death.” Yue He disdainfully spat. She then turned to Chen Yue and ordered, “I’ll leave it to you!”
Chen Yue blinked in stupefaction as she pointed at herself and asked, “Me?”
When she looked up though, she saw that Yang Kai and Yue He were nowhere to be found.
After leaving the mansion, Yang Kai soared into the sky, found his bearings after a moment, and then flew off with Yue He closely following behind.
In the corner of the Star City, two figures were quietly standing, staring in the direction Yang Kai and Yue He left. One of them was a middle-aged man, who was wearing a golden crown and a python robe. He was incredibly fat. This fat man was none other than Chen Tian Fei of Scarlet Star.
As a Scarlet Star Manager, Chen Tian Fei also had thousands of people under him; however, at this moment, he was standing behind a middle-aged man.
“That’s the new Manager?” The middle-aged man suddenly asked.
“Yes, it’s him. His name is Yang Kai,” Chen Tian Fei respectfully replied. His cultivation had recovered over these days, allowing him to regain his original fat layers. At this moment, his face was red and radiant.
Observing the other party’s expression and bearing, Chen Tian Fei cautiously asked, “How should we deal with him, Head Manager?”
The middle-aged man was Scarlet Star’s hidden Dragon who showed his tail but never his face, the Head Manager. Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong had tragically died at Yang Kai’s hands, yet this Head Manager had never made an appearance. However, he had come out for some reason today.
“What do you think I should do?” The Head Manager indifferently asked.
Chen Tian Fei pondered and replied, “Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong lost their lives at his hands before he forced us to recognize him as a new Manager. However, word of it has already spread. If we don’t give an explanation to the people below, I’m afraid it will be difficult to convince the public.”
“You want to kill him?” The Head Manager asked.
Chen Tian Fei replied, “It will be up to Head Manager’s discretion!”
The Head Manager continued, “If what you said is true, that this little brat killed Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong in such a short time, then he is a rare genius. It’s not possible to kill him with Scarlet Star’s current power.”
Chen Tian Fei was shocked, “Head Manger, you are also not sure about it?” He was very surprised by this. He thought that the Head Manager would not spare Yang Kai once he left his retreat. If not, how could the rest of the Managers so easily compromise? But judging by what the Head Manager has said, it was actually impossible to kill Yang Kai now.
[Are we really going to let him occupy the magpie’s nest and take the position of Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong?]
The Head Manager indifferently added, “He was able to kill Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong while stopping all of you. He is already invincible in the Emperor Realm. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, this King has no confidence in defeating him!”
Chen Tian Fei’s eyes couldn’t help but widen. Although Scarlet Star was a loose organization, the Head Manager had near absolute control as his strength was immense and his vision was acute. Much to Chen Tian Fei’s surprise though, this man even stated that Yang Kai was invincible in the Emperor Realm!
Since Yang Kai could get such an evaluation from the Head Manager, it was evident that he was truly outstanding.
Chen Tian Fei considered and asked, “Head Manager, you mean…”
“Let’s wait and see!” The Head Manager turned around and headed towards his place of retreat, his voice drifting back, “It won’t be too late to deal with him after we have left the Grand Ancient Ruins. He is just an Emperor Realm Junior after all.”
Chen Tian Fei cupped his fists, “Head Manager is wise!”
The Yuan Magnetic Mountain was tens of thousands of kilometres away from Scarlet Star’s base, which was far beyond the range of Scarlet Star’s influence. Yang Kai and Yue He flew all the way, taking more than an hour to reach their destination.
In front of them was a rolling mountain range. It wasn’t too long, nor was it too high, and its peaks were sparsely distributed. Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and found many auras of cultivators in the mountain range.
Before he could get close though, Yang Kai felt an extremely strange energy lingering in the surroundings. The energy gave off a Metal Attribute aura; however, it wasn’t exactly like a Metal Element. It felt extremely strange. It was changing every moment. Sometimes it was pulling and sometimes pushing, and sometimes it even felt like it was swirling.
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Yuan Magnetism Force?”
Yue He replied with a nod, “Yuan Magnetism Force is unpredictable. If you can use the Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone to refine your Metal Element, you might be able to comprehend a Yuan Magnetism Divine Ability.”
After hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He became more and more sure that he had not fully mastered the Immortal Tree and Golden Crow’s True Fire Power, so he was looking forward to this Yuan Magnetic Mountain.
A figure soon rushed over. It was none other than Guo Zi Yan.
Apparently, he got the news and came to greet Yang Kai and Yue He.
When he got closer, he cupped his fists and greeted, “Sixth Manager, Seventh Manager!”
Yang Kai lightly nodded, “How’s the situation here?”
Guo Zi Yan reported, “We have gained a little, but it’s not worth much. A few Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones at or below Third-Order.”
“Let me see.” Yang Kai stretched his hand towards him.
Guo Zi Yan handed him a plate-size stone without any objection. Yang Kai checked it out and found that it was pitch-black. At first glance, it didn’t seem special, but after a thorough inspection, he could feel the abundant Power of Metal inside.
The Yuan Magnetism Force in this stone was a lot more obvious than he had felt in the ambient air.
Yang Kai slightly nodded before handing the Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone back. He then looked down and saw many figures rushing about here and there.
Guo Zi Yan quickly reported, “Sir and Madam, news about the Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones has already spread, so many people are rushing over. This humble servant has also summoned all our nearby people, but we only have thirty or so in total. With just this many people, the scope of our search is limited. Do I need to send messages to the other Managers and ask them to bring some more people for support?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and indifferently declared, “No need, since the news has already spread, they will come if they want to. It will be useless if they don’t want to come.”
Guo Zi Yan thought to himself, [Many people have already got the news about the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, but the other Managers might not have received word so far. We have not seen the other Managers until now, so who knows if they don’t want to come or they are on their way.]
After flying with Guo Zi Yan for a while, they landed on the top of a certain mountain. Everyone here was busy. Thirty or so men under Yang Kai’s command were gathered here and the mountain was laden with many pits, some of which were quite deep. From the shallower pits, faint clinking noises could be heard. Obviously, everyone was trying hard to dig up Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones.
Yang Kai turned to look at Guo Zi Yan and asked, “How did you distribute the profits in the past?”
Guo Zi Yan replied, “Everything everyone obtained would be collected and evaluated before rewards were distributed according to respective contributions. But generally speaking, Managers take about half for themselves!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Such a distribution might have been used in the past, but Yang Kai was not going to follow suit.
“Relay my order, any Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone below Fifth-Order our people find belongs to the one who unearthed it, they don’t need to turn it over. This King only needs Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones of the Fifth Order and above. If anyone dares to pocket them, they will be shown no mercy!”
Guo Zi Yan’s expression turned serious upon hearing this, “Sixth Manager, are you serious?”
Yang Kai may have only wanted Fifth-Order or above Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones, which sounded a bit ravenous at first, but it should be known that their group had been searching this place for some time now and had yet to find a single Fifth-Order Divine Stone. On the other hand, they had found quite a few Third-Order Divine Stones already.
In other words, Yang Kai was taking the risk of returning empty-handed. On the contrary, the thirty or so subordinates could keep everything below the Fifth Order.
From another point of view, this was very beneficial to the thirty of them; after all, if Yang Kai followed the previous practice just like Du Niang Zi, even if they found a Fifth-Order Divine Stone, they would not have any share in it.
Yang Kai stated, “If I ask you to relay my order then relay it. Why do you have so many useless questions?”
Guo Zi Yan immediately cupped his fists and responded, “Yes, Sir!”
The order was quickly disseminated to everyone, causing the thirty or so men to be extremely elated. They immediately started searching even harder. Even Guo Zi Yan rushed into a nearby pit and disappeared.
Yue He looked at Yang Kai and asked, “What are you going to do with the Fifth-Order Divine Stones?”
She knew that Yang Kai had condensed Seventh-Order Elements, so she was a little puzzled at the moment.
“I have my uses for them,” Yang Kai casually responded.
The Fifth-Order materials might not be of any use to him, but he had many friends and relatives in the Star Boundary who would eventually enter the Outer Universe. They would definitely need them at that time. Yang Kai’s own starting point was very high, so naturally, lower Order materials were not of interest to him. The Fifth Order was barely the threshold that could interest him.
It didn’t hurt him to plan for the future early on. What’s more, the Fifth-Order materials were quite valuable even if he didn’t personally use them.
Yang Kai next looked around and found a spot with no one around before waving his hand and releasing the Earth Dragon.
His Divine Sense surged as he communicated with the Earth Dragon for a time. The Earth Dragon turned around and plunged into the ground soon after, quickly drilling an enormous pit.
The Earth Dragon was an exotic beast that lived underground, so it was simple for it to open a pit. Loud rumbling noises came from inside the pit that quickly faded away. The solid rock couldn’t resist the corrosion of the Earth Dragon’s mucus.
The Earth Dragon alone was equivalent to hundreds of people in this environment.
Yang Kai didn’t remain idle either. He exhorted Yue He to guard the spot while he followed the Earth Dragon underground. The moment Yang Kai jumped into the pit, he started scanning with his Divine Sense.
It didn’t take him too long to find a Third-Order Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone and put it into his Space Ring.
With the Earth Dragon leading the way, Yang Kai easily penetrated a thousand meters into the mountains. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had remained untouched for thousands of years, breeding many rare and precious treasures. There were a lot of Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones in the Yuan Magnetic Mountains, and the deeper he went, the denser the Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones became.
In just half an hour, Yang Kai had already found six Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones. Unfortunately, their Order wasn’t very high. The highest Order materials he had found were of Third-Order, the others were either First or Second-Order.
Yang Kai wasn’t picky, however, and put them all into his Space Ring. Although these Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones weren’t useful for him, they could be sold for some Open Heaven Pills.
Now, all the Open Heaven Pills in his possession had been used to buy the herbs in the Star City; even Yue He had to fork out some of her pills too, which made Yang Kai a little embarrassed.
As the Earth Dragon continued to explore, Yue He’s voice suddenly rang in Yang Kai’s ear, “Come out, something has happened!”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow when he heard this. He stopped chasing after the Earth Dragon and disappeared from the spot in a flash of Space Principles.
When he reappeared, he had already arrived at the peak.
He gazed down as a slight frown appeared on his brow. He saw Yue He and Guo Zi Yan standing in the lead, while their men stood behind them. But at this moment, they were surrounded by another group.
The size of that group was quite big, about three or four hundred in total, giving them a ten-to-one advantage. The people leading the other group also looked quite strong. In just one glance, it was quite evident that they would not be easy to deal with.
The two groups were confronting each other, weapons drawn, the atmosphere heavy.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but frown. There seemed to be some kind of conflict here, but as he had been following the Earth Dragon to search for Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones down below, he had no idea what exactly transpired.
His figure flickered as he arrived beside Yue He the next moment and asked, indifferently looking at the other group, “What happened?”
Yue He bitterly smiled as flipped her hand. The next moment, a fist-size Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone appeared in her hand. Although this Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone appeared pitch-black, it also gave off an everchanging gleam from its surface. A strange force was lingering around the Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone, which was no different from the Yuan Magnetism Force Yang Kai had felt before.
Yang Kai raised his brow, “What Order?”
In just one glance, he could tell that this Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone was a little different than the others he found so far. It was completely different from the Third-Order Divine Stones he had found before. Although this Divine Stone was much smaller, it was of extremely high Order.
“Fifth-Order!” Yue He replied, “One of the men found it and shouted in excitement, drawing them here.” While speaking, she turned her head and glanced at a lean man beside her.
Obviously, this Fifth-Order Divine Stone was found by this man. At this moment, the man was looking quite guilty, secretly blaming himself for being too careless. He got too excited and couldn’t stop himself from shouting; after all, he had never seen a Fifth-Order material before.
[So it’s a case of having evil intentions at the sight of someone else’s wealth!]
Yang Kai quickly understood what was happening. He reached out and took the Fifth-Order Divine Stone and stuffed it straight into his Space Ring. He then patted the lean guy on the shoulder and praised, “Good job, I will note your merit down!”
The man looked at Yang Kai in a daze after hearing this. His face was filled with excitement. He was thinking that the Manager would blame him for being careless, but instead of getting blamed, he was praised.
The new Sixth Manager seemed a little different…
At this moment, a person on the other side stepped forward and shouted in fury, “It’s you, you little bastard!”
While speaking, he was grinding his teeth, as if there was some kind of unforgivable enmity between the two.
Yang Kai looked up and found this man to be a little familiar. Apparently, he had seen him somewhere before. He took a closer look and couldn’t help but grin as he stated, “What a small world, we meet again.”
Surprisingly, the other guy was none other than Bie Jian whom he had run into back in the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range a few months ago.
Since Bie Jian was here, Yang Kai didn’t need to think about which great force these people belonged to, it was no doubt Thunder Light.
In the Crouching Dragon Mountain Range a few months back, Bei Jian, leading a group of Thunder Light disciples, had collected a lot of Dragon treasures, but in the end, he was intimidated by Yang Kai with the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Flood Dragon, and forced to hand over everything he had gathered and retreat empty-handed.
At that time, Bie Jian didn’t have many people with him and he had no choice but to bear the disgrace before the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon. Every time he thought about that day, his heart would burn with fury and hatred. He secretly vowed to take revenge the next time he met Yang Kai.
Unfortunately, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was vast, and he had no idea where Yang Kai was, so he couldn’t talk about revenge. He had never thought that he would run into him in the Yuan Magnetic Mountains today. When he came face to face with his enemy, his eyes turned red in anger.
After recognizing Yang Kai, Bie Jian sneered, “Little brat, you will get what you deserve today! I told you a long time ago that you should always leave a way out for yourself, and not be ruthless, but you just had to insist. I’ll see how you will escape with your life today!”
On the Crouching Dragon Mountain that day, Bie Jian believed that the other party was stronger than him, and had proposed to divide the Dragon treasures harvested in half, but Yang Kai refused. In the end, Bie Jian had no choice but to hand over everything and back away helplessly.
When he met Yang Kai on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain today, he naturally wanted to vent all his hatred and make him pay for the disgrace he had suffered that day.
Yang Kai chuckled, “We will see if you have what it takes or not.”
“Do you know him?” An elderly man beside Bie Jian asked doubtfully. He could tell that there was some kind of grudge between Yang Kai and Bie Jian.
Bein Jian replied with a scoff, “Brother Zhu, do you remember me telling you about the Crouching Dragon Mountains?”
The old man surnamed Zhu raised his brow after hearing this, “Is he the one you were talking about?”
“Yes, it’s him!” Bie Jian continued, grinding his teeth, “At that time, he had used two powerful exotic beasts to deter us, so this King had no choice but to lower his head. I have been searching for him for several months, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find him. I didn’t expect to run into him here.”
The old man surnamed Zhu nodded, “In that case, you don’t need to care about being civil.” He looked up at Yang Kai and demanded, “Brat, I heard that you obtained many Dragon Blood Flowers from the Crouching Dragon Mountains, honestly hand over those Dragon Blood Flowers along with the Fifth-Order Divine Stone you just found, and we might let you keep your life. Otherwise, this day next year will be the anniversary of your death!”
Dragon Blood Flowers could enhance one’s physique, so there was no Open Heaven Realm Master who wouldn’t desire them. When one’s cultivation had reached the Open Heaven Realm, cultivators focused first on slowly improving their Order while also improving their physiques. Dragon Blood Flowers were an excellent treasure for Body Tempering. If they could grab those Dragon Blood Flowers, the old man surnamed Zhu was confident that he could improve his physique by several levels. Even if he couldn’t improve his Order, his strength would be greatly enhanced.
As for the Fifth-Order Divine Stone just now, he couldn’t miss it either. The Fifth-Order Divine Stone was worth at least 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills.
“Sir Zhu, Sir Yang is my Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager, do you want to start a war with my Scarlet Star by being so aggressive?” Guo Zi Yan stepped and sonorously shouted.
As soon as he made this remark, both Bie Jian and the old man surnamed Zhu were taken aback.
The old man surnamed Zhu glanced at Guo Zi Yan before asking, “Are you a member of Scarlet Star?” Whether it was Thunder Light or Scarlet Star, they had been ruling the Star City for tens of thousands of years and crossed swords multiple times during this period. As a Great Commander of Scarlet Star, Guo Zi Yan wasn’t an unknown figure, so the old man surnamed Zhu had naturally seen him a few times, though he hadn’t paid much attention to him.
It was only when he said those words that the old man finally glanced at him.
Guo Zi Yang quickly replied, “Yes!”
Bie Jian was taken aback even more so, “Wasn’t Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager Du Niang Zi? When did this brat become your Sixth Manager?”
Guo Zi Yan replied, “Du Niang Zi has already fallen, this is my Scarlet Star’s new Sixth Manager!”
Bie Jian and the old man surnamed Zhu looked at each other after hearing this. They couldn’t believe that Du Niang Zi was actually dead. She was a Master of poison, so even the two of them didn’t dare to provoke her easily. They couldn’t understand how she died? Who had killed her?
However, since Guo Zi Yan, a Scarlet Star Great Commander, had said so, it must not be wrong.
Bie Jian scoffed, “Scarlet Star has really regressed. You actually made an Emperor Realm brat your Sixth Manager? Was there no one available in Scarlet Star?”
The old man surnamed Zhu also snorted and added, “So what if you belong to Scarlet Star? It’s not like my Thunder Light hasn’t fought with your Scarlet Star before, so who needs to fear whom?”
Guo Zi Yan’s face turned cold as ice, “Are you two not going to give us face?”
The old man surnamed Zhu and roared angrily, “What face do you even have? Enough with the nonsense, if you don’t want to die, hand over your things right away!”
Bie Jia raised his hand and calmly addressed, “Guo Zi Yan, let me guide you to the right path, are you willing to listen to me?”
Guo Zi Yan agreed with a frown, “Sir Bie Jian, if you have anything to say, just get on with it.”
Bie Jian smiled at Yang Kai and continued, pointing at Yang Kai, “He is going to die today, and no one can save him! If any of you don’t want to die, just obediently surrender and join my Thunder Light, perhaps you might live!”
There were just over thirty people around Yang Kai, but Thunder Light had dispatched more than 300 people this time. There was a ten-fold difference in number. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it was akin to a completely one-sided situation. No matter how strong Yang Kai might be, he wouldn’t get out of this safely!
However, Bie Jian wanted to enjoy Yang Kai’s desperation before he killed him. Bie Jian wasn’t worried about the choices of Scarlet Star’s members. If they surrendered, they would naturally be shown mercy, but if they remained bullheaded, they would be killed together with Yang Kai!
When it came to life or death, people would always make a wise choice.
“I will only count to three, those who don’t step forward in three breaths will be killed without mercy!” Bei Jian raised his finger and counted in a long drawn-out manner, looking triumphantly at Yang Kai, “One!”
Just as he shouted, the thirty or so people behind Yang Kai immediately broke into a clamour. All of them were terrified and their faces had turned ugly.
“Two…” Bie Jian shouted again, raising another finger.
The 300 or so Thunder Light members secretly circulated their strength, as if they were preparing to kill the enemy at any moment. The silent pressure made most of Scarlet Star’s members’ faces turn pale.
In just a breath, someone couldn’t bear the threat of death and jumped out from behind Yang Kai and shouted, “I surrender, I surrender, don’t kill me!”
One turned into two, and in an instant, eight people had rushed out to surrender.
Guo Zi Yan’s teeth cracked as he angrily cursed, exasperated by their disappointing performance, “You fools! We have been fighting Thunder Light for so many years that the blood feud between us cannot be resolved! You won’t have good days ahead of you after your surrender. It’s better to follow the Managers and fight our way out. Even if you die here, don’t disgrace my Scarlet Star’s name!”
As soon as he stated this, the people who were still a bit eager to surrender immediately quashed this idea. Guo Zi Yan was right, Scarlet Star and Thunder Light had been fighting for many years, so the enmity between the two had reached an unforgivable level. In the future, even if they managed to preserve their lives by surrendering, their days would be worse than death in the future. It might be better to die now than live on in misery.
But not everyone thought so. After the initial eight people, nearly ten people had rushed to Thunder Light’s side after them.
Yang Kai already had a small number of people under him, but now, nearly twenty people had surrendered to the enemy, leaving only about a dozen people behind him. This formed a sharp contrast against the hundreds of Thunder Light members.
Guo Zi Yan’s eyes turned red in rage as he glared at the defectors. He wanted to charge at them and tear them to pieces, but now he couldn’t even save himself, so how would he have the energy to kill those traitors?
Bie Jian broke into laughter, looking extremely proud, “Those from Scarlet Star are just a bunch of trash! They become like a fist of loose sand after just a little threat from this King. How could they achieve big things with such weak spines!”
The Thunder Light members burst into laughter.
Bie Jian’s face suddenly turned cold as he stated with a snort, “This King despises traitors more than anything. They take no responsibility for their cowardice at all and can betray their comrades at any moment. What’s the use of keeping such people alive? Kill them all!”
Just as he ordered this, the expression of the twenty or so cultivators who had defected to Thunder Light greatly distorted; however, before they could beg for mercy, all kinds of artifacts or Secret Technique rained down on them.
They didn’t even have the chance to scream as they all died then and there!
A bloody smell filled the air as twenty or so mutilated and incomplete corpses lay on the mountains as energy waves slowly spread into the surroundings.
The dozen or so people standing behind Yang Kai shuddered in fear. They were secretly glad that they hadn’t defected; otherwise, their corpses too would be lying on the ground. At the moment, their life and death was still in their hands, albeit their chances were slim in front of an enemy dozens of times stronger than them.
Guo Zi Yan stared and stated, “You went back on your word!”
Bie Jian chuckled, “So what?”
Guo Zi Yan ground his teeth in hatred. Although he hated the defectors and wanted to kill them to vent his anger, he still couldn’t help but feel sad and angry at the sight of them being killed by Thunder Light like this.
He secretly regretted it. [If I had known this would happen, I would have sent a message to the other Managers, asking them to bring more people over. Now, we are surrounded by hundreds of people. I’m afraid we are doomed today!]
As this thought crossed his mind, Guo Zi Yan approached Yang Kai and whispered, “Sir and Madam, when the fight begins, you should immediately leave. This humble subordinate will bring up the rear. I just hope that if you get a chance in the future, you will avenge us!”
Yang Kai glanced at him before patting his shoulder and stated, “I never like leaving revenge to the future.”
Guo Zi Yan was stunned, “Sixth Manager…”
Yang Kai smiled at him, “You are pretty good.”
No matter what, Guo Zi Yan didn’t betray him; also, based on what he had said just now, he was willing to cover Yang Kai’s retreat while risking his own life. Thus, Yang Kai would definitely repay his loyalty! Before, he only thought that Guo Zi Yan was taciturn, but now, Yang Kai realized that his character wasn’t bad. Apparently, Scarlet Star had assigned him a pretty good Great Commander.
Yue He pursed his lips and chuckled, “You haven’t seen our Sixth Manager’s skills, today you will have your eyes opened!”
Guo Zi Yan was completely confused as he stared at these two new Managers in a daze. They were surrounded by hundreds of people and their lives were hanging by a thread, but they were still able to talk and laugh like this, filled with confidence.
Although he had no idea where Yue He was getting this confidence, Guo Zi Yan’s pride was also aroused so he quickly declared, “Sir and Madam, just relay your order and this subordinate will tread through oceans of fire and rivers of blood!”
*Pa pa pa…*
Bie Jian chuckled and started clapping, “What a great display of loyalty! How touching!” His face suddenly sank as his voice turned colder, “But what does it matter? You all will be dying here today!”
“Who will live and who will die remains to be seen. You should not jump to conclusions so soon!” Yang Kai grinned and grabbed the Six Fated Paths Bag from his waist and shook it. The next moment, a behemoth suddenly appeared with a thump.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon’s roar reverberated across the sky, its 300 metres tall body surrounded by a scorching hot aura!
It overlooked the world with its house-sized head.
Each and every Thunder Light member turned pale in fright, sensing the fearsome power of this ferocious creature, especially those who had followed Bie Jian to the fight the Scarlet Flood Dragon back in the Crouching Dragon Mountains in the past. Their faces were particularly pale.
Last time, when they fought with the Scarlet Flood Dragon under the leadership of Bie Jian, they had the numerical advantage, and yet they were still thrown into disarray. If Bie Jian didn’t decisively retreat, perhaps many would have lost their lives that day.
Past experiences always guided one’s future decisions, so how could they not be afraid after seeing the Scarlet Flood Dragon at this moment?
“It’s this damn thing again!” Bie Jian’s face turned black. He never expected the Scarlet Flood Dragon to actually be by Yang Kai’s side. When he didn’t see the Scarlet Flood Dragon or the Earth Dragon here, he naturally thought that the two exotic beasts had already left Yang Kai. Now, he discovered that Yang Kai could summon them at will!
The old man surnamed Zhu, on the other hand, had his eyes lit up. He stared at the Six Fated Paths Bag in Yang Kai’s hand and greedily stated, “That’s a pretty good treasure you have there, boy!”
He could tell that the bag was a storage artifact that could hold living creatures at a glance; otherwise, how could the Scarlet Flood Dragon appear here?
Yang Kai stared deeply at him before a smile appeared on his face and he waved his hand, “Kill them!”
A Dragon Roar reverberated across the sky as the Scarlet Flood Dragon rushed out. It opened its mouth wide, breathing raging flames, attacking the Thunder Light members. The scorching flames that could burn down the world swept through the sky and the earth in a flash.
Thunder Light had too many people, so the Scarlet Flood Dragon didn’t even need to aim, all it needed to do was breathe its scorching flames.
Every time the Scarlet Flood Dragon made a move, the Thunder Light members would be thrown into panic.
Bie Jian shouted fiercely, “Spread out, be careful with this bastard!”
Even if he timely warned them, some people were still too late to avoid the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s attack. It was mainly because the Scarlet Flood Dragon had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, so none of them were prepared for it.
The scorching flames instantly covered seven or eight people, and before they could even scream, they were reduced to ashes.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon didn’t stop of course, and as it was breathing fire, its enormous body turned around before charging through the scattered Thunder Light camp, dividing the hundreds of people into scattered groups.
Its strong and powerful tail swept around with a fearsome momentum, swatting through the Thunder Light members. The tail attack was so strong that anyone who tried to block it ended up dying while those who were brushed by it were left injured.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon attack sent the Thunder Light fleeing.
However, after just three breaths, the Scarlet Flood Dragon was showered with attacks from all directions. The disadvantage of its large size was that it was a huge target that couldn’t be missed.
Attacks that could destroy the Heavens and the Earth landed on the Scarlet Flood Dragon, scattering away its fiery aura. Its sturdy scales fell off as it became bloody and injured in a flash.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon roared in pain; however, the pain did not make it shrink back and instead aroused its ferocious nature even more. It opened its jaws and spat flames again as it charged forward.
Miserable screams resounded again as a dozen or so Thunder Light disciples in the forefront were reduced into balls of fire all at once, rolling on the ground in pain.
In the midst of this chaos, Yang Kai also made his move.
He manipulated Space Principles such that the space within a radius of a thousand metres became as viscous as a swamp, making it difficult for his enemies to move freely or circulate the energy in their bodies.
At the same time, he waved his hand to shoot out pitch-black Moon Blades one after another, sending them flying in all directions.
Everyone standing before these blades was cut in half.
A nauseating bloody smell filled the air as severed limbs and blood flew everywhere. The small hill had turned into a purgatory in a flash!
Guo Zi Yan was dumbstruck, and so were the dozen or so Scarlet Star members left. Only Yue He wasn’t surprised and she watched Yang Kai’s movements intently; however, an unusual gleam could be found in her pretty eyes.
As far as those from Scarlet Star were concerned, everything they were seeing was impossible.
Although they had already heard from different sources that the new Sixth Manager had killed Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong to take their positions, at the end of the day, they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes.
Not to mention, the other Scarlet Star Managers completely suppressed all news about Yang Kai’s feat as this kind of scandal was not to be spread out.
Therefore, except for a few people, no one knew about Yang Kai’s fearsome strength.
At this time, when Guo Zi Yan saw Thunder Light’s cultivators being mowed down like wheat in a field, none of them being able to stop that strange dark crescent moon-shaped attack, he realized just how terrifying this new Sixth Manager of theirs was. Even if someone tried to form a defensive shield around them, it would still be broken through just as easily, and they would still die like everyone else.
The crescent moon-like attack was emanating terrifying Principle fluctuations and appeared quite unfathomable. It was definitely beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
In just ten breaths, more than thirty people had lost their lives at Yang Kai’s hands, all of them dying extremely tragically. His battle record was even crueller than the Scarlet Flood Dragon.
[Our new Sixth Manager is so powerful!]
Guo Zi Yan stared blankly as his heart started racing, making his mouth feel parched. Soon, he summoned a long stick-like artifact and started charging forward.
Yue He, however, pulled him back and asked, staring at him, “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to help!” Guo Zi Yan replied without thinking.
Yue He scoffed, “How can you help? If you really go over, he would have to take care of you. Stop making trouble and stay behind me!” Saying so, she grabbed Guo Zi Yan’s collar and threw him back.
Guo Zi Yan was speechless…
But after thinking about it, he also knew that the Seventh Manager was right. Although he was strong, they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary after all, so he couldn’t exert any World Force from his Small Universe. He really couldn’t provide any help in this situation. If he really rushed over, he would only be adding to the chaos.
He was unwilling, but Guo Zi Yan had no choice but to be patient.
Yue He chuckled, “If he really needs help, I would go help him. It’s still not your turn, so just sit back and watch!”
She didn’t know Yang Kai’s actual limit, but she knew that he was a Master of the Dao of Space. If he really couldn’t win a fight, he could easily run away, so she wasn’t worried about his safety at all.
While the two were talking, nearly thirty more people lost their lives. They were either killed by the Scarlet Flood Dragon or beheaded by Moon Blades. Not a single one was left wounded, all lost their lives on the spot!
It had only been a few dozen breaths, but Thunder Light had lost over sixty people already. Even if Thunder Light had a numerical advantage, they couldn’t withstand such a terrifying rate of loss.
The old man surnamed Zhu’s eyes widened in anger while Bie Jian was also on tenterhooks. Neither of them thought that Yang Kai’s strength would be so astonishing. They thought that they would have an absolute advantage with so many people on their side and Yang Kai would easily be killed. They had never thought that their men would instead be killed instead like leaves falling from the trees in autumn.
[Is he really an Emperor Realm cultivator?] If they hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, they would have never believed it.
But the facts were right in front of them. A Human and a Scarlet Flood Dragon had actually charged into the hundreds of Thunder Light members alone, and forced the latter to flee in panic!
“What are you all so afraid of!? He is just one person, fight back, you fools!” Bie Jian angrily shouted.
The old man surnamed Zhu also roared.
With their concentrated efforts, Thunder Light’s side finally stabilized. They were caught off guard by the Scarlet Flood Dragon, and when Yang Kai’s quick attack drew rivers of blood, the Thunder Light members were greatly frightened. Now, after hearing Bie Jian and the old man surnamed Zhu’s rallying shouts, they finally began to compose themselves.
There was only one person and one beast on the other side. No matter how strong he was, two palms couldn’t block four fists!
After paying the painful price of a hundred casualties, Thunder Light’s side finally managed to organize itself, forming small teams and working together.
Deafening explosions rang one after another on the small hill, causing the World Energy to be thrown into chaos. Violent shockwaves of different kinds of energies wreaked havoc, shattering space and collapsing the surrounding world.
Countless attacks landed on the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s enormous body, causing it to roar in pain again and again. Its enormous body flipped around as its red scales were blasted off. Its entire body was covered in wounds and bleeding!
Not only was the Scarlet Flood Dragon under siege though, but even Yang Kai couldn’t escape from the enemy barrage.
With attacks pouring down on him from every angle, Yang Kai had no room to escape, not that he was trying to!
His body shook and his Dao Seal released a thick and solid Power of Earth, forming a diamond-shaped transparent shield around him, leaving no openings.
The diamond-shaped shield was radiating a Great Dragon’s majesty and was constantly rotating around Yang Kai. It was completely impenetrable!
Dragon Shield!
When he was absorbing the Earth Dragon Bead’s Earth Element in the Crouching Dragon Mountains, Yang Kai had comprehended this Secret Technique from it!
This technique should be an Innate Dragon Technique of the Earth Dragon stored inside its Dragon Bead.
For other people, even if they had obtained that Dragon Bead, they might not be able to comprehend the Dragon Shield Secret Technique. At most, they could only gather its Earth Element Power. But Yang Kai had Dragon Blood flowing through his veins, so it was a matter of course for him to comprehend the Dragon Shield Secret Technique.
This was the first time Yang Kai had faced enemies using this technique.
He had no idea about its effectiveness, so he secretly gathered his Space Principles and prepared to use Nihility at any moment!
Immediately after the Dragon Shield Secret Technique was cast, deafening rumbles followed as attacks rained down on Yang Kai. All of a sudden, dazzling gleams filled Yang Kai’s vicinity and he was nowhere to be seen.
Bie Jian couldn’t stop laughing at the sight as he scoffed, “Let’s see how you will survive this!”
He was overjoyed. Yang Kai’s previous performance had been completely shocking. He had never seen such a ferocious Emperor Realm Junior before, and if such a character was allowed to grow, no one in the world would be able to rival him. At that time, the first person he would kill would probably be Bie Jian.
But even a genius with outstanding talent needed time to grow. If he fell before developing, he wouldn’t be considered anything.
Hundreds of attacks landed on Yang Kai at once, so Bie Jian didn’t believe the former could survive this. Even an Open Heaven Realm Master might raise the white flag in surrender, not to mention Yang Kai who was just an Emperor Realm cultivator.
“Sixth Manager!” Gao Zi Yan cried in shock.
Yue He’s face was completely calm. Although she stood in her spot looking all calm and composed, her tightly clenched fist clearly betrayed her.
She couldn’t help but be nervous. There were too many Thunder Light cultivators, so the number of attacks that struck Yang Kai was equally great. Each and every Secret Technique and artifact attack was displayed with full strength. No one could take such a barrage head-on.
Yang Kai was completely submerged in attacks.
When the shockwaves and dazzling flashes finally dispersed though, a brave and heroic figure stood before everyone’s eyes. The figure was completely unscathed; there was not even a crease on his clothes.
Bie Jian’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets while the old man surnamed Zhu couldn’t help but cry out loud, “Impossible!”
Yue He let out a long breath, and patted her towering peaks in relief. At that moment, she was so nervous that her heart had almost jumped into her throat.
The Thunder Light members were also dumbstruck. They all thought that Yang Kai would definitely die without even leaving behind a corpse after that wave of attacks. It never occurred to them that not only would he not die, but he not even be wounded.
[How did he do that?]
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a fierce grin.
The Dragon Shield technique really lived up to his expectations. It was tough and durable. Although it failed to block all the attacks directed at him, its effectiveness exceeded his estimations by a large margin. In the end, it was an Innate Secret Technique of a True Earth Dragon. It was condensed from the Power of Earth refined by a Great Dragon Bead, making it truly extraordinary.
It resisted more than half of the attacks of over a hundred people before shattering. The moment the Dragon Shield shattered, Yang Kai immediately used Nihility to merge with the Void, avoiding the remaining attacks.
If not, how could he remain unscathed?
The chaotic energy and the dazzling flashes obscured his movements, making everyone mistakenly think it was all thanks to the Dragon Shield he used. Even Yue He thought so.
The Thunder Light members despaired. If the Dragon Shield Secret Technique was so strong, who could possibly hurt Yang Kai?
Bie Jian’s brow wildly twitched as he ground his teeth so hard that they were almost crushed. When he raised his eyes though, his gaze happened to meet Yang Kai’s playful eyes.
Instinctively, his heart clenched as a dangerous premonition gripped his Soul. Bei Jian hurriedly fled away without a moment of hesitation.
“Where do you think you are going?” Yang Kai shouted as he raised his hand, summoning the Azure Dragon Spear. He then thrust the spear in Bie Jian’s direction as he bravely charged towards him!
A deafening dragon roar reverberated across the sky as the long spear swept away everything in its path. Anyone who blocked its way was killed on the spot. Over a dozen Thunder Light disciples were unable to avoid Yang Kai’s charge in time and were blown away into blood mist.
In an instant, the distance between the two shortened as the Azure Dragon Spear’s tip rapidly grew bigger in Bie Jian’s eyes while the aura of death enveloped him.
Bie Jian’s Soul almost left his body as he felt a chill shoot up his spine. He promptly shouted, “Brother Zhu, save me!”
At the same time, he swung the long sword in his hand, releasing a sword wave that blotted up the sky and shot straight towards Yang Kai.
At the juncture of life and death, Bie Jian managed to squeeze out all the strength he could. When he swung the sword in his hand, he summoned a small banner-like artifact in another hand. That artifact immediately enlarged and formed a dazzling halo around him.
The banner-like artifact was a one-time consumable and was definitely not cheap.
When the old man surnamed Zhu heard Bie Jian’s cry and turned to look, he saw Yang Kai thrusting out his spear, causing Bie Jian to back up again and again. Enraged, he roared, “Junior, you dare?!”
Just as he shouted, he punched towards Yang Kai’s back.
The punch was followed by howling winds and surging storms. The next moment, an enormous fist shadow struck Yang Kai.
Yang Kai staggered, but his spear didn’t falter for even a moment. Under the fearsome momentum, Bie Jian’s sword wave was shattered as the Azure Dragon Spear continued forward without losing speed, stabbing straight into the white halo protecting Bie Jian.
The all-conquering Azure Dragon Spear was surprisingly unable to directly pierce through the white halo, which appeared extremely weak but was evidently extremely resilient. It caved in under the Azure Dragon Spear’s attack, but surprisingly it blocked the fatal thrust.
Bie Jian’s eyes were filled with fear as he broke out into a cold sweat, but at this critical moment, the ferocity hidden in the depths of his heart was stimulated. He advanced instead of retreating, stabbing towards Yang Kai’s eye with his sword. The sword tip was surrounded by a piercing sword aura and obviously carried a lethal power.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and shouted, “Break!”
The Dao Seal in his body shone brightly as a raging Fire Element Power poured into the Azure Dragon Spear, heating it to the point it turned red hot like smouldering lava.
With a deafening crash, the white halo enveloping Bie Jian suddenly tore apart as the Azure Dragon Spear plunged straight into Bie Jian’s shoulder. At the same time, Bie Jian’s sword thrust brushed past Yang Kai’s brow.
Fresh blood splashed on both sides as Yang Kai’s vision instantly blurred.
The next moment, Bie Jian staggered with a look of unwillingness on his face. His aim wouldn’t have been off had Yang Kai’s explosive spear thrust not knocked him off balance. His sword would not have just slashed past Yang Kai’s brow, but instead directly stabbed into his eye.
However, he had missed his one opportunity, and it would never come again.
In the fleeting clash, both sides ended up injuring each other. The scene was extremely tragic.
The old man surnamed Zhu didn’t give Yang Kai any room to breathe and led a team of disciples to attack him from behind. The old man had his axe raised over his head at some point and swiftly chopped down at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai promptly turned around and thrust out his spear, striking the axe blade. A tremendous recoil immediately passed through the axe, causing the old man surnamed Zhu’s eyes to widen. The axe flew out of his grip as the recoil pushed him back.
[Strong!]
The old man surnamed Zhu happened to have the foundation of a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he was still pushed back by Yang Kai’s attack. The Thunder Light disciples who followed him weren’t so lucky though.
Yang Kai unleashed a barrage of thrusts, killing an Emperor Realm cultivator with each spear, sweeping through the Thunder Light members and killing over a dozen people on the spot.
*Hong long long…*
Another round of attacks flew towards Yang Kai from every direction, but this time, Yang Kai’s figure distorted as he disappeared from the spot before the attacks could even reach him.
All the attacks hit nothing but air!
Using Instantaneous Movement, Yang Kai appeared right in front of Bie Jian and thrust his spear out.
Bie Jian’s face turned ashen. He was able to block Yang Kai’s spear before because of his powerful artifact, but how could he have another such artifact on him? Still, he quickly condensed all his strength to resist this blow.
To Bie Jian’s surprise, however, the circulation of his strength was quite sluggish. He immediately noticed the abnormality in his body. He had no idea when, but a raging heat had at some point invaded him and was now flowing along the meridians of his body, wantonly burning everything in its path.
In the time it took for a spark to fly off a flint, Bei Jian guessed what had happened. [There must be some strange energy condensed on his spear that injured me.]
But what was the point of knowing that now? The scorching heat was potent enough to make his blood boil and had spread through his entire body, making it impossible for him to mobilize his full strength.
Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear split the air and pierced into Bie Jian’s forehead before coming straight out of the back of his head.
Bie Jian’s eyes instantly widened before his figure froze on the spot. Even now, he still couldn’t believe that he, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would die at the hands of an Emperor Realm Junior. His heart was filled with unwillingness, but he was unable to turn the tables now. The only thing left to do was regret.
“If you reincarnate, remember to keep your eyes open and clearly see who you can and cannot offend!” Yang Kai stared at him indifferently. The Azure Dragon Spear in his hand shook as Bie Jian’s head exploded the next moment, while his headless corpse fell to the ground.
[Sir Bie Jian was killed!]
[He was killed by an Emperor Realm cultivator!]
All the Thunder Light members who saw this scene were horrified. They were all stupefied and didn’t dare to take any rash action. All of them witnessed Yang Kai madly slaughtering their comrades, so how could they have the guts to take any action?
In a flash, within a thousand metres of Yang Kai, everything went silent.
A thousand metres away, the 300-metre-long Scarlet Flood Dragon was rampaging, angrily roaring as it ceaselessly fought with another group of Thunder Light disciples.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon was an Ominous Beast native to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and was fairly strong. It had killed a lot of people during the battle, but at the end of the day, it was still just one beast. Its strength was already declining as its entire body was covered in bloody wounds. Who knew how many of its scarlet scales had fallen off?
The most terrifying wound was left by an attack that almost cut it in half!
It was surrounded by over a hundred people at all times, attacked by Earth-shattering techniques again and again, draining its strength ceaselessly.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon was in danger and roared with anger!
Yang Kai looked over and coldly snorted. He instantly teleported above Scarlet Flood Dragon’s head, which was as big as a house, and set the Azure Dragon Spear beside him, standing it erect while his hands formed a set of seals!
As his hand seals changed, a mysterious force swirled around Yang Kai.
Suddenly and slowly, a low voice resonated in everyone’s ears, “Time Flows on Infinitely, Like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Yang Kai pushed his palms out, and in a flash, time froze. Everyone’s thoughts stagnated for a short moment, and even Yue He and the others from Scarlet Star, who were watching from a distance, felt their thoughts slow slightly.
By the time they recovered, the palm had already landed.
Yang Kai had launched his attack towards the densest crowd of enemies, catching about twenty people in the Time Flies Seal’s range. Under the erosion of time, those twenty had their hair turn grey and fall out in an instant. Their bodies withered as their vitality drained.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon swept them a Divine Dragon Tail Sweep, smashing these twenty or so people into a bloody mist!
Invincible and unstoppable!
Thunder Light had come in a very threatening manner, but not only did they lose over a hundred members, they even lost a Manager like Bie Jian. They had suffered a huge loss today.
The old man surnamed Zhu ground his teeth. He then turned his head and looked at Yue He and the others, who had been watching the battle from a distance, before raising his arm and ordering, “Follow me!”
[I can’t beat that filthy beast or that boy Yang Kai, but I can take the lives of those Scarlet Star members! As long as I can take these people down, no one will be able to claim that Thunder Light lost one-sidedly. If I can capture them, I can even negotiate with that Yang Kai to at least let my remaining subordinates and I retreat.]
With just one order, several dozen people gathered in an instant, rushing towards Yue He and the others under the old man surnamed Zhu’s lead.
Scarlet Star’s dozen or so members were still immersed in the shock of what they just witnessed today, and were unable to return to their senses for a long time. They all thought that they would die today, but none of them expected their Sixth Manager to be so strong!
The Scarlet Star members were pleasantly surprised and excited after everything they witnessed. Everyone had a bright and happy look on their faces. They were even more glad that they didn’t defect, otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten the chance to witness such a magnificent battle.
As soon as they turned their heads and saw the old man surnamed Zhu rushing over with several dozen more people, they immediately became tense.
Just because the Sixth Manager could kill hundreds of people easily on his own didn’t mean that Thunder Light was easy to deal with. Rather, it was just because he was ridiculously strong.
They had fought with Thunder Light countless times, and both sides had killed their fair share of the other’s members. Naturally, Scarlet Star knew how difficult and powerful Thunder Light was.
Several dozen Masters were coming at them, and more importantly, they were led by the old man surnamed Zhu. How could so few members of Scarlet Star be their opponents?
Each and everyone turned their gazes at Yue He and Guo Zi Yan, waiting for their orders.
Guo Zi Yan clenched his long stick-like artifact as his blood started boiling. Judging by the look on his face, he was very eager to fight. Having seen the strength of the Sixth Manager with his own eyes, he couldn’t wait to follow behind him to kill, throwing away any notion of his own safety.
On the other hand, Yue He’s face turned extremely solemn as she took a step forward and ordered, “Don’t make any rash moves!”
While speaking, she summoned her little flower umbrella artifact and slowly started spinning its handle. The little flower umbrella slowly rotated, and as it did, it rapidly enlarged, instantly covering the dozen or so people behind it. At the same time, silk thread-like projections dropped down from the edge of the umbrella, turning into an invisible barrier.
The old man surnamed Zhu, who was leading the charge, grit his teeth and let out a war cry at the sight of this. The next moment, he swung the axe in his hand. Immediately after, the several dozen people following behind him also triggered their artifacts and cast their Secret Techniques.
Instantly, numerous ripples appeared on the protection barrier around the Scarlet Star members, as if pieces of stone were thrown into a calm lake, creating a series of waves.
Yue He formed hand seals as she poured her strength into the little flower umbrella madly, but even if she had the foundation of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven and the defence of the little flower umbrella was strong, it couldn’t last for long.
In just ten breaths, the little flower umbrella had already started flickering and its glow had dampened. The barrier around everyone was on the verge of breaking.
Perhaps the shield around everyone would be completely broken at any moment, and when that happened, except for Yue He and Guo Zi Yan, who were Open Heaven Realm Masters and might be able to escape, the remaining members of Scarlet Star would die without a complete corpse.
After somehow maintaining the shield for another three breaths, Yue He couldn’t hold in anymore and shouted at Yang Kai, “Young Master, if you don’t help me now, I’ll die!”
“Fine!” Yang Kai took a step from the head of the Scarlet Flood Dragon, and by the time his foot fell, he was already above the old man surnamed Zhu. The next moment, Space Principles flared as he thrust the Azure Dragon Spread down.
A spinning black ball the size of a fist appeared at the tip of the spear. It was radiating an aura that could annihilate everything in its path.
Feeling its destructive power, the old man surnamed Zhu’s face greatly changed. He raised his hands high and hefted his axe over his head to block the oncoming spear.
With a loud bang, the black ball at the tip of the Azure Dragon Spear ballooned all of a sudden, sweeping across a range of several hundred metres before rapidly shrinking back and disappearing the next moment. Everything within a range of several dozen metres, including space itself, had disappeared, leaving only a tiny black hole radiating the aura of nihility and chaos.
The edges of the black hole undulated as the Void was slowly repairing itself under the influence of the local World Principles.
But a dozen or so Thunder Light disciples within the radius of destruction had disappeared without a trace, not even able to let out a scream before they perished.
Thousands of metres away, the old man surnamed Zhu’s brow twitched wildly, staring at the black hole in awe and terror.
Just now, he saw an opportunity to escape and did so without hesitation. Otherwise, he too would have been seriously injured, if not dead. He glanced at the axe in his hand and realized that its spirituality had been severely damaged.
After the first attack, Yang Kai attacked twice more, killing over a dozen more Thunder Light disciples. The rest immediately fled, thereby resolving the crisis Yue He and the others were facing.
Yang Kai looked back and saw that the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s situation had also stabilized. Yang Kai’s short help relieved a lot of the pressure it was facing. At the moment, it was filled with fury as it kept biting and flicking its tail, chasing and killing the Thunder Light disciples around it, completely ignoring its own tragic injuries.
At the end of the day, it was an Ominous Beast, one that went completely feral after losing its sanity.
Yang Kai, holding his spear, looked at the old man surnamed Zhu and pointed its blade at him as he grinned, “Old dog, time for you to die!”
The old man surnamed Zhu was completely regretful. Their group had started off with two Open Heaven Realm Masters and hundreds of Emperor Realm disciples, but they were still slaughtered by Yang Kai and the Scarlet Flood Dragon. Now, half of their group was either dead or mortally wounded. How could the rest still have the courage to continue fighting?
In his heart, he was secretly cursing Bie Jian. [How the Hell did he offend this little monster? He is too terrifying! With him in Scarlet Star, what can Thunder Light do to compete with them?]
He might be thinking all kinds of things, but he didn’t stop for a moment. His figure burst into a mist of blood as he fled into the distance, leaving a streak of bloody light behind.
Having realized that things had taken a turn for the worse, the old man fled straight away. He didn’t even bother about the hundred or so Thunder Light disciples who were still alive.
When the old man surnamed Zhu had already run away, how could the disciples under him have the courage to continue fighting? They abandoned their opponents and scattered away like birds and beasts.
Staring at the streak of bloody light shooting towards the horizon, Yang Kai mocked with a grin, “You want to run? Do you really think you can escape from this King!?”
Yang Kai gripped his spear and began to condense his Space Principles to give chase; however, right then, an unexpected change occurred.
A mournful cry came from the depths below, and the next moment, the ground quaked before a beam of light suddenly shot into the sky from somewhere near the top of the mountain. Everyone within a thousand kilometres could see it clearly.
Immediately after the beam of light emerged, an enormous body some 300 metres in length also appeared. It was none other than the Earth Dragon released by Yang Kai before.
The Earth Dragon had been looking for the Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones under the mountain. Yang Kai hadn’t summoned it even during the fight, it simply came out on its own.
However, who knows what the Earth Dragon had encountered underground, but it was covered in wounds. It kept shaking its head and flicking its tail as the mysterious light kept shooting into the sky, raining blood and screaming constantly!
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank and he couldn’t help but turn his head to look. He didn’t have the time to hunt down the old man surnamed Zhu now.
Suddenly, swishing sounds rang out as the artifacts lying on the ground flew through the air, as if an invisible hand had grabbed them and threw them towards the mysterious beam of light.
These artifacts were all owned by Thunder Light disciples who had lost their lives at the hand of Yang Kai and the Scarlet Flood Dragon. After their death, these artifacts were scattered on the ground, and no one had shown any interest towards them.
Not only these unowned artifacts though, but even the artifacts in the hands of those who were still alive were all drawn over by an invisible force. It appeared as if they wanted to throw themselves into the beam of light.
Yang Kai saw quite clearly that there were quite a few Thunder Light disciples who were fleeing when the artifacts in their hands were suddenly sucked away. What’s more, no matter how hard they tried to summon back their artifacts, it was all in vain.
On Scarlet Star’s side, the long stick in Guo Zi Yan’s hand was also shaking. It scared Guo Zi Yan greatly who immediately put it away, a look of surprise filling his face.
All the artifacts that were sucked into the light dimmed down in a matter of few breaths, greatly losing their spirituality and turning into nothing but scrap.
“Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!” Yue He tenderly cried as her pretty eyes looked at the mysterious beam shooting into the sky. In a momentary lapse of her concentration, the damaged little flower umbrella returned to its original state and flew straight towards the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
Yue He was greatly shocked and cried miserably, “My umbrella!”
She reached out to grab it, but all she caught was air. She then used her Divine Sense to recall it, but the little flower umbrella was also not listening to her commands. After this momentary delay, it was already too late to give chase.
Seeing that her little flower umbrella was about to be taken away by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light just like all the other artifacts, Yue He’s eyes turned red. The little flower umbrella was very meaningful for her. It was gifted to her by a very important person in her life and she had always regarded it as her most precious treasure. She was already distressed over the fact that it got damaged today, but now that she was about to lose it completely, her beautiful face couldn’t help turning pale.
A figure suddenly flashed in her field of vision as a hand grabbed the little flower umbrella, preventing it from being sucked in by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
Yue He was pleasantly surprised and her pretty eyes focused on the figure. She felt heartfelt gratitude towards him that could not be described in mere words.
Mid-air, Yang Kai, grabbing the little flower umbrella, furrowed his brow slightly. Although he had stopped this artifact at the critical moment with his Instantaneous Movement, he could obviously feel an unbelievably strong pull coming from the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, trying to yank the little flower umbrella away from his hand.
[This Yuan Magnetic Divine Light is quite strange!]
The figure flickered again as Yang Kai arrived before Yue He and handed her the little flower umbrella.
Yue He took it with a smile and bowed to him, “Thank you, Young Master!”
She didn’t risk giving the little flower umbrella a thorough check but quickly put it away instead.
Even Yue He’s little flower umbrella was almost sucked away, but Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear didn’t move, which was quite puzzling.
“How can a pile of scrap metal be compared with this King’s artifact!” Yang Kai snorted. Having said that, it was only after being reminded by Guo Zi Yan that he realized that his Azure Dragon Spear was indeed not affected by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
So to say, although the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was impressive, it wasn’t omnipotent. At the very least, an artifact of the Azure Dragon Spear’s level could ignore its pull.
When Guo Zi Yan and the other Scarlet Star members heard this, they were beyond belief. They realized that their Sixth Manager really didn’t have any humility; however, thinking about the phenomenal strength he had just shown them, he really had all the qualifications to boast.
The Thunder Light disciples had already escaped, leaving over a hundred mutilated corpses on the mountain. A thick and nauseating smell of blood was lingering in the air as the ground was littered with pieces of flesh and severed limbs, depicting the fierceness and cruelty of the previous battle.
Yang Kai commanded, “Clean up the battlefield!”
Guo Zi Yan cupped his fists and responded, “Yes, Sir!” He took the command very sincerely.
Before, when he was assigned under Yang Kai, Guo Zi Yan was just obeying orders from his superiors without much thought. In fact, he didn’t think that Yang Kai deserved to be the Sixth Manager; after all, Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior while he was a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. How could he be subservient to Yang Kai?
However, it was an order from the top, so he had to obey it. Setting aside what expression was on his face, he hadn’t submitted to Yang Kai in his heart.
Now though, having witnessed Yang Kai’s strength with his own eyes and watching him butcher Bie Jian like a dog while forcing the old man surnamed Zhu to flee, Guo Zi Yan felt ashamed of his inferior strength. At the same time, he felt lucky to be able to follow someone as strong as the Sixth Manager.
It wasn’t just him, all the surviving Scarlet Star disciples were looking at Yang Kai with reverence.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found after it gave chase to the fleeing Thunder Light disciples. Yang Kai couldn’t recall it, but he wasn’t worried about its safety. Even though it was seriously injured, it was an exotic beast in the end. It had pretty strong inherent restorative abilities, and once it had vented all its anger, it would return on its own.
The dozen or so Scarlet Star members began cleaning up the battlefield, gathering the Thunder Light disciples’ Space Rings.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was staring at the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, which shot straight into the sky. All the artifacts had been taken away by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and had been reduced to dust. Just based on this, the fearsome might of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was quite apparent.
When he probed it with his Divine Sense, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light gave off the same fluctuations as the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones he had found, but far denser and more concentrated.
The Earth Dragon moved its enormous body as it flew towards Yang Kai and landed before him. Its huge mouthparts were squirming, and its entire body was covered in horrendous wounds, as if it had been cut by thousands of knives. There was almost no place intact on its body and it was almost severed in two in several places, revealing its wiggling internal organs.
If the Scarlet Flood Dragon had suffered such injuries, it probably wouldn’t have been able to hold on. The Earth Dragon’s injuries were far more serious than what the Scarlet Flood Dragon had suffered at the hands of Thunder Light disciples, but fortunately, it was an Earth Dragon so its vitality was extremely tenacious.
Even an ordinary Earth Dragon might survive after being cut into two, let alone an Ominous Beast that had evolved in this unique environment.
Therefore, although its injuries were far more serious than that of the Scarlet Flood Dragon, its life wasn’t in danger. Nonetheless, the Divine Sense fluctuations it was transmitting were filled with grievance, like a child who was beaten by others when it was away from home and had come back to complain.
Yang Kai found it both irksome and funny at the same time. He knew that the Earth Dragon had been digging a hole in the mountain, but he had no idea how deep it went before it forced this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light to appear. Obviously, it was hurt by the Divine Light, otherwise, it would not have suffered such hideous wounds.
Yang Kai threw a few healing pills into its wiggling mouth, as well as two Dragon Blood Pills before the Earth Dragon finally quieted down.
“Young Master, since such a strong Yuan Magnetic Divine Light is shooting up from this mountain, there must be a high-quality Yuan Magnetism Divine Stone down below!” The nearby Yue He stated.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and rebuffed with a look of disgust on his face, “Can you act normally?”
Every time she called him Young Master, he felt like she was acting crazy. A powerful Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master being so subservient was unnerving.
Yue He stared at him with her pretty eyes and replied, “Young Master for a day is a Young Master for life.”
Yang Kai was rendered speechless by her reply. He was too lazy to care about her any further and pondered for a moment before asking, “What do you think the Order of this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light is?”
Yue He replied without giving it another thought, “Sixth-Order!”
Yang Kai gently nodded. It was in line with his judgment too. If the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was of higher Order, he would have been prompted by his Dao Seal to absorb it in order to refine his Metal Element.
After having condensed his Earth Element, it was time to condense his Metal Element.
Unfortunately, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was still a little lacking, which made Yang Kai sigh. But in any case, Seventh-Order and above treasures were extremely rare. He was already lucky to have found the Immortal Tree, the Golden Crow’s True Fire, and the Great Earth Dragon Bead. It wasn’t that easy to find treasures of the Seventh Order and above. Everything depended on one’s luck and opportunity.
“Young Master, are you not going to absorb it?” Yue He asked, looking at him.
“You already know my thoughts, so why ask?” Yang Kai lightly snorted.
Yue He sighed in her heart. She wished Yang Kai would gather the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, so even if Yang Kai’s foundation were completely laid, he could only advance to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After that, she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.
Yang Kai’s eyes gleamed, looking at the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light shooting into the sky.
Although he did not want to use it to condense his Metal Element, if he could collect it, he could use it to cultivate a powerful Divine Ability.
Yang Kai had witnessed the fearsome might of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light with his own eyes. Even an exotic beast like the Earth Dragon couldn’t stand the damage caused by it. Furthermore, it pulled away many artifacts the moment it appeared. If he could use the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light to cultivate a Divine Ability, its power would surely be extraordinary.
Unfortunately, even the cleverest woman couldn’t cook a meal without rice. He couldn’t use the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light to cultivate a Divine Ability without the corresponding Secret Art.
“Can you use it?” Yang Kai asked.
Yue He shook her head in denial. “I can’t.”
She obviously knew what Yang Kai was asking about, so afterwards, she added, “But you can find a way to collect it first and then plan how to use it later.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “I guess I can only do this for now.”
Saying so, his figure flickered as he flew straight towards the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, arriving at the top of the mountain in a flash.
The pit drilled by the Earth Dragon wasn’t small, but the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light shooting out of the pit showed no signs of abating. It was proof in itself of how abundant the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was.
Yang Kai shook the Fated Paths Bag and immediately caused it to enlarge. Afterwards, he flipped it over and placed it over the pit, covering it entirely.
The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light that was shooting into the sky disappeared in the blink of an eye, pouring into the Six Fated Paths Bag.
Yang Kai observed it for a while before he set his mind at ease, standing there and waiting.
He had no idea if the Six Fated Paths Bag could withstand the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, so what he did just now was just a trial, and it seemed to be working.
The Six Fated Paths Bag could grow bigger or smaller depending on his will, and its interior space was extremely mysterious. It could easily house both the Earth Dragon and the Scarlet Floor Dragon, so it could collect the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light too.
Guo Zi Yan flew over and handed Yang Kai a bunch of Space Rings as he reported, “Sixth Manger, this is everything.”
Yang Kai gave a nod before putting all the Space Rings away. He didn’t have the time to check them now, so he decided to take inventory of their contents after he had returned to the Star City.
Guo Zi Yan glanced at the Fated Paths Bag covering the pit before speaking in a low voice, “Sixth Manager, do you want to send a message back?”
“Why should I send a message back?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Guo Zi Yan replied, “There are a lot of people here, investigating the sudden change that occurred. Although you are strong, there are too many people gathered on this Yuan Magnetic Mountain. I’m afraid…”
“You’re afraid that two fists can’t block four hands?”
Guo Zi Yan added, “That is one of the reasons. The other is that the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light appeared, so there must be a lot of high-Order Yuan Magnetism Divine Stones down below. We have only a few members, so I’m afraid…”
Yang Kai replied, “We are tens of thousands of kilometres away from the Star City. It will be too late by the time they reply.”
Guo Zi Yan thought about it and agreed. If he sent a message back, by the time Scarlet Star provided reinforcements, the issue at hand would have already been settled.
He cupped his fists and continued, “Sixth Manager, if you really need something, you don’t need to worry about anything. Our men will take care of it.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
While the two were chatting with each other, many people could be seen approaching from afar. Apparently, everyone had been alarmed by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and had come to check out what happened.
The first to arrive was a group of over a dozen people. The leader of this group was a burly bald man. There was a fierce look on his face and he was radiating an evil aura.
He landed on the ground and swept his gaze around, his eyes flickering when he saw Yue He’s beautiful figure. The next moment, a flash of greed flickered in his eyes as he wiped the drool at the corner of his mouth and asked, “Brat, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light just appeared here, did you see it?”
Yang Kai calmly replied, “I didn’t see it.”
The burly man shouted angrily, “Nonsense! The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was so obvious, how could you possibly not see it? Are you blind?”
Guo Zi Yan, leading the dozen or so Scarlet Star members, stood behind Yang Kai, looking at the burly bald man in pity.
[If this guy knew that the Sixth Manager had just killed hundreds of Thunder Light disciples, he wouldn’t dare act so aggressively.]
A cultivator suddenly approached the stalwart bald man and whispered something in his ear, glancing at the Six Fated Paths Bag.
The bald man turned his gaze towards the Six Fated Paths Bag before ordering, pointing at the bag, “Kid, is that thing yours? Take it off, I want to check it.”
“Just because you say so, I need to obey? Who do you think you are?” Yang Kai sneered.
The bald man’s expression turned grim upon hearing this, “Brat, do what I tell you to do while I’m asking nicely, otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?” Yang Kai glanced at him indifferently. The next moment, he raised his hand as the Earth Dragon, who was healing from its wounds on another mountain, rushed over. It was extremely fast and was already standing before them in the blink of an eye. Its condition was a lot better than before, but it still looked pretty miserable.
Be that as it may, the fearsome aura it was radiating, the mucus dripping from its wiggling mouth, and its 300-metre-long body was a huge deterrent.
The burly bald man was instantly flabbergasted. Gulping nervously, he stared at the Earth Dragon in a daze. He couldn’t help but back away in fear while the dozen or so people following behind also looked terrified.
“Scram or die!” Yang Kai coldly glared at them.
A look of humiliation instantly appeared on the bald man’s face; nonetheless, he was intimidated by the might of the Earth Dragon and dared not attack.
Fortunately for him, groups of cultivators flew over and landed in the vicinity one after another.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds had gathered atop the small mountain, and as time passed, more and more arrived.
Everyone who came later furrowed their brow. Although everyone knew that the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light would definitely attract all the people in the vicinity, the number was still far beyond what they had imagined. From time to time, Divine Sense fluctuations could be felt as people were secretly discussing with one another.
Suddenly, the burly bald shouted, “The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light is inside that bag. What are you guys waiting for!?”
He quickly stepped back as he shouted, trying to hide in the crowd.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai didn’t give him a chance and stared at him as a grim smile appeared on his lips, “Kill him!”
The Earth Dragon behind Yang Kai shot out like an arrow fired from a bow. Its enormous mouth had completely covered the position where the burly bald man stood.
The burly bald man screamed out loud before everything went dark.
When the Earth Dragon lifted its head from the ground, the burly bald man was nowhere to be found. Not only him, but a dozen or so people around him had disappeared in an instant. Only miserable screams could be heard coming from the Earth Dragon’s belly.
Everyone around was horrified at the sight of this. Some people silently backed away, moving as far away as possible from the Earth Dragon. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t display their full strength, so it was really difficult to deal with this kind of Ominous Beast. No one wanted to fight against it.
An elderly man looked at Yang Kai as a slight furrow appeared on his brow, “Friend, that man just spoke a single sentence, and you killed him for that. Isn’t that too much?”
The old man had a calm and composed aura, but the look on his face was serious; obviously, he was an Open Heaven Realm Master and there were many people behind him, as many as thirty.
Someone recognized the old man and whispered, “It’s Orchid Union’s Manager Hu Yi.”
Hundreds of thousands of people were swallowed into the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog and fell into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so in addition to the three great forces of the Star City, Thunder Light, Scarlet Star, and Sword Pavilion, other cultivators knew that it was best to stick together. This gave birth to many big and small organizations, just like how Ding Yi timely raised his flag and established Emperor Heaven. Orchid Union was also a similar influence established in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Such great forces were like fish in the river, countless in number.
Most of the great forces didn’t have Open Heaven Realm Masters; after all, the Open Heaven cultivators weren’t pebbles by the roadside that could be seen at will. Only a few great forces had Open Heaven Realm Masters leading them.
Although Orchid Union didn’t have many people, Hu Yi was a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He was strong and could subdue the public.
“Senior Hu is right, this boy regards human life like nothing. He doesn’t seem like anything good,” another young man agreed, looking at Yang Kai with a sinister gaze.
“Profound Clouds Society’s Boss, Liao Yi Bai!” Someone identified the young man.
Liao Yi Bai raised his head with a proud look on his face.
“Young man, I advise you to remove the bag; otherwise, it will be difficult to dissuade the crowd,” another great force’s Manager stated.
With these three people speaking up, the rest of the group immediately became emboldened. Everyone had seen the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light appear, so they had rushed over to investigate, but when they arrived, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was nowhere to be seen. Originally, they had been somewhat puzzled, but the bald man’s shout before his death had enlightened them.
Although they didn’t know what was so special about this bag, it was the most suspicious thing on this mountain. It was definitely this thing that had blocked out the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, so how could they be willing to accept it? For a moment, the crowd was filled with rage. Even though the Earth Dragon had killed more than a dozen people at the outset, they were still cursing at Yang Kai.
Liao Yi Bai stared greedily at the Six Fated Paths Bag. A bag that could block the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was definitely extraordinary, and in this situation, this bag could actually collect the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. This trip to the Yuan Magnetic Mountain would not have been in vain if he could obtain this bag.
Thinking so, Liao Yi Bai angrily shouted, “Brat, are you taking this bag away or not?”
The loud noise lingered in Yang Kai’s ears, but he remained calm, the threats around him like a cool breeze. Hearing the loudest shouts, Yang Kai turned to look at Liao Yi Bai, “So what if I take it away? So what if I don’t?”
Liao Yi Bai coldly snorted, “If you take it away, everything will be fine, but if you don’t, you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
Yang Kai grinned at him, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, “I’ll wait and see!”
Displeased, Liao Yi Bai turned to Hu Yi and asked, “Senior Hu, what do you say?”
Hu Yi stated in a low voice, “Since this boy is so stubborn, let’s see what kind of end he will face after causing public outrage.”
Liao Yi Bai burst into laughter, “That’s exactly what I want. A mere Emperor Realm cultivator dares to speak so arrogantly here, he really doesn’t know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is! Does he really think he can do whatever he wants just because he has this beast? We might as well join forces to capture this beast first before carefully teaching him how to show proper respect!”
“Good!” Hu Yi nodded his agreement.
Liao Yi Bai summoned his spear with the shake of his hand and pointed it towards the Earth Dragon, shouting, “Kill!”
Saying so, he was the first to rush forward and thrust his spear out at the Earth Dragon. Although this spear was not as powerful as Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear, it was still quite extraordinary. Following right behind him were the people from Profound Clouds Society.
As soon as he made his move, a hundred or so other people present immediately launched their attacks at the Earth Dragon, especially the Open Heaven Stage Masters.
However, not everyone was attacking. Most of the cultivators present still maintained a wait-and-see attitude; after all, they had no grievances with Yang Kai before, so at this time, they were unwilling to offend him easily.
The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light had already injured the Earth Dragon, leaving it quite miserable, so now that these countless attacks had struck it causing its blood to splash everywhere, in pain, it opened its mouth and spewed its corrosive mucus everywhere at random.
Many cultivators were caught off guard and were hit by the sticky mucus, causing them to cry out in pain. It was too late for them to retreat as the sticky mucus was extremely corrosive and instantly melted their flesh, revealing their white bones.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen people had died.
Hu Yi, Liao Yi Bai, and the other Open Heaven Stage Masters were all shocked. Originally, seeing the Earth Dragon riddled with wounds, they had thought it was a soft persimmon, but who would have thought that this fellow would be so ‘slippery’? Many of their attacks landed on it, but none of them caused significant damage. On the contrary, many of their allies suffered heavy wounds after it retaliated.
They really didn’t know how this strange beast had suffered such grievous injuries.
However, since they had already taken action, it was naturally impossible for them to back down now. The deaths of these dozen or so people didn’t cause them to retreat and instead attracted even more to attack.
Seeing this, Yue He couldn’t help but take action, while Guo Zi Yan and the others were also filled with righteous indignation, each of them secretly circulating their strength, waiting for Yang Kai’s command to rush forward.
Yang Kai raised his hand to stop them and whispered, “It won’t die so easily.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Earth Dragon shook its head and flicked its tail before plunging into the ground, creating a large hole, and disappearing.
If it had been in its peak state, it would have been able to hold out for a while against the hundred or so people’s attacks, but now that it was seriously injured, how could it be a match for them?
If it couldn’t beat them, it would naturally flee. The Earth Dragon’s instinctive reaction was to burrow underground, so everyone’s attack hit nothing but air. The death of more than a dozen people had been in vain.
Looking at the huge hole in the ground, no one dared to pursue, all of them standing there stunned.
In the crowd, a figure suddenly appeared. It was Liao Yi Bai, who was rushing straight towards the Six Fated Paths Bag with one hand holding a spear and the other reaching towards it with an excited expression.
Seeing that the Fated Paths Bag was shaking non-stop, it was obvious that it had already collected a lot of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. Liao Yi Bai secretly made up his mind that he would immediately flee after snatching this bag. As for the rest, he couldn’t be bothered with them. This bag was a treasure, and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light stored inside was also a treasure. His harvest would be excellent as long as he could succeed!
Although his movements were fast, it was impossible for him to hide from the observation of the Open Heaven Stage Masters present. Seeing this, they secretly cursed Liao Yi Bai for being so quick to act as all of them swiftly used their respective Movement Skills and chased after him.
The space in front of the Six Fated Paths Bag trembled as a figure appeared like a ghost. Liao Yi Bai, who was charging at the forefront, looked up and saw that it was that stubborn Emperor Realm brat from before.
Immediately, he shouted in anger, “All who dare block my way will die!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his spear and thrust it forward with an unstoppable might.
If it was an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator facing such a thrust, they would not be able to do anything other than dodge; Yang Kai obviously had no intention of doing so.
“A spear user? I’m also a spear user!” Yang Kai smiled at Liao Yi Bai, stretched out his hand, and gripped the Azure Dragon Spear. With a wave of his hand, Yang Kai also thrust out his spear in a simple way without any fancy movements.
Liao Yi Bai was enraged at the sight of this. A mere Emperor Realm brat actually dared to be presumptuous before him? From another perspective, it meant this boy simply didn’t put him in his eyes; otherwise, how could he have so boldly thrust his spear forward?
Enraged, Liao Yi Bai poured all his strength into his spear, determined to kill Yang Kai on the spot.
In the blink of an eye, the two spears collided as a violent shock wave spread outward. Liao Yi Bai, who was originally full of confidence, had his eyes bulge in shock.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the long spear in Liao Yi Bai’s hand shattered and its fragments flew everywhere.
Immediately afterwards, Liao Yi Bai’s figure suddenly came to a stop in mid-air as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Looking down, he saw a long spear piercing through his chest, coming straight out of his back.
He couldn’t help but gulp in fear before looking up at Yang Kai, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“You’re nothing much,” Yang Kai lifted his nose and looked up at him arrogantly.
Liao Yi Bai opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but how could Yang Kai give him a chance? With a wave of his Azure Dragon Spear, a burst of power swept out, causing Liao Yi Bai’s body to explode into a blood mist that scattered everywhere.
Yang Kai waved his hand and took Liao Yi Bai’s Space Ring, stuffing it into his own without even looking at it.
Everyone fell silent!
Everyone stared at Yang Kai, dumbfounded, unable to regain their senses for a long time.
The Open Heaven Stage Masters who had followed behind Liao Yi Bai and were preparing to snatch the Six Fated Paths Bag all felt a chill run down their spines as they froze in place, not daring to move forward.
None of them could believe what they were seeing. An Open Heaven Stage Master was actually blown into smithereens by a single spear thrust from an Emperor Realm Junior? Not even Liao Yi Bai’s artifact remained intact! Was this young man really an Emperor Realm cultivator? Was he some kind of High-Rank Open Heaven Stage Master in disguise?
However, under the perception of their Divine Senses, Yang Kai really didn’t have the aura of an Open Heaven Master. On the contrary, traces of him being only an Emperor Realm cultivator were extremely obvious.
Guo Zi Yan sneered in his heart. [A ragtag mob wants to make an enemy out of the Sixth Manager? They’re really overestimating themselves!]
The hundreds of Thunder Light cultivators, who had ganged up on Yang Kai before, had been half slaughtered. Even a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Bie Jian had died on the spot, let alone a piece of trash like Liao Yi Bai.
It was undeniable that Guo Zi Yan had never imagined that an Emperor Realm cultivator could possess such terrifying combat strength before today. Everything he had seen had completely toppled his understanding of the Martial Dao, but the hot blood surging in his veins told him that compared to Du Niang Zi, he was more willing to serve under Yang Kai. Being able to follow such a leader was not an opportunity everyone could have.
The corners of Hu Yi’s eyes twitched as he stared at Yang Kai, and then at the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand, asking bitterly, “What did you do?”
In that confrontation just now, none of them had been able to see what had happened clearly. In an instant, all they saw was Liao Yi Bai, who was at the front of the crowd, suddenly coming to a stop. The next thing they knew, he exploded.
Everything happened too quickly!
“I just killed a piece of trash!” Yang Kai held his spear with one hand, exuding an imposing aura like he alone could handle everyone as he coldly swept his gaze across the battlefield, “Who else wants to die?”
No one dared to move. Having witnessed Liao Yi Bai’s end, seeing how he was killed on the spot, no one among the remaining Open Heaven Realm Masters dared to act rashly. At the very least, until they understood the true strength of this spear-wielding young man, no one dared to provoke him.
All of them felt extremely aggrieved in their hearts. This damned Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary with its damned Rolling Fog, if not for this, how could a mere Emperor Realm Junior be worthy of their attention? He would have long been dealt with by the crowd.
The people from Profound Clouds Society were both angry and depressed. Their leader had been killed right before their eyes and had even been called trash, yet they didn’t even have the strength to avenge him.
Thousands of people on the mountaintop were all silent at this moment, only the sound of the Six Fated Paths Bag vibrating constantly was heard.
In Yang Kai’s perception, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light that had been shooting up from underground was pouring straight into the Six Fated Paths Bag, filling it. At this moment, the bag was about half full.
Yang Kai didn’t know if he could fill up the entire Six Fated Paths Bag, but he was still quite excited.
In this strange silence, a loud bang rang out as a huge pit appeared in the ground. The Earth Dragon, which had previously burrowed into the earth, suddenly poked its head out and swallowed a few cultivators, catching them off guard, before drilling back into the ground with lightning speed.
It had been miserably beaten up by these people and had to hide underground; but now, it had come out to stir up trouble. Obviously, it was holding a grudge.
Everyone was shocked and quickly flew up into the sky.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters glanced at each other, communicating with each other via Divine Sense. Even though they knew that the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was under the bag, they had no choice but to helplessly watch it be taken away. Naturally, they all felt depressed.
Yang Kai suddenly raised his eyes and looked towards the distant sky.
He noticed densely packed streaks of sword light flying over from the west. The sword light in the lead was like a meteor, piercing across the Heavens. This group was still a few hundred kilometres away, but the sword intent had already reached them, filling the air.
Feeling this awe-inspiring sword intent, everyone couldn’t help turning to look in that direction. When they saw what was happening, Hu Yi and the other Open Heaven Realm Masters’ eyes lit up.
“Sword Pavilion’s people are here,” Guo Zi Yan’s expression became serious as he quickly whispered to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded slightly in understanding.
In the previous Star City, there were originally three great forces, Thunder Light, Scarlet Star, and Sword Pavilion.
In terms of numbers, Sword Pavilion had the least. Thunder Light and Scarlet Star on the other hand were about equal in size, but it was Sword Pavilion that had the greatest overall strength. In the Star City, Sword Pavilion controlled almost half of the shops and territory, while the remaining half was divided between Scarlet Star and Thunder Light. From this, it could be seen just how strong Sword Pavilion was.
The three great forces of the Star City had been fighting each other for millennia, so when Guo Zi Yan saw the overwhelming sword light approaching, he immediately recognized these people.
Everyone from Sword Pavilion cultivated the Sword Dao and had strong murderous intent. Their fighting style was ruthless, and they were famous throughout the Star City. Unless they had no other choice, no one was willing to fight against Sword Pavilion.
Yang Kai had forced his way into Scarlet Star and had fought with Thunder Light earlier. He had never had any conflicts with Sword Pavilion.
However, news about the Yuan Magnetic Mountain had spread far and wide, so it was only natural for Sword Pavilion disciples to rush over to investigate. After all, both Scarlet Star and Thunder Light had arrived.
For some unknown reason, Hu Yi and the other Open Heaven Realm Masters had all gathered together to welcome Sword Pavilion.
As the sword light flashed over, figures appeared in front of everyone one after another.
The leader of this group was a man with a fiery red head of hair and a beard. He was bare-chested and had a dignified look on his face. Behind him was a woman dressed in palace robes and a young man.
These three people were exuding the aura of the Open Heaven Realm, indicating their status as Masters. Each of them possessed an overwhelming sword intent, especially the red-haired man in the lead. Standing there, he was like a peerless sword, its sharpness intimidating all around him.
The woman in palace robes didn’t exude such an overbearing aura, but her beauty was extraordinary. She was extremely fair and had voluptuous peaks. Her eyes were bright and limpid. Her hair was casually tied into a bun. On the other hand, the young man was handsome and a fiery glint could be seen in his eyes every time he blinked, like there was a fire burning in their depths. He was carrying a blue long sword on his back and his long robes were flapping along with the wind, giving him a heroic air.
Guo Zi Yan was afraid that Yang Kai didn’t know how powerful these three people were, so he quickly introduced them, “Sixth Manager, those three are leaders of Sword Pavilion. The red-haired is Zhong Fan, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the woman is Lu Xue, a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and the young man is Luo Qing Yun, also a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, indicating that he understood, but he was a little surprised in his heart. He was surprised by the fact that Zhong Fan was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. [Doesn’t it mean that he is on par with the Head Manager of Scarlet Star?]
He wondered what Zhong Fan’s ranking in Sword Pavilion was.
A Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be considered a powerhouse in the 3,000 Worlds, enough to occupy a Spirit Province and establish a Sect of their own.
On the other side, Hu Yi and the others went up to him and said something to Zhong Fan. The next moment, Zhong Fan glanced at Yang Kai, his eyes flickering with aggression.
A moment later, Zhong Fan nodded slightly and flew towards the top of the mountain, followed closely by the Sword Pavilion disciples.
Not many people from Sword Pavilion had come this time, only a few dozen, but when these people gathered together, they gave off a silent pressure. The Sword Intent that constantly lingered around them caused everyone on the mountaintop to unconsciously distance themselves from them, lest they be injured by the Sword Intent.
“Is there really a Yuan Magnetic Divine Light underneath this bag?” Zhong Fan glanced over at Yang Kai, but didn’t take him seriously, instead focusing on the Six Fated Paths Bag itself.
Hu Yi stepped forward and stated, “No one saw it, but the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light did appear here. This bag is the most suspicious thing here.”
“If you think it’s suspicious, why don’t you check?”
Zhong Fan’s question caused Hu Yi and the others to feel extremely awkward. Who didn’t want to check it? It was just that the leader of Profound Clouds Society, Liao Yi Bai, had just tragically lost his life right there, so who would want to follow in his footsteps? If it weren’t for Sword Pavilion’s sword light shooting over, they really had no idea how to deal with this situation.
Seeing everyone remain silent, Zhong Fan knew that they must have suffered some kind of loss; after all, the bloodstains and mutilated corpses on the ground had already explained everything to him.
He couldn’t help but snort.
Luo Qing Yun stared at the Six Fated Paths Bag with a burning gaze and chuckled, “This bag is a pretty good treasure!”
He finally turned his gaze towards Yang Kai, and asked warmly, “Friend, is this your bag?”
Yang Kai replied with a nod, “Yes!”
“This bag is pretty good, are you willing to part with it?” Luo Qing Yun asked.
“No!” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
“Don’t be so quick to refuse. Why don’t you hear the price before deciding.”
“No matter what price you offer, the bag is not for sale.”
Luo Qing Yun shrugged and said, “If that’s the case, then forget it. I hope you won’t regret it later.”
As soon as the word ‘forget it’ left his lips, Luo Qing Yun transformed into a streak of sword light, shooting straight at the Six Fated Paths Bag like a bolt of lightning.
“You court death!” Yang Kai shouted angrily as he quickly pushed his Space Principles, causing the space within a thousand metres of him to become extremely viscous.
Luo Qing Yun’s cry of surprise rang out from the sword light. Obviously, he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to be so powerful. The sudden change in space had actually caused his movements to become sluggish.
The next moment, Yang Kai had thrust his spear straight towards the sword light.
A sword cry rang out as Luo Qing Yun unsheathed the sword on his back. In an instant, Sword Qi filled the air as Sword Intent soared to the Heavens.
No one was able to see what was happening clearly. Only a series of crisp clangs and sparks could be heard and seen as Luo Qing Yun was sent flying back while Yang Kai stood in front of the Six Fated Paths Bag with his spear in hand and a malevolent look on his face!
This exchange was so fast that it dazzled everyone’s eyes. No one knew who won or lost, but judging from the expressions of Yang Kai and Luo Qing Yun, it was the latter who must have suffered a small loss. At this moment, Luo Qing Yun was staring down at his long sword, a pained look flashing across the depths of his eyes. The long sword’s lustre was a little dimmer than before, obviously having suffered some damage from the previous exchange.
Zhong Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, whereas Lu Xue was shocked and Hu Yi and the others’ faces turned ashen.
Even a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm like Luo Qing Yun had been unable to do anything to Yang Kai and had even suffered a small loss in a frontal confrontation. Liao Yi Bai, a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, had apparently not died in vain.
“Brat, you dare damage my sword’s spirituality?!” Luo Qing Yun suddenly raised his head with a fierce look appearing on his face.
That short exchange had actually damaged his sword’s spirituality. Although it wasn’t too serious, it was still enough to make his heart ache. It would take him at least a few months to recover it.
“A waste with a piece of scrap metal dares to act so arrogantly? If you dare come here again, I’ll kill you,” Yang Kai’s voice turned colder as he thrust the Azure Dragon Spear forward.
When Yang Kai saw this fellow’s dignified appearance just now, he really didn’t expect him to suddenly launch a sneak attack. He almost lost the Six Fated Paths Bag. Although he had refined the Six Fated Paths Bag and it wasn’t impossible to snatch it back, if it got snatched, it would definitely ruin his plan to obtain the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
“Junior, you have some skill, no wonder you speak so arrogantly!” Zhong Fan’s expression sank as he took a step forward. His imposing aura gave the impression that he could topple the mountains and overturn the seas as he coldly continued, “But are you really going to make an enemy out of my Sword Pavilion?”
Yang Kai, on the other hand, acted as if he had heard nothing and simply stared at him coldly, “This King is Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager, while you are a leader of Sword Pavilion. In terms of status, we are on equal footing, so don’t call me Junior. Moreover… even if I made an enemy out of your Sword Pavilion, so what?”
As soon as these words came out, the entire crowd went into an uproar. Hu Yi and the others stared at Yang Kai in shock, all of them thinking that this man had gone crazy. [A mere Emperor Realm Junior dares to act so arrogantly in front of Zhong Fan? Does he not know how to write the word ‘death’? Zhong Fan is a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who is also proficient in the Sword Dao! He has probably killed more people than this brat has ever seen in his life, yet he still dares to provoke him like this?]
Luo Qing Yun couldn’t be bothered to be angry with him as he turned to Lu Xue and asked, “Is this boy stupid?”
Lu Xue’s face was cold, but her voice was gentle, “He probably has something he can rely on.”
“Good!” Zhong Fan shouted, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a brave boy. Since that’s the case, this King will teach you the consequences of opposing my Sword Pavilion.”
As soon as Zhong Fan’s voice fell, flames suddenly engulfed his body. No one knew what kind of Secret Art he cultivated, but it was extremely hot and violent.
Zhong Fan raised his hand as a long sword appeared in his grip. At first glance, this long sword looked somewhat similar to the Myriads Sword that Yang Kai had used many years ago, both of them belonging to the same heavier long sword class, a true work of art.
However, this sword was obviously of a much higher grade than the Myriads Sword.
As soon as this sword appeared, Zhong Fan’s aura completely changed. The raging flames wrapped around his sword like a snake, causing the temperature of the entire mountain to rise sharply.
Hu Yi and the others all wore excited expressions, secretly rejoicing in their hearts. Yang Kai’s imposing aura had left them frightened before, but now, when they saw Zhong Fan take action, they were naturally filled with anticipation.
However, at this moment, a chorus of shouts suddenly rang out from afar.
“Emperor Heaven, Emperor Heaven, never submit!”
Along with the shouts, innumerable streaks of light shot over from the distance, shouting loudly as they flew, as if they were afraid that no one would know that they were coming.
Everyone looked over with strange expressions and the tense atmosphere suddenly became stagnant.
However, after seeing the number of people who had come, many people’s expressions changed slightly. Even the three leaders of Sword Pavilion couldn’t help but turn solemn.
It wasn’t surprising though as there were simply too many people flying over at once. At a glance, there were at least seven or eight hundred people, perhaps even a thousand.
There were only about a thousand people gathered on this mountaintop in total.
The leader of this group was a young man with an arrogant look on his face and a giant sword on his shoulder, his nose pointing towards the sky. Before he even arrived, his voice had already reached them, “Emperor Heaven lays claim to this place, all unrelated people should retreat!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as a strange expression appeared on his face.
Ding Yi was like a ghost haunting Yang Kai. No matter where he went, he would always run into him. It was obvious that he had been living quite well recently and had gathered many subordinates, his self-confidence once again soaring.
Ding Yi’s words were a bit pompous, so naturally, no one liked it and looked unhappy. As for Zhong Fan, he just coldly snorted.
In the blink of an eye, Emperor Heaven’s thousand or so members had already arrived. Ding Yi suddenly came to a stop, and so did the people from Emperor Heaven behind him, neatly arranging themselves into several square formations. At first glance, they seemed quite well-trained, and with so many behind him, it made Ding Yi stand out like a crane amongst a flock of chickens, only raising his profile even further.
However, there was no Open Heaven Realm Master among their group. After all, Emperor Heaven was founded on the idea of breaking free of the oppression of Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Ding Yi took out his sword and pointed it towards the front before loudly declaring with a condescending attitude, “I heard that there were some Open Heaven Realm Masters here bullying an Emperor Realm Brother?”
If this were the outside world, he wouldn’t have dared to speak so arrogantly in front of Open Heaven Realm Masters. He would have probably bowed to them long ago. Only a special environment like the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary gave him the chance to speak so arrogantly.
He also enjoyed this feeling of being the centre of attention. This illusion of being in control of everything made him extremely infatuated.
“Brothers, what do you think we should do?” Ding Yi shouted aloud.
“Emperor Heaven, Emperor Heaven, never submit!” Emperor Heaven’s members shouted in unison.
Ding Yi grinned, “That’s right! May I know which friend is being bullied? Don’t be afraid, since this Ding is here, I will ensure your safety!”
Zhong Fan turned around and asked, “Who is this guy?”
The woman in palace robes, Lu Xue, stepped forward and whispered a few words to Zhong Fan, whereupon Zhong Han nodded his understanding. Only now did he realize that this was the same Emperor Heaven that had been in the limelight recently. Emperor Heaven’s name had been spreading far and wide, attracting quite a few people to join it. Rumour even had it that at its peak, it had over five thousand members, but for some reason, only a thousand had come here today.
When Zhong Fan was speaking, Ding Yi also noticed Yang Kai and couldn’t help but have his eyes widen, “It’s you!”
“We meet again,” Yang Kai grinned at him.
Ding Yi wore a strange expression as he hesitated!
After escaping from the Beast Tide, Ding Yi led his men to a mountain valley and happened to run into Yang Kai and his group who were resting there. They had some unpleasant experiences and were nearly killed by Yang Kai on the spot. It wasn’t easy for them to survive that ordeal, but after that, Ding Yi ordered that if anyone from Emperor Heaven saw Yang Kai again in the future, they must not clash with him.
He hadn’t expected to see this fellow again today!
Recalling Yang Kai’s scorching palms and the miserable state of the people he had killed, Ding Yi couldn’t help feeling a little apprehensive.
However, since he had led a thousand people here today, it was not impossible for him to take revenge for what happened that day, many months ago.
Pondering for a moment, Ding Yi seemed to have made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and stated, “Since there is an Open Heaven Realm Master here today, this Ding won’t argue with you about the grievances we had that day. Quickly come over here, this Ding will ensure your safety, he won’t let you suffer any harm. In front of this Ding, no Open Heaven Realm Master can ever bully an Emperor!”
Who knew what had happened to him in the past that made him so hostile towards those of the Open Heaven Realm? Surprisingly, he didn’t even want to pursue his grievances with Yang Kai and instead chose to protect him.
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s eyes flickered with a bright gleam as he found this guy’s simplicity somewhat cute. A smile appeared on his lips as he refused, “No need, I’ll just stand here and see who dares to attack me.”
Ding Yi was stunned for a moment before giving him a thumbs up, “You’ve got guts! This Ding admires someone as courageous as you the most. I’ll definitely befriend you.”
He then stepped forward, glaring at Zhong Fan and the other Open Heaven Realm Masters as he declared, “All of you, either scram or die!”
It was quite boastful for him to say this, but whether or not these thousand people had the ability to do so was something to be seen.
However, despite facing an enemy several dozen times stronger than them, the several dozen Sword Pavilion disciples didn’t show the slightest bit of fear; instead, they stared coldly at Emperor Heaven’s group.
Zhong Fan sneered at Ding Yi, “A frog in a well dares to boast in front of me? Who gave you the courage to act so arrogantly in front of Open Heaven Realm Masters like us?”
“So what if you’re an Open Heaven Realm Master?” Ding Yi didn’t take him seriously at all, “It’s not like I haven’t killed any Open Heaven Realm Masters recently. They still die if their head is cut off.”
Zhong Fan’s face sank, “Junior, are you sure you want to get involved in this matter? In that case, I’ll behead you first!”
Saying so, he suddenly shouted, “Sword Formation!”
*Ceng ceng ceng…*
The sound of swords being unsheathed rang out continuously. The auras of the several dozen Sword Pavilion disciples, led by the three Open Heaven Realm Masters, suddenly interlinked with each other. In an instant, the wind and clouds surged as their Sword Intents filled the air, churning the void and whipping up a violent wind.
“Junior, accept your death!” Zhong Fan shouted angrily as he transformed into a streak of sword light and flew forward, closely followed by the dozens of Sword Pavilion disciples who were using some Secret Technique together.
In an instant, dozens of Sword Pavilion disciples set up a Sword Formation that transformed into a stunning sword light and slashed towards Ding Yi!
Ding Yi was struck with panic as he promptly retreated and waved his blade, shouting, “Attack!”
The thousand or so people behind him did not hesitate, each of them using their own Secret Techniques and artifacts to attack the Sword Pavilion Formation.
The next moment, deafening rumbles filled the air as the world went pale. The ground quaked and the surrounding World Energy became turbulent. The stunning sword light flashed wildly, but its momentum didn’t decrease as it slashed towards Emperor Heaven’s group.
Miserable screams rang out instantly as more than a dozen Emperor Heaven members lost their lives in just a single blow, falling from the sky like dumplings.
The sword light danced about, sweeping in and out of Emperor Heaven’s group like it was being swung by an invisible hand, killing as it went. More importantly, no one was able to stop it.
Ding Yi never stopped roaring orders, but the Emperor Heaven members were all Emperor Realm cultivators; as such, they weren’t that strong. Although they were attacking together and had a vast numerical advantage, against such a powerful and practised Formation, how could they possibly be Sword Pavilion’s opponent?
Watching his Emperor Heaven members dying and a rain of blood falling from the sky, Ding Yi’s eyes turned bloodshot; however, he didn’t abandon his subordinates and flee. He was in the lead and proved he did not fear death, but the difference in strength could not be made up for with numbers alone.
If they wanted to destroy the Sword Pavilion’s Sword Formation, it would be impossible to do so without a few hundred casualties, but Ding Yi wasn’t sure that Emperor Heaven could last until then.
“Aren’t you going to help? He provoked such a powerful enemy for you,” Yue He approached Yang Kai and asked.
Yang Kai glanced at the battle in the sky before turning his attention to Hu Yi and the others and muttered, “I can’t leave now!”
If he left, the Six Fated Paths Bag would definitely be lost.
Yue He pouted her lips, “Heartless man!”
Yang Kai sneered, “That Ding Yi has his own plans, do you really think he’s just standing up for me?”
If Ding Yi could defeat Sword Pavilion, Emperor Heaven’s reputation would definitely soar. At that time, he wouldn’t have to worry about others joining him. Still, Ding Yi had indeed helped Yang Kai a little this time; otherwise, he would have had to face Sword Pavilion alone.
Yang Kai observed the power of this Sword Formation and believed that it would take him some effort to defeat it if it was turned against him.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t plan to sit back and do nothing, he was just waiting for the right time to act.
As the battle continued, everyone who saw the might of the Sword Pavilion’s several dozen disciples couldn’t help becoming absent-minded. With such a powerful Sword Formation, who in this world could stand against them?
Emperor Heaven had already suffered more than a hundred casualties in less than half a cup of tea’s time. On the other hand, Sword Pavilion’s side was completely unscathed. The stunning sword light’s momentum was still as strong as ever, sweeping through Emperor Heaven’s group without impediment. All who came into contact with this sword light were either injured or killed.
Ding Yi continued giving orders while leading the fight, somehow managing to stabilize the situation, decreasing Emperor Heaven’s casualties.
Once the battle began, regardless of the reason, both sides’ eyes turned red with bloodlust. It would only come to an end when one side was completely defeated.
After an incense stick worth of time, Ding Yi let out a muffled grunt and retreated as a forearm-length wound appeared on his chest, nearly killing him on the spot.
He quickly circulated his strength to suppress his injuries, but the Sword Intent radiating from his wounds was causing him great pain and difficulty.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s voice suddenly rang out in Ding Yi’s ears, “Tell your people to put away their artifacts.”
Ding Yi was startled and turned to look at Yang Kai, only to see him staring at him.
Although he didn’t know what Yang Kai meant by this, Ding Yi decided to take a leap of faith and shouted, “Stow your artifacts!”
Saying so, he swiftly stored his broadsword.
Although Ding Yi had given such an order, the Emperor Heaven members all acted differently. From this, it could be seen just how lax their discipline was. If Zhong Fan were to say the same thing, the Sword Pavilion’s disciples would have definitely obeyed.
However, Yang Kai didn’t care anymore. He could sense that the space inside the Six Fated Paths Bag was already filled with Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and would soon reach its limit.
After sending his message to Ding Yi, Yang Kai raised his hand and burst into maniac laughter, “I’ll deliver you a big gift!”
Saying so, he stowed away his Fated Paths Bag.
A mystical and ever-varying beam of light soared into the sky as the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light reappeared!
The distorted beam tore a hole in the sky, revealing itself to everyone within a thousand kilometres.
Suddenly, a cry rang out from the crowd, “Ah, my sword!”
With a woosh, a long sword flew straight towards the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, behind it was a shocked cultivator staring blankly, unable to fathom how his long sword artifact, which was clearly held in his hand a moment ago, flew out on its own.
“What’s going on!”
“How!”
A series of panicked cries rang out from the crowd, and all the cultivators who had summoned their metal artifacts paled. It couldn’t be helped either as a tremendous suction force had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pulling away their artifacts.
Everyone else also stared up at the sky in shock as they saw numerous artifacts flying towards the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light at an astonishing speed.
After a moment of hesitation, the cultivators who had lost their artifacts quickly formed hand seals and tried to recall them by urging their Divine Sense.
Nonetheless, they couldn’t summon their artifacts back! The pull of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was too powerful, and since it had already been taken away, it was no different from throwing a meat bun at a dog. It was already a lost cause.
The first person who saw his sword being pulled into the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light had no time to feel sad before his face suddenly turned pale. He grunted and spurted a mouthful of blood as his face immediately became pale.
The long sword was connected to his Soul, and after being washed away by the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, it quickly lost all spirituality and began to disintegrate, causing his Soul to suffer damage. Such damage would take at least a year or two to recover from.
*Pu pu pu…*
Countless people spurted blood one after another as more and more were injured. Only the cultivators who had not refined their artifacts deeply didn’t suffer any serious injuries, all they lost was their prized artifacts, which still put a pained look on their faces.
“It’s the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!” Someone exclaimed, “That Yuan Magnetic Divine Light actually has the power to pull away artifacts! Everyone, be careful!”
Not everyone’s artifacts had been taken away, Hu Yi and the other Open Heaven Realm Masters were still desperately resisting the strange movements of their artifacts, so when they heard this, their expressions all became serious. They quickly put away their artefacts, and finally prevented them from being lost.
In a short period of time, all the artifacts that had been taken away dimmed down and became a pile of scrap metal without any spirituality.
“This Yuan Magnetic Divine Light is actually able to pull artifacts, doesn’t that mean the Sword Pavilion disciples are in danger?” Someone muttered.
Hearing this, everyone seemed to realize something and quickly turned their attention from the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light to the battlefield.
After taking a look, they were dumbfounded!
The Sword Formation that had been rampaging through Emperor Heaven’s group had been broken at some point and numerous streaks of light were now flying towards the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light from the Sword Pavilion group. No matter how much the Sword Pavilion disciples tried, they were unable to recall their swords.
Everyone from Sword Pavilion cultivated the Sword Dao and used special Secret Techniques to refine their swords. It could be said that these swords were closely connected to the lives of the Sword Pavilion’s disciples. Most of the Sword Pavilion disciples’ skills were related to their swords.
At this moment, when their swords had been taken away, the Sword Pavilion disciples were like tigers whose teeth and claws had been pulled out. Not only that, but they had even lost the swords they had been cultivating with their entire lives, so the Sword Formation naturally collapsed.
“What’s going on?” Luo Qing Yun’s face was filled with horror. The sword in his hand hadn’t been taken away; after all, he was an Open Heaven Realm Master and his foundation was not something an ordinary Emperor Realm cultivator could compare to. The moment he noticed something was wrong, he gripped his sword tightly, but at this moment, the sword in his hand was waving around uncontrollably, wanting to fly out of his grip. He was completely focused on his sword, so how could he be in the mood to kill?
“It’s the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!” Lu Xue shouted, her pretty face turning gloomy.
“What a vicious brat!” Zhong Fan lowered his head and glared at Yang Kai, who was laughing madly.
Previously, Yang Kai had crazily shouted that he would deliver them a big gift, but no one had expected that this gift would actually be a death sentence to Sword Pavilion! With just this one move, he had condemned dozens of Sword Pavilion elites to their graves!
In the time it took for the spark to fly off a flint, Zhong Fan roared, “Follow me!”
Taking the lead, he put away his artifact and charged towards the weakest point of the crowd as his body surged with Sword Intent.
However, the Sword Pavilion disciples had relied on the might of their Sword Formation to slaughter their way through the thousand or so members of Emperor Heaven, so now that their Formation had been broken, it would not be easy for them to escape.
*Pu pu pu…*
A series of dull thuds rang out as the Sword Pavilion disciples spurted mouthfuls of blood and became dispirited.
Unlike the crowd down below who had received varying degrees of backlash from the destruction of their artifacts, the Sword Pavilion’s disciple’s very lives were at stake. Their swords were refined using various special Secret Techniques and were closely linked to their lives. Once their swords were destroyed, it gave them a devastating blow.
As the swords were drawn into the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and their light dimmed, the dozens of disciples of the Sword Pavilion had their Souls shaken and suffered heavy injuries!
Ding Yi was flabbergasted!
Previously, when Sword Pavilion had set up their Sword Formation, they looked extremely majestic and awe-inspiring. Emperor Heaven had a thousand men on their side, but they were still cut down like vegetables and were unable to fight back at all. The anger and frustration in his heart couldn’t be described in mere words. Ding Yi had already begun considering retreating, thinking that provoking this group of a madman from Sword Pavilion was not worth it, but after Yang Kai sent him a strange message, the situation had suddenly taken a turn!
After a series of sword lights flew out from the Sword Pavilion disciples’ hands, the unstoppable Sword Formation actually collapsed on its own! Immediately after, many of the Sword Pavilion disciples spat out mouthfuls of blood and their faces went pale as if they had suffered heavy injuries.
There was no need for him to hesitate. Ding Yi raised his hand before waving it down and grinning fiercely, “Kill them!”
As he finished speaking, he took the lead and charged forward, his entire body was covered in a golden light that exuded boundless sharpness and caused others to shiver in fear. Shockingly, he was using his Dao Seal’s Metal Element Power to enhance his attack.
Strictly speaking, although Ding Yi’s cultivation wasn’t very high, his strength was still quite good amongst the Emperor Realm. Just from the quality of his Metal Element, one could tell that an ordinary Emperor Realm Master wasn’t his opponent. Moreover, it was quite apparent that he had condensed the Power of a Fourth or Fifth-Order Open Heaven material. Perhaps after spending a few months in the Great Ruins Boundary, he had his own opportunities!
With a single punch, the sky changed colour.
Since their leader had already set an example, how could those from Emperor Heaven shrink back?
With a loud bang, a series of Secret Techniques flew towards the Sword Pavilion disciples from every single direction, one after another.
Having lost their swords, the Sword Pavilion disciples’ strength had been greatly reduced, and after suffering heavy blows to their Souls, how could they resist such a dense barrage of attacks? If the Sword Formation was still functioning, they naturally wouldn’t fear these scattered attacks, but it had been disrupted when they lost their swords.
Despair flashed across the Sword Pavilion disciples’ eyes as none of them were able to avoid this attack. All they could do was desperately circulate their strength to form defensive barriers.
In an instant, layers of brown-coloured light appeared on the bodies of the Sword Pavilion disciples, all of them were clearly using their Earth Elements. Some of them even developed Divine Abilities related to the Earth Elements they had condensed, especially Zhong Fan, who was in the lead. He held a giant shield in his hand that was congealed from pure Earth Element Power that looked extremely solid.
However, in the face of countless attacks, their efforts were meaningless.
In a flash of light, the Sword Pavilion disciples’ defences were shattered. Even Zhong Fan’s giant shield couldn’t endure.
One attack after another hit the Sword Pavilion disciples, causing them to scream in pain as their fleshly bodies were reduced to a blood mist, not even leaving bones behind!
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the Sword Pavilion disciples had died. Even Zhong Fan, Luo Qing Yun, and Lu Xue were injured, their bodies drenched in blood, wounds riddling their figures!
The members of Emperor Heaven were ecstatic.
Just now, their side was being slaughtered by the Sword Pavilion’s Formation, causing them much grief and anger, so now that they had a chance to take revenge, they naturally spared no effort.
After the first round of attacks, the second round arrived!
“Sword Pavilion’s group is finished,” Hu Yi watched helplessly as this thought flashed across his mind, his face extremely pale. Ever since he had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm, he had not placed an Emperor Realm Junior in his eyes. To him, all Emperor Realm cultivators were nothing but ants whom he could kill at will, but today, after seeing the Sword Pavilion disciples running for their lives and witnessing Zhong Fan, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator, fleeing like a stray dog, he finally realized that the saying ‘many ants could bite an elephant to death’ wasn’t an empty talk!
After all, this was the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!
The culprit behind this entire debacle was none other than the young man with his hands behind his back.
Although Emperor Heaven was the murderer, at the end of the day, the death of the Sword Pavilion disciples was all the fault of this young man. If he hadn’t released the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light just now, how could Sword Pavilion have fallen so easily?
Turning his head to look at Yang Kai, Hu Yi felt a chill run up his spine. This young man had killed Open Heaven Realm Masters like slaughtering chickens and dogs, and now he had obtained this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. In the future, who in the Great Ruins Boundary could be his opponent?
Screams rang out again as Emperor Heaven’s second round of attacks wiped out all the remaining Sword Pavilion disciples, leaving only the three Open Heaven Realm Masters who were still trying to escape.
From this, one could see the difference between the Open Heaven Realm and the Emperor Realm. Under the effects of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, they were still able to control their swords and protect themselves from the barrage of attacks.
“You want to leave?” Ding Yi’s aura locked onto the fleeing Zhong Fan as he shouted angrily, “Leave your life behind first!”
As he spoke, he sent out another punch towards Zhong Fan. This punch was filled with Metal Element Power and was quite terrifying!
Zhong Fan hurriedly turned around, clenched his teeth, and pointed his finger, sending a stream of Sword Qi to greet the attack.
With a loud bang, space warped and his finger energy was shattered, causing Zhong Fan to spit out a mouthful of blood as his figure flew backwards. Emperor Heaven’s two rounds of attacks had already injured him and now, he was forcefully exerting his strength. He was almost no match for Ding Yi at the moment.
Luo Qing Yun quickly supported him and exchanged a glance with Lu Xue. The two of them then turned into two streaks of sword light, wrapping themselves around the three of them before instantly breaking through Emperor Heaven’s blockade and fleeing into the distance.
Several dozen Sword Pavilion disciples arrived under the leadership of three Open Heaven Realm Masters in an aggressive and overbearing manner, but after an incense stick of time, all of them were either dead or fleeing for their lives.
Of the dozens of Sword Pavilion members who had come, there were only three people left. Even Zhong Fan, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, had suffered heavy injuries and nearly died on the spot.
On the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, everyone was silent except for those from Emperor Heaven, who were cheering loudly, causing the world to tremble. Ding Yi was even laughing wildly, like he was the ruler of the world and nobody could stop him.
Many people were unhappy with his arrogant attitude, but it was undeniable that after this battle, Emperor Heaven’s prestige would reach new heights and its name would spread far and wide. In this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, there was definitely a place for him now.
Many of the thousand people present were already looking at Emperor Heaven with glistening eyes, wondering if they should join it.
After laughing madly, Ding Yi came back to his senses and wanted to thank Yang Kai, but when he looked down, Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen, along with the dozen or so people who had been standing behind him.
“Where is Brother Yang?” Ding Yi asked the person beside him.
No one knew. Everyone was busy chasing after the Sword Pavilion disciples just now, so how could anyone pay attention to others?
On the other hand, one of the Emperor Realm Masters on the ground pointed below and replied, “They entered the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.” He clearly saw that when Zhong Fan and the others fled, Yang Kai led the dozen or so people around him into the sinkhole.
Ding Yi turned his head and saw that the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was still shooting out from the hole created by the Earth-Dragon. His eyes couldn’t help narrowing as he secretly admired Yang Kai’s boldness. He had just witnessed the might of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and not only did it possess the power to pull in artifacts, but also to damage said artifacts critically in short order. How could jumping into this light result in a good end?
However, very soon, an unyielding thought emerged in his heart.
If Yang Kai could have the courage to jump down, why couldn’t he?
More Importantly, since such an intense Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was shooting out from the sinkhole, there must be High-Grade Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones below! It was a precious treasure trove!
Without any hesitation, he waved his hand, “Follow me!”
Leading the way, Ding Yi rushed towards the hole and arrived in the blink of an eye.
After approaching it, Ding Yi was able to sense how terrifying this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light truly was. When his Divine Sense made contact with it, it was immediately shredded, causing his head to ache.
Ding Yi couldn’t help gulping hard, wondering if he should wait and see what the situation was like later. If he couldn’t ‘eat the meat’ and ended up getting himself into trouble, it wouldn’t be worth it.
A cultivator beside him also came over with a nervous look and asked, “Leader, jumping in here is probably a bit dangerous, should we wait a little first?”
If this man hadn’t said anything, Ding Yi would have really waited, but since he was trying to build a reputation for himself and was now being dissuaded, Ding Yi became stubborn and declared, “What are you waiting for? There must be some kind of great treasure down there. Don’t you see that Brother Yang has already gone down? He must have gone to clean out all the riches. This Ding will go down first, the rest of you follow, no one is allowed to back down!”
The man’s face immediately became bitter.
After Ding Yi finished speaking, he grit his teeth and leaped forward, diving straight into the sinkhole. In order to avoid any accidents, he even pushed his Earth Element Power to protect himself, preparing for any consequences with whatever he had available.
However, just as he jumped down, he suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream and shot out of the sinkhole like an arrow.
Under everyone’s eyes, Ding Yi appeared a thousand meters away, but they were all shocked after seeing his current state.
At this moment, the Earth Element Power surrounding Ding Yi’s body had already been shattered. Not only that, but his clothes were also in tatters and countless tiny wounds covered his body. His blood had almost dyed his entire body red. Hovering in mid-air, Ding Yi’s eyes were filled with shock and fear.
Everyone gasped in astonishment.
Although everyone knew that this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light wasn’t something that could be easily rushed into as all of the artifacts had lost their spirituality and become scrap metal when they came into contact with it, none of them had ever imagined that it would be so terrifying.
Ding Yi had not even been able to last a breath before he was reduced to such a miserable state. If he had stayed inside for even a little longer, wouldn’t he have died without a complete corpse?
If even he was like this, what about the young man surnamed Yang and the dozen or so people around him?
“I’m afraid that brat is doomed,” an Open Heaven Realm cultivator whispered to Hu Yi. It had been half a cup of tea since Yang Kai had jumped into the sinkhole with his dozen or so followers, but there had been no movements even after such a long time. How could he be safe and sound?
A smile finally appeared on Hu Yi’s stiff face as he muttered, “Very good!”
Witnessing Yang Kai kill Liao Yi Bai with a single move, Hu Yi had become extremely wary. It would have been fine if this man was an Open Heaven Realm Master, but Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Junior.
This kind of unconventional existence was a great blow to him, so he was naturally happy to see him die.
“Sir, are you alright?” One of Emperor Heaven’s members rushed over to Ding Yi and asked.
Ding Yi raised his hand and said, “I’m fine!” Although he said so, his face was still filled with fear. It was fortunate that he had acted quickly; otherwise, he really might have been in trouble. Thinking about how Yang Kai had been inside for so long, he immediately came to the same conclusion as Hu Yi and the others. Yang Kai probably had lost his life.
With this thought in mind, Ding Yi’s expression brightened, and he waved his hand, ordering, “Encircle this sinkhole, kill anyone who dares trespass without mercy!”
If Yang Kai were to die, then the treasures below would be left untouched. This Yuan Magnetic Divine Light couldn’t go on forever, it had to stop at some point. As long as Ding Yi waited until then, he could lead the members of Emperor Heaven down to plunder the treasures below, thereby benefiting the most.
After receiving the order, Emperor Heaven quickly gathered around the sinkhole, completely surrounding it in the blink of an eye.
This action naturally drew the ire of the crowd, but those from Emperor Heaven were not afraid. Even though the surrounding cultivators were glaring at them angrily, they remained completely calm and composed.
At the same time, inside the sinkhole, as the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light washed over them, a group of more than a dozen people wrapped in Yang Kai’s Earth Element Power continued to descend.
Contrary to what Hu Yi, Ding Yi, and the others thought, not only was Yang Kai not dead, but he wasn’t even injured. Not only him, but the dozen or so Scarlet Star members were also unharmed. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was unable to break the defense of his Earth Element.
Yang Kai had now gathered his Wood, Fire, and Earth Elements, but he still didn’t know what Order these three Elements were, and neither could he ask anyone else about it. All he could do was try to figure it out himself.
If the Wood Element Power from the essence of the Immortal Tree was classified as Ninth-Order, then the Golden Crow True Fire and Earth Dragon’s Dragon Bead could probably be classified as Eighth-Order.
In other words, he now possessed at least one Ninth- Order and two probable Eighth-Order Elements.
However, this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was only Sixth-Order, so under the protection of an Eighth-Order Earth Element Power, how could Yang Kai and the others be harmed?
Although this was the case, Yang Kai was consuming a great deal of energy on this journey. Nonetheless, he had no choice but to constantly channel his Earth Element Power from his Dao Seal; otherwise, even if he remained unharmed, everyone else would be in danger of being killed, including Yue He. After all, her Elements were only Fifth-Order, so there was no way she could resist this Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
“A Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone!” A disciple exclaimed as they kept falling, obviously seeing the treasures lining the cave walls.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Kai stretched out his hand and took the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone. Looking at it, he saw that it was only a Fourth-Order material, so he didn’t pay it any mind and simply tossed it into his Space Ring.
Who knows how deep the hole the Earth Dragon had dug was, but it was still drawing out Yuan Magnetic Divine Light hidden underground. As they continued to descend deeper into the cave, they occasionally discovered some Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones.
Yang Kai had collected more than a dozen pieces along the way, but the best was still just Fourth-Order, while the others were basically Second or Third-Order, so they weren’t worth much.
After descending about thirty thousand meters, the space below suddenly became bigger and everyone felt as if they had fallen into a sea of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light.
In just two breaths of time, the group of people once again rushed out of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light sea.
The next moment, a beautiful world appeared right before their eyes.
Shockingly, this was a giant underground cavern. The various parts of the cavern were flashing with a dense light, each of which represented a Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone.
Looking up again, above the cave, rays of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light gathered together and illuminated the vast cave.
This was obviously the source of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light that had broken through the surface and shot into the sky.
Earlier, Yang Kai had used his Fated Paths Bag to collect an entire bag worth of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, so he hadn’t expected there to still be so much left even after erupting for so long!
This situation made everyone’s heart ache. If they had more artifacts like the Fated Paths Bags, they might be able to collect more.
Yang Kai had thought about using the Sealed World Bead to collect the rest, but after trying it out during his descent, he had no choice but to give up. After the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Light entered the Sealed World Bead, Yang Kai sensed it came under a bit of pressure. It didn’t matter if he collected a little, but if he collected too much, the Sealed World Bead would collapse.
Estimating the amount of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light left in this cave, it would run out after another incense stick worth of time. Once that happened, the people above would definitely come down to plunder the treasures.
In other words, Yang Kai and the others didn’t have much time left.
“Sixth Manager, we’ve struck it rich this time!” Guo Zi Yan looked around and cheered. Just from what he could see, there were more than a dozen Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones. Although he didn’t know what Order they were, just this number was enough to excite him.
Not to mention, this underground cavern was extremely vast. As long as they continued searching, they would definitely discover something good.
“Let’s move,” Yang Kai suggested calmly.
The reason why he had brought these dozen or so Scarlet Star members down here was, first, he was considering their safety. He had offended many people before, so it was definitely not safe to leave them outside. The other reason was that he needed people to collect these Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones. Since he had already anticipated that there would be treasures below, how could Yang Kai not come up with a few plans?
The dozen or so Scarlet Star members rushed out excitedly and began gathering under his command, rushing towards everywhere something was glittering.
Yue He didn’t say a word and simply walked towards the most dazzling Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone, and quickly put it away into her Space Ring.
While he sent others to collect the treasures, Yang Kai didn’t remain idle. Under the influence of his Divine Sense, each and every single Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone was detected, not leaving a single stone unmarked.
The members of Scarlet Star were quite self-aware. Every time they found a Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone, they would deliver it to Yang Kai before turning around to look for more.
The Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones underground were indeed different from the ones outside. They were of exceptionally high quality, with the lowest being Fourth-Order and most being Fifth-Order.
“Sixth Manager, over here!” Guo Zi Yan suddenly shouted from a thousand metres away, appearing to have discovered something.
Yang Kai followed the voice and arrived beside him in a flash.
“Sixth-Order, Sixth Manager, this is definitely Sixth-Order!” Guo Zi Yan’s face lit up as he pointed to a Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone embedded in the cave wall.
The divine light from the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone appeared to be taking a tangible form, similar to the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light that was shooting out of the sinkhole.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and felt it for a moment before nodding, “It really is Sixth-Order.”
Guo Zi Yan’s breathing became heavy, and he almost wanted to weep from joy. He had never seen such a high Order material in his life. Although the previous Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was also technically Sixth-Order, it was extremely dangerous. One had to have the ability to negate the dangers of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light before they could refine it. This Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone in front of him was different. It also contained the power of Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetism, but this Metal Element Power was much safer to cultivate with.
In his excitement, he also felt a bit depressed when he recalled how someone with no background like him and a mediocre aptitude had no choice but to use Second-Order materials and achieve the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. In his lifetime, he could only reach the Fourth-Order at best.
If he could turn back time, he would definitely not make such a hasty decision and would instead wait for his own opportunity.
For instance, many Emperor Realm Masters in Scarlet Star had yet to even condense their Dao Seals or had just formed them, so they could find and make use of the many opportunities in the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary to break through to higher initial Orders. The precious treasures here were much richer than in the outside world, and there were also numerous opportunities to be found. As long as one could leave the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary alive, breaking through to the Third-Order or even Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm would not be a problem.
Compared to his Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, their future achievements would naturally be higher.
“Extract it,” Yang Kai ordered.
Guo Zi Yan nodded and collected his thoughts before starting to dig. A moment later, he was holding a plate-sized Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone in both hands.
“Sixth Manager, this holds enough Power for one person to gather their Metal Element, possibly even more than that,” Guo Zi Yan cried in excitement. Although this Sixth-Order material didn’t have much to do with him, he was naturally quite excited since he had personally found and dug it out.
A Sixth-Order material was worth at least 15 million Open Heaven Pills. If he had this many Open Heaven Pills, he wouldn’t have to worry about cultivation for the rest of his life.
“It’s acceptable,” Yang Kai added indifferently before storing it away.
Yang Kai and the others didn’t have much time left. Once the Yuan Magnetism Divine Light Sea above them was completely exhausted, the thousands of people gathered on the Yuan Magnetism Mountain would definitely come down to investigate and plunder, so everyone hurried up.
Each of them had a great harvest of Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones. There was no shortage of Sixth-Order materials here, and this underground cavern was extremely large, stretching out in all directions.
It was impossible for the dozen or so Scarlet Star members to clear out this place in the allotted time, but their harvest was naturally not small since they were the first ones here.
After agreeing to meet up here later, Yang Kai had Yue He lead those from Scarlet Star to search in one direction while he flew in another alone.
Along the way, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and ignored all the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones below Third-Order, collecting only those at or above Fourth-Order.
The cavern was indeed expansive. Yang Kai had been flying forward for a whole day, but he still hadn’t reached the end of this network of caves. Furthermore, he would run into forks from time to time that made him dizzy.
After such a long time, the people on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain should have long ago come down, but this underground space was large enough for them to search through for some time.
After another day, Yang Kai finally reached a dead end.
Over the past two days, his harvest could be said to be enviable. He had collected more than a hundred Fourth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones, thirty Fifth-Order, and four Sixth-Order.
In terms of value, just the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones he had found these past two days were worth over 100 million Open Heaven Pills, and this was only his own income. Even if Yue He and a dozen Scarlet Star members’ harvests were not as good as his, it wouldn’t be small either.
The only flaw was that he couldn’t find any Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones above Sixth-Order.
Yang Kai had thought that this Yuan Magnetic Mountain would have materials at the Seventh-Order or above, but he didn’t know if it was because of his bad luck or because he was searching in the wrong direction but he had not found any treasures like that.
At this moment, it was too late to change directions and search. More than two thousand people from up above had rushed in, so no matter how many treasures there were underground, Yang Kai would not be able to obtain them.
He didn’t know if anyone else had found a Seventh-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone.
Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai suddenly thought of something and grinned silently as he crossed his arms behind his back and calmly walked back.
Halfway up the road, a group of a dozen or so people appeared in front of him. When they saw someone in front of them, all of them couldn’t help being shocked as the person in the lead shouted, “Who goes there?”
With this shout, the dozen or so cultivators all secretly gathered their strength and prepared to attack.
Yang Kai walked over at a leisurely pace, but he didn’t make any overt movements or show any hostility, causing these people to be somewhat uncertain of his intentions.
When they got closer and saw Yang Kai’s face, the leading cultivator asked in surprise, “It’s you! You didn’t die?”
Previously on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, everyone had thought that Yang Kai and the dozen or so Scarlet Star cultivators were dead for sure; after all, they had gone down for so long without any sign of movement, so how could they possibly be safe?
Only now did he realize that Yang Kai was actually alive and kicking.
“Why would I die?” Yang Kai chuckled.
The cultivator who had just spoken muttered to himself for a moment before forcing a smile and cupping his fists, “Sir Yang’s strength is immeasurable, we all admire you.”
Although they were both Emperor Realm cultivators, this man didn’t dare act arrogantly in front of Yang Kai. He had personally witnessed the miserable death of Liao Yi Bai under Yang Kai’s spear.
For a moment, they felt somewhat uneasy. Now that they had encountered this God of Slaughter in such a place, the other party might covet their treasures, and if a conflict really broke out, the dozen of them would not be able to resist.
Unexpectedly though, Yang Kai simply nodded and walked past them.
The dozen or so people all secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at each other, suddenly feeling a sense of absurdity.
“Oh right.” Yang Kai suddenly turned to look at them.
“What instructions does Sir Yang have?” The leading cultivator respectfully asked.
“Don’t bother going that way, there’s nothing good there, pick a different direction,” Yang Kai suggested before quickly disappearing.
Only when Yang Kai’s footsteps disappeared did they realize that he had really left.
Someone asked, “What does he mean?”
“Idiot, he came from over there. He must have taken the good stuff first.”
Only then did the person who asked this question understood, “No wonder we only found Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones below the Third-Order along the way. It turns out they are leftovers that he didn’t take”
Fortunately, Yang Kai was in a hurry and didn’t have any interest in materials below the Third-Order; otherwise, they would have been unable to find anything along the way.
“Let’s move in a different direction!” The leading cultivator didn’t hesitate any longer and quickly led his group to the nearest fork and entered another cave.
As Yang Kai walked back the way he came, he encountered many cultivators, some in groups of three or five, some in groups of ten, some even in groups of thirty or fifty. All of them were surprised with Yang Kai’s survival.
When people with brains saw Yang Kai walking towards them, they immediately changed the direction of their search.
After spending another day, Yang Kai finally returned to the entrance.
Looking up, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light that had gathered at the top of the cave had indeed disappeared. If not for that, how could the people on the surface of the Yuan Magnetic Mountain have come down alive?
Yue He and the others were still nowhere to be seen. They were probably still searching for more Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones.
Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry. He looked around before flying over to a stone pillar. The top of this stone pillar was a smooth surface, enough for dozens of people to stand on, and only a few dozen meters away from the entrance.
From time to time, people would fly down from above. Obviously, they were cultivators who had received the news and wanted to take a share of this place.
When these people saw Yang Kai sitting alone on the stone pillar, they couldn’t help feeling a bit surprised, but none of them thought too much about it. With their interests at stake, none of them had the time to care about others and all went off in different directions.
After waiting for less than half a day, two fierce auras descended from the sinkhole above Yang Kai’s head. Sensing these familiar auras, Yang Kai opened his eyes and saw two giant creatures, the Earth Dragon, and the Scarlet Flood Dragon, flying down one after another and circling around Yang Kai. Each of them were sending out vague messages and information, which was really annoying.
The two Ominous Beasts had put in a lot of effort and were both injured.
The Yuan Magnetic Divine Light had injured the Earth Dragon, but it had mostly recovered over the past few days with its powerful vitality. The Scarlet Flood Dragon, on the other hand, had been injured by those from Thunder Light and had chased after them in a fit of rage. It was unknown where it had gone, but it had finally returned.
“Stop quibbling!” Yang Kai was rendered a bit speechless by these two. Although they couldn’t speak, their Divine Senses were constantly sending out vague messages.
He had no choice but to throw out two Dragon Blood Pills to calm them down, whereupon each of them found a quiet place to lie down and refine the medicinal efficacies.
Yang Kai also swallowed a Dragon Blood Pill and closed his eyes to study the mysteries of his Wood and Fire Elements, hoping to comprehend some kind of Divine Ability from them.
Another day later, Yue He and the others returned, all of them wearing bright smiles on their lips, obviously having gained a lot.
Sensing Yang Kai’s aura, Yue He’s eyes lit up as she led everyone to the stone pillar and handed over a Space Ring, “Young Master, this is our harvest.”
Yang Kai looked at her with some surprise, not expecting her to hand over all her gains to him.
Yue He, on the other hand, was smiling as if it was only natural.
Yang Kai accepted the Space Ring and sent his Divine Sense into it to investigate, but his anticipation soon turned into disappointment.
Yue He and the others’ harvests weren’t small, at least thirty percent more than Yang Kai’s, and they hadn’t even let go of any Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones below Third-Order. They had probably collected everything they could get their hands on.
The remaining Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order, and Sixth-Order materials were all there. But there was nothing at Seventh-Order!
Seemingly sensing Yang Kai’s thoughts, Yue He sent a Divine Sense transmission, “There are so many Low and Mid-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones stored under this Yuan Magnetic Mountain, it’s likely that it couldn’t produce a High-Order Divine Stone.”
These words made some sense, but Yang Kai was obviously unwilling to accept them.
Putting away the Space Ring, Yang Kai looked at the Scarlet Star group and declared, “You’ve all done well. After we return, if you have any requests, feel free to make them. Whether it’s a Fifth or Sixth-Order, as long as you have the ability to refine them, this King will not be stingy.”
The dozen or so survivors were the ones who hadn’t fled in the face of the hundreds of Thunder Light cultivators. Putting aside their loyalty, at the very least, they had some courage.
As soon as Yang Kai said this, everyone’s breathing became heavy, and Guo Zi Yan also exclaimed, “Sixth Manager, you don’t need to do this!”
Yang Kai claimed that he would freely gift them Fifth-Order and even Sixth-Order materials. Although not everyone had the ability to refine a Sixth-Order material, there were still those who could refine Fifth-Order materials. This was enough to show Yang Kai’s generosity and boldness.
Not to mention, these dozen or so people hadn’t done anything much all this time. Against the provocation of Thunder Light, it was Yang Kai who had single-handedly killed and routed them. All in all, it was all thanks to Yang Kai’s protection that they were able to survive. Following Yang Kai into the depths of this underground world was nothing more than searching and using some physical strength.
In fact, if it weren’t for Yang Kai using his Earth Element Power, none of them would have been able to get down here in the first place.
Exerting a small amount of strength to gain such massive benefits was something he had never even dared to imagine before.
“This harvest is not small, and this King is not someone who likes to enjoy things alone. Since you are all my people, this King naturally hopes that you can quickly grow up so that you can help this King in the future.”
Seeing that Guo Zi Yan still wanted to say something, Yang Kai raised his hand and said, “It’s settled, no need to say anything more.”
Guo Zi Yan sighed and cupped his fists, “Then this humble subordinate will thank Sixth Manager on behalf of his Fellow Brothers!”
The dozen or so people also cupped their fists with excitement, “Many thanks, Sixth Manager!”
All of them stared at Yang Kai with fiery eyes, once again feeling that following such a Manager was a blessing. If the previous Du Niang Zi was here, she would never be this generous.
Then again, with Du Niang Zi’s ability, she probably couldn’t even reach Yang Kai’s toes.
Yang Kai added, “Some of you may have already refined different Elements, so you should have some plans for your future, but this King will give you a word of advice, whether or not you have refined any of the Yin, Yang, or Five Elements, you should try your best to refine high quality materials. Although your foundation won’t allow you to reach a higher initial Order, Higher-Order Elements might still decide your fate in a battle.”
For example, a cultivator who had refined a Third-Order Fire Element before would reach the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm at best; as a result, if one’s wealth were insufficient in the outside world, they would only seek out Third-Order materials to refine their remaining Elements.
However, this was the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. If one chose to refine a Fourth-Order or Fifth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Force, although it wouldn’t help them break through to the Fourth or Fifth Order Open Heaven Realm as they could only reach the Third-Order at best, when using their Metal Element Power, they would be able to draw out more strength, thereby increasing their lethality
Guo Zi Yan said, “Sixth Manager is right.”
A Scarlet Star disciple stood up and stated, “Sixth Manager, I only want a Fourth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone.”
“I also want a Fourth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone,” someone else requested.
The rest of the people also began making their requests. All of them were basically at the Fourth-Order. Only two of them remained silent for a long time before saying that they wanted Fifth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones.
Many cultivators in this world were constrained by their financial resources, so their initial Open Heaven Order was not their real limit.
For example, Meng Hong!
Previously, he had refined Third-Order Open Heaven materials, but his limit was actually Fifth-Order. It was just that a force like Great Moon Province was unable to satisfy his needs.
There were some who went over their aptitude as well of course and were unable to bear the pressure of refining such materials, resulting in severe backlash and often times, death.
Generally speaking, as long as one’s aptitude was good, refining Fourth-Order materials would not be a problem. If one’s aptitude were excellent, they would have a chance of refining Fifth-Order materials. As for the Sixth-Order, only true elites with an extremely good foundation and aptitude could refine them.
Of the dozen or so people present, nearly ten of them had stated their requirements, leaving only a few of them with envious looks.
They had already condensed their Metal Elements, so these Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones were naturally useless to them.
Yang Kai continued, “In the future, if we have any other gains, feel free to ask. This King will not mistreat you.”
Everyone was thrilled and cupped their fists in thanks.
Guo Zi Yan was now more than happy to offer his loyalty. This new Sixth Manager was so powerful and so generous to his subordinates, it was really rare in this world. It was also the blessing of these people to have such a superior.
Turning his head to the left and right, Guo Zi Yan asked, “Sixth Manager, there are many treasures here, how about this humble subordinate leads some people to continue to look for them?”
“There’s no need, just wait here, someone will naturally come to deliver them themselves.” Yang Kai waved off.
Guo Zi Yan was stunned, unable to understand what Yang Kai meant.
On the other hand, Yue He blinked and looked at Yang Kai, then at the special position where they stood, and then at the cave entrance a few dozen meters away, her face filled with horror as she asked, “Are you trying to block the way and rob others?”
Yang Kai grinned, “This tree was planted by me, and this road was opened by me. If they want to cross this road, they have to pay the toll. Whoever dares to say no will be killed and buried!”
Yue He was speechless. Even those from Scarlet Star were speechless. [The Sixth Manager is truly bold, he actually dares to do such a thing!]
However, since the Sixth Manager had decided to do so, they could only obey and stand behind Yang Kai to showcase their power and influence!
Although three days had already passed since the appearance of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, there were still people flying down from above and exploring the depths.
No one had left this place yet, but it was about time for some to try to depart. Although this underground area was vast, it couldn’t withstand the search of thousands of people. Since they had already excavated all the places they needed to, who would be willing to remain underground without any benefits?
As expected, after less than half a day, a few streaks of light flew over from a distance and soon arrived, preparing to fly through the entrance to leave.
However, how could Guo Zi Yan, who had long since learned of Yang Kai’s plan, give them this opportunity? He immediately stepped forward and raised his hand while ordering, “Halt!”
The oncoming people promptly stopped. When the light around them receded, a group of six figures appeared. One was an older man while the others were young men and women. From the looks of it, they should be from the same force and had probably been sucked into the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog when they were working in the Star City.
All six of them wore vigilant expressions as they secretly circulated their strength.
However, when the older man saw Guo Zi Yan’s appearance, he couldn’t help but be shocked and quickly looked towards Yang Kai, discovering that it was indeed the God of Slaughter.
The old man smiled bitterly in his heart as he had personally witnessed this young man kill Liao Yi Bai. So, at this moment, he knew that the six of them were not this young man’s opponent.
If it was a blessing it, was not a curse, and if it was a curse, it couldn’t be avoided. The old man cupped his fists and greeted, “So it is Sir Yang. This Old Master has been disrespectful. May I ask what advice Sir Yang has?”
Yang Kai, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone pillar, opened his eyes and looked at the old man plainly, “I don’t dare offer any advice, I only have one request, please take out your Space Rings for me to inspect.”
As soon as these words came out, the old man’s expression changed as a young man behind him shouted angrily, “Why?”
No cultivator was willing to hand over their Space Rings to others to be searched. Everyone’s Space Rings were private and had many of their secrets, so if they were given to others for probing, wouldn’t they be exposed?
Another young girl gritted her teeth and rebuked, “In your dreams!”
The elderly man raised his hand and stopped the youngsters behind him from speaking. He then looked at Yang Kai and forced a smile, “Sir Yang, please understand that although this Old Master and these unfilial disciples have searched the underground for several days, they haven’t found anything good. Even if we hand over our Space Rings, I’m afraid Sir Yang will be disappointed.”
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “Whether I’ll be disappointed or not, it will be apparent after I have checked.”
The old man frowned and added, “Sir Yang, how about this, we will give Sir thirty percent of our harvest and ask Sir to let us go, how about it?”
“Martial Uncle!” The young men and women behind him couldn’t help shouting. Their harvest this time wasn’t great, to begin with, so how could they be willing to hand over thirty percent of their harvest?
“I’ll only look at your Space Rings.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
The old man’s brow wrinkled even more, hesitating for some time before gritting his teeth and raising his offer, “Forty percent!”
Yang Kai turned a deaf ear to this.
“Fifty percent!” The old man took a step forward, seemingly having made up his mind, “If Sir Yang is still not satisfied, then this Old Master has nothing to say.”
Yang Kai still repeated the same sentence, “I’ll only look at your Space Rings!”
The young man who had just spoken shouted angrily, “Don’t go too far!”
Yang Kai glanced over coldly, “If I wanted it, all of you would be dead by now, how could I possibly allow you to continue quibbling?”
When the young man heard this, his face paled and he couldn’t help taking a few steps back. Thinking back to how the man before him had killed an Open Heaven Realm Master in a single move, he realized Yang Kai could kill them like they were ants.
The old man smiled bitterly, “Sir Yang, are you really going to keep insisting?”
Yang Kai was silent.
The old man nodded and added, “This Old Master understands. Sorry for disturbing Sir.” After cupping his fists, he waved his hand and ordered, “Let’s go.”
He turned around and headed in the opposite direction, leading his disciples, seemingly looking for another exit. He had been on edge, afraid that Yang Kai would try to stop him, but after they had walked quite a distance, Yang Kai showed no intention of taking action.
“That person is too much,” the young girl complained indignantly.
The old man stated, “You should now understand that in the 3,000 Worlds, strength is everything. Cultivate well in the future and don’t get distracted.”
The several disciples blushed in shame and nodded.
On the other side, Yue He asked, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll find another exit or forcefully open one?”
“They’re welcome to try,” Yang Kai replied indifferently.
They were 30,000 meters below ground, and because this was a Yuan Magnetic Mountain, the ground was extremely hard. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, where Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t display their true strength, it was near to impossible to forcefully create an exit.
Even if Yang Kai were to try it himself, he wouldn’t have a chance unless he used the Azure Dragon Spear.
It was only because the Earth Dragon was innately proficient in burrowing through the earth that it could drill a tunnel this deep into the Yuan Magnetic Mountain.
Time slowly trickled by as more and more people flew over from all directions, hoping to leave through the passage, but all of them were stopped by Guo Zi Yan.
More and more people continued to gather at the tunnel entrance. In less than half a day, there were already several hundred people gathered.
Yang Kai was sitting atop the stone pillar, completely calm and composed. The hundreds of people below him were all clamoring in rage, many of them glaring hatefully at him, but none dared to act openly aggressive, only cursing in their hearts.
As time passed, more people arrived, but none of them understood what was happening after seeing so many gathered. After asking around, they learned that Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager actually wanted to collect a toll before they could pass. Furthermore, what was even more shameless and presumptuous was that he asked to check the Space Rings of cultivators who tried to go before.
No one would agree to such a rude request; after all, what if Yang Kai snatched it away after they had handed over their Space Ring? There was no way they could defeat him, nor could they snatch it back, so although there were many people gathered here, none of them could leave.
Hu Yi was also here. Besides him, there were also several other Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The crowd’s eyes turned towards them, hoping that they could uphold justice.
Naturally, Hu Yi didn’t want to be the first one to stand out. He couldn’t wait to hide in the crowd, but with everyone watching, even if he didn’t want to stand out, he had no choice. After all, if an Open Heaven Realm Master didn’t stand up, how could he expect the Emperor Realm cultivators to speak up?
Raising his hand to calm everyone down, Hu Yi stated, “Everyone, please calm down. This Hu will go and inquire about Manager Yang’s intentions.”
The surrounding crowd cupped their fists, “Many thanks for your efforts, Manager Hu.”
Hu Yi sighed in his heart and raised his head to look in Yang Kai’s direction. Afterward, he turned his attention to the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon, who were lying on the ground not too far away, pretending to be asleep. Hu Yi’s scalp went numb as he secretly gulped before waving his sleeve and flying up the stone pillar.
Guo Zi Yan and the others looked over coldly but didn’t stop him.
Hu Yi mounted the stone pillar, cupped his fists towards Guo Zi Yan, then cupped his fists towards Yang Kai, “Manager Yang!”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and looked at him, “Manager Hu, it seems you’ve thought things through. Please hand over your Space Ring.”
Hu Yi’s mouth twitched as he forced a smile, “Manager Yang, you must be joking, this Hu only came here to ask Manager Yang what the meaning of this is?”
Yang Kai asked indifferently, “What do you think?”
Hu Yi said, “It should be for the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones!”
“Since you know, why ask?”
Hu Yi’s face went stiff as he frowned, “Although I know, I’m afraid Manager Yang’s actions are not appropriate. Everyone spent a lot of time and effort to search for these Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones, so who would be willing to hand them over so easily? Moreover, Manager Yang can’t stop everyone from passing through without any justification.”
Yang Kai raised his thumb and pointed upwards, “This tunnel was made by me! Isn’t that reason enough?”
Hu Yi was stunned for a moment before a wry smile appeared on his face. This tunnel really was created by Yang Kai; there was no way to refute this point.
Yang Kai snorted, “Without this King’s permission, all of you used the passage created by this King’s beast to search for Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones underground. It’s one thing if this King doesn’t pursue this matter, but now that I want to ask to share some of the benefits, you’re making excuses? What? Do you really think this King is easy to bully?”
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!” Hu Yi quickly waved his hand, thinking that if this guy was a soft persimmon, no one in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary wasn’t. After a moment of silence, he added, “Manager Yang, what you say is also right. How about this, you give us a number, ten percent, twenty percent, or even thirty percent. If no one has any objections, we’ll hand over the portion that belongs to Manager Yang and you let us go.”
“A percentage? How would I know what you’ve found? What if you want to deceive me?”
“Absolutely not.” Hu Yi waved his hand.
“Do you dare guarantee it?”
Hu Yi’s expression became stiff. How could he guarantee such a thing? What if someone really was unwilling to pay up and simply took out some low-grade Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones?
“Don’t waste your breath. If you want to leave this place, take out your Space Ring and let this King examine it. After the inspection, I will naturally let you leave.”
Hu Yi stated, “Manager Yang’s actions are likely to provoke public anger.”
Yang Kai sneered, “It’s not the first time!”
Hu Yi shook his head and advised, “Times have changed. Before, everyone’s hearts were not united, but now everyone wants to leave. If Manager Yang insists on stopping us, will Manager Yang be able to stop these hundreds of people? Not to mention, there are even more who have yet to arrive.”
Yang Kai raised his hand and took out the Fated Paths Bag, grinning as he stated, “Does this King need to block the way? If anyone dares to try to force their way through, they will get a taste of this King’s Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!”
Hu Yi’s face paled as he suddenly remembered that this guy had collected a lot of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. All he had to do was block the entrance and release the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light if they provoked him. No matter how many people there were, they wouldn’t be enough, and everyone would be killed.
Cupping his fists, he stepped back from the stone pillar.
The two of them didn’t try to suppress their voices, so, the hundreds of people down below heard them loud and clear. Many people were instantly filled with righteous indignation, thinking that Yang Kai had gone too far. It was true that his beast had created this passage, but there were so many treasures down below, so naturally, everyone who saw it would want to have a share. Now, he was even trying to block their way and rob them. How shameless!
However, not everyone thought so. Some cultivators were considering whether they should agree to Yang Kai’s request. In any case, they didn’t have any treasures in their Space Rings, so he might not be interested in them. The amount of Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones they had obtained this time wasn’t much, so although it was quite painful to give up some of them, it was better than being stuck here forever.
At that moment, swishing sounds rang as everyone immediately turned their heads. The next moment, they saw a dozen or so people covered in blood rushing towards the tunnel.
Guo Zi Yan took out a long stick and flew to the tunnel entrance, “Stop!”
The dozen or so people obviously recognized Guo Zi Yan and quickly stopped. The leader cupped his fists and asked, “What advice does Sir have?”
Guo Zi Yan repeated the words he had repeated countless times, “If you want to leave here, first hand over your Space Rings and let Sixth Manager examine them!”
Unsurprisingly, the dozen or so people who heard this couldn’t help becoming angry.
Just as they were hesitating, Yang Kai calmly said, “In ten breaths’ time, the people who are chasing you will arrive. Either hand over your Space Rings, and this King will let you go, or you can continue fleeing!”
The man in the lead’s expression changed as he turned his head to look back. Sure enough, he saw a streak of light rapidly flying towards them. He quickly thought about all kinds of things before asking, “Sir, could it be that everyone who wants to leave this place must hand over their Space Rings?”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and pointed down, “Those who haven’t handed over their rings are all over there!”
The man looked down and saw nearly a thousand people gathered below.
In this moment of life and death, this man was quite decisive and nodded, “Good, since that’s the case, Sir, please have a look!” As he spoke, he took out his Space Ring and tossed it to Yang Kai.
Seeing their leader act in such a manner, the dozen or so people behind him also took out their Space Rings.
Yang Kai was extremely fast, and in front of everyone’s eyes, his Divine Sense swept over the dozen or so Space Rings before raising his hand and returning all of them, “You can go!”
The lead cultivator was stunned for a moment, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He simply cupped his fists towards Yang Kai and shouted, “Many thanks, Sir!”
Saying so, he led the dozen or so people behind him out of the tunnel and disappeared.
Three breaths after they left, a group of several dozen people came chasing after them. Seeing the group of people passing through the tunnel, they didn’t hesitate to chase after them, shouting, “Where do you think you’re going?!”
However, before they could approach the entrance, the Scarlet Flood Dragon, which had been sleeping on the ground, suddenly flew up. Its massive body completely blocked the entrance and it breathed out a mouthful of raging flames, scaring the several dozen or so people to the point of staggering back. Their faces, immediately pale.
Everyone below was also shocked.
From the looks of it, if Yang Kai really didn’t want to let them pass, he wouldn’t even need to use his Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. Just the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon alone would be enough to seal the passage. Everyone immediately became frustrated.
The leader of the pursuers glanced at the Scarlet Flood Dragon and couldn’t help gulping before turning to Yang Kai and stating, “Sir Yang, we are members of Emperor Heaven.”
Yang Kai didn’t even look at him, “Call Ding Yi over to talk to me.”
The man’s expression froze. He couldn’t figure out what Yang Kai had to do with the people who had escaped and why he was protecting them, but he didn’t dare act rashly and quickly took out his communication artifact and sent a message to Ding Yi.
While he was busy, the Divine Senses of everyone below suddenly began communicating.
Just now, when Yang Kai was examining the Space Rings of the first dozen or so people, they had clearly seen him only inspect them for a moment before returning them untouched and letting them pass.
It was impossible for that group to have found nothing down here. There were so many Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones here that even if one or two of them had not found anything, the others must have found something. At the very least, they would have collected some Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones at the Third-Order.
However, Yang Kai really hadn’t taken anything.
What was going on?
If that was the case, they might be able to accept Yang Kai’s conditions. In any case, they wouldn’t suffer any real losses. At most, they would lose some face.
Therefore, after a brief hesitation, someone immediately flew up to the stone pillar and cupped his fists, “Sir Yang!”
Saying so, he handed over his Space Ring.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and grabbed the ring, sweeping it with his Divine Sense before tossing it back.
The man was overjoyed, “Farewell!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed up, and the Scarlet Flood Dragon made way for him.
This scene caused quite a number of people to burst into an uproar. If they had been mistaken before, this time, everyone was staring at Yang Kai carefully, not daring to be distracted. They didn’t dare to use their Divine Sense, and just relied on their eyes. From what they could tell, Yang Kai had indeed not taken anything from that man’s ring.
If there was a first, there would be a second. One cultivator after another flew up the stone pillar, either directly or nervously handing over their Space Rings. Basically, Yang Kai just scanned them and returned them.
After the inspection, all the cultivators left happily.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, more than a hundred people had left, but in front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai had not taken anything from their Space Rings.
Hu Yi and the other Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered around. They couldn’t understand what was going on.
Previously, everyone had thought that Yang Kai wanted to take some benefits from their harvest, and he had even said as much, but now he was not taking anything. [What is the meaning of this? Is he looking down on these people’s gains, or is he looking for something specific?]
Regardless, Yang Kai’s actions were good news for most people.
Another person flew up to the stone pillar. He wore a flattering smile on his face. Just by his looks, he appeared quite shrewd. Obviously, he was far from a good guy. He handed over his Space Ring with both hands just like everyone else, waiting with bated breath.
Yang Kai gripped his Space Ring and smiled at him, “Is everything here?”
The man quickly replied, “It’s all there.”
“Are you sure?”
The man hesitated for a moment before quickly assuring with a nod, “I dare not lie.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted and stretched out his hand, grabbing towards him. Suddenly, a Space Ring flew out from his sleeve and fell into his hand.
“Then what is this?” Yang Kai stared at him coldly.
The man was immediately struck with panic. He had obviously used a Secret Technique to hide this Space Ring, but it had still been easily found.
“Sir, please spare my life, this lowly one was only careless for a moment!”
Yang Kai didn’t even look at him and simply waved his hand, “Scram.”
A burst of energy instantly sent the man flipping straight into the tunnel, leaving behind his Space Ring.
Standing at the entrance of the tunnel, the man stared at the Space Ring that had been snatched away. His heart was aching but he weighed his strength against his opponent before grinding his teeth and flying out.
Yang Kai glanced over the crowd below and stated, “If anyone dares to conceal anything, this King won’t kill you, but that man is an example of what will happen to you!”
Everyone’s expression became serious. Some of them had been thinking the same thing as the man just now. They thought that they had found something good and wanted to hide it secretly; but in this situation, how could they have the courage?
Yang Kai really hadn’t killed that man, but he had taken all of his possessions, so how was he supposed to survive in the Grand Ruins Ancient Boundary in the future?
Time passed slowly as one cultivator after another flew in front of Yang Kai, flying out one by one.
Previously, at least a thousand people had gathered on the mountaintop, and then a thousand Emperor Heaven members came. Later on, many more cultivators arrived, so at least three thousand cultivators had gathered down below here.
Although Yang Kai’s speed wasn’t slow, it still took him quite some time to finish scanning everyone’s Space Ring.
However, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yang Kai had searched through hundreds of Space Rings but hadn’t taken anything other than from the man who tried to hide a second Space Ring.
Hu Yi and the other Open Heaven Realm Masters were constantly communicating with each other, and at a certain moment, Hu Yi suddenly turned to a cultivator beside him and ordered via Divine Sense, “You go!”
The cultivator nodded and flew forward. After waiting for half an incense stick worth of time, the man’s turn arrived.
After handing over his Space Ring, the cultivator waited anxiously, but after Yang Kai finished examining his Space Ring, he smiled and praised, “A good harvest!”
He casually tossed the Space Ring back.
The man was stunned for a moment before quickly cupping his fists, “Many thanks, Sir!”
Inside his ring were two Fifth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones. He had been worried that Yang Kai would take them, but now it seemed he had been overthinking things.
Turning around, he signalled to Hu Yi that everything went smoothly, to which Hu Yi gave a nod.
“It’s a blessing, not a curse, and if it’s a curse, we can’t avoid it. Let’s go,” Hu Yi stated.
Although it was embarrassing to have his Space Ring examined by an Emperor Realm Junior, it was impossible for him not to lower his head in the current situation. Whether he could leave or not depended on the other party’s will. With two Ominous Beasts standing guard at the tunnel entrance and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light in Yang Kai’s grasp, no one could resist.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters were also getting a little impatient, so they all nodded in agreement.
Immediately after, several Open Heaven Realm Masters led their respective disciples towards the entrance.
After a quarter hour, it was finally Hu Yi’s turn. After handing over his Space Ring, Hu Yi quietly waited.
However, this time, Yang Kai finally did something different. With a surge of his Divine Sense, a plate-sized Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone appeared in front of him, which he quickly put into his Space Ring.
Hu Yi’s eyes bulged as he quickly shouted, “Manager Yang!” His heart ached as if a few kilograms of meat had been shaved from his body. The Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone Yang Kai had taken away was a Sixth-Order material, the only one Hu Yi had obtained on this trip.
Only now did he understand that Yang Kai’s refusal to take anything before was not out of mercy, but because he didn’t care about the gains of these people. His eyes were only focused on the Sixth Order and above.
“Do you have any objections?” Yang Kai looked up, playing with Hu Yi’s Space Ring in his hand.
Hu Yi’s eyes bulged as his face twitched for a long time before he gritted his teeth and replied in resignation, “I wouldn’t dare!”
He was afraid that if he were to say a single word, his Space Ring would disappear.
Yang Kai tossed back his Space Ring and calmly shouted, “Next!”
Hu Yi took back his Space Ring, and although he was angry, he had no choice but to glare hatefully at Yang Kai before flying towards the exit.
Seeing this, the people behind him naturally understood Yang Kai’s intentions. This guy wanted to monopolize the Sixth-Order and above Stones.
In a flash, some were happy while some were sad.
At this moment, a heroic figure flew over from afar and soon arrived on the stone pillar. It was none other than Ding Yi.
Seeing how lively this place was, he couldn’t help but scratch his head and ask, “Brother Yang, what are you doing?”
Yang Kai examined a Space Ring while grinning at him, “Blocking the road and robbing people.”
Ding Yi’s expression froze for a moment before he forced a laugh, “Brother Yang surely jests.” He thought Yang Kai was joking, but after taking a closer look, he found that there were many people waiting in line. When they arrived in front of Yang Kai, they took the initiative to hand over their Space Rings for him to inspect before he let them pass.
Ding Yi couldn’t help but tremble. If this wasn’t a robbery, then what was?
For a moment, his eyes were filled with admiration. He didn’t even dare to think about such a thing. Even though they were both Emperor Realm cultivators, only Yang Kai could pull off a stunt like this.
Moreover, so many people gathered here were actually cooperating obediently!
He was instantly overwhelmed by Yang Kai’s conduct.
Ding Yi asked, “Brother Yang, do you want me to help?”
Yang Kai tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, “En, ask your Emperor Heaven members to line up behind you.”
Ding Yi was stunned, “My Emperor Heaven members also need to be inspected?”
Yang Kai stated, “No one is an exception.” He then pointed towards the front. Ding Yi looked over and discovered that this person was actually an Open Heaven Realm cultivator, but his expression was extremely ugly.
Ding Yi laughed, “No, Brother Yang, you see, Emperor Heaven, on the mountain before….”
“Indeed, I saved many of your Emperor Heaven’s lives before!” Yang Kai interrupted him before he could finish.
Ding Yi choked on his words as what Yang Kai said was the truth. If Yang Kai hadn’t released his Yuan Magnetic Divine Light at the critical moment, Sword Pavilion’s Sword Formation wouldn’t have been destroyed so easily. In the end, both sides would have suffered heavy losses. Even if the Emperor Heaven members took down Sword Pavilion’s group eventually, they would have suffered heavy casualties to do so.
“Brother Yang, is this really necessary?” Ding Yi asked with a frown.
“Don’t worry, I won’t touch anything I shouldn’t take, I’ll only take what’s useful to me!” Yang Kai comforted him.
Ding Yi stood in place and hesitated for a long time before making up his mind. He grit his teeth and agreed, “Fine, Brother Yang, my Emperor Heaven will cooperate with you!”
Saying so, he turned around and flew down, ordering Emperor Heaven’s group to line up behind him.
One cultivator after another was allowed to pass through with their Space Rings after a check. Yang Kai’s intentions were completely exposed. Even if those cultivators managed to obtain a Fifth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone, he wouldn’t touch them. Only the Sixth-Order and above would be taken away.
The reason for this was that Yang Kai had his own considerations. There were many Fifth-Order Divine Stones in the depths of this underground cave, so if he were to really snatch all of them, he would be going overboard. Even if he were to eat all the meat, the soup should be left for others. If he really took away Fifth-Order Divine Stones, he might incur the wrath of the masses and would be forced to fight it out with these thousands of people. At that time, he would slaughter them until rivers of blood flowed. As for the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones, he absolutely could not let them go. Even if he could not use them now, there would always be a use for them in the future.
As a result, the cultivators who hadn’t managed to collect a Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone were delighted, while the cultivators who had managed to obtain a Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone were all frowning.
Some cultivators even took the initiative to take out the Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones so that Yang Kai wouldn’t have to grab them. However, there were very few Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones, so Yang Kai only managed to find a few after searching through more than a thousand people.
After arranging for Emperor Heaven and the others to be searched, Ding Yi flew over to the stone pillar and stared at Yang Kai as he searched through the Space Rings one by one. Ding Yi couldn’t help but lament in his heart. [A real man should be like this! When will I be able to act so domineeringly?]
Although he was now the head of Emperor Heaven and had thousands of subordinates, he still felt that he was a bit lacking compared to Yang Kai.
Emperor Heaven’s group arrived relatively late and could be considered the last group of people, but their numbers were huge, numbering around seven or eight hundred. Originally, there were a thousand of them, but many of them had perished during the battle with Sword Pavilion.
After Yang Kai was finished checking the Space Rings of Emperor Heaven and the others, a full day had passed.
Ding Yi cupped his fists with a look of envy, “Brother Yang has had a great harvest.”
He had been watching this place for more than a day and had personally seen Yang Kai take eight Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones from other peoples’ Space Rings. These Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones were worth 15 million Open Heaven Pills each, so eight were worth more than 100 million Open Heaven Pills.
Not to mention, a Sixth-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone was simply priceless and could be sold for more than 15 Open Heaven Pills million.
Just sitting here had allowed Yang Kai to reap so many benefits so easily. It was truly enviable.
“Many thanks for Brother Ding’s cooperation,” Yang Kai smiled lightly. After this encounter, the small grudges between them had been resolved, and there was no deep hatred between them.
As he spoke, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon that had been lying low all this time suddenly crawled towards the depths of the cave.
Ding Yi was puzzled, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai replied with a snort, “There are still people hiding here who think they can escape.”
Half a day later, two massive figures flew out from the underground cavern of the Yuan Magnetic Mountain. The Scarlet Flood Dragon was taking the lead, while the Earth Dragon was following closely behind, and standing atop the massive head of the Scarlet Flood Dragon were over a dozen figures.
After dealing with the people hiding in the depths of the cave, Yang Kai finally left.
Ding Yi had left long ago. Although the Divine Stones beneath the Yuan Magnetic Mountain had all been looted, that didn’t mean there weren’t any Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones left. The entire Yuan Magnetic Mountain stretched over thousands of kilometres, attracting countless cultivators to explore it.
Even though the rich underground trove had been completely plundered, the entire Yuan Magnetic Mountain was still filled with opportunities, though the quality of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones on the surface was inferior to those in the depths.
Ding Yi led hundreds of Emperor Heaven members and scattered them throughout the Yuan Magnetic Mountain. Not only that, but he even sent a message back to his headquarters, calling his remaining several thousand people over, taking control of over a hundred kilometres of the mountain range and digging it up.
Flying down from the sky, Yang Kai heaved a sigh.
Even till now, he was unable to find a Seventh-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone. The main reason he had tried to block the road and rob others was because of this, but in the end, he found nothing. Since he was unable to find one so deep under the mountain, it was highly unlikely that he would find one on the surface.
Yue He observed his expression and knew what he was thinking. She pursed her lips and asked, “Isn’t Sixth Order already quite good? Why force it?”
It was as if she couldn’t wait for Yang Kai to absorb the Sixth-Order Metal Element material and was constantly fanning the flames.
Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered with her and simply stared at several dozen people flying over from afar.
When these people arrived, they all cupped their fists and said, “Greetings, Sixth Manager, Seventh Manager!”
As they spoke, they wore fanatical expressions.
Yang Kai looked at Guo Zi Yan suspiciously.
Guo Zi Yan explained, “Sixth Manager, these are my remaining subordinates. They were quite far away from here before, so they weren’t able to come in time. When they arrived, we were already underground, so this humble subordinate took the initiative to have them remain above.”
Yang Kai felt relieved.
After becoming Scarlet Star’s Sixth Manager, the force had sent over a hundred people to him. Only thirty or so people had been on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain before, and now the remaining people had joined them.
Compared to the thousands of Emperor Heaven members, these less than a hundred people were nothing, but these were the only men Yang Kai currently had.
“What’s the situation up here?” Guo Zi Yan asked one of the young cultivators.
The young man stepped forward and cupped his fists before replying, “Reporting to Great Commander, we have been searching for Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones for the past few days, but our harvest has not been great. The highest we found was a Third-Order Divine Stone.”
Saying so, he took out the Third-Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone.
Guo Zi Yan turned to look at Yang Kai, who waved back.
Guo Zi Yan understood immediately, “Keep it for yourself.” He knew that Yang Kai had collected nearly twenty Sixth-Order Divine Stones, so how could he be interested in a mere Third-Order Divine Stone?
The young man was thrilled and hurriedly shouted, “Many thanks, Sixth Manager!”
Although he was the one who had found this thing, if Yang Kai insisted on taking it, he would have to offer it to him with both hands. Now that Yang Kai had told him to keep it, he was naturally happy.
Pondering for a moment, Yang Kai ordered, “Commander Guo, you stay here with your brothers. If any high Order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones appear, send me a message immediately!” In the end, Yang Kai was still unwilling to give up. Although the chances of success weren’t high, what if someone really found a Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone at or above the Seventh Order on this Yuan Magnetic Mountain?
“Yes!” Guo Zi Yan nodded respectfully.
“Take this,” Yang Kai casually took out a bead and handed it to Guo Zi Yan.
Guo Zi Yan took it and asked suspiciously, “Sixth Manager, this is….”
“A Space Beacon.” Yang Kai took out another Space Beacon, “These two beads are connected with each other. Don’t put them into your Space Ring, carry them with you at all times.”
He didn’t explain too much.
Guo Zi Yan naturally accepted the order, looked to the side, and stated, “But Sixth Manager, although we have a few dozen people, we’re still too few in number. If we really find something good and have a conflict with others, without you, I’m afraid we won’t be a match.”
“Just speak your mind!” Yang Kai glanced at him.
Guo Zi Yan smiled embarrassedly and pointed to the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon next to him, asking, “This humble subordinate would like to ask Sixth Manager to leave one of them behind, preferably the Earth Dragon, so that if the situation turns sour, it can open a hole for us to escape.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “You have a quick wit. Good, I’ll leave them with you.”
Guo Zi Yan was overjoyed, “Many thanks, Sixth Manager!” He didn’t need to fear anything with these two beasts around unless one of the few great forces showed up in full force.
“Are you coming or not?” Yang Kai turned to look at Yue He.
Yue He pursed her lips and smiled, “Wherever Young Master goes, I go.”
Yang Kai rolled his eyes and reached out to grab her arm. His Divine Sense surged as they instantly disappeared.
Everyone on Scarlet Star’s side was dumbfounded. None of them had seen how Yang Kai had disappeared. Even with their Divine Senses, they could no longer detect his aura.
“Space Divine Ability!” Guo Zi Yan was fascinated. Although the Grand Ancient Ruins was huge, it was possible to go anywhere with such a Divine Ability.
The young man from before came over with a sneaky look and whispered, “Great Commander, we heard some incredible news just now, but we don’t know if it’s true or false.”
“What did you hear?” Guo Zi Yan glanced over.
The young man chuckled meaningfully and replied, “Some people say that our Sixth Manager killed an Open Heaven Stage Master in a single move? It’s said that the Open Heaven Stage cultivator was also the leader of the Profound Clouds Society or something, called Liao Yi Bai. The rumours were quite detailed.”
Someone frowned and asked, “Great Commander, could it be that someone wants to kill our Sixth Manager? I’ve also heard that our Sixth Manager is very strong. He killed the two managers, Du Niang Zi and Gan Hong with just his Emperor Realm cultivation, and forcefully entered Scarlet Star. However, killing an Open Heaven Stage Master in one move is a bit too far-fetched.”
Guo Zi Yan coldly snorted, “It’s natural to feel disbelief when you did not see it with your own eyes.”
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the newly arrived group all changed as the young man asked in surprise, “Great Commander, it’s true?”
Guo Zi Yan said, “Sixth Manager’s divine might is unparalleled, this Commander saw it with his own eyes, how could it be false!”
Everyone gasped in shock. The dozens of people couldn’t believe what they were hearing, but they knew Guo Zi Yan was not one to spout nonsense.
A disappointed look appeared on Guo Zi Yan’s face, “Although this Commander is a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Sixth Manager can probably crush me with a single finger.”
The young man’s mouth twitched, “Great Commander, you’re being too modest.”
Guo Zi Yan slowly shook his head, “You’ve only heard that the Sixth Manager killed Liao Yi Bai with a single attack using his spear, but you don’t know that our Sixth Manager killed hundreds of Thunder Light disciples, and even killed Bie Jian as well.”
Everyone was dumbfounded, seriously staring at Guo Zi Yan, trying to see if he was joking.
On the other hand, the dozen or so people behind Guo Zi Yan, because they had witnessed the battle with their own eyes, were filled with an inexplicable sense of pride. Although Yang Kai had the Scarlet Flood Dragon’s help at the time, after giving it a second thought, they realized that the Sixth Manager was still quite powerful even without the Scarlet Flood Dragon!
The young man muttered, “If that’s the case, is Sixth Manager’s act of blocking the road and robbing everyone really true?”
Because there weren’t many people who had seen the battle with Thunder Light, not many people knew about it, but when Yang Kai killed Liao Yi Bai and robbed people underground, thousands had been there to witness it.
“Our Sixth Manager is an extraordinary person; we are lucky to have the chance to follow him.”
As soon as Guo Zi Yan finished speaking, a cultivator behind him added in an excited manner, “And he’s also very generous! Sixth Manager said that as long as our brothers needed something, whether it’s Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order, or even Sixth-Order materials, we can get them by just asking him for it. It will be the same in the future!”
“Fifth-Order, Sixth-Order? Really?!” Some people couldn’t believe it. A Fifth-Order material was worth 1.5 million, while Sixth-Order materials were worth at least 15 million Open Heaven Pills. How could such a thing be given away so easily? Just how generous was this Sixth Manager?
Guo Zi Yan smiled, “Whether it’s true or not, you’ll know after we return, but I don’t think Sixth Manager will go back on his word.”
He then clapped his hand as a solemn look appeared on his face, “Good, let’s not waste any more time. Get searching; maybe we can find some high-order Yuan Magnetic Divine Stones.”
After saying this, Guo Zi Yan walked straight towards the Earth-Dragon. The Earth Dragon was an expert in digging holes, so although they had fewer people, their harvest might not be worse than others if the Earth Dragon was used well.
..…
Inside Yang Kai’s mansion back in the Star City, Yang Kai and Yue He appeared in a certain room.
Yue He was stunned for a moment before she turned around and asked, hesitating, “Is this the Star City?”
She still had some impression of Yang Kai’s room.
“En,” Yang Kai pushed open the door and walked out.
Yue He followed closely behind and exclaimed, “You can teleport tens of thousands of kilometres?”
The Yuan Magnetic Mountain was tens of thousands of kilometres away from here, but in the blink of an eye, Yang Kai had actually brought her back here. Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Yue He couldn’t help but feel shocked.
Was the Dao of Space really this powerful? If so, who in this world could possibly kill Yang Kai? Unless the space around him was sealed and isolated, if he could teleport tens of thousands of kilometres in an instant, no one would be able to catch up to him!
“This King’s ability is not something you can imagine!” Yang Kai sneered, not telling her that he had used a Space Beacon to accomplish this feat. Before he left, Yang Kai had already left a Space Beacon in his bedroom, so naturally, he could come and go as he pleased.
Yue He asked bitterly, “Then why didn’t you teleport to the Yuan Magnetic Mountain before?”
Before, they had travelled quite a distance.
“I’ve never been to the Yuan Magnetic Mountain, so how should I know its exact location?” Yang Kai casually replied.
Yue He thought about it and agreed. It was indeed difficult to teleport to places he had never been to. If something went wrong, it would be no laughing matter.
As the two of them spoke, they had already arrived in front of a certain secluded room. Two Great Moon Province disciples were standing in front of the room, waiting anxiously. When they saw Yang Kai, they immediately rushed over and greeted him, “Senior Brother Yang!”
“What’s the situation?” Yang Kai asked.
Before he left, Meng Hong had begun refining the Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. Now that several days had passed, Yang Kai had no idea about the result or whether everything went smoothly or not.