But this was not the main point. What made Yang Kai speechless was the fact that he had to divert part of his mind to the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture at all times in order to keep his the Element Powers inside of his Dao Seal in order; otherwise, they would fall into chaos.
This was a bit of a headache for him. Even though it did not occupy much of his attention and would not affect his daily life or his abilities in combat in any significant way, the harsh part was the fact that it could not be stopped for even a moment. In other words, before he could fill in the missing Element in his Dao Seal, Yang Kai definitely could not fall unconscious for even a moment, or that would spell death.
“Young Master has just condensed his Water Element Power and should enter retreat to stabilise it. Why has Young Master come out already?” Yue He looked at him in confusion.
“I have something to ask Senior Zhu. Where is she?”
Yue He shook her head, indicating that she did not know. She had been standing guard here for the past half a year without going anywhere, so how could she know where Zhu Jiu Yin had gone?
Yang Kai swept his Divine Sense over the area and soon found Zhu Jiu Yin’s aura. In a flash, he appeared in front of her.
Yang Kai was shocked when he finally saw her, because Zhu Jiu Yin was lying lazily on the bed while Lu Xue was holding a fan with a disgruntled expression, waving it gently. A mantis head was half-kneeling in obeisance on the floor in front of her, reporting something.
This mantis head looked exactly the same as the one that Yang Kai killed before. Yang Kai thought that the dead had come back to life for a moment, but on second thought, he realized that was unlikely. Da Lang’s head had been blown off by him, so how could he come back to life?
The mantis head he was seeing now had to be a different mantis beast under Zhu Jiu Yin’s command. Such a creature would not be able to enter the Star City normally, but who would dare to stop him if he wanted to enter now that Zhu Jiu Yin was here?
“You’re excused,” Zhu Jiu Yin waved her hand.
The mantis head excused himself and left without even looking at Yang Kai.
After the mantis head left, Yang Kai cupped his hands, “Senior.”
Zhu Jiu Yin raised her eyes to look at him and answered with a hum, “Since you have succeeded in condensing your Water Element Power, should you not be properly stabilizing it in retreat? Why have you come out?”
Yang Kai frowned, “I seem to have a problem.”
“What problem?” Zhu Jiu Yin was surprised.
“For some reason, I feel like there’s constantly a voice buzzing in my head, but when I try to focus on it, I can no longer hear anything.”
“A voice?” Zhu Jiu Yin frowned, “What kind of voice?”
“I can’t describe it.” Yang Kai shook his head. After listening for a while, he jumped, “It’s here again. Senior, there’s no problem with the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture, is there?”
He constantly felt as if something was wrong with this scripture that led to this situation.
Zhu Jiu Yin wondered, “I’ve never heard of this happening before.” Her past Bearer had also cultivated this technique, but he did not mention any signs resembling Yang Kai’s, “Could it be just your own delusions?”
Yang Kai paused for a moment. Hearing what she said, even he himself was beginning to wonder whether it really was just his illusion. And, the extremely faint voice did not really affect him much anyway, he was just a little concerned.
“If you’re worried, you can open your Dao Seal and I will take a look for you,” Zhu Jiu Yin suggested.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Maybe it’s just in my head.”
Zhu Jiu Yin had no ill will towards him since she chose him as her Bearer, but opening up his Dao Seal was equivalent to presenting all of his secrets to her, so Yang Kai was naturally reluctant.
Zhu Jiu Yin did not force him and simply nodded, “Maybe the situation will improve after a while.”
Yang Kai nodded. Then, he changed the subject, “Senior, is there still no news of Metal Element treasures?”
“No. Er Lang came to report on that just now. After searching for so long, they still haven’t found a Metal Element treasure that fits your requirements. I’m afraid there is no longer one available in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.”
Yang Kai was slightly disappointed, but then he perked up, “If I may trouble Senior again to have Senior’s subordinates search for Yin and Yang treasures that are also above the Seventh Order.”
Zhu Jiu Yin scoffed, “That will be even more difficult to find. The Five Elements treasures in the Seventh Order or above have more or less appeared before in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but I’ve never heard of a Yin or Yang treasure of the Seventh Order and above appearing. However, there are some that are under the Seventh Order.”
“Senior knows my ambition!” Yang Kai said solemnly.
Zhu Jiu Yin responded, “I will tell my subordinates to look out for them, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Many thanks, Senior,” Yang Kai bowed and excused himself.
Only after Yang Kai left did Zhu Jiu Yin’s eyes flash as she muttered to herself, “Could it be, the Moon Essence Spirit hasn’t been erased?”
When she heard that Yang Kai had been hearing a strange voice in his head, she remembered the thread of spirituality she had seen in the Moon Essence earlier. Since Yang Kai refined the Moon Essence, then he must have refined and absorbed that thread of spirituality as well. If it had not been erased, it could be inside of him.
But telling Yang Kai such a thing would only cause him to worry, so she simply decided not to say anything. Her purpose was to have Yang Kai seize the opportunity for her to leave anyway. After leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai’s life or death would have nothing to do with her.
Inside of his cultivation room, Yang Kai went back to cultivating so that he could stabilize the Water Element Power that he had just refined. His most important task was to activate the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture and try his best to practice it until it became instinctual. If he could achieve that, then he would not have to be afraid of the technique cutting off whenever he fell unconscious, and of course, the four Elements in his Dao Seal would also not be disturbed.
Zhu Jiu Yin’s million-plus troops were spread throughout all corners of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, searching for Yin, Yang and Metal Element treasures; however, nothing was found even after searching for two years. Yang Kai was filled with hope in the beginning, but slowly, that hope began to run out.
After cultivating for two years, his strength did not increase by much, but the Water Element Power inside of his Dao Seal has been completely stabilized, and he had reached a point where he could bring it out at will. The Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture had also been trained to the point where it had become natural for him to continue circulating it.
Yang Kai had also kept in contact with that little fatty Xu Zhen. That guy was chosen by Zhu Yan to be his Bearer, so he naturally received Zhu Yan’s vigorous cultivation. According to him, Zhu Yan had countless exotic treasures in his possession, and he had also almost fully gathered his Yin, Yang and Five Elements during the last two years, stepping into the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm.
But the World Principles inside of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were strange. Even though the Elements in their Dao Seals were complete, they could not split Heaven and Earth apart to create a Small Universe in their bodies, which meant they would not be able to make a breakthrough until they left.
Still, his strength was definitely increasing by leaps and bounds and simply could not be compared to the him from the past.
Xu Zhen had also been in contact with Ning Dao Ran and the others, so Yang Kai had been asking him about their news. From this, Yang Kai discovered that just as the little fatty guessed, those Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples were each chosen to be Bearers by different Divine Spirits. All of them were cultivating in retreat and growing in strength now.
Among them, Gu Pan was caught by Kui Niu, Qu Hua Shang ended up in Fei Yi’s hands, and Ning Dao Ran had been captured by Zhu Jian.
For these Cave-Heaven and Paradise disciples, being strong was both fortunate and unfortunate. Fortunate because they could receive the nurturing of these Divine Spirits. Each of them was freed from centuries of hard work trying to search for or purchase the required materials. Unfortunately, because of their strength, they became pawns for the Divine Spirits in the upcoming Spirit Seizing War.
If they succeeded, then everything would be fine, but if they failed, the consequences were worrying. Who knows how many Bearers died at the hands of these Divine Spirits for failing over the years?
Xu Zhen also said that these Divine Spirits were definitely not the only ones. There were many who had not shown their faces yet, and they had definitely chosen many other Bearers to cultivate in secret. These Bearers may be unknown now, but they were definitely soaring to great heights and waiting for the Spirit Seizing War to begin.
Yang Kai did not befriend many others. Even with Qu Hua Shang, Yang Kai only discussed the Yin-Yang Grand Dao with her. There was also Gu Pan who came from where Zhang Ruo Xi’s ancestors originated from.
He made up his mind that the next time he saw her, he would definitely ask her about Zhang Ruo Xi’s situation.
On this day, Yang Kai felt a fluctuation from his communication bead. He immediately took it out and swept it with his Divine Sense.
Xu Zhen’s message played, “Brother Yang, the Spirit Seizing War is beginning soon.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “How do you know?” He had not received any news, and Zhu Jiu Yin never told him about this either.
Xu Zhen told him, “Zhu Yan told me. As the Divine Spirits who were born here, they had a keen sense towards changes of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. He said that the Primordial Land will open in one year at the earliest, or three at the latest. When that happens, the Spirit Seizing War will begin, and us Bearers will compete in it.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Then Brother Xu must be careful. I will not go easy on you then.”
Xu Zhen said, “My strength has increased tremendously now. I may not be unable to best you. Brother Yang should also watch out.” Then, he changed the subject and said excitedly, “Finally, we can leave this damned place.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Leave?”
Xu Zhen responded, “Does Brother Yang not know? After the Spirit Seizing War, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary will close. Then we, the outsiders, will be sent out.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Really?”
“You will know if it’s true or not after asking that Heavenly Moon Demon Spider. It has been this way every time in history.”
This was good news. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a giant natural treasure trove, and Yang Kai had obtained unimaginable wealth here, even condensing his Earth and Water Element Powers; however, he still did not find any news about a Yin, Yang or Metal Element treasure. It seemed like they were no more in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. In that case, he could only hope to find them outside.
The sooner he left here, the better.
After counting the time, it was truly almost time for the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to close.
It has been seven or eight years since they arrived here, and Zhu Yan said that the Primordial Land will open in one year at the earliest, or three years at the latest, which is when the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was to close. This was consistent with the rumours he heard.
After chatting with Xu Zhen for a while, Yang Kai put away his communication bead and left the private room to look for Zhu Jiu Yin.
Zhu Jiu Yin was a little surprised to see him, but she still nodded, “You are here just in time. This Queen has something to tell you.”
Saying so, she suddenly shot a glance to her left and right.
Yue He and Lu Xue both said with guilty faces, “Young Master, please excuse us.”
As soon as those words left their mouths, the two women moved in unison. One of them reached a hand out to Yang Kai and tapped on his forehead. Then, the other shook out a water whip and bound Yang Kai’s waist.
Yang Kai was stunned; then, he roared, “Are you rebelling?!”
His body shook, and strong flames ignited. The two women exclaimed in shock and took a few steps back, their faces growing pale.
But before Yang Kai could ask them what was going on, he saw Zhu Jiu Yin open her small mouth and spit out a spider web that landed on top of him.
The spider web was Heaven Sealing and Earth Locking. Yang Kai was unable to even use Space Principles to escape. When he watched the web fall on him, Yang Kai roared, and a small Sun rose behind him.
Golden Crow Casts the Sun’s Divine Manifestation!
But in the next instant, the spider web wrapped Yang Kai completely inside it, and the small Sun that had just risen also disappeared in a flash.
The spider web seemed to have physical form, but it quickly invaded his body as soon as it fell on him and disappeared. Then, Yang Kai felt an extremely strong confinement force inside of his body that made it impossible for him to exert his strength properly.
“Senior!” Yang Kai was shocked and angry. He glared at Zhu Jiu Yin, “What does Senior mean to do by this?”
“Don’t be afraid.” Zhu Jiu Yin slowly got up and said in a gentle tone, “You should know that I mean you no harm since you are the Bearer I chose. I am just helping you increase your strength.”
“Are such methods needed to help me increase my strength?” Yang Kai sneered. He did not believe her in the slightest. He had the constant feeling that this devilish woman had some mischievous intentions.
Only, what confused him was why even Yue He was helping her with this. Yang Kai felt pained when he looked at her.
Yue He obviously felt a little guilty and did not dare meet his eyes. She softly said, “Young Master, I am only doing this for your own good.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted. Then, he turned back to Zhu Jiu Yin, “Dare I ask how Senior intends to help me increase my strength?”
“Come with me,” Zhu Jiu Yin began stepping outside as soon as she finished speaking.
Even though Yang Kai’s power had been sealed, his movement was unhindered. He shot a hostile glare at Yue He and Lu Xue, who both shrunk their necks in guilt, before following Zhu Jiu Yin out.
Very soon, the group of four arrived at an underground private chamber. Zhu Jiu Yin waved her hand, and lights came on in the chamber that illuminated every last detail.
Yang Kai stared in amazement. He had no idea that there was such a secret room under his own residence, but this was clearly Zhu Jiu Yin’s work. On the floor of the chamber were grooves that flowed with a crimson liquid. He had no idea what it was, but it looked like blood, and yet it did not smell like blood at all.
The grooves covered the ground, outlining an extremely complex and profound array. At the centre of this strange Array was a small altar.
“Go on,” Zhu Jiu Yin pointed Yang Kai over with her lips.
Yang Kai turned away and ignored her, quickly thinking of a countermeasure to deal with her. He still had no idea what Zhu Jiu Yin was up to.
“Childish!” Zhu Jiu Yin chuckled. Lifting Yang Kai by the collar, she threw him onto the altar, which caused the seal inside of his body to tighten all of a sudden. Yang Kai was forced to sit on the altar against his will.
Yang Kai was fuming and accused Yue He and Lu Xue, “Are you ruthless women just going to watch as she binds me like this?”
Lu Xue blushed, “We are not her opponent.”
A complicated look flashed past Yue He’s eyes, but she did not speak.
Zhu Jiu Yin chuckled, “This is all under this Queen’s orders. It is no use blaming them.”
Yang Kai looked coldly at her, “Naturally, I know it is so, but I think it should be time for you to tell me your intentions here, no?”
“The Spirit Seizing War is beginning soon.”
Zhu Jiu Yin sighed, “In one year at the earliest or three years at the latest, the Primordial Land will open!”
This was consistent with what Xu Zhen told him. Just as Xu Zhen said, it seemed like these Divine Spirits who were born and raised here had an incomparably keen sense of the changes in this world. Naturally, if Zhu Yan could feel it, then Zhu Jiu Yin would as well.
Zhu Jiu Yin was surprised to see how unperturbed Yang Kai was, but she went on to ask, “Do you know how many Divine Spirits there are in these Grand Ancient Ruins?”
Yang Kai was frank, “How would I know?”
“Around a hundred!”
Yang Kai was astonished. Even though he knew that there was more than one Divine Spirit in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he never thought that there would be so many!
How terrifying a number was that truly? Each one of these hundred Divine Spirits was equivalent to a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. If all of them left the Grand Ancient Ruins, then even the Cave-Heavens and Paradises would find it hard to compete against them.
“Setting aside those who have no ambition and are content with their current lives, more than half of those old ghosts are dead set on leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins,” She was one of those old ghosts, and more than half would mean at least sixty or seventy.
“These guys each have their own Bearer; in other words, their goal is the same as yours in this Spirit Seizing War. All of them are fighting for the one and only opportunity!”
“And so what if that is the case?” Yang Kai had a fearless face.
“You may be strong, but that does not guarantee that you will last until the end.” Zhu Jiu Yin sighed. Her previous Bearer was the same. Among all of her past Bearers, his strength was definitely at the top, but he still died in the end, keeping her from leaving this place, “That’s why you must get even stronger.”
Yang Kai quickly said, “I also wish to become stronger, but your subordinates were not useful and were unable to find what I nee…” Speaking up to here, his face suddenly changed to one of shock. As if realizing something, his face suddenly went pale.
Zhu Jiu Yin giggled, “Seems like you finally understand it, which makes this much easier.”
With a wave of her hand, all sorts of Metal Element treasures were suspended in the air. There were more than a dozen in total, each one of them emitting strong Metal Power. Each one of them was of Sixth Order!
“The World Principles in the Grand Ancient Ruins are strange, so one cannot exert too much power. It is of no difference whether you refine a Sixth or Seventh-Order Element, but you will see an obvious increase in your strength once you do refine one. Look at how many Metal Element treasures I’ve found for you. Which one do you like?”
But before Yang Kai could protest, Zhu Jiu Yin began introducing each item to him, “You should have this Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone yourself as well. If you refine this, you will be able to cultivate the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light Divine Ability. There is also this 10,000-Year Bronze Essence, which is also not a bad choice. This is an Illusionary Star Sand, and this…”
She introduced the Metal Element treasures one by one with a smile, but in Yang Kai’s eyes, that smile was incomparably malicious.
Indeed, after choosing Yang Kai as her Bearer, she had been nurturing him greatly during the past few years, even teaching him the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture without any reservation. While Yang Kai was refining the Moon Essence, she even personally stood guard for him.
But it was not out of goodwill that she did all this for him. Only, the stronger Yang Kai was, the greater her hopes of leaving this place were. The Spirit Seizing War was about to begin, so there was not much time left. Zhu Jiu Yin could not indulge Yang Kai as she had before any longer. Whether Yang Kai was willing or not, she would complete the Yin, Yang and Five Elements in Yang Kai’s Dao Seal so that he could exert even stronger might.
That was how they arrived at this scene today.
A few moments later, Zhu Jiu Yin urged, “Choose one, or I will choose for you.”
Yang Kai shut his eyes and tried to circulate the power in his Dao Seal to break the seal inside of his body.
Zhu Jiu Yin sneered when she saw this, “Then I will choose.” Lifting her hand, she collected an Illusionary Star Sand and put the rest of the treasures away before approaching Yang Kai.
Yang Kai looked at her, “I will not comply with this.”
Zhu Jiu Yin smiled like blooming flowers, “This Queen knows you will not cooperate, but rest assured. I do not need your cooperation. I have arranged this Array just for this day.”
Yang Kai was shocked at her words. He thought that he would be fine as long as he did not cooperate with her; after all, it was he who had to condense the power into his Dao Seal. But now, it seemed like he had underestimated Zhu Jiu Yin. He had already felt that this Array was very strange, and it turned out it was set up to forcibly condense the Metal Element into his Dao Seal.
[Spirit Arrays can even do this?]
He had no idea whether Zhu Jiu Yin was lying to him or not, and he did not have the time to find out. Zhu Jiu Yin had already sat cross-legged a metre away from him and spoke with a solemn expression, “There will be some pain, so just bear with it. If you do not wish to suffer, then you better cooperate obediently.”
After saying so, she formed different seals with one hand while spider silk emerged from the fingertips of her other hand. Countless spider silk threads pierced through the Illusionary Star Sand and drew the Power of Metal from within it.
Closing her jade white hand, Zhu Jiu Yin’s spider silk threads suddenly shot out and entered the array.
The Array rumbled as it was activated, and the blood-red liquid flowed in the grooves, surging towards the small altar and converging on Yang Kai’s body.
The countless spider silk threads hidden in the liquid burrowed into Yang Kai’s body through his pores.
Yang Kai grunted. He felt as if a thousand holes were being poked into him, and he was almost jumping in pain. Following that, a wisp of Power of Metal began invading his body and moving towards his Dao Seal.
Horrified, Yang Kai tried desperately to resist, but to no avail.
Immersing his mind into his body, Yang Kai could see traces of the Metal Element Power about to infiltrate his Dao Seal. Quickly, Yang Kai bit down on his tongue and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood onto Zhu Jiu Yin’s face and snarled, “If you dare do it, then I’ll die here and now!”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s movements stalled for a moment and looked at Yang Kai with her bright eyes, seemingly to see whether he was lying or not. After a moment, she laughed, “Are you trying to threaten me? This Queen is not afraid of you.”
She continued her actions.
Yang Kai roared through gritted teeth, “I swear on my Dao Seal!”
The smile on Zhu Jiu Yin slowly stiffened as she stared at him.
“Come on!” Yang Kai roared, “If you dare to ruin my Dao Seal, I will die here in front of you!”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s face was grim, “You dare threaten this Queen?”
“If you insist, then don’t blame me if I retaliate!” Yang Kai sneered, “My will is for the Seventh Order, and you know this! Yet, you now bear evil intentions toward my Dao Seal! Forcibly gathering a Sixth-Order Metal Element Power inside me, how could I possibly allow you to do so!”
“Are you not afraid that this Queen will kill you?” ZHu Jiu Yin’s eyes were brimming with murderous intent.
Yang Kai sneered, “The Spirit Seizing War is about to begin in a year at the earliest, and three at the latest. Where will you find another suitable Bearer in such a short time? Even if you do find one, how much time will you have to nurture him or her? He or she will surely be defeated in the Spirit Seizing War, and you will have no hope of escaping the cage of this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to witness the wonders of the outside world.”
“How dare you!” Zhu Jiu Yin fumed, body shaking in anger.
Yang Kai sighed, “It is hard to find another as excellent as me. Oh, how I truly worry for you.”
Yang Kai’s boasting naturally made her snicker, but she had to admit that this Bearer really was a cut above the rest. Nobody could be clearer than her how strong Da Lang was, only a few in the entire Grand Ancient Ruins could kill him.
And just as Yang Kai said, she did not have much time nor the energy to nurture another Bearer.
The reason she razed the Sword Pavilion Star City and slaughtered tens of thousands of cultivators was in order to find a suitable Bearer. Unfortunately, not a single one of them met her requirements. In a fit of rage, she drowned the Star City in rivers of blood and buried them all.
Yang Kai swore an oath on his Dao Seal, which made it hard for her to continue. This was an oath related to one’s Martial Dao. Once the oath was made, there was no way to break it. If she forcibly condensed the Sixth-Order Metal Element Power into his Dao Seal, then even if Yang Kai did not commit suicide, his Dao Seal would definitely be damaged, and when that happened, it would become completely useless.
How could Zhu Jiu Yin not be annoyed when she was being manipulated by a Junior in such a way?
It was at this moment that a shout suddenly came from behind. Yue He attacked from behind, the Yin, Yang and Five Element Power gathered in the palm of her jade hand, forming a ball as she slammed it down towards Zhu Jiu Yin.
Without even turning back, Zhu Jiu Yin swept her hair back, and her hair suddenly rose up and pierced through Yue He.
Yue He was flung away with blood spraying from her body. She landed on the wall and slowly slid down. Shocked, Lu Xue quickly went over to help her up.
Yang Kai also turned to look at her, and his eyes were dark.
He was not sure why Yue He was helping with this evil act, but once he learned of Zhu Jiu Yin’s intention, he understood. Yue He did not want him to reach the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. She had always been encouraging him to condense a Sixth-Order Metal Element, but Yang Kai never listened to her.
Zhu Jiu Yin had the means to forcibly condense a Sixth-Order Element into Yang Kai, which was in line with Yue He’s wishes; moreover, since an arm cannot be thicker than a thigh, she had no choice but to cooperate with her.
But Yang Kai’s life was at stake at this moment, so Yue He could no longer sit still. Even though she understood that she was not Zhu Jiu Yin’s opponent, she still had to delay her with her life at stake.
“How dare a cheap slut like you disobey this Queen?” Zhu Jiu Yin had already been given a stomach full of grievances by Yang Kai with nowhere to vent it, so Yue He’s actions were like sending herself onto the spear point.
Swinging her hair again, the black threads suddenly turned into sharp blades that stabbed towards Yue He.
Yang Kai shouted urgently, “If you dare kill her, then I will die here! I swear it on my Dao Seal!”
The speeding hair threads suddenly stopped right in front of Yue He’s face. The threads of hair had already pierced into Yue He’s body, causing the latter’s eyes to go wide in horror. She could feel countless wounds being poked all over her skin, as if even her Soul was going to be pierced through.
Zhu Jiu Yin turned to look at Yang Kai, her delicate face filled with anger, “Is this the only trick you know?”
Yang Kai grinned, “It’s not about variety, but usefulness. Senior can give it a try and see if I have the guts to die in front of you.”
Zhu Jiu Yin was gritting her teeth so hard that they could almost crack. She wanted nothing more than to slap Yang Kai to death right now.
Yang Kai on the other hand remained casual, “Senior should already know about my abilities. So what if I do not refine a Metal Element Power? Who in this Grand Ancient Ruins is my opponent?” He looked proud, “Senior just has to wait for my good news in the Spirit Seizing War. I will definitely obtain the opportunity.”
Zhu Jiu Yin sneered, “And what if you fail to get it?”
“Then I will be at Senior’s disposal!” Yang Kai puffed out his chest, “I know what Senior is capable of. If you really want me dead, then there is no way that I can resist.”
“At least you know that much!” Zhu Jiu Yin’s dark face eased up, and her hair retracted. Yue He let out a stifled grunt, her body covered in blood.
Lu Xue hurriedly went forward to put pressure on her wounds.
Zhu Jiu Yin got up and left with a flick of her sleeves, her floaty voice emerging, “Remember what you said today. If you fail, then you will suffer a fate far worse than death.”
After watching her leave, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had gotten past a difficult moment. It was also a shame since he and Xu Zhen had been in contact with each other all this while, and he was planning to take the opportunity to ask for more benefits for himself. But after today’s incident, he had no way of bringing it up anymore in case he enraged Zhu Jiu Yin again.
The seal within his body suddenly disappeared, and the spider web left together with Zhu Jiu Yin. Strength inside of his body began to flow again.
Yang Kai got up and went towards Yue He.
Yue He’s injuries were not severe, and even though she looked to be in bad shape, the wounds were only skin-deep. With her Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm foundation, she would be able to recover with just two or three days of rest.
Noticing Yang Kai approaching her, Yue He did not even dare to raise her head. She was too ashamed to face him. After crawling up with difficulty, she kneeled in front of Yang Kai with her eyes downcast, and just like a poor aggrieved wife, she said, “Please lay down your punishment, Young Master!”
Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke. She regretted having cooperated with Zhu Jiu Yin, and even though Yang Kai could never have resisted even without her cooperation, she still felt like she had betrayed him, and it drowned her in guilt.
Yang Kai raised a hand and placed it on her head, sighing, “Do not let this happen again!”
After shooting a look at Lu Xue, indicating for her to take care of Yue He, he left in a flash.
After Yang Kai left, Yue He fell limp on the floor and looked up at Lu Xue, muttering, “Did I make the wrong choice?”
Lu Xue asked, “Did you tell Sir about the benefits and harm of directly achieving the Seventh Order?”
Yue He shook her head, “I wanted to wait until we left this place to tell him and to dissuade him, but now, it seems his Dao Heart is firm and determined. Even that person will not be able to persuade him.” Naturally, the person she spoke of was the Proprietress.
Lu Xue sighed. She knew that Yue He’s words were true. Yang Kai would rather swear death on his Dao Seal than refine a Sixth-Order Element. This meant that he had made up his mind to achieve the Seventh Order or die trying.
But nowadays, who dared to achieve the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm directly? His future was bound to be rough.
A month later, news of the Primordial Land’s opening spread throughout the entire Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Nobody knew who spread the news to begin with, but it wasn’t long before everyone had heard of it.
The Primordial Land was about to open, and the Primordial Land was the greatest opportunity in the entire Grand Ancient Ruins. There were countless treasures to be found there, and anything they found could easily allow one to soar to the Heavens. It was said that many powerful Masters from the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had also been to the Primordial Land, and it was the opportunities they found there that allowed them to rise to their current positions.
Countless people were excited at the news, and they were all eagerly waiting. One after another, cultivators rolled up their sleeves as they waited for the Primordial Land to open so that they could enter and seek their own fortunes.
Yang Kai was cultivating peacefully in retreat. Ever since what happened, Zhu Jiu Yin did not try to force him to condense a Sixth-Order Element anymore. On the other hand, she did find him many precious treasures that could be used to increase his strength.
There was no reason to refuse these gifts, so Yang Kai accepted all of them and made a fortune; after all, nothing that could come from the hands of a Divine Spirit could be bad in quality. Zhu Jiu Yin was also doing this for her own sake, so Yang Kai accepted everything with peace of mind.
He also kept in close contact with Xu Zhen.
According to Xu Zhen, he had made a deal with Zhu Yan. If he could seize the opportunity to take Zhu Yan out of the Grand Ancient Ruins, then Zhu Yan would become his Protector for 500 years! The others also offered similar terms and signed contracts with their respective Divine Spirits. Only, the length of time they were asked to be their Protectors differed.
The Divine Spirits also hoped that their chosen Bearers would give it their all in this battle, so they naturally offered some benefits. And, becoming a Protector for these Bearers was the greatest benefit. Each party gave and took, so it was a fair trade.
Yang Kai was red-eyed to hear this. He had also planned to sit down with Zhu Jiu Yin and discuss the same thing, but after the last incident, he really could not find the opportunity to do so. As such, he had no choice but to wait for the right opportunity.
Day after day went by.
A year and a half later, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary suddenly shook. Following that, a strange fragrance filled the air. Everyone’s spirits were shaken, and none could resist the urge to seek out the source of the fragrance.
Very soon, the eyes of many cultivators were attracted by a seven-coloured glow in the sky.
The glow was an unknown distance from the ground, and it seemed to be far up above, its colours ever-changing as it hung like a canopy over the world.
“This is…” Some people were puzzled.
“Is some supreme treasure being born?” Some people felt their spirits being lifted, and there was greed in their eyes.
“The Primordial Land is about to open!” Soon the mystery was resolved. News about the Primordial Land’s opening had already been circulating around various strongholds, so everyone was waiting for it. Now that the world was showing signs of change, what else could it be other than the opening of the Primordial Land?
“Finally, the day has come! Hahaha, after holding back for so many years, it’s time to soar to the Heavens!” A man laughed and rose up from one of the strongholds, rushing straight towards the place where the glow seemed to originate from. Following that, dense streams of light shot out from each stronghold. Everyone was rushing to get into the Primordial Land.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators rose up from each of the Human strongholds, rushing towards the Primordial Land. In the blink of an eye, the strongholds, which had been operating for more than ten years, were all empty.
Inside Scarlet Star’s Star City, half of the entire population disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was even a huge Starship with Scarlet Star’s symbol emblazoned on its hull rising up into the sky. Many of Scarlet Star’s disciples boarded the Starship under the leadership of several Managers and headed for the Primordial Land.
Inside Yang Kai’s mansion, Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice rang out, “Boy, it’s time to leave. The Primordial Land is opening!”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and left through the door.
Zhu Jiu Yin took one look at him, nodded lightly, and then grabbed him by the collar, rising into the sky with him.
Yue He came to see what was going on when she heard the commotion, only to see two figures turning into streams of light and disappearing. She quickly gathered Guo Zi Yan and the others before following after them.
In the middle of the dense forest, an old ox that was laying under a tree suddenly stood up and glanced in a certain direction, spitting out human words, “Child, the Primordial Land is opening. It is time for us to depart.”
“En.” Gu Pan appeared out of nowhere. In a flash, she was sitting on top of the old ox’s head and said in a gentle voice, “Thank you, Grandpa Ox.”
The old ox laughed, “Hang on tight and don’t fall off.”
Saying so, he charged off as quick as lightning.
At a certain swamp, a strange, thousand-meter-long snake slithered forward, body stretching up as swiftly as the wind.
The strange snake had two heads and its forked tongues were spat out of its mouth. Creatures scattered wherever it passed, and as it rolled its tongue back into its mouth, an exotic beast that was hidden in the swamp was pulled inside before being swallowed into its belly.
On the left of the snake’s head was Qu Hua Shang, holding her forehead with a worried face, “Senior, can’t we split up? Why don’t you go to the Primordial Land first and wait for me there?”
The strange snake’s right head said in the human language, “We are too far away and you are too slow. At your pace, by the time you arrive at the Primordial Land, everything will already be over.”
“But…” Qu Hua Shang was extremely troubled, “You’re too ugly…”
She could not stop sighing in her heart. The Divine Spirits of the others were all majestic or beautiful as paintings, yet her own was so ugly that she could hardly bear to look at him.
The strange snake fumed, “Me, ugly? You must be blind, little girl. How could you call me ugly? You’re the ugliest one!”
Qu Hua Shang’s face went dark, but she was unwilling to argue with him about this further.
Many millions of kilometres away, a man riding on a leopard spirit beast was laughing and shouting, “Faster, faster! I can’t wait to meet the heroes of this world. I want to see whether they’re greater or if this one is greater!”
The Human-faced leopard Divine Spirit grumbled, “Stinking brat, I’m your Protector, not your mount, so don’t think you can order this Great Aunt around! I’ll throw you down if you keep making noise!”
The man laughed again, “Go ahead and throw me off! If you throw me off, then there will be no one to grab the Innate Spirit Fruit for you!”
The Human-faced leopard Divine Spirit fumed.
…..
One by one, the Divine Spirits moved out, bringing their chosen Bearers with them towards the Primordial Land. The World Energy was in chaos, and only now did the cultivators who fell into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary realize that there were actually so many powerful existences in this world, so they could not help but tremble.
They had been living here for more than ten years, but only a few of them had encountered Divine Spirits. They never knew that the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary could actually be so dangerous.
Fortunately, most of these Divine Spirits lived in seclusion, not bothering to harm others before. Otherwise, how could anyone still be alive today? Any one of these Divine Spirits was not a being that any of those Humans could fight against.
The Primordial Land was about to open, and a Heavenly Manifestation was emerging. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was boiling with excitement. Countless cultivators were converging towards the Primordial Land from all directions.
In just ten short days, no less than 3,000 people gathered outside the Primordial Land, and this was merely the first group to arrive. More would come as time passed.
A month later, no less than 200,000 people had already gathered outside the Primordial Land. At this point, no more people were coming. Even if there were, they were only a few scattered cultivators here and there.
In other words, almost all of the cultivators who were still living now in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were gathered here.
When the Star City was swallowed up by the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog, there were naturally more than just 200,000 people swept up. There were at least three or four times this amount, possibly more. After ten years had passed though, only so many people remained alive, which showed how dangerous the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was.
Now that the Primordial Land was opening, how many would return safely?
Outside of the Primordial Land, cultivators gathered in groups. They were all setting up their own camps, and the Divine Spirits also released their powerful auras without any trace of politeness to claim territories and deter others out of respect and fear.
Everyone looked up at the sky in awe, staring at the ever-changing seven-coloured glow, which was said to be the gateway to the Primordial Land. Only, it had yet to fully open at this moment, so no one could enter. The day the glow became completely stable was the day when this secret land opened.
Qu Hua Shang, Gu Pan, Lin Feng, Xu Zhen, and Ning Dao Ran were all present and gathered in one place, laughing and talking about their encounters of recent years.
Behind the five of them, the five Divine Spirits watched them from afar, not only looking after the safety of their Bearers, but also coveting the lives of the others.
If they could kill a few more Bearers here, then it would mean less competition later.
The extremely faint sense of hostility was pervasive, but under mutual deterrence, none of them dared to strike.
The two-headed strange snake slithered over, silently spitting out its forked tongues before retracting them quickly.
Qu Hua Shang turned her head in anger, “If you dare eat him, then I will leave immediately!”
The strange snake’s left head said, “Eat what? What’s there to eat?”
Qu Hua Shang gritted her teeth, “Open your right mouth.”
The strange snake’s right head turned its head aside and looked up at the sky with its two snake pupils.
“I’m leaving!” Qu Hua Shang got up decisively.
“I won’t eat them anymore, I won’t!” The left head shouted. Then, as the right head opened its mouth, a wet cultivator was spat out. The cultivator had a bewildered look on his face after landing on the ground, not knowing when he had been scooped up into this Divine Spirit’s mouth. As soon as he realized what had happened, his face paled and he shrieked before turning into a stream of light and flying far away.
The strange snake coldly snorted, “You really are troublesome, you ugly girl. There are so many people here, what does it matter if I eat one or two of them!”
The faces of the cultivators nearby paled in an instant and all moved away from the strange snake.
“Watch it, I’ve got my eye on you!” Qu Hua Shang pointed at her eyes and glared viciously at the strange snake.
The corner of Xu Zhen’s mouth twitched, “Uh… Senior Fei Yi is quite interesting.”
The strange two-headed snake was the Divine Spirit, Fei Yi. Xu Zhen could not help but feel envious of Qu Hua Shang for having such a firm hold of this Divine Spirit. His experience in speaking with Zhu Yan had not been as smooth. During the years he spent with this Divine Spirit, he had experienced a fair share of beatings.
“So unbearably ugly!” Qu Hua Shang said with a look of disgust on her face before she changed the subject, “How come Brother Yang isn’t here yet? He should have arrived long ago.”
Qu Hua Shang had been furthest away from the Primordial Land’s entrance, and even she was able to arrive three days ago, yet she saw no sign of Yang Kai, so she could not help but wonder.
Xu Zhen answered, “I contacted Brother Yang earlier, but something seems to be hunting him down!”
Qu Hua Shang was shocked, “Hunting him down? Who?”
Xu Zhen responded, “The Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s enemies teamed up to ambush them on their way here, which held them back for quite some time.”
Qu Hua Shang was stunned.
“Huh? Here he comes.”
Xu Zhen suddenly turned towards a certain direction. There, a fierce aura could be seen rapidly approaching. In the blink of an eye, it had already arrived in front of them, taking the form of a gorgeous young girl that was holding onto someone in her hands. Who could it be but Yang Kai?
Yang Kai was latched onto the woman’s body at this moment like an octopus, holding onto her for dear life and complaining incessantly, “Why do you have so many enemies? How did you survive all this while, woman?”
Zhu Jiu Yin sneered, “Do you really think a few pitiful weaklings like them can fight against this Queen? If it were one-on-one, then this Queen would have killed them off ruthlessly already!” As she said that, she stared coldly at Yang Kai, “Aren’t you going to let go?!”
Yang Kai suddenly came to his senses and let go of her. Standing next to her, he tidied up his own clothes, and he could not help but sigh as he thought back to their previous encounters on their way here.
In this one month, they had encountered at least five ambushes. Several Divine Spirits had been lying in wait for them on their way here, and they fought more than a dozen battles, both big and small. The worst fight was when they were being ganged up on by three Divine Spirits. Zhu Jiu Yin was also amazing to have been able to hold off those attackers and get them here safely; however, they did waste a lot of time on the way.
They had just arrived when another five powerful auras rushed over behind them. They were five Divine Spirits who had been chasing after them all this way, and all of them had taken on Human forms. There were both male and female, young and old. All of them were looking over with eyes filled with hatred as if they could not wait to skin Zhu Jiu Yin alive.
Yang Kai’s heart was pounding, “Senior, they’re here. Are you able to hold them back?”
Zhu Jiu Yin responded crisply, “No!”
“Then, we’re in danger.”
Yang Kai had a grave expression, “We’d better avoid them for now and come back when the Primordial Land opens.”
“Don’t worry.”
Zhu Jiu Yin reassured him, “Since we are here, they won’t try to attack us anymore.”
“Why?” Yang Kai did not understand.
“They also have enemies. Starting a fight here will only be troubling themselves!” Zhu Jiu Yin sneered.
Just as she said, after these five chased them to this place, even though all of them were filled with fury, none of them tried to attack Zhu Jiu Yin. Yang Kai could also keenly sense that there were strong auras locked onto these five Divine Spirits. Those seem to be their enemies as Zhu Jiu Yin was talking about.
“Even though they won’t dare to strike at me so simply, you should still watch out. Better not let them hurt you.” Zhu jiu Yin reminded Yang Kai, “Remember their auras. If you encounter their Bearers in the Primordial Land, then kill them for me!”
Yang Kai frowned, “They have Bearers, too? Why don’t I see them?”
Zhu Jiu Yin smirked, “Naturally, they are hiding among the other Humans and unwilling to show themselves. But since they came here, that must mean they have already chosen their Bearers. There is no way they would come here empty-handed.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Understood.”
Turning around and looking behind him, Yang Kai was stunned. The portal to the Primordial Land was magnificent. The seven-coloured glow twisted and turned as if a great mystery was hidden behind it.
Around the outer periphery of the Primordial Land, Divine Spirits with powerful auras occupied different pieces of territory. Some hid their Bearers in the crowd while others stayed close to protect them.
Yang Kai was shocked. At a glance, there were at least fifty Divine Spirits gathered here!
How terrifying a force was that? These fifty Divine Spirits were equal to fifty High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Perhaps only a few of the Cave-Heavens and Paradises had such a powerful heritage.
Most of these Divine Spirits had taken human form, but there were also those who maintained their true bodies, each one as big as a mountain, appearing majestic and powerful.
Yang Kai saw Kun Sha, who was glaring coldly at him, not at all hiding his murderous intent.
There was also Fei Yi, Kui Niu, Zhu Yan, Bi Fang, Nu Fang…
Yang Kai had only heard of these Divine Spirits but never seen them before. Today, Yang Kai had an eye-opening experience.
These Divine Spirits were not all the Divine Spirits that could be found in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Zhu Jiu Yin had told him before that some Divine Spirits were satisfied with the situation and had no intention of leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins. Naturally, they would not come to interfere in this chaos.
However, Yang Kai was surprised that he saw neither Dragons nor Phoenixes among the Divine Spirits. He was able to obtain an Earth Attribute Great Dragon Bead previously in the Crouching Dragon Mountains, so he thought that Dragon Clan members existed in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. However, now it seemed that the Great Dragon that passed away was the last of its kind.
This made him feel slightly sad. Yang Kai never made a contract with Zhu Jiu Yin through these days because he was hoping to find a Great Dragon. If he could find a Dragon here, then he would have better options.
Yue He and the rest had arrived long ago and were looking forward to the Primordial Land’s opening. They were able to find a spot and were waving incessantly in Yang Kai’s direction.
After meeting up with each other, they asked Yang Kai about what he encountered during the past month and were soon quite shocked.
After some small talk, Yang Kai said, “Senior, I think it’s time you tell us about the Primordial Land.”
“I know nothing.” Zhu Jiu Yin shook her head.
Yang Kai was shocked, “How could you know nothing?” He had never asked Zhu Jiu Yin about the Primordial Land before, thinking that she would explain everything to him when the time came. Who knew that he would get such an answer when he took the initiative to ask her?
“It’s not as if this Queen can enter the Primordial Land, so how should I know?” Zhu Jiu Yin snorted. If the Divine Spirits could enter the Primordial Land, then why would they need to choose a Bearer? They could have gone in to fight for the opportunity themselves.
Yang Kai frowned, “Even though you’ve never been inside, didn’t you have a Bearer before…” Speaking up to this point, Yang Kai suddenly understood. It was true that Zhu Jiu Yin had Bearers in the past, but they clearly died inside, so it was reasonable that she knew nothing about what happened inside.
“Then, what do you know? What should I do after going in?” Yang Kai tried to ask for the next best thing.
Zhu Jiu Yin said, “I only know that the treasures inside are countless, but the most important one is the Innate Fruit Tree. The Innate Fruit Tree will appear every time the Primordial Land opens, but only one Innate Spirit Fruit can be picked before it disappears. For native Divine Spirits like us to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins, we must consume that Innate Spirit Fruit, and that is why it is called the Spirit Seizing War.”
“Innate Spirit Fruit!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. Anything that can be described as Innate must be extraordinary.
Zhu Jiu Yin rolled her eyes, “Forget about it. Eating the fruit will not bring you much benefit. Us Divine Spirits are born and raised in this Grand Ancient Ruins, but we are also trapped by it. Fortunately, this Innate Spirit Fruit was created especially for us Divine Spirits. If you can bring it out for me, then you will definitely be rewarded.”
Yang Kai nodded, but in his heart, he was unconvinced. He had some doubts about her words. Zhu Jiu Yin was probably afraid that he would eat the Innate Spirit Fruit, and that was why she said what she did. Whether it was useful to him or not was yet to be known.
“You will have to search for the Innate Fruit Tree yourself. As for what it looks like, you will also have to identify it by yourself. Don’t have any funny thoughts. Just be a good boy and bring that spirit fruit out to me, and this Queen will make sure it is worth your time.”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, thinking that once the spirit fruit was in his hand, then it was not up to her to make the terms.
As if sensing what Yang Kai was thinking, Zhu Jiu Yin shot him a deep look, and a sardonic smile emerged on her lips.
“Senior, I’m going to meet some of my friends over there. I hope Senior can accompany me.” Yang Kai pointed to where Xu Zhen and the rest were standing.
“What are you seeing them for? No point in complicating things on purpose. This Queen needs to adjust her breathing so be good and wait here.” Zhu Jiu Yin coldly snorted before sitting down cross-legged. She had also expended a lot of energy during this past month, so she naturally wanted to recover as soon as possible.
Yang Kai was speechless. Glancing over at Xu Zhen and the others, he shook his head.
Without Zhu Jiu Yin to shelter him, he did not dare move around by himself. The Divine Spirits chasing after Zhu Jiu Yin would not easily let go of the opportunity to kill him. As long as they could kill him, then Zhu Jiu Yin’s plan would fall through, so they naturally wouldn’t be hesitant about attacking.
Time passed slowly, but the 200,000 people gathered outside the Primordial Land were all waiting quietly.
Ten days later, the ever-changing seven-coloured glow suddenly froze for a moment before distorting and warping at an even faster speed. At the same time, the World Energy in the entire Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was madly gathering at this place, drawing up a gale. Rocks and sand flew, and suddenly, the light disappeared from the sky.
All the Divine Spirits were shaken, and they all lifted their heads to look at the Primordial Land’s portal.
“It’s opening!” A Divine Spirit shouted.
The 200,000 people were also shaken, and all of them turned their eyes to the portal.
Zhu Jiu Yin also opened her eyes to look into the sky, “Brat, come here.”
Yang Kai went over obediently, “What orders does Senior have?”
“I only have one sentence for you. This trip can only end in success, not failure. If you fail, then you will be worthless to me. You know what that means, right?” Zhu Jiu Yin looked indifferently at him.
Yang Kai nodded expressionlessly, “Naturally.”
“Good.”
At the same time, many Divine Spirits were also talking to their respective Bearers, some encouragingly, others threateningly.
Gu Pan stood in front of Kui Niu, saying seriously, “Rest assured, Grandpa Ox, I will definitely get you the Innate Spirit Fruit and bring you out of here.”
Kui Niu transformed into a kindly old man with an all-white beard and long eyebrows, smiling, “Just do your best. The most important thing is that you return safely.”
Gu Pan nodded hard.
Fei Yi had also taken on a human form with two heads and a wicked appearance. Forked tongue slipping out of his mouths, he hissed, “Ugly girl, if you fail, then do not blame this King when you are eaten.”
“Yes, yes, yes, all you think about all day is eating. I’ll also grab that Innate Spirit Fruit and have a taste of it.” Qu Hua Shang fumed.
Fei Yi’s two faces paled, “I was just kidding! En, you must bring me the Innate Spirit Fruit. I will definitely offer you many benefits.”
On the other side, Xu Zhen was covering his head angrily, “Can’t you just talk normally? Why do you keep hitting me?”
Zhu Yan slammed his fist down, causing a visible bulge to appear on the little fatty’s head that glowed brightly. Zhu Yan then snorted, “If you do not bring me the Innate Spirit Fruit, then you will receive more than just a beating. You hear me?!”
Xu Zhen gritted his teeth, “Just you wait! Once I bring you out of here, I will make you my mount for five hundred years!”
Zhu Yan sneered, “If you really do have this ability, then what does it matter for this King to act as a mount for five hundred years?” Divine Spirits lived extraordinarily long lives, so five hundred years was a mere snap of a finger for them.
“If you succeed, you live. You fail, you die!” Kun Sha declared succinctly to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng’s face was dark, “I don’t need you to tell me that.”
Not far away, Ning Dao Ran had a relaxed look on his face as if nothing could disturb him. Zhu Jian transformed into a strong, middle-aged man, looking worriedly at him, “Boy, put your heart into it. That Innate Spirit Fruit means a lot to me. When it comes time to snatch it, then you have to snatch it. Do not show those people any mercy.”
Ning Dao Ran saluted him, “Rest assured, Senior. I will do my best.”
Zhu Jian sighed, “If only that was the case.”
He felt indignant. Why did he choose a guy like this to become his Bearer? Someone as relaxed as him would not be able to achieve great things.
…..
World Energy was continuously converging towards the Primordial Land’s portal. The seven-coloured glow was becoming more and more solid and radiant.
Three days later, the glow suddenly reached a peak. Following that, it was as if a pair of invisible hands split it apart, revealing a seven-coloured passage that connected straight to the Primordial Land.
Everyone was shaken at the sight and fixed their eyes at the centre, but they were simply unable to see the scenery beyond the portal.
The Primordial Land’s portal was finally open.
Among the crowd, several figures turned into streams of light that entered the seven-coloured passage in a flash, disappearing in the blink of an eye; however, some people were unable to hold back and rushed ahead of the others.
Everyone was making their move. More than 200,000 cultivators were rushing to the portal. Even though the portal was large, there were too many people gathered in this place. As the cultivators poured in, some of the people were squeezed out of the seven-coloured passage, falling into a deep abyss.
Screams came, and in front of everyone’s eyes, the cultivators that were forced out of the seven-coloured passage had their flesh peeled from their bodies. In less than three breaths of time, they had become nothing more than skeletons. Following that, the bones that remained of them also broke little by little, turning into dust that scattered away, completely dissipating into the world.
“The outside of the passage is dangerous!” Someone shouted. Face paling, the cultivator quickly retreated.
The cultivators who realized this also did not dare to crowd the portal anymore lest they were squeezed out and met with death.
Many Divine Spirits were looking happily at this scene, and those cultivators were all cursing at that. The Divine Spirits obviously knew about this, yet none of them came and informed them of this fact. Quite clearly, their deaths were not worthy of mention in the eyes of these Divine Spirits. They only needed to look after their own Bearers. Why should they care about anyone else?
Hundreds of lives were lost, and the danger beyond the passage became clear. The cultivators that came after were all careful to stay away from the edges of the passage.
Soon, however, another change occurred. Some cultivators who were moving at the centre of the passage also screamed. Their flesh left their bodies, and they turned into a set of bones.
The cultivators around them were shocked. They all turned their heads to look at each other, none understanding what was going on.
But this did not happen to just a single cultivator. A dozen others met with the same fate, dying inside the seven-coloured passage.
Many cultivators were perturbed at this sight and had no idea how these people had suddenly died in the passage.
However, someone suddenly realized what was happening and shouted, “Open Heaven Realm! They’re all in the Open Heaven Realm! Those in the Open Heaven Realm are not allowed to enter the Primordial Land or they’ll die!”
When they heard him shout, everyone came to their senses. After careful thought, it was indeed true that the dozen who died were all in the Open Heaven Realm.
Under the leadership of the Managers, the group from Scarlet Star were just about to step into the passage when the Head Manager stopped them. Chen Tian Fei and the others behind him were all covered in cold sweat.
They had almost stepped into the passage just now, and if they had done that, then they would have died on the spot.
Not far away, Yang Kai’s face sank as he turned his head to look at Zhu Jiu Yin, “Senior, are those in the Open Heaven Realm not allowed into the Primordial Land?”
Zhu Jiu Yin looked deeply at him, “If those in the Open Heaven Realm could enter, then would I have to seek you out to be my Bearer?” The Sword Pavilion’s Pavilion Master had a cultivation in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Zhu Jiu Yin would naturally have chosen him instead.
“Why didn’t you say that earlier?” Yang Kai was furious.
Zhu Jiu Yin smirked, “Is it too late to say it now? It’s not like you have anything to lose.”
Yang Kai held back his anger, “Not too late!”
But this was troublesome. He was thinking that he could bring Yue He and the others with him. It would be best if he could get the Innate Spirit Fruit in the Primordial Land, but if not, then he could just run away with them.
Zhu Jiu Yin was strong, but Yang Kai was also prepared, so it may not be impossible for him to escape her pursuit.
But now, all his plans had gone up in smoke. Yue He and the others could not enter the Primordial Land. They had to stay behind with Zhu Jiu Yin, which was just like leaving a hostage in her hands. Unless Yang Kai did not care about the life or death of Yue He and the others, then he would definitely have to face her after coming out of the Primordial Land no matter what.
Zhu Jiu Yin obviously anticipated this, so she did not tell Yang Kai on purpose just to catch him off guard.
They both knew each other’s plans well, but in the end, it was Zhu Jiu Yin who came out ahead.
“Rest assured, I will take good care of these subordinates of yours. Don’t get distracted in the Primordial Land and serve this Queen well,” Zhu Jiu Yin urged him.
Yang Kai responded with affirmation, but his face was grim.
Since those in the Open Heaven Realm could not set foot in the Primordial Land, that meant Yue He, Lu Xue, and Guo Zi Yan had to stay outside, which greatly reduced his battle power. But this was not the most important point. The most important point was the fact that the three of them were now in Zhu Jiu Yin’s hands, so even if Yang Kai had the thought to rebel, he still did not dare to do so.
Guo Zi Yan looked at the cultivators who had followed him to join Yang Kai early on and shouted, “You must follow Sir and protect him to the death, understood?”
The men shouted in unison, “Understood!”
Yang Kai looked at him, shook his head, and smiled bitterly. Even though they had cultivated hard over the years and greatly improved their strength, if they really did encounter any danger that even Yang Kai himself could not resolve, then they would not be able to provide much help.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai called out to them and several dozen people followed behind him and stepped into the portal.
In just a short few moments, tens of thousands of people had already entered the Primordial Land. By the time Yang Kai led his group into the seven-coloured passage, only a little over half of the 200,000 remained.
The seven-coloured passage was just like the mouth of an invisible beast, constantly swallowing cultivators.
The passage was crowded and bustling, but the group guarded Yang Kai at the centre as they flew onwards, side-by-side.
It was not long before they heard an angry shout from the ground, “You impudent bastards, you dare to provoke the majesty of our Emperor Heaven? Brothers, cut them down!”
In the next moment, violent energy fluctuations burst out ahead of the passage. Countless people broke out into a large fight. Secret Techniques and artifact attacks emerged, turning the passage ahead into a brawl.
Screams broke out and bodies fell while rivers of blood formed.
Yang Kai looked toward the disturbance with a puzzled expression, and then he saw a familiar figure.
The voice earlier was familiar; it was none other than Emperor Heaven’s leader, Ding Yi. Yang Kai had not seen this fellow ever since they parted ways on the Yuan Magnetic Mountain; however, he did occasionally hear news about Emperor Heaven in recent years. He learned that this guy was making waves in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, even gaining a lot of benefits.
At this moment, in the sky ahead, Ding Yi was holding a demon-headed sabre. He was clad in a scarlet cloak as if he were a divine warrior who descended upon the world and gave off an aura of awe-inspiring might. It was not known what sort of grudge he had against these people, but he started a big fight in the seven-coloured passage.
The battle was a large and chaotic melee, with both sides unable to break away or withdraw as thousands of other cultivators were swarming around them, but Ding Yi simply laughed out loud, seemingly delighted at the situation. Slashing his sabre down, a sword light came shooting down with imposing momentum.
Suddenly, Ding Yi stopped and raised his eyes in Yang Kai’s direction. When he had a clear look at Yang Kai’s face, he greeted him with delight, “So it is Brother Yang! How have you been in recent years?”
Yang Kai laughed, “I’m doing well. Brother Ding also seems to be doing well.”
Ding Yi scratched his head and said cheerfully, “So-so.”
Yang Kai asked, “Brother Ding, I wish to go forward. May I ask Brother Ding to make way?”
“No problem!” Ding Yi waved his hand boldly and ordered his men, “Brothers, make way for Brother Yang to pass!”
With his order, the men from Emperor Heaven opened up a path for them. Yang Kai nodded in thanks at Ding Yi before bringing Meng Hong and his several dozen subordinates through the battlefield.
The sound of shouting and killing could still be heard behind them, so it was likely the turmoil was not going to stop for a while.
Among Yang Kai’s team, the shaved-headed man said with a look of admiration, “Our Sir’s face is truly big! This subordinate has heard that man called Ding Yi is reckless and untamed, giving face to nobody. More than ten Open Heaven Realm Masters have already died by the hands of Emperor Heaven’s subordinates, but he actually acts so politely with Sir!”
Lang Qing Shan replied indifferently, “Sir’s strength is unparalleled, How could Ding Yi dare to stop him?”
The shaved-headed man was surprised, “Even a block of wood like you knows how to flatter people?”
Lang Qing Shan blushed and snapped at him, “I am merely telling the truth, how could this be flattery?”
The two of them argued ceaselessly, which made the road ahead feel less boring.
With Emperor Heaven blocking the road under Ding Yi’s command, the passage ahead became much emptier. The seven-coloured passage was also incredibly long, so much so that Yang Kai could not find an end in sight.
The group sped forward, when suddenly a large net covered the front. At the same time, wicked laughter broke out, “I made this path and planted this tree. If you seek passage, then leave your riches and life behind!”
The big net enveloped the entire passage and was Heaven Sealing and Earth Locking, so much so that it deterred one from even thinking of avoiding it.
All their faces changed.
Lang Qing Shan shouted, “Watch out, Sir!”
He stepped out from the group and thrust his fist out. A ball of light burst out on his fist like a blazing sun, bearing unbridled burning power.
Lang Qing Shan was one of the cultivators with the greatest aptitude among the group who joined Yang Kai. When Yang Kai was distributing rewards, Lan Qing Shan asked for a Fifth-Order material, and he had also refined several other Fifth-Order Elements after all these years, so his strength could hardly be compared to the past.
When he swung his fist out, it was branded by the power of the Sun’s True Fire. As though carrying the Sun, he slammed his fist down with great momentum.
But in the next moment, he was actually caught in the net. It was not known what sort of material the net was made of, but it was incredibly tough, not even allowing water or fire to seep past. Even a Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire was unable to burn it.
In the blink of an eye, Lang Qing Shan was caught in the net, but the net kept going and wrapped everyone up tightly.
A small, thin figure emerged from the void with an ape-like chin, the head of a buck, and the eyes of a rat. Stroking the goatee on his chin, he grinned meaningfully, “The third batch! A group of fools who only know how to seek treasures in the Primordial Land. In this Old Master’s eyes, you are the treasures!”
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had been open for more than ten years, so the cultivators that were still alive were more or less able to gain a harvest from their time here. The skinny old man stood there, waiting for gains without pain, robbing the cultivators who came by. It was a good plan.
With a few hand seals, the net shrunk abruptly, tightening around everyone. The faces of Meng Hong and the others changed dramatically. They were shocked to find that they could not circulate the strength inside their bodies well, as if it were completely suppressed.
Only then did they realize that this was no ordinary net. It was no wonder why the skinny old man dared to act in such a way despite being alone.
“Let this Old Master see what you have!” The skinny old man stepped forward with a wretched grin on his face, but then, he suddenly stepped back in fear when he saw a certain person in the net. Gulping hard, he stuttered, “S-S-Senior Yang?”
“You know me?” Yang Kai looked calmly at the skinny old man through the net.
The old man’s eyes darted around for a moment before he squeezed out an ugly smile, “Senior Yang’s mighty name has been spread far and wide, having destroyed Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion. You are known to be taking care of Scarlet Star. This Old Master has long admired… Ah! Ahem! So even you will fall for something like this, huh, you brat? Since you’ve fallen into my Profound Dragon Binding Net, then don’t even think about getting out! Even a Dragon will be trapped inside my net. I heard that you razed Sword Pavilion’s Star City and killed tens of thousands, walking away with all of their riches, isn’t that right, boy? Now that I’ve caught you, I’m rich, rich I say! After this batch, this Old Master will never have to worry about cultivation resources in the future!”
Looking at Yang Kai with a wicked look, the old man grinned, “Brat, hurry up and throw out your Space Ring or this Old Master will strangle you to death right this instant!”
The skinny old man grinned meaningfully, “Senior Yang is very powerful, who knows if you have any other tricks up your sleeve? This Old Master should take precautions. If you throw out your ring now, then this Old Master can spare your life!”
Lang Qing Shan fumed, “Shameless old dog, what kind of skill is sneaking up on others? Release me if you have the ability. This Lang will fight you!”
The skinny old man looked at Lang Qing Shan with contempt, “You must have something wrong with your head, you bastard. You are now a fish on a chopping block. Your life and death can be decided with one thought from this Old Master, so why should this Old Master release you?”
“It’s too early to see who is the fish here. If you don’t come over here, then this King will go to you!” While saying that, Yang Kai suddenly stood up. Holding the net, he went forward step by step.
The old man’s face changed as he gritted his teeth, “Senior Yang is indeed amazing, having the strength to walk even under my Profound Dragon Binding Net. It seems like this Old Master has underestimated you, but this is not the full might of the net. Bind! Bind! Bind! Bind! Bind! Bind!”
He shouted six times while going through many seals on his hands. The profound Dragon Binding Net’s silk threads tightened abruptly. Lang Qing Shan and the others suddenly grunted as even the air inside of the net felt abnormal, as if it had become solid and stagnant.
Yang Kai’s pace also gradually became slower before he was frozen in place.
The old man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with his heart still beating fast, “The ship almost capsized on calm seas. Luckily, this Old Master’s treasure is not bad!”
“Your treasure is indeed good, but you aren’t much!” Yang Kai grinned. Then, his frozen steps continued.
The old man jumped in fright, leaping back almost a thousand meters, “How did you…”
Yang Kai strode forward as swiftly as the wind towards the old man’s direction, speaking in a grim voice, “Indeed, your net is extraordinary. Anyone caught in the net will find it hard to circulate their strength; however, there is one flaw, and that is that it does not limit one’s physical might! Using this net against me means you are seeking death!”
The skinny old man shrieked. Not caring about his precious net any longer, he turned around and ran into the distance. But before he could escape, he felt his neck tighten. A large hand was now wrapped around it, lifting and choking him like a chicken.
The old man stiffened at once and slowly turned his head around.
“Any last words?” Yang Kai asked.
“This is all a misunderstanding…” The old man smiled flatteringly at him.
With a snap, Yang Kai snapped his neck, breaking it completely. His headless body twitched as the head rolled down. Fresh blood spurt out of the wound like a fountain.
The moment the old man died, the Profound Dragon Binding Net came loose. Yang Kai pulled away the net, instantly freeing the group. The ability to circulate their Qi was also restored. The group were staring stunned at him.
Only then did they recall how terrifying this young man in front of them was. They were simply unable to even lift a finger in the net, but Yang Kai could completely ignore the net’s power and slaughter its owner.
Yang Kai casually tossed the Profound Dragon Binding Net to Lang Qing Shan, and the latter was stunned for a moment after catching it. Then, he was overjoyed, “Many thanks for the reward, Sir!”
The others looked enviously at him. They were also bound by the net earlier, so they naturally knew how powerful this artifact was. They did not dare to say that it could deal with Masters in the Open Heaven Realm, but at the very least, those under the Open Heaven Realm were powerless to resist it.
With this net in hand, one could become invincible when facing those under the Open Heaven Realm.
But even though they were envious, they did not have any stray thoughts. Previously, Lang Qing Shan was the first to rush out in the face of danger, so it was only natural that he would receive a reward from Yang Kai after showing his loyalty.
“Refine it carefully. This net… Huh? Watch out!”
Yang Kai suddenly shouted. When he turned his head around, a large awl was spinning through the air in front of them in the seven-coloured passage, swiftly approaching them.
This attack came without warning, and it happened when their guards were down after beheading the old man, so it was clearly planned beforehand.
The large awl spun extremely quickly and reached them in the blink of an eye. The several dozen subordinates behind Yang Kai all showed great changes in their expressions.
But Yang Kai took the initiative to move three steps forward and extended a large hand, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water Element Power spreading out as he grabbed at the large awl.
But he failed to grab anything. The large awl completely ignored his attack and easily passed through it, reaching his body in an instant.
“This…” Yang Kai’s face changed. He did not have any time to react before the large awl attacked his body. His entire body shook violently and blood spilled from his mouth. His face paled.
Behind him, the several dozen people all grunted, and their auras grew thin.
“A Divine Ability!” It finally dawned on Yang Kai what was going on. When he saw the large awl’s shocking aura, he thought it was some sort of artifact; however, only now did he realize that this was no artifact, it was a Divine Ability, and an extremely insidious one.
This Divine Ability specifically targeted a cultivator’s Dao Seal!”
As soon as the large awl hit his body, Yang Kai felt like his Dao Seal was being shaken. His Wood, Fire, Earth, and Water Element Powers were thrown into disarray inside of his Dao Seal, but fortunately, a part of his mind was always occupied in circulating the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture; otherwise, this alone would have been enough to destroy his foundation.
It was thanks to the fact that he refined a lot of Divine Dao Water before that his Dao Seal was much more robust now; otherwise, the consequences of this attack would have been unimaginable.
Yang Kai’s face sank. Body swaying, he disappeared in place. By the time he reappeared, he was already many thousands of metres away. He smashed his fist at a certain point in space, using Rupture, but nobody was there.
“He sure escapes quickly!” Yang Kai had a troubled look on his face. He immediately tried to seek out its trail after being attacked by the large awl, but he could not find the one responsible for it, which showed that the attacker was also very afraid of him. The attacker must know how strong he was, so after this attempt, regardless of whether it was a success or a failure, they immediately escaped.
Yang Kai was annoyed that he did not even get to learn who it was who attacked them!
Was this person here to rob others like the skinny old man, or was he being targeted specifically?
Thoughts churned in Yang Kai’s head and he soon determined the latter possibility was very high! If this were just a robbery, then there was no way that person would leave immediately after attacking them, but that was exactly what they did, so it was obvious that he was being targeted; however, it may not be just him specifically, but rather all Bearers chosen by the Divine Spirits!
[That guy must also be a Bearer!] Yang Kai saw through the plot. The enemy had set up an ambush here so that he could eliminate some of his opponents in advance.
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan and the others quickly came to his side with regretful looks on their faces.
It had only been a half cup of tea’s time since they followed Yang Kai into the seven-coloured passage, and yet they had already been attacked twice. They had also been completely unable to help during the second attack. Yang Kai had been the one to save them from the first attack by killing the skinny old man, and during the second, Yang Kai had taken the brunt of the attack for them.
As his subordinates, Lang Qing Shan and the others all felt ashamed and uneasy.
The large awl was a Divine Ability that targeted one’s Dao Seal, but Yang Kai bore about half of the attack’s power while the rest was distributed to Lang Qing Shan and the others. Even though their Dao Seals were shaken, none of them lost their lives.
Yang Kai glanced at them and immediately understood that they were no longer in any shape to fight, so he quickly said, “Relax your minds, I will send you to a good place!”
Saying so, he grabbed them with his hand.
Lang Qing Shan and the others did not understand what he meant by this, but they quickly relaxed themselves.
Once they were grabbed by Yang Kai’s hand, their vision was turned upside down, and when they came back to their senses, they discovered themselves in a place with picturesque mountains and clear water.
They all looked at each other in shock. Just as they were wondering where they were, they heard Yang Kai’s voice say, “Focus on recuperating. Don’t worry about anything else.”
The voice rang in their ears, but they saw no trace of Yang Kai.
Lang Qing Shan and the others answered him respectfully before quickly sitting cross-legged, cultivating in silence.
In the middle of the passage, Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood. Wiping his mouth, he stepped forward.
The passage was long, but there were corpses littered along its entire length. Clearly, the cultivators who came here before him had been fighting. Yang Kai went by some of the bodies that had fallen to the ground and took a closer look at them.
The bodies showed no wounds and their wealth had also not been taken away. The bodies still retained their Space Rings and the bodies were still warm, so it was obvious they had just died.
Sweeping over the corpses with his Divine Sense, he discovered that their Dao seals had been shattered.
[It’s that guy with the awl!]
Yang Kai looked up towards the front of the passage and manipulated Space Principles. His body fluttered forward, chasing after the person. The master of the large awl was definitely a Bearer. Perhaps they were proficient in this tactic themselves, or they were taught these strange methods by some Divine Spirit, but this kind of tactic was really impossible to prevent. Even Yang Kai was almost caught by it, much less anyone else. Any cultivator whose foundations were not deep would see their Dao Seals crumbling away when hit by such an attack and dying.
He was curious to know which bastard it was who dared to use this trick against him!
While chasing after them, Yang Kai went past batch after batch of cultivators. All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he came to the woman’s side in a few steps.
Before he could greet her, the woman suddenly flung her hair, and the red ribbon binding it turned into countless silk threads that launched in Yang Kai’s direction.
“Mercy, Senior Sister!” Yang Kai shouted as Earth Element Power enveloped his body, turning into several Dragon Shields. Each Dragon Shield was formed out of a Great Dragon biting its tail, and the Dragon Scales on their Dragon Form were exquisitely detailed.
The red silk threads launching at Yang Kai were all blocked by the Dragon Shield.
When the girl turned around, her eyes lit up, “Junior Brother Yang?”
“Senior Sister Qu!” Yang Kai smiled.
This woman was Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Qu Hua Shang. She had entered the seven-coloured passage before Yang Kai, but she did not advance too quickly, so Yang Kai was able to catch up.
“It seems we are tied closely by fate.” Qu Hua Shang smiled as delicately as a flower. The red silk threads retracted and turned back into a ribbon which tied up her long hair. She looked Yang Kai up and down, beautiful eyes glowing bewitchingly.
Yang Kai laughed, “We were bound to meet since we are all headed for the Primordial Land. Is Senior Sister Qu alone?”
“Who else would I be with?” Qu Hua Shang looked at him cheerfully, “Does Junior Brother Yang want to join me? We can join hands. If we happen to meet Lin Feng and the others, we can beat them up together.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Of course, I would not say no, but once we are to find the Innate Fruit Tree…”
Qu Hua Shang mumbled, “Junior Brother Yang is a big man, can’t you give way to a soft and weak little woman like me? That Fei Yi is ugly, but he’s not weak. I made an agreement with him, and if I can get him out of the Grand Ancient Ruins, then he will become my Protector for 400 years. I would like that Innate Spirit Fruit very much.”
Yang Kai laughed, “But Senior Sister Qu is no soft or weak little woman…”
“I’m really soft, you know!” Qu Hua Shang pouted and came closer to Yang Kai, “If Junior Brother Yang does not believe me, then give it a pinch and you will know.”
Yang Kai’s eyes involuntarily moved towards the towering mountains that lay below. Clenching his fists, he coughed, “Senior Sister Qu, we have yet to find the Innate Spirit Fruit, so please withdraw your Charm Technique!”
Qu Hua Shang giggled at once, “You really are interesting.”
She no longer asked him to join her as both of them knew that even if they did accompany each other, they would still turn into enemies in the end. They may not take each other’s lives, but in order to fight for the Innate Spirit Fruit, they would still give their all.
This was not merely concerning the benefits of gaining a Divine Spirit as their Protector for hundreds of years, but also their standing thereafter in their respective Sects.
Imagine, if they could really bring a Divine Spirit out from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, then their status would surely rise in their respective forces, and those Cave-Heavens and Paradises would definitely cultivate them even more diligently.
It was because of this that the Divine Spirits would agree to become their Protectors.
If you want a horse to run, you must feed it first. This was a condition that no Bearer could refuse.
Yang Kai did not manage to get the time to discuss with Zhu Jiu Yin about this, and now Yue He and the others had also fallen into her hands. No matter what, Yang Kai had to get an Innate Spirit Fruit; otherwise, knowing Zhu Jiu Yin’s temper, Yue He and the others were sure to die!
“Senior Sister, have you noticed anyone passing you by?” Yang Kai asked.
Qu Hua Shang responded, “Yes, many people. They all ran even faster than rabbits. Who knows what they were all in such a hurry for.”
Yang Kai was speechless. This way, he would not be able to trace the whereabouts of the large awl’s master.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai said, “Senior Sister Qu must be very careful. I encountered some guy earlier that wields a Divine Ability that targets one’s Dao Seal!”
He then went on to explain what he knew about the large awl.
Qu Hua Shang’s face turned grave, “Isn’t this Purple Jade Cave Heaven’s Shattering Dao Seal Technique?”
Yang Kai wondered, “Senior Sister recognizes this Divine Ability?”
Qu Hua Shang nodded, “What you describe sounds a lot like Purple Jade Cave Heaven’s Shattering Dao Seal Technique. This Divine Ability was created specifically to target a cultivator’s Dao Seal, but I have never seen it before, so I am unable to verify it.” She was doubtful, “Could someone from Purple Jade Cave Heaven be here? But I have not heard about that!”
Yang Kai guessed, “Perhaps someone from Purple Jade Cave Heaven did come, or one of their disciples was a Bearer in the past. Later, the Divine Spirit could have learned the Divine Ability and passed it down to their current Bearer.”
Qu Hua Shang nodded, “That is a possibility.”
“No matter what, Senior Sister should be careful.”
Qu Hua Shang covered her mouth and giggled, “Many thanks for Junior Brother’s concern, but rest assured, this Divine Ability can work on an ordinary cultivator. It is a little lacking against this Senior Sister.”
Qu Hua Shang refined Sixth-Order Elements and aspired to achieve the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm with her initial breakthrough, so she naturally had this confidence.
Yang Kai warned, “Senior Sister should not lower her guard. This Shattering Dao Seal Technique is truly powerful.” He had refined more than a dozen drops of Divine Dao Water, so his Dao Seal was incredibly firm, but the Element Powers inside of him were still shaken into disarray, much less anyone else’s. Even though Qu Hua Shang’s heritage was not bad, if she was caught off guard by a sneak attack, then she would surely suffer a great loss.
Qu Hua Shang nodded incessantly, “En, en, I will remember.”
Seeing how careless she looked, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but on second thought, he had only eaten a loss because he had let his guard down earlier. Qu Hua Shang and the others came from Cave-Heavens and Paradises; thus, they were very knowledgeable and would surely recognize the Shattering Dao Seal Technique if they saw it, allowing them to take appropriate measures.
“We’ve finally reached the end. The road here was really too long.” Qu Hua Shang’s eyes brightened.
Yang Kai looked up, and sure enough, there was a ray of light coming from the front. It was obvious that they had reached the end of the passage. While talking, the two of them did not stop advancing forward. After calculating the distance, it seemed this seven-coloured passage ran for hundreds of kilometres.
Yang Kai was secretly speechless.
“Be careful, Junior Brother. There just might be an ambush at the exit!” Qu Hua Shang reminded him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “I will scout the way for Senior Sister!”
As he said that, his body teleported out of the entrance. Sure enough, as soon as he emerged, countless attacks came at him from all directions.
The number of cultivators gathered at the exit was quite large, and they most likely came from the same great force. There were over a thousand of them, and as soon as they saw someone coming out, they attacked without asking any questions, releasing their Secret Techniques and artifacts towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai coldly snorted and used Nihility to immediately merge with the Void.
Even though there were many attacks, all of them landed on nothing.
The cultivators gathered at the exit were stunned, thinking that they had pulverized Yang Kai to dust, but in the next moment, Yang Kai’s body re-emerged where he originally stood. Fire was released around his body as the Golden Crow’s True Fire formed into numerous tiny Golden Crows before scattering in all directions.
Miserable cries rang out one after another as the cultivators were burned by the Golden Crow’s True Fire, turning to ash at a rate visible to the naked eye.
“It’s Scarlet Star’s Killing Star!” One person who recognized Yang Kai screamed in horror.
“Fall back!” Someone else shouted.
The cultivators who were still alive dared not stay and all scattered, leaving behind more than two hundred corpses that were burned to ashes by the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
Yang Kai did not intend to pursue them. With a flick of his sleeve, the Golden Crow’s True Fire which had flown out returned and disappeared into his body.
Qu Hua Shang leapt out of the exit and looked around before spitting out her tongue, “How unlucky for them. They could’ve messed with anyone, but they just had to run into Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai said indifferently, “They are just asking for death by waiting here.” Even without him, these people would suffer a great loss sooner or later.
Since ancient times men have died for wealth just as birds died for food.
“Will Junior Brother really not accompany me?” Qu Hua Shang looked at Yang Kai with a look of anticipation.
Yang Kai turned around and waved, “We shall part here. I wish Senior Sister Qu good luck!”
“Smelly man!” Qu Hua Shang pouted and her breasts heaved, but soon, she smiled again, “Junior Brother must leave the Grand Ancient Ruins alive. This Senior Sister must still try out many Yin-Yang Union techniques with you once we have the time!”
Yang Kai stumbled and almost fell to the ground when he heard Qu Hua Shang’s bell-like laughter from behind him.
The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was, just as it was named, an ancient place, but the Primordial Land was even more so.
The entire Primordial Land was filled with a vicissitudinous aura. This peculiar place seems to have been preserved from a very long time ago. Its World Principles also had some subtle differences from the Grand Ancient Ruins and showed traces of ancient times.
The World Energy was so dense that Yang Kai could feel it penetrating through his pores even as he breathed, sending a comforting feeling through his body. Cultivating in such a place would definitely provide twice the result with half the effort. Even recovering from his injuries would be faster than usual in this place.
More than 200,000 had flocked to this Primordial Land, and even though there were many losses along the way, more than 100,000 cultivators still remained. If there was truly anything good to be found in the Primordial Land, then it would surely not be missed by these cultivators.
After coming out of the exit, Yang Kai took a random direction and sped off.
On his way, he saw cultivators fighting, either for Spirit Herbs or precious treasures. The inseparable fights went on until lives were extinguished from this world, dyeing the ground with blood.
Yang Kai received massive gains in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so his standards were naturally quite high. It was difficult to move him with ordinary treasures. His most important target in this trip was the Innate Spirit Fruit. Naturally, it would be great if he could gain other harvests, too.
As he journeyed along, Yang Kai would also occasionally collect a few Spirit Medicines and toss them into his medicine garden so that the two Wood Spirits, Mu Zhu and Mu Lu, could take care of them. He also found several Elemental materials, but their quality was not too high.
Three days later, Yang Kai was speeding along when his expression changed. He stopped and his nose sniffed the air before his eyes lit up
A peculiar fragrance entered his nose, which cleared his thoughts and eliminated the distractions in his mind. There was also a strange resonance coming from his Dao Seal, speeding up the flow of the Elements within.
Then, he had a realization. This must be the aroma coming from a very precious Spirit Medicine. He had no idea what it was, but its effects must be extraordinary.
Shaken, Yang Kai followed the trail of the aroma and soon entered a mountain valley. The mountain valley was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day with pleasant scenery all around; however, there were three parties in conflict at this moment, which consisted of a great number of people. Each party numbered in the hundreds, and they were all gathered at the center of this mountain valley, throwing threats and sizing each other up.
These three parties had obviously followed the smell of the Spirit Medicine here, just like Yang Kai, but rather than battle, they were all at a standstill.
When they saw Yang Kai, the faces of the three leaders sank. The longer they dragged on, the more people would arrive. If someone came, someone they cannot afford to provoke, then they would definitely miss out on this Spirit Medicine.
A burly man, leader of the group on the left, coldly snorted, “Another has come to court death?”
The woman leader on the right said, “We can’t delay this any longer. Hurry up and lay out your rules. If we keep delaying this any longer, more are going to come.”
The leader of the last party of cultivators was an elderly man, who stroked his beard, “This Old Master has more people with me, so I want half. You can divide up the rest.”
Both the burly man and the woman sneered, “In your dreams!”
Licking her lips, the woman turned to the burly man, “Why don’t you and I join forces to kill off this old thing, then we can split it half and half between us. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Upon hearing this, the burly man seemed moved and nodded, “Good idea!”
The old man’s face went cold, “If you want to kill this Old Man, then it will depend on whether you have that ability or not!”
Raising his arm, he roared, “Boys, follow me. We must snatch the medicine!”
After saying that, he took the lead and rushed towards the Spirit Medicine.
Seeing this, the burly man and the beautiful woman did not care anymore and called on their subordinates to move out. They were previously at a standstill, all of them wary of each other, but now that one of them had taken action, the other two could no longer sit still. They had to fight.
Yang Kai looked up, only to see vine-like things at the centre of the mountain valley, bearing grape-like berries. The bunches of grapes were green and purple, and were emitting an attractive aroma.
Yang Kai had a curious expression on his face. [Just what Spirit Medicine is this?] He did not know much about the treasures in the Outer Universe, so he really could not tell what it was.
But this was no time for him to be thinking about that. Since the three parties clashed together, they might accidentally destroy the Spirit Medicine. Just as Yang Kai was about to head over to snatch it, puffs suddenly fluttered out around the vines, dancing with the wind.
The Spirit Medicine was surrounded by a dandelion-like plant that produced many flower balls, and when the hundreds of people fought, the flower balls were agitated, rising to the sky.
Then, the balls separated into individual seeds that landed on each cultivator’s body.
No one paid them any attention at first; however, a shocking sight appeared next.
Where those seeds fell on their bodies, it was as if they had suddenly taken on a life of their own, digging madly into their bodies.
Following their screams, one by one the cultivators fell to the ground. The seeds grew quickly like monsters, sucking up the essence from the cultivator’s bodies.
In less than ten breaths of time, the lives of the cultivators were extinguished, and they turned into withered corpses that fell to the ground with grim faces.
The three leaders were strong enough to perceive when things looked bad and circulated their might to resist; however, the woman and the elderly man lasted for only a few moments before falling like their subordinates. The burly man was decisive enough to cut off his own arm, so as fresh blood spurted from the wound, he retreated in fear.
Looking over, he could see his arm withering quickly as the essence was sucked dry by the seeds that landed on it.
The fluffy seeds filled the air, and as if they had a life of its own, were all floating towards the burly man now.
The burly man’s face sank. How could he still dare to stay here any longer? With a scream, he ran off.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded!
He didn’t think much of the dandelions before, and he didn’t even notice them to begin with. All his thoughts were sucked in by the Spirit Medicine, but who knew that its surroundings could be so dangerous?
The scene was so frightening that hundreds died in just ten breaths worth of time.
As if the seeds could sense vitality, they continued flying towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai stood in place and waited for the seeds to approach before lifting a finger. A small Golden Crow flew out from the tip of his finger, meeting the seeds mid-air.
*Hu…*
The sky was set ablaze, and the seeds were all burned in a short amount of time, clearing the scene.
Yang Kai had no idea what strange existence these seeds were, but they were clearly very dangerous. Once one touched a cultivator, it would dig into their body and suck up all of their essence in a short amount of time, turning them into withered bones.
But the Golden Crow’s True Fire was so domineering that the seeds simply could not resist.
Those who died of the three parties died, and those who fled, fled. Soon enough, Yang Kai was the only one left in the mountain valley.
Stepping forward towards the dandelions, the flower puffs broke apart, and seeds danced in the air once more.
Yang Kai’s body was surrounded by raging flames though, allowing him to burn his way through and soon arrive in front of the Spirit Medicine. Leaning over to smell it, the fragrance was very pleasant, lifting his spirits.
“Good stuff!” Yang Kai sighed in admiration. Even though he had no idea what uses this Spirit Medicine had, it was undeniably a Grand Spirit Medicine that was incredibly rare and precious.
He grabbed the grape-like berries with his hand to snap them off the vine.
It was at this moment that something strange occurred. Following a rumble from the ground, a root suddenly emerged from the ground, twining around Yang Kai at a great speed before pulling him down violently.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s entire body disappeared as he was pulled directly into the depths of the earth.
Three breaths later, Yang Kai broke out of the ground, furious!
While he was not paying attention, he had been caught in the Grand Spirit Medicine’s trap. The roots twining around him earlier were clearly the work of the vines. Even though the root was strong, it could not suppress Yang Kai’s outburst, allowing him to escape quickly.
He sneered through gritted teeth and shouted, “You thought you could kill me? Unfortunately, your bullying ends here!”
He then grabbed at the vine.
He originally intended to take the grape-like berries from the vine first, since the essence of the Grand Spirit Medicine was in those berries; however, after eating a loss from it, Yang Kai immediately changed his mind to take the entire vine with him.
But before he could even grab the vine, it suddenly shook, and one by one, its roots emerged from the ground. Several branches also sprouted on the vine. As if it had grown limbs all of a sudden, it sprinted off into the distance.
Yang Kai was stunned.
He looked listlessly at the Grand Spirit Medicine in the distance, lost in thought.
This Grand Spirit Medicine… has gained sentience!
Yang Kai was both shocked and amazed. When he was trapped by this vine, he already felt that this Grand Spirit Medicine was something extraordinary, but now, it seemed even more shocking than he imagined. This Spirit Medicine he could not identify, had obviously been living for an extremely long time in the Primordial Land, gathered enough of the world’s essence, and gained sentience. It instinctively knew how to avoid danger, and would even take the initiative to run off if it sensed that it was facing a crisis.
The medical efficacies of such a Grand Spirit Medicine were sure to be extraordinary, something rare even taking the entire 3,000 Worlds into consideration.
Overjoyed, Yang Kai teleported right in front of the vine and smiled, “Where will you run to in front of this King? You better surrender obediently without a fight!”
Reaching out his hand, the surrounding space became viscous.
The vine sliced through space with its branches and twined around Yang Kai’s limbs. Then, a fist appeared out of its arm-like branch that blasted at Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was taken by surprise again. He was shockingly punched in the nose by the vine and was immediately seeing stars.
Taking advantage of this, the vine broke out from Yang Kai’s grasp once more and continued running.
Yang Kai covered his nose and tears fell down his face. Becoming angry out of shame, he summoned his Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it fiercely towards the front. The spear broke through the air like a Great Dragon dancing in the sky. The Azure Dragon Spear stabbed accurately in front of the vine as Dragon Pressure filled the air, shaking the surrounding world.
The vine stopped in place and trembled.
Yang Kai’s breathing was ragged as he approached from the back, rubbing his nose as he walked.
*Pu…*
The vine fell to its knees, transforming into a small little man that was only 15 centimetres tall. He had hands and legs and a face with seven orifices, as well as a bunch of grape-like berries on his head.
When he saw Yang Kai approaching, he lifted his hand and plucked a purple grape that was almost glowing red from his head and held it out with both hands, speaking in human words, “Please spare my life, Sir! This one offers Sir a grape and begs for mercy!
Yang Kai also did not care to rub his nose anymore as he narrowed his eyes at this little fellow and muttered, “You… You can assume human form?”
Sure enough, the Grand Spirit Medicine has turned into a spirit and could even assume human form. It had the appearance of a small old man, but Yang Kai had no idea how long it had actually been alive for.
There were spirits in everything, and with the right opportunity, they could gain sentience. It was not only flesh and blood beings that could achieve this in this world. There were jade essences among stones and spirit seeds in medicines. Only, as they lacked bodies, such existences would find it extremely difficult to cultivate, and would often need to gather energy from the world around them for eons before managing to further evolve. The Grand Spirit Medicine before Yang Kai had gained sentience and could assume human form, even speaking in the Human language, a feat that likely took tens of thousands of years of cultivating to achieve.
This Grand Spirit Medicine was already at a level where it can be described as a Divine Medicine!
The small old man looked up and smiled flatteringly when suddenly, it stretched out a foot and swept it at Yang Kai’s bottom, knocking him to the ground. Then, he ran off while wildly laughing, “Even if you think you’re slick, you still have to drink Uncle Pu’s footwash!”
Yang Kai jumped up and grabbed his Azure Dragon Spear. Then, he muttered with his face as black as the bottom of a pot, “I’ll kill you, I’ll definitely kill you and eat you up!”
A few moments later, the small old man fell to his knees again, scrunching his face and presenting the grape he plucked from his head, saying pitifully, “Please show mercy, Sir. This one does not dare to do it again!”
Yang Kai sneered and grabbed him before pressing his fist to his head, digging it in as he ground his teeth, “Now tell me how you want to die!”
The little old man’s face distorted in pain from Yang Kai’s fist and pleaded, “Please stop, Sir! My head is going to split… Oh, it actually feels quite nice.” Scratching his face with two roots, his face relaxed comfortably.
Pissed, Yang Kai summoned a ball of Golden Crow’s True Fire, slowly bringing it closer.
The little old man’s face twisted again and he struggled to get out of Yang Kai’s hands. He shook his head, “No, please! I’ll be burned to death!”
“Death ends all troubles. This is a good opportunity to cook you into a pot of medicinal soup! Drinking it will definitely prolong my life and increase my strength!” Yang Kai had a ferocious look on his face.
“I’m poisonous, I’m inedible! You’ll die if you eat me!” The old man screamed in horror. Seeing that Yang Kai was unmoved, he quickly tossed out his master card, “Don’t kill me, I’ll bring you to other medicines! They’re more delicious than I am!”
Yang Kai’s hand finally paused, “Other medicines? Ones like you?”
The old man shook his head, “There are few like me, but some little brats have not fully grown yet. However, they are still useful to eat.”
The brats that he was talking about must be those that have yet to assume human form, despite that, they must have been growing for many years. If they were found by the cultivators who entered this place, then those cultivators would surely scramble for them.
“Do you know of a fruit tree that bears a special kind of spirit fruit? Only one of them can be picked before it disappears!” Yang Kai asked. He was worrying about where he was going to find the Innate Fruit Tree, but he did not expect to come across such a strange Divine Medicine. It was a good chance for him to ask for information.
“You mean that fruit tree?” The old man thought about it for a moment, “I know! That old thing is even older than me. It’s pretty tough.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Bring me to it and I’ll let you live!”
The little old man was also beaming as his eyes glowed, “Truly?” Suddenly, it looked suspiciously at Yang Kai, “Swear on it!”
Yang Kai instead punched him on the head, “Your life or death is already in my hands and you want me to swear?”
The old man held the bump on his head with an aggrieved look.
“That fruit just now…” Yang Kai looked at the top of his head.
The old man reluctantly offered it to him with two hands, “It’s here.”
Yang Kai took it and observed it carefully, discovering that this was not much different from an ordinary grape. Only, the spiritual energy contained inside of it was shocking. If such a grape was consumed, it would likely rapidly heal any injuries one had.
Yang Kai opened his mouth and stuffed the grape inside. As soon as he bit through the peel, he felt an incomparably pure World Energy exploding into his mouth like a small universe.
Yang Kai hastily closed his mouth and nose, but there was still an unstoppable stream of World Energy flowing out from his seven orifices into a dense radius of a thousand metres.
The old man watched him with a grimace. A sad cloud hung over his head as he sighed, “From this day on, I, Pu Bai Xiong, will change my name to Pu Ninety-Nine Xiong!”
The string of berries on his head numbered exactly 100, so he called himself Pu Bai Xiong. Now that Yang Kai ate one of them, only 99 remained.
After a long time, Yang Kai breathed out lightly, feeling inexhaustible strength coursing through his body as even his blood was flowing more smoothly. He could even hear it crashing down like a strong river stream.
The medicinal efficacy of Pu Bai Xiong’s one grape was truly extraordinary. Even though it could not revive the dead, as long as they had one breath left, it could restore them to their peak in short order.
When he turned back to Pu Bai Xiong, the spirit was much easier on Yang Kai’s eyes.
“Don’t get any funny ideas. If you dare to run again, then I will eat you up once I catch you,” Yang Kai threatened viciously.
Pu Bai Xiong nodded repeatedly, “I won’t run, I won’t run! I can’t escape anyway.”
“Bring me to the fruit tree!” Yang Kai commanded.
Pu Bai Xiong leapt up and sat on Yang Kai’s shoulder, giving him directions.
Pu Bai Xiong was a local tyrant in the Primordial Land. He had lived here for a long time, so he knew a lot about this place. What was more, he had assumed human form long ago and had also travelled all around the Primordial Land over the years, so he had seen a lot. Yang Kai was able to save a lot of trouble by having him lead the way.
He avoided many dangers along the way, and under Pu Bai Xiong’s lead, Yang Kai also harvested many precious treasures; however, he did not meet other Divine Medicines like Pu Bai Xiong. Based on what the spirit said, there were less than ten Divine Medicines like him that could assume human form here in the entire Primordial Land, and they were all tricky fellows that were hard to catch. The reason why his ship would have capsized on calm seas was that he never expected that Yang Kai could possibly ignore the threat of the dandelions, making it too late for him when he tried to run.
A few days later, Yang Kai arrived at a swamp.
Pu Bai Xiong looked grave as he spoke, “Sir, this place is very dangerous, so you must be careful not to fall in. If you fall in, then both of us will die!”
“Where’s the danger?” Yang Kai swept over his surroundings with his Divine Sense but found nothing out of the ordinary, which made him feel a little suspicious.
Pu Bai Xiong told him earnestly, “The water here is toxic, and there is also something hiding inside.”
“Toxic?” Yang Kai was astonished. Before coming in, Zhu Jiu Yin had told him that the Primordial Land was filled with opportunities, but also many dangers, and also told him to be careful.
Yang Kai was her chosen Bearer, so she naturally wanted him to succeed.
The swamp seemed completely inconspicuous, but it was also full of dangers. Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh.
At that moment, a few kilometres away, a group of people looked in this direction with surprised looks on their faces. One young man asked, “What is that on that person’s shoulder?”
It was not known which great force these people came from, but all of them were surprised when they arrived and saw Pu Bai Xiong.
An elderly man pushed his eyesight to take a better look and said with joy, “It’s a Divine Medicine that has assumed human form!”
Once these words came out, everyone in the group felt their breaths hitch. Even though they did have some gains since entering this Primordial Land, what they found was simply nothing when compared to a Divine Medicine that had assumed human form.
The head of the Divine Medicine was covered in green and purple grapes, but it had a face with seven orifices, as well as hands and legs. It must have existed for a very long time. Such a treasure was hard to find in the outer world.
Now that they caught sight of one, everyone had greedy thoughts about the Divine Medicine.
After exchanging glances, they rose to the air in unison and began rushing in Yang Kai’s direction.
Tendrils swinging up, Pu Bai Xiong scratched his cheeks and said in disdain, “Courting death!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, loud screams could be heard. The cultivators suddenly fell down from the sky one by one.
Many cultivators fell into the puddles around the swamp, and before they could get up, they suddenly screamed in misery.
Their bodies broke apart, and in the blink of an eye, the puddles had corroded the cultivators’ flesh and turned them into white skeletons that slowly disappeared under the water, never to be seen again.
The remaining cultivators were lucky that they did not fall directly into the swamp; however, they were still standing amongst the puddles of murky water. Each one of them had their hair raised on end, none of them daring to move.
“So this water truly is corrosive!” Yang Kai was astonished. These cultivators had already been in the Grand Ancient Ruins for more than a decade, and they had all grown considerably. Even though they had not achieved the Open Heaven Realm, they had all at least gathered several Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. In the Emperor Realm, these people could be considered the best of the best; however, cultivators of this calibre had all failed to put up a resistance as soon as they fell into the water and withered away into dry bones. The immense toxicity of this swamp could be seen from that alone.
If that was all, then so be it, but there was some kind of natural Array over the swamp which made it impossible to fly.
“Don’t move. None of you move! Be careful of the puddles, don’t fall in!” The elderly man shouted.
As soon as he said that, a black tentacle suddenly poked out from the puddle next to his feet, curled around him, and dragged him down into it.
A gurgle of bubbles appeared, and the old man disappeared without a trace.
“What was that?” Yang Kai felt his scalp go numb. He had only had a glimpse of what had happened, so he had no idea what it was that suddenly dragged the elderly man into the puddle. He could only vaguely see that it was a shapeless mass similar to a tentacle.
Pu Bai Xiong whispered, “I’m not too sure either, but if you don’t make a sound, then whatever it is down there won’t sense you.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The death of the elderly man stunned the remaining cultivators. Many of them screamed and quickly tried to escape from the swamp. They were fine when they stayed still, but as soon as they moved black tentacles suddenly erupted from the puddles again, grabbing them at the waist and pulling them into the water.
One by one, the cultivators disappeared quickly. One after another, huge bubbles emerged from the puddles.
Secret Techniques emerged as these cultivators attempted to resist, cutting off the black tentacles. However, there were so many tentacles that they could not get rid of all of them no matter how they tried.
In just a dozen breaths of time, only a dozen were left of the group that originally numbered over a hundred. These people were now left trembling in the swamp, at a loss of what to do.
They were the lucky ones since they did not move rashly, nor did they make any noise. Otherwise, they would not have survived.
Seeing their companions fall to miserable ends one by one, none of them dared to move.
Yang Kai clicked his tongue and asked, “Can we go around it?”
This swamp seemed so strange that even he was slightly afraid of it.
Pu Bai Xiong said to him, “Going around will take a really long time. Rest assured, with my guidance, we’ll be able to walk safely through.”
Yang Kai was sceptical, but he still grit his teeth and followed his lead.
Pu Bai Xiong whispered in his ear, “Don’t make any noise or things will be troublesome. Don’t touch the water either, or you’ll be in even greater trouble.”
“You’re so naggy!” Yang Kai grumbled.
“I nag you for your own good! I don’t want to die here together with you,” Pu Bai Xiong was grumpy.
However, this time, he spoke a little too loud, and almost in an instant, another tentacle appeared from a nearby puddle.
Pu Bai Xiong shut his mouth at once, and Yang Kai also held still. The tentacle stopped just an arm’s length from Yang Kai’s face, swayed for a bit, and then retreated into the puddle.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and continued onward.
The dozen or so cultivators who survived looked on for a while and began following his lead, cautiously walking through the swamp.
After walking for a short time though, Pu Bai Xiong suddenly made an exclamation of surprise and whispered, “Why is there an eye in the water?”
Surprised, Yang Kai looked down and sure enough, he saw an eye in the puddle next to him. Rather than call it an eye though, it was as if the puddle had turned into a giant eye that moved along with his pace, watching him silently.
Yang Kai shuddered at the strange sight and stopped in place to ask, “Did you not know that there were eyes in the water prior to this?”
Pu Bai Xiong gulped, “I’ve never encountered them before.”
“What kind of damned place is this? Not only are the Divine Medicines assuming human form, why does even this swamp seem to be manifesting a spirit?” Yang Kai’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat.
“Don’t scare yourself.” Pu Bai Xiong forced a laugh, “It must be our imagination. If you close your eyes and open them again, I’m sure it will be gone…”
Saying so, he shut his eyes hard and slowly opened them again a while after, but the sight horrified him, “Oi! Why are there even more eyes now!?”
The moment he closed his eyes, all of the puddles in the swamp turned into giant eyes, blinking and watching Yang Kai and the dozen other cultivators.
The dozen cultivators had obviously discovered this scene as well, and they were immediately frightened out of their wits. Some of the timid ones had even tried to flee.
However, as soon as they moved, the entire swamp shook. Countless tentacles extended from the giant eyes, winding in all directions and blocking the path.
“Run!” Yang Kai shouted. Body moving instantly, he fled rapidly outward.
Countless tentacles were trying to catch them. Pu Bai Xiong grabbed onto Yang Kai’s ears and shouted in terror, “We’re done for, we’re both going to die!”
Seeing that the tentacles were about to wrap around his body, a layer of flames erupted around Yang Kai’s figure, burning the tentacles that tried to approach into ashes.
Pu Bai Xiong was burnt from the inside out and his head was set on fire, causing him to cry out pitifully, “What are you burning me for?! I’m going to turn into charcoal!”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai snapped at him.
He had already tried his best to shelter Pu Bai Xiong; otherwise, how could this Divine Medicine still stay alive under the ravages of the Golden Crow’s True Fire?
The tentacles crackled at contact with the flames. The Golden Crow’s True Fire was so powerful that the flames had even travelled down the tentacles and burst open each of the giant eyes they originated from.
A shocking roar came from the depths of the earth, followed by the ground shaking. An incomparably huge giant was slowly rising from below.
The giant creature was almost 1,000 metres tall and had eyes all over its body. There was a layer of withered bones hanging around its body. It was not known how many souls it had reaped, but there were both big and small eyes that looked just like the ones in the puddles. From those eyes, black tentacles extended up and tried to grab Yang Kai.
There was not just one, but hundreds of such giants, and they had all been alerted.
Looking back, Yang Kai was stunned. It was only now that he finally realized that the entire swamp was made up of these giants, and those puddles were just their eyes.
[What in the world are these things!?]
Yang Kai had travelled extensively over the years, but he had never seen such creatures before. Only a place like the Primordial Land could give birth to such bizarre existences.
“Fire Dragon’s Flaming Breath!” Sucking in a big breath of air, Yang Kai’s entire body seemed to swell before he spat out a blazing flame.
The Golden Crow’s True Fire burned the sky red, incinerating all the tentacles crawling his way; however, with hundreds of these tentacles coming from all directions, there was no end to them no matter how many were burned to ashes.
Even after Yang Kai had finished spitting out flames, the situation did not change too much. One by one, the giant things travelled through the earth, chasing after him and refusing to give up.
Pu Bai Xiong shouted, “Run, Sir! If you run far enough, they will probably stop chasing us!”
Yang Kai ran over a thousand kilometres but still failed to get rid of them, so he shouted angrily, “Didn’t you say they’ll stop chasing us if I ran far? Why are they still following me?!”
Pu Bai Xiong had an awkward look on his face, “I also didn’t know they would be so difficult. I’ve never seen them before.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Dragon Transformation!”
With a loud Dragon Roar, Yang Kai’s body expanded. With a crackling sound, his skin was covered in Dragon Scales. Natural patterns decorated the Dragon Scales. They were heavy and solid, and resistant to the encroachment of both fire and water. Two horns grew on his head and his hands turned into Dragon Claws. A Dragon Tail sprouted behind him, and a floaty Dragon Beard grew under his chin.
Dragon Pressure exploded outwards!
Pu Bai Xiong was frozen on the spot!
Yang Kai was also stunned. He had not performed his Dragon Transformation Secret Technique for a long time, but he had been taking Dragon Blood Pills to refine his bloodline constantly during the past ten or so years. Even though he knew that he would grow somewhat, he never expected to experience such an immense increase in size.
Currently, his body has grown to more than 2,500 metres in length. Not only that, but his Dragon Clan features had also become far more obvious. If his previous Dragon Transformation only barely had any Dragon Clan characteristics, then he was now showing 30% to 40% of their features!
The giants with eyes all over their bodies were huge, but Yang Kai was even taller than them.
Dragon Breath emerged from his nostrils, scorching even space itself. Yang Kai watched the giants as they approached rapidly, feeling an endless surge of power inside him.
The roar that came from his mouth was a pure Dragon Roar that shook the nine Heavens.
Raising his hand, the Azure Dragon Spear was summoned into his grasp.
As a spear refined from the body of a Great Dragon, only those with the Dragon Clan’s bloodline, or those with a Dragon Source could truly activate its power. Otherwise, the Giant Spirit God, Ah Da, would not have given this Azure Dragon Spear to Yang Kai.
With his spear in hand, the blood in Yang Kai’s blood flowed even more fiercely. A strange feeling rose from his heart as if the object in his hand wasn’t a divine spear, but rather a companion. It was like a partner that could share his pain and suffering, one that would walk together with him in life and death.
*Weng…*
The Azure Dragon Spear shook, and a huge illusory phantom of an Azure Dragon suddenly emerged, its body emitting majestic Dragon Pressure. Looking at Yang Kai with its dragon eyes, there were three points of gratification, three points of relief, and three points of recognition.
Then, the illusory phantom sank into the spear and disappeared without a trace.
One of the giant creatures had already arrived a thousand metres before Yang Kai.
With a shake of his spear, Yang Kai thrust its tip straight ahead at the approaching giant creature.
The Supreme Limitless Spear that Yang Kai had spent so much time cultivating finally had its time to shine. Before fighting with the mantis head, Yang Kai had been using the Azure Dragon Spear purely based on instinct; however, it was different now. The spear in his hand moved as naturally as if it were his own limb. One by one, spear flowers bloomed, and spear shadows pervaded.
Unrestrained in either conduct or bearing, his spear was free, his heart unbound!
When Yang Kai passed by the first giant creature, it suddenly turned stiff. In an instant, its body was hit by dozens of spears, and in the next moment, it burst apart.
Followed by a second, then a third…
A reign of terror emerged wherever Yang Kai passed. Not one of the giant creatures, their bodies covered in eyeballs, could resist the assault of his spear, and the sound of their bodies bursting apart was endless.
*Hong…*
Yang Kai’s Dragon Claw latched onto the last giant creature’s head and pinned it to the ground, creating a deep and huge crater beneath it.
Dragon Claw clenching, the giant creature’s head burst.
Over a hundred giants were wiped out by Yang Kai without even requiring a half cup of tea’s time. Yang Kai slowly straightened his body and stabbed his spear into the ground, silently feeling the power coursing through his body at this moment.
A beautiful feeling was flowing through every part of his body, and the surge of power was almost intoxicating to him.
Pu Bai Xiong’s trembling voice suddenly emerged, “Sir! They’re not dead yet!”
“En?” Yang Kai suddenly turned around, and what he saw caused his Dragon Eyes to widen.
On the battlefield that stretched behind him for dozens of kilometres, the giant creatures that had burst apart wriggled and writhed before sticking back to each other and fusing. The very first one he killed had already fused more than half of its body, and it seemed like it was going to revive at any moment.
Yang Kai was staring so hard that his eyes almost fell out of his sockets. [How can these things be so hard to kill that even the Azure Dragon Spear can’t handle them? If I’m going to get rid of them completely, then I’m afraid I’ll have to burn them to ashes with my Golden Crow’s True Fire.]
However, trying to burn so many of these giant creatures with the Golden Crow’s True Fire would drain an immense amount of energy from him.
Yang Kai had a toothache just from the thought. After dispelling his Dragon Transformation and restoring his body to its usual form, he grabbed Pu Bai Xiong and tossed him straight into the Small Sealed World. Body shifting, he instantly disappeared from where he stood.
Inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had not dared to use his Instantaneous Movement at will; after all, there were many strange principles and natural Arrays. If he tried to perform Instantaneous Movement, he might just land himself in some unknown danger.
If it was just a normal risky situation, then he could still handle that; however, if he were to fall into a powerful natural Array, then he might get trapped in this place for eternity.
Because of this, Yang Kai did not use Instantaneous Movement to escape the pursuit of those giant creatures just now.
But now, he had no other choice. The giant creatures were so resilient that if he waited for them to recover, it would lead to an unending chase.
After Yang Kai left, it did not take more than a few moments before the giant creatures fused back together without the least bit of an injury left on their bodies. Without a target to chase after though, they just stood in place and roared. After a while, they finally withdrew into the ground, turning themselves back into a swamp full of puddles.
After a long time, another group of cultivators flew over the swamp and could not help themselves from falling down into the puddles, turning into withered bones.
At the same time, Yang Kai stood inside a fog, feeling livid as he stayed on alert with his Divine Sense probing his surroundings.
He cursed in his heart as he knew that using Instantaneous Movement in this damned place was sure to come to no good results. As expected, his worries came true.
The fog flowed around his body like water, and it enveloped him in a strange feeling. No matter how he pushed his vision, Yang Kai could not see far away.
Not only that, but his Divine Sense was also suppressed to a range of just ten metres around himself.
Yang Kai could not help but shiver at this realization. His Divine Sense was so powerful that it was no worse than an ordinary cultivator in the First or Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, so it was clear that something strange was going on in this place if it could be suppressed to such a degree.
It was not a good idea to stay in such a place for long, but just as he was about to leave this place using Instantaneous Movement again, Yang Kai suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching in his direction.
Yang Kai looked over and shouted, “Who’s there?”
The footsteps stopped, followed by a meek voice, “Senior Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai was stunned to hear this voice before he came to his senses and called out, “Junior Sister Gu?”
It was the voice of Gu Pan from Lang Ya Paradise. Happy to find her presence here, Yang Kai went towards the source of the voice and sure enough, he did not have to walk far before he saw a beautiful figure standing before him.
Both of them looked at each other and were clearly happy to have met.
“Junior Sister Gu! Why are you here?” Yang Kai asked.
“I came here to look for you!” Gu Pan looked at him.
Yang Kai did not understand, “To look for me? How did you know I was here?” A thread of suspicion emerged in his head. He was here because he used Instantaneous Movement while trying to escape from those eye monsters, so how could Gu Pan come all the way here to look for him?
Gu Pan smiled but did not answer.
Yang Kai frowned. He had the vague feeling that something was not right, but he could not tell what, “How long has Junior Sister been here? Do you know how to get out of here?”
Gu Pan said, “I just came in, too, so I’m not sure.”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, let’s walk together. Don’t stray too far from me, Junior Sister.”
“En,” Gu Pan nodded obediently.
Side by side, the two walked through the fog in search of a way out.
After walking some distance, Yang Kai couldn’t help but ask, “Junior Sister, is there a girl called Zhang Ruo Xi in your Lang Ya Paradise? She would have only joined in recent years.”
Gu Pan shook her head, “I haven’t heard of her.”
Yang Kai’s face turned gloomy. Zhang Ruo Xi definitely went to Lang Ya Paradise; after all, that was where her ancestor came from, so one could say that she was returning to her roots by going there. Only, he had no idea whether she had yet to make it, or if Gu Pan simply hadn’t heard of her.
There was another rustling sound around him as Gu Pan seemed to be busy with something again.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Is Junior Sister eating dried fish again?”
When he turned his head to look though, the smile on Yang Kai’s face froze, “Who are you?!”
The head of Gu Pan, who was standing next to him, had turned into a fish. Even though it retained a human’s body, it looked extremely bizarre.
The fish head turned to look at him, “Sir, it’s me, Ruo Xi!”
While speaking, the fish head really did change into Zhang Ruo Xi’s face. She stared at him without looking away, her face filled with endless joy.
“Ruo Xi?” Yang Kai was dazed. Was it not Gu Pan standing next to him? So how did it become Zhang Ruo Xi all of a sudden?
“Husband, are you picking flowers outside again?” Zhang Ruo Xi opened her mouth to speak, but her voice seemed to overlap with someone else’s as if there was more than one person speaking. Her face was also constantly changing, turning into Shan Qing Luo one moment, Xia Ning Chang the next, then Su Yan, Xue Yue, Yu Ru Meng, and more…
Yang Kai was infuriated, “An illusion?”
Wiping his finger across his left eye, he shouted, “Demon Eye of Annihilation!”
Immediately, his left eye turned into a golden slit with a divine light glowing from its depths.
The person in front of him disappeared immediately, replaced by a broken branch. What frightened Yang Kai even more was the fact that he was somehow holding the branch without realizing it.
In other words, he had been talking to a branch this whole time, and he seemed to have enjoyed himself a great deal doing so!
[What a powerful illusion!] Even he was unknowingly caught by its trickery.
Divine Sense sweeping around him, he perceived that the branch in his hand was just an ordinary piece of wood. Coldly snorting, he discarded it before turning his head to look at his surroundings.
He had no idea whether it was a Human that cast the illusion on him, or if it was a natural occurrence. If it were the former, then there must be a Great Expert here. If it were the latter, then Yang Kai guessed that he must have fallen into a naturally-formed Illusion Array, which would make things slightly troublesome for him. His Instantaneous Movement might not work inside of this Illusion Array.
Thoughts flashing, he immediately manipulated Space Principles and disappeared from sight.
Once he re-emerged, Yang Kai’s face turned dark.
He was still standing inside the fog. In other words, there was a high possibility that he had fallen into a naturally-formed Illusion Array, and unless he broke the array, then there was no getting out of here.
He silently observed his surroundings, but he could find no clues. Even the Demon Eye of Annihilation, which was said to be able to break through all illusions, was powerless against this.
Divine Sense moving, he pulled Pu Bai Xiong out of the Small Sealed World and asked, “Hey, do you recognize this place?”
Pu Bai Xiong was surprised. Being thrown into the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai and released again, the scenery was changing so quickly that it confused him; however, once he looked around him, he laughed, “Sir, you’re lost!”
Yang Kai’s face was dark, “This fog has an illusory effect, and it’s very strong. I was accidentally caught up in it earlier.”
Pu Bai Xiong stood on Yang Kai’s shoulder and said proudly, “Sir must not know that this is no ordinary fog. This is something created by that mushroom. Unless they are born of the same roots as a Divine Medicine, then ordinary people really won’t be able to resist its effects.”
“Mushroom?” Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
“En. This is Little Mushroom’s territory.”
Yang Kai’s heart stirred, “Is the Little Mushroom that you speak of also a Divine Medicine?”
Pu Bai Xiong answered, “Exactly!”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Can you tell where it is?”
He had heard from Pu Bai Xiong that there were several other Divine Medicines that had assumed human form just like him in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and Yang Kai was very interested in them. He never thought that he would suddenly enter the territory of another Divine Medicine, and from what Pu Bai Xiong said, this fog was actually a technique of that Divine Medicine!
This was a strange and unpredictable technique, and Yang Kai had no idea what that Little Mushroom that Pu Bai Xiong was talking about was to have such potent abilities.
“Nothing hard about that.” Pu Bai Xiong shook his head, “I visit her place often. Follow me, I’ll take you to see her.”
With a leap, he jumped to the ground and dashed forward. In a few steps, he had already rushed into the mist and disappeared from sight.
Looking back, he laughed, “Smelly brat, if you hadn’t ended up in here, then Uncle Pu would not have known how to deal with you! You just had to end up here obliviously, and now you’ll suffer for it!”
As a Divine Medicine that had assumed human form, it took a lot of effort for him to finally gain a sentience, so how could he be willing to be captured by Yang Kai? The way he cooperated with Yang Kai earlier was all just a ruse; he was waiting for the opportunity to free himself, which had finally come.
“I’ll go and look for Little Mushroom, then I’ll have her trap you here for the rest of your life!” Pu Bai Xiong was feeling proud of himself, “Trying to match wits with Uncle Pu? You’re too naive!”
His legs, which were formed from two roots, ran quickly, and he slipped deep into the mist in just a flash.
It did not take long before he entered a cave where Pu Bai Xiong shouted, “Little Mushroom, are you home?”
His voice echoed in the cave, but he received no answer.
Pu Bai Xiong muttered, “Has that foolish little girl fallen asleep again? Yes, she must be asleep.”
Walking inside, he soon reached the depths of the cave, and at the deepest part, he found a fifteen-centimetre-tall mushroom rooted on spirit soil. The umbrella mushroom undulated faintly, as if it were breathing slowly. Following its motions, endless spores that could not be seen by the naked eye were floating out of its top, filling the air. It was these spores that formed that psychedelic fog earlier that caught Yang Kai in an illusion when he stepped into this place. All kinds of illusions flooded his vision, stopping him from finding his way out.
There was a brilliant light above the umbrella mushroom, flowing beautifully.
Pu Bai Xiong went up to the umbrella mushroom and lifted his hand, formed out of roots, and tapped it, “Little Mushroom, wake up! There’s trouble!”
“Em?” A lazy voice sounded, followed by the opening of a pair of big eyes atop the umbrella mushroom. She seemed to be drowsy and had yet to fully wake up. Glancing at Pu Bai Xiong, she shut her eyes lazily, “Why is it you? Come to disturb my dreams again? Go away, I’m going back to sleep.”
The voice was crisp and tender, like the voice of a young girl.
Pu Bai Xiong whacked her on the head this time, which made her eyes spin, “Before you sleep, do me a favour!”
The big eyes on top of the umbrella mushroom suddenly opened again. Then, they fixed onto a place behind Pu Bai Xiong with panic as She exclaimed, “Pu Bai Xiong, why did you bring someone in here!?”
Pu Bai Xiong jumped in fright and quickly turned around to look, yet he saw nobody behind him, “Little Girl, what are you talking about? There’s nobody behind me!”
“There’s clearly someone there!” The umbrella mushroom screamed. The appearance of the fifteen-centimetre-tall mushroom distorted, and she transformed into a young girl with an umbrella mushroom hat growing atop her head. Her butt fell to the ground and she wailed, “I’m finished, this is the end for me! I’m going to be eaten!”
As she cried, the near-invisible spores gushed into the air madly. Pu Bai Xiong panicked at the sight and shouted, “Don’t cry! If you keep crying, then Uncle Pu won’t be able to stand it! Ekk!? There are so many stars!”
“You can actually see me? En, of course, since this fog is part of your ability, it’s only natural that you can perceive me inside of it.”
A voice suddenly emerged behind Pu Bai Xiong like a ghost. Pu Bai Xiong, whose eyes were filled with illusions, was stunned back into his senses. When he turned around, he saw a ripple behind him where Yang Kai’s figure was revealed.
Yang Kai removed the Shadowless Veil and stowed it away.
The moment Pu Bai Xiong was released from the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai had been on high alert. Sure enough, Pu Bai Xiong did prove himself to be untrustworthy. If Yang Kai had not been following this guy closely, then he might really have let him escape.
“Why are you here?” Pu Bai Xiong was so shocked that his face paled instantly. Then, he laughed to himself, “No, it’s not you, definitely not you! This is an illusion! Wake up, wake up, me!”
The mushroom on the other hand continued to cry, “It’s not an illusion, he’s really here!” Her tears flowed down her cheeks, forming into a dense mist before it could touch the ground.
Pu Bai Xiong turned stiffly to look at the mushroom, “It’s… not an illusion?”
Yang Kai chuckled.
*Pu tong*
Pu Bai Xiong’s roots went soft and he fell to his knees. He looked at Yang Kai with an ingratiating smile while pointing at the mushroom, “Sir, I found you a Divine Medicine! This little girl should be very tasty. You can stew soup out of her!”
“Wah!?!?” The mushroom cried even louder. While crying, she cursed, “Stinky grape! Dead grape! You actually brought someone to harm me! I should have known that you were no good! I’ll fight you!”
Saying so, she pounced on Pu Bai Xiong and threw a barrage of kicks and punches at him.
Pu Bai Xiong naturally resisted. The two Divine Medicine that had assumed human form fought irreconcilably in front of Yang Kai, and soon, they had beaten each other black and blue. Somehow, the two Divine Medicines were moving sneakily towards the entrance as they fought and were just about to pass Yang Kai.
Leaning down, Yang Kai grabbed them with one hand each.
Pu Bai Xiong sniffled and turned his head to the side, pretending that nothing had happened.
The mushroom, however, was frowning as she looked at Yang Kai with a resigned sob.
“It looks just like the real thing,” Yang Kai commented as he looked at the two Divine Medicines in his hands, clicking his tongue in amazement before suddenly shouting, “Break!”
A glow erupted from the Demon Eye of Annihilation, and his vision distorted before the two Divine Medicines in his hands suddenly transformed into two cold, hard stones.
Everything he just saw was just another illusion!
At the same time, he saw Pu Bai Xiong and the mushroom creeping outside like little thieves. At this moment, they had turned around in fear, only to see Yang Kai looking at them with a wide grin.
The mushroom cried out and fell limp on the ground.
Pu Bai Xiong, on the other hand, shouted, “Split up!”
With that, his roots turned speedily as he fled towards the outside.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai instantly froze the surrounding space, locking Pu Bai Xiong in place, unable to move. Only his eyes were still turning around.
“Astonishing!” Yang Kai walked step by step over to the two Divine Medicines with his hands folded behind his back. When he entered the fog, he had no idea what he was getting into and had unknowingly fallen for someone’s trick. Later, he found out that the fog had hallucinogenic effects, so he acted more carefully. He kept on relying on the abilities of his Soul-Warming Lotus to clear his mind. If not for that, he would not have been able to follow Pu Bai Xiong all the way here, much less break the mushroom’s illusion.
Such methods were likely difficult for one to defend against, even for the average Open Heaven Realm Master. As expected of a Divine Medicine born in the Primordial Land that had assumed human form. They were indeed extraordinary.
“Don’t commit the same mistake a third time. You’re courting death, you damn grape.” Yang Kai sneered.
He reached out and grabbed Pu Bai Xiong. Staring at the grapes on his head, Yang Kai’s eyes flickered.
Pu Bai Xiong’s face paled, “Sir, I won’t do it again!”
“I’ve heard those words before!”
Pu Bai Xiong put up his fingers and swore to the Heavens, “It’s true this time! This lowly one swears to be honest. This one swears to follow and render his service to Sir!”
“If something like this happens again…”
“You can stew me!” Pu Bai Xiong looked earnest.
Yang Kai nodded and placed him on his shoulder. Then, he turned to look at the mushroom with a pleasant face, “If you wish to turn into a pot of mushroom soup…”
The mushroom quickly said, “This one will follow and render her services to Sir!”
Yang Kai said approvingly, “A promising young woman!”
The mushroom smiled a truly ugly smile through her tears.
After a few simple questions, Yang Kai learned that the mushroom before him was a Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom that had assumed human form. The Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom had only one ability, the creation of illusions, but in this field it was unmatched. If one were to accidentally eat a piece, then one may very well fall into an illusion forever, unable to extricate themselves ever again. After assuming human form, the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom’s ability to create illusions expanded enormously. During her drowsy moments, she released a large range of spores into the surrounding area simply by instinct.
Yang Kai leaned down to grab the mushroom, placing her on his other shoulder before walking out.
This mist was created by the spores of Little Mushroom, and it was capable of entrapping most living beings in an illusion; however, the illusions did not affect other Divine Medicines such as Pu Bai Xiong. That was how this grape was able to find the sleeping place of the mushroom so accurately. Since she was leaving this place, she naturally retracted the fog covering this area.
As they moved forward, the mist around them became thinner and thinner before turning into countless spores that poured back into the mushroom’s body.
By the time Yang Kai took the two Divine Medicines out of the area, the mist was no longer there.
Where the mist used to exist, there were actually thousands of cultivators lying asleep on the ground. It was apparent that they had accidentally entered this area and were caught in her illusion.
Now that the mist was lifted, it would not take long for them to wake up again. In a sense, it was Yang Kai who saved their lives; otherwise, they would have died in their sleep here.
With Pu Bai Xiong pointing the way, Yang Kai sped up, in search of the Innate Fruit Tree.
The Primordial Land had been open for several days, and more than 200,000 people had gathered. Despite the great opportunities to be found here, this place also came with many dangers. Just the seven-coloured tunnel alone had taken the lives of tens of thousands, most of whom were killed in sneak attacks.
The dandelions that Yang Kai encountered protecting the grape earlier, the strange swamp, and even the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom’s mist were all deadly existences.
Everything in the world was the same. Great opportunities were always accompanied by great risks. There was no cultivator who did not have to walk through a road of thorns as they ascended the Grand Dao.
Countless had died because of the littlest distraction, and only those with Heavenly luck could make their way to the peak.
A few days later, the grape suddenly spoke once they reached a place, “Sir, not far from here is another Divine Medicine similar to Little Mushroom and I. Does Sir want to procure it?”
After being captured by Yang Kai, he had tried several times to escape, but still failed to do so. Now, Pu Bai Xiong had given up, but this guy was still bad-natured and could not stand to see others living good lives while he had to suffer such a misfortune. Naturally, he wanted Yang Kai to take away the rest of the Divine Medicines to share in his misery.
Little Mushroom’s neck shrank back as she muttered, “That guy is tricky to deal with. I think you should just forget it.”
Grape glared at her, “Our Master is so powerful that even you couldn’t catch him in your illusions. Even though that bamboo is a tricky one, how could he defeat our Sir?”
“Bamboo?” Yang Kai raised a brow, “What kind of Divine Medicine is this bamboo?”
Grape explained, “Sir has no idea, that guy is no ordinary bamboo. He has a very fragrant taste. If you stew him into soup, it will surely help Sir become stronger!”
Yang Kai was noncommittal in his response, “Since it’s nearby, let’s go take a look.”
“This way, Sir! Let me show you the way!” Pu Bai Xiong was very attentive. He had probably suffered a big loss from that bamboo before this and hoped to take revenge through Yang Kai’s hand.
Though he knew this, Yang Kai did not point it out. Whether or not that bamboo was a Divine Medicine, since it could assume human form, then it must be an extraordinary thing, so there should be no fault in him taking it away.
Half a day later, a purple bamboo grove appeared before them.
Pu Bai Xiong climbed onto Yang Kai’s shoulder and shrank his head wretchedly as he stared warily at the bamboo grove, whispering, “Sir, this is that guy’s lair. Sir has to be careful since these bamboo are all that guy’s disciples. They’re not easy to mess with.”
Yang Kai nodded in response and stepped forward. Soon, they were in the bamboo grove.
All around them, the purple bamboo moved by themselves despite there being no wind. Suddenly, one of the poles of bamboo attacked him with thunderous momentum.
Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise and raised his hand to block it, only to feel the force of ten thousand kilograms on his arm, which caught him by surprise.
*Chi chi chi…*
One by one, the purple bamboo danced, as if they were alive, raining down on Yang Kai like a torrent.
Yang Kai let out a soft grunt and the Golden Crow’s True Fire blasted out. At once, the purple bamboo fled as if the flames were poisonous snakes or scorpions, not daring to come any closer.
“I’m going to be roasted!” Little Mushroom wailed and teared up on Yang Kai’s other shoulder.
Pu Bai Xiong shouted, “Sir will protect you and me, what are you worried about!?”
Little Mushroom reached out to touch her body and noticed that she was fine. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The flames rolled out, leaving no more obstacles blocking their way. Very soon, Yang Kai arrived at the centre of the bamboo forest, but he did not see the bamboo that Pu Bai Xiong mentioned; instead, there were traces of a battle that seemed to have taken place here.
From the traces that were left, the fight happened suddenly, but ended just as quickly. One party must have been easily subdued.
“Someone took that bamboo away from here before me,” Yang Kai pondered for a moment. Even though the bamboo had assumed human form, it must not have much combat power, just like Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom. It was only natural for it to be subdued by another cultivator.
Pu Bai Xiong felt that it was a pity, “If I had known this would happen, we should have rushed here early on.”
Even though Yang Kai also thought the loss was a pity, he did not mind too much. He had already obtained two Divine Medicines, so his trip to the Primordial Land had been worthwhile. Of course, without the Innate Spirit Fruit, which was his most important goal here, it was unlikely for him to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary safely.
Yue He and the others were still in Zhu Jiu Yin’s hands, so he had to get the Innate Spirit Fruit to exchange for their safety.
After leaving the purple bamboo grove, they did not have to walk for long before they suddenly encountered a group of cultivators. The group of cultivators looked dirty. Some were even injured, and their clothes were covered in mottled blood stains.
They were surprised to see Yang Kai, but after realizing who it was, the cultivator at the lead exclaimed in pleasant surprise, “Foreign Elder Yang?”
Yang Kai did not pay them much attention in the beginning, but when he heard his name and title being called, he looked over and scanned the group, “You’re from Scarlet Star?”
Only Scarlet Star’s disciples would refer to him in such a way; after all, he was technically Scarlet Star’s Foreign Elder, and it was through that very title that he managed to rake in a great mass of wealth from Scarlet Star.
“Scarlet Star’s Deng Qi greets Foreign Elder Yang!” The cultivator standing at the head of the group hurriedly came forward to salute Yang Kai. The rest of his group also saluted Yang Kai in a hurry before looking at him with fear and awe.
Then, they were surprised to find Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom sitting on Yang Kai’s shoulders.
Yang Kai nodded in response to their greetings, “What happened to you?”
Deng Qi answered embarrassedly, “We brothers were ordered by the Managers to come into this place to look for treasures. We found something over there, but unfortunately, we were driven away before we could explore deeper…”
Yang Kai frowned, “Do you know who they are?”
Sweat rolled down Deng Qi’s face, “We do not know. We’ve never seen them before.”
“Were they a large group?”
Deng Qi looked even more ashamed as he responded, “It was just one person.”
Yang Kai raised his brow. To be able to drive Deng Qi’s group out alone must mean that this person was quite strong. It had to be known that Deng Qi’s group consisted of more than a hundred people, and Deng Qi himself was a Junior Commander in Scarlet Star.
[Could it be Lin Feng or Xu Zhen? These Cave-Heaven and Paradise elite disciples should be able to achieve that.]
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Since you were lucky enough to survive, then you should cherish the opportunity. This Primordial Land is full of dangers, so be careful.”
Seeing that Yang Kai had no intention of standing up for them, Deng Qi could not help but feel a little disappointed; however, as a Great Commander of Scarlet Star, he also knew of the goodwill and enmity between Yang Kai and Scarlet Star, so he did not dare to harbour any resentment towards him.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to leave, Deng Qi stopped him, “Foreign Elder Yang, please wait!”
Yang Kai stopped and looked at him, “What is it?”
Deng Qi cupped his fists, “This one wishes to let Sir know that the place my brothers and I found earlier seems to have Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water.”
“Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “Are you sure?”
Deng Qi explained, “It was too far away so I wasn’t able to see it clearly, but there’s a high possibility that it is Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water.”
Yang Kai hastily asked for directions, and naturally, Deng Qi held nothing back. He pointed the way to him, and Yang Kai sped off.
If it was just a common treasure, then Yang Kai may not put it in his eyes. He had amassed a great fortune over the years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so his vision was extraordinarily high. He had also harvested two Divine Medicines since coming into the Primordial Land, so why should he care about common treasures?
However, Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was different. This was a very rare and precious thing.
Meng Hong was able to rebuild his foundation by relying on this Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water to wash away the Yin, Yang and Five Elements Powers from his Dao Seal. It could be said that the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was the capital for a cultivator to start this process all over from the beginning.
If any cultivator like Meng Hong wished to re-establish their foundation, then the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was required.
Meng Hong’s opportunity also came as a coincidence. The value of one portion of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was no less than a piece of Sixth-Order material.
Even though such things were useless to Yang Kai, he may have friends that would need such a thing in the future. Even if it was not needed, he could keep it to trade with other cultivators. Since he was lucky enough to encounter it, why let the opportunity go?
As quick as lightning, Yang Kai arrived at the place Deng Qi had pointed out.
Looking around, Yang Kai was slightly stunned. Many people had gathered around the scene, and there was a fight going on. It was a chaotic mess.
It had been less than an hour since he bumped into Deng Qi, and based on what Deng Qi said, he had been chased away by a single person.
In other words, these people also arrived here within the past hour, probably attracted by the energy fluctuations from the previous battle.
However, even though their numbers were high, Yang Kai was not too bothered about it.
Everyone’s attention was being drawn to a white jade trough in which clear water was flowing quietly. Yang Kai’s spirits were lifted as he confirmed it really was the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water.
He had seen it in Meng Hong’s hand before, so he would not be mistaken when he saw it again.
The value of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was immense, so it was no wonder so many people had been attracted to fight for it here. It was hard to see how many groups were in battle in this chaos and from time to time, Yang Kai even saw cultivators being killed and falling to the ground.
There were also many spectators standing on the sidelines. Though they tried to remain calm, they could not hide the greed in their eyes.
Yang Kai’s arrival did not attract much attention, but the two Divine Medicines resting on his shoulders attracted some covetous glances.
Little Mushroom trembled in fear and shrank under her umbrella top, not daring to face anyone. On the other hand, Pu Bai Xiong suddenly came close to Yang Kai’s ear and said, “Sir, it’s that bamboo!”
Surprised, Yang Kai looked over and sure enough, a cultivator that was holding a purple bamboo was looking in his direction. That purple bamboo was about one meter long and its body was a bright and elegant purple. This was obviously an extraordinary treasure.
[Is this the bamboo that Pu Bai Xiong mentioned?] Pu Bai Xiong had brought him to the purple bamboo grove in order to harvest another Divine Medicine, but Yang Kai never expected that someone would have taken it before him. So, he did not expect to bump into it here.
The one in possession of the purple bamboo was a black-robed youth who did not look very old and he had a cold demeanour.
He was currently looking in Yang Kai’s direction, and he eyed both Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom for a while before nodding at Yang Kai.
With a thought coming to mind, Yang Kai leaned towards the black-robed youth’s direction. The black-robed youth frowned and clearly seemed afraid of him, but he stood firm in place and did not move.
A few moments later, Yang Kai stood still. Before he could speak, he saw Pu Bai Xiong jump down and stand akimbo, shouting, “Stinky Bamboo, so you also have this luck? You’ve been plucked, huh? Hahahaha!”
Eyes grew out of the purple bamboo in the youth’s hands that looked down at Pu Bai Xiong and sneered, “I was wondering who it was. So it’s you, you dead grape. Are you looking for a fight?”
Pu Bai Xiong fumed, “Little brat, you don’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth! Grandpa Pu was always going easy on you in the past, and now you really think I’m afraid of you?!”
The purple bamboo shook violently and broke free from the youth’s hands. As it landed on the ground, it turned into a bamboo monster with a long and slender body, two feet and two hands, and two bamboo branches growing on either side of its head that even had a few leaves sprouting out of it. Plucking a bamboo branch, it whipped it towards Pu Bai Xiong, “You dare take advantage of me? I’m going to smash your grapes today!”
Unwilling to show weakness, Pu Bai Xiong’s roots moved like long whips, fighting up a storm with that bamboo.
Suddenly, there was a yelp, and a large bulge formed on Pu Bai Xiong’s head. Being whipped hard by the bamboo, he was in so much pain that tears ran straight down his face; however, the purple bamboo did not stop there. Pulling off another branch from the side of its head, he brandished the two branches like two swords, forcing Pu Bai Xiong back. He lost so miserably that even a few of his roots were chopped off.
After eating a loss from the purple bamboo, the grape wailed. Seeing this, Little Mushroom tried to intervene, but was also smacked by the bamboo and rolled back many times from the impact, causing her invisible spores to fly out. The cultivators around the area all fell into a daze as an illusion formed before their eyes.
Little Mushroom pouted, “Smelly bamboo, how dare you hit me! I’ll fight you!”
Lowering her head, she charged at him, but was beaten back by her opponent and landed on her butt. Tears flowing, she wailed miserably.
The grape was furious, “You dare bully Little Mushroom? I’ll fight you too!”
Root tendrils danced and flew as if he had grown countless arms, wrestling with the bamboo as if he really meant to fight him to the death.
The black-robed youth’s figure swayed and his eyes seemed slightly confused before he shook his head and muttered, “An illusion?”
Reaching out, he brought the bamboo back into his hands. An elegant purple light dispersed from the purple bamboo that enveloped the youth, forming a shapeless barrier that allowed the black-robed youth to regain his senses.
Looking over, all of the cultivators around them had become confused. It was clear that they had no idea they had fallen into an illusion. Some cultivators were laughing, while some were flying around. Seeing this gave him goosebumps.
The bamboo spoke up, “Don’t be afraid, boy. With this Lord Bamboo here, Little Mushroom’s illusions can’t do anything to you!”
The black-robed youth nodded.
Yang Kai had also caught Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom again, placing them back onto his left and right shoulders. Looking at the youth with interest, he asked, “How should I address you?”
The youth was taken aback for a moment before cupping his fists, “Xiang Ying greets Senior Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “You know me?”
Xiang Ying answered, “Senior Brother Yang’s name is famous, resounding like thunder in one’s ears.”
“Infamous, you mean?” Yang Kai smirked.
Xiang Ying frowned. He did not understand what Yang Kai was trying to get at. Indeed, it was true that he had heard about Yang Kai’s vicious reputation, wiping out thousands in the fight with Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion, tens of thousands even at Sword Pavilion’s Star City. He was nicknamed the Killing Star that had descended upon this world, but now that Xiang Ying had seen him in person, he realized that there was some difference between the real him and the rumours.
However, he was not familiar with Yang Kai and did not dare to jump to conclusions, so he still put up his guard in front of Yang Kai.
“I am hoping to get the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. What do you say about that, Brother Xiang?” Yang Kai cocked his head to the side as he looked at him.
Even though there were many people here already, they were all caught in an illusion and stuck in a confused state, so they were nothing to be worried about. The only ones with a clear head now were Yang Kai and Xiang Ying.
Xiang Ying said indifferently, “Each according to his own means!”
Obviously, he was unwilling to back down as the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was also a very attractive treasure in his eyes.
Yang Kai nodded. Staring at the purple bamboo in his hands, he changed the subject, “Brother Xiang’s bamboo is extraordinary. Would you be willing to part with it?”
Before Xiang Ying could even answer, the bamboo burst out in fury, “Don’t try and have any funny thoughts with this Lord Bamboo! Birds of a feather flock together. If you’re with that dead grape, then you must be a no-do-gooder as well!”
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment before laughing, “I guess we don’t share any fate then.”
He was just asking a casual question, and since the bamboo was unwilling, Yang Kai did not want to force him either. If he really wanted to snatch him away, then this Xiang Ying was most likely not his opponent.
Tossing the matter to the back of his mind, Yang Kai walked forward.
The grape said nervously, “Be careful, Sir! There are strange things about this place…”
Yang Kai smiled, “It is naturally impossible to move without caution in a place where such a treasure has formed. Even if the path is laced with all kinds of dangers though, I just have to break through them!”
At the end of the sentence, both he and Xiang Ying leapt forward.
The moment their bodies moved, both parties thrust their palms out at each other, resulting in a loud boom. Yang Kai’s body shook and he made a surprised hum. Though Xiang Ying was forced back three steps, he was not sent flying.
“Impressive!” Yang Kai praised.
Even though their contact was brief, Yang Kai could still see that this Xiang Ying was quite extraordinary. The Element Powers lingering around his palm during their exchange were all Sixth-Order.
In other words, what Xiang Ying refined were all Sixth-Order Open Heaven materials!
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to take a palm from him!
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Is Brother Xiang a senior disciple of a Cave-Heaven or Paradise?” As far as he knew, only those guys from the Cave-Heavens or Paradises had the ability to refine materials of the Sixth Order.
Xiang Ying stabilized himself and suppressed the tumbling vitality in his heart, praising in admiration, “Truly, seeing something once is better than hearing of them a hundred times. Senior Brother Yang is as amazing as they say. Junior Brother comes from a humble background. Not from any Cave-Heaven nor Paradise!”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “I see!”
This Xiang Ying was clearly also a Bearer. Only by the might of a Divine Spirit could such an outstanding Bearer be nurtured. Only, Yang Kai had no idea which Divine Spirit Xiang Ying was the Bearer of.
He had heard Zhu Jiu Yin say that many Divine Spirits had been raising their own Bearers in secret, making them cultivate hard over the years to enhance their strength just so they could fight for the opportunity for their sakes in the Primordial Land. So far, Yang Kai knew only of Xu Zhen and his group. He never expected to bump into another one here.
It was no wonder he was able to collect that purple bamboo. Since Xiang Ying was the Bearer of a Divine Spirit, he naturally had that ability.
While talking, Yang Kai kept his pace and was soon approaching the white jade trough.
Xiang Ying’s face changed slightly when he saw this. Suddenly, a layer of blood mist erupted around his body. It was apparent that he had performed some sort of Secret Technique. His speed increased greatly, and he also lunged for the white jade trough.
They were the only two fighting for the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water now. Whoever reached the trough first would get the first chance at it, so he naturally did not want to fall behind.
But soon, Xiang Ying revealed a stunned expression. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get even a little closer to the white jade trough after approaching a certain distance.
Looking next to him, Yang Kai was also showing a stunned expression.
The white jade trough was not that far from their location, only three hundred metres or so. With their abilities, this distance was almost non-existent. They could easily reach it in just one step.
But strangely enough, they could not advance a single hair closer to the white jade trough no matter how they ran. The stone trough remained at the same distance all this while.
Xiang Ying’s face had turned grave, and a layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead. This was a strange situation that he had never encountered before.
Again, he tried dashing forward when all of a sudden, more people appeared around him inexplicably. These people were nowhere to be seen before, but they had appeared just like ghosts. Each one of them were desperately rushing towards the white jade trough, but unfortunately, they were all powerless to do so.
Yang Kai and Xiang Ying were both shocked. What was going on with these people and where did they come from? These people were definitely not the ones who were caught in the illusion earlier, because those people were still in a confused state of mind behind them.
“And here we have two more!” An old man guffawed.
“We’re finished! We’re not getting out of here today! I was wondering how there could possibly be no danger around such a precious treasure, but it turns out the danger was hidden under our noses this whole time, impossible to discover without landing oneself into it.” Another middle-aged man stuck in the same place shook his head and sighed with a defeated look on his face.
“What kind of damned place is this? I want to get out of here!” There were even people running in the opposite direction, but they were unable to escape. There seemed to be an invisible cage surrounding the white jade trough, trapping everyone in it in a thousand-metre radius, keeping them from moving even a step no matter which direction they ran.
Yang Kai stopped and looked around for a while before asking, “Little Mushroom, is this an illusion?”
Little Mushroom’s head shook like a rattle drum, “I don’t feel anything.”
The Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom itself had unparalleled illusory abilities, so if she said so, then it must be true that this was no illusion. What was more, Yang Kai himself did not detect any traces of an illusion. If it were an illusion, then his Soul Warming Lotus would at least warn him of its presence.
“Not an illusion… then…” Yang Kai frowned. Turning to a person a short distance away from him, he asked, “Old Sir, how long have you been here?”
This was the same old man that first spoke. He smiled and sighed, “Haiz… I’ve been stuck here for three days. This Old Master was the first to come in, and these guys fell into the same trap one after another during the past couple days.”
Yang Kai was speechless. There were at least a hundred cultivators stuck in this place. In other words, these hundreds of people had discovered the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water during the past three days and were eager to bring it into their possession. As a result, they fell into such a trap, unable to extricate themselves. He and Xiang Ying were the latest ones to enter, and the reason they did not notice these people before was most likely that they had not entered the invisible trap completely.
Only once they stepped into this place would they see the others here.
“Old Sir, have you been able to find any clues as to what is happening?” Yang Kai asked again.
The old man sighed, “If this Old Master did find anything, then how could he still be trapped here?” He shouted towards the sky, “None of you are getting out of here, none of you! This Old Master has been running at full speed here for three days and hasn’t been able to move a single step! How much longer will you run?”
Upon hearing this, everyone gradually stopped.
Someone spoke up, “What is going on with this place? It feels like we’re moving forward, but why are we still stuck where we are?”
Nobody could understand it, which was why this situation felt so strange.
“There might be a Natural Spirit Array here, an Illusion Array, or even a Bewildering Array. Without breaking the Array, we will be trapped here forever!”
“How are we supposed to break it? Is there anyone proficient in Spirit Arrays among you?”
“This Little Brother knows a thing or two. Only, I can’t make heads or tails of this array. Maybe I’m not proficient enough yet.”
“Then what should we do? We’re not just going to wait and die here, are we?”
The group of people exchanged opinions noisily, discussing with great liveliness.
The old man tried his best to calm everyone down, and it was only with great difficulty that he managed to silence everyone again. He then said aloud, “Since there is no one here that can crack this Array, then this Old Master thinks that we should break it with force. If we act together and unleash our full strengths, then this Old Master does not believe that this damn Array will be able to hold on!”
“Old Sir has a point!” Someone agreed, “With so many of us working together, we will surely be able to break the Array if there truly is one.”
“Once the array is broken, then everyone will get a share of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. Let’s share it equally!” Someone shouted.
However, no one paid him any attention, leaving him to make a fool of himself.
Since the old man was the one to propose the joint effort to break the array by force, he was naturally the one who managed the operation. Everyone was stuck running in the same place and were unable to get closer to each other, much less move forward or backwards. Even though there were many people here, they had no way of setting up a Formation to combine their strength. So, they had no choice but to attack separately.
After the discussion was over, the old man was just about to give the order when he saw Yang Kai’s expression change, “Friend, have you made any discoveries?”
With gleaming eyes, Yang Kai nodded, “I see something, but I don’t quite understand what it is yet. I’ll need more time.”
The old man’s eyes lit up, “Since you have found something, why don’t you tell everyone and we can discuss it together?”
“That’s right! Two are stronger than one. If this friend can tell us what you’ve discovered, then we can work out this discovery together,” some echoed in agreement.
Yang Kai sneered, “If this King made a discovery, then it’s this King’s ability. Why should I tell you?”
The man’s expression sank as he rebuked, “This Junior is so rude.”
The old man beside him also shook his head, “Friend’s words are improper. We are trapped in this place, and we must work together to get out of this trap, so you should not hide any information from us at such a time.”
Yang Kai answered indifferently, “It’s not that this King is unwilling to speak, but rather that you would not understand it even if this King were to tell you.”
The old man shook his head and sighed, “Valuing one’s own old broomstick will only end up harming oneself and everyone around them.”
“What fart is this brat talking about? Once we get out of here, you better not run! I want to have a good talk with you!”
Yang Kai ignored these people and shut his eyes. Releasing his Divine Sense, he silently sensed the trace he found.
Seeing him like this, the old man no longer forced him to speak. Coordinating with the crowd, the Secret Techniques and Artifacts burst out at once when the word came down which caused the energy around the area to fluctuate violently, forming ripple after ripple that expanded outward.
Everyone watched with bated breath until their Divine Abilities dissipated, but they did not see any change in their surroundings.
The old man’s face sank as he bellowed, “Again!”
Another round of Divine Abilities were released.
The rumbling sounds were incessant, and the scene of hundreds of cultivators releasing their Divine Abilities at once was spectacular. In order to get out of the trap, no one held back. Each strike could be said to have been dealt at full strength.
The space shook and the world felt like it was being turned upside down. The aftershocks of their attacks spread out as round after round of light erupted endlessly.
An hour, two hours, six…
The hundreds of cultivators were so tired that they were almost spitting blood by now. Each one of them was pale-faced and their auras had become unsteady. They were all in the Emperor Realm, and though they gained many opportunities here in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and gathered numerous Element Powers, it was still difficult for them to keep attacking at full power for such an extended amount of time.
Despite how long they kept up their barrage, their hard work resulted in absolutely no changes at all, which left many of the cultivators discouraged.
The old man was constantly trying to boost morale, but there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to let them rest for now in order to restore their strength.
Turning his head around, he saw that only Yang Kai remained standing in place, not moving, and he could not help but feel a little annoyed. They were all working hard and joining forces so that they could break out of this trap and get away from here, but this young man was just standing there, aloof. He was seemingly trying to work out some profound mystery, but who knows whether he was just trying to save his energy and waiting for the right moment to jump out and pick the peach.
Hundreds suddenly poured in at once during this moment and landed in the invisible cage. It was those cultivators who were caught by the illusion earlier and had finally recovered. They were all trying to get the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, but ended up meeting with their predecessors along the way.
These newcomers rushed forward desperately just like the cultivators before them, but they could only run in place and were unable to get any closer to the white jade trough.
The cultivators all looked at these latecomers with pity, as if they had long known about this tragedy.
“Now that more friends have landed in this place, our strength has increased greatly. This time, we’ll definitely be able to break out!” The old man’s spirit was reinvigorated, “Everyone hurry up and adjust your breathing! We will strike together in an hour!”
All the cultivators roared in approval.
After an hour, the nearly one thousand people executed their Divine Ability and Secret Techniques under the old man’s order, and their force was indeed more than twice as strong as before.
After a few more hours though, nearly a thousand people stood pale, panting, and defeated.
Despite so many of them working together, they still could not shake the invisible cage in the slightest. Everyone’s hearts sank to the abyss. They had no idea what else to do in this situation.
“There is no unbreakable array in this world. This Old Master does not believe it! Everyone, rest and we will try again later!” Even though the old man’s strength was greatly depleted, he was still full of vigour.
It was a pity that the morale that was aroused by the first roll of the drums, was depleted by the second and exhausted by the third. Many people were now pessimistic and no longer as enthusiastic as before.
By the time they made their third attempt, many were barely even trying. Even though the old man was annoyed, there was nothing he could do about this.
Suddenly, Yang Kai, who had been trying to work out the mystery around him, suddenly laughed. Opening his glowing eyes, he stared at the Void ahead of him and exclaimed, “Wonderful! So that is how it is!”
Saying so, he suddenly took a step forward.
As soon as he took a step out, everyone widened their eyes and looked at him in shock.
That was because he really did manage to take a step forward. Before this, all of the cultivators who were stuck here seemed to just be running in place no matter how or where they tried to run.
“Friend… Friend?” The old man looked nervously at Yang Kai, “How did you do it?”
Even though Yang Kai had a smile on his face, his eyes looked serious, “Folding space, expanding space. Everyone looks just a thousand metres away, but no matter how one tries to advance, the space under one’s feet expands infinitely to compensate, giving one the illusion of stepping in place. So the Grand Dao of Space can be used in such a way… Such profundity!”
As he spoke, Yang Kai took another step forward. At the same time, the Dao Seal inside his body suddenly hardened.
His Dao Seal was formed around the Grand Dao of Space. Now that he had fallen into this predicament, Yang Kai had gained some enlightenment after a long time, which helped his Dao Seal become even stronger.
It had to be known that his Dao Seal had already been hardened by the Divine Dao Water, so refining it further was going to be a very difficult task. It could be seen how great his harvest this time was.
“Folding space, expanding space?” The old man and the other cultivators listened in confusion; however, Xiang Ying also frowned thoughtfully.
“You won’t understand even if I tell you, so just stand here and wait. Once this King retrieves the Divine Water, you will be freed!” Yang Kai did not bother to explain further. This was something concerning Space Principles and the Grand Dao of Space, so no matter how much he tried to talk to someone who did not cultivate it, they would not understand.
Step by step, Yang Kai slowly walked forward, but he was still moving closer to the white jade trough.
After Yang Kai took ten steps, Xiang Ying suddenly waved his purple bamboo in the direction that Yang Kai had stepped out in, and a purple glow emerged from it. Even though Xiang Ying was not moving, strangely enough, his body had moved a metre forward.
Yang Kai noticed his movements and turned around just in time to see it happen. Stunned, he wondered whether Xiang Yin had also cultivated the Dao of Space.
Xiang Ying looked up at him and gently nodded, “Many thanks to Senior Brother Yang for the explanation!”
The purple bamboo in his hands moved forward again and a purple light rippled out, causing his body to move forward once more.
Xiang Ying did not cultivate the Dao of Space, and Yang Kai knew it because he did not feel any fluctuation of Space Principles coming from the former’s body. So, he was doing this solely relying on the power of the purple bamboo!
The purple bamboo felt like it had the ability to nullify all things. Strictly speaking, the strangeness of this place could also be called a type of Divine Ability, but it was a natural phenomenon. Under the effects of the purple bamboo, it would naturally not affect Xiang Ying.
[So this purple bamboo is actually that strong?] Yang Kai looked over his shoulders at the grape and Little Mushroom, instantly getting the feeling that these two guys were extremely weak.
In front of the eyes of almost a thousand people, Yang Kai went forward step by step as Xiang Ying drifted forward like a ghost. Neither was faster or slower than the other, and they were constantly approaching the white jade trough.
Even though Yang Kai was a few steps ahead, Xiang Ying soon caught up with him.
In less than half a cup of tea’s time, the two were only several tens of metres away from the white jade trough.
Xiang Ying suddenly raised his hand and tapped Yang Kai with the purple bamboo, “Please excuse me, Senior Brother Yang!”
After being tapped by the purple bamboo, Yang Kai tried to take another step, but he was unable to move. He was stuck in place.
In that instant, Xiang Ying had pounced onto the white jade trough and summoned a jade bottle, snatching up the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water from within it.
Yang Kai laughed, “If you had not made a move on me, then I would still remain hesitant. Since you are unkind, then do not blame me for being unrighteous.”
Space Principles erupting, he shouted, “Return!”
Xiang Ying was about to bottle up the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the stone trough when a light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he bottled up nothing. By the time he came back to his senses, he found that he had been sent back to the original spot, which was a whole thousand metres away from the stone trough!
Xiang Ying’s face instantly became as black as the bottom of a pot.
Even though the purple bamboo in his hands had the ability to nullify this Divine Ability, allowing him to approach the stone trough little by little, how could it compare to Yang Kai’s understanding the essence of this Divine Ability and borrowing its power for his own use?
One broke, while the other comprehended, the difference was obvious!
Yang Kai stood alone by the white jade trough, looking down at the Divine Water within, grinning.
Without needing any container, his Divine Sense moved, opening up the Small Sealed World, where he sent the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the white jade trough into, storing it carefully.
There was quite a lot of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water in the trough, at least a hundred portions.
In just a few moments, Yang Kai had collected all of the Divine Water.
The surrounding group was envious and annoyed at Yang Kai’s actions. He did not even leave them with a single sip.
The moment Yang Kai collected all of the Tai Yi soul Cleansing Water, the white jade trough in front of him suddenly distorted and gradually grew transparent. Soon, it disappeared.
The Tai Yi soul Cleansing Water was a treasure which seemed to appear only at certain times. This white jade stone trough seemed solid, but it was in fact just the manifestation of the world’s Grand Dao. As soon as the Divine Water was gone, its vessel also disappeared with it.
At the same time, the invisible force which had been binding the cultivators all this while disappeared completely.
The moment they were freed, dozens of people rose into the air and lunged straight towards Yang Kai, roaring, “Junior, leave the Divine Water behind!”
Since ancient times, man has been easily swayed by money and treasure. If it were just an ordinary treasure, then it may not be so, but this Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water was extremely precious. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary itself was a giant natural treasure trove where nobody had set foot in for a thousand years, but nobody had heard of any Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water emerging during these recent years.
It was only in the Primordial Land that they would have the opportunity to find it, so it was not surprising that so many people were fighting for it.
Not to mention, Yang Kai had Divine Medicines that had assumed human form on each of his shoulders.
Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom had long since caught the eyes of the crowd, but those people were trapped previously and did not have the mind to think about it. Now that they were freed, greed immediately surfaced.
Two Divine Medicines that had assumed human form and a pool of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. That was enough for anyone to lay their lives on the line!
Dozens of people made the first strike, each of them bearing an aggressive and unforgiving attitude. They clearly had the intention of killing Yang Kai and robbing his treasures.
The rest were slower to react, but they also followed suit, each one shouting at the top of their lungs.
Yang Kai stood in place, looking around him with cold eyes. He remained aloof even when he was being pounced on by dozens of cultivators and snorted indifferently, “If not for this King, you would still be trapped in that invisible cage. This King freed you, and I would not blame you if you had not thanked me, but now you’re even repaying kindness with enmity? Your lack of moral conscience disappoints this King greatly.”
A man laughed, “Little Brother is right, so hurry up and come with me! Don’t pay attention to these ungrateful people.”
He was the first to arrive in front of Yang Kai and try to grab him. Several Element Powers gathered in his palm, mutually reinforcing one another as they flew straight towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not even spare this man a glance though and simply lifted his finger to tap on his forehead.
An arrow of blood shot out from the back of the man’s head. He stood there with his hand outstretched, but he could not move, as if his body had been fixed in place.
Dozens of Divine Abilities rained down in the next moment. Yang Kai’s body shifted, and one by one, Dragon Shields surrounded him in mid-air. In the next instant, the sky was covered with light.
There was a rumble, and someone shouted, “Not so rough! Don’t ruin those two Divine Medicines!”
However, the shout obviously came a little late. When he saw Yang Kai’s figure disappear under the many Divine Abilities, the man’s face twitched. The two Divine Medicines could not have been saved under such a chaotic barrage. They had probably already been turned into dust.
As the Divine Abilities dissipated, a figure reappeared, which immediately changed the expressions of everyone present. They were all shocked that Yang Kai stood unharmed, without even a wrinkle on his clothes.
On the contrary, the first several dozen cultivators who jumped over were suddenly fixed in place. Following a puncturing sound, blood arrows shot out from the backs of these people’s heads before they fell face-first to the ground, the vitality draining from their bodies in an instant.
Each one of these cultivators had a bloody hole on their foreheads that went straight through their skulls, obliterating their Souls. Their eyes were still filled with shock and horror as if they had seen a terrifying sight before their deaths.
There were gasps, and the figures rushing in Yang Kai’s direction stalled in place, looking ahead with trembling eyes.
During that moment of chaos, nobody saw how Yang Kai had actually attacked. They only saw these dozens of people take the lead to attack, but all end up dead!
Pu Bai Xiong was shaking on Yang Kai’s shoulder, his face pale. Earlier, he thought he was dead when he saw Yang Kai being surrounded. Who knew that the several dozen people who attacked would all now be dead after just a single exchange? He sighed in his heart as he muttered, “This brat is actually this strong?”
He was a Divine Medicine that had assumed human form, so he did not know too much about the typical strength of Human cultivators; however, if Yang Kai could instantly kill more than a dozen people alone, then he was obviously strong.
Fresh blood spilled out, filling the world with the stench of iron as hearts pounded loudly.
Dozens of people lay dead on the ground, which left the remaining ones shocked and even disbelieving. The atmosphere felt extremely heavy for a while. Even though there were many people here, they were all loose sand. They had only united earlier to break out of the trap. Now, each of them naturally had their own thoughts about snatching Yang Kai’s treasures away, so it was difficult for them to work together with one mind.
Among the crowd, someone scrutinized Yang Kai’s face for a moment before his eyes suddenly bulged and he began shaking violently.
[It’s him! Scarlet Star’s Killing Star!]
Even though Yang Kai showed off his great power at Scarlet Star’s Star City and allowed many people to see his face at that time, he rarely appeared before others in recent years, so the ones who knew him were actually not many. Only those cultivators who had been there in Scarlet Star’s City from the beginning had seen his face before. The ones who came later only heard his name, but knew not his appearance.
However, that did not mean that nobody could recognize him.
There were more than a thousand people present, so inevitably one or two had been in the presence of Yang Kai’s fierce and noble bearing before. Previously, they did not care much while they were trapped in that invisible cage, but now that he looked carefully, they recognized Yang Kai.
At once, a few faces paled and they turned around in an attempt to run.
As early as a few years ago, Yang Kai had single-handedly killed off thousands of Thunder Light and Sword Pavilion members. After that, he massacred the entire Star City belonging to Sword Pavilion. What could they do to him here with just a thousand people?
If they really were to fight, it was still not known how many would actually survive. This was a great risk to undertake. Divine Medicines with human forms and the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water were certainly valuable, but what could be more important than one’s own life?
*Shua shua shua…*
Almost a hundred people swiftly left. It was not that they all knew Yang Kai, but they had each formed teams to search for treasure in this Primordial Land. As long as one person recognized Yang Kai, they would naturally call on their companions to hurry away from this place; otherwise, they would be in trouble.
The ones remaining had no idea why these guys would leave in such a hurry and just thought that they had been scared off by Yang Kai’s bizarre methods.
The old man who called on the rest of the cultivators to break the array earlier called out, “Don’t be afraid, he’s only one person! There are so many of us! We can easily drown him with our spit if each of us spits just one mouthful!”
Someone echoed his sentiments and nodded, “That’s right! This boy is alone, so there is nothing to fear! Who cares if those cowardly rats are gone? We just have fewer opponents to deal with now!”
With a compassionate face, the old man stroked his long beard, “Little Brother, the Heavens care for all living beings. If you are willing to leave the two Divine Medicines and the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water behind, then this Old Master and everyone else will also be unwilling to kill you ruthlessly. This Old Master can guarantee that we will allow you to leave in one piece. Are you willing?”
Yang Kai glanced at him, “There are so many of you, but I only have two Divine Medicines. What’s more, the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water is also not enough for all of you to share. What should I do? Why don’t you fight each other first, then when only two of you are left, you can come and share this King’s treasure. That way, there will be no problems.”
The old man smiled, “Things have already come to this point, so why is Little Brother still trying to sow discord?”
Someone shouted, “Leave your Space Ring too! This brat must have other good things with him.”
“Exactly! That way, we won’t have to worry about there not being enough to divide between us!”
Yang Kai said casually, “Indeed, there are many good things in my ring.” Saying so, he took out an object.
“Sixth-Order material!” Some people gasped.
“A Yuan Magnetic Divine Stone! If one were to refine this, then they would be able to cultivate the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light!”
Before this man finished speaking, Yang Kai took out another Sixth-Order material, fiddling with his hands.
Then came another shout, “Another Sixth-Order material! That must be a Blood Flame Jade. If refined, then one could cultivate the Soul Burning Blood Flame!”
“Another Sixth-Order…”
…..
There were constant gasps. One after another, Sixth-Order treasures appeared in Yang Kai’s hands. The crowd’s expression changed from their initial surprise to shock, then to endless greed.
In a short period of time, Yang Kai had brought out more than twenty kinds of Sixth-Order materials, and none of them were duplicates. Each one was different from the other!
A huge question came to everyone’s mind. Where did this brat get so many treasures from? It had to be known that they had all been in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary for ten years now. Even though they had gotten some good things themselves, most had never come across Sixth-Order materials before! Yet this young man was able to amass more than 20 different treasures of that Order, and those were merely the ones he had taken out to show them. How many more were left inside his ring?
This brat was simply a moving treasure vault!
A loud laugh erupted as a man looked at him with glowing eyes, nodding, “Little Brother does in fact have many good things. It is definitely enough to share.”
Yang Kai nodded, “My only worry is that you have the life to take it, but no life to spend it.” Looking towards the crowd, he grinned, “Does Brother Xiang also want to make things difficult for me?”
Xiang Ying stood there silently with a cold expression, not saying a word.
Yang Kai sighed, “After laying dormant for so many years, it seems the world has forgotten my prestige. Now even pitiful weaklings also dare to provoke this King’s majesty!” Putting away the treasures in his hand, Yang Kai said with a cold expression, “Enough nonsense. If you want treasures, then come and get them yourselves!”
The old man shouted, “Since Little Brother remains stubborn, then do not blame us for not showing mercy. Go!”
*Shua shua shua…*
One by one, the cultivators lunged towards Yang Kai. Almost a thousand people were attacking him at once in such a spectacular scene. Before they had even arrived, their Divine Abilities were already brought out.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly, and he seemed to be standing in place as if he was scared silly. Pu Bai Xiong grabbed his hair nervously and shouted, “Hurry up and dodge!”
Little Mushroom shrank her neck and her entire body underneath her umbrella top.
A Heaven destroying and Earth shattering aura came over Yang Kai’s head. As their attacks were about to make contact, Yang Kai’s body suddenly shook, and raising his hand, a Golden Crow emerged from his fingertip.
The Golden Crow was small, only the size of one’s palm; however, it looked as exquisite as if it were a living creature.
The Golden Crow flapped its wings and let out a piercing cry before flying towards the Divine Abilities with flames blazing all around its body.
The Divine Abilities hit the Golden Crow’s body, but instead of breaking it into pieces, the power in the Divine Abilities was being sucked up by the Golden Crow, turning one into two, two into four, four into eight…
In the blink of an eye, Golden Crows filled the sky, swooping down on each cultivator while following the source of their Divine Abilities.
Many cultivators were shocked, and some retreated in a panic. Others resisted, forming protective barriers on the surface of their bodies.
However, the Golden Crow’s True Fire was overwhelming enough that even an Open Heaven Realm Master would not be able to resist it, let alone these Emperor Realms cultivators. Any cultivator touched by the Golden Crows instantly lit on fire and turned into a burning ball of flames, screaming incessantly.
One by one, the cultivators fell like dumplings into a pot of boiling water as they dropped out of the air, their vitality draining before long.
“This is… Golden Crow’s True Fire!?” The face of one cultivator changed dramatically as he exclaimed.
The little Golden Crows were so vivid and distinctive that it was hard for one not to recognize it.
Many cultivators were shaken and they hurriedly backed off, but how could they escape? The small Golden Crows swooped down and turned them all into burning balls of fire, leaving them to scream as they fell to the ground.
This cleared the scene at once!
Nearly half of the thousand were either killed or injured in this one exchange.
The cultivators who managed to survive all shouted in terror and tried to escape.
“Trying to run now? Too late!” Yang Kai coldly snorted. Space Principles rushed out and the surrounding thousand-metre radius with him at the centre was instantly placed under his control.
Some cultivators tried to look back as they fled, only to be met with a horrifying discovery. No matter how hard they tried to run, they could not move any further away from Yang Kai. It was as if they were stuck in place.
This scene was familiar to them as it felt just like their previous encounter in the invisible cage.
The invisible cage they had been caught in was just like this. They were all rushing desperately towards the white jade trough, but no matter how they tried, they could not get even a little closer.
[Could it be? The barrier reappeared?]
This thought had just come up in one of their minds when a Golden Crow swooped down, covering them!
Ten breaths later, charred corpses fell one by one, their vitality wiped from this world. Nearly a thousand cultivators fell here. Other than the hundred or so that escaped after recognizing Yang Kai, the rest were all burnt to death without burial.
Yang Kai exhaled a breath, not feeling too surprised; however, a look of contemplation soon appeared in his eyes.
It was naturally impossible for the barrier to reappear, and the reason why so many cultivators re-experience the same event where they could only run in place was because of Yang Kai manipulating the local Space Principles.
Unravelling the mysteries of folding space and expanding space allowed him to discover another method of utilizing the Grand Dao of Space, from which he benefited greatly.
When manipulating Space Principles, Yang Kai could now create a similar restriction. This technique was not a Secret Technique, nor a Divine Ability. It was just a flexible method of using Space Principles.
He had never thought of using them this way before, but this encounter opened a new window for Yang Kai that allowed him to further his attainments in the Dao of Space.
When he tested it out for himself, the result was truly remarkable.
Turning around, Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Many thanks, Brother Xiang, for the help!”
Previously, Yang Kai thought that Xiang Ying was also acting on greed and wanted to make things difficult for him, but when the others made a move against him, he realized he was wrong. Xiang Ying had been among the crowd, silently tapping his purple bamboo here and there, secretly attacking those people.
However, his movements were extremely stealthy and with everyone’s attention drawn to Yang Kai’s treasures, nobody even noticed when Xiang Ying secretly struck.
More than a dozen died by his hands during that time.
“My help was unnecessary.” Xiang Ying shook his head and put the purple bamboo away, “We shall part here. Surely, we will meet again!”
This Xiang Ying seemed to prefer solitude, and he only took action just now because he did not agree with these people bullying others with numbers. Only, after seeing Yang Kai’s strength with his own eyes, he realized that these people would not have been able to do anything to Yang Kai even if he did not interfere.
Looking at his back, Yang Kai watched him leave, thinking to himself that this guy was quite an interesting person. He had no idea where this man came from, or which Divine Spirit had chosen him to become their Bearer.
But no matter what, Xiang Ying was able to obtain the Purple Bamboo Divine Medicine and also had a Divine Spirit to help him with building a solid foundation. If he could leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary alive, then he will surely be able to gain a foothold in the 3,000 Worlds in the future.
As a matter of fact, every time the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, many younger generation Masters were created. There were far too many treasures in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and high-quality materials that were rare in the outside world were all over the place here. As long as one’s luck was not too bad, they would surely be able to gain some opportunities in this place and lay a solid foundation to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
However, the prerequisite to it all was to leave this place alive.
Thoughts churning, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense enveloped the area to scavenge the Space Rings left behind by the dead cultivators. Even though Yang Kai had many treasures already, these people had been working hard in the Grand Ancient Ruins for more than ten years, so they would surely have some good things on them. Yang Kai wasn’t about to toss away free wealth.
One by one, Space Rings flew in his direction and were tossed into his Small Sealed World.
“Em?”
All of a sudden, Yang Kai raised his brow and looked in a certain direction, surprised, “So there are still fish that slipped through the net?”
Flicking his wrist, a Moon Blade was sent flying in that direction.
His Divine Sense perceived a faint aura coming from that direction, so obviously, someone survived and was secretly hiding, which was unexpected to Yang Kai.
Only, they were not able to hide perfectly. Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was extremely powerful, so he was able to see traces the moment he did a proper scan of the area.
The Moon Blade cut through the air and sped off in that direction.
Below a charred corpse, a figure shot into the sky. The Moon Blade happened to brush past the bottom of his feet, almost severing them, but the man was unperturbed. Flipping in mid-air, they quickly disappeared into the distance with nimble movements.
Yang Kai laughed, “Still trying to run?”
Thoughts flashing, the folding space reappeared. In an instant, no matter how the person tried to run, they were unable to break free.
Yang Kai frowned. Despite seeing that the person was in fact stalled in place, they were still moving slowly forward. Even though it was very slow, they really were moving nonetheless.
Being affected by his controlled Space Principles, this person had no way of escaping from the ever-expanding space, but it seemed he was not as powerless as those from before.
[This guy… has some ability!]
Of course, this also was partly to do with Yang Kai himself. He had just learned this technique, so he was not too skilled with its use. He could bully some weaklings, but it was still lacking when he was facing a Master.
The man ran for a while and probably sensed that something was wrong, which caused him to turn back around to see Yang Kai approach him step by step. Knowing that he could not escape, the man sighed and simply decided to stop, laughing bitterly, “Is Senior Brother going to kill me now? I didn’t attack you earlier. I was just watching for fun.”
“Then the price you have to pay for watching the show is going to be a little high.” Yang Kai looked at him with a smirk.
The man shrugged, “I guess it is.”
Then, his face turned serious, “What do I have to do for Senior Brother to let me go?”
“Did I say…” Yang Kai raised his hand and palmed his fist, “I was going to let you go?”
As the cry of a Golden Crow broke out, it swooped down at the man.
The man’s face froze and he suddenly formed seals with his hands, shouting, “Stand Eternal as a Mountain!”
*Hou…*
A beastly roar resounded through the clouds, and immediately afterwards, this man’s body was surrounded by a khakis-coloured glow that radiated a potent Earth Element Power. The Earth Element Power was so dense and pure that it was almost comparable to Yang Kai’s Earth Element. It had to be at least a Seventh-Order Earth Element Power.
The Earth Element Power twisted and transformed into the illusory phantom of a giant tortoise that protected this unknown man beneath it.
The Golden Crow swooped down and hit the giant tortoise illusory phantom, but it did not hurt the man below in the slightest. It was completely blocked!
The Golden Crow’s True Fire failed. It was the first time that someone was able to block it!
Yang Kai exclaimed, “A Divine Manifestation!”
But soon, he realized that something was wrong. This giant tortoise illusory phantom had not reached the level of a Divine Manifestation yet. It should be merely a Divine Ability which this man had gained through the enlightenment of his own Earth Element Power, similar to Yang Kai’s own Dragon Shield.
*Chi la la…*
The Golden Crow’s True Fire clashed with the giant tortoise illusory phantom constantly. After a few moments, the Golden Crow dissipated, but the giant tortoise illusory phantom remained as solid as a rock.
The man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and squeezed out a smile, “Senior Brother, when it is possible to forgive others, one should be forgiving.”
“You’re the Bearer for the Solid Earth Black Tortoise?” Yang Kai raised a brow.
He had seen all kinds of Divine Spirits outside of the Primordial Land before, some in their original forms, and others in human form, but Yang Kai did not see the Solid Earth Black Tortoise’s true body. He was obviously blending among the crowd in Human form.
Since the defensive Divine Ability used by the guy in front of him took on the image of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise, then, it clearly meant that he had received it directly from the Solid Earth Black Tortoise.
Zhu Jiu Yin told him before that the Divine Spirits would go to great lengths to strengthen their Bearers, and some would even divide some of the powers of their own Source and Monster Core to help their Bearers with condensing one of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, all so they could assist them in gaining victory in the Spirit Seizing war.
Zhu Jiu Yin’s Monster Core attribute was not suitable for this, so Yang Kai never asked her for such a thing.
However, the Solid Earth Black Tortoise was different. It was an Earth Element Divine Spirit, and its Monster Core contained a pure Earth Element Power. If it could give some of it to its Bearer, then they could gather a Seventh-Order Element.
These Bearers were able to use some of the Divine Spirit’s abilities from receiving part of the Element Power inside their Monster Cores, and it was very strong. Zhu Jiu Yin had warned him to be careful if he were to meet a Bearer like this, because it was hard to tell what sort of tricks they had up their sleeves. One wrong move could lead to death with them.
Yang Kai never expected to meet such a Bearer that received the inheritance of a Divine Spirit so soon.
The Solid Earth Black Tortoise’s other skills aside, its defensive ability was first class. This Bearer in front of him had received the power of his Divine Spirit, so he was naturally able to withstand the burning of the Golden Crow’s True Fire.
The man greeted him with an erect palm, “Fang Yue greets Senior Brother Yang. This Fang has long heard of Senior Brother’s great name, and seeing you now, Senior Brother is a noble man as expected! Little Brother sighs in awe!”
The grape called out, “Sir, this guy’s ass-kissing is too good!”
Meanwhile, Little Mushroom also nodded her head on his other shoulder, scowling at the other party.
Fang Yue remained serious though and said, “From the bottom of my heart, this one is not trying to kiss Senior Brother’s ass!”
Yang Kai raised a hand, knocking it on the giant tortoise illusory phantom around his body, which made a muffled knock, “Your tortoiseshell is quite hard.”
Fang Yue smiled, “The Solid Earth Black Tortoise specializes in defence, and this Junior Brother has inherited its skill. This Fang has embarrassed himself in front of Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai praised, “I’m afraid only the Divine Spirits can hurt you now in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary with this ability.”
Fang Yue sweated, “But Junior Brother is still not Senior Brother’s opponent. Senior Brother’s achievements in the Dao of Space are deep and profound, and there is nothing that the Golden Crow’s True Fire cannot burn. An ability to burn thousands in one move is truly awe-inspiring.”
“Hand over your Space Ring.” Yang Kai reached out his hand.
“Huh?” Fang Yue was stunned.
Yang Kai stared at him, not saying a word.
The grape then shouted, “Brat, are you deaf? Sir told you to hand over your Space Ring. Our Master is trying to rob you!”
Fang Yue’s mouth twitched as he quibbled, “Senior Brother, I thought we were like old friends the moment we met. We can sit down and talk about this, yes?”
“If you want to talk, we can talk later. Hand over your Space Ring. I’m sure you must have gotten a lot of good things from the Solid Earth Black Tortoise, right?” If not for his tortoise shell, then Yang Kai would be shoving his hand to the man’s nose.
Fang Yue fumed, “Senior Brother, how can you do this? You have so many treasures, so do you still need to covet these petty trinkets of mine? Even if you rob me, it still won’t increase your wealth by much!”
Yang Kai was indifferent, “If you do something wrong, then you must be punished.”
Fang Yue was angry, “I really didn’t do anything…” After a pause, he said weakly, “Fine, I secretly attacked you, but I didn’t have any intentions to kill you. I just wanted to see the gap between you and I!”
He should have recognized Yang Kai long ago, and he had also heard of Yang Kai’s various deeds. Even though he had received the nurturing of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise, and used its Monster Core to condense his Earth Element, he was still not confident in being able to beat Yang Kai. He only joined in with the crowd earlier to try and verify how much he had grown in these recent times.
However, who knew that this would be the result of that? He was devastated.
If he fought against such a person, would he be able to snatch that Innate Spirit Fruit and satisfy the requests of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise?
He sighed, “Senior Brother, you won’t be able to kill me. My rock seal is indestructible. With this seal, no one in the Primordial Land has any hopes of killing me.”
Yang Kai argued, “Indeed, your Divine Ability is not bad, but it must consume quite a lot of power to maintain, right? Without mentioning whether or not I can break your tortoiseshell, even if I can’t, I can still kill you by exhausting your strength. That is unless you have a way to escape from my hands, of course.”
Fang Yue’s face paled and he swayed as if he were about to collapse, “Senior Brother has a poisonous eye!”
Yang Kai was right. Even though the defence of this rock seal was incredible, it was true that a lot of power was consumed in order to maintain it, and it was quite taxing on his body, especially long term. Under his best efforts, he could at most be able to maintain it for an hour. After an hour, he would definitely be exhausted, and the rock seal would break by itself.
Worse, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, so there was no hope of escaping. Delaying was meaningless. It could be said that Yang Kai’s every word hit him right where it hurt.
Fang Yue’s expression wilted, “Junior Brother concedes. Senior Brother, please be merciful.”
Saying so, he heaved a big sigh and released the rock seal himself. Taking the Space Ring off his finger, he tossed it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took it and swept his Divine Sense through its contents before looking up at him, “There really are a lot of good things in here.”
Indeed, many good things could be found in the man’s ring. He even had two Sixth-Order materials. Fang Yue alone should not have been able to collect these, so it was probably the Solid Earth Black Tortoise that he got them from. These Divine Spirits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had lived for countless years here, and each of them had accumulated great wealth over the years. Since their chosen Bearers were expected to fight for the one and only opportunity to escape this place, the Bearers would naturally try and get some benefits from them, too.
Yang Kai was no exception. If not for Zhu Jiu Yin, how would he have been able to obtain the Divine Dao Water? And how would he be able to cultivate the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture?
Fang Yue saw Yang Kai take out treasure after treasure from his Space Ring, which made him so depressed that he was about to spit blood as he wailed, “Enough, enough! At least leave some for me, Senior Brother!”
But Yang Kai ignored him and continued going through the ring.
After a long time, he finally threw the Space Ring back to him.
Fang Yue caught it and checked its contents. At once, he let out a grunt and grabbed his chest with a grieving and painful expression on his face.
Even though the ring had not been cleaned out, all the good things had been taken away. Fang Yue felt like over ten kilograms of flesh had been shaved off from his body. It hurt so much that he could die.
Grabbing the Space Ring, he turned and left as far as he could, “We will part ways here. Farewell!”
He did not want to run into this guy called Yang Kai again. Though, he still accepted the result of this incident. Even though he was robbed of a lot of things, he did manage to keep his life.
Fang Yue ran for at least a thousand kilometres before turning back to look, and he discovered that Yang Kai did not chase after him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and consoled himself, “If one survives a great calamity, they will surely be blessed later. Material possessions do not come with birth and are not kept in death. If it’s gone, then so be it!”
Landing on a boulder, he could not help but feel some trepidation as he recalled the previous encounter. They were both in the Emperor Realm, and he had been nurtured by the Solid Earth Black Tortoise for many years; however, he discovered that the disparity in strength between him and Yang Kai was still so overwhelming, and he could not help but feel a little discouraged because of it.
While he was feeling gloomy, the peculiarity of the boulder beneath him suddenly caught his eye. It resembled a lotus flower in bloom with layers upon layers of petals, and he was standing on the flower’s stamen. Raising a brow, he looked at the flower with interest.
In the next moment, the ground beneath him shook, and the stone lotus suddenly closed shut. Fang Yue was caught off guard and was trapped at the very centre of it, unable to break out, shocking him greatly. It was true what they said, when it rains, it pours. His ship sailed late and he was met with a headwind.
After swallowing Fang Yue, the stone lotus immediately uprooted itself. Its roots became two long legs that had actually begun to run off.
Within the stone lotus, Fang Yue shouted, “Stand Eternal as a Mountain!”
…..
Ten days later, Yang Kai climbed atop a tall mountain and was guided by Pu Bai Xiong to a certain spot on the peak.
When he arrived at the place, Pu Bai Xiong jumped off Yang Kai’s shoulder and shouted, “Little Bottle Gourd, Little Bottle Gourd, Old Pu is here to see you!”
The reason why he came to this place was that Pu Bai Xiong told Yang Kai that another Divine Medicine lived here.
In the Primordial Land, there were not many Divine Medicines that had assumed human form, but there were some. Pu Bai Xiong knew of at least seven different Divine Medicines, and each of them had extraordinary power and unique effects.
For example, the two that Yang Kai was in possession of. Pu Bai Xiong’s grapes had extraordinary medicinal efficacies. Not only could they heal wounds, they could also solidify one’s cultivation, so he could be said to be a very rare type. On the other hand, the Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom had the ability to create illusions. Once her invisible spores flew out, no ordinary cultivator could resist. When Yang Kai was caught in the fog, he had also accidentally fallen for its trick. In the end, it was with the combined help of the Demon Eye of Annihilation and the Soul-Warming Lotus that he kept his clarity.
Then, there was also Xiang Ying’s purple bamboo, which seemed to have an extraordinary ability to nullify all techniques.
Divine Medicines were not all used for consumption. When plants or herbs gained sentience and assumed human form, they became Divine Medicines.
According to Pu Bai Xiong, the Divine Medicine here was a gourd vine, and there were seven bottle gourds on that vine, corresponding to each of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. Its quality was also very good. If one could get their hands on this gourd vine, then they would have inexhaustible cultivation resources.
Only, despite all his hardships in getting here, Yang Kai did not sense any vitality with his Divine Sense in the area.
Pu Bai Xiong shouted again and scratched his head with his root arms, “Where did that bottle gourd go?”
Yang Kai frowned. Stepping onto a place, he observed some traces and said, “No need to keep shouting.”
Pu Bai Xiong rushed over when he heard his words and climbed onto his shoulder. Following his gaze, he saw traces left behind from a battle that was filled with different Elements and he immediately shouted, “Little Bottle Gourd has been fighting!”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’m afraid that someone else has gotten to him first.”
This was also the case when he went to get the purple bamboo. It was after that that he discovered that Xiang Ying was the one who obtained the purple bamboo. During the last ten days or so, Pu Bai Xiong had been pointing Yang Kai around to find the Divine Medicines that have assumed human form, but unfortunately, they came up empty at every turn. Those Divine Medicines had either gone into hiding or were taken away by others before they arrived.
This was already the third spot that Yang Kai had visited, but the three Divine Medicines, including the Little Bottle Gourd, were nowhere to be found.
Yang Kai was not sure what happened to the other Divine Medicines, but this one should have been taken away by someone. The signs of battle were scattered everywhere, which indicated that many people were fighting for one Divine Medicine. No matter how amazing the gourd vine was, it still could not block four strikes with two fists.
There were still many blood stains on the ground that had yet to dry, which should be from the injuries those cultivators sustained from the gourd vine.
Pu Bai Xiong was chagrined, “If I’d known this would happen, we should’ve come sooner. Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll take you to see Ah Ku. That guy lives only a three-day trip away from here.”
Little Mushroom shrank her neck, “Let’s not see Ah Ku. I get unlucky every time I see him.”
Pu Bai Xiong scolded, “Sir wants Divine Medicines, so when has it become up to you to tell me what to do?”
Little Mushroom pouted in anger and turned away from him.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No need. We have more important matters to attend to. Take me to the fruit tree instead.”
The Primordial Land had been flooded with people. Even though there had been numerous deaths and injuries during this period, most of them probably survived. These people were actively prowling all over the Primordial Land, so if there were any good things, they would most likely have found them. The Divine Medicines were the best example of that.
Yang Kai was afraid that if they delayed any longer, then even the Innate Spirit Fruit would be taken, then he would have nothing to bring back to Zhu Jiu Yin. At that point, Yue He and the others would be in danger.
“You want to see that old tree?” Pu Bai Xiong responded, “Good. However, Sir has to be careful. That old tree is not easy to provoke, and the place where he lives is covered in danger. One can easily fall if they aren’t careful.”
“Just lead the way!”
Pu Bai Xiong immediately pointed the way out to Yang Kai. After descending the tall mountain, Yang Kai sped along on his journey.
They did not stop along the way, but they did pass by many cultivators on the road, and there were also those that were fighting each other ceaselessly. Someone died in the Primordial Land practically every moment.
After travelling for only two days, Pu Bai Xiong said, “Sir, we’re almost there. You see that mountain up ahead? The old tree lives up there.”
Looking up, Yang Kai did in fact find a tall mountain in the distance, but it was too far for him to see it too clearly.
It was at this moment that Yang Kai discovered something. Turning his head to look in a direction, he saw a figure there that was also rushing in the direction of that tall mountain.
That person did not look very old, only in his early twenties, but his aura seemed extremely dense. He clearly had a solid foundation; however, that was not what Yang Kai was concerned about, but rather that object on the man’s shoulder.
It was a Divine Medicine!
The Divine Medicine looked like a bitter gourd with wrinkles all over its body. On the gourd was a face that looked gloomy with furrowed brows, as if all the misfortune under the sky were concentrated on it. It looked irreconcilably upset.
“Ah Ku!” Little Mushroom suddenly called out.
[So this is the Ah Ku that Grape and Little Mushroom mentioned?]
Yang Kai’s expression changed and he began observing the Divine Medicine, Ah Ku. He had no idea whether to laugh or cry, because the Divine Medicine’s appearance was truly terrible. He had no idea what sort of miraculous effects it had.
At that moment, Ah Ku heaved a heavy sigh, “I’m so sad!”
His sigh was so long that he seemed to be able to exhale all his five viscera and six organs.
Yang Kai’s heart suddenly felt shaken, and a feeling of depression overwhelmed him. He suddenly felt as if everything was meaningless. So what if he spent more than ten years in this Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and collected unimaginable wealth? They could pile up in his Space Ring, but they were merely dead things.
So what if he put his life on the line to search for the Innate Spirit Fruit in the Primordial Land? In the end, he was only doing it for Zhu Jiu Yin’s sake, and he could not even take a bite of the fruit.
What could he get in return for his efforts of escaping from this world and getting back to the Outer Universe, after narrowly escaping death so many times? Maybe by the time he found the World Tree, the Star Boundary would have already collapsed, and the trillions of lives living there would have vanished.
…..
All kinds of negative emotions hidden in the depths of his heart poured out along with the Divine Medicine, Ah Ku’s sigh that was almost able to drown his consciousness completely.
Yang Kai gradually slowed down; he had lost his goal of moving forward and fighting.
On Yang Kai’s shoulder, Pu Bai Xiong covered his face with a root tendril and sobbed, “I, Pu Bai Xiong, change my name to Pu Ninety-Nine Xiong from now on. How else am I going to face the world? Just let me die…”
Little Mushroom, who was sitting on Yang Kai’s other shoulder, bawled and cried, “What am I crying for? I’m so sad, wahhh…”
Yang Kai stifled a grunt and bit down the tip of his tongue ruthlessly. As the taste of blood spread out in his mouth, the Soul Warming Lotus protected his Soul and finally cleared his mind.
He was so shocked that his body was covered in a cold sweat as he looked at the Divine Medicine, Ah Ku, with fear.
This thing was truly bizarre. It was no wonder Little Mushroom was so afraid of him. She said that she felt extremely sad each time she saw this guy, and sure enough, that really seemed to be the case.
His sigh sounded like nothing out of the ordinary, but it had the strange ability to stir up the darkness in one’s heart, making it impossible for them to hold themselves up.
The one who obtained Ah Ku was a young man with a clean appearance. He did not look much older than Yang Kai, and he had a gloomy look on his face at this moment. Suddenly smashing his fist on Ah Ku’s head, he gritted his teeth and snapped, “Shut up! Don’t talk unless I tell you to!”
Ah Ku shrank his head when he was hit, and his wrinkled face furrowed even more as he sighed, “But I really am sad…”
The young man tumbled mid-flight and almost fell headlong into the ground. Without even looking at Yang Kai, he left in a hurry.
It was not until he left far away that Yang Kai breathed a heavy sigh. Grape and Little Mushroom had also recovered and wiped their eyes, blinking in confusion. They had no idea why they felt so sad just now.
“Did we run into Ah Ku?” Pu Bai Xiong asked in surprise.
Yang Kai nodded. Looking at the tall mountain in the distance, the young man seemed to be moving towards the same goal as him. He was able to come here so quickly because he received Pu Bai Xiong’s guidance, so that young man should have been led here by Ah Ku.
In that case, the group of people who obtained the Divine Medicines must also be able to receive directions from them. It would probably not be long until they all gathered here.
“I knew nothing good would happen if we ran into Ah Ku! That guy is just bad luck!” Pu Bai Xiong cursed.
“Are you sure the fruit tree is on that mountain?” Yang Kai asked.
Pu Bai Xiong answered, “I’m sure. The old tree has always been on the mountain. He’s never moved!”
Yang Kai breathed out, “It looks like we’re going to have to see that Ah Ku again.” With that, his body shifted, and he sped in that direction.
The destination was not too far away, but it was not close either. It was a whole 2,000-kilometre distance.
Pu Bai Xiong warned Yang Kai along the way, “Sir must be very careful. Nothing good comes out of meeting Ah Ku. He didn’t say anything to you, did he?”
Yang Kai said, “No, he just said he was sad.”
Pu Bai Xiong was relieved, “That’s good. It would have been bad if he said anything to you.”
Yang Kai did not understand, but he did not ask further.
After an hour, Yang Kai gradually approached the mountain when suddenly, his expression changed. Gazing towards its peak, he saw a lofty fruit tree with an imposing canopy so huge that it covered the entire mountain.
[The Innate Fruit Tree!]
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. Pu Bai Xiong was right, the old fruit tree was really here. He just had to grab an Innate Spirit Fruit and bring it back to Zhu Jiu Yin in exchange for the safety of Yue He and the others. This was the main reason he was in this Primordial Land to begin with.
However, Yang Kai was a little surprised to find a very faint trace of World Force drifting from the top of the mountain! This caused his brows to furrow. Where was this World Force coming from?
It had to be known that within the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, the Small Universe within the Open Heaven Realm Masters was suppressed and sealed, so it could not be accessed. Naturally, World Force from a Small Universe could not be exerted; otherwise, Yang Kai and the other Emperor Realm cultivators would not have been able to shine. The Open Heaven Realm Masters would have robbed the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary clean already.
And, those who entered the Primordial Land were all Emperor Realm Masters. Having not split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies yet, they were all incapable of possessing World Force, much less exerting it.
However, Yang Kai clearly felt a faint World Force coming from where that Innate Fruit Tree stood.
At this time, many cultivators had already gathered at the foot of the mountain, roughly a thousand in total. These people were all looking up at the peak of the mountain, watching the Innate Fruit Tree with greedy eyes.
Many cultivators were alone, but there were also those in small groups of three to five. A few larger cliques had formed, with the largest numbering in the two hundreds. They were obviously from the same great force.
Scanning the scene, Yang Kai saw several familiar faces.
Ah Ku and the young man that he saw on the road were there, standing alone at the side. The man stood with his hand behind his back, unaffected by the people around him.
There was also Xiang Ying, who was holding Purple Bamboo and nodded lightly at Yang Kai.
With Purple Bamboo leading the way, it was only natural that he could find his way here.
At this moment, Yang Kai felt something and suddenly turned his head to look in a certain direction. There, he saw a short but vigorous-looking young man retracting his gaze.
A vine was wrapped around the man’s body, where seven small bottle gourds hung.
Yang Kai frowned. Even though it was only for a moment, he sensed a hint of hostility from this man.
However, Yang Kai had never met this person before, nor did he know what he could have done to offend him.
What caught his attention was the vine wrapped around the man’s body. It was clearly a Divine Medicine, and it must be the Little Bottle Gourd that Grape mentioned before. The seven small bottle gourds represented each of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. The Power contained in each bottle gourd was different.
The short man was wounded and bloodied, which meant that he must have fought with someone. From his travel-worn appearance, he must have arrived not long ago.
“Brother Yang!” Someone suddenly called out to him.
Yang Kai turned around, only to see Xu Zhen walking over from nearby. The little fatty had a big smile on his face, and while walking over, he observed Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom who were on Yang Kai’s shoulder with interest. When he was close, he commented, “So these are Divine Medicines?”
He was the Bearer that Zhu Yan chose, and he had also gotten many good things from Zhu Yan. Even though he had been cultivating hard in retreat all this while, he kept in contact with Yang Kai. In the entire Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, besides Yue He and the others, this man could be considered one of Yang Kai’s closest friends.
“Brother Xu!” Yang Kai greeted him.
Xu Zhen clicked his tongue in amazement, “I heard that there were only seven or eight Divine Medicines that had assumed human form in the entire Primordial Land, and Brother Yang alone has two of them. This is truly an amazing fortune worth admiring.”
“I just got lucky,” Yang Kai smiled.
Xu Zhen stared at the grapes on Pu Bai Xiong’s head with interest, “These grapes… What effect do they have when eaten?”
Pu Bai Xiong was furious, “Eat your head! Come over here you little fatty! Uncle Pu will fight you for 300 rounds!”
He moved his root tendrils like a fox assuming the majesty of a tiger, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. Yang Kai had previously eaten one of his grapes, and he was still upset about it now. Seeing this little fatty eyeing his grapes upset him instantly.
“What an interesting little thing!” Of course, Xu Zhen would not lower himself to his level, so he just laughed.
“Brother Xu, if you have already found the Innate Fruit Tree, then why are you still here?” Yang Kai asked doubtfully.
Over a thousand people were gathered here, but they were all just looking at the fruit tree at the top of the mountain with nobody trying to go up. Yang Kai did not understand why this was.
Xu Zhen shook his head and sighed, “It’s not that simple. This mountain may seem calm and quiet now, but a murderous intent is hidden deep within. One will be fine if they do not enter the mountain, but once inside, great danger will descend upon them. Before this, a number of people went inside, but unfortunately, none survived.”
Yang Kai was surprised to hear this. Looking carefully at the mountain, he saw the bodies of many cultivators. Roughly counting their numbers, there were at least a hundred there.
These people died in a variety of strange ways. Some turned into stone sculptures, while others were burned until they were unrecognizable. There were also those whose bodies were covered in cruel wounds.
These must be the cultivators who had entered the mountain, but unfortunately met with their ends.
“But we can’t just wait here forever,” Yang Kai frowned.
Xu Zhen nodded, “Everyone is waiting. Nobody wants to be the bird that pokes its head out first, so we’re all at a stalemate now.”
Yang Kai understood. These people had probably gathered here because they wanted to observe for a while to see what methods could be used to get past the dangers of this mountain.
It was at that moment that a large group of people arrived. The overbearing man at the front was carrying a large sabre decorated with a monster head, and the group that he came with was very large. There were two or three thousand people in total, pouring in like a torrent with unstoppable momentum, causing all the cultivators gathered here to go pale.
“Emperor Heaven!” Someone whispered under their breath. They were able to recognize these people
At the same time, Yang Kai saw the face of the man at the front, Ding Yi.
Emperor Heaven was a group that sprang up in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and was founded by Ding Yi. He had gathered a lot of people these years, and under the exclusion of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Primordial Land, only those in the Emperor Realm could enter, which was a great advantage for Emperor Heaven as they were all in the Emperor Realm.
Previously, inside of the seven-coloured passage, Ding Yi led his Emperor Heaven subordinates to block the passage, causing many deaths and injuries.
However, he had suffered a loss under Yang Kai some years ago and almost lost his life. Since then, he had been very afraid of Yang Kai, so he always gave him face, whether it was at Yuan Magnetic Mountain back then or inside the seven-coloured passage.
Ding Yi’s body was also covered in injuries, so his journey here must not have been peaceful.
There were only a total of around a thousand people below the mountain, and now two to three thousand from Emperor Heaven appeared all at once, which was two or three times their number, so how could anyone not be wary? Such a huge great force could completely change the flow of the situation here.
In an instant, the people from Emperor Heaven reached the foot of the mountain. Ding Yi, who was carrying his ghost-headed sabre, swept his eyes all around him. Suddenly, his gaze was fixed on someone, and he bellowed, “Seems like I didn’t travel all the way here for nothing. You little thief! You dare to snatch my Divine Medicine? Now I’ve caught you. Let’s see whether you can stay alive or not!”
He pointed his sabre forward, targeting the short man who had obtained the gourd vine.
The short man frowned, obviously realizing the trickiness of this situation. If it were Ding Yi alone, then he would not be worried as the might of the gourd vine was extraordinary. Not to mention one Ding Yi, even ten or a hundred would just be nothing to fear; however, Emperor Heaven had too many people. If they really fought, then he would surely suffer a loss.
The short man thought for a moment before speaking back to him, “Ding Yi, this Divine Medicine is extraordinary, and among the presence of the able, it chose me, so it is fated to be with me. Why do you have to force it?”
“Fate my ass!” Ding Yi was furious, “If you hadn’t interfered, then this Divine Medicine would have been mine! You shameless thief! Snatching my Divine Medicine from me in secret, and now you still have the face to say such drivel?”
The short man coldly snorted, “You keep talking about it as if it was your Divine Medicine. Call out to it and see if it responds to you!”
Ding Yi fumed, “Call me Grandpa and see if I respond to you!”
The two were arguing so loudly that they attracted the attention of countless people. Even Yang Kai was surprised.
He was guided by Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom to look for the gourd vine previously, but someone else had gotten there first. From the traces they saw there, a battle must have taken place, and it was between a good number of people.
Now, it seemed like it was Ding Yi leading his men from Emperor Heaven to fight against the gourd vine, only to be plucked away by this short man at a critical moment.
Anyone would be angry if they were to encounter such a thing, and they would not give up so easily.
Ding Yi, who led the group to this place, probably did not expect to meet this thief who stole his Divine Medicine, but now that he saw him, there was no way he would let him go so easily.
“Right now, the Divine Medicine is in my hands. What are you going to do about it?” Despite standing as one against the thousands from Emperor Heaven, the short man was not afraid.
Ding Yi snickered, “What else can I do? Naturally, I will kill you and get my Divine Medicine back! No one has ever taken advantage of me, Ding Yi, ever!”
Saying so, he flicked his cloak behind him and his thousands of subordinates immediately made their move. Emperor Heaven was founded more than ten years ago when the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary just opened. In these years, under the leadership of Ding Yi, the cultivators of Emperor Heaven had been active in all parts of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, experiencing countless battles, both big and small, even withstanding several Beast Tides. At this moment, they did not need their leader to say much as each of them would do their own job. In a moment, the short man was surrounded by thousands of people.
The short man’s face became grimmer.
“Ding Yi, the Innate Fruit Tree is right in front of our eyes. If we could gain the Innate Spirit Fruit, then would that not be a harvest worth more than a simple Divine Medicine? Why don’t we settle our grudge after we fight for the spirit fruit?” The short man suggested.
Ding Yi pointed his sabre at him, “My enemy stands before me. I don’t care about any spirit fruit. Speak! Do you want me to kill you in a single stroke, or do you want me to slice you up little by little?”
The short man shook his head and sighed, “Looks like there’s no way around this. Haiz, I do not wish to kill you, but since you take the initiative to court death, I will grant your wish.”
Saying so, he shook the gourd vine.
The seven small bottle gourds hanging on the gourd vine rolled down, instantly transforming into little people. Each one of these little people were wearing a leafy green shirt and had bare feet. A different coloured little bottle gourd lay atop each of their heads.
One bottle gourd raised a hand and said in a crisp voice, “I am Da Wa!”
Another bottle gourd took a half-kneeling stance, “I am Er Wa!”
Another bottle gourd came over, roofing his eyes with his hands in a monkey overseeing the ocean pose, “I am San Wa!”
The fourth bottle gourd stood with crossed arms and quickly said, “I am Si Wa!”
*Sou sou…* Two bottle gourds flew onto the shoulders of these four bottle gourds, one foot on each shoulder.
“I am Wu Wa!”
“I am Liu Wa!”
The final bottle gourd flipped in the air and stood atop the rest of the bottle gourds, laughing as he stood akimbo, “And I am Qi Wa!”
The bottle gourds then spoke in unison, “We are the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers!”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at this display. Next to him, the corners of Xu Zhen’s mouth were twitching, “This Divine Medicine… is quite interesting.”
Pu Bai Xiong snorted, “Playing cheap tricks!”
On the other hand, Little Mushroom shook her fists with starry eyes, “Big Brothers Bottle Gourds, be careful!”
The seven bottle gourds turned their heads and grinned meaningfully at Little Mushroom.
Ding Yi’s face darkened and he pointed at them with his sabre, “Kill that little thief, but don’t hurt the bottle gourds!”
As soon as he finished speaking, an overwhelming attack was launched on the short man.
The bottle gourds rolled together, and Da Wa rushed forward, shouting, “Look at my Stainless Golden Body!”
A golden glow emerged, instantly enveloping a ten-metre radius with a light barrier. Countless attacks fell on the light barrier, but it was able to block most of it.
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “A Fifth-Order Metal Element Power!”
The Power that Da Wa exerted was of the Fifth Order! The Metal Element Power had turned into a layer of protection that was as solid as gold.
Even though Emperor Heaven had strength in numbers, not many of them have condensed Fifth-Order Elements. The ones who condensed powers under the Fifth Order were only able to cause a light ripple on top of the light barrier.
Only attacks of the Fifth Order could cause a substantial impact.
However, there were too many such attacks, and the Metal Element barrier was not able to compete with them, only lasting a short time before it broke.
However, this short moment gave the short man enough time to prepare.
The rest of the bottle gourds each activated their own Element Powers, which was a layer of protection formed of all of Yin, Yang and the Five Elements, guarding the short man inside.
Once the seven layers were all broken, the attacks disappeared without a trace.
The short man coldly snorted and shook one of the gourd vines, shouting, “Go!”
San Wa and Si Wa instantly lunged at the group. In mid-air, they each sucked in a large breath of air and spat it back out.
San Wa spat out extremely pure Water Element Power, while Si Wa spat out Fire Element Power.
As water and fire came together, they caused a huge explosion. An incomparably large shockwave spread out from the centre.
There were screams as hundreds of cultivators from Emperor Heaven sustained varying degrees of damage. Then, they fell from the air like dumplings into a pot.
At the same time, the short man shook the gourd vine in his hand again. Liu Wa and Qi Wa formed a Yin-Yang beam, crossing like a huge pair of scissors, cutting through the men of Emperor Heaven.
*Chi chi chi…*
The sound of fresh blood splashing out could be heard as dozens of cultivators were cut off at the waist, their five viscera and six organs were tossed into the air before falling downwards uncontrollably. Some of the men in the air panicked and quickly tried to stuff their guts back into their abdominal cavities, but they could not regain their lost vitality.
All the cultivators who saw this were horrified.
Yang Kai was also appalled.
He did not expect the bottle gourd Divine Medicine to be this strong. Seven bottle gourds corresponded to the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, each one of them Fifth-Order. Ordinary cultivators were simply unable to compete with this.
After this exchange, Emperor Heaven suffered a huge loss, losing as many as two hundred men.
It was no wonder why this short man was unfazed despite being surrounded by Emperor Heaven. It turned out he was prepared.
“Amazing!” Xu Zhen exclaimed, his eyes glowing as he looked at the gourd vine. Anyone would wish to get their hands on that.
However, even though the gourd vine was fierce, Emperor Heaven had many members who were all experienced in battle. Even though they suffered a stifling loss, they did not panic. In the face of the Yin-Yang scissors, the thousands of men took on battle formations with over hundreds in each group, pressing onward step by step to surround it tightly.
Another few hundred elites completely ignored the little bottle gourds, rushing toward the short man to attack him.
Three bottle gourds remained by the short man’s side, corresponding to the Metal, Wood, and Earth Elements.
Seeing the enemy approaching, the short man’s expression remained unchanged as he shook his gourd vine again.
Da Wa immediately turned into a golden light that rushed out.
In front of the battle formation, a cultivator reached a hand out to Da Wa, grinning meaningfully, “Little Bottle Gourd, you dare to throw yourself into the net?” He had seen the Stainless Golden Body used by Da Wa before, so he thought that this bottle gourd’s main power was in defence.
However, Ding Yi’s face changed as he shouted, “Watch out!”
His words had just come out when Da Wa swung a fist out.
There was a loud bang, and the cultivator at the front was hit by a powerful force, causing him to fly out uncontrollably. In mid-air, his arms burst open. Even his bones were shattered.
“Impressive strength,” Yang Kai sighed in amazement.
“The Metal Element has always been the strongest when it comes to killing. That man was too careless.” Xu Zhen shook his head and sighed.
After blasting the leader away, Da Wa suddenly began to spin. His hands and feet, as well as each and every part of his body, had transformed into unstoppable sharp weapons, slicing through the battle formation in the blink of an eye.
*Peng peng peng…* The sounds were endless as other than a dozen or so who were lucky, the rest of the cultivators in the battle formation were all badly injured. Blood splattered everywhere.
However, Da Wa did not stop. Turning into a golden drill, he crashed through them from behind.
Another battle formation came from the other side, and the leader shouted, “Heaven-Wielding Earth-Locking Net!”
A large net covered Heaven and Earth, coming down above Da Wa’s head.
The large net was tough and obviously made of very precious materials, and it was being activated by a battle formation formed by over a hundred people, so the power was truly extraordinary. They were actually able to trap the bottle gourd at the centre and make it so that it was temporarily trapped no matter which direction it tried to escape in.
The short man’s face darkened. He obviously did not expect the men from Emperor Heaven to be so hard to deal with.
Yang Kai also could not help but see them in a new light. He had always thought that Emperor Heaven was a group of loose sand; but now, it seemed like Ding Yi had some skill to work this rag-tag group of individuals into a relatively cohesive force.
Several more battle formations came over and rushed at the short man like a torrent, while the short man only had two bottle gourds left of the Earth and Wood Elements respectively.
However, he was still unfazed by his situation. He waited until he was about to be swallowed up by the torrent before forming hand seals. Then, with a yell, a khaki-coloured light suddenly emerged from the body of the Earth Element bottle gourd, enveloping the short man to form a barrier that was even more solid than Da Wa’s Stainless Golden Body.
The Earth Element was mainly a defensive attribute, just like the Earth Element Power that Yang Kai condensed, which allowed him to use the Dragon Shield Secret Technique, so it was not surprising that it had such might.
With a rumble, the attacks came one by one, but the light barrier blocked all of them.
The remaining Wood bottle gourd spun and drilled into the ground. Following that, the earth cracked apart and one by one, roots came up like Earth Dragons, stretching out below the surface, causing it to shake and crack.
*Sou sou sou sou..,*
One by one, the roots came out of the ground and penetrated one battle formation after another, causing great damage to Emperor Heaven in an instant.
There was still the Water bottle gourd and the Fire bottle gourd that performed another Water and Fire explosion technique, as well as the two Yin-Yang bottle gourds that shuttled through the air like giant shears, harvesting the lives of the cultivators.
With the help of the gourd vine and the seven small bottle gourds hanging off of it, the short man engaged in a fiery battle with Emperor Heaven.
Yang Kai was amazed at the power of this gourd vine as it was much stronger than he had expected. This was definitely the strongest Divine Medicine he had seen so far in a fight. Even Grape and Little Mushroom could not help but feel envious of the short man’s luck to be able to obtain such a Divine Medicine.
“What a shame. This guy’s luck is good, and his strength is also not bad, but it’s a pity that he bumped into Emperor Heaven,” Xu Zhen sighed at the side.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Even though the short man was performing amazingly, in the end, he was alone while Emperor Heaven had the strength of many. If this fight went on, sooner or later, he would lose.
The critical point now was how long that Earth bottle gourd could protect him.
As expected, in just thirty breaths of time, the Earth bottle gourd suddenly grunted with a flushed face, “I can’t hold on anymore!”
Its protection was now shaking and on the verge of collapse as it had sustained too much damage. Even though it was a barrier created from a Fifth-Order Earth Element Power, it was still unable to resist such endless impacts.
The short man’s face sank slightly.
Ding Yi suddenly shouted, “I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
He had been watching from the side without involving himself in the battle, remaining indifferent even when his subordinates died or were injured. He was obviously waiting for an opening to end things once and for all.
And now was the time for him to act.
As an incomparably hot power was released from his ghost-headed sabre, Ding Yi raised his blade and chopped it down fiercely with a cold and determined look!
The moment Ding Yi made his move, both Yang Kai and Xu Zhen could not help but let out a startled cry as they looked up at him, because the scorching power was something extraordinary.
Xu Zhen exclaimed, “Seventh-Order Fire Element Power!”
[This Ding Yi actually managed to condense a Seventh-Order Fire Element!]
A curious look flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes, but then realization dawned on him!
If one wanted to gather a Seventh-Order Element Power here in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, there were two options, be extraordinarily lucky, or borrow the power of a Divine Spirit! Zhu Jiu Yin told Yang Kai that it was true that many Seventh-Order treasures used to exist in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but they had long since been depleted. Yang Kai could not even find a single Seventh-Order Metal Element material. Even when Zhu Jiu Yin commanded over a million of her subordinates to scour every corner of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, she still came up empty.
However, it was not impossible to condense Seventh-Order Element Powers without a Seventh-Order treasure. The Monster Cores that existed inside of the Divine Spirits’ bodies were all of the Seventh Order at the very least.
For Ding Yi to use a Fire Element Power of the Seventh Order obviously meant that he had received the help of a Divine Spirit. In other words, this guy was also a Bearer who had borrowed the power of a Divine Spirit’s Monster Core in order to condense this Seventh-Order Fire Element Power!
However, this was no surprise. The Divine Spirits would naturally seek out cultivators with great aptitude and potential to become their Bearers. Ding Yi was a nobody before entering the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but he had since become a shining figure that founded Emperor Heaven.
It was only natural that one or two Divine Spirits would have their eye on him with the way he roamed the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary with his resounding reputation.
And, if he were able to condense the Fire Element Power, that had to mean that his Divine Spirit was of the Fire Attribute. Yang Kai had seen at least fifty Divine Spirits when they were all gathered outside of the Primordial Land, but those who were purely of the Fire Attribute were few. Still, he had no idea which one of them was Ding Yi’s Divine Spirit backer.
As he pondered, the ghost-headed sabre in Ding Yi’s hand glowed brightly. With a cry, a one-legged fire bird flew out from his sabre with a wingspan of a thousand meters and swooped down at a man with might that could seemingly burn the world.
“Bi Fang!” Yang Kai and Xu Zhen gasped in unison.
Everything was now clear. Ding Yi was Bi Fang’s Bearer. Bi Fang was a Fire Attribute Divine Spirit, so there was no problem for it to offer some of the power of its Monster Core to help Ding Yi condense a Seventh-Order Fire Element.
Still, Ding Yi was quite impressive. It was obvious that he had a solid foundation and strong heritage to be able to withstand the impact of a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power in his Dao Seal; otherwise, he would not be able to achieve such a thing even with Bi Fang’s help.
Rising stars were all showing off their extraordinary talents in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. In fact, every time the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, countless Masters from the younger generation would rise up, and in the future, they would all grow to become powerhouses whose names could shake the 3,000 Worlds.
Bi Fang’s fire was of the Seventh Order, while the Earth bottle gourd’s power was only of the Fifth Order, so it was impossible for it to stop Ding Yi’s furious strike. The great Bi Fang only had to touch the Earth Element Barrier to shatter it with a loud rumble. The Earth bottle gourd fell to his butt and his eyes were listless as if he had been scared silly.
Seeing that he was about to be killed by this slash, the short man suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it out.
“Courting death!” Ding Yi laughed, seemingly thinking that it was all over.
However, his laughter stopped abruptly.
A golden light erupted from the short man’s fist as a dense Metal Element Power burst out. It was of the Seventh Order as well. The golden light transformed into a huge exotic beast that slammed straight into the fiery Bi Fang.
“Jin Wu!” Xu Zhen’s eyes widened.
A cold light flashed across Yang Kai’s eyes at that moment as he too recognized the origin of this exotic beast.
This was the image of the Divine Spirit, Jin Wu. When Yang Kai was being brought here to the Primordial Land by Zhu Jiu Yin, they were chased by Jin Wu and four other Divine Spirits, making it so that both he and Zhu Jiu Yin had to expend a lot of effort just to arrive alive.
It was unknown what sort of grudge existed between Jin Wu and Zhu Jiu Yin, but Jin Wu was the one who led the chase.
[So this short man is the Bearer that Jin Wu chose?]
Prior to this, Yang Kai had known that many Bearers were hiding their identities; after all, they were going to be participating in the Spirit Seizing War, so it was beneficial for them to remain anonymous for as long as possible. Other than a few Bearers whose identities were openly known, most of the Bearers were hiding under the water’s surface.
Since entering the Primordial Land, Yang Kai had already encountered several such lurkers.
Xiang Ying was one, Ding Yi was one, Fan Yue was one, and now, this short man in front of him was also one…
And these were merely the ones he encountered personally. What about the ones he had not met? Each one of these Bearers had been vigorously cultivated by the Divine Spirits behind them, and they all had their own heritage, which was clear to see just by watching the fight in front of them now. The Spirit Seizing War was destined to be a fierce struggle between evenly matched opponents!
Whether it be Jin Wu or Bi Fang, these were both veteran Divine Spirits who had been alive for countless years; thus they spared no effort in nurturing their chosen Bearers, even going so far as to consume the power inside of their own Monster Cores to help them condense one of the Five Elements.
The two Divine Spirits were similar in strength, causing Ding Yi and the short man to be evenly matched as well. In front of everyone’s eyes, the giant Jin Wu and Bi Fang met in mid-air. Their calls were unceasing and the golden light and the fiery light blended together to create a terrifying shockwave that spread outwards. Emperor Heaven’s crowd of people were all thrown off their feet while even the thousands of spectators were forced back from the fallout.
Ding Yi grunted and his face paled slightly. It was clear that the attack he performed caused a considerable amount of stress on his own body. The short man was also forced back several steps. One of his feet dug into the ground, and the ground beneath him cracked apart like a turtle shell, leaving a dense pattern like a spiderweb with him as its centre.
The moment he stabilized himself, the short man glared at Ding Yi and formed seals with his hand before pointing a finger out.
A great sense of crisis descended upon Ding Yi at that instant.
Ding Yi’s face changed dramatically as even though his aptitude was not bad, it was far from enough to withstand a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power. In order to give him a fighting chance at obtaining the Innate Spirit Fruit, Bi Fang had used a Secret Technique to forcefully condense the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power into his body using its Monster Core’s power.
That caused Ding Yi’s Dao Seal to destabilize, and the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power was constantly encroaching upon him. If he were not using the Fire Element Power actively, then he could still barely control it, but once he used it, his Dao Seal would be shaken, and his strength would be greatly reduced for about an hour.
Bi Fang’s move was like pulling a seedling up to help it grow, but for a Divine Spirit, all they cared about was getting their hands on the Innate Spirit Fruit that could free them from their cage. As for whether Ding Yi lived or died in the future, that had nothing to do with him.
This was what many Divine Spirits were like.
The short man struck at the perfect opportunity, when Ding Yi’s mind was shaken. How could Ding Yi find the power to resist if he were putting all his effort into maintaining his Dao Seal’s integrity?
A large awl materialized and spun through the air as it dove straight for the centre of Ding Yi’s brow.
“My destined end has come!” Ding Yi cried out with an unwilling look on his face.
As the large awl was about to bore right through his skull though, a strange power enveloped him, and all of a sudden, Ding Yi’s vision changed. The space around him seemed to fluctuate, and then the large awl disappeared without a trace.
When he looked around again, he found himself in a different place than before. He had inexplicably moved several dozens of metres away, and it was this bizarre movement that allowed him to escape disaster.
Following the source of the power from before, Ding Yi looked over and saw Yang Kai’s palm facing him, and space was turning and twisting behind that big hand.
Then, it made sense. Yang Kai had saved his life at the critical moment, for which he was immensely grateful.
Yang Kai looked at the short man and grinned fiercely at him, “So it was you! You bastard!”
Before those words had even emerged, he had already slammed his palm towards the short man, causing the World Energy around them to shake as it formed a large foggy green palm that enveloped Heaven and earth.
The short man’s face changed slightly. Taking in a breath, he shook the gourd vine in his hand.
*Sou sou sou sou…*
Noise broke through the air as the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers flew into the sky and landed on the gourd vine, turning back into seven small bottle gourds.
The gourd vine’s power soared, breaking through the green palm in one light blow. Without delay, the short man formed hand seals with one hand, and his body suddenly disappeared into the void.
“Still want to run?” Yang Kai coldly snorted and manipulated Space Principles, sealing Heaven and Earth. Sensing a life aura rapidly flying away, he threw a punch to one side.
There was a muffled grunt, and the short man’s figure reappeared; however, he soon rushed into the mountain as blood sprayed out of his mouth. It was clear that the punch he took from Yang Kai earlier caused him to suffer a big loss. He turned around and glared at Yang Kai with pure hatred in his eyes, but his body disappeared once again.
Yang Kai frowned. He could no longer sense his presence with his Divine Sense, which was certainly because of this guy’s mysterious concealment method, but also due to the strange situation inside the mountain that stopped his Divine Sense from extending deeper within. Otherwise, there was no way he would let that guy escape so easily.
“You have a grudge against him?” Xu Zhen looked at Yang Kai with curiosity.
He realized this the moment he saw Yang Kai make his move.
Staring at the direction in which the short man disappeared to, Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Xu Zhen was thoughtful, “That Divine Ability earlier must be the Shattering Dao Seal Technique. Could he be from Purple Jade Cave Heaven? But why have I never met him before? If he truly does come from Purple Jade Cave Heaven, then Brother Yang should be careful.”
Yang Kai snorted, “I don’t care whether he’s from Purple Jade Cave Heaven or not! I’m killing him!”
Before this, when he was entering the Primordial Land, Yang Kai had been ambushed by someone using the Shattering Dao Seal Technique in the seven-coloured passage. If his Dao Seal had not been reinforced using Divine Dao Water, then he may have suffered a huge loss back then. Even though he searched for the attacker immediately after, he could not find a trace of him, and it was from Qu Hua Shang that he learned about the Shattering Dao Seal Technique.
Yang Kai never thought that he would see this Divine Ability again in this place.
In other words, there was a nine out of ten chance that the short man was the very one who attacked him back at the seven-coloured passage. All the techniques he displayed thus far were in line with Yang Kai’s guess.
First of all, this guy was proficient in concealing his aura and body. Yang Kai had already confirmed that he was unable to find him back at the seven-coloured passage itself, and this short man was also proficient in the same kind of Secret Technique.
Moreover, there was no such thing as an unprovoked grudge, much less an unprovoked favour. Yang Kai was not sure why he would ambush him like that, but if this grudge was passed down from Jin Wu and Zhu Jiu Yin, then it all made sense.
Jin Wu and Zhu Jiu Yin had a deep grudge against each other. As Jin Wu’s Bearer, the short man must have received Jin Wu’s orders to find a way to eliminate him before entering the Primordial Land, so as to cut off Zhu Jiu Yin’s hopes.
Xu Zhen was troubled, however, and spoke, “Brother Yang, if he truly was a disciple of Purple Jade Cave Heaven, then I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.”
Cave-Heavens and Paradises certainly competed with each other, and many of these fights tended to be large-scale, but there were also allies between them. Divine Cauldron Heaven and Purple Jade Cave Heaven shared a good relationship with each other. If their disciples were to meet each other on the outside, then even if they did not mutually support each other, they would still not give each other a hard time; otherwise, it would be hard to explain to their Masters once they return.
Yang Kai said, “I won’t trouble you, Brother Xu.”
Xu Zhen sighed and did not try to persuade him, “If you really come to a life-or-death juncture, Brother Yang must be wary of this!”
Yang Kai looked down to see Xu Zhen fiddling with his own Identity Token.
Expression turning grim, Yang Kai nodded lightly.
For disciples of Cave-Heavens and Paradises like Xu Zhen, an Identity Token was not merely a means to prove one’s status, but also a life-saving treasure that held a Divine Ability of their Master within it.
It was already benevolent of Xu Zhen to remind Yang Kai of that.
At that moment, Ding Yi came over to thank him. If Yang Kai had not moved him out of the way using Space Principles earlier, then he would have been hit by that Shattering Dao Seal Technique. In his current state, his Dao Seal would have been at risk of collapsing if he were hit by that attack.
Yang Kai’s helping hand saved his life.
“Thanks are not enough for this kindness, Brother Yang. If you ever have any need for my, Ding Yi, and Emperor Heaven’s help, then please do not hesitate to ask. We will surely not refuse!” Ding Yi spoke with great zeal, and he waved his hand, “What are you still waiting for? Get in and find that guy! I must skin him alive!”
He had a fierce look on his face and it was clear how much he hated that short man.
Of the two to three thousand cultivators from Emperor Heaven, hundreds were dead and wounded in battle, but they were still huge in numbers. With one order from Ding Yi, they rushed into the mountain in a rumble.
Yang Kai warned him, “There seems to be some danger in that mountain. Tell your men to be careful.”
Ding Yi was stunned. He began fighting the short man as soon as he arrived here, so he really did not know about this and quickly warned his subordinates. When they received the order, all of them put their guards up.
The thousands of people gathered here to watch could not hold back once they saw Emperor Heaven moving, so all of them rushed into the mountain as well.
“I will also be going, Brother Yang. We will meet again at the top of the mountain.” Xu Zhen cupped his fists and left towards the mountain.
He had no idea whether the short man was from Purple Jade Cave Heaven, so he could not go with Yang Kai; otherwise, he would not be able to help either one once Yang Kai was to clash with that man. With that thought in mind, Xu Zhen decided it would be better for him to set off alone.
Yang Kai nodded and asked him to take care.
He waited until Xu Zhen left before stepping forward; however, he frowned as soon as he stepped into the mountain because this place was indeed very strange. It was covered in a fog similar to the one produced by Little Mushroom that had the ability to suppress one’s Divine Sense so that one’s detection radius was severely limited.
Even though Yang Kai had no idea what mysteries were hidden inside of this mountain, he was certain that there was danger. The best proof of that fact was the death of all those who entered here before him.
On the other end, Xiang Ying stepped towards the mountain with his purple bamboo in hand, looking at the old tree at the summit with a face as tranquil as an ancient well.
Thousands of meters away, another young man rushed over. Someone turned their head to look at him, and when they saw the Divine Medicine, Ah Ku, squatting on his shoulder, they exclaimed in amusement, “What is that weird thing? It looks so ugly!”
Ah Ku looked up at the cultivator with a bitter and begrudging expression on his face, “You’re a handsome young man. You have a long life ahead of you!”
The man laughed and tugged at his companion, “Look, that ugly thing can actually talk!”
*Kacha…*
A thunderbolt suddenly struck down, hitting the man who spoke. The thunderbolt was immensely powerful, and it was not known where it came from, but it left no traces to seek the source. Under the violent power, the man’s body was blasted to pieces. His limbs and bits of his flesh flew into the air from the impact.
The companion next to him was stunned in place when he saw this, and a chill ran from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. If the thunder had just been slightly off earlier, then he would have been the one dead.
Ah Ku looked at him and said in a deep voice, “You’re a handsome one, too!”
With those words, another thunderbolt came down and struck the man, zapping him out of existence!
The cultivators all around them were horrified. Even though they had no idea what just happened, they instinctually backed away from Ah Ku, looking at him as if he were a monster.
Ah Ku looked up at the sky and sighed heavily, “I am so sad!”
The sound of cracking thunder was incessant. Prior to this, the crowd gathered at the foot of the mountain did not discover how dangerous the mountain was, but after stepping into it, it was as if they had activated some sort of invisible restriction and danger rushed at them one after another.
The thunderbolt breaking through the void was so powerful that no ordinary cultivator could resist it, and often, one thunderbolt was enough to take away one life.
Yang Kai was also paying close attention to his surroundings. Even though his Divine Sense was being suppressed, it was still somewhat usable. Even so, he could not sense how the lightning had formed, and by the time he did sense it, it was already too late, and the only thing he could do was to resist it.
Fortunately, he had a sturdy body, so eating a few lightning strikes was no problem for him. However, it did make his body numb, and turned his clothes into rags.
“Watch out for that fog!” Pu Bai Xiong suddenly cried out.
He and Little Mushroom, who were sitting on each of Yang Kai’s shoulders, were also paying close attention to their surroundings and would warn him as soon as they discovered anything.
Yang Kai turned around to look, only to see a grey fog floating over towards a dozen people just a short distance away.
The dozen people did not pay too much attention to it, but when the grey fog reached them, a chilling sight appeared.
A dozen white skeletons were left in place of the cultivators, scattering onto the ground.
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen lives had been bizarrely taken away from this earth before they could even make a sound.
Only at that moment did someone exclaim, “This isn’t a fog, it’s some kind of insect smarm!”
The greyish fog actually turned out to be composed of countless tiny insects that could not be seen clearly with the naked eye.
When they saw the cloud of insects drifting towards their side, some of the cultivators in that group panicked and launched Divine Abilities at it.
The cloud of insects broke apart into several dozen smaller swarms that broke through the group in an instant, burrowing into their bodies from every orifice. All of a sudden, these people began to shake and scream as if they were being subjected to great torture.
But in just an instant, their screams ended.
Their flesh disappeared, and the living people turned into dead bones. The insect cloud grew and regrouped into one mass before swooping towards Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai was stunned. It was only now that he realized how dangerous this mountain was. The lightning was nothing. It could be easily resisted with some ability and preparation, but this insect cloud looked even more powerful than the thunderbolt. It was simply difficult to guard against!
The insect fog silently came over Yang Kai and engulfed him. Hurriedly, he surged his Golden Crow’s True Fire to burn them. In an instant, crackling sounds were heard as the fog turned into a fire cloud as the insects were burned to ashes.
The road ahead was paved with danger. Besides the lightning attacks that came from the void and the insect cloud’s harassment, there were also many unimaginable crises.
All of a sudden, the ground separated and revealed a chasm, only to close again after swallowing a number of cultivators. Many lives had been lost in silence, and a lot of people were not even aware that their companions had disappeared. When they turned around and realised that they were on their own, they were horrified.
It had only been one hour since thousands of cultivators streamed onto the mountain, but twenty to thirty percent of them were already dead. The further they went up the mountain, the more dangerous it became, and the more frequent the crises befell them.
Yang Kai had been struck several times, but his solid heritage saved him from calamity.
On the other hand, the other cultivators were not so lucky. Be it the lightning strike or the insect cloud, it was difficult for them to deal with them.
When they reached the middle of the mountain, only a small number of people were left. The people who had the guts to keep moving forward were either confident of their strength or were not willing to go home empty-handed when they already entered such a treasure trove. They were willing to risk their lives and give it a try.
Xiang Ying and the young man who had obtained Ah Ku were ahead of everyone else while Xu Zhen lagged slightly behind. It wasn’t that Xu Zhen was weaker than they were, but everyone had different strengths and weaknesses. The purple bamboo in Xiang Ying’s hand was able to save him from all the calamities. By just sticking out the bamboo, he could annihilate the lightning and disperse the insect cloud.
The young man who had obtained Ah Ku was fairly powerful as well. Yang Kai suspected that he was also a Divine Spirit Bearer; however, this person was pretty secretive, so Yang Kai wasn’t certain about his background.
These were just the Bearers who had surfaced, so what about the Bearers who remained hidden?
After all, Yang Kai had seen more than fifty Divine Spirits outside. Every Divine Spirit had their own Bearer, so there were over fifty Bearers at the very least.
The short man was still nowhere to be found. Yang Kai wondered where he was. As Yang Kai moved forward, he kept darting his gaze around in an attempt to look for the short man.
All of a sudden, a light appeared in the distance. Initially, the light was extremely weak, but after just a split second, it became as bright as daylight. At the same time, a terrifying aura wafted from that direction. Following a hiss, a lightning snake swirled around the light and expanded rapidly.
Pu Bai Xiong exclaimed, “Watch out!”
Hurriedly, Yang Kai made a grabbing gesture, and as Space Principles undulated, he forcefully lifted his hand.
With a boom, the lightning snake exploded in the sky and engulfed an area of a thousand metres. Within that area, space shattered and formed a huge black hole.
Yang Kai gasped and felt fortunate that as soon as he realised that something was off, he threw the lightning snake up. If it exploded right in front of him, even his Dragon Body wouldn’t come out unscathed.
After letting out a breath, he looked up at the peak and became doubtful.
When he was still at the bottom of the mountain earlier, he already realised that a faint aura of World Force permeated this place. As he moved further up the mountain, this feeling became increasingly clearer, which puzzled him.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, even the powers of the Divine Spirits had been significantly suppressed while the Small Universes in the bodies of Open Heaven Realm Masters were completely sealed. Supposedly, something like World Force shouldn’t exist here, but it could be felt in this place. Where was the World Force coming from?
Yang Kai could detect that the source of the World Force was the ancient tree at the mountain peak. What amazed him was that this World Force seemed complicated, as though it was formed by countless types of World Forces.
“Grape, are you sure that’s the Innate Fruit Tree?” Yang Kai asked as he ambled forward.
Presently, Pu Bai Xiong was seated on Yang Kai’s shoulder. His legs, which were transformed from roots, swung in the air as he replied nonchalantly, “I don’t know whether he’s innate or not. Since you’re looking for a fruit tree, I’m bringing you to where one is.”
At that, Yang Kai was rendered speechless.
The distance between the bottom of the mountain and the peak was only three kilometres. Usually, any cultivator would have reached the summit after just one breath’s time; however, it had taken them over two hours to do so on this mountain.
The first one to rush to the peak was Xiang Ying. Upon arriving at his destination, he didn’t scramble to snatch the spirit fruit though. Instead, he looked up from the bottom of the tree as he fell into a dazed state.
The next person was the young man who had obtained Ah Ku. Seeing him, Xiang Ying secretly widened the gap between them. That was because all the cultivators who had been close to this young man were now dead, which was a sign of misfortune.
The third person to arrive was Xu Zhen.
Yang Kai was the fourth person to reach the peak, followed by Ding Yi and those from Emperor Heaven. Behind them were the battered cultivators who had gone through countless ordeals and finally arrived at this place.
The short man was still nowhere to be found, but Yang Kai could feel that this guy was hiding somewhere nearby; unfortunately, his Divine Sense had been suppressed in this place, so he was unable to look for him.
Presently, all of them were staring dazedly at this fruit tree. The tree crown was so gigantic that it seemed to have covered the entire sky. Spirit fruits were hanging on its branches, each one only the size of a fist, but they were translucent and radiated a beautiful glow.
“These are…” Xu Zhen examined the fruit tree and the spirit fruits in front of him. As though recalling something, he fell into his thoughts.
“It’s not the Innate Fruit Tree!” Xiang Ying suddenly said.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. He couldn’t detect it when he was at the bottom of the mountain, but as soon as he saw this fruit tree, he realised that something was off. This wasn’t the Innate Fruit Tree. At the very least, this wasn’t the tree that these Divine Spirits had been looking for.
That was because they had said that there was only one spirit fruit on the Innate Fruit Tree, so it could only go to one person. The same thing happened every time the Primordial Land opened up. After the spirit fruit was picked, the Innate Fruit Tree would disappear, and the spirit fruit was the key to helping them get out of this cage.
However, the fruit tree in front of them had hundreds if not thousands of spirit fruits.
The spirit fruits hanging on the branches were extremely attractive to the beholder and also exuded a faint World Force.
The source of the World Force Yang Kai felt earlier was these spirit fruits, which was an inconceivable idea.
“Hahaha. With so many spirit fruits around, all of us won’t go home empty-handed.” Ding Yi guffawed. Although about four thousand to five thousand people had streamed onto the mountain, only several hundred people managed to reach the summit. There were probably two thousand to three thousand spirit fruits on this tree, so even if they were equally divided between these several hundred people, everyone could get a few.
Even though they had no idea what these spirit fruits were for, they knew that these were beneficial by just looking at them. Nevertheless, in front of such a treasure, no one dared to make the first move lest the others attack them.
However, Ding Yi didn’t care about this one bit as he pointed at one of his subordinates and ordered, “Go over and pick one for me!”
There was a bitter expression on the person’s face, but he had no choice but to walk over and jump onto a branch.
Looking down, he realised that everyone was staring fixedly at him, but no one seemed to have the intention of attacking him. It was then he set his mind at ease.
At that instant, he knew that these people were treating him like a test subject. If no danger befell him after he picked the spirit fruit, all of them would rush over and snatch them.
Then, he secretly prayed and extended his hand towards a spirit fruit. The fruit felt slightly cold, but there didn’t seem to be anything unusual about it. Just when he was ready to pluck the fruit though, something unexpected happened. Right in front of everyone’s eyes, this person disappeared all of a sudden.
Ding Yi widened his eyes in disbelief and exclaimed, “Where did he go?”
There was a solemn expression on Yang Kai’s face. Earlier, he was staring fixedly at that person, but he couldn’t see how the latter disappeared, as though they had vanished into thin air, which was eerie.
Seeing this, many heaved a sigh of relief. There was apparently a huge risk associated with picking these spirit fruits. Fortunately, they were not in a rush to snatch these fruits just now; otherwise, the same fate would have befallen them.
Right then, a realisation seemed to have dawned upon Xu Zhen and his gaze appeared fervent as he guffawed, “That’s it! This thing really does exist! I always thought it was just a legend!”
Hearing that, all of them turned to look at him.
Xu Zhen was from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven, so his background was extraordinary. As such, his knowledge and experience were much greater than others of his generation; after all, the inheritance and heritage of a Cave-Heaven stretched tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Many secrets that were unknown to the masses were recorded in the books kept by these top forces.
Previously, Yang Kai had obtained a lot of information regarding the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary from Xu Zhen.
Now, Xu Zhen seemed to recognise this wonderful fruit tree, so he must have seen some related records.
Worried about his subordinate’s safety, Ding Yi quickly asked, “Little fatty, what do you know? What the hell is this thing? Where’s my man?”
Xu Zhen shot him a glance, but he wasn’t mad. He had always been a mild-tempered person, so with a smile, he replied, “Chief Ding, don’t worry. Your subordinate isn’t in danger for now. It’s just that he has been swallowed by the spirit fruit.”
The expression of Ding Yi changed, “What do you mean that he’s not in danger when he’s been eaten by the fruit?”
After a chuckle, Xu Zhen explained, “He’s indeed not in a perilous situation, but it depends on his luck whether he can get out. If he can do that, it’ll be a huge opportunity for him. If he can’t…”
“What if he can’t?”
“He’ll be trapped inside the fruit forever.”
In a grim voice, Ding Yi questioned, “This thing traps people inside?”
“Chief Ding, please do not underestimate these fruits. They’re very powerful.” Xu Zhen chuckled.
Just then, Ah Ku’s owner asked, “Senior Brother, what is this fruit tree? What are these spirit fruits?”
These were the questions everyone was curious about. Faced with such a dangerous treasure trove, they had to find out about its background first. With such a precedent earlier, no one dared to make a move on the spirit fruits for now.
Without the intention to hide it from them, Xu Zhen said solemnly, “If I’m not mistaken, this is the legendary 3,000 Worlds Tree.”
“3,000 Worlds Tree?” All of them exclaimed and traded glances.
Other than Xu Zhen, no one else at the scene seemed to have heard of such a tree before.
Xu Zhen explained, “I once read from a worn-out ancient book in our Sect about it. Although the record was incomplete, I’m certain that this is the 3,000 Worlds Tree. Look, aren’t there exactly 3,000 fruits on this tree?”
Upon hearing his explanation, everyone quickly turned to look at those spirit fruits. The people at the scene were all extraordinary, so they were able to count the number of spirit fruits after just a glance. There were indeed exactly 3,000 spirit fruits.
With a solemn expression, Xu Zhen went on to say, “The 3,000 Worlds Tree bears the fruits of 3,000 Worlds. Every fruit is a World, and all of them correspond to 3,000 Grand Daos. Every World Fruit is an established system on its own, just like the Small Universe in an Open Heaven Realm Master’s body.”
All of them were astounded as they couldn’t believe what they heard. These fruits were only the size of a fist, but they all contained Small Worlds inside them, which was an inconceivable idea.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s expression changed.
Just now, all his attention was on the spirit fruits, so he hadn’t realised the crux of the problem. Upon hearing Xu Zhen’s explanation, he couldn’t help suspecting that this 3,000 Worlds Tree might be the World Tree the Giant Spirit God Ah Da had mentioned.
The epic battle in the Star Boundary caused the World Principles to break, and the Star Boundary itself faced the risk of collapse at any moment. Although the Great Emperors had joined forces to stabilise the situation, the Star Boundary couldn’t remain intact forever.
Previously, Yang Kai asked Ah Da about any possible solutions. A puzzled Ah Da only mentioned the World Tree to him. The World Tree was supposed to be the key to rebuilding the World Principles of the Star Boundary.
It had been quite some time since Yang Kai arrived in the Outer Universe, but he hadn’t managed to find out anything about the World Tree to date. He had never expected to come across the tree in the Primordial Land.
If this 3,000 Worlds Tree was indeed what Ah Da had mentioned, it was the key to saving the Star Boundary from oblivion.
At that instant, Yang Kai’s gaze became fervent as he tried to come up with a way to uproot the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
“Every fruit is a World on its own…” someone muttered under his breath, “In that case, that guy fell into the World inside the fruit, right?”
“En,” Xu Zhen nodded, “This is his opportunity.”
It was then they understood why Xu Zhen said that that person was swallowed by the fruit. He was indeed eaten by the fruit as he had fallen into the World inside it.
“If he can comprehend the Principles of that World, he can escape, and the World Fruit will belong to him. If he can’t…”
“What if he can’t?” Ding Yi asked in a grim voice.
“He’ll be trapped inside it forever. There’s no more hope for him,” Xu Zhen replied.
His words sent a chill down everyone’s spine. No one knew what was going on inside the World of the fruit. If one was trapped inside it forever, he’d definitely end up in a miserable state.
“What are the World Fruits for?” Another person asked, “Senior Brother, since you’re able to recognise the fruits, you should know their uses, right?”
Xu Zhen replied with a grin, “The uses of World Fruits are incredible. They are the legendary treasures that are said to be able to help an Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order.”
“What?” All of them exclaimed and stared at Xu Zhen in disbelief. They were trying to find out whether Xu Zhen was pulling their leg, but his expression appeared fervent and dead serious.
“They can help an Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order? Are you serious?”
“Are there such amazing things in this world?”
“It’s extremely difficult for an Open Heaven Realm Master to achieve a breakthrough. Can these fruits really help one rise a whole Order?”
An Open Heaven Realm Master improved their order mainly through years of accumulation. Every breakthrough cost them a long time and countless resources. Moreover, there were a lot of restrictions, so the number of times they could achieve an ascension was limited.
Normally, after a cultivator became an Open Heaven Realm Master, given enough time and resources, he or she could attain two further breakthroughs at most.
This was related to the Open Heaven Pills which Humans refined. As time passed, the effects of these pills on a cultivator would diminish and eventually become useless.
Of course, if one was lucky enough to obtain Open Heaven Pills spontaneously born from the Universe itself, there wouldn’t be such worries. The Universe was filled with wonders, but innate Open Heaven Pills were extremely rare. These Open Heaven Pills didn’t have any side effects, and with their help, anyone could attempt to ascend to the next Order.
These naturally born Open Heaven Pills were extraordinarily precious. Whenever they appeared, they would be snatched up by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. The average cultivator wouldn’t even stand a chance to see one.
Beside the 3,000 Worlds Tree, hundreds of cultivators had broken into a commotion as they were shocked by what Xu Zhen had said.
A solemn Xu Zhen said, “I didn’t believe it at first, but when I saw the World Fruits, I knew that it was the truth. An Open Heaven Realm Master ascends to the next Order mainly by expanding their Small Universe and completing its power. Look at these World Fruits. Every one of them is a Small World on its own. If one can consume and refine it, the benefits they can get will be astonishing. There’s no doubt that it can help a cultivator to reach the next Order.”
Yang Kai nodded gently as Xu Zhen was right. He could feel the World Force wafting from these World Fruits, so it was apparent that they indeed contained Small Worlds inside them. If an Open Heaven Realm Master could refine one of them, it could help them expand the Small Universe in their body and complete its power.
At that instant, all of them became enthusiastic as they drooled over the World Fruits.
These were some amazing fruits that could help a cultivator to ascend to the next Order. All of them at the scene had earned some rewards in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and it could be said that if they left this place safely, they would definitely become Open Heaven Realm Masters in the near future. If they could obtain a World Fruit in advance, a Third-Order cultivator would ascend to the Fourth-Order; a Fourth-Order cultivator would ascend to the Fifth-Order; a Sixth-Order cultivator would ascend to the Seventh-Order. A World Fruit could save them centuries if not millennia of hard work.
Even if they decided to sell it instead of consuming it, Open Heaven Realm Masters would scramble to purchase it.
All of a sudden, Xu Zhen chuckled and said loudly, “Well, do not have unrealistic expectations about these World Fruits. They’re indeed amazing and extraordinary, but they’re not all-purpose. These fruits are divided into three ranks. A Low-Rank World Fruit can only help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master reach the next Order; a Mid-Rank one can help a Mid-Rank cultivator ascend to the next Order; a High-Rank one can help a High-Rank cultivator attain the next Order.”
“These fruits are divided into three ranks?” Xiang Ying arched his brow.
Xu Zhen nodded, “That’s what I saw in the records. Don’t ask me how to differentiate them because I have no idea. I only know that most of the fruits on this tree are Low-Rank. There are only a small number of Mid-Rank ones. As for the High-Rank fruits, there might not even be a single one on this tree. Even if they are on this tree, they must be extremely rare.”
While he was speaking, many used their Divine Senses on the spirit tree. Although these spirit fruits appeared petite, every one of them was an independent world. All the Divine Senses were swallowed instantly, so no one could realise anything special or differentiate the qualities. All of these fruits looked identical, as though they were made from the same mould.
Even if there were no High-Rank fruits, these fruits were deathly attractive to these cultivators.
Ding Yi guffawed, “I’m going to be filthy rich! Hahahaha!”
Many people at the scene were from his Emperor Heaven. Even if all the spirit fruits were shared equally, he could still get his hands on quite a few of them. However, the prerequisite was that he could pick these fruits.
Xu Zhen put on a smile as though he had seen through his thoughts, “Although there are many World Fruits here, each one of you only has one chance. If you pick a fruit, you’ll never be able to enter another one.”
“What nonsense is that?” Ding Yi widened his eyes.
Xu Zhen replied, “I’m not sure about it either. I’m just telling you all what I saw in my Sect’s ancient books. I don’t know much about this fruit tree.”
After giving it a thought, Ding Yi said, “Only by entering the World inside the fruit could one comprehend its Principles and stand a chance to obtain the World Fruit. Is that right?”
Xu Zhen nodded gently, “That’s what I saw.”
After a grunt, Ding Yi grinned, “We can only find out by giving it a try, then.” Upon finishing his words, he gathered his subordinates and picked out over ten people. Then, he ordered them to try to forcefully obtain the World Fruits.
These over ten people rolled up their sleeves and approached the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
Yang Kai and the others watched them in silence, but they didn’t have the intention of stopping these people. There were many things they didn’t understand about the 3,000 Worlds Tree, so these people from Emperor Heaven could serve as guinea pigs for them.
A moment later, these people activated their Secret Techniques and attempted to grab the World Fruits; however, regardless of what they did, the World Fruits remained unmoving, and all the techniques disappeared like stones sinking into the ocean. Someone became furious and cast a Divine Ability at the World Fruit, which swallowed it. The spirit fruit was fine while the Divine Ability had disappeared.
A while later, Ding Yi told these people to come back. The result was clear: it was impossible to forcefully pick the spirit fruits. Just like what Xu Zhen had said, one had to enter the World inside the fruit to pick it.
“In that case, let’s go in, then.” Someone laughed and shuffled forward. After leaping onto a branch, he extended his hand towards a spirit fruit. As soon as he came into contact with the fruit, his figure disappeared.
Seeing that, the other cultivators were unable to stay put anymore as they leapt onto the 3,000 Worlds Tree and chose different spirit fruits.
All of them disappeared like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, over one hundred people were gone.
The remaining cultivators were either observing in silence or hesitating as they were not sure if they should take on such a risk; after all, Xu Zhen had said that there were dangers associated with entering the World inside each fruit. If one succeeded, they could get the spirit fruit. If one failed, they would be trapped inside it forever. There was no second chance.
Xiang Ying and the young man who had obtained Ah Ku also respectively chose a spirit fruit and entered it.
Ding Yi pointed at the tree with his sword and yelled, “Fellow Brothers, opportunity lies in front of us, now all that matters is if you can seize it. I won’t force any of you. Those who are fine with remaining ordinary can stay, and those who want riches and glory can follow this King!”
After he finished speaking, he charged forward and found a spirit fruit at the highest point. As soon as he grabbed the fruit, his figure vanished into thin air.
Some of the people from Emperor Heaven followed him and selected their own fruits. Some of them shook their heads and sighed before going down the mountain; after all, not everyone was as resolute as Ding Yi.
On the other hand, Xu Zhen and Yang Kai remained in the same spots as they were trying to differentiate the ranks of these spirit fruits. Unfortunately, even after a long examination, they still couldn’t tell the difference.
A moment later, Xu Zhen shook his head and said, “Brother Yang, I’ll be going on ahead.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Brother Xu, take care.”
Just then, Yang Kai secretly spoke to Xu Zhen in his mind, “What will happen if two people choose the same spirit fruit?”
Besides trying to differentiate the qualities of these spirit fruits, the reason he had been staying put for so long was to see what would happen if two people selected the same spirit fruit. Unfortunately, no two people entered the World of the same fruit simultaneously. All of them had selected different targets.
A glint flashed across Xu Zhen’s eyes as he realised Yang Kai’s intention, then he replied, “Brother Yang can give it a try.”
Apparently, he had no idea what the outcome would be.
After Xu Zhen was gone, Yang Kai chose a particular World Fruit and grabbed it. The next instant, his figure disappeared.
An incense stick later, a figure appeared like a phantom. He was none other than the short man who had obtained the gourd vine. At this moment, he sported a fervent expression as he stared at the 3,000 Worlds Tree and chuckled, “World Fruits… There are such amazing things in the Primordial Land.”
He had been hiding nearby and it wasn’t until this moment that he appeared.
In a nonchalant manner, he approached the fruit tree and used his gourd vine in an attempt to coil it around a spirit fruit, but regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to pull it down. The fruits seemed easily obtainable, but they were clearly fixed in place.
After several failed attempts, the short man sighed, “It seems that I have to enter the World inside the fruit.”
Upon finishing his words, he extended his hand towards a fruit.
Right then, something unexpected happened.
A great sense of danger engulfed him, and at the same time, a voice was heard shouting, “Solidify!”
The space around him froze in an instant, which rendered him immoble. The World Fruit was well within reach, but he was unable to move a muscle. From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure slowly appearing in mid-air. Flabbergasted, he finally realised that he had been ambushed.
He had always been a careful person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained hidden for such a long time before approaching. However, he hadn’t expected that after he confirmed that everyone had entered the Worlds inside the fruits, someone was still hiding in the dark, and that person had evaded his inspection earlier.
Judging from the voice, he believed that the person was Zhu Jiu Yin’s Bearer, Yang Kai, who had made a name for himself in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Upon that realization, his expression darkened.
In fact, there were no grudges between Yang Kai and him. It was just that after receiving Jin Wu’s order, he decided to ambush Yang Kai in the seven-coloured passageway. He thought that he could kill his target with one strike, but Yang Kai only suffered some minor injuries. It was then he realised that Yang Kai was indeed famous for a reason.
Earlier, in order to deal with Ding Yi, he had no choice but to expose himself. Apparently, Yang Kai was still resentful of him, so he had hidden in order to ambush him here.
In an instant, this short man figured out everything. Although he wasn’t flustered, he still hurriedly communicated with the gourd vine that had been wrapped around him. The seven small bottle gourds on the vine faintly radiated a seven-coloured light.
Yang Kai appeared from the Void and strode towards the short man. Then, he clapped his hands and pulled them apart, after which a huge Moon Blade took shape. Staring coldly at the short man from a short distance, he bellowed, “Die!”
The Moon Blade broke through the air and cut across space before slashing at the short man.
This person was Jin Wu’s Bearer, and he had plotted against Yang Kai in the seven-coloured passageway some time ago. Since grudges had been formed between them, there was no way Yang Kai would let him off.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t show him any mercy. He had the Shadowless Veil, so he was able to conceal his figure and aura. Just now, he seemed to have entered into the World inside the fruit, but he had actually never touched the World Fruit. Prior to that, he had already activated the Shadowless Veil to hide his whereabouts.
After just a moment, this short man indeed exposed himself.
This guy also had a way to conceal himself, and he had obtained the Divine Medicine gourd vine. If he wasn’t killed now, he would become a huge problem for Yang Kai in the future.
Moreover, Yang Kai was also interested in the gourd vine and seven small bottle gourds.
Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom were also Divine Medicines, and they were both invaluable. Nevertheless, there was no doubt that the gourd vine was more attractive to Yang Kai. The seven small bottle gourds on the vine corresponded to the Yin, Yang, and each of the Five Elements, and they were all in the Fifth-Order. If he could snatch the gourd vine, it would represent an inexhaustible source of Fifth-Order materials.
Yang Kai naturally didn’t really need such resources, but they would certainly be useful for the people in the Star Boundary. Without holding back, he attempted to kill the short man. The Moon Blade whooshed forward and reached the short man in just a moment.
Just when the short man was about to be decapitated, the seven small bottle gourds around him suddenly shone brightly as the seven-coloured light undulated. Yin, Yang, and Five Elements mutually reinforced one another as a sturdy layer of protection formed.
With a loud boom, the Moon Blade slashed at the seven-coloured barrier but only formed a small gap in it, which still made the short man shudder a little, but he remained unharmed.
Seizing the chance, the short man broke free of the restriction of Space Principles and turned his head before uttering resentfully, “I’ll kill you sooner or later!”
Yang Kai snorted and pushed out a fist, whereupon a black dot flashed across his knuckles.
Rupture!
The violent force of the fist tore the seven-coloured barrier apart and the short man grunted and spat blood. Flustered, he hurriedly grabbed a Word Fruit and disappeared from the spot.
Yang Kai charged forward and pushed out a palm, but all he hit was air as his opponent had snuck into the World inside the fruit.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai also extended his hand towards the same fruit.
The short man had been injured, so now was the best time to end his life. Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t want to miss this chance as he was determined to ruthlessly kill him.
What made Yang Kai feel at ease was that as soon as he came into contact with the fruit, he could clearly feel a pull coming from it, as if he was falling into a chasm.
It seemed that even if two people chose the same World Fruit, they could enter the World at the same time.
At that instant, Yang Kai’s curiosity was piqued as he wondered what the World inside the fruit looked like. Simultaneously, he surged his strength to protect himself and remained vigilant.
In the blink of an eye, he entered a very peculiar world. Upon scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai was stunned.
That was because he was inside a gigantic bubble at this moment. There were more bubbles around him, and they were all pressed against one another. He couldn’t see where the end was as there were countless bubbles present. It was as though the entire world was made from these bubbles.
What shocked him more was that the World Energy in this bubble was ample, and this World seemed to have its own World Principles, which were fairly complete.
Upon sensing it, Yang Kai realised that if he cultivated in this World, assuming that there was nothing wrong with his aptitude, he could definitely ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
That realization amazed him. This was just a World inside the fruit, but it was already able to help a cultivator reach the Open Heaven Realm. These World Fruits were indeed extraordinary. It was no wonder that they could help an Open Heaven Realm Master to ascend to the next Order.
Yang Kai supposed this was a Low-Rank World Fruit because, upon inspection, he realised that the best one could achieve was Third-Order in this place. This feeling was vague, but he was certain about his inference.
Before Yang Kai could find out about anything else though, he saw an anomaly from the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw someone else in a bubble over there. His figure appeared somewhat contorted as he was breaking free from his current bubble and rushing into the next.
He was none other than the short man!
Both of them entered this world one after the other, so they should have fallen into the same area.
Earlier, the short man was struck by Yang Kai’s fist, and at this moment, his aura was weak, so it was apparent that he was injured. Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t miss this chance as he bellowed, “Where do you think you’re going!?”
As Space Principles fluctuated, he attempted to race after him.
With a crash, Yang Kai felt as though he had collided with a mountain as he was forced to stop. He began seeing stars, and the soreness on his nose almost made him tear up.
On both of his shoulders, Little Mushroom and Pu Bai Xiong were rolling over as they exclaimed.
Yang Kai shook his head and took a step back. After a glance, he was rendered speechless. That was because what blocked his way was the wall of the bubble. It was the bubble that had cut off his Instantaneous Movement and stopped him from leaving.
Raising his hands, Yang Kai grabbed Little Mushroom and Pu Bai Xiong before throwing them into a Small Sealed World. Following that, he tore the bubble with his hands and shot into the next one.
What was strange was that this bubble was able to seal off the space inside of it, making Instantaneous Movement useless, but the bubble itself could be easily torn apart.
However, after Yang Kai dashed into the next bubble, the gap healed itself.
At this moment, he didn’t have the time to ponder on it as he stared fixedly in the direction the short man was fleeing. As Yang Kai broke apart layers of bubbles, he attempted to hunt down and kill his enemy.
A while later, Yang Kai guffawed, “Even the Heavens are on my side!”
That was because he could see that after the short man barged into a certain bubble, a raging flame suddenly appeared and made him jump. At this instant, he looked pretty pitiful.
Before Yang Kai could finish his words though, a rumble was heard and following that, a bolt of lightning struck him and caused him to stagger.
His expression changed when he raised his head and saw that countless bolts of lightning had been formed in the bubble he was in. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a thunderstorm. The lightning strikes caused him to feel numb and tremble violently.
There were many forms of danger that were hidden within these bubbles apparently. From the outside, they appeared identical, so one wouldn’t find out what was inside until they entered it.
After just ten breaths’ time, Yang Kai broke free from the bubble that was filled with lightning. At the same time, the short man escaped his fiery predicament. Apparently, he could feel someone chasing after him, so he kept dashing forward without even turning his head.
A furious Yang Kai passed through the bubbles before him as he pursued his prey.
As they charged forward, it wasn’t certain how far they had left their original spots behind. The gap between them shortened and then widened from time to time.
Yang Kai clenched his teeth so hard that they almost cracked. If it weren’t because of these strange bubbles, given his mastery over the Dao of Space, he could’ve captured this short man with ease. However, these bubbles were able to stop him from using Instantaneous Movement, which infuriated him.
A few days later, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and panted heavily due to exhaustion.
Several dozen bubbles in front of him, the short man fell on his backside and lay down on the ground with his limbs spread.
After days of pursuit, both of them were weary, so they had no choice but to take a rest.
While Yang Kai was stuffing Spirit Pills into his mouth, he yelled, “Keep running! When this King captures you, I’ll let you have a taste of the most excruciating torture!”
With difficulty, the short man hoisted himself with his hands and stuffed some pills into his mouth. Still panting, he said, “What can I do so that you’ll let me off?”
Yang Kai sneered, “Let you off? Do you think that’s possible? Besides the fact that you ambushed this King in an attempt to kill me, both of us are Bearers, so we’ll definitely have a life-and-death battle one day. Instead of waiting, I should end your life here to save the trouble later.”