Seeing as Yang Kai was relentless, the short man barked, “Hey, surnamed Yang. Don’t you think that this Gou is afraid of you! I just don’t want to get into an unnecessary fight and let others take advantage of me!”
Yang Kai snickered, “Killing you isn’t an unnecessary fight… You want to live? Good. Leave your gourd vine to me, and I’ll stop chasing after you.”
That man surnamed Gou bellowed, “Keep chasing after me, then! Let’s see who can run faster!”
If it weren’t because he had been struck by Yang Kai’s fist earlier, he wouldn’t have appeared so battered when running away. With the gourd vine in his hand, he wasn’t afraid of anyone in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; however, that attack had indeed injured him. If it weren’t thanks to the gourd vine’s protection, he likely would’ve been ground to dust.
While they were trying to restore their energy, they kept bickering with one another. Apparently, neither of them intended to let the other party rest peacefully.
One hour later, Yang Kai got to his feet and tore apart the bubble before charging forward.
The man surnamed Gou was flabbergasted. Before he could fully refine the medicinal efficacies of the pills in his stomach, he hurriedly fled from where he sat.
Over the next several dozen days, life was like a living Hell for the man surnamed Gou. Yang Kai’s restorative capability was obviously vastly superior to his. In the time it took him to restore a bit of his strength, Yang Kai already became fully energetic again and raced after him, which forced him to flee while he was still in a terrible state.
His injury didn’t get the treatment it needed either, and instead of healing, it had actually become worse.
He knew that this situation couldn’t go on forever. While he was weakening, Yang Kai became stronger. One day, Yang Kai would be able to capture him, and by then, he wouldn’t even have any energy left to resist.
Recently, the gap between Yang Kai and him had been shortening. Initially, they were several dozen bubbles apart, but now, there were only a few that came between them. It could be said that the distance between them was short.
While he was running away, he had also been exploring the secrets of this World in an attempt to comprehend the mysterious principles and become the owner of this World Fruit. Unfortunately, even after days of trying, he still couldn’t achieve his goal.
Naturally, Yang Kai had been doing the same thing.
The entire World was made up of countless bubbles which were pressed against one another. All the bubbles looked identical, so one couldn’t tell the difference between them.
Although Yang Kai had been pursuing the man surnamed Gou, which caused the latter to become exhausted, he was secretly anxious as well; after all, many days had passed, and no one knew what was going on in the outside world. If he missed the closing time of the Primordial Land, he would be trapped in this place forever.
If he couldn’t leave, Yue He and the others would end up in a miserable state as well.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t hold back any of his strength when hunting down his enemy. Only by killing this guy as soon as possible could he have the chance to comprehend the mysterious Principles of this place in peace.
After adjusting his breathing for a short while, Yang Kai ignored the fact that he hadn’t fully restored his energy and broke the next bubble apart. Then, he dashed towards the man surnamed Gou.
This time though, the other party didn’t flee; instead, he remained seated with his legs crossed while staring coldly at Yang Kai. His gaze was tinged with ruthlessness and resolve.
Yang Kai grinned, knowing that this guy was left with no choice and had decided to risk it all in a life-and-death battle with him. This was the outcome he wanted.
Just a moment later, Yang Kai broke through several bubbles and arrived at the bubble the man surnamed Gou was in. After several dozen days, it was the first time they were confronting each other at such a close distance.
“Lock!” Yang Kai performed a hand seal with one hand. As Space Principles undulated, the space inside this bubble became sealed. By doing so, he could ensure that this man surnamed Gou couldn’t flee easily, unless the latter broke his space barrier. But even if he really did that, he would only be exposing his back to Yang Kai, giving him a chance to finish him off.
“It seems that one of us has to perish on this day. That’s such a shame. This Gou didn’t intend to send you to Hell so soon, but you’ve left me with no choice,” Instead of becoming flustered, however, the man surnamed Gou seemed confident of winning the battle.
Upon finishing his words, he let out a breath and slowly got to his feet. As he hoisted himself, his aura turned from weak to imposing.
Yang Kai stared dispassionately at him and said calmly, “You shouldn’t make bold claims without the strength to back them up, lest you embarrass yourself. Let us see who the last one standing will be.”
As their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly between them.
The next instant, both of them made a move as though it had been agreed upon.
Yang Kai repeatedly flicked his fingers as Moon Blades shot at his opponent and engulfed him. Wherever the Moon Blades passed, space was cut apart.
On the other hand, the man surnamed Gou performed a hand seal with both hands as a large awl swirled into existence.
Shattering Dao Seal Technique!
This Divine Ability specifically targeted the enemy’s Dao Seal, and its power was quite horrifying. Yang Kai had suffered a small setback in the past because of this technique and Ding Yi had also almost lost his life because of this Divine Ability.
Since Yang Kai had seen this technique twice though, he immediately put his guard up by diverting some of his energy to strengthen his Dao Seal so that it wouldn’t be shaken. At the same time, a thought flashed across his mind as the Moon Blades turned around and slashed at the Shattering Dao Seal Technique.
Whooshing sounds were continuously heard and in the blink of an eye, the Shattering Dao Seal Technique was destroyed while the still intact Moon Blades came at the man surnamed Gou again.
The man surnamed Gou bellowed as a golden light radiated from his body. As the power of his Seventh-Order Power of Metal undulated, he turned into a golden figure. Following that, he balled up his fists and punched at the Moon Blades, which caused them to shatter.
The main characteristic of the Metal Element was offence, and it was extremely sharp.
Yang Kai was envious of this short man because he was lacking a Metal Element Power. He was upset at the fact that the Divine Spirit that had found him was Zhu Jiu Yin instead of Jin Wu. If it had been Jin Wu, he could’ve made use of his Monster Core to condense a Seventh-Order Metal Element Power. Once all Five Elements were complete, he would officially enter the half-step Open Heaven Realm. After condensing the Yin and Yang Elements, he could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
Nevertheless, this was his fate. Since Zhu Jiu Yin had found him to be her Bearer, there was no way Jin Wu would welcome him. That was the fundamental reason behind this battle.
After breaking through the storm of Moon Blades, the man surnamed Gou remained imposing. His short and sturdy figure looked like a raging bull as he charged towards Yang Kai and reached him in the blink of an eye. His fist, which was engulfed in Seventh-Order Metal Element Power, shot towards Yang Kai’s chest. Before his fist even reached Yang Kai’s chest, a sharp aura was already felt coming from it, stinging Yang Kai’s skin and causing his shirt to tear.
However, Yang Kai didn’t attempt to dodge the attack. With a dispassionate expression, he looked mockingly at the man surnamed Gou.
The next instant, the expression of the man surnamed Gou changed as he realised that regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to land a fist on Yang Kai, and there was always a distance of a palm’s length between them.
He could clearly feel that he was charging forward, but the gap between them never shortened one bit, which was extremely strange.
In order to snatch the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water some time ago, Yang Kai was faced with a naturally formed barrier. Upon comprehending the Principles behind this barrier, he gained some benefits as well as new insights into the Dao of Space. With some practice, Yang Kai had become adept at using Space Principles to infinitely extend space.
The man surnamed Gou was unable to shorten the gap between Yang Kai and him, just like how he was unable to shorten the distance between the white jade trough and himself in the past. The space between them was extending, so while it might appear unmoving, it was actually moving at the speed of lightning.
Ten breaths later, the man surnamed Gou had no energy left as his aura weakened. Just then, Yang Kai stuck out a finger and said dispassionately, “Die.”
A petite Golden Crow shot out from the tip of his finger with a fierce cry. The man surnamed Gou could see the crow expanding right in front of him as though it was going to engulf him.
Golden Crow’s True Fire was horrifying, and it even surpassed the Metal Element Power of Jin Wu he had condensed. If he was struck by this fire crow, he would end up in a horrible state.
At the critical moment, the man surnamed Gou didn’t dare to hold back his power any longer. Upon extending his arm, his gourd vine shot forward as though it possessed spirituality and penetrated the Golden Crow, which caused it to break apart. Following that, it came right at Yang Kai’s glabella. The Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements swirled around the gourd vine as it was able to break through his space extension and reach him in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he arched his back in an attempt to dodge the attack.
The man surnamed Gou was relentless, however. With the gourd vine in his hand, he used it like a whip. After he wielded it, the gourd vine spiralled towards Yang Kai and engulfed him.
After several attempts, Yang Kai realised that he was unable to shake off its pursuit, so just when he was about to be caught by the gourd vine, he yelled and extended his hand towards the void before grabbing the Azure Dragon Spear. Man and spear uniting as one, Yang Kai thrust out his weapon.
There didn’t seem to be any technique involved in this thrust, making it look like the simplest of attacks, but in fact, it was an extremely precise move as his weapon pointed right at the centre of the spiralling vine.
A violent force exploded as the man surnamed Gou grunted and was forced back. In an instant, Yang Kai had reversed the situation.
Without stopping, Yang Kai wielded his spear as freely as a Dragon would its claws, sending countless spear shadows to surround the man surnamed Gou.
At that moment, the man surnamed Gou was forced into a defensive stance. He had never expected that Yang Kai also had such attainments in the Spear Dao. Since his attack was resolved, he had no choice but to passively protect himself.
The two became locked in an intense battle, with no one seeming to have the upper hand.
As the battle dragged on though, the man surnamed Gou was astounded. The spear in Yang Kai’s hands seemed like a living creature as it was able to keep attacking his weakest points, which caused him to be drenched in a cold sweat.
It wasn’t pure luck that he was selected by Jin Wu. The Divine Spirits had their own standards when it came to choosing their Bearers. If someone’s heritage was insufficient, the Divine Spirits wouldn’t even spare them a glance.
The man surnamed Gou became a Bearer because of his strength and ability. Afterwards, he had been trained by Jin Wu for years, and he obtained the gourd vine upon entering the Primordial Land, so he thought that no one in Grand Ancient Ruins was a match for him. However, he hadn’t expected that there was someone who was able to counter him.
After several life-and-death moments, the man surnamed Gou was finally certain that using his current methods, he would never be able to defeat Yang Kai. The spear in Yang Kai’s hands was definitely an extraordinary artifact as it was able to remain intact even after clashing with his gourd vine. Moreover, it faintly exuded the aura of Divine Spirit, which slightly restrained him.
Gritting his teeth, the man surnamed Gou shouted, “I didn’t want to use this move, but you’ve forced my hand. It is your honour to get killed by this method!”
Yang Kai felt his chest tightening, knowing that this guy was certainly going to use his trump card. With that said, he too had a trump card left, so with a sneer, he said, “How dare you still boast so shamelessly!? I’ll break your teeth for that!”
“Whether it’s shameless boasting or not, you will learn soon!” The man surnamed Gou snorted, “Rise!” he bellowed.
Following that, he wielded his gourd vine as the seven small bottle gourds fell to the ground.
Yang Kai swung his spear and stepped backwards as he stayed vigilant with a cold gaze.
He had witnessed the powers of these seven small bottle gourds before, and they were all extraordinary. Earlier, he had already put his guard up against them, but his opponent didn’t seem to have the intention of using them. Was this man surnamed Gou going to make use of the Powers of these bottle gourds now?
The Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers were all extraordinary as they were able to activate Fifth-Order Powers. Most cultivators were not a match for them as only a small number of cultivators had condensed Fifth-Order Elements, making them unable to even parry the attacks from these Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t afraid of them. Even the weakest Element Power he had condensed was in the Seventh Order, so why would he be frightened by these Fifth-Order bottle gourds?
Upon leaving the gourd vine, the Seven Brothers struck different poses, trying to appear imposing, but before they could introduce themselves, the man surnamed Gou suddenly wielded his gourd vine again, whereupon it straightened, and under the shocked gaze of Yang Kai, penetrated the back of the First Brother and stuck out from his chest.
What was strange was that even though the gourd vine had pierced through the First Brother, he didn’t seem harmed one bit.
Without stopping, the gourd vine penetrated the Second Brother, followed by San Wa and Si Wa…
After just a short moment, all Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers became a string of bottle gourds.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai became apprehensive. He thought that these Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers were the trump card of this man surnamed Gou, but he hadn’t expected such a turn of events.
Without hesitation, he surged all his might. Following a Dragon roar, a Dragon Pressure permeated the bubble and the Azure Dragon Spear seemed to transform into a Great Dragon as it pounced on the man surnamed Gou.
With a dispassionate expression, the man surnamed Gou stared at Yang Kai. He appeared so aloof that it was as though he was looking down at an ant.
Following that, he wielded the gourd vine and lashed out at the Azure Dragon Spear.
With a loud boom, Yang Kai felt a horrifying force coming right at him, and he was sent flying backwards. Even the Great Dragon illusory phantom on the spear became dim upon impact.
Upon crashing into the membrane of the bubble, Yang Kai spat a mouthful of blood and widened his eyes, “Open Heaven Realm Power?”
During the short moment of contact earlier, he could feel a thick Open Heaven might coming from the gourd vine. The power showcased far exceeded this man called Gou’s own strength, which was why he suffered a setback.
At this moment, the seven small bottle gourds, which had been connected by the gourd vine, turned into lights of seven colours and streamed into the vine. Seven colours could be seen flowing around the gourd vine, which made it look extremely beautiful. The Yin, Yang, and Five Elements Powers mingled with one another as they mutually restrained and reinforced one another.
In order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense Yin, Yang, and Five Elements before splitting Heaven and Earth apart in their body, forming a Small Universe within themselves. By doing so, they could generate World Force all on their own. This was the fundamental reason an Open Heaven Realm Master was far more powerful than an Emperor Realm cultivator.
Yang Kai hadn’t managed to do this yet, but he had seen someone else ascending to the Open Heaven Realm.
When Bai Qi was ascending to the Fifth Order, Yang Kai was there to observe by his side. When an accident occurred, fortunately, he managed to feed Bai Qi some World Source Liquid; otherwise, Bai Qi would’ve lost his life.
The images from that day flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as he watched the sight before his eyes. Presently, Yin, Yang, and Five Elements mingled with one another in an endless cycle.
The seven small bottle gourds on this gourd vine corresponded to the Powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. Just like a cultivator who had condensed seven Element Powers, the gourd vine was able to use the might exclusive to Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Moreover, it was the might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After all, every Little Bottle Gourd possessed Fifth-Order Element Powers.
In other words, the gourd vine in the hand of this man surnamed Gou was actually a Fifth-Order Open Heaven weapon that he could use as he pleased.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai was horrified. Although he was strong, he was nowhere near a match for a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He was fully aware of that. Yue He was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Given his current power and condition, the only outcome for him was death when he faced such an enemy.
Without thinking, Yang Kai turned around and tore the membrane apart before running away. The situation, which was supposed to be in his favour, turned into a crisis.
Behind him, the man surnamed Gou was heard saying in a grim voice, “Where do you think you’re going? You’ve forced me to use this move, so you can die with no regrets now!”
The sound of something breaking through the air was heard as Yang Kai felt a chill shoot up his spine. There seemed to be a viper racing after him. Turning his head, he widened his eyes in disbelief as the man surnamed Gou remained in the same spot, but the gourd vine in his hand extended infinitely and came right at him. Wherever the vine passed, all the bubbles exploded as they were unable to stop its advance.
If Yang Kai were in a different environment, he could’ve used Instantaneous Movement. However, these bubbles greatly restricted his freedom.
Although Yang Kai was madly pushing his Space Principles to extend space behind himself, it couldn’t stop the gourd vine from pursuing him. The Principles were destroyed by the Open Heaven might from the vine, rendering them useless.
After just three breaths’ time, the gourd vine was only an arm’s length away.
There was no way Yang Kai could evade. Feeling the horrifying force that was coming from the gourd vine, he gritted his teeth and whirled around. Then, he infused all his power into the Azure Dragon Spear and thrust out.
Following a loud boom, Yang Kai was sent flying back as he sprayed out a mouthful of blood while the gourd vine’s attack was hindered for a moment.
After Yang Kai crashed into another bubble membrane again, cracking sounds were heard coming from his body. At that instant, over ten of his bones had broken. Although he was going through excruciating pain, his gaze brightened and instead of becoming horrified, he appeared ecstatic.
Earlier, he was shocked by the Open Heaven aura radiating from the gourd vine and thought that this man surnamed Gou could really use the might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. After the exchange just now though, he realised that it was an unfounded fear.
After the gourd vine merged all seven small bottle gourds, it indeed could display the might of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, the man surnamed Gou didn’t have sufficient strength or foundation, so he was unable to fully utilize the gourd vine’s power.
The most he could draw out was Second or Third-Order Open Heaven Realm power. If this wasn’t the case, Yang Kai wouldn’t have survived despite the fact that he had tried to parry the attack with the Azure Dragon Spear.
Another possibility was that it had something to do with the special World Principles in this place. It was a Low-Rank World Fruit, so Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was its limit. Therefore, it wouldn’t tolerate any power that exceeded its limit.
If that was the most the man surnamed Gou could bring out, Yang Kai reckoned that he could still fight it out.
Upon that realization, he stopped running and turned around before charging towards the man surnamed Gou.
The other party remained on the same spot with his gaze lowered, muttering under his breath, “So you realised it? But so what? An Emperor Realm cultivator like you isn’t able to resist the might of the Open Heaven Realm! Go to Hell!”
The gourd vine broke through the air and came at Yang Kai again. Countless spear shadows emerged from Yang Kai’s weapon. With his mind at ease, his spear seemed to have become one with him as he could fully utilize its power.
In the blink of an eye, several hundred clashes took place. The surrounding bubbles were annihilated as a violent force swept out and a dazzling light formed in a circular form.
Yang Kai was sent flying away once again, and before he could stabilise himself, the gourd vine struck at him. Its Open Heaven might flared as though it was going to ruthlessly end Yang Kai’s life.
After choking down the blood in his throat, Yang Kai clenched his teeth and wielded his spear as he was determined to battle against the gourd vine.
Repeatedly, he was sent flying away, coughing up mouthfuls of blood. He appeared completely battered and was clearly at a complete disadvantage. It seemed that he was totally unable to counter the attacks from the man surnamed Gou.
Nevertheless, he remained calm and collected. Despite the fact that his eyes had been shaded with blood, they were still filled with determination.
The man surnamed Gou on the other hand bellowed, “Why aren’t you dead yet?” After he sent Yang Kai flying away again, he began panting heavily.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Yang Kai grabbed his contorted left arm and twisted it to reconnect his fractured bones before snickering, “It’s extremely difficult to kill me. Given your might, you won’t be able to end my life!”
Yang Kai condensed his Wood Element from the Immortal Tree’s essence and possessed an extremely powerful Dragon Vein. When it came to resilience and recovery, almost no one in the world could surpass him. As long as it wasn’t a lethal strike, he could always heal himself regardless of how severe the injuries were.
The might of the Second or Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was indeed formidable enough to render Yang Kai powerless to resist, but it wasn’t enough to end his life.
Upon slowly getting to his feet, Yang Kai brushed the blood away from his eyes so that he could see clearer, and with a mocking gaze, he stared at the man surnamed Gou, “But, how long can you last?”
After a pause, he went on to say calmly, “You’re an Emperor Realm cultivator too, so you definitely have to pay a price to forcefully use the might of the Open Heaven Realm, and that price is certainly quite hefty. Otherwise, you would’ve used this move a long time ago instead of hiding it. Is your Dao Seal still stable? Can your physique last? It seems that you’re the one who is going to die instead, bastard!” Then, he pointed his spear at his opponent in a provocative manner.
The expression of this man surnamed Gou darkened.
Just like Yang Kai said, he indeed had to pay a heavy price for forcefully using the might of the Open Heaven Realm while still in the Emperor Realm. Every time he wielded the gourd vine, he could indeed harm Yang Kai, but at the same time, he would suffer immense backlash. His physique, Soul, and Dao Seal all shook violently with each strike, so if this dragged on, he would lose his life to those effects before he could even kill Yang Kai.
Realizing this, he clenched his teeth and roared, “I’ll definitely end your life before I go to Hell!”
Upon finishing his words, he wielded the gourd vine again and infused all his energy into it. The lights of seven colours rapidly swirled around the vine, and at the same time, his physique visibly shrunk a little. It was apparent that he was sacrificing his own vital essence to draw out more power, damaging his foundation. The arm of the hand holding the vine had its flesh broken apart and started bleeding.
Yang Kai turned solemn, knowing that the other party was now laying his life on the line. The next move would be the key to Yang Kai’s victory or defeat, and he had been waiting for that moment!
The next instant, the gourd vine broke through the air again. This attack was more horrifying than all the ones prior, which made Yang Kai feel that it had exceeded the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm and reached the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
Hurriedly, he moved and yelled, “Golden Crow Casts the Sun!”
A high-pitched caw was heard as a golden Sun rose behind Yang Kai. At that instant, the light expanded and dazzled the beholder. A terrifying aura undulated around the great Sun, where a Golden Crow was seen flying and frolicking, which caused the expression of the man surnamed Gou to change.
He had already heard that Yang Kai had comprehended a Divine Manifestation, but it wasn’t until this moment that he finally witnessed it with his own eyes. Despite the fact that they were on opposing sides, he couldn’t help admiring his enemy’s talent and capabilities.
When the Head Manager of Scarlet Star saw this Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation, he surmised that with it, Yang Kai would be capable of fighting a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master even though he was just an Emperor Realm Junior, which went to show just how powerful the Divine Manifestation was.
Yang Kai lifted his spear and pointed at the Great Sun before swinging it down and thrusting it forward, sending the Great Sun flying over and crashing into the gourd vine.
Yang Kai had his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation while the man surnamed Gou was able to use the might of the Open Heaven Realm through the gourd vine. Both of them were able to use powers equivalent to that of a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, so it could be said that they were equally matched.
The great Sun dazzled the World in the fruit with its golden glow while the gourd vine penetrated Heaven and Earth and broke through the void.
The clash between them was like two stars colliding with one another.
Following a deafening boom, a horrifying shock wave swept out which caused the bubbles around them to explode and vanish into thin air. Yang Kai widened his eyes in fury as he had infused all his energy into his strike, and it was the same case for the man surnamed Gou.
*Hong hong hong…*
The world paled as countless Void Cracks appeared. Apparently, this world was unable to bear the impact of this violent explosion.
Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backwards. At the same time, the great Sun died out.
The man surnamed Gou sprayed out a mouthful of blood as his face turned ashen. The sounds of bones breaking were heard coming from his body. The lights of seven colours on the gourd vine dimmed and seven bottle gourds reappeared. He was also sent flying away like a sack.
The clash resulted in both sides being heavily injured. Neither Yang Kai nor the man surnamed Gou had gained the upper hand.
Upon landing on the ground, Yang Kai circulated his power in an attempt to get up, but he was unable to do so. Just now, he had almost exerted all of his strength into that one attack, so right now, both his physique and Dao Seal had reached their limits. If he forcefully did anything else, he might suffer from irreversible damage.
At that instant, he was astounded as he hadn’t expected to end up in such a state. At the same time, he secretly reflected upon himself and thought that he should never underestimate his enemies. The man surnamed Gou wasn’t a renowned figure, but he possessed such terrifying power. He was just one of the Bearers of those Divine Spirits, so how powerful were the other Bearers?
Of course, this guy’s power was built on the gourd vine.
Fortunately, while Yang Kai was unable to get up, the man surnamed Gou had also become paralysed on the ground.
As an Emperor Realm cultivator, this guy had been forcefully using the power of the Open Heaven Realm. The damage he had suffered from must be equivalent to, if not worse than, that of Yang Kai.
*Pa pa pa pa…*
Impacted by the force of these two people, the bubbles in the world kept bursting. As though a chain reaction had been triggered, these bubbles wouldn’t stop exploding, accelerating as time passed.
In the blink of an eye, all the bubbles burst into oblivion, leaving only a palm-sized bubble hovering in mid-air.
This bubble was inconspicuous and both Yang Kai and the man surnamed Gou had never noticed it. They had run around for a long time and passed through many bubbles, but they had never seen this particular one.
After all the other bubbles burst, this one appeared unique.
Yang Kai batted his blood-soaked eyes and stared fixedly at the bubble. All of a sudden, his gaze brightened as he realised that this bubble was the key to controlling this World Fruit. If he could refine this bubble, he might be able to obtain the World Fruit.
Not willing to waste any time on taking a rest, he squirmed and crawled towards the bubble as at this moment, he didn’t even have any energy to get up and walk.
Not long after he crawled forward, he felt a grip on his ankle. Turning his head, he secretly cursed.
He was completely attracted to that unique bubble, so he had forgotten about the man surnamed Gou. The other party had used the gourd vine to coil it around his ankle and in the next instant, a force pulled Yang Kai to the back of the man surnamed Gou and caused him to roll over for a moment before he managed to stabilize himself.
Initially, he was closer to the bubble, but after the man surnamed Gou used a dirty trick, the latter became the one who was nearer the bubble.
Apparently, the man surnamed Gou also seemed to have realised the uniqueness of that bubble, so at this moment, he was squirming and crawling towards it.
Yang Kai felt fortunate that even though he was pulled back by the gourd vine, he wasn’t harmed because of that. Obviously, this man surnamed Gou didn’t have any energy left to deal with Yang Kai; otherwise, he wouldn’t have let him off easily.
A furious Yang Kai expended more energy to chase after him.
Presently, both of them were squirming forward like two worms as they slowly approached the bubble.
The injuries of the man surnamed Gou was apparently more severe, so he was surpassed by Yang Kai just a moment later. With a disdainful look, Yang Kai shot him a scornful glance, “After this King obtains this World Fruit, I’ll kill you!”
The expression of the man surnamed Gou darkened and without uttering a word, he wielded his gourd vine again.
Once again, Yang Kai was pulled backwards, his expression turning grim as he cursed and raised his Azure Dragon Spear before jabbing it at the gourd vine.
Right then, a series of exclaims were heard. All seven bottle gourds on the vine opened their eyes and looked aggrievedly at Yang Kai as they said in unison, “You’re hurting us!”
Ignoring them, Yang Kai forcefully thrust his weapon towards the gourd vine and finally peeled it off.
The man surnamed Gou shook the gourd vine, whereupon the seven small bottle gourds dropped onto the ground and transformed into the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers. However, at this moment, their auras appeared extremely weak. It was apparent that during the clash with Yang Kai earlier, their foundation had been damaged.
Presently, the Seven Brothers were lying on the ground. The first Brother said lethargically, “I’m Da Wa.”
The Second Brother said, “I’m Er Wa.”
The Third Brother said, “I’m San Wa.”
…
One by one, these Seven Brothers introduced themselves and gathered together before shouting in unison, “We’re the Seven Bottle Gourd Brothers!”
The man surnamed Gou bellowed, “Shut up and hold him back!”
Hurriedly, the bottle gourds rushed towards Yang Kai, whereupon they grabbed his hair and clenched his arms. One of the brothers waddled towards Yang Kai’s thighs and wrapped his arms around them. He appeared determined to not let him move forward.
Yang Kai was speechless at that, and seeing as the man surnamed Gou was slowly approaching the bubble, a thought flashed across his mind as he summoned out Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom.
Pu Bai Xiong exclaimed, “What happened?”
He and Little Mushroom had been kept inside the Small Sealed World by Yang Kai since they entered the World inside this fruit, so they had no idea what had happened outside, yet right after they left the Small Sealed World, they saw seven bottle gourds making things difficult for Yang Kai, so they were both puzzled and shocked.
Little Mushroom grabbed her mushroom cap with both hands and said weakly, “Big Brothers, what are you all doing?”
Certainly, the bottle gourds didn’t have the time to respond to her as they were trying to torment Yang Kai.
Yang Kai shouted, “Don’t just stand there! Help me get rid of them now!”
Standing just beside Yang Kai, Pu Bai Xiong darted his gaze around before placing his hands akimbo and guffawing, “Brat, you had it coming!”
Like a nasty person taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune, he looked down at Yang Kai and laughed in an arrogant manner.
The expression of Yang Kai darkened. Pu Bai Xiong was truly a disloyal fellow. Now that Yang Kai was weak and in trouble, he certainly would come up with ways to humiliate him.
“When you oppressed Uncle Pu, you never expected that this would happen to you one day, right? When you picked my grape, it never occurred to you that you would need me to save you in the future, right?” Pu Bai Xiong squatted and, using his roots, he pinched Yang Kai’s nose so that the latter couldn’t breathe.
Yang Kai yelled, “What do you want? I’m warning you not to be so arrogant; otherwise, I’ll teach you a lesson after this!”
Pu Bai Xiong chuckled and got up, “You dare threaten me? If it weren’t because you’re actually a kind-hearted person, I wouldn’t care about your life or death.” He paused for a moment and meaningfully grinned, “Call me Uncle Pu, and I’ll save you.”
“Uncle Pu!” Yang Kai directly said.
Pu Bai Xiong became startled and batted his eyes, then he barked, “Do you know no shame at all?” He shook his head and stepped onto Yang Kai’s figure. Then, one by one, he kicked away the bottle gourds who had been harassing Yang Kai.
To the side, Little Mushroom was terrified as she watched the sight.
Pu Bai Xiong was a Divine Medicine who had assumed Human form, but he certainly wasn’t specialized in fighting like the Bottle Gourd Brothers. If it weren’t because these bottle gourds were exhausted, there was no way Pu Bai Xiong could have oppressed them.
After Pu Bai Xiong kicked away two of them, two other bottle gourds came over and grabbed his roots before punching him, which caused him to start wailing.
“Stop fighting! Stop fighting!” Little Mushroom cried out, but she was suddenly punched by someone, which resulted in a dark circle around her eye. Falling on her backside, she started bawling her eyes out.
With all four of his roots clenched by the bottle gourds, Pu Bai Xiong was rendered immobile, so turning to Little Mushroom, he yelled, “Stop crying and grab the vine, now!”
Upon hearing that, Little Mushroom cried harder.
Pu Bai Xiong bellowed, “Go now! Otherwise, I’ll beat your Big Brothers to death!”
An astounded Little Mushroom hurriedly stopped crying and got to her feet before dashing towards the man surnamed Gou.
Certainly, the man surnamed Gou was fully aware of what was going on. He was still wiggling towards the bubble, and he was only a thousand metres away from it now.
Seeing Little Mushroom coming at him, he snorted and ignored her.
Before this, he had seen the two Divine Medicines that belonged to Yang Kai, but they didn’t seem able to fight. Although he was weak, he wasn’t afraid of a Divine Medicine who had assumed Human form. If she dared to offend him, he wouldn’t mind gobbling her up.
Upon reaching him, Little Mushroom stared at him for a moment before bowing to him. Then, she said meekly, “Can you… give me your gourd vine?”
“Fuck off!” The man surnamed Gou rudely yelled.
Little Mushroom turned ashen and took a few steps back in horror. Then, she turned to look at the bottle gourds and Pu Bai Xiong, who were still locked in a scuffle, and clenched her teeth. All of a sudden, she puffed out a breath at the man surnamed Gou, “I have to save my Big Brothers. You sleep!”
At that instant, the man surnamed Gou felt the world around him spinning as his Soul sank and a sense of sleepiness swept across him.
“You…” Before he could finish his words, he suddenly relaxed entirely and started snoring on the ground.
“Sorry!” Little Mushroom repeatedly bowed her head to apologise. Then, she pounced on him and forcefully pulled his hand apart before taking the ground vine.
After she gently shook it, the seven small bottle gourds, who were harassing Yang Kai and Pu Bai Xiong, turned into seven beams of light and shot into the gourd vine.
The next instant, seven bottle gourds grew on the wine as they lamented in one voice, “So tired. This time, we can finally take a rest.”
After they finished speaking, they closed their eyes and remained hanging there in silence. Although they were potent Divine Medicines, they had expended a lot of energy as they were driven by the man surnamed Gou to battle against Yang Kai. Now, they had to take a long rest.
Without the bottle gourds holding him down, Pu Bai Xiong regained his freedom and lay on top of Yang Kai with his limbs stretched out. With a grin, he said, “Brat, you’ve just obtained an invaluable treasure. I’m telling you, these bottle gourds are all fresh and fleshy. If you stew them… What are you doing?”
Upon finishing his words, Pu Bai Xiong became horrified because Yang Kai was grabbing him and looking fervently at his head.
By just looking at Yang Kai’s eyes, he knew what Yang Kai was up to. Hence, he hurriedly covered his head and barked, “Brat, you can’t do this to me because I’ve just risked my life to save you!”
Yang Kai gulped and said, “Just one will do. You have so many grapes, so losing one more won’t matter.”
Without waiting for permission, Yang Kai pulled out a grape from Pu Bai Xiong’s head and stuffed it into his mouth. The pure medicinal efficacies exploded in his mouth, and in an instant, he no longer felt exhausted as his energy was restoring at an incredible speed.
He had a taste of the medicinal efficacies of the grapes before, so he knew that they were extraordinary healing tonics. That was the reason he decided to snatch another from Pu Bai Xiong.
Although the man surnamed Gou was knocked out by Little Mushroom, no one knew when he would wake up. To prevent things from getting out of hand, Yang Kai decided to quickly restore himself first.
With his head covered, Pu Bai Xiong was seated on Yang Kai’s chest and cursed, “What an ungrateful man! I’ve saved you for nothing!”
As he scolded, he lashed out his roots at Yang Kai; however, given his abilities, he was unable to harm Yang Kai one bit.
After just half an hour, Yang Kai became energised again. Although he hadn’t fully recovered, he had restored sixty percent of his strength, and the medicinal efficacies of the grape were still working. Taking his own restorative abilities into consideration, Yang Kai estimated he would be back at full strength in a couple of days at most.
Seeing as Yang Kai got to his feet, Pu Bai Xiong hurriedly shut his mouth and appeared meek. With a cautious gaze, he stole a glance at Yang Kai, and upon seeing that the latter didn’t seem to have the intention of settling scores with him, he buttered him up by saying, “Master, that gourd vine is a treasure. You mustn’t miss it.”
Yang Kai didn’t need his reminder as he had suffered a setback because of that. The reason the man surnamed Gou could even compete with him was all thanks to the gourd vine’s power. Although he was fairly strong as well, he still wasn’t a match for Yang Kai without this Divine Medicine.
After telling Little Mushroom to come back, Yang Kai took the gourd vine from her and shook it, to which the seven bottle gourds said in unison, “Stop bothering us. We’re sleeping!”
To the side, Pu Bai Xiong explained, “Master, there’s something you need to know about the gourd vine. Whoever holds the vine can control these seven little things.”
“Is there no need to refine it?” Yang Kai was stunned.
After giving it a thought, Pu Bai Xiong replied hesitantly, “Well, I think so?”
After some deliberation, Yang Kai felt that just like what Pu Bai Xiong had said, a cultivator wouldn’t have to refine the gourd vine to utilize its power; after all, just like Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom, the vine was also a Divine Medicine, so how could one refine it?
That also explained why after Little Mushroom took the gourd vine, she was able to make the bottle gourds return at once.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai was ecstatic. The gourd vine was an incredible weapon. Now that it was in his possession, his power would increase significantly.
Nevertheless, it was still an external aid. To a cultivator, a powerful foundation was the most important. Although Yang Kai was elated, he didn’t let it go to his head. To him, the biggest value of the gourd vine was the Fifth-Order Elements these bottle gourds contained. With this Divine Medicine in his possession, he could draw on an inexhaustible source of Fifth-Order Elements to create countless Fifth-Order Open Heaven Masters.
It was truly invaluable!
If this treasure fell into anyone’s hands, it would be kept as a trump card and not exposed easily; otherwise, that person would draw danger to themselves.
With caution, Yang Kai put the gourd vine inside the Small Sealed World, and upon realising that the Small Sealed World could accommodate this thing, he set his mind at ease. Then, he directly planted the gourd vine in his medicine garden.
Although the Small Sealed World was also an independent world, its World Principles had their limits. It could accommodate most living creatures, but it couldn’t hold Open Heaven Realm Masters or beings of equal strength inside it. That was because an Open Heaven Realm Master had a Small Universe inside their body. If such a being was forcefully put inside the Small Sealed World, it could cause the latter to crack and even shatter it.
Upon grabbing Little Mushroom and Pu Bai Xiong, Yang Kai placed them on his shoulders and shuffled forward. After just a moment, he reached the man surnamed Gou.
The fact that he was snoring peacefully suggested that he was sound asleep, completely unaware that danger would soon befall him.
Although Little Mushroom had almost no offensive power, she was still a Profound Multi-Coloured Illusionary Mushroom that had assumed human form. The man surnamed Gou had taken in her spores, so without some kind of antidote, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him continue sleeping for six months to a year.
Yang Kai crouched down and took off his opponent’s Space Ring before rummaging through it, but he couldn’t find any Identity Token.
The man surnamed Gou had repeatedly used the Shattering Dao Seal Technique and previously, Xu Zhen even suspected that he was from Purple Jade Cave Heaven. If that were the case, he would certainly have an Identity Token. This thing wasn’t only the symbol of his disciple status from a Cave-Heaven, but also a life-saving treasure containing a sealed Divine Ability left behind by his Master.
That was why Yang Kai had to be careful.
However, the fact that this guy didn’t possess an Identity Token suggested that he wasn’t from Purple Jade Cave Heaven. The reason he was able to use Shattering Dao Seal Technique must be that it had been passed down to him by Jin Wu.
Just like how Zhu Jiu Yin taught Yang Kai a Secret Technique that allowed him to condense the Five Elements without follow the natural order, Jin Wu likely had a Bearer from Purple Jade Cave Heaven in the past, so it wasn’t surprising that he could use the Shattering Dao Seal Technique.
Upon making sure that there wouldn’t be any further danger, Yang Kai pushed out his palm as his power surged. Following a grunt, the man surnamed Gou, who was snoring, exploded into mist, leaving no corpse behind.
Yang Kai didn’t have any mercy on him because the latter had the intention to end his life as well.
After he was done dealing with the man surnamed Gou, Yang Kai looked up at the only bubble left in this World.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this bubble was the key to controlling the World in this fruit. Earlier, this world was made from countless gigantic bubbles; however, this particular bubble was only the size of a palm.
Yang Kai walked up to the bubble and examined it, but he couldn’t see anything special about it. Then, he extended his hand and easily grabbed the bubble. After he exerted more force with his hand, the bubble exploded with a pop.
Pu Bai Xiong exclaimed, “Master, you made it pop!”
There was a look of disbelief on Yang Kai’s face as well. Just now, he hadn’t really used any force. He never expected that this bubble would be so fragile.
Just when he wasn’t sure what to do, the world around him started spinning, and when he came to his senses, Yang Kai found himself standing beside a huge tree. The tree crown was so wide that the entire sky seemed to have been covered. There were also several thousand translucent fruits hanging on its branches.
It was none other than the 3,000 Worlds Tree!
[Have I come out?] Yang Kai was dumbfounded. Just when he was still trying to figure out what had happened, he realised there was something in his hand. Upon closer look, he saw that it was a World Fruit.
Yang Kai wasn’t certain why the fruit appeared in his hand all of a sudden.
Just like the bubble he saw earlier, the fruit was only the size of a palm. Yang Kai gulped as he looked at this translucent and fragrant fruit.
While Pu Bai Xiong stared fixedly at the World Fruit with a longing gaze, Little Mushroom gulped and said, “This fruit looks delicious!”
Yang Kai examined it and confirmed that it was indeed a Low-Rank World Fruit, which could help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order, with the limit being the Third Order. In other words, it was useless for a Third-Order cultivator to consume this fruit as it wouldn’t help them reach the Fourth-Order, which was already in the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm. Only a Mid-Rank World Fruit was useful for a Third-Order cultivator.
He recalled that after he grabbed the last bubble in the World inside the fruit, he obtained the World Fruit. Now, it seemed that the last bubble was indeed a key item.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt fortunate that he had gotten into a battle with the man surnamed Gou, which caused all other bubbles to burst; otherwise, he couldn’t have found such a small bubble. This little thing was hidden among countless bubbles, so no one would notice it.
It was a shame that this was only a Low-Rank World Fruit. Although it was valuable, it couldn’t be sold for a high price.
Then, Yang Kai glanced at the World Tree and became startled.
At this moment, there were still 2,999 fruits on the tree. In other words, he was the only one who had obtained a fruit from this tree so far.
[Has no one else come out yet?] Previously, several hundred people had entered the fruits and the battle between Yang Kai and the man surnamed Gou had lasted for days, so he thought that he would be lagging far behind the others. He hadn’t expected that he would be the first to come out.
After gazing around, he took a look down the mountain and became astounded.
Pu Bai Xiong followed his gaze and asked doubtfully, “Master, what are you looking at?”
“Those people!” Yang Kai looked down and saw many cultivators moving forward. It seemed that they were going down the mountain. These cultivators were the ones who had backed down. Xu Zhen had said that even though these World Fruits were amazing, one would never get out if they couldn’t pass its test. At that time, many people were terrified and decided to back down. While it was difficult to come up to the peak, the road leading to the bottom of the mountain was also paved with danger. From time to time, insect fog and lightning would strike them, which made them flustered.
A puzzled Pu Bai Xiong asked, “Why are you looking at them?”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Don’t you find it strange? We stayed inside the World in the fruit for over a month, so why are they still here?”
Pu Bai Xiong pretended to give it a thought before nodding his head, “You’re right. It’s indeed strange.”
Right then, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “Perhaps the passage of time inside the fruit is different from that in the outside world.”
The scuffle between the man surnamed Gou and him had lasted a month, but perhaps only a short time had passed in the outside world.
Thus, Yang Kai lifted his hand, whereupon a cultivator was pulled towards him. This person was closest to Yang Kai, and he was evading a beam of lightning earlier. Realising that he was back on the summit, he became despondent but was unable to shed a tear, “Senior Yang, please let me go. I’m from Emperor Heaven, and our leader is your friend. Please let me go!”
Yang Kai said gently, “Calm down. I just want to ask you something.”
“Sir, please ask me straight away. I’ll tell you all I know.”
“How long has passed since your leader entered the fruit?”
Hearing that, the person became startled. Although he had no idea why Yang Kai would bring up this question, he wouldn’t dare to hide anything from him so he hurriedly replied, “It has been roughly half an incense stick.”
[I knew it!] Yang Kai’s eyes brightened. Just like what he had expected, the rate at which time passed inside the fruit was different from that of the outside world.
Previously, Yang Kai was worried that he would stay inside the fruit for too long, thus becoming trapped in the Primordial Land. Now, it seemed that his worries were unnecessary.
It was no wonder that the others hadn’t come out, and he was the first one who managed to do so. Time passed faster inside the World Fruit was different from that in the outside world. Although he had stayed inside the World Fruit for a month, it had only been half an incense in the outside world.
After releasing the cultivator from Emperor Heaven, Yang Kai patted his shoulder and said, “Be careful when going down the mountain.”
The cultivator was both shocked and doubtful, but he wouldn’t dare to remain. After thanking Yang Kai, he walked down the mountain again.
It was then Yang Kai looked up at the tree full of fruits as a light flashed across his eyes. All of a sudden, he pounced on a fruit and extended his hand.
However, this time, he didn’t fall into the World Fruit like what had happened previously. Instead, an immense repulsive force was felt coming from the fruit. Regardless of how hard Yang Kai tried, he was unable to tighten his grip, let alone touch the World Fruit. If he exerted more force, he would be driven away.
Seeing that, Pu Bai Xiong scratched his head and said, “Master, the little fatty said that every person only has one chance to obtain a World Fruit. Now that you’ve got one in your hands, how are you going to enter a different one?”
“It doesn’t cost anything to give it a try.” Yang Kai was dejected. Although he had obtained a World Fruit, which could be considered a gain, it was just a Low-Rank World Fruit that could only help a cultivator ascend to the Third Order at most. Such a fruit couldn’t be sold for a high price, which was why he was unsatisfied.
Unfortunately, after a try, he realised that just like what Xu Zhen had said, every person only had one chance. Now, he couldn’t even touch a different World Fruit.
After several attempts, Yang Kai was still unable to achieve his goal. Unresigned, he circled around the World Tree.
With so many fruits hanging on the tree, he wasn’t willing to give up as he had only gotten one. He wouldn’t dare to hope to get an extremely rare High-Rank World Fruit, but this trip would be worthwhile if he could get a Mid-Rank one.
A moment later, a thought sprang into his mind as his eyes brightened. Stopping in his tracks, he looked up at the tree with a fervent gaze.
A speechless Pu Bai Xiong asked, “Master, what do you want to do?”
Instead of responding to him, Yang Kai put Little Mushroom and him inside the Small Sealed World. Then, he communicated with Meng Hong and the others who were inside the Small Sealed World.
A few breaths later, with a single thought, two figures instantly appeared in front of him. They were none other than Meng Hong and Lang Qing Shan.
Both of them were looking up at the tree with longing gazes.
A while later, Meng Hong said, “Is this the 3,000 Worlds Tree with fruits that can help an Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order?” He was from Great Moon Province, which wasn’t an important great force to begin with, so he had never heard about a being called 3,000 Worlds Tree that could help an Open Heaven Realm Master reach the next Order. This thing was truly Heaven-defying.
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s right. This is the 3,000 Worlds Tree, and those are World Fruits; however, the World inside each fruit is dangerous. If you get trapped inside it, you’ll never get out again. Brother Meng, you have to give it careful thought.”
Meng Hong shook his hand, “With such an opportunity right in front of me, if this Meng wouldn’t dare to give it a try, what’s the point of cultivating? I should go home and pick up sewing instead.”
He seemed eager to give it a try.
It had been a smooth ride since he came to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. First, he came across Yang Kai and followed him to Scarlet Star’s Star City. Although he suffered a setback in his love life, he obtained something more important as he managed to wipe clean his Third-Order foundation and condense a Fifth-Order Fire Element. Over the years, he had condensed Earth, Metal, and Water Elements as well. The remaining Yin, Yang and Wood Elements were also in his possession, so when he had the time to refine them in the future, he would stand a chance to become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Nevertheless, he knew that all this was thanks to Yang Kai. A Fifth-Order Fire Element material was given to him by Yang Kai, and the other materials were collected in Scarlet Star’s Star City. Without Yang Kai giving him his full support, he couldn’t have achieved all this.
Meng Hong would always remember this favour, but at the same time, it felt as heavy as a mountain to him. The idea of repaying Yang Kai had been on his mind for quite some time, and the 3,000 Worlds Tree full of fruits was his chance.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t aware of what was on his mind. Seeing as Meng Hong was resolute though, he stopped dissuading him and told him to be careful.
With a smile, Meng Hong replied, “Don’t worry, Brother Yang. This Meng will definitely come back safely.” Upon finishing his words, he dashed forward and disappeared into a World Fruit.
To the side, Lang Qing Shan was dumbfounded upon seeing that. Although he had heard from Yang Kai about how amazing the World Fruits were, it was a different story when he saw it with his bare eyes.
“Sir, what should I do?” Lang Qing Shan asked.
“Get in and bring me with you.” Yang Kai grinned.
Lang Qing Shan didn’t understand him at first, but a realization soon dawned upon him.
After tossing the Sealed World Bead at him, Yang Kai said solemnly, “I’m not even sure if I can successfully get in this way. If I can’t, you should summon all the others and join forces with them to decode the mystery in the World Fruit.”
“Yes!” Lang Qing Shan took the Sealed World Bead and replied respectfully. Then, he turned to look at the fruit tree, “Sir, which one should I choose?”
“You can choose any one of them as you please. Where you end up will depend on your luck.” Then, Yang Kai snuck into the Sealed World Bead. From inside, he looked through the World Barrier and observed the outside as he secretly prayed.
After several attempts earlier, Yang Kai realised that he couldn’t even touch another World Fruit, let alone enter the World inside of one. However, there were already several dozen people in the Sealed World Bead with him when he entered the previous World Fruit.
Were those people considered to have entered the World Fruit? Prior to this, Yang Kai still wasn’t certain, but upon seeing that Meng Hong successfully entered a World Fruit, he knew that the people hiding inside the Sealed World Bead were not regarded as having entered the World Fruit.
In that case, he could also hide inside the Sealed World Bead and let someone else bring him in.
It was a clever method only Yang Kai could use.
There were quite a few people in the Small Sealed World, and every one of them had a chance to enter a World Fruit. If everything went well, Yang Kai would be able to obtain several dozen World Fruits. With so many World Fruits in possession, he was sure to obtain at least one Mid-Rank one. If he was lucky, he might even get a High-Rank one!
Nevertheless, all this was just his speculation. It could only be proven after Lang Qing Shan entered a World Fruit.
Under Yang Kai’s attention, Lang Qing Shan targeted a particular World Fruit and leapt into the air. Like a roc spreading its wings, he pounced on the fruit and disappeared.
The next instant, he was already inside the World Fruit.
Inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai, who had been watching him, widened his eyes in disbelief and asked, “Qing Shan, what’s going on with you?”
A puzzled Lang Qing Shan asked, “Sir, I don’t understand.”
“Look at yourself!” Yang Kai hurriedly replied.
It was then Lang Qing Shan scanned himself with Divine Sense and became rooted to the spot.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” The shaved-headed man walked up to Yang Kai and asked. Unaware of what was going on in the outside world, the others were puzzled as to why Yang Kai looked so shocked.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai waved his hand, whereupon the view of the outside world became visible to all of them. After a glance, all of them were startled.
Following that, the shaved-headed man covered his belly and guffawed, “Sir, is that stupid-looking thing Lang Qing Shan?”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “I think so.”
The shaved-headed man convulsed with laughter as his tears almost slid down his face.
“Why did he become like this?” Someone else asked in shock.
Not knowing how to reply to him, Yang Kai leapt out of the Sealed World Bead and arrived at the World inside the fruit.
At this moment, he was fully vigilant; after all, he had entered the World inside a fruit and obtained a World Fruit already. This time, Yang Kai essentially cheated his way into a different World Fruit, so he wasn’t sure if there would be any consequences.
There were indeed some consequences as he could feel the World Principles inside this World penetrating him, which made him clearly feel that his body was going through some transformation. Nevertheless, he wasn’t kicked out.
After scanning himself with Divine Sense, Yang Kai sighed, “It’s just like what I had expected!”
“Sir?” Lang Qing Shan was heard calling out in a hesitant voice.
Yang Kai wanted to nod his head, but he was unable to do so, so he just grunted instead.
“Sir, why are you and I…” There was a tinge of fluster in Lang Qing Shan’s voice.
“It should be the influence of the World Principles in this place. After you leave this World, you’ll return to your original form, so don’t worry.” Yang Kai consoled him.
Inside the Small Sealed World, everyone fell into a dazed state as they watched the sight in the outside world. Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were nowhere to be found as all they could see were two swords.
There were two rusty iron swords that looked like two pieces of scrap that had been put in a corner and forgotten about for years. Nevertheless, the faces of Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were right on the blades, which made them look amusing. The bitter expression on Lang Qing Shan’s face was similar to that of Ah Ku.
“Sir, why have you also become like this?” The shaved-headed man said in amazement, “Could it be that anyone who enters this world will become a sword?”
“It’s indeed an amazing World!” In the outside world, Yang Kai exclaimed in admiration. The World Fruit he had entered previously was made up of countless bubbles, but the cultivators were not affected one bit by the environment. However, it seemed cultivators would become swords upon entering this World. Now, it seemed that all the Worlds inside the fruits were different.
Yang Kai felt fortunate that he managed to come in safely with the help of the Sealed World Bead.
As a Rusty Iron Sword, he didn’t have any limbs, and after giving it a try, Yang Kai realised that he was unable to use any of his usual powers. If he attempted to move, he had to skip forward as a sword.
[This is troublesome.] On the blade, Yang Kai’s face was seen furrowing his brow.
Lang Qing Shan stared fixedly at him, not knowing what to do.
Just then, a series of clanging sounds were heard and a shocked Lang Qing Shan said, “Sir, someone is coming.”
Turning around, Yang Kai looked at the source of the clanging and became speechless, “It’s a sword that’s coming.”
From a distance, a Rusty Iron Sword that looked just like them skipped forward and reached them after a short while.
Lang Qing Shan stepped forward and asked, “Hey…”
Before he could finish his words though, the Rusty Iron Sword leapt into the air and attempted to slash at Lang Qing Shan’s head.
A shocked Lang Qing Shan instinctively tried to dodge the attack, but his figure had already turned into a Rusty Iron Sword. No longer as agile as before, he directly collapsed to the ground.
Now that he was in this frail body, if he was struck by such an attack, he would break into halves.
Just then, Yang Kai charged forward and parried the attack with a clang. Upon impact, the other Rusty Iron Sword shook and was sent flying away.
While Lang Qing Shan was still in a dazed state, Yang Kai had already fallen into a scuffle with that Rusty Iron Sword as he yelled, “Attack!”
Without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan got up and dashed forward from the side.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the shaved-headed man and the others were dumbfounded. Three similar-looking Rusty Iron Swords were in an intense battle at the moment, which was truly bizarre.
It was the first time Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan dealt with their enemies in such an awkward state; however, with the suppression of the World Principles in this place, they were unable to use their usual abilities. Initially, they were not used to it, and they had been slashed by the Rusty Iron Sword several times, which made their blades become chipped.
Nevertheless, as time passed, they got the hang of it and cooperated with one another to suppress and defeat the Rusty Iron Sword.
After an incense stick of time, following Yang Kai’s slash, the enemy Rusty Iron Sword broke into countless pieces and scattered everywhere.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan stopped moving and traded glances, speechless.
Although the battle lasted only for a short time, it was a difficult one. Both Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had turned into Rusty Iron Swords, and their blades had become chipped after the fight; therefore, they might not be able to fight again any time soon.
Right then, a weak light shot out from the broken pieces of the Rusty Iron Sword and penetrated Yang Kai’s figure.
Following that, the chips healed and the blade became as good as new. Besides that, some of the rust on the blade fell off. Moreover, Yang Kai could feel that he had gained some additional strength.
“Sir, you…” Lang Qing Shan looked at Yang Kai in puzzlement as he didn’t understand why the latter had gone through such a transformation.
Yang Kai checked on himself and his gaze brightened, “I understand now. There’s a special kind of energy in other swords that can nourish us. The one giving the sword the last blow gets the benefits.”
Just now, it was Yang Kai who shattered the Rusty Iron Sword, so the energy inside the sword streamed into Yang Kai’s figure, not Lang Qing Shan’s.
Upon that realization, Lang Qing Shan said, “I see. Sir, in that case, should we look for more swords like the one we just destroyed?”
“Of course.” Yang Kai nodded, his blade trembling slightly, “Moreover, I figure that this is the key to decoding this world’s secrets.”
Without hesitation, the two swords skipped forward and set off on their journey.
After a while, they came across three more swords that were also rusty. It seemed that these swords hadn’t bumped into anyone for years.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan traded glances before the latter said, “Sir, I’ll lure two swords away. After you destroy the third one, you can come over and help me.”
“Be careful,” Yang Kai said.
Lang Qing Shan nodded awkwardly before charging towards the three swords. Soon, they discovered him and hopped towards him.
Following that, Lang Qing Shan turned around and ran away. Yang Kai charged forward from the side and targeted a particular Rusty Iron Sword before making noises in order to attract its attention.
Yang Kai’s sword body had been nourished and repaired. It looked better and sharper than before, and it had also become more agile. In a one-on-one fight, the enemy Rusty Iron Sword was no match for him at all.
Just a moment later, he managed to break the Rusty Iron Sword into pieces. As expected, mysterious energy streamed out of the pieces and penetrated his figure, which made him feel that his power had increased.
Before Yang Kai could examine his newfound power though, Lang Qing Shan had lured the other two Rusty Iron Swords back. Yang Kai rushed forward and clashed with the swords while Lang Qing Shan assisted him from the side. Soon, the two swords were broken as well.
Yang Kai had given the chance to shatter the swords to Lang Qing Shan so that the latter could grow stronger as well.
In the following days, the pair looked for new targets and strengthened themselves constantly.
This was a world of swords with unique World Principles. Cultivators who entered this world would turn into swords, and they were unable to use their original powers.
The strengths of the swords varied as well, but they could be judged by looking at their appearances. Initially, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were both Rusty Iron Swords, which seemed to be the lowliest existence. After destroying some swords and getting some nourishment, the rust on their blades fell off and they transformed into Bronze Swords and radiated a light hue.
Days later, they transformed into Black Iron Swords, which meant that they were already much stronger than when they first arrived at this place.
Their cooperation was perfect as they dealt with their enemies. Even though there were only two of them, they were not afraid when facing a large number of enemies. Usually, they were able to ruthlessly shatter all their foes without any difficulty.
The most dangerous battle was when they encountered a Silver Sword and somehow offended it, which prompted the Silver Sword to hunt them down for an entire day. In order to help Yang Kai escape, Lang Qing Shan was almost cut in two. Fortunately, Yang Kai came to his rescue at the last moment; otherwise, the consequence would’ve been dreadful. Everyone in the Small Sealed World was on edge as they watched the battle.
After one month of exploration, the pair had a better understanding of this world.
Following an insane slaughter, over 100 Bronze and Black Iron Swords were shattered. Streams of mysterious energy penetrated Yang Kai’s figure from all directions.
The Black Iron Sword, which he had transformed into, was standing tall on the battlefield. The blade showed signs of becoming whiter and sharper. It also radiated a cold glow.
When the last beam of light left the last broken Black Iron Sword and shot into Yang Kai’s figure, a clear sword cry was heard. A glow swirled around Yang Kai as his Black Iron figure rapidly transformed into a Silver Sword.
There was a much greater power flowing within the blade and he couldn’t help but feel that he was able to slash through anything in this world.
“Congratulations, Sir!” Lang Qing Shan said.
He was still a Black Iron Sword as, although he had made a significant contribution in the previous battle, he didn’t break any swords. All the benefits had streamed into Yang Kai’s figure to allow him to become a Silver Sword as quickly as possible.
Yang Kai opened his eyes and said with a smile, “Let’s go, Qing Shan. It’s time to get our revenge!”
Previously, they were almost killed as they were hunted down by the Silver Sword. Now that Yang Kai was powerful enough to battle against it, he had to get revenge.
Half a day later, the pair reached the upper part of a valley that was surrounded by mountains. In the valley, over a thousand swords of different grades were busy as clanging sounds were continuously heard.
When they arrived at this place previously, the pair already realised that these swords seemed to be mining a kind of special ores which contained a power that could help any sword slowly grow.
The weapon that was in charge of this place was a Silver Sword. There were 50 Black Iron Swords, 200 Bronze Swords, and over 1,000 Rusty Iron Swords that worked under this Silver Sword.
This valley was like a treasure trove for Yang Kai. If he could shatter all the swords in the valley, his power would surge again, and it was guaranteed that Lang Qing Shan would also become a Silver Sword.
“Sir, what should we do now? Do you want me to lure some of them away?”
“There’s no need.” Yang Kai stared fixedly at the only Silver Sword in the valley, “If we want to destroy our enemies, we should kill their leader first. I’ll deal with the Silver Sword now. Be careful!”
After he finished speaking, he leapt into the valley.
Wind was heard howling as a cold glint flashed across Yang Kai’s blade.
The Silver Sword, which was in charge of this place, seemed to have noticed it and turned his head to look up. There was a wrinkled old face on the blade as he bellowed, “Brat, you dare show yourself here again?”
Previously, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had come across this Silver Sword and were forced to escape from his pursuit. Naturally, he would not have forgotten them so quickly.
The swords in this world had sentience; however, the lower their grade, the worse their sentience was. It was impossible to communicate with a Rusty Iron Sword while a Silver Sword had a more complete sentience.
Upon finishing his words, the Silver Sword turned around and was ready to clash with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai guffawed, “Old Fart, quit being arrogant. Today I shall end your life!”
Following a plunge, he slashed out at the Silver Sword.
With a loud clang, the Silver Sword flew back several tens of metres. Upon impact, Yang Kai felt dizzy as well, but he had already expected this, so he managed to quickly pull himself together and charge forward in an imposing manner.
Upon seeing that, the Silver Sword’s bodyguards, several Black Iron Swords and over ten Bronze Swords, dashed forward and besieged Yang Kai.
Yang Kai swirled around and slashed across them. Following a series of clangs, the Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords shattered as streams of energy emerged from the pieces and shot into Yang Kai’s figure, which helped increase his power.
Seeing this, the Silver Sword bellowed, “All of you, back away!”
In this world of swords, for every new grade one ascended to, their power would increase significantly. The Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords were no match for Yang Kai. If they forcefully went up against him, not only were they sending themselves to their deaths, but they would also help strengthen Yang Kai. Certainly, the Silver Sword didn’t want that to happen.
After making his subordinates retreat, the Silver Sword clashed with Yang Kai. The Silver Sword immediately turned into two beams of white light and caused the sand to rise.
At the same time, Lang Qing Shan managed to barge into the valley. Spotting him, other Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords sprinted forward.
Without getting caught up by them, Lang Qing Shan hopped around the valley and hacked at those Bronze Swords and Rusty Iron Swords in order to gobble up their energy and strengthen himself.
At that instant, two battlefields had been formed in the valley. One of them was the life-and-death battle between Yang Kai and the old Silver Sword. The other was Lang Qing Shan, who was leading countless swords to circle around the valley. The place was bustling with noise.
Yang Kai had just been upgraded to a Silver Sword, so supposedly, his blade wasn’t as sturdy and sharp as that of the older Silver Sword; after all, it had been a long time since the older Silver Sword reached this grade, so he had ample time to strengthen himself. Yang Kai was supposed to be at a disadvantage in a fight against him.
However, in reality, the two Silver Swords were equally matched. Most of the time, Yang Kai was even at an advantage. That was because Yang Kai was dextrous while the older Silver Sword was inflexible.
After a while, the older Silver Sword was at a disadvantage. Yang Kai attempted to clash with him several times in order to break the blade; however, instead of achieving his goal, he suffered from some setbacks.
The old Silver Sword had remained in this grade for a longer time, after all. Be it the sturdiness or sharpness of the blade, Yang Kai was no match for him. The clashes didn’t harm the older Silver Sword one bit; instead, Yang Kai’s blade had become chipped upon impact.
Seeing as there was a good chance, the older Silver Sword decided to press the attack and managed to gain the upper hand.
Yang Kai was forced backwards until he reached a spot where the Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords gathered together. Then, he whirled around and slashed across the swords in order to absorb their power and repair himself.
When his blade became complete again, he pounced on the older Silver Sword.
After the same thing happened several times, the old Silver Sword cried out in exasperation, but there was nothing he could do.
One hour later, the old Silver Sword had become chipped as well. Although his blade was sturdier than that of Yang Kai, he couldn’t possibly endure the clashes forever, which was why he had also been damaged.
Realising that he was in a perilous situation, the older Silver Sword retreated and charged towards his subordinates.
Seeing that, Yang Kai immediately figured out his intention. The older Silver Sword wanted to imitate him by killing the lower-grade swords in order to repair himself.
Therefore, Yang Kai hurriedly whizzed past him, and before the older Silver Sword could make a move, he destroyed all of the swords and made his plan fall through.
The older Silver Sword became incensed and thought that his opponent was too cunning and difficult to deal with.
For the next hour of intense battle, Yang Kai managed to continuously nourish himself while the old Silver Sword became seriously damaged, as though he was about to fall apart. He had made several attempts to kill his subordinates to repair himself, but Yang Kai managed to make a move before he did. For the small number of times when he succeeded, he didn’t gain many benefits.
As time passed, the older Silver Sword became increasingly battered while Yang Kai was still high-spirited.
All of a sudden, the old Silver Sword staggered and almost collapsed to the ground.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t miss this chance. His gaze brightened as he dashed forward and targeted the other party’s damaged part. If his attack was successful, he was highly confident that he could break the older Silver Sword.
Nevertheless, for some reason, Yang Kai suddenly felt horrified, as though something terrible was about to happen and instinctively dodged sideways.
At the same time, the older Silver Sword, who seemed about to collapse, suddenly stabilised himself. The wrinkled face on the blade sported an eerie smile and he turned around. A cold glint appeared on the tip of his blade and shot towards Yang Kai.
“A sword wave?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted, finally realising that he had fallen into the old fart’s trap. The older Silver Sword had been holding back his power and pretending to be at a disadvantage just to lure him in and deal a fatal blow.
This old guy was the first Silver Sword Yang Kai had come across, so he wasn’t aware that Silver Swords were capable of releasing sword waves.
Although Yang Kai had no idea how powerful the sword wave was, he was certain that if he was struck by it, he would fall into a miserable state.
Fortunately, he had already realised that something was off and stepped sideways, whereupon the sword wave skirted past him. He could clearly hear the sound of something breaking, which made his heart sink. Ignoring his injuries, Yang Kai slashed at the largest chip in the old Silver Sword’s blade.
Following a clang, metal scraps scattered everywhere. The face on the older Silver Sword’s blade was filled with terror as Yang Kai’s attack almost cut him in half!
He had been pretending to be weak and letting Yang Kai damage him in order to give him a fatal blow at the most critical moment. Nevertheless, Yang Kai had some powerful instincts and managed to sense the looming danger, which was why he escaped unscathed. On the other hand, the older Silver Sword fell into an embarrassing state.
Yang Kai fell to the ground with a huge crack in his blade. He almost fell apart as well as both of them had been severely damaged.
The next instant, the two Silver Swords got up at the same time and charged towards the places where the Black Iron Swords and Bronze Swords gathered together. Both of them were unable to keep fighting, so they had to kill some lower-grade swords to repair themselves first.
Just then, a white light appeared and blocked the older Silver Sword’s way. Lang Qing Shan’s face on the blade sported a cold expression.
While Yang Kai had been battling against the older Silver Sword, Lang Qing Shan managed to kill two or three hundred swords, which allowed him to become a Silver Sword as well. At the most critical moment, he came over and gave Yang Kai a hand.
The old Silver Sword’s expression turned livid and he became rooted to the spot.
A moment later, Yang Kai returned to the battlefield. His blade was still slightly damaged, but after he absorbed a lot of energy, there wasn’t a risk of his blade breaking anymore.
“Watch out for his sword wave!” Yang Kai warned Lang Qing Shan as he stared at the flickering glow around the older Silver Sword. His sword wave was indeed formidable and if it weren’t for Yang Kai dodging it in time, he would’ve fallen into a miserable condition.
“Sir, you have to be careful as well,” Lang Qing Shan replied and leapt into the air before bringing himself down on the old Silver Sword.
At this life-and-death moment, the older Silver Sword naturally wouldn’t wait to die, so he immediately went all out with Lang Qing Shan. From the side, Yang Kai bolted forward and joined the battle.
Presently, it was two swords fighting against one, and although the older Silver Sword was able to release sword waves, there was no way he could survive. After just an incense of time, Yang Kai found a chance and hacked at the biggest crack in his enemy’s body.
Following a clang, the older Silver Sword broke in two and a thick light exuded from the broken sword and penetrated Yang Kai’s figure.
Yang Kai examined himself and realised that his blade had been fully restored while a silver glow radiated from his body, which seemed much sturdier than before.
Killing an opponent in the same grade had benefited him greatly.
Besides that, after absorbing the older Silver Sword’s essence, Yang Kai could feel that he had gained something new. A thought flashed through his mind as a sword wave exuded from the tip of his blade.
“Haha!” He guffawed.
Seeing the older Silver Sword able to use a sword wave just now, Yang Kai felt jealous. He thought that it would take him a longer time before he could use a similar skill, but he hadn’t expected that his wish had come true so soon.
Now, it seemed that he had inherited the old Silver Sword’s powers after absorbing his energy and essence. With the sword wave as one of his skills, Yang Kai figured his power had increased by over 30 percent.
“Sir, how should we deal with these guys? Kill them all?” Lang Qing Shan stared at the front and asked.
Initially, there were over 1,000 swords of different grades in the valley; however, Lang Qing Shan had destroyed about 200 to 300 of them, and during the battle between Yang Kai and the older Silver Sword, they had shattered quite a large number of weaker swords. Presently, only half of the swords were left, most of which were Rusty Iron Swords. There were also over twenty Black Iron Swords and some Bronze Swords.
At this moment, these swords were pushing the ores towards Yang Kai, sporting obsequious expressions as they stood there in silence.
Seeing that, Lang Qing Shan was startled and commented, “It seems that they want to surrender to you.”
Certainly, Yang Kai had figured it out as well. It seemed that after he killed the old Silver Sword, these swords had lost the courage to resist, or more accurately, they were simply obeying the rules of this world.
“Since they’ve surrendered, we shouldn’t kill them,” Yang Kai swept a glance over them.
After a long battle, both of them came to the realization that in order to upgrade themselves further, it was better for them to kill opponents in the same grade. It wouldn’t help much by destroying the lower-grade swords. Although there were many such swords in the valley, they wouldn’t gain many benefits even if they killed all of them.
On the other hand, the ores they had presented attracted Yang Kai’s attention.
Earlier, he had realised that these ores seemed to contain a mysterious power that could allow a sword to strengthen itself. Just like the swords, the ores were categorised into different grades. There were miscellaneous ores, bronze ores, black iron ores, and so on. Yang Kai had even seen a fist-sized silver ore.
Turning around, he hopped towards the silver ore and jabbed his blade into it. As expected, a burst of energy flowed into his figure and helped strengthen him.
The benefits were not as great as killing a Silver Sword, but it was better than nothing.
After just a moment, the power within the silver ore was completely absorbed by Yang Kai, whereupon the ore crumbled into dust.
Then, he went on to gobble up some black iron ores and realised that the result was the same. He had to swallow the power of ten ores to gain the same benefits as killing a sword of the same grade.
Nevertheless, it was clear to Yang Kai now why the older Silver Sword kept these subordinates instead of killing them. By leaving them here to mine ores, he would have an inexhaustible source of energy to strengthen himself. However, if he killed them, the benefits were only one-off. Naturally, it was better to keep them alive to work for him.
After ordering the swords to keep mining ores, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan went around to absorb the power within the ores to nourish themselves.
Five days later, while Yang Kai was absorbing the power of an ore, Lang Qing Shan returned to the mine with some other Black Iron Swords and said excitedly, “Sir, we’ve found a place where there are three Silver Swords!”
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened, “Where is it?”
Lang Qing Shan wanted to point out the direction, but he had no limbs. Helplessly, he replied, “It’s northwest of here, and it’ll take us about a day to reach there.”
“How many swords are there?”
With a solemn expression, Lang Qing Shan said, “There are a lot of swords. According to my estimation, there are over 5,000 in total. Besides the 3 Silver Swords, there are also over 200 Black Iron Swords.”
Yang Kai tutted, “There are indeed a lot of swords, but that doesn’t mean they’re more powerful than us. Qing Shan, bring these swords with us. We’re going to launch an attack!”
An excited Lang Qing Shan replied, “Yes, Sir!”
In the past few days, they had been absorbing the energy within the ores, but the effects had been negligible. Yang Kai came to the realization that in order to quickly increase his strength, he couldn’t rely on sucking in the power in these ores. If he wanted to stay in this world for a long time, this plan could work in the long term; however, he was eager to master the Principles of this world and obtain its World Fruit, so he had no time to waste.
The best way was still to kill opponents in the same grade. Killing the 3 Silver Swords would provide the same energy as absorbing the power in the ores for 3 months.
One day later, Yang Kai’s force arrived at a valley that was much larger than the one they had previously occupied. On the cliff existed many mine passageways where swords of different grades continuously entered and left the place to mine ores.
Three Silver Swords were standing at different spots with mountains of ore piled before them from which they absorbed streams of energy.
Yang Kai was standing on a hill while Lang Qing Shan was just beside him. Behind them were the hundreds of swords that had come with them. Although they had several hundred swords on their side, they paled in number when compared to their opponents.
There were ten times more swords on the opposing side, so if they got into a frontal fight, the swords on Yang Kai’s side would be easily destroyed.
“Sir, I believe that the Silver Sword in the middle is the strongest while the ones on his sides are weaker. Judging from the colour of his blade, the one in the middle should be able to use a sword wave as well,” Lang Qing Shan commented.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement. Lang Qing Shan was right to say that the powers of these three Silver Swords varied. Judging from the colours of their blades, the one in the middle was indeed the strongest. The radiance of his blade was even brighter than that of Yang Kai. Although the other two Silver Swords were no match for Yang Kai, they were still stronger than Lang Qing Shan.
Certainly, he was only taking the sharpness and sturdiness into consideration. If they really got into a fight, it was hard to tell which side would turn out to be stronger.
Not long after Yang Kai became a Silver Sword, he managed to kill another Silver Sword that could release a sword wave. That was because he drew on his decades of combat experience. These Silver Swords had been staying in the same place for a long time and relying on the energy inside the ores to strengthen themselves. Although they had raw power, they might not be adept at fighting.
“Sir, what should we do? Please give the order,” Lang Qing Shan said solemnly.
With narrowed eyes, Yang Kai observed them for a while before replying slowly, “Qing Shan, do you have the confidence to hold up the Silver Sword in the middle?”
Presently, the three silver swords were standing at different spots, which gave Yang Kai a chance to deal with them one by one. The one in the middle was the strongest, so if they got into a fight, it would take a long time before a winner would emerge. However, if Yang Kai could kill the other two swords first before dealing with the strongest one, things would become easier.
“Yes,” Lang Qing Shan replied without hesitation.
“Be careful, then. After I destroy the other two Silver Swords, I’ll come help you,” Yang Kai said and turned around before gazing at the hundreds of swords he had brought with him. “Fight!” he ordered.
There was nothing much these hundreds of swords could do. In that case, he decided to use them to distract his enemies. Even if they were all destroyed, Yang Kai wouldn’t feel heartbroken.
The hundreds of swords appeared hesitant while the over twenty Black Iron Swords sported horrified expressions.
They had limited sentience, so they knew what the consequences would be if they charged forward.
Seeing this, Yang Kai swirled around and shattered two Black Iron Swords nearest to him before he said coldly, “Go destroy the enemy, or I’ll kill you all myself!”
His threat was useful. Seeing as Yang Kai was unyielding, the other swords wouldn’t dare to stall for time even though they were apprehensive. With the Black Iron Swords leading the way, they hopped towards the valley.
The swords in the valley finally noticed them. The three Silver Swords stopped absorbing the energy from the ores and turned to look in that direction.
“Sir, I’m going now,” Lang Qing Shan said and charged towards the strongest Silver Sword in the middle. No one could come in his way while he was dashing forward. He was also a Silver Sword now, so the lower-grade swords were no match for him. He directly shattered the swords in front of him, leaving the broken pieces behind.
Seeing as the swords in the valley were distracted, Yang Kai started making a move. Instead of dashing towards the valley, he headed to another peak.
Clanging sounds were continuously heard in the valley as the swords on Yang Kai’s side broke apart. Beams of light shot into the enemies’ figures and strengthened their blades.
Seeing that, Yang Kai reckoned that all his swords would be destroyed within an hour. He had already expected this though, so he still steadfastly bolted towards the peak.
Looking down, he saw a Silver Sword gazing attentively at the battlefield, completely unaware that danger was right above his head.
Following that, Yang Kai leapt into the air and brought himself down on the Silver Sword. The wind howled as a sword wave exuded from the tip of his blade while murderous intent exploded.
By the time the Silver Sword realised that something was off, it was already too late. Yang Kai directly landed a fatal blow on the opponent’s hilt, sending his sword wave into the blade and breaking it to pieces.
With just one strike, Yang Kai managed to send the Silver Sword to its death.
Although it was partially thanks to the Silver Sword being distracted by the battle, and that Yang Kai had launched a sneak attack, the biggest contributor was the sword wave. The Silver Sword was already weaker than Yang Kai, so it was expected that he’d be shattered to pieces upon getting struck by the powerful sword wave.
Even Yang Kai was almost cut in half when he was attacked in a similar fashion some time ago.
After destroying the Silver Sword, Yang Kai directly dashed towards the other Silver Sword, a thick light radiating from his figure as he strengthened the power of his sword wave.
It was a mess in the valley as countless swords attempted to stop him, but Yang Kai simply whirled around and ended their lives with his sword wave.
Wherever he went, the wind was heard howling and beams of light were seen shooting out.
Seeing as Yang Kai was so ferocious, the weaker Silver Sword was horrified. Instead of staying in the same spot, he bolted towards the middle Silver Sword. Apparently, he was trying to seek his protection.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t let him achieve his goal. He pushed all his strength and released a potent sword wave.
Previously, after he killed his first Silver Sword, Yang Kai obtained the power of a sword wave, but it was only a palm length at best. Nevertheless, upon killing the second Silver Sword earlier, he realised that his sword wave had doubled in length to the size of a forearm. As he destroyed countless swords along the way, his sword wave had grown even larger.
Despite releasing a far more powerful sword wave than before, the distance between the enemy Silver Sword and him widened because there were too many enemies in his way. These swords were Black Iron Swords, Bronze Swords, and Rusty Iron Swords, and although they were no match for Yang Kai, they had successfully slowed him down. The continuous attacks also caused Yang Kai’s blade to tremble.
Although Yang Kai was much stronger, in the end, he was just one man, or one sword. After a short time, many small nicks and scratches appeared on his blade. Nevertheless, after he destroyed more enemies, these minor blemishes would heal, as if they were never there in the first place.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the shaved-headed man and the others had been spectating what was going on in the outside world, and all of them were astounded.
If Yang Kai couldn’t stop the weaker Silver Sword, Lang Qing Shan would fall into danger when the two enemy Silver Swords joined forces. Lang Qing Shan was already no match for the strongest Silver Sword, and could barely parry his opponent’s attacks at the moment. If it weren’t because he had lots of combat experience, he would’ve lost his life already.
Although they were extremely worried, there was nothing they could do. Presently, Yang Kai couldn’t even access the Small Sealed World, let alone release them.
Even if they could be released, under the influence of the strange Principles in this world, they would only become some useless Rusty Iron Swords.
30 metres, 60 metres, 90 metres… Seeing as the Silver Sword was moving further away from him, Yang Kai widened his eyes and leapt into the air. A light shone brightly on the top of his blade as he slashed at the front and bellowed, “Die!”
All of a sudden, the sword wave at the tip of the blade shot forward and turned into a sharp burst of Sword Qi. As it charged forward, over 100 swords were destroyed in an instant, and it soon slashed across the Silver Sword.
However, upon making the strike, Yang Kai collapsed to the ground and the silver glow on his blade dimmed.
He had exhausted all of his strength with that one attack!
Someone in the Small Sealed World turned pale, “It’s over!”
Nevertheless, the shaved-headed man’s gaze brightened, “What do you mean it’s over? Sir won!”
Many people were puzzled, but they soon understood what he meant. Beams of light penetrated Yang Kai from all directions and made the glow on his blade appear brighter again. Those lights were the energy from the swords that he had just killed.
Although Yang Kai had used up all his strength to launch his last attack, he managed to kill many enemies and received lots of nourishment the next instant.
With a pair of bright eyes, Yang Kai got up and realised that his speculation was indeed right. When he obtained the power of the sword wave some time ago, he thought that since there was a sword wave, there must also be Sword Qi when its power reached a certain point.
During the life-and-death moment just now, he was able to unleash a burst of Sword Qi. Unfortunately, his background was still too weak, so he had to expend all his energy to make a single strike.
The other swords looked at him in terror, but they wouldn’t dare to come any closer. They were horrified by the Sword Qi just now.
Yang Kai snorted and hopped up to the fallen Silver Sword. After getting struck by a blast of Sword Qi, the Silver Sword didn’t directly die. Nevertheless, his blade was now covered in cracks, as though it would break into pieces if it was lightly touched.
Seeing as Yang Kai was standing in front of him, the Silver Sword wanted to get up, but as soon as he moved, metal scraps started falling off his blade.
A merciless Yang Kai directly slashed at him and ended his life.
A stream of rich energy penetrated Yang Kai and made him feel energised in an instant. Moreover, it was a power that was greater than those that he had absorbed earlier. Looking up, he saw that Lang Qing Shan was in a perilous situation. He was forced to jump around in an attempt to evade the strongest Silver Sword’s attacks.
Given the huge gap between their strength, Lang Qing Shan wouldn’t dare to fight against this enemy head-on, so he could only dodge his attacks. He was already at a disadvantage and the longer the battle dragged on, the worse his situation would get.
If things continued, and if Yang Kai couldn’t lend him a hand in time, Lang Qing Shan would die within an incense stick of time.
At the most critical moment though, Yang Kai was heard shouting, “Qing Shan, retreat!”
Without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan left the battlefield while Yang Kai whizzed past him and parried the opponent’s attack.
One hour later, following a loud crack, the last Silver Sword shattered. With his blade damaged, Yang Kai stood firmly on the spot and basked in the energy that was streaming into his figure. Soon, his blade was repaired.
Initially, the Silver Sword was slightly stronger than Yang Kai. However, after Yang Kai killed the other two Silver Swords and countless of his subordinates, he grew to be just as strong.
Since they were equally matched in terms of power, there was no way the Silver Sword could survive Yang Kai’s assault. After the life-and-death battle, he eventually died along with his companions.
The noises slowly died down. After the three Silver Swords were destroyed, there were no more leaders for the thousands of swords in this valley. In an instant, they gave up any attempt to resist. Just like what happened in the first valley, the Black Iron Swords in this place pushed the ores towards Yang Kai to indicate that they had surrendered.
Perhaps this was the rule in this world. As long as one could kill the leader of the enemies, they could get his opponent’s subordinates.
Yang Kai had brought hundreds of swords with him, and after the battle, the number of his subordinates had increased by tenfold. It could be said that he had gained a handsome reward. The ores in this valley were also much richer than those in the previous one. Many of the ores that had been excavated were silver ores. If Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan could absorb the power in them, it would be greatly beneficial to them.
That was not to say there were only gains. Yang Kai suffered an immense loss as the hundreds of swords he had brought with him were almost wiped out while the thousands of swords that were originally in this valley had suffered heavy casualties and damage.
Yang Kai simply told Lang Qing Shan to kill the tattered swords to help restore his power as well as get rid of some burdens.
They went on to stay in this valley for the next few days to absorb the power in the mined ores. The ordinary ores were no longer useful for them, so they only drew in energy from the silver ores. The rest of the ores were given to the others, which helped those Black Iron Swords increase their strength.
Seven days later, Lang Qing Shan’s power had increased significantly, and he was also able to use a sword wave now.
During this period of time, Yang Kai sent out over ten teams to scout the surroundings. If he and Lang Qing Shan wanted to grow their power, they had to look for more Silver Swords to kill. However, they were not aware of where the Silver Swords were located in this world inside the fruit, so they had no choice but to take it slow.
Fortunately, the scout teams returned and brought some useful information back.
Two days later, they set off on their journey. Under the leadership of Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan, thousands of swords headed to their destination in an imposing manner.
After just three days, they reached a location that was managed by a Silver Sword. This location was similar to the first place Yang Kai managed to snatch with only one Silver Sword in charge and hundreds of swords working under him. Certainly, they were not able to resist Yang Kai’s army.
Thousands of swords charged forward and easily destroyed their enemies. Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan directly dealt with the Silver Sword, who wasn’t even able to use a sword wave yet. After just two moves, Yang Kai managed to end his life.
Since the leader was dead, the rest of the swords immediately surrendered.
Without stopping, Yang Kai led his army and headed to the next Silver Sword’s base.
These attacks continued on at a brisk pace. There were easy battles as well as difficult ones and it was not long before Yang Kai’s army had grown from thousands to several tens of thousands to now a hundred thousand, just like a rolling snowball.
Besides quantity, their collective power had increased as well. There were many new Silver Swords under Yang Kai’s leadership now. These Silver Swords were originally Black Iron Swords that as they assisted Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan in battle, killed countless enemies and absorbed their opponents’ energy, which allowed them to ascend to become Silver Swords.
Besides Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan, there were over 50 Silver Swords in this hundred-thousand-strong army with several thousand Black Iron Swords.
Yang Kai was experienced in leading an army, so he divided the hundred thousand troops into more than fifty teams. Every team was led by a Silver Sword and as they worked well with one another on the battlefield, they could always win each battle even if there were more swords on the opposing side.
Presently, they were taking a rest atop a certain mountain. Yang Kai was standing on the crest while the glow on his blade suggested that he might achieve a breakthrough soon. Lang Qing Shan was standing just behind him.
“Qing Shan, how long have we been in this place?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan replied, “Sir, we will have been here for half a year in four days.”
“Half a year!” Yang Kai tutted.
Previously, he had been held up in the world of bubbles for a month. He thought that it was already a pretty long time, but he hadn’t expected to get stuck in this world of swords for half a year.
Although time passed faster in the world inside the fruit than in the outside world, Yang Kai felt he had stayed in this place for far too long.
In the past six months, even though Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had gained lots of rewards and had been continuously growing stronger, they had yet to find out how to unravel the secrets of this place.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that by launching more attacks, he would begin to see a glimmer of hope. But now, he realised that he still had not the foggiest idea of what he needed to accomplish in this world.
This was a little distressing. If he had no idea how to decode the secret in this world, he would not have a goal, thus losing motivation to keep putting more effort into it.
It was no wonder that Xu Zhen said there was a danger associated with entering a World Fruit. If they couldn’t unravel its secrets, they might get stuck inside the fruit forever. Presently, he and Lang Qing Shan were trapped inside this world, so it was pointless for them to have a hundred thousand army follow them.
What made Yang Kai feel even more depressed was that he seemed to have reached a bottleneck as a Silver Sword. Even if he destroyed more swords, his power wouldn’t increase one bit, nor could he ascend to the next level.
Lang Qing Shan was in the same situation. Yang Kai had reached the peak of his power before Lang Qing Shan did, but in the past six months, they had wiped out countless bases and Lang Qing Shan had destroyed innumerable Silver Swords. After absorbing so much power, he had also reached this bottleneck.
Yang Kai even doubted whether the next level even existed.
Perhaps in this world of swords, Silver Swords were already the most powerful existences. If that was the case, how were they supposed to leave this place?
He had asked the other Silver Swords about it, but they knew nothing as well. These Silver Swords were all upgraded from Black Iron Swords, so the information they had was rather limited.
Just then, a Silver Sword leapt onto the crest with an excited expression, “Sir, we’ve found new enemies!”
Yang Kai turned to look at him and asked nonchalantly, “How many are there?”
“There are over ten thousand swords.” The Silver Sword skipped towards Yang Kai and pointed at the bottom of the mountain with his blade, “In one hour, they will pass by this place.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “Qing Shan, you handle it.”
Although there were over ten thousand swords on the opposing side, they were too weak when compared to Yang Kai’s hundred thousand army. It wasn’t necessary for him to personally make a move and he wouldn’t get any benefits by killing more opponents, so he’d rather preserve his strength.
After receiving the order, Lang Qing Shan left to carry out his task while Yang Kai looked up at the sky with his deep gaze.
The information that had been collected was right. After just one hour, an army of swords came into Yang Kai’s sight.
In this peculiar world, most swords would stay only in one place, and they wouldn’t easily move around. They would only look for a new location when all the ores had been excavated in their original mine.
This ten thousand army was clearly looking for a new mine.
However, after just a glance, Yang Kai became startled and frowned. That was because there seemed to be too many Silver Swords in this army.
Usually, there were only 6 or 7 Silver Swords in a ten-thousand-strong army. Nevertheless, Yang Kai could see that there were almost 40 Silver Swords in this troop.
That was an astonishing ratio because there were just over 50 Silver Swords in Yang Kai’s hundred thousand army.
Despite that, Yang Kai wasn’t too worried. In the past six months, he had led his army to take part in countless battles, and they had also gone against several armies with a hundred thousand swords as well; therefore, he believed he could destroy this ten thousand army easily.
To be safe, he told a Silver Sword to send a message to Lang Qing Shan to keep his guard up.
A moment later, the battle began.
Due to the fact that they had scouted the enemy fairly early on, the hundred thousand swords had hidden in nearby places, and when the enemy army passed by, the over fifty teams, each led by a Silver Sword, charged forward from all directions and surrounded their enemies.
An intense battle immediately broke out. The Silver Swords activated their sword waves and shot out gusts of Sword Qi which easily shattered the enemy Black Iron and Bronze Swords. These weaker swords were completely powerless to resist them.
Every moment, there were swords being destroyed as very pure energy emerged from their blades and nourished the swords that had killed them.
Yang Kai watched over the battlefield for a moment before retracting his gaze.
Although the ten thousand sword army was powerful, they paled when compared to Yang Kai’s own. There was no way they were a match for his army, so it was just a matter of time before they were all slaughtered.
One hour later, the ten thousand army shrunk by 70%. Their defence circle was getting smaller as they resisted their enemies with difficulty.
Standing in the middle, Lang Qing Shan kept mobilising the swords and giving orders, looking very much like a commanding general.
One more hour later, only 10% of the enemy army remained, and their defence circle had shrunk significantly.
Certainly, Lang Qing Shan wouldn’t hold back as he ordered his swords to keep attacking in an attempt to wipe out all their enemies as quickly as possible.
Just then, a golden light radiated from the defence circle. Initially, the golden light was extremely weak, but it soon became dazzling.
The golden light immediately caught Yang Kai’s attention and looking down, he saw a layer of golden light radiating from the centre of the enemy troops and spreading around until it covered a radius of three kilometres.
Seeing that, Yang Kai turned solemn.
There was a Gold Sword rising from the opposing army, its aura undulating wildly as it released a visible golden ripple from its blade.
Following the proliferation of the ripple, all the swords that were caught in its rage stopped fighting and gazed at the Gold Sword with admiring looks on their blades as though they were staring at their King.
Yang Kai was also gaping at the Gold Sword. Although he was just a sword now, he could still feel his heart pounding against his chest.
It was a Gold Sword! He couldn’t believe that a Gold Sword existed in this world!
He had never seen a Gold Sword here before as the strongest enemies he had come across were all Silver Swords. He had reached the peak of his power as a Silver Sword, and there was seemingly no way for him to achieve a breakthrough; therefore, he had never expected that a Gold Sword existed in this world.
This Gold Sword was certainly more powerful than any Silver Sword.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt as though a realisation dawned upon him. In the past, he was clueless and didn’t know what direction to take, but upon seeing this Gold Sword, he immediately had a goal.
However, before he could rejoice at this revelation, a strange change broke out on the battlefield.
All the swords that had been affected by the Gold Sword’s aura, regardless of which side they were on, turned around and rushed towards Yang Kai’s army.
These swords had betrayed Yang Kai!
In this world, the swords were categorised into different grades. Although there was no such thing as loyalty in this place, Yang Kai had never come across such an event in the past six months that he had managed his army.
He couldn’t believe that his own army had turned against him!
His subordinates that had been affected by the Gold Sword’s aura turned around and ruthlessly killed their original companions.
Initially, the situation was in Yang Kai’s favour, but after the Gold Sword appeared out of thin air, everything fell apart.
Apparently, Lang Qing Shan hadn’t expected such a turn of events to happen as well, so he hurriedly mobilised the army and took control of everything. Fortunately, there were not many swords that had betrayed them; after all, the Gold Sword’s aura only covered a radius of about three kilometres. Those swords that were beyond that area were unaffected.
Despite that, thousands of swords had become traitors. What made Lang Qing Shan feel extremely distressed was that there were 8 Silver Swords among the traitors.
Before he could come up with a solution, the Gold Sword suddenly turned and shot Golden Sword Qi, which directly penetrated their army.
Wherever the Golden Sword Qi passed, it easily destroyed all swords. Upon impact, the swords directly broke into pieces, including the Silver Swords. They were completely powerless to resist the attack.
Following that, the Gold Sword repeatedly sent out waves of Golden Sword Qi and caused immense losses to Yang Kai’s army.
Moreover, Lang Qing Shan realised that he was no longer able to mobilise the army. The Gold Sword’s presence seemed to have a kind of suppressive intimidation on all the swords. His soldiers were rooted to the spot with some of them even starting to flee.
Everything had become a mess!
When Lang Qing Shan saw this, he knew that there was no way they could win the battle. Left with no choice, he ordered the rest of the soldiers to retreat.
One hour later, the noises on the battlefield died down. Metal scraps that were left behind by Yang Kai’s army were scattered everywhere while the ten thousand swords under the Gold Sword only slightly reduced in number.
Although many of his subordinates had been killed, he had also taken in a large number of Yang Kai’s subordinates. Presently, the Gold Sword still had seven or eight thousand swords that worked under him.
With a pair of bright eyes, Yang Kai gazed at the battlefield and stared fervently at the Gold Sword. He was pondering whether he stood a chance to defeat the Gold Sword if he joined the battle.
While he was lost in his thoughts, the Gold Sword suddenly leapt into the air. There was a stern-looking face on the blade that was facing Yang Kai.
Seeing that, Yang Kai felt his chest tightening and knew that he was in danger.
The next instant, the Gold Sword slashed out a Golden Sword Qi blade right at Yang Kai in a ruthless manner. Following a loud boom, the mountain peak Yang Kai was standing on was cut across. As dirt and sand rose into the air, the broken crest tilted to the side.
With a whoosh, the Gold Sword reached the mountain and hovered in mid-air as he looked for Yang Kai’s whereabouts. After a while, Yang Kai was still nowhere to be seen though, so he turned around to return to his army.
*Hong long long…*
The crest collapsed to the ground and the Gold Sword led his army to depart.
One hour later, a white light shot out from the fallen peak. Its glow was dim, and on the blade, Yang Kai sported a dark expression.
He was totally no match for the Gold Sword. Although they hadn’t actually exchanged blows with it, by just looking at the Golden Sword Qi, Yang Kai knew that there was no way he could defeat the Gold Sword. If they were in a one-on-one fight, he wouldn’t even last a cup of tea’s time.
It was useless to tell his army to charge forward and use wave tactics, either, as the Gold Sword’s presence was too intimidating to the weaker swords. Regardless of how many swords there were on Yang Kai’s side, they were unable to harm the Gold Sword one bit.
When Lang Qing Shan returned with the battered soldiers and saw what became of the peak, he was shocked, but he became flabbergasted upon seeing that the glow on Yang Kai’s blade had turned dim.
“Sir, are you alright?” Lang Qing Shan asked anxiously.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai’s eyes appeared bright as he stared at him, “Qing Shan, did you see that sword?”
There was a helpless smile on Lang Qing Shan’s face, “The Gold Sword was too powerful. I’m sorry for being incompetent. Please punish me.” They had suffered immense losses in the battle. After some calculations, Lang Qing Shan realised that only 70% of the original hundred thousand army was left. They had lost thirty thousand swords in the battle, including more than ten Silver Swords. Yang Kai’s army had shrunk by 30%, so Lang Qing Shan was gripped by a feeling of guilt.
Yang Kai said, “You cannot be blamed for the failure. The Gold Sword was simply too overwhelming. What’s more… he could fly. That’s interesting.”
Despite the fact that Yang Kai had reached the peak of his power as a Silver Sword, he was still unable to fly. The best he could do was leap into the air; however, not only was the Gold Sword able to use a horrifying Sword Qi, he could also fly freely.
As for the losses Yang Kai had suffered, he didn’t mind it one bit.
In this world of swords, there was never a lack of soldiers. He had deliberately kept his army around a hundred thousand in number. If he wanted, he could’ve amassed more than five hundred thousand soldiers in the past six months.
Therefore, he didn’t mind losing some soldiers as he could simply recruit new ones quickly. Nevertheless, the existence of the Gold Sword was like a glimmer of hope in the darkness of night for him.
Since there was a Gold Sword, it meant that he could also reach that grade. By then, he might be able to unravel the secrets of this world.
The problem was how he could achieve such a breakthrough. Was there a secret method he was unaware of?
He had tried killing many Silver Swords, but that yielded no result. Since it wasn’t the right way, was there anything else that he needed to comprehend? But, as a sword, how was he supposed to comprehend anything in the first place?
A few days later, they found a new location that was pretty expansive. There were over twenty thousand swords that were led by more than ten Silver Swords.
Just like Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan, the strongest Silver Sword had reached the peak of his power.
After a quick battle, they easily snatched this mine. Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan joined forces and defeated the leader, but they didn’t rush to kill him.
There was a face of a middle-aged man on the blade of the strongest Silver Sword and presently, he sported an apprehensive expression.
“I have something to ask you.” Yang Kai stared calmly at him, “If you can answer me, I will spare your life.”
Like a drowning person clutching at a straw, the Silver Sword hurriedly said, “Please ask!”
“How does one become a Gold Sword?” Yang Kai looked fervently at him.
The Silver Sword became startled as he hadn’t expected Yang Kai to ask such a question, but he still answered honestly, “You can become a Gold Sword as long as you obtain the golden liquid.”
“The golden liquid?” Yang Kai said doubtfully, “What is that and where can I find it?”
The Silver Sword replied, “One only finds golden liquid in gold ores.”
“Gold ores?” A startled Yang Kai swept a glance over the ores in this mine and fell into a dazed state for a moment before bursting into laughter.
At that instant, he realised that he had always ignored the key to achieving his breakthrough.
He was always curious about why these Silver Swords only stayed in the same locations and told their subordinates to mine ores. If the purpose was simply to increase their own strength, it was too inefficient.
Now, it seemed that besides trying to strengthen themselves, they were also making preparations to become Gold Swords. The gold ores must be extremely rare, which was why Yang Kai had never seen them despite the fact that he had snatched quite a large number of mines.
The Silver Sword in front of him must have stayed in this grade for a long time, which was why he was aware of this information. The Silver Swords under Yang Kai were all upgraded from Black Iron Swords, which was why they had no idea about this secret.
Now, he had finally figured out that the ores were the key to helping him become a Gold Sword!
“Qing Shan!” Yang Kai called out.
Lang Qing Shan immediately leaped into the air and slashed at the strongest Silver Sword that was already covered in cracks.
Turning around, Yang Kai gazed at the huge mine and grinned, “Tell them to start mining ores right away.”
Lang Qing Shan grunted in acknowledgement before passing down the order. After that, clanging sounds were continuously heard in the mine.
Without being idle, Yang Kai told Lang Qing Shan to take charge of this place, then he led ten thousand soldiers to occupy other mines.
Gold ores were clearly extremely rare, and he might not be able to find them in this mine, so Yang Kai had to make preparations.
They went on to snatch more mines and repair themselves by killing other swords. Like a snowball, the army was growing larger day by day. After they occupied a mine, Yang Kai would leave a Silver Sword behind to be in charge of mining operations.
In just one month, Yang Kai had taken control of six large mines. There were several tens of thousands of swords in each mine that worked tirelessly to excavate ores.
After that, Yang Kai settled in a certain spot. Lang Qing Shan would patrol around the mines they had occupied so far, and as soon as any gold ore appeared, he would immediately report it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai didn’t trust the other Silver Swords that worked under him. If they absorbed the power of those gold ores without informing him about it, that would be a huge loss for him. Therefore, Lang Qing Shan had no choice but to work harder.
As time passed, countless ores were excavated every single day, but the gold ore Yang Kai had been looking for was still nowhere to be found. He was already aware that gold ores were extremely rare, but he had never expected that it was so difficult to find even one.
He had about 300,000 soldiers that continuously mined ores for him in six locations, but not a single gold ore had appeared.
Four months later, Lang Qing Shan came to Yang Kai with an excited expression and told him that a gold ore had been excavated in one of the mines.
An elated Yang Kai hurriedly left with him.
Upon arriving at their destination, Yang Kai indeed saw a glittering gold ore lying in an open space. It was surrounded by swords and no one else could go near it.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Yang Kai hopped up to the gold ore and realised that it was only the size of a plate. The surface was uneven, but it radiated an alluring glow.
He stared at the gold ore and fell into a dazed state for a long time. It wasn’t until Lang Qing Shan called out to him that Yang Kai sighed and said, “It’s been one year since we came to this world. I hope this gold ore will help us work out its deepest mysteries.”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai leapt into the air and jabbed his blade into the gold ore.
Following that, a pure energy streamed into Yang Kai’s figure. He could clearly feel that there was something else in the gold ore, which he supposed was the golden liquid.
Knowing that he was bound to achieve a breakthrough, Yang Kai was filled with joy.
As expected, as the energy of the gold ore penetrated his body, Yang Kai could clearly feel his strength increasing rapidly, and the bottleneck that had been troubling him shattered in an instant.
The silver glow on his blade was now replaced by a golden one and a golden aura began swirling around his blade.
It was a difficult battle. On the flatland, armies from opposing sides were clashing with one another. The battlefield seemed to have turned into a mincer as countless swords fell apart and their glow turned dim. On the battlefield, hundreds of thousands of swords were locked in an intense melee!
On one side, was the army led by Yang Kai. On the other, was an army led by a Gold Sword.
Previously, Yang Kai had occupied six mines and it took his 300,000 soldiers 4 months to find a single gold ore. After absorbing the power within the gold ore, he successfully became a Gold Sword.
Nevertheless, this approach was too inefficient. No one knew when he would be able to find the next gold ore. In order to further improve himself, it was better to look for another Gold Sword and kill it.
In this world of swords, there weren’t many Gold Swords, so it took a month of searching by several teams to finally find one.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai summoned his armies and waged war against the enemy.
Hundreds of thousands of swords clashed. Countless swords had been broken, but there were also swords that absorbed enough power and ascended to the next grade.
However, this was not the key to winning the war, the battle in the sky was.
Presently, two Gold Swords were circling around as though they were dancing in the sky. Their Golden Sword Qi broke through the void in an imposing manner. Both swords were incredibly fast with one of them appearing noticeably brighter than the other.
On the battlefield, Lang Qing Shan looked up at the sky and gazed attentively at the movements of the dimmer Gold Sword, who was none other than Yang Kai. He had just achieved a breakthrough, so he paled in many ways when compared to the other, older, Gold Sword. Be it his sturdiness, sharpness, or the power of his Sword Qi, Yang Kai was slightly weaker than his opponent.
Nevertheless, he had the capital to fight against a Gold Sword now! It was unlike in the past when he was completely powerless to resist such an enemy. As long as he had this qualification, Yang Kai stood a good chance to gain victory. That was the reason he had the guts to launch an attack on an army led by this Gold Sword.
Knowing that he was less powerful, Yang Kai directly expended all his energy when dealing with his opponent. The Gold Sword had never expected Yang Kai to be so ferocious, so despite the fact that he had a stronger heritage, he was dumbfounded when fighting against his enemy.
However, he was still at an advantage due to his greater strength, and after pulling himself together, he started attacking Yang Kai and made him suffer quite a few setbacks.
Half a day later, many gaps had appeared on Yang Kai’s blade. Even though the Gold Sword wasn’t in a better state, he obviously fared better than Yang Kai did. Yang Kai’s fierce attacks would always result in harming himself as well.
If this battle dragged on, Yang Kai was bound to lose his life in this place. Although he was fully aware of this fact, he didn’t intend to change his plans as he continued hacking at his opponent.
Two hours later, the Gold Sword turned around and shot downwards. He was still able to keep fighting as he was in a better state than Yang Kai, but he was damaged as well. In order to heal himself, the best way was to kill the swords on the battlefield and absorb their energy.
Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he yelled, “Qing Shan!”
He had been waiting for this chance, and it had finally come.
After one year of waging war against different armies, Yang Kai realised that these swords were all terrified of death. Once they became severely damaged, they would try to repair themselves before anything else. They would only risk their lives if they were left with no other choice.
The fact that the Gold Sword had made such a move suggested that he was now seriously damaged.
In the blink of an eye, the Gold Sword reached the battlefield as he swirled around and shot out a Golden Sword Qi at a mass of swords. His attack covered a large area, and he didn’t care if he might harm his own subordinates.
The Golden Sword Qi was extremely sharp. Those who weren’t Gold Swords would be unable to resist.
“Dream on!” Lang Qing Shan bellowed with a cold expression on his blade. With him as the leader, over thirty Silver Swords followed him as they charged forward in an imposing manner.
This was a team that had been specifically formed to deal with this kind of situation. All the Silver Swords in the team had reached the peak of their grade. As long as there was golden liquid, they could achieve a further breakthrough.
Silver Sword Qi shot out from these Silver Swords and turned into more than thirty dazzling blades of light as they clashed with the Golden Sword Qi.
*Hong hong hong…*
The golden light and the silver lights collided. The former turned dim while the latter collapsed.
Although Silver Sword Qi was no match for Golden Sword Qi, with over thirty of them attacking, they could still weaken the golden light.
*Chi chi chi…*
The team of Silver Swords led by Lang Qing Shan shot out Silver Sword Qi again.
They did it three times in a row, unleashing over a hundred beams of Silver Sword Qi that were promptly shattered by the Golden Sword Qi. However, now, the Golden Sword Qi only had half of its original power left, and its glow had dimmed significantly.
There was no time for them to send out Sword Qi again, so without hesitation, Lang Qing Shan led his Silver Swords to escape. They wouldn’t dare to clash with the Golden Sword Qi directly.
Although half of the Golden Sword Qi’s power had vanished, it could still easily destroy these Silver Swords. Once they were struck, they would break into pieces.
When the Golden Sword Qi was about to reach the swords, another Golden Sword Qi appeared out of thin air and slashed across the first Golden Sword Qi, which disintegrated upon impact. Without stopping, the second Golden Sword Qi struck the swords.
In an instant, thousands of swords lost their lives as beams of light shot into Yang Kai’s figure and helped repair the chips on his body.
Undoubtedly, Yang Kai was the one who had cast the second Golden Sword Qi. Not only had he foiled his opponent’s plan by destroying the other Golden Sword Qi, he had also managed to heal himself.
After the incident, Yang Kai’s power became greater than that of the Gold Sword, so without hesitation, he dashed towards his opponent.
The face on the Gold Sword’s blade appeared both shocked and exasperated. He thought that his opponent was extremely cunning as the latter had come up with such a wicked idea.
Before he could curse though, he had no choice but to deal with Yang Kai’s intense attacks. While Yang Kai had been restored, he was still damaged, so his power was already much weaker than when he was at his peak. At that moment, he was at a disadvantage.
For the next few hours, the Gold Sword made several attempts to repair himself, but on the battlefield, Lang Qing Shan and his team of Silver Swords did nothing else but keep an eye on the Gold Sword. Wherever he went, the team would follow. As soon as they saw that he was trying to heal himself, they would immediately block his Golden Sword Qi in an attempt to weaken it, after which Yang Kai would destroy it.
Even after seven or eight attempts, the Gold Sword did not succeed.
One day later, the Gold Sword wasn’t even able to fly stably. He was shaking in the sky. Unable to use Golden Sword Qi anymore, he could only let out a sword wave from the tip of his blade.
Apparently, he was already on his last leg as he had used up all his energy.
Now, he had no choice but to fight a desperate battle to stay alive. On the other hand, Yang Kai remained calm and collected as he dealt with his opponent.
There came a moment when the last bit of energy left the Golden Sword as he plunged from the sky and obliquely jabbed into the ground. The face on the blade looked dejected and livid.
Upon reaching him, Yang Kai swirled around and slashed at him. The Gold Sword closed his eyes and awaited his imminent death.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai stopped just short of him and grinned and shouted, “Qing Shan!”
Lang Qing Shan rushed over and said respectfully, “Yes, Sir.”
“Kill him,” Yang Kai said, “I’ve already confirmed he’s used up all his strength.”
Upon hearing that, Lang Qing Shan became startled for a moment before replying, “Sir, I don’t deserve it!”
He knew that if he killed this Gold Sword, he would most probably also become a Gold Sword; however, this was the prize Yang Kai had spent two days fighting for, so how could he take it instead?
Yang Kai explained, “If you break through as well, you’ll become a Gold Sword just like me. If we ever come across a Gold Sword again, the battle will be much easier for us as we can work together. I will only gain some power by killing him, so it’s not worth it. End his life now. Don’t give him any chance to restore his strength.”
Hearing that, Lang Qing Shan stopped hesitating and grunted in agreement. Then, he leapt into the air and slashed across the Gold Sword.
Following a loud clang, Lang Qing Shan trembled while the Gold Sword wasn’t harmed one bit; after all, the Gold Sword was of a much higher grade. Although he had no more energy left, his blade was still extremely firm.
Not giving up, Lang Qing Shan repeatedly hacked at the same spot, but he couldn’t achieve his goal.
There was a derisive expression on the Gold Sword’s blade.
Seeing that, Yang Kai rose in the air and reached the Gold Sword. After targeting a particular spot, he shot out a golden light from the tip of his blade. His attack easily caused a huge crack in the Gold Sword’s blade and almost cut it in half.
Understanding Yang Kai’s intention, Lang Qing Shan mercilessly hacked at the gap for one hour before he managed to end the Gold Sword’s life.
A golden glow streamed out of the Gold Sword and poured into Lang Qing Shan. Then, it turned into a dazzling golden mist and engulfed him.
When the golden light dissipated, it was no longer a Silver Sword that was standing in front of Yang Kai. Just like him, Lang Qing Shan had turned into a Gold Sword. A golden glow swirled around his blade, making him look majestic.
“Many thanks, Sir.” Lang Qing Shan was grateful. Realising that he had become much stronger, he appeared elated.
In order to become a Gold Sword, one could either swallow the golden liquid in a gold ore or kill a Gold Sword and absorb its power just like what Lang Qing Shan had done. Yang Kai used the first method while Lang Qing Shan took the second approach.
Turning around, Yang Kai swept a glance over the battlefield.
After the Gold Sword was killed, the noises on the battlefield died down. The Gold Sword’s soldiers stopped resisting and gazed at Yang Kai with admiring looks on their faces.
It was the rule in this world. As long as one could kill the leader of an army, he could take over his soldiers without any hindrance.
Yang Kai originally had 300,000 soldiers while the Gold Sword had 400,000. There were 700,000 swords in total that had battled against one another for two days. Now, only half of them were still alive.
Although the number of soldiers had shrunk, their collective power didn’t decrease one bit. Among these over three hundred thousand soldiers, there were many Silver Swords and countless Black Iron Swords.
In any battle, as long as one wasn’t shattered, he would reap a handsome reward if he managed to survive in the end.
When a loud crack was heard, a Gold Sword broke into pieces. A golden light streamed out of the sword and enveloped Yang Kai, which nourished and strengthened him.
It had been a year since Yang Kai helped Lang Qing Shan destroy the first Gold Sword.
During this period of time, Yang Kai led his army to wage war in different parts of this world of swords. There had been difficult as well as easy battles. As they destroyed army after army, countless Gold Swords had been shattered by Lang Qing Shan and him.
Presently, both of them had reached the peak of their powers as Gold Swords, and they were unable to improve any further. Besides that, there were over ten Gold Swords that worked under them now.
They couldn’t find a way to upgrade themselves, so they could only let their subordinates gain the benefits.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was still on top of everything as he couldn’t let his subordinates overpower him lest any unexpected events take place. After one year of campaigning, he had amassed over 1 million soldiers.
There wasn’t even a single Rusty Iron Sword or Bronze Sword among these 1 million swords. The lowest grade ones were Black Iron Swords, while the majority of them were Silver Swords.
It was apparent that his army had smashed countless swords in the past year, which was why they had grown to be so powerful.
The reason he had gathered all his soldiers together today was to prepare for the final battle.
When they were on an expedition half a year ago, they found a gigantic mine where there were over 1 million swords, which was as great as Yang Kai’s army. There were over ten Gold Swords on the opposing side as well.
Moreover, that location was the only remaining mine in this world of swords they hadn’t raided. As long as Yang Kai could destroy the other party, he would have no more opponents in this world. By then, perhaps he and Lang Qing Shan could leave this world.
This was the only clue he had found, so Yang Kai would never let it slip through his fingers.
After a rest, they set off on their journey. The Sword Qi of these imposing 1 million soldiers surged and penetrated the sky. Wherever they went, Heaven and Earth seemed to pale.
Half a month later, they finally arrived at the last mine. Looking from afar, they could see that their enemies’ Sword Intent was equally majestic. There were many Gold Swords and countless Silver Swords on the opposing side.
Without any unnecessary investigation, Yang Kai directly led his 1 million soldiers to charge forward.
Although the other party was ambushed, they were not flustered at all. Soon, they formed into an array and calmly fended off their opponents.
Over 2 million swords took part in the final battle in this world of swords. With every breath, swords were shattered. Even Silver Swords seemed trivial in this expansive battlefield, and they were unable to ensure their own safety. If there was any negligence, they would be hacked into pieces.
Only the Gold Swords were able to take charge of everything.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan joined forces and flew back and forth in this battlefield as they specifically targeted enemy Gold Swords and killed them. Both of them had reached the peak of their powers as Gold Swords, so even if either of them was on their own, they were able to easily destroy the average Gold Sword, not to mention now that they were working together.
Over ten Gold Swords had been shattered on the opposing side. Yang Kai had also suffered immense losses as half of his Gold Swords were gone. Nevertheless, the losses were worth it as the situation tipped in their favour.
After days of intense battle, the originally 2 million swords had shrunk to 1 million. 70 percent of them belonged to Yang Kai while the remaining 30 percent of them were on the opposing side.
Basically, there was no mystery as to who the winner would be.
There was only the last Gold Sword who was in charge of everything on the opposing side. Even though countless of his subordinates had been killed, he had remained dispassionate in the past few days. However, Yang Kai could feel an indescribable pressure coming from that Gold Sword.
With Yang Kai leading the way, 7 Gold Swords hovered in the air as they confronted the last enemy Gold Sword from a distance.
Presently, the Gold Sword was hovering on an exquisite throne. The face on the blade appeared majestic even though he lacked emotion. It was as though he was an indifferent deity and even if the world around him fell apart, he would not bat an eye.
This Gold Sword was a little different from the ones Yang Kai had come across before as there was a purple gemstone embedded in his hilt that exuded a faint purple light, which looked extremely odd.
Yang Kai stared at the purple gemstone and frowned as he wasn’t sure if the gemstone contained any mysterious power.
The face on the blade slightly raised his eyes and took an impassive glance at Yang Kai and the others before his stern voice reverberated, “Surrender, or die!”
Yang Kai swirled around and yelled, “Kill!”
*Chi chi chi chi…*
Beams of Golden Sword Qi broke through the void and came at their target. They were so horrifying that it was as though they could tear space apart.
Countless enemy swords rushed over to protect their Master, but all the Gold Swords on the opposing side had already been killed. The ones that had come over were all Silver Swords, so how were they supposed to parry the Golden Sword Qi?
Upon impact, they immediately shattered. Despite that, those Silver Swords were not afraid of death as they continuously charged forward to block the attack.
The Golden Sword Qi shot past them, leaving countless metal scraps behind.
Yang Kai was stunned because the beams of Golden Sword Qi had been worn down greatly, to the point that when they reached the enemy Gold Sword, they disintegrated and didn’t harm their target one bit.
In order to stop these beams of Golden Sword Qi, several tens of thousands of Silver Swords had been destroyed in an instant.
What was strange was that the silver lights from the Silver Swords destroyed by Yang Kai’s army didn’t shoot towards Yang Kai’s side; instead, they flowed towards the leader on the opposing side.
The purple gemstone on this sword’s hilt glowed faintly. Following that, he whirled around and slashed out.
The whole world seemed to turn pale. No words were good enough to describe this sword’s noble bearing. Instead of Golden Sword Qi, the other party had seemingly unleashed a purple lightning strike.
Following a thunderclap, all the swords on the battlefield, regardless of which side they were from or their grade, trembled.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he yelled, “Qing Shan, dodge!”
Upon finishing his words, he immediately evaded.
The purple lightning strike skirted past him. At that moment, time seemed to have slowed down significantly. Yang Kai could clearly see that one part of his extremely sturdy blade dissolved upon impact, sending a sense of terror shooting up his spine.
He had already reached the peak of his power as a Gold Sword, so initially, Yang Kai believed that no one else could harm him in this world. However, he hadn’t expected his blade to be so frail when it was struck by the purple lightning.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan reacted quickly and dodged the attack in time; however, their five subordinates were not so lucky.
The purple lightning strike flew past Yang Kai’s blade and shot towards his subordinates. Silently, the five Gold Swords vanished into thin air as though they had never existed before.
There wasn’t even any trace that could prove they had existed previously. The lightning strike was truly horrifying.
Turning around, Yang Kai didn’t dare to underestimate his opponent as he stared fixedly at the purple gemstone on his hilt, knowing that it was the key to everything.
This world had its own rules. When one killed another sword, he could absorb the other party’s energy to strengthen himself. However, the gemstone was able to subvert this rule.
Earlier, Yang Kai and the others had destroyed several tens of thousands of Silver Swords, but the powers within those weapons didn’t come to them. Instead, they were absorbed by the leader on the opposing side and turned into this lightning strike.
At this moment, after the five Gold Swords were shattered, five golden lights penetrated the enemy leader’s blade and the purple gemstone on his hilt flickered.
Yang Kai felt his heart pounding as he was engulfed in the aura of death. While he was still lost in his thoughts, he saw a purple lightning strike breaking through the air and coming at him like a great serpent.
There was no way he could parry it! Yang Kai immediately shot away, but the purple lightning was relentless. Left with no choice, Yang Kai flew around in the sky in an attempt to shake off the attack.
After several attempts, he realised that he was unable to do so. The purple lightning seemed to have targeted his aura, so it could easily follow him around.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Kai plunged and shot into the ground. A sword wave swirled around on the tip of his blade to bore a tunnel for him.
Only after a long time did he break out from the ground. The purple lightning had finally been exhausted and dissipated.
Turning around, he saw that Lang Qing Shan was already fearlessly battling against the enemy Gold Sword. A pleasantly surprised Yang Kai realised that the Gold Sword wasn’t as strong as he had imagined. Just like Lang Qing Shan and him, the Gold Sword was at the peak of its grade.
Yang Kai came to this conclusion upon seeing that Lang Qing Shan and the Gold Sword were equally matched. The enemy’s overwhelming power was built around the purple gemstone, which could unleash purple lightning.
In order to use the purple lightning though, he had to absorb a lot of energy first. For the first strike, he used the energy of all those fallen Silver Swords, and for the second strike, he sucked in the powers of five Gold Swords. If there was no free energy for him to take in, he might not be able to release the purple lightning.
Instantaneously, Yang Kai figured out everything. Without hesitation, he charged towards the battlefield and joined forces with Lang Qing Shan to launch a series of attacks against the enemy Gold Sword.
At that moment, sword waves were seen glittering as the three Gold Swords were locked in an intense battle.
All of them stood at the peak of Gold Swords, but Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were at an advantage as it was two against one. Over the past two years, they had joined forces countless times to deal with numerous enemies, so they could read each other’s intentions without any verbal communication.
Presently, the situation was in their favour; however, there wasn’t a tinge of fluster behind the enemy Gold Sword’s gaze. Instead, he sported a derisive expression.
Yang Kai had no idea why the Gold Sword was still so calm and collected, but based on his observation just now, as long as the Gold Sword had no chance to absorb any energy, there was no way he could use the purple lightning, without which Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan could definitely defeat him.
Just as Yang Kai thought this though, the purple gemstone on the Gold Sword’s hilt flickered.
As the purple light flickered, a mysterious power streamed out of the gemstone and spread around.
The next instant, Yang Kai’s expression changed because under the influence of that power, he saw that a thread of golden aura was streaming out of his figure and penetrating the leader of the enemy forces.
The same thing was happening to Lang Qing Shan. They traded glances and saw the horror behind each other’s gazes.
The last Gold Sword on the opposing side was able to forcefully absorb powers from other swords!
Upon that realization, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan hurriedly sealed off their own auras to prevent them from leaving their bodies. They had reached the peak of their powers as Gold Swords, so their blades were extremely sturdy, and they were able to resist the purple light’s effects.
However, the other swords on the battlefield were not capable of doing that. Cracking sounds were continuously heard as countless swords broke apart for no reason. Lights of different colours wafted from the broken swords and gushed into the leader on the opposing side from all directions.
At that instant, several tens of thousands of swords, regardless of which side they were from, shattered.
The purple lightning appeared again, like a Thunder Dragon coming right at Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan! Certainly, they wouldn’t dare to parry it as they separated and dashed in opposite directions. The Thunder Dragon ignored Yang Kai and raced after Lang Qing Shan as though it was determined to kill him.
Seeing that, Yang Kai returned and swept a gush of Sword Qi against the Gold Sword. Presently, he was unable to lend Lang Qing Shan a hand. The purple lightning was too horrifying, and anyone would immediately lose their life when struck by it. He could only pray that Lang Qing Shan was smart enough to shake off the lightning.
Yang Kai and the Gold Sword were equally matched as they launched into an intense struggle. Neither of them could gain the upper hand as they were both at the peak of their grade. Although Yang Kai’s blade had been damaged by the purple lightning earlier, he was more experienced than the Gold Sword when it came to battles, which was why he wasn’t at a disadvantage when going against the other party.
After a stick of incense, Lang Qing Shan came back with a battered figure. Yang Kai took a glance at him and realised that his blade had been damaged by the purple lightning, but he wasn’t at risk of losing his life.
Instead of immediately assisting Yang Kai, Lang Qing Shan ordered their remaining troops to retreat and stay as far away from the battlefield as possible.
Seeing that, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and thought that Lang Qing Shan was truly clever. If he were Lang Qing Shan, he would’ve done the same thing.
The purple gemstone on the Gold Sword’s hilt was too unpredictable. Not only could it intercept the powers that were supposed to go to the killers, but it could also forcefully absorb energy from the swords that were still alive. If the 700,000 or so remaining swords stayed, they would only serve as a source of power for the Gold Sword to use the purple lightning again.
Soon, all other swords were out of sight. A moment later, Lang Qing Shan returned to the battlefield. All of his damaged parts had been restored, and the glow on his blade was dazzling. Apparently, he had healed himself.
Upon returning to the battlefield, he traded glances with Yang Kai. No words were needed as they could read each other’s minds. They had decided to wear the Gold Sword down!
They were not afraid of the Gold Sword’s individual strength and there was no way he could defeat the two of them. Nevertheless, they were wary of the purple gemstone on his hilt and the purple lightning he could cast. With that said, there must be a price to pay in order to use the purple lightning.
For the first strike, he had absorbed the powers of over several tens of thousands of Silver Swords, and for the second strike, he had sucked in the powers of five Gold Swords. As for the third strike, which happened just now, he had taken in the energy of several tens of thousands of swords around them, which caused them to break apart on the spot.
Now, all of Yang Kai’s army had retreated, and only about 150,000 swords remained on the opposing side. The Gold Sword could only cast the purple lightning five more times at most.
As long as they could escape from these five strikes unscathed, they would gain victory. Rather than waiting passively though, they decided to launch an attack to seize the initiative. Yang Kai gave Lang Qing Shan a look to hint at him to stay in this place and hold down their opponent. Then, he moved and charged towards the crowd.
At that instant, all the swords became flustered. Although there were 150,000 swords on the opposing side, none of them could oppose Yang Kai. For every flash of Golden Sword Qi that Yang Kai released, he could easily destroy innumerable swords.
As expected, even though the swords were killed by Yang Kai, the powers in these swords didn’t go to him. Instead, they were all absorbed by the purple gemstone. The light on the purple gemstone became increasingly brighter.
“Qing Shan, watch out!” Realising that it was about time the purple lightning was cast, Yang Kai slashed across hundreds of swords, upon which their powers streamed into the purple gemstone. Then, the purple light finally reached its limit.
The Gold Sword shook and shot a beam of purple lightning at Lang Qing Shan, who had been engaging in an intense battle with him.
A fully prepared Lang Qing Shan left the battlefield as soon as Yang Kai called out to him, but instead of going somewhere else, he headed straight to the enemy swords in an attempt to make use of their powers to wear out the purple lightning.
At the same time, Yang Kai charged towards the Gold Sword and engaged him in combat.
*Kacha…*
Wherever the purple lightning flew, countless swords shattered. In the blink of an eye, several tens of thousands of swords were broken again.
Once again, a purple light flickered on the purple gemstone on the Gold Sword’s hilt. Yang Kai felt his chest tightening as he hurriedly retreated and left the battlefield. The next instant, the Gold Sword sent out another ray of purple lightning.
Yang Kai turned around and fled while the Gold Sword turned into a ray of golden light. At the same time, the purple lightning was racing after him.
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan suddenly exclaimed.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw Lang Qing Shan coming to him. His gaze brightened as he realised his intention. Then, he moved and dashed towards him as well.
Two golden rays of light broke through the void as two beams of purple lightning respectively raced after them in a menacing manner. In the blink of an eye, they became very close to one another, and just as they were about to collide, they dodged slightly to shoot past one another. Both of them were not harmed.
Nevertheless, the beams of purple lightning behind them were not as agile. Following a loud boom, they clashed with one another as lightning snakes danced in the air, burning a huge hole in the fabric of space.
Two beams of purple lightning disappeared just like this.
An ecstatic Yang Kai said to Lang Qing Shan, “Again!”
Then, he bolted towards the Gold Sword while Lang Qing Shan used the same trick by madly slaughtering the enemy swords.
According to Yang Kai’s estimation, the energy in these 150,000 swords was enough for the enemy Gold Sword to use purple lightning five times. Earlier, Yang Kai had destroyed several tens of thousands of swords, and Lang Qing Shan also managed to make use of the purple lightning to shatter several tens of thousands of swords. Now, there were only 100,000 or so swords left.
As long as they could shatter all of them, the Gold Sword would have no power source to draw from and become unable to use the purple lightning again. Without this fatal strike, there was no way the Gold Sword could defeat Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan.
An incense stick later, Lang Qing Shan finished smashing the required number of swords and the third ray of purple lightning was unleashed. A fully prepared Yang Kai led the purple lightning to the swords where, soon, several tens of thousands were broken and the fourth beam of purple lightning was used as it slashed towards Lang Qing Shan, who had been holding down the Gold Sword.
Both of them used the same trick by leading the two beams of lightning to clash and wear out each other.
Seeing that, the Gold Sword was incensed, but there was nothing he could do.
After several attempts, there were only 30,000 swords left. The powers in these swords were only enough for the Gold Sword to use one more beam of purple lightning.
Presently, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan were no longer in a rush to destroy these swords. Instead, they joined forces to deal damage to the Gold Sword.
Despite knowing their intention, the Gold Sword had no choice but to activate the purple gemstone and absorb the energy of his remaining subordinates, after which he sent out his last ray of purple lightning.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan retreated together. Seeing as the purple lightning had targeted Lang Qing Shan, he quickly fled from this place without hesitation.
There was a grin on Yang Kai’s face as he sneered, “There are only the two of us now. Let’s fight until either one of us perishes!”
He wasn’t worried about Lang Qing Shan’s safety. Since Lang Qing Shan was able to get rid of the purple lightning previously, he could do the same this time. His blade would be damaged at most. Nevertheless, with some 700,000 swords on their side, even if he was hurt, he could easily repair himself.
Realising that it was the final battle, the enemy Gold Sword no longer appeared as calm and collected. The face on the blade sported a solemn expression. The golden sword light on the tip of the blade was flicking like a snake’s tongue.
As soon as Yang Kai finished speaking, he shot forward and brought himself down on the Gold Sword. His Golden Sword Qi broke through the void and reached the target in an instant.
The Gold Sword parried the attack with his own Sword Qi before diving into a fierce battle with Yang Kai. Both of them were equally matched in terms of power, so no one could gain the upper hand. However, Yang Kai knew that he was already the winner.
One hour later, the fully repaired Lang Qing Shan returned and joined the battle. With it being two against one, the Gold Sword immediately fell into a disadvantage and regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to turn the tide.
Half a day later, following a slash from Yang Kai, the enemy Gold Sword cracked and broke in half. The face on the blade no longer appeared majestic as he passed away with fury and regret.
A golden light wafted from the Gold Sword and streamed into Yang Kai. There was a hint of dazzling purple light within the golden light.
Yang Kai’s damaged parts were instantly restored. Besides that, a purple swirl appeared and whirled around on his hilt before becoming a purple gemstone, which belonged to the Gold Sword that had been killed.
Yang Kai was astounded as he hadn’t expected that after he killed his opponent, he would also inherit his purple gemstone, which had made Lang Qing Shan and him suffer some setbacks earlier. Nevertheless, it was useless to him now. This was the final battle, after which he had no more opponents in this world of swords, for all the mines had been wiped out.
With no more opponents in this world, the purple gemstone was useless to Yang Kai so he remained standing in the same spot as he recalled his experiences in this world of swords and sighed.
This world was more dangerous than the world of bubbles by far. In this world, one might be shattered at any moment. Yang Kai felt fortunate that he was able to make use of the Small Sealed World and enter this place. If Lang Qing Shan were on his own, he might’ve died or gotten stuck in this world forever.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had joined forces and defeated countless powerful enemies; however, neither of them could defeat the last Gold Sword in the final battle on their own.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai felt worried about Meng Hong, who had also entered a World Fruit. He wondered how the latter was doing. Since he had stayed in this world of swords for two years, a few days should have passed in the outside world.
After waiting for a long time though, Yang Kai furrowed his brows and stared at Lang Qing Shan before asking, “Qing Shan, do you feel anything?”
Lang Qing Shan replied, “No, Sir. Do you feel anything?”
Yang Kai’s face fell as the problem was exactly that he felt nothing. He thought that after the final battle, he could directly leave this world and obtain the World Fruit; however, nothing seemed to be happening at this moment.
He and Lang Qing Shan had reached the maximum limit in power that was permitted in this world, and they had killed their last opponent with great difficulty. He was certain that there were no more opponents for them in this world, so why weren’t they able to leave? What was the key to achieving ultimate victory?
Then, Yang Kai recalled his experience in the previous world. During the battle against the man surnamed Gou, he was able to use a power that transcended the Open Heaven Realm and burst all the remaining bubbles but one, leaving behind only the key to the world, which was how he found the secret to leaving.
When he thought of this, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened and he asked, “Where’s the army?”
“Sir, please come with me,” Lang Qing Shan replied and led the way for him.
Previously, he ordered their 700,000 swords to leave the battlefield and settled them down on a flatland some distance away so that the enemy Gold Sword wasn’t able to absorb their energy. That place was about a thousand kilometres away from their current location.
With Lang Qing Shan leading the way, they soon arrived at their destination.
As Yang Kai slowly descended to where several hundred thousand swords gazed up at him with admiring looks on their faces. These swords had followed Yang Kai on a campaign of conquest in different parts of this world for the past year and were all the best of the best. Although there were no more Gold Swords, there were countless Silver Swords.
Without uttering a word, Yang Kai activated the power of the purple gemstone on his hilt.
A purple light glowed as a ripple spread out. Following the proliferation of the ripple, countless swords fell apart and cracking sounds were continuously heard. Innumerable lights streamed into Yang Kai and helped the purple gemstone become brighter.
Soon, the glow on the purple gemstone reached its limit. The purple light on the tip of his blade flickered, and there were signs that the purple lightning was about to reappear.
This horrifying aura forced Lang Qing Shan to stay as far away as possible.
The purple light was dazzling, and Yang Kai had gathered enough power to cast the purple lightning; after all, previously, the Gold Sword had only destroyed several ten thousand swords before he could make a strike.
Presently, more than 50,000 swords had been shattered; however, Yang Kai wasn’t satisfied as he tried his best to stop the purple lightning from appearing and continuously pushed the purple gemstone’s power.
Cracking sounds were heard as over 100,000 swords had been destroyed so far. The aura exuding from Yang Kai far exceeded what was seen on the Gold Sword some time ago, which astounded Lang Qing Shan.
The purple light was still undulating as more and more swords were broken into pieces. 150,000, 200,000… Soon, the death toll had amounted to 300,000!
Half of the 700,000 swords were destroyed in a short moment.
Yang Kai’s sword body kept trembling as cracks started appearing on his blade. Apparently, he was enduring immense pressure, and once he faltered, he would burst into pieces.
Lang Qing Shan wanted to stop him, but he wouldn’t dare to disturb Yang Kai lest he cause an accident.
After 400,000 swords were shattered, more cracks had appeared on Yang Kai’s blade as though it would disintegrate at any moment.
When 500,000 swords were broken, a crack was heard as a fracture had also appeared on the purple gemstone.
Yang Kai had reached his limit. There was no way he could suppress the tremendous power within his blade as he turned around and slashed at the sky.
A ray of purple lightning shot out of the blade and turned into a purple light before it blasted into the sky. The entire world seemed to shake at that moment as space itself broke apart.
A gigantic hole was ripped open in the sky.
Yang Kai slumped to the side and plunged from the air. His blade had fallen apart and appeared dim. He had used up all his energy in that strike. Nevertheless, he stared fixedly at the hole in the sky.
A moment later, he became elated and couldn’t help but guffaw. While he was laughing, a force engulfed him, and as Lang Qing Shan gazed at him in shock, he slowly disappeared.
The next instant, Lang Qing Shan felt his vision darkening. When he recovered, he was already at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
Yang Kai was just standing in front of him with a glowing World Fruit in his hand.
They had finally left that world! Lang Qing Shan breathed a sigh of relief. Earlier, Yang Kai had amassed the power of 500,000 swords, causing him the worry Yang Kai would really explode.
Now, it seemed that Yang Kai was right to do that. The key to leaving that world was the purple gemstone. As long as Yang Kai could swallow enough power and cast a powerful enough strike, he could break through the World Barrier and leave that world.
Earlier, he shared Yang Kai’s thoughts and felt that the purple gemstone was useless since they had no more opponents in that world. He hadn’t expected that the gemstone was the key to leaving.
After Lang Qing Shan took a glance at the World Fruit in Yang Kai’s hand, his expression changed, “Sir, is this a Mid-Rank World Fruit?”
Yang Kai could barely contain his excitement, “That’s right. This is a Mid-Rank World Fruit!”
The World Fruit he had obtained previously was just a Low-Rank one, which could help a cultivator ascend to the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm at most, so it wasn’t that valuable; after all, one could easily reach the Third-Order by working hard.
However, this Mid-Rank fruit was different. It was a treasure that could help a cultivator reach the Sixth Order.
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be a leader of a powerful Sect that ruled over an entire Territory.
It was difficult to estimate the value of this World Fruit. It was especially precious to Fifth-Order cultivators who wanted to ascend to the next Order.
After carefully storing the World Fruit, Yang Kai turned his head and saw that those who were going down the mountain previously were all gone by now. After all, he and Lang Qing Shan had stayed in the world of swords for two years. Although the speed of time flowing in the outside world was different, a few days must have passed already, so all of them should have departed by far.
Then, Yang Kai looked up at the 3,000 Worlds Tree and arched his brow. That was because a small number of fruits were already missing from this tree. In other words, while he and Lang Qing Shan were wandering in the world of swords, some others had obtained World Fruits.
Yang Kai wondered what rank their World Fruits were, but regardless, there was no way their rewards were as handsome as his own.
After the previous experience, Yang Kai found it easier to enter a new World Fruit. He kept Lang Qing Shan inside the Small Sealed World and hid in it as well before passing the Sealed World Bead to the shaved-headed man. Standing on the fruit tree, the shaved-headed man found a World Fruit and plunged into it.
After he entered the world, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan appeared together.
The mysterious 3,000 Worlds Tree was able to bear 3,000 World Fruits that could help Open Heaven Realm Masters rise to the next Order. However, everyone could only enter it once in their lifetime. If he succeeded, he or she would obtain the fruit. If they failed, they would remain in that world forever.
Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had entered World Fruits before, so they couldn’t have gotten into the current one without using this trick.
There were about forty people hiding inside the Sealed World Bead, so given enough time, and if everything went well, Yang Kai might be able to obtain several dozen World Fruits in the end!
Compared to the Innate Fruit Tree and its Innate Spirit Fruit, Yang Kai was far more interested in these World Fruits.
As soon as he appeared though, Yang Kai sensed the aura in the world and became disappointed. That was because the aura in this world wasn’t too strong, so it should be a Low-Rank World Fruit.
The three of them didn’t transform into anything else as they still looked the same; however, all of their powers had been greatly suppressed. They weren’t even able to use 30% of their full strength under the influence of the World Principles here.
“What’s this?” The shaved-headed man found something and looked down at his waist, where there was a bulging pouch. He wondered what was inside it.
“Sir, both of us have a pouch as well.” Lang Qing Shan took a glance at Yang Kai’s waist and his own before realising that they were wearing pouches on their waists.
“Let’s see what’s inside.” The shaved-headed man grinned and took off the pouch before taking a look. Then, he said in surprise, “There are so many worms inside.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan had also opened their pouches. Just like what the shaved-headed man had said, there were some strange-looking worms inside the pouch. In fact, there were only several dozen of them in the pouch. Just like silkworms, they were as white as snow.
Yang Kai scanned them with his Divine Sense, but he couldn’t find any immense power coming from them. Instead, he could clearly feel that there was a faint connection between his Divine Sense and the worms.
“What are these for?” The shaved-headed man was puzzled.
Lang Qing Shan had ventured into a World Fruit before, so after giving it a thought, he replied, “Perhaps this has something to do with the secret in this world.”
“How are we going to use them? Eat them?” The shaved-headed man picked up a worm and examined it. Besides sniffing at it, he also stuck out his tongue to have a taste.
Lang Qing Shan’s face turned ugly as he watched that.
“Beasts are coming!” Yang Kai frowned and turned his head, only to see several dozen wolves that were as burly as cows coming at them from all directions. As they bared their fangs, they soon surrounded the three of them.
These wolves all exuded very ferocious auras as they kept growling. It seemed that it would be difficult to deal with them.
“Sir!” Lang Qing Shan sported a solemn expression and approached Yang Kai while the shaved-headed man gulped and turned pale.
The three of them pressed their backs against one another and circulated their strength, preparing to strike back.
Following a howl, the several dozen wolves pounced on them. Yang Kai flicked his fingers and shot out a Moon Blade. Nevertheless, the Moon Blade was much weaker than usual as it was only as long as a palm.
The Moon Blade slashed across a wolf’s shoulder and formed a cut on its body, but it couldn’t kill the beast on the spot.
Yang Kai’s expression darkened. His strength had been greatly suppressed in this strange world.
On the other hand, Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man had also made a move; however, their heritage was already much weaker than Yang Kai’s, so now that their strength had been suppressed, regardless of how hard they tried, they could only cause some minor injuries to the wolves.
Several dozen wolves surrounded them and took turns to attack them. The smell of blood made them feel excited and turned them increasingly ferocious.
Yang Kai and the others made several attempts to break the siege, but they couldn’t find a chance. If this battle dragged on, they would be torn to pieces by these wolves soon.
“Sir, I can’t hold on!” As soon as the shaved-headed man finished speaking, he exclaimed as a wolf bit into his shoulder, which caused it to be drenched in blood.
Yang Kai racked his brain in an attempt to come up with a solution. There was always a clue in every World Fruit world. In the world of bubbles, the key to leaving that place lay in a particular bubble. In the world of swords, he could kill other swords to strengthen himself and rise to the top.
There must be some rules in this world as well that he hadn’t discovered yet. As long as he could make use of these rules, he could conquer this place. At the thought of this, Yang Kai took a glance at the pouch on his waist and fished out a worm from it.
Presently, a wolf was pouncing on him from the front. The beast had a terrible breath and its fangs glistened with a cold light. Yang Kai surged his Divine Sense and directly threw the worm at the wolf.
What was strange was that the worm immediately turned into a dazzling white light and engulfed the wolf. After the originally imposing wolf was engulfed by the white light, it seemed to have been struck by an immense force as it fell to the ground and shook its head.
At the same time, Yang Kai could feel that there was a faint connection between the wolf’s Soul and his own. It seemed that he was able to control this beast now, so without hesitation, he activated his Divine Sense and pressured the beast.
The wolf seemed to be trying to resist, but Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was immensely powerful, so there was no way it could fend off Yang Kai’s full assault. After just one breath’s time, the white light completely penetrated the wolf’s head.
A thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind as the wolf turned around and widened its mouth before biting another wolf’s neck. Blood started spurting out of the other wolf’s wound as the beast staggered backwards.
“We can use these worms to control the wolves!” Yang Kai yelled.
Hearing that, Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man hurriedly fished out the worms from their pouches and threw them at the wolves, just like how Yang Kai had done earlier. The worms turned into white lights and covered the wolves. When the white lights fully streamed into the beasts, they were able to start controlling them.
The tide had been turned as Yang Kai kept throwing the worms out and tamed one beast after another. Lang Qing Shan and the shaved-headed man were doing the same thing.
Soon, Yang Kai figured out the secret behind it. For now, he named these worms as Beast Taming Worms. They could be summoned just like an artifact, but these worms were one-offs. After they were summoned, they would transform into white lights and engulf the wolves. It was at this moment that the user’s Divine Sense clashed with that of the wolf. If they could suppress the wolf’s Soul, the white light would stream into the beast. If they failed, the white light would burst apart and the worm would perish. Even the cultivator might be harmed.
The shaved-headed man suffered a setback once. He summoned too many Beast Taming Worms at once, and in the end, he couldn’t control so many of them. Two white lights exploded, which caused blood to drip down from his nostrils as his face turned pale.
Initially, they were surrounded by these several dozen wolves, but as time passed, the situation was reversed with the help of these Beast Taming Worms.
An incense stick later, half of the wolves were dead, while the remaining ones had been tamed by Yang Kai and the others.
The shaved-headed man was panting heavily and still reeling from shock. Previously, he was hiding inside the Small Sealed World and witnessing Yang Kai and Lang Qing Shan’s adventure in the world of swords. Nevertheless, he was just an observer at that point. Although he was horrified by what they had gone through, he hadn’t experienced it personally.
After the incident just now, he came to the realisation that it wasn’t easy to venture into a World Fruit. If it weren’t because Yang Kai had figured out the secret at the most critical moment, they would’ve lost their lives by now.
“Sir, is this a beast taming world?” Lang Qing Shan asked.
Yang Kai nodded, “Judging from what we’ve just gone through, that seems to be the case.” Nevertheless, he had to explore this world before he could be certain about it.
A few days later, their speculation was proven to be right. This was indeed a beast taming world. There were countless beasts in this world and the powers of Yang Kai and the others had been greatly suppressed. If they wanted to win any battle, they had to rely on the Monster Beasts they had tamed.
The wolves they had tamed some time ago were just the most ordinary beasts. Among the various beasts, there even existed Beast Kings, which couldn’t be tamed by using the Beast Taming Worms in their pouches. Yang Kai made several attempts and saw the white lights exploding each time. It wasn’t that his Divine Sense wasn’t powerful enough to suppress the other party, but the worms couldn’t bear the clashes between their Divine Senses.
Yang Kai speculated that there must be higher grade Beast Taming Worms than the white ones they had that could be used against these Beast Kings.
After the three of them suffered a setback when fighting a group of over 100 beasts, they set off on their journey to look for better worms.
Soon, they discovered that there were indeed better Beast Taming Worms than the white ones. They came in different colours, which included black, green, purple, and so on.
By using these High-Grade Beast Taming Worms, they soon domesticated a number of Beast Kings. Once they were tamed, it was easy to subdue the Monster Beasts under them.
There was a huge gap in power between these Beast Kings as well. Yang Kai categorised them into Hundred Beast Kings, Thousand Beast Kings, and Ten Thousand Beast Kings. A Hundred Beast King could control a hundred Monster Beasts while Thousand Beast Kings could control a thousand Monster Beasts. As for the Ten Thousand Beast King, it ruled over ten thousand beasts and was truly powerful.
One month later, they respectively led a 10,000-beast army and launched an attack on the last group of beasts.
There were over 100,000 beasts in this last group, and the Beast King was noble and majestic; a force to be reckoned with. The Beast King was covered in golden fur and was as big as a house. Looking from afar, Yang Kai could feel that the Ten Thousand Beast he rode was apprehensive.
The Beast King on the opposing side seemed to be intimidating to a Ten Thousand Beast King. Yang Kai reckoned that it was no longer a Beast King, but a Beast Emperor!
Soon, the final battle began and countless beasts lost their lives.
Although there were a lot of beasts on the opposing side, and a Beast Emperor taking charge, Yang Kai and the others launched an attack from three different directions and cooperated with one another. As they killed their enemies, they also subdued the Beast Kings on the opposing side. Soon, they gained the upper hand.
Three days later, even though Yang Kai was bitten by the Beast Emperor, he managed to tame it in the end. As soon as that happened, a gentle force engulfed them and sent them out of this world.
When they reappeared at the bottom of the World Tree, Yang Kai was already covered in blood, but he was laughing as he had obtained another World Fruit, even though it was just a Low-Rank one.
After taking a rest, he used the same trick by releasing a different person from the Small Sealed World and telling him to enter a World Fruit while he tagged along inside the Sealed World Bead.
As time passed, more and more people from Yang Kai’s team would venture into a World Fruit together, and their collective power was tremendous. Basically, everyone else entered a World Fruit on their own, but Yang Kai had many people to assist him, which was why he was at an advantage.
The worlds inside the fruits were all peculiar. There was a world where they had to overcome everything else by force, and there was a world where they had to reach the maximum limit in power permitted in that world and break free from its suppression before they could leave. There was also a labyrinth where they couldn’t even identify what direction they were moving. All the worlds were different.
However, Yang Kai soon figured out a regular pattern. It took a shorter time to break free from a Low-Rank World Fruit. Usually, he would need 3 months at most. On the other hand, it was much harder to get out of a Mid-Rank World Fruit, requiring 1 or 2 years at the very least.
Fortunately, time passed faster inside the World Fruits, so Yang Kai wasn’t worried about spending too much time there. Even though he had spent a few years inside various World Fruits now, only ten days or so had passed in the outside world.
One day, one of his subordinates brought the Sealed World Bead with him and plunged into a World Fruit and Yang Kai immediately left the Small Sealed World and released more than ten people who had entered World Fruits before.
However, before he could examine the rank of this world, he suddenly felt an immense rejection force engulfing him, and by the time he recovered, Yang Kai realised that he was already standing at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
The same thing happened to the more than ten people he had released earlier.
A stunned Lang Qing Shan asked, “What happened?”
Yang Kai was also puzzled as it was the first time he came across such an incident. He had no idea why they were ejected from the World Fruit.
Just then, following a rumbling sound, the ground shook as a root abruptly shot out from the soil and swept across Yang Kai and the others like a long whip. This was obviously the root of the 3,000 Worlds Tree.
None of them had expected such a turn of events, so half of the unsuspecting people were sent flying away and tumbled down the mountain.
Yang Kai was agile enough to have dodged the attack. When he turned his head and saw that the people rolling down the mountain were not at risk of losing their lives as they only looked a little battered, he set his mind at ease.
“Ouch!” Someone exclaimed. It was the shaved-headed man who was sent flying away, and the same thing happened to the others at the scene as Yang Kai kept jumping around to dodge the root’s attack.
While he was dodging, Yang Kai realised that a pair of eyes were staring at him, and when he turned his head, he was horrified.
That was because a wrinkled face had appeared on the 3,000 Worlds Tree, glaring at Yang Kai!
Yang Kai felt embarrassed at the stare, knowing that the 3,000 Worlds Tree was aware of the fact that he had been cheating. In the Primordial Land, many Divine Medicines had developed their own sentience, which was what happened to Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom, not to mention the 3,000 Worlds Tree, it was just that the tree never revealed any signs of awareness until now.
Yang Kai repeatedly made use of the Sealed World Bead to enter one World Fruit after another, and so far, he had obtained over ten fruits. Even though the World Tree had 3,000 fruits, he apparently could no longer put up with Yang Kai’s insatiable greed. If he allowed Yang Kai to keep flouting the rules it had set, most of his fruits would be gone.
Therefore, when he once again detected Yang Kai’s aura, he immediately sent him and his subordinates out of the World Fruit. He didn’t give them a chance to experience the world inside the fruit. Besides that, he had also sent them rolling down the mountain to prevent them from using the same trick again.
His root danced in the air and swept across Yang Kai one more time in a menacing manner. Nevertheless, he didn’t intend to kill Yang Kai; he just wanted to send him tumbling down the mountain.
Yang Kai repeatedly manipulated Space Principles to dodge the attacks.
He had earned some handsome rewards as he had obtained more than ten World Fruits, including two Mid-Rank ones; however, he hadn’t gotten even one High-Rank World Fruit, which was why he wasn’t willing to give up.
A High-Rank World Fruit would be able to help a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order. If he could reach the Seventh Order in his initial breakthrough, he could make use of that World Fruit and directly ascend to the Eighth Order!
There should only be a small number of Eighth-Order Masters in those Cave-Heavens and Paradises, so someone in that realm was no different from an overlord. By then, not only could he gain a footing in this 3,000 Worlds, but he could also achieve great things.
As he dodged the attacks, Yang Kai unashamedly pleaded with the tree, “Old Tree, please forgive me and allow us to enter the World Fruit for the last time!”
The World Tree became even more furious. Certainly, he wouldn’t agree to his request as he madly wielded his root. However, with the help of Space Principles, Yang Kai was elusive, so how was the tree supposed to accurately strike his target?
Incensed, the World Tree drew out 10 more roots from the soil and covered Yang Kai like a web.
At the bottom of the mountain, Lang Qing Shan and the others looked up and became dumbfounded.
The corner of the shaved-headed man’s mouth twitched, “The World Tree must have been enraged by Sir Yang.”
“Oh, no! Sir, watch out!” Lang Qing Shan exclaimed.
Upon finishing his words, he dashed towards the peak of the mountain, followed by more than ten others. It was a difficult trek, as they had to keep dodging the deadly insect fog and lightning strikes.
On the peak of the mountain, Yang Kai flitted about, but the ten-plus roots from the World Tree had sealed off the surrounding space, which made it difficult for him to escape.
In a moment of negligence, Yang Kai was struck by a root. Impacted by the immense force, he felt a metallic taste in his throat. Undeterred though, he gripped onto the root and choked down the blood before putting on a fawning smile, “Old Tree, just one more time, please! The previous fruit will do!”
Although he hadn’t managed to examine the rank of that world, he was certain that it wasn’t a Low-Rank World Fruit. It was most likely a Mid-Rank one, but there was a small probability that it was a High-Rank one.
If he could successfully persuade the World Tree, he could obtain that World Fruit at the very least.
The 3,000 Worlds Tree naturally ignored him and swung his root violently. Unable to shake off Yang Kai, he became infuriated and wielded his other roots to lash at him.
Yang Kai kept grunting and couldn’t take it anymore after just three breaths. Although the World Tree didn’t have the intention of killing him, its roots were still extremely powerful and painful.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai yelled, “Dragon Transformation!”
Instantly, his figure expanded and transformed into a giant Half-Dragon. A pair of horns had grown on his forehead, and his hands had turned into Dragon Claws. Hot dragon breath puffed out from his nostrils, and he was now covered in extremely sturdy Dragon Scales. His beard flapped in the wind and his enormous figure stood tall atop the mountain, almost reaching the height of the World Tree itself.
In Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai had consumed countless Dragon Blood Pills and started showing signs of transforming into a True Dragon; hence, he was much stronger than he was in the past.
Slapping sounds were continuously heard as the tree’s roots kept lashing Yang Kai’s back.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai could still bear with it. His defence in his Half-Dragon Form was much greater than that of his Human form.
Yang Kai grinned as he stared at the World Tree, “Old Tree, please let me get into the World Fruit one more time, and after I succeed, I’ll leave immediately!” He wasn’t willing to give up the previous World Fruit.
As he spoke, he clung on tightly to the root around his waist to show the tree that he was determined.
The World Tree’s attacks became increasingly violent, and even Yang Kai’s Half-Dragon Form wasn’t able to take it. His Dragon Scales fell from his back as blood began to leak from his wounds.
However, Yang Kai’s restorative power was incredible. The Wood Element Power in his Dao Seal swirled and his Dragon Blood had been stimulated greatly, so his wounds were rapidly healed.
After an incense stick of deadlock, the World Tree stopped attacking, and the wrinkled face on the trunk was seen sighing.
An elated Yang Kai asked, “Old Tree, you agree?”
The World Tree shot him a disdainful look and wielded his other root.
Yang Kai beamed at him, “Old Tree, what’s the point of doing this? This kind of attack is… ah…”
Before he could finish his words, he realised that the root in his hands felt lighter, as it had broken apart on its own. Following that, he was swept across by another root and sent flying down the mountain.
While in mid-air, Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he hadn’t expected the 3,000 Worlds Tree to be so obstinate that he would rather break off one of his roots than let him stay.
Following a loud crash, Yang Kai fell to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and looked at the root in his hand as he felt speechless.
Although this root had been abandoned by the 3,000 Worlds Tree, it didn’t show signs of withering; instead, it still possessed an enormous amount of vitality. Raising his brow, Yang Kai put it inside the Small Sealed World.
Looking up, he realised that the mountain was covered in a fog and lightning strikes were seen everywhere. He was unable to see through the mist anymore.
A relentless Yang Kai dashed into the fog, but came back out after just ten breaths. The horrifying fog was actually made up of countless tiny insects and even his Half-Dragon Form was unable to take it. After just a while, he was covered in blood.
Then, he saw that Lang Qing Shan and the others were also ejected from the fog. Although they looked battered, they were not at risk of losing their lives, which was the result of the World Tree’s mercy. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have escaped from the fog safely.
When they turned around and saw that Yang Kai’s face was swollen and he was soaked in blood, they were stunned.
Moreover, it was the first time they saw Yang Kai in his Half-Dragon Form, so they were astounded. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised Yang Kai had a Dragon Clan’s bloodline, and judging from his figure, his bloodline was quite extraordinary.
Yang Kai looked down at them with a hideous expression as he was enraged by the 3,000 Worlds Tree. The tree was so obstinate that he preferred to sacrifice one of his root hairs than give Yang Kai one last chance.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai roared, “Old Tree, everyone has one chance to enter a World Fruit in their lifetime, yes? How can you seal off the mountain and deny our entry? I still have several dozen people with me who wish to enter the World Fruits. How can you snatch that right from them? This is unfair!”
Upon finishing his words, he raised his hand and released the remaining people from the Small Sealed World.
Lang Qing Shan and the others couldn’t help feeling second-hand embarrassment. Yang Kai had obtained more than ten fruits essentially by cheating to repeatedly enter the World Fruits. How did he have the nerve to accuse the World Tree of unfairness now?
Yang Kai went on to say, “I will not enter any World Fruits again, but you have to let them in!”
After he finished speaking, his expression changed as he listened carefully. The next instant, a figure was sent flying out of the fog with a startled shout.
Yang Kai reached out to grab that person and took a look, only to become shocked as he muttered, “Brother Meng?”
The person who was ejected from the fog was none other than Meng Hong, who was still reeling from the shock. Seeing a gigantic Half-Dragon staring right at him, he was stunned; however, upon making out the Half-Dragon’s facial features, he asked hesitantly, “Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai nodded and put him down. Then, he returned to his Human form and asked puzzledly, “Brother Meng, why… were you sent out at this moment?”
It was such a coincidence that Meng Hong appeared at this point, which made Yang Kai feel that something was off.
Meng Hong replied, “I have no idea. I was experiencing the world inside the fruit when a force pushed me out. Hm… is this a World Fruit?”
As he spoke, he suddenly took a glance at his hand and realised that he had obtained a World Fruit.
Yang Kai took a look as well and felt speechless, knowing that it was thanks to the World Tree that Meng Hong could leave halfway and even obtain a World Fruit. The World Tree must have realised Meng Hong’s relationship with Yang Kai, so he sent him out.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai sighed, knowing that it was impossible to enter another World Fruit.
The 3,000 Worlds Tree broke off one of his roots and forcefully sent Meng Hong out, even giving the latter a World Fruit for free in order to make Yang Kai give up.
Meng Hong was pretty lucky as the World Fruit in his hand was a Mid-Rank one. He had been wandering in that world for a few years on his own, and he didn’t know how long it would take before he could leave. Just as he thought he was doomed to remain there forever, an unexpected turn of events took place.
Honestly, he couldn’t believe what had happened and was still perplexed.
Two disciples from Great Moon Province walked up to him and briefly explained what had happened. It was then that Meng Hong realised that the reason he could easily leave the World Fruit was that Yang Kai had been pestering the 3,000 Worlds Tree endlessly.
Upon learning that, he burst into laughter. Initially, he intended to get a World Fruit to repay Yang Kai for his many favours, but in the end, he was saved by him. Now, he wasn’t sure whether he still owed him anything or not.
“Brother Yang, please take this World Fruit.” Meng Hong held out the fruit to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “Brother Meng, I’ve already earned many rewards. Moreover, you’ll need this when you become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so you don’t have to give it to me.”
Yang Kai was not pretending to be courteous. World Fruits were rare, but he had obtained many of them now. In total, he now had 13 Low-Rank World Fruits and 2 Mid-Rank ones in his possession, so he didn’t need to take this one from Meng Hong.
Nevertheless, Meng Hong shook his head, “My fellow brothers and I have survived in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary thanks to your protection. If it weren’t for Brother Yang, we would’ve lost our lives by now. You have also given us many treasures that have helped us to condense our Open Heaven Realm Elements. If it weren’t because of you, we wouldn’t have achieved any of this. This Meng has nothing else with me as this fruit is the most valuable thing I possess. Moreover, it was thanks to Brother Yang that I even obtained this fruit. Please don’t turn me down; otherwise, this Meng will be too embarrassed to show his face in public again.”
Seeing as Yang Kai was about to say something, Meng Hong pretended to be angry, “Brother Yang, if you turn me down, it’s no different from looking down on me. I’d rather… throw this World Fruit away!”
Upon finishing his words, he hurled the World Fruit at the peak of the mountain. Seeing that, the people around him exclaimed.
Yang Kai reached out to grab the fruit and felt speechless at that, “Brother Meng, many thanks for your kindness. I will keep this fruit for now. When you need it in the future, you can take it back from me.”
Despite saying that, Yang Kai knew that since Meng Hong had made his stance clear, he would never ask for the fruit back.
As expected, Meng Hong guffawed and said, “This Meng is confident that I can ascend to the Sixth Order by myself.”
The several dozen people around them were dumbfounded at the sight that neither of these two were willing to accept this invaluable Mid-Rank World Fruit. In the outside world, even those powerful Open Heaven Realm Masters would kill to snatch this treasure; however, the two of them were trying to push the fruit away, almost resulting in it being hurled into the fog and lost forever.
After putting all of the others inside the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai went through the rewards he had obtained so far.
The 16 World Fruits in possession could be said to be a great harvest. The 13 Low-Rank World Fruits could be put aside for now as they couldn’t be sold for a good price; after all, they could only help a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master ascend to the next Order, and the maximum limit was the Third Order. However, the three Mid-Rank World Fruits were different.
The maximum limit a Mid-Rank World Fruit could help a cultivator achieve was the Sixth-Order. In other words, it would be best consumed by a Fifth-Order Master. This was an extremely rare treasure.
What made Yang Kai feel regretful was that he didn’t manage to get a High-Rank World Fruit. At the thought of this, he burst into laughter and felt that he really was indeed too greedy. Xu Zhen had said that although there were 3,000 World Fruits on the 3,000 Worlds Tree, most of the fruits were Low-Rank, and only a small number of them were Mid-Rank. As for the High-Rank ones, there might not even be one. He was already extremely lucky to have gotten 3 Mid-Rank ones.
Besides these World Fruits, Yang Kai also had a surprising reward, which was a root from the World Tree. Earlier, he had transformed into a Half-Dragon before he shamelessly clung onto this root and haggled with the World Tree, which infuriated the latter. The old tree broke off the root and swept him away from the peak, which was how he obtained this root.
Some time ago, Yang Kai randomly threw it into the Small Sealed World, but after sending his Divine Sense into the Sealed World Bead, he was shocked to learn that the root had burrowed into the ground and turned into a sapling as it swayed lightly with the wind.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be awed by the vitality of this World Tree’s root. Only a short time had passed, but it had already started growing strong.
What made him feel even more surprised was that he could clearly feel that the sapling was just like a bottomless pit. All the World Energy in the Small Sealed World was madly streaming into this sapling, and following its growth, the World Principles became more complete, strengthening the world itself.
Beneath the ground, the roots of the sapling had already extended to a hundred kilometres radius, and the tiny roots were still rapidly spreading around. It seemed determined to cover the entire Small Sealed World.
Yang Kai felt his chest tightening and his throat becoming dry.
The roots of World Tree could strengthen the World Principles in the Small Sealed World and further stabilise it, so what would happen if he planted it in the Star Boundary?
In the past, he had asked Giant Spirit God Ah Da about how to save the Star Boundary from collapsing. Ah Da only mentioned the words ‘World Tree’ to him in response. It had only been a short time since Yang Kai arrived in the Outer Universe, and he hadn’t even gained a footing here, so he hadn’t managed to find out more about the World Tree.
There was the 3,000 Worlds Tree in the Primordial Land though, so was it the World Tree that Ah Da had mentioned?
When Yang Kai heard Xu Zhen talking about the 3,000 Worlds Tree, he had already started speculating about this possibility, and after observing the growth of this sapling, he believed that his speculation was right. The World Tree that Ah Da had mentioned might just be the 3,000 Worlds Tree!
In that case, the biggest reward he had obtained during the trip to the Primordial Land wasn’t the 3 Divine Medicines or the 16 World Fruits, but the root of the World Tree.
Yang Kai had the urge to throw his head back and laugh out loud as he had just gotten what he desired the most completely by accident.
However, he had to return to the Star Boundary to try it out before he could be certain about it. Previously, Yang Kai had bought a Universe Chart from a Star City and found some possible locations of the Star Boundary in it. Comparing the paths he had taken and the place where he was separated from Zhang Ruo Xi, he already had some clues in mind. Nevertheless, he had to go over and have a look to find out its exact location.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided not to suppress the sapling’s growth.
Although it required a horrendous amount of World Energy to support the sapling’s growth, the Small Sealed World had greatly benefited from it. In that case, the pros were much greater than the cons. As for the depleted World Energy, he had countless Source Crystals with him, so he could just shatter them and use them to replenish the World Energy.
After working for a while, Yang Kai settled all his issues. Then, he let out a long breath. Now that he had offended the 3,000 Worlds Tree, there was no way he could obtain more World Fruits. It had been a few days since the Primordial Land had opened, so all the treasures and opportunities must have been discovered by now. The only thing that was left was the Spirit Seizing War.
Initially, Yang Kai intended to look for a Metal Element treasure that was suitable for him; unfortunately, he hadn’t found any clues yet. In the past, Zhu Jiu Yin had told him that there were only two places in Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary where High-Rank Metal Element treasures might exist. One was Golden Eagle Palace, which was Jin Wu’s territory. Jin Wu was a Metal Attribute Divine Spirit, and the power of his Monster Core was what Yang Kai needed. As long as he was willing to help, Yang Kai could easily condense a Seventh-Order Metal Element Power.
However, Jin Wu and Zhu Jiu Yin were arch-enemies, so there was no way Jin Wu would help Zhu Jiu Yin’s Bearer. His Bearer had even been ordered to kill Yang Kai at all costs. Unfortunately, he had been killed by Yang Kai in one of the World Fruits.
The second place was the Primordial Land where many opportunities still existed. The Metal Element material Yang Kai needed might just be there; however, up until this moment, he hadn’t discovered such a treasure.
While Yang Kai was lost in his thoughts, the world suddenly shook, as though a bolt of lightning had struck the ground. A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly released his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings.
A moment later, the same thing happened again. This time, he could clearly feel that all the World Energy seemed to have been directed to a particular place.
Turning his head, he stared fixedly in that direction. The strange phenomenon happening at the moment suggested that an anomaly had taken place. Perhaps a great treasure was about to appear.
Then, Yang Kai saw many rays of light flying towards the place where World Energy was converging. Just like Yang Kai, they must have noticed the anomaly, which was why they wanted to get their hands on the treasure that was about to appear.
After just a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai leapt into the air and flew in that direction as well.
On his way there, the world shook several times before the illusory phantom of a fruit tree appeared in mid-air. The fruit tree was majestic, translucent, and alluring. As the World Energy streamed into the illusory phantom, it seemed to be slowly materialising.
“Innate Fruit Tree!” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened.
He was just wondering where the Innate Fruit Tree was located. Following Pu Bai Xiong’s directions, they had found the old tree that he had mentioned, but it was the 3,000 Worlds Tree instead of the Innate Fruit Tree.
It wasn’t until this moment that Yang Kai realised why they couldn’t find the Innate Fruit Tree previously. It would only appear at a very special moment.
Had someone done something to trigger the appearance of the Innate Fruit Tree? Perhaps, or perhaps not. The Innate Fruit Tree might have just appeared because the time was now right.
Whatever the case, since the Innate Fruit Tree had emerged, many parties would scramble to snatch it. Those Bearers had taken on the responsibilities given to them by their respective Divine Spirits. If they succeeded, they would gain a powerful backer and many riches, but if they failed, their lives would be at risk. With this kind of pressure weighing on them, none of them dared to be negligent.
In Yang Kai’s case, Yue He and the others were still in Zhu Jiu Yin’s grasp. If he wanted Yue He and the others to live, he had to get the Innate Spirit Fruit.
Many figures were heading to the Innate Fruit Tree from all directions. At this moment, those Bearers who had been trying to conceal themselves had no choice but to show up.
As the Innate Fruit Tree absorbed more World Energy, it became increasingly corporeal.
It wasn’t until 2 hours later that Yang Kai finally arrived at his destination and he realised that many people had already gathered together. There were over 30 people that he knew as well as didn’t know.
Xu Zhen, Ding Yi, and Xiang Ying were all present. Just like Yang Kai, these guys had entered the worlds inside the fruits. Nevertheless, Yang Kai found a loophole and entered more than a dozen World Fruits, which was why he had been held up for much longer. It was expected that these three people had come out of the World Fruits before he did.
Since they had left the worlds inside the fruits, they must have respectively obtained a World Fruit.
Besides them, the seductress Qu Hua Shang, as well as the little girl Gu Pan, had arrived at this place. Both of them were speaking to each other in a small voice. Spotting Yang Kai, Qu Hua Shang’s gaze brightened as she passionately waved her hand, “Little Brother Yang, over here!”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her and nodded at Xu Zhen and the others before landing beside Qu Hua Shang.
Seeing that, Ding Yi immediately felt envious. Qu Hua Shang was a disciple from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven so she possessed some ‘special’ cultivation techniques on top of being a stunning beauty. Ding Yi already had his eyes on her, and he wanted to chat her up. Nevertheless, he didn’t have the courage as he was worried that he might frighten her off. Seeing as she was so hospitable to Yang Kai, he couldn’t help but admire Yang Kai and be envious of him at the same time.
“Senior Sister Qu, Junior Sister Gu,” Yang Kai greeted.
Qu Hua Shang looked smilingly at him. There seemed to be some special emotions behind her gaze, “Little Brother Yang, the Innate Fruit Tree has appeared, so this place will become chaotic when everyone starts scrambling for it. You have to protect me well.”
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Qu Hua Shang was openly flirting with Yang Kai. She was bold and didn’t care what others thought of her.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t fall for her tricks and said with a smile, “Senior Sister Qu, you’re making things difficult for me. As far as I know, the Innate Fruit Tree will only bear one fruit each time it appears. When it does ripen, all of us will try to snatch it. It’d be best if we don’t harm each other, so how am I supposed to protect you?”
It was exactly because there was only one Innate Spirit Fruit that all these Bearers had to go all out. That was why even though Xu Zhen was on good terms with Gu Pan and her, he didn’t stand together with them.
It was because all of the Bearers here were competitors.
All of them had been nurtured by the Divine Spirits behind them and had great expectations placed on their shoulders. If they failed, it would make the plans of those Divine Spirits fall through and likely enrage them. By then, their lives would be at risk.
Throughout history, there had been many Bearers who were killed by their Divine Spirits because they couldn’t get the Innate Spirit Fruit. Kun Sha had killed a Bearer before, allowing him to obtain the Water Element treasure Moon Essence that Yang Kai had refined. After that Bearer was killed, Kun Sha didn’t need the Moon Essence he brought out from the Primordial Land, so he gave it to the Sea Clan.
Besides him, most of the Divine Spirits would do the same. If the Bearers enjoyed the benefits given to them but couldn’t complete their task, the Divine Spirits would naturally not let them off.
Qu Hua Shang replied with a sweet smile, “Little Brother Yang, you don’t have to be so mean. This is my plan. We can join forces and fend off our opponents for now. You’ve stayed in the Primordial Land for a few days, so you must have come across some Bearers and become aware of their skills. It’s better for us to join forces rather than fight against all opponents on our own. As for the Innate Spirit Fruit, we’ll see which one of us will be able to snatch it in the end.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded his head, as her suggestion was reasonable. He was powerful, and he believed that if he went all out, none of the people here would be his opponent. However, he couldn’t possibly fight against all of them on his own. If they became infuriated by his dominance and decided to all team up to deal with him first, he would definitely suffer a tragic defeat.
If he could get one to two allies at this point, his burden would be lightened greatly.
“Junior Sister Gu, do you second this suggestion?” Yang Kai turned to look at Gu Pan. She was a little timid as she hung her head low most of the time. Hearing that, she gently nodded to make her stance clear.
Yang Kai said, “I don’t mind joining forces with you, but are there only the three of us? What about Brother Lin, Brother Xu, and Brother Dao Ran?”
These three were all disciples from Cave-Heavens and Paradises, and they had cooperated once in the past.
Qu Hua Shang pouted, “They’re all smelly men, and I don’t care whether they live or die. Moreover, at a moment like this, it’s not ideal to have too many allies. Little Brother Yang, I believe you should understand this.”
A helpless Yang Kai refuted, “But I’m also a man!”
Qu Hua Shang covered her mouth and giggled, “Unlike them, you’re quite fragrant and palatable…” Upon finishing her words, she leaned in and sniffled at him.
Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai hurriedly stepped backwards and nodded solemnly, “It’s decided, then. We’ll join forces to fend off our opponents for now.”
Qu Hua Shang’s gaze brightened, “Deal.”
They were not the only people who had formed temporary alliances, but not many of them had done so; after all, not many of them knew each other well or even at all. They would rather fight alone and wait for an opportunity than cooperate with strangers who might stab them in the back at any moment.
As they spoke, more and more people arrived at this place. Some of them snuck in while concealing themselves while others appeared in a bold and confident manner. Still, all of them were just waiting for a chance to snatch the spirit fruit.
Lin Feng and Ning Dao Ran had also arrived and stood beside Xu Zhen, soon forming a group of their own.
Two hours later, over 60 cultivators had gathered together in this place. Only the Bearers selected by the Divine Spirits would rush over at this point, attracted to the Innate Fruit Tree. These more than 60 Bearers were now observing the fruit tree and waiting in silence.
That was because only the fruit tree had appeared so far, but the Innate Spirit Fruit was nowhere to be seen. World Energy continuously streamed into the fruit tree, which had become increasingly clear.
Finally, there came a moment when someone yelled, “The Innate Spirit Fruit is about to be born!”
Everyone became agitated and turned their heads, only to see that a petite flower bud had appeared on the top of the fruit tree. The bud absorbed the World Energy and soon became bigger.
A strange aura exuded from the bud and made everyone feel energised and soothed.
Yang Kai was surprised as he found the aura somewhat familiar. Then, he recalled that the aura wafting from the Moon Essence when he refined it was similar to that exuding from the flower bud.
After giving it a thought, he came to the realisation that the Moon Essence was an Innate Supreme Treasure, so it contained some Innate Aura, and it was the same case for the Innate Spirit Fruit. In comparison, the aura coming from the Moon Essence was weaker than that of the flower bud.
The flower bud soon expanded and bloomed into a full flower. Under the influence of the strange aura, everyone fell into a dazed state as they witnessed the birth of a new life. At that moment, countless ideas clashed in their minds as they seemed to gain enlightenment.
These inspirations flashed through their minds and significantly increased their comprehension of the Heavenly Way for a short period of time. Many questions they had about cultivation were suddenly answered at that moment.
Countless ideas passed through Yang Kai’s mind as well, and suddenly it seemed as if there was nothing he didn’t understand in his Martial Dao. He had built a strong foundation for achieving the Open Heaven Realm, and as long as he could condense all the necessary Elements, he could become a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master without issue.
With that said, following the birth of the Innate Spirit Fruit, the inspirations in his head made him come up with a very bold idea. If this idea was feasible, he would obtain an extraordinary power after he became an Open Heaven Realm Master.
Certainly, this idea could only be materialised during his ascension to the Open Heaven Realm, so it was still too early to talk about it.
The Innate Spirit Fruit was truly extraordinary. The process of its birth alone could clear the doubts for everyone in their cultivation journey. All of them had greatly benefited from it.
Soon, the flower petals withered and the Innate Spirit Fruit was formed. The amazing aura slowly dissipated as well.
Yang Kai looked around and realised that everyone appeared elated. Apparently, they all gained something from this brief experience. Without the aura’s influence, the inspirations in their heads left them, and they could no longer comprehend anything, causing many to let out a gentle sigh.
Staring around, Yang Kai tried to memorise these faces. If his speculation was right, if these people left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary alive, they would all become overlords in the 3,000 Worlds.
Besides being nurtured by powerful Divine Spirits, they had all obtained unimaginable benefits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that they had this opportunity to comprehend things that they otherwise couldn’t understand, they were bound to have excellent achievements in the future.
Soon, rapid breathing could be heard as all stared fixedly at the rapidly maturing Innate Spirit Fruit. Although all of them were silent, everyone knew that this was just the calm before the storm.
“It’s time to make a move,” Qu Hua Shang secretly spoke to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, however, refused as he replied, “The first one to make a move will die.”
Although he was an expert in the Dao of Space, he wouldn’t dare to rashly make a move in front of so many Bearers.
While he was able to suppress his impulses, though, someone wasn’t. A gigantic web suddenly appeared out of the void and covered the Innate Fruit Tree. It seemed that the person intended to take both the fruit tree and the spirit fruit away.
“You dare?!” Someone was heard yelling, whereupon countless powerful attacks struck the web.
Before the web could even approach the Innate Fruit Tree, it was crushed into dust. Following a grunt, a cultivator was seen staggering, and blood started streaming out of his mouth.
The web was his artifact, and although it was exceptional, it couldn’t possibly withstand the attacks of so many people. The artifact was destroyed, and he suffered backlash as a result.
Before he could even catch his breath though, a sword light slashed across his back and caused him to collapse to the ground. Although he wasn’t dead yet, he was severely injured with blood streaming out of the ghastly wound.
Sensing another strike approaching, the man hurriedly rolled away and widened his eyes. The people who attacked him were strangers to him, but he knew that at this point, no one would be soft-hearted. Killing one meant one less opponent, increasing their chances to obtain the Innate Spirit Fruit.
As if some kind of signal had been given, the battle erupted. Over 30 figures pounced on the Innate Fruit Tree at the same time, and before they even arrived, they used different techniques to grab at the fruit. At that instant, artifacts in the form of nets and ropes were seen. There were also more than ten illusory hands reaching for the spirit fruit.
Nevertheless, none of them could get near the spirit fruit using these techniques. All the artifacts and Secret Techniques were destroyed or diverted before they could get close. More and more people joined in the battle, using their own unique methods to try to snatch the prize. Some were injured, while some lost their lives.
On the other hand, Yang Kai remained calmly standing on the same spot and gazing at the battlefield, feeling a bit awestruck.
Most of these people were not famous figures. It had been more than 10 years since the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, but Yang Kai had never heard of most of these people before; however, after they made a move, he realised that all of them were outstanding in their own right. Besides their peculiar artifacts, their Secret Techniques were also stunning. All of these Bearers had condensed Fifth-Order Elements at the very least, while many had condensed Sixth-Order Elements and some even Seventh-Order Elements.
Yin, Yang, and Five Element Powers were seen permeating this small region. The world seemed to have paled, and the universe was trembling.
Many Element Powers obviously came from Divine Spirits. They could make use of their own Monster Cores and Sources to nurture their Bearers to help increase their powers significantly.
Ding Yi had shown some remarkable skills before they reached the 3,000 Worlds Tree some time ago; however, in this place, he was just slightly above average as there were many others more outstanding than he was.
At this moment, only a small number remained on the sidelines. Besides Yang Kai and the two ladies, only seven or eight others kept their calm. Perhaps they were wary of their opponents and wouldn’t dare to make any rash moves.
“Are we not going to make a move?” Qu Hua Shang turned and asked anxiously.
“Wait a bit longer,” Yang Kai replied dispassionately.
A helpless Qu Hua Shang said, “If we keep waiting, the fruit will fall into someone else’s hands.”
“If that happens, we can just snatch it back.” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
On hearing that, Qu Hua Shang became startled for a moment before realizing he was right; therefore, she also waited patiently.
After a while, the battlefield became increasingly chaotic. Everyone was trying to pounce on the Innate Fruit Tree, but none of them succeeded. Once anyone got within 30 metres of the tree, they would face a concentrated assault from all sides.
No one could possibly bear all the Secret Techniques that contained Fifth, Sixth, and even Seventh-Order Element Powers.
Yang Kai believed that if he didn’t use his Half-Dragon Form, he also couldn’t withstand such a bombardment. Even then, he still wouldn’t persevere for more than a few breaths’ time.
Some of the Bearers had lost their lives because of this, their corpses dismembered. Although they had the support of Divine Spirits, an individual’s strength was simply too small in such a melee. If one made a rash move at the wrong moment, they would only put their life at risk.
During the scuffle, the spirit fruit on the Innate Fruit Tree became completely mature. It was translucent and alluring, and although no fragrant scent was wafting from it, everyone was tempted to have a taste of it.
All of a sudden, someone was heard guffawing, “Is that the Innate Spirit Fruit? This Fang will gladly take it then!”
As soon as the person’s voice was heard, a figure was seen rapidly approaching the fruit tree.
Upon hearing that, the Bearers, who were locked in an intense battle, became enraged and looked in that direction. They wanted to find out who this shameless guy was. They had been fighting for some time now, but none of them could even get close to the fruit tree. Certainly, they were displeased at this person’s arrogance.
However, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he said in a small voice, “Our opportunity is here. Get ready to move.”
He had been waiting for the best chance, and his patience had paid off. Upon hearing that, Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan became solemn and secretly circulated their strength.
On the other hand, a figure arrived at the battlefield and directly reached for the Innate Fruit Tree.
*Xiu…*
The sounds of breaking through the air were heard and the lights of Secret Techniques and artifacts expanded as they shot towards this person. However, this man was unperturbed as he kept a smile on his face. When the attacks were about to reach him, he moved and yelled, “Stand Eternal as a Mountain!”
A thick and heavy Earth Element Power surged out and a gigantic tortoise illusory phantom was formed, creating an impenetrable defence. Countless attacks struck the illusory phantom and indeed shook it, but they were unable to harm the person inside it.
“This…” Everyone became dumbfounded and fell into a dazed state.
Since the battle began, it was the first time they saw someone using such a powerful defensive technique. The tortoise illusory phantom gave off a feeling that it was so hard that nothing in the world could break it.
“Solid Earth Black Tortoise!” Someone recognised the tortoise illusory phantom.
Since the illusory phantom was of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise, that person must be the Solid Earth Black Tortoise’s Bearer. Only the Bearer of that Divine Spirit could activate such a defensive Secret Technique.
The person was none other than Fang Yue. Yang Kai had come into contact with him once and even plundered most of his Space Ring. No one knew where he had been, but he finally appeared because of the Innate Fruit Tree.
The Earth Element Power of the Solid Earth Black Tortoise was Seventh-Order at the very least, so ordinary techniques were unable to damage it in the slightest. Unless Fang Yue’s opponent also had a Seventh-Order Element Power of a different Element, it would be all but impossible to deal with him.
Therefore, after the tortoise illusory phantom appeared, someone used an extraordinary Wood Element Power, which transformed into many shadows as they struck out at Fang Yue.
The illusory phantom kept shaking and its light dimmed significantly; nevertheless, Fang Yue was already within 30 metres of the fruit tree as he reached out his hand for the spirit fruit.
“Do you think you’re invincible inside that turtle shell? I’ll cut you in half!” Ding Yi was heard bellowing as he raised his sword and his entire figure was engulfed in flames. A fire was seen swirling around the blade, and following a howl, a three-legged exotic bird left the sword and swooped down on Fang Yue.
Ding Yi was the Bearer of the Divine Spirit Bi Fang. Bi Fang was a Fire Attribute Divine Spirit who had used his own Monster Core to help Ding Yi condense his Fire Element.
Some time ago, at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds Tree, Ding Yi had used this move when battling the man surnamed Gou. The power of this slash was majestic, as though it could burn the entire world down.
Fang Yue sported a solemn expression at last. Although the illusory phantom of Solid Earth Black Turtle was remarkable, and it allowed him to ignore most attacks, he was still wary of a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power. Moreover, his defensive Secret Technique had been greatly worn down already.
After just a moment of hesitation though, he still steadfastly reached for the spirit fruit. Following a loud boom, Fang Yue shook a little as countless cracks appeared on his illusory phantom, as though it would fall apart at any moment. Still, it was able to protect him.
On the other hand, after Ding Yi made such a move, all his skin turned red as though he was a shrimp that had been cooked. Steam was billowing from his body, and blood was streaming out of his seven orifices. His sword-holding hand was trembling slightly.
Although his aptitude was not bad, it wasn’t good enough to condense a Seventh-Order Element. Be it his Dao Seal or his own physique, neither were able to bear the Seventh-Order Fire Element Power; however, Bi Fang didn’t care about this and forcefully had Ding Yi condense that power to increase his chance of snatching the Innate Spirit Fruit.
Therefore, even though Ding Yi possessed a Seventh-Order Fire Element, he wouldn’t dare to hastily use it, for it put a huge burden on himself. If he used it too many times, he might suffer fatal backlash.
This was the same case for many Bearers. Without building a solid enough foundation, a High-Rank Element Power was forced upon them by their Divine Spirit. They might appear to be powerful on the surface, but they would be haunted by endless trouble in the future.
On the other hand, the Divine Spirit behind Qu Hua Shang was Fei Yi, who wasn’t focused on a particular Element, making it impossible for her to condense a specific Seventh-Order Element. Fei Yi could only help improve her using other ways. This kind of benefit was far more reliable and without any potential trouble.
Although there were many cracks on the tortoise illusory phantom, it didn’t show signs of coming apart any time soon.
Following Ding Yi’s move, Lin Feng from True Martial Cave Heaven released a roar as a river appeared in the sky. Water was seen moving rapidly as though it was a real flood that was coming at its target.
This guy was abducted by Kun Sha previously. Kun Sha was a Water Attribute Divine Spirit, so it was expected that he would help Lin Feng condense his Water Element.
Nevertheless, since the Water Element was the gentlest amongst the Five Elements, despite it being Seventh-Order, it wasn’t as awe-inspiring as Ding Yi’s move. Still, there were many ferocious-looking illusory sharks in the river that gnawed at their target.
*Kacha…*
The tortoise illusory phantom around Fang Yue dimmed and almost collapsed, but he still guffawed, “This fruit is mine now!”
During this exchange of blows, he had already reached the Innate Fruit Tree and was about to pick the fruit.
Just then, a purple bamboo lightly whizzed towards him. It was Xiang Ying who had made a move!
The purple bamboo was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The tortoise illusory phantom finally shattered and Fang Yue’s figure was revealed.
The smile on Fang Yue’s face froze as a sense of crisis rose within him. Without thinking, he hurriedly moved aside and didn’t dare take the spirit fruit.
*Hong hong hong…*
Countless attacks struck the place where he was standing just before. If he hadn’t fled in time, he would’ve passed away on the spot since he didn’t have the illusory phantom’s protection now.
“You…” Fang Yue was exasperated. He was about to obtain the spirit fruit, but failed in his attempt at the last moment. He was so furious that he almost spat blood.
All of them finally fended off this reckless guy who relied on the protection of a turtle shell, but before they could breathe a sigh of relief, their hearts leapt to their throats again. That was because three figures, one man and two women, had silently managed to approach the Innate Fruit Tree. They were none other than Yang Kai, Qu Hua Shang, and Gu Pan.
When Yang Kai heard Fang Yue’s voice earlier, he knew that the chance he had been waiting for had arrived.
He had come into contact with Fang Yue once, so he knew that the latter’s defence was remarkable. With Fang Yue attracting everyone’s attention and attacks, Yang Kai and the two women could easily approach the fruit tree.
Everyone turned to look at the three of them and got ready to strike. Both apprehensive and excited, Qu Hua Shang whispered to Yang Kai, “I can fend off their attacks for one breath.”
After she finished speaking, she swung her hair as a red hairband came apart and turned into countless threads before guarding the space around them.
She meant it when she said that she could fend off the attacks for one breath, as one breath later, all the red threads disintegrated. Qu Hua Shang grunted, and her face turned pale.
Yang Kai bellowed, “Dragon Shield!”
After he surged his Earth Element Power, Dragon Shields appeared and hovered around the three of them. Every Dragon Shield was made from a life-like Dragon that appeared quite imposing.
Yang Kai’s Earth Element Power was derived from the essence of a True Earth Dragon’s Dragon Bead. It was just as solid as, if not more so than Fang Yue’s Solid Earth Black Tortoise Power.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had to comprehend this Dragon Shield Divine Ability on his own, while Fang Yue inherited his technique straight from a real Solid Earth Black Tortoise. Moreover, the Solid Earth Black Tortoise was an expert in defence, so the Earth Attribute Great Dragon was no match for the tortoise in this regard.
Therefore, the defence capability of Yang Kai’s Dragon Shield wasn’t on par with the one cast by Fang Yue earlier. Still, Yang Kai could condense them in large numbers, so he and the two ladies were surrounded on all eight sides.
Struck by innumerable attacks, the Dragon Shields broke apart one by one. These eight Dragon Shields lasted only three breaths.
Yang Kai reached out his hand and was about to pick the Innate Spirit Fruit the next instant.
“Junior Sister Gu!” Qu Hua Shang exclaimed.
Without uttering a word, Gu Pan fished out a paintbrush that was half her height. Hugging it with both hands, she swiped it at the void and shouted, “Ink!”
It was as though she was about to draw a painting in the sky. Following her move, a gigantic ink dot appeared and rapidly expanded.
The next instant, the entire world turned dim and all anyone could see was darkness. Even their Divine Senses had been shrouded and they could no longer hear anything. All of them had become blind and deaf.
One breath later, the strange anomaly dissipated, and when they all turned to look at the spirit tree, their eyes widened. That was because Yang Kai was already grabbing the Innate Spirit Fruit with an excited expression.
However, his expression soon became awkward, turning from excited to shocked and puzzled.
Yang Kai became rooted to the spot as everyone was staring fixedly at him.
Qu Hua Shang saw this and exclaimed in exasperation, “What are you doing? Take it and run already!”
The three of them had warded off countless attacks and finally got close to the Innate Fruit Tree; however, Yang Kai was just holding the fruit without picking it. Was he sick of living?
Certainly, Yang Kai also intended to pick the fruit and run, but he realised that he couldn’t grab anything. Both the Innate Fruit Tree and the Innate Spirit Fruit had seemingly materialised, but at the same time, they were illusory and intangible. His hand directly passed through the Innate Spirit Fruit without any hindrance.
Realising that something was off, Qu Hua Shang took a closer look and was astounded. Their Divine Spirits had never told them about such a situation. At that instant, both Yang Kai and she didn’t know what to do.
After giving it a thought, they realised that the Divine Spirits might not have intentionally hidden anything from them. The Divine Spirits might not know what would happen either. They only knew that in order to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they had to rely on the power of the Innate Spirit Fruit; however, throughout history, the Bearers who had gotten the Innate Spirit Fruits and their Divine Spirits would leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary as soon as possible, so the rest of the Divine Spirits would have no idea what happened in the Primordial Land.
[What should we do?] Qu Hua Shang looked anxiously at Yang Kai as she thought.
Gu Pan said in a hushed voice, “Do we keep staying here?”
Everyone stopped attacking and looked dazedly at Yang Kai while furrowing their brows. None of them had expected that the thing they were scrambling to snatch was so uncanny. Since Yang Kai was unable to pick the spirit fruit, the rest of them probably wouldn’t be able to either.
At that instant, the place fell into silence. Nevertheless, anyone in Yang Kai’s shoes would’ve felt apprehensive as all eyes were still on him.
Yang Kai continuously tried, but he just couldn’t grab the spirit fruit no matter what he did. Furious, he released his Divine Sense to grasp at it.
The next instant, following a crack, the spirit fruit broke apart and turned into wisps of light right in front of everyone’s eyes, stunning them all.
Even Yang Kai became rooted to the spot as he felt a cold chill run up his back. He just wanted to give it a try by using his Divine Sense, but he never expected that he would shatter the Innate Spirit Fruit! It never crossed his mind that the spirit fruit was so fragile.
The Innate Spirit Fruit was broken!
Several dozen Bearers bore the missions and responsibilities given to them by their respective Divine Spirits. They scrambled to snatch this Innate Spirit Fruit and some of them were severely injured or even killed, but now, the spirit fruit was shattered by Yang Kai.
A myriad of emotions like shock, puzzlement, and fury came over the crowd. At that instant, all of them looked resentfully at Yang Kai. Without the Innate Spirit Fruit, none of them could explain themselves to their Divine Spirit backers after they left the Primordial Land. If their Divine Spirits were mild-tempered, they might still stand a chance to survive; however, if their Divine Spirits were like Kun Sha, they were bound to die.
What Yang Kai had done had practically cut off their futures. This was an absolutely irreconcilable enmity!
However, what was strange was that after the Innate Spirit Fruit shattered, its spiritual lights didn’t dissipate immediately and instead, they streamed into the back of Yang Kai’s hand.
At that moment, Yang Kai felt the back of his hand burning, and as more wisps of light streamed into it, a peculiar yet abstruse pattern began to appear on his skin.
Following the formation of the pattern, a realisation suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai. Instantly, he figured out the uses of the Innate Spirit Fruit and the reason that the people selected by the Divine Spirits were called Bearers.
A Divine Spirit needed to use their Bearer’s body as a medium for the Innate Spirit Fruit’s power in order to escape the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s restrictions and leave this place.
The Innate Spirit Fruit was always destined to shatter and form this peculiar pattern. These pitiful Bearers thought that they had to pick the Innate Spirit Fruit and bring it back to their Divine Spirits, and even Yang Kai believed that was the case. It was probably how the Divine Spirits thought the spirit fruit was used as well.
In fact, the truth was different from their imagination. Regardless, Yang Kai had now truly obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit!
The turn of events took place too quickly. First, Yang Kai shattered the Innate Spirit Fruit and stunned everyone. Following that, the wisps of lights streamed into the back of his hand and formed an intricate pattern. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Although the others had no idea what the pattern was for, they believed that it was the key to their survival and rise. Since the spirit fruit was gone, they had to snatch this key!
In unison, all of them activated their Secret Techniques and attacked Yang Kai.
The expressions of Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan changed as they hurriedly used their own methods to fend off the approaching attacks. Although they were strong even amongst the Bearers present, there were too many people on the opposing side, so after just three breaths later, they fell into a perilous situation.
Yang Kai activated his Dragon Shield Technique again to protect them before he manipulated Space Principles to bring all of them away. When they reappeared, they were already three kilometres away.
Before he even stood firm though, Fang Yue charged towards him with a solemn expression and bellowed, “Senior Brother Yang, pardon my offence!”
Upon saying so, a stone lotus suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Initially, the stone lotus was small as it swirled around but it expanded rapidly. The lotus leaves probably came in a thousand layers.
Yang Kai arched his brow as he could clearly feel a Divine Medicine’s aura coming from this stone lotus. In other words, this stone lotus was a Divine Medicine. He wondered what the stone lotus was capable of doing and when Fang Yue obtained it.
The last time they met, Fang Yue didn’t possess such a thing. It seemed that he had come across an amazing opportunity as well.
The stone lotus twirled as its petals turned into sharp blades that loudly cut through the Void. No one dared to go near a radius of 300 metres around him.
Although Fang Yue was outstanding, he had only showcased his defensive capabilities so far. Now that he used such a move, it was apparent that he no longer intended to hide his true capabilities.
“Run!” Qu Hua Shang exclaimed. Now that Yang Kai had acquired the Innate Spirit Fruit, the best plan for him was to escape. If he stayed here, he would put himself in a tight spot after being besieged.
Ignoring her though, Yang Kai extended his hand. Following a Dragon Roar, the Azure Dragon Spear appeared and he thrust out. A fist-sized black hole flashed at the tip of his spear as he shouted, “Brother Fang, defend yourself.”
Sensing the spear thrust’s terrifying power, Fang Yue became extremely solemn. The black hole expanded right before his eyes, as though it was going to cover the entire world and he felt as if he would never be able to escape from it.
The speed at which the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus beneath his feet whirled around increased dramatically.
Following a loud boom, a gigantic black hole came into everyone’s view. The black hole seemed to have been filled with the aura of chaos and nothingness. The Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus stopped rotating and Fang Yue was sent flying away.
At the same time, Yang Kai staggered back a couple of steps. Even though he successfully warded Fang Yue off with his spear, he had also suffered some impact.
The next instant, countless attacks came right at Yang Kai. Qu Hua Shang’s face turned ashen. She was standing alongside Yang Kai, so she was also in the middle of this barrage of attacks. Even if she wouldn’t lose her life, being severely injured was a given. At that moment, she had the urge to give Yang Kai a real piece of her mind.
All of a sudden, a Sun leapt out of Yang Kai’s back. The Golden Crow was heard cawing and it flew around the Sun. At the same time, a terrifying aura out.
Gold Crow Casts the Sun!
With the Great Sun hanging in the sky, many Divine Abilities melted away before they even got close to Yang Kai while those that remained had their power significantly reduced. Yang Kai wielded his spear as innumerable spear shadows blocked those attacks.
A series of explosions was continuously heard and a moment later, Yang Kai kept his spear while panted slightly.
Everyone stared dazedly at the Sun behind Yang Kai and felt extremely helpless in their hearts. They had heard that a Divine Manifestation was insanely powerful, but not everyone had seen or witnessed it before. It wasn’t until this moment that they experienced the might of a Divine Manifestation.
A glimmer of hope radiated from Qu Hua Shang’s eyes as she took Yang Kai’s arm and urged, “Let’s now escape!”
However, Yang Kai patted her hand and flashed a smile at her to get her to calm down. Qu Hua Shang frowned, not knowing what he was up to now.
Many figures swooped towards them from all directions, and even the sky above them had been shaded as everyone surrounded Yang Kai and the ladies. Despite knowing that Yang Kai’s Divine Manifestation was horrifying, they were not willing to give up as their lives were at risk now.
Yang Kai swept a glance over them and said slowly, “Does any one of you want to challenge me?”
With the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus beneath his feet, Fang Yue flew back over and glanced at the Sun behind Yang Kai before heaving a sigh. He had given it his all just now and knew that he was no match for Yang Kai, so he didn’t want to embarrass himself again.
Although some people were eager to give it a shot, they wouldn’t dare to make the first move.
A moment later, someone bellowed, “Yang Kai, although you are indeed peerless here, it doesn’t mean you can defeat all of us. Since you’ve obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit, why are you still trying to embarrass us? Do you enjoy taunting us? In that case, we’d rather kill you and go to Hell together. None of us can escape unscathed anyways!”
Hearing this, many people nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai shot that person a glance and put on a smile, “Fellow Brother, you’ve misunderstood my intentions. I’m not trying to embarrass all of you; instead, I want to make a deal with you all.”
Xu Zhen sighed and called out, “Brother Yang, please just speak plainly.”
He was on good terms with Yang Kai, so he wasn’t sure if he should make a move now. If he did nothing, he couldn’t explain himself to Zhu Yan. Nevertheless, even if he made a move, he might not be able to gain the upper hand.
Yang Kai raised his right hand, and the peculiar pattern on the back of his hand immediately attracted everyone’s attention, “I have no idea why the Innate Spirit Fruit has turned into this pattern, but this should be what the Divine Spirits want. If I’m not mistaken, as long as anyone can kill me, this pattern will also be transferred to that person.”
Hearing that, everyone broke out into a commotion, and several of the gazes turned piercing.
Qu Hua Shang turned to look at Yang Kai and became anguished. Was this guy an idiot? Why would you reveal such a secret at this point in time?
Yang Kai grinned widely seeing the crowd’s reaction and continued, “However, anyone who intends to do so should be prepared to be killed by me.”
He paused for a moment before mentioning, “Also…”
Then, he disappeared all of a sudden. Their expressions of everyone changed as none of them noticed how Yang Kai disappeared despite the fact that they had surrounded him and locked onto his aura.
Before they could figure out what happened, Yang Kai’s voice was heard coming from a different direction, “If I want to flee, none of you can stop me.”
In front of everyone’s eyes, Yang Kai slowly returned from three kilometres away.
All of them were dumbstruck as they looked dazedly at him. A long while later, Xu Zhen put on a helpless smile and commented, “Alright. You win.”
He decided to cast away the plan he had come up with. First, Yang Kai showcased exceptional combat strength, then he revealed his Space Secret Technique. Basically, no one at the scene could defeat or capture him.
He was fine with battling against them, but no one could stop him if he wanted to leave, unless someone could seal off the local space in advance. Nevertheless, once a battle took place, any hastily arranged seal would be broken.
At that instant, many of their expressions turned dark and solemn.
Since the Spirit Seizing War started, Yang Kai had undoubtedly become the clear winner, and the other Bearers only served as foils, which was why they were upset.
“Brother Yang, do you mind enlightening us on what you want?” Ning Dao Ran asked with a frown.
Yang Kai had already snatched the Innate Spirit Fruit, so he must have his own intentions for not leaving. Nevertheless, no one knew what he was up to.
“I wouldn’t dare to enlighten Brother Ning in any way.” Yang Kai shot him a look, “I just want to give all of you a chance to live.”
“Yang Kai, stop stalling and just spit it out!” Lin Feng appeared incensed. He was one of the top disciples from True Martial Cave Heaven, but he was now defeated by some guy that came from nowhere, which was why he was displeased.
Yang Kai explained, “There’s only one Innate Spirit Fruit. Now that it’s in my hands, you’ll have to kill me if you want to snatch it, but that will be difficult. However, if you can’t get the spirit fruit, you won’t be able to explain yourselves to your respective Divine Spirits.”
Everyone’s expression darkened when they heard that. This matter was what they were worried about. Divine Spirits were naturally not easy-going beings. They had paid a hefty price to nurture these Bearers and increase their strength. Some of the Divine Spirits even used the powers of their Monster Cores to help their Bearers so that they could leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Now that these Bearers had failed to accomplish their missions, they would have to face the Divine Spirits’ wrath right after they left this place.
“Do you have a suggestion, then? Can you appease the Divine Spirits?” Someone yelled. In that case, their safety could be guaranteed at the very least.
Yang Kai replied with a wry smile, “No one can appease the Divine Spirits. I’m not capable of doing that. But… What if I told you that I can help you avoid them? If they can’t find you, they won’t be able to harm you. Right?”
Ning Dao Ran’s interest was piqued, “Tell us more.”
All of these Bearers had been left with an imprint by their respective Divine Spirits, so once they left the Primordial Land, there was no way they could escape from their eyes.
They had no idea whether Yang Kai was given such an imprint, but they believed he had one.
Yang Kai opened his palm and summoned a bead into it. Then, he raised it and said, “This is the Sealed World Bead, a self-contained world. It can accommodate any living creatures that are below the Open Heaven Realm. If all of you trust me, you can hide inside the bead and avoid the Divine Spirits’ eyes.”
“Sealed World Bead?”
“An independent world?”
“Isn’t that like a Small Universe?”
A commotion broke out as everyone observed the Sealed World Bead in amazement.
There were rarely any artifacts that could accommodate living creatures; however, the Small Universe inside an Open Heaven Realm Master’s body could do that because it was a world of its own. It could be said that an Open Heaven Realm Master’s strength was directly correlated to the Small Universe inside their body.
After Yang Kai fished out the Sealed World Bead, many gazes brightened as they became less hostile. If they could make use of this thing to avoid the Divine Spirits’ search, it was actually a feasible solution.
However, all of them were cautious. Yang Kai’s suggestion sounded terrific, but they didn’t know what was really on his mind.
A moment later, someone asked what everyone else was wondering, “What benefits will you get from doing this? What do you want?”
Just like what Yang Kai had said, no one at the scene could stop him if he wanted to leave; however, instead of doing just that, he made such a suggestion, which was why they were doubtful.
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “There’s nothing that I want. If there’s any benefit to be gained… It’s just that, we can end the Spirit Seizing War. Moreover, after all of you enter the Sealed World Bead, you won’t tell anyone that I’ve obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit. After I leave the Primordial Land, I can buy some time to flee that way.”
He was left with no other choice. It wasn’t that he was selfless, but if he didn’t do this, regardless of whether these Bearers could stop him, they would never let him off, which was troublesome. Furthermore, once they left the Primordial Land, the Divine Spirits would immediately find out what had happened. By then, not only would Yang Kai be hunted down by these people, but also by the Divine Spirits behind them.
In that case, Yang Kai decided to bring them all away. By doing so, he could also make them owe him a favour. These people were bound to achieve great things in the future, so having them owe him a life-saving debt would not be a bad idea. Moreover, just like what Yang Kai had said, he could buy some time to flee by doing this.
The Spirit Seizing War didn’t stop after someone snatched the Innate Spirit Fruit, it would only end if he could safely leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
If it weren’t for this reason, Yang Kai would’ve fled as soon as he got the Innate Spirit Fruit instead of remaining here.
Many people were convinced by his sincerity and it was not long before someone was heard laughing. With his sword over his shoulder, Ding Yi strode towards Yang Kai and said happily, “Brother Yang, I trust you. This Ding will quit the Spirit Seizing War!”
Upon reaching Yang Kai, he turned around and faced the others.
Qu Hua Shang and Gu Pan traded glances before stepping towards him. Previously, they had come to an agreement with Yang Kai that they would fend off their opponents and snatch the spirit fruit before coming up with any further plans. Since there was a way that could avoid a battle now, they no longer had the urge to snatch the spirit fruit.
After giving it a thought, the little fatty, Xu Zhen, approached Yang Kai, and he was followed by Xiang Ying.
Just a moment later, seven or eight Bearers had come to Yang Kai’s side. Following this good start, things became easier. Subsequently, more people flew over and nodded at Yang Kai before curbing their aura and hostility.
With an apologetic expression, Fang Yue came over with the Thousand Leaves Stone Lotus beneath his feet, “Senior Brother Yang, count me in!”
Yang Kai nodded at him, and seeing as Yang Kai didn’t hold a grudge with him, Fang Yue breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he turned his head and glared at the Bearers who were still hesitant, “Senior Brother Yang is magnanimous enough to leave the past behind and bring all of us out of this place! What are you hesitating for? Or, do you want to inform the Divine Spirits what has happened after you leave the Primordial Land?”
Fang Yue’s words were extremely vicious, and as soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the people beside Yang Kai turned cold as they looked cautiously at the Bearers who remained indecisive.
Since they had accepted Yang Kai’s suggestion, they were now riding the same boat as him. If Yang Kai was safe, they would stand a chance to live; however, if he fell into a perilous situation, they would also suffer.
Earlier, Yang Kai was the only one who was worried that word would get out, but now, a large group of people had the same concern. Faced with the threatening glares, the twenty or so Bearers who hadn’t made a decision yet felt their hearts jumping to their throats. They came to the realisation that if they didn’t make their stance clear immediately, they would have to face their rage.
Hesitating no more, they leapt towards Yang Kai and cupped his fists at him before calling him ‘Senior Brother Yang’.
Yang Kai replied to them in a humble manner.
Things were looking up as none of the Bearers had rejected his suggestion.
Since everything had been decided, Yang Kai told them to set their minds at ease and put them all inside the Sealed World Bead before settling them down in a particular place. After he was done with all that, he let out a long breath.
The Spirit Seizing War had finally come to an end. He had gotten the Innate Spirit Fruit, and now, he had to deal with those Divine Spirits. In order to safely leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had to come up with a proper plan.
With a deep gaze, he stared fixedly at the abstruse pattern on the back of his hand. With this thing in his possession, Yang Kai could flip the situation around and make Zhu Jiu Yin pay for what she had done.
While he was lost in his thoughts though, he suddenly felt an immense repulsive force coming at him from all directions. Looking up, he saw that the Innate Fruit Tree disintegrated and turned into points of light before leaving with the wind.
The Innate Fruit Tree was intangible as was just a convergence of energy. Now that the spirit fruit was taken away by Yang Kai, the foundation on which it existed was gone.
Since the fruit tree fell apart, the Primordial Land would soon close.
Yang Kai relaxed and let the force send him away. After the world around him spun for a moment, he realised that he was already outside the Primordial Land. Without hesitation, he summoned the Shadowless Veil and covered himself with it in order to conceal his aura and whereabouts.
Right after he was done with all that, many powerful Divine Senses swept across the place he stood from all directions and engulfed him.
It was apparent to Yang Kai that these Divine Senses belonged to the Divine Spirits who had been waiting outside the Primordial Land.
Since the Primordial Land had closed, they had to immediately look for their Bearers to find out whether they had succeeded.
Yang Kai held his breath and fell silent.
Soon, the Divine Senses left and went on to investigate other places. Knowing that the Shadowless Veil had worked, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
In the outside world, there was no way an artifact like the Shadowless Veil could deceive the Divine Spirits’ senses as each of them was just as powerful as a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. The Shadowless Veil could only block off the investigation of Low-Rank Masters while Mid-Rank cultivators would not see through it without careful probing. These Divine Spirits on the other hand were immensely powerful in comparison.
However, they were now in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary where the powers of these Divine Spirits had been greatly suppressed, giving Yang Kai a chance to take advantage of the situation.
The area around him was a mess. After the Primordial Land was closed, all the cultivators who were still alive inside it were sent out and scattered in a radius of a few hundred kilometres.
Yang Kai swept a glance over his surroundings and realised that only forty or fifty thousand cultivators had survived. It had to be noted that more than two hundred thousand people had entered the Primordial Land, but after just a short period of time, so many people had lost their lives, which went to show how dangerous this adventure had been.
Yang Kai dared not stay in this place nor use too much of his strength, so he cautiously moved away in silence.
The Divine Senses of the Divine Spirits kept criss-crossing one another, forcing Yang Kai to stop and hide, which significantly slowed him down, resulting in him taking an entire hour just to move a hundred kilometres.
At the same time, the Divine Spirits outside the Primordial Land sported dark expressions because they couldn’t detect the auras of their Bearers at all.
It wouldn’t have mattered if it happened only to some individuals, which would suggest that these Bearers were too weak or unlucky and had died in the Primordial Land. However, something clearly was off as all of them had gone missing.
Throughout history, the Primordial Land had opened countless times, and there wasn’t a single time where the situation was so strange. All of the Bearers had gone missing, and it wasn’t certain whether they were dead or alive.
The Divine Spirits looked inquisitively at each other as they were both shocked and doubtful. What happened in the Primordial Land that made all of their Bearers disappear?
Atop a certain hill, Yue He anxiously gazed around. Even though she was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it wasn’t easy for her to detect Yang Kai among these several tens of thousands of people. Unable to find him, she looked to Zhu Jiu Yin and asked, “Have you found Young Master?”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s expression was extremely dark, and hearing this question, she snorted, “No. I guess that little brat has lost his life.”
Since Yang Kai couldn’t immediately leave the Primordial Land, he must have fallen into danger.
She didn’t understand though. Yang Kai couldn’t be considered weak; in fact, he was undoubtedly the most powerful among all the Bearers, so how was it possible that he had lost his life? His death didn’t matter to Zhu Jiu Yin, but it had ruined her plans, [Am I going to be stuck in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary again?]
No one knew when the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would open up again, and even if it did, there might not be a single person who could come in.
Guo Zi Yan comforted Yue He by saying, “Sir is an extremely lucky man, so I’m sure he’ll be fine. Lady Yue He, please don’t worry. Maybe he was held up by something.”
Hearing that, Zhu Jiu Yin sneered, “When the Primordial Land closes, all who are still alive inside it will be forced out. Since Yang Kai hasn’t appeared, there’s no way… Hmm?”
As she spoke, she suddenly turned to look in a particular direction as her eyes flashed. For a brief moment, she detected Yang Kai’s aura before it disappeared. Recalling a certain artifact in Yang Kai’s possession, Zhu Jiu Yin soon figured everything out.
Following a loud boom, a surge of energy caused over a thousand cultivators to lose their lives on the spot. Some Divine Spirits furiously made a move because they couldn’t find their Bearers.
With no hope to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, these Divine Spirits wouldn’t care whether these people lived or died, so they went on a killing spree to vent their fury.
Fei Yi’s burly figure moved across the crowd as he hissed and widened his bloody mouth. There was a horrifying suction coming from his gaping jaws as he continuously swallowed up cultivators. Previously, Qu Hua Shang was around to stop him from feasting on these cultivators, but now that she was gone, and with no hope to leave this world, he decided to fill his stomach.
The place descended into chaos. Several tens of thousands of cultivators were both stunned and horrified. Many people had finally escaped from the Primordial Land after having gained immense wealth and opportunities. Initially, they thought that they could surge to great heights in the near future, but before their dreams came true, they were slaughtered.
Countless figures hurriedly ran away. In just half a cup of tea’s time, 30% of the cultivators were killed.
A hundred kilometres away, Yang Kai turned a terrified gaze towards this slaughter.
Fortunately, he had run away earlier; otherwise, he would’ve lost his life by now. Pulling his Shadowless Veil tighter, he thought that if Zhu Jiu Yin had really left a tracking technique on his body, she should’ve noticed him by now.
Regardless, he couldn’t stay in this place. He reckoned that he’d just contact Yue He at a later time.
Half a day later, all the noises behind him died down. Upon entering a certain valley, Yang Kai dispelled the Shadowless Veil’s concealment for a moment before quickly covering himself up again.
A moment later, a ray of light was seen rapidly approaching him from the horizon. Seeing that, Yang Kai snorted, knowing that Zhu Jiu Yin had really left a tracking mark on his body; otherwise, she couldn’t have found him so quickly.
The ray of light was so swift that in the blink of an eye, the distance between them had significantly shortened.
Yang Kai took off the Shadowless Veil and revealed himself fully. Narrowing his eyes, he saw four figures in that ray of light, who were none other than Zhu Jiu Yin, Yue He, and the others.
However, the next instant, Yang Kai’s expression changed drastically as he shouted, “Zhu Jiu Yin, are you stupid!? How could you not know people were following you!? If I die it will be all your fault!”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and fled because several rays of light were seen relentlessly chasing after Zhu Jiu Yin.
Among the rays of light, Jin Wu was leading the way while he was followed by Zhu Yan, Kun Sha, and several others. There were seven or eight Divine Spirits in total.
Fei Yi had turned into a two-headed man as one of his heads was seen cackling, “Brother Jin Wu, you’re indeed clever. How did you find out that something was off with the cheap slut Zhu Jiu Yin?”
Jin Wu snorted, “That woman had three captives with her. If they became useless, why would she keep them alive? She wouldn’t let them survive for no reason. What this King doesn’t understand is why the other Bearers have gone missing. Why has only this cheap slut’s Bearer appeared?”
Kun Sha scoffed, “We’ll know after we capture and interrogate him.”
Zhu Yan said, “Since he’s the only one out of the dozens of Bearers who has appeared, it’s likely that the Innate Spirit Fruit is with him. If we capture him, one of us will be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
“Let’s see who will be able to catch him, then. Oh… that Brat is running away pretty quickly. Is he using some kind of Space Secret Technique? Incredible!”
Given Yang Kai’s cultivation and speed, there was no way he could get rid of the Divine Spirits, but his Space Secret Technique made it possible for him to stay ahead of them somewhat.
Between them, Zhu Jiu Yin was so mad that she almost spat blood. Certainly, she wanted to secretly contact Yang Kai and obtain the Innate Spirit Fruit. She didn’t know what was up with Jin Wu, but as soon as she left, he immediately chased after her, and she was unable to get rid of him.
Given enough time, she could have attempted to get rid of these annoying fellows. Nevertheless, since the Primordial Land had closed, it meant that there wasn’t much time left for them. That was why she didn’t have the time to brush off Jin Wu and the others as she directly chased after Yang Kai.
As she approached him, she spoke to him via Divine Sense, “Smelly brat, stop running! Did you get the Innate Spirit Fruit?”
A furious Yang Kai naturally hastened his pace further as he shouted, “Should I wait for death if I don’t run? Of course, I obtained the Innate Spirit Fruit!”
“Show me.” Zhu Jiu Yin’s voice was trembling.
Yang Kai almost couldn’t contain the urge to curse. He was trying his best to hide the spirit fruit, but this woman was making him fish it out instead.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t be blamed for this suggestion. If she couldn’t see the spirit fruit, she couldn’t be certain whether Yang Kai was telling the truth. If he had obtained it, the coming fight would be worth it. However, if he was lying, she didn’t have to keep wasting time.
With a dark expression, Yang Kai raised his right hand and revealed the pattern.
A puzzled Zhu Jiu Yin asked, “What is this?”
Yang Kai bellowed, “It’s the Innate Spirit Fruit! The fruit broke apart and became this.”
After becoming startled for a moment, Zhu Jiu Yin soon realised something and exclaimed, “I see!”
“Are you happy now?” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth. He didn’t mind showing her the pattern, but the problem was that Jin Wu and the others could also see it. Presently, their gazes sparkled as they had also realised the crux of the matter. They stared fixedly at Yang Kai as their expressions were filled with greed and excitement.
“Come close to me. I’ll take you away!” Zhu Jiu Yin secretly spoke to him as she suppressed the excitement in her heart.
Without turning his head, Yang Kai kept dashing forward. He didn’t care that his energy was rapidly depleting, “You should get rid of them first, then we’ll talk!”
Following that, Jin Wu suddenly yelled, “Brat, whatever Zhu Jiu Yin promised you, I can double it! Besides that, if you help this King leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, this King can be your Protector for 300 years!”
Hearing that, Zhu Yan hurriedly countered, “Brat, I’m willing to give you my entire collection and become your Protector for 300 years!”
One of Fei Yi’s heads was seen grinning, “This King can be your Protector for 500 years!”
All of these Divine Spirits competed against each other and made very attractive offers, and upon hearing them, Yang Kai was indeed tempted.
Nonetheless, to Yang Kai, all of these Divine Spirits were not as important as Jin Wu. That guy’s Monster Core was of the Metal Attribute, which was what Yang Kai needed the most right now. If they could come to an agreement, Yang Kai wouldn’t have to worry about gathering his Metal Element Power.
Apparently, Zhu Jiu Yin understood what was on his mind though. She was aware that Yang Kai needed a Metal Element treasure because she had helped him look for one before. Unfortunately, she was unable to find one.
Worried that Yang Kai would be tempted by Jin Wu’s offer, Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “Brat, don’t forget that these three people are still in my hands!”
Before Yang Kai entered the Primordial Land, Zhu Jiu Yin had captured Yue He, Lu Xue, and Guo Zi Yan. Unless he didn’t care whether they lived or died, he would have to listen to her commands.
Lu Xue could be ignored as Yang Kai wasn’t that close to her. They came into contact because of the matter regarding Sword Pavilion and she decided to side with him to seek his protection. That was all.
Nevertheless, he could never abandon Yue He and Guo Zi Yan. The former had helped him a lot while the latter was extremely loyal to him.
Zhu Jiu Yan didn’t dump them because she had to use them to threaten Yang Kai. By bringing these people with her, she had to expend more energy and it only served to slow her down.
Yang Kai scoffed, “Since I’ve come to an agreement with you, I won’t go back on my word, so you don’t have to worry. However, how are we supposed to get rid of them now?”
Zhu Jiu Yin hurriedly said, “After the Primordial Land closes, there isn’t much time left. A fog will cover the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at any moment, and when that happens, all of you will have to leave. Stop running and come closer to me!”
“The entire Grand Ancients Ruins Boundary is closing as well?” Yang Kai was elated upon hearing that, knowing that she wouldn’t lie to him at this point. It was no wonder that Zhu Jiu Yin was so eager to look for him even if she had to expose herself.
According to her, a fog would cover the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary at any moment. If she couldn’t achieve her goal by that time, all her efforts would go to waste. After giving it a thought, Yang Kai slowed down and waited for her to reach him.
Seeing that, Jin Wu and the others knew that they were in an unfavourable position. As soon as Zhu Jiu Yin and Yang Kai came together, their plan would fall through. At the thought of this, a ferocious glint flashed across Jin Wu’s eyes as he bellowed, “Zhu Jiu Yin, if this King can’t leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, I won’t allow you to feel any better! I’ll make sure you stay here forever!”
Upon finishing his words, he widened his mouth and roared, after which a golden light that lit up a hundred-kilometre radius shot towards Yang Kai.
A great sense of danger rose within Yang Kai as his pupils contracted. He had a feeling that he was engulfed in an aura of death.
Even though the Divine Spirits were suppressed in Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, which made sure that they couldn’t fully use their strength, this strike was still horrifying. Wherever the golden light passed, Heaven and Earth collapsed and space warped and tore asunder.
What terrified Yang Kai was that Jin Wu’s world-shaking strike had shattered the surrounding space, which disrupted the local Principles, making it impossible for him to use Instantaneous Movement.
Following a howl, the aura of a Divine Spirit permeated the air. A gigantic eight-legged spider illusory phantom suddenly appeared behind Zhu Jiu Yin. The spider was so massive that it almost covered the entire sky. There was a silver crescent moon on the back of the spider. It was the manifestation of her Heavenly Moon Demon Spider True Body.
At that instant, the entire world seemed to be filled with Monster Qi.
The golden light clashed with the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Manifestation, which then shook and dimmed a little.
“Jin Wu, you court death!” Zhu Jiu Yin was so infuriated that her beautiful facial features contorted.
Fortunately, she had reacted quickly just now; otherwise, Yang Kai would’ve been killed by that attack. Once that happened, she wouldn’t be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and she could only wait for the next opportunity.
However, it never crossed her mind that Jin Wu would be so resolute. As soon as he realised that there was no hope for him, he decided to end Yang Kai’s life. Even though he didn’t get the opportunity, he wouldn’t let someone else have it either. He was basically harming another person’s interest without benefiting himself.
Jin Wu cackled, “Cheap slut, kill this King if you can! I’m just afraid that you can’t!”
The competition between them had continued for countless years, so they basically had an irreconcilable grudge between them now. However, both of them were equally matched, so neither of them could gain the upper hand. Seeing as Zhu Jiu Yin was furious only pleased Jin Wu further.
Then, Jin Wu said in a grim voice, “Brothers, what are you waiting for? Stop your wishful thinking! That brat has to save those three captives, so there’s no way he’ll side with any of you!”
He had practically hit the nail on the head. The other Divine Spirits sighed and made a move without hesitation.
The horrifying attacks came right at Yang Kai, as though the Divine Spirits were determined to end his life on the spot.
All of Yang Kai’s hair stood on end as he felt a crawling sensation on his head. Earlier, Jin Wu’s attack alone almost sent him to the Yellow Springs. Now that eight Divine Spirits had made a move together, there was no way he could survive.
Even though Zhu Jiu Yin would protect him at all costs, he was still doomed.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai hurriedly used his Golden Crow Casts the Sun. A Great Sun immediately leapt from behind him as his aura surged.
*Hong hong hong…*
The attacks from the Divine Spirits collided with Zhu Jiu Yin’s True Body Manifestation and caused it to shatter. Her Soul shook and blood started leaking from her lips.
The Great Sun was destroyed at the same time and Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood as he became battered.
Just one round of attacks almost made him unable to endure. Fortunately, Zhu Jiu Yin had blocked most of the attacks for him, and he had a strong foundation as well as a sturdy Half-Dragon Body; otherwise, he would’ve lost his life by now.
“Oh, that brat actually survived!” Jin Wu was slightly shocked, but that was all. Even though Yang Kai could survive the first round of attacks, there was no way he would still be alive and kicking after the second round struck.
Before they could make a move again though, a severely injured Yang Kai suddenly vanished into thin air.
Despite the fact that this place was covered with the Divine Spirits’ Divine Senses, they had actually lost track of Yang Kai’s aura entirely.
Jin Wu was stunned as he gawked and asked, “Where is he?”
The other Divine Spirits were both shocked and doubtful, not knowing what had happened.
On the other hand, a glint flashed across Zhu Jiu Yin’s eyes. A blood mist suddenly surged around her as she shot forward in a particular direction like a bolt of lightning. Apparently, she had used a Secret Technique to significantly increase her speed.
“Follow her!” Jin Wu bellowed and relentlessly raced after her.
Yang Kai had disappeared for no reason, but as long as they pursued Zhu Jiu Yin, they could definitely find him.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in his home in the Scarlet Star’s Star City. As soon as he appeared, he sprayed out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, his aura extremely weak. Still reeling from the shock, he panted heavily.
He was fairly powerful now, and he emerged to be the top among the Bearers in the Spirit Seizing War. Without fighting against the Bearers, he was able to convince them to concede defeat and entrust their lives to him. However, compared to those Divine Spirits, he was still far too weak, to the point that they could kill him at will.
Just now, before the Divine Spirits launched the second round of attacks, he found an opening to flee by making use of a Space Beacon to return to the Star City.
It couldn’t be helped. If he remained there, he would’ve been greeted with even more horrifying attacks. He managed to survive the first round, but Yang Kai wasn’t confident that he could do the same again.
After he scanned himself with Divine Sense, his expression darkened. His injuries were truly severe. His physique was battered, and many of his bones were broken. His five viscera and six organs were shifted heavily and even his Dao Seal was shaking violently. Anyone else with such injuries could only wait for death. Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Wood Element Power was condensed from the Immortal Tree’s essence and his Dragon Vein was also extremely strong. As long as he wasn’t struck by a fatal attack, he could definitely restore himself.
With difficulty, he sat up by pressing his hands against the ground. After stuffing many Spirit Pills into his mouth, he started circulating his strength to adjust his breathing.
Just now, before he left, he had told Zhu Jiu Yin where he was heading. The Star City of Scarlet Star was pretty far away from the Primordial Land, and while he could make use of a Space Beacon and return in the blink of an eye, it would take Zhu Jiu Yin at least a day to come here.
With one day as a buffer, she might be able to get rid of Jin Wu and the others. The crux of the problem now was whether he had enough time to wait for her arrival.
She had said that after the Primordial Land closed, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog might appear at any moment. Once that happened, outsiders like Yang Kai would be ejected. If she hadn’t come back by then, things would become terrible.
Therefore, Yang Kai had to restore some strength as soon as possible and then go look for her. By doing so, he could save some time.
Four hours later, Yang Kai pushed the door open and left. Even though he was still injured, he was able to move around at the very least.
As soon as he passed through the door, he saw two burly figures waiting for him in the yard. They were none other than the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon. After the Primordial Land opened up, everyone in the Star City left, leaving only these two exotic beasts behind to guard this place.
Both of them had been subdued by Yang Kai not long after he arrived at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and they had stayed by his side for a long time and been quite loyal to him.
When the Scarlet Flood Dragon saw Yang Kai, a hint of surprise lit up in its huge eyes. On the other hand, the Earth Dragon directly widened his mouth and squirmed as its saliva scattered everywhere.
Yang Kai burst into laughter and respectively gave them a Dragon Blood Pill; then, he patted their heads and said, “Thanks for your company, but I have to leave soon. Take care. I hope that we will meet again one day.”
These guys had a bit of the Dragon Clan’s bloodlines, and Yang Kai had been feeding them with Dragon Blood Pills over the years, so they might be able to become Divine Spirits one day. If there was an opportunity for them, they might be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t likely to happen as their competitors were people like Jin Wu.
They already had some spirituality, and after Zhu Jiu Yin taught them, they had developed some sentience. Hearing what Yang Kai had said, they fell silent.
The Scarlet Flood Dragon looked longingly at him as it was unwilling to part with him. The bean-like eyes on the Earth Dragon’s smooth-looking head batted as well.
“Alright. I have to leave now,” Without wasting any more time, Yang Kai waved his hand and shot into the sky.
While the Scarlet Flood Dragon growled in a small voice, the Earth Dragon howled loudly.
The next instant, Yang Kai returned and sized up the two guys before glancing at the peculiar pattern on the back of his hand.
He had figured out the uses of this pattern as soon as he obtained it. Rather than a mere tattoo, it was actually a strange space, which could accommodate a Divine Spirit.
The Divine Spirits were born and bred in this place, so they were marked with the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s aura. That was why even when the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog appeared, which caused it to close, they were still unable to get rid of this place’s restrictions. However, if they hid inside the strange space, they could deceive the Heavens and avoid the inspection, thus allowing them to break free from the cage called the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
There was no other way they could achieve this.
Even if Yang Kai kept the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon inside the Small Sealed World, they would be intercepted by the World Principles here when he was forced to leave. That was why he had never intended to keep them inside the Sealed World Bead.
However, since the pattern on the back of his hand was able to accommodate a Divine Spirit, it should be alright for him to stuff these two into it as well. He shook the pattern and infused his energy into it, and the next moment, a glow radiated from the back of his hand and engulfed the pair.
Following that, these two guys were sucked into that strange space.
Yang Kai grunted and felt that half of the energy he had just restored was drained. It then dawned upon him that he had to pay a price for activating this pattern.
A lot of energy was needed to stuff these two into it, so he wondered how much energy he would have to spend to put Zhu Jiu Yin inside; after all, she was a Divine Spirit who was far stronger than these two.
A moment later, Yang Kai shot into the sky again and moved in a particular direction. Without any delay, he kept consuming pills to restore his strength on his way to his destination.
Two hours later, while he was moving forward at full speed, he suddenly sensed something and looked around, only to quickly curse, “Damn it!”
At this moment, a seemingly endless fog was billowing from the Void and filling the world. Yang Kai found the fog familiar as it was none other than the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog.
In the past, the entire Star City where Scarlet Star once stood was covered in this fog, whereupon they were sent into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that the fog reappeared, it meant that the process was about to be reversed.
Since the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was closing, all the outsiders would be forced out. If Yang Kai couldn’t reach Zhu Jiu Yin before that, Yue He and the others would be forced to remain here forever.
Without the hope to break free from this cage, Zhu Jiu Yin would vent her anger on them without a doubt.
With no time to spare, Yang Kai ignored the fact that he was seriously injured as he continuously manipulated Space Principles to charge forward at full speed.
Two hours later, the fog had thickened and was weltering. It seemed that the entire world would be filled with it soon.
Yang Kai could clearly feel that there was an aura in the fog that was connected to a different world. He knew that the fog had built a bridge between the outside world and the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary now.
However, Zhu Jiu Yin was still nowhere in sight, which made him feel anxious.
A moment later, Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as a ray of light was fast approaching him from the distance. It was none other than Zhu Jiu Yin. At this critical moment, they finally reunited.
Nevertheless, things were on the gloomy side as Jin Wu and the other Divine Spirits were still relentlessly pursuing her.
Zhu Jiu Yin’s gaze lit up when she saw Yang Kai as she hastened her pace. Before she even came close to him, she pulled him towards her using a thread of spider silk and continued fleeing.
“Why haven’t you gotten rid of them yet?” Yang Kai asked with displeasure.
Previously, he had made use of a Space Beacon to return to the Star City. First of all, he had to flee because Jin Wu and the others were determined to end his life. If he had stayed there, he would’ve fallen into mortal danger. Secondly, he had intended to distract their attention so that Zhu Jiu Yin would stand a chance to shake them off.
Nonetheless, his efforts apparently yielded no results.
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “This Queen is not skilled at fleeing. How am I supposed to get rid of them?” Her face was pale as she spoke.
In order to return to the Scarlet Star’s Star City as soon as possible, she had no choice but to use a Secret Technique that sacrificed her Blood Essence. Besides that, she was attacked by Jin Wu and the others on the way to her destination, so she was badly injured.
If she were on her own, she would have fared better. The problem was that she was bringing Yue He and the others with her and had to protect them.
Yue He and the others were what allowed her to control Yang Kai, but they had also become her burden while running away and made her suffer a setback. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t dare to dump any of them. If Yang Kai became infuriated, she wouldn’t be able to achieve her goal.
“Brat, we’re in trouble,” Zhu Jiu Yin sported a gloomy expression. She had completed the first step of her plan by reuniting with Yang Kai. Now, she just had to get into the strange space on the back of his hand, and when the Boundary closed, she would be able to leave with him.
All that took time though, and no matter how quick she was it would still require a few breaths, but that was enough for Jin Wu and the others to cut Yang Kai into ten thousand pieces.
“Can you leave this place just like how you did it previously?” Zhu Jiu Yin asked in a grim voice.
In a solemn manner, Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m sure you can sense that these guys have sealed off the surrounding space. Apparently, they’re worried that I’ll use the same trick again.”
As soon as Yang Kai and Zhu Jiu Yin came into contact, Jin Wu and the others surged their auras to seal off a large area of space around them. They had suffered a setback previously, which was why they wouldn’t allow Yang Kai to use the same trick.
“But…” Yang Kai paused for a moment, “If you’re able to break their seal, we can escape. Can you do it?”
“I’ll give it a try,” Zhu Jiu Yin nodded solemnly.
“Pass them to me,” Yang Kai said.
With a doubtful look, Zhu Jiu Yin shot him a glance.
Yang Kai snarled, “We’ve gone through so much together already, are you still worried that I’ll go back on my word now? Now that the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog has appeared, there’s not much time left. Who else can I work with other than you?”
Zhu Jiu Yin’s expression turned milder and nodded, “I hope that you are not lying to me.”
Upon saying that, she released Yue He and the others.
After telling them to relax, Yang Kai summoned the Six Fated Paths Bag and stuffed them into it. The three of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no way the Small Sealed World could accommodate them; he had no choice but to put them inside the Six Fated Paths Bag.
Just a moment later, the fog around them thickened as they almost couldn’t see the view around them clearly. Upon realising that they were running out of time, Jin Wu and the other pursuing Divine Spirits became agitated and their auras flared. While they were preparing to strike out again, they also cursed incessantly at their opponent.
Yang Kai took Zhu Jiu Yin’s wrist and said, “Do it now.”
Zhu Jiu Yin yelled, “Act swiftly!”
Saying so, a horrifying aura exploded from her body as the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Manifestation reappeared. All eight of its legs were dancing through the air while the silver moon on its back radiated a blinding glow. Countless threads of spider silk broke through the Void and attacked Jin Wu and the others in the next moment.
The Divine Spirits became furious and counterattacked, causing waves of energy to surge and turn the world pale.
As Zhu Jiu Yin’s Manifestation came apart under the bombardment, she grunted and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. She was facing eight Divine Spirits all on her own, which was why she suffered a total defeat. Even her Source had been damaged and her aura, which was originally near its peak still, plummeted significantly.
However, after the Divine Spirits traded moves, a crack appeared in their seal.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai’s gaze brightened as he activated his Space Beacon. A light covered Zhu Jiu Yin and him before they disappeared.
The next instant, eight attacks whizzed past the place where they had stayed earlier and shattered the Void; however, they were nowhere to be seen.
Jin Wu and the others reached the place and scanned the surroundings with their Divine Senses. Discovering nothing, they knew that Yang Kai had fled again. Unable to take it anymore, Jin Wu howled at the sky while the other Divine Spirits sighed, knowing that Zhu Jiu Yin was the winner this time.
On Crouching Dragon Mountain, two figures abruptly appeared in front of a small log house and collapsed to the ground.
Yang Kai had spent two years cultivating his spear technique here, so he had naturally left a Space Beacon in this place. He wouldn’t dare to return to the Star City as he was worried that Jin Wu and the others would go there to search for him, so Crouching Dragon Mountain was a natural choice. There was no way Jin Wu and the others were aware of this place, and they didn’t have the time to come all the way here to look for him. It could be said that they were completely safe in this place.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a soft and tender body under him and he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent tickling his nose. Raising his head, he saw Zhu Jiu Yin staring at him with a pair of ice-cold eyes.
Yang Kai flashed a smile at her and rolled away from her. With his limbs spread on the ground, he panted heavily.
Zhu Jiu Yin remained unmoving as she lay beside Yang Kai. The last strike cost her an immense amount of strength. After trading moves with Jin Wu and the others, she became severely injured so now she didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
After batting her lashes though, Zhu Jiu Yin suddenly started laughing in a pleasant voice.
Upon escaping Jin Wu’s pursuit, she could achieve her goal and leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. When she reached the outside world, she would definitely become one of the most powerful Masters as she was a Divine Spirit.
“Hand over your entire collection and be my Protector for a thousand years,” Yang Kai suddenly said, which made her abruptly choke on her laughter.
Suppressing the fury in her heart, Zhu Jiu Yin turned her head and glared fiercely at him, “Brat, don’t go too far!”
In a calm manner, Yang Kai looked up at the sky, “You can sleep on it. I’m in no rush.”
While he could remain calm, there was no way Zhu Jiu Yin could. The Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog was extremely thick and might send him away at any moment. There wasn’t much time for her to ponder on it. If she wanted to leave this prison, she had to agree to Yang Kai’s terms.
Since Zhu Jiu Yin found him and made him a Bearer, he had never talked about conditions with her. The other Bearers had already come to an agreement with their Divine Spirits in advance.
It wasn’t that Yang Kai didn’t want to get any benefits, it was just that he was waiting for the last moment when Zhu Jiu Yin would not be able to reject him.
“Brat, don’t forget that it was me who taught you the Defying Yin-Yang Five Elements Profound Universe Heart Scripture. It was me who gave you the Divine Dao Water to strengthen your Dao Seal. It was also me who helped you look for a Metal Element treasure without any complaint,” Zhu Jiu Yin said through clenched teeth as she had the urge to bite Yang Kai to death.
Yang Kai grinned, “Of course I will never forget those favours. but I know you only made such efforts so that I could snatch the opportunity for you to leave, and I’ve proven that I did not disappoint you, haven’t I?” As he spoke, he raised his hand and showed her the pattern on the back of his hand.
“As for the Metal Element treasure… you didn’t find one in the end. By the way, Jin Wu’s Monster Core is a Metal Element treasure. If I had cooperated with him, I would’ve gained the maximum benefits; however, I didn’t do so because I’m a man of my word. Since I’ve come to an agreement with you, I won’t betray you.”
Zhu Jiu Yin had the overwhelming urge to spit in his face when she heard that. If it weren’t because she had captured Yue He and the others, she knew Yang Kai would’ve dumped her in an instant and sided with Jin Wu.
“Your conditions are too harsh,” Zhu Jiu Yin suppressed her fury and haggled with him.
“Wealth doesn’t matter as you can’t bring it with you when you pass away.” Yang Kai grinned, “Moreover, you’re a Divine Spirit. Once you leave this place, you’ll be able to use your full strength and become as powerful as a Seventh or Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. What do you need those items for?”
Zhu Jiu Yin snorted, “I can give you those things, but a thousand years is too long.”
“Divine Spirits live extremely long lives. I know a thousand years will pass in a snap of your fingers.”
“Brat, are you sick of living?”
“Do you have any energy left to kill me?”
Zhu Jiu Yin took a deep breath as her plump trembled, “Three hundred years!”
“A thousand years!”
“Five hundred years!”
“A thousand years!!”
“Eight hundred years!!” Zhu Jiu Yin screamed hysterically.
“A thousand years!!!” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “Oh, no! The fog has thickened. I’m worried that I’ll need to leave soon.”
“Little bastard!” Zhu Jiu Yin was utterly incensed.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Have you agreed to it? Your word carries no weight. I want you to swear on your Source!”
“This Queen swears she will make you suffer the most excruciating torture after a thousand years!” Zhu Jiu Yin bellowed as she widened her mouth and spat out her Heavenly Moon Demon Spider’s Source. The Source was a petite eight-legged spider, but its glow had dimmed. Apparently, it was injured.
After swearing on her Source, Zhu Jiu Yin put it back inside her body.
It was only then that Yang Kai set his mind at ease. Zhu Jiu Yin was incredibly powerful, but she could not take an oath sworn on her Source lightly. Just like a cultivator swearing on his Dao Heart, if there was no special way to render the oath ineffective, they had to honor it; otherwise, the backlash would be intense.
[As for a thousand years later… we’ll see if you can still defeat me by then.] Yang Kai grinned.
After everything was settled, Yang Kai directly raised the back of his hand and infused his energy into it, “Come in.”
A glow radiated from the pattern and engulfed Zhu Jiu Yin before sucking her into the strange space.
Instantly, Yang Kai’s face turned as pale as a white sheet as his forehead was drenched in sweat. Despite the fact that he already knew that it would cost him a lot of energy to put her inside the space, the exhaustion he felt was still beyond his expectation.
The next instant, Zhu Jiu Yin’s furious voice was heard coming from his Soul, “Why are these two little kids in here as well? It’s so cramped!”
With his limbs spread on the ground, Yang Kai couldn’t even move a muscle so he lethargically replied, “They’re just hitching a free ride. Bear with it for now.”
Yang Kai now realized why there was only one Divine Spirit who could be the winner in every Spirit Seizing War. He didn’t feel anything when he stuffed the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon into the special space, but now that he did the same to Zhu Jiu Yin, he immediately felt that it was filled to the brim. It was no wonder she said it felt cramped.
This special space could only accommodate one Divine Spirit. There was no room for another one.
The breeze was cold and the fog roiled. Yang Kai’s breathing slowly stabilised. Soon, the entire Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was filled with fog, and he couldn’t even see his hands before his face.
It felt like a short moment, but it also felt as if many years had passed. When the fog dissipated, Yang Kai was startled to hear noises from all around him.
Opening his eyes, he realised that he was already floating in the void. Several tens of thousands of cultivators were scattered everywhere as they exclaimed and cried tears of joy, as though they had been reborn. They could hardly contain their excitement.
Over ten years ago, the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog swept across an entire Star City and engulfed it. More than ten years later, the same fog sent them back.
In the past, there were several hundred thousand to over a million people in and around the Star City, but now, only twenty thousand to thirty thousand had come out alive. In the past dozen years or so, countless cultivators had lost their lives in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and only a small number of them survived.
Yang Kai immediately checked on his Small Sealed World, and upon realising that the Divine Medicines that he had obtained were still with him, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the Principles in the Boundary wouldn’t intercept living creatures without flesh and blood bodies. If those three Divine Medicines were intercepted, he would’ve felt dejected.
Pu Bai Xiong and Little Mushroom were not so important, but the gourd vine was a Supreme Treasure.
Inside the Small Sealed World, the other Bearers stayed quietly in a particular area. They were either meditating or looking around curiously. As the Master of the Small Sealed World, Yang Kai had imposed a limit on where they could go, so they were unable to see the Small Sealed World in its entirety.
After their initial excitement died down, the surviving cultivators started dispersing. Now that they had escaped unscathed, they wouldn’t dare to stay in the same place. It would be terrible if the Grand Ancient Ruins Rolling Fog returned for some reason.
These cultivators bid each other farewell and left in all directions.
It took Yang Kai a long time before he could restore some of his energy. As a thought flashed through his mind, he released those Bearers from the Small Sealed World.
After several dozen people appeared, they became startled for a moment before a pleasantly surprised Xu Zhen asked, “Have we left?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Fortunately, I didn’t disappoint you all. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary has closed, and we’ve all left that place safely.”
Xu Zhen turned his head, and seeing as Yang Kai appeared completely battered, he became shocked and said, “Brother Yang, you must have suffered a lot.”
Although he wasn’t sure what Yang Kai had gone through, it was apparent that a lot of misfortunes had befallen the latter; after all, so many Bearers had entered the Primordial Land, but only Yang Kai had come out in the end, so there was no way those Divine Spirits would let him off.
“Many thanks, Brother Yang!” Xu Zhen solemnly cupped his fists.
All the others lightly bowed their heads as well, “Many thanks, Senior Brother Yang.”
If Yang Kai hadn’t put them inside the Small Sealed World, as soon as they left the Primordial Land, their respective Divine Spirits would’ve immediately found them. Many of them would’ve lost their lives because of that. It could be said that Yang Kai had saved their lives, so they now owed him a favour.
“It was a minor matter,” Yang Kai saluted them back.
“I haven’t returned to the Sect for years, so Sect Master must be worried about me. I’ll take my leave now, Senior Brother Yang. If you ever come to the Free and Unfettered Territory, please pay a visit to our Sect. This Ning will personally welcome you.” Ning Dao Ran placed one hand on his chest and sincerely invited him.
With a smile, Yang Kai replied, “I’ve heard much about the Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. If there’s a chance, I’ll definitely pay your Sect a visit.”
After a nod, Ning Dao Ran turned around and left.
“I also have to return to my Sect. Yang Kai, I’ll definitely repay your favour in the future, so don’t get yourself killed too soon.” Lin Feng snorted and cupped his fists before leaving with Ning Dao Ran.
“I have to leave as well. Little Brother Yang, come look for me when you’re free,” Upon finishing her words, Qu Hua Shang flicked a token at him, “With this token in your possession, you can come to my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven whenever you want.”
Yang Kai stored the token and nodded his head, “Senior Sister Qu, take care.”
Following that, Xu Zhen, Gu Pan and the others also left. They were from Cave-Heavens and Paradises, so it was expected that they had to leave in a hurry. The opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a major event; moreover, many people had been sucked into the Boundary this time while all the survivors had had their own opportunities. The Bearers had especially gained immense benefits, and many of them had condensed Sixth-Order or even Seven-Order Element Powers. Therefore, they had to immediately report this matter to their Sects. With so many new rising stars, it was a great opportunity for those Cave-Heavens and Paradises to recruit them and nurture them into future powerhouses.
This matter had to be settled as quickly as possible. If the news was spread around, it would be too late for them to recruit these people.
Before Xu Zhen and Gu Pan left, they had respectively given Yang Kai a token and told him that with them in his possession, he could contact them as long as he came to their Sects.
Yang Kai carefully kept them. He had intended to ask Gu Pan about Zhang Ruo Xi, but there were too many people around, so he decided to give up on that idea. In any case, with Gu Pan’s token in his hands, he could go to Lang Ya Paradise when he was free.
Following that, all the Bearers left one by one. All of them bid Yang Kai farewell before leaving. They had gained a lot of benefits in the Boundary this time, so they wouldn’t dare to remain here lest an accident happened.
Some of these Bearers were not famous, while some of them were the top disciples in their respective great forces, but regardless, they were all Emperor Realm cultivators who would be easy targets for those who wanted to rob them of their wealth. A while later, Yang Kai amassed twenty or thirty tokens in total. He watched them leave, and soon, there was no one around him.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. This time, he had gained unimaginable benefits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Besides the immense resources for cultivation, he had also brought back a Divine Spirit and made her agree to become his Protector for a thousand years.
There were also the rewards he had gained in the Primordial Land, which included three Divine Medicines, a large amount of Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water, sixteen World Fruits and a World Tree root.
Apart from these tangible benefits, there were also the intangible ones, which included forging friendships with other Bearers. These guys had been nurtured by Divine Spirits in the Boundary, and if they could grow to become famous and powerful, they would be able to influence the 3,000 Worlds’ affairs. It could be expected that hundreds or thousands of years later, they would all become powerful hegemons.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt extremely lucky and pleased that he was part of these changing times.
“Brother Yang, do you have a place to go?” A figure approached Yang Kai. It was Ding Yi.
As soon as Ding Yi left the Boundary, he started gathering his subordinates together. He was the founder of Emperor Heaven. Initially, there were many people in his group, but a lot of them were killed in the Primordial Land, and many more were slaughtered by the Divine Spirits at the last moment. This was a loose organisation that only banded together to survive in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Now that they had returned to the outside world, many of them were not willing to stay.
Presently, there were only a few hundred people around Ding Yi. These people didn’t have a Sect or background, so after they left the Boundary, they had nowhere to go. Upon Ding Yi’s calling, they gathered around him again.
Hearing that, Yang Kai nodded and then shook his head.
Before he was swept into the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary by the strange fog, he was part of First Inn; however, at that time, Bai Qi was ambushed when he was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, so he was almost destined to die. A furious Proprietress had sworn to kill Qin Ji and the others in order to avenge him. Over ten years had passed since those events, so Yang Kai wondered how they had been doing.
Ding Yi grinned, “If you have nowhere to go, why not join me?”
Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Brother Ding, where are you going?”
With a proud expression, Ding Yi replied, “I’m going to look for a Spirit Province to found a Sect and make a name for myself.”
“Brother Ding is a man of ambition.” Yang Kai praised him. In the past, Ding Yi didn’t have the right to do such a thing. Nevertheless, he had obtained tremendous benefits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and as long as he could ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he would be a Fifth or Sixth-Order Master. That was enough for him to found a Sect.
“As long as you’re willing to help me, I’ll definitely achieve my goal. If you decide to come with me, you will be the Leader.” With a pair of bright eyes, Ding Yi looked excitedly at him.
He was fully aware of Yang Kai’s capabilities. Knowing that he was inferior to him, he was eager to make him become part of his plan.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai shook his head, “Many thanks for your kind invitation, Brother Ding, but I have other matters to attend to, so I’m afraid that I can’t join you.”
Hearing that, Ding Yi appeared disappointed and sighed, “That’s a shame.” Nevertheless, he was an optimistic person, so he pulled himself together quickly, “In that case, we’ll part ways here. I’m sure we’ll meet again. Farewell.”
“Take care,” Yang Kai cupped his fists.
“Guys, let’s go. Follow this Ding to make a name for ourselves and let the 3,000 Worlds tremble beneath our feet. Hahaha!” Ding Yi swung his arm and proudly led these hundreds of people to leave this place.
Yang Kai watched him leave and shook his head with a smile. He appreciated Ding Yi being so ambitious, but he knew the latter might face some trouble in the future. In order to increase his strength, Bi Fang had forced him to condense a Seventh-Order Fire Element Power, so he might not be able to smoothly ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.